The Dolores star., 1904-02-19

Mohrhaus, the geomefcr, has black eyes
danced with mischief. and he called on
the sexton.
Il have had warning 10 prepare n
graye-for . grown person." the sex
ton said. soiemnIy.
From rhe Herr Pastor. or your
crazy spokenkieker:' asked Mohrhaus
From Noite. Come with me. so that
you may be convinced at last. He does
not like 10 speak of these things TO
strangers: but he Will speak if / ask
him TO tell you..'
II Notice eyes had encountered the
sight of ghost instead of the gay face
of the young peometrician, he could not
hare stnrted back II greater horror.
But Mohrhnus only sneered.
Il want to hear about your funeral
procession he laughed. When will
il arrive?.1.
In three days from now was the
positive reply. but there will be no
procession the old man added. sadly,
mot 4 single mourncr will follow the
coffin,
.Oh-9h,.n. laughed the young man
again, ..'that means. suppose. tha, IN
less you really find some one 10 bury
within that time, you will simply put
a straw man into the coffin
Tell him what the horses are like
that will'bring tie coffin on the wagon"
the sexton suggested TO the old -baker.
Yes. tell me what kind of horses will
bring your dead man, added the youth;
what are they like?"
Elm falber und Elm rappe," Ia dun
horse and a black one) was the impress
sive answer.
But Mohrhaus laughed the louder.
Elm talber pnd ain rappe!" he re-
peated. Upon my word now-that is
the team the old German kings drove
in their ehariots. Your dead man
comes in majesty"
The geisterseher's patience was ex-
hausted.
Death always comes in majeciy!"
he cried, in ringing voice. and you,
too, shall trcmble before it ere three
suns haye set.'
As Mohrhaus was to go on sur
veying trip next day, he made sure
first, through the agency of the par
ish clerk, that there was no one sick,
or in immediate danger of dying OF
old age, in the parish; and he received
from him the promise that if word
should be sent to dig grave he would
go himself and see that no such horses
as the spokenkicker had described
should draw the wagon.
On his return to Petershaken, the
third day, he was met with the in.
formation that a funeral had been
announced to arrive from Eldagsen
that day, but had not yet come
though it was then late in the after.
noon.
Going to keep up old Nolte's repu.
tatiop at all risks" Mohrhaus said
and he started Tor the tavern where he
expected to find the sexton.
The sun was fast approaching the
west, and a rough wind blew through
the deserted streetsi it seemed to
Mohrhaus that he heard the clatteI
of hoofs on the cobblestones, as he
came along, but he paid no attention
to it,
The tavern-keeper informed him
that the sexton had Just been sum.
moned away, as the leng-delayed flu.
itTdl ildu come at laSt.
Mohrhaus' eyes twinkled, as he said:
Then ! must go to the graveyard at
once, before they put the straw-map
underground
The sun was about to go down when
he reached the gate of the cemetery;
he met the parish clerk, who told
him that the funeral had come-a lone.
ly-looking coffin on an open wagon
drawn by two horses-a dun horse and
black one. The wagon that left Ell
dagsen had been drawn by spun
Of white horses; but they had become
unmanageable, had torn the harness,
broken the wagon, and thrown the
collin to the ground, The man who
drove the wagon, and tho man who
followed, as solitary mourner, had
both been hurt, one of the white
horses had to be shot, the other had
run away. and the odd team now In
the wagon. had been picked up among
the people on the road.
"A likely story said Mohrhaus, and
he pressed on to where he saw mum.
Der of men gathered around an open
grove, his friend, the sexton, among
them.
They had evidently removed the lid
from the coffin, or perhaps it had
been broken by the fall. They all
seemed perturbed as the young man
approached, and the sexton seemed
anxious to put the lid back.
Are you trying to hide the straw
man from me, sexton?" he asked, with
his ready sneer; and the sexton lifted
the lid away, with sudden impulse,
so that Mohrhaus might see.
The last departing rays of the sun
lay on the coffin; and as Mohrhaus
stopped down, there was CLINT rs of
gold. where the light fell ON heavy
flax-blond braids. For it was VIE schcn
he saw in the coffin, and they had
found her where the water was deep
est. in the little lake on the Wulbrand's
Hof.-Overland Monthly.