Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-03-26
1he Pastors Daughter
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yielded al length DuL II Was lOlio"Su
by an extreme weakness, from which
the worst was to be dreaded. My hus-
band had returned to his regiment,
and my brother also, and they were
Kept informed of the condition of the
invalid by letters and kilograms. l
had often thought Of Fraulein Siegts-
mund, as 1 watched by the sick bed
during the long nights. I recalled her
simple story, and remembered sudden
Iy that l had put the little case she
had given me, and which l had IN my
hand when I got the terrible news
from home, down on some table or
cabinet in our sitting-room, but l
could not remember where. I now
begged my husband to look for it.
At last, at last, after an endless
time, the doctor gave me the assur-
ance that my dear mamma, though
still very weak, was out Of danger.
Oh, how I thanked God for it! Then
I wrote to my husband and to my
brother, and I had the happiness Of
seeing the former with me soon after.
He brought me the little case, too,
and a letter from Fraulein Siegismund
which l will give here:
my Dear Little Friend:-Your old
/ friend has been thinking of you con
stantIy with the deepest sympathy,
and praying with you for the recovery
Of your dear mother. flow very glad
I am that she is preserved to you, and
that she will be restored to health.
hope you will be coming back before
long. I have missed you very, very
much. When l went to the window
the day after I began my story to you
no friendly nod greeted me. l inquired
at once, for I was afraid you were i'll
and heard the sad news. l have
written down for you, dear child, the
continuation of my story, for telling
it agitated me too much. If | write
little in it every day, l do not suffer
from sleepIess nights, and it is better
for you, too, than to hear my ole
Of the horse, and I have no one tt
voice, which often gets hoarse in talk
ing for so long. l shall soon have i
done, ana then hope you will be bach
here again, and l can give 1t to you
Do you remember where we were?
left you standing before the young
pastors door,-it will be a long time
before you get in. Your good husband
will take this letter to you. How gladl!
I would come myself would have come
at once to help you with your nursing
But what would you do with a feeble
old maid?
"a thousand hearty greetings, my
dear child, from
''Your old neighbor"
"P. ST have had your flower:
brought over here, and I take care o
them as we'll as I can"
Then I opened the little case, and
an expression of establishment es
capped my lips. A miniature painted OF
ivory lay within it. A charming girl
head stood out from the light back
ground. 1t was hardly possible to i'm
aginc anything sWeotor than this rosy
flce, with the great blue eyes under
the black arch brows; there was sucI
a nliscnievous, and yet such a sWee
expression in it's oval face, framed il
dark curIs, and the original Of this
lovely picture must have been indies
cribably charming.
The old Fraulein must have beer
very beautiful once" said my hus
band
Yes very beautiful I agreed. 81
am glad she is old, or her neighbor
hood might be dangerous for me; al
the more as I see no prospect Of ever
going back, I said teasingly.
There certainly was no immediate
prospect of my return. The doctor was
very urgent that my mother should
avoid our cold winter and go south
She was to go to Italy and as Of course
she greatly needed care, hard as il
was for me to leave my husband, il
was impossible for me, as her only
daughter, to leave her, all the more sc
as the greatest care and prudence
were insisted upon for her.
So we started on the first of De
cember not without sending, for my
own part, the heartiest greetings tt
Fraulein Siegismund, after l had al
ready written her how delighted I wa:
at the thought of reading the story o
her life, and begging her, if it was no
too much trouble, to write TO me nov
and then.
We lived very quietly in Rome. Let
tiers were exchanged constantly be
tween the Eternal City and the little
Prussian garrison town, and one da!
l received a rather thick packet IL
the handwriting of my old friend.
I told my mother the beginning, ant
as she was greatly interested in thu
fate of the old lady, I could read he
the manuscript. A note was inside, il
which she wrote.
Y send you this, my dear young
friend, the continuation Of my story
The conclusion is yet to COme-wh,
knows how soon. I do not feel at al
We'll: ali, and I miss you so much! l
seems as if the last sunshine tina
lighted I'D ny lonely evening hat
been withdrawn. Do not stay Ion;
away. You received my greeting
through your husband? Pardon me if
sometimes have written illegiblv, AM
when YOU read these lines remembe
kindly our old
N. Siegismund"
There was something so sad il