The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-07-08

admiration.
his face In his hands. Mary ran to him
at once. There had been q little mo-
ment of faltering, but there was no
real surrender in her.
Dropping on her knee beside him, she
said coaxlngly: Don't give up. You
are II man; you must not surrender
and let me, a girl, prove the stronger.
Shame upon you when ! look up to
you so much and expect you to help me
be brave! 1 will so. 1 will arrange
myself in some way. oh, why nm L
not different? 1 wish I were as straight
as the queen" And for that first time
in her life she bewailed her beauty be-
1t stood between her and Bran
don.
She soon coaXed him out Of his de-
spondency, and we began again to plan
the matter in detail.
The girls sat on Brandon's cloak and
he IL 1 on the camp stool and q box.
Mary's time was we'll occupied In
vain attempts to keep herself covered
with the cloak, which seemed to have
n right good will toward Brandon and
me, but she kept track of our plans,
th btASit 10 %. LtS
to her costume, we would substitute
long trunks and jack boots for shoes
II hose, kand, as to doublet, Mary
laughed and blushingly said she had a
plan which she would secretly impart
to Jane, but would not tell us. She
whispered II to Jane, who, rs serious
as the lord chancellor, gave judgment
md Thought 1t would do" We hopet
so, but. were full of doubts.
This Is all tame enough to write md
read about, but 1 can tell you 1t was
sufficiently exciting at the time. Three
of us at least were playing with that
comical fellow, Death, and he gave the
game interest and point to our hearts
content.
AS to the elOpemcnt, 1t was deter
mined that Brandon should leave Lon
don the following day for Bristol and
make all arrangements along the line.
He would carry with him two bundles,
his own and Mary's clothing, and leave
them to be taken up when they should
go a%-sliipboard. Eight horses would
be procured, four to be left as a relay
Mt nm inn between Berkeley castle and
Bristol II four to be kept at the rem
devious some two leagues the other
sid of Berkeley for the use Of Bran
don, Mary and the two men from Bris-
tol who were to act as an escort on the
eventful night. There was one dis
agreeable little feature hat we could
not provide against nor entirely elm
inate. 1t was the fact that Jane and
l should be suspected as accomplices
before the fact of Mary's elopement,
and, as you know, to assist In the abb
duction of a princess Is treason, for
which there Is .but one remedy. I
thought 1 had n plan to keep ourselves
safe IL / could only site for tile once
James troublesome and vigorous tend
ency to preach the truth to all people
upon oil subjects and at all times and
places. She promised to tell the story
/ should drill into her, but I knew the
truth would seep out In a thousand
ways. She could no more hold 1t than
q sieve can hold water. We were play
ing for great stakes, which, if 1 do say
1T, none but the bravest hearts, bold
and daring as the truest knights Of
chivalry, would think Of trying for
nothing less than the running away
with the first princess of the first blood
royal Of the world. Think Of It! 1t
appolls me even now. Discovery meant
death to n of us surely, Brandon;
possibly to two others, Jane and me,
certainly IL James truthfulness should
belome u~nniunageable, as 1t was apt
to do.
After we had settled everything we
could think of the girls took their leave,
Mary slyly kissing Brandon at the
door. tried to induce Jane to follow
her lady's example, but she was as
cool and distant as the new moon.
The next day Branda paid his re-
spects to the king al opeen. made his