The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-03-15
A German Romance
Complicated by the
ENHANCEMENT of a
Sonnet and Some
Curl Papers
!. AZ YON KRIECHNA.
FROM THE GERMAN.

y
Y - Z was engaged in swinging
Q MN o dumbbclls when the bell
A'A Of his apartment rang. AZ
7oR this early hour it could
be only an intimate friend
or the grocer, so Max continued to ex-
eFcise in peace. Presently however.
his housekeeper raped loudly at the
door.
Herr Max. Herr Max. there is a
young lady 70 see you
"a young lady, at 0 o'clock In the
morning? She has struck the wrong
apartment. Frau Emma
But she said Herr Max Won Kriech-
man, and she has a vallse with her"
Very well. Tell her III be out in a
moment There must be some mistake
somewhere"
Max hurried into his coat and made
his way 10 the front room which
served as parlor and bachelor den
alike. The young lady was standing
in the middle Of the room, and as Max
entered she hastened toward him and
promptly kissed him on both cheeks.
Quick as her action was, Max had
time TO see that his visitor was very
pretty. Accordingly, he returned her
caresses with interest, fact that
made the young lady stand back a
little as she cried:
Il was sure You would recognize
me-
AS she spoks Max OWNED who she
was.
"Gretchen-you here:"
"You are all have left in the world, =
cried the young girl, beginning to
weep; my father Is dead, and do not
know where to 90 or what to do"
Don't cry so, Gretchen. how can II
be possible that you are eighteen:
Why Il seems only yesterday that |
was dancing you up and down on my
shoulder
ffhat was twelve years ago" re-
piled Gretchen, drying her eyes. "They
said you would not recognize me-
What mistaken protested Max.
mendaclously You used to be pret-
ty little girl, but you are bewitching
now"
Truly said Gretchen, smiling
through her fears. TELL me. Max.
may ! come and live with you nows
I promise won't be nuisance. They
told me at home I'd better be COM
panion or something 10 somebody, but
/ don't want to one bit. Do let me
stay with you, won't you? Please
stay with meT Max repeated. He
was about to say: But you can't do
that. II would not be proper" The
sight Of Getchen's imploring blue eyes
and her trusting smile stopped him.
however Instead, he said brightly
"Keep youg OF course I will. We
can arrange 1t somehow"
But you must let me be useful.
cried the Young girl, happily Il can
keep house for you. And you write
all the time, do you notg"
"Yes."
"Then | win copy all your manu-
scripts. used to do it for father, and
/ really write quite well Poor papa!''
The tears began TO flow again, and
Max FASTENED to exclaim briskly:
'Then You will be my secretary.
Just what / was wanting"
The smile returned. this time to stay.
II was true that Max Won Kriech.
nan was beginning TO acquire a GER
tain celebrity, and he was doubly
thankful for this after Gretchen's adj
vent He accepted an offer to write
a serial story for one OF the news
papers, an offer he had been too cap
ricious TO consider before.
This allowed him to change his
bachelor quarters for a larger apart
ment, where there was room for Gret-
chen, and. with an elderly housekeep.
or installed, Max felt that he had sat
isfed his orphan cousin and Mrs.
Grundy alike.
Once settled, the young man almsst
forgot Gretchen's existence, save dur
ing the mornings when she wrote at
his dictation. He was vaguely aware
that 1t was pleasant to have her
around. but her girlish charms soon
faded from his mind when. his work
done, he hastened to call on the charm
ing widow, Frau Bettina Rumpel
whose abject slave he was.
There is no passion so absorbing as
that provoked by a pretty and coquet-
tish widow. and Frau Bettina was
past mistress in the art. Accordingly
Max knew that he was safe from any
danger of falling in love with Gret
chen. But the young girl, alas, had
no such preservative, and to his con
sternation the authors critical eye soor
noticed that Gretchen was betrayine
the most dangerous symptoms.
There was but one thing to do, and
Max promptly made up his mind that
cruel as it was, he would tell his cou
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