OCR Text |
Show B B 111113 wwjyJtmm Hep B ?fl) . ' ' 'd ; "jl TfaasUilonCc.pyrIit.te4.ittj. H (Coiitiiuu'ii; B He stepped to licr side nnd stood loole BBBJ in down into the peat flro ns though he BH woro obliged to count the dancing SM flnmi'Mvldk' Mnryn, rigorously riittltnjf K her puns, scorned trying to drive her H unwelcome guest from the Ullchcn. BBM "Voti need not trouble yourself fur-BBS fur-BBS titer nhout me. Von know wlmt I BB think " BBJ "You do not think nt nil," Interrupted BBBj linns, "or you would understand Hint I BBBJ- wanted you for your own Mike not for BBBj t.ie procr(y you have, or lecnusa our BBS friends wish for our marrlngc. To-day BBBJ " I have learned Unit it can never be; you BBBJ you" An he hesitated, n significant BBB! ghinco piibsed belwcon tliciu. BBJ "ICnrll" exuliilmcd Mnryn, involun-BBS involun-BBS ti.rlly. BBB) "So It ii Karl. Knrl, thn rinpty-hcnd- BBBJ ud follow! Well, I do not know how to BBBJ eonx, nnd fawn, nnd Hatter n he docs. BBBJ Oh, Mnryn, that you enn throw your BBBJ halt nwny on ono who him alrcndy BBBJ drugged u mulden heart fn thn dust BBBJ Hint you Nhonlil keep n tryst with hlra BM In the twilight Is-" BBBJ ".Slleneel" Interposed Mnryn, hotly; BBBJ "I will not listen to nnothcr word. The BBBJ standard that you 11lilicaiW tike to BBBJ measure coplc by will not do-for him BBBJ nnd niu. If you have played the spy, BBBJ hi i nine upon your dark toull Never BBBJ eotne near me ngaln, for 1 hate you! I BBBJ hate you, mi Hint" BBBJ Quivering with excitement, she BBB stepped toward him nnd shook her little BBB ftYt in his face. Like n flash enmc a new BBB nnd Midden Impulse to thu quiet, BBB thoughtful linns. In an Instant ho BBB clasped tho girl in his nrms nnd covered BBBJ her wicked little mouth nnd Hashing BBB eyen with hisses. It wnr. only for the BBBj moment, then ho released her, rccclv- BBBJ l"ir nt) he did no n spiteful blow' on tho BBB BBBJ "Who is to care for your child?"' lie BE "who ia to CAiti: rou voun child'.'" BBB asked, ns lie- turned to go down the BBB itcps into tho darltncsn. BBB That night tho grundfuthur had burnt BBm flsli fcr mipper, nnd little Marie's slum BB her was by no means peaceful. When BBB Jho sleepily stretched oilt her little BBB hands to ward oil the disturber of her BBBj rest, they felt upon a hot face, were BBBJ -aught, nnd lcUsed ngnln arid ngnln. BBB lb' daybreak tho two rivals hud ill- BBB ready loft thu island; Karl had suited BBB (or Hamburg on a fltditng-Miiach; nnd BBB llaiiH 1'rcrllc had tuken udvuutugu of BBB tho tide to ilont out to open sea. lib BBB mo,te, n rough Frlcslnndcr of tho '"onii BBB Ine stamp, drew anchor, nnd, nfter tin BBB sails were set, the east wind drove the BBB thu Ixiat rnpl-Jly bcnwnrd. The two BBB men nnd tho half-grown loy who tic- BBB conipanlcd them drew yellow oll-sUlns BBB over their thick frleso jnctioK the boy BBB nt the same time producing u demlj'ihn BBJ and offering it, with a sly grin, to thu BBB mate. Tho latter passed it to linns BBB l'rerlk, who refu; it with n gesture, BBB and then busied h asclf with the fish BBB ing-genr. BBB Farther and farther receded the BBB shore, until only tho faintest lino re- BBB inained visible through tho gray mom- BBB Ing twilight. Against tho dreary linrl BBB zon they saw tho lighthouse stand like BBB udellnnt se.vking, while beyond them BBB- tho foam-crested waves surged against BBB tho snndbnnk of Scharharn. Steering BBB one point more toward tho west, they BBB left to starboard this dangerous hank BBB so dreaded by larger vcsscIh. TIum'uIoI BBB highway of the sea soon became u scene BBB' of action; many ships that had been BBB, lying at nnchor now resumed thotr out- BBB ward course. Far nnd ntfnr could bo BBB heard the peculiar, half-melancholy, BBB hnlf-iirrogant cry of tho busy crows, BBB" whlcji, bounding but two notes, takes BBB tho place- of a snug among Herman BBB bailors. These trembling tones, min- BBB, gled with tho bcrcam of the son-gulls, BBB swept tho leaden surface of tho water, BBB upon which, at intervals, n buoy, cor BB cred with Kcawecd nnd clinging cren- BBB' turcH