ood off Jack's head and neck, and found an ugly
scalp wound at least three inches long. It made me terribly anxious
until I fairly proved that the bone was uninjured. After giving the boy
the tonsure, I put six stitches into the scalp, and he never said a
word. Perhaps the cause of this fortitude could be found in the blazing
eyes of Jessie Gordon, which fixed his as a magnet, while her hands
clasped his tightly. Miss Jessie was as white as snow, but there was no
tremor in hand or eye. When it was all over, her voice was steady and
low as she said:--

"Jack Williams, in the olden days men fought for women, and they were
called knights. It was counted a noble thing to take peril in defence of
the helpless. I find no record of more knightly deed than you have done
to-day, and I know that no knight could have done it more nobly. I want
you to wear this favor on your hand."

She kissed his hand and left the room. Jack didn't seem to mind the
wound in his head, but he gave great attention to his hand.

CHAPTER XLIII

THE RESULT

As soon as the first report of the battle reached me, I telephoned to
Bill Jackson, asking him to come at once to Four Oaks and to bring a man
with him. When he arrived, attended by his big Irishman, my men had
already put one of the farm teams to a great farm wagon, and had filled
the box nearly full of hay. We gave Jackson a hurried account of the
fight and asked him to go at once and offer relief to the wounded,--if
such relief were needed. Jackson was willing enough to go, but he was
greatly disappointed that he had missed the fight; it seemed unnatural
that there should be a big fight in his neighborhood and he not in it.

"I'd give a ten-acre lot to have been with you, lads," said the big
farmer as he started off.

Word had been sent to Dr. High to be ready to care for some broken
heads. Two hours later I drove to the Inn at Exeter and found the doctor
just commencing the work of repair. Thirteen men had been brought in by
the wagon, twelve of them more or less cut and bruised about the head,
and all needing some surgical attention. The thirteenth man was stone
dead. A terrific blow on the back of the head had crushed his skull as
if it had been an egg-shell, and he must have died instantly. After
looking this poor fellow over to make sure that there was no hope for
him, we turned our attention to the wounded. The barn had been turned
into a hospital, and in two hours we had a d