The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-06-25

bone. This morning she starts the day by gobbling up my poor Mar tin, damn her!"
 She put q cigarette between her lips, and both hands In the pockets of her ralncoat. Carla did the same. When Martin accompanied the countess back to the Petermann, two stony caryatids in sports dress received his beseeching and dis trdcted greetings in silence and without extending a hand.
 "Auf Wiedersehen, Herr Doktor!' Anika said with formality.
 II kiss your hand, Frau Grain" Martin replied, and withdrew as fresh shower of rain swept up from the lake.
 When he arrived wet-headed at the bathing establishment little Matz came dancing up to him in great excitement with letter in his hand. The postman had come and had brought letter. Herr Birndl had had to pay excess as It had been insufflciently stamped. The letter was wet with the rain and smudged by Matz's fingers. The address was written in a large hand. Filled with suspense Martin ran to his hut, bumped his head and saw stars. His heart was pound- ing.
 Then his hand fell limp, nnd he sat down on his bedstead In va cancy and gloom. The letter ran:
 Why does our friend come no
 more to see us? We are very unhappy. At night we have to
 howl. PUCK VON DOBBERs-
 BERG
 Tiger Won Dobbersberg
 Below Tigers signature there was the muddy imprint of Q dogs paw. As Martin looked up he saw the spider crouching in its corner, turning it's angry evil back. A spider in the borning brings bad luck and mourning, he thought sadly.
 Herr Birndl opened the door. stuck fin his head and belly. and announced, Frau Mayreder came and had to go away again. For the last hour there has ben no one here to attend to the bathing. grant you're a sportsman, but all the same I did not engage you for your own amusement, my dear Herr Heil--"
 At Frauensee it was now what Herr Birndi was wont to describe as the "hot season., by which pre- sumably he meant haute saison. Along the railings beside the church and at the entrances of the Big and Little Petermann, posters and announcements crowded upon one another. There were festivities on the beach, assembly dances. fancy dress balls with fireworks. tennis tournaments with prizes. Herr Birndl stood in his office rak- ing in the money with both hands. Everyone was bathing, and the swimming instructor was all day on his gangway--twelve hours on end.
 Sometimes the weather was good. and sometimes bad. Some days the sweat ran of him and the sun beat on his head, So that every quarter of an hour he had to cool himself with one of his long fiat dives. on other days, the wind was cold, or there was a hail-storm, and he paced to and fro, wet through in his bathing cloak, and shivered with cold. He had lost another pound in weight. and the thinner he got the more he felt the cold. His growing disinciihation for cold water caused him secret uneasiness. but 1t was a fact none the less. He was losing form from under-nour- ishment and poverty of blood. and he was beset by love. this feeling that had so bowled him over that he had come quite cropper. ....
 The tennis tournament was held without Martins taking part In 1t. for he had not been able after all to buy tennis shoes. He had not even time to look on. All he could do that day---a day of sweltering heat with a great cloud above the Honey-Pot and q thunder r-storm at