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alnn the sinuous windings of a dim path,
:‘:,?1‘::r.)-f‘.is.'gli inizcs of tiuiglcil undergrowth, iinally
arriving at their destination in a place where the
g1(,,,.”, will rice, and desolation iinprcsscd [Liv riuigeis
Wm, H i .i,:no- uoiisciousncss of being in the realm-s of
' ‘U 'L dc.
niinutes, however, thny were. on their
Wm. back Lo thc coinniand; and, on (ll'l'lX'lll” then-,
“,6. the most satisfactory evidence oi Uld.(3rin-ly's
k,,‘.,“V. But the comrade they had found iii the old
,,,;.rm‘s liiilden l"l‘LI'k‘8,[ was noi llL‘lll“'il['(5 Dick, and
rid? announce-inent of the fact crushed the srdciit
have um, ,),,. little band had dared to entertain of
ins ,),,im, t1,,.,;- leader.
'mm,iw-st oi the wounded were at once removed to
G,.,,,,1y‘,-; 4[lliti1('l‘S, rind loft in the old man 5 charge;
whip. Lieiitcnaiit Uauks and his followers took to
their saddles and rode away in the direction of Fair-
mmit ]’llL‘1-e4 , ,
The local ion of the mansion was now indicated by
a mighty pyrainid of fire, which thrust its quiveri
apex almost into the very. dome of heaven, on
'pr‘)ad its broad glare for miles over field and forest.
When about a mile from the mansion the rangers
drew l‘l’lll, and dismouuting, concealed their horses
in the edge of the woods, and then crept along in the
shadow of a stone fence toward the (ire. ,
dniw near, they saw a body of mounted Tories and
the kin "s horse come down the. mad and stop in
front 0 the burning house. This induced the pn-
triots to he more cautious, and leaving the inain
command behind, Lieutenant Banks and two coni-
raili,-s crept on until they could command a fair
view of the crowd gathered about the dggaring ruins.
-I heavens!" were the first wor that burst
ficni Banks‘s lips, “do you see that young ofllcer
standin near that tto, north of the ruins?"
“ Yes, ' answered erry Hammond; “he seems to
be taking it cool as a cucumber."
“ Ay; but don't you recognize him, Perry?" asked
aiiks.
BThey were not over a hundred yards from the of-
ficer in 4 uestion; and for fully 21 minute Hammond
studied is form and features close] .
“I'll admit,” he finally said, that there is some-
thing fainiliar about his form, but thenIcan‘t re-
lg"
C “Why, Perry," interru ted Banks, “it is Prodigal
Tom, the Tory, and bro er of our own Delaware
ick."
“Ah, indeed! Then it is the resemblance in form
and movement between the brothers that struck me
as being familiar. I wonder if the young Tory
knows that the body of his brother is being con-
sumed in that awful hret” .
“Perhaps he does, which accounts for his grave
demeanor and silent attitude.
Here and there, about the park, little ups of of-
ficers and soldiers, men and women, bot black and
white, were gathered together, zizing upon the ru-
lns with faces that seemed ghas ly in the light of the
red flames. The black servants and white tenants of
Fairmont Place had all (looked to the scene of de-
struction. hcrs wasa horrible fa ination in the
awful flame that they could not resist, and before
the roof of the mansion fell in, over a. hundred per-
sons were present. . .
Banks and his companions studiedeach group and
each face closely; and presently their eyes fell upon
‘the form of a young girl who sat alone in the park
upon a rustic scat. Her face looked "llZ1Stl' ‘ii the
lurid light, and her eyes were red an swol or with
weeping. .
This maiden was Agnes Melross, the betrothed wire
of Delaware Dick; and while anks had his eyes
still upon her, he saw a negro youth emerge from
the shadows behind her and touch her u)on the
shoulder. He saw the maiden start to her net and
rasp the lad by the hand as if eager for some intel-
ligence from his lips; but when the lad sliook his
oiiited toward the burning inan-
er hands to her brow, and sunk
wholly head and
sion, she clas ed
upon the cart 1.
The negro lad lifted her tenderly from the cold
ound and placed her upon the scat, :1):-ii drawing
gr shawl closer about her head and shoulders, he
turned and walked sadly away.
While this scene was being enacted, Banks saw
ihat Prodigal Tom was watching the maiden narrow-
; and us soon as the black went away, the young
gory turned and approache . er. ‘
He stopped in front of her, lifted his hat and spoke.
