Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-08-17

/ % Yes, Clara whispers truly, Mistress
! Jenny I bear away with me her
| trOth-plight tress, black and lus-
/ trOus as a raven s wing feather. Why
shOuldn' bear n trOth plight curl
from your own sunny head for hand
/ some, but mistaken Tory Ned to
I wear against his heart? Think how
/ 1T would transport himi''
Miss McRea also blushed, but she
/ shook her head determinedly, after a
pause.
''NO; no token. Not now, at least.
/ ''But what shall ] tell him, should
he draw out this refusal of yours from
me, Mistress jenny
She laughed.
''Tell him, " she cried, turning to
retreat, and little dreaming of the
fatality of her words, .'tell Edward
Jones that, dearly as love him, 1
shall give no trOth-plight Jress I'M
til he shall have my whole head of
hair, as an accompaniment Of the
heart that is already his; and may
we soon be united, no more to part!''
And with that she laughed again,
and turned away, while Joel Stan
dish, with yet another last kiss from
Clara's trembling lips hurried of up
on his dangerous errand.
Fraser's advance column of Bur
gOyne's army, whose camp was his
objective point, was but four leagues
away, but the distance had to be
made on foot, and the forest paths
were already sWarming with Indians
However, young Standish reached
Bellamy's house without mischance,
and there, after affecting his needful
disguise, he decided, on the prOprie-
tor $ representations, to remain over
night.
JethrO Bellamy, the retired weaver,
was a somewhat eccentric character,
but a true patriot, who was almost
in readiness to remove, with dis chat
tells and and negro servants, out OF
the path Of the threatened invasion
at the time OF JOeIs visit
At sunrise Of the next morning
however, Joel, who had been assigned
TO a lOw-pitched sleeping loft above
the living-rOOm, was aroused by the
old weaver hammering eXcitedly on
the under side of the hatchWay,
reached by the communicating lad
der.
':The redcoatsl the redcoatst' he
cried; ':they are coming down the
road. But you had best stay where
you are friend Joel, and they may
overlook your presence in the house.
AS for me, lam of on my gray mare,
with that last fine piece of wOOllen
cloth Of my own weaving!'
Then Joel heard the stepladder
knocked away, and the skurry Of the
old gentleman's retreat.
hFrrTIfr1 90 f,o h. cTrvrlnI
nOiselssly out of bed, and looked out
of the little loft window.
And then he could not but smile
broadly at the Oddity OF the scene
that presented itself.
Old Bellamy was Just gaIiOping off
on his gray mare with only time to
fasten one end Of his priced clOth-rOH
to his saddle, and three British troop
eIs were in hot pursuit His beast
was a poor gOer, and at first the
chances were all against him. The
pursuers were soon Overhauling him,
and believing for his surrender; but
aU that moment the cloth began to
let itself out in the wind Indeed,
such a Tapping and fluttering did it
make that the troopers horses could
not be made to approach ANY near
Ell. And thus did the Old gentlman.
with the black cloth streaming far
and wide, like the DEVILS horses tail.
manage to keep ahead Ofhis pursuers,
and finally to escape them altogether.
Several times they had raised their
sabres to cut him down, but as often
had they been fOiled by the streamer
always tangling them up and flirting
in their way.
The remaining redcOats only rum
mayed the interior of the house a bit,
without discovering the lurker in the
loft. and then, for Il wonder, passed
on their way without firing it.
A little later Joel gained the woods.
and struck out boldly for Fraser's
camp. He entered it a few hours
| later, in the character ola Troy drOv-
er. with a couple of estray cattle.
which he had fortunately CHANGED on,
and of which he represented himself
as the owner. He struck a sharp
bargain for the beeves with the com
mandant of the OutpOsts, made
friends right and left by vigorously
cursing the rebels, and was presently
quite at home in the camp, busily
making mental memoranda of Just
the sort of surreptitiOus information
/ he was most earnestly in quest Of
Toward the close Of the day, how
/ ever, a handsome young officer com
| ing out Of Gen. Fraser's tent. beck
Oned him to a conference in a near
clump of spruce trees, and said stern
ly:
81 recognize you, Joel Standish, as
/ q rebel spy IN this loyal camp"
Its perhaps but natural that you
/ do recOgaize me, Ned Jones, replied
/ Joel, with a confident smile. "FOr