Pine Needles

ordinary that the next morning should break fair and quiet, with

yesterday!" she exclaimed, a

r days pleasant?

ommon. O Ditto! we didn't l

looking a

e map after breakfast. I wan

and eat your breakfast. Lüneb

sunny terrace in front of the house and laid on a settee, and Maggi

ough to be seen; here is the mouth of it, just in a

t sh

s went over to England-the Saxons

eredith smiling. "It is w

here is the Weser. The mouths are pretty near together. Now

the Eastphalians; those our story b

est. And here is Hermannsburg! Oh, I am glad we have found that. And here is Lüne

se 4500 Saxons hewed to pieces. And here are Osnabrück and Detmold, where the Saxo

Charle

Minden, Maggie, from which good Landolf set out in his litt

e Aller he went up that; then

deal of hard rowing,

ed into the Oerze. Here is the Oerze! Then the stone-houses must be so

cred to Thor, where the village of Müden now is. And here is the village of Munster where Freija was hon

is it,

ught, and Art, and Lea

you know the sun is getting up in the sky? and we ha

said Meredith. "And Maggie and I h

are we go

going? I think it is time to be getting

rrace to cut down some trees papa wants cut; let us go there and have a big

aking us a c

let will do no

d way over to th

So much the better. It is nic

ome, let us load up. If we have a j

e went on, "we can go to

be sunn

and we can find plenty of shade. Now, th

, was carefully wrapped up and put in. Meredith provided a hatchet to trim branches with. Worsted work and afghan, of course; but the only book was in Meredith's pocket. The cart was quite loaded when all was done; for you know, cups and saucers

ery step of the way. The road brought them soon to the neighbourhood of the river again, and ran along a grassy bank which sloped gently down to the edge of the water. The green sward was dotted with columnar red cedars, growing to a height of thirty feet, with a diameter of two or two and a half all the way, straight as a pillar. On the other hand a low, rocky height grown with oaks and hemlocks overhung the valley, and the rocky ridge seemed to sweep round to the front of them in a wide amphitheatre, giving a sky-line of variegated colour, soft and glowing under the haze. Travelling on, they got next into a wood and lost the river. Here all was wild; the ground strewn with rock and encumbered with low growth of huckleberry bushes, brambles, and ferns. The road, however, was good; and Meredith drew the cart without any difficulty. After a time the ground began to rise, for, in fact, they were approaching the further end

ght go round and round all day, it is all so pretty. W

of the bank," said Meredith, "whe

a lookout over the pretty conical cedars (not columnar here) down to the water, and across to the green and gold promontory which on the other side of the river closed the view. The girls got out their work

ted that!" h

" said

of the axes. It completes

ke our bonfire!" s

Hark! there it goes, crashing down. They have got to tri

ore there will be enough to begin," said Esther.

a good while for our

? It is only ha

nfire takes a good while, you know

an hour," said Meredi

ng it to half-past twelve,

e'll have the bonfire going in a f

fro with armfuls, or dragging behind them on the ground the heavy umbrageous branches they might not carry. Presently Meredith stopped and collected a little bunch of dry sticks and leaves which he heaped together, tucked paper under, and laid crisp hemlock and cedar cuttings on top. Then a match was kindled and fire applied. They all watched to see it, lighting, crackling, smoking,-then the slender upshoot of flame-and Meredith began to pile on pine branches thick and fast. At first rose a thick column of smoke, for the fuel was fat and resinous and the fire had not got under way. Redoubling, soft, black and brown reeking curls, through which the sun shot his beams here and there lighting them up to golden amber. "What tints and what forms!" Meredith exclaimed. And then another light and

!" cried Flora. "Ditt

look

er see a bon

h a beauty

k-"where is the beauty? It is just a good fire.

rowing down her last burden and panting. "I think it

ut nose or eyes," said Me

-choppers went off to their dinner. There was no more to be done then but to watch the show, and as the fire began to lessen and die down, find a spot where the tea-kettle might be set, at the edge of the glowing heap. It was no use to begin to read, they all agreed, till they had their dinner. And soon the coffee could be made; and the four enjoyed their meal as

id he; "and su

t warm enough,

," said Flora, "but I consider f

refreshed langour; the girls took out their fancy work, and Meredith opened his book. Maggie, who did not trouble herself about fancy work,

rises in his heart-"Now that looks something like!" All of a sudden the horsemen quit the road, which here wound about crookedly, and come riding across country, over the open land where he is keeping his cattle. That seems to him too bad, for the field is no highway, and the ground belongs to his father. He considers a moment, then goes forward to meet the riders, plants himself in their course,

are you

my name is Hermann too, and this field is

the way, or I throw you down"-and with that he lifts his spear. The boy, howev

business to ride over this field,

know about th

e Billing after him," answered the boy, "a

led out-"Is this right then, boy, to refuse o

tells us so much about? Otto the son of Heinrich the Saxon? No, that you are not. Otto t

