Evening star., 1903-07-18
why do you call the poor man a pirate?"

why do you call the poor man prate?"
asked Frances
"Oh, we're comrades" laughed Arm
| strong. HE thinks me a capable, prompt
and energetic highwayman. and admitted
| on the quiet that he had cut purse him
self upon occasion in the days of his
! youth"
And why does he think you are a high
| wayman?"
"Ah. that would be telling Suppose it IS
| because / escort the fairest lady in the
| land? The sex have ever favored the big
! gest rascals. No, | Shall not ncrimnate
myself but shall maintain my pose of the
amiable hypocrite. Here rides viii Arm
| strong. the honest man, If you take his own
| word for 1t. But the hostler knows better.
| He sees secret comings and goings and
| draws his sage conclusions Ranbury -"
, Oh, Lord l shall never forget Banbury!
! -" 1t is place of mystery, the keeper
of dark secrets and sudden rides, of mid
night theft and of treachery. Ask the
| Broughton road where Cromwell lies, to
reveal what ii knows. Things happen along
| that track which the king knows nothing
| of, and his royal signature takes journeys
! that he never counted upon"
! "Heaven's pity, What do you mean"
! moaned the girl. whitening to the lips He
| laughed toyously, but checked himself when
| he saw the terrifying effect of his words on
| his companion. They We're now clear of
| Banbury and trotting along the Coventry
| road. Their departure had met with no op-
| position. and they had seen not even a sin
gle soldier. The open country lay before
| them. the turrets OF the town sinking in the
| rear.
| MY foolish words have frightened you
Forget them. | am accumula ting experi-
| ences that will interest you to hear when
| the time comes for the telling of them. but
| of one thing l am assured, the good Lord
| stands by his own, and he has shielded me
| since yesterday morning broke. Come,
| Frances. let us gallop. That and q trust in
| the Lord will remedy all the ills of man or
woman"
] She was glad Of the respite. and they set
off at full speed; nevertheless her mind was
sorely troubled. What did he know, what
did he know" beat through her brain in
unison with the clatter of the horses hoofs
1t was not possible that chance had
brought him thus to the very center of her
guilty secret. CROMWELL treachery, mid
night stealth the BroughtOn road these
words and phrases tortured her. Was this,
then. the line of his revenge? Did he know
all and did he purpose to keep her thus in
suspense, limiting, soothing her fears then
reviving them, making her black crime the
subject of Jest and laughter? She cast a
gil nee over her shoulder. Banbury had dis
appeared; they were alone, flying the
land The doubt was unbearable; she
would endure it no longer. Impetuously
she reined her horse to a stand. Stop"
she cried and at the word her own horse
and Bruce halted and stood The young
man turned with alarm to her agitated
face.
What do you mean by your talk of
20. that is a secret. 1 did not intend to
tell you until our journey was ended, when
we could laugh over 1t together
1T is no laughing matter I must know
what YOU mean.
"All dangers are laughable once they are
past. An unknown. unsuspected danger
threatened me at Banbury 1t is now past
and done with, and the person who plotted
against me can harm me no more There
are reasons why l do not wish to mention
this persons name. Barring that l NAV
tell YOU now as we'll as another time, If you
care to listen"
do I know the person?
co. yes. You knew the person long be-
fore / did. 1t was a person I trusted but
now known to be a traitor and a thief"
1t was some moments before Frances
could speak but at last she said very oui-
city. looking down at her horses name:
Tell me the story. and will tell you the
name Of the thief"
You slept badly last night. Did you
hear anything?"
IL heard the clock strike the hours ,.
II heard 1t strike 3. but lay so locked in
drowsiness that l knew not the Lord was
calling to me. II the seven sleepers were
melted into one. 1 would outsleep that one.
Well. to get on. I was robbed in the night |
1t must have been at that hour for / re-
member dimly some sort Of disturbance
But Providence stood my friend By the
merest chance. it might seem. but not by
chance as + believe. I saw the creature
make for Broughton So here's for
Broughton. cried l. on the bare back of |
Black Bruce, and If my good pistols |
would win back what had been stolen from
me-. The Broughton road it was. and the |
whisked from his pocket the kings COM