The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-08-06

a.. -sN ~ "a ooAAlC H -
some promises from people of stand
mgr"
"Oh, yes, but the whole nation will
join us. They are weary Of the pres
ent state OF things"
They may be as weary Of It as you
say, Master BERTHE answered shrewd-
~. but Is 1t equally certain that they
wiz risk their necks to amend Il? You
have fixed upon some secure base
from which we can act and upon
which, II necessary, we may fall back
to concentrate our strength?
Fall baek?" cried P~enruddocke, ris-
Ing from his seat In heat. Master
among us to talk of falling back! Let
us have no talk OF that. If wyatt had
held on at once, London would have
been his! 1t was falling back ruined
him"
Master BERTHE shook his head. III
you have no secure base, you run the
risk OF being crushed In the first half
hour" he said. when a fire IL first
lighted. the breeze puts IL out which
afterward but fans It."
You will not say hat when you
hear our plans. There are to be three
risings at once. Lord Delaware will
rise in the west"
But will her said Master BERTHE
pointedly d~isregarding the threatening
SchS "tAASiA WCAG Nd6I ut wv NY HlOIo
n a one. The late rebellion there
was put down very summarily, and I
should have thought that countryside
would not be prone to rise again. WIN
Lord Delaware riser"
"Oh yes. he will rise fast enoughl"
Penruddocke replied carelessly. II will
answer for him. And on the same day,
while we do the London business, Sir
Richard Bray will gather his men in
Kent"
do not count on him." said Master
Bertie. "a prisoner, mufled and
hoodwinked, was taken to the tower
by water this afternoon, and rumor
says 1t was Sir Richard Bray"
There was a pause of CONSERVATION,
during which one looked at another
and swarthy faces grew pale. PEN
ruddocke was the first to recover him
self. BAH" he exclaimed, "a fig for
rumor! She is ever a lying Jade! I
will bet a noble Richard Bray is sup
ping In his own house al this min
ute"
Then you would lose" Master Ber-
tie rejoined sadly and with no show
of triumph. "On hearing~the report
l sent a messenger to SIR Richards
house. He brought WORD back that
Sir Richard Bray a been fetched
away unexpectedly by four men, and,
that the house was in confusion"
"A muTinuT OF ulS0lay DTOhe out at Tie
lower end Of the table. But the Cor
nishman rose to the situation. What
matter?' he cried boisterously. What
we have lost in Bray we nave gained In
Master BERTHE. He will raise Lincoln
shire for US M the duchess tenants.
There should be 500 stout men of the
latter and two-thirds Of them Protest
ants at heart. If Bray has been seized,
there is the more call for haste that We
may release him" 4"
This appeal was answered by an out
burst of cries. One or two ever rose,
and waving their weapons swore q
speedy vengeance. But Master BERTHE
sat silent till the noise had subsidized.
Then he spoke. You must-not count
of them, either, Sir Thomas" he said
firmly. II ann find it in my con-
science to bring my wife's tenants into
a plan so desperate as this appears to
be. Ia appeal to the people generally
is n thing; to call on those who are
bound to us, and who cannot in honor
refuse, is another. And l will not risk
in a hopeless struggle the lives of men
whose fathers looked for guidance to
me and mine" .- r
A silence. the silence of utter aston
ishnent, fell upon the plotters round
the table. In every face-and they were
all turned upon my c~ompanion-I read
age n distrust and dismay. They
had chafed under his cold criticism and
his calm ~reasonings. But this went
beyond all. and there were hands which
stole instinctively to daggers and eyes
which waited scowling for a signal.
But Penrnddocke, sanguine OF nature
and rendered reckless by circum-
stances, a still the feelings or a gem
tleman, and something in him respond
ed to the appeal which underlay Master
Berries words. He remained silent,
gazing gloomily at the table, his eyes
perhaps areneS at this late hour to
the hopeiessness OF the attempt he
meditated. r~..
1t vas Walter Kingston who came to
the fore and put into words the
thoughts of the coarser and more selfish
spirits round him. Leaping from his
seat, he dashed his slender hand on the
table. What does this mean2" he
sneered, a dangerous light in his dark
eyes. Those only are here or should
be here who are willing to stake ALL
all, mind you-on the cause. Let us
have no sneaks! Let US have no men
with a foot on either bank! Let us
nave no Countenays nor towards! Such
men ruined Wyatt and hanged my
brother! A curse on them" he cried,
his voice rising almost to a scream.
Master Kingston, do you refer to
me?' BERTHE rejoined in naughty sur
prise. ''
AYE, 1 do" cried the young man,
holly.
Then ] must beg leave of these gen.
tlemen to explain my position"
Your position? So! More words 2"
quoth the other mockingly.
AYE, as many words as I please"
Master BERTHE. his color rising.
"Afterward I will be as ready with
deeds, l dare swear, as any other! My
tenants and my wife's ! will not draw
an almost hopeless struggle. But
my life and my friends, since we
have obtained your secrets, / must risk,
and I will do so in honor to the death.
For the rest, who doubts my courage
may test 1t below ground or above
The young man laughed rudely. You
will risk your life, but not your lands.
Master BERTHE? That is the position,
is it,"
My companion was about to utter a
retoinder. fierce for him. when i. who
had hitherto sat silent, interposed. THE
old witch told the truth" / cried Bit
terly. She said IL We came hither we
should perish, and perish we shall,
through being linked to a dozen men as