The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1890-12-18

yard is long and steep" The man took
to his bed and died. He was buried that
day week, Here we have at least the
Christian idea Of sin that il punished
"a little too heavily, one is inclined 10
think-but what are VIC 10 say to the
following story, which was told in the
Slay dialect Of Carniola by a travelling
workman, at once translated into Ger.
man and noted down. The story was
read aloud in rough German, which was
translated almost 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. 1t is evidently
far older, or at least more authentic, YER
sion than the last:
HOW TO HEAR THE ANIMALS TALK.
No one can hear the animals talk un-
less he has boots with nine soles and
fern leaves in them. There was farm
servant (knechD in the Gail Thai who
had pair of very strong shoes made.
which were afterward frequently re-
paired, So .nat they had the requisite
number of soles, though he did not
know it. He lived in loft above stall
where two oxen were kept, and between
the loft and stall there was trap door,
which he often left open. One Christ
mas eve he went to visit girl with
whom he was in love in a village about
a mile and half away. The path led
through wood, in which there were a
great number of ferns. He staid too
long, and FASTENED back in sach hurry
that he did not stop to fasten his boots,
the laces of which had become loose 1t
is to be supposed that this was the rea-
son why some fern leaves got into them
AS soon as he had reached the loft he
heard great lamentation below, and
called through the traphole to ask what
was the matter. AS no answer was
given he put out his lantern, but re-
manned standing "What are you com
planning about?" asked a voice below
why should not complain, answered
a second voice, "when in six months
am to be slaughteredY' "That is quite
true, but | have better reason to
lament, for shall be slaughtered in two
days for funeral feast. and you in six
months for marriage, which is better"
w NJ Will uic, t1eIl. OuT UllSlTtSS.
How" "You know she has 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. 1t will spring to the
top of the stove; there it will stay for
time, but when the soup is brought in it
will jump down upon the table, and
from thence over the tureen and its mis-
tress' 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 mas
ter asked him what was the matter. |
For "a long time he refused to reply, but |
at last he entreated his master to have |
the cat killed at once. 1t was no use |
telling story that nobody would be- |
lieve, he said, but his whole manner |
made such an impression on the propri- |
etor that he consented to his request. |
The wife, however. said she was fond |
of the cat; it had been long in the house, |
and if it were killed for mere fancy |
shs iseraelf utapld 90 awav Evervthinn |
OF course, happened exactly rs the oxen |
had foretold In six months the master
married again, and said 81 don't like
to see that OK; it used to draw with one
that was slaughtered at my first wife's
funeral. Have it killed for dinner
One does not quite envy the wedding
guests their beef. Tho wa, not, how
ever, the moral the narrator drew from
the story, He said: Zone Can see how
much more cattle know than one thinks;
if the servant had not happened 10 have
fern leaves in his boots they would have
spoken just as they did, and nobody
would have known anything about it,"
We for our part can only leave the story
to those who are interested in such mat
tiers, in the hope that it will not prove
as indigestible as the beef was likely to
be.--London Saturday Review.