"I shall never forget how the teacher left the astonished Andreas and rushed upon Marie. 'Just wait and I'll teach _you_,' he threatened. He roughly took her by the arm and forced her back to her seat, muttering, 'I'll teach _you_!' That ended the scene, however, for he sent Andreas to his seat without further punishment, and nothing more was said to Marie. "Andreas never forgot this kind act in his behalf, and he always brought Marie a bunch of violets when he came to school; I used to notice how they perfumed the schoolroom. Occasionally there would be a cluster of strawberries or something else equally appropriate. How the friendship has extended to the present state of affairs I shall have to let my sister explain." "My dear wife, I am eager to have this brought up to date," remarked the colonel. Mrs. Ritter laughed with the others and began: "The strawberries and violets were given as Max said, but you have forgotten how soon Andreas left school after I entered. He went to the city to learn the joiner's trade. I didn't lose track of him, however, for he often came home. When Otto and I were married and bought this place, he came to consult us about his own purchase of some property. The owner of the place wanted cash, and Andreas, who had lost his parents, hadn't the money. Otto lent him the sum he needed and has never regretted it." "I should say not," broke in the colonel. "He paid for that long ago, and since that time has laid by a good sum of his own. He brings his money to me, and I invest it for him. His interest is adding to his capital, and he could now afford to build a much better house and live with more comforts. It is a shame that he is all alone in the world." "Hasn't he a wife? And where is George?" asked Max. "Andreas lives all alone," answered the sister. "I think his history is too sad for him ever to take a wife. George led a wild life around here until Andreas refused to help him out of any more scrapes, and now he has disappeared, for he couldn't pay his debts. People were relieved to have him out of the neighborhood, but everybody respects Andreas." "What do you mean by his sad experience, Marie?" inquired Max. "I should like to hear about that, too," said the husband. "Why, Otto!" said Mrs. Ritter, "I have told you about it at least a dozen times." "Is that so? It must please me," answered the husband, laughing. "Can you recall, Max, the girl whom we were speaking of at the table to-night when Andreas came? We could hear her father's loom from our garden, they lived so near us. I told you the girl was very pretty. She had a charming manner and her name was Aloise." "Never in my life have I known anybody by that name," asserted Max. "I know why you say so," corrected his sister. "We never called her that, and I am sure that you never did. We called her Wisi, much to our dear mother's disgust. You often went over to get her when we wanted to have some music, because she could sing so well."