[Illustration]

TheTory Maid

ByHERBERT BAIRDSTIMPSON

New YorkDodd, Mead and Company

[Illustration: (decorative borders)]

Copyright, 1898, by H. B. STIMPSON. 

_ToRev. Dr. And Mrs. Hall Harrisonthis volumeis affectionately inscribed bythe Author_

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. WE START FOR THE WAR 1

II. WE MEET THE MAID 10

III. A FLASH OF STEEL 24

IV. THE RED COCKADE 34

V. SIR SQUIRE OF TORY DAMES 44

VI. A TALE IS TOLD 55

VII. THE DEFIANCE OF THE TORY 68

VIII. THE BLACK COCKADE 77

IX. THE RED TIDE OF BLOOD 89

X. THE HARRYING OF THE TORY 107

XI. THE COUNCIL OF SAFETY 118

XII. THE VETO OF A MAID 132

XIII. THE GREETING OF FAIR LIPS 146

XIV. THE RETURN OF THE TORY 156

XV. THE FLAG OF TRUCE 166

XVI. THE BALL OF MY LORD HOWE 176

XVII. AN EXCHANGE OF COURTESIES 187

XVIII. THE CROSSING OF SWORDS 196

XIX. THE SANDS OF MONMOUTH 206

XX. IN THE LINES OF THE ENEMY 222

XXI. THE PASSING OF YEARS 230

XXII. THE COMING OF THE MAID 238

The Tory Maid

CHAPTER I

WE START FOR THE WAR

I, James Frisby of Fairlee, in the county of Kent, on the easternshore of what was known in my youth as the fair Province of Maryland, but now the proud State of that name, growing old in years, but heartyand hale withal, though the blood courses not through my veins as inthe days of my youth, sit on the great porch of Fairlee watching thesails on the distant bay, where its gleaming waters meet the mouth ofthe creek that runs at the foot of Fairlee. A julep there is on thetable beside me, flavoured with mint gathered by the hands of JohnCotton early in the morning, while the dew was still upon it, from thefinest bank in all Kent County. 

So with these old friends around me, with the julep on my right handand the paper before me, I sit on the great porch of Fairlee to writeof the wild days of my youth, when I first drew my sword in the GreatCause. To write, before my hand becomes feeble and my eyes grow dim, of the strange things that I saw and the adventures that befell me, ofthe old Tory of the Braes, of the fair maid his daughter, and of thepart they played in my life during the War of the Deliverance. Towrite so that those who come after me, as well as those who aregrowing up around my knees, may know the part their grandfather playedin the stirring times that proclaimed the birth of a mighty nation. 

The first year of the great struggle, ah, me! I was young then, andthe wild blood was in my veins. I was broad of shoulder and long oflimb, with a hand that gripped like steel and a seat in the saddlethat was the envy of all that hard-riding country. I was hardy andskilled in all the outdoor sports and pastimes of my race and people, and being light in the saddle I often led the hardest riders and wonfrom them the brush, while every creek for fifty miles up and down thebroad Chesapeake, and even the farther shore as far as Baltimore, knewmy canoe, and the High Sheriff himself was no finer shot than I. 

You, who bask in the sunshine of long and dreary years of peace, whonever hear the note of the bugle nor see the flash of the foeman'ssteel from one year's end to another, know not what it was to live inthose stirring times and all the joy of the strife. You should haveseen us then, when the whole land was aflame. 

The fiery signal had come like a rush of the wind from the north, withthe cry of the dying on the roadsides and fields of Lexington. 

All along the western shore the men of Anne Arundel, of Frederick, andPrince George were mustering fast and strong. Then the Kentish men andthose of Queen Anne and all the lower shore were mounting fast andmustering, while from the Howard hills came riding down bold and hardyyeomen. 

Then, and as it has always been in the old province of Maryland, thegentlemen led the people, and everywhere the spirit of fire ran likemolten steel through the veins of the gathering hosts, and the peopletook up the gauntlet of war with a laugh and a cheer and shook theirclenched hands at the King who was over the sea; so it was the lengthand breadth of the province, and so it was with me. 

And so one day the signal came, and I mounted my black colt Toby androde away to the Head of Elk in the county of Cecil, where themustering was, to take my place, as it was my duty and right to do, side by side with the bravest gentlemen of the province in the comingstruggle for the Great Cause. 

I was eighteen in the month of March of that year and consideredmyself a man, and, having reached man's estate, I bade good-bye to mymother and rode from out the sheltering walls and groves of Fairlee. 

But just before I rode within the shadow of the great woods I turnedin my saddle and waved my hand to the small, quaint figure that stoodon the broad porch watching me disappear; and she bravely--for thewomen were brave in those days--waved her hand in return, and then Irode on, for the moment saddened at the parting, for the die that daywould be cast, and, though there would be mustering and drilling formany weeks before we took up our march to the northward, the hand ofthe cause would claim me as its own. 

I was riding thus through the forest when I heard hoof-beats behind meand a cheery halloo, and who should ride up but Dick Ringgold ofHunting Field, a lad of my own age and my true friend?

"Why such a long face?" he laughed. "You look as if you were going toa funeral and not to a hunt that will beat all the runs to the houndsin the world. We are going to hunt redcoats and fair ladies' smilesand not foxes now; so cheer up, man. "

"Plague on it, Dick, you are ten miles from home and I am only one, " Iretorted. "You ought to have seen how bravely her ladyship tried tosmile, too. "

"We will increase the number of miles then, " said he, and reachingover he struck Toby across the flank. Well, Toby needs the curb atbest, and it was a full half-mile before I brought him up and had achance to give Dick a rating. 

But Dick only laughed. 

And so we rode on, across the low-lying plains of Kent, northwardtoward the borders of Cecil. 

For miles we would ride under the shadow of the dense forest, and thenwe would come to the wide-reaching fields of some great manor orplantation, the manor house itself generally crowning some gentlyrising knoll amid a grove of trees, with a view of the distant bay, or creek, or river, as the case might be; the cluster of houses, thequarters for the slaves, the stables and the barns, making littlevillages and hamlets amid the wide expanse of farm lands and thedistant circle of the dark green forests. 

Then, again, a creek or river would bar our course, and we would haveto ride for miles until we turned its head, or found a ferry or aford, and so overcome its opposition. So on we rode until, as the daywaxed near the noon hour, we came to the little hamlet of Georgetown, nestling amid the hills on the banks of the Sassafras. Crossing theriver at the ferry, we began the last stage of our journey. 

The trail now skirted the broad lands of Bohemia Manor, and crossedthe beautiful river of that name, embedded between the hills andwide-stretching farm lands. 

As we approached the banks of the Elk the country grew more rollingand wilder--in our front the Iron Hills rose up before us, crownedwith forests, in sharp contrast to the low-lying country through whichwe had been passing. 

And now, as our appetites became pressing, we urged our horses on, forwe had still many miles to travel. 

CHAPTER II

WE MEET THE MAID

We had just come in sight of the blue waters of the Elk, as it rolledbetween the forest-clad hills on either side, basking here for amoment in the sunshine, then lost in the deeper shadows of theoverhanging forest. 

"There rolls the Elk, " cried Dick. "Only ten miles more, and a strokeupon a piece of paper, and then, my boy, you are done for. A pain thateats its way ever inward, a thirst that never slackens, and over allthe black night lowering down. Aye, so it is, Sir Monk of the LongFace; but we will have some fun before we are put under the sod or ourbones are left to whiten on the sands. "

"That we will, Sir Richard. And now we are in for it, for here comesour first adventure. Is she ugly or is she fair? Which, Sir Richard?"

For, as we reached the point where our road joins the river road, wesaw, approaching along the lower road, a gentleman riding on apowerful horse, while behind him on a pillion sat a slight girlishfigure, hidden in part by the broad shoulders of the rider. 

"By Jove, it is Gordon of the Braes, " said Dick. 

"What, the suspected Tory?"

"Yes; and that must be his daughter. They say she is the fairest lassin all the county of Cecil. "

"Tory or no Tory, " said I, "with a fair face at stake, I will speak tohim. "

They were as yet some distance off, but as the rider drew nearer to uswe saw that he was a splendid specimen of manhood, such as I had butseldom seen before. 

While strong of frame and above the medium height, he carried himselfand rode with a courtliness and ease that bespoke the accomplishedhorseman and gentleman. His splendid head and face showed the marks ofan adventurous career, and all bespoke the blood of the family fromwhich he had sprung, the Gordons of Avochie. 

But striking as was the figure of the rider, the glimpse we caught ofthe fair burden behind made us for the moment forget him. 

A slender figure it was that sat upon the pillion, with wonderful eyesof the darkest blue and hair of the deepest brown that waved andclustered around the temples--a mouth that was winsome and sweet, asmall and aristocratic nose, a chin that was slightly determined, giving her altogether a queenly air, as she sat so straight and primbehind her father. 

"Sir, " said I, making Toby advance and bowing to his mane, "as we aretravelling the same way, will you permit us to accompany you? Myfriend is Richard Ringgold of Hunting Field and I am James Frisby ofFairlee. "

"It will give me pleasure, " he replied, saluting courteously, "to haveyour company to the Head of Elk. I know your families and your houseswell, and you, no doubt, have heard of me, Charles Gordon of theBraes. "

"That we have, " said Dick Ringgold. "It was only a week ago that mymother spoke of your first coming to old Kent. "

"It was kind of her to remember me, " he replied. "She was a greatbelle and a beauty in her youth. "

Dick smiled with pleasure, and I, taking advantage of a narrow placein the road, fell behind, and rode so I could talk to Mistress Jean, much to Master Richard's secret indignation. But she received me witha show of displeasure, and though I courteously asked her of herjourney, it was some minutes before I knew the cause thereof. 

"Are you not, " said she, and her aristocratic little head was in theair, "afraid to be seen riding with suspected Tories, you who wear theblack cockade?"

And then I remembered that I wore the emblem of our party. 

"Afraid!" I replied. "Afraid! We who have bearded the Ministers of theCrown in the broad light of day? Do you think I am afraid of our ownmen? Why, if Mistress North herself were half as fair as your ladyshipof the Braes, I would ride with her through all the armies of thepatriots, and no man would dare say me nay. "

A merry twinkle came into her eyes. "Would you wear the red cockade ifshe should ask you?"

"Ah, Mistress Jean, would you seduce me from my allegiance to thecause of the patriots?"

"To the cause of the patriots? What of your allegiance to the King?"

"But the King himself has broken that, and forced us in self-defenceto take up arms in revolt. Would you have me true to my people, or tothe King, who is over the sea?"

"To the King, " she answered promptly, "for the King's Ministers may bebad men to-day and good to-morrow, but if you once strike a blow atthe mother country and win, then the ties of love, of friendship, andof interest are severed for ever. "

"Yes; but she should have thought of that before she forced us to it. "

"What spoiled children you are, " she cried. "Because the taffy is notas good as usual you want to pull the house down about our ears. "

Thus receiving and parrying thrusts, we rode along the banks of theElk, and as we neared the ferry we met numbers of men travelling thesame way with us, all bound for the great mustering, and though theyreturned our salutations, seeing the black cockade in our hats, theyscowled on Gordon of the Braes. 

"There goes that dog of a Tory, " I would hear them growl to oneanother as we passed. 

But Gordon rode on with a cool, indifferent, almost contemptuousmanner, which made the frowns grow blacker, and the mutterings deeperand louder. But no man as yet sought to beard him, for his courage andhis daring were well known throughout the shore, and it would havetaken a bold man indeed to cross Gordon of the Braes. 

At last we came to the ferry and saw on the hillside, among the foresttrees, the white tents, already taking on the appearance of awell-regulated camp. The little town amid the trees, busy with thelife of the moving crowd, and bright with the uniforms of the MarylandLine, which we were soon to don, formed a curious spectacle as weentered. 

Every part of the province was represented. Here was a tallbackwoodsman in his coonskin cap, buckskin shirt and leggings, withhis long and deadly rifle, totally unadorned by the glint of silver orchasing on the barrel to betray him to his redskin neighbour--and youknew that one of Cresap's riflemen was before you. 

By his side, for the moment, was a young tobacco planter from PrinceGeorge. The youngster to whom he was talking, clad in the scarlet andbuff of the Maryland Line, was a young dandy from Annapolis. 

And so it was all through the crowd, the frontiersman, the hard-ridingcountry squire, and the city swell, all mingled together, and allanimated with one all-pervading and all-engrossing thought--how bestto secure the freedom of the country and resist the tyranny of theKing. 

As we made our way through the crowd the faces grew dark as they sawthe Tory, but as Dick and I rode on either hand, with our blackcockades, the crowd murmuringly gave way before us, and though all thepeople were hostile to him, and he could not help but see it, hecoolly looked them over and rode as if he had no enemy within ahundred miles. 

But the colour in Mistress Jean's cheek flamed high, and I saw herlittle hands clenched together, as if she would like to tell theserebels what she thought of their treatment of her father. And I, seeing the war signal so clearly on her cheek, and daring not thebatteries of her eyes and wit, was discreet and said not a word. 

We took our way to the inn, kept by one John McLean, a genial host andScotchman, who was well known in three provinces, and kept the finestinn for many miles around. 

He received us in a jovial way, for though he was a stanch patriot, heand Gordon had been friends for many years. 

"So, Mistress Jean, you have deigned to honour my roof with yourpresence. Welcome, welcome, all of you. "

And though I had swung myself off Toby to assist Mistress Jean todismount, he was before me and swung her lightly to the ground. 

"I declare, " he said, "you grow bonnier every day, lassie, " whichbrought a blush to her cheek. Then, turning, he called his wife andplaced Mistress Jean in her charge. 

"I am sorry to say, gentlemen, that the inn is very crowded, as yousee, but I think I can find a place for you. " Then drawing the Toryaside for a little way, we heard him remonstrating with him for comingto the town at such a time, when the feeling ran so strong and highagainst the Loyalist. 

"You risk your life, " he said, "for the slightest spark orindiscretion will bring a mob, boiling and seething around you. Theofficers will not be able to hold the men in, as they are onlyvolunteers, and have not yet felt the hand of discipline. "

But Charles Gordon shrugged his shoulders, and his reply camedistinct and clear: "I thought you knew me better, McLean. I wouldnot hide my head for a hundred or a thousand of them;" and he turnedand went into the inn. 

The innkeeper made a gesture of despair. "That is always the way, "said he, "both in this country and the old; tell a Gordon of a dangerand he will rush right into it, and then expect to come out safe andsound. "

We laughed, for the expression on the old Scotchman's face was sodroll. 

"But now for your room, gentlemen;" and he led the way to a small roomunder the gable roof. "It is the only room I have left, " he said, "butyou are welcome to it. "

It was now somewhat late in the afternoon, but having made ourselvespresentable and partaken of a lunch, we went to report ourselves toCaptain Ramsay of the 1st Regiment of the Maryland Line. 

He received us at his tent door with a warm grasp of the hand. "Youare the very lads I have been waiting for, " he said. "I have twoLieutenancies to fill, and you are the men to fill them. "

"But, Captain, " said Dick Ringgold, "we have not been tried yet. Letus go into the ranks and fight our way up, as so many better men thanwe are doing. "

I could not help admiring Dick for his modesty, and though I, too, said the same thing, I confess I hoped the Captain would not hear ofit, and so it proved. 

"No, no, " he said, and patted Dick on the shoulder. "I must have you;I know the blood that runs in your veins, lads, and that I will haveno better fighting stock in the army. " And thus it was settled, andwe became officers in that Maryland Line, and--I say it with all duemodesty--the most famous of all the fighting regiments in the strugglefor the Great Cause. 

CHAPTER III

A FLASH OF STEEL

That night we sat at the long table in the dining-room of the inn. Allup and down its great length sat the officers of the Line--countrygentlemen from Cecil, Kent, and as far south as Queen Anne, who hadridden thus far to see the mustering and to give it their countenanceand their favour. Grave and sedate gentlemen many of them, men ofaffairs, the leaders of their counties, and delegates to theConvention and to Congress--men of the oldest and bluest blood in theprovince, of wide estates and famous names, whose families wielded amighty influence in the cause of the patriots and gave it stabilityand great strength. 

Then there was the parson, a merry old gentleman, stout of form, witha round face and twinkling eyes, who in his youth was a mightyfox-hunter in spite of his cloth; even then, stout as he had grown, when he heard the music of the hounds, it was with difficulty herestrained the inclination to follow, which now, alas! was madeimpossible by his great weight. We who loved hard riding, hardfighting, and a strong will, admired him, and no man was more popularthroughout the three counties than the fox-hunting parson. He knew thepeople and their ways, and was one of them. 

"I hear you are fire-eaters here, " he said to a vestryman upon beinginstalled. 

"Then we are well matched, " came the reply, "for they say you are apepperbox. "

So no gathering throughout the county was a success without theparson, and by the unanimous voice of the Line he was called to betheir chaplain. 

We sat there in the long dining-room amid the hum of many voices, theglare of many lights, and the click of the glasses, as the wine wasgoing around, when a young man who sat across the table from me rosewith his glass poised between his fingers. 

He was a handsome man, of twenty-one or twenty-two, of dark andswarthy features, thick lips and nose, and hair as black as night, telling of the Indian blood in his veins. 

His name was Rodolph, and he was the son of a man more noted for hiswealth than for his principles, but who was then at the city ofAnnapolis, a delegate from the county of Cecil. 

"I propose a toast, " he cried, "that all true patriots should drink. Atoast to the delegates of this county, who at the convention of theprovince in the city of Annapolis are standing as the bulwarks ofliberty against the tyranny of the Crown. "

We were all on our feet in an instant to drink the toast, with a rightgoodwill, all except Charles Gordon, who sat at my right hand. He kepthis seat and watched us with a cool, sarcastic smile upon his lips. 

"Is not the toast good enough for you?" cried Rodolph, with an uglysneer upon his face. 

All eyes now turned to where Charles Gordon sat, and he slowly rose. 

"Drink to your delegates?" said he. "Not I. They are the scum of thecounty of Cecil, and you know it. I would as soon be governed by myslaves at the Braes as by such men as they are. I wish you joy ofthem. " And bowing, he turned and left the room by a door that was nearat hand. 

For an instant there was silence, then an uproar broke forth, andRodolph sprang around the table to follow him, with several of theyoung men at his heels. But I, seeing the danger, with possibly athought of a fair maid's eyes, threw myself before the door with drawnsword. 

"No man passes through this door, " I cried, "unless he passes overme. "

The crowd drew back in surprise. 

"Since when, " I shouted, for they hesitated, "have Maryland gentlemenlearned to fight in mobs? If any one has an insult to resent, let himfight as becomes a gentleman, man to man. "

"Stand aside, " shouted Rodolph, who was now before me, "and let me getat the traitor. "

"Put up your swords, gentlemen. " I found I had a new ally in a tall, dignified gentleman, who took his place beside me, a Mr. Wilmer of theWhite House in Kent. 

"The lad is right, " he said; "and you, Rodolph, I should think, wouldhave had enough of Charles Gordon of the Braes. "

At this there was a laugh, which at the time I did not understand; butthe company good-naturedly put back their swords and resumed theirplaces at the table, all except Rodolph, who slipped away from theroom. 

That night, as I lay upon my bed, dreaming, boylike, of the fair eyesof the Tory maid, and hoping that the part I had played in the matterof the toast might come to her ears and cause her to give me a smileat our next meeting, I heard the sound of footsteps coming down thepassageway. 

"There is great danger, " said a voice, which I recognised as thelandlord's, as they were passing by my door. "Rodolph is stirring upthe crowd, and though you might brave the mob, Mistress Jean--" andthen the voices died away. 

