Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-11-10

once?"
The troubled face grew bright
Upon my word, Anna Maria" he
cried gayly, these are stupid things;
have had that package in my hands
twenty times at least. A thousand
thanks! Isay again and again, Anna
Maria, what would become of me
without your"
The smile suddenly disappeared
from her face, and she looked thought
fully at the stately figure of her
brother, who had stepped up to the
men and was negotiating with them.
The words fell on her ears as in a
| dream, and quite mechanically she
! took up her train and walked out OF
| the room. AS she was about to close
| the door, her brother called after her
Anna Maria, shall 1 meet you by ana
by in the sitting-room? The gardener
work in the wood"
She had no idea, as she stood out
| side, whether or not she had an.
| swered him. then she sat down in her
room, and her eyes wandered about
| the familiar spot and rested at length
on her brothers portrait. But she
! saw 1t not; in her mind was another
picture, another mans head. The
! red-tiled roof of Dambitz Manor rose
before her eyes, and over him and
her the brown, budding branches of
the linden-walk in the Dambitz gar
den futtered and beat in the damp
spring air, and at their feet long rows
of snowdfops bloomed and shook their
little white heads.
Anna Maria,' he had called her,
Anna Maria" as in her childhood.
She started up, as If awakening from
long, deep dream. All, no! it was
| true; scarcely an hour ago he had
spoken thus to her, and Anna Maria
Won Hegewitz had stood before him as
If under spell
What else had he said? She knew
| no longer, only the words Anna
Maria" sounded to her very soul; and
as on that st, Martins Eve she had
put her hands in his, and he had
drawn her close to hm-only one
short moment, she scarcely knew
whether it were dream or reality
Then Klaus had come down the sters
-"Klausl ah, Heaven, Klaus!"
She leaned her head against the
back of the sofa and closed her eyes.
She saw herself going away from
the old house here. Could her foo,
cross the threshold? And she saw
| Klaus looking in the doorway. looking
after her with his kind, true eyes,
! perhaps with tears in them. And
there came to her all the words which
she had so often spoken to him,
caressingly; 81 will stay with you.
Klaus, always, always" And now
the strong gill began to weep: she
scarcely knew what tears were, but
now they gushed from her eyes with
all the force of shaken soul.
And yet above all this pain there
lowered a feeling of infinite hap
piness, through the dark veil of sad
ness cleaned bright rays-the pre-
monitions of a wonderful future. the
suspicion that the life which she had
led hitherto was hardly to be called
living, because that one thing had
been wanting which first consecrates
and gives value to happy life.
She rose and went up to her
brothers portrait. Klaus. dear
Klaus, cannot help it, indeed" she
whispered; and then she wandered
about the room, a tender smile on
her lips, and laugh in her eyes.
The sound of the servants supper
bell reused her from her dreams
she changed her riding-habit for a
| house-dress. but laid the snow drops
in the Bible on her writing-jesk. and
! gave the little white blossoms a
j caressing touch before she took up
her basket of keys to leave the room.
She was met on the way to the sit
ting-room by a fresh. curly-hairea
| girl. carrying an armful of flashing
brass candlesticks, her black eyes al,
most as bright as the shining metal.
Well, Marieken," asked Anna
Maria, lis the outfit ready?"
| The brisk girl laughed all over her
face. "oh, not quite. Fraulein; but
| 1t Is three weeks to Easter. and Colt
! heb is painting the rooms now in om
: house, and the cabinet-maker is going
/ to bring our things next week"
! Anna Maria nodded kindly. but did
not reply. Her thoughts were al.
ready again in Dambitz. wandering
through the rooms of the castle.
Most of them were still empty. but a
time was doubtless coming for her zoo
when the cabinet-maler would bring
her things, And Anna Maria looked
at the girl and smiled: she knew no,
why herself; it was from overflowing
happiness. And Marieken laughed toe
/ "a perfect harmony of youth, hope
and happiness, Then the girl ran on
with her candles,icks and Anna
Maria walked down the corridor. and
J in both hearts was the same sunshine
She must hurry. for Klaus would
, surely be waiting for her, he wanted
, to speak with her about the work in
the garden.
Next 20 Klaus's room was a small