Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1907-04-29

gratitude we posterity can show
brave aeed, so you shall hear it and
| tell it further. About two hundred
years ago-you see we can trace back
our genealogical tree a good way; 1t
only pity that we cannot say who
was our first mother; if, however,
you should ever be asked about her
son, you can say with a good con-
science, that we suspect that it was,
| if not exactly Gustel Won Blasewitz,
for the story began in the Thirty
Years War, at least a file do regI-
ment; she may have been worthy
cody woman, too, who stood by her
husband in all the crises of the war,
but I cannot forgive her for all that
Well then about two hundred years
ago the wife of the huntsman Ferber,
opening the door in the early morn
ing the same door that now closes
upon my goods and chattels-found
caild lying upon the sill. Hastily
she slammed the door, for in those
days there were gypsies in plenty
about the forest, and she thought 1t
was some unclean being But her
husband was more Christian; he took
the child in; it was scarcely day
old. On it's breast lay scrap of pa
per that bore a prayer to care for
the little boy who was born in we'd
lock- and baptized with the name of
| h IxYNn TIT11
about it. And in the baby's cushions
there was a purse with some money
The huntsman's wife was a good wo
man enough, and when she heard that
the boy came from Christian parents,
and was probably an honest soldiers
child that the parents had probably
left to her to avoid carrying it into
the dangers of war, she took it TO
her heart and brought it up with her
own little daughter, as though they
had been brother and sister. And
that was good fortune for him, for
no human soul of his relations ever
| troubled himself about the child. His
foster father adopted him later, and
to complete his happiness, he led
home his beautiful foster sister as
| his bride. he and his son and his
grandson lived as huntsmen for the
! GnadeW1tzes in my present dwelling
and died there, too. My grand father
was the first to be transferred to the
estate of Silesia. / was always turl-
Gus, as a boy, because after all these
years no countess-mother turned up,
recognized in the babe her wickedly
stolen son, conducted him in state
to her castle. This lacking romantic
turn in the fate of our ancestors!
was the more willing to give up later
my appearance upon tho ""one would
when | reflected that in that case
have been very doubtful, and my hon.
est name pleased me too we'll for me
to wish to bear a different one. But
1t was in a wonderful frame of mind
that | first crossed this threshold up
on which the little founding passed
the most helpless moment of his life.
His natural care-takers had abandon
ed him, and pity had not yet replace I
them. That footworn stone is beyond
a double the same upon which the
child lay, and as long as I live in the
house, Or have aught TO say about IT,
it shall not be moved from its place. :
Suddenly the forester leaned for
ward and pointed through the twigs,
for the were already in the forest.
Do you see the white spot there?''
he asked.
The white spot was Sabine's cap,
for the old servant was sitting before
the door looking for the return of the
wanderers When she saw the wagon
she arose hastily. shook the con-
tents of her apron. a mass of forget
me-nots, into a basket, and helped
Elizabeth out of the wagon The
brown horse trotted, neighing, round
the house, where the groom was
waiting in the open gate, and wei
coined the animal with an affection
ate self. hector proceeded to roll
upon the meadow, and the doves and
sparrows, driven away by the noise,
gradually returned, and hoped con-
tidently about the table and green
bench under the linden, where the
forester was accustomed to take his
breakfast and supper, and that the
small parasites knew very well. He
went into the house to exchange his
uniform for a complete, loose coat,
and soon returned, with pipe and pa
pers, to the linden, where Sabine had
set the table.
That is a foolish Sunday occupa-
ton for such an old woman as l,
1sn't?" asked the housekeeper, with
a smile, passing Elizabeth, who. sit
ting upon the threshold now grown
so interesting, had taken the basket
of flowers upon her lap and was bus
lily braiding the wreath the old wo-
man mad begun. But / have been
SO used to that from my youth up. 1
have two little black pictures in my