THE STORYTELLER ERMINE'S DREAM.

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 10348, 22 April 1911, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE STORYTELLER ERMINE'S DREAM.

CHAFTEUi H.

Urn' Carl Hinlbtenstern sat in his c.ouniing-liou.sa —the labours of the day wt'ie ended —and smoked his mooi'fevhaumi pipe wi'.h ' his usual grave deliberation. —perhaps with a little more than his usual gvaw d'elibbradon. At least, so thought; his lititle ibU'olther and' partneir, Frite, who, sitttiug. at his own dfesk under tho dingy' window 1, glanced! up from, tlimo to time over the top of' his ncAvspapei" alt, the browd placid counlouanc© the slightest change of which ho was used to mark—for Ca.rl was tho hero of his little 'brother's life, ''tlrj saint of bisi deepest devotion."

What was in •tlio mind; of his brother "now? mused' Frit/z, as he wafched Oaii puffing out long 1 clouds of smtolks with an air of deep and; anxious abstraction. Bad no* all prone well with them'during; the day? Had' not all gone well with them for many and many a day? The firm of, Hiiir.stemstera and Romfwd held its. head amongst' the 'very highest andl mi eisij .in itho igi'imy northern ~iV.y: where gold was almost- as plentiful as ilie oaal-dlusti with which it vraa-. ■ bfwmirched'. T!ie edifice of its prosperity had been well touilt. lay- wiseheads and careful hands,, awcl stood firm as a. rook. AM" even ok that; very day had' no* the ships- . which had been so longl out from libtterdam corrie safely toi harbour? And? on that vieiy day too had they not; had nowy gvod news—from .tin*. Fatherland of the dear old moLher, whom neitihen" of them failed to visit yciar by 3 rear, in the gip:«l city of Diesden, where she lived an honour-" ed life, gilded by gold from tha Eng-. li&ili. 00'urtting-housi?', 'aimongsfe .heu-: daughters and her 1 daughters'- children? Then, all this bting so, wliat wa;i it that pvekuracl "Oarl's bi'ov:,which should havte shown niioi-ei thaaii J i,ts usual p.srenity ? ,

"Lititle I'Jt'cthc-r"—Clarl laid dowiv his n.e?i'soh;'.,um a.fc last, but did noit raise li-is eyes from whei-e it L:y on tha table bcforie him—''little bi^.ih-. er, listen. There have: come -to mo for the first time thefe© thirty ytiars,: tlioiip'h's that are unshared by the-o.; Ther'o have coma to me for thti first time since wei two boys left cur mother's sido foi 4 the p're^-t----w'orldl—lsftl it toigieithi"—lio]x;« and desire!:i apa.it fromi th-oe." He paused! herel, with his. cyasi so' peirsirttKintly

'bsiiift downwards that' he did not s^e tho red flu«h which had nuwntol to the lit'le brother's very brow. Presently lie went on. '"IJiit we hiive bben good ciomradeisi, my Fritz—is it: noli »■":? Audi we ahn.H always remain; tho p'oi-d co-mradew sitill, I and thee, even if 1 hiring! Thee home a. fair young Jinaise-mfj'tli.Cii* to make brightei' O'uv hsairtih andi to' e.lmngp that life w?i!ioih pei'clha.nida- ;o|fowet]r t(»;f rough wh't'ii wo two bachelors lgnd

iti aloud.' Tho flush 1 i-ii.cl gradually faded from i 110 li.ttilei brother's 'brow, and had left it p«.le as death. Owl, 1 looking up for tlit;: first time, perceived the efi'ecli c.f his communiea.tion. and rising fi'oMi his seat, he cwwal tho room with his) usual heavy deI libierait;! wtep. ■

"My Fitz," lie cried, laying his hand affe|otioinia.fceily en tha other's shouldicr, "is it not for thoa as wtll as fox- met, and are wy urt, as I said, alwaya tilva good' comradles still?. And will nojt. thei mother at home r'ejoiki? tha.t. oiiie of as will he as. our' father was 1? Thou wilt, not grudgfc me \in\u P'ine'VK, if it nwy bra minei?"

."Aii, noi, no!" cxdh.inx'd th.c other laving b:'th hands suddenly on his 1 liirOther's shouldiii', a.nd looking him :<teiadiily in the facei. "Sinrol}', tm>, C'arl—-tiliO'ii wouhTsit nob believe it."

