The Yazoo sentinel. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1878-1916, 1891-09-03

At this uncanny title / shivsred
-But what may that be?' ! asked anx
iously.
-Achl What an old fool am.
forget sometimes, but forgive il
But Klaus" said ], what did yor
mean"
Klaus bent toward me, his old face
drawn with fear The bell that ring.
out the life Of every Won S,eingratl.
SAID be, with suppressed emotion.
suppose looked both startled and in
terested. and the old servant, glad Of
sympathy aud attention, continued in q
hushed voice; -Mayhap you observed
the monastery near the castle. sir, az
you came up the drive Well, sir, a
long time ago the Baron Steingraf Of
that day, who lived then in the schloss
higher up in the hills above the Kro-
tensee. had quarrel with the abbot
The baron was q fierce and naughty
man that cared little for church and
priest, and the abbot was as naughty in
his way, so the fued grew deadlier every
day.
AT last the abbot sworA on the holy
relics Of ST. Wolfgang that he would ex-
communicate the baron. And the baron
swore by the cross on his swordhilt that
he would tear the frock of the abbot's
back and drive him and his monks out
Of the monastery. The abbot was as
good as hrs word, and so, on the feast
OF the blessed St Wolfgang, he and his
monks walked in procession through
M a. niA ha
great book was opened and the anathe-
mas read, and then the bell was tolled
and the lighted candles extinguished.
and thus the baron was excommunicated.
The bell was still tolling and the priests
were on their way down the aisle when
the shouts Of the baron and his wild
men-at-arms. his jagers and holzknecth
rang at the walls, and sledges aud great
pine beams were battering at the gates.
One mad fellow seized splinter Of wood
aud lit it at the altar and then fred the
panels, and the roof and the dry wood
were all soon in a blaze. The baron
seized the bell rope and rang ont loud
peal OF triumph. But the abbot walked
up to him, dressed in all his robes, and
holding up his hands, cursed him in the
name Of the blessed Trinity, and said
As the evil one peals that bell now
through your hands, so shall he peal it
when he claims the soul as it passes
from the body Of you and your son and
Of your sons son. Amenp
So saying. the abbot called his
monks, and they went their way down
to the Lake of Aver But the baron
and his followers threw themselves upon
the holy men and tore their frocks from
their backs and threw their books Into
the lake. The baron then seized the
monastery lands and held them, too
for might was right in those days, and
he built the present castle hard by the
the ruins OF the monastery, lest the
abbot and his retainers should rally
and seek to regain their old possessions.
Time passed on, and the baron had
well-nigh forgotten that abbot or monk
had ever dwelt within the old black
ened monastery walls. One cold win
ter's night the baron sat with his re-
tainers in the great hall drinking and
revealing. as was their wont. The wind |
howled in gusts fitfully, and in the
pauses loud knock WINS heard at the
oaken door, The Thurhuter, when he
opened the door, saw no one. though 4
tile moon Was at thai momept shining I
through rift Of tie clouds. but he felt /
q cold blast sweep across his face SO
he shut the door again, and thought it
must have been the storm that deceived
him.
The next moment those in the hall
saw a monk in a black habit, with
cowl drawn over his head, enter and
walk without word to where the baron
was sitting. Then the monk drew back
his hood, and an old withered face,
CHASTITY pale, but stern, and fierce,
gazed undaunted on the baron.
'Tausend sakermentr shouted the
baron, starting in rage, dog of an alb
bot. what brings you here? Trundle
out the shaveiing, aud set tie dogs on
him.
"The abbot raised his skinny arm,
and said in hollow and solemn voice:
This night twenty years you and met,
am on my way TO the abbey; follow
me-
"The abbot retired ,as be came, no
one daring to hinder or harm the holy
man.
"'To the hsngman with him. cried
the baron. choking with rage and
springing after him. That moment the
old bell pealed out with wild clang
from the tower. The baron fell to the
ground. When they lifted him up he
was dead.
TWAS said he died in fit. Maybe
20. But that very night one Of the
holzknechts returning TO the village
rom the Riesen up on the hill where
be had been working, declared that as
be passed the tower he heard the old
bell pealing, and saw a procession Of
monks following a bier and disappear
ng within the ruins Next morning
idings came that the old abbot had ,
lied the day before at St. Wolfgang's,
but where or when he was buried no
body ever knew"
-0ld Klaus ceased and sat gazing IN
he Ere.
"A strange, wild tale, said lightly, ,
unwilling to confess myself moved by
he story. Has the ghost bell ever /
been heard since that time
Old Klaus shuddered. -Ay, sir" be
answered gloomily, whenever the soul
passes from the body Of Won stien- {