ght
the French army of the Loire. Nor did Franz go alone, for there went
with him his best friend, his dutz brueder, Hofer, from Esmansdorff,
whither Franz had gone three years before to follow his trade of
cask-cooper and wheelwright, and there met Hofer, whose family were of
the Tyrolese Protestants that came from Zitterthal to find a refuge in
our land.

He came to Saueichenwald, to our village, this Hofer--a dark
well-looking man--not fair like Franz, nor with his broad chest and
clear blue eyes--but tall and quick, with crisp curling hair, and long
fingers. I have told him that he had hawk's eyes, for he could see the
birds on the trees, and if he had pleased, could have shot them with his
rifle, so far was his sight, so true his aim; but he hated to kill or
hurt any living thing, and loved best to play the fiddle when he was not
at work in his tan-yard. Yet now, he too was gone to the war, and was in
the midst of the slaying and burning. When first he came home with Franz
to Saueichenwald, I was afraid, for though I loved him not, but loved
Franz only, his eyes were ever fixed on me, and he came often to the
homestead; even when Franz came not he would be there in the yellow
sunshine of the autumn evening by the gate that led to the apple
orchard, or at the wicket, where Bertha and I used to stand after coming
from the dairy or the hen-house; nor was he unwelcome to the master, who
wondered at his shooting and leaping with a pole; nor to the dear
mistress, for whom he brought a work-box, all of beautifully carved
wood; nor to the little ones, Loisl and Heinrich, to whom he played the
fiddle, and whom he taught to dance or showed how the chamois is
hunted.

Often when I have stood with Bertha--for we always went together--at the
gate, he would come with his keen bright laugh and hawk's eyes, and leap
the wall that inclosed the dairy yard. Franz, too, had noticed how he
sought us, and one red evening when we were crossing the orchard, and
Hofer walked between us with an arm about each, Franz came in by the old
path from the wood on the other side, and stood there looking still and
grieved. Laughing ever, Hofer carried us both in to where Franz stood,
and with his long arms still about us caught him with a hand on each
wrist, and so stood we, two girls in the midst of two men's encircling
arms.

"Hof, is it that thou lov'st Lisba?" said Frank sternly; "if so, thou
doest not well."

"I both love her and do well,