Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. V, No. XXV, June, 1852Various
General
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. V, No. XXV, June, 1852
Various
American literature -- Periodicals; Civilization -- Periodicals; Culture -- Periodicals
I paid some of these people a visit, and found, in one of these cavern
houses, an Englishman's hat and umbrella. These things interested me,
because their possessors had a legend that they had been received
from a demon, and I could not help fancying it more likely that they
had belonged to some luckless wight, who might have wandered thither
and been lost. Into the hat they had forced a cheese; but I fancied I
detected a sort of superstitious reverence for the umbrella, and they
evidently looked upon its mechanism with great wonder and respect.
They asked eagerly for information upon the mysterious subject, and,
after I had explained it (which I am now almost sorry I did), I fancy
they looked upon me as we, in England, looked upon people who had a
tendency for explaining things in the middle ages--as an unbeliever, a
student in dark arts, a magician, in league with the Evil One. But I
had an object to answer, and I entered into negotiations for getting
the cheese out of the hat, and offered, what Mr. Trapbois calls a
"con-si-de-ra-tion," to be allowed to examine both hat and umbrella
nearer, to see if I could find any mark or initials, giving a clew
to their former owner. For a long time my efforts were useless; the
cheese in the hat was intended for the lord, and they were afraid of
offending the umbrella by allowing me to take any liberty with it; but
a good-temper, and a cheery way, gets on wonderfully with simple folk,
and at length they listened to my wish, but refused my gift. I could
not, however, find any thing to reward my search.
On returning to Vienna the mystery was cleared up. It appears, that
an English traveler making a tour in those parts on foot, had been
overtaken by a gaunt man in a strange costume. The uncouth figure
addressed him in an unknown tongue; and all presence of mind, for a
moment, deserted him. Without pausing to reflect if the greeting were
friendly or hostile, he thought to conciliate his gigantic acquaintance
(having no money about him) by offering the only things he could
dispose of; so, taking off his hat, and resigning his umbrella with it
into the hands stretched out in wonder to receive them, the English
traveler took to his heels.
THE DAUGHTER OF THE BARDI.
A TRUE OLD TALE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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