The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-09-17
Story Of Francis ludde
ARomance Of Queen Mary's Reign.
BY N J. wEYMAN.

iva Va - W - wv L 0AAO
could only, bluster. "Begone, do
you hear he repeated, and he raped
MS STAFF on the pavement, and then,
raising IL, pointed to the door.
All Cotton thought the men must go,
but the men. perhaps. because they
We're Clopton, did not go. And Sir An
thony had not so completely lost his
mead as to proceed to extremities, ex-
tremitles, except In the las resort. At
fecting to consider the incident al an
end, he stepped back 70 his pew with
out waiting to see whether the man
obeyed him or no and resumed his de-
yotions. Father Carey, at a nod from
him, went on with the interrupted ser
vice.
But again the priest had barely read
a dozen lines before the same man
made the congregation start by crying
loudly, Stop"
Go oni" shouted Sir Anthony in a
voice of thunder.
AT your peril" retorted the inter
vener.
go oni" from Sir Anthony again.
Father Carey stood silent, trembling
and looking from one to the other.
Many a priest of his faith would have
rison On the storm, and in the spirit
OF Hildebrand hurled his church's
curse at the intruder. But the father
was no of these, and he hesitated,
fumbling with his surplice with his
feeble white hands. He feared as
much for his patron as for himself. and
1t was on the knight that his eyes I'm
ally rested. But Sir Anthony's brow
was black. He got no comfort there.
So the father took courage and a long
breath, opened his mouth and began to
read or amid the hush Of suppressed
excitement and Of such anger and
stealthy defiance a surely English
church had never seen before. AS he
read, however, he, gathered courage and
his voice strength. The solemn words,
so ancient, so familiar, fell on the still
ness OF the church and awed even the
sheriff's men. To he surprise of near
ly every one. there was no further In
terruption- The service ended quietly.
So, after all, Sir Anthony had his
way n stalked out, stiff and unbend-
ing. Nor was there any falling off,
but rather an increase, tnEthe respect
with which his people rose, according
to custom, as he passed. Yet under that
increase OF respect lay a something
which cut the old man to the heart.
He saw that his dependents pitied him
while they honored him; hat they
thought him a fool for running
his head against a stone wall-as Mar
tin Luther put it--even while they felt
that there was something grand in 1t
toe.
During the rest of the day he went
about his usual employments, but
probably with little zest. He had done
what he had done without any clear
idea how he was going to proceed. Be
tween his loyalty in all else and his
treason in this ii would not have been
easy for a Solomon to choose a con-
path. And Sir Anthony was no,
Solomon. He chose at asst to carry
hfNN1oAif &C. 10 ShArn Nnyn \. 80 a
as IL the thing which happened were
He ordered no change
and took no precautions. He shut his
ears to the w~hispeFings which went
on among the servants and his eyes to
the watch which by some secret order
CT Baldwin was kept upon the Ridge
way. 9.
II was something of 4 shock to him
therefore, when his daughter came to
him after breakfast next morning look
ing pale and heavy eyed, and breaking
through the respect which had hitherto
kept her silent begged him to go away.
ITO go away2" he cried. He rose
from his oak chair and gIared at her.
Then his feelings found their easiest
vent In anger. What do you mean,
eirl?" he clustered. go away? Go
where"
But she did not quail. Indeed she
had her suggestion ready.
ITO the Mere farm in the forest,
SIR" h answered earnestly. They
will not look for you there, and Mar
tin says" ~.
Martin? The fooIl' &N.
His face grew redder and redder.
This was too much. He loved order
and discipline, and to be advised in
such matters by a and a fool!
1t was intolerable! Go to, grill" he
cried, Tuning. Il wondered where you
had got your tale so pat. So you and
the fool have been putting your heads
together? S~Got Go and spin and leave
these matters to men! Do you think
that my brother, after travelling the
world over, has not got a head on his
Do you think, IL there We're
danger, he and / would not have fore
seen it?"
He waved his hand and turned away.
expecting her to go, but Petronilla did
not go, She had something else to say,
and though the task was painful she
was resolved to say II. ~
Father, one word" she murmured.
About my uncle l
well well? What about him?" !
Il distrust him, sir h ventured I'm
a low tone, her color rising. THE SER
wants do not like him. They fear him
and suspect OF him / know not what"
"The s~ervants!v Sir Anthony an
SWeTGu IN all aWIul TONE. W. ~.
Indeed 1t was not the wisest thing
she could have said, but the conse-
quences were averted by a sudden
alarm and shouting outside. Half q
dozen voices, shrill or threatening,
to rise at once. The knight
strobe to the window, but the noise
appeared to Gomez not from the Chase
which II looked. but from the
yard or rear Of the house. Sir
Anthony caught up his stick and fol-
by the girl, ran down the steps.
Ho pushed aside half a dozen women
had hkewise been attracted by, the
noise and fastened through the mar
passage which led to the wooden
bridge in the rear OF the buildings.
Here, in the close on the far side OF
the moat, a strange scene was passing,
dozen horsemen were grouped in the
of the field about a couple of
while around the gate by
they had entered stood as many
men, on foot, headed by Baldwin and
armed with pixies and slaves. These
to be haunting the cavaliers and
daring them to come on. On the wood
en- bridge by which the knight stood
were half a dozen of the servants, also
Sir Anthony recognized in the
leading horseman Sir Philip Clopton,