Year: 1868




At the hamlet of Udorf, on the
banks of the Rhine, not far from
Bonn, there yet stands the mill which
was the scene OF the following ad-
venture.


One Sunday morning the miller
and his family set out as usual te at
tend service at the nearest church in
the village of Heasel, leaving the
mil, to which the house was attach
ed, in charge of his servant maid
HaencbeD, a bold hearted girl who
had been some time in his service
The youngest child, who was still too
small to go to church, remained also
under her charge.


AS Haenehen was busily engaged
in preparing the dinner for the fami-
ly, she was interrupted by visit from
her admirer, Heinrich Boiler. He
was an idle graceless fellow, and her
master, who knew his character well,
had forbid him the house; but Haen
chen could not believe all the stories
she heard against her lover, and was
sincerely attached to him


On this occasion she greeted him
kindly, and not only got him some
thing to eat at once, but found time in
the midst of her business to sit down
and have a gossip with him, while he
did justice to the fare set before
him.


AS he was eating, he let fall his
fork, which he asked her to pick up
for him; she playfully demonstrated,
I telling him she feared. from all she
heard, be did little enough work, anu
ought, at least, to wait upon himself.
In the end, however, she stopped
down to pick up the fork, when the
treacherOus villain drew dagger
from under his seat, and caught her
sy the nape Of the neck, gripping her
throat firmly with his fingers to pre-
vent her from screaming, then, with
an oath. he desired her to tell him
where her master kept his money,
threatening 10 Kill her if she did not
comply With his demand.


The surprised and terrified girl in
vain attempted to party with him, he
sill held her tightly in his choking
grasp, leaving her no choice but to
die or betray her master. She saw
there was no hope of softening him
or changing his purpose, and with
the full conviction of his treachery,
all her native courage awoke in her
bosom.


Affecting, however, to yield to
what was inevitable, she answered
him in resigned tone, that what
must be, must, only if he carried off
her masters gold, he must take her
with him too, for she could not stay
to hear their suspicious and reproach-
es, entreating him at the same time
to relax his grasp of her throat, for
she could hardly speak, much less do
what he told her, while he held her
so tight. At length he was induced
to quit his hold on her, reminding
him that he must lose no time, or the
family would be returning from
church.


She then led the way to her mas
ter's bed room, and showed him the
Golfer where he kept his money
"Here," she said, reaching to him an
axe which lay in the corner of the
room, "you can open it with this,
while run up stairs and put all my
things together, besides the money l
have saved since have been here"
Completely deceived by her appar-
ent readiness 10 enter into his plans,
he allowed her to leave the room,
only exhortlng her to be as quick as
possible, and was Immediately ab
sorbed in his own operations, first
opening the box, then disposing of
the money about his person. In the
meanwhile, Haenchen, instead of go
ing up stairs to her own room, crept
softly along several passages till she
again reached her masters cham
Der.


1t was but the work of q moment
to shut and bolt the door upon him,
and this done, she rushed out to the
outer door of the mill to give the
| alarm.


The only being in sight was the
masters little boy, child of five
years old, to him she called with all
her might, "Run, run to meet your
father as he comes from church, tell
him we shall all be murdered if he
don't soon come back" The fright
ened child did as she bid hum, and
set off running on the read she point
ed out.


Somewhat relieved by seeing that
the child understood her, she sank
down for a moment on stone seat
before the door and full of conflict
ing emotions of grief and thankful
mess for her escape, she burst into
tears.


But atthis moment shrilI whistle
aroused her attention--it was from
her prisoner, Heinrich, who opened
/ the grated window above her head,
and shouted to some accomplice
without to catch the child that was
running away so fast and to kill the