The daily Alaskan., 1916-09-29

was ustonlshed not tJ see him at all Moreover, there was a strange stiffness In the room, the silence of absence of any living thing. The man, thinking that, after all, his prisoner might have carried out his threat, went to the chimney, fearing that he might see his body dangling there. There was noth- Ing in the lower part, and, looking up, he saw only small patch of blue sky.
 With fear and trembling the jailer sent word to the count that his prisOn- CT had vanished. In order to shield himself, he declared that he had heard strange sounds overhead during the night. He believed that his prisoner had carried out his threat to hang him. self and that witches had carried off the body.
 That was an age when people, instead of looking for natural causes, inferred everything to supernatural interfer- ence. The count so far leaned to the janers opinion that he did not look far for a means of theprisOners escape. He examined the only outlet, the chimney, and satisfied himself that Conrad could
 not have climbed the lue. In those days ehimneys were very large, and
 for one to work himself up a flue by
 his knees on one side and his back on
 the other was impossible. Conrad must
 have hung himself, and there was no accounting for the diSOpi of the body except that the witches had
 carried 1t off.
 The jailer's suggestion saved him from punishment, and the count was obliged to fOrego the ransom. He was
 becoming teCOnciled to his disappolnt- ment when one day a neighbor of Con- rad's came across the border and re- ported the suicide living at home in comfort with his wife and children.
 The count was astonished Indeed, he would not believe the report until
 he had sent a spy into the enemys country to learn the truth. When the spy returned and said that he had seen Conrad sitting before his door, the count was convinced that he was there.
 But the spy. believing that witches had assisted Conrad to get away, supposed himself to be under the influence of his imagination. Conrad was sitting mo- tionless at the time, and the spy got the idea into his head that he was a corpse.
 He reported that he had watched the l figure ten long minutes, In all of which ] time it made no motion.
 The count, disgruntlCd at having lost ! his ransom and not satisfied with his spy's report, sent another. who saw Conrad chopping wood. This disposed
 of the theory that witches had carried
 back the corpse of a suicide, and the count determined to make raid into i the domains of Count Elgiubrod with
 q view to again carrying o6 the wealthy ! Conrad
 Now. COurad's home was near the
 border, and all the count had to do
 was to send a force across, kidnap Con-
 rad and carry him away before any of | the barOn's forces could be brought to protect him. But il happened that ! Joan had been looking out of the win dow when the second spy saw her bus band ChOpping wood and watched the man slipping away, as he supposed, unnotiCed. Joan suspected what this meant and straightway took precau- ] tious She sent one OldcrShow, a i ncighbor. to Count Hastings domain | to win the confidence of the count and agree for a consideration to entice Con- rad away from his home so that he could be readily captured. This man succeeded in bis object. At the same ] time he was instructed by Joan to re- ! port that Joan was a witch.
 i This confirmed Count Hastings be- i lief in the jailer's suggestion that
 witches had been Instrumental in Con-
 rad's disappearance, but be attributed i the removal to one witch, Conrad's wife. Nevertheless, he was so 0verSe 1 to being beaten even by witch that ! he accepted Oldershow's offer and, ! having paid him a round sum, sent a dozen men with him to kidnap Conrad.
 The expedition approached Conrad's house In the evening gloaming, and what was their horror to sec the man . they were after hanging by the neck ! to a tree near his house. They at once | took to flight and never stopped run ming tin they had reached their start ! ing point, having left Oldershow be- ! hind them. They reported what they 1 had seen to the count, and Oldershow,
 returning. entered Conrads house and poured a heap of gold he had received
 for his work in loans lap.
 This ended Count Hastings efforts i to regain possession Of Conrad, for he was convinced of his being managed
 by a witch, that witch being Joan. ! But he sent a messenger to Baron FL ginbrod to say that the baron had a
 witch in his dominions, and If he did | not get rid of her she would infect the whole country.
 Upon this the baron sent for Joan and asked her what truth there was
 in the counts charge.
 Please, your worship" replied Joan,
 when Count Hastings raided your do-
 main he carried of my husband and held him for ransom. When the priS. ! oy,or yrrOfa mo tho+ iP did rOt m {