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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..624a399 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #54132 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54132) diff --git a/old/54132-0.txt b/old/54132-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c52e774..0000000 --- a/old/54132-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7392 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Loyal Little Red-Coat, by Ruth Ogden - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: A Loyal Little Red-Coat - A Story of Child-life in New York a Hundred Years Ago - -Author: Ruth Ogden - -Illustrator: H. A. Ogden - -Release Date: February 26, 2017 [EBook #54132] -Last Updated: March 13, 2018 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LOYAL LITTLE RED-COAT *** - - - - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - - - - - - - - -A LOYAL LITTLE RED-COAT - -A Story of Child-life in New York a Hundred Years Ago - -By Ruth Ogden - -Fourth Edition - -Illustrated by H. A. Ogden - -New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company - -1890 - -[Illustration: 0001] - -[Illustration: 0006] - -[Illustration: 0007] - - - - -PREFACE. - -In the introductory chapter of “The History of the People of the United -States,” Mr. McMaster announces as his subject, “The history of the -people from the close of the war for Independence down to the opening of -the war between the States.” It seems at first thought improbable that -a history excluding both the Revolution and the Civil War should prove -in any great degree interesting, but the first twelve pages suffice to -convince one to the contrary. With consummate skill in selection and -narration, Mr. McMaster has brought to light information of a singularly -novel character. Impressed with this unlooked-for quality, it occurred -to me that here was ground that had not been previously gone over--not, -at any rate, in a story for children. “A Loyal Little Red-Coat” has been -the outcome. Whether I have succeeded in transferring to these pages -aught of the peculiar interest of the history remains to be seen. This -much may be said, however, that every historical allusion is based -upon actual fact. The English Circus, the Captain's letter, Harry's -Prison-Ship experiences, Alexander Hamilton's successful defence of a -Tory client, the treatment of the Bonifaces at the ball--all find their -counterpart in the realities of a century ago. For much of the minor -historical detail I am indebted to those rare and quaint old volumes, -carefully treasured by our historical societies, which make possible -the faithful recounting of the story of bygone days. In my attempt to -reproduce the child-life of a time so far removed, I have probably been -guilty of some anachronisms. If, however, I have woven a page of history -into a story that, by any chance, shall interest the children, for whom -it has been a delight to me to write it, I shall be sincerely grateful. - -Ruth Ogden. - -Brooklyn, N. Y. - - - - - -A LOYAL LITTLE RED-COAT - - - - -CHAPTER I.--ON THE ALBANY COACH - - -[Illustration: 9013] - -AZEL BONIFACE was a Loyalist, which means that she was a hearty little -champion of King George the Third of England, and this notwithstanding -she lived in America, and was born there. It had happened to be on a -crisp October morning of the year 1773 that Hazel's gray eyes first saw -the light, and they no sooner saw the light than they saw a wonderful -red coat, and just as soon as she was able to understand it, she learned -that that red coat belonged to her papa, and that her papa belonged to -King George's army. So, after all, you see it was but natural that she -should have been a little Loyalist from the start, and quite to have -been expected that she should, grow more and more staunch with every -year. - -Now it chanced one midwinter afternoon, when Hazel was about six years -old, that she came into the city--that is, into New York--on an errand -with her father, and that she stood for a while watching a merry party -of boys, who were having the jolliest sort of a time coasting down -Powder House Hill, and skating on the clear, crystal ice of the Collect. -The Collect and Powder House Hill! You never heard of them, did you, and -yet may have lived in New York all your life; but you may believe the -little New Yorkers of those days knew them and loved them. - -The Collect (though where it got its name no one knows) was a beautiful -sheet of water connected with the North River by a creek crossing -Broadway, where we now have Canal street, and the hill where the Powder -House stood was one of the pretty heights that bordered it. Wouldn't -some of the little people who live in that crowded part of the city -to-day be surprised to know, that only a hundred years ago ponds and -hills took the place of the level city streets, and that a boy could -start way over east of Broadway, skate under the arch at Canal street, -and then strike out across the broad Lispenard meadows straight to the -North River? But those boys of the olden time, who were spending their -short afternoon holiday there on the ice, were exactly like the boys of -to-day, in that they were cutting up the very silliest sort of capers. -Hazel, however, thought it all very funny, and longing for the time when -she should have a pair of skates of her own, wondered if that boy with -the pretty name--that boy the other boys called Starlight--would teach -her how to use them. And so one time when he came gliding her way she -called out, quite to the surprise of her father, whose hand she stood -holding, “Will you teach me how to skate when I grow old enough, -Starlight?” - -“Bless your heart, yes,” came the answer, as soon as the finest little -skater that ever buckled skates on the Collect could put the brakes to -his winged feet, “but you must tell me your name, so that I shall know -you when you grow up.” - -“Hazel, Hazel Boniface,” she replied; “and is your name really -Starlight? It's a beautiful name.” - -“Yes, Starlight's my last name; my other name is Job; that isn't so -pretty, is it?” - -“I should think not; I shall always call you just Starlight.” - -And Hazel had been true to her word, and had always called Job just -Starlight, and Job had been true to his promise, and had long ago taught -Hazel to skate, for she was ten now and he fourteen, and they had been -the best of friends this long while, notwithstanding Job was as zealous -a Whig as was Hazel a Loyalist. - -And now, for fear you should not happen to know just what is meant -by Whig and Loyalist, you must--there is no help for it if you are to -understand this story--put up with a solid little bit of history right -here and now. You see Hazel was born in 1773, and as she has just scored -a tenth birthday, that brings us to 1783, and 1783 found affairs in New -York in a decidedly topsy-turvy state. A great war had been going on for -eight long years called, as you know, the war of the Revolution, because -the colonies in America had _revolted_, declaring their determination -to be independent, and that King George of England should no longer be -their king. And all that while, that is, during those eight long years, -King George's soldiers had been in possession of New York, and many of -the Whigs--and Whigs, remember, are the people who sided against King -George--had fled from their dwellings, and scores of Loyalists, pouring -into the city to be under the protection of the English soldiers, -had made their homes in the Whigs' empty houses. But now matters were -beginning to look very differently. The great war was over, the colonies -had been successful, and although the English soldiers were still in -New York, they were soon to go, every one of them, and the Whigs were -returning in great numbers, and trying to turn out the Loyalists, whom -they found living in their homes. Most of these Loyalists, however, were -very loath to go, some of them, indeed, avowing that go they would not! -No wonder, then, that affairs in New York in 1783 were in a decidedly -topsy-turvy state; and this brings us to the real commencement of our -story, and to Hazel, sitting alone on the porch of her home at Kings -Bridge, and with a most woe-begone expression on her usually happy face. -Suddenly a new thought seemed to strike her, and she started on a brisk -little run for the gate; but it was simply that, hearing the sound of -wheels in the distance, she knew that the Albany coach was coming, and -the Albany coach was what she was waiting for. That was long before the -days of railroads, and when all the travelling must needs be done in -that “slow-coach” fashion. - -The Albany stage was generally full inside, and, as Hazel expected, this -morning was no exception; but that did not make the least difference in -the world to her, for what she wanted was a seat beside Joe Ainsworth, -the driver. Indeed, it was not an unusual thing for Hazel to ask for a -ride into town, nor for Joe to grant it, so that the moment he spied her -standing in the road ahead of him, he knew what it meant, and reined up -his four dusty white horses. - -Hazel looked very sweet and fresh, no doubt, in the eyes of the wearied -travellers, who had journeyed all night in the jouncing stage, and, in -fact, she would have looked sweet and fresh in the eyes of anybody -whose eyes were good for very much. She wore a quaint little gown and -kerchief, as yet without rumple or wrinkle, for it was but nine o'clock -in the morning, and breakfast and a quiet little “think” on the porch -had not proved in the least damaging to either skirt or kerchief. To -tell the truth, Hazel had an intense regard for a fresh and dainty -toilet, and somehow contrived to scale the side of the coach without in -any way begriming her pretty dress, although she was obliged to make use -of one great dusty wheel in ascending. First she planted both feet on -its hub, and then by aid of Joe's hand fairly bounded to her seat beside -him with quite as much grace as a little deer of the forest, and a -“little dear” she was in point of fact, if you alter but one letter in -the spelling. - -“Well, Miss Hazel,” said Joe, after he had started up his horses, “how -are you this warm morning?” for it was early September, and the sun was -already shining hotly down upon them. - -“Oh, I'm very well then,” after a moment's pause, “No, I don't believe I -am very well, either, because, Joe, I feel very blue.” - -“Blue!” exclaimed Joe; “you blue! Why, you ought not to learn even the -meaning of the word these twenty years yet.” - -“Some children learn it very young, Joe,” with a real little sigh. - -“But what in creation have you to be blue about, I'd like to know? -Perhaps you have gotten a spot on that pretty Sunday frock of yours,” - for Joe knew Hazel's little weakness in that direction. - -“Joe!” said Hazel, indignantly, and with such a world of reproof in her -tone that Joe had to pretend to cough to keep from laughing. “If you -think a moment, Joe, I'm sure you will remember that I have reason to -feel very, very blue indeed.” - -Hazel was so serious that Joe felt in duty bound to put his thinking-cap -on, and ransacked his brain for the possible occasion of her depression. -Hazel, with childish dignity, did not offer to help him in the matter, -and they drove for a few moments in a silence broken only by the creak -of the weather-beaten stage, and the regular, monotonous rattle of -the loose-fitting harness. Down through the dusty yellow leaves of the -roadside trees the sunlight filtered, to the dustier hedges below, and -there was little or no life in the air. Indeed, it was a morning when -one had need to be very much preoccupied _not_ to feel blue, as Hazel -called it, and a discriminating person might have deemed the weather -in a measure responsible for her down-heartedness. Meanwhile the horses -jogged along at the merest little pretence of a trot, and, missing the -customary, “Get-up, Jenny!” and “Whist there, Kate!” subsided into a -walk, varied more than once by a deliberate standstill, whenever the -“off-leader” saw fit to dislodge a persistent fly by the aid of a -hind hoof. “Look here, driver!” called one of the passengers at last, -“there's a snail on the fence there, that will beat us into town if you -don't look out.” The fact was, Joe had not only put his thinking-cap on, -but had pulled it so far down over his ears, that he had quite -forgotten all about his horses and Hazel, and his thoughts had gone -“wool-gathering,” as old people's thoughts have a fashion of going. “Get -along with you,” he called to the tired team, thoroughly roused from -his reveries, and spurring them into greater activity with his long -whip-lash; then, turning to Hazel, he said--“Come to think of it, I -should not wonder if you are blue about that little Starlight matter.” - -“Little Starlight matter! Do you think it's a little matter, Mr. -Ainsworth, to be kept out of your house and have a lot of soldiers -living in it?” - -“But they are King George's soldiers; that ought to make it all right in -your eyes, Miss Hazel.” - -“Oh, the men are not to blame; they have to do as the officers tell -them; but I hate that old Captain Wadsworth. Sometimes I think I'll -write and tell King George what a dreadful man he is, for I don't -believe he knows. But, after all, they say it's an American, our own -Colonel Hamilton, that's most to blame.” - -“Alexander Hamilton! Why, how's that?” exclaimed Joe, knowing well -enough, but wishing to hear Hazel grow eloquent on the subject. - -[Illustration: 0018] - -“Well, this is how it is, Mr. Ainsworth,” and Hazel folded her hands and -composed herself for what promised to be quite a long story. “You know -the Starlights. Well, they've lived right on that same piece of land -ever since Job's great-great-grandfather, who was an Englishman, married -a Dutch wife and came to live in New York. Why, there weren't more than -half-a-dozen houses here when they came, and if anybody has a right -to their land and their house, they have. They used to be a very big -family, the Starlights did, but now there's only Job left and his Aunt -Frances. She's the loveliest lady, Joe, and so very fond of Starlight -(that's Job), and Starlight is just as good to her as a boy can be. -Well, one night, nearly two years ago, a party of English soldiers (some -of them were awful bad fellows, Joe, even if they were the King's -men) went about the street doing just about as they pleased, and Miss -Avery--that is, Aunt Frances--was very much frightened, as well she -might be, and the next day she packed up and took the ferry to Paulus -Hook, to stay with some friends of hers, who live over there and own a -big farm.” - -“You mean the Van Vleets, don't you?” questioned Joe, now wisely -dividing his attention between Hazel's narrative and his horses, who -were only too quick to detect any lack of vigilance on his part. - -“Yes, do you know them, Joe?” - -“Know 'em like a book, Miss Hazel. Old Jacob Van Vleet has been over the -road with me scores of times.” - -“Well, they're very kind people, Joe, and Starlight and his aunt are -living there still, only now that the war is over they want to come -back.” - -“And that's not an easy thing to do, is it,” laughed Joe, “when your -house is full of English officers and their men?” - -“But the soldiers have no right there, Joe, and the worst of it is, -Captain Wadsworth says he is going to resign his commission and stay -after his men go back to England, and make it his own home. He says it -belongs to him. It was given to him, after Miss Avery left it, by what -they call a military order. But, military order or no, Joe, that house -belongs to Aunt Frances.” - -“Of course it would seem so, Miss Hazel--” - -“And if it hadn't been for Colonel Alexander Hamilton she'd be in it -to-day, Joe. You see she went to law about it, and they say Colonel -Hamilton, who took Captain Wadsworth's side, is so smart and so handsome -that he just talked the court into deciding against her.” - -“It certainly was mighty queer in Lawyer Hamilton,” said Joe, -meditatively, “to turn against his own side in that fashion; but, Miss -Hazel, why don't you go and see him about it?” - -Hazel looked up a moment with a questioning gaze to see if he Were quite -in earnest. - -“That is just what I am going to do this very day,” she answered, -reassured, “and first I want to see Captain Wadsworth. Let me down at -the Starlights' gate, please.” - -So a few moments later the Albany coach reined up in front of the -Starlight homestead, and Hazel, jumping quickly down from the coach with -a “Thank you for the ride, Joe,” swung open the old Dutch gate with an -air well calculated to make the heart of Captain Wadsworth quake. - - - - -CHAPTER II.--HAZEL SPEAKS HER MIND. - - -[Illustration: 9021] - -ORE than one pair of ears heard the creak of the clumsy Dutch gate as -it swung on its hinges for Hazel, for every door and window of Captain -Wadsworth's quarters stood wide open to catch all there was of any -little cooling breeze which might bestir itself that close September -morning. And more than one pair of eyes glancing in the same direction -saw Hazel coming up the path and brightened at the sight of her. They -knew her well, all those English soldiers, for she had often accompanied -her father when he had come among them on business, and while he was -busy here and there, had chattered in her frank, fearless way with one -and another. Indeed, owing to her loyalist principles and a little red -coat which she was in the habit of wearing, she was familiarly known -among the rank and file of his Majesty's service as “Little Red-Coat,” - and often addressed by that name. But this was her first visit all by -herself, and, to tell the truth, Hazel had some misgiving as to its -propriety, and as to her own behavior in running off in this fashion, -for she had announced her departure to no one. Her sister Josephine, -however, had happened to see her taking her seat on the Albany stage, -and wondered what she was up to. But “runaway” or no, the eyes that saw -Hazel Boniface did nevertheless brighten at the sight of her, from those -of Captain Wadsworth's old body-servant, who was brushing the Captain's -clothes very vigorously from one of the dormer-windows in the steep -sloping roof, to those of the Captain himself, who sat tipped back in a -great arm-chair in a corner of the wide piazza. - -“Good-morning, Hazel,” said the Captain, rising to meet her. “Have you -come on some errand for your papa, or simply to pay us a nice little -visit and cheer us up a bit? English soldiers need cheering nowadays, -you know.” - -“Yes, I know,” said Hazel, sympathetically; for, true to her Loyalist -sentiments, she felt sorry enough that these same English soldiers had -not been successful in the war they had been waging; but her mind was -intent at present on her own private business. - -“I have come just to make you a little visit, Captain Wadsworth,” she -continued, “and to talk to you a little, and I don't believe I can cheer -you up at all, because I am pretty blue myself.” - -The corners of Captain Wadsworth's mouth twitched at the thought of -such a fair and youthful little specimen indulging in the blues; but he -succeeded in asking gravely, as he led the way indoors, “Why, how ever -can that be? Come right into the office here and tell me all about it.” - -“This isn't the office at all,” she said, emphatically, as she took her -seat on a little Dutch rocker that had been Aunt Frances's sewing-chair. -“This is the sitting-room, and it's dreadful, Captain Wadsworth, to see -it so dusty.” - -Captain Wadsworth looked decidedly puzzled and astonished for a moment, -then he added, slowly, “Oh, I see! I suppose you knew the people who -used to own this house?” - -“Yes, sir, and I know them now; they're the very best friends I have; -and, if you please, this house belongs to them still, and they would -like to come back just as soon as you can move your men out, and,” - noting a few unfamiliar objects in the room, “your furniture and other -things.” - -It must be confessed that this was rather a bold speech for a little -maid to venture quite upon her own authority, but Hazel had made this -visit for no other reason than plainly to speak her mind, and speak -it she would, though she did have to screw her courage up to the very -highest pitch in order to accomplish it. - -“Do _you_ mean to say, Miss Hazel, that you think we have no right -here?” questioned the Captain.. - -“Yes, sir,” Hazel answered warmly, feeling, somehow, that Captain -Wadsworth was open to conviction. “You see you really have no right here -at all, and I thought that as soon as you understood that you would not -stay another minute.” - -“But the trouble is, I don't understand it; the law says it belongs to -me, you know.” - -“Then I guess the law does not tell the truth, Captain Wadsworth, -because even the law cannot make a thing so that isn't so, can it?” - -“Why, no, certainly not, and it isn't supposed to even try to do that -sort of thing, I take it.” - -“But that's just what it does exactly,” said Hazel, and in her eagerness -she deserted the little rocker and came and leaned on the desk near to -the Captain. “You know,” she said, confidentially, “I'm just as true to -King George as true can be, and I am awful sorry his soldiers have been -beaten, and I don't think a country without a King is any good at all. -Sometimes I'm almost ashamed that I was born here; but still, some very -nice people, like Miss Avery and Starlight, do not think just as I do, -and I think their rights ought to be respected.” - -These were pretty big words, and the Captain looked as though he thought -so; but even a very little woman, when she is very much in earnest, -sometimes finds language at her command quite as astonishing to herself -as to her hearers. “Rights ought to be respected”--certainly that did -sound remarkable. Hazel herself wondered where she had picked up so fine -an expression, and one that suited so well. - -“Who is Starlight?” asked the Captain, willing to digress a little from -the main point. - -“The owner of this house,” said Hazel, not willing to digress at all. - -“Why, I thought it used to belong to Miss Avery; the property certainly -stood in her name.” The Captain was careful to use only the past tense. -According to his way of thinking, that Starlight homestead was just as -rightfully his as though he had bought and paid for it. - -And so Hazel said, “Good-by, Captain,” and the Captain bowed her out of -his office as gallantly as though she had been a little princess. Four -or five of the men had gathered on the porch outside, thinking to have a -chat with her when she should have finished her errand with the Captain, -but Hazel, absorbed in her own thoughts, was about to pass them by -without so much as a word. - -“Look here, Miss Hazel, aren't you going to speak to a fellow?” one -of the men called after her. “Yes, of course I am,” Hazel replied, as -though that had been her full intention, and, going back, held out her -hand to Sergeant Bellows, the man who had called to her, and then, as -it seemed to be expected of her, shook hands in a friendly way with the -other men, all of whom she knew by name. But it was easy enough for the -dullest among them to discover that her greeting lacked all its wonted -cheeriness. Indeed, Hazel had not yet learned the need of disguising -her real feelings, and always “carried her heart on her sleeve,” as -the saying goes, so that you were at perfect liberty to share all its -sentiments, whether of joy or sorrow. So it was not strange that for -the third time she was questioned as to the reason for her evident -depression. “Feeling a little down this morning, eh?” asked Sergeant -Bellows. - -Hazel nodded her head in assent. “There's nothing an old sergeant could -do for you, is there, Miss Hazel?” - -“Nor a corporal?” asked one of the other men. - -“Nor a high private?” asked another. Hazel took their offers of -assistance in perfect good faith, and would not have hesitated to call -upon any or all of them, but she really did not see how they could be of -any use to her, and shook her head hopelessly. - -“No, I think not. The only man who can help me now is Colonel Hamilton, -and I don't expect very much of him. What I came down for was to ask -Captain Wadsworth if he would not let the people who own this house come -back to it; but he does not think they own it at all any more, and I -don't see what they are ever going to do. How would you feel, I'd like -to know,” she asked, eagerly, “if you were an aunt and a little boy, and -had to run away from your home, and, when you wanted to come back, found -an English Captain living in it, who said he was going to stay there?” - Some of the men looked as though they could not possibly tell how they -would feel if they were “an aunt and a little boy,” but they were saved -the embarrassment of being obliged to answer such a difficult question -by Hazel's abrupt departure? She had suddenly spied a familiar hat -lurking behind the shrubbery near the gate, and was off in a flash. -“Good-by,” she called back, “some one is waiting for me.” Some one was -waiting for her--some one had been waiting for her quite awhile and had -grown rather impatient in the waiting. - -[Illustration: 8025] - -“I thought you would never come, Hazel,” said the owner of the hat, as -soon as she swept down upon him in his retreat behind the bushes. - -“Why, I did not see you till a moment ago. How long have you been here, -and when did you come?” - -“I came over on the earliest ferry this morning. I pulled an oar and -worked my way over. You know, Hazel, I do not like to ask Aunt Frances -for money now if I can possibly help it.” - -“Yes, I know,” she answered, sadly. - -“I can't tell you how it makes me feel, Hazel, to look up at the old -house there with all those soldiers in it,” said Job, rather savagely, -for, of course, the new-comer was none other than Starlight himself. -“I'd just like to rush right in and choke every one of 'em.” - -“And I'd like to help you,” Hazel replied warmly. - -Starlight looked up astonished. It was something new for Hazel to side -against the Red-Coats, and he gave a low whistle of surprise. - -“Yes, really, I would,” Hazel reiterated. “If King George's men had -beaten you Americans, I suppose you wouldn't have expected to get your -home back again; but to think that you have beaten, and yet that Captain -Wadsworth says he is going to stay in it, and that a great lawyer, and -one of your own officers like Colonel Hamilton, says he has a right -to--well, I can't understand it.” - -“Neither can I,” said Starlight, indignantly; and both children -seriously shook their heads from side to side, as there was no -gainsaying that great man. By mutual consent the children had turned -their backs on the homestead and their faces in the direction of Hazel's -home. - -To say that, side by side, they strolled up the Bowery, and that now and -then Hazel would pause a moment to pick a plumy spray of asters, growing -by the wayside, must sound funny enough in the ears of any one who -knows what the Bowery is to-day. Can it be possible that that great -busy thoroughfare, with its block after block of cheap shops, crowded -tenements, dime museums, and who knows what, less than a hundred years -ago was a country lane? and where to-day train after train goes whizzing -by on its mid-air track, birds sang in apple-tree boughs and children -gathered daisies in spring-time and golden rod in autumn? Yes, my dear, -it is possible; for who can measure the great transforming power of even -a single century, and Father Time has never wrought vaster or more -rapid changes than in the self-same hundred years which lie between the -childhood of Starlight and Hazel, in 1783, and yours of to-day. - -So, true it was that our little friends strolled up Bowery Lane, for -that was the pleasantest way home, and true it was that the lane was -skirted with orchards and the gardens of old Dutch homesteads, where -almost every variety of autumn flower was blooming, in a blaze of color, -in the early September weather. - -At the prospect of a visit from Starlight, Hazel had at once abandoned -all thought of an immediate call upon Lawyer Hamilton. Even that -important matter could be postponed for the delight of companionship -with this old friend, a companionship sadly interfered with by all the -untoward circumstances of the times in which they lived. - -“And Colonel Hamilton says,” Starlight resumed, after five or ten -minutes, which had been devoted to a plying of eager questions regarding -each others general welfare, “that Captain Wadsworth can stay in our -house, does he?” - -“I don't know exactly what he says; something like that, I guess; but -I am going to find out for myself, and ask him the reasons, too. I was -going there this morning if you had not come.” - -“You are awfully good, Hazel.” - -“I'm glad you think so, Starlight, 'cause I know some people who don't,” - and Hazel indulged in a little sigh. “I suppose I shall have a scolding -when I get home, this very morning, for I sort of ran away. I saw the -Albany coach coming, and I had to hurry so in time to stop it, that I -did not think to ask Josephine's leave or anybody's.” - -“But Josephine saw you go. That's the way I found you. She saw Joe -Ainsworth help you on to the coach, and I thought perhaps you'd gone -down to the homestead, for that's where you always used to come on the -Albany coach, you know.” It was Starlight's turn for a sigh now, and he -drew such a heavy one that it seemed fairly to come from the bottom of -his boots. - -“Say, Starlight,” said Hazel, suddenly, and, no doubt, with a desire to -brighten matters up a bit, “an English circus came to town to-day. They -open to-morrow. Can you stay over tomorrow?” - -“Yes, till the day after. I heard about the circus. I've never been to a -circus in my life, and I'd give--why, I'd give anything I own to go, -and if that wouldn't do, I half believe I'd almost hook something.” The -question of ways and means was ever present nowadays to poor Job with -his sadly depleted pocket-book. - -“I don't believe you'll need to _hook_ anything, Starlight,” answered -Hazel, with an implied rebuke, which was, of course, quite proper, “I -have a little money of my own.” - -“Of course, I don't mean I really would, Hazel. I should think you'd know -that I'm rather above that sort of thing. If you don't, you ought to, by -this time. I only meant that I should very much _like_ to go.” - -“Then next time you had better be more careful to say just what you -mean, Job.” Whenever Hazel had any little reproof to administer she -thought it much more impressive to make use of Starlight's solemn little -first name. - - - - -CHAPTER III.--THE CIRCUS, AND WHAT CAME OF IT. - - -[Illustration: 9031] - -LOWLY out of the great ocean rose the sun the next morning, shooting his -long rays over level Long Island, spanning the East River and touching -with rosy light the hill on which Captain Boniface had built his -comfortable home. What a wonderful tale, provided his memory is good and -his eyesight strong, this same old sun could tell, particularly if he -had the moon to help him, for, whether shining brightly, or peering -through mists of heavy clouds, between them they have seen most of this -world's doings. One thing is certain, however change, change, change -would be the theme of all their story. Old ocean alone remains always -the same; for even the “everlasting hills” may be pierced by boring -tunnels and disfigured by the shafts and engines of unsightly mines. And -this that is true of the whole world is true of every inhabited corner -of it, and doubly true of that particular corner where we find New York -mapped out to-day. Row upon row of dwellings--mansion and hut crowding -close upon one another; mile after mile of stores, warehouses, and every -conceivable sort of structure, and yet only a hundred years, and lo! -there was none of it. - -Do you chance to know where St. Paul's Church stands on Broadway, on the -block bounded by Fulton and Vesey streets? Then let me tell you that no -longer ago than 1784 St. Paul's was on the very outskirts of the city. -Just above it were two fine dwellings, which now form part of the Astor -House, and a little farther on a highway leading to the right bore the -weather-beaten sign, “The Road to Boston,” and another turning to the -left, “The Road to Albany,” and Hazel's home was a mile or more out on -this Albany road. Beyond were only open fields, with here and there a -farm-dwelling or country homestead, and an occasional “mead-house” - or “tea-garden,” for the refreshment of jaded travellers, or -pleasure-seeking parties from the town. Nearly on the site of the -present City Hall stood the almshouse, and in close proximity the jail, -while sandwiched in between them were the gallows, not exactly affording -what might be called a cheery outlook to the poor unfortunates obliged -to seek such food and shelter as the almshouse offered. These gallows -were enclosed in a building shaped like a Chinese summer-house, and -painted in all the colors of the rainbow, as though trying thereby -to overcome any mournful associations which the place might otherwise -possess. A platform within this remarkable building supported various -contrivances for conveniently “dropping malefactors into eternity.” - while a row of hooks and halters adorned the ceiling, so that at least -half a dozen offenders might be dispatched by the same method at one and -the same moment. - -Wall Street, in 1783, was a street of residences. Here was the bachelor -homestead of Daniel McCormick, upon whose stoop, on a mild and pleasant -afternoon, you were likely to find a goodly little company of cronies -and toadies, each and all of whom made it a point never to refuse an -invitation to remain to dinner and enjoy his excellent pot-luck. - -The court end of the town lay in the region extending from Pearl Street -around to the Battery, and up to Trinity Church, while the shops and -offices were confined to Maiden Lane. On Great Dock Street, now a part -of Pearl Street, lived the widow of John Lawrence, who, during his -lifetime, was widely known as “Handsome Johnnie.” There, as Dr. Duer -puts it, in his “Reminiscences of an Old Yorker,” the genial widow kept -open house for her relatives, or rather her relatives kept open -house for themselves, and were entertained in the roll of “transient, -constant, or perpetual” visitors. All this and far more could the sun -of to-day tell of the sights of the last century; but on the morning of -which we are writing, he looked down upon nothing of greater interest to -the average boy and girl of all time, than when he flashed suddenly upon -the preparations going forward for the circus that had lately arrived -from across the water, and because of whose arrival there was a flutter -in all the child-hearts throughout the length and breadth of the town. -Some were fluttering joyously with actual anticipation, and some with -grave doubts as to their gaining even a peep at the wonderful show. - -As for Hazel Boniface, she was not only up with the sun, but up before -it; as for Starlight, he was dressed, and “trying to kill time” a full -hour before breakfast, for it had been settled the previous evening that -they were to be allowed to attend the performance, and Captain Boniface -had slipped the coins necessary for their admission into Starlight's -safe keeping. Josephine, Hazel's older sister, was also early astir, -stowing away the most inviting of luncheons within the snowy folds of -a napkin, which in turn was committed to the keeping of a little wicker -hamper. - -Joyous and beaming the children set forth, Josephine accompanying them -as far as the gate. “I wish I were going with you,” she said, as she -held it open. - -“I almost wish you were,” Hazel answered. “Almost, but not quite,” - laughed Josephine; “for it would spoil the fun a little, now wouldn't -it, Hazel, to have a grown-up sister in the party? But you need not -worry, dear, the big sister must stay at home to mind the baby sister; -it's only the little middle-sized sister who can roam abroad, and go to -the circus, and do whatever she likes all day long.”. - -The color came into Hazel's cheeks. She knew she did do pretty much as -she wished from week's end to week's end, but that was not her fault. If -nobody told her to do “things,” it was hardly to be expected she should -do them. “Will you go in my place?” she asked, ruefully, of Josephine, -who stood leaning on the gate with a merry, teasing look in her gray -eyes. - -[Illustration: 0034] - -“No, of course I won't, dearie, and you come straight back and give me -a kiss, and know that no one wishes you quite such a jolly time as your -own sister Josephine.” - -And thus speeded on their way, the children's figures grew smaller and -smaller in the maple-shaded distance of the roadside path, and with a -little sigh Josephine turned back to her duties within-doors. There -was a foreboding of coming evil in her heart, and in Hazel's and -Starlight's, too, for that matter. Children though they were, they were -still old enough to know, that, now that the war had ended in the defeat -of the English, those who had sided with them, as Captain Boniface -had done, would have to suffer for it; but for to-day every worry was -utterly forgotten. Hazel had no thought for the coming interview with -Colonel Hamilton--which, it must be confessed, she rather dreaded--nor -Starlight for the soldiers in the old homestead. - -Right before them lay all the delights of a wonderful English circus, -and with the lightest of hearts they set forth upon their happy -expedition. Having strolled along in leisurely fashion, the old town -clock struck eleven as they pressed in through the clumsy turnstile -which barred the circus entrance, and the regular performance was not to -commence until one. But two hours were none too much for the inspection -of the wonderful sideshows, and wide-eyed they passed from one to -the other, instinctively turning quickly away from two or three human -monstrosities in a close, unsavory tent, to spend an hour of intense -merriment over the antics of a family of monkeys in a cage in the open -air. Indeed, they doled out most of their luncheon to the mischievous -little youngsters, actually forgetting that there was any likelihood of -their ever being hungry themselves and repenting of such liberality. - -A great deal of fuss over a circus, you may be thinking, my little -friend, having yourself been so many times to see “The Greatest Show on -Earth” but if you had lived in the days of Hazel and Starlight, and never -seen a circus in your life, nor a show of any kind--either great or -small--then, perhaps, you would have been not a little excited too. - -Long before it was at all necessary, and after much consultation and -numerous experiments at different angles, the children seated themselves -at the precise point which they had concluded, on the whole, offered -greatest advantages, and then they impatiently watched the uncomfortable -benches become gradually filled, and certain significant preparations -going forward on the part of the gayly-liveried lackeys. - -At last the orchestra of three ill-tuned instruments struck up a -preliminary march, the low, red-topped gates of the ring swung open, and -the gorgeous company pranced in, dazzling and brilliant indeed, in the -eyes of the children. What did it matter if tinsel were tarnished, and -satins and velvets travel-stained and bedraggled. They saw it not. -It was all glitter and shimmer to them, and, oh, those beautiful, -long-tailed horses with their showy trappings! Hazel silently made up -her mind on the spot, that she would be a circus-rider herself as soon -as she was old enough, _if_ her father would let her. She changed her -mind later in the day, however, owing to certain unexpected experiences, -and was thankful enough that she had not openly expressed her resolution -of a few hours before. - -Midway in the performance, as the clown had announced, for they did -not have printed programmes in those days, there was to be some lofty -tumbling by the Strauss brothers, and at the proper moment in they came -leaping and jumping. They were all attired in the regulation long hose, -short trousers, and sleeveless jackets of the professional tumbler, but -it was easy enough for any child to detect at a glance that it was quite -impossible that they should belong to the same family. They were of all -ages and sizes, but the youngest performer did not appear to be -more than twelve; he was a handsome little fellow, with a fine dark -complexion, and from the first both Hazel's and Starlight's attention -centred upon him. He proved himself the most agile of all the brothers, -eagerly watching for his turn every time, and apparently enjoying the -performance almost as keenly as the audience. But it happened after a -while, that when he had just accomplished the feat of turning a double -somersault from the top of a spring-board, he did not attempt to rejoin -the other leapers and tumblers, but crept from the place where he had -landed in the sawdust to the edge of the ring, seated himself, with his -little slippered feet straight out before him, and leaned comfortably -back against its rail. The spot he had chosen was directly underneath -where Hazel and Starlight were sitting, and being in the first row -they naturally leaned over to investigate matters. He sat there so -comfortably, and his older brothers seemed so indifferent to the fact -that he had dropped from their number, that the children came to the -conclusion that he was simply taking a little permitted rest. - -At last Starlight made so bold as to ask, “Say, Straussie, you didn't -hurt yourself any way, did you?” - -At the sound of Starlight's voice the little fellow looked up surprised. -“Yes, I did,” he replied, “I often slip my knee-cap, or something like -that when I take that double 'sault.” - -“Does it hurt you now,” asked Hazel, with real solicitude. - -“Yes, a little. I can't jump any more to-day. The men know what's the -matter with me. I'll be all right in a little while.” - -“Do you like being in a circus?” continued Starlight, for it was even -more interesting to converse with a member of the troupe than to watch -the performance of the troupe itself. - -“I like the jumping and tumbling; that's all the part I like,” ending -with a sigh. - -But it was not easy to carry on a conversation at the distance they -were from each other, particularly as the tumblers, as if to add to the -excitement, kept up an almost ceaseless hallooing and shouting. Now it -happened that the ring, with the exception of the gates of entrance, was -formed by a short canvas curtain suspended from a circular iron rail. -Observing this, a happy thought occurred to Starlight. - -“Look here, Straussie,” he said, in a penetrating whisper, “I'd like to -talk with you. Couldn't you creep under the curtain there, and I'll drop -down between the seats.” - -“Yes, I could,” answered the little tumbler, grasping the situation at -once, and suiting the action to the word. - -“I wish I could drop too,” urged Hazel, longingly. - -“No, you stay where you are. It wouldn't do, Hazel; folks might notice,” - and Hazel was sensible enough to see the wisdom of the remark. As it -was, every one was by far too much absorbed to take account of the fact -that a little fellow inside the ring and a little fellow outside of it -had disappeared at one and the same moment. And so it happened that -all unsuspected a very important conversation was carried on, and -a remarkable scheme planned under the crowded benches of that day's -performance. Meanwhile Hazel “sat on pins and needles.” Even “the most -educated elephant in the world” failed to rouse much interest in a -little maiden who knew an absorbing conversation to be going on almost -within earshot and in which she longed to have a hand. - -“What is your name?” asked Starlight, as soon as he had dropped safely -to the dry grass, and had stretched himself beside the little tumbler, -who sat with his knees gathered close to him and his hands clasped round -them. - -“Flutters,” answered the boy. - -“That's not your real name?” - -“That's what they call me.” - -“You mean the circus people?” - -Flutters simply nodded “yes.” Somehow he did not seem at first inclined -to be quite as communicative as Starlight would have wished. - -“It must be fun to wear clothes like those,” he said, after a pause, -eyeing his new friend from head to foot with evident admiration. - -“Oh, it's kind of fun for a while, but there isn't much real fun. -Everything's only kind of fun, and there isn't any fun at all about most -things.” - -Starlight couldn't quite agree with these sage remarks, although he had -himself of late been seeing a great deal of the darker side of life. - -“I guess you're not very well, Flutters,” he said, seriously; “or -perhaps you're tired.” - -“Oh, I'm well enough, but I'm not over-happy,” answered the boy, who, -from little association with children and much with older people, had -formed rather a mature way of speaking. - -“What makes you feel like that?” asked Starlight. - -“Oh, lots of things. There's no one who cares for me 'cept to make money -out of me. That's kind of hard on a fellow. - -“Don't you get some of the money yourself?” - -“Not a penny. You see, I'm 'prenticed to the manager till I'm eighteen.” - -“Who apprenticed you?” said Starlight, taking care to speak correctly. - -“The manager, I suppose; but I did not know anybody had to 'prentice -you. I thought you just 'prenticed yourself by promising to work for -your board.” - -“Not a bit of it. You oughtn't to have made such a promise. If you -were worth anything to the manager you were worth part of the money you -earned. Besides, I don't think anybody can apprentice a boy except his -parents or his guardian, or some one who has charge of him.” - -“Well, nobody's had charge of me this long while.” - -“Is that big man with the great black moustache the manager?” asked -Starlight. - -“Yes, he is, and he's a tough one,” and Flutters pressed his lips -tightly together and shook his head by way of emphasis. - -“He doesn't look kind.” - -“Folks doesn't look things what they never are.” - -“Why don't you cut the circus, Flutters?” - -“Would you, really?” - -“You mean run away?” - -Starlight nodded yes. - -“Where to?” was Flutters's pointed question. - -“Oh, anywhere,” somewhat vaguely. - -“That's all very well; but board, you know, and a blanket to roll -yourself in at night is a little better than nothing at all.” - -“That's so,” said Starlight, and then sat silent a few moments, drawing -his fingers, rake fashion, through the dry grass in front of him, and -evidently thinking hard. - -“Flutters,” he said at last, “if you ran away I believe you'd find a -home and somebody to care for you--we'd look out for you ourselves, Aunt -Frances and I, till something turned up.” - -[Illustration: 0039] - -“Would you, really?” and Flutters leaned very close to Starlight in his -eagerness. - -“Yes, I'm sure we would. Will you do it?” - -“Yes, sir, I'll do it now,” and Flutters got straightway on to “all -fours,” as if he deemed that the most silent and effective mode -of escape, although the benches were hardly so low as to render it -necessary for a boy of his size. - -“But you'll be caught in a minute in those--fixings.” Starlight did -not think there was enough of them to deserve the respectable name of -clothes. - -Flutters sat down in despair. “Then there's no use; I may as well give -it up if I have to go back for anything.” Flutters stood in such fear -of the manager that he felt sure he could read his very thoughts. He -honestly meant that he would abandon the whole scheme rather than face -Mr. Bradshaw with such a design in mind, and he looked down at his -spangled slippers and bedraggled tights in most woe-begone fashion. - -“I have it,” said Starlight, after a moment's serious cogitation; “wait -here a minute,” and taking hold of a board directly under the seat where -he had sat, he pulled himself up to his place beside Hazel. She was -ready with a host of eager questions, but Starlight, in the most -imperative of whispers, gave her quickly to understand that there was no -time for anything of that sort. “Just do as I tell you, Hazel,” some one -overheard him say, but more than that they fortunately did not hear. - -A moment later Starlight disappeared, and a little red cloak, which -Josephine had made Hazel carry with her, had disappeared too. - -Not long afterward, but it seemed a very long while to Hazel, the -entertainment came to a close with a wild sort of farce, which everybody -seemed to think pretty funny, but Hazel did not so much as smile. She -had neither seen nor heard what was going on; she had an important -little piece of business ahead of her, and could hardly wait to be off -and about it. If her seat had not been quite in the middle of the row, -so that she would have been obliged to crowd past a long line of people, -she simply could not have waited; and now that the performance was -actually over, she energetically pushed her way through one group after -another, lingering about as if loath to desert the charms of the circus, -and was clear of the great tent in almost less time than it takes to -tell it. Off she darted down the road--down Broadway one would say -today--for the gateway to the circus enclosure was exactly on the -spot where Niblo's Theatre has for so many years set forth its varied -amusements. - -There was only one farm-house in the immediate neighborhood, and thither -Hazel flew, bringing up at the threshold of its old Dutch kitchen in a -state of breathless excitement. “Mrs. V an Wyck,” she cried with what -little breath she had left, as she peered over the half door that barred -her entrance. - -“In a moment, Hazel,” came a voice from the depths. “I am putting some -curd in the cheese press; I'll be up in a minute.” - -The minute afforded Hazel a much-needed breathing space, and when a -rosy-cheeked Dutch Frau emerged from the horizontal doorway of the cool, -clean-smelling cellar, Hazel was able to make known her request in quite -coherent fashion. - -“Oh Mrs. Van Wyck, _will_ you let me have a pair ol Hanss trousers,' and -some shoes and a coat, and please, please don't ask me what I want them -for!” for she saw the question shaping itself on Frau Van Wyck's lips; -“I'll bring them home safe to-morrow, and tell you all about it.” - -The little woman looked decidedly astonished, but the child was so -urgent, and withal such a little favorite of hers, that she could but -accede to her request, and in a trice Hazel was off again with the -coveted articles, in a snug bundle, swinging from one hand as she ran. - - - - -CHAPTER IV.--FLUTTERS. - - -[Illustration: 9042] - -T may seem at first somewhat improbable that Flutters should have been -able.. to make his escape from the circus grounds without being noticed, -but escape he did under Starlight's cautious guidance. Every one -was still intent on the performance itself; outside were only a few -straggling employees of the company, and they were too much preoccupied -with the special duties assigned to them to pay any heed to the fact -that a couple of boys were making their way through the grounds. Indeed, -it was decidedly too common an occurrence to excite any suspicion. To -be sure, Hazel's cloak concealed neither the head nor feet of little -Flutters; but velvet cap and satin slippers were tucked safely away, and -the absence of hat and shoes was by no means unusual among the boyish -rabble that found their way into the circus. The most dangerous, because -the most conspicuous move in their plan of escape, would be the scaling -of the high board fence, so they naturally made their way to its most -remote corner. It needed but a moment for Flutters to scramble to its -top and drop on the other side. Starlight made more clumsy work of it. -It was not an easy thing to keep one's hold on the slippery inside posts -of the fence, and when he was near the top he heard some one calling at -his back, which did not tend to help matters. Astride the fence at last, -however, he glanced down and saw a forlorn old man close at his heels, -one of the drudges of the circus, whose duty it was to keep things -cleared up about the grounds. - -[Illustration: 8043] - -Look you there, cried, in a cracked Flutters and Starlight were safe out -of sight now, and smiled at each other with supreme satisfaction. - -“That's Robbin's voice,” chuckled Flutters, as they walked off through -the woods that grew close up to the circus; “he could get over a -mountain as easily as over that fence; he has the rheumatics awful bad, -and he's very old besides, He's the only one I mind about leaving.” Poor -old Bobbin stood gazing up at the fence, and seemed wisely to come to -the conclusion that there was no harm in a boy's leaving the circus in -that manner if he chose. The harm would be if he attempted to come in -that way; and so hobbled off to his dreary, back-breaking task of -gathering up the papers and stray bits of rubbish constantly -accumulating on every side. It is possible, too, that even if he had -recognized Flutters, and guessed his motive, he would not have tried to -detain him. He had once been a tumbler himself, and knew enough of the -trials of circus life to be willing, perhaps, that a promising little -fellow should escape them. - -The grove in which the boys found themselves was the only piece of old -forest land that remained in the near vicinity of the town, and was -fitted up with rude tables and benches for the use of picnic parties. - -Starlight led the way to one of these tables, sat down, and comfortably -rested his folded arms upon it, as though they had reached their point -of destination. Here was where Hazel was to meet them and, while they -waited, the boys entertained each other with little scraps of their life -histories; but Starlight did not for a moment forget to keep eye and -ear on guard for any one approaching. There was a hollow tree just at -Flutters's back, into which he could tumble in a flash and be securely -hid should it become necessary. But the sound of their own low voices -and the occasional fall of a pine cone or crackling of a branch was all -that broke the stillness. At last they heard a footfall in the distance, -but Starlight knew that quick, short little step, and there was no -need for Flutters to take refuge in the tree. Hazel had come with the -precious bundle, that was all, and Flutters was straightway arrayed in -Hans Van Wyck's clothes, his dark little face not at all agreeing with -the Dutch-looking coat and trousers; but they answered the purpose of -complete disguise, and what more could be wished for? So the children -set out for home at a brisk pace, not by the way they had come, but, so -far as possible, by cross cuts and quiet lanes, to avoid observation. -That their little tongues moved even faster than their feet was not at -all strange, for, of course, they wanted to know all about each other. - -“Are you an Italian, Flutters?” asked Hazel, in the course of the -cross-questioning. - -Flutters smiled, and shook his head in the negative. - -“Then I guess you're Spanish,” remarked Starlight. - -“No, not Spanish.” - -Hazel and Starlight looked mystified. He was certainly neither American -nor English with that dark skin of his. - -[Illustration: 0045] - -“What kind of people does that sort of hair grow on?” Flutters asked, -running his hand through his tight-curling hair. - -“On--on darkeys,” answered Hazel, ruefully. “But it does not curl so -tight as--as some darkeys,” hoping there might be a mistake somewhere. - -“So much the better for me,” Flutters answered, cheerily. - -“Are--you--a regular--darkey--really?” questioned Starlight, with a -little pause between each word. - -“Well, I'm what they call a mulatto; that's not quite so bad as an -out-and-out darkey, perhaps.” - -“Oh, Flutters, don't you mind?” asked Hazel, who was disappointed enough -that the hero of this thrilling adventure should prove to be only a kind -of negro. Hazel had an idea as, sadly enough, many far older and wiser -than she had in those days--and, indeed, for long years afterward--that -negroes were little better than cattle, and that it was quite right to -buy and sell them in the same fashion. - -“What would be the use of minding?” said Flutters, in response to her -sympathetic question; “minding would not make things any different, Miss -Hazel.” - -It was the first time he had called her by name, and Hazel, born little -aristocrat that she was, was glad to discover that “he knew his place,” - as the phrase goes--so far, at least, as to put the Miss before her -name. - -After this the children trudged along for a while in silence, each busy -with their own thoughts. Starlight was beginning to have some misgivings -as to the course he had taken. It might, after all, become a serious -question what to do with Flutters. He began to wonder how Aunt Frances -would look when he should go back to the farm-house next day with his -little protégé in tow. She would be pretty sure to say, “What are you -thinking of, Job dear? It is not at all as though we were in our own -home, you know. We cannot allow the Van Vleets to take this strange -little boy into their home for our sakes; though no doubt they would be -willing to do it.” - -Yes, the more he thought of it, the more he felt sure that would be -just what she would say; strange that all this had not occurred to -him before, and a little sickening sensation--half presentiment, half -regret--swept over him. So it was that Starlight trudged along in -silence, for, of course, such thoughts as those could not be spoken with -Flutters there to hear them. - -As for Hazel, she was turning over a fine little scheme of her own in -her mind. She was a hopeful little body, and it did not take long for -her to recover from the despair into which the discovery of Flutters's -nationality had thrown her. “Why, look here,” she thought to herself, “I -believe I'm glad he's a darkey after all. It was awful cute to hear -him say 'Miss Hazel;' how nice it would be to have him for a sort of -body-servant, just as so many officers have body-servants! He could -brush my clothes, and groom the pony, and tend to my flower garden, and -just stand 'round, ready to do whatever I should wish,” and so it was -that Hazel trudged along in silence, for she thought it wiser not to -announce, as yet, the exact nature of her thoughtful meditation. - -And Flutters--well, it would have been hard to tell about what he was -thinking. He was a most sensitive little fellow, and strong and intense -were the emotions that often played through his lithe frame, so -strong and intense at times as to find no other expression than in a -perceptible little tremble from head to foot; it was this peculiarity -that had won for him the expressive name of “Flutters” among the circus -people. Now, of course, his state of mind was joyous and satisfied. Kind -friends and a home in this new land! What more could be desired, and the -happiest look played over his handsome face, for Flutters was handsome, -and the dark olive complexion was most to be thanked for it; but -the light went out of his face when, after a while, he glanced toward -Starlight and saw his troubled look. - -Instantly he divined its cause. “Are you sorry you took me?” he asked, -coming to an abrupt standstill in the brier-hedged lane. - -“No, not exactly;” Starlight was betrayed into a partial confession of -the truth by the suddenness of the question. - -Oh, how that hurt poor little Flutters, with his sensitive temperament! - -“It is not too late,” he said, turning and looking in the direction they -had come; “I think I can find my way back. They'd never know I'd regular -runned away;” but there was a mistiness in the bright little darkey -eyes, and an actual ache in the poor little heart. - -“Flutters, _I_ am not sorry then,” said Hazel, warmly; and laying a -firm hand on each shoulder, she turned him right about face again in the -direction of her own home. “Just you trust to me, Flutters, and you'll -never be sorry you ran away from that miserable old circus--never.” - -And now, so completely was all gloom dispelled by these kind words, that -back in a flash came the glad look into Flutters's face, and from that -moment he was Hazel's sworn servant. Starlight looked rather ashamed -of himself, but, after all, his fears had some foundation, and he was -thankful enough thus to have Hazel take matters into her own hands, -and more than share the responsibility. The sun was already down as the -children neared the house, standing in clear-cut outline against the -September sky. There were no clouds, only a marvellous gradation of -color, shading imperceptibly from the dark, dark blue of the river and -the hills beyond, up into the red glow of the sunset, and then again -by some subtle transformation into a wonderful pale turquoise high -overhead. - -It was indeed a beautiful fall evening, and Captain and Mrs. Boniface -and Josephine, seated on the wide, pillared porch, were waiting for -the coming of the children, and the exciting narrative that was sure to -follow. “Kate, the bonny-face baby,” as they used to call her, was there -too, a sunny, winsome little daughter, almost three years old, and Harry -Avery besides, Job Starlight's cousin, a good-looking young fellow, and -who lately had managed to spend a good deal of time at the Bonifaces. -He had sailed over that morning from Paulus Hook (which, by the way, was -the old name for Jersey City) with a fine little plan in mind for the -day--a plan which he had already promised Hazel should some time be -carried out; but the absence of the children had made it necessary to -postpone it for at least twenty-four hours. This Harry Avery was the -oldest of a varied assortment of little brothers, and his home was -in New London, Connecticut. But two years before he had enlisted as a -volunteer on board a brig named “The Fair American,” and not one of the -little brothers had ever had a sight of the big brother since. He had had -a sorry enough time of it, too, for eighteen months of the twenty-four -since he left home had been passed in the prison-ship “Jersey,” and he -had only been released within the last few weeks, when the success -of the American armies compelled the English to discharge all their -prisoners of war. The old ship where so many brave men had lost their -lives by privation and disease now lay a great deserted hulk in the -waters of Wallabout Bay, and what Harry had come over to propose was a -sail over to have a look at her. He knew it would interest the children -immensely, and he had proposed to Mrs. Boniface that Josephine should -go with them, and Josephine, only too glad to fall in with any plan that -involved being out on the water, had that morning concocted some very -delicious little iced cakes with a view to the luncheon they would take -with them on the morrow. Meanwhile, the children were almost at the -gate. “Why, there's Cousin Harry!” exclaimed Starlight, whose eyes were -good at a long range. - -“So it is,” said Hazel, excitedly; and when they had passed a few steps -farther on, she added, “Now, Flutters, this is the best place for you -to stop, and remember, when you hear me call, come quick as anything.” - Flutters smiled assent, and stepped into the deeper shadow of one of the -maples that edged the road. - -“Well, here you are at last,” called Captain Boniface a few moments -later from where he sat smoking in a great easy-chair on the porch. - -“Yes, here we are,” answered Starlight, and they marched up the path and -took their seats on the porch, Hazel having first kissed the family all -round, not at all reluctantly including “Cousin Harry,” for his prison -experience made him a wonderful hero in her eyes. - -Of course they right away began to give an account, interrupted by -a good many questions, of all they had seen and done. Mrs. Boniface -thought, and thought rightly, that she detected a little sense of -disappointment in their description, but did not know that that was -easily accounted for by the insight they had had into the inner workings -of a circus. They had indeed been greatly impressed with the velvet and -spangles, but only until they had learned through Flutters what heavy -hearts velvet and spangles could cover. - -Finally, at the close of quite a vivid description on Hazel's part of -the grand entrance march, which had proved to both the children the most -impressive feature, Harry Avery remarked, just by way of taking some -part in the conversation, “that they ought to have brought a bit of -the circus home with them for the benefit of people who had not been so -fortunate as to see it.” Could there have been a better opportunity for -the introduction of Flutters? - -“We did bring a bit of it home,” cried Hazel; and then, stepping to the -edge of the porch, she called, “_Flutters, Flutters_,” at the top of -her strong little lungs. Of course the Bonifaces looked on astonished at -this performance, while Starlight, from suppressed excitement, bit his -lip till he almost made the blood come; but in a second, head over heels -in a series of somersaults up the path, bounded a remarkable little -creature in satin slippers, velvet cap and all, as real a bit of a -circus as Cousin Harry or any one else could have desired. The little -tumbler was, of course, acting under orders, and brought up at the step -of the porch with the most beaming smile imaginable, and a most gracious -little bow. - -[Illustration: 0050] - -“Come right up, Flutters,” was Hazel's reassuring invitation, and -nothing abashed, but still beaming and smiling, so great was his -confidence in Hazel, Flutters mounted the steps, swung himself into the -hammock that was strung across the porch, and drew the netted meshes -close about him, as though conscious of the scarcity of his apparel. - -There was a pause for a moment--that is, no word was spoken, but the -four pairs of eyes belonging to Captain and Mrs. Boniface and Josephine -and Harry were riveted upon Hazel, asking as plainly as words, “What -does this mean?” while Starlight's eyes were urging her in an -imploring fashion to tell about it all right away. As for Flutters, the -complacent, trustful gaze with which he regarded his little benefactress -implied that he was sure she would proceed to explain matters to the -entire satisfaction of everybody. Meantime little Kate looked on in -admiring wonder, but fortunately her pretty head did not need to trouble -itself with “explanations of things.” She only knew that that little -fellow in the hammock was “awfully funny.” and extended her pretty hands -toward him as though she would very much like to touch him. - -“Well,” Hazel began at last with much the same air as a veritable -showman, “this little boy is named Flutters, and he did belong to the -circus, but he does not belong to it any more. He has run away, and -we've helped him to do it. Somehow he's quite alone in the world, and he -has to s'port himself, so he joined the circus 'cause he found he could -do what the other tumblers did, and'cause he heard they were coming to -America. But he has not been at all happy in the circus,” and Hazel, -pausing a moment, looked toward Flutters for confirmation of this sad -statement, and Flutters bore witness to its truth by gravely shaking -his head from side to side. Indeed all through her narration it was most -amusing to watch his expression, so perfectly did it correspond with -every word she spoke. Little folk and old folk have a fashion of letting -each passing thought write itself legibly on the face. It is only the -strong “in-between” folk who take great care that no one shall ever know -what they chance to be thinking about. - -By this time Starlight began to show a desire to take a share in the -telling of the story, but Hazel would none of it. She thought, perhaps -unjustly, that he had proved somewhat of a coward in the latter part of -the transaction; at any rate, he himself had pushed her to the front, -and there she meant to stay. “No, he has not been at all happy,” she -continued; “indeed, the manager has often been very cruel to him; but -I will tell you about that another time” (for her eyes were growing a -little tearful at the mere remembrance of some things Flutters had told -them); “and the way we came to know about it was this: sometimes when -Flutters takes a great jump from the spring-board and turns a somersault -two times in the air, he slips his knee-cap--that's what you call it, -Flutters, isn't it?” (Flutters nodded yes), “and then he has to slip it -back again himself, and it hurts a good deal, so that he can't jump any -more for a while. Well, to-day he slipped it, and then he crawled over -underneath where we sat, and we talked with him a little; then Starlight -told him to creep under the benches when no one was looking, and -Starlight dropped down between the seats and talked with him some more.” - -“And then we arranged,” Starlight now interrupted in such an -unmistakably determined manner that Hazel allowed him to continue, “how -he should run away, and he didn't even go back for his clothes, because -he says that the manager can almost see what a fellow's thinking about, -and he didn't dare. So when we had fixed everything I climbed up to -Hazel and told her what she was to do, and then I dropped down again, -and Flutters put on Hazel's cloak so as to cover him up a little, and -we scooted. We came near being found out once, but we got over the great -fence safe at last and into Beekman's woods. There Hazel was to meet us -with some of Hans Van Wyck's clothes, if she could get them.” - -“And I did get them,” chimed in Hazel, for it was surely her turn once -more, “and--but, oh!” stopping suddenly, “the clothes! Starlight, do -hurry and get them, or some one coming along the road may run off -with them.” Starlight obeyed, frightened enough at the thought of the -possible loss of the borrowed articles, and quickly returning with them -to the great relief of both Hazel and himself. - -Then the story went on again, turn and turn about, Flutters gaining -courage to join in now and then, till at last, when the twilight had -given place to the sort of half darkness of a starlight night, and the -fire-flies were flashing their little lanterns on every side, they had -told all there was to tell, and three foot-sore little people confessed -they were tired and sleepy and hungry, and glad enough to go indoors and -do justice to a most inviting little supper, which Josephine had slipped -away some time before to prepare. - -“Bonny Kate” (as she was called more than half the time, after a certain -wilful but very charming young woman in one of Shakespeare's great -plays) had long ago fallen asleep, and lay just where her mother, -running indoors for a moment, had stowed her away in a corner of the -great hair-cloth sofa in the dining-room. One pretty hand was folded -under her rosy cheek, and such a merry smile played over her sweet face! -She surely must have been dreaming of a remarkable little fellow, in -beautiful velvet and spangles, coming head over heels up a garden path. - - - - -CHAPTER V.--CAPTAIN BONIFACE RECEIVES AN ANGRY LETTER. - - -[Illustration: 9054] - -T is one thing to help a much-abused and unhappy little member of a -circus troupe to run away from his unhappy surroundings; it is quite -another thing to provide for all his future, particularly if, like -Flutters, he has not a penny to his name nor a stitch to his back, none -more serviceable, that is, than the ring costume of a high and lofty -tumbler. And so it was that Mrs. Boniface and Josephine and Harry sat up -well into the night, laughing heartily now and then over the funny side -of the children's adventure, but talking gravely enough most of the time -of its more serious side. - -“As far as I can make out,” said Harry, “Starlight rather expected to -bring Flutters over to the farm to-morrow and ask Aunt Frances to care -for him, at least till he found somebody else who would. I imagine his -heart rather failed him later, as it ought to. Aunt Frances has enough -to bother her at present.” - -“But you don't blame the children for helping the poor little fellow, do -you?” said Josephine, warmly; “I think almost anyone would have done the -same thing under the same circumstances.” - -“Very likely, Miss Josephine, but that doesn't dispose of the -troublesome question, What is now to be done with him? - -“Unfortunately, there are questions to be met more troublesome than -that,” said Captain Boniface, joining for the first time in the -conversation, and he had only too good reason for speaking as he did. -Early in the evening a letter had been brought him, to which no one had -paid any attention. It was a daily occurrence for a messenger to turn in -at the gate with a note for the Captain, since he had been for the last -eight years the principal furnisher of supplies to the English soldiers -stationed in the city, and had need both to write and receive many -letters. Indeed, so loyal had he been to King George that, at the very -commencement of the Revolution, he had joined the English army, but had -had the misfortune to be very seriously wounded in the first battle that -was fought. When at last, after weeks of constant suffering, he was able -to be moved, General Gage, under whom he served, had contrived to send -him home by easy stages along the Boston post-road, under protection of -an English escort; and Captain Boniface always declared, and no doubt -he was right about it, that nothing short of his wife's careful nursing -would ever have brought him through. But after that it was out of the -question for him to rejoin the army, so he must needs stay quietly at -home and aid the King's cause as best he could by helping to feed the -King's soldiers. All this, of course, had made enemies of most of the -Captain's old friends. Harry Avery was almost the only exception; and -now that the Colonies had been successful, matters were looking pretty -serious for him and for every American who had sided with the King. The -note that had just been brought to him proved a very threatening one. It -as much as ordered him to leave the country, saying “that there was but -one safe course for him and his, and that was to be gone instantly; that -New York had no further use for him; that the sooner her streets and -coffee-houses were rid of him the better, and that he would simply be -taking his life in his hands if he stayed.” It was truly a terribly -alarming letter, but Captain Boniface, knowing that sooner or later his -wife and Josephine would have to know about it, now broke in upon the -conversation and read it to them. - -“Who has dared to write you that?” asked Mrs. Boniface. - -“Four old friends, Mary; that is the saddest part of it.” - -Mrs. Boniface sat pale and silent, looking straight before her, and not -hearing another word that was said. She knew her husband well enough to -feel assured that no such letter would move him a step from his home. -Not he! He would remain and live the bitter persecution down. But would -he be allowed to live it down? There were cruel words in that letter. -“By remaining you simply take your life in your hands,” it said, and the -terrible threat sent all sorts of dread possibilities thronging through -her mind. - -With anxious faces, and quick-beating hearts, Josephine and her mother -listened, as Harry Avery and the Captain talked late into the night. -It was a great comfort to realize that although Harry was a Whig, and -a strong one, too, he did not harbor any bitter feeling against them. -“Perhaps,” thought Josephine gladly, “there are others like him.” - -It seemed as though Harry must have seen the gratitude in her expressive -eyes, as he continued again and again to reassure the Captain of his -full sympathy, and his determination to be of assistance to him in every -possible way. - -“Well, what will you do about it, father? Josephine asked, as just at -midnight, she leaned over his chair to say good-night. - -“Do about it, child?” he said, taking her hands in both of his, - -“Why, stay just where I am!” - -Mrs. Boniface shook her head gravely, as she and Josephine left the room -together. She had known so well beforehand that he would say exactly -that. - - - - -CHAPTER VI.--OFF FOR THE PRISON-SHIP. - - -[Illustration: 9057] - -HAT a queer sort of thing it is, this regularly going to sleep and waking -up again once in every twenty-four hours; but people who have had a -little experience in not going to sleep regularly, and in waking up at -most unheard-of and irregular hours, will tell you that that experience -is a deal queerer, and not so pleasant by half. Some of the little folk -who have need to be coaxed and urged to bed six nights out of the seven, -would hardly dare to fret, I imagine, if they only knew that to be -a sound sleeper is an accomplishment sorely envied by some of those -grown-up people who may sit up as late as they choose. And if one of -those wakeful, grown-up people should some day ask you, “What is the -secret of your sound sleeping, my little friend?” just tell them that -you think it is because you do not worry. Then if they say, “That's all -very well; children have no need to worry, they have fathers and mothers -to lean upon tell them that they, too, have a Father, One far more kind -and loving than any earthly father, and that they could lie down at -night as free from worry as any child if they would;” and who knows but -they will learn a blessed lesson from you that will be well worth the -learning. - -Now this little reverie has all been suggested by the fact that the -Boniface household was waking up, all save old Dinah, the cook, for she -had been up for an hour or more. She had once been Hazel's nurse, and, -since the beginning of the war, was the only servant the Bonifaces could -afford to keep. How comfortable she made them, that faithful old Dinah, -so that all one had to do was to waken and wash, and brush and dress, -and then sit down to steaming coffee, delicate rolls, and the most -savory little rasher of bacon, which Dinah always added as a “relisher,” - as she called it, to the more substantial part of the breakfast. Yes, -they were waking, all of them, from anxious Captain Boniface to happy -little Flutters, for Dinah's vigorous ringing of the rising bell had -thoroughly done its work. - -Each busy brain was taking up again the manifold threads of thought -which had slipped from its hold when sleep had stolen across it so -gently the night before. Captain Boniface instantly remembered the angry -letter, as, of course, did Mrs. Boniface and Josephine, and so their -waking was rather heavy hearted. Harry instantly remembered it too, -but his second thought was of the pretty sail-boat moored down at the -Boniface wharf, and of the plan for the day, and he was glad to open -his eyes on blue skies and the sunshine that flooded his eastward room. -Flutters woke with a smile. Indeed, he doubted if he should ever do -anything but smile again, so sure was he that he had turned a very -happy corner in his life. Starlight roomed with Flutters, and his first -thought when he opened his eyes was how they were to manage to return -those clothes of Hans Van Wyck's, that Flutters was getting into with -such an air of complacent ownership. Hazel's little mind took its first -morning flight in the same direction as Harry Avery's. The sail-boat, -the bay sparkling in the sunshine, the visit to the old prison-ship--it -all meant so much to her enthusiastic, pleasure-loving temperament. A -certain uncomfortable and premeditated call upon Colonel Hamilton -could easily be postponed to an indefinite future, with such delightful -anticipations in the definite present. - -“It seems heartless to be going off for a day's jaunt, when father has -so much to trouble him,” Josephine said, when, soon after breakfast, the -little party of five, basketed and equipped, were starting down to the -wharf. - -“Not at all, Josephine,” answered her sweet-faced mother, holding bonny -Kate by the hand as she spoke. “We will try and keep dear old papa -cheery, won't we, little daughter?” then, seeing that Josephine still -lingered, as though reluctant to go, she added, cheerily, “nothing would -be gained by your staying, Josephine. Your father has some office work -that will keep him in the house, so you can think of him as safe at home -all day, and we are both of us glad enough to have you enjoy a little -change.” So, somewhat relieved in her mind, Josephine hurried down and -joined the Others, and soon the “Gretchen,” with her white sail spread -to the crisp morning breeze, sped out on the river, fairly dancing along -the crests of the white caps that splashed against her prow with such a -continuous and merry little thump and splutter. - -[Illustration: 0059] - -Wind and tide favored them, and Harry was an excellent sailor, so that -in a comparatively short time they had left the waters of the Hudson -behind them, had rounded Fort George, the Battery of to-day, and were -headed up the East River, with New York on the one side, and the then -scattered town of Brooklyn on the other. Skilfully tacking in long -slants from shore to shore, the wharves and shipping were soon exchanged -for the sloping banks of Manhattan Island on the left, and of Long -Island on the right, and then suddenly the dismasted hulk of the old -“Jersey” loomed up before them. - -She was a dreary enough looking object to any one, but if, like Harry, -you had been a prisoner aboard of her for eighteen long months, you -would, like him, no doubt, have shuddered at the sight of her. Josephine -shuddered too. “Oh, do not let us go any nearer!” she said. - -“All right,” was Harry's quick response, for, in point of fact, nothing -pleased him better than to comply with Josephine's slightest wish, so -the “Gretchen” veered off again. - -“Oh! can't we go aboard?” cried Flutters, with a world of disappointment -in his tone, for in imagination he had already scaled the gangway ladder -that hung at her larboard side, and turned more than one somersault on -the wide sweep of her upper deck. - -“Why, no, child!” answered Hazel, who was fast assuming a most -patronizing air toward her little protégé; “no one would think of going -_aboard_ of her, would they, Cousin Harry?” - -“Why, why not?” Flutters asked, half-impatiently, for Harry, giving his -attention for the moment to the management of the boat, did not at once -reply. - -“Because,” he said, finally, “there has been far too much sickness in -that old hulk for any one to safely venture aboard of her; she has -been responsible for the lives of eleven thousand men. I doubt if the -strongest and longest of north winds could ever blow her free from the -fever that must be lurking in her rotten timbers.” - -That was a new phase of the matter to Flutters, and he subsided at once -into thoughtful silence. - -“I think this would be a good place to anchor,” suggested Harry, but -waited a moment till Josephine had given her consent before letting -the anchor run the length of its rope and bury itself in the mud bottom -beneath them. - -As soon as the “Gretchen” had settled into the position determined for -her by the tide, the little party of five ranged themselves about the -boat, so as to be as comfortable as possible, for there they meant to -stay for the next hour, or two, or three, as the case might be. It had -been for some time a thoroughly understood matter between Hazel and -Harry Avery, that whenever the day should come for this trip to the -“Jersey,” they were to anchor their boat in _full sight_ of her, and -_then_ and _there_ he was to tell them the “whole story”--from the day -he volunteered till the day of his release in the previous summer. - -Flutters, who had been made acquainted with the object of the -expedition, waited, with a charming native sense of the “fitness of -things,” until the others had chosen their places; then he threw himself -at Harry's feet, in one of the graceful positions so natural to him, and -which even Hans Van Wyck's rough, homespun clothes did not altogether -succeed in hiding. It was wonderful to look into Flutters's upturned -face--such complete satisfaction, such tranquil happiness shone out -of it. Even in those exciting moments when every nerve and tissue was -thrilling under Harry's narration of the dark features of his prison -life, a smile still seemed to be lurking in the corners of his -expressive mouth. Yesterday, a lonely little tumbler in a dreary, tawdry -circus company; to-day, one of a blessed circle of warm-hearted friends. -Whatever fears others might have as to the disposal to be made of him, -Flutters had none for himself. Of course he was to be Hazel's faithful -little servant from that day forward, and it was almost worth while, he -thought, to have “darkey blood” in one's veins for the sake of rendering -such happy service. Farther than that he did not trouble himself, -literally taking no thought for the morrow, nor for what he should put -on when his present habiliments should have found their way back to -their rightful owner. The “Gretchens” little company made a pretty -picture against the blue gray of the bay, and when at last there was no -more arranging to be done, and all had repeatedly declared themselves -“perfectly comfortable,” there was a breathless, momentous little pause, -as in the moment at a play between the significant and abrupt cessation -of the orchestra and the rolling back of the curtain. “_Please_ begin,” - said Hazel, with a great sigh, as though the intense anticipation of -that supreme moment was quite too heavy for child-nature to endure, and -Harry, looking sadly over to the old “Jersey,” commenced his story. - - - - -CHAPTER VII--HARRY'S STORY - - -[Illustration: 9062] - -I am to begin, Hazel, and at the very beginning, too, if I keep my -promise. Well, this little chapter of my life began with a thought, as -happens with most everything that is done in this world, and the thought -was not one I had reason to be very proud of. I suppose all of you know, -even Flutters, that since the commencement of the Revolution American -vessels have been cruising about, hoping to capture English vessels. - -“Now it chanced about two years ago that the 'Hannah,' a very rich -prize, was brought into New London. Some of the men who had taken part -in her capture had sailed out of New London as poor as could be, and -here they came sailing back again, with a prize in tow rich enough to -fill all their empty pockets. So it was not strange, perhaps, that the -capture of the 'Hannah' turned a good many young heads, nor that mine -turned with the rest, and that, as soon as possible, I joined the crew -of the 'Venture,' a privateer that was being rapidly fitted out for a -cruise. At length everything was in readiness, and away we sailed with -the highest hopes, and with our pretty brig so crowded with musketry -that when in action she looked like a great flame of fire. Well, we were -not long at sea before we gave chase to an English ship, in appearance -as large as ours. We exchanged a few shots, then we ran alongside -of her, and with one salute of all our fire put her to silence, and -fortunately, too, without losing a single life. I can tell you I was a -happy fellow, Hazel (Harry seemed to consider Hazel his chief listener), -when it fell to my lot to be one of the crew who were ordered to man -the prize and bring her into port; happy I was, and as proud as a -turkey-cock; but that state of things did not last very long. It was -our purpose not to attempt to make a landing until we should reach New -Bedford; but before we had even cleared the shores of Long Island an -English ship of war, the 'Belisarius,' of twenty-six guns, bore down -upon us, and in less than an hour from the time she had sighted us, -those of our number left on the 'Venture,' and those of us who had -manned the English brig were all prisoners together and in irons in her -hold.” - -“Bless my stars! were you really?” exclaimed Flutters, quite unprepared -for this turn of affairs. - -“Yes, Flutters, sixty-five of us, and on our way to the old prison-ship, -yonder.” - -“How many did you say?” asked Hazel. She had been thinking she must -teach Flutters not to say “Bless my stars!” and things like that, and so -her attention had wandered for a moment. - -“Sixty-five, and in less than five months we were reduced to -thirty-five.” - -“Did thirty die?” she asked, incredulously. - -“Yes, thirty did die,” interrupted Starlight, setting his lips firmly, -for he knew what he was talking about, “and you old English as good as -murdered them.” - -“Starlight, don't you dare to speak like that to me,” was Hazel's quick -retort, while the blood flashed hotly into her face. Flutters gazed at -her with astonishment. Perhaps, thought he, it will not always be an -easy matter, after all, for even the most faithful of body-servants to -please such a spirited little mistress. - -“Good for you, Hazel,” laughed Harry; “I would not stand such incivility -either, if I were you; but then I must tell you one thing, not all -English hearts are as kind as yours and Josephine's. If they were, the -old 'Jersey' would not have so sorrowful a tale to tell.” Harry paused -a moment. Starlight and Hazel were feeling a trifle uncomfortable. They -could not resist the temptation to give each other a little home-thrust -now and then on the score of their political differences: The result, as -a rule, was a half-acknowledged admiration for each other's patriotism, -and an extra touch of mutual consideration in word and manner for the -time being. - -“Flutters,” said Hazel, solemnly, perhaps by way of disposing of the -pause that seemed to reflect somewhat upon the conduct of herself and -Starlight, “Flutters, _what_ are _you?_” Flutters looked down at his -queer little Dutch outfit, and then up at Hazel, with a smile, which -said as plainly as words, “I give it up.” - -“I mean,” continued Hazel, “who do you side with? Are you a stanch -little Loyalist like me? That is, do you think, as I think, that it is -very wrong to take up arms against the King?” - -Flutters was lying flat in the bottom of the boat now, his dark little -face propped between the palms of his hands, at a loss to know how -to answer. He was a trifle embarrassed by the directness of Hazel's -question. - -“I would rather side with you, Miss Hazel,” he replied, at last, “a -sight rather; but mulatto boys what has passed most of their time in a -circus don't know much 'bout those things. I'm going to hear Mr. Harry -out, and then I'll make up my mind.” - -“Very well,” Hazel replied, with chilling dignity; “please go on,” she -added, turning to Harry. - -Harry hesitated a moment, evidently trying to recall just where he had -left off. - -“You were in irons on the 'Belisarius,”' suggested Josephine, whose -thoughts, judging from the far-away look in her eyes, had been with the -poor prisoners all the while rather than with what had been going on -about her. - -“Oh, yes, there we were! and fortunately with no idea of the suffering -in store for us. Early the next morning we were led on deck. The -'Belisarius' had dropped anchor over yonder (pointing to the New York -shore), and two boats were coming toward us, for she had signalled the -'Jersey' that she had prisoners to transfer. Oh, how our hearts sank -within us as the little boats that were to carry us came nearer and -nearer, and do you wonder, children, that we dreaded to board the old -craft? Did you ever see a drearier-looking object, with never so much -as a spar or a mast to remind you of the real use of a vessel? Even her -lion figure-head had been taken away, leaving nothing but an unsightly -old hulk, and yet I believe the Englishmen who were in charge of her -thought the place, wretched as it was, too good for us. It seemed we -were not even to be treated with the consideration due to prisoners of -a war with a foreign nation. Having risen against the Mother Country, -in their eyes we were simply traitors. Hopeless and despairing we were -rowed over to the old prison, marched up the gangway ladder, ordered -down the hatchway, and then, with the brutal exclamation, -'There, rebels! there is the cage for you,' we found ourselves prisoners -in the midst of a very wretched company.” - -The story was growing pretty painful, and likely to grow still more so, -provided Harry told them _all_, as he had promised. Besides, it was -so terribly real, sitting there aboard of the “Gretchen” with the old -“Jersey” right before them. - -By way of affording a little relief from what she felt was yet to be -told, Josephine asked: “What was that canvas-covered place there in the -stern used for?” - -“Oh, that was a shelter put up for the guards on the quarterdeck. Just -below that, and reaching from the bulkhead of the quarter-deck to the -forecastle, was what they called the spar-deck, and it was there that -we were allowed to take such exercise as we could. We used to walk in -platoons facing the same way, and then all turn at once, so as to -make the most of the little space. The gun-room, right under the -quarter-deck, was where I was imprisoned, and it was a trifle more -comfortable there, if you can use that word in connection with anything -on the 'Jersey,' than the crowded place between decks where most of the -prisoners were herded together. I had fortunately been chosen second -mate on the English brig during the little while that we were masters of -it, and to that lucky fact I owed my assignment to the gun-room with the -other officers. But for that, I do not believe I should be here to-day -to tell the story. I do not see how I could have endured any more and -lived. As it was, you know, I was very ill.” - -“Yes, I know,” said Hazel, laying her hand affectionately over one of -Harry's and looking sympathetically into his face; “perhaps you had -better not say very much about that part. Josephine and I cry very easy; -don't we, Josephine?” - -“Then please don't, Harry,” urged Starlight; “I'd rather have a good -thrashing any time than see a girl cry,” recalling one occasion in -particular, when his own misconduct had moved Hazel to tears, and -she had refused for the space of one long half hour to be in any-wise -comforted. - -Flutters had not paid the least attention to this last interruption. -He was thinking that, after all, the life of a friendless little circus -performer, sorry and comfortless and forlorn as it was, might be less -full of hardship than a prisoner's. It was a very grand thing to have -one's freedom, and he had always had that--that is, he might at any time -have run away if he chose. - -“What did they give you to eat, Mr. Harry?” he asked, by way of -comparing bills of fare. - -“Little that was fit to eat, Flutters; but I can tell you exactly if -you would like to know,” and Harry drew from his pocket-book a scrap of -folded paper. “This was our list of supplies. I wrote it down the first -week on board, and knew it quite by heart all too soon. I think I could -repeat it now.” - -“Suppose you try,” and Josephine taking the paper from his hand, -Harry at once began to recite, with the satisfied air of a child that -perfectly knows its lesson: - -“On _Sunday_.--1 pound of biscuit, 1 pound of pork, and 1 pint of peas. - -“On _Monday_.--1 pound of biscuit, 1 pint of oatmeal, 2 ounces butter. - -“On _Tuesday_.--1 pound of biscuit, 2 pounds beef. - -“On _Wednesday_.--1 1/2 pounds of flour and 2 ounces suet. - -“On _Thursday_.--Same as Sunday. - -“On _Friday_.--Same as Monday. - -“On _Saturday_.--Same as Tuesday. - -“There, how is that?” he asked, “any mistakes?” - -“Not one,” answered Josephine; “but really, Harry, is that all you -received?” - -“Why,” exclaimed Flutters, “seems to me that's considerable. Circus -folks often don't fare no better than that, and don't get things so -reg'lar, either.” - -“And yet, Flutters, that is only two-thirds of the allowance of an -English seaman. However, we would have managed well enough to exist if -the things had been good in themselves or decently cooked, but all -the provisions were of so wretched a quality that many a poor 'Jersey' -prisoner died from starvation through sheer inability to eat them.” - -“Who cooked the things for you?” asked Hazel. - -“Whenever we could manage, Hazel, we cooked them ourselves. Do you see -that big derrick on the starboard side? Well, that was for taking in -water, and we each had a scanty allowance of so much and no more each -day. But, as a rule, we contrived to save a little of it with which to -do our own cooking, because only the toughest men on board could so much -as swallow the food prepared by the ship's cook. Under the forecastle, -there in the bow, hangs a great copper divided in the middle and holding -two or three hogsheads of water. In one side they cooked the meat, in -the other the peas and oatmeal--sometimes, I believe, in salt water, but -always in water so stale as to be absolutely unfit for use. So five or -six of us would club together, each contributing our portion of water -to the cooking supply, and then, by begging a little wood from the cook, -now and then, and splitting it very carefully and economically with our -knives, we could manage to keep a fire going that would soon set our -little pots boiling. It was a great day for us, I remember, when a -tangle of driftwood came bumping against the ship's side, and we were -allowed to haul it on board for our fires.” - -“It must have been very hard only now and then to have had a little -butter for the biscuit,” remarked Hazel, to whom this particular feature -of Harry's story appealed most pathetically, so very fond was her own -little ladyship of the variety and sufficiency of a well-appointed -table. - -“But the butter was not forthcoming, Hazel; they gave us rancid -sweet-oil instead, which refused to pass muster with our Yankee -palates, so that we were able to bestow a double portion upon some poor -Frenchmen, who were very grateful for it.” - -Flutters had changed his mind about the adequacy of the “Jersey's” bill -of fare, and was growing not a little indignant over Harry's narration. - -“Miss Hazel,” he said, while the color flashed through his dark skin, “I -am siding with the Yankees very fast.” - -“I do not blame you very much, Flutters; I never heard of anything like -it;” which was quite a concession for so loyal a little Red-Coat as -Hazel. - -“But, Harry,” asked Josephine, who could scarcely bear to hear of such -barbarous treatment at the hands of her own kinsmen, “do you think King -George and the English nation, generally, knew about it?” - -“No, I don't, nor do I believe they know it now; but they will some day. -It was their business to know it, Josephine, and not to leave thousands -of human beings at the mercy of a few merciless British seamen. Your own -father would scarcely credit all I could tell him of our treatment, nor -many another English officer; but it was the clear duty of some of them -to have looked into the matter.” - -“You don't mean it was my papa's duty, do you?” Hazel asked, bristling -up a little; she was not going to allow even “Cousin Harry” to utter a -word that would seem to reflect upon her father even for a moment. - -“No, of course, I don't mean anything of the kind. If I thought Captain -Boniface in any way responsible for those horrors, do you think I could -be on such friendly terms with him? No, Hazel, your father is a true, -brave man, and no one knows better than I how much he has given up in -King George's service. It was not his duty to inspect the prison-ships. -Furnishing supplies for the English troops called for every moment of -his thought and time, and taxed all his strength and energy; but there -are some men--men whom your father knows--whose names we need not -mention, who _are_ very culpable in the matter, if you know what that -means?” - -“I suppose it means very much to blame,” sighed Hazel. - -“Oh, I wish you would just go on telling about things!” urged Flutters, -beseechingly, for to him the story itself was far more interesting than -any side remarks. - -Harry remained silent a moment. Since Josephine and Hazel “cried very -easy,” he had need to be careful just where he began again. “I must not -forget to tell you,” he said, “something about 'Dame Grant,' as we -called her, for her visits to the old 'Jersey' constituted almost our -greatest blessing. She was a fat old woman, who dealt in sugar and tea, -pipes and combs, needles and pins, and a few other of the necessaries of -life. Every day or two her little boat would push out from the Brooklyn -shore, and, rowed by two boys, over she would come to the ship's side. -Those of us who were fortunate enough to have any money were then -allowed to go to the foot of the ladder and make some little purchases, -obtaining everything--so she always assured us--'at cost price.' But -sometimes I was almost sorry that I had a cent to spend. It was so -terrible to see the longing in the faces of the poor fellows who had no -money. I will say this much in our favor, however; I think there was -hardly a man among us who did not share with some one else fully half of -whatever he had bought. But suddenly the visits came to an end. One -morning the little boat put out from the shore as usual, but with no one -in it save one of the boys who used to row it, and he brought us the sad -news that the old 'Dame' had caught the fever from the hulk of the -'Jersey' and died. After that no one else was ever willing to run the -risk of contagion for the sake of the profits of our little purchases. -But one of the happiest experiences that ever came to us in those long, -dreary days, was to be allowed to become a member of the 'Working -Party.' It was composed of twenty men, and all the prisoners who had any -strength left were always eager to join it. It was the duty of these men -to wash down the upper deck and gangway, to spread the awning, and to -hoist wood, water, and other supplies on board, from the boats that came -alongside. Then, in the case of any deaths--and there were often three -or four during a single night--some of the party would be assigned the -duty of burial, and sent to the shore for that purpose, but always -closely watched by two or three guards. Strange as it may seem, this sad -duty was considered the most desirable of all. It meant setting ones -foot on dear old Mother Earth again, for, at least, a little while, and -even the mournful work in hand could not quite offset that pleasure. -Only once was I so fortunate as to be chosen, and so keen was my delight -in treading the ground again, that I actually took off my shoes for the -sake of feeling the sand fall away from my feet as we pushed along with -our sad burden. Now and then it would happen that, notwithstanding the -watchfulness of the guards, a prisoner would succeed in making his -escape when sent ashore with one of these interment parties. Near the -spot where most of the 'Jersey's' prisoners were buried was a -comfortable homestead belonging to a miller. The men used to call it the -'Old Dutchmans, and always looked toward it with a sort of veneration as -they passed, particularly as they knew that the miller's daughter was -deeply interested in us. She kept account of all the poor fellows who -were brought to the shore to be buried, and I think many of us cherished -a vain sort of hope that deliverance might possibly come through her -some day.” - -“That was strange about caring to feel the sand against your feet,” - remarked Starlight; “that is the last sort of thing you'd think a fellow -would ever really care for.” - -“Very likely; but if you ever spend even a month on shipboard you'll -find yourself longing for some of the things that you never so much as -gave a thought to while you had them. Why, when the men returned to the -'Jersey' from the shore they would take back with them as much common -turf as they could carry, and the little fragments would be greedily -sought for and inhaled with more pleasure than if they had had the -fragrance of a rose. - -“Did they pay you in any way for the work? asked flutters, still anxious -to compare experiences. - -“Not in money, of course, Flutters, but we had the privilege of going on -deck early in the morning, and were allowed to stay till sunset. All -the other prisoners were ordered down to the foul air between decks two -hours earlier, there to stay, come what would, for ten wretched hours, -with the iron gratings of the hatchways firmly fastening them in. Then -we were granted a full allowance of provisions, such as they were.” - -“Tell about when all the 'Venture's crew were at last exchanged -excepting you and Tom Burnham,” suggested Starlight, in a pause that -offered. - -“No, don't, please,” Josephine exclaimed; “we all know about that, and -it was so very dreadful. Besides, it's all right now.” - -“What,” said Flutters, eagerly, sitting bolt upright “what's that? _I_ -don't know about it.” - -“I'll tell you,” Hazel whispered, motioning him closer to her; meanwhile -Harry pointed out different parts of the ship in answer to certain -questions of Josephine's. - -“You see,” explained Hazel in a melodramatic whisper, “that Cousin Harry -was taken sick one day very suddenly, and then he had the fever so badly -that he was carried over to Blackwell's Island to die. But he didn't -die.” - -“Didn't he, really?” asked Flutters, mischievously. - -“I wouldn't joke about a thing like this, Flutters. No, he didn't die; -but while he was getting well very slowly a cartel--that's a kind of -boat--was sent from New London, with some English prisoners on board, to -exchange for the crew of the 'Venture;' but there were not quite as many -English prisoners as were needed for an exchange, so they decided they -would have to leave Cousin Harry and a friend of his, Tom Burnham, who -were sick over on the island, behind, and as soon afterward as those -two poor fellows were well enough, back they had to go again to that -dreadful old 'Jersey.' Wasn't that pretty hard?” - -“Gosh, yes,” exclaimed inelegant little Flutters, and Hazel excused the -word because the occasion seemed to demand something strong. - -“And there they stayed, Flutters, one whole year longer, till last -August, when the English had to let all their prisoners go free; but -understand, Flutters, it was just those _few_ bad men in charge of -the 'Jersey' who were so cruel. In other places we did not treat our -prisoners badly at all. Besides, it was very wicked indeed to take arms -against the King, though, of course, men like Cousin Harry thought they -were doing right.” Hazel, as usual, wound up with a defence of her own -loyalist principles. - -And so the story of Harry's hard prison life was all told, or, rather, -as much of it as was suited to his audience or was not too heartrending, -and at once the little party agreed to weigh anchor and sail quite out -of sight of the dreary old ship before opening the well-filled luncheon -baskets stowed away in the “Gretchen's” narrow hold. - -And then, of course, every one kept on the lookout for the best point -to come to anchor again; but Flutters was the first to discover a most -attractive spot on the New York side of the river, where some fine old -trees grew close to its edge, and already cast their shadows far enough -out on the water to shade the “Gretchen” from bow to stern. Thither they -sailed, quickly dropped anchor, and soon sitting down to cold tongue and -biscuits, peach jam and sponge cake, endeavored to banish all thoughts -of prisoners and prison-ships. It was not hard work, for Flutters was -funny, and Starlight and Hazel actually silly. Indeed, all of them felt -a sort of reaction from the gloomy, depressing thoughts of the last -hour, and, to my thinking, a little silliness was perfectly allowable. -After a most leisurely luncheon, Hazel and Starlight moved to the stern -of the boat. There was one important matter they had need to discuss -confidentially--the return of Flans's clothes. Hazel had not forgotten -her promise to surely bring them back to Mrs. Van Wyck the next day; -and now the next day had come, and with no better prospect of any other -equipment for Flutters. Entirely unconcerned, Flutters, growing drowsy -in the noontide stillness of the river, had stretched his lithe little -body along one of the boat cushions and fallen asleep. Josephine, after -stowing away the emptied baskets, had seated herself again with her back -against the mast. Harry had moved to a seat by her side, and they were -talking together of what filled both their hearts--their anxiety for -Captain Boniface; and Harry was doing his best to calm Josephine's -fears. He spoke most cheerily and hopefully, for he honestly did not -believe the antagonism against her father would amount to so very much; -and watching her lovely face brighten at his encouraging words, no doubt -thought how very beautiful she was. You would have thought so too could -you have seen her, with her wide-brimmed hat pushed far back on her -head, and the airiest of little breezes playing with the pretty light -hair that lay in curling wisps about her forehead. Starlight happened to -glance toward Josephine just as he and Hazel had settled the matter -they had in hand, and seemed more impressed with her beauty, as she sat -there, than ever before. - -“You don't often find a girl like your sister Josephine,” he said; -“she's lovely herself, and she's lovely to look at. Those two things -don't generally go together--in girls.” - -“What do you mean?” asked Hazel, bristling a little, as usual. - -“I mean that most lovely girls know that they're lovely, and that spoils -it. The good-natured girls are most always homely.” - -“No, of course, you're not homely, Hazel, but then you're not”--a long -pause--“so very good-natured either;” Starlight's love of mischief -having gotten the better of his discretion. - -Hazel gave him one look of indignant condemnation. Then, without a word, -she moved away, took her seat at Josephine's feet, and for the remainder -of the afternoon treated Starlight with all the studied coolness -offended dignity could muster. - -About four o'clock the “Gretchen” again weighed anchor and steered out -into the river, homeward bound. It had been arranged that she should -touch at the foot of Beekman Street, and that Starlight should leave them -there, so as to stop at Mrs. Van Wyck's and see what could be done about -Flutters's clothes, or rather Hans's; and from there he would no doubt -be able to beg a ride out to the Bonifaces'. “Good-bye, Hazel,” he -called back, as he bounded on to the little wharf. Hazel vouchsafed no -answer. Josephine wondered what was up, and so did Harry, but were wise -enough not to ask any questions. Flutters was not so wise. “Miss Hazel, -did you hear Starlight call good-bye?” he queried. - -“I'm not deaf, Flutters.” - -“Then why didn't you answer?” with innocent directness. - -“I had my own good reasons. And, Flutters, _you_ must not ever ask _me -why_ I do things.” - -“All right, Miss Hazel,” Flutters answered cheerily, for her word was -law to him; but Josephine and Harry found it difficult to conceal a -smile. - -It proved rather a tedious sail homeward, for the wind that had blown -them so finely down river in the morning had not been so accommodating -as to change its direction, and only by dint of much “tacking” was any -headway to be made. At last, however, the Boniface homestead came in -sight, and in the stillness of the twilight the “Gretchen” was safely -moored to her own little dock. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII.--A CALL ON COLONEL HAMILTON. - - -[Illustration: 9075] - -OOD-BYE, Hazel,” - -“Good-bye, Starlight,” - -“Good-bye, Josephine,” - -“Good-bye, Cousin Harry,” - -“Good-bye, Flutters.” Quite a medley of good-byes, to be sure, but no -more than were needed, for Harry and Starlight, once more aboard of the -“Gretchen,” were fast gliding out on to the river, and Josephine and -Hazel and Flutters were being left behind on the wharf. The little -prison-ship party had had their supper, and now Harry and Starlight were -off for Paulus Hook; it was high time, too, that they were, since they -had already been absent a day longer than Harry had planned, and Aunt -Frances would naturally begin to feel worried. Little Flutters cut a -queer figure as he stood there on the boating dock in the moonlight. -Hans Van Wyck's clothes, done up in a snug bundle, were already on their -way back to their lawful owner, so that he had need to resort once more -to the spangles and tinsel of his circus costume. By way of making up -for insufficient clothing, Mrs. Boniface had thrown a shawl about him, -one end of which Flutters allowed to trail behind, pinning the other -close about his throat, with one corner thrown over his left shoulder. - -“We must do something about some clothes for you, Flutters, right away,” - Hazel remarked, as they turned to walk up from the wharf, when, amid -the darkening shadows of the river, the “Gretchen's” sail was no longer -visible. “Starlight and I _hoped_ Mrs. Van Wyck would offer to _give_ -us that suit of Hans's to keep when he stopped to see her this afternoon -and told her about you, but she did not propose anything of the kind. -She only said 'it was very inconvenient for Hans not to have them, and -she hoped we'd manage to get them back to-night.'” - -“And you have managed, haven't you, Miss Hazel?” Flutters answered, as -if the managing were a matter to be proud of; and, mimicking a sort -of stage stride such as he had often witnessed in tragical circus -pantomimes, he apparently bestowed far more attention on the sweep of -his majestic train than on what Hazel was saying. - -“Yes, of course, I sent them back; what else could I do?”--this last -rather impatiently, because of Flutters's exasperating unconcern __“but -how are you going to manage without them is what I'd like to know.”.. - -Flutters gave Hazel a comical little look. “With tights and shawls, I -s'pose, Miss Hazel, unless the Captain felt like as he could buy some -for me.” - -“No,” said Hazel decidedly; “I am not going to bother father 'bout -things like that, 'specially now when he's so worried and his life's in -danger.” - -This remark brought Flutters to a stand. “Is the Captain's life -in danger, really, Miss Hazel?” - -“Yes, it is. Josephine said he received a very angry letter the other -night from some old friends of his. They as much as told him that he -must go away, and that his life wasn't safe here; and lots of people are -going, Flutters; people who, like father, have sided with King George.” - -“Where are they going, Miss Hazel?” - -“To England, most of them.” - -“And will the Captain go?” - -“No, Josephine thinks not. You see he built this house, Flutters, and -he loves it, and he loves this country, too. Josephine says she believes -he'll just stay, and try and live the angry feeling down.” - -“Miss Hazel,”.said Flutters, stopping to gather the trailing shawl over -one arm, for he was ready now to give his whole mind to the matter in -hand, “it's a very puzzling thing 'bout me. When Mr. Harry was telling -those sad things of the prison-ship, I thought I was a Whig, and now -when you are talking 'bout the Captain, it seems as though I was a--a -what do you call it?” - -“A Loyalist, Flutters?” - -“Yes, a Loyalist; but I reckon folks what has friends on both sides, had -better not be anything particular.” - -“Perhaps that would be best,” Hazel replied, smiling in spite of -herself. - -“Miss Hazel,” Flutters said, after a little pause, stopping and looking -round him somewhat cautiously, as though he feared his question might -be overheard, “did Starlight hear of any 'quiries for me, when he was in -the city this afternoon?” - -Hazel nodded “Yes” in a most mysterious manner. - -“There's no danger of their 'quiring round here, do you think?” and -Hazel saw the involuntary little tremble shoot through Flutters's frame. - -“No, indeed, Flutters, and we wouldn't give you up if they did. Mrs. Van -Wyck told Starlight that a forlorn old man, who belonged to the circus, -stopped at her gate and asked if she'd seen anything of a little mulatto -boy what had deserted from the troupe, or knowed anything about him, and -Mrs. Van Wyck said, 'Lor', no!' never dreaming that her very own little -Hans's clothes were on that same little boy that very moment.” - -“That must have been good old Bobbin,” answered Flutters, fairly -chuckling over the thought of the entire success of his escape. - -“Miss Hazel,” he added, after a moment's thoughtful meditation, “I've -been thinking how I might earn the money for my clothes by doing a -little tumbling for folks round here, only I'm so awfully afraid of -being heard of by the circus people.” - -The suggestion instantly flashed a new scheme through Hazel's mind. - -“Flutters,” she said, very slowly and seriously, “I've--thought--of -something. Yes, it's the very thing. I'm going to town tomorrow, to see -Colonel Hamilton about an important matter, and I'll make all the -'rangements.” - -“'Rangements 'bout the clothes, Miss Hazel?” - -“Yes, 'rangements 'bout everything; but, hush! 'cause nobody else must -know about it.” They had reached the porch where Mrs. Boniface was -sitting, and Josephine was close behind them, which was the occasion -for Hazel's “Hush” and so little Flutters tumbled into bed half an hour -later, still in ignorance as to what the scheme of his “little Mistress” - might be, but with perfect confidence in her ability to make any -arrangements under the sun. - -***** - -Joe Ainsworth found his little friend waiting in the sunshine the next -morning, and, almost without intimation from him, the leaders came to a -standstill, and Hazel mounted to her seat beside him. “Business in -town?” ventured Joe. - -“Colonel Hamilton's, please,” all intent on getting comfortably seated. - -“Oh!” exclaimed Joe, with elevated eyebrows, “haven't fixed that matter -up yet, eh?” - -“Not yet. I haven't had time to see to it until to-day.” - -“Haven't had time,” said Joe, with a significant smile. - -“No, I haven't, really. Yesterday I had to go on a sailing party and the -day before to the circus.” - -“My lands, Miss Hazel! I guess if you had to drive this Albany coach -every day of your life, week in and week out, and was ever able to take -so much as a day off for a circus or a sailing party, you would call -that having lots of time. I would, I can tell ye.” - -“Well, then, perhaps it was because I couldn't do both things, Joe, so I -chose the sailing party and the circus.” - -“I don't blame you, Miss Hazel. Besides, there can't be anything very -pleasant for such a loyal little Red-Coat as you to look forward to, in -calling on our American Colonel.” - -“I'm not afraid of any American Colonel,” with the air of a grand -duchess. - -“No, of course not, Miss Hazel, but I'd have a care to that little -tongue of yours.” - -Hazel did not answer. She would not have allowed many people to offer -that unsolicited advice without some sort of a rejoinder, but she had -always a most kindly side toward Joe Ainsworth, not entirely accounted -for, either, by the fact of the free rides. - -For some reason or other the coach horses kept up a good pace that -morning, and it was not long before they came to a halt at Hazel's -destination. - -Colonel Hamilton's law office was in just such another wide-porched -double house as the Starlight homestead; and, like it, had been vacated -by its rightful owner during the progress of the war, and so had shared -the similar fate of being immediately claimed by the English. They -were most comfortable-looking dwellings, those old colonial homesteads, -cheery and clean without, in their buff coats of paint lined off with -generous bands of white, and most hospitable within, with their wide -halls running from front to back straight through them. It seemed a -shame that such a homelike place should ever be converted into a mere -bevy of offices, but, after all, that is but one of many desecrations -that follow closely in the train of wretched war. The very sight of the -house, and the evident misuse to which it had been put, stirred Hazel's -indignation. She did not know who had lived there, but she felt very -sorry for them all the same. - -It chanced to be her good fortune to find Colonel Alexander Hamilton -alone in his office, something that did not often happen in the -experience of that great man, and it was also perhaps her good fortune -to be altogether unconscious of how truly great he was, else she might -not have marched so boldly into his presence and told her story in such -a frank and fearless manner. Yet, who knows, there are big and little -women the world over, who will stop at nothing, and know neither fear -nor shrinking where a friend's interests are concerned, especially such -a brave, true friend as Starlight had always proved himself to be. - -Colonel Hamilton allowed Hazel to make her statement without -interruption, save to ask some lawyer-like question now and then, when, -in her childish eagerness, she had failed to put the facts quite clearly; -but, notwithstanding her eagerness and the importance of her errand, -she took time to note that he was “a lovely-looking gentleman,” and to -draw a little sigh of regret that so fine a man should not have been a -Tory like herself. When at last she had cleared her mind of all she had -to say, she folded her little hands together in her lap, and scanning -his handsome face closely, waited for his answer. - -But Colonel Hamilton did not answer. With his elbows resting on the arms -of his office chair he sat for a few seconds gazing down at his hands, -the fingers of which, with thumb pressing thumb, were clasped in -meditative fashion before him. Hazel gazed at them too. She thought they -were very nice hands, and noticed how fine were the linen frills falling -over them from the circle of the tight-fitting, broadcloth sleeve. She -was not at all concerned that he did not hasten to reply. She had heard -that lawyers gave a great deal of thought to “things,” and she would not -hurry him. Meanwhile she sought the arms of the chair in which she was -sitting as a support for her own elbows, and endeavored to lock her own -little hands together in imitation of his--so will the feminine mind -occupy itself with veriest trifles even on the verge of most decisive -transactions. But the chair-arms were too wide apart and the child-arms -too short by far to successfully accomplish the imitation. Colonel -Hamilton noted the attempt and smiled. “My little friend,” he said at -last, “I'm thinking I am the very last man you should have come to about -all this. How did you happen to appeal to me?” - -“Because, sir (Hazel grew a little embarrassed)--because sir, as I told -Joe Ainsworth, who drives the Albany coach, _you_ were the gentleman who -talked the court into deciding the case against Miss Avery and in favor -of Captain Wadsworth.” - -“And how did you learn that?” - -“Oh, I have heard my father talk about it; I am his little daughter -Hazel.” - -“Naturally, but who may your father be?” - -“Captain Hugh Boniface, of his Majesty's service,” with no little -dignity. - -“Indeed!” exclaimed the Colonel, with surprise, “and what did your -father say?” - -“He did not think you were right about it, Colonel Hamilton, but he -said you were smart enough and handsome enough to make a jury believe -anything you wanted to.” Hazel did not know why the Colonel walked over -to the window and looked out for a moment, but one might surmise that it -was simply to conceal a very broad smile. - -“That is rather doubtful praise, Miss Hazel,” he said, coming back -again, “but I can tell you one thing, I certainly would not try to make -a jury believe anything that I did not believe myself.” - -“No, of course not,” Hazel answered warmly, “only I thought you could -not have understood about things. That is the reason I have come to ask -you to change your mind.” - -“But, unfortunately, lawyers' minds when once made up cannot be changed -very easily, and I am sorry for that, for there is nothing I would -rather do than be of service to you and your little friend with the -pretty name--what do you call him? Starlight? You see, the bother is, -I honestly think the English have a right to dispose of Miss Avery's -house, for they did not take it from her nor compel her to leave it. She -left it of her own accord, now more than two years ago, and entirely -unprotected. Now I do not see why she should expect to come back to it -and turn out its present occupant just when she chances to see fit, and -the court agrees with me in this. - -“But doesn't it seem too bad for a lot of great, strong men to side -against a lovely lady like Miss Frances Avery?” and Hazel gave a very -deep sigh. - -“Yes, in one way it does, Miss Hazel,” said Colonel Hamilton kindly, -“and the great strong men felt very sorry for her. Unfortunately hers -proved to be a sort of test case. There are scores of other people who -want to come back and turn people out of the homes where they have been -living, some of them for the last six or seven years--indeed ever since -New York fell into the hands of the British, and now the court has -decided that they ought not to be allowed to come, and that under these -circumstances, 'possession is not only nine points of the law,' but ten. - -“I do not quite understand what you mean about the points of the law,” - said Hazel, frankly; “but I do not think about it as you do at all,” - and, in fact, there were many people in those days, and many, too, in -these, who could make Hazel's words their own, never having been able to -comprehend how it was that the great lawyer took the stand he did. - -“Besides, it is queer,” Hazel added, after a moments cogitation, -“that such a Whig as you are, Colonel Hamilton, should have sided with -the Tories.” - -“Not a whit more queer, it strikes me,” laughed the Colonel, “than that -a stanch little Loyalist like yourself should be pleading so warmly for -the Whigs.” - -“But if your best friend _was_ a Whig and you felt sorry for him?” - pleaded Hazel, in extenuation. - -“Well to be sure, that does put matters in a different light; but truly, -I do not see what you are going to be able to do about it. If Miss Avery -can fix matters up with Captain Wadsworth, all well and good, and--” - -“No, she can never do that,” interrupted Hazel, decidedly. “I have seen -Captain Wadsworth myself. He looks like a kind man, but he isn't. He -told me to come to you about it; but it seems there's no use going to -anybody, and I guess Miss Avery and Starlight will just have to live -and die over at Paulus Hook, and never have a home of their own -again--never!” - -It must be confessed that Hazel's efforts in behalf of the Starlight -homestead had apparently met with no success whatever. But she had done -what she could, _all_ she could, indeed, and there was some comfort in -that, at least so she thought, as she walked slowly away from Colonel -Hamilton's office. She paused in a meditative way as she reached the -gate. “Poor little girl,” thought the Colonel, who sat watching her -from his office window, “I fancy she had an idea I could go right up -to Captain Wadsworth's and turn them all out if I wished to, and half -believed I would do it. As it is, I will speak to the Captain. Perhaps -he might be able to make some sort of a compromise with Miss Avery.” - -***** - -So after all Hazel had at least succeeded in making a friend of the -Colonel, and of Captain Wadsworth, too, for that matter, and it was not -altogether improbable that something might result from this state of -affairs, though she herself little dreamed it. But Hazel had had a -double purpose in coming into the city that morning, and did not stand -there at the Colonel's gate because, as the Colonel thought, she was the -most sorrowful and hopeless of little suppliants, but because she was -trying to decide just what she had better do next. - -“Better do next?” was the question that always confronted that restless -and active little woman whenever the completion of any one plan left her -free to launch upon another. If the little plan had utterly failed, that -did not matter. It was her life to be busy about something, though the -something might be of no more importance than the making of a doll's -dress or the mending of a toy teacup. But now the something to be done -was important, and having made up her mind what to do, she suddenly -started off at a brisk little pace that would have surprised the -sympathetic Colonel could he have seen behind the boxwood hedge that -grew close up to the gate on either side. - -So great indeed was the change in her bearing, he might with reason have -suspected her of a little “old soldiering” while in his office. - -Hazel's destination was the Starlight homestead, and the man she wanted -to see was Sergeant Bellows. She “Do you remember?” found him seated -alone on a bench under a tree in the front garden, and this suited her -exactly, for her interview had need to be a private one. The old -Sergeant was cleaning some sword-handles, but was glad enough to have -his work interrupted by the unexpected arrival of his little friend, and -made room for her on the bench beside him. - -[Illustration: 8083] - -“Do you remember?” Hazel at once began, without waiting to command -sufficient breath, “that the last time--I was here--you asked--if there -was anything--an old sergeant could do for me?” - -“Yes, I remember, Miss Hazel.” - -“And do you think the other men meant what they said when they asked if -there was anything they could do for me?” - -“Yes, I'll wager they did.” - -“Well, now, there is something, Sergeant Bellows, a real important -something, and this is it,” and straightway Hazel's voice subsided into -such a confidential whisper, that even the Sergeant lost a word now and -then, but he smiled and nodded assent all the while, to Hazel's great -delight. - -As for us, it is needless to bother our heads with all she told him, -particularly as we shall see what came of it in the very next chapter. - - - - -CHAPTER IX.