Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-04-17
Storyof Francis Cludde
A Romance Of Queen Mary's Reign.
BY STANLEY j. wEYMAN.

not today, tomorrow, n IL not tofnor-
row the day after"
| was very weak, n his words
brought the tears to my eyes. She
D has saved my life already" ! murmured
5 You foolish boyl" she cried, smiling
= down on me, her hand on her husbands
+, shoulder. You got your head broken
in my defense. II was a great thing,
J was il not. that | did not leave you to
1 die in the boat? There, make haste
and get well. You have talked enough
5 how. Go to sleep, or we shall have the
: fever back again"
lone thing first" l pleaded. Tell
. me whittier we are gong"
I'm a few hours we ahall be at bort
!. in Holland" she answered. But be
content. We will take lare of you and
send you back If you viii, or you shall
| still come with us. as you please. BE
content. Go to sleep now n get
strong. Presently perhaps we shall
have need of your help again"
They went and sat down then on
their former seat and talked in whis-
pers, while Mistress Ann shook up my
!, pillows n laid a fresh, zoo bandage
on my head. | was too weak to speak
my gratitude, but | tried to look it, and
so fell asleep again. her hand in mine,
and the wondrous smile Of those lus-
trous eyes the last impression OF which
| was conscious.
A long, dreamless sleep followed.
When | aWoke once more, the light still
hung steady, but the peaCefulness Of
night was gone. We lay in the midst
of turmoil. The scampering of feet
over the deck above me, the creaking
OF the windlaSs, the humping and clat-
tering Of barrels hoisted in or hoisted
out, the harsh sound of voices raised in
a foreign tongue n IN queer keys.
sufticed as | grew wid awake to tell
me we were in port.
But the cabin was empty, n | lay
for some tim gazing at it's dreary in
terror and wondering what was to be-
come or me. Presently an uneasy fear
lcrept into my mind. What if my COM
panions had deserted me? Alone, i'll
and penniless in a foreign land, what
should | do? This fear in nv sick
state was so terrible that / struggled
to get up. and with reeling brain and
nervous hands did get ont of my berth.
But. this feat accomplished, | found
that | could not stand. Everything
swan before my eyes. / could not take
a single step. but remained, clinging
heiplessly TO the edge Of my berth, de-
SPAR at my heart. l tried to call out,
but my voice rose little above a whis-
per, and the banging and shrieking, the
babel without, went on endlessly. OF,
it. was cruel. cruel! They had left me!
! think my senses were leaving me.
too, when ! felt an arm about my waist
and found Mistress Anne by my side
guiding me To the chest. / sat down
on it, the certainty of my helplessness
n the sudden relief Of her presence
bringing the tears TO my eyes. She
famed me and gave me some restora-
tive. Gliding me the while for getting
ou of my birth.
Il thought that you had gone and
left me- / muttered. l vas as weak as
a child.
She said cheerily: Did you leave us
when we were in trouble? or course
YOU did not. There, take some more of
this. After all, it is we'll you are up,
for in a short time we must move you
TO the other boat
The other boat?"
Yes. We are at bort, YOU know. And
we are goirg by the WAL. a branch of
the Rhine, to Arnheim. Blu the boat is
here, close to this one. and with help |
think YOU viii be able TO walk to it,"
Il am sure | shall II you will give
me you arm. | answered gratefully.
But you will not think again." she
replied, that we have deserted your"
No l said. Il will trust YOU al
was"
| wondered why a shadow crossed her
face at that, But | had no time to dc
more than wonder, for Master Bertram,
coming down, brought u sitting To an
end. She hustled about to wrap me up.
and somehow, partly walking. partly
carried. | was got on deck. There | sat
down on 4 bale TO recover myself and
felt at once much the better for the
fresh, keen air. the clear sky and
wintry sunshine which welcomed me
TO a foreign land.
On the outer side of the vessel
stretched a wide expanse of turbld
water, five or six times as wide as the
Thames at London, and foam feel ed
{ here and there by the up running tide.
on the other side was a wide and spa
cious quay, paved neatly with rcu,nd
stones and piled here and Their. With
merchandise, but possessing, by virtue
OF the lines of ~leafless elms which Dor
dered 1t. a quaint air of rusticity in
the midst of hustle. The sober bearing
of the sturdy landsmen. going quietly
about their business, accorded well with
the substantial comfort of the rows of
tall, steep rooted houses | saw beyond
the quay n seemed only made more
honlely by the occasional sWagger and
urcouth cry of some half ~barbarous
seaman. wandering aimlessly about.
Above the town rose the heavy square
tower OF a church, a notable landmark
where all around, land and water. Law
so low. where the horizon seemed so
far and the sky so wide n breezy.
80 you rave made up your mind 70
come with u.s." said Master Bertram.
returning TO my side. He a left me
TO make some arrangements. You
understand that IL you would prefer to
go home l car secure your tendance
here by good, kindly people and provide
for your passage back when you feel
strong enough to cross. You under
stand that? And that the choice is en-
tirely our own? So which will you
do"
l changed color and felt L did. /
shrunk, az being well and strong 1
should not have shrunk. from losing
sight of those three faces which I had
known for so short a time, yet which
alone stood between myself and loneli-
ness. Il would rather come with you"
l stammered. But j shall be a grea.
burden to you now. / fear,
1T is not that" he replied, with
hearty assurance I'm his voice. "A
weeks rest and quiet will restore you TO
strength, and then the burden will be
on the other shoulder. 1t is for your
own sake / give you the choice. because
u future is for the tim uncertain.
Very uncertain" he repeated. his brow
clouding over. and to become our COM
panion nay expose you to fresh dan
gers. We are refugees from Eng
4 land. That YOU probably guess. Our