Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-03-31

'twere better to take the chance than to be
run to earth like tired fox, as is like to
| happen in hiding here. What, then, would
come to you, Peter? Like enough you would
help weight third string, and we all hang
| togetherl"
when does the tide ebb to-night?" l
asked.
Near eleven, or at about the setting of
| the moon," Burt answered Then after a
moment he continued: "Well, God be with
| you, gentlemen! l will do my part. Like
| the refuge in the barn, made the boat and
hid it while yet Washington held the city.
| clearly foresaw the outcome of his col
lision with Clinton, and little doubted the
ultimate use of both barn and boat. Either
! is at your service"
| With the opening of possible escape before
me, and one demanding immediate action,
my spirits went aloft in the measure Of
| their former depression. Nor did ! fear
| their reaction, as enough uncertainty lay
before to keep a man Is eyes and wits awake,
and that, too, without the aid Of liquor,
Even after the decision to trust to the boat
was made, my mind misgave me. Was it
i better to drag this girl into the danger of an
attempt to fly through plan which might
! pc nipped in the bud and end by our run.
| ming at once into the hands of the enemy, or
! he in a suffocating box with the doubtful
) chance of being overlooked? Even if safer,
/ the latter would become more than awkward
If necessity demanded protracted conceal
ment, and if discovery ensued it would but
= serve to damn our generous benefactor. Be-
sides, to tell the truth. had no wish to be
| found like scared rabbit in hole. A
!, mans pride hangs on nigh as long as his
breath, if he be properly balanced, and |
| had made reputation of which, to say the
least, | was not ashamed. Nay, | would
make bold and novel move, and if it must
SO come, end my life like a man with his
liver of the proper color.
This much settled, and in less time than
! it has taken to write it, | thought and spoke
DO more of the barn room, but turned with
| the rest to making ready. Beyond the boat,
the bundle Of provisions, an extra brace Of
pistols, and rapier, We mulcted our host
| Of nothing. In an hour the boat, which was
no more than q lat-bottomed scow squared
at the ends, Was brought from its hiding
place. 1T was fitted with the toughest OF
oars and but one thwart, and was damp
affair altogether, its concealment having
been made through covering it with boards
on which had been piled mass of wet salt
weed. 1t proved tight, though terribly
heavy, but as ! worked completed the de
tails OF the start, and had determined that
the use of oars would but menace our safe
ty, so that speed, OF lack OF it, would be a
quality cutting no figure. We would but
drift and steer.
After cleaning it, there was little else to
| do but load the boat, getting the arms snug.
ly bestowed, and then wait for the stacking
OF the food tide. 1t was tedious and impa
tient waiting, for feared me that the wind
might rise and wreck the fog. Ii this should
happen before dawn our prospects would be
wrecked with it, and then-and then
But l am not prone to borrow trouble,
| though it was with half relief and half re.
| gret that toward midnight finally heard
the smashing of the ebb as it eddied along
the rocks, and knew the time to start had
come. The full realization of the risk came
upon me as stood with painter in hand Civ.
Ing my last farewell to Burt. "God keep
YOU safe!" he said '1f find the schooner
gone tomorrow, and hear not of your cap
ture by Thursday, will thank Him as never
before" The next minute the three OF us
were out on the Sound river, and the black
land was hidden by the fog that closed
around us.
at once sculled out into the stream until
! struck the free current, and then sat my.
self on the boats bottom. using an oar as
rudder to keep the scow's head down the
river, letting her dfft with the tide which
was here running at great rate. All night
sounds from the land We're lost in the thick
cloud, and an almost dead silence ensued as
We whirled southwark. the only break be,
ing an occasional sucking noise in the water
due 10 The hurryiug whirpools.
1t was nervous work, Ames was forward
as lookout, his figure even at that short
distance beng almost lost in the combined
darkness and blur. The girl, seated Ypq,