Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1854-12-28
81 5turg frunl tbr 6rrmun.
THE HUNTSMAN /!
SHOT THRouGH THE HEART.

SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
have tale to tell, with true German
| flavor, of huntsman of the olden time, and
of the ringing of shot in the recesses of a
forest 1t is tale taken from the lips of the
people, and it may be true. / have its kernel
from a German writer, Edmund Hoefer.
From village to town, and back from town
to yillage-no matter where-the narrow foot
path runs at one end through smooth meadows,
then descends into wide hollow, of which the
whole sweep is filed with wood; but at the
other end, the path runs through the standing
corn. From village to town, or back from
town to village, men, women, and children
hurry through the wood. No trodden grass
betrays feet that have been truant from the
beaten path. Not far from the bottom of the
hollow there is open space in the dense
forest, and the trees ON one side stand apart
as if at the entrance to narrow avenue. But
the avenue is no path now, if it ever were
one 1t is choked up with underwood, matt
ed with brambles and wild vines, and the mar
row footway strikes directly across the forest
lawn of grass and flowers in the little open
glade; there is no sign of wavering in any
wayfarer-no turning aside to be detected
There was assuredly another path here, for
here there was set up a guide-post, useless
for such purpose now, and overgrown with
ivy; one of its three directing boards being
destroyed, or having rotted off, it looks like a
rude cross set up in the forest, and the peas
ants of the district though they are by this
time all good Protestants- up at it with
prayerful ejaculation as they hurry by.
A party of English travellers dwelt for a
few days in the adjacent town, and socn dis
covered that the grand old forest oaks were
good to dine under. They knew generally
to harbor spectres if not worse things. Before
this generation was born, a lord of the castle
had gone suddenly abroad. and his lady moth
er who remained at home had cursed the
| forest and permitted no wood to be felied, no
| labor to be done, in it. This cnrse the family
kept up and except use of the necessary raths,
| the forest had been for almost century un-
| touched by man. 1t was the more luxuriant
for that, andfhe smooth plot of grass in which
the guiee-post stood, with very broad boughs
and blue sky above, were floor and ceiling,
as it seemed, to the best of picnic dining
rooms.
Only their own servants went with the
holiday makers, who had dined well and
| were dancing merrily when first the shadows
| on the turf began perceptibly to lengthen
| The few rustics who came to and fro upon the
path, had, all day long, looked more or less
! aghast at their proceedings. The last who
| had passed by, even presumed to stop, and
| urge that they would rteurn home before
twilight closed. The wood, he said, is never
safe for Christian men, and evil things lie
yonder. His hand waved hurriedly towards
| ancient avenue, and he stepped on apace, for
he had been venturesome in making any halt
at all.
''Why there is full moon tonight" said
Clara Hough, one of the party /; s.the best of
the picnic is to come. IF any fairies should
appear well join our dance with theirs and as
for ghosts, I should like to see one Is this
one of their walking days? What says the
calendar %
ssIt is the feast of st. Egidiu's," said Mr..
Eustace Wenn, who hoped, in time, to con-
vert Miss Hough into Mrs Wenn.
s'St. Egidius' day is nothing in particular
Of course we shall go home by moonlight, but
/ vote for an adventure Let us break open
that pathway and find out the demon of the
wood. Something of course lies yonder.
Who joins the exploring party p
| Women and men too grow superstitious IN
the twilight, wise as they may be. There
were no volunteers.
''My dear fellow" said the host. Join our
next dance. The path you see is impervious. y
| Mr. Wenn leapt among the trees and shout
ed back intelligence that it was easy with one
pair of hands to cut away there even for a
lady '.Then," said Miss Hough, following
his lead, 'sby all means let US CO."
"Let them alone" said the host, s'they are
lovers, and they would not thank US for oul
company"
! The dance, therefore, was formed, and the
young people went alone into the wood.
The green leaves, the CLEANS of sunset
| coloring, the twittering of birds above, the
moss and flowers -underfoot, the pleasant exe--
else of fighting down such obstacles as thorns
and tendrils offered, the young gentleman
smoothing the way for the young lady, as ht
hoped to smooth her way on other paths wher
| she was an older lady and they travelled ovel
| years of life that seemed to be before them
| all such things made the little expedition a.
agreeable as might have been desired. There
was another small break in the wood, and {
broader avenue of smooth turf pierced The
trees beyond it. Upon a hillock of large
messy stones that seemed at one time to have
been assembled there together by an idle man
the lovers sat to rest and talk for Eve minute,
or longer of their own affairs. The gentleman
spoke most; the lady looked much downward,
ana trified with her little foot among the mos.
upon one stone larger than the others, "Why
tnere Is great cross, and there are three un
readable letters scratched upon this stone |,
said she. ':The first, I imagine il q To
US go on. let us go on! This heap is shanen
| L think, like grave. Or shall we 90 hack