Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-11-17
CHAPTER v.

=
had passed since that evening. In
Butte Manor-house there was a vault
ed, out-of-the-way room, which was
entered by low, small door at the
end OF dark passage; the windows
Alooked out upon the garden. Tall
trees forbade entrance to the light
winch had to seek admission through
an artistic old lattice-work as we'll
This bad been the lumber-room from
time lmmemorial. All sorts of Things
lay, hung, and stood there, in perfect
confusion. Old presses and chests,
old spinning-wheels with yellowed
ivory decorations, and dark oil por-
traits on which one could hardly de
tect the trace of a face; huge bed.
stead with heavy gilt knobs-a French
general had slept on it in the year
nine, and the late Herr Won HegewitA
had banished the bed to the lumber
room as a desecrated object after
that, for it had originally been made
to shelter prince of the royal family
for night. The wings of the gilded
eagle who sat so proudly at the top
now only shred of the crimson cur.
tain, as the last remnant of former
splendor. Fine cobwebs reached from
one piece of furniture to another, and
yellowish dust lay on the floor, sign
that the WOODWORK was undisturbed
here.
Here Anna Maria stood and looked
OH hAr ~,
thing. She scarcely knew herself jus.
why she had come in here; she had
happened to go by, and then it had
flashed across her mind that it might
be well to give the old lumber-room
a breath of fresh spring air, and she
had taken the bunch of keys from hel
belt and come in. The young linden
leaves outside let one or two in
quisitive sunbeams through the win
dow, and myriads of grains of dust
fioated up and down in them. 1t was
so quiet in the room, among the
antique furniture. Anna Maria was
just in the mood for it; she sat down
in an armchair and leaned her head
against the moth-eaten cushion, her
eyes half-closed, her hands folded in
her lap.
She felt so peaceful; the old
furniture seemed to preach to her of
the periShable nature of man. Where
were all the hands that had made it?
the eyes that had delighted in itr
She thought how some time her
spinning wheel, too, would stand here,
and how many days and hours must
pass before strange hands would bring
it here, as superfuous rubbish.
Strange hands! She felt sudden
fear. Strange hands! For centuries
Butte had descended in direct line
from father to son-and now?
Anna Maria rose quickly and went
to the window, as if to brighten away
unpleasant thoughts; the soft. mild
spring air blew toward her and re-
minded her of the most unhappy hour
of her life, and again she turned and
walked quickly through the room.
Then her foot struck against some
thing, and she saw the cradle, lightly
rocking in front of her-the heavy,
gayly painted old cradle in which the
Hegewitzes had had their first slum-
Der for more than two hundred years
klaus too, and she too. And Anna
Maria knelt down and threw her arms
about the little rocking cradle. and
kissed the glaring painted roses and
cherubs, and few bitter tears flowed
from under her lashes, the first that
she had shed since that day.
WHY did |, too, have to lie there
in the cradle? 1t might have been SO
different, so much better,'' she
thought. Poor thing, you must de-
cay and fall to dust here, and at last
irreverent hands will take you and
throw you in to the fire. Poor Klaus !.
For my sake!" And almost tenderly
she wiped the dust from the ara.
besques on the back. and shook up the
little yellow pillows.
Just then came the sound of a
quick, manly step in the passage, and
before Anna Maria had time to rise,
Klaus stood in the open door.
DO l find you here?" he asked in
establishment. and at first laughing,
then more serious, he looked at Anna
Maria, who rose and came toward
him.
Il wanted to let some fresh air in
here, and found our old cradle Klaus, -
S.she said quietly.
Eyes, Anna Maria-but you have
been crying he rejoined.
ooh, / was only thinking that ii
was quite unnecessary that the poor
thing should have been hunted up
again for mel" The bitterness of her
heart pressed unconsciously to her
lips today.
Anna Maria What puts such
thoughts into your head?" asked
Klaus Won Hegewitz, in amazement
And drawing his sister to him, he
stroked her hair lovingly. What
should do without your"
She made slight convulsive move
ment, and freed herself from his arms
But, listen, sister, he continued
Il know whence such feelings come
Won rnuSt bponmp lnu-spiritod IL, +hfc