The Funny Philosophers Part 33

Seddon from Dr. Bull, if that eminent physician should undertake to make any more experiments in phlebotomy," said the Professor. "But I will be here on the day of the tourney. Good-by, Toney."

"Good-by, Charley; good-by, Tom," said Toney, shaking hands with his two friends, who proceeded to the cars, and took pa.s.sage for Bella Vista.

CHAPTER XXVI.

Intense excitement prevailed in the community when the day for the tournament arrived. The governor of the State was expected to be present with his military staff, the adjutant-general, and other distinguished personages. It was antic.i.p.ated that the array of beauty would be immense; and, for a week anterior to the eventful day, each fair maiden had held frequent consultations with her mirror, in order to ascertain whether there was a probability that she might have the high honor of being crowned Queen of Love and Beauty by some valorous and victorious knight.

Tom Seddon and the Professor had arrived on the preceding evening from Bella Vista. Tom was now supremely happy, for Ida Somers had temporarily escaped from the supervision of her cynical uncle, and was the guest of the Widow Wild. The Professor told Toney that when Tom heard that Ida had gone to Mapleton to attend the tournament, he could hardly content himself to wait for the next train, but wanted to be off like a pyrite of iron after the magnet; and that, when on the cars, he was continually complaining of the sluggishness of the iron horse, which failed to go faster than twenty miles in an hour.

Tom escorted the beautiful Ida to the ground, who bestowed on her escort many a smile, and furtively glanced at his face, radiant with happiness, and came to the conclusion that Tom was a very handsome fellow; but would not for the world have permitted anybody to know that such was her decided opinion.

Toney walked behind Ida and Tom, with Rosabel by his side, while the Professor had the Widow Wild under his protection. They were soon comfortably seated, and cast their eyes around to survey the scene before them.

"Who are those military gentlemen standing in a line in front of their horses?" said Rosabel to Toney.

"Those are the knights," said Toney. "The big man on the right is Richard."

"Who is Richard?" asked Rosabel.

"Richard the Lion-hearted," said Toney.

"Why, he looks like Mr. Pate," said Ida.

"Richard and Pate are one and the same person to-day," said Toney. "M.

T. Pate is now Richard Plantagenet, Miss Somers; and if he should prove victorious in the lists he may crown you Queen of Love and Beauty."

Tom Seddon was silent, but he gazed at Richard with a look of savage ferocity, which reminded the Professor of the expression of his countenance just after he had been bled by Doctor Bull.

"The knight standing next to Mr. Pate, who is he?" asked Rosabel.

"Ivanhoe," said Toney.

"It is Mr. Wiggins," said Ida.

"Formerly Mr. Wiggins, now the son of Cedric,--the disinherited knight, the valiant Ivanhoe."

"And the little man whose head hardly reaches to his horse's mane? How in the world will he ever mount?" said Rosabel.

"Oh, never fear. His esquire will help him on his horse. He is a Knight Templar," said Toney.

"What is his name?" said Rosabel.

"Brian de Bois Guilbert," said Toney.

"It is Little Love," said Tom Seddon.

"And the one next to him is Dove," said the widow.

"Formerly Dove, but now Athelstane the Saxon," said Toney. "He is a knight of great prowess, and has royal blood in his veins."

"And the other little man standing in front of the black horse, who is he?" asked Rosabel.

"Why, that is Bliss," said the widow.

"No longer Bliss," said Toney, "but the accomplished and gallant Maurice de Bracy."

"And Ned Botts and Sam Perch," said the widow, "who have they become?"

"Those two gentlemen," said Toney, "have selected their designations from localities to which they are strongly attached and desire to honor by their valorous deeds of knighthood. Mr. Botts, who formerly resided in a village where each householder was required by an immemorial custom to keep at least six of the canine species, whose barking and howling at night were supposed to be good for persons afflicted with typhoid fever, calls himself the Knight of Cunopolis."

"Cunopolis!" said Ida. "Oh, what a pretty name!"

"It is composed of two Greek words," said the Professor.

"What is the signification?" asked Rosabel.

"Dog Town," said the Professor.

"Dog Town! Oh, horrid!" said Ida.

"Mr. Botts is the Knight of Cunopolis, or Dog Town," said Toney.

"And Perch?" asked the widow.

"The father of that young man," said Toney, "had heard that N. P.

Willis, while residing in Wyoming Valley, had named his place Glenmary in compliment to his wife, and in honor of his own wife has named his place Glenbetsy. So Perch is the valorous Knight of Glenbetsy."

"Glenmary is a very beautiful name," said Ida.

"And so is Glenbetsy," said the Professor.

"Tastes may differ," said Toney.

"Mr. Belton," said the widow, "what is Barney Bates doing there--holding that horse?"

"He is esquire to Richard Plantagenet," said Toney. "Each one of those boys is esquire to a gallant knight, and holds his horse until the champion is ready to mount."

"Barney is a bad boy," said the widow.

"Indeed, he is a bad boy!" said Rosabel.

"The only harm I ever knew Barney to do," said Toney, "was to turn a tavern-keeper's sign upside down, and when Boniface came out in the morning, he beheld an Irishman standing on his head before the door trying to read the letters which were inverted."

"He tied bells to my horse's tail," said the widow.