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Show ERSKINE DALE - t&g by JOHNFOXTr klfflT (Continued from Our Last Issue.) t The braves then went to their fire- ! water, and soon the boy's foster- j mother brought him something to eat, but she could say nothing, for' ; Blaek Wolf had appointed himself Nentlnel nnd sat rifle In hand at tho , door of the lodge. Night came on. Tno drinking be-caaiLe be-caaiLe mor furious and onco Erskine , saw a pale-brown arm thrust from behind the lodge and place a Jug at i the feet of Black Wolf, w ho grunted and drank deep. One by one tho braves wont to drunken sleep about fcho fire. The fire died down ami by ths Inst flickering flame the lad saw Black Wolfs chin sinking sleepily sleep-ily to his chest There was th slightest rustle he-hind he-hind the lent. He felt something Kroping for his hands and feet, felt the point of a knife graze the skin of his wrist and ankles felt the thongs loosen and drop apart Noiselessly, Inch by inch, he crept to the wall of the tent, which WOS carefully lifted for him. Outside he rose and waited. Like i shadow the girl Early Morn stole before him and like a shadow-he shadow-he followed. The loose snow muffled muf-fled his escape from the lodge, and In a few minutes they were py the river-hank, away from the town. i The moon rose and from the shadow of a beech the white woman stepped forth with his rifle and powder-horn and bullet-pouch and some food. She pointed to his hor.se B little farther down He looked l"ri and silently Into the Indian girl's eyes and took tho white w orn- an's shaking hand. Once he looked back. Tho Indian girl was Btolc IB stone. A bar of moonlight showed I the white woman's face wet with tears. a ft Again Dasc Yandell from a watch-tower watch-tower saw a topknot rise above a patch of cane now leafless ami winter-bitten saw a hand lifted high above It with a palm of peace toward to-ward him. And aguln an Indian youth emerged this time leading black horse with a drooping head. Both came painfully painful-ly on, .-taggering, it seemed. from wounds or weakness. and Dave sprang from the tower and rushed with others to the gate. So gaunt ' were boy and beast that it was plain 1 that both were starving. The hoy's face was torn with briers .md pinched with hunger and cold, but a faint smile came from It. "Don't you know me, Davs" he asked weakly "My God' It's White Arrow!" XIII. When winter was breaking, more news came In of the war. The flai; that had been fashioned of a sol-1 dler's white shirt, an old blue army coat, and a red petticoat was now the Stars and Stripes of the American Ameri-can cause Burgoync had not cut off New-England, New-England, that ' head of the rebellion rebel-lion " from the other colonies On the contrary, the, Americans had beaten him at Saratoga and march d his army off under those same Stars and Stripes, and tor the first time Erskine heard of gallant Lafactte how he had run to Washington with the portentous news from his King that beautiful. passionate France would now stretch forth her helping hand. And Erskine learned wvhat that nasVs meant to Washington's naked and starving' soldiers dying on the frozen hillsides of Valley Forge. Then George Rogers Clark had passed the fort on his way ot Williamsburg to got money and men for his groat venture In the northwest. After Clark was gone tho lad got restless, and j one morning vvhon the first breath I of spring came he mounted his horse. ! in spite of arguments and protestu-J protestu-J tlons. and set forth for Virginia on I tho wilderness trail. He was going to Join Clark, he said but more than Clark and the war were drawing him to ih outer world What It was he hardly knew, for I he was not yet much given to search' j ln hlB heart or mind. He did know. j however, that some strange force had long been working within him tihat was steadily growing stronger. With his mind's eye he was ever seeing at j the end of his journey the face of hi little cousin Barbara Dale. A striking figure the lad made riding rid-ing Into the old capital one after-I after-I noon Just before the sun sank behind be-hind the western woods. Tho governor's pal. ice was dosed j and deserted. My Lord Dunmoro was ! long in filgpt. But there was tho bust of Sir Walter in front of Ru-lelgh Ru-lelgh Tavern, and th-rc ho drew up, before the steps where ho was onco nigh to taking Dane Grey's life. The little tavern was thronged and the air charged with the spirit of war. Indeed, nothing else was talked. Next morning Erskine rode forth along a sandy road, amidst the sing- j lng of birds and through a forest of tiny Q pah doting leaves, for Red Oaks . on the