The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1899-04-08

J
/ The struggle between the old count $
! train and that of the boys in the Chill
! dren's Crusade was brief and decisive.
! The count was a strong man and had
! twenty burly men-at arms with him, but
| they were overwhelmed in a moment by
! the immense number of their opponents,
! who came in SWarmS round the horses, be
fore the soldiers fairly understood what
was being done. The imposing figure Of
! the old monk, as he thundered forth the
curses of the church on any one who
| should presume to interrupt the crusade,
! had its effect on the men. who were sup
erstitious to the last degree; and they did
not try to fight, as they might have other
wise done. The sight of the boys, so
| peaceful moment before. turned to lit
tie demons by the voice of the priest, had
| its effect on TIE soldiers also; while they
could not rescue their young master with
out drawing swords on a lot of children.
Before they knew where they were each
! horseman was seized by at least twenty
! boys, tumbling over one another in their
eagerness; tearing them from their horses
by main force; taking their arms from
them, and then standing above them,
ready to pin them to the ground with their
own swords and spears if they ventured
! TO resist.
Old Count Stephen, in the grasp of
! some dozen boys Of eighteen, ropes thrown
round his limbs as he struggled, was drag
ged from his warhorse and thrown to the
ground, when a big boy. holding up the
sword he had wrenched from the old war
| rior's hand, cried out to Hildebrand:
Shall | slay the misbelever holy faith
! err"
| The boy, an ignorant peasant, evident
! ly thought he had got hold of Turk in
disguise, or something of the sort
For a moment the hermit hesitated. His
flashing eye showed that he was very
| angry. and he actually seemed tempted to
give the signal for the death of the count,
when Blanche de Naux, with scream of
fear, and followed by her mother. urged
her horse in by the side of the big boy,
| crying:
1T is my father, My father. Would
you slay good Christian as any here
| Shame on such crusaders, Stephen, hast
thou no shame in thee? Is this the cru
SADIE against the ntide? Stay his hand,'
! Young Count Stephen. with face that
had become very pale in the excitement
/ of the moment, cried out to the boy with
( the sword:
Enough, Jacob, 1t is my father, and
it is written: Honor thy father and
/ mother. Let him rise
Old IIildcbrand seemed to be glad that
i tho youth had taken the decision of the
/ matter from his hands, for he made no re-
! sistance; and in another moment the old
count. sorely shaken by his fall, his face
white with anger and shame at his dis
1 a..
and faced his son, saying, bitterly:
Thou ddst wrong to stay his hand
Better death than shame, and thou hast
put me to open shame.
Young Stephen colorcd deeply, and the
! tears came into his eyes as his father
spoke: hut the old monk, who saw in his
face signs of yielding to feeling. cried out,
! stcrnly:
/ lie that is not with us is against us.
Yc cannot serve God and Mammon. Let
the dead bury their dead saith the Lord.
Follow thou me, They that follow me,
the same are my brother and sister and
mother saith the Lord
] II seemed as if the old man was gather
ing together all the harsh texts and ex-
prcssinns he could find in the New Testa-
ment to hurl nt the boy. and stife in him
! the fppIlflCS III 1ldluEHi HuettlOH 10 MS
parents. which at that moment were
struggling hard to make themselves heard
and known.
Young Stephen shuddered violently as
no listened to the fierce denunciations.
He had become used to the application
and misapplication Of texts on all occa-
sions. interlarded with common discourse,
/ according to the customs of the crusaders.
4 u 10, IL
do to one educated in the more correct
taste of to-day He believed in every word
the old monk spoke. and held that it was
his duty to leave his father and mother
to stifle all natural affection and to devote
himself to killing Turks for the rest of
his life, if the monk could only justify
it hy some text.
What was his establishment, therefore,
when Blanche his gentle little sister, who
had never till that day dared to raise her
voice. and who was noted as devotee in
the castle, suddenly spoke up to the
naughty old monk, though her mother
was covering in dismay at his words, nev-
or dreaming that she could answer them.
The countess had not said q word since
J she had come on the ground. contenting
herself with gazing at her son silently.
E
effect on him. for he dearly loved her.
But Blanche de Naux. as Father Hide
brand Numbered out his texts, suddenly
turned her horse toward him, and called
out in her fresh. young voice:
Thou art a false prophet. much I fear
me, Hildebrand. and dost not preach the
truth that saveth rs"
The old monk was so much asto.ished
~ tho rrDlpDl-al for aSSlllt that ba
ally started. and inquired. unguardcdly:
What means the child:'
Il mean this" said Blanche undaunt-
edly: The Lord said. on earth, that not
one jot nr title of the law should pass
away till all should be fulfilled. The law
is the commandments. and thou art here
teaching these children TO abandon their
parents. and 10 expose the lives that God
gave them to the sword OF the Turk for
no good but to swell thy vanity. ont rpon
thee for vile man. that wouldst rob n
mother Of her children and sister of her
brother
The old monk seemed staggered by her
complaint. for he said:
L entice none. They are here by their
own consent, and their parents have bless
ed them-all but thine-and who are they
that they should stand in the way of the
crusade that will win back the sepulcher
If the Lord from the infidels:"
The countess here found courage To
speak, when she saw that the hermit
would listen. With clasped hands and
streaming eyes she addressed him, implor-
ingly:
Good hermit Hildebrand, gracious