The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-08-01
AT THE STAKE.
a story OF the MlddIe Ages.
Srahaln's Magazine.

''To the stake with her. Away with the
sorceressi Gods curse be on her for her evil
doings!" shouted the mob.
1t was early morning, yet even at that hour
the judgment hall of the little town of Bour-
donnis was thronged with the populace.
Men, women and children, old and young,
the noble and the burgher, priests, soldiers
and common people, crowded the spacious
hall and cried madly for her blood
The evening before female. closely yelled
and attended by two servants whose dark
countenances bespoke the sons of Ethiopia,
had arrived at BourdonniS and put up at one
OF the principal hostelries of the place.
Strange rumorS soon arose respecting her.
Her garb her mien, her language and her
complexion were said to be those of Sara
cen, against which accused race the chivalry
of Europe and the church itself warred in
vain. These rumors gained additional
strength when the landlord of the inn where
she had stopped was heard to say that he had
seen her practicing sorcery, a charge easily
creditedIin that age and one which few, es-
pecially in a case like this, had the hardihood
to disbelieVe In less than an hour the
whole population of the town was about,
surrounding the hostelry, and crying out for
vengeance against the sorceress. Such COM
motions were both frequent and sanguinary
In that superstitiouS age.
The soldiery, however, interfered by ar
resting the unsuspectlng victim OF these ru,
mOrs, and at an early hour the prisoner had
been brought into the judgment hall to await
the mockery Of trial.
Answer me, daughter of Behalf" said the
Judge as soon as the murnurs of the mob al
lowed him to be heard. "Will you confess
your crime? Speak, or you die! Know you
that the rack, aye, fire itself, awaits you If
your obstinaey continues?"
The prisoner was slight girlish creature,
sitting with her face buried in her hands,
directly opposite the judge. She was appar-
entity young, and her figure, so far as could
be seen through the thick veil which shroud-
ed her form, was light and agile as that of q
sylph. To the judges question she made no
answer. She only shook her head despond-
ingly, and those nigh her fancied they heard
her Sob
At these fearful words, repeated now for
the second time, and growled forth with an
ominous fierceness, appalling even to the
nearer, the prisoner was observed to tremble,
whether with fear OF otherwise we know not,
and liftin5 her veil with Sudden effort she
rose to her feet, turned hastily around to the
mob and disclosed a countenance of such
surprising loVlineSS to their gaze that even
those who had cried out most unre-
lentingly for her blood now Shrank abashed
into silence, while others who had been less
eager for her condemnation audibly muir
INJURED in her favor.
"What would we have of me?" she said,
addressing the judge, and for the first time
standing unveiled before him. las there is
a God in whom we both believe, have told
9Ou O1lJ Vic blutn. dlll d DbldlRClt d lUl-
eigner, defenseless woman, but not the less
the attianced bride of one Of your proudest
noblemen, the count de Gar0nne."
The tone in which she spoke was low, but
OH how touchingly sweet; and her words
were uttered in broken French, with a per-
ceptible Oriental accent Loud murmurs
rose in her favor as she ceased speaking.
The tide was turning. But the judge now
spoke.
cont on thee for base slanderer of a no
bic Of France and holy crusaderl Thou
the betrothed bride of Garonne! AS soon
would the eagle mate with the vulture.
tell thee, woman, that thy story Of having
been shipwreeked in coming to France and
all of thy train having been lost except thy
two Ethiopian myrmidons, is foul lie, and
| am almost minded to wiring the truth
from thee on the rack"
81 have said it" said the prisoner in
firm voice, for she felt that her life depended
on her 6rmnesS, "if you will give but one
week, one little week, and will prove it
before man as well as God | came from
Syria in the same feet with my lord, but I'M
der charge Of his mothers confessor-now a
saint in heaven! but being separated by a
storm, in which our galley was shipwrecked,
| was thrown unprotected on your shores.
