LIGHT LITERATURE. A PLUCKY GIRL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 1, 10 April 1880, Page 4

LIGHT LITERATURE. A PLUCKY GIRL.

"So you won't go to church this •evening, Malchen?" said Otio Yon Polheim to his eldest daughter one Sunday in December, as he and the Test of his family were setting out for the market town to hear Parson Knopps preach an Advent sermon. "No, father. Dorothea can go in my stead, and I will keep the house." *" Keep the house alone 'i No. I will leavo Hans to protect thee and the manse too.*'

"I would rather not have Hans," said Malchen with a little pout, as she glanced at an ugly gawk who was her father's head servant.

" Then thou shall not have Karl," grumbled old Polhoim, speaking rather to himself than to the girl; and wrapping his ancient blue cloak tightly round him, .he struck his iron-tipped Btaff two or three times on the flags df the hall to intimate to the members of his household that it was time to bo off.

They came chattering down stairs and trudging'TOUt of different doors— a large and rather noisy troop. Otto Yon Polhehn .was a landowner on a small scale— what would be callled in England a gentleman farmer— and he had a family of ten sons and daughters, without counting two servant wenches and a couple of laborers whom he treated as his children. The eldest of these two laborers, a tall, rosycheeked, fair-haired, blue-eyed fellow named Karl, had shown signs of late of being " a bit soft " about Fraulein Malchen, and this displeased her father, for though he was a kind master, he had a squire's pride, and would have kicked Karl straightway out of his house if he had suspected Malchen of cherishing any regard for him. At least this is what he once said to Karl, with more bluntness than prudence, for worldly wisdom would, perhaps, have suggested that he should begin by turning off Karl before Malchen's sentiments towards him had ripened into affection. "jNbw, come, come, let's be off," repeated old Polheim, impatiently; " come, wife, and you, Bertha, Frida, and Gretchen ; you, Hans, tuke one of the lanterns, and you, Karl, lead the ■way with the other." Karl slunk outlooking very sheepish ; but scarcely had he got into the open air before the candle in his lantern was blown out, and he ran back to get another. Malchen was standing in the hall, and struck a match for him. She struck a second and a third, for somehow the phosphorus would not ■act, and the operation of lighting wts delayed a little. When Karl took the lantern his hand touched Malchen's, and the girl blushed. " It's a cruelly cold night to go out in," faltered she.

" And I don't like leaving you *lone," whispered Karl. " I think I shall steal out of church and come back and see if you are safe." ' Oh, no, the door will be baiTed,' •exclaimed Malchen in a flutter.

' Then I'll climb over the orchard wall,' answered Karl, nothing daunted, and he executed a wink as he went forth into the cold.

••How very audacious he is becoming,' muttered Malchen to herself; but she apparently 'thought it was of no use to bar the door if Karl meant to' get over the gar^Jet^ jasllr so-siie shut it,'and turned Wck'ta spend her evening in the kitchen. > Herr Yon Polheim's farm Stood in a lonely part of tho country, about two miles from R , in Bavaria. It had once been a castle, and all the rooms on the ground fioer were large,

roomy apartments, with wainocctzeil wallsand old oaken furniture. The kitchen, which served as the ordinary iitting-room to the family of an evening, was made comfortable by some screens which shut out the drafts. and by large fires which roared in th* immense chimney all day long. There were two armchaiis nuder the bulging mantel of the chimney on either side of the andirons, and in one of these Malchen took her seat. She began to knit ; but soon her work subsided into her lap, and she began to stare at the fire in a soft reverie.

There were faces, of course, in the red embers of the crumbling pineknots, and Karl's was chief among them. Malchen, who was a pretty, sentimental young lady of eighteen, but somewhat cautious, as becomes the daughter of a gentleman who cau prefix a Yon to his name, asked herself if she liked Karl ? Did she truly feel for him more than she did for any other man ? Would- she grieve for him if he met with an accident ? if he left her father's service ? if he was taken away for military service, and forced to risk his life in the wars ? After fencing a little with her conscience, the damsel decided that she did not quite know what she ought to think about Karl, but that he was a very bold and not-to-be-easily-put-down young man she admitted to herself frankly enough in her quaint German phraseology.

Mft.lch.en, fvom being romantic, was a bold girl, and felt no fear at being aloue in the big house on a winter's evening. The soughing of the wind through the bare trees outside ; the noise of draughts shaking doors that were loose on their hinges ; the monotonous tick-tack of the kitchen clock, did not disturb her composure. She sat listening for footsteps, and conned over in her mind what sharp thing she should say to dismiss Karl if he had the impertinence to present himself befoie her. The worst of it was that Karl was just such a young man as might be 'indifferent to sharp things. His boldness really exceeded belief. Why,' that very evening in touching her fingers, he had actually squeezed--but here Malchen gave a slight start, for she heard footsteps, and fancied that it was the never-to-be-sufficiently-blamed Karl, who had played truant from church, faithful to his impudent promise. She rose and stood coyly in the middle of the kitchen, her cheeks pink and her bosom heaving. She thought she would take to flight as Boon as Karl's heavy tread should resound in the passage ; but she waited two or three minutes without hearing the door open, yet there were step 3 outside, and, now that her ears were strained, she heard voices. Her relatives had not gone an hour, so it was not likely they could have returned so soon. Whose, then, could these steps and voices be ?

The kitchen had a high window seven feet above the floor, and it - was closed with shutters. But in the shutters lozenged apertures were cut, Malchen climbed on to the dresser under the window and looked out ; what she saw would have made most timid girls jump down squealing and run away half dead with terror.

