Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1905-12-28
THE MASTER OF APPLEBY|
--= BY Francis Lynds.
BY rranci. Lynds.
turns we got across in time to give the

turns we got across IN time to give the
alarm.
AS YOU would guess. there was a
mighty stir on our side of the river
when We had splashed ashore and got
our news Well born. AS ii turned out.
General Davidsons main camp Was n
good half mile from the river In one of
the outfields of Appleby Hundred. SO
it CHANGED there We're upon the spot
only brave Joe Graham and his fifty
ritlemen to dispute 1he passage of an
army.
What was done at Macgowan's Ford
i'm the gray Of the morning of February
first, 1881, has become Il page in our his
tory. But | protest that not amy of
the chroniciers do even handed Justice
TO the little band of patriot ritenen do
ing their utmost TO hold a hundred to-
one outnumbering host in check
Twas a flne sight be the onlooller
fiery Irishman, O'Hara, took the water
first. The men crowding shoulder to
shoulder to brace against the sweep OF
the current which, on the western side
of the stream, was little less than a
mill-tail for swiftness. After them came
the foot and horse i'm solid squares. and
always With more to follow None the
less, our little handful did not blanch:
and when the guards In mids,re;,m held
straight across instead of bearing to
The right as the ford ran. a shout went
up on our side and the fifty lastened
up from the ford head as one man to
face the enemy sduarey.
Now ii was that the brown barreled
rifles began to crack and spit fire; and
! do think if we had had our other $50
out OF that back field on the manor
lands. we might ut least have made the
WadinS redcoats hurry Il little. Indeed
as it was. the van of the guards broke
here and there, and We could hear
Oliara berating his men as only Il
battle-mad lrishman can, With blarney-
ings and curses interiningled
Having no firearms save our WettnC
pistols, Jennifer and | crouched in Gov
e1, waiting To do what two swordsmen
might when the blades length should
bridge the fast narrowing distance be-
tween us and the advancing host.
Twas in this little interval of forced
iaaction That we heard Il most familiar
voice issuing from a clunip of holly
just below our covert, a voice lifted
no" in fervent prayer and again in
scrip,ural anathcnla ON the foe.
Let God arise and let His inimies
he scattered. Let them be the
chah upon threshing floor"
The sharp crack of the old borderer's
rife filled the monentary pause. and a
British officer in colonel's uniform
SMaStu WI ulik''illS III ms saddle and
plunged headlOnS In the stream
Let them be as the children of
Amalek before the Mighty one of
Israel, make them and their princes
like Oreb and Ieeb; yea, make all their
princes like as Zcbah and Ialmunna.
q my God, make them like unto a
wheel, and the stubble before the
wind; like as the fire that burneth up
the wood, and as the flame that con-
the lnpllnt.4jnS
Crack went the long barreled piece
again and again an officer hallooing ON
his flounde'ine battalion bent to his
saddle horn and slipped into the. tnrbid
flood
Ny gorge rose. This picking off of
officers has always seemed To me the
SaNasesl of wars b;i,;loaMties How
Richard OWNED my Thought and p,,r-
pose. know not bal when | would
HAY" slipped down TO Yeates' holly
bush h" laid Il OBTAINING, hand ON my
arm.
'Let be. he said lis murder, IL
sou nike bu' an MAI is thsit. Mhen old
f.l,il turn comes toy will kin him rs
reinnt|esslN KS lnc = Niiling them
~ this i'm" III" British Vanguard
was s;"ttnns, asI'dlc through The shrl-
lows below he tree fringe which served
as cover for GiahaIn's men, and tho
kings nlisl5cis. silent hitherto began
Y" lo;l'' and helch by platoon and volley
fire. j. mnii,i craned his meek ANA took
II swift " " OF the silltalintI
ny the Lord Haily, he G, led. lis
eia,ii in.e Joe Graham N:,s getting his
lads il oit!c fora fn@t lslcc. once. those
I" lpWs cotl:r ashni'" they II PLAY ,.are
snd .toNnds With us 10 The KINGS taste
keep %ntll eye on nc llags Back 1t
man h;,n,e n.; 10 u" what iw" men
,am ~ nuV"i a beiated ietr.nt
il II. = ~. "A
th'ket of scrub oak Wi.lc dizzy W,jiid
30 ont of builel reach until Ne on-lmy
gained the bank. As ' luoi,ea 30 make
su9" pt them, the surrcl gay. !, sh;iu
neigh To welcome tho pounding of boots
OH l!ic Applcby road. made sure llii:s
Mould he General Davidson bringing in
The reserves; and So, indeed il MICS:
but III" cam" too la'e olialA,s mon
We're already climbing tho bank ana
Joe Graham mas ralNng his little COM
ptny tci. !ishi in the tage OF IN onset
That made ihe tree fringe sing with
inuskel balls
Ills our euc TO ran away Dick
dia.sins NO to my feet TO
tic horses"
I'm roy We were TOO laie. David
sons men We're between us and the
$ertl, ok iiiGket. and We nlusl wait
lii i,- column swept by.
Dick swpr- ferventlN and put his
face To the foe and his back
I" tree. Wicrcupon
dragged him down as promptly as he
mad lusi NOM dragged me up. telling
MN ms broadsMnrd would make but a
poor shift palrNing innsket balls.
What followed after was over and
done with in Il DOZEN iiuttering heart
beats. Seeing The case Was desperate.
General Davidson gathered t,raham's
ilflN INTO his f&ing column, hogged his
rear INTO 'he retreat, and was pitched
ont OF his saddle by a Tory rife bullet
whist ne VAS doing il. And when the
My 10 our holses was clear of the
salipplns 'arolnians, and We would
have run To mount and ride a fte,. them.
the smarming redcoat van was upon us,
y With YOU and out of this,' cried
Jennii"r. setting me the example.
W e must cen gallop as We can.
Quick. man.
But in the gathering and the retreat
oui old shaipshooter under his holly
pnsh mad been left behind; and now
We heard MIN again. chanting his ter
flbl" impre%ailOns on the enemy
Dick saw the meaning in my look.
and together we bounced To drag The
pld man ont of hiding When We burst
Town upon him Yeates had his piece
TO hiS face and Was drawing Il bead ON
a stout man in cooked hat and plain
'eslmehials whose horse MAS clllveting
and Siding IN the nearer shadows: no
ess figure. in truth. than my Lord
oln"allis himself, cheering his men
IN to the attack
we had scarce made out the old
hunters target when the rife spat fire,
me eurveting charger reared i'm it's
iealh plunge and the British COM
chief. unhurt. as ii seemed
Nas dragged from the ENHANCEMENT of ,
MS stifrups by his aides
The old marksman sprang w in "a
utN Of wrath. Dad blast ye for a
,air Of aim-spilin'--''