Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1883-09-07
q Iii i. Il. ND o r THE WORLD.

49, lTt - . Z
Last year just before the carnival, there
was report in Hunebnurg that the world
was coming to an cad. Doctor Zacharias
P'aes Of Uolmar, first spread this dis
! alFe able news: it was spoken of in the
1 Ltsnae Messenger in the Perfect ChrtstiAn,
and in Fifty other journals W.
Zacharias Piper had calculated that q
i conetsWo11ld descend fron the skies On
Shroye Tuesday, having q tail formed Of
boiling water, one hundred and five mil
j. lion miles in length, melt the snow on the
highest mountains, wither the trees, and
burn up everybody.
A learned man nareed Popinot had writ
ten from Paris to say that there was no
4 Doubt that the comet would come, but that
q it's tail would be composed Of such light
vapors as to cause no one the least incon-
venience: that people might 90 on quietly
=, with their business; that he would answer
for everything. This assurance allayed
much alarm.
But, unfortunately, there lives at Hume
bourg, IN the little street Of the Three
Jugs, an old wool spinner named Maria
Finck. She is little, pale, withered old
woman covered with wrinkles, whom peo-
pie go and consult on the most delicate and
important affairs Of life. She lives in low
room, the ceiling of which is painted with
eggs, red and blue stripes, gildea nuts, and
8 thousand other fanciful objects. She
dresses herself up in old inery, and lives
On echGude, which two things gave her
great authority in the neighoorhood. Ma
ria Finch, instead of approving of M. Popl-
not's opinion, declared herself to be on the
side Of Zacharias Piper, and kept saying;
q" BE converted and pray; repent of
your sins, and give to the church, for the
end Of the world is at hand-the end is at
hand!" -
At the furthest end of her room was
picture of hell, to which people were going
down by path all sown with roses. None
Of them seemed to have q suspicion about
the place to which this road was leading
them; they were dancing along, some with
bottles in their hands, some with hams,
: others with strings of sausages. A work.
mali, with ribbons flying from his hat, was
playing the clarionet to amuse them On their
way. Soma were kissing their partners, and
all OF these poor wretehes were heedlessly
approaching the pit full of flames, into
which already the foremost were falling,
their aims extended and their legs in the
air.
So most OF the people of Hunebourg
agreed that they would have no carnival
but spend Shroye Tuesday in acts of re-
pentance. Never had SUCH thing been
heard OF before. The adjutant and captain,
as we'll as the non. commissioned officers
in the garrison at Hnnebourg, we're quite in
despair. All the preparations for the fete
the decorations Of the great hall of the
tho stage raised for the orchestra; the beer,
kirsch, and bsschos, ordered for refresh
ments-in short, all arrangements we're to
be Of no use, since the young ladies of the
town would no longer hear word about
dancing.
+ But with all this, those who were most
distressed and disappointed were Daniel
Spitz. tie secretary of the mayoralty; Jer-
ONE Bertha, the postmaster's son; Dujardin,
the tax collector; and l. A week before
we had gone to Strasbourg on purpose to
buy ourselves fancy costumes. Uncle To.
: bias had given me fifty franc out of his
own pocket, so that I need spare nothing.
I, therefore had chosen for myself, at Mad
snoiselle Dardenai's, the costume of a
clown. This consists of kind of skirt,
with wide folds and long sleeves, trimmed
with onion. shaped buttons as big as ones
fist, which are set SO close from the throat
down to the knee as to rattle against each
other. A little black skull cop is to be worn
OH the head, and the faea whitened with
-four. Provided one has long nose. and
deep, sunken eyes, the effect is admirable.
Dujardin, because of his fat paunch, had
chosen Turkish costume, embroidered up
all the seams; Spitz, the dress Of punch,
made of thousand pieces of red, green,
and yellow stuf-a hump in front, one be-
hind, and great gendarme's nat to be
worn on the back of his head; nothing
could be better. jerome Bertha was to be
a savage, and was to have plume of par
rot's feathers. We felt sure beforehand
that all the young girls would leave the
soldiers to have us as their partners. And
otter having spent all this money, was it
not enough to set one against the whole
human race, to see everything 60 to the
deuce, all through the stupidity of an old
mad woman, or Of Zacharias Piper!
At last Shrove Tuesday arrived; the sky
was heavy with snow. One looked right
and left, Up and down-no comet was to
be seen. The girls all seemed bewildered.
OFF ran the young fellows to the houses OF
their cousins, aunts, and grandmothers,
saying, You see now that old mother Finck
is mad, and that there's no sense whatever
in your notions about the commet Dc
comets ever come in the winter? Do they
not always choose the vintage time? Well,
we'll, YOU must now decide--there's still
time, etc., etc.
The soldiers, on their side, went into the
kitchens, and talked to the maid servants,
exhoring them, and loading them with re-
proaches. Many people began to pluck up
courage. The old men and women went
arm in arm TO ace the decoration Of the
great hall Of the mayorality; the stars made
of sabres and the little tricolored flags be-
tween the windows excited universal adj
miration. = Then peoples minds began to
change; they remembered that it was Shrove
Tuesday. Suddenly all the young ladies
made haste to get their smart petticoats out
of their cuphcards, and to wax their shoes.
BY ten o'clock the great hall Of the may
orality was full of people; We had carried
the day; there was not single girl in
'Hunebourg Who did not answer to the call.
Tbc clarionets, the trombones. the big
drums, resouned; the lights sparkled in
the windows, the country dances went mer-
rily; the walters whirled round madly; the
young men and girls were in a state OF
wild enjoyment; the old grandmothers
seated against The. walls we're laughing
heartily. At the refreshment counters
people were showing, each other about; the
drinks could not be furnished quick enough,
and father Zimmerman, who had contract
for the supply, might boast of feathering
his nest.well that night. -
sSi Those who had taken rather too much
began to stumble down the staircase. The
snow kept continually falling. Uncle To-
'bias hid given me the house-key, so that /
might go home when liked. Till two o.
clock did: not miss q single waltz, but by
that time I had had enough; the refresh
ments were getting into my head. Istarted
on my way for the street Saint Sylvester,
cropping along the wall, and reasoning wish
myself as went. ] had walked On in this
Way,for about ton minutes, and was just go
when, happening by chance to look up, i
n saw behind the trees moon as red as hot
coal, coming right at me through the skies
Il Was still mllliens of miles away, but it