Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-12-14
THE TAIL RoBBER At Issrrvs.


loss TO know why was sitting in the
ditch with torn garments and bloody
hands. Then | remembered the Skin
mish with the robbers. the hot chase
and the stumble That had all happened
by starlight. 1t was bright morning
now
The ditch in which / found myself
was one my fathers men had finished
digging . few days before to drain off
the great swamp of LISTENS. There was
enough water in the bottom of it TO
make the seat Of my riding brooches
decidedly damn and to completely cool
my spleen. | cr8wcd stilily ont into
the grass, and there to my vast salts
faction found my sword. I took it mp,
wped the innocent moisture Of dew
from the blade and turned to my left
toward the great house of LISTENS
1t was here in the same house and
courts that my ancestors had lived since
Me very beginning of the kingdom of
Wassmark.
All the land meadow and swamp,
eek and forest to the amount of ten
uuaro miles had been given to one
Clare the LISTENS by the first king Of the
,ountry. The word LISTENS a learned
octor once told me stood in some crazy
md forgotten language for sworder or
w0rdsman.
Glare the LISTENS, with rock from his
Jwn quarries, built the house, and from
hat day to this wherein / write his
descendants have lived in it.
broke through a shaggy hedge of fir
md went up the wide avolgue Of heeches.
Passing Il great gate, all ribbed with
IRON and pierced with musiet holes, |
lntercd the courtyard. The main door
st the house stood before me ten PAGES
With three shields above it.
The Oldest and least skillfully exc
mted Of these shields bore Il long I'M
Eieldly sword and underneath strange
NttoIs and marks partly Obliteratcd hy
'ain and sun. The next. which was
arger than either of the others and only
two centuries old, bore a coat of eight
Iuarteriugs with the old two handed
WORD for crest set mp on my parents
Wedding day. Its gold was hardly tar
sished, and its gules and azure tla2ed
5ravely. 1t bore the arms of my moth
RS family, the great d Artagans of
Normandy.
Can you wonder that Harry, my eld-
er brother, and | were as proud as the
Jerry devil?
But have given the slip to my story,
telling all the arms and family history
with too much of my native pride. Par
don; 1 am not yet old enough to be
modest
Upon entering the dining hall !
Iound Harry, Viscount LISTENS, in my
lather's great chair with his head
Iwathed in bandages
Hello, Dartr' he cried. speaking as
well as be could through the rags.
"Half the household is out hunting for
you"
/ embraced him and sat down to q
meat pie that invited me from the
table.
"Where have You been, old hot
head?" asked Harry.
II spent the night in the ditch anC
got out of it about 12 minutes ago,
answered, hunting about for decanter.
He laughed as loudly as he could
considering hie headgear.
"You made a longer run than l did,
and it is a pity you did not catch youl
man. Fact is'-he sighed and rubbed
bis head-"one Of the rascals dubbed
ne in the avenue.
! am not a man TO talk much when
I'm hungry, but paused with the wine
glass half way to my lips and asked
what the clubbing amounted TO. "Noth
ng but a swollen head and a loost
Goth, " he answered.
There was silence after that until
pushed my plate away and showed bacl
my chair.
eve will 70 out and see the prisoner
now; he is down in the cellar, sale
my brother. ! noticed my sword, arc
as always like TO have it in my room
put it under my arm, SO that | Nigh
take it MP with me after inspecting tn
captured rohber. AS we went alonl
Harry talked about the fight. He toll,
bow our father had run one Of then
through behind the stables how oil
Pierre had shot another; he wounde
one, and Paul and Red Harding caugh
their leader.
and the three you went after 60
away" he said. l 'grinned soberly a
this. "TUo of them are bagged sur
enough, my Lord Harry" ! answered
1.-The first Is in the end of the grea
ditch, with sword cut to sleep with
md the second got in the way Of
pistol ball at the end of the patch the
are blowing mp in the swamp.
Harry clapped me on my mud staine
back. ''You old fire eating Cadet" h
rried, his gray eyes dancing We fel
very well satisfied with ourselves, fc
these robbers We're one of the crueleS
snd boldest bands in the nQrther
mountains, hut when we arrived q
that part of the cellar in which til
prisoner had been bound our JOY turne
TO chagrin. The man had gone-clea
as a gray wolf out Of a pit.
Dart, this is a frightful mess W
are in, nuttered the viscount $50
es sure az death he will have his who
tribe on us hot foot. "
perhaps he is still near" I vel
tured. "Let us hunt for him. l wi
stay here while You get your swor
md pistols. "
He was used to being treated in tn