The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-07-15

A SOunus AAtC eAAAANA 0O~S was the heavy, .broad-beamed em- ergency boat belonging to the bathing establishment. Martin was on the second rowing seat. He hung over tent side looking as if he migh tat any moment fall into the lake.
 Martin had been the first to be called out when the word went round to search the lake. He tum- bled out of bed and putting on his bathing suit and cloak, he got into the boat. He had taken 1t as q mat ter of course without saying a word, for he was not in g condi- awake or all that went on belong ed to the maze of deiirium in which he had passed the night. His arm was in a bandage, ana, though it throbbed painfully, it felt oddly separate from the rest of his body. 1t was like a large, heavy, burning rod of iron hanging from his shoul- der. He alternated between mo- ments of tense alertness, anC mo- ments when everything became fantastic and uite unreal. His lips were as dry as crumpled paper, and he had horrible taste in his mouth. He was brown, certainly, but his eyes were bloodshot and deadly sick. His face was drawn and glowing hot. His will alone the hard, indestructible stuff of his being-kept him going.
 He forced himself to take ac- count of what was going on. What was it? What had happened? Puck lar xx, n,t 1.at I,t hn had spoken in a hateful way to her, and she had gone away. But 1 am going far away, very lar .... The words were always in Martins ears. The marks of Puck's heavy sand of the beach. Tiger still ran crazed with distress from Martins cabin to the beach and back again, up his head and utter'a lamentable howl.
 Martin would gladly have howled too. He clenched his teeth as tight ly as he could to stop their chat tering. if Puck's in the lake. it's my fault, he told himself In lu- cid moment. But now was 1t his fault? What had he done? He had lived his life as simply as he could under all the stress of hard circum stance. In word and act he had said and done and obvious, natural thing. Then of sudden he was in- volved in error and guilt and trag- edy. Suppose Puck were really at the bottom of the lake suppose she had done it-suppose again it was all a dream like the non-in- flammable film that had been in flames on countless occasions that night? Martin strove in vain to break through the barriers of few CT and stupor that penned him in.
 He did not know very much. But in Frauensee everybody knew every thing by some mysterious means. Even the sparrows pecking in the dirt in the station yard knew that the crazy young baroness had drowned herself for love of the handsome swimming instructor. Later Seespitz where the lake ran to sedgy shadows that overflowed the swampy ground....
 Martin hung over the edge of the boat and stared into the water, and in the water he saw many Pucks many small, dear, woebegone Pucks. Many more hoods, and many grasped st him over the gun whale reflected in the water. When Martin saw this, a fit of dizziness came over him and he thought: Stop! It took a supreme effort of will to regain control of himself. If
 Puck were drowned, her body would drift, he reflected, and even said as much in hoarse voice to Herr Birndl, who nodded his con- firmation. Herr Birndl was bathed in sweat from the exertion of row. ing, and very grave.
 Matz steered, taking his direction from Martins listless eyes. Now and again the three boats drew near together in their searchand hailed each other with few faco- mic words.
 'Nothing?"
 "No. Nothing at all.'
 "We need divers" said some- body. The boats glided apart. As the sun rose higher the lake became clearer and more luminous. The boat cast a shadow in the green depths. Below, the water weeds waved gently to and fro. Stones and OpcuSQ 'HluSSclS SdZSO up AhC Cy Co. Suddenly Martin felt vivid pang. Puck. darling Puck. he thought. Is Is possible you are dead? Never to see you again, she had said, never again. For a moment he realized that never again. with violent and heart-rending emotion, and then more.
 Puck lay on the bolton in her sodden heavy cloak and gaZed up at Martin with the wide eyes of a corpse. Martin saw her distinctly. He reeled to his feet and slipping off his cloak plunged into the wa ter. He had made every calcula- ton. He had taken in a deep breath, and dived vertically. He dropped like a stone. keeping his eyes open. He saw nothing. The bottom recede and recede, till at last he was forced to come up to the surface. When he raised his arm out of. the water and got his breath, it seemed to him that the pain had left 1t. But he was terribly cold in his cloak as he sat there with the wtaer running off him. Time went on. The twelve-twenty three train came in, the engine re- leased steam in noisy puffs. and the train went on again. The lunch con gong sounded in the Big Peter man. The mountains descended steeply to the lake and threw no shadows. Martin saw something bright drifting in the shallower wa- ter. He dived again, and by staying under till he was on the point of shffocation he nearly reached the bottom. It was only the trunk and branches of tree stripped of their