St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-20
How a Peasant Girl Won a Pot
Of Gold for Her Good
ness.
One of the Tales in Which Old
German Literature
Abounds.
A Story With a Moral Which
Doesn't Need to Be
Pointed Out.
From the German.

peOnieS, and one day when she cut her
hand with the sickle it seemed as if the
blood would never stop flowing. For
tunately the shepherds house was not
far off and the shepherd was at home.
He was man who understood more
about the art of healing than
ten city doctors. He repeated
charm, and, as an extra pre-
caution. stuck a plaster over the
wound. Then it stopped bleeding, and.
of course, 1t was the charm that did it.
Three days afterward the beautiful girl
took her apron to the brook to wash out
the drops of blood which had fallen on
it. The water came down from a
wooded hill, which was crowned with
an old ruined castle, and not far from
its source formed wide. deep basin,
on whose shores grew willows and alder
bushes. The maiden knelt down by the
edge of the water and began her work
without looking up; but after while she
chanced to raise her eyes, and to her as
constituent she saw that she was not
alone. Opposite her, on the other side
of the brook. kneit beautiful. pale
woman, dressed i'll pure white. who was
also trying to wash some blo0d-stained
linen. But as often as she took the
garment out of the stream the drops
rolled off as from the feathers of swan;
the cloth remained dry and the status as
bright and crimson as before. The
maiden locked with amaZement at the
strange washerWomau, and scarcely
dared to breathe. At last the pale lady
saw that her work was useless. Sadly
81, lad nf I,l a
said, half aloud:
My veil have washed for three hundred
years,
But as bloody as ever it still appears.
Then the maiden was seized with ter
ror: she jumped up and ran in wild
haste away from the uncanny washer
woman and back to the village. LII the
village lived an old wise woman who
could give advice about all sorts of
things. After the Augelus, the young
girl went to her and told her what had
happened.
THAT was the enchanted lady of the
mountain castle" said the old woman.
and then she related what she knew of
her history. MANY years ago knight
lived up there in the castle, and he had
a wife who was beautiful beyond all
compare. but likewise proud and vain,
and because she priced beauty above
everything else, she had recourse to
witchcraft, and committed horrible
deed. When her little child was born
she stabbed it through the heart
and bathed herself in the warm
blood. By this means she expect
ed to win eternal youth and
imperishable beauty. As the penalty
for her crime she finds no rest i'll the
grave, but has TO wander about in the
ruins of the old CASTLE The huntsmtn
aud woOd-cutters often see her there as
she goes about waiiing and wringing
her hands. The long veil which floats
down from her head is dotted with red
pinks; in realty they are drops of blood.
And when the day on which she COM
United the terrible crime comes around,
she goes down to the water in the forest
to wash the blo0d-stains from her veil,
bnt she never has succeeded and never
will. They say, besides, that she
guards treasure which lies buried in
the old castle, aud who knows, my
child. but it might have fallen to your
lot if you had held your ground?"
The young girl Stoned to the old lady
with awe. But in spite of her fear she
ventured the next day to 20 to the brook
again, where the ghOstiy washerWoman
had appeared to her. but the pale lady
did not come. Indeed, the old woman
spoke truly when she SAID the enehant-
ed one appeared by the water only on
the anniversary of her evil deed. So
the girl took notice of the exact day and
hour, and waited patiently whole year
long. When the year had passed away
and the day had come back again, the
courageous maiden went with a bundle
of washing on her head to the
place where the speil-bound lady of
the castle had appeared. She look the
., RI. hiAn n Iitttn
in her bodice as a charm against evil
spirits. But the nearer she came to the
brook the more her footsteps faltered,
and her heart beat louder and louder,
and when she really saw the enchanted
washerwoman by the edge Of the water
she came very near turning back. But
the pale lady gave her look so mex
preSsibly sad that the young girl over
came her fears and fingered.
My veil have washed for three hundred
years,
But as bloody as ever it still appears,
murmured the unhappy woman, and she
rubbed and rinsed the bloody linen
while she groaned and sighed. Then
the young girl took heart and said "In
the name of the Lord, give me the
cloth!'' The pale lady looked up with
delight and handed the veil to the
maiden. And, 10. beneath the hands of
the virgin the red stains disappeared.
and the linen became as white and
clean as newly, fallen SHOW. The
bright tears rolled down the pale face
of the spell-bound lady; she took
the proffered veil and beekoned to
the maiden with her white hand.
Like will-o'- the-wiSp she glided over
the ground, SWerving now 10 the right,
now to the left among the fir trees.
From time to time she turned her head
to see VIII ether the maiden was follow
ing her. She had grasped her little
cross and walked bravely behind her
weird leader, who went toward the
vault, whose roof had fallen in, the pae
lady checked her footsteps and pointed
to a stone, which was set into the floor.
The maiden raised the stone with her
strong arm, but the next moment she
started back with horror. In the hole
stood kettle filed with gold pieces and
costly ornaments, but on the top of it lay
a little dead child with bloody wound
in its breast. The young girl was
about to- ran away. but when she saw
how the pale lady Wrung her hands in
deep distress she remained where she
was, and laid the wooden Gro: s she car
ried in her hand on the dead cnild'S
breast. Then the lady in white folded
her hands and bent her head low. She
grew paler and paler like dream at the
Growing of the Misunderstanding cock. and
finally the misty form faded from sight.
When the young girl turned her eyes
again toward the hole the dead child had
disappeared. the cross lay on the pre-
cious kettle. the yellow gold shone and
glistened in the sunlight which came
through the broken wall. Without any
further fears of apparition, she carried
her treasure trove safely home, and in
the eyes OF the young men became three