Show ersh binin ine dale mth M th 0 s amm rl by john fox jr 1 I copyright by chles charle swi aces sou sone MY a SYNOPSIS y to the wilderness outpost comm commanded andea by jerome senders in the time abely preceding the revolution comes a white boy fleeing from a tribe of shawnees ly by whom lie be had bad been captured and adopted as aa a bon of the chief kattoo lie he Is s giver shelter heller and attracts tile the favorable attenson atte nUon of dave yandell a leader among the the youngster Is nakeda snaked a breech clouted ravage lie speaks only bastard french ard and shannee but he ha shows a patch of white skin and proudly taps its his breast paleface white man CHAPTER II 11 2 I 1 i of old jerome aind dave and the alie older men gathered in one corner of the stockade blockade for a council of war tile the boy had made it plain that the attacking party was as ut at least two days behind the three indians from whom lie he had escaped so BO that there was no danger that day and they could nit until night to send messengers to warn arn the settlers outside to seek safety within the he fort jerome would dispatch live five men with fill dave to scout for the three indians who might ibe be near by in the woods and the boy jubo saw them slip out the rear gate of the lie fort at once knew their purpose shook ills his her hoed and waved ills his hand to say that his big late friends were pone gone back to hurry on the big war party to the attack now that tha in maites themselves knew their danger old jerome nodded that lie understood rod nodded to others his big appreciation of the sense and keenness of the lad andt hut but he be let ue the men inen go just the same game mother sunders sanders appeared and cried to kud bud to bring the injun to her cabin she had been unearthing clothes for the little heathen and hud bud helped to put them on in a few minutes the lad reappeared in Il tinting shirt and trousers lang in them most uncomfortably for they made film itch but at the same time wearing them proudly on oil the mighty wilderness tile the sun sunk slowly livid old jerome sat in the vic western stern tower to watch alone the alie silence out there was oppressive rod and for it meant that the boys theory was right the three indians lind had gone back to their fellows and uben darkness came the old man ann sent runners to the outlying cabins to warn naru the inmates to take refuge within the foit foil and the gathering was none too soon the hooting of owls started before dawn A laming flaming arrow hissed from the woods thudded into the roof of one of the cabins sputtered feebly on oil a dew drenched ridgepole ridge pole and went ment out savage war whoops rent the air and the battle was on all jay day the fight went ent on there were feints of attack attach in front and rushes from the rear and there were rushes from nit nil tides the women loaded rifles and cooked and cared for the be wounded thrice an indian readied reached the wall of the stockade and set a cabin on fire iut but no one of tile the three got back to the woods allie the stranger boy sat stole filly in the center of the enclosure watching everything and making no effort to take part late in the afternoon the ammunition began to run low lew find and the muddy discoloration of the river showed that the red men lind had begun to tunnel under the walls of the fort and bet et a last sally was made just before sunset A body pushed against dave in the tower and dave saw the stranger boy at ills his side with his big bow and arrow A few minutes later lie he lioard heard a ell from the lad ind makh rang high oer the din and lie he saw the feathered tip of an arrow shaking jn ibe lie breast of a big indian india la 16 alio staggered and fell behind a bush lust ot at that froment there were bells ells from the woods behind the yells of bite men that were answered by joyful yells within thin the fort the vir virginians Ini ansi I 1 the virg virginians inkins and as hie file re recurs auers cuers dashed into sight on horse borse and aroot afoot dive dave paw caw tile lad ind leap tile the wall of tile lie sto stockade chade and disappear behind tile fleeing Ind indians inns gone aone back to eni em lie ho grunted to litin gelf lf the gates were thrown thron old jerome and his men rushed out ond and and rescuers poured all their fire after tile the Ind hins tome some of whom turned bravely to empty their rifles once wore more olt git in binl olt git in quick idled belled old joel ile he knew another volley would come collie as soon conn na as the indians thi ahr cover of thick woods and come collie the th volley did three men fell one the tender of the virginians whose licad lead flopped forward ns as he entered the alie gate cate find and a as caught in of old joels arms not another sound clime from the woods but again dave from tile the tower raw the cane brush rustle at the he edge of a thicket saw a hand thrust upward with the palm of peace toward the fort end and again the stranger doy boy emerged this time with it bloodily beald dangling dangl lne in ill his left brind dave sprang dou down n and met him lit int the sate gote the boy shook his bow and arrow arow proudly pointed to a crisscross war or on tile scalp and dave tunde out from his