New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-29
Three Women
Bv Richard Elsner
{ Translated, with introductory Com
uent. BY William L. McPherSon)

ment, BY William l.. McPherSon)
VARS toll is universal. It's ravGges are not
cor6ned to the fighting front. IL demands
,c.rifces Of all. It's tragedy colors the lives OF
I'll The heroisrns of the field are chronicled
,,d rewarded But countless other herosms
:, unpoticed-those the only record Of 10hich
i 10 Be found in the lives and hearts Of OBJ
seyr, stqy-at-homes, 1Chose part in 1oor IL is
70 suffer and be silent.
The storg ,ohich toliops-by Richard Els
uer-deals with the tragedy Of 1car from the
ROMANS point of uieic. II as story Of resig-
rotior, of the acqUiescence in the inevitable, Of
the ccceptance Of 1Chat must be tChen once the
coll 70 arms comes-,Chich hare been the hard
scboolirq of avomen euer since 1Oar became a
habit and an Institution. Generation after
generation has had to learn the meaning Of
the old Rikc's saying: "The wife must guard
The home m peace. bat the husband in todr."
Mr. Elsner's tale has the fine rustic quail
ties Of simplicity and sincerity There is also
in IL a note OF severity and restraint arhich
Qreatlp heightens its efect-the broad effect
If an ancient community in suffering and in
steadfustness in the face Of suffering, in 1chtch
,voncn, from Chom 1Cdr erGcts ichat they hold
dearest, hare dliVaps been joined
TT WAS an evening charged with strange
excitement-that on which the Burgo-
Il master of the little village on the Saale
nailed the mobilization notice on the door of
the tavern, "Zum Rosenkranz." All the in
habitants were there, even the oldest, who at
that hour ordinarily were to be found taking
the air on benches outside their homes.
Argument and counter-argument resounded
in the front room, where the guest tables were
placed. The young men shouted "Hurrah"
The old men listened, uneasily questioning the
future. to the reassuring outgivings of the
village schoomaster. Among the youths was
Max. the JOYOUS host of the Rosenkranz, the
hero of the evening.
He had been summoned to appear the day
after tomorrow. the second day OF the mooll-
ization. at the nearest garrison town. Jest
inglv he passed the glasses to the guests,
asked their care and consideration for his
young wife during his absence, and promised
them. in return for that kindness, to fight
most valantly against the foe. The fresh
looking. portly hostess, asked again and again
if she dis. not dread letting her husband march
away to meet the enemy, tossed her head more
self-assuredly than ever, clapped her Max on
the shoulder and said gayly: you'll come
back again of course?"
lie gazed affectionately into the shining eyes
of his stout-hearted wife, and was more proud
of her than he had ever been before.
The Young men called out to her: He must
certainly come back. Certainly. Such host
we'll never get again. We have had long
enough siege of it with women only herewith
old Rke and with silent Bertha
So they had joked, argued, told stories
drunk their beer and finally gone home.
But Anna and Max walked gravely into
their bedroom And when the young wife,
bent over the cradle of her little girl, saw her
husband beside her kneeling in prayer, then
for the first time something like apprehension
showed itself in her mostened eyes. But Max
held her hand fast, and with confident I'll
come back againl" Gained, for that evening at
least, the young wife's haf-aroused fears.
The next day he went away. He did no.
wish to have anybody accompany him. The
parting greetings TO his family were short
but heartfelt. Friends and patrons called
after him-the first to go from the village
their cordial wishes for a safe return.
Indeed the guests had every ground for do
ing 50, for it was not long ago that they were
complaining bitterly because the Rosenkranz
lacked a host man is always needed at
tavern. A good hostess is not to be despised;
but she must be young and, above all things,
genial. The two women who had conducted
the business for many decades had once been
young. Of course. Yet few had ever seen them
exhibit anything like geniality.
The elder, the seventy-year-old Rike, now
and then gave some faint manifestation Of it.
The village grandfathers used to say that in
her youth she had been wild and dar-
ing spirit And in fact, when she now oc-
casionally stood in the open door leading to the
back room and, leaning upon her cane, swept
the guest room with her piercing glance, the
patrons felt at once "There stands the real
mistress"
But she did not come among them and serve
them. That duty fell 70 the other, the older
ones aughter-in-aw-already in the fifties-
little, quiet woman, always dressed in gray.
Always friendly, always scrupulously neat.
But silent and preoccuped, as though there
was something grievous in her life which she
couldn't forget. Bertha was her name; and
when on Sundays the hard-drinking smith
grew facetious and addressed her as Bertha