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Show Rt; lj '.- ' v'" ' l nil, I I Siy living BaIilli? j leilt CopvtIpM 1S32. by Trvins Bacheller WNU Senrlc j I I a " "-o, the great test of your courage cour-age is coming," she answered. "Let us go in. We are still at the dinner din-ner table." They went to the house and entered en-tered the great dining hall where they were greeted with cheers by Sir Roger and some twenty guests. A little later the young man was sitting at the table between Pat and the Lady Ackland, a slender woman of remarkable beauty. After a toast to the "two beloved rebels," he told of the invitation to Mount Vernon. "I want to be your makl," said her ladyship. "It would spoil us with pride," Colin answered. The white-bearded Sir Roger, a wise and jolly man of sixty, arose and raised his glass. "Here's health and long life to the motherland," he said. "In spite of her errors and failures she has a great work to do in this world of ours. God give her strength to do it. Lion-like in her power and dignity, she will struggle on against baffling, cosmic hostilities more formidable for-midable than the growing armies of Washington. But, although I am loyal to the king, I can no longer hide my fear that he Is doomed to fail. It seems to me that the decisive de-cisive blow has fallen. Well, if there is to be a new nation may it have the wisdom and the love of human rights which, whatever we V ""MHAPTER XIV Continued 20 me time was consumed In fin- g the conquest of the famished, ? less army of Burgoyne in or-T or-T -.ing the march and in breaking i October seventeenth. The aaand wounded remained. Among " were General Arnold and Col-l"0n: Col-l"0n: Cabot. Captain Farnsworth gil d go with his regiment. Still and in much pain, with brave ""nses he made light of it and am ited his horse. Another cap-odVh cap-odVh rode at his side has writ-, writ-, ' hat Farnsworth was the only ffhe ever knew who could go e,l asleep in the saddle for hours went 1 1 were a feather bed' recb'jlited in Gates' orders, the appe-n fighter left the hospital as as he could ride In a chaise. it'Sva pity the death Arnold court is'ad uot taken him. Wronged embittered he was thereafter ' ,lark and downward way. Some a tfthe patience to endure and to ,e SjOme ingratitude and some have 3 a s- Witt rnia CHAPTER XV is tres rwlie'hich the Broken Thread of hasfove Is Curiously Reunited. ottlet'OItE the second battle, Colin iabe ad received an order from Gen-ens, Gen-ens, Washington written at the fif-Jeligh fif-Jeligh milestone on the Skippack d ofLn Pennsylvania, directing him. ; eme end of the Saratoga cam-everj cam-everj to get a discharge from Gen-i Gen-i a s-Gates and proceed with his .y, wont by a route known to Ser-weig Ser-weig Saiip, the bearer, to general all quarters. Colin, still in bed, as beHl his men to prepare for the :y and to set out the next rere t stren: immediately sent a letter by iforD;;o Rachel Bowlby telling her order and mapping the route red est i nation. This to make sure sjni;'at would know where to find le wl He expected to be able to fol-Synpd fol-Synpd overtake the regiment in a ; two but the young man was ed in the hospital more than trutleelts after his men had gone. e wll03ring weakness from the loss y.flUd kept him in bed. day of his discharge he head-ijmrl head-ijmrl Albany in the saddle. Ar-yilll Ar-yilll there he found Mrs. Bowlby. irned that Pat and the Lady blo 1(1 tneir horses and an husba: of four men had set out on was cthbound ship a few days be-They be-They were to leave the ship fly cotSixty miles below Albany and iy, in westward in the saddle to in- het to'in's regimpnt on lt8 way at nShington's headquarters. Her ao afi'ip had a permit from Gates "nM so,Un with tlie tr0Ps nrl(1 ed Di."'ends in Philadelphia, ery. Ilys mare had been wounded g'topreleg in the last battle and ed taifit for a long journey. More-;istsev'le More-;istsev'le not ell0Ugn mouey to ie'B 'jood horse. Mrs. Bowlby was woman with children de- g on her. He could not ac-ij2Vr ac-ij2Vr help even if she were able er It; the masterful woman, di prepared for emergencies. Dtninand of the situation, know that Washington is ill J twenty miles of Pliiladel-she Pliiladel-she said. "He is on the Skip-Vnad. Skip-Vnad. The map you sent me rpsthe road. A neighbor of mine .fa cousin of John Pennebeck- ' runs a mill on Perkiomen relievi 3 clear110' ten nliles from there. So assag((st route is the Delaware riv-nnke riv-nnke the ship this afternoon liOHie Hudson. At Kinderhook u"1"" nian to take you across coun- the Delaware. Buy a good a small tent and sail and - irovisions. Keep moving. You till llie fifty miles a day with the rr Ijjt and more in a fair wind. " much as a horse could do. ISlCfe places you'll get a ride on Jl'1! boats, f the British are In 'ljiliia, you'll know it long you get there. Leave the omewhere near Bonlrntown due west. Keep north of the ord creel; until you cross the ork road. Then cross the ord and you'll come to the i f uckon. The Skippack road I ftt near you. Rememlier there's some delay before you meet ( hen you do meet her you'll kK liat to do. 1 guess. For the sake, don't let her get away iou. I'm almost worn out Z- " to bring you together. There AJJJ'V0011 times when I wondered . T