Over the Border
A Talc of tbc Days of Charles I,
by Robert T. Harr
(Copyright, 1001. by Hnbert Barr.)
CHAl'TKH V.
Or'el.
ItANCKS made her way to t tie
north us hi-r father hail directed,
arid everywhere found tho news
of his arrest In advance of her,
tho country ablaze with excite
ment because of It. Tho world woiiM go
well once Strafford was laid low. He had
deluded and mls'od the good king, as TJuck
Inpham did before him Buckingham had
fallen hy the knife; Strafford should fall
by the nxe. Then the un tram moled king
would rule well; quietness and Industry
should rureeod this unheulthy period of
fever and unrest.
Tho girl was appalled to meet everywhere
thlH Interine hatred of hrr father, und In
her own homo she was surrounded by IL
Kven her brother could not be uro-iscd to
sympathy, for he regarded his father not
only ns a tri'ltor to his lountry, but as a
domestic delinquent a'so, who had neg
lected and desi rted his young wife, h aving
her to die uncomforted. without even a
message from the husband fur whom i-he
had almost s.n rllli ed her good nntne, bear
ing uncomplainingly his absence and hnr
father's wrath. During the winter France
aw little or her brother. Herbert Went
worth was here and thero riding the coun
try. Imagining with the confidence of ex
treme youth that he was mixing In groat
affairs, as Indeed they were, although he
wns too young to have much Influence In
their direction. The land was In a ferment,
and the wildest rumors were afloat. Staf
ford had escaped from the Tower and had
taken flight abroad, like so many of his
friends, who had now scattered In fear to
France or to Holland. Again It was said
the kind's soldiers hud attacked the Tower,
liberated Strafford and tho black man was
at the head of the wild Irish, resolved on
the subjugation of Kngland.
Blnce the letter she had received on the
Bight of his arrest the daughter had heard
no more from her father. Had he again
forgotten, or were his messages Inter
cepted? They heard, even In the north,
that the carl would have to stand trial.
At last she could wait no longer. Her horse,
and tho pouthern road were at her disposal,
with none to hinder, and she set forth for
London again. She avoided her father'
mansion when sho arrived there,, knowing
that Irfidy Strafford was then In residence
there, and she went to the Inn where she
had formerly lodged. Then she appealed to
ber father's treasurer, Mr. Volllns, to get
a seat for her at the earl's trial, where she
could see him, but whore he could by no
possibility see her. lest the sudden sight Of
ber might unnerve him In a crisis.
At the next day Frances found herself
one of a bevy of gayly dressed ladles, all
of whom were chattering merrily. Rut
their rhalter was silenced soon by the
measured tramp of armed men. Behind
them, with four secretaries, the earl of
Strafford came slowly, a bowed and pallid
figure dressed In black.
A broken man, sentence of death waa
already pc.ssed upon him by a higher
tribunal. He took his seat and closed Ma
yes as If th9 short walk from the barge
te the place of judgment had boon too
much for him.
The preliminaries of the day passed by
Frances like a dream. Hut suddenly she
aw her father on his feet, and lie began
to speak, the voice at first cold and calm,
penetrating the remotest corner of that
Tast room. In argument that even she
recognized as clear and logical, and as
dispassionate ns If he were setting forth
the case of another.
He was listened to with the most pro
found respect by friends and enemies altkj.
He seemed to brush away the charges
against him as if they were very cobweba
of accusation.
As he went on, warmed to his theme,
all In the great hall leaning Intently for
ward, realized that they were listening to
oratory such ns had never before greeted
the ears of Kngland, and probably never
would again. A breathless tension held the
audience sMllltound, and It seemed impos
sible that his direst foe could remain un
moved. The liellef in bis acquittal became
a certainty. Not a cloud on tho harp of
humanity was left untouched.
"And now. my Ixirds," he ended, "I thank
God I have been by His blessing sufficiently
Instructed in the extreme vanity of all
temporal enjoyments compared to the im
portance of our eternal duration. And so,
my Lords, even so, with all humility and
with all tranquility of mind, I submit
clearly and freely to your Judgments. And
whether that righteous doom shall be to
life or death, I sail repose myself, full
of gratitude and confidence In the arms of
the great author of my existence. Te
Deum laudumus, te lknilnum confllemur."
The I-alin phrase pealed forth like the
solemn tone of a chant, and the speaker
subsided Into his hair almost In a swoon,
for physical weakness had at last over
come the Indomitablo spirit.
On none of the vast visible throng had
the effective oration exorcised greater
power than upon an unseen auditor. The
awed stillness was suddenly broken by a
splintering crash and tho startled audience
looking up, saw the frail lattice work that
hid a gallery alcove shattered. And the
king standing there like a hoat enframed
by Jagged laths. Stern determination sat
on that handsome countenance; a li ok
which said as plainly ns wor-U, "This man
shall not die!" m8 hands clutched the
broken framework beneath him and ho
moistened his lips as if to give utterance
to the words his expression foreshadowed.
Hut before he could speak a tall, angular
figure sprang out from among the Com
mons and held up a sinewy hand. His face
was ablaze with anger; his stentorian voice
dominated tho hall, envenomed with
hatred, striking the ear with terror as does
the roar of a tiger.