Nine men — not one less — with black masks on their faces and housebreaking implements in hand, had entered the farmyard, and were evidently holding council as to how they Bhould commence their attack on the house. They stood in a group, and some of them pointed to the apertures in the kitchen shutters, where the light was visible, as if they were taking note of the fact that the farm was not quite abandoned.

Malcheu remembered having heard that brigands had been infesting some of the districts in an adjoining province, and she saw that if she hesitated to act she would be lost. There hung over the mantelshelf two doublebarrelled fowling pieces and a horsepistol, which were always kept loaded for the protection of the farm against wolves in winter, and for the intimidation of poachers and tramps at other seasons of the year. Malchen had the same horror of firearms as most other girls ; but at this moment her blood revolted at the idea of leaving the farm to be plundered without striking a blow for it. Herr Yon Polheim owned a good deal of silver plate, and was accustomod to keep pretty large sums of money within the oaken chest in his bedroom. Among other reflections which rushed through Malchen's mind was this : that if her father were robbed of all his cash he would get into a vile humor, which would make its effects felt at the farm for weeks, and render the place uninhabitable. Now Malchen stood in great terror of her father when he was angry. She ran to the chimney and unhooked^ the arms, then swiftly climed on the-table again. The little lattices ; outside the apertures in the shutters were open, so Malchen tT^ld. thrust out the barrels .of her weapo"u fire at the-ihaldcafctors. Before doing so, however,- she put a coin in her mouth to alter the ring of her voice, and making a r horn of both hands,

biioiits,'! in ?j lone which s'^.r-l-jd like a man's, ' Who go> s there r '

No answer. '.Cne burciar ~iv *\ at one another in astonishuieiir, and were fairly dismayed when they heard the next exclamation, which conwvo-l the idfi that thy person who had ti.ot spukoii was not alone, but had st,v» j i'al men under his orders. 'Now, then my men, when I give the word, fire sharp, and aim straight. Fire ! '

Two i-eports instantly followed this command, and then came two others. When the smoke had cleared away, Malchen, who looked out with haggard eyes, her heart thumping awfully the while, saw four men stretched on the snow, and nothing els-.'. The other five members of the band had taken to flight. 'The guns were loaded with slugs; perhaps I have killed them all,' ejaculated Malchen in terror ; for her combative ardor abated of a sudden now that so easy a victory had been won. 'O dear, what shall I do:"'

She had taken up the horse-pistol and glanced out to see if there was another shot to be fired. There was a choking sensation at her throat and she began to whimper. It was all too dreadful ; she could not bear the sight of those dead men, all killed by her hand. But one of them suddenly moved and tried to rise to his knees. Immediately the sentimental Malchen aimed her pistol to give him his quietus ; but, luckily for himself, the man roared out : ' Oh, Malchen! Malchen ! help j 'Tis I— Karl.'

' Karl ! ' exclaimed the girl, as her voice seemed to expire in her throat, while her heart turned to ice. ' Karl, isittlnu?'

'Yea, and I am wounded. I am dying,' sobbed the luckless fellow. ' And it is all for thee.'

Malchen tottered, and might have fallen off the table had there been any one present to catch her in his arms. As it was she scrambled down somehow and made for the door, still holding her pistol. One moment's hesitation as she touched the doorhandle ; but she surmounted it and went out. In another moment sue could judge with her own eyes of the murderous effects of her volley. Three men lay on the snow stone dead ; as for Karl, a slug had clean sliced off a part of his right ear and cheek, so that he bled like a pig, but he was otherwise unhurt.

1 Oh, Karl, Karl, how camesh thou hither in such company ?' exclaimed Maluhen, as she tore off her apron to staunch his wound.

'Mem Gott, it was for thee!' snivelled the unhappy Karl, y These men are my fiiends ; we had all come for a lark, and meant to carry thee off; for I hoped thy too-obstinate father would consent of necessity to our marriage. Oh, oh, my ear !'

c Peace, Karl ; but oh, how foolish of thee !' sighed Malchen. • How couldest thou think that nine men were required to carry me off !'

' Mem Gott, I thought thou wast romantic, 1 was all that Karl could say between two squeaks caused by the anguish in his ear. ###### #

One is sorry to say that the tribunals of Bavaria took a one-eyed view of the affair, and wanted to sentence Karl for burglary ; but the attitude of poor Malchen han been so heroical that King Louis 11. sent for her to Munich, and having decorated her with the Cross of Civil Merit, asked her what he could do to please her.

' Pardon my Karl, and give him a dower to marry me,' prayed the faithful maiden, sobbing.

His Majesty pulled a slightly wry face at the mention of dower, but courtiers were present, so he gave his royal consent. ' Thou wouldst niarry a man with one ear, then ?' added he, laughing.

' Sire, he lost his other for me,' responded Malchen, drying her eyes.

' Well, this is a queer story,' said the King, amused. •We will have it made into a libretto, and my frieud Wagner here shall set it to music'

The composer of the future bent his head as if his happy thought had already occurred to him.

A Kilmarnock minister was one day visiting an old maiden lady, one of his parishioners. After staying soma time with her, he said he was going in to see her neighbour, John Brown, the tailor. She looked at the. clock, and said, " The Browns '11 just be at their tea the noo ; maybe ye wad wait a wee bit?" He said he would be sorry to trouble them, and after waiting for some time he bade her goodbye and went into the tailor's. He sat and talked a long time with John and his family, longer than the maiden lady expected, for, supposing him t^ go away, she came into John's to have a chat, and not noticing the minister in the dim light, the first thing she said was, "Didn't I dae richt, na? I keepit the f outerin* body frae botherin' ye at tea time."