Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-08-14

weather is seldom propitious for much
intercourse.
Will Kathleen be happy there?"
was his only thought; as for himself.
he thrilled with life and delight at the
prospect of so lonely position with her.
He stretched himself up to his full
sturdy height aud kissed the letter which
brought hem prospects of SO great hap
piness. With his bronzed cheeks his
deep, piercing blue eyes, Swallowed by
overhanging brows which gave to his
face Il grave expression, Fritz Linden
was tine-looking man, and one not to
be easily swerved from his steady pur-
pose.
Full of eager Joy for himself and hest
tatlng consideration for Kathleen, he
opened the other letter, and, as his eyes
flew over its pages, his mouth set and
his face grew hard and ashy pale. When
he had come to the end he crushed the
letter savagely in his hand, and, lifting
his sugar-loaf-shaped green huntsman's
hat from OFF brow whose fairness con-
trasted strangely with the bronzed cheek
beneath, he muttered to himself some
so'emn vow. and, throwing the letter far
from HIM, he groveled on the earth in
a passionate outburst of tears.
The letter that changed the whole
currant OF Fritz's being, ran thus:
My BELOVED SON. Where shall find words
| TO break 20 g!ieynus news to you for the grief
Is yours, Toor boy, as well as mine. Our
| hath cen Is ours 40 longer. Yesterday she
| olsappesrrl with the young Herr Won Dona
All can learn l. that he has been seen much
with her lstejy in the woods, and they were
recCgn zed at the = station together. SO
| IL all ends. To ave deceived not only her
dotng old fati.er, but also her affianced hus-
Dand, shows lack of feeling and honor which
L can never forgive, no more than Won can nv
| poor Fritz so we must neither attempt to fol-
| low nor to bring her back to us. She is dead
10 u.s. anu henceforth | bave only you, my
dearly loved son, to lean upon. Come to me
when you can leave, for the blow is mortal. and
teel l have not long 10 totter under its crush
! Ing weight. We can but grieve together. SO
come to your affectionate uncle,
HANS BEHRENs
80 there was quiet meeting of the
two men struck by the same blow the
one being SO much nearer his grave by
it, the other having formed through it a
grave for his pride and hopes and youth.
Fritz accepted the Government position:
for what place could be too isolated. too
! lonely for him now? He craved some
savage spot wherein to hide his grief.
where he could pass rest of his days
far from world he ha>, always found SO
treacherous.
Fritz, old Hans had said in parting
with his nephew, eff she ever crosses
your path in the future, when am dead
and gone, deal kindly with her for nv
sake, If you cannot for your own. And
now farewell, and may we know resig-
nation, if happiness is denied us, my
son."
Amen !" Fritz answered solemnly.
as he gave his uncle the desired promise.
From that day forth Fritz Linden had
lived IN the lonely forester's lodge, and
since that day there has passed nine
long, uneventtul years. Old Hans
Behrens had died before the first one
was out, and Fritz was left without
friend in the world He did his duty
scrupulously and conscientiously. and
was respected and feared by his depend
entS but no one came nearer the lonely
man during all those long years His
charities were inexhaustible, and he was
kind and even sympathetic if any one
was sick or III trouble, but he was none
relaxing IN his stern demeanor, nor had
his glief grown less 10y brooding over it
as the weary years passed slowly away.
One day sped with him like another.
y frugal breakfast at daylight, and an
equally frugal repast at night, after
which he read and st1died until 10, then
went TO bed. There were almost never
any visitors to the isolated Forsthaus,
and his visits to the nearest town we're
too rare and too brief to encourage So
ciabiity with his neighhors there.
The beginning of the winter 49, saw
the snow set IN earlier and more storm
lily than usual, and after a steady fall
for ten days, it lay so high upon the
ground that the only way ont of the
house was Ivy its roof This was not I'M
usual and, after it had hardened over.
the inmates turned out to their several
vacations rs though they challenged SO
slight n thing to incommode them.
One night 1t began to snow again, and
the wind howled and beat against the
house as though it would wrench it
from the tirm-set clamps and chains,
and level it at one gust. Fritz had been
belated at work with some of his men
that night, and as they were fighting
their way slowly and painfully through
the storm and darkness he had suddenly
stumbled against crouching object half
buried in the snow, which, when extri-
Gated proved to be a woman clutching a
child in her arms, and to all appear
ances dead.
The men hastily improvised litter
out OF one of their wraps, and shortly
afterward they were standing in the dark
passage of the Forsthaus, and Fritz was
giving directions TO his female servants.
commanding that warm room and bed
be made ready and all restoratives APP
piled to the unfortunate travellers, if
haply they might still be brought back
to life.
The child" he said, els really show
ing signs of reviving, and let me know
whether its mother be alive or dead. AS
for you, my brave fellows, come in here
and get something hot to drink with
your supper"
And so he turned the woman over to
his female servants. Had the unfortu-
nate been man, Fritz would have been
the first at his bedside, but he avoided
women, and such case as this had not
occurred before.
Presently woman servant came in
and reported that the woman was alive,
but very i'll and delirious, and Fritz or
dered, if it were possible, that some one
should make his way over to the nearest
station next day and fetch doctor.
For weeks this woman lay in his house
lowering between life and death. Daily
he inquired for her, and allowed his wo-
men servants to give up their whole time
to nursing her and the child, but other
wise she did not interfere with his life.
Once the child had run in his way, hold
ing out its arms in astonishment and de-
light at the forester's gay trappings, but
Fritz had passed her by gloomily, and
sternly ordered that "every care and
attention shonld be bestowed ON her,
but that she should be kept out Of his
way" And 1t never happened again.
After months of illness and GONZALES
cence, the sick woman was completely
restored to health, and with her restora-
ton spring also had set in, and she was
anxious to proceed on her way.
Before gong she craved - see the
master and thank him ln .rson, and
| though warned ami u 4 by all
the inmates of the I'll nus. she
could not he induced TO ave without
doing so.
SO one evening at twilight, just after
his return, as he was disincumbering
! himself of his gun, n timil tap was
! heard at the door of his room, and the
( irtarlO,,ar bniuO hid II enter a woman