And. t.hil.n the two bvotliGivs kissed eaicih citih.Pi* after that, fashion whidt is so fttranpw to Enp-liMimon and anliarently si> na,tural tlo all thciir noi»!ibouiU "

"Thou dos.t no* a«k me wh.of' pie sen-tlv a.skled! Cavl.

' "Tlvrro is but one," bravely responded Fite:.and Cavl. ntitennp: hir sati&fi-dl German "So," never cues-std Was but 0110 to Fitz, as to Oarl,. and how much lay in the s'-ntein'C. Th--)v alas tiV.ati it -should have 1 nnr-i'i the samfl one I

"ISh ik-iai' a liit.i-.ki girl 1, so swc'ot!" fondly mused; Oarl ruloud. "Timu art rfchi, 'Kittle Wtoftilite-i- —jMi'Ma is Init one. I ir<* nut Ways, to ask her if i-he will donsiant -to make both our livi?" lieiautiful."

Ho was radiajit, the gra.ve, self-avnithimifl!—,son'-..e people said stolid —■niid'dlei-a.fyecl- mian ; his great honest facie, noble, in ite honesty aim simplicity, beamedl with a- new liuht. Fiite," who knew him s*« woll, knew hmw ftt,vY>no a hold thct ■ silent fiv? must have taken of Ids er.vt and mid before- it could Maze out. thus in eye andi on lip.

Fitz cmlV.iv;i:ood him (Mice iin>vp, iwb hiadb him Od-s-pcied, and ihzv Avrntnlicd him fi»m his. at Llif window, dr.w'n .th.o cpTvowito p^H, :\.nd out of siigh-t, Tlion Fritz tho dus-U from hi* offitici-co'.it, iind went forth, too, not forgetting his

/I ROMANTIC STORY OF TO-DAY.

usual good nigM to tJici old oleifk, in tho outer office, but uddiDg theteto mono of the'kindly and . pleasant wwds witdi which he s! (- : n€rally ended the day's intercourse. ; • ;■ ■ His way' home, letl through b«j of the main stretits of the town; he and Clarl were \Moailb to traverse tihf.m toQiatlier ailn in arm, exchanging friendly, syreieitings a.t every few yards, with 'business ; aoquaintaiices ; ; or f ricaids, hound homie.wia.rdis like themselves. Btufc on this day ..Fritz...shrank from tlie friendliest, idbtsei'y^tion, ■ imd tinning afeide into nartciw streets and alkrys, ,threaclied tWem ' silently. until vi "readied' an'!.ou)tiet .. ; in.to-' r gi"een fields-, amidst which lay his home. It was an old-fashioned house, la.rge and roomy, standing: in extensivo grounds, a" good deal uegleicited and "oviererowii. Large spreading cedar tees stretahed their anus over tho untrimmedl grass, and'a, wiklernesa of shrubbery encircled the whole domain. In front of the windows on the side of the house principally occupied Sjtv' tlioJbro-thers', ■ a few* flowei'si cultivated. .The

'windows tilieun&eilivleß weafe ovtetrhuug; by masses of trailing 1 greenery. In the ample recess of on© of tliem, standing' openi as Fi-itz waited up to it on this wium July €R"ening,.-,vras «,p|fc a t.:i.blei, with l<iioiks, papers, and ink'sitaaid, and in its iblaek. .coflSii-lifee mso rt violin, at sight! of which tha litdo ibroitlior's facia, saddened arid troubled as it had bsieu tlirougli' all hiS'V.-alk, brightened visibly. He passed through the open door ii.to th« wick hall, and thence into the usual bachelor siittting-rroom of the two. Ho walked up to the table, and, taking .the instrument from its .ciase, touched it temdeirly and lovingly with lingering fingere./'-. ..... "My wife," he murmured, ."miy wife—from this day- my only love ;" ann theai he scaled ] the ■ betlVihal with a " transport of dii Mine metlody, whicih floating 1 round a.nd a.b>vci him, waited him into.-a.,soft pa,r'adiiad of pcatlo. ■- ■ '■ Meanwhile Carl went on his way •—so opposite to his. brother's. . ITe too Avaa boutnd for a cmintry-lvoi.isic 1, some miles from the crity, and muihed 1 by a line of raikoad. Passing:' a florist's shop, he Went in and bought a bouquet.—one of those large round ed in the windows of such shops?.

worka of art which one sees di&play-

"My lititlo one is likei a sweet, flower," he .said fondly to himself,- as he complacently surveyed liis-ptiri'linse.

