Produced by Charles Bowen, from page scans provided by the Web Archive
Transcriber's Notes:
1. Page scan source:
http://www.archive.org/details/waldfriednovel00auerrich
2. The diphthong oe is represented by [oe].
BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
_Authorized Editions._
WALDFRIED. A Novel. Translated by SIMON ADLER STERN, 12mo, cloth,
$2.00.
THE VILLA ON THE RHINE. A Romance. Translated by JAMES DAVIS. With a
portrait of the author. 16mo. Leisure Hour Series. 2 vols., $1.25 per
vol.; Pocket Edition, four parts, paper, uniform with the Tauchnitz
books, 40 cents per part, or $1.50 complete.
BLACK FOREST VILLAGE STORIES. Translated by CHARLES GOEPP. Illustrated
with fac-similies of the original German wood-cuts. 16mo, Leisure Hour
Series, $1.25.
THE LITTLE BAREFOOT. A Tale. Translated by ELIZA BUCKMINSTER LEE.
Illustrated, 16mo, Leisure Hour Series, $1.25.
JOSEPH IN THE SNOW. A Tale. Illustrated, 16mo. Leisure Hour Series,
$1.25.
_HENRY HOLT & CO._,
25 Bond Street, New York.
W A L D F R I E D
A N O V E L
BY
BERTHOLD AUERBACH
_T R A N S L A T E D_
BY
SIMON ADLER STERN
_AUTHOR'S EDITION_
NEW YORK
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
1874
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by
HENRY HOLT,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
Maclauchlan,
Stereotyper and Printer, 56, 58 and 60 Park Street, New York.
WALDFRIED.
BOOK FIRST.
CHAPTER I.
In a letter bringing me his greetings for the New Year, 1870, my eldest
son thus wrote to me from America:
"We have been sorely tried of late. Wolfgang, our only remaining child,
lay for weeks at death's door. I avoided mentioning this to you before;
but now he is out of danger.
"'Take me to your father in the forest,' were the first distinct words
he uttered after his illness. He is a lusty youth, and inherits his
mother's hardy Westphalian constitution.
"In his feverish wanderings, he often spoke of you, and also of a great
fire, in strange phrases, none of which he can now recall.
"He has awakened my own heartfelt desire to return, and now we shall
come. We have fully determined to leave in the spring. I lose no time
in writing to you of this, because I feel that the daily thought of our
meeting again will be fraught with pleasure for both of us.
"Ah, if mother were still alive! Oh, that I had returned in time to
have seen her!
"Telegraph to me as soon as you receive tidings of brother Ernst. I am
anxious once again to behold Germany, which is at last becoming a real
nation. We who are out here in America are beginning to feel proud of
our Fatherland.
"We are surely coming! Pray send word to my brothers and sisters.
"YOUR SON LUDWIG."
The postscript was as follows:
"DEAR FATHER,--I shall soon be able to utter those dear words to you in
person.
"YOUR DAUGHTER CONSTANCE."
"DEAR GRANDFATHER,--I can now write again, and my first words are to
you. We shall soon join you at 'grandfather's home.'
"YOUR GRANDSON WOLFGANG."
* * * * *
I had not seen Ludwig since the summer of 1849, and now I was to see
him, his wife, and his son. I instructed Martella to send the news to
my children and sons-in-law; and to my sister who lives in the Hagenau
forest I wrote in person.
Joyous answers were returned from every quarter. But the happiest of
all was Rothfuss, our head servant. And well he might be, for no one
had loved and suffered so much for Ludwig's sake as he had done.
Rothfuss is my oldest companion. We have known each other so long that,
last spring, we might have celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of our
first meeting. When that occurred, we were both of the same age--he a
soldier in the fortress in which I was confined as a political
prisoner. For one hour every day I was permitted to leave my cell for a
short walk on the parapet. On those occasions a soldier with loaded
musket walked behind me; and it often happened that this duty was
assigned to Rothfuss. His orders were not to speak to me; but he did
so, nevertheless. He was constantly muttering to himself in an
indistinct manner. This habit of talking to himself has clung to him
through life, and I doubt if any human being has a greater fund of
curses than he.
