The Calumet news., 1911-12-07

cohuhueu SWfetcr tnan DefOre. but |
stopped my ears with bit of cloth
found in my boat and did not look to.
ward the shore. l narrowly escaped
the Lorelei."
"The Loreleiv' exclaimed Bishofr
"You tell your experience as If il had
really happened. The Lorelei is a
myth"
"Call her what you like. dont
wish any more of her I'll take Soma
of that punch. l need n bracer after
my narrow escape"
Taking mug from the mantel. no
poured out some of the liquor and
drank 1t off.
zone would judge from the way you
conduct yourself" said Blshoff, "that
you are at home here"
81 am"
"What do you mean?' snapped Blsh-
off angrily.
"Oh, don't get huffy. Let us enjoy
ourselves together" Then, noticing a
chessboard and chessmen on a table,
he added
''Do you play chess?"
Eyes"
"Well, there Is no better way of
spending an evening. Let us have a
game"
He took up the chessboard, set the
pitcher of punch aside, placed the
board on the table. arranged the men.
Without saying "by your leave" he
/ took the first move. Bishoff, wonder
/ ing at the mans audacity, lowered his
eyes 10 the chessboard and soon forgot
his astonishment In the game. He saw
at once that the stranger was an ex.
cellent player. The game was q long
one, and for some time neither gained
an advantage; then Bishoff. thinking
he saw way to checkmate his an
tagonist, moved and looked up at his
antagonist as il to say, "I'll soon have
you now, my fine fellow"
The stranger looked up, too, and
with q low laugh turned his head
toward the picture of the chess play
ers that hung over the chimneypiece.
Bishoff glanced from the board to the
picture, then back to the board. He
started The chessmen were in the
same posi'lsa as in the painting, Bish-
Off having the advantage. And then it
dawned on Bishoff that his visitor and
the man with the red beard were one
and the same.
"I will checkmate you in six moves"
said the stranger.
"You mean that L will checkmate
you In six moves" said Bishoff.
"This against your castle that It IS /
who checkmates you" He drew forth
a draft for 10000 marks on bank in
| Cologne.
Done" said Bishoff.
His opponent took up a piece and
| moved il like an automaton. Bishof
moved again. On the strangers fourth
move something Bishoff had never
counted on happened. 1t seemed TO
him that the tables were turned. Aft
er a long time he moved. The stran-
ger moved again. Bishoff, who now
lost his head, moved for the fifth time.
"Checkmate!" said the stranger,
moving.
you've won; the castle is yoursv
gasped Bishoff.
The stranger chuckled.
"All this is very queerr' gasped the
American, staring at the man with
eyes as big as butter plates.
"You are mistaken. Nothing is queer.
What is, Is. You have only certain
relations with the world of which you
/ =.
dead Nothing is dead. Everything
always lives, but all things change.
Good night. This castle is now mine,
but / leave you in possession for the
present"
That's all Bishoff remembers Of that
memorable evening. The next morn
| ing he awoke sitting In his chair. The
fire had gone out, and he was shiver-
ing He left without even waiting for
breakfast and offered the castle for
sale. An agent found purchaser, ana
before Bishoff returned to America he
met the man in the agents Office TO
complete the sale.
He nearly tainted on recognizing In
the new owner his visitor who had
| checkmated MIN at cneSS.
While the papers were being maze
out and the signatures appended Bish-
off continued to stare at the purchaser,
who gave no sign of ever having seen
him before. The man was in modern
dress, and his beard, though red, was
cropped close He had lost everything
of his old fashioned appearance IN the
picture. In other words, he seemed TO
have been taken out OF the fifteenth
or sixteenth century and dropped into
the twentieth.
"Have you ever been in the CASTER
Bishoff asked him.
| mo. | do not live In Germany
have since my boyhood been In DUST
ness in South America. 1t Is there
that have acquired the means 10 IT,
cover the home of my ancestors.
At this point the agent finished WORK
ing on the papers and said:
Baron Becker comes into his own
after many centuries. He is n lineai
descendant of the original baron VINO
built the castle. 1t was lost some foV
years ago at game OF chess. There
is legend that n descendant OF ns
first owner would come again into It's
possession In the same way that IL was