Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 September 1899 — THE PATRIOTS TALISMAN. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE PATRIOTS TALISMAN.

Sylvanus Cobb, Jr.

CHAPTER VII. Roderic Douglas filled and lighted his . ftp*, and smoked awhile in silence. Most St the drunken ones of the prisoners had gnt to sleep, and the glen was comparahe at length said, ’•Vhat do you think of our expedition V” “In what respect, Roderic?” Seaton had . 'been startled from a deep reverie, and | bad taken some little time to respond. “In respect to the whole affair,” con- : tinned the lieutenant. “What will be the S general verdict? We came forth in the tall panoply of war, and have captured a p hundred drunken vagabonds.” “Douglas' Are you serious?” “Not for myself; but may not others ■f look at it in that light?” “Surely,” said Seaton, with a half ' mournful smile, “our night's work will i.. not pass into history among the brilliant exploits of the war, and yet our achievement is none the less decisive and important. The fame of Cyrus was not less--ened because the hosts of Babylon were entrapped in the midst of a midnight revel. When we set forth upon this expedition we fully expected to encounter a host of well-armed, strong and desperate men. Not a member of our troop but took his life in his hand, ready to sacri- | Ace it upon the altar of the nation’s cause f —the cause of Liberty—if necessary. I That we found the enemy as we did was | our good fortune.” “Aye,” responded Douglas, “and the 1 key to that good fortune was your won- !■'/ tierful recognition of the false messen- < ger. Surely fate has worked in our faBreiSwr 99 P “And in favor of hundreds of Patriot I families that would have been exposed to | the ravaging brutality of these Tory out- : laws but for us,”, added Seaton. “Ah, I Douglas, the fate of contending armies does not always hinge upon hardest fight- | dng. Circumstances, in themselves seemingly trivial, and altogether unpredemi- | rtated, often turn the fateful scale. Of Is -one thing we are assured: We have done | -the work that was given us to do, and can Judge that those who have employed us twill be satisfied.” t “Yes,” said the lieutenant, “we have 'Certainly done the work. With the cap--5 taring of this band I think we have wip«d out the only organized band of Tories In this section. How shall we be next f: employed?” “Perhaps ” - But before Seaton could finish the sen■tence he was interrupted by the arrival of one of his sergeants, who informed him that a man had been found, bound hand and foot, and gagged, and lashed to a 'tree, who wished to see him. “Is he one of the baud?” asked Seaton. “I don’t know, sir. He won’t say a /'Word, only to ask to see our chief, j 'Whether he’s afraid, or whether it’s some f monkery, I can’t make up my mind.” || “Is he clad like the rest?” “His dress is what puzzles me. He j? -wears the jacket of a British hussar, with ; the buttons of a commissioned officer.” T "In his drunken madness, Fagan may have put one of his own lieutenants in •durance.” Pjj| "Or,” suggested Douglas, “one of Fagan’s lieutenants may have taken the fancy to exchange garbs with this man.” “Ha!” exclaimed the captain, starting to his feet, “my wits are out. I should have thought of that. Come, let us go and see who and what he is.” •f The sentinel w-as called to resume his watch over the outlaw chief, after which, Beaton and Douglas followed the sergeant to a sort of cul-de-sac, among the rocks, where the prisoner was found. He had been released from the tree, and the bond removed from his legs, and as the \ party approached he arose from the stone f upon which he had been sitting. The I 'Wptam took a lantern from one of the | guard, and cast its light upon the stranger. He was a man tall and strongly built, and though his face took a some-) what sinister aspect from streaks of | crusted blood that had flowed from two ugly cuts upon the forehead, yet his eyes were dear and frank, with a downright -honest look. “Well, well, my poor Sparrow, you have l -fallen into bad company.” The man started, and a new light | gleamed in his eyes; but directly the | shadow of doubt came again. "Ah! you have seen my papers,” he i. said. I “Yes, I think I have,” returned Sea- - -tea. “But, answer me truly, are you) f Daniel Sparrow?" “I am,” was the prompt reply. "Then you have found friends.” (•? “And you are ” “Patriot soldiers; and those who held you prisoner are captured, every one.” “Thank God!” burst from the man’s j lips, in hearty accents not to be mistaken. The bonds Were cast from Sparrow’s p. arms, and when he had drank a cup of S spirits, and eaten a bit of cold meat and L bread, he told his story. He had set forth i from New York with dispatches from f Gen. Washington to Congress. All had jp gone well fwitta him until after he had | crossed the' Delaware at Trenton. Ten miles or thereabouts below that point, just at nightfall, he had been attacked |i.and captured by four stout desperadoes, o§§Sie leader of whom had exchanged clothes with him, and taken his papers, f. whl|e the other three had brought him §gjgti/into this mountain hold. |> “t was careless,” he said, “or I should Bic* have been so readily surprised; but I allowed myself to entertain the mislltakea, and perhaps foolish, idea that fetwbau I had left the Jerseys behind me -j safe.” “But,” said Seaton, “could you not destroyed the important papers?” "None of them were of very grave im|S»rtaace, Captain. They simply eontainintelligence of movements already Za ro # W^* a ftf«nh*ttan 8 Ial«nd > ° n ° p|WaTf AKUuttimu iflmuu.

