The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-12-03

the hre still hotter. nave small request
and if you grant it, you shall instatly be set
at liberty"
''Yes, yes-but draw the chair back a
little, Oh! how hot ~
Carl approached, and drew the chair
back few inches. This very cautiously,
lest Death might catch him and throw him
into the FIRE, or do him other bodily harm.
"You must know" said Carl, that, tho
have lived a long while, still wish to
spend few years in this cottage. Now, it
wouldn't make any sort of difference to
you were you to let me of-well, say ten
years."
81 do declare" cried his listener in a
great rage, 'that this is the most auda clous
demand ever heard Of, and, before | will
submit''-
s'Master," said Aennchen, outside, "here
is some of the wood"
''Pest," said he in the chair, "I suppose |
must accede. Ten years you may have-and
then-and then-we shall see."
Well Carl set him free, not without some
inward trembling. But people in old times
kept their promises much better than people
do now, and Carl was unharmed. One
exhibition of temper Death did make. No
sooner was he free, than, taking his sword,
he hacked the chair to pieces, and threw
them on the FIRE. This done, he departed,
and left Carl once more alone.
"When he comes again." thought Carl to
himself as he slipped his punch, 81 shall have
my affairs in order, and will follow him con.
tentedly.'
The ten years granted to Carl under the
foregoing circumstances, do not seem to
have been very eventful ones, for the legend
passes them over in a single paragraph, to
the effect that during this period Carl grew
very fat.
On certain autumn day, Car! was sitting
in his garden taking his ease. The tree was
in full bearing and such pears Large,
ripe, goldenhued-there were dozens and
dozens Of them, not one of which need be
ashamed to stand before king. Carl
looked at them and his heart was glad with
in him. They were hs-to give away, to
sell, to keep if he chose: and then his
eyes wandered from the Tree, over the gar
den, to his snug cottage-yes, all his own;
he fell into a revcrie, revere pleasantly
broken at intervals by the hum Of bees, the
'.ghing Of the wind on the tree tops. and the
sweet chilI-son5 which Nina, Aannchen
TochtcrIien, sang at her wheel.
"Carl !" said voice behind him.
Though it had been 4 long time since
Carl had heard that voice, he had not FOR
gotten it. His heart sank; no escape this
time, he thought.
elias the tim" really come - he asked.
"The ten years agreed upon expired
months ago: but. being very busy. grant
I'd You Il little respite, sand Death, for 1t
was no less parsonage.
Here was Il return for Carl's shabby treat
ment of him on his former visit. Carl was
quite overcome by this kindness.
"lndeed-indeed. yau are too good
Would that it lay i'll my power to DO any
thing to show YOU that ain not ungrHtciui.
As fate would have it, at this moment II
lage pear dropped ut Carls feet Taxing
it up, he offered it to his companion, The
latter waived him off at first; but the rich,
spicy odor of the fruit. reached his o!facto-
rIes, and hesltatlngI y, he took the pear, and
bit it to the core.
"Ah!' he exclaimed. "what delicious
peor;''
..Sav YOU so?' cried Carl. "There are
loads of them to be had for the picking.
Wait but n moment. and you sha! have
score. With this ladder | will ascend the
tree; only hold the ladder SO that it cannot
GulI.'
"During this speech, the person ad
dressed. having finished the pear, stood
looking hungrilv at the fruit above hm.-
Carl now placed the ladder, and commenced
ascending. But the cracking OF the rounds
warned HIM 10 dcsist his weight was more
than the ladder would bear.
"Alas! were my little Fritz here he would
run up ike any squirrel; but the ladder is
frail, fear We must leave the fruit un-
tOucAed'
Leave the frut,' cried Death, with
watering teeth. - Stuff! l myself will
climb-'
But" cried Carl, in great alarm, did
you not hear how the ladder cracked with
me. Consider, sir, You may fall.
Nay. my weight is not haf So great as
yours. Let 30 my arm: Will 80. Hold
Z the ladder.
/ Car! did hold tho Ladder very carefully;
he warned the climber against tho broken
round near the top: but no sooner was the
ladder unencunbered than he threw 1t on
tie ground and himself alongside OF II, Hnd
rolled around in perfect rlroxy>m OF
laughter.
Does any reader require to be told that,
for the second tlmr, Death WIS IN the power
Of Carl ToLSchaik?
The history. aS if ashamed Of tho whole
transaction, gives but few particulars Of
the scene. Briefly, Carl d"nrnd'i and
received six months longer leave Of lIc.
The prisoner, when released: desc hdri and
departed without saying "a single word.
Il know that have acted unsencrou> ~
Carl said, ''but then my ati,IrS are III sad
d isorder, and my farm would 60 to ruin
were to leave it now. | will set about
putting things to rights this very day.
am compelled to state that things were
not put to rights by Carl, nor was the small
lest attempt tAcreat made by him. When
exactly five minutes of the SIX months ex-
torted by Carl mad expired, he commenced
casting about him for some means of eS-
tending still further his allotted time and
this occupation was by him continued, with
intervals for sleep and food, he had devised
one of the most cunning plans that ever
entered the MIND of man. Nothing equal
to it for ingenuity and far slghtedness has
ever been read in books or heard from the
lips of travellers. | am given to understand
that there was not a doubt of It's success IN
the mind of its author?
But who is it that has escaped his destiny?
On the next visit of Death, without saying
a word, he strobe up, and with one blow
severed poor Cari's head from his body.
'..My children" Git is the custom of the
sage Father julius to say, "the story which
/ have Just told might be better one. and
might be narrated in a better manner >
but there are few in which the moral il
more palpnbo. Know, and profit by the
knowledge, that, however often we may
escape. however circumstances may favor
US, however cunningly we may scheme and
plot, the debt each one Of US owes a certain
grim creditor must, one day or another, be
paid; and he who, on that day, is found
ready. will be far wiser than was poor Carl
1odschalk.
| c A.
COUNT THE COST.
From carefully conducted experiments by
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