The herald., 1896-10-16
THE MOOR'S HEAD.

Ing from generation to generation-bahr'
And the speaker tipped the ashes from his
cigar and curled his lip scornfully.
The younger man changed his easy posi-
tion and smiled.
'Of course" said he, "except in this
single case. But because it is in my own
single family and because have the writ
ten record Of it-not relying upon 'old
woman tales as you express it, I'm
afraid do rather put faith in that wretch
ed curse much as would like not to-
"Then say you are an ass Any man
would be an ass to believe such lot of
pure"+
Tommy rot9" suggested Thorndyke
"That is what you'd like to say if you
were not so elegant, know. So I'll say it
for you. Yes, it looks very much like
that, know, but there's no help for it-I
do believe in this particular curse, as said
and no amount of ridicule can change it.
I've tried to change my mind, but-well,
perhaps haven't such small change with
me-" And he smiled again at the little
pleasantly.
Carwin picked up the sword which lay
upon tho table, and which had brought up
the whole subject, and looked at it curious
ly. 1t was heavy old weapon, with jew
eled handle and guard, and, though the
blade was rusty and nicked now, one could
see 1t had been used in more than one dead
ly conflict and had seen hard service and
years Of use in the dim past. 1t had be-
longed to a very ancient ancestor of Thorn
dyke and had been handed down to him
with tho few other family relics that his
father had managed to collect the last timo
he had been abroad. Beside the sword lay
yellow old paper, from which Thorndyke
had been reading when Carwin, his best
friend, dropped in for the evening.
"Then what gather from your narra-
tive," said the latter after turning the
weapon about in his hands few moments
''is that this is the very sword that did the
deed. Am right"
"You are.
And the story is that away back in
the dark ages, before people found that
killing every man who crossed you was
not the shortest way to heaven, one of your
respected forefathers'' - nodding to the
row of dim Old portraits which ran around
the cozy room above the bookshelves-
"owned this sword and was a knight
When the crusades got to be the fashion,
he was seized with desire to wear a cross
upon his shoulder, and also cross his feet
when he was buried, and girding this self
unto the wars, and, whooping it up, as it
were, raced off like the rest of humanity to
fight with the Saracens and have Il good
time generally. And as he had daughter
"a young and pretty daughter-whom he
could not take along with the rest of his
impedimenta, he left her at home. How
do come on?"
"Finely. Proceed" said Thorndyke,
twirling the sword about his head and
showing himself no mean fencer as he did
so.
"Before leaving, this charmingly dull
witted ndividual-pardon me for calling
him names, Thorndyke, but he was
chump-called all the servants up and
made them speech, in which he told them
OF the great things he intended to do while
away and instructed them to be good boys
and girls and mind their mistress slight
est wish or prepare to hunt for other places
when ho returned from his little jaunt
Then he turned the keys over to her and
left.
when he got to the wars, he did some
big fighting and distinguished himself, as
you, Thorndyke, have faculty of doing,
and though he did not write homo every
week, as you do, he picked up young
Moor and shipped him back with letters
and household expenses for the CASTLE
The Moor was a slave, of course, but a
handsome fellow-quiet, grave and intelli-
gent-and he made II great impression on
every ono connected with the castle, tho
mistress included. He got there about
Christmas time and settled down as If he
had intended coming all his life, but only
just found the opportunity. For awhile
the other servants liked him, but as soon
as they found that ho was fast becoming
q favorite with the daughter OF the house,
their mistress, they yeered round and took
to despising him in good old English fash
ion, and proceeded to make things as hot
for his Moorship as possible. Naturally
enough this had the effect OF making tho
mistress like him all the more--no did
not say all the Moor-and to show them
she was the head of the house she took
the Moor rs her constant attendant He
waited upon her everywhere, excepting
in her boudoir, and was with her con-
sUantly whenever she drove or walked
about the grounds OF that palatial pile
1.-THE Moor, being with her so much,
very naturally, too fell in love with her.
and as girls then were no more proof
against the wiles of foreigners than they
are in this matter Of fact century, she sue
cumbed to his dusky charms, and one
morning bright and early they slipped
across the green lawn and into the little
chapel in the edge of the woods, where, by
alternately browbeating and cajoling the
deaf and blind parson, they were married.
Am ] not interesting old MANI"
Very" said Thorndyke, laughing at
his friends frank manner. "There is add
ed charm to the tale when tits told by
you"
"Thank you. Well, they were good
and married, and all went well''-
Until a year had passed." put in
Thorndyke.
"Until year had passed. Then little
one was born-a tiny, light skinned Moor,
with blue eyes like Its mother and other
features copied in miniature from its proud
father. OF course there was a great stir
when the youngster came, and tho trnth
leaked out, but 1t was almost forgotten iii
the additional excitement caused By the
return Of my lady's father. An uninform-
ed servant who had learned only half Of
the truth met him at the drawbridge and
told him of the supposed to be sad news OF
his daughters marriage, and the old gen-
tleman, still with the blood Of war In his
nostrils and needing nothing else but the
fact, as he thought it was that his name
bad been dragged in the dust By his Child