The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1907-07-18

a Stepping Stone
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Observation-Disclosures
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people from all parts of the world were
making merry, masked figure wear
ing the dress of Mephistopheles, catch
Ing sight Of shapely and graceful
girl with two flaxen braids hanging
down her back-a Marguerite
ed her. The girl noticed that she was
pursued by the demon and pretended
to be very much in dread of him. For
an hour or more she made efforts to
elude him, being assisted by her
friends, who found great sport in the
demon chasing Marguerite and Mar
guerite lodging the demon. Finally the
girl was withdrawn from the game
and taken to cafe for supper Then
came the fiend and sat at the next Ia
BILE. All being unmasked, Mephistoph-
eles discovered friend in Margue
rites party and secured an introduce
ton. Then occurred the strange anon
ally Of a love affair between the devil
and the country girl.
Soon after another affair of the heart
was brought about, also by an episode
between strangers. The king of Wis
senburg while hunting became thirsty
and, seeing a well house by the road
Side, turned in for a drink, followed
by all his retinue. A maiden was draw
Ing water at the time, and, as it was
not meet for king to drink from
bucket and there was no cup, the girl
offered one of her own construction.
Putting her two hands together, cup
fashion, she lowered them into the
bucket till they were filled, then offer
ed the king a drink.
Now, the king was very thirsty, and
the maid was very pretty, and her
hands were white and soft, for she was
no peasant, but the daughter of q coun-
try gentleman, Herr Bishoff, who lived
on the estate on which the well was
situated. His majesty drank all the
water in the improvised cup, then ask
ed for more, and more, till it looked
as if he would drink the we'll dry, but
suddenly, noticing that the eyes of his
retinue were upon him, he desisted,
thanked the girl and rode away.
All that day, all night and the next
day the king kept quafing imaginary
drafts of water from an improvised
cup formed Of the two shapely hands
OF young girl whose Iustrous eyes
were the while looking into his. He
was not married, though one of his
foreign ambassadors was at the time
negotiating for the hand of foreign
princess.
Suddenly he ordered all negotiations
broken off. He had formed a plan.
He would ennoble the girl who had
given him to drink from the cup Of
flesh and blood and marry her. But
when he came to propose the plan his
prime minister thought that the eleva-
ton would be too sudden; that the
kings prestige would suffer. He pro-
posed instead that the lady should
marry prince of the blood, be divorced
without having lived with her hus-
band and step from the title of princess
to that of queen. The king fell in
with the plan at once, though it would
occasion delay in his nuptials An
ambassador was dispatched to the es-
tate of Herr Bishoff, the father of the
kings choice, to make known the
kings intention. OF course Herr
Bishoff was delighted with the plan
to make his daughter, Leona, queen
and assented at once. The girl,
strangely enough, was opposed to it.
When giving her hands for cup to
the king she had given them to him as
her sovereign. The king, being ill
favored, made upon her disagreeable
impression. However, it was not pos
sible for her to understand the will
both of her king and her father, and
the temptation to become a queen was
of course very great
Prince Metzyar, distant cousin of
the king, was selected to be the step.
ping stone on which Leopa Bishoff
should mount to a throne. An objec-
ton was raised by the king that the
prince was handsome fellow, wild and
hard to manage. Possibly be might
make trouble. But the ministers urged
that no woman would choose to re-
main the wife of mere prince with
out prospects when she could be a
queen. Besides, there was no other
person of royal blood available. So it
was arranged that the wedding should
take place and the prince should be
ordered to foreign station, his de-
parture to take place at the conclusion
of the ceremony.
In order to give prominence to Leona
| Bishoff in becoming a princess ON her
way to a throne Prince Metzgar was
provided with ample means for a
grand wedding, Herr Bishof also be-
| ing given a good sum from the royal
treasury. A large party Of court Of
| ficials were to attend the wedding,
one Of whom especially represented
the king and bore magnificent we'd
ding present. When the prince and his
suit arrived, as was proper under the
circumstances, he met his wife-to-be
alone. Being ushered into the room
where she awaited him, he made few
steps forward, then stopped Leona
started, and the two stood looking at
each other in establishment.
"Margueritey'
"Mephistopheles!
The prince, after a brief interview,