Year: 1875

medal his father before him had won il
the old wars with the French. Neither
did Conrad, any more than Franz Hofer
dahl, tell any of his neighbors how grea
or how small was the golden store h,
found himself possessed of, but the Mid
burgers had been careful, saving, ano
close-mouthed race for generations.


And when the sales were all completed,
and the transfers duly made, and Con-
rad stood in the moonlight one fine spring
evening, and gazed at the homo that was
no longer his, he said to himself.


~ think l could almost break my
heart now, after all, for l did love that
house and l loved the shop; but l could
not stay there with the empty Places
There were too many voices there that
did not speak. That was it. But what
shall do now ?"


Conrads questionwas answered for him
by the great French Emperor and by the
King for Napoleon had determined, in
his old age that he must fight the Ger
mans so a great many quiet people had
to march away from their homes to be
shot at without the wisest man in the
village being able to give them good
reason why.


1t was a sad thing for many, but Con-
rad Midburger felt as il he was glad to
go. He was sure he loved the Water
land" in every bone of his body, and il
the king called for him he was ready
Still, as they marched away from the
sleepy old village, Conrad said to him
self


"Thero are the old house and the shop,
and the church-steeple, and the trees,
and the graves in the church-yard. l
did not know that my heart was so very
big, for am sure l love about every
thing l can see."


He could not see anything very clearly
just then, however, for his eyes were
strangely dim. No doubt the sun was
in them, and the CLINT and glitter of the
bayonets, but if any one had looked in
the young mans face, he might have
said


at is very thoughtful face, and there
are lines of strength beginning to show
in it,"


And then there followed swift march
ing, comlortless camping, all kinds of
severe and trying soldier work, and a
good deal Of very hard lighting. What
ever the newspapers and reports might
say about it, Conrad Midburger and his
comrades learned that the Frenchmen
were brave fellows, and that the glory of
beating them was never very cheaply
won.


Being big and strong and brave, good
swordsman, and every day growing
more and more intelligent, Conrad him
self won glory--that is, three or four
slight wounds, medal, promotion from
the ranks, the compliments of his COM
mandng officer and the envy of his com
rades.


Being man of property, of respecta-
Bile parentage, of fair education, Conrad
might have looked forward TO almost
anything attainable in the German army
by man OF less than noble blood if the
war had not been so very brief, and if
the corps to which he was attached had
not been among the first to be ordered
home. Before great while he found
himself almost his own master again,
though still within the scope and control
Of the army regulations, for no German
OF Conrad's age is ever beyond them,
and he said TO himself: "Well, | loved
the army, l almost loved fighting,
knew | could love glory with all my
heart. am ten times Is much of q sol
dier rs the little white-mustached baron
that commanded my company. That is
it. l think could love country where
there are no barons. Let me see. think
my heart has been growing great deal
dnring this war. There is more room in
it than l knew Of and yet it is always
full. | think there are some things in 1t
that never saw there in the old times
| will go and take look at the village
first and the house and the shop, and
| will listen again to see IL can hear
Christine call her father home to dinner.
Then-if l don't hear her, what then p
Well, think l will just ask my heart
about it,"


Now all this time old Franz Hoferdahl
and his daughter had known very little
of what had taken place in the village
they had left behind them. They had
found their pilgrimage long and weary
enough, and they had reached a resting
place at last, and had written to their old
neighbors, as all Germans do, but very
little information had come back to
them. They knew that old Gottlieb Mid
burger was dead, that Conrad had given
up the home and the shop, and that he
had gone to 1.-The great war with the
French, and that was nearly all.


Franz Hoferdahl had not landed on
the shores Of the New World pauper in
but youth and strength, ard he
Ponud friends readily enough to take the
place Of the old ones as far as might be,
and after he had got over his first daze
and bewilderment, and became somewhat
accustomed to the racking changes in all
his habits and ways of life, he tried to
settle down as man Of property and
substance and be happy.


If only old Gottlieb Midburger were
with me-" he said TO Christine, " think
could do it. / would give good deal
ust to see the old fellow lay down his
pipe and look into dirty watch"


Christine said very little, but her bright