Western Kansas world., 1916-08-05
Out of the
Dungeon
A Story of Ancient
England
BY F. A. mitchell

Before England became united under
one government there were many kings
there. These kings ruled little tracts
that afterward became counties, and
their rulers became mobiles. The full
regalia of peer of England includes
a coronet, and the fact that these petty
kings were in time reduced from roy
atty to nobility is the reason why the
higher British mobiles wear q kingly
headgear.
The residences of these kings were
not called palaces, but castles They
were usually built on an eminence and
were surrounded by heavy walls and
moat and the entrance was protected
by a drawbridge. The reason for this
was that the sovereign of all England
had very little power, and in conse-
quence the subkings were usually fight
ing with each other and needed to live
In fortified homes.
Away back in early times when this
feudal system was the only English
system of laws known there was a
king of Gloucester. He had been a
powerful sovereign in his day and had
won many victories over the neighbOr
ing potentates. He and the sovereign
of Warwick had been in perpetual
warfare and Gloucester had conquered
his enemy. who had fed. no one knew
where. with his wife and child, the
latter boy only few years old. Aft
erward one of Warwick's subjects
named Conrad led an army against
Gloucester's forces and, achieving his
independence, made himself king.
In this contest young man not over
twenty-one or twenty-five years old
III icI, hi Grrlaf in, fHa
ranks of Warwick. He was captured
and imprisoned in one of the dungeons
under Gloucester castle. There he re-
manned for long while forgotten.
Meanwhile the new king of Warwick
was becoming daily more powerful and
his former enemy, Gloucester, was
growing old and the number of his
armed retainers was diminishing. At
last it occurred to Conrad that he
might overthrow his neighbor and add
his kingdom to his own.
In order to pick a quarrel with
Gloucester, Conrad went to Gloucester
castle to make upon the old king Ger
tain insolent demands that he knew
would not be granted. While there he
saw the kings daughter, Eleanor, a
beautiful girl who had just come to a
maria gea bic age. Upon Deholding her
he agreed to withdraw his demands
provided the king would give him his
daughter to Wife
Now, Conrad was not only q bad
man, but he was very repulsive physi
caIly.
The old king of Gloucester. aware
that he no longer possessed the power
to resist a strong enemy, knew not
what to say to Conrads proposition.
TNlaar1Or I1r7darStOad bpr frtboI.'S roSi
tion and the terrible alternative be
fore her. Either she must become the
wife of her fathers enemy or he would
be overpowered, and they would meet
the fate they had inflicted on the real
king of Warwick. She had often heard
the story of his flight with his wife and
child and regretted that her father
had been instrumental in bringing
about his fall and the rise of the
usurper. And now the latter had come
to revenge the man he had driven from
his kingdom.
Eleanor had never seen the usurper
and before deciding consented to meet
him. When he came into her presence
he bent his long body on his handy
legs, the plume of his hat sweeping
the floor. expressing at the same time
his admiration in a leer She could
him. she swept out of the room.
The hot blood mounted to Conrad's
cheek. He scowled. half drew his
sword, then thrust it back into its
scabbard and. stalking out into the
courtyard, mounted his horse and. fol-
lowed by his attendants. rode out
through the castle gateway. crossed
the drawbridge and went down the
declivity
Nothing remained for the old king
of Gloucester but to put his castle in
as good a state for defense as possible.
arm his retainers and sell his kingdom
as dearly as possible. His daughter
did what she could to assist in the
preparations, but her efforts were con-
fined principally to getting together
material that would be needed by the
wounded She knew that there were
prisoners in the dungeons below. and
she went down there to see if any of
them could be persuaded to fight for
the king of Gloucester.
A young man. pale from confinement.
was led out to her. 1t was some time
before he could see her in the strong
light
@Who are your" she asked
81 was taken prisoner. I know not
how long ago. fighting In the army of
Conrad the usurper."
"Why do you call him the usurperT'
Because there is but one king of