Part 35 (1/2)

The lamps of the stars shi+ne above thee As they shone when the vineyards were green, In the long vanished days of the palgrave, In the days of the palgravine

Play lightly, thy life tides are flowing, Thy fate in the palgrave's recall, For the lights have gone out in the castle, The lights have gone out in the hall

And the Rhine waters silently flow, And the old bells ring solehtly, O boat devoted to the Bells on the Rhine were closed by a story by Master Lewis

”I do not often relate stories,” he said; ”but I have a German story in mind, the lesson of which has been helpful to end and a superstition, and one that is not as generally familiar to the readers of popular books as are s I think you will like it, and that you will not soon forget it”

”TO-MORROW”

Once-- Ger to the Middle Rhine His journey was ian Forest

He rested one night at the old walled town of Saalfeld, visited the ruins of Sorenburg, and entered one of the ancient roads then greatly frequented, but less used now, on account of the shorter and swifter avenues of travel

Towards evening he ascended a hill, and, looking doas surprised to discover a quaint town at the foot, of which he had never heard

It was su down, and the tree-tops of the vast forests, entle wind, seemed like the waves of the wide sea Lek was a lover of the beautiful expressions of Nature, of the poetry of the forests, hills, and strea tree, to see the sunset flame and fade, and the far horizons sink into the shadows and disappear

”I have e town below ht there I see that it has a church and an inn”

Lek had travelled much over Germany, but he had never before seen a town like the one below hiht look that had re out fro; but it was unlike any of modern times, national or provincial

The fires of sunset died away; clouds, like smoke, rose above theathered up his bundles, and descended the hill towards the town As he was hurrying onward heer Lek asked hier looked at him sadly and with surprise, and answered in a dialect that he did not wholly understand; but he guessed at the last words, and rightly

”Why do you wish to know?”

”I am a traveller,” answered Lek, ”and I must remain there until to- up his hands ”To- to himself, ”there is no to-morrow I e on the outskirts of the town, leaving Lek to wonder what his mysterious answer could mean

[Illustration: OLD PEASANT COSTUME]

Lek entered the town The people were strange to him; every one see rapidly, like travellers when taking leave of their friends for a long journey

Indeed, so earnest were their words that they seemed hardly to notice him at all

He presentlythe shadowy street

[Illustration: THE OLD CITY]

”Is this the way to the inn?” he asked