The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1890-12-20


penalty seemed to be an open question,
as few persons care to wade through the
snow, to climb mountain, or even to take
up their abode in a wood, in order to
listen to their discourses. Even with re-
spect to domestic animals everything has
not hitherto been rendered as clear rs
we should like it to be. For example, q
village priest was kind enough to furnish
us with the following story, which was
written down at once, as much rs pos
sible in his own words. It is a. sin to
listen to what the animals say, and it
always brings ill luck. A farm servant
from distance did not believe the story
"a sin which, it may be feared, was
shared both by tho present writer and
his informant. Still he retained such
half belief as induced him to hide him.
self in the stable. Tho two horses which
it contained talked to each other as fol-
lows: eve shall have hard work to do
this day week" Eyes, the servant is
heavy" "And the way to tho church.
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 a sin that is punished
"A little too heavily, one is inclined to
think-but what arc we to say to the
following story, which was told in the
Slav dialect of Carniola by q travelling
workman, at once translated into Ger
man and noted down. Tho story was
read aloud in rough German, which was
translated almost sentence by sentence
to tho narrator, who firmly believed in
tho truth of the tale, and corrected by
him In one or two small points, which
were directly altered. It is evidently
far older, or at least more authentic, YER
sion than tho last:
HOW TO HEAR TIE ANIMALS TALK
No ono can hear the animals talk un-
less he has boots with nine soles and
fern leaves in them. There was a farm
servant (knechD i'll the Gail Thai who
had n pair of very strong shoes made,
which were aftcrwartl frequently re-
paired, so that they had the requisite
number of soles, though he did not
know it. Ho lived in u loft above astall
where two oxen were kept, and between
tho loft and stall there was IL trap door,
which he often left open. Ono Christ
mas eve he went to visit ~ girl with
whom he was in love in n 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 hastcned back in such Il 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 tho traphole to ask what
was the matter. AS no answer was
given he put out his lantern, but re-
manned standing. "What arc you COM
planning about?" asked q voice below
"Why should not complain, answered
a second voice, ''when in six months
am to be slaughtcrcd?" "That is quite
true, but | have a better reason to
lament, for shall be slaughtered in two
days for u funeral feast, and you in six
months for a marriage, which is better" /"
"Who will die, thcn?' "Our mistress. /"
"How?" "You know she has a cat that
always sits beside her at meals and eats
out of her plate. Tomorrow there will
bo a great dinner, and tho cat will come
as usual, but she will be angry and push
it roughly away. It will spring to the
top of the stove; there it will stay for a
time, but when tho soup is brought in it
will jump down upon tho table, and
from thence over the tureen aud it's mis-
tress' head. In doing this it will let a
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 tho 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.
Tho wife, however, said she was fond
of the cat; it had been long in the house,
and if it were killed for a mere fancy
she herself would 60 away. Everything,
ol course, happened exactly as the oxen
had foretold. In six mouths 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 wifes
funeral. Have it killed for dinner" +"
One does not quite envy the wedding
guests their beef. This was not, how
ever, the moral tho narrator drew from
| Tho nefoy~ IL ttN
much more cattle know than ono 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 arc interested in such mat
ters, in the hope that it will not prove
as indigestible as tho beef was likely to
be,-London Saturday Review.