The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-24

window az though 1t were made for us.
Surely the Rhine was never SO glorious as
that night.
This is bachelor girl housekeeping for
certain" laughed my friend, after we
had sat an hour, looking at the moon.
That night we slept soundly, and the sun
was high when We awoNe. On going
down stairs we found that the old peasant
woman had been there before us, for on
the ground at the foot of the stone steps.
were fresh milk and berries, also fresh
eggs and fish. We formed little provi-
sion house by bending down the leaves of
the trees so as to keep away the sun; and
taking upstairs enough TO supply our
breakfast, we cooked and ate our food
with relish When we went downstairs
two hours later to get the rest of our food
and store it in the provision house, we
found that It was gone. 1t had mystic
riously disappeared!
Strange" said my friend, 81 wonder If
old Gretchen has been here and taken
away that which we did not carry up
stairs, thinking that we did not want it,"
That afternoon old Gretchen came
around and when we asked her about the
food, she said that she had not taken it
away. She had brought a big supply,
suitable for good German dinner; and
While we chatted with her she spread it
out on the great stone at the rear of the
castle and invited us to it. For seats she
rolled up rock on either side of the broad
stone slab. 1t was our picnic, and she
| entered into the spirit of it.
InaL night as we sat up in our attic
again looking out at the moon, we heard
a mysterious sound. Frances and / look
ed at each other and clasped each 9TH
er's hands simultaneously.
Did you hear anything?" she asked.
Did your" demanded I.
We were silent a few minutes and then
~ ina fa md
like voices, but such sweet voices. that
they seemed to come from heaven. Then
all was quiet for a moment Then there
arose a waiting sound which drove the
blood from our cheeks and made US jump
10 our feet. 1t was fully 300 feet from
earth TO our turret window, yet the winds
brought to us the sound as plainly as il we
| had been below.
What in the world Is that" asked in
a whisper
keep STILL" my friend said.
| 1t was a trembling night we passed
that night though afterward the sounds
died away. But not until the wailing had
been succeeded by low sobs, growing
weaker and weaker until all was quiet.
Once after my friend had fallen asleep 1
awoke her to ask DO you think Ii can be
tragedy of the Rhine; and has the ghost
of murdered girl come to haunt this
| ruined CASTER"
II don't know" said she, and we both
! fell asleep.
Next morning when we went down
stairs we We're pale and our German wo-
man noticed it. When she came with our
| breakfast we could cat but little. We no.
ticed, however, that all Of our stock OF
| provisions of the previous night had been
| carefully carried away, and that the great
smooth stones were scrubbed as though a
feast had been eaten there and cleared
| away.
After Gretchen had gone, my friend and
l looked at each other anXlously.
What shall we do?" she asked
Lets explore" said I. I'm not afraid
of anything"
If you have never wandered around a
| German castle, you don't know what the
! journey means. At the front of our cas-
tie was precipitous bluff, and on one side
was a great pile of rocks, built as for the
protection of a feudal baron. In searching
! along the bases of these rocks we found a
| tiny creVice through which a child could
pass. But 1t was too narrow for either
| my friend or TO enter We climbed the
| stone mass and skirted the steep bluff in
| front, holding on to the window castings
with our hands, and creeping along the
little stone lodges with bated breath. One
| false move, and we would land into the
river below. But it was exciting and we
| enjoyed It, We had nearly climbed around
the entire front when to our surprise we
looked from the great boulder on which
we stood, and found at our feet beauti-
| full little valley, not over thirty feet wide
! 1t was lined on each side with tall rocks,
and was carpeted with the softest green
grass Somehow, although we could not
have told why 1t looked as though 1t were
| inhabited.
Very carefully we climbed down the
rocks into this broad, green path and Aol-
lowing it for ten feet, we found that it
/ Io1 ir1fA fto 10 hat
our own basement. We We're twenty or
| thirty feet under the ground. Over our
| heads was the great stone roof, which was
the floor Of the castle.
AS soon as our eyes got used to the dark
mes, we saw that we were in big stone
room with cenIented floor, and then to our
surprise we discovered a cot and chairs.
and other articles of household furniture.
in one corner was a big stone fireplace,
and in front Of the fire were cooking uten-
slls. Yes, still hanging over the hearth
was a big kettle with a mixture Of por-
ridge that was till warm.
what do you think of it," was all ]
could find 10 say.
aren't you afraid?" whispered she.
"How strange that Gretchen did mol
know it..
"Who do you suppose lives here?'
II don't know" said I, but am going
TO find out before L am a day older and
! unless you are diIdlut we VIII stay mere
and Gee
Scarcely had we spoken,i when we heard
q rustiing of branches, and peerlng out
from our dark retreat we saw coming
along the sunny path, two children, hand
in hand, one swinging a basket of berries
and the other carrying an armful Of chips
for the fire.
Lets hide" said I, and we slipped be-
hind the curtains of the old bed. In they
came together, the two children, the boy
| laughing and the girl singing.
"5ee now, Johanna" said the boy, 1--WE
| shall have for dinner good porridge and
ripe berries. Perhaps 1 shall find in the
woods some nuts, ard tonight, no doubt
there viii be fish in the net. Come, 10
hanna let US spread the table and fix il
as mother used to do"
Going to a square table against the wall
the two little tots, for they were not over
S and 10, began to spread out their berries
and TO set together their simple meal The
boy lifted the pail on the fire, and poured
the porridge in two wooden bowls while
| LITTLE Johanna took the berries from the