The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-02-01
A Spanish Witch.

|
adventures, and this is one of them, which
came about in the following manner: In
the Kingdom were many Moors who had
qnered half the country and set up q
Moorish Sultan over their half and tried
to get the whole of it into their power
All this had happened in the days of tho
young Kings father, so that when the
young King came to the throne he resolved
to fight the Moors and drive them away
and to this end he raised an army AND
prepared for war. Now, i'll the town OF
Salamanca was a wicked old witch, and
when she heard the King was about to g
to war she winked one eye at her black
cat and the black cat winkcd one eye Il,
her, and she got her staff and cloak and
said to her cat, whose name was Beclze-
bub:
Come on, Beelzebub, let's so to Madrid
and see what we shall see"
And the black cat laughed and she
laughed, and they both set out.
! When she came to the city of Madrid
it was full of the sound of men and horses
shields and swords, but the witch noticed
none of these; she went straight to the
palace and said to a page:
Il must speak to the King"
"Oh, you must speak to the page, must
you," said the saucy page. We'll, let me
tell you, old lady, that the King is no!
over fond Of witches the age OF his great
grandmother. If you were Il pretty girl
| then, perhaps -"
| II must speak to the king" interrupted
! the witch, turning her fiery red eyes OH
the page; and the black cat archcd his
back and stared hard with his green eyes,
| and the saucy page ran away and told
the King, who said: ''She may have some
news; bring her here"
ooh, King" said the old witch, bowling
| low. Il am more than 100 years old
| and all my life I have been weaving cloth
and studying magic, and l have learned
| how to make silk which will turn aside
| the sharpest sword and blunt the keenest
| lance: 1t is of more use than the heav
lest armor in battle, but SO strange is this
magical silk that only brave man can
| parent than gauze, yet when they wear it
! tbs heavier than lead, while upon the
| limbs of a brave man its weight is III
more than a cobweb, while it looks as
heavy as Steel"
AN excellent thing to wear in battle
| with the Moors," said the King. Have
you A la1?s Maest2 so sa ID the hypocrtca
! old witch. II am poor woman. / bring
you only my knowledge. TO weave such
| stuff requires pound of fine gold and
| ten pounds of silk for every yard, and
where should l find all that in sala-
manca?"
"Herew said the King to- his seneschal,
''give this woman loom and all the ma.
| terials she requires and let her weave me
a suit of this magic silk. And, bark ye,
old dame, let it be ready in five days, for
on the eighth ride to fight the Moors.'
| So the old witch and BeelZebub had q
fine room in the palace and the best OF
| good living, and besides the loom they
| brought her 200 pounds of raw silk and
| twenty pounds of fine gold.
Now on the fourth day the King said
to the seneschal: Go and see how the
magic silk progresses And when the
scneschal came to the witch's door the
old woman cried:
"Ah, am glad the King has sent brave
man, for so fine is this silk that coward
will observe all the delicate patterns and
the beautiful sheen of the gold and the
silk that shine like light itself"
! Then the seneschal looked ut the loom
bot TO his amazement he saw nothing al
all. lie gave start and turned very
at her black cat, and Bcelzcbub winked
at her, .
rs it possible" said the scncschal to
himself, that am q coward? thought
myself afraid of nothing, and yet can
not see this web of SIX upon the loom.
Wc.l, one thing Is ,. certain, 1 am not q
1 must pretend that / do"
And 50, while the old woman pointed to
the patterns of the web and seemed to
pass her hand over II, he profcssed to see
everything she described, ana even pre-
tended to rug the stuff between his fingers
xone: the Old witch and Beelzebub laughed
I'll they etoked.
1T IS the most wonderful stuff 1 ever
saw, Your Majesty" sid the seneseha1
''traHtifu1 9o11 lights play through y 11kt
sunshine. Il has the rich, cltahse,fu1 col
:rs Of eaceek IT, a na int" O. t .s,, gat
1t ~ fine ahd soft ~ q spf1eFs web ana
Next day the King, being very busy
sent the commander Of MI tho forces
" tho Old witch 10 see II the suit were et,t
TO u proper sfze, because tomorrow II
must bn rea1y u, wear,
The Old witch bad pushed the jo4'n II
old general saw her stick ~ needle
and vntl through q long thread, but
tl,OHHj, ttr rubbed his eyes hard ttr could
MT see the clothes which she seemed III
be sewing, Isnt he did not dare my 40
apd when the wftct, scr,ned to hold W
the clothes to show him tho st,npe OF
the sleeves and the, stms Of the billions
md went to tell tho King that nothing
10 wonderful and beautiful As his now
clothes had he ever seen. while the witch
piurt,ed BecIzebub IN the ribs and be
pincI,cd her and they both Iaugbcd Gt to
On the sixth day tho army was all
ready to march, and then the King sent
and commander of the forces fetched the
| old witch,
"Ijcrc they arc. Mnjcsty." she said.
seeming to spread out the suit before
him, land when you wear them IN bat
tic with tho enemies Of our country
don't forgot the poor old witch of SnIa-
mnncn! Upon which Bcclzcbub had ia
stuff bis own tail into his mouth to keep
from laughing right out.
turned pale. because he didn't sec any
| clothes Mt oil, and yet the senescllal and
| the commander of tho forces stood by and
seemed to expect him to put them on. So
hr dared not make my protest. though MI
the while ne was SAYING to himself as they
| were helping to put on the clothes IN.
couldn't see:
'"Then am coward! Well. an too
much of n coward TO admit il. and shall
at least know. how to die for my couI,'
try when tho time comes"
And then they went ont OF the palace
tho people chcered. for each one said to
himself: II can't see the Kings clothes,
but that is because I am not truly brave,
but no one else shall see that, don't sec
them" And every man said to his neigh
hor; "How, splendid the Kings magic
so lglorious?''
Every neishbor replyins:. mo, indeed,
I never did!''
And Ill tho while the witch md yBeelze.
hub. left alone in the palace. were wink
ing. both eyca mt each other md shouting
with laughter. as .,.,.,,,
But when tic King came to tf,c city gatc
there stood his sister: tho Princess !ncz.
with all tho ladies Of tho court. and The
moment theyssasv the King thayaalLlal
ooh. brother!''3 a.oida TIE princess
through the sticks of her fan = t""why did
yom 50 to war with no clothes on =
no c 10th ~ answered. y be- why I