The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1914-07-10
house. and when he knocked at the
door Deborah admitted him.

door Deborah admitted him.
why. Abner.' she said, what are
you doing here in those clothes? Have
you left the armyy
"'No. Does any one here know that
am I'm the army
Certainly; father knows it.
There was footstep on the stairs.
Abner took his paper pill from his ear,
where he had carried it, and, holding
1t between his thumb and finger. held
1t to Deborah's lips. pushing 1t into her
mouth. He had only done so when
her father came down the staircase.
On seeing Abner and noting his garb
he looked surprised. He questioned
the boy. and the replies he received
made him at once suspicious. Knowing
that Abner was a soldier in Washing
tons army, that he was travelling in
a direct line between the American
forces In New Jersey and New York,
It did not take him very long to sur
mise that there was possibility of the
young mans carrying message from
the one to the other. He knew of the
affair between Abner and Deborah, but
| considered his duty to his king para
| mount to that to his daughter. He
| concealed his intentions till he could
get Abner In his power. He invited
| him to supper. meanwhile sending a
negro messenger to his nearest Tory
| neighbor with message saying that
he thought he had a rebel spy in his
house and asking for help to make him
prisoner
"An hour after Abner's arrival at
the Goodwin house 1t was surrounded
by several Tories, and Abner was
made prisoner. He was searched.
but no message was found on him.
since he had transferred 1t to Deborah.
Then he was locked In a room on the
top floor Of the house while a consulta-
ton was held by his captors as to
what should be done with him. While
they were still suspicious of him, his
appearing In farm clothes at the house
led them to believe that he had left
camp without permission in order to
visit his sweetheart. They decided to
take no further action regarding him
than to keep him locked up for few
days, then let him go.
$50 my grandchildren mean Abner
Jones-was taken to room in the roof
of the house-the roofs were enormous
in those days, with big dormer win
with plenty Of ingenuity was liable to
remain there very long. especially with
a sweetheart in the house to help him
out But it was a long distance from
the window to the ground, and Deb
orah could not get the key of the door,
for her father had hidden 1t.
"Abner looked out of his window
upon an enormous elm tree growing
near, but not near enough for him to
reach. However, he began at once to
lay plans to escape by means of the
tree. He made a rope Of the bed
clothes, then looked about for some
thing he could tie to one end of 1t that
he could throw to catch In a crotch
formed by two limbs of the tree about
ten feet from and above his window.
The only thing be could find was a
long iron poker belonging to a set of
fireplace implements among other rub
bish in the room.
'Tying the poker at its middle to his
improvised rope, he waited till the |
house should be quiet before proceed
ing any further. About 10 o'clock he
heard a scratching at his door, which
at first he thought to come from a
mouse, but 1t was repeated. and he |
went to the door and listened The |
scratching seemed to come from the |
bottom of the door He got down on |
to the floor and heard his name whis- |
pered. The voice was Deborah's.
'She told him that she would like to
free him, but could see no way Of do
ing so. He told her Of the plan he
proposed to try. but If he succeeded in |
throwing the poker so as to catch in
the crotch he must swing himself off |
some fifty feet from the ground with |
a possibility of falling and being killed.
Deborah begged him not to try it.
promising to take the message to Gen
eral Lee. 1t was finally agreed be-
tween them that if he failed to escape
she would do so. but In any event she
was to steal out of the house that she
might meet him under the tree in case
his feat should be successful.
1T was about midnight that Deborah,
standing under the elm tree. heard
something beat against the branches
above. She listened and the sound
was repeated. Abner threw his poker
more than a dozen times before 1t
caught, each time having great diff
Guilty in keeping it from striking the
house on its return. At last it caught,
and firmly. Abner, clinging to the
rope he had made. swung himself off
and for some time vibrated in the air
like a pendulum. When he settled,
letting himself down to q branch be-
meath him. he descended from it to the
ground. There he found Deborah,
who was so moved by the danger he
had passed that she sank limp into his
arms.
"Lover-like. Abner fingered with his
sweetheart for half an hour. She told
him where he could get a boat, and
when he left her he was not long in