The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-09-12
Virginia of
Washington
And the Man Who Made a
Fight For Her.
r5y ELEANOR AUSTIN HARRIS

A<iNcHN''
Horrors, child Don't you say such
things oft loud. What if he should
understand English?"
Impossible. Aunt Ellen. German
blondness, reading a German paper
travelling in a German train with bag
gage marked A. Won s, Bremen"
"yirglna What does possess you?
/ never heard you talk so"
Miss Dressed laughed hearty Amer
lean laugh. 81 am so glad TO shake
the dust of Europe off my feet that /
can't keep it in. I'm so glad we're
headed for Hamburg, the Kaiser Will
helm der Crosse, America and Wash
ington that-that-well, honestly /
should like to kick the epaulets off he
guards gorgeous blue and gold uni
form. Don't faint, Aunt Ellen. I'll
stop and not say another word for an
hour"
For an hour and FIVE minutes Miss
Dressed sat silent, ostensibly watching
the valleys. the German gables the
green of meadows and forests. as they
swept by. For an hour and five min
utes their young German fellow travel
| er read his German paper, and. for an
hour and five minutes Miss Ellen Van
strum enjoyed perfect peace of mind
Then Miss Dressed coughed. and Miss
Vanstrum inwardly caught her breath
AUNT Ellen" said Miss Dressed, la
lilly waving her land toward the seen
cry as II she were discussing it-"Aunt
Ellen, do you know that young man
has a dreadfully nice face. even II he
Is a German. oh. don't look shocked
Just gaze out the window as IL were
talking about the scenery. and he will
never know the difference. I've been
looking AT him off and on for the last
hour Just see what a nice firm mouth
he has. He's so well groomed too
Just look at his finger nails, oh, Aunt
Ellen, wish you wouldn't gasp so.
like his looks better than any foreigner
I have seen in the FIVE years we have
spent in Europe. Really, shouldn't
mind being married il could get such
handsome, well groomed man as
he is"
"Virgima. OH Virginia. groaned
Mrs. Nanstrum. lists indecent 10
talk about man like that when he
can't understand"
Don't jlggle your pompadour crook
ed. Aunt Ellen" said Miss Dressed
calmly Don't worry II he under
stood English he would have betrayed
himself long ago. He might be chunk
Of pink and white and yellow taffy for
all he understands OF the English Ian
guage Thank goodness, Aunt Ellen.
here we are almost at Hamburg. Here,
let me tie your veil You are getting
il on crooked No, let me carry the
suit case. It's young house. Now
for my last fee-almost-on foreign
soil"
The train had hardly come to a long
screechlng stop in the great station at
Hamburg when the door OF the car
rlage WAS jerked violently open and a
young man pulled the German out
with hearty grip, exclaiming in Eng
| fish;
Were in luck. There was a state
room unengaged on the Kaiser VII
helm, and we can sail four days earlier
than we expected. Good luck, man!
Why don't you say something instead
Of looking nc me like a dazed idlotT'
The German pulled himself together
with noticeable effort and began to
stammer out something in German.
when the other interrupted him impa-
! tlently.
Jaw. cut that outl You know per.
fectly well | can't understand word
Of German. Never mind; come along!'
The young German flushed red, and
with one appealing look straight into
the eyes Of the astonshed Miss ORES
sci he picked up his suit case and was
soon lost TO view In the hurrying
/ throng.
Miss Dressed silently picked up her
luggage. carefully avoiding her aunt's
eye, and for minute after leaving
the carriage she looked helplessly about
her Then the label Berlin" on a
carriage caught her eye, and without
word to her puzzled relative she took
her by the arm, raced her across the
station and pushed her In. stumbling In
herself, just as the guard put his hand
on the door TO close 1t.
"Why - what - where said Miss
vanstrum.
II don't know" said her niece des'
perately, "but most anywhere out OF
Hamburg"
But our steamer gasped Miss Van
strum.
whats losing a steamer, Aunt FL
len, compared with my peace OF mind
I'd no more sail on the Kaiser Wilhelm
now than I'd fly. Aunt Ellen, you're q
jewel not TO say, I told you So NOS
even to look It."
"You haven't given me time" laugh
ed Miss vanstrum, "but l must say
certainly think Il. There. I'm glad
we're or at last don't think my
self care to come face to face with thai
young fellow again..
IL was the evening OF the last mu
sicale OF the season at the White
House. and an unwonted air OF antici
tation pervsded the brilliant throng a.
q gathered In the great east room.
'sThey say she has one Of the fines
voicps ever heard of the stage sail