The Red Cloud chief., 1877-05-31

Feign we no more
Sweet Love lies breathless
An we foreswore
Be a. before!
Death may die, but Love Is deathless.
[-Cornhill Magazine.
AN IMPERIAL PRETENDRR-
One Of the s~trsnEsst Episodes Of German
History-Personating One Of the Success.
sors Of CharIemsgne-A Love Scene Dur
ing the 0Esumenical Council Of Con-
tance
:. did you ever zee anything moro hor.
rible than the execution We witnessed
to day 2" said q beautiful woman, dress
ed in the costume of the chatelaines Of
the fifteenth century, on the 10th OF
June, 1415, in the front room Of a small
building on the principal street OF the
ancient city of Constance, in Baden,
where, at that time, the Ecumenical
Council, which exerted 80 great an in
fluence upon the destinies of the Church
of Rome, vas in session.
THE Emperor Sigismund," replied a
fine looking young man, who was hold
ing one of her hands in his own, has
violated the solemn pledge he gave to
John Huss to protect him from prose-
cution for heresy."
$50 he has," rejOined the beautiful
creature. what miserable coward he
is, after promising John Huss q safe
guard back to Prague, to yield to the
opportunities of the Italian fanatics
who Insisted that the bold Bohemian
preacher should be burnt at the stake!
And what q scene it wasl. To strip the
clothes of the body of that venerable
scholar and have him slowly roasted
to deathl / witnessed the horrible
spectacle because, to the very last mo-
ment, I hoped that the Emperor would
pardon Huss. But when I saw the ex-
e%cutioners setting fire to the faggots
round the stake, when the flames burst
forth, and the helpless victim cried out
in q ~heartrending tone, Lord God, have
mercy upon mer and when he then,
under the atrocious pain, began to
scream, and the dreadful odor of his
burning flesh reached my nostrils, I
tainted away; and when 1 reawoke to
consciousness. 1 cursed the day when 1
became acquainted with Sigismund of
Hapsburg."
tered these words, and she paced the
small room, evidently q prey to intense
excitement.
"And yet, Anna Van Staaden," said
the young man bitterly, you are his
Imperial Majesty's mistressT"
Whose fault is it p" she cried.
"MineP" he asked. ironically.
Yes, yours, Antonio Won Bleichen.
Two years ago, at the masquerade at
Nuremberg, q cavalier came to me and
asked me to dance with him. I thought
it was you"
.And it was the Emperor SigismundE'
he laughed.
Eyes, she said, excitedly, "it was he,
and believing it was you with whom 1
had been in love for the three years
when I knew you, 1 gave up everything
to him. II you put on the Imperial
ermine and the Order of the Golden
Fleece. you would bear the most stink
ing resemblance to him."
The young man burst into a peal Of
laughter.
mo wonder! no wonder!' he said.
mo wonder ?" asked the young wo-
man.
Are you a relative of his Imperial
Majesty"
His face became very grave.
Putting his finger on his mouth, he
said to her:
.Anna. not another word on this SUBJ
ject"
"But I want to find it out Antonio"
she cried, wringing her hands almost
in despair.
Keep still" he said imperiously.
"Your father once asked me who I was,
and he had good cause to regret It'll"
"Oh, yes, Antonio" she rejoined bit
terly, you enticed me from his house
you promised to marry me-you took
me to Ratisbon, and from thence to
Nuremberg, and there you suddenly left
me-left me to"
She hesitated.
Left you to become the Emperoris
mistressr he said sa~rcastically.
Il thought it was you, aud when he
had me fully in his power. he threatened
to send me to tho spiAning-house, un-
less / did his haddingr
Arc You now done with himP"
Done with him after that horrible
executionT she exclaimed scornfuIly.
II could not bear his presenca Tho
stench Of poor Huss' fesh would 10
enter my nostzils - soon a Isaw him"
And you win become mine, AnnaY"
She rushed into his arms.
yours forever she cried. Il have
BEEN bad. But to you I win be good.
God bless you for saying to me that
which I have longed for 20 long. Your
-
MY wife," he said clasping her tohis
heart
80
The execution Of John Huss, through
fhs yiolation Of tho Emperor Sigis-
mundb parole, had caused . thrill Of