Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-10-29
Che family Circle.
Danish Popular Legends.
BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN.


Denmark is rich in old legends of histor-
cal persons, churches, and man ors, of hills,
IF fields, and bottomless moors; sayings
from the days of the great plague, from
The days of war and peace. The sayings
i've in books and on the tongues OF the
people; they fly far about like focks of
birds, but still are as different FROM one
another as the thrush is from the owl, as
the wood-pigeon from the gull. Listen to
me, and L will tell you some of them.
THE GENEROUS SOLDIER.
1t happened one evening in days of
yore, when the enemy were pillaging the
Danish country, that battle had been
fought and won by the Danes. and many
killed and wounded lay on the field OF
battle. One Of these, an enemy, had lost
both legs by shot. A Danish soldier,
near by, had just taken out a
bottle filled with beer, and was about to
put it to his mouth, when the badly
wounded man asked him for a drink. As
he stopped to hand him the bottle, the
enemy discharged his pistol at him, but
the shot missed The soldier drew his
bottle back again, drank half of it, and
gave the remaining half to MS enemy,
only saying :" You rascal, now you will
only get half of it."
The king afterward, hearing of this
granted the soldier and his descendants
an armorial bearing of nobility, on which
was painted half-6Iled bottle in memory
of his deed.
THE AFFECTIoNATE SON.
This is beautiful tradition, worth tell
ing about a church bell Of tarum. The
parsonage stood close by the church. Il
was a dark night late in the fall, and the
minister was sitting up at late hour
preparing his Sabbath sermon, when be
heard a slight, strange sound, from the
large church bell. No wind was blowing
and the sound was inexpIicable to him
He got up, took the key, and went int
the church. As he entered the church
the sound stopped suddenly, but he heard
a faint sigh from above. " Who is there
disturbing the peace of the church ?" hi
asked in a loud voice. Footsteps wer'
heard from the tower, and he saw in thu
passage-way little boy advancing TOWARD
him. 80 Be not angry" said the child
d" | slipped in here when the vesper service
was rung my mother is very sick !" anC
now the little boy could not say more, 70
the tears that choked him. The ministe
patted him on the cheek, and encourage
him to be frank, and to tell him all abou
1t.
They say that my mother-my sweet
good mother-is going to die; but | knew
that when one is sick unto death he ma,
recover again and live, if in the middle o.
the night one dares to enter the church
and scrape off little of the rust from tn
large church BELL that is a sate-guar
against death. Therefore | came her
and hid myself until heard the clocs
strike, was SO afraid I thought Of al
the dead ones, and of their coming int
the church. | dared not look out. rea
my Lords Prayer, and scraped the rus
off the bell" "Come, my good child,
said the minister, g." our Lord will forsak
neither thy good mother nor thee" S
they went together to the cottage, wher
the sick woman was lying. She seE
quietly and soundIy. Our Lord granite
her life, and his blessing shone over he
| SON