American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-08-16
VOL. NXIII.
THE FORESTER'S DAUGHTER.

| ABOUT mile from Weiiheim, in tn,
midst of solitary wood, there is house
in which, in 1919, dwelt a forester who's,
name was Merkel He had three chill
dren; the eldest was n girl of seventeen
handsome, strong, and resolute.
won't you be frightened in these I'm
settled times 2" asked her father, when he
with her mother and the two younger
children were starting on Christmas morn
ing to go to church.
"Frightened?" said the brave girl
laughing. upstairs hang your guns
two double barreled.'
Take care, Kate said the father
"they are loaded with balll'
''A1l the better for that" said the girl
"Sultan is with me too, and he always
knows his man. and I shall shut up and
bar the windows down stairs
As they left the house. she began to
close and bar all the windows on the
ground floor.
Then she not only locked and bo1ted
the door, but placed a heap of blocks of
wood against it inside, and calling the
| great dog to her in the kitchen, she began
| to prepare for cooking the family dinner,
as her mother had directed. When this
was arranged, she went up stairs, and car
ried all the powder which her father kept
in large stone jar into the upper room,
and the bullets, too, of which her father
| had large supply.
Outside, the snow laid thickly upon the
trees and the ground; the cold was cut
| ting and severe.
| Merkel was well-to-do man; but con-
| sidered much richer than he really was
| Rates parents and brothers might just
have reached Weilheim, when she saw a
halffrozen old man, leaning on his staff,
| approach the house. She remarked how
he trembled at the frost, and how disap-
| pointed he looked when he saw all the
shutters closed, as if no one was at home.
| His snow-white beard nearly covered
his face and seemed to reach almost up
| to the cap of foxskin which he wore on
his head, with the foXtail hanging down
| behind.
| The girl pitied the old man. He could
not get on to Weilheim, for his legs
seemed scarcely able to carry him now !;
| and in this weather he ran in great danger
of being frozen to death.
| She went to the window of the second
story. and asked him what he wanted.
ooh! my good child" he cried up,
with faint voice, I" want to warm my
self, for / am thoroughly frozen. / can
not get any further on my way to We'll
helm, for have not tasted food to-dayl"
The kind heart of the maiden was soft
ened and overcome.
She FASTENED down stairs, moved away
her means of defense, and opened the
door; but scarcely was the old man in
the room, than she locked the door again,
little thinking that she had now to de-
fend herself against an enemy within.
She showed the old man into the warm
room and made him sit down in her IA
theirs armchair, which stood near the
large stove.
"Something hot will be the best to
warm and revive YOU she said kindly.
"There is some coffee, which we only
drink on Sundays and festival days, left;
1 will warm it for you"
1t seemed strange that the great dog,
Sultan, ran about in an angry, excited
way, growing and showing his teeth
from the time the old man had entered
the house. Only with difficulty could she
keep him quiet. And now, when she went
into the kitchen to get the coffee ready,
the dog pressed up closer to her, and
looked distrustfully at the old man, who
was resting in the armchair.
The dogs strange conduct made her
suspicious As in many old German
houses there was an opening in the wall,
a sort of window with slide between the
kitchen and the room inhabited by the
family, through which the dishes were
passed from one to the other.
This window was just behind the arm
chair, and since this morning, when the
mother had put the coffee and milk-pots
through it, it had been left half open.
With gentle tread she went up to this
window, and looked into the room What
she beheld there indeed filled her with
horror.
Before her eyes, the old man took off
the fur cap, and the white beard, too,
raised up his bent-down, powerless figure,
and now there stood before her quite a
different man than the one she in her
pity had admitted The first was totter-
ing, halffrozen old man-this was a
strong young man, of savage and wicked
appearance; and the smile of joy at his
successful trick, which passed over his
face, had an expression which filled the
girls heart with terror.
So overcome was she at this change in
her guest, that for a few moments she had
no idea how it would be best to act.
The robber did not know that he could
be seen. He went up to the window
which the good-natured girl had opened,
and from which she had drawn back the
shutters. 1t looked toward the wood,
which extended on that side of the house.
The man started out, and then waved his
handkerchief; he then drew from under
his old ragged coat long, broad knife,
examining carefully the point and blade.
What was to be done? That was the
question; but there was short time for the
poor young girl to consider about it.
She must be quick-she must act deci-
sively Rescue from without was not to
be thought of-she alone, by Gods help,
must save herself, and the property of her
family!
She took hasty glance round the
room, and seeing heavy axe which was
used for chopping wood, lying upon
block, she quickly seized it. The coffee
was hot, but in the pot it would not serve
the plan which she had devised
She poured the boiling liquid into a
small deep plate, and, quite determined
what to do, she went up to the door of the
room, the plate with the smoking coffee
in her left hand, the heavy axe In her
right.
Il have both hands full" she cried,
standing before the door; abe SO good as
to open the door for me-"
Not suspecting what was about to hap
pen, the robber quickly opened the door,
standing in the middle of the threshold. In
a moment the whole of the boiling coffee
flew into his face. With furious excla-
nation of pain, he bent forward, and
rubbed, with both hands, the coffee from
his eyes.
Awaiting herself of this moment of his
helplessness, the brave girl, with the broad
side of the axe dealt him such a violent
blow on his head, that he fell down sense
less at her feet.
Quick as thought, pushing aside his
body, she sprang to the window, which
she had before opened herself, closed it
securely and put up the shutters. Then
she fastened back, took the key ont of the
door, which was in the inside, called,
SULTAN keep watch" and, pushing the