Evening Star Newspaper, May 12, 1924, Page 21

Mistress Wilding By Rafael Sabatini Author of “Scaramouche,” “Captain Blood,” ete. Copyright, 1924, by Houghton Mifia Company s o (Continued from Yesterday's Star.) Ahead of them, and over to the east, the firing blazed and crackled, volley upon volley, to tell them that already dattlo had been joined in earnest. Monmouth's surprise had aborted, and it passed through Wilding’s mind that to a great extent he was to blame for thia but it gave him little care. At least his indiscretion had served the purpose of rescuing Ruth from lord Feversham's unclean clutches. For the rest, knowing that Mon- mouth’s army far outnumbered Fever- sbam's, he had no doubt that the ad- vantage must still lie with the duke, in spite of Feversham's having been ned {n the eleventh hour. Louder grew the sounds of battle. Abvove the din of firing a swelling chorus rose upon the night, startling d weird in such a time and place. »nmouth’s pious infantry went into tion singing hymns, and Went- worth. impatient to be at his post, bade his men go faster. The night was by now growing faintly luminous, and the deathly zray light of approaching dawn hung in the mists upon the moor. Objects Erew visible in bulk at least, if not in form and shape, by the time the little company had reached the end of Weston village and come upon the deep mud dyke which had been Went- worth's objective—a ditch that com- Municated with the great rhine that served the king’s forces so well on that night of Sedgemoor. Within some twenty paces of this Wentworth_called a halt, ard would have had Wilding's hands pinioned behind him and his eyes blindfolded, but that Wilding begged him this might not be done. Wentworth was, as we know, impatient; and between impatience and kindliness, perhaps, he acceded to Wilding's prayer. e even hesitated a moment at the last. It was in his mind to speak some word of comfort to the doomed man. Then a sudden volley, more ter- rific than any that had preceded it followed by hoarse cheering away to castward, quickened his impatience. He bads the sergeant lead Mr. Wild- ing forward and stand him on the cdge of the ditch. His object was that thus the man's body would be disposed of witbout waste of time. This Wilding realized, and his soul rebelled against this fate which had come upon him in the very hour when he most desired to live. Mad thoughts of escape crossed his mind—of a leap across the dyke, and a wild dash through the fog. But the futili of it was too appalling. The mu keteers were already blowing their matches. He would suffer the igno- miny of being shot in the back. like coward, if he made any such at- mpt And so, despairing but not resigned, ks took his stand on the very edge of the ditch. TIn an irony of obligingne: he set half of his heels over the void, 50 that he was nicely balanced upon the edge of the cutting, and must g0 backward and down into the mud t was this position he had taken at had given him an inspiration in iast moment. The sergeant had moved away out of the line of fire, and ha stood there alone, waiting, erect and with his head held high, his eyes upon the gra s of musketeers— blurred alike by mist and semi-dark- ness—some twenty paces distant along the line of which glowed eight red fuses. Wentworth's voice rang out with rds of command: atches! ed the points of light, teel pots the faces of tha musketeers Ted glow, sprang for a moment out of the gray mass, to fade once more into the general grayness at the word, “Cock your matches!™ uard vour pans'” came a second later the eaptain's voice, and then: “Present!” Thers was a stir and rattle, and the dark. indistinct figure standing on the lip of the ditch was covered by the eight muskets. To the eyes of the firing party he was no more than a Llurred shadowy form, showing a little darker than the encompassing dark gray. “Give fire!