The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-02-03
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Makes the food more delicious and wholesome

than send me away from you. can
not live without YOU.
Calmy she raised him and made him
rest on his couch again, while she seated
herself on the stone bench at his side,
and began to talk, quietly and natu-
rally.
"What | have written must remain.
Ottmar. will invest you The sword
of k1ightly service, and, if it is not pos
sible for you to be q knight of noble
birth, you can be true and noble in
all other respects,--one whose weapon
shall be shielded in my service when
ever there is need of strong arm
and good sword at Ilsenbcrg.'
Ottmar was deeply moved.
"1ou are so good, so good, gracious
princess, that | shall never be able to
thank you. Nevertheless, | do not
know whether ought to accept your
kindness, for it will perhaps grieve you
to have as your knight one who bears
the mask of bondage on his brow!''
lie touched the scar on his temple.
Lady Ilses head dropped little. A
faint blush spread over her lovely
face.
''Tha: scar does not serve to remind
me of your ignominy, but of the hap
piest hour of my childhood and youth;
an hour | sat upon the Ilsestein with
my lap filed with blossoms, and boy
with scare-healed wound on his brow
flung himself at my fest"
Ottmar's face was like sunshine now
''Indced it was the happiest mo-
meut of my life, ard it has frightened
mahy dark hour for me in late
years-the remembrance of it, mean,
for mine has been lonely life | was
a lonely child in my fathers house.
My mother died during my infancy,
and my father became sad and gloomy.
| had neither brother or sister; as a
wife was lonely still, having married
solely in accordance with my fathers
will; in these years of my widow
hood-
\ Inf ff ms =
lips.
"Iou are still so young. Why do
you not make an alliance with some Of
the nobly born of the land -
Lady Use smiled strangely.
because | have not found one
among them to whom my heart has
gone out and there is another reason.
| am bound by an oath always to wear
the widows weeds" Then she told
him of her husbands death-bed, and of
his dying words to her.
$40 you think, she said, that am
more free than a bondman ?" Lady
Ilse became silent, and looked down at
the flowers growing at her feet.
The man at her side stood up straight
and tall, and looked down at her with
Il softened expression of protecting ten
terness on his face.
Il have hcen fool, my lady. You
were quite right; but it shall be no
longer. Never more will l hang my
head in idle sadness; but with body
soul, heart and mind, | will devote my
life to your service, and count myself
happy to have been the means of re-
calling to you one happy remembrance
Of your childhood.
That is right she said, with a
look of peace on her face; perhaps
we shall both find our lives easier to
bear in future, and, when you are able
to ride so far, we will go together to
Inselstcin, AMI celebrate the remem-
brance of our childhood.
Weeks passed after that conversa-
tion; Ottmar wore his knightly armor
as if he had never known any other
condition of life.
His hair had grown, and hung in
ringlets upon his neck. Among all the
knights there were none handsomer or
more brave than Ottman, and still they
had not made the journey to the Insel-
stein. Ever since that memorable
morning the weather had seemed to
set itself against them. 1t had rained
in torrents for days and days, without
cessation. Suddenly the rain ceased,
hut roads and paths were flooded,
bridges were swept away, and the for
est was strcwn with trunks of broken
trees, so that it was some time before
the way was sufficiently clear for a
Journey to Insclstein. At last, how
ever, they were able to stalt upon the
excursion.
1t was beautiful midsummer morn
ing such as often succeeds Il storm
The sky was clear blue. and few lit
tie white clouds sailed across its sur
face. From the damp soil arose sweet
fresk odors golden butterflies seemed
to hang suspended in the air; all sort:
of gay insects chirpcd and huttered il
the undcrbrush; III the cleaning we
trec-tops the birds twittcrcd and trill