Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-08-16
BY chAuNcy c. hoTcnKiss

Copyright, 1897, by D. Appleton & Co. All
rights reserved)
On the morning of the 9Th of September
Mrs. Thorndyke was too i'll to rise from
her bed. John Phillipse. the doctor at
Edgartown, was called.
Nothing ails your mother" he said to
Donald, Saving the disease OF old age. You
may have her with you for awhile yet, but
she's tender, lad"
Next morning the British landed on the
island, with but little warning of what was
to come Capt. Scammell with several ma.
rines was at the house. DR.. Phillipse and
Rachel Thorndyke were in the main room
Donald had had time to hide himself to
await developments. No one seems to have
known at the moment what had become
of Gertrude. Ames, of course, was still CON
fined to his room.
Without knocking, Scammell entered and
demanded that Gertrude King, Beverly
Ames and Donald Thorndyke besurrendered
to him. At that moment the hall door
opened and Gertrude entered. Her face was
flushed as though just awakened from nap.
Seeing Scammell, she uttered scream,
and turning, fled through the door by which
she had just entered, slamming the portal
behind her. Rachel placed herself against
the door, but one of the marines pulled her
rudely away and sprang up the stairs, with
Scanned close behind.
As Thorndyke appeared on the scene he
met marine, who opposed his advance, but
he was shortly laid out by blow from the
butt OF gun. A third marine had attacked
the doctor, and Donald dealt with him in
the same summary fashion Then up the
stairs to his mothers room, where he knew
he would find Gertrude, he rushed.
Ames was leaning against the wall con-
fronted by the marine who had come up
with Scammell. In front of the bed stood
Gertrude with cooked pistol in her hand
and facing Scammell.
As Donald entered the room, he heard
the brave girl say, in answer to some ques-
ton: Never alive, sir! Settle with him!
am the promised wife of Donald Thorn.
dyke!"
Donald drew his sword, and with the
cry: Turn, you villain, turn!" he smote
| Scammell across the shoulders with the fiat
Of the blade. As the two men shifted, cir
| cling for an advantage, Scammell neared the
door, and quickly turning, rushed to the
| room below. Here there was more room
| for the play of swords. The officer wes
| clever, but Donald drew him foot by foot.
Suddenly throwing his wrist out of line, his
| point fell off. Like lightning Scammell took
| the bait; the next instant his sword was
| spinning through the air. Before the whirl-
| ing steel reached the ground, Thorndyke's
blade had passed through the throat of the
villain.
| In the meantime in the room above the
marine had shot at Gertrude. The bullet
had missed her, but had done its deadly
work on the aged sufferer in the bed Ger
trude fired with her pistol, and the marine
lay on the floor dead.
Over the bed, where lay his beloved dead,
| Donald swore a vengeance which should not
cease until his country was rid of the butch
ers Invading it. Ames reached out his hand,
and thus was cemented anew the covenant
between them.
| For the two days the British remained on
Marthas Vineyard Donald and his little
party lived in disused shed deep in the
heart of the forest. On the second evening
| he returned alone to the house, and was
surprised to find it still standing, showing
| no evidence of having been entered since
they had fled from it. A crude coffin was
constructed and the mother was buried in
the woods near the edge of the home lot,
| DR.. Phillipse doing the last offices. And
there she still rests, marked by the stone
Donald lived to see begin to crumble away
under the hand Of time.
H. THE END.