The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-12
III Siren OF Gbe Stream.
The Strange Experience of Young Dploatis Broken
1annointment AT Berlin nay family nay


know the Harz mountains intimately,
and have journeyed up to the top of the
Brocken. Probably there is a branch
railway to take passengers there from
Hamburg. Probably the IlsenGels has
been utilized for fashionable bathing es-
Enlistment. However, when l went
there many years ago, we did things in
a primitive fashion, and drove all the
way up from Hamburg. / was a young
diplomatist at the time attached to the
embassy at Berlin. 1 was strong and
full of spirits, well favored, and with more
money at my command than 1 knew
how to spend. ! found myself one hot
August morning at Berlin, working away
in my shirtsleeVes, when a note was
brought to me from my chief, announcing
that if cared to take weeks holiday,
was at liberty to do so. Berlin was a
wilderness, the Thiergarten was waste,
and life was uncomfortable except between
sin in the evening and nine in the morn
ing. Nothing loath, 1 ordered some traps
TO be put up, and wandered away to
Brunswick A week in August is of very
little use, except to potter about in the
German country. England was too far
and the time to remain there too short;
so / spent two days in Brunswick, where
] became fired with enthusiasm about
Henry the Lion, his relics, and his tomb,
and in the dukes palace found upon
DdIiliGI the ancient scroll.
"A Dieu mon anne,
Ma vie au roi,
Mon occur aux DANES
Honneur pour moi
From Brunswick 1 drifted as leaf in
stream, to Hamburg, where the idea
suddenly occurred to me that l would
drive up the Broken. l chartered a con
Veyance and started at 10 o'clock in the
morning. The drive, 1 was told, would
take me seven hours. The weather was
perfect, the way was solitary. The bells
on the horses harness sounded family
on the drowsy air. My driver rolled
ABOUT on his boX, engaged at the time
III profound Sleep a pipe in his mouth
and sweet pea behind his ear. Our wav
lay upward, of course and by the road
sac a delicious stream dashed and foam
ed over the rocky soil. Several times
Followed my drivers example and silent.
al last, impatient, 1 descended. bidding
my kutScher hustle onward, and wait for
me mile or two further on. l heard the
heaVy carriage lumber away, it disap-
peared round corner OF the road, and 7
and the stream were alone.
walked brfskly on, my hands in nv
pockets, Whistling. At the turn of th,4
ROAD saw something that immediately
arrested my attention. A rock larger
IMAM the rest, stood in the center of the
sCfeaIh. The water parted away from II
IN two lines Of foam. Seated upon ii. her
race turned in profile toward me. was
young woman. Her head was bare
< o her hands We're bare, and her naked
rect were swinging in the water. care
4CssIy Kicking the foam from side 70
side 1t was strange apparition to coma
upoh suddenly IN the wiids of the Harz
mountains. L approached di1Tidentlv
Ihere Is a sort of freemasonrv ar1one.
travellers. This strange creature nodded
al ~" When she discovered my presence
You can't think how nice 1t is" She
sald, looking me in the face. as If she
mad known me all her life
instantly her manner set me at NV
ease 1t my
How did you get there?' I asked, in
the same tone
took off my stockings on the bank
and waded across" she answered.
stood looking at her, a meagre strip
OF running water between US.
rake off yours and come, too" she
cried; there is room for two on this
rock va Lis
me utter righteousness of my position
never struck me at the time; then. I
1elt irresistibly prompted to do as was
Ioid' and in two moments was sitting bv
her side The full midday sun fell on her
face, but she did not seem to mind. 1
looked at her and wondered at her ex-
- O-1Ao'S' LII appearance she was very
youthful L should have guessed her be-
tween twenty and twenty-five Her face
was pale-of clear palIor; her lips were
chiseled, and of the richest carmine color.
Her eyes were cats eyes, fringed with
long, dark lashes-eyes like nothing hui
man, bewildering, absorbing, compelling.
caught myself wondering if they shone
IN the dark Her hair peeled finely off
her low, sensitive brow. 1t was arrang-
ed in dRlipi0nc
could not make out the beginning nor the
end. Added to all this her gown was of
fine texture and delicate taste-the gown
of woman who was fond of good dress
Ing
And this woman was sitting bare
headed, bare-footed, and on a rock in
the midst of the Harz mountains!
You are going to Brocken?" she ask
ed, interrogatively.
Yes: are you?"
She nodded
Are you llone?" I asked
Yes she answered, quite TRANQUILITY
There Is my carriage, and there"-as
man approached US from the road
there is my-courier''
There was an inhection-the very slight
est-Of hesitation as she spoke The man.
who came forward, was short, dark, i'll
favored, more like an Italian boatman Of
a disreputable class than anything else
In his coarse ears hung silver earrings
and on his dark, greasy hand was a sill
yer ring. He approached his mistress
with familiar air that appeared to me
most offensive, and spoke to her in Span
1sh. She answered in the same language,
not imperatively, as I had expected, but
In tone that seemed to imply confidence.
friendliness. After Struggling his shout
ders at her answer, he lounged away,
and sat down somewhere in the shadow
of the road.
DO you mean to say that you travel
alone with this courier?' 1 said. Where
are you going, and where have you come
from?'
She raised her indolent arms over her
head and stretched her 1.-THE body as
leopard does in the sun. She opened her
strange eyes to their fullest extent and
stared. Whatever she found in nv face
seemed to satisfy her, for a moment
later she spoke:
Yes, 1 travel alone with my courier.
I have come from Spain, and 1 am going
somewhere, 1 don't quite know where.
What does 1t matter? I would like never
to know where I am going, nor what the
country is, nor the day, nor the months,
nor the year. 1 wish I had never learnt
these things. What is the use Of chasing
tomorrows and yesterdays? Isn't it
enough that every day is today?'
AS she said this look CT fatigue came
over her face, her lashes fell, and covered
and hid away her peculiar eyes, her bos
ON heaved feverishly, and her breath
came and went hurriedly. Whatever she
was, the woman had feelings, and very
sensitive ones.
An hour went by. I questioned her and
learned some curious details of her life.