The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-01-07

~ TN AUTHOR OF PICTURES IN rrnoL.n

IN WITE,s TREASURE.
~ TN AUTHOR OF PICTURES IN rYRoL. ;
HBNRIcH, run and see If thew are
ready to change guard, and whether
father win soon be home to sumner: the
porridge is ready, and the poor man needs
fattening sorely, for what with standing
upright all day like q stick watching on
the ramparts. and lodging behind q
corner of tower when those base Hohen.
staufeners make target of his honest
face, he needs good oatmeal to keep his
courage up. It's i'll fighting on an empty
stomach, and one needs eat and sleep.
whatever happens"
40, mother !" cried little child from
her stool by the fire, when will the
wicked soldiers 60 awayf do so want
TO run out into the fields again, and
gather the flowers, and see our poor COW.
1t would be SO nice to have some beautiful
rich milk again; / don't like porridge
without any milk in il, and the Door dear
COW must be 80 sad and lonely without her
seeing us; she must long for some salt as
much as l long for the cream, mother /:
and want to show her my doll. Dolly
hasn't had a walk for ever so long"
I'll tell you what will happen if YOU
walk in the fields with your precious old
doll" cried Heinrich, "the soldiers will
catch you, and they'll make a big fire, a
huge fire as big as house, and they'll lay
a spit across it where it's hottest, and
they'll put the doll on it-so-and then
it'll friz and smell horribly, like the shabby
bits of old fleece when mother burnt
them; and then won't you cryl Obi oh !
OH what fun I'd go and walk in the
fields if were you, wouldn't l. I" and Mas
ter Heinrich turned head over heels across
the kitchen table.
go away, you naughty boy" said
little Elfrida, beginning to sob; show
dare you say my doll would smell horri-
blyf She's a beautiful dear, and they
shouldn't burn her, they should burn me
first" and the little five years old maiden
stamped her tiny feet and shook her fist
deiantly
They'd burn you afterwards" teased
Heinrich; "when Dolly was frizzled,
they'd cook you; you're SO fat you would
be first rate, and when you were done real
brown, they'd take you to the great fierce
Conrad, and he would open his mouth
so-and swallow you at one gulp. They'd
give the doll to the soldiers; she'd be
tough"
Heinrich made a horrible contortion
- snapped expressively at the air. e.
frlda cried, hot, angry tears chasing each
other down the round, pink cheeks. till
the mother, who had been gazing from he
door needless of the children talk. turned
round, and seeing her little daughters dis
tress, and vaguely comprehending it. ad-
ministered swift justice to the culprit with
sounding blow from the porridge spoon,
and taking the little one into her com.
Portable arms, she kissed and consoled
her.
" A plague on the boys! they are worse
than any one. Haven't we trouble enough
OUTSIDE the walls, but you must needs make
your sister cry, and worry nv life out
What is it, my lamb ? tell mother where
he hurt you. All here's father; now it's
all right, then, and father'n give her some
of his supper and We'll dry our ewes.
Well, my man, you must be tired enough
and hungry, too. What, faiat-hearted,
father Why, l never saw thee come
home with such a hang down face before.
Hast left the walls in ruinsp Why, pluck
up heart, man; as long as the old town
stands We'll show fight; CHEEKY face
goes a long way in this '.orld, and glad
eyes make glad heart. I've no patience
with folks who declare it's always raining
because they are crying behind their own
windows Eat the porridge, father, and
then thou wilt shout Down with the Ho-
henstaufen' with the best of Them
"Eh, tits easy talking. wife," said the
burgher, as, drawing off his heavy cap, he
sank down YEARLY on the settle. otis
hard to jest with a heavy heart who'd
care to make fight for the saucepan when
the soup was eaten? Don't handy words
withme, but kiss thy..husband and give him
his supper; tbs the last thing thou'lt do
for him in this world, unless may be thou
art up in time to cook me breakfast"
Now, sure az / live, the mans
gone clean daft in his ieadi It's liker q
cuff than a kiss youth get if you come
home with such talk as that as relish for
supper. Eat your food, and thank Heaven
for it and for giving you wife who will
dish you UP another bowlful for the next
fortnight an the meal hold out"
Nay, nay, then, Elspeth. 1t is no
joke of mine, or wanderings either. The
town sent flag Of truce TO the Hohen-
staufens at IL to-day, and Conrad's answer
wac free pardon for the women and
children, who should depart unscathed,
each laden with her treasures; but for
tiC DiOus anu -
thought it will go hard With us and he
town, for the soldiers arr angered by our
long defence, and their master is hard 10
deal with when his will has been crossed
And YOU sit there and tell such tAle
as that to your own wife, ncried Elspeth,
land think you can look me in the face
while you doit! What do you take1ne for,
father, who've looked after YOU, and loved
you, and mended, and cooked for YOU all
these years" and her voice shook
who've vowed to care for you this side
of Heaven land precious hard you'd find
it to get there without me-b say nothing
Of the washing), and have stood by you
and the children through thick and thin ?
You are going to say, Good morning
Elspeth; fine journey to you, and I'm
to go from Imy OWE home and my owl
house, and leave you and the Hohen
staufeners to sup off schinken together
You've not got to the bottom of tn,
wife's mind yet, my master. If go from
Weinsberg TO morrow morning, I'll tax,
you with mem
The father only answered, "Eh, eh
tits easy talking" and smothering some
thing that sounded like groan, he held
out bis arms to the child. Elfrida seated
herself costly on his knee and stroked tn,
sorrowful face and fed him with grea
spoonfulls of porridge, as il was her night
ly pleasure TO do. She was very fair lit
tie maiden, so short and SO fat that, meas
ure her where you would, she was tn,
same length all over her eyes were yer,
large, round, and blue, Just like the blues
summer sky when you have forgotten
there can ever be clouds again; and he
cheeks were round, also, and, summer an,
winter, two roses bloomed there from
morning till night. The child laid he
face against her fathers shoulder, an,
whispered:
You won't let me gos Heinrich say
they'll cook Dolly and me, and he say
she's tough; il was very cruel of him. Oh
father, don't let them have Dolly and me |
A great sob came in her fathers throat
he tried 10 look as if the porridge ha
choked him, and cleared his voice; but
after all, the words would not come, SO b
only held her very closely and kissed he
shining hair.
Meanwhile, Elspeth was restless; sh
walked about the house with an air G
strange excitement, pacing hurriedly u
and down the rooms. At length, flingin
q hood over her head, she cried:
Don't speak to me, or wait for me, bu
put the child to bed and let those sleep VIII
can. / must speak q word to the Tow
Council before ever close my eyes"
aPoor soul |" sighed the husband =" tn
mothers bit sharp, little one, at time
but she's true as steel. KNEW it would &
hard with her; let her talk as she vii
she'll find the deeds done and the tern
accented, and before the sunset to-morro