The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-12-28

The main street was as dark as thu
cellar when the candle goes out. hut
every one was busying himself as US
| ual, buying and selling and going
, about his business as if the sun shone
1t was very bad for their eyes, for of
| course no one lighted a candle be-
| cause it was day, and it was espe-
cially hard for the little dressmaker
over the bakers shop for she could not
see at all, and ran her needle into her
thumb every stitch she took.
| 1t was all very strange, for in Mug
gendorf noon came at midnight and
breakfast in the evening, and supper
just as the sun rose, and all because
the sun was bewitched. AS soon as the
sun set every one got out of bed and
the children were sent to school and
the cows driven to pasture, and the
farmers went out to pillow, if it hap
pened to be the time of the year for
blowing, and very funny, crooked fur
rows the plows made in the dark.
In fact, everything was just wrong
in Muggendorf. and all that should
have been done at night was done
while the sun Shone, and all that
should have been done by day was
done in the dark. 1t was most in
convenient, except for the butcher who
always slept in church, and he liked it,
LOT no one COulO see WneJnor ne was
asleep or awake.
When Gustaf fell asleep in the sag
bottomed chair the baker told the gro
Ger that he had a visitor from the cap
ital of the country, where the King
lives, and the grocer told the butcher
and the butcher told the keeper of the
big red seal, and in short while ev-
cry one in town knew it, and the CHM
ney sweep, who was Mayor Of Muggen-
dOrf, knew it, too.
Now, no stranger had come to Mug
gendorf for over a hundred years, and
though the Muggendorfers had tried
every way they knew to unbewitch the
sun no stranger had ever tried, so the
chimney sweep said Gustaf might be
the very one, and they arranged for
grand delegation to call on him and
ask his advice.
The delegation was headed by the
Mayor, and with him were the keeper
of the big red seal, and the keeper of
the town clock, and the custodian Of
the hospital for the cure of the incur
able lazy, and the parson, and the town
scribe. And with them went all the
men and women of Muggendorf and
three dogs.
When they entered the bakers shop
Gustaf awakened and rubbed his eyes,
for he could scarcely see any of them,
and he could not see the sooty Mayor
at all, but he heard his voice.
The Mayor told him what they had
come for as well as he could, which
was not very well, for the whole dele
cation talked at once, and the people
kept stepping on each others feet and
begging each others pardon very
politely. But Gustaf managed to hear
a word here and word there and he
slowly learned that they wanted him
to take the spell off the sun.
1.-TWO years ago." said the Mayor.
"the sun began to move too fast, and
1t moved a little faster each day, until
it got so far ahead that now it shines
at night instead of by day as it Should
and at noon it is midnight, and at mid
night it is noon. 1 don't mind it my
self, for it is always black inside
chimney, but is hard for the town
scribe, for he can never tell whether
he is putting his mucilage brush into
the mucilage bottle or the ink. and he
has written so many pages of the
town records with mucilage that they
are all stuck together"
Gustaf heard the town scribe sigh
and he was very sorry for him, so
he said he would see what he could
do about it, and the delegation and
all the Muggendorfers went about their
business.
'And how" asked Gustaf OF the
baker, ''do you know the sun is be-
witched? 1t is not so in the caDital
of the country, where the King lives"
That may be- said the bakeR but
1T is here, for we can tell that by the
great clock in the town hall tower.
The King gave us this clock one hun
dred years ago, and it is so fine that
there is no clock sin the whole world
like it. So fine is it that we have
never needed watch or clock in Mug
gendorf except this one. Well, two
years ago, when the almanac said the
sun should rise at 7:15 in the morning.
it rose a bit before Z, and while the
great clock has kept going quite as
usual the sun has been gaining ever
since until now it is full twelve hours
ahead. And / hope you can unbe-
witch it, for my wife's brother is the
editor of the 'Muggendorf Herald
and in the dark he cannot tell "a from
q, and his paper looks like a Chinese
puzzle. But that doesn't matter mucn
for no one can read it in thedark. But
his subscription list has gone to moth
ing. and l have to feed him and his
wife and four children, as well as give
them house and home"
Il have that in my pockets" said
GUSTAV, that will take the spell OH
the sun. Wait until the big round sun
rises and then we shall see." And he
curled up in the sag bottom chair and
went to sleep.
When Gustaf awoke it was Mug
gendorf's evening and the sun was
rising on the other side of the public
square, but the news had gone abroad
that the boy from the capital of the
country, where the King lives, would
unbewitch the sun, and a great CROWD
stood outside the bakers shop. and
the Mayor with them: but nobody
knew the MayoS, 1or he had washed
his face.
None of the Muggendorfers had
gone to bed, for it was New Years
Eve and all intended to wait for the
beginning of the New Year; so 1t was
very great crowd, indeed, and every
one was there, from the keeper OF the
big red seal to the little dressmaKer
with her thumb tied in white band
age. All were blinking like Owls aS
they were not used to the sunlight
AS Gustaf came from the baker
shop the band began to play and ths
people cheered, but Gustaf pusheu
through the crowd and walked TO the
town hall, all following him as ciose