The Daughter of the Chieftain | Page 6

that led in front of the other dwellings and to her own door. When he saw her, he waved his hand in salutation, but could not afford to break in on the vigorous melody which kept his lips puckered.
She saw he was carrying something on his shoulder. A second glance showed that it was one of the heavy rifles used by the pioneers a hundred years ago. The sight--taken with what Omas had just said --filled her heart with forebodings.
She waited until the lad came up. He kissed her affectionately, and then in the offhand manner of a big boy, let the butt of the gun drop on the ground, leaned the top away from him, and glancing from it to his mother, asked--"What do you think of it?"
"It seems to be a good gun. Whose is it?"
"Mine," was the proud response. "Colonel Butler ordered that it be given to me, and I'm to use it, too, mother."
"For what purpose?"
"The other Colonel Butler--you know he is a cousin to ours--has got a whole lot of Tories" (who, you know, were Americans fighting against their countrymen) "and Indians, and they're coming down to wipe out Wyoming; but I guess they will find it a harder job than they think."
And to show his contempt for the danger, the muscular lad lifted his weighty weapon to a level, and pretended to sight it at a tree.
"I wish that was a Tory or one of those Six Nation Indians-- wouldn't I drop him!"
The mother could not share the buoyancy of her son. She stepped outside, so as to be beyond the hearing of the little ones.
"Omas has been here; that is his little girl that you hear laughing with Alice. He has told me the same as you--the Tories and Indians are coming, and he wants us to flee with him."
"What does he mean by that?" asked the half indignant boy.
"He says they will put us all to death, and if we do not go with him, we will be killed too."
The handsome face of Benjamin Ripley took on an expression of scorn, and as he straightened up, he seemed to become several inches taller.
"He forgets that I am with you! Omas is very kind; but he and his Tory friends had better look out for themselves. Why, with the men at the fort, Colonel Butler will have several hundred."
"But they are mostly old men and boys."
"Well," said the high spirited lad, with a twinkle of his fine hazel eyes, "add up a lot of old men and boys, and the average is the same number of middle aged men, isn't it? Don't you worry, mother --things are all right. If Omas comes back, give him our thanks, and tell him we are not going to sneak off when we are needed at home."
It was hard to resist the contagion of Ben's hopefulness. The mother not only loved but respected him as much as she could have done had he been several years older. He had been her mainstay for the two years past, during which the father was absent with the patriot army; and she came to lean upon him more and more, though her heart sank when Ben began to talk of following his father into the ranks, to help in the struggle for independence.
She found herself looking upon the situation as Ben did. If so great danger threatened Wyoming, it would be cowardly for them to leave their friends to their fate. It was clear all could not find safety by going, and she would feel she was doing wrong if she gave no heed to the others.
Ben was tall and strong for his years, and the fact that he had taken the gun from Colonel Butler to be used in taking care of the settlement bound the youth in honor to do so.
"It shall be as you say," said the mother; "I cannot be as hopeful as you, but it is our duty to stay. We will not talk about it before the children."
"I want to see how a little Indian girl looks," muttered Ben with a laugh, following his mother into the house.
Alice caught sight of him, and was in his arms the next instant, while Linna rose to her feet, and stood with her forefinger between her teeth, shyly studying the newcomer.
"Helloa, Linna! how are you?" he called, setting down his young sister and catching up the little Indian. Not only that, but he gave her a resounding smack on her dusky cheek.
"I always like pretty little girls, and I'm going to be your beau: what do you say? Is it a bargain?"
It is not to be supposed that the Delaware miss caught the whole meaning of this momentous question. She was a little overwhelmed by the rush