Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-14

NS
favor of your attention for a few mo-
ments apart?
Only Rachel clenching and unclench-
ing her little hands, took yet a step
nearer to me. and dropped her sweet
voiced hatred into my ear:
You must die, oh, YOU must die.
Don't think you can escape DEATH"
81 see my brothers blood upon your
hands,
would like to have uttered the
words, XIII me, then, you but |
was stricken dumb by the rapid and
constant succession of events when a
gentleman entered causing much sur
prise and confusion among the con-
spirators.
Murray" exclaimed the chevalier. in
tones of relief.
The newcomer. u middle-aged man
Of extraordinary masterful appearance.
cast a flaming look from face to face
to end upon the princes.
AYE, chevalier." he said, in low.
rapid voice. you've done rue finely this
time with your secret voyage. Aye.
and done well for the cause, too
Wretched boobiesi" he turned back
upon the boys. shifting the words in
his rage: you'd be having your own
association. would We? That Of your
elders is too slow and too cautious.
and you'd lure your prince into the
heart of danger in spite of us?-Death.
You'd be setting up the throne again.
such as you And tbs to the whipping
block I'd send yer'
With gesture of sudden warming.
his countenance changing indescrib
ably, he lifted a thin voice:
by the Rood. / am too late. The
mischef's done!'
The echo of cry unnaturally cut
into dumbness was in our ears. In the
garden the shuttle of footsteps and
the repeated clicks OF swords and fire.
locks could be heard. and before the
lapse of many minutes the cry of COM
mand from without caused a death1ike
stiffness in the room and the entrance
of four uniformed men and mass OF
soldiers in the passage behiLd them
Twas then that the divine sugges-
ton that was to redeem me sprang
into my mind. I saw. now. in a
flash. how out of my very baseness L
could play the hero: pass for my liege in
earnest and take his danger to myself,
Rising. I called out commandments:
Surely gentlemen, is not God with
US? Draw. my friends, and let your
prince lead your
So saying, I drew with a flourish and
hurled myself upon the foremost Off
Ger.
Before my point could reach him.
felt as if a rock had been cast against
my breast, dashing me, as 1T were.
down some sudden yawning precipice
And as I fell, I heard the crash Of
world exploding. into the reverberatinG
echoes of which rang the words: His
blood is on his own head"
In was many weeks later that my
self had the last words of that cir
cumstantial enigma. Then I learned
how. chafing in weary reaction month
after month, at Gravelines-in conse-
quence of the failure of Roquefeuille's
expedition against England-the young
prince had allowed himself to be
tempted by the enthusiastic pledges of
a band Of hot-headed Highland youths.
and had come over to lend his personal
sanction to a new loyalist movement
But be it as it may. had 1T not been
e for me-whOm you may we'll ir truth,
t style the Young Pretender of that day
there would have been no Preston
Pans, no Hollywood and no Culloden.
All attention was turned to the aues.
e ton of the chevaliers immediate safe
d ty, and not a creature (save one)
thought of seeing whether breath re-
q NAMED in him who had proved himself
the best loyalist of them all.
But She Rache1-true heart whether
: in hate or in love-few like a bird to
MY side.
r 1 have dim visions of the days that
followed. In spite Of the pain and fe-
yer they were sweet.
Her tender face comes between me
and the void; her exquisite hand alone
e holds me back; and fate gives me the
o precious revenge to hear the sweet
t grooming voice that once demanded my
X death now bid me again and again to
= live.
Then there falls an evening when
Il Rachel confesses that she would have
pierced my heart only the blade resist
ed her. II would have plunged it in your
!, heart" she croons.
Then I tell her she had already
reached my heart more surely; and [
watch the trembling of her grave.
wistful lip and am deeply happy.
e In her mystic way she will have 1t
:, that 1t was written in heaven that her
house should save the prince at this
moment of his deadly peril. Therefore
II was It destined for Alistair 10 mistake
t me for his messenger. Therefore. above
t ALL ~as l held in silence when l ought
to have spoken.
1t would i'll become me. would it not
to quarrel with SO pious and comfort
ing a conclusion?
Copyright, 1909
DDeMATupe aPAvNeeG