Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-21

eyeteeth which were the sole remaining
dental equipment of her mouth.
''Oh, great Barran,' she chuckled, listen
to the pretty fool, Our brother will do
this our brother will do that Our
brother will lick the country of RetZ clean
a dog ticks a platter Know you not,
silly fool, that both your brothers are long
since dead and under sod in the castle of
your city of Edinburgh. l tell you my mas
ter set his little finger upon them and
crushed them like flies on a summer cham
Der wall"
Maud Lindsay rose to her feet as La
Meffraye spoke these words.
1T is not true she cried; you lie to us,
as you have done from the first. The Earl
of Douglas is not dead,"
II was now little Margaret who showed the
spirit of her race, and put out her hand to
clasp that of her elder comrade.
DO rot let her even know she has power
to hurt us with her words she whispered
to Maud Lindsay. Then she spoke aloud.
IF that which you say be true. and my
brothers dead, there are yet Douglases
Our cousins will deliver us!'
Your cousins have entered into your pos
sessions" jeered the bag; lit is indeed a
likely thing that they will desire your re-
turn to Scotland in order to rob them OF
that which is their own
I'VE are not afraid said the little maid
stoutly. There are many in the land of
the Scots who would gladly die to help
ust'
AYE, that is it-they shall die, all die.
pieces by my lords wolves Fine, swift,
four-footed guardians of the castle of
Machecoul-La Meffraye's friends. And one
young cock below there of the same gang
hath gone even now to my lords chamber.
He hath mounted the stairs he Will never
descend.
We'll" said the maid of Galloway. even
so, we are not afraid. We can die, as died
our friends"
''Die-dier' cried the bag sharply angered
at the cfild's persistence, It's easy to talk
To snuff a candle is to die. Poof us
done But the young and beautiful like
you my dearies, do not SO die at Mache-
coul. No-rather as a dying candle hickers
out, falls low and rises again, so they DE
As wine Oozes drop by drop from the needle
punctured wine skin-so shall you die weep
ing. beseeching drained to the white like
a dripping calf in the shambies, yet at
the me time REDEEMED and shamed with
the shame deadly and unnamable. Then
La Meffraye whom now you disdain TO an
sver with a look will wash her hands in
your life's blood and laugh as your tears
fall slowly upon the latchet of her shoon!
But a new voice broke in upon the railing
of the hideouS woman-fend.
"Out, foul bag! Get to your own place.!
il said, strong and commanding.
And the afrighted and heart-sick girls
turned them about to see the Lady Sybilla
stand fair and pale at the head of the tur-
ret stair which opened out upon the roof
of the White Tower.
At this interruption the eyes of La Mef-
fraye seemed to burn with a 1reSher Jury
and the green light in them Shone as shines
emerald stone held up to the sun.
The bag shrank, however, from the out
stretched under finger of Sybilla de
Thouars.
"Ah. fair lady" she whispered, "be not
angry-and tell not my lord, beSeech you
! did but jestr'
! Hence the finger was still outstretched,
| and in obedience to the threatening ges-
| tUre the bag shrank away. But as she
passed through the portal down the steps
| OF the turret she flung back certain words
| with a defiant heer
"Ah. you are young my lady. and for
| the present-for the present-your power is
| greater than mine But wait! Your beauty
| will wither and grow old. Your power will
depart from you. But La Meffraye can
never grow older and when once the secret
| La Meffraye is the one who with him shall
| bloom with immortal youth, while you,
| proud lady, lie cold in the belly of the
worm
| TT is true-all too true" said Sybilla de
| Thouars. sadly; they are dead. The young.
| the noble were. and are no more. l who
speak saw them die. And that so nobly
that even in death their lives cease not.
\ Their glory shall flow on, that the young
brook shall become river and the river
become a sea"
Then, in a few words and quiet, she told
them all the heavy tale
But when the maids made as though they
| would cieave to her for the sympathy that
was in her words, and because of her tears,
she set the palms of her hands against
| their breasts and cried: Come not near
| one whom not all the fires of purgatory
| can purify. one who, like Iscariot, hath
| contracted herself outside the mercy of
| God and of our Lord Christi
| But all the more they ciave to her over