Uncle Titus and His Visit to the Country

en by Mrs. Ehrenreich when she came to breakfast the next morning. "We have

e room, quite speechless, and stared at t

e necessity of our immediate departu

an this. You cannot hope to be more comfortable anywhere else; either you or the g

e uproar last evening? noises far surpassing anything that I

n! You know they were having a family festiv

f shouts and cries and then a fire with all its accompanying noise and hubbub, I can only say tha

A more orderly and well regulated family is nowhere to be found, and I cannot understand how the lady and gentleman can seriously think of leaving. I can assure you

composed, and seated herself at the breakfast tabl

f to his early recitations in Latin, with the pastor of a neighboring parish. Paula was taking her music-lesson of the governess, and Wili and Lili took this opp

whip in hand, all booted and

le knew what they were about he found himself slipping from his chair. In the next second he had grasped the side of his chair with the result that that also was pulled along the floor. He called out hastily "Stop! Stop!" while little Hunne, who saw the situation from his corner, now flew to his elder brother's assistance, hu

p! Wiling

rible t

le Hunne added his voi

he uproar was stilled at once. Jule swung himself panting ba

n behave so badly? You ought to know bette

k at it from another side, I am doing something, in affording the twins an opp

ractise your exercises until Miss Hanenwinkel has finished Paula's music lesson. Wili, go on with your stu

en. She found herself too much excited after the exertion of playing boot-jack for her brother, and her exercises did not run

ur life

he lamp

an fade

r the

tened to his room, closing the windows and fastening them against the noise. His wife summoned their hostess rather peremptorily, and a

e hostess only again recommended the walk in the woods for quiet and fresh air! The noise in the next house would not last long, she said, the young gentleman would

to college?" asked Mrs. Ehrenreich excitedly. "It is unendurable; continually

d woman simply, "the dear child is making such prog

t is time for her to begin her sewing; where can she

ning in the hedge, and she was now listening as if enchanted, to Lili's gay music. She came back at once at t

hat is certain," said Mrs. Eh

rry healthy life of these children in the beautiful garden beyond the hedge. It was her only knowledge of true child-life. As she sewed,

atching sight of his mother through the open door of the kitchen, he ran to her,

find some one else to guess. I have not time now, truly.

obe

called out

blank-book to write my French translation in. There i

ied poor Rolf, pouncin

re is Mr. Julius over there in the corner, letting the little one cr

on much in vogue there, and she constantly used it as a form of farewell, whether it was a

wanted if there is any such place. Good-bye. I'

ought his wares to show, if aske

gain. Good-bye. I'll see you again," and shut the door

ttention his nut-cracker's desperate grimaces as he gave him nut after nut to crack in his powerful jaws. Hun

ng his question, "Will you gu

n France, a

e to the

y aim full

second you

prince of p

the fight f

of course," said th

u guessed it," said R

st try hard for this now. I have just mad

transforms

its peace

should you

ll move, for

h power to s

in church, or

er. "Wait a moment, Jule, I shall get it soon." So Rol

interruption. As an extra proof of his skill, Julius practised with the shells at hi

lf at last, much deli

It is something very different, entirely differ

abashed. "Now wait Jule, h

ings by the

eidelberg's

as a blind

lived and s

ius, whose pride it w

ted. "How could a shake sin

ce, as he was riding or driving along," said Jule,

different, entirely different,' Jule. It is Milton, the blind po

for vacation. I am going now to see how Castor is after

one to guess, and I made four splendid charades on my way ho

ld enough," said the lit

playing with the nuts and I will crack

nceals from

er on his

sizzling i

er still the

decked in tr

g on the li

of all that was best, and he thought that if he imitated Jule, and answ

lf was

ust think about it a little, can a

ver-well-the sh

can not go ambling all day

he tied his handkerchief round the neck of the long suffering nutcracker and dragged

don't understand anything about it. Just try to think a little; can you he

n?" said the child, planting himself before Rolf

about leaving the room, but this was not so easily done, for

brother by the jacket to hold him. "My

, wrenching himself from his tormentor's hands. But the boy follow

ame scampering in from th

held up a strip of paper and rattled it befor

er was now caught

guess in," cried he, striking abo

ed little Hunne contemptuously,

ack and forth, and looked at it in surprise. In a childish hand-wri

lay yo

ed t

the

our

beho

our f

ll cu

for y

e sti

our h

wi

riend

y. "I shall guess it after a little while. Just

for the dinner-bell sounded and all the family

ne to-day?" asked the father, when they

tries to guess my riddles, and I couldn't find J

uess them, and those who have time enough are so stupid that there is no use in trying to get any answer

