The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1879-11-29
The Proud Lady Of The Castle.

Last of the mighty race of Windeck,
famed for brave men and lovely women,
was Adelheid, heiress of the castle and
broad lands that had been owned by her
ancestors, and, SO far as beauty went,
she was worthy of her lineage, but of a
proud and naughty temper. So proud
was she that among all the mobiles Of
Brisgan she could find none whom she
thought worthy to call her lord; and
yesr after year passed on, finding her
still unwedded, and every year some
unfortunate lover or other turned from
the castle gates with looks of scorn and
words of ridicule.
Among those whom she should, after
her fashion, first attach to her by every
art. and afterward repealed with bitter
derision, was young man of noble fam
ilv, but slender fortune, who had long
been in her service as page or squire, as
the fashion of those days demanded.
After years of patient waiting and
hope, the youth ventured to declare
himself, and was received by the lady
with a storm of sarcasm that literally
overwhelmed him. Stung to the heart
by ner hard speeches, and by the sense
of his own folly snd presumption, which
suddenly poured in upon him like q
food, he left his mistress presence only
TO write a word of farewell to his
mother, whose son he was, and whom he
tenderly loved, then threw himself into
the Rhine.
A few days afterward, a woman, mad
dened with rage and sorrow, 3 widow,
whose only son had died suicides
death, sought the Lady Adelheid in her
castle on the hill, accused her of being
the murderess of her boy, and heaped
upon her the bitterest curses that her
outraged mother heart could devise or
her woman's tongue could utter.
"UnloVed you shall live" she cried,
aud unregretted die. Even in the
grave you shall find no peace; even
there my revenge shall follow you, and
send YOU forth to wander, a restless,
miserable ghost-restless forever"
"Ahw cried Lady Adelheid, with
white face and scared eyes, all her haught-
mess flown, "do not utter such terrible
words Have you no mercyP
The wretcRed mother smiled grimly.
Yes, | have mercy" she said. Thus
shall your spirit wander through these
very halls until you find lover as true,
as honest, as pure-hearted as my poor
lost son, willing to WOO the phantom for
his bride. Then only you shall rest in
peace"
Under this curse, says the legend, the
lady of Windeck lived and died. She
was the last of her race, and not many
years sitter her death the castle, unin-
habited and deserted, fell into ruins.
Its new owners had, indeed, made many
attempts to inhsbit it, but had been ab.
solutely driven out of the place by the
unearthly sounds which disturbed the
stiffness of night, and which scarcely
allowed living soul in the building so
much SIS 10 close an eye from midnight
to cocr-crow. Doors would open and
shut riysteriously, footsteps resound
through the silent corridors, lights,
illumined by no visible hand, suddenly
burn in the windows, while over every
mirror in the house the shadowy form
of woman, clothed in white, with long
black hair hanging below her shoulders,
would be seen-would psss-disappear-
ing in one place only TO appear the next
moment in another.
It happened, however, that one daT q
young hunterof noble family, stranger
guest in one of the neighboring castles,
was led, in the excitement of the chase,
up to the very gate of the deserted man
sion. The deer which he was pursuing
rushed by him into the very ruins, al
though it were taking sanctuary. The
young man, by name Kurt Won Stein
had heard some curious legends as con
nected with ruined castle on the height
and possibly, half from curiosity and
half because he was hot and tired with
a day of specially poor sport, he dis
mounted and led his horse, tired like
himself, through the branbles and
bushes that had overgrown the ruined