The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-07-24
"A Prince of
Highwayrnen
BY KATHARINE lyman

IW ! WINS II Dbfn luiDuiCHli AupIonN, AH'
child Of my hardriding, hard drinking
father rather than OF my gentle moth
err. Ii my father had lived things had
been better with me. for remember
his great Jolly laughter when ! had
behaved H. or so my mother thought
yet out of mere childish roguery and
daring rather than with evil intent
He was not many months dead wnen
my brother Aymer was born.
People used 10 wonder that we could
| be sprung of one stock SO dark, he
! so fair; so rude and wild in my ways,
he all gentleness.
was ever lusty, and as the years
4 passed | grew strong as young colt,
and unmanageable as one yet I'M
/ bitted
! He, on the other hand, kept his tair
/ delicacy Of look, and WIS somewhat
| frail of health, which made another
| reason for my mothers loving him
| since she blamed herself that excessive
| grief for my father had weakened the
unborn child.
| was lonely till my cousin Joan
came. Her mother, Dame Winchester
was my mothers sister, and now both
were widowed Therefore they thought
we'll of housing their grief under ons
roof
But these are childish things, and let
me on 10 the time of the great war
My mother was dead before those
evil days befell. or else she had died
of them, perhaps, as many loyal lady
did. And even at the last. dear soul
she left barbed wound in my heart
for, said she 10 me, in those last pre-.
cious hours while we yet kept her;
SRoger. my son, do you love Your eou-
sin Joan p
Il know not, dearest" said |, ana
redeemed, even at that moment, for
was a callow, rough lad, and would
have been ashamed to think upon love
She laid her thin hand on mine, an
l thought she would have kissed me.
for we had drawn closer during ne.
illness, but what she said was;
Listen, Roger. If Aymer loves her
too, az | fear he does, let Aymer wed
her You will forget. You Will go on
in the world among other men an
will see other ladies to love. You are
strong and valiant, my son; he is gen
tie and delicate. Let him have his
love"
/ did not discreditably, and for my
part in certain exploits came to be
known as Mad Mainwaring."
But, alack, those glories were well
over and here was |, a ragged cavalier
with but my horse, my sword and m5
little dog Aud ere ! joined some gay
friends of mine, who were making wal
IN another fashion, great hunger
came upon me to look upon the home
If my childhood to see that which
had renowned, and visit once again
my mothers grave.
| turned my face westward. there
fore, and rode night and day, till the
watery sunset of a spring evening
showed me Kings Beeches, with its
:urrets and chimneys black against thu
ky.
The window was open and some one
Tas singing, ripe voice, which was
slow to recognize as that of my rro-
Their Aymer.
With the song went the thin music
of spinet hoisted myself by my
hands on the window sill; yet, ere
had looked within, knew what
should see.
My brother. dressed soberly, yet with
richness. leant by the spinet which my
cousin Joan was playing.
Several years had gone. and some
thing almost matronly had come upon
my cousins beauty. something so noble
and so tender that ! must swear Cor
ever no woman's beauty were perfect
lacking that. The waves OF her chest
nut hair were rolled away from the
pure outline of her face ! could see
her little ears and the full, milky
throat below the golden head.
Fox an instant feaste on her beau
~ Then my eyes wandered to my
brother he looked less slight than Of
old. but his Apollo grace and fairness.
which / used to thinH un9ecoming a
man. had not deserted him.
The whole scene was so peaceful. so
full OF home. that IL made his heart
ache who had doomed himself 10 be
! homeless. And then a thought came
10 me that sent the blood surging to
my head. Why. it was a home scene
/ looked uron. and this pair. with their
happy quietude, were no lovers except
welded onesl
I had willcd it so. or the dead had
w,lled il for me, yet / turned TO the
night with an oath on my lips and
despair IN my heart, Tor never until
then. | think. had / realized my .oye
for my cousin. And Sc, swearing
would not come again. lest worse be
fan. ! STROBE Of to the dell in be wood.
where ms Sal9din paved the ground,
and ueiehed the way ] had taken
We. gentlemen of the road. drop out
Of the world We once knew. as much
as f W. we're dead.
Two years did Tom Selby, Dick IA
vader and myself lead the highway