Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-05-22


help. For some time yet he watched the i'm
posing spectacle, then hastened away.
Miller Gerard had just been called to sup
per, when the servant, hurrying after him
came and told him the water was rising re
markedly fast. The wheel could hold out
but little longer. Surely an opening must
have been made somewhere. While the as
sistant was speaking, a Kissing and roaring
forced its way to the miller's ear. With two
| or three bounds he was in the mill The
wheel reyolved as frantically as il it would
| grind itself TO powder, and the water poured
| In In streams through the lock, 50 that the
! whole floor was covered.
Good help uslr cried the miller. "Stop the
! wheel, shut the upper gate and open the out
let pipe"
The servant, as alarmed as his master, hur-
ried out, and tried with much labor to give
the wildly rushing waters another course
and at last partially succeeded. Some sacks
with -four in them, ready for use, were
soaked through and through; others, con.
tanning corn, lay overthrow in tho water.
The wheel stopped at last. The miller could
not explain to himself this excessive water.
flow. He hastened to put things in order
that he might go to the foundation of this
serious affair. Gerard stood still, sweating
over the unlucky situation, when a man
burst in at the door, rushed furiously at the
amazed miller, and breathlessly exclaimed;
"Whnt possessed you, sir, what possessed
you to draw Off my waterl to open the sluiee
without saying anything to me about It'll
How dare you do It'll But only wait, II shall
cost you dear--dearl What is lost to me in
the pond, that you count out to me in cash.
as surely as l am the stewardn
"Sir steward, you herel" cried the aston
ished miller. "But do not understand you,
truly do not understand" he continued.
''The sluice openeda IL Heaven verify me;
have enough yes, too much water; need
no deluge But there, see for yourself what
injury have suffered, ~ and he motioned the
speaker into the meal room.
"Indeed, indeed! Who could it have been,
then9n asked the steward.
"A knavish churl, a madman,n cried the
miller, "who must have escaped from the
house OF correction, or FROM
"And my fish" interrupted the steward,
"are more than half destroyed. By good for
tune, | took pleasure ride along the pond,
this evening, else all would have been lost
Yet | shall cause an investigation to be made;
the miscreant must not escape u.s."
Friedel was saurtcring along by the brook
after he had so calmly committed the evil
deed, when he saw the steward ride at full
speed across the field to the mill He became
really anxious, and foreboded nothing good,
since he knew that very man was the owner
OF the pond. He sneaked noiselessly away
amid the bushes that grew along the edge of
the brook behind the field mill. When near
the latter, he hid behind willow thicket to
await the stewards departure He saw his
father and this man come out by the mill
wheel, and observed that both gesticulated
vehemently, inspecting the wheel as well as
the water course. Friedel softly moved nearer
in order to understand, if possible, what they
were saying to each other TO his terror
these words fell on his ear:
give and twenty l count out to him with
my own hand, then off with him to the house
of correction" 1t was the steward who
spoke.
That this was not laid to the stewards son
Friedel very well knew. He had boy of the
same age as Friedel who went with him in
the same classes at school, Hans was an in
dolent pupil, and was therefore far below
Friedel, who was second in the class. The
well known vexation which the stewards
child felt at that was also felt by his father,
and SO his schoolmates parents were not
kindly disposed toward Friedel.
AS the boy heard from the mouth Of his
enemy the severe penalty, which, he took for
granted, would fall upon him, an unutterable
fear seized him. He had certainly not meant
to do an evil deed Was he then a criminal,
that they threatened him with the house Of
correctionl Could his father have agreed to
it9 Would he count out to him twenty five
blows with a sticll2 No, he should never risk
that, he would rather go away-far, far
away, out into the world. Such thoughts
sped through the mind of the terrified boy.
He saw then how his father shook the stew
ards hand in friendly manner and heard
the latter say:
"Thus it remains"
Then Friedel turned back into the thick
bushes. For a time he debated whether he
should fall at the feet of his stern father and
beg for forgiveness, or whether it would not
be better to run away-far off whittier he
himself did not know. Then the latter re-
solve prevailed.
Fredel sprang up Once again he looked
at the field mill, then turned away and ran
as fast as he could to the forest He had not
reached this when he heard behind him on
the field road, into which he had turned, tho
tramping of horses feet.
"The steward, the stewardl" he cried to
himself, and once more quickened his pace
without even looking behind, and his flying
feet did not rest until the forest was reached.
On moss covered rock, which lay between
a bush and tree, the fugitive sat down
The sun had set. In the west the clouds in
the high canopy of heaven had arrayed them
selves in robes Of golden red. 1t was so still,
so slumbrous in the wood. Mysterious wills.
peripgs, which sounded very wonderful to
the miller child, lurked in the shadowy roof
of leaves. Old tales of good fairies and wood
sprites, which the mother had told the boy of
II years on winter evenings in the cosy little
room, came into his mind and excited his
fancy, The knotty trunks Of the oaks there
in the background seemed to come to life;
they stretched out their branches to him like
arms eager to imprison, as If they would hold
him--the fugitive-fast. The bushes round
about looked, in the twilight, like gray little
men, who sat there, close together and
thoughtful, with bowed heads Friedel dared
hardly breathe. Still darker it became;
nothing was longer astir. Those inhabitants
OF the woods, the merry birds, were long
since in bed. Covering low, the boy sat
there. Slowly his head sank on his breast;
he tried to support it with his hands. Then,
exhausted by fear and distress, he fell asleep.
AT the field mill the evening was an active
one People fastened hither aud thither,
reached with poles through the bed OF the
llill creek, and the miller ever urged them TO
new Investigation.
81 have not seen him for some time, said
the servant to the miller's wife. "Friedel
was by the brook"
80 God!n said the miller's wife through
hpr tnars. sthp Suraly waS MT drowned and