Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1914-11-06

house. and when he Knocked at the
door Deborah admitted him.
Why, Abner.' she said, what are
you doing here In those clothes3 Have
you left the RrmyY
mo. Does any one here know that
I am in tho arnyr
Certainly; father knows IT.
There was q ~footstep on the stairs.
Abner took his paper pill from his ear,
where he had carried II. and, holding
II between his thumb and finger. held
1t to Deborah's lips, pushing It into her
mouth. de had only done 50 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
toms army. that he was travelling In
q 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 a possibility OF the
young mans carrying a message from
the one to the other. BE knew Of the
affair between Abner and Deborah, but
considered his duty to his king para
mount to that to his daughter. He
concealed bis intentions till he could
get Abner In his power. He invited
him to supper, meanwhile sending q
negro messenger to his nearest Tory
neighbor with a message saying that
he thought he had a rebel spy in his
house and asking for help to make him
a prisoner.
IAN hour after Abner's arrival at
the Goodwin house It was surrounded
By several Tories, and Abner was
made a prisoner. he ives searched.
but no message was found on him,
since he had Transferred It to Deborah.
Then he was locked In a room on the
top door OF the house while a eonsulta-
ton was held by his captors on 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 10
visit his sweetheart They decided 70
take no further action regarding him
than to keep him locked up for q few
days, thea let him 30.
$50 my gFandfatheF@ mean Abner
J0Des-was taken to a IN the roof
OF the hOuse-the roofs were enormous
In those days. with big dormer win
dows-and locked up. No young fellow
with plenty Of ingenuity was liable 70
remain there very long. especially with
q sweetheart In the house TO help him
oct But It wa a long distance from
the window 10 the ground. and Deb
orah could not get the key OF the door.
for her father had hidden It.
~Abner looked ont Of his window
upon an enormous elm tree growing
near. but not near enough for him to
reach However, he began at once 10
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 n end Of It 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 he 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 CONT 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 %. He told her Of the plan he
proposed to try, but II he succeeded in
throwing the poker 30 as to catch in
the crotch he must swing himself of
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 80, but in airy 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. clinginR 30 the
rope he had made. swung himself on
and for some time Vtbrated In the air
like a pendulum. When he settled
letting himself down to a branch be-
meath him. he descended from It to the
ground. There he found Deborah,
who was 30 moved by the danger he
had passed that she sank limp into his
armA
"LOveF-lfke, Abner fingered with his
u..kkw-s g. A - nN- -