Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1899-12-14
roof that sloped easily to near the ground

of voices and the Gathering of hoofs from the
yard, and guessed that some of the troopers
below had gone in haste to the north, for,
my window being on the south side of the
house. | saw nothing of them as they passed,
All below became silent as the confusion
melted in the distance. My nerves were
like harp strings as | stood and listened, but,
as the time went on and nothing occurred,
/ breathed trifle easier and finally gath
cred enough confidence to reprime my fire
arms. Had it not been for the damp knew
was in them, should have used a pistol on
the gambler at the start.
For all of an hour | waited in the pas
sage, which turned out to be little more than
a narrow lumber room, but at last | heard
the door below open, and even as | was hop
ing for some one to guide me to my next
move, the negro was before me. Like a spir-
it he entered the passage, for no sound
of steps had heralded his coming, and the
only words he spoke were:
"Pull of yer boots and follow me-"
His own were in his hand, and obeying,
trailed after him in and about two or three
rooms and hall, coming at last to a flight of
steps that led us down and out by back
way.
1t was something like waking from night
mare to breathe the outer air again and not
feel the cramping of close quarters. Motion
ing me still to follow, he bent himself like
an Indian seeking footprints, and thus we
passed beneath the rear bar windows, soon
being at a distance from the house and to-
ward the stream had noticed. Under some
low bushes we stopped long enough to pull
on boots, and then onward we went, now
bearing toward the east and through a
swamp, which would have been fatal to me
had | attempted to traverse it alone.
Save to caution my going, not word my
guide spoke, nor did l ask question, only
stepping close behind him as he made his
way through blind path he evidently well
knew. Presently we came to something
like rod of firm ground slightly overgrown
with coarse weeds and low shrubbery. Here
my guide halted, and, turning about with a
chuckle, said
considering they know nothing of yer 60
ing, We be safe enough here"
What the devil" l began, but he in
terrupted me.
"'Tis plain enough, my friend. l know
ye now, an thought | did at first. Did We
mark me draw the light from ye at the table
and shut the windows?
How did you know me-"
care We not the man who bearded Clin-
ton? Who would not know ye after the
dAy's rumpus with searchin's an descrip-
tions? Are there two o yer shadow on the
island? Is not yer name Thorndyke? IT'S
lucky ye fell afoul O Nick Stryker instead o
Others"
by the Mighty Are you Nick
Stryker?' | asked, light bursting on me.
"Nick Stryker is my name" he answered.
q thought you said Nat Burns was"
"Who ever saw Nat Burns?" he broke in.
ono one. He's always away. Come, now,
I've little to tell. What brought ye to the
Dove"
''To find one call.ng himself Rex" l be-
gan, but he stopped me by an exclamation.
REX. an We asked for a man o the name
O King? know none such, but ReX-why,
he it was that laid out the tory and saved
yer neck. An ye knew him not. Well, on
my soul, tits scarce wonder!"
us it possible? No more than brother
unborn would | have known him. Is Low
ney dead?" / asked.
"Ay, he's dead, an We ha' the credit O it.
Did ye not hear a party putting after ye to
the north? We have no time to palaver.
Stay here until | guide the Quaker hither;
he's maxim blind fools o an officer an three
men over the body o the tory, but his risk
is great. | tell We that Rex is sore beset him
self, an | would hang higher than Haman
were my position known. Ye each need the
other, for It's beyond me now to more than
help ye out Of the muss ye have just got
ten in"
"What is the mans real name?" asked
as he turned to leave me.
"Ames," was the short answer as he
made off, and in the small light of the moon
that was now close to its setting | marked
his figure grow less and less until the shad-
oWs swallowed it.
Now | saw where | had made mistake in
not closely following directions and asking
for Rex in the first place. And equally
stupid had | been in determining that Nick
Stryker was openly known by his name
When | inquired for 'Ring," it had never en-
tered my head that Rex could be aught but
the brother of Gertrude, and it now came to
me that mayhap Clinton was inside the
truth when he said that youth had perished
in the flames. How, then, could the poor
girl have Jared since she left me? fet her
brother had escaped, according to Mrs
Badely, and twas possible the girl had
known where to join him. Either Clinton
had lied or his mistress had been deceived,
and twas a fair muddlc to clear. Stryker
had known me through reputation and de-
scription, and if my act had become ccie
brated so might have hers, and determined
to ask him if he knew aught of the girl for
whom | had now more than passing inter-
est.
However, the matter was not to be cleared
by thinking, and as just now had need of
my brains in my own behalf, put it aside
and came home, as charity should.
Where was | to pass the coming night? {?
Where was | to procure bread for the NOR
row? | would not fast again, though it
came to entering a house and demanding
food at a pistols point. What was the end
of it all to be? Even now | was held prs-
oner by a qualling bog, and had put myself
into the power of a man who, in my mind,
was no more a negro than was Rex or Ames
an aged Quaker
Twas foolishly weak in me, but as one
hour went far into another and nothing
CHANGED, | took a blue turn, thinking Of
home and my mother and my sister, and
their worry and wonderment at my long alb.
sence, finally getting myself into mood
that was made up of universal doubts, and,
were it not that | had a sense of shame left,
I Go. 1