Evening star., 1925-12-13
The Truce Of God
Perennial Spirit Christmas Shown Yuletde of

M % our Lord dawned that year
~ sray ana areary, and q sat sat
urday. Eut. despite the
weather. in the town at the
foot of the hiU there was rejoicing.
as heGtted - great u festival. The
dav before q fat steer had been driven
10 the puhllc square and there dressed
md truSSrd FOR the roasting. For
IN" wear Mad heeu prosperous Rut
The vouug overload suktd IN his cas-
tie at the cliff tnr. tr".I ihursdaN
evening 81 each wccE "a til" morning
Of Monday. the second day. M"theI
Church had dccreed peace. u Truce of
God Three fGN days out OF each
week his men at arms polished their
weapons and grew tat Three fun
days ont Of each week his grudge
gcainSt his cousin. Phillip Of the
Black Beard. must feed on itself.
His dark mood irritated the Bishop
Of Tours, who had come 70 speak OF
certain srandaIouS things which had
come TO his ears. Charles heard him
through.
she took refuge with him. II" said
Violently. when the bishop had nm
ished. she know there was no
Friendship ',atVern u. Yet she took
refuge with Vim.
The question i " said the bishop.
',yhy She should have been driven 10
refuge. a Leujlc Indy, q faithful
The your2 Seisueu c,"pped q t@t
on the table. you know weu the
reason. a barren woman
she had born You 4 daughter.
But Charles was far gone in rage
and out of hand. The bishop took
his offended ears TO bed and left him
10 SIT alone by the dying fire.
TAME into the courtyard at mid
~ night the Christmas singers
the blacksmith rolling a great bass.
the crockery seller who sang falsetto.
and Il fool Of the village who had
holy eve Il year before and had
brought from II. not wit, but a voice
from heaven. A miracle Of miracles.
With an anxious glance now and
then toward those windows. beyond
which the young lord sulked by the
fire. they sang their choral. half in
the Latin, half in the vulgar tongue.
after the manner OF chorals:
Lady, flower OF all things,
Rosa sine spIna.
That nearest Jesus, Heaven. King,
Gracia Divina.
They sang TO the frosty air. " hen
neither money nor burning faEot was
nung from the Uindow they watched,
they took their departure. In former
wears the lady Of the castle had
thrown them aims But the gentle
ladv had gone. and the seigneur sat
alone.
With the dawn. Charles the Fair
took himself 10 bed. And 70 him,
pattering barefoot along the floors,
came Clotilde, the child of his dtsap-
poinrnent.
pack 10 your bed" lie said shortly.
Where is your nurse to permit
thisr'
The childrs face fell. Something she
had expected, some miracle. perhaps.
Softenirc of her father. so that she
might ask of him a Christmas boon.
The bishop had said that Christmas
miracles were often wrought, and she
herself knew that this was true. Had
not the fool secured his voice, 50 that
he who had been but lightly held be
came the village troubadour. and slept
warm and full at night She hac
gone 10 the bishop with this the night
before.
If | should lie in d manger all
night" she said. would l become
boy?"
The bishop tugged at his beard. "A
bov. little maid, Would you give up
your blue eyes and your soft skin to
be q roistering lad?"
My father wishes for son. she
had replied.
1T would not be Well ne advised
her. ito tamper with the works OF tn
Almighty. Pray rather for this mirach
that your fathers heart be turned
toward you and toward your mother.
So she had asked this boon stead
Easily. But clearly she had not been
heard.
Back to your bed" said her father
So she went as far as the leather
curtain which hung in the doorway
and there she turned.
"Why do they sing?" she had asked
The bishop. and he had replied, ITO
soften the hard of heart"
So she turned in the doorway and
sang, in her reedy little voice, much
Yhinned by the cold, song to soften
her young fathers heart:
Lady, flower of all thing,
Rosa sine spina,
That dearest Jesus, Heaven King.
Gracia Divina.
But the song failed. Perhaps it was
ehe wrong hour, or perhaps il was be
cause she had not slept in the manger
end brought forth the gift Of voice.
blood of the martyrs" shouted her
Sather. Are YOU mad? Get back 20
your bed I shall have word with
some one for this" Whether II had
eoftened him or not. 1t had stirred
him, SO she made her plea.
1T Is His birthday. I want to see
my mother"
Then she ran 3s fast as she could
hack 70 where she belonged. Terror
winged her feet. She had spoken Il
forbidden word
All sleep was gone from Charles the
Sair. He lay in bed and thought of
gfings that he wished TO forget. of the
vife he lad put away because In eight
Years she had borne him no son. Of
his great lands that would go 10 his
cousin Pbilip of the Black Beard
whom he hated; of girls III the plain
who pooed him with soft eyes and
whom he passed by; of q Jew who lay
81 a dungeon.
TLOTIBDE went back TO bed. 1t
~ was clear that singing did not
soften all hearts. Perhaps she did not
sing very well. But the bishop said
that after one had done d good act,
one might pray with hope. She de-
cided 10 do good act and then TO
pray to see her mother: she would
pray also to become boy 50 that her
father might care for her. But the
bishop considered it a little late for
@uch d prayer.
She made terms with the Almighty.
II shall do a good act she said, ton
shis the birthday of Thy Son, and after
that l shall ask for the thing Thou
flnowest of.
After ruch thinking, she decided to
free the Jew. And. being her fathers
child, she acted at once.
II was a matter of many cold stone