The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-06-12


ed, bi-lingual shopke-pers, and gazing
at the glorious Swiss mountains which
| was so near, yet which 1 must not
think of visiting.
/ was again at the old house with the
watchful, but heavy eyes soon after
five o'clock. Poor Fraulein Haas
seemed to have passed both sleepless
night and weary day. She was evil
IDENTIFY ill at ease and anxious, and ]
pitiej her.
81 fear, Fraulein," l said, "the
thought of me and my presence gives
you pain. What you may have to say
to me l do not know, am not able to
guess, but it seems saying it will give
you great pain"
1--WE must not care if we give our
selves pain to do right, must we, Herr
Pastor?" said she with a smile of sing
ular sweetness.
"No,"I answered; "but l would
wish to Tighten your pain, Fraulein, if
cam"
81 thank you," she said; cit may
be that you can. But first must say
this one thing Steinhardt
of Brisach was very much to me many
years ago. He went away to England,
but you will understand, Herr Pastor,
l have never forgotten him. For the
first time knew he was in very great
danger and anxiety about year and
half ago." l am almost started from
my seat; that was the very time of
Lacroix's disappearanceD 81 learned
it in dream, indeed, dreams, which
the Almighty God sends oftener and
clearer to his chosen ones than to other
persons" (She was then Pietist, if
not maniac) "His danger and anx-
iety then, suppose passed away, for
soon saw no more of them. But now
for many weeks see him and feel him
more and more anxious than before,
and I am made to feel there is always
now another man near him making him
anxious and afraid, and the other man
seems to be you, think, Herr Pastor"
sat silently marvelling.
~ tell you all this plainly, Herr
PASTOR" she added, "because you are
not one of those who laugh at dreams;
for you know that the Sacred Scripture
says that the great God reveals to those
who are ready to see, many strange
things in Or, ans and visions of the
night"
"You have, rdeed," said, "seen
strange thni-s."
"Wil you now" she continued, "be
plain with me- Tel me, if you know,
exac j. what is the TIL the serious
mat 'er,-he is anxious and afraid
About"
81 ,an tell you, Fraulein," l said,
"a very serious matter, about the dis
covery of which suspect he is very
anxious. A little more than year and
a half ago Herr Steinhardt's partner in
business went to London from Lanca-
shire, and it wac thought he never re.
turned no trace OF him could be found.
So his late remained altogether
mystery Tor year, until went to be
cure in the village. Why the mystery
should have been left SO long, cannot
say, because it was no great cleverness
i'm me that after that made it less of a
mystery; perhaps the Almighty left it
go long to give Emmanuel Steinhardt
time to repent. Soon after l came to
the village certain things made me sus-
pect that Herr Steinhardts partner did
not stay in London, but came home
and then disappeared. now know,
from evidence that have got, that he
did, but what became of him cannot
tell. | suspect that Herr Steinhardt
put him out OF the way, but do not
yet know that he did. l am sure, how
ever, that the Divine Vengeance, which
has thus far revealed it to me bit by
bit, will yet make clear the whole hor-
rible crime"
She heard me through in silence,
gazing intently at me the WHILE but
when came to the end, she drew back
and looked at me in anger and aston
ishment.
"But," said she, "who are you, Herr
Pastor, to make yourself the minister of
Divine Vengeance"
was dumb for moment under this
warm rebuke.
81 think, Fraulein," / said length,
"you mistake me. do not put myself
forward as the agent of Divine Venge-
ance. first began to look into the
mystery at the request of the missing
mans orphan daughter, who longs to
know what has become of her father !;
since then all have learned concern
ing his fate has been revealed to me
with little or no effort on my part"
Zach. Mein Gott!" she exclaimed
"The poor man has left daughter!"
\ .aI ta,r
hardt. who is her guardian, uses her