Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-01-24

LOTu up dG In6 CdSIl6, anu Lady Maud
forgetting that nan must WOO and wo
man must wait, had given her heart tC
him without the asking, while the gentle
Lily De We're, distant kinswoman and
poor companion of her. had, without seek
ing, found the treasures of his true love
and held them fast. Then he had joined
the army and made one of the piOus sol
diers whose evil passions were never stir
red out but by sign or symbol of poetry.
But a scorned woman's hatred had reach
ed him even there. Enemies and deep
plots had cOmpaSSed him about and con-
Quered him. Tonight he was to die.
The beautiful world lay as vivid pic
ture before him. The dark green wood
above the rocky hill where Robin Hood
and his merry men had dwelt; the frown-
ing castle with its drawbridge and square
towers, the long stretch of moor with the
purple shadows upon it, the green, straight
walks of the village, the birds overhead,
even the daisies at his feet he saw. But
ahl more vividly than all, he saw the
great red sun with its hazy veil lingering
above the trees as though it pited him
with more than human pity.
He was God fearing and God serv-
ing man. He had long made his peace
with heaven. Nothing stood between
him and death-nothing rose pleading
between him and those who were to de-
stroy him but the sweet face of Lily De
We're, whom he loved. She had knet at
Cromwelps feet and pleaded for his life
She wearied heaven with her prayers, but
all without avail
Slowly now the great sun went down
Slowly the last rim was hid beneath the
greenwood. Thirty seconds more and his
soul would be with God. The color did
not forsake his cheeks. The dark rings
of hair lay upon warm brow. 1t was
his purpose to die as martyrs and brave
men die. What was life that he should
cling to it? He almost felt the air pull
safe with the first heavy roll of the death
knell. But no sound came. Still facing
the soldiers with his clear gray eyes upon
them, he waited.
The crimson banners in the West were
paling to pink. The kline had ceased their
lowing, and had been gathered in the
rick yards.
All nature had sounded her curfew, but
old Jasper was SILENT
The bell ringer, with his gray head yet
barred, had traversed half the distance be-
tween his cottage and the UNCOVERED
tower when a form went fitting past
him, with pale, shadowy robes floating
around it, and hair that the low western
lights touched and tinted as with halo
"Ah, Huldah, Huldah!" the old man
muttered; "how swift she flies! / will
come soon, dear. My work is almost
DONE"
Huldah was the good wife who went
from him in early wOmadhood, and fol
whom he had mourned all his long life
But the fieeting form was not Huldah's
1t was Lily De We're, hurried by sudden
and desperate purpose toward the cathe.
dral
so help me God, curfew shall not ring
tonight! Cromwell and his dragroons
come this way. Once more L will kneel
at his feet and plead
She entered the ruined arch. She
wrenched from its fastenings the carved
and wOrm-eaten door that barred the way
to the tower. She asceDded with flying
and frenzied feet the steps; her heart
lifted up to God for Richards deliverance
from peril The bats tiew out and shook
the dust of centuries from the black
carving. As she went up she caught
glimpseS Of the interior of the great
building, with its groined roof, its chev
rons and clustered columns; its pictured
saint and carved image of the virgin,
which the pillages of ages had been
spared to be dealt with by time, the most
relentless vandal of all.
Up-still- the rainbow
tints thrown by the stained glass across
her death-whIte brow; up-still-up-
past open arcade and arch, with griffin
and gargoyles staring at her from under
bracket and cornice, with all the hide
BUSINESS and medieval carving; the stairs,
flight by flight, growing Trailer beneath
her young feet; but now slender net
work between her and the outer world;
but still up.
Her breath was coming short and
gasping. She saw through open space
old Jasper cross the road at the foot of
the tower Oh, how fari The seconds
were treasures which Cromwell, with all
his blood-bought commonwealth, could
not purchase from her. Up-ah-there,
just above her, with its great braZen
mouth and wicked tongue, the bell hung
A worm eaten block for step. and one
small, white hand had clasped itself above
the clapper-the other prepared, at the
tremble, to rise and clasp its mate, and
the feet swung off-and thus she waited.
Jasper was old and slow, but he was sure.
A faint quiver and the young feet swung
clasped for more than their precious life
the writhing thing. There groaning and
creaking of the rude pulleys above, and
then the strokes came heavy and strong.
Jasper's hand had not forgotten its cum
ming, nor his arm its strength. The ten
der, soft form was swung and dashed to
and fro. But she chung to and careSsed
the cold, cruel thing. Let one stroke
come and thousand might follow-fOr
its fatal work would be done. She wreath
ed her white arms about it, so that at ev-
cry pull of the great rope it crushed into
the flesh. 1t tore her and wounded and
bruised; but there in the solemn twilight
the brave woman swung and fought with
the curfew, and God gave her victory.
The. old bell ringer said to himself:
AYE, Huldah, my work is done. The
pulleys are getting too heavy for my old
Ello, OOO, ittNC AoiAOU AhO. Il
dinna hear one stroke of the curfew
Dear old bell it is my ears that have
gone false, and not thou. Farewell, old
friend.
And just beyond the worn pavement a
shadowy form again went fitting past
him. There were drops of blood upon
the white garments, and the face was
like one who walked in her sleep, and her
hands hung wounded and powerless at
her side. Cromwell paused with his
horsemen under the dismantled may-pole
before the village green. He saw the
man who was to die at sunset standing
in the dusky air. tall as king and beau
tiful as Absalom. He gazed with knitted
brow and fingry eye. but his lips did not
give utterance to the quick command
that trembled on them, for a girl came
flying toward him. Pikeman and archer
stepped aside to let her pass. She threw
herself upon the turf at his horses feet;
she lifted her bleeding and tortured
hands to his gaze, and once more poured