Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1889-05-02
THE PRINTER OF kuMMERsolTHll.
~ GEoEGE Z. rosrrR

or sorrowin- vale. l was for ; long
while unab,e-tO determine knowing
that : town famed in primitive time.
and gwen 50 expressive = name As
Borrowing vale" was sure to have an
entertaining legend. and being specially
Interested II the study OF nomenclature
~ far A. il related to the names Of
places decided ID stop Over s day in
oue Of my annual trips UP the valley
and solve the mystery that to ne sP-
pszVed wrapped up IN the name
A little inquiry at The village inn dis
closed tie fact that there still resided n
the t0xa one Of the old citizens whose
mind though feeble on matters per
tainiaS TO the present day. was sull
Young - 10 the Impressions received N
youth
S-uifyiHs nv desire 20 Sc the old
mzn. THE keeper Of The inn pointed ont
rs ancient home. and dinner over. |
started for ais cottage He Was seated
in his doorway. and 10 M good after
noon asked me 70 ST down AMI rest.
1t AS rot long before adroitly led the
obi mas mind hack 10 the sunny DAYS
Ct his youth. and IN his story q old
seeaeS he gave the ancient legend OF
kuzzersolshaL
Il was 70 the eFees that more than \
esntnry aSR 4 yOaaS German came.
with hs yeaa< ant charming 5ride.
iato that beautiful valley. There he
huEr hm 4 czbiz- ant cGriously select
81 b. the river sde. inst where
tAs suas srst beams struck ia the
morus< All - AS RAYS f-Il At a-ht
There t9r ten years they RESIDED; happy
Yeas they WEIR. too. though their
nearest n Shbors were mles away A
brSht Hi;le boy sooz male the father
and mothers heart rejosee. and tie
Young father WAS very proud and
happy
Oue izv. when be returned from his
vorS IA the clearing. he found rs wife
murdered by Ia.liaas. hs child stolen
way AMI Ss cabin burned The
sho-k came the young husband
aud father. bat alone b. performed the
sal funeral rites over his murdered
wife. and trez plunged into the tores;
TO search for the destroyer Of bis peace
and for bis lost child 1t became n
mania With ki1. and for wears after
hunters ami traPPers used TO tel Of :
~half-eraxed man that they often met.
who Was always on the tramp eagerly
looking for something he could not
ind. and when addressed on the sub
ject \ tear would start afresh in his
eye, and he would sadly poiut in the
direction Of his old home. and utter the
SINGLE word 'kummersolthaL"
This. in brief. was the legend that
the old villager told me. and At the
close his mind became lost in his an
cieut memories. 50 hat he forgot my
presence and l stole quietly away.
leaving him as | found HIM. absorbed
in thought
This vas years ago TIE town then
had two thousand inhabitants. but il
was so snugly nestled IN the waller and
removed 50 far from railroads that It
had been overlooked by geogrspherS
aud it was only By accident that I
stumbled over Il Al all Returning to
the inn. | made note of the ie-sud n
my record book. and. a. paid ms biL.
the polite landlord presented me with
: copy Of the kummersolihaI G4-stt@
remember reading it with interest
and wondered a, the printers ingenuity
in getting into his little sheet 80 many
things Of interest, and | remember dis
tnCtiy. too. that in each item. no mat
ter how gay on the exterior. there was
& something -whsE / could mo- tell
that showed il was written with 4 sor-
rowing heart Had | time. l should
have called 70 see the printer, and
tret to solve the rayel of mysterious
sadness that appeared TO underlie his
gay exterior and which he evidently
laoOred to conceal But l left the VII
lage. and in other places. miuglin-
with other people. | forgot the village.
the legend and the GG-eitG Now.
after ten years absence. l found myself
a. kummersOlthal agair- Instead of
the peace and quiet that reiSued when
| left there. great excitement prevailed.
and Il was evident 20 the most casual
observer that sonsething unusual had
happened followed the crowd over
the bridge and down By the river side.
and | found ths people gathered
around n Imprinted eostaSe % which
WAS an aged s-u. so washed oy the
rains Of time that e vas wiki difficulty
| could deeipher the words Hammer
solthal Garsft&"
From = citizen learned that the 1ay
before the paper hal .falet % appear.
Somehow every Z felt Disappointed
For more than twenty years such \ fazl-
ure had EsveT happeaed Every
"Wednesday. At precisely 4 clock pm.
the Fapers were delivered At the rost-
Office By the ecitOr and his son. who
silently returned home
One thing VS. certain. the hummer
sOlthAl GI-sIs Was missed. No one
sAcsgs, - gs5== down - see whv /.
had not cone % late years the ed
tor and his family lad appeared o
shrink more from society. They were
considered exclusive and proud A
lively u1n with blzck whiskers. who
a<Fa-rfu -r1Eay E--.rs ~