The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-09-29
|IHE'MASTER OF APPLEbY|
&. ~ Francis Lynds. ---$
~ rrAncis Lynde.

and / told him all that had befallen on,
little rescu party. He heard mi
through patiently. and when tn,
tale was ended was good enough
Ito say that I had earned a com
mission for my part in tho affair
Il laughed and promptly shifted thai
burden to Ephraim Yeates' shoulders.
Colonel Davie. He did all h planning
and the greater part Of the executing
But for him and the, friendly Catawba
II would have gone hard with Jennifel
and me-"
II fear you are over-modest captain
was all the reply I got; and then my
kindly host fell amuse. When he spoke
again twas to give me 3 In
brief Of the military operations north
and south.
AtSthesnorth, asfhis news ran, affairs
remained az they had been. save that
now the French king had sent an army
to supplement- the feet. and Count
Rochamheau and the allies were en-
camped on Rhode Island ready to take
the field.
In the south the distressful situation
Sunday following che disastrous battle
OF Camden was but little changed. Cen
eral Gates, with the scantiest follow
Ing. had fastened first to Salisbury and
later to Hillsborough, and had since
been busy striving to reassemble his
scattered foes.
A few military p~artisans. like my
host. had kept the field. doing what the
few might against h many to retard
my Lord Corvallis northward march;
and q week earlier the colonel with his
handful Of mounted riflemen had dared
to oppose his entry into Charlotte.
Twas no more than q hint to his
lordship that we were not afraid Of
him." said my doughty colonel. You
know the town. I take it?"
Very well. indeed"
Well, we had harassed him all tho
way from Blair's Mill, and twas mid
night when we reached Charlotte.
There we determined to make q stand
and give him q taste Of our mettle. We
took post behind the stone
wall Of the court house green and .un-
der cover OF the Fences along the
road"
Good! an ambush" said I.
Hardly that, since they were look
ing to have resistance. Tarleton was
sick, and Major Hanger commanded
the British van. He charged; and we
peppered them smartly. They tried 1t
thanked us: We abandoned the court
house and formed again In the eastern
edge OF the town; and now, bless you!
twas my Lord Charles himself who
had to ride forward and flout at his
men for their want OF enterprise"
"Bnt you could never hope to hold on
against such odds!" I exclaimed.
oh. NO; but we held them for a
third charge, and beat them back, too
Then they brought up two more regi-
ments n we mounted and got off in
tolerably good order. losing only six
killed. But Colonel Francis Locke
was n OF these: and my brave Joe
Graham was all but cut to pieces-a
sore blow to us just now"
The colonel sighed n silence fell
upon US. Twas I who broke 1t to say:
in the south, al I take it,"
""Tis worse than that. AS the game
we have played our trumps and
mo- SO much as q long suit left.
CORVALLIS will go on as he please5 and
overrunS the state. and the militia will
never stand In front OF him again un-
der Horatio Gates. Worse still. Fergu-
the tories by the hundred. Inc we shall
have burnings n hangings and har-
to the kings taste"
I nursed my knee. e moment and then
said: What may one man do to help,
Colonel Davie?"
He looked up quickly. Much, IL you
are that a and do not value your
Iife too highly. Captain IretoE."
You may leaveithat out OF the .ques-
tion." said ]. 81 shall count 1t the hap
ptest moment of my life when / shall
have done something worth their kill
Ing me for"
Again he gave me that curious look
1 had noted before. Then he laughed.
IT you were as young as Major Joe
Graham, and had been we'll crossed in
love. I could understand you better,
captain. But. testing aside, there Is a
thing to do. n you are the man to do
It. Our spies are thick in Cornwallis'
camp. but what is need is some master
spirit who can plot as we'll as spy for
as. Major Ferguson w as Corn
wallis pulls the strings. Could we
know the majors instructions and de-
we might cut him OF, bring the
tory uprising to the ground. and so
the country beyond measure.
[ say we might cut him of. though I
know not where the men would come
from to do It,"
.swell?' said /. when he paused.
The preliminary IL some better in
than our spies can give us.
Now o have been an officer. IN the
seIvtcs.,sn
LAOAAOAp &AA yON RACA6Si " S0AA ~ 81 Ox 1ll0
lordship's acquaintance. Also I have
Of Colonel Tarleton and the mem
bers Of his STAFF. the same having tried
aud condemned me as a spy at Appleby
Hundred some few weeks before this
chase I have told you Of"
His face fell. Then. OF course, 1t Is
put of the question for you to show
yourself in Corvallis headquarters."
I rose and buttoned my borrowed
coat.
"On the contrary, Colonel Davie. I
am more than ever at your service. Let
me nave 6 cut Of your venison and a
feed for my horse, and I shall be at my
lords headquarters Is oon as the nas
can carry me there"
CHAPTER xxxII.
IN WHICH LAM BEDDED IN A
GARRETT.
Ills a very pretty hazard. Captain
Ireton. But can 1t be brought of sue
cessfully, think your"
As I have said, It hangs somewhat
upon the safety Of my portmanteau. H.
that has come through unseized to Mr..
at Charlotte, and I can lay
hands on. 1t, twill be half the battle.p