The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-07-16
ana see the beautiful girl living in the


under world
The baron knit his brows. He fear
cd that the secret was out-that she
had seen her image. He went with
her to the pond, she chattering on the
way about the vision of loneliness she
had seen and wondering If it would be
there when she returned. Carl mean
while feeling confident that she had
seen herself was trying to invent a
story that would satisfy her When
they reached the pond she ran ahead
Of him and bent over it.
"There she Isl she exclaimed JOY
fully. Come and see her."
But Carl hung back. Il know whom
you are looking at" he said, "a water
fairy. Come away. She will contain
mate you"
mo, no! She is as good as she is
beautiful can see purity In every
feature
Should Carl lean over the water to
see the fairy his own face would be
reflected there, and his wife would
recognize it at once. This would lead
her to understand that the other re.
Election was her own
mo, no, sweetheart" he said
SHOULD i look at her she might en-
thrall me. Not for the world would
risk being drawn away from you"
Would She? exclaimed the girl in
a tone that betrayed both fright and
disappointment Then 1t would be
your fault. She would never tempt
you"
"Come away. This Is the Lorelei.
who has come from the banks of the
Rhine. You know how she lures boat
men to their death She would draw
me down Into the water, and l could
never return to you"
Hildegarde, fearful that her husband
might be right, knit her brows and
saw her image do the same.
"Ah," she said. II see that you are
evil, after all. You have lured me
here that you may take my husband
from me. and now that you see he is
not to be tempted you frown. Good
by. You are beautiful. but you are
evil"
With this she rejoined Carl and. put
ting her arm through his, returned
with him to the house.
When again they set out on their
journey Carl persuaded his wife that
they must not go near any more wa
ter, for the fairy would be in any wa
ter they approached and he might see
her before he could withdraw. And
once seeing her he feared the worst
Hildegarde was quite sure the girl
she had seen was the Lorelei Of whom
she had heard so much and was ready
to avoid the waters in which she lived
And so fearful was she Of losing her
husband that she proposed they go
back to the castle, where there was no
danger.
This pleased the young husband, who
was In constant terror lest the admir-
ing glances Of the persons they met
would betray the secret of his wife's
beauty.
So they returned to their home
where there were no mirrors, no sheets
Of water and where every one was
trained to refrain from showing ad
miration for the beautiful baroness
Presently little son came to take up
her attention, and she did not again
feel any desire to see the world, or
rather, she feared to leave the castle
with her husband for fear the water
fay would get him.
This worked in two ways-the bar
oness not only remained at home, but
would not permit her husband to go
even down to the Rhine This kept
him with his wife and his family and
his retainers. When the physical beau
ty Of his wife faded 1t left an expires
sion of purity, of unconscious beauty
Of soul Persons who had formerly
come to see her as marvel Of bodily
perfection now came to view a saint.
1t was not till this time that the
baroness discovered that she had been
so hedged about that she did not know
that she was the fairy she had seen
In the water and that 1t was she who
had already enthralled her husband
But by this time she and he and their
children had become welded together
In one loving family, and her past
beauty was not a matter of regret to
her.