Amy Neally

On Monday, Mr. and Mrs. Winter and the girls said "good-bye" to Mr. and Mrs. Ford and started for Cologne in the gayest of spirits.

The trip was found very interesting, as they followed the Meuse River a great deal of the way. Between LiÈge and Verviers the country was wonderfully picturesque, with the pretty winding river, which they continually crossed, and little villages with the mountains in the distance.

The Meuse has been called the miniature Rhine.

Verviers is the last Belgian station, and Aix-la-Chapelle is the first town of much interest in Germany.

From the train there was an excellent view of the city, which has seen many changes since it was the favorite home of Charlemagne.

COLOGNE CATHEDRAL.

For more than three centuries the German emperors were crowned there.

It was growing dark as Cologne was reached, but the girls, knowing the cathedral was near the station, hurried outside to see it, and how wonderfully high and beautiful the noble great spires looked in the twilight no one can imagine who has never seen them.

Tuesday morning was spent in visiting the Church of St. Ursula (which is reputed to hold the bones of eleven thousand virgins martyred by the Huns) and the cathedral.

An excellent guide showed our party around, and pointed out the beautiful windows which King Ludwig presented, costing eighteen thousand pounds, English money.

The late King Frederick gave one elegant window, at the end opposite the entrance.

On one side of the building were windows made by Albert DÜrer, considered Germany's greatest artist.

A large gold cross, presented by Marie de Medici, and costing an enormous sum of money, Alice thought was more beautiful than the windows.

On the way back to the hotel they met a company of soldiers who were singing as they marched along. It seemed very inspiring.

Wednesday morning this happy party took the train for Mayence up the Rhine, as the boats, they found, were not yet running.

Alice and Nellie had been reading up the legends of the Rhine, and could hardly wait to see its beauties and wonders. The Rhine was not reached until after leaving Bonn. The scenery was so pretty they did not miss the river views.

In full view of the train was the famous avenue of horse-chestnuts, three-quarters of a mile in length. There is a large university at Bonn, and many other schools. As many of the students in their different costumes came to the station and walked up and down the platform to show themselves, the girls were very much amused.

The city is also noted as being the birthplace of Beethoven.

As soon as Bonn was out of sight, the river was beside them. At first the entire party were disappointed, the river seemed so quiet, narrow, and sluggish, compared to the rivers at home.

However, that was soon forgotten as its beauties grew upon them.

They soon saw the Seven Mountains coming into view, and wished they could stay over one night to see the sun rise from the top.

Mr. Winter felt he must hurry on, as they had spent so much time in Brussels, and see all they could from the train.

At Oberwinter, where there is the finest view down the Rhine, all the party looked back to see it.

Coblence was the next large town, and the situation is beautiful, as it is at the confluence of the Rhine and the Moselle, with the strong fortifications opposite, the Castle of Ehrenbreitstein, often called the Gibraltar of the Rhine.

Just after leaving Coblence they saw two castles, one the royal castle of Stolzenfels on its "proud rock," more than four hundred feet above the river. It was destroyed by the French in the seventeenth century, but is now completely restored.

The other castle is directly opposite, above the mouth of the Lahn river, is called the Castle of Lahneck, and has been lately restored. Alice knew the legend of this castle, and told it to the rest of the party.

"It was here, in the beginning of the fourteenth century, that the order of Knights Templars, which had been founded for religious purposes chiefly, was severely persecuted by Philippe le Beau of France and Pope ClementV.

"After many vicissitudes there was a long and desperate siege, in which all the knights fell except one man. He held the commander at bay, who was so overpowered by the knight's bravery he offered him life and liberty if he would stop fighting and beg for mercy.

"The templar's only answer was to throw his spear among the soldiers, and then was killed by throwing himself on their lances."

Boppart was the next town of any interest, it being a walled town of Roman origin.

The wall had crumbled away in many places, and houses had been built on the ruins.

On the opposite side of the river was Bornhoffen, with its twin castles of Sternberg and Liebenstein, or "The Brothers."

Mr. Winter told this legend, which runs that once a rich knight, with his two sons and one daughter, lived there, and were very rich in gold and lands, which the old knight had gained through wrong and robbery. All his neighbors felt sure that such ill-gotten wealth would bring him anything but blessings.

The brothers inherited the avarice of the father; but the sister was lovely and gentle, like her mother. When the father died the brothers gave their sister much less than a third of the property. She gave hers to the cause of religion and went into a convent.

The brothers, disappointed, disputed over their share, and at last fell in love with the same maiden, who did not hesitate to flirt with both and increase their jealousy. They finally fought and killed each other.

Just as Mr. Winter finished his story, the guard of the train put his head into the car window, to say that the Lorely rock was nearly in sight.