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Show ' 1 I In the Days of Poor Richard ; ; By IRVING BACHELLER 1 Gsprrifht fcr IKVTNG BACHELLER 1 11 i tentlon," said Washington, "Who told you?" "A man of the name of Henry Thornhill." "I do not know him bnt he Is curiously curi-ously well Informed. Arnold Is an able officer. We have not many like him. He is needed here for I have to go on a long trip to eastern Connecticut to confer with Rochambeau. In the event of some unforeseen crisis Arnold Ar-nold would know what to do." Then Jack spoke out : "General, I ought to have reported to you the exact ex-act words of Governor Reed. They were severe, perhaps, even, unjust. I have not repeated them to any one. But now I think you should know their full content and Judge of them In your own way. The governor Insists that Arnold Is bad at heart that he would sell his master for thirty pieces of silver." sil-ver." Washington made no reply, for a moment, and then his words seemed to have no necessary relation to those of Juck Irons. "General Arnold has been badly cut up In many battles," said he. "I wish him to be relieved of all trying details. You are an able and prudent man. I shall make you his chief aide with the rank of brigadier general. He needs rest and will concern himself little with the dally routine. In my absence, you will be the superintendent superinten-dent of the enmp, and subject to orders or-ders I shall leave with you. Colonel Binkus will be your helper. I hope that you may be able to keep yourself your-self on friendly terms with the general." gen-eral." Jack reported to the commander in chief the warning of Thornhill, but the former made light of It. "The air Is full of evil gossip," he said. "You may hear It of me." When they rode up to headquarters Arnold was there. To Jack's surprise the major general greeted him with friendly words, saying: "I hope to know you better for I have heard much of your courage and fighting quality." On the third of August the precise date named by Henry Thornhill Arnold Ar-nold took command of the camp and Irons assumed his new duties. The major general rode with Washington every day UDtll, on the fourteenth of September, the latter set out with three aides and Colonel Binkus on his trip to Connecticut. Solomon rode with the party for two days and then returned. re-turned. Thereafter Arnold left the work of his office to Jack and gave his time to the enjoyment of the company com-pany of his wife and a leisure that suffered little Interruption. For him, grlm-vlsaged war had smoothed his wrinkled front. Like Richard he had hung up his bruised arms. The day of Washington's departure, Mrs. Arnold Ar-nold invited Jack to dinner. The young man felt bound to accept this opportunity for more friendly relations. rela-tions. Mrs. Arnold was a handsome, viva-clous, viva-clous, blonde young woman of thirty. The officer speaks In a letter of her lively talk and winning smiles and splendid figure, well fitted with a costume cos-tume that reminded him of the court ladles in France. "What a contrast to the worn, patched uniforms to be seen In that cutnp!" he added. Soon after the dinner began, Mrs. Arnold said to the young man. "We have heard of your romance. Crrtonel nnd Mrs. Hare and their young daughter daugh-ter spent a week In our home lu Philadelphia Phil-adelphia on their first trip to the colonies. col-onies. Later Mrs. Hare wrote to my mother of their terrible adventure In the great north bush and spoke of Margaret's Mar-garet's attachment for the handsome boy who had helped to rescue them, so I have some rl ;jh t to my Interest In you. I happen to know a detail In your story which may be new to you Miss Hare is now with her father In New York." "In New York !" "Oddso! In New York! We heard in Philadelphia that she and her mother moth-er hnd sailed with Sir Roger Walte In March. How Jolly It would be If the general and I could bring you tofreth cr and have a wedding at headqnar ters !" "1 could think of no greater hnppl ness save that of seeing the end of the war." Jack answered. "The war! That is a little matter. I want to ee a proper end to this love story." She laughed and ran to the spinnet and sang "Shepherds, I Have Lost My Love." I (TO BE CONTINUED.) j CHAPTER XXVI Continued. 