The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-09-07
THE TWO VOICES.

In a certain small village there lived
a very poor man, basket maker, named
Hans. He lived quite alone, in a mean
little hut, which was his only property.
He had no wife nor children 10 love and
comfort him, for he was too poor to mar
ry. and his old bedridden mother had
died, and left him all alone. Hans MISS
ed her very much, and left very lonely,
working day after day, with no one to
give him q cheering word. But his moth
er had taught him to be industrious and
contented, so he worked steadily on,
though he scarcely earned enough 10 keep
the wolf from the door.
Hans might have grown old and gray,
without indulging any vain longings for
better condition, but unluckily he saw the
mller's pretty daughter, and fell in love
with her bright eyes and pleasant voice,
and thought how nice it would be to have
her TO cheer his lonely home But Hans
knew well it was as much as he could do
to find food and clothes for one, so he was
obliged TO see the miller's daughter walk
to church with rich farmer Trenck. =
This state of things made poor Hans very
unhappy.
81 am as comely and young as farmer
Trenck,' said Hans to himself, ''and if
only had money, who knows what might
happen Then he fell to thinking how
to get the gold he coveted, and these
thoughts kept him awake when he should
have been asleep, and kept him idle when
he ought to have been working.
1t happened one day when Hans went
out to cut some rushes for his baskets,
that as he stopped down, with his knife
in hand, he saw leather wallet lying
among the reeds He dropped his knife,
and seized the wallet. 1t was very heavy,
bright gold piece fell out into his palm.
! Hans felt as if his heart stopped beating.
He rubbed his eyes to be sure he was
not dreaming, and then looked around to
| see if any one was near. But nobody
| was in sight, and he sat down on green
| bank, and counted out the bright gold
| pieces, one by one, and then dropped
! them back again into the leathern bag,
thinking all the time that the chink of the
| precious metal was the sweetest music he
had ever heard.
| wallet, and as Hans, after counting them
DER and Ger twenty times, finally tied
the string tightly about the bag, he heard
delicate little voice close to bis ear say
"What are you going to do with the
money, Hans I"
Poor Hans started up in alright, for
he thought that some one had been watch
ing him all the time. He looked all
around but could see nothing, when again
the voice repeated
"What are you going to do with the
money, Hans? 1t is not yours
Again Hans looked about him. and
now he saw seated on his right shoulder
a small but beautiful creature, with silver
wings and bearing a star on its forehead,
which cast bright radiance all around
Before he could recover from his surprise,
so as to reply to the question, another
voice, very unlike the first, and sounding
as though it came through brazen tube,
answered for him:
''Hans will keep the money, to be sure
he found it, and it is his"
''He has no right to keep what belong:
to another" answered the silvery voice
"How does he know the real owner |?
said the brazen voice. "Whoever dropped
1t considers it lost. Hans is a poor man
and this is piece of good luck which he
ought not to throw away"
While this dialogue between the two
voices was going on, Hans, looking to,
F.. ward his Icft shoulder, he beheli a small
dark form, enveloped in a sort of dazAine
: haze that nreventad him fro,o .oo:
outline with distinc!ness. 1t was not :
: bright, silvery light like that from til,
spirit of the silver voice. but sort o
lurid glare like the reflection from moltel
copPer-yet there was something strongly
,, facinating in is brightness which tempted
one to look again.
: "Who are ye both that thus dispute
about my affairs 2p he asked