--FLUTTERS HAS A BENEFIT. - - -[Illustration: 9085] - -HE warm and hazy September days were over. The first of October had come -in by the calendar, but although its sun had not yet peeped over the -horizon, there were unmistakable signs in the east which heralded its -coming. As for Hazel, she was up “with the lark,” as the saying goes, -and with good reason, too, for never did any mere little feathered -songstress have as much in hand as had she for that first day of -October, and it _all_ depended upon the weather. - -What wonder, then, with so much on her mind, that the first ray of -daylight succeeded in shimmering in beneath the long lashes of her eyes, -first setting their lid a-tremble and then prying them open, so that -their little owner soon found herself wide awake, and that the eventful -day had dawned. But what sort of a day was it going to be, that was the -all-important question. Hazel threw open the shutters of her window. The -vine that crept along its sill was dripping wet--could it be raining? -She stretched out a little brown hand that was all of a tremble with -excitement, to test if rain were really falling. No, not a drop. It was -dew on the vines, of course; how foolish not to have thought of that! -But what made the sky so gray? Was it cloudy? Then she tripped over to -the clock. Why, so early as that! Then perhaps the sun was not up yet. -No, come to look again, of course it wasn't, it was just daylight. - -Having reached this conclusion, Hazel, wisely slipping into a flannel -wrapper and a pair of bedroom slippers, sat down to wait the rising of -that very lazy sun, and soon he came. She watched till he was full above -the horizon, then assuring herself that there were no threatening clouds -anywhere, crept back into bed, wrapper, slippers, and all, with a mind -quite at ease, and in just the sort of a mood for the most refreshing of -little morning naps. - -One, two, one, two, Company F was marking time preparatory to marching -on again, and Sergeant Bellows was in command. - -It was two o'clock now, and the sun, for whose dawning Hazel had watched -so eagerly, was well on his journey, and shining down on the burnished -flint-locks and scarlet coats of Company F, coats which looked bravely -in the morning sunlight, notwithstanding many a stain and mark of active -service. But not for any skirmishing with their enemies were those -English soldiers under marching orders, for never again were they to -wage battle with the colonists on American soil. It was now nearly two -years since the great battle of Yorktown, when the British soldiers had -laid down their arms, and Lord Cornwallis's sword had been surrendered -to General Washington, and it would not be long before the whole army, -under command of Sir Guy Carleton, would go sailing homeward down the -harbor, and not a British roll-call, nor a soldier answering to -it, would be heard anywhere in the land. But, somehow or other, -notwithstanding all this, Company F, of His Majesty's service, did not -look very crestfallen, as they stood there marking time, until a great -overhanging load of hay should leave the road clear ahead of them. They -had had plenty of time to get used to the thought of not having beaten -the Yankees; in fact, some of them went so far as to openly express -their honest admiration for the plucky, desperate fashion in which those -some poorly equipped Yankees had fought, and did not begrudge them their -hard-earned victory. Then in seven weeks more they were to turn their -faces toward home and England; toward England, which some of them had -not seen for eight long years; toward home, where little children had -outgrown their childhood, where dear wife faces had grown worn with -waiting, and where white-haired mothers, wearied with watching, had -perhaps been laid at rest in the little village churchyards. But, come -weal or woe, they were soon going home; you could see their faces daily -grow brighter with the thought, and happening this morning to have a -most novel entertainment in prospect, what wonder that almost every one -wore an amused smile, and that every eye twinkled merrily. The clumsy -hay-load slowly moved out of the way, and then came the order, “For'ard, -march!” from Sergeant Bellows, and off they went, with even swing up -Broadway, turning off at the Albany coach road, and then on out into the -country. “Halt!” called Sergeant Bellows at last, and Company F halted -right in front of Captain Boniface's cottage. It could not have been -that they were not expected, for Hazel, with beaming smile, stood -holding the gate wide open, and the men filed in and took their seats in -chairs which had evidently been placed in rows in the garden for them. -The chairs fronted the porch, and were grouped in semicircular shape -about the wide steps leading up to it, at the top of which a curtain -(for which two blanket shawls had been made to do duty) hung suspended, -the cord that held it being fastened to the fluted column at either end. -That the shawls were of widely differing plaids, and at great variance -in the matter of color, only added to the generally fantastic effect. -Without doubt there was going to be some sort of a performance, and it -was easy now to guess that Hazel's “'rangements” had been in the line of -preparation for it, and easy now to understand why her little ladyship -had been up with the lark, to ascertain, if possible, what sort of a day -it was going to be. Somehow or other I should not in the least wonder if -the “Old Man of the Weather” loves to have a little child place implicit -trust in him now and then'; surely he does, if he is at all like some of -the rest of us whom you little folks call old. At any rate the weather -not only favored Hazel's project, but seemed just to give itself up to -making everything comfortable for everybody. The sun saw to it that the -old house cast a broad square shadow in front of it that was more than -large enough to cover the space where the men were seated, and the wind -saw to it that a sufficiently strong little breeze was blowing to temper -the early afternoon sunshine, and everything conspired to make it a -perfect October day, a sort of good example, as it were, for the thirty -other October days that were to follow it. - -At last it was time for that mysterious many-colored curtain to be -drawn aside, and certain vigorous jerkings of the shawls showed that an -attempt was being made in that direction. What did it matter to Company -F if it did not work with all the smoothness to be desired, since it -finally disclosed to them as fair a little specimen of humanity as the -eyes of most of them had ever rested upon. In the centre of the stage, -or rather of that portion of the porch which had been divided off for -it, sat Hazel's little sister in an old-fashioned high-back chair, her -pretty slippered feet reaching but a little way over its edge, and her -little dimpled hands folded in her lap in most complacent fashion. She -wore a short-waisted, quaint little white dress, barely short enough to -show the prettily slippered feet. - -Not at all dismayed was little Kate at the sight of so many soldiers -seated there in such formal array before her. What was every beautiful -Red Coat but another embodiment of her own dear papa; and not in the -least alarmed was she by the loud applause which the mere sight of her -elicited from admiring Company F. She turned her pretty head on one side -and then on the other, her little face wreathed in smiles, and seeming -to say in silent baby-fashion, “Thank you, gentlemen.” Not that she -could not talk. No, indeed, do not think that for a moment; her baby -tongue could move with all the insistent chatter of a little English -sparrow; but the right time had not come yet. As soon as the applause -had somewhat abated, Hazel herself appeared on the scene, arrayed in -a jaunty little riding-habit, and with cheeks aglow with excitement, -looking prettier, perhaps, than ever before in her life. As was to be -expected, her appearance was the cause for renewed applause; but finally -all was quiet, and she stepped forward to deliver a little speech which -had been carefully thought over. She had insisted upon wearing her -riding-habit, because, as she had told her mother, she was to be a sort -of showman. Of course she did not want to wear boys' clothes, but the -riding-habit seemed sort of a go-between, “and more like the thing -a lady who managed a private circus would wear.” So Mrs. Boniface -consented, and Josephine, in helping Hazel to dress, had added an extra -touch or two. Her habit was made of gray cloth, with a long, full skirt -that came within a foot of the ground when Hazel was on her pony; but -in order that she should be able to move about the platform as freely as -was necessary, Josephine had caught the skirt up on one side, fastening -it with two or three brilliant red chrysanthemums, and pinning a bunch -of the same bright flowers against her waist. On her head she wore a -black velvet jockey cap which had been sent her by her grandpa from -England, and which completed the jauntiness of her costume. - -[Illustration: 0090] - -“Members of Company F,” Hazel began, holding her riding-whip in both -hands before her, “I wish to thank you for coming here this afternoon, -and to tell you that I hope you will feel repaid for your long march out -from the city.” - -“No doubt about that, Miss Hazel,” Sergeant Bellows called out, -heartily.. - -“Thank you, Sergeant;” but Hazel's manner was somewhat stiff, as though -she preferred that more formality should be observed. “But before -commencing our performance,” she continued, “I must ask you to bear -in mind that it is not an easy thing to get up a regular circus in a -private family, 'specially at such very short notice. There was no time -to teach anything new, even to the baby, who learns very easily, and it -was just by good luck that Prince and Kate and Delta knew some little -tricks already. As for Flutters, it will not take you long to discover -that _his_ part of the performance needs no apology.” - -Hazel concluded her little speech with a graceful bow, and, turning -toward Kate, who still sat smiling, announced: “I have now the pleasure, -gentlemen, of introducing to you Miss Kate Boniface, as fine a little -three-year-old as ever was reared in Westchester County. Miss Kate is -quite a favorite with the management, being, what we consider, a most -gifted little lady. She has an original little dance of her own, one -little song, and one little piece, which she speaks with dramatic -effect.” - -“Which s'all I do first, Hazel?” asked Kate, in a most audible whisper, -when she saw that it was time for her to commence. - -“Why, the dance of course, child,” Hazel answered, forgetting their -relations of manager and artiste. - -“But where's de music?” - -Sure enough, where was the music? “Job,” called Hazel, blushing up to -the roots of her hair with embarrassment, “we are waiting for you.” - -“Coming, Mrs. Manager,” came the answer, and a moment later Starlight -bounded through the green boughs, which had been arranged at the back of -the scene, violin in hand, and in a costume befitting the clown of -the performance. His resemblance to the real article was truly quite -remarkable, for Cousin Harry had taken a great deal of interest in his -“make-up,” and the result was a face as white, with cheeks as red and -eyebrows as high, black, and arching, as were ever attained by Mr. John -Dreyfus, the English clown of world-renowned reputation. Starlight was -able to play half-a-dozen tunes on an old violin which had belonged to -his grandfather, and this formed a most attractive and most important -feature of the Boniface circus. Otherwise Company F would have been -obliged to forego little Kate's dancing, than which nothing was ever -daintier or prettier. But not an inch would her little ladyship move -from her chair till Starlight had gone through a series of scrapings -called “tuning up,” and a merry little dancing tune was well under way. -Then she jumped down, and running to the front of the platform made the -most bewitching of conventional little bows, pressing the fingers of -both hands to her lips, as if generously to throw the sweetest of kisses -broadcast. It was very evident, then, to the Red Coats--Miss Hazel to -the contrary that there had been time enough to teach little Kate one -new trick at any rate; but the glancing itself was a matter of Kate's -own creation, and of a sort that baffles description. - -[Illustration: 0092] - -She had never seen any one dance, no one had taught her, but as -naturally as a little duck takes to the water, had her little feet -taken to dancing on that evening when, for the first time, Starlight -had brought his violin to the Bonifaces'. For fully ten minutes, to -the great delight of Company F, little Kate kept time in a variety of -intricate and pretty little motions to the rhythm of the old violin a -sort of dancing in which slow and graceful gestures of dimpled arms and -hands played almost as important part as the little feet themselves. -Indeed, the whole proceeding was a deliberate one, owing to an inability -on Starlight's part to play any faster; but to my thinking “The dancing -was a matter of Kate's own creation;” all the prettier for that, and far -more becoming to such a dignified little maiden. - -As for Company F, it would have liked nothing better than a whole -half-hour of dancing; but “Mrs. Manager” wisely protested, and after -the little song had been rendered with “violin accompaniment,” and the -little piece spoken “with dramatic effect,” Miss Kate Boniface tripped -from the stage 'midst hearty peals of applause, and Mrs. Manager, as -Starlight had called Hazel, came once more to the front. - -“I shall now have the pleasure of acquainting you, gentlemen,” she said, -with all the superiority of a veritable showman, “with my own little -thoroughbred, one of the most knowing and accomplished of Shetland -ponies. Mr. Lightfoot, will you have the kindness to bring Miss Gladys -into the ring?” whereupon Starlight, otherwise Mr. Lightfoot, led -the pony on to the stage, or, I should say, “into the ring,” as Hazel -preferred to regard it from a strictly professional point of view. -Gladys had been groomed by Starlight and Flutters to within an inch -of her life, in preparation for the occasion, and, indeed, she sorely -needed it. The fact was that she had been turned out for the last two -months owing to an unfortunate gall on her back which had refused to -heal under the saddle; so, while her mistress had been dependent upon -Albany coaches for such excursions as she wished to take into the city, -Miss Gladys had been kicking up her heels and running races with herself -in the most inviting of clover fields. Only yesterday had she been -enjoying all this freedom, with burrs in her tail and burrs in her mane, -and with never so much as a halter, and here she was to-day tricked -out in blue ribbons, with her coat smoothed down to look as silky as -possible, and with her four pretty little hoofs oiled up to a state of -shiny blackness, but without the sign of shoe on any one of them. There -had been no time, indeed, to have Miss Gladys shod, nor was there any -need of it, as, after today's performance, back she was to go again, for -at least another month more, to all the wild dissipation of pony life -in a clover field. Of course she was astonished at the sight of the -soldiers, but she had been rehearsing with Starlight and Hazel for a -whole hour that morning in that sort of “box stall” which formed the -scene of the circus, and so, being somewhat familiar with the place, -contented herself with an occasional pricking-up of her black-pointed -ears, which only gave her a more spirited look, and, on the whole, was -extremely becoming. - -“Now, Miss Gladys,” said Hazel, when she had-succeeded in getting her -posed to her liking, “I would like you to answer a few questions, and -for each correct answer you shall have a beautiful lump of white sugar. -Mr. Lightfoot, have you the sugar ready?” - -“Yes, Mrs. Manager,” answered Starlight, who, in his capacity of clown, -was endeavoring all the while to keep up a funny sort of byplay, and -sometimes succeeding; “yes, Mrs. Manager, the sugar is all ready. I have -placed, as you perceive, five lumps upon either extended palm, and would -like to make this arrangement, that when the pony makes a mistake I may -be allowed to eat the sugar.” - -“Very well, Mr. Lightfoot, I am quite agreeable to the arrangement; -but, if I am not mistaken, the pony thinks you are likely to fare rather -poorly; how about that, Miss Gladys? Do you intend that Mr. Lightfoot -shall enjoy more than one of those lumps of sugar?” Hazel stood leaning -against the pony's side, lightly swinging her riding-whip in apparently -aimless fashion in her left hand, but in answer to her question, Miss -Gladys shook her pretty head from side to side with as decided an -assertion in the negative as though she had been able to voice an -audible “No.” - -“There! what did I tell you, Mr. Lightfoot?” - -“Why! did Miss Gladys answer? I didn't hear her.” - -“Of course you did not hear her. She answered by shaking her head. -Ponies can't talk.” - -“What! can't Miss Gladys say a word?” - -“No, certainly not.” - -“Not even neigh?” - -“That's a _very_ bad pun, Mr. Lightfoot. Don't you think so, Miss -Gladys?” Up and down went the pony's head in ready assent. - -“Two questions answered with remarkable judgment. Now, two lumps of -sugar, if you please, Mr. Lightfoot.” - -Gladys eagerly ate the sugar from Hazel's gloved hand (for sugar was one -of the few creature delights a clover field failed to offer, that is, -in any form more concrete than the sweetness of a withered clover head), -and looked as though perfectly willing to continue the process for an -almost indefinite period. Indeed, for a long time Hazel continued to ply -her with questions of great moment to Company F, such as, “Is Sergeant -Bellows the best sergeant in his regiment?” - -“Is 'Company F' the finest company?” and so on, to all of which Miss -Gladys gave only the most complimentary of answers. Just when this part -of the performance was coming to a close, Mr. Lightfoot stepped up to -the pony, and said, in beseeching fashion, “Look here, Miss Gladys, -on the whole, you think I'm a pretty good sort of a fellow, now, don't -you?” The pony looked at Starlight a moment, and then shook her -head, “Yes,” in a most decided manner. “That's a darling,” Starlight -exclaimed, swinging himself on to Gladys's back, in compliance with an -order received from Hazel, and with his head resting on her mane and -his arms clasped round her prettily-arched neck, rode off the stage. The -soldiers, of course, were at first considerably astonished at the pony's -intelligent answers, but it did not take most of them long to discover -that the shakings of Miss Gladys's head were in every case controlled by -a touch of Hazel's whip. A gentle application of the lash on the right -foreleg for yes and the same motion on the left one for no. Hazel -had tried to conceal this little motion as best she could, but it was -naturally not an easy matter, and when Miss Gladys had been kind enough -to answer “Yes” to Mr. Lightfoot's question, it was only because Hazel's -whip was in Starlight's hand, and the pony, felt the same familiar -sensation upon her left foreleg. - -Perhaps you wonder how it was that a little country pony was so -unusually accomplished. Well, to tell the truth, Captain Boniface -deserved all the credit of it, and Hazel none at all. When Hazel herself -was but a week old that pony had been bought for her, and, as soon as -she was able to take notice of anything, Gladys used to be trotted out -daily for her inspection. And so it happened that while Captain Boniface -was waiting for his little daughter to grow large enough to ride her, -he used to amuse himself, and Hazel as well, by endeavoring to teach the -pony a few knowing tricks. They had required a world of patience, and -with none of them had he been so successful as with what he called the -“pony shake,” and which just had been exhibited to so much advantage. - -“That Miss Hazel's a cute un,” said one of the soldiers, in the little -intermission that followed the exit of the pony. - -“Cute's no name for it,” answered Sergeant Bellows. - -“She reminds me of my own little girl at home, whom I haven't seen in a -five-year,” said the other, while a little mistiness betrayed itself in -his soldier eyes. - -“She may mind ye of her,” answered the Sergeant, not unkindly, “but -there isn't a child anywhere, I'm thinking, that can hold a candle to -Miss Hazel.” You see Sergeant Bellows was an old bachelor, and without a -relative in the world whom he cared for, and perhaps that accounted in -a measure for his adoration of Hazel, though, no doubt, the little -daughter of the red-haired soldier, who-was probably red-haired too, was -just as charming in the eyes of her father as Hazel in the eyes of the -lonely old Sergeant. But further discussion as to comparative merits -was brought to an end by the reappearance of Starlight on the stage, -accompanied by his dog, Lord Nelson, who, much against his will, had -been dragged aboard of the “Gretchen” that morning, and imported from -his kennel at Paulus Hook especially for the occasion. Lord Nelson -possessed quite a varied set of accomplishments, none of them very -remarkable, however, and after Lord Nelson came Flutters! Flutters -in velvet and spangles, Flutters of The Great English Circus, and who -straightway proceeded to make the eyes of Company F open wide with -astonishment at his truly wonderful tumbling and somersaults. There was -no slipping of the little knee-cap to-day. It seemed to Flutters quite -impossible in the happy life he was leading, that knee-caps or anything -else that concerned him should ever get much out of order again. - -As may be easily imagined, the audience would not be satisfied -till Flutters had favored them with repeated encores, but when the -performance was at last concluded, there was a call for the entire -troupe, and, in response, out they came, hand-in-hand, Hazel and Kate, -Starlight and Flutters; Starlight leading Lord Nelson with the hand -that was free, and Flutters Miss Gladys. A low, smiling bow from them -all--for even Gladys and Lord Nelson were made to give a compulsory -nod--then the line retreated a foot or two, the shawl-curtain dropped -into place, and the entertainment was over. At least so thought -Company F, but it was mistaken, for no sooner had Hazel and Starlight -disappeared behind the curtain, than out they came in front of it, and -then down among the soldiers, Starlight carrying a tray full of glasses -filled with the most inviting lemonade, and Hazel following with an -old-fashioned silver cake-basket heaped high with delicious sponge cake -of Josephine's best manufacture. Then for half-an-hour they had quite -a social time of it. Captain and Mrs. Boniface, who had watched the -performance from two comfortable chairs at the rear of Company F, were -talking with some of the men; Flutters, who, for very good reasons, was -still in costume, was the centre of another little group; while Kate, -from the safe vantage point of Josephine's lap, chatted away, to the -great entertainment of old Sergeant Bellows. Suddenly the Sergeant -seemed to recall something important, for he jumped up, seized his hat, -and began passing it from one to another of the men, all of whom had, -apparently, come prepared for this feature of the entertainment. - -Hazel was greatly relieved when she saw the hat in active circulation. -She had felt afraid that the Sergeant had forgotten this part of the -programme, and did not fancy the idea of having to remind him of it. -Indeed he had come pretty near forgetting it, so absorbed had he been in -the charms of little Kate, but as a result of the collection taken up -by the Sergeant, Hazel found herself in possession of a contribution -sufficiently generous to purchase a fine little outfit for Flutters. -And so it came about that Flutters had a “benefit” and Company F an -afternoon of what they termed “rare good fun.” - - - - -CHAPTER X.--DARLING OLD AUNT FRANCES. - - -[Illustration: 9098] - -ERHAPS you think that is a queer title for a chapter. You would not -think it queer at all if you had known her, for that is exactly what she -was, and now and then it is just as well to call people by their right -names. She was not old, however, in the sense of being wrinkled and -white-haired and thin. Sometime, when somebody has been very kind to -you, and has done you a “good turn” in real reliable fashion, haven't -you just rushed up to them and exclaimed, “You dear old thing,” as -if any mere young thing would be quite incapable of such a deed of -loving-kindness? Well, in just the sense of being very kind and very -reliable, Aunt Frances was old, and in no other. To be sure, she was -nearing her fiftieth birthday, and there was a generous sprinkling of -gray hair on her temples, but the gray hair only made her face softer -and sweeter, and her heart was no older than bonny Kate's. - -Well, Aunt Frances sat knitting in a high-backed rocker on the wide step -in front of the Van Vleet's door, a step that was made from one great -unhewn stone, but whose roughnesses had been rounded down by the rains -and storms of a hundred summers and winters. On the edge of the step, -with his back against one of the large tubs of hydrangea which flanked -the wide door-step on either side, sat Harry Avery. He had been silent -for a long while. He was trying to get his courage up to say something -to Aunt Frances, something that he knew it would grieve her to hear, and -she had had so much to bear lately, he could not easily bring himself to -it. “Aunt Frances,” he said, at last, “I know you'll be sorry about it, -but I think I shall have to go away to-morrow.” - -“Why, Harry, what do you mean?” while the tears gathered as quickly in -her kind eyes as the clouds of an April shower darken an April sky, “and -besides, where will you go?” - -“Home, I suppose,” and then it would have been an easy thing for Harry, -grown fellow that he was, to have mustered a few honest tears on his own -account. - -“You see I am not willing to stay here any longer since you have to pay -my board. And then you have so little money coming in now.” - -“But the Van Vleets only allow me to pay a very small sum, and, Harry, -you are such a comfort to me. Starlight's a dear, good boy, but he is -not old enough for me to burden him with all my troubles as I do you. -Tell me this, do you want to go home?” - -“No, I do not want to go home in the least. You know what I mean. I'd -give a great deal to see father and mother and the youngsters; but -there's nothing for me to do in New London--that is, not the sort of -work that I think I am equal to, and, after leaving it the way I did, I -hate to go back empty-handed. Then, I'm sure, father would much rather -I'd find something to do in New York. He believes there is a good deal -more of a chance for a fellow here.” - -[Illustration: 0100] - -“And you have heard of nothing, Harry; nothing whatever?” Aunt Frances -let her knitting fall in her lap, and looked straight at Harry as she -spoke. There was something strange about this direct look from Aunt -Frances. It seemed to compel the exact truth from everybody, even from -Pat, the Van Vleets' hired man, who did not ordinarily hesitate in -telling an untruth if it would make things more comfortable. And so -Harry did not even succeed in making an evasive reply, as he should like -to have done, but just answered, very simply and honestly: “Yes, Aunt -Frances, I did hear of something--a clerkship in a lawyer's office--but -I decided not to take it.” - -“Decided not to take it? Why, that is the very position you said you -would like above all others!” - -“Did I say that? well, fellows are queer sometimes, aren't they?” - -“Harry Avery, there is something mysterious about all this. What was the -name of the lawyer?” - -“Oh, no matter, Auntie! The whole matter's decided. I made up my mind -not to take it, and that ends it.” - -Aunt Frances was not to be silenced in this fashion. She had a right to -search this matter out, and search it she would. “Harry,” as if she were -speaking to some little child, “Harry, look me right in the eyes, and -tell me, was it Colonel Hamilton?” - -Yes but Harry looked off at the river. He had not the sort of courage -to look Aunt Frances “right in the eyes,” as she bade him, for if there -was a man anywhere whom she had a right thoroughly to despise, surely -it was Colonel Hamilton--Colonel Hamilton, whose skilful reasoning had -deprived her of the home that was almost as dear to her as life itself. - -“Is the position still open to you?” Aunt Frances was now gazing off to -the river, and with the mark of deep thinking on her face. “If it is, -you must take it. Colonel Hamilton is a great lawyer. It is as fine -an opening as you could possibly desire. I, for one, have no notion -of standing in your light, Harry, and you must not do yourself the -injustice of standing in your own.” - -“But, Aunt Frances--” - -“No, don't interrupt me, Harry; only listen, like a good boy, and do -just as I tell you. Take the 'Gretchen' first thing in the morning, go -straight to Colonel Hamilton's office, and apply for the place. Tell -him all about yourself, and answer every question he may ask in the most -straightforward manner, but do not volunteer the information that you -are a relative of mine. It would not do you any good and it might do -harm--that is, it might incline the Colonel less kindly toward you. -Unless some one has gotten ahead of you, you will secure the place, I -am sure of it, and no one will be more glad for you than just my very -self.” - -“Aunt Frances,” said Harry, watching the needles that were again -flashing in the afternoon sunlight, “you are the dearest old trump that -ever knitted stockings for a fool of a fellow like me.” - -“If I thought this stocking was really to grace a fool's leg”--and Aunt -Frances feigned great seriousness--“not another stitch would I take; -but, begging your pardon, you would have been a fool indeed if you had -not told me about all this, although I perfectly understand that your -motives for not telling me were anything but foolish. No, Harry; somehow -I am sure it is only providential that you should have heard of this -place. Promise to try for it.” - -“I promise,” and Harry's lightened heart unconsciously betrayed itself -in voice and look. He had wanted the situation, oh! so much, more than -he would admit even to himself, but he had decided he must forego any -attempt to secure it. It would be, he thought, at too great a cost to -Aunt Frances's feelings, and he simply must not ask it. - -“Look, Harry,” she said, shading her eyes with one hand, “isn't that the -Boniface boat about a mile to the left of the point?” - -“Yes, it is,” Harry answered, merely glancing in that direction; “but -tell me one thing before I go down to the wharf: tell me, Aunt Frances, -do you think Colonel Hamilton an unprincipled man?” - -“Unprincipled! Why, Harry, do you suppose for a single moment that I -would urge you to seek a situation under him if I thought that? No, I -believe that he honestly felt that the English ought to be allowed to -keep possession of the houses that we had abandoned, and so perhaps it -was only natural that when Captain Wadsworth took his case to him, he -should bring all his eloquence, which is very great, to bear on that -side of the question. Nevertheless I confess, as that eloquence cost me -my home, I cannot but feel pretty sore about it, and would go a long way -out of my way to avoid meeting him, brave officer and brilliant lawyer -as he is.” - -Harry felt considerably relieved by this assertion, and strolled down -to the boat-landing with even more admiration for “darling old Aunt -Frances” than he had ever felt before. It was so unusual, he thought, to -find a woman who could reason fairly, independent of her heart. - -But Aunt Frances was not quite so 'independent of her heart,' -as Harry put it, as Harry and the rest of the world thought, and for the -very good reason that her heart was as big as herself. And so when Harry -had left her, what did she do but lay aside her knitting, go straight up -to her own little room in one of the gable ends of the house, shut the -door of it, and then, sitting down in a low little rocking-chair, bury -her face in her hands and cry. It had not been by any means an easy -thing for her to urge Harry to seek a position under a man who had -wrought her so much harm, but it had been her plain duty, at whatever -cost to herself, and she had done it. Now when Aunt Frances cried, it -was because that great heart of hers had had one little ache crowded -upon another little ache till it could bear no more, and then the hot -tears _must_ (there was no choice at all in the matter) be allowed -to flow for a while and ease it. But for all this, do not think for -a moment that Aunt Frances was an unhappy sort of person. Each little -experience of her life and of the lives of others had a very deep -significance for her, because she believed with all her heart that God -watches over every life and guides it, and no one who believes that -can ever be unhappy long at a time; life is to them too beautiful and -earnest. But this was the way of it with Aunt Frances: she had a great -capacity for loving, if you understand what that means, but she did not -have as much of a chance to spend that love as many another, who had not -half as much to spend. She would always be Miss Frances Avery, she felt -sure of that; yet what a tender, loving wife she could have made for -somebody! She should never have any one nearer to her than Harry and -Starlight (bless their hearts!) but oh, what a mother she might have -been with her great passionate love for little children! And so it was -that Aunt Frances trod the round of the life God had sent her, because -He had sent it, contentedly and happily, and yet it would happen now and -then that some thoughtless word or deed would almost unaccountably set -one little spot to aching, and something else would set another, till -her heart was all one great ache, and the pent-up tears must come. Aunt -Frances could always tell perfectly well when there was need to retreat -to the little room in the gable, the little room that had been hers now, -for the two years since she had fled from her own home across the river; -and while she sat there on the step with Harry she knew well enough what -she should do the moment he was gone. It was not that she did not mean -every word she said to him; it was only that somehow that little talk -had overcharged the brave heart. - -Afterward, when the Boniface's boat had touched at the dock and all the -Van Vleets were flocking out of doors to welcome them, Aunt Frances was -in their midst, with the sunshine of her presence all the brighter -for the storm of troubled feelings that had just swept over it, but -Josephine Boniface thought she saw just the faintest trace of recent -tears in Aunt Frances's eyes as she stooped to kiss her. “Dear old Aunt -Frances,” she whispered, as she put her arm about her neck, “I would -give all the world ever to be such a blessed ministering angel as you -are to everybody. - -“Why, Josephine, darling, what foolishness,” whispered Aunt Frances; but -it needed only those few sweet words to banish even the trace of tears, -and to make her thoroughly light-hearted once again. - - - - -CHAPTER XI.--THE VAN VLEETS GIVE A TEA-PARTY. - - -[Illustration: 9105] - -HE Van Vleet family was composed of seven individuals. There were Father -and Mother Van Vleet, who had been married while both were in their -teens, and their five children, Gretchen, Heide, Francesca, Pauline, and -Hans Van Vleet, who had been born in the order named in the seven years -immediately succeeding their parents' marriage. So, in point of fact, -now that they were grown, there was scarcely any perceptible difference -between this comfortable Dutch couple and their children, save that the -children were taller, which made it seem more of a joke that they -should actually belong to a father and mother who looked almost as -young themselves. All this combined to make them a united and congenial -family, and they lived in a comfortable old Dutch homestead and were -very well-to-do, owing to the well-tilled acres that stretched down to -the river in front of them and back to the ridge of the Jersey Flats -behind. But there was one minor chord in the otherwise cheery harmony -of the Van Vleet household. Pauline, the youngest sister, now about -twenty-two, was not “quite bright,” but she was serene and, as a rule, -perfectly happy, which is a deal more than can be said of many people, -be they ever so bright. There were two reasons for this serenity of -Pauline's: her own naturally placid temperament and the tender care with -which all the others watched over her. But one thing must be confessed, -they were not a patriotic family, and the blood in their veins coursed -somewhat sluggishly. They had rather hoped that the colonists would win -in the war of the Revolution, thinking, no doubt, it would be more to -their interest, yet it had never once occurred to Hans or his father to -shoulder a flintlock in place of a hoe and go and help them. They were a -good, narrow, stay-at-home family, with their thoughts moving in one and -the same channel, and with interests bounded by their own acres, their -own experiences, and those of their nearest neighbors. - -But there was one delightful feature about their neutrality: they could -be the best of friends alike with Whigs and Royalists, and were able -to invite the Bonifaces to a tea party just as cordially as they could -offer the shelter of their home to poor fugitive Aunt Frances. And a few -days before they had invited them. Kind old Mrs. Van Vleet, knowing -that these were very lonely days at best for Captain Boniface's family, -determined to do all that lay in her power to brighten them, and so a -formal invitation, written by Heide in the stiffest of little cramped -hands, was sent them. Mrs. Boniface had accepted most gladly. It meant -so much to have this evidence of true friendship at a time when many old -friends were looking askance and turning a cold shoulder. - -***** - -And now Saturday afternoon had come, the first Saturday in October, and -the Boniface boat was tacking across the river in the teeth of a bracing -west wind. They were all there, the entire household, from Captain -Boniface, at the helm, to Flutters, in his well-fitting corduroys, -seated astride of the bow. Flutters loved to be in the “front of -things” generally, but in the present instance it frequently became -necessary for him to draw his knees quickly up to his chin, being quite -too newly shod to run the risk of contact with the salt water white caps -that now and then thumped plumply against the bow. Harry Avery was at -the wharf long before the little boat touched it, and stood whittling -a brier-wood stick as he waited, and dreaming the while the happiest -dreams about the future that might open up before him if he should -secure that position with Colonel Hamilton. Somehow or other Harry felt -almost certain he could get ahead in the world if it would only give him -any sort of a chance. - -“Halloo there, Harry! a penny for your thoughts,” called Captain -Boniface, bringing his boat about and alongside of the wharf in true -sailor fashion. - -Harry jumped to his feet and blushed like a school-girl, as if he -half feared the thought of his heart could be read by them all. “It is -fortunate that I am not bound to tell them,” he answered, catching the -rope which the Captain had thrown him, and securing it to a staple. - -“No, not bound, of course, but thoughts ought to be of a pretty high -order that make you unmindful of the coming of the 'Grayling' and the -Bonifaces.” - -Harry was glad to find the Captain in this lighter vein, for life had -been too serious and complicated a matter lately for him often to forget -its seriousness. As for Mrs. Boniface, she had been both surprised and -delighted when she found her husband willing to accept the Van Vleets' -invitation, for lately it had been quite impossible to get him to take -any interest in anything of the sort, and she feared a kind but absolute -refusal. But no sooner had the “Grayling” cleared her dock than the -Captain seemed to regain his wonted good spirits, and to leave all his -heavy-heartedness behind, and glad indeed was his little family to see -him in a cheery mood once more. - -As soon as the Bonifaces commenced to ascend the beautiful grass-grown -meadow, which swept down to the water's edge, out came all the Van -Vleets to meet them and escort them up to the house; and it was a -remarkable old dwelling, unlike anything one would see nowadays, if it -were not that two or three such homesteads have chanced to survive -the ravages of a century, by grace of having once been dignified as -“Washington's Headquarters.” - -[Illustration: 0108] - -It was a double two-story house, or rather three-story, if you count the -little rooms in the gables. It was built of stone, coated with a rough -sort of plaster, and faced the river; its large square stoop, flanked -with its two benches, being protected by the overhanging eaves of the -roof itself. The front door, seldom opened, was ornamented with a huge -brass knocker in the shape of a lion's head, and was daily burnished -with as much thoroughness as though in constant use. Indeed, it must -be confessed that in front everything was severe and prim and painfully -stiff, but fortunately at the side things were different. Indeed, the -house, in its two entirely different aspects, resembled an old army -officer, always stern and arbitrary with his men for the sake of -discipline, but 'another fellow altogether' when off duty and in the -company of his brother officers. At the side it was as though you -surprised it in undress uniform. In the first place, there was -always, in the season, a great profusion of flowers; not, however, in -conventional flower beds, but parading their blaze of color from painted -tubs, mounted here and there on the table-like tops of old tree stumps, -which had evidently survived the first clearing of the land. Fortunately -for general effectiveness, these tubs were not filled with a promiscuous -assortment of plants, but each held the luxurious growth of some single -variety--here a hydrangea, with its wealth of heavy-headed blooms, -fairly concealing its leaves; there a great cluster of peonies or -brilliant scarlet geraniums. As might be expected on the first Saturday -of October, many of these plants bore only a few tardy blossoms, and -some of them had evidently lost all heart with the first intimation -of frost; but in the centre of the old-fashioned grass plot was a -contrivance that from June well into November presented a remarkable -blaze of color, varying with every month, and always beautiful. This -contrivance, called by the Van Vleets “The flower fountain,” was -composed of a series of five circular shelves, each shelf a little -smaller in circumference than the one below it, and terminating, at the -height of about five feet from the ground, in a round flat top. These -shelves were constantly crowded with pots of plants in full bloom. -Indeed, Hans kept a sort of nursery for no other reason than to supply -the fountain, and the moment a plant took it into its head to bloom no -longer, or only in a spiritless way, back it was marched to the nursery, -and another took its place. What a fine thing it would be if some of the -little folk too, who are not blooming out into just the sort of grown -folk we could wish, might simply be remanded to the nursery, there to be -restarted, after the manner of Hans's plants, and perhaps coaxed into a -more satisfying growth than they now, alas! give promise of! But if it -had not been for this flower fountain, who knows but Hans might have -gone to the war? You can see how it would not be an easy thing for a -placid, kind-hearted Dutchman, who loved the training and slipping -and potting of plants above everything else in the world, to turn his -pruning-knife into a sword. - -On the afternoon of the tea-party this fountain was ablaze with -chrysanthemums, varying in color from the darkest red to the palest -pink, and from orange to pure white. The plants of one shelf hid the -pots of the shelf above it, and the lowest shelf of all was sunk so low -in the ground as to be concealed by the grass. But what gave this side -of the house the “homiest” look of all was the row of shining milk tins -ranged in a row on a low bench, and tilted against the wall. Then, just -beyond them, the kitchen door opened, and such a kitchen! with -tables and dresser and every wooden thing in it scoured to immaculate -whiteness, and with white sand daily sifted upon the floor in most -remarkable patterns. In this kitchen the Van Vleets not only ate, -but lived, and so it possessed that undefinable charm which sometimes -belongs to the living-room of a family, and never to any other. In -preparation for the Bonifaces' coming, large, high-backed Dutch rockers -had been ranged round this kitchen door, and here the little party -seated themselves under the uncertain shade of a half-leafless oak-tree, -that allowed the warm sunshine to slant gratefully down upon them, and -where they could enjoy the flower fountain to the full. The Misses -Van Vleet were busy within doors attending to the preparations for -supper--that is, with the exception of Pauline, who was always at -liberty to do pretty much as she chose; and what she had chosen to do -this afternoon was this: After the Bonifaces had come up from their boat -she had noticed somebody still moving about in it, so down she went -to investigate. Then, when she reached a point near enough to be quite -satisfactory to her ladyship, she sat herself down on the low, straight -limb of a stunted apple-tree, and waited. - - - - -CHAPTER XII.--AN INTERRUPTION. - - -[Illustration: 9111] - -HE somebody moving about in the “Grayling” was Flutters. He was -arranging boat cushions, folding up wraps and shawls, and putting things -generally to rights. Dear little fellow! No one had told him he ought to -do this; he did it quite by grace of his own thoughtful intuition, and -he found so many little things all the while to do, and did them all -so gladly, that he wondered a trifle proudly how the Bonifaces had ever -managed without him, and the Bonifaces wondered too. - -Finally, when Flutters had gotten everything into literally ship-shape -condition, and quite to his mind, off he started up the bank, bending -far over, as one must when one attempts to scale a steep place rapidly. -So it chanced that he did not see Miss Pauline at all until she spoke -to him, and he was himself directly under the scant shadow of the -apple-tree. - -“Not so fast, sir,” said Pauline, in an authoritative way, which brought -Flutters, surprised and breathless, to a standstill. - -“Sit down,” she added in a moment, pointing to a rock covered with gray -moss, and confronting the limb where she was sitting. - -Flutters mechanically obeyed. He knew she must be one of the family, and -as he had met many queer people in his day, did not marvel that here was -somebody, to all appearances, a little queerer than the rest. She -looked very pretty balanced there on the low limb of the tree, in her -full-skirted gray gown, and with the western sunlight shining on her -back and turning her curling yellow hair into a sort of halo about her -forehead. Flutters sat and stared at her. - -“Do you like my looks?” she asked complacently. - -“Yes,” replied Flutters, astonished; “you are a Miss Van Vleet, aren't -you?” - -“Yes, I'm Miss Pauline Van Vleet.” - -“I thought so,” Flutters remarked, just by way of saying something. - -“It is best _never_ to say what you think,” said Miss Pauline solemnly. -“Folks get themselves into trouble that way.” - -Flutters felt inclined to suggest that people would be very stupid -and uninteresting if they did not sometimes say what they thought, -but wisely concluded it was better not to start an argument with this -peculiar young person. - -“Are you a new Boniface?” asked Pauline, scanning him closely. - -“No, not exactly,” laughed Flutters. - -“I did not ask what you were exactly; are you a new Boniface at all?” - -What a queer question, thought Flutters, and then went to work to answer -it to the best of his ability. - -“No, I am not a Boniface at all, but I am new in this part of the -country. I used to live in England.” - -“What is your name?” - -“Flutters.” - -Miss Pauline seemed very much amused at this, saying it over to herself -two or three times. “Did your father use to call you Flutters?” she -asked presently, looking at him searchingly. - -“No,” he answered, the color rushing into his brown face, for no one had -asked him that direct question before. - -“What did he call you?” - -“He called me--he called me--but that is one of the things I do not tell -to anybody.” - -“But, Flutters, child, you will tell me, just me,” and Pauline looked at -him with a look as pathetic as though she were pleading for her life. - -“But I can't, Miss Pauline, really I can't;” whereupon Miss Pauline -buried her face in her two pretty hands, and began to cry like a child. - -[Illustration: 0113] - -“Why, you're not crying for that, surely?” Flutters asked, never more -astonished in his life. - -“Yes, just for that--just for that--and I'll cry harder and harder until -you tell.” - -The truth was, all the Van Vleets were so in the habit of humoring this -poor sister of theirs, and never crossing her will if it could possibly -be helped, that this refusal on Flutters's part truly seemed to her most -preposterous, and she was shedding actual tears. Flutters saw one or -two of them find their way through her fingers, and, like other heroes, -relented at the sight; besides, what else was to be done? - -“I will tell you, I will tell you,” he said softly; “my real name is -Arthur Wainwright;” and the mere sound of it, whispered though it was, -made him start. It was so long now since he had heard it on the lips of -any one! Indeed, it did not seem as though it belonged to him at all. - -“That's a pretty name,” replied Pauline, beginning to be comforted and -to dry her tears; “now tell me _all_ about you.” - -“Oh, I can't,” replied Flutters, pained at the need of refusing; “I -_must_ keep it a secret.” - -“You can keep it a secret all the same,” said Pauline sadly, and with -that insight into her own deficiencies which sometimes flashes across a -distraught mind, “for, you see, I cannot remember it long enough to tell -it to anybody, so tell me, please--please tell me; nothing makes Pauline -so happy as a real true story.” - -The entreaty in her voice was too much for Flutters, and he dreaded more -than he could express a fresh outburst of tears, therefore he decided to -run the risk, and try if he could to make Miss Pauline happy, especially -as he thought it highly probable that what she said was true, and that -she really would not remember anything long enough to repeat it. - -“There is not much about me,” he began, “but I will tell you all there -is.” It did not occur to his honest little soul that any story he -might have chosen to concoct would have answered just as well for Miss -Pauline. He neither added to nor in any way digressed from the exact -truth. - -“My father was an Englishman,” he continued, “and he lived for a while -in India, for he had some business there, and my mother was a colored -woman.” - -“Oh, dear me!” said Pauline, “I would not like a father of one sort and -a mother of another; which kind did you like best?” - -“I do not remember my mother at all, but my father said she was -beautiful and a good woman, but not just what people call a lady. She -died when I was two years old, and then my father took me to England, -and then after a while he married a real lady, a white English lady like -himself, and they had some lovely white children; but the English mother -never liked me. I think she couldn't somehow, Miss Pauline”--he seemed -to reason as though he were afraid of blaming anybody--“and I thought I -was in the way--in the way even of my father; and so one day I ran off -and joined a circus that was coming to America. But I did not care for -the circus very much, and so Job Starlight and Miss Hazel helped me -to run away from that, and now I'm Miss Hazel's body servant, and the -Bonifaces seem to like me, and I never was so happy in all my life -before.” - -“That's a very nice story, too nice for a secret. Why don't you tell -it 'round?” - -“Oh, because I don't want my father ever to hear of me, for then he -might send for me, and I want to stay with the Bonifaces always. You -won't tell, will you, Miss Pauline?” - -“I would if I could,” she answered, with a spirit of mischief, “but -you can't tell things if your head's like a sieve, and lets everything -through, can you? Now is there nothing more?” - -“No, there isn't,” Flutters answered, a little shortly, indignant at her -answer. It hardly paid, he thought, to be kind to a young lady who acted -like that. But fortunately Pauline did not notice the curtness of his -reply. - -“Then give me your hand, Flutters, and we'll go up to the house.” - -“No, I thank you. Boys as big as I am don't need to be helped along by -the hand.” - -“Flutters,” she said solemnly, “give--me--your--hand or I'll--I'll cry -harder than before.” - -“Oh dear, dear, dear,” thought Flutters, “is there no way out of this?” - and he looked furtively down the bank toward the boat, as though he -seriously contemplated taking to his heels and launching out upon the -river as the only adequate means of escape. But suddenly Miss Pauline -put one hand to her ear, and Flutters, looking in the direction in -which she pointed with the other, saw that some one up at the house -was ringing a bell, and at the same time too heard its tinkling, which -Pauline's keen hearing had been quick to detect. - -“Flutters,” she said, gazing down at him with the most satisfied smile -imaginable, “that means supper. Come on up;” then away she flew -toward the house, leaving Flutters to follow at a reasonable gait, and -profoundly thankful to be relieved from the alternative of either being -led by the hand or taking refuge in ignominious flight. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII.--MORE ABOUT THE TEA-PARTY. - - -[Illustration: 9117] - -O one had noticed the _tête-a-tête_ which Flutters and Miss Pauline had -been holding at a distance, only when Flutters came on the scene Hazel -asked what had kept him so long, and he made some evasive reply. He -hoped no one would ever know of the encounter. In the first place, -because he foolishly felt he had somehow been gotten the best of, and, -in the second place, because Miss Pauline had heard what he had fully -intended no one of his new friends ever should hear. - -As a member of the Van Vleet household, Starlight naturally felt a share -in the responsibility of entertaining, and, taking Flutters under his -wing, presented him to one and another of the family as “Flutters, the -new boy over at the Bonifaces'.” - -“No such thing,” said Miss Pauline when in turn Flutters was introduced -to her; “he's not a new Boniface at all; I know better than that, don't -I, dear?” - -“Oh, what shall, what shall I say?” groaned Flutters inwardly; but -Starlight dragged him away with the explanation that the young lady was -not right in her mind, and so there was no necessity of saying anything. - -[Illustration: 0118] - -It proved a most inviting table that the Van Vleets had spread for their -Royalist friends. Two deep apple pies graced either end of it; a great -platter of doughnuts or “oly keoks,” as the Dutch has it, had been -placed in the centre, towered above, on one side, by a long-stemmed -glass dish of preserved peaches, and, on the other side, by a similar -dish of preserved pears. Frau Van Vleet presided over a large Delft -teapot ornamented, as Washington Irving describes a similar pot, “with -paintings of fat little Dutch shepherds and shepherdesses, tending pigs, -with boats sailing in the air and houses built in the clouds, and sundry -other ingenious Dutch fantasies.” As the kitchen table was not of the -extension variety, and so not capable of accommodating the entire party, -places had to be set for Hans, Harry Avery, and two of the Van Vleet -sisters at a separate table in one corner. - -At the back of Frau Van Vleet's customary seat at the larger table was -the great open fireplace, which was roomy enough to accommodate two -people on each of the benches lining either side of it. On a crane, -suspended over the crackling logs, hung a huge copper tea-kettle, from -which Harry, since he had been staying with the Van Vleets, had taken -upon himself the duty of refilling the Delft teapot whenever needed -during the progress of a meal, and indeed had completely won the -heart of the kind old Frau, as soon as he had come among them, by his -eagerness to serve her in every possible way. To-night he was kept busy, -for both Van Vleets and Bonifaces were famous tea-drinkers, only they -managed the matter differently in those days. The lump of sugar -was placed beside the cup, not in it, and people nibbled and sipped -alternately. The principal hot dish of the tea-party was broiled ham, -and, done to a turn and deliciously savory, was delicate enough to tempt -almost any appetite. Then there were two blue china plates heaped with -biscuits, every one of which, from very lightness, had risen and risen, -till top and bottom were a long way apart; but notwithstanding -these generous proportions, the two blue plates had been emptied and -replenished more than once before all were satisfied. - -Miss Pauline's seat at the table had been placed at quite a distance -from Flutters, but, without daring often to look in her direction, -Flutters felt with considerable nervousness that her gaze was riveted -almost constantly upon him. Finally, to his astonishment, and at a -time when there had been a pause of several seconds, she announced very -calmly, “Wainwright's a nice little boy. I like his looks and he likes -mine; don't you, Wainwright?” - -Flutters kept his eyes on his plate, and in his embarrassment swallowed -two or three morsels of ham that were far too large in far too rapid -succession. “She'll tell it all, if they only give her time,” he thought -savagely, but he did not intend to make any reply. - -“She means you, Flutters,” whispered Miss Heide, who sat next to him. -“You had better answer her, 'that you do like her looks.' We never -differ with her. It is just a fancy of hers, this calling you -Wainwright; but where could she ever have heard the name?” - -“If it only were a fancy,” thought Flutters, while Miss Pauline sat, -with her teacup poised in her pretty hand, waiting his reply. - -“Yes, I like your looks,” said Flutters in a compulsory sort of way that -made every one smile, while the color surged over his brown face. - -“That's right,” she answered complacently, “and I wouldn't mind at all -about your mother being colored, because that's how you come by your -dark skin, and your dark skin is the beauty of you.” - -Miss Pauline was growing rather personal, and it certainly did look -as though she knew what she was talking about; but fortunately no one -attached any weight to what she said, and as she seemed inclined to -follow up a line of thought which must at least be annoying to poor -little Flutters, the sister who sat nearest her tried quietly to divert -her, while another started a new topic of general conversation. - -At last the meal was over, and Flutters was glad; nor was he the -only one that felt relieved. Captain Boniface had finished his supper -sometime before the others, and for the last ten minutes had been -nervously taking up his tumbler and setting it down, and shifting his -position in his chair, as though unable longer to keep his long legs -penned under the narrow table. Mrs. Boniface had noticed it and wondered -at it, and felt thankful when Frau Van Vleet pushed back her chair and -so gave the signal to the others. - -“Oh, dear, what can the matter be?” screeched a great green parrot -hanging in its cage by the doorway, and who had apparently been roused -from deep reverie by the scraping of the chairs on the sanded floor. -Mrs. Boniface gave a start of surprise, for the parrot had given exact -expression to her own thoughts. She was watching her husband closely, -and knew by experience that something was troubling him, and yet he had -been so gay that very afternoon. “I believe it was all assumed,” she -thought to herself, and the more she thought, the more assured she felt -that she was right. Oh, how she longed to steal over to him and question -him; but no, that would not do. Frau Van Vleet had arranged two chairs -side by side for a neighborly chat, and there was no way out of it. - -Now that the supper was over, the Misses Van Vleet's domestic duties -were over too, the clearing of the table being left to “Rhuna,” an old -crone of a negro servant, who had been with them many years. Then, as -was their wont, the young ladies resorted each to her particular rush- -bottomed chair and the knitting of her own woollen stockings, while -Josephine, with little Kate upon her lap, endeavored to make her exhibit -some of her pretty accomplishments for their general amusement. Hazel, -Starlight, and Flutters had accompanied Hans Van Vleet and his father -off to the barn for the milking, while Captain Boniface and Harry, in -close conversation, walked off toward the river. Harry had joined the -Captain at a signal that he would like to speak to him, but he had not -noticed his altered manner, and under the impression that he was in the -best of spirits, was altogether unprepared for what he was about to -hear. - -[Illustration: 8121] - -“Harry,” began the Captain seriously, “I have received the most -distressing news within the last twenty-four hours.” - -“You don't mean it, sir,” with evident surprise; “I thought matters were -looking brighter for you every day. I have reason to know that at least -two of the signers of that insulting note you received are heartily -ashamed of their behavior, and are actually on the look-out to atone for -it in some fashion.” - -“So I hear, and I am very grateful; but all that good news is offset by -other news which has reached me this morning: some Tory friends of ours -in South Carolina have just been brutally murdered by the Whigs,” and -then the Captain excitedly narrated all the sad details of the tragedy -so far as he knew them. - -Harry listened attentively. “It is certainly very dreadful,” he said at -last sadly; “but,” he added with characteristic honesty, “I have heard -of some of the doings of those South Carolina Tories, and many of -them, though possibly your friends were not among them, deserved harsh -treatment, Captain Boniface.” - -“Harry,” said the Captain abruptly, as though too busy with his own -thoughts to have heard what was said, “tell me frankly, do you suppose -this community will ever again treat me as a decent member of society?” - -“Yes, Captain Boniface, I do, and I have something with me this moment -that points that way,” and he handed him an unsealed envelope. It -was addressed to the Captain, and he found it to contain a card of -invitation, which read as follows: “The Executive Committee of the -Assembly respectfully informs the ladies and gentlemen of New York that -a dance will be given on Monday next at the City Assembly Rooms, to -begin precisely at five o'clock. Price of tickets, six shillings.” - -“So they ask us to the Assembly, do they?” said the Captain, glancing -over it with evident surprise. “They have contrived to leave us very -little heart for dancing,” he added sadly. - -“But you will go,” urged Harry; “that invitation means even more than -you suspect. It means, I think, that there is an organized effort on -foot to fully reinstate you, and some other Tories as well, whom they -have treated so uncivilly.” - -“So you think it implies all that?” said the Captain, smiling -incredulously at his enthusiasm. - -“Yes, I'm sure it does, and you will go and take Mrs. Boniface and Miss -Josephine; promise me, Captain.” - -The Captain did not reply at once, and Harry had time to realize that in -his earnestness he was rather overstepping bounds. - -“Of course I do not mean to ask you to promise me,” he stammered, -coloring up to the roots of his hair, “but you know what I mean. I am so -anxious you should meet them half way.” - -“And you think we really ought to go? Why, a Dancing Assembly is the -last thing in the world we care to have a hand in. But Mrs. Boniface -will not stir a step when she hears about this wholesale murder of the -Bentons, so that settles it.” - -“And you feel that you _must_ tell her?” - -“No, of course there is no must about it. I will think it over,” and -then the Captain and Harry entered into a thorough discussion of the -events that had led up to the sad consummation in South Carolina, and -Harry had some facts at his command by which he succeeded in partially -convincing the Captain that, in many cases, the Tories had been treated -very much as they deserved. - -“Well, Harry, you may be right, you may be right,” sighed the Captain, -“but that does not make the sacrifice of my old friends any easier to -bear.” - -“Not a whit, sir, I can understand that,” and then they started toward -the house, for they could see that Mrs. Boniface and Frau Van Vleet were -taking formal leave of each other. - -Twilight was settling down upon the river, and in those days, when it -was the custom for fashionable dancing parties to begin at five -o'clock, it was surely fitting that the same hour should conclude an -unfashionable Dutch tea-party. Indeed, by the time darkness had fairly -mastered the twilight, all the Van Vleets were snugly in bed, and only -one light could be seen in the whole farm-house; that was in the window -of Aunt Frances's gable room. There she sat reading, by the light of a -plump little Dutch candle, certain familiar passages from some dearly -loved books. She knew most of them by heart, and yet to much pondering -of the noble, uplifting thoughts of these comforting little books was -due much of that cheerful courage which was such a help to everybody. - -Meanwhile the “Grayling” sailed “up river” and “cross river,” and -reached her dock. She had one more name on her list of cabin passengers, -however, than when she had sailed that morning, for how could Aunt -Frances say “No” when Hazel had come to her and begged that she would -please be so very good as to let them have Starlight for over Sunday? - - - - -CHAPTER XIV.--HAZEL HAS A CONVICTION. - - -[Illustration: 9124] - -TARLIGHT,” said Hazel, seriously, next morning, as they sat side by side -on the porch, “I've been thinking.” - -“Yes,” said Starlight, dryly; “most people do.” - -“I've been thinking, Starlight,” Hazel continued, “that perhaps I am not -doing quite right by Flutters.” - -“You're doing mighty kind by him, I'm sure, and he thinks so, too. You've -given him a home and clothes and plenty to eat, and all he has to do is -to wait on your ladyship and take charge of the pony. I shouldn't call -that work, nor Flutters doesn't, either. He says it is all just fun, -and if there's a finer family anywhere than the Bonifaces he'd like to -see'em, only he knows he never shall see'em, because there isn't such a -family.” - -“Are you making that up, Job Starlight?” - -“Well, I guess not. Flutters says something of that sort every -time we're left alone together. It seems as though his heart was so -overflowing that he just had to ease it whenever he got a chance.” - -“Well, it's certainly very pleasant to have him feel like that.” - -“Why, he just worships the ground--” - -Starlight paused to shy a stone at a guinea hen that was encroaching on -one of the flower beds--“your _mother_ treads on.” - -Starlight knew well enough that he ended this sentence quite differently -from what Hazel had expected; but Hazel was wise enough not to show her -surprise, and besides, if there was any worshipping to be done, she was -about as glad to have Flutters worship the ground her mother trod on as -that over which her little feet had travelled. - -“No, but I've been thinking,” she said, resuming her own line of -thought, “that, for all we know, Flutters may be a regular little -heathen, for I have an idea that the mulattoes are a very savage tribe. -Did you ever hear him say a word about religion, or what he believed, -and things like that?” - -Starlight scratched his head, by way of helping his memory. “Never a -word, come to think of it.” - -“Well, now, Starlight, that is very strange, and I believe I'll take him -to church this very morning, and see how he acts.” - -“Yes, let's,” said Starlight, taking most kindly to the project. “If -he's never been in one, it will be awful fun to see how he takes it.” - -“People don't go to church to have awful fun. If that's what you're -going for, you had better stay home.” - -Starlight clapped his hand over his mouth, as though to suppress a most -explosive giggle. “My gracious, Hazel! What has come over you?” - -“Nothing has come over me, and you know it. I always love to go to -church, and I love everything they do there; and I think it's beautiful -where they sing, 'Lord, have mercy upon us,' after the commandments, and -everybody keeps their head bowed.” - -Starlight did not answer. It was evident Hazel was launching upon one -of what he called her “high-minded moods;” and, indeed, child though she -was, Hazel did have times when she thought very deeply--times when the -soul that was in her seemed to reach out after things eternal. It was -not at all an unusual experience. It does not always need even ten round -years to bring a child to a point of knowing for itself that there is a -longing that this world, all wonderful and beautiful though it be, does -not fully satisfy. Such a knowing does not make a child less a child, -or rob it of an iota of its joyousness, only sometimes lends a sweet and -earnest depth to the little God-given life. But to matter-of-fact -Job Starlight, it must be confessed that such a mood was not at all -satisfactory. He did not comprehend it, and standing in awe of Hazel's -“high mindedness,” always endeavored to bring her down to his own level -as quickly as possible by means of some diverting subject. This time -he fortunately spied it in the shape of two prim little maidens, -Prayer-Book in hand, who came demurely walking, side by side, down the -path that skirted the roadway. - -“Why, there come the Marberrys,” he remarked. - -“Sure enough,” said Hazel, flying to the gate. “Are you going to church?” - she called over it. - -“Yes,” answered the little Marberrys simultaneously; indeed, they were -a pair of simultaneous children. In the first place, they were twins; -in the second place, they were as alike in appearance as peas in a -pod, and, in the third place, one little brain seemed to be the perfect -fac-simile of the other. It was no uncommon thing for them to utter the -same thought, in the same words, at the same time; and when this did not -happen, one would generally echo what the other had said. They had been -christened Mathilde and Clothilde; but Milly and Tilly had been the -outcome of that, and of course the similarity in the sound of the two -names led to much confusion, since the initial letter was all that -distinguished them. - -Hazel had come to the wise conclusion “that, so far as possible, it was -best just to say things that would do for both, because, like as not, if -you meant to say something to Milly--it not being so understood--Tilly -would answer, and _vice-versa_.” But these two little Marberrys were -warm friends of hers, and in those days, when so many people were -estranged from the Bonifaces, she set a specially high value upon their -friendship. Not that the Marberrys were in any sense Tories; only, as -Dr. Marberry was rector of St. George's, they felt it their duty, as a -family, to be kind to everybody in the church. Besides, it would have -caused the twins a real pang to have been parted from Hazel, for, as -they frequently asserted in the presence of less favored playmates, -“Hazel Boniface was the cutest and nicest girl they had ever known.” - -Starlight's announcement of “Here come the Marberrys” had suggested -to Hazel the idea of joining forces and all going along together. The -children were delighted with the plan, as with any plan of hers, and -sat down for a friendly chat with Starlight, while Hazel hurried away -to summon Flutters. She found him feeding some withered clover heads to -Gladys, as he sat comfortably on the top rail of the fence, enclosing -the meadow where Gladys was allowed to disport herself on high days and -holidays. She waited till she got close up to him, then she announced, -“Flutters, you are to go to church with me this morning.” - -“To church!” he said, surprised, for he had not heard her coming. - -“Yes, go put on the other suit, and meet me at the gate quickly.” - -She did not say “your other suit,” feeling, naturally, a certain sense -of personal ownership, as far as Flutters's outfit was concerned. - -“All right, Miss Hazel,” he answered, moving off with the alacrity of a -well-trained little servant. - -“Perhaps you will not care to go with me, girls,” Hazel remarked, as she -came down the path, some five minutes later, and looking very pretty in -her dark red Sunday dress. “You see I am going to take Flutters.” - -“And why should we mind that?” chirped Milly Marberry in a high musical -little key, and Tilly remarked, “Yes, why should we mind that?” - -“Because I have no idea how he will behave. When I told him just now -that he was to go to church with me, he said, 'To church!' as though he -was very much surprised and had never been in one in his life.” - -“I suppose he'll sit still, though, if you tell him to,” said Milly. - -“Of course he will not speak if--” but Tilly's sisterly echo was -interrupted by a significant hush from Hazel, and the next second -Flutters was with them. Then the little party set off, the boys ahead -together, and the girls behind. - -“Where does Flutters come from, anyway?” asked Tilly. - -“Yes, where from?” piped Milly. - -“From England,” Hazel answered, softly, “but he's a mulatto.” - -“A what?” simultaneously. - -“A mulatto. They're a kind of negro tribe.' - -“Goodness gracious!” - -“Gracious goodness!” - -“Are the mulattoes wild and dangerous?” asked Milly, tremulously. - -“Yes, I believe so; but then, of course, Flutters isn't so now. -Civilization has changed him.” - -The Marberrys looked at Hazel with admiration; these occasional big -words of hers constituted one of her chief charms in their eyes. - -“But the truth is,” Hazel continued, “I do not know very much about -Flutters. He does not seem to like to talk about his history, and mother -says I have no right to pry into it.” - -“I shouldn't think anybody who had been wild and savage could speak such -good English,” said Tilly, thoughtfully. - -“Neither should I,” said Milly. - -“Well, that is queer,” and Hazel looked puzzled. “I hadn't thought of -that; but I'm certain his grandfather, if not his father, must have been -wild and savage. I'm very sure the mulattoes used to be very ferocious.” - -“Where do the mulattoes live?” asked the Marberrys. - -“I don't know,” was Hazel's truthful answer. The fact was, as you have -discovered, Hazel did not know what she was talking about. She had -a trick of mounting an impression, and then of giving rein to her -imagination and letting it run away with her, so that the first thing -she knew she was telling you something she really quite believed was -fact, but which was nothing of the sort. As a result she was sometimes -credited with fibbing, and got into many an unnecessary scrape, but, you -may be sure, Mrs. Boniface was doing all that she could to correct this -unfortunate tendency. - -Meantime the boys walked ahead, conversing with no little earnestness -as to the comparative merits of two tiny sloop yachts, one of which was -taking shape under Starlight's hand, and the other under Flutters's, -and whose same comparative merits were to be put to the test, when -completed, by a race on the waters of the Collect. At this point in -their walk a turn of the road brought St. George's into sight. - -“Ever been to church, Flutters?” Starlight asked, quite casually. - -“Oh, yes, often.” - -“Episcopal?” - -“Ye' ep,” was Flutters's unceremonious answer; “but how large are -you going to make your foresail?” not willing to be diverted from the -all-engrossing subject. - -“I shall give her all the sail she can carry, you may be certain.” - Starlight did not intend to furnish this rival yachtsman with any exact -measurements. And so they talked on till they reached the little stone -church, where service had already commenced. The Marberrys walked -straight up to their pew, the very front one, but before they reached it -each little face flushed crimson. At one and the same moment their two -pairs of blue eyes met their father's, for he was leading the General -Confession, and did not need to have them upon his book. Judging from -the crimson on their faces, the look must have said, “There is no excuse -for this, my little daughters; I am ashamed that you should be so late.” - -Hazel and Starlight and Flutters had the Boniface pew to themselves, -but Hazel allowed Starlight to precede them into it, while she detained -Flutters in the vestibule for a little seasonable advice. She had -intended to administer it slowly and forcibly by the way. Now she had -to compress it all into one hurried little moment. In her excitement -she seized hold of Flutters's brown wrist, as she whispered, hurriedly, -“Flutters, this is a church, where people come to worship. You will have -to sit very still and not speak, only get up and sit down when I do, -because part of the time it's wrong to sit down. So, Flutters, watch me -very closely. I will find you the place in the Prayer-Book, but you had -better not say the things that are written there, even if you can read -them, 'cause they're probably things you do not understand at all, and -don't know anything about, so it would be best not to say you believed -them. You can sing the hymns, though; there won't be any harm in that, -only sing very softly, for fear you don't get the tune right. Now that -is all, I believe,” putting her finger to her lip in a meditative way, -and with an anxious frown on her face, as if fearing she had overlooked -some important instruction. “Yes, that is all; now follow me in;” and -Flutters following her, took his seat with a most decorous air, and -without staring about with such gaping astonishment, as might, perhaps, -be looked for in a boy of fourteen, who had never seen the interior of a -church before, so that Hazel at once felt much relieved. Her first duty, -of course, was to furnish him with the proper page in the Prayer-Book, -and her second to anticipate all irregularities in the order of service, -by taking the book from his hands in ample time to supply him with the -right place at the right moment. Now it must be confessed that all this -was accomplished by Hazel in rather an officious and patronizing manner, -but, unfortunately for her, there came a time when she herself was at a -loss. - -She did not know which Sunday it was after Trinity. Flutters _did_, and -seeing her confusion anticipated Dr. Marberry by whispering, “_It's the -eighteenth Sunday, I think._” - -[Illustration: 0130] - -Hazel thrust Flutters's Prayer-Book back into his hand, giving him one -look, and such a look! It was dreadful to think that a thorough-going -little church-woman could _ever_ look like that, much less while the -service itself was actually in progress. - -Flutters felt “queer.” He saw how much there was in that look of -Hazel's, and wondered if he had been greatly to blame in the matter. -Starlight, of course, witnessed the whole proceeding, and heard -Flutters's whisper (as did every one else in the neighborhood), which -betrayed his familiarity with the service, and Starlight himself -wondered how he managed to be quite so well up on the subject. - -But it was an awfully good joke on Hazel. When they had been discussing -the matter, and he had said, “It would be awful fun to see how Flutters -would act in church, provided he had never been there,” Hazel had, of -course, been quite right in saying that “People did not go to church to -have awful fun,” but he could not help thinking that he had had a little -fun all the same, only at Hazel's expense, and not Flutters's. - - - - -CHAPTER XV.--FLUTTERS COMES TO THE FRONT. - - -[Illustration: 9132] - -HERE were five of them abreast. The Marberrys, Hazel, Starlight, -and Flutters, but no one was saying a word. The Marberrys had twice -religiously tried to start up matters, but had failed utterly, and new -they were anxiously bothering their little minds with the same question, -so often reiterated by the Van Fleet parrot, of “Oh, dear, what can the -matter be?” Starlight was chuckling inwardly, like the inconsiderate -youngster that he was. Hazel was very angry, as she imagined with just -cause, and Flutters was inwardly fluttering, almost outwardly, in fact, -so sorry was he to have offended his adored little mistress. If she -would only say something. It was not his place to speak first, but he -feared he would have to, for to his sensitive nature the silence -was unbearable. Fortunately, however, just at this point, Hazel's -indignation found vent; she came to a sudden stand-still, and although -naught save the one word “_Flutters_” escaped her, it doubled the -five-abreast parallel line into a circle in less than a second. - -“What have I done, Miss Hazel?” - -“Done!”--then impressively lowering her voice--“you have lied, Flutters” - (the Marberrys winced). “Yes, I know it is a dreadful word, but there is -no other word for it.” - -“What did I lie about?” Body-servant or no, Flutters knew when his -little mistress was overstepping all legitimate bounds. - -“You told me you had never been to church, and let me find all the -places for you, when you knew all about it just as well as I did,” and -the little mistress was so greatly excited, that she felt very much -afraid she should break right down and cry, which would certainly prove -a most undignified proceeding. - -“_Did_ I tell you, Miss Hazel, that I had never been to church?” - Flutters was able to speak calmly and was astonished at his own -self-control, but then he knew he was in the right, and calmness comes -easier when you know that. Hazel grew uncomfortable under Flutters's -direct gaze. She had hardly expected this courageous self-defence. Come -to think of it, _had_ he actually said he had never been to church. -Could it be, she wondered, that her imagination had led her off on -another wild chase in the wrong direction? Yes, it could, foolish little -Hazel, though you yourself are not yet ready to admit it. - -“Perhaps you did not tell me so, Flutters,” Hazel answered, “but you -_let_ me think it, which was very wrong and mean of you.” - -“Look out, Hazel,” chimed in Starlight, shaking his head significantly, -“ten to one you never gave him a chance to say a word about it. You have -an awful, rushing way, sometimes, of taking things for granted.” - -So Starlight was siding against her too, and Hazel looked toward the -Marberrys for sympathy; but they were so ignorant of the facts of the -case, and always so kindly disposed toward that little waif, Flutters, -that both of them wore the most neutral expression possible. - -Flutters's face flushed gratefully under Starlight's warm championship. - -“No, Miss Hazel,” he said, slowly, “you never gave me a chance to tell -you, and until you caught hold of my wrist in the vestibule, and told me -what I must do and what I mustn't, I did not know that you even thought -I had never been to church.” - -“Didn't you really? Well, that's very queer,” for when an idea was -firmly implanted in Hazel's mind, she felt as though every one ought, -somehow or other, to be intuitively aware of it. However, she was going -to try to be reasonable, and so she descended from a tone of evident -displeasure into one of grieved forbearance. - -“But, Flutters, if what you say is true”--Flutters straightened up under -this insinuation, but unbent right away as Hazel wisely added, “and of -course it is, then why, when I found the first place in the Prayer-Book -for you, did you not whisper, 'You need not bother, Miss Hazel, I know -about the Prayer-Book,' or something like that, instead of letting me go -on and find place after place for you?” - -For a moment Flutters seemed at a loss what to answer, then looking her -frankly in the face, he said, with charming simplicity, “I thought it -would be more respectful not to say anything; and better to let you, -being my little mistress, do just as you pleased without interfering.” - -Hazel showed she was touched by this confession; but Starlight could not -resist the temptation to add, “besides, I warrant you, you told Flutters -not to speak, when you collared him there in the vestibule.” - -“Yes, you did, Miss Hazel,” said Flutters, truthfully. - -“That maybe,” Hazel admitted with much dignity, “but, Job Starlight, I -never _collared_ anybody, if you please.” - -“Don't be touchy, Hazel. You know what I mean.” - -[Illustration: 0134] - -All this while the children had stood in a little circle right in the -middle of the road, and more than one passer-by had looked on with -an amused smile, wondering what was the cause of so much evident -excitement. The Marberrys had noticed this, and now that matters were -cooling down a trifle, suggested that they should walk on, so as not to -attract so much attention. So they walked on, but of course they talked -on too, and although Hazel was fast relenting toward Flutters, she was -not quite ready to cease hostilities. One or two matters still required -explanation. “Look here, Flutters,” she said, “if you thought it was -more respectful not to say anything, why didn't you keep quiet; and -there's another thing I _should_ like to have you tell me, and that is, -how did _you_ know it was the eighteenth?” - -“Miss Hazel, when I saw you did not know what Sunday it was, I thought -that as I happened to know, I _ought_ to tell you.” - -“Oh, that was it; but, Flutters, people don't just happen to know -things. They generally know _how_ they came to know them.” - -Flutters looked troubled, and the Marberrys and Starlight felt very -sorry for him, and wished Hazel would stop. But Hazel wouldn't. That's -one of the troubles with strong and independent natures, no matter -whether they belong to big or little people. They feel everything so -deeply, and get so wrought up, that on they go in their impetuosity -hurting people's feelings sometimes, and doing lots of mischief. To be -strong and independent and to know where “to stop,” that is fine; but -Hazel had not yet learned that happy combination. But Hazel's heart was -all right; she wanted above everything else in the world to grow some -day to be a truly noble woman, and there is not much need for worry when -any little body really hopes and intends to be that sort of a big body. -But you need not think that while I have been saying this little word -behind Hazel's back (which, by the way, is not meant at all unkindly), -that you have been missing any conversation on the part of our little -church-goers. There hasn't been any conversation for ever so many -seconds. Hazel is waiting for Flutters to speak, and Flutters is getting -ready. At last he attacks the subject in hand, in short, quick little -sentences, as if it was not easy to say what must be said. - -“Miss Hazel, when I was at home I used often to go to church. I had a -little Prayer-Book of my own. _Somebody_ gave it to me; somebody that -I loved. When I was in the circus I kept my Prayer-Book with me. Every -Sunday I read it, from love of the somebody. Once in a great while when -we would put up near a church I used to get leave to go to it. I went -the very Sunday before I left the circus. I went to that very church -where we have been to-day. I sat in the back seat, and I heard their -father preach (indicating Milly and Tilly). It was a lovely sermon 'bout -bearing things. That was five weeks ago, and that was the thirteenth -Sunday after Trinity, so I calculated up to to-day, and, Miss Hazel, -when I ran away from the circus and dared not go back there were only -two things I minded about--the Prayer-Book and old Bobbin. To run away -from a dear little book that you loved, that's been a real comfort to -you, when you hadn't scarce anybody to turn to--why, it seems just like -running away from a dear old friend.” - -So that was the explanation of it all. Even Starlight felt touched by -Flutters's narration, while actual tears stood in the little Marberrys' -eyes. Hazel felt humiliated, an uncommon, but most beneficial sensation -for that hot-headed little woman. - -“Who gave you that Prayer-Book, Flutters?” asked the Marberrys--being -blessed with less tact than sympathy. - -“Flutters would have told us if he had wished us to know,” said Hazel. -And that considerate remark completely re-established the old friendly -relations between Flutters and herself, and then for a while the five -children trudged along in silence. Four out of the five were probably -pondering over all that Flutters had told them, and wishing that they -knew more about him. Flutters, feeling greatly relieved, was turning -over in his mind a perplexing question suggested by something the Rector -had said in his sermon that morning, for he was a thoughtful little -fellow, and when a matter bothered him was not content to dismiss it -without settling it to his own satisfaction. - -“Do folks believe?” he said, after the manner of one who has slowly -thought himself up to the point of putting a question, “do folks believe -that God makes everything happen?” - -“Of course they do,” said Milly Marberry. Tilly pressed her lips firmly -together and nodded “yes,” in a way that meant there was no doubt -whatever on the subject. - -“Well, suppose a poor woman had just one little boy, and the little boy -took the scarlet fever and died, did God make that happen?” - -“Yes, He did,” replied Milly and Tilly together, feeling, perhaps, that, -as daughters of the Rector, the answering of such a question belonged to -them. Starlight and Hazel willingly kept silent. They thought Flutters -was leading up to something, and preferred not to commit themselves. - -“Well, then,” said Flutters, but not irreverently, “I'd like to know -what He did it for.” - -Milly and Tilly showed their surprise at this question, but did not at -once reply, trying, perhaps, to decide what answer their good father -would make under similar circumstances. - -“Perhaps God saw the little boy would not grow up to be a good man,” - Milly ventured, feeling sure she had heard something like that said. - -“Perhaps,” said Tilly, for occasionally the twins did launch out on -independent lines of thought, “perhaps she loved the little boy too -much, and so God took him to make her trust more just in Him.” - -Flutters waited a moment, as though to consider matters; then he said, -seriously, “No, I do not believe what you say at all. I believe the -little boy caught the scarlet fever from somebody, and just died because -he wasn't strong enough to get over it.” - -“I don't believe it's right to think like that,” Hazel volunteered, for -the Marberrys looked very much shocked, “it's not believing in God at -all.” - -Now Flutters had not set out upon this discussion without first having -thought it out pretty clearly for himself, and so he was ready to -answer--“You are mistaken, I think, Miss Hazel,” with the same little -air of respect he always assumed in speaking to her, “because I believe -in God just as much as any boy could, and yet I think that. I think God -_lets_ things happen instead of making them. He lets sickness and -trouble come into the world, and so the sickness and trouble find the -people out, and sickness kills them if their bodies are weak, and -trouble kills them if their hearts and heads are, and--” - -“But, Flutters,” interrupted Starlight, “don't you believe God watches -over people and cares for 'em?” - -“Why of course I do, Starlight. If I hadn't thought that I don't know -what I would have done sometimes; but this is what I think--I think He -watches over us by helping us to bear things, and to get the best out -of 'em, and although I'm not very old, I'm old enough to know that -sometimes there is more good in a trouble-some thing than in a thing -that isn't troublesome at all. The people who are the kindest are often -the people who have had the most trouble.” - -“Well,” said Tilly Marberry, with considerable censure in her tone, “I -never heard a little boy talk like this.” - -“Neither did I,” sighed Milly, “and I should say such things ought to be -left to grown-up people.” - -“Well, then,” Flutters replied, “thinking 'bout things ought to be left -to grown-up people, too, but it isn't. I may think _different_ when I'm -grown up, but I don't believe I'll ever think harder than I do now, and -I can't help it either.” - -Meanwhile Hazel had been ransacking her brain for a half-remembered -text, and now she had it. “What do you make out of that verse about the -Lord _chastening_ whom He loves?” she asked. - -For the moment Flutters looked puzzled. The Marberrys signalled each -other by elevating their eyebrows as to the meaning of this last big -word of Hazel's, and asked, simultaneously, “What's chastening?” Then -for the moment Hazel looked puzzled, but Starlight came to her rescue. - -“I think it's taking away from a fellow lots of people whom he loves. -Having his mother die, and then his father, and then his little sister, -and things like that.” - -This remark of Starlight's flashed the light again in upon Flutters's -mind, and he found to his glad surprise that he was thoroughly prepared -to answer Hazel after all; but he began by asking Starlight a question. - -“But why, Starlight, does the Lord do that, do you think?” - -“Why--so as to make a fellow resigned. I think that's what they call it. -To make him just give up his own will.” - -“Excuse me,” said Flutters, with the air of one whose convictions are -very strong, “but I don't believe _that_ either. I don't believe the -Lord would take my father and mother and sister out of the world just -because He loved me and wanted to make _me_ better. I don't believe -I'm important enough for that, nor anybody else. If they all died close -together I should think it was because God's time had come for them, -quite outside of me, and that then the thing for _me_ to do, the thing -that He meant, was just to bear it as bravely as I could.” - -This was a long speech for Flutters, but the children were sufficiently -interested to follow every word of it, and Hazel asked, when Flutters -ceased, “But then what _does_ the chastening verse mean? It's in the -Bible, and I suppose you believe the Bible?” - -“Of course I believe it, but I know chastening doesn't mean anything -like that. Perhaps it means letting all sorts of bothersome things come -so as to have you get the best of them. A person what had never had any -bother wouldn't be much of a person, I suppose.” - -“Well, we _have_ had a talk,” said Starlight, for at this point the -discussion seemed to come to a natural close; and besides, they had -almost reached the Boniface gate. A moment later the Marberrys took -an affectionate leave of Hazel, with a “Good-bye” to Starlight and -Flutters, and trudged on to the rectory, half a mile farther up the -road, wondering, perhaps, if what Flutters had said had been wrong, and -provided they could remember it, if they ought not to tell their father. - -“Heigh-ho!” sighed Hazel, carefully putting away her Sunday cloak and -hat, “and to think that I thought the mulattoes were a savage tribe! -Why, really, I believe I never knew a boy who seemed to think so right -down into a thing as Flutters.” - -[Illustration: 0140] - - - - -CHAPTER XVI.--COLONEL HAMILTON “TAKES TO” HARRY. - - -[Illustration: 9141] - -RIGHT and early on the Monday succeeding the Van Vleet tea-party, Harry -Starlight set out for his call upon Colonel Hamilton. It proved to be a -clear, bracing morning, the kind of a morning to inspire hope in hearts -five times as old as Harry's, only fortunately there are _some_ hearts -that never grow old at all, and to whom hope is just as true and -beautiful-at sixty as sixteen. The moment he closed the door of the -kitchen behind him, he drew one great, deep breath, as though longing -to take in, in a permanent way if possible, all the exhilaration of the -invigorating air, all the marvellous beauty of the wonderful out-of-door -world. There had been a heavy frost the night before, but almost the -first flash of sunrise had transformed it into an army of glistening -drops, save where here and there, under the protecting chill of sombre -shadows, the grass-blades still were cased in sheaths of crystal. The -river was gray and white-capped, for the west wind would not leave it -still enough to reflect the cloudless blue overhead, and the “Gretchen” - tugged at her chain with various little creaks and groans, as though an -anchor and a furled sail were more than sail-boat nature could endure -when such a breeze was blowing. Indeed, as Harry freed her from her -moorings, she fairly seemed to bound out into the river with the keen -enjoyment of a creature alive in every part. It is hard to picture that -East River as it looked a hundred years ago, with wooded and grass-grown -banks in place of wharves and warehouses, and with only an occasional -sail, where to-day the great, unwieldy ferry-boats plow from shore to -shore, and an army of smaller craft steam noisily hither and thither. -Now and then Harry would pass a market-boat loaded to the water's edge -with a tempting array of vegetables, and rowed by a marketwoman in her -close-fitting Dutch cap, who would either wish him a cheery good-morning -in matronly fashion, or bend lower over her oars, as became a young -maiden. Half reluctantly did Harry hear the “Gretchen's” keel scrape the -pebbly shore, and exchange the breezy breadth of the river for the -city street, notwithstanding that street led straight up to Colonel -Hamilton's office. Then, somehow or other, he did not feel quite so -buoyant as at the start, for hope has a trick of wavering a little, -as she actually nears the verge of any decision. What if some one had -already secured the place? What if the Colonel should not take to him? -for Harry had great faith in and great respect for what may be called -“taking to people.” - -It so happened that he found only a boy in the Colonel's office, a very -dark little specimen of the negro race, who was brushing and dusting -away in a manner that said very plainly, “I's behin' time dis mornin',” - which, by the way, was the rule and not the exception in the life of -lazy little John Thomas. - -“What time does Colonel Hamilton usually come in? asked Harry, when he -saw that the boy was by far too busy to pay any attention to him. - -“'Long any minit; dat's how I's so flustered,” he replied, breathlessly, -and with that sort of haste which invariably makes waste, he -succeeded in upsetting all the contents of a generous scrap-basket -exactly in the middle of the office floor. “Glory me!” was his one -inelegant exclamation, and, dropping on to his knees, he began punching -the accumulation of trash back into the basket, but with an energy that -landed half of it upon the floor again. - -“Look here, I'll tend to that,” laughed Harry. “You see to your other -work.” John Thomas looked up surprised, but seeing the offer was made -in good faith, took Harry at his word, and flew to the office washstand, -which was sadly in need of attention. - -Just at this point there was a step in the hall, and glancing up from -his homely, self-appointed task, Harry's eyes met those of Colonel -Hamilton, while the color flushed over his face. - -“Well, my young friend,” said the Colonel, evidently much amused, “who -set you at that work?” - -“I was waiting for you, sir,” said Harry, putting the basket at one -side, “and as your boy seemed to have been delayed, I was trying to lend -a hand.” - -“Very kind of you, sir; and as John has a way of being delayed every -morning, he would no doubt like to make a permanent engagement with -you.” - -“I had rather you would do that, sir,” was on Harry's lips, but he -feared it might sound familiar; but Colonel Hamilton seemed to read his -thoughts. - -“Possibly you came to see about making an engagement with me,” he said, -kindly, looking for the moment most intently at Harry in a way that -showed he was mentally taking his measure. Meanwhile he had hung up -his coat and hat, and dropped into a high-backed, uncomfortable and -unpainted wooden chair, very different from the upholstered, revolving -contrivances that we find in offices nowadays. - -“Yes, sir,” said Harry, in answer to the Colonel's question, and -still standing; “I heard that you wanted a clerk, and I should be very -grateful if you would let me see if I could fill the place.” - -“What is your name?” - -“Harry Starlight Avery, if you wish it in full, sir.” - -“Will you be seated, Mr. Avery?” said the Colonel, with his habitual -kindly courtesy; whereupon John Thomas flourished a bedraggled feather -brush over a dusty chair--the same one upon which Hazel had sat during -her recent important interview--and placed it near the Colonel's, with -all the importance of a drum-major on parade. - -“I have heard the name of Starlight before,” Colonel Hamilton said -thoughtfully, “but where I cannot remember.” Then, and as though he had -no time to devote to mere rumination at that hour of the morning, he -asked, “Are you a native of New York, Mr. Avery?” - -“No, sir; my home is in New London.” - -“Then you are a long ways from it now” (for distances were distances in -those days); “how does that happen?” - -“I enlisted on a privateer,” Harry answered, coloring slightly. - -“So that is how,” and the Colonel gave him the benefit of another -scrutinizing look. - -“Have you ever had a position in a lawyer's office?” - -“No, sir; I am sorry to say I haven't; but it's just the sort of -position I have always wanted. Of course you would have to tell me just -about everything at the start, but not more than once, I hope, sir.” - -This is the right sort of spirit, thought the Colonel, beginning to run -through some papers on a letter-file, for, as usual, he had a very busy -day before him. - -“How long ago did you enlist on the privateer?” making a little -memorandum of some other matters on a sheet of paper as he spoke. - -“Nearly two years ago.” - -“How long were you aboard of her?” - -“Only a month, sir.” - -“And where were you the remainder of the time?” - -“On the 'Jersey,' sir.” - -There was no dividing of attention now, and the Colonel laid aside the -quill pen he had just filled with ink. - -“Do you mean to say you were a prisoner aboard of her?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“For nearly two years?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“That is enough for me. Any poor fellow that has braved the horrors of -that den for even a month ought to have the best sort of a chance. I -will engage you on the spot, Mr. Avery. If you have been a 'Jersey' -prisoner, that is enough for me. I am willing to try a 'green hand,' who -has had to endure that experience.” - -“You are very kind, Colonel Hamilton,” and Harry's grateful appreciation -showed plainly in his face. - -“Could you stay to-day,” asked the Colonel, “and let me set you right to -work at some copying? I think we can come to a satisfactory arrangement -about terms when I am not so hurried.” - -Of course Harry stayed--stayed through one of the busiest and happiest -days of his life; and not until twilight had long settled down on the -river did he step aboard of the “Gretchen” and set sail for the old Van -Vleet Farm. - -When the wind is right in your favor, and you have little to do but mind -your helm, you have a fine chance for a quiet think--that is, if you -are any sort of a sailor; and Harry improved the opportunity and thought -hard--thought of all that the day's good fortune might mean to him: of -ability to pay his own way for the first time in his life; of a little -money to be sent off now and then to the younger brothers in New London, -and then, in a vague sort of a way, of a home of his own some day. -Meantime all the while there would be the constant daily companionship -with Colonel Hamilton himself, who seemed to him (as indeed to many -another, and in the face, too, of his extreme youthfulness) at once the -noblest, the kindest, and by far the greatest man he had ever met. What -a pity, he thought, that he should have sided against Aunt Frances! - -But of one thing Harry felt sure, which was that he had certainly “taken -to” Colonel Alexander Hamilton; and there was another thing just as sure -which he did not know about, and that was that the Colonel had decidedly -“taken to” Harry. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII.--IN THE LITTLE GOLD GALLERY. - - -[Illustration: 9146] - -HE night for the first Dancing Assembly had come, and old Peter, John -Thomas's father and the janitor of the Assembly room, had done more -work in the last week than in all the whole five months between the two -seasons of social gayety. In an hour now it would be time for the guests -to arrive, and, arrayed in his best coat and knee-breeches, and with -nothing further to do, Peter sat on a three-legged stool at one end of -the hall, surveying his work with evident satisfaction. - -Presently there was the sound of several pairs of feet on the flight of -stairs that led up to the Assembly rooms, and Peter, craning his neck, -tried to make out who it might be without taking the trouble to get up, -for his old knees were very stiff from the unwonted exertions of the -week. - -Who it might be was quickly determined, for in a flash there stood -before him what seemed to him a veritable crowd of children, though in -point of fact there were only the two Marberrys, Hazel, Starlight, and -Flutters. - -“What you chilluns doin' heah? Dis heah ain't no place fur chilluns. You -better go right 'long home agin, I reckon.” - -Peter tried to speak gruffly, but they were not in the least -intimidated, knowing that it was all assumed. - -“Peter, we have a great favor to ask of you,”' said Hazel, who seemed -to be the ringleader of the little party. - -“'Tain't no sort o' use, Miss Hazel; can't 'low it no how;” for Peter -knew well enough what the favor was; “if I let you chilluns into dat -gall'ry, you'll keep up such a snickerin' and gigglin', you'll 'sturb -the whole Assembly. No, Miss Hazel; can't t'ink of it; can't 'low it no -how.” - -“Peter,” said Hazel, looking at him very searchingly, “are you going to -let anybody in there?” - -“Not a soul, Miss Hazel--dat is, not a soul 'ceptin' my John Thomas.” - -“Ah! I thought so,” said Hazel, exultingly; “and it isn't fair, Peter, -to do for Thomas what you won't do for us. We've come all the way into -town just to see the dancing, 'cause mother said she was sure there -wouldn't be any objection to our peeping through the gallery railing.” - -“Did she say dat, sure 'nuff, Miss Hazel?” And Peter put his head on one -side, and looked at Hazel in a very suspicious manner. - -“Yes, she did,” said Tilly Marberry, coming to the rescue; “I heard her -myself; and, Peter, we'll promise not to snicker.” - -“Nor giggle, either,” said Tilly's other self. - -“Which of you is which?” said Peter, slowly looking at the twins with -knitted eyebrows. - -“Oh, Peter, please don't stop to bother 'bout that now,” pleaded Hazel, -impatient of any digression from the main point; “but you _will_ let -us in, won't you?” whereupon the other children chimed in with such -imploring entreaties that the old janitor relented, and, getting on -to his feet with an evident twinge in his rheumatic knees, felt in his -coat-tail pocket for the coveted gallery keys. The good deed had its -reward then and there, in the beaming and grateful faces of the troupe -of little beggars. - -The gallery in question was a sort of balcony, projecting from the wall -at one end of the hall, midway between floor and ceiling, and to which -access was had by a steep little spiral stairway. This gallery was -intended for the musicians only; but between its gilded, bulging front -and the part of the platform on which they sat was a space where half a -dozen children might be comfortably accommodated. More than once, -when some reception or dance was in progress, Hazel, with a few chosen -friends in her train, had begged her way into this most desirable -retreat, and that was why Peter knew “what was up” the moment he saw -her. - -When they entered the little gallery, they found John Thomas there -before them, complacently installed in the most desirable place; but -they were far too thankful to have gotten in at all to grudge him his -privileged position. - -It was a funny sight to see the little company established in a row -behind the heavy gilded stucco work, which completely concealed them, -yet offered such convenient little loop-holes and crannies, from which -everything going on on the floor below could be plainly viewed. To be -sure, the arrangement of the platform obliged them all to sit tailor -fashion--rather a constrained position for those unaccustomed to it--but -what did it matter about one's legs and back when one's eyes were to be -feasted with lovely ladies and gallant gentlemen and the music they were -to dance to would be ringing in one's ears. - -“Doesn't the hall look lovely?” said Hazel, when at last she had -adjusted her lower extremities as comfortably as circumstances would -admit. - -“Lovely!” answered the Marberrys, each with a sigh of deep appreciation, -for it had not been an easy thing for them to gain permission to -accompany Hazel, and this was to be their first introduction to the -glories of a dancing assembly. - -“How everything shines!” said Flutters, quite lost in admiration of the -glittering brass sconces, with their bevelled mirrors and beautiful red -candles, and wondering greatly how any floor could ever be brought to -such a high state of polish. - -“'Course it shines,” said John Thomas. “It ought to shine. My father -hasn't been reachin' and rubbin', and kneelin' and polishin' fur free -weeks fur nuffin, I reckon.” - -“Did you help him?” asked Flutters, with admiration. - -[Illustration: 0149] - -“No, sah, I did not. I hasn't no time for polishin'. I assists in -Colonel Hamilton's law office,” and John Thomas proudly drew himself -up till his woolly head grazed the ridge of the gallery rail above -him. - -“What,” said Starlight', “are you the boy in Colonel Hamilton's office?” - -“I assists Colonel Hamilton,” John Thomas repeated, not being willing to -bring himself down to Starlight's offensive way of putting things. - -“Yes, I've heard about _you_!' said Starlight, with a mischievous -twinkle in his eye. - -“W'at you heard, I'd like to know!” - -“John Thomas,” came a voice from below, “don't let me hear anoder word -from you dis ebenin', else home you go to mammy right smart, I can tell -you, and de oder chiliuns long wid you too.” Old Peter had shambled out -to the middle of the floor to take one more satisfactory view of things -in general, and just in time to hear John Thomas's excited tones. His -words had the desired effect; the little gallery instantly relapsed into -absolute silence, the six children fairly holding their breath for fear -of the threatened banishment. People were beginning to come now. A few -gentlemen were already on the floor, and the musicians, who had taken -their places on the gallery platform, were drawing instruments, which -would look funny enough to-day, from the depths of clumsy green baize -bags, and beginning to “tune up.” - -“Tell me w'at you heard?” demanded John Thomas of Starlight, as soon as -he dared to speak again. - -“Oh, John Thomas, please don't!” begged Milly Marberry, putting her -little hand most beseechingly on his sleeve; “we've never been to an -Assembly before. We'd cry our eyes out if your father sent us home.” - -John Thomas yielded to this entreaty, but sullenly, as though he meant -to have it out with Starlight some day or other. Any slur upon his -character was just one thing that that young gentleman was determined -not to endure, and the sooner Job Starlight and the rest of the world -came to that wise conclusion, why, so much the better for everybody -concerned--at least, so thought john Thomas. - -It was a pity that at the commencement of the Assembly Hazel, Milly, -and Tilly could not have been in two places at once, for while only an -occasional couple strolled on to the dancing floor, the dressing-rooms -were crowded. There would have been a peculiar pleasure for those little -lovers of finery to see the pretty toilets gradually emerge from the -concealment of long cloaks and shawls, and to have studied the charming -vanities of peak-toed, high-heeled little slippers as the protecting -pattens were shaken off into the hands of maids, upon their knees before -their “ladies.” But at last the Assembly floor offered more attractions -than the dressing-room, and a long line of couples, constantly -reinforced by new arrivals, were promenading in stately fashion around -the hall. - -“There come the Van Vleets,” exclaimed Starlight, as Miss Francesca and -Miss Heide entered, each on the arm of an escort. - -“And if there isn't Miss Pauline,” whispered Tilly Marberry; “does _she_ -dance?” - -“Dance!” said Starlight; “well, I guess you'll think so when you see -her. She's just as graceful as a fairy.” - -“She's just as queer as a fairy, too,” remarked Flutters. “I wouldn't -care to be the one to dance with her; there'd be no telling what she -might fly off and do next.” - -“It's very distressing about Miss Pauline,” said Hazel, reprovingly; -“and, Flutters, you have no occasion to speak like that.” Hazel always -seemed to be specially successful in mustering large words when she felt -called upon to administer any reproof to this little servant of hers. - -“No occasion!” said Flutters, significantly, for the recollection of an -apple-tree and a crying maiden was not so far removed as to lose any of -its poignancy. - -“What do you mean?” questioned Hazel, with a puzzled frown. - -“Oh, nothing particular,” Flutters said, quickly, seeing what an -explanation might lead up to, and then he succeeded in changing the -subject by announcing the arrival of Captain and Mrs. Boniface. - -“Oh, doesn't mamma look lovely!” and Hazel's happy little face flushed -with pride. - -“Yes; and just look at Josephine!” sighed the Marberrys, simultaneously, -for those little women were so overcharged with delight as scarce to -be able either to speak or breathe in quite regular and commonplace -fashion. - -“Ah! _she's_ the girl,” said Starlight, who, whether from honest -admiration or a spirit of mischief, never lost an opportunity for -extolling the virtues and attractions of Hazel's older sister. - -“And she's drawn Harry Avery,” added Hazel, for once in her life adroit -enough not to betray any annoyance; “I don't believe she minds, either.” - -“Well, Harry doesn't mind, I know that much. Shouldn't wonder myself -if he managed to have it come that way.” Starlight evidently spoke from -knowledge of facts, for, like as not, Cousin Harry had foolishly taken -that small boy somewhat into his confidence. - -This “drawing” that Hazel spoke of was a queer custom of the olden days. -Partners for the evening were chosen by lot; they danced, walked, and -chatted with no one else, and when the dancing was over partook together -of such modest refreshment as rusks and tea. This arrangement was most -advantageous for the young ladies who were not specially attractive, for -by means of it the fairest and the plainest were treated exactly alike. -Now, for all this information, and much more beside, as I told you in -the preface, we are indebted to that delightful first chapter of Mr. -McMasters's History; but although you may not be old enough to care to -read that chapter for yourself, nor half old enough to be allowed to -attend a Dancing Assembly, nor fortunate enough to gain entrance to a -little mid-air gallery, where you could watch all the fine goings on -unobserved, yet I believe you are quite old enough to understand one -thing--and that is that the pleasure of those old-time assemblies must -have depended altogether upon the partner that fell to one's lot. A -wretched sort of a time, or an indifferent sort of a time, or a very -good time indeed--all lay within the possibilities of that one little -chance. So do you wonder very much, or do you blame them very much, -if those old-fashioned beaux, with their powdered hair, velvet knee -breeches, and silver shoe-buckles, “sometimes managed things,” as -Starlight said? At any rate, Harry Avery was supremely happy to have -Josephine Boniface fall to his lot, and if he hadn't been guilty of -“managing things” at all, why, all that remains to be said is that he -was a very lucky fellow. Miss Pauline formed the only exception to this -rigidly observed rule, as it was always an understood thing that her -brother Hans should be her partner, but being, as Starlight said, “as -graceful as a fairy,” and quite as light on her feet, it often happened -that some friend of the Van Fleets would beg a dance of Pauline, and -give the faithful brother a chance for “a turn” with his partner in -exchange. - -“Why, there's Aunt Frances,” exclaimed Starlight, suddenly spying her -seated in a chair at the farther corner of the room. “Did she come in -with the Van Vleets?” - -“Yes, I think so; and doesn't she look a picture!” said Hazel, fairly -feasting her eyes upon that much-loved lady. “And her dress, girls! -_isn't_ it lovely!” and Hazel, in her eagerness, gave Tilly Mar-berry, -who sat next to her, a good hard hug. “When I am forty or fifty, or -whatever age Aunt Frances is, I shall wear black velvet and soft old -lace about my neck just like that. Now I shouldn't wonder”--Hazel spoke -slowly, as if really giving the matter most thoughtful consideration--“I -shouldn't wonder if Aunt Frances was as pretty as Josephine when she was -a real young lady.” - -“I half believe I think she's as pretty now,” answered Starlight, -notwithstanding his constant championship of Josephine's superior -charms. - -“Who's she talking to, Starlight?” - -“I'm sure I don't know,” said Starlight. - -“Why, dat's Major Potter, a lawyer what practices down our way,” - volunteered John Thomas, “and dere! dere comes _my_ Colonel and Lady -Hamilton. Isn't she a booty? Where's your Aunt Frances now, Mars -Starlight?” - -“Just where she was before, John Thomas, the loveliest-looking lady in -the room. Lady Hamilton _is_ very handsome, though.” - -“Handsome! well, you'd better believe it; and de Colonel! now jus' look -at him, chilluns. Isn't he just too elegant! He jus' ought to be a king, -Colonel Hamilton ought ter, and he's dat kind, he wouldn't speak cross -to de laziest pickaninny in de land.” - -“Then I suppose he never speaks cross to you, John Thomas,” said Hazel, -significantly. - -“Dere ain't neber no 'casion, Miss Hazel,” and John Thomas looked as -though he considered her remark altogether uncalled for. - -“Ain't dere neber no _'casion?_” asked Starlight, perfectly imitating -the darkey dialect. “How 'bout dat mornin' when you upset de trash -basket in de middle of de office flo'?” - -“Dat mornin' was a 'ception, Mars Starlight, and it seems to me your -cousin, Mr. Avery, might fin' somethin' better to talk 'bout dan to be -detailin' de little events of de office.” - -It was great fun to hear John Thomas go on in this fashion. He had the -reputation of being the most amusing little darkey in the city, and when -they were not completely absorbed in watching the dancing, Hazel and -Starlight managed between them to keep him “going,” to the delighted -amusement of the Marberrys. - -Meantime the minute hand of the great white-faced clock at the end of -the hall was marking quarter to eight in no uncertain characters, and -Hazel had faithfully promised that at eight o'clock her little party -should turn their backs on the festivities, no matter how alluring and -absorbing they might happen to be at that particular moment. But it -sometimes happens that matters of considerable importance come to pass -within the limits of fifteen minutes--often, in fact, in much shorter -time than that, and this was true of the particular fifteen minutes in -question. - -And now, as this is already a pretty long chapter, I propose that we -stop right where we are, make a new one, and call it---- - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII.