The Press., 1912-04-10


 breast. he did not ask why she did so. Though he felt the effect of Cupid's s shaft as soon as he saw her, he seemed to be resisting it. This only made her 'lre eager to conquer him.
 One evening just before dark craft was seen floating down the river load ed with merchandise. Bertha, who was with the count. stole away from him and. donning her military costume, de scended to the creek, took command of the boats starting to levy tribute and went out to intercept the stranger. There was a fight, in which the latter was worsted, as usual, and the tax paid. Bertha, flushed with the fray, re- turned to the castle and, ascending a spiral staircase leading to her room to change her costume, met Count Hubert face to face.
 The sight of the girl, her dark eyes flashing with the memory of the fight, her raven hair that had come un- loosened and fallen in coil on her shoulder, her tight fitting costume dis playing the grace of her supple figure, was too much for the young lover.
 Whatever was the reason for his re- sistance to the spell he had fallen un- der, he broke through all reserve, clasped her in his arms and pressed his cheek against hers.
 Disengaging herself, she told him the meaning of the ruby heart.
 "Alas!' he said. II am no swords man. I have been interested in knowl- edge and my profession is diplomacy. I have neither a taste for arms nor time to perfect myself in their use. Nevertheless shall avail myself of my only chance"
 Although those were rough times and Bertha was a real, not sham, fighter, she did not mean by wearing the ruby that the man who would win her must stab her in the heart. 1t was intended to give notice that he must be sufficiently skillful to do so. She told Count Hubert that he must place the point of his rapier upon the ruby, leaving him to infer that if he went further he would kill her. The count was appalled, and ready to fore go the trial, but Bertha egged him on, saying that she felt perfect confidence in being able to protect herself. Be side himself with a love which he must take so great risk to gratify, he consented to the meeting, declaring that if through mishap he killed her he would plunge his weapon into his own heart.
 From the staircase Bertha went to her room, where she dressed herself in fencing costume, and instead of the made of red silk, much better tar- get than the jewel. Rejoining Count Hubert, the two went to the armory, where, taking up swords that had al ready been used in such encounters, they put themselves in fencing posi- dOns.
 Now the count, as has been said. was no swordsman, but a diplomat. Knowing that if he won at all it must be by diplomacy, he sought a plan that would bring him success by a ruse. But no plan suggested itself except one fraught with danger, and he was loath to use it. For an hour he fenced with his antagonist, hoping to tire her out, but at the end of that time she seemed as fresh as ever, while he had lost strength. Then he determined, as last resort, to put into practice his stratagem. Pressing his antagonist hotly, he forced her to assume the defensive, and when she did so, their swords being crossed, he guided the point of hers into a feshy part of his right side.
 Bertha, horror stricken, withdrew her sword, then dropped it. Hubert stood immovable till he heard the weapon rattle on the floor, then, taking his own sword by the blade, made unge and touched the red heart on her breast with it's hilt. Flinging his weap- on away, he cried exultingly:
 "I have Won."
 SummOning assistance, Bertha had he count, who was weak from loss of blood, carried to his room. A surgeon was called, but since in those days here was no remedy except blood let ing and the patient had quite enough of that there was nothing to do but bind up the wound.
 One of the counts escort, hearing hat his leader had been stabbed, rush. ed into the room where Bertha was bending over the wounded man, seeing 1is condition, shouted:
 ''Treason! The prince has been as- 
 ''The princew exclaimed Bertha, aghast.
 "Yes, the prince-the crown prince"
 Peace" said the wounded man. "I nave not been assassinated. have net with an accident in play"
 And thus it came out that Count Hu- pert was the crown prince, who incog lito was making tour with view to force to meet the king Of Sweden. who had just declared war. Bertha sent at once messenger to her 'ather urging him to return and when le came announced that she was be- rothed to the heir to kingdom. When he baron learned this he was so pleas I'd that he was ready to forego plum
 
 himself at the head of double the force hat the king had asked for.
 Baron Eidenreid never returned to lis castle, for he was killed in the war md his daughter had no need of her ormer home, because she became rown princess and afterward queen. 'o the castle fell gradually into decay, which was perhaps just as well for the raffic on the Rhine below. At any ate there were no more customs col ectors shooting out from the mouth of he stream beneath the stronghold.
 Logic. The man who acts on impulse is ire luently placed in a position that makes i'm wish he had not been so nasty