, 1874-02-01
THE LAST JEST OF E0LF.


lin this somewhat remarkable story several tncou-
sstenciea will present themselves to the critical reader
for which We hold ourselves In nowise responsible
At the limo the translator begs us to shit tbs
from his shoulders to those Of ono more capable
and deserving of beartng ito Peter Of GfAsou-
bury Il reverend gentleman, who has been dead some
four five oentnTiee whose indifferent Latin he has
translated literally in $3.50 English.-Ep.l
Laugh, kinds, lnushl Your lord has wodded
tho sweetest maiden under heaven; there is wine
enough to ewiu, in withal, and your new mis-
tress has brought to you me, EoK-the fool
Eolf, who knows not what heaviness OF heart
means, who never felt a sorrow, or yeArned
hopclessly for anything. Be merry and glad,
for you are to serve the sweetest, gentlcst.
kndcst, fa1rest lady that ever breathed. Mind
it is tell You this; I, who have
KNOWN nEn ALL NY LIFE.
Ay, that's right, laugh. It's my humor to look
Co. ! warrant you never saW another young
stripping Of Is with conical old face like mine.
Yet tell you tin true that hayo known the
Lady Edith slnce was i child no higher than
this broken knee OF mine. And she has set me q
chair beside her at the wedding feast, and bid
den mo take of my motley dress aud be > fool
no moro No, no; you shall langh at her fool
before he lays aside his bells and his bauble.
There's music in tho bladder. Hark how tue
peas rattle, like teeth in IN empty skull. There's
nothing but joy in this house. Ha, ha, ha
Laugh, you dull gaping joltorhcads There is
no care in this world to-day. Fetch me horse
collar, nud I will show you faces in it
that when you sec your sides shall ache
with laughter. See here: would You think
4 man with = withered log could pitch +
summersault like that Look! I can hold
straws in tho furrows Of my checks SO, and
walk on my hands thus! Laugh, lauSht Why
do you stare at me Us though I were ghost
Have you never geon a merry fool before? Ha,
la, la!
LAUGH As DO;
SOC how the tears run down my checks with
gaiety; hear how mirsh chokes my voice. For
the lore OF fun tell me il these wrinkles
about my mouth don't betray my merrimont?
Bring me horn Of wine, and good stout rush
to lean upon, for die with laughter. Now will
tell you the merriest jest you ever heard.
Once upon 4 time, O lord and q lady lived in 3
brave castle on hill. But the castle was empty,
for tho noble pair had never 3 child, and they
needed but few servants to minister to their
few wants. They loved each other we'll. Both
felt tho want Of children, but most the lady TO-
grotted this childlessness; for tue lord had his
horses and his falcons for pets, and in hunting
and hawking with neighboEing lords he passed
his days pleasantly; but when her lord was ab-
sent the lady found nothing that she could lave,
and wandered through the empty rooms Of the
castle, tlinking how sweet it would bo to
SEE YOUNG FACES AND Cuu.DnES5 TOYS
in them. and to hear merry laughter and pleas
ant voices instead of the echo Of her own
football. She was happy when her
husband returned. and never told him Of her
yearning; but he, because he loved her, saw
a., Il, kr1a, ft4t rva1
One night he drew her On his knee, and said:
"Wife mine, tomorrow is thy birthday; what
shall give thee as q token of love. {"
And the lady kissed hun and said:
IT need no token. dear love. whilst thou art
with me-. want nothing that thou canst give"
and, indceu, fear that hound and hawk take
me too much from thee. will bring thes CO.
morrow
and thon shalt rear iii il as =. though it we're
thee, aud to me- too when grow
stay~at-hone. Tell me which It shall be- little
maid OF little man? For can make choice Of
either, and both are equally fair"
for she had little faith in strange child filling
the place in her heart that was vacant for one
that should be truly her own-Bhe accepted the
proposed gift, and said she would have the
child little maid. So the very next morning
the Earl Percy roda away to fetch his wife her
birthday gft.
Now shall make you laugh. A league from
the castle were two huts in 3 wood. III onellyed
Glib, who kept the lords horses, and in the otlaE
Daldcr. who managed tho hawks Now the 1ea-
son they
LIVED so TAR from THE CASTLE
was this: Bader's wife gaye lirtA to g daughter
every winter, and GIBBS wife gave birth to soa
every summer. Each child was gifted with
healthy lungs, and was six months before 1t tired
of exercising them; 30 that d continual
ono or the other of the fruitful servants homes.
1t was pleasing to the Lord when he first mar
ried tor he said to himself. ''Ah, presently
there shall DO such yelling in my nursery as
shan outshriek all this" but when year passed
and no whimper was heard In the castle. the
sound became hateful to him, and he bade Bal
der and Glib build themselves dwellings where
their progenies' ehriekB might DO unheard
Of mau. lie advised them to 60 into
the wood because Of the wolves; "for there, " he
said, If the children don't frighten tho wotyes
away-as suspect they will-tle wolves will cat
tlem SO any way this removal to the woods will
benefit mankind"
Tho lords anticipations wore correct; the
wolves disappeared from the woods The chill
drcn OF these two henchmen, al soon as
they were Of an asotodo anything beyond fright
eniug wolves,
Balder's daughters played the whole day long
with GIBBS sons. The two youngest, tied to one
post, sucked ono crust. and developed their
strength in acatheless combats, whilst the two
eldest wandered through woods and over heaths
bunting for BIRDS nests. and berrieB and flowers.
The girl vna now years old; her numo Was
Edith, md her companions name WAS Eolf--ah,
that Eolf was not ugly and broken as am, but
a bright. ginning haired youngster, with skin
CT mllk and teeth Of pearl. These two children
we're all in all to each other, and were neyer.sep-
arate. They were seldom at home. The hut
few charms for them, and their moth
ers had sufficient children to love- md cherish,
aud thrash without them, and indeed nere we'll
content to give them their share OF food and let
them take it to eat where they liked. Better
than the rangers
THEY KNEW THE WOODS
and what they contained. They made the ac-
quaiutance OF q feld-mouse. and cultivated 4
friendship with the interesting family contained
in her nest; and Edith took upon herself the
duties Of maternity to some orphan maGpies
whose mother Eoif had incontincntly slain.
They had castle in tho ruony branches of o
tree that was easy Of ascent to Edith-a sanctu-
ary whittier they could fly when anything like the
howl of wolf fell upon their ears. They had
q bower where they spent hours when the sun
wan high and hot and palace under rock