The Portland daily press., 1879-05-21
Tho PRESS.
Bret Harte in Germany.
How a Chicago Man Visited the
Dark Ages.
bret Harris, in the New York SUM-

There was pause and the inquire turned
apparently to consult with someone behind
the battlements. After moment he reap
peared, and in a perfunctory monotone,
with an occasional breathing spell on the
trumpet, began
You do give warrantee as good knight
and true, as well as by the bones of the
blessed st. Ursula, that you bear no ill-will,
secret enmity, wicked misprise or conspiracy
against the body of our noble lord and mas
ter, Won Kolnische? And you bring with
you no ambush, siege, or surprise of retain
ers, neither secret warrant nor letters de
cachet, nor carry on your knightly person
poisoned dagger, magic ring, witch powders
nor enchanted bullets, and that you have en-
tered into no unhallowed alliance with the
prince of darkness, gnomes, pixies, dragons,
Undines, Loreleis, nor the like?
"Come down out of that, you id old
FOOL" roared Mr.. Clinch, now perfectly be-
side himself with rage. ''Come down and
let me in"
In an instant confused cries of recognition
and Joy rose from the battlements. Zach
Gott!' "Mutter Gottest' SIT is hep SIT is
Jan, der Wandererr' ''It is himselfw came
back to his puzzled ear The chains ratified,
the ponderous drawbridge creaked and
dropped, and across it a medley of notified fig
ures rushed pell-mell But foremost among
them, the very maiden he had left not ten
minutes before, flew into his arms, and with
a cry of joyful greeting sank upon his breast.
Mr.. Clinch looked down upon the fair hair
and long braids. 1t certainly was the same
maiden, his cruel enchantress, but where
did she get those absurd garments?
''Willkommen," said a stout figure adj
vancing with some authority and Selling his
disengaged hand, "where hast thou been so
long?''
Mr.. Clinch, by no means placated, coldly
dropped the extended hand. 1t was not the
proprietor he had known. But there was
singular resemblance in his face to some one
of Clinch's own kin-but whoitwas he could
not remember. ''May take the liberty of
asking your name?" he asked coldly.
The figure grinned. "Surely! But if thou
standest upon punctilio, it is for me to ask
thine, most noble Freiherr," said he, wink
ing upon his retainers. "Whom have l the
honor of entertaining?"
''My name is Clinch-James Clinch of
Chicago, Illinois,"
A shout of laughter followed. In the midst
of his rage and modification, Mr.. Clinch fan
cied he saw shade of pain and annoyance
fit across the face of the maiden. He was
puzzled, but pressed her hand, in spite of
his late experience, reassuringly. She made
gesture of silence to him, and then slipped
away in the crowd.
"Shames Klinsche Won Sche-kargo," MINI
licked the figure, to the unspeakable delight
of his retainers. $50, that is the latest
French style. Holy st. Ursula! Holy ST.
Ursula! Hank We, nephew! l am not a
travelled man. Since the crusades we simple
Rhine gentlemen have lived at home. But
call myself K0lnische of K0ln, at your SER
vice."
every likely you are right said Mr..
Clinch hotly, disregarding the previous eau
ton of his fair companion; ''but whoever
you are, l am a stranger entitled to protec-
ton. have been robbed"
''If Mr.. Clinch had uttered an exquisite
joke instead of very angry statement, it
could not have been more hilariously received.
He paused, grew confused, and then
went on, hesitatingly:-
SIN place of my papers and credentials
find only these" and he produced the jewel
ry from his pocket.
Another shont of laughter and clapping of
hands followed this second speach, and the
baron, with a wink at his retainers, prolong-
ed the general mirth by saying, "By the
mass, nephew, there is little doubt but there
has been robbery somewhere"
SIT was DONE" continued Mr. Clinch, hur-
rying to make an end of his explanation,
"while was, inadvertently, overcome by liq-
uor-drugged liquor"
The laughter here was so uproarious that
the baron, albeit with tears of laughter in his
one eye, made peremptory gesture of 81
lence The gesture was peculiar to the baron,
eticacious and simple. 1t consisted merely
in knocking down the nearest Laughter.
Having thus restored tranquility, he strobe
forward and took Mr. Clinch by the hand.
''By St Adolph, did doubt thee a moment
ago, nephew; but this last frank confession
of thine shows me did thee wrong. Will
kommen zu Hansal! jam, drunk or sober,
Willkommen zu Cracowenr
More and more mystiied, and now con-
WINGED of the folly of any further explanation,
Mr. Clinch took the extended hand of his al
legged uncle and permitted himself to be led
into the castle. They passed into large bah
quoting hall, adorned with armOr and nipple
ments of the chase. Mr. Clinch could not
help noticing that, although all the appoint
ments were liberal and picturesque, the ven
tilation was bad, and the smoke of the huge
chimney made the air murky. The oaken Ia
bles, massive in carving and rich in color,
were Enthusiastically greasy, and Mr. Clinch
slipped on piece of meat that one of the
dozen half-wild dogs who were occupying
the room was tearing on the floor. The dog,
yelping, ran between the legs of retainer,
precipitating him upon the baron, who in
stantly, with the equal FOOT of fate, kicked
him and the dog into a corner.
''And whence came you last?" asked the
baron, disregarding this little contretemps,
and throwing himself heavily ON an oaken
settee, while he pushed a queer, uncomforta-
ble-looking stool, with legs like a Siamese-
twin connected double x toward his compan-
ion.
Mr. Clinch, who had quite given himself up
to fate, answered, mechanically, ''Paris.'
The baron winked his eye with unalterable
elderly wickedness. Zach Colt, it is nothing
to what it was when l was your age. All,
there was Manon, Sieur Manon we used to
call her, / suppose she's getting old now.
How goes on the feud between the students
and the citizens-Eh? Did you go to the bal
in la City?"
Mr. Clinch stopped the flow of these JUS
tice-Shallow-like "reminiscences by an uneasy
exclamation. He was thinking of the maiden
who had disappeared SO suddenly. The bar
on misinterpreted his nervousness. "What,
hol within there, Max, Wolfgang, lazy ras-
Gals! Bring some wine"
At this baleful word Mr. Clinch started to
his feet. ''Not for me! Bring me none of
your body notwithstanding poison! I've
enough of itp'
The baron stared the three servitors stared
also.
81 beg your PARDON, said Mr. Clinch, re-
calling himself slowly, "but / fear that Rhine
wine does not agree with me-"
The baron grinned. Perceiving, however,
that the three servitors grinned also, he
kicked two of them into obscurity and felled
the third to the floor with his fist clark
We, nephew" he said, turning to the aston
ished Clinch,'' give over this nonsense. By
the mitre of Bishop Hattie, thou art as big
fool as hep
"Hatto?" repeated Clinch mechanically,
''what! He of the Mouse towerr'
"Aye, of the Mouse tower" sneered the
baron. 'Oh, see you know the story
''Why am l like him?' asked Mr.. Clinch
in amazement.
The baron grinned. ''He punished the
Rhenish wine as thou dost, without iudg-
ment He had"
''The iim-jams, )" said Mr.. Clinch, mechan-
ically again.
The baron stared. 'Iknow not what thou
meanest by Jim-jams,' but he had, like thee,
the widest fantasies and imaginings Saw
snakes, toads, rats-in his boots. But prin-
cipally rats. Said they pursued him. Came
in his room, his bed, ach Gottp'
'Oh," said Mr.. Clinch, with sudden re-
turn to his former self and his native inquir-
ing habits. ''Then that is the fact about
Bishop Hattie of the story?'
ellis enemies made it the subject of a vile
SANDER against an old friend of mine,'' said