The Flag on the Hilltop (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1902 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER V IN WHICH THE GOLDEN CIRCLE CLOSES ROUND THE HILL When Doctor Ford and T. D. came home from their fruitless search for meetings of the Golden Circle, on the night after Alec's arrival, the doctor went softly to the door of the room he had assigned to Alec, and tapped. There was no answer. He took a lamp, and entered the room. It was empty, and showed no sign of Alec's having as much as entered it. The doctor turned sharply and found that T. D. had come in, too, and was standing behind him, looking confounded. "He 's run away," the doctor said. "Too much of a rebel to stay with us." T. D. rubbed his brow. "Mebbe not," he said; "mebbe he's jus' stickin' clost to Lafayette." "Lafayette?" said the doctor. "What do you mean?" T. D. blinked a little and tried to swallow the distaste of a confession. "I mean I 'm a plumb coward," he blurted desperately, "an' so 's Lafayette. He deserted, an' I hid him out in the cave." "And Alec?" asked the doctor, compressing his lips. "I reckon he 's down there in the cave takin' care of him now," T. D. answered. "Lafayette was about to die "--The doctor turned away from him, and started out of the house. T. D. followed. "If I tell you how it was," he began," you-uns won't think quite so hard of me, doc "--"I don't care how it was," the doctor asserted over his shoulder, in a tone which left nothing more to be said. The two men hastened across the lawn and through the peach orchard in silence, taking the shortest way to the cave. "We put him in the top barrel on account of the other one being so damp," T. D. explained, as they went through the gap. "Very thoughtful," the doctor answered dryly. u Pity you did n't honor me as a physician, if not as an old acquaintance." "You see, doc, it was this-a-way," T. D....