Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-03-16
MEDIEVAL
JUSTICE
By ETHEL HOLMES

town of StraSburg 4 man who had for
a long while been thinking of the di-
vision of time into hours constructed
one of the first clocks that was even
made. What led him to do this was
that while the people could keep the
flight of days by cutting Il notch on a
stick for every day, they could have
no record of the parts of days except
by the sun.
This man who invented the clock
his name is lost, so we will call him
G~uStav-Set it up in the tower of the
church, and the people could go to bed
and get up by its striking the hour.
Some of them considered him an angel
who had been sen from heaven for
this very purpose. Straightway they
committed to his care the town calen-
and after that it was only he who
could tell them when anything that
had been appointed for a certain day
was due.
One day Il young man-Martin Stci-
ger-wcnt to Gustav and said to him:
Gustav, | love Katrina, the daugh-
ter of Frau Tinkhorner, and Katarina
loves me. But her mother is forcing
her to marry old Carl Oberman, who
is rich or supposed to be. l happen to
know Il man from whom Oberman
stole a valuable jewel. This mans
name is Kncift, and he has since been
looking all through Germany for the
man who robbed him. Kneift is now
in Munich. If | so there l can tell
him where Oberman is; he will come
here; it will be known that Oberman
is a thief and Katrina will be saved
from marrying him"
Well, then, why do You not go at
once?'
Katrina in order to gain time has
promised her mother hat she will
marry Obcrman in sever days from to-
day, binding herself before the judge
to do so. | cannot go to Munich, find
kneift and bring him back here before
the day set for the wedding. Can YOU
no so disarrange the calendar 50 that
Il itN NiA ; Slllll DC SdllcU i.
But the people trust me implicitly
in the matter of the fight of time"
What difference will a few days
make to them"'
Gustav, who was a good follow. was
persuaded and told Stei@er that he
would do what he could for him, and
Stciger set out for Munich to find
Nnci1t and inform him concerning OBJ
cIman's present residence. While
Martin was gone the clock became
very irregular. One morning it called
the people from their beds before the
sun was up and the next struck the
hour for their rising when it was high
in the heavens. Gustav said that he
feared the clock was bewitched.
Meanwhile Frau Tinkhorner was
keeping the passage Of the days on her
W account by cutting a notch on u
stick for every day that passed. The
day before the one set for the wedding
she Informed her daughter that she
must be married the next day. Katrina
declared that the time had not yet
passed within three days and refused
to comply, Whereupon her mother sum-
moned her before the judge, submit
ting to him the agreement between
them and bringing with her the notch
ed stick to show that the time would
be up on the morrow. The Judge look
ed at it and counted the notcheS. but
the evidence Of one interested in the
az ca Ennnynr tho ,.oonr,1 ia ,>o+ 11;,
eide with his great judicial ideas. and
he sent for Gustav.
Gustav" he said, what day of the
month will tomorrow be-"
'The 10Th, your honor"
"But Frau Tinkhorner SAYS she has
kept a record and tomorrow will be the
18th"
"My record by the clock TALES with
that replied Gustav. but the clock
has recently been bewitched and has
lost two days"
"NNho has bewitched it?'
Gustav approached the judge and
whispered something in his ear.
What is your age. Frau Tint'"rn-
err" asked the judge.
81 am forty-eight."
Tue judge started. Are you sure?''
he asked.
yes, your honor: l am just forty
eight"
The judge dismissed the matter be-
fore him and ordered Frau Tinkhorner
into custody on a charge of having be
Witched the town clock. Gustav had
whispered to him that the clock hav-
ing gained exactly forty-eight hours,
this indicated that the person who had
bewitched it vas forty-eight years old.
When Frau Tinkhorner admitted that
she was that age it was evident she
had bewitched the clock in order to
force her daughter to marry old ODER
man ahead of time.
So Frau Tinkhorner was thrown into
prison. Two days later Martin Steiger
returned from Munich with Kneift
who went before the judge and &C.
cused Oberman Of having stolen a jew.
ell from him. Obnrman was arreStod