The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-09-18
THREE BEAUTIFUL PRINCEssEs

Early in his reign, AIohammed. O
Granada, had fouTal among the captive,
in one of his forays into the te ritor' e
of the Christians a Cam, ell of trar
scendent beauty. The fair captive, aud
the old duenna who had been taken witt
her, were consigned to the royal harem
and in due time the former made the
1 Moorish sovereign Called the left
handed king the proud end happy
| father of three lovely daughters, all
/ born at birth. Mohammed could have
/ wished they had been sons, but console ed
] himself with the idea that three
! daughters at a birth were pretty ell
| for a man somewhat stricken in years.
and left-handed. IS usual W n all
| AIoslem monarchs, he summoned his
astrologe& on this happy event. They
cast the nativities of the three princess
es, and shook their heads.
Daughters, o king !" said the sages,
are always precarious property; (; but
those viii most need your watchfulues
when they arrive at manageable
at that time gather them under your
wings, and trust them to 10 other
guardianship"
The threefoll birth was the last mat.
rimoDial trophy of the monarch his
queen died soon after, beGueathipg his
infant daughters to his love, and to the
was the name of the duenna.
Acting upon the advice of his astrolo-
eists, the cautious monarch sent his
daughters under the care of the Kadiga
to be reared in the castle of Salobrena.
This was q sumptuous palace surround
ed by strong fortiGcatiOns and situated
On the summit Of hill which overlooks
the blue waters of the Mediterranean
sea. Here the princesses remained,
surrounded by all kinds of luxuries and
amusements. Years rolled on smoothly
and serenely, the discreet Kadiga watch
ing her y pAcious charge with unremit-
ting care. At corner OF the garden
which clothed the side of the hill on
which the royal castle of Salobrena was
built, was a small watchtower, fitted up
as pavilion, with lauticed windows to
admit the sea-breeze. Here the prin-
cesses-whose names were .Zayda, 70
rayda, Zorahayda used to pass the
sultry hours of midday, taking their
siesta. or noontide slumber. Here, as
the sisters were one day inhaling the
healthful breezes waited over the azure
bosom of the Mediterranean, their at
tention was attracted by galley which
came cOasting along with measured
strokes of the oaN As it drew near
they observed that it was filed with
armed men. The galley anchored at
the foot of the tower in which they sat,
and a number of Moorish soldiers
landed on the narrow beach, conducting
several Christian a2risoners. The fair
! occupants of the toner peeped cautious
/ ly through the close jalousies of the
/ lattice, which screened them from sight,
and perceived among the prisoners three
| Spanish cavaliers, richly dressed. They
were IN the flower of youth, and of noble
| presence; and the lofty manner in which
1 they carried themselves, though loaded
with cl .ins, aud surrounded with ene-
mics, bespoke the grandeur of their
| souls. The princesses breathed with in
! tense and breathless interest. Cooped
up as they had been in this castle among
| female attendants, seeing nothing of tie
male sex bat black slaves, or the rude
| fishermen of the sea-eoast, it is not to
/ be wondered at that the appearance OF
three gallant cavaliers, in the pride OF
youth and manly beauty, should pro-
duce in their unsophisticated oosoms
sensations closely bordering upon the
agreeable.
g Did ever nob'er being tread the
! earth than that cavalier IN Crimson p
cried Zayda, the eldest of the sisters.
" See how proudly he bears himself, as
though all around him were his slavosl'
"But notice that one in green !" ex-
claimed 70 ayda. "What grace what
elegance what spirit 70
The gentle Zorahayda said nothing
but she secretly gave preference to the
chevalier In green.
| Weeks and months glided on, the faii
sisters thinking only of the captive eava-
liers, and becoming daily more and
more under the influence of the fatal
passion which the memory of them
strengthened and confirmed. The pro
| gress of this dangerous and subtle dis
ease was not unperceived by the sharp
sighted Kadiga, The discreet old wo
man became alarmed at the mischiei
which she had not the power to counter
act or remove, and resolved to rid her
self of her responsible charge by init
mating to MohamuAl that his daughters
had arrived at the Manageable age-tht
critical period at which the astrologer;
had warningly pointed.
As he sat one day on divan in one Of
the cool halls of the Alhambra, a slave
arrived from the iTtress of Salobrena
/ with a message frofh the wise Kadiga
congratulating him on the anniversary
of his daughters birthday. The slave
at the same time presented delicats
little basket, decorated with flowers
within which, on a couch of vine and fig
leaves. lay peach, an apricot, and {
nectariDe, with their bloom and dow
and dewy sweetness upon them, and al
ia the early stage of tempting ripeness
/ The monarch was versed in the orienta
language of fruit and flowers, and read
lily OWNED the meaning of the emblem
attic offering.
s,The critical period has arrived.
said he; g ] must gather them unde
my wing, Ind trust no other guardian
ship"
So saying, he ordered that tower o
the Alhambra should be prepared 70
their reception, and departed at tn
head of his guards for the fortress Q
Salobrena, to conduct them home j