The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-05-12

q troopers oath,
drew myself by inches to III
e easement. which was high. fnain
$ SOME foothold in the Nail. an
t when l looked within l SAN no weddin
n guests. no priest, no altar. only this
c table in the midst with bottles on II
and round it i've men iounging at thei
: ease and drinking to the king. OF thes
five TWO, the baronet and the lawyer
5 We're known to me. and l have mad
for Gilbert Stair. The other Two wer
1 strangers.
l VII.
2 IN WHICH My LADY HATH NO
PART.
Seeing that / had taken a mans Lift;
for this, the nance of looking in upor
a drinking bout, you will not wondel
that | went agnast and would " flee
for very shame had not a sudden weak,
ness seized me. But in the midst
heard a mention of my name and sc
had leave. l thought, to stay INC listen
1t was one of the late-comers who
gave me this leave: q a We'll on in
years. g~rizZled and weathsrbeaten: a
seasoned soldier by his look and garb
Though his frayed shoulder-knot was
only that of a captain of foot. twas
plain enough he ranked his comrade,
and the knight as well.
You say you've bagged this Cap
tain 1reton? Who may he be? Surely
not old Rogers SON."
The same" said the baronet, short
ly. and would be filing his glass again.
He could always drink more and feel
1t less than any sot l ever knew.
But how the devil came he here >
The last l knew of him-'twas some
half-score years ago, though, come to
think-he was a lieutenant in the Royal
Scots"
Mine enemy nodded. 80 he was.
But afterward he cut the service and
levanted to the continent"
The au%estioner fell into a muse; then
he laughed and clapped his leg.
"Ecod. l do remember now. There
was a damned good mess-room joke
about him. When he was in the Blues
they used to say his solemn face would
stop a merry making. Well, after he
mad been In Austria a while they told
this on him: that his field-marshal had
him listed for a majority, and so he
was presented to the empress. But
when Maria Theresa saw him she
shrieked and cried out. IL est lie pere
aux tetes ondes i-meme! lie portez-
vous dehors!' So he got but a cap
taincy after all: hal! ha. ha!"
Now this was but a mess-room sibe.
as he had said, cut out of unmarried
cloth, at that. our Austrian Maria
eNer had a better word than round
head for her soldiers. But yet it
stung. and stung the more because l
had and have the 1reton face, and that
is unbeloved by women, and glum and
curst and solemn even when the man
behind 1t would be kindly. SO when
they laughed and chuckled at this lest.
L fingered on and listened with the bet
ter grace.
What brought MIN overseas. Sir
trancis?' Twas not the grizzled jest
er who asked, but the younger officer.
his comrade.
F%alconnet smiled as one who knows
a .nlng viii not tell, II turned to
Gilbert Stair.
What was it. think you. Mr.. Stair ?"
he said, passing the question on.
AT this they all looked to the master
or Appleby Hundred. end | looked. toe.
He was not the man l should have hit
upon IN any throng as the reaver os my
tathers estate; still less the man who
Ihlshi be Margery's father. He had
the face of all the Stairs of Ballan-
trae without its simple Scottish rug
Secness: d sort of weasel face 1t was. |
with p~ale-gray eyes that had a trick |
shlfty lodging. and deep-furrowed
ABOUT the mouth and chin with lines
that spoke of indecision. 1t was not of
nun mat Marsery got her firm round
' ~ eyes lnIJ kneW |
not now to quail, nor aught of anything
she owed a father ave only her pater-
NIFTY, you'd say. And when he spoke
thin falsetto voice matched the
chin to a hair.
II? Dalnme, Sir Francis. / know NOT
why he came-how should 1 know??' he
luavered. "Appleby Hundred is mine
rhine, | tell you! His title was we'll
hanged on a tree with his damned rebel
father!"
A laugh uproarious from the three
soldiers greeted his patulant outburst:
after which the baronet enlightened the
others.
As you know, Captain John. Appleby
iundre once belonged to the rebel
Roger lreton, and Mr.. stair here holds
out a c~onfiscator's title. 'Tis likely the
son heard of the war and thought he
stood some chance to come into his own
oh. aye: sure enough quoth the
elder officer. fitting his bottle afresh
And then: "Of course he promntiy
listed with the rebels when he came?
trust Roger Ireton's son for that"
My baronet wagged his head assent
ngly to this; then clinched the lie in
"of course: we have his commission.
duty"
"A spy" roared the Jester. AN yet
fou haven't hanged him,
Sir Francis shrugged like any
'renchman. AN In good time. my
lear Captain. There were reasons why
did not care to mot the rope myself.
Besides. we had a little disagreement
across the water; twas
bout a woman-oh, she was no mis-
feSS OF MS, | do assure Tou!"-this to
luench my TESTERS laugh incredulous.
He was keen upon me for satisfaction
n this old quarrel. and l gave it him,
linking he'd hang the easier for a
title %blooding first"
Here the factor-lawyer cut in anx-
ously. But you will hang him. Sir
'rancis? You've promised that, you
! did not hate my enemy the more be-
he turned a shoulder to this little
bloodhound and quite ignored the in
eruption.
SO we fought 1T out one morning in
lr. Stairs wood-field. II he had what
e anne for. Not to give him a chance
o escape. we brought him here, and
s soon as he is fit to ride I'll
end hin to the colonel. Tarleton
ill give him a short shrift, I