The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-09-10
THE
Of Francis Cludde
A Romance Of Queen Mary's Reign.
r...~ BY STANLEY J. wEYMAN. .....
BY STANLEY J. wEYMAN.

NAT P~etronflla, obeying her fathers
message, had disappeared, he said
haughtily that his wife would SUI in
her own room, and with d flashing eye
curling lip babe Baldwin see to
II. Then, seating himself in a place
next Sir Anthony's, he looked down the
board at which all sat silent. His sar-
castle eye, his high bearing, his man
ner-the of one who had gone
Ions with his life in his ~hand-awed
Lhese SIMPLE. folk. Then, too, he was
a. Cludde. Father Carey was absent
that evening. Martin Luther had one
OF those turns, half sick, half sullen,
winch alternated with his moods Of
merrlment and kept his straw pallet In
some corner or other. There was no
n to come between the and
TINS dark visaged stranger, who was
yet no stranger.
He had his way and his talk with Sir
Anthony. the latter lasting far into the
nlgnt and producing odd results. In the
nTst place, the unbidden guest and his
WlIe staid on over next day and oyer
many Gays to come and seemed grad
ually TO grow more and more at Rome.
me knight began to take long walks
ana rides with his brother, and from
each walk and ride came back with q
more gloomy face and a curter n
Petronilla, his companion Of old. found
nersel1 set aside for her uncle and cast,
Tor society, on Ferdinand's wife, the
strange young woman with the brilliant
eyes, whose odd changes from grave
20 gay rfvaled Martin Luther's and
VINO now scared the girl by wild laugh
her to pity by fits Of weeping or Sar[
moods OF gloom. That Uncle Ferdi-
nand's wife stood In dread OF her hIs-
pano Petronilla soon learned and even
began to share this dread. to shrink
from MS presence and to shut herself
up more and more closely in her own
There was another, too. who grew to
pe oubled about this time. and that
was Father Carey. The good naturad
easy priest received with joy and thank,
iuIness the news that Ferdinand CI,dda
nao seen MS errors and re-entered the
toid, but when he had had two or three
nterv1eW with the convert his brow
TOO, grew clouded and his mind trou,
oIed: He learned to see that the ac-
oess.on OF the young Protestant queen
must bear fruit for which he had q
poor appetite. He began to spend many
hours IN the church, the church which
ne mad known all his life, and wrestIed
much with himself, If his face were
any index to his soul. Good. kindly
man, ne was not Of the stuff OF which
martyrs are made, and to be forced,
pushed on n goaded into becoming
T. martyr against ones will-well the
fathers position was a hard one as
was that In those days of many a good
and learned clergyman bred in one
church and hidden suddenly, on pain Of
losing his livelihood, IL not his life. to
migrate to another. "'00--~,~ -,
The visitors had been in the house a
month-an in that month an observant
eye might have noted much change
though all things in seeming went ON
as before-when the queens orders en-
Joining all priests to read the service.
or a great part Of 1t, in English. came
down. being forwarded by the sheriff
TO rather Carey. The missive arrived
on a Friday and had been indeed long
expected.
What shall you dor" Ferdinand
asked Sir Anthony.
A before!" the tall old man replied
gripping bis staff nor firmly. It was
no new subject between them. A hun
drew times they had discussed It al
ready, even as they were now discuss
ing 1t, on the terrace by the fshpool,
with the church which adtoins the
house u in view across the garden.
VIII have no mushroom faith at
Cotton Emo" h knight continued
warmly. 1T sprang UP under King
Henry, and how long did 1T last? A
year or two. 1t came In again under
King Edward, and how long did II
last? A year or two. So 1t will be
again. 1t will not last, Ferdinand"
Il am Of that mind" the younger
man answered, nodding his head grave
-"Of course you are!" Sir Anthony re-
Joined as he rested one hand on he
sun dial. For 10 generations our fore
fathers have w~orshiped in that church
after the old fashion and shall it be
changed in my day? Heaven forbid!
The old fashion did for my fathers. It
shall do for me. Why, I would as soon
expect that the river yonder should
flow backward as that the church which
has stood for centuries, and more years
to the back of them than l can count.
should be swept away by these hot
gospelers! I will have none of Them! 7
will have no new tangled ways at Cotton
End"
well, I think you are right" the
younger brother said. BY what means
he had brought the knight to this mind
without committing himself more fully
1 cannot tell. Yet so 1t was. Ferdinand
showed himself always the cautious
doubtcr. Father Carey even must have
done him that justice. But-and this
was strange-the more doubtful he
showed himself the more stubborn grew
his brother. There are men so shrewd
GO ~ pass VII ~ vi DECdu, dnO
men so simple minded as to take some
thing less than the word for the, deed.
why should It come In our time p"
cried Sir Anthony, fractiously.
why indeed?" quoth the subtle one.
IT say, why should II come now? I
have heard and read of the sect called
Lollards who gave trouble awhile ago.
But they passed, and the church stood.
So will these gospelers pass, and the
church will stand
THAT is u experience, certainly"
said Ferdinand. .'r
II hate changed" the old man con-
tinued, his eyes on the old church, the
old timebered house-for only the gate
way tower at Cotton is of stone-the old
yew trees in the ch~urchyard. II do not
believe In 1t, and. what is more. 1 will
not have 1t. AS my fathers have wor-
SHIPPED sc will /, though 1t cost me every
rood Of land! A fig for the order in
council!"
IF you really will not change with
the younger generations
II will mott" replied the old knight,
sharply. There is an end of it,"
Today the reformed church in Eng
land has seen many an anniversary and
grown stronger with each year, and we