The Press., 1912-04-10
The Ruby Heart A Story of Feudal Times In
 Germany
By F. A. MITCHEL

C9~~~~A~~N>s~~~NN~~~
 The tourist steaming on the river
 Rhine sees high up on the peaks of
 either bank ruins of castles that sev-
 eral centuries ago were the homes of
 feudal barons. One of an imaginative turn of mind may picture those strong
 holds peOpled with gayly dressed men 1 There lived the baron, descending now and again to the river, collecting trib-
 ute from merchants passing up and
 down, the lions share of which he took
 for himself, distributing the rest among
 those who did his bidding.
 In one of those castles, which now
 stands out against the sky a lonely
 ruin, dwelt the Baron Rudolf Eiden- reid. Below it a little stream flows 1 into the Rhine, and the baron had a
 boat station concealed by Overhanging trees short distance from its mouth. When a craft loaded with merchan- | disc was seen coming a party would go down to this station and get out the boats, and when the merchant came opposite the mouth of the creek would
 shoot out to levy tribute. Some
 times the merchant would be pro-
 tected by armed men: then there
 would be fight, but the baronial cus-
 tom house usually won, and the mer-
 chant would be forced to pay the duty.
 Among the Rhine maidens of that time was Bertha, the baron's daughter. At times when her father was not at home, when merchantmen was seen coming, she would take command of the revenue party and lead them to collect the tribute. She was greatly admired by all the men at arms in the castle, who would not willingly permit any harm to come to her. But she was
 brave as the rest of them, and when she was excited by a contest to pro- tect her was no easy matter, for she would often distance her supporters in
 moving against an enemy.
 So great was Bertha's military ardOr that she avowed no man should wed
 her who could not conquer her. She
 went so far as to wear on her left breast a ruby cut in the shape of heart to signify that any man who aspired to her hand must be able to place the point of his sword at the spot underneath which her heart was beating.
 One morning a party of horsemen was seen ascending the height on which the castle stood. The baron was away, and when these men entered the postern and stood in the courtyard Ber- tha, looking from easement, surveyed their leader. He was young man slenderly made, but very symmetrical His face was of an intellectual cast, and his long fair hair fell from be- meath his velvet plumed cap over his lace collar. Altogether he formed very pleasing picture to the eyes of the maiden. But the massive muscles that could wield a lance or a battleax were wanting, and his was a strength of intellect rather than of flesh. Der tha opened the easement, Saluted the young man and asked the reason for his coming. He announced himself as Count Hubert Rheinhart, a messen- ger of the king, and he had come to demand on the part of his majesty hundred armed men to join his army to fight against the king of Sweden. Bertha replied that her father was ab- sent but the messenger and his retinue were welcome to remain in the castle till the baron's return. The count ac- cepted the invitation, and he and his followers were housed and their horses stabled.
 Now, the barons of those days usual ly yielded military service to the king grudgingly. The kingdom, composed of separate provinces, was loose joint ed, and the sovereign found it difficult to enforce his decrees. Bertha, know ing that her father would rather re- main at home and increase his wealth by his descents upon unlucky way farers, sent messenger at once ad- vising him of the kings demand, so that he might if he chose remain away until the party, weary with waiting, should go on to collect men and arms elsewhere.
 But this was not the only reason for the girls action. From the moment she l caught sight of the fair haired count | the spark of love entered her bosom | and she decided to keep him as long as possible in the castle. So it was that 1 Count Hubert was detained to fall | under the spell of one full of woman's | witchery re-enforced by great beauty. | But the pity of 1t was that to win her | he must be able to touch the target | heart on her breast with the point of | his sword. Unfortunately, his training | was rather in diplomacy than in feats of arms.
 When the little god enters the heart | he does not always make himself | known. Bertha was conscious of a commotion under the ruby, but did not realize what it was. She regarded 1t as a desire to attract the count as she | had attracted other men. give him the to win her she had given them and beat him at the same game.
 So she entertained him royalty and soon made him forget his errand in the pleasure he took in her company. His escort. being provided with all they wanted. were in no hurry to go on. Be sides, it was observed that they had no will other than that of their leader. whom they treated with great respect. Now and again Baron Eidenreid sent l messenger to ask if the party had .One, and Bertha replied that they were still in the castle.
 The young man must have possessed l refinement superior to his fellows of hat rude age, for though he noticed