I see the graceful cluster of girls hovering over the piano, and the quiet groups of the elders in easy chairs, around little tables. I cannot hear what is said, nor plainly see the faces. But some hoyden evening wind, more daring than I, abruptly parts the cloud to look in, and out comes a gush of light, music and fragrance, so that I shrink away into the dark, that I may not seem, even by chance, to have invaded that privacy.

Suddenly there is singing. It is Aurelia, who does not cope with the Italian prima donna, nor sing indifferently to-night, what was sung superbly last evening at the opera. She has a strange, low, sweet voice, as if she only sang in the twilight. It is the ballad of "Allan Percy" that she sings. There is no dainty applause of kid gloves, when it is ended, but silence follows the singing, like a tear.

Then you, my young friend, ascend into the drawing-room, and, after a little graceful gossip, retire; or you wait, possibly, to hand Aurelia into her carriage, and to arrange a waltz for tomorrow evening. She smiles, you bow, and it is over. But it is not yet over with me. My fancy still follows her, and, like a prophetic dream, rehearses her destiny. For, as the carriage rolls away into the darkness and I return homeward, how can my fancy help rolling away also, into the dim future, watching her go down the years?-Prue and I.

Charles Godfrey Leland
Hans Breitmann's Party

HANS BREITMANN gife a barty:
Dey had biano-blayin':

I felled in lofe mit a 'Merican frau,
Her name was Madilda Yane,
She hat haar as prown as a pretzel,
Her eyes vas himmel-plue,

Und ven dey looket indo mine,
Dey shplit mine heart in two.

Hans Breitmann gife a barty:

I vent dere, you'll be pound. I valtzet mit Madilda Yane

Und vent shpinnen round und round. De pootiest Fräulein in de house, She veyed 'pout dwo hoondred pound, Und efery dime she gife a shoomp She make de vindows sound.

Hans Breitmann gife a barty:

I dells you it cost him dear.
Dey rolled in more ash sefen kecks
Of foost rate Lager Beer,

Und venefer dey knocks de shpicket in

De Deutschers gifes a cheer.

I dinks dat so vine a barty

Nefer coom to a het dis year.

Hans Breitmann gife a barty:

Dere all vas Souse und Brouse; Ven de sooper comed in, de gompany Did make demselfs to house. Dey ate das Brot und Gensy broost, De Bratwurst und Braten fine,

Und vash der Abendessen down

Mit four parrels of Neckarwein.

Hans Breitmann gife a barty:
We all got troonk ash pigs.
I poot mine mout to a parrel of beer,
Und emptied it oop mit a schwigs.
Und denn I gissed Madilda Yane
Und she shlog me on the kop,
Und de gompany fited mit dable-lecks
Dill de coonshthable made oos shtop.

Hans Breitmann gife a barty-
Where ish dat barty now!
Where ish de lofely golden cloud

Dat float on the mountain's prow? Where ish de himmelstrahlende SternDe shtar of de shpirit's light?

All goned afay mit de Lager Beer-
Afay in de Ewigkeit!

Ballad

DER noble Ritter Hugo

Von Schwillensaufenstein

Rode out mit shpeer and helmet,

Und he coom to de panks of de Rhine.

Und oop dere rose a meer maid,

Vot hadn't got nodings on,

Und she say, "Oh, Ritter Hugo,

Vhere you goes mit yourself alone?"

Und he says, "I rides in de creenwood
Mit helmet und mit shpeer,
Till I cooms into em Gasthaus,
Und dere I trinks some beer."

Und den outshpoke de maiden
Vot hadn't got nodings on:
"I ton't dink mooch of beoplesh
Dat goes mit demselfs alone.

"You'd petter coom down in de wasser, Vere dere's heaps of dings to see,

Und have a shplendid tinner

Und drafel along mit me.

"Dere you sees de fisch a-schwimmin,

Und you catches dem efery one"

So sang dis wasser maiden

Vot hadn't got nodings on.

"Dere ish drunks all full mit money
In ships dat vent down of old;
Und you helpsh yourself, by dunder!
To shimmerin crowns of gold.

"Shoost look at dese shpoons und vatches!

Shoost see dese diamant rings!

Coom down und full your bockets,

Und I'll giss you like averydings.

"Vot you vantsh mit your schnapps und lager?
Coom down into der Rhine!

Der ish pottles der Kaiser Charlemagne
Vonce filled mit gold-red wine!"

Dat fetched him-he shtood all shpellpound;
She pooled his coat-tails down,

She drawed him oonder der wasser,
De maiden mit nodings on.

Breitmann in Battle

"Tunc tapfre ausführere Streitum et Rittris dignum potuere erjägere lobum "

Der Fader und der Son

"I DINKS I'll go a fitin"-outspoke der Breitmann, "It's eighteen hoonderd fordy-eight since I kits swordt in hand; Deese fourdeen years mit Hecker all roostin I haf been, Boot now I kicks der Teufel oop and goes for sailin in."