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Show Gf "J" ' - r V.iLj, Translation Coyrli:M,l,i. "" itefciZiyySllK01-TUltn "nr' -' -" o n o c 1 Lnc)ic(l hand resting upon nn antliiuc tabic at licr side, the otliur prcsscJl convulsively to her heart. Sho necmed to havo just spoken In Krcut excitement, for lier lips still quivered, her eyes still Hashed In-(llgnnnt In-(llgnnnt (rlnuccs nt nn old man who mit ut the other hide of the. table In nn old-fashioned old-fashioned hair-cloth chnlr, his hands folded on hli knees, his white head thoughtfully bowed. Tliey were a remarkable pair, this old man and the young1 woman. Not until ho nrobe eould one perceive tho Herculean proportions of the old mini's figure. Then became nppnrent thu breadth of thefillghtly-bowcd shoulders that supported n head whoso snowy locks tdiudcd u wrinkled fuce glowing with the wintry flush of n withered 1 apple. t Tho womnn's flguro wns delicate, though well rounded, and a wnrm southern color glowed in her dark skin. A wealth of Jet-black hair crowned her head, in strange contrast with the bluo (lernmn eyes that now i.pnrkled with excitement. .The retreating sunlight seemed to gather about and envelop her figure, leuvlug tho corners of tho room to tho fast gathering bhades of twilight Motionless she stood there, expectantly expectant-ly awaiting an answer from thu old man. He, however, remained silent, lost In deep thought. rhen, impatiently impatient-ly tapping her roughly-shod little foot upon tho floor, she asked: 'Am I not MOTIONLI-.SS SUE STOOD T1IE11E. right, grandfather? Hnvu you nothing to say?" ! Without raising his head at her ques tion the grandfather quietly answered: "Yon nro still young, Mnr.yn; your thoughts are very different from thoso In tho wJilto head that lias weathered , tho blasts of so many a stormy season. w Hcsldea, the hot blood of your mother (1 flown in your veins. You are in tho wrong. It ill becomes you to scorn tho i ' manners and customs of our island." ' Maryii retreated into tho deep em- ' , , brasuro of tho window and stood look- ft v Ing out nerosR dike and meadow out V , upon tho restless sea that stretched j4 awny In tho splendor of tho w Inter sun 's? set. Pressing her hand to her heaving jjj breast, she answered, Impetuously: "Tim 3 , hot blood of my mother Is always E thrown In my faee when I will not act -jj , to suit theso meddlesome, narrow- E minded Islanders. 01 I well understand E my mother's early death; she, with her B? j , wnrm nature, could no longer live I t among theso flb)i-henls." If "Ho not so wicked," said the old man, i sum qwciiy, .yet in n iiinu miikiu'j '. raised; "you have still much to learn 'ft from your mother. Althougli shuas jC called 'Tho Stranger,' nil loved her be- eauso sho clung to us as though sho I were one of us, and seemed to lore thu sea n't If sho had been born upon it. It f, wns only when l'eter, your father, was ; ! lost at sen that sho wns seized with that ffer. ' feeling of homesickness that hastened " her death." , , , A pauso ensued. Without could bo ',' heard thu dull ronr of tho sea, within ' .J , enly the monotonous ticking of tho old y clock fleeting wnves, fleeting time. Again JInr.vn turned to her grandfather, i whose earnest words had somewhat , ' quieted her emotion; with more defl- ' . unco than pufcbicn sho now spoke: - , "Very good, grandfather! Wns not I a " '.; good wife to my husband? Had he might i f to charge against me? lie, or you.' I t , need not ask what others thought. My ' nusbnnd was ngooit man, but 1 wns only nri inexperienced girl when I married him. Now I am a few summers wiser, J ' and If I ehooso to marry again, I will not consult tho cousins und aunts, who would marry every Wow to her husband's hus-band's brother and thus avoid a dlvl-? dlvl-? sion of tho patrimony., I will not sub mit to it. I will not many Ilaus l'rorik, and if he-" I friho did not finish her Bcntcnco, for f the door soMy opened, and "Sco! See!" "s called a childish voice. As Mario, her little three-year-old daughter, thrust her