Show recounting the adventures and love which came into the lives of 0 david larrence Larre and antoinette obannon in the days when pioneers were fighting by SAMUEL mccoy red savages savage in the indiana wilde wilderness mess copyright 1916 by dobbs bobbs merriu merrill co CHAPTER continued 10 great led god how did that injun get in hero here mr air larrence ejaculated conrod as tho the candles showed him the huddled form bof of the dying savage dont ask me captain conrod returned turn ed the other cheerfully your door was open when I 1 got hero here and ho he jumped on me when I 1 came in and hed have got mo me if it had not been for tills this man and lie he laid hla his hand gently on the shoulder of the hysterical figure brou crouched chad on the floor holy rattlesnakes I 1 burst from the astonished conrod its doe doc elliott elleott I 1 david larrence lifted his bis rescuer to liis his feet here lets see your face my friend 11 the man looked up slowly ned scull I 1 said Lar larrence renco in a glia ghastly atly whisper and staggered backward the man bowed his bis head again larrence spoke like a man in a dream scull I 1 I 1 have found you at last las t 1 V 1 I am innocent I 1 swear it I 1 cried scull 1 I never betrayed youl you 1 tile the others looked from one to the other of the two men in amazement where had they known each other before by what name did larrence call elliott El llott what was their secret the moment was tense with waiting david turned to the little group gentlemen he said may I 1 talk to this man alone tor for a moment sure as sho shooting shoot otin ln said conrod after a pau pause se but lets get this injun out of here first ile he bent above the filthy body and turned the limp shoulders over why its that ruthless less Plank eshaw come in last week to sell his skins been drunk drun kever ever since hell be sober a while now with scant ceremony they dragged the heavy body with the dark red stain between the shoulder blades into the rain one indian less on tile the wilderness border was better luck than bad the half shut eyes stared blankly upward in the beating rain bury him in the mornin directed conrod and scull whom the village had known only as elleott El llott and david larrence were left alone together now said larrence Ijar rence with deadly calm tell me how you got here I 1 tile the man scull clasped his bis hands bands in entreaty 1 I left nottingham because I 1 heard you had sworn to kill me I 1 swear to yow you before god I 1 was not responsible for your fathers larrence checked the word on sculls lips how came you here he repeated 1 I heard you hda had gone to america bindi and I 1 came across the atlantic to find you I 1 thought I 1 might show you I 1 was v as innocent J I 1 swear I 1 am innocent you lie returned david calmly you lie in every word you informed falsely on my father and lie he died on the gallows because of you you became a british spy you fled from england to escape me you never thought to find me here nor did I 1 think to find you here under an as burned name pretending to be a phy 11 scull looked at him in terror godl he whispered his lips dry with fear A door that led to an inner room suddenly swung open and a woman stepped quickly out A cry of fear escaped her as she saw david towering menacingly above sculls bowed head she was face to face with david and he looked tit at her in astonishment lydia crammer Cran merl I 1 the girl flung herself between the two men and clasping scull in her arms she turned defiantly t toward oward david no not lydia cranmer she cried but Ml itress scull 1 hush lydia commanded scull dully go back babli leads let us end our business t lie ile swallowed convulsively and stroked her hair as though soothing a child go back dear not 1 I ned I 1 she answered what does this man want oh ned ie lsne Is no danger is there tell me what is wrong As david daid looked at the two he be felt the wild anker anger dying down in his breast rind instead there arose a feeling of self pity ali ah it if only a woman had thrown her arms about his neck k and faced the world for him believing la in him an unbearable pang shot through ugh him bim his eyes were hot with the bit bitter ter enay of one who looks into ahe abe of a house where loe and light and warmth stand firm the desolate 1 world without and who knows himself a hoin homeless deis wanderer on anoe tle earth when he spoke it was in ift a changed voice freyou are you this womans comans husband we were etere married a month ago paid scull he seemed al almost bostio to have forgo forgotten iten Dai davids fils presence and ills his hand blind caressed the girls cheek with a stran strange gt gentleness david daud looked at them for a moment la in silence then drew a deep breath ile he had made up ills his mind he was glad that he be could be merciful to another though life ilfe might be never merciful to hlin him ile he thrust the pistol back into the bosom of his hunting bunting shirt and bisband lus his hand band fell upon the knot of ribbon to Tol tobnette nette had given him do you see thisbe asked as he drea diew it out scull turned paler ile he had treed freed himself from tho the girls clasp and suddenly his knees loosened beneath him and ho he sank at davids feet lydia clydla threw her arms around ills his