The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-09-16
The men threw down 1--WE pounds Of gold and seized the mare

rein, and, before the other knew what
he would be at, he was of his horse.
Mount, father" he said. and ride, and
God be with you!"
For a moment the priest stared
dumbfounded.
Sir" he said, you wear a sword!
And no son Of the church goes armed
I'm these parts"
If j am not one OF your church I
am q Christian" Colonel John an
swered. Mount. father. and ride in
Gods name. and when you are there
send the lad back with the beast"
THE Mother Of God reward you'll"
the priest cried fervently. and turn
your heart In the right way!" He
scrambled to the saddle. The bless
The rest was lost in the thud Of hoofs
as the horse started briskly, leaving
Colonel John standing alone upon the
road beside Bales stirrup.
TITS something IL a ma serves
where he's listed" Colonel John re-
marked.
Bale smiled. And don't betray his
own side," he said. He slipped from
his saddle.
done?" Colonel John asked.
But Bale declined to say more. and
the two walked on, n on either side
Of the horse. =
They had trudged the better part Of
two miles when they came upon the
horse tethered by the reins to one of
the two gate pillars. Colonel John got
to his saddle, and they trotted on. Not
withstanding, II was late in h after
noon when they approached the town
of Tralee. -
AS the colonel eyed the mean houses
which f1anked the entrance to the
town, he recognized that IL all the
saints had not v~ouchsafed their COM
pany, the delay caused by the meeting
with the priest a done somewhat.
For at that precise moment a man was
riding into the town before them, n
the horse under the man was Flava
McMurrough's lost mare. &.
Colonel Johns eye lightened as he
recognized It's points. With a sign to
Bale he fell in behind the man and fol-
lowed him through two or three III
paved and squalid streets. Presently
the rider passed through a loopholed
gateway, crossed by an open space sur
rounded by drcary buildings which no
military eye could take for aught but
a barrack yard. The two still followed
the sentry staring after them. On
the far side of the yard the mare and
her rider vanished through a second
archway which appeared to lead to an
inner court. The colonel went after
them. Fortune, he thought, had favored
him.
But as he emerged from the tunnel
like passage he raised his head In as
constituent. A din of voices, an out
break Of laughter and revelry, burst In
a food OF sound upon his ears. He
turned his lace in the direction whence
the sounds came, and saw three open
windows, and at each window three or
four flushed c-ountenances. His sud
den emergence from h tunnel, per-
haps his look of surprise, wrought an
instant's silence, which was followed
by a ruder outburst.
Cock! cock! cock!" shrieked a tipsy
voice, and an orange, hurled at ram
dom, missed the ~colonels ~astonished
face by a yard. The mare which had
led him 80 Fan had disappeared, and
instinctively he drew bride, He stared
at the window!
Mark one!" cried a second roister-
err, and a cork, better aimed tina the
orange, struck the colonel sharply on
the chin. A shout OF laughter greeted
| the hit.
He raised his hal. Gentlemen" he
demonstrated, gentlemen-
He could proceed no further. A
flight Of corks, a renewed cry OF Cock!
cockl cockl" a chorus OF Fetch him.
Pontol Dead, good dogi" drowned his
remonstrances. Perhaps In the scowl-
ing face at his elbow the wits OF the
--th found more amusement than In
the masters mild establishment.
who the deuce Is he2" crt~d nDa Of