Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1902-08-16
His Wasted
COurtship&

one winter afternoon after DR.. Ar
Inold Scherner had come home
from his desk in the Bureau of
finance, eaten his dinner, and
stretched himself on the sofa to en-
joy a cigar and a French novel, his
young. brother Hans burst into the
room and said:
''Alma Holdesheim asked me to re-
thanks
'Why didn't you give it to me at
once?"
what was the hurry?"
THAT is my affair. Now get out!"-
Hans got out and banged the
door. Arnold opened the book at
page ten and copied on a piece of
paper certain letters which he found
marked by almost imperceptible PEN
Gil dots. The transcription read:
Il must see you tomorrow. Meet
me at Haller's at four"
The Scherners were family of Of
icials. The father was a bureau
chief, the oldest son, Gustav, provin-
cial governor in Dalmatia; Arnold
was in the ministry of finance, and
Hans was preparing for a govern
ment position. The only daughter
had married an official
Arnold was very ambitious. Social
rank and consideration he had, what
he wanted was money. 1t had never
been too abundant with the Scher-
ners, and Arnold fully realized it's
power. Hence, he had resolved to
marry it. AS his friend Rudolf used
to say: ct is possible to love girl,
even if she is rich
He had the entree to the best fam
lilies in Vienna, but if he should go
to a rich man and demand his daugh-
ter's hand, it was doubtful whether
his own prospects of official advance
ment would counterbalance the lack
of present fortune. Clearly, then, the
thing to do was to capture the heart
of rich girl, preferably a very
young one, and so enlist the aid of
love in overcoming parental opposi-
ton.
His first budding sweetheart was
carried off by a predestined cousin,
the second was dazzled by a Iieuten-
ants epaulets. Then, on the ice
everybody skates in Vienna-he met
Alma HOldesheim, and on his first
visit to her house he met her 16-
year-old sister Adrienne, and marked
her for his own. Pretty, modest, we'll
bred, and, most important of all, I'M
sophisticated, and not yet out she
seemed the very girl for him. In
the Vienna equivalent of Bradstreet,
old Holdeshein was thus labeled:
Gowns large spinning mill, an es-
tate in Bohemia, and a town house
in Vienna. Estimated to be worth
100000 gulden; income, SIS, OOO.'
This was satisfactory. There were
three children, and Adrienne's
dowry could be reckoned at 15O, 900
gulden. Arnold's wooing began on
the ice. Hitherto Adrfenne had
skated only with girl friends, and a
few of their young very young
brothers, who didn't count
And as he was handsome, witty and
weIl-bred, it was no wonder that Cit
tie Adrienne" fell in love with him.
During the summer his memory was
kept green by the IT'S souvenir post
cards which he sent her.
The ensuing summer strength
ened the bond between the lovers.
Arnold had induced his father to
spend the vacation in the vicinity of
the Holdesheims. The young. man
might have done so alone, but he
was unwilling to attract the atten-
ton of Adrienne's parents too strong
ly until he had made sure of her
love.
This certainly came in the course of
the summer, and the first vows of love
were exchanged. ''The third day
comes a frost, a killing frost" and
the third winter Adrienne caught cold
and was not allowed to skate or dance.
The lovers met rarely, Audience the
device of borrowed books and marked
letters.
But this was not the first frost.
Early in the season Adrienne had dis
covered that DR.. Scherner was not
the only young man who cared for her
society, and social success made her
coquettish. She meant no harm.
Arnold, she thought, ought to recog-
nize cheerfully her right to hold lit
tie court, like other girls. But Arnold
did nothing of the sort, but made the
mistake of yielding to jealousy.
Resolved 10 nip the growing evil in
the bud. he scolded her, and thereby
made matters worse.
Adrienne was offended that he could
think her d flirt, and waited for him
| to make overtures toward reconciIia-
ton. But he obstinately maintained
the role of the offended party, and was
very cold and distant.
"Firmness is necessary with wom-
an" he said to himself "When she
sees that she can play with you, your
| influence over her is gone forever"
Meanwhile, something that Adrienne
would never have discovered had be-
come very evident to her mother
namely, that Arnold Scherner was
simply in quest of a weIl-dowered
bride. She knew that the Scherners
were comparatively poor, and was not
In favor of an alliance with them.
But she was too wise to warn
Adrienne directly. Instead, she I'M
| dertook her financial education, initi-
ating her into all the details of the
family resources and expenditures.
! Adrienne learned to her establishment
| that her own fortune would amount 20
10000 gulden.
This seemed like an immense sum,
but it dwindled marvelous1y when she
1 4aarr,a5- TIM al e n a NINA