Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-02-26

| the cannon. lOWdfu Inc close OF lnt
night a relaxation showed itself i'm the
shouting and firing all round the line.
| Bevcrley's men, especially the crcoles,
held out bravely in the matter of noise,
! but even they tagged q, iyh-tt thcil
| volatility simmcrnC down to desultory
| bubblng and half sleepy ciIattcrin2
and chatting.
Beverley leaned upon a rude. fence
and for time neglected to reload his
hot rifle. OF course he was thinking of
Alice-he really could not thinl, in any
other direction; hut II gave him shock
and a start when he pre- nay heard
her name mentioned by little French
man near him on the left.
"rhere III never he another such n
girl in Post Nncennes as Alice Roussil-
lon.' the fellow said in the soft creole
patois. and to think of her being shot
like dog!'
and by a man who calls himself a
governor, too" said another. "Ah, as
for myself, I'm in favor of burning him
alive when we capture him. That's
me-
EFT moi aussi." chimed in n third
voice THAT poor girl must be aveng-
ed. The man who shot her must die.
Holy Virgin, but if Gaspard Roussillon
were only here"
But he is here. I'saw him Just after
dark. He was in great fighting temper,
that terrible man. OUT but l should
not like to be Colonel Hamilton and
fall in the way of that Gaspard Rous-
sillonv'
"Morbleu! | should say not. You
may leave me out of chance like that.
shouldn't mind seeing Gaspard handle
the governor though. All, that would
be too good! He'd pay him up for
shooting Mile. Alice"
Beverley could scarcely hold himself
erect by the fence. The smoky. foggy
landscape swan round him heavy and
strange. He uttered a groan, which
brought Oncle Jazon to his side in a
hurry.
"Qu' avez-vous? What's the matter?"
the old man demanded with quick SYM
patty. "Hev they hit ye? Lieutenant,
air We hurt much?"
Beverley did not hear the old mans
words, did not feel his kindly touch.
"Alice, Alice.' he murmured Dead,
deadw
"Ya-as." drawled Oncle Jazon. 81
hearn about it soon as | got inter town.
It's sorry thing Il mighty sorry thing.
But mebby | won't do a little somepin'
to that
Beverley Strengthened himself and
lifted his gun. forgetting that he had
not reloaded it since firing last. He
leveled it at the fort and touched the
trigger. simultaneously with his
movement an cmbrasure opened and Il
cannon flashed, its roar flanked on Ell
Their side by cracking of British mus
kets. Some bullets struck the fence
and flung splinters into Oncle Jazon's
face. \ cannon ball knocked a ridge
pole from the roof of a house hard by
and sent 1t whiring through the air.
''Nentrebleu-et apres? What next?
Better knock feller's eyes out" the
old man cried. II amt a-doin' nothin'
to ye."
He capered around rubbing his
leathery face after the manner of a
scalded monkey. Beverley was struck
in the breast by a fattened and spent
ball that glanced from a fence picket.
The shock caused him to stagger and
drop his gun, but he quickly picked it
up and turned to his companion.
Are you hurt. Oncle JaZon" he in
quired. "Are you hurt?"
Not a bit; jes' skeert mos into a
duck fit. Thought cannon ball had
knocked my whole dang face down
my throat! Nothin' but handful O.
splinters in my poorly continuance
, maxim my head feel like a porc'pine.
But l sort O thought l heard somepin'
give you a diff"
Something did hit me-" said Bever-
ley, laying hand on his breast, "but
l don't think it was bullet. They
!, seem to be getting our range at last
/, Tell the men to keep well under cover
They must not expose themselves until
we are ready to charge"
The shock had brought him back to
his duty as leader of his little com
pany, and with the funeral bell of all
his lifes happiness tolling in his ago
: nized heart he turned afresh to direct.
ing the fire upon the blockhouse.
), About this time Il runner came from
Clark with an order to cease firing and
let returning party of British scouts
under Captain Lamothe re-enter the
fort unframed. A strange order il
seemed to both officers and men, but
> !, it. was implicitly obeyed. Clark's genius
here made another fine strategic flash
He knew that unless he let the scouts
go back into the stockade they would
escape by running away, and might
{ possibly organize an army of Indians
with which to succor Hamilton. But
If they were permitted to go inside
- they could be captured with the rest
of the garrison. Hence his order.
> A few minutes passed in dead 81
. lence. Then Captain Lamothe and his
y party marched close by where Bever
ID l. Il