head through tho opening, Mnrya 8 flew toward her. Seizing tho child and i lifting her high in thu nlr, sho danced I round nnd round with her, until tho child's short skirts bocamo Inflated and 1 tho llttl'o paper ship which sho held byi I long thread, took Its first voywgo upon I the nlr. (Had shouts proclaimed Murin'tf enjoyment of tho sport. When released by her mother, sho e)imbed upon her grandfather's knee, showed him her little ship, nnd begged him to will out with her upon tho Elbo to Hamburg. The grandfather fondly stroked tho child's head nnd promised to build nblg ship In which they two would sail uwny over tho sea, past Hnglnnd to tho beautiful beau-tiful Odessa, her grandmother'. early home. Mnrya began humming the melancholy melan-choly refrain of n simple, rhymeless ballad, in which Marie's thin, childish voice soon Joined, for the child nlrcady know tho song. "A happy heart t sis In my tirmM, Hut a heavy weight upon It tics." Tho soft, monotonous voice anil tho name, Mnryn, were all that might give one n clew to the young woman's eastern east-ern origin. Hut tliey were suftlclent to cause tho islanders to bestow upon her the nnme they had formerly given her mother "Tho Stranger." Her grandfather grandfa-ther greatly disliked her foreign jiame; as ho considered himself one of' the patriarchs pa-triarchs of tho community, he Insisted that thu oriental Mnryn, should, for tho child, bo translated into the (icrman Marie. Tho old tower, the homo of Mnrya hud her grandfather, is n rude, clumsy structure, upon the island Xcuwerk, which lies upon tho extreme northwestern northwest-ern coast of Ocrmany. Tho Islanders call it "The Lighthouse." Unlit upon a point, which, at ebb tido is connected with the main island by a stretch of sea marshes, at flood tldo it stands a lone sentinel in tho midst of the surging sen. Mirny nnd varied have been the services rendered by tills strange old tower. While for nges its massive walls have afforded shelter nnd hospitality, Hie lantern surmounting tho structure, with Its two-and-thlrty lights, Intensified by polished reflectors, has been n beacon to numberless pilots, enabling them to guide their vessels safely among tho sands that lie at tho mouth of the HI be. It has seen generation after generation genera-tion pass away.. In the five hundred years of Its history, w-ar, murder and other deeds of violence, ns well as tho destructive force of tho sea, have- raged In nnd about it. All classes of people, hnvi found shelter beneath Its era v. old roof; merchant princes, whose swny extended ex-tended over tho highways of tho sea; defiant sea-robbers, foes o tho com-mcrco com-mcrco of tho flourishing city of Hamburg, Ham-burg, who here awaited trialnnd judgment; judg-ment; shipwrecked sailors, v,ko found hero safo harbor; even travelers from foreign climes, who had now and again settled upon tho island and uiadu their homo in tho old tower. Hut all that is long past. Even slnco tho timo when Marya, "Tho Stranger," had so disturbed tho penco of tho Uttlo community within tho dikes, a thousand tides havo ebbed and flowed, and scarco ono old woman lives that can tell tho story of her strange deed. Hero and there, however, may bo found an old gray-linlred sea-dog, who can still ro-call ro-call the events of that night, long past, when tho guiding star of tho lighthouse disappeared, and tho death and destruction destruc-tion that followed wcro attributed to tho frenzied throbbing of ,ono woman's heart. Daylight was fudiug. From her high outlook, Mnrya had watched tho great red disk of the sun sink below the horizon. hori-zon. Every evening sho did this. Only after the last quivering rays hud vanished van-ished and tho dark blue canopy of twilight twi-light overshadowed the murmuring sea, did she recall to mind her household duties. du-ties. Her grandfather prepared to discharge dis-charge the dutiosof his position, for old l'eter Kilt was both keeper of tlio light-house, light-house, and governor of tho Island. Little Lit-tle Marie accompanied him, still