Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1874-04-11
HONESTY THE BEST POLICY.

A STORY OF THE NORTH OF GERMANY.
Before the castle of Gruningen, upon
the Bode, one clear summer evening,
the bishop Henry of Halberstadt was
seated with foreign prelate who had
been his guest for a month. The posset-
drink stood before them in two mighty
fagons. They had been discoursing
from ten o'clock in the morning, when
they set down to dinner, about the huge
wine-tun which bishop on the Rhine
had just got constructed, and were
agreed in the opinion that it became
every ecclesiastical prince, who would
confer q becoming splendor on his
court, to possess q similar tun. The
affair was quite settled by both of them,
except as to its execution; and their
conversation began now to be interrupt
ed by yawns, and to flag on in mono
syllables.
It CHANGED, as good fortune would
have it, that the shepherd Conrad passed
by, driving his we'll washed flock across
the castle-yard where bishop Henry
used to review them every evening. "I
salute you, my lord bishop p "Good
evening, Conrad ; but where is Harm ?"
Conrad whistled, and beautiful large
ram bounded up first to the shepherd
and then to the bishop, who caressed
the animal and fed him with some
crumbs which he had kept for him.
The bishop exchanged few words with
the shepherd, and inquired if his we'd
ding-day was at hand. Conrad shrug-
ged his shoulders and passed on with
his flock.
Bishop Henry now extolled the beau
tiful ram which he declared he would
not part with for anything in the world,
and then he turned Lis eulogium on the
good Conrad, who he said, was honesty
itself. The foreign bishop laughed
aloud, for ira vel into distant countries,
and a frequent stay at foreign courts,
had filled him with universal distrust
of man. He averred that it was impos-
sible to find a thoroughly honest SER
vant-and least of all at the court of
bishop. They were all, he said, COM
bined to cheat their masters, and all
more or less rogues. Bishop Henry
eagerly disputed his assertion; and ex-
tolled the virtues of the good people
over whom he swayed the crosier, and
above all, his shepherd Conrad, who, as
he said, had never told lie or deceived
any person in his whole lifetime.
"Never told lie! Never deceived
his master!" repeated the stranger
bishop in tone of irony. "Nop
answered Bishop Henry; che never
has; and never willp' "Never!" re-
echoed the foreign ecclesiastic, "what
will you bet ?" After several PROPOSE
tions, the two bishops agreed upon
these conditions: first, that the stake
should be an immense tun, capable of
containing one hundred and fifty bar
rels of wine-and, secondly, that Con-
rad, without being made aware of the
wager, should be put to the trial within
three days. The two dignitaries then
parted for the night, right glad to have
found something to amuse them for
two or three days to come.
The foreign bishop, before he went
to bed, held, as his custom was, con-
sultation with his confdant, Peter, who
vas nominally his servant, and occa-
sionally his fool, but in fact possessed
truer claim to the title of his privy
councillor, than many others enjoying
higher titles and places. Peter had al
ways some shrewd advice to give in
every emergency, whether temporal or
spiritual. He was accustomed to hear,
to see, and sometimes even to think for
his master without any one knowing it.
He had done so on this occasion but
he seemed little disposed to talk this
evening, for the word rogue, which had
escaped bic masters lips during the
innversation just narrated, had put him
pr bad humor, and it was only by the
evomise of new scarlet cap, in the
m ent Of the wager being won, that his
coaster got himto open his lips. After
some satirical remarks on the enormous
cost of wine. .tun which should contain
one hundred and fifty barrels-fit to
exhaust more than half the revenues OF
bishopric-he undertook to find out
how gin might be set for the new
phoenix of honesty, Conrad.
Peter commenced his operations with
the rising sum- and before dinner hour
was able to report to his master that
Conrad was in love with the fair Eliza.
beth, and that she would not listen tc
his proposals till he should possess 6
little cottage of his own, both being
very poor. The active Peter had al
ready spoken to Elizabeth, and found
her quite ready to assist in his enter
prise; he therefore only required {
handful of glittering silver pieces from
his master to gain the bet. The bishoI
gave him as much as he wished, and sa
down to dinner with good hopes of tn
wine-tun.
Meanwhile Peter has taken his wa,
back to the fair Elizabeth he show