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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (June 14, 1903)
Over (Copyright, 1903, by KolH-rt l!arr.) CHAP IKK VII. Co lurid i n re. jr t i im a . . . yitini;iiu ji iii;iiruiiK roue n LS I I'l n'lid black Meed like one mora mm Huddle leather than to the wearing out of the name material In the form of boots. Horse and man were j Subtly suited, cu h to each, that such an other pair might well have given to some early artint the first Idea of a centaur. Armstrong was evidently familiar with the distilrt he traversed, for ho evinced no surprlso when, coming to the rrown of a height, he saw In the valley below Mm a one-storied stone building, whole outhous-s and general surroundings proclaimed it a solitary Inn, but the horse, less self-contained, r.nd doubtless more fatigued, thrust forward Its ars and gave utterunee to a faint whinny of pleasure ut the near pros pect of rest and refreshment. The hind of the rider nffectl jnati ly atrok.-d and patted the long, black mane, ai If In silent cor roboration of the animal's easer anticipa tion The young man was fair aa hU mount was dark. A m.is.' of yellow hair flowed out from under his Foot's bonnet and over bis broad shoulders. A heavy blnn.1 mjs Lache gave him a semi-military air, a look of the cavalier, as if he wire a rimnarit of that strkkrn band across the border whl:h was fighti: g fur King Ch-.iWs again .t duly increaj,j: odds, but something of jaunty avlf-conP.-5cr.ee In Armrtrong's manner be toker.ed that the civil war raging tn Eng land was no concern to hiin. Both prowess and grriality were on the tilant of U!nj put to the test as be ap proached the li-.n. where a wayfarer la usually certain of a welcome If he ha but money In his pouch. A lar.ceman. his tall weapon held upright, stepp-il out Into tha road from the front of the closed door be fore which he had been standing, when he aaw that the traveler was about to bait and dismount. "Ve'll be fur dawnerln' on a bit faurer forret," hinted the sentfncl In a cautious. Insinuating manner, as If he w. re but sir ing expression to the other's unspoken In tention. "A wise man halts at the first public house he comes to, after the sun Is down," replied Armstrong. "Ah'm thlnkln' a man's no verra wis that stops whaur he's least wanted. If them that's no wantin' him hlx good airn tn their hauns." "Aye, my lad. steel's a bonny argument, lightly used. What's a" th' steer here that a tired man, willing to pay his way, Is aent doon th" road?" Armstrong adopted for tho moment a brogue as broad as that of his questioner, lie flung his right leg Across the horse, and now sat sideways In his saddle, an ac tion which caused the sentinel to grip sud denly the shaft of his pike with both hands, but the equestrian making no further mo tion, conversing In an easy, nonchalant tone, aa If ho had little personal Interest In the discussion, the vigilance of the man oa guard partially relaxed, probably thinking It aa well not to provoke so excellently quipped an opponent by any unnecessary how of hostility. "Wee!, ye see. there's muckle folk In ban yonner that hlx many a thing to chatter aboot, an' that's a' Ah ken o't. forby that Ah'm ta let nane Inside ta disturb them." "Whose man are you?" "Ah belong to th' erl o' Traqualr." "And a very good friend of mine th aarl of Traqualr Is. Will you just go In Ide and tell him William Armstrong la Bitting here on his horse?" "That wull Ah no. for If th' king hlmsel' Were to auk. Ah munna let him by th' door. Ba Jlst task a fule's advice fur ylnce, and gam? awa' ta th' next botha afore It gets darker an' yer like to lose ye'r road amang th' hills." Tho descent of young Armstrong waa so Instantaneous that the man-at-arms had o opportunity of carrying out hla threat, r even of leveling the unwieldy weapon In hl own defense. The horseman dropped on him aa If he had fallen from the clouds and the pike rang useless on the rough cobblestones. The black horse showed no Ign of fright, as might have been expected, but turned his Intelligent head and calmly Watched the fray as If accustomed to any ccentrlclty on the part of his master. And What the fine eyes of the quadruped saw was startling enough. The widespread limbs of the surprised soldier went whir'lng through tha air like the arms of a windmill la a gala. Armstrong had graspod him by the waist and turned him end for end re volving him. Catherine-wheel wise until the bewildered wlta of tha victim threat ened to leave him through the action of etjtrlfugal foroa. By the time tha unfor tunate aentinel tost all reckoning of tha direction In which solid earth lay with re Bard to his own swiftly changing position, ba waa sprawling on his assailant's shoul r, gaping Ilka a newly landed trout, and thus hoisted aloft, he was carried to tho eloaed door, which a kick from Armstrong's foot burst crashing Inward. The Intruder flung his burden Into the nearest corner of tha large room, aa If he were a sack of orn. then facing tha startled audience tha young man cried: "Strong orders should hava a atronger the Border guard than you set, gentlemen. I hold to the right i every Scotsman to enter a public dramshop when he pleases." A dozen umazed men had sprung to their feet, oversetting a chair or a stool here and there bihlnd them, aid here and there a flagon before them. lOleven swords flashed out, but the uprnlH.'d right hand of tha chairman and his command; "ig voice caused the weapons to hang suspended. "The very man! ISy God, the very man we want! In the fiend's name, Will, where have you dropped from?" "Krom the