The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1906-07-20
A Prince of
Highwayrner
BY KATHARINE lyman
Copyright, by Joseph b. Bowles0

daring rather than with evil intent.
He was not many months dead wnen
my brother Aymer was born.
People used to wonder that we could
be sprung of one stock-I SO dark, he
SO fair; l so rude and wild in my ways,
he all gentlenesS.
l was ever lusty, and as the years
passed l 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 was 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.
l 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 one
roof.
But these are childish things, and let
ME on to the time of the great war.
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 a barbed wound in my heart,
for, said she to me, in those last pre-
cious hours while We yet kept her:
Roger, my son, do you love your cou-
sin Joan?"
Il know not, dearest" said |, and
redeemed, even at that moment, for l
was a callow, rough lad, and would
have been ashamed to think upon love.
She laid her thin hand on mine, and
l thought she would have kissed me,
for we had drawn closer during her
illness, but what she said was:
Listen, Roger. If Aymer loves her,
too, as l fear he does, let Aymer wed
her. You will forget. You will go out
In the world among other men and
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 we'll
over, and here was l, ragged cavalier,
with but my horse, my sword and my
little dog. And ere l joined some gay
friends of mine, who were making war
in another fashion, a great hunger
came upon me to look upon the home
Of 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
turrets and chimneys black against the
sky.
The window was open and some one
was singing, ripe voice, which l was
slow to recognize as that of my tro-
Their Aymer.
With the song went the thin music
of a spinet. l hoisted myself by my
hands on the window sill; yet, ere l
had looked within, 1 knew what l
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 l must swear :or-
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. l could see
her little ears and the full, milky
throat below the golden head.
For an instant feasted on her beau
ty. Then my eyes wandered to my
brother. He looked less slight than of
old, but his Apollo grace and fairness.
which used to think unbecoming
man, had not deserted him.
The whole scene was so peaceful, so
full of home, that it made his heart
ache who had doomed himself to be
homeless. And then a thought came
to me that sent the blood surging to
my head. Why, it was a home scene
looked upon, and this pair, with their
happy quietude, were no lovers EXCEPT
welded ones!
had willed it so, or the dead had
willed it for me; yet turned to the
night with an oath on my lips and
despair in my heart, for never until
then, I think, had realized my love
for my cousin. And so, swearing |
would not come again, lest worse be-
fall, stsode off to the dell in the wood
where my Saladin paved the ground.
and neighed the way 1 had taken.
We, gentlemen of the road, drop ont
OF the world We once knew, as much
as if We were dead
Two years did Tom Selby, Dick La
vader and myself lead the highway
mans life, and If l said it had not
things to recommend it l should err.
There came night l rode alone. as
fate would have it, and was scarce
thinking of business, but leant by a
wayside gallows In the shadow of a
wood and unused as was my wont on
the wherefore men were born into the
world. only to leave it with not a hope
fulfilled.