The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-10-13
CHAPTER NNN1v.-Con,inued.

laii ozone lafletOn reported YOU tax
ing as q SPY. and mis- trying of you.
And MAS there not something about IL
rescue at the last moment by IA band
of these border braNosH But stay: let
us have the colonel story at first
hands. Have the goodness to ring the
ben for me, will YOU. Captain"'
The crisis was come. \. pun at the
bell cord would mlno the guard, and
the guard would he sent after Colonel
Tarleton. Well. said the demon Despair,
us time YOU We're gone to make room
for Richard Jennifer: and / laid Il
hand uron the 1asseled rope. But when
! would have n all the man pride,
OF race and of soldier training, rose up
I" bid me fight for space to strike one
good blow In freedoms cause by way
OF Devastating.
SO. as it had been an afterthought. |
said: "A word further with you first.
my Lord, and then. if YOU please, | viii
call the guard. All YOU remember is
true, save as to the principal fact. So
'ar from being a spy in intent. or eve
Il partisan of either side. l was at The
time but newly come into the province,
knowing little of the cause of quarrel
n caring still less. But Captain Fall
comet and Colonel Tarle,on did their
earnest best to make a rebel of me out
of hand"
All" But the proof of all this. Cap
tain lreton."
The best I can offer is the present
fact Of my coming to place myself at
%our Lordship's disposal. being moved
thereto by your Lordship's own desire
expressed in an order sent some weeks
since to Sir Francis Falconnet."
"So?-then o knew of that order?'
captain ~F'alconnet showed it to me
after | Was condemned and the firing
squad was drawn up to snuff me out"
My Lord Charles rave me the cour-
TIER smile That so endeared him to his
Soldiers-as he was we'll loved of his
men-and bad me sit.
The plot %thickens. as MIR. Richard
son would say. Let me have your
story. Captain Ireton. | would rejoice
TO hnow why Captain Sir Francis Fall
comet saw fit to disobey his orders
| was clear of the lee shore and the
breakers at last, but Was fain to be
lieNe that not Machiavelli himself could
hope to weather the storm in the open.
How much or how little did Lord Corn
wallis remember of Colonel Tarleton's
report? How explicit had that re-
port been?-waS there any mention in
it of my eavesdropping at the confer
cnce between Captain John Stuart and
the baronet; of my attempt to warn
me oN"r-mountain men against the In
dian-arming? Could l hope to tell his
l-or1shlp a tale so near the truth as
to be unassailable by Tarleton and his
officers. by Gilbert Stair and the spite
ful little pettifogger. and yet so deity
sarbled as TO keep my neck out of the
halter for the time being.
All these questions thronged upon me
as a mob to pull cool reason from her
seat. and ! could only play the part
of the trapped rat ana snap back at
them. Yet my Lord CORVALLIS was
waiting for his swe and a single
moments hesitation might breed sus-
picion.
You must forgive me, dears, if |
confess ii beyond me TO set down here
in measured words the tale | told his
Lordship. a lie is ii lie, be ii told in
never so good a cause; a thing deplor-
able and not to be glazed over or boast
ed of after the fact. SO | beg you to
let these ]quibblings to which was
yourselves chat ] used all the truth I
dared. and that l strove through it all
not wholly to sink the gentleman and
the man of honor in the spy.
Twas but a bridge OF glass whe all
was said: a bridge that carried me
safely over for the moment into my
Lords confidence, yet enc which a
pebble tiunB by any one Of a dozen
hands might shiver in the dropping of
an eNelid.
Truly. you have had a most ro-
mantle experience" said his Lordship,
when l had made an end. Then he lay
back in his hair and laughed till the
stout body of him shook again. And
all about a little wench of the provin-
Gals. Well, we'll: Sir Francis was al
Ways a sad dog with the women. But
ali this was in the early summer, you
say: where have YOU been since?'
Here was a chanc for ~romancing.
this time of a sort less dangerous. So
] drew breath and plunged again, tell
Ing how l had been carried off by nv
captor-rescuers; how I had fallen into
the hands of the 1ndians-not all of
whom. | would remind his Lordship.
We're friendly to the king; and lastly
how ! had but lately escaped from the
mountain businesses back of Major
Fclguson's camp ut Gilbert Town. At
this point my Lord interrupted the
tale-teliing.
S you know of the major and his
doings? ! would o had brought me
| late news Of him. lis a Week since his
last courier reached U.S."
This was the moment for the PLAYING
of my trump card-the only one l held.
/ rose. bowed. TOO from my rocket
that other letter given me by Colonel
DaVie and handed it TO his Lordship.
Twas Major i~'erguson's last report
Intercepted by one of Davies vigilant
scouting parties.
''Ah,' said my Lord; and | trolled to
the window whilst he read the letter.
When ] turned to front him again he
was all a;fability: and l knew l was
satt-for the time, at least.
The major cOmmends you highly as
a good man and a true, Captain Ire
ton" he said, and truly the letter did
contain a warm-hearted commentator
of the bearer whose name, for
sa.fcty's sake, was omitted: and not
only this, but the writer desired To
nave his i.lan back again. Then my
Lord added: You are here to take
your old service again, l assume?'
! hesitated. There be things that ever
a spy may balk at: and the taking of
the oath of allegiance to the other side
/ conceived to be one of them. So |
said:
Il have worn many uniforms since ]
dotted that of King George, my Lord
and
He laughed cheerily. But me no
butts Captain Ireton; once an English
man. always ar Englishman, you
my own family"
All this ! made a bold stroke. Let
it be then as an officer of her Apostolic
Majesty's service. and your Lordship's
guest for the time. Believe me, it is
thus l may best serve your-ah-the
cause."
AS hove" he would ask.
| smiled and touched the braided