The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-04-14
THE CUCKOO'S SONG.

Ten o'clock had Just struck in all the
clocks of the little town of H, in
the canton of Berne, and q metallic un-
dulation seemed still to vibrate in the
air, proloDging itself from house to
house, from street to street, to indicate
that the morning was advancing. The
streets were crowded with passers.by,
wOrkmen, peasants, laborers and idIers,
rich and poor This little town was but
a great capital on small scale. The
merchants uncovered thir goods and re-
moved the dust of the night The gos-
sips passed from one door to another in
the midst of the universal activity, and
each one on crying gOOd-morning said a
little evil of one, a great deal OF another,
and thought still more of his interlOcu-
torso you see it was the whole of
society in diminutive.
"Ten o'clock" cried the big, brawny
butcher Herman-whose sponge. vigor-
OusIy welded was making the slabs of
white marble brilliant where were ranged
the quarters of beef and mutton. ''len
o'clock! and our neighbor Samuel Stauf-
fer still sleeps 1t is astonishingp His
face, tinged with red fibriIs, with its
heavy, square chin and pale blue eyes,
lLs
''Ihat's so ; you are right p responded
the. grocer, who came out on his door
step twisting a long cOrnet of paper and
leaning forward a little in order to
penetrate more materially into the
phenomenon which curved and elevated
the brows of the butcher like the arches
of bridge. "The broker has not raised
one of his shutters, and nothing seems
70 ho -, L =
domestic, Jean Muller, is habitualiv an
early riser, and this is the first time that
/ have ever risen before him"
''Bahl What trade could he make
this morning? Perhaps the storm of
last night hindered his sleeping, and he
is making up for it now."
+ sob, what a storm it wasp remarked
the grocer. g i scarcely closed my eyes;
the shutters ratified and the hinges
cresked, and bang, chimney tumbled
into my court. have rarely heard
such high wind since I have been in
business here" s-.. s-- .-.-af - &
"Without counting" added the
butcher, the thunder, hail and rain,
one could almost say the devil was con-
ducting dance" And he accentuated
his little Joke with loud laugh, which
shook his stomach and shoulders so that
the fat on his chin and cheeks had ter
rible convulsions.
"Hushi Herman, never say thatl It
is an evil omen, believe me-" .. e.rI.
"Ohl what superstitious fellow you
are, friend Bloch One must have a
laugh now and then" -.. -
81 admit that subject of converse
tion is repugnant to me, always; for
every time that hideous name is men
toned, there is misfortune lurking
somewhere"
The laugh of the butcher increased at
the sight of the pale face of his comPan-
ion.
Well, well, you are timid. viii
be still, for you will finish by thinking
me a scape-goat-but what can old Sam
uel be doing ?''e -rM IN n ~ ri I
:, LET .s i y TAP at his door. What 40
The grocer indicated with his fingers,
without budging, the house CT Samuel,
and the butcher, without speaking, !
directed his steps toward the little
shop. 20 - aaAaa -a @ 4
1t had two floors surmounted by an
attic, and seemed to bury among Il Q
other buildings its pointed roof, covered
with tiles, and to Conceal with a worn
and patched air, the shop which occu-
pied the whole of the ground-foor.
The wooden shutters sohdIy fixed by
large bars of iron, and the front door
w1Un It's ugnU potts, KepU an unaccus-
toned silence. On the floor above, the
blinds stopped up the windows hermeti-
cally, and this house with its eyes
closed in the midst of the morning |
hustle assumed an omin0us aspect. On |
the roof the weather-vane turned by |
the wind emitted every now and then |
q mournful cry, thar resembled the
moan of a sea gull across the hurricane |
which agitates the sea.
The butcher struck the bars with his /
isty and listened to the echo transmitted /
BY the solitary knock through the corri-
1ors OF the house. He waited a few /
minutes, then knocked again, and called
oudiy with his strong voice. No answer.
A vague terror stole into his breast and
made his heart beatwith quickened mo-
IONS. ne reit under the influence or
ne silence, broken only by the sad, irri-
ating cry OF the, weather vanes, and he
Jared not knock a9pia