Evening star., 1932-03-15
INSTALLMENT l.

the station buildings there was
rIimpse of silver behind the piled-ul
gray. and somewhere up there beyond
all the cloud and mist the sun wa!
trying shyly to emerge. Martin stooe
still and. distending his nostrils, took 6
deen breath of the unaccustomed air
1t smelled of moisture and wood-smoke
clean. cold and sharp, with tang, per
haps. of the snow In it. There was tai
there. too-yes, a breath OF wine
brought with it an unmistakable hln'
of open water and freshly tarred keels
Martin smiled contentedly He stuck
the thumb of his right hand under the
strap Of his rucksack and, grasplng
fiinnsy cardboard box under his lett arm
walked out of the station.
Garry your bag, sir?' asked SINAI
urchin who was standing barefoot IN
the wheel-tracks of the muddy load
Martin stopped, for he could never pass
children by,
You'd like to earn some money, en-?
he asked in return. We'll, so should 1
haven't any, as matter OF fact. sc
there's nothing for you. Wait Dit
though" he added as the boy was max
ing of. and he felt in his pocket. You
don't get much, expect. Sorry, put
can you tell me the way to the bathing
place?"
"Tll take you there" the boy offered
Martin gripped his cardboard box be-
tween his knees and produced small
piece of chocolate from his coat pocket
He fiicked the dust of 1t and gave II
TO the boy.
There's a present for you," he said
with solemnity.
The boy put the chocolate straight
into his mouth, proceeding which
Martin watched with an intent and al
most envious look. As soon as he set
off again, the urchin with head thrown
back followed a pace behind, tramping
along over the wet road and planking
his feet carefully in the large footmarks
that Martins brown shoes left clearly
imprinted on it. Martin himself, as he
stepped out, was pleasantly conscious
of the good stout soles under his feet.
He splashed valiantly through the mud
and. then, when they reached a small
pine wood, trod firmly over roots and
crumbling shale until finally he
crunched happily in the loose shingle
of the promenade. These new shoes OF
his were no trifiing matter. They had
cost him his last penny.
Throwing back his head, he gazed
around at the overcast landscape. Sud
denly two chestnut trees fell away at
either side, and he stood on the edge
Oh LIlc ldkG. IL SbtCINA4C0 Boy ~
fore him, and its tiny waves Tapped the
embankment of the little promenade.
One or two landing stages rocked at
their chain-moorings, and the wind
that came from the western shore, far
away and scarcely discernible through
the drifting mists, passed like a moist
hand through Martins light blond hair,
for Martin always went bareheaded,
partly on principle, partly because he
had no hat He laughed without know
ing why The joy of the water tingled
an his veins and ran through his limbs
with an intoxicating freshness.
Aren't there any boats out?" he
asked In surprise
"The weather's too bad. Nobody
would chance it." the boy replied.
"Tne lakes SO treacherous. One
moment you think it's all right, the
next there's a squall and you can't row
the boat Last week there were some
people nearly drowned The lake takes
some knowing: it's real treacherous."
Martin gave a whistle.
''I suppose they aren't too nervous to
bathe, anyway" he asked, looking
down, tall and blond, en- this small re-
tainer who had entered his service as
q matter Of course and trotted at his
heels like a dog.
"Bathe? Where d'you think they'd
bathe?" came the answer from below.
''It's far too cold"
The next moment Martin was lying
on his stomach with half his body
over the edge of the embankment,
stretching one hand down to the water.
The chill of it nipped his inger-tips.
He was a stranger to these waters fed
by glacier streams, but, all the same,
water was his native element. Martin
clenched his teeth, which were like a
Negros, broad and cleaning white.
Well soon have them bathing, he de-
termined.
while he was still lying on his
stomach like a tortoise beneath his
rucksack, some people came along the
deserted promenade. Two pairs Of feet
made detour round the prostrate
Martin, a mans feet and girls feet,
and both had good ankles and where
shod In stout country boots, with
voolen socks rolled over their tops.
Martin twisted his head back. but the
attitude he was In enabled him to see
no more than pair of girls legs with
shapely knees swallowed abruptly in the
shadow Of a tweed skirt. He jumped
up with a flush showing beneath the
tan of his fair skin. He could still
hear what the girl was saying.
The bitter kind tastes best" she
said in a deep voice, like boys.
Heaven only knows why this remark
should sound so odd to Martin. He
continued to puzzle over 1t as he went
en-. followed by his retainer. in the op-
posite direction to that taken by the
ether two.
That's one of them" the boy re-
marked incomprehensibly, pointing
over his shoulder with dirty thumb.
Martin turned round and saw that
tie other two had also turned round
and were standing still to have look
at him. A motor boat was popping
along noisily on the lake. Through
the clean, cool air Of the afternoon the
voices Of the other two were distinctly
heard.
THAT'S a good-looking fellow" said
the man.
tennis tournaments" answered the girl
Martin strobe on resentfully. He
had had quite enough Of being good
looking fellow, and he had no wish to
be sized up by arrogant young men In
striped pull-overs as If he we're an
ornament on show Moreover, he had
lost all pleasure In his expensive new
shoes during these few moments. Ap-
parently here in Frauensee 1t was not
the thing to go about in brown box
calf. You had to wear stout country
boots. or climbing boots, or perhaps in
fine weather white buckskin shoes, and
at night probably patent Leather
pumps. Right. SO he. Martin. was
wearing something betwixt and be-
tween. a pair Of equivocal antiquities
that might possibly do for every oc-
casion. but were correct for none. In
deed his whole wardrobe was composed
Of single specimens. In the cardboard
box there was a white shirt and blue
suit; in the rucksack colored shirt
his bathing suit, and his eight-pounc
punching ball. He was wearing hi:
flannel shirt, sweater and knicker-
bockers. And that was all he had. HI
had once had a dinner jacket, but
moths were now devcuring 1t in Q
pawpbroker's shop far aWay In Vienna