The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-05-15
"Ah, Caskoden. Is that uou9''

bis eyes and cheeks were lusterless and
sunkeni but will describe him no fur
ther. Suffering had well nigh done its
work. and nothing but the harsiihood
gathered in his years OF camp life and
war could have saved him from death
I bathed and reclothed him as well as
I could at Newgate and then took him
home to Greenwich In a horse litter.
where my man and / thoroughly wash
ed. dressed and sheared the poor fel-
low and put him to bed.
"Ah, this bed is foretaste Of para
diser' he said as he lay upon the mat
tress. 1t was a pitiful sight. and /
could hardly refrain from tears.
I will ask you to go back with me for
a moment.
During the week between Brandon's
interview with Mary In the anteroom
Of the kings bedchamber and the trag-
edy at Billingsgate he and had many
conversations about the extraordinary
situation In which he found himself.
At one time. ! remember. he said:
"I was safe enough before that after
noon. / believe | could have gone
away and forgotten her eventually.
but our mutual avowal seems to have
dazed me and paralyzed every power
for effort. l sometimes feel helpless.
and, although ! have succeeded I'm
keeping away from her since then,
often find myself wavering in my de-
termination to leave England. That
was what | feared II I allowed the
matter to 60 to the point Of being sure
| of her love. ! only wanted 1t before.
| and very easily made myself believe 1t
was impossible. and not for me. But
| now that know she loves me II is like
holding my breath to live without her
feel every instant that can hold it
no longer. l know only too well that
| II but see her face once more I shall
breathe. She Is the very breath of life
| for me. She IL mine by the gift Of
God. Curses upon those who keep us
| apart" Then musingly and half in
| terrogatively: "She certainly does love
me. She could not have treated me as
she did unless her love was SO strong
that she could not resist It."
| "Let no doubt Of that trouble you"
answered. "a woman like Mary can
not treat two men as she treated you.
Many a woman may love or think she
loves many times. but there is only one
| man who receives the full measure Of
her best. Other women again have moth
ing to give but their best. and when
they have once given that they have
given all. Unless I have known her
in vain. Mary. with all her faults. is
such a woman. Again. I say. let no
doubt OF that trouble you"
Brandon answered with a sad little
smile from the midst Of his reverie.
1T is really not 80 much the doubt as
the certainty of II that troubles me"
Then. starting to his feet, "If thought
she had lied to me. II ! thought she
could wantonly lead me on TO suffer
SO for her. would kill her. so help me
God"
do not think that. Whatever her
faults-and she has enough-there is
no man on earth for her but you. Her
love has come to her through a strug.
gle against IL because II was her mas
ter. That Is the strongest and best. In
fact the only love. worth all the self
made passions In the world"
Yes, I believe II. I know she has
faults: even my partiality cannot blind
me to them. but she Is as pure and
chaste as a child and as gentle. strong
and true as-as-a woman. l can put
II no stronger She has these. her re
deeming virtues. along with her beau
ty. FROM her plebeian grandmother
Elizabeth Woodville. who with them
won a royal husband and elevated her
self to the throne beside the chivalrous
Edward. This sweet plebeian heritage
bubbles up In the heart Of Mary and
will not down, but neutralizes the roy
al poison In her veins and makes a god
dess of her" Then with a sigh: "But
IL her faults were a thousand times al
many, and II each fault were a thou
sand times as great. her beauty would
!. atone for all. Such beauty as hers car
afford to have faults. Look at Heller
] and Cleopatra and Agnes Sorel. Die
their faults make them less attractive
Beauty covereth more sins than char
ity and maketh more grief than pesti
\ lanae"
[To BE CONTINUED