Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1885-10-07
The Princess Philippine.
BY MRS. ANNIE A. PRESTON.

The Princess Philippine dwelt in an
ancient, gray, stone castle standing on
the banks Of small river that divided
a beautiful green valley in northern
Germany. Broad, fertile fields and
green pastures, dotted by herds of the
famous black cattle and by flocks of
snowy sheep, with here and there a
peasants or a herdsman's cot, lay each
side the stream. On either hand deep
forests stretched up the sides of the
high mountains that sheltered this fine
estate, Of which the Princess Philip
pine was sole heir, from The rough
blasts of winter. The Princess Phil
ippine had neither father, mother,
brother nor sister, but she had an in
dulgent guardian and when a mere
child had been betrothed by her pa
rents to his son, the brave, young
Prince Basil who lived Just on the
other side the high shetering noun.
tains.
With such charming surroundings
it would seem as if the young princess
ought to have been a very happy little
maiden, but l am very sorry to relate
that she allowed her life to he made
miserable by her uncomfortable and
unreasonable fear of spiders. Spiders
love the dust-tilled crannies of vast
old castle like that of Castle Philippi,
and why should the spiders that had
held possession for more than zoo
years be put to rout on account of the
whim of a chit of girl?
The Prince Basil asked the princess
something of the kind on the occasion
of one of the frequent calls he made at
the castle, accompanied by his lady
mother. The Princess Philippine was
exceedingly angry at this question,
saying that he had no regard whatever
for her fine sensbilities, and she was
surprised to see that his mother sat by
and smiled at him instead of Gliding
him for his rqdeness. So, sad to say,
the young couple had their first quar-
rel, and the young prince rode home in
high dudgeon, declaring there was no
reason in a spirited young fellow being
tied to girl who would not walk in
the park, sail on the river or ride in the
forest on account of her silly dread of
spiders, who even would not walk
about the saloons and galleries of her
own fine castle unless she was envel-
oped from head to foot in a sheet-like
wrap of glazed white linen.
81 have danced attendance upon
ghost as long as can endure it," he
said, "and now | am going away to
see the world" And so he went.
The parents Of the young Prince Ba-
sill were greatly chagrined at this es-
arrangement, for in Germany betrothal
has always been held almost as sacred
as a marriage, and they said: 1--WE
will leaN her entirely to herself for
season and see. Perhaps she will
come to her senses enough to realize
how foolish it is for her to set herself
up as being different from all the rest
of the world" So with one accord all
her neighbors and friends declared,
1--WE will leave her alone with her
morbid fears"
Philippine now shut herself up with
her attendants in her own apart
ments, that were all hung with pale
blue satin, and passed her time in max
ing sure no spider of any kind inva-
ded her premises. Naturally enough,
now that there was no supervision by
her friends and guardians, everything
went at loose ends about the castle
and tho estate, and the news therof
went abroad, no one can tell how, into
the world.
One morning there came riding up
to the castle drawbridge a knight in
armor mounted upon a milk-white
charger and followed by an attendant
whose steed was rs black as coal. The
knight demanded to see the Princess
Philippine, and when after much de-
lay he was shown to her presence he
informed her he was her cousin, six
times removed, and proposed paying
her long visit.
"Very WELL" she said, "I never have
heard of you, but that may not be
strange. Pray make yourself comfort
able and give orders that the rooms
you may choose for your own may be
thoroughly swept and busted and
made free from spiders, for I suppose
there is not in the world such another
spider-invaded place as this same old
Castle Philippi."
Day by day the knight made him
self at home about the premises, Civ
ing orders to the servants and mana
ging as If the estate was his own, but
when he began to make free with all
the secret drawers and papers in the
great library, sitting over them until
far into the night, the old servants
shook their heads and said, one to an
other, "Ah, his presence here bodes
no good" !