Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-06-10
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HERR STEINHARDT'S NEMESIS |

BY ]. MACLAREN cOBBAN.

thought of me and my presence give:
you pain. What you may have to say
to me do not know, l am not able tc
guess, but it seems saving it will give
you great pain
eve must not care if We give our.
selves pain to do right, must We, Herr
Pastor?" said she with smile of sing.
ular sweetness.
"No," answered; "but l would
wish to Tighten your pain, Fraulein, if
cam"
81 thank you," she said; "it may
be that you can. But first must say
this one thing:-Emmanuel Steinhardt
of Brisach was very much to me many
years ago. He went away to England,
| but you will understand, Herr Pastor,
have never forgotten him. For the
first time knew he was in very great
danger and anxiety about year and a
half ago. { 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
not maniac.) ellis danger and anx-
iety then, l suppose passed away, for
soon saw no more of them. But now
for many weeks l see him and feel him
more and more anxious than before,
and 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.
''I 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 dreams and visions of the
night"
"You have, indeed" I said, "seen
strange thnigs.'
"Will you now," she continued. "be
plain with me? Tell me, if you know,
exactly what is the thing,-the serious
matter,-he is anxious and afraid
about
'I can tell you, Fraulein," I said,
"a very serious matter, about the dis
covery of which 1 suspect he is very
anxious. A little more than a year and
a half ago Herr Steinhardt's partner in
business went to London from Lanca-
shire, and it was thought he never re-
turned; no trace of him could be found.
So his fate remained altogether
mystery for a yeal, until l went to be
cure in the village. Why the mystery
should have been left so long, cannot
say, because it was no great cleverness
in me that after that made it less of a
mystery; perhaps the Almighty left it
so long to give Emmanuel Steinhardt
time to repent. Soon after I came to
the village certain things made me sus-
pect that Herr Steinhardt's partner did
not stay in London, but came home
and then disappeared. 1 now know,
from evidence that I have got, that he
did; but what became of him 1 cannot
tell. l suspect that Herr Steinhardt
put him out OF the way, but 1 do not
yet know that he did. 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.
"I 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
man. orphan daughter, who longs to
know what has become of her father;
since then all l have learned concern
ing his fate has been revealed to me
with little or no effort on my part"
each! Mein Gott." she exclaimed
"The poor man has left daughter"
Yes" 1 replied; land Herr Stein
hardt. who is her guardian, uses her
very cruelty. If it were not for that,
think should let the whole matter
rest, and take no more part at all in
bringing the crime home to the guilty
man. But so long as she is in danger
must do what l can,-I must let the
Divine Power use me. God has sent
me to you, Fraulein; if you then have
had anything more revealed to you
than yet know, beg you will tell it
me.
Zach, Herr PASTOR" she cried, "you
know not what you ask. You ask me
10 condemn Emmanuel Steinhardt!-
me to condemn himl Ach! Gott!-l
mein Gott! why hast thou laid this on
me-" She clasped her hands in her
lap, and looked fixedly before her.
"Fraulein, ventured to urge, 81
only wish to hinder Steinhardt from
going on his cruel, unscrupulous way"
"What you may wish, Herr Pastor"
she said, with her look still fixed on |
ra"ancy, will not matter very much. |
The great God, know, is God of
Justice as we'll as God of mercy, and !
ne will work his own will with both |
rou and me! l have prayed for En-
as mother might for her only !
son! Surely my God will hear me! Ii