St. Landry democrat., 1888-08-11
TIE TALE OF STAvoREN.

Stavoren is situated on the northern shore OF
the entrance to the Zugder Zee. AS early as
the fourth century it famous town, and
its princes made alliances with the Romans.
Its days of greatest glory were in the thirteenth
century, when it was one of the principal cities
OF the Hanseatic League, which was an assoc1-
alton of free cities of northern Europe, formed
for the purpose of protecting their common
commercial interests. In the fourteenth CEN
Jury Stavoren began to decay. huge sand
bar formed in trent of its barber, and its riches
gradually vanished At the present time only
n few wretched huts, the homes of poor fisher
men, occupy the site of the magnificent city Of
the Middle Ages. Among the peasants of that
region the sand-bar is known as Lady S
Bank and they still tell this legend OF the
wrong DOING of proud and wicked woman
Within tre broad old fire place leaped up the
glowing flame;
Beside 1t, with the children, sat the kindsold
Holland dame;
While knitting deity as she talked, to wonder
ing she told
This story of marvellous thing that happened
long of old:
Upon the shores of Zuyder Zee, where lands
are broad and low,
U There stood proud and stately town In CEN
turtles long ago;
Stavoren was its name, and there the burghers
saw with pride
The great ships as they came and went upon
the flowing tide
Ships from the Indies far away, with freight Of
spice and gold
For the burghers of Stavoren, the. men Of
wealth untold.
But rich and proud above them all was maid
of high degree,
Who owned hundred mighty ships that sailed
on every sea.
Noo tn
laid with gold
And many wondrous stories OF her treasure
heaps were told:
No queen in greater splendor dwelt, and many
jewels rare
Upon her raiment gltttered, and in her golden
hair.
One day the captain of her feet, skipper gray
and wise
She called to her, and spake to him, with cruel
glistening eyes:
SEQ, weigh thy anchor, sail away! This task
To seek and bring to port the best contained In
land or sea-
Then humbly spake the aged man: "Shall it
be gold or wines
Or spices from the Indies? or cloth of texture
fine?
Speak but the word, my lady; hasten to
obey"
bring me fhe pest, Sne proudly crleu. '1O,
take thyself away"
The skipper spread his glistening sails, but sore
perpexed was he
To know what was the best of all contained in
land or sea;
But suddenly it came to him, as the ship plowed
through the main,
That the noblest thing in all the earth was
Gods own gift of grain.
And nnnborinu in a distant mort rs found the
people there
Rejoicing with festivities about the harvest
fair;
So golden, rich, and goodly was never grain be-
fore,
He loaded with the precious freight, and home
ward sailed once more.
And when he reached Stavoren, and stood
again on shore,
He fastened to the palace to report his noble
store.
But paled with rage his mistress grew. ssHoW
dar'st thou, wretch, she said,
'To bring me miserable grain, from which the
poor make bread"
Then to her trembling servants she gave this
stern command:
eco, cast the grain into the sea; and myself
will stand
TO watch and see the work well done, down by
the waters side,
And joy to see the rubbish float upon the ebbing
tide"
The news few forth From every side the poor
came crowding there
TO beg this hauty maiden the precious grain to
spare
sour suffering little Ones" they cried, ''they
die for lack OF bread; !
For Christs sake, lady, hear us, that our chill
dren may be fedv'
She laughed laugh of cruel scorn as the grain
fell in the sea,
When before her stood the skipper and pale
with wrath was he.
He raised his hand: 20 woman, not year
shall pass before
Through this proud city thou shalt beg thy
bread from door to door,"
A ring she from her finger drew and cast it in
the sea.
s.My riches shall endure" she cried, IT'LL that
comes back to me-
That very night fisher laid the ring within her
hand;
That very night her ships were strewn in pieces
on the strand
And day by day quick messengers arrived from
far and near
With news of sore disasters, which she grew
pale to hear.
Her riches few like drifting sand before the
deserts blast:
She stood a beggar In the street before year
had passed.
And where the grain fell in the sea bank OF
sand appeared,
Covered with weeds and tangle, which every
sailor feared;
The ships passed by to safer ports, and with
the coming years
Sank down in crumbling ruin Stavoren's
wharves and piers.
From the naughty old Dutch city all wealth
and splendor fed;
The sand blew through its silent streets from
where the grain lay dead.
Alas for proud Stavoren! only fisher huts re-
main,
And sea-birds swoop and clamor there through
driving mist and rain
--Reten s. Condnt. In Harper's Young People.
A FATAL TEST.