The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-04-14


to shelter the son of the outlawed
Roger Ireton save that Of this poor
hunting lodge in the mighty forest OF
the Catawba. overlooked, with the few
runaway blacks inhablting it. in the
lntaking of an estate so large that
think not even my father knew all the
metes and bounds of it.
| shall not soon forget the interview
with the lawyer in which | was told
the inhospitable truth. Nor shall |
forget his truculent leer when he
limited that l had best be gone out of
these parts. since it was not yet too
late to bring down the sentence of out
lawry from the father to the SON.
1t was well for him that l knew not
at the time that he was Gilbert Stairs
factor. For l was mad enough to have
throttled him where he sat at his writ
ing table, matching hi. long fingers
and Sinking at me with his evil
smile. But of this man more in his
time and place. His name was owen
Pengarvin. l would have you remem-
Der it.
For a w"cf and a day 1 fingered on
at Queensborough, for what | knew
not, save that all the world seemed
suddenly to have grown stale and prof
itless, and my life a thing of small ac-
count. One day | would be minded to
go back to me old field marshal and
l!lt Keeping Oh lle lufklSn DolutE,
the next | would ride over some part
of my stolen heritage and swear 1t
great oath to bide till | should como to
my own again. And on these alternat-
ing days the storm of black rage filled
my horizon, ana | became a derelict to
drive on any rock or shcal in this UNI
Charted sea of wrath.
On one of these galOpS fa"theSt
afield l CHANGED upon the bride path
that led TO our old hunting lodge in the
forest depths. Tracing the path to its
end among the naples | found the cab
in. so lightly touched by time that the
mere sight of it carried me swiftly
back to those happy days when my ia
Their and | had staked the white-tailed
deer in the hill glades beyond, with this
lOg-built cabin for Il rest camp. |
spurred up under the low hanging
trees. The door stood wide open, and
Il thin wreath of blue smoke curled up
ward from the mouth OF the wattled
chimney.
Then and there I had my first well
come home. Old black Darus-old
when l had last seen him at Appleby
Hundred, and a very grandsire of
ancients noW-Was one of the
runaways who made the for
est lodge a refuge. He had been my
fathers body servant, and, notwith-
standing all the years that lay between,
ne knew me at once.
Thereupon, as you would guess, l
came Immediately into some portion of
my kingdom. Though Darius was the
patriarch, the other blacks We're also
fugitives from Appleby Hundred; and
for the son of Roger Ireton there was
instant vassalage and loyal service.
But best of all, on my first evening be-
fore the handful of fire in the great
fire place, Darius brought me a pack
age swathed in many wrappings of In
dian tanned deerskin. II contained my
fathers sword, and, more precious than
this, a message from the dead My
fathers farewell was written upon a
leaf torn from his journal, and was but
a haSty scrawl. | here transcribe it,
My Son:
Il know not if this will ever come
into your hands, but it and my sword
shall be left in trust with the faithful
Darius. We have made our illtimed
cast for liberty and it has failed, and
tomorrow | and five others are to die al
the ropes end l bequeath you my
sWord-'tis all the tyrant hath left me
to devise--and my blessing to go with
it when you, or another Ireton, shall
once more bare the true old blade in
the sacred cause of liberty Thy father,
Roger 1reton."
You may be sure ! conned these few
D!dNe "OIuS III Ildu lHelll well by
heart: and later. when my voice was
surer and my eyes less dim. l summon
ed Darius and bade him tell me all he
knew. And it was thus l learned what
l have here set down of my fathers
end.
The next day all indecision gone, I
rode to Queensborough to ascertain, if
SO I might. how best to throw the
weight Of the good old Andrea into the
patriot scale meaning to push on
thence to Charlotte when 1 had got the
bearings of the nearest patriot force.
Twas none so easy to learn what
needed to know; though. now I sought
for information, curious thing or two
developed. One was that this light
horse outpost in our hamlet was far
in advance of the army of inva sion-so
far that it was dangerously isolated.
and beyond support. Another was the
air of secrecy maintained, and the hold
ing. unmasked, down the high road not
fight or flight.
Why this little handful of British
regulars should stick and hang SO far
from Lord CORVALLIS main, which was
then well down upon the Watree, l
could not guess. But for the secrecy
and vigilance there were good reasons
and sufficient The patriot militia had
been called out. and was embodying
uIlOCl AiCHSi al Dul ii lew
miles distant near Charlotte.
| had this information in guarded
whispers from mine host of the tavern,
and was but moment free of the tap
room, when 1 first saw Margery Stair
and so drank of the cup of trembling
with madness in it's lees. She was rid
ing, unmasked, down thehigh road, not
on pillion as most women rode in that
day, but upon her own mount with a
black groom two lengths in the rear. l
can picture her for you no better than
l could for Richard Jennifer: but this I
know, that even this first sight of her
moved me strangely. though the witch
ing beauty of her face and the proud
ness of it We're more a challenge than
beckoning.
\ blades length at my right where |
was standing in front of the tavern.
three redcoat officers lounged at ease
and to one of them my lady tossed a
nod of recognition. half laughing. half
defiant. turned quickly to look at the
favored one. He stood with his back
TO me: man of about my own big
ness, built and well musced. He
wore bob wig. as did many of the
troop officers. but his uniform was
tailor fine. ana; the hand with which he
was resettling his hat was beieweled
-overmuch bejewc,ed to my taste.
Something. half familiar in the figure
or him made RE look again. In the act
he turned, and then saw his $ace--ssw
and recognized it through nine years
I lRnf.