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Show (Copyright. 1898, 1900, by B. It Crockett) , CHAPTER I. ' The Hall of the Guard. Loud rang the laughter In the hnll of tho mon-at-arms at CaBtlo Kerns-berg. Kerns-berg. Thero had como an embassy from tho hereditary Princess of Plnss-enburg, Plnss-enburg, recently established upon tho throno of her ancestors, to the Duchess Duch-ess Joan of Hohensteln, ruler of that cluster of hill statelets which Is called collectively Masurcnland, and which Includes, besides Hohensteln, tho original Eaglo's Eyrlo, Kernswnld also, and Marlcnfeld. Above, In tho hall of audience, tho ambassador, ono Leopold von Des-sauer, Des-sauer, a great lord and most learned councillor of state, sat.alone with tho young duchess. They were eating at the baked' meats and drinking tho good Ilhonlsh up there. But, after all, it was much merrier down below with Werner von Orscln, Alt Plkkcr, Peter Balta, and John of Thorn, though what they ato was mostly but plain ox-flesh, and their drink tho strong alo native to the hill lands, which Is called Wen dish mead. "Oct you down, Captains Jorlan and Boris," tho young duchess had commanded, com-manded, looking very handsome and haughty In tho prldo of her twenty-one twenty-one years, her olght strong castles, and her two thousand men ready to rise at her word; "down to tho hall, where my officers send round tho wassail. was-sail. If they do not treat you well, o'en como up and tell it to mo." "Good!" had responded tho two soldiers sol-diers of tho Princess of Plassonburg, turning them about as' If they had been hinged on tho samo stick, and starting forward with precisely tho shnme stiff hitch from the halt, they rando for tho door. V "But stay," Joan of Hohensteln had said, ero thoy reached It, "hero aro a couplo of rings. My father left me one or two such. Fit them upon your fingers and when you return glyo them to tho maidens of your, choice." And with their rings upon their little lit-tle fingers tho two burly captains went down tho narrow stair of Castlo Kernsherg. Being arrived at tho hall beneath' they toon found themselves tho center of a hospltablo circle. Gruff, bearded Wondlsh men were thoso officers of-ficers of tho young duchess; not a butterfly youngling nor a courtly carpet car-pet knight among them, but men tanned tan-ned Hko shlpmcn of the Baltic, solars sol-ars mostly who had served, under hu'r father Henry, foraging upon occasion occa-sion ns far as the Mark. In ono direction direc-tion and into Dor-Russia In tho other, men grounded and compacted after tho hearts of Jorlan and Boris. It was small wonder that among such congenial society tho ox-men-at-nrms found themselves presently vory much at home. Scarcely wero thoy sented whon Jorlan began to brag of tho gift tho duchess had, given him for tho maiden of his troth. VAnd Boris hero, that hulking co-bold, co-bold, that Hans Klapper upon tho housetops, had woll-nlgh spoiled tho jest; for when 'her ladyship askedihlm a second tlmo in her sweet vdlco for tho namo of his 'betrothed,' ho must needs lay his tonguo to 'arotchou,' Instead of 'Katrln,' as he had done at tho first!" Werner von Orseln, tho eldest and gravest of all, glanced round tho full clrclo of his mess. Then ho looked back at tho two captains of tho om-bassy om-bassy guard of Plassenburg with a pitying glance. "And you. lied about, your sweet-hearts sweet-hearts to the Duchess Joan" he said. "Ha, ha! Yes! I trow yes," quoth Jorlan Jovially. "Wlno may be dear, ' MM' (1 "But stay," Joan of Hohensteln had " eald. but this ring will pay tho sweets of many a night!" , tl "Ha, ha! It will, will It" said Wer-ner, Wer-ner, the chlof captain, grimly. "Ayo, truly," echoed Boris, Uio mead beginning to work nuttlly under bis ste61 cap, "whon wo molt this ha, ha! Katrln's Jowel, we'll quaff many' n beaker, 'Tho Rhenish" shnll flow. And Peg and Moll and Ellsabot hall be thqro yes, and many a good follow" i. i ...'