Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1908-06-20
THE
Story Of Francis Cludde
A Romance Of Queen Mary's Reign.
BY STANLEY ]. WEYMAN.
BY STANLEY ]. WEYMAN.

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. /
remembered afterward that I 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 do little.
Master BERTHE and l took IT by turns
to keep kind Of watch, but by morn
ing-it was a long night, and bitter
one-we were worn out and slept de-
spite our misery. We should have been
surprised and captured without blow
II the enemy had come upon us then.
| / awoke with a start to find the gray
light OF raw, misty morning falling
upon and showing up our wretched
group. The duchess head was hidden
In her cloak, her husbands had sunk
on his breast. but Mistress Anne--I
looked at her and shuddered. Had she
sat SO all night--sat staring with that
story face OF pain and those fearless
eyes on the moonlight on the darkness
which had been before the dawn, on
the cold fine rays of morning? Stared
on all alike and seen none? l shud-
dered and peered at her alarmed,
doubtful, wondering, asking myself
wnat this was that had happened to
her. Had fear and cold killed her or
turned her brain? "Anne!" 1 said
timidly. "Anne!"
She did not answer nor turn, nor did
| the fixed gaze of her eyes waYer.
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
| n ~ In Il l. Iii
gesture or such dread, loathing repulsion
as froze me, while a violent shudder
convulsed her whole frame. Afterward
| she seemed unable to withdraw her
| eyes from me, but sat in the same at
! titude, gazing at me with fixed look
| or 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 l had done, when a footstep on
the road outside called away my at
tention. / turned from her to see n
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. |
bade him good morning in Dutch, and
| he answered as well as his astonish-
ment would let him. He was a short,
stout fellow, with a big face, capable
of expressing 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.
explained es clearly as could
| that we were on the way TO Wesel.
Then I awoke the duchess and her
husband, and stretching our chilled
and aching limbs we went outside, the
man still gazing at us. Alas. the day
| ho ha VT
| We could see but a very little way n
couple of hundred yards round us
| only. The rest was mist-all 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 beast and
nlodded out into the fog by his side
Anne mounted silently and without OBJ
lection, but it was plain something
| strange had happened to her. Her con-
. dition vas unnatural. The duchess
! gazed at her very anXiously, and get
| ting no answers or very scanty ones
TO her questions shook her head grave
ly.
But we were on the verge of one
pleasure at least. When we reached
the hospitable kitchen of the farm
house, it was JOY indeed to stand be-
fore the great turf fire and feel the
heat stealing into our half frozen
| DOulcS, " turn anu warm DacK and
front, while the good wife set bread
and hot milk before us. How differ
emily 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
hun6ry-what a thing this is.
But on one neither food nor warmth
CO GT1la fn "a
Anne did indeed, in obedience 10 my
lady's sharp words raise her bowl to
her lips, but she set il down quickly
and sat looking in duh apathy at the
glowing peat. What had come over
her?
Master BERTHE went out with the
farmer to attend to the horses, and
when he came back he had news
There is a lad here" he said in
some excitement, who has just seen
three foreigners ride past on the road
along with two Germans on pack
horses 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 shoul-
ders. Well! Welt"
Il expect that is So" Master BERTHE
! answered the duchess remaining ST.
lent. The question arises again. What
is to be done?" he continued. We may
follow them to Wesel, but the good
man says the floods are deep between
here and the town, and we shall have
Clarence and his party before us all
the way-shall perhaps run straight
into their arms"
But what else can we do?" l said
1T Is impossible to go back"
We held long conference, and by
much questioning of our host learned
I,.,lf loo
boat, which could carry as many as
two horses over the river at n time
On the farther side we might hit a
road leading to Santon, three leagues
distant Should we go to Santon after
all? The farmer thought the roads on
that side Of the river might not be
flooded We should then be in touch
once more with our Dutch friends and
might profit by Master Lindstrom's
advice, on which l, for one, was now
inclined to set higher value.
THE river is bank full. Are you
sure the ferryboat can CROSSE" I ask ed
Our host was not certain. and there
upon an unexpected voice struck in
"Oh, dear, do not let us run any
more risks" 1t said. II was Mistress
Anne's. She was herself again, tremb-
ling. excited, bright eyed, as different
as possible from the Anne or few
minutes before. A great change had
come over her. Perhaps the warmth
had done II.
A third course was suggested-tC
stay quietly where we were. The farm
house stood at some little distance
from the road, and though it was rough
1T was very rough, consisting only
of two rooms, in one of which COW
was stalled-still it could furnish food
and shelter. Why not stay there?
But the duchess wisely, / think, de-
cided against this. 1T is unpleasant tC
go wandering again." she said with a
shiver. But l shall not rest until we
are within the walls of town. Master
Lindstrom laid so much stress on that
And l fancy that the party who over
took us last night are not the main
party. Others will have gone to Wese
by boat perhaps or along the other