of tho deep, danced ut tho end of BBB Its long chain, heveral times had ob- BBB' bcrvnnt liana uneasily scanned bky and BBB C(1. Heavy clouds of rolling mist hung BBB low over tho water. Tor n half-hour BBB tho wind had shifted restlessly, veering BBB now this way, now that. There was BBB" nothing unusual in this, but tho un BBB natural, bra.en hue of the unbroken BBB expanse of upper air, which tho rays of BBB tho sun, still bolow the horizon, could BBB not affect, gavo the men in tho boat BBB cause for anxious doubt. BBB It was a bad day. Peter Ellt had BBB , reason to shako his head thoughtfully BBB. over Maryn, und to keep little Marie BBB: with him that alio might not suffer BBBBBB ------ 'rail, "i BBB BBB from her mother f, strange mood. I'ndfr Mnrysi. black lmlr, wild thought. rniikledJIUo Ilory diirtn; she did her work, ns. before, singing the same melancholy song. She often stopped with n laugh, shrill ns the scream of tho sea-gulls that fluttered nhout the tuner, brushing with shy wing against the windows; onco tho old man heard her talking loudly to hcrNolf In words ho could not understand. under-stand. Peter Kill, tho experienced, weather wise scamnn, saw nothing good In tho ominous change of tho weather. After extinguishing his lights, ho looked out from his high gallery Into tho early morning twilight, nnd, ns was his cus-lonf, cus-lonf, offered a sllont prayer of thank-fulucHs thank-fulucHs for tho quiet night that had endangered en-dangered neither llfo nor property. He shook his head gravely over tho strnngo nppcarauco of the sky. "Hod vive us," he murmured: "Ham, 1'rarik will sec it out thcro and will be home In time." "I with thai he would stuy there, that neither mouse nor plunk of his detested de-tested boat would over ngnln sec our shore. I wish that I, and you, nnd cvorythlng curJd go down, with It thitt would be tho best way to gain rest," cxclnlmed'Marya, In a dull, sup-prcsccd sup-prcsccd tone. With nu unnatural excitement, with glittering eyes and heaving bosom, she had ascended to the lantern for a breath of fresh nlr. Her grandfather reprqved her for her wicked speech, but when ho noticed her w lid look, hu be-enmo be-enmo ntnrmcd for tho llfo of tho child. The old man laid his trembling arm nbout her shoulders; for n moment sha rested her head ngnlnst his breast, but toro herself nwny when ho said: "You nrc 111, Mnryn." "Yes, you havo made me ill, but 1 can help myself. 01 I can help myself I will not sink liko n scuttled ship." That day, tho old man kept wntch from tho lighthouse more anxiously than usunl. Not only tho ships, but the herds, grazing upon tho meadows beyond be-yond tho dikes, claimed his attention. Theso'hroad meadows, stretching out sldo tho dikes, merged into n strip of sandy beach nnd were finally lost in thu. bluo sen. They owed their existence, to the sea, nnd were tho most valuable possession of those Islanders who were farmers, rather than seamen, nnd whoso wealth lay in tho herds that thrived upon them. Only now nnd then, when old ocenn, jealous of his dominion, domin-ion, strove in wild rngo to reclaim hit own, were tho herds endangered. It wn8 a ghnntlyi day, sultry and op-prcssivo'ln op-prcssivo'ln splto of tho lntene,u. of the season.. Tho ' siia lurked 'behind n brnzen curlnln unablo to pierco Its sulphurous sul-phurous density, wlillo tho winl shifted shift-ed uneasily from point to point. Tho herdsmen hnd great trouble with their cattle; usually so docile, they now becumo quite unmanageable; they bellowed bel-lowed and plunged ns If a thunderstorm were browing, and luoro than ono usually qufct animal hnd to bo rescued from tho miry pools in which tho mend-own mend-own abounded. Marya need not wait till twilight to gel her water, for Karl was in Hamburg, Ham-burg, and, for a time, she must sadly miss Ms wooing. She, cquld not help loving him. for In tho first hour of their lovo ho hnd told her that through her ho had become a hotter man, nnd repented re-pented tho wild llfo that had brought bitter heart-sorrow to ono maiden and her family. Tho thought that she can makoa man's