The daily Alaskan., 1917-04-16
assSS6sSSeoSSoS66S55S6S6St An Ingenious. Woman
 , A Story of the Days of
 WitChCraft.
By F. A. MITCHELL

Conrad who married a girl named Joan. They were yassals on the estate of baron who owned and ruled over great territory. The man and the woman were both poor, and their neighbors 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 a way so queer that some of them thought her demented. And yet her acts resulted to her bene' fit.
 One person, and one person alone came to understand her-her husband. Conrad was stupid man, and 1t Is likely this was the reason why he came to be an excellent auxiliary to bis wife, Having no ideas Of his own, he was readily recipient of hers. For ten years she kept installing her way of doing things into him, so that at last not only could she trust him to follow her lead, but at times to take the ini. tiatlve on her methods.
 There was much warfare in a small way in those days, attacks being made by one suzerain upon another In one of these incursions upon the domain of Baron EIginbrod, where Conrad and his wife lived, Count Hastings, the in Cursiouist, took Conrad away with him, having learned that he and his wife had accumulated money, and held his prisoner for ransom.
 Conrad was thrown into prison and told that he should stay there till he paid the ransom. He remained cap, tive some time, then sent word to his captor to say that If he would give him a messenger he would send him to his wife with an order to pay the ransom The count at once furnished the mes sengcr. and Conrad wrote the following message to Joan:
 | My Dear Wife-I wish you to pay the | ransom demanded by Count Hastings for l my release I will wait for you to do so for one week. One week from tonight II | I am not liberated l will hang myself in the chimney of the room where 1 am con fined Your loving husband, CONRAD.
 This letterwas submitted to the count who read 1t with satisfaction, flor, said he. If the woman is inclined to dicker 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 mandcd for the ransom.
 When the messenger delivered the note to Joan and she read her hus' bands threat tu hang himself she fell over in a faint The messenger did what he could to revive her and en. deavorcd to reassure her by pointing out the impOssIbility of the prisoner hanging himself in the chimney, since, in the first place, he had no rope, and, in the second place, even if he had there was nothing in the chimney to which he could attach a rope.
 This seemed to comfort Joan, and gathering her strength. she wrote her husband a note stating that she would be unable to raise the money required for the ransom in so short a time, but she would do so as soon as possible. She added a note begging him not to hang himself. thus deprlving her and the children of his care and the pleas ure of having him with them.
 The messenger went back to the count with loans letter, and 1t was read with satisfaction, for 1t was eYi- dent that she was so terrified at her husbands threat, notwithstanding tho 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 tue message was deliver ed to Conrad, who read It, 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 1? My wife has said that she might not be able to raise the money for my ransom so soon, but 1 am sure she will do so in time. l am aware that she must sell everything we have. including our home, to raise so large an amount and I 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 l should have to sit up and watch you tonight, and prefer to be asleep In my bed"
 So the jalier left his prisoner to eat his supper, and when he returned Con- rad was snoring loudly on bis cot The keeper went away satisfied that there was no danger of the prisoner cheat ing the count out of his ransom by kill ing himself, and he, too, betook him : A- u cnnn enOFinU