Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-07-15
[CoNTINUED]


to be pardoned for. He should be and
shall be rewarded" Mary spoke i'm
petuOusly, but caught herself and tried
to remedy her blunder. '"That is, if
have heard the straight of it. l have
been told that the killing was done in
the defense Of two-women." Think
OF this poor, unconscious girl, so full
of grief and trouble, talking thus to
buckingham, who knew so much more
about the affair than even she who had
taken so active a part in it!
''Who told you of it?' asked the
duke
Mary saw she had made q mistake
and, after hesitating for a moment,
answered: "Sir Edwin Caskoden. He
had it from Master Brandon, 1 sup
pose" Rather adroit this was, but
eQuidistant from both truth and ef-
rfectiveness.
Il will go at once to London and ar
range for Brandon's escape" said
buckingham, preparing to leave. But
you must not divulge the fact that
DO it. 1t would cost me all the favor I
enjoy with the people Of London,
though I would willingly lose that IA
4vor thousand times over for a smile
IRON YOU"
She gave the smile, and as he left
followed his retiring figure with her
ayes and thought, "After all, he has a
Kind heart"
She breathed sigh Of relief, too, for
.She felt she had accomplished Bran
aon's release and still retained her dan
gerous secret, the divulging Of which
abe feared would harden Hehry's heart
against her Establishments and strand
her upon the throne of France.
But she was not entirely satisfied
with the arrangement. She knew that
her obligation to Brandon was such as
to demand of her that she should not
leave the matter Of his release to any
other person, much less to an enemy
such as Buckingham. Yet the cost of
his freedom by direct act of her own
would be so great that she was tempt
ed to take whatever risk there might
be In the way that had opened itself to
her. Not that she would not have
made the sacrifice willingly or would
not have told Henry all if that were
the only chance to save Brandon's life,
but the other way, the one she had TAX
IN by Buckingham's help. seemed safe,
and, though not entirely satisfying, she
rould not see how it could miscarry
buckingham was notably jealous Of
his knightly word, and she had I'M
bounded faith in her influence over
him. In short, like many another per-
ION, she was as wrong as possible just
ut the time when she thought she was
entirely right, and when the cost Of a
mistake was at it's maximum.
She recoiled also from the thought
Of Brandon's escape" and it hurt her
that he should be fugitive from the
Justice that should reward him, yet
she quieted these disturbing sugges-
tons with the thought that it would
be only for short time. and Brandon,
she knew, would be only too glad to
make the sacrifice If it purchased for
her freedom from the worse than DAM
nation that lurked in the French mar
Rage.
All this ran quickly through Mary's
mind and brought relief but it did not
rure the uneasy sense, weighing like
lead upon her heart, that she should
take no chance with this mans life and
should put no further weight of sacri-
flee upon him, but should 60 to the
king and tell him straightforward
story, let it hurt where it would. With
n
thought which decided the question and
absolutely made everything bright
again for her, SO great was her capa-
odllty for distilling light. She would
go at once to Windsor with Jane and
would dispatch a note to Brandon at
Newgate telling him upon his escape
to come to her. He might remain in
hiding in the neighborhood of Wind.
sor, and she could see him every day
The time had come to Mary when to
"see him every day" would turn Plu-
$onian shades into MONDAY brightness
and weave sunbeams out of utter dark.
ness. With Mary, to resolve was to
act; so the note was soon dispatched
by page, and one hour later the girls
were on their road to Windsor.
buckingham went to Newgate, ex.
pecdng to make virtue, with Mary
out of the necessity imposed by the
kings command in freeing Brandon
He had hoped to induce Brandon to
leave London stealthily and immediate.
" by representing to him the evil con.
sequences of a break between the citi.
xens and the king, liable to grow out
OF his release, and relied on Brandon's
generosity to help him out but when
he found the note which Mary's page
had delivered to the keeper of Newgate
he read it, and all his plans were
changed.
He caused the keeper to send the
note to the king, suppressing the fact
that he, Buckingham, had any knowl
edge Of It. The duke then at once
started to Greenwich, where he ar
rived and sought the king a few min
utes before the time he knew the mes
eenger with Mary's note would come
The king was soon fOnn6 opd p,,o,~