™ On the word Mr. Wilding lost the ious balance he had wa lated—of breaking his neck same instant a jagged, cight-pointed line of flame slashed the darknes and the thunder of the volley pes forth to lose itself in the greater din of battle on Ponzoy Pound, hard by. CHAPTER XXIIL Mr. Wilding's Boots. In the filth of the ditch Mr. Wilding rolled over and lay prone. He threw out his left arm and rested his brow upon it to keep his face above the mud. He strove to hold his breath, not that he might dissemble death, but®that he might avoid being poi- soned by the foul gases that, dis- turbed by his weight, bubbled up to choke him. His body half sank and settled in the mud, and seen from from above, as he was presently seen by Wentworth ho ran forward With the sergeant's lantern to assure himself that the work had been well done—he_had_all the air of being ot only dead but already half buried. And now, for a second, Mr. Wilding was in his' greatest danger, and this from the very humaneness of the ser- geant. The fellow advanced to the captain’s side, a pistol in his hand. Wentworth held the light aloft and peered down into that six feet of blackness at the jacent figure. “Shall I give him an ounce of lead to make sure, captain?” quoth the sergeant. But Wentworth, in_ his great haste, had already turned about, and the light of his lantern no longer revealed the form of Mr. Wilding. “There is not the need. The ditch will do what may remain to be done, it anything does. We are v t passed, steps retreated, mutfering, and then Wentworth's voice was heard by Wilding some little distance off. By the right. turn! March” And the tramp, tramp of feet receded rap- It ilding was already sitting up, en- deavoring to get a breath of purer air. He rose to his feet, sinking al- most to the top of his boots in the oozy slime. Foul gases were beiched up to envelop him. He seized at irregullari- ties in the bank, and got his head above the level of the ground. He thrust forward his chin and took great greedy breaths in a_very gluttony of air—and never came Muscadine sweeter to a drunkard's lips. He laughed softly to himself. He was alone and safe. Wentworth and his men had disappeared. Away in the direction of Penzoy Pound the sounds | of battle swelled ever to a greater volume. Cannons were booming now and all was uproar—flame and shout- ing, cheering and shrieking, the thun- der of hastening multitudes, the clash of steel, the pounding of horses, all blent to make up the horrid din of carnage. Mr. Wilding listened and considered what to do. His first impulse was to join the fray. But, bethinking him that there could be little place for him in the confusion that must pre- vail by now, he reconsidered the mat- ter, and his thoughts returning to Ruth—the wife for whom he had been at such pains to preserve him- self on the very brink of death—he resolved to endanger himself no fur- ther for that night. He dropped back into the ditch, and waded, ankle deep in slime to the other side.' There he crawled out, and, gaining the moor, lay down awhile to breathe his lungs. But not for long. The dawn was creeping, pale and ghostly, across the solid earth, and a faint fresh breeze was stirring and driving the mist in wispy shrouds be- fore it. If he lingered there he might yvet be found by some party of royalist soldiers, and that would be to undo all that he had done. He rose and struck out across the peaty ground. None knew the moors bet- ter than did he, and had he been with Grey's horse that night it is possible things had fared differently, f had proved a surer, guide than did Godfrey, the spy. At first he thought of making for Bridgwater and Lupton House. By now Richard would be on his way thither with Ruth, and Wilding was in haste that she should be reassured that_he had not fallen to the muskets of Wentworth's firing party. But Bridgwater was far, and he began to realize, now that all excitement was ast, that he was utterly exhausted. { he thought of Scoresby Hall and his cousin, Lord Gervase. But he was by no means sure that he might count upon a welcome. Gervase had shown no sympathy for Monmouth or his partisans, and whilst he would hardly go so far as to refuse Mr. Wilding shelter, still Wilding felt an cersion to seeking what might be im. At last he bethought Zoyland Chase was r at hand: but he had not been there since his wedding day, and in the meantime he knew that it had been used as a barrack for the mili- tia, and had no doubt that it had been wrecked and plundered. Still, it must have walls and a roof, and that, for the tine, was all-he craved, that he might rest awhile and recuperate his wasted forces, half hour later he dragged him- self wearily up the avenue between the elms—iooking white as snow in the pale July dawn—to the clearing in_front of his house. Desertion was stamped upon the face of it. Shattered windows and hanging shutters everywhere. How wantonly they had wrecked it. It might have been a church and the militia a regiment of Cromwell's iconoclastic Puritans. The