Tales of the Caravan, Inn, and Palace

Book excerpt: Hauff stood on the threshold of his career as an author, in the dawning glory of his brilliant talents, when he was stricken down; yet his writings betray no sign of immaturity, and his collected works assure him a niche, high in the temple of literature. The art of investing localities with ideal characters who, in the reader’s imagination, haunt the spot forever after, was a gift Hauff shared alike with his English brothers, Scott and Dickens. On crossing the Bridge of Arts, in Paris, at night, one familiar with his works is apt to look about for the tall and graceful form of the “Beggar Girl,” with her lantern, and the plate held out so reluctantly for coins. Or, if he wander through the rugged Suabian Alps, Hauff’s “Lichtenstein” will be the guide-book he consults; and through the valleys and over the hills to the Nebelhoehle he will trace the flight of the stern Duke Ulerich, pausing maybe at the little village of Hardt to pick out if possible the piper’s home, and to look sharply at every village maid, lest the kind-hearted little “Baerbele” should pass him unawares....FROM THE BOOKS.