Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1889-04-18
FOR 4 SWAEZIG.


silver piece of money known in Ser
via as a ssDanzsg was worth fully six
guldens two dollars and half of our
present currency, for then we had
neither railways, nor steamboats,, nor
hotels with German landlords. nor
theaters, nor gas. Indeed. we hardly
knew what roads were. On the mill
tary frontiers, where the soil is not at
all fertile. money was so rare that it
might have passed for a chimers Of
the imagination, as in the opera of
Robert le Diable. Even in our time,
all along the banks of the Save, We
trade more by exchanging articles
than in any other way. a peasant
woman. for example, who wants to
buy silk handkerchief or anything
of that kind, never thinks of giving
money for it. She viii pay the mer-
chant with basket Of fruit or eggs.
or some other article Of country pro.
duce.
Now sixty years ago even small
piece of money was great treasure.
And it was for the sake of zwanzig
that the old blind minstrel Mifko be.
came an assassin and was hung.
Nevertheless the poor old man was
not bad or cruel at heart; he had al.
ready endured several cold winters
with no covering but a ragged cloak
but alas the rags fell at last quite tc
shreds, and it was absolutely necessa.
ry to procure another cloak for the
coming winter if he wished to av oid
dying of cold.
1t was at this time that the old min
strel first dreamed-and an insensibls
dream it was-of possessing for onc'
in his life a zwanzig, in order tha
with it he might buy himself a cloak
Whenever he earned few kreut
zers he usually spent them in havinG
his opaslsc (shoes) mended. or els
his hat, which was terribly battered
by wind and rain. 1t was only rare
ly that he had the pleasure Of ling
ling some copper kreutzers in hi
pocket, for the peasants usually ait
him for his music by handful or tw,
of corn or wheat or some bread. ant
few of the more generous by giving
him some lard.
Now even in Servia sixty years ag
lard could be sold for money. TIL
poor old man suddenly reflected tia
if he put all ais lard aside and save'
it be might. if he had enough. go som
day to the town and sell his lard 70
zwanzig. "Of what use is it. sal
he to himself, "to comfort my stomscl
with lard if in the winter l must di
of the cold?" When the autumn
came Mirko tied his provisions Of lar
in the pocket of his torba. and hired
little girl to lead him by the haRd.
the nearest town.
The old minstrel was as happy as
child at the thought ofreturning wit
a zwanzig clasped in his hand. Til
pretty silver piece assumed in his in
agination the really grandiose propol
lions of golden ducat. The zwar
zig was for him the alpha and omea
of wealth; he wished for nothing b
yond; and though in his songs he fri
quently chanted the glories Of hsro'
who reposed upon golden touches an
threw ducats about like water. b
own dreams were limited TO the ne
dalmotique which he hoped to bu.
He felt in his imagination the comfo
of the thick folds over his back an
shoulders. and he laughed in his hea
at the thought of rain or snow
Are we very far from the town
be asked the little girl every momen
N They were within sight OF the chnrs
spire when they met youngIma