Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-09-11
THE-
Story Of Francis Cludde
A Romance Of Queen Mary's Reign.
BY STANLEY j. wEYMAN.
BY STANLEY J. WEYMAN.

her own room, and with a flashing eye
and curling lip bade Baldwin see to
IL. Then, seating himself In a place
next SIR Anthony's, he looked down the
board at which all sat silent. His sar-
castle eye, his high bearing, his man
ner-the OF one who had gone
long with his life In his h~and-awed
these simple folk. Then, too, he was
a Cludde. Father Carey was absent
ina evening. Martin Luther had one
or those turns, half sick, half sullen.
which a~lternated with his moods Of
merrfment and kept his straw pallet in
some corner or other. There was no
one 70 come between the servants and
this dark visaged stranger. who was
yet no stranger.
he mad his way and his talk with Sir
Anthony, the latter lasting far into the
night and producing odd results. In the
nrst place. the unbidden guest and his
Wlfe staid on over next day and over
many days to come and seemed grad
aaiy 10 grow more and more at home.
Inc knight began TO take long walks
ana rides with his brother. and from
each walk and ride came back with a
more gloomy face and a curter manner
F~etroniila, his companion of old. found
nerselI set aside for her uncle and cast.
Tor society, on F~erdinand's wife the
strange young woman with the brilliant
eyes, whose odd changes from gray
10 gay rivaled Martin Luther's and
VINO now scared the girl by wild laugh
Ter and wilder gibes and now moved
ueI % pity by hts of weeping or dark
moods OF gloom. That Uncle Ferdi-
nands wife stood II dread of her bus-
pahd P~etronilla soon learned and even
pesan 10 share this dread. to shrink
from MS presence and to shut herself
up more and more closely i'm her own
chamber. '"
Ihere was another, too. who grew TO
De troubled about this time, and that
vas rdther carey. The good natured.
easS priest received with JOY and thank
iuiness the news that Ferdinand Clndde
mad seen his errors and re-entered the
iold. but when he had had two or three
interviews with the convert his brow
TOO. grew clouded and his mind trou-
oieu. He learned to see that the ac-
cesslon OF the young Protestant queen
must bear fruit for which he had a
poor appetite. He began to spend many
hours in the church, the church which
ne hao known all his life, and wrestled
much with himself. IL his face were
any index to his soul. Good. kindly
man ne was not OF the stun of which
martyrs are made. and to be forced
pushed on n goaded into becoming
q martyr against ones wiIl-weII. the
fathers position was a hard one "a
was that In those days of many a good
ana learned clergyman bred In one
church and hidden suddenly, on pain OF
loslhg MS livelihood. II n o his life, to
migrate to another.
The visitors had been I'm the house n
~month-and In that month an observant
eye might have noted much change.
tnough all things I'm seeming went on
AS before-when the queens orders en-
Joining all priests to read the service
or a great part of 1t, I'm English. came
down. being forwarded by the sheriff
to Father Carey. The missiye arrived
on a FRIDAY and had been indeed long
expected.
What shall you dor Ferdinand
k Sir Anthony.
As Defore!" the tail old man replied.
gripping his staff more firmly. IL was
no new subject between them. A hum
drew times they had discussed It al
ready, even as they were now discuss
ing IL, on the terrace by the fshpool
with the church which adjoins the
house full In view across he garden
Il will have no mushroom faith al
Gotten End. the knight continued
warmly. 1t sprang up under King
Henry, and how long did II last? A
year or two. 1t came In again under
King Edward. and how long did IT
iast? A year or two. So 1t will be
again. 1t VIII not last, Ferdinand
Il am of that mind the Younger
man answered, noddfng his head rave
ly.
. course you are!" Sir Anthony re-
Joined as he rested one hand on the
sun dial. For 10 generations our fore
fathers ave w~orshiped In that church
after the old fashion and shall IL he
changed In my day? Heaven forbid
The old fashion did for my fathers. It
shall do for me. Why, I would as soon
expect that he river yonder should
flow backward as that the church which
has stood for centuries, and more years
to the back of them than / can count
should be swept away by these hot
gospelers. / Will have none of them,
Will have no new tangled ways at Cotton
End"
We'll, l think you are right" the
younger brother said. BY what means
he had brought the knight TO this mind
without committing himself more fully
! N tell. Yet so Ii was. Ferdinand
showed himself always the cautious
doubter. Father Carey even must have
lone him that justice. But-and this
was strange-the more doubtful he
showed himself the more stubborn grew
his brother. There are men so shrewd
as to pass off stones for bread. and
men so simple minded as TO take some
thing less Than the word for the deed.
why should IL come In our timer
cried Sir Anthony. fractiously.
why indeed?' quoth the subtle one.
II say, why should IL come now? +
have heard and read OF the sect called
Lollards who CAV trouble awhile ago.
But they passed. and the church stood.
So will these gospelers pass, and the
church viii stand"
That is our experience. certainly"
said Ferdinand.
II hate Schangei" the old man con-
tinued. his eyes on the old church, the
old t~imebered house-for only the gate
way tower at Cotton Is OF stone-the old
yew trees in the churchyard. II do not
believe In 1t. and. what Is more, / will
not have II. As my fathers have wor-
shipped so viii 1. though II cost me every
rood of land. A fig for the order in
council"
If You really will not change with
the younger gererations"-
II Will mott" replied the old knight,
sharply. There Ia an end OF it,"
Today the reformed church In Eng
land has see many an anniversary and
grown stronger with each year, and we
can afford to laugh at Sir Anthony's
arguments. We know better than he
did. for the proof OF the pudding Is In
the eating. But In him and his fellows.
who had only the knowledge OF their
own day. such arguments were natural
enough. All time, all experiences. ali
history ard custom ard habit as known
to them were on their side. Only Il was
nnrn aroln A., ~ tA- -.