Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1907-07-31
CHAPTER XVI.
The Death.Mask AGAIN.

CHAPTER XVI.
The Death-Mask Again.
One does not expect to find in
Switzerland grace and charm In archi-
lecture. There are no historic cha
teaux worthy of pilgrimage. This
castle of Alterhoffen gave one the SIM
pie impression of sheer strength. 1t
was primitive and savage and bare Of
pretense to beauty as its founder must
have been.
A rather squat tower of immense
solidity, the roof steeply sloping, the
windows narrow and few, it would
have been commonplace and ugly in
the extreme had it not been for three
smaller semicircular towers placed at
each angle of the larger one. The eff
feet Of this triangular-shaped tower,
with its three supporting towers, was
bizarre, but not unpleasing. It pre-
pared one for an interior unique and
interesting.
We passed beneath the arched door
way, severe and bare of ornament, into
the great hall. At the left was the
grand stairway, the balustrades of oak
massive and dark with age, but adj
mirably carved. At the end of the
hall, on the right, fire OF logs was
blazing brightly. The hooded mantel,
Gothic in design, was also of oak and
blackened with the smoke of CEN
turtles. A stand of banners stood near
the foot of the stairway. Not far from
the fireplace was a curious spiral stair
case leading to the gallery that ran
the length Of the room above. Tapes
tries covered the bare walls and filed
the spaces between the narrow win
dows that looked out on the court
yard. The furniture was of the period
of the French Renaissance-covered
for the most part with stamped leather
of gold and dull red.
could not frepress a cry of delight
as entered. had passed in an In
slant from the world Of commonplace
hotels and railway trains into an at
mosphere of charm and beauty. For
no matter how industriously the con-
nolsseur in America may gather about
him exquisite and beautiful things, he
cannot shut out the scream of the
railroad train; he cannot transplant
across the seas the charm of medieval
ism that clings to castle walls. 1t is
one thing to see the Cluny with
guide book; it is quite another to find
ones self a guest at the Cluny.
You like my Castle of Happiness?"
asked Madame de WARMER, pleased at
the pleasure showed.
ut promises its adventures" I re-
piled meaningly.
II have told you that your hour of
romance has come. But remember,
romance in these prosaic days is gift
of the gods given only to children and
poets, a few women and lovers, and to
the very bold. If you would claim the
gift, monsieur, you must have some
thing of the nature of all of these. The
sincere trust of the child, you must
certainly know what this is. monsieur.
The poets imagination, his delightful
power of make-believe, you must not
despise that. A woman's tenderness,
and lovers ardor, these, too, are
necessary And last of all. the daring
of the hero"
She had whispered these rather
comprehensive attributes as walked
across the hall to the staircase, follow
ing the servant with my bag.
A rather large bill, madam" / sug-
gested humorously.
"Oh, but am serious, very serious.
I assure you that it is not sentimental
talk
.I am afraid / must contradict You.
The daring of the hero, for instance,
even one so optimistic as yourself
could scarcely expect that of me-"
Monsieur" she protested earnestly,
Il have already told you that I refuse
to believe you coward Do you be-
lieve it yourself? You know you do
not. The task / am to give you would
appall any but the bravest heart. It
requires audacity, absolute assurance,
and clever brain. But believe in
you. You will not disappoint me. We
dine in half an hour"
DIR. Starva had stood with his back
to the FIRE. He called after me, scowl-
ing, as assembled the stairs:
you will find, as / have said, that
madam is an admirable host. But If
the guest is to be quite happy he must
accept the diversions madam offers
and when they are offered
It was not the words so much as the
tone that menaced. It emphasized the
conviction already felt: DR.. Starva
did not welcome my coming to the cas-