Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-12-05

could rasp Il out q little already. ana
now rapidly improved under The earn
est drilling / received. A village came
In sight and / sank to my place beside
the led pony.
Columns Of blue wood smoke were
curling above the deep-thatched roofs
as we rod through the place. the cnnk
of the hammer at the forge told that
the labors OF the day had begun, and
peasants we're moving to the fields. For
two or three miles further the roadside
was dotted with cottages, and we
marched In formal order. The beauty
of the morning sank deeply into my
heart. On h high stations OF the
hills the spring had been cold ana
stern and backward: here 1t was at It's
loveliest. The air was soft and sweet
and scented: the meadows full or cow
slips; the blackbird in the copse, futed
his rich, mellow, careless notes; the
lark, hidden in the high radiance or
the dawn, poured a rain OF joyous n
and the fragrant, blooming. weli-or-
dered English countryside delighted my
eyes as those OF a man returned from
exile.
Hallway to Ludlow. We turned u
horses heads to the left and rode south,
but easily and l~oiteringly, for we a
time and to spare for our days journey.
AT midday we made a long halt at a
solitary inn, and here I changed my
last Jacobus.
There is no room for a m~oneyless peo-
pie in the wide world. and the simple
truth was that / had no other resource
at hand than to head for Butley Croft.
The afternoon was spent In moving
at a foot pace through the mild, sweet
spring sunshine by solitary bride
tracks and over wide, lonely heaths
stepped in the delicious heady fragrance
of the gorse, for now l knew every
ward of the country, and was aiming
to come to our destination by unfre-
quented roads, since / could not say
for a certainty what reception lay be-
fore us, and wished to feel my way
carefully into the place.
1t wanted an hou to shutdown, and
, we were four miles to the west OF my
house, crossing an undulating, furry
We were marching very
slowly along a broad grassy ride, when
i became aware Of a horseman COM
ing rapidly up behind us. Luckily I
had been for a long time riding In my
proper station lest we might be OBJ
served, so we had no disposition to al
ter, / stared over my shoulder and my
uneasiness vanished at a glance.
"As / live" l cried, here comes Rog-
er Thorne. my steward"
You will be all right, won't your
ASiAAhs ANe w hON ASNA hhhA
Fear him. / laughed; n more
thar / do my shadow. No more than
/ do you, n what can | say more?
But soft; ride steadily on and let us
see how he will take us?"
/ had no time to say more, for Rog-
er's strong chestnut hackney was COM
ing at a round trot and was soon at
our heels. My stirrup feathers were
drawn short on purpose and my knees
stuck up; my hat was over my eyes,
/ rounded and bumped my shoulders,
and sat the gray pony with the tree
SLOUGH of a lazy groom. AS l glanced
over our party l felt hat we played
our parts to perfection; l and the led
pony in the rear, Enid In front, looking
a princess in her handsome riding-habit
and sitting Whitesock like a picture,
her waiting maid riding at her side and
a little behind.
Roger will canter by and l will hal
loo after him." thinking, In my foolish.
ness, of myself alone.
Continued Next Weekly