door was locked, but going round he found a window—one of the door-windows of his library—hanging loose upon its hinges. He pushed it wide and en- tered with a heavy heart. Instantly something stirred in a corner; a fierce growl was followed by a furi- ous bark, and a lithe brown body leapt from the greater into the lesser shadows to_attack the intruder. But at one word of his the hound checked suddenly, crouched an instant, then with a queer, throaty sound bounded forward in a wild delight that robbed it on the instant of its voice. It found it anon and leapt about him, barking furious joy in spite of all his vain endeavors to calm it He grew afraid lest the dog should draw attention. He knew not who—if any “—_might be in possession of his house. The library, as he looked around, showed a scene of wreckage that ex- cellently matched the exterjor. Not a picture on the walls, not &n arras, but had been rent to shreds. The great luster that had hung from the center of the ceiling was gone. Dis- order reigned alons the bookshelves, and yet there and elsewhere there THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY, MAY 12, 1924 omdmard & Lothrop 10,000 yards Beautiful New Silks Much Under the Regular Prices was a certain orderliness, suggesting an attempt to straighten up the place after the ravagers had departed. It was these signs made him afraid the house might be tenanted by such as might prove his enemies. “Down, Jack,” he sald to the dog for the twentieth time, patting its sleek head. “Dpwn, down-" But still the dog bounded about him, barking wildly. “Sh!” he hissed suddenly. Steps sounded in the hall. It was as he feared. The door was suddenly thrown open and the gray morning light gleamed upon the long barrel of a musket. After it, bearing it, en- tered a white-haired ‘old man. He paused on the threshold, meas- uring " the tall disordered stranger who stood there, his figure & black silhouette against the window by which he had entered. “What seek you here, sir, in this house of desolation?’ asked the voice of Mr. Wilding’s old servant. He answered but one word. “Wal- ters!” The musket dropped with a clatter trom the old man's hands. He sank back against the door post and leaned there an_ instant; then, whimpering and laughing, he came tottering for- ward—his old legs failing him in this excess of unexpected joy—and sank on his knees to kiss his master's hand Wilding patted the old head as he had patted the dog’s a little while ago. He was oddly moved; there was a knot in his throat. No home-com- ing could well have been more deso- late. And yet, what home-coming could have brought him such a tor- turing joy as was now his? Oh, it is good to be loved if it be by no more than a dog and an old servant! In a moment Walters was himself again. He was on his feet, scrutiniz- ing Wilding’s haggard face and dis- ordered, filthy clothes. He broke into exclamations between dismay and re- proach, but these Wilding interrupted to ask the old man how it happened that he had remained. “My son John was a sergeant in the troop that quartered itself here, sir,” Walters explained, “and so they left me alone. But even had it not been for that I scarcely think they would have harmed an old man. They were brave fellows, for all the mischief they did here, and they semed to have little heart in the service of the popish king. It was the officers drove them on to all this damage, and, once they'd started— well, there were rogues amongst them saw a chance of plunder, and they took it. 1 have sought to put the place to rights; but they did some woeful. wanton mischief.” Wilding sighed. “It's little mat- ter, perhaps, as the place is no longer mine. “No—no longer yours, sir?’ “I'm an attainted outlaw, Walters,” he explained. “They'll bestow it on some popish time-server, unless King Monmouth can follow up by greater victories tonight's. Have you aught a man may eat or drink? Meat and wine, fresh linen and fresh garments did old Walters find him: and, when he had washed, eaten and drunk, Mr. Wilding wrapped him- self in a dressing gown and laid him- self down to sleep on a settle in the library, his servant and his dog on ard Not above an hour, however, was he destined to enjoy his hard-earned rest. The light had grown mean- while and from gray it had turned golden, the heralds of the sun being already in the east. In the distance the firing had died down to a mere occasional boom. Suddenly old Walters