Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-06-27

tree had listened many times to tn,
song Of the finch and thrush, but sht
heard now for the first time something
very different from bird songs.
Listen, Hans said the girl, wher
the hunter paused in his song. You
song reminds me Of something
know-peop'e say-that in the autumn
you 60 secretly into the woods fol
| game. Let the poaching 90, The
forester is your enemy. You know
why-and II he should meet you poach-
ing in the woods, then-heavens! my
Hans! II you should be brought to me
with bullet through your breast"
The young man bent over the girl,
who leaned caressingly on his
shoulder, and kissed her lips.
People talk too much; don't believe
everything they say, sweetheart. And
putting his arm around her they went
singing through the forest.
When the couple disappeared among
the trees man in hunters dress crept
from the bushes lie carried his gun
on his back and a knife in his belt.
His face was white and distorted; he
went up to the beech-tree and beheld
the heart that Hans had carved; he
laughed wildly and drew out his knife
to destroy the writing, then changing
his mind he thrust the blade again in
its sheath. Shaking his fist threaten
ingly in the direction where the couple
had disappeared, he muttered, grind
ing his teeth: III | meet you, you
poacher, only once, on forbidden
ground, you will have heard the
cuckoo sing for the last time With
these words he went into the woods
And the tree shook her head sadly.
The beech tree got many sight Of
the faces Of the children Of men in the
course Of the SUMMERTIME poor women
gathering leaves or dry bark, the
berry pickers, foresters and pilgrims.
But the most cherished amid Requests
who gathered under her lcafy roof
were the youth and brown-haired
maid. They made weekly visits to her,
spoke Of their love, embraced each
other, and day by day the beech tree
came to love them more.
One morning before sunrise, when
the mountains were just casting of
their gray mist caps, Hans came alone.
He carried gun on his shoulder and
stepped as lightly through the under
brush as II he would take his sweet
heart by surprise. This time his COM
Ing had nothing to do with the lovely
Eva-but the stag comes this way to
drink!
At the foot Of the tree the hunter
paused and stood as motionless as the
beech herself The cool morning wind
blew and the mist disappeared in
heavy clouds The gay birds fluttered
and sang about the stream. The un-
derbrush rustled. Hans raised his gun.
A shot rang out on the clear air Hans
dropped his gun, sprang convulsively
into the air and fell to the ground. A
man strobe hastily from the thicket
with smoking gun in his left hand.
The beech tree knew him we'll, The
huntsman bent over the murdered
man. ut Is all over with him" and
ia king his gun he vanished into the
bushes.
The bright sun rose and shone upon
still form with set white face. Sorrow
fully the tree bent over him and wept
bitter tears, and the little robins few
up and covered the dead face aud
staring eyes with leaves and twigs.
In the afternoon some woodcntters
came that way and found the body.
'He has been shot while poaching,n
they said, and taking him gently up
they bore him to the distant valley
An old man fingered by the tree. lie
drew his knife and carved cross over
the heart that Hans had made, Then
he took off his hat and breathed a
prayer. The leaves Of the green crest
rustled, for the tree prayed, too, In her
own way
For many summers on the anniver-
sary Of the death of the murdered man,
the maiden came TO the spot, knelt
down and wept and prayed and every
time She was puler, more fragile. One
day she did not come, and the tree
murmured: "She Is dead.' and 50 1t |
was.
Years passed The beech had be.
come mighty tree, Her bark was
covered with brown moss. The wild |
vines clustered about her trunk, and
heart and cross we're both nearly
covered. A man came one day and
made mark on the bark, and the tree
knew her time had come. She bore
the sign Of her destruction--sh must
soon fall. Farewell, thou green and
sunny forest! She had not long to wait
for the woodmen, who came, and with
cruel axes cut into her very life.
A gloomy, glowering man in hunters
dress, with long gray hair and beard,
directed their movements, The beech
knew him right well, and he appeared
to recognize the tree. lie came close
to her and tearing away both moss
and vine he saw that heart and cross
were safe. "IIere it was" he NUT
tered, and horror shook his very frame,
Back, Herr Forester! Back cried
the men. "l'he tree is falling"
The warned man stepped back, but
1t was too late. With deafcning crash
the beech fell to the ground and buried
the forester under her corpse. When
they picked him up he was dead.
The beech had crushed his head. And
The men stood in a circle roundabout
and prayed for his soul. Translated
from the German for Chicago Tribune.
--0ne couldn't carry on life comfort.
IDLY without a little blindness to the
'act that everything has been said bet
,er than we can put it ourselves. =.
ieorge Eliot.
Employment, which Galen calls
,ature's physician, Is so essential to
luman hanniuess that indolpnpe is