Show in the lays days of poor mchard j by IRVING BACHELLER by IRVING CHAPTER continued 24 those indications were the letters 0 of f one john anderson who described himself as a prominent officer in tire american army tho the letters were written to sir henry clinton they asked for a command in the british army and hinted at the ad advantage ge to be derived from facts of prime importance itt in the writers possession margaret anil and her mother sailed with sir roger walte waite and his regiments on in the tenth tenh of march and arrived in new york tork on tile the twenty sixth of april the month ot of may 1780 gave washington about the worst pinch in hit his career it was the pinch of 0 hunger bringer supplies had bad not arrived famine hall had entered the camp and begun to threaten its lire life soldiers can ret get alone without pay but they must have food mutiny broke out among the recruits in the midst of this trouble lafayette the handsome french marquis then twenty three years old arrived on ble hla white horse after a winter in paris bringing word that a fleet and army from france vi ere heading across the sea this news revived the drooping spirit of the army soon boats began to arrive from down the river with food from the east the crisis passed in the north a quiet summer followed the french fleet with six sir thousand men under rochambeau or ar ived at newport july tenth and bere rere immediately blockaded by the british as was a like expedition fitting out at brest washington could only hold to his plan of prudent waiting on a clear warm day late in july 1780 a handsome coach draws drawn by four horses crossed kings ferry and tolled up cp the highland road it carried benedict arnold and his wife and their baggage jack and solomon passed and recognized recognised them what does that mean I 1 wonder jack queried dun know solomon answered rm im seared scared about it said the 3 oung er scout 1 I am afraid that this IMP money seeker has the confidence of washington fie he has been a good fighting man inan that goes a long way with the chief colonel irons stopped his horse 1 I cm am of halt hali a mind to go back he declared why 1 I tell the general halt that tant reed said to me it i was as so bitter an and yet I 1 believe it was true I 1 ought to have told him perhaps I 1 ought now to in go and tell him theres time bough nough said S solomon walt till we git back sometimes ive thought the chief needed advice but its allus turned out that I 1 aps alis the one that needed it ue e two h on in st sl lence it was we me middle of the afternoon of that memorable july day they were bound for the neutral territory between the american and british lines infested by cowboys from the south and skinners from the north who were raiding the ferms ut of the settlers and driving away their cattle to be sold to the opposing armies the two scouts were nere sent to learn leam the facts an repot upon them they ported parted at a crossroad cross road it was uns near sundown then athen at a beautiful brook bordered with spearmint int and wild iris jack vat watered ered and red fed big horse home and sat down to eat its his lunt luncheon b lie was thinking of arnold and the new danger when lie he that a man blood near him the young scout had failed to hear his approach a circumstance in no way remarkable since the road was nias little traveled and covered with moss and cr creeping eelIng herbage ile he thought not of lails however but only of the face and form of a amran man of middle ape age tile the young man wrote in a letter it was a singularly handsome face smooth shawn and well shaped ital with large lark dark eyes arid and a skin very clenn capan and perfect I 1 had bird almost said raid it was var transparent add to all this it look of friendliness and masterful dignity and you will understand why illy I 1 rose to my feet and took off my lint libil ills stature was above my own tits his form erect I 1 remember nothing about ills clothes save that they were lark dark in color and seemed to be new and an sol ad iiii ably fitted you arii are john irons jr and I 1 am henry thornhill said ile he 1 I you at kinderhook where I 1 aqel to live I 1 liked you then and since tile the war began I 1 have bare known of nour our adventures ven lures I 1 saw you passing a little way back and I 1 followed for I 1 have something to say to you 1 I shall be glad to hear bear of it was MRS my answer washington cannot lip bp over overcome corne by y hit his enemies unless lie he Is by tits lils friends arnold hirs has been put in command at wet west point lie he lias has planned the betrayal