The Press., 1916-08-17
Hildegarde How She Decided Be- tween Two Unruly
 Suitors.
By F. A. MITCHELL


 The modern traveller steaming up the uyer Rhine will pass not far from it's junction with the Moselle In quick sue cession the ruins of three castles, each perched on an eminence.
 There is nothing so inviting to a dreamer as to picture in its prime what has belonged to a distant past In gazing up at one of these piles of stone he sees its towers rising above the battlements, it's ensign floating from the highest point. A rawbridge is lowered. and out pour a troop of armed men. Some merchant traveller has been seen in the valley, and these horsemen are going to extract from him the wherewithal for their suzerain to support this proud establishment, or perhaps a company of a different kind win emerge
 A gIimmerins. glittering cavalcade of
 knights and ladies. and every one In princely sheen arrayed-
 On what mission are they bent? Is it merely for exercise and pleasure. or do they carry some important message to a neighbor or the emperor?
 This may now be fancy, but there was a time when 1t was not. That heap of stones was once what the imagination recalls. Time and again men at arms rode down upon the luck less merchant As for the knights and ladies'
 They rode and rode. and the steeds
 they neighed
 And pranced. and the sun on their glossy
 hides
 Fiickered and frightened and glanced and
 played
 Like the moon on rippling tides.
 These three castles were once occu- pied. one by Baron Hugemont. anoth- CT by Count Herbert Ballenstein and the third by Baron Carl Steigler. Hugemont was an old man; the other two were young. Hugemont, having passed an age where a man is ready to fight for what concerns him, was in an unpleasant position. He pos sessed a daughter that each of his two neigbbors wanted to wed. If he gave her to Ballenstein he feared to offend Steigler; if he gave her to Steigler he would incur the enmity of Ballenstein. And this Is the burden of my story.
 Hildegarde was kept at school in Cologne till she was seventeen years old. Till then she had seen neither Ballenstein nor Steigler. nor had they seen her. When she had finished her education her father, in order that she should make her debut In the social kt f,1 4nt~ rk~ gave for her hunting party, to which the neighboring nobles were invited. One bright morning a company of knights and ladies were gathered in the courtyards of the castle. each with a falcon on the wrist: the draw bridge was lowered, and the cavalcade emerged.
 From the moment Count Herbert and Baron Carl saw Hildegarde each was attracted to her. AS the company rode out from the castle 1t was led by her, with one of these young men on either hand. When they rode back again she was still thus fanked, for neither would give way to the other
 On the face of each man was scowl flashed now and again at his rival, while between them, like an an gel between two devils. rode the smil- ing maiden.
 When her father heard of this rival " he was sore distressed. He was a shrewd old man and foresaw that since he had the disposition of his daugh- ter's hand the burden of decision would fall upon him. and him alone 1t would avail nothing for the rivals to fight each other for Hildegarde. be- cause the victor could not claim the prize. The baron that same evening called her into his cabinet and said:
 My daughter. this rivalry that has sprung up between Count Herbert Bal lenstein and Baron Carl Steigler may result disastrously for us. If I give you to the count the baron, incensed, will pick a quarrel with me, and shall not be able to protect myself against him. If I give you to the baron I shall have the same to fear nom the count. I am thinking of soly-