The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1885-12-23
Katrina"

One evening in the far-of Fatherland,
as she leaned over the gate and waited Tor
the coming of the red-cheeked and fisxen-
haired Fritz, she shyly whispered to her
self
"In little time we shall be married.
NV mother will live with us, and Fritz
win whistle and l will sing all day long in
our happiness. All, Fritz! So jolly So
honest! So truthful! Was ever another
boy like him?'
Her heart beat faster as she heard the
echo of his wooden shoes on the hard
path and she threw open the gate and
ran halfway down. to meet him.
what Fritz ill?'
NO"
lin trouble?"
No"
But something has happenedE'
He led her to the bench under the old
pear tree and with his arm about her he
explained that he was going away across
the ocean-to America. lie could make Il
little money in Germany-he could make
a fortune in America The idea of scra-
ration grieved him more than he could
tell, but 1t would not be for long. In
couple of years-in three at most lac
would come back to claim his bride. And
80 he talked and argued and pleaded, and
with her heart almost choking her, and
her eyes so full of tears that she could
not see his face in the moonlight Katrina
whispered
"You shall go, and shall wait for you.
| shall wait two years-three-fve-
ever. believe in you as in my God.
In week Fritz was on his way, and II
Katrina's blue eyes were never clear oil
tears his heart was never free from pain.
BY and by letter came from him then
another and another; and for year ka-
trina was happy. He had found work
and was doing well. lie loved her with
all his soul-he would work and save and
return to her. And the days made weeks
and the weeks made months of the second
year. The letters did not come so often,
and there was something in their tenor
which provoked anxiety.
"Ah! but he is so busy, and perhaps he
was tired" Katrina's old mother would
say. Fritz is faithful and true-be pa
tent"
When the weeks w,re running into
months of the third year Katrina was an
orphan. Letters from Fritz now came
only at such long intervals that her soul
was sick with the waiting and hoping,
He still claimed to love her and he still
hoped to return for her, but he had been
ill-was out of work-had met with loss
always something to put the time far
Their away.
why not?" she suddenly asked herself
one evening as she sat under the same
pear tree. at is hard task poor Fritz
has taken upon himself. l will tighten
his labors. He cannot come to me, but
will 90 to him. Let the world talk. We
oh h,t 1,up. a q,
wife"
A month later Katrina was walking the
streets of the city in which Fritz was lv-
ing. She did not know his abiding place.
but she would walk and walk-she would
inquired of every kind-faced man-she
would whisper her errand to every WON
an, and she would find Fritz. He would
be so glad-and they would be so happy
and the thought of it brought such smiles
to her face that men turned to look and
wonder. One, two, three days Of weary
and fruitless search, but she was not dis
Outraged. On the fourth day, as she wan
dered up and down, her heart suddenly
stood still. Out from side street came
her Fritz. Yes, she would know hin
among ten thousand. The same rec
cheeks-the same faxen hair-the SAINT
smile of good nature.
"Fritz-oh! Fritz. 1t is lit is your
Katrina!"
Joy must have blinded her for the mo-
ment, for she did not see that he had com
pany-that a woman walked beside hin
and looked up into his face as only a wifi
can look.
Katrina stood before them. She looked
from one to the other, and her woman :
instinct told her the truth. Fritz hat
played Her false. He was married. White
faced, trembling, heart-broken, she look
ed into his eyes. He was pale, but firm
Fritz Oh, FRITZ" she gasped.
~ do not know you - he replied.
"And this is my Fritz-my lover-my
pledged husband!"
woman, move out Of our PATH"
She obeyed. Straight before her was
the river. Crushed and dazed and walk
ing as one in her sleep, she walked on ant
down to the wharf. The swift, deep wa
tiers were at her feet.
She turned and looked back to the spo
where she had encountered her faithless
lover.
''Poor Fritz-perhaps it was best y she
murmured.
Next moment the fierce tide was bear
Ing her body away and the heart which
had kept faith so long and trusted so wei
was stilled in death.