The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 21, 1904, Page 8

THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL. swept his 1 low. his the situation We thought plore you inimita head to e men slip, I shall delighted to be your e f with his “It is ¥ speak wo- But I should be it may be you rt of pupil. You oted and most obedi- expression troubled the he girl as she itk icati her. but A d sp z ha in her n: delight wes instan disappearing undler the genial influen tomed converse. The King's physiog- nomy also underwent a change, but the transformation was not so pleasing her brov was k the door, and the himself on the threshold at the > > animation of f the moment ! r, and the confronted features of the chief- cLeod closed the door out a ward, walked to e the table. The girl, ly, with visible restraint, e room, and as she did so ! alertn again proved for he tiptoed quickly to fore the King, accustomed rather than wait- f, and held it lady, making a gallant bonnet as she passed the re- King suppie young man beside the with the his Majesty at 1 rather..gruffly » his host: made no and ab- D us prisoners in this cas- tw the answers I the MacLeod lack of to b nwhile, T take until I learn ng makes 1 Jan apologize, in Dunve- with Stirling, of my house and u were the most But I warn you guests. , when you pass your word: tempt to tamper with any of my 1 shall know men of it very soon, and then ou say, MacDonald?"” quir rply. MacDonald recovered himself with a “To what?” he asked. “To the terms proposed by our jai in- did mnot hear them; what are W cape?” “Oh, willingly _ “And not to communicate with Stir- ling?” I den't care if T never see Stirling again. : The King turned to the chief. “There is little difficul vou see,” he said, “with your fellow Highlander. I, how- ever, am supposed to be a Lowlander, and therefore cautious. I give you my word not to communicate with Stirling. for the other proviso, I amend it as follows: ¥ shall not leave this island without your knowledge and your com- pany. If that is satisfactory, I pledge faith.” % Perfectly satisfactory,” answered MacLeod, and with that 'the two young men took their departure. Once more in the King's room, from hich earlier in the day they had set out confidently, MacDonald flung upon a bench, but the King ed up and down the apartment. “Jamie, you hardly gave me fair play, you and your Gaelic, with that dainty offspring of so grim a sire.” “‘Master of Ballengeich,” replied the Highlander, “a man plays for hiz own 1 you give your word not to es- g0 elf hand. Gaelic The walk. nam “Merely to show that in this play the prerogative is not brought into play; it is already settled that when I meet the King 1 am defeated. It re- mains to be seen what luck James Mac- Donald has In a contest with plain James Stuart.” “Oh, it’s to be a contest, then?” “Not unless you wish it so. T am content to exchange all the fair dam- sels of Stirling for this one Highland lassie.” . ou’ll exchange!” cried the King. “I make bold to say she is not yours to exchange.” “I intend to make her mine.” “Ah, we’ll see about thgt, Jamie.” “We will, Ballengeich,” said MacDon- ald with confident precision. The girl was at first-equally charm- ing to each. The serious Highlander, not less manly and handsome than his competitor, was gifted with an im- measurable advantage in his familia v with every phase and inflection of native vernacular. In his despair the King struck up a close friendship with Donald, the second son of the MacLeod, and his Majesty made a frantic effort to learn the only speech with which his new comrade was equipped. But this race against time gave MacDonald long and uninterrupt- ed conferences with his inamorata, and You should have learned that long ago.” King stopped abruptly in his~ “Why do you call me by that the King =aw, too late, the futility of endeavor. He had come to the con- clusion that his uninteresting rambles with Donald were not likely to further his quest, and was sitting in his room cogitating .upon some new- method of attack when MacDonald burst into the apartment with radiant face. The King looked up at his visitor with no great good nature, and said sharply: “Well, what is it?” “Your Majesty,” cried MacDonald, jubilantly, “I think I have found a method of escape, and that without in any way ‘impugning our pledges.” “Oh, is that all,” said the King, with the air of snubbing foo enthusiastic a courtier. “I thought the house was on fire" “And 1 thought, your Majesty,” re- turned MacDonald, “that this subject W2s ever uppermost in your mind.” The King rested his closed fist on his hip, lezned his head a little to one side and examined his rival critically. “Why have you returned So unex- pectedly to the phrase, your ’!fln;esly’.‘" “Because, your Majesty,” answered MacDonald, laughing, ‘“the phrase; Guidinan of Ballengeich, no longer matters,” “I do not understand you.” “It is to malke myself understood that I have come so hurriealy. I beg, then, to inform your Majesty that Miss Mac- Leod has consented to become my wife. I have spoken to her father, who has somewhat grudgingly and conditional- ly given his consent. It cccurred to me that if 1 wedded the daughter of Your jailer I may have enough influ- ence with the family to secure your Majesty’s release.” “I have no doubt,” said the King. “that this was your object from the beginning. And so you have exchanged a temporary jailer for one that will last you all your life.” The Highlander knit his brow and compressed his lips, as if to hold b some retort which later he might re gret. There was a moment’'s con- strained silence, then the King flung off his ill humor as if it were a cloak. “Forgive me, Jamie,” he cried, springing to’ his feet. Forgive the wounded vanity of the vanquished.” He extended his