who was a good worker and
very saving and never wanted her own way, and Herman made his usual
little grunt in answer to her.

Mrs. Kreder and Mrs. Haydon fixed the day and made all the
arrangements for the wedding and invited everybody who ought to be
there to see them married.

In three months Lena Mainz and Herman Kreder were to be married.

Mrs. Haydon attended to Lena's getting all the things that she needed.
Lena had to help a good deal with the sewing. Lena did not sew very
well. Mrs. Haydon scolded because Lena did not do it better, but then
she was very good to Lena, and she hired a girl to come and help her.
Lena still stayed on with her pleasant mistress, but she spent all her
evenings and her Sundays with her aunt and all the sewing.

Mrs. Haydon got Lena some nice dresses. Lena liked that very well.
Lena liked having new hats even better, and Mrs. Haydon had some made
for her by a real milliner who made them very pretty.

Lena was nervous these days, but she did not think much about getting
married. She did not know really what it was, that, which was always
coming nearer.

Lena liked the place where she was with the pleasant mistress and the
good cook, who always scolded, and she liked the girls she always sat
with. She did not ask if she would like being married any better. She
always did whatever her aunt said and expected, but she was always
nervous when she saw the Kreders with their Herman. She was excited
and she liked her new hats, and everybody teased her and every day her
marrying was coming nearer, and yet she did not really know what it
was, this that was about to happen to her.

Herman Kreder knew more what it meant to be married and he did not
like it very well. He did not like to see girls and he did not want
to have to have one always near him. Herman always did everything that
his father and his mother wanted and now they wanted that he should be
married.

Herman had a sullen temper; he was gentle and he never said much. He
liked to go out with other men, but he never wanted that there should
be any women with them. The men all teased him about getting married.
Herman did not mind the teasing but he did not like very well the
getting married and having a girl always with him.

Three days before the wedding day, Herman went away to the country to
be gone over Sunday. He and Lena were to be married Tuesday afternoon.
When the day came Herman had not been seen or heard from.

The o