Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1899-08-10

as on either side, there was an open space Tor
me to traverse. Here I lowered my dignity
by getting on to al-fours, and, holding my
blade betwixt my teeth, crept slowly on
ward, taking advantage of every stump and
fallen tree as post to halt and listen. But
these latter were none too frequent, and l
used at least an hour in getting the few
hundred feet which lay between the works
and the abatis protecting them. Having
gained the abatis, rose and felt my way
through the tangled branches of the felled
timber, making deal of noise l thought,
but finally got past and into the woods be-
yond. These woods proved to be but strip,
and narrow one at that, for soon came to
a road which served me only,in showing my
location, as I knew of one crossing from the
Kingsbridge road to another leading to the
village of Greenwich.
was we'll satisfied with myself and my
progress, considering that the worst was
passed, but my pride underwent sudden
fall when, as l was putting my leg over the
snake fence, a voice came out Of the dark
ness:
''Hah! Who goes there?"
"a friend, but without countersign.
Where are you?" returned, easily, though
made mighty start.
"Then stay where you be, or fire!"
Every good! Come to Inc" l answered,
swinging myself back and retreating to
tree near by, and from that to another.
It gave me infinite relief to hear the
tramp of horse, and know the man was
mounted vidette, and in the course of few
seconds he went by me to where had an
swered him, though by then l had retreated
along the line of the road and was 20 feet
away. Hating his horse, he again chal-
lenged, but, on receiving no answer, fired his
pistol into the woods and began cursng like
pirate.
/ knew there would be trouble now, and,
indeed, the echo of the shot had scarce died
away when heard galloping 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 junct,re l 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. l 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 iloored
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 matter of creeping betwixt
the legs of the sentinels.
| was not possessed with a 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. l felt was
safe at last, safe from immediate disaster,
and then awoke to the fact that, save from
miserable position as any man unhurt and
shaking free foot could well be. I 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. I 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 l 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 whore |
was until glmmer of dawn should show me
my way onward. I 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 Job, who, for all his troubles, had
never been beset as was I.
Not for an instant did nod or cease my
watchfulness through all the long hours.
The rain, noted for its mpartiaity, seemed
to belle the adage and focus on me as though
l sat beneath gargoyle. Toward daylight,
which came none too early, the heat had
gone from my blood, and something like q
chill took its place, and with the first sign
of lvidness in the clouds above ] set out,
more from an instinct toward flight than
from any definite plan. The Dove was my
destination, but it was only to be ap-
preached by night, and it was scarce an
hours walk from where l sat. Nothing
could be gained by wandering amlessly, 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, | turned.
The birds had begun to stir in their nests
and twitter sleepily as came to the edge
of the woods and beheld the checker of farm
fields and woodland from the elevation on
which l was standing, a fne-drawn mist so
blurring the distance that it seemed in.
finite. 1 went on, and by sunrise crossed
the Minetta water, striking westward that
l might get into the wilderness above
Greenwich, reaching that almost primeval
forest toward noon.
But it is useless to follow my old trail here.
l did it years after with great satisfaction to
myself, calling up cloud OF memories that
brought back my lost youth, albeit it
brought Gas it does now a mist before my
eyes as well. Through that afternoon l
wandered well toward Bloomingdae, and as
the shadows fell, cut eastward near the old
Apthorp mansion and across the wild land
which lies beautiful waste about the CEN
ter of the island Now Central Park
l was now close to the Kingsbridge road
again, and not half mile from the Dove.
| The storm had cleared with the going down
of the sun, leaving the air cool and pleasant,
but, though am lover of nature and prone
to mark the effect of storm and sunshine, l
remember little of this evening save that it
| was a gorgeous one, with moon, something
less than half-grown, swimming in the sky
like cleft coin.
[To BE Continued
| A Charitable Girl.
"Miss Cutting" began young Soft
| Ieiph ssfph s,ome time Inv have heeu