The Portland daily press., 1880-05-10
THE PRESS.
The Proud Lady of the Castle.
[Harper's Weekly

thought worthy to call her lord, and year af-
ter year passed on, finding her still unwedded
and every year some unfortunate lover or
or other turned from the castle gates with
looks OF scorn and words of ridicule.
Among those whom she, after her fash
ion, first attached to her by every art and af-
terward repealed by bitter derision, was a
young man of noble family but slender for
tune, 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
sarcasms that literally overwhelmed him.
Stung to the heart by her hard speeches and
by the sense of his own folly and presump-
ton which suddenly poured in upon him
like flood. he left his mistress's presence
only 10 write word of farewell to his moth
er, whom he tenderly loved and whose only
SON he was, then threw himself into the
Rhine.
few days afterward, "a woman maddened
with rage and sorrow, widow whose only
son had died suicides death, sought the
Lady Adelheid in her castle on the hill, ac-
cused her of being the murderess of her boy
and heaped upon her head the bitterest
curses that her outraged mother-heart could
devise or he woman's tongue utter.
"Unloved you shall live,'' she cried, "and
unregretted die. Even in the grave you shall
hnd no peace; even there my revenge shall
follow you and send you forth to wander, a
restless. miserable ghost-restIess forever.''
"Ah?' cried Lady Adelhed,. with white
face and scared eyes, all her haughtiness
fled, "do not utter such terrible words Have
you no mercy?'
The wretched mother smiled grimly. ''Yes,
l have mercy" she said. "Thus shall YOUR
shirt wander throI,ob tbaea vorv hollis ,,,+;l
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 Windeck lived and died. She was the
last OF her race, add not many years after
her death the castle, uninhabited and de-
serted, fell into ruins. Its new owners had,
indeed made many attempts to inhabit it, but
had been absolutely driven out of the place
by the unearthly sounds which disturbed the
stiffness of the night, and which scarcely al
lowed living soul in the building so much
as to close an eye from midnight to cock
crow. Doors would open and shut mysteri-
ously, footsteps resound through the silent
corridors, lights, illumined by no visible
hand suddenly burn in the windows, while in
every mirror in the house, the shadowy form
of woman clothed in white, with long,
SA~SA iIeSAA AAeshSillo OCiOW ucI SuOuluSTS,
would be seen, would disappearing in
one place only to appear the next moment in
another.
IL 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 mansion. The
deer which he was pursuing rushed by him
into the very ruins as though it were taking
NV IhaN
Won Stein had heard some curious legendSas
connected with ruined castle on the height
and possibly half from curiosity and half be-
cause he was hot and tired with a day of
specially poor sport, he dismounted and led
his horse, tired like himself, through the
brambles and brushes that had overgrown
the gateway, into the grass-grown court
yard.
ga curious place, to be sure" said the
young man, seating himself for moments
rest on fallen mass of brick-work overland
with soft moss, and letting his horse mean
time Craze at his will from the rank growth
of the courtyard. ga. very curious place,
Looks as if no one had been here for hun
dred years. l wonder whether this can be
the haunted castle my uncle was speaking
about only the other night? If So" he added
II wish to goodness the Spiritually would
have the hospitality to welcome me to her
domains, and offer me drink of something
this hot day." And as he took off his hunt
ing cap to air his heated brow, his thoughts
reverted lovingly to certain glass tanEard
In his uncle's house which when filled with
yellow Strausburg beer. was about as pleas
ant S light to Kurt Won Stein as the world
could well offer.
After while the idea occurred to the
young man that as chance had brought him
to the castle, he might as well pay his re-
spects to the owner of it, whether she were
phantom or not
at hand to the spot which he had chosen for
a resting place.. Twilight was beginning to
fall as he reached the castle; now, suddenly,
darkness seemed to have come, and as he
mounted the winding turrene stairs he no.
ticed that lights were already showing
through many of the windows of what ap-
peared to be less ruinous part of the build
ing than that by which he had entered.
That is all right" said Kurt to himself.
Il was wise to try my fortune here. A sup
per, or even bed, would not come amiss to
me, for l scarcely know how shall find my
way back to my uncle's house tonight.
But at any rate shall get some directions.
and perhaps, if the people are not over hos
pitable, guide home''
So saying, he made his way up the stair
case and knockedat 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 suite of rooms hung
with tapestry and trewn with freshly laid
rushes, with few carved settees and chests
for furniture. Still he met no one.
Next he came into great hall, on the
walls of which hung number of ANTIQUE
portraits, while in the center of the apart
ment was table spread as if for supper.
'"This is very curious" said Kurt to him
self. "Where can the family have gone to?
However, one comfort is, they've got some
thing to eat. think I'll wait here and give
them a chance of inviting me.''
So saying, he sat quietly down at one end
OF the table, which was laid for two persons.
Scarcely had he done so when the door of
the room opened noiselessly, and lady,
young and beautiful, but with a somewhat
sad and pale face, entered.
Kurt rose, and at once began to make
apologies for his urwarrantable intrusion.
The lady waved white hand toward him
and babe him be seated.
"Say no more," she said, in sweet, sad
voice. II expected you.''
There was evidently some mistake here.
thought Kurt, but as the mistake seemed to
mean good supper, he was not unwilling
to fall into it. He at once took seat at the
table, and the lady took hers opposite him.
She was certainly very beautiful, he
thought, as he looked again at her over the
Drumming wine cup. The wine, too, was ex-
cellent; so was the whole repast-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 l inquire" he said, "are you, fair
lady, the daughter of this house?"
eyes," was the answer, given, as it
seemed, sadly and low.
Sand your parents?"
They are there" said the lady, pointing
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 sometimes found to be
plant that does not take long in growing.