Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-05-18

come with u.s." said Master Bcrtram, re-
turning to ;ny side He had ieis me to
| make some arrangements. You under
stand that If you would prefer to go home
can secure your tendance here by good,
kindly people and provide for your pas
| sage back when you feel strong enough to
cross. You understand that7 And that
the choice is entirely your own; So which
| will you do:''
changed color and felt did shrunk,
| as being well and strong ] should not have
| shrunk, from losing sight of those three
faces which I had known for so short
| time, yet which alone stood between my
self and loneliness. Il would rather come
| with you" stammered. But shall bc
| great burden to you now, l fear"
| 1t is net that he replied, with hearty
| assurance in his voice. "A week. ret
! and quiet will restore you to strength,
pnd then the burden will be on the other
shoulder. 1t is for your own sake give
you the choice. because our future is for
the time uncertain. Very uncertain" he
| repeated. his brow clouding over, land to
| become our companion may expose you to
fresh dangers We arc refugees from Eng
land. That you probably guess. Our plan
was to go to France, where are many OF
! our friends, ard where VIC could live safe
| Iy until better times. You know how that
plan was frustrated. Here the Spaniards
are masters-Princc Philips pcople-and
If we are recognized we shall be arrested
and sent back to England. Still my wife
and must make the best Of it. The hue
and cry will not follow us for some days,
and there is still degree of Independence
| in the cities o: Holland which may, since
I have friends here, protect us for a time.
/ l.,
f,y friend. You can make your choice
with your eyes open. Either way we shall
| not forget you"
Il viii go on with you, if you please, Z"
/ answered Mt once. Il, too. cannot go
home" And rs said this Mistress Ber-
tram also came up. and took her hard in
mine-which looked, by the way, SO
| strangely thin l scarcely recognized it
| and kissed It. ~ Will come with you,
madam, II you will let me, )" said.
| "Good!' she replied, her eyes sparkling
Il said you would! do not mind telling
| you now that l am glad of it. And if ever
we return to England, as God grant we
may, and soon, you shall not regret your
| decision. Shall he, Richard?"
If you say he shall not, my dear" he
l responded, smiling at her enthusiasm, Il
think / may answer for it he will not"
! was struck then, rs had been before,
| by certain air Of Difference which the
husband assumed toward the wife. 1t did
rot surprise me- for her hearing and man.
| uer, as wei! as such OF her actions as had
seen, stamped her as singularly self reliant
and independent for a woman, and to these
| qualities. as much as to the rather dreamy
character of che husband, 1 was content to
set down the popularity. l should add
| hot a ms. fpn IN N =
Iy displayed Oh her part toward him rob-
bed il of any senblancc of unseemliness.
| They saw that tho exertion of talking
exhausted ne, and so, with an cncourag-
ing ned, left me 20 myself. a few min
utes later couple of English-sailors be-
longing to the Framlingham came up and
with gentle strength transported me, Un-
Ter Mistress Anne's directions, TO n queer
looking wide bcamed boat which lay al
most alongside. She was more like huge
Thames barge than anything else, for she
drew little water, but had "a great expanse
Of sail when all was set. There was q
largo deckhousc, gay with paint and a:
clean rs 1t could be, and in compart
. ment at one end Of this, which seemed tc
be assigned to our party, l was soon com
fortably settled.
Exhausted as was b. the excitement
little Of what passed about mo for the nex'
, two days and remember less. ! slept ant
. ate and sometimes awoke to wonder whcr'
was. But the meals and the vague at
! tempts mt thought made scarcely more i'm
. | preston on my mind than the sleep. Ye
all the while was gaining strength rapid
. ~, my youth and health standing me IL
good stead. The wound in my head
: which had caused great loss of blood, heal
. cd all one way, as We say in Warwick
! shire, and about noon on tho second da.
after leaving bort l was well enough t.
. reach the deck unassisted and sit in tn
: sunshine Oh pile of rugs which Mistres
Anne, my constant nurse, had laid for M
in a corner sheltered from the wind.
Fortunately the weather was mild III,
warm, and the sunshine fell brightly on tn
: wide river and the wider plain of pastur
, which stretched away on either side of tn
? horizon, dotted here and there only by
| windmill, a farmhouse, the steeple of
a church, the brown sails of barge or a
. most broken by a low dixie or a line Q
. sand dunes. All was open, free; all wa
largeness, space and distance. i Gazed rs
z tonishcd. The husband and wife, VIII
a were pacing the deck forward, came I
me. He noticed the wondering looks
q cast round. This is new to your h
\ said. smiling.
/. Quite, quite new," answered. q
a never imagined anything SO fiat and sc
r in its way so beautiful
You do not know Lincolnshires"
No"
4 ''Ah, that is my native county" b
@ answered. 1T is much like this. But 20
), are better, and you can talk again. Now
< and my wife have been discuss.n
whether we shall tell you more about oul
Q selves And, since there is no time lik
the present, 1 may say that we have d.
: cided TO trust you"
..All in all or not at ALL Mistress Bel
J. tram added brightly.
murmured my thanks.
r Then, first, to tell you who we are. Fo
o myself am plain Richard BERTHE Of Liz
!, oolnshire, at your service Ny wife
n something more than appears from thi!
}, or''-with a smile-"from her preseI
: not too graceful dress. She is
n stop, Richard, This is not sufficient
it formal" my lady cried prcttily. Il hay
n the honor to present to you, young gentle
70 man." she went ON, laughing merrily an