River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-11-03
THE COLD
HEAR
(Copyright, 1904, by DAILY story Pub. COL


90 A H, YOU Americans! You cold
hearted Americans! You are so
practical, SO Indifferent! You concede
nothing TO sentiment" exclaimed Frau
lein, throwing up her hands in mock de-
spair.
Fraulein and / were taking our tea in
her little parfor in Munich. Her spirited
outburst followed some cynical remarks
of mine. Just for the sake of arousing
her eloquence, had fallen into the bad
habit of making light of love and mar
riage. | exalted the life of a bachelor
girl and put the pursuit of art above
all domestic happiness.
But FrauIein adored love and lovers.
Though her brown hair was beginning to
show grayish tinge, her heart was full
of youths romantic exuberance. She
was creature of emotion. She did not
waste her affections because she poured
them forth from a heart as inexhausti-
BILE as the ever-filliRg pitcher Of the
fable She loved the whole world, the
sunshine and "Bumi," her maltese cat,
with equal extravaganza.
The expression of views so repugnant
to Fraulein's nature as these of mine al
ways brought down her condemnation
upon me; but to-day she did not show
her usual impatient ardor. After her
first protest she looked for moment
into her cup as if seeing visions in the
amber depths Of her tea. Then she rose
impulsively and brought from table the
photograph of beautiful girl.
"This is an American girl" she said,
"from New York. She is wealthy and
beautiful and gifted; but she also, like
the rest Of you American girls, has no
sentiment might also say no heart.
She is cold, cold, coldi You know she
must have been beautiful since Lenbach,
whom money cannot tempt to make a
portrait of subject he doesn't care for,
painted her. This is photograph of his
portrait of her"
looked at the card she thrust into my
hand. I did not wonder that Lenbach
had immortalized this maiden She was
of the dark regal type of beauty that he
painted best
IL met Miss c. in Berlin" contin-
ued Fraulein, as looked up from the
photograph. when she afterwards
came to Munich with her mother. she
came to see me. l saw her often that
winter and we became friends. She was,
with all her American aIoofness, so
tactful and charming that one could not
but admire her intensely.
zone day when she came to see me, she
brought a young American with her.
He was the sunniest, merriest, happiest
boy / ever knew. For he was not much
more than boy while she-as she told
me later-was five years older than he
He was handsome and athletic and fair
as she was dark. And he was frank and
winning-a man who seemed made to be
happy.
81 saw how 1t was from the first; he
was very much in love with her. He
soon worshiped her. But she-she was
cold The more the poor boy wore his
very soul on his sleeve for her, the more
she retreated within herself He had
been so light-hearted when first met
him; but he changed when he fell in love
with an icicle.
Gle used to come to see me alone
sometimes, just to talk about her She
had refused him-given him no hope.
He begged me to talk to her, the foolish
bow! He couldn't believe that she did
not love him. l did talk to her. She
called him boy and his worship of her
a boys love. She said that she was too
old for him; that he would get over it.
Ach!" said FrauIein. struggling her
shoulders, "she was cold. cold, cold, or
she must have returned such love as
his
"But Fraulein." asked, more touched
than I liked to admit, chow did it end?
Did she ever relent, or did he get over
ST."
"They both went back to America
that spring" replied Fraulein 'Theard
from Miss C only once after her de-
parture. 1t was just at the time that
YOUR war with Spain came on. She wrote
that Harold had gone as a soldier to
Cuba. She said nothing more about him.
But | knew why he had gone A Ger
man girl would not have driven a man
TO such straits as that You American
girls do not know how to love; you are
too cold"
Although Fraulein never referred to
it again. the little love story she had
related to me so feelingly remained in
my mind. l never again made light of
her ideals. But an end came to our pleas
ant chats over The teacups; for, to Amer
leans on the continent, all roads lead to
Rome-in the spring. With the first sug-
gestive deepening of the blue in the