The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-02-25

shadows Yes, Gaspard, in dying had thought
of him; his companion, his soul set free, hah
flown away TO the linn ~ SchwarenbacD,
where Ulrich slept; it hal cried to him It's
last adieu, perhaps its curses, Its reproaches
upon the man who had not sought for nm
sufficiently. He felt everywhere-behind the
door, behind the wall, thinking To find the
voice; wandering from place to place Ike
night bird that rufiles its feathers against
lighted pane; he wished TO go out, but dared
not, yet was equally afraid to stay in-horror
had seized upon him. As long as the body
of the old guide was not found and placed III
consecrated ground, the phantom would con-
| tinue to wander
| With the return of sunlight Ulrich was
more assured, though still tortured with
thoughts of the old man lying in the snow.
But when night crowned the glaciers again
new terrors assailed him. He passed into
the dismal kitchen, lighted by single can
die, and TO the side of the fire, listening at
every step IL the frightful cry OF the night
would again cross the mournful stiffness.
| He was miserable and unnerved, like any
other man who has never been alone before
In desert Of snow, 1900 feet above the in
habited earth-above the abodes of human
kind--aboye life ITSELF alone in the frozen
sky. A mad desire TO fly took possession OF
him, no matter where, no matter how, to
descend to Loeche, even IL he fell into an
abyss himself; but the dead man, his com
panion, barred the way. At last weary with
walking he threw himself upon a chair.
| II. dreaded the bed as one breads haunted
place.
All at once, as he sat there, it came again,
that strident cry, Zurich! Ulrich!" He
threw up his hands, he started to his feet to
repulse the ghost, but fell back, his chair
oyerturning with "a crash Sam, startled by
the noise, began to howl and to rush from
place to place, to learn whence came the
threatened danger At the door he stopped
and shifted beneath it, his hair on end, his
tail erect. Ulrich, bewildered, seized his
chair by the leg.
Don't come I'M" he shrieked, don't come
in, | tell you; I'll kill you" The dog, ex-
cited by his manner, barked and howled
louder than ever. AS nothing came, how
ever, he q,leted. and once more stretched
himself before the fire, but not to sleep--he
was still restless and uneasy and leaped at a
movement. Ulrich also regained his senses,
but feeling exhausted by strain and terror he
went to the cupboard and poured himself
glassful after glassful of the brandy that was
always kept there-he who rarely touched
drop of liquor 1t strengthened him won
derfully, particularly his courage. A burn
ing fire seemed to fill his veins He ate
scarcely anything, but drank, and only
brandy. He lived thus fifteen days
| At last, one night, pushed to his last ex-
| tremty, he threw wide the door-he was go
ing to tly-but gust of wind met him IN
the face the door slammed and Ulrich closed
and bolted it without perceiving that Sam
was outside. All at once, shivering before
the fireplace, he started and bent his ear
some one was crying and scratching at the
door, the wall, the sill of the window.
$50 away" he cried; Ego away" A long,
plaintive moan alone replied to him At this
all reason left him, dissipated by horror.
He ran from side to side. from corner to cor
ner, striving to find hiding place from the
| one outside, always moaning, up and down
| the house, against the walls, the door, the
step. At last he darted to the buffet filled
with vessels and provisions, and with super
human strength dragged it against the
/ panels and heaped upon it, piece by piece, all
the furniture that remained-chairs, tables,
bed and mattress Then, in the same way,
he barricaded the windows, as II besieged by
an enemy. But the one outside now only ut
tered piteous groaning, to which Uirich
answered from within.
Days and nights passed thus in bowling,
the one at the other, one turning ceaselessly
around the dwelling, scratching and tearing
at the walls with his nails, as if he wished to
demolish it, the other following his move
ments, half bent, his ear to the ground, and
answering his calls by frightful cries.
One night Ulrich heard no more; worn out
with fatigue he dropped asleep. When he
cwoke his brain was blank Not memory,
not a thought remained to him. 1t was as II
| his head had been emptied in that over
towering lethargy. He was hungry-he
would eat.
Winter was ended; the pass of the Gemmi
practicable; the Hauser family returning to
the inn and talking of the two men they were
soon to meet They were surprised that
neither of them had descended before this to
see if the route was open and to give them
news of tho winter Before long they per-
ceived the Schwarenbach, covered and
crowned with snow the windows and doors
closed A tiny wreath of smoke, however,
that curled from tho chimney, treasured
father Hauser But on drawing nearer a
skeleton greeted them on the doorstep, an
animal, its bones picked clean by the eagles
"Samm said the mother Hauser. and she
began to call "Gaspard! Gaspard" A cry
from within answered her-a sharp cry like
the wall of beast. They rushed to the door
and sought to open tit resisted-they were
forced to break it with beam brought from
the empty stable. The wood cracked, yielded
and broke in pieces, followed by a noise that
shook the house, and they saw behind it and
the crumbling buffet the figure Of man, his
beard falling to his waist, his eyes burning
his clothes falling to rags upon his body
And he did not know them-Ulrich was mad
What had become Of his compartment NJ
one knew. Ulrich lived till winter camt
again, then passed away, the little Hause'
dying two months later Of a settled languor
to he attributed, SO the doctor said, to thu
cold Of the mountains -Translated from thu
French Of Guy de Maupassant for The Sal
Francisco Chronicle, by +. c. Waggener.
Leaks In Farmers Purses.
Among the sources Of preventable loss Il