Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-05-31
CHAPTER XIV.

morning, waking as blithesomely as child,
only to be shocked as i came to realizing
sense OF the tolls that beset me- Physically
] was new man, and the feeling of antago-
nism and defiance with which met the out
look proved that my spirit was yet un-
broken ~
But not hole could discover through
the network of circumstances that had made
me a victim. Testing the matter from all
sides, the result was the same. 1t was fight
and die, though l was careful not to betray
this conclusion to either Ames or his sister.
knew that the youth was equally at sea,
but the girl was cheerful and acted as
though her troubles would be of short dura-
ton, feeling doubtless, as her sex is prone
to do, that with two protectors things would
go not far wrong.
And, indeed, we needed the flip of good
spirits from some source, ana hers aided
my philosophy to the extent of causing me
to think it were as well to smile at approach
ing death as to sit and quake over its GER
tainty.
All that day we fed well, this once maiden
of fashion preparing our food, while by the
aid of the ladder in the attic Ames and my
self kept watch by turns through one of the
half-moon windows which commanded the
high road Il mile or so away. But we were
undisturbed, though we saw numerous
troops going north, and once feared squad
was about to turn toward us, but they went
en-, only hating moment where the roads
joined.
At sunset Burns returned, bringing the
news that double Gordon of the enemy had
been drawn across the island near the Dove,
which body was to divide and beat up the
I. Il.
every house, tree, and,nook and Granny from
enc end of Manhattan to the other. This
accounted for the unusual number of troops
we had seen that day, and to this extent had
my act stirred to its center the British
army 1t almost enabled one to count the
hours of remaining freedom, and figured
that by noon on the day following the forces
would have drawn their line close to the
purlieus of the city and caught us as fish
is caught in narrowing net.
The thought fairly drove me wild, and in
my very despair rose from the table at
which we had been sitting and went to the
window for air, that l might be rid of the
oppression which like a weight lay upon my
chest. Was this fear? Hardly; for, had the
house been assaulted at that moment, the
load would have fallen away as fell the bur-
den from the back of Christian. Nay, it was
uncertainty and inaction still playing on the
harp strings of my nerves, but it was an
unbearable feeling.
The moon was up, and it cast lusty light
over the lowlands and the river, though its
setting would not be late. 1t was lovely
night; in faith, all nature was possessed of
u beauty which made the thought of yield
ing up of life bitter enough. Everything
suggested freedom, from the rolling of the
distant woodland on Long Island to the
sparkle and dance of the water which lay
between it und me, barring me from liberty
and my Unborn right to breathe the free air.
The specli that shot across the brilliant
moon path knew to be patrol boat, and a
sudden hatred of the bonds that compassed
me, as exampled in that small floating thing,
brought my muscles into iron bands, and
clutched the sill with my fingers until the
casing cracked.
1 turned back to the others, and we ate
the balance of our meal in silence, even the
girl feeling the growing nearness of the end
and glancing furtively at each mans face in
turn.
/ think we sat in this state of depression
for much more than an hour, or long after
we had finished eating, and each face was
well-nigh lost in the darkness. The window
being open, no light was made, and, as there
was not a breath of wind, the stiffness was
only broken by the sounds OF night life with
out. There was faint simmer of moon
light on the floor which barely gave form to
those at the table, but the only sign of ami
nation existing within doors was the glow
ing of our three pipes as we men sat and
sucked away, each respecting the thoughts
of the others.
AT length Burt spoke. ~ am bound to
confess that darkness looms ahead" he be-
gan, "and if / make suggestion, it is not
to hint that you should take hopeless
chance in order that may be rid of you
Could you do aught with boat? l have one
concealed that might be made ready in an
hour"
The spell of silence and inactivity was
broken, for the girl left her chair and
81 have thought of boats but only for the
Hudson side. Could we go far and not be
picked up by another such sneaking devil of
patrol as saw yonder? Whithershall we
20? / say we, for we it must be. have
cast my lot with the Others"
He made no answer, and rose and joined
the girl (whom l could hardly yet think of
as girD at the window But now the as.
pect of nature had changed, and the fair
picture had seen below but short time
before was blurred as a breath blurs a cold
pane. With the quick alteration possible in
this region and at this season, within the
hour the night had grown damp, and light,
low fog hung over the river and its banks,
SO shallow, 80 still, and SO silvery in the
clear moonlight that it was as though a
quiet inundation had engulfed the land and
turned the world into lake. At the eleva-
ton from which viewed it, looked down
upon it as one looks down upon the sea from
low headland. A billowy fullness lifted
here and there, slow moving and majestic,
but over its vast extent the line betwixt fog
and clear air was sharply drawn. No moon
track cut across this heecy ocean, no sharp
ripple broke its surface, and a breeze would
have wrecked its strange beauty in second.
The trees rose through the vapor, clear at
their tops but invisible at their bases, and
one dead sycamore stood strongly out
against the light like the nasts and rigging
of sunken ship. Its similarity struck me.
As my eye caught it, like flash of light
ming an idea shot into my brain and my
pipe snapped off at my teeth as ] bit
through the stem in the intensity of my
feeling. With cry sprang for Ames, and
gripping him by the shoulders with a force
that made him cry out, l said, or rather
shouted:
~ have it! I have it! Now is the time!
Will you follow me and take a monstrous
chance? Look, man! Mark the fog! We
will to the boat-drift for the Phantom-
cut her cable and trust to the ebb and God
above to carry us past the feet" ~
"The phantom! For the love of God,
what phantom? Are you suddenly daft,
Thorndyke, that you see ghosts?" was the
vehment return OF the youth, as with
violent twist he tried to free himself from
my grasp.
may, man, no ghost!" cried, betwixt
laugh and sob, so high was my nervous ex-
citement. 'My ship--the schooner Phan-
tom! Have not told you? She lies but
mile below on straight drift. See, man,
see." said !, hurrying him to the window.
1.-The fog will be our guard! Once away,
we are safe! IT'S death to bide here when
such a mask stands ready for our use! We
are yet alive! We are not spent! Will you
risk the outcome? Let us not stand here