James. He had forsworn Colonel Dale to secrecy as to the note he had left behind be-hind giving his birthright to his little lit-tle cousin Barbara, and he knew tho confidence would be k-pt lnvhil.it.1. At the boat landing ho hitched his horse to tho low-swung branch of an oak, There was the sun-dial that I had marked every aunnv hour since he had been away. For a moment he stood there, and when he stopped 1 into the open he shrank back has- j tlly a girl was coming through the I opening of boxwood from tho house coming slowly, bamheadod, her hands clasped behind her, her eyes downward. His heart throbbed ns he waited, throbbed the more when his ears auftht even the soft tread of her little feet, and seemed to stop when she paused at tho sun-dial, and searched the river w-lth her eyes. Soon the girl fluttered a handkerchief handker-chief and from the single passenger In the stern camo an answering flutter flut-ter of white and a glad cry. At the bend of tho river tho boat disappeared disap-peared from Brskine'a sight under the hank nnd he watched the gtr'. How she had crown! Her slim figure had rounded and shot Upward, and her white gown had dropped t-j her dainty ankles. Now her face was flushed and her eye flashed with excitement It wan no mere kinsman In that boat, md the boy's heart began to throb fiercely fierce-ly with racking emotions he had nov-or nov-or known before. A fiery-looking youth sprang up th landing-steps. bowed gallantly over the girl's hand, and the two turned up the path, the girl rosy with smiles and the youth bonding over her with a most protecting and tender air It was Dane Grey, and the heart of the watcher turned mortal mor-tal sick. XIV. Barbara saw him first and she did not rush forward. Instead she slopped, slop-ped, with wide eyas, a stifled cry, and a lifting of one hand toward her heart Grey saw too. flushed rather painfully, and calmed himself. 'Why. have I changed so much?" Erskine cried. "Of course I knew you," she faltered, fal-tered, paling a little but gathering herself rather haughtily a fact that l Both t ann Painfull On, Staggering from Wounds ir Weakness. Erskine seemed not to notice. "You took me my surprise and you have changed but 1 don't know how much." Tho significance of this. loo, seemed to pass Erskine by. Never to you, my dear cousin." he said gallantly, and then he bowed to Dane Grey, not offering to shake hands The great dinner-bell from behind tho house boomed Us summons 'o the woods and fields. "Come on." called Harry, who had Just appeared. "I Imagine you're hungry, cousin." "I am." said Erskine. "I've had nothing lo eat since since early morn' ' Barbara s eyes flashed upward up-ward :i nd Qrey was plainly startled. Was there a slight stress on those two words? Mr-. Dale was visiting down the river. BO Barbara sat In her mother's place. "Now, you White Arrow, vou Big! Chief, tell us the story." said Harry, j Grey began to look uncomfortable, ! and so. in truth, did Barbara. ' What have you heard"" asked Erskine Er-skine quietly. ' Never mind ' interposed Barbara quickly; "you tell us." 'What!" shouted Harry, whon Erskine told of the powwow. "Vou told both that you would fight with the whites against both? What'u they do to you?" Erskine smiled. "I Jumped over the heads of the outer ring and ran." "Well," said Harry Impatiently, "that isn't the end." "I went back to the camp Crooked Lightning followed me and they tic 1 me and were going to burn mo at the stake " "Good heavens! breathed Bar- bara. "How'd you get away"" "The Indian girl. Early Morn, I slipped under the tent und cut me loose. The white woman got my gun. and Firefly you know nothing ! can catch Firefly.' The silence was Intense Grey was painfully flushed. J "And you want to know what I I am going to do now "" Erskine went On. "lm going with Captain George Rogers Clark with what eomman I are you, Mr. Grey?" "That's a secret, ' he smiled coolly cool-ly ' I'll let you know later," and Bar- j barn, with an Inward sigh of relief, I rose quickly "But the white woman"' questioned ques-tioned Harry. "Why doesn't she) leave the Indians?" ' Early Morn a half-breed Is her daughter." said Erskine simply. "Oh'" and Harry' questioned no i further. "Early Morn was the best-looking 1 Indian girl I ever saw," said Ers-j klne, "and the bravest " For the flrvt time Grey glanced at Barbara "Shu saved my life." Erskine went on! gravely, "and mine Is hers when-1 ever she needs It." Barbara excused herself with a courtesy. Hugh went to tho stables. Harry disappeared for a moment, and j the two wore left alone. With l smouldering fire Erskine turned to Grey. (Continued In Our Next Issue. ) |