Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-04-12

or is il Will SpotterbridgeE | asked, re-
memberIns his jest concerning his aa-
cestry: but no answering smile came
upon his rugged face. Gathering UP
his bride in his left hand, he shot one
last malignant glance at the bleeding OIL
Ger. and galloped off along one of the
tracks. which led To the southwark. l
stood gazing after him, but he never
SEM 81 much as hand-waye back. rid
ing on with Il rigid neck until he van
ished in a dip in the moor.
There goes one friend thought |.
sadly, land all forSo0th because | will
not stand by and see Il helpless mans
throat cut Another friend is dead ON
the field \ third. the oldest and dear
est of all, lies wounded at Rridgew ater
at the mercy of a brutal Soldiery. II
| return TO my home | do but bring tron-
BILE and danger To those whom | love-
Whittier shall | tnrn:" For some min
utes / stood irresolutc beside the pros
trate guar dsman. while Covenant strolled
slowly along cropping the Scanty heritage
and turning his dark full eyes towards
me from time TO time. As though 10
--SSure me that one friend M least Was
stcadfaSt, \oTthward | looked ut the
Polden hills. southwark at the Black
downs westward AT the long blue
range of the Quantocks, and east
ward at the broad fen country;
but nowhere could | see any hope of
safety. Truth To say, | felt sick nj heart.
and cared little for the time whether i
escaped or not.
\ muttered oath followed by sroan
reused me from my meditationS. The
corporal was sitting ZIP rubbing his head.
with a look of stupid establishment upon
his face. as though he were not very sure
either OF where he was or how he came
there. The officer, too. had opened his
eyes and shown other signs of returning
consciousness. His wounds We're clear
ly of no serious nature. There was no
danger of their pursuing me even should
they wish to do SO. for their horses had
trotted off to join the numerous other
rIdcrleSS steeds who We're wandering all
over the moorlandS. ! mounted. there
fore. and rode slowly away. saving my
good charger as much as possible. for the
mornings work had already told some-
what heavily upon him.
There We're many scattered bodies Of
horse riding hither and thithcr over the
marshes, but | was able to avoid them.
and trottcd onward. keeping to the waste
country until | found myself eight or ten
miles from the battlefield. The few cot
tages and houses which ! passed were
deserted. and many of them bore signs
of having been plundcred. Not peas
ant was to be seen. The evil fame of
kirke's lambs had chased away all those
W no udAl Iht uttlAdHA tdhtu allliSs ~
last, after riding for three hours. ! be-
thought me that | was far enough from
the main line of pursuit to be free from
danger. so | chose ont sheltered spot
where Il clump Of bushes overhung a lit
tie brook. There. seated upon Il bank of
velvet moss, | rested my weary limbs,
and tried to wash the stains of battle
from my person.
1t was only now when could look quiet
IL at Mt thnf 81 hpnnpbf
home to me how terrible the encounter
must have been in which ! had been en-
gagged, and how wonderful it was that
| had come off scathcss. OF the blows
which ! had struck in the fight l had
faint remembrance, yet they must have
been many and terrible, for my sword
edge was as jagged and turned as though
| had hacked for an hour at an iron bar.
From head 10 foot ! was splashed and
crimsoned with blood, partly my own,
but mostly that of others. My head
piece was dcnted with blows. A petron-
el-hullet had glanced off my frontplate,
striking it Mt an angle, and had left a
broad groove across it. Two or three
other cracks and stars showed where the
good sheet OF proof steel had saved mo.
My left arm was stiff and welmigh pow
erless from the cOrporafs stab; but on
stripping off my doublet and examining
the place, | found that though there had
been much bleeding the wound was OF
the outer side of the bone, and was
therefore of 10 greet import \ kerchief
dipped in water and bound tightly round
it eased the smart and stauchcd the
blood. Beyond this scratch / had no in
juries though for my own efforts | felt
as stiff and sore all over rs though !
had been well cudgeiled, and the slight
wound got in Wells cathedral had re
opened and was bleeding. With little
patience and cold water, however, | was
able to dress it and to tie myself up as
We'll as any chrurgeon in the kingdom.
Having seen to my injuries. had now
TO attend to my appearance. for in truth
/ might have stood for ono Of those
CORY giants with whom the worthy Don
Bellianis Of Greece and other stout cham
piOns Were wont to contend. No wom-
an or child but would have fled at the
sight of me, for ! was as red as the
parish butcher when Mauinmas is nigh,
A good wash, however, in the brook soon
removed those traces of war and ! was
able 10 get the marks off my brcastplatc
and boots. IN the case of my clothes.
however, ii was 50 hopeless Ia clean
them that / gave up in despair My
good old horse had been never SO much
as grazed by steel on bullet. 50 that with
Il little watering and tending he was sooIi
as fresh as ever, and We turned our
backs on the streamlet a better favored
pair than we had approached its banks.
1t was now going on 10 midday. and
[ began 10 feel very hungry, for | had
tasted nothing since the evening before,
Two or three houses stood i'm a cluster
upon the moor. but the blackened walls
and scOrched thatch showed that it was
hopeless to expect anything from them.
Once or twice | spied folk in the fields
or on the roadway: but at sight of an
armed horscman they ran for their lives,
diving into the brushwood like wild ami
mails. At one place, where "A high oak
tree marked the meeting of three roads.
two bodies dangling from one Of the
branches showed that the fears of the
villagers were based upon experience.
These poor men had III all likelihood been
hanged because the amount Of their lii
tie hoardings had not come up to the
expectations Of their plundcrcrs. or he
cause, having given all to one band Of
robbers. they had nothing with which to
appease the next. At last, when ! was
fairly weary of my fruitless search for
food, / espied windmill standing upon
a green hill at the other side Of some
fields. Judging from its appearance that
4 I -. ~