y yet--there's
some hitch. There'll be plenty for all when it comes, so you needn't
fret."

Otto went to the brewery, but Peter had gone home. Otto went on to the
house and Peter came down to the brilliant parlor, where the battle of
hostile shades and colors was raging with undiminished fury. In answer
to Peter's look of inquiry, he said: "I came about your son-in-law,
Mr. Feuerstein."

"Who are you? Who told you?" asked Peter, wilting into a chair.

"They told me at the theater."

Peter gave a sort of groan. "It's out!" he cried, throwing up his
thick, short arms. "Everybody knows!"

Shrewd Otto saw the opening. "I don't think so," he replied, "at least
not yet. He has a bad reputation--I see you know that already. But
it's nothing to what he will have when it comes out that he's been
trying to marry a young lady down town since he married your daughter."

"But it mustn't come out!" exclaimed Ganser. "I won't have it. This
scandal has disgraced me enough."

"That's what I came to see you about," said Otto. "The young lady and
her friends don't know about his marriage. It isn't necessary that any
of them should know, except her. But she must be put on her guard. He
might induce her to run away with him."

"Rindsvieh!" muttered Ganser, his hair and whiskers bristling. "Dreck!"

"I want to ask you, as a man and a father, to see that this young lady
is warned. She'll be anxious enough to keep quiet. If you do, there
won't be any scandal--at least not from there."

"I'll go down and warn her. Where is she? I'll speak to her father."

"And have him make a row? No, there's only one way. Send your
daughter to her."

"But you don't know my daughter. She's a born--" Just in time Ganser
remembered that he was talking to a stranger and talking about his
daughter. "She wouldn't do it right," he finished.

"She can go in and see the young lady alone and come out without
speaking to anybody else. I'll promise you there'll be no risk."

Ganser thought it over and decided to take Otto's advice. They
discussed Mr. Feuerstein for several minutes, and when Otto left,
Ganser followed him part of the way down the stoop, shaking hands with
him. It was a profound pleasure to the brewer to be able to speak his
mind on the subject of his son-in-law to an intelligent, appreciative
person. He talked nothing else to his wife and Lena, but he had the
feeling that he might as well talk aloud to himself.