The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-01-10

!, though it cost me every rood of landl A
fig for the order in councilr'
"If you really will not change with the
younger gcnorations'-
Il will notl" replied the old knight
sharply. There is an end of It'll"
Today the reformed church in England
has seen many an anniversary and grown
stronger with each year, and we can afford
to laugh at Sir Anthony's arguments. We
know better than he did, for the proof of
the pudding is in the eating. But in him
and his fellows, who had only the knowl-
edge of their own day, such arguments
were natural enough. All time, all ex-
perience, all history and custom and habit
as known to them were on their side.
Only it was once again to be the battle of
David and the giant of Gath. Sir An
thony had said, There Is an end of itl'
But his companion, as he presently strolled
up to the house with smile ON his satur-
nine face, well knew that this was only
the beginning of it. This was Friday.
On the Sunday, rumor of tho order
having gone abroad, a larger congregation
than usual streamed across the chase to
church, prepared to hear some new thing.
They were disappointed. Sir Anthony
stalked in, as of old, through the double
ranks of people waiting at the door to re-
ceive him, and after him Ferdinand and
his wife and Petronilla and Baldwin and
every servant from the house save n cook
or two and the porter. The church was
full. Seldom had such a congregation
been seen in it. But all passed as Of old.
Father Carey S hand shook indeed, and his
voice quavered, but he went through the
ceremony of the mass, and all was done
in Latin. A little change would have been
pleasant, some thought But no one in
this country place on the borders of the
forest held very strong views. No bishop
had come hereto hunting to Cotton End.
No abbey existed to excite dislike by its
extravaganza, or by its license, or by the
swarm of ragged idlers it supported. Fa-
Their Carey was the most harmless and
kindest of men. The villagers did not care
one way or the other. To them Sir An
thony was king, and If any ono felt tempt.
ed to interfere the old knights face, as he
gazed steadfastly at the brass efligy of d
Cludde who had fallen in Spain fighting
against the Moors, warned the meddler to
be silent.
And SO on that Sunday all went we'll.
But some one must have told tales, for
early in the week there came "A strong let
ter of remonstrance from the sheriff, who
was an old friend OF Sir Anthony, and OF
his own free will, l fancy, would have
winked. But he was committed to the
Protestants and bound to stand or fall
with them. The choloric knight sent back
an answer by the same messenger. The
sheriff replied, the knight rejoined-hav
ing his brother always at his elbow. The
| upshot of tho correspondence was an an
nouncement on the part of the sheriff that
he should send his officers to the next serv
| ice to sec that the queens order wa'
obeyed and a reply on the part of Sir An
thony that he should as certainly put ths
men in the duck pond. Some inkling OF
this state of things got abroad and spread
as September fire flies through a wood
so that there was like to be such congre
CATION as the next service to witness tn,
trial of strength as would throw the last
| Sundays gathering altogether into the
shade.
1t was clear at last that Sir Anthony
| himself did not think that there was the
end of it, for on that Saturday afternoon
he took a remarkable walk. He called
| Petronilla after dinner and babe her gel
her hood and come with him, and the girl
who had seen so little of her father in thu
last month, and who, what with rumors
and fears and surmises, was eating hel
heart out, obeyed him with joy. 1t was &
| fine frosty day near the close of December
| Sir Anthony led the way over the planl
bridge which crossed the moat in the real
of the house and tramped steadily through
the home farm toward a hill called tn,
| Woodlands View, which marked the Dor
der of the forest. He did not talk, but
neither was he sunk in reverie. AS he en-
| tered each field he stood and scanned it, al
times merely nodding, at times smiling:
or again muttering few words, such as,
THE three acre piece! My father inclosed
1T" or, "That is where Ferdinand killed
tho old march, or The best land fol
wheat on this side of the housel'' The
hill climbed, he stood u long time gazing
over the landscape, eying first the fields
and meadows which stretched away from
his feet toward the house, the latter, al
seen from this point, losing all its stateli
ness in the mass OF stacks and ricks and
barns and granaries which surrounded IT.
Then his eyes Travelled farther in the SAINT
line TO the broad expanse of woodland
| Cotton Chase-through which the road
passed along a ridge as straight as an ar
row. To the right were more fields, ant
| nero anu tHSIo aiillu lucin u HOileStedt
with its smaller ring of stacks and barns
When he turned to the left, his eyes, pass
ing over the shoulders of Brant hill ant
Mill Head oopse and Beacon hill, all bull
warks of tho forest, followed the streak o.
! river as it wound away toward Stratfort
! through luscious flood meadows, here grow
| ing wide and there narrow as the wood
land advanced or reiterated.
aaIt &c all - ba a.
himself as to the girl. 1T is all Cludd,
land as far as you can see.
There were tears in her eyes, and shI
had to turn away to conceal them. Why
she hardly know, for he said nothing more
and he walked down the hill dry eyed, I'M
all the way home he still looked sharply
about, noting this or that, as If no wer
bidding farewell to tho old familiar Oh
ieGts, the spinneys and copses-aye, ant
the very gates and gaps and the hollow
frees where the owls built. 1t was tho sad
dcst and most pathetic walk tho girl haC
CHAPTER XXIu.
The north wall of the church at CotoI
End Is only four PAGES from the house, tn,
church standing within tho moat. Isolat
I'd ms the sacred building, therefore Il
from the outer world by the wide spread
ing chase and close massed with TIN,
homestead, Sir Anthony had some excus,
for considering 1t as much part Of hi!
demesne as the mill or the smithy. IL
words he would have been willing to nd
init distinction, but in thought / fancy
he Jumped it with tho rest of his posses
sions
1t was with lowering eye that on thi
Sunday morning no watched from hi
room over the gateway the unusual stream
OF people making for the church. Per
chance he had in his mind other Sunday.
Sundays when he had walked out al
this hour, light Of heart and kind of eye
with his staff in his fist, and his glove
dangling, and his dog at his heels, and,
free from care, had taken pleasure in each
bonnet DOTTED and each old wife's "God
bless ye, Sir Anthony" Well, those DAYS
were gone Now the rain dripped from
the eayes.-for a thaw had come in the
NYhf 81 10, I'LL.