Year: 1873

ABOUT a mile from Weilheim, in the
midst of a solitary wood, there is a house
in which, in 1919, dwelt a forester whose
name was Merkel. He had three chill
dren; the eldest was a girl of seventeen,
handsome, strong, and resolute


" Won't you be frightened in these un-
settled times ." asked her father, when he
with her mother and the two Younger
children were starting on Christmas morn
ing to go 10 church


F'rightened?o said the brave girl,
laughing. Upstairs hang your guns,
two double -barreled"


Take care, Kate" said the father.
they are loaded with BALI"


All the better for that" said the GIRL ;
Sultan is with me too, and he ALWAYS
knows his man. and I shall shut up and
bar the windows down stairs"


rs they left the house, she began to
close and bar all the windows on the
ground floor


Then she not only locked and bolted
She door, but placed a heap of blocks of
wood against it inside and calling the
great dog to her in the kitchen, she began
10 prepare for cooking the family dinner,
~ her mother had directed. When this
was arranged, she went up stairs, and car
ried all the powder which her father kept
in large stone jar into the upper room,
and the bullets, too, Of which her father
had large supply.


Outside, the snow laid thickly upon the
trees and the ground; the cold was cut
ting and severe.


Merkel was well-tO-do man: but CON
sideTed much richer than he really was.


kate's parents and brothers might lust
have reached Weilheim, when she saw a
haiffrozen old man, leaning on his staff,
approach the house. She remarked how
he trembled at the frost, and how disap.
pointed he looked when he saw all the
shutters closed, rs if no one was at home.


His snOW-vhite beard nearly covered
his face, and seemed to reach almost up
10 the cap of foXskin which he wore on
his head, with the foXtail hanging down
behind


The girl pitied the old man. He could
not get on to Weilheim, for his LEGS
seemed scarcely able to carry him now
and in this weather he ran in great danger
81 being frozen to death.


She went to the window of the second
story, and asked him what he wanted.


Oh. my good child" he cried up,
with a faint voice, - | want to warm my
self for am thoroughly frozen. | can
not get any further on my way to We'll
helm, for / have not tasted food to-day :"


The kind heart of the maiden was soft
oncd and overcome.


She hastencd down stairs, moved away
her means of defense, and opened the
door; but scarcely was the old man in
the room, than She locked the door again,
little thinking that she had now to de
tend herself against an enemy within.
She showed the old man into the warm
room, and made him sit down in her IA
theirs armchair, which stood near the
large stove.


Something hot Will be the best to
warm and revive YOU she said kindly.
There is some coffee, which we only
drink on Sundays and festiva, days, left
/ viii wal ii for YOU


1t seemed strange that the great dog.
Sultan. ran about in an angry, excited
way, growing and showing his teeth
from the time the old man had entered
the house sOnly with difficulty could she
keep him quiet. And now, when she went
into the kitchen to get the coffee ready,
the dog pressed up closer to her, and
looked distrustfully at the old man, who
was resting in the armchair.


The dogs strange conduct made her
suspicious. As in many old German
houses, there was an opening in the wall
sort OF window with slide between the
kitchen and the room inhabited by the
family, through which the dishes were
passed from one to the other.


This window was just behind the arm
chair, and since this morning, when the
mother had put the coffee and milk-pots
trough it, it had been left half open.


v ith gentle tread she went up this
window, and looked into the room. Hhat
sAe hchcld there indeed filled her with
horror.


Before her eyes, sthe old man took off
me tur cap, and the white beard, too,
Eaised up his bent-down, powerless figure,
4a4 .., now there stood before her quite
3.lerent man than the one she in her
H.y hsl admitted The first was totter-
a9 halttroZen old man-this was a


.Sng youngman, of savage and wicked
al.2rance; and the smile of Joy at his
gessiul trick, which passed over his
ll@d an expression which filed the
4eart with terror.