Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-08-28

mad met the king, albeit he knew not.
nordld the Reading men, that he was
a KING, but thought him simple
wayfarer, and seein" he was afoot and
weary, had offered to him to ride be-
fore him on his horse. The which,"
sad the beggar. does he now. with
foul threats and evil knocks, try to
take by force from me- saying it is
his own, though it is plain to be
seen that | am old and weak and he
is young and lusty."
And after the king had told his
truthful tale. how that it was he who |
had been riding toward the town and
had in kindness set the beggar be-
hind him and helped him on his way
with but scurvy payment for his
pains, the men of Reading were sore
beset in their minds as to which of
the twain might be the truth teller
and which the liar. After some had
talked this way and some that, an
elder among them said: Let us
hale them both and also the horse
before Cedric, our doomsman, and
he will tell us which we shall believe"
Nothing Ioath was the king, nor
did the beggar dare to say them nay,
and so 1T came to pass that in no
great while they stood before Cedric,
the son of Hend, in the church yard
where his seat was. But they We're
not the first corners, and so had to
wait until two trials had been held.
The first was n quarrel between
scrivener and hedger concerning u
woman. The scrivener said that she
was his wife, and had been taken
from him by the hedger, and the
hedger, indeed, said no; that she had
always been his wife, and that the
scrivener had no lawful right to her.
The woman said nothing, whereat all
marveled. When each had told his
tale Cedric pondered and said:
Leave the woman here and return.
each of you, on the morrow" and
they went away leaving the woman.
Next came tiesher and a miller,
the miller holding in his hand a sum
of money II went" said lie, Eat
noon to the tlesher to buy meat for
my household, and when the time
came for me to pay him drew from
my pouch these coins of silver, the
which, when the t1esher saw, he made
as if to clutch and took me by the
wrist, so that both Of us are now
come before you, l holding my silver
and he clutching my wrist. He says
the silver is his. l say it is mine
Yet do | make oath that to me and
not to him does it belong"
Then said the tiesher:
NAY, but this man lies. He came
to my house rs he says, but that is
all the truth there is in his tale.
When he had taken his meat he
asked me whether l had silver to
give to him in place of gold coin.
'Ay,'. quoth I. and laid out on my
feshing block handful of silver
coins, which, wheE he saw. he caught
up with his hand, and so was max
ing off when l clutched him by the
wrist and hailed him before thee, our
doomsman. To this | will make
oath and say that he the miller, is a
rogue and IL rascal. while | am an up
right man and the rghtful owner o
the silver.
And when the doomsman asked il
of them, each of the twain, the flesh
err and the miller, stuck to his tale
, nor altered it q jot. Then quotl
the doomsman, "Leave We TIN
silver with me and come again on tn
morrow" And they went their owl
B ways.
Then came forward the king ant
the beggar, and the king said:
II was riding toward this town
and when came to the bridge o
| Staines l saw this man seated by tn
. roadside, and when he asked me tC
: lift him on my horse l, seeing tina
v he was old and feeble, said yes will
good heart and carried him int
. this town of yours, in the which h
was no sooner come than he claime'
my horse to my own face, sayin
r that it was his and not mine. Thi
i on the word of one who tries to be
n righteous man is the truth, oh, dooms
e man"
And the beGgar:
@ Il was riding toward the town o
this my horse when met this youn
@ man, who, saying he was nigh dea
g from hard going, asked me to hel
r. him on his way. With good heal
h did so, putting him before me 0
my horse; but when we were come il
d to the high street he roguishl
u claimed OF me my horse, and when
would not give it up he had n
d hailed before thee. This on Il
,e word of an old and righteous me
" is the truth, oh. doomsman!"
Said Cedric, Leave the horse he
70 with me and come again on the mo
IT row."
e. So the king and the beggar wei
re their own ways, and on the MORO
Re were in the church yard, as were t
N others also, to hear the doom TIL
lie Cedric would give.
ct The scrivener and the hedger We
called.
r.: Take thy wife, scrivener." sa
- A. 4 r.,