WILL HE WIN HER ?

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 72, 18 September 1880, Page 3

WILL HE WIN HER ?

If! J^LMM G^Nl\

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I cannot describe; how [words of thig j kind, said so, coolly and so oasuaily; made me wince.-^ 1 :'" V; ;'^ J . V y[f n .:; : v- "' " " I am pleased'thit [you . '.cinj rememr. jbier, 1 ' 1 replied; ""And here conies the Yon Grorddh; ; wKo is to qccoift- . jpan'y u«i JPlfeasie^'to L call a kroschki and go with us to Ependorf, and I shall make the idttU trip; wdl yo^r "while." 1 '.' ; . _■•;'' ;■.■■;'.-./;.:..'- .'■' . - As the major entei!«d with an apology for being late— though we had not thought SD-r-the f ace of > Laurit? Bal/ohen grew] rather pale, for the Prussian uiiiEorm has an unpleasant effect to the eye of an Hamburger-. ; "Mein herr,'' said ihe, '-'whom, do you «eek it Ependprf ?'* "1 scarcely know— whether the living or the dead," said I, replying to 'my own thoughts rather than his question, •.'■■ ■ : \j:- f - .-. • '. ■■■-„■'. "My general busineis' '.ii with the ' laid he, dryly. * ; / ' : i\ So may be, mme i. to-day, alas!" Ralchin seemed perplexed, and \opked with a fidgety expression at the m(aior, w.Ho:^yed T him witli cool diidain. ' " ; „'..,.:<.,. ■-:•.. Y?^.y-a'. ::«v;->'.-v] •■ ■" Ha^ a murder been committed, Heir i graf R" h*\ asked riejs,vdusij m * s whia>. per. * : '■!■:■• .! \W./. k/ j-; . .v-;; "Goad he^v^ns rd,o nojt asl^ r^e !'* I exclaimed). * ' "' . "Does this fellow go with vi, to j •EpendorfP" asked Von G-0rd0n,. ,-"- J " Yei> jour, permission, he^r m,ajor, as his presence is necessary. : v 'VVJell, so be it j a ( -kroschkMs a_t the. dpo'r. Let him,;. sit bpside the driver ; and'npWj l&yi riends, \am ajt } our dis'.posal"."' ■: ■. ; .•".■...";,..".-■ 7 •' '"'"■ A f«ij ininutei affcetf . ga^..ts. ckar of' Hamburg and of Altona, ; that , oldpfa,•hiohed' |n,d picturesque ' towy.^ Ere long, tie; tall, spires riiing^amid' /soft hkze, kndr Cradled 'm. ■ the golden sunshinepi noon, thie' slwr^; ridgy, .rpofs, nunjerous as the wavei of the' lea," the , i^^!»lri^thV^^^

and dwelling*, composed of plaster, brick, and timber, though founded on basements of granite, the thousands of weather- worn wharves, and all the citizens say, " for commerce Hamburg and then London " — each and all were left behind, and we ere driving through a fertile country, flat and green as a billiard table, save where it roie m gently slopes covered with wood, inste'spetsed with white villas and gaudy flower garden* belonging to opulent citizens. None of u« spoke much. The major was naturally taciturn, and Graves influenced by what he knew of the story of Clarice and myself had lost, or relinquished much of his thoughtless manner and smoked his cheroot m. silence. Our hackney drove us along th» left bank of tht Alster, a river which rises at Stormar m Holsten and flows into the Elbe at Hamburg, after those t .vo magnificent basins known as the Bin.nen and Outer Alster Lakes, I felt a strange glow m .my heart during this short journey, and inwardly thanked heaven for directing my wandering steps to Hamburg, for the purpose apparently «f elucidating a dark mystery, or perhaps avenging a secret crime. On we drove my mind was completely turned inward, and I heard but heeded not th.c major as he pointed out to me the tomb of' the Aged Klopsock, the monument erected tq the eleven hundred and more Hamburger who fell m the famous siege of 1813, the homo once oocupied by th« fugitive Dumouti, and once by the memorialist Bourriener the low plains and the blue hills of Hatover m the distance.

Chapter LIII.

