The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-06-04
"Certainly. I should thousand times

1huAVV1SO ~ Hlc budb young, IdlT AIT
pretty person, fresh as a May rose in he
becoming costume OF maid of honor.
she IS not already queen of beauty,
shall not be surprised if her twenty year
bring this triumph for her.'' M
Triboulet blushed slightly and only said
"that is Miss LIE Penne.'
The stranger smiled. Nae
IT wage my pilgrim staff that if Tri
boulet- ai,;
II understand you, interposed the fool
4 ''Alas there is too much raison to-day il
I young heads.N tas ~ ngsaa
What does mercenary feelings exis
already in the soul of that pretty creature
SO refined and so fair ?'' M
/ ''Do you see that tall, dry stick of /
man who wears the uniform of the King
guard 2"
Yes; he is vulgar looking enough ant
very ugly" 1a
/ mo matter, he is the accepted sutton Of
| Cecile LIE Penne."
| And what claim has he to so great {
favor ?"
'sHe is sovereign lord of two hundred
thousand crowns" ase 9a ss-1
81 find her less pretty and especially less
poetic. Miss de TilIac has near her com
panion who, without being beautiful,
seems to me to be very genial.''
''She is her friend. Miss Alice Legris, a
charming person, as lovely as she is good. y
The trumpet sounded, all eyes were
turned towards the south gate. The
Mayor of 'Plougner, M. De T.,
a rich proprietor, the organizer and
president of the fete, entered at the
head of brilliant retinue Hewore with
much elegance his costume of baron of
the middle ages, and while he was pro-
ceeding to his stand, the crowd shouted
Hail to our Lord Honor to Ives, the
| Magnificent ~ 99 G9a M
He saluted, smiling, and directed the
! heralds at arms to read the conditions
OF the tournament, which were as follows
1st. The three challenging knights were
to accept combat against all corners. al
End. Every knight proposing to combat
could choose his antagonist among the
challengers, by touching his shield with
| the point of his own lance. The combat
was to be with arms of courtesy, that is to
say, with lances whose points were set
with piece of flattened wood, so that the
| combatants could not receive a wound !;
that they should incur only the risks which
might result from fall or the shock Of
the horses. a.#yp
Sd. Theyictor should proclaim the queen
Of beauty. Hu
| The heralds-at-a arms finished by the usual
oratory IA largessl u largess brave
knights - g a 9
A shower of silver pieces fell from the
different galleries and was gatheredup by
the poor, z1. et s
| The heralds-at-arms then'shouted': ''Loue
to the ladies Honor to the.carriors Glory
! to the brdpe ~ aa .sf ,a .5cl;l.i
The crowd repeated these same outcries,
and the music struck up.a martial strain.
The heralds left the lists; the marshals
of the tournament, on horseback and
armed cap-a-pie, remained stationed, each
at one of the gates!
| Count Ives the Magnificent, in the person
of the Mayor of Plougner, raised his staff
of command oriental music was heard !;
wild harmony seemed to bid defiance to
the assailants and greeted their entrance.
Three champions passed into the arena,
handling with skill and easy grace their
spirited steeds; they advanced towards the
esplanade where the tents were raised !;
each of them touched the shield of the
antagonist with whom he wished to
measure himself. They withdrew then to
the farthest end of the lists, where they
ranged themselves in a line, while the
challengers, coming out from their tents,
mounted their steeds and descended from
the platform to combat with the knights
whose lances had touched their shields.
The three challengers had been enrolled
for the tournament under names which the
curiosity Of the public sought to unravel.
''See there's knight of st. George who
has beautiful uniform, said the pilgrim
to his friend, Triboulet. ,..54t
"That is an officer of hussars, Mr..
Herve. See with what interest Miss du
Breuil regards him he is going to try for
a crown for her, as4
sly gu are slanderous. And that knight
| of st. John ?''
II have been told that he is the Count
| do RolI;po a rioI ,,ohIonan of A uuon and
a relative of his lordship, Ives the Mag
niicent. This one here. the knight of the
white ermine, is CASTOR de Tillac, cousin
of the fair Laura"
''You appear well posted in the news OF
the court and the CITY,"
Il hayes seen much all about people
don't suspect a fool. DO you see now how
proudly our knights carry their armor 20
AT the sound of the trumpets, the as
sallants and the challengers rushed at each
other The shock was such that two OF
the assailants were endorsed; the third
kept himself firm in his stirrups but, in
the second pass, his lance broke on the
shield of his opponent.
The acclamations of the heralds, re-
peated by the crowd, announced the
triumph of the victors and the defeat OF
the vanquished. The latter withdrew.
Inundated, and the challengers re-entered
their tents.
Three other knights appeared in the
arena The contest was longer in doubt
the knight of st. John and his antagonist
both broke their lances and retired without
either being vanquished. After quite 9
spirited struggle the advantage rested will
the challengers one of the assailants lost
his seat and the knight of the white er
mine, by skillful blow with his lance,
knocked off the helmet of his adversary
Z One of the marshals of the tournament
rode up at full speed and declared theil
combat ended.
Two other knights still remained tt
combat the victory of the challenges
electrified the crowd the knight of thu
white ermine, above all, was he who ha(
gained the most success the voices of the
public were expressed in his favor.
Decidedly, the fair Laura will be queen,
said the fool.