The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-04-13
"Drink me ! lam sweet and pure

slowly gathering form, the form of a woman,
palpitatng with the motion of the water, glow
ing under the last caress of the setting sun.
Her arms thrown above her head gathered the
masses of fair hair from brow pure as a water
lily; her eyes, half closed were tender and brown
as the shadowed depths of the pool; her limbs
were as white as foam; her lips parted, like the
satin petals of a crimson flower
And with the strange unearthly sweetness of
her voice she wooed him
A faint breeze shook the surface of the pool
and she slipped nearer the shore, her pale hair
hoated far out on the water, her arms were out
stretched to clasp him, her lips smiled promise
of delight.
But she wooed and smiled and sang in vain
Gerbert swept his hand before his eyes as IL to
shut out some hateful vision, and when he un-
covered them they fell on the little cap at his
feet.
Shaking his rough hair as the wild beast his
name, with a roar like brute in pain-the
huntsman dragged his gun from his shoulder
and pointing it toward the white bosom aiming
for the heart beneath it, he ed-once-twice-
three times
The rocks answered each shot with sullen
echo and the startled water whirled in circles to
the shore. But far down the stream white
form sped swiftly and hid itself in the gathering
darkness, while the rocky walls of the basin rang
with mocking, wicked laughter.
The people below in the village heard the
hateful sound and crossed themselves in fear
But Gerbert shook his great arms and cursed
aloud.
And from that day he was still more fierce and
wild, so that none dared speak with him, nay
not even the mother who bore him.
Each day the hunter went on the mountain,
but he brought home no more game. He shot
and killed because 1t was his habit, but he left
the beasts where they fell, and evening found
him beside the pool in whose trescherous depths
lay the body Of Johann. Sometimes he saw the
spirit of the Laughing Spring, but only like
shifting light below the surface Of the water.
She feared him-this one who had resisted her
and at his approach she plunged to the mysteri-
GUS depths where mortal could not follow.
But she chased the ripples to the shore and
threw the spray at his feet, and in the falling of
the crystal drops he heard again the ringing of
her wicked laughter.
Winter came and the soft mantle of the snow
lay thick on the mountain.
Gerbert sought the pool each day at an earlier
hour, and left it, as the twilight fell, to follow
the winding, downward course of the stream
toward the village And often white form
sprang suddenly to the surface of the running
water and glided on before him for many mile
beyond the rock-shadowed depths of the noun
tain pool. And the hunters heart ached with
grief which would never be stilled for the friend
who lay cold and dead in the icy clasp of the
stream, and then grew fierce with anger and
desire for revenge.
Once came the impulse to pursue, and, turn
ing his steps aside where the bridge spanned
the stream and led into the village high road,
he followed along the shore until the river
broadened and swept onward to the lake. No
snow was falling, but an icy chill was on the
| air and furious wind howled about the hunts
mans ears and pushed him roughly forward.
| The very river shivered beneath the blast, and
far ahead, on the current the Laughing Water
| hurried that she might not freeze. Once she
| turned and Gerbert saw the shadowy face and
the uplifted arms, but there were shallow places
above and perhaps she feared her pursuer, for
| again she sped onward over the water like a
streak of foam thrown to the crest of hurry
ing wave.
But the hunter followed as swiftly.
| What impulse urged him on he could not
say. With one swift plunge might she not
elude him, find her homeward way along the
rivers rocky bed, and send her cruel laughter
back to mock him for his pains9
What matter There was yet wild pleasure
in this poor fent of hunting down the evil
charmed thing, and fercely eagerly, as If she
were soon to be within his power, the hunter
drove her on before him. The river widened to
mighty stream, and flowed into the lake.
Far out, now, from the shore, the white limbs
lay motionless, the pale hair floated wide.
Weary, chilled secure-the Laughing Spring
slept on the bosom of the lake. The hunter
Grouched on the shore.
One by one, the cold stars shivered through
the gray mantle of the skies. The wind shrieked
hoarsely. The night grew bitter The lake
was freezing over.
The spring awoke shuddering-shakeR by the
rough hands OF the winter blast.
But, bound by thousand glitterlng chains,
her fair hair clung to the frozen surface of the
lake, held captive by an Icy hand one lovely
arm struggled In vain to be free, the other
which had lain warmed by her bosom, power
less to lift the cold weight from the delicate
| limbs. But she stretched 1t forth In supplica
tion toward the shore And the eyes, which had
shadowed false promises, wept bitter tears; the
lips which had mocked and smiled trembled anG
quiyered In pain; the voice, which had laughed
at the grief OF others, sighed and sobbed for th'
boon of freedom.
And the hunter, watching on the shore, flung
his great arms above his head and laughed Ions
and loud
GAY, weep now p' he cried. "Accurset
Laughing Water, weep, that l, who have seeI
the tears shed because of thee, may look or