Indianapolis Times, Volume 35, Number 288, Indianapolis, Marion County, 12 April 1923 — Page 8

8

Alice of Old Vincennes By Maurice Thompson COPYRIGHT, 10 08, BY ALICE LEE THOMPSON

ONE of the creole youths, a handsome, swarthy Adonis In buckskin, tossed his shapely head with a debonair smile and said: "To be sure, mon Colonel! but what have they been doing to us? We have amused them all winter; It's but fair that they should give us a little fun now.” C?ark shrugged his broad shoulders and passed on. He understood perfectly what the people of Vincennes had suffered under Hamilton’s brutal administration. At 9 o’clock an order was passed to cease firing, and a flag of truce was seen going from Clark's headquarters to the fort. It was a peremptory demand for unconditional surrender. Hamilton refused, and fighting was fiercely resumed from behind rude breastworks meantime erected. Every loop-hole and opening of whatever sort was the focus Into which the unerring backwoods rifles sent their deadly bullets. Men began to fall in the fort, and every moment Hamilton expected an assault In force on all sides of the stockade. This, If successful, would mean inevitable massacre. Clark had warned him of the terrible consequences of holding out until the worst should come. "For,” said he in his note to the Governor. "if I am obliged to storm, you may depend upon such treatment as is justly due to a murderer.” Historians have wondered why Hamilton became so excited and acted so strangely after receiving the note. The phrase, "Justly due to a murderer," is the key to the mystery'- When he read it his heart sank and a terrible fear seized him. “Justly due to a murderer!” ah, that calm, white, beautiful girlish face, dead in the moonlight, with the wisp of shining hair across It! "Such treatment as Is Justly due to a murderer!" Cold drops of sweat broke out on his forehead and a shiver went through his body. During the truce Clark's weary yet still enthusiastic besiegers enjoyed a good breakfast prepared for them by the loyal dames of Vincennes. Little Adrienne Bourcler was one of the handmaidens of the occasion. She brought to Beverley’s squad a basket, almost as large as herself, heaped high with roasted duck and warm wheaten bread, while another girl bore two huge Jugs of coffee, fragrant and steaming hot. The men cheered them lustily and complimented them without reserve, so that before their service was over their faces were glowing with delight.

And yet Adrienne’s heart was uneasy, and full of longing to hear something of Rene de Ronville. Surely someone of her friends must know something about him. Ah, there was Oncle Jazon! Doubtless he could tell her all that she wanted to know. She lingered, after the food was distributed, and shyly inquired. “Hain't seed tlje scamp,” said Oncle Jazon, only he used the patois most familiar to the girl’s ear. "Killed an’ scelped long ago, I reckon.” His mouth was so full that he spoke numbllngly and with utmost difficulty. Nor did he glance at Adrienne, whose face took on as great pallor as her brown complexion could show. Beverley ate but little of the food. He sat apart on a piece of timber that projected from the -rough breastwork and gave himself over to Infinite misery of spirit, which was trebled when he took Alice's locket from his bosom, only to discover that the bullet which struck him had almost entirely destroyed the face of the miniature. He gripped the dented and twisted case and gazed at It with the stare of a blind man. His heart almost ceased to beat and his breath had the rustling sound we hear when a strong man dies of a sudden wound. Somehow the defacement of the portrait was taken by his soul as the final touch of Fate, signifying that Alice was forever and completely obliterated from his life. He felt a blur pass over his mind. He tried In vain to recall the face and form so dear to him; he tried to imagine her voice; but the whole universe was a vast hollow silence. For a long while he was cold, staring, rigid; then the Inevitable collapse came, and he wept as only a strong man can who Is hurt to death, yet cannot die. Adrienne approached him, thinking