of tile hie army do you know that I 1 asked As well as I 1 know light and dark ress have you told washington VO no VOAS As yet I 1 have love had no tu unity iam telling him now through tigi h i or I 1 may gle ghe him but it Is for aou ou and solomon to warn him and be not deceived 1 I shall turn urn about und and ride back to camp I 1 said there Js Is no need of ginste he answered arnold does not assume command until the third of august he shaded tits his eyes eves and looked toward the west where here the sun was setting and the low lying clouds were like rose colored islands in a golden sen sea and added is as lie hurried a any anny do down the road to the south it Is a beautiful world too good for fighting men I 1 nn answered ns as I 1 sat down to finish my luncheon for I 1 was still hungry while I 1 ate tile the tormenting thought came to rue roe that I 1 had neglected to ask for the source of ills his information or for ills his address it was a curious oversight due to his Ina masterly sterly manner and that sense of the guarded tongue which an ordinary mortal Is apt to feel in tb the presence of a great personality I 1 had bad been in a way self bridled and cautious in my speech rig as I 1 bilie beer been wont to be in the presence of washington himself I 1 looked doan the road ahead the stranger had rounded a bend and was now hidden by the bush I 1 hurried through my repast bridled my horse and see sec off at a gallop expecting to over overtake taLe him but to my astonishment he had left the road I 1 did not see him again but his words were ever with me in the weeks that followed 1 I reached the cariles form farm far down in the neutral territory at ten and a little before dawn was with corlies and his neighbors in a rough fight with a band of cattle thieves in the course of which three men and a boy were seriously disabled by my pistols we had salted a herd berd and concealed ourselves in the midst of it and so were able to shoot from good cover when the thieves arrived solomon and I 1 spent four days in the neutral territory when axe e left it a dozen cattle thieves were in need ot of repair and three had boned to parts unknown n sane sae in the southern limit their courage hail had been broken 1 I had often thought though of nancy the blaze faced mare marc that I 1 had sot from governor reed and traded to mr paulding I 1 was nas again reminded of tier her by ine meeting eting a man who had jut just conic come front from tarrytown being near that place I 1 rode on oil to form farm and spent a night in ills his house I 1 found nancy sancy in good flesh and spirits slie she seemed to know and ilke the touch of in my y hand and standing by tier her side the notion came to me that hint I 1 ought to own her paulding was reduced in circumstances having been a patriot and a money lender the war hall had impoverished him my lly own onn horse was worn by ove overwork rork and so I 1 prop proposed oed a trade and offered a sum slim to boot which he promptly accepted I 1 come came back up the north road with the handsome bl high li headed mare under my saddle the next nest night I 1 stopped with one It eiben smith near tile the northern limit of the neutral territory below stony point smith had prospered by selling supplies to the patriot army I 1 had heard that lie was a to tory rv all and so I 1 wished to know kno v him I 1 f found ind him a rugged jovial long haired limn imin of middle age with nith a rendy ready ringing tough tits ills lokes jokes were nere spoken in a low to tone and followed by quick breathing and roars and leq postures of appreciation ire ile looked my male over mer carefully before lie led her to the alie stable next morning as lie stood by tier lier head licad lie asked it if I 1 would vituld sell lie you yon cou lInt t afford to own that mare marc I 1 sold said 1 I had bad touched touche I its his in ili fact I 1 did not lint realize bov much lie he lad had made by his ile ie was better able to lo own tier her than I 1 find that he proposed to show mf ine ile he offered for lier her another horse and a sum blikh caused nn nit to atalic account of my situation the willoney would ile be a help belp to lo me lile I 1 shook my head ile he increased iris his offer what do you want of tier her I 1 asked ive chais wanted to own onn a boss like that lie he 1 I Intend intended Pd to keep file mare fald aid 1 I but if will treat her well und ghe her a good home I 1 shall let you ou have her A man v ho likes a good joke will neier neer arhe a spavined hoss IK lie answered merrily alk ally so ko it happened that tin the mare inure nancy fell