The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-03-17
gelert STORY.
LADY LUCY'S PETITION.

'And Is my dear papa smut up In THIS
dismal place to which you are taking me,
nurse o. asked the little Lady Lucy Pres
ton, raising her eyes fearfully to the Tower
of London, as the coach in which she was
seated with Amy Gradwell, her nurse,
drove under the gateway.
She trembled and hid her face in Amy s
cloak, when they alighted, and she saw the
soldiers on guard with their crossed parti-
sans, before the portals of that part of the
fortress where the prisoners of state were
confined, and where her own father, Lord
Preston, of whom she was to come to take
last farewell, then lay under sentence of
death.
''Yes, my dear child, returned Amy,
mournfully, my lord, your father, is in
deed within these walls. You are now 60
ing to visit him. Shall you be afraid of
entering the place, my dear?"
''No,' replied Lady Lucy, resolutely, II
am not afraid of going to any place where
my dear papa is. Yet she clung closer to
the arm of her attendant, as they were ad-
mitted within the gloomy precincts of the
building; her little heart futtered fear
fully as she glanced round her, and she
whispered to her nurse:
'EWas it not here that the two young
princes, Edward the Fifth and his brother,
Richard, Duke of York, were murdered by
their cruel uncle Richard, Duke of Glou-
cester?"
Eyes, my love, it was but do not be
harm YOU said old Amy, in an encour-
aging tone.
"And was not good King Henry the
Sixth murdered here also, by the same
wicked Richard?" continued the little girl,
whose imagination was full of the records
of the deeds of blood that had been per-
petrated in this fatally celebrated place,
many of which had been related to her by
Bridget Oldworth, the housekeeper, since
her father had been imprisoned in the
Tower on a charge of high treason.
but do you think they will murder
father, nurse?" pursued the child, as they
began to ascend the stairs leading to the
apartment in which the unfortunate noble
man was confined.
"Hush! hush dear child you must not
talk of these things here" said Amy, Cor
they will shut us both up in a room with
bars and bolts, instead of admitting us to
see my lord, your father
Lady Lucy pressed closer to her nurse $
side, and was silent till they were ushered
into the room where her father was con-
fined when, forgetting everything else in
her Joy at seeing him again, she sprang
into his arms. and almost stihed him with
kisses
Lord Preston was greatly affected at the
sight of his little daughter, and, overcome
by her passionate demonstration of fond
ness, and his own anguish at the thought
of his approaching separation from her,
and the idea of leaving her an orphan at
her tender age, (for she had only just COM
pleted her ninth year, and had lost her
mother) he clasped her to his bosom, and
bedewed her innocent face with his tears.
"Why do you cry, dear papa?' asked
the little girl, who was herself weeping at
the sight of his distress. "And why will
you not leave this gloomy place, and come
home to your own hall again?''
"Attend to me, Lucy, and will tell you
the cause of my grief" said her father,
seating the little girl on.his knee. II shall
never come home again, for have been
condemned to die for high treason, (Which
means an offense against the king) and L
ahall not leave this place till they bring
me forth on Tower Hill,, where they will
cut off my head with sharp axe, and set
it up afterwards over Temple Bar or Lon
don Bridge"
At this terrible intelligence Lady Lucy
screamed aloud, and hid her face in her
fathers bosom, which she wetted with her
tears.
BE composed, my dear child" said
Lord Preston, ''for have much to say to
you, and we may never meet again on this
side the grave, since / am so soon to die"
''No, no, dear father" cried Lady Lucy,
ssthey shall not kill you, for will cling so