The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-06-25
THE.
Storyoff EFrancisC 1udde
Romance Of Queen Mary's Reign.
BY J. WEYMAN.
BY STANLEY J. WEYMAN.

l doorway, and the bowling mob out.
side.
Fortunately the crowd had not We
l learned how few we were, nor saw,
thlnk, that 1t was but a woman who
{ confronted them. To rush into the low
doorway and storm the narrow wind
ing staircase in the face of unknown
numbers was a task from which the
ofavest veterans might lave finched
and the townsfolk, furious as they
We're, hung back. 1 took advantage OF
the pause. l grasped the halbert my
sell and pushed the duchess back
Drag him up!" 1 muttered. IF you
cannot manage 1t. call Anne"
But grief and hard necessity gave
her strength, and despite the noise in
front OF me I heard her toll painting
up with her burden. When 1 Judged
she mad reached the room above |.
TOO turned and ran up after her, post
ing myself in the last angle lust below
the room. There 1 was sheltered from
missiles by the turn in the staircase
ana was further protected by the dar k-
ness. Now l could hold the way with
niue fisk, for only n could come up
a !. q tiihe' ana he would be a brave
man VINO should storm the stairs in
my teeth. ~
All this, | remember, was done In a
klhd or desperate frenzy in haste and
c~oh1uslon with no plan or final pur-
pose. but simply out of the instinct
OF SELF preservation, which led me TO
90. from to moment. what
could TO save our lives. l did not know
whether there was another staircase
10 the tower, nor whether there were
enemies above US, whether indeed enc
mes might not swarm in on us from,
a dozen entrances. 1 had no time TO
think of more than just this-that nv
staircase, or which l did not know.
must be held. '
think 1 had stood there about a
to the din outside, which came to nv
ears a little softened by the thick
walls round me-so much softened. at
ieast' that I could hear my heart beat
ing IN the midst of it-when the OUCH
ess came back to the door above r
could see her, there being a certain
amount OF light in the room behind
her, put she cou'l not see me. "What
can do" she asked softly.
l. answered by a question. us he
anve?' | muttered.
Yes, but hurt" she answered str,,e-
glihg with a sob, with a 1uttering Of
the woman's heart she had repressed
so bravely. Much hurt, I fear. on.
why, why. did we come here?"
enc dld not mean it as a reproach.
self more firmly to meet this crisis
TO save her at least if it should be any
way possible. When she asked aeain
can L do anything?" 1 babe her take
my PIKE and stand where 1 was for a
moment. Since no enemy had vet made
his appearance above the strength Of
our position seemed to hold out some
nope, ana 1T was the more essential
that should understand it and know
exactly what our chances were.
l sprans up the stairs into the room
ana looked round, my eyes seeming to
take in everything at once. 1t was q
pig. bare room, with signs of habi-
tat1on only in n corner. On the side
toward the town was a long, low win
dow, through whfch-a score or the
DIAMOND panes were broken already-
the flare of the besiegers' torches fell
Iufidly on the walls and vaulted roof.
by the dull embers of a wood fire. over
winch hung a huge black pot, Mas
Ter Bsrtle was lying on the boards,
head pfllowed on the duchess kerehief
Beside him sat Mistress Anne. her face
hidden, the child wailing in her Ian.
a glance around assured me that
there was no other staircase, and that
on the side toward the country the
wall was pierced with no window big
ger than a loophole or an arrow slit.
with no opening which even a how
could enter. For the present, therefore.
unless the top OF the tower should be
and / could do nothing to provide
against that-we had nothing to fear
except from the staircase and the win
dow l have mentioned. Every moment
however, a missile or a shot crashed
enluough Lne latter, adding the SILVER Of
wonder the child walled and the girl
sank over it in abject terror. Those
savage yells might well make a wom-
an blanch. They carried more fear
ana dread to my heart than did tho
Ie9l DANGER or III y,acit;~-E --Z 80
as 1T was.
AS yet 1t was so desperate that for
q moment I leaned against the wall
dazed and hopeless, listening to the in
IernaI tumult without and within. Had
Bertle been by my side to share the
responsibility n join in the risk. +
could have borne it better. I might
nave felt then some of the joy of bat
tie n the stern pleasure of the one
matched against h many. But I was
alone. How was l to save these vom-
en- and that poo child from the veil
ing crew outside? How indeede I did
not know the enemy's language: I
could not communicate with him, could
not communicate with him, could not
explain, could not even crv for
quarter for the women.
A stone which glanced from one OF
the mullions and grazed nv sho,,I-
der reused me from this At Of
eoWardice; which, trust and
bSAASsSs Aoo AdStS0 4OE a rev Sec.
onds only. At the same ome an IN
U volley Of missiles tore through the
window as II discharged at a given sig
nal. We We're under cover. and they
did US no harm, rolling for the most.
part noisily about the floor. But when
the storm ceased and a calm as sudden
followed I heard a dull. regular sound
close to h window thud! thud!
thud!-and on the instant devined the
plan and h danger. My courage came
back. and with 1t my wits. I remem-
bered an old lie I had heard and,
dropping my sword where I stood. /
flew to the hearth and unlocked the
great pot. 1t was heavy, half full OF
something - broth most likely, but I
rocked nothing OF that. I bore it swift
" to the window, and just as the fore
most mar on h ladder had driven in
the lead work before him with his ak
flung the whole OF the contents-they
were not scalding. but they were very
hot-in his face The fellow shrieked
loudly and. blinded n taken by sur
prise, lost his hold and fell against his
supporter. and boil tumbled down
again more quickly than thew hadd