The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-03
Hildegarde
How She Decided Be-
tween Two Unruly
SuitorS.
By F. A. Mitchell

The modern traveller steaming up the !
river Rhine will pass not far from its !
junction with the Moselle in quick sue !
cession the ruins of three castles, each
perched on an eminence.
There is nothing so inviting to
dreamer as 10 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, its ensign floating
from the highest point. 4 drawbridge
is lowered, and out pour 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 company of a different kind
will emerge
A glimmering, glittering cavalcade OF
knights and ladies, and every one
In princely sheen arrayed.
On what mission are they benti 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 it 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 Weighed
And pranced, and the sun on their glossy
hides
| FlickeTed and lightened and glanced and
played
| Like the moon on ripping tides
These three castles were once occu-
| pied, one by Baron Hugemont, anoth-
er 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
neighbors wanted to wed. II he gave
her to Ballenstein he feared to offend
Steigler; il lie gave her to Steigler he
would incur the enmity of Ballenstein
| And this Is the burden of my story.
Hildegardc 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 hel
education her father, in order that she
should make her debut in the socia
world of the region in which she lived
gave for her hunting party, to which
the neighboring n0hles were invited
One bright morning a company OF
knights and ladies were gathered II
the courtyards of the castle, each will
falcon on the wrist; the draw
bridge was lowered. and the cavalcad'
emerged.
From the moment Count Herber
and Baron Carl saw Hildegarde eacl
was attracted TO her. As the company
rode out from the castle 1t was led b!
her, with one of these young men OF
either hand. When they rode bacl
again she was still thus flanked, 70
neither would give way to the other.
On the face OF each man was
scowl flashed now and again at hi'
rival, while between them, like an an
gel between two devils, rode the smil
ing maiden.
! When her father heard of this rival
] ry he was sore distressed. He was
r shrewd old man and foresaw that sine
he had the disposition of his daugh
! ter's hand the burden of decision
would fall upon him. and him alone
r 1t would avail nothing for the rival
L to fight each other for Hidegarde, be
4 cause the victor could not claim tn
i prize. The baron that same evenin
! called her into his cabinet and said:
Il "My daughter this rivalry that ha
i sprung up between Count Herbert Ba
l lenstcin and Baron Carl Steigler ma
result disastrously for us. II | Civ
] you to the count the baron. incensed
! will pick quarrel with me. and
! shall not he able to protect mysel
against him. If l give you to tn
I baron l shall have the same to fea
! from the count. l am thinking of solN
I ing the problem by sending you away.
Calm your fears. father If theS
! young men apply to you for my han
tell them that l alone will decide whic
] l will take for n husband; that yo
! have nothing to do with the matte
! will manage it so that neither wi
: have cause to be wroth with you
4 even with me, and yet l will MARI
Z the one want"
"Thcn YOU have q preferenceY'
! 81 have"
z as 1t the baron or the cWnt?"
Z ITO tell you that, dear father, wouI
3 not be wise. In fact, you must reve
\ to no one that have already chosen
y Very well, my daughter, | SINGER
s ly hope that you may succeed in aver
8 ing catastrophe"
Z With that he kissed his daughter AT
4 she returned to her apartments.
] The very next morning Count He
Z bert rode into the castle courtyard al
: asked to see the baron. He was a.
: mitted to the old mans presence al
: made formal application for Hid
: garde's hand. He was evidently AVA
: that his rival would make the san
! demand and showed a certain irrit
n ton. He did not say that he Won
n not be refused, but his manner co
g veyed that impression When he w;
81 informed that Hildegarde Won