raised his head to listen. The beat of hoofs was drawing rapidly near, so near that presently he rose in alarm, for a horseman was pounding up the avenue, had drawn rein at the main entrance. ‘Walters knit his brows in perplex- ity and glanced at his master who slept on utterly worn out. A silent pause followed, lasting some min- utes. Then it was the dog that rose with a growl, his coat bristling. and an instant later there came a sharp rapping at the hall door. “Sh! Down, Jack!” whispered Wal- ters, afraid of rousing Mr. Wilding. He tiptoed softly across the room, picked up his musket, and, calling the dog. went out, a great fear in his heart, but not for himself. The rapping continued, growing every instant more urgent, So urgent that” Walters was almost reassured. Here was no enemy, but surely some one in need. Walters opened at last, and Mr. Trenchard, grimy of face and hands, his hat shorn of its plumes, his clothes torn. staggered with an oath across the threshold. “Walters!” he cried. “Thank God! 1 thought you'd be here, but I wasn't certain. Down, Jack!” The hound was barking madly again, baving recognized an old friend. “Plagus on the dog!" growled| Walters. _“He'll wake Mr. Wilding." “Mr. Wilding?" said Trenchard, and checked midway across the hall “Mr. Wilding?" “He arrived here a couple of hours ago. sir * * ** “Wilding here? Oddsheart! I was more than well advised to come. Where is he, man?” “Sh, sir! He's asleep in the library. You'll wake him, vou'll wake him!" But Trenchard never paused. He crossed the hall at a bound and flung wide the library door. ‘“Anthony!” he shouted. “Anthony!” And in the background Walters cursed him for a fool. Wilding leapel to his feet, awake, and startled. , “Wha ® ¢ * Nick!” “Oons! roared Nick. “You're choicely found. I come to send to Bridgwater for you We must away at once, man.” “How—away? T thought you were in the fight, Nick.” “And don't I look as if I had been?" “But then * * *" (Continued in TOMOITOW'S Star.) Woodbward & Liothrop We Take Pleasure in Announcing a Complete Showing of National Pressure Cookers and an Active Demonstration on our Fifth Floor National Pressure Cookers in a short period of time have become universally known as the most economical means of preparing delicious food, and the de- mand for them is increasing rapidly. Nutrition Experts everywhere seem to voice the opinion that “Pressure Cooking is the cooking of the future,” since that apart from its almost unbe- lievable economies it is the only method of cooking known to science today whereby every particle of food value is retained. ‘We are able to offer our patrons the services of Jane O. MacMillan, dieti- cian and eminent authority on Pressure Cooking, who will have charge of our Pressure Cooking Department, and who will be glad to initiate our patrons into the mysteries of this last word in cooking efficiency. A Special Heavy Canton Crepe, $2.85 One of the most remarkable values we have been able to offer. The fine quality —the wide variety of street shades—old blue, almond, beige, navy, tan—as well as black and the much wanted white, makes selection most satisfactory. White Ratine (Glos), $1.65 —so much in demand for summer sports frocks, blouses and skirts—450 yards in this special selling. AlL-Silk Radium, $1.65 Both for frocks, especially the new sum- mer sports types—as well as for costume slips and fine underwear—in a variety of light and dark colors; also black and white. Russian Crepe, $1.85 A handsome, heavy quality silk-and-wool crepe for street frocks and sports wear; in white, zinc, almond, cocoa, navy and black. Underwear Tubing (Glos), $1 The woman who makes her own under- things will be especially interested in th special value; in pastel colors, pink, lav- ender, peach and white. Sports Satin (Glos), $1.85 In black and white only, is this smart sports satin—100 yards in this sale. Special Sale Imported Ginghams Low Priced 3 8c A remarkably low price for fine quality imported ginghams—and the large quantity offers a particu- larly wide choice of attractive de- signs and colorings. Especially for little folk’s clothes is gingham liked—as well as for women’s frocks. Smart Sports Flannels 54 inches Wide, $3.50 . These high-colored flannels are much in deramd now for sports frocks, as well as the new three- quarter sports coats; in ivory, nickel, fawn, orchid, azure, pine- apple, almond, monterey, navy, black. Alpaca, $3 Fashionably new this season—in poudre blue, gray, almond, beige, cream and black. Cotten and Wool Dress Goods Sections, Second floor. May Sale Special - Underthings, $1.95 In the Lovely Blossom Tints A new fashion for summer, fea- tured in the May Sale. These dainty underthings in cool green, peach, orchid and pink—of voiles, nainsook and shadow batiste. It’s most unusual to find them at such low prices, and many women will take advantage of this opportunity to buy what they’ll need for all summer. Gowns, Special, $1.95 ‘Envelope Chemise, Special, $1.95 Moslin Underwear Section, Third fioor. 