Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-08-31
VOLUME XVI.
PETER BLOCH.
A HARTZ LRGEND.

A HARTz LRGEND.
PETER BLOCH, the charcoal burner, was
out of sorts. He couldn't work-he
| couldn't talk-he couldn't even eat (the
| last an occupation of which he was very
fond), when Katrina, his betrothed, came
with his noon day meal of strong beer and
still stronger cheese and sauerkraut, pre-
pared by her own rosy hands.
Peter looked askance at Katrina-at her
round, blooming, honest face, her short
plump figure, and bare feet, and for the
| first time in his life thought her-coarse.
And for the first time in his life, also, he
| turned up his nose at the beer, and the
cheese, and the sauerkraut, and thought
them coarse. So Katrina, with her dinner
basket on her arm, went away sorrowful,
leaving Peter sitting idly on log, apart,
from the other workmen, smoking short
black pipe and gazing out sullenly upon
the gloomy forest, the smoking charcoal
kilns, and the little cottage, with its cab
bage- garden and pig-sty, to which he was
soon to bring home Katrina. Very poor
and dispicable it now all appeared to him.
And yet only yesterday how proud he had
been of that cottage! And how he had
cultivated those cabbages, and fed those
pigs, until they were as round and fat as
| hdtTlut, uCdll lly-WuACn was oe@J AAi6 !" o S>@s
deal for them.
The truth was, Peter Bloch was dying
of envy and discomfort. Only an hour
ago he had seen pass along the forest road
the you-g Count Won Schwaltzschotfen
burgh, with brilliant train of attendants,
on his way to take possession OF the castle
of the late Count, his uncle, and to marry
the late Counts daughter, the present fair
| and peerless Lady Hildegarde Adelberga
Rosalinden-who with an equally impos-
ing train had ridden forth to meet him,
and with the bailif and the chatelaine
either side, had delivered to him the keys
Of the castle.
All this had Peter Bloch seen; and from
that very moment envy and covetousness
had poisoned the well-springs of his
heart Why should nature have made
his lot in life so different from that
of this young man? he asked him
self. Why should Ls be a charcoal burner,
and the other a nobleman? Why should
| he live in hut, and the Count in castle
And the Lady Hildegarde Adelberga Rosa
linden was so fair-slim and white, like
| ily-whilst Katrina much more resem-
bled a red cabbage, thought Peter, with
sneer. And she had brought him beer
and sauerkraut, whilst up at the castle
there was to be this very day grand feast,
with richest viands and rarest wines
the latter stolen from the Baron Stickin-
seide, in that knights absence; and also an
OK roasted whole. A fine fat OK Peter
knew 1t to be, since it was only to day that
it had been ta.en from his poor neighbor,
Hans Hapner, who had depended upon its
sale for winter clothing for his large family
of little ones.
"Ach" sighed Peter Bloch; "I would
that I were the Count Won Schwaltz
| schofensburgh. Then might be happy"
"He he! h0 hG! ho ho !'' Uttered q voice
close beside him. And a hot breath, as
of a charcoal-kiln, passed over Peter
Bloch's cheek.
Returned round and saw, leaning against
neighboring fir-tree, an extremely tall
and thin individual, clad in a tight fitting
suit Of black, with remarkably high
crowned hat on his head, a red cloak over
his shoulders, and oddly-shaped shoes, half
hidden by enormous red rosettes. The
eyes of this parsonage were black as Goals,
and tWinkled with merriment, as he
laughed with mouth stretched from ear
| to ear.
Peter stared, and the stranger, having
apparently exhausted himself with laugh
ter, bowed apologetically, and seated him
self on the log by his side.
Excuse me, nseiaa Herr," he said "but
| you-he AeNyou were wishing to be
the noble Count Won Schwaltzschofens-
burghp"
"What is that to your" said Peter, sui
lenly.
"Only that it may be in my power to
help you to your wish," answered the
stranger, suavely. And he put his hand
to his mouth, with a slight cough, as if
to repress an involuntary delighted "he
he
Peter looked incredulous.
"You do not believe me?" said the
strange man, his little eyes twinkling ma
liciously.
"Nein," said Peter, doggedly.
"Try mel" said the man in black. See
here! write your name at the bottom of
this parchment, and if you do not imme-
diately become what you wish, then shall
you throw me into your charcoal furnace
and burn me to cinder."
"You agree to that?" quoth Peter.
Gas am an honorable soul who fears
the fire." was the reply. "He, he! ha, ha
no! ho! ho!''
So great was his merriment that it was
some moments ere he could recover him
self sufficiently to unroll the parchment
and present to Peter sharp pointed iron
pen.
| luSI0 Is uO luk! Sd1u = CISr.
The man in black seized the pen
point, with sudden quick motion, into
Peter Bloch's shin, left exposed
by the rolled-up leathern breeches
"Oh, obi" screeched the charcoal
burner, hopping around on one foot and
rubbing the wounded limb, which burnt
as if scared by hot iron. -
"It is nothing" responded the man in
black, with grin. Here, take the per
. before the blood dries, and write YOU
name"
Peter obeyed; not from any faith in ths
strangers promise, but simply from curl
osity. He could not write, SO was abou
: to make the usual cross-mark when thu
stranger, with startled yell, arrested hi
hand.
"Not that!" he shrieked, glaring upo1
!, the affrighted Peter, and trembling al
; over. Not that, but do as you see m,
do" and he made peculiar flourish of hi
long finger upon the parchment, which
, Peter initiated as well as he could, will
. the iron pen dripping with his own blood
: HE he he! Ia Aa ha! no ho ho ho =
, resounded in hollow dying echoes through
the forest, and the man in black was gone
, whilst the charcoal-burner suddenly tel
|, himself flung to the earth with shocl
: which at once deprived him of his senses
!, When Peter presently began to recover
\ he debated whether he were not in a dream
' A great many people were pressing aroun
+ him with exclamations of alarm and cor
3 Germ. He heard their remarks vaguely.
n "His neck is broken"
a "No, it is his back. Don't YOU see b
n is paralyzed ?"
n "Of truth it is his highness's sku
it that is fractured. What is to h
done ?'
"Take him to the Castle" said or
.e voice
1T HE must not be moved on any a.
D. count" said another.
8, "k hot bath 6"
sr GA cold bath 2"
N Grub him!"
I'd "Bleed himl"
% "Waterl"
HRrandv %