Morning journal and courier., 1889-01-03
took to his bed and died. He was buried


 that day week.
 Here we have at least the Christian idea of a sin that is punished-a little to heavily, one is inclined to think-but what are we to say to the following story, which was told in the Slav dialect of CarDiola, by travelling workman, at once translated into German and noted down. The story was read aloud in rough German, which was translated, al- most sentence by sentence, to the narrator,
 who firmly believed in the truth of the tale, and corrected by him in one or two small points. which were directly altered. It is evidently far older, or at least more authen- tic, version than the last.
 No one can hear the animals talk unless he has boots with nine soles and fern leaves in them. There was a farm servant Knecht) in the Gail Thai who had pair of very strong shoes made, which weI, afterward frequently repaired, so that they had the re- quisite number of soles, though he did not know it. He lived in the loft above stall where two oxen were kept, and between the loft and stall there was trap door, which he often left open. One Christmas eve he went to visit girl with whom he was in love, in village about mile and half away. The path led through a wood in which there were 8 great number of ferns. He stayed too long and hastened back in such 8 hurry that he did not stop to fasten his boots, the faces of which had become loose. It is to be supposed that this was the reason why some fern leaves got into them. As soon as he had reached the loft he heard great lamen- tation below, and called through tn trap hole to ask what was the matter. As no answer was given, he put out his lantern, but re- mained standing. "What are you complain ing about?" asked a voice below. "Why should not complains" answered a second voice, "when in six months I am to be slaughtered" ''That is quite true, but I have better reason to lament, for shall be slaughtered in two days for funeral feast, and you in six months for 8 marriage, which is better" "Who will die, thena" "Our mistress ssHow?" "You know she has 8 cat that always sits beside her at meals and eats out of her plate. Tomorrow there will be great dinner and the cat will come as usual, but she will be angry and push it roughly away. It will spring to the top of i the stove; there it will stay for time, but ! when the soup is brought in it will jump down upon the table, and thence over the ! tureen and it's mistress head. In doing this \ it will let hair fall, and that hair will choke ! her." Here the conversation ended. Next morning the servant looked gloomy among | his jovial fellows, and his master asked him ! what was the matter. For long time he | refused to reply. but at last he entreated his ! master to have the cat killed at once. Ii \ was no use telling story that nobody would | believe, he said, but his whole manner made ! such an impression on the proprietor that he | consented tO nls request. The Wue, now. ever, said she was fond of the cst it had
 been long in the house, and if it were killed for mere fancy she herself would go away
 Everything of course happened exactly af ! the oxen had foret old. In six months the ! master married again and said: 'I don' like to see that OK; it used to draw with one
 that was slaughtered at my first wife's fune
 ral. Have 1t killed for dinner" One doe'
 not quite envy the wedding guests thei
 beef. This was not, however, the moral th' ! narrator drew from the story: he said: "On' ! can see how much moro cattle know thai one thinks; if the servant had not happened to have fern leaves in his boots they would
 have spoken just ss they did, and nobod. l would have known anything about it." w l for our part can only leave the story tt ! those who are interested in such matters, il ! the hope that it will not prove as indigesti ! ble az the beet was likely to be-.