The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1877-10-13

he flew upon me and would have torn
me had | not defended myself against
his fury. | might have destroyed him,
but l sought only to preserve myself.
Have mercy upon my Weakness
The angry chieftain, however, needed
not the anguish of his gray hairs, and
pointing to a low balcony, which ex-
tended across the window of the apart
ment, and hung over the precipice, he
commanded that the wretched old man
should be flung from thence into the
river which flowed beneath, as an ex-
ample to those caitiffs who valued their
own worthless lives above those of his
noble hounds.
AS the miserable tools of an impcrious
will were dragging the unhappy victim
to his fate, he raised his voice and
cursed the tyrant whom they served,
and having done so, he summoned him
to appear before the tribuna! which
none can escape, to answer for this last
crime on his first anniversary But the
powerful chief needed not his words.
"Away with him! !" he said, sternly,
as he lifted his goblet to his lips; and
there was struggle shrek of agony
and then splash upon the river-wave,
and all was silent!
A year went by in festival and pride,
and the day on which that monster
crime had been committed returned I'M
needed. There was feast in the castle,
and Stibor, who month after month gave
himself up yet more TO self-indulgen
gradually became heavy with wine, and
his attendants carried him to q couch
beside the same window whence the I'M
fortunate slave had been hurled twelve
months before. The guests drank on for
time, and made merry at the insensi-
bility and helplessness of their powerful
host, and then they departed, each to
his businessor his pleasure, and left him
there alone.
The easement had been flung back to
admit the air freely into the heated
apartment, and the last reveler had
scarcely departed, when raven-the
somber messenger of Ncmesis-hew
thrice around the Dattlements of the
castle, and then alighted on the balcony.
Several of the guests amused their idle
ness by watching the eyolutions of the
ill-omened bird, but once having lost
sight of it, they turned away and
thought of it no more.
Meanwhile, work of agony and death
had been delegated to that dark-winged
messenger. 1T rested but an instant
from its fight ere once more it lowered
over the couch of the sleeping Stibor,
and then, darting down, its sharp beak
penetrated at one thrust from his eye
into his brain!
The agony awoke him, but he awoke
only to madness from its extent. He
reeled to and fro, venting imprecations
to which none were by to listen, and
writhed until his tortured body was con-
vulsed. AT length, by mighty effort,
striving to accomplish he knew rot what,
he hurled himself over the balcony, at
the self-same spot where the slave had
been flung by his own command, and as
he fell, the waters of the Waag for d
time resisted the impure burden, and
threw him back, shrieking and bowling,
from their depths.
But he sank at last, and when his
parasites sought him on the morrow
! they found only the couch on which he
had lain and few drops of blood to hint
that he had died death of violence
and vengeance.
They searched for him carefully on
alp sides, and then, when they were
tquite assured that he had passed away
never to return, whispers grew of the
gray-headed slave and the mysterious
raven, until by degrees the fate of the
famous Stibor was fashioned into form
and grew into a legend throughout the
country, soaring the village maiden in
her twilight walk, and the lone shepherd
in watch upon the hills.