"He did not," he protested solemnly. "Colonel Cooke was just as nice to me as he could be--"
"Certainly. He"s an Old Virginia gentleman. Behind your back he told me confidentially what he thought of you."
"All right. I dare you to cross your heart and tell me what he said."
"Dare me?"
"Dee double dare you."
"He said that you"re a sad product of Sir Walter Scott"s novels, a singing, rollicking, flirting, lazy young cavalier."
"Didn"t say lazy."
"No."
"I thought not."
"I added that for good measure."
"I thought so."
"And he warned me that there might be a streak of the old Stuart purple blood in your veins that might make you silly for life--"
"Didn"t say silly."
"No, I added that, too."
Stuart again seized the hand she had deftly withdrawn. He pressed it tenderly and sought the depths of her blue eyes.
"Ah, honey girl," he cried pa.s.sionately, "don"t tease me any more, please! I"ve got to leave you in a few hours. My regiment is going to march. It may be a serious business. You"re a brave soldier"s daughter and you"re going to be a soldier"s bride."
The girl"s lips quivered for the first time and her voice trembled the slightest bit as she fought for self-control.
"I"ll never marry a soldier."
"You will!"
"My daddy"s never at home. I promised my mother never to look at a soldier."
"You"re looking at me, dear heart!"
She turned quickly.
"I won"t--"
Stuart drew her suddenly into his arms and kissed her.
"I love you, Flora! And you"re mine."
She looked into his eyes, smiled, slipped both arms around his neck and kissed him.
"And I love you, my foolish, singing, laughing boy!"
"Always?"
"Always."
"And you"ll marry me?"
"You couldn"t get away from me if you tried."
She drew him down and kissed him again.
"The shadow will always be in my heart, dear soldier man. The shadow of the day I shall lose you! But it"s life. I"ll face it with a smile."
Through the long, sweet hours of the day and deep into the night they held each other"s hand, and talked and laughed and dreamed and planned.
What mattered the shadow that was slowly moving across the sunlit earth?
It _was_ the morning of life!
CHAPTER XXI
The eight men engaged in the remarkable enterprise on the Pottawattomie, led by their indomitable Captain, mounted their stolen horses and boldly rode to the camp of the military company commanded by John Brown, Jr.
The father planned to make his stand behind these guns if pursued by formidable foes.
Brown reached the camp of the Rifles near Ottawa Jones" farm at midnight. The fires still burned brightly. To his surprise he found that the news of the murders had traveled faster than the stolen horses.
The camp was demoralized.
John Brown, Jr., had been forced to resign as Captain and H. H. Williams had been elected in his stead.
The reception which the County was giving his inspired deed stunned the leader. He had expected a reign of terror. But the terror had seized his own people. He was compelled to lie and deny his guilt except to his own flesh and blood. Even before his sons he was arraigned with fierce condemnation.
On the outer edge of the panic-stricken camp his sons, Jason and John, Jr., faced him with trembling and horror in their voices.
Jason had denounced the first hint of the plan when the surveyor"s scheme was broached. John, Jr. had refused to move a step on the expedition. The two sons confronted their father with determined questions. He shifted and evaded the issue.
Jason squared himself and demanded:
"Did you kill those men?"
"I did not," was the sharp answer.
The son held his shifting eye by the glare of the camp fire.