big explanation that once before the ind had tried to kill ala ila tormentor and that the scar icar vins na he sign in the center of the enclose tire hrc the wounded virginian lay and ill han old jerome stripped lle file shirt fram sl 11 lrea lecat tt he shook his hend head kavely Kr vely the wounded man opened his eyes lust just in time to bes t end lie he sin singled fled 1 I L now it rie ho rold and pen sien lila elf aty iyog g slit ilip ill boy illi fill the SCRIP were fixed steadily anti and began to widen ulden who Is that boy he be asked Shir sharply ply never mind now said old joel joe soothingly you must keep astl still if the boys eyes lind had begun to shift under the scrutiny and lie st started arted awny away come back bacic here commanded com the wounded man mail and still searching the lad ind he be raid eald sharply again who Is ilat boy nor would he have ills wound round dressed or even take the cup of water handed to him until old joel briefly told the story when he lay jay baa on the ground and closed his eyes dark ml fell in each tower a watcher kept his eyes strained toward the lie black silent woods the dying man was laid on a rude bed within one benbin Ven 1 cabin bin and old joel lity lay on the floor of it close to the door the stranger lad ind refused to sleep indoors and huddled himself in a blanket on the ground in one corner of the stockade men women ond and children fell to a deep and weary sleep an hour later the boy in the corner threw aside ills hinn blanket ket and when a moment later lydia noe feverish beerish fe erish and thirsty rose from her bed to get a drink of water outside her door slie she stopped slopped short on olt the threshold the lid lad stark naked but for ills his breechclout rind swinging ills his bloody scalp over his head was stain stamping pIng around the fire dancing the scalp dance dan ce of tile lie savage to a low fierce guttural song the boy saw her saw her filce face in the hie blaze stricken white fill lt flight and horror saw her too parn yv YZ 11 to move and he stopped staring itt it her n moment with savage rage annj went ent on again old joels body filled HIP next nest doorway doo runy ile he called out with a harsh oath and again the boy stopped with another oath and a threatening gesture joel motioned to the corner of the stockade sto kade and with a flare of defiance in ills his black eyes the lad ad stalked slowly null proudly away from behind him the wice of the wounded man called and old joel turned there was us a ghastly smile on the Virgin virginians fans pallid face 1 I saw it lie he said painfully s my I 1 CHAPTER III from the sundial on the edge of the high bank straight above the brim of the majestic yellow james a noble path of thick grass as broad as a modern highway ran hundreds of yards hedges of roses straight to tile the open door of the great manor house with its wide ulde verandas cr andas 0 J who Is that boy he asked sharply and mighty pillars set deep back from the hie river in a groe of ancient oaks behind the house spread a little hinga kingdom om divided into fields of gross grass wheat I jent tobacco and corn und and to I 1 tj e with ni alte tt a blied flied cabins filled with will slaves already tile the house had b been cen built a hundred nears cars of if brick brought froin england in tile the builders own ships it was said und aind the hie see second 0 lid sort hon of the reigning generation one colonel dale sat it in the alie veranda alone lie he wits was a royalist royall st officer tills this second hon but its ills elder brother brollier had bad spirit of daring and advent adventure tire that should have been ills his and he had bin sitting fitting there four years beffie ben that elder brothel clime home front from his first plo pioneering trip into tile the wilds to tell fit eliat a t big wife nife was dead mid and their only son was a captive among the indiana two years later still aard collie that the father too had met inet death front from the savages sa vases wid and the little kan kingdom dom passed into colonel dales dalea bands indentured servants as well weil as blacks from africa had labored on that path in front of him slid and up it had onte one stalked a deputation of the great real ans red tribes up that path had find come members of tile the worshipful house of burgesses Dur gesses bluff planters in silk coats the hie governor and members of tile the council distinguished ti I 1 from rom englund nl colonial gentlemen rod ladles an and d nil all was still mill bool books cl clothes clot 0 t beg hrs pin kril knave ve and forks the church hie file church of ril england land the lie governor UK I 1 represent itle of the hie matz kini als council connell tile air so rr poli il oly republican por for image emage belll unit that all freemen should have a voice in the elections have berunt right to say bay who tiie the lawmakers and what the law the woj wast was open as now any ninn man could get two thou thousand saud ceres acres bir b sen ice to the colony could build plow reap save buy servants and roll oil in his own conch coach to sit as burgess there was but one sent seat of learning nt at what culture they had find they brought from england or got froni from parents or minister and