The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-07-16
-THE--
Francis Cludde
"A Romance Of Queen Mary's Reign.
BY STANLEY ]. wEyMAN.
BY STANLEY ]. wEYMAN.

II cried in impatient wonder.
"0h, my lad, my lad" Master Lind
strom answered, his face close to mine
and the tears running down his cheeks,
1T is cruel If 1t be not truel Cruell
They cry a pardon!"
ga PARDON" / echoed.
AYE, lad, a pardon. But 1t may not
be true" he said, putting his arm
about my shoulder. Do not make too
sure Of it. 1t is only the mob cry it
out"
My heart made a great bound and
seemed to stand still, There was a
loud surging in my brain, and a mist
rose before my eyes and hid every
thing. The clamor and shouting of the
street passed away and sounded vague
and distant. The next instant, 1t is
true, I was myself again, but my
knees Were trembling under me, and /
stood faccid ara unnerved. leaning on
my friend.
Well" I said, family.
Patience! Patience awhile lae!" he
answered.
But, thank heaven, / hac not long
TO wait. The words were scarcely Off
his tongue when another hand sought
mine and shook 1t wildly, and / saw
Van Tree before me, his face radical
with JOY, while a man whom he had
knocked down in his hastily leap from
the scaffold was rising beside me with
a good natured Smile. AS IL at q sig
nal every face now turned toward me.
A dozen friendly hands passed me up
~ steps amid a fresh outburst Of
cheering. The throng on the scaffold
opened somehow, and / found myself
In a second, as It seemed, face TO face
with the president OF the court. He
smiled on me gravely and kindly
what smiles there seemed to be on all
those faces-and held out a paper.
/ ~ I'm thu Yaf nf thn ABB - L. nos1
speaking In Spanish in a clear, loud
voice. "A pardon."
1 muttered something, I know not
what, nor did 1t matter, for it was lost
in a burst Of cheering. When his was
over and silence obtained, the magis-
Irate continued: You are required,
however, to attend the duke at the
court house, whittier We had better
proceed at once"
II am ready, sir" 4 muttered.
a road was made for us to descend.
and walking in a kind Of beautiful
dream l passed slowly up the street by
the side OF the magistrate, the crowd
WlIlingiy standing aside for us. / do
not know whether all OF those thou
sands Of faces really looked joyfully
ana kindly on me as l passed cr
whether the deep thankfulness which
choken me and brought the tears con-
tlnualy to my eyes tr~ansigured them
n wave them a generous charm not
their own. But this / do know-that
the sunshine seemed brighter and the
air softer than ever before: that the
clouds trailing across the blue a
We're things of beauty which / had
never met before; that to draw breath
was a JOY and to move delight, and
that only when the dark valley was
leIt pehlnd did 1 comprehend its full
mercy. So may 1t
be with all. 81 =
AZ the door of the court house.
with numbers of the people had al
ready run, the press was SO great that
we came to a standstill and were much
puffeted about, though in all good hui
NOR before. even with the aid of the
sololers, we could be got through the
tnrong. When i at last emerged
found myself again before the table.
ana saw, u only dimly, for the light
now fell throuh the stained window
directly on my head, q commanding
ngure standing behind 1t. Then a
strange thing happened. A woman
passed swiftly round the table and
ZANE TO me flung her arms round
my neck and kissed me. II was the
duchess, and for a m she hung
upon me, weeping before them all.
1 said, softly, then II js
you who have done thisi" :
An, she exclaimed, holding me off
from her and looking at me with eyes
which glowed through her tears sand
1t was you who did thatI" $3.50 w
She drew back from me then and
TOOK me by the hand and turned inn
petuously to the duke of CIevas
VINO stood behind smiling at her
In frank amazement. This" she
said, is the man who gave
ms Iie Tor my husband, and to whom
your gnn has given 1t back.y
Let him tell his tale,' the duke an
swered, gravely. "And do you, my
cousin, sit here beside me-"
Sne ieft me and walked round the
table, ana ne came forward and placed
her In his own chair amid a great hush
or wonder for she was still meanly clad
showed In a hundred places the
marks and stains OF travel. Then he
stood by her with his hand on the back
OF the seat. He vas a tall, burly man,
with bold, quick CHANGING eyes a
nushed race and q loud manner-a
nerce, blusterous prince, as / have
heard. He was plainly dressed In a
leather hunting suit and wore huge
gauntlets and brown boots, with a
broad leaved hat pinned up on one side.
yet he looked a prince.
Somehow 1 stammered out the tale of
the surrender.
But why, why, why, man,''ahe asked.
when l had finished, why did you let
them mink IL was you who wounded
the burgher, If 1t was not?"
Your ~highness," / answered, "I had
received nothing but good from her
grace. / had eaten her bread and been
received into her service. Besides II
was through my persuasion that we
came by the road which led to this mis-
fortune instead of by another way.
Therefore. 1t seemed to me right that /
should suffer, who stood alone and
could be spared, and not her husband"
1T was a great deed!" cried the
prince loudly. IT would / had such a
servant. Are o noble, ladT'
/ colored high, but not in pain or NOR
LITIGATION. The old wound might re-
open, but mid events such as those of
this morning It was q slight matter.
II come Of a noble family, may it please
your highness,' I answered modestly,
but circumstances prevent me claim
ing kinship with IT."
He was about, i think. to question me
further when the duchess looked up and
said something to him, and he some
thing to her. She spoke again, and he
answered. Then he nodded assent.
You would fam stand on your own
feet?' he cried to me. us that so?"
1T, Is, SIRE" / answered.
Then SO be IT. he replied. loudly,
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