Huntington advertiser. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1874-1921, 1876-01-20

1 A4S
teau and weapons beside him on til
bed, but he could not sleep. He r,
membered what the collier had sal,
about the little old man, that tn
safeguard against him was the at
sence OF all evil thoughts and acts =
In this respect the collier's famil.
seemed secure; but the merchan
knew how great was his own greet
for gain; how it made him hard ant
unchsritable, aud he tried to pu
away all evil thoughts and to thinl
of the hymn. "Now the woods arr
all reposing," lest the little old mar
should appear.
A little past midnight he fell into
a troubled sleep, and his mind began
to wander over his schemes for gain
He was dreaming OF the good bar
gain he had made, or expected to
make, when he was startled by
noise close by. He raised himself in
bed, and saw the little old man in the
moonlight moving about the room
The merchant at first looked upon
him with feeling of curiosity rath'
er than alarm or danger, and while
he did so all was well. But he al
last became irritable under the dis.
turbance, and, when the little old
man at last approached the bed,
Bertholds irritability kindled into
anger, and wicked thoughts began to
fill his mind, and he found it hard
to restrain his lips from wicked
words.
At last the little old man touched
the portmanteau containing the mer.
chants treasures. This was too much.
The merchants caution forsook him,
and he was filled with rage.
Back you vile robber! back
from my baggage !" he exclaimed,
seizing his pistol. The little old man
startled back, as in terror. He SEEM
ed to be in an agony of prayer. A
change seemed coming over him.
He appeared conscious Of it, and 60
ing toward the door, disappeared.
Berthsld gazed after him and then
remembered the Golfers admonition
in regard to the danger of evil
thoughts. He wished that he had
acted differently, for he wished to
bring no evil on the family.
There was q sound at the latch.
the door opened, and an evil-looking
giant, wearing red mantle, appear
ed. He laughed wildly, and said =
Il begin to be free again. You
have made lne grow !"
Bert lold saw that the giant was
no other than the little old man.
The merchant leaped from his ped
and discharged his pistol. The giant
vanquished, growing taller and more
fearful US he disappeared.
In moment the collier hurried up
the stairs.
wn the name of Cod" SAID he
rushing into the room, what have
you been doing to our house spirit 2
"House-spirit. :" Nid Berthold, like
one in a dream. "What do you
mean 2"
"lIc has just gone out of the
said the collier, perfectly
in size, and infamed with
fury"
But the collier saw that the mer-
chant did not understand him, and
he entreated him to go down into the
common apartment where all of the
family. aroused by the report of the
pistol, had now met. The children
shrunk away from him as he entered
the .oom, and the colliers wife was
in tears.
"And now," said the good woman,
"we must live all those years over
again"
"This may all secm strange to
vou,' said the collier to the mer
chant, "but when my wife and |
first came to the cottage to live we
found it haunted by terrible spec
ire, such as | have just seen disap-
pear. But I said to myself. / will
not fear him, for if / am truly
Christian man no power of evil can
harm me. / will overcome him with
Il good life, and lie shall not over
come me. So, in the name OF Goi,
remained. Red Mantle-for such is
his name-appeared to US continual
ly, bnt We ceased to fear him /
brought up my little ones to believe
that nothing could harm them while
they trusted in God, and that any
.pecter would grow less and les who
dwelt in a family who had loving
hearts, and pure lives. So Red
Mantle at last became my little ones
playmate. We restrained our dispo-
sition, we guarded our thoughts, we
loved each other. We prayed to
eether much, aud the specter began
to grow more gentle and to shrink in
size, year by year, until he became
the dwarf you saw when he came in
last evening to prayer. Al evil dis
appeared from his face, and We loved
him as q meek and harmless house
.pirit, aud expected that he would
soon be released from his troubled
state and vanish forever.
The next morning the merchant
left the cottage. Years passed away;
he travelled from city to city, and
INTO countries remote from Germany,
but he never forgot the experiences
Of that night.
One afternoon, near sunset, he
found himself on the borders Of the
same forest as before, and he resolv-