Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1906-01-18
THE MASTER OF APPLEBY
BY Francis Lynde. :

10 Lynde. ----------=-=- (
NA~~<evsNA>>~erNNI~>eN>ANs<N~S
So said. as you have said, in like
awakenings Dear God. twas but u
dream" and SAYING 1t. would turn my
head to see /. Mistress MarseiN We're
sitting where last remembered her.
She was there. in very deed aud truth.
deep in the hollow of the great chair OF
Indian wickerwork; and as before. the
soft graying of the evening SKY Was
mirrored in her eNes.
sighed and there Was a catching or
the breath at the bottom of it, Truly
the wondrous Dream had had its ason-
les but there Mere also iDeatitudes to
TIP the scale the other WAY. For had
dreamed this Sweetfaced watcher was
my wife-iu nam. at least.
Twas while | looked. ininding not the
cye-ache the effort cost, that she rose
and came softly to the bedside. She
said no word. but. az once in the
dreams time. she laid a cool palm on my
forehead. Weak as | was-and surely
King David was not weaker when he
wrote his bones Mere gone TO water
the old luNc-inadness OF that other day
came To thrill me at her touch, and |
made AS if would take her hand and
press it to my lips.
Nay. sir, she said. With II swift re-
turn to Sick-room discipline, YOU must
not stir: you have been sorely hurt
Aye said /; II do remember; twas
in a duel with one Francis F'alconnet.
He said he would make you his
Nov the soft pilnr WAS laid ON my
lips, AID / kissed 1T tin she snaiched il
away.
MIA fol. she cried Il think you are
in a hopeful Way to recover nov. Cap
tain lrcton. | do protest ! shall go and
send old Anthony to sit with you.
'.Anthony2" said /; ''hc WAS m the
dream. too, putting up the chain on the
hall door"
All mon Dieu"' she said softly, as
if To herself he is wandering yet" AT
which, as 4 to try to help me. Twas
no dream. You did see him putting ON
the chain.
did /? made sure [ dreamed it.
But tell me another thing; was it not
yesterday that L met Sir Richard Fail
comet under he oaks I'm the wood field
and got this pair of redhot pncers i'm
my shoulders
She TUNED away, and if ever saw
a tear there was one trembling in her
eSelashes.
Twas three fun weeks ago" she
said And it was not in the wood field
twas in The Wine cellar Never tell
me you do not remember, l could
never ah, Mother of SORROWS. lha;
would be worst. Than all"
Here was a curious coil. but could
break one strand of il. al least, and so
| did.
81 remember we'll enough" / FASTENED
to say. but being here. and seeing you
there in the great chair carried me
back In that other time. making all the
interval stand as Il dream Have
been ailingr
You have been terribly near to
death. Monsieur John; so near that Dr.
Carew has twice given you over.
NO. said / there was no fear of
that am too like that man in the
old German folk tale who made "a COM
pact with the EVIL one, selling thereby
his chance To die. Death would not
take me as Il gift. Mistress Margery,
have tried him too often
Hush she said: It's an i'll thing
TO jest about. Why should YOU want to
die"
Rather ask why should choose to
live. But this is beside the mark. You
should have let me die. dear lady: but
since YOU did not, we must cen make
the best of it.
She faced me with a smile that strug-
gled with some deeper stirring of the
heart: ! knew not what.
IFS II lllOIiSlIt'lS uOlPluI ALTERNATIVE,
n'est-ce pas" And | must not let you
talk of doleful things; indeed / must
no, let you talk at :ill--'tis DR.. Carew's
order.
So saving. she snoothcd the counter-
pane and Strengthened my pillows; and
after giving me a great spoonful of some
cordial that first set a pleasant glow
alight in me and afterward made me
drowsy, she took post again in the hol-
low of the big chair and was so sitting
when f"ll asleep.
This days awakening was the first of
many nearly of a piece that | lost
the count of them; and sleep, deep and
dreanleSS for the better part stole
away the hours till the memory of that
inch-bN inch return To health and
is itself like the memory of the
NagueSt of dreams.
BY times when ! awoke il was the
bluff Dr. carew bending over me to
dress my wound. at other times it was
come to tempt me with a bowl
of broth or some other kickshaw from
to find Scipio or old Anthony standing
watch at my bedside; and once--but
that VAS after ! was up and in my
clothes ana able TO sit and browse in
the great chair-I opened my eyes to
find that my company was the master
of the house.
He was sitting as l had seen him sit
once before. behind lighted candle AT
the little table with a parchment spread
out under his bony hands. He Was
over the written words of il
when ! looked, but at my stirring he
gave over and sat back in his chair to
cross his thin legs and match his long
fingers by the ends, and wink and blink
at inc as though he had but now discov-
cred that he was not alone.
n give yc good even. Captain ircton."
he said. finally. rasping the greeting
out at me as it had been a curse. II
hope you've slept we'll
said had, and thanked him. once
for the wish, and again for his coming
to see me. know not how il was, but
If there had been rancor in my former
thoughts Of him twas something abated
now.
We've had a nearhand escape this
time. sir he said, after Il long pause.
One more or less of a good many
since we We're last met together in this
room, Mr.. STAIR" | would say.
lie muttered something to himself
about the devil taking precious good
care of his own; and ! laughed
That AS ii may be; but my being
her" this ses ond time u pensioner on
your bounty is by no good will of mine
d" assure YOU sir
He SAT noddins at me as if | had said
a thing To he mos, heartily agreed to.
i;it his spoken word be!ied the mods
THE ways of Providence are imscl,lt-
able something inscrutable captain
In ton | make no doubt We are suf-
iiaienlly thankful for all your mcr-
,lrs.
~WllN. as to that. there may be two
Ways nj looking; al it, AS IL soldier |
may justly repiie al a fate which ties
me here when | should be in the
iiclG.'