Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1908-05-30
Story Of Francis Cludde
A Romance Of Queen Mary's Reign.
BY STANLEY j. wEYMAN
BY STANLEY J. wEYMAN.


silence there came a low rapping at the
door.
One uttered a faint shrek; another
stood as IL turned to stone. The duch-
ess cried for her child. The rest of
US looked at one another. Midnight
was past. Who could be abroad, who
could want us at this hour? AS rule
we should have been in bed and asleep
long ago. We had no neighbors save
the cotters on the far side OF the ISL
and We knew of no one likely to ar
rive at this time with any good in
| tent.
Il will open," said Master Lind
strom, but he looked doubtfully at the
women folk as he said 1t.
One minute" whispered the duch-
ess. That table is solid and heavy.
| Could you not"
Put it across the door," concluded
her husband. Yes, we will" And it
was done at once, the two men-my
lady would not let me help-so arrang
ing II that it prevented the door being
opened to it's full width.
That will stop rush. said Master
| BERTHE, with satisfaction.
| 1t did strengthen the position, vet
II was nervous moment when our
host prepared to lower the bar who
| is there?" he cried, loudly.
We waited, listening and looking at
one another, the fear of arrest and the
horrors of the inquisition looming
| large in the mind of some of US, at
least. The answer, when ii came, did
| not reassure us. 1t was uttered in a
voice so low and muffled that we
| gained no information and rather au-
cured treachery the more. / remember
| noticing how each took the crisis: how
Mistress Anne's face was set hard and
her breath came in jerks; how Dymph-
ma, pale and trembling, seemed yet to
have eyes only for her father; how the
| duchess faced the entrance like queen
| at bay. All this | took in at a glance.
| Then my gaze returned to Master
| Lindstrom as he dropped the bar with
jerk. The door was pushed open at
once as far as it would go. A drift of
cold air came in and with it Van Tree.
| He shut the door behind him.
Never were six people so taken aback
as we We're. But the newcomer, whose
face was flushed with haste and excite
ment, observed nothing. Apparently he
saw nothing unexpected even in our
presence down stairs at that hour,
nothing hostile or questioning in the
half circle of astonished faces turned
toward him. On the contrary he seemed
pleased. "Ah," he exclaimed, gutter
ally, 1T is WE'LL You are up! You
have taken the alarm!"
1t was to me he spoke, and I was
so surprised by that and by his sud
den appearance, so dumbfounded by his
easy address and the absence of all
self consciousness on his part, so
struck by a change in him that |
stared in silence. l could not believe
that this was the same half shy, half
fierce young man who had flung away
Few hours before in passion of jeal-
ousy.
My theory that he was the assassin
seemed on a sudden extravagant,
though here he was on the spot. When
Master Lindstrom asked: Alarm?
What alarm" l listened for his an
swer as | should have listened for the
answer of a friend and ally, without
hesitation, without distrust, for, in
truth, the man was transfigured-
changed by the rise of something to
the surface which ordinarily lay hid
in him. Before he had seemed churl-
ish. awkward, boor But in this
hour of our need and OF his op-
portunity he showed himself as he
was. Action and purpose lifted him
above his outward seeming. / caught
the generous sparkle in his eye and
trusted him.
What" he said, keeping his voice
low. You do not know? They are
coming to arrest you. Their plan is to
surround the house before daybreak.
Already there is a boat lying in the
river watching The landing stage"
l asked. The other were silent looking
at this strange messenger with mingled
feeling.
"All, l fear" he replied You, too,
Master LindstrOm. Some one has
traced your English friends hither and
informed against you. l know not on
what ground you are included. hut I
fear the worst. There is not a moment
to be lost If you would escape by the
bridge before the troop who are on the
way to guard it arrives"
THE landing stage, you say. is al
ready watched?" our host asked, his
phlegmatic COolness showing at its
best. His eyes roved round the room,
and he tugged as was his habit when
deep in thought, at his beard. felt
sure that he was calculating which of
his possessions he could remove.
Yes" Van Tree answered. MY
father got wind of the plan i'm Arnheim.
An English envoy arrived there yes
terday on his way to Cleves or some
part of Germany. 1t is rumored that
he has come out of road way to inquire
after certain English fugitives whom
his government are anxious to seize.
But, come, we have no time to lose!
Let us go!"
do you come, too?" Master Lind
strOm said, pausing in the act of turn
ing away. He spoke in Dutch, but by
some inspiration born of sympathy l
understood both his question and the
answer.
Yes; come. Where Dymphna goes
go, and where she stops l stop,
though it be at Madrid itself" the
young man answered gallantly. His
eyes kindled, and he seemed to grow
taller and to gain majesty. The barrier
of race, which had hindered me from
viewing him fairly before, fell in a
| t.g r.l l..
that he had done this noble thing and
not l. 1 went to him and grasped his
hand, and though l said nothing he
seemed, after a single start of sur
prise, to understand me fully. He I'M
derstood me even better, If that were
possible, an hour later, when Dymphna
had told him of her adventure with
the Spaniard, and he came to me to
thank me.
Ordered myself to be idle, found all
busy round me, busy with a stealthy
diligence. Master Lindstrom was pack
ing his plate. Dymphna, pale, but with
soft, happy eyes-for had she not cause
to be proud was preparing food and
| thick clothing. The duchess had fetched
her child and was dressing it for the
| journey. Master BERTHE was collecting
small matters and looking to our arms.
In one or other of these occupations
l can guess in which-Van Tree was
giving his aid. And so, since the duch-
ess would not let me do anything, 1t
CHANGED that presently I found myself
left alone for few minutes with Anne.
l was not watching her. was knaw-
ing my nails In a fit of dependency,
rejecting that i was nothing but a
| hindrance and a drawback to my
| friends, since whenever a move had to
be made I was sure to be invalided,
when l became aware, through some
mysterious sense, that my companion,
| who was kneeling on the floor behind
me, packing, had desisted from her
| work and was gazing fixedly at me. l
turned. Yes; she was looking at me,
her eyes, in which a smoldering fire
seemed to burn, contrasting vividly
with her pale face and contracted
hroWS When she saw that L had