Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-08-24
CHAPTER <.

CHAPTER X |
The castle OF the Prince of Doppel |
kim rested in the very heart Of the
celebrated vineyards. Like all Ger
man castles ! ~ saw or heard OF, 1t |
was a relic OF the Middle Ages, with
many a crumbling, useless tower and
battlement. II stood on the south side
of a rugged Hill which was gashed by
a narrow but turbulent stream, In
which lnrked the rainbow trout that
iured the lazy man from his labors
afeld. (And who among us shall cast
a stone at the lazy mang Not III II
] you are fortunate enough to run about
Europe next year, as like as not yon
win be mailing home the "D~oppelkinn'
| postcard.
More than once ! have wandered
. about the castles interior. cavernous
4 ard musty, strolled through Its gal
I sesies OF ancient armor, searched Its
| s1ungeon1keep, or ioitered to solil
\ Uquize In the gloomy Judgment cham
/ her. How time wars pom custom! In
holden times they created pain; now
Hahey strive to subdue it.
l might go into q detailed history Of
psthe Doppslkinns, only II would be abb
] surd and unnecessary, since 1t would
I be in%aprueciabls under the name OF
! DoppelkiHn, which happens to be, as
1 doubtless you have already surmised.
a name Of mine W invention, +
could likewise fcn you how the ancient
dukes 81 Barsrheit fought of the In
!. sidious fiatterg of Napoleon, only II III,
NJ far interest, and Barscheit is sim
! ply a characteristic, not a name. Some.
[ day 1 may again seek a diplomatic mis-
I sion. and what government would have.
\ for its representative a teller of tales
l out or school?
\ II was, then, to continue the fortunes
| and misfprtunes OF Max S~charfenstein.
1 close to midnight when the cayalcade
! crossed the old ~moat-bridge. which
hadn't moved on ITS hinges within a
] hundred years. They were not enter
ing by the formal way. which was q
1 fiower-bedded, terrsoed road. II was
the rear entrance. The .ron doors
swung outward win a plaintiye moan
ing, like that of a man reused out Of
| his sleep, and Max found himself IN
an ancient guard.room, % used as a
! kind Of secondary stable. The men
| dismounted.
This way. Herr Ellis said the
colonel. with a mocking bow. He
pointed toward a broad stone stair
case.
"All I ask said Max, lis a fair |
chance to explain my presence here"
"All In due time. Forward! The |
prince is waiting and his temper may |
not be as smooth as usual
With two troopers In front OF him |
and two behind, Max climbed the stens |
readily enough. They wouldn't dare |
kin him, whatever they did. He tried
TO imagine himself the hero OF sorle |
Scott or Dumas tale. with a grim car.
dinal somewhere above, and oubliettes /
and torture chambers besetting his |
path. But the absurdity of his imag
nation, SC thoroughly Americanized
evoked a ringing laughter. The troop. |
ers eyed him c%uriously. He might
laugh later. but IL was scarcely prob
able. A tramp through a dark corridor
and they came to the west wing of the
castle. II was here that the old prince
lived, comfortably and luxuriously
enough, you may take my word for It
A door opened, flooding the corridor
with light. Max felt himself gently
pushed owe the threshold. He stood
In the great %liying-room OF the modern
Dcppelkinns. The first person he saw
was the princess. She sat on an orien
tai diyan. Her hands we're folded; she
sat very erect: her chin was tiltof
ominouslyg there was so little expires
sion on her pale face that she migl
have been an incompleted statue. Blu.
Max was almost certain that ther
was Just the faintest flicker Of a smil
in her eyes as she saw him ente
GloTous eyesl ut is a bad sign VIII
a man begins to use the superlatis
adjectiyesi)
The other occupant Of the room wa
an old man, fat and bald. with a nos
like a russell pear. He was stalking
If 1t is possible for a short man
stalk--up and down the length Of Il
room, and. judging from the sonoroa
rumbling sound, was conmuning la
Between whites he was ruhsia
his tender nose, carefully and lovinr.l
When a mans nose resembles a rue (
pear IL generally is tender. Whoeye
he was, Max saw that he was VAST
agitated about something.
This old gentleman was Tor sns
posed he was) the last of his line. 81. a
Prince Of nounallxinn famnne fer ~