The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1875-12-26
Mses,ng star ana Catholic Messenger
9WW ORLEANS. SUNDAY, DEoEMBER a6 1878
CHRISTMAS WITH THE BARON.
A RATHER REMARKABLE TALE.

Iouoted by the Catholic World from London Society
Once upon time there lived in fine OLD Z
castle on the Rhine, certain Baron Won
Schrochsl ofslesc hoifnger. You won't find l
it easy name to pronEIhnTe IN and aaS them
he was laid up for two days after ward 80 IN
future we'll merely call him the baron, }" for
shortness. particularly as he was rather
dummy man. After having heard his name,
you won't be surprised when tell you that ne
was an exceedingly bad character For
rich hundred and fifty pounds q year
wouldn't be thought much over here, but
still it will buy good deal Of sausage, whiSh,
with wine grown the estate, formed the
chief sustenauce of the baron and his family.
now, you'll hardly believe that notwithstand-
ing he was the possessor OF this Pris10eAiy A reVe-
pressed and ground down his unfortunate ten
ants to the very last penny he could possibly
eoueeze out of them. In all his exactions ne
was seconded and encouraged by his steward.
Klootz, an old rascal who took manolous
pleasure in his masters cruelty, and who
Dreatest apparent enjoy yment when any of the
poor landhoders couldn't pay their rent, or
afforded him any opportunity ~ for SppTsSsOna Tsnaoa:
pay double for the land they rented, the baron
was in the habit of going round every now
and then to their houses and and ordering s. M any
pretty daughter, to be sent up the castle. Inc
pretty daugter was made parlor- maid, but as
she had nothing year, ard bad to find berself;
moshars an eligible situation. The fat pig
became sausage, of course. Things went on
from bad to worse, till at the time of our story,
between tho alternate squeezings of the baron
and his steward, the poor tenants had
very little to squeeze out OF them. Inc iaG
pigs and the pretty daughters had nearly al
found their way up to the castle, and there
was little else to take: The only help the
poor fellows had was the baron's daughter
Lady Bertha who always had kind woro,
and frequently something more substantial,
for them, when her father was not in the way.
Now I'm not going TO describe Bertha G ,ET ine ine
agine that she was the fairy Pm going to tell
you about, and she isn't. However, l don't
mind giving ysu q few outlines. In the first
place, she was exceedingly tiny-the incest
girls, the real lovable little pets, always are
tiny-and she had long silken black hair, and
mischief Now then, fill up the outline with
the details of the incest and prestiest girl you
know, and you'll have slight OF idea her; On On
second thought, don't believe you will, for
your portrait wouldn't be half good enough ;
however it'll be near enough for you. Wen,
the baTons daughter; being all LAY your 1anHy
much distressed at the gongs on OF her m
amiable parent, and tried her best to make
amends for her fathers harshness. She gen
orally managed that a good many pounds o.
the sausage should find their way back to thu
owners of the original pig; and when tn
baron tried to squeeze the hand of the prett!
parlor maid, hich he occasionally did afte
dinner, Bertha had only TO say, in tone o
mild remembrance "Pa" and pa dropped tn
the other way, instantly. Bad as the disre
putable old baron was, he had respect for IN
1oodress and purity of his child. Like th
lion, tanned by the charm of una's Innocence
the rough old rascal seemed to lose in he
presence half his rudeness and though h
used awful language to her sometimes oar
saw even Uua's lion roared occasionally he wa
more tire ctable it'll her than with any othe
living being. Her presence operated as
moral restraint upon him, which possibly wa
the reason that he never stayed down stan
after dinner, but always retired to iavorl
tuIret, where he could get comfortably tips
which, / regret to say, he had got TO IN II
way of doing every afternoon, that belie'
he would have felt unwell without
The hour of the baron's afternoon symp
aium was the time selected by Bertha tor
errands of charity. Once he was fairly sett
down TO his second bottle, of went Berth
with her maid beside her carrying basket
bestow a meal on some OF the poor tenant
among whom she was always received WI
blessings. At first these excursions had be-
undertaken solely from charitable motives, a
Bertha felt herself plentifully repaid in I
love and thanks of her grateful pensione
OF late, however another cause had led u
to take even stronger interest in her wall
and occasionly come in with brighter eyes a
roster cheek than the gratitude of the pc
tenants bad been won't to produce: The IL
H. some months before the time of our sto
Bertha had noticed in her walks young
tist, who seemed to be fated to be invarIat
keGhn points Of interest in sS9 tres srs
actly in the path which led from the cas-
gate, which he had sketched from at le
Vonder what there could be very particu
shout it. At last, just as Carl Won sePash
begun to consider where on earth he co
sketch the tree from next, and to ponder g
oneiy upon the feasibility of climbing up
it, and taking ID from that point OF vieV
trihing accident occurred, which gave him
opportunity of making Bertha's acquaintaI
which, don't mind stating confidently,
the very thing he had been waiting for. l
CHANGED, that on one particular afternoon
maid, either through awkwardness, er posi-
through looking more at the handsome pa
stnmbled and fell. OF course the basket
too. and equally of course, Carl, as ger
man, couldn't do less than offer his assists
in pickipg up the damsel AND the dinner.
The acquaintance thus commenced was
suffered to drop; and handsome Carl and
good little Bertha were fairly over head
ears In love, and had begun to have ser
thoughts of q cottage in a wood, ct Cet
when their felicity was disturbed by