96 TAYLOR'S LAKE. 



morsel of the cheese from Lym's fingers found its way 

 into his mouth, or whether the odor was so strong that 

 it materialized on his tongue, I am unable to state, but 

 certain it is Lym distinctly tasted the flavor of the 

 cheese, and found it so marvelously delicious that it 

 was a difficult matter to prevent himself from gobbling 

 it all up right away. Suddenly an idea struck him: 

 Surely, this would be the very thing to recuperate old 

 Klotz's worn-out palate. Lym wrapped the cheese in at 

 least twenty covers of cloth and delivered it to Mary 

 Anne the next night, with directions to open it only 

 in the presence of her father. 



That night the old man had been taken down into the 

 big banqueting hall, to bid his old retainers and hench- 

 men good-bye, and thither Mary Anne hurried. Push- 

 ing everybody on one side she hurried to her father's 

 couch, and placing the package on the small table by 

 his side, commenced to tear off the wrappings. With 

 the removal of each successive layer the retainers 

 edged nearer to the doors and windows, while the 

 glassy look in old Klotz's eyes gradually gave way to 

 one of interest, followed by his presently sitting up and 

 sniffing the air with inquisitive curiosity such as he 

 had not shown for months past. With the removal of 

 the last wrapper the cheese stood discovered, and sim- 

 ultaneously with its appearance an odor so weirdly 

 unearthly and diabolically pungent arose that it could 

 be seen like a pale wreath of blue smoke to circulate 

 slowly until it filled the room, its fumes becoming so 

 overpowering that everybody excepting old Klotz and 

 Mary Anne incontinently fled by the nearest exit they 

 could find. 



The odor apparently inspired old Klotz with new life, 

 for starting up from his couch he seized the cheese and 

 devoured it with an avidity and relish to which he had 

 been long a stranger, begged for more, kicked off the 

 bed clothes, commenced to dress himself, and assured 

 his daughter that the individual who had discovered 

 such a marvelously savory compound could have any- 