the war was for liberty or 400 S4 0) 0 i laughed: "I've learned het- " n to disobey your orders." Vet . there's some comfort in the jjgoSS'' fiat you couldn't get away outsider If you tried." she an-'id' an-'id' 1 with a smile. "Mother Ens- fjjTfhnnpy wilh me am1 can st:1.v 'ti'nt hns a h(lllie- I'" 1""1 after fitre." CtTt.1 young man set out and her orders almost to the let-OIn let-OIn good weather, with favor-Inds, favor-Inds, he flung the miles be hind him and finished his river journey jour-ney In four days. Snoach's landing was near. There Colin hired a horse and in the saddle, sad-dle, with a farmer to guide him, he set out on the westward journey. They reached the Old York road where he began to get news. The British were in Philadelphia and Germantown. Some miles north of the latter place he came upon the light dragoons dra-goons of Washington. They told him that he would find Amos at Percy's tavern not a mile away. There he met the redoubtable trooper. I Us right shoulder was still in supports and giving him pain. Excused from duty, he had come to an' inn for the solace to be found in drink. Tears came to his eyes when he pressed the hand of the boy. His left eye was Immoderately Immod-erately wide open, his right eye nearly closed, his forehead in deep wrinkles. Colin put the usual question : "How are you?" "Shamed o' myself," Amos answered. an-swered. "Been real poorly since Satan fetched me a cuff which ye know I deserved it if ever a man did. Guess I must 'a' done some purty tall talkin' thar In that tree an' I ain't none too good now. If it wasn't fer the love o' God in me I'd git drunk an' stay drunk the rest o' my days I swear I would I'm that wore out with the achin'." "You should have stayed In the hospital. You're so bound up in the old regiment you cannot let it get away from you." "Which the fact is, an' God's my witness. I love it an' our great father. fa-ther. We've been through hell with him an' stuck together. Where it goes I go an' where he goes I go. If I'm barefooted an' thar's snow on the ground an' I know my grave is not a mile ahead, I'm a-goin'." Amos was like a faithful dog who suffers much and bravely dies for his master. It was the spirit of the regiment. In their talk its men often called the Chief "father" as a way of indicating their affection. affec-tion. "Have you got over being anxious for that charming widow?" Colin asked. "No, sir. Not never,'' Amos answered. an-swered. "1 think o' her frequent 1 do. Ay es. Can't help it but the Lord p'ints out the way fer me an' I stick to the 'father.' " To Colin's astonishment he learned that the regiment on Its march had not met Miss Fayer-weather Fayer-weather and her friend. He discharged dis-charged his guide, who turned back with the two horses. Colin went on with Amos to the camp at Whitemarsh. At headquarters General Gen-eral Washington received him as always. al-ways. Gentle dignity in his manner, man-ner, a look of fatherly fondness In his face and eyes It was all familiar fa-miliar and very grateful to the young man. "My boy, 1 congratulate you. I am glad to see you here and more than I can tell you I regret that you have had to lose blood and bring back this scar on your good face." "It is a small matter," said Colin. "It might have been much worse. We were following Arnold and that is not a task for soft-hearted men.'' A shadow came over the face of the Chief. It was followed by a frown. "I have heard of his brave fighting, fight-ing, but not," he paused a second and then added, "officially." "And yet lt was he who won the battle," said Colin. "He would have won it in the first onset with timely time-ly help from General Gates." The Chief rose and paced up and down the room with a frown but saying not a word. How erect he stood 1 He was majestic when offended. Colin spoke of Pat and the Lady Ackland and their plan to Intercept the troops and march Into camp with them. "Oh, the young lady!" the General Gen-eral exclaimed. "I am forgetting my orders. When happily you meet, and let us hope it may be soon, you are to have a leave of absence for all necessary attention to your persona per-sona affairs. You are to set out with Miss Fayerweather and her maid for our home in Mount Vernon Ver-non where my wife will welcome you and where I hope you may find needed rest and the happiness to which you have looked forward so long and with a most becoming pa tience." "Needed rest," Colin thought, as he sat In silence almost overcome by his sudden recognition of a mel ancholy truth. Here was a man who long had needed the rest he could not take. There was respite for all others home, rest, a season of happiness but his portion was ever the fiery furnace of anxiety and peril t lie unending struggle against chaos and ingratitude. The searching eyes of the General were looking Into his. "Be of good cheer, my boy," said the Chief. "I think that the young lady is not far away. No doubt she will soon be coming into camp." "I would like, If I can, to speak a cheering word to you," Colin answered, an-swered, and then he told of the heroic spirit of Amos Farnsworth, adding, "I have found a like devotion devo-tion in all the men I know. They are dependable." There was a moment of silence. The General arose saying: "It does cheer