The National tribune., 1888-11-29
TIE GAMEKEEPER
A Tragedy in a German Forest.
BY J. WARREN coxARD.

Ny companion was grizzled German, short
and rather thickset with a resolute face
which had once been handsome, and which
II times lighted up pleasantly, and again
would assume an expression of sadness as he
related his tragic experience.
- Yes" he observed / can sympathize with
men accused Of murder, for even /, youI plain,
quiet friend, Edward Spiersnyder, have stood
60 near the gallows that the recollection Of it
81 times still dsTkens my life.
I'm the year Is well no matter but before
YOU NV young friend, were born my father
was head gamekeeper for the Duke OF - IN
Germany. The poor little Duchy was long
ago swallowed up in the vast German Empire
but at that time the petty DukeGOm was won
derful world 10 me When the Duke and his
hunting parties clattcred past our humble cot
tage in the edge Of the forest gazed IN open
moufhed awe and reverence at the mighty
ruler. as ] thought him, and longed for the
time when / could accompany my father in the
hunt
AT that time the best hunting grounds were
infested with pOacheTs-daring peasants who
braved the excessive rigOr Of the laws Tor the
sake Of the game they could secure at night
and the excitement OF the illicit chase. Be-
tween the poachers and the gamekeepers the
most deadly animOsity existed aud bloody con-
ficts sometimes occurred. the two classes re-
earding each other with the same feeling that
the burglars in a large city. / was taught by
my father TO shun and hate every person sus-
pected Of being a relative or friend o. any
game-steaier.
At the age Of is was delighted with the
news of my appointment 10 the position OF as
sistant TO nv father. Before long / was on
duty. as proud OF my green shooting jacket and
leather leggins as a new held-marshal would
have been Of his baton. ! was very Vigilaut,
and speedily won the praise Of my father and
became the terror of the pOacheTs for / knew
the forests thoroughly, having speRt a great
portion OF my idle hours in wandering about
IN the most solitary places, 10 the disgust OF my
more noisy and sOciable brothers and play
mates.
few months after my appointment, as I
was wandering through the forest, the warm
Summer weather the deep silence, broken &C.
casionally BY the buzz Of some passing insect
lazily wingiug its way through the dr0Wsy air,
and the oontented feeling arising from my
having reached the summit of my ambition,
caused me TO become careless of surroundings,
and broke forth into one Of our German love
songs for / was thinking Of the time when ]
should be a full grown man and marry little
Gretchen, the inukeepeFs daughter, who WAS
only four years my Junior. My brothers called
her atow-haired brat and no doubt You would
laugh if you could see such squat little maiden,
u & short petticoat and wooden shoes. as she was
i
aud she seemed 10 adore me since had donned
the gamekeepers uniform.
The forest was becoming more open and the
trees larger. when / was startled BY sharp
order TO halt. ] stopped aud glanced upward
60 behold a ferce-looking young fellow, evil
IDENTIFY p0acher, seated in the forks Of huge,
branching tree some 10 feet above the ground,
with a cooked gun aimed directly at my breast.
] was armed only with a light staff aud hanger,
OF short cUtlass, having foolishly left my gun
81 home. For 2 few moments we glared at
each other in silence. i saw by hslf-emptied
wine bottle and some fragments of food on a
large branch near the pOacher, that l had sgT-
prised him al his MONDAY meal. He saw that
was completely in his power, and removing
bis gun from his shoulder he glanced quickly
around and asked me where my companions
were. replied that ] was alone The fellow
regarded me with a fixed stare for few mo-
ments, during which / inwardIy cursed my
1oly in having neglected 10 bring my trusty
gan, and thought with lightning-like rapidity
q my parents. my home, and Gretchen. For
cnce In my life, 1t least, l prayed ferveatlv,
and as the pOacher took another look around
closed my eyes and thought Of the morrow.
when a searching party would find my dead
body. Tor ] could expect no mercy fTOIi q
p0acher. ] thought Of the grief Of my
mother and Gretchen; Of the rage aud
sOrrow Of my father; OF the investigation
BY the Duke and his officials; Of the nine days
horror and wonder, which would end IN a
scramble for ny position and a tombstone
for an assistant gamekeeper murdered By some
enc unknown. Should do my full duty by
stacking the Tufian in some way? ] thought
Of drawing my hanger and hurting il at him,
and then OF making leap behind the nearest
tree, but / knew the least motion would seal
my fate. Again / glanced upward, and | was
IneZpressibly relieved to see that the stern
features of the poacher had relaxed into 8 smile
81 my pale face and my bOyish appearance.
CaTelessiy setting his gun aside IN the fork %
the tree, he goOd-naturedly invited me TO co!ue
up and take dinner with him. There was no
cbOice-it was either instant death or d hob
mob with natural enemy, and ! chose the
latter. He showed me how 10 ascend by means
oi a nOtched pole tied 70 the tree, which he had
evidently used before for similar purpose
There WAS room enough in the wide-spreading
forks Of the tree, and we ate aud drank to-
Eethcr very socially, with no conversation ez-
cept brief remarks about the weather Thought
again Of doing my duty, Of graphing with
him, hurting him from the tree and shooting
lin dead with his own gun. But he took care
TO keep his powerful body between his gun aud
myself, and beside the fact that he was about
. years old and much heavier than was nc
kept constantly IN his hand the wick ed-lo0k ne
cl2sped knife with which he cut the bread and
there was q balcful CLEAN IN his eye that aweG
me.
"Our frugal meal Of bread, wine and sausage
being finished. he turned to me, and speaking
sharply, asked me If ! had eaten enough
asseuted. and he exclaimed: You have eater
and drank with q p0acher. Dare 10 arrest nj
CT any Of my friends, and the Duke shall heal
Of this. Here aud with a quick motion @
the knife, which ] at first thought was aimed
a. my heart. he cut out q small piece Of cloti
from the breast Of my coat, Is a witness whicl
may be useful; and putting the fragment int,
his pocket he sternly ordered me to leave tn
tree and run IN an opposite direction from ml
home without looking back. ! lost no time il
obeying. aud reached home by a circuitou
T0ute.
This adventure annoyed me considerably
] dared not tell Of it, for I would have beel
dismissed ia disgrace by the Duke. and prob
ably disowned by my father, who knew woul
have died in his tracks before he would hav
dined with a pOacher. / became moody en-,
miserable, aud Grctchen's childish pleadin
could not induce me to make known the cause
] passed whole days watching the poacher'
tree, but the fellow was cunning. The notche
pole had disappeared, and he never came nea
tic spot
There was one spot in the forest wher
deer were fond Of grazing. ] knew il well an
often watched them from nv hiGing-place "a
the creatures were timid. having eyidentl
been fired n occasionally, and at the least nois
they would disappear with the sWiftness Of tn
wind. One old buck became a familiar yisito
TIE was a fine fsilggy and I often wondere