The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-04-25
nInRlL.

to drink as much as he loved to paint.
He fingered long in the taverns of
Tergou, and Sybrandt and Cornelis
learned about the letter that was to
bring their brother back. They hur-
ried to the Burgomaster. for by this
time they had arrived at the shrewd
conviction that he had secret reasons
for desiring to get rid of Gerard.
The three rogues put their heads to-
gether and the Burgomaster, carefully
initiating Demoiselle Van Eyck's cali
graphy from some of her legal papers
that the town held, drew up letter to
Gerard saying that Margaret was dead
Sybrandt and Cornelis deftly ex-
changed this for the genuine one, and
Hans Memling went innocently forth
on the road to Italy. bearing the lying
letter.
Now there came many long months
when these two loving hearts were
without tidings of each other Gerard
followed the Rhine through wild Ger
many, travelling through forests beset
by wolves and robbers, and lying at
inns kept by another kind of robbers
almost as lawless. He fell in with the
law and found 1t different from both
kinds of robbers only in being more
memorable and powerful.
Yet he found kind hearts. too. He
was stripped by robbers, but he found
enough helping hands so that he could
go on, penniless though he was. He
found homeless ones who were willing
to share their rude shelter. ana hungry
ones who shared their insufficient food
with him.
Before he reached Dusseldorf he fell
in with Denys' a French arbalister or
crossbowman, bound for his home in
Burgundy after a long campaign
Denys sang. talked. thought and dream
ed Burgundy-the wine, the sun, the
land, the girls ana his dear little sis
ter, who. he swore, should love Gerard
as he loved him.
Denys saved Gerard from the warm
hug of a bear. Gerard saved Denys
from the cold hug of the river Rhine.
When they reached Cologne. where one
was to continue south toward Italy and
the other was to turn west toward
Burgundy. they could not part. Gerard
decided to go through France and take
ship to Rome. Denys threw his arms
around his neck and wiped away a
tear.
They found clean beds and kindly
inn keepers in Burgundy. Denys
watched Gerard's delight with patriotic
pride. But kindly, cheerful Burgundy
was not all cheerful. Soon they pass
ed gibbet with two skeletons on 1t.
and It stood beside the chief, road of
a town, where the burghers walked
with their families on Sundays. Next
they came to two pillars and between
these was huge wheel closely stud led
with iron prongs. Entangled in these
prongs were bones and fragments of
cloth. miserably dispersed over the
wheel.
The sunny land held black traps.
They had to fight for their lives more
than once. Great fights were some of
Nl1N A. 49, l.. H.. =
toughened arbalister mutter a hasty
prayer before it came to the grapple.
Gerarl. the son of the church, struck
blows as hearty as were those of the
soldier
At last they had fought and other
wise made their way good till they
were close to the soldiers home. and
honest Denys was quite drunken with
delight and longing Then who should
come into their road, but the silver
armored Bastard of Burgundy, with a
shining troop of horsemen bound for
war In Flanders
He saw the stout arbalister and in
five minutes, Denys. struggling furi-
Gus, was seized by the soldiers and tied
to horse. Il have not seen my home
in three years" cried he, land many
weary months have been on the road
Above all. I have this youth in charge,
whom coaxed here and whom 1 must
see safely to Romer'
''Dost handy words with me? Art
weary o thy life?" asked the COM
mander, coldly,
Cursed be the land 1 was born in!
Cursed be the race of men and he that
made them what they are!" screamed
Denys.
Hush. Denys. hush!" said Gerard.
throwing his arms around him. They
locked each other In close embrace.
They kissed. speechless. and tears rain
ed down their cheeks.
Then the cavalcade moved on, and
Gerard stood in the road. alone stun
ned. while Denys, tearing at his hair.
cried 10 him to make for the Rhine
and follow to Rotterdam II will tell
thy Margaret thou art comlng!" were
the last words he heard.
At first he thought of nothing ex-
cept to hurry back to Holland with
the hurrying Rhine. but then his
courage came back to him and he set
his face once more toward italy.
Famine. illness. robbers-they all be-
set his lonely way again. But he found
friends in Augsburg and won both
honor and money with his painting.
and when he left the noble CITY he