The Press., 1915-07-21
HER JAMIE A Historical Story of Eng land and America.
By F. A. MITCHELL

| It was a sorry day for me when m!
 father came to me and told me that
 must give up all thought of my Jamie and marry Sir Ernest Merivale. Tn,
 one I loved, but I knew that he wal unsteady; the other respected ant was sure that he would make me { good husband. There were whisper ings concerning Jamie that 1 did no
 like. It was said that after the defea
 of the cavaliers by the roundhead. he had followed in the footsteps o1 so many of the kings adherents anG taken to the road to make a living As for Sir Ernest, he was as steady at | a rock and as true as steel. But Jamie had won me by that sweet smile O1
 his, and did not love Sir Ernest. The Merivales had lived near us fol many years. Ernest and Jamie were cousins, though Ernest was a good ter years older than Jamie. Ernest was an only son, and when he came into
 the title and estates by the death O1
 his father his mother urged him to
 marry that he might have an heir.
 was then a little girl, and he said he
 would wait till had grown, and he
 would marry none but me. But of
 this I knew nothing at that time,
 though noticed he seemed fond of
 me and gave me many trinket.
 Sir Ernest did not approve of many
 of the kings acts and sympathized
 with the parliament. Though he did
 not take up arms against the king,
 the royalists were bitter against him and vowed that when they had over come their enemies they would punish him for not defending his sovereign.
 When father told me that I must give up Jamie and marry Sir Ernest I shut myself up in my room and wept bitter tears. But after awhile grew calm and began to think, not like foolish girl caught by bauble. but as one called upon to decide be- tween that bauble and the promise of was unattainable. for Jamie had no fortune, and I knew that the report concerning him was true. He had made himself an outlaw.
 There was nothing left me but to marry Sir Ernest, and that l did. He was very loving and tender with me, treating me as a bit of china that he feared to break. When he said to me, Joanna, 1 would not have you do vio- lence to your heart, and I conjure you not to marry me without your love-" l was ashamed that l was about to do that very thing. But I resolved that would put Jamie out of my mind and live only for my husband.
 When King Charles 1T. was restored to the throne those who had sworn
 vengeance upon Sir Ernest trumped up charges against him. Knowing that he was in great danger and wishing to
 keep it q secret from me or perhaps
 fearing that his enemies would tmiict some direct punishment on me, he sent
 the storm should have blown over and
 he might again feel a measure of safety.
 While 1 was in Scotland my husband sent me letters by the post, but there came a long interval between his writ ings. and I wondered. When a month had passed and no word had come from him I told my aunt that I would go back to England. Then she told me that Sir Ernest had been arrested for high treason against the king, that his estates had been sequestered and that. having no home. I should remain with her in Scotland.
 Despite her pleadings l left her and made the journey to London, for my husband had been sent to the tower, and expected to find him there. More over, I intended to go to the king and plead for him. But when I reached the capital I found that the king was so engrossed with milady Castlemaine that could not get hearing. went to the tower and asked to see my hus- band, but was told by the lieutenant that he was not there. He had been received there as a prisoner, but after a time had been delivered to Lord Car bondale by order of the king.
 Now, I knew that Lord Carbondale was the bitterest of all Sir Ernest's enemies, and 1t was he who had made the threats to be revenged for my hus- bands support of the parliament, though this was not the true cause of his lordships enmity. The two had been fellow students at Oxford, and Ernest had accused Carbondale of at cards. I feared that this enemy. with the kings permission, had taken my husbands life or had kept him a secret prisoner. I spent months trying to find a trace of him. but no trace could I find.
 One day there came news from America that the English had taken from the Dutch the town of New Ann sterdam and renamed 1t for the kings brother, the Duke of York. In the ac- count of these proceedings mention be my husband? If so, what did 1t mean that he had gone to this new leaving me. his wife, in Eng and ignorant of his going? believed hat hts enemies had contrived to have lim sent out of the country or that he lad been given the choice between leath and betaking himself to a re- note locality, where he could make no fort to regain his estate, which had 'assed into the possession of Lord for services to the kings ather during the parliamentary war. Possibly he might have fled thither, as | ertain regicides had done.
 l saw no hope of learning the truth | s to whether this Merivale mentioned | s being in New York was my hus- and without going there to see for myself. So took ship for that coun- ry, though my friends endeavored to | issuade me. was sick at heart at | eeing those with whom I would have | 0 voyage for so many weeks, for they | Eere motley crew. Some were crim- aals, who had been given their lives | T