"The mob" and "Mistress Jean. " Clearly something must be afoot. Springing from my bed, I swore to myself, that, if anything happenedto the Tory maid, I would make Phil Rodolph feel the edge of my sword. Hastily throwing on my clothes, I went to the window and looked out. The night was dark, the sky being full of drifting clouds, throughwhich the moon faintly struggled; everything lay quiet and still inthe village and the camp. Steps were heard upon the porch below, andthen a horse was brought around from the stables. A moment later ahorseman mounted, and I saw a slender figure on the pillion behindhim. 

"Keep to the south road, " said a voice, "they have only one sentrythere. "

I did not wait to hear more, but slipped downstairs and out of a sidedoor, and the next moment I was running softly through the camp to theoutpost on the south road, for one of my own men was stationed there, and I knew that without orders or the countersign no man would passthat way that night. It was well I did, for as I drew near I heard thechallenge "Who goes there?" and the answer "A friend. "

"Advance, friend, and give the countersign. "

"Maryland. " But the Tory had missed it, and the next moment thesentry's rifle was at his shoulder, and I knew the cry for the officerof the guard would follow; so I stepped out from the shadow, and thesentry, seeing me, brought his rifle to a salute. 

"Lieutenant, " he said, "he wants to pass, and has given the wrongcountersign. "

"Yes, " said I, drawing my hat over my eyes, for I did not wish to berecognised by Mistress Jean. "I heard. But I know them; let thempass. "

"Certainly, Lieutenant. "

"Thank you, " said the rider, and a still softer "Thank you" came fromhis companion. I bowed, but said nothing, and stood there watchingthem disappear down the dark road until the sound of the horse's hoofswas lost in the distance. 

"Queer time of the night to ride, sir, " said the sentinel. 

"Yes; but they have far to go. "

"Kent or Queen Anne's, sir?"

"Down by Bohemia Manor. "

"That is where that old Tory Gordon lives; they say they are going torout him out in the morning for insulting the committee last night. Heis up at the inn, there, and Phil Rodolph says he is going to make ithot for him. "

"Mere talk, I expect. Good-night. "

"Good-night, sir. "

I took my way back to the inn, and when I crawled to my room once moreand into bed, Dick Ringgold raised himself on his arm and said in asleepy voice: "What's up, Frisby?"

"Oh, nothing, " I replied; "go to sleep. " And I soon followed my ownadvice. 

CHAPTER IV

THE RED COCKADE

The stirring notes of the bugle made us spring up in the morning, tofind, when we were again downstairs, that every one was talking of thedisappearance of Charles Gordon of the Braes. 

Master Richard marvelled much at the disappearance of the Tory, and, though I knew it was of the Tory maid he was thinking, I said not aword, but went on with my duties; and manifold they were for many daysto come. The drilling of the raw recruits, who, though they were fullof fire and _élan_, were not used to the strict obedience of orders, was at first very difficult. But soon there came the spirit and thepride that were to make them the best drilled troops, the dandies andmacaronies of the army. And so, with the drilling of recruits andassisting Captain Ramsay in the formation of the regiment, a weekpassed by before a day came when Dick and I found a few spare hours onour hands. And having certain plans and purposes in view, and notwishing them to be known to Dick, I sat and watched for an opportunityto slip away. 

Master Richard, it was evident, had also some plans on foot, for aftermoving from the chair to the top of a box and then back again, hestretched his arms above his head, and, yawning, said: "I believe Iwill take a little canter down the south road; come along?"

"No, " I replied; "I am going to ride a short distance down the eastroad. "

"All right, " said he, and springing from his chair, he went to orderhis horse. I soon followed, and, having seen Dick well on his way, rode for a short distance on the east road, then turned, rode back, and entered the road which runs along the bank of the Elk, by which wehad entered the town on our journey from Kent. As I rode, I hummed ajovial hunting-song and touched Toby with the spur, for I was quitejubilant at having got rid of Dick and so well on the road to myadventure. 

My time was short and it was good twelve miles to the Braes, butToby's sire was a son of old Ranter, and I knew he could do it in anhour and a half. So Toby felt the spur, and I barely noticed the milesas we flew along, until we came to the road that leads south to theBraes. Down this road we turned, and as we were so near the end of ourjourney I began to think of the reasons and excuses I should give formy visit. Reason! Pshaw! What better reason does a Marylander wantthan a pair of blue eyes? And if Mistress Jean should so much asdemand it by the merest glance of those eyes, I would tell her so. Aye, but she is a Tory and wears the red cockade. True, but the fairerthe enemy the more difficult the prize, the greater the glory andeffort to win. 

And so, having justified my invasion of the stronghold of the Tory, Ipricked Toby with the spur and rode on more rapidly, when, on turninga bend in the road where it is intersected by one from the east, whomshould I come face to face with but Master Richard? For a moment hestared at me with open mouth, and I at him; then his brow grew dark. 

"I thought, " he cried; but suddenly the humour of our meeting cameover him. Thrusting his hands into his pockets, he broke out into ahearty burst of laughter, and I could do nothing but follow. 

"And so, Master Frisby, you rode down the east road. "

"And you, methinks, rode down the south. " Again our laughter rangthrough the woods. 

"Come, " he cried, "which is it to be? So fair a maid deserves twocavaliers, but we would be at sword points within a week, and I do notwish to lose the friendship of Mr. James Frisby of Fairlee. "

"A chance has brought us here, so let chance decide. "

"Agreed, " said Dick, pulling out a sovereign, and with a twitch of thethumb, he sent it high in the air. "Heads, you win. Tails, I win. "Then catching it as it fell: "By Jove, you have it. Present mycompliments to Mistress Jean, " he cried, with a grandiloquent bow, "and tell her how near she came to being Mrs. Dick Ringgold of HuntingField. "

"That I will, Sir Richard. " But Dick was gone, and I was left to rideon to the Braes. 

A long, rambling house it was, standing white amid the trees, a widelawn around it stretching down to the creek at its foot; while beyondcould be seen the sunlight gleaming on the bay. A quaint, old-fashioned place, the low roof already growing dark with age; thequiet air of ease and comfort brooding over all, making a fittingsetting for the quaint, slender little lady that ruled its destinies. 

A negro took my horse; another showed me across the broad hall, withits hunting whips and trophies on the wall, to the parlour, and thereI awaited the coming of the Tory maid. And as I sat there, gentlystroking the toe of my boot with my whip, and thinking of that nightat the inn, of that soft "Thank you" on the old south road, I heardthe soft swish of her skirts, and, looking up, saw Mistress Jeanstanding in the doorway. A beautiful picture it was, like some oldportrait of Lely's, the maid standing there framed in the old oak. AndI, though I had been to the balls at the Governor's house the winterbefore, and was therefore a man of the world, sat staring for amoment. But she advanced, and I was on my feet with a low and sweepingbow. 

"Father is away, " said she, "but in his name I wish to thank you fordefending us at the inn that night. "

So she knew. 

"It was to save the honour of Maryland gentlemen, " I replied modestly. "Heretofore they have not fought in mobs. But will you not thank mefor yourself?"

"When you turn loyalist, yes, " said she. 

"Almost thou persuadest me to become a traitor. "

"You are that already, " she said with spirit. 

"Yes, that is the way they have written 'Patriot' since Tyranny firststalked across the world. But patriot or traitor, Mistress Jean, Ihave already won one 'Thank you, ' and I hope some day to win another. "

"Won one 'Thank you'--when and where?" and she looked at me with wideopen eyes. 

Now every Marylander will admit that there are no more gallant fellowsin the world than we are, and if any one chooses to dispute it, welland good, we are willing to cross swords with him any day, and soreprove him for his recklessness. Indeed, we have been called withtruth the Gascons of the South, and, like those gallant gentlemen ofold France, we have never hidden our light under a bushel, to use ahomely phrase; and so when I saw Mistress Jean's air of surprise, thespirit of my race came over me. 

"Yes, " I replied, "it was the sweetest 'Thank you' I ever heard. "

Again the mystified look. 

"But where?" said she again. 

"It was rather dark, " I replied, "and the clouds were drifting acrossthe sky, and you, I am afraid, did not know who it was who receivedthat soft 'Thank you. '"

"Were you the Lieutenant?"

I bowed. 

"Oh, " she said, and she stamped her tiny foot, "if you were only not arebel!"

"But even rebels have their uses. "

Thus it was we became good friends in spite of the traitor stampedupon my brow. Ere I knew it, the time approached when I had to mountand ride. But before I left, her soft hand rested for a moment inmine. 

"We march in a few days, " said I, "to the North, to the Leaguer ofBoston. There will be fighting there and bloody work. Can I not carrya single token?"

Her nimble fingers flew to her hair, and took from thence a blood-redrose, and pinned it to my coat. 

"There, " said she, "my red cockade;" and turning quickly, she ran intothe house. 

CHAPTER V

SIR SQUIRE OF TORY DAMES

"Well, Sir Squire of Tory Dames, did she smile on you?" The voice washarsh and rasping; looking across the table, I saw the sneer upon hislips. I had but entered a moment before the dining-room of the inn, after my long ride, and was about to take my seat, when Rodolph'ssneering question made me pause. 

"That is more than you could ever win, my Mighty Lord from Nowhere, " Iretorted. At this there was a laugh from those about. An angry flushshowed through even his dark and swarthy skin; for, being a burlybully of the border, he liked not being bearded thus by a youth. 

"You damned impudent puppy!" he cried, rising. 

But there stood a glass at my right hand, full to the brim, and ere hecould say another word the red wine flew across the table straightinto his face. 

"Take that!" I cried, "with the compliments of James Frisby ofFairlee!"

A dozen men were now around us, and Rodolph, spluttering through thewine and swearing many oaths, demanded to be released from the handsupon his shoulders, shouting that he would shoot me like a dog. 

"It will give me pleasure to let you have an opportunity, " I repliedcoolly. "It will be a rare chance for you to become a gentleman. "

And so, still muttering and swearing, his friends took him from theroom, while I took my seat at the table. But I was not allowed to eatmy meal in peace; for many gentlemen came to offer their services andto thank me. Rodolph's overbearing manners had long been unpopularamong them, and the wonder was that he had not been forced to fightbefore. But I was determined that Dick should be my second, and so, thanking them all for their kind offers, I placed my hand on Dick'sshoulder, and we went out together amid a volley of advice andfriendly warning. 

Half an hour later, as I was examining my sword and Dick his pistols, there came a rap on my door, and two gentlemen entered; one wasCaptain Brooke, the other Lieutenant Barry of the Line. 

"Lieutenant Frisby, " said Captain Brooke, as he advanced and bowed, "it is my painful duty to deliver you this challenge. "

"It is a pleasure to receive it from your hands, " I replied, returning his courtesy. "Lieutenant Ringgold and Harry Gresham of Kentwill act as my seconds, permit me to refer you to them. "

Dick now went out with them to Harry Gresham's room near by, wherethey would be safe from interruption, Gresham having volunteered withDick to be one of my seconds, and I went on polishing my sword, waiting for the issue. At last Dick came back. 

"Well, " he cried, "it is all settled. You are to fight to-morrowmorning at sunrise down in the little meadow below the creek. "

"Swords, I suppose?"

"No; pistols. I insisted on swords at first, it being our privilege;but Captain Brooke said that Rodolph had broken his arm the yearbefore, and that it was still too weak to fight with. So I waived theswords and agreed to the pistols. "

"It is not quite as gentlemanly a weapon, but just as deadly. I haveput a bullet through the head of a wild duck flying, and I think I canhit Phil Rodolph. "

"That you can, " said Dick. 

It was a bright, clear morning as we slipped out of the inn on our wayto the little meadow. The eastern sky was already tinged with crimson, and the blood-red lances across the heavens told of the coming dawn. The air was fresh and cool as it blew up the river from the bay, andour lungs drew in great draughts of it as we felt the breeze in ourfaces. 

"A splendid morning to die on, " said Harry Gresham. 

"And to live on, too, " I replied. 

"Stop your croaking, Gresham, " put in Dick Ringgold. We walked onsilently to the meadow, where we found that we were the first toarrive. 

Though I have stood on many a field of honour since that day, though Ihave felt the bullet tearing and burning its way through the flesh, and the sudden, sharp pain of the sword thrust, I shall never forgetthat encounter on the meadow beside the Elk, when I first faced themuzzle of a hostile pistol, and knew that the will behind it sought mylife. 

It was not fear that I felt as I stood there, waiting for the comingof my adversary, for fear has always been foreign to my family, but asort of secret elation. For that day, if I survived, though the downupon my lip was as yet imperceptible, I could take my place as a manamong men. No longer would my boyish face keep me out of the councilsof my elders, but I would have the right to take my stand and ruffleit with the best of them all. I was there to win my spurs as a manand a duellist, and to show to all the world that I had the courage ofmy race. For then, as it has ever been in the fair province ofMaryland, we love above all else courage in a man; and so it was Iwaited with impatience Rodolph's approach, for it meant the castingoff of the boy and the making of the man. 

We did not have long to wait, for Rodolph and his seconds soonfollowed us down the path, and each party saluted. Then Captain Brookeand Dick Ringgold measured off the paces, and threw for the choice ofpositions. Dick won, and I found myself standing near a small sapling, with my back to the rising sun, which as yet had not climbed over thetree tops, and so did not interfere with Rodolph's position. Facingme, twelve paces away, stood Rodolph, his dark, swarthy face darker, more Indian-like, and forbidding than ever; behind him stretched awaythe small glade, and the smooth green waters of the river, as theywound their way between the tall forests on either side. I rememberwatching a wild duck as he went swiftly flying down the Elk, when DickRinggold's "Are you ready?" suddenly recalled me to my position. "Yes, " I nodded. Then came the even counting, "One, two;" but ere"two" had been uttered, I saw the flash of Rodolph's pistol, and feltthe sharp pain of the bullet tearing its way into my side. While I, taken by surprise at such rank treachery, fired not so accurately asusual, and my bullet clipped his ear. Dick's sword was out in aninstant, and I verily believe he would have run Rodolph through on thespot, as it was his duty and right to do, so base was the crime offiring before the time--a thing that had never been known amongMaryland gentlemen before. But seeing me reel, he came to myassistance, and threw his arm around me. 

"Tie me to the sapling, Dick, " said I, "and give me one more shot. "

"But no gentleman should fight with such a scoundrel!" cried Dickhotly. 

"I waive that, just one more shot. "

So, with Harry Gresham's assistance, they took Dick's sash and tied meto the sapling, and in this way enabled me to keep an uprightposition. Captain Brooke had come forward to inquire as to my injury, but Dick met him and demanded another exchange of shots. "Myprincipal, " he said, "waives the treachery that places your principalbeyond the pale of men of honour. But, " continued Dick, "if he shoulddare to fire again before the time, I will shoot him down where hestands. "

Captain Brooke flushed, and though we saw that it was painful to himas a man of honour to be the second of such a principal, he could donothing but accept. "I will shoot him down myself, " said he, "if hedares again to do it. "

He then returned to his party, and we saw by his angry gestures thathe was warning Rodolph of the penalty if he should a second timetransgress the rules of honour. 

Again we faced, and I could feel the strength ebbing fast from me, butI could see that Rodolph's face was pale, even through his swarthyskin. "One, two, three, Fire, " came again the fateful words; but I hadnerved myself for the final effort, and glancing down the polishedbarrel, I fired, at the same moment that Rodolph's pistol rang out. 

For a moment I saw him standing there, and then he lurched forward, with his arms in the air, and fell face downward as the mortallywounded do. With that there came a mist before my eyes, my hand fellto my side, and I remembered nothing more. They told me afterward thatthey carried me to the inn in the village, Captain Brooke assisting, after they had seen that Rodolph was dead. "Leave him there forawhile, " said the Captain, as he came to assist Dick in my removal. "The dog had a better death than he deserved. "

CHAPTER VI

A TALE IS TOLD

I lay there at the inn, I do not know how long, but they told meafterward it was for many days, hanging on the brink between life anddeath, until one day I heard in my dreams the music of the fife andthe rattle of the drums, and awoke to life and hope again. Thesunlight was streaming through the south window across the counterpaneof the bed, and outside could be heard the steady tread of marchingmen. 

"What troops are those?" I asked somewhat hazily, for I was still onthe borderland of dreams. 

"They are the Maryland Line marching away to the North to join GeneralWashington. "

"Marching to the North? Then I must join them. " And I tried to rise inmy bed, for it came back to me with a rush that I was a Lieutenant inthe Line. But strong hands pushed me gently back upon my pillow, and Irecognised now the voice of my nurse, Mrs. McLean. 

"No, no, Mr. Frisby; be still. You are a regular little bantam, butyour spurs are clipped for some time yet. "

"Why, what is the matter, Mrs. McLean? How did I come here?"

"Law bless the boy!" said the good old soul. "He has clean forgot. "

But the dull pain in my side soon brought back to me that clear, freshmorning on the bank of the Elk, and for a moment I lay still. 

"Did I kill Rodolph?" I asked. 

"That you did, lad; and no man deserved it more. "

Then I heard a heavy step in the passageway outside, and then alighter one. The next moment the door opened and I saw my mother, morepale and fairy-like than ever, and behind her came Captain Ramsay, bluff and hearty, but looking very solemn at that moment. But they sawthe news on Mrs. McLean's good-natured face, and when I spoke to mylady, the old-time happy look came back again, as she came to mybedside and kissed me, while the great voice of the Captain camehearty and strong. 

"Aye, lad, I told them that you would pull through; make a gallantfight, my boy, and you will have a shot at the redcoats yet. "

"But, Captain, you are marching away without me. "

"You will be in time for the fighting, never worry; lie still and getwell. Half the young men in the Line are envying you, you rogue, forbecoming a hero before them all. " And the Captain took my hand, andbade me good-bye, for he must hurry away to join his regiment. 

A few minutes later there came the clank of a sword and a hurriedstep, and then the door burst open and in marched Master Dick in allthe glory of his full regimentals. And so brave was the show that hemade in his cocked hat, scarlet coat, with its facings of buff, andthe long clanking sword, that I longed to spring up and don my ownthen and there. But my mother's finger on her lip caused him to stopthe cheery greeting, and he came forward on his tiptoes, holding hissword carefully to keep it from clanking, for by this time I wasgrowing weak again. Master Dick shook my hand gently and murmured, "Cheer up, old fellow, you will soon be with us again, " but I couldonly give him a slight smile, for I was again on the borderland ofdreams. Dick stood for awhile looking down on me; then he, too, had todepart. Gradually the steady tramp of marching feet died away, andeverything became quiet and still again. 

The days passed by, week followed week, and though at first I gainedstrength but slowly, the process seeming a long and dreary one, thevigour of a youthful frame soon asserted itself, and I could feel thereturning tide of health and strength. But as yet I lay there upon thegreat four-post bed, with my mother sitting near by, her dear facebending over the embroidery frame, as her deft fingers weavedbeautiful designs with the silk. As I lay there, I would wander backagain to that day before the duel, to the swift challenging glance ofa pair of blue eyes as a blood-red rose was pinned to my coat. Butthat was so long ago, years it seemed to me, away back in the past, amemory as it were of a fairy tale heard from the lips of a grandmotherbefore the big open fire in the great hall on a winter night; a fairytale, aye, and she the Princess, with her blue eyes and hair of wavingbrown, with her step as light as the dew-drop, and her voice as lowand soft as the breath of the Southern breeze in the spring; and thenI would be her Prince Charming, with my coal-black horse. But, pshaw!I am becoming a child again; whereas I am a man, who has fought hisduel as becomes a man, with a right to the sword by his side. And yetthose blue eyes, what fate was in store for them? And would theirchallenging glance ever meet mine again? But here my mother stoppedthe trend of my thoughts for a moment. 