A drive of nine miles length brought us to Ependorf, a quaint little village, principally built oE timber and brick, the cottage walls being painted brillant white, the roofs of red tile, with numerous pale green willow and linden trees drooping over them, especially those by the side of the Alster. Over all these towered the usual feature m a Danish landscape, the revolving sails of a huge windmill, m the lower story or basement of which the ■miller resided with all his family, for the tower was full of windows, .;.. I^aumtßalchen conducted us straight to the dwelling of Ulrik Rosing, a large and handsome cottage, and a comfortable one withal, as Ulrik was a miller, and possessed some property m the neighborhood. . It was two-storied, with quaint dormer windows on its steep, roof ; its casements were formed of grotesquely fa,ghioned iron work filled m with small pieces of glass. It was almost smothered under masses of green ivy, hops, and flowering jasmine, amid which innumerable s: arrows and linnets found a home and aTlu'e crane whose nest wa.s \n one of the fa lies, perched on the apex of theroof, was eyeing us with evident curiosity as we drew up at the gate of the pretty little garden plot which' lay between the road and the front porch. On the other side, as already related, it was situated so close to the .Alster that the current of the river washed its walls. j Whitened with flour Ulrilr the miller j and G-retchen his wife, a pretty and rosy looking woman about thirty years of age made their appcaranoe]at the door j around whicft the roses clambered and many a birdcage hung. The looked at I 'us with surprise, even alarm for visitors m droschki were evidently an unusual I j circumstance with them. . I had b,ut qne idea prevailing m my ;. On that pretty village, with its mills, ; picturesque cottages, and linden trees, on- the river's flowing current, on the 'humble dwelling of Ulrick ßosing with -its flowers and willows, must tlie eyes of her I loved so well have regted often. It was the last seme she had looked upon m this world, and the place was rapidly acquiring a niournf uj. interesjt to me. Ab we approached the door- the. eyes of the miller — heedless of three of vs — were chiefly fixed on the major, whom he saluted m the orthodox Qerman, mi-, litary fashion, by. applying t,wo fipgers to the peak of his caj>, while his clear blue eyes sparkled, and a, flush war visiblein his cheeks through the. coat ing of flour that whitened them. "Welcome to Ependorf, herr major," said he. * "I thank you, for we have a. few grave questions to ask you," *ep]ied the. officer. ;* '"What! don't you remember, me, herr major?" exclaimed the miller ■ coloring more deeply. " I can't say that 1 do," replied the 1 officer haughtily. " I hope I don't owe jou anything." v" If you did it would not mk\e much difference between us." '< No, herr mijor."---"You: are an odd, fellow."- --; " Have you forgotten Ulrik posing, J the grenadier of the. old " Q-oJit m himmell ! ; and sa it is. Ulrik Rosing sure enough!" exclaimed the. S major. " Well, old comrade, and how has tht world gone with, you since you left the old 75th £." " ' ' ' " Well indeed, thank heaven. This ii my house, herr. major, there is my mill, and there is my little wife, Gretchen, who is all the 'world to m», and who nearly broke her heart when I left school to become a soldier m the Danish war for we lsOv,ed. each other eveij as children." Gretchen oourtseyed, and colored: with pleasure when the major drew off his leather glove and shook her hand. "I hope, Gretchen, you ke«»p a tight hand over him, for when Ul,rik was m any company of grenadiers he was a >ild'devil, I can tell you, Weli v Uxrik that was ten years ago^ was cap-, tain then, and I am only a major now, whon my moustache is whiter fy time than thine :'i with flour." • We were .all by this time seated within the cottage, and Gretchen was bustling about m her cupboard, and "setting before us some cakes of her own /preparation, with a flask of corn brandy a,ad certain booties of lager beXr: ' , ""You mi& x l;err major, that you had some Questions to ask of me," said , the mjUer, who, impressed by the sight oHhe'i'i^rer. ©paaletteaj rid the once familiar uniform* djd n,at venture to seat himself, but stood very erect before the ,majpr. vi 'U If it ii a contract to

" I have come on no such errand Ulrik. It is these gentleman who have j the questions to ask — the Hen Haddon and Herr Graves both of whom have \ served, and like ourselves bean soldiers." " They are the mora welcome to my poor house for that," laid the miller, bowing to us both, and then regarding Laaritz Belchea with a puzzled expres- • m. "Do you remember the residence here of a lady who died m your house ?" I asked. '♦Perfectly. IHer residence there was so recent,"Jre plied the miller, while Gretchen his wife became suddenly interested, and stepped forward to Us? ten. " How long v»re they with, you, •he and her husband P" "From the beginning of April till the 25th of May, when the poor lately died." " And you^yon remember her funeral ?" "Of course, mein herr. At least, I remembiT her husband coming hither and taking away ta« body. I saw the face of this gentleman on that occasion he added." turning to Lauritz Balchen, who said— r " True ; I was here with the rest of the hired mourners," "They were English people P" queried the major, after a pause.