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Show H A Prince of H Highwaymen BH D KATHARINE TYNAN ill II opyrlttll. by Joseph II llowits I --BH I wst a born turbulent I suppose, the H rblld of m hard rilling. hard-drinking H father rather than of my gentle moth- B cr If mr lather hid lived things had H) been better with me, (or I remember f bl ureal Jolly laughter when I had H behaved ill, or ao my mother thought, yet out or mere rhlldlah roguery ind H darlna rather than with evil Intent. BBJ He km not many mo n I hi dead wnen toy b-otbtr Aymer waa lrn Bo People ued to -wonder that we could Bg be tprung of tine etoek I ) dark, he BH to lair, I n rude ami wild In my wy, BBj he all gentlenesa BH I waa ever Intty. and aa the year BH pasted I grew strong aa a young etilt, &! and unmanageable aa one yet nn- BH bitted. Hj He, on the other hand, dent lila lair HH lellary of kmk and waa somewhat HH frail of health, which made another HH reason for my mother' loving him, HH since aha blamed herself .that eacemlta BH grlor for my father bad weakened the BVj unborn rblld, BHj I win lonely till roy rouln Jnnn HHj (rime Her mother. Dame Wlnrhettcr. Hi waa my mother s alater, and now both HH were widowed Therefore they thought HH well of hawing ibelr grief under one BBJ BH Hut theae are rhlldlah Ihlun. and let BBJ me on tn Ibe time of tbe great war Bfl My mother wan dead before those BB evil daya befell, or elae ahe had died BB n( them, iierhapa, aa many a loyal Inly BH did And even at the lam, dear hiiiI, BHl ahe lelt a barbed wound In my henrt, BBl for, aald abe to me, In those laat pre- BHl cloua bourn while we yet kept her BBl 'linger, my aon. do you love your -on- BBJ ln Joan f BBl "I know not, dearest," aald I, Hid BBJ reddened, even at that moment, for I BH waa a callow, rough lad. and would HH have been aahamed to think mbou hive BBl 81m laid her thin hand on mine, and BH 1 thought ahe would have kissed me, BBl for we bad drawn ckieer during her BH lllnss. but what ahe said waa HH "I.laten. ltoger. If Aymer lovea her, HH too, aa I fear he doea, let Aymer wed HH her You will forget. Yihi will gii nut HHJ lu the world among other men an I BBl will see other ladlea to love You are BH strong and valiant, my son, he la gen- BH llo und delloate It him have hla BH BH 1 did not discreditably, and fur my BH part In certain exploits came to be BH known u "Mail Maluwnrlng." HH Hut, alarkl tho gtorte were well faaaal over, ami tier waa I, a ragged earl Her, with but my horse, my awiird and my little dog And era I joined some gay f rloml of inln",-wrwwtr making war T' In another fashion, n great huniier BH ramo upon me to look upon the home BH pf my ehlldUocil, to see that which BH q had renounoed, and visit ones again -H piy mother1 grave. BB I turned my lace westward, tlmre- BB fore, nnd rode night and day, till (he BB watery sunset of a sirlng evening BB Showed me King's llewhea, Willi Its H diirrct and chlmneya black against the BB sky B The window waa open and Mime one BB 'waa tinging, a ripe mice which I waa BJ alow to recognise aa that of my t-ro- BH titer Aymer. BB With the aong went the thin music BB of n spinet I hoisted niyselt by my BB handa on the window kill, yet, ere I BB had luoknl within, t knew what I gaajji intuitu see. BB My brother, dressed soberly, yet with BB richness, leant by the spinet which iu BB ciiiialii Join was playing BB Beieral years had gone, and some- BB thing almost inalronly hud rome tiHin BB my nmiln'a beuul), nomethlnK w noble H and ao tender that I must awear 'or- B ever no wonuu'a beauty were perfect B luckhig IhaL The waves u( her cheat- U nut kalr were rolled away from tlm B pure outline of her fare I could see -H lit r little ears and the full, milk) Hj throat below the golden head H For an tnetant I feasted on her txau- H ty I hen my eyes wandered to my I brother. He looked less slight than of B old, but bin Apollo grace and fairness, BH wblrb 1 used to tblux unbeoonilug a BV num. bad not dssertsd bin BE 1 bs whole scans waa an psaraful, sn BH full of home, that It made bla heart ni he who had doomed himself tu be liomeJeas And then a thought came to me that sent the blood surging to my bead. Why, It was a borne acene I looked upon, and thla pair, with their happy quietude, were no lovers oxiept wedded ones! 1 had willed It so, or the dead hail willed It for ma. yet I turned to the night with an oalb on my llpn and despair in my heart, for never until then, I think, bad t realised my eie or my cotieln, And so, swearing 1 would nut come again, lest worse be fall, I itrodo off to the dell In tbe wood, where my Salad In pawed the ground, and Kelghod the wuy I had taken We. gentlemen of the road, diop