Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1890-12-25


dinate"
Very strange it sounded in my ears 10
hear this frank feudalism still talked 81
calmly among men of our own century
but so many things are strange and quaint
IN Hungary that no amount of surviving
mediayalism in that queer country really
I surprises one after one once gets there.
1t did surprise me, though, to hear the
angry way in which Janos retorted 10 lis
powerful lord: "iou have spoken the
word So be it, then, Count. On Christ
mas Eve come veal, come wo, | shall ask
for my wages. All accounts will then be
settled between us
young German doctor, with light
mustache, who had only arrived at the cas-
I tie that morning, touched my arm lightly.
/ "A bad evening to lrritate the count" he
whispered, in a very low voice. "Ive
! been examining his eyes. you know. this
! afternoon, and find them in a most Sc
riou>ly diseased condition. Hes out Of
| sorts altogether at my bad report. If Mr..
Janns takes my advice. he'll not provoke
| his master ncedlcsslv."
! hardly understood at the moment the
doctors fun meaning, for as yet hadn t
| the slightest idea how thoroughly feudsi
and almost dcspotic was the counts posi-
| tion.
who's this young fellow" asked
Hermann once more, as the doctor moved
over with an ANXIOUS expression to the
counts side. He seems to speak like one
in authority"
"Oh, HIM" Hermann answered the
fellow with the mustache; Why. he's
Herr Doctor Won Benekc, the great eve
specialist on my father disorder. from
Berlin University"
nodded my head and thought no more
of it. We went on lttle farther through
the deep forest, the party now separating
10 right and left, and Hermann and | fol-
lowed the count, who in turn kept close TO
the recalcl,rant Jauo>.
A, W. reached 4 specially dark and lone.
" part Of tile wood. ov,rhung hv yew
trees, the count, nnw black browcd aud
moodicr than ever turned angriIy to bis
va>>al once mole, and cried aloud. ',Iano-,
you're dropping sparks from your bask-
ei
I'm not. the man answered, aud glarcd
at him tcrccly
The counts face grew red a. IRE. though
| confess hadn't noticed the spark. my
self You are. tell YOU be repeated
with profound conviction. Don't con
tradict ne, or, by heaven, It'll be worse for
You :"
'l,'> 4 lie" Jauu> shouted out Nn.ing
down hi> torch, and putting Il out all at
once with 4 shower OF damp leaves crunch
Ell down it'll his Acri on the remaining fir
cones W. were left IN darkness save for
the struggling light from the other distant
torches
What followed / hardly saw or under
stood only know that heard through
TIE gloom the report Of the counts gun
aud loud >hIick close by from some
wounded creature
Next moment the other vendcfer- ran
up IN haste with their lurid torches We
all then saw distinctly what had happened.
Jdn"> lay welicriug IN pool Of blood on
the ground, Shot through the head aud
bleeding Profusely,-a hideous spectacle
For three minutes or mere there was an
awful silence. Then the count pointed
with hi> forefngcr to The gnastly corpse.
Take him up. he said in an authoritative
tone; ana two yenderer>, taking him up
between them, carried him home in their
arms in solemn order.
We marched back to the castle BY two-
and thrccS, along the hunt>man, trails,
with pushed feet. At the head went the
torches and the men with the corpse. Just
oeail1 /. Z, tae c9ggrt himself walksd .alqpl.
tie parry hung back Il little, and whispered
smpug them selves in awe->truck voices.
A. tor me. | was horriiied thunder
struck a-ha>t- Such deed a blood |
had never before seen, aud trust | may
never again see ia lifetime.
W hen We reached The castle, however,
and began to talk more freely among our
selves under the lights Of the nall, | was
a,toui>!tt to fiua nobody else in the whole
party regarded the matter in al al! the
same seriOu, way that did. To NE, with
my iugraincd English ideas, il MAS Of
course murder->lmply murder. | took 1t
for granted the count would be tried for
it. found guilty, ard duly sentenced. re-
garded myself a. the chief witness against
the unhappy man. expected to be called
upon to give evidence at the trial, and to
see NY employer hanged or beheaded.
But the Hungarian magnates at the cas-
tie, soon found out, were full merely Of
regret and cnmmi>eration for their host
and entertainer.-no thought Of the
wretched victim in any way Such pity
the evening, sport should have so sad an
end And Malzin, too, of all men in the
world, Who was 50 Kind and considerate
To hi- va~sal>
OF course he'd pension of the widow and
children handsomely. Such con-cien
tiou- man Marin, and munihcent TOO
50 full OF sense OF his feudal obliga-
ti0ns.
But the trial?" asked in maze Of
surprise. He'll surely be tried for ii:
Murder is not allowed to 20 scotfree in
Hungary"
The bland-looking old gentleman in
mild spectacles TO whom put this iuno-
cent inquiry gazed back at me with Gu
rious glance Of Lenign astonishment. "A
man of Marzn's rank - he answered much
amused Put on his trial before an open
court for killing vassal. Q dear me, no.
You don't understand our Hungarian sys-
TEN. MarZiu's a sovereign count IN his
own domiuluns. He has the rights Of life
and death over his retainers. The fellow
pro, oked him and was frightfully in>ub-
ordinate. Marlin very generously offered
him his discharge from Christmas Eve. /
wouldn't have done as much Id have lost
my temper and thrashed the fellow sound
" on the spot. But Marzin's man Of
admirable self-conirol He restrained his
passion. Only when the fool provoked
him a second time after promise of dis
charge did he exercise his undoubted SOW
ereign right and shoot him on the spot
! for insubordination."
/ NV blood boiled with Indignation within
me- In England | said coldly. ''we
I should call it murder. and, count or no
/ count, we'd hang the man for ii"
The mild-mannered old gentleman shrug-
ged his shoulders But in Hungary, my
friend" he said very quietly Il advise
you not to air such revolutionary senti-
ments"
That evening late. as l sat in my room
writing fervid account of this horrible
scene. which still haunted my eyes, to my
friends in England. a knock at the door
disturbed me suddenly.
Come in," said.
1t was the German doctor.
II want to ask you question particu
larly," he whispered in a low voice, as he
took the seat toward which | mOtionef
him. You were with the count when
this-well, this unfortunate accident, lei
US say-occurred and you know he was an
noyed because he saw sparks fall from the
venderer's cage. Now, the question is
did you see themT
NO" | answered reluctantly. Il Ger
tainly saw nothing To tell the trutb.I wa:
looking that moment the other way. Bu
l think there were none. If you want tC
know for sure, let's ask Hermann. He.
in his quarters, just next my bedroom
here"
We went into the boys apartments, and
rousing him as he lay, put the question Il
him. He was awake still, but his fac'
reddened violently when we asked hin
outright.
"Well, no." he answered at last, wheI
Won Beneke assured him he wanted the in
fornotiou from O poipt of yiayy of a Synp