Show TIM 10 40 VW OV OP beneath tho the branches of a mighty oak tree a giant who had stood sentinel in III that lonely dip on tile the wolds for twice three hundred aundre years two men were standing their figures mado more ur or less leaa distinct by tho the rays of a big content conical lantini of antique pattern that tho the older elder of 0 the two carried la in ilia his gnarled and bloodless fingers a figure strangely akin to tho the blaut tree beneath which lie he stood an eged man mail was zachary doy his back bent beat by years of hard labor such as few of tile modern generation of laborers know it a man mail who hall had been an experienced farmhand farmland far while the man beside him his master was still a puling infant tile old follow set down ills lantern on tile the ironbound iron bound hound earth ills ilia quavering r voice stabbed tile tho silence now ilo do lee ee harken unto me master alaric ho he said slowly ive served I 1 eo co faithful you and your ceyther adoro ee for nigh on fifty year apil I 1 tell ee ce master that what eo ee do purpose tor for to do is again all right and reason this yere oak tree the kingscote oak as all tho the country ahlo do know her for to bo be ha bin bill here as a landmark and a pride for longer than us poor souls can call reckon to cut her town down to do mean as I 1 be right well assured that kingscott King scoto luck will fall wl wi un tin if so be 11 alaric King seato broko broke in upon garrulity with a forced laugh if lUng scoto luck could fall lower thin than it has zachary ho he said bitterly you on need have hao little fear that I 1 would touch bark with axe now hear me old friend tills this tree fieo represents represent tho the last thing upon tile farm fam that can bring in the money I 1 must havo have to title over tho the bad times in store tho the iner chants have offered me two hun dred pounds for foi the treo tree theres onla ono one rotten limb upon it 11 come tomorrow with tho their carts find take it awny awa lie ho laid 1 ild its big hand blind upon tile old mans m in s shoulder get sou home to boil bed zachary lie he added gently you can do nothing liero hero its 9 now nn ily midnight with luck the King kingscott scoto oak will bo be down the old fellow looked wistfully into the handsome hand sonio face anco of 0 ills his young master master alaric ho he said hoarsely io fie fafty alvo pun pull three llla and fl I penco laid away in a holo tit in the floor omy cottage cot tago it if so bo be as sm savo vo the King kingscott scoto oak why go homo home with you zachary broke in tho the young man mail roughly ro though tits hla roughness lild bild an emotion almost too deep for any words go co homo home and god bless you old friend zachary thrust tits his roughened land hand across tits his eyes without another word a a strangely pathetic bowed old figure flan re he turned and shambled ort off across the field toward the stile into tal alu lane that led to the little thatched cottage that bad been ills homo home tor for so many years ile ho never once looked back k for r a few seconds alaric adarle kingscote kod looking after him then with a strangely stran Rely fierce gesture tho the young fellow lung flung oft off his rough tweed coat removed tile the cardigan waistcoat that covered the breadth of hla his chest and turned up the sleeves or 0 hla his coarse flannel shirt at mhd foot of the oak lay tho the wood mans huge axe that was to bo be tho the instrument ment of death that was to cut short tho the growth of centuries alaric King kingscott scoto swung tile tho great weapon aloft and tho cold starlight ran along the shining steel liko somo some warrior of old like the ro re of ono one of his saxon forebears alaric brought down tho the tool of destruction with a blow that gashed depp deop into tho the corrugated skin shin of tho the oak tho the doom of tho the oak had been proclaimed As ag ho he stood braced up for tho the second stroke tho the bulging sinews of ills his forearm responding to the generous rise of chest and thigh muscles a curious sound from bel behind ilnI him caused him to swing round with a faint cry then lie ho lowered lowera tho the axe abo with amazing gentleness tl eness another figuro had appeared upon tile tho scene the figure of a woman clad in a boak 0 of f fur that hid bid tho the contour f E 1 igho word fell from the 3 lips like a caress II 11 I 1 so youve come ho he said softly you see I 1 am as good as my word tho the Klug Ring scoto oak must go it Is the last link between me and the workhouse for it almost comes to that it was evident that the relationship between these two was something more binding that the tha ordinary ties alea existent between casual acquaintances of opposite sox sex each seemed to accept the situation as inevitable then the girl went on hurriedly catch cold alarae dear it if you stand still without your coat la in this bitter cold let mo me hold the lanuis lant for you whilo you work sav sh snatched up the light he obedient to her injunction applied tits his weapon with renewed vigor tho the lamplight threw a warm glow over tits his weather tanned faco face and muscular aps amis for a timo time lie labored on ins his whole being concentrated on the performance of his herculean task after a ho he paused to rest A great wound on tho mighty bolo bole of the oak showed how tire sure had been its his strenuous endeavors when ho be ceased sho she broko broke laito ito quick speech it seems incredible sho murmured that you van ci a of tile tho same race tho the samo same blood as ourselves should bo be forced to toll liko like tills liko a common laborer the man camo came quickly forward and flung his arm around tier her waist their lips mot met in a kiss that could not be mistaken for a more mere coup cousinly solution dandrla Dan Dam urla trig