The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-23

they had all the plunder they could get, the freelances left the fallen hero alone and rode on their way. All the company had fled in terror after being robbed ex- cepting only Wilhelm, who could not fly for his wounds. Mignon would not desert him. Philina, who having hid for while in thicket, came forth and supported his head (when the robbers were gone) and the old harper who hurried to the nearest town for a physician.
 As Wilhelm lay there sore wounded
 there came riding out of the woods a cavalcade of grooms and servants and a | troop of hussars. They were escorting a | ha ndsome woman mounted upon a gray horse and accompanied by an aged man who rode beside her. The young lady turned astonished eyes upon the group. | 'Is it your husband?" she inquired of Philina "Only a friend" replied Philina in tone which Wilhelm liked extremely
 well He had fixed his gaze upon the soft,
 elevated, calm, sympathizing face of the strange lady; he thought he had never seen anything more noble and more love l ly. Her shape he could not see; it was hid in a mans great coat which she seemed to have borrowed from one of
 her attendants to screen her from the chill air of the evening which was now settling down.
 The lady dismounted as did some of her attendants, and summoning to her
 man, who by his appearance was a
 physician, she bade him dress the lal, of 10 wounds were dangerous; they were
 dressed on the spot, and though the
 strange lady, whom Wilhelm had all ready in his mind designated "the fair Amazon," seemed loath to tear herself from the side of the wounded
 man, she at length remounted, saying to the old man who had ridden by her side: Dear uncle I must be generous at your expense" She took off the great coat wh.~il she wore and bade that it be placed over the wounded youth. Meantime, secretly, she had given to Philina a considerable sum of
 money to repair the damages they had received through the robbery
 Wilhelm saw Philina and the fair
 Amazon talking aside. and Philina had
 never until now appeared in so unfav
 orabe a light. He thought she had
 no right to come so near that noble oreature-still less to touch her Scarce
 ly had the fair Amazon rode off with
 her train when there appeared the
 harper with surgeon and Q number
 of peasants. Wilhelm was placed upon q litter and carried to a neighborng
 town, whither the members of the
 troupe had preceded him. His wounds,
 though not serious, kept him for some
 time confined to his bed, and during
 that time Philina was his constant at-
 tendant by day and night. Mignon
 hovered about, anxious, and willing to
 nelp, but tnilina assumed charge of
 the wounded man. In the town Will
 helm learned that the honorable per
 sons who had assisted him in his need
 had shortly before left their estates
 in order to avoid the mo, ements of the
 oontending armies, and was told the
 name of the aged nobleman and that
 of his niece, the fair Amazon. Inces
 sanity in his dreams he was haunted by
 thoughts of the young. beautiful lady
 who had so opportunely ridden to him
 I
 tontions became repugnant to him.
 The theatrical company, as soon as
 Wilhelm was well enough to hear their murmurs, began to reproach him bit terly for their misfortune He gave them all the gold he had and sen them
 with letter of introduction to thea trical manager Serlo, who had thea tre in distant town and with whom
 Wilhelm had formerly been well ac- quainted. Then, for time, he being
 recovered from his hurts. pursued the business upon which his father had seh1 iiim Iorln. One day he receiN ed letter telling him that hls father had died and that he was the master of q handsome property. His friend Werner Legged him to return home and take share in the management of his for tune. Wilhelm wrote back that his for tune was in good hands when 1t was in Werners, and he would travel yet a