Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-02-13
Camilla on the Continent.

L had always intended to 90 for nv
| honeymoon, when / had one, to the little
/ German town of Hoehpreis, nesting be-
/ tween the hills and the river, with the
buildings of the hotel glimmering in elias
sic stucco from bower OF green. Sowhen
Camilla and l were discussing where to
go after we were married / proposed the
place because | knew ii, and Camilla
agreed to it because she did not know it.
Accordingly, after somewhat leisure
ly journey, we landed from a little
steamer at sunset with one or two four
lists, some commercial travellers. half Il
dozen live peasants and a few dead pigs
Inc boots of the Crosse Kaiser hotel IL
do not know which Kaiser, but probably
not the present onel was there with his
house writ large on his cap. To him we
contded our trunks. and Camilla and |
walked up the bank to the hotel grounds
| The sun was setting over the range OF
mountains, the moon rising over the 9th
er. We were alone in the rustling FOIL
age. For Il moment we forgot the world
around MS and the past behind us
fear in Camilla's case the forgetfulns !
lasted longer, with consequences-but j
anticipate
We came out at last into the lighted
area of the court and were bowed in by
ranged and our rooms were ready, en-
suite with a balcony. You run mp and
get ready, dear" | said to Camilla who
was still dreamy and distraught, while
| sign the book for both of us
At this she woke up somewhat and
protested. NO, Augustus. she an-
swered firmly. II will sign for myself.
can't stand that fashion of writing Herr
Somebody very large and tiny 'und
Gemahlin' after as if his Wife was some
sort Of n cot ANIMAL
When Camilla stands upon her rights
l never argue. | merely said, "All right,
dear" and, as the porter's den was too
small for both of us to remain, | went
upstairs, leaving her to sign the hotel
book as she liked. In minute she fol-
lowed me and we made hasty toilet.
AS we came downstairs to supper the
porter was standing in the hall looking
severe and stiff, and though he touched
his cap perfunctorily to us he seemed to
have lost his affability of manner, and
almost scowled after us. | guessed that
possibly he had been disappointed in
tip from some departing visitor and
thought no more of the matter. The
supper was delightful, served at little
tables on the trellised terrace. TO cele-
brate our arrival | ventured, with
slight protest from Camilla, to order a
| bottle of German champagne
How sad and bad and mad ii was,
But then how it was sweet!
Camilla felt recklessly dissipated and
| laughed at nearly everything / said, and
a German matron, with figure like
Noah's wife in Noah's ark. looked
askance at us and snorted disapproval
| We sat on the terrace after the rest had
gone, for we had come late and were
hungry with our journey, but at last we,
too, came to our coffee, and when | had
smoked one cigarette we heard the sound
of music from the drawing room and
went in. Camilla expected to meet with
an amateur Paderewski at every hotel.
The piano, however, was occupied by
fat, pasty-faced youth of 16 or so. with
long hair and unnecessarily flowing tie,
who was improvising, while the Noah's
ark female, obviously his mother, gazed
at him in ecstacy. Camilla sat down
near this person and listened to the mtl-
sic, while | rummaged for news of the
war among the German papers of the
day. The boy went on playing, and |
soon understood why he was regarded in
his family as a genius.
He played for quite half an hour with
out at any time deviating into anything
recognizable as a melody. as if he was
dealing out a pack of exercises very well
shufiled. Finally, tired of collecting new
compound German expressions of oppri.
brium for Mr.. Chamberlain, | looked up
and saw to my surprise that Camilla had
made friends with the Noah's ark
mother, who, it appeared, could speak.
some English Seeing my wife looking
at the musician with her air of rapt and
strained attention. which las / know is
due TO the repression of yawn. the
admiring parent had called her attention
to the wonderful talent of the youth.
Camilla having politely assented, the
good lady proceeded 20 enlarge upon her
1. I. l. L. r
lily, three graduated little girls with
tiaxen hair done up in twin plaits be-
hind, listened in admiration to mamma
speaking huently the unknown tongue
of the she-Englishwoman
Camilla Smiled and nodded now and
then to punctuate the good lady's rhap-
sodieS. when. as Rider Haggard used to
say, strange thing happened. A lean
and hungry-looking young woman, whom
| guessed To be some sort of goyerness,
came back into the drawing room and
saw her employer conTidentially talking
with, or, rather. to, my wife, Her weak
eyes seemed to focus lightnings through
her cheap pince-nez. She almost ran to
the Noah's Ark woman and whispered
violently into her ear. Tae effect was
alarming. The mother of the genius rose
from her seat. fixing stony glare on
Camilla. Then. without word, she
plunged across the room, slueing like IN
piano. while the governess swept the
three small girls out.
Camilla wondered if-the stout lady was
quite in her right mind, but | saw no
reason to doubt her sanity. Most obvi-
ously II was something in the lean young
woman's whispered message that had
produced this sudden change OF manner
Finely. as Camilla was tired, we with
drew Ia our rooms TO unpack and pre-
pare for rest. and sat out on the bal
cany. yelled at the sides by trellised
vines, aud smoked cigarette. Here Ca
mlla, in a Japanese kimonO. joined me-
II can't think why that absurd old
creature behaved in that way" She said
piaintiyeiy, leaning against my chair.
Any one might suppose we had some
thing catching. What could that gov
ernesS have told the woman about us?
And. do you know. think she must have
spoken 10 the porter, for his manner was
duite disreSpcCtful. It's SO Qieor for
they know you mere, done they.
AuguStusf'
"1he manager knows me. and the pos
tel and one or two OF ;he walters. !