--MORE OF A RED-COAT THAN EVER. - - -[Illustration: 9155] - -HILE Hazel and Starlight, Flutters, John Thomas, and the Marberrys were -so hugely enjoying watching the people down there on the floor of the -Assembly, it so happened that some of the people were not enjoying -themselves at all. Indeed, quite the contrary; for not a few were acting -unkindly, and others were being treated unkindly; and if there is any -enjoyment for anybody in that sort of a proceeding, one ought to be -thankful not yet to have discovered it. - -You know how it came about that Colonel and Mrs. Boniface went to the -Assembly; it was simply because they felt they ought to. If the old -friends were truly sorry for having been so unfriendly, would it not be -ungracious for them to decline this invitation? Would it not look as if -they themselves were still harboring ill-feeling? And you also know that -Harry Avery had been consulted in the matter, and that his urgent advice -had been, “Go, by all means.” So the Colonel and his wife had decided -to accept quite in the face of all their preferences, and dreading the -ordeal far more than either was willing to confess to the other. But -alas! for the decision that cost them such a personal sacrifice, and -alas! for the hopefulness of Harry's buoyant temperament; for if Colonel -and Mrs. Boniface ever had reason abundantly to regret any step they had -ever taken, it was going to this Dancing Assembly; and if ever two proud -and sensitive hearts were stung to the quick, theirs were that evening. -It seems that Harry was mistaken in thinking that the invitation had -been sent because of a general desire to make amends to the Bonifaces. -True it was that two members of the Assembly Committee had insisted upon -their being invited, hardly thinking, however, that they would come; but -alas! in case they did come some other members had resolved to make -it very uncomfortable for them. Somehow or other nothing seems so -completely to change a warm human heart into something as cold and hard -as a stone as what men call a strong party feeling, and party feeling -ran very high in those days in which our great-grandfathers lived a -hundred years ago. That is to say, men felt so sure that their own -opinions were the only right ones that they fairly hated those who did -not agree with them. - -And so it happened that, with cheeks crimsoned from the insults they had -received, and with blood tingling to their very finger tips Colonel and -Mrs. Boniface left the room, sending word to Josephine (who had been -screened from any insult by Harry's chivalrous devotion) to follow them. -Hazel suddenly missed them from the crowd below, and knew in a flash -what had happened. Indeed, the color had flushed into her own round -cheeks as she thought she saw a Mrs. Potter, whose husband was a leading -Whig, pretend not to see that Mrs. Boniface had made a move toward -shaking hands with her. But “No,” she thought, “I must be mistaken; no -lady would be so rude.” So it would seem, little Hazel; but it often -happens that things are not what they seem in this queer world of ours; -and as Hazel's dear mother learned to her sorrow, several others who -called themselves ladies could be just as rude as Mrs. Potter, and some -of them yet more rude. Fortunately for the Mar-berrys and Starlight and -Flutters, the clock was just on the stroke of eight when Hazel made -her unhappy discovery, for she could not have borne to have sat there -another moment looking down on that brilliant company, many of whom, -looking so fine and attractive, were at heart so cruel. - -“Time's up,” said Hazel, starting to creep round to the little door at -the back of the gallery, and not trusting herself to say more than that -for fear a trembling voice should betray her suppressed excitement. - -Hazel was the acknowledged commander-in-chief of that little party, and -difficult as it was to turn abruptly from the fascinating scene, the -children dropped obediently on to all fours, and followed in her train. -The Marberrys' carriage was waiting at the door, and Flutters, after -helping the others in, climbed onto the box beside Jake, the driver. It -was wonderful the way in which he seemed always to know intuitively the -“proper thing” to do. He was constantly placed on such an equal footing -with the other children that it would have been only natural for him -to have frequently forgotten that, after all, he was only Miss Hazel's -little servant; but somehow or other he never did forget it; perfectly -free in his manner, and never in any sense servile, yet always betraying -a little air of respectful deference that was simply charming. Indeed, -body-servant or no, all the Bonifaces had grown to actually loving -little Flutters, and Flutters knew it and was radiantly happy. - -All the way home Hazel tried to be as merry as before. It would be such -a pity, she thought unselfishly, to spoil the Marberrys' good time; but -she did not succeed very well. - -“Are you tired, Hazel?” asked Milly, as they neared home. - -“Yes, awfully tired,” and with this admission the tears sprang into her -eyes; but fortunately it was too dark in the carriage for any one to -see them. “It's very uncomfortable,” she added, “to sit with your legs -curled under you so long as we had to there in the gallery.” - -“Do you think so?” exclaimed Tilly; “why, I could have sat there till -morning, and never known I had a leg, it was all so lovely!” - -“So lovely!” echoed Milly in a tone of evident regret that it was over. - -“Here we are,” said Hazel, as Flutters leaped down and opened the door -for her; “good-night, Milly” (a kiss); “good-night, Tilly” (another -kiss); “much obliged for the ride.” - -“Much obliged for the lovely time,” the Marberrys called back, for Jake, -impatient to get home and to bed, had immediately driven on. - -“Why, it looks as though your father and mother were home,” Starlight -exclaimed as they walked up the path. - -“Yes, they are home, I know that,” said Hazel, excitedly, “and Josephine -is home, and I know too that they've had a horrid time, and that -they'll never go to anything in New York again--never; and if there is a -cowardly set of creatures in the world it's the spiteful old Whigs.” - -Starlight and Flutters stood aghast, while Hazel flew past them into -the house, slamming the front door after her, as much as to say that no -exasperating Whig should ever enter it again, not even if his name was -Job Avery Starlight. - -The boys sat down on the step of the porch and conversed in dazed, -excited whispers as to what it could all mean. - -Hazel flew up the stairs into her mother's room and into her mother's -arms with one great sob. - -[Illustration: 0159] - -“Why, Hazel, my little daughter, what is the matter?” and Mrs. Boniface, -whom Hazel had found sitting in a low rocker at the window, still in -the dress she had worn to the ball, drew Hazel's brown head on to her -shoulder, and soothingly stroked the brown wavy hair; but the tears were -in her own eyes, and her heart was very heavy. - -Hazel could not speak at first for crying, but the caressing touch of -that dear hand was wonderfully calming, and presently she was able to -say, “I know all about it, mother. I know they treated you shamefully. I -saw that horrid old Mrs. Potter when she--” - -“Hazel! Hazel, dear, you must not talk like this.” - -“But it's true, every word of it is true, and tell me” (and Hazel -straightened herself up and looked through blinding tears into her -mother's face), “didn't they insult you? didn't they treat you very -rudely, and didn't you all come home on that account?” - -“Well, they certainly were not very kind, Hazel, and it seemed best for -us to come home; but it is not worth caring too much about, you know.” - -“And to think how friendly Mrs. Potter _used_ to be, and how much she -pretended to think of you, mother,” and Hazel becoming a little less -excited, thoughtfully turned the little turquoise ring on her finger -round and round, and shook her head sadly from side to side, as though -her faith in human nature was forever shaken, as indeed it had reason to -be. - -It was a pretty picture, albeit a rather sad one, the mother and -daughter, in the graceful costumes of a hundred years ago, sitting there -in the low studded room, dimly lighted by the little rush-light on the -mantel--a high narrow mantel, with the glowing embers on the andirons -beneath it crackling loudly now and then, after the manner of a good -fire that is slowly dying out. An oblong mirror, hung at a wide angle -from the wall, surmounted the high mantel, and reflected the little -rocker with its double load, and the pretty old-fashioned drapery at the -window. It was not often that that little mirror, nor any other mirror -for that matter, had the chance to frame a picture for itself full as -lovely as ever artist dreamed of. - -But while Hazel and her mother were talking, and Hazel herself was -growing calmer and Mrs. Boniface's heart lighter with the effort -to cheer her, some other things were happening in which we have an -interest. Captain Boniface was striding along the road that led on to -the Marberrys, trying to walk off the angry feelings that threatened -to get the mastery over him. There is nothing like a good brisk walk in -bracing air to get a feverish, excited mind into normal condition, and -the Captain knew it; but when the force of the angry mood had spent -itself, there still was left to him a sense of sad hopelessness for -which he saw no remedy. To have a little family on one's hands and no -money to care for them is enough to make the bravest heart heavy; but -to have reached that point, and at the same time to see every chance -of ever getting on one's feet again absolutely taken away, is enough -to break a man's spirit. And matters had come to just that pass that -evening with Captain Boniface. If the old friends had at last shown -themselves friendly, he would have felt there was a hope of his making -his services valuable to some of them, as indeed there would have been, -for every one acknowledged Captain Boniface to be a man of rare ability. -But it had now been shown him very plainly that there was no use -in longer trying to stem the tide of hate and prejudice that set so -strongly against him, and with the future a hopeless blank, he finally -turned his face homeward. But the other thing that was happening, and -in which we too have an interest, was of a cheerier sort, and was taking -place at the Assembly, which had only fairly gotten under way when the -Bonifaces left it. - -That old-fashioned law of a partner for the evening, to be chosen by -lot, of course applied only to the young folks, and the more staid, -middle-aged, and elderly people were free to chat with each other, else -why should they have cared to go to the ball at all? - -Now it happened that Aunt Frances, who was quite in ignorance of the -sad experiences of the Bonifaces, was having a most satisfactory -conversation with a Mrs. Rainsford, a near neighbor, whom she had -not seen since her flight from home nearly two years before, for Mrs. -Rainsford was able to answer a great many questions which Aunt Frances -had been longing to ask about her own home, and the care it was having. - -“No, I should not think the place had been greatly abused,” said Mrs. -Rainsford, while Aunt Frances sat, an eager listener. “Captain Wadsworth -moved his men down to the barracks at Fort George a month ago, and since -then he has been giving the house a thorough overhauling. You know he -has resigned his commission, and intends to remain in this country.” - -“Yes; and I know, too, that he intends to remain in my home,” sighed -Aunt Frances. “I wonder if he would sell it to me, though, for that -matter, it's as much mine to-day as it ever was. But there's no use to -talk about that either, for I have saved from the wreck barely money -enough to live upon.” - -“But, Miss Avery,” said Mrs. Rainsford in a serious whisper, that was -scarcely audible above the music, “I'll tell you one thing: I do not -believe Captain Wadsworth _will_ remain in your house very long.” - -“Indeed! why not?” and Aunt Frances's elevated eyebrows betrayed her -surprise. - -“Why, because it is going to be so very uncomfortable for all Loyalists -here in the city.” - -“I do not quite see what you mean, Mrs. Rainsford.” - -“No, of course not, dear,” replied Mrs. Rainsford (seeming to regard -Aunt Frances in the light of an older daughter, though, in point of -fact, there was but little difference in their ages.) “No, of course not; -your kind heart would never dream of such things as are happening on -every side. The leading Whigs, now that the Revolution has been -successful, say that they'll make this town too hot to hold a single -Tory, and, mark my words, they'll do it, too. Perhaps you haven't -noticed how the Bonifaces were treated tonight; they went home some time -ago.” - -“Why, Mrs. Rainsford, can that be possible?” questioned Aunt Frances, -looking vainly about the room in search of her friends; “I call that -cruelty of the most unwarrantable sort.” - -“Yes, it must be very humiliating to say the least; but then they have -brought it upon themselves, you must remember,” for Mrs. Rainsford was -herself a most ardent Whig, and thought the Loyalists, whether English -or American, should be made to pay very dearly for their behavior. - -“You ought to have seen your garden this summer, Miss Avery,” continued -Mrs. Rainsford, reverting to their former subject. “Captain Wadsworth -must be very fond of flowers. He took the best of care of it.” - -“I think I could not have borne to see it, Mrs. Rainsford.” - -“No, perhaps not, dear child; and to think that you really have -Alexander Hamilton to thank for it all. You must hate him. He is here -to-night, you know, with his young wife. I don't wonder she turned the -heads of the officers at Morristown. You know she went to visit her -aunt while Washington had his headquarters there, and Hamilton was his -aide-de-camp, and fell in--” - -“Sh--” interrupted Aunt Frances, who saw that Colonel Hamilton was not -very far off, and might easily overhear what they were saying; and, -indeed, he was not far off, for the very good reason that, in the -company of his friend, Major Potter, every step was bringing him nearer. - -Imagine, if you can, Aunt Frances's surprise when Major Potter, whom she -knew quite well, paused before her, and bowing low, with old-time grace -and courtliness, said slowly, “May I take the liberty, Miss Avery, of -presenting my friend, Colonel Hamilton?” - -[Illustration: 0163] - -Aunt Frances was, of course, greatly confused, though too much of a lady -to betray it; but Mrs. Rainsford, astonished beyond measure, and not -always at her ease, was quite glad to slip away from an interview that -promised to be, to say the least, embarrassing. - -Colonel Hamilton took the seat she left vacant. “I begged the favor of -an introduction, Miss Avery, and am very glad to meet you,” he said, -politely. - -“I must not doubt your sincerity, Colonel Hamilton,” Aunt Frances -replied with no little dignity, “but perhaps you do not recognize in me -the Miss Avery whom you lately defeated in the courts.” - -“On the contrary,” replied the Colonel with a deferential air, for Aunt -Frances was by many years his senior, “that is the very reason why I -wished to meet you. I feel myself to have been the cause--” - -“Excuse me, Colonel Hamilton, but I desire neither apologies nor -sympathy.” For with all her sweetness, Aunt Frances was high spirited; -she thought the Colonel's manner was a little patronizing. - -But Colonel Hamilton was high spirited too, and was on his feet in a -moment. “It was not my intention to offer either sympathy or apologies. -I bid you good-evening, Miss Avery.” - -But Aunt Frances said quickly, “In that case I should prefer you to -remain, Colonel Hamilton.” - -“Thank you,” and the Colonel, with no little dignity, resumed his seat, -while Aunt Frances condescended to add: - -“I did not mean to be rude, but I wished you to understand my position.” - -“It was because I wished you to understand mine that I sought this -interview, Miss Avery; but I see I have need to be very careful as to my -choice of words.” - -Aunt Frances smiled, as much as to say, “Quite right, Colonel Hamilton.” - -“I hope you realize,” he said, “that my argument in Captain Wadsworth's -case was founded on the most sincere convictions;” and the Colonel half -betrayed the admiration which Aunt Frances somehow inspired in him, -notwithstanding her high-spiritedness. - -“I never questioned that, Colonel Hamilton.” - -“So I felt I had reason to believe, when I found you had urged your -nephew to make application for the vacancy in my office.” - -“Why, I told Harry it was hardly necessary to volunteer the fact of our -relationship,” said Aunt Frances, with unconcealed surprise. - -“He evidently did not agree with you then, for he had been with me -scarce twenty-four hours before he told me he was your nephew. I suppose -you thought, if I knew it, that it might count against him; on the -contrary, let me assure you it has helped him. It is no light thing, -Miss Avery, to have done any one an injury, whether from conscientious -motives or not; and I shall welcome every chance to atone for it that -comes within my power. I can imagine, in part at least, what it -must mean to be banished from the home of a life-time under any -circumstances, and especially when you feel that you have still a -perfect right to be there.” - -This looked a little like sympathy on the Colonel's part, but it was too -kindly meant to be rejected. They were treading, however, dangerously -near the region of Aunt Frances's proud sensitiveness, so she changed -the direction somewhat by asking, “But Harry is able to rise on his own -merits, is he not, Colonel Hamilton?” - -“Abundantly; that was one thing I desired to tell you. He has unusual -capacity, and is remarkably efficient. I think his future assured. -As for me, it is a great satisfaction to know you do not question my -sincerity. And now, Miss Avery, I will not detain you longer, and will -say good-evening.” - -“Good-evening, Colonel Hamilton.” - -And so the Colonel went back to his pretty young wife in the farther -corner of the room, and Aunt Frances, with a tumult of thoughts in her -heart, rejoined the Van Vleets, and was glad to find them making ready -to go down to the clumsy barge, which, manned by two of the farm hands, -was waiting to carry them home across the moonlit river. How much she -had to think over; and what had Colonel Hamilton told her but that he -would lose no chance to atone for what his duty, as he understood it, -had compelled him to do. But one thing Colonel Hamilton had not told -her, but which was very true, nevertheless, and that was, that one of -the strongest impulses toward this same atoning had come to him in the -form of a call from a very earnest and winsome little maiden one sunny -September morning. “Yes, what may it not mean?” thought Aunt Frances, -and a hope that she had not dared to cherish for a long, long time -shaped itself once more before her. Perhaps it might come about that she -should have her home again some day; surely it was not impossible, since -Colonel Hamilton himself was enlisted in her favor. And _this_ was the -man whom she thought her worst enemy--whom she had said she would go a -long way to avoid meeting. Very thankful was she now that the Colonel -had given her no opportunity to carry out her intention. So there is -this comfort: if some sorry things happened at the Assembly, some other -things happened that were not sorry at all. - -Meanwhile poor Starlight and Flutters sat shivering on the front porch. -Captain Boniface had come home, but had quietly entered the house at the -rear, and the children had not heard him. - -“Really, I think we had better go in now,” said Flutters, as though he -had brought the same inducement to bear upon Starlight several times -before. - -“You may go if you like,” answered Starlight. “It's different with you, -you live here; but you don't catch _me_ going in at a door that's been -slammed in my face, unless the some-one who slammed it comes out and -gets me.” - -So Flutters stretched and yawned and shivered a moment longer, and then -decided to quit the dreary scene. - -“Now, don't you tell Hazel that I'm out here, Flutters. Promise me.” - -“Not if she asks me?” - -“No, not if she asks you fifty times.” Starlight was angry, and not -without reason, but he did not believe impetuous Hazel would give -him another thought, and so he looked about to see how he could most -comfortably pass the night on the porch, for he knew nowhere to go at -that late hour. Perhaps it _was_ a pity for a fellow to be so proud, but -he could not help it. He wondered if other people's pride made the blood -rush so hotly through their veins, and made their hearts thump like trip -hammers; there was one good thing about it, though: it helped to keep -him a little warmer out there in the chill November evening. - -Flutters groped his way forlornly to bed, for all the lights were out -in the house. He longed to knock at Hazel's door and tell her about -Starlight, and his hand actually doubled itself in a preparatory way -as he passed her door; but no, it would not do. Starlight would never -forgive him; besides, he had promised. - -But fortunately it was not to be an out-all-night experience, after all, -for Starlight. Hazel's room was directly under the roof of the high, -pillared porch, and as, just before getting into bed, she leaned out to -close the blinds, so that the morning sun should not wake such a tired -and sorrowful little body too early, she saw some dark thing lying under -the mat on the porch. At first she thought it was the Marberrys' dog, -who occasionally made them a visit, so she called, “Bruno! Bruno!” in a -penetrating whisper, but the dark object showed no signs of life. Then -she said, “Who is it?” and the dark object moved a little and replied -sullenly, “Who do you suppose?” - -“Why, Job Starlight, what are you doing out there; you'll catch your -death of cold.” - -“I know it,” said Starlight, for by this time even his pride had cooled -down a little, and his teeth were chattering, “and there'll be no one to -blame for it but yourself, Hazel Boniface.” - -“What do you mean?” asked Hazel; but as she spoke a conviction of just -exactly what he meant swept over her. “Haven't you been in since I left -you on the porch?” - -“No, I haven't been in since you slammed the door in my face and said if -there was a cowardly set of spiteful old creatures in the world it was -the Whigs.” - -“I did not call _you_ a----” and then Hazel realized that it was very -foolish, as well as very cold, to stand talking there in that way, so -she called down, “But wait a minute, and I'll come and let you in.” - Then she closed the shutters and hurriedly slipped into her wrapper and -slippers, and in a twinkling the hall lamp was lighted and the hall -door thrown open; but Starlight was in no hurry to enter--not he; he -was going to see this thing through in right dignified fashion, -notwithstanding, now that the prospect looked more cheerful, he could -himself see a funny side to the proceeding. - -“I did not mean _you_ were cowardly or spiteful, Starlight,” Hazel said -again. “I meant all the other Whigs. Do, please, come in.” - -“Then why did you slam the door in this Whig's face, I'd like to -know,” and Starlight was so gracious as to advance as far as the broad, -old-fashioned door-sill; “besides, all the other Whigs are not spiteful -and cowardly. Aunt Frances isn't, and----” - -“Starlight,” interrupted Hazel, “this is very mean of you. If you knew -what we'd had to bear to-night you wouldn't blame me for anything. I was -very angry, I know, but I am very sorry, and now--won't you please come -in?” - -Certainly this was as much as the most aggrieved of individuals -could desire, and Starlight walked in, and dignity and resentment and -everything else were forgotten as Hazel with tearful eyes told him of -the evenings experiences. “Yes,” she said at the close of her narration, -“I saw Mrs. Potter with my own eyes refuse to shake hands with mamma, -and if it hadn't been time then to come home I do not know what I ever -should have done.” - -Starlight drew a deep sigh, but Hazel had grown a full inch in his -estimation. It was real plucky in her to have kept her forlorn discovery -to herself all the way home; he could almost understand now how she had -slammed the door when she reached it. But what a shame it was that a -family like the Bonifaces should be so shamefully treated! “Well, it's -too bad, Hazel, that's all I can say,” he said; “but I suppose we may as -well go to bed. It must be very late.” - -“Why, where is Flutters?” asked Hazel, for the first time recalling his -existence. - -“Here,” answered a voice from the top of the hall stairway; “I was just -coming down to see if I could not make Starlight come in.” - -“I don't believe anybody could have _made_ him,” said Hazel; “the -Starlights must be a very proud family.” - -“So must the Bonifaces,” answered Starlight, with the shadow of a smile; -“but, then, I like proud families.” - -“And so do I,” said Hazel. - -A few moments afterward the little trio separated, and with the thought -of “Better late than never,” Starlight crept gratefully into the bed -of the little hall room, whose blankets and coverlid had been carefully -folded back for him, full five hours before, by Dinah's kind black -hands. - - - -CHAPTER XIX--A SAD LITTLE CHAPTER - - -[Illustration: 9169] - -OT a bright outlook certainly, but then, you see, it is to be only a -little chapter. - -Some people think that children's books ought to be cheery and bright -from cover to cover, and so they ought--that is, for the very little -children; but when they have gotten beyond the days of rhymes and -jingles and colored pictures, and have wit enough and appreciation -enough to enjoy a chaptered story, then I, for one, think the stories -should be true to life. To be sure, the charm of such delightful and -purely impossible tales as “Alice in Wonderland” and “Water Babies” lies -in the fact that they do not pretend to be true to anything in the world -save the enchanting-caprice of the people who write them; but when one -comes to place a story in a real time, and put real people in it, then -it is bound to be true to the real things. - -Then one certainly does not need to be, say, more than seven years old -to get at least an inkling of the truth, that the real things of life -are not always bright things. But there is no use of dwelling at too -great length upon these same sorrowful experiences, and so for that -reason we are going to try to make this a short chapter. And now, to -tell you right away what the sad thing was, for fear your lively -imagination should be conjuring up something yet more sad than the -reality, though the reality was sad enough, since it was nothing more -nor less than that, when Captain Hugh Boniface woke on the morning after -the Assembly, he found that he could move neither hand nor foot. The -eager mind worked as actively as ever, but not a muscle would respond to -the great, strong will, and the Captain knew--knew beyond all -hoping--that he was completely paralyzed, and that in all probability, -as far as ever rendering any real service to that blessed little family -of his was concerned, he had better, from that time, be out of the world -than in it. - -It is needless to tell you very particularly with what foreboding the -alarming news spread through the little household, nor how breathlessly -they all waited for old Dr. Melville's verdict as he came from -the Captain's room a few hours later. Nor of how, in spite of his -encouraging words, that bade them be hopeful, they read that in his kind -old eyes which plainly told them that he felt there was little enough to -ground any real hope upon. - -“Yes,” said Dr. Melville, gravely, as Mrs. Boniface followed him to -the door, at the close of one of his professional visits, “I feared -something of this sort might be in store for the Captain. He has been -into my office several times complaining of certain wretched benumbing -feelings that we doctors dread to hear acknowledged. But it's not -strange, Mrs. Boniface, not strange at all; he's been through enough -to break down the strongest constitution. There was a sight of mischief -already done when they brought him home from Lexington in '75, and then -all these years of worry and excitement have not helped matters.” - -“But, doctor,” said Mrs. Boniface, nerving herself to ask the question, -“do you think he will never be any better?” - -“I doubt if he ever walks again, Mrs. Boniface.” - -“Do you mean, Dr. Melville, that it is your opinion that he never _will_ -walk again. You must be very frank with me, else I cannot tell how to -plan for the future.” - -“Well, then, since you are a brave woman, and I know you mean what you -say, I will give you my honest opinion, which is this: that your good -Captain will probably, at least in a degree, regain the use of his hands -and arms, but never, I fear, of his lower limbs.” - -It was not easy for Mrs. Boniface to hear her fears put thus plainly -into words, but it was best, she felt sure, that she should know the -worst. - -Meantime the days dragged wearily along for Captain Boniface, and yet -brought with them one glorious revelation. Never before had he known -quite so fully what an all-powerful love there was in his heart for that -dear wife of his. It was a privilege simply to be able to watch her as -she moved so quietly about the room, and to listen to the sweet familiar -voice; and was it not abundant cause for thankfulness that he was still -in the same world with her, though no longer able to move about in it. -But what were they going to do? That, of course, was the thought that -gave him greatest anxiety. The sum of money in the bank had been growing -more and more slender with every year of diminished income, until now -there was scarce enough left to tide them over more than another twelve -months, and then only with the strictest economy. But the good Captain -did not have to meet this dread question alone, and in the twilight of -a November afternoon he had talked it all over with his wife, and as -the result of that long, quiet talk they had decided that Mrs. Boniface -should write for aid to her father, a clergyman, living alone in a -little ivy-grown rectory in the South of England. But it was not easy to -come to this decision. They hesitated to intrude their heavy anxieties -upon the good old man, whose own income was by no means ample. But there -was simply no one else to whom they could turn, and they knew he would -gladly give them any help within his power. - -“And now, Hugh, there is nothing for us to do but to wait till the -answer to my letter comes, and do let us try not to worry,” said -Mrs. Boniface when the long talk was over, and they did try, and they -succeeded, and right in the face of the heaviest trial they had ever -known there was peace and even an added sweetness in the Boniface home -life. The new trouble knit all hearts closer together; they realized -more keenly than ever before how much it was just to have each other, -and they cared far less than such a little while ago they would have -thought possible for the insults of people who, after all, had been -friends only in name. But half the secret of the bravery of the little -household lay in the fact that the Captain himself was so brave; but -often, of course, his courage was strongly tested; seldom more strongly -than when little Kate would come running to the side of his bed, and he -felt himself powerless to lift her to a seat beside him or to romp with -her as he used to love to do. - -One afternoon, when he was alone in the room, he heard the patter of her -little feet on the stairway. He could count each step, for, after the -necessarily slow fashion of very little walkers, she had need to plant -both feet on one step before attempting another. But at last the patient -little climber was where she wanted to be, and said, without stopping to -think, “Lift me up, papa, please.” - -“Ah! Kate, you always forget papa can't do that,” and the Captain's eyes -grew misty. - -“Oh, yes, I did fordet,” Kate answered, with a world of regret in her -tone; and then she laid her chubby head on her father's arm and tenderly -stroked the great brown hand as though she loved him more than ever now, -and for the very reason that he was so helpless. - -“Kate,” said her father, when he felt sure that he could speak and yet -keep his voice steady, “you are such a darling, Kate.” - -“Mamma said that a little while ago,” answered her little ladyship -calmly, “and Josephine said it yesterday twice, and then Hazel said -something like it too. I _dess_ I was never quite so nice as lately.” - -“I guess you were never quite such a comfort,” smiled the Captain. “But -then you must not grow too set up about it.” - -Kate did not pay much attention to this last remark; she had decided on -a little plan, and was putting it into execution. She pushed a chair to -the side of the bed and mounted, by aid of its round, to its seat; from -there it was an easy climb to the bed; and then, shoving the chair away -with a push of her little foot, she turned to her father with a sigh of -honest satisfaction, such as no mere “lifting up” could possibly have -occasioned. - -[Illustration: 0173] - -Evidently she had come to stay, the blessed little sunbeam, and -straightway the Captain began to rack his brain for the story that he -knew well enough in a moment would be asked for, and for the sort that -would be likely to keep her attention longest. No one could tell so good -a story as the Captain, and no one could tell it as well--at least, that -was the verdict of Starlight and Flutters, of Hazel and the Marberrys, -and a few other little folk who now and then had the pleasure of hearing -him. Little Kate was delighted with the fact that she was to be favored -with “the first story since papa fell ill,” and, I fear, took a little -selfish delight in the fact that she was the only listener. As for the -story, it proved a fine one, with some very queer little people in -it, who did most outlandish things, and Kate sat entranced till it was -finished, and then, laying her head down on her father's shoulder, “just -to think it over,” fell fast asleep instead, and did not waken, even -when the Captain, hearing Josephine's step in the hall, called her in -to throw something over her. And then, after a while, what with Kate's -regular breathing as she lay on his helpless arm, and what with the -light in the room growing dim and yet more dim as the glow faded out -of the sunset, the Captain fell asleep too, and all was so tranquil and -peaceful that it seems almost as though we had made a mistake in calling -this “A Sad Little Chapter.” - - - - -CHAPTER XX--FLUTTERS COMES TO A DECISION - - -[Illustration: 9175] - -LUTTERS had something on his mind, and this in addition to all the cares -and anxieties of the Bonifaces, which he took upon himself every whit as -fully as though he actually belonged to the family. But the something -in question was a little private affair of his own, an affair, however, -that insisted upon filling most of his waking thoughts, and finally, -after looking at it in every possible light, he arrived at a decision. - -When a person has been thinking about a matter and turning it over and -over in his mind, a decision is a glorious thing to come to. It is -such a relief, after standing helpless in a perfect maze of doubt and -hesitation, to find a straight path opening up before you. At any rate, -Flutters's sensations were quite of that order, as late one afternoon he -went to Mrs. Boniface and asked if she could spare him to go into town -for a few hours. - -“Certainly, Flutters,” if it is necessary for it was the first time -Flutters had made a request like that, and she wondered what the little -fellow was up to. - -Flutters seemed to read her thoughts and answered, “It is necessary, -Mrs. Boniface, but I would rather not tell you what I want to go for, if -you are willing to trust me.” - -“Certainly, I'll trust you, Flutters,” was the answer that made his -heart glad; for it is such a fine thing to be thoroughly trusted, and -the haste with which he donned his coat and hurried from the house -showed that, at least in his estimation, the something to be done was as -important as necessary. - -Along the frosty road, in the November twilight, the little fellow -trudged at a brisk pace, now and then breaking into a full run, as -though in his eagerness he could not brook the delay of sober walking. -White, fleecy clouds were scudding across the sky, as though making -way for the moon which shone out whenever they would let her, and whose -silvery beams were following so closely in the wake of the daylight as -to create one earth night in which, as in Heaven above, there was to be -no darkness at all. - -But Flutters, like many another preoccupied fellow-mortal, saw naught -of its beauty, only noting his surroundings sufficiently to take the -straightest road to his destination. - -Finally, he brought up at the barracks of Company F at Fort George, -which company, as you remember, we learned from Mrs. Rainsford, was no -longer quartered at the Avery homestead. - -“Is Sergeant Bellows here?” Flutters asked, breathlessly, of one of the -first men he met. - -“He be,” answered the man, with provoking slowness, “but I doubt if -he'll see ye the night, he turned in early with a headache.” Flutters -looked crestfallen. “You sail for England day after to-morrow, don't -you?” > - -“We do that,” answered the man, “and it's with pleasure we'll be after -shaking the dust of the place off us.” - -“But I must see Sergeant Bellows before he goes,” said Flutters, -pathetically. “Do you think he'd mind if I disturbed him just for a -minute?” - -“Maybe not,” said the man, “the Sergeant's that good-natured. You'll -find him in bunk No. 6, in the front room above-stairs.” - -So Flutters climbed the stairs and entered the great cheerless room, -with its row of uncomfortable-looking bunks lining the wall. A candle -was burning in a tin candlestick at one end of the room. Flutters went -on tip-toe and brought it so as to inspect the numbers of the bunks, and -make no mistake, for he could see that two or three other men had also -“turned in.” - -“'Who's there?' asked Sergeant Bellows.” - -No. 6 was half-way down the room. “Sergeant Bellows,” said Flutters, in -a penetrating whisper, screening the candle flame with his hand, so that -it should not shine in the Sergeant's face. - -[Illustration: 0177] - -“Who's there?” asked Sergeant Bellows, raising himself on one elbow and -bewildered at the sight of his unexpected visitor. - -“It's only me, Flutters, and I hope your headache isn't very bad, 'cause -I wouldn't have disturbed you for the world, only I almost had to.” - -“Oh, that's all right,” said the Sergeant, kindly, “but it'll take me -a moment to get my wits to working, although I wasn't rightly asleep -either. Here, set the candle on the shelf, and run get that stool yonder -for yourself.” - -Flutters felt relieved thus to have the Sergeant take in the situation -at a glance, and realize that he had come with a purpose. - -“I was coming up to Kings Bridge to-morrow to say good-bye,” the -Sergeant said, rather sadly, when Flutters had seated himself beside the -bed. “How are they up there?” - -“Why, they're not well at all--that is, you know, don't you, about the -Captain's being paralyzed all over?” - -“No, by gracious! paralyzed! Do you mean he can't move hand nor foot?” - -Flutters sorrowfully shook his head yes, as though words failed him. - -“You don't mean it,” said the Sergeant, sorrowfully; “but tell me all -about it,” and then Flutters told him everything about the Bonifaces -that he thought could by any possibility be of any interest to him, till -at last he felt justified in introducing his own little matter. - -“But what I came to see about was this--” - -“Oh, to be sure,” said the Sergeant. “I had almost forgotten to wonder -what brought you here.” - -“Well,” said Flutters, solemnly, “I have a great favor to ask of you, -Sergeant.” - -“You're not giving me much time to do it, then,” said the Sergeant, -“seeing as every British soldier quits the city day after to-morrow.” - -“That's the reason I came,” answered Flutters, excitedly, “it's in -England that I want the favor done.” - -“Why, what have you to do with England, I'd like to know?” with evident -astonishment. - -“Why, England was my home,” Flutters answered, rather proudly; “don't -you know I belonged to an English circus?” - -“Why, so you did; I'd forgotten about that.” And then there was a little -pause, while the Sergeant waited for further developments, and while -Flutters was meditating how he had best put his case. - -“I once heard you say, Sergeant, that your old home was somewhere in -Cheshire, and that's where my father lives. His name is Wainright.” - -“Then your name is Wainright, too,” said the Sergeant; “Flutters -Wainright, eh?” - -“No, Arthur Wainright's my name. Flutters is a name they gave me in the -circus, because I used to be so scared when I first began to have a hand -in the tumbling.” - -“But look here,” said the Sergeant, in rather gruff, soldier-like -fashion, “if you've a father and he's living, why aren't you living with -him 'stead of being away over here among strangers? Ye're not a runaway, -are ye, Flutters?” - -“Yes, I am,” said Flutters, scanning the Sergeant's face closely to -watch the effect of his confession. “I had to do it, Sergeant. I was in -the way at home. My mother was a colored lady, but she died in India, -and then my father took me to England and married a white lady, and -there were some white children and I wasn't wanted. They used to say I -was such a queer, dark little thing.” - -“Blest if I blame you, then!” said the Sergeant, whose heart was touched; -“but does your father know you're in good, kind hands. I suppose he -cared more for you than the rest of 'em did?” - -“Yes,” said Flutters, “and so I felt I ought to let him know, and I -thought perhaps if you didn't mind, you'd hunt him up when you get over -there, and tell him 'bout me, and how happy I am, and that I send my -love.” - -“But then he might be sending for you to come back. Have you thought of -that, Flutters?” - -“Yes, I've thought of it, but it isn't likely, Sergeant. He knows I'm -not wanted there; but anyhow, it seems to me I ought to let him know now -that I'm so well cared for.” - -“That's so,” said the Sergeant, pausing a moment to give the matter due -consideration. “I think you're right about it, and I'll hunt your -father up just as soon as I can get my furlough and run down to see my -relatives in Cheshire.” - -“Here's my father's name and address,” said Flutters, taking a slip of -paper from his pocket, “and when you write to me just direct 'Flutters,' -care of Captain Boniface. I don't want them to know about me up there. -I just want them to think of me as an ordinary little darkey, and not -above any sort of work.” - -“That's very good of you,” replied Sergeant Bellows, tucking the -precious little paper under his blue gingham-covered pillow; “not every -boy would be so considerate as to think of that, but then it's a mighty -nice berth for you, too. I'd give a good deal myself to live with the -Bonifaces.” - -“But you are glad to go home, aren't you?” Flutters asked, with some -surprise. - -“No doubt I shall be glad to see old England again, but once I've seen -it that's all I care for. It's different with most of the men. Some of -them can hardly speak for joy at the thought, and that makes some of -the rest of us who haven't any homes to go to very wretched with--well -I guess you'll have to call it not-any-home-sickness. It's half what is -the matter with me to-day; and Andy there in the next bunk, who lost a -wife and baby years ago in England, he'd a sight rather keep his back -turned on everything that belongs to it. But there's no help for it. -A soldier had best not have any will of his own, nor any preferences -either, if he knows what's good for him.” - -Flutters did not know what reply to make to all this, though feeling -very sorry for the old Sergeant, and so he began to button his coat -together, and said: “I guess I'd better go now. I hope I haven't made -your headache any worse, Sergeant?” - -“Never you fear. It's done me good to talk with you, Flutters. It was -more of a heartache than a headache, you know. I had one of those blue -streaks, when a fellow feels he isn't of any use in the world; but if I -can carry a message from you to your father 'way across the great ocean, -I must be of a little use still, so I'll turn over and go to sleep as -a sensible old codger should,” and, suiting the action to the word, -Sergeant Bellows rather unceremoniously “turned over” and pulled the -gray army blanket half over his head. - -“Good-night, then,” said Flutters, rising and taking the candle from the -shelf. - -“Good-night,” yawned the Sergeant, as though already half asleep. “I'll -be up to the Captain's in the morning.” - -Flutters set the lighted candle back where he had found it, and then -made his way out as quietly as possible, and the moonbeams and the quiet -once more had the room to themselves; and, unless thoughts were too -active or hearts too heavy, there was no reason why Andy and the -Sergeant should not have dropped off into the soundest of naps, at any -rate, until the rest of the men should turn in an hour or two later, -when there would, no doubt, be noise enough to wake the best of -sleepers. - - - -CHAPTER XXI--SOME OLD FRIENDS COME TO LIGHT - - -[Illustration: 9182] - -T was a comfort to have that matter off his mind, and, whatever might -come of it, he had done the right thing. Such were Flutters's thoughts, -as with hands plunged deep in his overcoat pockets, he started for home. -To be sure, there was no knowing what might happen. What if his father -should write to Captain Boniface and tell him that he (Flutters) was a -naughty little runaway, and advise him to have nothing more to do with -him? or suppose he should direct to have him sent right back to England, -what would he do? Why, then, he thought he'd simply run away again, -only that would not be an easy thing to do after having been treated so -kindly by the Bonifaces. But, as he had himself told the Sergeant, it -was not at all probable that this would happen; and so, like the logical -little philosopher he was, he decided to think no more about it, and, if -taking the advice of the old hymn, he “gave to the _winds_ his fears,” - it was no time at all before they were blown far behind him. During the -half hour that he had spent with the Sergeant, a cold northwest blow had -set in, making it far more comfortable for him to bend his head downward -as he ran, and not take the wind full in his face. And this same -northwest wind was playing all sorts of pranks with every pliable thing -it could get hold of. The bare branches of the trees were swaying and -crackling, withered leaves were swirling round in eddies and rustling -loudly, gates were creaking on their rusty hinges, and, just as Flutters -had reached a point in the road where an old hut stood, the blustering -wind caught the only shutter remaining at one of its windows, and -slammed it to with a bang that fairly made him jump. Looking toward the -hut that had been deserted for years, Flutters saw a faint light shining -out through the half of the window that was not screened by the closed -shutter. - -“That's queer,” he thought; “who can be living there?” and then, instead -of running on without giving the matter another thought--as some boys, I -think, would have done--he walked softly in at the gateway that had long -lacked a gate, straight up to the window and peeped in; nor was it mere -curiosity that prompted him to do it either. Flutters knew that no one, -under ordinary circumstances, would be there; nothing short of utter -homelessness would make anybody seek shelter in that wretched place, and -so he felt the matter ought to be investigated, and he was not afraid to -be the one to do it. And what do you suppose he saw through the -broken pane? Something that would have made the tears come into almost -anybody's eyes, but something that made Flutters's heart fairly stand -still. - -The only furniture of the room was a three-legged stool on which a bit -of candle was spluttering, fastened to the stool by the melting of its -own tallow, and there beside it, on a bundle of straw, lay an old man; -and it took but one glance from Flutters's astonished eyes to see that -the man was Bobbin, the old circus drudge. In another second he had -pushed the door open and was kneeling at his friend's side, and stroking -his cold, wrinkled hand. - -“Why, who is it?” asked Bobbin, in a cracked, weak voice; “I can't -rightly see, somehow, but it's good to know some one has come.” - -“Why, it's me, Bobbin, don't you know me?” said Flutters, scarcely able -to speak with emotion. - -A bright smile lighted up the old man's face. “Ah! I thought He'd send -somebody. He did send you, didn't He?” - -“No, nobody sent me, Bobbin. I was just going by, and I saw the light, -and I peeped in and then I saw you.” - -The old man shook his head, as much as to say that he believed that the -good Father had sent him, nevertheless. - -“I'm glad you were the one to come,” he said, presently; “there's nobody -I'd rather have had than you, Flutters. You were always a kind little -chap to old Bobbin.” - -Flutters did not say anything--he couldn't. He just pressed the wrinkled -hand a little harder as it lay in his. - -“You see, Flutters,” said Bobbin, presently, “I think I am going home -to-night, and it was kind of lonely not to have somebody to care for me. -Not that I mind going. I'm not a bit afraid, Flutters. I have done the -best I could with the poor chance I had, and God will forgive the rest; -don't you think so, Flutters?” - -Flutters nodded his head, and then he said in a moment, when he thought -he could control his voice: “But, Bobbin, I do not believe you are going -to die. You need food and fire and clothes to warm you, and I am going -right off to get them for you.” - -“Oh, no, please don't,” pleaded the old man, putting what little -strength he had into his hold on Flutters's hand. “I don't want food -nor anything. I just want to go, and it won't be long. Promise me you'll -stay till morning, Flutters.” - -There was no gainsaying the entreaty in Bobbin's voice, and so Flutters -said: “I promise you, Bobbin;” and, with a gratified sigh the old man -turned on his side and soon fell asleep. After a while, when Flutters -dared to move a little, he piled the loose straw that lay about him as -closely as possible over Bobbin, and finally decided to dispense with -his own warm coat, for the sake of stuffing it in the hole of the little -paneless window through which the wind was keenly blowing. - -Then, after another hour of motionless watching, during which Bobbin -still lay sleeping as quietly as a child, it occurred to Flutters to try -and make a fire in the blackened fireplace. Some old bits of board were -lying in one corner of the room, and, piling them on the hearth, he -easily succeeded in kindling them with a bundle of straw lighted at -the candle. At first he was afraid that the crackling of the wood would -waken the old man; but, undisturbed, he slept quietly on as though his -mind was perfectly at rest, now that Flutters had come to care for him. - -“I do not believe he is going to die,” thought Flutters, after he had -again sat motionless for a long time, and then he crept close on hands -and knees to look into his face, and to listen if he was breathing quite -regularly; and there, bending over him, what did he see but something -that made his heart bound for joy, though it was nothing but the corner -of a little book showing itself above the ragged edge of one of Bobbin's -pockets. And no wonder he was glad, for he knew in a moment that it was -his own little Prayer-Book. - -[Illustration: 0185] - -At first he thought he ought not to touch it for fear of waking - -Bobbin, but how could he help it, and so, as gently as possible, he drew -it out from its hiding-place, and crept back to the candle. I suppose -we can hardly imagine what the finding of this old friend meant to -Flutters. There was his own name on the fly-leaf, in his mother's -writing, together with the date of his birth. Here was the proof, if he -ever cared to use it, that he had once known a mother's love, and that -was a deal more than some of the world's waifs could lay claim to, and -besides, he loved the book for its own sake, for the beautiful words and -thoughts that were in it. And to think Bobbin had kept it safe for him -all these weeks; Flutters began to think that perhaps the Lord had sent -him to Bobbin after all. And so he fell to wondering, as many an older -head full often wonders, as to how much mere chance has to do with the -happenings of this world, and how much the careful guiding of a Heavenly -Father; but that the Father above has a great deal to do therewith is no -longer a question in the minds of many of us. - -Meantime it was growing very late, for the clock on the town-hall was -on the verge of striking twelve, and the moon was high over head. But -Bobbin still slept on, and Flutters dared not leave him. What would Mrs. -Boniface think, and how disappointed she would be to find that he was -not to be trusted; but there was his promise to Bobbin, and he could -not go, so he did the next best thing, he lay down by his side under -the protection of the friendly straw and himself fell asleep, while the -red-hot embers in the fireplace glowed and crackled as though anxious to -make the place as comfortable as possible. - -Bobbin did not die that night; he woke with the first ray of sunlight -that reached the hovel, but he found his faithful little watcher awake -before him. Flutters thought he looked surprised, and perhaps a little -disappointed, to find his eyes opening again in this world; at any rate -he sighed a little wearily as he seemed slowly to realize where he was, -then he looked up to Flutters's face and said, with a grateful smile, “I -knew you would keep your promise. I knew you would not leave me.” - -“But you will let me go _now_, Bobbin, won't you?” said Flutters, with a -world of entreaty in his voice, and wondering what he would do if Bobbin -still proved obdurate; “you see I haven't lived so very long with the -Bonifaces, and they'll think I've run away, and be sorry they ever -trusted me. I'll make up the fire before I go, and I'll be back soon -and bring you something to eat and something perhaps to make you more -comfortable.” - -“Yes,” said the old man, after what seemed to Flutters a long pause, -“I'll let you go, but not for long, mind that, Flutters; 'cause now -that I can't do a thing for myself, I believe the Lord says, 'Flutters, -you're to take care of old Bobbin till the time comes for me to take him -away and care for him myself.'” - -“I believe so, too,” answered Flutters, pushing the thin, gray hair back -from the old man's forehead, and trying to make him look a little less -unkempt and neglected, “and never you fear but I'll do it, Bobbin.” - -Then in a moment Flutters was gone, fairly flying home along the -road, and when he reached the house not stopping so much as to say -good-morning to old Dinah, who was opening the kitchen windows, and -started back as though she had seen a ghost; but straight past her, and -straight up to Captain Boniface's room. Mrs. Boniface slept on a little -cot in the corner of the room nearest the door, and Flutters thought, -and, as it proved, thought rightly, that he could give a gentle knock, -and waken her without disturbing the Captain. - -“Who is there?” asked a sweet, low voice, a voice whose every intonation -Flutters had grown to love. - -“It's only me--Flutters,” came the ungrammatical whisper, “but I wanted -you to know that I'm home all right. Nothing happened to me, but I came -across an old friend of mine, and I had to stop and take care of him.” - -“Wait a moment, dear,” Mrs. Boniface answered, not caring in the least -that it was by no means customary to address little mulatto servant-boys -in that familiar fashion. Like dear old Janet, in McDonald's beautiful -story, Mrs. Boniface was “one of _God's_ mothers,” with a mother-love -broad enough and deep enough to shelter every little creature who, like -Flutters, needed and longed for the protection of a brooding wing. - -Flutters sat down on the wood-box in the hall and waited, and in a -moment Mrs. Boniface in her soft, blue wrapper, was seated beside him -and he was outpouring with breathless eagerness the night's experiences, -winding up, when all was told, with, “and I promised to go back as soon -as ever I could.” - -And Flutters did go back as soon as he could, and Josephine and Hazel -went with him; and food and clothing, and blankets and towels went too, -and a dozen other things, such as any one would know would add greatly -to the comfort of a sick old man who had lain down, as he thought, to -die, in an empty and wretched dwelling. Later in the day, when some of -the nearer neighbors had heard Bobbin's sad story, they were anxious, -too, to do something for him, and before nightfall you would hardly have -known the poor little shanty. One of them had sent a cot, and Bobbin had -been lifted on to it; another, two or three chairs, one of which was a -comfortable old rocker, and a third a table and some necessary cooking -utensils. Indeed, Bobbin's story, as he narrated it to the little group -gathered around him that morning after Flutters had found him, was sad -enough to touch anybody's heart. - -“I kept on with the troupe,” he told them, “till we got almost to -Albany, but I was getting weaker almost every day, and I missed Flutters -dreadfully. I never knew till the boy was gone how much hard work he -had saved me in one way and another. So at last, and just as I knowed it -would be, the manager came to me one day and said, 'We ain't got no use -for you any more, Bobbin. Ye can stay behind when we move on to-night.' -An' I just looked him the eye an' said: 'All right, sir; but I'm -wondering if you'll not be left behind when the Lord's own troupe moves -on to the many mansions.' I knowed I ought not to have spoke like that, -but there isn't a harder heart in the world than his, and that's the -truth.” - -“And what did you do then, Bobbin?” Josephine asked, as she sat beside -him with tears of indignation standing in her eyes. - -“Why, right away I began to make my way back to Flutters; somehow I knew -I should find him, only when I crawled into this hut last night after -three weeks of being on the road, I thought it might not happen in this -world.” - -And so it came about that Bobbin was made perfectly comfortable in -the old shanty, for in those days there were no well-ordered Homes and -Hospitals, for sick and homeless people, and Flutters, greatly to -his heart's delight, was established as attendant-in-chief to his old -friend. - - - -CHAPTER XXII--GOOD-BYE SIR GUY - - -[Illustration: 9189] - -LEAR and cool dawned the twenty-fifth of November, and, joy to the heart -of every Whig, before nightfall not a member of the King's army would -be left on American soil. Never, I ween, had the break of any day in New -York found so large a number of its inhabitants awake to greet it. Too -excited to sleep, with the thought of going home, were scores of English -soldiers, and too excited to sleep, at the thought that they were soon -to be rid of them, was well-nigh every loyal Whig throughout the length -and breadth of the city. So, at a remarkably early hour there was an -unwonted stir everywhere, and it seemed as though the very horses and -cattle in their stalls must have divined that something remarkable was -in the wind. But this great day of consummation had not arrived without -weeks and months of active preparation. - -Affairs in New York had been sadly mismanaged, and the arrival of Sir -Guy Carleton, in the spring of 1782, had proved a precious boon, alike -to Whig and Tory, and during the seventeen months intervening between -his arrival and the evacuation, of the city, on this same twenty-fifth -day of November, 1783, Sir Guy had had his hands full. One of the -heaviest labors he had had to perform was the transporting of twelve -thousand Loyalists from all parts of the colonies, to Nova Scotia, the -Bahamas and Great Britain, for New York was not the only place where the -offending Tories were made to feel, and very pointedly, too, that their -room was considered vastly better than their company. - -But finally all was ready, the “Royal Order” to evacuate had arrived -some two months before, and as soon as possible Sir Guy had named the -day for departure. Now at last the day itself had come, and there was -scarce a man, woman or child who had not planned to enter in some -way into its festivities. But up at the Boniface's there was a strong -conflict of feeling in one little Tory breast. Hazel was naturally in -a “perfect state,” as girls say nowadays. It was most improper that -she, an indignant little Loyalist, should be a witness to all that day's -jubilation, and _yet_ Starlight and Flutters and the Marberrys were -going over to Bowery Lane to see the American troops march in from -Harlem, and then into the city to see the English troops embark from -Fort George, and were going to make a fine long day of it, and, after -all, what good would it do anybody if she stayed at home? So it happened -that Hazel's love of military bands and streamers and all sorts of -public demonstration got the better even of her Tory principles, and -after much urging on the part of the Marberrys (which she had felt from -the first could be relied upon), she yielded, and Mrs. Boniface prepared -a luncheon for _five_, instead of “just for four,” as Hazel had that -morning directed. But none of the little party setting forth looked -forward to the day's pleasure with quite so keen a relish as Flutters. -He still remained quite neutral, not finding it easy, owing to his -peculiar circumstances, to side either with Whig or Tory. So it did not -matter much to him who were going or who were coming, the one dominant -thought in his boyish heart simply being, that he was off for a day's -fun, of which he had not had a great deal lately. For the last week he -had been in constant attendance on old Bobbin, and before that there -had been such very sad hearts in the Boniface household, owing to the -Captain's illness. But for to-day Josephine had volunteered to care for -Bobbin, and Bobbin himself had consented to spare Flutters, and so, -free in every sense to give himself up to whatever enjoyment offered, -Flutters was ready for “a lark.” And in just this very sort of thing, -you boys and girls, who are like Flutters, set us older boys and girls -an example, for boys and girls we are, all of us, in a way, so long as -we keep a vestige of naturalness about us. Real sorrows may weigh down -a child's spirit, and real trials beset him, but, give him the chance, -even for an hour, to forget the sorrow and the trial, and he forgets it; -and when God puts just such opportunities into all our lives, is it not -for this very purpose of helping us to forget for a while? - -Mrs. Boniface watched the five little friends file down the pathway, -Flutters bringing up the rear with the capacious lunch-basket, and was -thankful that there were pleasures, even in such unfavorable times, -which children might enter into; and then, perhaps with thoughts akin to -those we have been writing, about forgetting trouble, she turned with a -bright smile to the Captain, and proposed that they should try and have -a happy day too, unmindful of what was going on down in the city, and -thankful for the serenity of their home, still left unmolested. And so -Dinah was directed to prepare a favorite dish of the Captain's, and the -Captain's favorite books were brought out, and Mrs. Boniface, resolutely -putting aside every household claim, read aloud for two hours at a -sitting, and then little Kate came in for a romp and had it, and at -one o'clock Dinah brought in luncheon for all three on a great japanned -tray, and they had a very cosey time eating it together. Who would have -thought, to have looked in upon them, that Evacuation Day was, in point -of fact, a very sorry day for the Boniface's? - -Meantime the children gained the Bowery Road, mounted a rail fence in -a row, like a flock of sparrows, and, with full as much chatter, waited -for the coming of the troops. - -[Illustration: 0192] - -It seemed strange enough to everybody to think that the entire British -Army, which had been scattered broadcast throughout the vicinity for so -many years, was now congregated down in the city, and that before -many hours there would not be a trace of it left. Hazel had certain -apprehensions that it was going to seem very lonely without them, and -when a small detachment of English soldiers marched past (the last of -a company that had been quartered at Kings Bridge) and cheerily called -out, “Good-bye, Whiggies,” to the children, as they sat on the fence, -her heart entirely misgave her. Was it really loyal for her to be abroad -on a day of such rejoicing, and how insulting to be called a “Whiggie,” - when she was every whit as strong a Tory as the soldiers themselves. But -just then the inspiring strains of an approaching band reached her, and -the misgivings took to themselves wings. Nearer and nearer came the -music, and soon Starlight recognized General Knox in command of two -companies of American soldiers. They were marching into the city in -compliance with a request of Sir Guy Carleton's, so as to be on hand in -case of any disorder among the Whigs while the English were embarking. -Now as soon as these American troops should have gotten out of the way, -the Marberrys had planned a little surprise for the rest of the party, -which they knew would prove a great addition to the day's pleasure. So, -just as the children had begun to scramble down from the fence, with the -intention of getting into the city as best they could, up drove old -Jake, the Marberrys' coachman, with a farm wagon piled high with straw. -“Whoa! whoa, da!” called Jake to the Rector's old black horse, and then, -bowing and smiling, he said, importantly, “At your sarvice for -Evacuation Day, chilluns.” - -Of course Hazel and Starlight and Flutters were delighted at this -undreamed-of luxury, of being driven about all day, from one point of -interest to another, and before they climbed into the wagon Hazel gave -vent to her appreciation by giving both Milly and Tilly such a hug as -sent the color flushing gratefully into the cheeks of those amiable -little sisters. - -For once in his life old Jake was in a thoroughly good humor, but it is -extremely doubtful if anything short of all the pleasurable sensations -of Evacuation Day could have brought about that delightful state of -affairs. As for the children they were quite ready to do anything in the -world for Jake, out of sheer gratitude for his kindly mood, a state of -affairs, by the way, which should have made that old party feel very -much ashamed of himself. To think that it should be such an unusual -thing for a man to be kind, as to make even children open their eyes for -wonder. - -It is impossible fully to describe all the varied enjoyment that that -day held for the little party, although from the nature of things it was -hardly to be expected that Hazel was able to get as much pleasure out -of it as the others. Down into the city they went in the wake of General -Knox's men, who came to a halt at the Collect, and then passing them, -Jake took his stand at a point near Fort George, from which the children -could watch the English soldiers file down into the barges and push off -for the vessels lying at anchor in the Bay. - -“There comes Company F,” Starlight at last exclaimed, and in a moment -the children tumbled out of the wagon, much to old Jake's astonishment, -and in another moment were crowding round Sergeant Bellows, as he stood -waiting his turn to step into the boat. - -The Sergeant had been up to the Boniface's for a more formal -leave-taking the day before, but the children had promised to be on hand -at the moment of departure, if they could in any wise manage it, and -the Sergeant's face showed his delight, when he spied them come bounding -toward him. - -There were tears in Hazel's eyes as the boat veered off from the dock, -and tears in the Marberrys' eyes out of sympathy for Hazel, but of -course the boys pretended they saw nothing whatever to feel sorry about. -In the excitement, however, Flutters called out in a very significant -tone, “Don't you forget, Sergeant,” and the Sergeant replied in rather a -husky voice, “Never you fear, my boy!” - -“Forget what?” questioned Hazel, feeling somehow that a little -body-servant ought scarcely to have any private matters on hand. And -then Flutters, realizing how foolish he had been to make public his -affairs in that fashion, felt constrained to answer, “Oh, nothing,” to -Hazel's question, which disrespect on his part offended the dignity of -his little mistress, and caused her to treat him with much coolness for -the space of the next two minutes, at the end of which, however, she -resumed her wonted manner, having forgotten by that time any reason for -acting otherwise. - -Company F had come about mid-way in the order of embarking, and as -it neared one o'clock, the extreme rear guard began to file into the -barges, while the American troops moved silently forward and took -possession of the Fort, and then it was that General Knox, with a chosen -few, galloped back to meet and escort General Washington and Governor -Clinton into the city. For old Jake's party this in-between time seemed -to offer the most favorable opportunity for luncheon, and with appetites -keenly whetted by their long morning in the open air, the children “fell -to,” and as soon as Jake had tied a bag of oats over black Jennie's -head, he took his seat at the back of the wagon, and was himself regaled -with a much larger portion of the Boniface luncheon than he in any wise -deserved. If a body chances to be very hungry, and at the same time -so fortunate as to have the wherewithal to satisfy that hunger, it is -astonishing how absorbing the process of eating may become, and so -I doubt if, for a while, the thoughts of the little company in the -Rector's wagon, rose above the level of the biscuits they were enjoying -or were otherwise occupied than with the great acceptableness of -cookies, apple jelly, and some other inviting edibles; and yet, only -think! this was the 25th of November, 1783. Out there beyond them on -the broad sunshine of the Bay, the last of the English Army were turning -their backs upon America, and above them toward Harlem, a large company -of loyal Americans were joyfully forming into rank and file to take -public possession of the city so dearly loved, and that had been for -years under English rule. Yes, American history was making very fast -during that eventful November noontide, and yet so imperative are the -demands of poor human nature, that even such a thorough-going little -Whig as Starlight became for the time being so deeply absorbed in bread -and cheese as to grow unmindful of exultant Whigs and departing Tories. - -But after the luncheon was all disposed of, save a few crumbs thrown -over the wagon side to a stray dog, who had long been beseechingly -eying the children, their minds at once reverted to matters of general -importance, and it was decided to drive back to some point on Broadway -from which they could watch the procession, and Jennie was urged into a -clumsy canter by way of making up for lost time. As it was they had some -difficulty in gaining even a fair position on the line of march, and -secured that none too soon, for the sound of music in the distance was -growing more and more distinct, and in another second the head of the -procession came into view. And what a procession it proved! although -there was no show of military pomp or glory. That was quite impossible, -since the greater part of the American Army had already been disbanded, -and those that were left to participate in the day's jubilation owned -nothing better than shabby uniforms which had seen hard service, and -in many cases even these poor remnants had need to be supplemented with -coats or trousers of most unmilitary aspect. - -[Illustration: 0196] - -But, notwithstanding all this, it was a grand procession. General -Washington and Governor Clinton on horseback, followed by their suites, -were at its head; then came the Lieutenant Governor and the members of -the Legislature; following them, the officers of the army, and a -large body of prominent citizens, and lastly the military, whose very -shabbiness, because of its significance, served but to add to the -interest they excited. - -The sun was setting behind the New Jersey hills before the procession -was truly over, and then, as there was nothing more to be seen, and -they were thoroughly weary besides, the children assented to Jake's -proposition to turn Jennie's head homeward. When they neared the -vicinity of old Bobbin's shanty, Flutters crept to the back of the wagon -prepared to drop at the right moment. - -“Where's Flutters going?” asked the Marberrys. - -“Oh, he has to take care of old Bobbin, now,” Hazel explained with a -sigh; “but you 'can't imagine how inconvenient it is for me,” for her -ladyship had taken very kindly to this having a willing little servant -at her beck and call. Rather too kindly, Mrs. Boniface thought, and she -was not sorry to have Flutters's time so fully-occupied as to leave none -of it at Hazel's disposal. Soon after Flutters's departure the little -party relaxed into silence, talked out and tired out, and as Jake showed -some signs, now that the excitement of the day was over, of resuming his -wonted surliness, Starlight and Hazel were not the least sorry when old -Jennie, in the perfect stillness of the early November twilight, came to -a standstill at the Boniface gate. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII--FLUTTERS LOSES ONE OF THE OLD FRIENDS - - -[Illustration: 9198] - -OSEPPIINE had stood in the doorway of the little cottage half a dozen -times within the last hour peering anxiously down the road in search of -Flutters, and now that she discovered him coming cross-cut through the -meadow near which he had left the wagon, no one could have told how -relieved she felt. - -“Oh, Flutters, I'm so glad you've come!” she called softly, as soon as -he came within speaking distance, and then immediately turned back into -the room. Flutters followed her on tip-toe, for she had motioned him to -come in quietly. “What is the matter?” he asked, going close to Bobbin's -cot. - -“Oh, I don t know,” Josephine whispered, with tears of anxious sympathy -filling her gray eyes; “we had had a lovely talk together, and then he -asked me to read out of a book, your Prayer-Book, he said it was, and so -I read ever so many psalms from the Psalter, till suddenly looking up I -saw that he was in great pain, and when I spoke to him he seemed neither -to see nor hear me. In a little while the pain passed over, and ever -since he has lain there so still that I have had to put my ear down very -close to make sure that he was breathing.” - -“Dear old Bobbin,” said Flutters, stroking the thin gray hair. The -well-known voice, or perhaps the gentle touch, seemed to rouse him, for -he slowly opened his eyes and seeing Flutters, smiled. - -“You'll not try to keep me this time,” he said slowly, looking up -at Flutters beseechingly, but in a voice too low and weak for even -Josephine to hear. - -“He said not to try to keep him this time,” Flutters explained, “but -don't you think I ought to go right away for a doctor?” - -Bobbin moved his head entreatingly from side to side, so Josephine said: -“Well, perhaps not yet, Flutters, he seems so much more comfortable -now,” whereupon Bobbin looked the thanks he felt. After a while, when he -had once again mustered strength, he said: “Flutters, the little book.” - -Flutters, knowing well enough what he meant, took the Prayer-Book which -had been soon restored to Bobbin after that night when he had -first joyfully discovered it, and turning to the selections for the -twenty-fifth day of the month began to read. Josephine drew a chair to -the fireplace and sat listening, with her hands folded in her lap, while -Bobbin never took his eyes from Flutters's face, as he sat close beside -him so that he might hear distinctly. - -The little hut looked very cheery and cosey, converted as it had been -into such a comfortable shelter, more comfortable indeed than Bobbin had -ever known, and at a time, too, when a warm room and a quiet one meant -more to him than it could have meant at anytime in all his life before. -But the light in the room was momentarily growing more and more dim, and -Flutters had to hold the book high in his hand toward the little window -in order to see at all. Gradually Bobbin's tired eyes closed, and the -last words that fell on his ears were these: “My soul has longed for -Thy salvation and I have a good hope because of Thy Word. Mine eyes -long sore for Thy Word, saying, Oh, when wilt Thou comfort me?” Flutters -finished the selection and looked up. “Miss Josephine!” was all he -found words to say, but both of them knew in a moment that in very -truth “Evacuation Day” had come for Bobbin too, evacuation from all the -sorrows of a long, hard life. - -“I am not sorry,” said Josephine, looking down on the calm face from -which all the care seemed at once to have vanished. - -“Nor I,” said Flutters, “but he was such a good friend to me when no one -else cared,” and then, unable to keep the tears back, he laid his arm on -Bobbin's bed, and burying his face upon it, cried bitterly. - -There was something sacred about this deep sense of personal loss that -was finding vent in Flutters's hot tears, and for a while Josephine -hesitated to intrude upon it. She moved quietly about the room setting -its few little articles to rights, and then when there was nothing else -to be done, and Flutters had gotten himself somewhat in hand, she sat -down by his side. - -“What do you know about Bobbin's history, Flutters?” she asked. - -“Not much,” trying to master the emotion that made it difficult to speak; -“he never liked to talk about himself, but he told me once he had -always been sort of alone ever since he could remember, and that he -hadn't a relative in the world.” - -Two days afterward, Bobbin was laid away in a corner of the little -cemetery surrounding St. George's Church, Mr. Marberry having gained the -consent of the Vestry to have him buried there. Mr. Marberry read the -service from Flutters's own Prayer-Book, and about the grave of the old -man whose life had been so lonely, gathered at the last a little company -of loving friends. It seemed to Flutters as if, with Bobbin's death, -the chapter of his life that had to do with the wretched circus had been -forever closed, but, oh, how thankful he was to have been able to make -so calm and peaceful the last days of the only friend it had ever given -him. Once again the road-side cottage was dismantled of everything -that made it homelike, and as the bleak wintry winds whistled round and -through it, who would have thought that such a little while ago an old -man had been comfortably housed there, and that it was only now left -tenantless, because its occupant no longer had need of any earthly -shelter. - - - -CHAPTER XXIV--TWO IMPORTANT LETTERS - - -[Illustration: 9201] - -VACUATION DAY, with all its excitement, was soon followed by that day -well nigh as eventful, when on the Fourth of December General Washington -took final leave of his officers “in the great historic room” at -Fraunces Tavern, a leavetaking that proved a very touching and trying -ordeal both for him and for them. Starlight and Flutters, who had -contrived to be in the forefront of the crowd that looked on, could have -told you how plainly strong emotion was betrayed on the brave General's -face, as he passed out from the tavern, and down to the barge that was -waiting to convey him to Paulus Hook on his way to Congress. - -But after that day, affairs settled down into much quieter channels than -they had known for some time--that is, at any rate as far as the people -with whom we have most to do are concerned. The Van Vleets had asked -Aunt Frances to make her home with them indefinitely, and though still -faintly cherishing the hope that she might have her own home back again -some day, she had accepted their invitation, and opened a little school -among the farmers' children in the neighborhood. Starlight was one of -her most promising pupils, and so his visits to Kings Bridge were of -necessity less frequent than they used to be. In that matter, Cousin -Harry had a great advantage over him, for having moved to New York in -order to be near his office, what more natural, and, as Harry would -have said, “what more delightful,” than to spend all his evenings at -the Bonifaces? And what a blessing those visits were to them, only they -themselves could have told you. As soon as he arrived he would first -go upstairs and have a talk with the Captain, ransacking his mind for -everything that could by any possibility interest him; then when he had -told the little or much that he had to tell, or saw that he was tiring -him, down he would go to the sitting-room, have a romp with Bonny Kate, -if she had managed to stay up past her bed-time, or possibly a game of -some sort with Hazel and Flutters, but it generally happened that after -a while there was no one left to talk to save Josephine, and of course -you know better than to think that Harry minded that. Josephine had -generally some bit of work in hand, and could not afford to simply laugh -and chat the evening away, with her pretty hands lying idle in her lap, -as perhaps is the case with your older sister, when some friend comes to -call. No, indeed! it was necessary in those days for her to stitch, and -stitch industriously in every available moment, if the Boniface needs -were to be in any wise met; nor did these two young people laugh and -chat very much either--the times were rather too serious for that; not -that they did not have a happy time of it, and sometimes were actually -merry, but, as a rule, they seemed to have something of importance to -quietly talk over. - -Meantime the winter came and went, and spring began to be felt in the -air, and an occasional early bird note, or a bunch of pussy willow by -the road-side, bore witness to the fact that it was slowly but surely -coming. - -It had seemed a long, long winter to Mrs. Boniface. For many weeks she -had lived the most retired life possible. Few had come to see her, and -there were but one or two friends left whom she cared to go and see. -If it had not been for Harry Avery, they would scarce have had any -communication with the outside world. - -There had been no further threats made against Captain Boniface. Even -the most bitter of his enemies would hardly have found it in his heart -to persecute a man who was so hopelessly paralyzed as never to be able -to walk again; but there was something very significant in the fact -that they simply left him alone. None of them in a relenting spirit had -called to inquire how he was, and if any of the old friends, who had -treated him so cruelly that night at the Assembly, ever felt ashamed -of their behavior, they never had the grace to own it. Indeed, it is -terrible to think how that great mastering passion, which we proudly -call patriotism, sometimes seems to smother every noble and natural -impulse. - -Soon after the Assembly, in fact that very night, Captain Boniface had -told his wife of the murders in South Carolina, and it seemed to her -then as though every spark of sympathy with the colonies and colonial -interests had that moment died within her. She was by far too noble to -let actual hatred take its place; but she longed with all her heart for -old England, where she had been born, and to turn her back on this new -country which had treated her so harshly. So Mrs. Boniface waited, -with no little anxiety, for the arrival of the long-looked-for letter, -cherishing the fervent hope that her father would send for them all to -come to him, planning thoughtfully all the details of their journey, and -yet never once daring to put her hope into words. It might happen that, -although willing enough to help them, he would not propose to do it by -having her little family sweep down upon him and rob the old rectory of -the quiet it had known so long, and which must be very grateful to -him in his old age. But at last the letter came, and Mrs. Boniface -straightway carried it off to Flutters's room, and closed the door and -locked it. Her hands trembled as she broke the seal. What were they to -do? that was the question that had anxiously confronted her for several -long, weary months; but always she had simply to postpone any attempt -to answer it, waiting for this letter; and now it was in her hand what -would it tell her? - -It proved to be a long, long letter, and she read it slowly through, -word by word; then she buried her face in her hands and cried; but -sometimes people cry for joy and not for sorrow. - -Late in the afternoon of the same day, Flutters was grooming - -Gladys in the barn, accompanying the process with a queer, buzzing -noise, such as I believe is quite common to grooming the world over. - -“Flutters, where are you?” called Hazel, coming into the barn in search -of him. - -“Here with Gladys, Miss Hazel.” - -“What do you think, Flutters?” and then Hazel climbed up and seated -herself on the edge of Gladys's trough, before adding: - -[Illustration: 0205] - -“We are going to England to live with grandpa. Mother says he's just the -dearest old man, and he's sent for us all to come. He lives in a lovely -rectory in Cheshire.” - -“You don't mean it, Miss Hazel!” said Flutters, his breath quite taken -away. - -“And of course you will go with me, Flutters. Mother says you may.” - -“It's very kind of you to be willing to take me,” Flutters managed to -reply, but at the same time realized that he would do almost anything -rather than go back to England, and to the very same county, too, from -which he had come; and he leaned down, apparently to brush some straw -from one of Gladys's legs, but really to hide the tears of bitter -disappointment that had sprung unbidden into his eyes. Fortunately, -the ruse succeeded very well, Hazel never dreaming but what he was as -delighted with the news as she herself. - -“I can't tell you how glad I am to go, Flutters, although mother says -we probably never should have gone, if it had not been for father's -illness. Things are getting so much quieter now that she thinks people -would have let us alone, and father could, perhaps, have found some way -to make a living, because, you see, we haven't much money left since the -war; but you knew that, Flutters?” - -Flutters sort of half nodded yes, seeing that something was expected of -him, but he was not paying close attention to what Hazel was saying. -How could he bear to have them go and leave him alone in America, and -whatever should he do? were the thoughts that were filling his mind. It -seemed as though every hair on Gladys's back was bristling with the same -sad questions, and then the thought came to him that Gladys herself -would probably be left behind, too, and he laid his hand affectionately -on her prettily arched neck. - -“I shall be glad to live in a King's country,” Hazel resumed, after a -little pause, “and not where everybody's as good as everybody else, and -where they don't have princes and princesses, and lovely palaces for -them to live in. But there's one thing I mean to do as soon as ever -I reach there, and that is, to get presented at Court, and tell King -George how the prisoners were treated on the 'Jersey,' He ought to -know about it, and when he does, I just guess those men will get the -punishment they deserve;” and her cheeks glowed with excitement at the -thought of the forthcoming interview. “Flutters, do you know anything -about the South of England--about Cheshire?” - -“Yes, something,” answered Flutters, getting a little better command of -himself. “In what part of it does your grandfather live?” - -“Feltstone, I think.” - -Flutters gave a sigh of relief. Feltstone was several miles from -Burnham, his old home, but it wasn't worth while to think of that; for -back to England he would not go. To be sure, there was a chance that if -Sergeant Bellows had found his father that he might be sent for; but he -could not bear to face that alternative, and would not till he had -to. And then, wondering if he ever would hear from the Sergeant, he -remembered that he had half-hoped and half-feared that the “Blue Bird,” - which had brought Mrs. Boniface's letter, would also bring one for him. - -As was to be expected, Hazel chatted on with much volubility about the -numerous arrangements for the coming journey, and how they would all -have to try to make everything as comfortable as possible for her -father. Now and then she felt conscious of a lack of enthusiasm on -Flutters's part, but the thought was only momentary, and her active -little mind at once travelled off in some new line of delightful -anticipation. All Flutters had to do was occasionally to answer a -question. He thought best not to say anything to Hazel about not going -with them until he should have talked with Mrs. Boniface. Meantime -Gladys's grooming was completed, and as her pretty mane had been plaited -by Hazel, as she talked, into half a dozen tight braids, she looked -quite as prim and trig as a little old maid on a Sunday. - -“Let's go up to the house, now,” said Hazel; “or, no, I'll tell you, -let's go up to the Marberrys and tell them.” - -“I can't go, Miss Hazel; your mother said she had something for me to -do in the house.” Whereupon Hazel pouted a little, thinking it more -fitting, no doubt, that body-servants should obey their mistresses -rather than their mistresses' mothers, but at the same time seeing that -it was useless for her to contend against the force of circumstances, -which in those days of much to do and few to do it, made Flutters a most -useful member of the household. - -“There are the Marberrys, now,” she cried, discovering them coming in at -the gate in their usual two-abreast fashion. - -“Flutters,” cried Milly, as they both broke into a little run, “here's -a letter for you; it came up with our mail by mistake.” Flutters reached -for it eagerly. > - -“It's directed just 'Flutters,' care of Captain Boniface,” ventured -Tilly; “that's queer, isn't it? Haven't you any other name, Flutters?” - -“Not now,” was Flutters's rather remarkable answer, and then he ran -back to the barn as if he had forgotten something important, but really, -because, like Mrs. Boniface, he did not want to have any one “round” - when he read his letter. He chose, too, to take his seat just where -Hazel had been sitting, before he opened it. Gladys looked on with -wide-eyed pony astonishment at this unwonted appropriation of her own -individual stall, but seemed, notwithstanding, to regard the matter -good-naturedly. - -If it were feasible to have schools for ponies, and Gladys had had the -benefit thereof, and at the same time no better manners than to have -looked over Flutters's shoulder, this is what she might have read “just -as easy as anything,” as you children say: - -The Bunch of Grapes, - -Burnham, Cheshire, England, - -February 23d, 1784. - -My dear Flutters: As perceived by the heading of this letter, I write -from the inn in your father's village, to which place I made haste to -journey so soon as I was favored with my furlough. And now, my dear -Flutters, I have sad news to break to you, and for which you must nerve -yourself, like the plucky little fellow that you are. Your good father -is no longer a sojourner in this sad world of ours. He died after a very -short illness, on the third of last September. I went to see his widow, -told her I had some knowledge of you, and that if your father had left -any message I would send it to you. She said she could not remember any, -save that he used sometimes to say that he would like to know if you -were well cared for. She does not seem to have as much heart as most -women, and blest if I blame you much for running off as you did. I think -your father left very little money, as folks say that your stepmother -will have to do something to support herself and her children. Wishing -I had better news to send you, Flutters, and with my dutiful respects to -the dear Bonifaces, I close this letter--the longest I ever wrote in my -life--and I hope never again to be obliged to write such another. - -Yours dutifully, - -R. A. Bellows. - -“Oh, Gladys,” cried Flutters, when he had finished reading, and, leaning -his head against the pony's head, he sobbed aloud. Such a whirl of -emotion as that letter awoke for Flutters could not be put into words, -and in his imagination he seemed to see his fathers grave and old -Bobbin's side by side. The Bonifaces were all he had left now, and they, -they were going to leave him; but, no, and a new light seemed to flash -in on his mind--what was there now to hinder his going with them? His -stepmother would never claim him. Indeed, she need never know he was in -England, and so there was a bright side to Flutters's sorrow, and after -a while he walked quietly out from the barn with the Sergeant's letter -in his hand, and straight to Mrs. Boniface, whom he found in the -Captain's room, and then and there he told them all his story, and after -the telling felt he was even nearer and dearer to his new friends than -ever he had been before. - -Only Gladys ever knew how intense had been Flutters's first sorrow on -reading the Sergeant's letter, but she was such a harum-scarum pony that -probably the memory of it went out of her head full as quickly as the -hairs, wet by Flutters's tears, dried on her forehead. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV.--A HAPPY DAY FOR AUNT FRANCES. - - -[Illustration: 9209] - -OOD news or sorrowful news does not always come to one in the form of a -carefully worded letter, as with Mrs. Boniface and Flutters, nor when, -because a letter of some sort is expected, one is in a way prepared for -it. More often it comes when you are least on the lookout for it, and -when life is running on uneventfully in worn grooves, as though it must -so run on forever. - -And in this same unanticipated fashion some very good news came to Aunt -Frances. - -It was just at sunset, and she was out on the river in a little boat -with Starlight. It had been one of those days that sometimes come in -the latter part of May as harbingers of summer. The school-room had been -close and warm, and Aunt Frances had left it with a headache, so that -Starlight, with a loving thoughtfulness that always went straight to her -heart, had proposed a row in the cool, early-evening air of the river, -and Aunt Frances had accepted. - -“Do not row hard, dear,” she said; “just paddle around leisurely not far -from the shore. I like it just as well;” and Starlight, who also felt a -little enervated by the languid day, was glad to take her at her word. -Indeed, none of the people of this little story were feeling very bright -and cheery just then. 'Rather heavy-hearted,' would have described them -all in greater or less degree, and the fact that the Bonifaces were -going away had much to do therewith. Even Hazel's rosy anticipations -of life under Old England's glorious monarchy, paled a little, as she -realized that such dear friends as Aunt Frances, Starlight, and the -Marberrys must be left behind, as well as everything else familiar to -her childhood. It had been decided that the Bonifaces should sail in the -“Blue Bird,” when she returned to England in the middle of June, and the -sight of her, as she lay at anchor in the harbor, was such a depressing -one to Starlight, that he contrived, as they rowed about on the river, -to keep his back turned toward her as much as possible. - -“Then it is really settled, Starlight, that the Bonifaces are going?” - said Aunt Frances, looking over toward the ship, and breaking a long -pause, during which they had both sat thoughtfully silent. - -“Yes,” Starlight answered resting on his oars. “I feel awfully sorry for -them.” - -“But they are not sorry for themselves, are they?” and Aunt Frances -drawing up her sleeve put her hand over the boat's side that the cool -water might splash against it. “I imagined that Mrs. Boniface was glad -to go back to England and to her father, whom she has not seen since she -was married, twenty-five years ago.” - -“Oh, yes, of course, she is glad on some accounts, but after all they go -because they must; and, besides, it's hard to go back to the country you -came from without having made a success of things. - -“But the war is entirely responsible for all the Captain's -troubles--everybody knows that well enough, and if any one deserves a -pension from the Crown he certainly does. He has sacrificed health and -friends and property in the service of the King.” - -“That's so,” said Starlight, “and it's a cruel shame that people like -the Bonifaces shouldn't be treated decently, and that people like us, -Aunt Frances, shouldn't be allowed to live in the houses that belong to -us.” - -“Sh--, Starlight,” said Aunt Frances, “there are some things you know -that it is better not to talk about any more; it only stirs us up and -to no purpose;” whereupon Starlight obediently lapsed into silence, and -nothing more was said till Aunt Frances, discovering a row-boat in -the middle of the river, coming toward them, exclaimed, “Who's that, I -wonder!” for boats were not so numerous in those days as to come and go -without notice. Starlight wondered too, but continued to row about in -an aimless fashion, till first thing they knew the approaching boat was -quite close upon them. - -“Who can it be?” said Aunt Frances, softly, and Starlight had only time -to reply, “It looks a little like Captain Wadsworth,” and Aunt Frances -to see that he was right in his conjecture, before the boat came within -speaking distance, and the Captain, touching his hat, said politely, -“Miss Avery, I believe.” - -“Yes, Captain Wadsworth;” for although Aunt Frances and the Captain had -never before exchanged words, their faces were well known to each other. -“Did you wish to see me?” she added, somewhat coldly. - -The Captain was too much of a gentleman to show that he noticed her -chilling manner, and remarked quite casually, “I merely came over to -tell you that I have decided after all to give up the idea of making my -home in this country, and that your home is at your disposal.” - -“What do you mean?” said Aunt Frances, unable to believe that she -heard aright. As for Starlight, he lost an oar overboard from sheer -excitement, which the man who was rowing Captain Wadsworth was kind -enough to fish out for him. - -“I mean,” said the Captain, “that you are free to enter your own home at -once; I propose to sail for England very soon and have already vacated -it.” - -“I do not understand you,” for Aunt Frances was more confused than she -had ever been in her life. “I can pay nothing for it. If you consider -that you have a right to live in it, you must consider that you also -have a right to sell it.” - -The Captain bit his lip, at a loss what to say, and Aunt Frances -realized that she was acting unkindly and perhaps rudely. - -“Do you mean,” she asked, “that there is nothing for me to do but simply -to walk into my old home?” and her face brightened unconsciously as she -spoke. - -“That is exactly what I mean, Miss Avery.” - -“You are very kind, Captain Wadsworth. You can hardly wonder, I am sure, -that I cannot find words in which to thank you.” - -“Why should you thank me?” the Colonel replied half mischievously. “You -have felt all along that the place rightfully belonged to you.” - -“But you had the law on your side, so what did it matter how I thought -or felt?” - -“It mattered a great deal, Miss Avery; so much that, law on my side or -no, I confess to you that I have not felt very comfortable in your home, -particularly since I moved my men out, and have had the place to myself. -Indeed, I've never really felt at home in the country, and half regret -having resigned my commission.” - -“You can imagine that all this is a great surprise to me,” said Aunt -Frances, never looking handsomer in her life, “though I acknowledge -having cherished just a faint little hope lately that it might come -about some day.” - -“Why lately, if I may ask, Miss Avery?”. - -“Because,” said Aunt Frances, blushing a little, “Colonel Hamilton told -me at the Assembly that he was sorry to have been the means of depriving -me of my home, and that he would endeavor to make any reparation -within his power. Will you think me rude in asking if he has in any way -influenced your decision?” - -“Colonel Hamilton? No, not in the least; but I believe the arguments of -a certain little woman, who came to me several months ago, have had much -to do with it.” - -“I know who it was,” exclaimed Starlight, eagerly, unable to keep silent -another moment; “I believe it was Hazel Boniface.” - -“And I believe you are her friend, 'Starlight,'” said the Captain, -having made up his mind to that fact much earlier in the conversation. - -Starlight said “Yes, sir,” with a beaming look which plainly declared -that he was proud to have that honor. - -All this while Peter, the Captain's man, had sat an interested listener, -enjoying everything with much the same relish perhaps as you or I would -enjoy the happy ending of a rather harrowing play, only this was by so -much the better, because it was real and not “make believe.” To keep -the boats from drifting apart, Peter kept a firm hand upon the rail of -Starlight's boat, and Starlight's upon his. Indeed, I think there was a -tacit understanding between them that on no account were those two boats -to be allowed to diverge a hair's-breadth until this whole delightful -matter should be unalterably settled. - -Of course Starlight's remark about Hazel had been another surprise to -Aunt Frances, and when Captain Wadsworth went on to tell her all about -Hazel's call in the warm September weather of the preceding autumn, and -how deep a hold her childish earnestness had taken upon him, it seemed -to Aunt Frances as though she could not wait to give her successful -little champion such a hug as she had never had in her life before. - -“She went to see Colonel Hamilton too,” said Starlight in the pause that -followed Captain Wadsworth's narration. - -“Then perhaps that partly accounts for Colonel Hamilton's kind feeling,” - said Aunt Frances slowly, as a new light seemed to shine in upon the -whole transaction. - -“I think it highly probable, Miss Avery. The old prophecy that a little -child shall lead them is more often fulfilled, even in this world, I -think, than most of us have any idea of.” - -Meantime the current of the river had carried the boats close into -shore, and Aunt Frances, with the charm of manner that was always -natural to her, asked the Captain to come up to the house, and he came -up, and accepted the Van Vleets' cordial invitation to stay to supper, -and not until the moon was high over the river did he call to Peter to -row him back to New York; and if the Colonel's body had grown as light -as his heart, old Peter's load would have been scarce heavier than a -feather. - - - -CHAPTER XXVI--THE “BLUE BIRD” WEIGHS ANCHOR - - -[Illustration: 9214] - -O, Starlight, I'm sorry, but I do not see how you can possibly be of the -least use in the world.” - -Captain Lewis tried to speak kindly, but, big boy or no, real -tears stood in Starlights eyes. “Why, do you feel as badly as that, -Starlight?” - -Starlight gave a nod which meant that he did feel just as badly as that, -and at the same time succeeded in choking down what he feared might have -proved an audible little sob. - -“Well, then, let me see,” and the Captain leaned forward on his rude -desk and thought a moment. They were in the cabin of the “Blue Bird,” - whither Starlight had rowed over that morning, with such a favor to ask -of the “Blue Bird's” Captain as he never yet had asked of anybody. - -“And yet you _could_ do little odds and ends for me now, couldn't you?” - continued the Captain, after what seemed to Starlight a never-ending -pause. - -“Yes, sir,” he answered frankly, brushing away his tears with his sleeve -in awkward boy fashion; “I'm sure I could save you ever so many steps. -You know I wouldn't think of going unless I really felt I could work my -passage.” - -“You are a proud little fellow, Job, but, then, I like your spirit, and -if you won't take the voyage as a cabin passenger at my invitation, why, -then, you shall go as you propose. Of course your Aunt has given her -consent.” - -“I have not asked her yet, sir. I thought it would be half the battle to -have your permission first.” - -The Captain laughed heartily over Starlight's diplomacy, and then they -talked on for a quarter of an hour longer, arranging the details of the -journey that was to be, if only Aunt Frances could be persuaded to -give her consent--a pretty big if, by the way. At the end of that time -Starlight, remembering that the Captain must have many things to attend -to, said good-afternoon, shaking his rough sailor hand with a world of -gratitude in his happy face. Then he clambered nimbly down the “Blue -Bird's” ladder, and jumping into his boat, rowed off toward New York and -toward home, for, scarcely able to believe their senses, Aunt Frances -and Starlight were back in the old house, with everything so nearly -restored to what it had been before that those two years in the Van -Vleet homestead already seemed half a dream. - -And now the 15th of June had dawned, and as the “Blue Bird” was to sail -that afternoon, everything was in readiness for the departure of the -Bonifaces, and everything was in readiness for something else, too, -which was nothing more nor less than a wedding at Aunt Frances's. -And who do you suppose were going to be married? Who, to be sure, but -Josephine and Harry, and Josephine was to stay in America, and her -home was to be right there in the old house with Aunt Frances. Strange, -wasn't it, that she should be willing to stay behind, when all the -family were going away across the ocean to live in England? But that is -one of the things that is often happening in this queer world of ours, -and the beauty of it is that it is all right and beautiful, and just as -the good Father Himself would have it. And so Josephine was married at -noon in Aunt Frances's parlor, and even her father was there, for it had -been arranged that the ceremony should be performed when the Bonifaces -were on their way to the “Blue Bird,” and when it would be an easy -matter simply to carry the Captain in and lift him on to the broad -lounge in the sitting-room. - -There was something sad in the fact that, so strong was party feeling -everywhere, that it had been difficult to find in the neighborhood the -four men needed to accomplish the moving of Captain Boniface into the -city and then out to the ship; four men, that is, who did not feel that -they had some sort of grudge against the English officer. But Jake, the -Marberrys' man, had at last pressed into the service three others of his -race, who bore Captain Boniface no ill-will. It was touching to see with -what tender care the four strong fellows lifted their helpless burden, -for although the Captain had recovered, as Dr. Melville said he would, -partial use of his arms and hands, he was still powerless to take a -single step. - -Mr. Marberry naturally officiated at the wedding, and the twins, -of course, were there, smiling and sweet, though possibly a little -self-conscious, in their new white dresses, with soft silk sashes, tied -in two exactly similar bows in the middle of their straight little -backs. And the Van Vleets were there, and Miss Pauline, who looked -rather mystified at the whole proceeding, and Captain Wadsworth besides, -and Colonel and Mrs. Hamilton, the two latter of whom were invited -because of Harry's position in the Colonel's office. - -It was doubtless a real satisfaction to Captain Wadsworth and Colonel -Hamilton to be present, though, when you come to think of it, it was -rather a remarkable state of things. - -Here they were attending a wedding in the very house that they had -lawfully succeeded in wresting from Miss Avery, and here she was -permanently established in her own home again, with the Captain out of -it, and of his own accord too. It was strange indeed how it had all come -about, and stranger still to think that a little girl of ten, mustering -up sufficient courage to call upon two strange gentlemen several months -before, had had much to do with bringing about this delightful change -in affairs; but, as we all hear so often that we do not half take in the -blessed truth of it, “God's ways are not as our ways,” and the trifles, -as we think them, are likely to prove anything but trifles. - -It was more than a delight to Harry to have Colonel Hamilton present -at his wedding, for although his employer was his senior by only a few -years, Harry looked up to him with an admiring veneration amounting -almost to worship. There was something about Alexander Hamilton that -inspired this sort of devotion, an air, some have said, of serious, -half-sad thoughtfulness, as though the cruel and unnecessary sacrifice -of his life, which he felt in honor bound to make in 1804, cast long -shadows of presentiment before it. - -[Illustration: 0217] - -When the ceremony was over, and Hazel had been the first to press the -lovingest sort of a kiss on Josephine's lips, all the rest gathered -around to congratulate the young couple, trying for the moment to forget -the sorrowful parting so soon to follow. Then when they had eaten, or -pretended to eat, some of the good things Aunt Frances had prepared -in honor of the occasion, it was time to go down to the barge that -was waiting at Fort George to carry the “Blue Bird's” passengers. -Josephine's good-byes were all said at the house. She could not bear to -have any strangers near when she took that long farewell of her father -and mother, and Hazel and Bonny Kate, and then, going up to the room -that Aunt Frances had fitted up for her, and burying her face in the -pillows of the sofa, it seemed to her as though her heart would break. -Sad enough for a bride, you think--so different from all the joyous -cheer that ought to belong to a wedding; and yet many happy days were -in store for Josephine, many happy years in the old homestead, never so -homelike and attractive as since Aunt Frances had regained possession of -it. There was quite a little company of them walking down to the barge, -so much of a company, indeed, that some boys, who noticed them, wondered -“what was up,” and having nothing better to do, followed in their train. -Captain Boniface, of course, was driven down, and so was Mrs. Boniface -and Kate; but Hazel preferred to walk, and with a “teary” little -Marberry on either arm made her way along with the rest. There was but -one bright spot on the otherwise dark horizon of those little Marberrys, -and that was that Hazel's pony, Gladys, had taken up her abode in the -Rector's stable, and was to be theirs from that day forth; and they took -a sort of gloomy comfort in determining that as soon as they had said -goodbye to Hazel herself they would go straight home and into Gladys's -stall, and ease their heavy little hearts by doing what they could for -the welfare of Hazel's pony. There was no doubt about it, the Marberrys -were the most devoted of friends; but there was one thing that puzzled -Hazel: Starlight was not as downcast as the occasion seemed to demand. -On the contrary, he seemed more cheerful than for many days, and the -nearer came the hour for the departure, why the more light-hearted. -It was most inexplicable. Could it be, she thought, that she had been -mistaken in him all these years, and that, after all, he was a boy with -no more feeling than “other boys”? - -It seems that Aunt Frances had finally given her consent to Starlight's -scheme to make the round trip on the “Blue Bird,” and see the Bonifaces -safely landed on British soil, not, however, you may be sure, until she -had talked the plan well over with Captain Lewis; but it had all been -kept a carefully guarded secret from Hazel, and even Flutters did not -know of it. At Fort George final leave was taken of Milly and Tilly, -Aunt Frances and the Van Vleets; but we will not say very much about -that. There are quite too many good-byes in the world for most of us as -it is, and yet, where were the happy meetings were it not for these same -good-byes? - -Harry Avery and Starlight went over in the barge to the vessel, and as -Starlight earlier in the day had stealthily stowed away his baggage, -consisting in greater part of an old violin, there was nothing to betray -that he had any thought other than to return in the barge with Harry -when the time came. - -It was not an easy thing to get Captain Boniface aboard of the “Blue -Bird,” but finally it was safely accomplished to the great relief of -everybody, including even Bonny Kate, who had been very much afraid the -men would let him fall. - -But no one watched the proceeding with greater evident anxiety than -Flutters, for Flutters had given himself over mind and body to the -Captain, anticipating his every wish, and trying to be both hands and -feet to him; and Hazel had been sufficiently gracious to resume without -demurring the brushing of her own clothes and sundry other little duties -which had of late been performed for her by Flutters. - -As for Flutters, now that his father was dead, it mattered not to him -where home might be, if it were only with the Bonifaces; but he thought -he should like some day, when they could spare him from the Rectory over -there in Cheshire, to run down to Burnham, and without letting them know -who he was, perhaps have a chat with those little white children of his -father's, that were babies when he left England, if he should happen to -find them playing in the garden of the house where he used to live. - -It was a beautiful early-summer day, that 15th of June, and the bay lay -sparkling like silver in the sunshine. The “Blue Bird” was booked to -sail at three o'clock, and at the exact moment the sailors began pulling -hand over hand with their “Yo, heave O,” and the “Blue Bird's” anchor was -weighed. - -Harry Avery had kissed Mrs. Boniface good-bye, and once again promised, -with a tremble in his voice, “to take the best care of Josephine,” and -now he was climbing down the ship's side, and the rowers of the barge, -bending to their oars, were simply waiting to “give way,” till he should -have stepped aboard. - -Starlight, with hands in his trousers' pockets, stood on the “Blue -Bird's” deck, apparently unconcerned. Flutters, wondering what the -fellow could be thinking of, with an excited gesture gave him a shove in -the direction of the barge, while Hazel, with a strong accent on every -word, cried, “Another minute, Job Starlight, and you'll be left.” - -[Illustration: 0219] - -“It can't be helped, Hazel; I'm left now,” Starlight answered, and -indeed truthfully, for the barge was already yards away; then, seeing -how real was Hazel's anxiety over what she deemed a most distressing -accident, he hastened to announce, his face wreathed in smiles, “But -it's all right, Hazel; I am going to see you safe to England, and Aunt -Frances is in the secret.” Hazel, as weak as a kitten with delight and -astonishment, leaned against the ship's rail, and could not find voice -to speak for two whole minutes; while Captain Lewis looked on, rubbing -his palms complacently together, and thinking what a grand thing it was -to have had a hand in a surprise like that. - -[Illustration: 0221] - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Loyal Little Red-Coat, by Ruth Ogden - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LOYAL LITTLE RED-COAT *** - -***** This file should be named 54132-0.txt or 54132-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/1/3/54132/ - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: A Loyal Little Red-Coat - A Story of Child-life in New York a Hundred Years Ago - -Author: Ruth Ogden - -Illustrator: H. A. Ogden - -Release Date: February 26, 2017 [EBook #54132] -Last Updated: March 13, 2018 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LOYAL LITTLE RED-COAT *** - - - - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - - - - - -</pre> - - <div style="height: 8em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h1> - A LOYAL LITTLE RED-COAT - </h1> - <h3> - A Story of Child-life in New York a Hundred Years Ago - </h3> - <h2> - By Ruth Ogden - </h2> - <h5> - Fourth Edition - </h5> - <h3> - Illustrated by H. A. Ogden - </h3> - <h4> - New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company - </h4> - <h3> - 1890 - </h3> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0001" id="linkimage-0001"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0001.jpg" alt="0001 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0001.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0002" id="linkimage-0002"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0006.jpg" alt="0006 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0006.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0003" id="linkimage-0003"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0007.jpg" alt="0007 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0007.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <p> - <b>CONTENTS</b> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2H_PREF"> PREFACE. </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> <b>A LOYAL LITTLE RED-COAT</b> </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I.—ON THE ALBANY COACH </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II.—HAZEL SPEAKS HER MIND. </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III.—THE CIRCUS, AND WHAT CAME OF - IT. </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV.—FLUTTERS. </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V.—CAPTAIN BONIFACE RECEIVES AN - ANGRY LETTER. </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI.—OFF FOR THE PRISON-SHIP. </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII—HARRY'S STORY </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII.—A CALL ON COLONEL HAMILTON. - </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX.—FLUTTERS HAS A BENEFIT. </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X.—DARLING OLD AUNT FRANCES. </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI.—THE VAN VLEETS GIVE A - TEA-PARTY. </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII.—AN INTERRUPTION. </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII.—MORE ABOUT THE TEA-PARTY. - </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV.—HAZEL HAS A CONVICTION. </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV.—FLUTTERS COMES TO THE FRONT. - </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI.—COLONEL HAMILTON “TAKES TO” - HARRY. </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER XVII.—IN THE LITTLE GOLD GALLERY. - </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER XVIII.—MORE OF A RED-COAT THAN - EVER. </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0019"> CHAPTER XIX—A SAD LITTLE CHAPTER </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER XX—FLUTTERS COMES TO A DECISION - </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER XXI—SOME OLD FRIENDS COME TO LIGHT - </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER XXII—GOOD-BYE SIR GUY </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0023"> CHAPTER XXIII—FLUTTERS LOSES ONE OF THE OLD - FRIENDS </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0024"> CHAPTER XXIV—TWO IMPORTANT LETTERS </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0025"> CHAPTER XXV.—A HAPPY DAY FOR AUNT FRANCES. - </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0026"> CHAPTER XXVI—THE “BLUE BIRD” WEIGHS ANCHOR - </a> - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2H_PREF" id="link2H_PREF"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - PREFACE. - </h2> - <p class="pfirst"> - <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">I</span>n the introductory - chapter of “The History of the People of the United States,” Mr. McMaster - announces as his subject, “The history of the people from the close of the - war for Independence down to the opening of the war between the States.” - It seems at first thought improbable that a history excluding both the - Revolution and the Civil War should prove in any great degree interesting, - but the first twelve pages suffice to convince one to the contrary. With - consummate skill in selection and narration, Mr. McMaster has brought to - light information of a singularly novel character. Impressed with this - unlooked-for quality, it occurred to me that here was ground that had not - been previously gone over—not, at any rate, in a story for children. - “A Loyal Little Red-Coat” has been the outcome. Whether I have succeeded - in transferring to these pages aught of the peculiar interest of the - history remains to be seen. This much may be said, however, that every - historical allusion is based upon actual fact. The English Circus, the - Captain's letter, Harry's Prison-Ship experiences, Alexander Hamilton's - successful defence of a Tory client, the treatment of the Bonifaces at the - ball—all find their counterpart in the realities of a century ago. - For much of the minor historical detail I am indebted to those rare and - quaint old volumes, carefully treasured by our historical societies, which - make possible the faithful recounting of the story of bygone days. In my - attempt to reproduce the child-life of a time so far removed, I have - probably been guilty of some anachronisms. If, however, I have woven a - page of history into a story that, by any chance, shall interest the - children, for whom it has been a delight to me to write it, I shall be - sincerely grateful. - </p> - <p> - Ruth Ogden. - </p> - <p> - Brooklyn, N. Y. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - A LOYAL LITTLE RED-COAT - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER I.—ON THE ALBANY COACH - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0004" id="linkimage-0004"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9013.jpg" alt="9013 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9013.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - AZEL BONIFACE was a Loyalist, which means that she was a hearty little - champion of King George the Third of England, and this notwithstanding she - lived in America, and was born there. It had happened to be on a crisp - October morning of the year 1773 that Hazel's gray eyes first saw the - light, and they no sooner saw the light than they saw a wonderful red - coat, and just as soon as she was able to understand it, she learned that - that red coat belonged to her papa, and that her papa belonged to King - George's army. So, after all, you see it was but natural that she should - have been a little Loyalist from the start, and quite to have been - expected that she should, grow more and more staunch with every year. - </p> - <p> - Now it chanced one midwinter afternoon, when Hazel was about six years - old, that she came into the city—that is, into New York—on an - errand with her father, and that she stood for a while watching a merry - party of boys, who were having the jolliest sort of a time coasting down - Powder House Hill, and skating on the clear, crystal ice of the Collect. - The Collect and Powder House Hill! You never heard of them, did you, and - yet may have lived in New York all your life; but you may believe the - little New Yorkers of those days knew them and loved them. - </p> - <p> - The Collect (though where it got its name no one knows) was a beautiful - sheet of water connected with the North River by a creek crossing - Broadway, where we now have Canal street, and the hill where the Powder - House stood was one of the pretty heights that bordered it. Wouldn't some - of the little people who live in that crowded part of the city to-day be - surprised to know, that only a hundred years ago ponds and hills took the - place of the level city streets, and that a boy could start way over east - of Broadway, skate under the arch at Canal street, and then strike out - across the broad Lispenard meadows straight to the North River? But those - boys of the olden time, who were spending their short afternoon holiday - there on the ice, were exactly like the boys of to-day, in that they were - cutting up the very silliest sort of capers. Hazel, however, thought it - all very funny, and longing for the time when she should have a pair of - skates of her own, wondered if that boy with the pretty name—that - boy the other boys called Starlight—would teach her how to use them. - And so one time when he came gliding her way she called out, quite to the - surprise of her father, whose hand she stood holding, “Will you teach me - how to skate when I grow old enough, Starlight?” - </p> - <p> - “Bless your heart, yes,” came the answer, as soon as the finest little - skater that ever buckled skates on the Collect could put the brakes to his - winged feet, “but you must tell me your name, so that I shall know you - when you grow up.” - </p> - <p> - “Hazel, Hazel Boniface,” she replied; “and is your name really Starlight? - It's a beautiful name.” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, Starlight's my last name; my other name is Job; that isn't so - pretty, is it?” - </p> - <p> - “I should think not; I shall always call you just Starlight.” - </p> - <p> - And Hazel had been true to her word, and had always called Job just - Starlight, and Job had been true to his promise, and had long ago taught - Hazel to skate, for she was ten now and he fourteen, and they had been the - best of friends this long while, notwithstanding Job was as zealous a Whig - as was Hazel a Loyalist. - </p> - <p> - And now, for fear you should not happen to know just what is meant by Whig - and Loyalist, you must—there is no help for it if you are to - understand this story—put up with a solid little bit of history - right here and now. You see Hazel was born in 1773, and as she has just - scored a tenth birthday, that brings us to 1783, and 1783 found affairs in - New York in a decidedly topsy-turvy state. A great war had been going on - for eight long years called, as you know, the war of the Revolution, - because the colonies in America had <i>revolted</i>, declaring their - determination to be independent, and that King George of England should no - longer be their king. And all that while, that is, during those eight long - years, King George's soldiers had been in possession of New York, and many - of the Whigs—and Whigs, remember, are the people who sided against - King George—had fled from their dwellings, and scores of Loyalists, - pouring into the city to be under the protection of the English soldiers, - had made their homes in the Whigs' empty houses. But now matters were - beginning to look very differently. The great war was over, the colonies - had been successful, and although the English soldiers were still in New - York, they were soon to go, every one of them, and the Whigs were - returning in great numbers, and trying to turn out the Loyalists, whom - they found living in their homes. Most of these Loyalists, however, were - very loath to go, some of them, indeed, avowing that go they would not! No - wonder, then, that affairs in New York in 1783 were in a decidedly - topsy-turvy state; and this brings us to the real commencement of our - story, and to Hazel, sitting alone on the porch of her home at Kings - Bridge, and with a most woe-begone expression on her usually happy face. - Suddenly a new thought seemed to strike her, and she started on a brisk - little run for the gate; but it was simply that, hearing the sound of - wheels in the distance, she knew that the Albany coach was coming, and the - Albany coach was what she was waiting for. That was long before the days - of railroads, and when all the travelling must needs be done in that - “slow-coach” fashion. - </p> - <p> - The Albany stage was generally full inside, and, as Hazel expected, this - morning was no exception; but that did not make the least difference in - the world to her, for what she wanted was a seat beside Joe Ainsworth, the - driver. Indeed, it was not an unusual thing for Hazel to ask for a ride - into town, nor for Joe to grant it, so that the moment he spied her - standing in the road ahead of him, he knew what it meant, and reined up - his four dusty white horses. - </p> - <p> - Hazel looked very sweet and fresh, no doubt, in the eyes of the wearied - travellers, who had journeyed all night in the jouncing stage, and, in - fact, she would have looked sweet and fresh in the eyes of anybody whose - eyes were good for very much. She wore a quaint little gown and kerchief, - as yet without rumple or wrinkle, for it was but nine o'clock in the - morning, and breakfast and a quiet little “think” on the porch had not - proved in the least damaging to either skirt or kerchief. To tell the - truth, Hazel had an intense regard for a fresh and dainty toilet, and - somehow contrived to scale the side of the coach without in any way - begriming her pretty dress, although she was obliged to make use of one - great dusty wheel in ascending. First she planted both feet on its hub, - and then by aid of Joe's hand fairly bounded to her seat beside him with - quite as much grace as a little deer of the forest, and a “little dear” - she was in point of fact, if you alter but one letter in the spelling. - </p> - <p> - “Well, Miss Hazel,” said Joe, after he had started up his horses, “how are - you this warm morning?” for it was early September, and the sun was - already shining hotly down upon them. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, I'm very well then,” after a moment's pause, “No, I don't believe I - am very well, either, because, Joe, I feel very blue.” - </p> - <p> - “Blue!” exclaimed Joe; “you blue! Why, you ought not to learn even the - meaning of the word these twenty years yet.” - </p> - <p> - “Some children learn it very young, Joe,” with a real little sigh. - </p> - <p> - “But what in creation have you to be blue about, I'd like to know? Perhaps - you have gotten a spot on that pretty Sunday frock of yours,” for Joe knew - Hazel's little weakness in that direction. - </p> - <p> - “Joe!” said Hazel, indignantly, and with such a world of reproof in her - tone that Joe had to pretend to cough to keep from laughing. “If you think - a moment, Joe, I'm sure you will remember that I have reason to feel very, - very blue indeed.” - </p> - <p> - Hazel was so serious that Joe felt in duty bound to put his thinking-cap - on, and ransacked his brain for the possible occasion of her depression. - Hazel, with childish dignity, did not offer to help him in the matter, and - they drove for a few moments in a silence broken only by the creak of the - weather-beaten stage, and the regular, monotonous rattle of the - loose-fitting harness. Down through the dusty yellow leaves of the - roadside trees the sunlight filtered, to the dustier hedges below, and - there was little or no life in the air. Indeed, it was a morning when one - had need to be very much preoccupied <i>not</i> to feel blue, as Hazel - called it, and a discriminating person might have deemed the weather in a - measure responsible for her down-heartedness. Meanwhile the horses jogged - along at the merest little pretence of a trot, and, missing the customary, - “Get-up, Jenny!” and “Whist there, Kate!” subsided into a walk, varied - more than once by a deliberate standstill, whenever the “off-leader” saw - fit to dislodge a persistent fly by the aid of a hind hoof. “Look here, - driver!” called one of the passengers at last, “there's a snail on the - fence there, that will beat us into town if you don't look out.” The fact - was, Joe had not only put his thinking-cap on, but had pulled it so far - down over his ears, that he had quite forgotten all about his horses and - Hazel, and his thoughts had gone “wool-gathering,” as old people's - thoughts have a fashion of going. “Get along with you,” he called to the - tired team, thoroughly roused from his reveries, and spurring them into - greater activity with his long whip-lash; then, turning to Hazel, he said—“Come - to think of it, I should not wonder if you are blue about that little - Starlight matter.” - </p> - <p> - “Little Starlight matter! Do you think it's a little matter, Mr. - Ainsworth, to be kept out of your house and have a lot of soldiers living - in it?” - </p> - <p> - “But they are King George's soldiers; that ought to make it all right in - your eyes, Miss Hazel.” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, the men are not to blame; they have to do as the officers tell them; - but I hate that old Captain Wadsworth. Sometimes I think I'll write and - tell King George what a dreadful man he is, for I don't believe he knows. - But, after all, they say it's an American, our own Colonel Hamilton, - that's most to blame.” - </p> - <p> - “Alexander Hamilton! Why, how's that?” exclaimed Joe, knowing well enough, - but wishing to hear Hazel grow eloquent on the subject. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0005" id="linkimage-0005"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0018.jpg" alt="0018 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0018.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - “Well, this is how it is, Mr. Ainsworth,” and Hazel folded her hands and - composed herself for what promised to be quite a long story. “You know the - Starlights. Well, they've lived right on that same piece of land ever - since Job's great-great-grandfather, who was an Englishman, married a - Dutch wife and came to live in New York. Why, there weren't more than - half-a-dozen houses here when they came, and if anybody has a right to - their land and their house, they have. They used to be a very big family, - the Starlights did, but now there's only Job left and his Aunt Frances. - She's the loveliest lady, Joe, and so very fond of Starlight (that's Job), - and Starlight is just as good to her as a boy can be. Well, one night, - nearly two years ago, a party of English soldiers (some of them were awful - bad fellows, Joe, even if they were the King's men) went about the street - doing just about as they pleased, and Miss Avery—that is, Aunt - Frances—was very much frightened, as well she might be, and the next - day she packed up and took the ferry to Paulus Hook, to stay with some - friends of hers, who live over there and own a big farm.” - </p> - <p> - “You mean the Van Vleets, don't you?” questioned Joe, now wisely dividing - his attention between Hazel's narrative and his horses, who were only too - quick to detect any lack of vigilance on his part. