The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-08-27

sea creePe
dry land. In those days, between the
Abbey and the sea, there stoou
town of seven towers and four rich
churches surrounded by wall OF tWelve
stones thickness, making IL, as men reck-
oned then, a place of strength ana Hiucn
import; and the monks, placing grdan ,ne,
eyes downward from the Abbey garaen
on the hill, saw beneath their ieel Its
narrow streets, gay with the ever passing
of rich merchandise, saw It's mary
wharves and waterways, ever NOISY VIII az.
the babel OF strange tonguesi saw ns
many painted masts, wagging their gra.e
heads above the dormer roofs ana quaint
ly-carved oak gables.
Thus the town prospered till there came
a night when IL did evil in the slgnt Vi
God and man. Those were trouplous
times to Saxon dwellers by the sea, ios
the Danish water-rsts swarmeo rouhu
each river mouth, scenting treasure IRON
afar: and by none was the white flash
of their sharp, strong teeth more oIieh
seen than by the men of Eastern angina
and by none In Eastern Anglia more OF
ten than by the watchers on me Wills
of the town of seven towers tnat once
stood upon the dry land, but which now
lies twenty fathom deep below the waters.
Many a bloody fight ragged now wllnou.
and now within its walls OF tWelve
stones thickness. Many a groan Oh,
dying man, many a shrek OF murdered
woman, many wall OF mangeld child,
knocked at the Abbey door upon It's way
to heaven, calling the trem bling MONKS
from their beds, to pray for the Souls
that were passing by.
But at length peace came TO the long
trou bled land; Dane and saxon agreeing
to dwell in friendship side by side, East
Anlgia being wide, and there being room
Ill ali
| for all were weary of a strife In when
| little had been gained on either side pe-
~yond hard blows, and their thoughts were
| of the single-nook. So the long -oearoeo
Danes, their thirsty axes harmless on
| their backs, passed to-and-fro In straggi,,
ing. bands, seeking where undis,urpe;r ls .ho;r
| and undisturbing they might build thelr
| homes; and thus it came about that
| Haarfager and his company, as the sun
| was going down, drew near TO the town
! OF seven towers, that In those days stood
on dry land between the Abbey and the
| sea.
| And the men of the town, seeing the
Danes, opened wide their gates, saying:
"We have fought, but now there is peace.
Enter, and make merry with US, and TO-
morrow go your way"
But Haariager made answer, 81 am an
old man; i pray you do not take my
words amiss There Is peace between us,
courtesy, but the stains are still fresh
upon our swords. Let us camp here
without your walls; and little later,
when the grass has grown upon the heids
where we have striven, and our young
men have had time to forget, we VIII
make merry together, as men should
who dwell side by side in the same land. y
But the men of the town still urged
Haarfager, calling his people neighbors
and the Abbot, who had fastened down
fearing there might be strife, added his
word to theirs, saying:
"Pass in, my children. Let there, In
deed, be peace between you, that the
blessing OF God may be upon the land,
and upon both Dane and Saxon; fol
the Abbot saw that tho townsmen were
well disposed toward the Danes, and knew
that men, when they had fessted anc
drunk together, think kinder to ONT
another.
Then answered Haarfager who knew
the Abbot for a holy man: "Hold ul
your staff, my father, that the SHADOW
of the cross your people worship may fal
upon our path, SO we will pass into tn
town and there shall be peace betwee,
US; for though your gods are not ou
| gods, faith between man and man is o
all temples
And the Abbot held his staff aloft be
tween Haarfager's people and the sun,
being fashioned in the form OF cross
and under it's shadow the Danes passe
by into the town OF seven towers, ther
being OF them, with the women and tn
little children, nearly two thousan
souls, and the gates were made fast bt
hind them.
SO they who had fought face to face
feasted eide by side, pledging one anotht
In the wine cup, as was the custom; an
Haarfager's men, knowing themselve
among friends, had cast aside their arms
and when the feast was done, bein
weary. they lay down to sleep.
Then an evil voice arose in the towr
and said: "who are these that hay
come among us to share our land. Ar
not the stones of our streets red with u
blood OF wife and child that they hav
slain? Do men let the wolf go free whe
they have trapped him with meat? Ia
us fall upon them now that they ar
heavy with food and wine, so that nc
one among them shall escape. Thus n
, further harm shall come TO us from theI
nor from their children.
And the voice of evil prevailed; an
the men of the town OF seven towers fe
upon the Danes with whom they ha
broken meat, even to the women and th
little children; and the blood OF the pee
pie OF Haarfager cried with loud voice .
, the Abbey door; through the long nigh
IL cried, saying
"I trusted In your spoken word.
broke meat with you. put my faith ]
You and your God. passed beneath I'll
shadow OF your cross to enter your door
, Let your God make answer" Nor wa
! there silence till the dawn.
Then the Abbot rose from where f
knelt and called to God saying: "Tho
! hast heard. oh, God. Make answer"
And there came a great sound from I'll
sea as though a tongue had been given
the deep, SO that the monks fell upo
/, their knees in fear but the Abbot al
swered. s'It Is the voice of God, speakin
through the waters. He hath mad
> answer.
the like OF which no man had know
: before for the sea was piled upon the di
land until the highest tower OF the tow
OF seven towers was not more high; al
the waters moved forward over the 'di
land. And the men OF the town OF seve
towers fed from the oncoming OF q
waters, but waters overtook them SO th'
not one of them escaped. And the tow
OF the seven towers, and OF the fo'
churches, and OF the many streets III