shoulders tho the mark cried scull raising tro trembling nibling hands david looked at the ribbon with a start why yes it Is purple but I 1 do not show it to you as aa a sign that I 1 am keeping my oath of the brotherhood no As ho he continued hla his voice grew tender rider te he seemed to bo be speaking to himself or 0 to o some vision which the wretched figure kneeling at his feet could not see you saved my life just now lie he went on 1 I would have thanked you for ending it its as you ended the love of tho the one I 1 loved most in tile world for the sake of that dead love I 1 promise you that no one shall know from me what you have been what you are I 1 break my oath of the brotherhood tho the groveling creature at davids feet raised a face of incredulity you give up the Brot brothers heri vengeance ge ance k absolutely you will not hold to your oath 1 I have said no scull looked up at him a radiance transfiguring trans figuring his face god bless you larrence ho he said chokingly you do not know what death means you have only your own life I 1 have god help me I 1 two lives to live for aorl I 1 lydia stooped quickly and lifted davids hand to her lips she went hastily from the room the two men stood facing each other and for a while there was silence then david spoke slowly are you going to remain here scull straightened himself up not nol we shall go back to england I 1 lime chave robbed you of everything find and you have given me everything you do not wish to see my face again but before I 1 go I 1 will tell To tollette luette tile truth I 1 david nodded wearily and went out A cold rind and dreary rain was still falling but a ray of light shone from the tavern door on the upturned face of the dead indian david stopped and looked down upon the sightless visage for a moment and then laughed the dreadful features were twisted into a smile as to ultimate victory and a little rivulet of rain trickled unceasingly from the corner coiner of the mouth no more of wretched life no more of firewater I 1 davids hand stole unconsciously to the pi pistol stol that hung heavily within the folds of his own blo blouse iise ills his fingers tightened on it and his lips drew together in a harder line why not the thing so easily so quickly done why not was there anything remaining to make him hold to life tiny any longer what though blackford did believe in him what though a hundred friends believed in him what mattered all their friendships their stupid greetings the little kindnesses of dally daily intercourse ter course what did ills his dreams of great things to be done in tills this new land amount to petty dreams petty tasks buying and selling over pennies lings over little e gains a sordid prospect the heritage of fools I 1 the rain fell steadily chilling him to the very bones through its gray unceasing torrent he plodded unchallenged in ills loneliness to his own scull looked at him in terror rooms in the village sodden with the cold flood sodden with quenched hopes hope he sank heavily upon a chair and bowed his head upon his hands there to sit for hours in a numb wrestling with bitterness that were beyond his power to shake off after a long while he rose and drew the pistol from its place wiped the dampness from its shining barrel and gazed at it if with unseeing eyes CHAPTER the uttermost instant it was waa the day following sculls departure david walked swiftly deep into the leafless forest and strode along little indian creek gurgling under its ice to the spot where tola I 1 ette obannon had first smiled nt at him in the april noon etwas it ana there hla his new life had bad begun and there thera kneel ing by the rocky ledge it he prayed as at n R shrine an end of all things had come to david ills his long quest was over and the surf of ills passion had spent itself in foam had it been worth while to forgive all that he had lived for was torn from him tollette Tol nette netto would know that she lind had judged him unjustly but would that knowledge bring back what ho he had lost of her ile he had been a hot tempered fool lie he had insulted her beyond forgiving tile the breach had widened beyond bridging ho he looked across the gulf that lay between him and tobnette Tol nette and felt the bitterness of ruined hop hopes ile he thrust his hand into ills his hunting shirt rind and drew forth tile tho dueling pistol he had taken from Black fords room for a long while lie he stood looking at it in silence A light step rustled the dead dicave s underfoot ind and lie he turned quickly coln ette stood beside him a joyous smile on her face 1 I was sent to find you she greeted him astonishingly ile he stared at her us as though tit at a messenger from the skies her silver laughter rang out as it had in days daya gone by do not deceive yourself she tilled smiled 1 I am no angel im tobnette Tol nette I 1 david did not believe her denial never neer believed it father sent me for you hes going to give a great dinner A a t the tavern and youre to sit in the place of lionor come you kep keep your cook waiting and she held out her hand but david did not stir the look of hagg haggard fird suffering had returned to his face her loveliness was an arrow that sent till all the poison of his despair once more burning through ills his veins for the first time