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, do you know them, Joe?” - </p> - <p> - “Know 'em like a book, Miss Hazel. Old Jacob Van Vleet has been over the - road with me scores of times.” - </p> - <p> - “Well, they're very kind people, Joe, and Starlight and his aunt are - living there still, only now that the war is over they want to come back.” - </p> - <p> - “And that's not an easy thing to do, is it,” laughed Joe, “when your house - is full of English officers and their men?” - </p> - <p> - “But the soldiers have no right there, Joe, and the worst of it is, - Captain Wadsworth says he is going to resign his commission and stay after - his men go back to England, and make it his own home. He says it belongs - to him. It was given to him, after Miss Avery left it, by what they call a - military order. But, military order or no, Joe, that house belongs to Aunt - Frances.” - </p> - <p> - “Of course it would seem so, Miss Hazel—” - </p> - <p> - “And if it hadn't been for Colonel Alexander Hamilton she'd be in it - to-day, Joe. You see she went to law about it, and they say Colonel - Hamilton, who took Captain Wadsworth's side, is so smart and so handsome - that he just talked the court into deciding against her.” - </p> - <p> - “It certainly was mighty queer in Lawyer Hamilton,” said Joe, - meditatively, “to turn against his own side in that fashion; but, Miss - Hazel, why don't you go and see him about it?” - </p> - <p> - Hazel looked up a moment with a questioning gaze to see if he Were quite - in earnest. - </p> - <p> - “That is just what I am going to do this very day,” she answered, - reassured, “and first I want to see Captain Wadsworth. Let me down at the - Starlights' gate, please.” - </p> - <p> - So a few moments later the Albany coach reined up in front of the - Starlight homestead, and Hazel, jumping quickly down from the coach with a - “Thank you for the ride, Joe,” swung open the old Dutch gate with an air - well calculated to make the heart of Captain Wadsworth quake. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER II.—HAZEL SPEAKS HER MIND. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0006" id="linkimage-0006"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9021.jpg" alt="9021 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9021.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - ORE than one pair of ears heard the creak of the clumsy Dutch gate as it - swung on its hinges for Hazel, for every door and window of Captain - Wadsworth's quarters stood wide open to catch all there was of any little - cooling breeze which might bestir itself that close September morning. And - more than one pair of eyes glancing in the same direction saw Hazel coming - up the path and brightened at the sight of her. They knew her well, all - those English soldiers, for she had often accompanied her father when he - had come among them on business, and while he was busy here and there, had - chattered in her frank, fearless way with one and another. Indeed, owing - to her loyalist principles and a little red coat which she was in the - habit of wearing, she was familiarly known among the rank and file of his - Majesty's service as “Little Red-Coat,” and often addressed by that name. - But this was her first visit all by herself, and, to tell the truth, Hazel - had some misgiving as to its propriety, and as to her own behavior in - running off in this fashion, for she had announced her departure to no - one. Her sister Josephine, however, had happened to see her taking her - seat on the Albany stage, and wondered what she was up to. But “runaway” - or no, the eyes that saw Hazel Boniface did nevertheless brighten at the - sight of her, from those of Captain Wadsworth's old body-servant, who was - brushing the Captain's clothes very vigorously from one of the - dormer-windows in the steep sloping roof, to those of the Captain himself, - who sat tipped back in a great arm-chair in a corner of the wide piazza. - </p> - <p> - “Good-morning, Hazel,” said the Captain, rising to meet her. “Have you - come on some errand for your papa, or simply to pay us a nice little visit - and cheer us up a bit? English soldiers need cheering nowadays, you know.” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I know,” said Hazel, sympathetically; for, true to her Loyalist - sentiments, she felt sorry enough that these same English soldiers had not - been successful in the war they had been waging; but her mind was intent - at present on her own private business. - </p> - <p> - “I have come just to make you a little visit, Captain Wadsworth,” she - continued, “and to talk to you a little, and I don't believe I can cheer - you up at all, because I am pretty blue myself.” - </p> - <p> - The corners of Captain Wadsworth's mouth twitched at the thought of such a - fair and youthful little specimen indulging in the blues; but he succeeded - in asking gravely, as he led the way indoors, “Why, how ever can that be? - Come right into the office here and tell me all about it.” - </p> - <p> - “This isn't the office at all,” she said, emphatically, as she took her - seat on a little Dutch rocker that had been Aunt Frances's sewing-chair. - “This is the sitting-room, and it's dreadful, Captain Wadsworth, to see it - so dusty.” - </p> - <p> - Captain Wadsworth looked decidedly puzzled and astonished for a moment, - then he added, slowly, “Oh, I see! I suppose you knew the people who used - to own this house?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, sir, and I know them now; they're the very best friends I have; and, - if you please, this house belongs to them still, and they would like to - come back just as soon as you can move your men out, and,” noting a few - unfamiliar objects in the room, “your furniture and other things.” - </p> - <p> - It must be confessed that this was rather a bold speech for a little maid - to venture quite upon her own authority, but Hazel had made this visit for - no other reason than plainly to speak her mind, and speak it she would, - though she did have to screw her courage up to the very highest pitch in - order to accomplish it. - </p> - <p> - “Do <i>you</i> mean to say, Miss Hazel, that you think we have no right - here?” questioned the Captain.. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, sir,” Hazel answered warmly, feeling, somehow, that Captain - Wadsworth was open to conviction. “You see you really have no right here - at all, and I thought that as soon as you understood that you would not - stay another minute.” - </p> - <p> - “But the trouble is, I don't understand it; the law says it belongs to me, - you know.” - </p> - <p> - “Then I guess the law does not tell the truth, Captain Wadsworth, because - even the law cannot make a thing so that isn't so, can it?” - </p> - <p> - “Why, no, certainly not, and it isn't supposed to even try to do that sort - of thing, I take it.” - </p> - <p> - “But that's just what it does exactly,” said Hazel, and in her eagerness - she deserted the little rocker and came and leaned on the desk near to the - Captain. “You know,” she said, confidentially, “I'm just as true to King - George as true can be, and I am awful sorry his soldiers have been beaten, - and I don't think a country without a King is any good at all. Sometimes - I'm almost ashamed that I was born here; but still, some very nice people, - like Miss Avery and Starlight, do not think just as I do, and I think - their rights ought to be respected.” - </p> - <p> - These were pretty big words, and the Captain looked as though he thought - so; but even a very little woman, when she is very much in earnest, - sometimes finds language at her command quite as astonishing to herself as - to her hearers. “Rights ought to be respected”—certainly that did - sound remarkable. Hazel herself wondered where she had picked up so fine - an expression, and one that suited so well. - </p> - <p> - “Who is Starlight?” asked the Captain, willing to digress a little from - the main point. - </p> - <p> - “The owner of this house,” said Hazel, not willing to digress at all. - </p> - <p> - “Why, I thought it used to belong to Miss Avery; the property certainly - stood in her name.” The Captain was careful to use only the past tense. - According to his way of thinking, that Starlight homestead was just as - rightfully his as though he had bought and paid for it. - </p> - <p> - And so Hazel said, “Good-by, Captain,” and the Captain bowed her out of - his office as gallantly as though she had been a little princess. Four or - five of the men had gathered on the porch outside, thinking to have a chat - with her when she should have finished her errand with the Captain, but - Hazel, absorbed in her own thoughts, was about to pass them by without so - much as a word. - </p> - <p> - “Look here, Miss Hazel, aren't you going to speak to a fellow?” one of the - men called after her. “Yes, of course I am,” Hazel replied, as though that - had been her full intention, and, going back, held out her hand to - Sergeant Bellows, the man who had called to her, and then, as it seemed to - be expected of her, shook hands in a friendly way with the other men, all - of whom she knew by name. But it was easy enough for the dullest among - them to discover that her greeting lacked all its wonted cheeriness. - Indeed, Hazel had not yet learned the need of disguising her real - feelings, and always “carried her heart on her sleeve,” as the saying - goes, so that you were at perfect liberty to share all its sentiments, - whether of joy or sorrow. So it was not strange that for the third time - she was questioned as to the reason for her evident depression. “Feeling a - little down this morning, eh?” asked Sergeant Bellows. - </p> - <p> - Hazel nodded her head in assent. “There's nothing an old sergeant could do - for you, is there, Miss Hazel?” - </p> - <p> - “Nor a corporal?” asked one of the other men. - </p> - <p> - “Nor a high private?” asked another. Hazel took their offers of assistance - in perfect good faith, and would not have hesitated to call upon any or - all of them, but she really did not see how they could be of any use to - her, and shook her head hopelessly. - </p> - <p> - “No, I think not. The only man who can help me now is Colonel Hamilton, - and I don't expect very much of him. What I came down for was to ask - Captain Wadsworth if he would not let the people who own this house come - back to it; but he does not think they own it at all any more, and I don't - see what they are ever going to do. How would you feel, I'd like to know,” - she asked, eagerly, “if you were an aunt and a little boy, and had to run - away from your home, and, when you wanted to come back, found an English - Captain living in it, who said he was going to stay there?” Some of the - men looked as though they could not possibly tell how they would feel if - they were “an aunt and a little boy,” but they were saved the - embarrassment of being obliged to answer such a difficult question by - Hazel's abrupt departure? She had suddenly spied a familiar hat lurking - behind the shrubbery near the gate, and was off in a flash. “Good-by,” she - called back, “some one is waiting for me.” Some one was waiting for her—some - one had been waiting for her quite awhile and had grown rather impatient - in the waiting. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0007" id="linkimage-0007"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figright" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/8025.jpg" alt="8025 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/8025.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - “I thought you would never come, Hazel,” said the owner of the hat, as - soon as she swept down upon him in his retreat behind the bushes. - </p> - <p> - “Why, I did not see you till a moment ago. How long have you been here, - and when did you come?” - </p> - <p> - “I came over on the earliest ferry this morning. I pulled an oar and - worked my way over. You know, Hazel, I do not like to ask Aunt Frances for - money now if I can possibly help it.” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I know,” she answered, sadly. - </p> - <p> - “I can't tell you how it makes me feel, Hazel, to look up at the old house - there with all those soldiers in it,” said Job, rather savagely, for, of - course, the new-comer was none other than Starlight himself. “I'd just - like to rush right in and choke every one of 'em.” - </p> - <p> - “And I'd like to help you,” Hazel replied warmly. - </p> - <p> - Starlight looked up astonished. It was something new for Hazel to side - against the Red-Coats, and he gave a low whistle of surprise. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, really, I would,” Hazel reiterated. “If King George's men had beaten - you Americans, I suppose you wouldn't have expected to get your home back - again; but to think that you have beaten, and yet that Captain Wadsworth - says he is going to stay in it, and that a great lawyer, and one of your - own officers like Colonel Hamilton, says he has a right to—well, I - can't understand it.” - </p> - <p> - “Neither can I,” said Starlight, indignantly; and both children seriously - shook their heads from side to side, as there was no gainsaying that great - man. By mutual consent the children had turned their backs on the - homestead and their faces in the direction of Hazel's home. - </p> - <p> - To say that, side by side, they strolled up the Bowery, and that now and - then Hazel would pause a moment to pick a plumy spray of asters, growing - by the wayside, must sound funny enough in the ears of any one who knows - what the Bowery is to-day. Can it be possible that that great busy - thoroughfare, with its block after block of cheap shops, crowded - tenements, dime museums, and who knows what, less than a hundred years ago - was a country lane? and where to-day train after train goes whizzing by on - its mid-air track, birds sang in apple-tree boughs and children gathered - daisies in spring-time and golden rod in autumn? Yes, my dear, it is - possible; for who can measure the great transforming power of even a - single century, and Father Time has never wrought vaster or more rapid - changes than in the self-same hundred years which lie between the - childhood of Starlight and Hazel, in 1783, and yours of to-day. - </p> - <p> - So, true it was that our little friends strolled up Bowery Lane, for that - was the pleasantest way home, and true it was that the lane was skirted - with orchards and the gardens of old Dutch homesteads, where almost every - variety of autumn flower was blooming, in a blaze of color, in the early - September weather. - </p> - <p> - At the prospect of a visit from Starlight, Hazel had at once abandoned all - thought of an immediate call upon Lawyer Hamilton. Even that important - matter could be postponed for the delight of companionship with this old - friend, a companionship sadly interfered with by all the untoward - circumstances of the times in which they lived. - </p> - <p> - “And Colonel Hamilton says,” Starlight resumed, after five or ten minutes, - which had been devoted to a plying of eager questions regarding each - others general welfare, “that Captain Wadsworth can stay in our house, - does he?” - </p> - <p> - “I don't know exactly what he says; something like that, I guess; but I am - going to find out for myself, and ask him the reasons, too. I was going - there this morning if you had not come.” - </p> - <p> - “You are awfully good, Hazel.” - </p> - <p> - “I'm glad you think so, Starlight, 'cause I know some people who don't,” - and Hazel indulged in a little sigh. “I suppose I shall have a scolding - when I get home, this very morning, for I sort of ran away. I saw the - Albany coach coming, and I had to hurry so in time to stop it, that I did - not think to ask Josephine's leave or anybody's.” - </p> - <p> - “But Josephine saw you go. That's the way I found you. She saw Joe - Ainsworth help you on to the coach, and I thought perhaps you'd gone down - to the homestead, for that's where you always used to come on the Albany - coach, you know.” It was Starlight's turn for a sigh now, and he drew such - a heavy one that it seemed fairly to come from the bottom of his boots. - </p> - <p> - “Say, Starlight,” said Hazel, suddenly, and, no doubt, with a desire to - brighten matters up a bit, “an English circus came to town to-day. They - open to-morrow. Can you stay over tomorrow?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, till the day after. I heard about the circus. I've never been to a - circus in my life, and I'd give—why, I'd give anything I own to go, - and if that wouldn't do, I half believe I'd almost hook something.” The - question of ways and means was ever present nowadays to poor Job with his - sadly depleted pocket-book. - </p> - <p> - “I don't believe you'll need to <i>hook</i> anything, Starlight,” answered - Hazel, with an implied rebuke, which was, of course, quite proper, “I have - a little money of my own.” - </p> - <p> - “Of course, I don't mean I really would, Hazel. I should think you'd know - that I'm rather above that sort of thing. If you don't, you ought to, by - this time. I only meant that I should very much <i>like</i> to go.” - </p> - <p> - “Then next time you had better be more careful to say just what you mean, - Job.” Whenever Hazel had any little reproof to administer she thought it - much more impressive to make use of Starlight's solemn little first name. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER III.—THE CIRCUS, AND WHAT CAME OF IT. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0008" id="linkimage-0008"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9031.jpg" alt="9031 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9031.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - LOWLY out of the great ocean rose the sun the next morning, shooting his - long rays over level Long Island, spanning the East River and touching - with rosy light the hill on which Captain Boniface had built his - comfortable home. What a wonderful tale, provided his memory is good and - his eyesight strong, this same old sun could tell, particularly if he had - the moon to help him, for, whether shining brightly, or peering through - mists of heavy clouds, between them they have seen most of this world's - doings. One thing is certain, however change, change, change would be the - theme of all their story. Old ocean alone remains always the same; for - even the “everlasting hills” may be pierced by boring tunnels and - disfigured by the shafts and engines of unsightly mines. And this that is - true of the whole world is true of every inhabited corner of it, and - doubly true of that particular corner where we find New York mapped out - to-day. Row upon row of dwellings—mansion and hut crowding close - upon one another; mile after mile of stores, warehouses, and every - conceivable sort of structure, and yet only a hundred years, and lo! there - was none of it. - </p> - <p> - Do you chance to know where St. Paul's Church stands on Broadway, on the - block bounded by Fulton and Vesey streets? Then let me tell you that no - longer ago than 1784 St. Paul's was on the very outskirts of the city. - Just above it were two fine dwellings, which now form part of the Astor - House, and a little farther on a highway leading to the right bore the - weather-beaten sign, “The Road to Boston,” and another turning to the - left, “The Road to Albany,” and Hazel's home was a mile or more out on - this Albany road. Beyond were only open fields, with here and there a - farm-dwelling or country homestead, and an occasional “mead-house” or - “tea-garden,” for the refreshment of jaded travellers, or pleasure-seeking - parties from the town. Nearly on the site of the present City Hall stood - the almshouse, and in close proximity the jail, while sandwiched in - between them were the gallows, not exactly affording what might be called - a cheery outlook to the poor unfortunates obliged to seek such food and - shelter as the almshouse offered. These gallows were enclosed in a - building shaped like a Chinese summer-house, and painted in all the colors - of the rainbow, as though trying thereby to overcome any mournful - associations which the place might otherwise possess. A platform within - this remarkable building supported various contrivances for conveniently - “dropping malefactors into eternity.” while a row of hooks and halters - adorned the ceiling, so that at least half a dozen offenders might be - dispatched by the same method at one and the same moment. - </p> - <p> - Wall Street, in 1783, was a street of residences. Here was the bachelor - homestead of Daniel McCormick, upon whose stoop, on a mild and pleasant - afternoon, you were likely to find a goodly little company of cronies and - toadies, each and all of whom made it a point never to refuse an - invitation to remain to dinner and enjoy his excellent pot-luck. - </p> - <p> - The court end of the town lay in the region extending from Pearl Street - around to the Battery, and up to Trinity Church, while the shops and - offices were confined to Maiden Lane. On Great Dock Street, now a part of - Pearl Street, lived the widow of John Lawrence, who, during his lifetime, - was widely known as “Handsome Johnnie.” There, as Dr. Duer puts it, in his - “Reminiscences of an Old Yorker,” the genial widow kept open house for her - relatives, or rather her relatives kept open house for themselves, and - were entertained in the roll of “transient, constant, or perpetual” - visitors. All this and far more could the sun of to-day tell of the sights - of the last century; but on the morning of which we are writing, he looked - down upon nothing of greater interest to the average boy and girl of all - time, than when he flashed suddenly upon the preparations going forward - for the circus that had lately arrived from across the water, and because - of whose arrival there was a flutter in all the child-hearts throughout - the length and breadth of the town. Some were fluttering joyously with - actual anticipation, and some with grave doubts as to their gaining even a - peep at the wonderful show. - </p> - <p> - As for Hazel Boniface, she was not only up with the sun, but up before it; - as for Starlight, he was dressed, and “trying to kill time” a full hour - before breakfast, for it had been settled the previous evening that they - were to be allowed to attend the performance, and Captain Boniface had - slipped the coins necessary for their admission into Starlight's safe - keeping. Josephine, Hazel's older sister, was also early astir, stowing - away the most inviting of luncheons within the snowy folds of a napkin, - which in turn was committed to the keeping of a little wicker hamper. - </p> - <p> - Joyous and beaming the children set forth, Josephine accompanying them as - far as the gate. “I wish I were going with you,” she said, as she held it - open. - </p> - <p> - “I almost wish you were,” Hazel answered. “Almost, but not quite,” laughed - Josephine; “for it would spoil the fun a little, now wouldn't it, Hazel, - to have a grown-up sister in the party? But you need not worry, dear, the - big sister must stay at home to mind the baby sister; it's only the little - middle-sized sister who can roam abroad, and go to the circus, and do - whatever she likes all day long.”. - </p> - <p> - The color came into Hazel's cheeks. She knew she did do pretty much as she - wished from week's end to week's end, but that was not her fault. If - nobody told her to do “things,” it was hardly to be expected she should do - them. “Will you go in my place?” she asked, ruefully, of Josephine, who - stood leaning on the gate with a merry, teasing look in her gray eyes. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0009" id="linkimage-0009"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0034.jpg" alt="0034 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0034.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - “No, of course I won't, dearie, and you come straight back and give me a - kiss, and know that no one wishes you quite such a jolly time as your own - sister Josephine.” - </p> - <p> - And thus speeded on their way, the children's figures grew smaller and - smaller in the maple-shaded distance of the roadside path, and with a - little sigh Josephine turned back to her duties within-doors. There was a - foreboding of coming evil in her heart, and in Hazel's and Starlight's, - too, for that matter. Children though they were, they were still old - enough to know, that, now that the war had ended in the defeat of the - English, those who had sided with them, as Captain Boniface had done, - would have to suffer for it; but for to-day every worry was utterly - forgotten. Hazel had no thought for the coming interview with Colonel - Hamilton—which, it must be confessed, she rather dreaded—nor - Starlight for the soldiers in the old homestead. - </p> - <p> - Right before them lay all the delights of a wonderful English circus, and - with the lightest of hearts they set forth upon their happy expedition. - Having strolled along in leisurely fashion, the old town clock struck - eleven as they pressed in through the clumsy turnstile which barred the - circus entrance, and the regular performance was not to commence until - one. But two hours were none too much for the inspection of the wonderful - sideshows, and wide-eyed they passed from one to the other, instinctively - turning quickly away from two or three human monstrosities in a close, - unsavory tent, to spend an hour of intense merriment over the antics of a - family of monkeys in a cage in the open air. Indeed, they doled out most - of their luncheon to the mischievous little youngsters, actually - forgetting that there was any likelihood of their ever being hungry - themselves and repenting of such liberality. - </p> - <p> - A great deal of fuss over a circus, you may be thinking, my little friend, - having yourself been so many times to see “The Greatest Show on Earth” but - if you had lived in the days of Hazel and Starlight, and never seen a - circus in your life, nor a show of any kind—either great or small—then, - perhaps, you would have been not a little excited too. - </p> - <p> - Long before it was at all necessary, and after much consultation and - numerous experiments at different angles, the children seated themselves - at the precise point which they had concluded, on the whole, offered - greatest advantages, and then they impatiently watched the uncomfortable - benches become gradually filled, and certain significant preparations - going forward on the part of the gayly-liveried lackeys. - </p> - <p> - At last the orchestra of three ill-tuned instruments struck up a - preliminary march, the low, red-topped gates of the ring swung open, and - the gorgeous company pranced in, dazzling and brilliant indeed, in the - eyes of the children. What did it matter if tinsel were tarnished, and - satins and velvets travel-stained and bedraggled. They saw it not. It was - all glitter and shimmer to them, and, oh, those beautiful, long-tailed - horses with their showy trappings! Hazel silently made up her mind on the - spot, that she would be a circus-rider herself as soon as she was old - enough, <i>if</i> her father would let her. She changed her mind later in - the day, however, owing to certain unexpected experiences, and was - thankful enough that she had not openly expressed her resolution of a few - hours before. - </p> - <p> - Midway in the performance, as the clown had announced, for they did not - have printed programmes in those days, there was to be some lofty tumbling - by the Strauss brothers, and at the proper moment in they came leaping and - jumping. They were all attired in the regulation long hose, short - trousers, and sleeveless jackets of the professional tumbler, but it was - easy enough for any child to detect at a glance that it was quite - impossible that they should belong to the same family. They were of all - ages and sizes, but the youngest performer did not appear to be more than - twelve; he was a handsome little fellow, with a fine dark complexion, and - from the first both Hazel's and Starlight's attention centred upon him. He - proved himself the most agile of all the brothers, eagerly watching for - his turn every time, and apparently enjoying the performance almost as - keenly as the audience. But it happened after a while, that when he had - just accomplished the feat of turning a double somersault from the top of - a spring-board, he did not attempt to rejoin the other leapers and - tumblers, but crept from the place where he had landed in the sawdust to - the edge of the ring, seated himself, with his little slippered feet - straight out before him, and leaned comfortably back against its rail. The - spot he had chosen was directly underneath where Hazel and Starlight were - sitting, and being in the first row they naturally leaned over to - investigate matters. He sat there so comfortably, and his older brothers - seemed so indifferent to the fact that he had dropped from their number, - that the children came to the conclusion that he was simply taking a - little permitted rest. - </p> - <p> - At last Starlight made so bold as to ask, “Say, Straussie, you didn't hurt - yourself any way, did you?” - </p> - <p> - At the sound of Starlight's voice the little fellow looked up surprised. - “Yes, I did,” he replied, “I often slip my knee-cap, or something like - that when I take that double 'sault.” - </p> - <p> - “Does it hurt you now,” asked Hazel, with real solicitude. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, a little. I can't jump any more to-day. The men know what's the - matter with me. I'll be all right in a little while.” - </p> - <p> - “Do you like being in a circus?” continued Starlight, for it was even more - interesting to converse with a member of the troupe than to watch the - performance of the troupe itself. - </p> - <p> - “I like the jumping and tumbling; that's all the part I like,” ending with - a sigh. - </p> - <p> - But it was not easy to carry on a conversation at the distance they were - from each other, particularly as the tumblers, as if to add to the - excitement, kept up an almost ceaseless hallooing and shouting. Now it - happened that the ring, with the exception of the gates of entrance, was - formed by a short canvas curtain suspended from a circular iron rail. - Observing this, a happy thought occurred to Starlight. - </p> - <p> - “Look here, Straussie,” he said, in a penetrating whisper, “I'd like to - talk with you. Couldn't you creep under the curtain there, and I'll drop - down between the seats.” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I could,” answered the little tumbler, grasping the situation at - once, and suiting the action to the word. - </p> - <p> - “I wish I could drop too,” urged Hazel, longingly. - </p> - <p> - “No, you stay where you are. It wouldn't do, Hazel; folks might notice,” - and Hazel was sensible enough to see the wisdom of the remark. As it was, - every one was by far too much absorbed to take account of the fact that a - little fellow inside the ring and a little fellow outside of it had - disappeared at one and the same moment. And so it happened that all - unsuspected a very important conversation was carried on, and a remarkable - scheme planned under the crowded benches of that day's performance. - Meanwhile Hazel “sat on pins and needles.” Even “the most educated - elephant in the world” failed to rouse much interest in a little maiden - who knew an absorbing conversation to be going on almost within earshot - and in which she longed to have a hand. - </p> - <p> - “What is your name?” asked Starlight, as soon as he had dropped safely to - the dry grass, and had stretched himself beside the little tumbler, who - sat with his knees gathered close to him and his hands clasped round them. - </p> - <p> - “Flutters,” answered the boy. - </p> - <p> - “That's not your real name?” - </p> - <p> - “That's what they call me.” - </p> - <p> - “You mean the circus people?” - </p> - <p> - Flutters simply nodded “yes.” Somehow he did not seem at first inclined to - be quite as communicative as Starlight would have wished. - </p> - <p> - “It must be fun to wear clothes like those,” he said, after a pause, - eyeing his new friend from head to foot with evident admiration. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, it's kind of fun for a while, but there isn't much real fun. - Everything's only kind of fun, and there isn't any fun at all about most - things.” - </p> - <p> - Starlight couldn't quite agree with these sage remarks, although he had - himself of late been seeing a great deal of the darker side of life. - </p> - <p> - “I guess you're not very well, Flutters,” he said, seriously; “or perhaps - you're tired.” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, I'm well enough, but I'm not over-happy,” answered the boy, who, from - little association with children and much with older people, had formed - rather a mature way of speaking. - </p> - <p> - “What makes you feel like that?” asked Starlight. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, lots of things. There's no one who cares for me 'cept to make money - out of me. That's kind of hard on a fellow. - </p> - <p> - “Don't you get some of the money yourself?” - </p> - <p> - “Not a penny. You see, I'm 'prenticed to the manager till I'm eighteen.” - </p> - <p> - “Who apprenticed you?” said Starlight, taking care to speak correctly. - </p> - <p> - “The manager, I suppose; but I did not know anybody had to 'prentice you. - I thought you just 'prenticed yourself by promising to work for your - board.” - </p> - <p> - “Not a bit of it. You oughtn't to have made such a promise. If you were - worth anything to the manager you were worth part of the money you earned. - Besides, I don't think anybody can apprentice a boy except his parents or - his guardian, or some one who has charge of him.” - </p> - <p> - “Well, nobody's had charge of me this long while.” - </p> - <p> - “Is that big man with the great black moustache the manager?” asked - Starlight. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, he is, and he's a tough one,” and Flutters pressed his lips tightly - together and shook his head by way of emphasis. - </p> - <p> - “He doesn't look kind.” - </p> - <p> - “Folks doesn't look things what they never are.” - </p> - <p> - “Why don't you cut the circus, Flutters?” - </p> - <p> - “Would you, really?” - </p> - <p> - “You mean run away?” - </p> - <p> - Starlight nodded yes. - </p> - <p> - “Where to?” was Flutters's pointed question. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, anywhere,” somewhat vaguely. - </p> - <p> - “That's all very well; but board, you know, and a blanket to roll yourself - in at night is a little better than nothing at all.” - </p> - <p> - “That's so,” said Starlight, and then sat silent a few moments, drawing - his fingers, rake fashion, through the dry grass in front of him, and - evidently thinking hard. - </p> - <p> - “Flutters,” he said at last, “if you ran away I believe you'd find a home - and somebody to care for you—we'd look out for you ourselves, Aunt - Frances and I, till something turned up.” - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0010" id="linkimage-0010"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0039.jpg" alt="0039 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0039.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - “Would you, really?” and Flutters leaned very close to Starlight in his - eagerness. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I'm sure we would. Will you do it?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, sir, I'll do it now,” and Flutters got straightway on to “all - fours,” as if he deemed that the most silent and effective mode of escape, - although the benches were hardly so low as to render it necessary for a - boy of his size. - </p> - <p> - “But you'll be caught in a minute in those—fixings.” Starlight did - not think there was enough of them to deserve the respectable name of - clothes. - </p> - <p> - Flutters sat down in despair. “Then there's no use; I may as well give it - up if I have to go back for anything.” Flutters stood in such fear of the - manager that he felt sure he could read his very thoughts. He honestly - meant that he would abandon the whole scheme rather than face Mr. Bradshaw - with such a design in mind, and he looked down at his spangled slippers - and bedraggled tights in most woe-begone fashion. - </p> - <p> - “I have it,” said Starlight, after a moment's serious cogitation; “wait - here a minute,” and taking hold of a board directly under the seat where - he had sat, he pulled himself up to his place beside Hazel. She was ready - with a host of eager questions, but Starlight, in the most imperative of - whispers, gave her quickly to understand that there was no time for - anything of that sort. “Just do as I tell you, Hazel,” some one overheard - him say, but more than that they fortunately did not hear. - </p> - <p> - A moment later Starlight disappeared, and a little red cloak, which - Josephine had made Hazel carry with her, had disappeared too. - </p> - <p> - Not long afterward, but it seemed a very long while to Hazel, the - entertainment came to a close with a wild sort of farce, which everybody - seemed to think pretty funny, but Hazel did not so much as smile. She had - neither seen nor heard what was going on; she had an important little - piece of business ahead of her, and could hardly wait to be off and about - it. If her seat had not been quite in the middle of the row, so that she - would have been obliged to crowd past a long line of people, she simply - could not have waited; and now that the performance was actually over, she - energetically pushed her way through one group after another, lingering - about as if loath to desert the charms of the circus, and was clear of the - great tent in almost less time than it takes to tell it. Off she darted - down the road—down Broadway one would say today—for the - gateway to the circus enclosure was exactly on the spot where Niblo's - Theatre has for so many years set forth its varied amusements. - </p> - <p> - There was only one farm-house in the immediate neighborhood, and thither - Hazel flew, bringing up at the threshold of its old Dutch kitchen in a - state of breathless excitement. “Mrs. V an Wyck,” she cried with what - little breath she had left, as she peered over the half door that barred - her entrance. - </p> - <p> - “In a moment, Hazel,” came a voice from the depths. “I am putting some - curd in the cheese press; I'll be up in a minute.” - </p> - <p> - The minute afforded Hazel a much-needed breathing space, and when a - rosy-cheeked Dutch Frau emerged from the horizontal doorway of the cool, - clean-smelling cellar, Hazel was able to make known her request in quite - coherent fashion. - </p> - <p> - “Oh Mrs. Van Wyck, <i>will</i> you let me have a pair ol Hanss trousers,' - and some shoes and a coat, and please, please don't ask me what I want - them for!” for she saw the question shaping itself on Frau Van Wyck's - lips; “I'll bring them home safe to-morrow, and tell you all about it.” - </p> - <p> - The little woman looked decidedly astonished, but the child was so urgent, - and withal such a little favorite of hers, that she could but accede to - her request, and in a trice Hazel was off again with the coveted articles, - in a snug bundle, swinging from one hand as she ran. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER IV.—FLUTTERS. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0011" id="linkimage-0011"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9042.jpg" alt="9042 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9042.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - T may seem at first somewhat improbable that Flutters should have been - able.. to make his escape from the circus grounds without being noticed, - but escape he did under Starlight's cautious guidance. Every one was still - intent on the performance itself; outside were only a few straggling - employees of the company, and they were too much preoccupied with the - special duties assigned to them to pay any heed to the fact that a couple - of boys were making their way through the grounds. Indeed, it was - decidedly too common an occurrence to excite any suspicion. To be sure, - Hazel's cloak concealed neither the head nor feet of little Flutters; but - velvet cap and satin slippers were tucked safely away, and the absence of - hat and shoes was by no means unusual among the boyish rabble that found - their way into the circus. The most dangerous, because the most - conspicuous move in their plan of escape, would be the scaling of the high - board fence, so they naturally made their way to its most remote corner. - It needed but a moment for Flutters to scramble to its top and drop on the - other side. Starlight made more clumsy work of it. It was not an easy - thing to keep one's hold on the slippery inside posts of the fence, and - when he was near the top he heard some one calling at his back, which did - not tend to help matters. Astride the fence at last, however, he glanced - down and saw a forlorn old man close at his heels, one of the drudges of - the circus, whose duty it was to keep things cleared up about the grounds. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0012" id="linkimage-0012"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figright" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/8043.jpg" alt="8043 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/8043.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - Look you there, cried, in a cracked Flutters and Starlight were safe out - of sight now, and smiled at each other with supreme satisfaction. - </p> - <p> - “That's Robbin's voice,” chuckled Flutters, as they walked off through the - woods that grew close up to the circus; “he could get over a mountain as - easily as over that fence; he has the rheumatics awful bad, and he's very - old besides, He's the only one I mind about leaving.” Poor old Bobbin - stood gazing up at the fence, and seemed wisely to come to the conclusion - that there was no harm in a boy's leaving the circus in that manner if he - chose. The harm would be if he attempted to come in that way; and so - hobbled off to his dreary, back-breaking task of gathering up the papers - and stray bits of rubbish constantly accumulating on every side. It is - possible, too, that even if he had recognized Flutters, and guessed his - motive, he would not have tried to detain him. He had once been a tumbler - himself, and knew enough of the trials of circus life to be willing, - perhaps, that a promising little fellow should escape them. - </p> - <p> - The grove in which the boys found themselves was the only piece of old - forest land that remained in the near vicinity of the town, and was fitted - up with rude tables and benches for the use of picnic parties. - </p> - <p> - Starlight led the way to one of these tables, sat down, and comfortably - rested his folded arms upon it, as though they had reached their point of - destination. Here was where Hazel was to meet them and, while they waited, - the boys entertained each other with little scraps of their life - histories; but Starlight did not for a moment forget to keep eye and ear - on guard for any one approaching. There was a hollow tree just at - Flutters's back, into which he could tumble in a flash and be securely hid - should it become necessary. But the sound of their own low voices and the - occasional fall of a pine cone or crackling of a branch was all that broke - the stillness. At last they heard a footfall in the distance, but - Starlight knew that quick, short little step, and there was no need for - Flutters to take refuge in the tree. Hazel had come with the precious - bundle, that was all, and Flutters was straightway arrayed in Hans Van - Wyck's clothes, his dark little face not at all agreeing with the - Dutch-looking coat and trousers; but they answered the purpose of complete - disguise, and what more could be wished for? So the children set out for - home at a brisk pace, not by the way they had come, but, so far as - possible, by cross cuts and quiet lanes, to avoid observation. That their - little tongues moved even faster than their feet was not at all strange, - for, of course, they wanted to know all about each other. - </p> - <p> - “Are you an Italian, Flutters?” asked Hazel, in the course of the - cross-questioning. - </p> - <p> - Flutters smiled, and shook his head in the negative. - </p> - <p> - “Then I guess you're Spanish,” remarked Starlight. - </p> - <p> - “No, not Spanish.” - </p> - <p> - Hazel and Starlight looked mystified. He was certainly neither American - nor English with that dark skin of his. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0013" id="linkimage-0013"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0045.jpg" alt="0045 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0045.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - “What kind of people does that sort of hair grow on?” Flutters asked, - running his hand through his tight-curling hair. - </p> - <p> - “On—on darkeys,” answered Hazel, ruefully. “But it does not curl so - tight as—as some darkeys,” hoping there might be a mistake - somewhere. - </p> - <p> - “So much the better for me,” Flutters answered, cheerily. - </p> - <p> - “Are—you—a regular—darkey—really?” questioned - Starlight, with a little pause between each word. - </p> - <p> - “Well, I'm what they call a mulatto; that's not quite so bad as an - out-and-out darkey, perhaps.” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, Flutters, don't you mind?” asked Hazel, who was disappointed enough - that the hero of this thrilling adventure should prove to be only a kind - of negro. Hazel had an idea as, sadly enough, many far older and wiser - than she had in those days—and, indeed, for long years afterward—that - negroes were little better than cattle, and that it was quite right to buy - and sell them in the same fashion. - </p> - <p> - “What would be the use of minding?” said Flutters, in response to her - sympathetic question; “minding would not make things any different, Miss - Hazel.” - </p> - <p> - It was the first time he had called her by name, and Hazel, born little - aristocrat that she was, was glad to discover that “he knew his place,” as - the phrase goes—so far, at least, as to put the Miss before her - name. - </p> - <p> - After this the children trudged along for a while in silence, each busy - with their own thoughts. Starlight was beginning to have some misgivings - as to the course he had taken. It might, after all, become a serious - question what to do with Flutters. He began to wonder how Aunt Frances - would look when he should go back to the farm-house next day with his - little protégé in tow. She would be pretty sure to say, “What are you - thinking of, Job dear? It is not at all as though we were in our own home, - you know. We cannot allow the Van Vleets to take this strange little boy - into their home for our sakes; though no doubt they would be willing to do - it.” - </p> - <p> - Yes, the more he thought of it, the more he felt sure that would be just - what she would say; strange that all this had not occurred to him before, - and a little sickening sensation—half presentiment, half regret—swept - over him. So it was that Starlight trudged along in silence, for, of - course, such thoughts as those could not be spoken with Flutters there to - hear them. - </p> - <p> - As for Hazel, she was turning over a fine little scheme of her own in her - mind. She was a hopeful little body, and it did not take long for her to - recover from the despair into which the discovery of Flutters's - nationality had thrown her. “Why, look here,” she thought to herself, “I - believe I'm glad he's a darkey after all. It was awful cute to hear him - say 'Miss Hazel;' how nice it would be to have him for a sort of - body-servant, just as so many officers have body-servants! He could brush - my clothes, and groom the pony, and tend to my flower garden, and just - stand 'round, ready to do whatever I should wish,” and so it was that - Hazel trudged along in silence, for she thought it wiser not to announce, - as yet, the exact nature of her thoughtful meditation. - </p> - <p> - And Flutters—well, it would have been hard to tell about what he was - thinking. He was a most sensitive little fellow, and strong and intense - were the emotions that often played through his lithe frame, so strong and - intense at times as to find no other expression than in a perceptible - little tremble from head to foot; it was this peculiarity that had won for - him the expressive name of “Flutters” among the circus people. Now, of - course, his state of mind was joyous and satisfied. Kind friends and a - home in this new land! What more could be desired, and the happiest look - played over his handsome face, for Flutters was handsome, and the dark - olive complexion was most to be thanked for it; but the light went out of - his face when, after a while, he glanced toward Starlight and saw his - troubled look. - </p> - <p> - Instantly he divined its cause. “Are you sorry you took me?” he asked, - coming to an abrupt standstill in the brier-hedged lane. - </p> - <p> - “No, not exactly;” Starlight was betrayed into a partial confession of the - truth by the suddenness of the question. - </p> - <p> - Oh, how that hurt poor little Flutters, with his sensitive temperament! - </p> - <p> - “It is not too late,” he said, turning and looking in the direction they - had come; “I think I can find my way back. They'd never know I'd regular - runned away;” but there was a mistiness in the bright little darkey eyes, - and an actual ache in the poor little heart. - </p> - <p> - “Flutters, <i>I</i> am not sorry then,” said Hazel, warmly; and laying a - firm hand on each shoulder, she turned him right about face again in the - direction of her own home. “Just you trust to me, Flutters, and you'll - never be sorry you ran away from that miserable old circus—never.” - </p> - <p> - And now, so completely was all gloom dispelled by these kind words, that - back in a flash came the glad look into Flutters's face, and from that - moment he was Hazel's sworn servant. Starlight looked rather ashamed of - himself, but, after all, his fears had some foundation, and he was - thankful enough thus to have Hazel take matters into her own hands, and - more than share the responsibility. The sun was already down as the - children neared the house, standing in clear-cut outline against the - September sky. There were no clouds, only a marvellous gradation of color, - shading imperceptibly from the dark, dark blue of the river and the hills - beyond, up into the red glow of the sunset, and then again by some subtle - transformation into a wonderful pale turquoise high overhead. - </p> - <p> - It was indeed a beautiful fall evening, and Captain and Mrs. Boniface and - Josephine, seated on the wide, pillared porch, were waiting for the coming - of the children, and the exciting narrative that was sure to follow. - “Kate, the bonny-face baby,” as they used to call her, was there too, a - sunny, winsome little daughter, almost three years old, and Harry Avery - besides, Job Starlight's cousin, a good-looking young fellow, and who - lately had managed to spend a good deal of time at the Bonifaces. He had - sailed over that morning from Paulus Hook (which, by the way, was the old - name for Jersey City) with a fine little plan in mind for the day—a - plan which he had already promised Hazel should some time be carried out; - but the absence of the children had made it necessary to postpone it for - at least twenty-four hours. This Harry Avery was the oldest of a varied - assortment of little brothers, and his home was in New London, - Connecticut. But two years before he had enlisted as a volunteer on board - a brig named “The Fair American,” and not one of the little brothers had - ever had a sight of the big brother since. He had had a sorry enough time - of it, too, for eighteen months of the twenty-four since he left home had - been passed in the prison-ship “Jersey,” and he had only been released - within the last few weeks, when the success of the American armies - compelled the English to discharge all their prisoners of war. The old - ship where so many brave men had lost their lives by privation and disease - now lay a great deserted hulk in the waters of Wallabout Bay, and what - Harry had come over to propose was a sail over to have a look at her. He - knew it would interest the children immensely, and he had proposed to Mrs. - Boniface that Josephine should go with them, and Josephine, only too glad - to fall in with any plan that involved being out on the water, had that - morning concocted some very delicious little iced cakes with a view to the - luncheon they would take with them on the morrow. Meanwhile, the children - were almost at the gate. “Why, there's Cousin Harry!” exclaimed Starlight, - whose eyes were good at a long range. - </p> - <p> - “So it is,” said Hazel, excitedly; and when they had passed a few steps - farther on, she added, “Now, Flutters, this is the best place for you to - stop, and remember, when you hear me call, come quick as anything.” - Flutters smiled assent, and stepped into the deeper shadow of one of the - maples that edged the road. - </p> - <p> - “Well, here you are at last,” called Captain Boniface a few moments later - from where he sat smoking in a great easy-chair on the porch. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, here we are,” answered Starlight, and they marched up the path and - took their seats on the porch, Hazel having first kissed the family all - round, not at all reluctantly including “Cousin Harry,” for his prison - experience made him a wonderful hero in her eyes. - </p> - <p> - Of course they right away began to give an account, interrupted by a good - many questions, of all they had seen and done. Mrs. Boniface thought, and - thought rightly, that she detected a little sense of disappointment in - their description, but did not know that that was easily accounted for by - the insight they had had into the inner workings of a circus. They had - indeed been greatly impressed with the velvet and spangles, but only until - they had learned through Flutters what heavy hearts velvet and spangles - could cover. - </p> - <p> - Finally, at the close of quite a vivid description on Hazel's part of the - grand entrance march, which had proved to both the children the most - impressive feature, Harry Avery remarked, just by way of taking some part - in the conversation, “that they ought to have brought a bit of the circus - home with them for the benefit of people who had not been so fortunate as - to see it.” Could there have been a better opportunity for the - introduction of Flutters? - </p> - <p> - “We did bring a bit of it home,” cried Hazel; and then, stepping to the - edge of the porch, she called, “<i>Flutters, Flutters</i>,” at the top of - her strong little lungs. Of course the Bonifaces looked on astonished at - this performance, while Starlight, from suppressed excitement, bit his lip - till he almost made the blood come; but in a second, head over heels in a - series of somersaults up the path, bounded a remarkable little creature in - satin slippers, velvet cap and all, as real a bit of a circus as Cousin - Harry or any one else could have desired. The little tumbler was, of - course, acting under orders, and brought up at the step of the porch with - the most beaming smile imaginable, and a most gracious little bow. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0014" id="linkimage-0014"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0050.jpg" alt="0050 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0050.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - “Come right up, Flutters,” was Hazel's reassuring invitation, and nothing - abashed, but still beaming and smiling, so great was his confidence in - Hazel, Flutters mounted the steps, swung himself into the hammock that was - strung across the porch, and drew the netted meshes close about him, as - though conscious of the scarcity of his apparel. - </p> - <p> - There was a pause for a moment—that is, no word was spoken, but the - four pairs of eyes belonging to Captain and Mrs. Boniface and Josephine - and Harry were riveted upon Hazel, asking as plainly as words, “What does - this mean?” while Starlight's eyes were urging her in an imploring fashion - to tell about it all right away. As for Flutters, the complacent, trustful - gaze with which he regarded his little benefactress implied that he was - sure she would proceed to explain matters to the entire satisfaction of - everybody. Meantime little Kate looked on in admiring wonder, but - fortunately her pretty head did not need to trouble itself with - “explanations of things.” She only knew that that little fellow in the - hammock was “awfully funny.” and extended her pretty hands toward him as - though she would very much like to touch him. - </p> - <p> - “Well,” Hazel began at last with much the same air as a veritable showman, - “this little boy is named Flutters, and he did belong to the circus, but - he does not belong to it any more. He has run away, and we've helped him - to do it. Somehow he's quite alone in the world, and he has to s'port - himself, so he joined the circus 'cause he found he could do what the - other tumblers did, and'cause he heard they were coming to America. But he - has not been at all happy in the circus,” and Hazel, pausing a moment, - looked toward Flutters for confirmation of this sad statement, and - Flutters bore witness to its truth by gravely shaking his head from side - to side. Indeed all through her narration it was most amusing to watch his - expression, so perfectly did it correspond with every word she spoke. - Little folk and old folk have a fashion of letting each passing thought - write itself legibly on the face. It is only the strong “in-between” folk - who take great care that no one shall ever know what they chance to be - thinking about. - </p> - <p> - By this time Starlight began to show a desire to take a share in the - telling of the story, but Hazel would none of it. She thought, perhaps - unjustly, that he had proved somewhat of a coward in the latter part of - the transaction; at any rate, he himself had pushed her to the front, and - there she meant to stay. “No, he has not been at all happy,” she - continued; “indeed, the manager has often been very cruel to him; but I - will tell you about that another time” (for her eyes were growing a little - tearful at the mere remembrance of some things Flutters had told them); - “and the way we came to know about it was this: sometimes when Flutters - takes a great jump from the spring-board and turns a somersault two times - in the air, he slips his knee-cap—that's what you call it, Flutters, - isn't it?” (Flutters nodded yes), “and then he has to slip it back again - himself, and it hurts a good deal, so that he can't jump any more for a - while. Well, to-day he slipped it, and then he crawled over underneath - where we sat, and we talked with him a little; then Starlight told him to - creep under the benches when no one was looking, and Starlight dropped - down between the seats and talked with him some more.” - </p> - <p> - “And then we arranged,” Starlight now interrupted in such an unmistakably - determined manner that Hazel allowed him to continue, “how he should run - away, and he didn't even go back for his clothes, because he says that the - manager can almost see what a fellow's thinking about, and he didn't dare. - So when we had fixed everything I climbed up to Hazel and told her what - she was to do, and then I dropped down again, and Flutters put on Hazel's - cloak so as to cover him up a little, and we scooted. We came near being - found out once, but we got over the great fence safe at last and into - Beekman's woods. There Hazel was to meet us with some of Hans Van Wyck's - clothes, if she could get them.” - </p> - <p> - “And I did get them,” chimed in Hazel, for it was surely her turn once - more, “and—but, oh!” stopping suddenly, “the clothes! Starlight, do - hurry and get them, or some one coming along the road may run off with - them.” Starlight obeyed, frightened enough at the thought of the possible - loss of the borrowed articles, and quickly returning with them to the - great relief of both Hazel and himself. - </p> - <p> - Then the story went on again, turn and turn about, Flutters gaining - courage to join in now and then, till at last, when the twilight had given - place to the sort of half darkness of a starlight night, and the - fire-flies were flashing their little lanterns on every side, they had - told all there was to tell, and three foot-sore little people confessed - they were tired and sleepy and hungry, and glad enough to go indoors and - do justice to a most inviting little supper, which Josephine had slipped - away some time before to prepare. - </p> - <p> - “Bonny Kate” (as she was called more than half the time, after a certain - wilful but very charming young woman in one of Shakespeare's great plays) - had long ago fallen asleep, and lay just where her mother, running indoors - for a moment, had stowed her away in a corner of the great hair-cloth sofa - in the dining-room. One pretty hand was folded under her rosy cheek, and - such a merry smile played over her sweet face! She surely must have been - dreaming of a remarkable little fellow, in beautiful velvet and spangles, - coming head over heels up a garden path. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER V.—CAPTAIN BONIFACE RECEIVES AN ANGRY LETTER. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0015" id="linkimage-0015"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9054.jpg" alt="9054 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9054.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - T is one thing to help a much-abused and unhappy little member of a circus - troupe to run away from his unhappy surroundings; it is quite another - thing to provide for all his future, particularly if, like Flutters, he - has not a penny to his name nor a stitch to his back, none more - serviceable, that is, than the ring costume of a high and lofty tumbler. - And so it was that Mrs. Boniface and Josephine and Harry sat up well into - the night, laughing heartily now and then over the funny side of the - children's adventure, but talking gravely enough most of the time of its - more serious side. - </p> - <p> - “As far as I can make out,” said Harry, “Starlight rather expected to - bring Flutters over to the farm to-morrow and ask Aunt Frances to care for - him, at least till he found somebody else who would. I imagine his heart - rather failed him later, as it ought to. Aunt Frances has enough to bother - her at present.” - </p> - <p> - “But you don't blame the children for helping the poor little fellow, do - you?” said Josephine, warmly; “I think almost anyone would have done the - same thing under the same circumstances.” - </p> - <p> - “Very likely, Miss Josephine, but that doesn't dispose of the troublesome - question, What is now to be done with him? - </p> - <p> - “Unfortunately, there are questions to be met more troublesome than that,” - said Captain Boniface, joining for the first time in the conversation, and - he had only too good reason for speaking as he did. Early in the evening a - letter had been brought him, to which no one had paid any attention. It - was a daily occurrence for a messenger to turn in at the gate with a note - for the Captain, since he had been for the last eight years the principal - furnisher of supplies to the English soldiers stationed in the city, and - had need both to write and receive many letters. Indeed, so loyal had he - been to King George that, at the very commencement of the Revolution, he - had joined the English army, but had had the misfortune to be very - seriously wounded in the first battle that was fought. When at last, after - weeks of constant suffering, he was able to be moved, General Gage, under - whom he served, had contrived to send him home by easy stages along the - Boston post-road, under protection of an English escort; and Captain - Boniface always declared, and no doubt he was right about it, that nothing - short of his wife's careful nursing would ever have brought him through. - But after that it was out of the question for him to rejoin the army, so - he must needs stay quietly at home and aid the King's cause as best he - could by helping to feed the King's soldiers. All this, of course, had - made enemies of most of the Captain's old friends. Harry Avery was almost - the only exception; and now that the Colonies had been successful, matters - were looking pretty serious for him and for every American who had sided - with the King. The note that had just been brought to him proved a very - threatening one. It as much as ordered him to leave the country, saying - “that there was but one safe course for him and his, and that was to be - gone instantly; that New York had no further use for him; that the sooner - her streets and coffee-houses were rid of him the better, and that he - would simply be taking his life in his hands if he stayed.” It was truly a - terribly alarming letter, but Captain Boniface, knowing that sooner or - later his wife and Josephine would have to know about it, now broke in - upon the conversation and read it to them. - </p> - <p> - “Who has dared to write you that?” asked Mrs. Boniface. - </p> - <p> - “Four old friends, Mary; that is the saddest part of it.” - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Boniface sat pale and silent, looking straight before her, and not - hearing another word that was said. She knew her husband well enough to - feel assured that no such letter would move him a step from his home. Not - he! He would remain and live the bitter persecution down. But would he be - allowed to live it down? There were cruel words in that letter. “By - remaining you simply take your life in your hands,” it said, and the - terrible threat sent all sorts of dread possibilities thronging through - her mind. - </p> - <p> - With anxious faces, and quick-beating hearts, Josephine and her mother - listened, as Harry Avery and the Captain talked late into the night. It - was a great comfort to realize that although Harry was a Whig, and a - strong one, too, he did not harbor any bitter feeling against them. - “Perhaps,” thought Josephine gladly, “there are others like him.” - </p> - <p> - It seemed as though Harry must have seen the gratitude in her expressive - eyes, as he continued again and again to reassure the Captain of his full - sympathy, and his determination to be of assistance to him in every - possible way. - </p> - <p> - “Well, what will you do about it, father? Josephine asked, as just at - midnight, she leaned over his chair to say good-night. - </p> - <p> - “Do about it, child?” he said, taking her hands in both of his, - </p> - <p> - “Why, stay just where I am!” - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Boniface shook her head gravely, as she and Josephine left the room - together. She had known so well beforehand that he would say exactly that. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER VI.—OFF FOR THE PRISON-SHIP. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0016" id="linkimage-0016"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9057.jpg" alt="9057 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9057.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - HAT a queer sort of thing it is, this regularly going to sleep and waking - up again once in every twenty-four hours; but people who have had a little - experience in not going to sleep regularly, and in waking up at most - unheard-of and irregular hours, will tell you that that experience is a - deal queerer, and not so pleasant by half. Some of the little folk who have - need to be coaxed and urged to bed six nights out of the seven, would - hardly dare to fret, I imagine, if they only knew that to be a sound - sleeper is an accomplishment sorely envied by some of those grown-up - people who may sit up as late as they choose. And if one of those wakeful, - grown-up people should some day ask you, “What is the secret of your sound - sleeping, my little friend?” just tell them that you think it is because - you do not worry. Then if they say, “That's all very well; children have - no need to worry, they have fathers and mothers to lean upon tell them - that they, too, have a Father, One far more kind and loving than any - earthly father, and that they could lie down at night as free from worry - as any child if they would;” and who knows but they will learn a blessed - lesson from you that will be well worth the learning. - </p> - <p> - Now this little reverie has all been suggested by the fact that the - Boniface household was waking up, all save old Dinah, the cook, for she - had been up for an hour or more. She had once been Hazel's nurse, and, - since the beginning of the war, was the only servant the Bonifaces could - afford to keep. How comfortable she made them, that faithful old Dinah, so - that all one had to do was to waken and wash, and brush and dress, and - then sit down to steaming coffee, delicate rolls, and the most savory - little rasher of bacon, which Dinah always added as a “relisher,” as she - called it, to the more substantial part of the breakfast. Yes, they were - waking, all of them, from anxious Captain Boniface to happy little - Flutters, for Dinah's vigorous ringing of the rising bell had thoroughly - done its work. - </p> - <p> - Each busy brain was taking up again the manifold threads of thought which - had slipped from its hold when sleep had stolen across it so gently the - night before. Captain Boniface instantly remembered the angry letter, as, - of course, did Mrs. Boniface and Josephine, and so their waking was rather - heavy hearted. Harry instantly remembered it too, but his second thought - was of the pretty sail-boat moored down at the Boniface wharf, and of the - plan for the day, and he was glad to open his eyes on blue skies and the - sunshine that flooded his eastward room. Flutters woke with a smile. - Indeed, he doubted if he should ever do anything but smile again, so sure - was he that he had turned a very happy corner in his life. Starlight - roomed with Flutters, and his first thought when he opened his eyes was - how they were to manage to return those clothes of Hans Van Wyck's, that - Flutters was getting into with such an air of complacent ownership. - Hazel's little mind took its first morning flight in the same direction as - Harry Avery's. The sail-boat, the bay sparkling in the sunshine, the visit - to the old prison-ship—it all meant so much to her enthusiastic, - pleasure-loving temperament. A certain uncomfortable and premeditated call - upon Colonel Hamilton could easily be postponed to an indefinite future, - with such delightful anticipations in the definite present. - </p> - <p> - “It seems heartless to be going off for a day's jaunt, when father has so - much to trouble him,” Josephine said, when, soon after breakfast, the - little party of five, basketed and equipped, were starting down to the - wharf. - </p> - <p> - “Not at all, Josephine,” answered her sweet-faced mother, holding bonny - Kate by the hand as she spoke. “We will try and keep dear old papa cheery, - won't we, little daughter?” then, seeing that Josephine still lingered, as - though reluctant to go, she added, cheerily, “nothing would be gained by - your staying, Josephine. Your father has some office work that will keep - him in the house, so you can think of him as safe at home all day, and we - are both of us glad enough to have you enjoy a little change.” So, - somewhat relieved in her mind, Josephine hurried down and joined the - Others, and soon the “Gretchen,” with her white sail spread to the crisp - morning breeze, sped out on the river, fairly dancing along the crests of - the white caps that splashed against her prow with such a continuous and - merry little thump and splutter. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0017" id="linkimage-0017"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0059.jpg" alt="0059 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0059.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - Wind and tide favored them, and Harry was an excellent sailor, so that in - a comparatively short time they had left the waters of the Hudson behind - them, had rounded Fort George, the Battery of to-day, and were headed up - the East River, with New York on the one side, and the then scattered town - of Brooklyn on the other. Skilfully tacking in long slants from shore to - shore, the wharves and shipping were soon exchanged for the sloping banks - of Manhattan Island on the left, and of Long Island on the right, and then - suddenly the dismasted hulk of the old “Jersey” loomed up before them. - </p> - <p> - She was a dreary enough looking object to any one, but if, like Harry, you - had been a prisoner aboard of her for eighteen long months, you would, - like him, no doubt, have shuddered at the sight of her. Josephine - shuddered too. “Oh, do not let us go any nearer!” she said. - </p> - <p> - “All right,” was Harry's quick response, for, in point of fact, nothing - pleased him better than to comply with Josephine's slightest wish, so the - “Gretchen” veered off again. - </p> - <p> - “Oh! can't we go aboard?” cried Flutters, with a world of disappointment - in his tone, for in imagination he had already scaled the gangway ladder - that hung at her larboard side, and turned more than one somersault on the - wide sweep of her upper deck. - </p> - <p> - “Why, no, child!” answered Hazel, who was fast assuming a most patronizing - air toward her little protégé; “no one would think of going <i>aboard</i> - of her, would they, Cousin Harry?” - </p> - <p> - “Why, why not?” Flutters asked, half-impatiently, for Harry, giving his - attention for the moment to the management of the boat, did not at once - reply. - </p> - <p> - “Because,” he said, finally, “there has been far too much sickness in that - old hulk for any one to safely venture aboard of her; she has been - responsible for the lives of eleven thousand men. I doubt if the strongest - and longest of north winds could ever blow her free from the fever that - must be lurking in her rotten timbers.” - </p> - <p> - That was a new phase of the matter to Flutters, and he subsided at once - into thoughtful silence. - </p> - <p> - “I think this would be a good place to anchor,” suggested Harry, but - waited a moment till Josephine had given her consent before letting the - anchor run the length of its rope and bury itself in the mud bottom - beneath them. - </p> - <p> - As soon as the “Gretchen” had settled into the position determined for her - by the tide, the little party of five ranged themselves about the boat, so - as to be as comfortable as possible, for there they meant to stay for the - next hour, or two, or three, as the case might be. It had been for some - time a thoroughly understood matter between Hazel and Harry Avery, that - whenever the day should come for this trip to the “Jersey,” they were to - anchor their boat in <i>full sight</i> of her, and <i>then</i> and <i>there</i> - he was to tell them the “whole story”—from the day he volunteered - till the day of his release in the previous summer. - </p> - <p> - Flutters, who had been made acquainted with the object of the expedition, - waited, with a charming native sense of the “fitness of things,” until the - others had chosen their places; then he threw himself at Harry's feet, in - one of the graceful positions so natural to him, and which even Hans Van - Wyck's rough, homespun clothes did not altogether succeed in hiding. It - was wonderful to look into Flutters's upturned face—such complete - satisfaction, such tranquil happiness shone out of it. Even in those - exciting moments when every nerve and tissue was thrilling under Harry's - narration of the dark features of his prison life, a smile still seemed to - be lurking in the corners of his expressive mouth. Yesterday, a lonely - little tumbler in a dreary, tawdry circus company; to-day, one of a - blessed circle of warm-hearted friends. Whatever fears others might have - as to the disposal to be made of him, Flutters had none for himself. Of - course he was to be Hazel's faithful little servant from that day forward, - and it was almost worth while, he thought, to have “darkey blood” in one's - veins for the sake of rendering such happy service. Farther than that he - did not trouble himself, literally taking no thought for the morrow, nor - for what he should put on when his present habiliments should have found - their way back to their rightful owner. The “Gretchens” little company - made a pretty picture against the blue gray of the bay, and when at last - there was no more arranging to be done, and all had repeatedly declared - themselves “perfectly comfortable,” there was a breathless, momentous - little pause, as in the moment at a play between the significant and - abrupt cessation of the orchestra and the rolling back of the curtain. “<i>Please</i> - begin,” said Hazel, with a great sigh, as though the intense anticipation - of that supreme moment was quite too heavy for child-nature to endure, and - Harry, looking sadly over to the old “Jersey,” commenced his story. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER VII—HARRY'S STORY - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0018" id="linkimage-0018"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9062.jpg" alt="9062 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9062.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - I am to begin, Hazel, and at the very beginning, too, if I keep my - promise. Well, this little chapter of my life began with a thought, as - happens with most everything that is done in this world, and the thought - was not one I had reason to be very proud of. I suppose all of you know, - even Flutters, that since the commencement of the Revolution American - vessels have been cruising about, hoping to capture English vessels. - </p> - <p> - “Now it chanced about two years ago that the 'Hannah,' a very rich prize, - was brought into New London. Some of the men who had taken part in her - capture had sailed out of New London as poor as could be, and here they - came sailing back again, with a prize in tow rich enough to fill all their - empty pockets. So it was not strange, perhaps, that the capture of the - 'Hannah' turned a good many young heads, nor that mine turned with the - rest, and that, as soon as possible, I joined the crew of the 'Venture,' a - privateer that was being rapidly fitted out for a cruise. At length - everything was in readiness, and away we sailed with the highest hopes, - and with our pretty brig so crowded with musketry that when in action she - looked like a great flame of fire. Well, we were not long at sea before we - gave chase to an English ship, in appearance as large as ours. We - exchanged a few shots, then we ran alongside of her, and with one salute - of all our fire put her to silence, and fortunately, too, without losing a - single life. I can tell you I was a happy fellow, Hazel (Harry seemed to - consider Hazel his chief listener), when it fell to my lot to be one of - the crew who were ordered to man the prize and bring her into port; happy - I was, and as proud as a turkey-cock; but that state of things did not - last very long. It was our purpose not to attempt to make a landing until - we should reach New Bedford; but before we had even cleared the shores of - Long Island an English ship of war, the 'Belisarius,' of twenty-six guns, - bore down upon us, and in less than an hour from the time she had sighted - us, those of our number left on the 'Venture,' and those of us who had - manned the English brig were all prisoners together and in irons in her - hold.” - </p> - <p> - “Bless my stars! were you really?” exclaimed Flutters, quite unprepared - for this turn of affairs. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, Flutters, sixty-five of us, and on our way to the old prison-ship, - yonder.” - </p> - <p> - “How many did you say?” asked Hazel. She had been thinking she must teach - Flutters not to say “Bless my stars!” and things like that, and so her - attention had wandered for a moment. - </p> - <p> - “Sixty-five, and in less than five months we were reduced to thirty-five.” - </p> - <p> - “Did thirty die?” she asked, incredulously. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, thirty did die,” interrupted Starlight, setting his lips firmly, for - he knew what he was talking about, “and you old English as good as - murdered them.” - </p> - <p> - “Starlight, don't you dare to speak like that to me,” was Hazel's quick - retort, while the blood flashed hotly into her face. Flutters gazed at her - with astonishment. Perhaps, thought he, it will not always be an easy - matter, after all, for even the most faithful of body-servants to please - such a spirited little mistress. - </p> - <p> - “Good for you, Hazel,” laughed Harry; “I would not stand such incivility - either, if I were you; but then I must tell you one thing, not all English - hearts are as kind as yours and Josephine's. If they were, the old - 'Jersey' would not have so sorrowful a tale to tell.” Harry paused a - moment. Starlight and Hazel were feeling a trifle uncomfortable. They - could not resist the temptation to give each other a little home-thrust - now and then on the score of their political differences: The result, as a - rule, was a half-acknowledged admiration for each other's patriotism, and - an extra touch of mutual consideration in word and manner for the time - being. - </p> - <p> - “Flutters,” said Hazel, solemnly, perhaps by way of disposing of the pause - that seemed to reflect somewhat upon the conduct of herself and Starlight, - “Flutters, <i>what</i> are <i>you?</i>” Flutters looked down at his queer - little Dutch outfit, and then up at Hazel, with a smile, which said as - plainly as words, “I give it up.” - </p> - <p> - “I mean,” continued Hazel, “who do you side with? Are you a stanch little - Loyalist like me? That is, do you think, as I think, that it is very wrong - to take up arms against the King?” - </p> - <p> - Flutters was lying flat in the bottom of the boat now, his dark little - face propped between the palms of his hands, at a loss to know how to - answer. He was a trifle embarrassed by the directness of Hazel's question. - </p> - <p> - “I would rather side with you, Miss Hazel,” he replied, at last, “a sight - rather; but mulatto boys what has passed most of their time in a circus - don't know much 'bout those things. I'm going to hear Mr. Harry out, and - then I'll make up my mind.” - </p> - <p> - “Very well,” Hazel replied, with chilling dignity; “please go on,” she - added, turning to Harry. - </p> - <p> - Harry hesitated a moment, evidently trying to recall just where he had - left off. - </p> - <p> - “You were in irons on the 'Belisarius,”' suggested Josephine, whose - thoughts, judging from the far-away look in her eyes, had been with the - poor prisoners all the while rather than with what had been going on about - her. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, yes, there we were! and fortunately with no idea of the suffering in - store for us. Early the next morning we were led on deck. The 'Belisarius' - had dropped anchor over yonder (pointing to the New York shore), and two - boats were coming toward us, for she had signalled the 'Jersey' that she - had prisoners to transfer. Oh, how our hearts sank within us as the little - boats that were to carry us came nearer and nearer, and do you wonder, - children, that we dreaded to board the old craft? Did you ever see a - drearier-looking object, with never so much as a spar or a mast to remind - you of the real use of a vessel? Even her lion figure-head had been taken - away, leaving nothing but an unsightly old hulk, and yet I believe the - Englishmen who were in charge of her thought the place, wretched as it - was, too good for us. It seemed we were not even to be treated with the - consideration due to prisoners of a war with a foreign nation. Having - risen against the Mother Country, in their eyes we were simply traitors. - Hopeless and despairing we were rowed over to the old prison, marched up - the gangway ladder, ordered down the hatchway, and then, with the brutal - exclamation, 'There, rebels! there is the cage for you,' we found - ourselves prisoners in the midst of a very wretched company.” - </p> - <p> - The story was growing pretty painful, and likely to grow still more so, - provided Harry told them <i>all</i>, as he had promised. Besides, it was - so terribly real, sitting there aboard of the “Gretchen” with the old - “Jersey” right before them. - </p> - <p> - By way of affording a little relief from what she felt was yet to be told, - Josephine asked: “What was that canvas-covered place there in the stern - used for?” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, that was a shelter put up for the guards on the quarterdeck. Just - below that, and reaching from the bulkhead of the quarter-deck to the - forecastle, was what they called the spar-deck, and it was there that we - were allowed to take such exercise as we could. We used to walk in - platoons facing the same way, and then all turn at once, so as to make the - most of the little space. The gun-room, right under the quarter-deck, was - where I was imprisoned, and it was a trifle more comfortable there, if you - can use that word in connection with anything on the 'Jersey,' than the - crowded place between decks where most of the prisoners were herded - together. I had fortunately been chosen second mate on the English brig - during the little while that we were masters of it, and to that lucky fact - I owed my assignment to the gun-room with the other officers. But for - that, I do not believe I should be here to-day to tell the story. I do not - see how I could have endured any more and lived. As it was, you know, I - was very ill.” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I know,” said Hazel, laying her hand affectionately over one of - Harry's and looking sympathetically into his face; “perhaps you had better - not say very much about that part. Josephine and I cry very easy; don't - we, Josephine?” - </p> - <p> - “Then please don't, Harry,” urged Starlight; “I'd rather have a good - thrashing any time than see a girl cry,” recalling one occasion in - particular, when his own misconduct had moved Hazel to tears, and she had - refused for the space of one long half hour to be in any-wise comforted. - </p> - <p> - Flutters had not paid the least attention to this last interruption. He - was thinking that, after all, the life of a friendless little circus - performer, sorry and comfortless and forlorn as it was, might be less full - of hardship than a prisoner's. It was a very grand thing to have one's - freedom, and he had always had that—that is, he might at any time - have run away if he chose. - </p> - <p> - “What did they give you to eat, Mr. Harry?” he asked, by way of comparing - bills of fare. - </p> - <p> - “Little that was fit to eat, Flutters; but I can tell you exactly if you - would like to know,” and Harry drew from his pocket-book a scrap of folded - paper. “This was our list of supplies. I wrote it down the first week on - board, and knew it quite by heart all too soon. I think I could repeat it - now.” - </p> - <p> - “Suppose you try,” and Josephine taking the paper from his hand, Harry at - once began to recite, with the satisfied air of a child that perfectly - knows its lesson: - </p> - <p> - “On <i>Sunday</i>.—1 pound of biscuit, 1 pound of pork, and 1 pint - of peas. - </p> - <p> - “On <i>Monday</i>.—1 pound of biscuit, 1 pint of oatmeal, 2 ounces - butter. - </p> - <p> - “On <i>Tuesday</i>.—1 pound of biscuit, 2 pounds beef. - </p> - <p> - “On <i>Wednesday</i>.—1 1/2 pounds of flour and 2 ounces suet. - </p> - <p> - “On <i>Thursday</i>.—Same as Sunday. - </p> - <p> - “On <i>Friday</i>.—Same as Monday. - </p> - <p> - “On <i>Saturday</i>.—Same as Tuesday. - </p> - <p> - “There, how is that?” he asked, “any mistakes?” - </p> - <p> - “Not one,” answered Josephine; “but really, Harry, is that all you - received?” - </p> - <p> - “Why,” exclaimed Flutters, “seems to me that's considerable. Circus folks - often don't fare no better than that, and don't get things so reg'lar, - either.” - </p> - <p> - “And yet, Flutters, that is only two-thirds of the allowance of an English - seaman. However, we would have managed well enough to exist if the things - had been good in themselves or decently cooked, but all the provisions - were of so wretched a quality that many a poor 'Jersey' prisoner died from - starvation through sheer inability to eat them.” - </p> - <p> - “Who cooked the things for you?” asked Hazel. - </p> - <p> - “Whenever we could manage, Hazel, we cooked them ourselves. Do you see - that big derrick on the starboard side? Well, that was for taking in - water, and we each had a scanty allowance of so much and no more each day. - But, as a rule, we contrived to save a little of it with which to do our - own cooking, because only the toughest men on board could so much as - swallow the food prepared by the ship's cook. Under the forecastle, there - in the bow, hangs a great copper divided in the middle and holding two or - three hogsheads of water. In one side they cooked the meat, in the other - the peas and oatmeal—sometimes, I believe, in salt water, but always - in water so stale as to be absolutely unfit for use. So five or six of us - would club together, each contributing our portion of water to the cooking - supply, and then, by begging a little wood from the cook, now and then, - and splitting it very carefully and economically with our knives, we could - manage to keep a fire going that would soon set our little pots boiling. - It was a great day for us, I remember, when a tangle of driftwood came - bumping against the ship's side, and we were allowed to haul it on board - for our fires.” - </p> - <p> - “It must have been very hard only now and then to have had a little butter - for the biscuit,” remarked Hazel, to whom this particular feature of - Harry's story appealed most pathetically, so very fond was her own little - ladyship of the variety and sufficiency of a well-appointed table. - </p> - <p> - “But the butter was not forthcoming, Hazel; they gave us rancid sweet-oil - instead, which refused to pass muster with our Yankee palates, so that we - were able to bestow a double portion upon some poor Frenchmen, who were - very grateful for it.” - </p> - <p> - Flutters had changed his mind about the adequacy of the “Jersey's” bill of - fare, and was growing not a little indignant over Harry's narration. - </p> - <p> - “Miss Hazel,” he said, while the color flashed through his dark skin, “I - am siding with the Yankees very fast.” - </p> - <p> - “I do not blame you very much, Flutters; I never heard of anything like - it;” which was quite a concession for so loyal a little Red-Coat as Hazel. - </p> - <p> - “But, Harry,” asked Josephine, who could scarcely bear to hear of such - barbarous treatment at the hands of her own kinsmen, “do you think King - George and the English nation, generally, knew about it?” - </p> - <p> - “No, I don't, nor do I believe they know it now; but they will some day. - It was their business to know it, Josephine, and not to leave thousands of - human beings at the mercy of a few merciless British seamen. Your own - father would scarcely credit all I could tell him of our treatment, nor - many another English officer; but it was the clear duty of some of them to - have looked into the matter.” - </p> - <p> - “You don't mean it was my papa's duty, do you?” Hazel asked, bristling up - a little; she was not going to allow even “Cousin Harry” to utter a word - that would seem to reflect upon her father even for a moment. - </p> - <p> - “No, of course, I don't mean anything of the kind. If I thought Captain - Boniface in any way responsible for those horrors, do you think I could be - on such friendly terms with him? No, Hazel, your father is a true, brave - man, and no one knows better than I how much he has given up in King - George's service. It was not his duty to inspect the prison-ships. - Furnishing supplies for the English troops called for every moment of his - thought and time, and taxed all his strength and energy; but there are - some men—men whom your father knows—whose names we need not - mention, who <i>are</i> very culpable in the matter, if you know what that - means?” - </p> - <p> - “I suppose it means very much to blame,” sighed Hazel. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, I wish you would just go on telling about things!” urged Flutters, - beseechingly, for to him the story itself was far more interesting than - any side remarks. - </p> - <p> - Harry remained silent a moment. Since Josephine and Hazel “cried very - easy,” he had need to be careful just where he began again. “I must not - forget to tell you,” he said, “something about 'Dame Grant,' as we called - her, for her visits to the old 'Jersey' constituted almost our greatest - blessing. She was a fat old woman, who dealt in sugar and tea, pipes and - combs, needles and pins, and a few other of the necessaries of life. Every - day or two her little boat would push out from the Brooklyn shore, and, - rowed by two boys, over she would come to the ship's side. Those of us who - were fortunate enough to have any money were then allowed to go to the - foot of the ladder and make some little purchases, obtaining everything—so - she always assured us—'at cost price.' But sometimes I was almost - sorry that I had a cent to spend. It was so terrible to see the longing in - the faces of the poor fellows who had no money. I will say this much in - our favor, however; I think there was hardly a man among us who did not - share with some one else fully half of whatever he had bought. But - suddenly the visits came to an end. One morning the little boat put out - from the shore as usual, but with no one in it save one of the boys who - used to row it, and he brought us the sad news that the old 'Dame' had - caught the fever from the hulk of the 'Jersey' and died. After that no one - else was ever willing to run the risk of contagion for the sake of the - profits of our little purchases. But one of the happiest experiences that - ever came to us in those long, dreary days, was to be allowed to become a - member of the 'Working Party.' It was composed of twenty men, and all the - prisoners who had any strength left were always eager to join it. It was - the duty of these men to wash down the upper deck and gangway, to spread - the awning, and to hoist wood, water, and other supplies on board, from - the boats that came alongside. Then, in the case of any deaths—and - there were often three or four during a single night—some of the - party would be assigned the duty of burial, and sent to the shore for that - purpose, but always closely watched by two or three guards. Strange as it - may seem, this sad duty was considered the most desirable of all. It meant - setting ones foot on dear old Mother Earth again, for, at least, a little - while, and even the mournful work in hand could not quite offset that - pleasure. Only once was I so fortunate as to be chosen, and so keen was my - delight in treading the ground again, that I actually took off my shoes - for the sake of feeling the sand fall away from my feet as we pushed along - with our sad burden. Now and then it would happen that, notwithstanding - the watchfulness of the guards, a prisoner would succeed in making his - escape when sent ashore with one of these interment parties. Near the spot - where most of the 'Jersey's' prisoners were buried was a comfortable - homestead belonging to a miller. The men used to call it the 'Old - Dutchmans, and always looked toward it with a sort of veneration as they - passed, particularly as they knew that the miller's daughter was deeply - interested in us. She kept account of all the poor fellows who were - brought to the shore to be buried, and I think many of us cherished a vain - sort of hope that deliverance might possibly come through her some day.” - </p> - <p> - “That was strange about caring to feel the sand against your feet,” - remarked Starlight; “that is the last sort of thing you'd think a fellow - would ever really care for.” - </p> - <p> - “Very likely; but if you ever spend even a month on shipboard you'll find - yourself longing for some of the things that you never so much as gave a - thought to while you had them. Why, when the men returned to the 'Jersey' - from the shore they would take back with them as much common turf as they - could carry, and the little fragments would be greedily sought for and - inhaled with more pleasure than if they had had the fragrance of a rose. - </p> - <p> - “Did they pay you in any way for the work? asked flutters, still anxious - to compare experiences. - </p> - <p> - “Not in money, of course, Flutters, but we had the privilege of going on - deck early in the morning, and were allowed to stay till sunset. All the - other prisoners were ordered down to the foul air between decks two hours - earlier, there to stay, come what would, for ten wretched hours, with the - iron gratings of the hatchways firmly fastening them in. Then we were - granted a full allowance of provisions, such as they were.” - </p> - <p> - “Tell about when all the 'Venture's crew were at last exchanged excepting - you and Tom Burnham,” suggested Starlight, in a pause that offered. - </p> - <p> - “No, don't, please,” Josephine exclaimed; “we all know about that, and it - was so very dreadful. Besides, it's all right now.” - </p> - <p> - “What,” said Flutters, eagerly, sitting bolt upright “what's that? <i>I</i> - don't know about it.” - </p> - <p> - “I'll tell you,” Hazel whispered, motioning him closer to her; meanwhile - Harry pointed out different parts of the ship in answer to certain - questions of Josephine's. - </p> - <p> - “You see,” explained Hazel in a melodramatic whisper, “that Cousin Harry - was taken sick one day very suddenly, and then he had the fever so badly - that he was carried over to Blackwell's Island to die. But he didn't die.” - </p> - <p> - “Didn't he, really?” asked Flutters, mischievously. - </p> - <p> - “I wouldn't joke about a thing like this, Flutters. No, he didn't die; but - while he was getting well very slowly a cartel—that's a kind of boat—was - sent from New London, with some English prisoners on board, to exchange - for the crew of the 'Venture;' but there were not quite as many English - prisoners as were needed for an exchange, so they decided they would have - to leave Cousin Harry and a friend of his, Tom Burnham, who were sick over - on the island, behind, and as soon afterward as those two poor fellows - were well enough, back they had to go again to that dreadful old 'Jersey.' - Wasn't that pretty hard?” - </p> - <p> - “Gosh, yes,” exclaimed inelegant little Flutters, and Hazel excused the - word because the occasion seemed to demand something strong. - </p> - <p> - “And there they stayed, Flutters, one whole year longer, till last August, - when the English had to let all their prisoners go free; but understand, - Flutters, it was just those <i>few</i> bad men in charge of the 'Jersey' - who were so cruel. In other places we did not treat our prisoners badly at - all. Besides, it was very wicked indeed to take arms against the King, - though, of course, men like Cousin Harry thought they were doing right.” - Hazel, as usual, wound up with a defence of her own loyalist principles. - </p> - <p> - And so the story of Harry's hard prison life was all told, or, rather, as - much of it as was suited to his audience or was not too heartrending, and - at once the little party agreed to weigh anchor and sail quite out of - sight of the dreary old ship before opening the well-filled luncheon - baskets stowed away in the “Gretchen's” narrow hold. - </p> - <p> - And then, of course, every one kept on the lookout for the best point to - come to anchor again; but Flutters was the first to discover a most - attractive spot on the New York side of the river, where some fine old - trees grew close to its edge, and already cast their shadows far enough - out on the water to shade the “Gretchen” from bow to stern. Thither they - sailed, quickly dropped anchor, and soon sitting down to cold tongue and - biscuits, peach jam and sponge cake, endeavored to banish all thoughts of - prisoners and prison-ships. It was not hard work, for Flutters was funny, - and Starlight and Hazel actually silly. Indeed, all of them felt a sort of - reaction from the gloomy, depressing thoughts of the last hour, and, to my - thinking, a little silliness was perfectly allowable. After a most - leisurely luncheon, Hazel and Starlight moved to the stern of the boat. - There was one important matter they had need to discuss confidentially—the - return of Flans's clothes. Hazel had not forgotten her promise to surely - bring them back to Mrs. Van Wyck the next day; and now the next day had - come, and with no better prospect of any other equipment for Flutters. - Entirely unconcerned, Flutters, growing drowsy in the noontide stillness - of the river, had stretched his lithe little body along one of the boat - cushions and fallen asleep. Josephine, after stowing away the emptied - baskets, had seated herself again with her back against the mast. Harry - had moved to a seat by her side, and they were talking together of what - filled both their hearts—their anxiety for Captain Boniface; and - Harry was doing his best to calm Josephine's fears. He spoke most cheerily - and hopefully, for he honestly did not believe the antagonism against her - father would amount to so very much; and watching her lovely face brighten - at his encouraging words, no doubt thought how very beautiful she was. You - would have thought so too could you have seen her, with her wide-brimmed - hat pushed far back on her head, and the airiest of little breezes playing - with the pretty light hair that lay in curling wisps about her forehead. - Starlight happened to glance toward Josephine just as he and Hazel had - settled the matter they had in hand, and seemed more impressed with her - beauty, as she sat there, than ever before. - </p> - <p> - “You don't often find a girl like your sister Josephine,” he said; “she's - lovely herself, and she's lovely to look at. Those two things don't - generally go together—in girls.” - </p> - <p> - “What do you mean?” asked Hazel, bristling a little, as usual. - </p> - <p> - “I mean that most lovely girls know that they're lovely, and that spoils - it. The good-natured girls are most always homely.” - </p> - <p> - “No, of course, you're not homely, Hazel, but then you're not”—a - long pause—“so very good-natured either;” Starlight's love of - mischief having gotten the better of his discretion. - </p> - <p> - Hazel gave him one look of indignant condemnation. Then, without a word, - she moved away, took her seat at Josephine's feet, and for the remainder - of the afternoon treated Starlight with all the studied coolness offended - dignity could muster. - </p> - <p> - About four o'clock the “Gretchen” again weighed anchor and steered out - into the river, homeward bound. It had been arranged that she should touch - at the foot of Beekman Street, and that Starlight should leave them there, - so as to stop at Mrs. Van Wyck's and see what could be done about - Flutters's clothes, or rather Hans's; and from there he would no doubt be - able to beg a ride out to the Bonifaces'. “Good-bye, Hazel,” he called - back, as he bounded on to the little wharf. Hazel vouchsafed no answer. - Josephine wondered what was up, and so did Harry, but were wise enough not - to ask any questions. Flutters was not so wise. “Miss Hazel, did you hear - Starlight call good-bye?” he queried. - </p> - <p> - “I'm not deaf, Flutters.” - </p> - <p> - “Then why didn't you answer?” with innocent directness. - </p> - <p> - “I had my own good reasons. And, Flutters, <i>you</i> must not ever ask <i>me - why</i> I do things.” - </p> - <p> - “All right, Miss Hazel,” Flutters answered cheerily, for her word was law - to him; but Josephine and Harry found it difficult to conceal a smile. - </p> - <p> - It proved rather a tedious sail homeward, for the wind that had blown them - so finely down river in the morning had not been so accommodating as to - change its direction, and only by dint of much “tacking” was any headway - to be made. At last, however, the Boniface homestead came in sight, and in - the stillness of the twilight the “Gretchen” was safely moored to her own - little dock. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER VIII.—A CALL ON COLONEL HAMILTON. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0019" id="linkimage-0019"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9075.jpg" alt="9075 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9075.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - OOD-BYE, Hazel,” - </p> - <p> - “Good-bye, Starlight,” - </p> - <p> - “Good-bye, Josephine,” - </p> - <p> - “Good-bye, Cousin Harry,” - </p> - <p> - “Good-bye, Flutters.” Quite a medley of good-byes, to be sure, but no more - than were needed, for Harry and Starlight, once more aboard of the - “Gretchen,” were fast gliding out on to the river, and Josephine and Hazel - and Flutters were being left behind on the wharf. The little prison-ship - party had had their supper, and now Harry and Starlight were off for - Paulus Hook; it was high time, too, that they were, since they had already - been absent a day longer than Harry had planned, and Aunt Frances would - naturally begin to feel worried. Little Flutters cut a queer figure as he - stood there on the boating dock in the moonlight. Hans Van Wyck's clothes, - done up in a snug bundle, were already on their way back to their lawful - owner, so that he had need to resort once more to the spangles and tinsel - of his circus costume. By way of making up for insufficient clothing, Mrs. - Boniface had thrown a shawl about him, one end of which Flutters allowed - to trail behind, pinning the other close about his throat, with one corner - thrown over his left shoulder. - </p> - <p> - “We must do something about some clothes for you, Flutters, right away,” - Hazel remarked, as they turned to walk up from the wharf, when, amid the - darkening shadows of the river, the “Gretchen's” sail was no longer - visible. “Starlight and I <i>hoped</i> Mrs. Van Wyck would offer to <i>give</i> - us that suit of Hans's to keep when he stopped to see her this afternoon - and told her about you, but she did not propose anything of the kind. She - only said 'it was very inconvenient for Hans not to have them, and she - hoped we'd manage to get them back to-night.'” - </p> - <p> - “And you have managed, haven't you, Miss Hazel?” Flutters answered, as if - the managing were a matter to be proud of; and, mimicking a sort of stage - stride such as he had often witnessed in tragical circus pantomimes, he - apparently bestowed far more attention on the sweep of his majestic train - than on what Hazel was saying. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, of course, I sent them back; what else could I do?”—this last - rather impatiently, because of Flutters's exasperating unconcern __"but - how are you going to manage without them is what I'd like to know.”.. - </p> - <p> - Flutters gave Hazel a comical little look. “With tights and shawls, I - s'pose, Miss Hazel, unless the Captain felt like as he could buy some for - me.” - </p> - <p> - “No,” said Hazel decidedly; “I am not going to bother father 'bout things - like that, 'specially now when he's so worried and his life's in danger.” -</p> - <p> - This remark brought Flutters to a stand. “Is the Captain's life in danger, - really, Miss Hazel?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, it is. Josephine said he received a very angry letter the other - night from some old friends of his. They as much as told him that he must - go away, and that his life wasn't safe here; and lots of people are going, - Flutters; people who, like father, have sided with King George.” - </p> - <p> - “Where are they going, Miss Hazel?” - </p> - <p> - “To England, most of them.” - </p> - <p> - “And will the Captain go?” - </p> - <p> - “No, Josephine thinks not. You see he built this house, Flutters, and he - loves it, and he loves this country, too. Josephine says she believes - he'll just stay, and try and live the angry feeling down.” - </p> - <p> - “Miss Hazel,”.said Flutters, stopping to gather the trailing shawl over - one arm, for he was ready now to give his whole mind to the matter in - hand, “it's a very puzzling thing 'bout me. When Mr. Harry was telling - those sad things of the prison-ship, I thought I was a Whig, and now when - you are talking 'bout the Captain, it seems as though I was a—a what - do you call it?” - </p> - <p> - “A Loyalist, Flutters?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, a Loyalist; but I reckon folks what has friends on both sides, had - better not be anything particular.” - </p> - <p> - “Perhaps that would be best,” Hazel replied, smiling in spite of herself. - </p> - <p> - “Miss Hazel,” Flutters said, after a little pause, stopping and looking - round him somewhat cautiously, as though he feared his question might be - overheard, “did Starlight hear of any 'quiries for me, when he was in the - city this afternoon?” - </p> - <p> - Hazel nodded “Yes” in a most mysterious manner. - </p> - <p> - “There's no danger of their 'quiring round here, do you think?” and Hazel - saw the involuntary little tremble shoot through Flutters's frame. - </p> - <p> - “No, indeed, Flutters, and we wouldn't give you up if they did. Mrs. Van - Wyck told Starlight that a forlorn old man, who belonged to the circus, - stopped at her gate and asked if she'd seen anything of a little mulatto - boy what had deserted from the troupe, or knowed anything about him, and - Mrs. Van Wyck said, 'Lor', no!' never dreaming that her very own little - Hans's clothes were on that same little boy that very moment.” - </p> - <p> - “That must have been good old Bobbin,” answered Flutters, fairly chuckling - over the thought of the entire success of his escape. - </p> - <p> - “Miss Hazel,” he added, after a moment's thoughtful meditation, “I've been - thinking how I might earn the money for my clothes by doing a little - tumbling for folks round here, only I'm so awfully afraid of being heard - of by the circus people.” - </p> - <p> - The suggestion instantly flashed a new scheme through Hazel's mind. - </p> - <p> - “Flutters,” she said, very slowly and seriously, “I've—thought—of - something. Yes, it's the very thing. I'm going to town tomorrow, to see - Colonel Hamilton about an important matter, and I'll make all the - 'rangements.” - </p> - <p> - “'Rangements 'bout the clothes, Miss Hazel?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, 'rangements 'bout everything; but, hush! 'cause nobody else must - know about it.” They had reached the porch where Mrs. Boniface was - sitting, and Josephine was close behind them, which was the occasion for - Hazel's “Hush” and so little Flutters tumbled into bed half an hour later, - still in ignorance as to what the scheme of his “little Mistress” might - be, but with perfect confidence in her ability to make any arrangements - under the sun. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <p> - Joe Ainsworth found his little friend waiting in the sunshine the next - morning, and, almost without intimation from him, the leaders came to a - standstill, and Hazel mounted to her seat beside him. “Business in town?” - ventured Joe. - </p> - <p> - “Colonel Hamilton's, please,” all intent on getting comfortably seated. - </p> - <p> - “Oh!” exclaimed Joe, with elevated eyebrows, “haven't fixed that matter up - yet, eh?” - </p> - <p> - “Not yet. I haven't had time to see to it until to-day.” - </p> - <p> - “Haven't had time,” said Joe, with a significant smile. - </p> - <p> - “No, I haven't, really. Yesterday I had to go on a sailing party and the - day before to the circus.” - </p> - <p> - “My lands, Miss Hazel! I guess if you had to drive this Albany coach every - day of your life, week in and week out, and was ever able to take so much - as a day off for a circus or a sailing party, you would call that having - lots of time. I would, I can tell ye.” - </p> - <p> - “Well, then, perhaps it was because I couldn't do both things, Joe, so I - chose the sailing party and the circus.” - </p> - <p> - “I don't blame you, Miss Hazel. Besides, there can't be anything very - pleasant for such a loyal little Red-Coat as you to look forward to, in - calling on our American Colonel.” - </p> - <p> - “I'm not afraid of any American Colonel,” with the air of a grand duchess. - </p> - <p> - “No, of course not, Miss Hazel, but I'd have a care to that little tongue - of yours.” - </p> - <p> - Hazel did not answer. She would not have allowed many people to offer that - unsolicited advice without some sort of a rejoinder, but she had always a - most kindly side toward Joe Ainsworth, not entirely accounted for, either, - by the fact of the free rides. - </p> - <p> - For some reason or other the coach horses kept up a good pace that - morning, and it was not long before they came to a halt at Hazel's - destination. - </p> - <p> - Colonel Hamilton's law office was in just such another wide-porched double - house as the Starlight homestead; and, like it, had been vacated by its - rightful owner during the progress of the war, and so had shared the - similar fate of being immediately claimed by the English. They were most - comfortable-looking dwellings, those old colonial homesteads, cheery and - clean without, in their buff coats of paint lined off with generous bands - of white, and most hospitable within, with their wide halls running from - front to back straight through them. It seemed a shame that such a - homelike place should ever be converted into a mere bevy of offices, but, - after all, that is but one of many desecrations that follow closely in the - train of wretched war. The very sight of the house, and the evident misuse - to which it had been put, stirred Hazel's indignation. She did not know - who had lived there, but she felt very sorry for them all the same. - </p> - <p> - It chanced to be her good fortune to find Colonel Alexander Hamilton alone - in his office, something that did not often happen in the experience of - that great man, and it was also perhaps her good fortune to be altogether - unconscious of how truly great he was, else she might not have marched so - boldly into his presence and told her story in such a frank and fearless - manner. Yet, who knows, there are big and little women the world over, who - will stop at nothing, and know neither fear nor shrinking where a friend's - interests are concerned, especially such a brave, true friend as Starlight - had always proved himself to be. - </p> - <p> - Colonel Hamilton allowed Hazel to make her statement without interruption, - save to ask some lawyer-like question now and then, when, in her childish - eagerness, she had failed to put the facts quite clearly; but, - notwithstanding her eagerness and the importance of her errand, she took - time to note that he was “a lovely-looking gentleman,” and to draw a - little sigh of regret that so fine a man should not have been a Tory like - herself. When at last she had cleared her mind of all she had to say, she - folded her little hands together in her lap, and scanning his handsome - face closely, waited for his answer. - </p> - <p> - But Colonel Hamilton did not answer. With his elbows resting on the arms - of his office chair he sat for a few seconds gazing down at his hands, the - fingers of which, with thumb pressing thumb, were clasped in meditative - fashion before him. Hazel gazed at them too. She thought they were very - nice hands, and noticed how fine were the linen frills falling over them - from the circle of the tight-fitting, broadcloth sleeve. She was not at - all concerned that he did not hasten to reply. She had heard that lawyers - gave a great deal of thought to “things,” and she would not hurry him. - Meanwhile she sought the arms of the chair in which she was sitting as a - support for her own elbows, and endeavored to lock her own little hands - together in imitation of his—so will the feminine mind occupy itself - with veriest trifles even on the verge of most decisive transactions. But - the chair-arms were too wide apart and the child-arms too short by far to - successfully accomplish the imitation. Colonel Hamilton noted the attempt - and smiled. “My little friend,” he said at last, “I'm thinking I am the - very last man you should have come to about all this. How did you happen - to appeal to me?” - </p> - <p> - “Because, sir (Hazel grew a little embarrassed)—because sir, as I - told Joe Ainsworth, who drives the Albany coach, <i>you</i> were the - gentleman who talked the court into deciding the case against Miss Avery - and in favor of Captain Wadsworth.” - </p> - <p> - “And how did you learn that?” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, I have heard my father talk about it; I am his little daughter - Hazel.” - </p> - <p> - “Naturally, but who may your father be?” - </p> - <p> - “Captain Hugh Boniface, of his Majesty's service,” with no little dignity. - </p> - <p> - “Indeed!” exclaimed the Colonel, with surprise, “and what did your father - say?” - </p> - <p> - “He did not think you were right about it, Colonel Hamilton, but he said - you were smart enough and handsome enough to make a jury believe anything - you wanted to.” Hazel did not know why the Colonel walked over to the - window and looked out for a moment, but one might surmise that it was - simply to conceal a very broad smile. - </p> - <p> - “That is rather doubtful praise, Miss Hazel,” he said, coming back again, - “but I can tell you one thing, I certainly would not try to make a jury - believe anything that I did not believe myself.” - </p> - <p> - “No, of course not,” Hazel answered warmly, “only I thought you could not - have understood about things. That is the reason I have come to ask you to - change your mind.” - </p> - <p> - “But, unfortunately, lawyers' minds when once made up cannot be changed - very easily, and I am sorry for that, for there is nothing I would rather - do than be of service to you and your little friend with the pretty name—what - do you call him? Starlight? You see, the bother is, I honestly think the - English have a right to dispose of Miss Avery's house, for they did not - take it from her nor compel her to leave it. She left it of her own accord, - now more than two years ago, and entirely unprotected. Now I do not see - why she should expect to come back to it and turn out its present occupant - just when she chances to see fit, and the court agrees with me in this. - </p> - <p> - “But doesn't it seem too bad for a lot of great, strong men to side - against a lovely lady like Miss Frances Avery?” and Hazel gave a very deep - sigh. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, in one way it does, Miss Hazel,” said Colonel Hamilton kindly, “and - the great strong men felt very sorry for her. Unfortunately hers proved to - be a sort of test case. There are scores of other people who want to come - back and turn people out of the homes where they have been living, some of - them for the last six or seven years—indeed ever since New York fell - into the hands of the British, and now the court has decided that they - ought not to be allowed to come, and that under these circumstances, - 'possession is not only nine points of the law,' but ten. - </p> - <p> - “I do not quite understand what you mean about the points of the law,” - said Hazel, frankly; “but I do not think about it as you do at all,” and, - in fact, there were many people in those days, and many, too, in these, - who could make Hazel's words their own, never having been able to - comprehend how it was that the great lawyer took the stand he did. - </p> - <p> - “Besides, it is queer,” Hazel added, after a moments cogitation, “that - such a Whig as you are, Colonel Hamilton, should have sided with the - Tories.” - </p> - <p> - “Not a whit more queer, it strikes me,” laughed the Colonel, “than that a - stanch little Loyalist like yourself should be pleading so warmly for the - Whigs.” - </p> - <p> - “But if your best friend <i>was</i> a Whig and you felt sorry for him?” - pleaded Hazel, in extenuation. - </p> - <p> - “Well to be sure, that does put matters in a different light; but truly, I - do not see what you are going to be able to do about it. If Miss Avery can - fix matters up with Captain Wadsworth, all well and good, and—” - </p> - <p> - “No, she can never do that,” interrupted Hazel, decidedly. “I have seen - Captain Wadsworth myself. He looks like a kind man, but he isn't. He told - me to come to you about it; but it seems there's no use going to anybody, - and I guess Miss Avery and Starlight will just have to live and die over - at Paulus Hook, and never have a home of their own again—never!” - </p> - <p> - It must be confessed that Hazel's efforts in behalf of the Starlight - homestead had apparently met with no success whatever. But she had done - what she could, <i>all</i> she could, indeed, and there was some comfort - in that, at least so she thought, as she walked slowly away from Colonel - Hamilton's office. She paused in a meditative way as she reached the gate. - “Poor little girl,” thought the Colonel, who sat watching her from his - office window, “I fancy she had an idea I could go right up to Captain - Wadsworth's and turn them all out if I wished to, and half believed I - would do it. As it is, I will speak to the Captain. Perhaps he might be - able to make some sort of a compromise with Miss Avery.” - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <p> - So after all Hazel had at least succeeded in making a friend of the - Colonel, and of Captain Wadsworth, too, for that matter, and it was not - altogether improbable that something might result from this state of - affairs, though she herself little dreamed it. But Hazel had had a double - purpose in coming into the city that morning, and did not stand there at - the Colonel's gate because, as the Colonel thought, she was the most - sorrowful and hopeless of little suppliants, but because she was trying to - decide just what she had better do next. - </p> - <p> - “Better do next?” was the question that always confronted that restless - and active little woman whenever the completion of any one plan left her - free to launch upon another. If the little plan had utterly failed, that - did not matter. It was her life to be busy about something, though the - something might be of no more importance than the making of a doll's dress - or the mending of a toy teacup. But now the something to be done was - important, and having made up her mind what to do, she suddenly started - off at a brisk little pace that would have surprised the sympathetic - Colonel could he have seen behind the boxwood hedge that grew close up to - the gate on either side. - </p> - <p> - So great indeed was the change in her bearing, he might with reason have - suspected her of a little “old soldiering” while in his office. - </p> - <p> - Hazel's destination was the Starlight homestead, and the man she wanted to - see was Sergeant Bellows. She “Do you remember?” found him seated alone on - a bench under a tree in the front garden, and this suited her exactly, for - her interview had need to be a private one. The old Sergeant was cleaning - some sword-handles, but was glad enough to have his work interrupted by - the unexpected arrival of his little friend, and made room for her on the - bench beside him. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0020" id="linkimage-0020"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figright" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/8083.jpg" alt="8083 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/8083.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - “Do you remember?” Hazel at once began, without waiting to command - sufficient breath, “that the last time—I was here—you asked—if - there was anything—an old sergeant could do for me?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I remember, Miss Hazel.” - </p> - <p> - “And do you think the other men meant what they said when they asked if - there was anything they could do for me?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I'll wager they did.” - </p> - <p> - “Well, now, there is something, Sergeant Bellows, a real important - something, and this is it,” and straightway Hazel's voice subsided into - such a confidential whisper, that even the Sergeant lost a word now and - then, but he smiled and nodded assent all the while, to Hazel's great - delight. - </p> - <p> - As for us, it is needless to bother our heads with all she told him, - particularly as we shall see what came of it in the very next chapter. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER IX.—FLUTTERS HAS A BENEFIT. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0021" id="linkimage-0021"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9085.jpg" alt="9085 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9085.