The Dare Boys in Virginia
Page 3
CHAPTER III--Lizzie Santon
Lizzie Santon, the daughter of John Santon, a patriot who lived abouthalfway between the Tory and the patriot settlements, was out searchingfor their cow, that had wandered away, and the girl, humming a song,made her way through the timber, looking about her keenly andsearchingly.
It was now growing dusk, and the girl hastened her footsteps, for shewas a mile from home and still had seen no signs of the sought foranimal.
Suddenly she saw a form moving in the woods at a distance of perhaps onehundred yards, and she uttered an exclamation of satisfaction andhastened in that direction.
But when she was within perhaps twenty yards of the approaching object,she saw that it was a human being, but with the upper portion of thebody covered with feathers.
"What can that mean?" the girl murmured, stopping and staring in wonder,amazement and horror. "Why, that is terrible! Who would dare treat ahuman being in that barbarous fashion?"
She stood there a few moments, and then noticing that the tarred andfeathered man was walking in a zigzag fashion, as if unable to see, sheadvanced till close to the person, and then she said:
"Who are you? And who did this?"
It was the teacher, of course, and at the sound of the voice he came toa stop and exclaimed, joyously: "Thank goodness I have found somebody. Iam Herbert Miller, and some Tories did this, because they believed me tobe a patriot."
"What villains!" exclaimed the girl. "This is terrible, Mr. Miller."
"Yes, so it is. Is that you, Miss Santon? It sounds like your voice."
"Yes. Why, can't you see me?"
"No, they got a lot of the tar in my eyes, and they have swollen shut. Ihave just been wandering in the woods, feeling my way. Would it beasking too much for you to conduct me to the home of a patriot, where Ican get rid of the tar and feathers?"
"Indeed, I shall be only too glad to help you, Mr. Miller. I will guideyou to my home, and father will help you get rid of your coat of tar andfeathers and will give you some of his clothes to put on. Give me yourhand."
She took hold of Miller's hand, and they made their way through thetimber at a moderate pace, the young man telling the story of the affairin detail as they went.
The girl was profuse in her denunciations of the ruffians who hadperpetrated the outrage, and said that they ought to be punished. But asthe majority of the people in that vicinity were Tories, it was notlikely that the ruffians would be bothered.
When they arrived at Lizzie's home, Mr. Santon took Miller in hand, andafter an hour or so of hard work, got much of the tar and featherswashed off. The young man had been bathing his eyes at the same time,and had gotten them so that he could open them part way and could see,so he now donned shirt, and coat, given him by the patriot settler, andfelt much better.
"I'll be all right now," he said. "Thanks to you and Lizzie, Mr.Santon."
"That's all right. You're welcome, Mr. Miller. I've kind of expectedsomething of this kind, for I knew you were in sympathy with the patriotCause, and I have heard the Tories say that they didn't like the idea ofhaving a rebel to teach their children. You kind of took the side of thepatriot children, in their squabbles with the Tory children at school,you know, and the Tories didn't like that."
"Yes, that is true. Well, I suppose that there would be no use for me togo back to the settlement."
"I wouldn't risk it, if I were you. They might take it into their headsto kill you, next time."
"I think that a good many of the Tories would not approve of what Sprowland his gang did, but they are in the minority, and I suppose themajority of the families will be glad they did it, and likely, as yousay, the ruffians would do worse next time."
"I think it likely."
"I fear that I may get you into trouble, Mr. Santon, by staying here atyour home," the young man said.
"I don't think so," slowly and thoughtfully. "And likely they don't knowyou are here."
"That is probable. I wandered quite a ways before I came up with yourdaughter. I don't suppose any of the ruffians followed."
"No, likely not. You're safe here, and I don't think they will bother mefor having you here."
"I hope not. I think that perhaps it will be well for me to go over tothe patriot settlement, to-morrow, however."
"We'll see about it, Mr. Miller."
Supper was ready, presently, and the teacher ate at the table with thefamily, and repeated his story for the benefit of the other members,there being several children besides Lizzie. Mr. and Mrs. Santon lookedvery sober and thoughtful, for they lived only about a mile and a halffrom the Tory settlement, and if the Tories got angry at them, theymight make it very disagreeable for them.
After supper the teacher and the members of the Santon family sat in thebig sitting-room and talked a while, and then the young man wasconducted to an upstairs room by Mr. Santon, and he began makingpreparations to go to bed.
He had only begun, however, when he heard footsteps on the gravel walkin the yard, and then followed a loud knocking on the door. Followingthis came in the loud, hoarse voice of Hank Sprowl:
"Open ther door, John Santon, or we'll kick it down. We know thet ye'reharborin' that rebel skule-teacher that we tarred and feathered thisevenin', and ye've got ter give him up. Ef ye don't, et'll be the worsefor ye. Open the door!"
With the remembrance still fresh in his mind of the treatment accordedhim by the same gang that was now likely at the door, Herbert Miller maybe excused for feeling somewhat horror-stricken when he heard thedemands given utterance to by the leader of the Tory gang.
He remembered what Mr. Santon had said, and wondered if they had come tokill him, this time.