The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-04-12
A FANClFUL SKETCH.

lhey say, the chroniclerS who have
written the history of that low living
wind swept coast, that years ago the foam
fringe of the ocean lay farther to the east.
so that where now the North sea crecps
among the treacherous sand reefs it was
once dry land. In those days between
the abbey and the sea there stood a town
or seven towers and four rich churches,
surrounded by a wall of - stones thick
ness, making it, as men reckoned then, n
place of strength and much import. and
the monks. glancing their eyes downward
from the abbey garden on the hill, saw
beneath their feet its narrow streets, gay
with the ever passing OF rich merchan-
disc; saw its many wharfs and water
ways ever noisy with the babel of
strange tongues; saw its many painted
masts. wagging their grave heads above
the dormer roofs and ql aintly carved oak
gables.
Thus the town prospered till there came
a night when it did evil in the sight of
God and man. Those were troublous
times to Saxon jewellers by the sea, for
the Danish water rats swarmed around
each river mouth, seeming treasure from
afar, and by none was the white flash of
their sharp strong teeth more often seen
than by the men of eastern Anglia and
by none i'll eastern Anglia more often
than by the watchers on the walls of the
town of seven towers that once stood
upon the dry land, but which now lies 20
fathoms deep below the waters. Many
bloody fight wagcd now without and
now within its walls of II stones thick
ness. Many a groan of dying man.
many shrek of murdered woman, many
wall of mangled child. knocked at the
abbey door upon its way to heaven, call
ing the trembling monks from their beds
to pray for the souls that were passing
by.
But at length peace came to the long
troubled land; Dane and Saxon agreeing
to dwell in friendship side by side. East
Anglia being wide, and there being room
for both, and all men rcjoced greatly, for
all were weary of strife in which little
had been gained on either side beyond
hard blows, and their thoughts were of
the lngie nook. So the long bearded
Danes. their thirsty axes harmless on
their backs, passed to and fro in strag-
Cling bands, seeking where. undisturbed
and undiSturbing. they might build their
: homes, and thus it came about that Haar-
fager and his company. as the sun was
going down, drew near to the town of
seven towers, that in those days stood on
dry land between the abbey and the sea
And the men of the town. seeing the
Danes, opened wide their gates, saying:
I'VE have fought, but now there is
peace. Enter, and make merry with us,
and tomorrow 20 your way"
But llaarfager made answer:
Il am an old man; | pray you do not
take my word amiss. There is peace be
tween us as You say and we thank you
for your courtesy, but the stains are still
fresh upon our swords. Let us camp
here without your walls. and little
later, when the grass has grown upon the
fields where we have suiven and our
young men have had time to forget. we
will make merry together, as men should
who dwell side by side in the same land"
But the men of the town still urged
Haarfaser, calling his people ncighbors,
and the abbot. who had FASTENED down,
fearing there might be strife, added his
words to theirs, saying:
Pass in, my children. Let there in
deed be peace between you that the bless
ing of God may be upon the land and
upon both Dane and SaSon." for the alb
bot saw that the townSmen were well
disposed toward the Danes and know
that men when they have Toasted and
drunk together think kinder of one an
other.
Then answered Haarfager. who knew
the abbot for holy man:
Hold up your staff, my father, that
the shadow of the cross your people wor-
Ship may fall upon our path. so we will
pass into the town and there shall be
peace between us; for though your gods
are not our gods, faith between man and
man is Of all affairs"
And the abbot held his staff aloft be-
tween llaartager's people and the sun. it
being fashioned in the form of cross.
and under its shadow the Danes passed
by into the town of seven towers there
. being with them. with the women and
the children nearly 1000 souls and the
gates were made fast behind thea
So they who had fought face to face
Toasted side by side, pledgng one another
in the wine cup, as was the custom. and
| Haarfager's men, knowing themselves
among men, had east aside their arms.
and when the feast was done. being
weary they lay down to sleep.
Then an evil voice arose in the town
and said
"Who are these that have come among
us to share our land? Are not the stones
of our streets red with the blood of wife
/ and child that they have slain? DO men
let the wolf 20 free when they have trap
ped him with meat? Let Us fall upon
them now that they are heavy with food
and wine, so that not one among them
shall escape. Thus no further harm shall
come to us from them nor from their chill
dren."
And the voice of evil prevailed, and the
men of the town of seven towers fell
upon the Danes with whom they had
broken meat, even to the women and the
little children, and the blood of the peo-
pie of Haarfager cried with loud voice at
the abbey door; through the long night it
cried, saying:
IL trusted in your spoken word. |
broke meat with you. put my faith in
you and in your God. | passed beneath
the shadow of your cross to enter your
doors. Let your God make answer"