Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1921-10-27

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to play a desperate game and carry
Lorna OF would but incite the Doones
10 wreak revenge upon the country
side with fire and sword. At times he
swore to smoke out this nest OF ras-
Gals, but the timld farmers, overawed
by their savagery, would promise no
support.
Meanwhile an unparalleled winter
had set in. Day after day the snow
fell steadily and, blown by the wind,
almost smothered the low-eaved cot
tages. Desperate for some word OF
Lorna, John made his way on snow
shoes into the very heart Of Glen
Doone, unobserved in that feathery
fog. John found Lorna's hamlet, stified
her ordinations Of surprise with
kisses, and felt his heart swell with
anger on learning that she and her
maid, Gwenny Carfax, were kept In
confinement and deprived Of food by
order of Carver Doone until Lorna
should consent to be his wife. Not for
naught was John Ridd a giant-and
in love. Throwing discretion to the
| winds he carried Lorna and Gwenny
away upon his sledge that very night
to the warm refuge Of his mothers
fireside.
The Doones, though so openly set at
defiance, bided their time. With spring
the roads were open and one moon
light night, with an arrogance worthy
of Carver, they attacked Flowers Bar
rows in force. John Ridd, nothing
daunted, defended his fireside and
loved ones with spirit, meeting the at
hackers squarely with a handful OF
men and putting them to.speedy flight.
A murderous attack by the Doones
was bad business enough, but to
Johns honest soul a worse trouble
followed.
His Lorna was discovered to be ne
true Doone, but the niece of the great
Lord Dugal, kidnapped as child. To
London and the protection Of her noble
uncle she was summoned, her heart as
well as her lovers torn by the separa-
ton. The thought that he might never
again behold his Lorna plunged him
into misery.
"After ALL" he asked himself, '''who
am but simple farmer, who dares
lift his eyes to the niece Of an earl?"
j But this was no time for repining,
for the ill-starred rebellion Of Mon
mouth famed out, catching John Ridd,
innocent though he was, in its tolls.
But all came to happy issue when
John, summoned to London, frustrated
the intended murder of Lord Dugal,
captured the attackers, and turned
them over for punishment to the ter
ribIe Lord Jeffreys. Events moved
swiftly; his exploit made London ring,
he was knighted by King James, and
when the earl of Dugal died soon aft
er, well-directed bride secured JEFF
freys' permission to let Lorna, his
ward in chancery, wed the redoubtable
Sir John Ridd.
Back to Exmoor and Flowers Bar
rows went John Ridd, knight, to lead
the farmers of the countryside who, in
: furiated by a new outrage committed
by the DOones took the law into their
own hands and swept the robber
stronghold clean with fire and sword.
Only the scheming old counsellor
and his son, the brutal Carver, escaped
a bloody death.
Now at last the great day dawned
for John and Lorna and they made
their way to the little country church
to be wed while, all the neighboring
farmers came to applaud the event.
Scarcely were the sacred words Of the
service pronounced when a shot rang
through the church and Lorna, her
; dark eyes dropping, her wedding gown
stained with blood, sank into her hus-
; bands arms. John Ridd never forgot
the agony Of that moment and yet he
seemed strangely calm. Only Carver
Doone could have done this dastardly
deed and as John dashed off in hot
pursuit he swore that the world was
too narrow place to harbOr him and
his enemy another day. For Carver
on his jaded horse there was no es-
cape. His pistol missed fire, and at
last in a narrow defiIe flanked by a
wood and a stretch Of bog the two men
came to grips. They spoke little and
that grim duel was fought with neither
knife nor pistol but body to body as
became, two giants.
John felt lower rib crack beneath
Carvers' terrible embrace, but his iron
hand ripped the muscles of his assail-
! ants arm from the bone like an orange
pulp and he flung him. crushed and
bleeding, upon the ground. In an In
slant the black lips Of the bog fastened
upon Carver's huge limbs, swiftly,
/, silently, and John Ridd had scarce
time to get his own feet upon firm soil
before his enemy was sucked down
into those grim depths, his face dis
: torted with agony, but his quivering
lips uttering no sound.
, Loves true course does not always
run awry and both John and Lorna
recovered, he to worship her and she
to assure him through the serene years
with eyes and lips all eloquent: II
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