The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-25

once. Great fights were some of these that made even the hardened and tough ened arbalister mutter a nasty prayer before it came to the grapple Gerard, the son of the church, struck blows as hearty as were those of the soldier.
 At last they had fought and otherwise made their way good till they were close to the soldiers home, and honest Denys was quite drunken with delight and long ing. Then who should come into their road but the silver-armored Bastard of Burgundy, with a shining troop of horse men bound for war in F1andersl
 He saw the stout arbalister and in five minutes, Denys, struggling, furious, was seized by the soldiers and tied to a horse. q have not seen my home in three years" cried he, land many weary months have I been on the road. Above all, I have this youth in charge, whom I coaxed here, and whom I must see safe ly to homei"
 "Dost bandy words with me? Art weary O thy life?" asked the commander, coldly.
 Cursed be the land I was born in! Cursed be the race of men and he that made them what they are!" screamed Denys.
 Flush, Denys. hush' said Gerard, throwing his arms around him. They locked each other in a close embrace. They kissed, speechless and tears rained down their cheeks.
 Then the cavalcade moved on, and Ger ard stood in the road. alone, stunned, while Denys, tearing at his hair, cried to him to make for the Rhine and follow to Rotterdam T will tell thy Margaret thou art coming!" were the last words he heard.
 At first he thought of nothing except to hurry back to Holland with the hurry ing Rhine, but then his courage came back to him and he set his face once more toward Italy. Famine, illness, robbers they all beset his lonely way again. But he found friends in Augsburg and won both honor and money with hie painting, and when he left the noble city he fared better So at last he reached Italy.
 In Rome there was a rage for beautiful manuscripts-a rage that seemed all the greater for the menace that had come to the art of the writer and the illuminator through that new and dire invention the printing press
 Gerard got 300 crowns for copying Aris- totle's treatise on rhetoric. cardinal caressed him and boasted of his find. Princes and nobles patronized him, wing with each other to possess a work of art from this new pet. At last Gerard was engaged by the Pope himself.
 He was the happiest young man in all Rome He foresaw that in year or two he should return to Holland with good store of money and end Ais days with Margaret. In all his success his heart never strayed a moment from her.
 One afternoon a fine lackey came and demanded his attendance at the Palace Cesarini. There he was ushered into the presence of a superb beauty, the Princess Cesarini.
 He made a sketch of her. Then she demanded a larger portrait. When he had finished this she ordered full length figure. It was a new and fruitful source of income Margaret seemed nearer and nearer.
 Poor Girard was in the den of velvet tigress. Little by little she drew nearer to him. Little by little she yielded tc her desire for him. Al last she tired of waiting for the coy artist and boldly did the wooing herself.
 When Gerard told her that his heart [ belonged to humble girl in Holland she turned white with fury. He re- treated with his mind made up to leave the city for he had learned how many daggers and swords were at the dis posal of the great ones of Rome. He was prudent enough to change 1 his lodgings and lie quiet Tor a few days. waiting for a ship. The leisure that came to him thus he employed to read the parchment, forgotten till then that he had carried away from the tow CT in Tergou.
 He mastered 1t and saw at once what l if meant. Now he was all afire to take | ship to Holland.
 That afternoon his old landlady brought him letter which, she said had been left for him by a Dutch paint.