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Show ttapatmtjaaB.aiwa-aiaaaaatiaiatwttaaw svasattaaMatatttaM.aatstattsw TliTFliisTRtss Margaret j "The young forget their fanclea, the old forget their cares, When pretty Mistress Marget comes smiling down the stairs" Nobody who once looked upon Mistress Mis-tress Marget pretty Mlttrei Marget almost everybody called her could help loving her I. Thomas Dawtry, splsln and simple aqulre of tbo realm, loved her better than all tho world But pretty Mistress Marget was not tor me, or so at least her father had Informed me Aa for me, I bad long slice decided tn abldu by this derision only so long ns clrcumstinrea compelled com-pelled mo. Whenever fato offered me the shidow uf an opportunity I meant to steal Mlatreta Msrgtt and run Away with her Mistress Marget, as I had ery reason mix o spoken words to txlltve, would bo by no means unwilling unwil-ling The opportunity rnmn when my ' iweet lady a father was railed away to light for his king nnd country. King I Charles and Ilonnlo Kngland I who longed to fight tor king nnd country I ilio, dared tbo laughter and tho Jeers of my comrades to stay behind a little tad steal my lovely lady, If It so Blessed fate And no sooner bad her father ridden away at the head of his men, then I made for tho hall and sought out old Simeon tho gardener Blr Reginald had never forbidden my visits he was too la a man to tempt fato In such a manner ho had merely taken caro that I had no chanco of solitary speech with my dear lady I knew now that the I-ady Kleanor Illowott, who filled, na best she might, tbe place ot the dead lady of tbo manor man-or to her daughter, Mistress Marget, favored pot my suit, so I sought not to have speech with her or with my ltdy. Old Simeon 1 bad been frlenda with ever slum, ns n child, I had played tn tho gardens with sweet Mistress Mis-tress Marget. I knew he was my friend and would help me I knew also that be might speak with hla lady when I might not unwatehed and unguarded un-guarded To old Simeon I told my story, snd trusted him for his aid A -l there waa the chink of gold 1st rn us when we parted, albeit my lack of gold waa the reason why Sir Reginald had said me nay, upon my asking for his daughter's hand And for gold nest to hla love for pretty Mistress Marget old Simeon would no more than most ot ua would do for ihe sake of life. That evening I happened to bo walking In tho lane Just as old Simeon also came out to tako tbo air And a note passed between us Old Simeon also Instructed me as to where I could find certain Implements and tools a Isddor and a stout stave among them which I might need later on, perchance. per-chance. And I gava to Simeon the package ot a certain drug which my friend, tho ihlrugeon had given mo Mistress Marget was tn aee thrt this drug was dropped Into the flagon of lenient up for the Ijidy Wfanor'a upper, Then, Inter, she was to lean out of her casement and signal to me, waiting outside In the lane. And later lat-er atlll Parson Dibney who lured us both and sympathized wllh i rjthor than with Blr Htglnald waa I make Pretty Mistress Marget my wife And ao It all happened, without let or hindrance, save, wheu my body servant's ser-vant's horse waa mired In tho alough back of the lane Ho should have, vailed In tho Une proper but ha thought be heard voices and tounda ot horses' hoofs coming and, knowing tbat ha must not be found there 'be leaped his own ateed over the hedge nd Into tbe slough We had to wait sumo mlnutis for him, when we would fain havo hurried onward. Hut thla waa after I tnd placed the ladder underneath my lady a w.idow mounted mount-ed It, pried on thn giian'ng bara wllh tho stout slavo which old Simeon bad furnished me, and received my darling In my arms My heart beat to In going go-ing down tht ladder that t feared ahe would bear II mid think mo timid Yet had I courage In ilalm n kiss ns wo neared tho IkiIIoiii Insltllng that ho pay It mo before I sot her down, and I do not think tho noticed the rapid beating of my heart after that, even had ahe noticed It before Her own heart beat rapidly then, aa the bright color i anting and going In tht face which looked an fair and Sweet la tho moonlight testified clearly. At tbo foot nf tho ladder I set her down, nnd hand In hand wo raced across the greensward, over tho footbridge foot-bridge old Simeon had managed to leavo open and unguarded for us, and out Into the lane There, lifting her dear form In my nrms. I swung her up before me, and uwny wo galloped, after tho short Interval ot waiting for my aervant, of which I havo spoken Halt an hour later we stood beforo Parson Dabuey In the gray old vicarage, vicar-age, and n few momenta afterward I had tho right to call nrettr atltirra. Marget my wife. Then, a hurried kits, n tear or two on Mistress Margol' part, and wo wore on ou,- way back tu tba hall, whtroJJUlrtwJd.ra.l-wa.-to live on, Ihe same aa ever In all things save that slender gold band on her finger, until my return from tba wars. And then ah I sad for a man to leavo hla wlfo on the wedding eve my body servant had aummoned my variola and they waited for mo outside out-side In thn Jsne. I could but kits my darling once mure, ah mol but to tenderly ten-derly and lovingly, tee her aafcly up the ladder, withdraw It from beneath her window, wave her a latt tender farewell and now, bethrew met but mine own eyea were wet and take my departure Hut beforo I crossed tbo fnot-brldge once more 1 threw tho stout stave that had served our turn so well far from me Into tbe thick of tbo hedge, and' 1 once more cllnkod gold with old Simeon In order that ho might be properly forgetful of all tbat had happened that night. Then the toft darkness of the lano, with the moon well under a kindly cloud, a sharp command to the waiting varlcta, a tearing gallop until morning, and wo wore well up wllh Sir Iteglnald and his men, and nothing but wara nnd flghllnc beforo us for many long months, Hut my heart waa brave and llgbt-somo llgbt-somo within me, even though I had left my dtar wlfo of an hour behind me. For It Is easier, perhaps, to leavo one's wlfo than nno'a sweetheart, especially espe-cially when the sweetheart's father favors a richer man, and 1 knew, also, (lint I was a brave and skillful fighter, fight-er, and I hoped that before Sir Iteglnald Itegl-nald or I saw pretty Mistress Marget again his heart would havo warmed Inward ma on this account. For Blr Ileglnald loves a bravo man and a good fighter always And In tho end It all turned out even aa t had hoped. Chicago Tribune |