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A LARGE unortmont o! Twudn. Y3”. Blake“ 3nd Phone]: 11. mo in stock. Rudy-undo Clona- ing of tho luau design kept in stock. Fresh Grocerieg always in Custom Cardjng an_d_ Spin- S. P. SA UNDERS DURHAM. DEERING Binders. Mowers, Rakes and Twines. Wilkinson’s Plows. Land Rollers and Diamond Smooth- ing Harrows. McGill Turnip Sowers. Dowsell’s Chums. \Vashers and “7 ringers, U. S Cream Separators. Cameron Dunn Hay Forks. For Snowball and Cbatham Wagons Palmerston Buggies and Dumocrats Also Grier BuggiesLondon. on hand Also 2. Number of Horses for Sale. JACOB KRESS. UNDERTAKING PRICES CUT Interest allowed on Savings Bank de- posits of $1 and upwards. Prompt :ttontion and every facility aflorded customers living at a. distance. A general Banking business transâ€" ected. Drafts issued and collections nude on all points. Deposits re~ coivod and interest allowed at cur- rent rates. Furniture . . . Wagons, Buggies, Etc. Slandam Bank of Canada. “mics in all principal points in On- tu'io, Quebec, Hannah, United States and England. JOHN CLARK Farm . . . Machinery Cupinl Authorized . . 12,000,000 Pdd Up-ogoooo..oooo lrm’mo Boner" Fund ........ 850.000 PLOW" POINTS and a. full line of general repairs con- stantly kept. on hand here. Machine Oil, Harness Oil, Axle Grease and Hoof Ointment, go to stock at tho Lowut Prices. DURHAM AGENCY. The high”: price in Cash or Tndo for toy qnsutity. ning promptly 5;!“de to- aid antistatic]: guuutud. Also a First Class Hearse always in connection. Em- bnlming a specinity. That is sure to please can always be purchased here. THE SAVINGS BANK. d. KELLY, Agent. OFFICE. The Harnessmaker. ONTARIO DURHAM, ONT. of murder and robbery committed along the route they were traveling. It is true they had two stout men. and all were armed. yet they might easily come upon s party too strong for them, sud no one could tell what might hap- pen. thought the princess. There wss that pitchy darkness through which she could hardly see her horse’s heed- s thing of itself that seemed to have in- finite powers for mischief and which no amount of argument ever induced sny normsily constituted women to be- lieve wss the mere negative absence of light snd not a terrible entity potent times. No wind ever made such a noise she felt sure. There were those shin- ing white glesms which cum from the little peek of water on the reed. look- ing like dead men's faces upturned sud psle. Perhsps they were wster sud schsns the! were not. .llsry hsd sh Ilrandon wore our cushion. the great cloak. and had provided a like one of suitable proporticms for the princess. This came in good play, as her line gen- tleman's attire would be but poor stuff to turn the water. The wind. whivh had arisen with just enough force to set up a dismal wail. gave the rain a horizontal slant and drove it in at every opening. The flaps ot’ the comfortable great cloak blew back from Mary’s knees, and she felt many a chilling drop through her line new silk trunks that made her wish for bucltrani in their place. Soon the water began to trickle down her legs and find lodg- ment in the jack boots. and as the rain and wind came in trenmlous little whirs she felt wretched enoughâ€"she who had always been so well sheltered from every blast. Now and then mud and water would fly up into her faceâ€"- striking usually in the eyes or mouthâ€" snd then again her horse would stum- ble and almost throw her over his head as he sank, knee deep, into some unex- All of this. with the thousand and one noises that broke the still worse silence of the inky night, soon began to work upon her nerves and make her tearful. The road was full of dangers aside from stumbling horses and bro- ken necks. for many were the stories Soon the rain began to fall in a soak- ing drizzle; then the lamps of twilight went out. and even the shadows of the night wore lost among themselves in blinding darkness. It was one 01’ UlOS(' black nights lit for witch trz'ueling. and no doubt evory witch in England was out brewing inisuhiut’. The horse's hoofs sucked and splashed in the mud with a sound that Mary thought might be heard at Land s 11nd, and the hoot of an owl, now and than distllrlwd by t witch, would strike upon her oar with a volume of sound infinitely dispropor- t c n: to to the size of any owl she had ever soon or dreamed of before. They wasted no time. you may be sure, and were soon under way. In a few minutes they picked up the two Bristol men who were to accompany them. and when night had fairly fallen left the bypaths and took to the main road leading from London to Bath and Bristol. The road was a fair oneâ€"that is, it was well defined and there Was no danger of losing it; in fact, there was more danger of losing one’s self in its fathomless mudholes and «mag- mires. Brandon had recently passed over it twice and had made mental note pf the worst places. so he hoped to avoid them. When we left the castle, Mary wore under her riding habit a suit of man's attire, and as we rode along she would shrug her shoulders and laugh as it it were a huge Joke and by the most com- ical little pantomime call my attention to her unusual hulk. So when she found Brandon the only change neces- sary to make a man of her was to throw oi! the riding habit and pull on the Jack boots and slouch hat. both of which Brandon had with lzim. ' CHAPTER xvn. THE ELOPEMENT. lI.