LN 7O NS
here to break stoness NYes, now | am o stones breaker,” he sand, with o smile frightul its bitterness. e preked up his hammer.
Tertsehka stood silent with drooping head,
“But yvou will never be able to stand 1y~ she sard at Tast, ma low vorcee.
“Oh! ves, perhaps, winen T oget food to cat o these last days have bheen very hard for me. 1 ohave caten nothing since vesterday morning.”
She made no reply, but slowly unwrapped and took out of her apron a picee of black bread, which she broke mto two parts. She held out to him the largest of the two preces.
“lat” she sand.
e clanced tmndly at the prece she offered hin,
“huto it s vour confusion. And he refusal,
D ciiough for myself.”
As he made no movement o aceept i she placed the Dread by his side,
“Nouw must he thirsty also.” she continueds Sl o and feteh vou some water 1+ there 15 0 stream harvd by,”
She rose; took o small pitcher iived o A heap ol stones, and ascended the quarry
])]'L,'il,(],.: e made
rephied
docs not ntter. P have ([uilv
towards the pme forest, where o tine rill of
lmpid water trickled hetween tafts of creen She filled the pitcher and drank, and then flled reagaim, and returned with i The prece of bread was sull untouched.
He o aecepted the draught cratitude,
“Thank vou very mueh verv much,” he sard, i broken voice, when he had finished drinkimg.
e was done willingly to thank me for.”
She sat down again.
“lhat T she continued, i a tone ol swedct PUTSULSION. me.”
The blood rushed to his face, and he ook ap the hread,
“Surely you, who are so kind-hearted, must
-
also have been unhappy,” he said., without
[RRIR AN
Cool with
there s nothing
Sy
tooking at her, and hreaking off a0 picee of
bread. “Ves, T know what it s to he unhappy and I am often hungry mysclf.”
Alump rose mohis throat, and he felt as if
he were choking.
“Is o this work so badly paid then 27 he asked, after a pause.
“I do not get pad at all.”
“What--you receive no wages 2
()]
cesture of
“You can surcly aceept that of
LI ROCAN O NGO “The overseer 27 e s iy stepfather”
Y our step-lather 2 7 he repeated, mechani- cally.
“Nesoomy father was killed when T owas quite: little. "Then my mother married the overseer, who at that tnne was snoply o lihourer. We all came Iather from Dohenmiia,”
“Then vou are a native of Bohemia 2 and that is why vou speak such a stranee dialeet, and why vou have such a sincular nane ? Tert [ 'cannot pronounce 16"
“lertsehka,” she repeateds = In Gernan It s the same as Theresacs for short, 1o called Resi.”
S But,” he continued, il the overseer receves vour wages; itois hisoduty to main- tmn von”
the overseer takes charze of thom,”
“Oh T he gives e just cnough o keep me Trome starvatton. Tleoas a bad man, e heats me contintadve You saw hine, how he o threatoned e abhout his Jacket 27
She pauscd, plunged i mowrnfal ramon Drances.
hut b hie ilhoreats vou ke that, why do vour stav here 27
L know that Tewonld never Tot e oo she vephed. Some poor. defenceless heimg oalwavs necessary to hin, to tonment witly npunity. or he s
coward, thoucl alwavs ready o cruarrel,
- : And then, where
should Tozo 27 she continued, with o sich, Clverywherey hicos sads Evervwhere, there s sullering.”
So saving, she prcked up her hanmmer, and Georges feehng o Titde more revived, fol lowed her example. Silently they returned to then work,
The hours rolled on: the heat of noon spread mto the valley and upon the mountain, A was quict, exeept for the regular heavy strokes of the hammers: and the apping of the woodpecker in the branches. From time to time the hoarse voices of the men ()('(‘ll])i(*(l on the Tine were heard, bhursting into some brict refrain,
Suddenly the shrill tnkle of out.
“What is that 27 asked George, scemny the workpeople Teaving their work and procecd- g i the direction of the cabin,
“lts the dinner-hell,” replied Tertsehka CCome Tet us ot and followed her in silence. After finishing their meagre meal they re- turned together to the quarry, where they continucd their hard toil unul night fell
hell
rany
He rose