Amador ledger., 1906-07-13
- Copyrighted 1884, BY Harper sIotRers


"Prettily said. mon garcon. Touch
ing that same Staying of the Redeemer.
II was bad business. A good padre
IN France read to US from a scroll the
whole truth of the matter. The
soldiers came upon Him in the Garden.
IN truth, these Apostles of Hismay have
been holy men, but they were of no
great account as men-at-arms. There
was one, indeed, Sir Peter, who smote
out like true man; but, unless he is
belied, he did but clip varlet's car.
Wnlcn was no very knightly deed.
BY these ten finger bonesI had I been
there, with Black Simon of Norwich
ana but one score of picked men of the
Company, we had held them in play.
Gould we do no more, we had at least
filled the false knight, Sir Judas. 40
full OF English arrows that he would
curse the day that ever he came on
such an errand."
The young clerk smiled at his
companions earnestness "Had He
wished help" he said, He could have
summoned legions of archangles from
heaven, so what need had He of yorr.
poor bow and arrow? Besides, bethink
you of His own words-that those who
live by the sword shall perish by the
sword"
Now. youngster. let things be plat
and plain between us. I am a man
who shoots straight at his mark,
You saw the things I had with me at
yonder hostel; name which you VIII.
save the box of rose-coiored sugar
Which take to the Lady Loring, and
you shall have them if you will but
/ come with me to France"
May" said Alleyne, ST would gladly
come with ye to France or where else
ye will, just to list to your talk and
because ye are the only two friends
tnat l have in the whole wide world
outside OF the cloisters; but indeed IL
may not be, for my duty is toward my
brother, seeing that father and mother
are dead, and he my elder Besides.
when ye talk of taking me to France,
ye do not conceive how useless I
should be to you, seeing that neither
by training nor by nature am I fitted
Tor the wars, and there seems to be
nought but strife in those parts"
"Bethink you again, mon ami"
quoth Aylward, that you might do
much good yonder, since there are
three hundred men in the Company,
and none who has ever a word OF
grace for them, and yet the Virgin
knows that there was never a set Of
men who were in more need of II.
Sickerly the one duty may balance the
other. Your brother hath done with
out you this many a year, and, as I
gather, he hath never walked as far
as Beaulieu to see you during all that
Time, SO ne cannot be in any great need
of you.''
Besides" said John, '.the socman of
Mlnstead is a byword through the
forest, from Bramshaw Hill to Holiness
ley Walk. He is a drunken, brawlir1.
perilous churl, as you may find to your
cost"
The more reason that I should
strive to mend him. quoth Alleyne.
There is no need to urge me. friends.
Tor VViShna
France, and it would be a Joy to me
could go with you. But indeed and
indeed 1t cannot be, so here I take NV
leave of you, for yonder square tower
amongst the trees upon the right must
surely be the church of Minstead, and
the woods
We'll. God be with thee, Iad!' cried
the archer, pressing Alleyne to his
heart. Il am quick to love, and quick
to hate. and fore God am loath to
part. Yet 1t may be as well that you
should know whittier we go. We shall
now journey south through the woods
until we come out upon the Christ
cnuron road, and so onward, hoping
| Tonight to reach the castle of Sir
William Montacute, Earl of Salisbury.
OF which Sir Nigel Loring is constable.
There we shall bide, and it is like
enough that for month or more you
for our voyage back to France"
1t was hard indeed for Alleyne to
break away from these two new but
hearty friends, and so strong was the
combat between his conscience and his
1nclinations that he dared not look
round, lest his resolution should slip
| away from him.
The path which the young clerk had
now to follow lay through a magnifi-
cent forest of the very heaviest timber,
where the giant boles of oak and of
beech formed long aisles in every d.
rection, shooting up their huge
branches to build the majestic arches
OF Natures own cathedral It was
very still there in the heart of the
woodlands. The gentle rustic of the
branches and the distant cooling Of
pigeons were the only sounds which
broke in upon the silence, save that
once Alleyne heard afar off merry
call upon a hunting bugle and the
shrill yapping of the hounds. He
pushed on the quicker, twirling his
staff merrily, and looking out at every
turn of the path for some sign of the
old Saxon residence. He was suddenly
arrested, however, by the appearance
! OF Withholding fellow armed with a
club, who sprang out from behind a
Tree and barred his passage. He was
rough, powerful peasant, with cap
and tunic of untanned sheepskin,
leather breeches, and galligaskins
round his legs and feet
"Stand!" he shouted, raising his
heavy cudgel to enforce the order.
'Who are you who walk so freely
through the wood?" Whittier would
you go, and what is your errand?"
"Why should answer your ques-
tfons my friend?" said Alleyne, stand
ing on his guard.
Because your tongue may save
your pate. What hast in the scrip"
''Nought of any price"
"FIow can I tell that, clerk? Let me
see" -
mot L"
"Fool! I could pull you limb from