into the lie hands of smith CHAPTER love and Tr treason earon when jack and solomon returned to headquarters arnold rind ills his wife were battled in a comfortable house overlooking overlook Inq the river irons made tits ins report the coar chief complimented the I 1 tendon said washington who told you A man of the name of 0 henry thor ahill nhill 1 I do not know him hut but he Is curiously well informed arnold Is rin nn able officer we have not many like him ile he la Is needed bere for I 1 have to ito go tin on a long trip to connecticut to confer with Rodi ambean in the event ot of some pen crisis arnold would amow bibat vi hat to flo do then judi jade spoke fioke out Cen generel Gener erril nl I 1 ought to have reported ported if to you the exact words of CoNer governor nor reed need they 1 were smerp perli perhaps tips rn eie n unjust I 1 line lime not repeated them to any 0 one ne hut but now I 1 think iou ou should know their full content oil find judge of them in your own way the governor insists that arnold Is had tit nt becire that lie he would sell ills master for thirty pieces of silver washington ton made no reply for a mon lent and then his words seemed to have no necessary relation to those of jack irons general arnold has been badly cut up in wany battles said he 1 I him to lie be relieved of all trying details you rou are an able and prudent man I 1 shall make you his chief bide aide with the rank ot of brigadier ge general lie ho needs rest cind and will concern himself little with tile the dally daily routine in my absence you all be the superintendent dent of the camp and subject to orders I 1 shall leave leae with you colonel binkus will be your helper I 1 hope that you may be able to keep yourself on friendly terms with the general jack reported to the lie commander in chief the warning of thornhill Thorn hlll but the former made light of it the air Is full of evil gosc gossip lp he said you may hear it of 0 me when they rode up to headquarters arnold was there to jacks surprise the major general greeted him with friendly words nords saving 1 I hope to know you better for I 1 hove have heard much of your courage and fighting quality on the third of august the precise date named by henry lir arnold took command of the camp and irons assumed his new duties the major general rode with washington every lay day until on the fourteenth of september the latter set out with three aides and colonel bankus on ills his trip to connecticut solomon rode with with the party for two lays days and then returned thereafter arnold left the work of his office to jack and gae boie his time to the enjoyment of the company of ills wife lind it leisure that suffered little interruption for him blin grim galm war had smoothed ills wrinkled front like richard lie he had bird hung bring up lip its ills bruised arms th the aday day of departure mrs arnold invited invite jack to dinner the young man felt bound to accept tills this opportunity for dinote friendly relations mrs arnold was a handsome vivacious e blonde aung NIO woman niall of 0 thirty tile the officer speaks in a letter of tier her lively talk sad ond winning smiles and splendid figure well weli fitted with a costume tume that reminded him of tile the c court ourt ladles allies in france what a contrast to the worn uniforms to be seen been in that lip lie added scion non niter after the dinner began mrs arnold sold said to the oung man we haxo of your romance colonel and mrs ilare hare anti and their young daughter sp ant a week in our home it in phil ahll I elphin on their first trip to the colonies later biliter mrs ilare hare wrote to toy my mother of their terrible adventure in tile the greot great north buci anti and spoke of margarets attachment for me lie handsome boy who ili lind to rescue them thein so 0 chave 1 have some soine right to my interest in you I 1 huppen happen to know a detail in your story which may amny ie be new to you miss hare Is 19 now with ill her father in new york in ili new york odeol in new new york we heard beard in philadelphia that she and tier lier allot moth h er had bull sailed with sir roger hoger in I 1 n mardi I 1 ilow how jolly it giuld tie lie if t the 11 e generalli tind I 1 could bring you boget together ir strict ani hae bine a wedding edding i fit at headquarters 1 I could think of no greater happiness sae that of 0 seeing the end of the war ar jak jack answered llie war arl that Is II 11 a little matter I 1 nt to tee itee a proper end to this loe ettory slip she anti and ran to the und and sang shepherds I 1 hane lost mv ily lo 10 0 11 TO DE BE CONTINUED |