transmit them. When can Ibe in Philadelphia?” “By another noontide.” “Good! My mission may not have been in vain, after all.” After this Sparrow gave to his newfound friends a detailed account of the doings of the American army on Long Island, and of the straits to which Washington was reduced by the desertion of the militia, the terms of whose service had expired. “I call any man a deserter who will forsake his country and his comrades in the face of the enemy; and in more than one case these cowards have gone off almost by regiments.” At this point Roderic Douglas uttered an exclamation, and then turned to his commander with the old question: “How shall we be next employed?” “My dear Douglas,” replied Seaton, with calm, kind dignity, “he is a good, safe soldier who obeys orders. We will hold ourselves in readiness for whatever may come.” “You are right, Captain, as you always are. Ah! there’s a streak of daylight down by the creek.” Leaving Sparrow to refresh himself with further food and drink, Seaton ana Douglas went to the place where the outlaw chief had been left, whom they found just awaking from his drunken stupor. He was mumbling, and cursing, and swearing, and struggling in blind fury against his bonds. The lieutenant set him upright against a tree, and then addressed him: <

“Hallo, Fagan; you’ve been very drunk.” “No-o-o, sir!” —\yith a volley of oaths—“you’re a drunken set of hogs! But I’ll straighten ye! Let go of my arms! Let go, I say!” And he swore again. “Look ye, Kirk Fagan; don’t you know me?” “Eh! —Roderic Douglas!” “We have met once moi’e, Fagan. Oh, you needn’t strain at your bonds. The ropes are strong, and have been carefully put on.” The Tory chief was very quickly sobered after this, and when he was made to comprehend that not only himself, but his whole band, had been captured, he did what' he had not probably done before since his childhood —he sobbed and cried. “And you’ve done it, Douglas?” he said, when he could next speak. “I have helped; but here is the man to whom you are indebted for your capture —Captain Robert Seaton.” “Oh! Where is Noonan?” “We secured him before we set forth after yourself,” said Seaton. And then Fagan understood. His mind was clear enough now to comprehend all the rest. He could see that his lieutenant, rash and over-confident, had beeji taken with his private papers upon his* person, and that by those papei-s the enemy had been guided in their expedition. Captain Seaton did not stop to hear all the curses which the outlaw heaped upon himself for his own stupid folly, for the day was advancing, and the prisoners who had been senseless from drink were reviving. The surprise and dismay of the resuscitated Tories when they found themselves prisoners in the hands of the Fatriot troop can be imagined as well as we can describe it. Suffice it to say that they were very soon brought to a realizing sense of their situation, and to a state of comparative quiet. They were not in a condition to offer resistance, at all events. By the time the sun was well up the men had eaten their breakfast, and Seaton, R-ith half his force, went on in advance with the prisoners, leaving Douglas, with the rest of his command, to follow with the captured stores, of which there was a large and valuable quantity. Before noon the captured Tories and outlaws, to the number of ninety-six, were safely lodged in the Walnut street prison, and Lieut. Douglhs had arrive.! with the stores of arms, ammunition and provisions. Congress was in session, and Captain Seaton and his officers were called before that body, and publicly thanked for the important service they had rendered. “Though yon achieved the victory without the loss of life on your part,” said President Hancock, “we yet know that yon were ready to lay down your lives, If necessary. Your country will honor you accordingly. That night there was much feasting, from which our hero could not escape, and it was past midnight when he was at length permitted to lay his weary head upon bis pillow. He was anxious concerning Lillian, not knowing what her father might do under present circumstances; hot excessive fatigue—he had not slept for over forty hours—soon overcame him, and hi* senses were locked in

