Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 February 1905 — When Hearts Were Brave and True [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

When Hearts Were Brave and True

JOHN P RITTER

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It was the voice of Claudius Smith. “Out of my wayl Make room!” he roared, pushing his comrades to the right and left as he strode toward the steps. One of the Tories pointed to the opening into the attic. “There’s an armed devil yonder.’ he said, “and ye’d better not go near him. ” “Coward! Poltroon!” shrieked his chieftain, beside himself with fury. “D’ye think I fear man, God, or devil V Blind with rage, he leaped upon the steps and mounted them with the agility of a tiger. As his head came through the floor Roblin struck at it_ savagely with his saber. Steel rang against steel, sparks scintillated in the darkness, and the weapon flew ont of Roblin’s hand. It had glanced off the blade of the saber with which the ontlaw had been shrewd enough to cover his attack. The Tory chieftain sprang into the attic triumphant He saw in the gloom the form of a man crouching away from him and raised hi 9 eaber aloft to deal a deathblow. The next instant the blade cut a gleaming swath in the air and descended, swiftly. The blow was well intended: nevertheless it missed its mark, for as he was in the act of delivering it a Tory rushed precipitately into the attic and jostled against him. At the same instant the sharp report of firearms, the clash of swords, cries of terror and shouts of triumph arose in a deafening tumult from below. Another Tory came tumbling into the loft. “We are betrayed!” he shouted in tones that quavered with fear. “Run, captain, run, for the Americans have surrounded the house!” Then he and his comrade scurried away in the darkness and concealed themselves in the lumber that littered the attic. Their chief stood at the head of the stairs, looking down upon the tumultuous scene below like one petrified. The light of the torches, borne hither and thither by his men as they fought to escape from their assailants, threw fitful gleams upon his countenance, and Roblin could see that it had turheef a hideous, livid hue from baffled rage and despair. Presently a deep voice thundered above the din. “Claudius Smith is in the loft! Up and at him. men! Give the ontlaw no quarter!” At this Claudius uttered a defiant laugh. “Aye, but ye must catch me first, ye blarsted rebels!” he growled between his teeth. Then he turned and ran quickly toward one of the dormer windows. Scarcely had he reached it when there was an onrush of footsteps on the narrow stairs, and a number of furious frontiersmen sprang one after another into the loft, where they scattered and began searching the lumber and rubbish for the bandit chief. Presently one of them caught sight of him as he was in the act of crawling through the dormer window. With a shout of exultation he hurried after him. arriving at the wiiu dow just in time to see the fugitive scramble nimbly down the sloping roof to the gutter, swing himself to the veranda below, slide down one of its pillars and escape across the lawn to the place where his horse was tethered.

In the meantime Roblin had narrowly escaped death at the hands of the other assailants. On their first coming into the attic they had passed him by nnnoticed, and he had since been too much bewildered by the strange events transpiring before him to pay much heed to their movements Indeed while they were searching the loft for the Tory chief he was engaged in administering to Zadie, who had relapsed into unconsciousness when Claudius swung his saber at her defender. The frontiersmen came upon him while he was chafing the hands and temples of the girl with the idea of restoring her to her senses and. setting upon him furiously. would haVe dispatched him in the darkness had he not warned them quickly that he was not an enemy. “Hold, my fine fellowsI” he cried. “Would you slay a true American?’’ At this they dropped their weapons, and one of them lit a torch and held it close to his face. For a moment he scrutinized the young man's countenance keenly. Then he broke out into a cry of amazement: “By the powers above, it’s Edward Roblin I” The young man glanced quickly at. the speaker, and his heart sank within him. for he found himself face to face with his relentless persecutor. Farmer Price. CHAPTER X all’s well that ends WELL. It was fortunate for Roblin that at this moment Zadie came out of her swoon, for Farmer Price had flown into a towering rage on recognizing her former lover. He had learned of his escape from jail, accompanied by Joe Westbrook’s pretty daughter, and had heard it darkly hinted that they had taken refuge with the Tories in the mountains, and now he jumped at the conclusion that Roblin had led the Tories hither for the purpose of carrying off his daughter. It would be an effectual way of wreaking his revenge, he argued, and at the same time procuring plunder for his comrades. “You infernal desperado'” be bawled loudly. “So you thought to run off with Zadie, after all! Oh, never fear, we’ll not kill you, for it would be a •frame to rob the gallop of its prey!

