Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-04-23
JOHN HoRsELEIeH, KNIGHT.
Continued from Second Page.

Continued from Second Page.
The knight looked down. Chow did
thy mind get filled with euch as this?''
he asked.
"One Of my kindred came"
"a traitori Why should he mar our
life? Alb, you said you had q brother at
sea! Where is he now?'
him. And flinging open the door Roger
faced the intruder. Liar he said,
ito call thysef her husbandv'
Sir John fred up, and made q rush
at the sailor, who seized him by tho
collar. and in the wrestle they both fell,
Roger under. But in few seconds he
contrived to extricate his right arm,
and drawing from his belt knife which
he wore attached to q cord round his
neck he opened it with his teeth and
struck it into the breast Of Sir John
| stretched above him. Edith had during
these moments run into the next room
to place the child in safety, and when
che came back the knight was relaxing
| his hold on Rogers throat. He rolled
over upon his back and groaned.
The only witness Of the scene, save
the three concerned, was the nursemaid,
who had brought in the child on its ia
TIERS arrival She stated afterward
that nobody suspected Sir John had re-
ceived his death wound. Yet it was so,
though he did not die for a long while,
meaning thereby an hour or two: that
Mistress Edith continually endeavored
to stanch the blood, calling her brother
Roger wretch. and ordering him to get
himself gone. On which order he acted,
after gloomy pause. by opening the
window and letting himself down by
the sill to the ground.
1t was then that Sir John, in difficult
accents, made his dying declaration to
the nurse and Edith, auG later the
apothecary,. which was to this purport.:
That the Dame Horseleigh who passed
as his wife at Ciyfton, and who had
borne HIN three children, was in truth
and deed, though unconsciously, the
wife of another man. Sir John had
married her several years before in the
face of the whole county, as the widow
OF one Decimus Strong, who had disap-
peared shortly after her union with him,
having advertured to the north to Join
the revolt of the mobiles, and ON that re-
volt being quelled retreated across the
sea. Two years ago, having discovered
the man to be still living in France
and not wishing to disturb the mind and
happiness of her who believed herself
his wife, yet wishing for legitimate is
sue, Sir John had informed the king of
the facts, who had encouraged him to
wed honestly, though secretly. the
young merchant's widow at Havenpool,
she being therefore his lawful wife,
and she only. That to avoid all scandal
and hubbub he had purposed to let
things remain as they were till fair OPP
portunity should arise of making the
true case known with least pain to. all
parties concerned, but that, having been
thus suspected and attacked by his own
brother-in law, his zest for such schemes
and for all things had died out in him,
and he only wished to commend his soul
to God.
That night, while the owls were
hooting from the forest that encircled
the sleeping townlet. and the South
Avon was gurgliDg through the wooden
piles Of the bridge, Sir John died there
in the arms Of his wife. She concealed
nothing Of the cause of her husbands
death save the subject of the quarrel,
which she felt it would be premature
to announce just then, and until proof
of her status should be forthcoming.
But before month had passed, it hap.
DanpA 70 III
the child Of this clandestine union fell
sick and died. From that hour all in
terest in the name and fame of the
Horseleighs forsook the younger of the
twain who called themselves wives of
Sir John, and being careless about her
own fame she took no steps to assert
her claims, her legal position having in
deed grown hateful to her in her horror
at the tragedy. And Sir William Byrt,
the curate who had married her TO her
husband, being IN old man and feeble,
was not disinclired to leave the embers
unstirred Of snch a fiery matter as this,
and to assist her in letting established
things stand. Therefore, Edith retired
with the nurse, her only companion and
friend, 10 her native town, where she
lived in absolute obscurity till her death
At no great age. Her brother was never
seen again in England.
A strangely corroborative sequel of
the story remains to be told. Shortly
after the death of Sir John Horseleigh
a soldier of fortune returned from the
continent called or Dame Horseleigh
the fictitious, living in widowed state
Mt Clyfton Horseieigh. and after o SIN
gularly brief courtship married her
Tho tradition at Havcnpool and else
where has ever been that this man was
already her husband. Decimus Strong,
who remarked her for ;ppeatance's sake
only.
The illegitimate son If this lady by
Sir John succeeded TO the estates and
honors. and his son after him. there be-
ing nobody alert to investigate their
pretensionS Little difference would il
have made TO the present generation.
however, had there been such a one, for
the family in all its branches, lawful