The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-02-13

n
over the last. Reginald adroitly and
respectfully explained wherein the
proposed tax was an Improvement on
the last, inasmuch az the rich were to
pay in proportion to their wealth. and
thus help the poor to make up the
average. Besides, what else was to be
done? The Commons had distinctly
declined to give more in the way of ex-
traordinary dues on imports or exports.
The chancellor plan was not perfect;
it was suggested simply as the best OF
many bads.
''It ends thus, suppose, "said Bur-
ley, at length; "Jack will grumble, but
Jack will pay
cat least he will grumble," said De
la Pole. "But we have no choice.
The king must have money somehow.
1t is the chancellor's responsibility,
not ours"
His business at Nottingham satisfac-
torily despatched, Reginald rode on
next morning for Cavendish, taking
Sudbury by the way.
Here he had less pleasant business
before him, but still he continued to
hum
"Celle on Jay m esperance tout
En- un jolis vergier trouvay."
Men sometimes sing because they
are merry, and sometimes because they
are sad. 1t is the glorious prerogstive
of verse to express and add to the Joy
that is, and to superinduce Joy or a SEM
blance of it when the heart is troubled.
You cannot draw. any safe inference
from outward gayety; it may be over
flowing happiness or valorous endeavor
to keep the heart up under pain and
worry.
Reginald Hardelot cracked his whip,
touched his horses TANKS with the spur,
shook his reins, and made the bells
jingle, looked up at the soft white
clouds and blue sky, held back his
short cloak to fax and utter in the
fresh wind, and hummed every now
and then line of the song that was
running in his head. A more perfect
picture of a gallant and gay light
hearted youngster you could not have
seen from Berwick to Calais.
And yet he was far from easy at the
prospect of an interview with his eccen-
trio brother. Why had he flown off at
tangent from the regular lines of
worldly advancement, when his for
tunes we're in 80 fair train? What
depth of dangerous folly might he not
have reached now that he had donned
the rough garb of the prophet? The
heresy had been growing on him for
some time. Reginald had done his best
to check it, but he was deaf to reason.
Why could he not let the world alone?
Reginald had no patience with these
amend-alls. What did it matter to him
whether the clergy did their duty or
not? If the rich and powerful did op-
press the poor, was that his fault or
concern? There must always be rich
and poor, and the poor could never be
as comfortable as the rich.
How preposterous in any man to
dream of changing the course of nature!
1t is law of nature that there should
be rich and poor as there are weak and
strong. Nature herself is not rich
enough to make everybody rich or
everybody strong. She has not mater
ial for it. 1t is surely better that
some should be rich and some strong
than that all should be on dead level
of weakness and poverty. There are
hills and valleys, fruitful uplands and
stagnant marshes. eagles and worms.
1t is the same everywhere We look,
variety everywhere.
So unreasonable, so provoking. Sell
off silks and furs and tapestry-strip
houses and churches as bare as shep-
herds bothy-no spectacles, no dances
sing psalms when we are merry,
croak about in perpetual fear of judg-
ment What life! Whew!
"Le droit jour dune Penthecou:te
En- ce gracieux moys de May"
He must be mad-stark, staring mad.
And all for a paltry damsel, too!
Pretty enough-for Reginald could not
help admitting this as she passed
through his mind-but not the only
pretty woman in England. With good
dover, too-this also he reflected on
with certain glow of pleasure-but
there were others with the same attrac-
ton. He must be crazy to turn round
like a child and kick at social order
because he could not have the very
thing that he wanted.
But his craze might damage others as
we'll as himself. Reginald had not
hitherto troubled himself much about
the future. He had trusted all that to
his powerful cousin and patron.
Nothing more serious had troubled him
than serruptitious gambling debt
thew pambled a good deal in great