So, you thieving varletl We’ll put yen back iu prison and keep you there until the hangman calls for you. That’s what we’ll da ” Roblin glared at bis persecutor defiantly and replied “Whatever I may be. old man. 1 am not a perjurer! I never kept a man in jail on a false charge. And. as for wishing to steal your daughter, I have risked my life to protect her. ” f “Yes, indeed.” broke in Zadie. who had at last found voice to interpose, “this man has defended me bravely without letting me know who he was. ’ Then, turning to Roblin. she continued in a sorrowful tone of voice “So it was you. Edward, who so bravely defended me from the Tories. Strange that I did not guess it before!” While she was speaking her father gazed at her in bewilderment, for her words had a cooling effect upon his rage. “You eay that this man defended you, Zadie 1” he stammered out at last “Yes, father, ” she answered eagerly “He fought the whole band for my sake. ” “But he came here with the Tories. He was one of them. ’ ’ returned Farmer Price dubiously. “I can explain all that.” broke in a sweet voice from the direction of the staircase. And a moment afterward Polly came tripping into the attic. She carried a lantern in her hand, and her countenance was illumined by its light. It could be seen that her cheeks were flushed with excitement and that an expression of triumph glittered in her eyes “Come, ” she said gayly, beckoning to the group surrounding Roblin. “Follow me into the kitchen, and I will tell the story of this night’s doings. The Tories have fled to the mountains and we need not fear disturbance. ” “But my husband—Caleb—has he escaped unharmed?” asked Zadie in a tone of voice which suggested the suspicion that a negative answer would not have broken her heart. “Mr. Sharker has been brutally maltreated.” answered Polly, “but be will soon be himself again. I will tell you all about him when we reach the kitchen. ” “Thank you," returned Zadie faintly, with just a trace of disappointment in her tone. So they all followed Polly into the kitchen, where the remainder of the rescuing party were already gathered, resting from the fatigues of the battle and administering to the needs of Caleb Shurker. For, as Polly had said, this unfortunate man had been very roughly treated by the bandits and was much nearer dead than alive. While passing down the stairs from the attic into the lower part of the house they stumbled over the bodies of several Tories who had been thrown into such a panic by the sudden onrush of the rescuers that they had scarcely raised a hand in defense of tbeir livea Evidences were nowhere wanting that the surprise had been complete. On reaching the kitchen Polly bade the others be seated, while Zadie, like a dutiful wife, went over to soothe and consol her moaning husband. Farmer Price, who was familiar with the domestic arrangements of the household, brought a great jug of cider from the cellar and also a store of more substantial refreshments These he placed on the table, saying: “Fall to, my lads, and eat and drink your fill Ye’ll find that cider most excellent and the corn bread and bacon very strengthening. ” The frontiersmen did not wait for a second invitation, but fell to with a will, and while they were disposing of the eatables Polly told the story of her ride.

"Thank you. kind friends.” she began, “for the service you have rendered me this night. Perhaps you are not aware of the great obligations you have placed me under. Well, listen, and I will tell you! “This man," pointing proudly at Edward Roblin, “was a captive with me in the mountains. I had helped him to escape from the jail in which he was wrongfully confined, and we had fled together to 'get married and begin life over again in another part of the world. But unfortunately we were induced to accept the protection of Claudius Smith. He promised to see that we were married and offered us a retreat with hie outlaws until the ceremony was performed. But we soon found that we were his prisoners. He kept a guard placed over ns and deprived us of our liberty, and so it happened that we were in a position to become acquainted with bis designs. “This morning,” she continued, “he returned after a long abeence to bis camp and, after resting until late in the day, called a council of his officers to lay the plans for this night’s raid. Realizing that he was up to some mischief, I crept up to their place of meeting, listened to what they said, and so became acquainted with their purposes, and then I determined to outwit them As Edward Roblin was forced to accompany the Tories on their raid I was compelled to undertake the task alone. But fortunately I had an accomplice to help me. ” At this point in her narrative Polly blushed and cast a confused glance toward her lover. He reassured her with a smile, and she resumed as follows “It will be unnecessary to narrate how I .succeeded in procuring a horse and making my escape from the Tory camp My ride to your homes to enlist yonr help is known to you all, but there are some among us.” she added, looking in turn toward Roblin, Zadie and Caleb Shurker. “who are ignorant of the gallant manner in which yon responded to my appeals for help and of the bravery you dipalayed in effecting their res cue. As I am sure they will be interested in the stcry I will tell it for their benefit ” She then gave a vivid account of the desperate ride of the rescuing party to reach the Shurker farmhouse in time.

