Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-04-18

l My DOOT llbtle SlEl! DlE Ahbuuily whispered to himself as he gaEod with scared eyes ut the prostrate men and tho dead horses and comprchended what had happened. This is q hanging business! In arms against the queen! What am | to 1o!" And ns ho went back to the house | in n kind of stupor he muttered again: My little girl! My poorlittle girl!' I fancy that in this terrible crisis he | looked to get support and comfort from his brother, that old Campaignor who had seen so many Vicissitudes and know hy heart so many shifts. But Ferdinand, though hc thought tho event unlucky, had | littlo to say and less to suggest and seemed indeed to have become on sud den flaccid and lukcwarm. Sir Anthony ! felt himself thrown on his own resources. Who fired the shot?" he asked, looking l about the room in Il daZCd fashion. It was that which did tho mischief" ho continued, forgetting his own nasty ohal- lenge.
 II think it must have been Martin Luther" Ferdinand answered.
 But Martin Luther, when he was aC- cuscd, denied this stoutly. Ho had been so far along tho Ridgcway, he said, that, though hc had returned at once on hear ing the shot fired, ho had arrived too late | for the fight The fools stomach for q fight was so well known that this seemed | probable enough, and though somo still | suspected him tho origin of tho unfortu- | nate signal was never clearly determined, though in after days shrewd guesSos were made by some.
 For a few hours it seemed as if Sir An | thony had sunk into his former state of l indCcision. But when Petronilla came again to him soon after noon to beg him | to 90 into hiding she found his mood had altered "Go to tho Mere farm?" he said, not angrily now but firmly and quietly. ''No, girl, I cannot Ihavc been in fault, and must stay and pay for it. If I left thcso poor fellows tO bear tho brunt, l could never hold up my head again. But do you go now and tell Baldwin to como to mo-"
 Sho wont and told the stern, down look ing steward, and he camo up.
 Baldwin, " said tho knight when tho door was shut and the two worc alone, you arc to dismiss to their homes all thG tenants-who havo indeed been called out without my orders. Bid thom go and keep | the peace and hope they will not bo mo tested For you and Father Caroy, you 1 must go into hiding. Tho Nero farm will bo best"
 And what of you, Sir Anthony" tho steward asked amazed at this act of folly. | SHE'LL ItIlIsilll li4S NhiEhS IL piled, with dignity.
 You will be taken" said Baldwin, after pause.
 Very woll," said the knight
 Tho man shrugged his shoulders and was silent
 What do you mcAn?" asked Sir An thOny in anger.
 "Why, just that cannot do it, Bald
 win answered, GluwCring at him, with q flush on his dark check. That i, what
 mean. Let the priest go cannot go and will not"
 "Thcn yuu will be hangodr' Quoth tn, knight warmly. "Iuu have bcrn i'll arm,
 against the qurru, you fool! You will h,
 hanged as sure as you stay hrrr!' Then shall ho hanged, replied tht steward sullrnly. "Thrrc never Was
 Clu,ldc hanged yet without one tn krrl
 him company To hear of it would mak, my Srandsirr turn in his grave out there
 dare not do it, Sir Anthony, and that i
 tho fact. But for the r,st l will do I~ yu' bid me" And he had his way. But never ha,
 evening fallen murn strangely and sadly a Cotton before The rain battered LTraril. in the courtyard. The drawhridgr, h.
 Baldwin order had been pulled up, an' the blanks over the meat ill the rear It | moved
 "Thvy shall not steal upon Us again. he muttrrrd And if wo must surrrnd' they shall see we do it willingly. Tho tenants had gone tu their holn, and their wives. Only tho servants It mainrd They clustered, solemn and suI T TOW ful about thu hearth in the great hall U starting if dog hnwlcd without or con Il flew from the fire within. Sir Anthem
 remained hroullnr in his own room, PC
 tronilla sitting beside him silent and tCAl ' ful, while Ftrdijnand and his wife move reStlCesly alluut listening to the wind
 But the evening and the light wore peace fully away, and >n, 10 the surprls" of ~ Y erybody, did tho next day and the ncxt Could the sheriff h' going tu overlook tll
 matter? Alas. on the third day the douh
 was resolved. Two or three boys, wh
 had been sent out aS s>',,UtS Camo in wit
 news that there W::S a stIunE watch set O
 tho Ridgcway, that the paths through tn
 fotcst wcro guarded, that bodies uf Armc men wcrc arriving in tho ncighhoring vi | | lagCS, and that soldiers had been demand
 pd-ur SD 1t was saiU-fr-m Warwick an l Worcester, and even from place as fU
 Lway aS Oxford. Probably it Was only tl
 shcrif's prudence which had postpone
 the crisis, and now it lad come. Tho nt
 was drawn all round. As the day close
 In on Cotton and the sun set anGril
 nmung tho forest trees tho boys tall
 which grew no doubt in the telling, passt
 from ono tu another, and men swurc an
 looked out uf window, and women wrl
 in CurnVrS. In tho tower room Sir M
 thony sat awaiting the euInmunS ali J wondered what hr could du to save h
 daughter from possible rulrnrss. or rN, \, hurt, at tho hands uf these strang, rs. :" There was one man missing from ha V and kitchen, but few in the suslwnSu n
 tiCrd his absence. Tn" fuui had heard u . boys story and, unable tu remain inaCti' !, under such excitement, he presently sto 'o off in the dusk tn the r,ar of the huu> l' Here hc managed tu crusS the muat l means of a plank, which l." then drc P over and hid in the grass This quiet ;! klanagcd-Baldwin, Eo it said, had striC " ly forbidden any one tO leave tho house.
 Martin made of with a grim Chucklo { !! | ward the forest, and following the ma 4U track leading toward Wuotton Wave he presently came among the trees upon vo couple of scntinels. They heard him, sn or him indistinctly and made a rush for hiI in but this was just tho sport Martin lik' ed and the fun ho had como for His qui' do ear appriscG him of the danger, and in at second hc was lost in the underwood, | ho mocking laugh and shrill taunts kcopil ht the poor mon on the shudder for the ne ge ton minutes. Then tho uncanny acccu ok died away, and satisfied with his spC cy and the knowledge he had gained tho fo It. made for home As he sped quickly acre he the last field, however, he was astonish ne by the sight of dark figure in the vc ,e? act of launching his (Martin's) plal
 across the muat.
 er- lilo, ho!' the fool muttercd in fer ot undertunc. That is it. is il? And on in one! If they will como ono by onc Ii
 the plums in the kitchen porridge sh; n, make a fine meal!'
 SC. He stood back, Crouching down on t