The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-10-20
TRYING NIGHT.

boy named Hans Herwig many years
ago, lived in the town of Harlan, on the
coast of Holland.
He was sturdy little fellow of 10. his
cheeks glowed with the hue of health and
his blue eyes beamsd with the kindly
feelings with which the heart that beat
under his rough little jacket was full.
"Father," he said one day, "may go
over the dyke and carry some cakes to
old blind Heinrich!"
EYES," said his fat old father, knocking
the ashes out of his pipe, "but be sure
not to stay too late in the evening or
your mother will be uneasy about you."
Now of course they spoke to each other
in Dutch, but as @e do not understand
that language, We will Use our native
English.
"All right, father" said little Hans, and
he put on the wooden cap his mother had
made for him, and set of or his jour
ney.
He soon reached the humble cottage of
the blind man.
"Ah, it is you, my little Hans" said the
cheerful voice of old Heinrich, as he
heard the familiar footsteps on the gravel
path. "You always bring the sunshine to
this Cid heart of mine. God bless you,
my dear little Hans"
"God bless you, my dear old Heinrich "
cried the boy, throwing his arms around
the old man. ~ have brought you some
cakes mother baked for you, and will
only wait to see you eat one before go
home"
"What," exclaimed the old p.an, with
his mouth full of cake, land You will not
wait to hear me tell the story of the water
sprite who loved mortal and gave up
her perpetual youth and beauty TO be-
come his bride; or how the beautiful star
grew lonely in the sky and threw herself
down to the boat where her lover was row
ing, and the fragments struck the water
and became beautiful water lilies floating
on it's smooth surfsce?"
"No," said Hans, shaking his head,
"your stories are very beautiful, Heinrich
and love TO hear them, but have prom
ised my father that 1 will come home
early this evening"
"Heaven bless the child that obeys his
father" said old Heinrich. 81 will not
detain you. Embrace me, boy, and run
along home"
As he vert along by the canals, which
are used in Holland in the place of roads,
Hans noticed that they were quite full OF
water, for it was il October, and there
had been heavy rains. Here he met three
women tugging merrily at rope attach
ed to a small boat in the canal: and there
jolly fat fisherman smoking his pipe as
he lay in his little cart drawn by two dogs
his head propLed up by his basket of
fish, while his feet dangled over the front
of the tiny vehicle. Then he passed q
cool, clean dairy where the women were
busy making Edan cheeses, while Others
y q fa,lt 20 fh..
walls of the stables by knots in their
tails over nails. Here comes wealthy
buIgher, drivirg his sleek, wellfed team,
for tine horses are abundant in Holland,
but many of the peopie are too poor to
own them.
Now he sees poor family embarking
on a canal boat, moving to another place
in the hope of bettering their fortune,
taking with them all their worldly goods,
their loving cows, barking dogs, bleatipg &
goats, squawking geese, caokl,ng hens
and squealing pig with string tied
around mis- foot by which his rebelious
majesty can be dragged.
Now Hans stops to gather bunch of
blue forget-me' nots to carry TO his moth.
or, who loves these flowers so well.
The road is gradually becoming more
solitary, and soon neither the Joyous
shout of the villager retui ming to his cot
tage home, nor the rough voice of the
carter, grumbling at his lazy horses, is
heard. There is only the twitter of the
birds as they cuddle up in their warm
nests, an6 the whir of huge windmill
that stretches it's immepss vanes against
the distant sky, reminding one of great
four armed giant But Hans Is not afraid
he trudges steadily onward, whis'ling the
air OF merry song.
The little fellow now perceives, how.
ever, that the blue of the flowers in his
hand is scarcely distinguishable from the
green of the surrounding her.age, and
he looks up in some dismay. Yes, the
night is falling; not, however, "A dark
winter night, but a clear moonlight one,
in which every object is nearly as percep-
tihle as by day.
Haas thinks of his fathers warming TO
him about coming home early, and is pre-
pairing to quit the ravine, in which he Is
almost buried, aud go rack to tho beach,
when suddenly slight noise, like the
trickling of water upon pebbles, attracts
attention. His heart is filed with fear,
for he looks up and sees there Is hole
in the wood of one of the large slnices.
which are hugs gates placed at interval.
III the great Oike tnht ptotecto h'iaho
from the encroachment of the German
sea, and the water is trickling through
and threatening the country with over
flow.
Now Hans understood the danger that
threatened his beloved home as thorough
ly as any Intelligent Dutch boy would, bu'
some of us may not be SO well informed,
so will try to explain to you what have
found out about il from books
Holland is very singular country. Il"
fact, you may travel all over the world
and not find another one like it. Nearl!
the whole region is below the level of the
sea, which ia striving constantly bn'
fruitlessly to recover its ravish"d domain
The keels of its ships are above the chin
neys of its buildings, and the frogs that
creak in the buirushes of it's bitches look
down upon the swallows tw.ttering on the
ho1setops.
Long years ago, the ocean said to the
Holianders: "You shall have no country
here.n
But the Dutch people, who are sturdy