Adventure, February 20, 1922 — page 113: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

we The White Dawn of human nature as he maneuvered to hold his customer until the guinea was all spent. He flattered and cajoled until the sergeant shook him warmly by the hand and said they should drink together. The ceremony was fittingly concluded and the sergeant was replacing his glass when he happened to glance from the window. What he be- held brought an oath to his lips. “‘What’s wrong?” asked the tapster, turn- ing back with the bottle. The sergeant lost all his haughty bearing’ and looked to be badly flustered. “Cap’n Betworth and some officers are coming,” he gasped. “Sergeants mustn’t drink with the men is one of his fool notions. Battery officers with him!’ The tapster was worried. He abhorred any interruption of trade. “Down the stairs! There’s a door opening out back into the bushes!” The sergeant started for the doorway, then halted and complained: “He'll wig me for letting new recruits come here. Won’t do. Hi, you two men. Duck down them stairs and out the door and back to the others the minute you hear the officers come in. March!” The group of officers was almost at the © door when we stole down the stairs: The cellar was shallow and half filled with kegs and barrels. The ground gave way on the north side and necessitated a wall of boards. In this was the doorway. We had it open by the time the officers entered the room above. ‘The first spoken word we heard was Captain Betworth sternly saying: “You here, away from your men, ser- geant? I’m afraid I shall have to put you back in the ranks. Begone to your men!” “Devilish nuisance. Spoil every drinking place. Never should allow sergeants to drink anything but tea. Cursedly weird how much brandy they'll store away. Always believed they are incarnations of cargo ships.”’ It was Saleby speaking. The talk became a jumble; then I was thrilled to hear Betworth explaining: “It was a sergeant, a common sergeant, who passed himself off as Kerry. Now Kerry’s usefulness at that point is spoiled. They met and the sergeant eae alae. Of course if he could be laid by the heels Kerry could go back as Captain Sant and do rare work for us.’ Don’t let them see you. II! “Blast that fellow! I always thought there was something low about him,” cried - “But it’s monstrous queer none Saleby. of your house servants knew him for a beastly impostor.” “Ambrose Kerry has never visited us. A staunch loyalist, he knew he could do more for the king by enlisting as a rebel and keep- ing us supplied with information. Our house servants are all loyal. But this sergeant can’t get away. Kerry is hunting him. My sister’s maid can give valuable information. She’s helping. What grills me worst of all is their cruelty in holding my mother and | sister virtually prisoners. Took them along to Ramapo. “Once they thought they had escaped but the carriage was bogged and they were over- taken. Kerry thought they had won clear and expected to find them in town. Other-. wise he would have gone direct to head- quarters and announced himself, then the inquiry as to this bogus Kerry would have been made and he would be in the New Jail by this time, or hanging in a rope.” “Well, here’s death to all spies except our own,” said Saleby, and it was while they . were drinking the one-sided toast that we stole through the door and dodged into the bushes and began our atone flight to he Outward. CHAPTER VI y FARING NORTH WE TOOK a course about midway- between the redoubts on Jones’ Hill and the Lane. we were less than a mile from the city’s outworks, and we welcomed it as it would slow down any pursuit. more favorable to our flight was the entire lack of suspicion that the false Ambrose Kerry had joined the Rangers. The sergeant would be slow to report us — as deserters inasmuch as he would be re- duced to the ranks should we be caught and tell how we went to the groggery in his company. We did not believe any inquiry would be made concerning us until the | recruits had been taken back to Golden It began to rain when © ‘What was vastly © L el ; aA le, {Plan f Xt e SW? | Se tee ee a (eh) 2208. p WMA) bt? vee Ae Ne * t fom > he Cults , 5 TES jh 4" ed at ,/ 7H 4 i) Cd wil dea ie * ATS» ride mys AY. : ' Py, sy “: (i ¢ ‘ wi 4 ao & Pd oof. . gf : Pea 2: began ot Hill. This confined our danger for the time —_ = _ hot so much to pursuit from the city as a chance meeting with some curious patrol - along Bowery Lane. = The rain continued with much rumbling of thunder. Bucks softly whistled the cComicbooks com - Hf 4 4