The mountain Democrat., 1863-10-17
THE IDOL OF THE TxROLESE.

Agc, was one cold and stormy night ~
mid-winter, the scene Of confusion quite
unusual to place Of its quiet and hum.
drum ways
The wife Of Theodore Hofer, the ever
cheerful and smiling host Of Saint Leon.
ard, presented her husband, after a mar
riage Of twelve years, with fine son; and
as the storm brought larger accession Of
company to the inn that night than was
usual, the occasion was responded to. and
the ctiid'S health drank, in manner that
threatened to empty Hofer's wine cellar
at his own expense, since in his Joy he
refused payment for single glass. =
One old soldier, who hnd been an officer
in blOOdless war, and one Of the pIinci.
pals in rs blOodle duel, insisted upon
seeing the new heir OF Saint Leonard, and
baplising him with wine into the service
Of his country; and Hofer, whose ecstacy
at becoming father Overcame his julg.
ment, actually produced the wee creature
D. 80 large front room, ard smiled as the
old lieutenant passed his sword over the
face in the form OF a cross, touched the
infants red brow with re,lder wine, and
proclaimed, in half drunken voice, that
here ~aS born soldier; and giving him
Mt the same time, subject, however, to the
decision Of the mother, his own name Of
An'lEaS.
Madame IIofcr made no objection to the
name, but she did object strongly To the
noise and confusion, aud being too ntoxi
Gated to resist her commands, the party
SUNK away to bed. each holding to a ser.
want on one hand and the baluslrade on
the other.
This little episode in the qniet monoto.
ny Of the lie at Saint Leonard, >,metilncs
called the I" inn on the sand" occurred in
l167. The little AndrraS showed no dis
position to ralily the promise Of the old
lieutenant at his birth, of becoming sol,
dier, Cvincing 40 great emotion at the
sound Of martial music, and di>daining to
tight with his companions upon any occa.
sion. AS he grew up Young man, his
business consisted chiefly in trading to
Italy with wine and horses, and in these
branches Of the trade he continued until
/ 1896
Andreas was now twenty mine years of
age, and as the war approached Tyrol, his
dormant enthusiasm seemed to awaken,
and he appeared all at once, the inspired
leader Of & rifle company from his own
country, against the French on Lake
! Guarda.
AS they marched away, his eve wan
deTed a moment 10 window behind which
pale, delicate face appeared, wet with
tears. The sight made him falter and
change color, but it was ,ly for a single
| instant
lie resumed his firm step and erect car.
riage, and passed on. The face haunted
his visions throughout the campaign. 1t
was that Of Octavia Shelter, to whom but
few days before he had proGerrd his
! heart and was accepted.
The events Of the campaign brought
Andrcas Hoier into a position where ali
acknowledged Ills superiority; and when,
IN 1908. the rupture between the cabinets
Of ST. Cloud aRd Vienna appeared inevi.
table, and the people Of the T,rol became
excited, he was one Of the band of private
messengers sent TO the Ar, hduke John,
who was then in command Of the Aus.
t. ian army.
This was the initiatory step to the in.
Surrectl0n which resulted in the most tri.
umphnnt success for the mnuntainecrs,
wh" conquered nearly the whole country,
and took eight thousand Bavarian pris
onerS.
The bravery and courage Of Andreas
Hofer made him perfectly adored bv the
Tyrolese. A brief and hurried visit to
OctaVia, made in the stiffness Of night,
through danger and peril, was the only
intercourse permitted TO the lovers for
months On the 18th of April, 1909. An.
dreaS forced 4 battalion Of Bavarinns in
the plains Of Sterling to surrender, thus
earning new and lasting laurcls.
Sitting at home, mcck-evrd. with her
golden hair" Octavia pondered over the
brief details Of that day, and wcaried her
self in imagining how looked her hero
amidst the bands of excited pcaSaniry,
with their impromptu cannon of wood
with iron hoops. She fancied to herself
how the women and children, who actual.
y fought, and loaded IhcS for the men to
tire, must have wOr>hiped such leader;
and hard as it was to be separated, and To
ieel that his path was through reril> SUI
iicient to apPal the bravc>t, still the tri
umPhant thought came ever nppermpst,
c'owding down the fear and pam, "Amd
this man-this hero, is mine"
Meanwhile the Tyrol was again iava.
ded and close blockade succeeded. An.
dr.aS hasten To join the regular troops,
in order to r, store its freedom Of commu.
nication with the interior, wien the ar
mIS!lce OF July 18th, succeeding the bat,
tie OF Wagram, was announced The
terms Of the arruisticc penetrated his Snul
with horror.
Ii was demanded that the Tyrol should
be given up to the fury of the enemy
The TyrOl and OcIavia and her family
in peril! Vain indeed had been the blows
which he had struck for freedom. if this
was to be the gloomy ending Of all the
bright and glorious hopes which they too
had held so long
Disabled from performing any available
service where ne now WAS, Andreas lin.
sered only to bid the di>comtitrd peasan-
try adien, and then attempted to reach
the TyIol, which he hoped by some stra-
tagem to succeed in entering. He was cut
of on every side. and with the horror Of
Octavia's situation pcrpetually before his
eyes, he was at length driven to find con-
cealment in a cave in the valley OF the
Passeyr. Those days were days Of un-
mitigated anguish, in which the strength
Of the soldier almost gave way under the
emotions of the man.
He was almost at the turning point be-
tween hope and utter despair. when one
morning he was reused to new emotions
by hearing the voices of human beings
The mouth Of the cave was cffectualy
screened by thick brushwood, which did
not, however, drown the voices. They