A Hard Task.

path, which wound itself in irregular turns through a chaos of loose stones and scattered rocks, the "Cut." In the midst of the wall there was a cleft. The water of the mountain chain fed by the never exhausted reservoir of the snow region, had dug this bed. This cleft also cut through the "Cut," but at the place where the path was interrupted there had formed in the course of time a deep perpendicular, precipitating ravine, almost that what the inhabitants of the mountains call a "Clam.". This terrible precipice the mountaineers bridged by putting a hewn tree across it and affixing on one side a plain laths balustrade. This was the way by which the hunter Sepp came every evening when he returned from Oed-farm; this was the bridge,

wich he had to cross. In the moment, when the moon shone through the clouds there crouched upon the trunk, which formed the bridge a form engaged in restless work. Through the monotonous, terrible rushing of the "Wild Creek," which sent its roaring waters along the bottom of the precipice, there was heard of and on the sharp creaking of a saw, with which the kneeling form was cutting through the beam in a wild frenzy hast.

He stopped a moment with his terrible work and pressed on the beam with his right hand to examine how much it needed yet to make it unbearable. A weak creaking and cracking of the wood proved that he had succeeded only too well in his murderous work that the weight of a person crossing this bridge would surely break it and the torrent would become the grave of the shattered victim.

The miserable wretch arose wiped with the sleeve of his jacket his sweatbathed forehead. His eyes glowed with an unnatural frenzy fire his chest heaved in quick gasping breath.

"Now, hunter!" muttered he, "the convict has prepared the way for you now - come you miserable wretch, you, who have robbed me of everything. Happiness love honor everything. My life you have destroyed, now I take yours! And I shall shout and give vent to a yodle like a petulant Alpine-boy, when the wood breaks below you and a last scream of fright and of despair escaped your throat!I shall kneel down and listen how your body falls upon the rocky edges and your bones break, until the Creek takes up your corpse and dashes it to thousand and thousand pieces on the rubble

stones! A last salute I shall call after you, when your hand is stretched out in vain for a hold the salute that you gave me when you met me on the way to the penitentiary! God be with you hunter, I shall call to you and keep well! Are you soon going again to the Oedfarm, when you come out of the "Wild Creek?"

Frank, for he it was. shook his clenched fists in the direction from which his victim had to come, then he crouched down behind a large rock to watch unseen for the coming of the

enemy.

Like a tiger that waits for his prey he watched over the death-path. His ear sought to catch every sound that broke the stillness of this dismal solitude in the impatient hopes of hearing at last the resounding foot steps of the hated enemy on the stone wall.

The fever of an expectation strained now to the utmust, of a thirst wild for revenge, of a fear brought to frenzy, that the one destined for death might be somehow prevented to walk that path which had been prepared to be his terrible end, shook the body of the athletic man.

There suddenly appeared upon the gigantic plain of the rocky wall a reddish shine the reflection of an unsteady light swaying to and fro. As if hit by a shot Frank jumped up. He at once understood, that this appearance of a light must come from a lantern, which was carried on that side of the walk, on which he, himself had climbed up and which was the opposite direction from where his deadly enemy had to come. In an excitement which brought this unhappy wretch near madness he stared down the path. The eye of a poacher is sharp like that of an Indian. Frank soon recognized the person that had the light, as the Priest and the sacristan. Stoutly ahead climbed the Priest a few paces behind the old sacristan dragged himself wearisome upon his mountain-staff.

Rigid as if turned into stone, unable to move the murderer stared with burning eyes at the climbers. He at once comprehended what the

matter was.

mountains.

A preparing call a preparing call in the But the Priest must soon arrive on the top; he had to step on to the path he would be precipitated and the waves of the torrent would swallow up the unsuspecting one. The sharp edges and points of the rocky walls would shatter his body. "and with him the Body of the Lord!"

Horrified, Frank looked around. It seemed to him, as if behind him a hallow voice had hissed the words.

He was alone. He began to comprehend that it was himself who had spoken these terrible words. Frank lifted up his hands and pulled his hair in indescribable despair.