"James, " she said, "John Cotton tells me that an old darky comes toinquire for you every night. Strange, is it not? We know so fewpeople here. "

"Yes, " I replied. "Does John Cotton know who he is?"

"No; he refuses to tell, and all John Cotton can find out is that heleaves town by the river road. He appears to be a stranger to all theother darkies, and nobody seems to know him. "

By the river road! Could it possibly be, then, that it was the Torymaid who sent those many miles to see if I were in the land of theliving or the dead? Ah, it was too pleasant a thing to dream of; toopleasant to have it shattered by the rough hand of fact. And so I saiddreamily, "It is only one of John Cotton's stories, I suppose. "

Yet I would not have believed it otherwise for all of John Cotton'sweight in gold. Thus it was I was thinking one day of the Tory maid, when the door opened, and a tall, dignified gentleman came in--the manwho had stood by my side that day when with drawn sword I held thedoor against Rodolph and his followers--Mr. Lambert Wilmer of theWhite House in Kent. 

He came forward and greeted me with many kind phrases. While he sattalking to me of the duel and its cause, I thought of that great burstof laughter when he told Rodolph to put up his sword, as by this timehe should have had enough of Gordon of the Braes, and I asked thereason for it all. 

"It is a long story, lad, " said he, "but I will tell it to you. "

Then he told me how, many years before, Mistress Margaret Nicholsonhad been the loveliest girl in Kent, and the belle of the whole shore, and how there was not a bachelor within three counties who did notseek her as his bride, or who would not have sold his soul for aglance of her eyes or the soft pressure of her hand; and how whenJames Rodolph of Charlestown Hundred came riding down from Cecil andboasted of his wealth, his horses, and his slaves, swearing that hewould win her or no one would, the suitors stood aside to see how hewould fare with this the proudest of Kent beauties. To their dismay, he seemed to prosper well, until one day there disembarked from avessel that came sailing up the broad Chester a young gentleman ofdistinguished appearance, who asked his way to Radcliffe, the home ofthe Nicholsons. 

"Now, the Nicholsons, as you know, " said Mr. Wilmer, "are Scotch, andthis young gentleman was Scotch, for his accent betrayed him, and we, thinking he might be a cousin and have brought news from over thewater, welcomed him, and showed him the way to Radcliffe. He, thoughhe was very reserved, told us that he had indeed come from over thesea, and bore a letter to the Nicholsons, who were old friends of hisfamily, but of himself he would say no more. And so, when he strodeoff, we turned to Captain Hezekiah Brown of the Maid of Perth, who wasa man who delighted to talk. From him we learned that his name wasGordon, and that there was a mystery about him, as people suspectedhim of being one of the young chiefs who had led that famous clan inthe recent rebellion against the King. But this we held not to hisinjury, for there were still many lovers of the White Rose in the fairprovince of Maryland, and we afterward welcomed him the more heartilyfor it. From the advent of the stranger the good fortune of JamesRodolph began to wane; for the rich planter of the border, with hiswild and boisterous manners, was no match for the Scottish cavalier. It is true that he was penniless, but he was very handsome, ofdistinguished manners and address, and when it became known that hewas out in 'forty-five' the mantle of romance that fell around PrinceCharles was shared as well by him, and he became the hero of many apair of fair eyes. 

"James Rodolph soon saw this, and his hatred grew from day to day, ashis rival became more successful. One day there was a quarrel, andnext morning, upon the smooth, sandy shore of the river, they met andfought it out. Rodolph was fiery, quick, and fierce; Gordon cool andsteady; until Rodolph, growing weary and desperate, tried a foul anddangerous stroke, to find his rapier flying through the air, to fallwith a splash into the river. 

"'I would not stain my blade by killing you, ' said Gordon; and turningwith the other gentlemen who had seen the foul stroke, he walked away, leaving him there. 

"And so it was that Rodolph came back to Cecil with a blot upon hisname, and Gordon married the maid, and became in time the owner of theBraes, for she was an heiress as well as a great beauty. From thattime has grown the feud which we may some day see the end of. And thatis why the people laughed and Rodolph slunk away. For the old story isknown throughout the shore, and Rodolph proved, in his fight with you, the bad blood in his veins. It never does to cross the white bloodwith the red, for the treachery of the Indian will taint the race forgenerations. "

Thus it was, by the light of this old tale of thirty years before, Isaw and read the cause and reason of it all--of his fatal course, ofour quarrel, and of the meeting by the banks of the river Elk. 

CHAPTER VII

THE DEFIANCE OF THE TORY

A few weeks later I was up and out, fast gaining strength and couragefor the long ride to the northward to join the gallant fellows of theMaryland Line, who had taken up their line of march soon after theaccident befell me. And though I was eager to be off, the surgeonwould not let me go, and so, until I could gather strength for thelong journey, I served as best I could my country and the commands ofthe Committee of Public Safety sitting at the Head of Elk. Thus it wasI rode one day by the side of Edward Veasey, High Sheriff of thecounty of Cecil, carrying the writ and command of the Committee ofPublic Safety to Charles Gordon of the Braes, now a suspected Toryand a malcontent. And as I rode by the side of the High Sheriff onthis most unpleasant task, I longed to turn back and let the Sheriffride on alone; but duty held me as a point of honour. For as it was, Iwas carrying I knew not what ruin and destruction to the roof of thevery house that once had received me as a guest and that sheltered thefairest eyes that had ever gazed in mine. And now I was to appearbefore that house as the bearer of ill-tidings. Ah, duty often wears agruesome countenance; yet it is a sign of courage to face this dutydown, and I sat more firmly in my saddle and rode nearer to the HighSheriff. He was a stern and determined man; he was short of stature, stout of frame, and sat his powerful horse like the fox-hunter that hewas. But, though it was the height of summer, and the hills and theforests were green, the air laden with the odour of flowers, and thestreams full and rushing, there was anything but a smile on the HighSheriff's face. For though he was no friend to Gordon of the Braes, heliked not the errand on which he rode, and would gladly have turnedhis horse's head with me. 

"If they want to fight, " said he to me, "why don't they join theMaryland Line and leave men alone who are disposed to be quiet? Theywill have enough to do in repulsing the redcoats, and should not stirup opposition in the rear of our armies, which this persecution ofprivate individuals will certainly do. I wish some other carried thiswrit, and I was with the lads fighting in the North. "

"Aye, so do I, but it is the order of the committee, " said I grimly. 

"True, and as such must be obeyed. "

We had come to where the ferry crosses the Elk, and hailing it wewere soon on the south bank and taking up again the road that leads tothe Braes. Over the hills and dales of Cecil, the forest, streams, andrivers, the soft warm sunlight played, and nature blessed with lavishhand the harvest of the year. Seldom had she been more pleasing, theearth bursting with flowers and the very trees welcoming withoutstretched arms the soft breezes wafted from the bay. And then, after some hours' travelling, we came to the Braes and I saw again thelong rambling house amid the trees. I took a firmer grip upon my senseof duty and rode on. The clatter of our horses' hoofs as we rode up tothe door announced us. A moment later Charles Gordon came through theopen doorway on to the porch. Though I had seen him before, it seemedto me, as I saw him standing there, with the memory of the old talein my mind, that I saw not the Tory, but one of those figures ofromance that stepped out from the mystery and the haze of the North, when Prince Charles raised his standard in the Highlands, one of thoseheroic men who drew swords with Wallace and with Bruce, rallied withMontrose, and went to death with a cheer behind Bonnie Dundee atKilliecrankie, of such gallant bearing and bold and open countenancewas he. 

"What brings you here, Mr. Sheriff, riding so fast?"

"I come, Charles Gordon of the Braes, " replied the Sheriff, "to serveon you the writ and summons of the Committee of Public Safety. " Andhere he unfolded the summons and read aloud, sitting on his horse ashe was:

 "_Whereas_, Great complaints have this day been made against Charles Gordon of the Braes, for that he has infamously reflected on the membership of this Committee and the deputies of this county who lately attended the Provincial Convention, "These are therefore requiring the said Charles Gordon of the Braes that he appear before this Committee, at the house of Thomas Savin at the Head of Elk, to-morrow at two o'clock P. M. , to answer unto said complaints. 

 "Hereto fail not on your peril. 

 "JAMES RODOLPH, Chairman. 

 "To CHARLES GORDON of the Braes. "

Then spoke Charles Gordon:

"Go tell those who sent you, Mr. Sheriff, that if they wish to seeCharles Gordon they will have to come to the Braes to do so; that Iwill give them a right warm welcome, as my plantation is large enoughto hold them all; but that if any of their rascally crew dare toapproach the house, there will be lives lost; for I say to you, Mr. Sheriff, as I have said before and will say again, that James Rodolphand his committee are a set of infamous scoundrels, who have usurpedsuch power and authority in troublous times as the King himself wouldnot dare to claim. Tell them that I am at their defiance, that I donot recognise their authority, and that I have as much contempt forthem as I have for their dogs. "

The old gentleman, for he must have been nearly sixty, looked splendidin his wrath, as he denounced the Committee of Public Safety. The ringin his voice told that the ire of the Scot was rising. 

For an instant the High Sheriff hesitated, as if he would turn and go, but then he said:

"Charles Gordon, I spoke to you a moment ago as an officer of the law. I speak to you now as one who does not wish you an injury. Obey theorder of the committee, and I will see that you have fair speechbefore it. Refuse and you will be declared a traitor and an outlaw, and the edict will go forth through all the province that no man shallbuy of you, that no man shall sell to you, and he that shows youkindness will become an outlaw like yourself. "

Charles Gordon laughed. 

"Do you think I care a snap of a finger for their edict? There has notbeen a generation of my family that has not been at the Horn atEdinburgh for high treason. Do you think that I care when my neck hasbeen on the block for the part I took at Preston Pans and Culloden? Gofrighten the children with their edicts, but not an old Scot who hasseen the claymores flash and led the charge for the King who is overthe sea. "

"If you fought against the father, why not against the son?"

"A fair question deserves a fair answer. When my head was on theblock my life was saved by the intercession of the Duchess of Gordon, but upon conditions, and those conditions are these: That I shouldnevermore bear arms against the King, that I should leave the realm ofScotland, sail across the sea to the province of Maryland, thereremain and never return. So, though I love not the King nor his race, I will not draw sword against him, for never yet has a Gordon brokenfaith with friend or foe. Yet for all that I will not take up arms forthe King's cause unless I am forced to do so by such rascals ascompose your Committee of Public Safety. "

"So be it, then, but I wish it were otherwise, " said the Sheriff; and, turning, we rode away, leaving him standing there. As I entered thewoods I looked back again, my eyes searching every window in the oldhouse, but never a sign of the Tory maid did I see. 

CHAPTER VIII

THE BLACK COCKADE

It was two o'clock next day when we rode up to the house where theCommittee of Public Safety held its meetings, dismounted, and enteredthe room. Six gentlemen sat at the long table, and the room wascrowded with hangers-on. They were men who stayed behind while theothers went to the war; they fought the fight with their tongues, withwrits of forfeiture for high treason, became great statesmen, and intime aspired to become members of the committee. How the worthy HighSheriff regarded them could be seen by the manner in which he brushedpast them to stand before the committee. 

"What right have you to talk of liberty and of freedom, if you willnot fight for it? Why are you not with Howard, Gist, Smallwood, andthe other heroes who are making the name of the Maryland Line ringthrough the army?" he would ask, and they would turn away. 

The burly form and dark, swarthy face of the Chairman dominated thecommittee. As we entered and stood before him his dark eyes flashed. 

"Do you bring the body of Charles Gordon with you?" he demanded. 

"No; I do not. I bring his defiance, instead;" and the High Sheriffdelivered the message of Charles Gordon to the committee. 

The committee glanced from one to another, and there was a big stir inthe room. Then the Chairman was on his feet. 

"By a thousand devils, " he swore, "Charles Gordon shall suffer forthis. I will not stop until the Braes is razed to the ground, and Ihave driven him from the province. He is a Tory and a traitor, and adanger to the peace of the county. He will be up in arms next. Mr. Sheriff, summon a posse and ride to the Braes and bring us the body ofCharles Gordon, dead or alive. "

"You will not accept the invitation to go to the Braes yourself, then?" asked the High Sheriff gravely, though there was the suggestionof a smile around the corners of his mouth. 

The Chairman hesitated. "No, " he said; "it is absolutely necessary forthe welfare of the county of Cecil that we should remain where we areand not engage in any brawls or tumults, for if we are killed who willtake our places?"

"That is true, " said the High Sheriff ironically, "but have youconsidered, gentlemen, that Charles Gordon's wife was of theNicholsons of Kent, who, as you know, are the leaders of the patriotsin that county? How will they like it when they hear of your burningsand your razings?"

The Chairman frowned. "You are right, " he said; "we must proceed aboutit in a legal way, which is slow but sure. Mr. Clerk, instituteproceedings against Charles Gordon for the forfeiture of his lands forhigh treason, and meanwhile we will publish him throughout theprovince as a Tory and a traitor. We will teach this Charles Gordonand all Tories what it means to contemn the authority and dignity ofthis province and its committee. "

And then applause broke out from the crowd; but the High Sheriff, wholeft the room with me, shrugged his shoulders and said: "If they hadhalf of the courage of that Scot they would not be loafing aroundhere, applauding James Rodolph. I am tired of it; I am going to resignand go to the front. " He was as good as his word, for that very day heresigned the office of High Sheriff of the county of Cecil, packed hissaddle-bags, gathered some volunteers about him, and rode away to theNorth, becoming in time a noted officer. But it was not until themonth of August of that year that I was ready to follow him and feltequal to the length of the journey. On the night of the day before Itook my departure I called John Cotton and ordered him to saddle Toby. 

John Cotton received the order with wide-open eyes, as it was growingsomewhat late. 

"Fo' de Lord's sake, Mars Jim, what do you want Toby fo'? It's afterten o'clock. "

"Ask no questions, you black rascal, and bring Toby around in ahurry. "

Then his eyes fell on a cluster of red roses on my table, and a broadgrin crept from ear to ear. 

"Sartin, Mars Jim, sartin;" and he was out of the door before myflying boot could repay the impertinence of that grin. A few minuteslater I slipped out of the house to the stables, and, mounting Toby, was soon riding out of the silent town, having hit that rascal JohnCotton across the shoulders with my whip for the snickering laugh hecould not restrain as I was riding off. 

Have you ever ridden by the silent river after the night has fallen, and when it is far advanced? The great trees, rising far above youlike the vaulted arch of a cathedral, overhanging the path down whichyou ride; the smooth flowing waters of the river, the towering darkmass on the farther shore, and over all the glorious moon shiningdown flooding everything with its silvery light, weird and fantastic, glinting now like polished steel upon the waters, now deepening theshadows of the forest, or flooding again with its glorious radiancesome wide and sweeping stretch of water. And then, the unearthlysilence of it all, the mournful howl of the wolf in the hills, and thepiercing shrill cry of the wildcat, like that of a child tortured bythe demons of hell; then the horror of its beauty, its stillness andits loneliness, comes over you; nervous chills become distinctlyapparent, and you put spurs to your horse and ride on more rapidly, and the night is broken first by your whistle and then by your song. So it was, as I rode by the banks of the Elk, that night in earlyAugust, and my voice rang across the waters, as I sang the oldHighland ballad:

 The Gordons cam', and the Gordons ran, And they were stark and steady, And aye the word among them a' Was, Gordons, keep you ready. 

A ballad that I heard a young girl sing one day not long before. Thusthe length of my ride passed quickly away until Toby felt the softgrass under his feet as I rode silently across the lawn. Her windowwas high, it is true, but it was open to admit the fresh, cool breezefrom the bay, and then I had not thrown quoits in my youth not to beable to surmount so small a difficulty. So I fastened a black cockadeamid the blood-red of the roses, and, rising in my stirrups, threwthem firmly and gently, and saw them rise in the air, top thewindow-sill, and fall with a slight thud upon the floor. I did notwait for more, but turned and rode away; but it seemed to me that as Igained the shadow of the forest and looked back I saw the faintsuggestion of a girlish form standing at the open window. I lookedonce again and rode on. 

When morning came, I bade good-bye to my mother, mounted my black coltToby, and rode away to join the Maryland Line, which was marching nowfrom Boston, to meet the British before New York. As that day Icrossed the line into the province of Delaware, I saw nailed to agreat oak the proclamation of the Committee of Public Safety, denouncing Charles Gordon as a Tory and a traitor, and calling uponall persons to have no dealings with him, either in public or private, at their peril. And thus it was at every cross-roads in the county ofCecil, and in all the counties to the south and west, the edict hadgone forth. 

Now in Maryland, as I have said before, we love, above all else, courage in a man, and so I rode under the oak, and tore down theproclamation, for I knew the courage of Charles Gordon, Tory though hewas. I knew also that the proceedings of forfeiture had beeninstituted against him in the High Court of the Province, and that ereI set foot on the soil of Maryland again, he would be driven from theprovince, and it was for this that I paid this courtesy to the courageof an enemy, as I left my native plains behind me. 

It was a long road for a lad, but the people received me with openarms and urged me on when I told them whither I was riding. Afterseveral days of travelling along the shore of the Delaware and acrossthe low-lying plains of New Jersey, I came to the banks of the Hudson, and saw across the water the great city of New York, its clusteringhouses and steeples. And then it was not long before I was on theferry that conveyed me across the river, and heard the sharp ring ofthe pavement under my horse's feet as I rode toward the great commonwhere lay the encampment of the troops. It was near twelve o'clockwhen I came to the camp of the patriots and asked my way of an officerto the quarters of the Maryland Line. 

"You must be a stranger, " he said, "or you would know that theMaryland Line always has the place of honour in the camp;" and heshowed me where their quarters lay. 

I felt aglow with pride when I heard this tribute to my countrymen. Ithanked him and rode on. A few minutes later I was among them. Thegreat voice of the Captain was giving me greeting; Dick Ringgold'shand was on my shoulder, as he took charge of me; and many of my kithand kin, old friends and neighbours who belonged to that famouscorps, came forward to greet and welcome me to the camp. Thus, aftermany days of sickness and of travel, I took my place among the men whowere about to face the great storm. True, at the time quiet reignedall along our front, which lay over beyond the heights of Brooklyn;but hot work was soon expected, as the British fleet had been seen inthe offing, and it was only a question of time when the army would belanded and the attack begun. 

CHAPTER IX

THE RED TIDE OF BLOOD

 Spruce Macaronies, and pretty to see, Tidy and dapper and gallant were we; Blooded, fine gentlemen, proper and tall, Bold in a fox-hunt and gay at a ball;

 Tralara! Tralara! now praise we the Lord, For the clang of His call and the flash of His sword. Tralara! Tralara! now forward to die; For the banner, hurrah! and for sweethearts, good-bye!

 JOHN WILLIAMSON PALMER. 

It was on the 22d day of August that the rumour flew through the campthat the enemy had landed and was preparing to attack. But the hoursflew by, and still no orders came, until the Line became restless, andthe fear grew that the fight would begin before we could reach thefield of battle. The sun began to sink over the Heights of Harlemwhen an aide rode into our lines. It was Tench Tilghman, who swung hishat and shouted as he went by: "You will have warm work in a day ortwo, boys!"

We gave him a yell in reply, and started with renewed interest thepreparations for the coming fight. A few minutes later came the ordersthat we were to march at dawn. The men received the news joyfully, andit was wonderful to see the change in their bearing; for while thedoubt hung over them, they were restless and murmuring was heard allthrough the camp; but now all was laughter and gaiety. They preparedfor the fight as one would prepare for the next county ball or afox-hunt on the morrow. 

