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

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came clur.-io.l for the life s. tie child.
The old man laid mis- trcfnDling arm
about her shoulders; for a moment she
rested her head against his, breast, but
tore herself away when he said: "You
are i'll, Maya NTH .s
Eyes, you have made me i'll, but 1
can help myself. o! can help myself
1 will not sink like scuttled ship
That day, the old man kept watch
from the lighthouse more anxiously
than usual Not only the ships, but the
herds, grazing upon the meadows be-
yond the bikes, claimed his attention
These broad meadows, stretching out
side the bikes, merged into strip of
sandy beach and were finally lost in the
blue sea. They owed their existence to
the sea, and were the most valuable
possession of those islanders who were
farmers, rather than seamen, and
whose wealth lay in the herds that
thrived upon them. Only now and then,
when old ocean, jealous of his domin
ion, strove in wild rage to reclaim his
own, were the herds endangered.
1t was CHASTITY day, sultry and OPP
pressive in spite of the lateness of the
season. The sun lurled behind a
brazen curtain unable to pierce its sui
phurous density, while the winl shift
ed uneasily from point to point. The
herdsmen had great trouble with their
cattle; usually so docile, they now
became quite unmanageable; they bel
lowed and plunged as if thunderstorm
were brewing, and more than one
usually quiet animal had to be rescued
from the miry pools in which the mead
ows abounded.
Marya need not wait till twilight to
get her water, for Karl was in Ham
burg, and, for time, she must sadly
miss his wooing She could not help
loving him, for in the first hour of their
love he had told her that through her
he had become a better man, and re-
pented the wild life that had brought
bitter heart-sorrow to one maiden and
her family. The thought that she can
make mans life better is the surest
snare for a woman's heart. Karl did
not bear the best reputation, and for
that reason Marya had kept their love
affairs secret, till-yes, till they could
be married; when that was to be re-
manned quite undecided, for Karl had
jokingly evaded that point. Now, hav-
ing betrayed her secret to the hated
Hans Frerik, the young woman was
well-nigh exhausted with impotent
rage at herself and an intense longing
for her lover.
Many women and maidens like Ma
rya had gathered at monday around
1,a 10,
its sweet waters for all, aud the Gus
tomary gossip ensued Each burned
with an eager desire to question THE
Stranger" herself about the unprece-
denied occurrence of the day before,
and then to judge her accordingly.
"He kissed her -
"And she slapped him
''She acted like an enraged wildcat,
and if he had not quickly closed the
door, piece of burning turf would
have been hurled at his head"
"He has gone away in anger, and
should he not return, should evil come
to him, The Stranger will be to
blame"
THAT is what comes of an alien fore
| ing herself among sensible people,"
The chatter ceased as Marya ap-
preached, but she had heard enough to
bring tears of anger to her eyes. After
filling her pals, she withdrew without
word, the wave of gossip rising
doubly high behind her
So Hans Frerik had talked about it;
perhaps he had also talked about Karl
and her.
Unfortunately Marya did not know
that during her interview with Hans,
Jan, her grandfather's assistant, had
passed the kitchen door on his way up
to the lantern, rejoicing greatly over
the interesting bit of news he had thus,
gathered for the people.
Peter Eilt did. not depend entirely
upon this assistant. At night, his four
hours of quiet sleep were often broken
by anxiety about his light; .during the
day, he dispensed with JAMS services,
for then his own falcon eye swept land
and sea, ready to discern any signs of
distress. To-day the old man kept
closer watch than usual, for it was the
time of the new moon and there were
ominous signs in the air.
Toward evening, when the islanders
had relapsed into careless Indifference.
a heavy black wall of clouds appeared
on the western sea line, climbed the
heavens with the rapidity of the wind,
and, borne on the wings of storm,
closed over the island so quickly that
Peter Eilt could not send warning from
his high watch tower in time to insure
the safety of the herds on the sea mead
ows. The storm descended with dark
ness and flood; now, when the light of
day should reign, the low-harging
masses of cloud spread midnight dark
ness over the frightened creatures. In
wild fury the flood rushed on; over the
sands rolled seething waves, which,
towering crest over crest, advanced far
ther and farther upon the shore
The storm had surprised the herds
men and their herds more than the
watcher upon the tower; the peals OF
thunder. with which lit broke put the