a slumber bo profound that he did not awake until Patience knocked upon his door in the morning. She had come to inform him that a messenger was waiting to see him. As quickly as possible Robert performed his toilet, and went to the sitting room, he found Richard Peters, the secretary of the Board of War, who had a simple message for him from the president of the board, to the effect that he should call at the war office at ten of the clock that forenoon. “Is it upon the old business, or something new?” the captain asked. “1 cannot tell you positively, though I think it is something entirely new.” “Has Daniel Sparrow been before the board?” “Yes. He was with them last evening.” “And did he " “Ah, Captain,” interrupted Peters, with a smile, “you must remember that the board sits with closed doors. They will doubtless tell you all that you wish to know when you see them.” “Excuse me, Mr. Peters. I should have known better than to ask the question.” “And yet, my dear Captain, no man can have a better right to know than you. You will be punctual at ten?” “Yes.” While Robert ate his breakfast he told to Patience the story of his expedition to Valley Creek, which interested her much. She had many questions to ask, dnd he answered as best he could. “Robert,” she said, when he had told her the story of the face he had seen in the mirror, “you must not trust yourself too near to Jacob Eastcourt.” “My eyes are open, Patience. In that house I have two friends to one enemy.” “Beware, Robert! Your friends you can count; but you cannot count your enemies.” “You are right. But, Patience, you know that Mrs. Eastcourt is my friend?” “Yes —I know Marian Eastcourt well. You may trust her so far as she has power; but her husband is her enemy.” “Aye,” returned Seaton, with suppressed energy, “and so he is the enemy of his daughter. I ask you, Patience, would you, in case of need, be a friend and helper to Lillian?” “Yes, Robert—-to the full extent of my power.”

“I thank you, and bless you! The time may come when I shall depend upon you to guard my greatest earthly possession.” “I will not fail you, Robert. While you are offering your life to your country, I will guard that other life jf I can.” Precisely at ten o’clock Captain Seaton appeared in the private room of the war office, where he found present three of the board—John Adams, Roger Sherman and Benjamin Harrison. Secretary Peters was also there, and Robert Morris. “Captain,” said Mr. Adams, after the officer had taken a seat, “I think your command is ready for active duty?” “Ready and anxious, sir,” replied Seaton. “Well,” pursued Adams, with a smile, “you are likely to have it, and that, too, at a post of honor. You have been paving your way when you knew it not. The messenger from New York, whom you rescued and sa-ed to us, has given us his secret dispatches by word of mouth. You must proceed forthwith to join Gen. Washington—you and your command. He asks for you particularly.” Seaton’s face flushed with pride. “We can be ready to set out in four-and-twenty hours, sir.” “All right. With the outlaws of Valley Creek in our hands, we can spare you at once. Mr. Morris and his friends will organize and equip a company of volunteer citizens to take your place when you are gone. The necessary order for your transfer will be made to-day, and you might as well have your company ready to-morrow.” “I will have all ready before I sleep, sir.” As Captain Seaton and Robert Morris passed out into the lower hall of the State House, they met a messenger from the prison, who informed them that the spy, Adam Noonan, had made his escape. “How did he do it?” demanded Morris, excitedly. “Jacob Eastcourt was admitted to- the prison yesterday,” replied the messenger, “and we think it was done through his connivance.” “Has Eastcourt been arrested?” “No, sir. He is not to be found.” “Has any other prisoner escaped?” “No, sir.” “Well, well,” said the merchant, calming down, “the man Noonan can do us no great harm —not anywhere near so much as he has done us good. But we will look into this anon. At present, Captain, let ns go and see how your men receive the intelligence of their new destination.” Ah! Seaton could have told him beforehand. The company was found assembled at their quarters, and when their commander had told them that Gen. Washington had sent especially for them, and that they were immediately to join the main army, their joy knew no bounds. They were ready to set forth that very day, if necessary. And Robert Morris knew that the feelings thus manifested were fresh from tha heart, and that the men were reliable and true who gave them utterance. He had no fear in sending each men forth as representatives of the patriotic sentiment of Philadelphia and its neighborhood. "Now, my Douglas,” said our hero to

his lieutenant, “you know how we are to be next employed.” “Heaven be praised! yea.” As soon as he could get away from his armory, Seaton went to the bouse of Jacob Eastcourt, where he found the doors locked, and a man, whom he recognized as a neighbor, just going away. “You will find nobody at home, sir,” the man said, stopping and speaking very politely. And, by questioning, Robert learned that Mr. Eastcourt, with his family, had gone away during the night, to be gone for a long time. It was thought that he had gone towards the mountains for the health of his wife; but no one could give him positive information. That evening, however, he gained something reliable, though not at all comforting, from Mr. Morris. “The man feared arrest,” the merchant said, “and he has evidently been for some time prepared for move. The capture of Fagan’s gang frightened him. He has gone towards Maryland.” It was hard; it was agonizing; but there was no help. The stricken lover could only fold his hands, and ask God to protect and care for his priceless treasure. To Patience he said, when all his arrangements for departure had been made: “My good, true friend, I leave the old home in your charge. Don’t forsake it. If the enemy should occupy the town before I return, remain you here at your post. Mr. Morris w-ill honor any requisition you may make upon him for money. You remember what you promised me concerning Lillian? She may come back. If the British come this way, Eastcourt will return. If she comes, will you look to her welfare as though she were your own child?” “I will.” “And if there is danger to her, will you try and let me know?” “I will do all I can.” “Then —God bless you, Patience! Keep the old home; and oh! look out for Lillian!” (To be continued.) Copyright.

A GREAT SURPRISE.