-

breast and muttered to himself: "No, and a thou He pressed his clenched fists against his sand times no! Back there never, never! He must go his way! I did not want that! - But the sacristan will speak I must send him after the Priest, the old man, it is easy". "But the Priest carries the Body of the Lord I wretch more malicious, more vile, than the soldiers, who nailed our Lord to the cross I murder God Himself," And Frank threw himself flat down upon the ground behind a rock, he pressed his brow against the stony ground clutched his fingers into the rubble, that the nails broke and the skin tore off in bloody pieces. -

The steps of the comers sounded now very near him.

An unknown power, against which he fought with his whole strength, but which he could not resist, forced him to lift up his head and cast a last look at him, whom he, the accursed had doomed to die.

But when he saw the mild face of the grayhaired Priest, when he saw that venerable silvery white head, that was surrounded by the light of the lantern like a halo; when he looked at those hands, which formerly had so often rested good innocent child, listening to the words of in blessing upon his head, when he was still a the Eternal Truth, which coming from these divinely consecrated lips had lifted up his heart and strengthened it, the icy crust which passion and fatal circumstances had placed around his heart broke. These hands that carried the GodMan Himself, they were the only ones, which besides his mother's had been stretched forth to shake his, the hand of the dismissed convict, who came home from the penitentiary! These mild eyes had expressed care and compassion for the forsaken; this mouth had words of consolation encouragement and hope for him.

There was no trembling, no hesitation, no fear no thought of the consequences, only the urging

to preserve this beloved head and the Most Holy that the hand of the Priest carried.

With one mighty leap Frank had jumped up from the ground and placed himself between the Priest and the bridge of death.

Frightened and surprised when he recognized the form before him the Priest stood still. "Frank Thalinger!""Yes Rev. Father

I it is I!"

happy man, who knelt there before him stammered out.

When the voice was heard, when the merry song sounded in his ears, he said with trembling voice: "There - unhappy man hurry save! it is your victim that nears! my tongue is tied through the secret of confession, save warn that the Lord may forgive you!" Then Frank jumped up from the ground

"II climbed about in the mountains

I could not stand it down below in the hut." "Frank, Frank! my son! take care that you do not walk on bad roads! But, now let me pass I am in a hurry."

"Rev. Father," said Frank with trembling voice, “do not go any further, I have to speak to you."

"Then come to morrow to the parsonage, my son, I dare not delay any longer; you see I am going with the Blessed Sacrament to a dying!" And the Priest put his hand gently on the arm of the young man to push him aside. Frank seized the hand and held it. "Rev. Father! I 1- there is no time to wait, I must now once speak to you."

at "But, my son! life and death are at stake," "Yes!" cried he not able to control himself any longer, "yes, life and death are at stake → and just for that reason I do not let you pass." "A dying person wants to receive the last consolations of our holy Religion he wants to confess."

"Well! Rev. Father I also want to confess now here that dying person's confesstion can not be as terrible, as the one that I must

make to you, death hell damnation of your soul's

hear me for the sake of mine salvation hear me."

And the unhappy man stretched out his hand, which a short while ago had wrought so terrible

a work, to the Priest.

The Priest had fixed his eyes firmly on firmly on the young man's, he read in them something so fearful, such a terrible, real despair. The voice of the supplicant moved him so powerfully that it drew his heart spasmodically together at the thought of a fearful secret, which he forboded without being able to comprehend what it could be.

"Then come in the name of God!" And he stepped a side to a stone. Frank followed him. with trembling knees and threw himself at the feet of the aged Priest.

In the same moment there sounded - from the other side of the bridge, that was sawed through a clear youthful voice, which sang a

merry tune.

The face of the Priest covered a fearful paleness, when he heard the words that the un

precipice he screamed with a yelling voice, which drowned the roaring of the "Wild Creek," with a voice that scarcely seemed human:

"Stop hunter! stand still or you walk into death don't stir from the place the bridge is sawed through!"

The sacristan had sat down on a stone, when he saw the Priest speak to Frank. At the terrible sound of this voice he jumped up and remained standing trembling in all limbs.

"For God's sake, is it possible?" they heard the hunter call, "but who is there that calls to me?"

"It is Frank Thalinger, who calls to you and I am also here," answered the Priest instead of Frank, who leaned against a rock unable to speak another word. "But above all is there no other means to get over the precipice?"

