Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1913-08-20
Huber's
Daughter
She Was the Last of His
Children Unmarried. and
lie Could Not Give
Her Up
By EDITH v. ROSS


Switzerland there lived ii retired watch
maker. named Huber. For years he
had made watches In Lucerne.. and
when he had saved enough of his earn
| ings to live without work he bought
chalet on the lake shore. near the
city, where he could pass the rest of
his life In ease and comfort.
His children had grown TO manhood
and womaDhood and left the paternal
abode, except Katrina. a lass of eight
cen. Huber. who was a widower, held
on to her as one will keep his last dol
lar. dreading to have man come near
her lest he take her away from him
| But so far as the old man knew there
was no one who wanted her or whom
she wanted.
The truth Is that Katrina. knowing
her fathers wish that she should
discourage all suitors. assured him
that she would not leave him In his
| old age. Indeed. when the matter OF
marriage was preached II was by Hu-
Der himself. Carl Gotthold. about thir-
ty-five years old. who had succeeded to
the old mans watch business. went
! to see his former partner one day and
| asked for his daughter Huber told
him that Katrina was not to marry.
but remain with him always.
Gotthold, who had persuasive
tongue In his head. represented to Hu-
Der that when he died Katrina would
be middle aged woman whom no
man would care to marry and would
| thereafter live lonely life. "If you
| will give her to me-" he said. 81 Will
come here to live with you. going into
| the city every morning to business and
returning In the evening. You will
thus keep her with you. and when you
die she will not be alone In the world"
| Now. Gotthold had considerable mon
| ey that he had inherited from his ia
| Their. besides his watch business. His
| proposition struck Huber favorabiy.
| though he did not admit It, But be-
fore Gotthold left him be promised TO
! think of the matter. He did think of
! it and made up his mind that be had
better accept the proposition. He said
! nothing for some time to his daughter,
for In Europe parents have for centu-
| ries been accustomed TO arrange mar
! riages for their children.
| Katrina kept boat and when she
wished 10 20 TO any place ON or near
the margin Of the lake she would go
/ down to the little shed where she kept
| 1t, take ii out and pull out on the bos-
ON of the water. One evening while
near the middle of the lake sudden
| squall came up and overturned her
| boat. She chung to 1t till another boat
| approached her and young man in 1t
| took her aboard, righted her boat and
! pulled his towing her boat. to the near
est point of land There he built fire,
and she dried his clothing by its
| warmth.
The two remained there for some
| time waiting for the storm to subside,
| then re-eutered the young mans boat,
and he pulled her to her landing place.
! He asked her II he might come and see
! her, and she refused her consent. tell
! ing him that her father dreaded 10
have any young man call upon her.
! But there was another reason. She
did not intend to let her father know
| that she had been capsized in the mid
die of the lake. She had narrowly es.
capped drowning, for, though a good
swimmer. the water in these Swiss
lakes is 50 cold that she could not have
possibly swum ashore. Indeed, she
was so benumbed when help reached
her that she was about TO let go heI
hold. Should her father know all this
he would never let her go out In her
boat again.
Who knows but that If Katrina had
given this young man. Caspar Beck,
permission to visit her he would never
have awaited himself OF 1t. Be this
as 1t may. her refusal. which was not
dictated by an unwillingness on her
part TO receive him. at once filled him
with a desire to break through the
barrier that stood between them. But
he said nothing to her Of this. APP
parently accepting her refusal as final.
and with a goodby he pulled out into
the lake toward his home near Lucerne.
Katrina reached her fathers house
when he was absorbed in Gotthoid's
proposition. Consequently she did not
receive as close a questioning as to
where she had been during the storm
as might have been expected. But
the old man had no idea of broaching
the matter concerning her future until
he had definitely made up his mind
ON the subject. and his mind was far
from being made up. Gotthold knew
that il he got Katrina 1t would not be
soon and having made his proposition.
waited patiently for the old man TO
come to a decision. The applicant bad
nothing further to do in the matter, for
Huber would not be influenced and
whichever way he decided his decision
would be final
After his rescue Of Katrina Caspar
Reck often went out on the lake in
his boat purposely to meet her. One
evening shortly before sunset he saw