The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-02-27

avail. But a word with this
young gentlemen, Sir Anthony
on another subject. If It was
not to the holy office he objected, per
haps it was not to the queens chan
cellor or to the queen" He raised his
voice with the last words and bent
his brows, so that I could scarcely be-
lieve it was the same man speaking,
ETH. sir, was that SOP" he continued
severely putting aside Sir Anthonys
remonstrance and glowering at me. III
may be that we have a rebel here in
stead of q hereto"
God Forbid" cried the knight, un
able to contain himself. 1t was clear
that he repented already of his i'll timed
discipline. Il will answer for 1t that
we have no Wyatts here, my lord"
THAT is well!' the chancellor replied
THAT is WE'LL" he repeated, his eyes
leaving me n rowing the hall with
so proud a menace in their glance that
all quailed, even the fool. THAT Is
very WELL" he said. drumming or the
table with his fingers, but let Master
Francis speak for himself"
II never heard" said l boldly-I had
had a moment for thought that
Sir Thomas Wyatt had any following in
his country. None to my knowledge.
AS for the queens marriage with the
prince Of Spain, which was on the
ground, as we gathered here. of Wyatt's
rising with the Kentish folk, ii seems
a matter rather for the queens grace
than her subjects. But If that be not
so, I, for my part, would rather have
seen her married to a stout Englishman
aye, or to a Frenchman."
And why, young gentleman"
Because L would we kept at peace
with France We have more to gain
by fighting Spain than fighting
France" l answered bluntly.
My uncle held up his hands. THE
boy is clean mad" he groaned. Who
ever heard Of such a thing? With all
France, the rightful estate Of her ma
jesty, waiting to be won back, he talks
of fighting Spain! And his own grand
mother was a Spaniard!"
Il am none the less an Englishman
for that" l said, whereon there was a
slight murmur of applause in the hall
below. And for France" 1 continued,
carried away by this, 1--WE have been
lighting it off and on, as long as men
remember, and what are we the better?
We have only lost what we had to be-
gin. Besides / am told that France
is five times stronger than it was in
Henry VS. time, M we should only
spend our strength in winning what
we could not hold. While as to SPAIN.
AYE, as to Spain?" grumbled Sir
Anthony, forgetting his formidable
n%etghbor and staring at me with eyes
Of wonder.
why. my father fought the French
at Guinegate, and my grandfather at
C~herbourg, and his father at Agin-
court! But there! AS to Spain, you
p~opinjay?"
Why, she is c%onquering here" I an
swered warmly, land colonizing there
among the newly discovered countries
or The world, II getting all the trade.
ana all the seaports, and all the gold
and silver, and Spain, after all, is a
nation with no greater strength of men
than England. Aye, and l hear" ]
cried, growing more excited and raising
my voice, that now is our time or
never! The Spaniards and the Portu-
guese have discovered a new world over
seas.
"a Castillo v q Leon
Nuevo mundo do Colon!
say they; but, depend upon 1t, every
country hat is to be rich and strong
In the time that is coming must have
part in 1t. We cannot conquer either
spain or France: we have not men
enough. But we nave docks and sail
ors and ships in London and Fowey
and Bristol n the Cirque ports,
enough to fight Spain owe the great
seas, and l say, Have at herr"
What next?" groaned Sir Anthony
piteous!y: Did man yer hear such
crackbrained nonsense?"
But think 1t was not nonsense, for
his words were almost lost In the cry
which ran through the hall as I ceased
speaklng-a cry of English voices. One
moment my heart beat high and proud
ly with a new sense of power: the
next, as a shadow of a cloud falls or
a sunny hillside, the cold sheer on the
statesman's face fell on me and chilled
me. His set look had neither tina wed
or altered, his color had neither come
nor gone. You speak your lesson well
lad. ne said. who taught you state
I grew smaller, shrinking with each
word he uttered. and faltered and was
dumb. "~
Come" he said, you see but a III.
tie a Yet country lads do not taIk
your" ~
Il met n Master Sebastian Cabot" !
said reluctantly, at last. when he haf
pressed me more thar once, who staid
awhile at a house not far from here
and had been inspector Of the navv r.
King Edward. He had been a seaman
20 years, and he talked
TOO fast" said Gardiner, with a
curt nod; But enough l understand
/ know the man. He is dead"
He was silent then and seemed r.
ave fallen suddenly in to thought ar
a man well might who had the gov.
erning of a kingdom on his Shoulders
Seemingly he had done with me, j
looked at Sir Anthony. AYE, go!" he
said irritably. waving me off. "Go,"
And l weI!t. The ordeal was over
and over so successfully that I felt the
humiliation Of the afternoon cheap al
the price of this triumph. for as
stepped down there was a buzz around
me. a murmur of congratulation and
pride and excitement. On every Cotor
face marked a flush, in every Cotor
eye l read a sparkle, and every flush
and every sparkle was for me. Fer
the chancellor's secretaries, grave
down looking men, all secrecy and eau.
tlon, cast curious glances at me, as
though l were something out Of the
common, and the chancellor's pages
made way for me with newborn deer.
ence. There Is for country wits!"
heard Baldwin Moor cry gleefullv
while the man who put food before
me murmured of the Cludde bull
pup" II I read in Father Carey's a
as indeed I did, solicitude as well a,
relief and gladness, l marked the lattel
only n Rugged a natural pride tc
my breast. When Martin Luther SAX
boldly that 1t was not only bishop coulc
NIL q bowl, il was bV an aff0rt T 70