swered the king, and an unwonted gentleness

trusted the cattle here to me and I cannot leave them, so I cannot bring you there. But i

etched from the field. The king had gone into his father's house and had said to him, "Billing, give me your oldest son and let him go with me, I will

to asked him, "Hermann, will you go with me?" the boy answered gladl

cher to the heathen in Denmark, and laboured there with great faithfulness and a great blessing. In Bremen Hermann grew up to be a good young man, loving his Saviour from his heart; but also he was instructed in the use of arms and in the business of the state, for Adaldag was at that time one of King Otto's most confidential advisers. And now Otto took the young Hermann into his court; and soon could perceive that he had not deceived himself when his acuteness discerned the boy's lofty nature. Spirit, daring, and keen intelligence shot in fire from the young man's blue eyes; his uncommonly fine figure had been grandly developed by knightly exercises; and, with all that, he was so humble-hearted, and attached to his benefactor wi

o execution. Our chronicle takes this occasion to relate a story about our Hermann Billing, which sets in a clear light the pure character of this admirable man. In his journeyings as Graf, he came also to his native place, to Harm's ouden dorp. It was then long after his father's death; and as head of the family he had distributed his seven manor-farms, as fiefs, partly to his brothers, partly to other near relations. The great honours to which Hermann had been elevated had become the ruin of these men; they behaved themselves proudly towards their neighbours, and ev

did Hermann? When the acts of violence that his brothers and relations had done were proved, great tears flowed down the cheeks of the tall strong man, and he cried out with a voice which his tears half choked, "Could you do that, and bear the name of Billing!" He said no more, but was

onfession, and upon their penitent acknowledgment of their sin, gave them assurance of forgiveness and then the bread that represents the Lord's body. So, reconciled with God, the

clamations burst upon him. "Horrible!" "Frig

Meredith. "I have no doubt all ill-doers

brothers!"

icted criminals

ink a man ought t

es. A ju

judge i

disagreeable for a man to

t was nice, just for that reason, that a

med her brother. "Is tha

y idea o

to spare anybody, except the innocent; his duty is t

o with mercy!

put in his place to s

then you are reading about did right

e did just

, Ditto?" c

y to see it obeyed. The law was terribly sev

Dit

d make him budge from the right. I think he was magnificent. I wonder how ma

notions of duty!

ve imperfect notion

no opinion of relig

above 'is first pure, then

cut my head off, if you were judge, and I

think I would give my head in that cas

od would

and save you. Well, I w

er came to his eyes; he passed that night and also the following day in praying and fasting. When at last, by the Word of God and the talk of a faithful priest he had got some comfort, at least a little, he vowed to the Lord that he would build a church on this manor, the "Bondenhof," which should be dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul, like

e held him was raised to such a point, that everywhere they carried him on their hands, and at his return to the royal court he was received with won

e John, and made good Leo Pope. Five years Otto spent in Italy, and wherever he came he wrought righteousness and judgment, punished the wicked and relieved the innocent and oppressed; being such a prince as Germany has had few. In the year 962 Otto was solemnly crowned kaiser by Leo at Rome, and thus acknowledged as the earthly head of the whole Christian world. During all this time, the Saxons might count themselves happy that they had such a true and valiant duke in Hermann. The Sclaves ventured again to make a marauding incursion, probably to try whether in Otto's absence they could not accomplish something. One tribe of the great Sclavic race, namely, the Wends, dwelt not on the other side of Elbe only, but also on this side, as far as the neighbourhood of Melzen. These Wends, on the hither side of the Elbe, reinforced by a strong party of their brethren from beyond the river, undertook a campaign against Saxony; for they themselves were still heathen and therefore had a hatred against the Christians. This hatred was all the stronger because the Saxons under Otto had vanquished them. In this campaign, so far as they went, they burnt and laid waste everything, and in especial their aim was directed against the churches and chapels and Christian priests; the former were burned and levelled with the ground, the latter were put to death in tortures. So it befell with that fi

names have come to end w

here were a great many castles built. Indeed all the nobles lived in castles, and must. Just look at the pictures of the Rhine to see what the Middle Ages were; see how the people had to perch their

y, the villages grew up," said Flora. "They wo

one could see the Middle Ages thr

emy dared to show himself any more. Before his end in the year 972, he had the joy of seeing the church, the foundation-stone of which he had laid at th

hurch standing yet

n this country. Imagine attending a church that has stood for nine hundred years! He endowed this church with a

that he was sick but a few days; that he wished for and received the Holy Supper before his death; admonished his son Benno, or Bernhard, who was his heir: "My son, be true to your God and your kaiser, a protector to the Church, and a father to your vassals;" laid his hands upon his head and blessed him; and then extended his hand

ue man's memory by confirming his son