Show I J to v E T t t i FREDERICK I JOHN BURT II UPHAM ADAMS tt Author of 01 The Kidnapped Ml ru Colonel Monroe's Monroes Doctrine Etc COPYRIGHT 1903 1003 BY CoPYRIGHT 1902 BY I All rights I I k b FRED ICS ICK UP U AD ADAMS s reserved A. A J. J Dix L L- LB B BIDDLE I D D L a ft i 14 H- H CHAPTER ONE NE The Prophets Prophet's Prayer r Kneel Knee el JoJi John Take off ot yo your r hat ha lad Let Iet us us pray An old man and nd a boy dung lu g like wreckage to a r roc k which l marked u the We outer edge of Black t Re Reef f The flickering light of a lant lantern rn ice c i I fated the gloom of the night a night famous in the an annals als of f New England f for the storm wh which ch tore tor tl the c coast ast from Qu Quoddy Head to Sas Siasconset ons t The lanterns lantern's light revealed tw two figures fig fig- ures ures worthy the pencil of a Hogarth pared Bared ared to the gale th the the oldmans old old mans man's scant white locks streamed back bacI from a forehead massive and d. d Wonderful eyes of steel e l gr gray glowed i with fires of f fanaticism n ben beneath ath dark I had shadowing owing eyebrows ws scarcely ly touched ed I with the rime of years The The thin lips parted in a line whIch which s suggested im im- I tenacity of purpose not haltIng halting halt halt- ing at cruelty nor stopping at cun cun- ning Above the mo mouth th the head was I that of a Greek god below It showed I the civilized savage selfish savage selfish relentless relent relent- less the less the incarnation of courage I strength and determination The Theman's Theman's Theman's mans man's frame was so broad that the f r legs seemed stumpy yet Peter Burt stood tood six feet four at three score score years and tent ten I t His companion on this night mission mis roIs slon sion to hurricane swept hurricane swept Black Reef was a boy of eight No fear of the 1 storm or of the strange old man showed in the dark gray eyes of the theY Y youth He was garb garbed d i in a tightly a-tightly tightly iD buttoned buttoned jacket and a a pair of pr homespun homespun home home- t r spun trousers securely tucked tucked Into int fJ copper toed copper toed boots The ends of a 3 y blue yarn larn comforter fluttered In the thet t I I galeAs gale cale galeAs As As the old old man spoke a wave rJ i flashed dashed Its icy spray across the rock s Its awful wet granddad Cant Can't CantI j c n I stand up and pray pray Kneel my boy kneel replied the theold b old Id man in a deep but not unkind N voice The Lord will not harm His f servants whether they approach Him rum Himin Himin in storm or in calm j Falling on his knees the old man many mani y i faced the sea raised his arms toj to j t heaven beaven and prayed to the God who G rides on the wings of the storm The spray stung his face but he hee heeded ed Jr It t not A giant surge swept wept the lantern lan Ian 1 tern Lem awa away and its faint light went put as it clattered along th the rocks The old man prayed fervently that 5 his ls sins might be forgiven There f was as one sin which weighed heavily upon him though he named it not in r his petition The year w was was s 1860 and on that November November No- No vember day the news had come come com to h. h Rocky iRocky Wood Woods of Abraham Lincoln's election to the presidency In the tempest which lowered when 7 the election was in ill doubt and arid broke In In n fury when the tr triumph of L Lincoln Lin Lin- n f coIn coln was certain Peter Burt sawan sawan saw sawan an augury of f the storm which was coon eoon eoon to sweep the country An ardent ardent ar ar- dent Abolitionist and a rabid advocate advocate advocate cate of Unionism he lifted his voice that November night In a frenzy of eloquence which thrilled the child at athis athis athis his side and left an ad Impress ss years did not efface Amid the crash of waters his Ms gray hair streaming inthe inthe in inthe the wind his dripping arms stretched over the foam Peter Burt prophesied 4 the four years of ot desolating war war then f impending He l Invoked d the curse o of F God on the enemies of his country i returned thanks for the coming emancipation emancipation emancipation eman eman- of the slaves and exulted Inthe in inthe the victory to be achl achieved v d by the Union arms He ended with a tender I plea for the grandson Kneeling beside him who him who is the heir the old man I declared not of my worldly poss possessions posses posses- s- s