The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1920-10-21
than II they were thistledown or feath-

ersl"
by Saint Joan Of Arc" said Ivan
hoe, raising himself joyfully on his
couch. "methought there was but one
man in England who might dc such
deedi"
Ivanhoe was right; the Black Knight
Of the Fetterlock was Richard Plantag-
anet of the Lion Heart, king of Eng
land, only lust returned to his king
dom from the Holy Land, though but
few knew of his arrival as yet. In
his absence England had been under
the selfish rule Of the kings younger
brother John, who was planning to
usurp the kingdom.
The great story teller gathers his
characters together at the tournament
of Ashby. There come for the sports
of chivalry Rowena, heiress of the
Saxon rulers, now dispossessed by the
Normans. accompanied by her sturdy
uncle, Cedric; Rebecca, beautiful Jew
ish maiden, whose fate is constantly
Joined with that of Ivanhoe, disinher-
tied son Of Cedric, father who will
have naught TO do with a Saxon son
who Is willing to accept the Normans
and their ways, and even to be de-
vout follower Of Richard the king;
Isaac Of York, Rebecca's father, wan
dering Jew Of vast wealth, who is
constantly the prey Of the ruthless
Norman mobiles, who would wiring his
riches from him by torture and i'm
prisonment; Robin Hood and his mer-
ry men OF the forest glades, not for
getting the redoutable Friar >Tuck,
equally adept in the ways Of the clerk,
the yeoman or the roisterer. To them
are added Of Norman stock the re-
doutable Front-de-Boeuf, Brian de
Bois-Gu.lbert, the prior of Jorvaulx,
and Prince John; Athelstane, Saxon
lord. destined by Cedric for the hand
Of Rowena; Gurth the swine-herd, and
Wanda, the Jester; and the mysterious
Black Prince, who. like Ivanhoe, makes
his appearance incognito till he shall
discover how things have gone in his
absence.
Sir Walter prided himself on his
bow-wow" style; no other Of the Wa
verify novels illustrates his power bet
ter than "Ivanhoe." One stately and
stirring event follows another, all hold
ing the reader rapt in thrills, but none
quite as much as the siege Of the cas-
tie of Front-de-Boeuf by Richard and
his Saxon friends. Rebecca from the
lattice recounting to the wounded Ivan
hoe the fortunes OF the battle stands
out In the memory of many reader
as Sir Walters greatest success in the
grand style. And despite the heroic
mold in which the characters are cast,
they yet surpass In the hold they gain
upon the reader. Few have closed the
book without sigh of regret that the
hero had to make a choice between Re-
becca and Rowena; and In our day and
country few can fail to see the IKE
ness In many respects between Rich
ard of the Lion Heart and the presi-
dent so lately gone.
The knights are dust,
And their good swords are rust,
Their souls are with the saints, we
trust.
In the passage at arms at Ashby APP
pears the Mysterious Knight, whom
the reader knows to be Ivanhoe, fresh
from the Crusade In the Holy Land;
In the contests of chivalry he valiant
ly defeats the Norman champions, and
bestows the prize Of Queen Of Beauty
upon his youthful love, Rowena; the
reader gets but a glimpse Of still
more mysterious knight, whom we
can only suspect to be the king. From
the jousts all journey on their several
ways, but In the forest the Normans
plan a lawless ambuscade and carry
off to the castle of Front-de-Boeuf for
motives Of revenge, or passion, or
at Ashby; Rebecca, Rowena and Isaac
of York. The mysterious Knight of the
Fetterlock appears as the timely lead
er Of the merry men of the greenwood,
who besiege the castle, to the great
disaster OF the lordly brigands. After
the rescue of the prisoners all save
Rebecca, there follows the joyous cele-
bration of the forest outlaws, happy
lnterlude between the scenes of der
ring-do.
The strenuous king departed for still
more strenuous struggles In winning
his kingdom; Rowena and Cedric
sought their home; Ivanhoe followed
his chief; Brian de Bois-Gu.lbert.
Templar though he was and pledged to
holy practices, bore OF his unhappy
prisoner, Rebecca. But he was dis
covered In his wicked designs by the
austere head OF his order. In an as
sembly of the Templars, however, Re
becca was condemned to death as
sorceress who has seduced from the
paths Of virtue an unwilling knight
Her only chance for life lies In the
ordeal by battle. Her one champion is
Ivanhoe, far away though he Is, whom
she had cured Of the wound received
at Ashby. Brian de Bois-Guilbert, by
the irony of chivalry, Is the champion
of his order and of virtue In distress.