The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1906-07-27
A Prince of
Highwayrnen
BY KATHARINE lyman


been better with me, Tor ! remember
his great jolly laughter when | had
behaved III, 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 to wonder that we could
be sprung OF one stock 80 dark, he
so fair; so rude and wild in my w1ys,
he All Gentlcness.
was ever lusty, and as the years
passed | grew strong rs young colt,
and unmanagcablc as one yet un.
bitted.
lie. on the other hand kept his lair
deliCaCy of look, and was somewhat
frall OF health. which made another
reason for my mothers loving him.
since she blamed herself that excessive
grief for my father had weakened tho
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
well Of housing their grief under one
rOar
But these are childish things, and let
me on to the time Of the great war.
My mother was dead before those
evil days horo,l. or else she had died
of them, perhaps, rs many loyal lady
did And even at the last, dear soul,
she left a barbe wound in my heart,
for, said she to me, in those last pre-
cious hours while we yc, kept her:
Roger, my son, DO you love your cou-
sin joan
Il know not. dearest" said /. and
Redeemed, even at that moment for
was a caliow. rough lad. and would
have been ashamed to think upon love.
She laid her thin hand on mine. ami
thought she would have kissed me,
for we had drawn closer during her
illness. but what she said was:
Listen Roger. If Aymrr loves her
too, as | fear lie does. let Aymcr wed
her. You will forget, You will so out
in the world among other men ami
will see other ladies' to love. You arc
strong and valiant, my son; he is gen
tie and delicate. Let him have his
love"
did not discrcditahly, and for my
part in certain exploits came to be
Known as Mad Mauwaring.'
Hut, alurk' those glorics were well
over, and here was /, q ragged cavalier
with bat my horse, my sword and my
little dog And ere | joined some gay
friends OF mine. VINO were making war
In another fashion. n 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, tin the
watery sunset of Il spring evening
showed ne Kings Bccchc3. with its
turrct5 aud chimncys black against the
sky.
Tho window was open and some one
was singing ripe voice, which was
slow to recognize as tina, Of my rro-
thcr Aymcr
with the song went the thin music
of a spnet | huistcd myself by my
hands on tho window sill; yet, ere /
had Looked within, | knew what |
should see.
My brother, dressed soberly, yet with
richness, lcant by the spinct 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 .or-
ever 10 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 fun, milky
throat below the golden head
For an instant feastei on her beau
Is. Then my eyes wandered to my
brother lie looked less slight than OF
old, but his Apollo grace and fairness,
which | used to thinH uuDccOmiug a
man, had no. deserted him.
Tie whole scene was so peaceful, so
full Of home. that it made his heart
ache who had doomed himself to be
homeless And then thought came
to me that sent the blood surging to
my head Why, it was home scene
looked upon, and this pair, with their
happy quictudc, were no lovers except
welded ones,
had wiled 1t so, or the dead had
willcd It for me; yet | turned to the
night with an oath on my lips and
despair IN my heart, for never until
then, think, had realized my love
for my cousin. And SO, swearing
would not come again, lest worse be-
fall. strobe off to the dell in the wood,
where my Snladin paved the ground,
and neighed the way had taken.
We, gentlemen Of the road. drop out
OF the world we once knew, as much
as IL We were dead.
Two years did Tom Selby, Dick La
vader and myself lead the highway
mans life, and If said ii had not
things to recommend It | should err.
There came night rode alone as
fate would have Il, tad was scarce