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to speak to him about Rene; but he did not notice her, and she went her way, leaving beside him a liberal supply of food. CHAPTER XX Governor Hamilton received the note sent him by Colonel Clark and replied to it with curt dignity; but his heart was quaking. Asa soldier he was true to the military tradition, and nothing could have Induced him to surrender his command with dishonor. "Lieutenant Governor Hamilton,” he wrote to Clark, ’’begs leave to acquaint Colonel Clark that he and his garrison are not disposed to be awed into any action unworthy of British subjects.” "Very brave words,” said Helm, when Hamilton read the note to him, “but you’ll sing a milder tune before many minutes, or you and your whole ; garrison will perish Iji a bloody heap. •) Listen to those wild yells! Clark has i enough men- to eat you all up for breakfast. You'd better be reasonable and prudent. It’s not Ijravery to court massacre." Hamilton turned away without a word and sent the message; but Helm saw that he was excited, and could be still further wrought up. "You are playing Into the hands of your bitterest enemies, the frogeaters,” he went on. These creoles, over whom you’ve held a hot poker all winter, are crazq to be turned loose upon you; and you know that they've got good cause to feel like giving you the extreme penalty. They’lL give it to you without a flinch if they get the chance. You've done enough.” Hamilton whirled about and glared ferociously. "Helm, what do you mean?" he demanded in. a voice as hollow as It was full of desperate passion. The genial Captain laughed, as if he had heard a good Joke. "You won't catch any fish if you swear, and you look blasphemous," he said with the lightness of humor characteristic of him at all times. "You’d better say a prayer or two. Just reflect a moment upon the awful sins you have committed and —” A crash of coalescing volleys from every direction broke off his levity. Clark was sending his response to Hamilton’s lofty note. The guns of freedom rang out a prophecy of triumph, and the hissing bullets clucked sharply as they entered the solid logs of the walls or whisked through an aperture and bowled over a man. The British musketeers returned the Are as best they dould, with a courage and stubborn coolness which Helm openly admired, although he could not hide his satisfaction whenever one of them was disabled. “Lamothe and his men are refusing to obey orders," said Farnsworth a little later, hastily approaching Hamilton, his face flushed and a gleam of hot anger in his eyes. "They're in a nasty mood; I can do nothing with them; they have not fired a shot.” “Mutiny?” Hamilton demanded. “Not just that. They say they do not wish to fire on their kinsmen and friends. They are all French, you know, and they see their cousins, brothers, uncles and old acquaintances out there in Clark's rabble. I can do nothing with them." "Shoot the scoundrels, then!” “It will be a toss up which of us will come out on top if we try that. Besides, if we begin a fight Inside, the Americans will make short work of us.” "Well, what in hell are w© to do?” "Oh, fight, that’s all," said Farnsworth apathetically turning to a small loop-hole and leveling a field glass through it. "We might make a rush from the gates and stampede them,” he presently added. Then he uttered an exclamation of great surprise. "There’s Lieutenant Beverley out there.” he exclaimed. “You’re mistaken, you're excited," Hamilton half sneeringly ' remarked, yet not without a shade of uneasiness in his expression. "You forget, sir!” "Look for yourself, it’s easily settled,” and Farnsworth proffered the glass. "He’s there, to a certainty, Sir.” “I saw Beverley an hour ago,” said Helm. "I knew all the time that he’d be on hand.”

