The Portland daily press., 1879-05-21

delivered in Paris?'
MI. Clinch would have answered that this
was the way he read it in guide-book, but
checked himself at the hoDelessness of the
explanation. Besides he was on the eve of
historic information-he was, as it were, in
terviewing the past, and whether he would
be able or not to profit by the opportunity,
he could not bear to lose it. And how
about the Lorelei?-is she too a fiction?"
he asked, glibly.
1T was said,' observed the baron, sardon-
ically, ''that when thou disappeared with the
goosekeepers daughter at Waldeck-heaven
knows where! thou vast swallowed up in a
whirlpool with some creature. Ach Colt
believe it. But a truce to this balderdash
And thou wantest to know of the coy sis
tiers of Schonberg! Hank We, jam, that
cousin of thine is Schonberg. Call you her
coy?' Did l not see thy greeting? Eth! By
st Adolph! knowing thee as she does to be
robber and thief, call you her greeting
'coy?' "
Furious as Mr.. Clinch inwardly grew IN
der these epithets, he felt that his eXplana-
ton hardly relieved the maiden from deceit
or himself from weakness. But out of his
very pcrplexity and travail bright idea was
born. He turned to the baron.
Then you have no faith in the Rhine le-
gends?''
The baron replied only with a contemptu-
tous shrug of his shoulders.
''But what if / told new one?'
''You?'
eyes, out of my own experience"
The baron was curious. 1t was early in
the afternoon just after dinner. He might
be worse bored.
'Ive only one condition." added Mr..
Clinch. ''The young girl, l mean my
cousin, must hear it too"
''Oh, see. The old trick! Well call
the jade; but mark We, Sir Nephew, no en-
chanted maidens and knights. Keep to thy
self, be as thou art, the wandering vagabond
and knight of the road What, no, there
Max, Wofgang; call the Lady Wilhelmina."
1t was the first time Mr.. Clinch had heard
his fair friends name. 1t was not the first
time he had seen her, as the very decided
wink the gentle creature gave him testified.
But with hands lightly clasped and down
cast eyes, she modestly stood before him.
Mr.. Clinch began. Without needing the
baron's scornfrl eyes, graphically described
his assent to an invitation from a Lorelei
and his descent into whirlpool of the
Rhine some ten years before. ''I am free
to confess" added Mr.. Clinch with an APP
pealing glance to Wilhelmina, ''that 1 was
not attracted by the graces of the lady, but
only my desire to visit unknown regions. 1
was burning with desire to travel to see
paris" interrupted the baron, sarcasti-
cally.
america" continued Mr.. Clinch.
''What?'
s'America."
Eyes, gnome-like sounding name-this
Meriker. Go on, nephew. Tell me of Meri-
kerr"
With the characteristic fuency of his ma
ton, Mr.. Clinch described his landing on
those enchanted shores, via the Rhine whirl-
pool and He'll Gate, East River, New York.
He described the railways, tramways, tee-
| graphs, hotels, photograph and telephone
An occasional oath broke from the baron,
but he listened attentively, and in few
| moments Mr. Clinch raconteur, had the sat
isfaction of seeing the vast hall slowly filling
| with open-eyed and open mouthed retain
| ers, hanging upon his words. MI Clinch
went on to describe his establishment at
meeting on these very shores some of his
own blood and kin. SIN fact'' said Mr..
Clinch, ''here were a race calling themselves
'Clinch, but all claiming to have descended
from Kolnische.''
''But how?' sneered the baron
Through James K0lnische and Wilhel-
nina, his wife," returned Mr.. CIinch, bold
ly. ''They emigrated from K0ln and Gre
field to Philadelphia, where there is a quarter
named Crefeld.'' Mr.. Clinch felt himself
shaly as to his chronology, but wisely re-
membered that it was a chronology of the
future to his hearers, and they could not de-
tect an anachronism. With his eyes fixed
upon those of the gentle Wilhelmina, Mr..
Clinch now proceeded to describe his re-
turn to his fatherland; his establishment
at finding the very face of the country
changed, and city standing ON those fields
he had played in as a boy, and how he had
wandered hopelessly on, until he had at last
sat YEARLY down in a humble cottage built
upon the ruins of lordly castle.
$50 utterly travel-worn and weak had 1
became, said Mr.. Clinch, with admirably
simulated pathos, ''that single glass Of
wine offered me by simple cottage maiden
affected me like prolonged debauch." A
long drawn snore was all that followed this
affecting climax. The baron was asleep.
Only one pair of eyes remained open, arch,
luminous, blue, Wilhelmina's.
''There is subterranean passage below
us to Linn. Let us fy?' she whispered
''But why?''
''They always do it in the legends" she
| answered modestly.
'sBut your father?'
''He sleeps. Do you not hear him?''
Certainly somebody was snoring. But
oddly enough, it seemed to be Wilhelmina.
Mr. Clinch gently suggested this to her.
''Foolish fellow-it is yourself"
Mr.. Clinch, struck with the idea, stopped
to consider She was right, 1t certainly
With struggle he awoke. The sun was
shining. The maiden was looking at him.
But the castle?-the castle was gonel
''You have slept WE'LL" said the maiden,
archly. Everybody does after dinner at
Sammtstadt. Father is just awakened and
is coming''
Mr.. Clinch stared at the window, at the
terrace, at the sky, at the distant chimneys
of Sammtstadt, at the more distant Rhine,
at the table before him, and finally at the
empty glass. The maiden smiled ''Tell
me" said Mr.. Clinch looking in her eyes,
sis there secret passage, underground, be-
tween this place and the castle of Linn
San underground passage?'
"Aye, whence the daughter of the house
fled with a stranger knight"
''They say there isl said the maiden,
with a gentle blush.
''Can you show it to me?''s,
She hesitated. ''Papa is coming, I'll ask
himr'
1t is presumed that she did. At least the
Herr Consul at Sammtstadt informs me of
marriage certificate issued to one Clinch of
Chicago and K0lnische of Sammtstadt, and
there is an amusing story eXtant in the
Verein at Sammtstadt of an American con-
noisseur of Rhine wines, who mistook
flask of cognac and rock candy, ''craftily
qualified to dose lower grade wines up
to the American standard, for the rarest
Rudesheimer