\TE\'ER the king might think. I knew Lord Wolsey would quickly enough guess . the truth when he heard that the princess was missing. and would have a party in pursuit. The run- aways, however. would have at least twenty-four hours the start, and a ship leaves no tracks. When Mary left the. she was perhaps two-thirds of a league from the rendezvous. and night was rapidly falling. As her road ‘lay through a dense forest all the way she would have a dark. lonely ride of a few minutes, and I was somewhat uneasy for that part of the journey. It had been agreed that if everything was all right at the rendezvous Mary should turn loose her horse, which had al- ways been stabled at Berkeley castle and would quickly trot home. To further emphasize her safety a thread would be tied in his forelock. The horse took his time in returning and did not arrive until the second morning after the flight. but when he came I found the thread and, unobserved, re- moved it. I quickly took it to Jane, who has it yet and cherishes it for the mute message of comfort it brought her. In case the horse should not re- turn I was to find a token in a hollow tree near the place of meeting, but the thread in the forelock told us our friends had found each other. They had (one aboard about 7 o’clock. and Brandon hoped the .1111) would be well down Bristol chum: They had both paid for their passage. although they had enlisted and were part of the ahip'a company. They were not expected to do sailor's work. but would be called upon in case of fighting to do their part at that. Mary was probably at good a fighter‘in her own way as one could and in a long Journey, but how she was to do her part with sword and buckier Brandon did not know. That, however. was a bridge to be croued when they ahould come to it. From the beginning, I think, it had never occurred to Mary to doubt the result. There had never been with her even a suggestion of possible failure. unless it was that evening in our room. when. prompted by her startled mod- esty. she had said she could not bear for us to see her in the. trunk hose. Now that fruition seemed about to crown her hepes she was happy to her heart’s core. and when once to herself wept for sheer Joy. It is little wonder she was happy. She was leaving be- hind no one whom she loved excepting Jane and perhaps me. No father nor mother; only a sister whom she barely knew and a brother whose trivatment of her had turned her heart against him. She was also fleeing with the one man in all the world for her and from a marriage that was literally worse than death. Our travelers were of course greatly in need of rest, so Mary went to her room and Brandon took a berth in the cabin set apart for the gentlemen. A boat soon took them aboard tho Royal Him]. and now it looked as if their daring scheme. so full of im- probability as to seem impossible. had really come to a successful issue. night there was no danger of Its sail- in:.-: without them. Soon the gates npened. and the party rude to the Bow and String. where Brandon had left i their chests. The men were then paid ’ off: (1Ui(?{ sale was made of the horses; 3 breakfast was served. and they started for the wharf. with their chests follow- ing in the hands of four porters. , ‘ A hard ride of five hours brought our travelers to Bath. which place they rode around just as the sun began to gild the tile roofs and steeples. and an- other hour brought them to Bristol. The ship was to sail at sunrise, but as the wind had died out with the The inn was a rambling old thatched roof structure, halt mud, halt wood and all filth. There are many inns in England that are tidy enough, but this one was a little of! the main roadâ€"seâ€" lected for that reasonâ€"and the un- cleanness was not the least of Mary’s trials that hard night. She had not tasted food since noon and felt the keen hunger natural to youth and health such as hers after twelve hours of fasting and eight hours of riding. Her appetite soon overcame her repug- nance, and she ate with a zest that was new to her the humblest tare that had ever passed her lips. One often misses the zest of life’s joys by having too much of them. One must want a thing before it can be appreciated. Is it any wonder Mary’s gallant but womanly spirit sank low in the face of all those horrors? She held out bravely, however. and an occasional clasp from Brandon’s hand under «we: of the darkness comforted lmr. “'er all those terrors would not suggest ("3w a thought of turning back. you 2;. . judge of the character or this girl :.:.