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - HE warm and hazy September days were over. The first of October had come - in by the calendar, but although its sun had not yet peeped over the - horizon, there were unmistakable signs in the east which heralded its - coming. As for Hazel, she was up “with the lark,” as the saying goes, and - with good reason, too, for never did any mere little feathered songstress - have as much in hand as had she for that first day of October, and it <i>all</i> - depended upon the weather. - </p> - <p> - What wonder, then, with so much on her mind, that the first ray of - daylight succeeded in shimmering in beneath the long lashes of her eyes, - first setting their lid a-tremble and then prying them open, so that their - little owner soon found herself wide awake, and that the eventful day had - dawned. But what sort of a day was it going to be, that was the - all-important question. Hazel threw open the shutters of her window. The - vine that crept along its sill was dripping wet—could it be raining? - She stretched out a little brown hand that was all of a tremble with - excitement, to test if rain were really falling. No, not a drop. It was - dew on the vines, of course; how foolish not to have thought of that! But - what made the sky so gray? Was it cloudy? Then she tripped over to the - clock. Why, so early as that! Then perhaps the sun was not up yet. No, - come to look again, of course it wasn't, it was just daylight. - </p> - <p> - Having reached this conclusion, Hazel, wisely slipping into a flannel - wrapper and a pair of bedroom slippers, sat down to wait the rising of - that very lazy sun, and soon he came. She watched till he was full above - the horizon, then assuring herself that there were no threatening clouds - anywhere, crept back into bed, wrapper, slippers, and all, with a mind - quite at ease, and in just the sort of a mood for the most refreshing of - little morning naps. - </p> - <p> - One, two, one, two, Company F was marking time preparatory to marching on - again, and Sergeant Bellows was in command. - </p> - <p> - It was two o'clock now, and the sun, for whose dawning Hazel had watched - so eagerly, was well on his journey, and shining down on the burnished - flint-locks and scarlet coats of Company F, coats which looked bravely in - the morning sunlight, notwithstanding many a stain and mark of active - service. But not for any skirmishing with their enemies were those English - soldiers under marching orders, for never again were they to wage battle - with the colonists on American soil. It was now nearly two years since the - great battle of Yorktown, when the British soldiers had laid down their - arms, and Lord Cornwallis's sword had been surrendered to General - Washington, and it would not be long before the whole army, under command - of Sir Guy Carleton, would go sailing homeward down the harbor, and not a - British roll-call, nor a soldier answering to it, would be heard anywhere - in the land. But, somehow or other, notwithstanding all this, Company F, - of His Majesty's service, did not look very crestfallen, as they stood - there marking time, until a great overhanging load of hay should leave the - road clear ahead of them. They had had plenty of time to get used to the - thought of not having beaten the Yankees; in fact, some of them went so - far as to openly express their honest admiration for the plucky, desperate - fashion in which those some poorly equipped Yankees had fought, and did - not begrudge them their hard-earned victory. Then in seven weeks more they - were to turn their faces toward home and England; toward England, which - some of them had not seen for eight long years; toward home, where little - children had outgrown their childhood, where dear wife faces had grown - worn with waiting, and where white-haired mothers, wearied with watching, - had perhaps been laid at rest in the little village churchyards. But, come - weal or woe, they were soon going home; you could see their faces daily - grow brighter with the thought, and happening this morning to have a most - novel entertainment in prospect, what wonder that almost every one wore an - amused smile, and that every eye twinkled merrily. The clumsy hay-load - slowly moved out of the way, and then came the order, “For'ard, march!” - from Sergeant Bellows, and off they went, with even swing up Broadway, - turning off at the Albany coach road, and then on out into the country. - “Halt!” called Sergeant Bellows at last, and Company F halted right in - front of Captain Boniface's cottage. It could not have been that they were - not expected, for Hazel, with beaming smile, stood holding the gate wide - open, and the men filed in and took their seats in chairs which had - evidently been placed in rows in the garden for them. The chairs fronted - the porch, and were grouped in semicircular shape about the wide steps - leading up to it, at the top of which a curtain (for which two blanket - shawls had been made to do duty) hung suspended, the cord that held it - being fastened to the fluted column at either end. That the shawls were of - widely differing plaids, and at great variance in the matter of color, - only added to the generally fantastic effect. Without doubt there was - going to be some sort of a performance, and it was easy now to guess that - Hazel's “'rangements” had been in the line of preparation for it, and easy - now to understand why her little ladyship had been up with the lark, to - ascertain, if possible, what sort of a day it was going to be. Somehow or - other I should not in the least wonder if the “Old Man of the Weather” - loves to have a little child place implicit trust in him now and then'; - surely he does, if he is at all like some of the rest of us whom you - little folks call old. At any rate the weather not only favored Hazel's - project, but seemed just to give itself up to making everything - comfortable for everybody. The sun saw to it that the old house cast a - broad square shadow in front of it that was more than large enough to - cover the space where the men were seated, and the wind saw to it that a - sufficiently strong little breeze was blowing to temper the early - afternoon sunshine, and everything conspired to make it a perfect October - day, a sort of good example, as it were, for the thirty other October days - that were to follow it. - </p> - <p> - At last it was time for that mysterious many-colored curtain to be drawn - aside, and certain vigorous jerkings of the shawls showed that an attempt - was being made in that direction. What did it matter to Company F if it - did not work with all the smoothness to be desired, since it finally - disclosed to them as fair a little specimen of humanity as the eyes of - most of them had ever rested upon. In the centre of the stage, or rather - of that portion of the porch which had been divided off for it, sat - Hazel's little sister in an old-fashioned high-back chair, her pretty - slippered feet reaching but a little way over its edge, and her little - dimpled hands folded in her lap in most complacent fashion. She wore a - short-waisted, quaint little white dress, barely short enough to show the - prettily slippered feet. - </p> - <p> - Not at all dismayed was little Kate at the sight of so many soldiers - seated there in such formal array before her. What was every beautiful Red - Coat but another embodiment of her own dear papa; and not in the least - alarmed was she by the loud applause which the mere sight of her elicited - from admiring Company F. She turned her pretty head on one side and then - on the other, her little face wreathed in smiles, and seeming to say in - silent baby-fashion, “Thank you, gentlemen.” Not that she could not talk. - No, indeed, do not think that for a moment; her baby tongue could move - with all the insistent chatter of a little English sparrow; but the right - time had not come yet. As soon as the applause had somewhat abated, Hazel - herself appeared on the scene, arrayed in a jaunty little riding-habit, - and with cheeks aglow with excitement, looking prettier, perhaps, than - ever before in her life. As was to be expected, her appearance was the - cause for renewed applause; but finally all was quiet, and she stepped - forward to deliver a little speech which had been carefully thought over. - She had insisted upon wearing her riding-habit, because, as she had told - her mother, she was to be a sort of showman. Of course she did not want to - wear boys' clothes, but the riding-habit seemed sort of a go-between, “and - more like the thing a lady who managed a private circus would wear.” So - Mrs. Boniface consented, and Josephine, in helping Hazel to dress, had - added an extra touch or two. Her habit was made of gray cloth, with a - long, full skirt that came within a foot of the ground when Hazel was on - her pony; but in order that she should be able to move about the platform - as freely as was necessary, Josephine had caught the skirt up on one side, - fastening it with two or three brilliant red chrysanthemums, and pinning a - bunch of the same bright flowers against her waist. On her head she wore a - black velvet jockey cap which had been sent her by her grandpa from - England, and which completed the jauntiness of her costume. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0022" id="linkimage-0022"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0090.jpg" alt="0090 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0090.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - “Members of Company F,” Hazel began, holding her riding-whip in both hands - before her, “I wish to thank you for coming here this afternoon, and to - tell you that I hope you will feel repaid for your long march out from the - city.” - </p> - <p> - “No doubt about that, Miss Hazel,” Sergeant Bellows called out, heartily.. - </p> - <p> - “Thank you, Sergeant;” but Hazel's manner was somewhat stiff, as though - she preferred that more formality should be observed. “But before - commencing our performance,” she continued, “I must ask you to bear in - mind that it is not an easy thing to get up a regular circus in a private - family, 'specially at such very short notice. There was no time to teach - anything new, even to the baby, who learns very easily, and it was just by - good luck that Prince and Kate and Delta knew some little tricks already. - As for Flutters, it will not take you long to discover that <i>his</i> - part of the performance needs no apology.” - </p> - <p> - Hazel concluded her little speech with a graceful bow, and, turning toward - Kate, who still sat smiling, announced: “I have now the pleasure, - gentlemen, of introducing to you Miss Kate Boniface, as fine a little - three-year-old as ever was reared in Westchester County. Miss Kate is - quite a favorite with the management, being, what we consider, a most - gifted little lady. She has an original little dance of her own, one - little song, and one little piece, which she speaks with dramatic effect.” - </p> - <p> - “Which s'all I do first, Hazel?” asked Kate, in a most audible whisper, - when she saw that it was time for her to commence. - </p> - <p> - “Why, the dance of course, child,” Hazel answered, forgetting their - relations of manager and artiste. - </p> - <p> - “But where's de music?” - </p> - <p> - Sure enough, where was the music? “Job,” called Hazel, blushing up to the - roots of her hair with embarrassment, “we are waiting for you.” - </p> - <p> - “Coming, Mrs. Manager,” came the answer, and a moment later Starlight - bounded through the green boughs, which had been arranged at the back of - the scene, violin in hand, and in a costume befitting the clown of the - performance. His resemblance to the real article was truly quite - remarkable, for Cousin Harry had taken a great deal of interest in his - “make-up,” and the result was a face as white, with cheeks as red and - eyebrows as high, black, and arching, as were ever attained by Mr. John - Dreyfus, the English clown of world-renowned reputation. Starlight was - able to play half-a-dozen tunes on an old violin which had belonged to his - grandfather, and this formed a most attractive and most important feature - of the Boniface circus. Otherwise Company F would have been obliged to - forego little Kate's dancing, than which nothing was ever daintier or - prettier. But not an inch would her little ladyship move from her chair - till Starlight had gone through a series of scrapings called “tuning up,” - and a merry little dancing tune was well under way. Then she jumped down, - and running to the front of the platform made the most bewitching of - conventional little bows, pressing the fingers of both hands to her lips, - as if generously to throw the sweetest of kisses broadcast. It was very - evident, then, to the Red Coats—Miss Hazel to the contrary that - there had been time enough to teach little Kate one new trick at any rate; - but the glancing itself was a matter of Kate's own creation, and of a sort - that baffles description. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0023" id="linkimage-0023"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0092.jpg" alt="0092 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0092.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - She had never seen any one dance, no one had taught her, but as naturally - as a little duck takes to the water, had her little feet taken to dancing - on that evening when, for the first time, Starlight had brought his violin - to the Bonifaces'. For fully ten minutes, to the great delight of Company - F, little Kate kept time in a variety of intricate and pretty little - motions to the rhythm of the old violin a sort of dancing in which slow - and graceful gestures of dimpled arms and hands played almost as important - part as the little feet themselves. Indeed, the whole proceeding was a - deliberate one, owing to an inability on Starlight's part to play any - faster; but to my thinking “The dancing was a matter of Kate's own - creation;” all the prettier for that, and far more becoming to such a - dignified little maiden. - </p> - <p> - As for Company F, it would have liked nothing better than a whole - half-hour of dancing; but “Mrs. Manager” wisely protested, and after the - little song had been rendered with “violin accompaniment,” and the little - piece spoken “with dramatic effect,” Miss Kate Boniface tripped from the - stage 'midst hearty peals of applause, and Mrs. Manager, as Starlight had - called Hazel, came once more to the front. - </p> - <p> - “I shall now have the pleasure of acquainting you, gentlemen,” she said, - with all the superiority of a veritable showman, “with my own little - thoroughbred, one of the most knowing and accomplished of Shetland ponies. - Mr. Lightfoot, will you have the kindness to bring Miss Gladys into the - ring?” whereupon Starlight, otherwise Mr. Lightfoot, led the pony on to - the stage, or, I should say, “into the ring,” as Hazel preferred to regard - it from a strictly professional point of view. Gladys had been groomed by - Starlight and Flutters to within an inch of her life, in preparation for - the occasion, and, indeed, she sorely needed it. The fact was that she had - been turned out for the last two months owing to an unfortunate gall on - her back which had refused to heal under the saddle; so, while her - mistress had been dependent upon Albany coaches for such excursions as she - wished to take into the city, Miss Gladys had been kicking up her heels - and running races with herself in the most inviting of clover fields. Only - yesterday had she been enjoying all this freedom, with burrs in her tail - and burrs in her mane, and with never so much as a halter, and here she - was to-day tricked out in blue ribbons, with her coat smoothed down to - look as silky as possible, and with her four pretty little hoofs oiled up - to a state of shiny blackness, but without the sign of shoe on any one of - them. There had been no time, indeed, to have Miss Gladys shod, nor was - there any need of it, as, after today's performance, back she was to go - again, for at least another month more, to all the wild dissipation of - pony life in a clover field. Of course she was astonished at the sight of - the soldiers, but she had been rehearsing with Starlight and Hazel for a - whole hour that morning in that sort of “box stall” which formed the scene - of the circus, and so, being somewhat familiar with the place, contented - herself with an occasional pricking-up of her black-pointed ears, which - only gave her a more spirited look, and, on the whole, was extremely - becoming. - </p> - <p> - “Now, Miss Gladys,” said Hazel, when she had-succeeded in getting her - posed to her liking, “I would like you to answer a few questions, and for - each correct answer you shall have a beautiful lump of white sugar. Mr. - Lightfoot, have you the sugar ready?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, Mrs. Manager,” answered Starlight, who, in his capacity of clown, - was endeavoring all the while to keep up a funny sort of byplay, and - sometimes succeeding; “yes, Mrs. Manager, the sugar is all ready. I have - placed, as you perceive, five lumps upon either extended palm, and would - like to make this arrangement, that when the pony makes a mistake I may be - allowed to eat the sugar.” - </p> - <p> - “Very well, Mr. Lightfoot, I am quite agreeable to the arrangement; but, - if I am not mistaken, the pony thinks you are likely to fare rather - poorly; how about that, Miss Gladys? Do you intend that Mr. Lightfoot - shall enjoy more than one of those lumps of sugar?” Hazel stood leaning - against the pony's side, lightly swinging her riding-whip in apparently - aimless fashion in her left hand, but in answer to her question, Miss - Gladys shook her pretty head from side to side with as decided an - assertion in the negative as though she had been able to voice an audible - “No.” - </p> - <p> - “There! what did I tell you, Mr. Lightfoot?” - </p> - <p> - “Why! did Miss Gladys answer? I didn't hear her.” - </p> - <p> - “Of course you did not hear her. She answered by shaking her head. Ponies - can't talk.” - </p> - <p> - “What! can't Miss Gladys say a word?” - </p> - <p> - “No, certainly not.” - </p> - <p> - “Not even neigh?” - </p> - <p> - “That's a <i>very</i> bad pun, Mr. Lightfoot. Don't you think so, Miss - Gladys?” Up and down went the pony's head in ready assent. - </p> - <p> - “Two questions answered with remarkable judgment. Now, two lumps of sugar, - if you please, Mr. Lightfoot.” - </p> - <p> - Gladys eagerly ate the sugar from Hazel's gloved hand (for sugar was one - of the few creature delights a clover field failed to offer, that is, in - any form more concrete than the sweetness of a withered clover head), and - looked as though perfectly willing to continue the process for an almost - indefinite period. Indeed, for a long time Hazel continued to ply her with - questions of great moment to Company F, such as, “Is Sergeant Bellows the - best sergeant in his regiment?” - </p> - <p> - “Is 'Company F' the finest company?” and so on, to all of which Miss - Gladys gave only the most complimentary of answers. Just when this part of - the performance was coming to a close, Mr. Lightfoot stepped up to the - pony, and said, in beseeching fashion, “Look here, Miss Gladys, on the - whole, you think I'm a pretty good sort of a fellow, now, don't you?” The - pony looked at Starlight a moment, and then shook her head, “Yes,” in a - most decided manner. “That's a darling,” Starlight exclaimed, swinging - himself on to Gladys's back, in compliance with an order received from - Hazel, and with his head resting on her mane and his arms clasped round - her prettily-arched neck, rode off the stage. The soldiers, of course, - were at first considerably astonished at the pony's intelligent answers, - but it did not take most of them long to discover that the shakings of - Miss Gladys's head were in every case controlled by a touch of Hazel's - whip. A gentle application of the lash on the right foreleg for yes and - the same motion on the left one for no. Hazel had tried to conceal this - little motion as best she could, but it was naturally not an easy matter, - and when Miss Gladys had been kind enough to answer “Yes” to Mr. - Lightfoot's question, it was only because Hazel's whip was in Starlight's - hand, and the pony, felt the same familiar sensation upon her left - foreleg. - </p> - <p> - Perhaps you wonder how it was that a little country pony was so unusually - accomplished. Well, to tell the truth, Captain Boniface deserved all the - credit of it, and Hazel none at all. When Hazel herself was but a week old - that pony had been bought for her, and, as soon as she was able to take - notice of anything, Gladys used to be trotted out daily for her - inspection. And so it happened that while Captain Boniface was waiting for - his little daughter to grow large enough to ride her, he used to amuse - himself, and Hazel as well, by endeavoring to teach the pony a few knowing - tricks. They had required a world of patience, and with none of them had - he been so successful as with what he called the “pony shake,” and which - just had been exhibited to so much advantage. - </p> - <p> - “That Miss Hazel's a cute un,” said one of the soldiers, in the little - intermission that followed the exit of the pony. - </p> - <p> - “Cute's no name for it,” answered Sergeant Bellows. - </p> - <p> - “She reminds me of my own little girl at home, whom I haven't seen in a - five-year,” said the other, while a little mistiness betrayed itself in - his soldier eyes. - </p> - <p> - “She may mind ye of her,” answered the Sergeant, not unkindly, “but there - isn't a child anywhere, I'm thinking, that can hold a candle to Miss - Hazel.” You see Sergeant Bellows was an old bachelor, and without a - relative in the world whom he cared for, and perhaps that accounted in a - measure for his adoration of Hazel, though, no doubt, the little daughter - of the red-haired soldier, who-was probably red-haired too, was just as - charming in the eyes of her father as Hazel in the eyes of the lonely old - Sergeant. But further discussion as to comparative merits was brought to - an end by the reappearance of Starlight on the stage, accompanied by his - dog, Lord Nelson, who, much against his will, had been dragged aboard of - the “Gretchen” that morning, and imported from his kennel at Paulus Hook - especially for the occasion. Lord Nelson possessed quite a varied set of - accomplishments, none of them very remarkable, however, and after Lord - Nelson came Flutters! Flutters in velvet and spangles, Flutters of The - Great English Circus, and who straightway proceeded to make the eyes of - Company F open wide with astonishment at his truly wonderful tumbling and - somersaults. There was no slipping of the little knee-cap to-day. It - seemed to Flutters quite impossible in the happy life he was leading, that - knee-caps or anything else that concerned him should ever get much out of - order again. - </p> - <p> - As may be easily imagined, the audience would not be satisfied till - Flutters had favored them with repeated encores, but when the performance - was at last concluded, there was a call for the entire troupe, and, in - response, out they came, hand-in-hand, Hazel and Kate, Starlight and - Flutters; Starlight leading Lord Nelson with the hand that was free, and - Flutters Miss Gladys. A low, smiling bow from them all—for even - Gladys and Lord Nelson were made to give a compulsory nod—then the - line retreated a foot or two, the shawl-curtain dropped into place, and - the entertainment was over. At least so thought Company F, but it was - mistaken, for no sooner had Hazel and Starlight disappeared behind the - curtain, than out they came in front of it, and then down among the - soldiers, Starlight carrying a tray full of glasses filled with the most - inviting lemonade, and Hazel following with an old-fashioned silver - cake-basket heaped high with delicious sponge cake of Josephine's best - manufacture. Then for half-an-hour they had quite a social time of it. - Captain and Mrs. Boniface, who had watched the performance from two - comfortable chairs at the rear of Company F, were talking with some of the - men; Flutters, who, for very good reasons, was still in costume, was the - centre of another little group; while Kate, from the safe vantage point of - Josephine's lap, chatted away, to the great entertainment of old Sergeant - Bellows. Suddenly the Sergeant seemed to recall something important, for - he jumped up, seized his hat, and began passing it from one to another of - the men, all of whom had, apparently, come prepared for this feature of - the entertainment. - </p> - <p> - Hazel was greatly relieved when she saw the hat in active circulation. She - had felt afraid that the Sergeant had forgotten this part of the - programme, and did not fancy the idea of having to remind him of it. - Indeed he had come pretty near forgetting it, so absorbed had he been in - the charms of little Kate, but as a result of the collection taken up by - the Sergeant, Hazel found herself in possession of a contribution - sufficiently generous to purchase a fine little outfit for Flutters. And - so it came about that Flutters had a “benefit” and Company F an afternoon - of what they termed “rare good fun.” - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER X.—DARLING OLD AUNT FRANCES. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0024" id="linkimage-0024"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9098.jpg" alt="9098 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9098.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - ERHAPS you think that is a queer title for a chapter. You would not think - it queer at all if you had known her, for that is exactly what she was, - and now and then it is just as well to call people by their right names. - She was not old, however, in the sense of being wrinkled and white-haired - and thin. Sometime, when somebody has been very kind to you, and has done - you a “good turn” in real reliable fashion, haven't you just rushed up to - them and exclaimed, “You dear old thing,” as if any mere young thing would - be quite incapable of such a deed of loving-kindness? Well, in just the - sense of being very kind and very reliable, Aunt Frances was old, and in - no other. To be sure, she was nearing her fiftieth birthday, and there was - a generous sprinkling of gray hair on her temples, but the gray hair only - made her face softer and sweeter, and her heart was no older than bonny - Kate's. - </p> - <p> - Well, Aunt Frances sat knitting in a high-backed rocker on the wide step - in front of the Van Vleet's door, a step that was made from one great - unhewn stone, but whose roughnesses had been rounded down by the rains and - storms of a hundred summers and winters. On the edge of the step, with his - back against one of the large tubs of hydrangea which flanked the wide - door-step on either side, sat Harry Avery. He had been silent for a long - while. He was trying to get his courage up to say something to Aunt - Frances, something that he knew it would grieve her to hear, and she had - had so much to bear lately, he could not easily bring himself to it. “Aunt - Frances,” he said, at last, “I know you'll be sorry about it, but I think - I shall have to go away to-morrow.” - </p> - <p> - “Why, Harry, what do you mean?” while the tears gathered as quickly in her - kind eyes as the clouds of an April shower darken an April sky, “and - besides, where will you go?” - </p> - <p> - “Home, I suppose,” and then it would have been an easy thing for Harry, - grown fellow that he was, to have mustered a few honest tears on his own - account. - </p> - <p> - “You see I am not willing to stay here any longer since you have to pay my - board. And then you have so little money coming in now.” - </p> - <p> - “But the Van Vleets only allow me to pay a very small sum, and, Harry, you - are such a comfort to me. Starlight's a dear, good boy, but he is not old - enough for me to burden him with all my troubles as I do you. Tell me - this, do you want to go home?” - </p> - <p> - “No, I do not want to go home in the least. You know what I mean. I'd give - a great deal to see father and mother and the youngsters; but there's - nothing for me to do in New London—that is, not the sort of work - that I think I am equal to, and, after leaving it the way I did, I hate to - go back empty-handed. Then, I'm sure, father would much rather I'd find - something to do in New York. He believes there is a good deal more of a - chance for a fellow here.” - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0025" id="linkimage-0025"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0100.jpg" alt="0100 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0100.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - “And you have heard of nothing, Harry; nothing whatever?” Aunt Frances let - her knitting fall in her lap, and looked straight at Harry as she spoke. - There was something strange about this direct look from Aunt Frances. It - seemed to compel the exact truth from everybody, even from Pat, the Van - Vleets' hired man, who did not ordinarily hesitate in telling an untruth - if it would make things more comfortable. And so Harry did not even - succeed in making an evasive reply, as he should like to have done, but - just answered, very simply and honestly: “Yes, Aunt Frances, I did hear of - something—a clerkship in a lawyer's office—but I decided not - to take it.” - </p> - <p> - “Decided not to take it? Why, that is the very position you said you would - like above all others!” - </p> - <p> - “Did I say that? well, fellows are queer sometimes, aren't they?” - </p> - <p> - “Harry Avery, there is something mysterious about all this. What was the - name of the lawyer?” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, no matter, Auntie! The whole matter's decided. I made up my mind not - to take it, and that ends it.” - </p> - <p> - Aunt Frances was not to be silenced in this fashion. She had a right to - search this matter out, and search it she would. “Harry,” as if she were - speaking to some little child, “Harry, look me right in the eyes, and tell - me, was it Colonel Hamilton?” - </p> - <p> - Yes but Harry looked off at the river. He had not the sort of courage to - look Aunt Frances “right in the eyes,” as she bade him, for if there was a - man anywhere whom she had a right thoroughly to despise, surely it was - Colonel Hamilton—Colonel Hamilton, whose skilful reasoning had - deprived her of the home that was almost as dear to her as life itself. - </p> - <p> - “Is the position still open to you?” Aunt Frances was now gazing off to - the river, and with the mark of deep thinking on her face. “If it is, you - must take it. Colonel Hamilton is a great lawyer. It is as fine an opening - as you could possibly desire. I, for one, have no notion of standing in - your light, Harry, and you must not do yourself the injustice of standing - in your own.” - </p> - <p> - “But, Aunt Frances—” - </p> - <p> - “No, don't interrupt me, Harry; only listen, like a good boy, and do just - as I tell you. Take the 'Gretchen' first thing in the morning, go straight - to Colonel Hamilton's office, and apply for the place. Tell him all about - yourself, and answer every question he may ask in the most straightforward - manner, but do not volunteer the information that you are a relative of - mine. It would not do you any good and it might do harm—that is, it - might incline the Colonel less kindly toward you. Unless some one has - gotten ahead of you, you will secure the place, I am sure of it, and no - one will be more glad for you than just my very self.” - </p> - <p> - “Aunt Frances,” said Harry, watching the needles that were again flashing - in the afternoon sunlight, “you are the dearest old trump that ever - knitted stockings for a fool of a fellow like me.” - </p> - <p> - “If I thought this stocking was really to grace a fool's leg”—and - Aunt Frances feigned great seriousness—“not another stitch would I - take; but, begging your pardon, you would have been a fool indeed if you - had not told me about all this, although I perfectly understand that your - motives for not telling me were anything but foolish. No, Harry; somehow I - am sure it is only providential that you should have heard of this place. - Promise to try for it.” - </p> - <p> - “I promise,” and Harry's lightened heart unconsciously betrayed itself in - voice and look. He had wanted the situation, oh! so much, more than he - would admit even to himself, but he had decided he must forego any attempt - to secure it. It would be, he thought, at too great a cost to Aunt - Frances's feelings, and he simply must not ask it. - </p> - <p> - “Look, Harry,” she said, shading her eyes with one hand, “isn't that the - Boniface boat about a mile to the left of the point?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, it is,” Harry answered, merely glancing in that direction; “but tell - me one thing before I go down to the wharf: tell me, Aunt Frances, do you - think Colonel Hamilton an unprincipled man?” - </p> - <p> - “Unprincipled! Why, Harry, do you suppose for a single moment that I would - urge you to seek a situation under him if I thought that? No, I believe - that he honestly felt that the English ought to be allowed to keep - possession of the houses that we had abandoned, and so perhaps it was only - natural that when Captain Wadsworth took his case to him, he should bring - all his eloquence, which is very great, to bear on that side of the - question. Nevertheless I confess, as that eloquence cost me my home, I - cannot but feel pretty sore about it, and would go a long way out of my - way to avoid meeting him, brave officer and brilliant lawyer as he is.” - </p> - <p> - Harry felt considerably relieved by this assertion, and strolled down to - the boat-landing with even more admiration for “darling old Aunt Frances” - than he had ever felt before. It was so unusual, he thought, to find a - woman who could reason fairly, independent of her heart. - </p> - <p> - But Aunt Frances was not quite so 'independent of her heart,' as Harry put - it, as Harry and the rest of the world thought, and for the very good - reason that her heart was as big as herself. And so when Harry had left - her, what did she do but lay aside her knitting, go straight up to her own - little room in one of the gable ends of the house, shut the door of it, - and then, sitting down in a low little rocking-chair, bury her face in her - hands and cry. It had not been by any means an easy thing for her to urge - Harry to seek a position under a man who had wrought her so much harm, but - it had been her plain duty, at whatever cost to herself, and she had done - it. Now when Aunt Frances cried, it was because that great heart of hers - had had one little ache crowded upon another little ache till it could - bear no more, and then the hot tears <i>must</i> (there was no choice at - all in the matter) be allowed to flow for a while and ease it. But for all - this, do not think for a moment that Aunt Frances was an unhappy sort of - person. Each little experience of her life and of the lives of others had - a very deep significance for her, because she believed with all her heart - that God watches over every life and guides it, and no one who believes - that can ever be unhappy long at a time; life is to them too beautiful and - earnest. But this was the way of it with Aunt Frances: she had a great - capacity for loving, if you understand what that means, but she did not - have as much of a chance to spend that love as many another, who had not - half as much to spend. She would always be Miss Frances Avery, she felt - sure of that; yet what a tender, loving wife she could have made for - somebody! She should never have any one nearer to her than Harry and - Starlight (bless their hearts!) but oh, what a mother she might have been - with her great passionate love for little children! And so it was that - Aunt Frances trod the round of the life God had sent her, because He had - sent it, contentedly and happily, and yet it would happen now and then - that some thoughtless word or deed would almost unaccountably set one - little spot to aching, and something else would set another, till her - heart was all one great ache, and the pent-up tears must come. Aunt - Frances could always tell perfectly well when there was need to retreat to - the little room in the gable, the little room that had been hers now, for - the two years since she had fled from her own home across the river; and - while she sat there on the step with Harry she knew well enough what she - should do the moment he was gone. It was not that she did not mean every - word she said to him; it was only that somehow that little talk had - overcharged the brave heart. - </p> - <p> - Afterward, when the Boniface's boat had touched at the dock and all the - Van Vleets were flocking out of doors to welcome them, Aunt Frances was in - their midst, with the sunshine of her presence all the brighter for the - storm of troubled feelings that had just swept over it, but Josephine - Boniface thought she saw just the faintest trace of recent tears in Aunt - Frances's eyes as she stooped to kiss her. “Dear old Aunt Frances,” she - whispered, as she put her arm about her neck, “I would give all the world - ever to be such a blessed ministering angel as you are to everybody. - </p> - <p> - “Why, Josephine, darling, what foolishness,” whispered Aunt Frances; but - it needed only those few sweet words to banish even the trace of tears, - and to make her thoroughly light-hearted once again. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XI.—THE VAN VLEETS GIVE A TEA-PARTY. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0026" id="linkimage-0026"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9105.jpg" alt="9105 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9105.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - HE Van Vleet family was composed of seven individuals. There were Father - and Mother Van Vleet, who had been married while both were in their teens, - and their five children, Gretchen, Heide, Francesca, Pauline, and Hans Van - Vleet, who had been born in the order named in the seven years immediately - succeeding their parents' marriage. So, in point of fact, now that they - were grown, there was scarcely any perceptible difference between this - comfortable Dutch couple and their children, save that the children were - taller, which made it seem more of a joke that they should actually belong - to a father and mother who looked almost as young themselves. All this - combined to make them a united and congenial family, and they lived in a - comfortable old Dutch homestead and were very well-to-do, owing to the - well-tilled acres that stretched down to the river in front of them and - back to the ridge of the Jersey Flats behind. But there was one minor - chord in the otherwise cheery harmony of the Van Vleet household. Pauline, - the youngest sister, now about twenty-two, was not “quite bright,” but she - was serene and, as a rule, perfectly happy, which is a deal more than can - be said of many people, be they ever so bright. There were two reasons for - this serenity of Pauline's: her own naturally placid temperament and the - tender care with which all the others watched over her. But one thing must - be confessed, they were not a patriotic family, and the blood in their - veins coursed somewhat sluggishly. They had rather hoped that the - colonists would win in the war of the Revolution, thinking, no doubt, it - would be more to their interest, yet it had never once occurred to Hans or - his father to shoulder a flintlock in place of a hoe and go and help them. - They were a good, narrow, stay-at-home family, with their thoughts moving - in one and the same channel, and with interests bounded by their own - acres, their own experiences, and those of their nearest neighbors. - </p> - <p> - But there was one delightful feature about their neutrality: they could be - the best of friends alike with Whigs and Royalists, and were able to - invite the Bonifaces to a tea party just as cordially as they could offer - the shelter of their home to poor fugitive Aunt Frances. And a few days - before they had invited them. Kind old Mrs. Van Vleet, knowing that these - were very lonely days at best for Captain Boniface's family, determined to - do all that lay in her power to brighten them, and so a formal invitation, - written by Heide in the stiffest of little cramped hands, was sent them. - Mrs. Boniface had accepted most gladly. It meant so much to have this - evidence of true friendship at a time when many old friends were looking - askance and turning a cold shoulder. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <p> - And now Saturday afternoon had come, the first Saturday in October, and - the Boniface boat was tacking across the river in the teeth of a bracing - west wind. They were all there, the entire household, from Captain - Boniface, at the helm, to Flutters, in his well-fitting corduroys, seated - astride of the bow. Flutters loved to be in the “front of things” - generally, but in the present instance it frequently became necessary for - him to draw his knees quickly up to his chin, being quite too newly shod - to run the risk of contact with the salt water white caps that now and - then thumped plumply against the bow. Harry Avery was at the wharf long - before the little boat touched it, and stood whittling a brier-wood stick - as he waited, and dreaming the while the happiest dreams about the future - that might open up before him if he should secure that position with - Colonel Hamilton. Somehow or other Harry felt almost certain he could get - ahead in the world if it would only give him any sort of a chance. - </p> - <p> - “Halloo there, Harry! a penny for your thoughts,” called Captain Boniface, - bringing his boat about and alongside of the wharf in true sailor fashion. - </p> - <p> - Harry jumped to his feet and blushed like a school-girl, as if he half - feared the thought of his heart could be read by them all. “It is - fortunate that I am not bound to tell them,” he answered, catching the - rope which the Captain had thrown him, and securing it to a staple. - </p> - <p> - “No, not bound, of course, but thoughts ought to be of a pretty high order - that make you unmindful of the coming of the 'Grayling' and the - Bonifaces.” - </p> - <p> - Harry was glad to find the Captain in this lighter vein, for life had been - too serious and complicated a matter lately for him often to forget its - seriousness. As for Mrs. Boniface, she had been both surprised and - delighted when she found her husband willing to accept the Van Vleets' - invitation, for lately it had been quite impossible to get him to take any - interest in anything of the sort, and she feared a kind but absolute - refusal. But no sooner had the “Grayling” cleared her dock than the - Captain seemed to regain his wonted good spirits, and to leave all his - heavy-heartedness behind, and glad indeed was his little family to see him - in a cheery mood once more. - </p> - <p> - As soon as the Bonifaces commenced to ascend the beautiful grass-grown - meadow, which swept down to the water's edge, out came all the Van Vleets - to meet them and escort them up to the house; and it was a remarkable old - dwelling, unlike anything one would see nowadays, if it were not that two - or three such homesteads have chanced to survive the ravages of a century, - by grace of having once been dignified as “Washington's Headquarters.” - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0027" id="linkimage-0027"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0108.jpg" alt="0108 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0108.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - It was a double two-story house, or rather three-story, if you count the - little rooms in the gables. It was built of stone, coated with a rough - sort of plaster, and faced the river; its large square stoop, flanked with - its two benches, being protected by the overhanging eaves of the roof - itself. The front door, seldom opened, was ornamented with a huge brass - knocker in the shape of a lion's head, and was daily burnished with as - much thoroughness as though in constant use. Indeed, it must be confessed - that in front everything was severe and prim and painfully stiff, but - fortunately at the side things were different. Indeed, the house, in its - two entirely different aspects, resembled an old army officer, always - stern and arbitrary with his men for the sake of discipline, but 'another - fellow altogether' when off duty and in the company of his brother - officers. At the side it was as though you surprised it in undress - uniform. In the first place, there was always, in the season, a great - profusion of flowers; not, however, in conventional flower beds, but - parading their blaze of color from painted tubs, mounted here and there on - the table-like tops of old tree stumps, which had evidently survived the - first clearing of the land. Fortunately for general effectiveness, these - tubs were not filled with a promiscuous assortment of plants, but each - held the luxurious growth of some single variety—here a hydrangea, - with its wealth of heavy-headed blooms, fairly concealing its leaves; - there a great cluster of peonies or brilliant scarlet geraniums. As might - be expected on the first Saturday of October, many of these plants bore - only a few tardy blossoms, and some of them had evidently lost all heart - with the first intimation of frost; but in the centre of the old-fashioned - grass plot was a contrivance that from June well into November presented a - remarkable blaze of color, varying with every month, and always beautiful. - This contrivance, called by the Van Vleets “The flower fountain,” was - composed of a series of five circular shelves, each shelf a little smaller - in circumference than the one below it, and terminating, at the height of - about five feet from the ground, in a round flat top. These shelves were - constantly crowded with pots of plants in full bloom. Indeed, Hans kept a - sort of nursery for no other reason than to supply the fountain, and the - moment a plant took it into its head to bloom no longer, or only in a - spiritless way, back it was marched to the nursery, and another took its - place. What a fine thing it would be if some of the little folk too, who - are not blooming out into just the sort of grown folk we could wish, might - simply be remanded to the nursery, there to be restarted, after the manner - of Hans's plants, and perhaps coaxed into a more satisfying growth than - they now, alas! give promise of! But if it had not been for this flower - fountain, who knows but Hans might have gone to the war? You can see how - it would not be an easy thing for a placid, kind-hearted Dutchman, who - loved the training and slipping and potting of plants above everything - else in the world, to turn his pruning-knife into a sword. - </p> - <p> - On the afternoon of the tea-party this fountain was ablaze with - chrysanthemums, varying in color from the darkest red to the palest pink, - and from orange to pure white. The plants of one shelf hid the pots of the - shelf above it, and the lowest shelf of all was sunk so low in the ground - as to be concealed by the grass. But what gave this side of the house the - “homiest” look of all was the row of shining milk tins ranged in a row on - a low bench, and tilted against the wall. Then, just beyond them, the - kitchen door opened, and such a kitchen! with tables and dresser and every - wooden thing in it scoured to immaculate whiteness, and with white sand - daily sifted upon the floor in most remarkable patterns. In this kitchen - the Van Vleets not only ate, but lived, and so it possessed that - undefinable charm which sometimes belongs to the living-room of a family, - and never to any other. In preparation for the Bonifaces' coming, large, - high-backed Dutch rockers had been ranged round this kitchen door, and - here the little party seated themselves under the uncertain shade of a - half-leafless oak-tree, that allowed the warm sunshine to slant gratefully - down upon them, and where they could enjoy the flower fountain to the - full. The Misses Van Vleet were busy within doors attending to the - preparations for supper—that is, with the exception of Pauline, who - was always at liberty to do pretty much as she chose; and what she had - chosen to do this afternoon was this: After the Bonifaces had come up from - their boat she had noticed somebody still moving about in it, so down she - went to investigate. Then, when she reached a point near enough to be - quite satisfactory to her ladyship, she sat herself down on the low, - straight limb of a stunted apple-tree, and waited. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XII.—AN INTERRUPTION. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0028" id="linkimage-0028"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9111.jpg" alt="9111 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9111.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - HE somebody moving about in the “Grayling” was Flutters. He was arranging - boat cushions, folding up wraps and shawls, and putting things generally - to rights. Dear little fellow! No one had told him he ought to do this; he - did it quite by grace of his own thoughtful intuition, and he found so - many little things all the while to do, and did them all so gladly, that - he wondered a trifle proudly how the Bonifaces had ever managed without - him, and the Bonifaces wondered too. - </p> - <p> - Finally, when Flutters had gotten everything into literally ship-shape - condition, and quite to his mind, off he started up the bank, bending far - over, as one must when one attempts to scale a steep place rapidly. So it - chanced that he did not see Miss Pauline at all until she spoke to him, - and he was himself directly under the scant shadow of the apple-tree. - </p> - <p> - “Not so fast, sir,” said Pauline, in an authoritative way, which brought - Flutters, surprised and breathless, to a standstill. - </p> - <p> - “Sit down,” she added in a moment, pointing to a rock covered with gray - moss, and confronting the limb where she was sitting. - </p> - <p> - Flutters mechanically obeyed. He knew she must be one of the family, and - as he had met many queer people in his day, did not marvel that here was - somebody, to all appearances, a little queerer than the rest. She looked - very pretty balanced there on the low limb of the tree, in her - full-skirted gray gown, and with the western sunlight shining on her back - and turning her curling yellow hair into a sort of halo about her - forehead. Flutters sat and stared at her. - </p> - <p> - “Do you like my looks?” she asked complacently. - </p> - <p> - “Yes,” replied Flutters, astonished; “you are a Miss Van Vleet, aren't - you?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I'm Miss Pauline Van Vleet.” - </p> - <p> - “I thought so,” Flutters remarked, just by way of saying something. - </p> - <p> - “It is best <i>never</i> to say what you think,” said Miss Pauline - solemnly. “Folks get themselves into trouble that way.” - </p> - <p> - Flutters felt inclined to suggest that people would be very stupid and - uninteresting if they did not sometimes say what they thought, but wisely - concluded it was better not to start an argument with this peculiar young - person. - </p> - <p> - “Are you a new Boniface?” asked Pauline, scanning him closely. - </p> - <p> - “No, not exactly,” laughed Flutters. - </p> - <p> - “I did not ask what you were exactly; are you a new Boniface at all?” - </p> - <p> - What a queer question, thought Flutters, and then went to work to answer - it to the best of his ability. - </p> - <p> - “No, I am not a Boniface at all, but I am new in this part of the country. - I used to live in England.” - </p> - <p> - “What is your name?” - </p> - <p> - “Flutters.” - </p> - <p> - Miss Pauline seemed very much amused at this, saying it over to herself - two or three times. “Did your father use to call you Flutters?” she asked - presently, looking at him searchingly. - </p> - <p> - “No,” he answered, the color rushing into his brown face, for no one had - asked him that direct question before. - </p> - <p> - “What did he call you?” - </p> - <p> - “He called me—he called me—but that is one of the things I do - not tell to anybody.” - </p> - <p> - “But, Flutters, child, you will tell me, just me,” and Pauline looked at - him with a look as pathetic as though she were pleading for her life. - </p> - <p> - “But I can't, Miss Pauline, really I can't;” whereupon Miss Pauline buried - her face in her two pretty hands, and began to cry like a child. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0029" id="linkimage-0029"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0113.jpg" alt="0113 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0113.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - “Why, you're not crying for that, surely?” Flutters asked, never more - astonished in his life. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, just for that—just for that—and I'll cry harder and - harder until you tell.” - </p> - <p> - The truth was, all the Van Vleets were so in the habit of humoring this - poor sister of theirs, and never crossing her will if it could possibly be - helped, that this refusal on Flutters's part truly seemed to her most - preposterous, and she was shedding actual tears. Flutters saw one or two - of them find their way through her fingers, and, like other heroes, - relented at the sight; besides, what else was to be done? - </p> - <p> - “I will tell you, I will tell you,” he said softly; “my real name is - Arthur Wainwright;” and the mere sound of it, whispered though it was, - made him start. It was so long now since he had heard it on the lips of - any one! Indeed, it did not seem as though it belonged to him at all. - </p> - <p> - “That's a pretty name,” replied Pauline, beginning to be comforted and to - dry her tears; “now tell me <i>all</i> about you.” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, I can't,” replied Flutters, pained at the need of refusing; “I <i>must</i> - keep it a secret.” - </p> - <p> - “You can keep it a secret all the same,” said Pauline sadly, and with that - insight into her own deficiencies which sometimes flashes across a - distraught mind, “for, you see, I cannot remember it long enough to tell - it to anybody, so tell me, please—please tell me; nothing makes - Pauline so happy as a real true story.” - </p> - <p> - The entreaty in her voice was too much for Flutters, and he dreaded more - than he could express a fresh outburst of tears, therefore he decided to - run the risk, and try if he could to make Miss Pauline happy, especially - as he thought it highly probable that what she said was true, and that she - really would not remember anything long enough to repeat it. - </p> - <p> - “There is not much about me,” he began, “but I will tell you all there - is.” It did not occur to his honest little soul that any story he might - have chosen to concoct would have answered just as well for Miss Pauline. - He neither added to nor in any way digressed from the exact truth. - </p> - <p> - “My father was an Englishman,” he continued, “and he lived for a while in - India, for he had some business there, and my mother was a colored woman.” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, dear me!” said Pauline, “I would not like a father of one sort and a - mother of another; which kind did you like best?” - </p> - <p> - “I do not remember my mother at all, but my father said she was beautiful - and a good woman, but not just what people call a lady. She died when I - was two years old, and then my father took me to England, and then after a - while he married a real lady, a white English lady like himself, and they - had some lovely white children; but the English mother never liked me. I - think she couldn't somehow, Miss Pauline”—he seemed to reason as - though he were afraid of blaming anybody—“and I thought I was in the - way—in the way even of my father; and so one day I ran off and - joined a circus that was coming to America. But I did not care for the - circus very much, and so Job Starlight and Miss Hazel helped me to run - away from that, and now I'm Miss Hazel's body servant, and the Bonifaces - seem to like me, and I never was so happy in all my life before.” - </p> - <p> - “That's a very nice story, too nice for a secret. Why don't you tell it - 'round?” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, because I don't want my father ever to hear of me, for then he might - send for me, and I want to stay with the Bonifaces always. You won't tell, - will you, Miss Pauline?” - </p> - <p> - “I would if I could,” she answered, with a spirit of mischief, “but you - can't tell things if your head's like a sieve, and lets everything - through, can you? Now is there nothing more?” - </p> - <p> - “No, there isn't,” Flutters answered, a little shortly, indignant at her - answer. It hardly paid, he thought, to be kind to a young lady who acted - like that. But fortunately Pauline did not notice the curtness of his - reply. - </p> - <p> - “Then give me your hand, Flutters, and we'll go up to the house.” - </p> - <p> - “No, I thank you. Boys as big as I am don't need to be helped along by the - hand.” - </p> - <p> - “Flutters,” she said solemnly, “give—me—your—hand or - I'll—I'll cry harder than before.” - </p> - <p> - “Oh dear, dear, dear,” thought Flutters, “is there no way out of this?” - and he looked furtively down the bank toward the boat, as though he - seriously contemplated taking to his heels and launching out upon the - river as the only adequate means of escape. But suddenly Miss Pauline put - one hand to her ear, and Flutters, looking in the direction in which she - pointed with the other, saw that some one up at the house was ringing a - bell, and at the same time too heard its tinkling, which Pauline's keen - hearing had been quick to detect. - </p> - <p> - “Flutters,” she said, gazing down at him with the most satisfied smile - imaginable, “that means supper. Come on up;” then away she flew toward the - house, leaving Flutters to follow at a reasonable gait, and profoundly - thankful to be relieved from the alternative of either being led by the - hand or taking refuge in ignominious flight. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XIII.—MORE ABOUT THE TEA-PARTY. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0030" id="linkimage-0030"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9117.jpg" alt="9117 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9117.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - O one had noticed the <i>tête-a-tête</i> which Flutters and Miss Pauline - had been holding at a distance, only when Flutters came on the scene Hazel - asked what had kept him so long, and he made some evasive reply. He hoped - no one would ever know of the encounter. In the first place, because he - foolishly felt he had somehow been gotten the best of, and, in the second - place, because Miss Pauline had heard what he had fully intended no one of - his new friends ever should hear. - </p> - <p> - As a member of the Van Vleet household, Starlight naturally felt a share - in the responsibility of entertaining, and, taking Flutters under his - wing, presented him to one and another of the family as “Flutters, the new - boy over at the Bonifaces'.” - </p> - <p> - “No such thing,” said Miss Pauline when in turn Flutters was introduced to - her; “he's not a new Boniface at all; I know better than that, don't I, - dear?” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, what shall, what shall I say?” groaned Flutters inwardly; but - Starlight dragged him away with the explanation that the young lady was - not right in her mind, and so there was no necessity of saying anything. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0031" id="linkimage-0031"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0118.jpg" alt="0118 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0118.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - It proved a most inviting table that the Van Vleets had spread for their - Royalist friends. Two deep apple pies graced either end of it; a great - platter of doughnuts or “oly keoks,” as the Dutch has it, had been placed - in the centre, towered above, on one side, by a long-stemmed glass dish of - preserved peaches, and, on the other side, by a similar dish of preserved - pears. Frau Van Vleet presided over a large Delft teapot ornamented, as - Washington Irving describes a similar pot, “with paintings of fat little - Dutch shepherds and shepherdesses, tending pigs, with boats sailing in the - air and houses built in the clouds, and sundry other ingenious Dutch - fantasies.” As the kitchen table was not of the extension variety, and so - not capable of accommodating the entire party, places had to be set for - Hans, Harry Avery, and two of the Van Vleet sisters at a separate table in - one corner. - </p> - <p> - At the back of Frau Van Vleet's customary seat at the larger table was the - great open fireplace, which was roomy enough to accommodate two people on - each of the benches lining either side of it. On a crane, suspended over - the crackling logs, hung a huge copper tea-kettle, from which Harry, since - he had been staying with the Van Vleets, had taken upon himself the duty - of refilling the Delft teapot whenever needed during the progress of a - meal, and indeed had completely won the heart of the kind old Frau, as - soon as he had come among them, by his eagerness to serve her in every - possible way. To-night he was kept busy, for both Van Vleets and Bonifaces - were famous tea-drinkers, only they managed the matter differently in - those days. The lump of sugar was placed beside the cup, not in it, and - people nibbled and sipped alternately. The principal hot dish of the - tea-party was broiled ham, and, done to a turn and deliciously savory, was - delicate enough to tempt almost any appetite. Then there were two blue - china plates heaped with biscuits, every one of which, from very - lightness, had risen and risen, till top and bottom were a long way apart; - but notwithstanding these generous proportions, the two blue plates had - been emptied and replenished more than once before all were satisfied. - </p> - <p> - Miss Pauline's seat at the table had been placed at quite a distance from - Flutters, but, without daring often to look in her direction, Flutters - felt with considerable nervousness that her gaze was riveted almost - constantly upon him. Finally, to his astonishment, and at a time when - there had been a pause of several seconds, she announced very calmly, - “Wainwright's a nice little boy. I like his looks and he likes mine; don't - you, Wainwright?” - </p> - <p> - Flutters kept his eyes on his plate, and in his embarrassment swallowed - two or three morsels of ham that were far too large in far too rapid - succession. “She'll tell it all, if they only give her time,” he thought - savagely, but he did not intend to make any reply. - </p> - <p> - “She means you, Flutters,” whispered Miss Heide, who sat next to him. “You - had better answer her, 'that you do like her looks.' We never differ with - her. It is just a fancy of hers, this calling you Wainwright; but where - could she ever have heard the name?” - </p> - <p> - “If it only were a fancy,” thought Flutters, while Miss Pauline sat, with - her teacup poised in her pretty hand, waiting his reply. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I like your looks,” said Flutters in a compulsory sort of way that - made every one smile, while the color surged over his brown face. - </p> - <p> - “That's right,” she answered complacently, “and I wouldn't mind at all - about your mother being colored, because that's how you come by your dark - skin, and your dark skin is the beauty of you.” - </p> - <p> - Miss Pauline was growing rather personal, and it certainly did look as - though she knew what she was talking about; but fortunately no one - attached any weight to what she said, and as she seemed inclined to follow - up a line of thought which must at least be annoying to poor little - Flutters, the sister who sat nearest her tried quietly to divert her, - while another started a new topic of general conversation. - </p> - <p> - At last the meal was over, and Flutters was glad; nor was he the only one - that felt relieved. Captain Boniface had finished his supper sometime - before the others, and for the last ten minutes had been nervously taking - up his tumbler and setting it down, and shifting his position in his - chair, as though unable longer to keep his long legs penned under the - narrow table. Mrs. Boniface had noticed it and wondered at it, and felt - thankful when Frau Van Vleet pushed back her chair and so gave the signal - to the others. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, dear, what can the matter be?” screeched a great green parrot hanging - in its cage by the doorway, and who had apparently been roused from deep - reverie by the scraping of the chairs on the sanded floor. Mrs. Boniface - gave a start of surprise, for the parrot had given exact expression to her - own thoughts. She was watching her husband closely, and knew by experience - that something was troubling him, and yet he had been so gay that very - afternoon. “I believe it was all assumed,” she thought to herself, and the - more she thought, the more assured she felt that she was right. Oh, how - she longed to steal over to him and question him; but no, that would not - do. Frau Van Vleet had arranged two chairs side by side for a neighborly - chat, and there was no way out of it. - </p> - <p> - Now that the supper was over, the Misses Van Vleet's domestic duties were - over too, the clearing of the table being left to “Rhuna,” an old crone of - a negro servant, who had been with them many years. Then, as was their - wont, the young ladies resorted each to her particular rush- bottomed - chair and the knitting of her own woollen stockings, while Josephine, with - little Kate upon her lap, endeavored to make her exhibit some of her - pretty accomplishments for their general amusement. Hazel, Starlight, and - Flutters had accompanied Hans Van Vleet and his father off to the barn for - the milking, while Captain Boniface and Harry, in close conversation, - walked off toward the river. Harry had joined the Captain at a signal that - he would like to speak to him, but he had not noticed his altered manner, - and under the impression that he was in the best of spirits, was - altogether unprepared for what he was about to hear. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0032" id="linkimage-0032"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figright" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/8121.jpg" alt="8121 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/8121.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - “Harry,” began the Captain seriously, “I have received the most - distressing news within the last twenty-four hours.” - </p> - <p> - “You don't mean it, sir,” with evident surprise; “I thought matters were - looking brighter for you every day. I have reason to know that at least - two of the signers of that insulting note you received are heartily - ashamed of their behavior, and are actually on the look-out to atone for - it in some fashion.” - </p> - <p> - “So I hear, and I am very grateful; but all that good news is offset by - other news which has reached me this morning: some Tory friends of ours in - South Carolina have just been brutally murdered by the Whigs,” and then - the Captain excitedly narrated all the sad details of the tragedy so far - as he knew them. - </p> - <p> - Harry listened attentively. “It is certainly very dreadful,” he said at - last sadly; “but,” he added with characteristic honesty, “I have heard of - some of the doings of those South Carolina Tories, and many of them, - though possibly your friends were not among them, deserved harsh - treatment, Captain Boniface.” - </p> - <p> - “Harry,” said the Captain abruptly, as though too busy with his own - thoughts to have heard what was said, “tell me frankly, do you suppose - this community will ever again treat me as a decent member of society?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, Captain Boniface, I do, and I have something with me this moment - that points that way,” and he handed him an unsealed envelope. It was - addressed to the Captain, and he found it to contain a card of invitation, - which read as follows: “The Executive Committee of the Assembly - respectfully informs the ladies and gentlemen of New York that a dance - will be given on Monday next at the City Assembly Rooms, to begin - precisely at five o'clock. Price of tickets, six shillings.” - </p> - <p> - “So they ask us to the Assembly, do they?” said the Captain, glancing over - it with evident surprise. “They have contrived to leave us very little - heart for dancing,” he added sadly. - </p> - <p> - “But you will go,” urged Harry; “that invitation means even more than you - suspect. It means, I think, that there is an organized effort on foot to - fully reinstate you, and some other Tories as well, whom they have treated - so uncivilly.” - </p> - <p> - “So you think it implies all that?” said the Captain, smiling - incredulously at his enthusiasm. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I'm sure it does, and you will go and take Mrs. Boniface and Miss - Josephine; promise me, Captain.” - </p> - <p> - The Captain did not reply at once, and Harry had time to realize that in - his earnestness he was rather overstepping bounds. - </p> - <p> - “Of course I do not mean to ask you to promise me,” he stammered, coloring - up to the roots of his hair, “but you know what I mean. I am so anxious - you should meet them half way.” - </p> - <p> - “And you think we really ought to go? Why, a Dancing Assembly is the last - thing in the world we care to have a hand in. But Mrs. Boniface will not - stir a step when she hears about this wholesale murder of the Bentons, so - that settles it.” - </p> - <p> - “And you feel that you <i>must</i> tell her?” - </p> - <p> - “No, of course there is no must about it. I will think it over,” and then - the Captain and Harry entered into a thorough discussion of the events - that had led up to the sad consummation in South Carolina, and Harry had - some facts at his command by which he succeeded in partially convincing - the Captain that, in many cases, the Tories had been treated very much as - they deserved. - </p> - <p> - “Well, Harry, you may be right, you may be right,” sighed the Captain, - “but that does not make the sacrifice of my old friends any easier to - bear.” - </p> - <p> - “Not a whit, sir, I can understand that,” and then they started toward the - house, for they could see that Mrs. Boniface and Frau Van Vleet were - taking formal leave of each other. - </p> - <p> - Twilight was settling down upon the river, and in those days, when it was - the custom for fashionable dancing parties to begin at five o'clock, it - was surely fitting that the same hour should conclude an unfashionable - Dutch tea-party. Indeed, by the time darkness had fairly mastered the - twilight, all the Van Vleets were snugly in bed, and only one light could - be seen in the whole farm-house; that was in the window of Aunt Frances's - gable room. There she sat reading, by the light of a plump little Dutch - candle, certain familiar passages from some dearly loved books. She knew - most of them by heart, and yet to much pondering of the noble, uplifting - thoughts of these comforting little books was due much of that cheerful - courage which was such a help to everybody. - </p> - <p> - Meanwhile the “Grayling” sailed “up river” and “cross river,” and reached - her dock. She had one more name on her list of cabin passengers, however, - than when she had sailed that morning, for how could Aunt Frances say “No” - when Hazel had come to her and begged that she would please be so very - good as to let them have Starlight for over Sunday? - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XIV.—HAZEL HAS A CONVICTION. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0033" id="linkimage-0033"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9124.jpg" alt="9124 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9124.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - TARLIGHT,” said Hazel, seriously, next morning, as they sat side by side - on the porch, “I've been thinking.” - </p> - <p> - “Yes,” said Starlight, dryly; “most people do.” - </p> - <p> - “I've been thinking, Starlight,” Hazel continued, “that perhaps I am not - doing quite right by Flutters.” - </p> - <p> - “You're doing mighty kind by him, I'm sure, and he thinks so, too. You've - given him a home and clothes and plenty to eat, and all he has to do is to - wait on your ladyship and take charge of the pony. I shouldn't call that - work, nor Flutters doesn't, either. He says it is all just fun, and if - there's a finer family anywhere than the Bonifaces he'd like to see'em, - only he knows he never shall see'em, because there isn't such a family.” - </p> - <p> - “Are you making that up, Job Starlight?” - </p> - <p> - “Well, I guess not. Flutters says something of that sort every time we're - left alone together. It seems as though his heart was so overflowing that - he just had to ease it whenever he got a chance.” - </p> - <p> - “Well, it's certainly very pleasant to have him feel like that.” - </p> - <p> - “Why, he just worships the ground—” - </p> - <p> - Starlight paused to shy a stone at a guinea hen that was encroaching on - one of the flower beds—“your <i>mother</i> treads on.” - </p> - <p> - Starlight knew well enough that he ended this sentence quite differently - from what Hazel had expected; but Hazel was wise enough not to show her - surprise, and besides, if there was any worshipping to be done, she was - about as glad to have Flutters worship the ground her mother trod on as - that over which her little feet had travelled. - </p> - <p> - “No, but I've been thinking,” she said, resuming her own line of thought, - “that, for all we know, Flutters may be a regular little heathen, for I - have an idea that the mulattoes are a very savage tribe. Did you ever hear - him say a word about religion, or what he believed, and things like that?” - </p> - <p> - Starlight scratched his head, by way of helping his memory. “Never a word, - come to think of it.” - </p> - <p> - “Well, now, Starlight, that is very strange, and I believe I'll take him - to church this very morning, and see how he acts.” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, let's,” said Starlight, taking most kindly to the project. “If he's - never been in one, it will be awful fun to see how he takes it.” - </p> - <p> - “People don't go to church to have awful fun. If that's what you're going - for, you had better stay home.” - </p> - <p> - Starlight clapped his hand over his mouth, as though to suppress a most - explosive giggle. “My gracious, Hazel! What has come over you?” - </p> - <p> - “Nothing has come over me, and you know it. I always love to go to church, - and I love everything they do there; and I think it's beautiful where they - sing, 'Lord, have mercy upon us,' after the commandments, and everybody - keeps their head bowed.” - </p> - <p> - Starlight did not answer. It was evident Hazel was launching upon one of - what he called her “high-minded moods;” and, indeed, child though she was, - Hazel did have times when she thought very deeply—times when the - soul that was in her seemed to reach out after things eternal. It was not - at all an unusual experience. It does not always need even ten round years - to bring a child to a point of knowing for itself that there is a longing - that this world, all wonderful and beautiful though it be, does not fully - satisfy. Such a knowing does not make a child less a child, or rob it of - an iota of its joyousness, only sometimes lends a sweet and earnest depth - to the little God-given life. But to matter-of-fact Job Starlight, it must - be confessed that such a mood was not at all satisfactory. He did not - comprehend it, and standing in awe of Hazel's “high mindedness,” always - endeavored to bring her down to his own level as quickly as possible by - means of some diverting subject. This time he fortunately spied it in the - shape of two prim little maidens, Prayer-Book in hand, who came demurely - walking, side by side, down the path that skirted the roadway. - </p> - <p> - “Why, there come the Marberrys,” he remarked. - </p> - <p> - “Sure enough,” said Hazel, flying to the gate. “Are you going to church?” - she called over it. - </p> - <p> - “Yes,” answered the little Marberrys simultaneously; indeed, they were a - pair of simultaneous children. In the first place, they were twins; in the - second place, they were as alike in appearance as peas in a pod, and, in - the third place, one little brain seemed to be the perfect fac-simile of - the other. It was no uncommon thing for them to utter the same thought, in - the same words, at the same time; and when this did not happen, one would - generally echo what the other had said. They had been christened Mathilde - and Clothilde; but Milly and Tilly had been the outcome of that, and of - course the similarity in the sound of the two names led to much confusion, - since the initial letter was all that distinguished them. - </p> - <p> - Hazel had come to the wise conclusion “that, so far as possible, it was - best just to say things that would do for both, because, like as not, if - you meant to say something to Milly—it not being so understood—Tilly - would answer, and <i>vice-versa</i>.” But these two little Marberrys were - warm friends of hers, and in those days, when so many people were - estranged from the Bonifaces, she set a specially high value upon their - friendship. Not that the Marberrys were in any sense Tories; only, as Dr. - Marberry was rector of St. George's, they felt it their duty, as a family, - to be kind to everybody in the church. Besides, it would have caused the - twins a real pang to have been parted from Hazel, for, as they frequently - asserted in the presence of less favored playmates, “Hazel Boniface was - the cutest and nicest girl they had ever known.” - </p> - <p> - Starlight's announcement of “Here come the Marberrys” had suggested to - Hazel the idea of joining forces and all going along together. The - children were delighted with the plan, as with any plan of hers, and sat - down for a friendly chat with Starlight, while Hazel hurried away to - summon Flutters. She found him feeding some withered clover heads to - Gladys, as he sat comfortably on the top rail of the fence, enclosing the - meadow where Gladys was allowed to disport herself on high days and - holidays. She waited till she got close up to him, then she announced, - “Flutters, you are to go to church with me this morning.” - </p> - <p> - “To church!” he said, surprised, for he had not heard her coming. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, go put on the other suit, and meet me at the gate quickly.” - </p> - <p> - She did not say “your other suit,” feeling, naturally, a certain sense of - personal ownership, as far as Flutters's outfit was concerned. - </p> - <p> - “All right, Miss Hazel,” he answered, moving off with the alacrity of a - well-trained little servant. - </p> - <p> - “Perhaps you will not care to go with me, girls,” Hazel remarked, as she - came down the path, some five minutes later, and looking very pretty in - her dark red Sunday dress. “You see I am going to take Flutters.” - </p> - <p> - “And why should we mind that?” chirped Milly Marberry in a high musical - little key, and Tilly remarked, “Yes, why should we mind that?” - </p> - <p> - “Because I have no idea how he will behave. When I told him just now that - he was to go to church with me, he said, 'To church!' as though he was - very much surprised and had never been in one in his life.” - </p> - <p> - “I suppose he'll sit still, though, if you tell him to,” said Milly. - </p> - <p> - “Of course he will not speak if—” but Tilly's sisterly echo was - interrupted by a significant hush from Hazel, and the next second Flutters - was with them. Then the little party set off, the boys ahead together, and - the girls behind. - </p> - <p> - “Where does Flutters come from, anyway?” asked Tilly. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, where from?” piped Milly. - </p> - <p> - “From England,” Hazel answered, softly, “but he's a mulatto.” - </p> - <p> - “A what?” simultaneously. - </p> - <p> - “A mulatto. They're a kind of negro tribe.' - </p> - <p> - “Goodness gracious!” - </p> - <p> - “Gracious goodness!” - </p> - <p> - “Are the mulattoes wild and dangerous?” asked Milly, tremulously. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I believe so; but then, of course, Flutters isn't so now. - Civilization has changed him.” - </p> - <p> - The Marberrys looked at Hazel with admiration; these occasional big words - of hers constituted one of her chief charms in their eyes. - </p> - <p> - “But the truth is,” Hazel continued, “I do not know very much about - Flutters. He does not seem to like to talk about his history, and mother - says I have no right to pry into it.” - </p> - <p> - “I shouldn't think anybody who had been wild and savage could speak such - good English,” said Tilly, thoughtfully. - </p> - <p> - “Neither should I,” said Milly. - </p> - <p> - “Well, that is queer,” and Hazel looked puzzled. “I hadn't thought of - that; but I'm certain his grandfather, if not his father, must have been - wild and savage. I'm very sure the mulattoes used to be very ferocious.” - </p> - <p> - “Where do the mulattoes live?” asked the Marberrys. - </p> - <p> - “I don't know,” was Hazel's truthful answer. The fact was, as you have - discovered, Hazel did not know what she was talking about. She had a trick - of mounting an impression, and then of giving rein to her imagination and - letting it run away with her, so that the first thing she knew she was - telling you something she really quite believed was fact, but which was - nothing of the sort. As a result she was sometimes credited with fibbing, - and got into many an unnecessary scrape, but, you may be sure, Mrs. - Boniface was doing all that she could to correct this unfortunate - tendency. - </p> - <p> - Meantime the boys walked ahead, conversing with no little earnestness as - to the comparative merits of two tiny sloop yachts, one of which was - taking shape under Starlight's hand, and the other under Flutters's, and - whose same comparative merits were to be put to the test, when completed, - by a race on the waters of the Collect. At this point in their walk a turn - of the road brought St. George's into sight. - </p> - <p> - “Ever been to church, Flutters?” Starlight asked, quite casually. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, yes, often.” - </p> - <p> - “Episcopal?” - </p> - <p> - “Ye' ep,” was Flutters's unceremonious answer; “but how large are you - going to make your foresail?” not willing to be diverted from the - all-engrossing subject. - </p> - <p> - “I shall give her all the sail she can carry, you may be certain.” - Starlight did not intend to furnish this rival yachtsman with any exact - measurements. And so they talked on till they reached the little stone - church, where service had already commenced. The Marberrys walked straight - up to their pew, the very front one, but before they reached it each - little face flushed crimson. At one and the same moment their two pairs of - blue eyes met their father's, for he was leading the General Confession, - and did not need to have them upon his book. Judging from the crimson on - their faces, the look must have said, “There is no excuse for this, my - little daughters; I am ashamed that you should be so late.” - </p> - <p> - Hazel and Starlight and Flutters had the Boniface pew to themselves, but - Hazel allowed Starlight to precede them into it, while she detained - Flutters in the vestibule for a little seasonable advice. She had intended - to administer it slowly and forcibly by the way. Now she had to compress - it all into one hurried little moment. In her excitement she seized hold - of Flutters's brown wrist, as she whispered, hurriedly, “Flutters, this is - a church, where people come to worship. You will have to sit very still - and not speak, only get up and sit down when I do, because part of the - time it's wrong to sit down. So, Flutters, watch me very closely. I will - find you the place in the Prayer-Book, but you had better not say the - things that are written there, even if you can read them, 'cause they're - probably things you do not understand at all, and don't know anything - about, so it would be best not to say you believed them. You can sing the - hymns, though; there won't be any harm in that, only sing very softly, for - fear you don't get the tune right. Now that is all, I believe,” putting - her finger to her lip in a meditative way, and with an anxious frown on - her face, as if fearing she had overlooked some important instruction. - “Yes, that is all; now follow me in;” and Flutters following her, took his - seat with a most decorous air, and without staring about with such gaping - astonishment, as might, perhaps, be looked for in a boy of fourteen, who - had never seen the interior of a church before, so that Hazel at once felt - much relieved. Her first duty, of course, was to furnish him with the - proper page in the Prayer-Book, and her second to anticipate all - irregularities in the order of service, by taking the book from his hands - in ample time to supply him with the right place at the right moment. Now - it must be confessed that all this was accomplished by Hazel in rather an - officious and patronizing manner, but, unfortunately for her, there came a - time when she herself was at a loss. - </p> - <p> - She did not know which Sunday it was after Trinity. Flutters <i>did</i>, - and seeing her confusion anticipated Dr. Marberry by whispering, “<i>It's - the eighteenth Sunday, I think.</i>” - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0034" id="linkimage-0034"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0130.jpg" alt="0130 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0130.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - Hazel thrust Flutters's Prayer-Book back into his hand, giving him one - look, and such a look! It was dreadful to think that a thorough-going - little church-woman could <i>ever</i> look like that, much less while the - service itself was actually in progress. - </p> - <p> - Flutters felt “queer.” He saw how much there was in that look of Hazel's, - and wondered if he had been greatly to blame in the matter. Starlight, of - course, witnessed the whole proceeding, and heard Flutters's whisper (as - did every one else in the neighborhood), which betrayed his familiarity - with the service, and Starlight himself wondered how he managed to be - quite so well up on the subject. - </p> - <p> - But it was an awfully good joke on Hazel. When they had been discussing - the matter, and he had said, “It would be awful fun to see how Flutters - would act in church, provided he had never been there,” Hazel had, of - course, been quite right in saying that “People did not go to church to - have awful fun,” but he could not help thinking that he had had a little - fun all the same, only at Hazel's expense, and not Flutters's. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XV.—FLUTTERS COMES TO THE FRONT. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0035" id="linkimage-0035"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9132.jpg" alt="9132 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9132.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - HERE were five of them abreast. The Marberrys, Hazel, Starlight, and - Flutters, but no one was saying a word. The Marberrys had twice - religiously tried to start up matters, but had failed utterly, and new - they were anxiously bothering their little minds with the same question, - so often reiterated by the Van Fleet parrot, of “Oh, dear, what can the - matter be?” Starlight was chuckling inwardly, like the inconsiderate - youngster that he was. Hazel was very angry, as she imagined with just - cause, and Flutters was inwardly fluttering, almost outwardly, in fact, so - sorry was he to have offended his adored little mistress. If she would - only say something. It was not his place to speak first, but he feared he - would have to, for to his sensitive nature the silence was unbearable. - Fortunately, however, just at this point, Hazel's indignation found vent; - she came to a sudden stand-still, and although naught save the one word “<i>Flutters</i>” - escaped her, it doubled the five-abreast parallel line into a circle in - less than a second. - </p> - <p> - “What have I done, Miss Hazel?” - </p> - <p> - “Done!”—then impressively lowering her voice—“you have lied, - Flutters” (the Marberrys winced). “Yes, I know it is a dreadful word, but - there is no other word for it.” - </p> - <p> - “What did I lie about?” Body-servant or no, Flutters knew when his little - mistress was overstepping all legitimate bounds. - </p> - <p> - “You told me you had never been to church, and let me find all the places - for you, when you knew all about it just as well as I did,” and the little - mistress was so greatly excited, that she felt very much afraid she should - break right down and cry, which would certainly prove a most undignified - proceeding. - </p> - <p> - “<i>Did</i> I tell you, Miss Hazel, that I had never been to church?” - Flutters was able to speak calmly and was astonished at his own - self-control, but then he knew he was in the right, and calmness comes - easier when you know that. Hazel grew uncomfortable under Flutters's - direct gaze. She had hardly expected this courageous self-defence. Come to - think of it, <i>had</i> he actually said he had never been to church. - Could it be, she wondered, that her imagination had led her off on another - wild chase in the wrong direction? Yes, it could, foolish little Hazel, - though you yourself are not yet ready to admit it. - </p> - <p> - “Perhaps you did not tell me so, Flutters,” Hazel answered, “but you <i>let</i> - me think it, which was very wrong and mean of you.” - </p> - <p> - “Look out, Hazel,” chimed in Starlight, shaking his head significantly, - “ten to one you never gave him a chance to say a word about it. You have - an awful, rushing way, sometimes, of taking things for granted.” - </p> - <p> - So Starlight was siding against her too, and Hazel looked toward the - Marberrys for sympathy; but they were so ignorant of the facts of the - case, and always so kindly disposed toward that little waif, Flutters, - that both of them wore the most neutral expression possible. - </p> - <p> - Flutters's face flushed gratefully under Starlight's warm championship. - </p> - <p> - “No, Miss Hazel,” he said, slowly, “you never gave me a chance to tell - you, and until you caught hold of my wrist in the vestibule, and told me - what I must do and what I mustn't, I did not know that you even thought I - had never been to church.” - </p> - <p> - “Didn't you really? Well, that's very queer,” for when an idea was firmly - implanted in Hazel's mind, she felt as though every one ought, somehow or - other, to be intuitively aware of it. However, she was going to try to be - reasonable, and so she descended from a tone of evident displeasure into - one of grieved forbearance. - </p> - <p> - “But, Flutters, if what you say is true”—Flutters straightened up - under this insinuation, but unbent right away as Hazel wisely added, “and - of course it is, then why, when I found the first place in the Prayer-Book - for you, did you not whisper, 'You need not bother, Miss Hazel, I know - about the Prayer-Book,' or something like that, instead of letting me go - on and find place after place for you?” - </p> - <p> - For a moment Flutters seemed at a loss what to answer, then looking her - frankly in the face, he said, with charming simplicity, “I thought it - would be more respectful not to say anything; and better to let you, being - my little mistress, do just as you pleased without interfering.” - </p> - <p> - Hazel showed she was touched by this confession; but Starlight could not - resist the temptation to add, “besides, I warrant you, you told Flutters - not to speak, when you collared him there in the vestibule.” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, you did, Miss Hazel,” said Flutters, truthfully. - </p> - <p> - “That maybe,” Hazel admitted with much dignity, “but, Job Starlight, I - never <i>collared</i> anybody, if you please.” - </p> - <p> - “Don't be touchy, Hazel. You know what I mean.” - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0036" id="linkimage-0036"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0134.jpg" alt="0134 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0134.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - All this while the children had stood in a little circle right in the - middle of the road, and more than one passer-by had looked on with an - amused smile, wondering what was the cause of so much evident excitement. - The Marberrys had noticed this, and now that matters were cooling down a - trifle, suggested that they should walk on, so as not to attract so much - attention. So they walked on, but of course they talked on too, and - although Hazel was fast relenting toward Flutters, she was not quite ready - to cease hostilities. One or two matters still required explanation. “Look - here, Flutters,” she said, “if you thought it was more respectful not to - say anything, why didn't you keep quiet; and there's another thing I <i>should</i> - like to have you tell me, and that is, how did <i>you</i> know it was the - eighteenth?” - </p> - <p> - “Miss Hazel, when I saw you did not know what Sunday it was, I thought - that as I happened to know, I <i>ought</i> to tell you.” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, that was it; but, Flutters, people don't just happen to know things. - They generally know <i>how</i> they came to know them.” - </p> - <p> - Flutters looked troubled, and the Marberrys and Starlight felt very sorry - for him, and wished Hazel would stop. But Hazel wouldn't. That's one of - the troubles with strong and independent natures, no matter whether they - belong to big or little people. They feel everything so deeply, and get so - wrought up, that on they go in their impetuosity hurting people's feelings - sometimes, and doing lots of mischief. To be strong and independent and to - know where “to stop,” that is fine; but Hazel had not yet learned that - happy combination. But Hazel's heart was all right; she wanted above - everything else in the world to grow some day to be a truly noble woman, - and there is not much need for worry when any little body really hopes and - intends to be that sort of a big body. But you need not think that while I - have been saying this little word behind Hazel's back (which, by the way, - is not meant at all unkindly), that you have been missing any conversation - on the part of our little church-goers. There hasn't been any conversation - for ever so many seconds. Hazel is waiting for Flutters to speak, and - Flutters is getting ready. At last he attacks the subject in hand, in - short, quick little sentences, as if it was not easy to say what must be - said. - </p> - <p> - “Miss Hazel, when I was at home I used often to go to church. I had a - little Prayer-Book of my own. <i>Somebody</i> gave it to me; somebody that - I loved. When I was in the circus I kept my Prayer-Book with me. Every - Sunday I read it, from love of the somebody. Once in a great while when we - would put up near a church I used to get leave to go to it. I went the - very Sunday before I left the circus. I went to that very church where we - have been to-day. I sat in the back seat, and I heard their father preach - (indicating Milly and Tilly). It was a lovely sermon 'bout bearing things. - That was five weeks ago, and that was the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, - so I calculated up to to-day, and, Miss Hazel, when I ran away from the - circus and dared not go back there were only two things I minded about—the - Prayer-Book and old Bobbin. To run away from a dear little book that you - loved, that's been a real comfort to you, when you hadn't scarce anybody - to turn to—why, it seems just like running away from a dear old - friend.” - </p> - <p> - So that was the explanation of it all. Even Starlight felt touched by - Flutters's narration, while actual tears stood in the little Marberrys' - eyes. Hazel felt humiliated, an uncommon, but most beneficial sensation - for that hot-headed little woman. - </p> - <p> - “Who gave you that Prayer-Book, Flutters?” asked the Marberrys—being - blessed with less tact than sympathy. - </p> - <p> - “Flutters would have told us if he had wished us to know,” said Hazel. And - that considerate remark completely re-established the old friendly - relations between Flutters and herself, and then for a while the five - children trudged along in silence. Four out of the five were probably - pondering over all that Flutters had told them, and wishing that they knew - more about him. Flutters, feeling greatly relieved, was turning over in - his mind a perplexing question suggested by something the Rector had said - in his sermon that morning, for he was a thoughtful little fellow, and - when a matter bothered him was not content to dismiss it without settling - it to his own satisfaction. - </p> - <p> - “Do folks believe?” he said, after the manner of one who has slowly - thought himself up to the point of putting a question, “do folks believe - that God makes everything happen?” - </p> - <p> - “Of course they do,” said Milly Marberry. Tilly pressed her lips firmly - together and nodded “yes,” in a way that meant there was no doubt whatever - on the subject. - </p> - <p> - “Well, suppose a poor woman had just one little boy, and the little boy - took the scarlet fever and died, did God make that happen?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, He did,” replied Milly and Tilly together, feeling, perhaps, that, - as daughters of the Rector, the answering of such a question belonged to - them. Starlight and Hazel willingly kept silent. They thought Flutters was - leading up to something, and preferred not to commit themselves. - </p> - <p> - “Well, then,” said Flutters, but not irreverently, “I'd like to know what - He did it for.” - </p> - <p> - Milly and Tilly showed their surprise at this question, but did not at - once reply, trying, perhaps, to decide what answer their good father would - make under similar circumstances. - </p> - <p> - “Perhaps God saw the little boy would not grow up to be a good man,” Milly - ventured, feeling sure she had heard something like that said. - </p> - <p> - “Perhaps,” said Tilly, for occasionally the twins did launch out on - independent lines of thought, “perhaps she loved the little boy too much, - and so God took him to make her trust more just in Him.” - </p> - <p> - Flutters waited a moment, as though to consider matters; then he said, - seriously, “No, I do not believe what you say at all. I believe the little - boy caught the scarlet fever from somebody, and just died because he - wasn't strong enough to get over it.” - </p> - <p> - “I don't believe it's right to think like that,” Hazel volunteered, for - the Marberrys looked very much shocked, “it's not believing in God at - all.” - </p> - <p> - Now Flutters had not set out upon this discussion without first having - thought it out pretty clearly for himself, and so he was ready to answer—“You - are mistaken, I think, Miss Hazel,” with the same little air of respect he - always assumed in speaking to her, “because I believe in God just as much - as any boy could, and yet I think that. I think God <i>lets</i> things - happen instead of making them. He lets sickness and trouble come into the - world, and so the sickness and trouble find the people out, and sickness - kills them if their bodies are weak, and trouble kills them if their - hearts and heads are, and—” - </p> - <p> - “But, Flutters,” interrupted Starlight, “don't you believe God watches - over people and cares for 'em?” - </p> - <p> - “Why of course I do, Starlight. If I hadn't thought that I don't know what - I would have done sometimes; but this is what I think—I think He - watches over us by helping us to bear things, and to get the best out of - 'em, and although I'm not very old, I'm old enough to know that sometimes - there is more good in a trouble-some thing than in a thing that isn't - troublesome at all. The people who are the kindest are often the people - who have had the most trouble.” - </p> - <p> - “Well,” said Tilly Marberry, with considerable censure in her tone, “I - never heard a little boy talk like this.” - </p> - <p> - “Neither did I,” sighed Milly, “and I should say such things ought to be - left to grown-up people.” - </p> - <p> - “Well, then,” Flutters replied, “thinking 'bout things ought to be left to - grown-up people, too, but it isn't. I may think <i>different</i> when I'm - grown up, but I don't believe I'll ever think harder than I do now, and I - can't help it either.” - </p> - <p> - Meanwhile Hazel had been ransacking her brain for a half-remembered text, - and now she had it. “What do you make out of that verse about the Lord <i>chastening</i> - whom He loves?” she asked. - </p> - <p> - For the moment Flutters looked puzzled. The Marberrys signalled each other - by elevating their eyebrows as to the meaning of this last big word of - Hazel's, and asked, simultaneously, “What's chastening?” Then for the - moment Hazel looked puzzled, but Starlight came to her rescue. - </p> - <p> - “I think it's taking away from a fellow lots of people whom he loves. - Having his mother die, and then his father, and then his little sister, - and things like that.” - </p> - <p> - This remark of Starlight's flashed the light again in upon Flutters's - mind, and he found to his glad surprise that he was thoroughly prepared to - answer Hazel after all; but he began by asking Starlight a question. - </p> - <p> - “But why, Starlight, does the Lord do that, do you think?” - </p> - <p> - “Why—so as to make a fellow resigned. I think that's what they call - it. To make him just give up his own will.” - </p> - <p> - “Excuse me,” said Flutters, with the air of one whose convictions are very - strong, “but I don't believe <i>that</i> either. I don't believe the Lord - would take my father and mother and sister out of the world just because - He loved me and wanted to make <i>me</i> better. I don't believe I'm - important enough for that, nor anybody else. If they all died close - together I should think it was because God's time had come for them, quite - outside of me, and that then the thing for <i>me</i> to do, the thing that - He meant, was just to bear it as bravely as I could.” - </p> - <p> - This was a long speech for Flutters, but the children were sufficiently - interested to follow every word of it, and Hazel asked, when Flutters - ceased, “But then what <i>does</i> the chastening verse mean? It's in the - Bible, and I suppose you believe the Bible?” - </p> - <p> - “Of course I believe it, but I know chastening doesn't mean anything like - that. Perhaps it means letting all sorts of bothersome things come so as - to have you get the best of them. A person what had never had any bother - wouldn't be much of a person, I suppose.” - </p> - <p> - “Well, we <i>have</i> had a talk,” said Starlight, for at this point the - discussion seemed to come to a natural close; and besides, they had almost - reached the Boniface gate. A moment later the Marberrys took an - affectionate leave of Hazel, with a “Good-bye” to Starlight and Flutters, - and trudged on to the rectory, half a mile farther up the road, wondering, - perhaps, if what Flutters had said had been wrong, and provided they could - remember it, if they ought not to tell their father. - </p> - <p> - “Heigh-ho!” sighed Hazel, carefully putting away her Sunday cloak and hat, - “and to think that I thought the mulattoes were a savage tribe! Why, - really, I believe I never knew a boy who seemed to think so right down - into a thing as Flutters.” - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0037" id="linkimage-0037"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0140.jpg" alt="0140 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0140.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XVI.—COLONEL HAMILTON “TAKES TO” HARRY. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0038" id="linkimage-0038"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9141.jpg" alt="9141 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9141.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - RIGHT and early on the Monday succeeding the Van Vleet tea-party, Harry - Starlight set out for his call upon Colonel Hamilton. It proved to be a - clear, bracing morning, the kind of a morning to inspire hope in hearts - five times as old as Harry's, only fortunately there are <i>some</i> - hearts that never grow old at all, and to whom hope is just as true and - beautiful-at sixty as sixteen. The moment he closed the door of the - kitchen behind him, he drew one great, deep breath, as though longing to - take in, in a permanent way if possible, all the exhilaration of the - invigorating air, all the marvellous beauty of the wonderful out-of-door - world. There had been a heavy frost the night before, but almost the first - flash of sunrise had transformed it into an army of glistening drops, save - where here and there, under the protecting chill of sombre shadows, the - grass-blades still were cased in sheaths of crystal. The river was gray - and white-capped, for the west wind would not leave it still enough to - reflect the cloudless blue overhead, and the “Gretchen” tugged at her - chain with various little creaks and groans, as though an anchor and a - furled sail were more than sail-boat nature could endure when such a - breeze was blowing. Indeed, as Harry freed her from her moorings, she - fairly seemed to bound out into the river with the keen enjoyment of a - creature alive in every part. It is hard to picture that East River as it - looked a hundred years ago, with wooded and grass-grown banks in place of - wharves and warehouses, and with only an occasional sail, where to-day the - great, unwieldy ferry-boats plow from shore to shore, and an army of - smaller craft steam noisily hither and thither. Now and then Harry would - pass a market-boat loaded to the water's edge with a tempting array of - vegetables, and rowed by a marketwoman in her close-fitting Dutch cap, who - would either wish him a cheery good-morning in matronly fashion, or bend - lower over her oars, as became a young maiden. Half reluctantly did Harry - hear the “Gretchen's” keel scrape the pebbly shore, and exchange the - breezy breadth of the river for the city street, notwithstanding that - street led straight up to Colonel Hamilton's office. Then, somehow or - other, he did not feel quite so buoyant as at the start, for hope has a - trick of wavering a little, as she actually nears the verge of any - decision. What if some one had already secured the place? What if the - Colonel should not take to him? for Harry had great faith in and great - respect for what may be called “taking to people.” - </p> - <p> - It so happened that he found only a boy in the Colonel's office, a very - dark little specimen of the negro race, who was brushing and dusting away - in a manner that said very plainly, “I's behin' time dis mornin',” which, - by the way, was the rule and not the exception in the life of lazy little - John Thomas. - </p> - <p> - “What time does Colonel Hamilton usually come in? asked Harry, when he saw - that the boy was by far too busy to pay any attention to him. - </p> - <p> - “'Long any minit; dat's how I's so flustered,” he replied, breathlessly, - and with that sort of haste which invariably makes waste, he succeeded in - upsetting all the contents of a generous scrap-basket exactly in the - middle of the office floor. “Glory me!” was his one inelegant exclamation, - and, dropping on to his knees, he began punching the accumulation of trash - back into the basket, but with an energy that landed half of it upon the - floor again. - </p> - <p> - “Look here, I'll tend to that,” laughed Harry. “You see to your other - work.” John Thomas looked up surprised, but seeing the offer was made in - good faith, took Harry at his word, and flew to the office washstand, - which was sadly in need of attention. - </p> - <p> - Just at this point there was a step in the hall, and glancing up from his - homely, self-appointed task, Harry's eyes met those of Colonel Hamilton, - while the color flushed over his face. - </p> - <p> - “Well, my young friend,” said the Colonel, evidently much amused, “who set - you at that work?” - </p> - <p> - “I was waiting for you, sir,” said Harry, putting the basket at one side, - “and as your boy seemed to have been delayed, I was trying to lend a - hand.” - </p> - <p> - “Very kind of you, sir; and as John has a way of being delayed every - morning, he would no doubt like to make a permanent engagement with you.” - </p> - <p> - “I had rather you would do that, sir,” was on Harry's lips, but he feared - it might sound familiar; but Colonel Hamilton seemed to read his thoughts. - </p> - <p> - “Possibly you came to see about making an engagement with me,” he said, - kindly, looking for the moment most intently at Harry in a way that showed - he was mentally taking his measure. Meanwhile he had hung up his coat and - hat, and dropped into a high-backed, uncomfortable and unpainted wooden - chair, very different from the upholstered, revolving contrivances that we - find in offices nowadays. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, sir,” said Harry, in answer to the Colonel's question, and still - standing; “I heard that you wanted a clerk, and I should be very grateful - if you would let me see if I could fill the place.” - </p> - <p> - “What is your name?” - </p> - <p> - “Harry Starlight Avery, if you wish it in full, sir.” - </p> - <p> - “Will you be seated, Mr. Avery?” said the Colonel, with his habitual - kindly courtesy; whereupon John Thomas flourished a bedraggled feather - brush over a dusty chair—the same one upon which Hazel had sat - during her recent important interview—and placed it near the - Colonel's, with all the importance of a drum-major on parade. - </p> - <p> - “I have heard the name of Starlight before,” Colonel Hamilton said - thoughtfully, “but where I cannot remember.” Then, and as though he had no - time to devote to mere rumination at that hour of the morning, he asked, - “Are you a native of New York, Mr. Avery?” - </p> - <p> - “No, sir; my home is in New London.” - </p> - <p> - “Then you are a long ways from it now” (for distances were distances in - those days); “how does that happen?” - </p> - <p> - “I enlisted on a privateer,” Harry answered, coloring slightly. - </p> - <p> - “So that is how,” and the Colonel gave him the benefit of another - scrutinizing look. - </p> - <p> - “Have you ever had a position in a lawyer's office?” - </p> - <p> - “No, sir; I am sorry to say I haven't; but it's just the sort of position - I have always wanted. Of course you would have to tell me just about - everything at the start, but not more than once, I hope, sir.” - </p> - <p> - This is the right sort of spirit, thought the Colonel, beginning to run - through some papers on a letter-file, for, as usual, he had a very busy - day before him. - </p> - <p> - “How long ago did you enlist on the privateer?” making a little memorandum - of some other matters on a sheet of paper as he spoke. - </p> - <p> - “Nearly two years ago.” - </p> - <p> - “How long were you aboard of her?” - </p> - <p> - “Only a month, sir.” - </p> - <p> - “And where were you the remainder of the time?” - </p> - <p> - “On the 'Jersey,' sir.” - </p> - <p> - There was no dividing of attention now, and the Colonel laid aside the - quill pen he had just filled with ink. - </p> - <p> - “Do you mean to say you were a prisoner aboard of her?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, sir.” - </p> - <p> - “For nearly two years?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, sir.” - </p> - <p> - “That is enough for me. Any poor fellow that has braved the horrors of - that den for even a month ought to have the best sort of a chance. I will - engage you on the spot, Mr. Avery. If you have been a 'Jersey' prisoner, - that is enough for me. I am willing to try a 'green hand,' who has had to - endure that experience.” - </p> - <p> - “You are very kind, Colonel Hamilton,” and Harry's grateful appreciation - showed plainly in his face. - </p> - <p> - “Could you stay to-day,” asked the Colonel, “and let me set you right to - work at some copying? I think we can come to a satisfactory arrangement - about terms when I am not so hurried.” - </p> - <p> - Of course Harry stayed—stayed through one of the busiest and - happiest days of his life; and not until twilight had long settled down on - the river did he step aboard of the “Gretchen” and set sail for the old - Van Vleet Farm. - </p> - <p> - When the wind is right in your favor, and you have little to do but mind - your helm, you have a fine chance for a quiet think—that is, if you - are any sort of a sailor; and Harry improved the opportunity and thought - hard—thought of all that the day's good fortune might mean to him: - of ability to pay his own way for the first time in his life; of a little - money to be sent off now and then to the younger brothers in New London, - and then, in a vague sort of a way, of a home of his own some day. - Meantime all the while there would be the constant daily companionship - with Colonel Hamilton himself, who seemed to him (as indeed to many - another, and in the face, too, of his extreme youthfulness) at once the - noblest, the kindest, and by far the greatest man he had ever met. What a - pity, he thought, that he should have sided against Aunt Frances! - </p> - <p> - But of one thing Harry felt sure, which was that he had certainly “taken - to” Colonel Alexander Hamilton; and there was another thing just as sure - which he did not know about, and that was that the Colonel had decidedly - “taken to” Harry. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XVII.—IN THE LITTLE GOLD GALLERY. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0039" id="linkimage-0039"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9146.jpg" alt="9146 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9146.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - HE night for the first Dancing Assembly had come, and old Peter, John - Thomas's father and the janitor of the Assembly room, had done more work - in the last week than in all the whole five months between the two seasons - of social gayety. In an hour now it would be time for the guests to - arrive, and, arrayed in his best coat and knee-breeches, and with nothing - further to do, Peter sat on a three-legged stool at one end of the hall, - surveying his work with evident satisfaction. - </p> - <p> - Presently there was the sound of several pairs of feet on the flight of - stairs that led up to the Assembly rooms, and Peter, craning his neck, - tried to make out who it might be without taking the trouble to get up, - for his old knees were very stiff from the unwonted exertions of the week. - </p> - <p> - Who it might be was quickly determined, for in a flash there stood before - him what seemed to him a veritable crowd of children, though in point of - fact there were only the two Marberrys, Hazel, Starlight, and Flutters. - </p> - <p> - “What you chilluns doin' heah? Dis heah ain't no place fur chilluns. You - better go right 'long home agin, I reckon.” - </p> - <p> - Peter tried to speak gruffly, but they were not in the least intimidated, - knowing that it was all assumed. - </p> - <p> - “Peter, we have a great favor to ask of you,”' said Hazel, who seemed to - be the ringleader of the little party. - </p> - <p> - “'Tain't no sort o' use, Miss Hazel; can't 'low it no how;” for Peter knew - well enough what the favor was; “if I let you chilluns into dat gall'ry, - you'll keep up such a snickerin' and gigglin', you'll 'sturb the whole - Assembly. No, Miss Hazel; can't t'ink of it; can't 'low it no how.” - </p> - <p> - “Peter,” said Hazel, looking at him very searchingly, “are you going to - let anybody in there?” - </p> - <p> - “Not a soul, Miss Hazel—dat is, not a soul 'ceptin' my John Thomas.” - </p> - <p> - “Ah! I thought so,” said Hazel, exultingly; “and it isn't fair, Peter, to - do for Thomas what you won't do for us. We've come all the way into town - just to see the dancing, 'cause mother said she was sure there wouldn't be - any objection to our peeping through the gallery railing.” - </p> - <p> - “Did she say dat, sure 'nuff, Miss Hazel?” And Peter put his head on one - side, and looked at Hazel in a very suspicious manner. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, she did,” said Tilly Marberry, coming to the rescue; “I heard her - myself; and, Peter, we'll promise not to snicker.” - </p> - <p> - “Nor giggle, either,” said Tilly's other self. - </p> - <p> - “Which of you is which?” said Peter, slowly looking at the twins with - knitted eyebrows. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, Peter, please don't stop to bother 'bout that now,” pleaded Hazel, - impatient of any digression from the main point; “but you <i>will</i> let - us in, won't you?” whereupon the other children chimed in with such - imploring entreaties that the old janitor relented, and, getting on to his - feet with an evident twinge in his rheumatic knees, felt in his coat-tail - pocket for the coveted gallery keys. The good deed had its reward then and - there, in the beaming and grateful faces of the troupe of little beggars. - </p> - <p> - The gallery in question was a sort of balcony, projecting from the wall at - one end of the hall, midway between floor and ceiling, and to which access - was had by a steep little spiral stairway. This gallery was intended for - the musicians only; but between its gilded, bulging front and the part of - the platform on which they sat was a space where half a dozen children - might be comfortably accommodated. More than once, when some reception or - dance was in progress, Hazel, with a few chosen friends in her train, had - begged her way into this most desirable retreat, and that was why Peter - knew “what was up” the moment he saw her. - </p> - <p> - When they entered the little gallery, they found John Thomas there before - them, complacently installed in the most desirable place; but they were - far too thankful to have gotten in at all to grudge him his privileged - position. - </p> - <p> - It was a funny sight to see the little company established in a row behind - the heavy gilded stucco work, which completely concealed them, yet offered - such convenient little loop-holes and crannies, from which everything - going on on the floor below could be plainly viewed. To be sure, the - arrangement of the platform obliged them all to sit tailor fashion—rather - a constrained position for those unaccustomed to it—but what did it - matter about one's legs and back when one's eyes were to be feasted with - lovely ladies and gallant gentlemen and the music they were to dance to - would be ringing in one's ears. - </p> - <p> - “Doesn't the hall look lovely?” said Hazel, when at last she had adjusted - her lower extremities as comfortably as circumstances would admit. - </p> - <p> - “Lovely!” answered the Marberrys, each with a sigh of deep appreciation, - for it had not been an easy thing for them to gain permission to accompany - Hazel, and this was to be their first introduction to the glories of a - dancing assembly. - </p> - <p> - “How everything shines!” said Flutters, quite lost in admiration of the - glittering brass sconces, with their bevelled mirrors and beautiful red - candles, and wondering greatly how any floor could ever be brought to such - a high state of polish. - </p> - <p> - “'Course it shines,” said John Thomas. “It ought to shine. My father - hasn't been reachin' and rubbin', and kneelin' and polishin' fur free - weeks fur nuffin, I reckon.” - </p> - <p> - “Did you help him?” asked Flutters, with admiration. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0040" id="linkimage-0040"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0149.jpg" alt="0149 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0149.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - “No, sah, I did not. I hasn't no time for polishin'. I assists in Colonel - Hamilton's law office,” and John Thomas proudly drew himself up till his - woolly head grazed the ridge of the gallery rail above him. - </p> - <p> - “What,” said Starlight', “are you the boy in Colonel Hamilton's office?” - </p> - <p> - “I assists Colonel Hamilton,” John Thomas repeated, not being willing to - bring himself down to Starlight's offensive way of putting things. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I've heard about <i>you</i>!' said Starlight, with a mischievous - twinkle in his eye. - </p> - <p> - “W'at you heard, I'd like to know!” - </p> - <p> - “John Thomas,” came a voice from below, “don't let me hear anoder word - from you dis ebenin', else home you go to mammy right smart, I can tell - you, and de oder chiliuns long wid you too.” Old Peter had shambled out to - the middle of the floor to take one more satisfactory view of things in - general, and just in time to hear John Thomas's excited tones. His words - had the desired effect; the little gallery instantly relapsed into - absolute silence, the six children fairly holding their breath for fear of - the threatened banishment. People were beginning to come now. A few - gentlemen were already on the floor, and the musicians, who had taken - their places on the gallery platform, were drawing instruments, which - would look funny enough to-day, from the depths of clumsy green baize - bags, and beginning to “tune up.” - </p> - <p> - “Tell me w'at you heard?” demanded John Thomas of Starlight, as soon as he - dared to speak again. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, John Thomas, please don't!” begged Milly Marberry, putting her little - hand most beseechingly on his sleeve; “we've never been to an Assembly - before. We'd cry our eyes out if your father sent us home.” - </p> - <p> - John Thomas yielded to this entreaty, but sullenly, as though he meant to - have it out with Starlight some day or other. Any slur upon his character - was just one thing that that young gentleman was determined not to endure, - and the sooner Job Starlight and the rest of the world came to that wise - conclusion, why, so much the better for everybody concerned—at - least, so thought john Thomas. - </p> - <p> - It was a pity that at the commencement of the Assembly Hazel, Milly, and - Tilly could not have been in two places at once, for while only an - occasional couple strolled on to the dancing floor, the dressing-rooms - were crowded. There would have been a peculiar pleasure for those little - lovers of finery to see the pretty toilets gradually emerge from the - concealment of long cloaks and shawls, and to have studied the charming - vanities of peak-toed, high-heeled little slippers as the protecting - pattens were shaken off into the hands of maids, upon their knees before - their “ladies.” But at last the Assembly floor offered more attractions - than the dressing-room, and a long line of couples, constantly reinforced - by new arrivals, were promenading in stately fashion around the hall. - </p> - <p> - “There come the Van Vleets,” exclaimed Starlight, as Miss Francesca and - Miss Heide entered, each on the arm of an escort. - </p> - <p> - “And if there isn't Miss Pauline,” whispered Tilly Marberry; “does <i>she</i> - dance?” - </p> - <p> - “Dance!” said Starlight; “well, I guess you'll think so when you see her. - She's just as graceful as a fairy.” - </p> - <p> - “She's just as queer as a fairy, too,” remarked Flutters. “I wouldn't care - to be the one to dance with her; there'd be no telling what she might fly - off and do next.” - </p> - <p> - “It's very distressing about Miss Pauline,” said Hazel, reprovingly; “and, - Flutters, you have no occasion to speak like that.” Hazel always seemed to - be specially successful in mustering large words when she felt called upon - to administer any reproof to this little servant of hers. - </p> - <p> - “No occasion!” said Flutters, significantly, for the recollection of an - apple-tree and a crying maiden was not so far removed as to lose any of - its poignancy. - </p> - <p> - “What do you mean?” questioned Hazel, with a puzzled frown. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, nothing particular,” Flutters said, quickly, seeing what an - explanation might lead up to, and then he succeeded in changing the - subject by announcing the arrival of Captain and Mrs. Boniface. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, doesn't mamma look lovely!” and Hazel's happy little face flushed - with pride. - </p> - <p> - “Yes; and just look at Josephine!” sighed the Marberrys, simultaneously, - for those little women were so overcharged with delight as scarce to be - able either to speak or breathe in quite regular and commonplace fashion. - </p> - <p> - “Ah! <i>she's</i> the girl,” said Starlight, who, whether from honest - admiration or a spirit of mischief, never lost an opportunity for - extolling the virtues and attractions of Hazel's older sister. - </p> - <p> - “And she's drawn Harry Avery,” added Hazel, for once in her life adroit - enough not to betray any annoyance; “I don't believe she minds, either.” - </p> - <p> - “Well, Harry doesn't mind, I know that much. Shouldn't wonder myself if he - managed to have it come that way.” Starlight evidently spoke from - knowledge of facts, for, like as not, Cousin Harry had foolishly taken - that small boy somewhat into his confidence. - </p> - <p> - This “drawing” that Hazel spoke of was a queer custom of the olden days. - Partners for the evening were chosen by lot; they danced, walked, and - chatted with no one else, and when the dancing was over partook together - of such modest refreshment as rusks and tea. This arrangement was most - advantageous for the young ladies who were not specially attractive, for - by means of it the fairest and the plainest were treated exactly alike. - Now, for all this information, and much more beside, as I told you in the - preface, we are indebted to that delightful first chapter of Mr. - McMasters's History; but although you may not be old enough to care to - read that chapter for yourself, nor half old enough to be allowed to - attend a Dancing Assembly, nor fortunate enough to gain entrance to a - little mid-air gallery, where you could watch all the fine goings on - unobserved, yet I believe you are quite old enough to understand one thing—and - that is that the pleasure of those old-time assemblies must have depended - altogether upon the partner that fell to one's lot. A wretched sort of a - time, or an indifferent sort of a time, or a very good time indeed—all - lay within the possibilities of that one little chance. So do you wonder - very much, or do you blame them very much, if those old-fashioned beaux, - with their powdered hair, velvet knee breeches, and silver shoe-buckles, - “sometimes managed things,” as Starlight said? At any rate, Harry Avery - was supremely happy to have Josephine Boniface fall to his lot, and if he - hadn't been guilty of “managing things” at all, why, all that remains to - be said is that he was a very lucky fellow. Miss Pauline formed the only - exception to this rigidly observed rule, as it was always an understood - thing that her brother Hans should be her partner, but being, as Starlight - said, “as graceful as a fairy,” and quite as light on her feet, it often - happened that some friend of the Van Fleets would beg a dance of Pauline, - and give the faithful brother a chance for “a turn” with his partner in - exchange. - </p> - <p> - “Why, there's Aunt Frances,” exclaimed Starlight, suddenly spying her - seated in a chair at the farther corner of the room. “Did she come in with - the Van Vleets?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I think so; and doesn't she look a picture!” said Hazel, fairly - feasting her eyes upon that much-loved lady. “And her dress, girls! <i>isn't</i> - it lovely!” and Hazel, in her eagerness, gave Tilly Mar-berry, who sat - next to her, a good hard hug. “When I am forty or fifty, or whatever age - Aunt Frances is, I shall wear black velvet and soft old lace about my neck - just like that. Now I shouldn't wonder”—Hazel spoke slowly, as if - really giving the matter most thoughtful consideration—“I shouldn't - wonder if Aunt Frances was as pretty as Josephine when she was a real - young lady.” - </p> - <p> - “I half believe I think she's as pretty now,” answered Starlight, - notwithstanding his constant championship of Josephine's superior charms. - </p> - <p> - “Who's she talking to, Starlight?” - </p> - <p> - “I'm sure I don't know,” said Starlight. - </p> - <p> - “Why, dat's Major Potter, a lawyer what practices down our way,” - volunteered John Thomas, “and dere! dere comes <i>my</i> Colonel and Lady - Hamilton. Isn't she a booty? Where's your Aunt Frances now, Mars - Starlight?” - </p> - <p> - “Just where she was before, John Thomas, the loveliest-looking lady in the - room. Lady Hamilton <i>is</i> very handsome, though.” - </p> - <p> - “Handsome! well, you'd better believe it; and de Colonel! now jus' look at - him, chilluns. Isn't he just too elegant! He jus' ought to be a king, - Colonel Hamilton ought ter, and he's dat kind, he wouldn't speak cross to - de laziest pickaninny in de land.” - </p> - <p> - “Then I suppose he never speaks cross to you, John Thomas,” said Hazel, - significantly. - </p> - <p> - “Dere ain't neber no 'casion, Miss Hazel,” and John Thomas looked as - though he considered her remark altogether uncalled for. - </p> - <p> - “Ain't dere neber no <i>'casion?</i>” asked Starlight, perfectly imitating - the darkey dialect. “How 'bout dat mornin' when you upset de trash basket - in de middle of de office flo'?” - </p> - <p> - “Dat mornin' was a 'ception, Mars Starlight, and it seems to me your - cousin, Mr. Avery, might fin' somethin' better to talk 'bout dan to be - detailin' de little events of de office.” - </p> - <p> - It was great fun to hear John Thomas go on in this fashion. He had the - reputation of being the most amusing little darkey in the city, and when - they were not completely absorbed in watching the dancing, Hazel and - Starlight managed between them to keep him “going,” to the delighted - amusement of the Marberrys. - </p> - <p> - Meantime the minute hand of the great white-faced clock at the end of the - hall was marking quarter to eight in no uncertain characters, and Hazel - had faithfully promised that at eight o'clock her little party should turn - their backs on the festivities, no matter how alluring and absorbing they - might happen to be at that particular moment. But it sometimes happens - that matters of considerable importance come to pass within the limits of - fifteen minutes—often, in fact, in much shorter time than that, and - this was true of the particular fifteen minutes in question. - </p> - <p> - And now, as this is already a pretty long chapter, I propose that we stop - right where we are, make a new one, and call it—— - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XVIII.—MORE OF A RED-COAT THAN EVER. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0041" id="linkimage-0041"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9155.jpg" alt="9155 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9155.