The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-06-06
THE PRETTY MAID
OF CEFNYDFA
A MESSAGE ON A SYCAMORE LEAF.
The Pen q Pin, the Ink the Naiden's
Blood, and the Bearer the summer
Wind which Waited il Away..''she
dies in Her Lovers Embrace.

wind which Waited il Away....She
Dies in Her Lovers Embrace.
II has been long claimed that the
famous spot which has given u toucn-
in1 tale OF womans love and mans
devotion bears In its annals not only
the records Of golden harvests, but OF
fierce conflicts, a seeming forecast, SO
the poet takes II, of the sunshine ana
shadows that make up the ldyi oi
love. The date Of the story Is ABOUT
100. when the place was the residence
OF one William Thomas. descendant
Of Sir Edward Thomas. OF Cwrtypet-
tvs, and Catharine his wife. AS ne
was of good descent. and the wife was
the sister Of the clergyman OF Liam
Ceinor, the claim Of being OF respect
able standing Is supported. Two child
rem were the issue of marriage, Ann
the heroine of Cefn Ydfa, and William.
who died young. Ann grew up 1amea
for her beauty, and in her girinooo'
the Robert Burns, OF the district,
(Wm Hopkin), the bard-a simple
plasterer BY trade-came in pursuit o!
his business to the mansion, ana Iei'
desperately In love with her Ine
evidence given Is that the feeling was
mutual, though Miss Thomas was q
heiress with considerable means, ana
had in her youth been pl!ghted' or con-
tracted, as the term ran, to the son
OF their neighbor, Mr.. Maddox,
solicitor and an old friend OF the
family. 1t is stated that the acauaint-
ance began In the kitchen, where IL
was the custom of the family to take
their meals with the servants anu any
artizans or strangers who might be IN
and about the house. VIII Hopkin
came Of bardic descent, and has lert
memories proofs Of a poetic faculty
which was likely to tell upon an I'm.
pressionable girl, who had never mixed
in society or seen the world, and VIII
improved the opportunities. she oe.
came the prompter of his muse. A poet
without his goddess" is an unknown
creature. Welsh literature simply
abounds with illustrations, especially
from the tenth century down, and no
more enduring record have we than
In the life of Dafydd alb Gwilym, the
bard Of Ifor Hael--the ancestor of the
Fredegar family-who, not content
with one fair maiden to prompt his
poetical faculty. had dozen.
Some of Wills efforts In praise OF
the heiress are preserved with the
greatest regard. Such as "Bugeilior
Gwenith Gwyn," where very mourn
fully he pictures the certain fact that,
though he might be charmed and
loved, someone else would win the
maiden.
Il fondly watched the blooming wheat,
Another reaps the treasure"
Many a pleasant converse the lovers
had In the kitchen. and, as the attach
ment ripened, secret meetings follow
ed, until the mothers eyes were
awakened and 1t was almost impos-
sible for the slightest Of stolen inter-
views to be obtained. Even these were
stopped, and the fair Ann was made
practically q prisoner In the house.
and not even a glimpse could VIII get
Of his beloved. Then Mrs. Thomas, as
an effectual means Of putting stop
to Wills love-making, hurried on the
suit Of young Maddox, who was nat
urally eager to get. not only beauti-
full wife, but O heiress as well. The
whole story Of the attachment abounds
with interest.
->WWiiiiYs EFFORTS by note and verse to
communicate with her, the tales OF
strategy resorted to, the employment
Of q messenger between them who be-
trays her trust, so that the maiden Is
even deprived Of pen and ink, and then
comes the most touching of episodes,
unsurpassed In amatory literature. the
writing Of a message by her on syca-
more leaf, the pen q pin, the ink the
maiden's blood, and the bearer the
summer wind which waited 1t away.
But all came to an end. The effect OF
prayers, entreaties, threats, was that
Ann resigned herself to her fate, and
married young Maddox In 1925. She
only lived two years. and such was her
affection for her humble lover that she
became insane, and the denouement OF
the tale is that when In her last agon-
ies--in the hope Of her recovery--Will
is sent to see II his presence would re-
store her. She sprang into his arms
and died in his embrace.
Will lived to be 40 years old only.
and left numerous poetic works indi-
eating some poetic feeling as well as
powers Of sarcasm.
In the illustration of the latter, Will
cynically told Mrs. Thomas, on meet
Ing her one day, that she could NO
longer boast Of her daughter and q
heiress, but he could Of having his
trowel and hammer.
It 10 related that he met his death
while following his business, and, as
time not infrequently acts like dis
tance and clothes 1t with an azure hue.
the loves Of Will Hopkin and the Maid
OF CeIn fQIa nave given an interest 10
the valley which seem to color and ex-
pand as the years pass by, and bids
fair to be imperishable.
DR.. D. D. ]. Mason, Of Wilkes Barre.
has written an opera on this subject,
which was performed at Wilkes Barre
sometime ago, with New York artists
in the leading roles.
NOT EDISON.
It IL to a Welshman after all, and
not to Edison, that the world Is in
debted for the development of the tele-
phone. In the course Of an interest
ing article in the Christian World, re-
Gently, Mr.. William Lynd, the British
agent for Edison's phonograph. makes
this important statement: MANY per-
sons in this country believe that the
development Of the telephone Is due
to the inventive genius of Edison. The
man who made the capital discovery
Of the microphone, the principal Of
which is embodied in all successful
telephones, can usually be found with.
in two miles Of the Office of this jour.
nal. Professor David Hughes, the in.
ventor Of that splendid telegraphic in.
strument employed all over Europe
and In this country for the continental
lines, discovered the microphone, ant
gave his remarkable discovery to thu
world. Inventors, whose commercial
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