The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1893-12-15
ATALEOF OLDEN TIME
How AinnIess Walker Took Advan
tage Of a Helpless ArmOred
Knight.
SOLD HIM FOR OLD IRON AT 8 CENTS
Made Cook Stove and GridirOn out OF
= the Good knights ArmOr and His
Shirt of Mail-Used His Sword
for a Carving Knife.

My ancestor was knight and the owner
of vast realms. His domains included
several small towns, great forests and farms
and other gilt-edge collateral, and his vas
sails were numbered by the thousands.
The management of his real estate he
left to an agent, who doomed it to his lords
advantage, while my ancestor spent his
time in tOurneying and other knightly di-
versions, rescuIng females in distress, in
storming castles and drinking wassail with
other lords when in funds.
He was a man of medium height, who
wore eyeglasses and sandy whislIers; but
when he was inside of his Damascus in
laid suit of chilled steel armor, he was
person of imposing appearance, and he had
deep bass voice, which gave its hearers a
lasting impression of his greatness.
In battle he was terror; many were the
infidels who bit the dust before his two
handled sword and many were the trophies
of the field stacked up in his castle. He
was fond of riding unattended through his
domains and feeling the public pulse, as it
were, and in this manner met many adven-
lures well worth recording. In an old
black-letter manuscript dated 1915; there
is an account of one of these adventures,
which I have rendered into modern Eng
lish, which goes to show how the life of
knight of old was subject to strange Yicis-
STUDIES.
He was riding through forest one day,
when his steed suddenly reared and threw
my ancestor to the ground with a dull thud
and the knight, encountered by his weigh
ty armor, was unable to rise when he re-
covered from the shock, but he managed
to crawl to the roadside and brace himself
up against tree. 1t was a lonely road and
but few people traversed it. Thus he lay
two days without food or drink, unable to
get out of his armOr or walk home. On the
morning of the third day, man in shabby
garb approached with slow, leisurely steps
and coming up to my ancestor, halted in
surprise, and then opening the grating in
the knights visor, he said:
''Hello! Hellop'
My ancestor replied:
''Good morning, friend. 1 pray thee give
me food and drink or 1 PERISH
"Who are you and what are you doing
here ?" quOth the man.
My ancestor informed him of his name
and station, repeating his request for sus-
tenance and concluding by inquiring his
saviour's name.
81 am Aimless Walker, the Pilgrim he
replied; "just from the Holy Land on foot,
but have no fodder for you. Yet me-
thinks he unused, ''that in distant farm
yard espied a wheelbarrow left by some
carless yokel. Hither will L HE me, and
in two shakes will return to thee and will
trundle thee to thy castle.
So speaking, he hied, and, in short
time, returned with the barrow. First,
however, he removed the knights hemlet.
and, film it with water at spring near
by, he brought the warrior drink, which
cheered him nightly. Then placing him
ia the barrow, he began to trundle him
along the road toward the far distant city.
They cheered the weary:sway by reciting
I their strange adventures tbeach other, and
my ancestor has recorded in hrs diary that
he never met q More cheerful aid Tariega-
ted liar in all his travels, and he was no
slouch, himself, 1t is said
Toward noon Aimless grew fatigued and
stopping suddenly, he said:
t'What do get out of this, anyway ?"
'sWhy, fellow" quoth the knight, sis il
not enough to know that thou art serving
thy lord?''
''Lord nothing said Walker; "perhapS
you are not aware that L am the inventor
of the istance-without-Labor system anC
high-arch chancellor of Lodge of Knight;
of the Road. 1t strikes me that 1 am get
ting it where Mary got the mumps in the
neck.
s'Hurry on" replied my ancestor, sol
darkness will again befaII JUS ere we reacl
my CASTLE
eff you were out of that iron CARMEN
and did little walking yourself, the jol
would be easier,'' said Walker, and, suit
ing the action to the words, he turned th'
knight over, and with a monkey-wrencl
Fhieh the warrior wore, he began to ind,
bis armor.
In few minutes the knight appeared il
his buckskin paiamas. and Walker wa
surprised to find him such small and. il
fact, insignificant person. Seeing that h
outclassed him when he was out of hi
armor, he began to bully him, and finall.
he compelled my ancestor to wheel tn
barrow, loaded as 1t was with his armo
e. "a weapons.
lnaecustomed to such mental toll, TIL
night made such poor progress that even
g found them still far from home. Tn
angs of hunger added to the knight
misery. But Walker disappeared in tn