The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1893-12-02
TALE OF OLDEN TINE.

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 yassals were
numbered by hundreds.
The management Of his real estate
he left TO an agent who doomed it tC
his lords advantage, while my ances.
tor spent his time in tourneying and
other knightly diversions, rescuing
females in distress. storming castles,
and drinking wassail with the other
lords when in funds.
He was man Of medium height,
who wore eyeglasses and sandy
whiskers: but when he was inside Of
his Damascus inlaid suit of chilled
steel armor, he was person OF i'm
posing appearance, and he h2G deep
bass voice, which gave its bearers a
lasting impression Of his greatness.
In battle he was terror; many
were the intidels who bit the dust
before his two-handled sword, and
many were the trophies o. the field
stacked up in his castle. He was
found Of riding unattended through
his domains and feeling the public
pulse, as it were, and in this manner
met With many adventures well worth
recording In an old black letter
manuscript dated l245, there is an
account OF one Of these adventures,
which i have rendered into modern
English, which goes TO show how the
life Of knight Of old was subject to
strange vic. .ssitudeS
He was riding through forest one
day, when his Steed suddenly reared
and threw my ancestor TO the ground
with dull thud. The knight, in
numbered by his weighty armor, was
unable to rise when he recovered
from the shock, but he managed to
crawl to the roadside and brace him
self up against a tree. 1t was q
lonely road and lew 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, a man in
shabby garb approached with slow,
leisurely steps Coming up TO my an
cestor, he halted in susprise, and then
opening the grating in the knights
visor, he said:
Hello, Hellow
MY ancestor replied:
Good morning, friend. l pray
tnee give me food and drink, or l
perish"
"Who are you and what are you
doing here?" quoth the man.
My ancestor informed him Of his
name and station, repeating his re-
quest for sustenance, and concluding
by inquiring his saviour's name.
II am Aimless Walker, the Pill
GRIM he replied; "just from the
Holy Land on foot, but l have no
fodder for you. Yet methnks," he
mussed, that in distant farm yard
/ Iespied wheelbarrow left by some
careless yokel. Hither will | hie me,
and In two shakes will return TO thee
and trundle thee to thy castle"
So speaking, he hied, and, in
short time, returned with the bar
row. First, however. he removed
the knights helmet, and, filing il
with water at spring near by. he
brought the warrior drink, which
cheered him nightly. Then, placing
him in the barrow, he b gan to
trundle him along the road toward
the far distant town. They cheered
the weary way by reciting their
strange adventures TO each other.
aud my ancestor has recorded in his
dairy that he never met a more
cheerful and yariegated liar in all his
travels; and he was no slouch him
self. il is said.
Toward noon Aimless grew IA.
tigued, and, stopping suddenly, he
said:
What do get out Of this, any
way?'
why, fellow" quoth the knight,
lis it not enough TO know that thou
art serving thy lord:"
Lord, nothing" said Walker:
perhaps you are not aware that I'm
the inventor Of the Existence with.
out-Labor system. and high arch chan
celor OF the Lodge OF knights OF the
Road. IL strikes me that I'm get
ting it where Mark got the mumps-
in the neck"
Hurry on" replied my ancestor.
''or darkness will again befall Us ere
W reach nv castle"
'If you were out OF those iron gar
ments and did little walking your
self the OBJ would lie easier said