begging beg-ging for more stories of strango -lands beyond tho sea, where flowers grow as largo ns tho pinto from which sho nlo linr kiinnor. "One becomes n child again with tho little darling and would fain conjuru the sun from the heavens for her," said the old man as lio ascended the stairs again to polish tho reflectors before, tho lamps were lighted. Marya seized tho Uttlo ono again nnd cmbrnccd hrr with such flerco fondness that Marie struggled strug-gled to freo herself and ran screaming after her grandfather. "I am going to get somo water," called Mnryn after tho two as bho trolc her waterpnlls and went down tho steps. As sho emerged .from tho arched doorway below, she stood motionless for a few moments before descending tho wooden steps that led down to tho well, tho ono precious fountain Hint was inclosed with tho lighthouse by tho surrounding dikes. This, too, Marya did every evening, From tho little landing ut the head of the stairs sho could look out across tho nearer dikes and could herself bo plainly seen from tho houses that) lay between tho dikes beyond that wbb the main thing. It was still light enough for that. Why Marya so strenuously resisted tho custom of the island and would not marry Hans 1'rerik, her husband's brother, might have been easily understood under-stood had ono seen her a Uttlo inter, under the- protecting bhadows of tho winter evening, clasped in the nnns of a burly, blonde-haired youth. Tho two had hastened to their trysting place on Jtho east 6ldo of the old tower, where 'tho shndows lay tho deepest and where they were protected from tho keen north wind. Tender whispered nothings, noth-ings, 60 dear to tlio hearts of lovers, I found no place In their conversation; f although cacli regarded tlio matter from an individual standpoint, yet each was so thoroughly imbued with tho views of the practical Islanders, that It was impossible for them to becomo sentimental. "Grandfather has been very urgent again nbout Huns Frcrlk, and thlsaf tor-noon tor-noon Aunt Mctn visited us; she did not omit her usnnl tirade, upon my oIh stlnacy and my being untrustworthy because I am 'Tlio Stranger.' It Is almost moro than I enn bear. Do you i not think so, Karl?" r. I Mnryn placed both hands upon tho young mnn's shoulders. For it moment ho stood thus, his bond bowed in thought; then, throwing his arms ulxiut her, he pressed her to hh heart In nn ardent embrace. "Slop such nonsense," exclaimed; Marya, but nt tho snmo time returning his embrace with n wnrm kiss. "An swer me," "I think," answered Karl, Vthnt you , will finally yield, linns Frcrlk In a I line-looking young follow, and, besides, there would bo no division of tho property." prop-erty." i "1'ouf Yout You ndvlso me to If", cried Mnryn, In a passionate, yet sub-1 ducd voice. Sho seized hlsnrm as though I sho would drag him Into tho light be-fori; be-fori; u bir of Justice. I "Nonsense, nonsense!" laughed Karl "Don't be bo furious, Marya. It would be worth a man's while to risk his neck for such a woman as you arc." "Don't bay such tilings," protested Mnryn. "hut tell mo plainly what you think." "How impetuous you arel Ono gets tired of always fnclng nri adverse jtiind. You might know that what 1 said alout Hans Frcrlk wns only In jest. I wanted to see In what direction you would sail In such n breeze." "And you will bo true?" asked Marys, breathlessly. "Wo two wild never be separated?" "Of course not, you will treasure." answered Karl, lnuglilugly, taking both her hands in his nnd hissing Iter. "You taught me thu meaning of love: the others hero know nothing about it only you und I. Is It not so?" M "I could not live without you," whispered whis-pered Mnryn. "I 4ovo you because you are not sluggish nnd eold nnd stolid like the flsh-hends under their foggy skins like Hniu Frcrlk." In the bliss of this stolen interview, Marya forgot her palls of water, her grandfather and the child; forgot tho lighthouse, tho Island nnd tho sen, yea. even the whole world. Tho passionate warmth of her oriental nature was throbbing