Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-05-23
GYPSY AND COUNT
 BY SAcHER MAsocH.
BY SACHER MAsocH.

Night lay-a balmy, Perfumed sum mer's night-upon the broad plains the castled heights, the blooming vine yards of the Danube. On high rock springing abruptly up from the water the castle of Thurzo was perched. At its foot nestled the straw-roofed huts of little village. Slumber brooded over all-above in the high vaulted chambers of the castle; below in the low clay huts of the village Only the young and lively wife of the lord of the castle still kept her vigil
 The attendants, indeed, believed their mistress to have been asleep some hours back; but unknown to all she had arisen from her couch and now sat alone on a small balcony that hung, perched like martens nest, high up in one of the buttresses of the castle. As the lady sat there drinking in the beauty all around her, the strains of a violin, exquisitely played in the valley below, fell upon her ear. It was a wonderfully sweet and subtle melody that now broke the stiffness of the night, and fell like balm upon the
 
 listening eagerly, intently, until the lust note died slowly away
 The next night, however, while seated as before on her balcony and the music again falling on her ear, the countess summoned her maids and or dcred messengers to be sent in search of the unseen musician. A page re- turned presently bringing gypsy with him. The gypsy wore a blouse of scar let linen, his feet wore bare, and no covering was upon his long, black elf locks that hung divided about his brown, lean face; in one thin, tawny hand he held battered old fiddle. In obedience to the countess commands, he began playing one of those wild mel odies that form such a fitting accompa- niment to the strange, beautiful dances of his race. In reply to the countess questioning, he said that his name was Asboth; that for the present he and his wife were living in one of the huts in the village below. Soon, however, they would go back to their tribe, and resume their wandering life.
 The countess, who was anxious to keep him near her, proposed to him to enter her service The gypsy con sented, but with the proviso that when the desire should come upon him to resume his free, wild life again he should be at liberty to do SO.
 Some weeks after this, by a strange freak of destiny, the countess and the gypsy woman gave birth on the same dya and at the same hour to boys
 To the wife of the gypsy the young count was given to nurse, and in her care and to the music of Asboth's vio- lins the two children grew up. From the very first the son of tho count man. ifested as much love for and skill at the instrument as the fiddler's son himself. Stephan, count of Thurzo loved indeed the violin better even than horse or hound or falcon, better than tilting at the lists or riding in the tourney, bet ter, far better, than all study of books or rusty parchmcnts. Both children were apt and willing pupils of Asboth; and Count Thurzo, observing this, gave each of the lads on his twelfth birthday fine and valuable violin.
 Time passed on, and the children were now tall, handsome youths. Tho love they bore each other was as deep and frrvrnt as that of twin brothers In appearance, however, they were quite unlike, For Gezas. the gypsy, was as brown as a hazlenut, but stephan. the count, red and white as flower.
 When from time to time Ashoth left his home to go wandering, fiddling through the land, the two boys never failed to accompany him on these pill %rimages. Although Stephan's parents tried to keep him home at their sidc. they were powcrlcss to do so. En- treaties, threats, punishments even, could not keep him from his beloved gypsy playmate and comradc. One day, however when the lads were tall striplings of IS or 10, Asboth fell hcav- fly to the ground, his precious fiddle | dropping from his brown, nerveless fin gers His young companions hastcned to raise him up, but it was already too late, he was dead. He had died, how ever, as he had wished to die, on the high-road, the blue sky above him, the green turf beneath He was buried in the shade of the linden-tree where he fell, with his precious fiddle lying on his breast. The lads returned to the castle directly after, bringing the news of their companions fate with them For some weeks after they remained ! duAStAy eb lIOlllCb IIlCu uSulD LHS | longing for their wandering, trouba. l dour life attacked them, and this time stronger than ever before
 | They had been on the road some days when one hot, sultry afternoon they found themselves just outside the gates of the town of Presburg. They were weary and footsore and laid themselves down beneath a wide-spreading elm tree to rest. Lying there half asleep they were suddenly aroused by the sound of hunting-horn in their imme diate vicinity. Directly after, stag pursued by dogs and hunters burs from thicl1et not far away from them A huntress rode at the head of tho troop, young and beautiful woman When the stag had been brought tc bay, it was she who, dismounting, camt forward to give him the death-strol1e
 When the fair Diana had remounteC and was about to ride away again T