Tha train was snorting-'at-the platform, as he ■■ reached ' the* sitation, and he had to quicken hit?usual delibtertitel moh'temfents lest, he shoukl b:< left behind. • OppC'sita to him in tho railway ci-i,i*rtage s;i.t ■ a dandy with palo gr'a,y glove on his: ringed fingers and th©' fiie«hest of rofse-buds in his iljiutton-hole; and the, dandy looked superciliously at the heavy German with his large nosegay; and nodded thb cmrtsst of nods in reply to his civil requests to): 'be allowed'; to puit dowli the window 1. The dandy, who had just tean.-sent-down I!fromOxford, who spent his widowed,mother's savings on gipsJy-rings -, and. dia.inond shirt-studs., and frittered a.way liis yoaingl sister's sohool-biilJ on pale kid gloives and. shiny biaots, counted himsieilf immeasurably superior to tlie "foreign cad" who '"looked so hanged happy" and had the impudencle to girin at him, by Jove! And the "foreign cad" wasi so proTo£ingly unconscious of the golden youth's ctonteiniipt, aaid even st.unnbied a>wkw'ar'dly over Jiis tiglht ilitaots and lv's worst cW'rn as he left the train Certainly, the gulden youth's legs were y.-tratolicitl aero-sis tiiet whole breadth of the ciaiT'iag:©, 'hat then wliat right had hesiivy Gea-maiiiS in that oarriag'a What right had 1 thety to; exist a,t all—clonfound them 1?

Oarl, to whom existence was just, then, a vielry blissful cionditiou,. went on his way along green roads,-until hie rtewicihed a! porter's lodge, and a. «;aite which admitted 1 him intol handsoimo st'ouhdM,, and alonp a wide dlriivfe, to theJ front entrance of a sufficiiently imposingl mansion. The m«id-sioi'jv'aait wh'os -in the a-tosenctr-'oi the' footman, opened the dcor U> Mr Hintpten stern knew him perfectly well—all the servants in that -hou.>« I knew him as "master's partner,", and a constant., visitoi-; she had opened lier moutli 1 to tell him that the family wiero all out, and were not expetted liomie until lalte, Avlieai he h.e!r 'by asking 1 at once ior Miss Leigh.. •

'"Miss Leigh is in tlie garden with Mis-* Katie; I will cun.ll her." ;

But Mr Hintstensiteni preferred to'

•_»i<» tfs Mi.ss L-edpili in the garden, and, moreover, ho knew his way, as an lialnitne of the house, and declined the maid's Guidance. And so it. happened that he'appeiared suddenly on the fccne of Elimiinei's little festivity, wnlkinsr 0.1 ib o-f tlie Inw French window of the l.iakfast-pn.rlou.i', :b.7tiq lit it, in hand, and sta-ndinp; still for

a i^oment. on the "teen lawn to take in the pretty Iwnne-liko jiieture of Ermine as she sat with tliei child

dress* and delicate ribbons, the sunnestled in her arms,. the fresh white light playing on her pretty hair.

Then, saeing her sio dainv, it struok him for the first time* how nig ooa/fc smelt of smplke, and how hi& hair was tangled under his ibitmdbrimmed ha,t; and the image of the young diandy of the. railway carriage, with the imm&ciulate sliir-t----frbnifc and the pei-fuimed: lodksi, came Waclk to him, and for a moment he was dicionlceited.

"Tush!" said ho then reassuringly to himself. " "Love ia dleepei* than sudh matters of tjbe outside; it is the heart at v/liich sihe will look, which she will prize, as all aicwxl women do."

Ermine looted up from her play with the child as al shadow fell atoms the grass, and, seeing Carl, aha put doiwin -the little one, ajjd can* to meeib him with a bright smile of welcome, a brighter smile than ho Jiad cm* (before sejen upon her face usually sa pensive. Ha had. always belen kind to her*, giiving her kindly words and thoughtful courtesy and CTtti rtWring tha noisy rebellious children whan they plagued her in his presence; and latterly he had l-em accustomed to take his seat fov-h ar side, and to talk to ha' of his Fatherland and his good old mother, wtfh a simple cmnfidenda which had made her feel tihafc ]* was her mend.

