Show an the D of 4 ro ur ir I 1 i 0 chiard IRVING COPY PLIGHT AV B IRVING 1 1 A MEAN CUSS SYNOPSIS SIM solomon bankus veteran scout and interpreter anil and his young companion jack irons passing through horse valley now new york in Sept september enber 1768 2708 to warn varn settlers of an in dalit rescue from a band of redskins red skins the wife and daughter of colonel hare of england jack distinguishes himself in the light fight and later rescues Al argaret ilare hare from the river jac jack and margaret tall fal 1 in lo 10 love v e lif on n reaching fort stanwix colonel ilare hare says both are too young to marry the hare family sail ball for england an and the irons family move to albany albans unrest grows in the colonies col onles because 0 of the oppressive measures of the english government solomon solomen an and d jack visit boston in november novembre r 1 1770 0 jac jack k goes goe to philadelphia and works in benjamin franklins printing plant nearly three years later margaret Marga iet writes him from london reminding him that her youth y outs to Is passing find and saying easing she has appealed appeal td to doctor franklin cinkus has received a letter from washington to bo be carried across the ocean andrack and Jack sails with him arriving in england cinkus Is arrested but jack has the letter and proceeds to london jack delivers the papers to franklin in london binkus Is released and joins them in the great city jack orders fashionable clothes jack and margaret meet and are more in love than ever but colonel here hare Is not eager for or the marriage franklins efforts to obtain better treatment or the col colonies onles are futile atlle ile he evades the attempt of tile the kings men to tow airi into port I 1 CHAPTER VII continued 9 then said lady lad y ilowe howe 1 I wish my brother franklin that you ayere ere to be sent thither I 1 should like that much bucl I 1 better than general blowes going to command the army there A rather tense moment follow PI franklin broke its silence by saying ing in a gentle tone 1 I think madame they should provide the general with more honorable employment I 1 beg that your sour ladyship will not misjudge me I 1 ant am not capable of taking tin nn office from this government while it Is acting with so much hostility toward my country the ministers have we tile tho opinion that you can compose the situation it if you will lord llovio declared many of us have hae unbounded falth faith tn in your jour ability I 1 would not think of trying to tn influence our judgment by a self lili motive mothe but certainly you may irth lah reason expect tiny reward regard which it Is in the pow power r of tile llie governa government ent to bestow 8 t av then came tin an answer which should live in history lit stori as one of the treat credits of human nature ant and all men especially those of english blood blond should feel a certain pride in it the answer ans your lordship I 1 am not looking for rewards but only for justice let us iry to agree as to ta what Is the justice 11 ustice of the matter ilowe hove answered hlll all you sou not draft a plan on which you would be willing to 0 cooperate o that I 1 will he be glad to do persisting in ills his misjudgment judgment howe su suggested As you have fr lenda here and constituents in america to keep well with perhaps it t would better not ile he in your our ion writ ing sent send it to andy ilowe howe find and khe he will hill copy it find and return the orl gnal then sold the sturdy old yankee 1 I desire my friends that there slin ll 11 be no secrecy about it lord and lady inowe showed shined signs of great disappointment as lie he bade them good night find begged to be sent to ills his room 1 I am growing grow ing old und have to ask for like indulgence front every eiery hostess lie pl pleaded ended was ivas not willing to leave a stone tin unturned turned ile he could not the notion from ills his mind that the purchase could be effected if the hid were vere raised lie drew the doctor aside and sold said lye VB do not net expect your vur assistance vilt without hout proper consideration I 1 shall insist upon generous and timple appointments point ments for the men you take with you ard and especially for you ns well ns as a firm promise of subsequent 1 what crown lind bad heln he in mind fur the ohp white rind venerable brow brov of the mn man who stood before him beneath that brow was a new type of statesman nan born of the hardships and perils anti anil high ralth