lie found a voice a voice trembling with emotion 1 ic I cannot annot I 1 cannot please go gol V she opened her eyes wide rind and shot a blue radiance of hurt surprise surprised at him then she went swift find and straight to the point a woman not to be put aside by evasions indeed I 1 will not you stay here alone he had regained control of himself but the struggle left illin him deadly pale ile he could not bear to face her as he spoke 1 I am going away I 1 cannot live without you the words were hardly more than a whis whisper per she took two quick steps forward her hand fell upon ills his shoulder light as a floating strand of gossamer but lie felt it and thrilled through all his being slowly slowly he raised his liend head tin and she saw his face that he had gone into the valley of the shadow of death in the hush of the wilderness his scarcely audible words seemed to fall on bil their hearts with the measured beating of an inexorable judgment what did she see in the wilderness adry A dry reed shaken in the wind of despair lilt but her voice rang like a song in the morning it is not brave to turn back from the plowing I 1 have heard my father say sav that courage should be lifted to i such a height as to maintain its great I 1 ness ii in the midst of miseries holding all things under itself david smiled 1 11 I call the immortal truth to witness tit that at no fear either of life or death can appall me having long learned to set bodily pain in the second form of I 1 my being and I 1 do now think it the act of a coward to die the girl had grown paler ns as slip she read ills his determination in his face white find and rigid as a mask lunsk david was silent in the morning sunlight that dappled the little glade the frozen branches of the trees stood motionless A white snowflake lanced danced across the space before davids eyes and his vision followed it up up into the cloudless blue beyond in tile the quiet it seemed to tobnette Tol nette as if she could hear her own heart beating david spoke again slowly and if we be lieutenants of god in this troubled world do you not think then that we have right to choose a new station when lie he leaves us of good reason to stay in the old no certainly I 1 do not she said with a rebuke lovelier because it lay I 1 in n her sweetly troubled voice since it Is not for us to appoint that mighty majesty what time he will help us the lie uttermost instant is scope enough for him to revoke all things to ones own oa desire and she scaled her lips with the moist moistness neis of her tears which followed still one another like a precious ropo rope of pearls david suddenly realized how bow ineffably sweet life was wonderful tragic joyous worthy of music worthy of tears the pistol fell to the ground unheeded david took a step forward but she checked him no she said do not tell me doctor docter elliott elleott has told me all he and lydia have gone forgive me forgive roe me david I 1 let the dreadful past go with them I 1 see sec you have made me cry arent you sorry and aid by this time theres no dinner for either of us they laughed together they were young til ill gets get dinner for you promised david 1 I knew a butchers son once upon a time once upon a she repeated that sounds like a story tho the way they always begin and so it was the Le ginning of a story but david did not tell it to her then they went homo home together at door mr obannon hailed david with a shout 1 I sent my dove into the S 11 lie he said ills his eyes twinkling but youre the most sizable olive branch I 1 ever saw I 1 CHAPTER the story begins in the little stone courthouse on that sabbath morning a hundred voices were lifted in the stirring music of Giar dinis triumphal hymn the people of the countryside had gathered to give thanks to god for tho the victory over their savage foes the vigor of the chant swelled la in a stern strength which was made beautiful by the rough voices of the pioneers in the little room the hymn echoed with the majesty of a cathedral chant come thou almighty xing king help us thy name to sing help me to praise father I 1 all glorious oer all victorious come and reign over us ancient of dayal david felt himself thrill in every nerve ills cifes hand trembled in ills his and lie he knew that like himself hImsel fj she felt the might glory of life and love of trial undergone of good tri triumphant pm pliant over III of yearnings toward the ineffable tears of happiness stood lu iu U I 1 A tel itel I N N CI 1 am going away I 1 cannot uve without you eyes the of victory ceased the minister a man of god rose roe slowly to his feet he too felt tears rising from the lie depths love had made him the apostle of the people of the wilderness der riess andee and he had knit their hearts to ills his with bands of humble ministry NO lie had never before addressed so large tin an audience as tills this sunday after sunday the ten or twelve who made up ills his little calvinistic flock lacking a church building gathered in the homes of lus ills elders henry rice and james armstrong the foundations of goshen chapel had been scarcely planned but today lie he found a hundred men lind and women watching him expectant of spiritual comfort no one appreciated better than he the sufferings the bereavements reave ments through which |