Evening star., 1932-04-10
bakaTINs SUMNER &t

proud. The girl had drowned herself
in the lake because of a broken heart
while she, Frau Pauline Mayreder, hac
got over hers quite quietly, so quietly
that not even her husband had noticed
anything. But after all, her husoanc
had his merits. g..
The boat drew into the gangway
Matz jumped out and made fast. Her1
Birndl got heavily to his feet, dragging
something after him.
Take care of the lady, please" he
said gallantly.
Herr Mayreder ran down to the beach
! and along the gangway. He pushed
Frau Mayreder aside. Has anything
happened?" he asked quickly. His
pince-nez were on his nose and he was
nothing now but the doctor
Don't think so. Only tainted. It's
been too much for him." answered Herr
Birndl.
They put their arms under Martin S
shoulders and got him ashore and there
he lay on the plankS with the water
running off him.
Brandy" said Herr Mayreder, as he
began to massage. DR.. Mayreder began
to loosen the wet clinging bandage,
from which discolored lake water ran.
Martin groaned and turned his white
fevered eyes on the doctor. DR.. May
reder whistled, and, taking out knife,
cut the bandage very carefully from the
arm. Frau Mayreder raised Martins
head in her lap and put spoonful Of
brandy between his lips.
Thank you" Martin murmured Il
shall be all right-on my own.
DR.. Mayreder had the ugly looking
arm Immediately below his eyes. 1t was
red. swollen, and not at all promising.
Thin red streaks ran beneath the
armpit.
rs there a hospital here?" he asked.
Yes. the Ursulines have a small
hospital. Why?"
DR.. Mayreder laid the arm down with
extreme caution as If it were fragile
vessel filled with poison.
Blood poisoning" was all he said
Herr Birndl stood in front Of the Big
Petermann with his friend Eggenhofer,
the porter, and engaged the postman
in conversation. 1t was day Of fault
less weather. The square was white in
the sunshine with a quiet Italian bril-
lance. The women wore lemon-yellow
and white cotton dresses, and the post
man ran with sweat after completing
his rounds among the hills.
Whats the use of coming along now
with your registered letter after keeping
Herr He'll waiting for it all the
Summer" said Herr Birndl THE
whole Summer it's rained and no ones
bathed, and now that the swimming
instructor lies at deaths door we have
l9 degrees and everybody wanting to
bathe And here you come along with
his letter when it's no more use to him.
You can keep it now"
"Is he really dying, thought" asked
Herr Eggenhofer, involuntarily taking
of his cap with the Petermann badge.
1T seems too bad-a smart young fellow
like him"
Its so. all the same. God alone
knows whether he'll get through. DR..
Mayreder said to me himself: I don't
know, Herr Birndl, whether we can pull
him through he said. And why
because of the infection? That's what
it is, you see. The doctor says: If we
get him through, it will be at the cost
Of his arm At present they know
what's best to do. What can sports
man do with only one arm? Yesterday
they cut away the flesh round about,
but it doesn't seem that it's done much
good. I am not much Of a surgeon,
says DR.. Mayreder. I haven't done
an operation since I was an assistant
surgeon Well, and our doctor here, we
all know him, the drunken sot. A lot
of use he is!
Resi- spends the whole day in church
praying for him, and my old woman
goes ten times a day to the Ursulines
to ask how he is How he isl They've
given him morphia now and he's gone
off. He can't sign for any registered
letter. If one only knew whether it was
bad news or good" Herr Birndl con-
tinued. And he took the letter and
weighed it in his hand, smelled it and
inspected the postmark and stamp.
Its from Berlin. There's Hotel Ger
mania on it." he said knowingly. HE
must have the letter today, for we
don't know whether he'll last till to-
morrow. But he's unconscious owing
to the morphia, and now here comes
this letter!
"I shall wait "a hours DR.. Mayreder
said to me, and then, Herr Birndl, I
shall telegraph to my colleague in
my own charge, for I won't take any
risks with the young fellow Well, why
should he take any risks, say? It'll
cost him something, I dare say. and
that's very decent of him, and his wife's
at the back of that. You know her.
that short fat woman. She has made
eyes at the swimming instructor all
the Summer like Goldfish All the
women are silly over him. You'd be
surprised. That Vesi from Schwois-
shackePs cries all day long like leaky
gutter"
(To be continued)