24 Those "Indications" were the letters of one John Anderson, who described himself as a prominent officer In the American army. The letters were written writ-ten to Sir Henry Clinton. They asked for a command in the British army and hinted at the advantage to be derived de-rived from facts, of prime Importance, In the writer's possession. Margaret and her mother sailed with Sir Roger Walte and his regiments on the tenth of March and arrived in New York on the twenty-sixth of April. The month of May, 1780, gave Wash- lngton about the worst pinch in his career. It was the pinch of hunger. Supplies had not arrived. Famine had entered the camp and begun to threaten threat-en Its life. Soldiers can get along without pay but they must have food. Mutiny broke out among the recruits. In the midst of this trouble, Lafayette, Lafay-ette, the handsome French marquis, then twenty-three years old, arrived on his white horse, after a winter In Paris, bringing word that a fleet and a army from France were heading across the sea. This news revived the drooping droop-ing spirit of the army. Soon boats began to arrive from down the river with food from the east. The crisis passed. In the North a quiet summer followed. The French fleet with six thousand men under Rochambeau arrived ar-rived at Newport, July tenth, and were Immediately blockaded by the British as was a like expedition fitting out at Brest. Washington could only hold to his plan of prudent waiting. On a clear, warm day, late In July 1780. a handsome coach drawn by four horses crossed King's Ferry and tolled up the Highland road. It carried Benedict Ben-edict Arnold and his wife and their baggage. Jack and Solomon passed and recognized them. "What does that mean, I wonder?" Jack queried. "Dun know," Solomon answered. "I'm scared about It," said the younger young-er scout. "I am afraid that this money seeker has the confidence of Washington. , He has been a good fighting man. That goes a long way with the chief." Colonel Irons stopped his horse. "I am of half a mind to go back," he declared. de-clared. "Why?" "I didn't tell the general half that Reed said to me. It was so bitter and yet I believe It was true. I ought to have told him. Perhaps I ought now to go and tell him." "There's time 'nough,". said Solomon. "Walt till we git back. Sometimes I've thought the chief needed advice but It's alius turned out that I was the one that needed it." The two horsemen rode on In sV lence. It was the middle of the afternoon after-noon of that memorable July day. They were bound for the neutral territory ter-ritory between the American and British Brit-ish lines. Infested by "cowboys" from the South and "skinners'' from the North who were' raiding the farms of the settlers and driving away their cattle to be soid to the opposing armies. The two scouts were sent to learn the facts and report upon them. They parted at a cross-road. It was near sundown when at a beautiful brook, bordered with spearmint and wild Iris, Jack watered and fed his horse and sat down to eat his luncheon. lunch-eon. He was thinking of Arnold and the new danger when he discovered that a man stood near him. The young Bcout had failed to hear his approach a circumstance In no way remarkable remark-able since the road was little traveled and covered with moss and creeping herbage. He thought not of this, however, how-ever, but only of the face and form of a man of middle age. The young man wrote In a letter: "It was a singularly handsome face, smooth-shaven and well-shaped with large, dark eyes and a skin very clean nnd perfect I had almost said It was transparent. Add to all this a look of friendliness and masterful dignity and you will understand why I rose to my feet and took off my hat. Mis stature whs above my own, his form erect. I remember nothing about his clothes save that they were dark in color and seemed to be new and ad-nirably ad-nirably fitted. "'You are John Irons, Jr.. and I am Henry Thornhill,' said he. 1 saw you at Klnderhook where I used to live. I liked you then and. since the war began, 1 have known of your adventures. ad-ventures. I saw you passing a little way hack nnd I followed for I have something to say to you.' " 'I shall be glad to hear of It,' was my answer. "'Washington cannot be overcome by his enemies unless he Is betrayed by his friends. Arnold has been pur In command at West Point. He has planned the betrayal of the army.' "'Do you know that?' I asked. "'As well as I know light and darkness.' dark-ness.' "'Have you told Washington?" "'No. As yet I have had no opportunity. oppor-tunity. I am telling him, now. through yon. In his friendships he Is a singularly sin-gularly stubborn man. The wiles of an enemy are as an open hook to him, Bnt those of a friend he Is not ahle to comprehend. He will discredit or Wily half believe any warning that you or I may give him. But it Is for you and Solomon to warn him and be not deceived.' " 'I shall turn about and ride back to camp,' I said. " 'There Is no need of haste,' he answered. 