The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-04-24
LISEL,S VAR.
R xARIA THoNP son.

xLRIA oNPsoE.
On green hip Sse RitLner, midwsy be
80, the hamlet e I-~DRsrein and sne soli-
t"eeu '"e A~dSaI-, stands the itt,,
tsry hoss - ssns.z1ss sss.11ss Saar Behind IL -
ehurcl.-essn tianse-1 ) ,ti,sf rs l5St,-y,-t,
north. Tie -7ss ysnia Railroad sras
pine forest, rises almost abrnnfI,
10 tne west it slopes upward pradusII,
SeeH arp fiSing above green AID, until the
Ieach the sky line. while to the e.st on
s"uIh the ground falls away, giving a noo
h'ncent view of me beautiful valley bs,,-1d
"hich rises the solemn spIendor o. the
SchleTn The church Of Santa Msfia Saar
staDds alone In the midst Of this serious
loVeiiness- No GO'tossck er surrounds Il no
ham'et nesties under its shadow no priests
mouse Is near It, On its green hin side in tn.
/ - af the hills 1t seems like q rfsTole
! PRAYER put there u - :. -. 90 a.
/ soul so often felt among the st,o1,, -,
tsins-the need to bend the knee a p5 ,ba,L
God for the beauty which soothes and p,uy,s
the weary spirit. Mass is said only on Sun-
( days and fete days In Santa Maria Saar II
Is In no sense parish church, but no u.0.
farer ever passes it without a PRAYER. Tshe
low stone benches at the base OF the win
dows are worn already and a century hence
II the stream of life flows on as now In that
tranquil mountain SPOT. II will be easy To
distinguish the indentations worn by the
knees OF the worshipers who pause there on
their way up ard down the mcuntain side
Within, 1t Is like C1ost churches in xhe Tyrot.
exquisitely clean and orderly. and arranged
With reverential care which amounts to
taste. Thsre is an abundance Of gliding.
some pictures and siIken banners, but moth
Ing rare or curious except the sanctuary
lamp. which is OF highly wrought brass
Midway down the church In the western
trausept, stands a tall eTuciix 1t IL rudeIy
but religiousy carved, and, IN accordance
with .he beautiful custom of the Tyrol
humble offerings OF gratitude are hung upon
it. l remember seeing a bunch OF grapes
banging there, sometimes a few ears OF corn.
and so on. Bot there is one Offering which
is always there: the base OF the crueifx is
iuciosed In Rlass. and underneath the glass
are 10 be seen the long coils of a woman's
golden hair.
Wonderful hair it Is, twined round and
round the cructhx in heavy intricate bIaids
and cleaning and glossy still, though 1t has
..sTaVed on the glass is the inscription
LIsE1-DoFADIo
Dec Gratias
1859
II you ask the parish priest the history OF
this strange Offering. be will answer that it
is the hair of SeppePs LIsel, the hunters
daughter; that she was Wild, wsywsrd
girl and In her short life caused and suffer
ed great pain and trouble The peasants
will tell you that the Seppel's Lisei was
once the besuty OF the Rittner. and If press
ed, will pour out willingly enough her short
sad story.
She was an only child, and differed from
the average TyroIese maiden in being beau
tifuI as an angel and vain, idle, and coquet-
tIsh, whereas, TyroIese women are as rule
plain in person, and serious, Industrious. and
devout In character. Lisel was comfort to
no one, not even her parents and sha was
trouble to many, for there was not a mar
riaeea BILE man on the Rittner who was not in
love with her, and she delighted in the brois
and qusrreIs which her beauty provoked.
At the time my story begins 1t was gener-
ally believed that she would choose among
her suitors either the miIler's FranZeI, Sc
rious, steady, well-to-do-man of forty, of
whose suit her parents highly approved !;
Franz Staffier, of the Gasthaus, who was
the richest, the handsomest, and the gayest
man on the Rittuer OF Donadio Dannheim.
Don ado, though we'll known and highly es-
teemed on the RIttneT, was from Cartins, in
the Ampezzo Thai. and had Italian blood In
his veins. he was short slight, and some
what lame but there was something s'ngu.
larly attractive in his pale dark face. The
word sirnpatice seemed made for him. World