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Show 1 Ithe lion'swhEpII W A Story of Cromwell's Tlmo . .8 BY AMELIA E. BARR- m SHI . - ljiKlinn" "I. Thou nd tha Other On. I M Author of "Tho "o-rorSMTen Jno Ktc. M , (CoPTriibt 1001. b, Dodd. Me.d & Ccuranr. AU .Uhu reMrf.) tfl CHAPTER XIII. I JfJf Changes at De Wick. M When Matilda received a letter from '9 Anthony Lynn, bIio was immediately S certain that the old man's conscience M troubled him In the presence of death 9 und that ho wished to return do Wick SM to Its rightful owner. Sir Thomas and ZM Lady Jovory were of the same opinion. WM and tho two ladles started for do Wick HH ut once. . , . MM Anthony Lynn stood at tho door to meet them. Ho looked ill and frail, A1 hut hardly like death, and when ho J witnessed the delight of tho ladles at WM , i.a tnn.ii, In ilo Wick, his faco grew almost youne In Its pleasure, to H Every room In tho houso was a fresh w H surprise; for through all that was te W venerablo through ago or family asso- y JW elation, and all that was valuable and hi ,' 'v beautiful had been presorved, yet so iv ' much of modern splendor and wir-ii-L.. Obeen mingled with tly It wmj tho rooma3F?P5ppnfont,'y newly fur-nlshed fur-nlshed Matilda said enthusiastic: IT" i, i . i'1 BC0,nB thnt tho do Wicks . ?, u ?aV tholr nnclent homo, I am a,l it has fallen to you-and I am tfuro my father is glad, also." hZ A110 oltl mnn burst ,nto "-t nlir'nnf Paa8,n f WC"lnS B0 S uincant of ago. and so pitiful n its helplessness. "It B yor father's do-lug. do-lug. Lady Matilda." ho sobbed. "It is my dear lord's wiKdom. Pardon mo now. This evening I will tell you all." He wont away with these words, and tho two women looked at each other jj- In amnzement. I wV " 0Ven,ng ho came to them. When tlieso dreadful wars first bo-1 bo-1 Ban ho 8ald, "Earl do Wick foresaw their ending, and aftor Marton Moor g--v ho said to mo, 'I know this man. OIL vcr Cromwell, and there is nono that m will stand against him. It is my duty I to oayo do Wick; will you help mo?' f Arid I said to him, 'My dear lord, I I wo you all I am, and all I have.' K A was a8rec'u that I should Join llr p"r'tan pnrfy, that I should pro- " WM I in lines, until eho came to tho discovery andt "OlVimLd, here Is the burden of Thu Juno Swaffham!" sho cried In a pas- It . slon "Wo aro discovered. Stephen. So t( you'aro In Instant danger. You m nalcr away at once." t,,epcrli "And pray, how? or "h?re? t not run. I will stand or fall with JM r"Wbat drivel, what nonsen-'to vrnsltb bast are you talking? V- Jr tho North noad to Hivorable cou.Jfcai j,om. of a ship there." .i, riv. wo gVou must take Ho roso as ,0f our dull; you aro suro kissed him wM,nK ness. When hj mm sho spoko, and sho to tho roof t0 fr.iith passlonato tender-which tender-which road h Je Jo left the room, sho ran i ter of an lion f tho houso to watch . I great speed ., )i took. In about a quar-I quar-I him until h:c nr sho saw him riding at i horizon. y northward, and watched d jfi ting out rfo became a speck on tho as not cation if Then sho went to her room and in a leisurely manner put on her gardon hat and wajked to tho stables. She went at onco to a young man known to bo Stephen do Wick's constant attendant at-tendant vhoiievor ho was In tho neighborhood. neigh-borhood. Sho know ho could bo rolled on, and as thoy stood together by Matilda's Ma-tilda's Daibary mare, sho said with the critical air of ono talking about a tavorito animal, "Yupon, you know tho three largo oak trees, just beyond the boundary of do Wick?" "I know them well, my lady." "I3o under tho oaks to-night, at 8 o'clock. Havo with you a lantern and a coil of strong rope. You will seo Karl do Wick thoro. and when he speaks, join him on tho instant. Can ho roly on you?" "By my soul ho can, oven to bloodletting." blood-letting." "Be this our bargain then. Eight o'clock no later." "Let mo porlsh if I am not there." All tho man's words had tho savor of a strong, faithful spirit, and Matilda Ma-tilda wont back satisfied. About 7 o'clock sho went to her brother's room and brought away a suit of his cloth- i Tver-" - I "You must light from your Horse, Miles Watson.' 