The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-07-01
Selected Storp.
The Black. Saddle Mare.
A GERMAN STORY.

emptying into the Kocher, in the de-
partment of Jagst, in Wirtemburg.
Karl owned mill there that he had
bought since he had become an old
man. 1t was an old mill, but a good
one, and Karl had as much grain as he
could possibly grind brought to his
place. He ran the mill two years alone,
and then, as he found he was growing
blind and weak, he hired stout man
to come and take charge. The person
whom he hired was Martin Hoffman, a
poor, deformed man, with such a hump
on his back as made him almost fright
full to behold Karl's family was a
small one, there being only himself
and Barbara Luben, who was only fif-
teen years old, and yet Karl declared
she was the best cook in the country.
He had taken her when she was eight
years old, her parents having died. At
that time Karl had lost his wife, and,
having no children about him to love,
he took little Barbara, and she was so
comely and good he loved her as if she
had been of his own flesh and blood.
Barbara lost none of her comeliness as
she grew up, but rather grew more
handsome.
There was one other thing on the
premises that Karl loved, and that was
the black saddle-mare he had owned
for thirteen years. She was good
beast, but would not work in harness;
yet she would carry enormous loads on
her back. But Karl only wanted her
for saddle beast, for since he had
grown old and fat he found it difficult
to walk much. This mare was jet black
in color, and as handsome in form as
any horse in Jagst. Karl had owned
her from little colt, and he would
sooner have sold his mill than his black
saddle-mare.
But Karl Won Dunderman had seen
his mill for the last time, and for the
last time had he ridden his black mare.
Death had come to call him away. He
called Barbara to his side and said:
Barbara, you see am dying. There
is no use in your crying, for | must go
and / am old enough to. Now have
given all my property to you, save fifty
ducats, which l have given to Martin.
The mill is yours, and you must hire
Martin to work; and besides the mill, l
leave you over two thousand ducats.
Thus, you see, you are very rich, for the
mill will not only support you, but pay
you something handsome beside. Now,
of course, many young men will try to
get you for wife. And now | must
have a solemn promise from you. You
shall never marry man until you have
seen him ride the black saddle-mare.
When man comes whom you do not
want, Just send him off at once; but
should one come whom you would be
willing to have for a husband, you must
tell him the conditions on which you
will accept him. He must saddle the
black mare, and ride her up the hill
and back again. If he does this, then
take him; but if he does it not, then
send him away. And mind you, no
man can try but once. If he fails the
first time, then he must give it up"
But said Barbara, " then 1 shall
marry the first man who tries, for there
cannot be a kinder beast"
g know how kind she is. But al
lowing it happens as you say, you can
not object, for you are not to let them
try unless you like them. But this shall
not always last, you know, for the
black mare cannot live till you are very
old. You are now only fifteen, so, by
the time you are thirty, the black mare
will be pretty well worn out. But you
shall keep her as well as you can, and
be very careful she does not get injured.
Now, to all this will you give me your
solemn promise?"
And Barbara promised very solemnly.
And Karl made Barbara give one
more promise, and that was, always to
eI ii l..
and she gave this promise more readily
because her saddle was very beautiful
as we'll as a strong and durable one.
After this Karl Won Dunderman died
and after he was buried Barbara went
home and was sad and lonesome. Mar.
tin Hoffman came to live with her, and
though he was cheerful and kind, yet il
was long time before she could be.
come reconciled to the loss of her old
protector; but when the spring birds
came, and the pretty flowers began tC
bloom, she laughed once more, and hel
soul came back to its joyousness. One
day, while overhauling the papers Karl
had left in his old desk, she found a
note directed to her. The superscrip-
ton was in Karl's hand and the note
was strongly sealed. She was just 60
ing to open the missive, when she saw
some writing beneath the superscrip-
ton, and it read as follows: " Barbara
must not open this until she is married
nor must she allow anyone else to dc
so. | know she will not disobey."
For awhile Barbara wished to know
what was inside this letter, but she re-
membered she had never disobeyed hel
foster-father while he lived, and she
would not now darken her remembrance
of him by doing it; and so she placed il
again in the desk.
Time passed on, and when Barbara
was seventeen she was one of the hand
soonest girls in the neigborhood She
and Martin lived pleasantly together
for she had become used to his deform
ity, and he absolutely worshiped her
The mill kept working away all thu
while, its great wheel grooming ant
rumbling always while the sun was up
and often by candle-light, for Martin
was faithful.
During this time several men hat
sought the maiden's hand, but she hat
turned them off without question. A
length there came a young man whom
she did not dislike. His. name wal
John Fostern, the son of an inn-keepe
in Grefelbach. But Barbara was dis
Greet, and resolved, ere she allowed
her affections to become fixed by furthe