Show e R d 0 A romance of braddicks braddocks Brad docks defeat SYNOPSIS impoverished by vie fie openhanded open handed rosity of hla his father rit leman young webster brond broad Is serving as a scout and spy tor for herving tha army under general braddock sparing 1 tor for the advance on fort r duquesne quesne lie ho has just returned to alexandria from a visit to the tort fort where posing as a frenchman he has secured valuable information braddock bred to european warfare falls to realize the importance of 0 the news brond Is sent seat back to fort duquesne duguesne also bearing a message to george croghan Cro ehan english emis emissary saty among the indians indiana brood brond joins his friend and fellow scout round raw paw indian chief and they set out on the way they tall fall in with a typical i backwoodsman back ilman balsar crom I 1 who joins them CHAPTER 11 II continued 5 why these two strangers stop your bloody work at least tile the white man it be be white it george crogman had been here hed a stopped you quick enough lebbe so debbe dot cot mother cos col but Crog bans in croat crent cove so its no good talking his bis name mother cox bantered crofit how do you know hes bes in great cove I 1 demanded the widow eyed me with stern dis approval but was ios quick to take the words from cromity Cr omits mouth and told me ile he was here days ago and bound for there some of his bis dratted indians are straying round the country and hes bes looking em up and when he be aint hunting bunting up his bis hes trying to hire our men to work on road let the redcoats make their own road I 1 say bay when our men folks go to the ohio they dont have no road laid down for ern era to walk malk on they just git up and git where Is mcdowell and his bis men where are tile the craigs Cral gs I 1 asked Mc Dowells folks Is in great cove I 1 told you huskily reminded the drover and the craig brothers are on the road to shippensburg burg said the widow Mc Dowells gone to help drive out some witches but he and his men time to he liep p drive out the french I 1 said she eyed me blankly and then berated me of all thi the th i numbskulls numb skulls 1 there aint no french fort duquesne they cant hurt us with braddocks braddicks Brad docks army going agin em but witches right among us can spell our cattle find end send sore rains pains to our children merciful landl land what good to drive tile the french from the allegheny if witches can work their evil spells in our homes if it want for these beeves id go back and help clean out the devils nest muttered the drover therell be no DO tormenting of poor people on the charge of witchcraft it if george croghan Is in the coe I 1 told ahem I 1 walked up the horse livorse palli toward Par nals knob with round paw at a my heels we coerced a quarter of a mile a yell behind caused us to look back crofit was coming on the run and his bis legs carried him film rapidly I 1 expected trouble and handed my rifle to round hound pow paw crofit halted rind and informed me 1 I dint aint no call to sell my lily soul to the dell deill I 1 dont hanker T to see no DO mit n itches clies but ill go with nith you just stopped to git my knife old brad dock ft hlll ill give roe a new gun hot cut lie he might be stingy with its ins knives and he patted a large butcher knife worn without a sheath Bli eath did lie trip and fall it would be a miracle if he escaped a severe injury on nn biased the bellef beliet in witches and in western pennsylvania and vir inin was widespread the old world immigrants immig mig runts had find brought along flit iliria ir su so as well as their I 1 ahles bibles once they had ventured into the un on broken forests and made a clearing and felt the solitude clo closing ing aboul them like a a all they norlee oen nevi fancies into the old tales it there were werewolves wolves IQ in europe should there not be aso as bud bad or worse diabolic III agencies in tills this new land annd of 0 gloomy ancient forests weird latr falls and mountains what with the palatine germans find and their grew some beliefs the irish with their fal fairies ries the scotch with their gnomes and other oilier strange bill creatures and the engllish Engl lih with their devotion to ghosts it was wonder that almost any community along the frontiers should possess those who implicit belk ved to in nor was mas this delusion lacking in new eng lang and other colonies As we drew clear dl it the hills we belief beheld two deore men and bonten