The Wesleyan Argus
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THE WISLLY'\N IRGUS. THE COLLEGE PAPEK. VOL. III. BLOOMINGTON, ILL., MARCH 12, 1897. NO. 12. MY FIRST RIDE UPON THE RAILROAD. they have now built over the Semmering. The tun- nel through the mountain is said to be finished now." (Translated from the German of Rosegger, for the ARGUS, "The Lord forbid that we should gaze upon the by Albert WV. Vasey.) devil's contrivance!" cried godfather. "It is all a My godfather-the knieerutscher Jochem- may he delusion; there is nothing in it." rest in peace! was a man who believed everything ex- " Perhaps," said my father, and went out. cept the natural. The little of human handiwork Godfather and I set out upon our journey; we went which he could understand, he looked upon as of over the Stuhleck Mountains so that we might not divine origin; the much which he could not comprehend come near the valley in which, according to report, he at ributed to witchcraft and to the ghost of the the devil's wagon passed up and down. But when we Evil One. For example, man, the most favored of stood upon a high mountain and looked down upon the all creatures, has the ability to tan hides and from lowlands around Spital, we saw a brown worm crawling them make boots for himself, so that he may not along a sharply defined line, and, hovering above it, freeze his toes; this favor is divine. But if man sets a little cloud of smoke. to work and invents the lightning-rod or the telegraph, "Great Heavens!" cried godfather, "'that is indeed this is nothing less than a temptation of the devil. something of the kind! Skip, boy !" And we ran Thus Jochem considered the dear Lord as a good- down the opposite side of the mountain. hearted, artless old gentleman (just as he, Jochem Towards evening we came to the lowlands, yet himself, was); but the devil as a crafty, cunning fel- either godfather was not acquainted with the country low that cannot be gotten at, and as one who at every here, or curiosity, which. was at times a great thorn in turn deceives man and also the dear Lord. his flesh, had overcome him, or we had stepped upon Apart from this lofty conception of Lucifer, Beelze- a " mad-wort " instead of being at Mariaschutz, we bub (I do not know what other names he may have), stood before a huge pile of rubbish, and behind this my godfather was a clever man. I was indebted to was a black tunnel into the mountain. The tunnel him for many a new pair of trousers and many a spell was nearly large enough so that a house might have of indigestion. stood within it, and was neatly built up; in it was a His consolation" and reliance against the tempta- road with two iron rails, going straight into the moun- tions of the devil was the shrine Mariaschutz at Sem- tain. mering. It was a day's journey thither, and Jochem My godfather stood there for a long time silently made the pilgrimage once each year. When, though and shook his head; finally he muttered: " Now we only a child, I had learned the good use of my limbs are here. That, I suppose, is the new-fangled high- (I and the goat were the only creatures which my way. But it is not true that they go in there ! " father was unable to overtake, when he ran after us A draught, cold as the air of a tomb, came out of with a whip), Godfather Jochem wished one time to the tunnel. Away towards Spital in the evening sun- take me along with him to Mariaschutz. light stood a stone cottage beside the iron road; be- For all I care," said my father, "since the boy fore it a lofty pole arose, upon which two blood red can at the same time see the new railroad, which balls gleamed. Suddenly there was a movement on THE WESLEYAN ARGUS. the pole and one of the balls went up as if drawn by a room and the horse-troughs in the street were unoc- ghostly hand. We were badly frightened. It was cupied. The landlord, formerly the proud master of easy to perceive that there was something uncanny this street, politely invited us to luncheon. here. However, we stood as if rooted to the spot. " My appetite is all gone," answered my godfather; " Godfather Jochem," said I softly, "do you not "wise people do not eat much and I have become a hear something like a rumbling in the ground? " little more wise today." " Yes, to be sure, boy," he answered, "something We stood quietly by the monument of Charles VI. thunders! It is an earthquake." Then he groaned (which at that time already inclined towards decay pitiably. A coal black creature approached upon the and even to this day has not found a deliverer) and iron road. It appeared at first to stand still, but con- looked out upon the Austrian land, which with its rocks stantly became larger and drew near with a mighty and ravines and its immeasurable plain lay stretched puffing and snorting, sending out from its throat a vast out before us. As we descended we saw our railroad amount of steam. And behind train going over there on the wild rugged mountain " Land sakes!" cried my godfather, " entire houses side-small as a rope-over high bridges spanning are hanging on it! " frightful precipices, gliding along dizzy slopes, into one .And indeed, if we formerly had thought that a few hole and out from another very strange. little wagons were attached to the locomotive, upon " It's strange what people are up to nowadays," my which the passengers could sit, we now saw an entire godfather muttered. market-town with many windows, rolling along, and It was already dark when we reached Mariaschutz. at the windows living men thrust out their heads. It We went to the church. where the little red light al- went terribly fast, and there was such a roaring that ways burns, and prayed. one's senses stood still. The Lord Himself could not Then we ate a small supper at the hotel and went stop that! it occurred to me. Then godfather raised past the rooms of the stable maidens to the hay-loft both hands and cried with hesitating voice: " Good- to sleep. ness gracious! they are going right into that tunnel!" We lay for some time. Under the weight of my And already the monster with its hundred wheels experiences and in the excitement of being away from was in the depths; the rear end of the last coach home I could not shut an eye; nevertheless I supposed shrank together; for a little while only a small light that godfather was already sweetly sleeping, when from it was seen, then all disappeared, only the ground he suddenly opened his mouth and said: groaned, and smoke arose quietly and lazily from the "Are you indeed asleep, boy ?" tunnel. " No," I answered. My godfather wiped the perspiration from his face " The evil one has a hold upon me," he said. with his sleeve and stared into the tunnel. I was frightened. Such a thing at a shrine! It was Then he looked at mre and asked, " Have you also unheard of. seen it, boy ? " ' I must have omitted to sprinkle myself before go- " I have also seen it." ing to rest," he whispered. " It gives me no peace; "Then it cannot have been a delusion," muttered it is troublesome, boy." Jochem. "What, godfather?" I asked with warm interest. We ascended the mountain upon the public road; " Well. tomorrow, when I commune, perhaps it will we saw smoke rising from several shafts. Deep under be better," he said, quieting himself. our feet in the mountain the steam-engine was going. " Does something pain you, godfather? " "They are lost as a Jew's soul! " said my god- " It is a piece of foolishness. What do you say, father, meaning the railway passengers. "The pre- boy, since we are so near it shall we try it?" sumptuous people have of their own accord leaped Since I did not understand him, I did not answer, into the grave!" "W\hat can happen to us?" godfather continued. At the hotel upon the Semmering it was very quiet; "If the others do it why cannot we also? I will per- the large stables were empty, the table in the dining- mit myself to try it." /HE WBSLEYAN AKGUS. He is chattering in his dreams, I thought to myself, wall of our creaking little room. Outside in the night and listened diligently. it roared and raged, as if we were surrounded by a " They'll open their eyes," he continued. " if we go powerful waterfall, and at intervals terrible whistles re- home and say that we have ridden on the railroad sounded. We were traveling under the ground. train!" Godfather held his hands folded in his lap and I at once agreed. sighed. " But it is sinfulness," he murmured; "well, per- " In the name of Heaven, now I give myself up to haps tomorrow it will be better, and now for Heaven's my fate, Why have I been a three-fold fool! " sake go to sleep!" We were thus buried long enough to repeat ten On the next day we went to confess and commune paternosters, then it became light again, outside walls, and slide around the altar on our knees.