Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-02-22
A GAME OF CARDS.

ten, why l refuse to play cards with
you? Well. I'll tell YOU"
! But first let me describe the baron. He
| is man who carries his fifty years well !;
he is tall, of striking appearance, regu-
lar features, scrupulously neat in his APP
parel; in manners coldly polite, circum-
spect and always self-possessed. He i'm
presses one as being the personifcation of
| order. His comprehension is as slow as
his tongue. He knows, but his mental
acquisition requires time to formulate it
self and to give itself expression If
snails had the power of speech and were
holding conference | am convinced they
would talk Il la Malten. His language is
correct and deliberate, his gestures few
and his smiles rare.
He was formerly a captain of cavalry
in the Austrian army but was obliged to
quit the service after the battle of Sad
owa, where he was wounded in the
knee. The wound healed in the course of
time. but it resulted in a slight lameness
Of the left leg, which. however, is not
without compensation, for now, when the
baron walks he has the measured swing
of a soldier on parade, his right hand
feeling, by force of habit. for his missing
saber-that beautiful saber, close COM
panlon of the spurs whose musical jingle
thrills the ear of the cavalryman the
world over. Every one knows that he
is poor and proud, but still he is often
invited to the castle, more because he is
an Austrian than on account of his title
lie accepts with dignity, and, being an
educated man and an attentive listener,
ms company is eagerly sought. And.
now that we know something of the man,
let him tell his own story:
My story" said he, sis n short one,
quite commonplace and not of thrilling
InNnUnp TO- I oh al
at cards.
At these words we all looked Mt one
another with blank amaZement. Malten
noticed the look of horror on our faces,
nodded his classic head in confirmation
of our astonshment, and, stroking his
long. gray mustache, said slowly: Yes,
I-Malten."
Then, seating himself in an armchair
and stretching out his Sadowa leg ten
DERBY, he related the following tale with
characteristic slowness:
twenty-five years ago | was young
married man, a very young sub-lieuten-
ant, and very young in many respects.
Since then ! have grown older and wiser.
My poor young wife is dead. and since
her death | find my life well nigh intol-
cradle. | can scarcely call it living. i
simply exist. At the time of which ~
a suburb of Vienna. In the evening
when the weather was pleasant we used
to 20 out walking past the Elizabeth
bridge, and the eight statues on that
structure have looked down upon us more
than 100 times as we walked slowly past
arm i'll arm. We talked about many
topics She dreaded war. ] wished Il
call 10 war. We more than once ex-
pressed establishment that we two, hold
ing views so opposed, should be mar
ried, but our talks always wound up with
plans for the future We even discussed
how TO bring up our children before we
had any.
"When the weather was bad we re-
manned at home i'll n little world of our
own. and after supper we found our
chief amusement i'll playing cards. uSu-
ally ccartc. Though neither of us was
expert at the game we played earnestly
to win and whenever | lost | would rail
at my ill-luck, give blast or two on the
trumpet and raise a racket generally.
When she lost she kept quiet, but
could see by the trembling of her lips
that she suffered as much in her silence
as | in my noisy demonstration.
after a while, to add spice to the
game, | began to cheat. My wife did
the same. And, like two children, we
pretended to deceive each other. When
managed to get the five trunpS and
spread them out with look Of innocence
on my face she would exclaim You are
cheating, sirr And | would reply, Yes,
! 4
to win And 80 we passed many pleas
ant evenings.
1T was about that period of my exist
ence that l was invited for the first time
to visit Gen. Mohr. With what joy
accepted the honor. My wife began
about noon TO spread my uniform on the
| bed, and with what care she helped me
dress. 1t was her hands that fastened
my saber; it was she gave me the final
inspection. and when she bade me go0dby
at the door flor she did not accompany
mel she had a look of pride SO sweet that
for moment ! had it in my heart to
| say, My dear, Ill not so to the general
tonight. Nou are my wife-the best lit
tie woman in all the world-and I'll stay
Mt home with YOU and keep ON my uni
form just Tor YOU alone Would to heav-
en- had remained home that night.
When | arrived at the generals
mouse, assure You | did not regret my
visit Nothing is more beautiful than
those receptions in my country, and on
that evening the affair was unusually
brilliant. There were all the corps COM
manderS, alSp group of archdukeS-and
our arhdukeS are grand; there is some
thng about their carriage. their dress.
their profile, 80 majestic, that they look
as II they had just dlSmOunted from
those bronze horses which they will he
stride when after death their equestrian
statues snail be erected on high, bear
ing large military hats with spreading
plumeS.
"Of the ladies l will only say that they
were there in great numberS-and such
beauties, Our Niennese blondes arc sn
beautiful! Such milk-white skin! Such
eyes of heavenly blue. No man could
help falling in love with them, singly ana
collectively, especially if he saw them
dance. Really. your heart became en-
thralled az once, and was carried away
in the folds Of the ladies' dresses! Ana
then there was Strauss! The great and
only Strauss! who conducted like some
divine being. But | must stop lest I
make myself ridiculous in your ewes.
| viewed all these spleudors with iovfnl
| astonishment, with a certain pride m
being there At times l thought of my
| little wife at home, and wished She were
ON my arm enjoying the spectacle
Presently | found myself in a small
| parlor-l can see it now MS plainly as at
the moment | first entered it-a room
hung in cherry and satin. lighted by a
| large golden candelabrum. holding tan
l candles; about the room were several