The stirring notes of the bugle ringing over the camp brought me to myfeet with a bound, and I looked out of the tent to see a heavy mistover everything, and hear the sound of men's voices coming through itall around me. It does not take a soldier long to don his uniform, andI was soon out attending to my duties. At seven o'clock we were on ourmarch to the ferry, crossing the East River at the foot of the mainstreet of the small town of Brooklyn; then we took a road leading overa creek called Gowanus, and knew that we were marching to guard theright of the American line. Low-lying hills, heavily wooded, laybefore us; it was in these woods that our line was called to a halt, and we took up our position for the battle. We lay there several days, with constant rumours flying through the camp of the enemy's advance, but yet they would not come. 

It was on the morning of the 27th of August that the great battle ofLong Island, so disastrous for the patriot forces, broke upon us. Thescattering shots of the skirmishers first made us spring to arms; thenthe sharp rattle of the musketry of Atlee's men and the boom ofCarpenter's cannon on our immediate right told that the enemy waspushing them hard. Then through the forest trees came the line of theBritish advance. The fire extended along our whole front, while farover, to our left came the distant roar of cannon and musketry. 

"They are having a hot time over there, " said Dick, "but why don'tthese fellows charge us?"

"They will charge us soon enough, " I replied. But it seemed as if theynever would, for what promised to be an attack along our whole linedwindled down to a mere exchange of shots. Hour after hour went by, and yet they never advanced beyond a certain point except when acompany or so would dash forward and a sharp skirmish would breakforth for a moment or two, and then die away again. But far over toour left the sound of the battle came rolling nearer and nearer, telling the tale of Sullivan's men being driven in. 

"I do not like that, " said Dick. "They are doing all the fighting, while we are merely exchanging courtesies with our friends six hundredyards away. Hello! There comes news. "

I looked behind us to a small hill, where Lord Stirling stood with hisstaff, and saw Tench Tilghman riding up at full speed. There was ahurried movement among the staff, and Stirling's glasses swept thecountry to our left and rear. A moment later an order was given andthe aides came dashing down our lines, and then, to our disgust, camethe order to retire. 

"Retreat!" cried one of the men. "Why, we haven't begun to fightyet!"

"Steady, men, " cried Captain Ramsay; "you form the rear guard and musthold the enemy in check, " for they were beginning to advance as theregiments on each side of us withdrew. Then we began slowly towithdraw, but there came an aide riding swiftly to Major Gist. Pennsylvania and Delaware regiments took our place in the rear, and wewere marched rapidly to the front. The heavy woods had heretoforeprevented our seeing what was taking place, but now that we had comeout to the opening a wild scene of terror and dismay lay before us. Gowanus Creek, deep and unfordable, with its sullen tide rising fast, lay like a great ugly serpent across our path, while over the meadowand far in our front the broken streams of fugitives were swarming, flying toward the bridge at the mill, the only hope of crossingGowanus Creek. And as I looked, to my horror, the mill and the bridgeburst into flames, catching the routed army as it were between therising tide and the advancing legions of the victorious English. Then, as we watched it, a rumour grew and spread through the ranks, as suchthings will in battle, that a New England Colonel had fired the bridgeto save himself and his regiment. How we cursed New England then, andswore that if we ever escaped we would have our reckoning with her andher people. 

"There they come!" cried Dick at my side, pointing to where a largestone house crowned a hill immediately in the rear and commanded thewhole field of the terror-stricken fugitives. 

I saw the brilliant scarlet of their coats as they took possession ofthe hill and prepared to open fire. 

"They will have to be driven from there or we are lost, " I answered. 

Then, as the prospect looked the darkest and the long line of theBritish formed to make their last advance, Lord Stirling rode up toour line. 

"Men of Maryland!" he shouted, "charge that hill, hold Cornwallis incheck and save the army!"

We answered with a yell, as he sprang from his horse to lead us. 

Ah, I shall never forget the pride with which we stepped out of themass of flying fugitives, four hundred Marylanders, the greatestdandies and bluest blood in all the army, for this, the proudestservice of the day. We formed for the charge as if on the drillground; our evolutions and lines were perfect, and would have donecredit to the grenadiers of the later empire. Stirling's sword was inthe air, the drums were beating the charge, when there broke from thethroats of our Marylanders the wild, thrilling yell of the southernprovinces, and we leaped to the charge up the long hill, straight intothe face of Cornwallis's army, a handful against thousands. Up, up thehill we dashed. A fire as of hell broke upon us and rattled and roaredabout our ears, thinning our ranks and strewing our pathway with thedead. Men fell to the right and to the left of me, and I strode acrossthe bodies of the slain in my path; but still, over the roar of thecannon and the rattle of musketry, high and shrill rose the yell ofthe charging line. We swept up the hill, the crest was gained, and theBritish fell back before us, when we were met by a sheet of flame, astorm of lead and smoke and fire. We were raised as it were in the airand held there gasping for breath, and then we were swept back downthe hill, struggling desperately to gain a foothold to make a stand. 

Again we saw Stirling glance over the meadow and the marsh behind usas we re-formed our line. His voice came ringing down our ranks. 

"Once again, men of Maryland. "

Once again! Aye, we knew how to answer that call, for the bodies ofour comrades lay dotting the long hillside. 

"Once again, and charge home!" cried Ramsay. 

We sprang to the charge, and wilder, shriller, fiercer, more terrible, rose the yell--the yell of vengeance that seemed to pick the line upbodily and hurl it up the hill through the scorching, blistering stormand hail of lead, fire, and smoke. I remembered naught till the crestwas gained, and Edward Veasey crying, "Charge home! Charge home!" andwe dashed in upon the scarlet line. Ah me, for a moment, then it wasglorious, as steel met steel, and we drove them, ten times ournumber, back, and rolled them up against the house and forced them offthe plain. And then our hands were on the ugly muzzles of the guns, and Edward Veasey, springing on the carriage, cheered on his men. Butere it had died on his lips, so desperate was the struggle, theEnglish Captain of the guns fired, and Veasey fell. I was but a dozensteps away, and, seeing Veasey fall, I dashed through the press ofbayonets to where the English Captain fought. 

"Another one!" he cried, as we met face to face. 

"Yes, and the last;" and our swords met. 

"No time for that!" cried a voice at my side; then there was a flash, and the Englishman fell back into the arms of his men, and the gunswere won for an instant. But only for an instant. Our men melted awayunder the storm of lead from the Cortelyou house, and the weight ofthe advancing regiments forced us back to the crest of the hill. Thenslowly, step by step, down the hill they forced us, until we restedonce more at its foot. 

But still the meadow, the marsh, and the creek were black with themass of flying men seeking eagerly, desperately to escape, whilebetween them and the victorious British stretched the ranks of theMaryland Line, now sadly thinned, for one-third of our men were dyeingthe long dank grass with their blood. But that line, thin as it was, closed up the wide gaps in the ranks with as jaunty a step and asgallant a carriage as when they first stepped out for the charge. Their faces looked grim, it is true, for with the smoke and the fire, and the blood and the dust, the genius of battle had sketchedthereon. 

For a few minutes we rested at the foot of the hill, for we knew thatour work was not half done, and until the last fugitive was overGowanus Creek we must check the British advance. A glance from LordStirling told us to charge, as he pointed up the long hill with hissword. 

Again there came the answering yell, the requiem for many a gallantsoul, and the line once more swung forward to breast the hill. Up thelong hill we toiled again, straight into the teeth of the fire. 

Again we gained the crest and fought them, man to man; again by weightof numbers they forced us off the crest, and sent us staggering, reeling down the hill, desperate now. 

Yet again Lord Stirling called on us to follow, and yet again wecharged them home. 

Men lay wounded, men lay dying, all across the long hillside, andmore than half our number were dead or sorely stricken. 

Yet it was for a fifth time that Stirling's voice rang clear, over theroar of the battle, and for the fifth time we picked up the gauge oftheir challenge, and swept forward in the charge. 

Thus for the last time we reached the crest, and for one heroic momentheld our own, and then came reeling back from the shock. And, as I wascarried down the hill with the retreating line, I saw the tall figureof Lord Stirling standing upright and alone amid the storm of bullets, courting death and disdaining to retreat. 

"To the rescue of Lord Stirling, " I cried to the few soldiers who werearound me. Dick, who was near, echoed my shout, and we dashed forward, determined to bring him off by force if no other way could be found. 

But we had not advanced a dozen yards before every man that was withus had fallen and only Dick and I reached Lord Stirling, who wascalmly awaiting the end. 

"The day is lost, my lord, " I cried, "but we have yet time to saveyou. "

"Save yourselves, lads, " he replied; "you have done everything thatmen can do, but it remains for me either to die or surrender. "

"My lord, " I cried; but at this moment Dick reeled. "Struck, byGeorge!" he exclaimed, and I caught him as he fell. 

"See to your comrade, " said Lord Stirling; "you have yet time toescape. "

So, throwing Dick's arms around my neck, for there was no time toparley under that rain of lead, I bore him quickly down the hill. 

But our work had not been in vain, for as a soldier came to myassistance I saw that the last of the fugitives had reached the otherside, and the army for the moment was saved. 

And so, when we reached the banks of Gowanus Creek, we formed in lineonce more and gave a parting yell of defiance; then, turning, weplunged into the creek and swam to the other side, while the shot andgrape from the English on the hill tore across the whole surface ofthe water. 

Dick was badly wounded, but, with the soldier's assistance, I swamwith him across the creek and bore him safely out of the range of thefire. 

Ah, it was but a shadow of our former line when we formed once more, but the great General himself came to thank us, and that shadow of aline was worth a thousand men. 

Thereafter we claimed as our own the post of honour in advance or inretreat; during the famous march on the night after the battle, andin the retreat to White Plains, we formed the rear guard, and the armyfelt secure. 

There came a breathing time one day during the retreat, and theGeneral rode up to our lines. We greeted him with the yell he loved tohear, for it brought back to him the Southland and the hunting fieldsof Old Virginia. 

Then he told our officers that he wanted us to pick out the youngestof our line to carry a special despatch to the Committee of PublicSafety, sitting at Annapolis, announcing the battle and the famouspart we had taken therein. The choice fell on me, as poor Dick wasgroaning in the hospital, but luckily out of danger from his wound. 

"Well, my boy, how old are you?" said the General, smiling down uponme, as I saluted. 

"Eighteen, General. "

"Do you think you can carry this safely?"

"I was in the charge at Gowanus Ford, General, " said I modestly. 

"I see, " laughed the General, "you are a true Marylander. I wish I hadmore of you in the army. "

CHAPTER X

THE HARRYING OF THE TORY

I was soon riding southward, the bearer of the message from GeneralWashington to the Council of Safety, sitting at Annapolis; and as Irode, the people hailed me for my news, and gave me food and drink, soI could hurry on. 

At last I reached the borders of Maryland, and again rode under theold oak from which I had torn the proclamation. It was only a fewweeks before, and I wondered what had been the fate of Charles Gordon. 

So, as I rode through the Head of Elk late that afternoon and came tothe ferry there, I asked the boatman what they had done with him. 

"Forfeiture has been decreed, " he answered, "and the new High Sheriffand James Rodolph have gone to-day with a posse and many men to rootthe traitor out. "

"How long ago did they start?"

"About an hour. "

"What road did they take?"

"The river road. They expect to reach there about nine o'clock. Jupiter! I'd like to be there and see the flames reddening the sky. Itwill be a grand sight. " He looked longingly through the forest towardthe Braes. 

"Something else will be dyed crimson, if I know that Tory right. "

"That there will be, sir; it will be a lovely scrimmage;" and hesighed at the lost opportunity. 

The boat grounded on the south bank, and I mounted Toby. 

"A pleasant ride, sir. "

"Thanks; good-night. "

"Toby, " said I, as I patted his neck, "you have travelled many a mileto-day, old fellow; but you will have to cover the ground to-night asyou never covered it before. They have an hour's start, and we have alonger distance to go; so double your legs under you, my boy, and go. "

Toby rising to the occasion, and the spirit of old Ranter provingtrue, he broke into the long even gallop that makes the miles passswiftly. It was a race against time, against James Rodolph and hiscrew. I knew if once they gained the Braes, black death would stalkamong the ruins, for Charles Gordon would never surrender. 

The night fell rapidly as we raced along and the miles flew by. 

As Toby and I drew near Bohemia Manor, where the road joined the oneon which the posse was marching, I reined him in and rode morecautiously. It was well that I did so, for as I approached I heardthe low murmur of men's voices and saw their figures in the dim lightas they were marching by. 

I brought Toby to a halt. The road was cut off that way, so I wheeledhim around to ride back a short distance to where the road skirted theopen fields of Bohemia Manor. As Toby plunged forward in answer to myspur, I heard a cry and then a shot came whistling by. But I left thembehind, and coming to the open fields, I put Toby at the fence andraced across the open country, through the lower fields to the Braes, Toby taking the fences in his stride. 

Then I dashed once more across the green lawn of the Braes and drew mysword hilt across the shutter. 

There was a stir in the room above me; the shutter was cautiouslyopened and I was covered by the muzzle of a pistol. 

"Who are you?" demanded a voice which I knew to be Charles Gordon's. 

"James Frisby of Fairlee, " I replied. "I have ridden to warn you, Mr. Gordon. You have only a few minutes to escape in; James Rodolph, witha hundred men behind him, will be here in ten minutes. "

"Thank you, lad, for the information. I will give them a warmreception. "

"But you cannot hold the Braes against a hundred men; they will burnyou out, and then Mistress Jean. "

"Hum; that is so, lad. Ride round to the rear of the house. "

I did so, and a moment later, they came out on the little porch. Theold gentleman had buckled on his sword, and there were pistols in hisbelt. And she, ah! she never looked more bewitching. Her beautifulhair flowed wild about her shoulders, over the light dark mantle inwhich she was wrapped. By the flicker of the candle, I saw that abright flush mantled her cheek, as she spoke rapidly. 

"Father, there is an English vessel a few miles down the bay. Call theslaves and escape to it. "

"But I cannot take you there. "

"I will carry her through the lines, " I cried, "and see her safe inthe hands of her aunt in Kent. "

They hesitated, but the noise in front of the house told of theapproaching mob, and there was no time for parley. So, true to myrace, I acted quickly, and stooping from my saddle I caught her upgently and placed her on Toby before me. 

"It is the only chance, lad. See that you carry her safely. "

"I will carry her through or die, " I replied with deep conviction. Atthe touch of the spur Toby sprang forward under his double burden. 

"The creek, " she cried. 

"Yes; but we can swim it. "

Indeed it was our only way, as the mob blocked the other roads ofescape, so we rode boldly in and swam for the other side. The creekwas several hundred yards wide, but Toby bore us bravely until wereached the southern shore, then he plunged forward, threw himself upthe bank, and we were out of immediate danger. 

There we halted for a moment under the shadow of a great tree andlooked back across the water. 

We heard the sound of many voices, the howling of the mob, and throughthe trunks of the trees flickered the glare of the torches. Suddenlyshots rang out, a cry of dismay and rage followed, and then the flashof guns and a rattling volley crashed around the house. 

"By Jove, he is fighting it out!" But the slender figure on my armtrembled, and I saw that her face was white through the darkness. 

"He will escape, Mistress Jean, " I said reassuringly; "trust an oldHighlander for that. " And I saw that her eyes were bright and tense, watching the scene across the water. 

"There he goes, " she exclaimed joyfully; and there, gliding swiftlythrough the waters, where the shadow of the trees made the darknessmore intense, was a long low boat rowed by stalwart slaves. The soundof the oars was drowned by the clamour of the mob. 

"If he passes the neck, " I exclaimed, "he will be safe;" for the creeknarrowed at its mouth until it was but a hundred yards wide. 

"Ride quick to the point, " she said. 

So Toby plunged forward again at the pressure of my knees, and thoughhe still went gallantly on, I could tell that the strain and the toilof the long march from the north, and his dash from the Head of Elk, were beginning to tell on him. 

At last we reached the mouth of the creek, and I brought Toby to ahalt under the shadow of a clump of trees, where we could see and yetnot be seen. I glanced for a moment out over the waters of the bay, and I saw, several miles to the southward, the gleam of a light as itfell on the waves; I knew it was the English man-of-war. 

But Mistress Jean's eyes were eagerly searching the waters of thecreek, and she was straining her ears to catch the sound of the oars. Then we were rewarded. For at that moment we heard the long sweep ofthe oars in the water, and out from the mouth of the creek came theboat, the brawny negroes bending to their task. 

The commanding figure of the old Tory stood in the stern, looking backup the creek whence they came. Unconsciously my glance followed his, and I saw that the sky was crimson, and high above the tree-tops theflames licked the skies. 

"The Braes!" I exclaimed, and Mistress Jean was about to call out, when there came the sound of galloping hoofs on the other side. Ahorseman dashed into view, and rode into the water up to thesaddle-girths. There was a flash, and the crack of a pistol broke thestillness of the night; then with a gesture of rage, the horseman rosein his stirrups and hurled the pistol far over the water; we heard thesplash as it fell. 

Then the figure in the boat raised his clenched hand and shook it atthe horseman and the flames. 

"You fired too quick, Mr. Rodolph, " said the ferryman. 

"Yes, damn him, he has escaped. " He turned his horse and rode into thedarkness, while a soft voice whispered in my ear, --

"Thank God. "

CHAPTER XI

THE COUNCIL OF SAFETY

The sun had risen when we came once more in view of the groves ofFairlee. Toby's pace had degenerated into a walk, as if not to disturbthe fair burden he bore, for she, overcome with fatigue andexcitement, was quietly sleeping with her head on my shoulder. Tobypicked his way like a dancing-master, and though the road was rough, never once did he stumble; he still bore himself gallantly for the oldHouse of Fairlee. Ah! Toby, that road was miles too short for yourmaster. Willingly would he have ridden thus, aye, until his hair hadturned as white as snow on his brows, until the hand that guided thereins became too feeble to grasp them; aye, even unto the end of time. 

But before us lay Fairlee, and beyond that lay duty and the army. "Look once more, my cavalier, " said I to myself; "look once more, forthe moments are short, and in the days to come, in the dreary bivouacsand on the long marches, when the world seems bare and cold, thememory of that sweet face will brighten up with sunshine yourexistence and make it all glorious again. Oh, hang it, here isFairlee!"

"Mistress Jean, " I whispered. I was loath to wake her, but it had tobe done. "Mistress Jean!" I said, this time louder, and she awoke witha start. "This is Fairlee, and you can rest here with my mother, whileI push on. "

"Fairlee? Why, where am I? Oh, I remember now. Did I go to sleep, Mr. Frisby?"

"You did, Mistress Jean. "

A quick, blush came. 

"Oh, " she said, "how can I thank you? I don't deserve----"

"Ah, Mistress Jean, it is I who do not deserve that pleasure. I wouldgo through a hundred fights to be able to do it again; but you aretired, and I will rouse the house. "

So, hammering on the door, I soon brought John Cotton to it. Hiswoolly hair almost went straight on seeing me, and he started back, for he thought he saw my ghost. 

"Good Lord, Mars Jim, " he stammered, "does that be you?"

"Yes, you black scamp. " And I soon convinced him of my realpersonality. 

"But, Mars Jim, who is dat you got wid you? It ain't one of demYankee ladies, is it?" For, I am sorry to say, John Cotton did notapprove of the ladies in question, and was afraid I would "disgrace defamily" if I married one of them. Before I could answer I heard a gladlittle cry, and there was my mother, coming down the stairway of thegreat hall. 

"How is my little lady?" said I, as I picked her up and kissed her, and then I introduced Mistress Jean to her and told her of ouradventure at the Braes. 

