The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1897-05-19

Atil euSiE NNh tilith NNlt Tue utllltnus
lv water spirits.
So they parted.
AS the little boat was again launched
i'll the foaming tide Christlicb threw
himself on his knees and prayed Give
me sign, Q merciful Saviour, to tell
me if thou wilt bless my work and
bring thy holy cross to everlasting hon
or on this coast Then will go out in
to the world comforted, knowing that
shall return to happiness. -"
And rs he turned his head again to
look back II joyful "Hosanna!" burst
from his lips, for up ON the dunes stood
Swanada and stretched out her arms
longinely, So that her figure was ont.
lined against the sky i'll the form of
slender cross.
Thus the saints answered his prayer.
Cmistlieb laid down to rest i'll his
boat and saw wonderful dream pic
ture. An island projected from the blue
sea, sandy and unsafe like the hillucl1
upon which Trasikois hut was built
The loose earth sank into the waves,
breaking up and dissolying inutter help
came hight angel bearing in his
hands an insignificant looking gray
plant. thurny and hard, with wonderful
Jagged leaves lie planted it in the arid
sand, enc little stalk beside another
And see there, with what magic power
II shoots up and becomes strong inter
laced wall that holds the earth firmly
together with its network of 900 roots
And the angel turned his smiling face
toward the young seaman and pointed
To the work of his hands
Christlieb awokc and thanked God
and praised him. Then he set forth to
find the island through the beundless
seas of the world
The sun rose and sank again into the
water; stars watched over the solitary
little boat and threatening clouds thick
ened around the mast; storm and tenn
pest played their wild game and pulled
ut the golden anchor of faith which
love and the vision had cast i'll the
heart of the young seaman.
Al last he cspied it, the lonGed for
island, standing high and uneven above
the sea, glistening III the light of the
morning sun The seaman raised his
hands joyfully and cried, God be
praised, have found thee, thou prom
ised angels land!"
There grew the gray, thorny weed
that WAS to give him his happiness and
he uprooted the plants and loaded his
vessel to the edge with them until
there was scarcely room for himself.
Hoist the sail--yo hol-aBd away for
the distant coast Of the lBaltica
Hi How the waves lose; how the
white foam c1osts beat III anger against
the weak timber And what torment
to be confined Ia the uarraw place for
days and weeks, stung until he bled by
the sharp leaves and thorns whenever
he moved, wounds ON all his limbs, IA
very torture chair! Should he throw the
weed overheard, goadcd MS he was by
the unceasing pain? No; rather let their
needles draw his last drop Of blood
But the task became harder and harder.
The sun burned; the gray thistlcs
dropped their wilted heads. With II
prayer GhristlieD reached for his last
flask of water and shared il with his
charges. Then shone II rainbow in the
sky, and u wind spranR up ard carried
the little ship, as if with magic hands,
10 the faiaway shore.
Swanadal Swanada!'
There she stood, weeping for happi-
ness, and stretched out her arms to her
loved one.
Christlieb planted the thistles on the
shore of the Baltic sea, and TTasiko's
dunes were ms firm rs the cliffs Tho
old man = heart was softcncd when he
saw the power of the Christians God,
and he laid thc hand of his daughter In
that of the young seaman
Bright glowed the sea with purple
and gold. Through the thistles there
surged and rustled sound ns Of II thou
sand voiced psaltcr, and ON the hill the
first cross was raised,
Many hundred years have passed. On
the strand Of Zoppot the bells Of the
Lord ring; the golden sign of faith
shines from the tower Of the church
No trace IL to be found on the white
sand of Trasiko's hut. II is gone, and
long, long forgotten. But one thing re-
mains-the gray thistle, the protector of
the dunes, that was once brought with
pain from over the sea. IL grows and
spreads as II legacy left by the true sea
man. Few know now of Ghristlieb, but
to this day the spiny, unlovely weed.
which we know AS sea holly, is called
in the language of the people "seaman's
faith. Prom the German For Short
Stories