Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-12-11

toward him, and babe him be seated.
Say no more" she said, in sweet,
sad voice. - expected you"
There was evidently some mistake
here, thought Kurt, but as the mistake
seemed 10 mean a good supper he was
not unwilling 10 fall into it. He nj
once took seat at the table. and the
lady took hers opposite him.
She was certainly very beautiful, he
thought, IS he looked again at her over
the trimming wine-cup. The wine,
too, was excellent; SO was the whole re-
past-at which the lady waited upon
him with her own fair hands-the only
popularity about it being that neither
bread nor salt was to be found upon the
table, but Kurt Won Stein was too much
of a gentleman to notice the omission,
though he certainly enjoyed his supper
the less by reason of their absence.
At length the Young man ventured to
ask one or two questions of his kindly
hostess. "May | inquire" he said, ARE
you, fair lady, the daughter of this
house?"
EYES," was the answer, given, as it
seemed, sadly and low.
"And your parents?"
"They are there" said the lady, point
ing to the pictures on the walls.
''Do you mean to say that you live
in this house alone?" asked Won Stein.
alone" returned the lady, 81 am
the last of my race"
Who shall say how it came about?
The lady was beautiful, the man was
young. In such cases love is some
times found to be plant that does not
take long in growing. Moreover; Won
Stein, though noble, was poor, and the
lady the last of her race, the heiress of
al ancient lineage Possibly the notion
of the inheritance the lonely girl might
bring with her had some part in the
sudden passion which filled the young
mans heart. Who can tell?
1t was not long before he found him
self kneeling at her feet and offering
the beautiful maiden all that he had to
offer-his devotion and his life.
The lady listened silently and with
bowed head to his ardent pleading;
then she said, looking up, but away
from him, and speaking absently: 81
Z.
"But never from lips so true, so hon
est, so disinterested," said the young
man warmly, forgetting in his fascina-
ton for the beautiful lady how he had
certainly taken her inheritance into &C.
count in the first place.
The lady sighed and was silent.
Then she spoke: eff yield to your
wishes we must be married at once"
"At oncep cried Won Stein. perhaps
little startled. Yet what lover ever
found the time between betrothal and
marriage too short! 81 am ready" he
said, CALAMITY, "and impatient"
The lady smiled, moved slowly away
to an old wOrm-eaten chest which was
set against the wall, took from it two
rings, and a white veil and crown Of
myrtle, which she laid upon her dark
flowing hair. Her dress was white.
Come" she said to her lover, and led
the way.
A little bewildered, after the fashion
of bridegrOoms in general, and scarcely
knowing whether to be happy OIL
alarmed, the young man followed his
bride through, as it seemed to him
miles of dimly-lighted vaulted passages
where the damp was trickling down the
walls, and where unthought-of step;
up and down, were ready at every
moment to trip up the uDweary passer
The lady, however, seemed to be vel
acquainted with every turn and twist
of the place, and giving her hand to hel
lover, she led him on step by step, unit
at length they reached a vaultec
chamber, which they had no sooner en-
tered than a great iron door shut
heavily behind them, with sound that
echoed through every arch of the dim]y
lighted building.
1t was the chapel.
"Your hand is cold, my love-" sale
the young man, tenderlY, to his bride
"No matter; yours has warmth anc
life enough for hoth," returned the
lady.
Yet the life seemed actually to ebt
from the young mans heart as he OBJ
served the stone figure of Bishop
which was sculptured on a gravestont
in the center OF the chapel, gradually
rise from lis recumbent position anc
walk up the steps of the altar.
The eyes of the Bishop famed like
glOw-worms, the candles upon the altal
lighted of themselves, and the tones o
the organ rolled solemnly through tha
vaulted building.
"Kurt Won Stein, wilt thou take the
Lady of Windeck for thy lawful wife,
said the Bishop. in a low sepulchra
tone, which sounded as though not he
but some mutfled voice dozen yards
away, We're speaking.
At this moment the whole horror o
the scene seemed to break upon tht
young man. Around him slowly rising
from their graves, he saw the shroudeC
! forms and feshless faces or the dead
who came as witnesses to the ghostl,
marriage. Even the face of his bride
as his fascinated eyes fixed upon it
Wore the livid hue of death. He turned
in an agony to fly from the horribl,
scene, tried to snatch his hand from tn
cold, hard grip of the phantom lady
fell, as he believed, senseless upon tn
chapel foor-and awoke to find himself
at dawn of day, lying at his full length
on the moss-grown stone where he haC
sat to rest the night before, at the castl
door, and his horse intent upon an earl,
meal on the rank heritage of the grass
grown court.
When he told his tale in the villag
and at the neighboring castles, no on
In the least doubted that he had almost
if not quite, wed the unquiet irit Q
/ the Lsd of Windeck.
One Experience from Many:
! ssI had been sick and miserable so long and ha
caused my husband so much trouble and expense
no one seemed to know what allied me, that l Wa
completely disheartened and discouraged. l