Then my mother went up to her, in her stately little way, and took herhands in hers, and kissed and welcomed her to the House of Fairlee. 

So they made friends with each other then and there, as women do, andmy mother led her away, up the broad stairs, and I stood looking afterthem. Then I turned to my own room, and, throwing myself on the bed, I slept the sleep of exhaustion for many hours. 

When the hour of my awakening came I sprang up, for there lay thedespatch which I was to bear to the Council of Safety. 

Drawing on my riding-boots and buckling on my sword, I called JohnCotton to bring my horse to the door, for several miles lay betweenFairlee and Rock Hall, where the boat lay to take me to Annapolis. 

I walked across to the hall and on to the old porch, where I sawMistress Jean standing, gazing wistfully out on the broad bay. 

"He is safe now, Mistress Jean. "

"Yes, " she said with a sad smile, "but when shall I ever see himagain?"

"Just as soon as we whip them, " I replied. 

"Then it will never be, " came her retort. 

"Oh, ho! What will your uncle, Captain Nicholson, say when he finds hehas such a fiery little Tory in his house? He will have to give upchasing the redcoats to suppress the Goddess of Sedition in his owncamp. "

But at this Mistress Jean gave her head a toss and walked away to theend of the porch. 

Then John Cotton brought the horse to the steps. 

"Are you going so soon, Mr. Frisby?"

"I must, " I answered; "I am a bearer of despatches to the Council ofSafety. I would gladly desert my trust to be your escort toChestertown, but--"

"The honour of the House of Fairlee stands in the way, " said shemockingly. 

"Not that, my lady, " I replied, bowing courteously, "but the fact thatI would fall even lower in your good graces. "

"Well said, cavalier, " she retorted, with a sweeping courtesy. "'Tis apity that so fine a gentleman should be a rebel. "

"Or so fair a maid a Tory. "

"Is this a minuet?" came the laughing voice of my mother from thedoor. 

"Nay, mother, I am only bidding Mistress Jean good-bye with all dueceremony. "

A few moments later I was in the saddle, trotting slowly off, whilebehind me fluttered their handkerchiefs, waving good-bye. 

Rock Hall lies on a bluff, looking out across the bay. To thesouthward lies the Isle of Kent, with its fertile fields of wavinggrain, and off there on the horizon the greenish ribbon near the skyline tells where the hills of Anne Arundel lay. 

Down below, under the bluff, lay a long, slender boat, shaped like acanoe, but much larger, stouter, stronger, and far swifter, when thewind filled its sails and carried it like a bird skimming over thewaters. 

"An English man-of-war is lying off the Isle of Kent now, " said theold waterman in answer to my question, "but we can walk all around herin this boat. "

"Then we will start immediately, " I replied, and placing my things onboard we were soon under way. 

The wind caught our sails; we stood out into the bay gloriously, andshe fairly flew through the water. As we rounded the Isle of Kent wesaw, lying almost in our track, the English man-of-war, lazily rollingwith the tide. 

Then there was a great bustle on board, and the sailors flew to therigging, the sails filled with the wind, and through the port hole wasrun the ugly muzzle of a Long Tom. The waterman with me laughedmerrily. 

"They think they can stop us, " said he, but he never altered hiscourse. 

So we bore down on her until there came a flash; a cannon ball camericochetting across the water, but fell short by a hundred yards. 

The waterman chuckled. "That is about the right distance, " said he;and the boat answering the helm, fairly danced around his Majesty'srepresentative, always, by a saving grace, just beyond cannon shot. 

And when his Majesty's ship actually gave chase and sent a broadsideafter our impertinent piece of baggage the waterman fairly danced withdelight and led her a merry chase down the bay until we were oppositeAnnapolis. Then with a flirt of her sail we bade them good-bye and ranfor the mouth of the Severn. Gaining that, we soon passed the charredhulk of the Peggy Stewart and ran up beside the wharf, and I foundmyself walking the streets of that gay little capital. 

It was growing somewhat late, but I made my way at once to the StateHouse, where the Convention of the Freemen of the Province sat, hopingstill to find them at their deliberations. I paused for the momentwhen I came to the foot of the knoll on which the State House stands, for it had only recently been completed, and was the noblest buildingin America. Its massive proportions towered high above me, overawingthe town at its feet, and commanding the country for miles around. Butit was not a time for halting. Hurrying up the long flights of steps, I found myself in the great lobby, with its lofty ceilings and its airof vastness. 

The Convention had adjourned but a short time before, and the lobbywas still filled with men. As I threaded my way through them my dustyuniform and muddy boots marked me out as a bearer of despatches. 

"News from the army--victory or defeat?" cried eager voices around me. Answer them I would not, but hurried on to the room where sat theCouncil of Safety, who held the fate and the fortunes of the provincein its hand and was the heart and soul of the great revolt. 

An usher stood at the door, but, seeing my uniform, threw it wideopen, and, as I entered, softly swung it to behind me. It was a loftyroom in which I found myself, with immense windows looking out overthe town and the sweep of the waters of the bay to the distant lineof the eastern shore. A long, broad table extended down the centre ofthe room. Around it were seated some sixteen or eighteen gentlemen. Staid men and grave they were, past the middle age of life, for theyounger men had gone to fight the battles of the republic; men whowere fitted by experience to guide the province through the stormyscenes of the civil war. 

At their head sat a venerable gentleman whom I knew to be MatthewTilghman, the patriarch of the Colony. At his right hand sat a man ofsturdy build, ruddy countenance, and dark hair and eyes, more like aprosperous planter with many acres and numerous slaves than the manwho was soon to become the Great War Governor of Maryland. All downthe table on either side sat men with strong, determined faces, whosenames bespoke the chieftainship of many a powerful family. A movementof interest ran down the table as I entered and delivered to thevenerable Chairman the despatch. He broke the seal with nervousfingers, and then rising, read General Washington's despatch aloudamid intense interest. 

"Battle, " "defeat, " "rout, " "Cortelyou House, " "the Maryland Line. ""Good, I see the boys did their duty, " were among the manyexclamations I heard around the table and when the despatch ended. 

"The bearer will describe the battle. "

They all turned to me, and Thomas Johnson said: "Come, younggentleman, tell us everything you saw and heard. "

So I took my place by the Chairman and told them of what I had seenand done, amid many interruptions and eager questions from theCouncil. 

Thus for a time, as I stood there, I became a man of importance, telling the tale of the battle, of the defeat and the rout, of thefiery charges, the death, the pain and the anguish of it all, untillong after the night had fallen. But an end comes to all things, andThomas Johnson, laying his hand on my shoulder, said:

"Young gentleman, you must stay with me to-night. "

I accepted gladly, for the inns were crowded, and it was somewhat latein the evening to find a friend to take me in. We strolled across theState House grounds under the soft September skies, through the wide, dusty streets, until we came to the future Governor's house. Though itwas late, we talked for yet another hour, and then, with a cheerygood-night, I was shown to my room. 

CHAPTER XII

THE VETO OF A MAID

Ah, I am afraid the clean white sheets, the soft springy bed, and thebalmy September air proved traitor to me, after the hardships of asoldier's life in the field, the rough bivouac, and the hard ride fromthe North, for when I awoke with a start, I found the sun high in theheavens and the music of birds coming through the open window from thetrees outside. Hurriedly dressing, I opened my door and went down thebroad stairway into the old hall. Everything was quiet, not a soul wasaround. I wandered across the hall and parlour, and there I stood fora few minutes, looking out into the street, when a merry burst oflaughter across the hall attracted my attention. The door of the roomopposite was slightly ajar, and I saw that it was the library of thehouse; so crossing the hall, I gently rapped on the panel. A cheery"Come in!" was my answer. I obeyed the summons, threw the door open, and entered. 

"Why, it is our feather-bed soldier, " came a merry voice from thebroad window-sill, where sat two young ladies. A peal of ringinglaughter followed; for, indeed, I was somewhat non-plussed to thuscome upon two such laughing, merry girls. 

 One was dark, the other fair; Both were sweet and debonair. 

Indeed they were very pretty, sitting there amid the quaint oldsurroundings, the heavy old book-presses, with solid oak doors, thewainscoting extending to the ceiling, the broad window-seats, thegreen trees, and quiet garden beyond. I knew at once that they must bedaughters of my host, Mistress Polly and Mistress Betsy Johnson, atthat time the reigning belles of the western shore. 

"Now I know what awaited me I shall never forgive that feather-bed, " Ireplied, recovering from my confusion and making my best bow. "I wouldnever have proved such a traitor to my cloth. "

"That is better, " said Mistress Polly, the black-haired, dark-eyedone. "Come and report to us, sir. Do you not know that no officerreturns from the army who does not immediately report to us?"

"I understand their alacrity in doing so. I shall be among the firstto obey the order hereafter. "

"Then, sir, come tell us of the battle, and what brought you hither sofast that the mud is still upon your boots?"

Now, telling the account of the battle to two charming young ladies, whose bright eyes and eager faces told of the interest they took in mynarrative, was a far different thing from telling the same tale beforethe powerful Council of Safety, and I am free to confess that Ienjoyed the last far more than the first. 

Their exclamations and excited questions spurred me on, and I drew thepicture of the battle with a stronger hand and painted myself a hero, which I am afraid I was far from being. 

But Mistress Betsy suddenly sat up straight, exclaiming:

"Bless me, Polly, Mr. Frisby has not had his breakfast, and here it isnear ten o'clock"--an outrageous late hour in those days. 

At this both Mistress Polly and Mistress Betsy sprang to their feet, and I was duly conducted to the dining-room, where a delightfulbreakfast awaited me, which I endeavoured to eat amid their salliesand their questioning. 

We were having a very gay time of it, when there came a heavy stepthrough the hall into the room, and a cheery voice asked: "How is thesoldier to-day? In good hands, I see. " It was Thomas Johnson. 

"That he is, sir, " I replied, rising, "and he thoroughly enjoys ittoo. "

"Spoken like a soldier, " replied our future Governor, "and like asoldier you must leave at once, for the Council desire you to carrythese despatches posthaste to General Washington. "

"No; he shall not, " cried Mistress Polly, with a stamp of her foot. "He has promised to drive our four-in-hand to the races thisafternoon, and I am not going to let that Council of old fogies rob usof the only soldier in town who has seen service for at least oneday. "

"So that is the way the wind blows, " said her father, pinching hercheek and laughing. "I will tell the great Council of Public Safetythat they have been overruled by a maid. "

"It will not be the first time, " she retorted. "Their wives overrulethem every day. "

"I will ride all night to make it up, " I suggested. 

"Never mind, my boy, " he replied, "you deserve a little holiday; youneed not leave Annapolis until nightfall, and Kent the followingnight, which will give you a chance to see your mother again. There, Ihope this little minx will give me some peace now. "

The treaty was quickly sealed by a kiss, and Mistress Polly ran off togive the order for the coach-and-four, for the races began at oneo'clock and the course was a short distance out of the city. 

There soon came a clatter of hoofs, a rattle, a slam and a bang, awhoaing, a yelling, and a confusion of noises. 

"They have put the colts in, " cried Mistress Betsy with glee, andMistress Polly was at the door crying, "Come on. "

"Great Jove!" said I to myself, as I seized my hat and followed after, for though I had driven many a wild team I had never done so through atown before. And four devils they were for a certainty, a little undersize, but making up for that by the fire and vim of their proceedings. 

The heels of the wheelers were playing like castanets on thedashboard, while the leaders were in the air half the time as theyswayed above the crowd of darkies, who, hanging on everywhere, weretrying to hold them down, while the great coach swayed and rockedbehind. 

There was a flash of skirts, a gleam of the smallest feet in theworld, and Mistress Polly and Mistress Betsy were in their places, andI had sprung to my seat and gathered the reins in my hands. 

"All ready, Captain?"

"Ready. Let go. " They scattered like chaff. There was a flash of hoofsand they were off like a shot, their bodies stretched low to theground, the great coach rolling and rocking behind. 

Luckily the street ended in a country road, for the street and thehouses were gone in an instant, and we were rushing along betweengreen fields. A column of dust rose up and whirled behind us, and theroad stretched like a ribbon before, while the young ladies at my sidelaughed and clapped their hands in glee. After several miles the pacebegan to tell, I slowly brought them under control, and by the time Ihad come to the race-course I had them well in hand. We had goneseveral miles out of our way, but by taking a short cut we arrived atthe races on time. I brought the four colts into the field with a dashand a flourish as they were preparing for the first race. 

The course was a great level field of greensward, oval in shape, withthe track in beautiful condition. Far down the track on either hand, almost encircling the field, stretched the lines of the coaches, chariots, gigs, and wagons. Gentlemen on horseback and on foot, aneager, bustling crowd, gay with colours and bright faces, alreadytingling with the excitement of the coming race, made a stirringscene; for the Trinity of the Marylanders in the early days of myyouth were the horse, the hounds, and a fight. 

But though the faces were fair, merry, and pleasant to look upon, though the chariots and four-in-hands were gorgeous and bedecked, there was a woful lack of cavaliers to make those damask cheeksmantle with a blush, for they were away fighting in the North. Thus itwas, as I drove down the line in my uniform of scarlet and buff, tofind a stand, that Mistress Polly and Mistress Betsy had theirtriumph, and many a fair face turned our way as we drove by, until Ibrought the coach to a halt in a good place next to the parson, wherehe sat his cob, watching the preliminaries. 

"Find the parson, " said Mistress Polly judiciously, "and you will havefound the best place in the field. "

"Oh, Mistress Polly, you are a minx, " said that reverend gentleman. "How in the world could I make the youngsters come to church if theydid not know I was a good judge of horseflesh as well as a minister?"

"They are off, " cried Mistress Betsy. The race had begun; but whydescribe the race? Those who have never seen a race are mereworthless creatures deserving no consideration, and those who haveseen a race do not need a description. At the mere name they see thegrand thoroughbreds at the line, their coats shining like satin in thesun, eager and ready to be off. Then the flag falls, and, amid therustling of skirts and craning of necks, they are off. Ah, and thencomes the glorious excitement of it all as you watch with eager eyesthat ribbon of a track, and see now this one, now that one, slowlydraw away from the bunch at the start, and the closing of the spaceagain, until they become mere moving spots on the far side of thefield. And then, that home stretch, with its thunder of hoofs, itsroar of voices, and cheers and yells, as the grand beasts, withstraining nerves and neck to neck, make the last great effort; andafterward the triumph, the waving of handkerchiefs, the great cheerthat greets the victor, and the smiles of merry lips and laughingeyes. Those were the prizes we raced for, when racing was the pastimeof gentlemen, and not an excuse for blackguardism and gambling, asto-day it is fast becoming. So my kind hosts and I made our littlebets, and enjoyed ourselves right thoroughly, until the last race, which was won by a grandson of the great Selim, was over and done. Then I swung my four colts into the road again, and at a rattling pacereturned to town. 

It was late now, and the sun was preparing to take its last dip behindthe western hills; so I was forced to bid my charming hostesses adieu, and amid many good wishes and a waving of handkerchiefs, departed toseek my waterman, to begin my trip across the bay. 

The town became a blur, a dark mass behind us, broken by the twinklingof the lights through the gloom, as we swiftly glided down the Severnbefore the wind. Out upon the bay it was still light, and we steeredfor the north point of the Isle of Kent. The wind was fresh. With allsail set we skimmed the water before it, and ere many hours had passedwe saw the light through the gloom of Rock Hall straight ahead. Butthe old waterman suddenly brought his helm around hard, and pointedher nose for the wide mouth of the Chester close at hand. 

"What is wrong?" I asked, and for an answer he pointed with his arm towhere against the sky were outlined the tapering masts of a largevessel lying between us and Rock Hall. 

"That is a man-of-war, " he said, "we will have to run up the river toChestertown. "

"Agreed, " said I, right readily, for I thought I might see MistressJean once more before I went back to the front. 

The mouth of the Chester was soon gained, and for hours, through thestillness of the night, we glided over its smooth waters, between low, heavily wooded banks, or the broad sweeping fields of some plantation, whose boundaries were lapped by the waters of the river. In the earlymorning, in the dusky gray hours, we ran along beside the wharf of theold county seat of Kent. 

CHAPTER XIII

THE GREETING OF FAIR LIPS

After wandering through the streets of this old town during the earlyhours of the morning, seeing it gradually wake into life and take onthe quiet bustle of the day, I at last found myself before the inn, which had just been opened. 

The host was an old friend, and we were soon fighting over the battlesagain, when a shadow fell across us and I sprang to my feet. 

It was Capt. James Nicholson, one of the three brothers who foughttheir ships in sunshine and in storm, while there was a plank left forthem to stand upon, carrying dismay through the English fleets bytheir desperate courage and daring. He was a man about forty yearsold, over medium height, but slender and of fair complexion, withlight blue eyes and reddish hair, a typical descendant of that oldViking, Nicholson, who fought some famous fights under King Haco, andharried the coasts of Scotland until he gained a foothold there andfounded the Scottish family of the name. The same open, boldcountenance of the Admiral, the same frank and manly bearing, showedhim to be a sailor and a fighter. 

"Hello, Frisby, " said he, shaking my hand cordially. "With the dove sonear I knew that the hawk would not be far away. "

I stammered out, as the landlord smiled, that I was forced to come toChestertown to avoid the man-of-war lying off Rock Hall. 

"She is off Rock Hall, is she? Well, I shall have to chase her awaywith the Defence next week. But is that your only excuse for comingso far out of your way?"

And when I protested that it was, he laughed genially, and, turning tothe landlord, said: "He does not look like a knight-errant who fliesto the rescue of maids, and Tory maids at that, does he? But see here, youngster, since you have brought this little traitress into myhousehold, you will have to do your share in converting her to thetrue principles of liberty and democracy. "

"Keep that for the men, Captain, " cried the landlord. "Keep that forthe men; the women give us no peace, as it is, and if they once getthose notions there will be no living with them. "

"Ah, you old reprobate, you had better not let your wife hear you. "

With this we left the inn, and going through some quiet streets, we atlast came to Water Street, with its square brick houses, gardens andflowers, and green lawns leading to the river. Very substantial werethe buildings, quaint and old-fashioned. A number of white steps ledfrom the street to the porch of the Captain's house. When, at hismotion, I opened the door and stepped into the hall, which wassomewhat dark after the glare of the street, there came a flurry oflace, and soft arms were around my neck. And--well, what could a mando but return that kiss with interest? But the best things are butfleeting, for, when she glanced at my face, and saw who I was, shegave a little cry, broke from my arms, and vanished in confusion upthe stairway, followed by the merry laughter of the real uncle, notthe proxy. 

"You surely cannot object to that welcome, Frisby; but I must tellMistress Jean to be more careful, or the army will lose a promisingofficer. They will not be able to keep you away from the town if thiskeeps on. "

So saying, he led the way to the rear porch where it overlooked thelawn and the river. 

Here we sat and talked until the breakfast-bell rang, and we went intothe dining-room. I was as hungry as a trooper by this time, after myall-night experience on the Chester. 

The dining-room was a long room, with open windows looking out acrossthe river and the fields. 

We had not as yet taken our seats, when through another door cameMistress Jean and Mistress Nancy Nicholson, her bosom friend andconfidante, with their arms around each other's waists--a charmingpicture. 

The colour mantled high on Mistress Jean's cheek, and I am sure thatmine played the traitor also, but Mistress Nancy came to the rescue bydemanding news and particulars of her cavalier, for such she declaredMr. Richard Ringgold of Hunting Field to be. 

