Year: 1871

cit is very strange thing" said tn,
medical man. Continue drinking th,
herb tea, and take a purgative, TO
which will give you prescription. II
the morning take a cold bath. Furthe
than this, cannot advise you at pres
ent. In fact, Twill acknowledge that
IN all my extensive practice, no diseas'
OF this nature has ever been presented
/ to me-"


The poor pastor drained whole rivers
of herb tea, gulped down the medicin,
which the doctor had prescribed, an d
next morning, after sound and re
freshing nights sleep, he felt as vel
as usual. But in the afternoon, JUS
as he was going to church to unite {
young couple in marriage, the dreadful
odor made itself painfully apparent
again. The pastor went through the mar
riage service with trembling voice
while the bridal pair and their friends
looked anxiously about them to fine
the source of a smell which was simply
unaccountable to them. At last the
undivided attention of the company
was directed upon the pastor. There
could be no doubt about 1.-THE horri.
BILE smell came from him.


The bridal pair and their followers
withdrew from the church as soon as
possible, and the poorpreacher crawled
home and sent for the doctor again.
The latter came and found hts patient
In his dressing gown, stretched upon a
sofa, but this time there was no evil
dences of the singular odor.


II tell you something is wrong,
Ezekiel" said his good wife: ''you
must go to DR.. OppOlyer in Leipsic-I
shall die of fear If you do not"


Its no use, Marie" was the poor
husbands answer. "It is the warning
of the deathly polson-mortifcat it
self-and no physician can be of avail
now. / hear the call from above, and
am ready to yield to the supreme will
You must be consoled, Marie the Lord
will not desert you. You will not suffer
want, for, since 1 have had this good
place, have had my life insured for
$4,000, besides which you will receive
the regular widows pension. 1 had
hoped, indeed, to spend many happy
years with you yet, but man proposes
and God disposes.


Then few days passed without any
apparent change, the dieadful odor
manifesting itself from time to time.
Yet the pastor ate, drark, and slept
like a healthy man. When at home,
and free from the cdor, he would gain
new hope.


One day, servant came from the
Baron's house, and said that the Col
onel had sent him to invite the pastor
to game of "skat"


II can't go, my dear Frederick, :"
said the pastor. 81 can't make any
visits in my present condition. "You
must tell the Colonel So"


&c can't take any excuse, sir said
the servant; "the Colonel says that he
will come for You himself, if you do
not go without. As far as the smell is
concerned, don't give yourself any un-
easiness- Large pinches of snuff and
pipes of very strong tobacco have been
provided, which will counteract any
other smell. So you will be expected
at 3 o'clock.


The good pastor thought that the
Colonel had given him this invitation
in order to afford him some distrac-
ton. and that ii would be rude on his
part to reject it. He went, but he
noticed in ascending the mansion steps
that the odor had come back, and it
was so much stronger now that there
was no doubt as to the death smell.
The Baroness went away as soon as the
odor manifested itself, and the Colonel
ordered the card-table to be brought to
the open window and the pipes to be
lighted. The poor pastor played in
very despair, for, in spite of the thick
clouds of smoke, the dreadful smell
rose into the noses of the poor players
from time to time, as if it were a warn
ing of the modification of all flesh.
The pastor happened to be very lucky
in the game, and this caused his spirits
to rise somewhat. He had just re-
ceived a handful of face cards and was
sure to win the game, when servant
made his appearance and asked the at
tention of the young Baron for a mo-
ment.


"Well, what is it 2" asked the Baron
as he laid down his cards.


"The mole-catcher has just come,
and wanted to ask if he should begin
at once on the lower meadows, as the
vermin have done more damage there
than anywhere else2"


Certainly. Let him set his trap
there first, for the moles have nearly
eaten us up there. Give him a groschen
for every one he catches.


The servant left the room and the
baron turned to the table to take up
his cards. Here he found most aston
ishing sight. The pastor sat there with
open mouth and staring eyes, the five
face cards spread out on the table be-
fore him. The fingers of his right hand
stretched out like falcons claws, and
unable to speak a single word. t


my God, pastor!" cried the colon
ell, ''what in the devil is the matter
with you2"


tbs sacriligious mixture frightened
thopsstor out of his apparent trance.


q Moles !" he cried, "molesl What
an immense sheep 1 have been" And
then the good man began to dance
around the card table like madman


"But, great heaven, tell US what the
matter is !" cries the colonel again, as
he jumped up from his seat.


HE is crazy! J" exclaimed the school
master, as he placed his chair between
himself and the dancing pastor


"Moles!" cried the pastor again, as
he stood almost breathless before the
baron. Then, reaching his hand into
the back pocket of his coat, he brought
forth-in a manner that is simply in
scribable-a- dead mole. Then he
dropped it as If it had heen hot coal
out of the window into the garden be-
low Z - - g r.f< Ssft t4a 3 re-


The problem was solved. During a
walk couple of Sundays before, he
had picked up dead mole and placed
adding it to his collection of objects of