The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1869-12-03

stationed at the door OF the inn, and re-
mained there long time; crowds Of
people came and went, and paused to
look in; then recommended their course
The good women of the neighborhood,
who were sweeping before their doors,
looked on from afar, and talked grave
ly with each other.
At last, litter, and, upon this litter
a body, covered with linen cloth, Is.
sued from the inn, carried by two men.
They descended to the street, and the
children, on their way to school, ran
behind them.
All the people drew back as they adj
vanced.
The window opposite was still open;
the end of rope foated from the cross.
beam.
/ had not dreamed. 1 had, indeed,
seen the butterfly of the night; had
seen the man hanging, / had seen Fled
ermausse.
That day Toubac made me a visit,
and, as his great nose appeared on a
level with the floor he exclaimed:
"Master Christian, have you nothing
to sell?"
did not hear him. 1 was seated up
on my one chair, my hands clasped up.
on my knees, and my eyes fixed before
me.
Toubac, surprised at my inattention
repeated, in a louder voice:
"Master Christian, Master Christian!"
Then, striding over the sill, he advanc-
ed and struck me on the shoulder.
"Well, well, what is the matter now?"
"Ah, is that you, Toubac?"
"Eh, parbleu l rather think so; are
you ill?"
mo. am cnly thinking"
"What in the devil are you thinking
about?"
"Of the man who was hanged"
ooh, oh ~ cried the curiosity.vender
"You have seen him, then? The poor
boy! What a singular history! The
third in the same place"
"How the third ?"
"Ah, yes l ought to have warned
you; but it is not too late. There will
certainly be fourth, who will follow
the example of the others. Tiny que
le premier pas Qui coue."
Saying this, ,Toubac took seat on the
corner of my trunk, struck his match
box, lighted his pipe, and blew three
or four powerful whiffs of smoke, with
a meditative air.
"My faith" said he, 81 am not fear.
full; but, if 1 had full permission to pass
the night in that chamber, should
much prefer to sleep elsewhere.
"Listen, Master Christian. Nine OF
ten months ago, a good man, of Tubin
gen, wholesale dealer in furs, s,dismount
, ed at the Inn B9uf-Gras. He called fol
l supper; he ate well; he drank well; and
, was finally conducted to that room in
/ the third story-it is called the Green
Room. Well, the next morning he was
found hanging to the cross-beam of the
sign board.
"Well, that might do for once; moth.
ing could be said"
''Every proper investigation was
made, and the stranger was buried at
the bottom of the garden. But, look
you, about six months afterwards, a
brave soldier from Ncustadt arrived;
he had received his final discharge, and
was rejoicing in the thought of return
ing to his native village. During the
whole evening, while emptying hi:
q i'm hn Il n llxyn nF a
cousin, who was waiting to marry him
: At last, this big monsieur was conduct
: ed to this roCm-the Green RoOm-and
: the same night, the watchman, passing
l down the street Minnesanger, perceived
something hanging to the cross-beam
, he raised his lantern, and 10! it was the
5 soldier, with his final discharge in q
bow on his left hip, and his hands gath
cred up to the seam of his pantaloons
3 as if on parade"
"'TruthtO this is extraordinary,
cried the burgomastcr; 'the DEVILS tC
a pay Well, the chamber was much
visited; the walls were replastered;an
L the dead man was sent to Neustadt.
V "The registrar wrote this margina
!. note:
:, "'Died ofapopleXy."
g "All Nuremberg was enraged agains
q the innkeepeI. There were many, in
: deed, who wished to force him to tax
r down his iron cross beam, under tn
I pretext that it inspired people wit
n dangerous ideas: but you may well be
!, lieve that old Michel Schmidt woul
II not lend his ear to this proposition.
"'Fhis cross, beam,' said he, wa
9 placed here by my grandfather; it hs
q born the sign OF BGuf' Gras for one hur
u dred and flfty years, from father to Sol
l. ii harms no one, not even the hay-wat
le ons which pass beneath, for it is thirt
J. feet above them. Those who don't lik
it can turn their heads aside, and nc
=, see it,"
Il swell, gradually the town calme
~ down, and, during several months, Il
- new event agitated it. Unhappily,
1 student of Heidelberg, returning to I'll
= university, stopped, day before yeste
= day, at the Inn Beuf. Gras, and aske
u for lodging. lie was the son of a mil
~ ), lister of the gospel,
W "IIow could any one suppose that Il
= son of "A pastor could conceive the idC
~ of hanging himself on the cross beai
~ " of a sign.board, because big monster
-, and an old soldier had done so? v
=, must admit, Master Christian, that 4
y. thing was not probable; these reaso
=. would not have seemed sufficient
= myself, or to you"
;. Enough, enough ~ | eXclaime
~ "this is too horrible see fright
~, mystery involved in all this. 1t is Ii
=, the cross-beam; it is not the room.-'
~ "What DO you suspect the innkee
~ ~ er, the most honest man in the worl
=, ahd belonging to one of the Oldest fdI