New-York tribune., 1880-01-11

up the fagstone to vertical posi-
ton, the toad began to crawl about the
closed by the lifting of the stone, there
emerged a Most Horrible Dragon, covered with
green scales, and from whose appalling Jaws
there issued clouds Of smoke smelling strongly
of birthstone. with intermittlng hames OF hre'
That the Dragon proceeded leisurely to peram..
bulate the kitchen, stopping every now and
then 20 catch up sack of flour or keg OF
liquor with his teeth, and occasionally getting
on his hinder legs to detach joint OF meat,
ride Of or rope o 0od seceTed sc
articles on his back and slowly crawled back
TO the mouth of the subterranean,
into which the plunder was flung.
That these operations lasted altogether
Gillian. Pug's wife, and Lillian, his daughter,
were frequently impelled to scream from horror
and alright, whereupOn Johannes Pug, as oc-
casion demanded, corrected them with broom
stick, at which they screamed the louder.
That, when there was nothing more left this
most Prodigious Dragon and this more Mon
strous Toad disappeared down the subter-
ropean to devOur, il is to be presumed their
plumber at their leisure. There was a final
illumination of the larder with fires red ana
fires blue-I think that Pug mentioned the
occurrence of one bright green iash-thenl
with hideous clang the pavinS-stone ie,i
into its original horizontal position, and all
was darkness.
Such was the horrifying, account of his
nights adventures given by the valorous
maker of salsameutum. The community were,
on the whole, rather relieved than otherwise
by the revelations of Pug. They knew the
worst That dragons of the most rampant
description had existed, and did exist, were
facts patent to everybOdy-in the Middle Ages.
Had there not been Dragon of WantIey,
and was not that most blatant of beasts slain
bv the heroic More of More HALF MonstrOus
toads, too. although less plentiful than
dragons, were creatures the existence OF whlch
it was quite easy to imagine. In any case III
was slightly consOlatOry to learn that the
mouastic lands had been plundered by a
Dragon, aud not by Hush Mary, bring me
my smelling bottle.
The Dragon shall devOur no more of our
beefp duOth the Abbot sternly. Let the door
of the larder be barricaded with logs OF tim
ber and loose stones. This day all the pro-
wand that is needed can be kept III the ktch-
en-. This is q grave matter, on when action
must be at once taken. Iiacklps-n0, IT was
'grammercy' that my Lord Abbot said we
will teach these Dragons and loads better
manners. Let our sumpter mule be saddled,
aud let twelve Of the lay brothers be well
armed to escort us. We will ride over and
confer with the Worshipful Sheriff of the
County, So over to the county town did
the Abbot aud his escort ride. The Sher,,
Sir 81 vac Gilbert b " de Mapes; very much
addicted to draining hagons, and claiming to
be lineal descendant of that meiOdlous wal
ter de Mapes, the author of the charming lyric
beginning
'Mihi ST proposltUn in taberna mort,
Yinum sit appositum mOrienus ori.'
Sir Gilbert de Mapes listened attentively to
the account of the proceedings OF the Dragon
of Dragsbury c0gltlted for u while, stroheI
his chin, crossed one leg over the other, and
meditatively paited the calf thereof. Then,
i'll triumphant Tone,
by my halidOme, I've got 1t
Got what. my son 2 asked the Abbot, think
ing that the festive sheriff might have been
visited by a sudden twlDge OF the gout
I've got it, and I've got him to boot con-
timed Sir Gilbert. Did your lordshps rever
ence ever hear of Sir Lupus de Vulpes
'Ay, ay; that wild young knight, scion OF
one of our best county families, who went to
the Holy Land some three years since. Hath
that scapegrHce IetuInedT
Yes he has returned, with vengeance.
Hath your lordshIp ever heard of Langtanger
or Longhngrr. the Outlawed cutpuTse and com
mon highway and byway robbcr, WHO erSt,
thieves, had his haunt III Dalsygold ForestF
'Of surety have heard, many tine and
oft, of that most audacious villain
well Lnngfanger and Sir Lupus de Nulpes
are one and the same indivldual-that Is 10
saw, one and the same rogue, knave, cniti1,
and misc can't
Gramcrcy! -
"Jugt so ; and a murruin to the losel. lie
baCk some tNthll HbHAilN Akb llOih I di-
estlne and turned rObber. ! was Obliged tn 20
ont against him with the Whole of may posse;
and hard work | had running up and down
i'm my bailiwick TO catch the rascal. Al length
we laid hun by the heels, and rare strong
gives we put upon hlm-of that you may be
sure" -.
"And Justice was done upon him I"
Not completely. He was tried at sizes, and
convicted. He pleaded his clergy, and said his
neck verse; but clergy was not allowed him
since, among his other msdeeds' he had
stolen the Kings vensOn, aud that Is always
n hanging matter. He was cast for death !;
and the Jusiclar wrote sus. per coil. against
his name in the calendar; and an had had
my will | should have triced him up ere
week was over. As it was, hanged
six or seven of the villains whom
caught with him but somehow or an
other his family made influence at Court,
and the Kings writ came To stay exrcu-
ton. Seven long months has he been lying IN
the county gaol, eating and drinking of the
very best, while the hangman has been long
ing to handle him. The worst OF the matter
is that, for all the absence OF their leader, ana
for all the haf-dozen rascals that l hanged,
DragsbuIy Forest 10 stlll lilll OF Langiangers $
Babes, as they call themselves; and they are
robbing all and sundry over tho Nhole country
yes, yes, most worshipful Sheriff. here,
somewhat impatiently, broke in the Abbot;
but what has all this to do with the Prodl-
RlOuS DldkOu anu lut moSA hbhsNAbuH A's'N eheV
have been plunderlng the larder of Dragsbury
Abbcyf
Everything replied Sir Gilbert de Mapes.
This Sir Lupus de Wipes, alias Langfanger.
for all his thicving prOpensties, il one OF the
stoutest knights IN merry England He Is as
valiant as Richard of the Lion Heart. dare
say that he has killed scores OF dragons down
among the Paynims. Now what l propose is
that we will get him out of gaol. and arm and
equip hlm. and promise that we will use our
A.. ,,l,ta thn n0r6nD
HIM if he will slay tins Dragon.
Good y cried the Abbot.
Good echoed the Sheriff. 1t shall be
done this very day, and by tomorrow eve
the Dragon of Dragsbury and the Toad to boot
shall die the death .
lLLa -a....i..o Innna de Annea. aims