The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-05-21

i
the parting cry of "Forget-me-noti'
THE moral of which is" added Idris,
learn to SWIM
cynicism.' said LoreIie. ..His love was all
the greater if he could not swim
She turned TO arrange her flowers upon
the altar OF the Ravengar Chantry ldrls
was watching her when his eye was caught
| by shadow outlined on the stone pave
ment. The sur was shining through the
window above the altar, and casting at his
/ feet glowing splashes of various hues. For
| a few seconds he continued TO stare, doubt
full whether he saw Alright, and then, slow
/ " raising his gaze. he followed the slant
/ ing shaft Of colored light upward from
| the pavement till his eyes rested upon the
! stained window.
! The central pane was blazoned with the
| armorial device of the Ravengars. The
shield supported on each side by raven,
/ in canting allusion 10 the family name,
was charged in the center with a silver
circlet. thin purple line forming the peri
meter.
The runic ring,
Yes: there was its facsimile cleaning
| from the colored glass, and seeming in
/ the morning sunlight 10 sparkle with
! new and mysterious significance That this
argent circle was intended to represent the
/ Morse altar-ring Idris had not the shadow
| of doubt: and for a moment he felt re-
| sentiment both against Beatrice and God
/ frey: for, familiar as they must be with
/ this coat of arms-Beatrice herself a
| RaVengar, being entitled TO assume it-they
had made no allusion to ii when he was
telling them the story of the runic ring
1t was singular, too, that he himself should
have failed to notice this blazon in his
previous visit to this chantry.
What was the reason for its figuring in
! the Ravengar shield?
Curious stories are often latent within
| armorial devices, as students of heraldry
can testify. Was it possible that this
| ring had been adopted by the Ravengars
! of a past generation because it had been irs
some way connected with their history?
''Mademoiselle Riviere," said Idris, i'm
pulsively, thinking that she might be able
to throw some light upon the matter, "can
you tell me whether the Ravengars OF past
| times had any historic reason for decorat-
| ing their armorial shield with a silver
ring?''
There is an interesting legend to ac-
| count for it, she said after : moment
hesitation, which you will find in & curious
old book entitled, Traditions of the House
| of RaVengar.' -"
You know the story. then? May 1 not
| learn 1T from you rather than from the
| book?"
1T is a story that will take long time
This. in Idris's opinion. was an excellent
reason for hearing it, Lorelie found her
ner: SO. sitting down. she proceeded to tell
the story with a detail that showed how
1t had caught her own imagination.
In the ninth century-So ran the legend
there lived a Morse king. who. either from
the terror inspired by his arms, or from
the gilt ngure on the Prov of his galley,
|
the great wealth acquired in his various
water-exreditions he gained the additional
name of THE Golden"
Like many other heroes of the north this
Draco claimed descent from Odin, and
among his Entertainments nothing was more
priced by him than the silver altar-ring
used in the religious ceremonies of his clan.
since 1t was said to have belonged original
" to his divine ancestor
Draco lived at the time when the Morse
men were sailors by thousands from their
10 in r1ar 20 erafv. 4
new and fairer homes in Britain. He, too,
determined 20 have a share in the terri
| torfal SPOIL and accordingly, equpping his
| dragon-keels and gathering his warcarls
| around him, he sailed off over the sea.
On arriving within sight of the North
umbrian coast he had recourse TO the gods
for fixing the precise point Of his disem-
TO Odin, and following in their wake landed
whore they had alighted.
He quickly put to rout those North
unbrians who attempted to oppose him,
and proceeded TO confirm his victory by
] building fortress on the site of the eX-
listing Ravenhall Sallying forth from this
place he would plumber the nelghboring
monasJeries, or, putting out to sea, attack
the merchant vessels that passed his shores,
thus becoming possessed in course of time,
of vast quantity of treasure in the shape
of gold and silver, churchplate, coinage,
jewels and the like
In his old age he met with the end deemed
worthy OF a warrior being slain in battle
whilst contending against a neighboring
chieftain. AT his burial a Morse scold COM
posed that wild barbaric requiem. which
organ-a requiem that had accompanied
the funeral of every Ravengar since:
lions from the original strain.
Draco left one son only, Magnus by name.
He was but child at the time of his faith
ers death. and the widowed mother, Hilda,
fearing that an attempt might be made to
deprive him of his patrimonial treasure,
secretly buried it, purposing to give it to
her son when he should be of age to defend
his rights.
For a time all went we'll The warriors
who had followed the standard of Draco
rallied around his son. and looked forward
to the day when he should emulate sur
pass the deeds of his father. But event
ually murmurings arose. The boy was too
much under his mothers influence, they
thought: the hand that should have been
holding the pen. She was accused of
teaching him dark and curious arts.
1t was a long time however, before the
Vikings ventured TO express their displeas-
ure openly, for they feared Hilda. She was
an Alruna, that is. an all-runic or all-wise
woman. who . had power to cast pernicious
AT last, one day, provoked to the extreme
by act of imprudence on her part
they came to Magnus and telling him that
they were going to Danish his mother, they
gave him the choice OF being their chief
tain or of accompanying her into exile
MagnCS elected to stand with his father S
ana, dS nedQ Oh the clan, In full
and solemn doom-ring. he pronounced upon
his mother sentence of perpetual Danish
ment.
Cut TO the heart by this unf1lial act HiIda
vowed that she would never reveal to him
the hiding-place OF the treasure: and So
being banished, she returned TO her native
Norseland, taking with her the silver altar
ring.
With the lapse of time however. she
began to relent towards her absent son
She yearned to see him again, but was
now too. old to undertake the fatigue at
tending the voyage. She resolved to break
her oath of silence and to tell him where
the treasure lay concealed. To secure her.
self from treachery on the part of her mes
senger, who might have appropriated the
following expedient. She engraved upon
the altar-ring sentence indicative of the
exact site of the treasure, making use OF
runic letters. arranged in such a way that
none but MagnuS could understand them
for cryptic writing had been one of the
many arts she had taught him. This done
she dispatched the ring by the hand of a
herald.
But Magnus was now dead. His son and
successor was Uric who. because his lance
bore a small pennon decorated with the
figure of a raven, was called RavengaI
or Raven Spear, a name that became hered-
itary.
Hilda's messenger entered the hall at the
hour when Uric was feasting with his
warriors. In accordance with the Morse
rites OF hospitality the herald was given a
seat at the board. No question was asked
sage till the meal should be over. This
/ DELAY nrovpd fatal n him for during the