The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-04-28
! THE MASTER OF APPLEBY:
By Francis Lynde.



With that she left me and went TO
stand in the window bay; and from ly-
ing mouse-still and watching her over
steadily ] fell asleep again. When |
aWolte the day was in It's cleaning and
she was gone.
After this | saw her no more for six
full Greetings of the clock hands and
grew fair famished for a sight of her
sweet face. But to atone, she, or
some messenger of Richard Jennifer's,
brought me my faithful Darius, and he
1t was who fetched me my food and
drink and dressed my wound. From
him ] CLEANED that the master of APP
pleby Hundred had returned from
Queensborough, and that there We're
officers in red coats continually going
back and forth. always with a hearty
welcome from Gilbert Stair.
! Now, though the master Of my stolen
heritage had little cause to love me.
thought he had still less to fear me /;
so 1t seemed passing strange that he
came not once to my bedChamber to
pass the time of day with his unbidden
guest, or to ask how he Jared But in
this as in many other things reck-
oned without my enemy, though
might have known that Sir Francis
would be oftenest among the red-coa
ed officers coming and going.
/ But stranger than this, or than my
lady's continued avoidance of me. was
| the lack Of a visit from Richard Jenni-
fer. knowing well my dear lads loyal
~ 10 the patriot cause. | could only
conjecture that he mad finally broken
| MarEery's enforced truce to go and
join Mr.. Rutherford's militia, which. as
! Darius told me. was rallying to attack
/ Tory stronghold at Ramsour's Mill
I With this surmise | was striving to
third day, when Mistress Margery
burst in upon me. bright-eyed and with
| her cheeks ailame.
Captain frctOn, I VIII know the true
cause of this quarrel which, failing in
yourself. you pass on to Richard Jen-
nircr!" she cried. Was 1t not enough
that you should get yourself slain
without sending this headstrong boy
to his DEATH"
| thought of this, and truly if She had
sought far and wide for whip to
| scourge me with she could have found
no throng to cut so deep.
God help mel | groaned. HAS this
icnd incarnate killed my poor lad?"
NO, he is not dead" she confessed,
relentng little. but he has the bar
onets bullet through his sword arm
FOR the sake OF your over. seas dis
/
| could not tell her that though my
quarrel with this villain was but the
avenging of poor Dick Coverdale's
wrongs, Richard Jennifer's was for
the baronets affront to her. So | bore
the blame in silence. glad enough to be
assured that my dear lad was only
wounded.
snapped. dying out at me in Il passion
for NV lack of words
What should | say? | have not for
got that once you called me ungener-
GUS
You should defend yourself, If YOU
can. And you should ask my pardon
for calling my fathers guest hard
names"
"rhe last | VIII do right heartily,
Twas but the simple truth but it was
| tll-Spoken in your presence, Mistress
Stair"
At this she laughed merrily: and in
ali my world wanderings | had never
heard sound so gladstone as this
sweet laugh of hers when she would be
On the forSiving hand.
Surely any one would know you are
a soldier. Captain Ireton. No other
could make an apology and renew the
ohense 50 innocently in the same
breath. Then her mood changed again
/ IN the dropping of an eyelid, and she
sighed and said Poor Dick"
AS even when she was with me, my
eyes were devourng her. and at the
Sigh and the trembling Of the sweet
lips in sympathy | found that curious
love madness coming upon me again
! Then | saw that | must straightway
dig some chasm impossible between
tEls woman and me. as | should hope
to be loyal to my friend. So | said:
lie loves you well, Mistress Margery."
she glanced up quickly with a smile
which might have been hooking or low
ing; ! could not tell which it was.
Did he make you his deputy to tell
me so, Captain Ireton?'
Now l might have known that she
was only Turing me on to some pitfall
or mockery. but | did not. and must
needs burst out in some clumsy dis
claimer meant to shield my dear lad.
And In the midst of it she laughed
again.
oh, you do amuse me nightly, mon
1 Gapitaine,S she cried 80 do protest
! | shall come to see you oftener IT'S
as good as any play"
saw you ever play In this back
woods wilderness"" | asked, glad of any
excuse to change the talk and keep her
by me.
No, indeed, But you are not to
think that no one has seen the great
| 'N''t so We pilS SOuESelI, captain Ire
ton. What would you say If l should
tell you that |, too have seen your
London, and even your Paris?"
Here l must blunder again and saw
that had been wondering how else she
came by the Partisan French: but at
this her testing mood vanished sudden
4 ~ and she spoke softly.
/ Il mad 1t of my mother, who came OF
the Huguenots She spoke it always
to me. But my father speaks 1t not.
and now J am losing it for want of
practice"
4 How Is 1t that love transforms the
once contemplate into thing most
highly to be priced? My eight years of
campaigning on the continent had Civ
en- me the French speech, or so much
Of 1t as the clumsy tongue of me could
master and ! had always held II in
hearty English scorn. Yet now was
eager enough to speak it with her.
and TO take as my very own the little
cry of joy wherewith she welcomed
my hesitant mounting of 1t.
/ From that we fell to talking i'm her
mothers tongue. of the hardships OF
those same Huguenot emigres: and
when looked upon her my heart bea
faster and my blood leaped quickly
and / knew not always what it was
/ said
/ After time--'twas when Darius
/ fetched me my supper and the candle.
she went away: and SO ended a day
which saw the beginning of struggle
flercer than any the turha nod Turl