.'Shut tho door!" quoth Worner, tho chlof captain, at this point. "Sit down, gentlemen! Captains Jorlan and Boris, you do not seem to know that you aro. ng longor In Plassonburg. Hore aro no tables of Karl tho Mil-,Jer's Mil-,Jer's Son to hamper our llogo mistress. mis-tress. Do you know that you havo Ued to her and mado a Jest of It?" He spoke very bIowIj-, leaning to ward them and punctuating his meaning mean-ing upon tho palm of his left hand with tho fingers of his right. "If I, Werner of Orcein, wero now to walk upstairs, and In so many words tell my lady, 'the sweet, easy princess,' as you namo her, Joan of the Sword, as wo aro proud " "Joan of tho Swordl Hoch!" Tho men nt-arms at tho Ibwcr table, ,tho bearded captains nt tho high board, the very page boys lounging In tho niches, rose to their feet nt the very namo, pronounced In a voice of thundcr-prldo by Chief Cnptnln Wer-ner. Wer-ner. "I thank you, gentlemen, on behalf of my lady, In whose nnmo I command com-mand hero,' said Werner, bowing ceremoniously cere-moniously to hll nround, whllo tho others settled themselves to listen. "Now, worthy soldiers of Plassonburg," Plasson-burg," ho went on, "be It known to you that If (to suppose a caso which will not happen) I wero to tell our Lady Joan what you have confessed to us hero and boasted of that you lied and doublo lied to her I lnymy llfo and tho lives of these good fellows fel-lows that tho pair of you would bo aswlng from tho corner gallery of tho Lion's Tower In something tinder five minutes." Jorlan roso to his feet. "Up, Boris I" ho cried; "no-Bor-Ilussian, no korn of Hohensteln that over lived, shall overcrow over-crow a c'aitafri of the" armies of Plassenburg Plas-senburg and a soldier of the Princess Heleno Heaven bless her. Talto your ring In your hand. Boris, for wo will go up straightway, you and I. And wo will toll the Lady Duchess Joan that, having no sweotheart of legal standing, and no desire for any, wo choused hor Into tho belief that wo would bestow her rings upon our bo-trothod bo-trothod In tho roso gardens of Plassonburg. Plas-sonburg. Then wo will seo if Indood wo shall bo nswlng In flvo minutes. Beady, Boris?" "Aye, thrlco rendy, .Jorlan I" "About then! Quick march!" A great nolso of clapping roso all round' tho hall as tho two stout soldiers sol-diers set themselves to march up tho stalrcaso by which thoy had Just descended. des-cended. , .rM "Standitp tho doors!" cried Werner, tho chlof 'captain, "do not let them pass. Stand up and drink a deop cup to thorn, gather! To Captains .Jorlan, nnd Boris 'of Plassenburg. bravo follows fol-lows both!" Tho toast was drunk amid multitudinous multi-tudinous shoutings and handshakings. Tho two men had stopped perforco, for tho doors wero in tho hands of tho soldiers of tho guard, and tho plko points, clustered thick In their paths Thoy turned now In tho direction of tho high tablo" from which thoy had risen. "Sit rdown, gcntlomon, and I also will sit. Now hearken well," said Werner; "theso good fellows of mine will bear mo out that I Ho not. You havo dono bravely and spoken up like good men tnkon In a fault. But wo will not pormlt you to go to your donths. For our Lady Joan God bless hor woujd not lake a false word from any'-no, not If It woro on Twelfth Night or aftor a Christmas merry-making. Sho would not forgive it from your old Longbeard upstairs, whoso business It Is that is. It sho found it out. "To tho gallowsP sho would say, and wo why, we should sorrow for having to hasten tho stretchings of two good men. Keep your rings, lads, and keep also your wits about you when tho duchess questions you again. Nay, when' "you return W Plassenburg, bo wise; seek out a Oretchen and a Katrln and bestow be-stow tho rings upon them that Is, If over you mean again to stand within the danger of Joan of tho Sword In this hor castlo of Kernsberg!" "Grctchcns aro nono so scarce In Plassonburg," muttered Jorlan. "I think wo enn Batlsfy her but at n cheaper prlco than a ring of rubles set In gold!" CHAPTER II. The Baiting of the Sparhawk. "Brine