San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-03-17

washington laughed. Skerrett lauSned
louder. He was at that ebullient age
when life is letting off its overcharge Of
laughter. Young fellows at that period
are bore or an eXhilaration-a bore, to
say the least, if their animal spirits are
brutal spirits-no bore, even if not quite
the ripest company, provided their glee
does not degenerate into uproar.
Il don't know what should do, Peter,
in these dark times without your ire
pressible good spirits" said the chief.
my boys-you and Hamilton and La
fayette and Harry Lee-keep me up.
get tired to death of the dependencies
and prejudices and jealousies of some of
these old women in breeches who wear
swords or cast votes"
perhaps you cannot spare me, then,
to go to Peekskill," the major said slyly.
His country's father smiled. BE off,
my boy, but don't stay too long. Your
head will be worth more to Old Put than
a whole regiment. He's growing old.
He shows the effects of tough campaign
ing in his youth. Besides, keeping a tav-
ern was not the best business for man
OF MS COnVlVlal 0aDltS.
I'VE youngsters found that out at the
siege of Boston, when you, general, were
keeping your head cool on baked apples
and milk"
late 'em because | liked em, my boy
Ny head keeps itself cool. By the way
you will be able to help General Putnam
with that hot tempered La Radiere. The
old gentleman can never forget how the
Frenchmen and their Indians mangled
him in Canada in fifty-eight."
He never can let anybody else forget
it. would give odds that he'll offer to
tell that story before I've been with him
fifteen minutes"
"Well, goodby. Hurry on the regu-
lars. Let him call in the militia in their
places. Tell him he must hold the
Highlands. If he cannot keep Sir Henry
Clinton back until Gates takes Jack
Burgoyne, you and l, Peter, will have
to paint ourselves vermilion and join
the Tuscaroras.
After such talk with our chief, who
was not the stilted prig that modern
muffs have made him, Major Skerrett
departed on his mission. He left head
quarters few days before that hit and
miss battle of Germantown.
Skerrett was young and hard rider
He famed his horse the first day. He
lost time in getting another. 1t was the
evening of October eighth when, as he
approached the North river to cross to
Peekskill, the country people warned
him back with the news that on the
sixth Sir Henry Clinton had taken the
Highland forts and Putnam had run
away to Fishkill.
'BlaCk news" thought Skerrett
General Washington will turn Tusca-
rora now if ever"
Skerrett made a circuit northward,
crossed the Hudson at Newburg and re-
ported to General Putnam, October
nine, sunset, at the Van Wyck farm
house, on the plain, half mile north of
the Fishkill mountains. The heights
rose in front, rampant thousand feet
high.
Old Put limped out to meet Washing
toms aid-de-camp. He was a battered
veteran, lame with a fractured thigh
stiff with coming paralysis, and now
Respondent after recent blunders.
''Dusky times, Skerrett," says he for
lornly. 81 suppose the chief sent you
for men. He's a cannibal after human
flesh. But don't worry me tonight.
Tomorrow we're to have a council of
war, and I'll see what can be done.
suppose you know what's happened?"
"Yes-generally."
well, it's all clear for Clinton to 90
up and join that mountebank, Jack Bur-
goyne. might just as well go home
and set up tahvern again to Pomfret for
anything l can do here. God save the
King is going to make Yankee Doodle
sing small from yesterday on. 1t was
all the fault of that cursed fog-we had
fog, thick as lnush, all day on the
sixth. | believe them British ships
brought it with 'em in bags from the
channel. They choked up the river
with their fog, and while | was waitin
for 'em over to Peekskill they crep across
and took the forts. Darn it ALL"
Putnam paused to take an indignant
breath. Skerrett smiled at the old hero's
manner When he was excited the Van,
keeisms of his youth came back to him.
His lisp also grew more decided. No,
body Knows whether the lisp twas natural
or artificial, and caused by jawbreaker
with the butt of musket he got from
an uncivil Gaul at Fort Ii in fifty
eight. His Yankeeisms, his lisp, his
drollery, his muddy schemes made the
jolly old boy the chief comic character
of our early Revolutionary days.
GLOW Jack Burgoyne will stick out
that great under lip of his-the ugly
nelicanr, continued Old PIT s.rrho,, IL