The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-09-24

L Hdu H1OTe IMAM one 1nNlCaClOn from
my friend Smith to spend a week or
two with him at his castle of Hoen-
Observation-Disclosures, and so ct last
l journeycd across the North Sea to
fl ID out how the son of the American
lumber baron was getting along i'll
the stronghold of an old German rob-
Der baron.
Smith wrote me that his castle
stood about six miles from the Rhine.
but was not visible from that cele-
brated river. He told me at which spot
to leave the steamer, and said that if
! would let him know on what day
and on lat boat l would arrive he
would he at the landing to meet me,
as otherwise 1 might have SON diff
Guilty in finding ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
enstein. l thought by this that Smith
was hedging, ard that his boosted
castle would be d very small affair,
otherwise the guidn-book must have
had something to say about it.
On inquiring. l fourd that the boat
stopped In mid-stream, and that |
would have to be taken off in a small
boat. AS we approached the place,
the captain said to me--for his eyes
were sharper than mire, and he could
see distinctly objects ahead on the
shore which were practically invisible
to me:
There's that mad American and
his gang
I'm what does his madness con-
sist?' l asked. for I suspected he was
referring to my friend Smith.
"Oh, he is tremendously rich," he
said, land has bought a castle some
where in the back country. He
dresses his retainers, as he calls them,
in a style of the fourteenth century,
and he wants to revive the old fcudal
system in Germany. They say he ex-
poets to establish his right as a rob-
Der baron to come down to the Rhine
and stop any boat that passes. looting
its contents If it so pleases him. l
imagine he will have the Emperor
William down upon him before he
knows where he is, and then he will
wish he We're somewhere else; for the
emperor is not a man to be tritied
with. and allows no man to swagger
around Germany except himself"
Saying which the captain bowed low,
as every official s bound to do OH the
emu VI IN tI1DtIoI > HuIIlc.
"I1ave you eve met the madmanY'
1 asked.
"Hush-sh-sh!" whispered the cap
tain. You must not allude to the
emperor in that way"
"My dear captain" I said, 81 was
abiding to the owner of Hoenzugwal-
dergrabenstein."
An. quito So" answered the cap
tain, evidently much relieved. yes,
he has been on my boat "A number of
times, and only the other day he
asked me what I would do if ran
the nose OF my boat against n chain
stretched across the Rhine. l told
Elm would GO back to the next town
and send m the police
Them the young man replied. L
shall probably be 70 npelled to 20 to
the expense of two chains, ono of
which will be sunk in tho river until
tho steamboat passes ovec it; ben We
can pull it taut, so we can have the
boat in a trap, as it were He sighed
as he said this. and he added: That
is tie trouble with modern inver.
tions. Steam gives you the power of
turning around and ,.oiog back.
which the men in til, oldrn DAYS
could nOt have dorc'"
Don you think" | said to the cap.
tain. that he was joking with your
"Oh. no. n wered the captain, Who
was a very serious man. 'The trou,
bl" with him is that he is merely
crazy, that's ALL"
BY this time the captains attention
was k up with slowing and stop.
ping h steamer. A small boat
manned by two rowers threw a line
ur to us, and swung alongside. Into
this boat stepped. The captain
waved his hand from his lofty posi-
ton on the bridge, the steamer pro-
ceeded up the Rhine. my two rowers
laid their backs to the work and head
cd the boat for the shore. / saw that
Smith had not come down to the land
ing with n vehicle for ME. as | had
expected. but recognized him seated
e"st,v on the back of q powerful
piack cnarger. while standing at
some little distance behind him
stood n squad Of about a dozen men,