Year: 1874

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Long ages ago, when the whole OF


northern Europe was sunk in barbarism


and dark idolatry, young and beauti


ful maiden was found at sunrise upon


the rugged coast of Norway. There she


stood and looked wistfully over the re-


tlring waves which had left their fringes


OF silvery surf at her small naked feet.


The night had been stormy, and a


vessel lay wrecked among the rocks.


All the crew had persisted but that


gentle lady. The savage people gathered


about her, wondering much at the rare


fashion and the richness of her flowing


garments, and at her fresh and delicate


beauty, but most of all at the sweetness


and dignity of her demeanor.


1t was the maiden who became the


wife of Regnar, the young Prince of


Norway; she was of equal birth with


him, being a kings daughter, but


obliged to flee from the usurpe- of her


fathers throne. The Princess Gurith.


for so she was called, was not an idolater,
yet for nearly year after her marriage


few persons but her husband knew the
name of her religion. They soon learned,


however, that in her it was pure and


peaceable, gentle and easy to be en-


treated, full of mercy and good fruits,


without partiality and without hypo-
crisy; and so she was loved by all and


might have been happy, had not Queen


Temora, the widow of the kings eldest


son, visited the court of Norway. Now


this Temora was very beautiful, proud


and revengeful, and so skilled in magic


that by many she was named the


''Sorceress. Temora was queen, in her
own right, of the far Orkney isles; and


notwithstanding her husbands sudden
death she had cherished the hope to
reign in Norway also for Regnar, then
the younger brother, though now the


heir, had wooed her when, from ambi-
tion, she preferred the elder prince.


When Temora came to court, hiding
her fiery passions with a smiling face,
and saw the beauty of the innocent
Gurith, and the influence she had won
In the hearts of those around her, she
devoted her to ruin. 1t is said that she
went at midnight, far up among the
hills, into the depths of a black pine
forest, where stood rude but famous
temple of the idol Wooden (the ruins are
now scattered about the place. and
there sprinkling her own blood upon the
alter, vowed to accomplish a deep and
horrible revenge. From that hour she
she left no way untried to reach the ends.
At first she sought, under the mask of
friendship, to introduce into the heart
of Gurith some dark suspicion of her
husbands faith and SO at length to
break that gentle heart but the young
princess was above supicion; love and
her perfect confidence in him she loved
were as breast plate of adamant to
her, from which every weapon that was
aimed against it fell off, not only
blunted, but leaving no trace to show
where it had struck. Thus, Temora
was confounded and perplexed, for she
had judged the princess by her own
principles and feelings.


Still, Notwithstanding all these deep
devices, the guiltless. Lady Curtin
grew in favor and tender love with all
who knew her, and the sorceress in
wardly cursed herself when she beheld
the effect of Gurith's presence upon the
barbarous Norwegians an effect far
more grateful to a woman's heart than
the most awful influence of her own
magic spells. When Gurith came forth
into the banquet hall they met her with
a reverence only next to alteration.
Their brutal manner caught for the time
somewhat of her gentleness their fierce
disputings stopped; their coarse jests
and roars of laugter sounded more
family; the very minstrels touched
their harps more lightly and turned
their war songs to a more plaintive lay,
such as gentle woman loves to hear.
But the secret of the influence was a
mystery to the consummate artfulness
of Queen Temora she could not COM
prehend that simple humility and un-
affected kindness that can win their way
to the most savage bosom.


For instance, after battle, when the
wounded were brought home, band of
warriors came forward to the terrace on
which Gurith and Queen Temora sat
by their ladies. They had
brought the richest spoil and laid it at
the feet of the two princesses. TemOra |
snatched at once coronet of gems, and |
with naughty smile placed it upon her |
head. They who stood by shuddered
as they saw her bright eyes flashing and
the rich blush of pleasure on her cheek;
for few dark drops clung TO the threads |
of yellow hair upon her brow, and
trickled down her face. There was |
human blood upon that coronet. Gurith |
had scarcely looked upon the glittering
baubles set before her she had seen a |
wounded soldier fall exhausted at the
gate, and she flew to raise him. They
who stood by smiled with tender and
love, as they beheld her hands
and garments stained with blood, for
she had torn her long white veil to
staunch the blood, dressing the wounds
of the dying man with her own soft
hands, and then as other wounded
soldiers were brought from the field,
she bad forgotten her rank and the
feebleness of her sex, to administer also
to their relief. 1t was in such instances
as these that the character of Gurith
was discovered was it strange that she
seemed almost a being of higher order
TO the untutored savages? But soon
Temora began to fear that Gurith was
herself an enchantress, for every wither-
ing spell of witchcraft has been tried in
vain against her. She had met at mid
night with the weird women in their
murky caverns; there they sung their
rhymes together and held
horried incantations. Gurith was still
still lovely, still happy IN
the love of her husband and of all the
people.


By mere chance the sorceress at
length discovered what she felt con-
vinced to be the secret OF Gurith's