OCR Text |
Show I Erskine Dale I glSjohri Fox, difM Mnliustrafed by RiiUvlntonerCI COPYRIGHT BY 17 S CUN E R5 "TonSSR think it quite fair that you with your skill should fight a man who knows nothing about foils?" "There was no other way," Grey said sullenly. "And you could not wait. I presume?" pre-sume?" Grey did not answer. "Now, hear what I have to say, and if you both do not agree, the matter will he arranged to your entire satisfaction, satis-faction, Mr. Grey. I have but one question to ask. Your country is at war. She needs every man for tier defense. Do you not. think your lives belong to your country and that it is selfish and unpatriotic just now to risk them In any other cause?" He waited for his meaning to sink in, and sink it did. "Colonel Dale, your nephew grossly insulted me, and your daughter showed me the door. I made no defense to him nor to her, but I will to you. I merely repeated what I had been told and I believed It true. Now that I hear It is not true. I agree with you. sir. and I am willing to express my regrets and apologies." "That is better," said Colonel Dale heartily, and he turned to Erskine, but Erskine was crying hotly: "And I express neither." "Very well," sneered Grey coldly. "Perhaps we may meet when your relatives rel-atives are not present to protect yon." "Uncle Harry " Erskine implored, but Grey was turning toward his horse. "After all, Colonel Dale is right." "Yes," assented Erskine helplessly, and then "it is possible that we shall not always be on the same side." "So I thought," returned Grey wtili lifted eyebrows, "when I heard what I cfiafling, and the musical clunking ot trace-chains came from the barnyard. Hungry cattle were mooing and full-uddered full-uddered mothers were mooing answers to bawling calves. A peacock .screamed from a distant tree and sailed forth, full-spread a great gleaming winged jewel of the air. 'In crises the nerves tighten like violin strings, the memory-plates memory-plates turn abnormally sensitive and Erskine was not to forget that hour. The house was still and not a soul was in sight as the three, still silent, walked up the great path. When they were near the portico Harry came out. He looked worried and anxious. "Where's Barbara?" asked her father.' "Locked in her room." "Let her alone," said Colonel Dale gently. Like brother and cousin, Harry Har-ry and Hugh were merely Irritated by the late revelation, but the father was shocked that his child was no longer a chilli. Erskine remembered the girl as she waited for Grey's coming at the sundial, her face as she walked with him up the path. For a moment the two boys stood in moody silence. Harry took the rapiers in and put them in their place on the wall. Hugh quietly disappeared. Erskine. with a word of apology, went to his room, and Colonel Dale sat down on the porch alone. As the dusk gathered, Erskine. looking look-ing gloomily through his window, saw the girl flutter like a white moth past the box-hedge and down the path. A moment later he saw the tall form of Colonel Dale follow her and both passed from sight. On the thick turf the colonel's feet too were noiseless, noise-less, and when Barbara stopped at the sundial he too paused. She was unhappy, and the colonel's heart ached sorely, for nny unhappiness of hers always al-ways trebled his own. "Little girl 1" he called, and no lover's voice could have been more gentle. "Come here!" She turned and saw him, with arms outstretched, the low moon lighting all the tenderness In his fine old face, and she flew to him and fell to weeping weep-ing on his breast. In wise silence he stroked her hair until she grew a little calmer. "What's the matter, little daughter?" daugh-ter?" "I I don't know." "1 understand. You were quite right to send him away, but you did not want him harmed." "I I didn't want anybody harmed." "I know. It's too bad, but none of us seem quite to trust him." 