The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-04-30
Storyof Francis Cludde.
ARomance Of Queen Mays Reign.
BY STANLEY J. wEYMAN.
BY " J. wEYMAN.

4 That was ALL 1 replied, my eyes on
Dymphna's face, which still betrayed
trouble OF some kind, except that 1
paid her the usual formal compliment.
But what is h saying to her
father?"
1t was like the Christmas game Of
cross questions. The girl and ! had
spoken I'm Spanish. / translated what
we had said into English for Mistress
Anne. and Mistress Dymphna turned 1t
into Dutch for her father. an anxious
look on her face which needed no
translation.
What is it?' asked Master BERTHE,
observing that something was wrong.
1T is nothing-nothing," replied the
merchant alphabetically, though as he
spoke his eyes dwelt on me. c~uriously.
1T is only that / did not know that
you had a Spaniard in your company"
"A Spaniard?" Master Berthe an
swered. we have none. This" point
ing to me, is our very good friend and
faithful follower, Master Carey, an
no whom" added the duchess,
smiling gravely. Il am greatly In
debted.''
/ hurrIedly explained the mistake
and brought at once a smile of relief
TO the mynheer's race. "Ah, pardon
me, l beseech YOU" he said. my
daughter was In error And he add
ed something In Dutch which caused
Mistress Dymphna to blush. You
know he continued. Il may speak
freely to you, since u enemies are
In the main the same-you know that
our Spanish rulers are not very popu-
lar every day. especially with those
who are of the reformed faith. We
have learned. some of us, to speak
their language, but we love them none
the better for that"
Il can sympathize with you, In
deed" cried the duchess impulsiveiy.
God grant that our country may never
be I'm the same plight thought 1t looks
as IL this Spanish marriage were like
to put US In II. 1t is Spain! Spain!
Spain! and nothing else nowadays"
Nevertheless the emperor is a
great and puissant monarch" rejoined
the Arnheimer thoughtfully, and could
he he rule us himself. we might do
well. But his dominions are so large
he knows little OF us. And, worse, he
Is dying. or as good as dying. He
can scarcely sit his horse and rumor
says that before the yea is out he
will resign the throne. Then we hear
little good OF his successor, your
queens husband, and look to her less.
/ fear that there is a dark time be-
fore US, and God only knows the is
sue"
And alone will rule It." Master
BERTHE rejoined piously.
This saying was In a way the key
note to the life we found our host liv-
ing on his island estate. Peace. but
peace with constant fear OF an as
seilant and religion for a supporter.
Several times q week Master Lind
strom would go to Arnheim TO super
intend his business. and always after
his return he would shake his head
and speak gravely, and Dymphna
would lose her color for an hour or
two. Things were going badly. The
reformers were being more and more
hardly dealt with, The Spaniards were
growing more ~despotic. That was his
constant report. and then / would see
him, as he walked with us In orchard
or garden or sat beside the stove, cast
wistful glances at the comfort and
plenty round him. / knew that he was
asking himself how long they would
last. II they escaped the clutches OF
q tyrannical government. would they
be safe in the times that were COM
ing from the violence OF an i'll paid
soldiery? The answer was doubtful, or.
rather IL was too certain.
/ sometimes wondered how he could
PATIENTLY foresee such possibilities and
take no steps, whatever the risk. 10
prevent them. At first / thought his
patience sprang from the Dutch
character Later / traced it's deeper
roots to a simplicity OF faith and
q deep religious feeling. which
either did not at that time exist in Eng
land or existed only among people with
whom / had never come in contact.
Here they seemed common enough and
real enough. These folks faith sus-
tanned them. 1t was part OF their lives
IA bulwark against the fear that 9TH
erwise would have overwhelmed them.
And to an extent. too, which then sur
prised me, / found. as time went on.
that the duchess and Master BERTHE
shared this enthusiasm. although with
them II 10 n less obtrusive form.
/ was led nt the time to think a good
deal about this. and just a word L
may say of myself and OF those days
spent on the Rhine island-that where
as before ] had taken but a lukewarm
interest in religious questions. and while
clinging instinctively 10 the teaching OF
my childhood had conformed with q
light heart rather h a annoy my
uncle. I came to think somewhat diff
ferently now. differently and more se-
riously. And so / have continued TO
think since. though I have never be-
come a bigot. a fact I owe perhaps TO
Mistress Dymphna. In whose tender
heart there was room for charity as
well as faith. for she was my teacher.
OF necessity. since no other OF our
party could communicate with her. /
l. DtCdlIlC IilOIc vi lfSo rIiG buIcn4RlTIS
companion. i would often OF an even
ing Join her on a wooden bench which
stood under an elm on a little spit or
grass looking toward the city and at
some distance from the house. Here
when the weather was warm, she would
witch for her fathers return, and here.
one day while talking with her. I had
the opportunity of witnessing a sight
unknown in England, but which year
by year was to become more common
II the Netherlands, more heavily
fraught with In Netherland
eyes. ~
We happened to be so deeply engaged
in watching the upper end of the beach
at the time In question. where W. exc
pected each moment to see Master
Lindstrom's boat round the point, that
we saw nothing of a boat coming the
other way until the Tapping of its sails
, as IL tackled drew our eyes toward 1t.
Even then In the boat itself I saw. moth
ing strange, but in its passengers ]
did. They were swarthy, mustachioed
men, h I'm the hundred poses they
- a R1lImnH ne fhaxy .lottpraA nm lanlr ~