ICing kingscote lie he said eald steadily enough let us its bo be frank one with tile tho other whit what are the facts I 1 am tho the poor relation tho the blot on the family of tho the squire bour father lie he resents my proximity loathes tho the very idea of our love thre th fore hollias hohas brought his batteries to bear upon mo and mine all that ho he could do to ruin me lie he has done a and nd heaven knows that ho he had been successful enough tho the girls eyes brimmed over with tears alarae was quick to note her ready sympathy and he gripped his axe anew tho the silence vibrating once more me re with tile tho ringing eadi cadence ence of his rhythmic blows presently lie ho rested once again damaras Da marls lio lie said did you ever hear tho the legend that rims in our branch of tho the family that but tor for some rome strange whim of chanco chance I 1 should lavo have been lit in tho the squires place today tho the ruler of the destiny of King kingscott scoto globe farm from father to son the tradition has been handed down that nagel kingscote tho the cavalier juggled in some unknown way with tho the laws of succession slon that it was not the son of f tile tho eldest son soil who was your own fathers athers ancestor but mine that could i laiq lio truth only bo be known aright I 1 should bo be reigning at King kingscott scoto manor intend instead of being what I 1 rma ama rm am a pauper fated to cut town down tho the family faintly treo tree to ilso also a pitiful sum of money that must lo bo procured damaras stood speechless and marie 0 once neo moro more resumed tits his heavy task tash finally after long and weary toll tile mie end came with a cry to tho the girl marto marlc flung down tits his axe and leaped backward ilia hla hand sought hers ole ille by side drawn apart fr from tile the N i bering giant they stood as though poll bound the only spectators of tho the ml of so many hundred years of aint nt strenuous majesty nol nd even as the mighty tree went to its tremendous fall a chaok i ick as of a pistol shot foreshadow i 1 its ita overthrow tile the bolso camo came tinn rom tho tila one rotten bough that the t tr r had possessed a huge limb some hi f way up its stem stein which now detar twing ieng first from it parent crashed don doat a at the very feet of tile tho wonder nor N oc was hat all A metallic tinkle acro apanged the crash dani dan ris was tit first to recognize the solution of th ill puzzle ft 11 was a metal ca canister nistor a long tit iiii stained box of rusted tin closed at I 1 nth ends a thing of mystery of inn 1 possibilities sho picked it up nil q she did so BO ono one end toll fell a away wa Y tin a nister contained nothing but i st i ned I 1 yellow piece of parchment it cipo po which something was written in lose close ant and crabbed calligraphy call cali graphy arel c hard to do decipher cipher altric al trie swung tho the up tile tho ground what Is it Danin damaras Da marls ris lie ho asked breathlessly slowly sli aly laboriously tho the girl road read out tile tho following amazing declaration a day will come when that 1 nigel XIng scOto LIO do set town down here lit in writing in tho the year of grace 1617 and do little in tho the holo hole of tile the oak may bo be sete out in the clearo light of day and even as esau of old did sell tits his birthright so do 1 I nigel kingscote head of the house of kingscote ren renounce otince my right and tit alir right of those who come after me to be tho the true and lawful possessors of the ho dalre lands or of manor yet not voluntarily doo I 1 this but for the lifo life of him my son sail know then aliv I 1 must leo floo the country crohw the regicide hatli degreed that I 1 stall die the eforo have hava I 1 given my infant son to my younger brother james who will bring up my son as ills his own thus it may como come to pass that tile the descendants of 0 nigel my son may be passed over in the right of succession by tile tho descendants of richard thu oldest eldest son of my yo younger brother james who stands well in tho the eye of cromwell tho the regicide cido aud and renegade and ana that this bo be true and that nigel supposed younger son of james baffles of kingscote manor be really tho the oldest son of nigel kingscote oldest eldest son soil of adarle kingscote father of nigel and james and therefore heir to tile manor of its hereditaments messu ages and all that do thereto appertain and ills his seed hereafter him it so BO bo be there should bo be any I 1 do most solemnly swear find and protest in tho the presence of witnesses to which I 1 do set my hand and seal tills this sixteenth day of march one thousand six hundred ani furty forty seven signed nigel kingscote in the presence pro senco ot of rupert mainwaring knight bannerot Dan Dann erot of hall la in the county of berkshire and anselm anselin wolf priest stuttered it tho the parchment fluttered uttered crisply from tho the girls nerveless hands Danin damaris ds cried alaric hoarsely damaras Da marls coherent speech ho he could not find tile girl raised her ter head it la Is true it Is truel true sho sald said brokenly we father and 1 I aro are the usurpers usurp ers eral manor alador Is yours and wo we are haupers paupers pau pers sl not paupers haupers pau pers dearest but partners answered alaric and in his eyes there was that which told her how King kingscott scoto lovo love stood wind and weather as steadily as ICIng kingscote oak squire Xing scoto now sleeps with ills his fathers in tho the little Derk berkshire shiro churchyard but ero cro lie ho died ills his declining years denra were brightened by the generous forgiveness of tho undesirable poor relation A young and sturdy sapling oak now nonn on oil the spot where stood tho the ancient tree a true symbol of the lasting power of kingscote luck and love answers |