The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-08

The strange cripple emitted another
I blrd-like exclamation, like the sound
, which is made by the wooden flywheelS
wherewithal boys fright the crows from
1.-THE cornfields when the August sun is
following the land.
Poor old Caesar Martin can show
! you something better than that" he
cried, as he hirpled out Gas Malise de-
scribed it afterward), and presently
returned, dragging a great iron pot
with a strength which seemed incred-
ible in so ramshackle a body.
Hal har' he said. Here is fragrant
stew. Smell it. Is it not good? In ten
minutes it will be so hot and tooth
some that you will scarce have patience
to wait until it be decently cool in the
platters. This is not common Angevin
stew, but Bras Brebon, which is a far
better thing"
Malise rose. and relieving the old
man, with one finger swung the pot to
a crook that hung over the cheerful
blaze of the brentwood.
| The old cripple, Caesar Martin, now
mounted on a stool and stirred the
! mess with d long stick, at the end Of
which was a steel fork of two prongs.
And as he stirred he talked
God bless you, say /, brave gentle
men, and good pilgrimsi Surely it was
a wind brave and fortunate that blew
you hither to taste my BROTH There
be fine pigeons here. fat and Young
There be leverets, juicy and tender as
a maid untried. There-what think you
of that?" Gle held each up on a prong
as he spoke) And here be larks. part
ridge stuffed with sage, ripe chestnuts
from La Valery, and-whisper it not
to any of the marshaPs men-a fawn
from the park, OF month old, dressed
like kid, so that none may know
hnf ca rrfa1,
for your four sons?" said Sholto.
The cripple laughed again his feeble
| fleeing laugh.
Il have no sons, honest sir" he said
1T was but weakling's policy to tell
you so, lest there should have been evil
IN your hearts. But have wife, and
that is enough. You may have heard of
her. She is called La Meffraye'
As he spoke his face took on an ac-
cess of white terror, even as it had done
when he looked OUT of the window.
La Meffraye is she, well named"
He repeated the appellation with a.
harsh croak. as of a night-hawk
screaming. God forefend that she
should come tonight and find you
herer'
why, good sir" smiled James Doug
las, IF that be the manner in which
you speak of your housewife, faith. I
am right glad to have remained a.
! bachelor
Caesar, the cripple, looked about him
and lowered his voice
! Hushp' he quavered, breathing hard
so that his words whistled between his
toothless gums. You do not know my
wife. 1 tell you, she is the familiar of
| the marshal himself"
Then cried James Douglas. SIAN
ping his thigh, she is young and pretty
of a surety L know what these soldiers
are familiar with. l would that she
would come home and partake with us
now:"
Nay" said the old man, without TAX
ing offense, you mistake. kind sir:
meant familiar in witchcraft-in devil
try-not, as it were, in levity and
cozenage.'
The fragrant stew was now ready to
be dished in great platters of wood. and
the guests fell keenly to, each being
provided with q wooden spoon. The
meat they cut with their daggers, but
enough to come apart in their fingers,
which, as all know. better preserves
the SAVIOR.
AT first the cripple denied having any
wine, but another gold angel from the
Lord James induced him to draw a
leathern bottle from some secret hoard
and decant it into pitcher for them
It was resinous and Spanish, but, as
Malise said, lit made warm the way it
went down. And, after all, with wine,
that is always the principal thing.
AS the feast proceeded, old Caesar
Martin told the three Scots why ali the
long streets of the village had been
cleared of children so quickly at the
first sound of their horses feet
And, in truth, if you had not come
| across the moor. but along the beaten