The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-09-05

PAItT L.
II was about seven O'Clock In the even
ing OF day in the latter part of May in
the present year. l was wandering
about, Ia lazy scrt of manner, though
the harrow. irregular streets Of an old
German town, which had reached OIL
an extensive bicycle tour. meant &c
lose myself and had done so The sur.
roundings were totally strange ard un.
familiar 10 me, and had no definite idea
OF the way l had come or of the direc-
tion must take TO return to my lodg
ings.
- The town was Oldendorf, a place OF
twerty or twenty-five thousand inhab.
itants. Ii did not belle its name. either;
for more antiquated, venerable, medi-
eval rookcry had never, in all my ex.
perience, seen. Oldendorf, as everyone
knows. or should know, Is the most
important town OF city in the small
German principally OF hndel
Schwartzburg. Everyone knows, or
should know, alBo, that Oldendorf is,
and always has been, the hereditary
seat or residence of the rulers OF
Andel Schwartzburg the princely
family of Andel-Sachs; the liv'
ing and reigning representative of
which Mt the present moment Is
his serene highness, Prince Ernest
Otto Won Andel.
There was also a princess, her
highness Stephanie Won Andel, the
niece OF Ernest. / had seen them both,
a few days before. upon some state occa-
sion, In the state coach: but II wns at a
distance. and had only been able TO
note that the prince was stout and ell
derly and glum, and that the princess
was young and fresh and lively.
The evening was gusty, but the air
was mild, and now and then there
came n sprinlSling of rain, for which l
did not care, as / had enveloped my
self in worn and picturesque cloak
which bad weather could not harm.
Several of the streets through which i
passed seemed almost deserted. Here
there were rows Of empty warehouses
with broken windows and decayed tim
bers: here n great house with the roof
half fallen in, standing in an acre of
ground which had run 10 weeds; there
row of untenanted dwellings, with GU
rious gabled fronts. and upper stories
projecting over the street--houses that
must have been built before the Thirty
Years war.
History says that at one time, in the
fifteenth century. | think 1T was,
Oidcrdorf contained population
of sixty thousand. could well
believe II when saw SO many
deserted shops and houses. With
the decrease in population, however,
there has come no change in the man
nrrs or customs of the people, or in the
rrreral appearance of the streets or
Lu ldings. They are n conservative set
in Oldendorf, and l think that II Gus
tnyus Adolphus should come marching
through the city to-day, as he did in
1C5n, he would recognize the place and
the people at once without any trouble.
/ had set out upon this night In ques-
tion, with the spirit of adventure rife
within me. / was like boy in story
book. who wanders out to seek his for
tune. OF like the knight Of old who Jour-
neyed forth in quest of daring deeds.
There was something in the romance or
the strange, quaint old town which
made me feel as II would like some
thing TO happen which was quite out of
the ordinary. There was something in
the gusty air of the spring night which
reused my blood as If it smote me on the
cheek.
felt rs did Don Quixote, when he and
Sancho found the oarless boat, moored
70 the shores of the river Ebro. If 1
had found such boat on this night,
when / was strolling through the city
of Oldendorf, / would. like him, have
stepped into il, and, casting off the
moorings, fioated down TO the enchant-
ed castle to find the beautiful and per-
secuted princess.
Presently / seemed 10 lave come
upon street which was on the out
skirts Of the city. Upon one side the
houses were few and far between. and
what houses there were seemed 10 be
uninhnbited. Upon the other side there
was nothing but q wall; wall some
two or three hundred feet in length, and
twelve or fifteen feet in height. l
crossed over TO this wall and walked
along beside il and saw that the top was
indented throughout it's entire length
with embrasrres, and that, every fifty
feet or so, there rose from il n small
round turrct. The wall was almost COW
cred with ivy and was full of holes and
crncks, so that thought il must have
existed for centuries.
1t di,l not stand Gush with the street.
but about fifteen feet back from IL. This
space Of fifteen feet was filed by sort
of ditch, or gully, half choked with
weeds and stones, and was separated
from the street proper by nn iron picket
fence about three feet high.
j walked along this iron fence for
some distance, until came 10 n place
where II turned in at right angles and
ended NJ the wall. Here there was a
wooden bridge over the ditch. which led
60 small, Int solid looking door. be-
yond which tie fence was continued
the same rs before.