The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-11-05

of liking, cast her eyes down, and they
seemed to be filed with moisture. L had
now come TO the experience which
prompted me TO write this story. These
were 'the six dumb bellies of Castle
Schreckenstrohm." In the title, did
not, il is true, use exactly this form OF
spelling but il was intentional; for how
otherwise could / sum up and picture
the chief episode of the narrative with
out letting the reader into the secret
before il was time To do so?
The two younger maidens who had
disappeared at my first approach now
returned, properly stockinged and shod,
and the whole six-rcpresenting every
possible charm and beauty which the
human female. from the age of fifteen
to twenty, possessed-standing and sit
ting. were grouped around me in
radiant semicircle. i gazed at them one
after the other. in ccstatic rapture.
Here are six girls. thought /, each one
OF them in her way as lovely as dream,
not one of whom can speak word. L
remembered the dainty breakfast which
had eaten that morning, and at once
feet woman is she who can cook but who
cannot talk. Here was not one perfect
woman only but half a dozen of them.
The gardiner Predigt of Frau Ililda Won
WaldeclS Jenkins was still fresh In my
memory, and / declare that IL such
thing possible i would Immediately
and incontinently have fallen in love
with the whole six.
/ was now upon the point of asking
whether they had been born mute or
had become so after birth. because was
anxious TO ascertain the locality where,
and the means by which, such families
or races of females were produced
with the idea of giving the information
TO my friends, for their good and the
| general benefit of humanity. however
refrained from interrogating them
upon the subject, as il was delicate
one, and might put them to unnecessary
pain.
"Young ladies'" said I, "I am very
glad to have you say so. No, / do not
mean that, of course am sorry-that
Is to say am glad that you can. at least.
hear so distinctly. 1t will now give mo
| pleasure to tell you who am, and To
describe the odd way in which came
here"
The oldest maiden, whom by this
time fancied exceedingly, n tall bru-
nette, with slender but perfect figure,
large, dark, melancholy eyes, a creamy
complexion and wealth of dark, glossy
brown looks. at this produced from be-
hind her writing pad with pencil at
tached. After tearing off page which
had been scribbled upon, she wrote
upon the pad and gave il TO me. The
handwriting was full of character, and
was charmingly feminine read as fol-
lows:
"We know who you arr, and how you
came, and the errand upon which you
came"
Before handing 10 to me she had
shown IL TO the girls nearest her. They
now watched my face, and glanced at
each other with looks of mischievous
amusement. i was somewhat nom
plused. They were either bent on mys-
tifying me, or they took me for somo
one else.
"Tben," said I, "you have been told
by Frau Jenkins, and you saw the bal
loon last night when it passed over the
CASTLE"
The Schreckenstrohm ladies looked
wonderingly at each other, and my par
ticular favorite snatched the pad and
wrote as follows:
"We have heard nothing from Frau
Jenkins, though we are acquainted
with a lady of that name in the city.
Neither do we know what you mean by
that nonsense about the balloon. We
know that you are Herr Won Dunkel-
helm, of Munich, and that papa
brought you here last night, after we
were all in bed"
"Mesdemoiselles Schreckenstrohm,''
/ cried. You were never more mis-
taken in your life. / am not Herr Won
Dunkelheim. My name is julius Water
bury. Won Dunkelheim has left the
island, and i did not come with your
father, and have not seen him."
Her eyes had q strange light in them
IA she seized the pad and again wrote
upon il:
"Then how did you get here?"
Impressively, and with exact detail,
narrated the manner of my arrival al
tho castle, and of Won Dunkelheim's
departure from it. have never seen
incredulity so fully and Enthusiastically
depicted on the human countenancc ms
it was upon the pretty faces Of the six
countesscs. One of them, an ETHEREAL
blond creature of about seventeen,
thrust little hand into reticule
which hung suspended from her belt,
produced n letter, unfolded IL and
handed il 10 me-ot the same time, with
triumphant air, pointing to the open
ing paragraph with n taper index finger.
i took the letter and read aloud the fol-
lowing words:
Dearest Ysolde: / learned to-day
that my brother-in-law's brother, Au-
gust Won Dunkclheim, is to visit you
and the rest of my cousins at the castle.
AS you have never seen him, you will