The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-08-23
A Medieval
Tale
BY ESTHER VANDEVEER

IullllOudTc WIZ DOukuL IdSlit
Germany and found the legend anon
) papers that had not been disturbed fC
hundreds of years.
Count Caspar Ardenreid, the lord {
the castle in question, was in low
with Bertha, the daughter of neigh
boring Baron Cronsheld. There ha
been a feud between the families, an
7 Cronsheld refused the young count tn
. hand of his daughter.
: One evening the count was sitting Il
his cabinet, disconsolate that he mus
be deprived Of his love, when the doc
opened and a man entered wearing
pointed beard and an upturned mus
tache.
who are you," asked the count
"and how did you gain access to mi
unannouncedY'
Il am the devil" was the response
land / have come to help you to wiz
the hand of the girl you love"
Leave me; you will require soul t.
pay for your assistance"
You are right. must have the
soul of yonr firstborn child" !.
"Begone, say; l will have nothing
to do with you"
Then you must give up all hope Of
a union with the Countess Bertha. Hel
father will never yield"
The devil stuck to his work, convers.
/ ing with the count and constantly get.
ting him under his satanic influence.
| Caspar asked him how he would ac-
baron was skIllful chess player. The
devil would taunt him into playing a
game, the winner to name a husband
| for his daughter. Caspar, who was
desperately In love. finally consented.
but only after wringing from the devil
n certain condition. He might redeem
his child's soul IL he could beat the
devil at a game OF chess. This did not
seem likely, but IL was the only hope
Satan would give.
The bargain having been struck,
Satan sent the baron word that he had
heard of bis remarkable skill at chess
and challenged him to contest. The
baron, much flattered, invited the chal-
lenger to his castle. Satan appeared In
the person of an agreeable young man
giving evidence by his rich attire and
general lavishness OF being a grand
parsonage. He told the baron that he
would play him a game Of chess, the
stake TO be what he had named to Cas-
par. The baron, supposing that he
wanted Bertha for himself, consented.
or course the devil beat the baron, and
the winner named for a husband for
his daughter Count Caspar Ardenreid.
The baron consented. cursing the trick
ster at the same time and wondering
why he had befriended the lovers.
Since there was nothing against
Count Caspar but the feud with which
he had nothing to do, Baron Cronsheld
made the best OF IL and soon became
attached TO his son-in-law. Caspar told
him how he had won his consent and
what he had agreed to pay for 1t. This
excited the old man TO spend a great
deal OF time studying difficult chess
problems in order that when the devil
came TO claim his grandchild he might
redeem him by beating the arch fiend
at his own game. He was so proud OF
bis ability as chess player that he
really aspired TO beat the devil
The day a man child was born TO the |
count and countess was both a happy |
and a sad one. The lady had learned |
from her husband the secret that her |
baby's soul must go TO the devil, and |
since she was very religious the calam-
ny was the more awful. Her father
assured her that her son was safe, for
{ had been stipulated that n any one
'ould be found TO beat the devil al
hess the bargain would be of. He
the baron lad learned a number OF
any one Of which was
Iure 20 win.
The mother proposed that the baby
'e baptized az once. hoping that this
night forestall Satan, hut before Il
ould he done he appeared and claimed
be child's soul Since all depended on
chess contest the count proposed that
hree games be played between the
aron and the devil. two games 10 win.
10 they sat down az once and began to
lay. Satan said he would play the
mt game Nh his eyes shut. lie pur.
osely threw away the game. but even
Fithout seeing the chessmen be could
ave beaten his antagonist n he hsd
cen 20 disposed. The second game he
eat the baron IN less than a dozen
lOves
Cronsbeld refused 10 play the third
anne. declaring that the best chess
layer in the world could not beat one
DO played using superhuman means.
be count went 20 his wife 20 impart
v news that their sons soul depended
] the third game. which the devil was
ire 10 wiz Bertha said she had been
aging 70 the Virrfn Mary for help
"a had been told what 20 Do. when
y husband went back 20 the devil Re
"a be would play the third game him
n Satan laughed scornfuIiy. but sat
Isn 81 the bcsra
Hair q dozen mores had been mads
q ssfnn bad tut two more 20 make
checkmafe when Caspnr threw back
! dgubiet and displayed a gold cross
tan crinred under ne table and left
. rom tie q dog With his tai -
cen bis legs
ana he nevsr came taek for his par.