Answering, I told her that I had left him covered with blood and withglory, but on the fair road to recovery. And so, though Mistress Jeanstill showed a heightened colour, in telling of Master Richard'sfortunes and escapes we broke the embarrassment of the meeting, andwere soon fast friends again. It was a merry breakfast. Afterward thetwo young ladies and I walked in the garden by the river's edge andtalked of many things, --of war and campaigning, for I claimed to be anauthority by now, and quite a veteran, --of love; but that was toodangerous, for Mistress Nancy would look at me slyly and laugh as sheasked if I was as great an authority upon the one as I was upon theother. 

I retorted that I had heard many a lecture on the subject from MasterRichard, but otherwise knew nothing of the art, and then I begged herto take me as a pupil, so that in time I might become as great ascholar as Dick himself. But she roguishly recommended me to herAssistant Professor Mistress Jean Gordon, who, she told me, knew moreof the art than she did herself. And then, having come to some boxwoodalleys, she slipped away and left Mistress Jean and me alone. 

"They tell me, Mistress Jean, that love is war; may I ask what thefate of the prisoners is?"

"As in real war, " she replied, "those who surrender at discretionreceive but scant courtesy, but those who make a gallant resistanceare often victorious in their defeat. "

"I see that you love the old Highland fashion, where the bridegroomcame with force and arms and bore the bride away. "

"Better swords and daggers, and hearts that are true, than silks andsatins, Lowland fops and perfidy. "

"English swords have crossed ere this with Highland steel, and Englishhearts are as tried and as true as those that beat beneath the plaid, "said I, coming to the defence of my English ancestry. 

"So ho! Sir Rebel!" she cried in glee, "what means this defence of thehated redcoat? Do you not fear the shadow of the great committee thatyou preach treason so openly?" And she looked so bewitching in herlittle triumph that I had to thrust my hands into my pockets and turnaway, so great was the temptation. 

"I will turn Highlander, " said I, "if you do not stop. "

"Stop?" she said with the most innocent air in the world. 

"Aye, " said I, "for if your Highlanders have ever been sturdy knaves, the Frisbys have ever been quick where bright eyes and ruby lips areconcerned, and there is no telling what might happen. " And I looked sodetermined and fierce that she broke into merry laughter in my face. 

"Your fate be upon you, " said I solemnly; and--well, at that moment, Iheard Captain Nicholson calling that my horse was at the door, waitingfor me. 

"That means that I must go, Mistress Jean, " and the laughter died onher lips, "go to join my comrades in the North in their struggle forthe Great Cause. When you hear of battles and sieges and suddendeaths, will you sometimes think of the young rebel who rode with youfrom the Braes to Fairlee? For wherever he may be, whether in theglory of the rush and the sweep of the charge, or the gloomy anddismal retreat; whether in the camp on the bleak hillside, with thecold north wind blowing, or bivouacked in the Southern savannahswarmed by the rays of the sun; in the fatigue and the toil of themarches, amid the groans and cries of the dying, or the joy andtriumph of the hour when the fight has been fought and won, your smileshall always be with him, the light of your eye in his heart. Will youthink of him, or forget, Mistress Jean?"

"I will think of him. " Her voice was very low and sweet. Then Istooped and kissed her hand, the fairest hand that man ever lookedupon. 

CHAPTER XIV

THE RETURN OF THE TORY

As I turned to ride away, after bidding good-bye to the Captain, Iheard a voice calling me, and looking up, I saw Mistress Nancy at awindow, and riding under it she commanded me to convey to MasterRichard a tiny case wrapped in many papers. 

"And now, sir, " said she, "here is something for you;" and she threwme a little case, which, on opening quickly, I saw contained aminiature of a fair young girl, with a wealth of dark brown hair, theloveliest eyes and the sweetest face. 

"Mistress Nancy, " I cried, "you are my guardian angel. " Placing theminiature over my heart, I threw her a kiss, and rode on my wayrejoicing. 

I rode from Chestertown to Fairlee, where I bade my mother good-bye, and from there I took up the trail to the North, riding into camp oneevening just as the sun was setting. 

I reported immediately to the great General, who thanked me for thespeed with which I had carried the despatches and returned. And then Iwas once more among my old comrades of the Line. 

They crowded around me, one and all, for I had messages for many ofthem, and they were eager for the news of old Kent and the shore, andmy welcome was right royal. 

And now, for a month or so, disasters came crowding upon our arms;defeat and death stalked through our ranks, and cast a gloom over thecause. 

We fought the fight at White Plains, and when Fort Washington fellmany of our Maryland boys went to the hulks of old Jersey to find alast resting-place under the cold gray waters of Wallabout Bay. Amidconstant marching, skirmishes, and defeats the months slipped away, and the cold gloomy winter was upon us. Ah, how cold and bleak andbarren the hillsides looked after the smiling fields of Maryland, touched and warmed by the Southern sun! And then the cold, the bittercold of it all, the white winding sheet of the snow and the ice madeus shiver and hug the fire of dry fence-rails and button ourthreadbare coats more tightly around us, while we looked in despair atthe toes peeping through the ends of our boots. But the great Generalknew how to warm the blood in our veins and drive the despair from ourhearts, when on that bitterly cold Christmas night he led us acrossthe Delaware and hurled us against the Hessians. 

It is true that we left a trail of blood as we marched, dyeing thesnow with its crimson. Yet the fight itself was glorious, and when wecame back in our triumph the cold and the snow were as nothing. Wemade sport of our rags and tatters and laughed the English to scorn. 

Then again when we struck them at Princeton seven days later, threwthe dust in Cornwallis's eyes, and played with him as we willed, wewere ready to follow our leader wherever he pointed the way. 

And so, after humbling the English, we returned to our camp for thewinter, and there made ready for the spring, when we saw my LordCornwallis back on the Hudson again. 

Then we lay in Jersey, watching them over in New York, until far intothe summer, ready to take up the march when the news should come ofthe destination of the English fleet that lay off Sandy Hook. 

At last one day there came a horseman spurring fast from thesouthward, bearing the news of a vast fleet that covered the waves ofthe Chesapeake and lay at that moment off the harbor of Baltimore, threatening it with fire and sword. 

Then there was a mighty bustle in the camp, and we whose homes werenow in danger took up the march to the southward, eager to meet thefoe. 

When we reached Philadelphia we found that the enemy had entered theElk, and was now marching on the city, while the hastily calledMaryland and Delaware volunteers threw themselves in the way, cuttingoff straggling parties and obstructing the advance. 

So we hurried on to assist them, and found ourselves on the evening ofthe 10th of September at the Brandywine, with the English advance buta few miles away. 

It was here that I met with one of the volunteers, who on hearing theEnglish were in the Chesapeake had taken his rifle from the rack andjoined in the defence. He came from lower Kent, but told me of thedevastation all through the county of Cecil, wherever the enemy hadlaid its blighting hand. 

"They tell me, " he said, "that the old Tory, Charles Gordon, whom theyran out of Cecil, is with Lord Howe, and high in his counsels. Whenthey arrived in the Elk, Gordon, with a body of troops, marched allnight and attacked the house of James Rodolph at dawn. Rodolph wasaway from home, and that is the only thing that saved him, for theysay that Gordon swore that he would hang him if he once caught him. Asit was, he gave Rodolph's house to the flames, and burned everythingon the place. 'An eye for an eye, ' said he, 'is a Highland saying aswell as a Jewish one. I regret that I cannot destroy the land aswell. ' Rodolph, when he heard of it, stormed and swore, but he has notdared to venture within the confines of Cecil since. "

"Did Gordon do anything else?" I asked. 

"No. After he burnt Rodolph out he tried to stop Lord Howe frompillaging, but his lordship answered, 'You have had your turn, and nowyou must let the others have theirs, ' and so the pillaging went on. "

But the planters and the yeomen who had risen at the first alarm hungon the flanks of Lord Howe's army, cutting off stragglers andscouting-parties, and confining the belt of desolation within narrowlines. 

At last came the 11th of September, the day when we met Lord Howe atthe Brandywine, and were sent reeling back in disorderly retreat, whenby a skilful march they outflanked our right wing and rolled it up. 

And then disaster followed disaster. Paoli came, that grim and bloodysurprise at the dead of night. We had marched with Wayne and gainedthe rear of the British column, and lay for the night in a dense wood, waiting for the recruits under Smallwood, who was marching to join us, before we began our attack on the British rear. 

It was in the early hours of the morning, the blackest of the night, the hour before the dawn, when there came sudden shots from ourpickets, and before we could spring to arms the Highland war-cry rangthrough the forest and the Black Watch swept over us. The wild formsof the Highlanders, the intense darkness, the surprise, the din andnoise of the strife as those who could grasp their muskets made adesperate stand, struck terror through the camp, and ere the men couldrally we were swept into the woods beyond. It seemed to me, as I wasborne along in the press, I heard, high over the charging cry of theScots, the voice of the old Tory cheering his men on. Certain it isthat I saw him for a moment by the light of a camp-fire, sword inhand, urging on his wild Scots, who seemed to grow wilder under hisleadership, as our line melted away before their advance. 

Ah! but it was grim and terrible. Our men, overcome by the surpriseand the rout, carried terror into the camp of Smallwood's recruits, which was near at hand, and they, too, gave way. 

But the dawn came: with it we gathered our shattered forces togetherand marched back to join Washington. 

Philadelphia fell, but the tide soon turned; for at Germantown we oncemore met them and avenged the surprise at Paoli. 

But the thing that thrilled us through and through and set our bannershigh was the courage of our brothers of the Line, who, thrown intoFort Mifflin, held it in the teeth of the enemy's fire until every gunwas dismounted and the fort itself levelled to the earth, leavingnothing to defend. It was a brave and gallant action, and we enviedthem for their good fortune. 

We had avenged Paoli at Germantown, yet this added another wreath toour banner. It was a thing to stir the blood and to set the pulsesbounding to hear how those heroes fought under the crumbling walls ofMifflin, and prayed for the friendly cover of night to fall to hidethem from that storm of fire and shell, and yet fought on. 

CHAPTER XV

THE FLAG OF TRUCE

The long hard winter soon came on, and we retired to Valley Forge tosuffer and to bear what was far more deadly than the Englishbullets--the terrible cold and desolation of that dreary place. Cold, bitterly cold it was, as the wind came down from the mountains, sweptover the broad fields, pierced through our torn and tattered garments, and racked our frames with pain. And yet, terrible as the exposurewas, there stands out one bright day in all that dreary winter, oneday, one hour in which I forgot all the cold and the hardships andwould not have been elsewhere for anything in the wide world. 

It was near the setting of the sun on one of the bleakest and coldestdays of the year. The sun itself was sinking behind the distant hills, and the sky was brilliant with its fiery javelins, which threw a luridlight across the cold gray heavens, the last protest of departing dayagainst the approach of the chill dismal night. The snow lay heavyupon the ground, and spread like a great white pall over the sins andsorrows of the world. Before us stretched the road, unbroken andtrackless; not a man had passed that way, for we stood guard at theoutpost, and the flicker of the foeman's fire could be seen sixhundred yards away, through the gloom. 

"Lucifer, but it is cold!" said one of the guard, as he threw anotherrail on the fire and held his hands out over the flames to warm them. 

"Aye; Old Nick himself would not be a bad acquaintance now--his smellof brimstone and sulphur might warm us up a bit, " said another. 

We were making the best we could of it, under the lee of a high bankby the side of the road, where we had cleared a space and stacked agood supply of dry fence-rails to feed the fire during the night. Thewind from the northwest swept over our heads, sheltered as we were bythe bank, and we would have defied the cold that crept ever upward butfor the rags and tatters that covered our frames. The men themselveswere cheerful, as they sat hugging the fire, and laughed and joked attheir hardships. 

"I wonder if those Highland devils will bother us to-night?" askedone, for the Black Watch held the outpost down the road. 

"They will be too busy warming their knees, " came the reply fromacross the fire, and a laugh followed. 

"Hello, what is that?" for the thud of hoofs was heard on the roadcoming from the camp. 

"A flag of truce, by George!" said the sergeant. "Who on earth wantsto go through the lines on a night like this?"

The party, consisting of several troopers, an officer, and whatappeared to be a woman on horseback, was soon within hailing distance, and I heard Ringgold's voice call out:

"I say, Frisby, are you in charge here?"

"Yes, " I replied. "What's up?"

"We have a prisoner here who wishes to go through the lines, but Idon't know whether you will permit her or not. "

"Is she fair?" I asked. "For in that case she shall not pass unlessshe gives us a smile by way of tribute as she rides by. "

"Not even if George Washington so orders, sir, " said a voice that Iknew. 

"By the saints, my lady!" I cried, and I was by her side in aninstant. "What brings you here, and why are you going within theEnglish lines?"

"Should not a daughter be with her father?" she asked. 

"But those bloody English, with all their fine trappings and theirfeathers! Nay, my lady, you have been disrespectful to the ContinentalCongress, as I can vouch for. You are our prisoner, and I will not letyou escape thus, to smile on the wearers of his Majesty's uniform. "

But she laughed quite merrily, and answered my threat with "LieutenantRinggold, pray ride on with the flag of truce. "

"Dick Ringgold, " I cried in my turn, "if you take less than tenminutes I shall be your deadly enemy for life. "

"All right, old fellow. " Dick rode on toward the enemy's campfire withthe bugler until he had gone about half the way, and then we heard theparley sounded and saw a stir in the opposite camp. 

"Mistress Jean, " said I, returning to the charge, "you are perfectlyheartless, and though I know the redcoats cannot help but fall in lovewith you, I warn you that if you smile on any one of them I shall gothrough the lines and seek him out, even into the heart of the cityitself, though I have to swing for it. "

"You will never try anything so rash;" and now the laughter had gonefrom her voice. 

"That I will, my lady, " I replied, "for I would rather dance onnothing than know that you belonged to another. "

"But you must not, " said she. "You must not think of such a thing. Youmust promise me never to attempt it. "

"Nay, Mistress Jean, that I cannot promise. It would drive me mad tostand here on guard all the winter night and see the lights ofPhiladelphia off there in the east; to know amid all the gayety andthe balls you reign supreme; to know I could not see you because ofthe miserable redcoats that guard the city. If they were ten timestheir number I would find my way through them to be once more at yourside, Mistress Jean. "

Before she could reply the Highland officer broke in, for he hadridden up with Ringgold. 

"Mistress Jean, it gives me pleasure to be the first to welcome you toour lines. Your father told us of your coming, and there has been arivalry between us as to who should be the one to escort you to thecity. "

"That was kind of all of you; but how did you leave my father?"

"Well, and eager for your coming. "

He was a splendid-looking young fellow, tall, broad-shouldered, andsomewhat bony, with a voice that rang frank and true. He was aHighlander, every inch of him, and carried himself with a free andgraceful carriage, and when I heard him tell Mistress Jean that he wasa Farquharson and an old ally of her house, I knew I had at last met adangerous rival. For, out of romances, it is not the villain, but thebrave and frank gentleman who is most dangerous to the peace of mindof lovers, for they see in him what they themselves most admire, andby which they hope to win their ladies' love. 

"Lieutenant Ringgold, now, " said Farquharson, "I am ready to receiveMistress Gordon from your hands, and to conduct her within our lines. "

"Far more ready than we are to let her go, " answered Dick gallantly;"but it is the fortune of war. " And then the two officers saluted andthe exchange was made. 

So Mistress Jean bade us all good-bye right prettily, and I, being onthe off side of her horse from the others, seized her hand as it hungby her side and kissed it several times. She at first did not withdrawit, and then, bending over, whispered, "Do not try to enter the city, for they will hang thee, and I would not lose so true a friend. " Hereher voice was very soft and low. I kissed her hand once again and shewas gone. 

We watched their dark shadows down the road to the Highland outpost, as they moved like great blots across the snow. I stood, I do not knowhow long, gazing after them, when Dick's hand was on my shoulder. 

"Never mind, Frisby, " said he, "we shall win the city in the spring, and then you may win her also. "

CHAPTER XVI

THE BALL OF MY LORD HOWE

Many a night after that last parting I stood guard on that drearyoutpost, gazing out across the snow at the dim lights of the city farto the eastward. Aye, for the city was gay that winter, gay withparties and dances, balls and dinners, and the bells rang as merrilyas if we were not starving and dying out on the bleak, hillsides. Aye, those old burghers were warm and comfortable as they sat by theirfires, with a glass of their wine or toddy at their side. 

True, my Lord Howe ruled the city with an iron hand, but he was agallant gentleman, and his officers made good partners for their fairdaughters at the balls. They were handsome in their scarlet uniforms, with their epaulets and their sabres, making, indeed, a very gallantshow, while those ragged patriots out upon the snow had not shoes totheir feet, and were altogether too disreputable to be admitted evento the kitchens of their houses. Then, again, runs not the Quaker law, "Thou shalt not fight"? And so the good old burghers threw another logon the fire and sat down to enjoy the cheerful blaze. 

The news came to us, sifted through the lines; we heard of theirdances and their balls, and everywhere we heard that Mistress JeanGordon was the belle of them all. The old Tory held high rank in thecounsels of Lord Howe, and the daughter, by her grace and beauty, reigned it over the hearts of every gallant gentleman of his army. 

We heard of her refusing my Lord Paulet and several other gentlemen, noted among us for their hard fighting, whenever by chance we wereopposed to them. And I, standing guard on the outpost, chafed in vainwhen I heard these tales, until one day chance decided me to risk all, to see her once more with my own eyes, and perhaps speak to her. 

There had been a skirmish on the outposts that day, and our men hadcaptured an English officer, a Captain of the line. He was a talkativeman, and while he was waiting to be sent to the rear as a prisoner weentertained him at our mess table, and he in turn told us the news ofthe town. 

"That must be a wonderful country, what do you call it, that easternshore of yours?" said he, "if it contains any more beauties likeMistress Jean Gordon. "

"Ah, the Tory's daughter?"

"Yes. She is the reigning belle of the whole town, and all our fellowsare wild about her. I never saw so many fellows in love with one girlbefore, but Farquharson seems to have the best of it, while LordPaulet stamps and swears. "

Now, we were loyal Marylanders--loyal, at least, to her wit andbeauty, so then and there we proposed and drank the health of the Torymaid, while Dick chimed in with the amendment, "May she never marry aBritisher, but a patriot tried and true, " at which our English Captaingood-naturedly protested; and while they drank the toast I made a vowthat ere a week was past I would be within that city. 

Fortune came my way, for as I left the mess-room that night I ranagainst Tom Jones of Cresap's old company of riflemen from themountains of the West, the most daring and desperate spy in all ourarmy. He was a man of powerful strength, as lithe and active as apanther, while his face was as immovable as that of an Indian, withnever a sign thereon of the thoughts and passions of the man within. He was clad for the moment in the dress of the riflemen, a full suitof buckskin, leggings, hunting-shirt, and all, while carelessly thrownacross one arm was his rifle, and in his belt was sheathed the longhunting-knife. 

"Lieutenant, " said he, "I expect to return through your linesto-morrow night, so do not fire before you challenge. "

"Come this way, Jones, " said I, leading him aside from the others. "Ido not know which way you are going, but I want you to help me throughthe lines into the city. Can you do so?"

"But, Lieutenant, they will be wanting to hang you if you are caught. "

"I will take that risk. I must be in the city within a week. "

Jones, like most great frontiersmen, was a man of quick decision andfew words. 

"Meet me in an hour, " said he, "at the Yellow Tavern. "

An hour later found me at the tavern in full uniform, for it was theonly suit I possessed in which it would be possible to present myselfbefore a lady, so dilapidated, torn, and ragged was my wardrobe. But Ihad a great storm-coat which hid the uniform and was an admirabledisguise. 