In' tho Danish Sparhawk, and wo will bait him!" said Wornor. "Wo havo Bhown our guests a poor on-tortnlnmcnt. on-tortnlnmcnt. Bring In tho Sparhawk, I say!" Through tho black oblong of tho dungeon doorway thero camo a lad of seventeen or eighteen, tall, slim, dark-browed, limber. Ho walked be-tweon be-tweon two men-at-arms, who hold hi? rlsts firmly on either side. His hands woro chained togother, and from between be-tween them dangled a spiked ball that clanked heavily on tho floor as ho stumbled forward rather than wnlkcd Into tho room. Ho had black hair that waved from his forohead In a backward sweep, a noso of slightly Roman shapo, which, together with his bold eaglo's eyes, had obtained him the namo of tho Spar or Sparrow-hawk. Sparrow-hawk. Wernor von Orsoln turned to his gucuis and, said, "Tills Sparhawk In llttlo Dano wo took on our last fo, to the north. It Is only in that d - tlon wo can. lend tho .foray, since ou hnvo gron bo law-abiding and strong In Plassenburg and tho Mark.. HI unclos worq all killed In tho defense of Castlo Lynar, on tho Northern Halt. We know 'npt which of these had also tho claim of fatherhood upon him. At all ovents, his grandad had a manor man-or there, nnd camo from the Jutland sand-dunes to build a castlo upon tho Baltic shores. But ho had hotter havo stayed nt homo', for he would not pay tho Poaro Geld to our Henry, Bo the Ltea roaiao, pjig went to Castle' Lynar and mado an end save of this spitting Sparhawk, whom our master would not lot us kill, nnd whom now we keep with cllpppd wings for our sport." Tho lad listened with erected head and haughty eyes to the tale, but' answered not a word. "Now," cried Werner, with his cup, In his hand nnd his brows bent upon tho youth, "dance for us as you used upon tho Baltic, when tho maids camo In fresh from their tiring and tho nowost klrtlcs wero donned. Dance, 1 sayl Foot it for your life!" Tho lad Maurice von Lynar stood with his bold eyes upon his tormentors. torment-ors. "Curs of Bor-BusBla," he said nt last, In ..speech that trembled with nngor, "you tnay vex tho soul of, a Danish gentleman, with ' your nsper-' Blons, you may wound his bbdy, bill you will nover bo able to stand up to him In battle. You will r.evcF bo worthy to eat or- drink with him, to take his hand In comradeship, or to ride n' tilt with him. Pigs of tho BtJ' you are, man by man of you Wends nnd boors, nnd no king's gentlemen!" "Hans Trcnck, lift this isprlngald's" pretty wrist-bauble!" Bald Werner. At the word tho- man laid down his partisan nnd lifted the ball high bej tween his two hands. v "Now dance!" commanded JWcrner "PlgB of the ity you are man by, man of you!" von Orseln, "danco tho Danish milkmaid's milk-maid's coranto, or I will bid them drop It on your toes. Dost want them Jellied, man?" ' "Drop, and bo cursed In your lowborn low-born souls I" cried the lad fiercely. "Untruss my hands and let me loose with a sword and, ten yards clear ou tho floor and, by Saint Magnus of tho Isles, I will disembowel any three of you!" "You will not danco?" Bald Werner, nodding at him. "I will seo, you fry in hell flro first!" VDown With tho ball, Hans Trenck!" cried Werner. "Ho that will not danco at Castlo Kcrnsdorf must lenrn nt least tn Jumpi" "'Waro toes, Sparhawk!" cried tho soldiers In chorus, but at that moment, mo-ment, suddenly kicking out as far ns his chains allowed, tho hoy took tho stooping lout on the faco, and Incontinently In-continently widened tho superficial nrea of his mouth. Ho went ovor on his back amid tho uproarious laughtor of his fellows. Tho fellow rose, spluttering angrily. an-grily. "Hold his legs, somo ono," ho said, "I'll mark his pretty feet for him. He shall not kick bo free another tlmo." A couplo of his companions took hold of tho boy on either sldo, so that ho could, not movo. his limbs, and Hans again' lifted high' tho ball. -"Now, then, for .marrow nd. mashed trottorsl"'ho cried, spitting' tho blood from tho split cornors of his mouth, ti "Halt!" ' (To bo continued.) |