Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-10-10
Anton and Beatrix.
Az INCIDENT OF GERMAN LIFE.

Anton aud Beatrix were betrothed. Bea-
trix made lace and Anton was miner
"Why art thou above ground, Anton ?'
she said to him one morning when he looked
into her mothers cottage. " Art thou flying
about to find hay and feathers for our nest ?
Nav. it will be built the sooner, if thou wilt
steadily ply thy pick"
"'Twould be long before thy bobbins
would build it, answered Anton, with
smile, which had a good deal of contempt
mixed with its kindness. "Cheer up.
rrix, thou shalt not long continue at that
beggar's trade"
So having spoken he went upon his way,
and left his sweetheart wondering what he
meant.
But she could work while she wondered;
and she did not forget to do so. Indeed she
was almost always at work She got up
with the sun-sometimes before him, with
the BIRDS and after he had gone down, she
lighted her candle and still worked on. Pa
tiently she stuck her pins into her pattern,
and then piled the dangling bobbins with
deftness which made fingers and bobbins
blend in simmer like that of the wings
OF buzzing bees. When awake, she scarcely
ever ceased from her labor except to per-
form her sacred duties, or to carry in the
product of her toll to the laceman's in the
nearest town.
"My child, thou wilt have to eat hWten-
rauch," her mother said to her "Thy cheek
is pale and pinched, thy eyes are growing
dim. Anton will slight thee"
Nay" Beatrix answered, "if | need
arsenic to make me pleasing in his sight,
he may cen leave me- | will not NEEDLE
with such unholy things. He must just take
| L. Co1 nI t,,;1
have made me-"
" But why dost thou labor so hard ?" asked
the mother.
81 would fain help to keep the house.
replied her daughter.
may" quoth the mother, though tis
little that thy pillow earns thee, it well pays
thy clothes, and coffee and potatoes"
al would take something in my hands
besides my pillow, when go to sit down in
Anton's house." said Beatrx with blush.
1t was little she saw of her lover at this
time, and when he did come to see her, he
behaved so strangely that in spite of his
affectionate caresses she could not help sus-
pectiug sometimes that he wished to take
back his plighted troth. He looked with
undisguised contempt on the cottage and its
furniture, its scanty food and all its humble
ways, and talked as if, should Beatrix be-
come his bride, she would be beggar's
daughter lifted to a throne And yet he
was more shabbily dressed than had been
his wont, and had less money to spend
since now he very seldom went down into
the mines by day. Almost all day long he
either slept or wandered over the noun
tains, chasing, or pretending to chase, the
bear, the chanois, and the lynx. Every
night, little while before the clocks STRUCK
twelve, he went abroad but whittier h,
went no one could tell. Her lovers strange
behavior oftentimes made Beatrix very sad
though none the slower for that reason die
her fingers ply the bobbins. Night an.
morning beside her bed, and in the churcl
+ Ito which Anton now never came), she prayeC
| the good God to hold her lover in his shelf
ering hand, for if he were taking to murder
e Gus ways, or going mad, and so they shoul'
| be separated for life, she thought that sh
T. would go mad also
= The fact is that Anton went every nigh
j to meet kobold, and wandered with him il
= in the bowels of the earth. When Anto
) was an industrious miner, kobold had com
e to him as he piled the pick in a lonely work
j ing. and scoffed at his simplicity for toilin
r, so hard to earn so little.
t. "Come with me tonight" the goblin ha
:. said "and | will show thee where tn
land for many mile is made of meta
which may be had for the trouble of pickin
it up. Mine it on the sly thyself, or max
= a good bargain with others out of thy know
y edge, as may best please thee, Mr. Houe'
Miner"
V Anton went and beheld sight whic
! made him eagerly inquire of the tricks
"a a sprite how he could find his way to the spC
u again. But Kobold answered, Oh this
!, nothing-come to our trysting-place to-mo
+ row night, and will show thee far great,
\ wonders than these"
~ :. And Anton had gone, and night aft
,s night he went on going, similarly beguile
>, for Kobold kept his promise in shown
-" each night greater wonder than that of Il
u =, night before.
y, In this way, neglecting his business,
friends his sweetheart, and his God, AntC
ie ' had seen vast hidden stores of all kinds
10 10 ores-silver, tin, "copper" antimony, bismut
w. w. and who knows what besides and Il
II ~ more he saw the less inclined to work wi
u, his own hands he was, the more eager
W take his ease and pleasure whilst the inc
y haustible treasury that had been revealed
'n him should be worked for him by Other
NC brains and Drawn.
'o- Show me gold,' he said to Kobold, tn
~ may at once take of ii 10 crafty my q
s' sires, and have means to hire drudges
~ work my mines. Show me gold, and gi
ne u me the clew TO that and all the rest tn
III thou hast shown me, and | will trouble tn
" no more"
US "Come again to our trysting-pace
he morrow night, for the last time" answer
ol kobod, "and will show thee gold"
ne Infatuated Anton was by this time
Is rags, and often very hungry. lie had SC
his gun, his tools, to supply him with dai
bread-latterly very little of it. But buoy
up by his golden hope, he carried his he
in as if he had been a kaiser, provoking t
ID. mirth of his neighbors, who had come
mo- look upon him as poor fool, since nothi
nd had come of his mysterious midnight {
am cursions.
in Beatrix grew sadder and sadder at t
,lv thought of him. Very rarely did she 5
he him now, since, as have said, he had Civ
nd up going to church, and lattery also co
Ior ing expressly TO visit her; but each til
tle she did see him. he looked poorer and wild
rlv than before.
he II was on Saturday night he was to mt
nd Kobold to be initiated in the secret of
Inc gold, lie had to pass Beatrix's cottage
he his way 10 the trysting-place and as he DIR,
ed near, he noticed that her light was st
=" burning Beatrix rested on a Sunday, a
=" with the prospect of a holiday before h
les she could afford to sit up later than "
ler usual with her, although recently her no
Il. of retirement had drawn nearer than befC
ms to the stroke of twelve. This was the N
fly tive for her heightened work-she had b
'to gun TO fear that Anton would become !
nd tery destitute, aud she wished to save hi
is the degradation OF begging his bread frc
ng door to door, by laying up little hoa
Is for him.
ais whist she phed her popoins WIN u
,.r benevolent purpose = thinking regretfu