Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-09

ClueHl VI CHdHCe, oidl Ioui III hlH6 VI thN>
name of the house of Gundlach, died peace
pie cried. THE king is dead!' and after,
Long live the king!' then paused; for
whom might they hall as king?
More than five centuries the succession
of Nordland had been determined by the
success of the revolution which had de-
throned the late king and had sent him to
Walhalla, the place of heroes, to join the
vast armies of those who had ruled in Nord-
land.
That the crown prince should succeed his
father was thing unheard of in that coun-
try, and yet when men cried Long live King
Erc!" there were few who called another
name. for In a large measure it was Eric's
popularity and his attachment to his father
that had sent the old king to join his fore
bears with a whole skin.
So 1t that when they at last took
heart and hailed Eric as king, there were
few dissenters, and these held their peace;
for in Nordland those who bide their time
may in due course hail ruler Of their own
choosing, 1t being matter of time and
some constipation.
Eric. standing proudly but pitifully above
his fathers bier heard his name proclaim
ed, and, hearing, trembled. Long ages ago
1t had been written by Woldfunder, the
sage. When Eric shall follow Olaf then
shall Eric die ere the. crown sets upon his
DTOW, out SnOulO me-, by Stratagem, avoid
his fate. then shall his reign be long and
prosperous
Now was an Olaf dead, and for the first
time an Eric followed him; therefore should
Eric die, save through stratagem, his
cousin, Wolf a man of mighty Drawn and
great cunning, was minded to become king;
and him did Eric fear. For himself Eric
was a brave warrior, but he knew only to
nght IN the open, and this alone could not
avail against the arts of Wolf who was
both lion and fox and without scruple.
Ihere1Cre 1t was announced by Eric that
grief FOR his father lay heavily upon him
and ne had no mind for the gorgeous cere-
monialS of the coronation. This pageant
was deferred three months-a delay advan-
tageous alike to Eric, who thus found time
to plan, and to Wolf, who gained time to
.lot.
Meanwhile there journeyed across the
seas to the land of the Saxon, Chargwynd,
the councillor of Eric's party, charged with
the procuring of a man WHO should as near
ly as possible resemble the king He it was
who was to be crowned publicly, while at
the same time Eric, in privacy, had placed
upon MS brow the heavy golden circlet en-
bem Of empire over all Nordland
Presently there came to Koenigford a
copy of the crown, and he who was destined
to wear it. They were smuggled into the
royal apartments at night when no moon
shone, and presently Eric faced the man
who in ell, save hair and beard, was his
living self.
In truth he cried admiringly. this is
honors which for short space will rest
upon his shouldersi"
lf your majesty please" retorted the
olher not humbly, but as one man speaks
&c another, there is good blood in my veins
and my strength of arm Is the strength of
Eric L assure you that he who bears the
burdens of the king Shall bear them worth
Ivy And at this the king WINGED and mo-
toned him away, for it is not plea SAINT to
place another where one dare not stand
himself.
Fer some weeks the false Eric-and by
strange fate his name also was the name
of the k.ng-lay in the castle of Gundiach
by the ford Of Kings, unseen by all save
that faithful one who had brought him
Chargwynd. who proclaimed illness as ex-
cuse foc keeping to his apartment, was &C.
cupied tor six long days In making known
10 the false Eric the manner of kings: and
at the end of time there came from tho
councillors chamber 4 man so like the kine
That Erics very valet did him service nor
suspected that 1t was to a changeIine he
made oDe1Sance.
Then began the gorgeous festivities -, VIZ
celebration preceding the actual corona ion
and that night there entered into voluntary
imprisonment the man in whose honor all
had been arranged, having for taller that
superstftious fear he could not overcome.
for Woldfunder had ever written that which
came to pass.
AS Eric the false, strobe down the long
hall of audience, 1T seemed to him that he
was again taking part in the play acting
by which he gained his bread, for thoue6
ne was the son of belted earl of the land
whence ne came. he was but younger son,
and the earl was penniless To him this
was but part Of the mimic world he had so
lately left, but here fate was stage manager
and death punished the actor who played
not we'll his part.
And so well played he that not even those
who stood closest to the king perceived
aught wrong. Even Wolf glowering and
plotting in the corner, felt fierce hate surge
ar ha ya1 fhn fana ,f
the man he supposed stood between him
and his ambition.
And now, with the retirement of the real
king, and the acceptance of the false Eric
the false shall be known as Eric and the
king shall be one dead.
So he passed down the long hall with
proud carriage though beating heart, now
smiling upon one whom he had been told
was friendly to the king, now frowning
upon another Of whose loyalty there was
but the assurance of lying tongue, until
at last he came to the throne and looked
for the first time upon the face of his con-
sort.
For a moment Eric gazed astounded
Fair women he had seen, but never yet
had his eyes beheld one altogether love-
ly as Elba, consort Of Eric. Tall she was
yet withal dainty in every line with cameo
like features, framed In hair the color Of
new-mined gold, save where the rudy light
rested lovingly upon the loose tresses and
transmitted the precious metal to a copper
that surely was precious also.
lie knew Intt ElDa was aware VI tHe
spuriousness of the king who should stand
beside her, but she gave no sign He stoOp-
ed and pressed his lips upon her hand, and
that touch upon her soft white flesh mark
ed Eric's fate. Till then he had been a
hummer, playing the part of another for
the love of adventure. But now, until such
time as the false crown should be placed
upon the brow of a changeng prince that
the real ruler might gain the throne, he was
before all the world her king, and while
life should last she should be his queen
aye and beyond the grave her sweetly seri-
Gus face should be engraved upon his heart.
He faced the throng and with a royal
gesture gave signal that the festivities COM
mence. Thus began the celebration which
might terminate in victory or in death. But
no matter what the end might be, Eric
cared only that for seven brief days this
glorious woman might sit beside him at the
feasts, sharing with him dangers her
spouse. made cowardly by superstition,
dared not face.
Wolf knew that what was done was to
be done quickly, for as Eric so were his
people-brave to the point of madness, but
of so great fear of what had been written
by the sages that if by chance the crown
Ii