The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-02-20

II you like we'n 40 10 the parson To-
morrow TO have the bsnns published"
"Yes, said Iurisch, Eve will. But
just now, my precious, i want you TO
bring me two bottles Of your Oldest
mead"
"To drink now ?" asked the younggirl
in astonishment.
"No, You little simpleton, answered
the young man; "they're for the COVER
nor" he meant the man in the moon,
but Mareiis thought he meant his
father. 30 she tripped into the cellar,
not at all astonished 10 find it light, and
brought Iurisch the mead. Then they
kissed each other heartily, and Mareilis
sought her couch, while the young
man went back 10 the man in the moon.
All this time the man in the moon had
been staring In at the cellar window and
did not see what else was going on.
"lt's about time for you 10 come back, +"
he said family to Inrisch.
"Much obliged" said Iurisch.
Not Mt all, answered the man in the
moon, striding of, and Irrisch saw he
had dropped the corner Of the cloud, be-
cause both his hands were now full"
Inc hcAh Unwilling luTioCu Hcut W tiib
master and told him that he wanted to
marry Mareilis. The master said 1t was
"all right, for they were both the chill
dren of respectable people So he had
the horse hitched up and taking Mareilis
and Iurisch drove to the parsons. The
parson took the names of the young
people, and then picking up the East
Prussida Gazette, said to Iurisch's mas
ter: "That was a strange thing that
happened last night. Did you notice
I" Not that i know off," answered the
master; "and my night watcher didn't
say anything to me about it. What il
there in the paper about it?"
Listen" said the pastor, and read:
At midnight large number Of falling
stars were seem"
81 guess / know something about
that" thought Iurisch, and he remem-
bered how the sparks leaped about the
Milky Way when Peter rode off quickly.
He said nothing, however, for it was not
his business to speak unless he were
spoken to. The parson continued:
"' 1t was noticed that the moon sud-
denly became dark, and it was eoniect-
ured that it had not kept exactly to its
usual course"
{. Aha," thought Eurisch, that was a
pretty good guess.
Theparson continued: "About A. NJ.
the moon appeared again and shone
very brightly. DIR. Tiefinsglas believed
that he noticed marked unsteadiness in
ITS movements What do you say to
that ?" asked the parson.
The Lord of Briolen laughed. Zone
of those gentlemen who know so. much
about the heavens was here recently on a
horse-trade," he said " He saw Mar
ellis and was half blinded, and who
knows what he may have seen since +?
AS for the rest, the moon must be allow
ed to change once in WHILE" and the
lord turned the conversation to other
subjects.
Iurisch was startled. He had taken
two bottles of old mead to the man in the
moon. This was not too much for Lit
tauer when he had been swapping horses,
but the man in the moon was not a Lit
tauer and he had not been trading horses.
He must have emptied both bottles aud
gone to sleep in the field, where he lay
until after sunrise instead of going home.
Oh, If the dear old fellow should get
into a serape over it.
While Iurisch was listening to the
parson, the chief of the celestial lamp
lighters was going the sky and found the
man in the moon lying asleep near the
castle of Ragnit. His lantern was burn
ing yet, but his bundle of moonbeams
was undone and half of them missing.
"This is nice thing" said the chief,
and he dubbed the man In the moon on
the soles of his feet to wake him up. 1t
was long time before the old fellow
awoke and winked sleepily in the broad
daylight. "Put out your light, pack up
your moonbeams and come along with
me-" said the chief. The man in the
moon trembled, for he was afraid of
losing his position, but he did as he was
told.
"Were you sick last night ?" asked
the chief, sarcastically. The man in the
moon could have lied, but he was lover
of truth and told the whole story. The
chief shook his head.
4" You've lost half your moonbeams,"
said he, sand you won't easily find
them; 80 You must do the best you can
with what is left"
&" But what will men say" exclaimed
the man in the moon.
Oh, we've saved q little heavenly
light since they became 80 enlightened
themselves" answered the chief. "And
now I'll tell you what you must do.
Eight days you will come ON post as
usual, eight days not at all, and for
fourteen days you'll increase and dimin-
ish the light. So You seen it will come
out all right after all"
What not come for eight days 2"
asked the man in the moon.
at can't be helped" answered the
chief. you'll have to turn up some
times during the day, and if you can
pick mp any stray beams, do 80"
"Thank you, kindly" said the man in
the moon, much relieved.
son your nights off," continued the
chief, "you must take these beams and
hammer them into shape When you've
got as many as you had before, let me
know. If men improve any we may go
back to the old order of things. One
thing more. Don't you have anything
more to do with those people down
there"
GAN right" said the man in the
moon. His head ached 80 that he had
no desire to taste earthly beverages
again, and he went home end went to
bed.
Iurisch and Mareilis We're married,
and the little wife never left off asking
her husband how it happened that he
made the moon shine in the window
that night, and as she sat under an ell
der tree one moonlight night and blush
ingly whispered something in his ear, he
related, in the joy of his heart, the story
of his adventure with the man in the
moon. He imposed secrecy upon her,
and for a long time Mareilis brayely
kept her secret, but to-day every lover
in Littau knows that a coy or willful
maiden is to be won only on horseback