The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-02-20
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RALPH HARDELOTS 3
MEDIATION y
VI

BY WILLIAM MIMIC

him in the clutches of the cursed
shrews. They will kill him if he gets
no help"
"The women of the village!" cried
Reginald, in amazement. "For what
cause? What has he Ione?'
The mans eyes rested involuntary on
the kings badge. He threw up his
hands, and screwed his face into an ex-
preston of intense impotence, but said
nothing.
"What had he done?" demanded
Reginald, again.
''Listen!" said the man, putting his
hand to his ear, and turning it in the
direction of Sudbury.
A sound of shrill tumult cine from
the distance.
"Why don't you answer me?" de-
done?'
The clamor in the distance increased.
''They will kill him." said the man,
his teeth chattering with white fear.
He looked furtively round, as if he
would fain make off again.
Bring the rascal along" said Reg
inald to his yeomen. ''This must be
looked into. They have been after
some villainy."
The man repeated his impatient
gesture more angrily than before.
"What can we expect" he cried, "if
the very kings livery is So" miser-
ably stupid he would have added, but
he did not dare TO utter the words
aloud, and moved his lips and fingers
in mute pantomine.
Moderate your Impotence, my good
FRIEND" said Reginald, lifting his eye
brows, cor will beat you into better
manners. What have you and your
master been doing? Come, answer me
at Once!"
"We were only counting the POLL"
answered the man, sulkily.
"What do you mean by that?" said
Reginald, sharply. "Come, ride back
with us and explain"
The man listened again to the tumult
which rose and fell, but seemed to be
coming nearer, and looked as if he
would rather 60 the other way.
'Give him touch with your dag
gers" said Reginald, che does not seem
to understand Christian speech"
The threat was sufficient The man
sullenly submitted, and began to move
with them in the direction of Sudbury.
"Now," said Reginald, "what do you
mean by counting the poll? And what
have dogs like you to do with the poll
of the population of Sudbury"
Chaucer's perfect gentle knight was
"of his port as meek as a maid," but
meekness in dealing with Ae lower
orders-especially suspected Jews-was
not characteristic of the younger gen.
try, and we cannot profess that Reginald
Hardelot was superior to the spirit of
his time. The man whom he had adj
dressed as dog answered in a sullen
tone, but with more meekness than in
his excitement he had hitherto shown.
He found himself between two fires,
and the second threatened to be as not
as the first.
"My master, SIR" he said, "intend-
ed to lend money on the poll-tax, and
you will allow that it was only fair that
he should first know how many are liza
BILE to pay"
SIN order that he might more safely
beat the chancellor" cried Reginald.
"My master is an honest man." said
the faithful serant.
Doubtless" said Reginald.
1t may be explained that it was part
of the chancelor's pllan-such was the
urgent need of the exchequer-to raise
money Immediately the tax was sane
toned, by borrowing on it from finan-
ciers who advanced money at once. But
the tax was not yet sanctioned, and the
chancellor's confidential servant was
very much astonished to find that the
scheme had got wind. Somebody in
the chancellor's Office must have be-
trayed the secret. Reginald resolved to
find out who the traitor was, but
thought he would best accomplish this
object by coming back to the point
suddenly in the midst of other matters.
"You say your master is an honest
man," he said. "Then what was it
that causde the wicked women of Sud-
bury to rise upon him? Was it this
same honestly"
cit was nothing else, sir" answered
the man.
"How was that?"
"We found, sir, girl of twenty
twenty if she is a day-whose mother
pretended that she was under fifteen,
Now, my masters honesty would not
that the kings exchequer should suffer
such barefaced cheat"
| Fifteen was the age above which
every person in the realm was liable to