'That's it," she sobbed ; "I don't, either, and yet " "I know. I know. My little girl must be wise and brave, and maybe it will all pass and she will be glad. Em she must be brave. Mother is not well and she must not be made unhappy un-happy too. She must not know. Can't my little girl come back to the house now? She must be hostess and this Is Ersklne's last night." She looked up, brushing away her tears. "His last night?" Ah, wise old colonel ! "Tes he goes tomorrow to join Captain Cap-tain Clark at Williamsburg on his foolish campaign In the Northwest. We might never see him again." "Oh, father!" "Well, it isn't that bad, but my lit-tl.a lit-tl.a girl must be very nice to him. He seems to be very unhappy, too." Barbara looked thoughtful, but there was no pretense of not understanding. under-standing. "I'm sorry," she said. She took her father's arm. and when they reached the steps Erskine saw her smiling. And (smiling, almost gay, she was at supper, sitting with exquisite ex-quisite dignity in her mother's place. Of Erskine, who sat at her right, she asked many questions about the coming com-ing campaign. Captain Clark had said he would go with a hundred men If he could get no more. The rallying point would be the fort in Kentucky mm CHAPTER XI Continued. 12 "Precisely," answered Erskine, "and i when?" "At the first opportunity." "From this moment I shall be waiting wait-ing for nothing else." Barbara, reappearing, heard their last words, and she came forward pale and with piercing eyes : "Cousin Erskine, I want to apologize apolo-gize to you for my little faith. I hope you will forgive me. Mr. Grey, your horse will be at the door at once. I wish you a safe journey to your command." com-mand." Grey bowed and turned furious. furi-ous. ' Erskine was on the porch when Grey came out to mount his horse. "You will want seconds?" asked Grey. "They might try to stop us no !" "I shall ride slowly," Grey said. Erskine bowed. "I shall not." Nor did he. Within half an hour Barbara, passing through the hall, saw that the rapiers were gone from the wall and she stopped, with the color fled from her face and her hand on her heart. At that moment Ephraim dashed from the kitchen. "Miss Barbary, somebody gwine to . git killed. I was wukkin' in de nle field an' Marse Grey rid by cussin' to hisself. Jist now Marse Erskine went tearin' by de landin' wid a couple o' swords under his arm." His eyes too went to the wall. "Yes, bless Gawd, dey's gone !" Barbara flew out the door. In a few moments she bad found Harry and Hugh. Even while their horses were being saddled her father rode up. "It's murder," cried Harry, "and Grey knows It. Erskine knows nothing noth-ing about a rapier." Without a word Colonel Dale wheeled his tired horse and soon Harry and Hugh dashed after him. Barbara walked back to the house, wringing her hands, but on the porch she sat quietly in the agony of waiting wait-ing that was the role of women In those days. Meanwhile, at a swift gallop Firefly was skimming along the river road. Grey had kept his word and more: he had not only ridden slowly but lie had stopped and was waiting at an oak tree that was1 a cornerstone between two plantations. "That I may not kill you on your own land." he said. Erskine started. "The consideration Is deeper than you know." They hitched their horses, and Erskine Ers-kine followed into a pleasant glade a grassy glade through which murmured mur-mured a little stream. Erskine dropped the rapiers on the sward. "., '"Take your choice," he said. '" "There Is none," said Grey, picking up the one nearer to him. "I know them both." Grey took off his coat while Erskine waited. Grey made the . usual moves of courtesy and still Erskine Ers-kine waited, wonderingly, with the point of the rapier on the ground. "When you are ready." he said, "will you please let me know?" "Ready!" answered Grey, and he lunged forward. Erskine merely whipped at his blade so that the clang of It whined on the nlr to the breaking-point' and sprang backward. He was as quick as an eyelash and lithe as a panther, and yet Grey almost laughed aloud. All Erskine did was to whip the thrusting blade aside and leap out of danger like a flash of light. It was like an inexpert- boxer flailing flail-ing according to rules unknown , and Grey's face flamed and actually turned anxious. Then, as a kindly fate would have It, Ersklne's blade caught In Grey's guard by accident, and the powerful wrist behind it seeking seek-ing merely to wrench the weapon loose tore Grey's rapier from his grasp and hurled It ten feet away. There i Is no greater humiliation for the expert ex-pert swordsman, and