back of my horse a moment since, as your henchman lure will bear witness, Traqualr." "Armstrong, your arrival at this June- ro$en (Mi ift iu uteir jeez: V LLJ ture is providential; that's what it Is, provi dential." "It must be, my lord, for you did your best to prevent It. Tour stout plkemaa would not even let you know 1 waj within call, so X Just brought htm In to give tho message properly." "Loah, if ha knew you as well as I do, ha would have thought twice ere he stood In your way. Coma to the table, man. and fill a flagon." The young man drank long and well. Tha sentinel had by this time got on his feet and was staring at the company Ilka one daxed. "Where's your pike?" demanded Tra qualr. "On the stones ootslde, ma lord." "Very well, go out and lift It. and sea that you keep a better grip of It when the next man comes along. Attend to Arm strong's horse, and keep an eye up and down the road." "I'll look after my own beast, Traqualr." "No need for that. Will. We have mat ters of Importance to discuss, and Angus here will feed the horse as well as you can do it." "I'll eat and drink whatever' set before me, and never ask who is tha cook, but I trust no man to wait on my horse. You blda by your sentry march, Angus, and I'll sea to tha beast." With this Armstrong strode out of tha house, the Ul-used sentinel following him. As the door closed tho Interrupted hum of conversation rose ogain. Who the inter loper might bo was tha burden of tha Inquiry. - "Armstrong's tha very man for our pur- A Tale of tbe Days of by Robert T. Barr pose," said Traqualr. "If anyone can get through Old Noll's armies by craft or by force. It la Will. I had no Idea he was near by or I would never have wasted thought on any other. I have known him for years and there Is none to match him, hl'lan' or lowlan'. We need seek naa farrnr if Christie's Wull la wullin'." lie ceased, for the door opened and Will entered. "We hare some employment for you," cried Traqualr, "If you are ready for it. There are papers that we must get through to King Charles at Oxford. Then, what Is much mora Important, we must get his signed warrant back to us before we can act to any real purpose In Oils play. The atnqQd tneti had victorious rebels pretend that they are fighting for certain so-called liberties, but we have reason to know that their de signs run much deeper, and that they aim at nothing less than the dethronement and possible murder of tha king. It is neces sary to get proof of this to tha king and to obtain hla sanction to certain action on our parts, for if wa move without his written commission and our plana fall, we are likely to get short shrift from Cromwell, who will deny us the right of belligerents. "Whether tha king believes this or not, tha documents we wish to send him are less to tha purpose than that you should bring back to us his commission, so you will know that your homecoming is much more vital to us than your outgoing." "I e. Still, if they kill me on my way there, it is not likely I will win my way back, so both Journeys are equally vital to me." "The pick of my stables is at your choice. Had you better not take a spare animal with your "No. That would be advertising the im portance of my Journey. If I can get through at all It must be by dawnering along as a cannle drover body, anxious to buy up cattle and turn an honest penny by selling them to those who want them worse than I do; a perfectly legitimate trade, even during these exciting times. They all know the desire of a humble Scotsman to make a little money, though the heavens and kings bo falling." "That's an admirable Idea and you know the country well?" "No ouo belter. Indeed, III trade my Charles I, way to the very gates of Oxford If time ta not too great an object with you." "Time Is an object, Armstrong, but you will have to do the best you can, and we shall await your return with what patience we may. You will tackle the job, then?" "It's Just the kind of splore I like. Can you allow me three weeks or a month?" "If you're back inside a month, Will, you'll have dono what I believe no other man In all Scotland could do. Well, that's settled, then." CHAPTER VI IL Espied. The earl wns Interrupted by a roar from the sentinel outside, which caused every sprung man in tho room to start to his feet, but before they could move Angus came burst ing In. "Somebody dropped from the hole on tha loft above the stables, an' wui aff ta th' wood afore I could stop him." "To horse!" cried Traqualr. "Mount In stantly and let's after him." "It's useless, my lord," said Armstrong, quietly, the only unexcited man in tha group. "Ye might as well look for soma particular flea in all the hl'lan's. He'll have a horse tied to a tree, and a thousand cavalry couldn't catch him, if he knows the wilds hereabout." Traqualr stood frowning and Indecisive, his hand on the bill of his sword. "Where's the landlord?" he asked at last "Annus, bring him in here." Tho sentinel left the room, and speedily reappeaied with a cowering man, evidently as panic-stricken as any of his guests. "Have there been some stragglers about today?" demanded Traqualr. "Not a toul, my lord, on my oath, not a soul." "Is there connection between the room altove and the loft over the stable?" As he spoke they heard tha tread of tha sentry In the loft. "Is that you, Angus?" asked Traqualr In an ordinary tone of voice. "Can you hear what I aayT "Perfectly, ma lord. There's a very cun nin' trap 'tween th' stable loft an" this, thut one wnuldna bev foun' In a hurry but the thief left It open In his sudden flight." Tha lips of tha landlord turned white.