Petersburg High School - Missile Yearbook (Petersburg, VA)

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THE MISSILE. 15 In the morning they set forth again. About noon they stopped to rest and eat lunch. Marjorie, frightened, be- gan to talk. Whither art thou bound, Kenneth?” she asked. “We go to meet thy father, Lady Marjorie. He — ” Call me not Lady Marjorie,” flashed she, stamping her foot; I am Marjorie to thee.” “Thy pardon, 1 will call thee Marjorie right willingly. Thy father hath gone to see thy aunt. ’Tis thither we are bound. Many a weary day will be spent ere we reach that place. Thy father did bid me escape this way in case of danger.” The meal was finished in silence, and then the two set forth once more. A week passed, and still they had not reached their destination. The food gave out long since, and they were forced to live, like Babes in the Woods, on berries and nuts. Their clothes became torn and soiled, and their cheeks grew thin and pale. Marjorie’s thin slippers had long since worn out and Kenneth made her wear his; he him- .self went barefooted. At last Marjorie grew too weak to walk, and Kenneth made a sledge of small trees and bushes and dragged her along. One day, as night drew near, the children stopped to rest under a tree, and Kenneth climbed up to see if he could find a light. He strained his eyes in every direc- tion, and just as he was beginning to lose hope, a light flashed out very near. Kenneth slid to the ground. “Marjorie, dear, I see a light. ’Tis near, and soon we shall reach shelter and food. Bear up, I will pull thee quickly.” “Were it not best to leave me and hasten on alone ? Thou hast not strength for both.”

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14 THE MISSILE. ceived. But Kenneth was wise beyond his years. He knew he could do nothing there; so instead he turned and rushed back into the castle and quickly reached the chamber in which the Lady Marjorie lay sleeping. He caught her hand and pulled her up crying: “Lady Mar- jorie, awake, quickly or all is lost. They would steal thee, Marjorie, but they shall not, they shall kill me first. 0, come quickly ere it be too late.” The child sprang to the floor with terror-strickened eyes. “Fear not, my lady, Kenneth will save thee. Come, get thy cloak and hood, whilst I fetch food, for we must eat ere we leave.” Kenneth descended quickly to the kitchen, and found old Nan asleep by the fire. The child stealthily fetched food and drink and returned to his charge. They both ate a little, and Kenneth packed some tood in a basket while Marjorie put on her cloak. Kenneth then put on his plumed velvet cap and hurried the heightened child through the dark rooms and corridors to the room of the picture. He told her of the picture, which made her laugh so that she forgot her fear and insisted on pressing the nose. The next instant they stood without in the dark, damp air; and Kenneth, catching her hand, hurried to the forest. “Thy noble father, the Duke, did show me this path and told me of a hut some distance off. Let us hasten there and sleep till morn. None knew of it save he and 1, so we shall be safe therefor the night,” whispered Ken- neth. Marjorie agreed and, quickening their pace, they soon reached the hut. A pile of leaves made a couch for Marjorie, and Kenneth stretched himself on the floor beside her.

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16 THE MISSILE. “Nay, a thousand times, sooner would I die. Thou art not heavy now,” he finished sadly. So the brave little lad, in great excitement, which lent strength to his weak arms, drew the child on and soon reached her aunt’s castle. As he neared the gate, his strength failed him, and he sank down beside her unconscious. A kind- hearted guard took them to the Duke, not knowing who they were. Marjorie speedily recovered, but the little page for days hovered between life and death. At last one day, when hope was almost gone, he opened his great dark eyes and murmured, “Marjorie.” “I am here,” she answered softly, laying her cool hand on his forehead. “Kiss me, Marjo-r-i-e,” his vo ' ce trailed off into silence. The little girl bent over and kissed him on the lips. He caught her hand, sighed deeply and sank into a deep sleep. When he awoke, his fever had gone, and he began to recover, A month later a small, golden-haired lad clad in black velvet and a black-haired maiden were seen walking with a tall dark man down a street in London. A stranger, standing by, remarked on the beauty of the pair and asked who they were. “Doff thy cap, thou illbred dolt, ’tis Lady Marjorie Gray, daughter of the Duke who dwells in yonder castle, and Lord Kenneth, son of the late Lord Roland, who saved her life. Hast not heard of it ? ’Tis on the tongue of everyone. On Easter they will be married, and the little master will become heir to the Duke’s estate,” answered a bystander, whipping off his cap and bowing to the ground in response to Kenneth’s greeting. Mary Anderson Gilliam, ' in.