the loyal knight, released him and did honor
him greatly. And how this noble knight, my father's ancestor, followed
the Emperor Frederick to the Holy Land and fought the Saracens. "And,"
added I, "my father's great book of heraldry contains the legend of the
curse which fell on our house through the villainy of the Imperial
Grand Chancellor of Blazonry, who was commanded to devise and procure a
brand new heraldic escutcheon for our family.

"He blazoned our shield with the ominous motto, 'in der fix, Haben
nix,' over gules d'or on a stony field, which was sown to a harvest of
tares and oats, and embossed with a whirlwind rampant. As they were in
knightly honor bound to live up to the motto on their shield, my
ancestor were doomed to remain poor forever. At last they took service
with the free city of Hamburg, where they settled finally and became
honored citizens."

Happening to remember my mother's admonishment not to annoy people with
too much talk, I apologized to the young ladies. Smilingly, they begged
me to continue, for they seemed to enjoy my boyish prattle.

"Listen, now, girls," said Rose laughingly to her companions, "now, I
shall make him open his mother's closet and show us her choicest family
skeleton." "Oh, no, Miss Rose," I protested, "my mother has indeed a
great closet, but it is full of good things to eat and contains no
skeletons." "You little goosie-gander; you don't understand," replied
Miss Rose; "I was only joking. Of course your mother kept the door
carefully locked to keep you boys from foraging?" "No madame," said I,
"it was not necessary to lock the door." "Did she keep a guard, then?"
said Rose. "Oh, yes," I replied, "and it was very hard to pass in
without being knocked down." "Was it a man?" she asked mischievously.
"Why, yes; mamma kept a strong, old Limburger right behind the door," I
said.

When the girls had ceased laughing, Rose said, "What did your mother
tell you when you left for America?" "My mother," I answered, "implored
me with tearful eyes to ever remember how my father's
great-great-grandmother Brunhilde (who was exceedingly beautiful) was
enticed into the depths of a dark forest by a wily, old German King.
Indiscreetly and unsuspectingly she followed him. There clandestinely
did he favor her graciously by adding a bar sinister to our knightly
escutcheon and a strain of the blood royal to our family. This happened
long, long ago in the dark ages or some other dark place-