Show in the pays days of 1 cor richard by IRVING BACHELLER copyright br HIVING daa eat CHAPTER continued c 25 jack and solomon exercised unusual care in guarding the lie camp and organizing for defense in case of 0 attack it was soon atter after departure that hint at arnold not went away on the road to the south solomon followed keeping out of his field of vision the general returned two days later solomon came into jacks hut bilt about midnight of the day of arnolds ai colds return with im Puri pirlant fint news jack anck was at his desk studying a map of the highlands the camp was nt rest the candle in jacks hut but was the aply sign of life around headquarters when solomon having put out his horse came to talk bilth ath his young friend ile he stepped close to the desk swallowed nervously and began his uh whispered report suthon Su thin ln nee various be goin on he begun A british ship were alyin nigh the mouth 0 the croton river arnold went aboard an officer got into ills boat with him and they pulled over to the west shore and went into the bush stayed till mos night it if honest business why did they go off in the bush alone fer a falkl jack shook his head soon as I 1 seen that I 1 went to one 0 our batteries art an tol the caan what were on fin ray my mind D n the ol 01 british tub well make er back up a little aez he ashes too clus aclus anyhow then lie let go a shot that ripped the water front 0 her bow say jack they were some hoppin around on the deck 0 the big british war sloop they li Isted her sails an she fell away flown down the river a mile er so the sun gun were set when arnold an the officer came caine out 0 the bush I 1 were in a boat with a fish rod an could jes tee bee em with my spy glass the light wire were wi re so dim they stood lookin fer the ship they see her they went back into the bush it come to me what hat they was aas goin to do arnold were a coln to take the over to the house 0 that ol 01 tory reub smith I 1 got fust an hid bild in the bushes front a 0 the house sure dough nough what were done arnold an t other feller come derlong an all went into the house so dark I 1 see gee era em but I 1 them how the young man asked S cause they I 1 egli t ua na edw T sot in the dark an they y talk out loud like honest men would I 1 come erway I 1 do no more 1 I think youve done well sald said jack now go and get some rest tomorrow way iray be a hard day jack spent a bad night in the effort to be as great as his problem in the morning he sent solomon and three other able scouts to louk look the ground over east west and south of the army one of them was to take the road to hartford Uart tord and deliver a message to washington after the noon mess arnold mounted his bis horse and rode roda away alone the young brigadier sent for ills his trusted friend captain merriwether Merrl wether her captain the general has set out on the east road alone said jack lie he Is not well mell theres something wrong with ills heart I 1 am a little worried about him film lie ile ought not to be traveling alone my horse is in front of the door jump on ills his back and keep in sight of the general but dont let him know what you are doing A little later mrs arnold entered the office of the new brigadier in a most cheerful wood mood 1 I have good news for you F she announced noun ced A british officer has come in a ship under a lag flag of truce to confer with general arnold I 1 sent s a letter to margaret hare on my own owl responsibility with the generals oell official communication I 1 invited her to come with the party and promised her safe conduct to our house I 1 expect her for the rest we look to you let us uc have a wedding at headquarters on the night of 0 the tweety eighth general washington will have returned ile he ban bag agreed to dine with us that evening 1 I think that she must have observed the shadow on my face tor for while she spoke a great fear ear find come upon me he testified in ell the court of inquiry it seemed clear to me that if there was a plot the capture of washington himself was to be a part of it and my sweetheart a helpful accessory you know much that I 1 am eager to know I 1 said the general has not told lold roe me that lie Is to meet the british may I 1 know all the good news of course he will tell you about that she assured me ile he has told we roe only oily a little it Is some negotiation regarding an exchange e of prisoners boners on ers sJ nm am much more interested interested in margaret and the wedding I 1 wish you would tell me about her I 1 have heard that she has become very beautiful atif uv 1 I showed mrs arnold the miniature portrait which margaret had bad given me ine the day of our little ride and talk in london and then an orderly came with q a message and that gave me ao an excuse koput an end to this untimely babbling for which I 1 bad TIN J no heart the message was from solomon omon lie he had got m word ord that the tha british warship bad come back up the river and was two miles above stony point with ahlee flag at her masthead 1 I went out of doors soon I 1 met corning into carlip camp arnold had returned lie he had ridden at a walk toward the headquarters of 0 the second brigade and turned about and come back without speaking to any one arnold was looking down its as if absorbed in ills his own thoughts thou his when ether passed him in the road ile he did not return the clatters Int lat salute it was evident that the general had ridden away forr for the sole purpose of being alone 1 I went back to my iny hut but and sat eat down to try to find my way when suddenly the general appeared at my door on his bay mare and asked me to take a little ride with mth him I 1 mounted my horse and we rode out on the east cast road together for halt half a mile or so 1 I believe that my wife had some talk with you this morning lie he began yes I 1 answered I 1 A british officer has come up the river in a ship under a white liate flag with i a proposal regarding an exchange of prisoners in my answer to their request for a conference some time ago I 1 enclosed a letter from mrs arnold to