It waa pleasant to have her sympathy claimed foy mJm m the world, and this heart which 7T TT 1- to W Was honest and true tha* its cbnfidenc© touched; her. "You have here al little fetcy' said he glancing at the table; "permit me to add to it these flowers."

The ptosted alow mounted into her faae Thk was- *he fir«t touqwt that had ten gjvten to her; and she was a woman, and could be pleased with gifts.

"It is ungracious to ask- gift for gift, went on Cferl, as she poured out her thank*; « but for ill my flowera I shall atfc you to give ml this one;" and ha touched the piale pearly rose which, she had plated in her hacr to ma.tlcli her ribbons

She dtatached it and gave it to S m ' STll^' hut without a. bJu'sh Mie did no* know that flowers were Mgnificaut gifts in his country—and he was sitout und middle-aged, and spoke with low Gonnion utterance. Whati was there of romance about all this that she should Mush? Poor (.■arl! H* held the rose in his hand and stood silent for a space. Katie strayed .away amongst, the forbidden flower-beds. Ermine, tutmin" her bouquet round and round, " was dunking m the delight of its rerftime. RiesJently Cbrl spoke a.gain. "Gi^s do but m'alke one greedy," he said; "having this one, I am, like a child, and would aslk for more."

Still she was umcon&ciouls; and she answered! him, 'smiling

"What dan. I give, you, Mr Hintstenstern V

"Give me " cried he, with .vudden passion. "Giva me what I have given you—my heart, Give me jwirswlf! Was I not right when I said tha,t I had become greedy "

She felt the hand which had seized her 1-arm tiremible, she heard the passion in his voice, and she fled at.ai+l--ed from his side—but no* before lie had' seem, chasing catch other in quick suetaessiion over her ciouiiitcnnncie, amazement, teiroi*, repulsion! Tlie shock was terrible. With tliat e»ti\aoi'dlinary faituity which distinguishes the wooer of his yeai-s from the more diffident youthful lover, he had entirely counted on suteciess.

He dropped paid and broken, fnto the neartest seat; his head 1 fell upon hia breast Ermine,.. turning 1 for a

moment, and seing him so cresitfallen, so crushed, clam© swiftly bacik to him, holding out both her hands to him with sweet womanly cfompuniction.

"You liavo been good to me," she murmured.

"My little cue," he cried', raisingl her handb reveTenily to hisi lips', and relapsing, in his agitation, into the familiar German) second person 1, "I would be good tJo fchee, if thou wWuldafc only bid) mie But, anh, I had forgotten that] I am but a> heavy awkward, roiugh eldor, and thou ait so youlng and fair a madden! T had forgotten, I had forgotten. I thought only thd hfeart; that is always young."

"You ha.vta been so good iv ide," she said again, sobbing this time, and nob withdrawing her hand from his clasp.

Ai shriek from the farther end of the lawn, and little Kaitie with the wasp that had ytivng 1 her clutched tightly in hoi* Wounded hand; Ermine to .tlio rescue,, andl the nurse, and Carl, with hartshorn hastily { tocUTirekl from tho nearest) chemist; and Ktvtie, a>t last solbibing herself to sleep, in her luirslery, in Ermine's arms)—these were the next scenes in the drama.

"Mi* Hintstenistern; is d'oswn-stairs, miss," announced Jano an hour later; "he says he would ho «!n<] to see you to hear how lititle tnissy is." Ermine unwound the clinging amis from her necik a,nd laid the diild in her little cot; it hen she wait slowly down-st«.irs, smoorthinjr Ikmdriunpled riblbnai aiS she wtait.

"She is hetter; she is asleep. Tlic pain was sharp," she ibepm, tlicn falfened and stopped. There was a loolk, which told of a sharper pa in look, which told of a sharper pain than littlo Katie's.

"It is well—l s^ my ways now."

Ho was gone, and she was funding there, on 4-he last stop of the staircase, with a strange yarningl at her heart and a blank sense of Kimc great loss. (To be concluded.)