The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-18

assumed despairing tone and he begged I If you must tempt God, wait till to. l morrow and kill some other animal in- stead of our dear cow!''
 "Kaspar, are you mad7" yelled Wilm, I glaring like a madman, and without low 1 ering his ax. Shall I spare the COW and starve?'
 You shall not starve" said Kaspar, his face becoming resolute and strong. 'So long as I have hands you shall not starve. I will work for you from morning till night Only do not throw away your
 souls salvation and do not kill the poor creature"
 Then take the ax and split my head open,' said Fake. T will not stir from this place till have what I desire. Can you lift the treasures of the Carmilhan for me? Can your hands earn more than the miserable daily necessities? No But your hands can end my pain and search Strikei Make me the victm!' "Wilm," said Kaspar, weeping, and re- lapsing into the old, helpless condition. "Wilm, kill the COW, kill me! I do not care. It is only for your salvation and your soul that I am in fear! See! This stone here Is the old altar of the Picts, and the sacrifice that you are going to offer belongs to the powers of darkness" "I know nothing of those things" an- swered Fake. laughing wildly, and as one who is determined to hear nothing that | might change his resolution. "kaspar, you are mad, and will make me mad. But here, he continued, hurling the ax from him and picking up the knife that lay on the stone Here, Keep the COW and lose mel He made motion as if to stab himself.
 Kaspar threw himself on his friend with an unaccustomed swiftness of thought and action born of the moment. He tore the knife from his grasp. ran to the ax, swung it high and brought it down with such force on the beloved cows head that the animal fell dead at its masters feet without groan.
 A fierce flash of lightning, accompanied by single fearsome crash of thunder. followed the act. Fake looked at his friend as a man would marvel at child that had dared to do what he had not ventured himself. I Strumpf seemed equally unmndful of the thunder and needless of his partner s astonishment. Without word he began to skin the cow Wilm had to force him. self to assist. He did it with a reluctance that was as great as had been his pre- vious haste and determination. storm seemed to have centered itself over their very heads. While they worked over the bloody carcass the mountains volleyed back the volleys of thunder, and binding llghtnlngs flashed around the l stones. The wind screamed so fercey l through the valley that the messy plains and the black gorges seemed to scream back in reply.
 { Both men were dripping with rain when l they had finished their task They spread 1 the skin on the wet ground and -Falke lay down on it. kaspar rolled him up in 1t, 1 tied 1t around him under his direction, and then asked with a trembling voice: Can I do anything else for you, galke?' l Nothing more,' replied he. Farewell 1 Farewell" answered Kaspar. God be
 l with you and forgive you, as do."
 l These were the last words that Fake
 | heard Kaspar disappeared the next mo-
 ment in the black storm. The tempest
 grew with each second. Soon it had
 reached such pitch that Wlm knew
 that never had he heard or seen one likt
 It. The lightning was so incessant and
 SO brilliant that Fake could see. in ter
 l rible illumination,s not only the surround