The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-03-08
B~ MRS. a

l Lew AOlhC az HSApS'>,
ready freedom of her conversation
now that they kept on indifferent
topics.
She was evidently familiar with the
country and gave him many particu-
Lars of its history and traditions.
At length, as Steinhausen was be-
ginning to think they had had enough
of Indifferent subjects, and that his
fair companion was rather too much
at her ease, the road, which had hith-
erto been constantly ascending, ap-
preached the first rocky, pine
sprinkled hills that guarded the en-
trance to the valley and village Which
was the object of the excursion, and
began to descend the side of a pictur-
| esque gorge. at the bottom of which
in summer time gurgled and chafed a
little stream. now still and silent in the
iron grasp of winter.
The hills rose high at either SIDE
studded with huge gray rocks which
| stood out on all kinds of fantastic
shapes. loaded with snow on n side
and bare on the other, as the wind
had drifted; the great solemn pine
trees looked dark and weird over the
exquisite dazzling white which shroud'
ed the earth; the death-like, utter ST.
ience was almost oppressive.
They might have been the first hu-
man visitors that had ever broken
in upon the profound solitude, so far
as appearance went.
4 sense of their complete isolation
seemed to force itself upon Lies Gehr-
ing.
She turned once or twice to look
back and said:
How far we have left the rest be-
hind"
Yes; they will not be up for this
| half-hour." returned Steinhausen, cool
". But that is no matter. What
| curious rocks" pointing to a gray mass
high above their heads and in front of
them.
LIT is called the Basket woman"
| she replied. land here on the left is
| the Stein Book
See! you can trace the head and
| horns quite well. The shapes of the
rocks here are very curious"
Very curious, indeed" said Stein
hansen, looking about him. They are
strangely Worn and cut"
Learned people say that a great
lake or sea once filed up this valley
and the country round, and these rocks
are worn and shaped my the action of
tides and currents.
Il believe Bohemia was once an in
land sea, and we are close to the from
tier"
"Close to the borders?" replied Stein
hansen, laughing and cracking his
whip.
1T is a temptation to cross it and
bid our party a long farewell
And glancing at his companion, he
laughed again at the expression, half
annoyance, half fear, that crossed her
face.
"You believe me capable Of any wick
edness, / suppose" he continued.
do you not also believe that, what
ever temptation may assail me, my
first thought is and eve will be for
you?
You may trust il my deep regard
for you"
Lies was silent, and when she spoke
again It was to direct him which of
two rather faint tracks to take.
They had traversed the windings Of
the gorge. which now opened out in
an oblcng valley or basin, at one side
of which was q small "Dorf," the
houses looking like white hillocks
above the universal snowy mantle that
lay thick and soft upon the earth.
Over the village lowered a sudden
mighty mass of rock rising six CT seven
hundred feet. quite clear from all the
| other hills and crowned by the grace
fal ruins of q "NloSter."
The sides were plentifully dotted
| with pines and gnarled fir trees; but
here and there great sheer surfaces Of
! rock showed bare and rnccuth with
q sort CT savage strength.
Underneath the read wound past the
| FIRST outlying better houses, through
The narrow street, and finally, by Lies
directions, they stopped at q larger
and more pretentious "Restarration"
than could have been expected in 50
small a place.
1t was built on tie side Of the hill or
rock, and was reached by a fight of
steps.
The view over the valley was very
charming. and the principal room was
| quite surrounded by windows that
commanded it.
a respectablc-locEinc woman was
| standing at the door to receive them,
| while within q warm stove and long
tables spread for coffee, with endless
| piles of cakes, showed they were ex-
pected.
Stcinlersen threw the rcins to lis
groom AMI assisted Lies to disentangle
herself from her wraps and to aligEt;
then the horse and sleigh were led of
| to the stables, and they assembled the
steps to the little terrace before the en-
trance to the "Restauration."
Here Lies paused, and looking back
along the road by which they had just
come, said, rather an1iously:
Il can see no sign of them yet"
81 thought l heard a faint sound Of
music,' returned SteinEausen; they
are not far off," he continued, and
ventured t. add: