New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-10
The Funeral Pwe
Continued from Page Scvcn.

rs his master. His black service coat was
richly embroidered with gold lace. lie wore
silk knee brooches, black stockings and patent
leather shoes with silver buckles, as If for
some occasion of ceremony.
1--WE have a guest, Jugow. You must put
on one more cover
The servant bowed with an impassive face
10 his master and to the German officer, and
then silently left the room.
The old count said:
"You will share with US the last meal eaten
in this house. We are going away. We have
q place in Lublin."
Then he sank back in the armchair, propped
his head with his hand and stared with wide
open eyes into vacancy.
Good God" thought the officer; this is
uncomfortable"
He did not know exactly how to excuse him.
self to the old man. He wanted to get away
out Of the terrible silence, away from the smell
Of decay and death which permeated the room.
The dark-paneed library, with the feeble,
pickering light of its candles, seemed to INN
like funeral vault; the bent and crumpled
old man in the armchair like body from
which the soul had fed.
He was still in doubt what he should do
when the butler came in again with table
linen and service. While Jugow, with his I'M
massive face, laid a pure white damask cloth
on the writing desk (since there was no other
table in the room) and arranged the white
porcelain plates, the silver knives and forks
ard the glasses, the slender, black-gowned girl
whom he had seen in the park glided noise
lesslv bv him, in her hand bunch OF plnks,
roses and larkspur.
She passed through the room, opened the
door between the bookcases and shut It again
quickly. flood of light came from without
and half blinded the officer, so that he saw
nothing but many burning candles, simmer
ing white linen and mass of flowers. Inc
girl came back, and as she opened the door
this time the officer thought that he recognized
in the midst of the candle mist the face OF
dead man.
The girl stepped up to the table, now COM
pletely set.
The officer bowed and announced his name.
The girl also bowed, gave him her cool, slim
hand and said softly:
'You do not come at cheerful time"
"War is never cheerful, gnadiges Fraulein,"
answered the German soberly.
The old man heard nothing. The girl gently
touched his shoulder. He started, as if awak-
ened out of dream.
II was a scant repast which the butler
served. A little cold meat, black bread and
little butter. The tall crystal glasses re-
NAMED empty. They were put on the table
only as a matter of habit.
"They did not leave us drop of wine," said
the girl apologeticaly.
Those were the only words spoken during
the meal. The officer swallowed few mouth
fuls with difficulty. The old man ate nothing.
His yellowed hands rested on the white damask
cloth. to the right and left of his plate. Oc-
casionally he groaned Then the girl, with
out saying a word, put her hand reassurngly
on her fathers shoulder. The soul of the
German officer rebelled against that frightful
silence. He felt as if an ice pack had been
bound around his forehead
Il have gotten into house of Madness nc
thought
The idea unnerved him. 1t almost took his
breath
Good God! If only they would say some
thing"
but the question froze in his throat.
If he could only make an end of the situa-
toni But he lacked the courage to get up
brusouely and rush away. He had fought in
more than twenty battles. He had seen hun
dreds slain. But here he was, as it were, held
prisoner by strange, benumbing indecison
The heavy atmosphere of this house oppressed
him. enfeebled him. He sat at table with Age
and Youth, but Age was silent and Youth
was silent, and the white-haired servant, in
al the lackey-lke correctness of his gold
laced livery, stood by the door with his i'm
passive face.
The German under his breath consigned TO
the devil the castle and its disordered inmates
lie longed to be with his under-oflicers, who
were undoubtedly far better off with their
horses out there in the demolished stables.
He was more than once on the point Of rat
Ting with his sabre on the floor or of upset
ting one Of the glass water bottles, only TO
break with some relieving crash the unnat-
ural Stiffness which was like the stiffness of
madness.
All at once the old man arose. queer,
fantastic CLEAN came into his clouded eyes.
lie took the empty glass beside him and raised
It. 1t trembled in his spare, waxen hand.
With a firm, singularly melodious voice, his
glitterng eyes fixed on vacancy, he said:
"My daughter, my guest, we will drink TO