Year: 1867

pass Ernest before leaving exacted
promise OF the man who owned the
house and lot which he had looked at,
that he would not sell it under six
months TO anybody; and that if he
would take it at the end of that time
he might have it, though the money
need not be paid under year. Week
after week passed by, and the students
slowly proceeded on their way. Their
expenses were not heavy, but their in
come was certainly small too. Nine
months and half passed by, and still
they had but little above seven hun
dred guldens 1t was great question
with them how the remaining thirteen
hundred could be raised. They were
spending one day at a country town,
ard a nobleman living in large castle
a few miles distant, was seeking mu-
sicians to attend the wedding of his
daughter who was to be married In
three or four days. Fortunatel y
enough for the students, the nobleman
employed them for the occasion. The
marriage ceremonies took place, and
| by and by 10 was time for the music to
! begin The students had trained them
selves very carefully for that evening
and their selections were certainly of
very high order, During the course
of the festivities it was noticed that
the nobleman became very sad. His
face wore a melancholy appearance,
and those who stood nearest to him
saw him weeping. What could have
caused him to be melancholy at such
a time rs that? One of the pieces
that these musicians had played was
his mothers favorite melody She had
often sung it tc him many years ago,
and be had not heard it since, until the
students played it, 1t was enough to
make him sorrowtul, and it drew these
students to his heart in such way that
he could not express his feelings. They
had recalled to his memory piece of
music which he had never been able to
find in any music store, and which it
was worth Il fortune for him to hear.


| must now make my story short.
The noblemen kept the four students
in his castle two weeks, became ac-
quainted with them very fully, and
learned their object in leaving the uni.
versity to give concerts He supplied
them with three thousand guldens, and
told them he would pay their expenses
at the university for four years, and
that they might have the privilege of
making drafts on him at any time.


Their fortune was better than they
had reason to expect. Ernest had
already written to the owner of the
house and garden that he might ex-
pect them to take it, so that it was now
engaged.


The students returned to the uni
versity and reached there just a few
weeks before the end of the year when
the house must be ready for the own
cr. On the evening of the day when
the old man promised to appear, he
stood below the window in the bright
winter moonlight playing on his violin.
He was true to his word, and expected
the promise to be kept. The young
men went down and invited him up,
and told him all that they had done.
They showed him the deed for the
place and gave it to him. On the fol-
lowing day he formally took possession
of it, and they supplied it with furni.
ture and groceries for housekeeping.


The young men felt that they were
amply repaid for their faithfutness to
their word, by the gratitude and joy
of the old man. But they were not
repaid in feelings, they were more
than repaid even in money.


Fourteen years after that tine, that
place came into their possession; for
the old man had died and bequeathed
it to them in his will. That part of
the town rose suddenly in value
Many things contributed to increase
its value which | will not enumerate
1t is enough to say, that in seventeen
years from the time the four students
gave the deed of that house and gar
den to the old musician, the same prop
erty which had cost two thousand
guldens was worth eighty thousand.


The students therefore were not
merely repaid in heart, but also in
money. They kept their word, and
the memory of being faithful to their
word, even to the poor old man who
had no power to compel them to be
true to it, was pleasant memory as
long as they lived,