Roosevelt Standard | 1924-09-03 | Page 2 | In the Days of Poor Richard

in the days of poor P richard by IRVING BACHELLER clop fright b tr IRVING BACHELLER CHAPTER I 1 continued 25 jack and solomon exercised unusual care in guarding the camp and organizing for defense in case of attack it was soon after departure that arnold 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 about midnight of the day of arnolds return with important news jack was at his desk studying a map of the highlands the camp was nt at rest the candle in jacks hut but was wag the only sign of life around headquarters when solomon having put out his horse came to talk with ills his young friend he stepped close to the desk swallowed allowed tw nervously and began his bis whispered report suthon Su thin ln be coln on he be began A british ship were ayin nigh the mouth 0 the croton river arnold went aboard an officer got into his boat with him and they pulled over to the west shore and went into the bush stayed till mos night if honest business why did they go off in the bush alone fer a talk jack shook his head bead soon as I 1 seen that I 1 went to one 0 our batteries an tol the caan what were on cn my mind 1 D I n the ol 01 british tub well make e r back up a little aez he ashes too clus aclus anyhow then he 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 hasted tier her sails an she fell away down the river a mile ler er so the sun gun were set when arnold an the officer came out 0 the bush I 1 were in a boat with a fish rod an coufa jes see em with my spy glass the light rc re so dim they stood lookin fer the ship they see her they went back into the bush it come to me what they was goin coln to do arnold were a coln to take the over to the house 0 that ol 01 tory raub smith I 1 got abar fust an hid bid in the bushes front 0 the house sure nough bough what were done arnold an t other feller come derlong an went into the house evere so dark I 1 see em but I 1 knowel them how the young man asked cause they light no candle they sot in the dark an they talk out loud like honest men would I 1 come erway I 1 do no more 1 I think youve done well said jack now go and get some rest tomorrow may be a hard day jack spent a bad night in the effort to be rs great as his problem in the morning he sent solomon and three other able scouts to look the ground over east west and south of the army one of them was to take the road to hartford and deliver a Ine message to washington after the noon mess arnold mounted his bis horse and rode away alone the young brigadier sent for his trusted friend captain Merrl wether ber captain the general has set out on uie the east road alone said jack ile H Is in not well theres something wrong with his heart I 1 am a little worried about him ile he ought not to be traveling alone my horse Is in front of the door jump on 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 mood 1 I have good news for you she announced noun ced A british officer has come in a ship under a flag of truce to confer with general arnold I 1 sent a letter to margaret here hare on my own responsibility with the generals 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 tn expect for the rest we tn look to you let vs us have a wedding at headquarters on the night 0 of the sweaty eighth general washington will have returned ile he has agreed to dine with us M that evening 1 I think that she abbe must have observed the shadow on roy my face ace for while hile she spoke a great fear had come upon me he testified in the court of inquiry it seemed clear to me that teat it 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 bald the general has not told me that he Is to meet the british may I 1 know all the good newsy news of course he will tell you about that she assured me lie ile has told me only a little it Is some negotiation regarding an exchange ot of prisoners I 1 am much more interested in margaret and the wedding I 1 wish you would tell me about her I 1 have heard that she very beautiful 1 I showed allowed mrs arnold the miniature portrait which margaret had given me the day of our little attle ride and talk in london and then an orderly tame came with a message and that gave me ao an excuse to put en an end to this untimely babbling for which alch I 1 had bad no DO heart the message was from solomon ne ile had got word that the british warship had come back up the river and was two miles above stony point with a white flag at her masthead 1 I went out of doors soon imet I 1 met merriwether Merrl wether coming into camp arnold had returned lie ile had ridden at a walk toward the headquarters of the second brigade and turned about and come back without speaking to any one arnold was looking down as if absorbed in his own thoughts when hen merriwether Merrl wether passed him in the road lie ile did not return the batters lat salute it was evident that the general had ridden away for the sole purpose of being alone 1 I went back to my hut but and sat down to try to find my way when suddenly the general appeared at my door on his bay rn mare are and asked me to take a little ride with him I 1 mounted my horse horsa and we rode out on the east