136 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



wrote to her good mother explicit 

 letters, never replied to the 

 anxious question: "Are you 

 happy now?" 



Bruno thus studied jurispru- 

 dence. Aside from his studies he 

 painted, played the piano, wrote 

 poems and failed in his exami- 

 nation. His father raged and 

 raved: he thundered: "Bruno is 



"Good son" the mother inter- 

 posed, and she was right. 



"He 



"He has a great heart." 



Herr Kaunitz trembled with 

 anger. "A son who fails has 

 never a great heart, don't talk so 

 ridiculous." 



And yet the mother was right 

 again. 



"And he shall be great and 

 famous in spite of it," the father 

 snarled. 



"Oh that he may be happy," 

 whispered she. But the man did 

 not hear. 



' 'Never a painter nor a musician, " 

 he continued, "they are all poor 

 devils. A merchant, yes, he may 

 be that, if law won't go; then he 

 can at least make money. And 

 money is power, too. Millions 

 make famous. When Bruno will 

 have his millions he hasn't got 

 them yet he can allow himself 

 the luxury of daubing or thump- 

 ing." 



Thoroughly crushed Bruno 

 entered his father's presence and 

 with a painful shock he listened to 

 this decision. 



"Yes" he replied, "I will do 

 your bidding; I owe you this 



obedience, for I brought disgrace 

 on your name; I know my failure 

 is a greater affliction to you than 

 my death might have been." 



He paused and waited for a 

 reply, a refutation but heard only 

 an undefinable grunt, and he went 

 away. 



He settled down to work in the 

 office, day and night with untiring 

 zeal, straining all of his faculties 

 to their utmost. He wanted to 

 gain his father's respect, for he 

 possessed his mother's heart. 



Herr Kaunitz could nurse the 

 symptoms of his gout. Bruno 

 took his place in many things. 

 But the deed, the great redeeming 

 deed, he still lacked, and at last 

 his opportunity arrived. In the 

 great Kaunitz store-houses in 

 Kaiser Wilhelmsland in the South 

 sea a rebellion had arisen, great 

 embezzlements were discovered 

 and quite a large part of the 

 for-tune was at stake. 



The old man could not leave or 

 he would have been the first to be 

 on the scene. But the gout just 

 then troubled him greatly and so 

 he wailed: 



"That requires a man of my 

 experience, my energy, my cour- 

 age! But I have no such person." 



"I will go there father," said 

 Bruno. 



"You?" Herr Kaunitz grinned 

 in an unbelieving almost derisive 

 way, "you would be the last, 

 whom I would credit with sufficient 

 intelligence or courage" Bruuo 

 blushed. "Enough, father, I shall 

 go there." 



And he he went, settled every. 