falth of a new world and then and there as these two faced each other the soul sou odthe of the past and the soul of the future n moment was come than which there had been ii no greater in human history Id story in america france and inland the cocks had been crowd crow ing find and now the first light of dawn of v new lay day fell upon the etire of the man loon who in lionor honor rind understanding towered above his fellows now or moment on the character of this man inan tile the unfathomable pla plan n of god for future ages would kent to have been resting in ills his sixty eight years eairs lie ho had ills als covered adiong other things the van fly 14 of wealth nod splendor it was no more to 0 o him than tho the idle whid waid these fire aro ills his exact words as lie ho stood with will a gentle gentl esmile smile on ills his face if you wish to use me give me tile the propositions and dismiss nil thoughts of towards from your mind they would destroy the influence you ou propose ti to use the old gentleman climbed the groat great staircase and went to ills his chamber while lord inowe was no doubt communicating muni cating the result of ills his interview to ills his other guests there were those among them theiu who freely predicted that war cwi vu inevitable CHAPTER VIII an appointment and a challenge I 1 So solomon lonion hankus had left the city with Il reston to visit sir jeffrey amherst in III ills his country seat scat near london I 1 sir benjamin hild taken jack to dine alth him nt fit two of ills clubs find after dining they had gone to see the great actor robert as mal ollo and the comedian dodd ns as sir andrew tile hild had been most polite but had seemed studiously to mold avold mention of the subject nearest the heart of the young oung roan man after that the latter was invited to a n revel and a cock fight but declined the ilie honor bonor and went to spend nn an evening with ills his friend the philosopher oso os for days franklin had been shut in with gout jack had found mot in ills room with alth one of his feet wrapped in bandages and resting on a chair 1 I nm am glad you come came my soo son suit said the good doctor 1 I am in III need of better company than this foot solitude 1 AND hag is I 1 MINE SAID JACK F n as I 1 ts Is like allce water good for a dip but vou cannot live in it margaret has been imen here trying to give me file comfort ni though she needs it more for herself margaret I 1 the boy exclaimed why hv does she n need eed comfort oh largely on your amount ny my son tier her father Is obdurate an and the hc cause Is clear tn me this courtship of yours vours la Is taking nn lin international aspect 1 I only benr that I 1 eniy ma not be sible able to provide for liar her lu in a suitable manner sald EI id jack oh you are well riff olt said bald tile the philosopher os you have some eime capital and talent and occupation for it t when I 1 reached philadelphia I 1 had find an lipty stomach and also a dutch dollar a few pennies two and a pair of dirty stockings in my pockets many years unas passed find I 1 had it a family before I 1 was as us its well off ns its you are As jack wils tens spying good night I 1 to tn ills his venerable venerable friend the I titter remarked mir ked 1 I 1 shall go to sir john PrIn pringlee Irl nele glea in the ri ornIng for advice ile he Is a noted my man will be having a day ot at could you ou go with me at ton ten fil odly feild jack then I 1 shall pick you ou III up nt at your nur you will illi be see your our rival ht Pr Ingles ile he la Is at home on leave i and ha has s bt been an going to 0 o sir johns boffl bince ce every tuesday morning nt at ten thirty with ills his father ither fi general clarke a gruft gouty old liero of tile the french ond 1 indian wars alir and nn an aggress aggressive lye tory ile he Is forever tossing and grer ing ns the liggs it may be the life only chance you will ft have to see that rival of yours ours lie he Is a a handsome lad doctor rr franklin anklIn alth his crutch crutch I 1 beside him in llie ilie cab cul called I 1 e afo for r ills his leone friend at the lour hour appointed the offlie of the doctor docto r baronet wm 0 on n the first arst floor of a large building in clough square fleet street A number of gentlemen ant nt in comfortable chairs in n a largo large waiting room sir john will hlll see you yon in a mo moment ment bir nn an attendant sold said to doctor franklin frankila as they entered the moment was a very ions iong one at last the