Show A candle in the wilderness CHAPTER X continued conti aued 21 they looked at each other and as aa they looked a little moisture came to their eyes they breathed fast like those near exhaustion neither uttered a word as they turned and pushed their runners toward the smoke na oke nearing the place whence it proceeded proceed e d they saw back lit fit the timber now bare of foliage the hull and mast of a large shallop built upon it and around the roast was a little house with gray bark sides ard and small windows of isinglass alongside the hull bull and reaching upward same three fathoms f ath 0 nis a stone chimney had been built at tile tho steps leading to its door they got the grateful odor ot of frying fish fisa suddenly a white man of middle ago age opened the door and looked down upon them with astonishment irk in the name 0 who are you he be asked in dutch wanderers in the waste who have lived aved through a dozen dowa miracles amos answered in the same language 1 I think that you are an angel at the gate 0 paradise are you tho the lost men that miss weld and her brother have been looking for the de aft 4 asked tho the very aaita ill n enil H y j 1 ii this Is ig mr heathers my name Is 11 well well I 1 we scoured tile take lake for or you and some friendly indians were helping us um I 1 am nicholas van Brockl brocklin ln miss weld left a letter here toe for mr heathers come in come in and share my food and drink and shelter im ici as lonely as a buck deer in tho the summer 1 I shural I 1 this la Is I 1 the old pioneer exclaimed im kind 0 slowed lowed with happiness amos and robert sat cat on a rustic lounge covered with a beaver skin robe for a moment no neither laber spoke there them was a grateful sense of warmth in the room amos blew tits hla nose and wiped his cheek and said presently im made 0 hard stuff but now I 1 reckon were wera like alk the boy who went oft off with satan and by and by got back to tits hia fathers house 11 robert read the letter from peggy aloud to amos these are its words dear robert Ilo burti we have spent a mouth month in the wilderness trying to find you I 1 think that you may wonder why but I 1 am sure aure that it t you have kept tho the medallion and have had the patience and tile the curiosity to wrest fram rpm its ita embrace the secret which it hold held you will know why I 1 havo have been glad to endure hardship and peril for your sake it may bo be alt all in vain but I 1 had to do ray my best I 1 arny god clod that this may fall in your hands if it does it will open my heart and mind to you whatever you may have done dona I 1 wish you to know that they are filled with the farhy c of st paul and ot of jesus jesua christ the magistrates the church and every one ona I 1 meet in boston believe you to bo be la in hiding because ot of your guilt I 1 do not share their opinion it has been hard to stand against them but I 1 stand in tile the present presents state N i dis a U 0 14 the smoothest tuft stuff that ever slipped down my gullot gullet 11 of 0 feeling you would better not conie come to the colony take a ship for holland at new amsterdam let come and tell me what you havo have done and it 1 you wish it I 1 will go to you we could meet at toy my fat fathers tiers house in dear old england we VB havo have remained here to the last day and must now bo be going I 1 give this the caress cares you once bogged begged ot of me not in vain tours faithfully peggy weld flobert lifted the rose scented sheet of paper to his lips and kissed it well boys supper will be ready tn in a minute said van brocklin Brockl ln as lie he took the fish and potatoes from the fire and began setting the table lie ile descended to the hold through a hatch batch in the floor and brought up butter and cold baked beaus beana and bread and pumpkin sauco sauce and a jug and a bottle of wine ue he gave each of his bis guests a dram of gin and molasses called blade black strap the smoothest stuff that ever slipped down my gullet said amos with et a shake of his right foot they spent a most delightful hour at ho table robert had thrown off his depression and waa waa in a mood to celebrate the loss lose of IL ills fear for hla his be akl A tale ale of the beginning 4 of new england by IRVING BACHELLER BACH E LL I 1 E R service copyright by irvcng bacheller cheller Oa batill diler loved friend william had left him tor for it was clear that all the brethren were convinced of hla his innocence ag aa they ate amos told of Tawan doba and tits his melancholy fate in tile the far mo mountain it country old 1 the dutchman exclaimed always I 1 bowed my head to alm ile ho would never drink firewater ile iia was the bravest fighter the tha wisest in the long house ile he was humane many blany a white ma man n owes owea tile hla life to old ile ho had a noble dignity and that was his only ornament he would have no feathers and no gewgaws on tits hla person their host lived at fort orange on the north river ilia sons anti and himself traded with the savages in august the great hurricane which swept over tile country drove their shallop ashore unit and bedded tier her so fast in th the 0 rising ground that they had not been lla 11 tat f f istre kcjr bablo backo water they 11 1 houwe house above her to servo serve as a camp and headquarters on tho the lake of tile the iroquois Iro quola and brought timber for another the early deep snow had delayed their moving ills sons were over in tile the west end of the long house more than han a hundred leagues away it if amos and robert nobert would stay and guard his camp lie he would go home tor for christmas and return na as soon as possible with sleds and help for his file moving then amos amo and robert could go down to the fort with the party sitting by the fireside with pipes and tobacco nicholas said that the iroquois would be coming south lu lit a month or so with sled loada loads of meat and many captives cap thes the meat taken in the upper mountains would come town down the lake bound for tile the long house unlike the nomad tribes of tile the north the iroquois Iro quola had learned to be a provident people but were quite as aa cruel ns as their neighbors many white men inen had been tortured and by them they were now at peace with the dutch but it was like thin lee ice liable to break any moment power was the only thing they respected spec ted white men would be secure when the savages were destroyed and not till then yes he traded strong water tor for skins it if they get it from him they would get it from others lie ile know knew tt it was bad for them but poisoned corn was also bad for crows