Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1881-04-29


with knights, apalmsr appeared a
the cloister in Westminster, whsr'
the Lady Mabel temporarily resided
and desired to see her, saying that h,
bore message to her from the Holy
Land. With beating heart sh'
FASTENED down in the psrlor of the
nunnery to receive her guest. Seat
ing herself in a richly carved chair
covered with curious tapestry, sht
directed the palmer to be admitted
The holy man entered with low
obeisance, and then paused, seemingly
struck dumb with her surprising love
illness.
| She was now in her twentieth year
and in the full bloom Of her beauty
Her rich attire, too, increased, if pos
slble, her charms. She wore an i'm
derskirt Of amber celored satin, over
which was full dress of purple vel
vet, open in front from the girdle
down, the bodice fitting tightly to the
bust. Her snowy and rounded should
ers were half hidden, half revealed by
tucker Of the costliest lace. On her
head she wore the coitfure of . maiden
of high degree, composed of white and
black lace, in the fashion since made
immortal by Mary Queen of Scots.
/ Psrceiving the hesitation of the
visitor, she smiled encoursgingly on
him, and said in her softest tones,
Holy Palmer, your blessing" and
when he had given it, in scarcely.
srticulate words she asked. "Whs,
news DO YOU bring of Sir RolAnd'"
The palmer started. ''Ha." hs
said; show know YOU, fair, countess,
that came from him.
The Lady Mabel blu.hed 10 find
/ that her eagernsss had BETRAYED her,
aud with maiden modesty. wishing TO
conceal her real thoughts, answered
carelesslv:
"Oh. il vas only because Sir Roland
vas M old PLAYMATE of mine, and the
sole person | know in all Palestine
I naturally supposed you brought me
news Of him."
are right, lady" said the
! palmer. in sad tone "Sir Roland
was nv best friend Alas, that !
should have such sad revs to tell"
| Again .hs Lady Mabel Was surprise
out OF her control ovsr herself, and
she asked eagerly:
| lis he slive. 10 he bers:'
Would you care whether be VA,
dead or living
"oh, speak, sheeIclsimsl at these
ominous words, her face becoming pale
a. death. Tell me the worst at once.
| is be dead ?"
LADY. he loved ven ~ his lifs-nas
better than his life. an. his last
thoughts were Of you."
"Ds.d,-dead.' said the Lady
Mabel, wringi9g her hands rising up,
and looking arou-. stidiy. Oh:
miserable IN. :" aud with these words
sh. fell IN dead faint to the floor.
Toe noise Of the fall brought assis-
,ance immediately. When the ser
want. eatered the agsd palmer sas
found chafng her hands; but he i'm
meliaiely resigned hsr; and when,
on her reviv,ng, she lnoked for him,
and family desired him to repeat his
+ tale, he Was gone.
/ All that night the Lady Mabel uept.
She ~ept to think Of the galIent Sir
Roland dying alone o! fever on the
desern of Syria, and perhaps now
sleeping in nnconsecratsd ground.
She wept also at her own approaching
fate The romantic hope which had
supported her hitherto Was now de
sfroyed, and when she sank exhausted
+ to rest, at daybreak, she almost wished
she might never awake.
But this blessing could not be
granted. After broken slumber oi
40 hour her handmaidels came to Al.
tire her. With . breaking heart she
submitted herself into their hands
feeling all the while like one being
decksd for sacrifice. In vain they re,
p.stcd to her the long list of gallant
knights who intended competing fol
her hand. Among them were counts
dukes, and even princes; but their
title made no impression on bel
she was thinking of Sir Roland
and her tears flowed fast.
When the trumpets sounded with
out, and the gay cavalcade of the
monarch stopped at the cloister door
she went forth, but it was without Z
smile. The king himself handed hel
to.her ha!frey, but the same look Of pas
sivs suffering remained on her face
In vain ber friends tried to cheer her
in vain majesty itself sssaysd the task
she could not call up a smile, ant
with difficulty restrained herself from
weeping openly.
/ She continued in the same mood
when she arrived at the pavilion ap
pointed for her ~ queen Of the tourna
ment. She took no interest in anv.
thing. The gay lists, the crowd, OF
of spectators, the squires, the heralds
the tents Of the conbatants, all seemed
10 her like things beheld in dream
and not ~ realities She sat, with
distracted gaze, looking on vacancy
There was vision present to her mind
that excluded the busy scene bsfor.
her; it was . vision of sandy desert
under the burning sky of Syria, and
of knight dying, with no one by
but bis faithful steed, and no water
to cool his fevered tongue.
At times, indeed, she heard the
sound of the trumpets, the cry Of
"Largesse! largesse!" and the tramp
of charging steeds. At times she saw
the challengers darting on horseback k
from either end of the lists, beheld the
shock of meeting, and saw one or both
unhorsed. But these things were on.
ly interludes,, a. it were, for again tn.
scene faded from before her, and she
was once more back in Palestine. At
last she was reused from her stupe-
faction by one of her attendants telling