Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-06-23

hereditary foe Of France. They had
been reasonably successful In a por-
ton Of their attempt at least. as the
French government had agreed. though
secretly. to furnish arms ands other
munitions Of war through a pseudo
mercantile firm which was represented
by NJ. de Beaumarchais. the gifted au
thor Of the comedy lie Marriage de Fl
CARO-" The French had also agreed to
furnish a limited amount of money.
But, more important than all these.
there were hints and indications that
II b American army could win any
decisive battle or maintain the unequal
conflict for any length Of time. an open
and closer alliance would be made.
The ENJOYS had dispatched Colonel
Wilton from their number back to
America to make a report Of the prog
ress Of their negotiations to congress.
This had been done. and General
Washington had been informed OF the
situation.
The little ship, one Of the gallant YES
sells of the nascent American navy in
which Colonel Wilton had. returned
from France. had attacked and cap
tured a British brig Of war during the
return passage, and young Seymour.
who was the first lieutenant Of the
ship, was severely wounded. The
wound had been received through his
efforts to protect Colonel Wilton, who
had incautiously joined the boarding
party which had captured the brig.
After the interview with congress
Colonel Wilton was requested to await
further instructions before returning
to France, and, pending the result Of
the deliberations of congress, after a
brief visit to the headquarters Of his
old friend and neighbor. General
Washington, he had retired to his es-
tate. AS a special favor he was per-
mitted to bring with him the wounded
lieutenant, in order that he might re.
cuperate and recover from his wound
in the pleasant valleys of Virginia.
That Seymour was willing to leave his
own friends in Philadelphia, with all
their care and attention, vas due entire
ly to his desire to meet Miss Katharine
Wilton, Of whose beauty he had heard
and whose portrait, indeed, in her ia
TIERS possession, which he had seen
before on the voyage, had borne out
her reputation. Seymour had been in
formed since his stay at the Wiltons'
that he had been detached from the
brig Argus and notified that he was to
receive orders shortly to report to the
ship Ranger, commanded by n certain
Captain John Paul Jones, and he knew
that he might expect his sailing orders
at any moment. He had improved, as
has been seen. the days of his brief stay
to recover from n wound and receive
another. and. as might have been ex-
pected, he had fallen violently in love
with Katharine Wilton.
There We're also staying at the house,
besides the servants and slaves, young
Philip Wilton, Katharine's brother, a
lad Of sixteen, who had just received
a midshipman's warrant and was to
accompany Seymour when he joined
the Ranger, then Quitting ut Phila-
delphia, and Bentley, an old and vet
a sailor, a boatswain's mate, who
had accompanied Seymour from ship
to ship ever since the lieutenant was
q midshipman, a man who had but one
home, the sea; n hate, the English;
n love, his country. and one attach
ment, Seymour.
Colonel Wilton was a Tidower. AS
Katharine came down the stairway,
clad in all the inery her father had
brought back for her from Paris, her
hair rolled high and powdered, the old
family diamonds, with their quaint
setting Of silver, sparkling upon her
snowy neck, her fan languidly waving
in her hand, she looked strikingly like
a pictured smiling down at
them from over the mantel. but to the
sweetness and archness of her moth
er's laughing face were added some of
the %colonel's pride, determination and
courage. He stepped to meet her and
then bent and kissed the hand she X
tended toward him with all the grace
Of the old regime. and Seymour. com
ing upon them, was entranced with
the picture.
He. too, had changed his attire and
now was clad In the becoming dress
of a naval lieutenant Of the period.
He wore a sword, Of course, and a
dark blue uniform coat relieved with
red facings, with a single epaulet on
his shoulder which denoted his off,
4cial rank. His blond hair was light
ly touched with powder and tied after
the fashion Of active service in a cue
with q black ribbon.
"Now, Seymour, since You two tru-
ants have come at last, will you do me
the honor to hand Miss Wilton to the
dining room?" remarked the colonel,
STRENGTHENING up.
With a low bow Seymour approached
the object Of his alteration. who after a
sweeping courtesy gave him her hand.
With much state and ceremony, pre-
coded by n OF the servants who had
been waiting In attention In the hall
and followed by the colonel and lastly
by the colonel's man, a stiff old cam
ypaigner who had been with him many
years, they entered the dining room.