Mary Anerley: A Yorkshire Tale

cause a large party of farmers, riding homeward from Middleton, banded together and perhaps well primed through fear of a famous highwayman, came down to this place on a foggy

m, all large farmers, and thoroughly understanding land, came never upon it alive again; and their bodies, being

their families hard to provide for, Richard Yordas, of Scargate Hall, the chief owner of the neighborhood, set a long heavy stone up on either brink, and stretched a strong chain between them, not only to mark out the course of the shallow, wh

pse Ford," worse than the drowning of the farmers. Or, at any rate, it made more stir (which is of wider spread than sorrow), because of the eminence of the man, and the length and width of his prop

or-land, only the usual course of time, keeping the silent company of stars. The young moon was down, and the hover of

ty years of arrogant port had stiffened a neck too stiff at birth. Even now in the dim light his large square form stood out against the sky like a cromlech, and his he

he flints beneath his horse; "you have had your own way, have you, then? But never shall you ste

n struck the bosom of his heavy Bradford riding-coat, and the crackle of parchment replied t

e with the vapor of the valley, but Philip Yordas in the

ents-"fool! what fear you? There hangs my respected father's chain. Ah, he was some

ater, as he panted and snorted against it; and if Philip Yordas had drawn back at once, he might even now have crossed safely. But the fury of his blood was up, the stronger the torrent th

at I was never born to drown. My own water drow

ad, but swept him a wallowing lump away, and over the reef of the crossing. With both feet locked in the twisted stirrups, and right arm broken at the elbow, the rider was swung (like the mast of a wreck) and flung with his head upon his father's chain. There he was held by his great square chin-for the jar of his backbone stunned him-and the weight of the swept-away horse broke the neck

nothing to their will-as long as the latter lasted-and that ever