The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-02-02
THE DAILY STAR
THE IRON LANDGRAF.

the country now divided into the mino
Saxon States-and though in the opel
country there was glimmer Of twilight
and starlight. in the depths Of the grea
oak-forests it was dark-so dark, that ,
solitary horseman who was trying to maxi
his way between the giant stems reinee
in his horse in utter despair of finding
any track.
He gazed upward for q glimpse of light
between the boughs, but the thickly
woven roof of leaves let in just enough
to make the blackness around him ap
pear more dense when he looked dowr
again.
He raised a huntingdon to his lips
and blew clear blast. 1t was echoed
an hundredfold from the far solitude Of
9ood and rock, but no other answer
came. Still be sounded the horn Justify,
- il determined not to. be discouraged,
and was just going to urge on his horse
at hazard in the direction in which he
had been going, when right before him.
In the distance, he saw red sparks, faint,
and dying out almost as soon as they ap.
peared, as if hidden by the tree trunks.
Eagerly he pushed forward; moro and
more distinct grew the showers Of sparks
soon he could hear the ring of ham.
mer, and at last, following both sound
and light, he found himself on road
which skirted the wood at the bottom OF
little dell, and before him lay a soil.
tary forge, and through the open door
glowed forth. clear and strong. theafur
nace-ight which had been his guiding
star. Within, the master blacksmith
with two journeymen, made the sparks
fly from the ringing anvil while the ap-
prentice worked the bellows, and made
the furnace pant and roar.
As the horse stopped in the red light
of the forge, you could see that he was a
young man, slight and fair-haired,
dressed in q green hunting suit, with
silver-mounted belt and bow, and sitting
his horse with easy grace in spite Of his
wearied air. .r. ...
Good master blacksmith" said he, as
he smith observing him ceased his work
and came out; Goods greeting to youp
(The customary salution of the country,
just as we should say Good-evening.
"Can you give nights shelter to a
weary sportsman who has lost his way in
tho forest, and got separated from his
frendsf Be sure golden thanks will not
fail you on the morrow"
The sturdy blacksmith, pulling the
sleeves down over his sinewy arms, re-
piled, "you are most welcome, Sir
Knight, if you put up with our homely
fare, and a bed Of moss with linen
spread over it, which is all l can offer
you. But whatever have, I give right
willingly; it is the custom with us that
wherever stranger halts, there he is at
home, 30 speak not word more Of gold
On thanks, good sir"
"Not half-an-horu afterward the
stranger was sitting with the blacksmith,
his wife, the two journeymen and the
apprentice, at supper in the roomy cot
tage which stood beside the forge. Long
splinters of pine-wood, stuck into shinks
in the wall, lighted up the party mer
rily, and on the oake4 table were sausa-
ges and bread, cheese and milk.
The men, as the custom is, soon began
20 talk of politics. 1t was the guest, I
believe, began first; he seemed to be
a stranger in the Thuringian land, and
asked whether the country were we'll
governed, and il, the Landgraf was much
beloved among the people9 This question
seemed like q spark thrown among
stubble.'r ''f. q ''r.
"Well governedw burst forth from the
youngest of the journeymen. "Sir, ask
In the houses of our citizens, In the huts
of our peasants, you will hear nothing
but complaints and sighs and groans
The mobiles oppress us past endurance;
they plumber our tills, our stalls and our
barns-we can call nothing our own.
And as to our Landgraf, if he suffers
things to 60 on thus, if he can not pro-
tect us from injustice and oppression,
how can the people love him? The
people must despise him, 10th as l may
be to say it."
And now one after the other followed
with many complaint, many tale of
injustice and violence; and all Joined in
condemning the Landgraf as weak and
soft, without strength of character or
courage to hold his mobiles in check. The
housewife alone put in a word in his de-
tense. '.~ -. ,
''If the Landgraf is too soft, you are
too hard on him." said she. Remember
how young he is, only twenty-one, and
since his good fathers death, while he
was being brought up at the Emperors
court the counts and barong had it all
their own way here. 1t mayn't be 20
easy now to check them. For all thv
talk, thou wouldn't be the man thyself,
Christopher" she added to the younger
iourneyman, who ms the most excited
over the wrongs of his country.
The master-smith had hitherto spoken
little, but seemed to be thinking all the
more. "a better time Is coming" said
he now; "our Landgraf will ripen into a
man at last, and then our deiiverance
will come. This Is my firm belief. This
Is the hope in which I strike every blow
Of the hammerl But, Sir Knight, you
are weary" for he had noticed that the