Page:Milady at Arms (1937).pdf/174

 feet carried her farther and farther from them, back to the Harrison cabin. Unconsciously, as the sun beat down upon her, her pace slackened. It was hot! Every pebble she trod seemed to burn through the thin soles of her square-toed slippers. It was hot and she lingered more and more, reaching the cool of the orchard, to pause there for a moment and fan her burning face! But this served her well. For otherwise, she might have run full into the arms of a troop of red-coats who had dismounted before the cabin and were scanning it sharply as they secured their horses to some chestnut trees beside the road.

Quick as a wink, Sally snatched up her apron and commenced to pick some green apples from the low branches of a tree near her, carefully keeping that tree between her and the enemy. Then, leisurely, as though that had been her errand, with the corners of her apron held up to form a bag for the apples, she approached the cabin from the rear and entered its back door as two figures appeared at the opposite door from the front. One of them she recognized at once. It was young James Williams! The other, a handsome young fellow in his red uniform, was a stranger. James greeted Sally sullenly.

"You here!" he remarked, with a sneer.

"Did ye not see me leave?" asked Sally coldly. She dumped the apples upon a well-scrubbed table