Wichita eagle., 1888-11-13
AMONG TEE ALPS.
AN AMERICAN ToDR.sT WRITES A
LETTER FROM scHAFFHAuSEN.

caise"-A Short Ride Into Germany.
Solitude of the Black Forest-A Party
of Woodchoppers-An Interior.
In former years our little American colony
in Schafhausen numbered in all six souls,
| and, TO use an e1cusable bull, two OF these
| Americans were Beigans, having resided in
New York some years. Now there IS not
even shadow of colony here, and beauti-
full as the tours about the environs are, they
| are quite abandoned by our countrynen.
| The average traveller arrives at SchaIfnausen,
/ Is Immediately rushed into an omnibus,
driven over to Neuhausen, sees the falls of the
/ Rhine, and then away again Not SO your
I correspondent, for l quietly settled down at
! the Hotel de la Poste, quiet hosiery In the
| city itself, slipped into my smoking jacket
! and slippers, and was soon chatting with
| mine host, Buchanan, just as II the seventeen
| years since last rested here were yesterday.
| "Ah' said ny genial host, you are just
| in time, Herr EiSon Tomorrow evening
j the castle. the old Munoth, IS TO be the scene
| Of q reception, given by the Stadtsrath TO
/ the singing societies of Canton Appenzeil,
and win see that you are specially invited"
| And invited was, ard the following even
| ing found ne seateaat the round table within
/ the esplanadeof the castle, while the Appei-
zellers made merry music about me. Then
! dancing was in order and although am not
dancer myself / Nil try to describe a Pc
! culiar dance they call Ia Franchise" which
appeared very pretty to me as / sat and
looked on. The sets were formed as for our
ordinary German at home, but after few
bars Of music by the orchestra saw it was
to be quite different Everybody is the pink
OF poIiteness. ''Mademoiselle, may | have
the honors" the hat is raised, the lady courte
sizes very low, and in fact more quiet polite
ness is displayed than one meets at a similar
Partisan gathering
At length all is ready. After the custom
arr salute the Music falls into yeritable
minuet, as stately almost as the one OF the
French Louis. Follow it with me. dear
reader, in fancy, at leaSt. The old mipuet Of
our ancestors, forward and salute, the gen.
tleran holding the lady's hand with quite
indescribable grace as high as the shoulder
then across and back again; but while am
gazing dreamily on this scene, what do l
hear! Why, to be sure, one of Strauss raw
ishing waltZes, and presto! the whole is
changed from the sober TO the gay, and l see
nothing but the rosy, healthy faces turning
about, while the tails OF the gentlemen's dress
coats stand at an angle OF forgive degrees
SO fast do these South Germans and Swiss
waltz And SO the dance ends.
But | have promised, gentle reader. TO take
you into the country, so let US take this train
for a short ride into Germany for you must
remember Schaffhausen lies on the German
side of the Rhine) and we soon come to the
village of krotzingen on the extreme south
ern edge of the Black Forest. 1t is justly
called the Black Forest, for the tall pines
and cedars grow close together, making night
Of noon under their shadows Taxing car
riage, or, more properly, sort OF light cart,
| directed my driver to strike by the most
unfrequented road into the forest. In fif-
teen minutes we were in solitude SO still
that it was oppressive Not sound save
that peculiar swaying noise of the pines that
only Bret Harte can describe, and an occa-
sional cry of bird very similar to our cat
bird; otherwise al is najsstically still.
! order the driver to halt, and while he is
opening the little hamper and spreading our
frugal luncheon | take my compass and make
a little inroad into the woods. I hear
brook triciling over the rocks, and as | APP
proach frighteneils hare scampers through
the brush. Poor creature! | am as much
startled as be, for my head is full of such
stories as the Iron Ring" and | half look to
meet one of the Old robber chiefs and his
band, that q couple OF centuries ago made
this forest a dangerous place, aud whose
spirits, some of the more ignorant peasants
believe, are still to be met with by the be-
lated traveller. But.harkl hear my guide
calling, so back l go to luncheon. The wise
fellow has put our bottle of Macon into the
\ II
the best of fellowship to our little luncheon
in the Black Forest. AT length all is finished
and We drive along, and by circuitous
route reach the village OF Staufen. 1t is
more populoqs place than | expected to fad
here, IL has its OWN little hotel, called 'The
Wild Man, and adjoining it a brewery,
little row of stores, and, in fact, is quite a
city in the woods.
But we plunge into the woods again and
presently come to a party Of woodchoppers,
their axes ringing merrily, but only against
such trees as the Herr Postmaster has given
permission to be cut. and still farther along l
hear the dripping OF water on u mill wheel,
and here we enter the little village of INTER
munsterthal, a veritable Black Forest dorf
l knock at the doorpost of house, for the
door stands open, and a man with a heavy
pair o. SaDotS appears, anu ASK PERMISSION
to come in and see MS house He is natur-
ally surprised that any one should want to
see his house, but accords me permission and
l enter Against the wall stands large
porcelain stove, at least eight feet high, while
just outside is his pile of brush and wood for
the winter HIS cattle shed is just to the
rear, and his chamber above, reached by
short ladder. The odor of the cattle per-
7
We are soon on our way to Neul,irch, where
l take the train back again to Schaffhausen,
which / reach not bit fatigued with rly
beautiful jOurney.-George ii. Elson in Bos-
ton Transcript.