New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-09-13
NUMBER 1ss.
rain, and seemed as if it would cut the nerves

brain, and seemed as if it would cut the nerves
| in two.
| :" Hark you, Baron,' said the little man,
"don't curse your friends before they fall; but
tomorrow do as tell you" He whispered a
few words in the Baron's ear, and walked
| through the wall as on the first occasion. And
the lord Of Katzenellenbogen looked pleased,
and having chuckled mirthfully over his mighty
posset, retired to his couch and snored.
The morning rose fresh, dewy, and serene
The glad voices Of the birds mingled with the
| scent of the flowers, and went up through the
pure atmosphere toward God. And Hildegard
| rose early, and seated herself sadly by her bed
| side, when her morning prayer was ended, and
began to think of her mournfnl lot.
A brattling fanfare startled her from her med
itatlons, and drew her to the window. In the
court yard below was scaffold dressed, hung
with black cloth, and surrounded by the retain
ers Of the house Of Katzenel1enbogen. Upon it,
masked and clothed in red, stood the tall Schar-
frichter, or headsman, leaning upon his sword.
Beside him, pale, gagged, with his hands bound
behind him, knelt Graf Max Won Steinrad -
With a shrek, the poor girl fell back and coT-
cred her face with her hands; then rising, she
ran to the door, drew the bolts, opened it, and
found herself face to face with the Baron.
! "0h, save him save him - she cried
| Come with me, fair dame, he answered and
taking her hand he led her back to the window
There, you see, is your lover. You have now
ten minutes to decide whether you will 90 with
me to the altar, or see his head stricken from his
shoulders"
Hildegard fell at his feet, crying: 80 my
lord, have you no mercy Think Of your own
mother"
"My father won her with the sword. =
:" But you got possession Of our persons by
"Oh, all is fair in love-
" Is there then no way to save him y
"Yes: become my wife, ~
6" / cannot l cannot! %
Then take your last look at him; for when
have counted three, his head will roll in tht
dust" Il
Mercy !" cried Hildegard
:" Onei" said the Baron, and the executionel
drew himself up.
"Max! dear MAXI she called from the win.
dow, turning her streaming eyes toward her
betrotked. He turned his pale face toward her
and made her mute sign Of adieu.
"71Uo." and the headsman swung his sword
on high. Then Hildegard, white as ashes,
stretched out her hand to the Baron, and said
+" Lead me to the chapel!"
sUnbind the prisoner and lead him to his
room,' ordered the Baron Now como my bride "
And he led her to the chapel, and the nuptial
bcnediction was pronounced; and Hildegard
was Baroness Won Katzenellenbogen. She fell
fainting, and was carried by her maids into the
sacristy. ]
While the Baron was still standing. they heard
o cry Of alarm from the sentinel, and the feudal
lord sprang forth and mounted the wall. Lo.
on the other side Of the moat safe Hildegari
upon snow-white palfrey, and waved her hane
to him, and struck her horse with light whip
and away like the wind He sprang from th
wall, and across thedraw- bridge there stood
!, ljet-black charger saddled, and without mo
u ment's thought the Baron leaped upon his hacl
9 and drove the spurs into his sides. The honn
of the steed was like the swoop Of an eagle, an
he thundered down the hill God, what vii
: ride! FLASHING through marsh and brool
u scrambling through thicket and rocky pass, th
woman and the palfrey before, the Baron benin
on his swart steed, that snorted with fury. o
y up the Rhine, through startled hamlet, dar
cedar wood, on past the rock of the Lorelei
~ saw Hildegard spring from her palfrey, OIL
CT into skiff, which, with one light push, q
sent from the shore. A few bounds brought
pursuer to the same place, and in another m
re ment he too was in boat sweeping down t
be fierce current of the Rhine.
a. With his eyes fixed upon her, he saw her a
ye proach the rock of the Lorelei, and with a lig
NJ foot leap upon it. Then she dashed the viii
q. wreath from her head, and shook down
tresses, no longer brown, but golden as the su
~ light; she tore the robe from her shoulders,
:. her white bosom rose, fair as the snow, and wi
her ivory arms she swept the golden chords of
q harp, and her weird, sweet song rang into Il
po reeling brain of the Baron.
), "OGodp' he shrieked, ss it is the Lorelei
If And as the power of the whirlpool caught h
d bark, he heard her ringing, unearthly laugl
- and saw her mocking, pitiless face. And I'll
whirlpool had him and sucked him down into j
II vortex, and threw his bruised corpse back totl
Il surface and the current cast it ut the feet Of IL
ar retainers upon the shore.
~ And when they would have raised it to bes
4 it to the chapel, q horrid, ear-piercing whist
m ,me was heard, and the little man appeared, seizs
"a the corpse by the belt, swung it about like
tn feather, and vanished with it into the groun
,n Thus, for her pity, did the Lorelei take Il
no form of Hildegard, and lure the Baron to i
f. doom. AS for Hildegard, all that the maria
had accomplished was to make her inheritre
IN Of the domain and castle Of Katzenelleibogel
81 and not knowing precisely what else to do wi
- it, she presented it to Graf Max Won Steinra
ce with all that was in it, including herself
tv Hot SUMMERs.-The excessive heat which pr
walls at present gives some interest to the folio
e- ing account of remarkable hot summers: Sc
t. 1882 the earth opened, and the rivers a.
he springs disappeared, in Alsace The Rhine "
dried up In 1852 the heat was SO great tn
On eggs were Cookeu III tne saHu LII 1loo, At =
id battle of Bella, a great number of soldiers di
er from the heat. In 1876 and 1877, in Fran,
Ne an absolute failure of the crops of grass q
he oats occurred. In 1903 and 1904, the Sell
We the Loiro, the Rhine and the Danube were pass
over dry footed In 1898 and 1894 great nu
he bers Of animals fell dead, and the crops W.
v, scorched up. In 1440 the heat was excessi
- In 1888, 1889, 154O 1541, the rivers were aim
he entirely dried up. In 1866 there was q gre
on drouth all over Europe. In 1915 and 1916
nd heat was overwhelming IN France, ltaiy'
ii secutiye days of excessive heat. In 1878 exc'