Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-07-27
LANCASTER, WISCONSIN, THURSDAY. JULY a. 1876

| out so late. HE came to the side
door, and was admitted by servant
of the Knight, reckless old soldier
who cared for neither man nor the
devil, as the saying is, but only fol-
his master The man took him into q
room, and left him then went for
the Kn' rht-he was not far off. Now
the uulucky monk, being come to the
conquest of a beautiful lady, as he
thought, had fine linen on, and was
perfumed like a civet. The knight
smelt these perfumes, and rushed in
upon him with his man, like dogs
upon the odoriferous fox, and, in a
fury, without giving him time to call
| for help, or to say one prayer,
strangled him, and left him-dead.
But death breeds calm the
Knights rage abated that moment,
and he saw he had done a foul and
remorseless deed. He wonld have
given half his estate to bring the
offender back to life So did he pass
from rage to remorsc, and from re-
morse to fear.
The rough soldier, seeing him so
stricken, made light of all, except the
danger of discovery. Come, noble
sir said he, 'let us bestir ourselves,
and take him back to the priory, and
there bestow him so shall we never
be known in it,
Thus urged, the Knight reused
himself, and he and his man brought
the body out, and got it as far as the
wall that parted the house from the
monastery. Here they puzzled awhile;
but the man remembered a short lad
der in the back yard, that was high
enough for the job. So they set the
ladder, and, with much ado, got the
body up it, and then drew the ladder
up, and set it again on the other side;
and so, with infinite trouble, the SOL
der got him into the priory.
The next thing was to make it
appear Friar John had died natural
death Accordingly he set him up
on rickety chair he found in the
yard balanced him, and left him
mounted the wall again, let himsely
down, and then dropped into the
Knights premises.
Now, good MASTER said this stout
soldier, go you to bed, and think no
more ont
TO bed,' groaned the Knight in
agony. 'Why should I go there? |
can't sleep. Methinks 1 can never
sleep again.
Then give me the cellar key, good
sir, I'll draw stoup of Canary"
'Ay, wine = cried the Knight 'for
my blood runs cold in my veins
The servant lighted rousing fire
in the dining hall, and warmed and
spiced some generous wine, after the
fashion of the day and there sat
these two, over the fire, awaiting day
light and its revelations.
But. meantime, the night was fruit
full with events. The prior, informed
of Friar Richards uncharitable in
terpretatons, had condemned him to
vigil and prayer on the bare peddles
of the yard, from midnight until three
o'clock. But the sly Richard, at
dusk, had conveyed chair into the
yard, to keep his knees off the cold,
hard stones.
AT midnight, when he came to his
enforced devotions, 10 there sat a
figure in his chair. He started, and
took it for the prior, seated there to
lecture him for luxury /; but peeping,
he soon discovered it was Friar John.
| He walked round and round him,
talking at him.
is it brother John, or brother
Richard, who is to keep vigil to-
night? l know but one triar in all
this house who would sit star gazing
in his brothers chair, when that
brother wants it to pray in
Brother John vouchsafed no reply;
and this stung brother Richard, and
he burned for revenge.
so be it then,' said he, since my
place is taken, | will tell the prior,
and keep vigil some other night
With this he retired, and slammed
a door. But, having thus disarmed,
as he conceived, brother Johns sus-
picion, he took up an enormous peb-
BILE, and slipped back on his tip-toe,
and getting near the angle of wall,
he flung his great pebble at brother
John, and slipped hastily behind the
wall nevertheless, as he hit, he had
the satisfaction of seeing his pebble,
which weighed about one stone,
strike brother John on the nape of the
neck, and there was Jumping noise
and a great clatter, and Friar Rich
ard chuckled with pride and delight
at the success of his throw. How
ever, he waited some minutes be-
fore he emerged, and then walked
briskly out like new conner. There
lay John, flat, and the chair upset.
Brother Bichard ran 10 him, charged
with hypocritical sympathy. 'and
found his enemy's face very white.
He got alarmed, and felt of his heart
he was stone dead.
The poor monk, whose hatred was
of a mere feminine sort, and had
never been deadly, was seized with
remorse, and he beat his breast, and
prayed in earnest, instead of repeat
ing Pater-nosters, 'PreceS sine mente
dictas,' as the great Erasmus calls
them.
But other feelings soon succeeded.
His enmity to the deceased was well
known, and this would be called
murder, if the body was found in that
yard and his own life would pay the
forfeit.
Casting his eyes round for place
where he might conceal the body, he
saw ladder standing against the
wall. This surprishd him /; but he
was in no condition to puzzle over
small riddles. Terror gave him force,
he lifted the body, crawled up the
ladder, and placed the body on the
wall then he drew up the ladder,
set it on the other side, and took the
CHASTITY load down safely. Then, be-