The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-05-12
VII.
IN WHICH MY LADY HATH NO
PART

PARl
Seeing that l had taken mans life
for this. the chance of looking in upon
a drinking bout. you will not wonder
that l went aghast and would have fed
| for very shame had not sudden weak
ness seized me. But in the midst l
heard mention OF my name and so
had leave. l thought, to stay and listen.
1t was one of the late eomers who
gave me this leave; man we'll on in
years. grizZled and weatherbeaten; 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 we'll.
You say you've bagged this Cap
tain Ireton? Who may he be? Surely
not old Rogers SOM"
The same" said the baronet, short
~. and would be filling his glass again.
We could always drink more and feel
1t less than any sot l ever knew.
! But how the devil came he here?
| The last | knew of, him-'twas some
| half-scOre years ago, though come to
| Scots"
Mine enemy nodded. $50 he was.
But afterward he cut the service and
| levanted to the continent"
The questioner fell into muse; then
he laughed and clapped his leg.
"Ecod! l do remember now. There
was 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
! had been in Austria a while they told
| this on him; that his field marshal had
him listed for majority, and SO he
was presented to the empress. But
when Maria Theresa saw him she
.shrieked and cried out. III est lie pere
aux tetes rondes, luimeme! LIE porter
| vous dehors! So he got but cap
taincy after all; ha! ha! hal"
Now this was but a mess-room gibe,
as he had said, cut out of unmarried
cloth. at that Our Austrian Maria
ever had better word than round
| head" for her soldiers. But yet 1t
stung, and stung the more because
had and have the Ireton 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 jest,
l fingered on and listened with the bet
ter grace.
Francis?' Twas not the grizzled Jest
er who asked, but the younger officer,
his comrade.
Falconnet smiled as one who knows
thing and will not tell, and turned to
Gilbert Stair.
What was it. think you, Mr.. Stare"
he said. passing the question on.
At this they all looked to the master
of Appleby Hundred. and l looked, too
| lie was not the man l should have hit
upon in any throng as the reaver of my
| fathers estate; still less the man who
| might be Margerys father. He had
the face of all the Stairs of 'Ballan-
trae without its simple Scottish rug
gedness; sort of weasel face it was,
with pale-gray eyes that had trick
OF shifty lodging, and deep furrow we'd
about the mouth and chin with lines
that spoke of indecision. 1t was not Of
him that Margery got her firm round
chin, or her steadfaSt eyes that knew
not how to quail. nor aught of anything
she owed father save only her pater-
nifty, you'd say. And when he spoke
the thin falsetto voice matched the
weak chin to a hair.
II? Damme. Sir Francis know not
why he came-how should l know" he
quavered. "Appleby Hundred is mine
mine, l tell you! His title was we'll
hanged on tree with his damned rebel
father!"
A laugh uproarious from the three
soldiers greeted his petulant outburst;
after which the baronet enlightened the
others.
AS you know. Captain John, Appleby
Hundred once belonged to the rebel
Roger Ireton, and Mr.. Stair here holds
but confiscators title. TITS likely the
son heard of the war and thought he
stood some chance to come into his own
again"
ooh, aye; sure enough" quoth the
elder officer, fitting his bottle afresh.
And then: "Of course he promptly
listed with the rebels when he came ?
Trust Roger Ireton's son for that"
My baronet wagged his head assent
ingly to this; then clinched the lie in
| words.
"Of course: we have his commission
He Is on DeKalb's staff. detached for
special duty"
"a spy!" roared the jester and yet
you haven't hanged him."
Sir Francis shrugged like any
Frenohman. "All in good time, my
dear Captain. There were reasons why
l did not care to knot the rope myself.
Besides, we had little disagreement
years agone across the water; twas
about woman-oh. she was no mis-
tress of his, l do assure you!''-this to
quench my TESTERS laugh incredulous.
in this old quarrel. and l gave it him.
thinking he'd hang the easier for a
little booding first
Here the factor-lawyer cut in anx-
iously. But you will hang him. Sir
Francis? You've promised that. you
! know"
did not hate my enemy the more be-
cause he turned shoulder to this little
bloodhound and quite ignored the in
! terruption.
$50 we fought it out one morning in
Mr.. Stairs wood-field, and he had what
he came for. Not to give him a chance
to escape, we brought him here, and
as soon as he is fit to ride I'll
send him to the colonel Tarleton
will give him short shrift,
promise you, and then"-this to the
master of Appleby Hundred-"then
your title will be we'll quieted; Mr..
Stair"
1 And this the weather-beaten captain
roared again and smote the table till
the bottles reeled.
II say, Sir Frank. that's good
damned good! So you have him
crimped here in his own house, stuffing
him like q penned capon before you
wiring his neck. All! ha! ha! But It's
to be hoped you have his legs well tied.
; II he be any son of my old mad-bull
Roger Ireton. you'll hardly hang him
.