in her veins she. loved for tho flrnt time. Soon tlio north wind began sifting slcot In Icy showers over tlio Uttlo la-land. la-land. Karl, shivering with cold, took his leave, nftcr bidding Maryn a fond farewell. He dared no longer linger, for on tlio morrow ho was to sail with tlio tldo for Hamburg, wlicro ho would assume tho duties of superintendent In tlio largo warehouse of Herr Mlchclson. A hrp7 heart beau hi my brcant. Hut a heavy weight uion It llo." ' Mnryn hummed tho lnulirnful strains, ns, with her water-palls, sho sought her Uttlo kitchen. This pathetic little song, tlio plaint of nn unhappy race, Mnrya's mother had transplanted from tlio lowlands of, tho Dnleny.ltfc.the shores 3t the 'XorHrRca. -'? lJ l'eter Kill had, in tho meantime, lighted thu lamps nnd now wns busying himself in his usunl fashion; not content con-tent with less than a threefold assurance assur-ance of the spotless condition of tlio grent lantern, a touch must needs bo added hero and there, although ho well knew that overytlilng was in perfect order. "Tito safety of llfo and property depends de-pends upon my light," ho would say, "and If an old wan of seventy years HAIIVA I'l.ACKI) I10TII HANDS UI'OH IUH HII0UI.IIKI1. cannot do his work well, he should not attempt It at ull." As tho light suddenly flared up ln'tho great lantern, It flashed with dazzling brilliancy out across tho dark water. Just outside tho door. In tho narrow gallery that encircled tho lantern, sat Marie, her little hands folded in her bluo upron. Shivering In tho coh wind that whistled around the tower, sho quietly wnlted, for bho wns forbidden by her grandfather to enter tho tower or run nbout upon tlio gallery. Crouch ing there, sho watched in great glee the ships on tho sen below, that looked so ghostly in tlio vanishing twilight. 'Tho ulnd filled their sails as tliey stemmed their way against tlio current of flip Elbo toward the great commercial city on Its banks. Oreen stars sclntillaieil In tho yawning depths of tho seahero one, there one ab many stars as there, were lights upon the ships, grecu lights hung out upon tho starboard. Theso little stars were Mario's greatest 'joy; for them nlono did sho climb every evening the long flight of stairs that led to the lantern. Hero and there among tho green btars twinkled a red one, when somo largo merchantman came to anchor off I the island, its bow turned with tlio ! current townrd the sea, showing the red ' larboard signal. ?"" I Mario knew quite well that tho lights that quivered In the vast dark? ness below, as tlio ships glided phanj tom-llke on their way, looked Jtort iW guidance to her grandfather beacon light. Crouching lower and lower, und shivering with cold, tho child gazed into the wide heavens above her, whore real little stars shone, and from whence seemed to come the wind that blew as though it would extinguish a hundred thousand lights wlt'iMts eold breath. At length the grand father etiiiui out and took the obedient little one with him to the eoy room below. Hero they found n guest whom tho casual observer might have taken to lie-Karl's lie-Karl's brother, although lie was nnlv a cousin of tin. dusky Mtiryn'a blonde lover. Ho liau the same yellow hair, tho same blue eyes --, In which lurked n suggestion of melancholy not seen In Karl's The llrm lines ulxiul hit mouth, ns well ns his strong, well-shaped well-shaped hands, Indicated a will of Iron. This was Hans Frcrlk. the brother-in-law, nnd, nccordlng to the riiMom of tho islnnd, the future husband of "The Stranger." linns Frcrlk wns heir to n lino estate: largo herds of cattle, which grazed upon tho sea-meadows beyond the dikes, would ono day bo his own. He might, therefore, have led the comfortiihlo life of a farmer, but for ids great love of the sea. While a boy, he was best satisfied sat-isfied when, as a cow-herd, lie wns free to loungo upon tho bench nt nil times niul In nil kinds of weather. Later, however, his ambition grew, and lie had n Ashing smack built for himself at Cuxhaven. Even though lie was not