grouped ill al tile lie tool fool of u s low hill bill on which stood a log cabin the door of 0 the cabin was open but I 1 saw none boue of 0 the occupants nor were the people of at the foot of tile the bill much beed to the cabin as we came up their interest was confined to a woman groi cling on the gross grass and making a great outcry I 1 pushed my way through tile hie crowd and looked down on tile young woman she was having a fit of souie some ili iud the matter here I 1 asked tills this young woman is A ditched itched sir cried a gray ba haired ired woman by hugh illustrations by irwin copyright by br norh Pea dexter service witched by elsie Din dinwood wold growled a man and be turned to shake file clinched hand at the cabin on the bill but shell witch us no DO more morel I 1 well burn that hint oest nest fight the devil with orel farel der has bits bred witches long enough weve sent tor for john sir hes eles a rare wizard uell hell soon take the spell off this poor sufferer Is george croghan Cro glion in the valley gone cone yesterday for wills creek the sufferer dio did not fancy any shift log ing of 0 attention nod and renewed her screaming and kicking the devil hates water bring me a bucketful I 1 commanded 1 rolled up the wide ulde sleeves ot of my shirt as if intending to bathe my hands bonds before attempting even a partial cure A bucket of water was placed before me I 1 picked it up and dashed it over the woman spitting like a cat slie she came to a sitting posture when she could get her breath she began calling curves curses down dono on OD my 1317 head bead the deill hates cold water I 1 repented repeated the woman is all right now it if she will keep out of the moonlight tor for three nights then you are a wizard ona and can remove spells eagerly asked the tee gray haired woman others were staring at me with will much respect some spells I 1 admitted now tell me how this woman was spelled it seemed that elsie Din diewold wold who lived nath her uncle in the cabin on oa der or the witches head as the little hill bill was called had laid a most malevolent trap for the woman now hobbling bobbling to tier her cabin tor for a dry shift it consisted of a barrel and a witch snake tile the narrator was here interrupted by several who insisted elsie DID wold had changed chaug ged herself into a snake or bad entered the body of the snake preferably the latter as the snake was still in the barrel and the accused was in her cabin the victim had beer been induced by some magic arts to pause and look into the barrel she beheld a large rattlesnake rattles nalie elsie Din wolds eyes the barrel was pointed out to me I 1 walked to it and looked inside my mj flesh crawled as I 1 encountered tile the r relentless lent less malignity of the serpents staring eyes I 1 directed the be men to kill tile the snake and would haie hae remained to make sure it was done had not dot the appearance of a slim figure in the cabin dour set the crowd into a wild uproar the woman stepped outside ODO and was fol lowed by a mau man badly crippled tor for lie he walked with difficulty even eren while using two canes some in the gathering began gesticulating nod then they were sweeping up the hill a frantic fraytic mob why all 1111 this files over fl a snake in a barrel I 1 asked tearing fearing some barin bann would be inflicted on the troman lind and the cripple she is a woman ot of der uesen besen kopf accused a woman pointing a trembling ilIg finger she comes of a foul fool brood us ex explained a man I 1 took time to look mure closely the boman scarcely moie than a alil had suddenly taken alarm tor for the he in mans ans safety and had bud interposed her lifto figure between blin and her accusers her loosened hair nas ins blow ing about tier her face are und and half veiling tier her thin ellin features site she leaned forwald 4 os S slie she watched wat clied us her body lithe anil fry us its a boys li lier er lips lip parted in a little feline snarl knowing tue lue to be a Uger slid and yearning for tin lin impartial judo judge e silie centered her wild gaze on we me and fo phi alteo led im no witch rhebe folks be fouls 1 I 1 live here alone city uncle 11 lie Is old a cripple attilli fill ilni several ears ligo ago tile the beastly ler ger cimins named this place der alexen dolif my poor mother died from fella and my to bi bisters aloer li tile me were arlien out of tile the ulicy I 1 I 1 all lost last of the ile wol women liell to ahe ou on the hie witches head