Show The Hermit in the Forest Translated from the German ELIZABETH was very desirous of knowIng knowing knowing know know- ing what mysterious treasure the old man had given her She was very much 1 disappointed therefore when she found it to be a piece of old coarse maple sugar such as is made from the sap of the maple tree 1 i iThe The old man had doubtless bought it ita ita ita a long time before for fora a a cough But 1 she was a well brought up child and knew that she must give thanks for a well-meant well gift so she said politely Thank you kindly Mr Poppel looking looking looking look look- ing uneasily at him because she was not certain that that was his real name name but she knew no other But he was not angry He stood at the door a long longtime longtime time watching the little girl as she tripped down the mountain all gloom and anger having left his face This was the first time he had shown any friendliness whatever to anyone not even as much as to giving a little piece of maple sugar before It was a beautiful day full of sun sun- shine The old man sat in the doorway of his hut and let the warm sun shine J Jon on him It It seemed almost as if a sun j had shone in in his old frozen heart and thawed out the the ice therein Many J things occurred to him which he had hadnot hadnot hadnot not thought of for a long time and when at night he went to sleep on his rough bed and land the bright clear fullmoon fullmoon fullmoon full- full moon shone through the broken window over the door of the hut on his face wonderful dreams came to him he had hadnot hadnot hadnot not dreamed for many years dreams which rarely descend to the children of men such dreams as are carried by friendly angels to the solitary human heart He was never able to relate clearly what he dreamed that night but his slumbers were more peaceful and soft than they had ever been before When he awoke the morning light was shining I in his hut like pure gold and purple and when he went to the door it seemed to him as if the green fir tree in fr front ll t of the door with one branch pointed to the people below and joyously stretched the other up toward th the clear blue heaven A happy thought to the theold theold theold old man a thought more clever than the theone theone theone one which had occurred to Wild Harry the previous day He laughed to himself himself himself him him- self very much pleased and could scarcely wait until it was time to carry it out He kindled a fire and cooked an excellent breakfast Then he brought fodder for the donkey and much surprised surprised surprised sur sur- that animal by patting him on f the back and stroking him This had hadnot hadnot hadnot not happened before at least not for a aE ar aver r E ver very long time We Weare are going out together comrade I said the hermit and you shall have some delicious oats for Christmas Out of an old musty chest he brought a beautiful trimmed fur-trimmed mantle which no noone noone nor r one could have thought belonged to the theold theold thet t old man It was somewhat dusty and moth-eaten moth to be sure but still very r warm and it made the old man appear so stately that no one could recognize i him After saddling the donkey he t. t crept cautiously to the furthest corner cornera a t of his hut took up a board from the floor reached under and drew out a heavy bag full of gold and put it in his pocket So everything the people had said about him was not untrue Down the mountain mountain mountain moun moun- tain side he rode murmuring to himself II All kinds of beautiful presents and dolls dolls' and toys we will soon buy them II The donkey knew the way it was the thea a only one he had ever traveled and in about an hour came to the city gate The man and donkey had never yet been in the city There stood just outside the gate a filthy little store where the hermit had been in the habit of purchasing purchasing pur pur- chasing his absolute necessities Poor tea matches dry fish and such things for h his s miserable ho household Up to this store trotted the donkey His master gave him a soft cuff and said Not there comrade forward In silent amazement the donkey marched through the gate The old man paid no attention to to i anything but the shop windows finally stopping the donkey in front of a toy toyshop toyshop toyshop shop which had been adorned for Christmas Christ Christ- mas like a veritable childrens children's paradise The donkey knowing nothing of the glory within remained patiently standing standing standing stand stand- ing while his master went welt in wi with th a asack asack asack sack in his hand The clerks were highly amused at the strange appearance but when the old man in the moth-eaten moth mantle drew out such a large bag of money they all crowded around to wait on him They spread out the most beautiful things for him to select The very loveliest dolls with wax heads and glass eyes little moss gardens with tiny woolly sheep in them poultry yards full of feathered chickens and peacocks little boxes containing pretty ki kitchen utensils and beautiful painted porcelain cups and coffee caddies It was a a genuine pleasure to see with what a satisfied air the old man took one after the other and laid them to one side The clerks carefully wrapped everything in fine paper before it was shoved into the sack II Now something for girls Now for boys he commanded commanded commanded com com- again and again as riding horses and express wagons boxes of lead lead soldiers whips swords and guns found their way into the sack until it was so full the donkey could scarcely carry it II Come again soon old gentleman cried the clerks laughingly after he had paid for his purchases in ir cash But the old gentleman who had not been treated so courteously for for a long time still had not enough He went to a candy store and bought large paper sacks sacks' of candy which he shoved into a r the pocket of his coat He turned at last last to a book The bookseller Y looked at him in amazement as he asked for picture and A ABC B C books which had been the fashion for children many years before In addition to h his s other load the donkey had a sack of oats the feast on which he doubtless eagerly anticipated So they went contentedly contentedly contentedly con con- homeward There is a story of a post-horn post in which on a cold da day all the tones were frozen up which the blew into it When the post-horn post was hung before a warm fire the tones thawed out and andi i- i it blew of itself the most beautiful tunes one after the other Like a frozen post- post r horn was the old mans man's heart and many manya manyi z i a b blessed essed Christmas message to which t he had not given attention was thawed E out therein This night also he had beautiful 1 l lovely vely dreams He thought that age and sorrow had fallen from him that he was once more a joyous child and that Christ Himself played with him Give me something too he prayed as in 1 his dreams Christ again soared up to to hea heaven ven But he heard only the melody beautiful as that angels angel's song on the night of the nativity Glory to o God GodI Godin r. r in t the e highest and on earth peace good will toward men I d ITO TO BE CONTINUED Y |