Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-03-25

was, however, that which had come over
the fortunes of the honest burgher, Herr
Gluck. The old inn was no longer the scene
of jollity and feasting; the merry, careless
song OF the citizen no longer sounded
through the spacious tap-room. Instead,
gloom and silence had settled down over
the olltcast inn. The gables rolted slowly
away without repair; the gaudy sign board
, had faded to mere suggestion of outline
aud color. and neglect and poverty were
evidenced in house, stables, aud field.
| A curse seemed TO have come over the
! house, and, broodirg there, drove, with its
dark shadows, the honest but superstitious
burghers to careless neglect of their old
friend. The tap was dusty and disorderly,
the bottles cobwebbed and broken, and the
landlord, pale and emaciated, sat from
morning till night in the shadow of the
large fireplace, either drowning memory in
the aqua-yite pot or loudly lamenting the
change of fortune that had depleted his
we'll filled Golfers and made him reproach
TO his neighbors.
The egrsst i f. sTsp IE1 If Was hp6 6e hfS STOW
..;4L dotissb cTluck's share In it, seemed
to have given an uncanny reputation to the
tavern. Man or devil, tie assassin had
walked on air in escaping the soldiery,
the place. First neglected, then avoided, the
inn of the Five Iron Rings became q rest
ing place for such few transient customers
as knew not its story.
Finally an event transpiral which made
those who were veituresome enough to
visit the inn in The daytime avoid j. at all
hours. Strange sights aid noises TO be
seen and heard at right, 80 rumor said,
drove the superstitious to wide detour of
the demon haunted place, and the new
tragedy, which hal still further aided it's
uncanny reputation, was thetheme of spec
ulation and idle comment in Iunsprucken
for many a day.
1t happened just twenty years, to day,
to an hour, aft its initial occurrences.
Gottlieb Gluck was his own tap-boy now,
for customers and servants had alike de-
serted him. Upon the evening referred to
n man habited in a long, dark cloak, mys-
terious in manner ard talk, had entered the
place ard asked Cor a nights lodging
The similarity of his attire to that of the
assassin of the Count Ulrich had preju-
diced the landlord against him, but he ST.
lently showed him to his room, the same
apartment occupied by Lady Agatha's
brother, nearly quarter of n century be-
fore.
The circumstance revived bitter and sor-
rowful memories in old Gottlieb's mind,
for from that event dated all his evil
fortunes.
Midnight had tolled from the castle tower
ere he arose, dizzy from unusual potations,
to put out the lights. As he glanced from
the window, however, every benumbed
sense was revived, every energy brought
into action. One glance at the beam of the
iron rings, one look of frozen horror at the
l..
Gottlieb Gluck fell, an inert mass, to the
floor.
An excited, Mortified throng found him
thus in the morning, eager TO question him
concerning the body of man found in the
court yard a few minutes previous. They
aided him TO reach the yard.
A groan burst from the lips of the un-
happy man rs he gaZed at the crushed,
lifeless tionre LYING IN tha etos,A Ao0o npdar
the courtyard beam.
1t was his guest of the previous night,
and in his outs.retched hand, torn from the
wood in the upper beam of the framework,
was one of the five iron rings.
Gloomier and darker grew the tavern
after this event, more unsavory its reputa-
ton, more morose and despondent its
afflicted landlord. People rarely spoke to
him on the street, and all the old supersti-
tions of ancient times, revived by the sim
pie minded burghers, operated to decree
him being in league with the demon of
evil.
81 am accursed," lie groaned. one night
as he sat alone in the gloomy old inn..
at is the fiend himself come for me-" he
muttered desperately, moment later, as
knock sounded at the door.
He confronted the visitor CURLY. n man
arrayed in the same long black cloak, a
man possessing the same mysterious coun-
tenance as the victim of the ring tragedy a
month previous.
"a nights lodging, mine host" he said
cheerily. But Gottlieb opposed his en-
trance.
81 am not prepared for guests" he said.
"But must find lodgings. / will put up
with Inconvenience"
Gottlieb sighed as he repaired to his bed
that night, after showing the man TO room.
He had offered him small apartment in
the haunted chamber. With light LAUGH the
stranger had taken the latter.
"He is doomed" muttered Go.tleib in
vague apprehension.
He was right, with the morning light his
body was found lying exactly in the po-
sition occupied month previous by the
first victim, and in his hand was clutched
tightly i'll death grasp, the second of the
five iron rings.
This second tragedy thrilled the public
with a most somber terror, and drove Gott-
lieb to desperation. Popular belief accred-
tied the Counts assassia and the two vic
Tins with being one and the same person,
and that person the evil one.
There was strong talk Of burning the inn,
and driving Got heb from the town, but
before this we'll meant kindness on the part
of'the landlords friends could be put into
execution an event occurred which cleared
up all the dread mystery and removed the
baleful curse from the old inn of Inn
sprucken.
1t was less than q month after the death
of the second guest that gloomy reverie
of Gottiieb's, who began TO believe that
each one of the rings would bring tragedy
to his threshold, was broken in upon by the
appearance of visitor who, withoet an
nouncing himself, walked into the bar.
"A room for the night" he said imperi-
ously, as he spoke startling the old inn
keeper TO his feet
Gottlieb regarded his visitor with undis-
gused dissatisfaction. He was young and
handsome, but he wore the SINE cloak as
the others, and at his belt swung sword at
the sight of the jeweled handle of which
the old innkeoper started In supersiitious
horror.
But he crowded back the tumultuous
thoughts which tortured mind and memory,
and said:
II have no rooms ready"
Nevertheless, / must stay here all night" Z"
replied the other determinedly.
pardon, mine herr, returned Gottlieb,
"but you must not"
"And whyI" demanded the young cava-
her, turning upon him his bright penetrat-
ing eyes, @If YOU are licensed innkeeper