The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-01-18

upon his shoulder, she told in short,
confused and broken sentences all that
had happened on that dreadful night
She had extinguished the lights in the
great lantern in order to render impos-
sible Hans Frerik's safe return and had
prevented her grandfather from relight-
ing them. In their struggle on the gal
lery in the darkness, he had suddenly
fallen to the floor lifeless, and Marya
had kept watch the whole night
through. They had brought down the
body of the old man---faithful Peter
Eilt, who had died at his post of duty.
Marya had but just concluded her
confession, when the heat of the fever
came upon her again, and in short
time she was raving in the widest self
accusations. Near her slept her little
daughter The child was the only one
over whose happy spirit the terrors of
the night had had no power.
For weeks sadness reigned over the
little island. There was, indeed, great
cause for mourning. Besides serious
damage to valuable possessions, besides
injury to the bikes and sea-meadows,
WhASIl COuAN pC 1CpdIlCo OA1y ny RTCdO
sacrifice. the islanders had looked their
last upon the simple coffin in which
brave Peter Eilt was carried forth upon
his last journey across the marshes to
the mainland, where, in consecrated
ground, he was to have his last resting
place. Then, too, they sought in vain
for two brave herdsmen: they had been
swept away by the raging flood.
The ErieSlanderS are not heroic in
word; to those that wage constant war
fare with the sea, speech is an effort
There was less said than usual for
time, but all the more Jealous was the
labor. The bikes were repaired, and
those whose boats were spared on that
terrible night FASTENED to repair them
that they might take advantage of the
catch to earn what they could. All
hands bestirred themselves to retrieve
their losses. Hans Frerik took no rest.
He hauled up his fishing smack TO make
it again seaworthy and hammered and
worked upon it as increasingly as if he
hoped thus to rid himself of some rest
less torment. Physical exertion was
the escape valve for mental distress
caused by thoughts of Marya. One
would not have suspected such inward
tumult from his quiet, almost stolid
countenance. Hans had been able to
overcome many a troublesome, difficult
ty and this passion he would conquer
too With every plank he put into his
bboat he took part of the selfishness out
of his own heart--he would no longer
wish for Maya for his own sake-no,
of course not-what one loves so dearly
one must not trouble. With every
clinl the hammer drove into the
seam he dispatched some foolish wish.
He found that man lives best when he
Ldoes not live according to his own
[selfish desires, but considers all that,
! in the course of nature, travel through
| life on his right and on his left. BY
| the time the new mast was firmly
wedged in it's place, Hans had decided
that he had been very rude on that
memorable evening; how dare he clasp
SO abruptly such a delicate form in his
great, rough arms?
A great trouble still weighed upon
! his heart. ... -. ~. IS. .r,
To be sure, he no longer wished for
Marya as his wife--she might marry
Karl if she thought she could live hap
PLY with him, only she must not die
no-she must not must not die. Hans
scanned the face of every passer-by in
fear of reading there the dreadful news
of her death, but he asked no questions.
Of one thing only he had no thought,
and that was Marya's guilt. He no
longer thought of the fact that to free
herself from him she had committed
crime. OF course she was delirious
when she did 1.-THE fever was already
burning in her veins-the fever that
now was driving her young life nearer
and nearer deaths door. The authori-
ties from Hamburg and Ritzebuttel had
visited the island to investigate the
matter soon after the old mans death,
and that was their decision. After re-
ceiving Marya's sad confession and
making temporary provision for main
tanning the lighthouse, they had re-
turned to their homes, quite satisfied
with that view of the case. Hans
thought still less of his own bravery in
rescuing the poor unfortunates from
n