Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-09-15
well, sergeant, you can't find him?"

you, colonel.
mo- you oughtn't TO be blamed for
what happened in tic guardhouso,
There's that blessed meeting i'll the Irish
line, and the dinner, where the young
stcrs lost their heads"
ITS remarkable SIR" said the 9th
| or
1T don't understand it. But it isn't
my matter. It's Sir Honry's But hero
is your prisoner reaching my grounds
Hes gone, sir, I" tho sergeant repeat
ed.
$50 it seems. know. I know, he's
gone But I'm dragged into tho mat
tcr. "
"Not yon, sir"
"Wcll, find him. Co over tho ground
again, do you hear? don't believe any
thing like this ever happened in an
English regiment.
1T ought not now, sir, said the SER
geants gruff voice. AZ only can account
| for it in Sergeant Timms being excited
by the noises outside. There have been
many arrests, sir"
"Wcll, Timms will have chance to
explain to the proper authorities Now
do your bost."
"Im afraid he's gono too far, sir
! You know there are many houses in
New York that would like nothing bet
ter than to hide rebel. "
Nothing in tho world better" said
the colonel.
Good night, sir"
Good night to you, sergeant, and
better luck. "
Il hope for it, sir"
His steps sounded and the door open.
cd and closed. Tho candles still burned
in the outer room for the light entered
through the chinks of the closet door
! And then | heard the scratching Of n
quill. He was writing, and suddenly 1
thought who he might be. remember
| cd the exact situation and indeed the
colonel himself.
Now in all this account the sudden
ness of the adventure must explain tho
| daze in which had been Even had
bocn dropped down in place l knew
better than New York these events
would have been enough to have con-
! fused me, and l was not particularly
! L
the summer of INA there. ] remember
cd the location of certain streets, and
among many other features remember
ed the Van Halo manor on its hill. Tho
| place became as clear as if l saw il in
tho light. This was Colonel Van Halo's
manor. That was indeed no other than
the Tory colonel himself.
l need not explain who no was to You.
You will know the man who put his
great estates ut the kings service be-
cause be believed that no good, nothing
but disaster, would como of our success.
He was honest and brave and strong and
commanded with the rank of colonel a
troop which had been enlisted for the
king. l had fallen into his house, and
he was sitting out thcre-beyond the
door-writing.
Then, as / stood there in that darl,
hole, like a ccrncred fox, l remembered
where the shop of Hosea Pringlc stood
-Pringle. the cobbler, who was SPY
| the hills foot. IL l could reach there,
Pringle would hide me- That was one
of the houses the sergeant had referred
to, one of the spies they not so much rs
suspected. This much was plain. If
Pringle should he in, he would find
means of sending me across the river.
My heart beat till | could hear it's
humping as l thought Of my position
then, as l saw how near and yet how
far Twas from that Jail. must get ont
of this house unobserved not only for
] . 7 II
not lead to Pringle's. The discovery
that the honest fellow was a spy would
lead him to his execution.
Yet even with this suddenly present.
ed chance the situation was not much
happier. The great Colonel Van Halo
after Colonel Ge Lancy, one of the rich
est and stanchest New York Tories
was outside that door. My eNultation
suddenly died, tho chance was indeed
so small enc. And then thought of
my father. l thought of PegPy-the
one girl in all tho world who ever was
worth while, They all seemed very far
away that moment. If they took me,
they now wouldn't tako my parole,
which, after all, was thankful not to
have given.
And time passed, and the quill still
scratched on, to stop at last. 1t must
have been after two hours. l was
cramped and stiff. Then heard him
rising. He might have turned to tho
closet, I suddenly recollected, but II
didn't. The light in the chinks flick
cred, and as | heard his steps the door
shut and the outer room was dark
Then, you may believe, watched
watched till thought should venture
it, when / threw back my closet door.
l was startled by noting the light
through the keyhole, Some one was be-
hind that outer door then, and suddenly
the door was thrown wide and a tall
figure stood there, holding the candle
high above his head.
"Who's there?" Colonel Van Halo
fslIad.
Standing there, hopclessly revealed,
my plans I'll awry, / saw on the table a
pistol, which l snatchcd almost in
stinctively-'twas self preservation
and them as he looked his amazcment,
I said, as if l held the position:
81 regret my lack of courtesy to a
gentleman of your position in this col
ony-this state, mean-but must ask
you to come in, to close tho door, to
sit down, or elseh-and | meSnt il all