Plymouth weekly banner. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1856, 1856-04-03
Madame GOetzcnbergcr's Christ.
mas Eve.
DY MARY H0wITT,
CHAPTER I.

CHAPTER /.
WISH you had all been at old Frau
Goetzsnberger's las: Christmas Eve! But
as you were not, and you know nothing
about it, the best thing can do is to tell
you exactly how it was, who was there,
and what came Of il.
Old Frau Goetzenberger lived, or ra-
ther iives-but we will speak of it in
the past tense-she lived. l say. in an
old University town in the south OF Ger
many; a very old fashioned town il was.
with all sorts Of old memories and trsd
t;ons come cted with il. The University,
with its tall. red roof. looking as dark
and ancient as the church, which had q
tall, red roof to correspond; and the
church looked quite as old as the grey
lime stone rocks which stood up like
huge, frowning walls round the little
town.
Not far from the University stood a
large. heavy. dismal looking stone build.
ing. like great, gloomy town hail. the
lower front windows. which looked upon
the street, were all guarded with strong
iron work, composed of upright bars.
..,;ih i-nn scrolls "a nnnnc than, which g. e
it very much the appearance of a prison
In the centre OF this building was a wide.
round arched gateway, in the projecting
key y-stone oil which grinned a stone face
The face protraded its tongue from lis
leering mouth, its nose was CURED up.
and its ears were OF an unusual length. -
Ii was, upon the whole, ugly face rs
you would wish 10 see, and il seemed tC
grin down upon every body who ap-
preached the gateway. So wide was this
gateway that a COO ch and four nigh, have
driven into it; and. on either hand, soon
after you entered, yoa came 20 wide
stone staircase. with iron balustrades
which led NJ to the dwellings Of many
families--of u dozen al leost-wbo in
habited this great, old house. most q
them. being professors or students belong
ing to the University.
Between this old house and the Uni
versity Icy large garden. full Of trees
and walks and with a fountain, which
:ell into large stone basin. ia the mid
die Of grass plat. which was not, / an
sorry to say. by any means neatly kept
for two or three milk women cut the grass
with sickles for their COWS. This gaTder
to a certain extent, was public; that is
was common TO about dozen differen
houses opening into it. and which were
all occupied, more or less. by people con
nected with the University. who hat
thus, as it were. a privileged private en-.
trance either 20 the great University Ii
brary. or to ordinary lectures and classes
Hence il was that the houses opening
into this Unirersitats Garten, as it wal
called. brought higher rent than an!
others. and the people residing there
were looked upon as the elite; it was. il
fact the Belgravin Of the town.
On the principal floor of that great
old house, with the grinning face over th'
door. lived the most celebrated professo
in the whole University-the Herr VoI
Hoffman, Professor of Roman Law, yer!
| learned man, whose fame extended owe
all Germany. So great. indeed. was he
that the King. not many years before, ha'
presented him with q patent Of nobility
and hence it was that he had Von befor'
his name. He wae. in fact. the Her
Baron Won Hoffman; but he prefere'
being called simply the Herr Professor
because he had more pleasure in being
great teacher than in being Baron. HI
was not, however, on old man. he wa
onlya little termed forty, and this. wa
his first year st the famous old Universi
ty, when i introduce him to your knowl
edge. i'l' ~ -
He was very quiet. domestic man
was this Profsssos Won Hoffman. AM
there was nothing 10 The world which h