The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-11-01
tf us, but thou wilt be the most unhap-

ry."
"Happy or the contrary it must be
go, my father 1t will be all the same to
me, for feel that l cannot exist with
out this godlike youth; better to be
miserable with him than happy with
another. "
Very reluctantly the old king yielded
his consent to this marriage, and with
an impatient gesture checked the string
of promises which the young man had
begun to pour forth.
''Time will show" he said roughly.
At the commencement all went bright
and merrily with the young couple, but
later on the king could not close his
ears to the complaints of his people,
who tleplored the arrival of this stranger
i'll their midst and the disorder which
reigned since his advent Gradually,
too, Viscol began to neglect his young
wife and to leave her at home with only
her father as companion, while he
chased round the world And now
Vigilia became silent and sad. When
she was questioned as to the where
abouts of her husband, or the date of his
return, OF the reason of her not accom-
panying him, she invariably answered:
81 know not. "
When he did return, his manner was
rude and violent toward her, and while
she grew more silent and submissive he
grew rough and overbearing. The white
beard of the old king often shook with
anger when he witnessed the treatment
to which his once high spirited daughter
was subjected. He bowed his hoary head
toward the earth, saying: 81 fear me I
shall not live to see the birth of my
grandson. May the Great Spirit grant
to thee through thy child the happiness
which thou hast lost through it's IA
ther!'
Shortly after this the good old king
was taken to his rest, and his devoted
subjects mourned for him and lamented
him nine times nine weeks.
Vigilia's grief and bitter tears were
only assuaged when she brought forth
her little son, child so wonderfully
beautiful of countenance, but so ex-
tremely delicate in constitution, that
she looked with trembling on his tiny
face and lost herself in conjecture at the
thought of how he would ever be able
to govern her turbulent rcople, or how
far he would be capable Of resisting his
fathers severity.
Night and day she held him in her
arms. She never trusted him from out of
her sight; even when she passed judg-
ment on offenders and accorded state
interviews her baby lay Oh her breast.
Zephyr was the name which she gave to
her son, who grew daily in beauty and
in bodily strength, thanks to the great
care which his mother lavished on him
in order to fortify his fragile frame for
the ordeals through which he must nee
essarily pass before he could be elected
king.
Her faithful deer, Graur and Mititica.
carried him long distances on their backs
in order to inure him to fatigue. His
agile mother ran races with him, taught
him how to bend the bow and to carry
heavy weights. In order to accustom
him to suffer and to endure she beat him
with twigs and flung stones at him, and
when his laughter changed to tears she
upbraided him with cowardice and bath
ed him with icy water.
On the morrow she would beat him
even moro severely, until he learned to
overcome The sensation of pain and to
laugh i'll spite of suffering.
Viscol had always hated his son, and
now his absences became longer and
more frequent. Once he was in so great
a hurry to get away from them that he
left behind him his beautiful harp This
instrument became source of great
pleasure beth to lis neglected wife and
child Vigilia possessed great musical
talent, aud she would play dirges and
melancholy airs, but when the young
Zephyr breathed Cn the harp strings it
was as if the whole air sang with a song
of rejoicing.
The people now hated Viscol so in
tensely that they no longer allowed him
to enter TIE country, and when he made
his appearance in the clouds they dis
charged such a shower of arrows at him
that he was glad to beat speedy re-
treat.
Some of these brave men loved their
young prince because of his resemblance
to his beautiful mother, but others de-
spised him because Of his weakness and
delicacy. All were agreed as to praising
his enthrallipg music, and when he
stood by his harp, his long silky hair
reaching to his shoulders, he seemed to
them being from another world.
Twas true he could not drive four stags
abreast, as could his mother, the queen,
but he had become much stronger than
she ever expected that he would be.
When Zephyr attained his sixteenth
year, the people pronounced it to be
time for him TO so through the test in
order to ascertain if he were capable
and worthy of becoming their king, for
should he fail to pass the required cr-
deal they would compel Queen Vigilia
to take one of themselves as consort, so
that they might have suitable man to
reign over them.
On the day appointed Zephyr bore the
heat Of the sun bravely, and no one was
aware how he lay painting with fever
the whole night through tended by his
devoted mother.
On the second day, while he collected
the mount of stones, she never quilted
his side, but helped him in secret, and
i'll the evening, when he tainted from
fatigue, she was there to catch him in
her arms.
Next dawned the day which she most
dreaded, when every stone which struck
his tender body wounded her heart to