Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1907-03-25
Colo Elsie
!, Z : I !
By e. MARLITT

luXuriance, but the men of the -arty
succeeded, nevertheless, in forcing a
passage, and three steps brought
them to portal in the wall where
the forest underbrush began.
Now said Ferber, rejoicing, the
last difficulty vanishes here This en-
trance is worth much, for now we
need not go through the courts,
mich would have been troublesome
and dangerous"
They retraced their steps through
the dwelling, discussing its future
arrangements and engaged the mason
for the following day to arrange one
of the back rooms for use as a kit
chen. Then having thoroughly bolt
| ed the oaken door that led toward
the large wing, they began their
homeward journey, an undertaking
rendered difficult for the moment by
the thick underbrush but much to
| be preferred to the former 0reakneck
route.
AS the returning explorers entered
the lodge-garden Sabine came, ex-
| pectantly, to meet them, with little
| Ernst whom the forester had con-
! fined to her keeping. She had served
! afternoon coffee upon a white-covered
table among the shrubbery and ar
ranged the shady spot in the most
comfortable manner; and now she
wished to know how they had found
things at the castle, and clapped her
hands with joyful surprise at the re
port
All. gracious powers!" she ex-
claimed. Does the Herr Forester
see now that 1 was right? Yes,
yes, the things have been forgotten,
and small wonder. When young
Baron Won Gnadewitz was buried the
old baron travelled head over heels
away, and took all the servants with
him. Only the old steward, Stilber
remained, but he was weak in his
head, and there was an immense
quantity of things down in the new
new castle, so that he had enough to
do to see that nothing was slipped
away from him, and he left things
standing up there at last and no hu-
man soul knew word about it. Good
heavens, have had my hands upon
every piece of it, and busted ard
cleaned it often enough. e. And /
was always anxious about the clock.
for it plays melancholy air when it
strikes, and that sounded so ILL
! omened through the rooms where I
had to be roaming about all alone by
myse'l. Yes, was young then. Where
is the time gone since?"
Now came cosy hour of rest and
| planning while they drank the coffee.
Elizabeth thought nothing more de-
ltghtful could be imagined than to
wake up at the castle. Whitsuntide
morning when the church bells of
the neighbOring village were ringing,
a view which Frau Ferber shared. 1t
was therefore decided to begin the
work of renovation with full vigor on
the morrow, and to move into the
new home on Whitsun eve. The for
ester placed all his people at his
Sabine had taken her place near
the company, upon a grassy bank, to
be at hand if anything should be re-
CURED. Not to be idle. she had mill
ed UP a couple of handfuls of young
beets and was busily scraping them
| Elizabeth seated herself beside her
The old woman, cast a rougish glance
at the slender young hands. with
their dainty white fingers, appearing
beside her own brown horny ones
and taking some beets from her lap.
NO, no. she said, warningly, that
is no work for you-you'I be having
yellow fingers"
That's nothing" laughed Eliza.
beth. iii help you, and you tell
me little about the neighborhood
here; You must know the history of
the old castle"
OF course 1 do" replied the old
housekeeper. ''Lindhof, where
Was born, belonged to the Barons
Won Gnadewitz since the memory OF
man, and see, in such a little place
everything turns uron the masters
f3mlly Nothing to note is forgotten
that happens in the castle; that is
handed down from father to son
and when the great people have long
forgotten their last toothache in the
cool of the grave. the lads and Iasses
IN the village still hand down thei
history.
There was my blessed great
grand mother, that rnnon,nbe. very
well. She could tell tales that made
your hair stand on end. But she bad
a great fear of the people of Gnadeck
and bent over me, with her two trem-
bling hands, clear to the floor when
ever the great people drove by, for
was a little thing then. and could
not make a proper courtesy, She
knew the names of all the Gnade-
witzes, far back to the earliest times,
just as they lived up there, and many
thing that had happened contrary