The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1897-12-24
HOLDA AND THE PEASANT,

hOLDR hhU lht Pth0hN
OF all the countries of Europe the
most exclusively mountainous district is
found in the Tyrol, a province of Austria.
A chain of rugged peaks and cliffs
stretches across the country from east to
west, dividing the valley of the north
| from its sister of the south. Some of the
peaks are clothed in perpetual snow, and
they look down upon the people in the
valleys like guardian spirits, watching
over them and their welfare.
AS for the people, they, in their lowly
homes, look up to the uninterrupted tur-
| rets of nature with love and reverence.
So grand an environment could not but
produce in the breasts of the peasants an
ideal of beauty, weird and sublime,
strong and rugged.
But the interest that the peasants feel
in those silent watches arises not from
their grandeur only. Many stories are
told of adventures i'll those wild passes,
in the relation of which the Tyrolese find
Il never-ending pleasure. Let me tell you
one of the prettiest of these legends.
Long ago peasant and his wife lived
in a little cabin at the foot of one of the
great hills. Green fields stretched around
them, but they yielded scarcely enough
to sustain the life of the two people, and
when children came to Increase the little
family, hunger often showed its gaunt
form among them.
One day the father said to the anxious
mother:
II will drive my sheep up the mountain
today, where, perchance, they, may lind
food And, perhaps, l may be able to
kill some animal, since we cannot spare
the sheep, that will furnish our poor ta-
bic for you and the little Ones"
All day he was gone, and even when
returned. The hungry children had cried
themselves to sleep and the mother was
straining her eyes through the deepening
gloom to catch glimpse of the returning
father.
Suddenly he appeared from out of the
mist, the sheep before him and on his
shoulders beautiful channels. After
that, every day, the peasant assembled
the hills, and he often brought home a
channels, so that they no longer feared
hunger, but they were still very poor.
One day, leaving his sheep to Craze
upon the heritage that seemed to grow
abundantly in some spots, the peasant
wandered far up the mountain side, for
he was in pursuit of the most beautiful
channels that he had ever seen. The ami
NAL was so swift, however, that it con-
stantly eluded the hunter. Over rocks
and crags it ran, the man ever at it's
heels.
Suddenly, behind a great boulder, it
disappeared, but not before a shaft sent
by the hunter had given it fatal
wound, for he soon found it and prepared
to throw it over his shoulder. But just
as he was lifting the carcass, his eye
caught sight of a door right in the side
of the glacier.
Full of amazement the peasant dropped
the body of the chamois and approached
amazement increased, for before him,
leading into the glazier, was fight of
steps. Marveling at this strange discov-
cry, and moving like one in dream, the
peasant descended the steps and found
himself in wide hall.
At the far end of this hall he beheld a
door, and Fastening towards It, he
pushed it open, revealing beyond the
portal a scene of rare splendor. In a
in the distance, he saw more wonderful
treasures than he had ever dreamed Of.
The floor was of alabaster, inlaid with
gold and ebony. Wrought gold and sill
yer and rare jewels of all kinds lay about
in profusion.
The ceiling of this marvellous room was
like white woven clouds, sparkling with
gems like stars. Strange musical instru-
ments were around, which played of
ing into volume of sweet sounds such
as mortal ear had never heard.
In the midst of all this splendOr was a
group of maidens, each one fairer than
her neighbor, and sitting in the center of
the group was tall, stately, wonder
fully beautiful woman. She was clad all
in white, with golden girdle at her
waist and golden sandals on her feet.
BY her side hung bunch of golden
keys, and before her was golden spin
ming wheel: exquisitely jeweled, from
which, as she spun, came golden threads
and flmy webs of brilliant colors.
But in the midst of all this beauty and
magniicence, nothing so attracted the
eyes of the bewildered peasant as a
bunch of pale blue flowers that the
queenlly woman wore on her bosom; to
these he turned again and again, in spite
OF the gold and jewels by which he was
surrounded.
Now, this queenly woman was the god
dess Holda, beloved of all the people in
that country for her watchful care If
them. Having made herself known to
the peasant, she thus spoke to him.
"All that you see here is mine; choose
yours to take home with you.''
The peasant fell upon his knees before
the goddess, and then, raising his eyes,
he again saw that little bunch of blue
flowers.
':All that I crave, most gracious queen
and goddess" answered the astonished
man, "is the bunch of flowers that You
wear: Give me those beautiful blossoms,
and shall care nothing for the gold and
ofo +lo+
your palace"
Holda smiled when he made his re-
"'Tis we'll chosen,'' she said, "as Won
will find. Take the flowers. and as long
as they remain fresh, so long shall you
dwell in the land and prosper. Take also
this measure of grain, and with it sow
are now, and will reward you.''
Then, raising her hand, the goddess dis
missed the peasant, and she and her train
and all the magnifcence around them
vanished, while the earth quaked and the
thunder rolled over the mountain.
The peasant looked around him and saw
that he was once more on the glacier.
Over to the west was a glorious sunset,
with long, web-like clouds floating over
the sky these reminded him of the god
deSs, and he thought that he had been
dreaming. But looking down, he beheld
the blue flowers in his hand and the meas
ure of seed behind him, and he knew that
the meeting had been real.
With his heart full of rejoicings, the
man descended the mountain and sought
his home. His good wife welcomed him
warmly, but when she had heard of his
adventure she was indignant that he had
not chosen gold and precious stones for
his gifts.
I'VE are so poor" she cried, land yet,
when bounty is offered, you choose a
bunch of worthless flowers
But the husband answered her not, and
several days after that he spent in tilling
his ground, turning up the soft earth in
long straight burrows and sowing therein
his precious seed. His amazement was
great as he saw that the seed scarcely d.
minished as he sowed, but was sufficient
to spread over acres Of land. Then,
when the long summer days came, he
would steal out in the moonlight and
watch the tender green sprouts, till, at
Ia or tho v,ho1o fold uos cororoI with IT,