obliged to llsli for u livelihood, as every ono upon the Island said, yet It wns well known that his gains thereby were considerable, and his leas fortunate neighbors eagerly seized every opportunity oppor-tunity to nccompany him w lieu the time for the grent catch arrived. I It wns the Inst of September The coming of tho shoals was hourly expected, expect-ed, and, ns there "in nothing of importance im-portance to require ills presence at home, Hans had arranged to start upon ills usual fishing expedition on tlio morrow. mor-row. "Good evening, governor," came from the now darkened room as l'eter Kilt entered. "Thank you, Hans Frcrlk," answered the old man; "wait n moment while I take the child to her mother." He returned in n very few minutes, bearing in his bund an nhl-fnshtoucd pewter hilnp which lie lighted nnd plnced upon tho table. It was needless for Hans to jluglubo noisily tlio INh-hooks INh-hooks In his pocket to cnll attention to ids intended departure, for l'eter Hill begnn at once to speak of the one ever uppermost in the young man's thoughts "It is almost Impossible to get along 'with the girl," ho said, ns lie trimmed the smoking flame with a small Instrument Instru-ment attached to the lamp for that purpose. pur-pose. "Sho knows that nn old voyager like mo cannot bear the darkness, but it does not occur to her to bring a light. We shall hnve to wnlt longer than usunl for our fried fish to-nilit. Sho is like a ship rendy to dnsli herself to pieces upon Hie rocks whenever the marriage is mentioned. Tlio prospect Is not pleasing, my boy; 1 do not like to (met her to it, far site in nil that is left me in my old ngo. ltesldes. she will not bo forced. Ilather than do this against her will, she would cut off her ten lingers." "S)ie must not bo compelled, governor; gover-nor; no gtod will roiiiB of It," answered Hans, ho had taken his fish-hooks from ills pockets, laid them upon the table, and was examining tlieni as carefully care-fully as if tliey were n matter of groat importance. After a pnuso. he continued: con-tinued: "Sh'iHawl muit are bad tilings Wo men learn to reckon with them from childhood. "ilnd and sea rIiow no mercy, and we learn iiall nnd mut so well that at last we como to think that everything we accomplish is done by force of will. It Is very different uitji women; tliey arc frail ereutures, but they havo strong wills, too. Jinny n woman would rnther throw herself from tho top of the lighthouse than act contrary to her will. That is becau o with women thu seat of tlio will in not In the head but In the heiirt." The old man had taken from n shelf a small piece of wood, which, ns he enrved, grew more nnd more like the model of a ship. Presently he laiddoun ills work, pushed tho light aside, and. gazing Into the young man's eyes with astonishment, said: "You tnllc lil.-o it learned man, Hans. How is it? One can feel such tilings, but to express them in words I do not understand it." Great, burly Hans blushed like a Bchoollxiy nnd then said, with some embarrassment: em-barrassment: "Well, when tho lines are out and I nm waiting for the llsh, such thoughts como to mo upon the bluo water, nnd then-1 can understand how Marya feels about tho matter." Voter Kilt blghcd deeply. "1 would gladly havo left my place to ono of my own family, but my sou sailed before me; ond Mnryn well, it Is too lute now. Where U tho girl? 1 must go nnd look for her." "Let mo go," snld Hans, quickly; "I should like to bid her good-by before I go." As tho old man went up to the lantern lan-tern to attend to tlio lumps, Hans entered en-tered tho smoky little kitchen, where Mnryn wns busily preparing the supper, Sho stood in tlio gleaming firelight, sprinkling meal into the frying-pan, so that the flsh might become crisp nnd brown without iiurning. Her cheeks glowed. Was it tlio reflection of the ruddy firelight, or was It due to some other cause? "What brings you hero?" sho ashed, harshly. "You know, Marya, there Is always tho saiuo reason for my com Ing," answered Hans. (.To bo continued,) |
