Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-10-18
Maid Marion

lity Of the day that they must needs
come in advance, even before the
horses which dragged the maypole.
Six of them there were, so bedecked
with ribbons and green -garlands that
| marveled they could see the road
and were not wild with fear. But
they seemed to enter into the spirit OF
it all and stepped highly and daintily
with proud archings Of necis and toss
ings of green plumed heads, and be-
hind them the maypole rasped and
bumped and grated. the trunk OF a
mighty oak yet bristling with green,
like the stubble of a shaggy beard of
virility.
And after the maypole came surely
the 0ueerest company of morris dane
ers that ever the world saw, except
those of which | have heard tell which
danced in Herefordshire in the reign OF
King james, those being composed OF
! ten men whose ages made up the sum
of twelve hundred years. These. while
not so ancient as that, were still OF
the oldest men to be come ut VINO
could move without crutches and
whose estate was not of too much dig
nifty for such sports.
And Maid Marion was the Oldest
and smallest Of them all, riding her
hobby horse, dressed in yellow petit
coat and crimson stomacher, with a
great wig of yellow fax hanging down
under her gilt crown, and painted
mask to hide her white beard. And
after Maid Marion came dancing, with
stiff struts and gambols, old men as
gayly attired as might be, with gar
lands Of peach blossoms on their gray
heads, bearing gadsticks Of peeled will
low boughs wound with cOwslips and
ringing bells and blowing horns with
all their might. And after them troop
ed young men and maids, all f1inging
their heels aloft and waving with
green and flowers and shouting and
singing till ii seemed the whole colony
was up and mad.
Mistress Catherine and stood well
to one side to let-them pass by, but
when the morris dancers reached us
and caught sight Of Catherine In her
green robes standing among the green
bushes. above which her fair face
looked, half with dismay, half with a
quick leap Of sympathy with the merri.
ment-for there was in this girl a
strange spirit Of misrule beneath all
her quiet, and I verify believe that,
had she but let loose the leash In
which she held herself, she would have
Joined those dancing and singing lasses
and been outdone by none-there was
a sudden halt; then. before l knew
what was to happen. around her leap
ed a laughing score Of them, shouting
that here was the true Maid Marion,
and that old John Lubberkin could
now resign his post.
Then off the hobby horse they tum-
Dled him, and the lads and lasses gath
cred around her. and the graybeards,
standing alOof with some chagrin,
would, | believe, in spite Of me, since
they outnumbered me vastly. have
forced Catherine into that rude pa
geant as Maid Marion. But while
was thrusting them aside, holding my
self before her as firmly as I might,
there came a quick clatter Of hoofs,
and Mistress Mary had dashed along
side on Merry Roger. She scattered
the merry revelers right and left, call
ing out to her sister to so homeward,
with a laugh. "Fie on thee, Gather
inew she c.ted out. IF thou art
abroad on May morning dressed
like the queen of 1t, what blame can
there be to these good folk for giving
thee thy Queendom?
Catherine did not move to go when
the people drew away from her, but
rather stood looking at them with that
lurking fire in her eyes and flush on
her fair cheeks. Mistress Mary sat on
her horse, curbing him with her little
hand, and her golden curls foated
around her like cloud, for she had
ridden forth without her hood on hear
inc the sound of the horns and bells,
eager to see the show like any child,
and the merrymakers stared at her.
grinning with uncouth delight and nev'
er any resentment.
There was that in Mary Cavendish's
L.,