The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-04-05

There is trouble ahead,
Sorrow, any such thing,
For Mr. and Mrs. Discobbolos ~
-Ed,card Lear.
Ho,c EyIida Caught the Robber.
I was at school in Lausanne, when one
evening, which was very cold and gloomy,
we girls could not amuse ourselves in the
garden as usual, and so had recourse,
not without some grumbling, to our GUS
tomary pastime ON such occasions.
We gathered in a ring around the
empty stove, and We'd with each other in
relating the most fearful stories which
we could recall. Ours was a Swiss
boarding school, and my school-fellows
came principally from Finland, and
many tale could they tell of terrible
sledge-drives over the snow, and fights
with wild wolves and robbers.
Huddled close together, and scarcely
daring to look around, we listened to the
following narrative, related by one of the
Finlanders, girl of some Is years of
age, who had been requested by general
6bOSI11lpoAOh w OPSh Jul AAASSoAiiS
"When my mother was living COM
menced Ellida Ruhlfeldt, speaking in
bad French, with strong Finnish ac-
cent-"when my mother was living, we
were still in the old house at Tornea,
close to the saw-mill, which was situated
in the middle of a pine-forest.
"The house was only little distance
from the saw-mill, which stood in the
same yard, but, as this corner was nearly
filled up with piles of sawn planks await
ing shipment to England and France, it
took some time to cross it to reach the
mill.
son one occasion my father had gone
to Uleaborg to remain for week, in or
der to transact his business, and my
mother was left with only myself and the
maid-servant in the house. My mother
had been always noted for her courage,
but this time she felt anxious and fear
full
cat the time there was band of rob-
bers collected together in the North of
Finland, headed by man named Peskoff,
and they were not pleasant neighbors, as
may be supposed, especially in our poor
Finland, where there are so few police.
Anyhow, one dark, stormy evening
in the time mentioned, which was the
early autumn, I, from my little bed in an
inner room, heard my mother say to the
maid, Gerta, if any one knocks at the
door tonight, slip out directly by the
back way, and run as fast as you can
across the deal-yard, and summon two OF
three of the saw-mill workmen' In Fin
land, during the summer season, the
saw-mills know no rest by day or night
"Gerta passed her word, and my
mother went, for perhaps the fifth time
that evening, into the study, where she
knew my father had locked up large
sum of money in his bureau.
81 thought my mothers proceedings
very strange-she and Gerta placed
flaming candle-ends in every one of the
seven tall windows of the saal, or great
saloon, ard the inner room adjoining.
Then she closed the door, and, like a
good housewife, went into the kitchen
and busted herself with chopping the
sausage-meat which was to be made into
savory sausages for our winter use.
81 retired to bed, and think I was
asleep, when / heard laundering knock
at tn kitchen door. Our rooms, as in
most Finnish houses, were all on the
same floor; so L quickly stole to the
dining-room, which opened into the
kitchen, and peeped through crack in
the door.
q noticed that Gerta had disappeared.
and that my mother was christening the
door. When she had undone all the
bolts, she stepped back to the table, and
began choppinS meat as if nothing were
the matter
1.-The door opened and a gentleman
walked in-at least / thought he was q
gentleman at first, but / soon saw that
he was only common peasant, though
he had on very grand blue coat with
brass buttons. He strobe in with a
swagger, and said, gruff1y, What has
your husband lone with that money he
stole from me last year?'
MY mother looked astonished, as well
she might, but when the man went on to
say: Where is Herr Handelsman Ruhl-
feldt? Tell him to come here directly,
my mother took her hands out of the
sausage-meat, and, rubbing them to-
gether, said, smiling and curtseying, as
she does when the Herr Borgmastre and
his wife, or any other great friends, come
to drink tea, Certainly, mein Herr.
Walk in, please, to the drawing room.
Herr Ruhlfeldt is entertaining some
friends there. Pray walk in
never saw any one look so aston
lshed as that man; he seemed inclined to
rush out at the open door, but, COM
handing his feelings, he only said, very
well, the Herr Handelsman has no need
to move; / can help myself. know the
bureau. The guests are very quiet, and
are, perhaps, sitting ON the roof he
added, impudently, pointing at the same
time with g grin TO the drawing-room