Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-07-04
The DEVILS Bridge.

that most turbulent of little streams,
which comes laundering down through
its narrow any stony bed, at depth of
fifty feet from the carriage road, between
two walls formed of almost perpendieu-
lar rocks. Well, this same Reuss for
merly intercepted all communication be-
tween the inhabitants of the Val de Cor
nara and those of the valley of Goschen-
en-; that is to say between the Grisons
and the people of Uri. This impossible
barrier caused so much loss to the two
cantons bordering on the stream that
they assembled their most sl<illful archi-
tects, and, accordingly, at the common
| expense, several bridges were built at
various previous periods from bank to
| bank, not one of which had ever proved
| sufficiently solid to Withstand for more
| than one year the violence OF the tenn
pests, the mountain torrents or the falls
| of avalanches. One last attempt of this
kind had been made toward the close of
the fifteenth century, and the winter
! being now almost past hopes were raised
that this time the bridge would resist all
attacks, when one morning villager
came to inform the Bailli of Goschenen
that the passage was again intercepted.
''Well, then" said the worthy Bailli,
| in pet, ''it only the devil that can build
us one"
He had scarcely uttered the words ere
/ his servant announced that stranger
desired to speak to his worship on press
ing business.
:'Show him in, " said the Bailli
The domestic retired and presently
ushered in aman of about thirty, or five
and thirty years of age, clad in the Ger
/ e., - trNc nj a
very tight pair of red pantaloons, and
a closely fitting Jacket of black cloth,
| slashed at the sleeves, and disclosing to
view a lining of flame colored satin.
/ His head was covered with black cap
of peculiar fashion, style of head dress
to which a long crimson plume, lent by
| its undulations, a peculiar grace.
ITO whom" said the Bailh, motion
ing his visitor politely to seat. ''have |
] the honor of speaking ?"
The stranger, after a cautious glance
around to ascertain that they were alone,
walked up to the Bailli and whispered
something in his ear.
The worthy magistrate gave utterance
to long, low whistle. 80, no! that's
it, is it 2"
Exactly So" said the stranger,
quietly. mot so black, Ell? and all
that sort of a thing excuse me, |
know what you are thinking of; but
now that we understand one another,
| let's make ourselves comfortable; so
saying he drew chair to the fire, seized
the poker and gave the fire vigorous
stir. Its deuced cold up here" quoth
the stranger, won't you come into the
fire, as we say in-Scotland?" The Bail
Ii did nor require a second bidding, but
drew up his chair and placed his feet on
the fender, while the stranger deposited
his on the hob.
"WeH, my good friend" commenced
the stranger, $50 you want a little OF
my assistance, ell ?"
:" own, monsigneur," replied the
Bailli, ''that your valuable aid would
not be altogether useless"
''For this COMPOUNDED bridge. is it not !?
Well is it an article of such absolute
necessity ?"
eve can nOneof us get across.
Fla hap laughed the stranger.
Come, be good natured, resumed
the Bailli, after a moments pause !;
"build us one.
THAT it is precisely what l come to
propose to you.
well, then, the only point that re-
mains to be discussed is" the Bailli
hesitated
s'The price, added the stranger, re-
garding his interlocutor with singu-
lar expression of cunning.
eyes" stammerred out the magis-
trate, feeling that itthere would be the
rub.
"Oh, as to that" said the stranger,
balancing himself on the hinder legs of
his chair, while he amused himself by
pairing his nails with the Bailli's pen
Knife Gin the first place, let me pre-
mise that do not intend to be hard upon
you on that point.
"Ah! come, now, that's very pleas
ant, said the Bailli. ''Let's see, the last
bridge cost us sixty marks of gold we
will double this sum for the new one,
but we really cannot go further than
that.
.'Pshaw what do I want with your
gold?" replied the stranger. Il make
| it as | want it. Look here
While thus speaking, the stranger
took a red hot coal out of the middle of
the fire with as much ease as he would
have picked diamond out of a comfit
box. ''Hold out your hand" said he to
the Bailli
The Bailli hesitated
"Don't be afraid" continued the
stranger; and so saying, replaced in the
Bailli's fingers an ingot of the purest
gold. The Bailli turned it round and
round in every direction, and after a
careful examination handed it back to
the visitor.
s.No, no, said the latter, passing one
leg over the other with self-sutficient
air, $ keep it as little souvenir of our
very pleasant interview"
II must understand by this, - said the
Bailli, carefully depositing the gold,
however, in large leathern purse; Il
must understand, / say, by this, that if
gold costs you such small pains in the
manufacturing, you would rather be
| paid in some other coin but as / am at
loss to know what recompense would
be agreeable to you, | must beg of you
! to name your own conditions.
The stranger reflected for moment.
81 DESIRE" said he at length, ''that
the first individual who shall pass over
this bridge shall belong to me bedy and
SOUL"
agreed, said the Bailli.
sit is a bargain, then,' said his visit
or; ''let us prepare the deeds-dictate
| yOurSelI.
The Bailli took pen, ink and paper
and prepared to write. Five minutes
afterwards a formal agreement was
drawn up, which was signed by the
stranger in his own name, and by the
| Bailli in the name and on the part of
himself and his parishioners.
BY this act the stranger formally en-
gagged to erect, within the space of one
night, a bridge strong enough to last for
five hundred years and the magistrate
ON his part, conceded as payment for
the said bridge the full right and title of
the stranger to the first individual
whom chance or necessity should COM
pei to cross the Reuss over the strangers
marvellous viaduct.
By daybreak the following morning
the bridge was completed. Shortly af-
terward the portly form of the Bailli
] anneared ON the road from Gnschenen