Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-06-19
Storyof Francis Cludde
ARomance Of Queen Mary's Reign.
BY STANLEY j. wEYMAN.
BY STANLEY J. WEYMAN.

you seem to bear a charmed life
yourself" she said.
"Hushi" cried her husband quickly
DO not say that to the lad. II Is UNI
lucky. But do you think" he continued
1.-The torch was in darkness, and we
could scarcely make out one anothers
faces-"that there is any further
chance OF PURSUIT."
Not by that party tonight" l said
grimly. Nor / think tomorrow"
Good" he answered. for / car see
nothing but water ahead, and 1t would
be madness to go on by night without
a guide. We must stay here until
morning, whatever the risk"
He spoke gloomily, and with reason.
our position was a miserable, almost
a desperate one, even on the SUPPOSE
ton that pursuit had ceased. We had
lost all our baggage, food, wraps. We
had no guides, and we were In the
midst Of a flooded country, with two
tender women and a baby, our only
shelter the porch Of Gods house. Mis-
tress Anne, who was crouching In the
darkest corner next the church,
seemed to have collapsed entirely. l
remembered afterward that / did not
once hear her speak that night. The
duchess tried TO maintain our spirits
and her own, but in the face Of cold,
damp and hunger she could dc little.
Master BERTHE and / took 1t by turns
TO keep a kind OF watch. but by morn
ing-it was a long night, and a bitter
one-we were worn out and slept de-
spite our misery. We should have been
surprised and captured without q blow
II the enemy had come upon us then.
! awoke with a start to find the gray
light OF a raw, misty morning falling
upon n showing up our wretched
group. The duchess mead was bidder
in her cloak, her husbands had sunk
on his breast, but Mistress Anne---I
loohed at her and shuddered. Had she
sat SO all ntght-sat staring with that
STORY face Of pain and those fearless
eyes ON the moonlight, on the darkness
which a been before the dawn, on
the old fine rays of morning? Stared
on all alike and seen none? | shud-
dered and peered at her alarmed,
doubtful. wondering, asking myself
what this was that had happened to
her. Had fear and cold killed her or
turned her brain? "Anne!" l said
timidly. "Anne!'
She did not answer nor turn, nor did
the fixed gaze of her eyes waver. 1
thought she did not hear. "Anne," I
cried again. so loudly that the duchess
stirred and muttered something In her
sleep. But the girl showed no sign of
consciousness. l put out my hand and
touched her.
She turned sharply and saw me and in
an instant drew her skirt away with a
gesture OF such dread, loathing repulsion
as froze me, while a violent shudder
conyulsed her whole frame. Afterward
she seemed unable to withdraw her
eyes from me, but sat in the same at
tltude, gazing at me with a fixed look
OF horror, as one might gaze at a ser
pent, while tremor after tremor shook
her.
l was frightened and puzzled and
was still staring at her, wondering
what / had done, when a footstep on
the road outside called away my at
tention. / turned from her to see a
mans figure looming dark in the
doorway. He looked at us-I suppose
he had found the horses outside-gaz-
ing in surprise at the queer group. |
babe him good morning In Dutch, and
he answered as well as his astonish-
ment would let him. He was "A short,
stout fellow, with q big face. capable
of expressing a good deal of astonish-
ment. He seemed to be a peasant or
farmer. What do you here?' he CON
tined, his cultural phrases tolerably
intelligent to me.
l explained as clearly as / could
that we were on the way to Vessel.
Then l awoke the duchess n her
husband, and stretching our chilled
n aching limbs we went outside, the
man still gazing at US. Alas. the day
was not much better than the night.
We could see but a very little way, a
couple of hundred yards round us
only. The rest was install mist. We
appealed to the man for food and
shelter, and he nodded. and obeying
his signs rather than his words we
kicked up our starved beasts and
plodded out into the fog by his side.
Anne mounted silently and without OBJ
lection, but 1t was plain something
strange had happened TO her. Her con-
dition was unnatural. The duchess
gazed at her very anXiously, and get
ting no answers or very scanty ones
TO her questions shook her mead grave
~.
But we were on the verge OF one
pleasure at least. When we reached
the hospitable kitchen of the farm
house, II was joy indeed to stand be-
fore the great turf fire and feel the
heat stealing into our half frozen
bodies, TO turn and warm back and
front. while The good wife set bread
and hot milk before us. How differ
entity we three felt In half an hour
How the duchess eyes shone once
more. How easily rose the laugh to
our lips. JOY had indeed come with
the morning. To be warm and dry and
well fed after being cold and wet and
h~ungry-what a thing this Is.
But on one neither food nor warmth
seemed to have any effect. Mistress
Anne did indeed, In obedience TO my
lady's sharp words raise her bowl &c
her lips, but she set II down quickly
and sat looking in dull apathy at the
glowing peat. What had come I'VE
her?
Master BERTHE went out with the
|, farmer to attend TO the horses, anc
when he came back he had news.
:. There is a lad here he said IL
, some excitement, who has just seer
three foreigners ride past on the road
along with two Germans IN pacl
h~orses-fve In all. They must be three
OF the party who followed us yester'
day
| whistled. Then Clarence got him,
self out" I said. Struggling my shout
ders. Well Well!"
II expect that is So" Master Bertil
answered the duchess remaining 81
: lent. THE question arises again. Wha
Is to he done 2" he continued. I'VE ma,
follow them to Vessel, but the goo,
| man says the floods are deep betweel
here and the town, and we shall hav'
! Clarence and his party before US al
the ~way-shall perhaps run straigh
|, into their arms"
! but what else can we do" l said
1T is impossible to go back"
; We held a long conference, and b.
much questioning OF our host Learned
! that half a league away was a ferry
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