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - HILE Hazel and Starlight, Flutters, John Thomas, and the Marberrys were so - hugely enjoying watching the people down there on the floor of the - Assembly, it so happened that some of the people were not enjoying - themselves at all. Indeed, quite the contrary; for not a few were acting - unkindly, and others were being treated unkindly; and if there is any - enjoyment for anybody in that sort of a proceeding, one ought to be - thankful not yet to have discovered it. - </p> - <p> - You know how it came about that Colonel and Mrs. Boniface went to the - Assembly; it was simply because they felt they ought to. If the old - friends were truly sorry for having been so unfriendly, would it not be - ungracious for them to decline this invitation? Would it not look as if - they themselves were still harboring ill-feeling? And you also know that - Harry Avery had been consulted in the matter, and that his urgent advice - had been, “Go, by all means.” So the Colonel and his wife had decided to - accept quite in the face of all their preferences, and dreading the ordeal - far more than either was willing to confess to the other. But alas! for - the decision that cost them such a personal sacrifice, and alas! for the - hopefulness of Harry's buoyant temperament; for if Colonel and Mrs. - Boniface ever had reason abundantly to regret any step they had ever - taken, it was going to this Dancing Assembly; and if ever two proud and - sensitive hearts were stung to the quick, theirs were that evening. It - seems that Harry was mistaken in thinking that the invitation had been - sent because of a general desire to make amends to the Bonifaces. True it - was that two members of the Assembly Committee had insisted upon their - being invited, hardly thinking, however, that they would come; but alas! - in case they did come some other members had resolved to make it very - uncomfortable for them. Somehow or other nothing seems so completely to - change a warm human heart into something as cold and hard as a stone as - what men call a strong party feeling, and party feeling ran very high in - those days in which our great-grandfathers lived a hundred years ago. That - is to say, men felt so sure that their own opinions were the only right - ones that they fairly hated those who did not agree with them. - </p> - <p> - And so it happened that, with cheeks crimsoned from the insults they had - received, and with blood tingling to their very finger tips Colonel and - Mrs. Boniface left the room, sending word to Josephine (who had been - screened from any insult by Harry's chivalrous devotion) to follow them. - Hazel suddenly missed them from the crowd below, and knew in a flash what - had happened. Indeed, the color had flushed into her own round cheeks as - she thought she saw a Mrs. Potter, whose husband was a leading Whig, - pretend not to see that Mrs. Boniface had made a move toward shaking hands - with her. But “No,” she thought, “I must be mistaken; no lady would be so - rude.” So it would seem, little Hazel; but it often happens that things - are not what they seem in this queer world of ours; and as Hazel's dear - mother learned to her sorrow, several others who called themselves ladies - could be just as rude as Mrs. Potter, and some of them yet more rude. - Fortunately for the Mar-berrys and Starlight and Flutters, the clock was - just on the stroke of eight when Hazel made her unhappy discovery, for she - could not have borne to have sat there another moment looking down on that - brilliant company, many of whom, looking so fine and attractive, were at - heart so cruel. - </p> - <p> - “Time's up,” said Hazel, starting to creep round to the little door at the - back of the gallery, and not trusting herself to say more than that for - fear a trembling voice should betray her suppressed excitement. - </p> - <p> - Hazel was the acknowledged commander-in-chief of that little party, and - difficult as it was to turn abruptly from the fascinating scene, the - children dropped obediently on to all fours, and followed in her train. - The Marberrys' carriage was waiting at the door, and Flutters, after - helping the others in, climbed onto the box beside Jake, the driver. It - was wonderful the way in which he seemed always to know intuitively the - “proper thing” to do. He was constantly placed on such an equal footing - with the other children that it would have been only natural for him to - have frequently forgotten that, after all, he was only Miss Hazel's little - servant; but somehow or other he never did forget it; perfectly free in - his manner, and never in any sense servile, yet always betraying a little - air of respectful deference that was simply charming. Indeed, body-servant - or no, all the Bonifaces had grown to actually loving little Flutters, and - Flutters knew it and was radiantly happy. - </p> - <p> - All the way home Hazel tried to be as merry as before. It would be such a - pity, she thought unselfishly, to spoil the Marberrys' good time; but she - did not succeed very well. - </p> - <p> - “Are you tired, Hazel?” asked Milly, as they neared home. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, awfully tired,” and with this admission the tears sprang into her - eyes; but fortunately it was too dark in the carriage for any one to see - them. “It's very uncomfortable,” she added, “to sit with your legs curled - under you so long as we had to there in the gallery.” - </p> - <p> - “Do you think so?” exclaimed Tilly; “why, I could have sat there till - morning, and never known I had a leg, it was all so lovely!” - </p> - <p> - “So lovely!” echoed Milly in a tone of evident regret that it was over. - </p> - <p> - “Here we are,” said Hazel, as Flutters leaped down and opened the door for - her; “good-night, Milly” (a kiss); “good-night, Tilly” (another kiss); - “much obliged for the ride.” - </p> - <p> - “Much obliged for the lovely time,” the Marberrys called back, for Jake, - impatient to get home and to bed, had immediately driven on. - </p> - <p> - “Why, it looks as though your father and mother were home,” Starlight - exclaimed as they walked up the path. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, they are home, I know that,” said Hazel, excitedly, “and Josephine - is home, and I know too that they've had a horrid time, and that they'll - never go to anything in New York again—never; and if there is a - cowardly set of creatures in the world it's the spiteful old Whigs.” - </p> - <p> - Starlight and Flutters stood aghast, while Hazel flew past them into the - house, slamming the front door after her, as much as to say that no - exasperating Whig should ever enter it again, not even if his name was Job - Avery Starlight. - </p> - <p> - The boys sat down on the step of the porch and conversed in dazed, excited - whispers as to what it could all mean. - </p> - <p> - Hazel flew up the stairs into her mother's room and into her mother's arms - with one great sob. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0042" id="linkimage-0042"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0159.jpg" alt="0159 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0159.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - “Why, Hazel, my little daughter, what is the matter?” and Mrs. Boniface, - whom Hazel had found sitting in a low rocker at the window, still in the - dress she had worn to the ball, drew Hazel's brown head on to her - shoulder, and soothingly stroked the brown wavy hair; but the tears were - in her own eyes, and her heart was very heavy. - </p> - <p> - Hazel could not speak at first for crying, but the caressing touch of that - dear hand was wonderfully calming, and presently she was able to say, “I - know all about it, mother. I know they treated you shamefully. I saw that - horrid old Mrs. Potter when she—” - </p> - <p> - “Hazel! Hazel, dear, you must not talk like this.” - </p> - <p> - “But it's true, every word of it is true, and tell me” (and Hazel - straightened herself up and looked through blinding tears into her - mother's face), “didn't they insult you? didn't they treat you very - rudely, and didn't you all come home on that account?” - </p> - <p> - “Well, they certainly were not very kind, Hazel, and it seemed best for us - to come home; but it is not worth caring too much about, you know.” - </p> - <p> - “And to think how friendly Mrs. Potter <i>used</i> to be, and how much she - pretended to think of you, mother,” and Hazel becoming a little less - excited, thoughtfully turned the little turquoise ring on her finger round - and round, and shook her head sadly from side to side, as though her faith - in human nature was forever shaken, as indeed it had reason to be. - </p> - <p> - It was a pretty picture, albeit a rather sad one, the mother and daughter, - in the graceful costumes of a hundred years ago, sitting there in the low - studded room, dimly lighted by the little rush-light on the mantel—a - high narrow mantel, with the glowing embers on the andirons beneath it - crackling loudly now and then, after the manner of a good fire that is - slowly dying out. An oblong mirror, hung at a wide angle from the wall, - surmounted the high mantel, and reflected the little rocker with its - double load, and the pretty old-fashioned drapery at the window. It was - not often that that little mirror, nor any other mirror for that matter, - had the chance to frame a picture for itself full as lovely as ever artist - dreamed of. - </p> - <p> - But while Hazel and her mother were talking, and Hazel herself was growing - calmer and Mrs. Boniface's heart lighter with the effort to cheer her, - some other things were happening in which we have an interest. Captain - Boniface was striding along the road that led on to the Marberrys, trying - to walk off the angry feelings that threatened to get the mastery over - him. There is nothing like a good brisk walk in bracing air to get a - feverish, excited mind into normal condition, and the Captain knew it; but - when the force of the angry mood had spent itself, there still was left to - him a sense of sad hopelessness for which he saw no remedy. To have a - little family on one's hands and no money to care for them is enough to - make the bravest heart heavy; but to have reached that point, and at the - same time to see every chance of ever getting on one's feet again - absolutely taken away, is enough to break a man's spirit. And matters had - come to just that pass that evening with Captain Boniface. If the old - friends had at last shown themselves friendly, he would have felt there - was a hope of his making his services valuable to some of them, as indeed - there would have been, for every one acknowledged Captain Boniface to be a - man of rare ability. But it had now been shown him very plainly that there - was no use in longer trying to stem the tide of hate and prejudice that - set so strongly against him, and with the future a hopeless blank, he - finally turned his face homeward. But the other thing that was happening, - and in which we too have an interest, was of a cheerier sort, and was - taking place at the Assembly, which had only fairly gotten under way when - the Bonifaces left it. - </p> - <p> - That old-fashioned law of a partner for the evening, to be chosen by lot, - of course applied only to the young folks, and the more staid, - middle-aged, and elderly people were free to chat with each other, else - why should they have cared to go to the ball at all? - </p> - <p> - Now it happened that Aunt Frances, who was quite in ignorance of the sad - experiences of the Bonifaces, was having a most satisfactory conversation - with a Mrs. Rainsford, a near neighbor, whom she had not seen since her - flight from home nearly two years before, for Mrs. Rainsford was able to - answer a great many questions which Aunt Frances had been longing to ask - about her own home, and the care it was having. - </p> - <p> - “No, I should not think the place had been greatly abused,” said Mrs. - Rainsford, while Aunt Frances sat, an eager listener. “Captain Wadsworth - moved his men down to the barracks at Fort George a month ago, and since - then he has been giving the house a thorough overhauling. You know he has - resigned his commission, and intends to remain in this country.” - </p> - <p> - “Yes; and I know, too, that he intends to remain in my home,” sighed Aunt - Frances. “I wonder if he would sell it to me, though, for that matter, - it's as much mine to-day as it ever was. But there's no use to talk about - that either, for I have saved from the wreck barely money enough to live - upon.” - </p> - <p> - “But, Miss Avery,” said Mrs. Rainsford in a serious whisper, that was - scarcely audible above the music, “I'll tell you one thing: I do not - believe Captain Wadsworth <i>will</i> remain in your house very long.” - </p> - <p> - “Indeed! why not?” and Aunt Frances's elevated eyebrows betrayed her - surprise. - </p> - <p> - “Why, because it is going to be so very uncomfortable for all Loyalists - here in the city.” - </p> - <p> - “I do not quite see what you mean, Mrs. Rainsford.” - </p> - <p> - “No, of course not, dear,” replied Mrs. Rainsford (seeming to regard Aunt - Frances in the light of an older daughter, though, in point of fact, there - was but little difference in their ages.) “No, of course not; your kind - heart would never dream of such things as are happening on every side. The - leading Whigs, now that the Revolution has been successful, say that - they'll make this town too hot to hold a single Tory, and, mark my words, - they'll do it, too. Perhaps you haven't noticed how the Bonifaces were - treated tonight; they went home some time ago.” - </p> - <p> - “Why, Mrs. Rainsford, can that be possible?” questioned Aunt Frances, - looking vainly about the room in search of her friends; “I call that - cruelty of the most unwarrantable sort.” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, it must be very humiliating to say the least; but then they have - brought it upon themselves, you must remember,” for Mrs. Rainsford was - herself a most ardent Whig, and thought the Loyalists, whether English or - American, should be made to pay very dearly for their behavior. - </p> - <p> - “You ought to have seen your garden this summer, Miss Avery,” continued - Mrs. Rainsford, reverting to their former subject. “Captain Wadsworth must - be very fond of flowers. He took the best of care of it.” - </p> - <p> - “I think I could not have borne to see it, Mrs. Rainsford.” - </p> - <p> - “No, perhaps not, dear child; and to think that you really have Alexander - Hamilton to thank for it all. You must hate him. He is here to-night, you - know, with his young wife. I don't wonder she turned the heads of the - officers at Morristown. You know she went to visit her aunt while - Washington had his headquarters there, and Hamilton was his aide-de-camp, - and fell in—” - </p> - <p> - “Sh—” interrupted Aunt Frances, who saw that Colonel Hamilton was - not very far off, and might easily overhear what they were saying; and, - indeed, he was not far off, for the very good reason that, in the company - of his friend, Major Potter, every step was bringing him nearer. - </p> - <p> - Imagine, if you can, Aunt Frances's surprise when Major Potter, whom she - knew quite well, paused before her, and bowing low, with old-time grace - and courtliness, said slowly, “May I take the liberty, Miss Avery, of - presenting my friend, Colonel Hamilton?” - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0043" id="linkimage-0043"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0163.jpg" alt="0163 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0163.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - Aunt Frances was, of course, greatly confused, though too much of a lady - to betray it; but Mrs. Rainsford, astonished beyond measure, and not - always at her ease, was quite glad to slip away from an interview that - promised to be, to say the least, embarrassing. - </p> - <p> - Colonel Hamilton took the seat she left vacant. “I begged the favor of an - introduction, Miss Avery, and am very glad to meet you,” he said, - politely. - </p> - <p> - “I must not doubt your sincerity, Colonel Hamilton,” Aunt Frances replied - with no little dignity, “but perhaps you do not recognize in me the Miss - Avery whom you lately defeated in the courts.” - </p> - <p> - “On the contrary,” replied the Colonel with a deferential air, for Aunt - Frances was by many years his senior, “that is the very reason why I - wished to meet you. I feel myself to have been the cause—” - </p> - <p> - “Excuse me, Colonel Hamilton, but I desire neither apologies nor - sympathy.” For with all her sweetness, Aunt Frances was high spirited; she - thought the Colonel's manner was a little patronizing. - </p> - <p> - But Colonel Hamilton was high spirited too, and was on his feet in a - moment. “It was not my intention to offer either sympathy or apologies. I - bid you good-evening, Miss Avery.” - </p> - <p> - But Aunt Frances said quickly, “In that case I should prefer you to - remain, Colonel Hamilton.” - </p> - <p> - “Thank you,” and the Colonel, with no little dignity, resumed his seat, - while Aunt Frances condescended to add: - </p> - <p> - “I did not mean to be rude, but I wished you to understand my position.” - </p> - <p> - “It was because I wished you to understand mine that I sought this - interview, Miss Avery; but I see I have need to be very careful as to my - choice of words.” - </p> - <p> - Aunt Frances smiled, as much as to say, “Quite right, Colonel Hamilton.” - </p> - <p> - “I hope you realize,” he said, “that my argument in Captain Wadsworth's - case was founded on the most sincere convictions;” and the Colonel half - betrayed the admiration which Aunt Frances somehow inspired in him, - notwithstanding her high-spiritedness. - </p> - <p> - “I never questioned that, Colonel Hamilton.” - </p> - <p> - “So I felt I had reason to believe, when I found you had urged your nephew - to make application for the vacancy in my office.” - </p> - <p> - “Why, I told Harry it was hardly necessary to volunteer the fact of our - relationship,” said Aunt Frances, with unconcealed surprise. - </p> - <p> - “He evidently did not agree with you then, for he had been with me scarce - twenty-four hours before he told me he was your nephew. I suppose you - thought, if I knew it, that it might count against him; on the contrary, - let me assure you it has helped him. It is no light thing, Miss Avery, to - have done any one an injury, whether from conscientious motives or not; - and I shall welcome every chance to atone for it that comes within my - power. I can imagine, in part at least, what it must mean to be banished - from the home of a life-time under any circumstances, and especially when - you feel that you have still a perfect right to be there.” - </p> - <p> - This looked a little like sympathy on the Colonel's part, but it was too - kindly meant to be rejected. They were treading, however, dangerously near - the region of Aunt Frances's proud sensitiveness, so she changed the - direction somewhat by asking, “But Harry is able to rise on his own - merits, is he not, Colonel Hamilton?” - </p> - <p> - “Abundantly; that was one thing I desired to tell you. He has unusual - capacity, and is remarkably efficient. I think his future assured. As for - me, it is a great satisfaction to know you do not question my sincerity. - And now, Miss Avery, I will not detain you longer, and will say - good-evening.” - </p> - <p> - “Good-evening, Colonel Hamilton.” - </p> - <p> - And so the Colonel went back to his pretty young wife in the farther - corner of the room, and Aunt Frances, with a tumult of thoughts in her - heart, rejoined the Van Vleets, and was glad to find them making ready to - go down to the clumsy barge, which, manned by two of the farm hands, was - waiting to carry them home across the moonlit river. How much she had to - think over; and what had Colonel Hamilton told her but that he would lose - no chance to atone for what his duty, as he understood it, had compelled - him to do. But one thing Colonel Hamilton had not told her, but which was - very true, nevertheless, and that was, that one of the strongest impulses - toward this same atoning had come to him in the form of a call from a very - earnest and winsome little maiden one sunny September morning. “Yes, what - may it not mean?” thought Aunt Frances, and a hope that she had not dared - to cherish for a long, long time shaped itself once more before her. - Perhaps it might come about that she should have her home again some day; - surely it was not impossible, since Colonel Hamilton himself was enlisted - in her favor. And <i>this</i> was the man whom she thought her worst enemy—whom - she had said she would go a long way to avoid meeting. Very thankful was - she now that the Colonel had given her no opportunity to carry out her - intention. So there is this comfort: if some sorry things happened at the - Assembly, some other things happened that were not sorry at all. - </p> - <p> - Meanwhile poor Starlight and Flutters sat shivering on the front porch. - Captain Boniface had come home, but had quietly entered the house at the - rear, and the children had not heard him. - </p> - <p> - “Really, I think we had better go in now,” said Flutters, as though he had - brought the same inducement to bear upon Starlight several times before. - </p> - <p> - “You may go if you like,” answered Starlight. “It's different with you, - you live here; but you don't catch <i>me</i> going in at a door that's - been slammed in my face, unless the some-one who slammed it comes out and - gets me.” - </p> - <p> - So Flutters stretched and yawned and shivered a moment longer, and then - decided to quit the dreary scene. - </p> - <p> - “Now, don't you tell Hazel that I'm out here, Flutters. Promise me.” - </p> - <p> - “Not if she asks me?” - </p> - <p> - “No, not if she asks you fifty times.” Starlight was angry, and not - without reason, but he did not believe impetuous Hazel would give him - another thought, and so he looked about to see how he could most - comfortably pass the night on the porch, for he knew nowhere to go at that - late hour. Perhaps it <i>was</i> a pity for a fellow to be so proud, but - he could not help it. He wondered if other people's pride made the blood - rush so hotly through their veins, and made their hearts thump like trip - hammers; there was one good thing about it, though: it helped to keep him - a little warmer out there in the chill November evening. - </p> - <p> - Flutters groped his way forlornly to bed, for all the lights were out in - the house. He longed to knock at Hazel's door and tell her about - Starlight, and his hand actually doubled itself in a preparatory way as he - passed her door; but no, it would not do. Starlight would never forgive - him; besides, he had promised. - </p> - <p> - But fortunately it was not to be an out-all-night experience, after all, - for Starlight. Hazel's room was directly under the roof of the high, - pillared porch, and as, just before getting into bed, she leaned out to - close the blinds, so that the morning sun should not wake such a tired and - sorrowful little body too early, she saw some dark thing lying under the - mat on the porch. At first she thought it was the Marberrys' dog, who - occasionally made them a visit, so she called, “Bruno! Bruno!” in a - penetrating whisper, but the dark object showed no signs of life. Then she - said, “Who is it?” and the dark object moved a little and replied - sullenly, “Who do you suppose?” - </p> - <p> - “Why, Job Starlight, what are you doing out there; you'll catch your death - of cold.” - </p> - <p> - “I know it,” said Starlight, for by this time even his pride had cooled - down a little, and his teeth were chattering, “and there'll be no one to - blame for it but yourself, Hazel Boniface.” - </p> - <p> - “What do you mean?” asked Hazel; but as she spoke a conviction of just - exactly what he meant swept over her. “Haven't you been in since I left - you on the porch?” - </p> - <p> - “No, I haven't been in since you slammed the door in my face and said if - there was a cowardly set of spiteful old creatures in the world it was the - Whigs.” - </p> - <p> - “I did not call <i>you</i> a——” and then Hazel realized that - it was very foolish, as well as very cold, to stand talking there in that - way, so she called down, “But wait a minute, and I'll come and let you - in.” Then she closed the shutters and hurriedly slipped into her wrapper - and slippers, and in a twinkling the hall lamp was lighted and the hall - door thrown open; but Starlight was in no hurry to enter—not he; he - was going to see this thing through in right dignified fashion, - notwithstanding, now that the prospect looked more cheerful, he could - himself see a funny side to the proceeding. - </p> - <p> - “I did not mean <i>you</i> were cowardly or spiteful, Starlight,” Hazel - said again. “I meant all the other Whigs. Do, please, come in.” - </p> - <p> - “Then why did you slam the door in this Whig's face, I'd like to know,” - and Starlight was so gracious as to advance as far as the broad, - old-fashioned door-sill; “besides, all the other Whigs are not spiteful - and cowardly. Aunt Frances isn't, and——” - </p> - <p> - “Starlight,” interrupted Hazel, “this is very mean of you. If you knew - what we'd had to bear to-night you wouldn't blame me for anything. I was - very angry, I know, but I am very sorry, and now—won't you please - come in?” - </p> - <p> - Certainly this was as much as the most aggrieved of individuals could - desire, and Starlight walked in, and dignity and resentment and everything - else were forgotten as Hazel with tearful eyes told him of the evenings - experiences. “Yes,” she said at the close of her narration, “I saw Mrs. - Potter with my own eyes refuse to shake hands with mamma, and if it hadn't - been time then to come home I do not know what I ever should have done.” - </p> - <p> - Starlight drew a deep sigh, but Hazel had grown a full inch in his - estimation. It was real plucky in her to have kept her forlorn discovery - to herself all the way home; he could almost understand now how she had - slammed the door when she reached it. But what a shame it was that a - family like the Bonifaces should be so shamefully treated! “Well, it's too - bad, Hazel, that's all I can say,” he said; “but I suppose we may as well - go to bed. It must be very late.” - </p> - <p> - “Why, where is Flutters?” asked Hazel, for the first time recalling his - existence. - </p> - <p> - “Here,” answered a voice from the top of the hall stairway; “I was just - coming down to see if I could not make Starlight come in.” - </p> - <p> - “I don't believe anybody could have <i>made</i> him,” said Hazel; “the - Starlights must be a very proud family.” - </p> - <p> - “So must the Bonifaces,” answered Starlight, with the shadow of a smile; - “but, then, I like proud families.” - </p> - <p> - “And so do I,” said Hazel. - </p> - <p> - A few moments afterward the little trio separated, and with the thought of - “Better late than never,” Starlight crept gratefully into the bed of the - little hall room, whose blankets and coverlid had been carefully folded - back for him, full five hours before, by Dinah's kind black hands. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XIX—A SAD LITTLE CHAPTER - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0044" id="linkimage-0044"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9169.jpg" alt="9169 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9169.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - OT a bright outlook certainly, but then, you see, it is to be only a - little chapter. - </p> - <p> - Some people think that children's books ought to be cheery and bright from - cover to cover, and so they ought—that is, for the very little - children; but when they have gotten beyond the days of rhymes and jingles - and colored pictures, and have wit enough and appreciation enough to enjoy - a chaptered story, then I, for one, think the stories should be true to - life. To be sure, the charm of such delightful and purely impossible tales - as “Alice in Wonderland” and “Water Babies” lies in the fact that they do - not pretend to be true to anything in the world save the - enchanting-caprice of the people who write them; but when one comes to - place a story in a real time, and put real people in it, then it is bound - to be true to the real things. - </p> - <p> - Then one certainly does not need to be, say, more than seven years old to - get at least an inkling of the truth, that the real things of life are not - always bright things. But there is no use of dwelling at too great length - upon these same sorrowful experiences, and so for that reason we are going - to try to make this a short chapter. And now, to tell you right away what - the sad thing was, for fear your lively imagination should be conjuring up - something yet more sad than the reality, though the reality was sad - enough, since it was nothing more nor less than that, when Captain Hugh - Boniface woke on the morning after the Assembly, he found that he could - move neither hand nor foot. The eager mind worked as actively as ever, but - not a muscle would respond to the great, strong will, and the Captain knew—knew - beyond all hoping—that he was completely paralyzed, and that in all - probability, as far as ever rendering any real service to that blessed - little family of his was concerned, he had better, from that time, be out - of the world than in it. - </p> - <p> - It is needless to tell you very particularly with what foreboding the - alarming news spread through the little household, nor how breathlessly - they all waited for old Dr. Melville's verdict as he came from the - Captain's room a few hours later. Nor of how, in spite of his encouraging - words, that bade them be hopeful, they read that in his kind old eyes - which plainly told them that he felt there was little enough to ground any - real hope upon. - </p> - <p> - “Yes,” said Dr. Melville, gravely, as Mrs. Boniface followed him to the - door, at the close of one of his professional visits, “I feared something - of this sort might be in store for the Captain. He has been into my office - several times complaining of certain wretched benumbing feelings that we - doctors dread to hear acknowledged. But it's not strange, Mrs. Boniface, - not strange at all; he's been through enough to break down the strongest - constitution. There was a sight of mischief already done when they brought - him home from Lexington in '75, and then all these years of worry and - excitement have not helped matters.” - </p> - <p> - “But, doctor,” said Mrs. Boniface, nerving herself to ask the question, - “do you think he will never be any better?” - </p> - <p> - “I doubt if he ever walks again, Mrs. Boniface.” - </p> - <p> - “Do you mean, Dr. Melville, that it is your opinion that he never <i>will</i> - walk again. You must be very frank with me, else I cannot tell how to plan - for the future.” - </p> - <p> - “Well, then, since you are a brave woman, and I know you mean what you - say, I will give you my honest opinion, which is this: that your good - Captain will probably, at least in a degree, regain the use of his hands - and arms, but never, I fear, of his lower limbs.” - </p> - <p> - It was not easy for Mrs. Boniface to hear her fears put thus plainly into - words, but it was best, she felt sure, that she should know the worst. - </p> - <p> - Meantime the days dragged wearily along for Captain Boniface, and yet - brought with them one glorious revelation. Never before had he known quite - so fully what an all-powerful love there was in his heart for that dear - wife of his. It was a privilege simply to be able to watch her as she - moved so quietly about the room, and to listen to the sweet familiar - voice; and was it not abundant cause for thankfulness that he was still in - the same world with her, though no longer able to move about in it. But - what were they going to do? That, of course, was the thought that gave him - greatest anxiety. The sum of money in the bank had been growing more and - more slender with every year of diminished income, until now there was - scarce enough left to tide them over more than another twelve months, and - then only with the strictest economy. But the good Captain did not have to - meet this dread question alone, and in the twilight of a November - afternoon he had talked it all over with his wife, and as the result of - that long, quiet talk they had decided that Mrs. Boniface should write for - aid to her father, a clergyman, living alone in a little ivy-grown rectory - in the South of England. But it was not easy to come to this decision. - They hesitated to intrude their heavy anxieties upon the good old man, - whose own income was by no means ample. But there was simply no one else - to whom they could turn, and they knew he would gladly give them any help - within his power. - </p> - <p> - “And now, Hugh, there is nothing for us to do but to wait till the answer - to my letter comes, and do let us try not to worry,” said Mrs. Boniface - when the long talk was over, and they did try, and they succeeded, and - right in the face of the heaviest trial they had ever known there was - peace and even an added sweetness in the Boniface home life. The new - trouble knit all hearts closer together; they realized more keenly than - ever before how much it was just to have each other, and they cared far - less than such a little while ago they would have thought possible for the - insults of people who, after all, had been friends only in name. But half - the secret of the bravery of the little household lay in the fact that the - Captain himself was so brave; but often, of course, his courage was - strongly tested; seldom more strongly than when little Kate would come - running to the side of his bed, and he felt himself powerless to lift her - to a seat beside him or to romp with her as he used to love to do. - </p> - <p> - One afternoon, when he was alone in the room, he heard the patter of her - little feet on the stairway. He could count each step, for, after the - necessarily slow fashion of very little walkers, she had need to plant - both feet on one step before attempting another. But at last the patient - little climber was where she wanted to be, and said, without stopping to - think, “Lift me up, papa, please.” - </p> - <p> - “Ah! Kate, you always forget papa can't do that,” and the Captain's eyes - grew misty. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, yes, I did fordet,” Kate answered, with a world of regret in her - tone; and then she laid her chubby head on her father's arm and tenderly - stroked the great brown hand as though she loved him more than ever now, - and for the very reason that he was so helpless. - </p> - <p> - “Kate,” said her father, when he felt sure that he could speak and yet - keep his voice steady, “you are such a darling, Kate.” - </p> - <p> - “Mamma said that a little while ago,” answered her little ladyship calmly, - “and Josephine said it yesterday twice, and then Hazel said something like - it too. I <i>dess</i> I was never quite so nice as lately.” - </p> - <p> - “I guess you were never quite such a comfort,” smiled the Captain. “But - then you must not grow too set up about it.” - </p> - <p> - Kate did not pay much attention to this last remark; she had decided on a - little plan, and was putting it into execution. She pushed a chair to the - side of the bed and mounted, by aid of its round, to its seat; from there - it was an easy climb to the bed; and then, shoving the chair away with a - push of her little foot, she turned to her father with a sigh of honest - satisfaction, such as no mere “lifting up” could possibly have occasioned. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0045" id="linkimage-0045"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0173.jpg" alt="0173 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0173.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - Evidently she had come to stay, the blessed little sunbeam, and - straightway the Captain began to rack his brain for the story that he knew - well enough in a moment would be asked for, and for the sort that would be - likely to keep her attention longest. No one could tell so good a story as - the Captain, and no one could tell it as well—at least, that was the - verdict of Starlight and Flutters, of Hazel and the Marberrys, and a few - other little folk who now and then had the pleasure of hearing him. Little - Kate was delighted with the fact that she was to be favored with “the - first story since papa fell ill,” and, I fear, took a little selfish - delight in the fact that she was the only listener. As for the story, it - proved a fine one, with some very queer little people in it, who did most - outlandish things, and Kate sat entranced till it was finished, and then, - laying her head down on her father's shoulder, “just to think it over,” - fell fast asleep instead, and did not waken, even when the Captain, - hearing Josephine's step in the hall, called her in to throw something - over her. And then, after a while, what with Kate's regular breathing as - she lay on his helpless arm, and what with the light in the room growing - dim and yet more dim as the glow faded out of the sunset, the Captain fell - asleep too, and all was so tranquil and peaceful that it seems almost as - though we had made a mistake in calling this “A Sad Little Chapter.” - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XX—FLUTTERS COMES TO A DECISION - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0046" id="linkimage-0046"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9175.jpg" alt="9175 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9175.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - LUTTERS had something on his mind, and this in addition to all the cares - and anxieties of the Bonifaces, which he took upon himself every whit as - fully as though he actually belonged to the family. But the something in - question was a little private affair of his own, an affair, however, that - insisted upon filling most of his waking thoughts, and finally, after - looking at it in every possible light, he arrived at a decision. - </p> - <p> - When a person has been thinking about a matter and turning it over and - over in his mind, a decision is a glorious thing to come to. It is such a - relief, after standing helpless in a perfect maze of doubt and hesitation, - to find a straight path opening up before you. At any rate, Flutters's - sensations were quite of that order, as late one afternoon he went to Mrs. - Boniface and asked if she could spare him to go into town for a few hours. - </p> - <p> - “Certainly, Flutters,” if it is necessary for it was the first time - Flutters had made a request like that, and she wondered what the little - fellow was up to. - </p> - <p> - Flutters seemed to read her thoughts and answered, “It is necessary, Mrs. - Boniface, but I would rather not tell you what I want to go for, if you - are willing to trust me.” - </p> - <p> - “Certainly, I'll trust you, Flutters,” was the answer that made his heart - glad; for it is such a fine thing to be thoroughly trusted, and the haste - with which he donned his coat and hurried from the house showed that, at - least in his estimation, the something to be done was as important as - necessary. - </p> - <p> - Along the frosty road, in the November twilight, the little fellow trudged - at a brisk pace, now and then breaking into a full run, as though in his - eagerness he could not brook the delay of sober walking. White, fleecy - clouds were scudding across the sky, as though making way for the moon - which shone out whenever they would let her, and whose silvery beams were - following so closely in the wake of the daylight as to create one earth - night in which, as in Heaven above, there was to be no darkness at all. - </p> - <p> - But Flutters, like many another preoccupied fellow-mortal, saw naught of - its beauty, only noting his surroundings sufficiently to take the - straightest road to his destination. - </p> - <p> - Finally, he brought up at the barracks of Company F at Fort George, which - company, as you remember, we learned from Mrs. Rainsford, was no longer - quartered at the Avery homestead. - </p> - <p> - “Is Sergeant Bellows here?” Flutters asked, breathlessly, of one of the - first men he met. - </p> - <p> - “He be,” answered the man, with provoking slowness, “but I doubt if he'll - see ye the night, he turned in early with a headache.” Flutters looked - crestfallen. “You sail for England day after to-morrow, don't you?” > - </p> - <p> - “We do that,” answered the man, “and it's with pleasure we'll be after - shaking the dust of the place off us.” - </p> - <p> - “But I must see Sergeant Bellows before he goes,” said Flutters, - pathetically. “Do you think he'd mind if I disturbed him just for a - minute?” - </p> - <p> - “Maybe not,” said the man, “the Sergeant's that good-natured. You'll find - him in bunk No. 6, in the front room above-stairs.” - </p> - <p> - So Flutters climbed the stairs and entered the great cheerless room, with - its row of uncomfortable-looking bunks lining the wall. A candle was - burning in a tin candlestick at one end of the room. Flutters went on - tip-toe and brought it so as to inspect the numbers of the bunks, and make - no mistake, for he could see that two or three other men had also “turned - in.” - </p> - <p> - “'Who's there?' asked Sergeant Bellows.” - </p> - <p> - No. 6 was half-way down the room. “Sergeant Bellows,” said Flutters, in a - penetrating whisper, screening the candle flame with his hand, so that it - should not shine in the Sergeant's face. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0047" id="linkimage-0047"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0177.jpg" alt="0177 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0177.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - “Who's there?” asked Sergeant Bellows, raising himself on one elbow and - bewildered at the sight of his unexpected visitor. - </p> - <p> - “It's only me, Flutters, and I hope your headache isn't very bad, 'cause I - wouldn't have disturbed you for the world, only I almost had to.” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, that's all right,” said the Sergeant, kindly, “but it'll take me a - moment to get my wits to working, although I wasn't rightly asleep either. - Here, set the candle on the shelf, and run get that stool yonder for - yourself.” - </p> - <p> - Flutters felt relieved thus to have the Sergeant take in the situation at - a glance, and realize that he had come with a purpose. - </p> - <p> - “I was coming up to Kings Bridge to-morrow to say good-bye,” the Sergeant - said, rather sadly, when Flutters had seated himself beside the bed. “How - are they up there?” - </p> - <p> - “Why, they're not well at all—that is, you know, don't you, about - the Captain's being paralyzed all over?” - </p> - <p> - “No, by gracious! paralyzed! Do you mean he can't move hand nor foot?” - </p> - <p> - Flutters sorrowfully shook his head yes, as though words failed him. - </p> - <p> - “You don't mean it,” said the Sergeant, sorrowfully; “but tell me all - about it,” and then Flutters told him everything about the Bonifaces that - he thought could by any possibility be of any interest to him, till at - last he felt justified in introducing his own little matter. - </p> - <p> - “But what I came to see about was this—” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, to be sure,” said the Sergeant. “I had almost forgotten to wonder - what brought you here.” - </p> - <p> - “Well,” said Flutters, solemnly, “I have a great favor to ask of you, - Sergeant.” - </p> - <p> - “You're not giving me much time to do it, then,” said the Sergeant, - “seeing as every British soldier quits the city day after to-morrow.” - </p> - <p> - “That's the reason I came,” answered Flutters, excitedly, “it's in England - that I want the favor done.” - </p> - <p> - “Why, what have you to do with England, I'd like to know?” with evident - astonishment. - </p> - <p> - “Why, England was my home,” Flutters answered, rather proudly; “don't you - know I belonged to an English circus?” - </p> - <p> - “Why, so you did; I'd forgotten about that.” And then there was a little - pause, while the Sergeant waited for further developments, and while - Flutters was meditating how he had best put his case. - </p> - <p> - “I once heard you say, Sergeant, that your old home was somewhere in - Cheshire, and that's where my father lives. His name is Wainright.” - </p> - <p> - “Then your name is Wainright, too,” said the Sergeant; “Flutters - Wainright, eh?” - </p> - <p> - “No, Arthur Wainright's my name. Flutters is a name they gave me in the - circus, because I used to be so scared when I first began to have a hand - in the tumbling.” - </p> - <p> - “But look here,” said the Sergeant, in rather gruff, soldier-like fashion, - “if you've a father and he's living, why aren't you living with him 'stead - of being away over here among strangers? Ye're not a runaway, are ye, - Flutters?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I am,” said Flutters, scanning the Sergeant's face closely to watch - the effect of his confession. “I had to do it, Sergeant. I was in the way - at home. My mother was a colored lady, but she died in India, and then my - father took me to England and married a white lady, and there were some - white children and I wasn't wanted. They used to say I was such a queer, - dark little thing.” - </p> - <p> - “Blest if I blame you, then!” said the Sergeant, whose heart was touched; - “but does your father know you're in good, kind hands. I suppose he cared - more for you than the rest of 'em did?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes,” said Flutters, “and so I felt I ought to let him know, and I - thought perhaps if you didn't mind, you'd hunt him up when you get over - there, and tell him 'bout me, and how happy I am, and that I send my - love.” - </p> - <p> - “But then he might be sending for you to come back. Have you thought of - that, Flutters?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, I've thought of it, but it isn't likely, Sergeant. He knows I'm not - wanted there; but anyhow, it seems to me I ought to let him know now that - I'm so well cared for.” - </p> - <p> - “That's so,” said the Sergeant, pausing a moment to give the matter due - consideration. “I think you're right about it, and I'll hunt your father - up just as soon as I can get my furlough and run down to see my relatives - in Cheshire.” - </p> - <p> - “Here's my father's name and address,” said Flutters, taking a slip of - paper from his pocket, “and when you write to me just direct 'Flutters,' - care of Captain Boniface. I don't want them to know about me up there. I - just want them to think of me as an ordinary little darkey, and not above - any sort of work.” - </p> - <p> - “That's very good of you,” replied Sergeant Bellows, tucking the precious - little paper under his blue gingham-covered pillow; “not every boy would - be so considerate as to think of that, but then it's a mighty nice berth - for you, too. I'd give a good deal myself to live with the Bonifaces.” - </p> - <p> - “But you are glad to go home, aren't you?” Flutters asked, with some - surprise. - </p> - <p> - “No doubt I shall be glad to see old England again, but once I've seen it - that's all I care for. It's different with most of the men. Some of them - can hardly speak for joy at the thought, and that makes some of the rest - of us who haven't any homes to go to very wretched with—well I guess - you'll have to call it not-any-home-sickness. It's half what is the matter - with me to-day; and Andy there in the next bunk, who lost a wife and baby - years ago in England, he'd a sight rather keep his back turned on - everything that belongs to it. But there's no help for it. A soldier had - best not have any will of his own, nor any preferences either, if he knows - what's good for him.” - </p> - <p> - Flutters did not know what reply to make to all this, though feeling very - sorry for the old Sergeant, and so he began to button his coat together, - and said: “I guess I'd better go now. I hope I haven't made your headache - any worse, Sergeant?” - </p> - <p> - “Never you fear. It's done me good to talk with you, Flutters. It was more - of a heartache than a headache, you know. I had one of those blue streaks, - when a fellow feels he isn't of any use in the world; but if I can carry a - message from you to your father 'way across the great ocean, I must be of - a little use still, so I'll turn over and go to sleep as a sensible old - codger should,” and, suiting the action to the word, Sergeant Bellows - rather unceremoniously “turned over” and pulled the gray army blanket half - over his head. - </p> - <p> - “Good-night, then,” said Flutters, rising and taking the candle from the - shelf. - </p> - <p> - “Good-night,” yawned the Sergeant, as though already half asleep. “I'll be - up to the Captain's in the morning.” - </p> - <p> - Flutters set the lighted candle back where he had found it, and then made - his way out as quietly as possible, and the moonbeams and the quiet once - more had the room to themselves; and, unless thoughts were too active or - hearts too heavy, there was no reason why Andy and the Sergeant should not - have dropped off into the soundest of naps, at any rate, until the rest of - the men should turn in an hour or two later, when there would, no doubt, - be noise enough to wake the best of sleepers. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XXI—SOME OLD FRIENDS COME TO LIGHT - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0048" id="linkimage-0048"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9182.jpg" alt="9182 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9182.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - T was a comfort to have that matter off his mind, and, whatever might come - of it, he had done the right thing. Such were Flutters's thoughts, as with - hands plunged deep in his overcoat pockets, he started for home. To be - sure, there was no knowing what might happen. What if his father should - write to Captain Boniface and tell him that he (Flutters) was a naughty - little runaway, and advise him to have nothing more to do with him? or - suppose he should direct to have him sent right back to England, what - would he do? Why, then, he thought he'd simply run away again, only that - would not be an easy thing to do after having been treated so kindly by - the Bonifaces. But, as he had himself told the Sergeant, it was not at all - probable that this would happen; and so, like the logical little - philosopher he was, he decided to think no more about it, and, if taking - the advice of the old hymn, he “gave to the <i>winds</i> his fears,” it - was no time at all before they were blown far behind him. During the half - hour that he had spent with the Sergeant, a cold northwest blow had set - in, making it far more comfortable for him to bend his head downward as he - ran, and not take the wind full in his face. And this same northwest wind - was playing all sorts of pranks with every pliable thing it could get hold - of. The bare branches of the trees were swaying and crackling, withered - leaves were swirling round in eddies and rustling loudly, gates were - creaking on their rusty hinges, and, just as Flutters had reached a point - in the road where an old hut stood, the blustering wind caught the only - shutter remaining at one of its windows, and slammed it to with a bang - that fairly made him jump. Looking toward the hut that had been deserted - for years, Flutters saw a faint light shining out through the half of the - window that was not screened by the closed shutter. - </p> - <p> - “That's queer,” he thought; “who can be living there?” and then, instead - of running on without giving the matter another thought—as some - boys, I think, would have done—he walked softly in at the gateway - that had long lacked a gate, straight up to the window and peeped in; nor - was it mere curiosity that prompted him to do it either. Flutters knew - that no one, under ordinary circumstances, would be there; nothing short - of utter homelessness would make anybody seek shelter in that wretched - place, and so he felt the matter ought to be investigated, and he was not - afraid to be the one to do it. And what do you suppose he saw through the - broken pane? Something that would have made the tears come into almost - anybody's eyes, but something that made Flutters's heart fairly stand - still. - </p> - <p> - The only furniture of the room was a three-legged stool on which a bit of - candle was spluttering, fastened to the stool by the melting of its own - tallow, and there beside it, on a bundle of straw, lay an old man; and it - took but one glance from Flutters's astonished eyes to see that the man - was Bobbin, the old circus drudge. In another second he had pushed the - door open and was kneeling at his friend's side, and stroking his cold, - wrinkled hand. - </p> - <p> - “Why, who is it?” asked Bobbin, in a cracked, weak voice; “I can't rightly - see, somehow, but it's good to know some one has come.” - </p> - <p> - “Why, it's me, Bobbin, don't you know me?” said Flutters, scarcely able to - speak with emotion. - </p> - <p> - A bright smile lighted up the old man's face. “Ah! I thought He'd send - somebody. He did send you, didn't He?” - </p> - <p> - “No, nobody sent me, Bobbin. I was just going by, and I saw the light, and - I peeped in and then I saw you.” - </p> - <p> - The old man shook his head, as much as to say that he believed that the - good Father had sent him, nevertheless. - </p> - <p> - “I'm glad you were the one to come,” he said, presently; “there's nobody - I'd rather have had than you, Flutters. You were always a kind little chap - to old Bobbin.” - </p> - <p> - Flutters did not say anything—he couldn't. He just pressed the - wrinkled hand a little harder as it lay in his. - </p> - <p> - “You see, Flutters,” said Bobbin, presently, “I think I am going home - to-night, and it was kind of lonely not to have somebody to care for me. - Not that I mind going. I'm not a bit afraid, Flutters. I have done the - best I could with the poor chance I had, and God will forgive the rest; - don't you think so, Flutters?” - </p> - <p> - Flutters nodded his head, and then he said in a moment, when he thought he - could control his voice: “But, Bobbin, I do not believe you are going to - die. You need food and fire and clothes to warm you, and I am going right - off to get them for you.” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, no, please don't,” pleaded the old man, putting what little strength - he had into his hold on Flutters's hand. “I don't want food nor anything. - I just want to go, and it won't be long. Promise me you'll stay till - morning, Flutters.” - </p> - <p> - There was no gainsaying the entreaty in Bobbin's voice, and so Flutters - said: “I promise you, Bobbin;” and, with a gratified sigh the old man - turned on his side and soon fell asleep. After a while, when Flutters - dared to move a little, he piled the loose straw that lay about him as - closely as possible over Bobbin, and finally decided to dispense with his - own warm coat, for the sake of stuffing it in the hole of the little - paneless window through which the wind was keenly blowing. - </p> - <p> - Then, after another hour of motionless watching, during which Bobbin still - lay sleeping as quietly as a child, it occurred to Flutters to try and - make a fire in the blackened fireplace. Some old bits of board were lying - in one corner of the room, and, piling them on the hearth, he easily - succeeded in kindling them with a bundle of straw lighted at the candle. - At first he was afraid that the crackling of the wood would waken the old - man; but, undisturbed, he slept quietly on as though his mind was - perfectly at rest, now that Flutters had come to care for him. - </p> - <p> - “I do not believe he is going to die,” thought Flutters, after he had - again sat motionless for a long time, and then he crept close on hands and - knees to look into his face, and to listen if he was breathing quite - regularly; and there, bending over him, what did he see but something that - made his heart bound for joy, though it was nothing but the corner of a - little book showing itself above the ragged edge of one of Bobbin's - pockets. And no wonder he was glad, for he knew in a moment that it was - his own little Prayer-Book. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0049" id="linkimage-0049"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0185.jpg" alt="0185 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0185.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - At first he thought he ought not to touch it for fear of waking - </p> - <p> - Bobbin, but how could he help it, and so, as gently as possible, he drew - it out from its hiding-place, and crept back to the candle. I suppose we - can hardly imagine what the finding of this old friend meant to Flutters. - There was his own name on the fly-leaf, in his mother's writing, together - with the date of his birth. Here was the proof, if he ever cared to use - it, that he had once known a mother's love, and that was a deal more than - some of the world's waifs could lay claim to, and besides, he loved the - book for its own sake, for the beautiful words and thoughts that were in - it. And to think Bobbin had kept it safe for him all these weeks; Flutters - began to think that perhaps the Lord had sent him to Bobbin after all. And - so he fell to wondering, as many an older head full often wonders, as to - how much mere chance has to do with the happenings of this world, and how - much the careful guiding of a Heavenly Father; but that the Father above - has a great deal to do therewith is no longer a question in the minds of - many of us. - </p> - <p> - Meantime it was growing very late, for the clock on the town-hall was on - the verge of striking twelve, and the moon was high over head. But Bobbin - still slept on, and Flutters dared not leave him. What would Mrs. Boniface - think, and how disappointed she would be to find that he was not to be - trusted; but there was his promise to Bobbin, and he could not go, so he - did the next best thing, he lay down by his side under the protection of - the friendly straw and himself fell asleep, while the red-hot embers in - the fireplace glowed and crackled as though anxious to make the place as - comfortable as possible. - </p> - <p> - Bobbin did not die that night; he woke with the first ray of sunlight that - reached the hovel, but he found his faithful little watcher awake before - him. Flutters thought he looked surprised, and perhaps a little - disappointed, to find his eyes opening again in this world; at any rate he - sighed a little wearily as he seemed slowly to realize where he was, then - he looked up to Flutters's face and said, with a grateful smile, “I knew - you would keep your promise. I knew you would not leave me.” - </p> - <p> - “But you will let me go <i>now</i>, Bobbin, won't you?” said Flutters, - with a world of entreaty in his voice, and wondering what he would do if - Bobbin still proved obdurate; “you see I haven't lived so very long with - the Bonifaces, and they'll think I've run away, and be sorry they ever - trusted me. I'll make up the fire before I go, and I'll be back soon and - bring you something to eat and something perhaps to make you more - comfortable.” - </p> - <p> - “Yes,” said the old man, after what seemed to Flutters a long pause, “I'll - let you go, but not for long, mind that, Flutters; 'cause now that I can't - do a thing for myself, I believe the Lord says, 'Flutters, you're to take - care of old Bobbin till the time comes for me to take him away and care - for him myself.'” - </p> - <p> - “I believe so, too,” answered Flutters, pushing the thin, gray hair back - from the old man's forehead, and trying to make him look a little less - unkempt and neglected, “and never you fear but I'll do it, Bobbin.” - </p> - <p> - Then in a moment Flutters was gone, fairly flying home along the road, and - when he reached the house not stopping so much as to say good-morning to - old Dinah, who was opening the kitchen windows, and started back as though - she had seen a ghost; but straight past her, and straight up to Captain - Boniface's room. Mrs. Boniface slept on a little cot in the corner of the - room nearest the door, and Flutters thought, and, as it proved, thought - rightly, that he could give a gentle knock, and waken her without - disturbing the Captain. - </p> - <p> - “Who is there?” asked a sweet, low voice, a voice whose every intonation - Flutters had grown to love. - </p> - <p> - “It's only me—Flutters,” came the ungrammatical whisper, “but I - wanted you to know that I'm home all right. Nothing happened to me, but I - came across an old friend of mine, and I had to stop and take care of - him.” - </p> - <p> - “Wait a moment, dear,” Mrs. Boniface answered, not caring in the least - that it was by no means customary to address little mulatto servant-boys - in that familiar fashion. Like dear old Janet, in McDonald's beautiful - story, Mrs. Boniface was “one of <i>God's</i> mothers,” with a mother-love - broad enough and deep enough to shelter every little creature who, like - Flutters, needed and longed for the protection of a brooding wing. - </p> - <p> - Flutters sat down on the wood-box in the hall and waited, and in a moment - Mrs. Boniface in her soft, blue wrapper, was seated beside him and he was - outpouring with breathless eagerness the night's experiences, winding up, - when all was told, with, “and I promised to go back as soon as ever I - could.” - </p> - <p> - And Flutters did go back as soon as he could, and Josephine and Hazel went - with him; and food and clothing, and blankets and towels went too, and a - dozen other things, such as any one would know would add greatly to the - comfort of a sick old man who had lain down, as he thought, to die, in an - empty and wretched dwelling. Later in the day, when some of the nearer - neighbors had heard Bobbin's sad story, they were anxious, too, to do - something for him, and before nightfall you would hardly have known the - poor little shanty. One of them had sent a cot, and Bobbin had been lifted - on to it; another, two or three chairs, one of which was a comfortable old - rocker, and a third a table and some necessary cooking utensils. Indeed, - Bobbin's story, as he narrated it to the little group gathered around him - that morning after Flutters had found him, was sad enough to touch - anybody's heart. - </p> - <p> - “I kept on with the troupe,” he told them, “till we got almost to Albany, - but I was getting weaker almost every day, and I missed Flutters - dreadfully. I never knew till the boy was gone how much hard work he had - saved me in one way and another. So at last, and just as I knowed it would - be, the manager came to me one day and said, 'We ain't got no use for you - any more, Bobbin. Ye can stay behind when we move on to-night.' An' I just - looked him the eye an' said: 'All right, sir; but I'm wondering if you'll - not be left behind when the Lord's own troupe moves on to the many - mansions.' I knowed I ought not to have spoke like that, but there isn't a - harder heart in the world than his, and that's the truth.” - </p> - <p> - “And what did you do then, Bobbin?” Josephine asked, as she sat beside him - with tears of indignation standing in her eyes. - </p> - <p> - “Why, right away I began to make my way back to Flutters; somehow I knew I - should find him, only when I crawled into this hut last night after three - weeks of being on the road, I thought it might not happen in this world.” - </p> - <p> - And so it came about that Bobbin was made perfectly comfortable in the old - shanty, for in those days there were no well-ordered Homes and Hospitals, - for sick and homeless people, and Flutters, greatly to his heart's - delight, was established as attendant-in-chief to his old friend. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XXII—GOOD-BYE SIR GUY - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0050" id="linkimage-0050"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9189.jpg" alt="9189 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9189.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - LEAR and cool dawned the twenty-fifth of November, and, joy to the heart - of every Whig, before nightfall not a member of the King's army would be - left on American soil. Never, I ween, had the break of any day in New York - found so large a number of its inhabitants awake to greet it. Too excited - to sleep, with the thought of going home, were scores of English soldiers, - and too excited to sleep, at the thought that they were soon to be rid of - them, was well-nigh every loyal Whig throughout the length and breadth of - the city. So, at a remarkably early hour there was an unwonted stir - everywhere, and it seemed as though the very horses and cattle in their - stalls must have divined that something remarkable was in the wind. But - this great day of consummation had not arrived without weeks and months of - active preparation. - </p> - <p> - Affairs in New York had been sadly mismanaged, and the arrival of Sir Guy - Carleton, in the spring of 1782, had proved a precious boon, alike to Whig - and Tory, and during the seventeen months intervening between his arrival - and the evacuation, of the city, on this same twenty-fifth day of - November, 1783, Sir Guy had had his hands full. One of the heaviest labors - he had had to perform was the transporting of twelve thousand Loyalists - from all parts of the colonies, to Nova Scotia, the Bahamas and Great - Britain, for New York was not the only place where the offending Tories - were made to feel, and very pointedly, too, that their room was considered - vastly better than their company. - </p> - <p> - But finally all was ready, the “Royal Order” to evacuate had arrived some - two months before, and as soon as possible Sir Guy had named the day for - departure. Now at last the day itself had come, and there was scarce a - man, woman or child who had not planned to enter in some way into its - festivities. But up at the Boniface's there was a strong conflict of - feeling in one little Tory breast. Hazel was naturally in a “perfect - state,” as girls say nowadays. It was most improper that she, an indignant - little Loyalist, should be a witness to all that day's jubilation, and <i>yet</i> - Starlight and Flutters and the Marberrys were going over to Bowery Lane to - see the American troops march in from Harlem, and then into the city to - see the English troops embark from Fort George, and were going to make a - fine long day of it, and, after all, what good would it do anybody if she - stayed at home? So it happened that Hazel's love of military bands and - streamers and all sorts of public demonstration got the better even of her - Tory principles, and after much urging on the part of the Marberrys (which - she had felt from the first could be relied upon), she yielded, and Mrs. - Boniface prepared a luncheon for <i>five</i>, instead of “just for four,” - as Hazel had that morning directed. But none of the little party setting - forth looked forward to the day's pleasure with quite so keen a relish as - Flutters. He still remained quite neutral, not finding it easy, owing to - his peculiar circumstances, to side either with Whig or Tory. So it did - not matter much to him who were going or who were coming, the one dominant - thought in his boyish heart simply being, that he was off for a day's fun, - of which he had not had a great deal lately. For the last week he had been - in constant attendance on old Bobbin, and before that there had been such - very sad hearts in the Boniface household, owing to the Captain's illness. - But for to-day Josephine had volunteered to care for Bobbin, and Bobbin - himself had consented to spare Flutters, and so, free in every sense to - give himself up to whatever enjoyment offered, Flutters was ready for “a - lark.” And in just this very sort of thing, you boys and girls, who are - like Flutters, set us older boys and girls an example, for boys and girls - we are, all of us, in a way, so long as we keep a vestige of naturalness - about us. Real sorrows may weigh down a child's spirit, and real trials - beset him, but, give him the chance, even for an hour, to forget the - sorrow and the trial, and he forgets it; and when God puts just such - opportunities into all our lives, is it not for this very purpose of - helping us to forget for a while? - </p> - <p> - Mrs. Boniface watched the five little friends file down the pathway, - Flutters bringing up the rear with the capacious lunch-basket, and was - thankful that there were pleasures, even in such unfavorable times, which - children might enter into; and then, perhaps with thoughts akin to those - we have been writing, about forgetting trouble, she turned with a bright - smile to the Captain, and proposed that they should try and have a happy - day too, unmindful of what was going on down in the city, and thankful for - the serenity of their home, still left unmolested. And so Dinah was - directed to prepare a favorite dish of the Captain's, and the Captain's - favorite books were brought out, and Mrs. Boniface, resolutely putting - aside every household claim, read aloud for two hours at a sitting, and - then little Kate came in for a romp and had it, and at one o'clock Dinah - brought in luncheon for all three on a great japanned tray, and they had a - very cosey time eating it together. Who would have thought, to have looked - in upon them, that Evacuation Day was, in point of fact, a very sorry day - for the Boniface's? - </p> - <p> - Meantime the children gained the Bowery Road, mounted a rail fence in a - row, like a flock of sparrows, and, with full as much chatter, waited for - the coming of the troops. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0051" id="linkimage-0051"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0192.jpg" alt="0192 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0192.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - It seemed strange enough to everybody to think that the entire British - Army, which had been scattered broadcast throughout the vicinity for so - many years, was now congregated down in the city, and that before many - hours there would not be a trace of it left. Hazel had certain - apprehensions that it was going to seem very lonely without them, and when - a small detachment of English soldiers marched past (the last of a company - that had been quartered at Kings Bridge) and cheerily called out, - “Good-bye, Whiggies,” to the children, as they sat on the fence, her heart - entirely misgave her. Was it really loyal for her to be abroad on a day of - such rejoicing, and how insulting to be called a “Whiggie,” when she was - every whit as strong a Tory as the soldiers themselves. But just then the - inspiring strains of an approaching band reached her, and the misgivings - took to themselves wings. Nearer and nearer came the music, and soon - Starlight recognized General Knox in command of two companies of American - soldiers. They were marching into the city in compliance with a request of - Sir Guy Carleton's, so as to be on hand in case of any disorder among the - Whigs while the English were embarking. Now as soon as these American - troops should have gotten out of the way, the Marberrys had planned a - little surprise for the rest of the party, which they knew would prove a - great addition to the day's pleasure. So, just as the children had begun - to scramble down from the fence, with the intention of getting into the - city as best they could, up drove old Jake, the Marberrys' coachman, with - a farm wagon piled high with straw. “Whoa! whoa, da!” called Jake to the - Rector's old black horse, and then, bowing and smiling, he said, - importantly, “At your sarvice for Evacuation Day, chilluns.” - </p> - <p> - Of course Hazel and Starlight and Flutters were delighted at this - undreamed-of luxury, of being driven about all day, from one point of - interest to another, and before they climbed into the wagon Hazel gave - vent to her appreciation by giving both Milly and Tilly such a hug as sent - the color flushing gratefully into the cheeks of those amiable little - sisters. - </p> - <p> - For once in his life old Jake was in a thoroughly good humor, but it is - extremely doubtful if anything short of all the pleasurable sensations of - Evacuation Day could have brought about that delightful state of affairs. - As for the children they were quite ready to do anything in the world for - Jake, out of sheer gratitude for his kindly mood, a state of affairs, by - the way, which should have made that old party feel very much ashamed of - himself. To think that it should be such an unusual thing for a man to be - kind, as to make even children open their eyes for wonder. - </p> - <p> - It is impossible fully to describe all the varied enjoyment that that day - held for the little party, although from the nature of things it was - hardly to be expected that Hazel was able to get as much pleasure out of - it as the others. Down into the city they went in the wake of General - Knox's men, who came to a halt at the Collect, and then passing them, Jake - took his stand at a point near Fort George, from which the children could - watch the English soldiers file down into the barges and push off for the - vessels lying at anchor in the Bay. - </p> - <p> - “There comes Company F,” Starlight at last exclaimed, and in a moment the - children tumbled out of the wagon, much to old Jake's astonishment, and in - another moment were crowding round Sergeant Bellows, as he stood waiting - his turn to step into the boat. - </p> - <p> - The Sergeant had been up to the Boniface's for a more formal leave-taking - the day before, but the children had promised to be on hand at the moment - of departure, if they could in any wise manage it, and the Sergeant's face - showed his delight, when he spied them come bounding toward him. - </p> - <p> - There were tears in Hazel's eyes as the boat veered off from the dock, and - tears in the Marberrys' eyes out of sympathy for Hazel, but of course the - boys pretended they saw nothing whatever to feel sorry about. In the - excitement, however, Flutters called out in a very significant tone, - “Don't you forget, Sergeant,” and the Sergeant replied in rather a husky - voice, “Never you fear, my boy!” - </p> - <p> - “Forget what?” questioned Hazel, feeling somehow that a little - body-servant ought scarcely to have any private matters on hand. And then - Flutters, realizing how foolish he had been to make public his affairs in - that fashion, felt constrained to answer, “Oh, nothing,” to Hazel's - question, which disrespect on his part offended the dignity of his little - mistress, and caused her to treat him with much coolness for the space of - the next two minutes, at the end of which, however, she resumed her wonted - manner, having forgotten by that time any reason for acting otherwise. - </p> - <p> - Company F had come about mid-way in the order of embarking, and as it - neared one o'clock, the extreme rear guard began to file into the barges, - while the American troops moved silently forward and took possession of - the Fort, and then it was that General Knox, with a chosen few, galloped - back to meet and escort General Washington and Governor Clinton into the - city. For old Jake's party this in-between time seemed to offer the most - favorable opportunity for luncheon, and with appetites keenly whetted by - their long morning in the open air, the children “fell to,” and as soon as - Jake had tied a bag of oats over black Jennie's head, he took his seat at - the back of the wagon, and was himself regaled with a much larger portion - of the Boniface luncheon than he in any wise deserved. If a body chances - to be very hungry, and at the same time so fortunate as to have the - wherewithal to satisfy that hunger, it is astonishing how absorbing the - process of eating may become, and so I doubt if, for a while, the thoughts - of the little company in the Rector's wagon, rose above the level of the - biscuits they were enjoying or were otherwise occupied than with the great - acceptableness of cookies, apple jelly, and some other inviting edibles; - and yet, only think! this was the 25th of November, 1783. Out there beyond - them on the broad sunshine of the Bay, the last of the English Army were - turning their backs upon America, and above them toward Harlem, a large - company of loyal Americans were joyfully forming into rank and file to - take public possession of the city so dearly loved, and that had been for - years under English rule. Yes, American history was making very fast - during that eventful November noontide, and yet so imperative are the - demands of poor human nature, that even such a thorough-going little Whig - as Starlight became for the time being so deeply absorbed in bread and - cheese as to grow unmindful of exultant Whigs and departing Tories. - </p> - <p> - But after the luncheon was all disposed of, save a few crumbs thrown over - the wagon side to a stray dog, who had long been beseechingly eying the - children, their minds at once reverted to matters of general importance, - and it was decided to drive back to some point on Broadway from which they - could watch the procession, and Jennie was urged into a clumsy canter by - way of making up for lost time. As it was they had some difficulty in - gaining even a fair position on the line of march, and secured that none - too soon, for the sound of music in the distance was growing more and more - distinct, and in another second the head of the procession came into view. - And what a procession it proved! although there was no show of military - pomp or glory. That was quite impossible, since the greater part of the - American Army had already been disbanded, and those that were left to - participate in the day's jubilation owned nothing better than shabby - uniforms which had seen hard service, and in many cases even these poor - remnants had need to be supplemented with coats or trousers of most - unmilitary aspect. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0052" id="linkimage-0052"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0196.jpg" alt="0196 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0196.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - But, notwithstanding all this, it was a grand procession. General - Washington and Governor Clinton on horseback, followed by their suites, - were at its head; then came the Lieutenant Governor and the members of the - Legislature; following them, the officers of the army, and a large body of - prominent citizens, and lastly the military, whose very shabbiness, - because of its significance, served but to add to the interest they - excited. - </p> - <p> - The sun was setting behind the New Jersey hills before the procession was - truly over, and then, as there was nothing more to be seen, and they were - thoroughly weary besides, the children assented to Jake's proposition to - turn Jennie's head homeward. When they neared the vicinity of old Bobbin's - shanty, Flutters crept to the back of the wagon prepared to drop at the - right moment. - </p> - <p> - “Where's Flutters going?” asked the Marberrys. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, he has to take care of old Bobbin, now,” Hazel explained with a sigh; - “but you 'can't imagine how inconvenient it is for me,” for her ladyship - had taken very kindly to this having a willing little servant at her beck - and call. Rather too kindly, Mrs. Boniface thought, and she was not sorry - to have Flutters's time so fully-occupied as to leave none of it at - Hazel's disposal. Soon after Flutters's departure the little party relaxed - into silence, talked out and tired out, and as Jake showed some signs, now - that the excitement of the day was over, of resuming his wonted surliness, - Starlight and Hazel were not the least sorry when old Jennie, in the - perfect stillness of the early November twilight, came to a standstill at - the Boniface gate. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XXIII—FLUTTERS LOSES ONE OF THE OLD FRIENDS - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0053" id="linkimage-0053"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9198.jpg" alt="9198 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9198.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - OSEPPIINE had stood in the doorway of the little cottage half a dozen - times within the last hour peering anxiously down the road in search of - Flutters, and now that she discovered him coming cross-cut through the - meadow near which he had left the wagon, no one could have told how - relieved she felt. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, Flutters, I'm so glad you've come!” she called softly, as soon as he - came within speaking distance, and then immediately turned back into the - room. Flutters followed her on tip-toe, for she had motioned him to come - in quietly. “What is the matter?” he asked, going close to Bobbin's cot. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, I don t know,” Josephine whispered, with tears of anxious sympathy - filling her gray eyes; “we had had a lovely talk together, and then he - asked me to read out of a book, your Prayer-Book, he said it was, and so I - read ever so many psalms from the Psalter, till suddenly looking up I saw - that he was in great pain, and when I spoke to him he seemed neither to - see nor hear me. In a little while the pain passed over, and ever since he - has lain there so still that I have had to put my ear down very close to - make sure that he was breathing.” - </p> - <p> - “Dear old Bobbin,” said Flutters, stroking the thin gray hair. The - well-known voice, or perhaps the gentle touch, seemed to rouse him, for he - slowly opened his eyes and seeing Flutters, smiled. - </p> - <p> - “You'll not try to keep me this time,” he said slowly, looking up at - Flutters beseechingly, but in a voice too low and weak for even Josephine - to hear. - </p> - <p> - “He said not to try to keep him this time,” Flutters explained, “but don't - you think I ought to go right away for a doctor?” - </p> - <p> - Bobbin moved his head entreatingly from side to side, so Josephine said: - “Well, perhaps not yet, Flutters, he seems so much more comfortable now,” - whereupon Bobbin looked the thanks he felt. After a while, when he had - once again mustered strength, he said: “Flutters, the little book.” - </p> - <p> - Flutters, knowing well enough what he meant, took the Prayer-Book which - had been soon restored to Bobbin after that night when he had first - joyfully discovered it, and turning to the selections for the twenty-fifth - day of the month began to read. Josephine drew a chair to the fireplace - and sat listening, with her hands folded in her lap, while Bobbin never - took his eyes from Flutters's face, as he sat close beside him so that he - might hear distinctly. - </p> - <p> - The little hut looked very cheery and cosey, converted as it had been into - such a comfortable shelter, more comfortable indeed than Bobbin had ever - known, and at a time, too, when a warm room and a quiet one meant more to - him than it could have meant at anytime in all his life before. But the - light in the room was momentarily growing more and more dim, and Flutters - had to hold the book high in his hand toward the little window in order to - see at all. Gradually Bobbin's tired eyes closed, and the last words that - fell on his ears were these: “My soul has longed for Thy salvation and I - have a good hope because of Thy Word. Mine eyes long sore for Thy Word, - saying, Oh, when wilt Thou comfort me?” Flutters finished the selection - and looked up. “Miss Josephine!” was all he found words to say, but both - of them knew in a moment that in very truth “Evacuation Day” had come for - Bobbin too, evacuation from all the sorrows of a long, hard life. - </p> - <p> - “I am not sorry,” said Josephine, looking down on the calm face from which - all the care seemed at once to have vanished. - </p> - <p> - “Nor I,” said Flutters, “but he was such a good friend to me when no one - else cared,” and then, unable to keep the tears back, he laid his arm on - Bobbin's bed, and burying his face upon it, cried bitterly. - </p> - <p> - There was something sacred about this deep sense of personal loss that was - finding vent in Flutters's hot tears, and for a while Josephine hesitated - to intrude upon it. She moved quietly about the room setting its few - little articles to rights, and then when there was nothing else to be - done, and Flutters had gotten himself somewhat in hand, she sat down by - his side. - </p> - <p> - “What do you know about Bobbin's history, Flutters?” she asked. - </p> - <p> - “Not much,” trying to master the emotion that made it difficult to speak; - “he never liked to talk about himself, but he told me once he had always - been sort of alone ever since he could remember, and that he hadn't a - relative in the world.” - </p> - <p> - Two days afterward, Bobbin was laid away in a corner of the little - cemetery surrounding St. George's Church, Mr. Marberry having gained the - consent of the Vestry to have him buried there. Mr. Marberry read the - service from Flutters's own Prayer-Book, and about the grave of the old - man whose life had been so lonely, gathered at the last a little company - of loving friends. It seemed to Flutters as if, with Bobbin's death, the - chapter of his life that had to do with the wretched circus had been - forever closed, but, oh, how thankful he was to have been able to make so - calm and peaceful the last days of the only friend it had ever given him. - Once again the road-side cottage was dismantled of everything that made it - homelike, and as the bleak wintry winds whistled round and through it, who - would have thought that such a little while ago an old man had been - comfortably housed there, and that it was only now left tenantless, - because its occupant no longer had need of any earthly shelter. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XXIV—TWO IMPORTANT LETTERS - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0054" id="linkimage-0054"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9201.jpg" alt="9201 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9201.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - VACUATION DAY, with all its excitement, was soon followed by that day well - nigh as eventful, when on the Fourth of December General Washington took - final leave of his officers “in the great historic room” at Fraunces - Tavern, a leavetaking that proved a very touching and trying ordeal both - for him and for them. Starlight and Flutters, who had contrived to be in - the forefront of the crowd that looked on, could have told you how plainly - strong emotion was betrayed on the brave General's face, as he passed out - from the tavern, and down to the barge that was waiting to convey him to - Paulus Hook on his way to Congress. - </p> - <p> - But after that day, affairs settled down into much quieter channels than - they had known for some time—that is, at any rate as far as the - people with whom we have most to do are concerned. The Van Vleets had - asked Aunt Frances to make her home with them indefinitely, and though - still faintly cherishing the hope that she might have her own home back - again some day, she had accepted their invitation, and opened a little - school among the farmers' children in the neighborhood. Starlight was one - of her most promising pupils, and so his visits to Kings Bridge were of - necessity less frequent than they used to be. In that matter, Cousin Harry - had a great advantage over him, for having moved to New York in order to - be near his office, what more natural, and, as Harry would have said, - “what more delightful,” than to spend all his evenings at the Bonifaces? - And what a blessing those visits were to them, only they themselves could - have told you. As soon as he arrived he would first go upstairs and have a - talk with the Captain, ransacking his mind for everything that could by - any possibility interest him; then when he had told the little or much - that he had to tell, or saw that he was tiring him, down he would go to - the sitting-room, have a romp with Bonny Kate, if she had managed to stay - up past her bed-time, or possibly a game of some sort with Hazel and - Flutters, but it generally happened that after a while there was no one - left to talk to save Josephine, and of course you know better than to - think that Harry minded that. Josephine had generally some bit of work in - hand, and could not afford to simply laugh and chat the evening away, with - her pretty hands lying idle in her lap, as perhaps is the case with your - older sister, when some friend comes to call. No, indeed! it was necessary - in those days for her to stitch, and stitch industriously in every - available moment, if the Boniface needs were to be in any wise met; nor - did these two young people laugh and chat very much either—the times - were rather too serious for that; not that they did not have a happy time - of it, and sometimes were actually merry, but, as a rule, they seemed to - have something of importance to quietly talk over. - </p> - <p> - Meantime the winter came and went, and spring began to be felt in the air, - and an occasional early bird note, or a bunch of pussy willow by the - road-side, bore witness to the fact that it was slowly but surely coming. - </p> - <p> - It had seemed a long, long winter to Mrs. Boniface. For many weeks she had - lived the most retired life possible. Few had come to see her, and there - were but one or two friends left whom she cared to go and see. If it had - not been for Harry Avery, they would scarce have had any communication - with the outside world. - </p> - <p> - There had been no further threats made against Captain Boniface. Even the - most bitter of his enemies would hardly have found it in his heart to - persecute a man who was so hopelessly paralyzed as never to be able to - walk again; but there was something very significant in the fact that they - simply left him alone. None of them in a relenting spirit had called to - inquire how he was, and if any of the old friends, who had treated him so - cruelly that night at the Assembly, ever felt ashamed of their behavior, - they never had the grace to own it. Indeed, it is terrible to think how - that great mastering passion, which we proudly call patriotism, sometimes - seems to smother every noble and natural impulse. - </p> - <p> - Soon after the Assembly, in fact that very night, Captain Boniface had - told his wife of the murders in South Carolina, and it seemed to her then - as though every spark of sympathy with the colonies and colonial interests - had that moment died within her. She was by far too noble to let actual - hatred take its place; but she longed with all her heart for old England, - where she had been born, and to turn her back on this new country which - had treated her so harshly. So Mrs. Boniface waited, with no little - anxiety, for the arrival of the long-looked-for letter, cherishing the - fervent hope that her father would send for them all to come to him, - planning thoughtfully all the details of their journey, and yet never once - daring to put her hope into words. It might happen that, although willing - enough to help them, he would not propose to do it by having her little - family sweep down upon him and rob the old rectory of the quiet it had - known so long, and which must be very grateful to him in his old age. But - at last the letter came, and Mrs. Boniface straightway carried it off to - Flutters's room, and closed the door and locked it. Her hands trembled as - she broke the seal. What were they to do? that was the question that had - anxiously confronted her for several long, weary months; but always she - had simply to postpone any attempt to answer it, waiting for this letter; - and now it was in her hand what would it tell her? - </p> - <p> - It proved to be a long, long letter, and she read it slowly through, word - by word; then she buried her face in her hands and cried; but sometimes - people cry for joy and not for sorrow. - </p> - <p> - Late in the afternoon of the same day, Flutters was grooming - </p> - <p> - Gladys in the barn, accompanying the process with a queer, buzzing noise, - such as I believe is quite common to grooming the world over. - </p> - <p> - “Flutters, where are you?” called Hazel, coming into the barn in search of - him. - </p> - <p> - “Here with Gladys, Miss Hazel.” - </p> - <p> - “What do you think, Flutters?” and then Hazel climbed up and seated - herself on the edge of Gladys's trough, before adding: - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0055" id="linkimage-0055"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0205.jpg" alt="0205 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0205.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - “We are going to England to live with grandpa. Mother says he's just the - dearest old man, and he's sent for us all to come. He lives in a lovely - rectory in Cheshire.” - </p> - <p> - “You don't mean it, Miss Hazel!” said Flutters, his breath quite taken - away. - </p> - <p> - “And of course you will go with me, Flutters. Mother says you may.” - </p> - <p> - “It's very kind of you to be willing to take me,” Flutters managed to - reply, but at the same time realized that he would do almost anything - rather than go back to England, and to the very same county, too, from - which he had come; and he leaned down, apparently to brush some straw from - one of Gladys's legs, but really to hide the tears of bitter - disappointment that had sprung unbidden into his eyes. Fortunately, the - ruse succeeded very well, Hazel never dreaming but what he was as - delighted with the news as she herself. - </p> - <p> - “I can't tell you how glad I am to go, Flutters, although mother says we - probably never should have gone, if it had not been for father's illness. - Things are getting so much quieter now that she thinks people would have - let us alone, and father could, perhaps, have found some way to make a - living, because, you see, we haven't much money left since the war; but - you knew that, Flutters?” - </p> - <p> - Flutters sort of half nodded yes, seeing that something was expected of - him, but he was not paying close attention to what Hazel was saying. How - could he bear to have them go and leave him alone in America, and whatever - should he do? were the thoughts that were filling his mind. It seemed as - though every hair on Gladys's back was bristling with the same sad - questions, and then the thought came to him that Gladys herself would - probably be left behind, too, and he laid his hand affectionately on her - prettily arched neck. - </p> - <p> - “I shall be glad to live in a King's country,” Hazel resumed, after a - little pause, “and not where everybody's as good as everybody else, and - where they don't have princes and princesses, and lovely palaces for them - to live in. But there's one thing I mean to do as soon as ever I reach - there, and that is, to get presented at Court, and tell King George how - the prisoners were treated on the 'Jersey,' He ought to know about it, and - when he does, I just guess those men will get the punishment they - deserve;” and her cheeks glowed with excitement at the thought of the - forthcoming interview. “Flutters, do you know anything about the South of - England—about Cheshire?” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, something,” answered Flutters, getting a little better command of - himself. “In what part of it does your grandfather live?” - </p> - <p> - “Feltstone, I think.” - </p> - <p> - Flutters gave a sigh of relief. Feltstone was several miles from Burnham, - his old home, but it wasn't worth while to think of that; for back to - England he would not go. To be sure, there was a chance that if Sergeant - Bellows had found his father that he might be sent for; but he could not - bear to face that alternative, and would not till he had to. And then, - wondering if he ever would hear from the Sergeant, he remembered that he - had half-hoped and half-feared that the “Blue Bird,” which had brought - Mrs. Boniface's letter, would also bring one for him. - </p> - <p> - As was to be expected, Hazel chatted on with much volubility about the - numerous arrangements for the coming journey, and how they would all have - to try to make everything as comfortable as possible for her father. Now - and then she felt conscious of a lack of enthusiasm on Flutters's part, - but the thought was only momentary, and her active little mind at once - travelled off in some new line of delightful anticipation. All Flutters - had to do was occasionally to answer a question. He thought best not to - say anything to Hazel about not going with them until he should have - talked with Mrs. Boniface. Meantime Gladys's grooming was completed, and - as her pretty mane had been plaited by Hazel, as she talked, into half a - dozen tight braids, she looked quite as prim and trig as a little old maid - on a Sunday. - </p> - <p> - “Let's go up to the house, now,” said Hazel; “or, no, I'll tell you, let's - go up to the Marberrys and tell them.” - </p> - <p> - “I can't go, Miss Hazel; your mother said she had something for me to do - in the house.” Whereupon Hazel pouted a little, thinking it more fitting, - no doubt, that body-servants should obey their mistresses rather than - their mistresses' mothers, but at the same time seeing that it was useless - for her to contend against the force of circumstances, which in those days - of much to do and few to do it, made Flutters a most useful member of the - household. - </p> - <p> - “There are the Marberrys, now,” she cried, discovering them coming in at - the gate in their usual two-abreast fashion. - </p> - <p> - “Flutters,” cried Milly, as they both broke into a little run, “here's a - letter for you; it came up with our mail by mistake.” Flutters reached for - it eagerly. > - </p> - <p> - “It's directed just 'Flutters,' care of Captain Boniface,” ventured Tilly; - “that's queer, isn't it? Haven't you any other name, Flutters?” - </p> - <p> - “Not now,” was Flutters's rather remarkable answer, and then he ran back - to the barn as if he had forgotten something important, but really, - because, like Mrs. Boniface, he did not want to have any one “round” when - he read his letter. He chose, too, to take his seat just where Hazel had - been sitting, before he opened it. Gladys looked on with wide-eyed pony - astonishment at this unwonted appropriation of her own individual stall, - but seemed, notwithstanding, to regard the matter good-naturedly. - </p> - <p> - If it were feasible to have schools for ponies, and Gladys had had the - benefit thereof, and at the same time no better manners than to have - looked over Flutters's shoulder, this is what she might have read “just as - easy as anything,” as you children say: - </p> - <p> - The Bunch of Grapes, - </p> - <p> - Burnham, Cheshire, England, - </p> - <p> - February 23d, 1784. - </p> - <p> - My dear Flutters: As perceived by the heading of this letter, I write from - the inn in your father's village, to which place I made haste to journey - so soon as I was favored with my furlough. And now, my dear Flutters, I - have sad news to break to you, and for which you must nerve yourself, like - the plucky little fellow that you are. Your good father is no longer a - sojourner in this sad world of ours. He died after a very short illness, - on the third of last September. I went to see his widow, told her I had - some knowledge of you, and that if your father had left any message I - would send it to you. She said she could not remember any, save that he - used sometimes to say that he would like to know if you were well cared - for. She does not seem to have as much heart as most women, and blest if I - blame you much for running off as you did. I think your father left very - little money, as folks say that your stepmother will have to do something - to support herself and her children. Wishing I had better news to send - you, Flutters, and with my dutiful respects to the dear Bonifaces, I close - this letter—the longest I ever wrote in my life—and I hope - never again to be obliged to write such another. - </p> - <p> - Yours dutifully, - </p> - <p> - R. A. Bellows. - </p> - <p> - “Oh, Gladys,” cried Flutters, when he had finished reading, and, leaning - his head against the pony's head, he sobbed aloud. Such a whirl of emotion - as that letter awoke for Flutters could not be put into words, and in his - imagination he seemed to see his fathers grave and old Bobbin's side by - side. The Bonifaces were all he had left now, and they, they were going to - leave him; but, no, and a new light seemed to flash in on his mind—what - was there now to hinder his going with them? His stepmother would never - claim him. Indeed, she need never know he was in England, and so there was - a bright side to Flutters's sorrow, and after a while he walked quietly - out from the barn with the Sergeant's letter in his hand, and straight to - Mrs. Boniface, whom he found in the Captain's room, and then and there he - told them all his story, and after the telling felt he was even nearer and - dearer to his new friends than ever he had been before. - </p> - <p> - Only Gladys ever knew how intense had been Flutters's first sorrow on - reading the Sergeant's letter, but she was such a harum-scarum pony that - probably the memory of it went out of her head full as quickly as the - hairs, wet by Flutters's tears, dried on her forehead. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XXV.—A HAPPY DAY FOR AUNT FRANCES. - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0056" id="linkimage-0056"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9209.jpg" alt="9209 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9209.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - OOD news or sorrowful news does not always come to one in the form of a - carefully worded letter, as with Mrs. Boniface and Flutters, nor when, - because a letter of some sort is expected, one is in a way prepared for - it. More often it comes when you are least on the lookout for it, and when - life is running on uneventfully in worn grooves, as though it must so run - on forever. - </p> - <p> - And in this same unanticipated fashion some very good news came to Aunt - Frances. - </p> - <p> - It was just at sunset, and she was out on the river in a little boat with - Starlight. It had been one of those days that sometimes come in the latter - part of May as harbingers of summer. The school-room had been close and - warm, and Aunt Frances had left it with a headache, so that Starlight, - with a loving thoughtfulness that always went straight to her heart, had - proposed a row in the cool, early-evening air of the river, and Aunt - Frances had accepted. - </p> - <p> - “Do not row hard, dear,” she said; “just paddle around leisurely not far - from the shore. I like it just as well;” and Starlight, who also felt a - little enervated by the languid day, was glad to take her at her word. - Indeed, none of the people of this little story were feeling very bright - and cheery just then. 'Rather heavy-hearted,' would have described them - all in greater or less degree, and the fact that the Bonifaces were going - away had much to do therewith. Even Hazel's rosy anticipations of life - under Old England's glorious monarchy, paled a little, as she realized - that such dear friends as Aunt Frances, Starlight, and the Marberrys must - be left behind, as well as everything else familiar to her childhood. It - had been decided that the Bonifaces should sail in the “Blue Bird,” when - she returned to England in the middle of June, and the sight of her, as - she lay at anchor in the harbor, was such a depressing one to Starlight, - that he contrived, as they rowed about on the river, to keep his back - turned toward her as much as possible. - </p> - <p> - “Then it is really settled, Starlight, that the Bonifaces are going?” said - Aunt Frances, looking over toward the ship, and breaking a long pause, - during which they had both sat thoughtfully silent. - </p> - <p> - “Yes,” Starlight answered resting on his oars. “I feel awfully sorry for - them.” - </p> - <p> - “But they are not sorry for themselves, are they?” and Aunt Frances - drawing up her sleeve put her hand over the boat's side that the cool - water might splash against it. “I imagined that Mrs. Boniface was glad to - go back to England and to her father, whom she has not seen since she was - married, twenty-five years ago.” - </p> - <p> - “Oh, yes, of course, she is glad on some accounts, but after all they go - because they must; and, besides, it's hard to go back to the country you - came from without having made a success of things. - </p> - <p> - “But the war is entirely responsible for all the Captain's troubles—everybody - knows that well enough, and if any one deserves a pension from the Crown - he certainly does. He has sacrificed health and friends and property in - the service of the King.” - </p> - <p> - “That's so,” said Starlight, “and it's a cruel shame that people like the - Bonifaces shouldn't be treated decently, and that people like us, Aunt - Frances, shouldn't be allowed to live in the houses that belong to us.” - </p> - <p> - “Sh—, Starlight,” said Aunt Frances, “there are some things you know - that it is better not to talk about any more; it only stirs us up and to - no purpose;” whereupon Starlight obediently lapsed into silence, and - nothing more was said till Aunt Frances, discovering a row-boat in the - middle of the river, coming toward them, exclaimed, “Who's that, I - wonder!” for boats were not so numerous in those days as to come and go - without notice. Starlight wondered too, but continued to row about in an - aimless fashion, till first thing they knew the approaching boat was quite - close upon them. - </p> - <p> - “Who can it be?” said Aunt Frances, softly, and Starlight had only time to - reply, “It looks a little like Captain Wadsworth,” and Aunt Frances to see - that he was right in his conjecture, before the boat came within speaking - distance, and the Captain, touching his hat, said politely, “Miss Avery, I - believe.” - </p> - <p> - “Yes, Captain Wadsworth;” for although Aunt Frances and the Captain had - never before exchanged words, their faces were well known to each other. - “Did you wish to see me?” she added, somewhat coldly. - </p> - <p> - The Captain was too much of a gentleman to show that he noticed her - chilling manner, and remarked quite casually, “I merely came over to tell - you that I have decided after all to give up the idea of making my home in - this country, and that your home is at your disposal.” - </p> - <p> - “What do you mean?” said Aunt Frances, unable to believe that she heard - aright. As for Starlight, he lost an oar overboard from sheer excitement, - which the man who was rowing Captain Wadsworth was kind enough to fish out - for him. - </p> - <p> - “I mean,” said the Captain, “that you are free to enter your own home at - once; I propose to sail for England very soon and have already vacated - it.” - </p> - <p> - “I do not understand you,” for Aunt Frances was more confused than she had - ever been in her life. “I can pay nothing for it. If you consider that you - have a right to live in it, you must consider that you also have a right - to sell it.” - </p> - <p> - The Captain bit his lip, at a loss what to say, and Aunt Frances realized - that she was acting unkindly and perhaps rudely. - </p> - <p> - “Do you mean,” she asked, “that there is nothing for me to do but simply - to walk into my old home?” and her face brightened unconsciously as she - spoke. - </p> - <p> - “That is exactly what I mean, Miss Avery.” - </p> - <p> - “You are very kind, Captain Wadsworth. You can hardly wonder, I am sure, - that I cannot find words in which to thank you.” - </p> - <p> - “Why should you thank me?” the Colonel replied half mischievously. “You - have felt all along that the place rightfully belonged to you.” - </p> - <p> - “But you had the law on your side, so what did it matter how I thought or - felt?” - </p> - <p> - “It mattered a great deal, Miss Avery; so much that, law on my side or no, - I confess to you that I have not felt very comfortable in your home, - particularly since I moved my men out, and have had the place to myself. - Indeed, I've never really felt at home in the country, and half regret - having resigned my commission.” - </p> - <p> - “You can imagine that all this is a great surprise to me,” said Aunt - Frances, never looking handsomer in her life, “though I acknowledge having - cherished just a faint little hope lately that it might come about some - day.” - </p> - <p> - “Why lately, if I may ask, Miss Avery?”. - </p> - <p> - “Because,” said Aunt Frances, blushing a little, “Colonel Hamilton told me - at the Assembly that he was sorry to have been the means of depriving me - of my home, and that he would endeavor to make any reparation within his - power. Will you think me rude in asking if he has in any way influenced - your decision?” - </p> - <p> - “Colonel Hamilton? No, not in the least; but I believe the arguments of a - certain little woman, who came to me several months ago, have had much to - do with it.” - </p> - <p> - “I know who it was,” exclaimed Starlight, eagerly, unable to keep silent - another moment; “I believe it was Hazel Boniface.” - </p> - <p> - “And I believe you are her friend, 'Starlight,'” said the Captain, having - made up his mind to that fact much earlier in the conversation. - </p> - <p> - Starlight said “Yes, sir,” with a beaming look which plainly declared that - he was proud to have that honor. - </p> - <p> - All this while Peter, the Captain's man, had sat an interested listener, - enjoying everything with much the same relish perhaps as you or I would - enjoy the happy ending of a rather harrowing play, only this was by so - much the better, because it was real and not “make believe.” To keep the - boats from drifting apart, Peter kept a firm hand upon the rail of - Starlight's boat, and Starlight's upon his. Indeed, I think there was a - tacit understanding between them that on no account were those two boats - to be allowed to diverge a hair's-breadth until this whole delightful - matter should be unalterably settled. - </p> - <p> - Of course Starlight's remark about Hazel had been another surprise to Aunt - Frances, and when Captain Wadsworth went on to tell her all about Hazel's - call in the warm September weather of the preceding autumn, and how deep a - hold her childish earnestness had taken upon him, it seemed to Aunt - Frances as though she could not wait to give her successful little - champion such a hug as she had never had in her life before. - </p> - <p> - “She went to see Colonel Hamilton too,” said Starlight in the pause that - followed Captain Wadsworth's narration. - </p> - <p> - “Then perhaps that partly accounts for Colonel Hamilton's kind feeling,” - said Aunt Frances slowly, as a new light seemed to shine in upon the whole - transaction. - </p> - <p> - “I think it highly probable, Miss Avery. The old prophecy that a little - child shall lead them is more often fulfilled, even in this world, I - think, than most of us have any idea of.” - </p> - <p> - Meantime the current of the river had carried the boats close into shore, - and Aunt Frances, with the charm of manner that was always natural to her, - asked the Captain to come up to the house, and he came up, and accepted - the Van Vleets' cordial invitation to stay to supper, and not until the - moon was high over the river did he call to Peter to row him back to New - York; and if the Colonel's body had grown as light as his heart, old - Peter's load would have been scarce heavier than a feather. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0026" id="link2HCH0026"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XXVI—THE “BLUE BIRD” WEIGHS ANCHOR - </h2> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0057" id="linkimage-0057"> </a> - </p> - <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;"> - <img src="images/9214.jpg" alt="9214 " width="100%" /><br /><a - href="images/9214.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </div> - <p> - O, Starlight, I'm sorry, but I do not see how you can possibly be of the - least use in the world.” - </p> - <p> - Captain Lewis tried to speak kindly, but, big boy or no, real tears stood - in Starlights eyes. “Why, do you feel as badly as that, Starlight?” - </p> - <p> - Starlight gave a nod which meant that he did feel just as badly as that, - and at the same time succeeded in choking down what he feared might have - proved an audible little sob. - </p> - <p> - “Well, then, let me see,” and the Captain leaned forward on his rude desk - and thought a moment. They were in the cabin of the “Blue Bird,” whither - Starlight had rowed over that morning, with such a favor to ask of the - “Blue Bird's” Captain as he never yet had asked of anybody. - </p> - <p> - “And yet you <i>could</i> do little odds and ends for me now, couldn't - you?” continued the Captain, after what seemed to Starlight a never-ending - pause. - </p> - <p> - “Yes, sir,” he answered frankly, brushing away his tears with his sleeve - in awkward boy fashion; “I'm sure I could save you ever so many steps. You - know I wouldn't think of going unless I really felt I could work my - passage.” - </p> - <p> - “You are a proud little fellow, Job, but, then, I like your spirit, and if - you won't take the voyage as a cabin passenger at my invitation, why, - then, you shall go as you propose. Of course your Aunt has given her - consent.” - </p> - <p> - “I have not asked her yet, sir. I thought it would be half the battle to - have your permission first.” - </p> - <p> - The Captain laughed heartily over Starlight's diplomacy, and then they - talked on for a quarter of an hour longer, arranging the details of the - journey that was to be, if only Aunt Frances could be persuaded to give - her consent—a pretty big if, by the way. At the end of that time - Starlight, remembering that the Captain must have many things to attend - to, said good-afternoon, shaking his rough sailor hand with a world of - gratitude in his happy face. Then he clambered nimbly down the “Blue - Bird's” ladder, and jumping into his boat, rowed off toward New York and - toward home, for, scarcely able to believe their senses, Aunt Frances and - Starlight were back in the old house, with everything so nearly restored - to what it had been before that those two years in the Van Vleet homestead - already seemed half a dream. - </p> - <p> - And now the 15th of June had dawned, and as the “Blue Bird” was to sail - that afternoon, everything was in readiness for the departure of the - Bonifaces, and everything was in readiness for something else, too, which - was nothing more nor less than a wedding at Aunt Frances's. And who do you - suppose were going to be married? Who, to be sure, but Josephine and - Harry, and Josephine was to stay in America, and her home was to be right - there in the old house with Aunt Frances. Strange, wasn't it, that she - should be willing to stay behind, when all the family were going away - across the ocean to live in England? But that is one of the things that is - often happening in this queer world of ours, and the beauty of it is that - it is all right and beautiful, and just as the good Father Himself would - have it. And so Josephine was married at noon in Aunt Frances's parlor, - and even her father was there, for it had been arranged that the ceremony - should be performed when the Bonifaces were on their way to the “Blue - Bird,” and when it would be an easy matter simply to carry the Captain in - and lift him on to the broad lounge in the sitting-room. - </p> - <p> - There was something sad in the fact that, so strong was party feeling - everywhere, that it had been difficult to find in the neighborhood the - four men needed to accomplish the moving of Captain Boniface into the city - and then out to the ship; four men, that is, who did not feel that they - had some sort of grudge against the English officer. But Jake, the - Marberrys' man, had at last pressed into the service three others of his - race, who bore Captain Boniface no ill-will. It was touching to see with - what tender care the four strong fellows lifted their helpless burden, for - although the Captain had recovered, as Dr. Melville said he would, partial - use of his arms and hands, he was still powerless to take a single step. - </p> - <p> - Mr. Marberry naturally officiated at the wedding, and the twins, of - course, were there, smiling and sweet, though possibly a little - self-conscious, in their new white dresses, with soft silk sashes, tied in - two exactly similar bows in the middle of their straight little backs. And - the Van Vleets were there, and Miss Pauline, who looked rather mystified - at the whole proceeding, and Captain Wadsworth besides, and Colonel and - Mrs. Hamilton, the two latter of whom were invited because of Harry's - position in the Colonel's office. - </p> - <p> - It was doubtless a real satisfaction to Captain Wadsworth and Colonel - Hamilton to be present, though, when you come to think of it, it was - rather a remarkable state of things. - </p> - <p> - Here they were attending a wedding in the very house that they had - lawfully succeeded in wresting from Miss Avery, and here she was - permanently established in her own home again, with the Captain out of it, - and of his own accord too. It was strange indeed how it had all come - about, and stranger still to think that a little girl of ten, mustering up - sufficient courage to call upon two strange gentlemen several months - before, had had much to do with bringing about this delightful change in - affairs; but, as we all hear so often that we do not half take in the - blessed truth of it, “God's ways are not as our ways,” and the trifles, as - we think them, are likely to prove anything but trifles. - </p> - <p> - It was more than a delight to Harry to have Colonel Hamilton present at - his wedding, for although his employer was his senior by only a few years, - Harry looked up to him with an admiring veneration amounting almost to - worship. There was something about Alexander Hamilton that inspired this - sort of devotion, an air, some have said, of serious, half-sad - thoughtfulness, as though the cruel and unnecessary sacrifice of his life, - which he felt in honor bound to make in 1804, cast long shadows of - presentiment before it. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0058" id="linkimage-0058"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0217.jpg" alt="0217 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0217.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - When the ceremony was over, and Hazel had been the first to press the - lovingest sort of a kiss on Josephine's lips, all the rest gathered around - to congratulate the young couple, trying for the moment to forget the - sorrowful parting so soon to follow. Then when they had eaten, or - pretended to eat, some of the good things Aunt Frances had prepared in - honor of the occasion, it was time to go down to the barge that was - waiting at Fort George to carry the “Blue Bird's” passengers. Josephine's - good-byes were all said at the house. She could not bear to have any - strangers near when she took that long farewell of her father and mother, - and Hazel and Bonny Kate, and then, going up to the room that Aunt Frances - had fitted up for her, and burying her face in the pillows of the sofa, it - seemed to her as though her heart would break. Sad enough for a bride, you - think—so different from all the joyous cheer that ought to belong to - a wedding; and yet many happy days were in store for Josephine, many happy - years in the old homestead, never so homelike and attractive as since Aunt - Frances had regained possession of it. There was quite a little company of - them walking down to the barge, so much of a company, indeed, that some - boys, who noticed them, wondered “what was up,” and having nothing better - to do, followed in their train. Captain Boniface, of course, was driven - down, and so was Mrs. Boniface and Kate; but Hazel preferred to walk, and - with a “teary” little Marberry on either arm made her way along with the - rest. There was but one bright spot on the otherwise dark horizon of those - little Marberrys, and that was that Hazel's pony, Gladys, had taken up her - abode in the Rector's stable, and was to be theirs from that day forth; - and they took a sort of gloomy comfort in determining that as soon as they - had said goodbye to Hazel herself they would go straight home and into - Gladys's stall, and ease their heavy little hearts by doing what they - could for the welfare of Hazel's pony. There was no doubt about it, the - Marberrys were the most devoted of friends; but there was one thing that - puzzled Hazel: Starlight was not as downcast as the occasion seemed to - demand. On the contrary, he seemed more cheerful than for many days, and - the nearer came the hour for the departure, why the more light-hearted. It - was most inexplicable. Could it be, she thought, that she had been - mistaken in him all these years, and that, after all, he was a boy with no - more feeling than “other boys”? - </p> - <p> - It seems that Aunt Frances had finally given her consent to Starlight's - scheme to make the round trip on the “Blue Bird,” and see the Bonifaces - safely landed on British soil, not, however, you may be sure, until she - had talked the plan well over with Captain Lewis; but it had all been kept - a carefully guarded secret from Hazel, and even Flutters did not know of - it. At Fort George final leave was taken of Milly and Tilly, Aunt Frances - and the Van Vleets; but we will not say very much about that. There are - quite too many good-byes in the world for most of us as it is, and yet, - where were the happy meetings were it not for these same good-byes? - </p> - <p> - Harry Avery and Starlight went over in the barge to the vessel, and as - Starlight earlier in the day had stealthily stowed away his baggage, - consisting in greater part of an old violin, there was nothing to betray - that he had any thought other than to return in the barge with Harry when - the time came. - </p> - <p> - It was not an easy thing to get Captain Boniface aboard of the “Blue - Bird,” but finally it was safely accomplished to the great relief of - everybody, including even Bonny Kate, who had been very much afraid the - men would let him fall. - </p> - <p> - But no one watched the proceeding with greater evident anxiety than - Flutters, for Flutters had given himself over mind and body to the - Captain, anticipating his every wish, and trying to be both hands and feet - to him; and Hazel had been sufficiently gracious to resume without - demurring the brushing of her own clothes and sundry other little duties - which had of late been performed for her by Flutters. - </p> - <p> - As for Flutters, now that his father was dead, it mattered not to him - where home might be, if it were only with the Bonifaces; but he thought he - should like some day, when they could spare him from the Rectory over - there in Cheshire, to run down to Burnham, and without letting them know - who he was, perhaps have a chat with those little white children of his - father's, that were babies when he left England, if he should happen to - find them playing in the garden of the house where he used to live. - </p> - <p> - It was a beautiful early-summer day, that 15th of June, and the bay lay - sparkling like silver in the sunshine. The “Blue Bird” was booked to sail - at three o'clock, and at the exact moment the sailors began pulling hand - over hand with their “Yo, heave O,” and the “Blue Bird's” anchor was - weighed. - </p> - <p> - Harry Avery had kissed Mrs. Boniface good-bye, and once again promised, - with a tremble in his voice, “to take the best care of Josephine,” and now - he was climbing down the ship's side, and the rowers of the barge, bending - to their oars, were simply waiting to “give way,” till he should have - stepped aboard. - </p> - <p> - Starlight, with hands in his trousers' pockets, stood on the “Blue Bird's” - deck, apparently unconcerned. Flutters, wondering what the fellow could be - thinking of, with an excited gesture gave him a shove in the direction of - the barge, while Hazel, with a strong accent on every word, cried, - “Another minute, Job Starlight, and you'll be left.” - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0059" id="linkimage-0059"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0219.jpg" alt="0219 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0219.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - “It can't be helped, Hazel; I'm left now,” Starlight answered, and indeed - truthfully, for the barge was already yards away; then, seeing how real - was Hazel's anxiety over what she deemed a most distressing accident, he - hastened to announce, his face wreathed in smiles, “But it's all right, - Hazel; I am going to see you safe to England, and Aunt Frances is in the - secret.” Hazel, as weak as a kitten with delight and astonishment, leaned - against the ship's rail, and could not find voice to speak for two whole - minutes; while Captain Lewis looked on, rubbing his palms complacently - together, and thinking what a grand thing it was to have had a hand in a - surprise like that. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0060" id="linkimage-0060"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0221.jpg" alt="0221 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0221.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <div style="height: 6em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Loyal Little Red-Coat, by Ruth Ogden - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LOYAL LITTLE RED-COAT *** - -***** This file should be named 54132-h.htm or 54132-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/1/3/54132/ - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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-The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Loyal Little Red-Coat, by Ruth Ogden
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
-other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
-the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
-www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
-to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
-
-
-
-Title: A Loyal Little Red-Coat
- A Story of Child-life in New York a Hundred Years Ago
-
-Author: Ruth Ogden
-
-Illustrator: H. A. Ogden
-
-Release Date: February 26, 2017 [EBook #54132]
-Last Updated: March 13, 2018
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: UTF-8
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A LOYAL LITTLE RED-COAT ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by David Widger from page images generously
-provided by the Internet Archive
-
-
-
-
-
-
-</pre>
-
- <div style="height: 8em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h1>
- A LOYAL LITTLE RED-COAT
- </h1>
- <h3>
- A Story of Child-life in New York a Hundred Years Ago
- </h3>
- <h2>
- By Ruth Ogden
- </h2>
- <h5>
- Fourth Edition
- </h5>
- <h3>
- Illustrated by H. A. Ogden
- </h3>
- <h4>
- New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company
- </h4>
- <h3>
- 1890
- </h3>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0001" id="linkimage-0001"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0001.jpg" alt="0001 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0001.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0002" id="linkimage-0002"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0006.jpg" alt="0006 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0006.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0003" id="linkimage-0003"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0007.jpg" alt="0007 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0007.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <p>
- <b>CONTENTS</b>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2H_PREF"> PREFACE. </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> <b>A LOYAL LITTLE RED-COAT</b> </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I.—ON THE ALBANY COACH </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II.—HAZEL SPEAKS HER MIND. </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III.—THE CIRCUS, AND WHAT CAME OF
- IT. </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV.—FLUTTERS. </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V.—CAPTAIN BONIFACE RECEIVES AN
- ANGRY LETTER. </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI.—OFF FOR THE PRISON-SHIP. </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII—HARRY'S STORY </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII.—A CALL ON COLONEL HAMILTON.