\ her motive. They traveled on. galloping when they could, trotting when they could not gallop, and walking when they must. and about midnight arrived at the inn Where the relay 0! horses was awaiting them. She ate with a. zest the humble fare. confidence in Branden. but that Very fact operated against her. Having that confidence and trust in him, she felt no need to waste her own energy in be- ing brave. So she relaxed completely and had the feminine satisfaction: of allowing herself to be thorough); frightened. LN.“ This last was addressed to one or the ship’s officers. who answered with the usual “Aye. aye. sir." and started for Mary's cabin. That was worse than ever. and Bran- don quickly said he would have his lordship up at once. He then returned to Mary. and after buckling on her sword and belt they went on deck and climbed up the poop ladder to take their places with those entitled to stand art. Brandon has often told me since that it was as much as he could. do to keep Brndhnrst. a surly old half pirate of the snltiost pattern. answered: “lll? Then he had better go ashore as soon as possible. I will refund his money. We cannot make a hospital out of the shlp. It hls lordshlp is too ill to stand inspection. see that he goes ashore at once.” . "My lord is ill and begs to be excusml from deck inspection." he said. 'l‘lwy were disvussing 11m math-r when a knock mum.- at the (1001‘. with the cry. “All hands on deck for human tion.” Inspection! Jesu! Mary would not safely endure it a minute. an- don left her at once and wvut to tlw captain. Mary was pleased at his flattery. hut dimppointml at 1110 {zlilln'v in herself. 8111! 11nd 11111112111 11::1t $111111 111950,. .. .°11- moms would 111.1110 11 1111111 01’ 1101' in which the keenust eye could not detect a flaw. When Brandon lookod hor over. all hope wont out of him. It soonivd that ovory change of dross only added to her lwwiti-hing lwanty by showing it in a now phasv. ”It will novor do. There is no dia- gnislng you. “'hat is it that (lospito M'oryl‘hing shows so unmistakably ft‘lllilllllt'? “'hat shall we do? I have it. You shall rmnain lwro under tln- pron-um: of illnosa until wv aro wvll at sea. and thou I will toll tho amtain all. It is too had. and yvt 1 would not haw.- you one whit loss a woman for all tho world. A man loves a woman who is so thoroughly womanly that nothing can hidv it." He helped lwr with the heavy jack boots and handed hor tho ruin stained slouch hat Whioh she put on and stood a complctu man ready for the deckâ€"- that is. as mmplvtu :19 mum be evolved from her utter t'mnininity. The matter was settled by mute but satisfactory arbitration, and Brandon continued: “You must make yourself ready to go on (It-ck. It will be hard. but it must he done." “I don’t know; perhaps because you are alone.” “No. no! Not for one moment. I am gladâ€"only too glad. But why do you call me ‘ ,ady?’ You used to call me ‘Mary.’ ” “Ah! that is good of you; but you need not be quite so respectful.” “Do you regret coming, Lady Mary?” asked Brandon. who, now that she was alone with him, felt that he must take no advantage of the fact to be famil- lar. Upon entering Brandon found Mary wrestling with the problem of her com- plicated male attire, the most beauti- ful picture of puzzled distress imagi- nable. The port was open and showed her rosy as the morn when she looked up at him. The jack boots were in a corner. and her little feet seemed to put up a protest all their own against going into them that ought to have softened every peg. She looked up at Brandon with a half hearted smile and then threw her arms about his neck and sobbed like the child she was. “Then. sir. i must at your panda. Disease takes no summer ,0, the my ,0“ hue been treated, vacation. We at com-u could not know it, but a If you need flesh ind man must 01M trouble when he lt- stren (h use taches himself to a woman." It in a S wonder the flashes from Mary's eyes 9 . did not strike the old leadog dead. H'e. 8C9“ S [M'ISIOII however. did not see them and went ~- ' on: “We are more than unions that no ' ' ' valiant a knight as Sir Claric- Bru- donuhoddmwithundhopcyour reception will not drive you back. But The thought of the princess going on deck caused a sinking at his heart ev- ery time it came. as he felt that it was almost impossible to conceal her iden- tity. He had not seen her in her new male attire. for when she threw off her riding habit on meeting him the night before he had intentionally husied him- self about the horses and saw her only after the great cloak covered her as a gov-‘1). He felt that however well her garments might conceal her form. no man on earth ever had such beauty in t-is face as her transcendent eyes. rose tinted cheeks and coral lips. with their cluster of dimples. and his heart sank at the prospect. She might hold out for awhile with a straight face, but when the smiles should comeâ€"it were just as well to hang a placard about her neck. “This is a woman." The telltale dimples would be worse than Jane for outspoken, untimely truthfulness and trouble provoking candor. Brandon had not seen the princess since