ond cind they wont let lei we nit eifle in peace keep your wicked jaws clabea tight tle ht tit of well pin on eru eni together gether iii doured the red faced duall I 1 waved my hands tor for silence and requested will some ot of you good folks biks tell me what she tins has done besides putting the snake in the barrell barrel it was the old man her ber uncle who enlightened me they say she pent a sickness to oscar clucks while borse he be tremulously explained oscar lutick carre here bere this morning early find and asked me to pay four pounds for the hurt done tile the animal I 1 had bad no money he was a good boss my white bite one 1 refused tour four pounds for him cried buuck now ashes spoiled him the d d spawn some one tugged my elbow it was bromil cromil his face was weak train fear and his voice trembled as be whispered whimpered le been looting looking at the white horse I 1 know horses borses lies hes old and aughter oughter liter be shot ue he was never four our pounds four shillings ings would be nearer ile he scuttled back to the onondaga the cripple was speaking it if she confesses and promises never to do it f again shall she be left unharmed let tier her say ane is a wl witch leh and then leave the valley this day never to come back and slie she shant be whipped hipped i a man promised but I 1 cant go walled tile the girl who would take care of my untie unde the dear god knows I 1 would gladly go and neier neer look toward this pac aiace again it if my uncle could go with I 1 ciel never mind me little elsie you must not be whipped groaned her uncle teach the d d brat we can break tier her spells spell sl 1 screamed a woman slie she threatens us with the devils liu er I 1 she should be burned and tier her ashes scattered at midnight loudly declared a man in english but speaking with a thick accent I 1 interposed enough there will be no burning nor whipping she Is sen scarcely more than a girt girl you people talk like crazy folks and who be you mister to come to der and say what well do and what we wont a women woman fiercely demanded of me cae 1 I 1 aw am recruiting for or army three pounds sterling to every man aho antio vho enlists A one fine red coat and a title fine new musket this man beside me Is balsor balsar from Mc Dowells will inlall lie he has enlisted my red friend back there Is an onondaga indian ie be will bring an ax in his hood if I 1 call I 1 have this rifle which makes a good club the young woman shall not be whipped horlor I 1 no whipping yelled crofit and he stretched forth ills half closed hands and began turning on his heel to in search of any who ho might care to argue the point more intimately I 1 hao oo no intention ot of getting into a rough and tumble fight with tile ilie settlers so I 1 threw up the rifle and held them back while they were huddled together the onondaga let out 0 war whoop and came charging up the hill bounding high find and swinging tits his ax n the women nomen screamed and fell bak back the men forgot me to cover the retreat of the omen women a I 1 yelled for alit tb indian to halt and for the settlers to listen when I 1 had secured their at I 1 sald drop back a bit and let me die talk alth the woman oman alone this Is no DO place tor for either tier her or her uncle per ier imps it ft fan car he be arranged for both to leave tills this alley with much gru grumbling moling and many loud threats they accepted the truce nod and retired mired ronie distance down the hill remit ono and tile llie onondaga had ijo bo faish to draw closer to the cabin so I 1 went ent to the forlorn couple aloice 0 the rile ninn lillin wits waa senica dented oil n a log len nin a ly hy resting on mb his canes no and broi thIng heavily ills eyes were ere binig ing in a fa sillon I 1 olo flirl nut flot like the th airl glared at ai rile me unable to belleb I 1 could uld I lo ie 10 e it a friend yet vei lit fit my detla ince of her neighbors aini ibave nothing to henr from nip itte chilli child I 1 lold tier lier 4 hildi child she lie bitterly repented repeated ilu UE old woman I 1 mopped being a child when verv vert alv mother mollier was nas n as pretty till ill they called tier rt I 1 etli nith tier her wits its as brown as I 1 ill my mv father went ent over the in I 1 nd litro here oi ate sine me hud had bern been and never came awk that was when I 1 was wa a baby my uncle llod here with will us j and supplied us alth ment meal then they chilleo callad my mother a witch and she bhe died TO BE CONTINUED |