Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-12-08
THE MASTER OF APPLEBY|
,--= By Francis Lyndo. --$



riffraff Of ~carouslng soldiery. Separat-
ing by mutual consent in the public tap
room, Richard and / presently drifted
together again at a small table In a
corner, with a black boy in attendance
TO set before us such poor entertain
ment as the hosiery afforded.
well, what IuCk?' asked Dick,
mumbling it behind his hand, though
he might safely have shouted ii aloud
in the din and clamor Of the place.
/ shook my head. Nothing as yet,
save that ] overheard a tipsy corporal
telling his tipsier sergeant that the Off
GERS would be holding a revel tonight
at a Tory manor house situate some
where beyond the camp confines to the
northward' the house Of one Master
Marmaduke Harndon, if / heard the
name Alright Then / added: "'This
rabble is too drunken to serve pur-
pose. IT'S only the common soldiery,
and we shall learn nothing here
There was at least one who was not
a rankcr," said Dick. and there was
something akin TO I'VE in his voice.
Then he leaned across the table to
whisper. Jack, I've fair had a fright"
/ smiled. Fear, of God, man or the
devil, was not n of the lads weak
nesses.
you may grin as you please he
went on; but answer me this; do the
dead come back to life?'
mot this side of the resurrection re-
veille, If we may believe the domin-
les"
Then / have seer a ghost-a most
horrible mask of a man we both know
to u cost"
Name him and / will tell you wheth-
er he be a ghost or no."
"''Tis the ghost of Frank Falconnet;
or else it is what Of the man himself
the fire hath left" said Dick and /
marked his shiver at the word.
mo- said l.
II tell you yes"
l sprang up, but the lad reached
across the table and smote me back
into the chair.
SOFTLY. old firebrand: twas you who
said the public matter must take
precedence Of the private. Moreover,
If this be Francis Falconnet whom |
have seen, your sweetest revenge on
him will be. to let him live-as he is"
Il will kill him as ! would a wild
beast" / ragged, thinking Of that mid
night scene in the great forest when
my sweet lady had gone on her knees
to this fiend in human guise. And so
should you" / added, IF you care
aught for the honor of the who
loves you"
But now it was this h~ot-headed Rich
ard / have drawn for you who saw
farthest and clearest.
''AH in good time" he said, coolly.
"At this present we have Dan Morgan's
fish to fry, and sitting here saucing this
DEVILS mess of a supper with thoughts
OF private revenge will never fry it.
So a,.- a. 60 ranIw
ghost has put mine hopelessly out of
gear. We gods! but twas a most fear
some thing to look att"
| did not answer him at once, and
whilst / piled knife and fork for the
sake of appearances, / would think
upon what he had discovered. This
r~eappearance of Francis Falconnet was
not to be passed over lightly. What
would he do, or seek to do? Nay, what
devilish thing was il he might not do?
If the fire had burned his passion cut
it had doubtless kindled a teller blaze
of revenge. And If his thirst was for
revenge, how could he quench it in a
deeper draft than by marrying the
woman we both loved? Twas only by
u mighty effort that | could drag my
self back to Dicks urging and the
needs of the hour.
"To have some chance of hearing gos-
sip to our purpose, we must make shift
to gain admittance TO this officers rou
at the manor house" / said,
"The devil!" quoth Dick, 4" / venture
that's easier said than done-for two
plain country gentlemen
Never fear; there will be others
there lacking fine clothes, and so the
throng be great enough, we may pass
current in it,"
Richard pushed his plate back with
a grimace OF disgust.
Let us be at 1t, then. Another
grapple with this pig-bait will finish
me outright"
our cobs at the already crowded hitch
ing rail in front of a goodly mansion
some mile or more beyond the camp
on the northward road; a ram
b1ng manor house to the full as large
as Appleby Hundred, with a shaven
lawn in front. and within, lights and
music and sounds of revelry.
by the Lord Harry! but this
Master HaTndon would seem 10 he
a man of substance" say Dick.
And then: "Can you pick out a
good horse in the dark, Jack? 1t
come to q race for our necks,
by and by. and these cobs OF ours are
too ~broad-backed for speed
/ said l could, and so WI went deeper
into the cavalcade Mt the hitch-rail
and marked out two clean-limbed
chargers, a gray and a sorrel; his be-
fore we gave the flnal touches to u
plan OF action and passed up the broad
avenue TO the manor house.