Leominster High School - Magnet Yearbook (Leominster, MA)

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12 THE MAGNET The Queen looked relieved and said, ‘‘ The time will come, never fear, when you will be willing to bestow your hand upon some one whom you love as well as respect.” At that moment a page entered who bowed deeply and then an- nounced, ‘Your Majesty, the Audience Chamber awaits your presence.” “Tet this end our interview, Lady Chester.’ Then Queen Elizabeth proceeded to the Audience Chamber where she ably and wisely administered justice to her subjects. Now, it must be confessed, Dorothy had reason to blush, for she was very much in love with a soldier of common rank but of extraordinary courage in the Queen’s army. His name was Philip Wayne, and Queen Bess little suspected that this handsome youth had captured her fair charge’s heart. Therefore, after a splendid evening banquet had been served at the palace a few days later, Dorothy, who was now free to do as she wished, and Philip, who was not on duty, met in the garden. He made a splendid silhouette in the bright moonlight, and the maiden’s heart beat happily as she drewnear him. His tall, broad, figure was erect and soldierly in its uniform, and his dark hair and clean-cut features were good to look upon, or so Dorothy thought. They spent a happy hour together until he said: ‘ Dorothy dear, I was very presuming to hope that you would return the love of a poor, common, soldier, but even though this is true, I will never let you consent to be my wife. I must just hope that you will forget me, though you will never be absent from my thoughts.” In vain she pleaded with him. He was immovable, so they soon parted sorrowfully. About midnight, Dorothy was brushing Elizabeth’s hair in the Queen’s boudoir, when the Queen, glancing in the sheet of burnished steel, for there were no mirrors in those days, saw the sad face of her Maid-of-Honor reflected. “Tell me your trouble, Lady Chester,” commanded the Queen. Therefore, Lady Chester told “good Queen Bess” about her love and its unhappy conclusion. ‘‘ Father would never cons2nt to our marriage, and reither would Philip. Oh what shall I do!” sobbed poor Dorothy. ““My child, don’t despair yet. Don’t you remember that the Duke of York died not less than three months ago and left only a scape-grace nephew in Africa? Need I say more?” asked the Queen smiling. It is hardly necessary to add that in less than a month the title of ‘Duke of York” had been conferred upon Philip Wayne, who proved most worthy of it. Six months from that time Queen Elizabeth’s favorite Maid- of-Honor had become the happy bride of a no less radiant Duke. The place Queen Elizabeth, who brought prosperity and peace to her people, loved most of all to visit was the home of Philip and Dorothy, where dwelt two of the happiest hearts in the Empire. WINIFRED LOMBARD.

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THE MAGNET II An Elizabethan Romance OWN the richly carpeted stairs of the palace came Queen Elizabeth, magnificently dressed in a costly robe of satin and jewels. Slightly behind her, hardly less beautifully gowned, came Dorothy Harding, the Queen’s favorite Maid-of-Honor. Her Majesty's body-guard followed in glittering array while their spears flashed ia the sunlight which streamed in through the window above the landing. One ray from the sun touched the decidedly auburn hair of ‘“ good Queen Bess”’ and lit up the features of her face. Her blue eyes looked kindly at the slip of a girl who followed her. The Queen’s sharp nose was aristocratic, while her thin straight mouth proclaimed her to be quick in her decisions and just in her judgments. Stately and dignified was her large figure as she swept majestically down the stairs. Dorothy Harding, or Lady Chester, was a marked contrast to the Queen. Glints of gold were in her dark hair, while her brown eyes were luminous as if in wonder at all this magnificence. Her small delicate feat- ures were finely chiseled, but there was determination in the square chin. The tiny figure betrayed petulance, and at this moment the toss of her head showed decided wilfulness. The two ladies entered the Queen’s drawing room where the conversation which had evidently taken place was renewed. ‘Lady Chester,” said Her Majesty, ‘Surely one of these nobles, who is so eager for your hand, pleases you. Though you are young, for twenty- one is very young indeed, I would dearly love to see you settled happily with some one whom you respect.” “Respect!” exclaimed Dorothy angrily, ‘‘ Your Majesty, I must Jove my husband. To be sure, no fault can be found with many of your titled gentlemen at the Court, but I do not care for one of them.” “My dear child,” said Elizabeth, smiling, “‘ pray do not be angry with me. I do not insist that you marry one of my noblemen. In fact, I should be extremely sorry to lose my little Maid-of-Honor. Nevertheless, it sur- prises me to think that one, showered with as many attentions as you are, should be indifferent to them all.” ‘Your Majesty,” replied Dorothy, instantly penitent, ‘“ I beg your par- don for losing my temper, but I was thinking of my father’s wish. His greatest desire is to see me married to a man of station. Of course, | am Lady of Chester and it is fitting that I should marry a man suitable to my rank. Nevertheless, I fear it is hard to confine one’s affections to nobility.” “Why, Lady Chester, what do you mean?” asked the Queen. “Oh, Your Majesty,” said the Maid-of-Honor, hastily, “I mean that I am afraid that I am difficult to please and can never be satisfied to be the wife of one of your noblemen.’ Dorothy hoped that her blushes would not be noticed.

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THE MAGNET 13 A Fairy Revel i... down in a little glen, hidden from human sight, dwelt the King and Queen of nymphs and fairies. Their palace was in an opening of a lovely moss-carpeted ledge, and all the precious stones and beautiful flowers were gathered there to adorn its walls. Little creatures flitted in and out doing His Majesty’s bidding. “ Bring me my messenger,” the King said to one of his attendants. Almost immediately the messenger stood before him, saying as he bowed very low, ‘“ Your Majesty, I long to serve you.” “You shall serve me by bidding all my subjects to a ball in honor of their Queen.” “When the moon shall shed her silvery light, Then the fairies revel through the night.”’ The messenger sped away tapping on each leaf and bud, each tree and flower, telling the fairies within of their King’s command, till at last, every one had learned his bidding. At the appointed time the lovely Queen rode before them in an acorn chariot drawn by tiny grasshoppers. She was clad in the filmiest of rain- bow robes and bore in her hand a magic wand. The moon shone benevo- lently down upon them and the air was soft and sweet with delicate fra- grance, while all around gleamed the dewdrops, wavering and trembling in the silver light. The Queen of the fairies poised herself daintily on a large blue violet and told her subjects of her love and regard for them, and then at her signal they began todance. Laughing gleefully, and singing gayly, they all joined hands and danced around their Queen, tripping and flitting over the soft green carpet spread for them by Nature herself. A wicked old witch, who was jealous of the Queen’s beauty, looked upon the scene unobserved. ‘Hah!’ she said, with a malicious gleam in her eye, and a frightful grin that revealed her toothless gums, ‘‘see them in their merriment. I will spoil their glee.” : The old hooked-nosed hag muttered a weird incantation, and through the forest trooped her dwarfs, willing to aid in any deed of darkness. Slowly, silently, she stole upon the merrymakers until, with one more step, she stretched out her bony hand and snatched the Queen and disappeared again, while all the dwarfs drove the fairies from the place. In their great grief and helplessness the fairies mingled their tears with the dewdrops and wended their way homeward. The cruel witch forced the Queen to be her servant, to wear coarse clothes, and to perform countless disagreeable tasks. If the Queen be- came weary and stopped to rest a moment, the witch would cry, ‘‘ Get thee to thy task, or I shall give thee worse to do!” Many times the old hag asked her the secret of her beauty and became more angry when the fairy