Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1861-09-18
The Wine Cellar on the Kyfhausen.

There was once poor, pue 'eiJ ioneI''
contented, and merry kind OF man In tue
S;ll,oa of Tilleda, who happened to be Civ
irs christening feast, for about the eighth
time, 10 some of his neighbors-
DESTROYS of showing all respect to the par
tv at the christening he set before them the
best country wine he possessed, which, being
quickly dispatched, bis guests seemed to be
looking for little more.
go thenp' said The father to his eldest
child, girl about sixteen years old, " 60
and bring us some better wine from the Gel
lar"
"From what cellar, father p inquired the
the daughter
From what cellar. child 2" repeated her
father, merely In Jest So why the great VINE
cellar belonging to the knights upon the hy-
fhausen."
With perfect simplicity the young maiden
took frkin in one hand aud proceeded tow
ard the mountain About midway, seated
in an old and deserted path leading down
toward the spot, she found an old mouse
keeper, dressed in singular, quaint old fash
ion, with large bunch of keys hanging at
her side. The Young woman paused, not
little surprised at the sight. bit the old lady
inquired of her very kindly whether she had
not come to fetch wine from the knights Gel
lar.
Yes" replied the .imid girl, "but L
have got no money"
"Come with me, said the old housekeeper;
"you shall have it for nothing. and better
wine than your father ever bought IN his life.
They both then proceeded along an old
deserted road, the old lady inquirlng very par
ticularly by the way, what was the appear
ance of things then in Tilleda-who was
dead, and who was alive.
Once" said she, - was as young and
as pretty as thou art, before [ was kid mapped
and buried under ground by the knights, or
rather knight riders, who stole me away from
the very house which now belongs to thy
father Shortly before this they also seized
four young ladies of these parts, who were
often afterwards seen about here on their ca
parisoned steeds. They were entrapped and
carried off in open day by these mountain
Kelba. They made me, as I grew older,
into housekeeper, and entrusted me with the
keys of the cellar. which, you see, 1 still
wear"
BY this time they had reached the cellar
door, which the old housekeeper unlocked.
Il WAS was well laid out with rows of Vats
and butts Most of them were either quite,
or more than half full, and broaching one of
them with great dexterity, she took the little
furkin and filled it up to the brim.
"There," she said take that to your faith
er; and whenever he may happen to be Civ
ing treat, you may come again; only see
that yon tell no one, besides your father,
where you have it from. And moreover,
take heed that you sell none of it or give it
away. for in either case will it be worth any
thing at all. If any ventures hither to OBJ
tain wine for sale, let him be warned his
last bread has baked-now gop'
Unluckiiy. just opposite to them lived the
landlord of the village inn, who dealt as
largely as he could in adulterated spirits. He
among others, had also a taste of the knigths
wine.
My friend you mig ght mix this with ten
times its body of water, and sell it for good
wine still. Where can you contrive to gel
1t from 2"
He resolved to watch and he followed the
daughter as she went for about the fourteenth
time, with her little irkin, toward the Ky-
fhausen hill. He hid himself, and saw hel
in the exact way from the old cellar, will
frkin quite full, shortly afterwards. Accor.
DINGHY, next evening, he set out himself
having first rolled into little cart one of the
largest empty barrels he could find, intend
ing to fill it with the same precious kind o
liquor. He thought it would be easy n con
q
turn every night until the cellar became emp
ty. As he approached the spot where ht
had marked the path the day before the sky
suddenly began to grow dark and lowering
The wind rose, and whispered portentuously
of the gathering rain which soon fell in tor
rents. The tempest carried him and his bar.
rel from one side of the road to the other
At last down the hill he went, and continued
to fall deeper, until he fn ally found himself
lodged IN burial vault.
Here appeared an awful procession before hi.
eyes-a regular funeral, with bier bunp
with black and his wife and four neiehbors
whom he recognized easily enough by thei.
gait and garments, followed in his wake. Al
this sight he very naturally tainted away, and
on recovering some hours afterwards: he still
found himself in dimly lighted vault, and
heard the old familiar steeple- bells of Tilleda
striking twelve. Now he knew that it was
the witchlpg hour. that he was there living
under the church and the burial ground OF
the village, in gloomy vault. He was GER
tainly more dead than alive, and scarcely
ventured to breathe, But see. a man now
approaches him slowly down the narrow steps,
opens the door, and in perfect silence pu,
some money into his hand, and then taking
him up in his arms, be laid him down at the
foot of the mountain. 1t was cold. frosty
night. By degrees the good host came to
himself, and crept without either wine casks
as far as home 1t struck one just as reach.
ed it; and be felt himself so unwell. that be
must take to his bed. In the course of three
days he died, and the money which he had
brought home. given him by the ghostly flo.
ure, was just sufficient to defray all his fu
neral expenses; his wife and the four neigh
bors, as he had seen them, following him t.
the grave.