1,200 yards Printed Crepe de Chine Fashion’s favored fabric for color combinations. White forms the background for many of the designs—and is so much wanted now. Navy and tan is another color combination in popular favor. smart Summer frocks, in a great 2 variety of attractive prints and .5 900 yards Colored Crepe de Chine A fine, heavy quality, so much in frocks. You may choose from all the fashionable shades—navy, old blue, jade, pink, turquoise, silver, zinc, tan, rose, as well as black and white; ordinarily it would be much higher priced. demand for Summer sports dresses —also for children’s 1‘65 1,700 yards Tub Silks, Plain Colors Tub silks are fashioning the mand also for children’s clothes and for men’s shirts. Flesh, pink, almond, blue, tan, orchid and black and white. An exceptional value. 8ilk Section, Second floor. smartest sports clothes for sum- mer—and they are greatly in de- I .65 Have You Enough SILVERWARE We are celebrating Silverware Week—and fea- turing these three attractive patterns in 1847 Rogers Bros. Silverplate— Chests and Separate Pieces “Cromwell” “Anniversary” “Heraldic” A Chest of 26 Pieces Attractively Priced, $32.85 As Tllustrated Above Includes 6 knives, 6 forks, 6 tea- spoons, 6 tablespoons, 1 bufter knife, 1 sugar shell. In any of the three patterns. Illustrated in the “Anniversary.” T&Hawymomeut,flO.éO —consists of 50 pieces—12 each of tea- spoons, dessert spoons, dinner knives, dinner forks; 1 butter knife and 1 sugar shell. Tllustrated piece, above, in the classic Cromwell design. Beautiful Heraldic Chest, $153.75 —includes 86 pieces—12 each the necessary table service, and varied fancy pieces. The design is sketched at right. Silverware Section, First flosr. The greatest quantity of silks we have ever of- fered in a silk selling. The prices are extraor- dinarily low—and offer extreme savings. Every yard of silk in this great selling is standard Woodward & Lothrop qualicy. Very low 700 Yards Satin Crepe, $2.50 Fashion’s favorite fabric for lovely afternoon, dinner or street gowns: you may choose from the best street and evening shades, as well as black and white; the quality is exceptional, and the saving at this price most unusual. Printed Crepe, $2.50 The fashionable silk and wool Rus- sia.n crepe in most attractive new prints—a great variety of color combinations and designs from which to choose—at this low price. Canton Crepe, $2.50 Fine quality, one of the most desirable crepes of the season—in the favored col- ors and black and white. Bombay Crepe (Glos), $1.85 Both for sports and street clothes this Bombay Crepe is fashionable; in copen, navy, gray, tan, cocoa, jade, almond, black and white. Very specially priced. Tricosham (Glos), $1.85 The best colors—jade, copen, red, silver, navy, cocoa, brown, black and white; for street frocks or sports wear, it is much liked. House Dress Section, Third ficor. Special Sale Summer Tub Frocks $5.50 and $12 House Dress Section It's such a real opportunity for women to buy attractive summer frocks at such remarkably low prices—that many of them will find not only one, but three or four frocks too desira- ble to ‘be passed by. Voile Frocks $5.50 —in varied at- tractive but sim- ple styles — with handdrawn work for trimming, Embroidered Colored Voile Frocks $12 —in two charming styles; pink, or- chid, almond, copen, gray and blue — embroid- ered in white and trimmed in bands of plain voile in matching shades. House Dress Section, Third floor. Two Specials in the May Sale Silk Costume Slips $3.95 and $6.50 Since costume slips are such a neces- sary part of every woman’s summer wardrobe, these two special values should be doubly interesting. Tub Silk Slips, $3.95 —made double to the hip, so as to be shadowproof—in white or pale pink. Radium Silk Slips, $6.50 —of exceptionally fine quality, double to the hip; in white and pale pink. SOk Underwear Section, Third fiosr.