hand impetuously, which the other grasped with eager cordiality. i, you were right. The crown weighs heavy when it is thrown into the scale, but wi this lassie I well believe itwould have madeg not an ounce of difference. Let the best man win, s I, and you're the victor, o you have my warmest con gratulation. Still, Jamie, you must adm‘t that the Gaelic-is the cursedest lingo ever a poor lowland-bred man tried to get his tongue around. So, now you see, Jamie, we are even again. You think the crown defeated you at Stirling, and I hold the lan- guage defeated me in Skye; thus we are both.able to retain a good opinion of ‘ourselves, which is the splendid privilege of every Scotchman.to hold. Your bravery deserves success, for it requires some courage to face your fu- ture father-in-law. What did the old curmudgeon say?"” “He gave little indication of pleas- ure or the reverse, He offered me my liberty, now that I had pledged it in another direction, but he refused to release you, so I declined to accept his clemency."” “Not so. I have a more immediate and practical remedy. You have not forgotten the twenty-kix-oared barge which the MacLeod was to keep for the THE GIRL HERSELF AT THE KING™S FEET TUOSLY FLUNG~ King, and which Malcolm MacLeod built for him. “It is not very likely, when I issued a proclamation commending Malcolm as the greatest shipbuilder in the world.” “Well, Malcolm has arrived at Dun- vegan to receive into his own hands once more that same proclamation. I ed him, in MacLeod's presence, if the fleet still lingered in Torridon Bay, and he answered that it did. MacLeod pricked up his ears at this and thinking that he was to get some information, now that I propesed my- self as a member of his family, in- quired if I knew why it remained so long. I said I had a ion of the cawme. If M olm had not replied to the King's proclamation it was nat- ural that the fleet would wait until he did. Old Alex: der and Malcolm seemed surprisad that a response was expected, Malcolm being but a simple yeoman. However, he wrote out a courteous reply to the King, in Gaelic, and Malcolm®s to send it to the fleet as soon as he returns to the northern coast.” “I don’t see how that is to help us,” demurred his Majesty. “Here is my proposal. If you will now write out an order to the admiral commanding the fleet to appear before Dunvegan castle, I will ride part of the way home with Malcolm and sug- gest to him at parting that perhaps none of the officers of the fleet under- siand Gaelic, or at least that none.can read it, so 1 will fasten your letter to the other document and tell Malcolm it is a translation of his Gaelic effu- sion. Neither Malcolm nor any of his friends at the port can read English and as he is a simple-minded man it is not likely that he will return and allow the laird a perusal. So in that way we may get word to the fleet. Even if the letter is discovered you will have kept your word, for you promised only not.te communicate with Stirling.” The King pronounced the device a e~ ones feasible one and set himself at the writing of the letter. Two or three days la in the commotion on the weste! approach and b fl Loch Follart. they had known him, anxlety marked the frow MacLeod as he stood & roaching vessels. Here were vi Who, if they proved not to his liking, he could scarcely reaten with the dungeons of Dunvegan. “What do you make of this Mao- Donald?" said the chieftaln, turning to his future son-in-law, as if already he looked to him for support and coun~ sel. But MacDonald shook his head, im spite of the fact that his wife who-was- to-be stood very close to him. “All negotiations have been carried on by my friend hefe, and so to him I must refer you.” MacLeod could restrain his Impe- tience no longer, so without glancing at h visitor he said: “Perhaps you, sir, can purport of all this display. “Assuredly,” answered the King with a trace of sternness in his tone that had hitherto been absent in his converse with his jailer. “The fleet comes at the command of the Kier to take away your prisoners, if th are unharmed, or to batter down castle if they have been molested.” “I suppose then I should be thankful they are unharmed?” “You have reason,” shortly. “His Majesty must set great value on your heads if he sends his whole Seet to succor you.” “He does. “How did he you did not brea municate w “The King kr ing on in Skye t strong tell me the our sald the King now you wers here it vour parole and com- persisted and said were but a small far near ing." 1 deny ye I am a frier o order a su you e shall have the best “You possessi them for ¢ mand. In a ten o. “Th Leod wit with ¥ou bear aw Dur sald the 1g. ignoring his complime “that boat will not de for me.” It is the Dbest ald Mao- Leod, looking at 1t guest with new anxiety. “The boat you t bring to the landing is the twenty-six oared barge, which Malcolm MacLeod Hullded se wel v MacLeod stepped back two That boat is for the in a voice therefore the order gt to the wenty-six color left MacLeod's face. His ords were to MacDonald. “Is " said answered MacDonald, “it take the rudder -d N N ing, ured forth father . The i as he stooved and sai E “My d =1 hear that su: withou & of you and my own discomfit t were not that MacDonald s o with that dour Highland K s face jt is I would kneel at et. Your father is to come with > to Stirling, for I have said he sh 1 mu r word with weil as pt it with him > MacDonald's scow promise vou. If - company us to Stirlin u the Kin a s word that 1 you ask. no f whatever need have safet that courtly manne came him, gave the hand of the girl into that of MacDonald. Thus it came about that the Mac- Leod took a voyage hée hac not intend- ed, and came so unscathed from it that he long outlived the man who was the cause of his journey. for you Saying