Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1916-05-25
My Cousin
From America
By EuNlcE BLAKE

III BY ECNiCE BLAKE. III
The Won Muellers are one of the old
est families in Prussia. But there have
been spendthrifts in the family, men |
who despised the making of money |
and who have had no other profession
than the army, which, to say the least,
is not lucrative. The original family |
estates were conferred on Otto Won
Mueller for military service
One of my uncles, Caspar Won Muel-
Ter, rather than be a poor aristocrat i'll
Prussia chose to be rich commoner
in America. At any rate, he went
there to attempt to make a fortune. He
succeeded, and at the beginning of the
twentieth century was the only rich
one of the family. He was loyal to
his relatives and entered upon cor
respondence with my father, his broth
er, with view to starting the family
on new career of prosperity by means
of his great wealth. He had only one
child, son, and his plan was to mar
ry him to one of the family in Prussia
Then the young man was to remove to
the fatherland and by means of his
wealth secure a position at the kaiser's
court.
Our Won Muellers i'll Germany Were
quite pleased with the plan. The arts
tocracy and the commercial classes had
been drawing closer together. The kai-
ser himself owned pottery. Caspar
Won Mueller's millions, though acquired
In trade, We're not to be despised. To
make long story short, it was az
ranged that he should come over to
Germany, and l, being the only girl
Won Mueller of suitable age for him, it
was hoped that match might be ar
ranged between him and me.
One evening a lot of us Won Mueilers
were sitting in a public garden listen
ing to an orchestra and drinking wine
or beer. Two young men came in and
took seats at table near us. They
seemed to be English-at least they
spoke the English language. The feel
ing against the English people was
very strong, and even the language
was irritating. But one of the young
men opposite me was very handsome,
and l could not help glancing at him
occasionally. Whether or no he was
encouraged by this or because he ad-
mired ME, he gazed at me continually.
Finally my brother Otto, a lieutenant
In the army, noticed his eyes continu
ally bent on me. Rising, Otto went to
the table where the young man was
sitting and said, 81 will pig stick you, .
and threw card on the table bearing
his name and address.
This was equivalent to challenge
to fight. AS soon as Otto returned to
us gave him piece of my mind, tell
ing him that did not need him to pro
tect me and he had no right to chal-
lenge man simply for admiring me-
did not know whether the stranger
would fight, but determined to pre-
vent meeting if possible. My cousin
Gustav, boy of fifteen, was of our
party, and, Otto having left us, taking
Gustav with me, 1 went to the table
where the two strangers were sitting
and said to the one who had been look
ing at me:
II have request to make of you.
SIR"
Rising and removing his hat, he ask
ed to be informed what it was
spoke in German, and he replied in the
same language. though with foreign
accent.
81 have seen my brother challenge
you. l beg that you will decline to
fight"
But your German men expect
Never mind what our German men
expect. You have the request Of q
German woman 1t should be of great
er import to you than the demand OF
any man."
He hesitated for few moments
then said:
"Fraulein, l shall consider your re
quest command. / beg to offer al
apology for looking so ntently upol
you. In the first place, | lost sister
few years ago who greatly resembef
you. In the second place, admit tina
you excited my admiration the momen
looked at you.'
mo apology is necessary. l thanh
you very much for granting my re
quest
AS was turning away to rejoin thu
party at our table he said:
May l ask, fraulein, to be Informed
as to whom have the honor to obey z
II am Bertha Won Mueller
He looked at me with an expression
which I did not understand, but salt
nothing further.
The duel. of course, did not tax,
place. My brother in speaking of j
said contemptuously that the man wa
doubtless an Englishman and the Eng
lish would not fight. A few days afte
the occurrence my father told me tina
NV cousin had come from A merica an