Cincinnati Daily Press

Reissenstein.

Upon a certain mountain in Wurtemberg there stands a castle called Reissenstein, which belongs now to the "Helfensteiners." It lies upon steep cliffs, far up among clouds and storms. Just opposite to this castle and upon another mountain, on which the Hemenstein castle stands, is a grotto, and there, ages ago, lived a giant. He had a great deal of money, and might have lived contented and happy, if there had only been other giants and giantesses. It occurred to him one day that he would build himself a castle, such as the knights had, and the cliffs opposite seemed to him just the place for it. But he himself was a bad workman; he dug out with his nails rocks as high as houses, and placed them one upon another; but they always fell down again, and never became a castle. So he seated himself on a rock, and called down into a valley below for workmen; carpenters, masons, stone-cutters, lock-smiths, must all come and help him, and he would pay them well. His cry was heard through all the land of Swabia, from Kocher to Lake Constance, and from the Neckar to the Donau, and from every direction, master-workmen and journeymen came to build a castle for the giant. It was droll to see how he sat in the sunshine before his grotto, and watched the work going on upon the cliffs. The masters and journeymen were very industrious, and followed the directions which he called to them over the valley. They had all kinds of jests and sport with one another about the giant who knew nothing about building. At last the castle was done, and the giant went in and looked out of the highest window down into the valley upon the workmen who had collected there. But on looking up he became very angry, for the men had sworn that everything was done, and there, on the very window by which he stood, one nail was wanted. The builders apologized, saying that no one would trust himself to sit out of the window in the air to drive it in. The giant would not listen to them, but insisted that they should not have one cent of pay until the nail was driven in. So they all entered the Castle, but when they came to the upper window, and looked out into the air, and down into the valley which lay so far below, and nothing but rocks about them, they shook their heads and walked away. The master offered ten-fold reward to whoever would venture, yet none could be found. Now, there was among them a brave locksmith, who loved the daughter of his master, and she loved him, too, but the father was a hard man, and would not give her to him as his wife, because he was poor. This lad took courage, and thought he might earn his treasure or die, for life was sad to him without her. He stepped up to his master, her father, and said: "Will you give your daughter if I drive in the nail?" The father said "yes," thinking that the boy would surely fall upon the rocks and kill himself, and in this way he would be forever rid of him. The courageous youth took the nail and hammer, uttered a short prayer, and started for the window. The workmen raised a cry of joy, which awoke the giant, who asked what was the matter. When he heard that some one had been found to drive the nail, he looked at the young locksmith, and said: "You are a brave lad, and have more heart than that rabble there; come, I will help you." Then he took him by the neck so that he shuddered through marrow and bone, and lifted him to the window, and said: "Now hammer away—I won't let you fall." The boy drove the nail into the stone, and made it firm, while the giant stroked and kissed him until he almost killed him, and leading him to the foreman, he spoke thus: "Give him your daughter." Then going to his grotto, he brought forth a bag of money, and paid each one in farthings and pence. Finally he came to the brave locksmith, to whom he said: "Now go home, thou noble fellow; get thy master's daughter, and bring her to this castle, for it is thine."—The Century.