The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-10-19

buy It, and he swore at them. saying:
you think to buy the castle. do
your You wish to deprive me of M
interest In IT. DO you know who owns
itf Well, | will tell you. Baror
Muhlenberg. the last owner. when be
died left 1t to the devil
Hlldegarde was 50 shocked vt this
that she crossed herself and cast ter
eyes up to heaven, mutteriug a
prayer When she looked again at
siegel she saw him striding away as
rapidly as possible. lie passed out Of
the castle and down the hill. disap-
pearing behind a rock. The Sehom-
bergs. astonished, followed him to see
where he would go; but. though they
waited a long while TO see him reap
pear. he did not do so, nor did they
see him again that day.
Frau Schomberg gave birth 10 a boy
her first child. Not long after this son
came Siegel appeared one day and OF.
fered bis congratulations. Schom-
berg, finding him apparently In good
humor, ventured 10 mention the mat.
ter OF repairs. All the tenants plans
to make the castle habltable had fall
ed He had employed workmen to FIX
their sleeping room. but after the job
was finished the roof leaked worse
than before. A foundation wall that
supported one of the towers having
crumbled. Schomberg attempted to
prop 1t up and In doing so brought
part of the tower down about his
ears.
Whatever he touched gave way.
He told his landlord of his bad luck
and asked him If he would not at
least make habitabie the room occu-
pied by the newborn babe and its
mother, explaining that both needed
warmth. Siegel said that nothing
would give him more pleasure. He
would go at once to examine the
apartment to see what was needed
Schomberg took him up to the room
where his wife was lying in bed, en-
deayoring to keep warm under the
clothing. while the babe slept In its
cradle. Siegel went to the cradle TO
see the child and took him up In his
arms. Then, with a look of malicious
triumph, he turned and moved toward
the door. Sehomberg seemed rooted
to the spot, having no power to stop
the fiend from carrying away his
child
Help! Holy mother cried Hide
garde, and In a moment the father
dashed forward, and Siegel dropped the
babe on the door. Schomberg took
him up and was so anxious to know If
it had been injured that he ceased to
regard tie would be kidnaper. When
Schomberg and his WIFE being satisfied
that their child was uninjured. looked
again for Slegel he had disappeared
One day a priest came up to the cas-
tie and told Schomberg that Siegel had
admitted at the confessional how bad
ly he had treated his tenants, had re-
pented and had been given absoluton.
He had sent the priest to him to say
that he was the sole owner Of the cas-
tie and had made a deed for 1t to
Schomberg and his wife forever. All
that was needed was that they should
sign receipt for It The couple were
pleased at this. for since the castle
cost them nothing they could well ar
ford to employ first class architect to
put 1t in repair and live comfortably In
1t for the rest Of their days.
Schomberg signed the receipt, and
Hildegarde was about to do likewise
when 1t occurred to her to read it.
She did so and found nothing but an
ordinary receipt She took up the pen
she had laid aside and was about TO
write her name under that of her hus-
band when she noticed that the priest
had not cross on his person.
Father" she said. how is 1t that
you wear no crucifiX2"
The priest seemed surprised and said
he had omitted to put it on.
81 have a crucihx that will give
you" said Hildegarde.
She went to her bureau and. taking
from II Cruci1X. came back holding
ii up that the priest might see it He .
trembled and shrank away like a
whipped spaniel Schomberg and his
wife looked at each other wondering
ly, listening to the footsteps of the
man as he went quickly down the
staircase. He had dropped the deed
and left the unsigned receipt on the
table
"He was no priest" said the hus
band. but the devil. who came here
for some unholy purpose
They took up the deed and read 1t
carefully. Hidden among n number
of legal phrases they found a consid-
Grafton for the castle. and that con
sid@ration was their son when he
should reach the age of twelve years.
Dropping on their knees, they gave
thanks to heaven that they had been
spared being trapped in this nefarious
transaction, then rising determined .
that they would no longer 1--we in cas-
tie that had been willed to the devil
So the next morning Hildegarde took
the babe and went away. followed by
her husband as soon ms he could re
move their effects. They were not
sorry to leave an abode in which they
had had so much trouble and where
they had been so near losing their
ba be
That same night a black cloud arose .
in the west. advancing toward the
castle II had the shape of the shout
ders and head OF man with the arms
and when Ii reached a