The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1906-06-29

mislead you. Whenever one of them
advises you to take loose grocery store
then, with lighter heart and stouter
courage that the young man turned
from the Abbot's room, while the lat
ter, following him to the stair-head,
finally commended him to the protec-
ton Of the holy Julian, patron of trav-
ellers.
| Underneath, in the porch of the Alb
hey, the monks had gathered to give
him a last God-speed. Many had
brought some parting token by which
he should remember them. There was
Brother Bartholomew with a crucif1x
Of rare carved ivory, and Brother
Luke with a white backed psalter
adorned with golden bees, and Brother
Francis with the Staying of the Inno-
cents" most daintily set forth upon
vellum. All these were duly packed
away deep in the travellers scrip, and
above them old pippin-faced Brother
Athanasius had placed a parcel Of
simnel bread and rammel cheese, with
small flask Of the famous blue-sealed
Abbey wine. So, amid handshakings
and laughings and blessings, Alleyne
EdricsOn turned his back upon Beau
lieu.
At the turn Of the road he stopped
and gazed back. There was the wide.
spread building which he knew so we'll,
the Abbot's house, the long church, the
cloisters with their line of arches, all
bathed and mellowed in the evening
sun. There too was the broad sweep
of the river Exc, the old stone well,
the canopied niche of the Virgin, and
In the centre Of II, the cluster of
white-robed figures who waved their
hands to him. A sudden mist swan
he turned away upon his journey with
heavy heart and a choking throat.
It is not, however, in the nature of
things that lad Of twenty, with
young life glowing in his veins and all
the wide world before him, should |
spend his first hours of freedom in |
mourning Of what he had left. Long
ere Alleyne was out Of sound of the |
Beaulieu bells he was striding sturdily |
along, swinging his staff and whistling |
as merrily as the birds in the thicket.
The road along which he travelled |
was scarce as populous as most other |
roads in the kingdom, and far less so |
than those which, lie between the
larger towns. Yet from time to time
the boy met other wayfarers, and |
strings of pack-mules and horsemen
journeying in the same direction as
himself.
The night had already fallen, and the
moon was shining between the riffs
of ragged, drifting clouds, before AL
leyne Edricson, footsore and weary
from the unwonted exercise found
himself in front Of the forest inn. which
stood upon the outskirts of Lyndhurst.
The building was long and low, stand
ing back a little from the road, with
two flambeaux blazing on either side
Of the door as welcome to the tray.
eller. From one window there thrust
forth long pole with bunch of
greenery tied to the end Of tia sign
that liquor was to be sold within. Asl
Alleyne walked up to it he perceived
that it was rudely fashioned out of
beams OF wood, with twinkling hts
all over where the glow from v hin
shone through the chi~ks. The roof
was poor and matched; but in strange
contrast to 1t there ran all along under
the caves a line Of wooden shields,
most gorgeously painted with chew
ron, bend, and satire and every
heraldic device. BY the door horse
stood tethered, the rudy glow beating|
upon his brown head and pa
tient eyes, while his body stood back
In the shadow.
Alleyne stood still in the roadway for
a few minutes. rejecting upon what
he should do. It was, he knew, only a
few miles further to Minstead, where
his brother dwelt. On the other hand,
he had never seen this brother since
and the reports which had
come to his ears concerning him wereI
seldom to his advantage. BY all ac-
counts he was a hard and a bitter man.
1t might be an evil start to come to
his door SO late and claim the shelter
Of his roof. Better to sleep here at
this inn, and then travel on to Min
stead In the morning. II his brother
would bide with him for time and
do what he might to serve him. If, on
The other hand, he should have hard
sned his heart against him, he could
only 60 on his way and do the best he
might by his skill as a craftsman and
scrivener. At the end Of a year he
would be free to return to the cloisters,
or such had been his fathers request.
A monkish upbringing, one year in
he world after the age Of twenty, and
hen free selection one way or the
,ther-it was a strange course which
lad been marked out for him. Such
Us IL was, uoWcVSE, uc udu Ao CiloiCoI
,ut to follow it, and If he were to
,egin by making friend Of his
brother. he had best wait until morn
ng before he knocked at his dwelling.
The rude plank door of the inn was
liar, but as Alleyne approached 1t
here came from within such gust Of
ough laughter and cater of tongues
hat he stood irresolute upon the
threshold. Summoning courage, how
yer, and rejecting that 1t was q pub
lie dwelling, in which he had as much
light as any other man. he pushed it
pen and stepped into the common
(To 30 Oomsissed Nest wssk) u