/ am a stranger here. Ny servants even
have deserted me. [ do no harm. plot no
treason. All ! ask is to pass on my way.
Ohv she continued in burst of emotion,
'if you have daughter, think what would
be your feelings if she was thus to be set
upon in a strange land" and she burst into
tears. Again the crowd murmured in her
favor.
''Womanp' sternly interposed the judge,
unmoved by her emotion, look at the victim
of your sOrcery, and seek no longer to deceive
us by your lies. Send forth Philip the De-
formed"
AT the words of the judge, an official bear
Jug white wand stepped into a side room,
and in moment reappeared with a cripple
hideously deformed, whom the populace rec
ognized as the landlord of the hosiery.
When confronted with the prisoner he glared
at her with look of demoniacal hatred.
"Know you this womanW asked the
Judge
"It is through her incarnation that / am the
being am. 1t was but yesterday she came
to my inn, attended by two heathenish Eth
opians, whom | have heard palmers from the
Holy Land say are kept by the Paynims-
Gods ban be theirs! | no sooner beheld her
than | recognized her to be the sorceress who
which | am crippled. [ could tell her among
a thousand. The curse of God light on her
for child of the evil one!' and the witness
ground his teeth together and glanced fierce
ly at the prisoner. A low mprmur Of APP
proval, at first faint aud whispered, but
gradually swelling into confused shout,
rose on the air as he ceased.
'He is perjured wretch" exclaimed the
prisoner with energy, whom my servants
detected in an attempt, to rob my poor effects
hence his malice and this CHARGE
SILENCE, womanP' sternly interposed the
Judge, or else canfess. VIII you, a child of
Belial, malign Christian man?'
The testimony for the publican had worked
a complete change in the fiuetuating feelings
of the mob toward the prisoner, and the
words of the judge were answered back by a
shout of approval The prisoner was seen
to turn deathly pale. She did not reply,
however, to the question, but shook her head
despondingly, as if conscious that all hope
was over
LEAD her away" hoarsely growled the
mob while the dense mass of people swayed
TO and fro in the excitement, as if they would
have rushed on the defenseless victim.
Again | ask thee, woman, wilt thou con-
fess?n
She shook her head despondingly, buried
her face in her Glands and murmured some
thing; perhaps it was prayer. The mob
burst once more into eommotion.
Where are the servants of this woman
Let them be put on the rack" said the
'''fhey have escaped, answered an Off
cial.
vengeance for the sufferers by her mean
tations! hoarsely growled voice from the
mob.
The Judge no longer hesitated, but yield
ing to the popular current as well as his own
preiudieeS, sentenced her to be burned at
high noon of that very day. A Wild shout
of eXultatiOn rose from the frenzied mob as
the sentence was pronounced, but over the
din swelled the fearful cry. $40 the stake
with her-away with the sorceress."
1t was few hours earlier in the same day
when noble knight sat in a hosiery of the
little seaport town of -. He was of sin
gularly imposing cast of counteance. His
features were OF the true Norman outline
with lofty intellectual brow, shaded sby
locks Of the richest chestnut hue. His cheek
was embrowned by Syrian sun until it was
Of the darkest olive color, but the clear white
Of his forehead which had been protected
from exposure by his helmet, betrayed the
original purity Of his complexion. His form
was tall and commanding. He sat appar
emily absorbed in thought, bnt was aroused
from his reverie by the entrance of a retainer
Are the horses ready?"
Yes, my lord," said the man.
eve will mount into the saddle at once
then; how far did they say it was to Bour.
donnis?"
six leagues"
eve shall reach it before nightfall; lead
on"
The party which set forth from the inr
was gallant sight to behold. knights
squires, men-at-arms and other retainers
swelled the escort Of the young count to the
numbersof nearly four-score, while the pen
mons waving in the air, and the occasional
sound Of a trumpet gave livelness to the
escort which attracted the attention of the
pasSers-by of every rank and SEX and drew