The Benson signal., 1917-02-17

t1entlV. A silent figure passed him,
unseeing, scratched thrice with the
point of knife on an unseen door,
was admitted. The hidden watcher
rose and stole On noiseless feet around
the corner of the silent shop and felt
his way along it's wall. No window.
Then came the uncertain steps of still
another who sought the door of the
rendezvous, stumbling along the un-
even tagging.
David sank to his knees, and as he
did so his fingers encountered an open
ing in the house wall, level with the
tagging. Bending lower, he peered in.
noisome odOr assaulted his nostrils
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 fiat
and wrigglet1 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,
10 Of Girfxy
footsteps in the courthouse-not bare
footed, indeed, but shod with the 81
lent moccasins of the Indian. Clad in
deerskin trimmed with buckskin tas-
sells; the hunting shirt covering the
powerful shoulders and deep chest Of
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 fnglishmerp 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 Ers.
"And who's this bag of bones?" he
asked contemptuously of the British
agent.
''This, Captain Girty, 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 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
forge. Only the warm, red glow of
the charcoal set up a little sphere
of light and warmth. Girty was NUT
tering drunkenly to himself: "Seven
at Blue Licks . two on the Maui
NEE = scalps than a redskin
thet long-ha'red gal :"
"See here, my fine friend" said
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.
swell, Ned, I'm here to make you
an offer on the part of the king, God
bless him! You have seen my creden-
tials. 1t was my intention to go direct
to the tribes in the country, taking
plans of the garrisOns with me, but
was to count you with us before I
set out on my trip to the North. Our
comrade brings word from the great
chief of the Shawnees, Tecumseh,
that he is desirous Of forming
league with his brothers of the South
the Cherokees, the Chickasaws and
the Creeks.
"You, Ned, are a man whom Eng
land needs. l am empowered to say
that if you will enter his majestys
service you will be generously re-
warded. What success can you hope
for in this pauper nation? But Eng
land is rich and powerful patron.
am a straightforward man, Mr.. Scull,
and I have no gift of argument,
but"
Scull held up a hand, commanding
pause. He leaned backward and
piled the bellows upon the dying fire.