The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-12-21
"He is little touched in mind, said

Il IL
collier. az have not seen any evil In
him for long time. But" he added,
"the only chamber / can give you for
the night has door that does not shut
very tightly he comes into it In the
night, but do not fear him; If you do
not think any evil thought or do any
evil act, he will go out OF his own ac-
| cord"
Berthold's heart was now far from
tranquil. He pressed his portmanteau
of treasures close to his side as the col
lier lighted him up the narrow stairway
to his room.
He lay down, placing his portmanteau
and weapons beside him on the bed, but
he could not sleep. He remembered
what the collier had said about the
little old man, that the safeguard
against him was the absence OF
all evil thoughts and acts. In this re-
spect the Golfers family seemed secure ;
but the merchant knew how great was his
own greed for gain; how it made him
hard and uncharitable, and he tried to
put away all evil thoughts and to think
of the hymn. "Now the woods are all
reposing," lest the little old man 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 bargain 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
a feeling of curiosity rather than alarm
or anger, and while he did so all was
we'll But he at last became irritable
under the disturbance, and, when the
little old man ut last approached the bed,
Berthold's irritability kindled into
anger, and wicked thoughts began to fill
his mind, and he found it hard to re-
strain his lips from wicked words.
At last, the little old man touched the
portmanteau containing the merchants
treasures. This was too much. The
merchants caution forsook him, and he
was filled with rage.
"Back! you vile robber! back, from my
baggage I" he exclaimed, Selling his
pistols. The little old man started back,
as in terror. He seemed to be in an
agony of prayer. A change seemed
coming over him. He appeared con-
scious of it, and, going toward the door,
disappeared.
Berthold gazed after him and then re-
membered the Golfers admonition in re-
gard 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 sound ut the latch the
door opened, and an evil-looking giant,
wearing red mantle appeared. He
laughed wildly, and said, 81 begin to
be free again. You have made me
!grOtO -
Berthold saw that the giant was none
other than the little old man.
The merchant leaped from his bed and
discharged his pistol. The giant van
ished, growing taller and more fearful
as he disappeared.
In the moment the collier hurried up
the stairs.
SIN name of God" said he, rush
iHg into the room, "wbat have you been
doing to our house-spirit ?"
House-spirit - said Berthold, like
one in dream. "What do you mean9'
:" He has just gone out of the house, u
said the collier, perfectly monstrous
in his size, and infamed with fury p
But the collier saw that the merchant
did not understand him, and he entreat-
ed 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 room, ano
the Golfers wife was in tears.
"Apd now" said the good woman,
"we must live all those years over
again.
"This may all seem strange tc
you," said the collier to the merchant
but. when my wife and 1 first came to
the cottage tie live, we found j
haunted by terrible specter, such as
have just seen disappear. But 1 said tc
myself, / will not fear him, for if an
a truly Christian man no power of evi
can harm me. Twill overcome him will
a good life, and he shall not overcome
me. So, in the name of God, L remained
Red Mantle-for such is his name-ap
peared to us continually, but we ceased
to fear him. 1 brought up my little
ones to believe that nothing could harm
them while they trusted in God; anc
that any specter would grow less anc
less who dwelt in family who had Low
ing hearts and lived pure lives. So Rex
Mantle at last became my little ones
playmate. We restrained our DISPOSE
tons, we guarded our thoughts, W
loved each other. We prayed togethe
much, and the specter began to groN
more gentle and to shrink in size, yea
by year, until he became the dwarf yo
saw whe1 he came in the evenin
to prayers. All evil disappeare
from his face, and we all love
him as meek and harmless house
spirit, and expected that he would 500
be released from this troubled state an
vanish forever"
The next morning the merchant lei
the cottage. Years passed away; h
travelled from city to city, and into cour
tries remote from Germany, but h
, never forgot the experiences of thf
night.
One afternoon, near sunset, he foun
, himself on the borders of the same fol
est as before, and he resolved again
J strike down the defile and see what ha