It was a white lie. Captain Helm was as much surprised as his captors at what he heard: but he could not resist the temptation to be annoying. Hamilton looked as Farnsforth directed, and sure enough there was the young Virginian Lieutenant, standing on a barricade, his hat off, cheering his men with a superb show of zeal. Not a hair of his head was missing, so far as the gfess could be relied upon to show. Oncle Jazon’s quick old eyes Baw the gleam of the telescope tube In the loop-hole. “I never could shoot much,” he muttered, and then a little bullet sped with absolute accuracy from his disreputable looking rifle and shattered the object-lens, just as Hamilton moved to withdraw the glass, uttering an ejaculation of Intense excitement. ‘‘Such devils of marksmen!” said he, and his face was haggard. “That infernal Indian lied.” “I could have told you all the time that the scalp Long-Hair brought to you was not Bevereley’s," said Helm indifferently. “I recognized Lieutenant Barlow’s hair as soon as I saw it.” This was another piece of off-hand romance. Helm did not dream that he was accidentally sketching a horrible truth. "Barlow’s!” exclaimed Farnsworth. "Yes, Barlow’s, no mistake—” Two more men reeled from a porthole, the blood spinning far out of their wounds. Indeed, through every aperture In the walls the bullets were now humming like mad hornets. "Close that port-hole!” stormed Hamilton: then turning to Farnsworth he added: "'We cannot endure this long. Shut up every place large enough for a bullet to get through. Go all around, gh'e strict orders to all. Those ruffians out there have located every crack.” His glimpse of Beverley and the sinister remark of Helm had completely unmanned him before his men fell. Now it rushed upon him that if he would escape the wrath of the maddened creoles and the vengeance of Alice’s lover, he must quickly throw himself upon the mercy of Clark. Tt was his only hope. He chafed inwardly, hut bore himself with stern coolness. He presently sought Farnsworth, pulled him aside and suggest**! that something must be done to prevUit an assault and a massacre. The sounds outside seemed to forebode a gathering for a desperate rush.

DOINGS OF THE DUFFS—

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and in his heart he felt all the terrors of awful anticipation. “We are completely at their mercy, that is plain,” he said, shrugging his shoulders a nit* gazing at the wounded men writhing in their agony. "What do you suggest?” Captain Farnsworth was a shrewd officer. He recollected that Philip Dejean, justice of Detroit, was on his way down the Wabash from that post and probably near at hand, with a flotilla of men and supplies. Why not

OUT OUR WAY —By WILLIAMS

THE OLD HOME TOWN—By STANLEY

ask for a few days of truce? It oould do no harm, and if agreed to might be their salvation. Hamilton Jumped at the thought, and forthwith drew up a note which he sent out with a white flag. Never before in all his military career had be been so comforted by a sudden cessation of fighting. His soul would grovel in spite of him. Alice’s cold face now had Beverley’s besjde it In his field of inner vision—a double assurance of impending doom, it seemed to him.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

There was short delay in the arrival of Colonel Clark’s reply, hastily scrawled on a bit of soiled paper. The request for a truce was flatly refused; but the note closed thus: "If Mr. Hamilton is desirous of a conference with Colonel Clark he will •meet him at the church with Captain H£lms.” The spelling was not very good, and there was a redundancy of capital letters: yet Hamilton understood it all; and It was very difficult for him

A Hard Night

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Play This On Your Putter

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to conceal his haste to attend the proposed conference. But he was afraid to go to the church—the thought chilled him. He could not face Father Beret, who would probably be there. And what if there should be evidences of the funeral? —what if?—he shuddered and tried to break away from the vision in his tortured brain. He sent a proposition to Clark to meet him on the esplanade before the main gate of the fort; butiClark declined, insisting upon the cfBaPSA. And

FRECKLES AND HIS FRIENDS—By BLOSSER

OUR BOARDING HOUSE—By AHERN

thither he at last consented to go. It was an Immense brace to his spirit to have Helm beside hipi during that walk, which, although, but eighty yards in extent to him a matter of leagues. On the way he had to pass near the new position taken up by Beverley and his men. It was a fine test of nerve, whdh the lieutenant’s eyes met those of the governor. Neither man permitted the slightest change of countenance to betray his feelings. In fact. Beverley’a face was

THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1923

—By ALLMAN

—By AJL r coiiiN

as rigid as marble: he oould not have, changed ite | But with Oncle Jazon it was a different affair. He had no dignity t# preserve, no fine military bearing t® sustain, no terrible tug of conscience, no paralyzing grip of jjespair on his heart. When he saw Hamilton going by, bearing himself so superbly, it affected the French volatility in his nature to such an extent that his tongue could not be oontrolled, (To Be ContinookU