miss margaret little hale inviting lier her to come to our home where the would find a hearty welcome and her lover now an able and most valued officer of the staff A note received yesterday says that miss hare Is one of the party we are glad to be able to do you tills this little favor i 1 I thanked him 1 I wish wasl that you could go with me down the river to meet her in it alf morning he said but in my absence it will of course be necessary for you to be on duty mrs arnold will go with me and we shall I 1 hope bring the young lady safely to headquarters lie he was preoccupied ills face wore a serious look there was a melancholy note in his tone I 1 had bad ARNOLD WENT AWAY ON THE ROAD TO THE sour observed that in other talks with him but it was a friendly tone it tended to put my fears at rest 1 I asked the general what he thought of 0 the prospects prospect of success for our cause they are not promising lie he answered the defeat of gates in the south and the scattering of hla hia army lu in utter rout Is not an encouraging bent 1 I think that we shall get along better now that the gates bubble tins burst I 1 answered this ends the testimony of the able and most valued officer jack irons jr CHAPTER As an army with banner the american army had been sold by arnold the noble ideal it had cherished the blood blocki it had given the bitter hardships it hat buffered hun ered torture in the wilderness famine in the highlands long marches of halt naked men in midwinter mid winter massacres bt at wyoming and cherry valley all this had been bartered away like a shipload of turnips turnip 5 to satisfy the greed of one ninn again thirty pieces of surer 1 was a nation to walk the bitter way to its calvary major andre the adjutant general of sir henry cliftons Clin tons large force in new york was with the traitor hen ben lie ile rowed from the ship to the west shore of the hudson and went into the bush under the observation of solomon ith ills his spyglass spy glass arnold was to receive a command and large pay in the british army the consideration had been the delivery of maps bow ing the positions of men and the plans of ills forts and other defenses especially those ot of forts putnam and clinton and battery knox much other information was put in the hands of the british officer including the prospective movements of the commander in chief ue he was to be taken in the house odthe man he had befriended andre had bad only to reach new york with ills treasure and arnold to hold the confidence of his chief for a few days and before the leaves had fallen the war would end the american army and its master mind would be at the mercy of sir henry clinton andre n would have reached new york that night it if the vulture had not changed her position on account of it shot from the battery below stony point for that credit must be given to the good scout solomon binkus the ship was not in sight m when hen the two men came out in their boat f from rom the w m est shore of the river while the night was falling arnold bad heard the shot nud and now that the ship had left he feared that his bis treachery was suspected 1 I may want to get away in that bout boat myself lie he suggested to andre she will not return until she gets orders from you or me the assured him 1 I wonder what has become of her said arnold she has probably dropped down the river for some reason andre answered what am I 1 to doa do ill take you to the house of a man I 1 know who lives near the river and send you to new york by horse with passports in the morning you can reach the british lines tomorrow 1 I would like that andre exclaimed it would afford roe me a welcome survey surey of the terrain smith will ghe you a suit of clothes that will viii fit you well enough said the traitor you and ho are about of a size it will be better for you to be in citizens dress so it happened that in the darkness of the september evening smith and ana andre the latter riding the blazed face mure mare set out for kings ferry where they were taken across the river they rode a few miles south of the landing to the file shore of crom pond and spent the night with nith a friend of smith in the morning the latter went on with andre until they had passed pines bridge on the croton river then he turned back now andre fared along down the road alone on the back of the mare nancy lie ile came to an outpost of the highland army and presented his pass it was examined and endorsed and he went on his way lie ile met transport wagons n squad of cavalry and later a regiment of militia coming up from western connecticut but no one stopped him to in the faded hat and coat and trousers of reuben smith this man who called himself john anderson was not much unlike the farmer folk who were riding hither and thither in the neutral territory on their petit errands ills face was different it was the well kept face of an english aristocrat with handsome dark eyes and hair beginning to turn gray A little out of tarrytown Tarri town on the highway the horseman traveled a group of three men were ere hidden in the bush ragged reckless unlettered country lads waiting for cows to come down out of the wild land to be milked they were ere skinners in the patriot militia some have said some that they were farmers sons not in the army however that may have been they were undoubtedly rough hard fisted listed fellow g full of the la lawless I 1 es 9 spirit bred by five years of desperate wa warfare afa re they were looking for tories as well as tor for cattle tories were their richest prey for fir the latter would give high re regards to be excused from the oath of allegiance they came out upon andre and challenged him the latter knew that he had passed the american outposts out posta and thought that lie he was near the british lines lie he was not familiar with the geography of the upper east store etiore ile he knew that the so bo called neutral territory was overrun by two parties the british being called the lower and the yankees the upper what party do you belong to andre demanded the lower said one of the yankees TO BE CONTINUED |