Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-03-24
"The blood of the murdered calls for
ven peonce anI IL comea \"

"The blood Of the murdered calls 70
vengeance, and il comes 7"
Hundreds perished in tho flames an,
by tho sword, hundreds more surrendered
and n long train Of captive chiefs foun,
release. Castle after castle fell in iapi,
succession before the valor OF Wallace
and Mt last Berwick was besiegcd ant
taken. At the height of this victory ,
that she and her parents were prisoners
Mt Stirling, and that the earl's life was il
deadly peril.
~ shall be on my knees" she wrote
"till l near your trumpet before tn.
walls, for in yon and heaven now rest Ill
the hopes of Helen Mar"
Another swift march and fierce attack
instantly followed. But while victory
hung in the balance sixty thousand Eng,
lish were marching on Wallace's little
army of five thousand. The first division
of twenty thousand men essayed to cross
tho Forth by bridge, the beams OF
which the Scots had secretly sawed. by
suddenly pulling this down n multitude
were whelmed in the stream, and the
rest, attacked both front and rear, were
soon overwhelmed. The savage valor of
Wallace's. followers so dismayed the
English that the remaining forty thou.
sand men laid down their arms without q
blow The citadel of Stirling surrender
ell mt once, and the Earl of Mar, his
wife, and the lovely Helen, We're again
set free.
In the rejoicings over this triumph
Helen was amazed to find in Sir William
Wallace the knight who had rescued her
from the fierce SOULS, and for whom her
heart had cherished pure though hid
den affection. Knowing his devotion to
the memory of Marion she felt herself
destined only to such love as nun feels
for her heavenly preserver. But her
step-mother's wicked passion burned
with renewed fierceness, and she plotted
to win Wallace's regard and make him
king of Sc Jtland, hoping thus, Mt her
husbands death, to crafty both her
love and her ambition rs Wallace's wife.
But he repelled her wicked advances, re-
fused the crown, and consented only to
act as regent of Scotland till Bruce
| should resume the throne. Among his
Valence, who, full of jealous envy
against Wallace, sought to stab him in
the chapel, whittier Helen had gone to
pray for his safety. A deadly stroke
meant for him pierced Helen's arm, but
De Valence's villainy was generously
forgiven.
War being resumed after an exchange
of captives, the English Percy was rout-
ed and Northumberland was sacked from
sea to sea by the victorious Scots. King
Edward then marched in person to sub
due the insurgents, but in the opening
battle between him and Wallace, the
amazed king found himself obliged to
retreat for the first time in his life. In
this very hour of triumph, envy and
treason began to plot the ruin of Wal
lace. A plan to surrender Dunbar was
unmasked by the adroitness and bravery
of Helen Mar; Edward invaded Scotland
with hundred thousand men; Wul-
lace's authority was bitterly disputed by
traitors, and on the field of Falkirk his
army was nearly crushed. But, gather
ing his scattered forces, he fell by night
on the English camp, and rested not till
he had driven Edward and his shattered
hosts over the border. Many a brave
Scot was slain in this stru ggle and
Helen Mar was captured by the ruthless
Aymer de Valence.
"Swear to me, valiant Wallace"
calculated her grief-stricken father,
" that you will rescue my Helen"
" So help me Heaven p answered
Wallace, looking steadfastly upwards.
Resigning his regency soon after, to
quell tho dissensions caused by envy of !
his glory, he disguised himself as a min
strel and travelled to the English court at
Durham in search of Helen. Here he
met young Robert Bruce whom Edward
held prisoner, and even dared to play
before the king and Queen Margaret,
whose admiration of the strange minstrel
excited Edwards raging jealousy which
was not allayed until Wallace, escaping
to France, sent him letter declaring
the queens perfect innocence. Followed
soon by Bruce, the two traced Aymer de
Valence to a castle near Rouen, where
Wallace soon penetrated to Helen's
and murmuring in dreams: "Save me,
Wallace!'
Dressed in pages suit, which he had
provided for her, the once more happy
Helen safely escaped from her heartless
captor, and iourneyed with Wallace and
Bruce to Paris, where the French king
treated them all with the utmost kind
ness. Returning at last to Scotland with
their fair companion, the chiefs thought
it prudent to pass rs two brothers, Guy
and Thomas de Longueville. Joining
thus with their countrymen in battle
against an overwhelming English force
The Scots were on the point of retreating,
when defeat was changed to triumph by
5he supposed Guy, who raised his he'll {
net and shouted "Scots if you be men, i
'ollow William Wallace to victory I"
This success re-established his author
ty, and again he devoted himself to ex-
oelling the English from Scotland. But {
IN unknown knight who had joined his {
rain and fought by his side, suddenly |
proved to be the Countess of Mar, whose i
was now dead, and who sought =,
n this disguise to win Wallaces regard. !
Firmly repulsed by him, her passion
urned to hate, and plucking his dagger a
rom his girdle she stuck it into his I
'reast, though not with fatal effect. Her
yes glared with maniac fury, and she
reclaimed:
"Insolent triumpner, it is not for the
ead Marion you have trampled on my t
cart, but for the living Helen |" Il
81 pardon this outrage" said Wal v
ace; "go in peace, only remember, r
hat with regard to Lady Helen my !,
fishes are rs pure as her own inno- :,
ence." b
"I CO." cried she, "to yield the rebel l
Wallace to the scaffold! My curse pur- T
ues you here and hereafter. =" il
Too well she kept her word, for upon u
harges CT treason preferred by her, +,
Wallace vas arrested and brought to :
tirling, where the wretched woman
ought by the most shameless perjuries 81
, swear away his honor and his life IL
While his enemies were quarreling over e,
he charges an English army advanced fl
ito Scotland with such resistless strides :,
lat his very accusers were compelled to v
,licit him to resume the command. On
lie plain of Dalkeith he conquered n
gain, but his malignant rivals once more tc
with King Edward to crush d
i'm forever. 6,
Outlawed by his own uncratef,,1 conn - :.