The maiden started at sound of his voice; but at
sight of his face, she sunk back into her sent, more
than ever overcome by her emotions of sorrow.
CHAITER XII.
CORNWALLIS RECEIVES A VISITOR.
SHORTLY after the astounding iicws of the capture
of the He-ssians at Trenton had reached the ear of
Lord Cornwallis, who was encainped near Princeton,
he called his generals together in his private consul-
tation room, and to them made known his inten-
tion of marching ainst Washington at once. He
had learned throng i his scouts that the Amcrii-an
general had taken a position in the rear of Trenton,
and was intrenchin himself there, evidently, with
the intention of hol 'ng the place.
“But. general," said one of his ofii
acious Washington would never have dared to con-
front your arm had e not been assured of his own
ower and abi 'ty to cope with you. I dare say he
asreceived reinforcements." .
“A , in lord," added another, “reinforcements
in spint it not in numbers. The ll(f(‘Z‘.t of Colonel
Rzihl will encourage the An: icans to fight like Spar-
L ' .
aRqI3ut, generals," said Cornwallis, “I propose to
As thev .
cers, “the sa- I
Delarvrai"-'2 .ui<:‘:r. 3
:‘fj'E:t:l;‘”::’t13, his Strength and position before I ‘I --fll do my best, gt-neral," the old ’l'nrv replied-.
I ‘ ’ '9.
This si-tilt-cl all ft-clings that were of an adverse nu-
luiv to l"t‘ .,’I'llL'l'. 1's plans; And the council soon ad-
Ji)ll['lAI‘(l.
scarcely had the last officer retired from the coin-
inander‘s tcut, when his prince of spics, Prodigal
loin, was announced; an ilw ll"X( moment the
lmtilsli general and the young Tory weic closeted
u),"' lll‘l".
l"."tIl‘-l the lips of Protlignl Tom, (Jornwullis h-arm-d,
for the ilrst llllli‘, the news of l.)elu.wui'n Dix‘ ‘st ‘dlh
lit 1‘ airmont Place, and, although it Wt c glad tid-
ings to his ears, he, out of i'cs[)0ct for ’l‘oiii's fccliiigs
for his dead kinsmun, uli.llllfL‘Sl(>Ll no outward emu-
l.1Ul)S of joy. On the contrary, he expressed deep
regret that one so pr0misiiiga.sl)t-laware Dick should
throw hunselfaway in such an unholy cause, and be
cut down in the prime and vigor of youth.
, “ But." said the general, tinnlly changing the sub-
Ject, “I am glad you have come, Tom."
“ W so. my lord?“ questioned the young
orv.
" I want to hear from Wasliington's army."
“ Colonel Ralil heard from it oiice ton oft:-n,iny
lord," responded Tom, facetiously, a smile playing
over his face.
"I am not desirous of such news as that. Tom,"
the commander replied: "it is Washington's
. stremfth and position of his forces and bunt-vii-is that
Idgsire to know. ‘ can learn WllI‘l‘L‘ his strong
poings are, that will enable me to attack his weak
pom is.‘
“Then you propose to attack Washington, mv
lord-but pardon my inquisltiveucss. I have bi-ch
in Washington's camp more than once, and I shall
risk another venture there for the iiifornmiiuii you
desire. Between this and morning, my lord, you
may expect to hear from 'I‘reiiton."
Cornwallis had erfect confidence in Prodigal
Tom's superior ab ity as a spy, and after some in-
structions rcgarding the inlorniation desired, he
dispatched the youth upon his dangerous mis-
sion.
Scarcely had the oun spy quitted the presence
of the British genera , be ore an old man, desiiing to
see the commander, appeared at head uartcrs. s
he was well-known to several of the so diers, he had
no trouble in gaining admission to the generals pre-
sence.
“Sir," said the latter, “I am informed that your
name is Wesley Marble, that you are a royali-st, that
you have sons in the king's army; now, what brings
you here?"
“ The news, my lord, of Delaware Dick's death in
a ll lit up on the Raritan."
“ hat is stale news; I have heard of his death be-
fore now, Mr. Marble."
“Ah, iiideedt“ exclaimed the old Tory, thought-
fully; “ well, general, it seems queer, doesn't it, that
brothers would arrn themselves against each other
as Prodigal Tom an Delaware Dick have done?”
