River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-11-28
We viii go back and

4 IAoFe. VIC WIZ 81 o0Sh dHO
meet him."
l held my horse steady, although he
made an effort to follow. Voices came
back to me through the darkness
Grants loud enough to be clearly
heard.
What, is this you, Claire?" he
laughed gruff1y. "By all the gods.
thought it must be Eric. l never ex.
lpected to find you logged out in this
style. BY Jove, l wish it was day
light"
Whatever she replied must have
sobered the fellow.
Everything | say you take wrongly.
OF course it's all right. for the coun-
try is full of stragglers out of both
armies Lord. don't care what you
wear. as long as it suits you. My
business? Oh, explained all that to
your putty-facgd servant-Saint Anne,
that fellow! But I'll review the mat
ter again. I'm drumming up Clinton's
deserters, but now I've met you I'm
tempted to go along with you as far as
Elmhurst"
Become a deserter yourself?"
"Oh, no, or at least only Temporal
rily. There will be plenty of fighting
yet in the Jerseys. Clinton's whipped
all right, and is going to have a time
getting away to the ships. In my
judgment there will be richer picking
for Jerseyman right here at home.
than with the army in New York"
There was a moments silence; then
the girl asked. a shade of horror in
her voice:
Surely, you cannot mean to ally
yourself with guerillas, Captain Grant?
With-with Fagin?"
The man laughed, but mirthlessIy.
THAT would be horrible, wouldn't
it? Well, personally / fail to see why
Fagin is any more of scoundrem than
some of these other fellows ii gilt
epaulets However, I've not come to
that point yet The fact is l nave
private affair to attend to before
leave this neighborhood. Can you
guess what it is?"
Il? Certainly not
well. you will know shortly-the
ambulance is coming"
rode my horse slowly forward,
keeping at the edge of the road, until
assured a sufficient distance separated
us. Then | gave the FESTIVE animal
a sharp touch of the spur, sending him
swiftly Forward. My escort would have
mile or two the start, yet that was
nothing. My thoughts were not with
them, or with my military duty, but
reverted to the little company around
the wounded man. The bearing of
the dispatch to Arnold was mere rou-
tine, involving only steady riding, but
the relations existing between Claire,
Grant, and Eric Mortimer were full
of mystery There were connecting
links could not understand; no doubt
had the girl been permitted to con-
clude her story | might fit it tos tn
er, but as it was | was left cropping in
the darkness. Yet my mind tena-
ciously held to it's original theory as
to Eric's strange disappearance-he
had been betrayed by Grant, and was
being held prisoner. But where? BY
whom? And for what purpose?
| pondered on this problem as my
horse ploughed forward through the
dust, my eyes unconsciously scanning
the dark road. Grant could not have
known that Colonel Mortimer was be-
ing taken home. His meeting with the
ambulance party was altogether an &C
cident. Yet / had no faith the man
was out seeking British stragglers, for
had he been dispatched on such a mis-
sion he would have had at least a
squad of soldiers with him. Then what?
The probability was that he was eth
err riding to Elmhurst, or to some rem
devious with Fagin. Some plan had
been interrupted by Clinton's sudden
march, by the British defeat at Mon
mouth, and Grant was risking his
commission, Drawing the charge of de-
sertion, for some private purpose.
This might be love of Claire, revenge
upon Eric, or possibly both combined.
The latter would seem most probable.
He would use Eric in some way to
threaten the sister, to compel her to
sacrifice herself. She was of a nature
to do this. as was already abundantly
proved by her assumption of male
attire to save Erics reputation Ny
own responsibility doomed large as
reached this conclusion, and remem-
bered her appeal for help. She. also.
must suspect the truth. and had turned
to mr. as the only one capable of I'm
ravelMg the mystery. She trusted me,
loved me, l now believed-and, under
God, would prove worthy of her faith
Riding ahead, boot to boot with
Conro*, l thought out plan fer &C
ton, E1d finally, in the gray CT the
mornifg, told him enough of th6 story
to ar0ese his interest. Just before
sunrise we passed Elmhurst, thc great
white mansion appearing sile1t and
deserte1. There was no hating, al
though we turned in the Saddle to
fook, aid my eyes swept ever the
troopers srotting behind us.
'RegGsa rs?" l asked, nod6ing back
across ny shoulder.
~~~o~-~N ~~-~~-@-~~-~-~~.~