St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-28
OLD LEGENDS.
Three Charming Stories of the
Picturesque Black Forest.
BY LOUISE A. LEsEsNE.

Scattered through the romantic val
leys of the Black Forest are many min
eral springs famous for their healing
power, and charming on account Of
their picturesque environS. Nearly all
have wild story or fanciful legend
connected with them, which the guides
in this romantic region are always
ready to account to tourists. Some of
the most noted of these springs are at
Petersthal peters Valley, near Sui
bach. y legend of the country gives
the following account of their origin:
Long years ago there lived III the
Black Forest a wise and good king,
whose noble deeds and kind heart won
for him the protection of a fairy. The
king had on one occasion delivered this
fairy from an imminent danger. She
had assumed the form of a nightingale
and while thus disguised she was pur-
sued by falcon, wis was in reality a
great magician, and her bitterest
enemy. But the king. who happened
to be hunting that day in the Black
Forest, shot the falcon and the fairy eS-
capped.
Now this king, who reigned over all
the country from the rhine to the
handsome like his father. but so frail
that no one thought he would live to
inherit the kingdom.
OF couose this was great grief to the
king and his lovely wife. The best
physicians and the most learned
aStrOlOgerS were summoned to the
court and loaded with gifts of gold and
precious stones. The doctors pres
cribed powerful drugs and the magi-
clans used their most potent spells, but
all was of no avail. The king lamented
and the queen wept, while the young
prince grew thinner and paler from day
10 day.
When the sun Shone and the flowers
bloomed his attendants would take him
out among the mountains, where he
loved TO gather wild roses and chase
butterflies. On these occasions they
often met parties of the country folk
going and coming, and among them
were generally some who were poor
and needy. If the prince had any
money in his pockets he always gave it
10 some of these unfortunate people.
On one of his exc urSionS he met a
good old dame who appeared to be weak
and iniirm, She walked with trembling
steps, and held out her hand to ask aims.
The child searched his pockets. They
We're empty: but he took off his little
cap and gave it to the beggar,
Here is my cap, good mother" said
he, ut is made of fine velvet, and the
stone yOn see in the buckle is q real
topaz. You can easily sell it for money
enough To buy You good bowl of broth
and warm cloak"
suddenly the old woman disappeared,
and in her place was Il pretty nightin-
gale, which perched ON the top of a
hawthorn near by and nodded its tiny
head To the prince.
because YOU are kind, like your
noble father" said the nightingale. Il
will tell You something for your advan-
tO%e, Whenever You feel yourself
growing weary in your walks through
these mountains take off your cap and
call out aloud three times; "Sing,
nightingale, sing" y spring Will guSh
out at Your feet and you must drink
freely OF the water that flows from it,
Then the fairy nightingale warbled q
sweet song, flew up into the air and els
appeared,
The next day the kings son, while in
pursuit of beautiful butterfly, felt that
he was getting very weak and faint.
The advice of the nightingale came TO
his mind, lie took off his cap respect
fully and cried out three times: "Sing,
nightingale, sing"
immediately spring flowed out from
hollow rock near him. He drank of
the cool water and felt his strength re-
ViVe.
And 50 it happened whenever the
prince went out in the mountains nu,
merous springs appeared, clear as cryS-