“ That is nothing uncommon; brctlieis are fighting
brothers and sons fighting fathers in every battle.
But I have never heard of Delaware Dick and Prodi-
gal Tom meeting in conflict.“
“ Nor I, general; and right here let me say this: I
have known the Melinott amil for years. and in all
these years I never knowed thar were two boys in
that family. The only one I knowed anything about
war Tlionias R. Melinott, and if tliai"d been two. l‘d
la‘ ’ni)Wll it, for the Meliiiotis war our nigliest neigh-
hors."
Cornwallis looked searcliingly into Wesley Mar-
l>lc’s1 face, and, after some soul-rt. ading, be re-
p iev :
“ Have you seen Thomas R. )lt’llIlOtl. since the war
begun?"
‘ Yr-s; once or twice,“ I‘(’>?'DClI‘l(l(.‘(l the 01-1 man.
“Which of the two. Dc ware Dick and Prodigal
Tom. then, is Tlioinas R.
“ I):-l-aware Dick is the one I always knowed from
it won bit of a boy."
I ‘Y: Tiicn you have not seen Prodigal ‘Tom, late-
). ..
“Yes, sir; I've seen him. too."
" Vi "‘ ' opinion of him?"
lile glnnccd quickly around the room
as if to assure himself that no one was near him be-
sides Cornwallis; tlicri loaning ncro tho table, hc
wliispered something in the gene or that caused
the latter to start as though the words had been the
sting of a serpent.
“ Wesley Mai-bl
have you for this?
“ Just what I told vou, my lord."
>-
F-
.-
1" lie thundered, “ what assurance
-v
and after some dcsulwry L‘0l]V(‘l‘>‘ilIl()ll he went away,
leaving Cornwallis in a fl‘Y“I' of excitenient.
The gs-in-i'al kept Marble's secret to himself, for
more than one ieusnn; but, dos ite his efforts to ap-
pear iiidilfu-rciit, those around "in noticed that the
old inaiils Vllill. had left him in A state of uneusiiicsa.
Dariincss iiilzillv s’-tllcd over the cam . The gon-
erul rctirctl curly he could not sleep. He lay
awa.L'e l.l1l‘4rll;:ll the entire night, eagerly waiting the
return of I'rmliy:il Tull). Morning came, but the spy
’ not. um-at tours for the young royalist‘s safety
we-rc ciitertaiiicd.
(Joiicealiiig the mnolions, that had troubled him so
long, in the liurry and bustle of 'JTCIl.lilllg camp.
(‘oruwallis appcurcd calm and collcciml, as was his
wont on the eve of some great event; hut not until
he was moving with his army toward ’l‘i'entcn did he
ex ieri--ncc any relief at heart.
0 had decided not to postpone his advance upon
Washington in consequence of Prodigal Tom's noii-
appeai-iiiice; for, while the inforination sought by
the spy would be of great advaiitage to him, it was
too iininati-rizil, in another P-t'!)H(‘ to cause delay.
Still, he elllt'l't1llll0d a hope that l‘om would meet
him LlL'fUl'(’ he reached Tl‘8!ll,Ol); but in this he was
disuppoiiited.
n arriving in the vicinity of Trenton, he found
Washington occu ying a strong sition, with a.
small river-a tributa to the claware-sin his
from. But Cornwallis <-it so confideiit of hi; su
rior strength, that he at once began an attack on a
American lines, and attempted to crossthe stream
in face of a deadly fire. But in this he failed. The
galling fire of the American rides forced him back,
with a heavy loss. Again and again the attempt to
cross the stream and carry the provincial works by
storm was renewed; but each time the british were
re ul .
'ight at length ut an end to the battle, when
(‘ornwallis was con lied to ascertain the extent of his
loss, which had been heavy. Success was despaired
of by his army, until a heavy i-einforceinent arrived
from New Brunswick, and inspired the defeated sol-
(lieis with renewed courage, and strengthened their
spirits for the inorrow‘s work.
Under cover of darkness, the British planted sev-
eral batteries in commandin positions, threw up a
long line of breastworks and perfect other ar-
i'aiigoim-iits, which, all together, would 've them a
ggcided advantage over the position of t e previous
v.
“I'll catch the fox to-moi-row," said Cornwallis,
alluding to Washington.
