The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-13
CHAPTER Xxx.
ANDREW THE PENMAN.


Douglas, the second son of the fat earl
of Avondale, won the prize, Worst1nS
his elder brother in the final encounter.
The victor was a nobly formed youth,
of strength and stature greater than
those of his brother, but without VIII
liam of Avondale's naughty spirit and
stern self-discipline.
For James Douglas had the easy pop
ular virtues which would drink with
any pricker at a tavern board and make
him ready to clap his last gold lion on
the platter to pay for the draught, tell
ing, as like as not, the good gossip 10
keep the change, and, If we'll favored,
give him a kiss therefor. The Douglas
cortege rode home amid the ShoutlnSS
of the holiday-makers, who thronged
all the approaches to the ford IN order
to see the great mobiles and their trans
ride by, and Sholto and his men mad
much trouble to keep them as far back
as was decent.
The earl summoned his victorious
cousins, William and James, to roe
with him and the Journeys Queen OF
Beauty. But William proved even more
silent than usual, and his dark face
and upright carriage caused him to ap-
pear on his charger as II carved IN
iron. Jolly James, on the other hand,
attempted Jest or two, which SaVored
ceived the compliments of the Lady
Sybilla on his courage and address
with the equanimity of a practiced SOL
der He was, indeed, the best knight
in Scotland even at that time, as he
was Il years after, when, in the lists
of Stirling, he fought with the famous
Messire Lalain, the Burgund1an cham
pion.
Earl William dropped behind to speak
tN tn criU
the orders which he was to convey to
the provost of the games with regard
to the encounter of the morrow
La Joyeuse took the opportunity of
addressing her nearer and more silent
companion
you are, think, the head of the
other Douglas house." said the Lady
Sybilla, looking up at the stern and
unbending master of Avondale.
There is but one house of Douglas
and but one head thereof replied
Lord William, with certain sternness,
without looking at her The lady had
the grace to blush either with shame
or with annoyance at this rebuff.
Pardon she said; you must re-
member that l am a foreigner. l do
not understand your genealogies. 1
thought that even in France L had
heard of the Black Douglas and the
red"
THE red and the black alike are the
liege men of William of Douglas, whom
Angus and Avondale alike have the
honor of serving" answered he, still
more uncompromisingly
aye" cried the jovial James. "Cou-
sin Will is the only chief and will make
rare lance when he hath eaten a
score or two more of bolls of meal.
The earl returned even as James was
speaking.
What is that I hear about bolIs of
meal?" he said. What wots this fair
damsel of our rude Scots measures for
oats and beer? You talk like the hold
er of a 20-Shilling land, James"
II was saying answered James
Douglas, s'that you would be a proper
man of your lance when you had laid a
score or two of bolls of good Galloway
meal to your ribs. English beef and
beer are excellent, and drive a lance
home into an unarmed foe but it
needs good Scotch oats at the back of
the spear-hilt to make the sparks fly
when knight meets with knight, and
iron rings on IRON"
Indeed, Cousin jamie" said the
earl, you have some right to your por-
ridge, for this day you have overturned
well nigh a score of good knights and
come off unhurt and unashamed.
Cousin William, how liked you the
whammel you got from James lance
in your final course?"
mot that ILL.," said the silent master.
Il am indeed better at taking than at
giving. James is a better lance than I
shall ever be-
Not so!'' cried jolly James. "Our
Will never doth himself justice. He is
forever reading Deyrolles and John
Froissard, in order to learn new ways
and tricks of fence, which he practices
on the fitting ground. instead of riding
with a tight knee and the weight of his
body behind the shaft of ash. That is
what drives the tree home, and so he
gets many a coup. Yet to fall and to
be up and at it again is by far the
truer courage"
The Lady Sybilla laughed heartily as
it seemed, yet with some little bitter
ness in the sound of it.
Il declare you Douglasses stick to-
gether like crabs in basket. Cousins
in France do not often love each other
so well. You are fortunate in your re-
lation, my lord duke
Indeed, and that ami cried the
young man, joyously. Here be my
cousins, William and James-Will
ready to read me out of wise books
and advise me better than. any clerk,
Jamie aching to drive lance through
any man Tn1drlff IN my quarrel"
Lord, I would that I had the
chance" cried James. est. Bride; but
1 would make a hole clean through
him, though my elbuck should dinnle
for a week after"
So talking together, but with the
lady riding more silent and somewhat
constrained in their midst, the three
cousins of Douglas passed the draw
bridge and came again to the precincts
of the noble castle of Thrieve
(To be Continued Next Sunday.)