The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-06-18

Mrs. Riley Werkheimer had dropped in
the excitement, and he informed Mr.
Poopendyke that the whole party was
leaving at four for Dresden. / asked
particular about the young man, sir
and he said they had the doctor in to
treat his stomach, sir, Immediately
after they got back to the hotel"
"His stomachs But l distinctly
struck him on the verse;
81 know, sir; but it seems that he
swallowed his cigarette.
To my shame, I joined Britton in a
roar of laughter. Afterwards l recall
ed, with something of shock, that it
was the first time had ever heard my
valet laugh aloud. He appeared to be
in some distress over it himself, for he
tried to turn it off into violent fit of
coughing. He is such faithful exem-
plary servant that l made haste to
pound him on the back, fearing the
worst. I could not get on at all with
out Britton. He promptly recovered.
81 beg pardon, SIR" said he. "'Will
you have your shave and tub now,
siri'
Later on, somewhat refreshed and
relieved, / made my way to the little
balcony, first having issued numerous
orders and directions to the still stupe.
fled Schmicks, chief among which was
an inflexible command to keep the
gates locked against all comers. The
sun was shining brightly over the
western hills, and the sky was clear
and blue. The hour was five l found
on consulting my watch. Naturally my
first impulse was to glance up at the
still loftier balcony in the east wing.
1t was empty There was nothing in
the grim, formidable prospect to war.
rant the impression that any one dwelt
behind those dismantled windows, and
experienced the vague feeling that
perhaps it had been a dream after all.
Far below at the foot of the shaggy
cliff ran the historic Donau, serene and
muddy, all rhythmic testimonials to the
contrary With something of a shud
der | computed the distance from my
eerie perch to the rocks at the bottom
of the cliff. Five hundred feet, at
least; an impregnable wall of nature
surmounted by now rank and obsolete
obstruction built by the hand of man
a fortress that defied the legions of
old but today would afford no more
than brief and even desultory target
pratice for 4 smart battery. To scale
the cliff, however, would be an impos
sibility for the most resourceful general
in the world. All about me were tur-
rets and minarets, defeated by the an
cient and implacable foe-Time. Shat |
tered crests of towers hung above me,
grey and -orbidding, yet without men
ace save in their senile prerogative to
collapse without warning. Tiny win
iows marked the face of my still sturdy
walls, like so many pits left by small
pox, and from these in the good old
feudal days a hundred marksmen had
thrust their thundertus blunderbusses
70 clear the river of vain glorious foes.
From the scalloped bastons cross bow
men of even darker ages had shot their
'andom bolts; while in the inches of
over walls futile pikemen waited for
he impossible to happen-the scaling
IF the cliff!
Friend and foe alike came to the
back door of Schloss Rothhoefen, and
here found welcome or stubborn OBJ
tacles tina, laughed at time and lock-
miths; monstrous gates that still were
'nough to defy mighty force. There
vas my great rtone-paved courtyard,
'lanked ON all sides by disintegrating
once occupied by serfs and
lighting men; the stables in which
'hargers and beasts of burden had slept
ide by side until called by the night s
york or the days work, as war or
'eace prescribed, ranged close by tie
,ates that opened upon the steep, wind
ng roadway that now dismayed all
modern steeds save the conquering ass.
Iere too were the remains of once
loble garden, and here were the
'ranaries and the storehouses.
Far below me were the dungeons,