THE RING AND THE DEMON.—A SPANISH LEGEND.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3218, 22 October 1881, Page 4

THE RING AND THE DEMON.—A SPANISH LEGEND.

Once upon a time some Spanish girls were playing beside the town fountain. It was a very fine fountain indeed, in the centre of the piaza. The water rushed out of the open mouth of a greet coiled serpent, whose head arose from the full basin ; and behind it three demons, with long ears and peaked chins, stood beckoning with their crooked fingers to those who filled their water jars below. > T ow one of these girls who was idling while her anxious mother waited for her to bring home the water jar was just betrothed to a young stonemason, and he had given her a great silver ring in token of their engagement. The ring, being very large, • kept slipping off as she played, and fearing to lose it the girl took it off and slipped it on to tbe finger of one of the figures behind the fountain. * Look !' she cried. ' See who wears my betrothal ring. Have I not a handsome lover ?' The other girls looked Tip, and seeing the ring on the "crooked stone finger crossed themselves. 1 Oh, it's a demon !' said Paquita. ' And there are people in this town who have seen the demons come down and dance in the plaza at midnight,' sa'.d Nina. ' Drunken old Sebastian, I suppose,' said Lola, the girl to whom the ring belonged, and she went on with her game. But soon there came toddling over the stones of Hie plaza a little child, calling in B_rill, baby tones: ' Lola, your mother says she must have the water or none of us can have any dinner.' And Lola at the sound started up, seized her jar, and reached up to take her ring from the stone demon's finger. To her horror she found it impossible. The thumb and finger of the demon was closed, and there was not a crevice through which the ring could be pulled. The girls were all quite sure that the finger had always been curled as if to beckon. They had seen it bo ever since they were able to toddle over the plaza, and the fingers of the other demons were so held. This one had evidently closed his upon the ring after it had been put on. The unhappy Xiola, after vain efforts to drag her lover's gift from the grasp of the stone demon, took the water jar and returned home in tears. The others, trembling, flew to their own dwellings. The story spread over the town, and before sunset crowds had come to witness the miracle of Lola's betrothal ring held fast by one of the demons of the old stone fountain. Carlos, the young stone mason who had given Lola tbe ring, came marching up to the fountain early in the day, and would, if left to himself, have broken the stone demon into pieces, but the municipal authorities interfered. They would not have their fountain injured for the sake of a silver ring, and the authorities of the church forbade Carlos to interfere with a miracle, and the young fellow went home and quarrelled with his sweetheart. In vain she strove to make him confess that had she not valued his ring phe would never have taken such care of it. He was throughly frightened as well as angry, and he parted from her with •hese cruel words : ' ince you have chosen to give my ring to a demon. I will never speak another word to you until he gives it back.' ' "oor Loin, wept day and night, and went very often to the fountain to Ree if the hand had opened, but it remained as it was. the weeks glided on, and the months wore away. The day that had been fixed for Lola's wedding day approached. The date had been engraven on the ring. On :he night before '■ ola lay awake upon her pillow as the clock struck twelve, when suddenly she saw standing before her a figure like that of the stone demon at the fountain, save that it had life and motion and great fiery eyes. It lifted its finger and showed her the ring upon it. 'Arise, Lola,' it said, 'the clay approaches. Come with me to the church. A? ;•,'•» next hour begins you must be wed to me. The prin?t is ready come, the banquet prepared. Come.' Lola, almost dead with terror as she was, dared not disobey. She arose, dressed herself, and the dark being seizing her hand, lorl her through the silent streets to the church. It was lighted, hut not by lamp- ->r candles. Demons stood about the altar, and from their glaring eyeballs, fell a hideous and lurid light. Satan himself stood before the altar. All turned and pointed at her. 'I am lost! she sighed, but just then she glanced up. A beautiful picture hung upon the wall —a Madonna by * Murillo. A strai/e sweetness was in its smile, and suddenly a thought Bhot into the girl's heart. She lifted the demon's band to her lips as though to ki3s it, and suddenly set her sharp, young teeth upon it. The demon struggled, but Lola's life and soul w.'-'j both at stake. Tho teeth met— she had bitten the finger off and held it in her mouth. With a horrible yell the demon rushed -away, shrieking, 'Lost! lost! lost!' The other demons followed him. Satan was gone. Lola was alone in the church. The pale light of the candles that burned , perpetually before certain shrines lit the | great edifice, but dimly, but by it she saw ' the sweet face of the Madonna smiling down ,' upon her. the picture she knelt • down. placed the demon finger with tfWplg upon it, uttered a j thanksgiving, and hurried home. , At dawn, those who went to draw water

at the fountain found that the stone demon who had clutched Lola's ring had lost his foro finger, and already the finger that Lola had bitten from the demon's Land had turned to stone on the altar of Our Lady. church preserves it in proof of the miracle, and Lola and Carlos were married long ago. -is us is the story that the people of the city tell any stranger who inquires of them how one of" the stone demons at the fountain lost a finger.