The tavern was crowded. As I stood by the fire I did not at oncenotice a quiet, unassuming traveller who had just entered, until hebrushed past my arm and whispered, "Follow me. " I did so a few minuteslater, for it was Tom Jones, who looked for all the world as if he wasa quiet city merchant, born and bred within its limits. Yet you hadbut to notice his walk, and you saw at once that he was amountaineer, for he threaded his way through the crowd as noiselesslyas he did among his native forests, where the crack of a dead twigmight mean his death by a hostile bullet. 

I followed him out into the night, and a dark and dismal night it was;the snow was falling heavily and you could not see three rods away. 

"We will follow the pike, " said he, "until we see their camp-fire. They will not keep strict watch to-night, and we will have to keep intouch with the landmarks. "

We trudged along through the snow past the outpost where I hadcommanded so many nights, keeping the vigils by the weary hours; thenwe became more careful, as the Highland outpost was but a few yardsaway. 

"They will have their backs to the storm, " said the spy, "and thoughit is dangerous to go to the windward of a foe, yet he is not so aptto hear us as he would be to see us if we tried the leeward side. Those Highlanders have keen eyes. "

So we flanked the outpost to the windward and passed them safely, andthen Jones led me by many little bypaths and lanes until we came tothe outskirts of the town. And though the guard at one time could havetouched us as they passed, so dense was the storm that never for amoment was our safety jeoparded. 

At last the houses became closer and we found ourselves in the town, while every now and then a belated traveller met us, glanced our wayand passed on, for by now it was far into the night. But when wereached the heart of the town, even at that hour, the streets becamefilled with carriages, and we met many officers and gentlemen, returning from a ball. My Lord Howe entertained that night, and itwas a sign of loyalty and good faith for every one to attend. 

Though I became interested in seeing the muffled figures pass us, andthe carriages hurrying through the street, I grew uneasy as I saw thatJones was making his way to the centre of the town, to the very doorof Lord Howe's mansion. At last I remonstrated with him, but Jonesgrowled in answer: "How can you throw the dogs off your track, if thesnow does not fill it, but by mixing it with other tracks?"

This was unanswerable. I followed him along the street until we wereamong the crowd before Lord Howe's door. 

It was a gay and brilliant scene, that ball of my Lord Howe, andthough it was near the end, the music of the dance still floatedthrough the wide entrance, while the figures of the dancers flittedacross the windows, which were ablaze with lights. The guests werefast leaving; fair ladies and officers bravely uniformed were comingdown the steps. There was a calling of carriages and of names, theslamming of doors and the muffled roll of the wheels as they droveoff. I was about to move on with Jones, when I heard the major-domo, asergeant of the guard, call out the carriage of Colonel CharlesGordon, and then I would have drawn back, as I had been forced intothe front rank; for, though I knew that she must be at the ball, I hadnot thought to be brought so suddenly face to face with her. But ere Icould do so, she came down the carpeted stairs leaning on her father'sarm, graceful and beautiful, while by her side walked Farquharson infull Highland costume, eager and attentive. A smile was upon her lipsas she listened, and then her eyes met mine. Her face went pale, andshe was near fainting. Her father caught her as she slightly reeled, and Farquharson looked fiercely around to see what the cause was. ButI was muffled up, and before he could demand the cause Mistress Jeanwas eagerly declaring that it was a mere nothing; and, as if to provewhat she said was true, she hurried on to the carriage. 

Farquharson leaned for a moment into the carriage to bid themgood-night, and then it rolled off into the darkness. 

CHAPTER XVII

AN EXCHANGE OF COURTESIES

"A narrow escape that for you, Lieutenant, " said Jones. "But she was aplucky lass, and now it is time for us to be looking for cover. "

He turned down a narrow, quiet street until we came to a house setsomewhat back in the yard. 

Jones now rapped very gently on the door; it swung open as if he wasexpected, and a moment later we found ourselves heartily welcomed byan old Quaker lady in a little room with a bright fire burning. 

"I thought thee would come, Brother Jones, " said she, "and who is thisbraw lad thou hast brought with thee?" And she smiled on me. 

"He is one of our Lieutenants, who has a sweetheart in town, and iswilling to risk his neck to see her, " said Jones gruffly, but therewas a twinkle in his eye. 

This completed my conquest, and the motherly old soul proceeded totake charge of me. 

"Who is thy lady love thou hast come to see?" And when I told her thatshe was a Tory she was much distressed, but eager to help me. 

"The Good Book says thou must not fight, but it also says thou musthelp thy friends and neighbours, so I will help thee. "

But at last, after chattering awhile she took a candle and showed usto our rooms. I was soon lost in the almost blissful comfort of cleanwhite sheets and a feather-bed. 

When I awoke next morning Jones had already departed on his mission, leaving me a note telling me where to meet him the next night on ourreturn to camp. 

All that day I kept close to the house, for I did not dare to ventureforth in the broad day, as I was known to many, and it would not havegone well with me if I had met with those I knew. 

But at last the night began to fall, and, bidding my kind hostessgood-bye, I made my way through the streets to the Tory's house. 

I soon found it--a square brick structure in a quiet street. Inoticed, as I approached it, several dark alleys just at the rightplaces for a rapid retreat if the worse should come to the worst. 

Then my hand was on the knocker, and its fall startled me as theclatter echoed far down the street and seemed to wake the very dead. 

A slave opened the door, who, though he glanced at me suspiciously, told me that his mistress was at home. 

Then in a moment my storm-coat was off, and I stood in the door of thedrawing-room. 

It was a beautiful picture, the great strong Highlander on his kneesat the feet of Mistress Jean begging for her hand, which she seemed tobe denying him, for he was growing more and more passionate. 

For a moment, as I stood there, I could feel my hair grow gray, butthe tumult and the conflict within me were short and I turned to go, for it seemed to me that she could not but care for so gallant agentleman. 

But her eyes met mine, and then for a moment there was terror in them, and a cry broke forth from her lips. 

Farquharson, startled by her gaze, turned also, and, seeing me, wasquickly on his feet, his face aflame with passion. 

"Sir, " said he, advancing toward me, "do you not know the fate ofeavesdroppers"--and then for the first time noticing my uniform, added, "and spies?"

"I know the fate of those who call a gentleman by such names, " Iretorted coolly. 

"A gentleman?" and he laughed. "I will have you hanged for a dog of aspy before sunrise. "

"Pardon me, sir, but you are my prisoner until it shall suit me to letyou go free. "

At this he laughed merrily. 

"Well said, Sir Rebel, " he cried; "but permit me to pass before I spityou on my sword. " And he drew and advanced upon me. 

"Permit me, sir, to use another argument;" and I drew my pistol andcovered him. "Advance another step and I will blow your brains out. "

He glanced at me for a moment, but did not advance. "And further, letme suggest that we are in the presence of a lady, and it is not seemlyfor her to see the flash of weapons. "

At this he put up his sword. 

"To whom do I owe a lesson in gallantry?" he asked with a low andsweeping bow. 

"James Frisby, of Fairlee, a Lieutenant in the Maryland Line, " Ireplied with equal courtesy. 

Mistress Jean had stood as though she were turned to stone during ourexchange of courtesies, but now she seemed to recover. 

"Captain Farquharson, " she cried, and she came and stood between us, "this is an old friend of mine. He saved my life at the Braes when wewere raided by the rebels. You must promise me to let him go free outof the city. "

"Your wishes, Mistress Jean, are law, " said he, "and shall be obeyed. I shall give him till morning to escape in. "

"Which I promptly accept, " said I, "with the hope that I may be ableto repay your courtesy if fortune should bring you within our linessome day. "

And so he bade Mistress Jean farewell, but as he passed me, Iwhispered to him:

"Sir, some words have been said that need an explanation. "

"It will give me pleasure to offer you one at any place you mayappoint. "

"Then meet me, " I said, "two days hence at sunrise on the pike, half-way between the lines. "

"With swords or pistols?"

"Swords. "

"I will be there;" and he passed on out. 

When he had gone, I turned to Mistress Jean, who urged me to leave atonce. 

"You must go, " said she, "for at any moment you may be tracked anddiscovered, and then----"

"And then--what?" I answered, smiling. "Do you think, Mistress Jean, that I, who travelled for miles through the snow and the storm lastnight to catch one glimpse of your face, that I, who at last stand inyour presence, would give a thought to the noose around my neck?"

But she would not let me say her nay, and then her terror grew, untilat last she told me that Lord Howe sometimes came home with her fatherat nine o'clock to talk over the plans of the spring campaign, andthat every moment she expected to hear their voices in the hall. 

"The sight of your face, Mistress Jean, has repaid me for my journey;but if you bid me go, why, then, it is fate, and go I must. " Then athought came to me. "Mistress Jean, tell me this before I leave in theenemy's camp all that is dearest on earth to me: tell me if you lovethat Highlander, if you care for him. " And she, who a moment beforewas urging me to leave, stood silent, with her face turned away fromme, with never a word to say. 

And I, seeing how matters stood, took my courage in my hands, and, with a low bow, wished her good-bye. 

CHAPTER XVIII

THE CROSSING OF SWORDS

Sunrise, two days later, found Mr. Richard Ringgold and myselfstamping our feet in the snow on the pike, half-way between thehostile lines. 

"I suppose they will let us fight here without interruption, " saidDick. 

"No danger from that, " I replied. "We will fight in that littlehollow, where the outposts cannot see us. "

"Here they come, " said Dick. We saw two officers approaching acrossthe snow from the Highland outpost. 

They soon came up, and we saluted, while Dick and Captain Forbes, Farquharson's second, soon agreed upon the preliminaries. 

"Will you lead the way, gentlemen?" said Forbes. 

Dick and I led them to the little hollow between the hills, where aslight meadow formed a platform, as it were, for us to act our dramaupon. 

Since my first duel with Rodolph on the banks of the Elk I had seensomething of war and of battles, and considered myself an old hand insuch encounters. 

And so I found myself looking Farquharson over and estimating hisstrength and his skill, for I knew him to be one of the best swordsmenamong the Highlanders, while I could claim, with all due modesty, tobe the best in the Maryland Line. 

He was a notable swordsman, you could see that at a glance; thepowerful figure, yet as light and active as a cat, the muscles of hissword arm telling of long and patient handling of the weapon, whilehis cold gray eye spoke for his coolness and determination. 

He glanced at me, as we threw off our coats, in almost an indifferentmanner, as if he had a duty to perform, which was to be done asquickly as possible, the mere suppression of a country bumpkin by agentleman of fashion. I knew that would change as soon as our swordscrossed, and smiled to myself. Then, being stripped to our shirts, wetook our places and saluted. 

Click, and our swords rang true. Though he fenced somewhat carelesslyat first, there came a surprised look and a sudden change in hismanner, as I parried a skilful thrust and touched him lightly on theshoulder. He seemed to realise that he had no ordinary swordsmanopposed to him, and quickly brought into play all his skill andfierceness in attack, throwing me on the defensive and forcing megradually back. 

It could not last; no strength could stand it. When he found that thesteel guard met every attack, that every thrust was parried, herelaxed the fierceness of his attack and began to fence with moreskill and caution. 

Thus it was we fenced for several minutes, the clash of the steelringing out in the cold, crisp air across the snow, and it came to myopponent that he had at last met a swordsman who was his equal inskill. From this on every moment he developed some new feint, some newattack, and, though I met them every one, it took my utmost skill todo so. 

But at last there came the end. He had assumed the offensive again andwas pressing hard upon me, when he placed his foot upon a loose stonein the snow, which rolled. The sword flew from out his hand and hewas down upon his knee. 

My sword was at his throat, and then my hand was stayed, for therecame before me the vision of the Tory maid, standing with face avertedin the square brick house in the city. That she might care, that shemight be in terror then as to the fate that might befall him, flashedthrough my brain. I brought my sword to a salute, and returned it toits scabbard. 

"Sir, " said I, as Farquharson rose, "it is a pleasure to have foughtwith so gallant a gentleman. "

"And I, sir, " he returned, "am happy to have met so skilful aswordsman. " And then, like gallant men who have fought and know eachother's worth, we shook hands on the spot where a moment before ourblades were thirsting for each other's blood. 

"It gives me pleasure, " he continued, "to withdraw my remarks atColonel Gordon's, as they arose from a misapprehension. "

"I will consider them as if they had never been said, " I replied, "andI beg of you, on your return, to present my compliments to MistressGordon, and tell her that I send you to her as my wedding gift. "

"Why, is she to be married?" he asked in a startled way. 

"I believe so, " I answered, "but she will tell you all about it. "

And so we returned to the pike, where we all saluted again, andretraced our steps to the lines. 

The spring was late that year. April had come before there came a softwarm breeze from the Southland, waking nature into life, and coveringthe hard frozen face of mother earth with wreaths and clouds of mistand moisture. From every hillside, from every frost-bound plain, thesmoke of spring arose, and through the air there breathed the spiritof the reincarnated life of the world. 

How we of the Southland hailed it with joy, and drank in with ourlungs this promise of a new life! We who loved the sunshine and thebalmy breezes, the great joy of living amid fragrant fields andgreen-clad forests, we who hated the storms, the wind and cold of theNorth, --ah, how the blood in our veins welcomed this soft caress ofthe South! We threw off the terror of the winter, looked forward withglee to the opening of the spring campaign, and counted inanticipation the honours we were to win, the glory that would be ours. 

New life sprang up all through the camp; the troops left the busy dutyof hugging the fires, the ranks filled up, and order and disciplineonce more became the order of the day. 

Rumours soon came creeping through the lines of a change in theleadership of the enemy's forces, but as yet they lay quietly withinthe city and showed not the teeth of offence. Thus we lay on the greenhillsides of Valley Forge, busily preparing for the struggle which wascertain to come, until far into the spring, without a sign of amovement on the part of the enemy. 

But with May came their new Commander-in-Chief, Sir Henry Clinton, andthe departure of Lord Howe, and we knew that the time had at last comewhen some bold stroke would be played in the game of war. 

The gaps in our ranks had been somewhat filled, and we were ready andeager for active service as soon as the great General would give thecommand. 

At last came rumours of a retreat, that the English were preparing todesert the city and march across the plains of Jersey to where NewYork lay, sheltered by the waters of the sea and the rivers. Wemarched toward the Delaware to be ready to strike them when theymoved. 

So, one day, as I stood on the outpost, guarding the nearest road tothe city, I saw Jones approaching at full speed on an old horse, whichhe had evidently borrowed. I was ready for his news. 

"The British are crossing the Delaware; we will catch them in Jerseynow or never, " he cried, and then he had dashed past on his way toheadquarters. 

My little guard received the news with a yell, and we looked forwardeagerly for the order to join our regiment on the march. 

It was not long in coming, and on that night, the 18th of June, wecrossed the Delaware, and started on the race across Jersey that wasto end at Monmouth. 

CHAPTER XIX

THE SANDS OF MONMOUTH

For a week we hung on the flank of the enemy, waiting for anopportunity to strike, as we saw the immense train form on the rightbank of the Delaware and take up its cumbersome march across theJersey plains. 

With it marched the whole force of the British army of seventeenthousand men, who did their duty so well that we longed for an openingin vain. 

All through those blazing hot days of June we marched through thesands of Jersey, ankle deep as we trudged along, and it seemed as ifthe time for a trial of strength would never come. All to the east andsouth of us the great train of their wagons crawled along through theheat and the dust, and the sun glinted and gleamed on the points ofthe bayonets as the mass of their troops marched on. 

Slowly they crawled through the dusty roads of Jersey, and slowly theywere crawling beyond the reach of our arms into the haven of safety. 

At last, on the 27th of the month, they reached the heights ofMonmouth, within a day's march of their journey's end, while we layfive miles away at Englishtown, swearing low and earnestly at ourluck. 

That night there came news to the camp that put new life in the men, and made them forget the heat and the toil of the march; the news thatthe great General had decided to risk a throw in the morning, and thatour regiment was to be with the advance. 

And so, when Lee rode up to take command, we gave him a cheer, forthough we disliked and distrusted the man, yet his coming meant afight in the morning. 

Then there was a great stir in the camp; the men saw to their muskets, and the signs everywhere told of their eager preparations for thedeadly struggle in the morning, while the cheery laugh and thesnatches of song spoke well for the spirits of the men after the long, toilsome march of the day. 

The sun comes up out of the ocean early in Jersey, but even before itsrays had cleared the pine tops our camp was stirring with life, themen preparing for the advance. 

But there seemed to be a fatality about it all; a hand, as it were, covered us and held us back, paralyzing the spirit of the men. Delayfollowed delay, and when at last the regiments took up the line ofmarch, ours was held back until almost the last. The New Jerseyvolunteers had the post of honour, as they longed to revenge theirruined homesteads and devastated farms, and then our turn came. 

We marched out of Englishtown into the dreary country beyond. On everyside sand dunes, former barriers of the ocean, raised their crests, covered with a straggling forest of stunted pines and scrub trees, which, in the passes in the hills, came down to the road, disputingthe passageway, while in the shallow valleys lay the open fields andmarshes. A dreary country withal, but where a small body of troopscould hold the passes in the hills against many hundreds and make goodtheir defence. 

We passed through the defile in the first range of hills, crossed thelow valley, and then, after passing through the second defile, we hadonly to cross the one before us to be on the heights overlooking theenemy's position at Freehold. 

As we approached this last pass in the hills we were surprised to seea steady stream of our troops coming back in disorder through the gap. The men were retreating doggedly in broken ranks, and turning, as theytrudged along, to look back, as if with half a mind to return. 

As they came streaming past our advance I called to a sergeant, an oldbackwoodsman whose courage I knew, and asked him of the battle and whyhe was not fighting. 

"Fight?" he cried indignantly, "why, damn it, Lieutenant, they willnot let us fight. They ordered us to retreat before a musket wasfired. "

At that moment Captain Mercer, an aide of the staff of General Lee, rode up to Colonel Ramsay, who was near me. 

He delivered an order rapidly, and then I heard Ramsay's voice ringout angrily. "Retreat?" he cried. "By whose order?"

"By the order of General Lee. "

"But, " he protested hotly, "we have not seen the enemy yet. "

Mercer shrugged his shoulders. "I only carry the order, " he said. 

The stream of fugitives grew rapidly, becoming more disorderly, showing at every step the spread of the panic and the rout, as ColonelRamsay stopped the advance and gave the order to retreat. 

Slowly and reluctantly we obeyed, and as we retired through the secondpass in the hills we saw the British gain the opposite ridge andadvance with cheers on the disorderly flying mass in the sandy valleybehind. 

Every moment the press of the fugitives grew greater, and though westill maintained our formation and marched as on parade the retreathad turned into a rout. On every side and in our rear the brokenranks of the army poured past, demoralised and in despair, and evernearer came the musketry and the cheers of the advancing English. 

"They will catch us before we get through the gap, " said Dick, lookingat the pass in front of us. 

"Then we will fight anyhow, " I replied, "and General Lee can go to thedevil. "

Whereupon our spirits began to pick up, and the men retreated moreslowly than ever, glancing over their shoulders to see how near thehead of the British column was. 

At last we came to the foot of the first pass, with its hills heavilycovered with scrub pines. Behind us stretched the fields of brokentroops, and we could see the red line of the British as they debouchedupon the plain and drove the patriots before them. 

It was a wild scene of confusion and disorder, of demoralised retreatand rout; and then something happened. 

There was a stir in the pass in our front, a clatter of hoofs, andthere appeared before us the General with his staff. He towered therewith his great figure, a veritable god of war and of wrath. 

For a moment his eye swept the field, and his face flushed crimsonwith indignation and anger, as he saw the best troops of his armyflying like sheep before the enemy. There was a storm in the air, andthen, as Lee rode up, it broke. 

We heard his excited "Sir, sir!" and the General's angry tones, andthen dismissing him contemptuously, he called to Hamilton to ask ifthere was a regiment which could stop the advance. 

