The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-12

1 thought we ought to have coat-of- arms. We have been freeholders since the days of Alfred, and, as the crops ! are good. we might support a coat-of- arms; but for myself l want 1t not" "A good lad" cried the King Thou ! shalt have a coat; but 1t must be a large | one to fit three" And, motionlng to an l, attendant. who brought him sword, he said; "Kneel down, John Ridd." The ! yeoman knight His majesty tapped him , three times on the shoulder saying | Arise. Sir John Ridd."
 [ Sir" said John, springing up in aston ishment. q am very much obliged to | you-but what be I to do with lt?"
 However the heralds answered that question and Sir John Ridd rode home { with as fine a coat of arms as ever came out of the herald's office.
 f When John reached home he found the country at last exasperated to a degree | which boded i'll for the Doones. The rob | bers had broken out again and on one of their forays had carried off the wife of a small farmer and killed her child before her face The slow wrath of the | slow-moving people, which had been | gathering through many years. was at | last at full tide and they had assembled in force to do what the Kings troopers and the militia had failed to do, and ex- 1 tirpate the race of the Doones. | All demanded that Sir John, as the | greatest ana most lTuSltu llttll bi AsN- moor should take command of the array and John consented. provided they first l would let him barley with Carver Doone | and demand from him the return of the abducted woman and the giving up to | justice of the Doone who had murdered | the child.
 l John approached the Doone Gate with | a handkerchief tied to his staff and de- manded speech with Carver Doone. The | blackbearded giant came out to meet him with a scornfu smile and when John had made his demands, replied with 1 curl of his lip: sir John, your new made honors have turned your head, as might have been expected. If there be man on Exmoor who has grossly misused us thou are that outrageous rogue, John. We are not accustomed to giving up any thing that belongs to us. Have we not used you well In not burning down your house and cutting your throats? Oh, you ungrateful viper!"
 How the balance hangs between us, replied John, God knows better than thou or l. thou low mscreant, Carver 1 Doonel The day of our reckoning is nigh"
 Fool. it is come!'' cried Carver. and as he sprang asde a volley fired from ! under the archway sent a shower of bull lets out of the gate. But Sir John Ridd | was as nimbe as ever was plain John Ridd, and he jumped at the same time Carver did. so that the bullets passed him by unharmed as he made use of the pro- tectlon of a projecting rock.
 That settled the fate of the Doones. The armed yeomanry fell upon them and exterminated them. root and branch, smit- ing and sparing not, and leaving their val ley a desolation. Only Carver and the Counselor escaped Carvers escape was due to his great strength and the speed of his horse and it was John himself who let off the Counselor.
 While the fight was raging he espied the old man stealing off, amid the long grass, crawling on all fours. John could not kill him. It was too much like mur- dering a man in cold blood. But he took from the Counselor Lorna's diamond necklace, which the Willy villain was making away with and let him go-to what fate he never knew.
 The Doones had scarcely been destroyed and things settled down to their usual course again on Exmoor, when returning to the house one day from a survey of his farm the new-made Knight saw, sit- ting in his parlor the Lady Lorna, and his mother and his sister Lizzie futtering joyously around her.
 1T am my own mistress.' cried Lorna, after she had recovered her breath from Johns greetings. And oh l am SO glad to be home again."
 You shall not be your own mistress long," replied John. Darling, you shall be the mistress of me and I will be your master"
 With tears springing out of her smiles she fell on Johns breast and cried awhile.
 Matters went along smoothly and hap oily at the farm, and when the wedding day came all the people for miles around. including the gentry, assembled at the parish church of Care to see the union of Lady Lorna Dugal and Sir John Ridd.
 Just as the clergyman had pronounced the words which made them man and wife a. shot rang through the church. Lorna fell Into the arms of her husband, the red blood flowing over her white bridal garments. John turned to see Carver Doone riding away on his black horse.
 Only one thought filled him-there was his bride, his dear Lorna. dead at the altar and there rode her slayer. Ru,hing to his horse, which stood before the church door, John mounted and rode fercey after the bloody Doone.
 It was a long chase for Caryers horse was fresh and powerful and his start had been in his favor. But finally Carver l turned into a dell known as the Wizards Slough, and from that John knew there was no escaping. In the center was black quagmire with only little rim of firm ground around it.
 | John was unarmed, but as he passed under a gnarled and starved oak he reached up and wrenched off great limb to serve him as a weapon; men showed the rent in the tree to his last day with l wonder.
 Carver turned his horse as John came laundering down into the dell after him, and, placing one hand on his pistol, said: q would not harm thee, lad have pun ished you sufficiently for your impotence and presumption" But John, speaking not. came on, and the Doone, fired. The bullet struck John full in the body, though he needed 1t not, but swung his great oak stick and smote Carvers horse full on the forehead. so that it fell down dead as If struck by an axe.
 Then, as Carver scrambled to his feet, John dismounted and faced him, striking him lightly on the cheek at first to make his blood rise.
 Now the two powerful men grappled. And though Ridds blood was coming fast from his wound his strength was l, mighty from his anger and his love, and