Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1916-10-13
sOssssSssssssSssSssssssss
An Ingenious
Woman
!: A Story Of the Days of
WitChCraft.
By f. A. mitchell
Observation-Disclosures:

Of baron who owned and ruled over
great territory, The man and the
woman were both poor, and their
nelghbors wondered how they would
get on. Nevertheless they prospered,
and their prosperity was all on account
Of Joan, who was very shrewd. One
thing puzzled those who knew her. She
did everything IN way 80 queer that
some Of them thought her demented
And yet her acts resulted to her bene.
NJ.
one person, and one person alone
came 10 understand her-her husband
Conrad was n stupid man, and II is
likely this was the reason why he came
to be an excellent AUXILIARY 10 his wife
Having no ilcas Of his own, he was
readily recipient Of hers. For ten
years she kept Instllling her way Of
doing things into him, so that at last
not only could she trust him to follow
her lead but Nt times 10 take the mi.
tlatlve on her methods
There was much warfare in n small
way IN those days, attacks being made
by one suZcraln upon another In one
OF these incurslons upon the domain Of
Baron Elglnbrod, where Conrad and
his wife lived, Count Hastings, the In.
cursionist, took Conrad away with him,
having learned that he aud his wife
had accumulated money, aud held his
prisoner Tor ransom.
Conrad was thrown into prison and
told that he should stay there till he
paid the ransom. He remained n cap.
tive some time, then sent word to his
captor to say that If he would give him
messenger he would send him to his
wife with nm order TO pay the ransom,
The count at once furnished the mes.
sengcr, and Conrad wrote the following
message TO joan
My Dear Wife--1 wish you 10 pay tho
ransom demanded by Count Hastings for
my release. | viii wait for you TO do so
for one week one week from tonight II
am not liberated / will hang myself in
the chimney OF the room where | am con-
fined Your loving husband, CONRAD,
This letterwas submitted TO the count,
who read It with satisfaction, "for, said
he, III the woman Is inclined to decker
as to the amount she shall pay, the
threat Of her husband to hang himself
will influence her to pay any sum !
ask" And he doubled the amount de-
maaded for the ransom,
When the messenger delivered the
note to Joan and she read her hus'
bands threat to hang himself she fell
over in faint. The messenger did
what he could TO revive her and en-
deavored to rcassure her by pointing
ont the impossihility of the prisoner
hanging himself in the chimney, since.
in the first place, he had no rope, and,
in the second place, even II he had
there was nothing in the chimney to
which he could attach n rope.
This seemed to comfort Joan, and,
gathering her strength, she wrote her
husband note stating that she would
he unable to raise the money required
for the ransom m so short time, but
she would do so ms soon as possible.
She added n note begging him not to
hang himself thus depriving her and
the children of his care and the pleas
ure Of having him with them.
The messenger went back to the
count with Joans letter, and It was
read with satisfaction, for it was evil
dent that she was so terrified at her
husbands threat. Notwithstanding the
fact that it would be impossible to
carry 1t out. that she would do all In
her power to raise the money for the
ransom. SO the message was deliver
ed to Conrad, who read 1t, evidently
pleased at the prospect of getting his
liberty.
A week passed, and the night came
on which Conrad had threatened to
commit suicide unless his wife had by
that time paid the ransom and set
him free. His jailer, when he brought
In the prisoners supper and set 1t
down on the table. said jokingly:
well, Conrad, are you going to hang
yourself tonight"
"Why should |? My wife has said
that she might not be able to raise the
money for my ransom so soon. but !
am sure she will do so In time. | am
aware that she must sell everything
we have. including our home, to raise
so large an amount, and l don't ex-
pect that she will be able to turn 1t all
into ready money in less than another
week, at least"
"Why. then. did you name a period
insufficient for her to raise the ran
som?"
Because did not wish her to lose
any time"
well, I'm glad you have no reason
to hang yourself. For If you did |
should have to sit up and watch you
tonight, and | prefer to be asleep In
my bed"
SO the jailer left his prisoner to eat
his supper, and when he returned Con
rad was snoring loudly on his cot. The
keeper went away satisfied tnat there
was no danger of the prisoner cheat
ing the count out of his ransom by kill
ing himself and he, too, betook him
self to his bed and was soon snoring
as loudly as Conrsg.
Whom tho nnyt morning tho tailor