Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-01-20
A CHURCH LEGEND.

Peter Smitz, the worthy mayor of AK
Ia .Chapelle, sat within his private cham.
Der, deep in thought. He was brooding
over the cathedral of AK, which was but
half finished, and there were no funds for
it's completion. His gloomy meditations
were interpreted by his pretty daughter.
"What is it, G%ertrude?" the father
asked.
"Hendric wishes to speak with you, "
the maiden answered, her face as demure
Is though she knew not the quest upon
which the young man came.
Let him come in, the father said, and
the daughter withdrew to make room for
the flaxen haired youth.
Hendric Staufman was a goOdly fellow,
a little wild perhaps-but, then, he was
the captain of the city guard, and much
might be excused in a soldier who ven
tured blood and life as freely as though he
had ample store of both.
The little fat mayor guessed the GRAND
upon which the youth had come and was
lot sorry to have an opportunity to de-
liver his mind upon the matter.
Straight and bold was the speech of the
soldier, like to the sword he wore, and the
example Of the warrior Alexander, who
cut the Gordian knot with the edge of his
own bright blade.
"Your daughter, worthy mayor" said
the soldier briskly. 81 love her and would
ask your consent to WOO her."
Now, although Peter Smitz had not the
slightest intention in the world of favor
ing the suit of the young man, yet SO
versed had he become in the arts of diplo-
macy since his service as mayor that he
did not openly tell the sutton that his suit
was hopeless, but he returned an evasive
answer.
II have no objection against you, my
gallant captain, y the mayor said, caress-
ing his fat chin and smiling upon the SOL
dier as II he fully intended to say yes at
once and have done with it, ''but affairs
of state require ME to hesitate before de-
cidiug such a weighty matter. You know
that our cathedral is unfinished, to the
great scandal of our town."
"What has that to do with your daugh-
ter?'' exclaimed the soldier in astonish-
ment. "Surely you do not expect that she
can aid in finishing it?"
The soldiers words gave rise to- bright
idea in the mind of the mayor.
EXACTLY he cried. "My daughters
nsban must finish the cathedral
"By my faith, then, she is apt to go
h,sbandless for awbile,nt the soldier cried
bluntly as he Withdrew.
The mayor chnckled With delight nnon
eating rid of his visitor SO easily and i'm
mediately resumed his study of the sur
rounding country, planning how he might
had dared IN scoff of the unfinished churob
The soldier omitted the mavor's mansion
in disonst and as he walked down the
street brooding modify over the utterly
innossih,a condition that old Peter had
imnospd he became conscious That there
was a stranper Gliding Inv his side
Yonno Hendr;c glsred at the stranger
in wrath Ha fe,t in the bnmor for a
o1,arrel. and here was a chance
The man was tall md thin. with a nose
curved like an eagles beak. deem sunken
evos Glowing lie halls of fire. n long
drooning mnstacbe and a sneer;ng smile
and he was wranned from head to foot in
a lone black CLOAK Upon his head he
wore q little hooded can and a single slen-
der red feather curved in the air like a
tonora If Arn
Hendr;c was hot with rage when he
o1ancad al tho stranoar and then ali Of a
Sudden he hecame as cold "a ice,
mOnr fat little mavor made strange non
dit;ons - nuoth the stranger his voice as
natalie az the RING Of steel mon steel.
Hendric could only stare. not sneak,
uYou see' know n, about n. y the stran
GER continued. with a confident nod, "and
+ take unite an interest in vonr case II is
a shame that two Young hearts should he
Lent from each other. and IF Won saw the
word Pm the nan who will give vol, the
maiden
Hendric sbivered and as he glance
around to 500 If anv one was near Ills Gaze
felI mon the unAn;shed cathedral
me two had ba1ted right in front of the
n, fated ch,,rch
nT,here Won ara y, cried tbe stranger as
ho ,ooEod a. Tho vast nila with tha oir of a
man Who c]onsidered hin,self a i,,dpe
about such matters uTho finishing Of
that 10 hit a mere triAe ri helm Won
,mvse,f II is a little ont Of nv line to
h,,iId chr,cbos Inf onnosit;on a. tbe life
NJ +,odo ri aid yor, cbean Inst sion
mo his contract, The nurnort Of N is
that tho Arst who shall enter nv the omen
door when the cathedral is finished shall
helonv tn me. akin and hair. bodv and
sonl
"A n is generally very easy in this world
70 o;va awev what does NOT belong to us.
Handric gladly signed the contract. and
thor Tho dark STRANGER agreed To danosit n
corta;n ann amnlv suA1cient to finish the
cathedral in = lonely snot mon tho
o.o,,nds ~ho,orrino tn Hendric,s dead ia.
ohol, "o~ooiaP"hio" W" VIZ w
- es W. sa~ NM ,uas CIV ar'
oao 4S 49, ,S;nh+ Lauo s,s'io;nn
= .e s,,nn;sbod r. ,nonov
g - WV Isl, 4ho
monu W. -; L";ia;m. .ba a..ha'
an., na.n;aa ~" NV, Mt hafora Tho
aaanea nv ..a. aa,ohoi uo,drio had car
1daa - Nv m;fa 4ha haraoim he had mado
.nit ea s,4 ;. w." va az ny 're"anlila sot har
mn oont,.ot statod +h.t +ho Arst r. en.
4.. .ho,,,d fo11 s,+.,,s ,r;,o but did mot