Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-24
CHAPTER vi.
Murder Cries from the Ground,

CHAPTER vi.
Murder Cries from the Ground.
At the great house of New Milns and in
the feudal hamlet about it there was mighty
} confusion. Murder. Murder!"-that word
Of ugliest sound in all languages-was on
every lip. Yet none knew of rights whom
to blame for the deed, and many that were
unfriendly glared at each other, fell sus-
picion leaping eagerly up into their eyes.
Philip Stansfeld and his party ran hither
and thither crying death to Umphray
Spurway." Some blamed the minister, Mr..
John Bell. A few cried even ITO the lodge
Yeti" ready to assert that the burden of
the deed fell on my poor mother. For that
her son being the heir (my father, Philip
Stansfeld, being disinherited), my mother
had the best reasons for wishing Sir James
out OF the way.
Indeed. for two or three hours the country
side was in such a taking that the most
part hastily armed themselves, and every
man looked askance at his neighbor.
Meantime the poor harried corpse lay on
the very dining table where he had made
merry with his friends the night before, and
Philip Stansfield had set one of his cronies
at the door with a drawn sword in his hand,
ordering him to cut down any that should
attempt to go within.
IL was itODll ITttn WIN DloubHI inns
word to Umphray Spurway at the Min
house, adding that my grandmother, the
poor Lady Stansfeld, had shut herself in
her room and summoned to her the minister,
Mr.. John Bell, to hold a service. At first |
was too much afraid of Philip Stansfield,
my father, and overpressed with the horror
of what ] had seen in the blue room to re-
veal anything. But as soon as umphray
Spurway had taken me from the waterside
and brought me to his own house | came to
myself and told him all that ! had seen,
only begging him to keep it secret-for l
was convinced that If l were called upon to
witness publicly Philip Stansfield would Ger
tainly kill me.
The Englishman, who las they all haVe)
had in him a fine instinct of law-abiding.
whistled softly while / was telling him all
that | had seen. He narrowed his eyes till
the pupil became no more than a darkly
twinkling triangle in his broad, rosy face.
Then, when he had asked a question or two,
he went to a little desk wherein were many
pa pers and samples of cloth, and sweeping
all aside with a full half circle of his arm
he sat down and squared his elbows to write
a letter. This being presently finished he
folded up and sealed it carefully with his
own seal. Then he called Robin Green to
him.
lake lulS ltlltl iIlDltdidi'iy w h|''h
burgh,' he said. II will saddle you a horse
out Of my stable that will carry you easily
and quickly thither. Go to the house of Mr..
George Hume, cloth merchant, in the Grass
market. He is great with my lord adyo-
cate"
Sir" said Robin Green. 81 will gladly
90. But ] an an old man. and may not ride
so expeditiously as one of the younger men
in your employ-your prentice, William
Bowman. for example,
May" said Spurway, 'it will be filter
that you should go. Take what time you
need. | will keep the castle here till my
lord send a commtssary hither to make pre-
q~uisltion concerning the truth of this most
foul murder"
Sir" said Robin, SAY no more. For my
Door masters sake | would ride to London,
let alone the little trail to Edinburgh. For
thirty years he hath been a good master 10
me, and now, when he is cruelty done 10
death, he shall not go unavenged gin Robin
Green's auld banes will baud together!"
Il will accompany you some part of the
way" answered Umphray Spurway. 81 de-
sire not that Master Philip, who is lording
it for the nonce up at the great house,
should take you with that letter in your pos
session. ! will see you past the lodge Yeti
in safety"
Ep oh9 libt nv ~" Hi''' ''' '''>
pipe. for in the Wauk mill everything was
done by so many blasts of the Englishman's
whistle, Just as it is upon a kings ship at
sea. And scarcely had the shrill sound died
away when the weavers poured out OF their
weaving sheds and wooden barracks, where
they were resting, into the quadrangle, and
there stood waiting their master in proper
enough ranks and companies.
UmphTay Spurway went out and said some
what to them, the purport of which ! could
not hear at that distance. But he chose some
thirty, whom he bade arm them with mus
kets, pistolets and whingers out Of an
armory which he kept in the drying loft
= or the dry-house. For in the unsettled
state Of the country, the Englishman had
drilled his reJainers like a military com
mand, For sometimes the rumor had run
that the dragons were coming to search
the mills for Hill Folk. and sometimes that
the wild wings were on the march to burn
J it down as an invention Of the devil. I'm
phray Spurway reckoned 10 make himself
safe in either case.
Now the heart OF a boy is ever the same,
In spite OF the dreadful nature Of my posi-
ton and the dismal and afrighting experience
Of the night, / was wholly consoled by the
mere pleasure of walking In step with so
strong and military-looking a company of
men. all well armed and able OF body-if
a trihe round shouldered, as is indeed the
wont Of all weavers of cloth.
Moreover, We were going to my mothers
house, and it pleased me to think that she
should see me in such company, walking
beside Umphray spurway almost like a kind
OF lieutenant and taking as long strides as
any one man in the ranks,
We were going through the croft at the
back of the mansion house, when we saw
a little cloud Of people come iocking out of
tho gateway of the great house. They were
all weaving in and out in a sort of turmoil,
like children playing tick" about a preach
ing in the open air. In the midst was a
man in black, whom they were hailing down
the green croft. He had a rope about his