Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-01-22
WHY THE MOON EVER CHANGES.
A Folklore Story Told by the Simple
Youths and Maidens of MOrayia.

In the olden times, evening after even
ing, as the sun went down the man in
the moon lighted his lantern and logged
along the sky until the sun arose
and relieved him. He did this the year
through, and there was never any new
moon, or any first and last quarter, but
always the same kind of a moon.
In those days there lived in the castle
of Ragnit, as the Germans call it, a
young girl named Mareilis. Her face
was like roses and lilies, her form like
the frs on the famous mountain of
Rombinus, and her eyes were as blue as
the sea. Sac was gentle in her DISPOSE
ton. but it annoyed her to think that
nearly all the year round she was
obliged to go to bed by the light of can
die. The tiny window of her chamber
was deep in the thick wall of the castle,
and not moonbeam ever found its way
in there.
Mareilis had a cousin named Iurisch,
who was a coachman for the Lord Of
Briolen. He. was fine young fellow
and had fallen head over heels in love
with Mareilis, who liked him well
enough, but she was willful and had de-
termined that if later she was to obey
all her life, she would for little while
play the queen to her hearts content.
This never occurred to her lover, aud
when she teased him and plagued him
he was as respondent as-well as all
other lovers are under the same circum-
stances.
One evening Iurisch stopped at the
castle on his way home to see his below
ed one. She was sitting in the court,
under a linden tree. gazing dreamily at
the sky. He began to tell her of his
love, but the maiden laughed carelessly,
and pointing to the moon, said: "Cous-
in, if thou canst tighten up my window,
| will be thine" When Iurisch heard
that he spurred his horse, for he knew
that window well; and knowing that the
moon never shone in there, the cruel
jest made him sad. But as he rode
through the wood of Karalene and
reached the cross-road q moonbeam
glided through the frs and fell at his
horses feet. Then he thought: "If
could only ride along this moonbeam
and have a talk with the man in the
moon, could fix things all right" (As
long as a Littauer is on horseback he
never gives up hope.) At the same
moment the horse rose in the air, the
young fellow saw the wood and the
castle far beneath him, and in few
minutes he was near the man in the
moon, who was slowly toddling along
his path. Now Iurisch, like all good
Littauers, knew that he must not burst
in the door of house if he had a
horse or anything to sell, but that one
must talk about the weather and the
family and the crops, and so gradually
work around to business. He accord
ingly approached the man in the moon
in this manner, but the latter only
growled, and noticed neither horse nor
rider, for he found it hard going, the
night was so sultry. While Iurisch
was considering what to do they came
to the Milky Way, where they met
Peter, who was out for ride.
"Hello," said the man in the moon,
"you are we'll fixed, Master Peter; but
we have to walk night after night, cold
or warm" and he powdered his sweat
| ing face with some star dust.
NSll, dlSNeISu ISttI, lOl LILY
partTd rather have little more to do,
for the pearly gates don't open very
often nowadays. But | see you have a
v.eitor from below, and a Littauer at
that. They are the best hands at a
horse-trade that ever knew, and Satan
himself couldn't cheat them. They
are very fond of mead, and that's a
| beverage a man will lick all his fingers
after drinking. I'm willing you should
try bottle or two," said Peter, laugh
ing and smacking his lips, and jogging
his horse, on he went.
A little more and Iurisch would have
| followed him. Peter had taken in his
horse at d glance, and Iurisch had al
most determined upon trade, but he
remembered the old rule-never to run