Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1904-06-23

ASI Hl-u uanOeu iOollSuueSs.
Helm saw that Hamilton was talking
mere wind. vox ct praterea nihil, and
he Furthermore felt that his babbling
signifed no harm TO Alice, but Hamil-
ton surprised him presently by saying:
81 have just learned that Lieutenant
Beverley Is actually gone. Did you
know of his departure:
'What are you saying, sirf'
/ Helm jumped to his feet, not angry,
/ but excited.
Keep cool You need not answer il
J you prefer silence or evasion. You may
want to go yourself soon.'
/ Helm burst out laughing, but quick
ly growing serious said:
HAS Beverley been such driveling
fool as that? Are YOU in earnestT"
lie killed two of my scouts, wound
cd another and crossed the Wabash in
| their canoe He is going straight
toward Ilaskaskia.'
The idiot, Hurrah for himi If you
catch Your hare you may roast him.
but catch him first. governor!
You'll joke out of the other corner
of your mouth, Captain Helm, if l find
out that you gave him aid or counte-
nance in breaking his parole"
aid or countenance. l never saw
him after lie walked out of this room.
You gave him mighty sight more
aid and countenanee than did. What
are you talking about! Broke his pa
rolel He did no such thing. He re-
turned it to you fairly, a you well
know He told you he was going"
"Well, I've sent twenty of my swift
est Indians after him to bring him
back I'll let you see him shot. That
ought to please you"
They'll never get him, governor. I'll
bet high on him against your twenty
scalp lifters any day. FitZhugh Bever-
ley is the best Indian fighter, Daniel
Boone and Simon Kenton excepted. in
the American colonies"
On her way home Alice met Father
Beret, who turned and walked beside
her He was so overjoyed at her re-
lease that he could scarcely speak, but
held her hand and stroked it gently
while she told him her story. 1t was
beginning to rain, q steady, cold show
er, when they reached the house, and
for many days and nights thereafter
the downfall continued almost inces-
sanity.
Dear child said Father Beret,
stopping at the gate and looking be-
seechingly into Alice's face, you must
stay at home now-stay in the house. 1t
will be horribly dangerous for you to
;,,
after what has happened.
.'Do not fear, father; will be careful
Aren't you coming in? I'll find you a
cake and q glass of Wine"
mo, child-not now"
''Then goodby, goodby," she said
turning from him to run into the house
"Come soon; l shall be so lonesome"
On the veranda she suddenly stopped,
running her fingers about her neck and
into her bosom.
"Oh, father, Father Beret, I've lost
my locket!' she cried. ''See IL /
dropped it there"
She went back to the gate, searching
the ground with her eyes. OF course
she did not find her locllet. 1t was
lIlIltS anu llliltS away NlOSt W lliS htil
of her lover. If she could but have
known this 1t would have comforted
her. Beverley had intended to leave it
with Jean, but in his haste and excite
ment he forgot. Writing the note dis
| tracted his attention, and so he bore
Alice's picture on his breast and in his
heart while pursuing his long and
perilous Journey.
Four OF Hamilton's scouts came up
on Beverley twenty miles south of Vim
cennes, but having the advantage OF
them he killed two almost Immediately
and, after a running fight, the other
two attempted escape in canoe on
the Wabash. Here, firing from bluff,
he wounded third. Both then plunged
headforemost into the water, and by
keeping below the surface got away.
The adventure gave Beverley new
spirit and self reliance. He felt that
he could accomplish anything neces-
sary to his undertaking. In the cap
tured pirogue he crossed the river, and,
TO make his trail hard to find, sent the
little craft adrift down the current.
Then alone, in the dead of winter, he
took his bearings and struck across the
dreary. houseless plain toward St
Louis.
As soon as Hamilton's discomfited
scouts reported to him he sent Long
Hair, with twenty picked savages
armed and supplied for continuous and
rapid marching. in pursuit of Beverley.
There was a large reward for bringing
him in alive, smaller one for his
scalp.
When Alice heard of all this her
buoyant and happy nature seemed en-
tirely TO desert her for a time. She
was proud TO find out that Beverley
had shown himself brave and capable
II touched her love Of heroism--but she
knew too much about Indian warfare
to hope that he could hold his own
against Long Hair, the wiliest and
boldest of scalp hunters. and twenty
Of the most experienced braves in
Hamilton's forces. He would almost
certainly be killed and scalped or cap
tured and brought back to be shot or
hanged in vihcennes. The thought
chilled and curdled her blood.
Both Helm and Father Beret tried to
encourage and comfort her by repre-
Senting the probabilities in the fairest
light.
Its like hunting for a needle in Il
haystack. going out to find man In
that Wilderness said Helm, with opti-
mistic cheerfulness, "and besides, Bev-
erley is no easy dose for twenty red
niggers to take. I've seen him tried at
worse odds than that, and lie got out
with n whole skin too. Don't you fret
about him, Miss Roussillon.'
Little help came TO her from attempts
n this sort. She might brighten up
-br awhile. but the dark dread and the
terrible gnawing ut her heart, the sink
Ing and despairing in her soul, could
not be cured.
What added immeasureably to her
distress was the attention of Farms
worth, whose wound troubled him but
a short time. He seemed to have had
4 revelation and change of spirit
since the unfortunate rencounter and
the subsequent nursing at Alice's
hands. lie was grave, earnest. kindly,
evidently striving TO play gentle and
honorable part. She coald feel that he
carried a load of regret. that he wanted
to pay full price in good for the evil
that he had done. His sturdy English