The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-06-26
THE
Storyof FrancisC 1udde
ARolnanceof Queen Mary's Reign.
BY STANLEY !. vEYMAN.
doorway. and the bowling mob on
By n J. wEYMAN.

doorway. and the bowling mob out
side.
Fortunately the crowd had not yet
LEARNED how few we were, nor saw, I
think, that IT was but a woman who
confronted them. To rush into the low
doorway nd storm the narrow wind
Ing staircase In the face OF unknown
numbers was q task from which the
sbravest veterans might have finched,
were. hung back. 1 took advantage el 81
the pause. I grasped the halbert my
self and pushed the duchess back.
Drag him up!" I muttered. III you
cannot manage 1t, call Anne"
But grlef and hard necessity gave
= e strength. and despite the noise in
up with her burden. When I Judged
h had reached the room above Z
100. turned and ran up after her, post
Ing myself in h last angle Just below
the ROOM: There I was sheltered from
missiles by the turn in the staircase
ana was further protected by the dark
ness. Now l could hold the way with
little risk. for only one could come up
at q time. and he would. be O brave
man who should storm the stairs In
my teeth.
All this. I remember. was done In q
KIND OF desperate frenzy in haste and
confusion. with. no plan or final our
pose. but simply out or the Instinct
OF self preservation. which led me to
90. from m to moment. what I
could to save u lives. I did not know
Wheener there was another staircase
10 the tower. nor whether there were
nemle o US. whether indeed enc
mics might not swarm in on us from
2 dozen entrances. l had no time to
think of more than just this-that my
staircase, OF which I did not know.
must be held.
think I had stood there about a
minute, breathing hard and listening
ears a little softened by the thick
walls round me-so much softened, at
least. that I could hear my heart beat
Ing In the midst of it-when the duch-
ess came back to the door above. I
could see her there being a certain
mount 9 light in the room behind
her. but she cou'l not see me. what
can I do" she asked softly.
I answered by O question. .Is he
alive?" l muttered.
Yes. but hurt" she answered. strug-
gling with q sob, with q fluttering Of
The woman's heart she had repressed
so Y Much hurt. I fear. Oh.
why. Why. did we come here?"
She did not mean it as a reproach.
Y ! took 1T as n and braced my
self more firmly to meet This crisis
to save her at least IL II should be n
way possible. When she asked again.
scan I do anything" I babe her take
my pike and stand where I was for a
moment. Since no enemy la yet made
his appearance above the strength Of
our position seemed to hold out some
nope, and It was the more %ssentia
that /! should understand 1t and know
exactly what our chances were.
sprang up the stairs INTO the room
AM 9 round. my yes seeming to
biE bare room. with signs OF habi-
tatton only In one r On the side
toward the town was q long, low win
dow. through which-a score Of the
panes were broken already
the nare of the besiegers' t~orches>fell
lurialy on the walls and vaulted roof.
ny the dull b of a wood fire, over
which hung a huge black pot, Mas
ter BERTHE was lying on the boards
breathing loudly and painfully. his
mead allowed on the duchess kerchief.
Bssioe MIN Mistress Anne, her face
hidden. the child wailing in her lap.
A glance around assured me that
there was n other staircase. and that
on the side toward the ountry the
wall was pierced with no window big
ger than q loophole or an arrow slit.
with no opening which even a boy
could enter. For the present, therefore.
unless the top OF the tower should be
escalded from the adjacent house.@
and I could do nothing to provide
against that-we had nothing to fear
except from the staircase and the win.
dow l have mentioned. Every moment.
however, q missile or a shot crashed
the latter. adding the SILVER Of
wonder the child walled and the Girl
sank over 1t in AFFECT terror. Those
savage yells might well make a wom-
an They carried more fear
and dread to my heart than did the
real danger Of our position. desperate
az 1t was.
AZ yet It was 30 desperate that for
a moment I leaned against the wall
Idaxed and hopeless, listening to the In
fernal tumults without and within. HAD
BERTHE been by my side to share he
responsibility and Join in the risk. I
icpuid have borne 1t better. I might
g4hve felt then some Of the 10y Of bat
Eae and the stern pleasure Of the one
matched against the many. But I was
alone. How was I to save these wom-
len n that poor child from the yell-
Ing crew outsider How indeed? 1 did
not know the enemy's language; /
Ecoui not communicate with him. could
not explain. could not even cry for
quarter FOR the =
a stone which glanced from one az
the mullions nj grazed my Shouts
der reused me from this AZ Of
|cowardtce. which. trust and
believe. had lasted for a few sec-
onds only. At the same moment an un-
usual voiley OF missiles tore through the
window az IL discharged at a given Sig.
nal. We were under cover. and they
did us no harm. rolling for the most
part nofstly about the floor. But when
the storm ceased and q calm as sudden
followed Iaheard q dull, regular sound
close I the Window thud! thud!
Ethud!-And N the instant devined the
Eplansand the danger. My courage came
back, ,And with It my wits. I rernem-
Ebered an old tale I had heard and.
dropping my sword where I stood. /
few to the hearth and unlocked the
great pot. It vas heavy. half full Of
something broth most likely. but I
rocked nothing OF that. I bore It swift
IL to the window. and just as the fore
most mar On the ladder had driven in
the lead work before him with his az
knung the whole Of che contents-they
were Q scalding. but they were very
hot1n his face. The fellow shrieked
loudly and. blinded and taken by sur
prise, lost his hold and fell against his
|oupporter. and both tumbled down
again more quickly than they had
come up.
steFniy trtumphant. I poised the great
not ltDeafgin my hands. thinking. to Ming
[1tss dawn upA the sea Of savage up
-,ae.ns LaA .n.aSl