River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-12-11
THE PROUD LADY OF THE CASTLE.
Harper-s Weekly.

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 year after year passed on,
finding her still unwed1ed, and every
year some unfortunate lover or other
turned from the castle gates with looks
of scorn and words of rldicnle.
Among those whom she should, after
her fashion, first attach to her by every
art, and afterward repealed with bitter
derision, was a youpg man Of noble
family, but slender fortune, who had
long been in her service as page or
squire, as the fashion of those days de-
manded.
After years Of patient waiting and
hope, the youth yentured to declare
himself, and was received by the lady
with storm of sarcasms that literally
overwhelmed him. Stung to the heart
by her hard speeches, and by the sense
of his own folly and presumption, which
suddenly poured in upon him like a
flood, he left his mistress presence only
to write word Of farewell to his
mother, whose son he was, arc whom
he tenderly loved, then threw himself
into the Rhine.
A few days afterward, q woman, mad
dened with rage and sorrow. widow
whose only son had died suicides
death, sought the Lady Adelheid in her
castle on the nil, accused her of being
the murderess of her boy, and heaped
upon her head the bitterest curses that
her outraged mOther-heart could devise
or her woman's tongue utter.
"Unloved you shall i've" she cried,
"and unregretted die. Even III 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 foreverw
"Ah!' cried Lady Adelheid, with
white face and feared eyes, all her
haughtness flown, 'do not utter such
terrible words Have you no mercy?"
The wretched mother smiled grimly.
ayes, have mercy" she said. "Thus
shall your spirits wander through these
very halls until you find lover as true,
as honest, as puro-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 after her death the castle, unin-
habited and deserted, fell into ruins.
Its new owners had, indeed made many
attempts TO inhabit it, but had been alb
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 as to close an eye from midnight
to cock crow. Doors would open and
shut mysteriously, 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 a woman, clothed in white, with long
black hair hanging below her shoulders,
would be seen-would pass-disappear-
ing in one place only to appear the next
moment in another
1t happened, however, that one day a
young hunter of 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 pC > lng
rushed by him into the very ruiz, as
though it were taking sanctuary. The
young man, by name Kurt Won Stein,
had heard some curious legends as con-
nected with a ruined castle on the
height, and possibly, half from curiosity
and half because he was hot and tired
with day of specially poor sport. he
dismounted and led his horse, tired
like himself, through the brambles and
brushes that had overgrown the ruined
gateway, into the grass grown court
yard.
"a curious place to be sure" said
the young man seating himself for q
moments rest on fallen mass of brick
work 0verlaid with soft moss, and let
ting his horse meantime Craze at his
will from the rank growth of the court
yard. "a very curious place. Looks
as if no one had been here for a hun
bred years | wonder if this can be the
haunted castle my uncle was speaking
about only the other night? If so, he
added, 81 wish 10 goodness the spirit
lady would have the hospitality to wei
come me to her domains, ard offer me
drink of something this hot day."
And as he took of his hunting cap to air
his heated brow, his thoughts reverted
lovingly to a certain glass tankard in his
uncle's house, which when filled with
yellow Strasbourg beer, was about as
pleasant a sight to Kurt Won Stein as
the world could offer.
After while the idea occurred to the
young man that as a chance had
brought him to the castle he might as
well pay his respects to the owner of it
whether she was phantom or not.
A turret stair broken and worn, was
close at band to the spot which he had
chosen for his resting-place. Twilight
was beginning to fall when he reached
the castle; now, suddenly, darkness
seemed to have come, and as he mount
ed the winding tuuet stairs he noticed
that the lights already showing through
many Of the windows of what appeared
to be a less ruinous part of the building
than that by which he had entered.
"That is all right said Kurt to HIM
self. II was wise%to try my fortune
here. A supper or even bed, would
not come amiss to me for | scarcely
know how l shall find my way back to
my uncle's house tonight. But at any
rate l shall get some directions. and
perhaps, if the people are not overhos-
pitable, guide home
So saying, he made his way up the
staircase, and knocked at door which
was at the top of it. The door opened
noiselessly, as though by an unseen
hand. and admitted him into long
corridor, lighted and adorned with
white marble statues. From this he
passed into q suite of rooms hung with
tapestry, and strewn with freShly-laid
rushes, with few carved settees and
chests of furniture. sui he met no
one.
Next he came into great hall, on the
walls of which hung a number of an.
tique portraits, while ia the centre of
the apartment was table spread as if
fer supper.
"This is very curious" said Kurt to
himself "Where can the family be
gone tos However, one comfort is,
they've got something to eat. think
I'll wait here and give them q chance of
inviting me"
50 saying, he sat quietly down at one
r.