Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-03-24

TIN repHed, and WltndreW as a 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 to pay excess as it had
been insufficiently stamped. The letter
was wet with rain and smudged by
MartZ's fingers. The address was written
in q large hand. Filled with suspense.
Martin ran to his hut, bumped his head
and saw stars. His heart was pounding.
Then his hand fell limp, and he sat
down on his bedstead in vacancy 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 Won Dobbersberg,
Tiger Won Dobbersberg.
Below Tigers signature there was the
muddy imprint of dogs paw. AS
Martin looked up he saw the spider
angry evil back. A spider in the morn
ing brings bad luck and mourning. he
thought sadly.
Herr Birndl opened the door, stuck in
his head and belly, and announced,
Frau Mayreder came and had to go
away again. For the last hour there
has been no one here to attend to the
bathing. 1 grant you're s sportsman,
but all the same did not engage you
for your own amusement, my dear Herr
He'll"
At Frauensee it was nov what Herr
Birndl was wont to describe as the hot
season." by which presumably he meant
haute saison. Along the ratings beside
the church and at the entrances of the
Big and Little Petermann, posters and
announcements crowded upon one an
other. There were festivities on the
beach, assembly dances, fancy dress
balls with fireworks, tennis tourna-
in his Office raking in the money with
both hands. Every one was bathing
and the swimming instructor was all
day on his gangway-twelve hours on
end.
Sometimes the weather was good,
ana 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 Discrimination for
cold water caused him secret uneasi-
ness, but it was a fact none the less.
He was losing form from under nourish-
ment and poverty Of blood, and he was
beset by love, this feeling that had so
bowled him over that he had come a
cropper.
The tennis tournament was held
without Martins taking part in it, 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 a
thunderstorm at night-was to occupy
himself on the side of the beach that
looked on the tennis courts. Once
when ball was sent over the netting
and fell out In the lake he even went
after it at racing speed, and threw It
back in magnificent style with a laugh
ing remark. The feat called forth
applause. But there. ..
After all. it could not possibly be
called serious tournament. 1t had no
significance what ever as sporting
event. It was only a knock-up between
of no interest to any but themselves.
Herr Lyssenhop had put up a few
prizes and allotted them to the winners
with the assistance of two other elderly
authorities on the game. All the
prizes were won by his twin daughter
whose play was too good for any one
else there At night there was a BAN
quet at the Big Petermann. Martin
went to 1t, because May wished him TO-
May wore low dress with silver trim
ming. and silver shoes. She looked so
pretty that Martin was on fire at the
sight of her. He had now got into such
a state about her that he was beside
himself He could do nothing but fix
his eyes on her.
The men were in dinner jackets.
Martin wore his white shirt, his blue
suit and brown shoes. These three por-
lions of his wardrobe had all suffered
from constant wear and frequent wet
tings on the evening walks to the zir-
bitzplatte. The trousers had diminished
remarkably in length, for they were
made of a cheap material that shrank
from the ironings which the hump
backed girl Resi- now and then gave
them. The seam of the coat, for some
mysterious reason went into creases on
the shoulders, and the buttonholss had
an oddly faded and grav appearance.
Martin had shaved the frayed edges
of his shirt cuffs with this razor, but
they kept on fraying again. He had
Subdued his hair with stick of pomade
which alone had cost 80 groschen. The
dinner at the Petermann was shillings
head and Martin broke out in a
sweat when 1t was his turn to pay the
waiter. But at least he had eaten his
fill and would not need to eat again for
two days.
CTo Be Continued.