The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1850-09-07

named silent, oppressed by nameess awe IL
passed not, even when the chapel was reached,
and ityldreda knelt to pray. Above the sound
81 the hymn she heard the rayshing music of the
leaves m the oak wood and instead d. the priest,
she seemed to behold the two dazzling forms
which had sat side by side in the golden chariot
#. When the service was ended and all went
homewards, she fingered under the trees where
the VISION, or reality, whichever it was, had met
her sight half longing FORTS temperance But
her mother whispered some thing TO Esbern and
they hurried Ilyldrcda away.
She laid aside her Sunday mantle, the scarlet
wooi Of which to SPIN weave aud fashion, had
cost her a world Of pains How coarse and ugly
1t seemed She threw it Contempnously aside,
and thought how bcauti'ul looked the purple TO.
bed lady, who was SO like herself
Aud why should not be q, fair as She /
should it were only dressed as fine Heaven
might rs well have made me lady instead Of Il
poor peasant girl
These repinings entered the younger heart hlh.
erto so pure and happy. They haunted her even
when she reiuincd her mother, Resa, and Esbcrn
Lyhge. She prepared the noon day meal, bat
her step was heavy aud her hand unwilling. The
I fare seemed coarse. the cottage looked dark and
! poor She wondered what sort Of n palace home
was that owned by thebeautifu lady and wheth.
or the king, if king the stranger We're presided at
! his banquet table n awkwarcily rs did Esbcrn
! Lynge al the mean board here
At the twilight, llvldrcda did not steal out as
usual TO talk with her lover beneath the rose
porch. She went and hid hersclfout of his sight,
unter the branches Of the great elder tree, which
to her had always a strange charm. perhaps be-
cause IT was the spot ofall Others where she was
| forbidden to STAY However this ,av Hyldrcda
hsF,., q, l..1l
woman whose will was free.
She sat under the dreamy darkness of the hea.
W foliage. It's faint. sirklv odor oyerpowcrcd
her like a spell Even the white punches Of cl-
der flowers seemed to grow alive in the twilight,
and to change into faces, looking Mt her whittier
soever She TUNED. She shut her eyes and tried
to summon bacl; the phantom Of the golden char
lot and especially of the king.like man who sat
inside. Scarce had she seen him clearly. but she
felt he looked like u king. If wishing could bring
TO her so glorious n fortune, she would almost
like to have, in additonto the splcndor, Of arich
dress and grand palaces, such a noble. looking
man for her lord and husband
And the poor maiden was rudelv wakencl
from her dream by feeling on her delicate shuul.
ders the two heavy hands Of Esbern Lvnge.
! llaughty she shook them off Alas he. low.
ing her so much had ever been lightly loved in
return to-day he was not loved at ALL lie came
at an i'll time, for the moment his hand put aside
the elder branches all the dazz inc flncie. Of his
berothed vanished in the air. He came, too
with an i'll wooiug for he imporel her 10 trle no
more but to fulfil her mothers hope and his and
enter as mistress at the little blarksmith's forge.
She who had lust been dreaminl, Of n ualace
home, Not word she answered at first. and
then cold cruel words. worse than silence. So Is
l horn ln 1 !
youth. and thought it shame to be rnocked by a
girls light tongue, left her there and went away.
not angry, but sonowiul.
! Little Resa came to summon her sister. But
! llyldreda trcmblcd before the gathering storm
for widow Kahn, though tender mother, was
one who well knew how TO rule Her loul &C..
we're voice already warned the girl Of the reprooi
that was coming. To avoid it only fir little
until her own proud spirit was calmcd, IIyllrcdl
told Resa that She would not come in until after
she had taken 4 little walk down the moonlight
road. As she passed from under the elder tree
she heard a voice like her mothers aud vet not
her mother's-no, it could never be, for il Shout
ed after her
Come now, or come no morcr
1 Some evil impulse goadcd the naughty girl tt
assert her wonnnly right Of free action. and she
passed from her home, flying with swift steps
little, only a little absence to show her ind-
nant pride, and she would be back again to heal
NIL strife, Nevertheless ere she was aware, llyl
dreda had reached the oak wood beneath which
she had seen the mornings bewilderng sight.
! And there again, brighter in the moonlight than
it had ever seemed in the day. came sweeping by
the stately pageant. Its torches flung red ,had.
ows on the trees its wheels rcSoundcd through the
nights quiet with music rs Of silver bells And
sitting in his state alone grand but smiling, was
the lord of all this splendor.
Tie chariot stopped, and he dismountcd Then
the whole train vanished and, shorn Of all his go
rles, except a certain brightness which his very
/ presence seemed to shed, the king, If he were in
deed such, stood beside the trembling peasant
maid.
He did not address her, but looked in her facC
inquirlngly, until llyldreda felt herself forced to
be the first 10 speak.
My lord, who art thou, and what is thy will
with met
lie smiled. Thanks gentle maiden, for thy
question has taken oft the spell. Otherwise it
could not be broken even by Kong Tov.'
Hyldreda shudiered with fear Her fingers
tried to seize the cross which always lays on her
breast, but no she had thrown aside the coarse
black wooden cruciiy, while dreaming of orna
! n,pnta pf trpll Anil W 81 lpl,n'- Iv, pul