Show TALE OF OLD VIENNA of all the gay viennese who passed ns on the crowded graben there was none to me as fair as my pretty country woman maud wemyss of baltimore whom I 1 had the pleasure of escorting I 1 had made her acquaintance over the leaden sarcophagus of a defunct emperor in the vault of the augustine convent where the bones of Aus rulers are on exhibition nobody could blame me for falling in love with her because she really is the sweetest girl on earth so we were walking toward st stephens cathedral in charge of a paid cicerone he was a little old man with a face and a nose that had like his shabby genteel clothes seen better days now it was by no means an ornament unless considered from the purely standpoint he knew nearly everything about the brilliant city by the blue danube and where his knowledge was inadequate his imagination tided him over suddenly miss wemyss halted before a strange object and with a little feminine exclamation of surprise she asked why what is this thing for it seems to be the stump of a tree all covered with nails and so it was so closely together had the nails been driven that not a piece of the wood as large as a pin head even was visible on the entire surface our guide at once assumed the customary attitudes of his guild in action which closely resemble the gyrations accompanying compa nying the spread eagle finish of a stump speakers oration and this is the story he told of the nail studded tree several hundred years ago there lived a blacksmith on this spot which is occupied by a stock brokers office now in those times a blacksmith understood the working of iron in all its branches and it was as easy for him to hammer the metal into graceful curves and flowers for altar R lings as it was to forge a horseshoe or the point of a hunting spear our blacksmith had a beautiful daughter whose hand was sought after by all the young men for miles around for she was as good and pure and gentle as her eyes were blue her hair was golden and her cheeks were like the glacier snow upon which the morning sun had cast his virgin rays her father guarded her as jealously as the dragon of old ever did guard fair lady and many were the silent tears poor Kathi wept in the solitude of her Kem enate where she had been locked up her only joy was the bunch of fragrant flowers which she was always sure to find upon the outer eill of the only window in her room no matter how early she awoke these messengers of sure to be in their placa 1 Ofte Sand often did she arise with the sun hoping TO catch a glimpse of her unknown friend but she was invariably disappointed at lasi one morning she failed to find the flowers she dressed hurriedly and concealed herself behind the window curtain she watched for the person whose gift she felt certain to receive yet and her expectation was not futile but what was her surprise and disappointment when instead of the fine young fellow which her fancy had pictured she beheld a poor deformed creature with a large hump on his back her first feeling of horror found vent in a littia exclamation but there was something BO bad and pleading in his yes that were uplifted to hers that in her profound pity for him she felt sincerely ashamed to have exhibited any sign of annoyance was it yon who brought me all those lovely flowers she asked in a kindly voice as he was trying to conceal a nosegay lie held in his hand in aibner he blushed like school girl and nodded 1 I thank yon for them very much ehe continued the only plea suii in my monotonous life but how did yon know that I 1 was locked up in here chay heard you occasionally v he answered and ane or your voice I 1 knew yoa were young and beautiful and alack a day unhappy withal and because I 1 I 1 because I 1 felt sorry for you I 1 brought you some flowers from my mothers garden but please dont tell master about it for he would surely just then a handsome young fellow lithe as a doe and graceful as a young cherry tree appeared on the scene and greeting the hunchback affectionately he exclaimed brother I 1 have been looking for yon this last hour mother is full sorely vexed about your absence then looking up he noticed the young girl at the window just as she withdrew her blushing face he bowed to her with courtly grace and raised his cap and ohof ourse could not but return the courtesy every morning after this incident there were two nosegays nose gays on the window sill instead of one jn time the old blacksmith yielded to the importunities of his wife and her friends and agreed to look around for a husband for his daughter according to the customs of the time his son in law would have to be also a blacksmith in order to make sure that kathas future liege lord was a master of his trade the old man constructed an ingenious lock which he put on the door of his daughters chamber whoever had attempted in vain to open the door had to drive an iron nail into a certain tree but the prize of the successful man was to be the hand of the fair kathi but if none should succeed in unlocking the door then the maiden was to eater a convent as soon as the tree was covered to a mans height full many a swain whose heart had been filled with hope left sorely disappointed after an unsuccessful attempt and the tree was rapidly being studded with nails kathi was sadly pining away in her solitary prison partly because she could not go out into the greenwood and down to the rippling river but mostly because she loved the hunchbacks hunch backs brother whom she saw sometimes from her window at daybreak the poor hunchback loved her with the ardor that hopelessness alone can give to love and lie worked day and night on a key to open the intricate lock when he saw how rapidly the day drew near when kathi would either be the bride of another or go into a nunnery he worked with redoubled vigor alter a year and a day the tree had been covered to mans height and there was only room for one more nail so the dwarf presented himself before the blacksmith and asked for permission to try hia art the request was granted though reluctantly and the old man wished he bad extended the limit by two or three feet because he saw now no alternative but that of having his daughter married to a deformed man or losing her forever but he was a man of his word and never took water the entire family went in procession to bathis door to watch the fateful trial naturally the little hunchback felt somewhat nervous and his hands trembled partly from excitement partly from joyful anticipation for he was almost if not quite sure of success he inserted the key into the lock and twisted it slightly a slight snap as of a spring relaxing answered him A second twist and a second snap and a third and a fourth and then a sudden pull the dwarf took a deep and long breath and paused for a moment to wipe the perspiration off his brow then he turned the knob it yielded and the door opened slowly the dwarf hastened into the room it was empty suspecting a trick he turned around with flashing eyes but the expression of genuine surprise and alarm in the faces of the others convinced him that no deceit had been practiced upon him the blacksmith was the first to regain his presence of mind after hurriedly looking about him he espied the open window fastened to it was a rope ladder made of bits of bedclothes the old man looked out at first lie could not discern a trace of the fugitive after some minutes he could distinguish hia own spotted horse galloping at full speed toward the distant woods on its back was the fair kathi and the hunchbacks hunch backs brother need it be told that the father forgave them only too delighted to regain his daughter without seeing her married to the dwarf the latter swallowed hia disappointment like a man and consoled himself with the thought that kambi remained at least in the family the two young people lived like turtle doves and delighted in telling how love laughs at locksmiths lock smiths M 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