door to the private room of the great physician creaked on its hinges hinge with a kind of groan and he cenit cunit out accompanied by a limping patient walt valt hero here for n minute a gout minute sold said franklin to ills his young oung friend lian when pringle dismisses me I 1 will present you ou jack tat sat raid malted while tile the room tilled with rudd ruddy croachey crot chey gentlemen by canes or crutches elder IY bi old od and of middle age among those of the latter class was has it 11 giant ol 01 0 it a num nan erect find and dignified dign idled accompanied by a big blond youngster in n uniform ile he sat abw n find and began to talk with another patient of f lie iho troubles in Avi america erlea 1 I see the d rt yankees have thrown another carge it r ten overboard aid sold lie he in it a tono of finger anger this time it was in III cape cod we lye must give ghe those yahoos a lesson jack now that here was the aggressive tory general or of whom the doctor lind spoken and that the young joung man was as ills his son eon 1 I fear that it would bo be a costly business sending men to fight across three luce thousand miles of seir sea sold said the other hosli bosh I 1 there Is not one yankee in a hundred amundred that has hag tho the courage of a rabbit with a thousand british gren adlers I 1 would undertake to go from froin one end 0 of america to another ond and amputate the heads of the lie males port ly li ba b force anti and partly by coni coaxing ting A laugh followed these insulting words jack irons rose quickly find approached lie man who had uttered them the young oung american was angry but lie managed to say with good composure 1 I am an american sir on and d I 1 demand a retraction of those words wo r d s or it a chance to match my courage against i yours ours A murmur of surprise greeted his challenge the DrI tIsher turned quickly with color mounting to ills brow and surveyed the sturdy form of tho the young man 1 I take back nothing that I 1 say ile he declared then llian in behalf of my slandered county countrymen men I 1 demand the right to light fight you ou or any who lins has tile the courage to talie take up your our quarrel jack irons had spoken calmly like one who had weighed his words the young lieutenant who had entered the room with the hery fiery middle figee rose and faced the Arpe american rican and said I 1 1 I will take up hla his quarrel sir mr hero Is my card and here Is mine sold said jack when will you be fit at home at noon tomorrow some friend of mine will mill call upon you jack assured tho the other A look of surprise came to the face of the lieutenant as lie he sury eyed tile the card in lila ills land hand jack was prepared pic pared for the name lie he read which was vas that of lionel clarke that evening solomon arrived with nith preston jack told them if ID detail of the unfortunate event of the morning solomon hustled l while ills his faco face begon began to get ready for a snot I 1 he exclaimed heres leres I si thIn have love to bo be tended to fore I 1 take the water clarko Is full of hartshorn find and vinegar agari said preston ile he was like that in it america lie he could make moro moio trouble anten in ten minutes than thanet a regiment could men mend in a year lie he Is what you ou would call a mean cuss hut but for him and lord cornwallis I 1 should be bad back in the service thi y blame me for tile present posture of affairs in america jack ini im glad that young pup aint me said solomon never wa wai a min better coc to please a friend er hurt an enemy if lie was to say pistols I 1 guess that ol 01 sling n g 0 yours would bus out laug liln an I 1 aint no idee lie he could stan a minnit in front 0 your our hanger its bad ad business and specially especially for you said preston dueling Is not so go much in favor here as in franco france I 1 of course there tire duels li nels but the best people in england L nie aie set against agal rist lie proc practice tice you would lie be sure to g get et tho the worst vorst of it the old ad general Is 1 a favorite of the lie king ile he la Is b boohen for or knighthood if you were to kill hla his son in the present state of here your our neck would be in danger it if you QU were to injure him you would have to make a lucky escape or go to prison it Is not a pleasant outlook for one na who la Is engaged engage 0 fo o an englis 11 girl ile he hs has a great gnat advantage over vm 1 cu ye shoot quick jack an debbe what saved ye TO OE CONTINUED cona |