life bettor Is tin surest Miaro for n woman's heart. Knrl did not bear tho best reputation, nnd for that reason Maryn had kept their love nfTnlrs secret, till yes, till they could bo married; when that was to bo remained re-mained qultoiudeeldod, for Knrl hnd Jokingly cvndod that point. Now, having hav-ing Iwt rayed her secret tu tho hated linns l'rerlk. tho young woman wns wcllnlgh exhausted with Impotent rngo nt herself nnd nu Intense, hinging for her lover-Many lover-Many women nnd maidens like Marya Ma-rya had gathered at noonday around tho fountain Hint so freely dispensed Its sweet waters for ail, and tho customary cus-tomary gossp eiuued. Each burned with nn eager deslro to question "The Stranger" hertclf about tho jinprcco dental ocourrriico of tho day before, and then to judgo her accordingly. "He kissed her " "And sho slapped him " "Sho acted like nn enraged wildcat, nnd if lie had not quickly closed tho door, a pleco of burning turf would havo been hurled nt his head" "He hns gone nvay In anger, and should ho not return, should evil come to him, 'Tho Stranger' will bo to blnme " "That Is what comes of nn nllen forcing forc-ing herself among seuslble people." Tho chnttcr ceased ns Mnryn np- ' preached, but sho had heard enough to bring tenrs of anger to her -yc. After filling her pulls, she withdrew wttiiitit n woid, tho wave of gossip rising idoubly high behind her. J So Hans l'rerlk had talked nbout It; perhaps ho hnd nlso talked about Karl and her, I Unfortunately Marya did not know that during her Interview with Hans, Jan. her grandfather's assistant, had passed tho kitchen door on his way up to tho lantern, rejoicing greatly over the Interesting lilt of news ho had thus gathered for tho people. Peter Ellt did not depend entirely upon this assistant. At night, his four hotusof quiet sleep wcro often broken by anxiety about ills llghtjidurlng Hit; day, ho .dispensed with Jan'a services. r . ii-lTi"'"1 '""ii''?!?!g for then his own Uicbii eye Bn'dipl In ml and sea, ready to discern uny sign of distress. To-day the old man k-'pt closer wntch than usual, for it was tho time of the new moon and there were ominous signs In the nlr. Townrd evening, when tlt Islanders hud relapsed into careless indifference, a heavy blnck wall of clouds appeared on tho western sea line, climbed the henvens with the rapidity of tho wind, and, liorno on tho wings of storm, closed over tho Island so quickly that Peter Kilt could not send warning from bin high watch tower In time to Insihe thu safety of tho herds on the sen meadow mead-ow s. Tins storm descended with darkness dark-ness mill flood; now, when tho light of day should reign, tho low-hanging masses of cloud spread midnight dark ncss over tho frightened creatures, hi wild fury tho flood rushed on; over tho sands rolled seething wnves, which, lowering crest over crest, ndvnnccd fnr-llicr fnr-llicr unci farther upon tho shore. The storm had surprised the herdsmen herds-men nnd their herds more than the watcher upon tho tower; the peals of thunder, with which It broke, put tho cattle In a stalo of wild confusion. Instead In-stead of seeking safety within the dykes, part of them rushed toward tho roaring flood, the remainder plunging hither and thither In dazed bcwlider ment. The brave herdsmen risked their own lives in their endeavors to save tho endangered herds. Some of tho entile fell into miry pools, and as the men attempted at-tempted their rescue, they, too, sank In the slimy ooze, tho raging sea coming ever ncnier nnd nearer. .Suddenly the light .flashed out from the lighthouse. Tho excitement on the shore increased; all rushed to the nld of the herdsmen who were battling vnl-taiitly vnl-taiitly with tho destructive elements. Numliers of the cattle that hnd fled tc the higher places for safely were swept nwny by the resistless wnves, their death-cry lost In the ronr of the sen. One of the herdsmen, who had desperately desper-ately plunged Into the nngry flood In n mad attempt to drive his cattle land ward, wus engulfed by a mighty billow. On tl)c sea, tho danger was greater than upon