Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-10-05
MICAH CLARKE
) j By A. Conan Doyle. > )
cuAprER XII.-(Continued.)

CHAPTER X1I.-(Continued)
..ca,n,. away, Reuben" l cried. for
.;rbt was enough to make one loathe
Find "She is ghoul, NOT a wom-
..pob' IT gives one foul taste IN the
,,+b ouoth Saxon. who is for
sb GALLON over the Downs? Away
ll;tb care and carrion.
VII" ~. 1ohn got on his bonny brown steed,
sT n Monmouth for to ride-a.
brave bun coat upon his back,
broadswOrd by his side-a.
II, baf Young man, we rebels can
Tuil down King James pride-a!
u,rk away, lads, with loose rein and
bloody heel.
Ne SpIrred our steeds and galloped
,ron, the unholy spot as fast as our
nave beasts could carry us. 70 all of
us the air had purer flavor and the
heath a sweeteT scent by contrast with
thr grim couple whom we had left be-
hind H.. What a sweet world this
rould he. my children. were it not for
pan and his cruel ways,
When we at last pulled up we had
sci some three or four miles between
The gibbet and ourselves. Right over
against us. on the side of gentle
slope. stood a bright little village,
with a red-r0ofed church rising up from
amid a cump of trees. To our eyes. after
the duh sword of the plain. it was a glad
sight 70 see the green spread of the
branches and the pleasant gardens which
sirt the hamlet round. All morning we
had seen no sight of human being, save
tbe old hag upon the moor and a few
peat-cutters in the distance Our belts.
TOO. were beginning to be loose npou us,
and the remembrance of our breakfast
more faint.
This" said I, must be the village of
Mere. which we were TO pass before com
ING to Bruton We shall soon be over the
Somersetshire border"
Il trust thar we shall soon be over a
dish of beefsteaks," groaned Reuben. II
am well-nigh famished SO fair vii
lage must needs have rassable inn.
though | have not seen one vet upon nv
travels which would compare with the
old Wheatsheaf."
Neither inn nor dinner for u, just
vet" said Saxon. Look yonder 10 the
north, and tell me what We see."
On the extreme horizon there was vsi-
bic a long line of cleaning. glittering
points, which shone, and sparkled like a
string of diamonds. These brilliant
specks were all in rapid motion. and yet
kept their positions to each other.
What is it, then?' we both cried.
Horse upon the march," quoth Saxon.
1T may be our friends of Salisbury, who
have made a long days journey; or. as l
am inclined to think, it may be some
other body of the Kings horse. They are
far distant, and what we see is hut the
sun shining on their casqUes; yet they are
bOund for this very village. if / mistake
moi. 1t would be wisest to avoid enter
ing it, lest the lustics set them upon our
track. Let us skirt it and push on for
Bruton, where we may spare time for
bite and sup"
"a loc alnc
Reuben, ruefully. Il have fallen away
until the body rattles about, inside this
Shel lOf armOr, like pea in pod. How
ever, lads. it is all for the Protestant
faith"
Zone more good stretch to Bruton, and
We may rest in peace" said Saxon. at
is i'll dining when a dragon may be
served up as grace after meat. Our
horses are still fresh, and we should be
there in little over an hour"
We pushed on our way accordingly,
passing at a safe distance from Mere.
Which is the village where the seconl
Charles did conceal himself after the bat
tie Of Worcester. The road beyond was
much crowded by peasants. who were
making their way out of SomersetShire,
and by farmers wagons. which were tax
mg loads of food to the west ready to
turn few guineas either from Kings
men or from the rebels. We questioned
many as to the news from the war, but
though we were now on the outskirts of
the disturbed country, we could gain no
clear account Of how matters stood save
that all agreed that the rising was on the
Increase. The country through which we
rode was a beautiful one. consisting OF
low swelling hills. well titled and watered
by numerous streamlets. Crossing near
the river Brue by a good stone bridge
We at last reached the small country
town for which we had been making.
which lies embowered in the midst of a
broad expanse of fertile meadows, orch
ards, and sheep-walks. From the rising
ground by the town we looked back over
the plain without seeing any traces of the
troopers. We learned. too from an old
woman of the place. that though a troop
If the Wiltshire Yeomanry had passed
through the day before, there were no
soldiers chartered at present i'll the neigh
horhoOd. Thus assured, we rode boldly
INTO the town, and soon found our way
to the principal inn. | have some dim
remembrance of an ancient church upon
an eminence, and of a quaint stone cross
within the market place. but assuredly, Of
al the recollections which | retain of
Bruton there is none 50 pleasing as that
Of the buxom landIady's face and of the
steaming dishes which she lost no time
IN setting before us.