Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1913-09-19
Huber'S
Daughter
She WaS the Last Of Ills
Children Unmarried. and
lie Could Not Give
Her Up
~ EDITH v. ROSS

In Ono Of the little villages overlook
ing the Lake OF the Five CantOns In
gwits0rland there lived a retired watch
maker named Huber. FOr years be
had made witches In Lneerne. and
when be had saved enough Of his arm
ings 10 i've without work be bought
q chalet on the lake shore. 10 the
city. where be could pass the rest Of
his life In Al and comfort
His children had grown to manhood
and womanhoOd and left the paternal
abode. except Katrina, q Lass Of eight
cen. Huber. who was q Widower, held
on b her a. n will keop hin last dol
Tar. dreading % have q nan cOme near
her lest he take her away from BIN.
But % Tar a. the old man knew there
was no one who wanted her OF whom
aha wanted
TIE truth Il that Katrina, knowing
her fathers wtsh that abe should
discourage al S~uitOrs, assured him
that she would not leave him In bis
old age. Indeed, when the matter Of
maFTtags was preached e was By Hu-
Der himself, Carl 9otthOld. about thir-
ty-hve years old. who had succeeded %
the old mans watch business. went
to see hls former partner one day and
asked for bis daughter. Huber told
him that Katrina was not 70 marry.
but remain with him always.
GOtthold. who had a persuasive
tongue in bis head. represented to Hu.
Der that when be died Katrina would
Be q middle aged woman whom no
man would car to marry and would
thereafter live 4 lonely ufa III you
viii give her to me" be said. - viii
cOme here 10 i've 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 viii not b alone in the world"
Now. GOtthold had considerable mon
- that be had inherited from his IA
ther. besides his watch b~uSineEs. His
proposition struck Huber favorably.
though be did not admit T. But be-
ROrO QOtthoId left him he promised 20
think Of the matter. he did think Of
It and made up his mind that he had
better accept the proposition. he said
nothing for some time to his daughter,
for in Europe parents have for centu-
riss been accustomed 70 arrange mar
nages for their children.
Katrina kept a bOat and when she
wished to 50 70 any place on or near
the margin Of the lake she would 30
down to the little shed where she kept
e. take Il oct and pull out on the Dos
ON Of. the Water. One evening while
nea thu middle Of the lake u sOddsn
souall came up and overturned her
boat She chung 70 u till another boat
approached her ans q young nan In Il
took her aboard, Hgnted har boat and
pulled his. towing her boat 30 the near
ct point Of land. There be built q Gre.
and Ghs dried bis clothing By tn
warmth
The two remained there toE somO
dms waiting for the storm to Bubside.
then re-entered the young mans boat,
and he pulled her to her landing place,
he asked her II be might come and see
her, and she refused her consent. tell
ing him that her father dreaded Il
have any young man call upon her.
But there vas another She
did not intend 10 et her father know
that she had been eapSined In the mid.
die Of the lake. She had narrowly e.
capped drowning. for. though q good
swimmer. the water In these BwtaG
lakes r. y cold that she could not have
possibly swum ashore Indeed. she
vas 20 benumbed when help reached
her that Ghe was about 20 bt go her
hold. Should her father know ali thll
no would let her 60 out In hes
boat again.
Who knows but that u Katrina had
given this young man. Caspar Beck,
permission 10 visit her he would never
have availed himself OF Il Be this
as II may. her refusal. whtrh was moi
dictntsd By an unWtilngness on her
part 10 receive him. at Onc0 allsd him
with a desire to break through the
barrier that stood between them. But
he said nothing 10 her Of this. sp-
paFOntiy accepting her refusal as 6nal,
and with a gOOdby he pulled out lntd
the lake toward bis home near LueeFne.
Katrina reached her fathers house
when he was absorbed In GOtthOld'l
proposition Consequently she did moi
receive az close a questioning a. d
where she had been during the storm
"a might have been expected Bui
the Old man had no idea OF broaehinl
the matter concerning her future undl
be had definitely made up bis mind
on the subject and bis mind was faI
from being made up. GOtthold knew
that II be- got Katrina Il would not b
con and. having made bis proposition
waited patiently for the old man d
come b q deeldOn. Tue applicant bad
nothing further Il do In the matter. fOI
Huber Would not be Influenced and
whichSvsF way be decided his decision
would b anal.
Aftsr his rescue q Katrina CaSpaI
Beck 0ftm went out on the lake "a
his boat puFpOseiy to meet her. on
evening shortly before sunset be cav
her pulling toward her boathouse and
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