which are nothing in Thine i eyes but of those gifts and that I power of divination with which Thou hast graciously vouchsafed me John Jolin Burt shall be the chosen one of the house of Burt Withhold not 0 O Lord Thy blessing from him Amen The old man arose and shook the water from his hair The prophet had gone gon the New England farmer farmer stood in his place The resonant voice which which challenged wind and wave sounded harsh as he exclaimed Wheres the lantern John See It if If you can find it Well We'll break our necks trying to get back without it John found the lantern and after many attempts and muttered complaints complaints com com- plaints the old man lighted it Holding Hold ing ng it high over his bead head the old man walked cautiously along until he reached the weed weed strewn strewn and surf surf- lashed beach He loot looked d into the tho face tace of the boy who trudged beside h him n. n You are a brave lad John a brave good lad It Is beginning to torain torain rain We hasten home I CHAPTER TWO I Jessie Carden Carden I I dont don't care are to pick flowers I I want to stay right where I am Let n me stay nie-stay stay and wat watch h for one ona of those In the water Pl Please ase Govie Jessie Carden clung firmly to an Ir iron n r rod of the old bridge and spoke with the pleading defiance of f a I spoiled child of ot twelve T The e. e gover governess governess ness smiled smiled sadly down upon the pouting lips and arid rebellious eyes Certainly my dear replied Miss Maiden Malden Dont lean lean- leano o out t over the bridge sweetheart and keep away from the creek creele I shall not be gone gonei i long ng You will be very careful wont won't you Jessie Just awful careful Govie Theres There's one of those spidery things now Jessie was spending her first summer summer sum sum- mer in the country For three weeks she had been living in t the e Bishop farmhouse farm So many things had happened that the memory of the Carden mansion in Boston had become become become be be- come a dream The Bishops were distant relatives of General Marshall Carden the banker and anel to them had bad been bee consigned the welfare of his daughter daught r in special charge of a trust trusted d governess governess' Jessie peered peered over the rail and watched the waters In vain for an another another an other of the She ran rari back and forth and threw sticks and stones Into the cre creek k in a vain at attempt I tempt to lure its denizens to the sur sur- face Then she spied a hoop pole hoop pole I which had fallen from a p passing I I wagon This slender rod easily 1 J r rf f f i J ft reached the water and Jessie thrashed the surface with all possible branch from i the e epoe vigor rigor igor A projecting pole poe caught her cap and it fell into the creek creele where the tide swept It under the bridge With a a. a acry cry of of- dismay Jessie turned and dashed across almost falling beneath beneath beneath be be- neath the feet of ta a a horse horGe Whoa Jim Che Checked ked in a slow trot by a p pair h of taut lines an old farm horse stopped so suddenly as to rattle the contents of the wagon The driver a boy of seventeen dropped the lines and leaped lightly to the bridge Did he hit you little girl Jessie Jessi Carden Garden stumbled and fell Just beyond the horses horse's hoofs hoMs Before the Ib boy could reach her she was wason on her feet and peering over the bridge There it is There it it is she shee e exclaimed aimed dancing in excitement and dismay Oh what will Govie say Boy get me me my my cap The youth start startled d at tue Cie c imperious imperious Imperl imperi imperi- ous us summons s followed her hek gaze and aBd caught a a glimpse of the cap as as it was carried along by the tide L Looking oking up th the the road h ho placed his fingers b between be be between tw tween en his teeth and whistled shrilly A large Newfoundland dog came cam towards him l leaping in huge bounds Hey Prince go get it He pointed to the cap now whirling in an eddy Prince soon soon- reached the cap and holding it well above the water turned for the bank The sides w were re steep and slippery but the boy took firm hold of the of-the the dogs dog's collar and after a struggle hauled him to s solid ground Prince dropped the cap filling the air with spray as he shook himself lf wagged his tail tall and lolled his tongue in m canine self self satisfaction Here is your cap said