The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-08-15

galley and on the galley I put the min
lister of the Trinity. On the galley the
marshal handed the silver to the min
lister, and the minister gave 1t over to
me on the little vessel where l sat.
When we had ended and came towards
the kings galley, I began to shout to
the king.
".Sire! Sirel See how well l am
furnished
And the sanity man received me
right willingly and right jOyfully.'
So the ransom was completed, the
kings ransom and that of the greatest
mobiles Of France, this group of starv-
ing ragged beggars in a dingey.
Years followed of hard campaigning
in Palestine. Once Saint Louis was
even invited by the sedan of Damas'
Gus TO visit as Il pilgrim that Holy City
which he could never enter as a con-
queror. But Saint Louis and his
knights were reminded of a story about
Richard the Lion-Hearted, king of Eng
land. For Richard once marched al
most within sight of the capital so that
a knight cried out TO him:
"Sire, come so far hither, and | will
show you jerusalem"
But the duke of Burgundy had just
deserted with half the crusading army,
lest 1t be said that the English had
taken Jerusalem. So when Richard
heard the knight calling, he threw his
coat of armor before his eyes, all In
/ taar %, onI said RI III Savior.
Fair Lord God. l pray Thee suffer
me not to see Thy Holy City since I
cannot deliver it from the hands of
Thine enemies.'
King Louis the Saint followed the
example Of King Richard the Hero, and
| both left Palestine broken-hearted be-
cause they had not the strength to
take Jerusalem.
The return Of the king and queen to
France was full of adventure, and DE
~Joinville still had an appetite for such
little troubles as a wreck n a sea
fight. Here Is a really nice story of an
accident:
lone Of the queens bedwomen,
when she had put the queen to bed, was
needless and, taking the kerchief that
had been wound about her head, threw
it into the iron stove on which the
queens candle was burning, and when
she had gone into the cabin where the
| women slept. below the queens cham
Der, the candle burnt on, till the kerr
chief caught fire, and from the kerr
chief the fire passed to the cloths
with which the queens garments were
covered. When the queen awoke she
saw her cabin all in flames, and
! jumped up quite naked and took the
kerchief and threw it all burning into
the sea, and took the cloths and extin-
guished them. Those who were In the
barge behind the ship cried, but not
very loud, Fire. fret l lifted up my
head and saw that the kerchief still
burned with a clear flame on the sea,
which was very still.
Il put on my tunic as quickly as
could, and went and sat with the mari
ners.
while 1 sat there my squire, who
slept before me, came to me and said
the king was awake, and asked where
L was. And | told him. said he, that
you were in your cabin; and the king
said to me, "Thou Hest % While WE
were thus speaking, behold the queens
clerk appeared, Master Godfrey, and
said to me, BE not afraid, nothing has
happened And l said. Master Geof-
frey, go and tell the queen that the
king Is awake, and she should go to
him, and set his mind at ease
ION the following day the constable
of France and my Lord Peter the
chamberlain, and my Lord Gervais, the
master Of the pantry, said to the king,
What happened in the night that we
heard the mention of fire and | said
not a word. Then said the king, What
happened was by mischance, and the
seneschal Ode Joinville) is more reti.
cent than l.. Now l will tell YOU said
he, how it came about that we might
all have been burned this night and
he told them what had befallen, and
said to me, L command you henceforth
not to go to rest until you have put out
all fires, except the great fire that Is
LII lilC " VI lily ohlP NNCOhihS IL
on the ships BALLAST. And take note
that I shall not go to rest till you come
back to me-"
1t is pleasant to think of the queens
pluck, the knights silence, the kings
tact, and to see the inner privacies of
that ancient ship. After seven hun
dred years the gossip is fresh and vivid
as this mornings news.
The king brought peace, prosperity
and content to all his kingdom, and De
~Joinyille was very angry when, in fall
ing health, Saint Louis was persuaded
to attempt another crusade in Africa.
$50 great was his weakness that he
suffered me to carry him in my arms
from the mansion of the count of
Auxerre to the abbey of the Francis
cans"
So went the king to his death in
Tunis, a bungllng soldier, but a saint
on a throne, the noblest Of all adven-
turers, the greatest sovereign France
has ever known.
Long afterward the king came In a
dream to see De Joinville: Marvel
ously joyous and glad of heart, and |
myself was right glad to see him in
my castle. And said to him, Sire,
when you go hence, | will lodge you in
a house of mine, that is in a city Of
mine, called Chevfllon.' And he an
swered me laughing, and, said to me,
1T II - T.s--sIl~ 49,. 49, E,fNI aYv.