Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1916-03-17
MEDIEVAL
JUSTICE
By ETHEL HOLMES

Town OF SlTuhDuIB u man who had for
a long Willie been thinking Of the d.
vision Of time into hours constructed
one Of the first clocks that was ever
made, What led him to do this was
that while the people could keep the
flight Of days by cutting notch on
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 viii call him
Gusnv-set It up In the tower Of the
church, aud the people could go TO bed
and get up by rs striking the hour,
Some Of them considered him an angel
who had been sent from heaven for
this very purpose, Straghtway they
committed to his care the town calcn-
dar, throwing AWAY the notchcd sticks,
and after that II was only he who
could tell them when anything that
had been appointed for certain day
was due,
one day young man Martin Stcl,
ger-wcnt to Gustav and said to him;
"Gustav, | love Katrina, the daugh,
ter of Frau Tmkhorner ana Katarlna
loves me But her mother Il forcing
her 10 marry old Carl Obcrman, who
Is rich or supposed to be, happen TO
know man from whom Oberman
stole valuable jewel This mans
name Is Knclrt, aud he has since been
looking all through Germany for the
man who robbed him, Knclft IL now
In Munich If | 50 there can tell
him where Ohcrman Is; he will come
here; It will be known that Oberman
Is n thief aud Katrina will be saved
from marrying him"
We'll then, why do you not go at
onCe|
Katrina In order to gain time has
promised her mother that she will
marry Oberman in seven days from to-
day, binding herself before the Judge
to do so, cannot so to Munich, find
Knelft ana bring him back here before
the day set for the wedding, Can you
not so disarrangc the calendar so that
few days shall be gained"
"But the people trust me implicitly
In the matter of the flight Of time"
what difference will few days
make 10 them"
Gustav, who was Il good fellow, was
persuaded and told Stciger that he
would do what he could for him, and
Stegcr set out for Munich TO find
Kneift and inform him concerning OBJ
erman'S present residence. While
Martin was gone the clock became
very irregular, one morning 1t 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 Tlnkhorncr was
keeping the passage Of the days on her
own account by cutting notch on
stick for every day that passed The
day before the one set for the wedding
she Informed her daughter that she
must he 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
case keeping the record did not coin
eide with his great judicial ideas, and
he sent for Gustav.
"Gustav," he said, what day Of the
month will tomorrow be-
"The 18th, your honor"
"But Frau Tinkhorner says she has
kept record and tomorrow will be the
18th"
"My record by the clock tallles with
that repSed Gustav "but the clock
has recently been bewtched and has
lost two day."
"WhO has bewitched it?"
Gustav approached the Judge and
whispered something in his ear
What is your age, Frau Tinkhorn.
er?' asked the judge.
81 am forty-eight."
The judge started Are you sureY
he asked
Yes, your honor; am just forty
eight"
The judge dismissed the matter be.
fore him and ordered Frau Tlnkhornel
into custody on charge Of having be
witched the town clock, Gustav had
whispered to him that the clock hav
ing gained exactly forty-eght hours,
this indicated that the person who had
bewitched 1t was forty eight years old
When Frau Tinkhorner admitted that
she was that age 1t was evident she
had bewitchcd the clock in order to
force her daughter to marry old ODER
man ahead Of time.
So Frau Tinkhorner was thrown int
prison. Two days later Martin Steigcr
returned from Munich with Kneift,
who went before the judge and ac-
cuscd Ohcrman of having stolen jew
ell from him. Oberman was arrested