The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-07-24

big hand on his shoulder
ssThey thought you'd turned Injun
agin," he said, ''but it's all right now
81 KNOW said the lad. and with
muffled sound that was half the grunt
of an Indian and half the sob of q
white man turned his face away.
Again Dave reached for the lads
shoulder.
Don't blame 'eIn too much. I'll
tell you now Some fur traders came
by here, and one of 'em said you was
goin' to marry an Injun girl named
Early Morn: that you was goin' to stay
with 'em and fight with 'em alongside
the British OF course I knowed bet
ter, but"
"Why," interrupted Erskine, "they
must have been. the same traders who
came to the Shawnee town and brought
whisky
s'That's what the feller said and
why folks here believed him."
'swho was he?" demanded Erskine.
"You know him-Dane Grey"
All tried to make amends straight
way for the injustice they had done
him, but the boys heart remained sore
that their trust was so little. Then,
when they gathered all settlers within
the fort and made all preparations and
no Indians came, many seemed again
to get distrustful and the Lad was not
happy. The winter was long and hard.
A blizzard had driven the game west
and south and the garrison was hard
put to it for food. Every day that the
hunters went forth the boy was among
them and he did far more than his
share in the killing of game But when
winter was breaking, more news came
in of the war. The flag that had been
fashioned of a soldiers white shirt, an
old blue army coat, and red petticoat
was now the Stars and Stripes of the
American cause. Burgoyne had not cut
off New England, that "head Of the re-
bellion,'' from the other colonies. On
the contrary, the Americans nad beat
en- him at Saratoga a1I marched his
army off under those same Stars and
Stripes, and for the first time Erskine
heard of gallant Lafayette-how he
had run to Washington with the por-
tentous news from bis king-that
beautiful, passionate France would
stretch forth her helping hand. And
Erskine learned what that news
meant to Washington's naked and
starving" soldiers dying on the frozen
hillsides of Valley Forge. Then George
Rogers Clark had passed the fort on
his way to Williamsburg to get money
and men for his great venture In the
Northwest, and Erskine got ready
permission to accompany him as SOL
der and guide After Clark was gone
the lad got restless; and one morning,
when the first breath of spring came,
he mounted his horse, in spite Of argu-
ments and protestations, and set forth
for Virginia on the wilderness trail.
He was going to join Clark, he said.
but more than Clark and the war were
drawing him to the outer world. What
J. it was he hardly knew, for he was not
yet much given to searching his heart
or mind. He did know. however, that
some strange force had long been
working within him that was steadily
growing stronger, was surging now
like flame and swinging him between
strange moods Of depression and exul-
tation. Perhaps it was but the spirit
of spring in his heart, but with his
minds eye he was ever. seeing at the
end of his journey the face of his little
cousin Barbara Dale.
, A striking figure the lad made rid
ing into the old capital one afternoon
just before the sun sank behind the
western woods. Students no longer
wandered through the campus of Will
liam and Mary college. Only an occa-
siona1 maid in silk and lace tripped
along the street in high-heeled shoes
and clicked stockings, and no coach
and four was in sight. The governors
palace, in it's great yard amid linden
trees. was closed and deserted My
Lord Dunmore was long in sad flight,
as Erskine later learned, but not in
his coach with its six milk-white
horses. But there was the bust Of Sir
Walter in front of Raleigh tavern, and
there he drew up, before. the steps
where he was once nigh to taking Dane
Grey's life. A negro servant came for
ward to care for his horse, but coal
black young giant leaped around the
corner and seized the bride with
welcoming cry:
"Marse Erskinei But knowed
Firefiy fust." 1t was Ephraim, the
groom who had brought out Barbara's
Monies who had Turned tuo horse oyor
to him for the race at the fair
(Continued Tomorrow