Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1898-10-14

His Lord was ever bountiful: great was
his JOY therein.
And there. In middle OF the path, a leper
did appear:
In deep slough the leper lay. none would
TO help come near
| with loud voice he thence did cry: "For
God, our Saviours sake,
From out the fearful jeopardy a Christian
brother take"
"
When Rodrigo heard that piteous word. he
from his horse came down;
For all they said no stay he made. that
| noble champion
lie reached his hand TO pluck him forth OF
fear was no account,
Then mounted on his steed OF worth, and
made the leper mount
Behind him rode the leprous man; when
10 their hostelrie
They came, he made him eat with him n ,
table cheerfully;
White all the rest from the poor guest with
loathing shrunk away
TO his own bed the wretch he led beside
him there he lay.
VI
All at the mid-hour Of the night while
good Rodrigo slept,
A breath came from the leprous man II
through his shoulders crcpt;
Right through the body. at the breast.
passed forth that breathing cold:
wot he leaped up with d start in terrors
manifold.
VII.
lie cropped for him in the bed, but him he
could not find,
Through the dark chamber CROPPED he, with
very anxious mind;
Loudly he lifted up his voice. with speed a
lamp he brought
Yet nowhere was the leper seen, though far
and near they sought.
VII.
He turned him to his chamber. Got wot.
perpleXed and sore
with that which had befallen-when 10!
his face before,
Ihere stood man all clothed in vesture
shining white.
Thus said the vision: "Sleepest thou. or
wakesi thou. Sir Knight"
TX
II sleep not" quoth Rodrigo; but tell me
VINO art thou,
For, IN the midst o. darkness. much light
is on thy brow?"
Il am the holy Lazarus. l come TO speak |
with thee;
1 am the SAFE poor leper thou savedst for
charity,
mot vain the trial. nor in vain thy victory
hath been;
God favors thee, for that my pain thou
did'st relieve yestreen.
There snal be honor with thee, In battle
and in peace,
Success in all thy doings. ard plentiful in
crease"
The poem contains few verses more
in which the happy ever afterward"
ending is given. ltIs thought that from
tins James Russell Lowell conceived
the idea Of The Vision of Sir Launfal"
There is also another beautiful story
Of his marriage with Ximene, the
daughter of the count Of Ovledo, and
granddaughter t. Alphonso the v Al
though a great soldier and mighty
statesman the Cid was not ashamed OF
he most gentle things OF life, and his
soul was full of true sentiment. The
story goes that when the Cid was tell
ng the dark-eyod Spanish girl of his
owe that she was holding in her hand
several white native roses. and that the
blushing turned them Grim
on. Aftcrward these roses did not
ade as roses usually do. but lasted
lntil the wedding. While the cere-
uony was being performed they grad
ially turned pure white again, and
hey we're ever aftcrward called tho
rides roses.
The origin of this legend is unknown.
nd is doubtless the product of some
ate authors brain, as il cannot be
ound in any of the older chronicles
Like all great and ambitious soldiers
vh.o have tried 10 conquer the world,
fter his first great defeat, the Cid died
t anger and grief about 1900. It was
fter the battle of Cuenca. at which
is army was completely routed. After
luch disturbance the body Of the Cid
es in the center Of small chapel i'm
'urgos. Here this truest Of Spanish
erocs. the embodiment Of all the ma
ional virtues and most of the national
ice, lies in great state upon a large
lab. The body was bound by gold
ings 10 a wooden cross and placed 4.
here surrounded by his companions i'm +,
ar. To-day old time and relic seekers
ave left only the rings and the small ,
MS Of wood that cling TO them Philip j.,
|. tried TO have him canonized. but
ONE objected. With all of his vir- j.,
les the Cid was not the fit person for :
saint.
Such is the story, veracious and p
therwse. of the greatest of the guer- II
lleros in legend and in history, of y
he greatest type of the rebel. the q
audit and warrior from the days of Il
ertorius TO those Of FL Empecinado. II
he one man whose life has gone more !,
form the destiny, history and litera- O
ire Of nation than any other human I
ing that has ever lived.-Louisville :
ourier-Journal. ,,
New Belts. !,
The shirt waists and hondSomp odd 4