Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-10-26
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The opening was scarcely two feet
square; evidently the aperture through
which the blacksmith emptied the
dirty water from his forge. But con-
quering his repugnance, he lay flat
and wriggled his shoulders in. A
wooden bucket, full of water, stood
before the opening, on the inside; this
he pushed noiselessly away and
peered in just as the attention of
those within was drawn to the late
conner at the door.
There were four men now within
the shop, one unseen by the other
three.
He now had his first sight of Girty,
the last conner. David, his head level
with the stone floor of the shop,
solved the puzzle of Girty's ~noiseless
footsteps in the courthouse-not bare
| footed, indeed, but shOd with the ST.
deerskin trimmed with buckskin tas-
sells; the hunting shirt covering the
powerful shoulders and deep chest of
a giant, Simon Girty was a man of
sixty, seemingly, but his quick, bright
eyes, jet black, burned with the cold
fire of the lidless serpent's that never
grows old.
The two Englishmen were silent be-
fore the malevolent challenge of his
gaze; not daring to be first to speak.
Girty stood swaying unsteadily in the
light Of the forge. A stain of the juice
Of the tobacco was on his cruel lips.
"And who's this bag of bones?" he
asked contemptuously of the British
agent.
"This, Captain Glrty, is a gentle
man who has preceded me from Eng
land on the same mission as myself
Mr.. Edward Scull."
At the name and at the sight of the
third man, who until now had been
concealed by Cranmer's portly figure,
David's teeth set and he trembled con-
vulsively, like a mastiff that sees his
enemy. Scull! The weaver who had
turned kings witness, the informer
against David's father! A horrid dry
ness stuck in David's throat and he
SHOOK with an ague. When he lifted
his head again, he saw that the three
men had seated themselves in front of
the smoldering forge; for the night
had grown chill. Black shadows hung
in all the corners of the little room
and sat heavily upon the shoulders of
the three men huddled about the
forge. Only the warm, red glow of
of light and warmth. Girty was NUT
tering drunkenly to himself: Seven
at Blue LickS two on the Mau.
NEE scalps than a redskin
. tibet long-ha'red gal . ;
"See here, my fine friend" sale
Scull sharply, "never mind your
scalps. What is it that We are here
for. eh?"
Girty reused himself. Tell him
/ Cranmer."
The bluff and kindly-faced farmer
seemed out of place in that devils
crew. But he began to speak cheer
fully.
well, Ned, I'm here to make yol
| an offer on the part of the king, Goo
: bless him! You have seen my creden
= tials. 1t was my intention to go direc
| to the tribes in the country, takini
! plans of the garrisons with me, but
was to count you with US before
set out on my trip to the North. Gu
t comrade brings word from the grea
chief of the Shawnees, Tecumseh
t that he is DESTROYS Of forming
t league with his brothers of the South
e the Cherokees, the Chickasaws an,
the Creeks.
q "You, Ned, are a man whom Eng
land needs. l am empowered to sa
d that If you will enter his majesty
!" service you will be generously re
warded. What success can you hop
for in this pauper nation? But Eng
k land is a rich and powerful patron.
l am a straightforward man, MI. Soul
and l have no gift of argumen
but"
o Scull held up a hand, commandin
y a pause. He leaned backward an
y piled the bellows upon the dying fir
!" The glow leaped up again, and in il
& momentary glare David caught sigf
4 of his face, struck out against the su
rounding shadows, like a face whic
ID some dead master of the brush ha
q painted-dark, cruel, weak, conteml
a. tuous. But his reply was never sp
n ken.
v, The cold chill Of the stones @
s. which he lay had sunk deeper ar
deeper into David's bones. With Il
d grip Of desperation, he strove to no
p his teeth together, but in spite
himself suddenly there burst from h
a. lips, with the staggering unexpecte
a. ness Of a thunderclap, a paroxysm
ut coughing.
With a single leap, Girty hs
n, reached the spot where David la
ne Davld's head had vanished with {
IF, even greater speed. But Girty's on
err thought was to seize the woodt
I'd bucket and dash, Its contents on Il
1t fire, plunglng the room into insta.
W. darkness. David heard the shal
Ill whisper Of Scull's command.
he 1--WE are watched. Go out at one
n Captain Girty, you will be the fir
Mr.. Cranmer, second, r you pleas
he I will follow"
n The thing which David did then W
he probably his salvation. 1t eccurrv
10 him TINT his chance Of meeiil