The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-08-06

tenderness t!laL Sne COulu, hIttI souc hoiuCAts
OF hesitation, look upon the pale and CHASTITY
face Of Richard as 1t was borne into her pres
ence on the point OF a lance, and smile at the
hideous mcckery Of royal diadem which en-
clrced the bleeding head.
Unrebuked had Lord Clifford laid upon the
shrine of murdered fathers memory Rch
ards msngled form, unpunshed he placed by
Richards side second victim, the noble,
manly, younger son of the Duke of York,
stricken brutality down at his tutors side
while escaping from the battlefield OF Wake
field
Long and desperately did Margaret's sturdy
Scottish soldiers contend for victory on the
battlefield Of ST. Adams, and at nightfal II
proud and happy queen knelt upon ITS tram.
pied turf rejoicing over the flight OF war
wicks army, and folding 10 her heart IN rap
turous, passionate Joy the form of the beloved
husband once more restored to wife and child
But the misguided queen was soon to feel
how deeply her dearly-bought revenge had
lmperled her cause and crown. Once more
the raven of disaster broOded with sable WIN "a
over her movements. The people rose against
her.
Again the armies of Lancaster and York
met on the field of Yonton-met and struggled
as men who have but one life to lose. From
the first grey dawnlng OF that stormy March
day TO its somber close, the bitter Conflict
ragged increasingly over the PLAIN, leaving the
red river of death 10 follow in its wake. All
through the long hours OF that terrible day,
above those ominOus waves of human blood,
above the pan.wrthed forms of the wounded,
above the fixed, ghastIy faces of the dead, fell
the soft, white snow, as if heaven herself long
ed to throw her veil of stainless purity over
the awful scene OF mans passion and sin and
blot it out OF existence.
When at nightfall darkness closed in upon
the dreary scene 1t shrOuded with its kindly
pail the broken and scanty ranks OF once
noble army and the flying royal family; 1t
rested in blessed oblivion on the upturned
dead faces OF thirty thousand brave Lancas'
tcrlans who had sealed their devotion to the
Lancasterian rose with current from their
own life as deeply crimson as the color which
blushed in their fragrant symbol.
However dark Margaret's sky might seem, 1t
was still lit up by the star of her anconquered
will" From the refuge of her retreat in Scot
land she struggled with marvellous energy to
retrieve the past. a year had passed into
eternity since the fatal battle of lOnton, when
Margaret resolved to return in person to
France.
A strange bar arose in her path. The ac-
knowlcdgcd queen OF a powerful nation was
too poor To return 20 der native land Through
the dchCa,c gratitude of wealthy French
merchant to whom She had shown klndLess III
grlish days, The required means were provld-
I'd, and in the spring OF l46l Margaret step
ped again upon the shores which she had leit
seventeen years before as happy bride. Louis
ri. was not IN Paris he had retired 10 his
country seat whittier Margaret followed him.
Taking the hand of her child she kneIt at his
feet, her proud comp1 ire broken and her glOr..
Gus eyes sutfused with tears.
The French kings mother haG been the Ia
vOrte sister of Margarets father. AS children
Louis had shared Margarets trolics, and III
the unshadowed days OF her girlbood he had
played the part of u courteous and attentive
brother Now, with the thought OF his dead
mothers great love for the woman who knelt
at his ieet with the memories of the past surg
ing in his bosom, Louis looked unm0ved into
the grand face lifted in piteOus supplication
to his own, and codly turned away, calmly as
surfing his cousin that her mission was In vain.
But not forever. Margaret could not tonch
the stony heart OF her royal cousin, but she
could touch the tender pocket'book of that
individual. In her desperate extremity she
bound herself to pay double the sum that
Louis had loaned to her within one year from
the day that saw her seated on the English
throne, or forfeit calais that gem wrung from
France by English vaOr.
CALAIS was the apple of the English eye,
and the news of Margaret's mortgage raised a
storm of indignation IN that kingdom, and
greatly strengthened Edwards position.
In that dark hour when Louis, like second
Shylock, was demanding from Margaret the
pound of flesh nearest the heart, and the
French court treated with disdaln the lady
who had once shone as its brigh: particular
STAR the unhappy princess found one disinter-
ested friend. This friend, Pierre de Breye,
nobleman OF distinguished position, knightly
bearing, and chivalrous bravery, had known
and admired Margaret in the days when her
skies were rose-linted, and now in her deep
misfortune he laid his sword at her feet ten
dering to her the services OF 1000 soldiers.
With this small force she crossed the sea
and underworld to enter England. Alas The
winds and the waves fought against her. Her
ships were driven upon the rocks, her NUM-
ions of war swallowed up by the sea, and her
soldiers, making their escape to an island
were cut to pieces by body OF lOrklsh troop
ers. She did not despair. Through all the
dreary winter Margaret worked with lndeia
tigable energy TO raise and equip an army, ana
at It's head she succeeded in making move
ments decidedly interesting to Edward for a
time. At the battle of Ilexham she was again
defeated.
Margaret was too brave To SHRINK from uea'h
IN any of its forms, but her heart trembled for
her child, and taking him by the hand she
fled in haste. After wandering through the
forest for time she was summary stopped
by a band of outlaws. Escaping from their
hands she plunged more deeply into Tie re
cesses of the forest. 1t was night, and the
moon threw a weird, silvery glow over every
leaf and twig. Suddenly tall, armed figure
rose like an uncanny apparition before her.
For an instant Margaret hestated, and then
with fearless composure, uttered the words !;
my friend, this Is the son of your king"
The astonlshed LancasterIan 0or the un,
known was Lancasterian) laid his sword al
the queens feet and conducted her to his hum
BILE house-a cave upon the banks OF bu6-
bling brook. In the sheltered walls OF this
strange retreat Margaret remained until her
friends arrived. They brought her heavy It'd,