me and it gives me a solemn sense of my responsibilities. responsibili-ties. America is now awake and stirring. We shall have reverses but they can only delay the issue. Captain Farnsworth has done his share. Soon I shall send him home to get married and to live in peace." Dispatches were coming to the General's desk and Immediately the young man went out to find his regiment. The next day passed and still another an-other -with no news of Pat and the Lady Ackland. Colin was alarmed. He thought that he would mount a horse and set out on the route of the regiment to find them a dubious dubi-ous enterprise, for it was likely that Pat's party had missed the trail of the Massachusetts men. Possibly they had turned south before they came to it. Had they fallen in with the British? Amos and Major Humphries dissuaded bim on the ground that it would be a wild-goose wild-goose chase. Colin spoke of his need of a horse. "Go down to the corral and pick one out," said Amos. "The fenced field is full of them." Small detachments had been abusing abus-ing an order of the General by raiding the countrysides far in the north and bringing in a great number num-ber of horses and cattle. Colin went to the corral and there, to his amazement discovered the blaze-faced, blaze-faced, wbite-stockinged mare that belonged to Pat. She was in good flesh and spirit. She came to him when he called her name. He took her to the stable, where she was carefully groomed. He gave his plan to the Chief and was allowed an indefinite leave. He had the mare saddled and bridled. In his best boots and uniform, which had come down with the baggage, he mounted the mare and let her go as she would, well aware that she would find her way. Guided by her own unerring compass com-pass she turned from one road to another and again. Nearly two hours they had traveled when Colin saw a horseman approaching with a gun in his hand. The young man drew rein to get information. The horseman" seized the bit of the mare, saying : "Where did you get her? She is a stole horse. For a week I have been tryin' to find her." Colin told of her unauthorized capture by American troops and of his reason for being on her back. "I was on my way to the rebel camp," said the other. "So you are the man them ladies are lookin' for. I've heard of ye, colonel." "Where are the ladies?" "At' the house of Sir Roger Bog-ert Bog-ert about a mile ahead. He's my master, sir a loyalist man the king's collector, sir, an' if ye find a better man ye got to go to some other planet." "Do you know what delayed the ladies?" "One horse broke his leg in bad going, sir, and they had to double up. The older lady was sick when they got here. The other had her horse stole. I'll rush on ahead an' tell 'em you're comin'. Ye don't want to kill 'em with surprise." The stranger turned his horse, and spurred him to a swift gallop. The mare was eager to race along with him but Colin restrained her. The fulfillment of his dearest hope was near. He thought of the wonder won-der of it. The muse of history had brushed aside the armed hosts of a great empire to let her pass. He thought of the two years lengthened length-ened by heartache, deadly weariness, weari-ness, hunger, nights of shivering in bitter winds, days of storm and blood and deviltry in the black shadow of death. Thank God they were behind him and before him now was the greatest joy the human hu-man heart can know the broken thread of love In his hand to be reunited. The big white mansion of Sir Roger on a plateau, overlooking two valleys, stood a little beyond him level with the road. There were great trees in its ample park. He came to the gates. Beyond them was a broad vista looking toward the western sky now aglow with color blue and red and gold the sun being far down. Against this background he saw Pat running to ward him. He dismounted and they embraced each other. The mare crowded her nose between them. "This is the end of a long story,'' j he said. "It Is Cool Here," She Whispered. "But a Lover Like You Knows How to Warm the Weather." may say of the recent past, have mainly characterized the conduct of old England. And now I propose the health of General Washington, a man of great vision and patience, who is bringing order out of confusion. con-fusion. Politicians have tried and may still try to starve his ragged host, but they cannot break his spirit. I think that he will conquer chaos and be one of the great men of history." The candles were lighted. Pat and Colin went out-of-doors. "It is cool here," she whispered. "But a lover like you knows how to warm the weather." "See the lamps of heaven," he said. "Their light has an approving approv-ing look. They seem to say : 'We go in our appointed paths and we are glad that you have found yours.' " "It leads to the library," said Pat. "Lady Bogert will give us seclusion there. We can raise the golden barge and lift the perfumed sails and set the flutes playing while we tell our stories. By and by we will return to this world of realities and I will give you my plan for a lovely, practical home." "And at last," he said, "we will thank God for this day and go to our happy dreams and set out for Mount Vernon and its dear lady tomorrow." to-morrow." "Tomorrow," she answered. THE END. |