All through the night the American sentincls could
e seen pacing to and fro within the light of the
camp-flrw that burned brightly on the plains beyond
Assumption creek.
At length dawn ushered in the day, and when
about to order an advance upon the eiit-niies' lines,
Cornwallis discovered the A1ilt'l‘l(:l1l) camp was de-
serted-thnt Washington had given them the slip,
while keeping u the semblance of an occupied camp
through t ie nig t.
t ‘here the American army had gone. the British
knew not; nor had llicy the remotest idea of the time
it had broken camp, for thecamp-tires burned bright-
ly through the entire ni ht.
Cornwallis finally cunc uded that Washington must
have back into Pennsylvania, and while discus-
sing the expediency of following ltim, il. stiange
sound burst u )on the ears of the “hole royal army.
“ It is tliun er " said the British ('OlllIll.".Xi(l9i'.
“Nay, eneral," exclaimed one of his aids; “it
does not t under here in January. It is the roar of
cannon, my lord. The Aniciicnns have eluded us
and ln."ll'Cl1t‘d upon Pl‘lll(‘Fl0lll To arms! To arms!
We have been out-izcncralcd. It is the sound of
Washington's guns!"
CHAPTER XVI.
HOW MATTERS swoon AT FAIIIMONT PLACE.
Sizvizmu. days had passed since the conflict at
Fairmoiit Place. The death of Delaware Dick had
reached the cars of most of the settlers along the
Raritau and Delaware valleys; and wl.ilc the news
brouglit a sense of relief to the Tnry elciiir-nt, it cast
a gloom of sadness and regret over every patriot
cart.
The little hand of Scarlet Win s, however, had not
been destroyed. and under the cadersliip of Harry
banks, it kept up a mortal terror among the ’l'<-iics.
, The loss of their leader did not dcprivc the country
Cornwallis seemed aI1!8Z0(l, and for a moment hr ‘
reinaiued silent and though ful: while the ricrvou<
twitching of his facial muscles betrayed his inward
emotions. At length he asked:
“ Where is the llleliiiott family, Marble?"
“ You've got me now general; after the old man
was killed by British Iii] Tory ranger, ubouta
year ago, the mother and the daughter, GE‘l‘(ll(llllt‘.
riisnppcared from their old home in the Delaware
valley, and the good Lord only knows where they
have gone. But, I've been tliinkin' the matter over
and over, and now I've come to the conclusion that
, the disappearance of the mother and dau hter was
made in order to conceal all positive proo of what
I've been telling you."
A look of great uneasiness clouded the British of-
ficer's face. It was plainly evident that he gave
strong credence to the suspicious of Wesley Marble.
“Mr. Marble," he said, "I am going to impose a
duty upon you: I want on to fiiu, if possible,
where the wido Melinott and her daughter Geral-
dine are cnnccs. zg then clvrsp and re1.oi't to me at
your v.".rlicst n-oiivcni. This matter must be
sountlcd (0 its (1cmlis."
l
of the usefulness at‘ the rangers.
Siiinm-l Faiiniont attributed the loss of his redi-
zli-iiwo to the l'L‘l)(’1 rangers,the Scarlet Wings; and
it rmvo declared his intention of’ suci'ifiL-ing all I:
' '(‘ll, if need be, in behalf of the rnvnl cause in
. 4 2 e ’ not leave his farin,but at once
i; uvtd into the old, double log-house that stood ll(-'8?‘
the ruins of his mansion. and in which he had lived
many ycais before the ( rection of his llf‘“'l'(">l(lE1lL'(‘,
It was large and commodious, and as most of tho
voiiti-nts of the inaii:-‘ion had been saved from the
iire, lb was soon iurnisheil; and the colonel and his
famil found thi-mselves settled once lllOre%0m-
forta ly, if not elcgantl .
Since the night of t e conflict, Colonel Fairmont
noticed that his grand-daughter, Agnes Mclross, had
undergone a material change in spirit. which
could not attribute alone to the loss of their residence.
She was restless and uneasy vapiic anxiety
5'P(‘lllPxl. to pervade her very soul; while 11 i-luud of
sadir ss son]:-d upon her brow and eadi Mil the au-
gelic light of her sweet. vivacious youu r
“M c lL,,“ the old man said cup 4 av
vmutml alone, u;>1‘arv-iitly ll‘ , "
tion of spirit. "nliyis it : at you ur.
downheaxted of L:te:“
fovnrl