Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-10-16
Tragedy Of a
Masked Ball
By MARGARET c DEvEREAUx


place, at which a young girl named
Catherine Hauser took the part OF
Marguerite. Herman Geiss. who was
In love with her. learned through his
sister that Catherine was intending to
be thus costumed, and he took it into
his head that be might press his suit
under the guise Of Faust Carl Hau-
ser, GATHERINGS brother. who was to
escort her to the ball. was to go as
Valentine.
Without knowing Of the adoption of
these costumes, Hans Ritter. a rival Of
Herman's, decided 10 attend the ball
8 Mepbistopheles. 1t never came out
whether Ritter In his action at the ball
played a devilish part or, finding him
self related by costume to the others
who were all well known to him.
thought it would be a fine thing TO
make bad blood between them, intend
ing to undo what he had done before
any trouble should arise from it.
Be this as 1t may. Herman Geiss no
sooner saw a girl dressed as Marguer-
tie than he asked her to dance with
him and paid her marked attention for
the rest of the evening. The ball was
in full swing when Ritter, seeing Carl
sHauser Walentine1 standing near a
curtain. concealed himself behind it
and Kissed. Look out for your sister:
she is in danger"
Hauser looked around. but the
was crowded. and Ritter managed to
escape without being detected. Carl
was wrapped up in his sister and. be-
ing a hot blooded fellow. did not stop
to consider that the words he had
heard might have been a little per
Torrance aside. to make the attentions
Faust was paying Marguerite
realistic. He did not know who Faust
was, but proposed to stop his attentions
to his sister. Going to the couple. who
were in the midst of a dance. he or
dered Catherine to come with him
Geiss. not knowing that he was her
brother, pushed him away Indignantly
Catherine remained with Geiss. and
Hauser, going away. found a friend
whom he sent to Geiss with a chal.
lenge. Hauser was at the time a stu
dent at q university, a member OF 4
dueling corps and an expert with the
small sword. When Geiss received the
challenge he had left Catherine. and
she knew nothing OF what had hap
pened.
Had each a Of these persons
known who the others were doubtless
what followed would not have oe-
CURED. Another unfortunate feature
was that Ritter. who had whispered
the words that caused the trouble, had
been drinking a good deal Of German
wine. Whether he thought the matter
Of no great Importance, whether he
forgot to take precautions against trou-
BILE liable to arise from what he had
said, was not satisfactorily explained.
There were those who believed that he
had acted either through sheer malice
or from a desire to injure Geiss in Sc
curing the hand of the girl he him
self wanted.
After the ball Geiss and Hauser met
In q forest nea the town. There was
a full moon, and they crossed swords
by its light. Each wore the costume
be had on at the ball. Those who
claim that Ritter acted from malicious
motives 6ver that he In the red and
black costume of Mephistopheles wit
messed the fight from behind the trunk
of a tree. forming a perfect picture of
the arch fend watching the result OF
his devilish work.
Both the contestants were excellent
swordsmen. but the light was very
bad for such a trial of skill. Hauser
was the better man at such work, but
the light flashing on his enemy's sword
bothered him. The result was deter
mined by Geiss not seeing perfectly.
for In trying to wing his opponent anc
thus end the duel without astragedy he
Internationally stabbed his opponent
In the heart.
Meanwhile the affair. so closely re
sembling the story Of Faust and Mar
guerite, was talked about. and at the
last moment a report OF 1t reached
GATHERINGS ears. She was getting ready
for bed when she heard that a duel
was about to take place and hurried at
once to the place OF the combat. When
her brother fell she was still some dis
lance from him. but. staggering on,
reached him just in time for a last
look between them before he died.
AS soon as Hauser fell Geiss ran to-
ward him. and in the face turned to
the moonlight recognized GATHERINGS
brother. He saw at once that he not
only had taken a life. but a life that
would forever prevent his winning the
girl he loved. He was hurried away
from the ground. and the next morn
ing before daylight left ~Staffhausen
for America. He wrote a pathetic let
ter to Catherine bemoaning what he
had done and saying that his life was
from that moment bIighted.
Catherine did not marry. and Geiss
was never again heard from after he
left for America. There was no salts
factory explanation as to how the trag-
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