"and we have found such a hard riddle, so hard that

enough I can get it,

ve we have a riddle-fever, and one catches it from another. We really

ver making riddles for somebody who would listen with interest and gues

and the girls were armed with sewing and knitting work. Little Hunne also had a queer-looking bit of stuff in his hand upon which he was trying to work

es, and then at the laborers in the field, and then at the red apples upon the tree, for Wili loved visible things, and it was only with the greatest difficulty, and generally wit

tead of reading aloud, for he did not open his book, but allowed hi

of your countenance to-day is as if you

something more agreeable than these similes

ula, that you have been for the last few days so short and snappish that I should real

p? I have not a single friend in all Tannenburg. I hav

atter was really only twenty, but to Paula she seemed very old indeed. For girls to be intimate, she declared they must be of the same age, so that they could thoroughly understand each other's feelings, a

it would not suddenly unfurl a hidden banner, and turn into a Joan of Arc. Every little mole that she sees in the fields, she half sus

something very delightful in such an intimacy as Paula describes. I had such

this intimate friendship, and had indeed formed her own ideal upon that model. Lili also joined her sister in begg

ufactory under the hill," continued Mrs. Birkenfeld, "with the large house surrounded by a beaut

olls as you children have now, no sofas and chairs and other furniture. You all know that your grandfather was the pastor in Tannenburg, and we led a very simple life at the parsonage. My playmates, two of the neighbors' children, were standing as usu

ged my stones that each flat one had another stuck into the ground edgewise behind it, so that the doll could be placed leaning back against it as if it were a chair. The child was delighted with this arrangement, and joined in my play at once with the liveliest interest, while on my side I was so charmed with t

pent in that beautiful house. I was almost as much loved and petted as if I had been Lili's own sister. Her parents had come from North Germany. Her father had been induced to buy the factory by the advice of an acquaintance,

nged festivals. Such lovely toys and playthings as Lili had! I had never even dreamed of anything like them. I shall never forget the innumerable figures cut from fashion plates which we used for paper dolls! We each had a large fa

her, both from a regular teacher and from my father, and when we began to read together, the heroes and heroines of our books were as real to us as our dolls had been, and we liv

anding at that moment-that Mr. Blank, Lili's father, was about to give up his factory and return to Germany. As I understood, Mr. Blank had been deceived from the very beginning; the business was not in the prosperous co

could not bear to think of living apart, we were so necessary to each other's happiness. We promised to be always true to each other, and to use every effort to meet again; and then we sat down together and compo

rd from her again. Whether her letters were lost, or whether the family never staid long enough in one place for her to be able to give me an address, or whether Lili thought that our lives were now so irrevocably separated that we could never hope to resume our intimacy-these are questions that I have often asked myself, but that of course I have had no means of deciding. Perhaps Lili is no longer livin

er and said one after the other, sorrowfully, "What a pity, what a pity!" Little Hunne, however, w

America as soon as I am big enough, and b

, and presently Rolf said, looking thoughtfully

he poem look like a rebus, afte

uld think it might look

replied the boy, holdin

ly put away for many years, and then in some way I lost sight of it. I thought it was lost forever. Lately I have not thought

the queer pictures. We thought we would look at Eve, again, to see whether he

ld be if we were in Paradise together, and suddenly she felt so furious with Eve because she ate the apple, that she scribbled all over her face with a penc

ren put their things together and come into the house, for it was almost

ned slowly to the house under the triumphal arch

ree. She had now a good chance to examine each child, as they walked slowly back to the house, and as the last

had a few hours of quiet. If it goes on so, we shall be ab

breathlessly f

d I suffer more from giddiness than I

without its being of any use to her husband after all! If they had only moved away at once! However, perhaps there would be less noise over the hedge after this, an