Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-01-28

lrtle story:
More than half century ago, before tht
walls were built about the cii city OF Lucerne
certain Austrian noblcmcn formed -gr:a
conspiracy TO conquer town and land Tor Haes
burg.
Now, the emerald green waters Of the Reus>
flowed swiftly past the toWli. They have had
a long Journey from their home among the aw
full glaciers that bolt and bar the gorles of the
Alp land They have bounded over barren
r cks, spriukl.d the moss and heather above
the realm of beast and bird lcaped fearless
d,wn the black D,vi's Gorge, dashed over and
around the boulder with which the giants used
to play, and so ever on and ever down have
held their course, till the WouderIake, the
Lake of the Four Cantous, has received the
rattiug fugltives. She has washed them clean
OF the earth.tint with which they were born
Her d,pths, the color of dalutiest robin egg,
quietly hide the wanderers lmpcricctlons and
sud them on their way, glad in their purity,
ruiiv sluging their untrauSlated song
Down by the bed of the Reuss there stood an
ii: arcade, dim and obscure, fit place for ,uur-
d..;..lls cuunci. Here the scarlet sleeve con
,pl:.lorS uct 10 the dar kuess of the night. AT
,,r u.uch consultation it was 6oally determined
,Iat with their swords and daggcrs, with which
th.v were armed tie mayor and couuciors OF
,te ciy should BIZ slain. Before day shall
br.ak tue doomed lowD shall be in their power.
Silently starting on their deadly mission one
Of The policemen discovers poor boy lying on
Lc,rh u he darkness ofa corner. He was
on.y bcggar boy, and has no tme. no friends
So The hand Of The heavenly watcher whose
gauces pierce the veil OF night: has led him
there to guard the town He had listened to
the the trcachcrous plot, and determined to re-
yea! it as SuOu a, he could escape undiscovered
But suddenly he is sv:z, ID by the desperate
men. They declare that they will instantly xiii
linn. Tue sword is raised, but the boy wild
with terror entreats their mercy, and promises
he will Dcver reveal to any man what he has
heard Believing the promise, with many
,nrals they let him 70.
Uu; iutu the darkness the boy dashes. He
secs tar If the light in the cot Of a village
bulcier, aud ha>teuS toward it. There is care
les ra>tirg ard merriment her, and group
Of man are telling stories of daring iu the old
cu tune. The boy, with breathless haste rush
e> into the room. Tie tears are rolling dnwu
his creeks He looks not into the face of any
on. but hurres to the great stone stove, and
erie:
Oh, stove, what have promised never to
tell to any uan | must quickly tell to thee.
but listen well while show TO you the dagger
Of The beloved city. The mulderers are hast
enng even now to slay the rules and to oon-
qucr Lucerne once more. They"
But Only the stove is there to hear the story
ofthe bright, sly boy The strong men have
quickly taken the aIarm very soon the conSpi-
4tvrs are seized and haStened to justice The
foes Of the good town are driven out with a
strong hand, and still Lucerne is free.
They sought for the child whose loyal cum
ming had saved them, but they never found
hm. Ever to this day the Switzcrs tell the
st'ry with admiriug gratitude in their tones,
but no man knows his name. The senSeless
stove that heard the warning is still preserved
!" the old hall where the butchers guild was
wont to meet.
AMOR0US But UNSUCCESSFUL -On Surday
evening last, young man whom Tor the sake
Y Ycouvcniencc, we call } Ohm, went to visit the
srI whum he would call his own The fair one
r,>Iccs Tear the canal. During the evening
the young man of the name OF John was un-
aoic TO conceal the wish Of his heart, aud in
'cndcr accents declared his desire that the
ytnng lady should consent to be his. He met
with fiat refusal The ardent John still press
Ell her lather declaring that, it she would not
threat did not affect the desired purpose, he
Proceeded to carry it out He plunged fear.
ic>>!y in the murky flood, aud waded out unit
himself in the briuy waters of the canal. As this
the chilly air reached over his shoulders. Ii
will be rcmcm Der, d hat the evening on which
this occerred was none of the warmest Re
treating before finally carrying out his purpose
John cried out sh'vcrlug with the cold:
w will YOU marry me now I!
::'No!"
lu he plunged again, thistimc until the wat
er reached bis neck, aud again he halted be-
lore the last plunge.
"Ww-will you marry me now?'
"Now
Again he went in, this time going faircly un-
der water, so far that only The top of his head
could DC discovered above the surface. But
he emerged and staggered out of the canal,
AID >'uvrring worse than ever, Sputtered out:
N-n-now w.w-wlll you m-marry me?"
Ne :"
We'll, d-don't care d.damu whether you
harry me or not. You won't get me into
that canal again -
Nor did he again essay his fortunes in the
Uncertain deep. Shivering and chatteriug with
h>lccth, he quietly departed, and returning
" lis home sadder, aud, let US hop', wiser
llu
= HE OpDlTY OF HOLLAND = Everything in
Holland Is interesting, and almost everything
>l1'er There is piquant oddity in the ar
'at'aI nature of the whole country; the sandy
.,'' NJ, "hch isa triumph of patient ingenuity
aut r Creative skill; The wind pitted against the
". "a'Sr 10 keep the laud from flooding; the Ca
IA; ISaS Instead of roads; the bitches iustead Of
ssS'srS aud the uuvarying level Of the broad
%,> %. there being no such thug as rising
= una hity feet high from one end of Holland
NE other. Perhaps nothing strikes the
:. si'Sh ~ Holland so much as the want of
"ie>' Aou cannot fad 50 much as pebble
A'1w at a dog-if Indeed, the Dutch dogs
sy,s 's a"i lar too we'll behaved (which they are)
rna 10 suggest such an outrage You do, it is
y.,": % see 10 their proper places vast masses Of
c,, a's aud large blocks of basat; but all these
.r-,. uom Norway, aud are brought here at
,~n,i "t expense; and are ecouomzed as elsewhere
sa., s,''s econouize porphyry and marble. In
., n ,;ns s''nes IN Hollona are as much an article