morning. and the delicacy he felt about going to her cabin made the sit- uation somewhat dimcnlt. After put- ting it on? from hour to hour in hope that she would appear of her own ac- cord. he at last knocked at her door and, of course, found the iady in trou- hie. hootlwithrainandhadhowledsodls. mally all night long would not stir. now that it was wanted. Noon came. yet no wind. and the sun shone as ‘plac- idly as it Captain Charles Brandon were not fuming with impatience on the poop of the Royal Hind. Three o'clock and no wind. The captain said it would come with night, but sundown was almost at hand. and no wind yet. Brandon knew this meant failure it it held a little longer. for he was certain the king, with Wolsey’s help. would long since have guessed the truth. “Do I undenund that you are Mu- te: Charles Brandon. the that. friend 1’" asked 8:3th “I am." was the “II". chipped under an unmet! name for various reasons. and desire not to be known. You will do well to keep my “It was not my fault." lobbed Mary. her eyes flushing tire. “I did nothing; all I wanted was to he left alone. but those brutes or menâ€"you shall pay for this; remember what I say. Did you expect Captain Brandon to stand back and not defend me when that wretch was tearing my garment- 0!?" “Captain Brandon. did you any?” uked Bmdburst. with m- int ou'm- With a grout oath Bradburst ex- (blnhnod: “It is plztln enough that you have brought a girl on board under false colors. and you may as well make ready to put hnr ashore. You see what she has already doneâ€"a hand lost to one man and wounds for twenty others â€"aud she was on dock less than five minutes. Heart of God! At that rate she would have the ship at the bottom of Davy .louos' locker before we could sail half down the channel." 'Um 01:}(‘4‘2'fisnvn put a stop to this lindy limo fight and took Brandon and Mary. Man was weeping as any right mindml \vmzzzm would. down into the cabin for consultation. them fightn ;. away like mad. You 800 lmw quivlcly' and completely one woman without the slightest art on 1101' part. ('M'vpt :1 mmlost (‘fl'm't to be lvt nlono lmd svt tho whole vompany by tho vars. mtting :u H! slashing away at om ll ntlmr like \ m, dmils. The so! must gmwmto miwvhiof in some un- known mnnnvr and throw it 011’. as the sun throws off its lamxr. Howvvvr. Jane is an oxwption to that ruleâ€"it it is a rule. He waved his trophy on high. but his triumph vas short lived. for almost instantly it fell to the (leek. and with it the offending ltllltl severed at the wrist by Brandon's sword. Three or four friends of the woundmt man rushed npon Brandon. whereupon Mary screamed and began to Weep. which of course told the whole story. A great lane-h went n)». and instantly a general tlg‘ht hegan. Several of the gentlemen. seeing Brandon attacked hy Stu-h odds. tool; up his defense. and Within twenty set'mu’m all were on one side or the other. every mother’s son of them fighting away like mad. “Yes.” answered that Individual. “1 Before Brandon could interfere the fellow had unbuckled Mary's doublet at the throat and with a jerk had torn it 01?. carrying away tho Sim-m and exposing Mary’s shonldor. almost throwing her to tho (lm-k. was too much, so he lifted his arm and knocked the follow ofl' tho poop into the waist. Tho. man was hack in a moment. and swords were soon drawn and clicking away at a grcat ratc. The contest was hricf. howcvcr. as the tel- low was no sort of match for Brandon, who. with his old trick. quickly twist- ed his advcrsary’s sword out of his grasp and with a iiash or his own blade flung it into the sea. The other men were now talking together at a little distance in whispcrs, and in a moment one drunken hrutc shoutcd: “It is no man. It is a woman. Let us see more or her!” a slap on the hack. ummnpzmying it by an indecent remark. Brandon tried to pay no attention to them. but this These fellows. half of them tipsy. now gathered about Mary to inspect her personally. each on his own ac- count. Their looks and conduct were very disconcerting. but they did notb~ lug insulting until one fellow gave her beginning. It must have been a unique figure she presented climbing up the steps at Brandon’s heels. jack boots and all. 80 unique was it that the sailors working in the ship‘s waist stopped their tasks to stare in wonder- ment and the gentlemen on the poop made no effort to hide their amuse- ment. Old Bratwurst stepped up to her. “Fourteen.” returned Bradburst. “Well. I don’t think you will shed much blood. You look more like u deuced handsome girl than any man I ever saw." At this the. men all laughed and were very inmertinent in the free and easy manner of such gen- try. most of whom were professional adventurers with every liner sense dulled and dehased by years of vice. “I hope your lordship is feeling bet- ter." and then. surveying her from head to foot, with a broad grin on his features. “I declare, you look the pic- ture of health, it I ever saw it. How old are you ‘3” Mary quickly responded. “Fourteen years." boots, so