Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-08-01
RUINS OF ~RAUHENSTEIN,
FROM THE FRENCH OF BERTHE VA
DER,

FROM THE FRENCH OF BERTHE VA
DER.
Last year I was at Baden with Nine.
Belair and her party, consisting of a
collection of children marching under
the orders of an elderly governess.
Mile. Charlotte Bergan, and a very
elegant young tutor, Mr.. Rodolph
Stein.
For two weeks we had been kept
prisoners in the house, when one morn
ing the sun came out brightly and ii
was unanimously decided that pupils,
Cries of JOY greeted this proclamation
books and States were thrown down,
hats and parasols snatched up and away
we went.
We climed the stony paths. scaled
the rocks gathering right and left
handfuls of saXifragc and cyclamen, not
emitting the obligatory EXPLANATIONS of
delight over the beauty of the land
scape.
And SO at last VIC arrived at the ruins
of Rauhenstein. Half a turrent, an old
crumbling wall, an ogive chapel VIM
dow, a long-dricd cistern-tbe whole
covered with vines and shadowed by
waving pine trees-that is all that is
left Of the old castle. Nine. Belair sat
down on the moss; the children
went on gathering flowers; Mile. Char
lotte was poking around the old stones
in hope Of finding some forgotten
treasure, and l was gazing over the
shady valley and at the chain of oppo-
site hills where, in an i%ndentation,
stood the ruins of the castle of Rau-
heneck.
AS for Mr.. Rodolph Stein, he was
seated at the foot Of a pine with a
dreamy air not usual to him and which
bordered on the sulky. l asked him if
he were composing a poem or a novel.
He replied that it was not impossible.
AS he constantly insists that he is the
prosaic in person, this answer made us
laugh, and we expressed doubts about
his literary aptitudes which piqued his
vanity. He maintained that nothing
was easier than to measure off verses,
Or fabricate q tale; and that if he cared
to try he was quite sure he could sue
coed as we'll as this or that celebrity.
Nine. Belair then declared, in a
pleasant, Joking way, that he would
like to have proof of this power. The
handsome Rodolph announced himself
ready to satisfy her, and aver offered,
then and there, to improvise a story on
any subject we might select. With
n accord we demanded a legend on
the castles of Rauheneck and Rauhen-
stein.
Our young author bowed, requesting
a quarter of an hour to prepare his
plot. He drew out a notebook, usu-
ally devoted to commonplace mem
oranda, rapidly traced an outline, and
the fifteen minutes had not passed be-
fore he was ready to give us the follow
ing recital:
o ye who listen! let loose the bride
CT your imagination, let it raise again
these fallen walls of Rauhenstein and
Rauheneck, and picture their brilliant
banners futtering in the breeze; let it
people them with a crowd of varlets
and men-at. arms. Do you see them
now, those rival %fortresses, facing each
other with menacing men? Two
naughty mobiles lived in them, formerly
friends, but later enemies. They loved
the same woman-an old story. Love
divides as many as it unites.
The Sire de Rauhenstein had o son
the Sire de Rauheneck had a daughter.
Hermann was like q young pine-tree
Lithinia was like a tender flower. He
was handsome, she was lovely.
One day the young girl was walking
alone in the mountain paths seeking
what? Eth! what do all young girls
seek in spring-time but flowers and
dreams?
Chance, which usually arranges
things we'll, that day led Hermann on
the lands of his fathers foe; and there
he met the maiden.
"Oh!" he exclaimed.
"Ah!" she murmured.
"Alas" they both sighed.
They met again, and often-very
often Love makes rapid progress be-
tween those who ought to hate each
other, 30 sweet is fruit forbidden.
Meanwhile Anthem, the Chaplain, who
had the not easy mission of instructing
tAe young cueVallef, nOGlceu that his
pupil was even less attentive than was
his wont. The worthy ecclesiastic,
curious to fathom the cause, watched,
discovered the meetings with the
pretty c%hatelaine, and, full of zeal, ran
to warn the lord of Rauhenstein.
About the same time Dame Hedwige.
Lithinia's g%overness, perceived that
this young person no longer delighted
in her tapestry. Sometimes the work
fell from her little white hands, and
she kept losing her needle. These
symptoms awoke the DANES wonder:
but when n day Lithinia put in three
stitches of violet wool when she ought
to have used green, that was enough.
Dame Hedwidge did as had done the
venerable Anthem, she watched her
pupil, saw her meet Hermann and flew
to communicate her discovery to the
Count of Rauheneck.
The two fathers, each in his own
castle. reflected profoundly, with what
result we shall see.
On the morrow the Sire de Rauhen-