Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1907-12-12
CHAPTER VI.
Continued.

EHgHSn young men as well as Ger
mans ardently desire to tell about
themselves, their prospects, their aims
and their ambitions, but they stif1e the
Tearning. They talk to each other
for awhile, but not after their career
Is actually begun. A German young
man, on the other hand, looks about
Tor companion of the opposite sex,
to whom he may confide everything;
she becomes bis friend, his adviser,
his sympathizer. Sometimes she is
young and pretty. when the result is
inevitable; sometimes she is young
and plain, when the result is gener.
ally much the same; sometimes she
Is middle-aged or old, when her
friendship may become very sweet
and tender one. How much good might
be done if ladies of a certain age
would let it be known that they were
ready, to undertake the part of con.
soler. adviser and sympathizer each to
one young man! One feels. speaking as
man. perfectly ready at any age to
do as much for young lady. Kathar.
man, while he talked about himself.
Il am not, Fraulein," Dittmer Book
explained, "hochgeboren My father
conducts Delicatessen.H Handlung in
Hamburg, opposite the Jacob Church."
May one disguise the good Dittmer's
English? Any one may speak it as
he spoke it. In fact, the German.
English of to-day is as easy to write
as the French.English of sixty years
ago-witness the humorist in every
American paper. 'My father had am
bitions for his sons above the Deli
catessen-Handlung. He wished that
they should become great merchants
such as used to be found in London"
Are they not found here still?"
Dittmer shrugged his shoulders. 81
find the memory of great English
merchants, and I find great German
houses-Hamburg is the place where
you must look now for great mer-
chants. Did you ever hear of the
Godefroi brothers?"
Katharine never had.
"They We're boys who worked and
looked about them. Perhaps they had
read history and knew about Whit
tington and Gresham. And they rose
and became rich; they discovered an
island, and they established trade with
1t and planted it. They became rich.
They founded the great German
Colonial Empire of the future'-herc
Dittmer spread his arms-"which will
grow and grow until it swallows up
your English colonies one after the
other. |, too, shall look about the
world until l discover another island
like Samoa. Then I shall 60 there
and begin to trade and to plant"
ut is a great ambition. Dittmer."
1T has been my resolve since / was
child. In order to carry it ont have
learned what J mathematics.
languages. bookkeeping. shorthand.
physical geography. commercial and
political history. and the present con-
dition of trade over all the world.
know every harbor and its exports
and imports, and the principal mer-
chants who carry on its trade
That seems Il great deal to learn"
"AIodern trade wants all this knowl-
edge. There will very soon be TO
more English merchants. because your
young men will not learn the new con-
ditions of trade. In every office there
must be clerks who can write and
speak foreign languages. Your young
schools cannot teach them. Then we
com" Ovcr-we who have learned them.
Always we see in history commerce
which passes from hand to hand: ey-
eryWhere one people which decays and
one people which advances. 1t is
curious: it is wonderful
"Ert all this will be after your time
Dttmer'
las for me-" he answered, coming
down from the prophetic level, Il shall
become another Godefroi. and find an.
Other Samoa
II hope you will, Dittmer," said
Katharine
"Fraulein, he left off talking about
himself-"my heart is sorrowfnl for
you. Every day 1 tear open the paper
and I look for news, say: Oh! per-
haps to-day it comes-the telegram
that he is we'll"
"Dittmer. please stop. Please--do
not say such thing again.
but there is hope since they have
learned nothing about him."
. "How can there be hope? No-he |
is dead. I have his letters. shall |
carry them all my life" Involun-
tariIy she laid her hand upon the
pocket where they were kept "The
letters are all have Of him. He is
dead. Dittmer. And, oh! my heart is
breaking, Never speak again of news.
There can be none, unless they find
his bones upon the sands. No news
no news. He is dead--he is dead"
They finished their walk In silence.
When they reached Harley House
Katharine saw that the tears were
running down Dlttmer's cheeks.
"You are good and kind. my friend"
He stopped and kissed her hand.
"Fraulein---" he began, but ha
choked and said no more. 1t Is re.
markablc that although we boast our
selves to be the grand articulately
speaking race of man, the most ex-
things are those which are
omitted. Dittmer Book never fin.