Evening star., 1932-04-11

" " Eggenno1er. Inere tnat
crazy young baroness
drowned herself in the
lake for him"
"Yes-but do you know the latest?"
said the postman taking his pipe out
of his mouth. The crazy young baron
ess never went into the lake at all.
She's alive all the time"
What are you talking about? Don't
tell me tales like that" said Herr Birndl
severly.
ITS the truth 1 heard it from old
Vierecker. I met him early this morn
ing behind the ZirbitZ. He had been
guide to party over the Iron Tooth,
and he met Schleinz on the far side of
the hut up there, just over the Hir-
Zinger-Kees, and Schleinz had had the
baroness roped and climbed with her
up the Iron Tooth, and they had been
kept day in the hut owing to the mist
The baroness had yodeled and she was
1arking about; she can climb with the
best of them. We know that already
dare say she'll be down from the Iron
Tooth this evening. I've told them ct
the Schloss."
well, that's the limit" said Herr
Birndl, and he spat with anger and
astonishment. "She ought to be shut
up in lunatic asylum. that's all there
were rowing up and down the lake like
a pack of fools, and then We hear she
was climbing all the time on the Hir-
zinger-Kees. That finishes it. That's
enough for me. And the swimming
instructor, poor fellow, what that day
cost him Diving in like that, time
after time, was enough to make him
bad. and what he must have endured
when he was bad already!
Hats off to him. I say. to go through
all that with blood poisoning He's a
sportsman; he made nothing of it, you
see. And he doesen't give up now He's
not just going to lie there and die. He's
as strong as a wild pig, Dr. Mayreder
says, Perhaps his constitution will pull
him through and we must wait and
see. We must tell him now, as soon as
he comes round after the morphia, that
the baroness has been seen on the Hir-
zinger-KeeS. That'u be a consolation
to him"
Eyes, and what am I to do with this
registered letter." asked the postman
''There'l be something of importance
in it, no doubt. No good waiting till
it to me, and I'll sign for it. Matz sits
all day at his bedside like dog, and l
have to collect all the towels myself,
but what can I DO? He'll just have to
wait there with the letter A nice busi-
ness, the whole thing, I must say. :.
Martin meanwhile lay in the hospital
bed He lay extended on his back with
his bandaged arm beside him, and the
white coverlet rose and fell with his
faint quick breath.
His pulse is good" said the mother
superior, cautiously feeling it with her
left hand.
rr-l1r ,-;1r
tic black birds few over the sea with
white heads looking like nuns His
forehead wrinkled over his closed eyes,
and he gave tremulous sigh. He had
no pain. He felt very comfortable. He
had been swimming for several hours
with May in the sea. The water was
blue and transparent. The waves broke
in foam and Missed with an indescrib-
able freshness about their ears. The
warm water bore them up and they
were carried along by each wave as it
came. 1t was the Bay of Waikiki
Martin recognized it. with its palms
and mountain ranges and the long
gentle waves running up to the beach
of Incompatible loveliness. "Arne Borg
trained here for his world record" Mar
tin said to May. For moment it all
looked like "a photograph in book he
had read and then it became real again.
May lay fiat in the water She swan
beside him like a strip of gold-with
a slow stroke: Martin had never expert
enced so deep calm and joy as this
to be swimming hour after hour with
May beside him through the sea. 1t is
true that a shark came along now and
then and bit him in the arm. but he
said nothing to May for fear of alarm
ing her and it did not hurt very much.
On the beach the Honolulu Shimmy''
was being played. II always wanted to
spend my honeymoon in Honolulu"
said May
Martin thought about this for long
time while he swan. So he was on his
honeymoon with May in Waikiki He
hadn't known that. They had been
swimming for such long time together
that he had forgotten the wedding.
You see,' he said to Herr Jyssenhop.
who came to pay them a visit, lone can
live in castles in the air." They were
sitting in a large room in this castle of
theirs which sWayed gently to and fro
because it was made of water May
took out handkerchief and wiped the
moisture from Martins forehead He
felt it quite distinctly and it did him
good, for he had got very tired. He
felt the shark bite growing more pain
ful. He opened his eyes
How did Matz get to Waikiki, was
his first thought. Everything was dim,
and through one or two holes in the
dimneSs he looked out into the world
At first he saw Matz sitting small and
motionleSS, in a chair. Then he saw a
piece of yellow wall Something brown,
spotted with damp, hung on it; a noun
tain and woman could be made out
"St. Ursula, pray for u.s." Martin read
The letters approached and then re-
treated and became dim again Circles
revolVed in the air and everything
became obscure and fragmentary and
unintelligible May was there no longer.
Martin saw some one stretched out in
bed as If dead, with straight knees
under a white coverlet. of course"
he said YEARLY as he remembered
He came round out of the haze of
morphia. 1t became thinner and
thinner and left him in great pain and
weakness. He moved feebly. Don't
move, please" said some one at the
head of the bed A hand came from
there and once more wiped the sweat
from his brow MatZ jumped down of
his chair and put two letters on the
blanket.
Here's YOUR post Herr He'll" he said