they were pests and anything bad for them was good for the white man you might as aa well try to make a hog fit tor for the parlor as try to civilize a savage thus thua lie ho voiced tile the sophistries sophis tries of the rum trader but amos and robert were in no mood to argue with him after all they hod had seen they were quite willing to agree that savages were nearer to the boast beast than to men yet they were human with certain admirable virtues which had rightly elven hope to the good fathers in the north and to tile the rulers in new england the dutchman gave them hot water for a bath ointment with which to rid themselves of unpleasant company acquired in the indian camps and insisted that they occupy the two beds while ho h took the lounge they had a night of rest tile tho like of which they had not known since leaving the lios hos pliable roof of madame clebert IJ ebert in the morning after a meat meal of tried fish and potatoes and blueberry cuke cake with a refreshing hot drink made by stewing dried leaves of 0 spearmint and raspberry van brocklin Brockl ln washed the dishes and left tits his new friends these were tits his parting words you will find meat and flour and vegetables and drink in the hold help yourselves freely to anything you want there Is an abundance of fl fisli it in the lake you have only to cut holes in the tee ice and batt bait and set your hooks I 1 shall return within ten days I 1 do not think that any indians wilk wll be coming down the lake before then most 0 of my strong water Is burled buried in ill a snowdrift if you stand tarm anti and talk dutch to them give you no bother CHAPTER XI the coming of james rosewell Roa ewell and its revelations they had three delightful days of rest and comfort in the interesting boathouse boat house of nicholas van brocklin late tn in the third day a bitter wind vind from tho the northwest with snow began to whistle in the chimney and hiss against the bark walls the bare brunches branches of beech birch and maple sang like whips the frozen trees creaked and gro groaned nned and now and then a report like a shot rang through the timbered slope when links of frost were broken leagues of the fore forest at root roof were bending and billowing in the blast it reminded amos of artillery tire fire when a great tree near them crushed crashed down clearing its way to the ground they brought tn in a rood good storo of wood suddenly a bond band of twelve iroquois hunters arrived crowded into the house and literally took possession of it they took oft off their racquets at the door their leader spoke a word of greeting then they shook themselves like dogs doffs and sat fat down facing the fire their blankets over their heads beada there was no note of ill na ture tura ta in their conduct but for a loas ion time they were silent indians indiana gave freely to honored guests so pr presently they arose and began to help themselves to the stores of the little trading house no doubt they felt entitled to its best hospitality in spite of all tho the efforts of amos amog to restrain them they ransacked the hold and drank dran k all tho the wine and strong water they could and they seized the meat fish and vegetables put them all in van brock lins big brass kettle boiled and devoured them that evening the neat and cleanly room had become a noisome pen of prostrate III smelling sava savages ou oil the beds lounge and the fl floor some of them were drunk but not sufficiently so to make them violent or quarrelsome the storm abated next morning and there being nothing to eat in the cabin the indians went away on their racquets amos and robert hung the bed covers on a line for the day el 1 V ill 1 some of them wore were drunk washed the linen and scrubbed the floors tor for the house had suddenly become a rookery it was wag no light matter to be visited by br a number of savages the white men were on short rations of flah and wild duck two of which robert brought down with a musket which hung in the tha cabin until about ten days had passed the dutchman came with sleds and two helpers and two unexpected guests guest mr james rosewell no sewell of boston and life hta guide and protector an officer from the fort below lie ile had come by ship to the island of the Man blan hados bados then up the north river to in a to the dutch fort orange there van brocklin Brockl ln had given him news of the men he sought ile he coldly shook hands with robert and amos saying 1 I have come a long way to bad you thanks it Is a friendly thing t to 0 do said robert obert ll 1 I am glad to tell tel I 1 you that we do not need help but there are those in boston who need your help Rose rosewell bosewell no sewell weli rejoined who needs my help 1 I reckon you know as well as I 1 that william cleydon la Is suffering punishment for a crime most blost people are convinced that you committed it I 1 have come here on my own responsibility to ask you as a gentleman to tell me the truth and I 1 rely wholly on your sense of justice and right tell we what has happened to my friend william cleydon said bald robert obert ll lie ile Is suffering tor for adultery with one mabel hartley once a servant in your house at first she swore it ou on william she fell ill and confessed to harry vane vana that she plight might have been in error as to the man later she said in my presence that her mind had changed that as she gave more thought to the matter she was convinced that you and not william had been with tier that night might two days later the woman died of a fever in her lungs william was released from prison and put on the limits of 0 the town pending your return the inhabitants and certain members of 0 the court especially governor vane believing him to be innocent but he has to wear around ills neck a noose of hempen rope with a till tall two feet beet long this la Is a heavy burden buril cn and it la 13 your duty to him and to hla his friends to remove it it was a well spoken argument full of the note of 0 sincerity they were standing on tile the cleaned tec fee at the edge of 0 the lake robert paced up an and down in the shoveled area lie stood a moment looking off at the snow laden forest ills face ace had paled both amos and rosewell no sewell watched him with interest amos hands were trembling a little there was a touching noto note of despair la in rob iob erts voice as he turned and said A rope on his neck I 1 elvery morning he gets up to be hanged again by the neck and to be gazed at by the crowd sly my coill this Is tor torture I 1 it Is burning a man up by inches and harry vano vane Is governor I 1 ato TO BBS CONTINUED |