not for nothing had Erskine suffered the shame of that long-ago day when n primitive Instinct had led him to thrusting his knife Into this same enemy's breast. Now, with bis sword's point on the earth, he waited courteously for Grey to recover his weapon. Again a kindly fate intervened. Even 'as Grey rushed for his sword. Erskine heard the beat of horses' hoofs. As he snatched it from the ground and turned, with a wicked smile over his grinding teeth, came Harry's shout, and as he rushed for Erskine, Colonel Dale swung from his horse. The sword-blades clashed. Erskine whipping back ind forth in a , way to make a swordsman groan and Colonel Dale had Erskine by the wrist anu was between them. "How d:ire you, sir?" cried Grey I'Ot'.-. "Just n moment, young gentleman." said Colonel Dale calmly. "Let us alone. Uncle Harry I " "Just a moment," repeated the colonel sternly. "Mr. Grey, do you where he had first come back to his own people, and Dave Yandeil would be captain of a company. He himself was going as guide, though he hoped to act as soldier as well. Perhaps they might bring back the Hair-Buyer, Hair-Buyer, General Hamilton, a prisoner J to Williamsburg, and then he would join Harry and Hugh in the milifia -f the war came south and Virginia were invaded, as some prophesied, by Tarleton's White Rangers, who had been ravaging the Carolinas. After supper the little lady excused herself i with a smiling courtesy to go to her mother, and Erskine found himself in the moonlight on the big portico with Colonel Dale alone. "Erskine." he said, "you make It very difficult for me to keep your secret. Hugh alone seems to suspect he must have got the Idea from Grey, but I have warned him to say nothing. The others seem not to have thought of the matter at all. It was a boyish impulse of generosity which you may regret " "Never." interrupted the boy. "I have no use less han ever now." "Nevertheless." the jolonel went on,' "I regard myself as merely your steward, and I must tell you one thing. Mr. Jefferson, as you know. Is always at open war with people like ns. His hand Is against coach and four, silver plate, and aristocrat. He Is fighting now against the law that gives property prop-erty tn the eldest son. and he will pass the bill. His argument is rather amusing. amus-ing. He says if you will show him that the eldest son eats more, wears more, and tloes more work than his brothers, I ( will grant that that son Is en-Mili'd en-Mili'd :o more. He wants to blot out all distinctions of class. He can't do that, hut he wiil pass this bill." "1 hope he will." muttered Erskine, (TO RE CONTINUED.) The Sword-Blades Clashed, Erskine Whipping Back and Forth in a Way to Make a Swordsman Groan. did about you !" Both Harry and Hugh had to catch Erskine by an arm then, and they led him struggling away. Grey mounted Ids horse, pfied his hat. and was gone. Colonel Dale picked up the swords. "Now." he said, "enough of all this let it be forgotten." And he laughed. "You'll have to confess, Erskine he has a quick tongue and you must think only of his temptation to use it." Erskine did not answer. As they rode back Colonel Dale spoke of the war. It was about to move into Virginia, he said, and when It. did Roth Harry and Hugh interrupted inter-rupted him with a glad shout: "We can go!" Colonel Dale nodded sadly. Suddenly all pulled their horses in simultaneously and raised their eyes, for all heard the coming of a horse in a dead run. Around a thieketed curve of the road came I'.arbara. with her face white and her hair streaming behind be-hind her. She pulled her pony in hut a few feet In front of them, with her burning eyes on Erskine alone. "Have you killed him have you killed him? If you have " S. stopped helpless, and all were so amazed that none could answer. Erskine Ers-kine shook his head. There was a (lash of relief in the girl's white face, its recklessness gave way to sudden shi'ine. and. without a word, she wheeled and was away again Harry Hying after her. No one spoke. Colonel Dale looked aghast and Erskine's heart again turned sick. CHAPTER XII n ? sun was close ,o the unev-n "weep of the wilderness. Through Its slanting rays the river poured like a flood of gold. The negroes were on the way singing from the fields. Cries, |