The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-06-28
THE SWISS PEASANTRY.
Stolld People Who Have the Passions That
Beget Tragedy.

Beget Tragedy.
I will tell some stories which prove
that the Swiss peasants, though they
look so stolid, have in them the stuff of
tragedy There was lad in a valley
called Schanfigg, not long ago, who
loved and was betrothed to girl in the
Hinter Rheinthal below Spliegen. She
Tilted him, having transferred hor affec-
tons to another, and he went to take
formal farewell of his sweetheart in her
home. Every thing passed decorously,
so much so that the girls brother put
his horse into the cart and drove the
rejected lover with his own sister down
to Thusis.
The three had reached that passage of
the Via Mala, where the Rhine loses
itself in very deep, narrow gorge. 1t
is called the Merlosene Loeb, and is
spanned by slender bridge thrown at
right angles over the river. Here, as
they were spinning merrily down-hill,
the lad stood up in the cart. sprung to
the parapet of the bridge, and dashed
himself at one bound into the grim
death of jagged rock and churning waves
below them. 1t was stroke of imagina-
tive fancy to commit suicide for love
just at this spot.
And now second tale of passion: A
rich man in the Prattigau had two chill
dren, daughter and son. The daugh-
ter wheedled him into allowing her to
marry some peasant who was poor and
an unequal match in social station.
Then his son set his affections upon
girl equally ineligible. The father
stormed. but the youth was true to his
plighted troth. During temporary abb
sence of the son his father contrived to
send the girl off to America with round
sum of money.
On his return, after hearing what had
happened, the lad said nothing, but
went down to the Landquart water in
the evening and drowned himself there.
And now third tale: Last spring, in a
village not three hours distant from
Davos, lived a young man who was an
orphan. He had inherited considera-
BILE estate, and expected more from two
uncles. Life, could he have managed
it prudently, would probably have made
him the wealthiest farmer in the neigh
borhood, and he was to boot, a stalwart
fellow on whom nature had lavished all
her gifts of health and comeliness.
| Unluckily, he loved girl of whom his
uncles disapproved as a match for such
youth of consequence.
One Saturday evening, as is the GUS
tom here, he went to pay his addresses
by stealth to this maiden of his choice,
and returning early next morning he
was upbraided by his interfering uncles.
l do not know what he replied, but GER
tainly he made no scene 20 speak of.
When his uncles left he unlocked his
gun from the wooden paneling Of the
boose room, went out alone into the
copse hard by and put a bullet in his
brain.-Fortnightly Review.
1t is said that one of the great
Eastern trunk line railroads deliberately
provides for loss of many thousands Of
dollars year upon the meals served in
its dining-cars, and charges tho loss to
the advertising account, in full knowl-
edge that the talk such prodigal outlay
will create is as good as that amount of
moneys worth in printers ink. A man
had for breakfast in one of those cars,
one day in April, trout, game-bird,
and bowl of strawberries nd-cream,
besides coffee. rolls, butter and glass
of milk. The meal cost dollar, and
his wife told him she could not buy any
one of the principal dishes in the mar
kets fOr that sum of money.