The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-04-09
THE
Storyof Francis Cludde
ARomance Of Queen Mary's Reign.
BY STANLEY J. wEYMAN.
BY STANLEY J. wEYMAN.
CHAPTER ~vL.-coNTINUED.

nv " ~ dilSStlieNllb luf IL. 4 WI VI hIS
things ( know came on board last
night, I .want to start--to start at
once, do you hear"
trhe captain shook his head and said
elugglshly that II was impossible.
Splitting on the deck. he ground his
heel ~leisurely round a knothole. I'm
possible he repeated. 1T would. not
be Beemanship to start in a fog. When
the fog lifts. we viii go. Twill be
oil the same tomorrow. We shall lie
ct Leigh tonight. whether we go now
or go when the fog lifts"
AT LeighT"
THAT is it, madam"
And when will you go from Leigh"
she cried Indignantly.
"DeybreaI tomorrow" he answered.
You leave it TO me, mistress" he
continued Ia a tone of rough patron
g IAN you will see your good man
before you expect it."
'But, man. il exclaimed. tremb-
ling with impotent rage, did not Mas
ter Bertram engage you to bring me
across whenever / might be ready?
Aye, n pay, you handsomely for 1t?
Did nc not, sirrah?'
ITO be sure, to be aurel" replied the
giant unmoVed. Using ~seamanship
and not going to sea in a fog. If 1t
please you" ....
s"It does not please me- she re-
torted, And why stay at Leigh"
He looked up at the rigging. hen
down at the deCk He set his heel in
the knothole and ground 1t round
again. Then he looked at his question
or with a broad smile. well, mis-
tress, for q very good reason. 1t Ia
there your good man Is waiting for
you Only" added this careful keeper
OF a secret, 'hc bade me not tell any
one"
She uttered a low cry, which might
have been an echo OF her baby's COO
Ing and convulsivcly Clasped the child
more tightly TO her. He is at Leigh"
she muCmered, flushing and trembling.
another woman altogether. Even her
voice was wonderfully changed. He
Is really at Leigh, you say2"
be sureI" replied the captain
with O portentous wink and a mys-
terions roll of the head. He Is there
safe enought Safe enough. you may
bet your handsome face to a rush
light. And we will be there tonight"
She started up with O. wild gesture.
Tor a moment she had sat down on
q cask standing beside her and for
gotten our peril and the probability
tina we might never see Leigh at all.
Now. | have said, h started up. mo,
mol she CRIED, struggling for breath
and utterance. oh. no, no! Let US
go at once. We must start at oncel"
Her voice was hysterlcal in its sud
den anxiety and terror as the con-
seriousness of our position rolled back
y her. Captain. listen, ~listen!"
h pleaded. Let US start now. and
my husband will give you double. l
will promise you double whatever he
eatd II you will chance the fog"
i think all who heard her were
moved, save the captain only. He
rubbed his head and grinned. Slow
and heavy, he say nothing in her
prayer ave the freak OF a woman wild
M In GET m hnr man Hn HtH MT NayaI0h
her promise at q groat. She was but
q woman. And being a foreigner he
did not perceive a certain air of breed
Ing which might have influenced a ma
tive, He was one of those men against
whose stupidity Father Carey used to
say the gods fight I'm vain. When he
answered good naturally: mo, no.
mistress, 1t is impossible. 1t would not
be ~seamanship," 1 felt that we might
as well try to stop the ebbing tide
as move him from his position.
The feeling was q maddening one.
The special peril which menaced my
companions l did not know. but l knew
they feared pursuit, IN I had every
reason to fear 1t for myself. Yet at
any moment. out of the fog which en-
circled us so closely that we could
barely SEE the raft below, and the shore
at all, might come the tramp Of hurrying
feet the stern hall OF the law. 1t
was maddening to him of this and
20 know that we q only to cast
off a rope or two I'm order to escape
and TO know also that we were abso-
iuteIy helpless.
I expected that Mistress Bertram,
brave as she had shown herself, would
burst into q passion of rage and tears.
But apparently she had one hope left.
Bhe looked at me.
I tried to think-to think hard. Alas
seemed only able to listen. An hour
had gone by since we parted from the
rascal In the court, and we might ex-
poet him to appear at any moment.
Yengeful and eKultant. with q posse at
his back Yet l tried hard to think,
and the fog presently suggested a pos
Bibie course. Look here" I said sud
denly speaking for the first time, "if
you. do not start until the fog lifts,
captain, we may as well breakfast
sfo and return presently"
That is as you please" he answered
indifferently. Z
what do you thinkH" 7 said turn
Ing 70 my companions with as much
csrelessness az I could mnan Had
we not better do thatH"
Mistress Bertram did not understand
but In her despair h obeyed the mo-
ton of my hand and mechanically
walked to the side. The ounge WON
an followed more slowly, SO that I had
90 speak TO her with sone curtness,
y bthNhib Y HUM bddlE. IOT L was 1T
a. fever until we were clear Of the
Whelp and the Lilo wharf. 1t had
Btruck me that, II the ship were not
to leave at once. we were nowhere in
Z so much danger as on board. At large
IN the fog we might escape detection
for q time. Our pursuers might as well
look for a needle in q hayRtack AZ seek
Us through II when once we were clear
Of the wharf. And this was not the
end of my idea But for the present
II was enough, Therefore 7 took up
Mistress Anne very short. Come" I
said. 'be quick! Let me help you"
She obeyed and / WAS asharned Of
my impatience when at the foot of the
ladder she thanked me prettiIy. It was
almost with good cheer IN my voice and
q rebound Of spirits that I explained as
hurried my companions ACROSS the
raft what my plan WAS.
The moment we were ashore I felt
Fafer. The fog swallowed us up quick,
rs the bible says. Thu very hull OF the
ship vanished from sight before we
had gone half n dozen PAGES. I had