In the Year '13: A Tale of Mecklenburg LifeReuter, Fritz
General
In the Year '13: A Tale of Mecklenburg Life
Reuter, Fritz
Mecklenburg (Germany : Region) -- Fiction
"I advise myself, uncle," said the young man, and took up his hat,
"for, if I were to listen much longer to the lawyer's advice, the water
would run short and my mill would stop. It's very different for you.
Any one who can lard his leather bag like that, can fry a long time
without burning." And he pointed to the valise which was just packed.
"What the devil does that matter to you?" thundered the Miller, and
turned hastily round quite black in the face. "That money ... that
money is not mine."
Fieka went up to her father, and stroked his cheek. "Father, he did not
mean anything wrong."
"No," said Heinrich, "I came with good intentions, and I will not go
away in anger if I can help it. So I wish you good morning. My waggon
is standing out there before the yard gate only a couple of paces off."
"Stop," said Fieka, "Cousin Heinrich, do not be in such a hurry.
Father's head is full of business that must be attended to this
morning. It would vex him very much if you were to leave us in ill
will."
"Fieka," said the old Miller, and turned round, and kissed his daughter
on the forehead, "you have been twice right and I twice wrong, this
morning; you are a darling child," and he gave his hand to the young
man.--"Heinrich, it shall never be said that I drove Joe Voss's son out
of my house with hard words. You want to go away without having
anything to eat or drink? No, my son, you must stay here till I come
back, for I must be off now to the bailiwick, I have pressing business.
Look, Friedrich is waiting. Well, goodbye! and if you are really in
earnest about coming to an understanding, something may be done.
Goodbye, mother; goodbye, Fieka." And he went out and mounted into his
waggon.
CHAPTER V.
In which Friedrich translates the Prussian motto "suum cuique" for
the Miller's benefit, and goes on a wild-goose chase after the
Frenchman: and the Miller finds he has sat down on a swarm of
bees.
"Miller," said Friedrich as they left the mill and came out into the
high road, "have you ever seen an old woman break her pitcher and then
put the pieces together and say 'that's how it was?'"
"Why?" asked the Miller.
"Oh! nothing," said Friedrich, and he waved his whip vacantly over the
horses as if it were the season for flies. The Miller sat lost in
thought.
After a time Friedrich asked again--"Miller, have you ever seen a boy
out of whose hand a sparrow has just escaped, look into his empty hand
and say 'O!'?"
"Why?" asked the Miller.
Friedrich simply repeated "Oh! nothing."
The Miller sat still again, and all sorts of things passed through his
mind, and he puzzled over some such rule-of-three sum as: "What will
the bushel of oats come to next Easter if I don't pay the Jew
to-morrow?" and was soon lost in the fractions.
They drive on and on. At last Friedrich turns half round and
asks--"Miller, do you know the proverb: 'don't pour your dirty water
away till you have got clean'?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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