'Arnold does not assume command until the third of August.' "He shaded his eyes and looked toward to-ward the west where the sun was setting set-ting and the low-lying clouds were like rose-colored Islands In a golden sea, and added as he hurried away down the road to the south : "Tt Is a beautiful world.' " 'Too good for fighting men,' I answered an-swered as I sat down to finish my luncheon for I was still hungry. "While I ate, the tormenting thought came to me that I had neglected to ask for the source of his information or for his address. It was a curious oversight due to his masterly manner and that sense of the guarded tongue which an ordinary mortal Is apt to feel In the presence of a great personality. I had been, in a way, self-bridled and cautious In my speech, as I have been wont to be In the presence of Washington Wash-ington himself. I looked down the road ahead. The stranger had rounded a bend and was now hidden by the bush. I hurried through my repast, bridled my horse and set off at a gallop gal-lop expecting to overtake him, but to my astonishment he had left the road. I did not see him again, but his words were ever with me In the weeks thut followed. "I reached the Corlles farm, far down In the neutral territory, at ten o'clock and a little before dawn was with Corlles and his neighbors In a rough fight with a band of cattle thieves, In the course of which three men and a boy were seriously disabled by my pistols. We had salted a herd and concealed ourselves In the midst of It and so were able to shoot from good cover when the thieves arrived. Solomon Solo-mon and I spent four days In the neutral neu-tral territory. When we left It a dozen doz-en cattle thieves were In need of repair re-pair and three had moved to parts unknown. un-known. Save In the southern limit, their courage had been broken. "I had often thought of Nancy, the blaze-faced mare, that I had got from Governor Reed and traded to Mr. Paulding. I was again reminded of her by meeting a man who had just come from Tarrytown. Being near that place I rode on to Paulding's farm and spent a night in his house. I found Nancy In good flesh and spirits. She seemed to know and like the touch of my hand and, standing by her side, the notion came to me that I ought to own her. Paulding was reduced in circumstances. circum-stances. ' Having been a patriot and a money lender the war had Impoverished Impover-ished him. My own horse was worn by overwork and so I proposed a trade and offered a sura to boot which he promptly accepted. I came back up the north road with the handsome, high-headed mare under my saddle. The next night I stopped with one Reuben Smith near the northern limit of the neutral territory below Stony Point. Smith had prospered by selling sell-ing supplies to the patriot army. I had heard that he was a Tory and so I wished to know him. I found him a rugged, jovial, long-haired man of middle age, with a ready ringing laugh. His Jokes were spoken in a low tone nnd followed by quick, stertorous ster-torous breathing nnd roars nnd gestures ges-tures of appreciation. "He looked my mare over carefully before he led her to the stable. "Next morning ns he stood by her bead, he asked If I would sell her. " 'You couldn't afford to own that mare.' I said. "I hnd touched his vanity. In fact I did not realize how much he had made by his overcharging. He was better able lo own her than I and that he proposed to show me. "He offered for her another horse, and a sum which caused me to take account of my situation. The money vould be a help to me. However, I shook my head. He Increased his offer. of-fer. " 'What do you want of her?" I asked. " 'I've always wanted to own a boss like that,' he onswercn. " '1 Intended to keep the mare.' said I. 'Hut If you will treat her well and give her e good home I shall let you Imve her.' "'A man who likes a good Joke will never drive a spavined boss,' he answered an-swered merrily. "So It happened that the mare Nnncy fell into the hands of Keube.i Smith." CHAPTER XXVII Love and Treason. When Jack and Solomon returned to headquarters, Arnold and his wife were settled in a comfortable house overlooking the river. Colonel Irons made bis report. The commander in chief complimented him nnd Invited the young man to make a tour of the camp In his company. They mounted their horses and rode away together. "I learn that General Arnold Is to I be in command here," Jack remarked 1 soon after the ride began. 1 "I have not yet announced my In-1 |