much too large. evinced an alarming tendency to slip on with ev- ery step. How insane we all were not to have foreseen this from the very hack the tears when he saw nary's wonderful eCort to appear manly. It was both comin and pathetic. She was a princess to whom all the world bowed down, yet that did not help her here. After all she was only a girl. timid and fearful. following at Bran- don’s heels. frightened lest she should get out at arm’s reach of him among those rough men and longing with all her heart to take his hand for moral as well as physical support. It must have been both laughable and pathetic in the extreme. That miserable sword per- sisted in tripping her. and the jack her with you. and I was Jealous-l think they all It. I have heard of the m of Salon”. Ind it the tear of n mmwhhmulb mum that cure for all my tumbles. Oh. that I could lay them here all my “to long,” M the put her head upon his breast. fattening what uh. Ind laund- ed to any. “Whtt II the trouble. nary Y” “Oh. you! I thought of that marl-hp Motiodnxyon.undthen.oh. Hal-y Mother! [thonthtotoomoothetwoo mhmyon whet-alt. lconldme I]: waned his trophy on high. came. Her spirit asserted itself. and she stamped her foot and swore upon her soul it should never he~-nwer. new. er. no long as she had strength to light or voice to cry “No!" The thought of 'this marriage and of the loss of Bran- don was painful enough. but there came another. entirely new to her and infinitely worse. Hastily arranging her dress she went In search of Brandon. whom she quick- ly found and took to her room. After closing the door she aid: “I thought I had reached the pinnacle of disappointment and pain when com- pelled to leave the ship. for it meant that i should lose you and have to mar- ry Louisot France. But I have found thatthenlsstlllapoasihlspalnmon poignant than either. and i cannot hear it; so I come to yonâ€"yon who are the Mary noon donned her woman’s at- tire, of which she had a supply in her chest. and at least felt more comforta- ble without the jack boots. She had made her toilet alone for the tirst time in her life. having no maid to help her. and wept as she dressed. for thls disap- pointment was like plucking the very heart out of her. Her hope had been so high that the {all was all the hard- er. Nay. even more; hope had become fruition to her when they were onee ll-SlliDlmfll‘d. and failure right at. the door of success made it donhly hard to bear. It crushed her. and where before had been hope and mniitlem-e was nothing: new lmt despair. Like all he.» pie with a great eapm-ity for elation. when she sank she tum-hm! the bottom. Altlfi. .\l:ll°,\'. the llllt't)llt;llt':':tHan \t'mi down at last. This failure int-ant Rn lllllt'h to her. It methit that she \‘rutiltl tern" he lirtttttlull's Wife. but \.'- ILM :‘n tn Fl':‘!‘.-t't‘ In t-lttltlt‘c.‘ lite t‘:"t‘:tt‘.:‘.t Ht! Fremhman. At that thought a “uni! gluon; anon thnt n wound on bond As the boat put oi! again for the ship its crew gave a cheer coupled with some vile advice, for which Brandon would gladly have run them through, each and every one. 110 had to swallow his chagrin and anger and really blamed no one but himself. though it was torture to him that this girl should be subjected to such insults and he powerless to avenge them. The new. had spread from the wharf like wild- ilrc. and on their way back to the Bow and String there came from small boys and hidden voices such exclama- tions as: “Look at the woman in man's clothing!" “isn’t he a beautiful man?" “Look at him blush!" and others too coarse to be repeated. Imagine the MM miliatlng situadon. from which time was no escape. At last they reached the inn. whither their chests soon followed them. sent by Bradhurst. together with their pan- sage money. which he very honestly re- funded. Brandon saw only too plainly the truth that he had really ueen all the time. but to which he had shut hie eyes, and. throwing Mary’l cloak over her shoulders. prepared to go ashore. AI they went over the side and pulled oil a great about went up from the ship far more derisive than cheering. and the men at the ears looked at each oth- er askance and smiled. What a predic- ament for a princess! Brandon cursed himself for having been such a knave and tool as to allow this to happen. He had known the danger all the time. and his act could not be chargeable to ignorance or a failure to see the proba- hle consequences. Temptation and self- ish desire had given him temerity in place of judgment. When the princess stepped ashore. it seemed to her as if the [wart in her breast was a different and suparato. organ from the one she had carried aboard. um um um her everywnen”-ne- 17 would not even look et the creeture -â€"“on shipboerd them in mother and greater objection. It to aid. you know. betona we could welsh anchor lt lt were known this lady wu to go with no. Should they and It out in mldocenn n mutiny would be sure to follow. and God only knows what would happen. ghlpi. and every unor- would- desert