The Penn's Grove record., 1886-04-10

year. The wedding was to take place
IN three months.
Greta's happiness was truly refresh
ing, and l felt that my interest IN the
girl had reawakened. l turned my
back on the hotels and pensions frequen-
ted by the travelling public, and, nlrlng
a room in a chalet near the mill, a
ample time to make the acquaintance
of Greta's lover, Max Ulrich, an honest
kind hearted fellow. quite the n TO
make my little friend happy. They
seemed pleased and flattered-though
indeed there was no cause for the latter
~feeling-at my interest in them, and
we made many a pleasant excursion
together up the mountains ana along
the river. But one never-to-be-forgoG-
ten day a SID interruption came 10 all
our gaity. !,
Here | must pause for a moment and
glance back at some of the past affairs
of the little community among which L
found myself.
A family, of the name of Harteck
lived neal Interthal, upon a farm OF
their own, considered a valuable one.
One of the sons, Adolph, had been
much Of a rover in his early youth
had ryu away to sea, and had led rather
a wild life, people said. He had re-
turned to the farm a year or so before
my second coming to the nelghborhood
and had lived there quietly enough,
though they said he occasionally frank
a glass too much, and had an uncertain
temper, which made his neighbors shy
Of making a friend of him.
4 few months after his return to the
farm, Harteck found himself in straits
for money, and applied to Ulrich,
Greta's lover. who was known to have
quite a hord in view of his approaching
marriage. Harteck's security in farm
property was undoubtedly good, and
he promised to pay a very high rate OF
interest If Ulrich would lend him a
sum Ct money for six months. Ulrich,
thinking it a good investment, advanced
two hundred pounds-his entire savings
for the past ten years. Both men
agreed that the transaction should be
kept as secret as possible, as Ulrich
wa a little afraid of being thought i'm
prudent, and Harteck did not care to
have it known that he needed to borrow
money.
A note in high sounding legal phra-
seology had been drawn up; Harteck
had signed it in Max Ulrich's
presence; and the paper lay in an
old pewter coffee-pot among the rafters
of Ulrich's cottage, where formerly his
money had been hidden. A lawyer had
seen the paper just after it had been
drawn up, and said that it would be
valid as soon as the borrowers sigma
ture was added; 50 Ulrich's mind was
quite at ease.
Time passed, and Greta's wedding
day was only three weeks distant.
blythe. way, Max" 1 said n af-
%ternoon, as the young mans mother
vas serving me with a glass of butter
milk in her tidy kitchen and drawing
room in one, ''let me see Harteck's
note; it must be nearly due now"
The young man had taken me into
his confidence; but neither Greta nor
the old mother knew anything of the
loan. Frau Ulrich was very deaf, so
my request was no betrayal of conf
dence.
"Yes, sir" he answered. "I mean
to ask Harteck for my money. next
week; l have delayed as long as. 1 can,
for the sake of the interest he has
promised to give me-"
While his mother was busy outside,
Max climbed up to the loft called by
courtesy his bedroom, and presently
returned with a battered pewter coffee
pot minus a handle. With a certain
air Of triumph, he produced a care
fslly-folded paper.
81 think you will find nothing wrong
with that, sir" he said. THE school
master wrote 1t, and the Gerichtsrath
MOnch said it would be as good as
gold when Harteck put his name to
it."
I looked at the paper narrowly, and
turned it over and over, conscious that
my face wa growing long and serious
as an undertaker's, and that Max vas
watching me i~ntently.
sis this all the security you have for
your money!" l asked while my breath
CAM with difficulty.
why, yes, sirl Isn't that enough?"
said Max, turning pale.
"That paper is not worth a brass
farthlng!' l exclaimed. "There is no
signaturel'
mo signaturei Surely, sir, you are
dreamingP"
"See for yourself if 1 speak truth or
not"
The space left after the words ''sign
here" in a badly executed circle was
perfectly blank, and there was not a
yestige Of the name of Adolph Har-
teck anywhere on the paper.
Max looked as If he had seen a ghost
Drops stood out on his forehead and
his hands shook violently.
" swear TO you, Sir that Adolph
Harteck wrote his name on that note
as surely as l stand here. l did not
see hint vas a bitter cold day, and
| was warming my hands at the fire
but | heard the scratch of the pen, and
| looked at the signature as he gave
me the note with the sand sticking
thickly over the letters, but all plain
and clear. l folded 1t up carefully,
and have not disturbed it since; and |
am sure no M else has. There is some
witchcraft about it which / cannot un-
derstand."
sit is certainly very strange, and l
confess / do not understand how the
name you saw written upon this paper
six months ago should have vanished
so completely. But let us trust that
Harteck is an honest fellow, and that
he will pay his debts without raising
any obJectlons,"
If he wished to play the rogue, his
way lay clear before him; but l hoped
the best for Ulrich.
The affair, alas, turned out as my
first fears had predicted Harteck de-
clared that the loan had been discussed
and the paper drawn up, but that
Ulrich at the last moment had changed
his mind. and had never given him the
money. The whole village was in ex-
cltement, the majority sympathising
with Ulrich, but many believing Har.
teck's story-that Max had been rob-
bed OF his savings. and was trying to
make good his loss by forcing it out of
hlm-Harteek. The ex-sailor had a
handsome face and figure, and an elo-
quent tongue when he chose to speak,
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