the boy as ashe ashe ashe he held a much bedraggled piece of ot millinery gingerly at arms arm's length Thank you boy said Jessie smiling through tears which were w welling l ng in her eyes With a little sigh of of relief she noted that the governess governess governess gov gov- erness was not in sight Jessie patted the dog on the head and with a roguish roguish roguish ro ro- glance addressed her unknown companion i What is your name she asked I with the the direct frankness of twelve years My name is Burt John Burt John Burt My name is Jessie Carden said the young lady as she crawled through the fence unassisted by her new acquaintance ac ac- The courtesy expected by a miss of twelve is the same as that extended by a lad of seventeen so neither suffered in the others other's estimation es es- What were you trying to do with that pole asked John as they reach reached d the bridget bridge t I was trying to stir up those spi- spi fiery dery things down there in the water replied replied Jessie Jessle again grasping the pole which had remained erect fast in the sticky bottom of the cre creek l Oh how I wish I could catch one easy said John Burt as ashe ashe ashe he climbed into the wagon Walt Wait until I hitch this horse and and Ill I'll show ATt ii t x 57 you how bow W Want t some some a anyhow h W OTi can an watch lie me John Burt speedily returned with some scraps scraps of meat and anda a mysterious mysterious ous im implement l m nt wl which consisted of f a a- pole with a stout dip net at the end end of f it Jessie regarded the preparations preparations preparations with keen interest The Tho boy took a piece of string from his pocket and securely fastened a piece of tough raw b beef ef to It then he lowered the meat into the water In his left hand he held MId the pole with the meshes of the dip net but a few Inches above the surface Jessie watched with with bated breath and wide opened eyes Slowly and carefully Job John raised raised the string At last the mea sQ showed red in the murky water of the creek r ek As it came to the surface e T thrust thrust the net below Out of the swirl of ot water it emerged laden with the neat meat and a struggling writhing crab era Got him Got him said John as Jie Jio lifted the dripping collection over ver the the ilie side of the bridge he ugly Look at athis his his legs lege One two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven eleven no no ten ten ten-I I counted One n of them twice Does he bite Jessie hovered over the net and stretched her fingers towards the floundering crab The little beady eyes glittered the c claws aws clashed helplessly help help- lessly You bet h he can bite You get near enough and hell he'll nip you good and hard said John as s he he unsnarled unsnarled unsnarled un un- snarled the crab from the twine and meat Run Ru over to the wagon and get the b basket I forgot it it Delighted to be of assistance e In so 80 famous an undertaking king Jessie ran raD swiftly to th the wagon and r returned turne s' s with a large wicker basket John had already dropped the bait in the water water anc and the crab was crawling along Iong the tb the bridge Reaching down he deftly f grabbed the crab r b and dropped him J into Info the Das basket t r oj Z For an instant Jessie was speechless speech speech- less tess with wonder and at c j such bravery t Boy let me catch and you poke she ventured d' d in iIi in a a plaintive note I never caught t a crab crab Wont Won't you please please John John Burt Why certainly s said ld John Ill rn show you h how w. w Jessie left the sq squirming mass mass of crabs and sprang to Johns John's side Reach down as far as you can c'an John directed right When you feel something pull or jerk pull pun up slowly up-slowly slowly though or you'll scare him Do you feel anything The line kind of twitches whispered whispered whis whis- Jessie Raise it up slow Be carefuL Theres There's one on sure sure Now jam the thenet net under him Jessie made a swing with the net but dipped clipped too low A huge crab dropped from the meat struck the edge of th the net and floundered back into the water I I 1 lost him What a shame Wasn't h he he big Go on on try again said John good good- Jessie lowered tI the meat and waited patiently for a minute Then she slowly J raised is d' d the line With much care she dropped the thenet net below the meat and raised It from the water I To be continued |