The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-09-17
CHAPTER XIII.

ton n Is only TOUR PAGES Lio.h .tS
house, the church standing within the
moatse-Isolated as the sacred building,
! therefore, is from the outer world by
the wide spreading chase and close
massed with the homestead, Sir An
thony had some excuse for CONSIDER
ing 1t as much a part OF his den1esne
as the mill or the smithy. In words
he would have been willing to admit a
| distinction, but in thought / fancy he
Jumped ii with the rest OF his possess
Sions,
II was with a lowering eyes that on
this Sunday morning he watched from
his room over the gateway the ususuaI
stream OF people making Tor the
church. Perchance he had In his mind
other Sundays-Sundays when he had
walked out at this hour, light Of heart
and kind of eve, with his stan In his
fist, and his glove dangling. and his
dog at his heels, and, free from care,
had taken pleasure in each ponnet
DOTTED and each old wtfe's God bless
were gone. Now the rain dripped from
the eaves--for a thaw had come In the
night-and the bells that could on oc-
casion ring so cheerily SAD ana
forlorn. His daughter, when n came,
according to custom, bringing his great
service book, could scarcely look MIN
in the face. / know not whether even
LIlOl LIE
not at sound of a word from her or at
sight of her face have melted like yes
terday's ice, but before the word could
be spoken or the eyes meet another
step rang on the stone staircase, n
Brother Ferdinand entered.
They are herel" he said IN a low
voice. six Of them, Anthony, and stur-
dy fellows, as all Clopton's men are.
II you do not think your people VIII
stand by you
The Knight fired at this suggestion.
What" he burst out, turning from.
the window. III Cludde men cannot
meet Clopton men, the times are In
deed gone madl Make way and let me
come! Though the mass be never said
again in Cotton church, 1t shall be said
today" And he swore a great oath.
He strobe down the stairs and under
the. gateway, where were arranged, &C
cording to the custom OF the house on
wet days, all the servants. with Bald
win and Martin Luther at their head.
The knight stalked through them with
a gloomy brow. His brother followed
him, a faint smile pickering about the
corners of his mouth Then came Fer
dinand's wife and P~etronilla, the latter
with her hood drawn, close about her
face; Anne, with her chin I'm the air and
her eyes aglow. 1T is not a bit OF a
hustle will scare her!" Balwin muttered
as he fell in behind her and eyed her
back with no great favor.
mo, SO long as ii does not touch
her." Martin replied in a cynical whisp-
err. she is well mated--well mated
and i'll fated! Ha, hal"
'Silence, fooll'' growied his compan-
ion angrily. SIS this a time for antics"
AYE. 1t isl" Martin retorted swiftly,
though with the same caution, for,
when. wise men turn fools, fools are put
to 1t to act up to their professioni You
see, ~brother?" And ne deliberately cut
a caper. His eyes were glistening, and
twitched oddly. Baldwin looked at
him and muttered that Martin was CO.
ing. to have one OF his mad fits. What
has grown on the fool of late?
The knight reached the church porch
and passed through the crowd which
awaited him there. Save for Its n
usual size and some strange faces to
be seen on its skirts, there was no in
dication OF trouble. He walked, tap
ping his stick on the pavement a little
more loudly than usual, to his place in
the front pew. The household, the VIII
layers, the strangers, pressed in behind
him until every seat was filled. Even
the table monument OF Sir Piers
Clud6e, which stood lengthwise In the
aisle. was seized upon. and IL the two
similar monuments which stood to right
and left below the chancel steps had
not been under the knights eyes they,
too, would have been invaded. Yet all
was done decently and in order, but no
serambling or Ill words. The Clopton
men were there. Baldwin, had marked
them well, and so had a dozen stout
fellows. sons of Sir Anthony's tenants.
But they behaved d~iscreetly, N amid
such silence as Father Carey neverNre-
membered to have faced he began the
Roman service. ..... ~.
uaa.uEs -. .ia-AA n ~.
through the east window on the father
at his ministrations ton his small
a~colytes, on the four Cludde brasses
before the altar. 1t fell everywhere
on gray dusty walls buttressed by gray
tombs which left but a narrow space in
the middle of the chancel. The mar
BILE crusader to the left matched the
canopied bed of Sir Anthony's parents
on the right, the abbess' tomb In the
next row faced the palmer monument
Of Sir Anthony's wife, a vacan place
by her side awaiting his own efflgy, and
there were others. The chance was so
small-nay, the church, $3.50 small
and old and gray n solid and the
tombs We're so massive that they ell
bowed one another. The very dust
which rose as men stirred was the dus
Of Guides. Sir Anthony's brow re-
Taxed. He listened gravely and sadly,
And then the interruption came. II
protest." a ugh voice In rear OF the
crowd cried suddenly, ringing harshly
and strangely above the fathers ac-
cents and the solemn hush. II protest
against this serytce!"
A thrill of astonishment ran through
the crowd, and all rose. Every man In
the church turned round, Sir Anthony
among the first, and looked in the d.
rection Of the voice. Then 1t was seen
that the Clopton men had massed
themselves about the door In the south
west corner, a strong position, when re-
treat was easy. Father Carey, after a
.momentary glance, went on as II he
had not heard, but his voice shook, and
all still waited with their faces turned
toward the west end.
Il protest in the name of the queen!"l
the same man crier sharply. while his
fellow raised a murmur SO that the
priests voice was drowned.
Sir Anthony stepped into the saisle.I
his face-infiamed with anger. The in
interruption taking place there, in
that place, seemed to him a double
proclamation.
Who is that brawler?v he said, his
hand trembling on his staff, and all the
old DANES trembled too. Let him stand