tho Island. Although the vessels, largo nnd small, that traversed tho In ond waterway lind carefully prepared pre-pared for the reception of their stormy guest, Its force seamed beyond tho power pow-er of human reslstnneo. Tho sea pressed with overwhelming force Into the mouth of tho river; meeting lis conflicting con-flicting flood, It towered In mountainous mountain-ous wnves, which madly precipitated themselves into a seething caldron below. be-low. The wind Increased to a hurricane, hurri-cane, which plowed the sea nnd threatened threat-ened to drown tho very earth. What nnchor could hold In such chaos? What vessel could weather such n storm? Tho islanders had been too much occupied oc-cupied with their own-danger to be able to think of the teirors on tho sen. When nil tho cattle that could be snved were secure within the protecting nrms of tho dikes, they turned their thoughts fo the scenes of Inbor, of wasted courage, cour-age, of helpless desperation thnt must now bo transpiring on the sea. Huddled closely together for greater security from tho fury of tho storm, they stood upon the summit of the dike, anxiously gazing across the seething blnck waves, upon which tho light from tho tower throw its' ghastly, glaring rayp. Some "of their own were out, then -tlic najnj of Hans l'rerlk flew from lip to lfpT With renewed fury n blast shook tho earth to Its very foundations, nnd the cry of many voices mingled with the tumult tho light in the tower had gono out'. Hod tho hurrlcana wrecked tho old lighthouse? Was tho whole Islnnd to be destroyed? Had some calamity Ins-fallen Ins-fallen tho watcher In tho tower? The pcoplo waited n few minutes In terrified silence, hoping to see tho light flame put ngaln, but it remained dark. "I must go up there; somethidg must havo happened," said oue in an anxious voice. "Jan, arc you here? Why are you not ' ---yM "JA--, J.HK YOU HEltB?" at your post?" exclaimed a number of tho men. There was a rush down tho dike toward the towergato which soon shook with their vigorous knocks and blows. Ian trled'to Justify himself by declaring declar-ing tint tho governor had sent him to tho assistance of tho herdsmen. No ono listened to him, for the excited crowd was endeavoring to open the great gate. They did not succeed In opening tho heavy oaken door, nor tho sldo doors that were likewise closed and barred, and no one opened from within. Soon n dull, Ixxirulng sound mingled with tho deep orchestral tones of the elements, and after n few minutes, was repented tho booming of cannonl A lnrgo vessel In danger and the light out the light which should linve rc-vealod to it its whereabouts, should havo shown that land wns near, snndbnnks aqd shoals, nnd men who were ready to help as 6oon as they were nble to cope with the storm. Vain nil effort! Tho Htllo hand of men before tho great pate wns utterly helpless, a mere nothing. A bulwark built by men mocked its builders they had outdone themselves, While naturo sang in their ears the old, old story of dcsttuctlon, she gave no sign of a resurrection. res-urrection. , T 1 t-a-a-tii-"; -tjgf--j-----j-j--i-Mta "A hsjipy hoar beats in -ny breast, Hut a JiMVy wtjiglit upon It lies." So sang Maryn, "The Stranger," as, in the gray dnwii, the heavy door yielded yield-ed to tho blow of tho sledges, und opened the wny to tho lantern. She sat upon the topmost step, herhnnds clasped nlout her Inters, licr glittering glitter-ing eyes gazing out Into tho twilight across the foaming sea. "Heavens! The girl hns gone mud," muttered one of tho men, ns they were brought to n standstill In the narrow stalrwny, while Mnyra took no notice of them whatever. Tho storm had spent Ita fury. Tho sobbing of thu sea told how great It had been. The pale twilight still veiled tho traces of Us rngo from eager eyes tho breach In tho outer-dike tho Inundation of the mendows. nnd nbovo nil, the hull of a large boat, which, rocked by tho waves, vas nt Jnst thrown upon thn Htrnnd, whlh pieces of the wreck still Honied upon the waven a plank, a cask, a spar. "The twilight veiled, too, n bark, which, hs tho storm