The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-04-17

his neck And the comicality of ths
situation again overcoming Mr.. Hutch
inson, his robust sides shook once more
with laughter.
The king stopped in the middle Of the
road and stared at his companion with
amazement.
Surely you are aware" ne said at
last that you are on the direct road
to st. Ninians?'
Surely surely" replied Badly, and
you remind me that we must not stand
yammering here. for there win be a
great gathering there to see the hang
ing. All my friends are there now, and
if I say il, who shouldn't, I've more
friends than possibly any other man
in this part of Scotland
But do you mean that you are going
voluntarily to your own hanging? Bless
my soul, man, turn I'm your tracks and
make for across the border"
Hutchinson shook his head.
IF 1 had intended to do that" he
said, 81 could have saved myself many
a long step yesterday and this morning,
for was a good deal nearer the border
than 1 am at this moment No, no.
You see. I have passed my word The
sheriff gave me a week among my own
friends to settle my worldly affairs and
bid my wife and BARNS goodbye. So l
said to the sheriff: Tn your man
whenever you are ready for the hang
ing"
I've heard many a strange tale"
said the king. "but this beats anything
in my experience"
"Oh, there's a great deal to be picked
up by trampirs the roads" replied
Hutchinson sagely.
What is your crime?" inquired his
majesty.
"Oh, the crimes neither here nor
there. If they want to hang a man
they'll ham him, crime or no crime
But why should they want to hang
a man with so many friends?'
well, you see, a man may have
many friends and yet two or three
powerful enemies. My crime, as you
call it. is that I'm related to the Doug
lases. That's the real crime. But
that's not what I'm to be hanged for,
Oh, no, it's all done according to the
legal satisfaction Of the lawyers. I'm
hanged for treason to the king
But surely" exclaimed the beggar.
they VIII not hang a man in Scotland
for merely saying a hasty word against
the kinE?'
There's more happens in this realm
than the king kens of, and all done in
his name, too. But. to speak truth
there was a bit extra against me as
well. wheen of the daft bodies in
Stirling made up a slip of a plot to trap
the king and put him i'm hiding for
awhile until he listened to what they
called reason. There were two WeaveTs
among them. and weavers are always
plotting: a CObbler and such like peo-
pie, and they sent word would l come
and help them. 1 was fool enough to
write them a note and intrusted il TO
4 their messenger. I told them to leave
the king alone until l came to Stirling.
and then 1 would just nab him myself.
put him under my oxter and walk down
toward the border with him. for I knew
that if they went on they'd but lose
their silly heads. And SO, wishing no
harm to the king, 1 made my way to
Stirling. but did not get within a mile
Of it, for they tripped me up at St
Ninians, having captured my letter. So
1 was sentenced, and it seems the king
found out all about their plot, as l
knew he would, and pardOned the men
who were going to kidnap him, while
the man who wanted TO stop such fool
ishness is to be hanged in his name"
That seems VillainOusly unfair"
said the beggar Didn't the eleven
try to do anything for yOu2"
How do you know there were
eleven?" cried Hutchinson, turning
around upon him.
Il thought you said eleven
well, maybe / did; maybe I did
Yes. there were eleven of them. They
never got my letter. Their messenger
was a traitor, as is usually the case,
and merely told them 1 would have
nothing to do with their foolish ven
ture: and that brings me to the point
] have been coming 10. The moment
they set me at liberty, a week since, !
got a messenger 1 could trust and
sent him TO the cobbler, FIemming by
name. l told Flemming ] was to be
hanged, but he had still a week to get
me "a reprieve. 1 asked him TO go to
the king and tell him the whole truth
of the matter. so I'm thinking that a
pardon will be on the scaffold there
before me. Still, the disappointment
of the hundreds waiting to see the
hanging will be great"
Good God" cried the beggar
aghast, stopping dead in the middle Of
the road and regarding his comrade
with horror.
What's wrong with you?" asked the
big man, stopping also.
Has it never occurred to you that
the king may be away from the palace
and no one in the place able 10 find
him?"
mo one able to find the King Of
Scotland? That's an unheard of
thing"
Listen TO me, Hutchinson. Let us
avoid St. Ninians and go direct to
Stirling. It's only a mile or two
further on. Let US see the cobbler be-
fore running your neck into a moose. -
But, man, the cObbler viii be at
st. Ninians, either with "A pardon or 10
see me hanged, like the good friend
he is.