Ramsay sprang forward. 

"My regiment is ready, General. "

"If you stop them ten minutes until I form, you will save the army. "

"I will stop them or fall, " cried Ramsay, and, turning to us, he gavethe order to "About face, " and then crying that the General relied onus to save the army, he led us in the charge. 

Not a moment too soon, for, as the press of the fugitives was brushedaside by our advance, mingling in the midst of the disorderly mass, came the red line of the British, cheering and victorious. 

But suddenly the flying mass disappeared, and in their place came theyell of the Maryland Line, the long array of their bayonets bent tothe charge, with all the fury and weight of their onset. 

For a moment the red line hesitated; then an officer, who lookedstrangely familiar, sprang forward, shouting:

"They are nothing but dogs of rebels; charge and break them. "

The red line answered with a cheer, for their fighting blood was up, and they dashed forward to meet us. 

Then came such a clash of steel as is seldom heard, as the King'sGrenadiers and the Maryland Line met in the shock of the charge. For amoment so close was the press that we could not wield our arms, andmen fell, spitted on each other's bayonets. 

Then came a deadly struggle, as men fought desperately, hand to hand, and the lines swayed backward and forward as the weight of the numberstold. The ground was lost and gained, struggled for and won over andover, while the dead lay in heaps under our feet. 

It was in the midst of this deadly struggle, when I was fighting swordin hand amid the press of bayonets for my very life, that I sawRamsay, who was near, cheering on his men, come face to face with theofficer who led the charge of the Grenadiers. Then, in that stormcentre, around which the roar of battle raged, there was a flash ofsteel and the swords crossed. But in the fury of the battle duels areshort and fierce, and I saw Ramsay, who was already covered withwounds, falter for a moment, as the other lunged, and then he was downamong the slain. 

Our line hesitated as Ramsay fell, and the English pressed on with acheer. But I sprang forward, shouting to the men to save theirColonel, and they, answering my call, forced the English back, until Istood by Ramsay's body. But only for a moment; before we could raiseRamsay gently up and bear him off the field, there came another chargeof the Grenadiers that forced us off our feet and hurled us backward, fighting desperately, leaving the body of our Colonel in the hands ofthe enemy. But in the _mêlée_ I found my sword crossing that of theofficer who had fought with Ramsay, and instantly I attacked himfiercely, for I was burning to avenge Ramsay's fall. But he, with easeand coolness, parried all my thrusts and played with me as if I werebut a child. Then, as I was growing desperate, he called to me, "Nay, lad, go try your sword on some one else and leave an old Scot alone. Iwould not hurt you for the world. "

I started and let the point of my sword fall, for it was the voice ofthe old Tory, whom I had not before recognised in the confusion of thefight. This slight hesitation almost led to my capture, for I had beenfighting in advance of our line, and now I found myself in the midstof the English troops. So, saluting the old Tory hastily, I regainedour lines. 

Then, fighting foot by foot and inch, by inch, we contested theiradvance, as the weight of numbers bore us backward up the hill intothe pines. But every minute gained meant the salvation of the army. 

Ah, it was hot work there, ankle deep in the sand, with the broilingsun above us, while the smoke and the dust of the conflict filled ourthroats and eyes; but we staggered on and fought blindly, desperately, amid the din and the carnage. 

Ten minutes, twenty minutes--ah, there it is at last, and the roar ofthe opening battle broke out to the right and left of us, as there-formed regiments went into the fight. 

Then to our left came the high piercing yell of our brothers of theLine, and we knew that the British were falling back before them. TheGrenadiers struggled on for a moment longer, but the force of theircharge was spent, and the fire of the new regiments forced them backin turn. 

But it was only for awhile, for they re-formed, and, under theleadership of the gallant Monkton, hurled themselves upon us onceagain. 

Monkton fell, and their lines shrivelled up under our fire. Then, asit was near the setting of the sun, Washington, glancing over thefield, saw that the time had come and ordered the advance. 

Our whole line sprang forward, and, though we had borne the brunt, thetoil, and heat of the day, not a man faltered. As the long line sweptforward the British slowly retreated before us. We drove them acrossthe plain and through the second pass, where night overtook us andstopped our pursuit. 

But then, when the fever of the battle left us, a great fatigueseized hold of our limbs, the men sank to the earth as they stood, and slept from very exhaustion. 

But we were soon to be aroused. 

Through the darkness came the sound of a horse's hoofs, and a voice, asking for Ramsay's regiment. I sprang up, answering, and sawapproaching a body of horsemen. The foremost rider seemed an immensefigure, as he advanced in the darkness; but I, who had seen him oftenbefore, knew him to be the great General. 

I immediately gave the alarm, and the men sprang to their feet andpresented arms. 

And then, there under the pines, by the light of the stars, theGeneral rode down our line, and, coming to the centre, we felt hisglance fall over our ranks. 

"Men of Maryland, " spoke Washington, and his voice rang clear throughthe pines, "once before at Long Island you saved the army, and to-day, for a second time, you have done so by your courage and tenacity. Ithank you in the name of the army and the nation; I thank you formyself. "

A wild yell that broke from the Line was his answer. We forgot ourfatigue and our wounds in the pride of the moment. 

CHAPTER XX

IN THE LINES OF THE ENEMY

It was near the end of the first watch when an order came to me topick out several men, go forward, feel the enemy's outposts, and seeif the enemy was still retreating. 

Making my choice, I passed our pickets with three men, and made my waycautiously to the last pass in the hills which was in the enemy'spossession at nightfall. But not a sign of their pickets or troopscould I find; so I boldly advanced in the pass, and, crossing theridge, found myself on the heights overlooking Freehold. It was asmall town of scattered houses, and beyond it I could see the lightsof the British camp-fires. 

But as the heights were not near enough for our purpose, we descendedinto the plain, and carefully made our way toward the town, where Iknew certain patriots were, who, if I could once get speech with them, would tell me the whole plans of the enemy. 

We could hear the tramp of feet at the further side of the village, and all the sounds of an army in retreat. Being now so close to them, and in great danger, we moved with the utmost caution. Near at hand, on the outskirts of the town, stood a large, square stone house, separated from the rest of the houses by an immense garden. Havingfound a break in the hedge, we entered. 

It was an old garden, filled with boxwood walks and flowers run wild. Very prim at one time it must have been; but, now that the war hadhelped the return to nature, it was a wild and tangled mass. 

Making our way through the garden, a light was suddenly thrown uponour path, and, glancing up, I saw that it came from a window which, though it was on the first floor of the house, was yet some distancefrom the ground. 

Then the figure of a woman crossed the window, stopping for a momentto look out, while we stood in the shadow of the hedge, holding ourbreath. But she passed on, and I, determining to see into the room todiscover whether it contained friend or foe, quickly gained theshelter of the wall of the house. The wall was of rough hewn stone, and with the help of my comrades' shoulders, I raised myself highenough to glance over the window-sill, and what I saw there made medrop to the ground quickly. 

Then, whispering to my comrades to stay where they were, I made my wayto the rear entrance of the house, and, finding the door unfastened, softly entered the hall; and then I was standing in the door of theroom from which the light came. 

A lamp stood on a table near a long horse-hair sofa with spindle legs, on which lay the figure of a man. The coat had been cut from hisshoulder, which was swathed in many bandages, while the blood-stainedrags on the table and the floor told of the seriousness of the wound. 

A slender figure was bending over him, gently arranging a pillow underhis head. 

"Do you feel easier now, father?"

"Yes, lassie. " Then, a moment later, "Why does not Clinton send me acarriage? He surely does not intend to desert me here. "

"Captain Farquharson is searching for one, " she answered. And thenturning to the table, she saw me standing in the doorway. The colourleft her face; she gave a little cry, for she thought there were manymen behind me, and that all was lost. So, quickly putting my finger tomy lips, I stepped back into the darkness of the hall, and as I didso, I heard the old Tory ask, "What's that?"

"It was nothing, " she answered. "I thought I saw a ghost. "

I stood there in the broad window waiting, for I knew she would come. 

Below me was the garden, heavy-scented with the odour of flowers, andthe hum of the night insects was everywhere in the air. Close to thewall I saw the figures of my scouts. The noise of the tramp of feet, the creak of waggons, and the voice of command came to me from thevillage street. 

At last she came and stood before me. In her eyes were great pain andfear and suffering. 

"Tell me, " she asked anxiously, "is there any danger for him?"

"More danger for me than for him, " I replied. "The whole Americanadvance guard consists of three men and myself; the rest will followin the morning. "

"Ah, " she cried, and there was hope once more in her voice; "then wecan escape. "

"If you can move your father by sunrise, yes, " I replied. 

"But you, " she said, and there was new anxiety in her voice; "you arein great danger here. When the soldiers come to remove father theywill take you prisoner. "

"I care not, Mistress Jean, " I answered, "for your eyes have held meprisoner for many a long day, and all the prison bars in the world arenothing to me so long as I can look into them. "

"Nay, " she said, "you must not say such things to me. "

And I, taking this as a confirmation of all my fears and that at lastFarquharson had succeeded in his suit, would have bade her good-byeand gone my way. But before I went I told her of my wishes for herhappiness, and that I had met Farquharson and knew of his skill andcourage. 

"Farquharson?" and her eyes were wide open in surprise. "I reallybelieve you think I am going to marry him;" and she laughed so softly, bewitchingly, that--

"Jean, Jean, " I cried, now that hope and life had come back with arush, "Jean, do you know that I love you; that I love the very groundon which you walk, the sunbeams in your hair, the very air youbreathe? Ah! Jean--" But at that moment came the voice of the Torycalling her and the tramp of feet on the porch. 

"Let me go, " she cried, for I held her hands in mine; "and fly, --thatis the guard. "

"Nay, " said I, "not till you give me a kiss. I will stay here and becaptured first. "

There was a moment's hesitation, and then a flash of white arms, andthe softest caress--ah, such a caress that the memory of it will gowith me to the grave. And then she was gone. 

And I, not wishing to be captured now, slipped through the rear doorto my men, and a short time later, having satisfied ourselves of theretreat of the enemy's forces, we made our way back over the hills toreport to the General. 

We followed the enemy closely the next day, and did not draw off untilwe saw them beyond our reach at Sandy Hook. 

Then we took our way to the Jersey hills, and lay there for a timewatching the enemy in New York. 

CHAPTER XXI

THE PASSING OF YEARS

Then came a long period when it seemed almost as if peace had settledover the land, so seldom did the rattle of musket fire or the angryflash of guns break the quiet repose of the Jersey plains and farms. 

Far across the marshes lay New York, and behind its walls and thebroad sweep of the waters the British army rested safe, while the armyof the patriots, scattered among the forests, woods, and hills ofJersey and New York, lived, like Robin Hood's followers of old, andwaited while the wheel of fortune turned. 

A year went by, when at the taking of Paulus Hook I first heard newsof the welfare of the Tory and the maid, since the night of theMonmouth retreat. 

It was after an all-night march through the marshes of Jersey, oftenbreast-high in the water, that we made a silent, deadly charge withthe bayonet on the enemy's fort, and carried it before the sun hadrisen. 

We were retiring rapidly, after securing our prisoners, when one of mymen called to me: "Captain, here's one of those Highland chiefsknocked on the head. "

I went to him and found that it was Farquharson, who had received anugly blow on the head from a clubbed musket. 

A little whiskey between his teeth and water on his face revived him, and I was able, with the help of several men, to carry him along withour party. 

We made good our retreat, and when several days later I was in themain camp of the army, I went to the quarters where the prisoners weredetained, and there I again met Farquharson. 

"Captain, " said he, smiling, for he had almost recovered from hiswound, "there is no entering a contest against you; fortune is alwayson your side. "

"My turn will come, " I answered; "but is there anything I can do foryou?"

"I am afraid not, unless you bribe the guards to let me escape. "

"That would be clear against the articles of war, " I replied. We fellto talking, and then it was I heard of the Tory and his daughter. 

"It was about Christmas time, " said Farquharson, "that the King sent amessage over the sea, granting him a pardon for the part he had takenin '45, for you know he was out then. The Sea Raven was about toclear in a week for Glasgow, and a sudden longing seemed to seize himto see once more the dash of the waters through the Braes of Mar andthe heather-crowned hills of old Aberdeen; and so, within a week, theyhad sailed away; and as he left he said to me: 'A revolt drove me fromold Scotland; another sends me back again. I wonder where fortune willend my days. ' It is a strange fortune that has followed him throughlife. "

"It is, indeed, " I replied. 

So they sailed away over the seas, gone back to their own land andpeople; and between that land and mine burned high the flame of war. But through the flame and across the broad stretch of the waters, Isaw the form of the maid beckoning me on, and though my hope waswell-nigh gone, I buckled tight my sword-belt and doggedly wenton, --went on, through the long march to the southward, the toil, thehunger, and the defeat of the Camden campaign. 

The great triumph of Eutaw Springs and Cowpens, as we drove backCornwallis from the hill country to the shore, rolled back the tide ofinvasion and drowned it in the sea. 

A year went by, bringing me adventures not a few, and with theadventures came wounds and honours; and when there came the news ofthe leaguer of Yorktown, it found me a full Colonel in the army of theSouth. 

It was not my fortune to be present at that last great feat of ourarms, when the great General struck the blow that freed us for everfrom the tyranny of the King. 

But when the news came down to us in the savannahs of the South wehailed it with joy, for we saw once more before us the quiet, smilingfields of Maryland, with the ease and comfort and plenty of it allthat awaited but our coming to repay us for the years of strife andblood. 

And then at last came the order for us to take up the homeward march. The men took up the trail with as jaunty a step as when they firstmarched to the northward, long years before. The gay uniforms werefaded and gone; rags and tatters had taken their places, while of thebrave banner that was flung to the breeze at the Head of Elk nothingremained but the staff and a few ribbons that flaunted therefrom. 

But every tatter told the tale of a fight where the shot and shell hadtorn it as it waved above the charging line, the deadly struggle ofthe hand to hand, or marked the slow and sullen retreat. 

The men themselves were hardy and bronzed; from their ragged caps totheir soleless shoes they bore the stamp of veterans. They showed thesigns of their training in the angry school of war; wide indeed wasthe difference between the gay volunteers of '76 and the hardyveterans of '82. We swung along in our homeward march with a rightgoodwill, and at last came to the broad Potomac and saw the hills ofMaryland beyond. 

Now the river itself to the low water-line of the southern bank iswithin the boundaries of Maryland. Wishing to be the first across theline, I rode my horse in to the saddle-girths, and let him drinkthereof. 

A day later brought us to Annapolis, where we received the thanks ofthe State authorities, and with all due form and ceremony obtained ourdischarge and then dispersed to our homes. 

That very day I took a canoe, and, crossing the bay, found myselfagain on the steps of Fairlee. 

Once more my mother leaned on my arm, and, looking up at her tall, broad-shouldered son, with his epaulets of a Colonel, bronzed face, and hardy bearing, seemed proud and happy. 

CHAPTER XXII

THE COMING OF THE MAID

Many months had passed away, spring had come again, and the fair cityof Annapolis lay in a mass of flowers. The vivid green of the oldtrees cast a delightful shade over all, tempting one to stroll throughthe quiet streets and byways, past the moss-grown walls, theold-fashioned gardens, buried in roses, and the stately, proudmansions of many of Maryland's best and bravest. 

I was standing on a step and above me stood Mistresses Polly and BetsyJohnson, who were railing at me now that I no longer wore a uniformand was simply a plain member of the Legislature. 

"He looked so fine in his brass buttons, " said Mistress Polly. 

"A brave, bold, quite proper-looking young fellow, " added MistressBetsy. 

"And now just look at him, " continued Mistress Polly pathetically; andthey surveyed me sorrowfully, while malicious mischief played aroundthe corners of their eyes. 

I laughed outright. I could not help it, so droll was the expressionon their faces. 

"True, your ladyship, " I said; "the toga does not fit a young man sowell as the buckled sabre and glittering epaulets. But now that dullpeace has come, the hall of the Legislature is the only place whereyou can throw the weight of your sword in the conflict and wield someinfluence in the great struggles of the country; would you have meidle?"

"Nay, I would not have that, " said Mistress Polly judiciously. "Butyour round head and big hands are just the things for a fight, andthough your voice is--well--can be heard a considerable distance, I amafraid----" She paused, as if doubtful about its being put to any gooduse in the hall of the Assembly. 

Decidedly I was getting the worst of it. 

At this moment Dick Ringgold, who represented Kent with me, cameswinging up the street, and, seeing me standing on the steps, hailedme with--

"Hello, Frisby, have you heard the news?"

"What news?"

"Your old Tory friend Gordon is on the Sally Ann, from London, whichhas just come up the harbour. "

"Any one with him?" I asked anxiously. 

"Well, " said Dick, maliciously drawling it out, "I heard some one saythere was a young lady with him. "

I did not stop to protest against the laughter that followed me as Idashed down the street, or to Dick's shout as he called somethingafter me. A few minutes later I was on the wharf. 

Out in the stream, swaying with the current of the tide, lay the SallyAnn, her tall spars tapering high in air, her decks full of bustle andactivity, showing the journey's end and that the final preparationsfor disembarkation were under full headway. 

As I arrived a boat was pulling off from her side containing twopassengers. As I saw them my heart gave a great bound; my hand went tomy hat and swung it around my head. In answer to my signal came thefluttering of a handkerchief. 

"Sir, " said I, as the old Tory stepped ashore, "let me be the firstto welcome you back to old Maryland. "

"Would that all my enemies were like you!" he replied. "I hesitatedlong about returning, but Jean would have it so. "

And Mistress Jean said not a word as I took her hand in mine, but herface was mantled in scarlet and her eyes were downcast. 

The prim old garden of the Nicholsons never looked more charming, theflowers more sweet and beautiful, or the green boxwood hedges moresuggestive of rest and repose; the lazy waters of the Chester rolledalong at its foot, gently lapping the grass. Ah! the sun was shiningon a glorious world that day, for Mistress Jean walked beside me. 

"Mistress Jean, " said I, as we stood where the waters met the grassand looked out over the broad and silent river, flowing on and on asif to eternity, "our lives have been more like mountain torrents thanthe broad smooth river here. We have lived through the battles andsieges, seen blood and death and all the horrors of a great war, butnow that peace has come, and our course lies through pleasant fieldsand verdant meadows, would it not be best for them to join and flow onas this great river does, Jean? Ah, Jean, you know how much I loveyou. "

And then she placed her hand in mine; her eyes spoke that which I mostwished to know, and the very earth seemed glorious. 

I know not how long we stood there, when there came Mistress NancyNicholson's voice through the garden, calling, "Jean, Jean, where areyou?"

"Here, " she answered; and with that Mistress Nancy came running roundthe hedge. 

"Oh, Jean, " she cried, "Dick has proposed. "

And then, seeing me, she stamped her little foot, and cried, "Oh, bother!" blushing meanwhile as red as one of her roses. 

"And so have I, Mistress Nancy, " I replied. 

 * * * * *

And now, my children, I end this tale, sitting here on the old porchat Fairlee. The pen drops from my hand, but my eyes are not too dim tosee the flash of the sunlight on the waters of the great bay throughthe break in the trees. 

Nor are they too dim, Miss Jean, in spite of the impertinent toss ofyour head, to see in you the likeness of the maid that led me such awild dance in the days of my youth. And I promise you, if you do notsmile on young Dick Ringgold and stop your outrageous treatment ofhim, I will not leave you a cent in my will. 

There, there; I retract every word that I said. Was there ever soaudacious a monkey in the world?

There, I have finished. Oh, yes, I forgot--

"John Cotton, bring me some more mint. "

THE END.