road together for half a mile or so 1 7 believe that my wife had some talk with you this morning he began yes I 1 answered A british officer has come up the river in a ship under a white flag with 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 hale inviting her to come to our home where she would find a hearty bearty welcome and her lover now an able find and most valued officer of the staff A note received yesterday says that miss nare ilare Is one of the party we are glad to be able to do you this little favor 1 I thanked him 1 I wish that you yon could go with me down the river to meet her in the morning he be 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 ile he was preoccupied ills face wore a serious look there was a melancholy note in his tone I 1 had bad ARNOLD WENT A way ROAD TO THE south 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 the prospects of success for our cause they are not promising he answered the defeat of gates in the south and the scattering of hie army in utter rout Is not an encouraging event 1 I think that we shall get along better now that the gates bubble has burst I 1 answered this ends the testimony of the able and most valued officer jack irons jr CHAPTER As an army with banners banner the american army had been sold bold by arnold the noble ideal it had cherished the blood it had ghen elen the bitter hardships it had suffered torture t or in the wilderness famine ja in the highlands long marches of halt half naked men in midwinter mid winter massacres at wyoming and cherry valley all this had been bartered away like a shipload of turnips to satisfy the greed of one man again thirty pieces ot of silver was a nation to walk the bitter way to its ita calvary 7 major andre the adjutant general of sir henry cliftons Clin tons large force in new nevii york was with the traitor a hen he be rowed from the ship to the west shore ot of the hudson and went into the bush under the observation of solomon with 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 hijos ing the positions of men and the plans of his forts and other defenses especially those of forts putnam and clinton and battery knox much other information was put in the hands of tile the british officer including the prospective movements of the commander in chief ile he was to be taken in the house of the man he be had bad befriended andre had bad only to reach new york with his hl treasure and arnold to hold tho the confidence of his chief tor for a few days and before the leaves had fallen tho the war would end the american army and its master mind would be at the mercy of sir henry clinton andre would have reached new york that night it if tho the vulture had bad not changed her position on account of a shot from the battery below stony point for that credit must be given to the good scout solomon bonhus the ship was not in sights sight when the two men came out la in their boat from the west shore of the river while the night was falling arnold had heard the shot and now that the ship had bad left he feared that his bis treachery was suspected 1 I may want to get away in that boat myself 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 gome reason andre answered what am I 1 to 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 me a welcome survey of the terrain smith will give you a suit of clothes that will lit fit you well enough said the traitor you and he be are about of a size it will be better tor for you to be in citizens dress so it happened that in the darkness of the september evening smith and andre the latter riding the blazed face mare set out for kings ferry where they wore were taken across the river they rode a few miles south of the landing to the shore of crom pond and spent the night with a friend of smith in the morning the latter went on with andre until they hail 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 ile he came to an outpost of the highland army and presented his pass it was wag examined and endorsed an and d he went on his way ile he met transport wagons a squad of cavalry and later a regiment of militia am coming up from western connecticut but no one stopped him in the faded list 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 bair beginning to turn gray A little out of tarrytown on the highway the horseman traveled a group of three men were hidden in the bush ragged reckless unlettered country countr lads lada waiting for cows to come down out of the wild land to be milked they were 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 fellows fellow full of the lawless spirit bred by five years of desperate warfare they were looking for tories as well ns as for cattle torlea tories were their richest prey for the latter would give high rewards to be excused from tte 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 he was wae near the british lines ile he was not familiar with the geography of the upper east store Eili ore ile he knew that the so called neutral territory was overrun by two parties the british being called the lower ond the yankees the upper what party do you belong to andre demanded the lower said one of the yankees TO BE CONTINUED