Maryland free press., 1866-12-06

income was certainly very small TOO. NINE
months and a half passed by, a.d still
th ey had but little above seven hundred
guldens. 1t was great question with
them how the remaining thirteen hundred
could be raised. They were spending one
day at country town, and a nobleman
living in large castle few miles distant
was seeking musicians to attend the we'd
ding of his daughter who was to be mar
ried in three or four days. Fortunately
enough for the students, the nobleman en-
ployed them for the occasion. The mar
riage ceremonies took place, and by and
by it was time for the music to begin. The
students had trained themselves very care
fully for that evening, and their selections
were certainly ofa very high order. Du-
ring the course of the festivities it was no.
ticed that the nobleman became very sad.
His face wore melancholy appearance,
and those who stood nearest to him saw
him weeping. What could have caused
him to be melancholy at such a time as
that? One of the pieces that those musi-
clans had played was his mothers favorite
melody. She had often sung it to him
many years ago, and he had not heard it
since, until the students played it. 1t was
enough to make him sorrowful, and it
drew these students to his heart in such
way that he could pot express his feelings
They had recalled to his memory a piece
of music which he had never been able to
find in any music store, and which it was
now worth fortune for him to hear.
Imust now make my story short. The
nobleman kept the four staden.s in his
castle two weeks, became acquainted with
them very fully, and learned their object
in leaving the university to give concerts.
He supplied them with three thousand
guldens, and told them he would pay their
expenses at the university for four years,
and that they might have the privilege of
making drafts on him at any time. ...
Their fortune was better than they had
reason to expect. Ernest had already
written 70 the owner Of the house and gar
den that he might expect him to take it.
so that it was now engaged. ,..
The students retnrned to the university,
and reached here jvst few weeks before
the end Of the year when the house must
be ready for the owner. On the eve ming
of the day when the old man pomisc d to
appear he stood below the window in the
bright winter moonlight. playing on his
old violin. He was true to his word, and
expected the promise to be kept. The
young men went down to invite him up
and told him all that they had done. They
showed him the deed for his place and
gave it to him. On the following day he
formally took possession of it. and they
supplied it with furniture and groceries for
housekeeping.
The young mon felt that they were am
ply repaid for their faithfulness to their
word by the gratitude and joy of the old
man. But they were not only repaid in
feelings: they were more than repaid even
in money. .
Fourteen years after that time that place
came into their possession; for that old
man had died and bequeathed it TO them
in his will. That part of the town rose
suddenly in value. Many things contrib
uted to its increased value which will not
now enumerate. 1t is enough to say, that
from seventeen years from the time the
four students gave the deed of that house
to the old musician, the same property
which had cost two thousand guldens was
worth eighty thousand. The students
therefore, were not merely repaid in heart
but also in money. They had kept their
word, even to the poor old man who had
no power to compel them to be true to it,
and .itlwas pleasant memorysas long as
they lived.
BE true to your word, children, no mat.
ter what it costs you!-Fron the German.
ADVERSE TO LITIGATION. "A New Hamp.
Il l. Al. L. =