The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1905-04-14

AA-| = - ~ WIS MO
in Ignorance. OF all the vast demesns
OF -Applehy Hundred there was no roc
to shelter the son of the outlawed
Roger lreton Say that OF this poor
hunting lodge in the mighty forest ot
the Cstawba. overlooked. with the few
runaway blacks iphahitins it, in the
intakins of am estate so large that |
think not even my father knew all the
metes and bounds of it.
| shall MOI soon forget the interview
With the lawyer in which | was told
the inhospitable truth. Nor shall L
forget his t%ruculent leer when he
limited that l had best be zone out of
these parts. since it was not yet too
late to bring down the sentence of out-
lawry from he fathe 20 the SON.
1t Was we'll for him that / knew not
NJ the time that he WAS Gilbert Stairs
factor. For | was mad enough To have
throttled him where he sat Mt his writ
and Sinking ut ms With his evil
smile. But of this man more in his
time and place. His name VAS owen
P~ensarNin. l would hav YOU remem-
i Der 1t.
For a week and a day fingered on
at Queensborough. for what l knew
not. save hat all the world seemed
suddenly to have grown stale and prof
itless. my life u thing of small ac-
count. n day l would be minded to
so back to my old field marshal and
the keeping of the Turkish border;
the next i would ride over some part
of my stolen heritage md swear u
great oath TO bide till ! should come TO
my own again. And on these alternate
ing days the storm of black a filled
my horizon, and | became Il derelict to
drive on any rock or shcal in his UNI
charted sea of wrath.
On IL of these gallops farthest
! - LII 7 .~-.. TIL t.:lY
! that led to our old hunting lodge in the
forest depths. Tracing the path to its
end among the NAPLES found the cab
i'll. so lightly touched by time that the
mere sight of it carried me swiftly
back to those happy days when my.fa-
Their and had stalked the white-tailed
deer in the hill glades beyond, With this
spurred up under the low-hangins
trees. The door stood wide open, and
a thin wreath of blue moke curlcd up
ward from The mouth of the wattled
chimney.
Then and there l had my first well
come home. Old black Darius-old
when 1 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 bodN-serNant. and. notwith-
SIanuliS an tne years tnal laS between,
he knew me at once.
Thereupon, as YOU would guess, I
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 con 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
fica-plnra no ri11c hrp,1Oht n ,onl--
ago swathed in many wrappinss of In
dian-tanned deerSkin. 1t contained my
fathers sword, and, more precious than
this, a message from the dead. My
fathers farewell was written upon II
leaf torn from his journal. and was but
a hasty scrawl. l here transcribe it.
My SON.:
Il know not ii this will ever come
into you hands. but it and my sword
shall be left in trust with the faithful
Darius. We have made our illtimed
east for liberty and it has failed. and
tomorrow | and five others are to die at
the ropes end. l b%equeath YOU my
sword-'tis all the tyrant hath left me
to devise-and my blessing to go with
1T when you. or another Ireton, shall
once more bare the true old blade in
the sacred cause of liberty. Thy father.
Roger Ireton."
You may be sure ] conned these few
brave words till | had them we'll by.
heart: n later. when my voice was
surer. and my eyes less dim. summons
ed Darius n a him tell me all he
knew. And it was thus ! learned what
l have here set down of my father's
end.
The next day. all indecision gone, 1
rode to Queensborough TO ascertain. if
| so ! 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 l
needed to know; though, now l sought
for information. a curious thing or two
developed. One VAS that this light
horse outpost in our hamlet was far
in advance of the army of nvasion-so
far that it was dangerously isolated.
n 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 we'll down upon the Watree. l
could not guess. But for the secrecy
and vigilance there We're good reasons
and sufficient. The patriot militia had
been called out. and was embcdying
uiiN1Sl - loiu bAN q lSN
miles distant near Charlotte.
| had this information in guarded
whispers from mine host of The tavern,
n was but n ONE free OF the tap
room, when l first saw MarGery Stair
II so drank of the cup of trembling
with madness III its lees. She was rid
ing, unmasked. down thehigh road. not
on a pillion as most women rode in that
day. but upon her own mount with a
black groom two lengths in the rear. 1
can picture her for you no better than
l could for Richard Jennifer: but this /
know, that Ven 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 han
Il reckoning.
n blades length at my right where /
was standing in front of the tavern.
three redcoat officers lounSed 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: a man of about my own big
ness. heavy-built and well muscled. He
wore a bob wig. as did many of the
troop officers. but his uniform was
tailor fine. and the hand with which he