"For you, at this moment not, Rev. Father, but for me there is."

They heard how the hunter went back and then after a short run he put his mountain staff into the edge of the precipice and with a mighty swing the form of the daring hunter thing the newly arrived did, was he examined flew in a curve over the precipice. The first the bridge. In spite of his strength and courage he grew pale, when he noticed the creaking and craking of the sawed wood.

"By God!" he said, "that is a narrow escape. who would think of jumping when, there is a I was just going to step on the bridge bridge before him. Without doubt I would have been lost. The Lord and the holy Mother of God have sent you just at the right time to save me! May God reward you Frank that you have acted so nobly toward me."

The Priest sent up to Heaven a look of unspeakable thanks full of admiration for Him, who guides the destiny of man, for Him, who came Himself to prevent a terrible crime, to save the life of the one man, the eternal happiness of the other.

"That surely did one of the Bavarian poachers, who stroll about in the mountains, since a few days," said the hunter. And then stepping up to him, who had want to become his murderer he held out his hands to him. "And you Frank! You had to come to save my life you and I have hurt you you so, poor fellow! But I shall try to repair that. Not long ago did the master of the forest

"That I shall" said the aged Priest. "Then come Frank!" said Sepp, "and don't be sad any more! The Lord Himself has guided you up into the mountains to-day no doubt you climbed, because of sheer sorrow you could not stand it at home; come to me."

And they lay in each others arms and tears of repentance and reconciliation, that flowed from the eyes of the unhappy man, whom the All-bountiful had so miraculously saved from a terrible crime, glistened like diamonds on the

coat of the hunter.

"But how shall I get across?" said the Priest, "I must hurry to a dying on the Oed-farm." "To Mathias I know," said the hunter. "Frank and I shall run to the hut of the wood man at the lower mountain there are plenty of beams. In 15 minutes we are back again. Come Frank."

An hour later the aged Priest sat at the bed side of Mathias and prepared him for his journey to Eternity, he who only very recently had been nearer his grave, than the man, who was lying before him in his death struggle.

*

was

a dwelling meant for a poor man's biding. on the quiet hamlet's further edge, A square grey cot, that as if for hiding

Nestled close neath the rocky ledge; But the simple herbs outset for growing

In its garden bounds were of rarest green
And like waving gold in the sunlight glowing
The tiny plots of maize between:

On its sycamore's boughs the birds sat preening
Their listless wings as tho' loath to leave
And tender vines, like a veil were screening

The cottage walls from base to eave.

Neath a door outhewn from the rough rock's bosom
A frail pervinca sapling crept,

With bud of azure and starry blossom

Wreathing the couch whereon She slept Whom the Nazarenes named "a just man's daughter The Temple's Virgin" now Joseph's spouse But the blue blooms knew how angels sought her And abode with her in the Holy House. The wondering angels who paused and tarried

To share with mortals those blissful hours, While anon to Heaven their pinions carried

The incense - odor of Nazareth's flowers; Its roses that flushed where soft descended

The sandalled feet of the Mother - Maid Its lilies, that over the rude bench bended,

Where Joeseph toiled in the figtree's shade; And blooms that no more on our earth are blowing, Whose crimson petals the zephyrs shed,

To sheath as a carpet richly glowing,

Those garden paths neath the Christ Child's tread:

Here, while the red sun slowly seeking

The glittering calm of the western sea,
Was barring with gold and with ruby streaking
The darkling hillsides of Galilee:

While brooding birds to their mates were calling,
Or hushing their weary nestlings' cries

And balmy evening dews were falling
Like tears of joy from Judean skies

Ask of the blossoms that strove to cling By His garment's hem of the dews a-glisten Of breezes that fanned as with perfumed wing! They will not answer: not such His pleasure Nor yet will She, who, drawing apart, Hearkened His words and as priceless treasure, Harbored them each in her inmost heart. But cometh the day o, ye true and tender! When sharing her knowledge ye too shall weep When Joseph, her youth's revered defender

Shall long have sunk to the just man's sleep! And ye shall stand by an anguished Mother,

With hearts sore laden and indrawn breath, To gaze in the Face of that wondrous other And fathom the secret of Nazareth!