The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-03-23

was converted into the chalice Of sorrow. He
prayed them to reverse their decree, and as
sign to him longer period wherein to com
plete bis earthly pilgrimage. To which request
he received this disheartening response:
!" 1t cannot belt cannot be,
Fellow woodsman--'tis not we
Who spin the brittle thread OF life,
But If thou diest in mortal strife,
! While yet remains deed nndone-
wsh'd. for object to be won
Then It's ours TO grant boon -
Thou shalt wander when the moon
Sheds her pale beams the dell,
Through the Hartz invisible
Till he TO whom thou canst reveal
That on which thy death doth seal,
Shall meet thee in the dead OF night,
Then shalt thou TO human sight #..
Be palpabe child Of light.
Beyond this we can naught decree,
Companion Of our Jubilee
Then they rose, trolled farewell carol, the
burden Of which was,
Night wears short-the day dawn long
Now depart the phantom throng;
But to meet-again TO meet ..
OFT each remembered face to greet
And in and mystic rhymes
To tell the tales Of oden times;
When will join the phantom crew,
All that in the forest hew!"
The chorister then glided away, Bachoffner
knew not how The mimic banquet-hall, the
snowy temple Of the bacchanal foresters, van
ished! The hoarse music Of their voices be-
came faint, and the often repeated chorus died
away like the last solemn notes ola funeral
dirge!
No sooner had the phantoms disappeared,
than the gray tints of morning proclaimed the
approach of day; the snow under foot again
became uncomfortable; Bachofner's hardy
frame was pinched by the matin frost; and
Rudolph, shivering beneath the piercing cold,
followed his master as he wended his way
home, which he found much nearer than he
anticipated.
He could not sleep for many nights after
this strange event, nor could he divest himself
Of the recollection Of the warning he had re-
ceived Of the number Of his days. The SEN
tence rang in his ears with an eternal reverbe-
ton:
Thou shalt slough thine earthly coil
Ere ends another summers toll #-...
Thou shalt harvest sown. ..~
Meier another harvest grown -
A few months after this period, Hernandorf
went early one morning to Bachoftner's hut,
hoping 10 find the forester before he had set
out to his work. He opened the door the
woodman belted and equipped for work, and
UNCONSCIOUS Vi INC PtCSCHSC VI du ihuuuCIs
lay on some skins that were spread on the floor
before blazing fire, hugging his dog. "Ru-
dolph," said he, in tone Of painful earnest
ness, 7" thou must seek another master; the
summers toip is nearly over"
Rudolph disengaged himself from his mas
ter's grasp, and leaped upon him with many a
hsty bound. The dog was as happy as the
woodman was wretched.
/. a D,Jolrhg tho,,,lf MT Lam Ioou N, ana,
knee. Who then will bid thee bay the wolf?
Who then will feed thee tend thee-caress
thee Thou shalt not s.arve. / will find thee
another master"
" He shall never lack a kind MASTER said
HernandorE, who not knowing whether the
weodman had lost his senses or not, had wait
ed to hear the result of the curious apostrophe
to the dog which he had so unintentionally
broken in upon. "What has happened to in
spire these gloomy forebodingsl"
my time is come" .."
. Art thou unwell?"
II was never better in health but some
thing is impending, wot not what"
"Thou wilt outlve this fancy" said Her
nandorfr; "let us change the subject. have
a charge for thee. Thou knowest The castle
is to undergo repair, and that meanwhile my
residence will be at the villa and as the win
ter will probably wear through before the re-
pairs can be completed, it is advisable to
remove such valuables, as are portable most
Of which, since the direct road is nearly i'm
passable, will be conveyed under strong
escort by circui,ous route this day. There
are some things, however, with the care of
which will trust none but myself. What if
banditti seize the plate, it may be replaced;
but we could not replace the trophies which
the first Hernandorff took from the ancestors
Of the snrly Baron, and which, at this mo-
ment, he would reipqush his forest rights to
possess! In thy homely garb thou wilt never
be suspected Of being the bearer Of aught va
luable."
at may perhaps be the last duty ! shall
ever perform
"Nay, there's another ! shall require Of
thee. My marriage takes place tomorrow,
and as shall be long absent from the forest,
thou must see to the harvesting"
BachofTner shuddered he thought Of the
charmed chorus
"Ne'er another harvest grown"
"What alarms thee y
ASK me not what cannot explain /
will take charge Of the mail but look for
another harvest-man. will never more re-
turn to the Castle of Hemandorff. 1t is not
for the cleaver of wood TO be familiar with his
lord, he Graves liberty to make one request
his last. When am dead, take care OF that
affectionate creature"
"Thou mayest depend upon my doing So"
said Hernandorff
"If augh, untoward should beial, seek me
by moonlight in the forest
81 do not understand thee"
..Tbou will know all soon-I have pre-
sentiment that shall never return-such pre-