Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-09-30

At last the merchant reached tbs ,r.o, -
Vsnontern stood; but what was thai xo-thv
mans astonishment to zee him, thopgb y.
still held out his hand, pass quickly bys v;th.
our stepping even for moment to say, " How
dye doP" Yet SO it was !; but il WAS No
fault of our hero's. His own astonishment
was thousand times greater, when he found
that he had no power to determine either
when, where, or how his leg was to move
As long as bis own wishes happened TO coin
eide with the manner in which the machinery
seemed destined to operate, all had gone on
smoothly; and he had mistaken his own tacit
compliance with its independent and apps-
rently self acting powers, for q command over
y which he now found he did not possess
IL had been his most anxious desire TO speak
Win Aynheer Vanoatern, but his leg moved
on, and he was under the nece essity Of follow
Ing II. Many an attempt did he make 60
s,acken his pace. but every attempt was vain.
ne caught hold OF the rails. walls and houses,
but bis leg tugged so violently, th at be vsSs
hfraid Of dislocating lis arms. sad v.s. obliged
to go on.
lie began to get scr..ou,ly unessv ,..o ~.
consequences OF this most unexnected ,n.u
"hleh 1stters had taken; and his oulv hona
was, tnat tae amazing and unknown movers
which the complicated construction of his leo
seemed to possess, would speedily exhaust
themselves; Of this, however, be could "A
YET discover no symptoms. He happened 20
oe gong In the direction of the Leyden Canal.
and when he came in sight of Mvnbss, Tnrn,
lngvort's house, be called loudly upon tho Ar.
tihcer to come to mis- assistance. The artiscer
looked out from his window with a face NJ
wonder. Rascal 80 cried WodenbIock
"ccms out to me this instant You have
made me leg with vengeance ID won't
stand SUN Tor moment. have been walk
ing straight forward even since left NV own
house; and unless you stop me YOURSELF hea.
ven only knows how much farther n NAV
walk Don't stand gaping there but come
OUT and relieve me, or shall be out of SIGHT
and you will not be able 10 overtake me-
Inc mechancian grow very pale; he was ev-
,uenuy unprepared for this new difficulty. He
lost not moment, however, in following the
merchant, to do what he could towards extri
catInS him from so awkward Q predicament
Ihe merchant, or rather his leg, was walk
ing very quickly, and Turningyort, being an
elderly man, found il no easy matter TO make
up to him. He did so at last nevertheless-
aud catching him in his arms, lifted him en-
tirely from the ground. But the stratagem M
so it may be caiied,) did not succeed, for the
inmate propelling motion Of the leg, hurried
him on along with his burden, at the same
rate as before. He set him, therefore, down
again, and STOPPING pressed violently on one
OF the springs that protruded little behind
In an instant, the unhappy Mynheer von wo.
the most piteous accents, al an lost. L am
lost am possessed by devil In the shape
oil cork leg Stop me for heavens sake,
stop lie L am breathless L am breathless,
am fainting! Will nobody shstter nv leg 10
pieces Turningvort. Turningvort! you have
murdered me.''
The artist psrplexod and cOnfOunded, was
hardly II situation more to be enyied.
Scarcely knowing what be did, he fell upou
his knees, clasped his hands, and with strain
cd ana staring eye-balls, looked after the
richest merchant in Rotterdam, running with
the speed Of an enraged buffalo, away along
the canal, towards Leyden, and believing for
neil as loudly as his exhaustion would permit.
Leyden is more than twelve miles from Rot
terdam: but the sun had not yet set, when the
Misses barksneider, who were sitting at their
parlor window, Immediately opposite the Gold
en- Lion, drinking tea, and nodding 20 their
friends as they passed, saw some one coming
at furious speed along the street. His face
was pale as ashes, and be gasped fearfully for
breath but without turning to the right or 10
the left, he hurried by at the same rapid rate,
ana vas out Of sight almost before they had
t1ae 20 exolainl, GOOD gracious was NOT
tnat Mynheer Von Wodenblock, the rich mer.
chant Of Rotterdam"
Next day was Sunday The inhabitants of
haarlem were all going TO church in their
best attire, to say their prayers and hear
their great organ, when being rushed across
the 10 arket place, like an animated corpse
white, blue, cold and speechless; his eyes
hxed, his lips liyid, his teeth set, and his
hands clenched. Every one cleared away
for 1t, In silent horror-and there was not a
person in Haarlem who did not believe IL a
dead body endowed with the power of motion.
On 1t went, through village and town, TO.
wards the great wilds and forests Of Germany.
Weeks, months, years passed on; but at in
CorVais the norrid shape Was seen, and still
continues to be seen, in various parts of the
north of Europe. The clothes, however, which
he, who was once Mynhser Won Wodenblock,
used to wear, have all mouldered away; the
flesh too, has fallen from bis bones, and he is
low skeleton q skeleton in all but the cork
leg-which still, in all its original rotundity
and size, continues attached to the spectral
form, perpstHuRa mobile, dragging the wsa-
ried bones for ever and for ever over the earth,