The Portland daily press., 1879-05-20

| euly conscious tnat tnelr MISSION Ii tnlS world
is not understood by the heartless bipeds who
insist that they shall deport themselves as
though belonging to the genus equuS instead of
to the genus boS) and all these full of bright,
| expectant, happy faces.
! On my side, long line of platform cars,
crowded to overhowing, and between them and
the track dense throng of the remainder of
| the spectators. Over the track, at intervals of
about three rods, were erected three structures
composed of two uprights, cross-bar and a
slender piece of wood hanging down between
the uprights from the cross-bar, with holes in
the lower end of it two or three inches above
each other. These structures reminded me hide
ously of picture of gallows which 1 had
once seen in an illustrated paper and imme-
diately drew John Henry's ear down to my lev
el and demanded an explanation.
"Arches, believe they call them," said he,
| probably because they are severely rectangu-
lar They hang the rings on that middle piece
by means of pegs and the pegs are placed in
| lower or higher holes to accommodate different
| knights"
That was satisfactory. 1 subsidized into silence
and waited while fancy took me back to the
days of Chivalry,-days which perhaps, like
stars, look bright because they are so distant,
but which look bright nevertheless. By fancy's
aid saw the peerless Guinevere, the faultless
King, the courtly Launcelot, by fancy's aid
saw-A sudden crash of music almost at my
elbow and a sudden futter and excitement in
the crowd brought me back to the present with
| jerk. Instead of Guinevere and the two men
that loved her 1 saw the judges stand full of
smoking tobacco-chewing men Of modern times
| and -
"The Knights whispered John Henry and
then there was the soft pad of many hoofs on
the earth and a procession of horsemen ambled
gracefully up the track and drew up before
the grand stand.
There were a dozen of them-MIarmion,
Ivanhoe and other famous warriors, and 1
stared at them in open-mouthed amazement.
All mel Is it possible that Marmion, the
hero Of my girlish dreams, ever decked himself
in a scarlet flannel bathing costume with
striped stockings, and turkey feathers in his hat
when about to present himself to the public
eye? Was that his idea of 'the correct" thing
in suits? Did he beard Douglas in attire of that
description?
Did Ivanhoe make himself beautiful in black
one the unpleasant impression that his saddle
was not all that could be desired in point of
comfort) white blouse ornamented with
complicated braids and stripes and whirligigs of
scarlet worsted bars? And Lanucelot!-for
Launcelot was there-did he please the eyes of
Guinevere in blue cambria monstrosity diver
sifed with white trimmings-and striped stock
ings? Were striped stockings the fashion in
those days?-for, behold! one, two, three
actually seven out of the twelve sported those
adornments.
But I forbear further description of the
costumes tending to destroy cherished il
illusions, although 1 noticed and remarked
upon them to myself as the knights stood in
various picturesque attitudes before me,
listening to the address which was being be-
slowed upon them by fatherly looking old
gentleman who was laboriously reading his
"few imporptu remarks from a portentous
Ms. roll, in voice utterly inaudible to all
save those directly under his elbow.
By the way, why cannot we, North, Southy
East or West gather together for any purpose
whatever without necessitating such an in
terminable amount of speechifying?'I Is it one oi
the curses OF American civilization?
Each of the knights carried long
slender pole about-feet in length,
| q learned afterwards that these were
called by courtesy, 'lances'9 and
as the long discourse come to an end IA fact
| which was announced to us by triumphant
crash of music by the band) they sprang to
their saddles with various degrees of grace, and
saluting the judges, rode down to the starting
point with their ''lances'' at shoulder"
1t had been announced that there were to be
five ''runs'' each of which the knights were to
ride in regular rotation, with their horses at
full speed and the knight who, at the end of
the five, had carried off upon his lance the
greater number of rings was the victor. A
man and a step-ladder were stationed at each
arch to pick up, and change rings, and after a
little preliminary fussing it was announced
that all was ready.
man in the judges stand arose and
shouted out what purported to be name; the
negroes hanging ON the fence at his right by
their toe-nais, echoed the shout and it was
passed down to the group of knights There
was a rush, a swift striking of hoofs, and
knight came dashing up the track, his lance
balanced lightly in his right hand, urging his
frey little horse on with impatient spurs.
As he neared the first arch his lance was
poised dexterously-a moment. later and the
iron ring slid along its smooth length and
counted him 'one'' The next and the next
were likewise secured and the first knight
having made a perfect run and counted
''three," drew up, flushed with victory, at the
end Of the track amid roar of cheers and
much feminine applause in the shape of fut-
tering pocket handkerchiefs.
Again the man upon the judges stand arose;
again he thundered forth name; again was it
echoed by the attendant imps of darkness, and
again with a swift thud of hurrying hoofs a
knight came flying under the arches. Alas! a
fault of hairs breadth in the posing OF his
lance, and the first ring instead of sliding grace
fully down to his hand, fell ignominiously in
the dust under his horses feet; the next one,
through undue haste on his part, although fair
ly captured slipped off the lance and humbled
itself in the dust likewise; the third he not
only captured but kept, and drew up beside his
brother knight trifie chagrined and downcast,
with only lone" to his credit.
The third knight counted "two," the fourth
"three," the fifth "naught," and so on, with
varying success through the twelve. Then the
first run" being finished, the knights rode
back to the starting place and the second run
began.
The man upon the judges stand, (who, by
the way, appeared to be eminently qualified
for aposition as brakeman ON some "way-trai ~
since, by no accident, could any one understand
word that he said, arose and roared at mon
otonous intervals; the knights dashed by one
after the other and met with various degrees
of good or ill-fortune; the ubiquitous Marshal
galloped around with grim determination to do
his duty or perish, written in every line of his
expressive countenance; the band dropped
into music every now and then, sin friend
ly way'-and the spectators cheered and
groaned and laughed and waved handkerchiefs
and exulted and sympathized and scorned,
after the manner of crowds,-and meanwhile
roasted and baked and fried under the hot sun
inaway that would be marvellous to behold any,
where in the United States, but in our ca
pricious climate on January day,-until at
IL A. q ~.