- </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX.—FLUTTERS HAS A BENEFIT. </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X.—DARLING OLD AUNT FRANCES. </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI.—THE VAN VLEETS GIVE A
- TEA-PARTY. </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII.—AN INTERRUPTION. </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII.—MORE ABOUT THE TEA-PARTY.
- </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV.—HAZEL HAS A CONVICTION. </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV.—FLUTTERS COMES TO THE FRONT.
- </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI.—COLONEL HAMILTON “TAKES TO”
- HARRY. </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER XVII.—IN THE LITTLE GOLD GALLERY.
- </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER XVIII.—MORE OF A RED-COAT THAN
- EVER. </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0019"> CHAPTER XIX—A SAD LITTLE CHAPTER </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER XX—FLUTTERS COMES TO A DECISION
- </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER XXI—SOME OLD FRIENDS COME TO LIGHT
- </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER XXII—GOOD-BYE SIR GUY </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0023"> CHAPTER XXIII—FLUTTERS LOSES ONE OF THE OLD
- FRIENDS </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0024"> CHAPTER XXIV—TWO IMPORTANT LETTERS </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0025"> CHAPTER XXV.—A HAPPY DAY FOR AUNT FRANCES.
- </a>
- </p>
- <p class="toc">
- <a href="#link2HCH0026"> CHAPTER XXVI—THE “BLUE BIRD” WEIGHS ANCHOR
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2H_PREF" id="link2H_PREF"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- PREFACE.
- </h2>
- <p class="pfirst">
- <span class="dropcap" style="font-size: 4.00em">I</span>n the introductory
- chapter of “The History of the People of the United States,” Mr. McMaster
- announces as his subject, “The history of the people from the close of the
- war for Independence down to the opening of the war between the States.”
- It seems at first thought improbable that a history excluding both the
- Revolution and the Civil War should prove in any great degree interesting,
- but the first twelve pages suffice to convince one to the contrary. With
- consummate skill in selection and narration, Mr. McMaster has brought to
- light information of a singularly novel character. Impressed with this
- unlooked-for quality, it occurred to me that here was ground that had not
- been previously gone over—not, at any rate, in a story for children.
- “A Loyal Little Red-Coat” has been the outcome. Whether I have succeeded
- in transferring to these pages aught of the peculiar interest of the
- history remains to be seen. This much may be said, however, that every
- historical allusion is based upon actual fact. The English Circus, the
- Captain's letter, Harry's Prison-Ship experiences, Alexander Hamilton's
- successful defence of a Tory client, the treatment of the Bonifaces at the
- ball—all find their counterpart in the realities of a century ago.
- For much of the minor historical detail I am indebted to those rare and
- quaint old volumes, carefully treasured by our historical societies, which
- make possible the faithful recounting of the story of bygone days. In my
- attempt to reproduce the child-life of a time so far removed, I have
- probably been guilty of some anachronisms. If, however, I have woven a
- page of history into a story that, by any chance, shall interest the
- children, for whom it has been a delight to me to write it, I shall be
- sincerely grateful.
- </p>
- <p>
- Ruth Ogden.
- </p>
- <p>
- Brooklyn, N. Y.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- A LOYAL LITTLE RED-COAT
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER I.—ON THE ALBANY COACH
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0004" id="linkimage-0004"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9013.jpg" alt="9013 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9013.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- AZEL BONIFACE was a Loyalist, which means that she was a hearty little
- champion of King George the Third of England, and this notwithstanding she
- lived in America, and was born there. It had happened to be on a crisp
- October morning of the year 1773 that Hazel's gray eyes first saw the
- light, and they no sooner saw the light than they saw a wonderful red
- coat, and just as soon as she was able to understand it, she learned that
- that red coat belonged to her papa, and that her papa belonged to King
- George's army. So, after all, you see it was but natural that she should
- have been a little Loyalist from the start, and quite to have been
- expected that she should, grow more and more staunch with every year.
- </p>
- <p>
- Now it chanced one midwinter afternoon, when Hazel was about six years
- old, that she came into the city—that is, into New York—on an
- errand with her father, and that she stood for a while watching a merry
- party of boys, who were having the jolliest sort of a time coasting down
- Powder House Hill, and skating on the clear, crystal ice of the Collect.
- The Collect and Powder House Hill! You never heard of them, did you, and
- yet may have lived in New York all your life; but you may believe the
- little New Yorkers of those days knew them and loved them.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Collect (though where it got its name no one knows) was a beautiful
- sheet of water connected with the North River by a creek crossing
- Broadway, where we now have Canal street, and the hill where the Powder
- House stood was one of the pretty heights that bordered it. Wouldn't some
- of the little people who live in that crowded part of the city to-day be
- surprised to know, that only a hundred years ago ponds and hills took the
- place of the level city streets, and that a boy could start way over east
- of Broadway, skate under the arch at Canal street, and then strike out
- across the broad Lispenard meadows straight to the North River? But those
- boys of the olden time, who were spending their short afternoon holiday
- there on the ice, were exactly like the boys of to-day, in that they were
- cutting up the very silliest sort of capers. Hazel, however, thought it
- all very funny, and longing for the time when she should have a pair of
- skates of her own, wondered if that boy with the pretty name—that
- boy the other boys called Starlight—would teach her how to use them.
- And so one time when he came gliding her way she called out, quite to the
- surprise of her father, whose hand she stood holding, “Will you teach me
- how to skate when I grow old enough, Starlight?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Bless your heart, yes,” came the answer, as soon as the finest little
- skater that ever buckled skates on the Collect could put the brakes to his
- winged feet, “but you must tell me your name, so that I shall know you
- when you grow up.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Hazel, Hazel Boniface,” she replied; “and is your name really Starlight?
- It's a beautiful name.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, Starlight's my last name; my other name is Job; that isn't so
- pretty, is it?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I should think not; I shall always call you just Starlight.”
- </p>
- <p>
- And Hazel had been true to her word, and had always called Job just
- Starlight, and Job had been true to his promise, and had long ago taught
- Hazel to skate, for she was ten now and he fourteen, and they had been the
- best of friends this long while, notwithstanding Job was as zealous a Whig
- as was Hazel a Loyalist.
- </p>
- <p>
- And now, for fear you should not happen to know just what is meant by Whig
- and Loyalist, you must—there is no help for it if you are to
- understand this story—put up with a solid little bit of history
- right here and now. You see Hazel was born in 1773, and as she has just
- scored a tenth birthday, that brings us to 1783, and 1783 found affairs in
- New York in a decidedly topsy-turvy state. A great war had been going on
- for eight long years called, as you know, the war of the Revolution,
- because the colonies in America had <i>revolted</i>, declaring their
- determination to be independent, and that King George of England should no
- longer be their king. And all that while, that is, during those eight long
- years, King George's soldiers had been in possession of New York, and many
- of the Whigs—and Whigs, remember, are the people who sided against
- King George—had fled from their dwellings, and scores of Loyalists,
- pouring into the city to be under the protection of the English soldiers,
- had made their homes in the Whigs' empty houses. But now matters were
- beginning to look very differently. The great war was over, the colonies
- had been successful, and although the English soldiers were still in New
- York, they were soon to go, every one of them, and the Whigs were
- returning in great numbers, and trying to turn out the Loyalists, whom
- they found living in their homes. Most of these Loyalists, however, were
- very loath to go, some of them, indeed, avowing that go they would not! No
- wonder, then, that affairs in New York in 1783 were in a decidedly
- topsy-turvy state; and this brings us to the real commencement of our
- story, and to Hazel, sitting alone on the porch of her home at Kings
- Bridge, and with a most woe-begone expression on her usually happy face.
- Suddenly a new thought seemed to strike her, and she started on a brisk
- little run for the gate; but it was simply that, hearing the sound of
- wheels in the distance, she knew that the Albany coach was coming, and the
- Albany coach was what she was waiting for. That was long before the days
- of railroads, and when all the travelling must needs be done in that
- “slow-coach” fashion.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Albany stage was generally full inside, and, as Hazel expected, this
- morning was no exception; but that did not make the least difference in
- the world to her, for what she wanted was a seat beside Joe Ainsworth, the
- driver. Indeed, it was not an unusual thing for Hazel to ask for a ride
- into town, nor for Joe to grant it, so that the moment he spied her
- standing in the road ahead of him, he knew what it meant, and reined up
- his four dusty white horses.
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel looked very sweet and fresh, no doubt, in the eyes of the wearied
- travellers, who had journeyed all night in the jouncing stage, and, in
- fact, she would have looked sweet and fresh in the eyes of anybody whose
- eyes were good for very much. She wore a quaint little gown and kerchief,
- as yet without rumple or wrinkle, for it was but nine o'clock in the
- morning, and breakfast and a quiet little “think” on the porch had not
- proved in the least damaging to either skirt or kerchief. To tell the
- truth, Hazel had an intense regard for a fresh and dainty toilet, and
- somehow contrived to scale the side of the coach without in any way
- begriming her pretty dress, although she was obliged to make use of one
- great dusty wheel in ascending. First she planted both feet on its hub,
- and then by aid of Joe's hand fairly bounded to her seat beside him with
- quite as much grace as a little deer of the forest, and a “little dear”
- she was in point of fact, if you alter but one letter in the spelling.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, Miss Hazel,” said Joe, after he had started up his horses, “how are
- you this warm morning?” for it was early September, and the sun was
- already shining hotly down upon them.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, I'm very well then,” after a moment's pause, “No, I don't believe I
- am very well, either, because, Joe, I feel very blue.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Blue!” exclaimed Joe; “you blue! Why, you ought not to learn even the
- meaning of the word these twenty years yet.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Some children learn it very young, Joe,” with a real little sigh.
- </p>
- <p>
- “But what in creation have you to be blue about, I'd like to know? Perhaps
- you have gotten a spot on that pretty Sunday frock of yours,” for Joe knew
- Hazel's little weakness in that direction.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Joe!” said Hazel, indignantly, and with such a world of reproof in her
- tone that Joe had to pretend to cough to keep from laughing. “If you think
- a moment, Joe, I'm sure you will remember that I have reason to feel very,
- very blue indeed.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel was so serious that Joe felt in duty bound to put his thinking-cap
- on, and ransacked his brain for the possible occasion of her depression.
- Hazel, with childish dignity, did not offer to help him in the matter, and
- they drove for a few moments in a silence broken only by the creak of the
- weather-beaten stage, and the regular, monotonous rattle of the
- loose-fitting harness. Down through the dusty yellow leaves of the
- roadside trees the sunlight filtered, to the dustier hedges below, and
- there was little or no life in the air. Indeed, it was a morning when one
- had need to be very much preoccupied <i>not</i> to feel blue, as Hazel
- called it, and a discriminating person might have deemed the weather in a
- measure responsible for her down-heartedness. Meanwhile the horses jogged
- along at the merest little pretence of a trot, and, missing the customary,
- “Get-up, Jenny!” and “Whist there, Kate!” subsided into a walk, varied
- more than once by a deliberate standstill, whenever the “off-leader” saw
- fit to dislodge a persistent fly by the aid of a hind hoof. “Look here,
- driver!” called one of the passengers at last, “there's a snail on the
- fence there, that will beat us into town if you don't look out.” The fact
- was, Joe had not only put his thinking-cap on, but had pulled it so far
- down over his ears, that he had quite forgotten all about his horses and
- Hazel, and his thoughts had gone “wool-gathering,” as old people's
- thoughts have a fashion of going. “Get along with you,” he called to the
- tired team, thoroughly roused from his reveries, and spurring them into
- greater activity with his long whip-lash; then, turning to Hazel, he said—“Come
- to think of it, I should not wonder if you are blue about that little
- Starlight matter.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Little Starlight matter! Do you think it's a little matter, Mr.
- Ainsworth, to be kept out of your house and have a lot of soldiers living
- in it?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But they are King George's soldiers; that ought to make it all right in
- your eyes, Miss Hazel.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, the men are not to blame; they have to do as the officers tell them;
- but I hate that old Captain Wadsworth. Sometimes I think I'll write and
- tell King George what a dreadful man he is, for I don't believe he knows.
- But, after all, they say it's an American, our own Colonel Hamilton,
- that's most to blame.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Alexander Hamilton! Why, how's that?” exclaimed Joe, knowing well enough,
- but wishing to hear Hazel grow eloquent on the subject.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0005" id="linkimage-0005"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0018.jpg" alt="0018 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0018.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- “Well, this is how it is, Mr. Ainsworth,” and Hazel folded her hands and
- composed herself for what promised to be quite a long story. “You know the
- Starlights. Well, they've lived right on that same piece of land ever
- since Job's great-great-grandfather, who was an Englishman, married a
- Dutch wife and came to live in New York. Why, there weren't more than
- half-a-dozen houses here when they came, and if anybody has a right to
- their land and their house, they have. They used to be a very big family,
- the Starlights did, but now there's only Job left and his Aunt Frances.
- She's the loveliest lady, Joe, and so very fond of Starlight (that's Job),
- and Starlight is just as good to her as a boy can be. Well, one night,
- nearly two years ago, a party of English soldiers (some of them were awful
- bad fellows, Joe, even if they were the King's men) went about the street
- doing just about as they pleased, and Miss Avery—that is, Aunt
- Frances—was very much frightened, as well she might be, and the next
- day she packed up and took the ferry to Paulus Hook, to stay with some
- friends of hers, who live over there and own a big farm.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “You mean the Van Vleets, don't you?” questioned Joe, now wisely dividing
- his attention between Hazel's narrative and his horses, who were only too
- quick to detect any lack of vigilance on his part.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, do you know them, Joe?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Know 'em like a book, Miss Hazel. Old Jacob Van Vleet has been over the
- road with me scores of times.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, they're very kind people, Joe, and Starlight and his aunt are
- living there still, only now that the war is over they want to come back.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And that's not an easy thing to do, is it,” laughed Joe, “when your house
- is full of English officers and their men?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But the soldiers have no right there, Joe, and the worst of it is,
- Captain Wadsworth says he is going to resign his commission and stay after
- his men go back to England, and make it his own home. He says it belongs
- to him. It was given to him, after Miss Avery left it, by what they call a
- military order. But, military order or no, Joe, that house belongs to Aunt
- Frances.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Of course it would seem so, Miss Hazel—”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And if it hadn't been for Colonel Alexander Hamilton she'd be in it
- to-day, Joe. You see she went to law about it, and they say Colonel
- Hamilton, who took Captain Wadsworth's side, is so smart and so handsome
- that he just talked the court into deciding against her.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “It certainly was mighty queer in Lawyer Hamilton,” said Joe,
- meditatively, “to turn against his own side in that fashion; but, Miss
- Hazel, why don't you go and see him about it?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel looked up a moment with a questioning gaze to see if he Were quite
- in earnest.
- </p>
- <p>
- “That is just what I am going to do this very day,” she answered,
- reassured, “and first I want to see Captain Wadsworth. Let me down at the
- Starlights' gate, please.”
- </p>
- <p>
- So a few moments later the Albany coach reined up in front of the
- Starlight homestead, and Hazel, jumping quickly down from the coach with a
- “Thank you for the ride, Joe,” swung open the old Dutch gate with an air
- well calculated to make the heart of Captain Wadsworth quake.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER II.—HAZEL SPEAKS HER MIND.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0006" id="linkimage-0006"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9021.jpg" alt="9021 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9021.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- ORE than one pair of ears heard the creak of the clumsy Dutch gate as it
- swung on its hinges for Hazel, for every door and window of Captain
- Wadsworth's quarters stood wide open to catch all there was of any little
- cooling breeze which might bestir itself that close September morning. And
- more than one pair of eyes glancing in the same direction saw Hazel coming
- up the path and brightened at the sight of her. They knew her well, all
- those English soldiers, for she had often accompanied her father when he
- had come among them on business, and while he was busy here and there, had
- chattered in her frank, fearless way with one and another. Indeed, owing
- to her loyalist principles and a little red coat which she was in the
- habit of wearing, she was familiarly known among the rank and file of his
- Majesty's service as “Little Red-Coat,” and often addressed by that name.
- But this was her first visit all by herself, and, to tell the truth, Hazel
- had some misgiving as to its propriety, and as to her own behavior in
- running off in this fashion, for she had announced her departure to no
- one. Her sister Josephine, however, had happened to see her taking her
- seat on the Albany stage, and wondered what she was up to. But “runaway”
- or no, the eyes that saw Hazel Boniface did nevertheless brighten at the
- sight of her, from those of Captain Wadsworth's old body-servant, who was
- brushing the Captain's clothes very vigorously from one of the
- dormer-windows in the steep sloping roof, to those of the Captain himself,
- who sat tipped back in a great arm-chair in a corner of the wide piazza.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Good-morning, Hazel,” said the Captain, rising to meet her. “Have you
- come on some errand for your papa, or simply to pay us a nice little visit
- and cheer us up a bit? English soldiers need cheering nowadays, you know.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I know,” said Hazel, sympathetically; for, true to her Loyalist
- sentiments, she felt sorry enough that these same English soldiers had not
- been successful in the war they had been waging; but her mind was intent
- at present on her own private business.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I have come just to make you a little visit, Captain Wadsworth,” she
- continued, “and to talk to you a little, and I don't believe I can cheer
- you up at all, because I am pretty blue myself.”
- </p>
- <p>
- The corners of Captain Wadsworth's mouth twitched at the thought of such a
- fair and youthful little specimen indulging in the blues; but he succeeded
- in asking gravely, as he led the way indoors, “Why, how ever can that be?
- Come right into the office here and tell me all about it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “This isn't the office at all,” she said, emphatically, as she took her
- seat on a little Dutch rocker that had been Aunt Frances's sewing-chair.
- “This is the sitting-room, and it's dreadful, Captain Wadsworth, to see it
- so dusty.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Captain Wadsworth looked decidedly puzzled and astonished for a moment,
- then he added, slowly, “Oh, I see! I suppose you knew the people who used
- to own this house?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, sir, and I know them now; they're the very best friends I have; and,
- if you please, this house belongs to them still, and they would like to
- come back just as soon as you can move your men out, and,” noting a few
- unfamiliar objects in the room, “your furniture and other things.”
- </p>
- <p>
- It must be confessed that this was rather a bold speech for a little maid
- to venture quite upon her own authority, but Hazel had made this visit for
- no other reason than plainly to speak her mind, and speak it she would,
- though she did have to screw her courage up to the very highest pitch in
- order to accomplish it.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Do <i>you</i> mean to say, Miss Hazel, that you think we have no right
- here?” questioned the Captain..
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, sir,” Hazel answered warmly, feeling, somehow, that Captain
- Wadsworth was open to conviction. “You see you really have no right here
- at all, and I thought that as soon as you understood that you would not
- stay another minute.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But the trouble is, I don't understand it; the law says it belongs to me,
- you know.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Then I guess the law does not tell the truth, Captain Wadsworth, because
- even the law cannot make a thing so that isn't so, can it?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, no, certainly not, and it isn't supposed to even try to do that sort
- of thing, I take it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But that's just what it does exactly,” said Hazel, and in her eagerness
- she deserted the little rocker and came and leaned on the desk near to the
- Captain. “You know,” she said, confidentially, “I'm just as true to King
- George as true can be, and I am awful sorry his soldiers have been beaten,
- and I don't think a country without a King is any good at all. Sometimes
- I'm almost ashamed that I was born here; but still, some very nice people,
- like Miss Avery and Starlight, do not think just as I do, and I think
- their rights ought to be respected.”
- </p>
- <p>
- These were pretty big words, and the Captain looked as though he thought
- so; but even a very little woman, when she is very much in earnest,
- sometimes finds language at her command quite as astonishing to herself as
- to her hearers. “Rights ought to be respected”—certainly that did
- sound remarkable. Hazel herself wondered where she had picked up so fine
- an expression, and one that suited so well.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Who is Starlight?” asked the Captain, willing to digress a little from
- the main point.
- </p>
- <p>
- “The owner of this house,” said Hazel, not willing to digress at all.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, I thought it used to belong to Miss Avery; the property certainly
- stood in her name.” The Captain was careful to use only the past tense.
- According to his way of thinking, that Starlight homestead was just as
- rightfully his as though he had bought and paid for it.
- </p>
- <p>
- And so Hazel said, “Good-by, Captain,” and the Captain bowed her out of
- his office as gallantly as though she had been a little princess. Four or
- five of the men had gathered on the porch outside, thinking to have a chat
- with her when she should have finished her errand with the Captain, but
- Hazel, absorbed in her own thoughts, was about to pass them by without so
- much as a word.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Look here, Miss Hazel, aren't you going to speak to a fellow?” one of the
- men called after her. “Yes, of course I am,” Hazel replied, as though that
- had been her full intention, and, going back, held out her hand to
- Sergeant Bellows, the man who had called to her, and then, as it seemed to
- be expected of her, shook hands in a friendly way with the other men, all
- of whom she knew by name. But it was easy enough for the dullest among
- them to discover that her greeting lacked all its wonted cheeriness.
- Indeed, Hazel had not yet learned the need of disguising her real
- feelings, and always “carried her heart on her sleeve,” as the saying
- goes, so that you were at perfect liberty to share all its sentiments,
- whether of joy or sorrow. So it was not strange that for the third time
- she was questioned as to the reason for her evident depression. “Feeling a
- little down this morning, eh?” asked Sergeant Bellows.
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel nodded her head in assent. “There's nothing an old sergeant could do
- for you, is there, Miss Hazel?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Nor a corporal?” asked one of the other men.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Nor a high private?” asked another. Hazel took their offers of assistance
- in perfect good faith, and would not have hesitated to call upon any or
- all of them, but she really did not see how they could be of any use to
- her, and shook her head hopelessly.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, I think not. The only man who can help me now is Colonel Hamilton,
- and I don't expect very much of him. What I came down for was to ask
- Captain Wadsworth if he would not let the people who own this house come
- back to it; but he does not think they own it at all any more, and I don't
- see what they are ever going to do. How would you feel, I'd like to know,”
- she asked, eagerly, “if you were an aunt and a little boy, and had to run
- away from your home, and, when you wanted to come back, found an English
- Captain living in it, who said he was going to stay there?” Some of the
- men looked as though they could not possibly tell how they would feel if
- they were “an aunt and a little boy,” but they were saved the
- embarrassment of being obliged to answer such a difficult question by
- Hazel's abrupt departure? She had suddenly spied a familiar hat lurking
- behind the shrubbery near the gate, and was off in a flash. “Good-by,” she
- called back, “some one is waiting for me.” Some one was waiting for her—some
- one had been waiting for her quite awhile and had grown rather impatient
- in the waiting.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0007" id="linkimage-0007"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figright" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/8025.jpg" alt="8025 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/8025.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- “I thought you would never come, Hazel,” said the owner of the hat, as
- soon as she swept down upon him in his retreat behind the bushes.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, I did not see you till a moment ago. How long have you been here,
- and when did you come?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I came over on the earliest ferry this morning. I pulled an oar and
- worked my way over. You know, Hazel, I do not like to ask Aunt Frances for
- money now if I can possibly help it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I know,” she answered, sadly.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I can't tell you how it makes me feel, Hazel, to look up at the old house
- there with all those soldiers in it,” said Job, rather savagely, for, of
- course, the new-comer was none other than Starlight himself. “I'd just
- like to rush right in and choke every one of 'em.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And I'd like to help you,” Hazel replied warmly.
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight looked up astonished. It was something new for Hazel to side
- against the Red-Coats, and he gave a low whistle of surprise.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, really, I would,” Hazel reiterated. “If King George's men had beaten
- you Americans, I suppose you wouldn't have expected to get your home back
- again; but to think that you have beaten, and yet that Captain Wadsworth
- says he is going to stay in it, and that a great lawyer, and one of your
- own officers like Colonel Hamilton, says he has a right to—well, I
- can't understand it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Neither can I,” said Starlight, indignantly; and both children seriously
- shook their heads from side to side, as there was no gainsaying that great
- man. By mutual consent the children had turned their backs on the
- homestead and their faces in the direction of Hazel's home.
- </p>
- <p>
- To say that, side by side, they strolled up the Bowery, and that now and
- then Hazel would pause a moment to pick a plumy spray of asters, growing
- by the wayside, must sound funny enough in the ears of any one who knows
- what the Bowery is to-day. Can it be possible that that great busy
- thoroughfare, with its block after block of cheap shops, crowded
- tenements, dime museums, and who knows what, less than a hundred years ago
- was a country lane? and where to-day train after train goes whizzing by on
- its mid-air track, birds sang in apple-tree boughs and children gathered
- daisies in spring-time and golden rod in autumn? Yes, my dear, it is
- possible; for who can measure the great transforming power of even a
- single century, and Father Time has never wrought vaster or more rapid
- changes than in the self-same hundred years which lie between the
- childhood of Starlight and Hazel, in 1783, and yours of to-day.
- </p>
- <p>
- So, true it was that our little friends strolled up Bowery Lane, for that
- was the pleasantest way home, and true it was that the lane was skirted
- with orchards and the gardens of old Dutch homesteads, where almost every
- variety of autumn flower was blooming, in a blaze of color, in the early
- September weather.
- </p>
- <p>
- At the prospect of a visit from Starlight, Hazel had at once abandoned all
- thought of an immediate call upon Lawyer Hamilton. Even that important
- matter could be postponed for the delight of companionship with this old
- friend, a companionship sadly interfered with by all the untoward
- circumstances of the times in which they lived.
- </p>
- <p>
- “And Colonel Hamilton says,” Starlight resumed, after five or ten minutes,
- which had been devoted to a plying of eager questions regarding each
- others general welfare, “that Captain Wadsworth can stay in our house,
- does he?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I don't know exactly what he says; something like that, I guess; but I am
- going to find out for myself, and ask him the reasons, too. I was going
- there this morning if you had not come.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “You are awfully good, Hazel.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I'm glad you think so, Starlight, 'cause I know some people who don't,”
- and Hazel indulged in a little sigh. “I suppose I shall have a scolding
- when I get home, this very morning, for I sort of ran away. I saw the
- Albany coach coming, and I had to hurry so in time to stop it, that I did
- not think to ask Josephine's leave or anybody's.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But Josephine saw you go. That's the way I found you. She saw Joe
- Ainsworth help you on to the coach, and I thought perhaps you'd gone down
- to the homestead, for that's where you always used to come on the Albany
- coach, you know.” It was Starlight's turn for a sigh now, and he drew such
- a heavy one that it seemed fairly to come from the bottom of his boots.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Say, Starlight,” said Hazel, suddenly, and, no doubt, with a desire to
- brighten matters up a bit, “an English circus came to town to-day. They
- open to-morrow. Can you stay over tomorrow?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, till the day after. I heard about the circus. I've never been to a
- circus in my life, and I'd give—why, I'd give anything I own to go,
- and if that wouldn't do, I half believe I'd almost hook something.” The
- question of ways and means was ever present nowadays to poor Job with his
- sadly depleted pocket-book.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I don't believe you'll need to <i>hook</i> anything, Starlight,” answered
- Hazel, with an implied rebuke, which was, of course, quite proper, “I have
- a little money of my own.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Of course, I don't mean I really would, Hazel. I should think you'd know
- that I'm rather above that sort of thing. If you don't, you ought to, by
- this time. I only meant that I should very much <i>like</i> to go.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Then next time you had better be more careful to say just what you mean,
- Job.” Whenever Hazel had any little reproof to administer she thought it
- much more impressive to make use of Starlight's solemn little first name.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER III.—THE CIRCUS, AND WHAT CAME OF IT.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0008" id="linkimage-0008"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9031.jpg" alt="9031 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9031.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- LOWLY out of the great ocean rose the sun the next morning, shooting his
- long rays over level Long Island, spanning the East River and touching
- with rosy light the hill on which Captain Boniface had built his
- comfortable home. What a wonderful tale, provided his memory is good and
- his eyesight strong, this same old sun could tell, particularly if he had
- the moon to help him, for, whether shining brightly, or peering through
- mists of heavy clouds, between them they have seen most of this world's
- doings. One thing is certain, however change, change, change would be the
- theme of all their story. Old ocean alone remains always the same; for
- even the “everlasting hills” may be pierced by boring tunnels and
- disfigured by the shafts and engines of unsightly mines. And this that is
- true of the whole world is true of every inhabited corner of it, and
- doubly true of that particular corner where we find New York mapped out
- to-day. Row upon row of dwellings—mansion and hut crowding close
- upon one another; mile after mile of stores, warehouses, and every
- conceivable sort of structure, and yet only a hundred years, and lo! there
- was none of it.
- </p>
- <p>
- Do you chance to know where St. Paul's Church stands on Broadway, on the
- block bounded by Fulton and Vesey streets? Then let me tell you that no
- longer ago than 1784 St. Paul's was on the very outskirts of the city.
- Just above it were two fine dwellings, which now form part of the Astor
- House, and a little farther on a highway leading to the right bore the
- weather-beaten sign, “The Road to Boston,” and another turning to the
- left, “The Road to Albany,” and Hazel's home was a mile or more out on
- this Albany road. Beyond were only open fields, with here and there a
- farm-dwelling or country homestead, and an occasional “mead-house” or
- “tea-garden,” for the refreshment of jaded travellers, or pleasure-seeking
- parties from the town. Nearly on the site of the present City Hall stood
- the almshouse, and in close proximity the jail, while sandwiched in
- between them were the gallows, not exactly affording what might be called
- a cheery outlook to the poor unfortunates obliged to seek such food and
- shelter as the almshouse offered. These gallows were enclosed in a
- building shaped like a Chinese summer-house, and painted in all the colors
- of the rainbow, as though trying thereby to overcome any mournful
- associations which the place might otherwise possess. A platform within
- this remarkable building supported various contrivances for conveniently
- “dropping malefactors into eternity.” while a row of hooks and halters
- adorned the ceiling, so that at least half a dozen offenders might be
- dispatched by the same method at one and the same moment.
- </p>
- <p>
- Wall Street, in 1783, was a street of residences. Here was the bachelor
- homestead of Daniel McCormick, upon whose stoop, on a mild and pleasant
- afternoon, you were likely to find a goodly little company of cronies and
- toadies, each and all of whom made it a point never to refuse an
- invitation to remain to dinner and enjoy his excellent pot-luck.
- </p>
- <p>
- The court end of the town lay in the region extending from Pearl Street
- around to the Battery, and up to Trinity Church, while the shops and
- offices were confined to Maiden Lane. On Great Dock Street, now a part of
- Pearl Street, lived the widow of John Lawrence, who, during his lifetime,
- was widely known as “Handsome Johnnie.” There, as Dr. Duer puts it, in his
- “Reminiscences of an Old Yorker,” the genial widow kept open house for her
- relatives, or rather her relatives kept open house for themselves, and
- were entertained in the roll of “transient, constant, or perpetual”
- visitors. All this and far more could the sun of to-day tell of the sights
- of the last century; but on the morning of which we are writing, he looked
- down upon nothing of greater interest to the average boy and girl of all
- time, than when he flashed suddenly upon the preparations going forward
- for the circus that had lately arrived from across the water, and because
- of whose arrival there was a flutter in all the child-hearts throughout
- the length and breadth of the town. Some were fluttering joyously with
- actual anticipation, and some with grave doubts as to their gaining even a
- peep at the wonderful show.
- </p>
- <p>
- As for Hazel Boniface, she was not only up with the sun, but up before it;
- as for Starlight, he was dressed, and “trying to kill time” a full hour
- before breakfast, for it had been settled the previous evening that they
- were to be allowed to attend the performance, and Captain Boniface had
- slipped the coins necessary for their admission into Starlight's safe
- keeping. Josephine, Hazel's older sister, was also early astir, stowing
- away the most inviting of luncheons within the snowy folds of a napkin,
- which in turn was committed to the keeping of a little wicker hamper.
- </p>
- <p>
- Joyous and beaming the children set forth, Josephine accompanying them as
- far as the gate. “I wish I were going with you,” she said, as she held it
- open.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I almost wish you were,” Hazel answered. “Almost, but not quite,” laughed
- Josephine; “for it would spoil the fun a little, now wouldn't it, Hazel,
- to have a grown-up sister in the party? But you need not worry, dear, the
- big sister must stay at home to mind the baby sister; it's only the little
- middle-sized sister who can roam abroad, and go to the circus, and do
- whatever she likes all day long.”.
- </p>
- <p>
- The color came into Hazel's cheeks. She knew she did do pretty much as she
- wished from week's end to week's end, but that was not her fault. If
- nobody told her to do “things,” it was hardly to be expected she should do
- them. “Will you go in my place?” she asked, ruefully, of Josephine, who
- stood leaning on the gate with a merry, teasing look in her gray eyes.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0009" id="linkimage-0009"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0034.jpg" alt="0034 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0034.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- “No, of course I won't, dearie, and you come straight back and give me a
- kiss, and know that no one wishes you quite such a jolly time as your own
- sister Josephine.”
- </p>
- <p>
- And thus speeded on their way, the children's figures grew smaller and
- smaller in the maple-shaded distance of the roadside path, and with a
- little sigh Josephine turned back to her duties within-doors. There was a
- foreboding of coming evil in her heart, and in Hazel's and Starlight's,
- too, for that matter. Children though they were, they were still old
- enough to know, that, now that the war had ended in the defeat of the
- English, those who had sided with them, as Captain Boniface had done,
- would have to suffer for it; but for to-day every worry was utterly
- forgotten. Hazel had no thought for the coming interview with Colonel
- Hamilton—which, it must be confessed, she rather dreaded—nor
- Starlight for the soldiers in the old homestead.
- </p>
- <p>
- Right before them lay all the delights of a wonderful English circus, and
- with the lightest of hearts they set forth upon their happy expedition.
- Having strolled along in leisurely fashion, the old town clock struck
- eleven as they pressed in through the clumsy turnstile which barred the
- circus entrance, and the regular performance was not to commence until
- one. But two hours were none too much for the inspection of the wonderful
- sideshows, and wide-eyed they passed from one to the other, instinctively
- turning quickly away from two or three human monstrosities in a close,
- unsavory tent, to spend an hour of intense merriment over the antics of a
- family of monkeys in a cage in the open air. Indeed, they doled out most
- of their luncheon to the mischievous little youngsters, actually
- forgetting that there was any likelihood of their ever being hungry
- themselves and repenting of such liberality.
- </p>
- <p>
- A great deal of fuss over a circus, you may be thinking, my little friend,
- having yourself been so many times to see “The Greatest Show on Earth” but
- if you had lived in the days of Hazel and Starlight, and never seen a
- circus in your life, nor a show of any kind—either great or small—then,
- perhaps, you would have been not a little excited too.
- </p>
- <p>
- Long before it was at all necessary, and after much consultation and
- numerous experiments at different angles, the children seated themselves
- at the precise point which they had concluded, on the whole, offered
- greatest advantages, and then they impatiently watched the uncomfortable
- benches become gradually filled, and certain significant preparations
- going forward on the part of the gayly-liveried lackeys.
- </p>
- <p>
- At last the orchestra of three ill-tuned instruments struck up a
- preliminary march, the low, red-topped gates of the ring swung open, and
- the gorgeous company pranced in, dazzling and brilliant indeed, in the
- eyes of the children. What did it matter if tinsel were tarnished, and
- satins and velvets travel-stained and bedraggled. They saw it not. It was
- all glitter and shimmer to them, and, oh, those beautiful, long-tailed
- horses with their showy trappings! Hazel silently made up her mind on the
- spot, that she would be a circus-rider herself as soon as she was old
- enough, <i>if</i> her father would let her. She changed her mind later in
- the day, however, owing to certain unexpected experiences, and was
- thankful enough that she had not openly expressed her resolution of a few
- hours before.
- </p>
- <p>
- Midway in the performance, as the clown had announced, for they did not
- have printed programmes in those days, there was to be some lofty tumbling
- by the Strauss brothers, and at the proper moment in they came leaping and
- jumping. They were all attired in the regulation long hose, short
- trousers, and sleeveless jackets of the professional tumbler, but it was
- easy enough for any child to detect at a glance that it was quite
- impossible that they should belong to the same family. They were of all
- ages and sizes, but the youngest performer did not appear to be more than
- twelve; he was a handsome little fellow, with a fine dark complexion, and
- from the first both Hazel's and Starlight's attention centred upon him. He
- proved himself the most agile of all the brothers, eagerly watching for
- his turn every time, and apparently enjoying the performance almost as
- keenly as the audience. But it happened after a while, that when he had
- just accomplished the feat of turning a double somersault from the top of
- a spring-board, he did not attempt to rejoin the other leapers and
- tumblers, but crept from the place where he had landed in the sawdust to
- the edge of the ring, seated himself, with his little slippered feet
- straight out before him, and leaned comfortably back against its rail. The
- spot he had chosen was directly underneath where Hazel and Starlight were
- sitting, and being in the first row they naturally leaned over to
- investigate matters. He sat there so comfortably, and his older brothers
- seemed so indifferent to the fact that he had dropped from their number,
- that the children came to the conclusion that he was simply taking a
- little permitted rest.
- </p>
- <p>
- At last Starlight made so bold as to ask, “Say, Straussie, you didn't hurt
- yourself any way, did you?”
- </p>
- <p>
- At the sound of Starlight's voice the little fellow looked up surprised.
- “Yes, I did,” he replied, “I often slip my knee-cap, or something like
- that when I take that double 'sault.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Does it hurt you now,” asked Hazel, with real solicitude.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, a little. I can't jump any more to-day. The men know what's the
- matter with me. I'll be all right in a little while.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Do you like being in a circus?” continued Starlight, for it was even more
- interesting to converse with a member of the troupe than to watch the
- performance of the troupe itself.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I like the jumping and tumbling; that's all the part I like,” ending with
- a sigh.
- </p>
- <p>
- But it was not easy to carry on a conversation at the distance they were
- from each other, particularly as the tumblers, as if to add to the
- excitement, kept up an almost ceaseless hallooing and shouting. Now it
- happened that the ring, with the exception of the gates of entrance, was
- formed by a short canvas curtain suspended from a circular iron rail.
- Observing this, a happy thought occurred to Starlight.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Look here, Straussie,” he said, in a penetrating whisper, “I'd like to
- talk with you. Couldn't you creep under the curtain there, and I'll drop
- down between the seats.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I could,” answered the little tumbler, grasping the situation at
- once, and suiting the action to the word.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I wish I could drop too,” urged Hazel, longingly.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, you stay where you are. It wouldn't do, Hazel; folks might notice,”
- and Hazel was sensible enough to see the wisdom of the remark. As it was,
- every one was by far too much absorbed to take account of the fact that a
- little fellow inside the ring and a little fellow outside of it had
- disappeared at one and the same moment. And so it happened that all
- unsuspected a very important conversation was carried on, and a remarkable
- scheme planned under the crowded benches of that day's performance.
- Meanwhile Hazel “sat on pins and needles.” Even “the most educated
- elephant in the world” failed to rouse much interest in a little maiden
- who knew an absorbing conversation to be going on almost within earshot
- and in which she longed to have a hand.
- </p>
- <p>
- “What is your name?” asked Starlight, as soon as he had dropped safely to
- the dry grass, and had stretched himself beside the little tumbler, who
- sat with his knees gathered close to him and his hands clasped round them.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Flutters,” answered the boy.
- </p>
- <p>
- “That's not your real name?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “That's what they call me.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “You mean the circus people?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters simply nodded “yes.” Somehow he did not seem at first inclined to
- be quite as communicative as Starlight would have wished.
- </p>
- <p>
- “It must be fun to wear clothes like those,” he said, after a pause,
- eyeing his new friend from head to foot with evident admiration.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, it's kind of fun for a while, but there isn't much real fun.
- Everything's only kind of fun, and there isn't any fun at all about most
- things.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight couldn't quite agree with these sage remarks, although he had
- himself of late been seeing a great deal of the darker side of life.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I guess you're not very well, Flutters,” he said, seriously; “or perhaps
- you're tired.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, I'm well enough, but I'm not over-happy,” answered the boy, who, from
- little association with children and much with older people, had formed
- rather a mature way of speaking.
- </p>
- <p>
- “What makes you feel like that?” asked Starlight.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, lots of things. There's no one who cares for me 'cept to make money
- out of me. That's kind of hard on a fellow.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Don't you get some of the money yourself?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Not a penny. You see, I'm 'prenticed to the manager till I'm eighteen.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Who apprenticed you?” said Starlight, taking care to speak correctly.
- </p>
- <p>
- “The manager, I suppose; but I did not know anybody had to 'prentice you.
- I thought you just 'prenticed yourself by promising to work for your
- board.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Not a bit of it. You oughtn't to have made such a promise. If you were
- worth anything to the manager you were worth part of the money you earned.
- Besides, I don't think anybody can apprentice a boy except his parents or
- his guardian, or some one who has charge of him.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, nobody's had charge of me this long while.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Is that big man with the great black moustache the manager?” asked
- Starlight.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, he is, and he's a tough one,” and Flutters pressed his lips tightly
- together and shook his head by way of emphasis.
- </p>
- <p>
- “He doesn't look kind.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Folks doesn't look things what they never are.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why don't you cut the circus, Flutters?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Would you, really?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “You mean run away?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight nodded yes.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Where to?” was Flutters's pointed question.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, anywhere,” somewhat vaguely.
- </p>
- <p>
- “That's all very well; but board, you know, and a blanket to roll yourself
- in at night is a little better than nothing at all.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “That's so,” said Starlight, and then sat silent a few moments, drawing
- his fingers, rake fashion, through the dry grass in front of him, and
- evidently thinking hard.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Flutters,” he said at last, “if you ran away I believe you'd find a home
- and somebody to care for you—we'd look out for you ourselves, Aunt
- Frances and I, till something turned up.”
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0010" id="linkimage-0010"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0039.jpg" alt="0039 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0039.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- “Would you, really?” and Flutters leaned very close to Starlight in his
- eagerness.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I'm sure we would. Will you do it?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, sir, I'll do it now,” and Flutters got straightway on to “all
- fours,” as if he deemed that the most silent and effective mode of escape,
- although the benches were hardly so low as to render it necessary for a
- boy of his size.
- </p>
- <p>
- “But you'll be caught in a minute in those—fixings.” Starlight did
- not think there was enough of them to deserve the respectable name of
- clothes.
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters sat down in despair. “Then there's no use; I may as well give it
- up if I have to go back for anything.” Flutters stood in such fear of the
- manager that he felt sure he could read his very thoughts. He honestly
- meant that he would abandon the whole scheme rather than face Mr. Bradshaw
- with such a design in mind, and he looked down at his spangled slippers
- and bedraggled tights in most woe-begone fashion.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I have it,” said Starlight, after a moment's serious cogitation; “wait
- here a minute,” and taking hold of a board directly under the seat where
- he had sat, he pulled himself up to his place beside Hazel. She was ready
- with a host of eager questions, but Starlight, in the most imperative of
- whispers, gave her quickly to understand that there was no time for
- anything of that sort. “Just do as I tell you, Hazel,” some one overheard
- him say, but more than that they fortunately did not hear.
- </p>
- <p>
- A moment later Starlight disappeared, and a little red cloak, which
- Josephine had made Hazel carry with her, had disappeared too.
- </p>
- <p>
- Not long afterward, but it seemed a very long while to Hazel, the
- entertainment came to a close with a wild sort of farce, which everybody
- seemed to think pretty funny, but Hazel did not so much as smile. She had
- neither seen nor heard what was going on; she had an important little
- piece of business ahead of her, and could hardly wait to be off and about
- it. If her seat had not been quite in the middle of the row, so that she
- would have been obliged to crowd past a long line of people, she simply
- could not have waited; and now that the performance was actually over, she
- energetically pushed her way through one group after another, lingering
- about as if loath to desert the charms of the circus, and was clear of the
- great tent in almost less time than it takes to tell it. Off she darted
- down the road—down Broadway one would say today—for the
- gateway to the circus enclosure was exactly on the spot where Niblo's
- Theatre has for so many years set forth its varied amusements.
- </p>
- <p>
- There was only one farm-house in the immediate neighborhood, and thither
- Hazel flew, bringing up at the threshold of its old Dutch kitchen in a
- state of breathless excitement. “Mrs. V an Wyck,” she cried with what
- little breath she had left, as she peered over the half door that barred
- her entrance.
- </p>
- <p>
- “In a moment, Hazel,” came a voice from the depths. “I am putting some
- curd in the cheese press; I'll be up in a minute.”
- </p>
- <p>
- The minute afforded Hazel a much-needed breathing space, and when a
- rosy-cheeked Dutch Frau emerged from the horizontal doorway of the cool,
- clean-smelling cellar, Hazel was able to make known her request in quite
- coherent fashion.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh Mrs. Van Wyck, <i>will</i> you let me have a pair ol Hanss trousers,'
- and some shoes and a coat, and please, please don't ask me what I want
- them for!” for she saw the question shaping itself on Frau Van Wyck's
- lips; “I'll bring them home safe to-morrow, and tell you all about it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- The little woman looked decidedly astonished, but the child was so urgent,
- and withal such a little favorite of hers, that she could but accede to
- her request, and in a trice Hazel was off again with the coveted articles,
- in a snug bundle, swinging from one hand as she ran.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER IV.—FLUTTERS.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0011" id="linkimage-0011"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9042.jpg" alt="9042 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9042.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- T may seem at first somewhat improbable that Flutters should have been
- able.. to make his escape from the circus grounds without being noticed,
- but escape he did under Starlight's cautious guidance. Every one was still
- intent on the performance itself; outside were only a few straggling
- employees of the company, and they were too much preoccupied with the
- special duties assigned to them to pay any heed to the fact that a couple
- of boys were making their way through the grounds. Indeed, it was
- decidedly too common an occurrence to excite any suspicion. To be sure,
- Hazel's cloak concealed neither the head nor feet of little Flutters; but
- velvet cap and satin slippers were tucked safely away, and the absence of
- hat and shoes was by no means unusual among the boyish rabble that found
- their way into the circus. The most dangerous, because the most
- conspicuous move in their plan of escape, would be the scaling of the high
- board fence, so they naturally made their way to its most remote corner.
- It needed but a moment for Flutters to scramble to its top and drop on the
- other side. Starlight made more clumsy work of it. It was not an easy
- thing to keep one's hold on the slippery inside posts of the fence, and
- when he was near the top he heard some one calling at his back, which did
- not tend to help matters. Astride the fence at last, however, he glanced
- down and saw a forlorn old man close at his heels, one of the drudges of
- the circus, whose duty it was to keep things cleared up about the grounds.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0012" id="linkimage-0012"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figright" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/8043.jpg" alt="8043 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/8043.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- Look you there, cried, in a cracked Flutters and Starlight were safe out
- of sight now, and smiled at each other with supreme satisfaction.
- </p>
- <p>
- “That's Robbin's voice,” chuckled Flutters, as they walked off through the
- woods that grew close up to the circus; “he could get over a mountain as
- easily as over that fence; he has the rheumatics awful bad, and he's very
- old besides, He's the only one I mind about leaving.” Poor old Bobbin
- stood gazing up at the fence, and seemed wisely to come to the conclusion
- that there was no harm in a boy's leaving the circus in that manner if he
- chose. The harm would be if he attempted to come in that way; and so
- hobbled off to his dreary, back-breaking task of gathering up the papers
- and stray bits of rubbish constantly accumulating on every side. It is
- possible, too, that even if he had recognized Flutters, and guessed his
- motive, he would not have tried to detain him. He had once been a tumbler
- himself, and knew enough of the trials of circus life to be willing,
- perhaps, that a promising little fellow should escape them.
- </p>
- <p>
- The grove in which the boys found themselves was the only piece of old
- forest land that remained in the near vicinity of the town, and was fitted
- up with rude tables and benches for the use of picnic parties.
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight led the way to one of these tables, sat down, and comfortably
- rested his folded arms upon it, as though they had reached their point of
- destination. Here was where Hazel was to meet them and, while they waited,
- the boys entertained each other with little scraps of their life
- histories; but Starlight did not for a moment forget to keep eye and ear
- on guard for any one approaching. There was a hollow tree just at
- Flutters's back, into which he could tumble in a flash and be securely hid
- should it become necessary. But the sound of their own low voices and the
- occasional fall of a pine cone or crackling of a branch was all that broke
- the stillness. At last they heard a footfall in the distance, but
- Starlight knew that quick, short little step, and there was no need for
- Flutters to take refuge in the tree. Hazel had come with the precious
- bundle, that was all, and Flutters was straightway arrayed in Hans Van
- Wyck's clothes, his dark little face not at all agreeing with the
- Dutch-looking coat and trousers; but they answered the purpose of complete
- disguise, and what more could be wished for? So the children set out for
- home at a brisk pace, not by the way they had come, but, so far as
- possible, by cross cuts and quiet lanes, to avoid observation. That their
- little tongues moved even faster than their feet was not at all strange,
- for, of course, they wanted to know all about each other.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Are you an Italian, Flutters?” asked Hazel, in the course of the
- cross-questioning.
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters smiled, and shook his head in the negative.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Then I guess you're Spanish,” remarked Starlight.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, not Spanish.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel and Starlight looked mystified. He was certainly neither American
- nor English with that dark skin of his.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0013" id="linkimage-0013"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0045.jpg" alt="0045 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0045.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- “What kind of people does that sort of hair grow on?” Flutters asked,
- running his hand through his tight-curling hair.
- </p>
- <p>
- “On—on darkeys,” answered Hazel, ruefully. “But it does not curl so
- tight as—as some darkeys,” hoping there might be a mistake
- somewhere.
- </p>
- <p>
- “So much the better for me,” Flutters answered, cheerily.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Are—you—a regular—darkey—really?” questioned
- Starlight, with a little pause between each word.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, I'm what they call a mulatto; that's not quite so bad as an
- out-and-out darkey, perhaps.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, Flutters, don't you mind?” asked Hazel, who was disappointed enough
- that the hero of this thrilling adventure should prove to be only a kind
- of negro. Hazel had an idea as, sadly enough, many far older and wiser
- than she had in those days—and, indeed, for long years afterward—that
- negroes were little better than cattle, and that it was quite right to buy
- and sell them in the same fashion.
- </p>
- <p>
- “What would be the use of minding?” said Flutters, in response to her
- sympathetic question; “minding would not make things any different, Miss
- Hazel.”
- </p>
- <p>
- It was the first time he had called her by name, and Hazel, born little
- aristocrat that she was, was glad to discover that “he knew his place,” as
- the phrase goes—so far, at least, as to put the Miss before her
- name.
- </p>
- <p>
- After this the children trudged along for a while in silence, each busy
- with their own thoughts. Starlight was beginning to have some misgivings
- as to the course he had taken. It might, after all, become a serious
- question what to do with Flutters. He began to wonder how Aunt Frances
- would look when he should go back to the farm-house next day with his
- little protégé in tow. She would be pretty sure to say, “What are you
- thinking of, Job dear? It is not at all as though we were in our own home,
- you know. We cannot allow the Van Vleets to take this strange little boy
- into their home for our sakes; though no doubt they would be willing to do
- it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Yes, the more he thought of it, the more he felt sure that would be just
- what she would say; strange that all this had not occurred to him before,
- and a little sickening sensation—half presentiment, half regret—swept
- over him. So it was that Starlight trudged along in silence, for, of
- course, such thoughts as those could not be spoken with Flutters there to
- hear them.
- </p>
- <p>
- As for Hazel, she was turning over a fine little scheme of her own in her
- mind. She was a hopeful little body, and it did not take long for her to
- recover from the despair into which the discovery of Flutters's
- nationality had thrown her. “Why, look here,” she thought to herself, “I
- believe I'm glad he's a darkey after all. It was awful cute to hear him
- say 'Miss Hazel;' how nice it would be to have him for a sort of
- body-servant, just as so many officers have body-servants! He could brush
- my clothes, and groom the pony, and tend to my flower garden, and just
- stand 'round, ready to do whatever I should wish,” and so it was that
- Hazel trudged along in silence, for she thought it wiser not to announce,
- as yet, the exact nature of her thoughtful meditation.
- </p>
- <p>
- And Flutters—well, it would have been hard to tell about what he was
- thinking. He was a most sensitive little fellow, and strong and intense
- were the emotions that often played through his lithe frame, so strong and
- intense at times as to find no other expression than in a perceptible
- little tremble from head to foot; it was this peculiarity that had won for
- him the expressive name of “Flutters” among the circus people. Now, of
- course, his state of mind was joyous and satisfied. Kind friends and a
- home in this new land! What more could be desired, and the happiest look
- played over his handsome face, for Flutters was handsome, and the dark
- olive complexion was most to be thanked for it; but the light went out of
- his face when, after a while, he glanced toward Starlight and saw his
- troubled look.
- </p>
- <p>
- Instantly he divined its cause. “Are you sorry you took me?” he asked,
- coming to an abrupt standstill in the brier-hedged lane.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, not exactly;” Starlight was betrayed into a partial confession of the
- truth by the suddenness of the question.
- </p>
- <p>
- Oh, how that hurt poor little Flutters, with his sensitive temperament!
- </p>
- <p>
- “It is not too late,” he said, turning and looking in the direction they
- had come; “I think I can find my way back. They'd never know I'd regular
- runned away;” but there was a mistiness in the bright little darkey eyes,
- and an actual ache in the poor little heart.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Flutters, <i>I</i> am not sorry then,” said Hazel, warmly; and laying a
- firm hand on each shoulder, she turned him right about face again in the
- direction of her own home. “Just you trust to me, Flutters, and you'll
- never be sorry you ran away from that miserable old circus—never.”
- </p>
- <p>
- And now, so completely was all gloom dispelled by these kind words, that
- back in a flash came the glad look into Flutters's face, and from that
- moment he was Hazel's sworn servant. Starlight looked rather ashamed of
- himself, but, after all, his fears had some foundation, and he was
- thankful enough thus to have Hazel take matters into her own hands, and
- more than share the responsibility. The sun was already down as the
- children neared the house, standing in clear-cut outline against the
- September sky. There were no clouds, only a marvellous gradation of color,
- shading imperceptibly from the dark, dark blue of the river and the hills
- beyond, up into the red glow of the sunset, and then again by some subtle
- transformation into a wonderful pale turquoise high overhead.
- </p>
- <p>
- It was indeed a beautiful fall evening, and Captain and Mrs. Boniface and
- Josephine, seated on the wide, pillared porch, were waiting for the coming
- of the children, and the exciting narrative that was sure to follow.
- “Kate, the bonny-face baby,” as they used to call her, was there too, a
- sunny, winsome little daughter, almost three years old, and Harry Avery
- besides, Job Starlight's cousin, a good-looking young fellow, and who
- lately had managed to spend a good deal of time at the Bonifaces. He had
- sailed over that morning from Paulus Hook (which, by the way, was the old
- name for Jersey City) with a fine little plan in mind for the day—a
- plan which he had already promised Hazel should some time be carried out;
- but the absence of the children had made it necessary to postpone it for
- at least twenty-four hours. This Harry Avery was the oldest of a varied
- assortment of little brothers, and his home was in New London,
- Connecticut. But two years before he had enlisted as a volunteer on board
- a brig named “The Fair American,” and not one of the little brothers had
- ever had a sight of the big brother since. He had had a sorry enough time
- of it, too, for eighteen months of the twenty-four since he left home had
- been passed in the prison-ship “Jersey,” and he had only been released
- within the last few weeks, when the success of the American armies
- compelled the English to discharge all their prisoners of war. The old
- ship where so many brave men had lost their lives by privation and disease
- now lay a great deserted hulk in the waters of Wallabout Bay, and what
- Harry had come over to propose was a sail over to have a look at her. He
- knew it would interest the children immensely, and he had proposed to Mrs.
- Boniface that Josephine should go with them, and Josephine, only too glad
- to fall in with any plan that involved being out on the water, had that
- morning concocted some very delicious little iced cakes with a view to the
- luncheon they would take with them on the morrow. Meanwhile, the children
- were almost at the gate. “Why, there's Cousin Harry!” exclaimed Starlight,
- whose eyes were good at a long range.
- </p>
- <p>
- “So it is,” said Hazel, excitedly; and when they had passed a few steps
- farther on, she added, “Now, Flutters, this is the best place for you to
- stop, and remember, when you hear me call, come quick as anything.”
- Flutters smiled assent, and stepped into the deeper shadow of one of the
- maples that edged the road.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, here you are at last,” called Captain Boniface a few moments later
- from where he sat smoking in a great easy-chair on the porch.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, here we are,” answered Starlight, and they marched up the path and
- took their seats on the porch, Hazel having first kissed the family all
- round, not at all reluctantly including “Cousin Harry,” for his prison
- experience made him a wonderful hero in her eyes.
- </p>
- <p>
- Of course they right away began to give an account, interrupted by a good
- many questions, of all they had seen and done. Mrs. Boniface thought, and
- thought rightly, that she detected a little sense of disappointment in
- their description, but did not know that that was easily accounted for by
- the insight they had had into the inner workings of a circus. They had
- indeed been greatly impressed with the velvet and spangles, but only until
- they had learned through Flutters what heavy hearts velvet and spangles
- could cover.
- </p>
- <p>
- Finally, at the close of quite a vivid description on Hazel's part of the
- grand entrance march, which had proved to both the children the most
- impressive feature, Harry Avery remarked, just by way of taking some part
- in the conversation, “that they ought to have brought a bit of the circus
- home with them for the benefit of people who had not been so fortunate as
- to see it.” Could there have been a better opportunity for the
- introduction of Flutters?
- </p>
- <p>
- “We did bring a bit of it home,” cried Hazel; and then, stepping to the
- edge of the porch, she called, “<i>Flutters, Flutters</i>,” at the top of
- her strong little lungs. Of course the Bonifaces looked on astonished at
- this performance, while Starlight, from suppressed excitement, bit his lip
- till he almost made the blood come; but in a second, head over heels in a
- series of somersaults up the path, bounded a remarkable little creature in
- satin slippers, velvet cap and all, as real a bit of a circus as Cousin
- Harry or any one else could have desired. The little tumbler was, of
- course, acting under orders, and brought up at the step of the porch with
- the most beaming smile imaginable, and a most gracious little bow.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0014" id="linkimage-0014"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0050.jpg" alt="0050 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0050.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- “Come right up, Flutters,” was Hazel's reassuring invitation, and nothing
- abashed, but still beaming and smiling, so great was his confidence in
- Hazel, Flutters mounted the steps, swung himself into the hammock that was
- strung across the porch, and drew the netted meshes close about him, as
- though conscious of the scarcity of his apparel.
- </p>
- <p>
- There was a pause for a moment—that is, no word was spoken, but the
- four pairs of eyes belonging to Captain and Mrs. Boniface and Josephine
- and Harry were riveted upon Hazel, asking as plainly as words, “What does
- this mean?” while Starlight's eyes were urging her in an imploring fashion
- to tell about it all right away. As for Flutters, the complacent, trustful
- gaze with which he regarded his little benefactress implied that he was
- sure she would proceed to explain matters to the entire satisfaction of
- everybody. Meantime little Kate looked on in admiring wonder, but
- fortunately her pretty head did not need to trouble itself with
- “explanations of things.” She only knew that that little fellow in the
- hammock was “awfully funny.” and extended her pretty hands toward him as
- though she would very much like to touch him.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well,” Hazel began at last with much the same air as a veritable showman,
- “this little boy is named Flutters, and he did belong to the circus, but
- he does not belong to it any more. He has run away, and we've helped him
- to do it. Somehow he's quite alone in the world, and he has to s'port
- himself, so he joined the circus 'cause he found he could do what the
- other tumblers did, and'cause he heard they were coming to America. But he
- has not been at all happy in the circus,” and Hazel, pausing a moment,
- looked toward Flutters for confirmation of this sad statement, and
- Flutters bore witness to its truth by gravely shaking his head from side
- to side. Indeed all through her narration it was most amusing to watch his
- expression, so perfectly did it correspond with every word she spoke.
- Little folk and old folk have a fashion of letting each passing thought
- write itself legibly on the face. It is only the strong “in-between” folk
- who take great care that no one shall ever know what they chance to be
- thinking about.
- </p>
- <p>
- By this time Starlight began to show a desire to take a share in the
- telling of the story, but Hazel would none of it. She thought, perhaps
- unjustly, that he had proved somewhat of a coward in the latter part of
- the transaction; at any rate, he himself had pushed her to the front, and
- there she meant to stay. “No, he has not been at all happy,” she
- continued; “indeed, the manager has often been very cruel to him; but I
- will tell you about that another time” (for her eyes were growing a little
- tearful at the mere remembrance of some things Flutters had told them);
- “and the way we came to know about it was this: sometimes when Flutters
- takes a great jump from the spring-board and turns a somersault two times
- in the air, he slips his knee-cap—that's what you call it, Flutters,
- isn't it?” (Flutters nodded yes), “and then he has to slip it back again
- himself, and it hurts a good deal, so that he can't jump any more for a
- while. Well, to-day he slipped it, and then he crawled over underneath
- where we sat, and we talked with him a little; then Starlight told him to
- creep under the benches when no one was looking, and Starlight dropped
- down between the seats and talked with him some more.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And then we arranged,” Starlight now interrupted in such an unmistakably
- determined manner that Hazel allowed him to continue, “how he should run
- away, and he didn't even go back for his clothes, because he says that the
- manager can almost see what a fellow's thinking about, and he didn't dare.
- So when we had fixed everything I climbed up to Hazel and told her what
- she was to do, and then I dropped down again, and Flutters put on Hazel's
- cloak so as to cover him up a little, and we scooted. We came near being
- found out once, but we got over the great fence safe at last and into
- Beekman's woods. There Hazel was to meet us with some of Hans Van Wyck's
- clothes, if she could get them.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And I did get them,” chimed in Hazel, for it was surely her turn once
- more, “and—but, oh!” stopping suddenly, “the clothes! Starlight, do
- hurry and get them, or some one coming along the road may run off with
- them.” Starlight obeyed, frightened enough at the thought of the possible
- loss of the borrowed articles, and quickly returning with them to the
- great relief of both Hazel and himself.
- </p>
- <p>
- Then the story went on again, turn and turn about, Flutters gaining
- courage to join in now and then, till at last, when the twilight had given
- place to the sort of half darkness of a starlight night, and the
- fire-flies were flashing their little lanterns on every side, they had
- told all there was to tell, and three foot-sore little people confessed
- they were tired and sleepy and hungry, and glad enough to go indoors and
- do justice to a most inviting little supper, which Josephine had slipped
- away some time before to prepare.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Bonny Kate” (as she was called more than half the time, after a certain
- wilful but very charming young woman in one of Shakespeare's great plays)
- had long ago fallen asleep, and lay just where her mother, running indoors
- for a moment, had stowed her away in a corner of the great hair-cloth sofa
- in the dining-room. One pretty hand was folded under her rosy cheek, and
- such a merry smile played over her sweet face! She surely must have been
- dreaming of a remarkable little fellow, in beautiful velvet and spangles,
- coming head over heels up a garden path.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER V.—CAPTAIN BONIFACE RECEIVES AN ANGRY LETTER.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0015" id="linkimage-0015"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9054.jpg" alt="9054 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9054.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- T is one thing to help a much-abused and unhappy little member of a circus
- troupe to run away from his unhappy surroundings; it is quite another
- thing to provide for all his future, particularly if, like Flutters, he
- has not a penny to his name nor a stitch to his back, none more
- serviceable, that is, than the ring costume of a high and lofty tumbler.
- And so it was that Mrs. Boniface and Josephine and Harry sat up well into
- the night, laughing heartily now and then over the funny side of the
- children's adventure, but talking gravely enough most of the time of its
- more serious side.
- </p>
- <p>
- “As far as I can make out,” said Harry, “Starlight rather expected to
- bring Flutters over to the farm to-morrow and ask Aunt Frances to care for
- him, at least till he found somebody else who would. I imagine his heart
- rather failed him later, as it ought to. Aunt Frances has enough to bother
- her at present.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But you don't blame the children for helping the poor little fellow, do
- you?” said Josephine, warmly; “I think almost anyone would have done the
- same thing under the same circumstances.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Very likely, Miss Josephine, but that doesn't dispose of the troublesome
- question, What is now to be done with him?
- </p>
- <p>
- “Unfortunately, there are questions to be met more troublesome than that,”
- said Captain Boniface, joining for the first time in the conversation, and
- he had only too good reason for speaking as he did. Early in the evening a
- letter had been brought him, to which no one had paid any attention. It
- was a daily occurrence for a messenger to turn in at the gate with a note
- for the Captain, since he had been for the last eight years the principal
- furnisher of supplies to the English soldiers stationed in the city, and
- had need both to write and receive many letters. Indeed, so loyal had he
- been to King George that, at the very commencement of the Revolution, he
- had joined the English army, but had had the misfortune to be very
- seriously wounded in the first battle that was fought. When at last, after
- weeks of constant suffering, he was able to be moved, General Gage, under
- whom he served, had contrived to send him home by easy stages along the
- Boston post-road, under protection of an English escort; and Captain
- Boniface always declared, and no doubt he was right about it, that nothing
- short of his wife's careful nursing would ever have brought him through.
- But after that it was out of the question for him to rejoin the army, so
- he must needs stay quietly at home and aid the King's cause as best he
- could by helping to feed the King's soldiers. All this, of course, had
- made enemies of most of the Captain's old friends. Harry Avery was almost
- the only exception; and now that the Colonies had been successful, matters
- were looking pretty serious for him and for every American who had sided
- with the King. The note that had just been brought to him proved a very
- threatening one. It as much as ordered him to leave the country, saying
- “that there was but one safe course for him and his, and that was to be
- gone instantly; that New York had no further use for him; that the sooner
- her streets and coffee-houses were rid of him the better, and that he
- would simply be taking his life in his hands if he stayed.” It was truly a
- terribly alarming letter, but Captain Boniface, knowing that sooner or
- later his wife and Josephine would have to know about it, now broke in
- upon the conversation and read it to them.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Who has dared to write you that?” asked Mrs. Boniface.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Four old friends, Mary; that is the saddest part of it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Mrs. Boniface sat pale and silent, looking straight before her, and not
- hearing another word that was said. She knew her husband well enough to
- feel assured that no such letter would move him a step from his home. Not
- he! He would remain and live the bitter persecution down. But would he be
- allowed to live it down? There were cruel words in that letter. “By
- remaining you simply take your life in your hands,” it said, and the
- terrible threat sent all sorts of dread possibilities thronging through
- her mind.
- </p>
- <p>
- With anxious faces, and quick-beating hearts, Josephine and her mother
- listened, as Harry Avery and the Captain talked late into the night. It
- was a great comfort to realize that although Harry was a Whig, and a
- strong one, too, he did not harbor any bitter feeling against them.
- “Perhaps,” thought Josephine gladly, “there are others like him.”
- </p>
- <p>
- It seemed as though Harry must have seen the gratitude in her expressive
- eyes, as he continued again and again to reassure the Captain of his full
- sympathy, and his determination to be of assistance to him in every
- possible way.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, what will you do about it, father? Josephine asked, as just at
- midnight, she leaned over his chair to say good-night.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Do about it, child?” he said, taking her hands in both of his,
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, stay just where I am!”
- </p>
- <p>
- Mrs. Boniface shook her head gravely, as she and Josephine left the room
- together. She had known so well beforehand that he would say exactly that.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER VI.—OFF FOR THE PRISON-SHIP.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0016" id="linkimage-0016"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9057.jpg" alt="9057 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9057.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- HAT a queer sort of thing it is, this regularly going to sleep and waking
- up again once in every twenty-four hours; but people who have had a little
- experience in not going to sleep regularly, and in waking up at most
- unheard-of and irregular hours, will tell you that that experience is a
- deal queerer, and not so pleasant by half. Some of the little folk who have
- need to be coaxed and urged to bed six nights out of the seven, would
- hardly dare to fret, I imagine, if they only knew that to be a sound
- sleeper is an accomplishment sorely envied by some of those grown-up
- people who may sit up as late as they choose. And if one of those wakeful,
- grown-up people should some day ask you, “What is the secret of your sound
- sleeping, my little friend?” just tell them that you think it is because
- you do not worry. Then if they say, “That's all very well; children have
- no need to worry, they have fathers and mothers to lean upon tell them
- that they, too, have a Father, One far more kind and loving than any
- earthly father, and that they could lie down at night as free from worry
- as any child if they would;” and who knows but they will learn a blessed
- lesson from you that will be well worth the learning.
- </p>
- <p>
- Now this little reverie has all been suggested by the fact that the
- Boniface household was waking up, all save old Dinah, the cook, for she
- had been up for an hour or more. She had once been Hazel's nurse, and,
- since the beginning of the war, was the only servant the Bonifaces could
- afford to keep. How comfortable she made them, that faithful old Dinah, so
- that all one had to do was to waken and wash, and brush and dress, and
- then sit down to steaming coffee, delicate rolls, and the most savory
- little rasher of bacon, which Dinah always added as a “relisher,” as she
- called it, to the more substantial part of the breakfast. Yes, they were
- waking, all of them, from anxious Captain Boniface to happy little
- Flutters, for Dinah's vigorous ringing of the rising bell had thoroughly
- done its work.
- </p>
- <p>
- Each busy brain was taking up again the manifold threads of thought which
- had slipped from its hold when sleep had stolen across it so gently the
- night before. Captain Boniface instantly remembered the angry letter, as,
- of course, did Mrs. Boniface and Josephine, and so their waking was rather
- heavy hearted. Harry instantly remembered it too, but his second thought
- was of the pretty sail-boat moored down at the Boniface wharf, and of the
- plan for the day, and he was glad to open his eyes on blue skies and the
- sunshine that flooded his eastward room. Flutters woke with a smile.
- Indeed, he doubted if he should ever do anything but smile again, so sure
- was he that he had turned a very happy corner in his life. Starlight
- roomed with Flutters, and his first thought when he opened his eyes was
- how they were to manage to return those clothes of Hans Van Wyck's, that
- Flutters was getting into with such an air of complacent ownership.
- Hazel's little mind took its first morning flight in the same direction as
- Harry Avery's. The sail-boat, the bay sparkling in the sunshine, the visit
- to the old prison-ship—it all meant so much to her enthusiastic,
- pleasure-loving temperament. A certain uncomfortable and premeditated call
- upon Colonel Hamilton could easily be postponed to an indefinite future,
- with such delightful anticipations in the definite present.
- </p>
- <p>
- “It seems heartless to be going off for a day's jaunt, when father has so
- much to trouble him,” Josephine said, when, soon after breakfast, the
- little party of five, basketed and equipped, were starting down to the
- wharf.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Not at all, Josephine,” answered her sweet-faced mother, holding bonny
- Kate by the hand as she spoke. “We will try and keep dear old papa cheery,
- won't we, little daughter?” then, seeing that Josephine still lingered, as
- though reluctant to go, she added, cheerily, “nothing would be gained by
- your staying, Josephine. Your father has some office work that will keep
- him in the house, so you can think of him as safe at home all day, and we
- are both of us glad enough to have you enjoy a little change.” So,
- somewhat relieved in her mind, Josephine hurried down and joined the
- Others, and soon the “Gretchen,” with her white sail spread to the crisp
- morning breeze, sped out on the river, fairly dancing along the crests of
- the white caps that splashed against her prow with such a continuous and
- merry little thump and splutter.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0017" id="linkimage-0017"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0059.jpg" alt="0059 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0059.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- Wind and tide favored them, and Harry was an excellent sailor, so that in
- a comparatively short time they had left the waters of the Hudson behind
- them, had rounded Fort George, the Battery of to-day, and were headed up
- the East River, with New York on the one side, and the then scattered town
- of Brooklyn on the other. Skilfully tacking in long slants from shore to
- shore, the wharves and shipping were soon exchanged for the sloping banks
- of Manhattan Island on the left, and of Long Island on the right, and then
- suddenly the dismasted hulk of the old “Jersey” loomed up before them.
- </p>
- <p>
- She was a dreary enough looking object to any one, but if, like Harry, you
- had been a prisoner aboard of her for eighteen long months, you would,
- like him, no doubt, have shuddered at the sight of her. Josephine
- shuddered too. “Oh, do not let us go any nearer!” she said.
- </p>
- <p>
- “All right,” was Harry's quick response, for, in point of fact, nothing
- pleased him better than to comply with Josephine's slightest wish, so the
- “Gretchen” veered off again.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh! can't we go aboard?” cried Flutters, with a world of disappointment
- in his tone, for in imagination he had already scaled the gangway ladder
- that hung at her larboard side, and turned more than one somersault on the
- wide sweep of her upper deck.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, no, child!” answered Hazel, who was fast assuming a most patronizing
- air toward her little protégé; “no one would think of going <i>aboard</i>
- of her, would they, Cousin Harry?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, why not?” Flutters asked, half-impatiently, for Harry, giving his
- attention for the moment to the management of the boat, did not at once
- reply.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Because,” he said, finally, “there has been far too much sickness in that
- old hulk for any one to safely venture aboard of her; she has been
- responsible for the lives of eleven thousand men. I doubt if the strongest
- and longest of north winds could ever blow her free from the fever that
- must be lurking in her rotten timbers.”
- </p>
- <p>
- That was a new phase of the matter to Flutters, and he subsided at once
- into thoughtful silence.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I think this would be a good place to anchor,” suggested Harry, but
- waited a moment till Josephine had given her consent before letting the
- anchor run the length of its rope and bury itself in the mud bottom
- beneath them.
- </p>
- <p>
- As soon as the “Gretchen” had settled into the position determined for her
- by the tide, the little party of five ranged themselves about the boat, so
- as to be as comfortable as possible, for there they meant to stay for the
- next hour, or two, or three, as the case might be. It had been for some
- time a thoroughly understood matter between Hazel and Harry Avery, that
- whenever the day should come for this trip to the “Jersey,” they were to
- anchor their boat in <i>full sight</i> of her, and <i>then</i> and <i>there</i>
- he was to tell them the “whole story”—from the day he volunteered
- till the day of his release in the previous summer.
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters, who had been made acquainted with the object of the expedition,
- waited, with a charming native sense of the “fitness of things,” until the
- others had chosen their places; then he threw himself at Harry's feet, in
- one of the graceful positions so natural to him, and which even Hans Van
- Wyck's rough, homespun clothes did not altogether succeed in hiding. It
- was wonderful to look into Flutters's upturned face—such complete
- satisfaction, such tranquil happiness shone out of it. Even in those
- exciting moments when every nerve and tissue was thrilling under Harry's
- narration of the dark features of his prison life, a smile still seemed to
- be lurking in the corners of his expressive mouth. Yesterday, a lonely
- little tumbler in a dreary, tawdry circus company; to-day, one of a
- blessed circle of warm-hearted friends. Whatever fears others might have
- as to the disposal to be made of him, Flutters had none for himself. Of
- course he was to be Hazel's faithful little servant from that day forward,
- and it was almost worth while, he thought, to have “darkey blood” in one's
- veins for the sake of rendering such happy service. Farther than that he
- did not trouble himself, literally taking no thought for the morrow, nor
- for what he should put on when his present habiliments should have found
- their way back to their rightful owner. The “Gretchens” little company
- made a pretty picture against the blue gray of the bay, and when at last
- there was no more arranging to be done, and all had repeatedly declared
- themselves “perfectly comfortable,” there was a breathless, momentous
- little pause, as in the moment at a play between the significant and
- abrupt cessation of the orchestra and the rolling back of the curtain. “<i>Please</i>
- begin,” said Hazel, with a great sigh, as though the intense anticipation
- of that supreme moment was quite too heavy for child-nature to endure, and
- Harry, looking sadly over to the old “Jersey,” commenced his story.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER VII—HARRY'S STORY
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0018" id="linkimage-0018"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9062.jpg" alt="9062 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9062.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- I am to begin, Hazel, and at the very beginning, too, if I keep my
- promise. Well, this little chapter of my life began with a thought, as
- happens with most everything that is done in this world, and the thought
- was not one I had reason to be very proud of. I suppose all of you know,
- even Flutters, that since the commencement of the Revolution American
- vessels have been cruising about, hoping to capture English vessels.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Now it chanced about two years ago that the 'Hannah,' a very rich prize,
- was brought into New London. Some of the men who had taken part in her
- capture had sailed out of New London as poor as could be, and here they
- came sailing back again, with a prize in tow rich enough to fill all their
- empty pockets. So it was not strange, perhaps, that the capture of the
- 'Hannah' turned a good many young heads, nor that mine turned with the
- rest, and that, as soon as possible, I joined the crew of the 'Venture,' a
- privateer that was being rapidly fitted out for a cruise. At length
- everything was in readiness, and away we sailed with the highest hopes,
- and with our pretty brig so crowded with musketry that when in action she
- looked like a great flame of fire. Well, we were not long at sea before we
- gave chase to an English ship, in appearance as large as ours. We
- exchanged a few shots, then we ran alongside of her, and with one salute
- of all our fire put her to silence, and fortunately, too, without losing a
- single life. I can tell you I was a happy fellow, Hazel (Harry seemed to
- consider Hazel his chief listener), when it fell to my lot to be one of
- the crew who were ordered to man the prize and bring her into port; happy
- I was, and as proud as a turkey-cock; but that state of things did not
- last very long. It was our purpose not to attempt to make a landing until
- we should reach New Bedford; but before we had even cleared the shores of
- Long Island an English ship of war, the 'Belisarius,' of twenty-six guns,
- bore down upon us, and in less than an hour from the time she had sighted
- us, those of our number left on the 'Venture,' and those of us who had
- manned the English brig were all prisoners together and in irons in her
- hold.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Bless my stars! were you really?” exclaimed Flutters, quite unprepared
- for this turn of affairs.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, Flutters, sixty-five of us, and on our way to the old prison-ship,
- yonder.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “How many did you say?” asked Hazel. She had been thinking she must teach
- Flutters not to say “Bless my stars!” and things like that, and so her
- attention had wandered for a moment.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Sixty-five, and in less than five months we were reduced to thirty-five.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Did thirty die?” she asked, incredulously.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, thirty did die,” interrupted Starlight, setting his lips firmly, for
- he knew what he was talking about, “and you old English as good as
- murdered them.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Starlight, don't you dare to speak like that to me,” was Hazel's quick
- retort, while the blood flashed hotly into her face. Flutters gazed at her
- with astonishment. Perhaps, thought he, it will not always be an easy
- matter, after all, for even the most faithful of body-servants to please
- such a spirited little mistress.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Good for you, Hazel,” laughed Harry; “I would not stand such incivility
- either, if I were you; but then I must tell you one thing, not all English
- hearts are as kind as yours and Josephine's. If they were, the old
- 'Jersey' would not have so sorrowful a tale to tell.” Harry paused a
- moment. Starlight and Hazel were feeling a trifle uncomfortable. They
- could not resist the temptation to give each other a little home-thrust
- now and then on the score of their political differences: The result, as a
- rule, was a half-acknowledged admiration for each other's patriotism, and
- an extra touch of mutual consideration in word and manner for the time
- being.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Flutters,” said Hazel, solemnly, perhaps by way of disposing of the pause
- that seemed to reflect somewhat upon the conduct of herself and Starlight,
- “Flutters, <i>what</i> are <i>you?</i>” Flutters looked down at his queer
- little Dutch outfit, and then up at Hazel, with a smile, which said as
- plainly as words, “I give it up.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I mean,” continued Hazel, “who do you side with? Are you a stanch little
- Loyalist like me? That is, do you think, as I think, that it is very wrong
- to take up arms against the King?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters was lying flat in the bottom of the boat now, his dark little
- face propped between the palms of his hands, at a loss to know how to
- answer. He was a trifle embarrassed by the directness of Hazel's question.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I would rather side with you, Miss Hazel,” he replied, at last, “a sight
- rather; but mulatto boys what has passed most of their time in a circus
- don't know much 'bout those things. I'm going to hear Mr. Harry out, and
- then I'll make up my mind.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Very well,” Hazel replied, with chilling dignity; “please go on,” she
- added, turning to Harry.
- </p>
- <p>
- Harry hesitated a moment, evidently trying to recall just where he had
- left off.
- </p>
- <p>
- “You were in irons on the 'Belisarius,”' suggested Josephine, whose
- thoughts, judging from the far-away look in her eyes, had been with the
- poor prisoners all the while rather than with what had been going on about
- her.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, yes, there we were! and fortunately with no idea of the suffering in
- store for us. Early the next morning we were led on deck. The 'Belisarius'
- had dropped anchor over yonder (pointing to the New York shore), and two
- boats were coming toward us, for she had signalled the 'Jersey' that she
- had prisoners to transfer. Oh, how our hearts sank within us as the little
- boats that were to carry us came nearer and nearer, and do you wonder,
- children, that we dreaded to board the old craft? Did you ever see a
- drearier-looking object, with never so much as a spar or a mast to remind
- you of the real use of a vessel? Even her lion figure-head had been taken
- away, leaving nothing but an unsightly old hulk, and yet I believe the
- Englishmen who were in charge of her thought the place, wretched as it
- was, too good for us. It seemed we were not even to be treated with the
- consideration due to prisoners of a war with a foreign nation. Having
- risen against the Mother Country, in their eyes we were simply traitors.
- Hopeless and despairing we were rowed over to the old prison, marched up
- the gangway ladder, ordered down the hatchway, and then, with the brutal
- exclamation, 'There, rebels! there is the cage for you,' we found
- ourselves prisoners in the midst of a very wretched company.”
- </p>
- <p>
- The story was growing pretty painful, and likely to grow still more so,
- provided Harry told them <i>all</i>, as he had promised. Besides, it was
- so terribly real, sitting there aboard of the “Gretchen” with the old
- “Jersey” right before them.
- </p>
- <p>
- By way of affording a little relief from what she felt was yet to be told,
- Josephine asked: “What was that canvas-covered place there in the stern
- used for?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, that was a shelter put up for the guards on the quarterdeck. Just
- below that, and reaching from the bulkhead of the quarter-deck to the
- forecastle, was what they called the spar-deck, and it was there that we
- were allowed to take such exercise as we could. We used to walk in
- platoons facing the same way, and then all turn at once, so as to make the
- most of the little space. The gun-room, right under the quarter-deck, was
- where I was imprisoned, and it was a trifle more comfortable there, if you
- can use that word in connection with anything on the 'Jersey,' than the
- crowded place between decks where most of the prisoners were herded
- together. I had fortunately been chosen second mate on the English brig
- during the little while that we were masters of it, and to that lucky fact
- I owed my assignment to the gun-room with the other officers. But for
- that, I do not believe I should be here to-day to tell the story. I do not
- see how I could have endured any more and lived. As it was, you know, I
- was very ill.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I know,” said Hazel, laying her hand affectionately over one of
- Harry's and looking sympathetically into his face; “perhaps you had better
- not say very much about that part. Josephine and I cry very easy; don't
- we, Josephine?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Then please don't, Harry,” urged Starlight; “I'd rather have a good
- thrashing any time than see a girl cry,” recalling one occasion in
- particular, when his own misconduct had moved Hazel to tears, and she had
- refused for the space of one long half hour to be in any-wise comforted.
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters had not paid the least attention to this last interruption. He
- was thinking that, after all, the life of a friendless little circus
- performer, sorry and comfortless and forlorn as it was, might be less full
- of hardship than a prisoner's. It was a very grand thing to have one's
- freedom, and he had always had that—that is, he might at any time
- have run away if he chose.
- </p>
- <p>
- “What did they give you to eat, Mr. Harry?” he asked, by way of comparing
- bills of fare.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Little that was fit to eat, Flutters; but I can tell you exactly if you
- would like to know,” and Harry drew from his pocket-book a scrap of folded
- paper. “This was our list of supplies. I wrote it down the first week on
- board, and knew it quite by heart all too soon. I think I could repeat it
- now.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Suppose you try,” and Josephine taking the paper from his hand, Harry at
- once began to recite, with the satisfied air of a child that perfectly
- knows its lesson:
- </p>
- <p>
- “On <i>Sunday</i>.—1 pound of biscuit, 1 pound of pork, and 1 pint
- of peas.
- </p>
- <p>
- “On <i>Monday</i>.—1 pound of biscuit, 1 pint of oatmeal, 2 ounces
- butter.
- </p>
- <p>
- “On <i>Tuesday</i>.—1 pound of biscuit, 2 pounds beef.
- </p>
- <p>
- “On <i>Wednesday</i>.—1 1/2 pounds of flour and 2 ounces suet.
- </p>
- <p>
- “On <i>Thursday</i>.—Same as Sunday.
- </p>
- <p>
- “On <i>Friday</i>.—Same as Monday.
- </p>
- <p>
- “On <i>Saturday</i>.—Same as Tuesday.
- </p>
- <p>
- “There, how is that?” he asked, “any mistakes?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Not one,” answered Josephine; “but really, Harry, is that all you
- received?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why,” exclaimed Flutters, “seems to me that's considerable. Circus folks
- often don't fare no better than that, and don't get things so reg'lar,
- either.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And yet, Flutters, that is only two-thirds of the allowance of an English
- seaman. However, we would have managed well enough to exist if the things
- had been good in themselves or decently cooked, but all the provisions
- were of so wretched a quality that many a poor 'Jersey' prisoner died from
- starvation through sheer inability to eat them.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Who cooked the things for you?” asked Hazel.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Whenever we could manage, Hazel, we cooked them ourselves. Do you see
- that big derrick on the starboard side? Well, that was for taking in
- water, and we each had a scanty allowance of so much and no more each day.
- But, as a rule, we contrived to save a little of it with which to do our
- own cooking, because only the toughest men on board could so much as
- swallow the food prepared by the ship's cook. Under the forecastle, there
- in the bow, hangs a great copper divided in the middle and holding two or
- three hogsheads of water. In one side they cooked the meat, in the other
- the peas and oatmeal—sometimes, I believe, in salt water, but always
- in water so stale as to be absolutely unfit for use. So five or six of us
- would club together, each contributing our portion of water to the cooking
- supply, and then, by begging a little wood from the cook, now and then,
- and splitting it very carefully and economically with our knives, we could
- manage to keep a fire going that would soon set our little pots boiling.
- It was a great day for us, I remember, when a tangle of driftwood came
- bumping against the ship's side, and we were allowed to haul it on board
- for our fires.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “It must have been very hard only now and then to have had a little butter
- for the biscuit,” remarked Hazel, to whom this particular feature of
- Harry's story appealed most pathetically, so very fond was her own little
- ladyship of the variety and sufficiency of a well-appointed table.
- </p>
- <p>
- “But the butter was not forthcoming, Hazel; they gave us rancid sweet-oil
- instead, which refused to pass muster with our Yankee palates, so that we
- were able to bestow a double portion upon some poor Frenchmen, who were
- very grateful for it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters had changed his mind about the adequacy of the “Jersey's” bill of
- fare, and was growing not a little indignant over Harry's narration.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Miss Hazel,” he said, while the color flashed through his dark skin, “I
- am siding with the Yankees very fast.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I do not blame you very much, Flutters; I never heard of anything like
- it;” which was quite a concession for so loyal a little Red-Coat as Hazel.
- </p>
- <p>
- “But, Harry,” asked Josephine, who could scarcely bear to hear of such
- barbarous treatment at the hands of her own kinsmen, “do you think King
- George and the English nation, generally, knew about it?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, I don't, nor do I believe they know it now; but they will some day.
- It was their business to know it, Josephine, and not to leave thousands of
- human beings at the mercy of a few merciless British seamen. Your own
- father would scarcely credit all I could tell him of our treatment, nor
- many another English officer; but it was the clear duty of some of them to
- have looked into the matter.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “You don't mean it was my papa's duty, do you?” Hazel asked, bristling up
- a little; she was not going to allow even “Cousin Harry” to utter a word
- that would seem to reflect upon her father even for a moment.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, of course, I don't mean anything of the kind. If I thought Captain
- Boniface in any way responsible for those horrors, do you think I could be
- on such friendly terms with him? No, Hazel, your father is a true, brave
- man, and no one knows better than I how much he has given up in King
- George's service. It was not his duty to inspect the prison-ships.
- Furnishing supplies for the English troops called for every moment of his
- thought and time, and taxed all his strength and energy; but there are
- some men—men whom your father knows—whose names we need not
- mention, who <i>are</i> very culpable in the matter, if you know what that
- means?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I suppose it means very much to blame,” sighed Hazel.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, I wish you would just go on telling about things!” urged Flutters,
- beseechingly, for to him the story itself was far more interesting than
- any side remarks.
- </p>
- <p>
- Harry remained silent a moment. Since Josephine and Hazel “cried very
- easy,” he had need to be careful just where he began again. “I must not
- forget to tell you,” he said, “something about 'Dame Grant,' as we called
- her, for her visits to the old 'Jersey' constituted almost our greatest
- blessing. She was a fat old woman, who dealt in sugar and tea, pipes and
- combs, needles and pins, and a few other of the necessaries of life. Every
- day or two her little boat would push out from the Brooklyn shore, and,
- rowed by two boys, over she would come to the ship's side. Those of us who
- were fortunate enough to have any money were then allowed to go to the
- foot of the ladder and make some little purchases, obtaining everything—so
- she always assured us—'at cost price.' But sometimes I was almost
- sorry that I had a cent to spend. It was so terrible to see the longing in
- the faces of the poor fellows who had no money. I will say this much in
- our favor, however; I think there was hardly a man among us who did not
- share with some one else fully half of whatever he had bought. But
- suddenly the visits came to an end. One morning the little boat put out
- from the shore as usual, but with no one in it save one of the boys who
- used to row it, and he brought us the sad news that the old 'Dame' had
- caught the fever from the hulk of the 'Jersey' and died. After that no one
- else was ever willing to run the risk of contagion for the sake of the
- profits of our little purchases. But one of the happiest experiences that
- ever came to us in those long, dreary days, was to be allowed to become a
- member of the 'Working Party.' It was composed of twenty men, and all the
- prisoners who had any strength left were always eager to join it. It was
- the duty of these men to wash down the upper deck and gangway, to spread
- the awning, and to hoist wood, water, and other supplies on board, from
- the boats that came alongside. Then, in the case of any deaths—and
- there were often three or four during a single night—some of the
- party would be assigned the duty of burial, and sent to the shore for that
- purpose, but always closely watched by two or three guards. Strange as it
- may seem, this sad duty was considered the most desirable of all. It meant
- setting ones foot on dear old Mother Earth again, for, at least, a little
- while, and even the mournful work in hand could not quite offset that
- pleasure. Only once was I so fortunate as to be chosen, and so keen was my
- delight in treading the ground again, that I actually took off my shoes
- for the sake of feeling the sand fall away from my feet as we pushed along
- with our sad burden. Now and then it would happen that, notwithstanding
- the watchfulness of the guards, a prisoner would succeed in making his
- escape when sent ashore with one of these interment parties. Near the spot
- where most of the 'Jersey's' prisoners were buried was a comfortable
- homestead belonging to a miller. The men used to call it the 'Old
- Dutchmans, and always looked toward it with a sort of veneration as they
- passed, particularly as they knew that the miller's daughter was deeply
- interested in us. She kept account of all the poor fellows who were
- brought to the shore to be buried, and I think many of us cherished a vain
- sort of hope that deliverance might possibly come through her some day.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “That was strange about caring to feel the sand against your feet,”
- remarked Starlight; “that is the last sort of thing you'd think a fellow
- would ever really care for.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Very likely; but if you ever spend even a month on shipboard you'll find
- yourself longing for some of the things that you never so much as gave a
- thought to while you had them. Why, when the men returned to the 'Jersey'
- from the shore they would take back with them as much common turf as they
- could carry, and the little fragments would be greedily sought for and
- inhaled with more pleasure than if they had had the fragrance of a rose.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Did they pay you in any way for the work? asked flutters, still anxious
- to compare experiences.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Not in money, of course, Flutters, but we had the privilege of going on
- deck early in the morning, and were allowed to stay till sunset. All the
- other prisoners were ordered down to the foul air between decks two hours
- earlier, there to stay, come what would, for ten wretched hours, with the
- iron gratings of the hatchways firmly fastening them in. Then we were
- granted a full allowance of provisions, such as they were.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Tell about when all the 'Venture's crew were at last exchanged excepting
- you and Tom Burnham,” suggested Starlight, in a pause that offered.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, don't, please,” Josephine exclaimed; “we all know about that, and it
- was so very dreadful. Besides, it's all right now.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “What,” said Flutters, eagerly, sitting bolt upright “what's that? <i>I</i>
- don't know about it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I'll tell you,” Hazel whispered, motioning him closer to her; meanwhile
- Harry pointed out different parts of the ship in answer to certain
- questions of Josephine's.
- </p>
- <p>
- “You see,” explained Hazel in a melodramatic whisper, “that Cousin Harry
- was taken sick one day very suddenly, and then he had the fever so badly
- that he was carried over to Blackwell's Island to die. But he didn't die.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Didn't he, really?” asked Flutters, mischievously.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I wouldn't joke about a thing like this, Flutters. No, he didn't die; but
- while he was getting well very slowly a cartel—that's a kind of boat—was
- sent from New London, with some English prisoners on board, to exchange
- for the crew of the 'Venture;' but there were not quite as many English
- prisoners as were needed for an exchange, so they decided they would have
- to leave Cousin Harry and a friend of his, Tom Burnham, who were sick over
- on the island, behind, and as soon afterward as those two poor fellows
- were well enough, back they had to go again to that dreadful old 'Jersey.'
- Wasn't that pretty hard?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Gosh, yes,” exclaimed inelegant little Flutters, and Hazel excused the
- word because the occasion seemed to demand something strong.
- </p>
- <p>
- “And there they stayed, Flutters, one whole year longer, till last August,
- when the English had to let all their prisoners go free; but understand,
- Flutters, it was just those <i>few</i> bad men in charge of the 'Jersey'
- who were so cruel. In other places we did not treat our prisoners badly at
- all. Besides, it was very wicked indeed to take arms against the King,
- though, of course, men like Cousin Harry thought they were doing right.”
- Hazel, as usual, wound up with a defence of her own loyalist principles.
- </p>
- <p>
- And so the story of Harry's hard prison life was all told, or, rather, as
- much of it as was suited to his audience or was not too heartrending, and
- at once the little party agreed to weigh anchor and sail quite out of
- sight of the dreary old ship before opening the well-filled luncheon
- baskets stowed away in the “Gretchen's” narrow hold.
- </p>
- <p>
- And then, of course, every one kept on the lookout for the best point to
- come to anchor again; but Flutters was the first to discover a most
- attractive spot on the New York side of the river, where some fine old
- trees grew close to its edge, and already cast their shadows far enough
- out on the water to shade the “Gretchen” from bow to stern. Thither they
- sailed, quickly dropped anchor, and soon sitting down to cold tongue and
- biscuits, peach jam and sponge cake, endeavored to banish all thoughts of
- prisoners and prison-ships. It was not hard work, for Flutters was funny,
- and Starlight and Hazel actually silly. Indeed, all of them felt a sort of
- reaction from the gloomy, depressing thoughts of the last hour, and, to my
- thinking, a little silliness was perfectly allowable. After a most
- leisurely luncheon, Hazel and Starlight moved to the stern of the boat.
- There was one important matter they had need to discuss confidentially—the
- return of Flans's clothes. Hazel had not forgotten her promise to surely
- bring them back to Mrs. Van Wyck the next day; and now the next day had
- come, and with no better prospect of any other equipment for Flutters.
- Entirely unconcerned, Flutters, growing drowsy in the noontide stillness
- of the river, had stretched his lithe little body along one of the boat
- cushions and fallen asleep. Josephine, after stowing away the emptied
- baskets, had seated herself again with her back against the mast. Harry
- had moved to a seat by her side, and they were talking together of what
- filled both their hearts—their anxiety for Captain Boniface; and
- Harry was doing his best to calm Josephine's fears. He spoke most cheerily
- and hopefully, for he honestly did not believe the antagonism against her
- father would amount to so very much; and watching her lovely face brighten
- at his encouraging words, no doubt thought how very beautiful she was. You
- would have thought so too could you have seen her, with her wide-brimmed
- hat pushed far back on her head, and the airiest of little breezes playing
- with the pretty light hair that lay in curling wisps about her forehead.
- Starlight happened to glance toward Josephine just as he and Hazel had
- settled the matter they had in hand, and seemed more impressed with her
- beauty, as she sat there, than ever before.
- </p>
- <p>
- “You don't often find a girl like your sister Josephine,” he said; “she's
- lovely herself, and she's lovely to look at. Those two things don't
- generally go together—in girls.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “What do you mean?” asked Hazel, bristling a little, as usual.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I mean that most lovely girls know that they're lovely, and that spoils
- it. The good-natured girls are most always homely.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, of course, you're not homely, Hazel, but then you're not”—a
- long pause—“so very good-natured either;” Starlight's love of
- mischief having gotten the better of his discretion.
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel gave him one look of indignant condemnation. Then, without a word,
- she moved away, took her seat at Josephine's feet, and for the remainder
- of the afternoon treated Starlight with all the studied coolness offended
- dignity could muster.
- </p>
- <p>
- About four o'clock the “Gretchen” again weighed anchor and steered out
- into the river, homeward bound. It had been arranged that she should touch
- at the foot of Beekman Street, and that Starlight should leave them there,
- so as to stop at Mrs. Van Wyck's and see what could be done about
- Flutters's clothes, or rather Hans's; and from there he would no doubt be
- able to beg a ride out to the Bonifaces'. “Good-bye, Hazel,” he called
- back, as he bounded on to the little wharf. Hazel vouchsafed no answer.
- Josephine wondered what was up, and so did Harry, but were wise enough not
- to ask any questions. Flutters was not so wise. “Miss Hazel, did you hear
- Starlight call good-bye?” he queried.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I'm not deaf, Flutters.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Then why didn't you answer?” with innocent directness.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I had my own good reasons. And, Flutters, <i>you</i> must not ever ask <i>me
- why</i> I do things.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “All right, Miss Hazel,” Flutters answered cheerily, for her word was law
- to him; but Josephine and Harry found it difficult to conceal a smile.