'I ' tend a disapproval of tho Earl and his ways but a disapproval tempered with regret so that men might not .; suspect my opposition. Tho king was oven then sending to do Wick for money, and I was supposed to supply it on tho do Wick silver and valuablos. In reality, tho Earl sont thoso things to my caro, and ho himself gave tho gold. Then thoro enmo a tlmo when " do Wick was bare, and tho king still wantod money. And tho Earl promised prom-ised to borrow from mo ono thousand pounds, In conbidorntion of lottors , royal making tho Lady Matilda Coun tess de Wick in her own right, if her I brothor Stephon had no heirs of his body. Horo aro iho papers relating to ' your succession, and horo nro thoso i rolatlng to my trust in tho matter of 1 tho do Wick silver and valuables." Thus Matilda virtually becamo mis-i; mis-i; tross of hor old home. Anthony was I soldom scon, but Stephon do Wick camo and wont, and brought with him i mon whoso names woro not spoken, and whoso business meant much moro - thnn tho packs of cards which np- 1 pearod to bo nil they caroU for. In ( fact, Matilda was soon neck deep in Princo Rupert's plot, and thoro was no doubt In her mind that tho month of 1 May would end tho life of Oliver Crom- T- woll, and bring tho king to his throno j and tho do Wicks to their earldom. j Sho was sitting, ono afternoon, talk ing to Stephen, when a sorvant entered. en-tered. "My lady," ho said, "horo has "" como a man with a lottor, which ho will dollvor to nono but you." Matilda ordorod tho messenger to hor prosonco at onco. Hastily sho glanced ovor tho Ing, and when sho had dressed herself her-self In Itnnd put a pistol and hunting knlfo In hor bolt, and a largo plumed hat on hor head, sho looked In tho mirror with tho utmost satisfaction. She was hor brother's double; qulto his height, and singularly llko him In carrlngo, faco and mannor. Matilda walked quickly through tho gnrden, and without molestation sho arrived at tho throo oaks. Yupon Slado was already tharo. For nearly an hour Matilda walked up and down the road, hooping woll within call of hor companion. But about nlno o clock tho sound of n horso coming at an easy gallop was heard, and Yupon Yu-pon was softly called. Ho was at Ma-tlldas Ma-tlldas side as tho rldor camo near thorn. Sho advanced to meet him, calling pleasantly, "Milos Watson, a word, if it ploaso you." The i volco was familiar and kind, and Milos drow roln and asked "Who calls mo? I am on tho Common-woalths Common-woalths business, and cannot be do-laycd." do-laycd." Then Matilda, pointing tho pistol In his faco, said, "You must light from your Jiorse, Milos Watson." Tho pistol pis-tol wns dangerously noar; Yupon's rough ordor "to tumble" was not un-accompanied un-accompanied by throats, and Watson thought It host to obey qulotly, whoro ho could not resist. When Yupon had bound him socuroly, Matilda took tho born, and drawing from hor glrdlo tho sharp hunting knifo, sho cut opon tho leathorn mall bag and turned tho light upon its contents. Tho small private lottors sho hardly noticed, but thoro were throo ominous looking pa- pTriTcToHcd wljHH all dlr 1 l"TH 'rp rrd seals, and sho frit r "vkyjMnth i pd. Thoy wcro for S ihc 1K the . iff (,f Vjy, and slon of "VV 07 the authority set loose K nrrej? M. took OS8L.8. oth-r to JHK whole t ,r. -, btulo Yupon I on the I Hf the hor' and leaving tho carrltrirqitpRtg of . . rnleil ma j 8lm -rHrrnss by tbt i'll(, of tho bolaul chas jW shp gjipp, t nWay into the Tile Ke and darkn'H of do Wick ) MmW 3 iVioro was still fire on her hearth, Mm she pushed "thr dying logs to-".lor, to-".lor, and lit o Kindle by tholr blaze. Htm she openedfone of tho letters, 'flfwas a warranty for tho arrest of JRiiiro Mason. The next opened was warrant for thearrest of Lord Fred-"crick Fred-"crick Dlythe; biitgiio third was, truly onough, tho worrnnt for the arrest of Stephen do Vlck,fpr treason against tho