The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-08-01

| beth ct az Rrs newcpzns oetareyen. 4snuIu.
| ing nay siizar and he etntching my Erist.
He Says the silver ishis. 1say it ia mine.
| Yet do make oath that to me and not te
him dessf h belong"
Then sid the fesher:
Nay, bat this man hes. He camsto my
house al be says, but that Is all the truth
there Is IA his tala Whsn he had taken
his meat be asked me whether had silvez
to give to him IN place Ct gold coin. 'Ay,
quoth I, and laid out On my FISHING block
a handful OF; silver coins, which, when be
saw, he caught up with his hand, and so
was making OF when cluHched him by
the wrist and haied him before thee, our
doomsmaa. To this will maze oath and
say that be. the miller, Is rogue and a
rascal, while Iazn an upright man and the
rightful owner of thesilver"
And when the doomsmsn asked 1t of
them, each Of the twain, the fesher and
the miller, stuck to his tale, nor altered II
jot. Then Quoth the doomsman, leave
ye the silver with me and come again on
the morrow" And they went their own
ways.
Then came forward the king and the
beggar, and the king safd:
II was riding toward this town. and
when came to tho bridge Of Stafnes saw
this man seated by the roadside, and when
he asked me TO Lift him on my horse I,
seeing that he wssoh 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 a righteous man is thetruth, oh,
doomsman."
And the beggar:
'I 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 good heart I did so, putting him
before mo on the horse; bat when we were
come into the High street he rogufshly
claimed Of me my horse, and when Iwould
not give 1t up he had me hailed before thee.
This on the word Of an old and righeeous
man is the truth, oh, doomsmanp
Said Cedric, 'Ieavs the horse here with
me and come again On the MORROW"
So the king and the beggar went their
own ways, and en- the morrow were in the
church yard, as were the others also, to
hear the doom that Cedric would give.
The scrivener and the hedger were called.
tHTake thy wife, scrivener," said Cedric,
sand let the ears be cut from off the
hedger"
So the hedger lost his ears and the scriv-
ener gained his wife, and yet some said
their lots were equal.
Then were called the fesher and the
miller
"Take thy silver, miller" said Cedric,
"and let the right hand be cut from off the
fesAer"
So the miller got his silver and the
fesher 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 a score of horses. "Pick out thine
own horse, said Cedric; and the king did so.
Then Cedric sent for the beggar apd 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
were gathered there once more Cedric said
to the king:
"Take thy horse and let the old man be
hanged" '+..t
And the king marveled at the wisdom of
the doomsman, and said to him:
Nov / know that all l have heard Is
truth. Thou art as full Of wisdom as is an
egg of meat Know then that am King
Alfred" and when Cedric had bowed his
knee before him the king said:
''Tell me, pray thee, how thou gavesS
such rightful doom, for dare swear that
thou dealt as righteously with the scrive-
ner and the miller as with me-"
"All three were but small matters, oh,
king" said Cedric, "bus this was the
manner in which l settled them. Thou
ssweet how that kept all night the three
things anentwhich there was bickering"
81 did," said the king
"Well, said Cedric, Gin the morning 1
turned hastily to the woman and said,
Smooth me down q skin, for need to
write,' and she took skin and rubbed it
after the fashion of a scrivener's helper,
and then knew that she belonged to the
scrivener and not TO the hedger, for how
would hedger's wife know aught of writ
ing or Of making ready skins whereon to
write?"
"'Tis WELL" said the king.
''The silver" said Cedric, ~ put in pot
of water and left it over night. In the
morning there foated on the top of tho
water a fine white dust. Then knew 10
belonged to the miller, whose hands and
clothes were covered with ground wheat,
and not to the fesher, whose hands were
greasy with his meats. Had it been his,
oil and not dust would have been on the
waters top"
IT'S very we'll said the king. And
my horse?"
Truly therein he'd pains TO find the
truth. For though of course thou knewest
thy beast among the score, and doubtless
wouldst have known him amid an hun
dred, yet when | called the begger in so
did he, too, and was puzzled"
Then didst thou but guess the truth"
said the king
Nay" replied Cedric. ''To 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 whinnied
when thou earnest anigh TO it; and so
gave thee and hanged the beggar."
The king pondered awhile, and then
spoke.
'@Fruly, Cedric" quoth he, thou art
better fit to be king and l 70 be doomsmAn-
And yet I know not; for while l make a
passing good king fear me ! should make
passing bad doomsman. Horace Town
send in Independent.