The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-03-28

-nieliuS the rain TO rail- INTO the VIDE
open mouth. The girl had naturally
followed his example, and there they
both stood. the game now and then
interrupted by peals of happy, child
ish laughter.
They are Huhnchen' little ones l''
flashed through my mind such a
game was exactly after his mind.
What is your fathers name?' I
asked the boy.
"Huhnchen," was the reply.
And where does he liver" asked.
I'm this house, three flights up"
replied the boy.
II should like to see him, I said,
stroking the boys yellow curls.
He is at home" came the ans
wer, and both children were off like
the wind to announce my arrival. 1
followed slowly, and on reaching the
sst02 / found the door wide open and
Euhnchen awaiting my arrival.
"Be SO good as to step inside, he
sail, opening a second door. Whom
hav, 1 the honor of addressing? ?"
/ made no reply, but stepped into
the Dom and faced him. He had
not danged at all, except that his
beard was longer and his forehead
somewhat higher; in his eyes still
shone The undying sunshine. In the
brighter light of the room he knew
me at once; his Joy was unspeakable.
He threw his arms around me, and
then, pushing me back, still looking
fondly at me, he said:
''Do you know what l should like
to do? Well, I should like to dance
an Indian war-dance, just as we used
to years ago when we could not con-
troll ourselves for joy. Do you re-
member when my sister became en-
gagged to our favorite professor, and
you made up this Indian war dance,
and hoped along to keep you COM
pany ?" and with that he swung his
long legs in way of which his young
er years would not need to have been
ashamed.
"My wife will be delighted" he
said "she knows and loves you al
ready, / have talked so much about
you; but must tell you something
Il don't think you know it i: my
wife" (and with this he pointed to his
left shoulder) 'is little deformed.
I no longer see that-in fact never
saw it, for I fell in love with her
eyes, with her heart, with her sweet
ness and goodness-in short, love
her because she is an angel. And
why do 1 tell you all this? Well,
you see, if you did not understand
you might show some surprise upon
seeing her, and my wife would notice
that; but now you won't see any,
thing, will you?'
I was deeply moved, and pressed
his hand as an answer. He went to
another door, opened it, and called ::
Harover you know him.
She entered, and behind her came
the two bright-faced children. My
friends warning did not come amiss !;
had I been unprepared, I doubt
whether 1 could have kept the sur
prise entirely out of my face but,
looking into the dark eyes of the
woman before me, I saw an unquench-
able fountain of tenderness and love !;
heavy wavy hair framed a pale face,
not beautiful, but rejecting the light
of fine spiritual nature.
The greeting over, Huhnchen said,
"You must stay with US tonight
that's understood. Lore, bring out
the best the house affords" Then,
| turning to me, "The house really af-
fords nothing, for housekeeper in
Berlin has no reserve stock /; but it's a
jolly good way to live, for all that. I'll
tell you how we manage. My wife
puts on her hat, takes basket on
her arm, and steps across the street.
Behind the plate-glass windows is a
marble slab, and behind it stands a
man, jolly-faced fellow with white
apron beside him stands woman,
round and rosy, as jolly as he is, and
beside her round rosy girl with a
smile for everybody. My little wife
steps into the store, with an enchant-
ed book in her hand-ordinary people
call it a pocketbook. Through the
influence of this little enchanted book,
these round, rosy, white-aproned peo-
pie are set in motion, and conjure
from behind the marble slab whatever
delicacies the heart may desire and
the book can pay for. My little wife
trips back across the street, and in
ten minutes the table is ready and set
with everything the heart could de-
sire-as by magic"
In the meantime his wife, followed
by the children, had laughingly left
the room, and as Huhnchen observed
that / had taken note Of the meager
furnishing of the room, he continued :
"You will not find purple and fine
linen here, and the treasures of India
have not come my way but let me
Itell you, when one is we'll and strong"
and with this he raised his arm after
the manner of an athlete-"if one is
we'll and strong" he repeated, "and
has such charming wife, and two
such lovely children-if l do say it
myself-and is not satisfied, we'll, he
would better tie a milestone around
his neck and drown himself in the
deepest part of the sea p After a
moments pause, during which he re-
garded me with happy eyes, he went
on: Before our son was born, my
poor little wife was very unhappy ;
the fear never left her that his little
limbs might not be quite straight, and
at night, when she thought me sound
asleep, l often heard her crying soft
ly to herself. But when the child
was laid in her arms, and an anxious,
searching look convinced her that the
little body was sound and straight, an
expression of almost heavenly Joy