Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1890-09-05

Z truth there is il his tale. When he had
taken his wheat be asked me whether had
silver to give him in pace OF gold coin.
'Ay,' quoth l. and laid ont Gu iny feshing
block handful of silver coin which, when
lie saw, he caught up with his hand. and
+ 80 was making Of when | elutched him by
/ the wrist and haled him before thee, our
doom-mau To this will make oath and
say that be. the miller, is rogue and a
rascal, while AM an upright man aud the
/ righttul owner OF the silver"
I And when the doomSman asked il OF
/ them. each of the twain, the fesher and
the miller, stuck to his tale. nor altered it
a jot. The quo;h the doomsman, Leave
! ye the silver with me and come again on
the morrow" And they went their own
way.
I Then came forward the king and the
! beggar and the king said:
81 was riding toward this town, and
when | came to the bridge of Staines
saw this man seated by the roadside, and
| when he asked me to lift him on my horse
4 !, seeing that he was old and feeble, said
/ yes with good heart and carried him into
this town of yours, in the which he was no
sooner come than he claimed my horse to
my own face, saying that it was his and
not mine. This on the word of one who
tries to be righteous man is the truth, oh,
! doomsman"
And the beggar:
| 81 was riding toward the town on this
my horse when met this young man, who
saying he was nigh dead from hard going,
asked me to help him on his way. With a
good heart did SO, putting him before me
on the horse; but when we were come into
high street be roguishly claimed of me my
horse, and when l would not give it up he
had me hailed before thee. This on the
word of an old righteous man is the truth,
! oh, doomsman."
Said Cedric, Leave the horse here with
me and come on the morrow"
So the king and the beggar went their
own ways, and on the morrow were in the
churchyard, as were the others also, to
hear the doom that Cedric would give
The scrivener and the hedger were call
ed
Take thy wife, scrivener," said Cedric,
''and let the ears be cut from off the
hedger
So the hedger lost his ears and the
scrivener gained his wife, and yet some
said their lots were equal
Then were called the miller and the
hesher.
"Take thy silver, miller" said Cedric,
''and let the right hand be cut from off the
hesher."
So the miller got his silver and the flesh
er lost his hand
Then the king and the beggar were
called.
"Come with me-" said Cedric to the
king, and he took him to stable hard by
where were score of horses "Pick out
thine own horse" said Cedric; and the
king did so.
Then Cedric sent for the beggar and said
to him; "Pick out thine own horse from
among a score of horses" and the beggar,
whose eyes were keen and whose arts were
nimble, picked out the kings horse
"Now," said Cedric, "come both of you
to the doomsman's seat" and when they
gathered there once more Cedric said to
the king:
"'Take thy horse and let the old man be
hanged"
And the king marveled at the wisdom of
the doomsman, and said to him:
Now | know that all | have heard is
truth. Thou art as full of wisdom as is an
egg of meat. Know then that-I am King
Alfred; and when Cedric had bowed his
knee before him the king said:
"Tell me, l pray thee, how thou gavest
such rightful doom, for dare swear tina.
thou dealt as righteously with the scrive-
ner and the miller as with me-
"All three were but small matters, oh,
king" said Cedric, ''but this was the man
ner in which | settled them Thou sawest
how that kept all night the three things
anent which there was pickering"
'I did, said the king.
"Well," said Cedric, lin the morning /
turned hastily to the woman and said,
smooth me down a skin, for | need to
write, and she took skin and rubbed 1t
after the fashion Of scrivener's helper,
and then | knew she belonged to.the
scriyener and not to the hedger, for how
would hedger's wife know aught of writ
ing or of making ready skins whereon to
writer"
" 'Tis well" said the king.
"The silver" said Cedric, 81 put in a
pot of water and left it over night In the
morning there 1oated on the top of the
water fine white dust. Then ! knew it
belonged to the miller, whose hands and
clothes were covered with ground wheat
and not the fesher, whose hands were
greasy with his meats. Had it been his,
oil and not dust would have been on the
waters top"
"Tis very well" said the king "And
my horsei"
'Truly therein | had pains to find the
truth. For though of course thou knewest
thy beast among the score, and doubtless
wouldst have known him amid an hundred,
yet when | called in the bcggar so did he,
too, aud | was puzzled"
"Then didst thou but guess the truth"
said the king.
Nay" replied Cedric. ITO guess is not
true wisdom. saw that while the beggar
knew the horse, yet did the horse not
know him. Yet thee it knew, and whin-
MED when thou camest anigh to ii; and so
l saved thee and hanged the beggar.'
The king pondered awhile, and then
spoke.
"Truly, Cedric" quoth he, ''thou art
better fitted to be king and to be dooms-
man. And yet | know not; for while l
make a passing good king | fear me l
should make a passing bad doomsman. -
Horace TownSead in Independent
Nitre.
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