The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-06-18
-THE-
Of F rancis Cludde
A Romance Of Queen Mary's Reign.
BY STANLEY J. wEYMAN
CHAPTER xIlI-Continued.
BY STANLEY ]. wEYMAN.

e+ ~ VI 4 tldu Ildue HO IllSIdhCs II iAS
man to come up was Clarence-Clar-
ence himself. He let fall a savage
word as his horse stopped suddenly
with Its fore feet spread out on the
edge OF the stream, and his dark face
grew darker as he saw h swlrling
eddies and me standing fronting him
IN the moonlight with my sword out
nde discerned at once, l think, the
strength OF my position. Where l stood
the water was scarcely over my horses
1etlocks. Where he stood 1t was over
his horses knees, and between us II
flowed nearly four feet deep.
He held a hasty parley with his COM
panions, and then he hailed me. WI
you surrender" he cried In English.
1--WE will give you quarter"
Surrender? To whomT SAID.
rand why-why should / surrender?
Are you robbers and cutpurses?"
Surrender in the name OF the en-
peror. you fool!" he answered sternly
and roughly. -.
II know nothing about the emperor"
retorted. What EMPEROR
SIN the queens name, thenl"
''The duke OF Cleves Is queen here!"
cried, 'and as the flood Is rising, 1
hdded ~scornfully, II would advise you
10 go home again."
You would advise, would YOU? Who
are your, he replied in a kind OF
wrathful curiosity.
/ gave him no answe 1 have often
since reflected, with a fuller knowledge
OF certain facts, that no stranger In
kerview ever took place than this short
col!oQuy between US; that no stranger
light ever was fought than that which
we contemplated as we stood there
bathed In the May moonlight with wa
ter all round us and the cold sky above
A strange fight indeed it would have
Aan, Aafxtraan him md Dna had N ever
come to the swords point!
But this was what happened. His
last words had scarcely rung out when
my horse began to CULVER nee me and
sway backward and forward. / had
Just time to take the alarm when the
poor beast sank down and rolled gently
over, leaving be bestriding Its body,
my feet In the water. Whatever the
cause OF this, I had to disentangle my
self, and that quickly, for the four men
opposite me, seeing me dismounted,
plunged with a cry of triumph into the
water and began to founder across.
Without more ado / stepped forward
to keep the ford. .'u
The foremost and nearest to me was
clarence, whose horse began, half way
across, to swim. 1t vas still scrambling
10 regain its footing when II came
within my reach, and I slasEed 1t cruel
hy across the nostrils. 1t turned In an
Instant on its side. I saw the riders
face CLEAN white In h water. His
etirrup shone a moment as the horse
rolled over; then In a second the two
were gone down the stream. 1t was
done so easily, so quickly, 1t amazed
me. One gone, hurPah! / turned quick
by to the others, who were about land
1ng. Ny blood was fired, and my
yell of victory, as I dashed at them,
scared back two Of the horses.
Despite their riders urging they
turned and scrambled out on
tered. Only one was left-the far
thest from me. He got across indeed,
yet he was the most unlucky Of all, for
his horse stumbled on landing, came
down heavily on its head and flung him
at my very feet.
1t was no time for quarter had to
think OF my friends-and while with
one hand / seized the flying rein as the
horse scrambled, trembling, TO its feet,
with the other I lunged twice at the
rider. as he half tried to rise, half tried
to grasp at me. The second time l ran
him through, and he screamed shrilly.
in those days ] was young and hot
headed, and / answered only by a shout
OF defiance as / flung myself into the
saddle and dashed ava through the
water after my friends.
Voc victis! / had done enough to
check the pursuit n yet escaped my
self. If / could join the others again,
what a triumph ii would be-! ! had
no guide, but neither had those in
front Of me, and luckily at this point
a row of pollard willows defined the
line between the road and the river.
Keeping this on my right. / made good
way. The horse seemed strong under
me, the water was shallow and ap-
peared to be growing more so, and
presently across the waste Of flood /
discerned before me a dark, solitary
tower, the tower seemingly of a church,
for It was topped by a stumpy spire,
which daylight would probably have
shown to be of wood.
There was a little dry ground round
the church, q mere patch in a sea Of
water, but my horse rang its hoofs on
At with every sign of JOY and arched
Ats neck as IL trotted up to the neigh
borhood Of the church, whinnying with
pleasure. From the back of the build
ing. ! was not surprised, came an an
swering neigh. AS I pulled up a man,
his weapon in his hand, came from the
porch, and a woman followed him. l
called to them gayly. Il fancied you
would be here the moment / saw the
churchl" / said, sliding to the ground.
THANK heaven you are safe!" the
duchess answered, and to my astonish-
ment she flung her arms round my
meek and kissed me. What has hap
pened?" she asked, looking in my eyes,
her own full of tears.
II think I have stopped Them" l an
.swered. turning suddenly shy. though,
fboylike, ! had been longing a few min
tutes before to talk of my victory. They
tried to cross, and"
I had not sheathed my sword. Mas
ter BERTHE caught my wrist, and lifting
the blade looked at II. 80, sol" he
said nodding. Are you hurt?"
..Not touched" I answered. Before
more was said he compelled his wife
to go back into the porch. The wind
blew keenly across the open ground,
and we were all wet and shivering.
when we had fastened up the horses,
we followed her. The door of the
tchurch was locked, 1t seemed, and the
porch afforded the best shelter to be
had. It's upper part was Of open wood
work and freely admitted the wind, but
wide caves projected oyer these open
iings and over the door, so that at least
1t was dry within. BY budding to-
gefher on the floor against the wind
ward side we got some protection. ]