The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-07-07
1.-THE MASTER OF APPLEbY|
E-=--S BY rr.nei. Lynd.. --
BY Francis Lynds,

spent himself freely AOr love OF me. 1
q he had been a younger brother OF m.
. own blood the common parentag,
could not have made him tenderer.
not the mere outgushtng OF {
: nature open-armed to make a bosom
y friend OF all the world; nor any femi.
nine softness on his part. II I hav.
: drawn him thus my pen Is but a clums,
quill, for he was manly-rough inc
( masteriul, with all native strength anc
vigor Of the border-born.
But on the side Of love and friend.
ship no woman ever had q truer heart
a keenev eye or a lighter hand. And In
a service for friend or mistress he
would spend himself as recklessly az
those old knights you read about who
!, made a business Of their chivalry.
With his daily offerings Of unselfsh-
mass to shame me. you may be sure ]
was flayed alive; self-fogged like q
miserable monk, with all the wound
ings Of the whip well salted by remorse
AS you have guessed. I had not yet
summoned up the courage to tell him
how I had staked his chance OF happi-
staked and lost it. Now that 1t was
gone I saw how I had missed the golden
opportunity: how I had weakly hest
tated when delay could only make the
telling harder.
By tacit consent we never spoke of
Margery. Richards silence hung upon
despair, I thought; and as for mine,
since the husbands road and the low
er's lay so far apart, l could not bring
myself to speak of her. But she vas
always first in my thoughts in that
time OF convaiescence, as I made sure
she was in his; and.at the last the
hidden thing between US was brought
to light.
It was OF a night some three weeks
or more after nv foyor turn O,,r 1or-
der had run low again. n Jennifer
had spent the earlier hours OF the night
abroad-to little purpose. as it CHANGED.
Twas midnight or thereabouts when
he came swearing in to tell me that the
Tories We're out again to harry our
refugees begging Of a bag Of meal a
thing Of peril.
They'll starve US out in shortest
measure at this rate" he protested.
They have trampled down all he
standing corn for miles around, and
this morning they burned the min. It's
our notice to quit, and we'd best take
It. There has been fighting to the
south OF us-a plenty of tat Rocky
Mount and Hanging Rock. and else
where. and every man Is needed. II
you are strong enough to stand the
march, Well run the gantlet Town the
river In the pirogue and cut across
from the lower ford to join Major Da-
vie or Mr.. Gates"
do whatever he thought best. And then
l took Q step upon the forbidden
ground. .
'Falconnet is still at Appleby Hun
dred?" I said.
He nodded.
And you Will Join the army at the
front and leave Margery to his tender
mercies? 2"
His laugh was bitter: 80 bitter that
I scarce knew it for Richard Jennifer's.
Mistress Margery Stair is well, and
well content, as I told you once before.
She has no wish for you or me. unless
1t be to see US we'll hanged
May, Richard: you judge her over
harshly. I fear you do not love her as
her lover should"
Say you so? Listen: Tonight I got
enough to risk my neck for another
sight Of her. God help me, Jack! I
had 1t. They have scraped together
all the Tory rif-ra1 this side of the
river-Falconnet and the others-and
are holding high revel at Appleby.
land, they are acant enough of women
of their own kidney, and I saw Madge
dancing like any light O love with ev-
cry jackanapes that offered"
In her fathers house she could not
we'll do less" I averred, cut to the
heart, as he a and yet with
out his younger lovers jealousy to
make me unjust.
.'Or more" headed. savagely. ""Tis
as I say; she lacks nothing we can give
her, and we'd as well be off about u
business"
I think he never had 1t in his heart to
leave her in any threat Of danger. But
from his point Of view there was no
danger threatening her save hat which
"a life Of titled misery as Lady Fall
comet. I saw how he would see it;
saw, too, that his was the saner sum-
ming OF 1t up. And yet
He broke into my musings with a
pointed question. What say you,
Jack? IT'S but a little whiRet Of q
Tory Jade who cares not the snap Of
il fine and dark. Shall we float the
canoe and give them all the slip?"
This was how 1t came to turn upon
q yes or mo Of Aline. I hesitated.
I know not why. In the little pause
the fire burned low between us, and
the shadows deepened in the burrow
cavern until they strangled the eye
breath. The silence. too, was sitting.
! There was no sound to breach it save
the gurgling murmur of the river. and
this was subdued and intermittent like
i fha death-rattle in the throat Of the
dying.
i've always made a scott Of super
stitiop, and yet, my dears. a thousand
questions in this life Of our must hang
answerless to the crack Of doom IL you
deny 1t standing room. I knew no more
than I have set down here Of Margery's
besetment; nay. I had every reason
Richard Jennifer had to believe that
she was well mi well content. lacking
nothing. save, mayhap, the freedom to
marry where she chose.
And yet, out of the sitting silence
there anne a sudden cry for help; a
cry %voiceless to the outward ear, but
sharp and piercing to that finer inward
sense; a cry SO real that I would start
and listen, marveling that Jennifer
made no sign of having heard it.
In the hardening instant there was a
faint twang like the drumming Of a
distant harp string. and then the. grave
like silence was rent smartly by. the
whistling hiss of an arrow. the shaft
passing evenly between US and scatter
ing the handful of fire where 1t struck.
came alive with a start