abated, sought n landing upon up-on tho eastern shoo of tho Islnnd. It had suffered great damage; Its sails nnd rigging hung In shreds from broken mastf). but tho hull still held together. On board were a number of men, palo nnd cxlmustiU, who had been plclted up half an Hour before from floating fragments off tho ship, which, during tho bight, hall bounded In vnin lU signals sig-nals of dlstreus. Land wns reached In safety. . "Tnkotho'mcn to th lighthouse to bo enred for. I nm going on ahead to sco what has happened there," said Hans Krerlk, tho commander of tho boatr Five minutes later lie was on Ids w ay. "Let mo go to her," ho cried, when theyhad told him of Mnrya's strnngo conduct. Ah sho heard his volco nnd saw his haggard -faco appear on tho stairs nt her feet, sho uttered n shrill lnugh nnd then burst Into bjttcr weeping. Without nnothcr word, Hans took the unresisting unresist-ing girl in his nrms, carried licr to tho little room below, nnd there, her bend upon his shoulder, bIio told In short, confused and broken sentences nil thnt had happened on Hint dtcndful night. Sh.') hnd extinguished tho lights in the great lRBlft-n In order to render Impossible Impos-sible Hans 1'rerik's snfo return nnd hud prevented her grandfather from relighting relight-ing them. In their struggle on tho gallery gal-lery in tho darkness, he hnd suddenly fallen to thO floor lifeless, nnd Mnryn had kept wntch tho whole night through. They had brough. down the body of thu old man faithful Peter Kilt, who had died at his post of duty, Marya had but Just concluded her confession, when tho hentof tho fever cant, upon her ngnln, nnd In n short time sho wns raving in the wildest self-accusntlons. self-accusntlons. Nenr her slept her little daughter. Tho child wns the only ono over who60 hnppy spirit the terrors of the night had had no power. Tor weeks sadness reigned over the little islnnd. There wits, indeed, gtt-nt cruso for mourning, llcsldes serious damage to valuable, possessions, besides Injury to the dikes nnd sen-meadow s, which could bo repaired only by great sacrifice, tho islanders had looked their lust upon tho- simple cofllu in which braw-ilctcr Ellt was carried forth upon lib tourney across the marshes to "tmAta,fshtTnt---.here, In consecrated ground, ho was to huvo his last resting place. Then, too, they sought in vain for two bravo herdsmen; they hnd been swept away by the raging flood. Tho Fricslandcrs are not heroic In wpnl; to those Hint wage constnnt warfare war-fare with the sea, speech Is an effort. Thero was less said thnn usual for a time, but all tho more zealous w as the labor Tho dikes were repaired, und those whose boats were spared on that terrible night hastened to repair them that they might tnko advnntugo of the catch to earn what they could. All hands bestirred themselves to retrieve their losses. Hans L'rcrik took no rest He hauled up his fishing smack to make it ngaln seaworthy and hammered nnd worked upon It ns unceasingly ns If he hoped thus to rhl himself of somo restless rest-less torment. Thyslcal exertion wns tho escajio valvo for incutul distress caused lly thoughts of Marya. Ono would wit, have suspected such inward tumult Irom his quiet, almost stolid countenance. linns hnd been able to overconiiB mnny n troublesome difllcul-ty, difllcul-ty, ami tfts passion ho would conquer too. Win every plank ho put Into his boat he tBuk part of tho selfishness out of liTsovA hearts ho would no longer wish for Bjnrya for his own sake no, of courseBjiot what ono loves so dearly ono mufBLnot trouble With every clink th hammer drovo Into tho seam ho i 'patehed somo focllsh wish. He found mt man lives best when ho does not v according to his own selfish dr res, but considers till that. In the cot o of nature, travel through lift on hi right nnd on his left. Hy tho time; tho new mast was firmly wedged ii ts pluce, Hans hud decided that ho li: heen very rudo on that memorub evening: how. dart he clasp so abrupt s'-t-'h u delicate form in his great, rot arms? A grea trouble still weighed upon his heart. ,., . ., ,, To be continued) |