The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1873-08-02

" You seem to love music, fair lady
But surely you do not often hear it in
this lonely CASTLE"
No! only myself and one poor
prisoner sing"
A prisoner."
Yes, and he must be of gentle
birth T! But l dare not say more, lest
my uncle wake. He will be angry if |
talk of him.
"Tell me one thing, dear maiden,
can hear the song of this one, who
sings for freedom 9''
Yes, If you listen tonight; his
melancholy brings the tears to my eyes
| often enough !"
Just now, the old keeper awoke, and,
giving orders to lead the stranger to
his apartment, he himself went out
| When our knight entered his chamber
he went to the window, and vainly
| strove, through the deepening twilight,
to find the tower in which he supposed
his dear king to be- Soon, a melan-
voice was heard singing these words :
1.-The golden stars wander over hill
and valley, messengers of my ongings
and my grlefs. In this gloomy prison
l pass my life, and contide my woes to
| Heaven"
ooh! my king" sobbed the night
as pale face appeared at ii tower win
| dow. ''How can tell you how near my
| friends are 2"
"The harpl" he cried suddenly,
and, snatching it up, with trembling
fingers, he played romance he had
once composed for the king.
No sooner had he finished few bars
than the voice in the towers caught up
the air and finished it. Blondel ex-
claimed the king. For answer, the
minstrel again seized his harp and
sang:
. On, Richard oh, my kinal
The world abandons thee,
And no one now Is seeking
The dellveranCe but me
III save thy precious person,
will break thy cruel chain,
pledge myself III song
Thy freedom to regain"
Blondel spent the night in laying
plans for tue deliverance of Richard
| He resolved to gain admittance to the
castle for his followers through his
friendship for the lovely girl, who had
already made an impression on his
heart
Within day or two the newly
elected emperor was to be crowned at
| Frankfort. On the evening of the cor
onatiop, he directed the landlord of the
| little inn near Trifels to give the gar
| rison of the castle banquet, that with
proper ceremony they might drink to
| the health of the new monarch. Mean
while, one by one, his own trusty
knights stole, through the twilight, to
the woods behind the castle.
At late hour of the evening the
little side-gate of the fortress opened,
us the young maiden cautiously stole
out to meet Blondel.
| Then, for the first time, he uufolded
to her the real object of his meeting
with her. entreating her to fly back to
England with the king (whom he was
about to liberate) and himself, assuring
her that every token of love and graft
tude should be shown her if she would
yield to his wish.
| With Il cry of astonlshment and pain,
she exclaimed "Oh, traitor! oh, woe +,
my poor uncle !" As she turned to fly
within the castle walls. the followers
of Blondel-who, III the darkness, had
approached unperceived- -focked about
her, aud made their way to the castel-
| lan's room, where the tower keys were
kept. The few defenders of the for
tress who were not at the village feast
were soon overpowered. The old keep
er was powerless to do aught; but he
cried out, as the liberated Richard
stood before him: against this
L -, l.,
protest, and swear that you shall not
leave Germany in safety The poor
maiden threw herself upon her knees,
and accused herself as the cause of the
terrible disaster.
Meanwhile, the report of the attack
upon the castle had reached the inn,
and the warriors came back III hot
haste to find themselves barred out.
side the walls, with threat that il
they did not dispense the castelar,
should lose his head and the castle be
destroyed.
Blondel and the king urged the
maiden to return with them to Eng
land, but she could not forgive the
man who had used her heart for an act
| of treason
Blohdel left her, but not till she had
accepted a ring and chain of gold in TO,
ken of his eternal remembrance of hel
! love and service towards him.
We do not propose to follow the for
tunes OF C9ur-de-LiOn after his escape
from Triefels; but to tell our reader
what tradition says of the minstrel
Biondel and the unhappy maiden.
Many, many years after the events
which we have described, and on an.
other summer day, Il gray-haired cava-
iier rode over the same mountain pass,
where the king had been sought and
found.
"Here, " murmured he, "here have
| felt III days gone by the highest bliss
and the deepest woe of my life .
Slowly lie rode on till he had reached
the little inn
As he looked into the face of the
landlord he discovered the features OF
the young shepherd boy With an
almost tender interest the two Zone of
whom was BlondeI talked Of the past
In tears the old minstrel learned
the sad fate of the castelar, and his
niece. He was killed by some hidden
hand soon after the flight of Richard
was discovered. The broken hearted
maiden entered convent near Baden,
where henceforth her life and history
were lost to the world.
None can visit this ancient ruin of
| Triefels without a melancholy interest