Commonwealths and conspiracy against tho llfo ofjtho Protector. Sho drow hor mouth tightly, nnd tore tho whole three warrants across, and threw them Into tho llamcs. When thoy wore ashes, she turned quickly, divested herself ofnpr brother's clothing, cloth-ing, nnd put on'her own garments. Then sho carried Stephen's suit to his room, and afterwards put out the can-die can-die anil went to beaT' Matilda's plan had, however, been too hastily formed and carried out to admit of n thorough consideration, and In hor hurry of rifling the mail, It had not occurred to her that ono of thoso small, unimportant jdcoking letters might also be lor thofsherlff. This In fact was tho case. When daylight brought rescue to the bound carrlnr tho rejected letters were gathered up, and ono of them ,vas a letter of instructions in-structions regardlngTthe three warrants war-rants to bo servedMlt directed tho shorlff to take Masonj and Blytho to Ely for trial, but to bring Stephen do Wick to tho Tower of$London. Tho sheriff wns in a) passion of disappointment, dis-appointment, nnd hastily securing a warrant to arrest Stephen do Wick for mall robbery, ho wentlto do Wick to servo It. I It was Delia who, about tho noon hour, camo flying Into Eer lady's presence pres-ence with tho news tOat tho Eheriff wns In tho stables talking to Yupon Slado, and that ho had Two constables with him. I "What do thoy want.jDclla? I sup poso I must say whom lo they want? Is It Mr. Lynn, or Lady'jevery, or my-self?" my-self?" "I think It will boEarl do Wh thoy nro after, my ladv '"Tla most likely. them te como in and nnd Earl dcivick." I their BcaiclCTihu durini-yiWforvnl Lady Jovory had boon B;ontsJdvajid Anthony Lynn had recie3'rnc stimulating stim-ulating drug on which SiJelled. But ho was very III, and Lndj Jovery, who auoreu nor nephew, wcswoeplng and full of anxious terror. Matilda vainly assured hor Stephen was safe. At this point tho sheriff re-entored tho room. Ho wns in a vllo temper, and did not scruple to oxorclso It. "Tho mnn has gone," ho said to An-thony An-thony Lynn; "and I bollevo you know all about tho affair. You aro nono of Cromwell's friend. Many people bolide bo-lide me say that of you." "I am glnd they do ino so much honor. Cromwell! Who Is Cromwell? A man to joy tho dovll. No. I am not his friend!" nnd with a radiant smile, "I thank my Maker for It." Tho Bhcrlff turned to his attendants. attend-ants. "You hear tho traitor!" ho cried. "You hoard Anthony Lynn (urn his back on hlmsolf! I know him always for a black heart and a double tonguo. We must havo a warrant for htm, and thnt at once." "Fool!" said tho trembling, totter-Ing totter-Ing old man, with a superhuman scorn, as his clay-like faco suddonly ilamod Into its last color. "Warrant! warrant! Oliver Cromwell has no warrant war-rant to lit my name. I go now on tho warrant of tho King of kings. Matilda! Matil-da! Stephen! I am going to my dear lord to my dear King to my dear God!" and as a strong man shakes off a usoless garment, so Anthony Lynn dropped his body, and in that moment his spirit How away fu.rth.or than thought could tollow it. "What a villain!" cried tho shorlff. "Villain, in your faco," answorea Matilda passionately. "Out of tho presenco of holy death! You are not lit to stand by his dead body! Go, on this instant! Sure, If you do not, thoro nro thoso who will mnko you!" With these words she cried out tor hor servants In a volco full of horror and grief, nnd tho first porson to answer an-swer hor cry was Cymlin Swaffham. Matilda went to his side, clung to his nrm, pointed to tho dead man on tho hearth and tho domineering flguro of tho sheriff above it, and cried, "Cymlin, "Cym-lin, Cymlin, send him away! Oh, 'twa3 most unmercifully dono!" "Sir," snld Cymlin, "you exceed your wnrrant. Havo you arrested Stephen do Wick?" "Tho mnn has run, Mr. Swaffham, nnd mndamo thoro knows it." "You havo nothing to do with Lady Matilda. If the housp has uoeu searched, your business' hero is finished. fin-ished. You can go." (To bo continued.) |