Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-08-31

1
to the feast. And they all agreed with
him.
| As to the Count himself, he concluded
that the Lady Hildegarde was excessively
silly and absurd and that he would prefer
Katrina's simple good sense and honest af-
fection any day.
In due time the feast was announced to
be in readiness, and the noble Count and
his guests were ushered into the banquet
ing-hall. The Counts appetite had spar
tally returned, but he looked with dis
favor on the drink and food before him.
ITO what shall have the honor of as
sting my Lord Count? inquired the head
steward, humbly.
"Beerl" said The Lord Count Whereat
the butler stood aghast.
"The Count is fool" said the butler
to the chief henchman, who nodded as
sent.
"Cheeser' continued his highness;
"and sauerkrautr' And the steward
turned pale.
"There is no question of it." he COM
municated in confidence 10 the chief cook.
"The Lord Count is undoubtedly mad"
"Mad as a March hare" assented the
chief cook, licking the boar's-head fat
from his fingers. And all the turn-spits
and scullions looked at each other and
shook their heads.
The banquet was but half over, when
suddenly the loud blast Of trumpet
sounded without, and the whole company
sprang from their seats and rushed upon
the battlements.
There, in front of the portcullis, appear
ed gigantic herseman, clad in complete
armor, with large armed retinue behind,
and in front a herald, who trumpeted
forth, in the name of the valiant Baron
| d. tn fra
Count Won Schwaltzscho offensburg to i'm
mediate and mortal combat; by reason of
the still unsettled feud that had existed be-
tween the said Baron Breckisnech and
the late Count Won Schwaltzschoffens
burgh. And unless this challenge were i'm
mediately and promptly responded to, he,
the said valiant Baron Breckisnech, would
straightway assault the castle, hang the
Count from the highest tower, cut off the
heads of the seneschal and the
warder thereof, and with those bloody
trophies adorn the bastions of the main
gateway. $50 mought it bel" concluded
the herald, solemnly.
The whole castle was now in dismay
and confusion ALI looked to the valor of
the Count for salvation, and no time
was lost in bringing his armor and buck
ling it upon his trembling limbs.
"I-I am not well enough to fight"
gasped the Count, feebly. Whereupon his
highness's medical advisers were sum-
moned.
"The Lord Count is perfectly well"
said the chief physician, feeling his pulse
Perfectly WELL" echoed the assistant
physician, examining his tongue.
But II can't fight" said the Count,
grasping the huge sword as though it were
a charcoal rake.
"My Lord must try" said the master-at-
arms, sternly.
"The Lord Count is coward" said all
the men-at-arms and retainers, in disgust !;
whilst the seneschal and the warder, rub
bing their throats, earnestly urged upon
the Count expedition. But the Count
wouldn't hurry.
81 can't fight, he said. "My health
won't allow of it."
"You must fight" said the Baron Bluff
fenburg. "Your honor demands it.
az won't fight" said the Count, desper-
ate1y.
"You shall fight" said the Baron, reso-
lutely.
So the Baron took him by the arm and
led him toward the gates, and when he
resisted, the master farms took his other
arm, and the seneschal and the warden
pushed behind, and so they dragged and
pushed him out at the gateway and across
the draw bridge, until he stood face to face
with the valiant Baron Breckisnech, who
advanced, sword in hand, to the encoun-
ter.
The next moment Peter Bloch felt a
sharp burning pain in his breast as the
Baron's blade went through him. He
grew blind, and dizzy, grasped wildly at
his own sword, and fell.
Consciousness returned slowly to Peter
Bloch.
He looked around and saw, to his great
surprise and Joy, that he was in his own
little cottage in the forest. He smelled
the fresh resinous odor of the fir-trees, he
heard the grunting of the pigs in the sty,
and he saw from the open window the
charcoal-kilns and the cabbage garden
and sweeter than these to his delighted
eyes was the plump, rosy face of Katrina,
| who, close behind him, was making 8
goat's-milk posset, into which her tears
slowly fell.
"Ach himnael P' said Katrina, kissing him
, tenderly on either cheek; "but he knows
, me now; he is wellr'
"How was it ?" asked Peter, heartily re-
turning the salute and staring around.
"We found you lying senseless under
the fir-tree, where left you sitting when
you refused your dinner" answered Ka
trina, soberly
| Like Iut lOOl l. Was, luulLClCu l. CeOA.
"And you have been so strange evel
since, naesa Peter; asking for little wine
and inquiring about the Lady Hide
garde.'"
"Ahl" muttered Peter Bloch to him
self, "that was the Count Won Schwaltz
, schoffensburgh. He was here in my body
: whilst occupied his, or-or have l beer
, dreaming, wonder?"
"How did it happen ?" inquired Katrina
in her turn. There was an awful smell
e of birthstone about the fir-tree, so ole
t Gottlieb just now thought it best to branc
7 the cross upon your breast, to preserve
l you from the power of the Evil One
Here is the mark, you see. Did you fee
i the burn? 1t was that which aroused
0 you"
: "And it was that which also saved
i. me-" said Peter "That Baron Breckis
mech, in his black armor, was the very
). man l saw beneath the fir-tree this morn
t ing. knew him before he let down hi
e visor and rushed upon me. He though
s to have me, did he, body and soul? Blu
s the cross saved me; dch, Cot! the cIos
J. saved me-"
e Katrina thought him dreaming still
s And whether or not it was dream, Pete
o Bloch was never, to his dying day, able t.
; decide. Of one thing only was he posi-
e lively sure-and that was that he wa
j. much happier as Peter Bloch, the char
l. coal burner, with his wife Katrina, than h
l. could ever have been as the Count Vol
Schwaltzschoffensbur and the husbant
a of the Lady Hildegarde. Probably Ma
7, ture, of whom he had complained, knew
i this when she chose for his soul col
n responding body and station in life. Sh
g knows what is best for us, after all
t, Scribner's Monthly.
l. A NEW YORK wholesale grocer who ha
Is become rich in his business, lately CAV
u one of his fundamental rules of actor
s When he sold bill of goods on credit
q was his custom to Immediately subscrib
y for the local paper of his debtor. So lon
l;bor,11xr ~,