"The might of Kngland, In Parliament as
sembled, gives judgment, uMrammoled and
unafraid. The king is not here. The king
cannot bo here. The throne is vacant and
must remain vacant until justice la done."
here, but a determined man, knowing what
he wanted and bent on having It To her
excited Imagination the resolute face took
on the semblance of a death musk, and the
clrncb'-d right hand seemed to grasp the
shaft of an ax. It was as if the headsman
had suddenly stood forth and claimed his
own and a chill as of the grave swept over
tho audience with a shudder In Its wake.
A low, walling cty went sobbing ucrnsa
the silence; a cry that tugged at Strafford's
heart when he hoard It. What memory did
It stir In his troubled mind? A reminis
cence of something that had escaped him,
crowded out by matters of more pressing
moment.
"What is that?" he nuked, anxiously.
"It is nothing, my lord." answered Vol
llns, stepping between his master and the
Wednesday saw no excitement on the
streets. People were going soberly about
their affairs and this was a hopeful sign
to Frances, who hid grown to fear the
hue atid cry of the mob even more than
she feared tho Indecision of the king. If
ho wire left unterrlfled, she reasoned all
his tendency would be toward mer"y and
the keeping of his solemn promise at
Hampton.
At tho palace gates opening on White
hall, the captain of the guard refused
to grant admission without an order; but
stiuck by her beauty and evident distress,
he consented to admit her If she could
mime any about tho court who would
vouch for her. Frances pondered a
moment and hesitated, but her need was
great, and she named De Courcy, though
Wiere, Jtoeetest otnaons, you
are sungiess now, ana naught but
THe honey is to be gathered:
j
As the last words rang out the long In
dex finger, shaken menacingly, pointed at
the empty and draped throne In the hall.
There was defiance of king or minister in
words and tone and gesture; a challenge
to the throne. Tho pale face of the king
became a ghastly white, his hand trembled
and fragments of the lattice work fell from
beneath it. Irresolution took the place of
former determination and he glanced piti
fully from right to left, as if seeking hu
man support, of which, in the amazed still
ness, there was no iitie2!0n. Then the
fine white hand of an unseen woman
showed for a moment on his arm like a
snowflake, and Charles, with one look ot
haunting compassion on the prisoner, dis
appeared from sight. The phantom pltture
had vanished from its ragged frame with
out a sound mid blank darkness occupied
Its place. Truly the king was not present,
conjured away by the strenuous hand of
the tierce combatant on the stage, and the
soft hand of the woman behind the scenes.
"Who Is that man?" whispered Frances,
gazing in frightened fascination on the
rude Interrupter.
"That is John Pym, the chief prosecutor
and deadly personal enemy of Lord Straf
ford." As the girl gazed at this dominating in
dividuality al! the troth of confidence In
her father's acquittal, whipped up by the
chatter of conversation at the beginning,
evaporate.1. There stood the personified
hatred of Kngland against the earl of
Strafford, No wavering in accent or action
commotion amort the women. "A woman
has fainted, that la all. They are taking
her out."
CHAPTER VI.
Iletrn nl.
There followed many days of suspense.
Despite the fervor of l'ym's speech, the
Commons haa not asked the lords for judg
ment, and Strafford's friends hailed it aa
good omen. 15ut the Commons speedily dis
illusioned th -m. A bill of attainder was
brought In. They would have tho head of
Strafford by act of Parliament !f not by
legal procedure.
To the amazement of all, the lords gnve
their consent to the bill, nnd nothing stood
between Strafford's head nnd the block ex
cept a scrawl from the king's hand.
On Monday there were ever increasing
rumors that Charles had signed the bill,
which would send his chief minister to the
block. But by nightfall news came that the
bill had been signed, not by the king's
own hand, but by four commissioners
whom he had appointed for the purpose.
Kven the House of Commons was amazed
and the friends of the earl were mute with
dismay. Hut shrewd men pointed out that
the case In reality was no worse. At any
moment the king could free his minister or
mitigate his sentence, and Charles was
free to reprieve the eaxl even at the last
moment.
Frances determined to see the king her
self and learn from his own lips the fate of
her father.
with deep reluctance.
Do Courcy appeared before many mo
ments, lured by the Information that a
beautiful woman was waiting for him.
When ho saw Frances, he did riot trou
ble to make an explanation to the cap
tain of the guard, but bade her enter at
once.
"I will take you by a private way where
you will encounter no one," he Raid with
a leer.
They threaded their way through de
vloui passages until at Inst they reached
a door, which he pushed open, saying:
"If J oil will w ait hero for ft moment, I
will go to t lie king."
Ho t owed gracefully and ushered the
girls Into a square room, the walls of
which were decorated by groups of swords
and rapiers of various sorts; a veritable
armory. A table occupied the center,
and there were several chairs with a
lounge against the wall. A door opened
upon an Inner room. De Courcy, distend
of taking his depnrture. stepped In quickly
after the girl, closed the door nnd turned
tho key In the look. With the grating of
the key came the first suspicion to the
mind of Frances that her guide was
troacherous. Much as she had always
distrusted him, It seemed Incredible that,
knowing her to be the daughter of the
esrl of Strafford, anything disastrous
might befall her here In the very palsoe
of the kirg. the sworn protector of hli
peoplo. n-. Wr on De Courcv's f ce nni
nl -. ... .11,,, rltslllusloned her
"If o.: . lc seated, my dear, we m