always they hall had seemed to prefer sword nad and stump to the pen they hated t towns 1 I 9 at every wharf a long slinky t trestle restle ran from it a warehouse out into the river to load ships with tobacco for rn england ginnI anti and to get in return all conveniences nud luxuries find and that was enough in towns men jostled ami individual freedom was ns lost so iio hot for the great sweeps of land and the sway siny of a territorial lord ang englishmen they were of Shake time but ielne in virginia anti and that Is nil all they were save that the flower of liberty was groning faster anster in the mcw world world soil soft englishmen called it the good land and found it most plentiful sweet wholesome lind and fruitful of oil all others down it now rame a little gill the flower of all those dead find anil izone cone and her coming was ins just as though one of the flowers about her lind had stepped from its gay company on one or the other side of the path linth to make through il thern them a dainty atrium triumphal P hal marh as the hie fairest of them nil all at the dial the she paused and her impatient blue eye 9 turned to a bend of the yellow river for the arst glimpse of a gay barge that soon must come at the wharf harf A the song or of negroes rose ns as they union unloaded ded the boat just from she would go and see it there was not a package for her mother and perhaps a for herself so with mith another look to the lie aler aher bend slie she turned but she mom d no farther instead she gave a little gasp in blikh there aas as no fear though what site she saw was surely aurely stait startling ling enough to line haie made her wheel in flight instead she gazed steadily into a pair of grave black eyes that were fixed on her from under a green branch that the footpath foot and steadily she perched ear ser ched the figure standing there from tile lie coonskin coons liln cap down the lie fringed hunt bunting ing shirt and fringed bree breeches hes to the feet and still the strange egure stood arms folded motionless find silent neither the attitude nor the silence was quite pleasing and tile girls supple slenderness stiffened her arms arins went nent rigidly alg lily to her sides find and a haughty little snap sent her thin up dupard ard who are you and what do you wont it was a new way vily for a woman to speak to n man lie he in turn was not pleased and a gleam in his eyes showed it 1 I nm am the son of a king she started to laugh but grew puzzled for she had the blood of poca honing herself you rou are RD an indian Di dlan lie he shook his hend scorning to explain dropped its his ride to the hollow of ills his arm mid and reaching for ills his belt where she saw the buckhorn handle of a hunting knife came toward her but slie she did not flinch drawing a letter from the belt lie handed it to her it wits was so worn and soiled that she took it daintily and saw on it her fat fathers tiers name the boy waved his hand toward the house far up the tha path lie live here you wish ish to see alm the boy grunted assent and with will a shock of resentment tile the little lady started up the path with her head bend very high indeed tile the boy slipped noiselessly after lier her his face unmoved but his bis eyes were darting right and left to the flowers trees find and bushes to every flitting strange bird the gray streak of a scampering squirrel and what he could not see his ears took in the clanking chains of workhorses work horses the whir of a quail the screech of a peacock the songs of 0 negroes from far olt off fields on oil the porch sit sat a gentleman la in powdered wig and knee who lifting ills his oils from froin a copy of the spectator to give an order to a negro servant saw the two coining and tile the first air 8 t look 1001 of bewilder bewilderment ment on ills his one face gave ae way to a tolerant stille smile ile ho asked no question for a purpose very decided and definite was ins plainly bringing the little lady ori od and he would not have to question swiftly she 1 ran an up the steps lier her mouth primly set an and d handed him a letter rhe Is the sou SOL of A king A what the son of a king she all e repeated all ali sold said the hie gentleman bui norIng her ask ills his highness to be settled seated ills his highness was looking from one to tile the oilier of er greely and keenly lie he lid did not quite understand but lie he knew genile fun was bring being poked fit at him film ind and lie dropped sullenly on the edge of the por ell and stared blared in front of 0 him film the little girl saw ahn that it ills his moo moc rusins were much worn and that in one ii was as a hole ho lewith with the edge bloodstained still stained ned and then site she began to watch lier ter fat fatt liers lees face which showed hint the contents of the letter were astounding him film ile he rose quickly w hen he had finished and put out oat his bis to the str stranger auger 1 I am glad to see you my boy he mid with great kindness 11 this if 14 a little kinsman hinsman of ours from kentucky lie ile was the adopted son of an all indian chief but by blood lie he 14 1 your cousin ills his name Is erslyn bale dale 1 mr willoughby Willough bv may 17 I 1 present by cousin frair K ken tucky lucky TO BE CONTINUED |