The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-02-23
.Erskine Dale ri oneer
eAatinuea Frurn Our Las, Issue
ny JOHN FOX JR.
Copyright 1919 1890 by Charles scribners Sons

itlnned ffun Our Last Issue
seAseh herl" cried tho mother,
QAlskl" ErIklne ned after her,
stnsteuk her With her hRnds Up.
aised for The plunge su the very
ass Of tho elitl, and halt carried
lei, struggling aud E0hbins. back
ei iae teal, Hishtn the Btrl drop.
ese ~ q weeping heap, and NTH
her face covered. aal The womau
ggrned 10 Et1Rias, asoatEtd,
Y told her" she whispered,
Mand aha waa golns 10 kill hsraelt.
You stn ny senI"
SIM Sleeploss al following dawn.
! the bay rodo Ftreay Into thEEToodS
AZ sunaat he came 10, saunt with
htaad .as and hunger, Ills mother,
Watching trum her Wlgwani, under-
stpod and grow fearful. Quickly
shu called him, and no rose aud
lNsnt 30 her GoWildercd; sho was
smiling.
Y 6aye dsoIded," no said, "You
and .she must leave here and 20
as nothor pretended much. dis.
/ pleasure, "Sho will not lcRra, and
] vii not l0ave her''-her lips
mhled-''and would have como
long ago but"
~ understand" interrupted
Erekina. "but you w:ll go now With
So1r SON."
Ehe poor woman had 70 scowL
mo, and you must not tell
them. They will never let me 20,
and they will use me to keep you
here. You must so at once. Some
day She turned abruptly and
wenk Into her tent. Erskine
Wheeled and went to old KahtoO
II arI a soldier and must obey
the big chiefs commands, as must
you.
II shall i've" said the old man
Weartly, until you come again"
Ersk.ne nodded and went for his
horse. Black Wolf watched him
with malignant satisfaction, but
said nothing-nor did Crooked
lightning. Erskine turned once
los he rode away. His mother was
standing outside her wlgwam.
Mournfully she waved her hand.
Behind her and within the tent he
colk sea Early Morn with both
hands at her breast.
XIX
Dawned 1881.
fse war was coming into Viz
GIN at last Virginia falling
would thrust a great wedge
through the center Of tho Confed-
eraey, feed he British armies and
end the fight Even the great
Washington was near despair, and
N foreign help his sole hope lay.
Already the traitor, Arnold, had
takenA Richmond, burned ware
houses, and returned, but little
tarassed, to Portsmouth.
CORVALLIS was coming on.
Tarleton's white rangers were be-
Sleviling the land, and 1t was at
his lime that Erskinc Dale once
Wore rode Flreny to the river
Names.
e boy had been two years in
efo1lds. When he left the Shaw
nee camp w.nter was setting in.
that terrible winter Of '79-of
deep snow and hunger and cold
when he reached kaskaskiR. Oap-
tain Clark had gone to Kentucky,
IaA6 Exatsfna FRupA had ,n1,y
Hamilton and Hay had taken Vim
cennes. There Captain Helms
Creoles, as soon as they saw the
(redcoats, slipped away from him to
surrender their arms to the Brit
ish, and thus deserted by all. he
and the two or three Americans
with him had to give up the fort.
Tho two years In the wilderness
had left their mark on Erskine. He
was tall, lean, swarthy, gaunt. and
yet he was not all woodsman, for
his born inheritance as gentleman
had been more than emphasized by
his association with Clark and
certain Creole officers in the
Northwest, who had improved his
French and gratlfed one pet wish
iofshis life since his last visit to the
JamesLthey had taught him to
fence
His mother he had not seen
agndn, but he had learned that she
Vas alive and not yet blind. or
Early Morn he had heard nothing
lat all.
Once a traveller had brought
word of Dane Grey, Grey was in
Philadelphia and prominent In the
gay dofngs Of that city.
After the battle at Piqua Err
skineS put forth for old Jerome
Sanders fort. He found the hard
days Of want over. There was not
only corn in plenty but wheat, po-
tatoes, pumpkins, turnips, melons.
Honor Sanders and Polly Conrad
had married, hut when Erskine
batsh Lydia Noe goodbye she told