out , nf IK" wurld we oucu knew, aa muib an If we were dead Two years did Tom Belby, lltek ijt-ader ijt-ader and myself lead tbe highway-mail's highway-mail's life, and If I aald It had not things to recommend It 1 ahould err. There came a night I rode alone, as fata would have It. and was scarce thinking of bualneat, but leant by a waytlds gallows n the abadow of a wood and mined aa waa my wont on tbe wherefore men were bom Into th world, only to leave It with not a hope fulfilled. Then, far away In tbe moonlight, I aaw a great coach somlng toward me. There were four horses, ridden by postilions, so much I tould nre, so tl waa at least Ave to one against me, but It oooaortad with ray denperate moos' to take the coach single banded Now I aaw the vantage tbe wuodt gave me, and were tbeae fellows as great cowarda aa 1 have often proved such varlels to be, the enterprise wer safe enough Therefore aa Ibe roach rolled beneath the hangman's tree, I stepped out and crying, ' Yield, knavea to m and my men'' I HourUhed tn) pliliiln In the fare of the first man 'Oh. l-ord. hlghwuymen" I hean him sob, and, Indeed, the wood'a shadow sha-dow might b full of us The horse fell berk on their hnunch en and the ureal equipage fame to a standstill I bent forward falling to my Imaginary romradea to stnnd, when suddenly, a great oath broke from the Immovable Hgure of n man that sat on the b of the roach, and turning at the sound. I aaw the four postilion scurrying Ilka rabbits as fast aa their feet would rarry them "Send your pistole after them, good highwayman!" wheeted the figure on the li. and, In faith, forgetting what ambush there might be, I blared away with both plalole, hi that the roguea might have leal fun for their money Ihnnk you frlrnd. Mild I but whom do you mrry with you' Mymi"r. ii I idy h twnuilful ifl t whi-n yo.i I .v. u h Id hit j-.u will Iu "AT I AHT AT I.AHT IHMIKII" hurt her, lor you gentlemen of the road do not war on beauty " "1'ear not, friend," said I, "1 will not hurt her, ' nnd hi saying I opened thl coach door ami looked within. "Madam," aald I, "will you not step nut and enjoy the beauty of the night! I would fain see If your eyes match your dlamonde" IW n shaft of inoonllgnt fntn the coach had revealed In me the flash ol Jewela on the lingers of the lady, aa h drew tightly about her fM hef hooded Cloak. Without a word abe held out Iter liand for me to asalat her to alight. Then she atom) upright In the moonlight, moon-light, a ehlnliui figure all In white, foi n long cloak of white satin hid lh gtorlea beneath, and elnca the domino screened her fare I muld but guess at the beauty within "You are from a ball madam?" t aald "I "nun a supper at my 1ird Clren-resler'a," Clren-resler'a," she said "Win shall go free," aald I. "on one condition." "That I yield you my diamonds?" Ttint vim Irttail n minuet with ma 1 nni ynu irenu n minuet wmi mo here. It will recall the brate days nf old. Afterward, tint you will kc mo one kiss " Hhe was silent nil Instant. "Afterward," I irlul, with a pomlnn that fired inn of n sudden "I shall kiss no other woman He turn nf that. And I ahall not nsk to see your fnce", "Ynu will let me go imiUetlineil" -1 hat shall I " "You are the prince of highwaymen." he murmured, aa the placed In my hand her own, like the petal of a III) Then on the turf, below the gallows, we went through the stately ilanre, und scarce could I tread It because of my desire for the kiss that waa tu follow hen we had nalshvd I look ber band, nnd led her to the roach 'Now madam," said I, "for your beauty a sake, and your loyalty', I will. If you will It, fnrawear I he latt condition of our bargain" "Tbe kliiT" the sold "The kits," I antwared; though I thirsted for the touru nf bar lips on mine, "Nny, but you shall mil,' the wait-pared wait-pared leaning forward from her teat In tbe couch, I felt her handa hold me In n vice, toft aa t bey were Tbty drew me toward to-ward tbe coach Her Una met mine. Then her arms were about me. "At laat. at laat, Hogerl" ah cried, "and we have been seeking you, I and Aymer thlt many a year," and the voir waa my Joun'a vole "Hut you are Aymer'e wlfal" I cried "Aymer's alater, and your wife, It you will have me at I- I. who have waited so long for you, love! Oome horn with me Aymer Is your tlew. ard, who holds your landt and your bouse till you rome Come, Hogerl" I answered her tended Invitation by taking her within my trmt I had no words to tpeak, and Ih future was long In which to ask questions. t returned to mine own house, n happy hap-py lover to And my place kept ready Mr me. Ho was my mother' great loe for my brother Aymer Justine, for , a truo aud dear brother he proved him-' him-' il to we. |