Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-05-01

me at the gate. Now. father, do you take up the tale
 There is little more to tell" said Sir Andrew. You will remember, nephews. that l was against this ride of Rosamunds to seek flowers. or l know not what at St Peters shrine. nine miles away. but as the maid had set her heart on it. and there are but few pleasures here, why, l let her go with the pair of you for escort That morning l had been thinking of Sir Hugh Lozelle-if such a false, pirate rogue can be called a knight: not but that he is stout and brave enough-and his threats after he recovered from the wound you gave him. Goodwin; how that he would come back and take your cousin for all We could do to stay him. True, we heard that he had sail ed for the east to war against Saladin or with him, for he was ever a traitor but even if this were so, men return from the east Therefore l bade you arm, having some foresight of what was to come, for doubtless this on slaught must have been planned by him."
 T think so," said Wulf 'for, as Ros- amund here knows, the tall knave who interpreted for the foreigner whom he called his master gave us the name of the knight Lozelle as the man who sought to carry her off
 Was this master a Saracen?" asked Sir Andrew anxtously
 Nay, uncle. how can I tell, seeing that his face was masked like the rest and he spoke through an interpreters But l pray you go on with the story. which Goodwin has not heard.
 Tt is short When Rosamund told her tale got together what men l could. Then bidding her stay behind, with some of them to guard her, and nurse herself, which she was loath to do, l set out to find you or your bodies. It was dark, but we rode hard, having lanterns with us, as we went rousing men at every stead. until we came to where the roads join at Meats. There We found a black horse-your horse, Godwin-so badly wounded that he could travel no further, and l groaned, thinking that you were dead. Still We went on till we heard another horse whinny and presently found the roan standing by the path side with his head down.
 "A man on the ground holds him. cried ole, and sprang from the saddle to see who it might be. to find that 1t was you. the pair of you, locked in each others arms and senseleSs, if hot dead, as well you might be from your wounds 1 bade the country folk cover you up and carry you home and others to run to Stangate and pray the prior and the monk Stephen, who is a doctor, come at once to tend you. while we pressed onward 10 take vengeance if we could. We reached the quay upon the creek, but there we found nothing save some blood stains and-this is strange-your sword, Goodwin, the hilt set between two stones and on the point a writing"
 What was the writingY asked God win.
 Here it is," answered his uncle, drawing piece of parchment from his robe. Read it, one of you, since all of you are scholars and my eyes are bad
 Rosamund took it and read what was written. hurriedly, but in a clerkly hand, and in the French tongue. It ran thus:
 The sword of brave man Bury 1t with him if he be dead and give it back to him if he lives as I hope. My master would wish me to do this honor to a gal lant foe whom in that case he still may meet. HUGH LOZELLE. or another.
 Another, then: not Hugh Lozelle,' said Goodwin. since he cannot Write, and if he could would never pen words so knightly.'
 '"The words may be knightly, but the writer's deeds were base enough" re- piled Sir Andrew; rssnor in truth, do understand this scroll"
 ''The interpreter spoke of the short man as his master" suggested Wulf
 Aye, nephew, but him you met. This writing speaks of master whom Goodwin may meet and who would wish the writer to pay him a certain honor.'
 Perhaps he wrote thus to blind us.'
 "Perchanoe, perchance. The matter puzzles me-
 Well" said Wulf, tat the least we have seen the last of her crew of wom- en thieves. Had they meant more mis- chief they would have shown them- selves again ere now"
 Sir Andrew looked grave as he en, swered.
 "So I trust, but all the tale Is very strange How came they to know that you and Kosamund were riding that day to St. Peters s-on-the-Wall and so were able to waylay you? Surely some spy must have warned them, since that they were no common pi- rates is evident, for they spoke of Lo- zelle and bade you two begone unharm- ed, as it was Rosamund whom they needed; also there is the matter of the sword that fell from the hand of God win when he was hurt, which was re-