The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-08-18
A Siren of the Stream
SUPPOSE most of the tourists o
strange Experiences Of . Young DipIomatixf
In the Broken.

teIy, ana have Journeyed I'D to
the top OF the Broken. Probably
there is a branch railway to take pas.
-sengers there from Hamburg. Prob.
ABLY the 1lsenfels has been utilized
1or a fashionable bathing establish.
ment. However, when 1 went there
many years ago, we did things in a
primitive fashion, and drove all the
way up from Hamburg. l was a
young diplomatist at the time. at
tached to the embassy at Berlin.
was strong and full of spirits, well
favored, and with more money at nv
than l knew how to spend.
L found myself one hot August morn
ing at Berlin, working away in my
-shIrt-sleeves, when a note was
brought to me from my chief. an.
houncing that if 1 cared to take q
weeks holiday l was at liberty to do
so. Berlin was a wilderness. the
Ihlergarten was a waste, and life
was uncomfortable except between six
IN the evening and nine in the morn
ing. Nothing loath, l ordered some
traps to be put up, and wandered
away to Brunswick. A week in Au-
gust 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 1 spent
two days in Brunswick, where l be-
came fired with enthusiasm about
Henry the Lion, his relics, and his
tomb.
From Brunswick 1 drifted. as a leaf
in a stream, to Hamburg, where the
idea suddenly occurred to me that l
would drive up the Broken. 1
chartered a conveyance and started
at ten o'clock in the morning. The
drive, l 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
in profound sleep, a pipe in his
mouth, and a sweet-pea behind his
a Our way lay upward, of course,
and by the roadside a delicious stream
dashed and foamed over the rocky
S"A. oS'Siu llhC l. lOiiO"Cu MY
drivers example. and slept; at last,
impatient, 1 descended, bidding my
kutscher hustle onward, and wait for
me n mile or two further on. 1
heard the heavy carriage lumber
away, it disappeared round a corner
of the road, and 1 and the stream
were alone.
I walked briskly on. my hands in
my pockets, whistling. At the turn
of the road l saw something that i'm
mediately arrested my attention. A
rock, larger than the rest. stood in
the center of the stream. The water
parted away from it in two lines of
foam. Seated upon it. her face turned
in profile toward me, was a young
Her head was bare, and her
hands were bare, and her naked feet
were swinging in the water, careless
ly Ticking the foam from side to
side. 1t was a strange apparition to
come upon suddenly in the wilds OF
the Harz mountains. 1 approached
'diffidently. There is 4 sort of free
masonry among travellers. This
strange creature nodded at me when
she discovered my presence.
You can't think how nice it is"
she said, looking me in the face. as
if she had known me all her life.
Instantly her manner set me at
my ease.
How did you get there?" I asked
in the same tone.
q took of my stockings on the
bank, and waded across" she an
severed.
/ stood looking at her, a meager
strip of running water between us.
Take off yours and come, too" she
cried; "there is room for two on
this rock"
The utter righteousness of my posi-
ton never struck me at the time;
then, 1 felt irresistibly prompted to
do as 1 was told, and in two moments
was sitting by 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 extremely.
In appearance she was very youthful.
I should have guessed her between
20 and 90. Her face was pale-of a
clear pallor; her lips were chiseled.
and of the richest carmine color. Her
eyes were cats eyes. fringed with
long. dark lashes-eyes like nothing
human, bewildering. absorbing. COM
polling. 1 caught myself wondering
if they shone in the dark. Her hair
peeled finely off her low, sensitive
brow. 1t was arranged in delicious
disorder, of which one 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 a woman who was fond of
good dressing.
And this woman was sitting bare
headed. ~bare-footed. alone on a rock
in the midst of the Harz mountains!
You are going to the Brochen?"
she asked. interrogatively
YES; are you"'
She nodded.
Are you alone??" asked.
"Yes," she answered, quite tranquil
". There is my carriage. and there"
as man approached us from the road
there is m~y-courier."
There was an in1ection-the very
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