Adventure Magazine Cover — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

THE PENNSYLVANIA LINE “High Dutch, without a doubt,” sur- mised Ryan. “Certainly a strange tongue.”’ Van Kuren ignored the aside with the ease of long usage, and went, more carefully, on. “T had letters yesterday from Albany, that informed me that the Allens are in daily communication with Beverly Robinson, who, as you may recall, was Arnold’s tempter. And ’tis said that naught but the price to be paid for the Grants is. now un- decided.”’ Wayne looked up wearily. His holiday mood was gone, the habitual one of desper- ate hope replacing it. He had refolded the dispatches, and now flipped them across his open hand. “These speak of that also,” he said. “Somehow, I did not believe it of Ethan Allen! He ever seemed a staunch man, if a trifle crazed. Faith, and you can’t trust your own brother in these bad times!” “But the Grants were petitioning Con- gress for leave to come into the Union as the fourteenth State of Vermont,” objected Butler, ‘‘no more than four—or is it fivePp— months since.’’ “Oh, yes,” shrugged Van Kuren. ‘They be thrifty folk, unlike Arnold, and mean to knock down to the highest bidder. Not for naught will Beverly Robinson get the Green Mountain Boys and their once out- lawed leader, Ethan Allen.” “He’s a bold man,” reflected Stewart, who had known Allen when both were pris- oners, “and a boastful man, and a man the British must have held of high value, since they retained him for three long years in Pevensey Castle and the stinking prison ships.” ‘And it’s no small price that they'll be paying for the other brother, Ira,” said Ryan. “Faith, and there’s a man of in- genuity! If he be not, in fact, the craftiest were-fox that runs between the hills and Champlain.” “Nor will the rest of the family come cheap,” said Wayne. “With their friends and adherents, they form a mighty tribe, and the King will bleed gold for every man of them.” “But when the trick is turned,” said the New York major, “when each last, least younker of the tribe is bought and paid for, the British will have bought more than the Grants.” He scowled to himself. ‘The Grants, the New Hampshire Grants, the II gateway to the north that belongs of right to New York. —— thei Luciferous souls!” His face flushed and his voice deepened with a sudden passion. “Of all the shifty crew I hold Floyd Allen, the open Tory, the most honorable among them!” Grey Stewart looked quizzically at the ruffled Yorker. ‘Ay, and it zs odd times,”’ he murmured, “‘when a York man prefers an open Tory.”’ “Better a Tory than a traitor,” said Van Kuren sharply, then he regained his custom- ary, philosophic phlegm. ‘‘Ah, well, there’s one satisfaction—thrifty Ira will set and get a mortal high price for whatever he has to sell. As the general holds, they’ll bleed for it.” “Yet the price asked by the Grants of Congress was reasonable enough,” said Stewart. ‘“‘’Twas no more than to come into the Union free of the claims of you Yorkers and New Hampshire alike.” ‘“‘And Congress was loon-struck to refuse it them!” ejaculated Wayne. “If so be they did refuse it. One heard no more of the matter after November.”’ Van Kuren shrugged off his disagree- ment, and then answered as if with author- ity: “They did not wholly refuse it. The matter was dropped till the end of the war at the request of New York, when it may be settled satisfactorily.” Obviously the major meant to the satis- faction of New York, and the Pennsylva- nians promptly took exception to this paro- chial point of view. If the Keystone State had been concerned, their opinion might have been less nationalistic. “Yes, and in the meantime,” pointed out Stewart, “Ira rides weekly into Canada.” ‘And ’tis said that Ethan refused the em- ployment that Washington offered him,”’ said Butler. ‘“‘He was hot enough for any sort once!” added Bittings. “And thanks to the military situation, if all is true, Washington will be no longer free to release a battalion or two to come to our aid, if so be we need it,’’ summed up the general. “By the way, among other items of interest in his Excellency’s letter, is this:it refers, I presume, to those —— Hessians Clinton is rumored to have moved on to Staten Island—‘I think your precau- tions for the security of your camp are very good, though I hope if the enemy have Gomicsoo S CO