Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-02-25
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i Adalbert Becker was sutton for
Lore Won Tollen's hand. now too
sought light shawl, and crept down
stairs.
A lamp was burning in the hall;
Cousin Himmel was sitting with the
cook, preparing beans for picking.
With a passing "Good-evening' |
passed her and left the house. The
clock at ST. Mary's struck nine. A
faint moonlight which with difficulty
penetraA the storm-clouds, flooded
the silent court; the garden-gate was
VIE open and light burned in the
gardeners house. The mans little
children sat upon the threshold in
their night-gowns, and called their
"Good-evening, miss after me.
In the large park-like garden [
drew a deep breath; from the pond,
which marked the boundary between
the meadows and the garden, came
humid, perfume-laden air. In the
distance, beyond the village, it light
ened necessarily. Slowly | walked
towards the water. Upon it's brink
/ Il
could sit and dream. It was fairy
like night, so beautiful, SO warm, yet
| so bracing, and / was eighteen; re-
turning health and hopes leaped up in
my heart, the expectation of some
thing strange, magnificent, the long
ing for happiness.
The shadow of the trees. beneath
which was the tiny cottage, was very
dense, so much the brighter did the
surface of the water, upon which the
lightning played, stand out. | had
glided there almost noiselessly.
There my feet hesitated. From the
moss-cottage, at whose side wall
was rtanding, upon the point Of reach
ing tie entrance, came the hushed,
fute-lika voice of Herr Wollmeyer;
ooh, do not be in such haste. stay a
while, I shall not see you for weeks"
I had already half-turned to go,
when [ paused as if rooted to the spot.
cry of horror was stif1ed in my
throat by conclusive sob. My
mother, my mother had replied! still
remember every one of those words
which rendered me so unutterahly
wretched, for they destroyed the con-
fdence, the love, the devout respect
of child for it's mother in one single
moment, like a powerful blow Of a
hammer may destroy the picture of a
saint.
mot for weeks. but I shall return
and then I heard my mother say.
Them" he asked in a half-stided
tone
'tThen l will redeem my word and
become yours"
"Helene!" I heard him cry passion
ately. "Helene!" But fed across
the lawn, and far away kneeled at
the foot of a gigantic elm, flung my
arms around the old trunk. leaned my
head against the bark. and writhed as
if in bodily pain. ooh, papa! papa.'
More | could not say, but | repeated
these words over and over mechan-
ically. ''Had | only died with you,
were l with you, papa!"
At length [ rose, just in time to con-
seal myself, for they passed close be-
side me, the slender, queenly form,
and next her the despised, vulgar
creature with his arm about her
waist. Then they paused, he picked
a rose, which cleaned pure and white
amid the darkness, and offered 1t to
her with words that drove the blood
to my cheeks-and she took tiny
mother took it! She did not fling it
in his face, she did not repulse him,
she did not think of the man to whom
she had once belonged, she did not
think of her child! ooh, papa, papa!"
With determination which far ex-
ceeded my physical strength, | fol-
lowed them. They parted at the
garden-gate; he turned back in an
other direction, mamma entered the
house; almost Immediately behind
her I stepped into the room.
''You are still up?" she asked, COM
ing towards me in the darkness, will
you not go to bed, darling?" And she
extended her hand in order to caress
my cheek. Then-then I was seized
by madness. flung aside this hand.
''Let me alone!" I cried, ''do not
touch mel" For a moment | heard
but the painting of my own breath.
'Anneliese?" she said softly, in
alright.
LET me go away from here, do
not want to stay with you'll" and, in
capable of mastering my agitation, |
grasped the white rose which she held
in her hand, cast it upon the floor and
trampled upon it.
'Ah!" said she in low voice, as
if just awakening to comprehension of
the situation, and she turned away
hastily. At the door she paused, but
spoke not a word it was as though
she had lost the power of speech in
her shame of her child. Then the
door closed and I was alone. | seated
myself upon the window-sill and
buried my face in both hands. | came
to no other conclusion than this: You
have no longer a mother! | wanted
to leave her, she did not need me, she
had a love, would soon have hus-