The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1895-06-06

song Of the finch and thrush, but shs
heard now for the first time something
very different from bird songs. u
Listen, Hans" said the girl when
the hunter paused in his song. Your
song reminds me Of something. know
people say-that in the autumn You
90 secretly into the woods for game Let
the poaching go. The forester is your
enemy. You know why, and if he
should meet you poaching in the woods,
then-heavens | my Hans if 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 He carried his gun on
his back and 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 threateningly in the di-
rection where the couple had disap-
peared, he muttered, grinding his teeth,
eff 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 summer-the poor women
gathering leaves or dry bark, the berry
pickers, foresters and pilgrims. But the
most cherished amid the guests who
gathered under her leafy 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 step
ped as lightly through the underbrush
as if he would take his sweetheart by
surprise This time his coming had
nothing to do with lovely Eva-but the
stag comes this way to drinki
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 underbrush rus
| tied 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 a smoking
| gun in his left hand The beech tree
knew him well The huntsman bent
over the murdered man. cit is all over
with him, I" he said, and taking his gun
he vanished into the bushes.
The bright sun rose and shone upon q
still form with set white face. Sorrow.
fully the tree bent over and wept bitter
tears, and the little robins flew up and
covered the dead face and staring eye.
with leaves and twigs. In the afternoon
some woodcutters came that way anG
found the body.
"He has been shot while poaching,
they said, and taking him gently up they
bore him to the distant valley. An ole
man fingered by the tree He drew hi,
knife and carved a cross over the hear
that Hams had made Then he took of
his hat and breathed prayer. Th'
leaves of the green crest rustled, for tn,
tree prayed, too, in her own way.
For many summers on the anniversar.
Of the death of the murdered man, thu
maiden came to the seat, knelt down
and wept and prayed, and every time
she was paler, more fragile. One da.
she did not come, and the tree murmur
ed, "She is deadp' and SO it was.
Years passed. The beech had becom
q mighty tree. Her bark was coveret
, with brown moss The wild vines clus
tered aboI her trunk, and heart AM
Cross were both nearly covered A NAL
came one day and made third mark OF
Gu0 Ddrk, anu tuo Icc AucW ucl eiIu
had come. She bore the sign Of her de
struction-she must soon fall Farewell
, thou green and sunny forestl She ha'
not long to wait for the woodmen, VIII
, came, and with cruel axes cut into he
. very life
A gloomy, glowering man in hunter
dress, with long gray hair and beard
directed their movements. The beec
! knew him right well, and he appeare
, to recognize the tree. He came close t
her and tearing away both moss and win
: he saw that heart and cross were safe
/ "Here it was, he muttered, and horro
. shook his very frame. Back, Herr Fol
6 ester! Back!" cried the men. 1.-THE tire
{ is fallingp'
. The warned man stepped back, but
e was too late With q deafening crash th
6 beech fell to the ground and buried til
{ forester under her corpse. When the
2 picked him up, he was dead The beec
8 had crushed his head. And the me
> stood in circle roundabout and praye
q for his soul-From the German.
4 Mamma is the concentrated juice {