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Page 12
Crazy Carl was laughed at for his exertions in behalf of the children,
yet to spare his feelings the necessary punishment of the children was
deferred till he was out of sight. None of the neighboring peasant
women would leave their homes, to go to the market, to a wedding, or to
a funeral, without requesting Carl to remain with the children, and upon
his compliance they would go forth untroubled, for they were well aware
of the unbounded influence "Wiseacre" possessed over the young people.
Carl's bed-room, which adjoined Nanna's apartment, contained a bedstead,
a well whittled table, and a chair mutilated in a like manner. In this
chair Carl would rock backward and forward, for hours, and with half
closed eyes would look as if by stealth, at a striped woolen waistcoat,
which was suspended against the wall, or some other little gift from
Magde.
At the same time that Nanna was seated in her room looking towards the
large tree near the spring, Carl was rocking in his chair, gazing with
his peculiar expression at a brown earthen vase, which was standing upon
the table before him. The vase contained two freshly plucked lilacs, one
blue and the other white, which emitted a fragrant odor. After Carl had
sufficiently regarded these objects, he slowly jerked his chair towards
the table, and at each pause his mouth widened into a simple simper. At
length he arrived so near the table that by bending forward he could
have easily touched the flowers with his nostrils. To accomplish this
movement, which was his evident intention, he proceeded with as much
gravity and carefulness as he had evinced in approaching the table. He
bowed down his head inch by inch, until he could no longer withstand the
desire of his senses. With one plunge he thrust his nostrils amidst the
fresh leaves of the fragrant flowers.
Suddenly, however, he raised his head, a thought struck his mind--his
face lengthened and his brow became cloudy.
And yet a few moments ago he appeared supremely happy.
* * * * *
Nanna's pretty face was pressed against the window pane. Her little
world had never before appeared so fresh and beautiful. So great was her
abstraction that she did not hear the door open, as Carl with his
peculiar lofty strides entered the room.
"Thank you, Nanna," said Carl. Nanna did not hear him. His voice was
lost in her recollection of the words of the strange youth, she had met
the day before.
"Thank you, Nanna," repeated Carl.
Nanna started. "What for?" said she.
"Do you not know?" replied Carl, "why for the flowers!"
"Flowers?"
"O," said Carl smiling imbecilely and gazing vacantly around the room.
"If you found lilacs in your room, I did not place them there," said
Nanna.
"Ah! then perhaps little Christine sent them to me."
"No, dear Carl," replied Nanna, "the flowers were sent by one who is
better than even myself or Christine."
"Who can it be?"
"Magde, of course."
"Ah!" Carl slowly stepped towards the door. "Magde, yes, I ought to have
known that!"
"Ask her, and then you will know certainly," said Nanna.
"O, no, but they are beautiful flowers. I hope I will not break them,
they smell so sweetly!"
Thus saying Carl strode across the floor to his own chamber where he
again seated himself upon his chair and resumed his former occupation;
but he did not profane them with his nostrils, for now he regarded them
in a holier light. They were Magde's gift.
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