Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1879-03-13

was said, he had his dwelling place on the
loftiest crag of the loftiest mountain in his
fathers kingdom.
Once a year, in the golden month of Dc
tober, he was allowed to resume his w
form, and mounted on q coal black charger,
gallop furiously throughout the kingdom,
that he might suffer the more accutely in
seeing the kingdom he himself should gov
ern ruled over by others, and the wealth he
himself should share possessed by strangers.
There was but one thing that could break
the spell of the witch, and that was a lasso
woven by a maiden with her own hands,
of such strength and lightness as to catch
and hold the black charger until the prince
could dismount.
And every year, when the air was filed
with showers of gold and crimson leaves i;
when the fruits were ripe on every Dough,
and the rich harvests were being gathered
in, it was a curious sight to see the lassoes
dangling from the trees-lassoes of silken
thread, Of flax and hemp, of flexible bark,
and Of golden cord, woven by the delicate
hands OF fair titled ladies, or by the nimble
fingers OF the peasant maid, but never yet
was one so light as to catch, Or so strong as
to hold, the black charger.
Belle Breton sat singing and spinning the
shining flax. "What HARM" said she to
herself, If I should try to break the spell
that surrounds our lawful king. The realm
is badly governed now ; it is time there was
a change" and every day for five weary
days, at the twilight hour she cut from her
head a little tress of long shining hair, say
ing, as she touched the fairy pebble
Shining pebble, fair and white,
May it grow again to-nigh
And every night it grew again.
And she wove, in many u strange device,
a lasso that was light and strong, and when
the autumn days came, and the pheasants
We're served up or the tables of the rich,
and the Green Huntsman was said to be
abroad in the land, she hung the lasso on
the swaying branch Of a tree, saying:
"Lasso, serve my purpose well;
Break the witches powerful spell.o
When the coal-black charger galloped that
way, he mistook the. shining lasso for a sun
beam. and in his endeavor to pass through,
he was caught and held until his master
could dismount.
Then, when the Green Huntsman saw
that the lasso was woven of long shining
hair, he called to his courtlers who now ap-
Hasten throughout the kingdom and
bring to me the maiden whose hair matches
this, and she shall share with me my throne."
Then the great enchanter, Merlin, walked
forth from the forest-.'he, the mostfamous
man Of all those times"
You have spoken well, O, King" said
he, " for worthy indeed OF high honor is tho
naaiden who has broken the spell that bound
She was born. in the palace of a duke.
bred in the cottage of a peasant that
her life might be safe and her fortune secure !;
true has it ever been from remote ages,
that the king shall find his WI again.'p
When the courtiers, accompanied by Mer-
lin, arrived at the Gerrish cottage, the peas
ants wife listened with surprise to their re-
quest tor her foster-child, and Belle Breton
claimed a last wish of the fairy pebble:
"Clothe me, Q, thou u~nknowing thing,
In fit attire to meet the king;"
and Immediately she was clothed in broid-
cred garments.
And in Jewels rare,
And with the shining glory of her own fair hair.
Then, by "the high saint chief of the
in Britain, and before
The ~statliest of her altar-shrines, the king
That morn was Wedded.o
Bat before this happened, the light at the
ofty window of the baron Korr ceased to
,urn-the baron was dead. Ry his Last ha.