The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-11-06
CHAPTER /.
The Hall Of the Guard.


Loud rang the laughter in the hall
Of the men-at-arms at Castle Kerns-
berg. There had come an embassy
from the hereditary Princess of Plass-
enburg, recently established upon the
throne of her ancestors, to the Duch-
ess Joan of Hohenstein, ruler OF that
cluster of hill statelets which is called
collectively Masurenland, and which
includes, besides Hohenstein' tne
original Eagles Eyre, KernsWaid
also, and Marienfeld.
Above, in the hall of audience the
ambassador, one Leopold Won Des-
sauer, a great lord and most learned
councillor Of state, sat alone with the
young duchess. They were eating OF
the baked meats and drinking tne
good Rhenish up there. But, atter an
It was much merrier down below with
Werner Won Orseln, Alt Picker, Peter
BaIta, and John of Thorn, though
what they ate was mostly but plain
ox-f1esh, and their drink the strong
ale native to the hill lands, which Is
called Wendish mead.
Get you down, Captains Jorian and
Boris" the young duchess had com
manded, looking very handsome ana
naughty in the pride Of her twenty
one years, her eight strong castles
| and her two thousand men ready 70
rise at her word; down to the hall
where my officers send round the was
sail. If they do not treat you well
cen come up and tell it to me-"
Good" had responded the two sol
diers of the Princess of Plassenburg
| turning them about as If they had
been hinged on the same stick, and
starting forward with precisely the
shame stiff hitch from the halt, they
made for the door.
But stay" Joan of Hohenstein had
said, ere they reached it, here are
couple of rings. My father left me
one or two such. Fit them upon you
fingers and when you return GIVE
them to the maidens of your choice.
And with their rings upon their lit
tie fingers the two burly captains wen
down the narrow stair OF Casti'
Kernsberg. Being arrived at the hal
beneath they soon found themselve
the center of a hospitable circle. Grun
bearded Wendish men were these OF
ficers of the young duchess; not
butterfly youngling nor courtly eai
pet knight among them, but men tar
ned like shipmen of the Baltic, so
lars mostly who had served unde
: her father Henry, foraging upon oeci
/ sion as far as the Mark in one dire
| | tion and into Bor-Russia in the othe
! | men grounded and compacted afte
t the hearts of Jorian and Boris.
> II was small wonder that anon
j such congenial society the ex-men-a
: arms found themselves presently yer
much at home. Scarcely were the
seated when Jorian began to bra
of the gift the duchess had given hi
for the maiden Of his troth.
"And Boris here, that hulking c
! hold. that Hans Klapper upon Il
housetops, had well-nigh spoiled Il
lest: for when her ladyship asked hi
a second time in her sweet voice 4
: the name Of his 'betrothed, ne mu
y needs lay his tongue to Gretchen
I instead Of Katrin,' as he had done
the first!"
Werner Won Orseln, the eldest al
J. sravest of all, glanced round the II
circle of his mess. Then he look
. hack at the two captains of the e.
: bassy guard of Plassenburg with
. plying glance.
u "And you lied about your swe
'e hearts TO the Duchess Joan" he sa
le "Ha, ha! Yes! l trow yes" quo
u Joriau jovially. wine may be de-