The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-04-27

lay, mere limp bundle, staring ana
blinking. So sat down facing him, and
waited his recovery.
Dear young sir" he began at length
feebly, his fingers searching the Bible
before him, from force Of habit. Kind
young sir-I am an old, dying man, and
my sins have found me out. Only yester-
day, the physician at Bodmin told me
that my days are numbered. This is the
second attack, and the third will kill
me-"
"well?' said 1.
Tiff Mistress Della be alive / will
make restitution-I will confess-only
tell me what to do, that / may die in
peace"
Indeed he looked pitiable, sitting there
and stammering; but 1 hardened my
heart to say:
81 must have a confession, then, writ
ten before / leave the room."
But, dear young friend, you will not
use 1t il / give up all? You will not
seek my life? that already is worthless,
as you see."
"Why, It's what you deserve. But
Della shall say when / find her-as
shall go straight to seek her. Ii she be
lost, l shall use it-never fear; il she be
found, it shall be hers to say what mercy
she can discover in her heart, but l
promise you / shall advise none"
The tears by this time were coursing
down his shrunken cheeks, but observ-
ed him watch me narrowly, as though to
find out how much l knew. So pulled
out my pistol and. setting pen and paper
before him, obtained at the end of an
hour very pretty confession of his sins,
which lies among my papers to this day.
When it was written and signed. in
weak. rambling hand. l read it through.
folded it. placed it inside my coat and
prepared to take my leave.
But he called only an order to the old
servant TO saddle my mare and stood
softly praying and beseeching me in the
courtyard till the last moment Nor
when 1 was mounted would anything
serve but he must follow at my stirrup
TO the gate. But when l had briefly
taken leave heard voice calling after
me down the road:
Dear young sir, Dear friendi 1 had
| forgotten somewhat
Returning, | found the gate fastened
| and the iron shutter slipped back.
''Well?" / asked, leaning toward it.
Dear young friend, l pity thee, fol
thy paper is worthless. To-day, by my
advices, the army Of our most Christian
Parliament, more than twenty thousand
strong. under the Earl of Stamford, have
overtaken thy friends, the malignant
gentry, near Stratton Heath, in the
northeast They are more than two to
one. By this hour tomorrow the Papists
all will be running like comics to their
burrows, and the little chance wilt thou
have to seek Della Killigrew. much less
to find her. And remember, l know
enough Of thy late services to hang thee;
mercy, then. will lie in my friends hands.
but be sure shall advise none"
And with hooking laugh he clapped
to the grating in my face.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Joan was not in the kitchen when l
arrived at the cottage nor about the
buildings; nor yet could l spy her any
where moving on the hills. So, after call
| ing to her once or twice, 1 stabbed the
mare, and set off up the tor side to seek
! her.
] But to-day as 1 climb'd past the spot,
something very bright fash'd in my eyes
and dazzled me. l finally found her
sitting behind a slab of granite with her
back to me. In the left hand she was
| holding up the mirror that caught the
rays of the now sinking sun, while with
her right she trie1 to twist into some
form of knot her tresses-black, and
coarse as a horses mane-that already
she had roughly braided. A pail Of
water stood beside her; and around lay
scatter'd a score or more Of long thorns
cut to the shape of hairpins.
IT'S probable that after a minutes
watching / let some laughter escape me-
At any rate Joan turned, spied me. and
| scrambled up, with an angry red on her
cheek. Then / saw that her bodice was
neater lac'd than usual, and a bow of
yellow ribbon stuck in the bosom. But
the strangest thing was to note the effect
| Of this new tidiness upon her; for she
took a step forward as if to cuff me by
the ear. and then stopp'd, very shy and
hesitating.
"Why, JOAN" said 1, don't be an
ger'd. 1t suits you ch0icely-it does in
deed"
Art scof1ing, 1 doubt" She stood
looking heavily and askance at me.
ION my faith, no. Thou art certainly
a handsome girl"
She looked up in my face-dear heav-
en-, that 1 should have to write it!-with
eyes brilnful, sick with love; tried to
speak, but could only nod, and broke into
a wild fit of tears.
l was standing there when l heard the
clear notes of a bugle blown, away on
the road to Launceston.
Looking that way, saw a great COM
pany of horses coming down over the
crest, the sun shining level on their arms
and a green standard that they bore in
their midst. Joan spied them the same
instant, and checked her sobs. Without a
word we flung ourselves down full length
on the turf to watch.
They were more than a thousand, as
I guessed, and came winding down the
road very orderly till, being full of them,
it seemed a long serpent writing with
shiny scales. The tramp Of hoofs and
jingling of bits were pretty to hear.
Rebels whispered l.
There were three regiments In all,
whereof the first was Of dragons. So
clear was the air could almost read the
legend on their standard, and the calls
of their captains were borne up to Us
extremely distinct
AS they rode leisurely past 1 thought
Of Master Tngcomb's threat. and won
dered what this array couh intend. Nor,
turning it over, could find any explana-
ton, for the Earl Of Stamford's gather
ing. he had said, was in the northeast,