Year: 1878

founding news that comet was rushing head

 long into space, precipitating itself straight

 upon our planet; so that, as the astronomers calculated, it must swallow us up on the twelfth of August, 1872.

 The village of A--lles in a remote corner of Austria, and our good people do not come into contact with the ever-progressing world beyond it's limits. Consequently they are rath- CT backward in the knowledge of natural sci ence, though far from being dull or uninterest- ed in things lying nearer to them than the stars in the heavens

 But now, this was thing to stir up their interest in astronomy: comet coming straight l down upon the earth. A comet a thing i'm agined so far away that until now no one had dreamt of troubling about it, except only to consider it's appearance in the sky as sign of war and various other kinds of woe. The villagers quite understood there was no fun in the matter. The learned ,astro homer himself, from whose work an extract has been published in the paper, had his apprehensions | as to what effect this violent meeting Of comet and earth would have on the latttr; and al though the men of A did not understand the burden of his learned suppositions, still it set them thinking, and brought them to the conclusion that one might we'll tremble before the consequences of such an un-heard- of -collis- l ion.

 l Would it be the end of the world ?-of the stars beginning to fall from heaven '? But the comet was not falling, after all-it was madly rushing straight upon us. How dreadful | What was the purpOrt of it's singular behavior was it coming to destroy the earth with | fire

 There was great deal of talk about the new and strange matter, but no one was the wiser for it. At last the bearers of the news, l only half credulous themselves accompanied l by those who refused to believe one ieta of the l taln rnrci-ad to the achoolmaster's house standing in the middle of well-cuitivated or chard.

 But ifthe orchard testified to good culture, the schoolmaster's books told very different tale ; | they had been thrown into corner of lum- ber-closet, many years before, and had never seen daylight since. The alphabet, smal volume of Bible stories, and one or two others, | were all that was requisite for his daily use. From these few books he had taught one gen. eration of boys and glrls after another to read, write, cipher, and sing and for thirty seven years he had never felt the need of increasing his literary store.

 He had another book though-a manuscript one, in his own handwriting, out of which he sometimes read to young and old. It was a copy books, fastened together and neatly bound in cloth by the author himself. In it he had written his experience of practical garden ing, of brewing, cultivating bees, nursing do- mestic animals, and the like ; and the villagers were in the habit of consulting him in prefer ence to any one else. There was no husband man equal to him in the place, and he was held in greater respect by the people for this than if he had possessed the wisdom of a pro- lessor of the university. For thirty-seven years he had worked in the village without quitting it, except for an excursion into the mountains or trip to the next town.

 Now the sohoolmaster had read about the comet before any one else in the place but as wise man he kept silence on matter he l could not explain. Rack his brain as he would he could not revive any slumbering recollection of astronomy, nor find anything to aid his bet ter understanding or enable him to expound | the subject to others.

 He was, however, not quite unprepared for the visit, and when the men came to him he | thought it best to take a cheerful view of the case, and dilated to them on his experience that | many things, looking strange in the distance, l are quite natural and harmless when viewed close at hand.

 ''So let's expect the fellow with calm mind" he said. "We will see what he is like when he comes i; no use troubling about him before the time."

 ''But won't he set the world on fire ?" they asked

 ''We'll put it out if he does," he returned confidently.

 ''There would be more flames, I warrant than all the water in our wells could quench," said one

 ''It may not touch us after all," said the schOol-master, always inclined to hope for the best. "Why shouldn't it fall far away on yon- der hills, into the wood, or beyond it in the lake ?" s.e

 There was general laugh. If it would but tumble into the lake and drown itself, they would drag it out when cool and have good look at it, and then exhibit it in the market place. Yes, stick it up on pole, with its tail turned upwards, and have dance around it.

 After this the good old man thought the oc- casion fitting one to produce few bottles of his own growth, and the cheerful influence of a glass of wine dispelled in a great measure the rather gloomy impression the gravity of the matter had made upon their minds They left the house but little cemforted though, and very much inclined to believe that there really was a comet coming, this fact having been tacitly admitted by the schoolmaster.

 The Pfurer's Monsieur b cure) house is not far distant from the school. A green slope cut by an dllee of poplar trees, leads up from the latter to the church, and immediately Op- posite stands the PfasTe, or P.farrhGIs

 Amongst those who were most eager to call upon the priest was-tO every one's surprise old Blasius.

 Old Blasl never entered the church, and the minister of grace was to him only the person to whom he had to pay his tithe in grain. veg etables, etc. He would look away when he chanced to meet the old Pfarrer, that he might save himself the trouble of taking off his hat to him. Not to say that Blasl never prayed -oh, he prayed. Most fervently did he pray every night that no fire, water, or thief might come near the treasure he had hidden deep in the earth under his bed, and in which his whole heart was bound up.

 And now, would all these worshipped coins go to destruction, with the rest of the world Perhaps something more might be learned about the matter at the Pfarrers; therefore he entered the house whose threshold hls foot had not crossed since the time of his mrrriage, thir ty years before

 There was the scrupulous neatness and still ness reigning inthe Pfarrei peculiar to priests habitation, showing that there was no wife or children to break the monastlc order.

 The Herr Pfarrer of A was very aged man, past eighty at the time of our tale; and his sister, about eight or nine years younger than himself, kept house for him. A young priest, his ''eo- o-operator," who lived in back Ao0huf Wdc euC tkliiu lHIl1dtc OI tu0 SpdCI0uS mansion, and an old servant the fourth. That was all.

 The Pfarrer received the men with his usual kindliness; was very glad to see them, and happy to be able to give them his advice and consolation. For that purpose he administered to them good dose of ofcommonplace truths, all very good in themselves, and suitable for any tribulation whatever. After having warmly assured them that God would not forsake them if they did not turn from him, he dismissed them and they departed, more, less, or not at all comforted, according to each mans nature.

 Before they had all left the hall, Frau Bar bara, the cures sister, noiselessly emerged from corridor, and, catching hold of BlasPs sleeve, she whisperedto him: HBlasl, I am glad 1 have an opportunity of speaking to you. What is all this about your daughter Surely you will think better of it before you make your poor child miserable for life ?'

 Has she been and complained of me ?' he euquired angrily.

 ''She has been here; you know she always comes to help me on bnsy days. The poor