News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-05-15

through a keyhGie2 He drew the
wadding out of theeseyhole and what
happened? Thewoman grew smaller
and smaller and finally foated like q
feather in the air. The man tries tc
catch the feather, but she escaped him,
and like a cloud of smoke slipped
through the keyhole, Then he had to
sit down and quietly swallow his dis
appointment
"This was the old journeyman's
story. But | followed his advice and
stopped up the keyhole, and from that
time | had no more trouble"
"And is that the whole story?" I
asked.
mo this is c,lly the beginning.
Listen and l will tell you the rest.
Zone Sunday afternoon I was alone
in the workshop.
''When the master and the journey
man went for their beer and to the
bowling alley l preferred to stay at
home and stretch myself on the stove
bench, while I read a story of some
robbery or else an instructive book,
and this was what | was doing that
afternoon. But while reading I fell
asleep, and really the nightmare came
to me again, and she looked like a
pretty buXom lassie l aroused myself
and rubbed my eyes, but the night
mare did not disappear, but began to
speak! viii you not be SO kind as to
put patch on nv ShOeI
with pleasure | answered. To
be sure it is Sunday, but it shall be
done
"And then I looked at the maiden.
"Oh, but she was pretty as a pict-
ure, about twenty years old, and when
she looked at me with her great black
eyes-but you can't understand about
that, neighbor
''She took off her shoe, and I went
to work. Then she told me that she
had come from the metropolis and
worked in a linen establishment, that
she did not know anybody in the city,
and so forth. and so forth
''The hole in the shoe was soon
mended, and when she found [ would
take no pay she smiled like May sun
shine, pressed my hand and away she
went.
The affair turned my head. and
the next week did not miss a single
dance, for [ hoped to meet the strange
young woman again, but I did not see
her anywheTc. An extraordinary
thought came into my mind. What
if after all she was the nightmare, |
thought.
"Soon after little property fell to
me, so that | was able to become a
master shoemaker. | established a
work shop in the shoemakers' street,
and when had everything in order
invited the masters of the art to a din
ner. We had a high time. We had
beer soup and roast pig with vegeta-
bles in abundance. Besides we had
Bavarian beer TO drink, and at last
when we were all right merry placed
before my guests-there. were eleven
of them and l made the twelfth-two
bottles of wine. Then their eyes grew
as big as saucers.
Here Mr.. Zapf stopped in his account
and took swallow Of brandy.
"Go on" | urged, 'go on"
when the shoemakers had gone,
continued the narrator, Il sat down
in my easy chair, to rest from the ex
citement and fell asleep"
"Ahar' exclaim excitedly, Il know
now comes the nightmare.
"Quite right, affirmed Zapf. Sud
denly there stood before me, as if she
had grown up out of the floor, the one
of whom | had constantly thought in
my waking and my sleepy moments.
''She carried bundle in her hand
and said:
Don't take it amiss, master, that
l give you call
But miss | asked, and my heart
was beating like fire bell, how did
you get in?'-
The door was locked
oh she answered with a laugh,
through the keyhoIe, and at the same
time she showed her little pearly teeth,
till my head was completely turned.
Then she continued: L have left my
situation and am going back where |
game from, and as / was passing by
your house, l saw you sitting here,
and came in.
You are not offended, are you2 l
only came to bid you farewell.
" TO bid me farewellP | cried,
grasping her hand That shall never
be. You are mine, and mine you shall
always be. And l will take care that
you do not escape me through the key
hole Having spoken thus, I sprang
toward the door and pushed tightly
rolled wad of newspaper into the key
hole
"Then she was imprisoned.
"And what then, what then?" l
urged. But the old man pricked up his
ears, hastily seized the brandy bottle
and pushed it into his pocket. Hush,
she is coming, he said apprehensively.
The door opened and in pushed the
broad form of Mrs. Zapf. She threw
a heavy bundle of washing on the
floor, making the house tremble, and
lifted her nose shifting the air. ut
smells Of cooking here, she said
"It was only a pair of poor little
gold hammers" explained the master
of the house, timidly.
'Tndeed9" continued the woman
"While | am out at work and drudg-
ing till the blood bursts from under
my nails, the old good for nothing sits
at home idle, cooking birds and living
like princel OF course, everything
is eaten up but the bones. Oh, you
gluttonl And you" turning to me,
'you are as bad as he is. Instead of
poring over your school books, you
ere idling with the old lazy bones and
listening to his lying stories. No good
will ever come of you; remember now
what say!"
"Wife, said the old man pacifying-
ly, 'see here, what he has brought
us" And with these words he handed
her the little sum of money which |
| had given him as birthday present.