The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1850-10-29
From Sharpe's Magazine.
The Wife of Kong Tolv.*
AFAIRY TALE OF SCANDINAVIA.
TCoNCLutED.1
Y THE AUTHOR "co1A MoSr1." +"

The mortal maiden became the Ellie |
kings bride, and lived in the hill for seven
long years; at least, so they seemed in El-
finland, where time passes like the passing
of strain cf music, that dies but to be A.
gain renewed. Little thought had she of the
world above ground for in the hill-palace
was continual pleasure, and magnifccnce
without end. No remembrance of lost kin
dred troubled her, for she sat in the Dron-
ningstolen and all the elfn people bowed
down before the wife of the mighty Kong
Tolv.
She might have lived so always, with no
desire ever to 90 back. to earth, save that
one day she saw trickling down through the
palace roof a pcary stream, The elves
fled away, for they said il was some mortal
weeping on the grassy hill overhead. But
Hyd-eda staid and looked on until the
stream settled into clear, pellucid pool
A sweet mirror it made, and the IIill-king's
bride ever loved to sec her own beauty. So
she went and gazed down into the shining
water.
There she bcheld-not the image of the
elfn-quccn, but of the peasant maid, with
her mantle of crimson wool, her coarse dress
and her blacl, crucifx. She turned away
in disgust, but soon her people brought her
elfn mirrors, wherein she could see her pres
ent self goreeously clad, and thousand
times more fair. 1t kindlcd in her heart
proud desire.
She said to her lord, " Let me 60 back
for little while to my native village, and
my ancient home, that my show them all
my splcudor, aud my greatness. Let me
enter, sitting in my gilded chariot, with the
four white horses, and feel myself as queen.
like as the lady | once saw beneath the oak
wood"
Kong Toly laughed and asscnled. But"
he said "kccp thy own proud self the while
The first sigh, the first tcarand carry thee
back into the hill with shame"
SO Hyldreda left the fairy-palace, sweep
ing through the village, with a pageant wor-
thy queen. Thus in her haughtiness, af-
ter seven years had gone by, she came TO
her mothers door.
Seven years, none of which had cast one
shadow on the daughters beauty. But time
and grief together had bowed the mother
almost TO the verge Of the grave. The one
knew not the other, until little Rcsa came
between little Resa, who looked her sisters
olden self, blooming in the sweetness Of
seventeen. Nothing 10 her was the magnif.
iccDce of the beautiful guest she only saw
lIyldrcda, the lost and found.
"W here hast thou been 2" said the moth
er, doubtfuly, when in answer to all their
caresses, the stately lady only looked on
them with a proud smile; "Who gave thee
those grand dresses, and put the matron's
vail upon thy hair p
! am the IIill-king's wife said Hyldre-
da i dwell in gorgeous palace, and sit
on queens throne
God preserve thee answered the
mother. But Hyldreda turned away, for
Kong Tov had commanded her never to
hear or utter the holy Name. She began
to inquire about her long-forgottcn home,
but half carelessly, as if she had no interest
in it now.
'And who was it, the asked, that wept
on the hillside until the tears dropped
through, staining my palace walls?'
H. answered Resa, blushing and then
Hyldreda perceived that, young as she was,
the girl wore matron's head-tire Il, sitting
here with my babe, wept to think of my
poor sister who died long ago, and never
knew the sweetness of wifehood and mother
hood. And almost it erieved me to think
that my love had botled out the bitterness
Of her memory even from the heart of Es-
bern Lynge'
AT the name, proudly laughed the elder
sis er, Take thy husband, and be happy,
girl envy thee not am the wife of the
great IIill-king.'
And does thy lord love thee Does he
sit beside thee at eve, and let thee lean thy
tired head on bis breast,as Esbern does with
me ? And hast thou young children dane
ing about thy feet and little blue-eyed
one to creep doye-like to thy heart at nights
as mine does? Say, dear sister, art thou as
happy as ?
lIyldreds paused. Earh's sweet ties a.
rose before her, and The grandeur of her lot
seemed only loneliness. Forgetting her
lords command she sighed she even wert
one regretful tear and that moment in her
presence stood Kong Toly.
Kill me, but save my mother, my sister,
cried the wife, with broken heart. The
prayer was needless they saw not the Ellie
king, and he marked not them-hc only
bore away Hyldrcda, singing mockingly in
her car something of the same rhyme which
had bound her his:
Complainest thou here all drcary--
Camest thou not Of tliyself in the hill to mel
Aud stayest thou hero Thy lot to deploro
camest thou not Of myself in at my door =
When the mother and sister of Hyldreda
lifted up their eyes, they saw nothing but
a cloud of dust sweeping past the cot
tago'door they heard nothing but the an
cient eldcr-trce bowling aloud as its branch
es were tossed about in gust of wntry
wind.
Kong Toly took back TO the hill his NOR
tai bride. There be set her in a nnldnn