ne knows it is one of
the most beautiful buildings in all Europe.

"Then he said she should also see the Church of Saint Ursula, where
the bones of the eleven thousand maidens can still be seen in their
glass cases."

"Do you know the story of St. Ursula, Gretchen?" asked her father.

"Yes, indeed, sir. Ursula was the daughter of an English king. She
was about to be married, but she said that before the wedding she
would go to Rome on a pilgrimage.

"Eleven thousand young girls went with the princess. On her way home
she was married, but when the wedding party had got as far as
Cologne, they were attacked by the savage Huns. Every one was
killed,--Ursula, her husband, and the eleven thousand maidens. The
church was afterward built in her memory. Ursula was made a saint by
the Pope, and the bones of the young girls were preserved in glass
cases in the church."

"Did Frau Braun tell of anything else her brother wrote?" asked her
mother.

"He spoke of the bridge of boats across the river, and said she would
enjoy watching it open and shut to let the steamers and big rafts
pass through. And he told of the Cologne water that is sold in so
many of the shops. It is hard to tell which makes the town most
famous, the great cathedral or the Cologne water."

"Father, how was the bridge of boats made?" asked Bertha.

"The boats were moored in a line across the river. Planks were then
laid across the tops and fastened upon them. Vessels cannot pass
under a bridge of this kind, so it has to be opened from time to
time. They say it is always interesting to see this done."

"Yes, Frau Braun said she would rather see the bridge of boats than
anything else in the city. She has already begun to plan how she can
save up enough money to make the trip."

"I will go over there to-morrow to see her new necklace," said
Bertha. "But what is amber, father?"

"If you should go to the northern part of Germany, Bertha, you would
see great numbers of men, women, and children, busy on the shores of
the ocean. The work is greatest in the rough days of autumn, when a
strong wind is blowing from the northeast.

"Then the men dress themselves as though they were going out into a
storm. They arm themselves with nets and plunge into the waves,
which are bringing treasure to the shore. It is the beautiful amber
we admire so much.

"The women and children are waiting on the sands, and as the men
bring in their nets, the conte