Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1908-04-11
Story Of Francis C1udde
A Romance Of Queen Mary's Reign.
BY STANLEY J. wEYMAN.
BY STANLEY J. WEYMAN.


cry. / sprang to her assistance, and
even before / raised her laid my hand
lightly on her mouth. Hush" | said
softly. For safetys sake, make no
noise What is the matter"
"Oh she moaned, making no effort
to rise. my ankle. my ankle, l am
sure I have broken It,"
1 muttered my dismay, while Mistress
Bertram, STOPPING anxiously examined
the injured limb. Can you stand"
she asked
But II was no time for questioning,
and | put her aside. The troop which
had passed were within easy hearing,
and II there should be one among them
familiar with the girls voice We might
be pOunCed upon, fog or no fog. felt
that IL was no time for ceremony and
picked Mistress Anne up in my arms,
whispering to the elder woman: Go
on ahead. I think see the boat. II is
straight before you"
Luckily | was right II was the boat,
and so far well. But at the moment |
spoke | heard a sudden OutCry behind
US and knew the hunt was up. I
plunged forward with my burden. reck-
lessIy and blindly, through mud and
over obstacles. The ferry for which I
was making was moored i'm the water
few feet from the edge. | had remarked
1t idly and without purpose as we came
| down to the wharf and had even no.
tiCed that the oars were lying in II.
Now. II we could reach it and start
down the river for Leigh, we might by
possibility gain that place and meet
Mistress Bertrams husband.
AT any rate, nothing in the world
semed so desirable to me at the mo-
ment as the shelter OF that boat. i
plunged through the mud and waded
| desperately through the water to II.
Mistress Bertram carce a whit behind
me. | reached It. but reached 1t only
as the foremost pursuer caught sight
Of US. | heard his shout of triumph.
and somehow / bundled my burden into
the boat. | remember that she Clung
about my neck In fear, and ! had to
loosen her hands roughly. Put / did
| loosen them-in time. With one stroke
| OF my hunting knife | severed the rope,
and pushing off the boat with all my
| strength sprang into 1t as IL foated
away and was in time. But one Sec
| ond's delay would have undone us.
| Two men were already I'm the water up
| to their knees. and their very breath
was hot on my face as we swung out
| into the stream.
Fortunately | had had experience Of
! boats on the Avon, at Bedford and
| Stratford, and could pull good oar
! For a moment indeed the wherry rolled
and dipped as | snatched up the SCulls
! but | quickly got her i'm hand and
! bending TO my work sent her spinning
! through the mist. every stroke ! pulled
! increasing the distance between us and
our now unseen foes. Happily we were
below London Lridge and had not that
| dangerous passage To make. The river
! too. was nearly clear of craft and
| though once and again in the pool II
| huge hulk lOOmed suddenly across our
! bows and then faded behind us into
/ the mist like some mOnstTOuS phantom,
E II tnly 4.
| Caped ! thought II best to run all risks
and go ahead as long as the tide should
/ ebb
1t was strange how suddenly We had
| passed from storm into calm. Mistress
Anne had bound her ankle with "A hand
! kerchef and bravely made light of the
! hurt. and now the two women sat
me their heads together. their
faces pale. The mist had closed round
| us, and We were alone again, gliding
over the bosom of the great river
| that runs down to the sea. | was oddly
struck by the strange current Of life
which for week had tossed me from
one adventure to another. only to bring
two and sweep me into an unknown
whirlpool OF their fortunes
Who were they? A merchants wife
and her sister flying from Bishop Bon
ners inquisitiOn? | thought it likely.
! Their ClOaks and hoods indeed. and all
that | could see of their clothes. fell
below such a condition. but proba bly,
they were worn as disguise Their
speech rose as much above ii. but
knew that of late many merchants
wives had become scholars and might
pass I'm noblemen's houses. Even as In
| those days when London waXed fat al nd
set up and threw down governments
| every alderman had come to ride In
mail.
No doubt the women, watching me in
anxious silence, were as curious about
me. | still bore stains Of country trav-
ell | was unwashed, unkempt. my
doublet was torn, the cloak | had cast
| at my feet was the very wreck of a
cloak. Yet | read no distruSt in THEN
looks. The elders brave eyes seemed
ever thanking me. | never saw hel
lips move silently that they did not
shape We'll done" And though
or twice with an expression | could III
interpret Il smile took its place the mo,
ment her gaze met mine.
We has passed but were still in sight
of Greenwich palaCe-aS they told me
when the mist rose suddenly like a
! curtain rolled away, and the cold
bright February sun. shining out dis,
| closed the sparkling river. with the
green hills rising on our right hand
| Here and there on its surface Il small
boat such as our own moved to ana
fro. and in the distant pool from which
| we had come rose a little forest OF
! maStS. | hung on the oars a moment
and my eyes were drawn to a two
masted vessel which. nearly half a mile
below US. was drifting down. gently
heellng over with the current as the
l.,., Ill !,
er she is bound" | said thoughtfully
and whether they would take US OF
board by any chance"
Mistress Bertram shook her head. 81
have no money" she answered sadly
Il fear We must go on to Leigh II ii bt
any way possible. You are tired. an,
no wonder. But what Is it?" with Z
sudden change Of voice. What is th'
natter"
l had flashed out the oars with sin
gle touch and begun TO pull as fast as
could down the stream. No doubt m!
face. too proclaimed my discovery ant
awoke her fears. Look behind" l nut
tered between my set teeth.
She turned and on the instant uttered
a low cry. a wherry like our own. bu
even lighter-in my first glance up tn
| river | had not noticed it-had Stolel
nearer to US and yet nearer. and now
throwing aside disguise. was In hot pur
suit of US. There were three men oil
board. two rowing and one steering
When they saw that We had discov
cred them. they hailed US in lout
voice. and 7 heard the steersman's fee
rattle on the boards as he cried out t
his men to give way and stamped IL
very eagerness. My only reply was t
take a longer stroke and pulling hart
to sweep away from them.
=. Rnt nraSnOtlV nv first strength die
away. and the work began TO tell upo1
me, and little by little they overhaule'
us. Not that | gave up at once fO
that. They were still some so yard
behind. and for a few minutes at an
, rate, | might put off capture. At tn