Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-02-22
A Gei man legend.

There was once a poor, but very
honest, contented and merry kind of
man in the village OF TiIleda, who
happened 10 be giving a christening
feast, for about the eighth time, to
some of his ne!ghbors. DESTROYS of
showing al respect to the party at
the christening, he set before them
the best country wine he possessed,
which, being quickly despatched, his
guests seemed TO be looking for little
more.
go. then," said the father TO his
eldest child, a girl about about sixteen
years old, ''go and bring lis Some
better wine from the CELLAR
From what cellar, father?'' in
quired his daugter.
What cellar, child?" repeated her
father, merely in jest, "why, the great
wine cellar, belonging to the old
knights upon the Kyffhausen.
With perfect simplicity the young
maideu took a firkin in one hand, and
proceeded toward the mountain. About
middle way, seated on an old deserted
path leading down toward the spot,
she found an aged housekeeper, dressed
in a singular, quaint fashion, with a
large bunch of keys hanging at her
side. The young woman paused, not
little surprised at the sight; but
the old lady inquired OF her very
kindly whether she had not come 80
fetch wine from the knights cellar.
Yes" replied the tImid girl, ''but
have got no money"
Come with me-" said the old
housekeeper; you shall have it for
nothing; and better wine than your
father ever bought in his llfe.''
They both then proceeded along an
old, deserted road, the old lady inquir-
ing very particularly, by the way,
what the appearance of things then
was in Tilleda-who was alive, and
who was dead.
Once" said she, "I was as young
and pretty as thou art, before l was kid
mapped and buried under ground by the
knights, OF, rather, night-rlders who
stole me away from the very house
that now belongs to thy father. Shortly
before this, they had also seized four
young ladies of these parts, who were
often afterward seen about here on
their richly-caparisoned steeds. They
were entrapped and carried off in
open day by these mountain knights
as they were coming from church at
Keiba. They made me, as 1 grew
older, into the hOusekeeper. and en-
trusted me with the keys of the cellar,
which, you see, still weaT.'
By this time they had reached the
cellar door, which the old housekeeper
unlocked. 1t was a fine, spacious
cellar, and on both sides it was well
laid out with rows of watts and butts.
Most of them were either quite, or
more than half full, and broaching
one Of them with great deXterlty, she
took the little firkin and filled 1t up to
the brim.
There" she said, "take that to
your father; and whenever he may
happen to be giving a treat, you may
come again; only see that you tell no
| one, besides your father, where you
have it from. And moreover, take
heed that you sell none OF 1t, nor give
| 1t away. for in neither case VIII it be
worth anything at all. If any one ven
lures hither too btain wine for sale, let
him be warned; his last bread has been
baked-now goI"
Unluckily, just opposite to them
lived the landlord of the village inn,
who dealt as largely as he could in
adulterated spirits He, among others
bad also taste of the knights wine.
My friend, you might mix this with
ten times its body of water and sell il
for good wine still. Where can you
contrIve to get it from?"
lie resolved to watch; and he fol-
| lowed the daughter as she went, for
about the fourteenth time, with her
little firkin, toward the kyffhausen
hills. He hid himself, and saw her
come the exact way from the old
cellar, with her firkin quite full shortly
afterward. Accordingly, next evening
he set out himself, having first rolled
into a little cart one of the largest
empty barrels he could tind, intending
to fill il with the same precious kind
of liquor. He thought it would be
easy to convey il down hill and he made
VOW to return every night until the
cellar became empty. As he ap-
preached the spot where he had
marked the path the day before, the
sky suddenly began to grow dark and
lowering. The wind rose and whistled
portentuously of the gathering rain,
which soon fell in torrents. The
tempest carried him and his barre
rom one side of the road to the other.
at last, down the hill he went, and
continued to fall deeper and deeper
until he finally found himself lodged IN
burial vault.
Here appeared an awful procession
before his eyes-a regular funeral,
with bier hung with black, and his
wife and four neighbors, whom he rec
ognized easily enough 10y their gait and
garments, followed In Its wake. at
this sight he very naturally tainted
away; and on recovering, some hours
after ward, he still found himself in the
dImly lighted vault, and heard the old
familiar steeple-bells of Tllleda striking
twelve. Now he knew that it was the
witching hour and that be was then
lying under the church and the burial
ground of tue village, in a gloomy
vault. He was certainly more dead
than alive, and scarcely Ventured to
breathe. But, seel monk now ap-
proaches him slowly down the narrow
steps, opens the door, and in perfect
silence puts some money into his hand,
aud then, taking him up in his arms,
he laid him down at the foot of the
mountain. 1t was cold, frosty
night. BY degrees the good host came
little TO himself, and crept, without
either wine or wine casks, as far as
home. 1t struck one Just as he
reached It; and he felt himself so un-
well that he must take TO his bed. In
the course of three days he died, and
the money which he had brought
home, given HIM by the ghostly monk,
was Just sufficient TO defray his funeral
expenses; his wife and the four neigh
bors, as he had seen them, following
him to the grave.
The Carpet Must Go.