One day, while he was thus walking behind me, I heard him say quite
distinctly: "Now I know who you are! Oh!"--and then came fearful
oaths--"O! to imprison such a man! You are the son of the forest-keeper
of our district! Why, we are from the very same part of the country! I
have often worked with your father. He was a hard man, but a just one;
a German of the old sort."
"I am not allowed to accept money from you, but if you were to happen
to lose some, there would be no harm in my finding it."
"Of course you smoke? I shall buy a pipe, tobacco, and a tinder-box for
you, and what you give me over the amount will not be too much for me."
From that day, Rothfuss did me many a service. He knew how to
circumvent the jailer,--a point on which we easily silenced our
scruples. Five years later I regained my freedom, and when I settled on
this estate, Rothfuss, as if anticipating my wishes, was at my side.
Since that time he has been with us constantly, and has proved a
faithful servant to me, as well as the favorite of my children.
I had inherited the estate and the grand house upon it from my
father-in-law. As I was a forester's son, I found but few difficulties
in attending to the timber land, but the two saw-mills and the farm
that belonged to the estate gave me much trouble. For this reason, so
faithful and expert an assistant as Rothfuss was doubly welcome to me.
He is a wheelwright by trade, and can attend to anything that requires
to be done about the house. Near the shed, he built a little smithy,
and my boys were his faithful apprentices. They never asked for toys,
for they were always helping him in making some article of use. But my
son Richard had no liking for manual labor. He was a dreamy youth, and
at an early age manifested a great love of study.
Of my daughters, Bertha was Rothfuss' favorite. Johanna avoided him.
She had a horror of his oaths, which, after all, were not so seriously
meant.
While quite young she evinced much religious enthusiasm, and Rothfuss
used to call her "The little nun," at which she was always very angry,
for she was quite proud of her Protestantism. While preparing for
confirmation she even went so far as to make repeated attempts to
convert both myself and my wife.
While Richard was yet a mere student at the Gymnasium of our capital,
Rothfuss dubbed him "The Professor;" but when Ludwig came home from the
Polytechnic School to spend his holidays with us, he and Rothfuss were
inseparable companions. He taught Rothfuss all of the students' songs,
and insisted that this servant of ours was the greatest philosopher of
our century.
Ludwig had settled in the chief town as a master builder. He was also
known as "The King of the Turners." He was President of his section,
and his great agility and strength gained him many a prize. He was of a
proud disposition, and followed his convictions, regardless of
consequences. Older persons remarked that in appearance and bearing he
was the very picture of what I had been in my youth.
I am glad that all of my children are of a large build. Ludwig
resembles me most of all. Fortunately his nose is not so large as mine,
but more like the finely chiselled nose of his mother. His eloquence,
however, is not inherited. His oratorical efforts were powerful and
convincing, and his voice was so agreeable that it was a pleasure to
listen to it. He had very decided musical talent, but not enough to
justify him in adopting music as his profession. In spite of the advice
of his music teachers, he determined on a more practical calling. His
refined and easy manner soon won all hearts; and he was beloved by
those who were high in station as well as by the lowly laborers.
In the year 1849, Ludwig was laying out a portion of the great road
which was being built along the low land beyond the mountain. He was
the idol of his workmen, and always said, "For me they will climb about
the rocks that are to be blasted, like so many lizards, just because I
can myself show them how it is done." The road was divided into many
so-called tasks, each of which was assigned to a separate group of
workmen who had agreed to finish it by a certain day. As one of these
gangs was unfortunate enough to chance upon springs at every few steps,
the soft soil gave it much trouble, and greatly prolonged its labors.
The other engineers avoided the soft places when making their surveys.
But Ludwig, with his high boots, stepped right into the midst of the
laborers, and helped those who were working with their shovels and
spades.
He had also arranged the fire service of the whole valley, and had so
distinguished himself at the fire in the little town that he received a
medal in recognition of his having saved a life. The more excited
members of our political party were of the opinion that he ought to
refuse it, alleging that it was wrong for him to receive so princely a
decoration; but he replied: "For the present the Prince is the
representative of the popular voice." He accepted the badge, but
fastened it to the fireman's banner.