The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-04-19

ed loosely. trCDl his SHOULDERS. Ills
fine frsmeshowed to great advantage,
sheathed as it was in mail and plate;
and when, with oonsummate horse
manship, he caused his steed-a dark
roam, of great power and symmetry
to pass sideways along the arena SO
as to keep his front to the ladies' gal
tlery till he arrived beneath the
throne, and there halting made him
| stand motionless as O statute, while
he lowered his lance in knightly
homage to his imperial master and
the fair girl whose cognizance he
wore, the spectators were already
waxing vehement in their applause.
But when in the execution of these
manoehvres, it appeared that he bore.
no device on his shield, no plume on
his helmet, but in the centre of one
and on the crest of the other large
posy of fresh-gathered violets, the
enthusiasm, particularly amongst the
ladies, knew no bounds.
''He must win" said they. "He
shall win. He deserves to winl
Happy Clothildel How I wish I was
an ,archduchess! Such gallantryl
such delicacyl such romantic feeling!
And that lovely armor must have cost
kings ransom! Look at the velvet,
and that dehr horse! The. violets,
too, gathered this morning, with the
dew on them. How charming of
him! Did you ever? No! There
never was s1ch a knight as Otto, the
Alsatian, Landgtave of EhenheimW
At this juncture, when the senti-
ment of admiration was 'at its height,
and the last arrival was carrying all
before him, fresh flourish of
trumpets announced the appearance
of another competitor for the prize; !;
and 10! to the breathless astonish-
ment of every individual present,
there rode into the ists the exact
counterpart Of the magnificent Land
grave, SO completely in every respect
the double Of his predecessor, that
men looked agape In each others
faces as though doubling the evidence
of their senses. The same sfigure,
the same size, the same strohg grace
full seat In the. saddle, The burnish-
ed arInor was in1aid with the same
pattern, and covered with a velvet
surcoat of the very same shade. The
scarf appeared cut from the same
piece; the housings, nay, the very
charger beneath them, were identical
with the A1satian,s; and when the
rider; after performing precisely the
same eyolutions, lowered his lance,
and ranging up alongside of his pre-
decessor,' disclosed posy of violets
in the doss of the shield and another
in the crest of his helmet. the ladies
began to cross themselves and the
emperor turned pale, and bethought
him of his sins and the power of the
black art. Even amongst the re-
doubtable champions themselves
there were no small misgivings as to
the character of their new competitor.
Count Schmarn, appealing at once to
his confessor, caused his armor to be
sprinkled with holy water on the
spot. Rodolph and Ehrenbreitstein
swore great oaths inside their
helmets, the latter qualifying his inn
precautions with VOWS to his patron
saint. Kalbsbraten, whose gigantic
frame enclosed q superstitious mind,
trembled till his armor ratified again,
and was not restored till, raising his
vizor and calling for bowl of wine,
he had quaffed off that restorative at
draught. Only the Landgraye, if
he felt astonishment or alarm, suffer-
ed neither sentiment to appear; he
sat unmoved by the side of his double,
and the confused spectators began to
wonder which was which.
The heralds then proclaimed the
last conner as ."The Knight of the
Violet" In accordance with. the
usages of chivalry, he could not be
required to give any more explicit
account of himself, at least until the
conclusion of the tournament.
Knights were in the habit of making
such eccentric VOWS, and were alto
gether such mysterious characters,
that their laws invariably treated On
incOgnito with the strictest respect.
Perhaps Clothilde knew something
about it. She looked very pale and
anxious on the first appearance of
the new arrival; but when she had as
sured herself that he sat strong and
upright in his saddle, she seemed to
gather courage, and listened with
sufficient composure to the emperor's
expressions of curiosity and astonish-
ment. The hour of combat had now
arrived, the lists were closed. The
grand marshal made progress round
the arena. The emperor assumed
his warder. The ladies' tongues were
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