Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-02-21

the case will turn out as myself. There's no
knowing at all what the man will come to.
He has had the DEVILS own shock. Ills con-
cussion and mayhap fracture, mayhap true
tural lesion of the brain. Who knows? He
may die, he may live, but he'll be bit
flashed in his wits If he pulls through, and
meier the lad he was. What's one dead rebel
more or less? Let him lie and take chances.
Have you drap O. potheen to say good
night on? Pm off,"
felt like kicking the man for his heart
lessness, but gave him drink and saw him
started for his own craft; then, getting the
crew together, I set them to work, and in
short order we were under way.
The surgeons words had not tended to
depress me. The passion possessing me
when l struck my mate had passed away,
and if he would live and remain flashed"
until l had cleared from the middle into
which I had been forced would pray for
his final recovery.
Itwas an easy matter to sail for New York.
As the schooner now bore, wing on wing,
that port lay fair off the end of the lib
boom. The Sprite sailed something less than
half e mile on our larboard beam, and thus
we went for hours, each holding her own.
In the early light of the following morn the
wind suddenly lightened, then shifted to
the north, and by the time had made
Sandy Hook, where the bulk of Howe's feet
lay waiting the arrival of the British army,
the Sprite was some miles to windward.
had forgotten the race. The sick man
had most of my time and attention, for he
had taken to raving, and was finally dashed
to his bunk. His speech was but an uncouth
mouthing of words that meant nothing, and
when at last, in the lower bay, the schooner
was formally taken possession of, passed
the care of him to others, and began to look
sharply to my own affairs.
1t was two days after the mess on the
Phantom before we dropped anchor off the
city, coming to Anal rest near the upper
limb of the blight of the small bay below
Corears Hook, on the Sound river Cast
river).
There had been more than little fuss and
many questions put by the authorities be-
fore stepped ashore. Answers, too, were
given, which might have been picked full
of holes had suspicious arisen in the minds
of the reigning powers; but owing to the
disorder due TO the retreat of Clinton from
Philadelphia, and the arrival of his army,
which had now boarded the fleet at Sandy
Hook, confusion ran riot in all branches of
government, and saved me from much fine
lying.
There had never been moment when
could have gotten at the gold in the cabin
without exciting suspicion. In fact, l had
but little time to study the papers had ap-
propriated and still had on my person; and
now, well-nigh destitute from want of cash,
had the misery of seeing the kings broad
arrow painted on the bows of the Phantom
opI rf ErI;,,v @~~ 4
was not greatly troubled by my lack of
ments for claim on my own ship for prize
money for capturing her. and could easily
turn it into gold by allowing liberal dis.
count; but it went to my heart to see the
broad arrow (Which marks the kings prop
erty), and know the craft was, by hook or by
crook, prize in possession of the enemy.
But if my comparative poverty caused me
no great uneasiness, was worried over the
fact that had two living witnesses against
me, one of whom, the negro, was capable
of damning me with his evidence could he
but obtain the ear of an official 1t struck
me forcibly, too, that was fairly within the
enemy's lines and under false name and
character 1t were one thing had l been
caught at acting part on the high seas and
on my own schooner, but quite another to be
discovered under the existing circumstances.
The first could have made me prisoner of
war at most; the second would damn me as
a spy, and give me short shift to the next
world by means of rope.
AT that time it might have been possible
for me to have left New York and gotten
on my way homeward. But it did not hap.
pen to lie in my blood to turn up with the
of for tol
liberty and life. With weakling it would
have passed; with me 'twould look as though
had thrown away all for the sake of light
ening my heels, and would likely injure my
reputation.
Aside from this, there lay hidden close at
hand f50O, and none, save Lounsbury, had
fathomed the secret. 1t was my all, barring
the schooner, though that was not total
loss, as the admiralty papers in my pocket
bore witness. No man willingly foregoes
two thousand four hundred and odd dollars
in gold rightfully his own, unless he be a
coward; and that, / maintain, / am not.
And SO by my fortune determined to stand
until it should be sunk, blown up, OF other
wise lost.
There was more than this pecuniary inter-
est which sealed my determination to stay
where l was for space and risk the future.
And that-the war.
Lest my reader think had been laggard
in the conflict which had now been on better
than two and half years, let it be known
that had been active against the enemy,
both afeld and afoat; noticeably in the
whaleboat warfare on the coast.
l had made more than one lobster back
wish he had stayed In Merry England (un-
less he was at once set past wishing), and
helped dig mighty hole in the kings ex.
chequer by destroying his property. But
that was in the past, and runs not with this
tale.
/ could lily abide the discipline of the
army, though with the patriots discipline
was but trife more than name. 1t suited
me best to be my own master and fight in my
own way (not that quarrel with the mode
of another man, and armies are necessary,
and never would have more than earned
rations had I stood in the ranks and moved
forward or backward on the word of COM
mand.
Determined then not to run, it took me but
short time to conceive that in my present
position ! could well serve the great cause
which to no man was dearer than to me.
Washington, knew, had few agents within
the lines of the city, and these might never
hope to know, they, like myself, being hood
ed under the mask of toryism.
This last fact was hitch. might become
storehouse-a very mine of informationon
the strength, weakness and contemplated
movements of the enemy, but be without the
means of unloading my knowledge. To force
way through the lines was to take ones
Ute ID ons'shand with suall chances af hsep-