The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1910-11-10
A Legend
Bv F. TOWNSEND SMITH
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

! When | was abroad last summer
visited a German American friend of
! mine who had got rich in America
| making beer and with the proceeds
| bought one Of those ruined castles on
the Rhine. repaired it and spent his
summers there We were sitting one
| afternoon in room facing the west.
| The weather being warm. the blinds
! were closed to keep out the sun. See
ing what supposed to be silver coin
on the floor. ! arose. went to 1t and
| was about to pick it up when | saw
that it was one Of those little round
| sun images that will come through a
chink. Shuster. my host. laughed at
me and said:
| THAT reminds me of legend about
| this castle. 1t was formerly owned by
, Baron Hugner The story goes that
! the baron was a great gambler. When
| he succeeded TO the castle a lot OF
! money went with it. You see. 1T lies
on one of two hills. and a road has
| always led between them down to the
merchants who took goods down TO
the Rhine for shipment by water.
| When the baron saw party of them
| in the distance he had only to swoop
down on them. levy a tribute of some
! % to so per cent Of the value Of their
! goods for toll. and there you are.
This baron | was telling you about
Hubert Hugner was his name-in-
herited the property just about the
! time that people got virtuous. and it
wasn't considered any more the way
! for a nObleman to rob. He did it aft
er this by serving the sovereign. and
when his king bounced upon a state or
[ a duchy or something like that the
baron got slice.
"Well. as l was saying. Baron Hug
ner was rich. a gambler and withal
virtuous. He gambled all day. and he
gambled all night. Now. the legend
| has it that the devil had for centuries
been interested in the wealth the bar
on had extorted from the merchants
and wanted his share. But he didn't
want it in money. He has no use for
material. only spiritual things. What
he wanted for his share Of the plum
| der was a soul. and the soul he had
set his villainous heart on was Baron
| Hubert Hugner.
1.-The way the devil managed to get
q hold on the baron was through his
passion for play. Whenever Hugner
gambled the devil stood behind him
and SO Influenced him to make his bets
that gradually every bit Of the gold
that the Hugners had for centuries
taken from the merchants went by
the board Then one day when the
into the room disguised as Jew and
! told him that be would discount his
! note for a large sum without either
security or interest. When Hugner
| came to find out what the devil want
| ed in lieu Of security and interest it
was the usual thing Satan hungers for
! his SOUL
THE transaction was completed. the
! consideration-thes Oul-tO be delivered
six months after date without grace.
The baron was furnished with thou
sand pieces of gold. with which he
went on gambling and gradually re-
| covered all he had lost. getting his
| financial affairs into a satisfactory
condition n few days before his note
came due.
THE night before Hugner's soul was
| to be delivered the baron had a dream.
| He dreamed that an angel appeared TO
! him and said: Tomorrow Satan will
! claim your soul in lieu of his interest
| in the plumber exacted in the past by
your ancestors from merchants. 1t is
not meet that he should reap this bene-
fit. Tomorrow when he comes for you
| tell him that you can win money from
him without even piece of money so
| big as head of a pin. He will demur
to that. Then offer to bet him the
soul of your oldest son that you can
do what you have said.
when the baron awoke it seemed
that he had really seen the angel and
| received the advice. Hugner was
scarcely out of bed before a stranger
/ called and asked to see him. The baron
recognized at once the fiend who had
| called for his SOUL With a faint
| hope he Obeyed the instructions of
| his dream. The devil accepted the
| challenge. and they sat down before a
| board used on that day something like
| faro. The devil dealt and. seeing what
he thought was silver coin on the
| green. turned up card that won. With
| out examining the coin he threw the
baron one of equal value.
II would respectfully call your at
| tention.' said the baron. to the fact
| that what you thought was coin is
| only a round sun spot coming in
through a chink in the window blind.
Upon my word said the devil. i
believe you are right
| al think we are quits pursued the
baron. and my soul is my own
1.-THE devil answered never word,
but got up from the table. went out OF
the door and never returned. But that
night he sent fierce storm of light,
ming and hail that partly destroyed
the castle. and it had never been occu.
pied till 1 came here myself"
My host assured me that all of the
people at the foot of the Schloss knew
| of this legend and that most of them
| boliorad If