The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1850-09-07
From Shlrpe's Magazine.
The Wife of Kong TOlv,"
PARRY TALE OF SCANDINAVIA
pY 1uG AuuIoR OF COLA MoNII.'

! lhIlEspA KAHN stood Mt the door of her cot
tagc, and looked abroad into the qu'etness Of the
Sabbath morn The village Of Skiclskor lay at
n little distance down the vale, lighted by the
sunshine ola Zealand summer, which though brief,
/, glowing and lovely rs that Of the south llyl-
I drcda had looked for seventeen years upon this
beautiful scene, the place where she was born.
Sunday after Sunday She had stood thus and lis
tened for the distant tukle of the church bell.
A stranger passing BY might have said how
lovely are her face and form; but the widowed
mother, whose sole stay she was, and the little
delicate sister wholad been her darling from the
cradle would have answered, that if none were
so fair, none were likewise good IA Iydreda
and that all the village knew If She did love to
bestow greater taste and care on her Sunday gar
meuts than most young damsels Of her class, she
had rght-ior was She not beautiful as any la
dyi And did not the eyes Of Esbern Lynge say
So when week after week, he came up the h.lly
road, and descending again to the chapel, support
ing the feeble mothers slow steps. anl watching
his bctro,hcd as she bounded on before, with lit
tie Rc-a IL her hand
/ is Esbern coming said the mothers voice
within,
| i know mott did not look answered IIyldre-
da, with grlish wfulness. Il saw only the sun
shining ON the river, aud the oak wood waving in
the breczr'
Look down the road, child the time passes.
Go quickly
She i. gone already said Rcsa, laughing mcr.
ry. She i, standing under the great elder tree
to wait for E,bcrn Lynge.'
Call her back-call her back cried the moth.
er anNiou,ly To stand beneath an elder tree,
and this night will be st Johns Eve, On sun
day, too and she Sunday child Call her, quick.
ly, Rcsa'
The little chili lifted up her voice, 1Iyd--'
Not her name-uttcr not her namel' And
the widow Kahn went ON mutteriug 10 herself
Perhaps the llyldcmoert will not have heard
Alas thc day when my child was BON under
an elder tree, and |, poor desOlate mother was
terrified into giving my babe that name Great
liyldcmocr, he propItiated Holy Virgin = and
the widows prayer became a curious miugliny of
superstition and piety. Blessed Mary let not
the elves have power over my child! Have
not kept her heart from evil! Does not the holy
cross lie ON her pure breast day and nights Do
not lead her every Sunday, winter and summer
in storm, sunshine or snow, to the chapel in the
I valley! And this day will say for her doub.
lie prayer.
The mothers counted beads had scarce come
to an end when llyldreda stood by her side and,
/ following the lightiooted damsel came Esbcrn
Lyuge.
/ Child, why didst thou lirgcr under the tree
said the widow. 1T does not become n young
maiden to stand Haunting outside her door Who
vert thou watching 50 eagerlyF
1 Not thee, E,bcn' laughed the girl shaking
her head at her bctrothed, who iuterposcd with q
happy, conscious face i was looking at a grand
train that wound along the road, and thinking how
pleasant it would be to dress on a Sunday like
the lady Of the castle and rcclnc illy behind -four
pr"ncing horses instead Of trudging on IN these
clumsy shoes
/ The mother fgowned, and EsJern Lyngc looked
sorrowiul
/ I wish could give her all she longs for sigh
ed the young man, as they proceeded on their
way, hi duteous arm supporting the widow, while
Hydrcda and Rcsa went bounding onward before
them. She !, as beautiful as quecn-I would
I that could make her one
/ Wish rather Esbcrn, that Heaven nav make
her pious, lowly y-hedrtcd maid, aud, in good time
wife; that she may live in humility aud con
tent and die in peace among her own people.
/ E,h.rn said nothing-he could not think OF
death and htr together So he and the widow
I Kahn walked on silently and 50 slowly tha,
/ they soon lost sight ofthc two blithc sisters.
llyIdrcda was talking merrily of the grand
sigh, she had Just seen, and describing 10 little
.
glltctIng harness. oh but it was goodly train
as it swept down towurds the river Who knows
perhaps 1t may have been the king and queen
themselves
! No, said little Resa, rather fcariullv 'you know
Kong Tolvt never lets any mortal king pass the
| bridge Of Skielskor'
HOHg Ioig what more stories about Kong
Toly laughed the merry maiden. 4 never saw
him | wish could see him, for then might be.
lIeye in thy tales little one
Hush, hush But mother told me never to
speak Of these things 10 thee answered Resa
'un-ay the wish, or some harm may come
i care not who would heed these cin tales
on such - lovely dayi Look, Re-a, down that
sunny meadow, where there is cloud shadow
dancing on th, grass y strange cloud it is, too
/ lor it almost resembles human form.
/ Iti, Kong 'roy rolling himself in the sunshine,
cried the trembling child; look away, my sister
lest he should hear US,
! Again Nylircdls fearless laugh made music
/ through the still air aud She kept looking back
until they passed from the open road into the
gloom of the oak wood
1T i. strange that thou shouldst be so brave,
sNid Rr,a once more | trcmble at the very
thought Of the Elle-people Of whom our villagers
tell while thou hast not single fear. Why is it
sister :
1 know not, save that never yet feared any
thing answered Hyldrcda, carelessly. AS fol
Kong Tolv, let him come, care not
While she spoke, breeze swept through the
oak wood the trees began to bend their tops, and
the under branches We're stirred with lcaly muir
murings, as the young girl passed beneath She
lifted her fair face to meet them, All It's deli
cous, this soft scented wind it touches my face
like airy kisses; it makes the leaves seem To talb
to mc IN musical whispers. Dost thou not heai
Them too little Rcsa and dost thou not I
llydrcda suddenly stopped, aud gnded eager
~ down the road
Well sister, sail Rcsa what art dreaming o
now Come we shall be late at church. ant
mother will scold' Bu, the elder sister stood mo
lioness, How strange thine eyes look What
do,t thou see, HyldredaF
"Look--what is there
Nothing. but cloud of dust that the wind
sweeps forward, Stand back, sister, or it viii
blind thee
Still Hyldreda bent forward with admring
eyes, mutterng, oh the grand golden charig
with It's four beautiful white horses And there
in sits n man--srrey il is the king and the la
dy beside him is the queen. See, she turns
llyldrcda paused dumb with wonder iot, des
ntc tho furppous show Of ipwpllpl nitro she rn