Douglas Island news., 1911-05-03
AROUND THE WORLD
Dr.. Simpsons Story of His Visits to the Countries of the
 Old World


 nificent ruin. Philip and his sister Guta were living here about I250, when Guta was chosen queen of beauty at tournament in Cologne. The hero of the day was an unknown knight aud before the day was over they were en- gagged. He took her glove, said he would show up soon and claim her promise. She went home, waited month or two, then brooded month or two longer, when one day a magnificent cavalcade stopped at the castle. A mes senger came up, saying that the em- peror was there and that having heard much of her beauty and other good qualities wished to marry her. She re- fused, saying she was already engaged to an unknown knight. The messenger came back in a few minutes with the glove which she had given to the knight and asked if she marry the party who sent the glove. She just touched the high places until she reached the owner of the glove, who was, of course, the emperor. They have been happy ever since.
 In one place the river is narrow and there is a rock or precipice over 800 feet high. The current is very swift here and there is an old tradition that a siren or Lorelie lived on the top of a cliff and by her singing and beauty lured men either on the rocks, where their boats were wrecked, or on to the top of the rock itself, where she herself was, from which she threw them into the whirlpool below. Hardly castle in the neighborhood that did not some time or other lose one of it's young men, Once the victims were not men. There were seven sisters, very beautiful, wbo were playing havoc with the affections of the young men and causing more duels and suicides than had ever been known in Germany The girls consid cred thIs a great joke, but said that they were not marrying girls. One day when the seven were crossing the river to make a social call the siren over turned their boat and turned the girls into seven rocks. 1 saw one of them; the others have been blasted out to widen the channel.
 Near by is Lorch, where there is rock running nearly thousand feet in the air like church spire. Count Cibo and his daughter lived in castle near by. He was an inhospitabIe old grouch and grew more cranky from year to year. He shut himself up and would hardly ever see anybody. One cold and stormy night gentle voice was heard at the door asking for admission. "Get out," said the count. "But it is cold" "Go to thunder" roared the count. The next day his daughter dis appeared. He searched everywhere, but without avail. few days later he met a faiIy who said "You have been in, hospitablc and uncharitable; you have refused help to many and you refused noe admission few nights ago when it was stormy" Pointing to the top of the rock she said, "There is your daughter and she will remain there until you learn to behave better" The count could see his daughter on the top of the rock apparently contented, but there was no way of reaching her. A few years later a knight called at the castle and was immediately admitted. On hearing the counts story he said he would try to rescue his daughter. The count said there was no use trying, but the knight made the attempt. The fairy made him a ladder, up which he climbed to the top, where he found the young lady looking very well, He car ried her down and they were married that evening.
 You ask me what those ruins are like. 1 Well, very few have any roofs; they are generally surrounded by moat unless they are oD bare rock or hilltop. The walls run from three to fifteen feet thick and there are often dungeons in the walls. The old windows were simply slits in the walls without any glass. The castles are generally ofstone in all sizes and shapes held together by mortar that was like a modern cement. A few buildings were of large stones held together by iron clamps. Most of the old Roman work was brick, the bricks not being much more than an inch tbicl, tbough wider than ours,