“When we were nearing the end of oar journey.” she continued, “we saw a man riding slowly along the highway ahead of as At first he was disposed to put spurs to his horse and escape us. but he aoon realized the impossibility of doing this. So he drew rein and tremblingly awaited onr approach When we drew up to him. I asked him to join our band. “ ‘What for?’ he asked. “ ‘To rescue Caleb Shurker from the Tories, ’ I replied. “‘What.’ he exclaimed in surprise, ‘and is Claudius Smith really after the old man's treasure? Why. I’m Caleb Sharker's father-in-law. and if what you say is true I will go along with your party most willingly. Indeed 1 was on my way to Sharker’s when yon fell in with me. ’ “So Mr. Price joined onr party." went on Polly, “and we continued on our way. As we drew near the farmhouse we heard a load commotion. It seemed as if a thousand devils were screaming all at once. Then we knew that the Tories were plundering the dwelling and that we had no time to spare if we wished to prevent murder So we put our horses to their utmost speed and dashed on to the end of our journey We arrived in the nick of time, for as we dashed in among the bandits we saw Mr. Shurker’s body dangling from the limb of an apple tree. We immediately cut the poor man down and removed the cord from his neck. Fortunately, at the time we made our attack Claudius Smith and half his band of outlaws were in the house endeavoring to reach the attic, where Edward Roblin was defending Zadie. This made it an easy matter to overpower them. We put the rogues who were torturing Mr. Shurker to flight and afterward surprised the bandits in the farmhouse. I believe we killed quite a number, but unfortunately Claudius Smith and his son, Richard, made their escape. However, my friends,” she concluded, making a graceful courtesy to the rough frontiersmen. “you have helped me accomplish my purpose, and I thank you once more for your gallantry.” With these words she smiled sweetly upon the company and, gliding quickly across the apartment, sat down by the side of her lover. For a moment the profoundest silence reigned in that crowded room. Then Farmer Price, who had been deeply impressed by the heroic girl’s narrative, made his way to where Roblin was sitting and grasped him warmly by the hand. “I hope ye will forgive me, Edward, ” he said in tones of deep emotion. “for I have done ye a grievous wrong. But I will make amends for it, my lad, rest assured If ye wish to

“7 hope ye U'lU forgive me, Edward.” marry this brave lass, my boy. I’ll put ye in the way of doing it. If ye’ll let bygones be bygones. Edward, ye can both come and live with me. ” “But I thought I was in your debt, sir.” answered Roblin, with a scornful laugh. “At least I was imprisoned on that account, was I not?’.’ Farmer Price hung his head in confusion. “The good book tells us, Edward, to forgive those who despitefully use us, ” he said humbly. “I am sorry for the harm I have done ye, lad. and am anxious to make amends for it. ” The poor man’s humiliation moved Polly’s heart to pity. “Forgive him, Edward.” she whispered. “Please do it for my sake. ” So Roblin. who could deny her nothing, generously forgave his persecutor. Indeed the night ended most happily for all concerned excepting the unfortunate Zadie. She. poor girl, was miserable. for. although she had abandoned her old sweetheart, she still loved him as of old. It is asserted by the historians of the region that the hero of this narrative never deserted the standard of Claudius Smith after he had been obliged to join it. They claim that he lived with Polly Westbrook in the mountains and became the most active of his captain’s lieutenants. In fact, they would have us believe that When Claudius Smith was captured and hanged at Goshen and his band of outlaws were dispersed Roblin and Polly took refuge in Canada, where they ended their days in obscurity. According to a well authenticated tradition, however, they performed the services narrated in this chronicle and ended their days in happiness in a land they so nobly served. It is probable that the historians of the region have confounded Roblin’s career with that of Polly Westbrook’s outlaw lover, Richard Smith. It is a well known fact that this outlaw was only second to his father in ferocity, and that he ended his days in Canada a fugitive from the laws of his country. few words concerning the fate of poor Zadie Price, as they may serve as a warning to lovers to remain faithful to their plighted troth. It is Baid that Caleb Shurker turned out to be a fraud.

after all. and that his reputed wealth was chimerical. He treated hia young wife cruelly, so that she was at last obliged to leave him and return to her father’s home, where the sight of her old lover’B happiness with his wife. Polly West brook, caused her to go into a decline She died of a broken heart. THE END.