The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-03-29

10 take such journey when you are too
lazy to work in the garden, but waste half
your time sleeping under the trees 1t
you had been kind father Dora's portion
would long ago have heen laid aside, and
we should not been looked down upon and
refused alliance with our neighbors," " said
Gretchen.
''Dear mother, do not be harsh to father;
he has always been kind to me and you will
let him undertake this for my sake, said
Dora, pleadingly, with tear-flled eyes. Karl
could deny his child nothing which it was
in his power to grant, so it was decided that
on the following morning he should set out.
At the dawning of day he was ready. He
embraced his wife, and taking his staff, his
pouch filled with bread and cheese and a
flask of wine, and with Dora clinging to his
hand, he started on his journey. When
they reached the bridge which crossed the
tender farewell and Karl trudged on alone.
He had never been far from home in his
life, and now that he was alone the magni-
tude of his undertaking sent cold chill of
dismay through his body and he was obliged
to fix his mind upon the pleading face of
his daughter and think of her words, "dear
father, you will go for my sake, to keep
him steadfast to his purpose. He asked
himself what he expected to find on the
Rhine bridge. Could he hope to pick up
bags of money there? He began to feel
rather silly for pursuing such a shadowy
phantom, and was glad he had not confded
in any of his neighbors, who, if they knew
it, would laugh heartily at him when he
returned from his FOOLS errand.
The sun climbed higher and higher and
Karl was warm and weary long before it
reached the meridian, but every time he
thought of turning back he was deferred by
the remembrance of Gretchen's sneers and
Dora's tears. At noon he came to spring
by the highway, and seating himself on the
stone bench beside it drank of its cool
waters and ate his portion of bread and
cheese, and feeling rested and refreshed his
spirits rose and he resumed his task with'a
lighter heart, heguiling the weary way with
many song. An old woman driving her
pigs along the dusty road thought with a
sigh what happy, care-free fellow he must
be as she turned to listen to his clear yodel
as it echoed back from the hillside
Karl was an admirer of nature, and as
the view unfolded before him with its con-
stantly changing scenes he wondered how
he could have been so disheartened in the
morning, and began to speculate as to what
he would do with the fortune remaining
after Dora's dowry, which he was so san
guine of finding when he should stand upon
the bridge over the Rhine. At night his
journey was not more than half completed,
but he had become SO anxious to reach the
end that in spite of the darkness he still
pushed on. Later the moon came out of
the clouds which had obscured her light
in the early part of the night, and the feel
ing of loneliness that had oppressed him
passed away. After midnight he reached
the gates of farm-yard where farmer
was just preparing to start with his load of
vegetables for Mannheim. Karl bargained
for a ride among the greens, which being
satisfactorily arranged, he slowed himself
away among the carrots and parsley, and
was soon fast asleep and imagining himself
at home in his cottage by the ruin. At
daybreak the farmer aroused him, and
creeping from his fragrant bed he took a
seat beside the driver and stared in admiring
wonder at the city now appearing in the
distance, whose spires seemed tipped with
gold in the early rays of the rising sun.
Leaving the wagon at the market-place he
hurried to the bridge, wondering how his
luck would come to him, for that it would
come he no longer doubted Karl walked
hastily across the bridge and then slowly
back again, seeing only the passengers
crossing from either side and the sentry on
guard. No one noticed him; he was but
single drop in the human tide hurrying
past He started across the bridge again,
this time examining carefully each piece of
stone and iron as he went, but he reached
the other shore without discovering any
sign of the coveted fortune At last,
weary and disheartened, he sat down to rest
and refresh himself with the contents of
his pouch and flask. He stayed on the
bridge until long past nightfall, and then
sought an humble shelter near by for the
night. Early the following morning here
turned to the bridge, where he passed the
time wandering aimlessly up and down until
weary, when he sat down in the same place
where he had passed SO many hours the day
before. At noon the sentry, who had
watched him on the previous evening,
could no longer restrain his curiosity, and
asked him what he was doing there, where
upon Karl related his dream.
"Pooh p said the sentry, "what a sim
pleton you must be to waste so much time
over dream If l minded dreams my
wife and children might starve dreamed
three times in succession that if | went to
a village called Reasenthal or Rasenthal, or
a name something like that, and went to the
cottage which stands near the ruin of
convent and took out large stone in the
back of the chimney, 1 should surely find a
pot full of gold and jewels. You had much
better go home and work for your child, as
am doing for mine, and not go roaming
about the country on the strength of a
dream. Be advised by me; it will be better
for you, and with a look Of contempt the
SenUry resumeQ MS Inarcn.
As soon as Karl recovered his breath
after this remarkable revelation he started
for home as fast as his legs could carry
him.
Meanwhile, how Jared it at the cottage 2
The first day Gretchen fumed and scolded,
and said she believed Karl's dream was
only an excuse for getting away from his
work, and chided Dora for encouraging
her father in his idle ways, but Dora
checked her mothers anger with kisses and
caresses which it was not in the power of
mortal to resist, and hopefully described
how happy they would be when her dear
father should come home with the fortune
and none of them ever need to work any
more. The second day Gretchen did not