Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-03-17
By CHAUNCY g. HoTCHKIS9.
copyright 1897 by D. Appleton rights reservedl

-. 6doISE4 kiss.
on & Co.. All rights reserved]
indeed, the echo of the shot had scarce died
away when / heard gallopng coming from
either direction as his fellows fastened to
join him. 1t would not do for me to linger
in the vicinity, so leaped the fence and
crossed the highway above him, gaining the
opposite timber just before another horse
man swept by toward the point of alarm.
At this juncture thanked my stars for
three things: First, for the wet and black
ness of the night; second, that the lines
had run were the third or inner lines, COM
paratively lily guarded and but half-
manned, established to be used only in case
of the fall of the outer defenses; and, third,
that my present destination lay not beyond
the next obstruction. / never would have
dared attempt the passage of the barrier
gates,' as they were called, strong and
continuous work across the neck of land be-
low Fort Washington; and even had this
been possible, the outpost of the British
army at Kingsbridge would have hoored
anything without pass or wings. There,
in the face of the army of Washington, now
but few miles distant, it would have be-
come almost a matter of creeping betwixt
the legs of the sentinels
was not possessed with great curiosity
regarding the outcome of the trouble had
raised on the road, and got myself away from
its locality as rapidly as was consistent with
rough ground, thickly growing trees and
underbrush and pitchy darkness felt was
safe at last, safe from immediate disaster,
and then awoke to the fact that, save from
being warm instead of cold, l was in about as
miserable position as any man unhurt and
shaking free foot could well be. had eat
en- but little during the day, and man of
my size and activity soon hungers, though
as yet my hunger had not become serious
matter. / was drenching, without shelter
and without prospect of shelter, and miles
from any possibility of helping hand. To
stumble onward might land me in some diff.
Guilty from which could not easily recover.
( / was now at distance from the cross road,
and knew not if | was bearing out of my
line northward or toward one of the two
great highways, to approach either of which
was fraught with the greatest danger.
| Therefore | determined to settle where l
was until glimmer of dawn should show me
my way onward. had no choice of spots,
and SO sat me down on the stump had but
just fallen over, and, drawing my cloak
about my head, emulated the EXTREMIST pa
thence OF JOD, WHO, LOT ali MS ITouUles, udu
never been beset as was |.
Not for an instant did 1 nod or cease my
watchfulness through all the long hours.
The rain, noted for its mpartiality, seemed
to belle the adage and focus on me as though
II sat beneath gargoyle. Toward daylight,
which came none too early, the heat had
gone from my blood, and something like a
chill took its place, and with the first sign
of lividness in the clouds above l set out,
more from an instinct toward flight than
from any definite plan. The Dove was my
J destination, but it was only to be ap.
preached by night, and it was scarce an
hours walk from where / sat- Nothing
could be gained by wandering aimlessly, yet
such was the spirit of flight within me that
even movement partook of the nature Of
safety, and the loadstone attracting me lay
still to the northward. Toward the north
then, l turned.
The birds had begun to stir in their nests
and twitter sleepiy as | came to the edge
of the woods and beheld the checker of farm
fields and woodland from the elevation OF
which l was standing, fine drawn mist sc
blurring the distance that it seemed in
finite. went on, and by sunrise crossed
the Minetta water, striking westward thai
l might get into the wilderness above
Greenwich, reaching that almost primeva
forret toward noon.
But it is useless to follow my old trail here
did it years after with great satisfaction te
myself, calling up cloud of memories thai
brought back my lost youth, albeit il
brought las it does now mist before m.
! eyes as well. Through that afternoon
wandered we'll toward Bloomingdale, and al
the shadows fell, cut eastward near the ole
Apthorp mansion aud across the wild lant
, which lies beautiful waste about the cen
ter of the island. sNow Central Park
) was now close to the Kingsbridge roat
again, and not half mile from the Dove
The storm had cleared with the going dow
of the sun, leaving the air cool and pleasant
|. but, though am a lover of nature and prom
to mark the effect OF storm and sunshine,
remember little of this evening save that /
was gorgeous one, with moon, somethin,
|, less than halfgrown, swimming in the SIX
like cleft coin.
Not morsel of food had passed my lip
for more than four-and-twenty hours.
was tired, not from the miles of walking o
) manifold exertion, but from lack of nutr
ment, and, more than all, from the mora
effect of knowing | was being hunted like
wild animal. My clothing had well-nig
dried on my body, but was still damp.
! had not even the comfort of tobacco, fol
though possessed it in plenty, could &c
no fire, my finder box having been wette
y in the soaking had endured. had file
!, from the sight of man as Satan flies befor
the sign Of the cross, but by the time ha
: gotten on my journey thus far cared littl
i