, 1889-01-02

lence, and reached the plane fronting
Dnmian's cabin.
How loud the cascade roarsr' said
one of the men.
But what has become of the
bridget" cried another. True for you
Look lookl it has slipped from each
endl it has sunken into the cutting
it has brokenI"
But how can that beH Such a
beam-so long, SO well supported by
its lengthI so heavy and Of walnut
a wood as strong as ironI"
II shall have to buy another said
Damian, Struggling his shoulders;
''but come, boys, let the bridge be,
and help me with the seines before it
grows later" And, taking up the
thread of his interrupted song, he
began with the others to draw up the
eel nets.
"The devill how it weighs thenr
cried one Of his comrades; thou hast
done well with this haul, Damian-
citop'
"At the least it is ten arrobas," said
another; ''oh, a fine catchl- UNI
heard Off
Il believe you'll" shouted a third;
at is more likely he has caught, not
cells, but the bridge of walnut woodl'
Damian only smiled without speak
ing.
do you say that net is heavy9"
called one of the men pulling ON the
second seine; well, this one is not be-
hind it. This weighs not less than
twelve arrobas-all of three hundred
weight"
"Ohl it's a couple of big rocks that
have fallen inl" said an envious
minded fellow.
Damian was gloomy, trembling,
covered with a cold sweat. 80 one
seine weighs heavy as the other" he
muttered; "ohl but it cannot ber' He
stepped up out of the water and slowly
took his way to the cabin.
By this time the first seine was COM
ing up to the bank, and in it appeared,
truly enough, the bridge of walnut
wood. Not all of it, but the half. It
was not TO be doubted that during the
night the bridge had been sawed across
the middle. The men who dragged it
out were staring with surprise and
terror; they started back with horror
stricken faces, shrieking.
At the same moment, Damian ap-
peared in the door of his cabin, with
his hair on end, his eyes fixed and
starting, and a look of utter stupidity,
yet screaming with laughter laugh
ter like a voice from Bedlam. He
had found his home deserted and the
couch of Carmelita untouched by her
the day before. And the fisher
men had seen in the net with the wal
nut timber the pallid face of Don
A moment after, their frightened
mates drew out the second seine, with
the other half of the bridge and the
body of Carmelita.
''She, alsof" Damian shouted; "ohl
l did not look for that, thought l
thought she would wait for him in the
l never dreamed she would
TO meet himi But she did, you
seel She was impatient to meet her
lover, and she went on the bridge to
meet him. But / had been there be-
foro them. l sawed It'll sawed it'll
sawed it'll Oil what a fine haul we
made today, boysl a good catch
of fish is this we have made, boysIn
And, s%hrieking, he ran and shut him
self in the cabin.
When the officers of the law came
to arrest him they found him still
grasping a saw and the cabin drenched
with blood. The eel fisher had sawed
Oft his left hand and with the right he
still drew his weapon across a gaping
wound in his throat, while he gasped,
with dying voice: ga grand catch Of
fish we have made today, boysI"-
the Spanish of Don Pedro de
Alarcon by Y. II. Adds for The Ar
gonaut.