Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-07-01
THE BAPTISM:
A HERO FATHER,

WAS that enough to keep you at home
when you were counting me?" replied
The soft voice persuasively.
1T must have drifted pretty thick in
the rayines ol the mountains, where the
wind could get hold of it."
If the brigadier, Gottfried Barth.
should hear you now. Louis, he would
say the Alsatians were afraid of the
STOW -"
The young man shrugged his shoulders
glstinatcly.
"Bcsides.' she continued, 1T is neces-
-ary: YOU are a Christian, Louis and you
know that tie little one ought not to
wait longer without baptism: he is eight
days old already Carry him down into
the valley, find godmother and god
ftaher for him. and have the church bells
ring for our little one. All, | wish we
lived lower on the mountain side that
might hear the bells ring for the baptism
of my son!"
She ceased wcarily and lay quiet in
the old fashioned Alsatian bed. her eyes
half closed to keep out the bright light
Of the day. Her loosencd hair framed
the round face of peasant girl of the
Nosges, whose only beauty was her
youth the soft color in her cheeks. and
the gentle light of her brown eyes, which
was always the same. She knew that
she was loved. She was accustomed to
the affection that had been hers for as
long as she could remember. Among
many suitors for her hand she had
chosen the gamekeeper of rich iron
merchant at Strasbourg. one of the rare,
pure blooded Alsatians, authorized by
the administration for the guardianship
of private properties situated on the Dor
der line and infested with all the tramps
and poachers of the north of the empire.
1t required much courage for the young
woman to accept the long winter spent
on the summit of the mountain. high
above the pines and the beech trees, and
with no neighbors but the clouds. the
snow and the wind. More than one
peasants daughter, in her place. would
have regretted the valley and been at
times ill-tempered. She had never com.
planned of anything. And this had given
her a singular authority over her hus-
band.
Against his wish the latter, however,
hesitated to obey her wish. Seated at
the foot of the beu. in low chair ne
looked row at his wife and now through
the window ont across the clearing.
white and drifted with 'snow to where
the dark line of the pine trees distin-
2ulshed the heavens from the earth sup
pie and broad shouldered. his skin deep
" tanned, and his blue ewes set decpiv
IN his head, there was look of youth
about the gamckeeper's tace. save its
strong endurance.
IF We Were not so poor" he said, Il
would have not!e sled"
What forg3
To carry the little one in. RosaIic;
how do you think | can carry him? |
do not know how "a YOU do to hold him
on one arm, and besides the snow is so
deep now that
Such a big man to be worried for so
litte.' laughed tie wife. Put him in
your game basket, Louis Schmidt, it is
plenty deep; he will sleep there as sound
~ as If he were in his cradle and the
cold will never touch HIM If he wakes
up and cries, give him the bottle of milk
which | viii put in the bottom of the
basket"
he guard consented. and took down
the heavy bag OF deer skin hanging on
the wall, in which he used to carry the
provisions of bread and dried ve@eiohlo s
from the valiey 70 Tho cabin on te '''o,SS
tain ton. 'N '"''''
oua, ter Of an honr Iator Iva .lo.,,
lac door of the lonely bnn.r ami toa1'
The first step in the CLEARING Tbn s ,Dg>
Was SOFT and tiue ana cnyrrr5 ,ln ,,i i,D,
landscape even To the Other ,ronnt" .';,,e
across the Rhine. which .,,;s a',1I
family DISTINGUISH in tbn l;.t,o., ''''''
He tested the trail with his iron. .bo,I