- </p>
- <p>
- It proved rather a tedious sail homeward, for the wind that had blown them
- so finely down river in the morning had not been so accommodating as to
- change its direction, and only by dint of much “tacking” was any headway
- to be made. At last, however, the Boniface homestead came in sight, and in
- the stillness of the twilight the “Gretchen” was safely moored to her own
- little dock.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER VIII.—A CALL ON COLONEL HAMILTON.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0019" id="linkimage-0019"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9075.jpg" alt="9075 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9075.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- OOD-BYE, Hazel,”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Good-bye, Starlight,”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Good-bye, Josephine,”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Good-bye, Cousin Harry,”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Good-bye, Flutters.” Quite a medley of good-byes, to be sure, but no more
- than were needed, for Harry and Starlight, once more aboard of the
- “Gretchen,” were fast gliding out on to the river, and Josephine and Hazel
- and Flutters were being left behind on the wharf. The little prison-ship
- party had had their supper, and now Harry and Starlight were off for
- Paulus Hook; it was high time, too, that they were, since they had already
- been absent a day longer than Harry had planned, and Aunt Frances would
- naturally begin to feel worried. Little Flutters cut a queer figure as he
- stood there on the boating dock in the moonlight. Hans Van Wyck's clothes,
- done up in a snug bundle, were already on their way back to their lawful
- owner, so that he had need to resort once more to the spangles and tinsel
- of his circus costume. By way of making up for insufficient clothing, Mrs.
- Boniface had thrown a shawl about him, one end of which Flutters allowed
- to trail behind, pinning the other close about his throat, with one corner
- thrown over his left shoulder.
- </p>
- <p>
- “We must do something about some clothes for you, Flutters, right away,”
- Hazel remarked, as they turned to walk up from the wharf, when, amid the
- darkening shadows of the river, the “Gretchen's” sail was no longer
- visible. “Starlight and I <i>hoped</i> Mrs. Van Wyck would offer to <i>give</i>
- us that suit of Hans's to keep when he stopped to see her this afternoon
- and told her about you, but she did not propose anything of the kind. She
- only said 'it was very inconvenient for Hans not to have them, and she
- hoped we'd manage to get them back to-night.'”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And you have managed, haven't you, Miss Hazel?” Flutters answered, as if
- the managing were a matter to be proud of; and, mimicking a sort of stage
- stride such as he had often witnessed in tragical circus pantomimes, he
- apparently bestowed far more attention on the sweep of his majestic train
- than on what Hazel was saying.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, of course, I sent them back; what else could I do?”—this last
- rather impatiently, because of Flutters's exasperating unconcern __"but
- how are you going to manage without them is what I'd like to know.”..
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters gave Hazel a comical little look. “With tights and shawls, I
- s'pose, Miss Hazel, unless the Captain felt like as he could buy some for
- me.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No,” said Hazel decidedly; “I am not going to bother father 'bout things
- like that, 'specially now when he's so worried and his life's in danger.”
-</p>
- <p>
- This remark brought Flutters to a stand. “Is the Captain's life in danger,
- really, Miss Hazel?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, it is. Josephine said he received a very angry letter the other
- night from some old friends of his. They as much as told him that he must
- go away, and that his life wasn't safe here; and lots of people are going,
- Flutters; people who, like father, have sided with King George.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Where are they going, Miss Hazel?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “To England, most of them.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And will the Captain go?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, Josephine thinks not. You see he built this house, Flutters, and he
- loves it, and he loves this country, too. Josephine says she believes
- he'll just stay, and try and live the angry feeling down.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Miss Hazel,”.said Flutters, stopping to gather the trailing shawl over
- one arm, for he was ready now to give his whole mind to the matter in
- hand, “it's a very puzzling thing 'bout me. When Mr. Harry was telling
- those sad things of the prison-ship, I thought I was a Whig, and now when
- you are talking 'bout the Captain, it seems as though I was a—a what
- do you call it?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “A Loyalist, Flutters?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, a Loyalist; but I reckon folks what has friends on both sides, had
- better not be anything particular.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Perhaps that would be best,” Hazel replied, smiling in spite of herself.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Miss Hazel,” Flutters said, after a little pause, stopping and looking
- round him somewhat cautiously, as though he feared his question might be
- overheard, “did Starlight hear of any 'quiries for me, when he was in the
- city this afternoon?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel nodded “Yes” in a most mysterious manner.
- </p>
- <p>
- “There's no danger of their 'quiring round here, do you think?” and Hazel
- saw the involuntary little tremble shoot through Flutters's frame.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, indeed, Flutters, and we wouldn't give you up if they did. Mrs. Van
- Wyck told Starlight that a forlorn old man, who belonged to the circus,
- stopped at her gate and asked if she'd seen anything of a little mulatto
- boy what had deserted from the troupe, or knowed anything about him, and
- Mrs. Van Wyck said, 'Lor', no!' never dreaming that her very own little
- Hans's clothes were on that same little boy that very moment.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “That must have been good old Bobbin,” answered Flutters, fairly chuckling
- over the thought of the entire success of his escape.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Miss Hazel,” he added, after a moment's thoughtful meditation, “I've been
- thinking how I might earn the money for my clothes by doing a little
- tumbling for folks round here, only I'm so awfully afraid of being heard
- of by the circus people.”
- </p>
- <p>
- The suggestion instantly flashed a new scheme through Hazel's mind.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Flutters,” she said, very slowly and seriously, “I've—thought—of
- something. Yes, it's the very thing. I'm going to town tomorrow, to see
- Colonel Hamilton about an important matter, and I'll make all the
- 'rangements.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “'Rangements 'bout the clothes, Miss Hazel?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, 'rangements 'bout everything; but, hush! 'cause nobody else must
- know about it.” They had reached the porch where Mrs. Boniface was
- sitting, and Josephine was close behind them, which was the occasion for
- Hazel's “Hush” and so little Flutters tumbled into bed half an hour later,
- still in ignorance as to what the scheme of his “little Mistress” might
- be, but with perfect confidence in her ability to make any arrangements
- under the sun.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <p>
- Joe Ainsworth found his little friend waiting in the sunshine the next
- morning, and, almost without intimation from him, the leaders came to a
- standstill, and Hazel mounted to her seat beside him. “Business in town?”
- ventured Joe.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Colonel Hamilton's, please,” all intent on getting comfortably seated.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh!” exclaimed Joe, with elevated eyebrows, “haven't fixed that matter up
- yet, eh?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Not yet. I haven't had time to see to it until to-day.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Haven't had time,” said Joe, with a significant smile.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, I haven't, really. Yesterday I had to go on a sailing party and the
- day before to the circus.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “My lands, Miss Hazel! I guess if you had to drive this Albany coach every
- day of your life, week in and week out, and was ever able to take so much
- as a day off for a circus or a sailing party, you would call that having
- lots of time. I would, I can tell ye.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, then, perhaps it was because I couldn't do both things, Joe, so I
- chose the sailing party and the circus.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I don't blame you, Miss Hazel. Besides, there can't be anything very
- pleasant for such a loyal little Red-Coat as you to look forward to, in
- calling on our American Colonel.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I'm not afraid of any American Colonel,” with the air of a grand duchess.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, of course not, Miss Hazel, but I'd have a care to that little tongue
- of yours.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel did not answer. She would not have allowed many people to offer that
- unsolicited advice without some sort of a rejoinder, but she had always a
- most kindly side toward Joe Ainsworth, not entirely accounted for, either,
- by the fact of the free rides.
- </p>
- <p>
- For some reason or other the coach horses kept up a good pace that
- morning, and it was not long before they came to a halt at Hazel's
- destination.
- </p>
- <p>
- Colonel Hamilton's law office was in just such another wide-porched double
- house as the Starlight homestead; and, like it, had been vacated by its
- rightful owner during the progress of the war, and so had shared the
- similar fate of being immediately claimed by the English. They were most
- comfortable-looking dwellings, those old colonial homesteads, cheery and
- clean without, in their buff coats of paint lined off with generous bands
- of white, and most hospitable within, with their wide halls running from
- front to back straight through them. It seemed a shame that such a
- homelike place should ever be converted into a mere bevy of offices, but,
- after all, that is but one of many desecrations that follow closely in the
- train of wretched war. The very sight of the house, and the evident misuse
- to which it had been put, stirred Hazel's indignation. She did not know
- who had lived there, but she felt very sorry for them all the same.
- </p>
- <p>
- It chanced to be her good fortune to find Colonel Alexander Hamilton alone
- in his office, something that did not often happen in the experience of
- that great man, and it was also perhaps her good fortune to be altogether
- unconscious of how truly great he was, else she might not have marched so
- boldly into his presence and told her story in such a frank and fearless
- manner. Yet, who knows, there are big and little women the world over, who
- will stop at nothing, and know neither fear nor shrinking where a friend's
- interests are concerned, especially such a brave, true friend as Starlight
- had always proved himself to be.
- </p>
- <p>
- Colonel Hamilton allowed Hazel to make her statement without interruption,
- save to ask some lawyer-like question now and then, when, in her childish
- eagerness, she had failed to put the facts quite clearly; but,
- notwithstanding her eagerness and the importance of her errand, she took
- time to note that he was “a lovely-looking gentleman,” and to draw a
- little sigh of regret that so fine a man should not have been a Tory like
- herself. When at last she had cleared her mind of all she had to say, she
- folded her little hands together in her lap, and scanning his handsome
- face closely, waited for his answer.
- </p>
- <p>
- But Colonel Hamilton did not answer. With his elbows resting on the arms
- of his office chair he sat for a few seconds gazing down at his hands, the
- fingers of which, with thumb pressing thumb, were clasped in meditative
- fashion before him. Hazel gazed at them too. She thought they were very
- nice hands, and noticed how fine were the linen frills falling over them
- from the circle of the tight-fitting, broadcloth sleeve. She was not at
- all concerned that he did not hasten to reply. She had heard that lawyers
- gave a great deal of thought to “things,” and she would not hurry him.
- Meanwhile she sought the arms of the chair in which she was sitting as a
- support for her own elbows, and endeavored to lock her own little hands
- together in imitation of his—so will the feminine mind occupy itself
- with veriest trifles even on the verge of most decisive transactions. But
- the chair-arms were too wide apart and the child-arms too short by far to
- successfully accomplish the imitation. Colonel Hamilton noted the attempt
- and smiled. “My little friend,” he said at last, “I'm thinking I am the
- very last man you should have come to about all this. How did you happen
- to appeal to me?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Because, sir (Hazel grew a little embarrassed)—because sir, as I
- told Joe Ainsworth, who drives the Albany coach, <i>you</i> were the
- gentleman who talked the court into deciding the case against Miss Avery
- and in favor of Captain Wadsworth.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And how did you learn that?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, I have heard my father talk about it; I am his little daughter
- Hazel.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Naturally, but who may your father be?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Captain Hugh Boniface, of his Majesty's service,” with no little dignity.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Indeed!” exclaimed the Colonel, with surprise, “and what did your father
- say?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “He did not think you were right about it, Colonel Hamilton, but he said
- you were smart enough and handsome enough to make a jury believe anything
- you wanted to.” Hazel did not know why the Colonel walked over to the
- window and looked out for a moment, but one might surmise that it was
- simply to conceal a very broad smile.
- </p>
- <p>
- “That is rather doubtful praise, Miss Hazel,” he said, coming back again,
- “but I can tell you one thing, I certainly would not try to make a jury
- believe anything that I did not believe myself.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, of course not,” Hazel answered warmly, “only I thought you could not
- have understood about things. That is the reason I have come to ask you to
- change your mind.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But, unfortunately, lawyers' minds when once made up cannot be changed
- very easily, and I am sorry for that, for there is nothing I would rather
- do than be of service to you and your little friend with the pretty name—what
- do you call him? Starlight? You see, the bother is, I honestly think the
- English have a right to dispose of Miss Avery's house, for they did not
- take it from her nor compel her to leave it. She left it of her own accord,
- now more than two years ago, and entirely unprotected. Now I do not see
- why she should expect to come back to it and turn out its present occupant
- just when she chances to see fit, and the court agrees with me in this.
- </p>
- <p>
- “But doesn't it seem too bad for a lot of great, strong men to side
- against a lovely lady like Miss Frances Avery?” and Hazel gave a very deep
- sigh.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, in one way it does, Miss Hazel,” said Colonel Hamilton kindly, “and
- the great strong men felt very sorry for her. Unfortunately hers proved to
- be a sort of test case. There are scores of other people who want to come
- back and turn people out of the homes where they have been living, some of
- them for the last six or seven years—indeed ever since New York fell
- into the hands of the British, and now the court has decided that they
- ought not to be allowed to come, and that under these circumstances,
- 'possession is not only nine points of the law,' but ten.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I do not quite understand what you mean about the points of the law,”
- said Hazel, frankly; “but I do not think about it as you do at all,” and,
- in fact, there were many people in those days, and many, too, in these,
- who could make Hazel's words their own, never having been able to
- comprehend how it was that the great lawyer took the stand he did.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Besides, it is queer,” Hazel added, after a moments cogitation, “that
- such a Whig as you are, Colonel Hamilton, should have sided with the
- Tories.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Not a whit more queer, it strikes me,” laughed the Colonel, “than that a
- stanch little Loyalist like yourself should be pleading so warmly for the
- Whigs.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But if your best friend <i>was</i> a Whig and you felt sorry for him?”
- pleaded Hazel, in extenuation.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well to be sure, that does put matters in a different light; but truly, I
- do not see what you are going to be able to do about it. If Miss Avery can
- fix matters up with Captain Wadsworth, all well and good, and—”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, she can never do that,” interrupted Hazel, decidedly. “I have seen
- Captain Wadsworth myself. He looks like a kind man, but he isn't. He told
- me to come to you about it; but it seems there's no use going to anybody,
- and I guess Miss Avery and Starlight will just have to live and die over
- at Paulus Hook, and never have a home of their own again—never!”
- </p>
- <p>
- It must be confessed that Hazel's efforts in behalf of the Starlight
- homestead had apparently met with no success whatever. But she had done
- what she could, <i>all</i> she could, indeed, and there was some comfort
- in that, at least so she thought, as she walked slowly away from Colonel
- Hamilton's office. She paused in a meditative way as she reached the gate.
- “Poor little girl,” thought the Colonel, who sat watching her from his
- office window, “I fancy she had an idea I could go right up to Captain
- Wadsworth's and turn them all out if I wished to, and half believed I
- would do it. As it is, I will speak to the Captain. Perhaps he might be
- able to make some sort of a compromise with Miss Avery.”
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <p>
- So after all Hazel had at least succeeded in making a friend of the
- Colonel, and of Captain Wadsworth, too, for that matter, and it was not
- altogether improbable that something might result from this state of
- affairs, though she herself little dreamed it. But Hazel had had a double
- purpose in coming into the city that morning, and did not stand there at
- the Colonel's gate because, as the Colonel thought, she was the most
- sorrowful and hopeless of little suppliants, but because she was trying to
- decide just what she had better do next.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Better do next?” was the question that always confronted that restless
- and active little woman whenever the completion of any one plan left her
- free to launch upon another. If the little plan had utterly failed, that
- did not matter. It was her life to be busy about something, though the
- something might be of no more importance than the making of a doll's dress
- or the mending of a toy teacup. But now the something to be done was
- important, and having made up her mind what to do, she suddenly started
- off at a brisk little pace that would have surprised the sympathetic
- Colonel could he have seen behind the boxwood hedge that grew close up to
- the gate on either side.
- </p>
- <p>
- So great indeed was the change in her bearing, he might with reason have
- suspected her of a little “old soldiering” while in his office.
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel's destination was the Starlight homestead, and the man she wanted to
- see was Sergeant Bellows. She “Do you remember?” found him seated alone on
- a bench under a tree in the front garden, and this suited her exactly, for
- her interview had need to be a private one. The old Sergeant was cleaning
- some sword-handles, but was glad enough to have his work interrupted by
- the unexpected arrival of his little friend, and made room for her on the
- bench beside him.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0020" id="linkimage-0020"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figright" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/8083.jpg" alt="8083 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/8083.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- “Do you remember?” Hazel at once began, without waiting to command
- sufficient breath, “that the last time—I was here—you asked—if
- there was anything—an old sergeant could do for me?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I remember, Miss Hazel.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And do you think the other men meant what they said when they asked if
- there was anything they could do for me?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I'll wager they did.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, now, there is something, Sergeant Bellows, a real important
- something, and this is it,” and straightway Hazel's voice subsided into
- such a confidential whisper, that even the Sergeant lost a word now and
- then, but he smiled and nodded assent all the while, to Hazel's great
- delight.
- </p>
- <p>
- As for us, it is needless to bother our heads with all she told him,
- particularly as we shall see what came of it in the very next chapter.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER IX.—FLUTTERS HAS A BENEFIT.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0021" id="linkimage-0021"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9085.jpg" alt="9085 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9085.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- HE warm and hazy September days were over. The first of October had come
- in by the calendar, but although its sun had not yet peeped over the
- horizon, there were unmistakable signs in the east which heralded its
- coming. As for Hazel, she was up “with the lark,” as the saying goes, and
- with good reason, too, for never did any mere little feathered songstress
- have as much in hand as had she for that first day of October, and it <i>all</i>
- depended upon the weather.
- </p>
- <p>
- What wonder, then, with so much on her mind, that the first ray of
- daylight succeeded in shimmering in beneath the long lashes of her eyes,
- first setting their lid a-tremble and then prying them open, so that their
- little owner soon found herself wide awake, and that the eventful day had
- dawned. But what sort of a day was it going to be, that was the
- all-important question. Hazel threw open the shutters of her window. The
- vine that crept along its sill was dripping wet—could it be raining?
- She stretched out a little brown hand that was all of a tremble with
- excitement, to test if rain were really falling. No, not a drop. It was
- dew on the vines, of course; how foolish not to have thought of that! But
- what made the sky so gray? Was it cloudy? Then she tripped over to the
- clock. Why, so early as that! Then perhaps the sun was not up yet. No,
- come to look again, of course it wasn't, it was just daylight.
- </p>
- <p>
- Having reached this conclusion, Hazel, wisely slipping into a flannel
- wrapper and a pair of bedroom slippers, sat down to wait the rising of
- that very lazy sun, and soon he came. She watched till he was full above
- the horizon, then assuring herself that there were no threatening clouds
- anywhere, crept back into bed, wrapper, slippers, and all, with a mind
- quite at ease, and in just the sort of a mood for the most refreshing of
- little morning naps.
- </p>
- <p>
- One, two, one, two, Company F was marking time preparatory to marching on
- again, and Sergeant Bellows was in command.
- </p>
- <p>
- It was two o'clock now, and the sun, for whose dawning Hazel had watched
- so eagerly, was well on his journey, and shining down on the burnished
- flint-locks and scarlet coats of Company F, coats which looked bravely in
- the morning sunlight, notwithstanding many a stain and mark of active
- service. But not for any skirmishing with their enemies were those English
- soldiers under marching orders, for never again were they to wage battle
- with the colonists on American soil. It was now nearly two years since the
- great battle of Yorktown, when the British soldiers had laid down their
- arms, and Lord Cornwallis's sword had been surrendered to General
- Washington, and it would not be long before the whole army, under command
- of Sir Guy Carleton, would go sailing homeward down the harbor, and not a
- British roll-call, nor a soldier answering to it, would be heard anywhere
- in the land. But, somehow or other, notwithstanding all this, Company F,
- of His Majesty's service, did not look very crestfallen, as they stood
- there marking time, until a great overhanging load of hay should leave the
- road clear ahead of them. They had had plenty of time to get used to the
- thought of not having beaten the Yankees; in fact, some of them went so
- far as to openly express their honest admiration for the plucky, desperate
- fashion in which those some poorly equipped Yankees had fought, and did
- not begrudge them their hard-earned victory. Then in seven weeks more they
- were to turn their faces toward home and England; toward England, which
- some of them had not seen for eight long years; toward home, where little
- children had outgrown their childhood, where dear wife faces had grown
- worn with waiting, and where white-haired mothers, wearied with watching,
- had perhaps been laid at rest in the little village churchyards. But, come
- weal or woe, they were soon going home; you could see their faces daily
- grow brighter with the thought, and happening this morning to have a most
- novel entertainment in prospect, what wonder that almost every one wore an
- amused smile, and that every eye twinkled merrily. The clumsy hay-load
- slowly moved out of the way, and then came the order, “For'ard, march!”
- from Sergeant Bellows, and off they went, with even swing up Broadway,
- turning off at the Albany coach road, and then on out into the country.
- “Halt!” called Sergeant Bellows at last, and Company F halted right in
- front of Captain Boniface's cottage. It could not have been that they were
- not expected, for Hazel, with beaming smile, stood holding the gate wide
- open, and the men filed in and took their seats in chairs which had
- evidently been placed in rows in the garden for them. The chairs fronted
- the porch, and were grouped in semicircular shape about the wide steps
- leading up to it, at the top of which a curtain (for which two blanket
- shawls had been made to do duty) hung suspended, the cord that held it
- being fastened to the fluted column at either end. That the shawls were of
- widely differing plaids, and at great variance in the matter of color,
- only added to the generally fantastic effect. Without doubt there was
- going to be some sort of a performance, and it was easy now to guess that
- Hazel's “'rangements” had been in the line of preparation for it, and easy
- now to understand why her little ladyship had been up with the lark, to
- ascertain, if possible, what sort of a day it was going to be. Somehow or
- other I should not in the least wonder if the “Old Man of the Weather”
- loves to have a little child place implicit trust in him now and then';
- surely he does, if he is at all like some of the rest of us whom you
- little folks call old. At any rate the weather not only favored Hazel's
- project, but seemed just to give itself up to making everything
- comfortable for everybody. The sun saw to it that the old house cast a
- broad square shadow in front of it that was more than large enough to
- cover the space where the men were seated, and the wind saw to it that a
- sufficiently strong little breeze was blowing to temper the early
- afternoon sunshine, and everything conspired to make it a perfect October
- day, a sort of good example, as it were, for the thirty other October days
- that were to follow it.
- </p>
- <p>
- At last it was time for that mysterious many-colored curtain to be drawn
- aside, and certain vigorous jerkings of the shawls showed that an attempt
- was being made in that direction. What did it matter to Company F if it
- did not work with all the smoothness to be desired, since it finally
- disclosed to them as fair a little specimen of humanity as the eyes of
- most of them had ever rested upon. In the centre of the stage, or rather
- of that portion of the porch which had been divided off for it, sat
- Hazel's little sister in an old-fashioned high-back chair, her pretty
- slippered feet reaching but a little way over its edge, and her little
- dimpled hands folded in her lap in most complacent fashion. She wore a
- short-waisted, quaint little white dress, barely short enough to show the
- prettily slippered feet.
- </p>
- <p>
- Not at all dismayed was little Kate at the sight of so many soldiers
- seated there in such formal array before her. What was every beautiful Red
- Coat but another embodiment of her own dear papa; and not in the least
- alarmed was she by the loud applause which the mere sight of her elicited
- from admiring Company F. She turned her pretty head on one side and then
- on the other, her little face wreathed in smiles, and seeming to say in
- silent baby-fashion, “Thank you, gentlemen.” Not that she could not talk.
- No, indeed, do not think that for a moment; her baby tongue could move
- with all the insistent chatter of a little English sparrow; but the right
- time had not come yet. As soon as the applause had somewhat abated, Hazel
- herself appeared on the scene, arrayed in a jaunty little riding-habit,
- and with cheeks aglow with excitement, looking prettier, perhaps, than
- ever before in her life. As was to be expected, her appearance was the
- cause for renewed applause; but finally all was quiet, and she stepped
- forward to deliver a little speech which had been carefully thought over.
- She had insisted upon wearing her riding-habit, because, as she had told
- her mother, she was to be a sort of showman. Of course she did not want to
- wear boys' clothes, but the riding-habit seemed sort of a go-between, “and
- more like the thing a lady who managed a private circus would wear.” So
- Mrs. Boniface consented, and Josephine, in helping Hazel to dress, had
- added an extra touch or two. Her habit was made of gray cloth, with a
- long, full skirt that came within a foot of the ground when Hazel was on
- her pony; but in order that she should be able to move about the platform
- as freely as was necessary, Josephine had caught the skirt up on one side,
- fastening it with two or three brilliant red chrysanthemums, and pinning a
- bunch of the same bright flowers against her waist. On her head she wore a
- black velvet jockey cap which had been sent her by her grandpa from
- England, and which completed the jauntiness of her costume.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0022" id="linkimage-0022"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0090.jpg" alt="0090 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0090.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- “Members of Company F,” Hazel began, holding her riding-whip in both hands
- before her, “I wish to thank you for coming here this afternoon, and to
- tell you that I hope you will feel repaid for your long march out from the
- city.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No doubt about that, Miss Hazel,” Sergeant Bellows called out, heartily..
- </p>
- <p>
- “Thank you, Sergeant;” but Hazel's manner was somewhat stiff, as though
- she preferred that more formality should be observed. “But before
- commencing our performance,” she continued, “I must ask you to bear in
- mind that it is not an easy thing to get up a regular circus in a private
- family, 'specially at such very short notice. There was no time to teach
- anything new, even to the baby, who learns very easily, and it was just by
- good luck that Prince and Kate and Delta knew some little tricks already.
- As for Flutters, it will not take you long to discover that <i>his</i>
- part of the performance needs no apology.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel concluded her little speech with a graceful bow, and, turning toward
- Kate, who still sat smiling, announced: “I have now the pleasure,
- gentlemen, of introducing to you Miss Kate Boniface, as fine a little
- three-year-old as ever was reared in Westchester County. Miss Kate is
- quite a favorite with the management, being, what we consider, a most
- gifted little lady. She has an original little dance of her own, one
- little song, and one little piece, which she speaks with dramatic effect.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Which s'all I do first, Hazel?” asked Kate, in a most audible whisper,
- when she saw that it was time for her to commence.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, the dance of course, child,” Hazel answered, forgetting their
- relations of manager and artiste.
- </p>
- <p>
- “But where's de music?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Sure enough, where was the music? “Job,” called Hazel, blushing up to the
- roots of her hair with embarrassment, “we are waiting for you.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Coming, Mrs. Manager,” came the answer, and a moment later Starlight
- bounded through the green boughs, which had been arranged at the back of
- the scene, violin in hand, and in a costume befitting the clown of the
- performance. His resemblance to the real article was truly quite
- remarkable, for Cousin Harry had taken a great deal of interest in his
- “make-up,” and the result was a face as white, with cheeks as red and
- eyebrows as high, black, and arching, as were ever attained by Mr. John
- Dreyfus, the English clown of world-renowned reputation. Starlight was
- able to play half-a-dozen tunes on an old violin which had belonged to his
- grandfather, and this formed a most attractive and most important feature
- of the Boniface circus. Otherwise Company F would have been obliged to
- forego little Kate's dancing, than which nothing was ever daintier or
- prettier. But not an inch would her little ladyship move from her chair
- till Starlight had gone through a series of scrapings called “tuning up,”
- and a merry little dancing tune was well under way. Then she jumped down,
- and running to the front of the platform made the most bewitching of
- conventional little bows, pressing the fingers of both hands to her lips,
- as if generously to throw the sweetest of kisses broadcast. It was very
- evident, then, to the Red Coats—Miss Hazel to the contrary that
- there had been time enough to teach little Kate one new trick at any rate;
- but the glancing itself was a matter of Kate's own creation, and of a sort
- that baffles description.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0023" id="linkimage-0023"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0092.jpg" alt="0092 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0092.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- She had never seen any one dance, no one had taught her, but as naturally
- as a little duck takes to the water, had her little feet taken to dancing
- on that evening when, for the first time, Starlight had brought his violin
- to the Bonifaces'. For fully ten minutes, to the great delight of Company
- F, little Kate kept time in a variety of intricate and pretty little
- motions to the rhythm of the old violin a sort of dancing in which slow
- and graceful gestures of dimpled arms and hands played almost as important
- part as the little feet themselves. Indeed, the whole proceeding was a
- deliberate one, owing to an inability on Starlight's part to play any
- faster; but to my thinking “The dancing was a matter of Kate's own
- creation;” all the prettier for that, and far more becoming to such a
- dignified little maiden.
- </p>
- <p>
- As for Company F, it would have liked nothing better than a whole
- half-hour of dancing; but “Mrs. Manager” wisely protested, and after the
- little song had been rendered with “violin accompaniment,” and the little
- piece spoken “with dramatic effect,” Miss Kate Boniface tripped from the
- stage 'midst hearty peals of applause, and Mrs. Manager, as Starlight had
- called Hazel, came once more to the front.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I shall now have the pleasure of acquainting you, gentlemen,” she said,
- with all the superiority of a veritable showman, “with my own little
- thoroughbred, one of the most knowing and accomplished of Shetland ponies.
- Mr. Lightfoot, will you have the kindness to bring Miss Gladys into the
- ring?” whereupon Starlight, otherwise Mr. Lightfoot, led the pony on to
- the stage, or, I should say, “into the ring,” as Hazel preferred to regard
- it from a strictly professional point of view. Gladys had been groomed by
- Starlight and Flutters to within an inch of her life, in preparation for
- the occasion, and, indeed, she sorely needed it. The fact was that she had
- been turned out for the last two months owing to an unfortunate gall on
- her back which had refused to heal under the saddle; so, while her
- mistress had been dependent upon Albany coaches for such excursions as she
- wished to take into the city, Miss Gladys had been kicking up her heels
- and running races with herself in the most inviting of clover fields. Only
- yesterday had she been enjoying all this freedom, with burrs in her tail
- and burrs in her mane, and with never so much as a halter, and here she
- was to-day tricked out in blue ribbons, with her coat smoothed down to
- look as silky as possible, and with her four pretty little hoofs oiled up
- to a state of shiny blackness, but without the sign of shoe on any one of
- them. There had been no time, indeed, to have Miss Gladys shod, nor was
- there any need of it, as, after today's performance, back she was to go
- again, for at least another month more, to all the wild dissipation of
- pony life in a clover field. Of course she was astonished at the sight of
- the soldiers, but she had been rehearsing with Starlight and Hazel for a
- whole hour that morning in that sort of “box stall” which formed the scene
- of the circus, and so, being somewhat familiar with the place, contented
- herself with an occasional pricking-up of her black-pointed ears, which
- only gave her a more spirited look, and, on the whole, was extremely
- becoming.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Now, Miss Gladys,” said Hazel, when she had-succeeded in getting her
- posed to her liking, “I would like you to answer a few questions, and for
- each correct answer you shall have a beautiful lump of white sugar. Mr.
- Lightfoot, have you the sugar ready?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, Mrs. Manager,” answered Starlight, who, in his capacity of clown,
- was endeavoring all the while to keep up a funny sort of byplay, and
- sometimes succeeding; “yes, Mrs. Manager, the sugar is all ready. I have
- placed, as you perceive, five lumps upon either extended palm, and would
- like to make this arrangement, that when the pony makes a mistake I may be
- allowed to eat the sugar.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Very well, Mr. Lightfoot, I am quite agreeable to the arrangement; but,
- if I am not mistaken, the pony thinks you are likely to fare rather
- poorly; how about that, Miss Gladys? Do you intend that Mr. Lightfoot
- shall enjoy more than one of those lumps of sugar?” Hazel stood leaning
- against the pony's side, lightly swinging her riding-whip in apparently
- aimless fashion in her left hand, but in answer to her question, Miss
- Gladys shook her pretty head from side to side with as decided an
- assertion in the negative as though she had been able to voice an audible
- “No.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “There! what did I tell you, Mr. Lightfoot?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why! did Miss Gladys answer? I didn't hear her.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Of course you did not hear her. She answered by shaking her head. Ponies
- can't talk.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “What! can't Miss Gladys say a word?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, certainly not.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Not even neigh?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “That's a <i>very</i> bad pun, Mr. Lightfoot. Don't you think so, Miss
- Gladys?” Up and down went the pony's head in ready assent.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Two questions answered with remarkable judgment. Now, two lumps of sugar,
- if you please, Mr. Lightfoot.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Gladys eagerly ate the sugar from Hazel's gloved hand (for sugar was one
- of the few creature delights a clover field failed to offer, that is, in
- any form more concrete than the sweetness of a withered clover head), and
- looked as though perfectly willing to continue the process for an almost
- indefinite period. Indeed, for a long time Hazel continued to ply her with
- questions of great moment to Company F, such as, “Is Sergeant Bellows the
- best sergeant in his regiment?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Is 'Company F' the finest company?” and so on, to all of which Miss
- Gladys gave only the most complimentary of answers. Just when this part of
- the performance was coming to a close, Mr. Lightfoot stepped up to the
- pony, and said, in beseeching fashion, “Look here, Miss Gladys, on the
- whole, you think I'm a pretty good sort of a fellow, now, don't you?” The
- pony looked at Starlight a moment, and then shook her head, “Yes,” in a
- most decided manner. “That's a darling,” Starlight exclaimed, swinging
- himself on to Gladys's back, in compliance with an order received from
- Hazel, and with his head resting on her mane and his arms clasped round
- her prettily-arched neck, rode off the stage. The soldiers, of course,
- were at first considerably astonished at the pony's intelligent answers,
- but it did not take most of them long to discover that the shakings of
- Miss Gladys's head were in every case controlled by a touch of Hazel's
- whip. A gentle application of the lash on the right foreleg for yes and
- the same motion on the left one for no. Hazel had tried to conceal this
- little motion as best she could, but it was naturally not an easy matter,
- and when Miss Gladys had been kind enough to answer “Yes” to Mr.
- Lightfoot's question, it was only because Hazel's whip was in Starlight's
- hand, and the pony, felt the same familiar sensation upon her left
- foreleg.
- </p>
- <p>
- Perhaps you wonder how it was that a little country pony was so unusually
- accomplished. Well, to tell the truth, Captain Boniface deserved all the
- credit of it, and Hazel none at all. When Hazel herself was but a week old
- that pony had been bought for her, and, as soon as she was able to take
- notice of anything, Gladys used to be trotted out daily for her
- inspection. And so it happened that while Captain Boniface was waiting for
- his little daughter to grow large enough to ride her, he used to amuse
- himself, and Hazel as well, by endeavoring to teach the pony a few knowing
- tricks. They had required a world of patience, and with none of them had
- he been so successful as with what he called the “pony shake,” and which
- just had been exhibited to so much advantage.
- </p>
- <p>
- “That Miss Hazel's a cute un,” said one of the soldiers, in the little
- intermission that followed the exit of the pony.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Cute's no name for it,” answered Sergeant Bellows.
- </p>
- <p>
- “She reminds me of my own little girl at home, whom I haven't seen in a
- five-year,” said the other, while a little mistiness betrayed itself in
- his soldier eyes.
- </p>
- <p>
- “She may mind ye of her,” answered the Sergeant, not unkindly, “but there
- isn't a child anywhere, I'm thinking, that can hold a candle to Miss
- Hazel.” You see Sergeant Bellows was an old bachelor, and without a
- relative in the world whom he cared for, and perhaps that accounted in a
- measure for his adoration of Hazel, though, no doubt, the little daughter
- of the red-haired soldier, who-was probably red-haired too, was just as
- charming in the eyes of her father as Hazel in the eyes of the lonely old
- Sergeant. But further discussion as to comparative merits was brought to
- an end by the reappearance of Starlight on the stage, accompanied by his
- dog, Lord Nelson, who, much against his will, had been dragged aboard of
- the “Gretchen” that morning, and imported from his kennel at Paulus Hook
- especially for the occasion. Lord Nelson possessed quite a varied set of
- accomplishments, none of them very remarkable, however, and after Lord
- Nelson came Flutters! Flutters in velvet and spangles, Flutters of The
- Great English Circus, and who straightway proceeded to make the eyes of
- Company F open wide with astonishment at his truly wonderful tumbling and
- somersaults. There was no slipping of the little knee-cap to-day. It
- seemed to Flutters quite impossible in the happy life he was leading, that
- knee-caps or anything else that concerned him should ever get much out of
- order again.
- </p>
- <p>
- As may be easily imagined, the audience would not be satisfied till
- Flutters had favored them with repeated encores, but when the performance
- was at last concluded, there was a call for the entire troupe, and, in
- response, out they came, hand-in-hand, Hazel and Kate, Starlight and
- Flutters; Starlight leading Lord Nelson with the hand that was free, and
- Flutters Miss Gladys. A low, smiling bow from them all—for even
- Gladys and Lord Nelson were made to give a compulsory nod—then the
- line retreated a foot or two, the shawl-curtain dropped into place, and
- the entertainment was over. At least so thought Company F, but it was
- mistaken, for no sooner had Hazel and Starlight disappeared behind the
- curtain, than out they came in front of it, and then down among the
- soldiers, Starlight carrying a tray full of glasses filled with the most
- inviting lemonade, and Hazel following with an old-fashioned silver
- cake-basket heaped high with delicious sponge cake of Josephine's best
- manufacture. Then for half-an-hour they had quite a social time of it.
- Captain and Mrs. Boniface, who had watched the performance from two
- comfortable chairs at the rear of Company F, were talking with some of the
- men; Flutters, who, for very good reasons, was still in costume, was the
- centre of another little group; while Kate, from the safe vantage point of
- Josephine's lap, chatted away, to the great entertainment of old Sergeant
- Bellows. Suddenly the Sergeant seemed to recall something important, for
- he jumped up, seized his hat, and began passing it from one to another of
- the men, all of whom had, apparently, come prepared for this feature of
- the entertainment.
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel was greatly relieved when she saw the hat in active circulation. She
- had felt afraid that the Sergeant had forgotten this part of the
- programme, and did not fancy the idea of having to remind him of it.
- Indeed he had come pretty near forgetting it, so absorbed had he been in
- the charms of little Kate, but as a result of the collection taken up by
- the Sergeant, Hazel found herself in possession of a contribution
- sufficiently generous to purchase a fine little outfit for Flutters. And
- so it came about that Flutters had a “benefit” and Company F an afternoon
- of what they termed “rare good fun.”
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER X.—DARLING OLD AUNT FRANCES.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0024" id="linkimage-0024"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9098.jpg" alt="9098 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9098.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- ERHAPS you think that is a queer title for a chapter. You would not think
- it queer at all if you had known her, for that is exactly what she was,
- and now and then it is just as well to call people by their right names.
- She was not old, however, in the sense of being wrinkled and white-haired
- and thin. Sometime, when somebody has been very kind to you, and has done
- you a “good turn” in real reliable fashion, haven't you just rushed up to
- them and exclaimed, “You dear old thing,” as if any mere young thing would
- be quite incapable of such a deed of loving-kindness? Well, in just the
- sense of being very kind and very reliable, Aunt Frances was old, and in
- no other. To be sure, she was nearing her fiftieth birthday, and there was
- a generous sprinkling of gray hair on her temples, but the gray hair only
- made her face softer and sweeter, and her heart was no older than bonny
- Kate's.
- </p>
- <p>
- Well, Aunt Frances sat knitting in a high-backed rocker on the wide step
- in front of the Van Vleet's door, a step that was made from one great
- unhewn stone, but whose roughnesses had been rounded down by the rains and
- storms of a hundred summers and winters. On the edge of the step, with his
- back against one of the large tubs of hydrangea which flanked the wide
- door-step on either side, sat Harry Avery. He had been silent for a long
- while. He was trying to get his courage up to say something to Aunt
- Frances, something that he knew it would grieve her to hear, and she had
- had so much to bear lately, he could not easily bring himself to it. “Aunt
- Frances,” he said, at last, “I know you'll be sorry about it, but I think
- I shall have to go away to-morrow.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, Harry, what do you mean?” while the tears gathered as quickly in her
- kind eyes as the clouds of an April shower darken an April sky, “and
- besides, where will you go?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Home, I suppose,” and then it would have been an easy thing for Harry,
- grown fellow that he was, to have mustered a few honest tears on his own
- account.
- </p>
- <p>
- “You see I am not willing to stay here any longer since you have to pay my
- board. And then you have so little money coming in now.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But the Van Vleets only allow me to pay a very small sum, and, Harry, you
- are such a comfort to me. Starlight's a dear, good boy, but he is not old
- enough for me to burden him with all my troubles as I do you. Tell me
- this, do you want to go home?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, I do not want to go home in the least. You know what I mean. I'd give
- a great deal to see father and mother and the youngsters; but there's
- nothing for me to do in New London—that is, not the sort of work
- that I think I am equal to, and, after leaving it the way I did, I hate to
- go back empty-handed. Then, I'm sure, father would much rather I'd find
- something to do in New York. He believes there is a good deal more of a
- chance for a fellow here.”
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0025" id="linkimage-0025"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0100.jpg" alt="0100 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0100.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- “And you have heard of nothing, Harry; nothing whatever?” Aunt Frances let
- her knitting fall in her lap, and looked straight at Harry as she spoke.
- There was something strange about this direct look from Aunt Frances. It
- seemed to compel the exact truth from everybody, even from Pat, the Van
- Vleets' hired man, who did not ordinarily hesitate in telling an untruth
- if it would make things more comfortable. And so Harry did not even
- succeed in making an evasive reply, as he should like to have done, but
- just answered, very simply and honestly: “Yes, Aunt Frances, I did hear of
- something—a clerkship in a lawyer's office—but I decided not
- to take it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Decided not to take it? Why, that is the very position you said you would
- like above all others!”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Did I say that? well, fellows are queer sometimes, aren't they?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Harry Avery, there is something mysterious about all this. What was the
- name of the lawyer?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, no matter, Auntie! The whole matter's decided. I made up my mind not
- to take it, and that ends it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Aunt Frances was not to be silenced in this fashion. She had a right to
- search this matter out, and search it she would. “Harry,” as if she were
- speaking to some little child, “Harry, look me right in the eyes, and tell
- me, was it Colonel Hamilton?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Yes but Harry looked off at the river. He had not the sort of courage to
- look Aunt Frances “right in the eyes,” as she bade him, for if there was a
- man anywhere whom she had a right thoroughly to despise, surely it was
- Colonel Hamilton—Colonel Hamilton, whose skilful reasoning had
- deprived her of the home that was almost as dear to her as life itself.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Is the position still open to you?” Aunt Frances was now gazing off to
- the river, and with the mark of deep thinking on her face. “If it is, you
- must take it. Colonel Hamilton is a great lawyer. It is as fine an opening
- as you could possibly desire. I, for one, have no notion of standing in
- your light, Harry, and you must not do yourself the injustice of standing
- in your own.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But, Aunt Frances—”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, don't interrupt me, Harry; only listen, like a good boy, and do just
- as I tell you. Take the 'Gretchen' first thing in the morning, go straight
- to Colonel Hamilton's office, and apply for the place. Tell him all about
- yourself, and answer every question he may ask in the most straightforward
- manner, but do not volunteer the information that you are a relative of
- mine. It would not do you any good and it might do harm—that is, it
- might incline the Colonel less kindly toward you. Unless some one has
- gotten ahead of you, you will secure the place, I am sure of it, and no
- one will be more glad for you than just my very self.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Aunt Frances,” said Harry, watching the needles that were again flashing
- in the afternoon sunlight, “you are the dearest old trump that ever
- knitted stockings for a fool of a fellow like me.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “If I thought this stocking was really to grace a fool's leg”—and
- Aunt Frances feigned great seriousness—“not another stitch would I
- take; but, begging your pardon, you would have been a fool indeed if you
- had not told me about all this, although I perfectly understand that your
- motives for not telling me were anything but foolish. No, Harry; somehow I
- am sure it is only providential that you should have heard of this place.
- Promise to try for it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I promise,” and Harry's lightened heart unconsciously betrayed itself in
- voice and look. He had wanted the situation, oh! so much, more than he
- would admit even to himself, but he had decided he must forego any attempt
- to secure it. It would be, he thought, at too great a cost to Aunt
- Frances's feelings, and he simply must not ask it.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Look, Harry,” she said, shading her eyes with one hand, “isn't that the
- Boniface boat about a mile to the left of the point?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, it is,” Harry answered, merely glancing in that direction; “but tell
- me one thing before I go down to the wharf: tell me, Aunt Frances, do you
- think Colonel Hamilton an unprincipled man?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Unprincipled! Why, Harry, do you suppose for a single moment that I would
- urge you to seek a situation under him if I thought that? No, I believe
- that he honestly felt that the English ought to be allowed to keep
- possession of the houses that we had abandoned, and so perhaps it was only
- natural that when Captain Wadsworth took his case to him, he should bring
- all his eloquence, which is very great, to bear on that side of the
- question. Nevertheless I confess, as that eloquence cost me my home, I
- cannot but feel pretty sore about it, and would go a long way out of my
- way to avoid meeting him, brave officer and brilliant lawyer as he is.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Harry felt considerably relieved by this assertion, and strolled down to
- the boat-landing with even more admiration for “darling old Aunt Frances”
- than he had ever felt before. It was so unusual, he thought, to find a
- woman who could reason fairly, independent of her heart.
- </p>
- <p>
- But Aunt Frances was not quite so 'independent of her heart,' as Harry put
- it, as Harry and the rest of the world thought, and for the very good
- reason that her heart was as big as herself. And so when Harry had left
- her, what did she do but lay aside her knitting, go straight up to her own
- little room in one of the gable ends of the house, shut the door of it,
- and then, sitting down in a low little rocking-chair, bury her face in her
- hands and cry. It had not been by any means an easy thing for her to urge
- Harry to seek a position under a man who had wrought her so much harm, but
- it had been her plain duty, at whatever cost to herself, and she had done
- it. Now when Aunt Frances cried, it was because that great heart of hers
- had had one little ache crowded upon another little ache till it could
- bear no more, and then the hot tears <i>must</i> (there was no choice at
- all in the matter) be allowed to flow for a while and ease it. But for all
- this, do not think for a moment that Aunt Frances was an unhappy sort of
- person. Each little experience of her life and of the lives of others had
- a very deep significance for her, because she believed with all her heart
- that God watches over every life and guides it, and no one who believes
- that can ever be unhappy long at a time; life is to them too beautiful and
- earnest. But this was the way of it with Aunt Frances: she had a great
- capacity for loving, if you understand what that means, but she did not
- have as much of a chance to spend that love as many another, who had not
- half as much to spend. She would always be Miss Frances Avery, she felt
- sure of that; yet what a tender, loving wife she could have made for
- somebody! She should never have any one nearer to her than Harry and
- Starlight (bless their hearts!) but oh, what a mother she might have been
- with her great passionate love for little children! And so it was that
- Aunt Frances trod the round of the life God had sent her, because He had
- sent it, contentedly and happily, and yet it would happen now and then
- that some thoughtless word or deed would almost unaccountably set one
- little spot to aching, and something else would set another, till her
- heart was all one great ache, and the pent-up tears must come. Aunt
- Frances could always tell perfectly well when there was need to retreat to
- the little room in the gable, the little room that had been hers now, for
- the two years since she had fled from her own home across the river; and
- while she sat there on the step with Harry she knew well enough what she
- should do the moment he was gone. It was not that she did not mean every
- word she said to him; it was only that somehow that little talk had
- overcharged the brave heart.
- </p>
- <p>
- Afterward, when the Boniface's boat had touched at the dock and all the
- Van Vleets were flocking out of doors to welcome them, Aunt Frances was in
- their midst, with the sunshine of her presence all the brighter for the
- storm of troubled feelings that had just swept over it, but Josephine
- Boniface thought she saw just the faintest trace of recent tears in Aunt
- Frances's eyes as she stooped to kiss her. “Dear old Aunt Frances,” she
- whispered, as she put her arm about her neck, “I would give all the world
- ever to be such a blessed ministering angel as you are to everybody.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, Josephine, darling, what foolishness,” whispered Aunt Frances; but
- it needed only those few sweet words to banish even the trace of tears,
- and to make her thoroughly light-hearted once again.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XI.—THE VAN VLEETS GIVE A TEA-PARTY.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0026" id="linkimage-0026"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9105.jpg" alt="9105 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9105.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- HE Van Vleet family was composed of seven individuals. There were Father
- and Mother Van Vleet, who had been married while both were in their teens,
- and their five children, Gretchen, Heide, Francesca, Pauline, and Hans Van
- Vleet, who had been born in the order named in the seven years immediately
- succeeding their parents' marriage. So, in point of fact, now that they
- were grown, there was scarcely any perceptible difference between this
- comfortable Dutch couple and their children, save that the children were
- taller, which made it seem more of a joke that they should actually belong
- to a father and mother who looked almost as young themselves. All this
- combined to make them a united and congenial family, and they lived in a
- comfortable old Dutch homestead and were very well-to-do, owing to the
- well-tilled acres that stretched down to the river in front of them and
- back to the ridge of the Jersey Flats behind. But there was one minor
- chord in the otherwise cheery harmony of the Van Vleet household. Pauline,
- the youngest sister, now about twenty-two, was not “quite bright,” but she
- was serene and, as a rule, perfectly happy, which is a deal more than can
- be said of many people, be they ever so bright. There were two reasons for
- this serenity of Pauline's: her own naturally placid temperament and the
- tender care with which all the others watched over her. But one thing must
- be confessed, they were not a patriotic family, and the blood in their
- veins coursed somewhat sluggishly. They had rather hoped that the
- colonists would win in the war of the Revolution, thinking, no doubt, it
- would be more to their interest, yet it had never once occurred to Hans or
- his father to shoulder a flintlock in place of a hoe and go and help them.
- They were a good, narrow, stay-at-home family, with their thoughts moving
- in one and the same channel, and with interests bounded by their own
- acres, their own experiences, and those of their nearest neighbors.
- </p>
- <p>
- But there was one delightful feature about their neutrality: they could be
- the best of friends alike with Whigs and Royalists, and were able to
- invite the Bonifaces to a tea party just as cordially as they could offer
- the shelter of their home to poor fugitive Aunt Frances. And a few days
- before they had invited them. Kind old Mrs. Van Vleet, knowing that these
- were very lonely days at best for Captain Boniface's family, determined to
- do all that lay in her power to brighten them, and so a formal invitation,
- written by Heide in the stiffest of little cramped hands, was sent them.
- Mrs. Boniface had accepted most gladly. It meant so much to have this
- evidence of true friendship at a time when many old friends were looking
- askance and turning a cold shoulder.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <p>
- And now Saturday afternoon had come, the first Saturday in October, and
- the Boniface boat was tacking across the river in the teeth of a bracing
- west wind. They were all there, the entire household, from Captain
- Boniface, at the helm, to Flutters, in his well-fitting corduroys, seated
- astride of the bow. Flutters loved to be in the “front of things”
- generally, but in the present instance it frequently became necessary for
- him to draw his knees quickly up to his chin, being quite too newly shod
- to run the risk of contact with the salt water white caps that now and
- then thumped plumply against the bow. Harry Avery was at the wharf long
- before the little boat touched it, and stood whittling a brier-wood stick
- as he waited, and dreaming the while the happiest dreams about the future
- that might open up before him if he should secure that position with
- Colonel Hamilton. Somehow or other Harry felt almost certain he could get
- ahead in the world if it would only give him any sort of a chance.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Halloo there, Harry! a penny for your thoughts,” called Captain Boniface,
- bringing his boat about and alongside of the wharf in true sailor fashion.
- </p>
- <p>
- Harry jumped to his feet and blushed like a school-girl, as if he half
- feared the thought of his heart could be read by them all. “It is
- fortunate that I am not bound to tell them,” he answered, catching the
- rope which the Captain had thrown him, and securing it to a staple.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, not bound, of course, but thoughts ought to be of a pretty high order
- that make you unmindful of the coming of the 'Grayling' and the
- Bonifaces.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Harry was glad to find the Captain in this lighter vein, for life had been
- too serious and complicated a matter lately for him often to forget its
- seriousness. As for Mrs. Boniface, she had been both surprised and
- delighted when she found her husband willing to accept the Van Vleets'
- invitation, for lately it had been quite impossible to get him to take any
- interest in anything of the sort, and she feared a kind but absolute
- refusal. But no sooner had the “Grayling” cleared her dock than the
- Captain seemed to regain his wonted good spirits, and to leave all his
- heavy-heartedness behind, and glad indeed was his little family to see him
- in a cheery mood once more.
- </p>
- <p>
- As soon as the Bonifaces commenced to ascend the beautiful grass-grown
- meadow, which swept down to the water's edge, out came all the Van Vleets
- to meet them and escort them up to the house; and it was a remarkable old
- dwelling, unlike anything one would see nowadays, if it were not that two
- or three such homesteads have chanced to survive the ravages of a century,
- by grace of having once been dignified as “Washington's Headquarters.”
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0027" id="linkimage-0027"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0108.jpg" alt="0108 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0108.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- It was a double two-story house, or rather three-story, if you count the
- little rooms in the gables. It was built of stone, coated with a rough
- sort of plaster, and faced the river; its large square stoop, flanked with
- its two benches, being protected by the overhanging eaves of the roof
- itself. The front door, seldom opened, was ornamented with a huge brass
- knocker in the shape of a lion's head, and was daily burnished with as
- much thoroughness as though in constant use. Indeed, it must be confessed
- that in front everything was severe and prim and painfully stiff, but
- fortunately at the side things were different. Indeed, the house, in its
- two entirely different aspects, resembled an old army officer, always
- stern and arbitrary with his men for the sake of discipline, but 'another
- fellow altogether' when off duty and in the company of his brother
- officers. At the side it was as though you surprised it in undress
- uniform. In the first place, there was always, in the season, a great
- profusion of flowers; not, however, in conventional flower beds, but
- parading their blaze of color from painted tubs, mounted here and there on
- the table-like tops of old tree stumps, which had evidently survived the
- first clearing of the land. Fortunately for general effectiveness, these
- tubs were not filled with a promiscuous assortment of plants, but each
- held the luxurious growth of some single variety—here a hydrangea,
- with its wealth of heavy-headed blooms, fairly concealing its leaves;
- there a great cluster of peonies or brilliant scarlet geraniums. As might
- be expected on the first Saturday of October, many of these plants bore
- only a few tardy blossoms, and some of them had evidently lost all heart
- with the first intimation of frost; but in the centre of the old-fashioned
- grass plot was a contrivance that from June well into November presented a
- remarkable blaze of color, varying with every month, and always beautiful.
- This contrivance, called by the Van Vleets “The flower fountain,” was
- composed of a series of five circular shelves, each shelf a little smaller
- in circumference than the one below it, and terminating, at the height of
- about five feet from the ground, in a round flat top. These shelves were
- constantly crowded with pots of plants in full bloom. Indeed, Hans kept a
- sort of nursery for no other reason than to supply the fountain, and the
- moment a plant took it into its head to bloom no longer, or only in a
- spiritless way, back it was marched to the nursery, and another took its
- place. What a fine thing it would be if some of the little folk too, who
- are not blooming out into just the sort of grown folk we could wish, might
- simply be remanded to the nursery, there to be restarted, after the manner
- of Hans's plants, and perhaps coaxed into a more satisfying growth than
- they now, alas! give promise of! But if it had not been for this flower
- fountain, who knows but Hans might have gone to the war? You can see how
- it would not be an easy thing for a placid, kind-hearted Dutchman, who
- loved the training and slipping and potting of plants above everything
- else in the world, to turn his pruning-knife into a sword.
- </p>
- <p>
- On the afternoon of the tea-party this fountain was ablaze with
- chrysanthemums, varying in color from the darkest red to the palest pink,
- and from orange to pure white. The plants of one shelf hid the pots of the
- shelf above it, and the lowest shelf of all was sunk so low in the ground
- as to be concealed by the grass. But what gave this side of the house the
- “homiest” look of all was the row of shining milk tins ranged in a row on
- a low bench, and tilted against the wall. Then, just beyond them, the
- kitchen door opened, and such a kitchen! with tables and dresser and every
- wooden thing in it scoured to immaculate whiteness, and with white sand
- daily sifted upon the floor in most remarkable patterns. In this kitchen
- the Van Vleets not only ate, but lived, and so it possessed that
- undefinable charm which sometimes belongs to the living-room of a family,
- and never to any other. In preparation for the Bonifaces' coming, large,
- high-backed Dutch rockers had been ranged round this kitchen door, and
- here the little party seated themselves under the uncertain shade of a
- half-leafless oak-tree, that allowed the warm sunshine to slant gratefully
- down upon them, and where they could enjoy the flower fountain to the
- full. The Misses Van Vleet were busy within doors attending to the
- preparations for supper—that is, with the exception of Pauline, who
- was always at liberty to do pretty much as she chose; and what she had
- chosen to do this afternoon was this: After the Bonifaces had come up from
- their boat she had noticed somebody still moving about in it, so down she
- went to investigate. Then, when she reached a point near enough to be
- quite satisfactory to her ladyship, she sat herself down on the low,
- straight limb of a stunted apple-tree, and waited.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XII.—AN INTERRUPTION.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0028" id="linkimage-0028"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9111.jpg" alt="9111 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9111.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- HE somebody moving about in the “Grayling” was Flutters. He was arranging
- boat cushions, folding up wraps and shawls, and putting things generally
- to rights. Dear little fellow! No one had told him he ought to do this; he
- did it quite by grace of his own thoughtful intuition, and he found so
- many little things all the while to do, and did them all so gladly, that
- he wondered a trifle proudly how the Bonifaces had ever managed without
- him, and the Bonifaces wondered too.
- </p>
- <p>
- Finally, when Flutters had gotten everything into literally ship-shape
- condition, and quite to his mind, off he started up the bank, bending far
- over, as one must when one attempts to scale a steep place rapidly. So it
- chanced that he did not see Miss Pauline at all until she spoke to him,
- and he was himself directly under the scant shadow of the apple-tree.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Not so fast, sir,” said Pauline, in an authoritative way, which brought
- Flutters, surprised and breathless, to a standstill.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Sit down,” she added in a moment, pointing to a rock covered with gray
- moss, and confronting the limb where she was sitting.
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters mechanically obeyed. He knew she must be one of the family, and
- as he had met many queer people in his day, did not marvel that here was
- somebody, to all appearances, a little queerer than the rest. She looked
- very pretty balanced there on the low limb of the tree, in her
- full-skirted gray gown, and with the western sunlight shining on her back
- and turning her curling yellow hair into a sort of halo about her
- forehead. Flutters sat and stared at her.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Do you like my looks?” she asked complacently.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes,” replied Flutters, astonished; “you are a Miss Van Vleet, aren't
- you?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I'm Miss Pauline Van Vleet.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I thought so,” Flutters remarked, just by way of saying something.
- </p>
- <p>
- “It is best <i>never</i> to say what you think,” said Miss Pauline
- solemnly. “Folks get themselves into trouble that way.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters felt inclined to suggest that people would be very stupid and
- uninteresting if they did not sometimes say what they thought, but wisely
- concluded it was better not to start an argument with this peculiar young
- person.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Are you a new Boniface?” asked Pauline, scanning him closely.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, not exactly,” laughed Flutters.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I did not ask what you were exactly; are you a new Boniface at all?”
- </p>
- <p>
- What a queer question, thought Flutters, and then went to work to answer
- it to the best of his ability.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, I am not a Boniface at all, but I am new in this part of the country.
- I used to live in England.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “What is your name?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Flutters.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Miss Pauline seemed very much amused at this, saying it over to herself
- two or three times. “Did your father use to call you Flutters?” she asked
- presently, looking at him searchingly.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No,” he answered, the color rushing into his brown face, for no one had
- asked him that direct question before.
- </p>
- <p>
- “What did he call you?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “He called me—he called me—but that is one of the things I do
- not tell to anybody.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But, Flutters, child, you will tell me, just me,” and Pauline looked at
- him with a look as pathetic as though she were pleading for her life.
- </p>
- <p>
- “But I can't, Miss Pauline, really I can't;” whereupon Miss Pauline buried
- her face in her two pretty hands, and began to cry like a child.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0029" id="linkimage-0029"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0113.jpg" alt="0113 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0113.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- “Why, you're not crying for that, surely?” Flutters asked, never more
- astonished in his life.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, just for that—just for that—and I'll cry harder and
- harder until you tell.”
- </p>
- <p>
- The truth was, all the Van Vleets were so in the habit of humoring this
- poor sister of theirs, and never crossing her will if it could possibly be
- helped, that this refusal on Flutters's part truly seemed to her most
- preposterous, and she was shedding actual tears. Flutters saw one or two
- of them find their way through her fingers, and, like other heroes,
- relented at the sight; besides, what else was to be done?
- </p>
- <p>
- “I will tell you, I will tell you,” he said softly; “my real name is
- Arthur Wainwright;” and the mere sound of it, whispered though it was,
- made him start. It was so long now since he had heard it on the lips of
- any one! Indeed, it did not seem as though it belonged to him at all.
- </p>
- <p>
- “That's a pretty name,” replied Pauline, beginning to be comforted and to
- dry her tears; “now tell me <i>all</i> about you.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, I can't,” replied Flutters, pained at the need of refusing; “I <i>must</i>
- keep it a secret.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “You can keep it a secret all the same,” said Pauline sadly, and with that
- insight into her own deficiencies which sometimes flashes across a
- distraught mind, “for, you see, I cannot remember it long enough to tell
- it to anybody, so tell me, please—please tell me; nothing makes
- Pauline so happy as a real true story.”
- </p>
- <p>
- The entreaty in her voice was too much for Flutters, and he dreaded more
- than he could express a fresh outburst of tears, therefore he decided to
- run the risk, and try if he could to make Miss Pauline happy, especially
- as he thought it highly probable that what she said was true, and that she
- really would not remember anything long enough to repeat it.
- </p>
- <p>
- “There is not much about me,” he began, “but I will tell you all there
- is.” It did not occur to his honest little soul that any story he might
- have chosen to concoct would have answered just as well for Miss Pauline.
- He neither added to nor in any way digressed from the exact truth.
- </p>
- <p>
- “My father was an Englishman,” he continued, “and he lived for a while in
- India, for he had some business there, and my mother was a colored woman.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, dear me!” said Pauline, “I would not like a father of one sort and a
- mother of another; which kind did you like best?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I do not remember my mother at all, but my father said she was beautiful
- and a good woman, but not just what people call a lady. She died when I
- was two years old, and then my father took me to England, and then after a
- while he married a real lady, a white English lady like himself, and they
- had some lovely white children; but the English mother never liked me. I
- think she couldn't somehow, Miss Pauline”—he seemed to reason as
- though he were afraid of blaming anybody—“and I thought I was in the
- way—in the way even of my father; and so one day I ran off and
- joined a circus that was coming to America. But I did not care for the
- circus very much, and so Job Starlight and Miss Hazel helped me to run
- away from that, and now I'm Miss Hazel's body servant, and the Bonifaces
- seem to like me, and I never was so happy in all my life before.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “That's a very nice story, too nice for a secret. Why don't you tell it
- 'round?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, because I don't want my father ever to hear of me, for then he might
- send for me, and I want to stay with the Bonifaces always. You won't tell,
- will you, Miss Pauline?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I would if I could,” she answered, with a spirit of mischief, “but you
- can't tell things if your head's like a sieve, and lets everything
- through, can you? Now is there nothing more?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, there isn't,” Flutters answered, a little shortly, indignant at her
- answer. It hardly paid, he thought, to be kind to a young lady who acted
- like that. But fortunately Pauline did not notice the curtness of his
- reply.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Then give me your hand, Flutters, and we'll go up to the house.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, I thank you. Boys as big as I am don't need to be helped along by the
- hand.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Flutters,” she said solemnly, “give—me—your—hand or
- I'll—I'll cry harder than before.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh dear, dear, dear,” thought Flutters, “is there no way out of this?”
- and he looked furtively down the bank toward the boat, as though he
- seriously contemplated taking to his heels and launching out upon the
- river as the only adequate means of escape. But suddenly Miss Pauline put
- one hand to her ear, and Flutters, looking in the direction in which she
- pointed with the other, saw that some one up at the house was ringing a
- bell, and at the same time too heard its tinkling, which Pauline's keen
- hearing had been quick to detect.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Flutters,” she said, gazing down at him with the most satisfied smile
- imaginable, “that means supper. Come on up;” then away she flew toward the
- house, leaving Flutters to follow at a reasonable gait, and profoundly
- thankful to be relieved from the alternative of either being led by the
- hand or taking refuge in ignominious flight.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XIII.—MORE ABOUT THE TEA-PARTY.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0030" id="linkimage-0030"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9117.jpg" alt="9117 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9117.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- O one had noticed the <i>tête-a-tête</i> which Flutters and Miss Pauline
- had been holding at a distance, only when Flutters came on the scene Hazel
- asked what had kept him so long, and he made some evasive reply. He hoped
- no one would ever know of the encounter. In the first place, because he
- foolishly felt he had somehow been gotten the best of, and, in the second
- place, because Miss Pauline had heard what he had fully intended no one of
- his new friends ever should hear.
- </p>
- <p>
- As a member of the Van Vleet household, Starlight naturally felt a share
- in the responsibility of entertaining, and, taking Flutters under his
- wing, presented him to one and another of the family as “Flutters, the new
- boy over at the Bonifaces'.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No such thing,” said Miss Pauline when in turn Flutters was introduced to
- her; “he's not a new Boniface at all; I know better than that, don't I,
- dear?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, what shall, what shall I say?” groaned Flutters inwardly; but
- Starlight dragged him away with the explanation that the young lady was
- not right in her mind, and so there was no necessity of saying anything.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0031" id="linkimage-0031"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0118.jpg" alt="0118 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0118.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- It proved a most inviting table that the Van Vleets had spread for their
- Royalist friends. Two deep apple pies graced either end of it; a great
- platter of doughnuts or “oly keoks,” as the Dutch has it, had been placed
- in the centre, towered above, on one side, by a long-stemmed glass dish of
- preserved peaches, and, on the other side, by a similar dish of preserved
- pears. Frau Van Vleet presided over a large Delft teapot ornamented, as
- Washington Irving describes a similar pot, “with paintings of fat little
- Dutch shepherds and shepherdesses, tending pigs, with boats sailing in the
- air and houses built in the clouds, and sundry other ingenious Dutch
- fantasies.” As the kitchen table was not of the extension variety, and so
- not capable of accommodating the entire party, places had to be set for
- Hans, Harry Avery, and two of the Van Vleet sisters at a separate table in
- one corner.
- </p>
- <p>
- At the back of Frau Van Vleet's customary seat at the larger table was the
- great open fireplace, which was roomy enough to accommodate two people on
- each of the benches lining either side of it. On a crane, suspended over
- the crackling logs, hung a huge copper tea-kettle, from which Harry, since
- he had been staying with the Van Vleets, had taken upon himself the duty
- of refilling the Delft teapot whenever needed during the progress of a
- meal, and indeed had completely won the heart of the kind old Frau, as
- soon as he had come among them, by his eagerness to serve her in every
- possible way. To-night he was kept busy, for both Van Vleets and Bonifaces
- were famous tea-drinkers, only they managed the matter differently in
- those days. The lump of sugar was placed beside the cup, not in it, and
- people nibbled and sipped alternately. The principal hot dish of the
- tea-party was broiled ham, and, done to a turn and deliciously savory, was
- delicate enough to tempt almost any appetite. Then there were two blue
- china plates heaped with biscuits, every one of which, from very
- lightness, had risen and risen, till top and bottom were a long way apart;
- but notwithstanding these generous proportions, the two blue plates had
- been emptied and replenished more than once before all were satisfied.
- </p>
- <p>
- Miss Pauline's seat at the table had been placed at quite a distance from
- Flutters, but, without daring often to look in her direction, Flutters
- felt with considerable nervousness that her gaze was riveted almost
- constantly upon him. Finally, to his astonishment, and at a time when
- there had been a pause of several seconds, she announced very calmly,
- “Wainwright's a nice little boy. I like his looks and he likes mine; don't
- you, Wainwright?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters kept his eyes on his plate, and in his embarrassment swallowed
- two or three morsels of ham that were far too large in far too rapid
- succession. “She'll tell it all, if they only give her time,” he thought
- savagely, but he did not intend to make any reply.
- </p>
- <p>
- “She means you, Flutters,” whispered Miss Heide, who sat next to him. “You
- had better answer her, 'that you do like her looks.' We never differ with
- her. It is just a fancy of hers, this calling you Wainwright; but where
- could she ever have heard the name?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “If it only were a fancy,” thought Flutters, while Miss Pauline sat, with
- her teacup poised in her pretty hand, waiting his reply.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I like your looks,” said Flutters in a compulsory sort of way that
- made every one smile, while the color surged over his brown face.
- </p>
- <p>
- “That's right,” she answered complacently, “and I wouldn't mind at all
- about your mother being colored, because that's how you come by your dark
- skin, and your dark skin is the beauty of you.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Miss Pauline was growing rather personal, and it certainly did look as
- though she knew what she was talking about; but fortunately no one
- attached any weight to what she said, and as she seemed inclined to follow
- up a line of thought which must at least be annoying to poor little
- Flutters, the sister who sat nearest her tried quietly to divert her,
- while another started a new topic of general conversation.
- </p>
- <p>
- At last the meal was over, and Flutters was glad; nor was he the only one
- that felt relieved. Captain Boniface had finished his supper sometime
- before the others, and for the last ten minutes had been nervously taking
- up his tumbler and setting it down, and shifting his position in his
- chair, as though unable longer to keep his long legs penned under the
- narrow table. Mrs. Boniface had noticed it and wondered at it, and felt
- thankful when Frau Van Vleet pushed back her chair and so gave the signal
- to the others.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, dear, what can the matter be?” screeched a great green parrot hanging
- in its cage by the doorway, and who had apparently been roused from deep
- reverie by the scraping of the chairs on the sanded floor. Mrs. Boniface
- gave a start of surprise, for the parrot had given exact expression to her
- own thoughts. She was watching her husband closely, and knew by experience
- that something was troubling him, and yet he had been so gay that very
- afternoon. “I believe it was all assumed,” she thought to herself, and the
- more she thought, the more assured she felt that she was right. Oh, how
- she longed to steal over to him and question him; but no, that would not
- do. Frau Van Vleet had arranged two chairs side by side for a neighborly
- chat, and there was no way out of it.
- </p>
- <p>
- Now that the supper was over, the Misses Van Vleet's domestic duties were
- over too, the clearing of the table being left to “Rhuna,” an old crone of
- a negro servant, who had been with them many years. Then, as was their
- wont, the young ladies resorted each to her particular rush- bottomed
- chair and the knitting of her own woollen stockings, while Josephine, with
- little Kate upon her lap, endeavored to make her exhibit some of her
- pretty accomplishments for their general amusement. Hazel, Starlight, and
- Flutters had accompanied Hans Van Vleet and his father off to the barn for
- the milking, while Captain Boniface and Harry, in close conversation,
- walked off toward the river. Harry had joined the Captain at a signal that
- he would like to speak to him, but he had not noticed his altered manner,
- and under the impression that he was in the best of spirits, was
- altogether unprepared for what he was about to hear.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0032" id="linkimage-0032"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figright" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/8121.jpg" alt="8121 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/8121.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- “Harry,” began the Captain seriously, “I have received the most
- distressing news within the last twenty-four hours.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “You don't mean it, sir,” with evident surprise; “I thought matters were
- looking brighter for you every day. I have reason to know that at least
- two of the signers of that insulting note you received are heartily
- ashamed of their behavior, and are actually on the look-out to atone for
- it in some fashion.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “So I hear, and I am very grateful; but all that good news is offset by
- other news which has reached me this morning: some Tory friends of ours in
- South Carolina have just been brutally murdered by the Whigs,” and then
- the Captain excitedly narrated all the sad details of the tragedy so far
- as he knew them.
- </p>
- <p>
- Harry listened attentively. “It is certainly very dreadful,” he said at
- last sadly; “but,” he added with characteristic honesty, “I have heard of
- some of the doings of those South Carolina Tories, and many of them,
- though possibly your friends were not among them, deserved harsh
- treatment, Captain Boniface.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Harry,” said the Captain abruptly, as though too busy with his own
- thoughts to have heard what was said, “tell me frankly, do you suppose
- this community will ever again treat me as a decent member of society?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, Captain Boniface, I do, and I have something with me this moment
- that points that way,” and he handed him an unsealed envelope. It was
- addressed to the Captain, and he found it to contain a card of invitation,
- which read as follows: “The Executive Committee of the Assembly
- respectfully informs the ladies and gentlemen of New York that a dance
- will be given on Monday next at the City Assembly Rooms, to begin
- precisely at five o'clock. Price of tickets, six shillings.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “So they ask us to the Assembly, do they?” said the Captain, glancing over
- it with evident surprise. “They have contrived to leave us very little
- heart for dancing,” he added sadly.
- </p>
- <p>
- “But you will go,” urged Harry; “that invitation means even more than you
- suspect. It means, I think, that there is an organized effort on foot to
- fully reinstate you, and some other Tories as well, whom they have treated
- so uncivilly.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “So you think it implies all that?” said the Captain, smiling
- incredulously at his enthusiasm.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I'm sure it does, and you will go and take Mrs. Boniface and Miss
- Josephine; promise me, Captain.”
- </p>
- <p>
- The Captain did not reply at once, and Harry had time to realize that in
- his earnestness he was rather overstepping bounds.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Of course I do not mean to ask you to promise me,” he stammered, coloring
- up to the roots of his hair, “but you know what I mean. I am so anxious
- you should meet them half way.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And you think we really ought to go? Why, a Dancing Assembly is the last
- thing in the world we care to have a hand in. But Mrs. Boniface will not
- stir a step when she hears about this wholesale murder of the Bentons, so
- that settles it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And you feel that you <i>must</i> tell her?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, of course there is no must about it. I will think it over,” and then
- the Captain and Harry entered into a thorough discussion of the events
- that had led up to the sad consummation in South Carolina, and Harry had
- some facts at his command by which he succeeded in partially convincing
- the Captain that, in many cases, the Tories had been treated very much as
- they deserved.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, Harry, you may be right, you may be right,” sighed the Captain,
- “but that does not make the sacrifice of my old friends any easier to
- bear.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Not a whit, sir, I can understand that,” and then they started toward the
- house, for they could see that Mrs. Boniface and Frau Van Vleet were
- taking formal leave of each other.
- </p>
- <p>
- Twilight was settling down upon the river, and in those days, when it was
- the custom for fashionable dancing parties to begin at five o'clock, it
- was surely fitting that the same hour should conclude an unfashionable
- Dutch tea-party. Indeed, by the time darkness had fairly mastered the
- twilight, all the Van Vleets were snugly in bed, and only one light could
- be seen in the whole farm-house; that was in the window of Aunt Frances's
- gable room. There she sat reading, by the light of a plump little Dutch
- candle, certain familiar passages from some dearly loved books. She knew
- most of them by heart, and yet to much pondering of the noble, uplifting
- thoughts of these comforting little books was due much of that cheerful
- courage which was such a help to everybody.
- </p>
- <p>
- Meanwhile the “Grayling” sailed “up river” and “cross river,” and reached
- her dock. She had one more name on her list of cabin passengers, however,
- than when she had sailed that morning, for how could Aunt Frances say “No”
- when Hazel had come to her and begged that she would please be so very
- good as to let them have Starlight for over Sunday?
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XIV.—HAZEL HAS A CONVICTION.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0033" id="linkimage-0033"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9124.jpg" alt="9124 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9124.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- TARLIGHT,” said Hazel, seriously, next morning, as they sat side by side
- on the porch, “I've been thinking.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes,” said Starlight, dryly; “most people do.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I've been thinking, Starlight,” Hazel continued, “that perhaps I am not
- doing quite right by Flutters.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “You're doing mighty kind by him, I'm sure, and he thinks so, too. You've
- given him a home and clothes and plenty to eat, and all he has to do is to
- wait on your ladyship and take charge of the pony. I shouldn't call that
- work, nor Flutters doesn't, either. He says it is all just fun, and if
- there's a finer family anywhere than the Bonifaces he'd like to see'em,
- only he knows he never shall see'em, because there isn't such a family.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Are you making that up, Job Starlight?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, I guess not. Flutters says something of that sort every time we're
- left alone together. It seems as though his heart was so overflowing that
- he just had to ease it whenever he got a chance.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, it's certainly very pleasant to have him feel like that.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, he just worships the ground—”
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight paused to shy a stone at a guinea hen that was encroaching on
- one of the flower beds—“your <i>mother</i> treads on.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight knew well enough that he ended this sentence quite differently
- from what Hazel had expected; but Hazel was wise enough not to show her
- surprise, and besides, if there was any worshipping to be done, she was
- about as glad to have Flutters worship the ground her mother trod on as
- that over which her little feet had travelled.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, but I've been thinking,” she said, resuming her own line of thought,
- “that, for all we know, Flutters may be a regular little heathen, for I
- have an idea that the mulattoes are a very savage tribe. Did you ever hear
- him say a word about religion, or what he believed, and things like that?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight scratched his head, by way of helping his memory. “Never a word,
- come to think of it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, now, Starlight, that is very strange, and I believe I'll take him
- to church this very morning, and see how he acts.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, let's,” said Starlight, taking most kindly to the project. “If he's
- never been in one, it will be awful fun to see how he takes it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “People don't go to church to have awful fun. If that's what you're going
- for, you had better stay home.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight clapped his hand over his mouth, as though to suppress a most
- explosive giggle. “My gracious, Hazel! What has come over you?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Nothing has come over me, and you know it. I always love to go to church,
- and I love everything they do there; and I think it's beautiful where they
- sing, 'Lord, have mercy upon us,' after the commandments, and everybody
- keeps their head bowed.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight did not answer. It was evident Hazel was launching upon one of
- what he called her “high-minded moods;” and, indeed, child though she was,
- Hazel did have times when she thought very deeply—times when the
- soul that was in her seemed to reach out after things eternal. It was not
- at all an unusual experience. It does not always need even ten round years
- to bring a child to a point of knowing for itself that there is a longing
- that this world, all wonderful and beautiful though it be, does not fully
- satisfy. Such a knowing does not make a child less a child, or rob it of
- an iota of its joyousness, only sometimes lends a sweet and earnest depth
- to the little God-given life. But to matter-of-fact Job Starlight, it must
- be confessed that such a mood was not at all satisfactory. He did not
- comprehend it, and standing in awe of Hazel's “high mindedness,” always
- endeavored to bring her down to his own level as quickly as possible by
- means of some diverting subject. This time he fortunately spied it in the
- shape of two prim little maidens, Prayer-Book in hand, who came demurely
- walking, side by side, down the path that skirted the roadway.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, there come the Marberrys,” he remarked.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Sure enough,” said Hazel, flying to the gate. “Are you going to church?”
- she called over it.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes,” answered the little Marberrys simultaneously; indeed, they were a
- pair of simultaneous children. In the first place, they were twins; in the
- second place, they were as alike in appearance as peas in a pod, and, in
- the third place, one little brain seemed to be the perfect fac-simile of
- the other. It was no uncommon thing for them to utter the same thought, in
- the same words, at the same time; and when this did not happen, one would
- generally echo what the other had said. They had been christened Mathilde
- and Clothilde; but Milly and Tilly had been the outcome of that, and of
- course the similarity in the sound of the two names led to much confusion,
- since the initial letter was all that distinguished them.
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel had come to the wise conclusion “that, so far as possible, it was
- best just to say things that would do for both, because, like as not, if
- you meant to say something to Milly—it not being so understood—Tilly
- would answer, and <i>vice-versa</i>.” But these two little Marberrys were
- warm friends of hers, and in those days, when so many people were
- estranged from the Bonifaces, she set a specially high value upon their
- friendship. Not that the Marberrys were in any sense Tories; only, as Dr.
- Marberry was rector of St. George's, they felt it their duty, as a family,
- to be kind to everybody in the church. Besides, it would have caused the
- twins a real pang to have been parted from Hazel, for, as they frequently
- asserted in the presence of less favored playmates, “Hazel Boniface was
- the cutest and nicest girl they had ever known.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight's announcement of “Here come the Marberrys” had suggested to
- Hazel the idea of joining forces and all going along together. The
- children were delighted with the plan, as with any plan of hers, and sat
- down for a friendly chat with Starlight, while Hazel hurried away to
- summon Flutters. She found him feeding some withered clover heads to
- Gladys, as he sat comfortably on the top rail of the fence, enclosing the
- meadow where Gladys was allowed to disport herself on high days and
- holidays. She waited till she got close up to him, then she announced,
- “Flutters, you are to go to church with me this morning.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “To church!” he said, surprised, for he had not heard her coming.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, go put on the other suit, and meet me at the gate quickly.”
- </p>
- <p>
- She did not say “your other suit,” feeling, naturally, a certain sense of
- personal ownership, as far as Flutters's outfit was concerned.
- </p>
- <p>
- “All right, Miss Hazel,” he answered, moving off with the alacrity of a
- well-trained little servant.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Perhaps you will not care to go with me, girls,” Hazel remarked, as she
- came down the path, some five minutes later, and looking very pretty in
- her dark red Sunday dress. “You see I am going to take Flutters.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And why should we mind that?” chirped Milly Marberry in a high musical
- little key, and Tilly remarked, “Yes, why should we mind that?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Because I have no idea how he will behave. When I told him just now that
- he was to go to church with me, he said, 'To church!' as though he was
- very much surprised and had never been in one in his life.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I suppose he'll sit still, though, if you tell him to,” said Milly.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Of course he will not speak if—” but Tilly's sisterly echo was
- interrupted by a significant hush from Hazel, and the next second Flutters
- was with them. Then the little party set off, the boys ahead together, and
- the girls behind.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Where does Flutters come from, anyway?” asked Tilly.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, where from?” piped Milly.
- </p>
- <p>
- “From England,” Hazel answered, softly, “but he's a mulatto.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “A what?” simultaneously.
- </p>
- <p>
- “A mulatto. They're a kind of negro tribe.'
- </p>
- <p>
- “Goodness gracious!”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Gracious goodness!”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Are the mulattoes wild and dangerous?” asked Milly, tremulously.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I believe so; but then, of course, Flutters isn't so now.
- Civilization has changed him.”
- </p>
- <p>
- The Marberrys looked at Hazel with admiration; these occasional big words
- of hers constituted one of her chief charms in their eyes.
- </p>
- <p>
- “But the truth is,” Hazel continued, “I do not know very much about
- Flutters. He does not seem to like to talk about his history, and mother
- says I have no right to pry into it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I shouldn't think anybody who had been wild and savage could speak such
- good English,” said Tilly, thoughtfully.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Neither should I,” said Milly.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, that is queer,” and Hazel looked puzzled. “I hadn't thought of
- that; but I'm certain his grandfather, if not his father, must have been
- wild and savage. I'm very sure the mulattoes used to be very ferocious.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Where do the mulattoes live?” asked the Marberrys.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I don't know,” was Hazel's truthful answer. The fact was, as you have
- discovered, Hazel did not know what she was talking about. She had a trick
- of mounting an impression, and then of giving rein to her imagination and
- letting it run away with her, so that the first thing she knew she was
- telling you something she really quite believed was fact, but which was
- nothing of the sort. As a result she was sometimes credited with fibbing,
- and got into many an unnecessary scrape, but, you may be sure, Mrs.
- Boniface was doing all that she could to correct this unfortunate
- tendency.
- </p>
- <p>
- Meantime the boys walked ahead, conversing with no little earnestness as
- to the comparative merits of two tiny sloop yachts, one of which was
- taking shape under Starlight's hand, and the other under Flutters's, and
- whose same comparative merits were to be put to the test, when completed,
- by a race on the waters of the Collect. At this point in their walk a turn
- of the road brought St. George's into sight.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Ever been to church, Flutters?” Starlight asked, quite casually.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, yes, often.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Episcopal?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Ye' ep,” was Flutters's unceremonious answer; “but how large are you
- going to make your foresail?” not willing to be diverted from the
- all-engrossing subject.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I shall give her all the sail she can carry, you may be certain.”
- Starlight did not intend to furnish this rival yachtsman with any exact
- measurements. And so they talked on till they reached the little stone
- church, where service had already commenced. The Marberrys walked straight
- up to their pew, the very front one, but before they reached it each
- little face flushed crimson. At one and the same moment their two pairs of
- blue eyes met their father's, for he was leading the General Confession,
- and did not need to have them upon his book. Judging from the crimson on
- their faces, the look must have said, “There is no excuse for this, my
- little daughters; I am ashamed that you should be so late.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel and Starlight and Flutters had the Boniface pew to themselves, but
- Hazel allowed Starlight to precede them into it, while she detained
- Flutters in the vestibule for a little seasonable advice. She had intended
- to administer it slowly and forcibly by the way. Now she had to compress
- it all into one hurried little moment. In her excitement she seized hold
- of Flutters's brown wrist, as she whispered, hurriedly, “Flutters, this is
- a church, where people come to worship. You will have to sit very still
- and not speak, only get up and sit down when I do, because part of the
- time it's wrong to sit down. So, Flutters, watch me very closely. I will
- find you the place in the Prayer-Book, but you had better not say the
- things that are written there, even if you can read them, 'cause they're
- probably things you do not understand at all, and don't know anything
- about, so it would be best not to say you believed them. You can sing the
- hymns, though; there won't be any harm in that, only sing very softly, for
- fear you don't get the tune right. Now that is all, I believe,” putting
- her finger to her lip in a meditative way, and with an anxious frown on
- her face, as if fearing she had overlooked some important instruction.
- “Yes, that is all; now follow me in;” and Flutters following her, took his
- seat with a most decorous air, and without staring about with such gaping
- astonishment, as might, perhaps, be looked for in a boy of fourteen, who
- had never seen the interior of a church before, so that Hazel at once felt
- much relieved. Her first duty, of course, was to furnish him with the
- proper page in the Prayer-Book, and her second to anticipate all
- irregularities in the order of service, by taking the book from his hands
- in ample time to supply him with the right place at the right moment. Now
- it must be confessed that all this was accomplished by Hazel in rather an
- officious and patronizing manner, but, unfortunately for her, there came a
- time when she herself was at a loss.
- </p>
- <p>
- She did not know which Sunday it was after Trinity. Flutters <i>did</i>,
- and seeing her confusion anticipated Dr. Marberry by whispering, “<i>It's
- the eighteenth Sunday, I think.</i>”
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0034" id="linkimage-0034"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0130.jpg" alt="0130 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0130.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- Hazel thrust Flutters's Prayer-Book back into his hand, giving him one
- look, and such a look! It was dreadful to think that a thorough-going
- little church-woman could <i>ever</i> look like that, much less while the
- service itself was actually in progress.
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters felt “queer.” He saw how much there was in that look of Hazel's,
- and wondered if he had been greatly to blame in the matter. Starlight, of
- course, witnessed the whole proceeding, and heard Flutters's whisper (as
- did every one else in the neighborhood), which betrayed his familiarity
- with the service, and Starlight himself wondered how he managed to be
- quite so well up on the subject.
- </p>
- <p>
- But it was an awfully good joke on Hazel. When they had been discussing
- the matter, and he had said, “It would be awful fun to see how Flutters
- would act in church, provided he had never been there,” Hazel had, of
- course, been quite right in saying that “People did not go to church to
- have awful fun,” but he could not help thinking that he had had a little
- fun all the same, only at Hazel's expense, and not Flutters's.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XV.—FLUTTERS COMES TO THE FRONT.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0035" id="linkimage-0035"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9132.jpg" alt="9132 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9132.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- HERE were five of them abreast. The Marberrys, Hazel, Starlight, and
- Flutters, but no one was saying a word. The Marberrys had twice
- religiously tried to start up matters, but had failed utterly, and new
- they were anxiously bothering their little minds with the same question,
- so often reiterated by the Van Fleet parrot, of “Oh, dear, what can the
- matter be?” Starlight was chuckling inwardly, like the inconsiderate
- youngster that he was. Hazel was very angry, as she imagined with just
- cause, and Flutters was inwardly fluttering, almost outwardly, in fact, so
- sorry was he to have offended his adored little mistress. If she would
- only say something. It was not his place to speak first, but he feared he
- would have to, for to his sensitive nature the silence was unbearable.
- Fortunately, however, just at this point, Hazel's indignation found vent;
- she came to a sudden stand-still, and although naught save the one word “<i>Flutters</i>”
- escaped her, it doubled the five-abreast parallel line into a circle in
- less than a second.
- </p>
- <p>
- “What have I done, Miss Hazel?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Done!”—then impressively lowering her voice—“you have lied,
- Flutters” (the Marberrys winced). “Yes, I know it is a dreadful word, but
- there is no other word for it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “What did I lie about?” Body-servant or no, Flutters knew when his little
- mistress was overstepping all legitimate bounds.
- </p>
- <p>
- “You told me you had never been to church, and let me find all the places
- for you, when you knew all about it just as well as I did,” and the little
- mistress was so greatly excited, that she felt very much afraid she should
- break right down and cry, which would certainly prove a most undignified
- proceeding.
- </p>
- <p>
- “<i>Did</i> I tell you, Miss Hazel, that I had never been to church?”
- Flutters was able to speak calmly and was astonished at his own
- self-control, but then he knew he was in the right, and calmness comes
- easier when you know that. Hazel grew uncomfortable under Flutters's
- direct gaze. She had hardly expected this courageous self-defence. Come to
- think of it, <i>had</i> he actually said he had never been to church.
- Could it be, she wondered, that her imagination had led her off on another
- wild chase in the wrong direction? Yes, it could, foolish little Hazel,
- though you yourself are not yet ready to admit it.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Perhaps you did not tell me so, Flutters,” Hazel answered, “but you <i>let</i>
- me think it, which was very wrong and mean of you.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Look out, Hazel,” chimed in Starlight, shaking his head significantly,
- “ten to one you never gave him a chance to say a word about it. You have
- an awful, rushing way, sometimes, of taking things for granted.”
- </p>
- <p>
- So Starlight was siding against her too, and Hazel looked toward the
- Marberrys for sympathy; but they were so ignorant of the facts of the
- case, and always so kindly disposed toward that little waif, Flutters,
- that both of them wore the most neutral expression possible.
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters's face flushed gratefully under Starlight's warm championship.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, Miss Hazel,” he said, slowly, “you never gave me a chance to tell
- you, and until you caught hold of my wrist in the vestibule, and told me
- what I must do and what I mustn't, I did not know that you even thought I
- had never been to church.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Didn't you really? Well, that's very queer,” for when an idea was firmly
- implanted in Hazel's mind, she felt as though every one ought, somehow or
- other, to be intuitively aware of it. However, she was going to try to be
- reasonable, and so she descended from a tone of evident displeasure into
- one of grieved forbearance.
- </p>
- <p>
- “But, Flutters, if what you say is true”—Flutters straightened up
- under this insinuation, but unbent right away as Hazel wisely added, “and
- of course it is, then why, when I found the first place in the Prayer-Book
- for you, did you not whisper, 'You need not bother, Miss Hazel, I know
- about the Prayer-Book,' or something like that, instead of letting me go
- on and find place after place for you?”
- </p>
- <p>
- For a moment Flutters seemed at a loss what to answer, then looking her
- frankly in the face, he said, with charming simplicity, “I thought it
- would be more respectful not to say anything; and better to let you, being
- my little mistress, do just as you pleased without interfering.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel showed she was touched by this confession; but Starlight could not
- resist the temptation to add, “besides, I warrant you, you told Flutters
- not to speak, when you collared him there in the vestibule.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, you did, Miss Hazel,” said Flutters, truthfully.
- </p>
- <p>
- “That maybe,” Hazel admitted with much dignity, “but, Job Starlight, I
- never <i>collared</i> anybody, if you please.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Don't be touchy, Hazel. You know what I mean.”
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0036" id="linkimage-0036"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0134.jpg" alt="0134 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0134.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- All this while the children had stood in a little circle right in the
- middle of the road, and more than one passer-by had looked on with an
- amused smile, wondering what was the cause of so much evident excitement.
- The Marberrys had noticed this, and now that matters were cooling down a
- trifle, suggested that they should walk on, so as not to attract so much
- attention. So they walked on, but of course they talked on too, and
- although Hazel was fast relenting toward Flutters, she was not quite ready
- to cease hostilities. One or two matters still required explanation. “Look
- here, Flutters,” she said, “if you thought it was more respectful not to
- say anything, why didn't you keep quiet; and there's another thing I <i>should</i>
- like to have you tell me, and that is, how did <i>you</i> know it was the
- eighteenth?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Miss Hazel, when I saw you did not know what Sunday it was, I thought
- that as I happened to know, I <i>ought</i> to tell you.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, that was it; but, Flutters, people don't just happen to know things.
- They generally know <i>how</i> they came to know them.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters looked troubled, and the Marberrys and Starlight felt very sorry
- for him, and wished Hazel would stop. But Hazel wouldn't. That's one of
- the troubles with strong and independent natures, no matter whether they
- belong to big or little people. They feel everything so deeply, and get so
- wrought up, that on they go in their impetuosity hurting people's feelings
- sometimes, and doing lots of mischief. To be strong and independent and to
- know where “to stop,” that is fine; but Hazel had not yet learned that
- happy combination. But Hazel's heart was all right; she wanted above
- everything else in the world to grow some day to be a truly noble woman,
- and there is not much need for worry when any little body really hopes and
- intends to be that sort of a big body. But you need not think that while I
- have been saying this little word behind Hazel's back (which, by the way,
- is not meant at all unkindly), that you have been missing any conversation
- on the part of our little church-goers. There hasn't been any conversation
- for ever so many seconds. Hazel is waiting for Flutters to speak, and
- Flutters is getting ready. At last he attacks the subject in hand, in
- short, quick little sentences, as if it was not easy to say what must be
- said.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Miss Hazel, when I was at home I used often to go to church. I had a
- little Prayer-Book of my own. <i>Somebody</i> gave it to me; somebody that
- I loved. When I was in the circus I kept my Prayer-Book with me. Every
- Sunday I read it, from love of the somebody. Once in a great while when we
- would put up near a church I used to get leave to go to it. I went the
- very Sunday before I left the circus. I went to that very church where we
- have been to-day. I sat in the back seat, and I heard their father preach
- (indicating Milly and Tilly). It was a lovely sermon 'bout bearing things.
- That was five weeks ago, and that was the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity,
- so I calculated up to to-day, and, Miss Hazel, when I ran away from the
- circus and dared not go back there were only two things I minded about—the
- Prayer-Book and old Bobbin. To run away from a dear little book that you
- loved, that's been a real comfort to you, when you hadn't scarce anybody
- to turn to—why, it seems just like running away from a dear old
- friend.”
- </p>
- <p>
- So that was the explanation of it all. Even Starlight felt touched by
- Flutters's narration, while actual tears stood in the little Marberrys'
- eyes. Hazel felt humiliated, an uncommon, but most beneficial sensation
- for that hot-headed little woman.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Who gave you that Prayer-Book, Flutters?” asked the Marberrys—being
- blessed with less tact than sympathy.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Flutters would have told us if he had wished us to know,” said Hazel. And
- that considerate remark completely re-established the old friendly
- relations between Flutters and herself, and then for a while the five
- children trudged along in silence. Four out of the five were probably
- pondering over all that Flutters had told them, and wishing that they knew
- more about him. Flutters, feeling greatly relieved, was turning over in
- his mind a perplexing question suggested by something the Rector had said
- in his sermon that morning, for he was a thoughtful little fellow, and
- when a matter bothered him was not content to dismiss it without settling
- it to his own satisfaction.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Do folks believe?” he said, after the manner of one who has slowly
- thought himself up to the point of putting a question, “do folks believe
- that God makes everything happen?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Of course they do,” said Milly Marberry. Tilly pressed her lips firmly
- together and nodded “yes,” in a way that meant there was no doubt whatever
- on the subject.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, suppose a poor woman had just one little boy, and the little boy
- took the scarlet fever and died, did God make that happen?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, He did,” replied Milly and Tilly together, feeling, perhaps, that,
- as daughters of the Rector, the answering of such a question belonged to
- them. Starlight and Hazel willingly kept silent. They thought Flutters was
- leading up to something, and preferred not to commit themselves.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, then,” said Flutters, but not irreverently, “I'd like to know what
- He did it for.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Milly and Tilly showed their surprise at this question, but did not at
- once reply, trying, perhaps, to decide what answer their good father would
- make under similar circumstances.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Perhaps God saw the little boy would not grow up to be a good man,” Milly
- ventured, feeling sure she had heard something like that said.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Perhaps,” said Tilly, for occasionally the twins did launch out on
- independent lines of thought, “perhaps she loved the little boy too much,
- and so God took him to make her trust more just in Him.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters waited a moment, as though to consider matters; then he said,
- seriously, “No, I do not believe what you say at all. I believe the little
- boy caught the scarlet fever from somebody, and just died because he
- wasn't strong enough to get over it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I don't believe it's right to think like that,” Hazel volunteered, for
- the Marberrys looked very much shocked, “it's not believing in God at
- all.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Now Flutters had not set out upon this discussion without first having
- thought it out pretty clearly for himself, and so he was ready to answer—“You
- are mistaken, I think, Miss Hazel,” with the same little air of respect he
- always assumed in speaking to her, “because I believe in God just as much
- as any boy could, and yet I think that. I think God <i>lets</i> things
- happen instead of making them. He lets sickness and trouble come into the
- world, and so the sickness and trouble find the people out, and sickness
- kills them if their bodies are weak, and trouble kills them if their
- hearts and heads are, and—”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But, Flutters,” interrupted Starlight, “don't you believe God watches
- over people and cares for 'em?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why of course I do, Starlight. If I hadn't thought that I don't know what
- I would have done sometimes; but this is what I think—I think He
- watches over us by helping us to bear things, and to get the best out of
- 'em, and although I'm not very old, I'm old enough to know that sometimes
- there is more good in a trouble-some thing than in a thing that isn't
- troublesome at all. The people who are the kindest are often the people
- who have had the most trouble.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well,” said Tilly Marberry, with considerable censure in her tone, “I
- never heard a little boy talk like this.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Neither did I,” sighed Milly, “and I should say such things ought to be
- left to grown-up people.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, then,” Flutters replied, “thinking 'bout things ought to be left to
- grown-up people, too, but it isn't. I may think <i>different</i> when I'm
- grown up, but I don't believe I'll ever think harder than I do now, and I
- can't help it either.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Meanwhile Hazel had been ransacking her brain for a half-remembered text,
- and now she had it. “What do you make out of that verse about the Lord <i>chastening</i>
- whom He loves?” she asked.
- </p>
- <p>
- For the moment Flutters looked puzzled. The Marberrys signalled each other
- by elevating their eyebrows as to the meaning of this last big word of
- Hazel's, and asked, simultaneously, “What's chastening?” Then for the
- moment Hazel looked puzzled, but Starlight came to her rescue.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I think it's taking away from a fellow lots of people whom he loves.
- Having his mother die, and then his father, and then his little sister,
- and things like that.”
- </p>
- <p>
- This remark of Starlight's flashed the light again in upon Flutters's
- mind, and he found to his glad surprise that he was thoroughly prepared to
- answer Hazel after all; but he began by asking Starlight a question.
- </p>
- <p>
- “But why, Starlight, does the Lord do that, do you think?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why—so as to make a fellow resigned. I think that's what they call
- it. To make him just give up his own will.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Excuse me,” said Flutters, with the air of one whose convictions are very
- strong, “but I don't believe <i>that</i> either. I don't believe the Lord
- would take my father and mother and sister out of the world just because
- He loved me and wanted to make <i>me</i> better. I don't believe I'm
- important enough for that, nor anybody else. If they all died close
- together I should think it was because God's time had come for them, quite
- outside of me, and that then the thing for <i>me</i> to do, the thing that
- He meant, was just to bear it as bravely as I could.”
- </p>
- <p>
- This was a long speech for Flutters, but the children were sufficiently
- interested to follow every word of it, and Hazel asked, when Flutters
- ceased, “But then what <i>does</i> the chastening verse mean? It's in the
- Bible, and I suppose you believe the Bible?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Of course I believe it, but I know chastening doesn't mean anything like
- that. Perhaps it means letting all sorts of bothersome things come so as
- to have you get the best of them. A person what had never had any bother
- wouldn't be much of a person, I suppose.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, we <i>have</i> had a talk,” said Starlight, for at this point the
- discussion seemed to come to a natural close; and besides, they had almost
- reached the Boniface gate. A moment later the Marberrys took an
- affectionate leave of Hazel, with a “Good-bye” to Starlight and Flutters,
- and trudged on to the rectory, half a mile farther up the road, wondering,
- perhaps, if what Flutters had said had been wrong, and provided they could
- remember it, if they ought not to tell their father.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Heigh-ho!” sighed Hazel, carefully putting away her Sunday cloak and hat,
- “and to think that I thought the mulattoes were a savage tribe! Why,
- really, I believe I never knew a boy who seemed to think so right down
- into a thing as Flutters.”
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0037" id="linkimage-0037"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0140.jpg" alt="0140 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0140.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XVI.—COLONEL HAMILTON “TAKES TO” HARRY.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0038" id="linkimage-0038"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9141.jpg" alt="9141 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9141.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- RIGHT and early on the Monday succeeding the Van Vleet tea-party, Harry
- Starlight set out for his call upon Colonel Hamilton. It proved to be a
- clear, bracing morning, the kind of a morning to inspire hope in hearts
- five times as old as Harry's, only fortunately there are <i>some</i>
- hearts that never grow old at all, and to whom hope is just as true and
- beautiful-at sixty as sixteen. The moment he closed the door of the
- kitchen behind him, he drew one great, deep breath, as though longing to
- take in, in a permanent way if possible, all the exhilaration of the
- invigorating air, all the marvellous beauty of the wonderful out-of-door
- world. There had been a heavy frost the night before, but almost the first
- flash of sunrise had transformed it into an army of glistening drops, save
- where here and there, under the protecting chill of sombre shadows, the
- grass-blades still were cased in sheaths of crystal. The river was gray
- and white-capped, for the west wind would not leave it still enough to
- reflect the cloudless blue overhead, and the “Gretchen” tugged at her
- chain with various little creaks and groans, as though an anchor and a
- furled sail were more than sail-boat nature could endure when such a
- breeze was blowing. Indeed, as Harry freed her from her moorings, she
- fairly seemed to bound out into the river with the keen enjoyment of a
- creature alive in every part. It is hard to picture that East River as it
- looked a hundred years ago, with wooded and grass-grown banks in place of
- wharves and warehouses, and with only an occasional sail, where to-day the
- great, unwieldy ferry-boats plow from shore to shore, and an army of
- smaller craft steam noisily hither and thither. Now and then Harry would
- pass a market-boat loaded to the water's edge with a tempting array of
- vegetables, and rowed by a marketwoman in her close-fitting Dutch cap, who
- would either wish him a cheery good-morning in matronly fashion, or bend
- lower over her oars, as became a young maiden. Half reluctantly did Harry
- hear the “Gretchen's” keel scrape the pebbly shore, and exchange the
- breezy breadth of the river for the city street, notwithstanding that
- street led straight up to Colonel Hamilton's office. Then, somehow or
- other, he did not feel quite so buoyant as at the start, for hope has a
- trick of wavering a little, as she actually nears the verge of any
- decision. What if some one had already secured the place? What if the
- Colonel should not take to him? for Harry had great faith in and great
- respect for what may be called “taking to people.”
- </p>
- <p>
- It so happened that he found only a boy in the Colonel's office, a very
- dark little specimen of the negro race, who was brushing and dusting away
- in a manner that said very plainly, “I's behin' time dis mornin',” which,
- by the way, was the rule and not the exception in the life of lazy little
- John Thomas.
- </p>
- <p>
- “What time does Colonel Hamilton usually come in? asked Harry, when he saw
- that the boy was by far too busy to pay any attention to him.
- </p>
- <p>
- “'Long any minit; dat's how I's so flustered,” he replied, breathlessly,
- and with that sort of haste which invariably makes waste, he succeeded in
- upsetting all the contents of a generous scrap-basket exactly in the
- middle of the office floor. “Glory me!” was his one inelegant exclamation,
- and, dropping on to his knees, he began punching the accumulation of trash
- back into the basket, but with an energy that landed half of it upon the
- floor again.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Look here, I'll tend to that,” laughed Harry. “You see to your other
- work.” John Thomas looked up surprised, but seeing the offer was made in
- good faith, took Harry at his word, and flew to the office washstand,
- which was sadly in need of attention.
- </p>
- <p>
- Just at this point there was a step in the hall, and glancing up from his
- homely, self-appointed task, Harry's eyes met those of Colonel Hamilton,
- while the color flushed over his face.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, my young friend,” said the Colonel, evidently much amused, “who set
- you at that work?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I was waiting for you, sir,” said Harry, putting the basket at one side,
- “and as your boy seemed to have been delayed, I was trying to lend a
- hand.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Very kind of you, sir; and as John has a way of being delayed every
- morning, he would no doubt like to make a permanent engagement with you.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I had rather you would do that, sir,” was on Harry's lips, but he feared
- it might sound familiar; but Colonel Hamilton seemed to read his thoughts.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Possibly you came to see about making an engagement with me,” he said,
- kindly, looking for the moment most intently at Harry in a way that showed
- he was mentally taking his measure. Meanwhile he had hung up his coat and
- hat, and dropped into a high-backed, uncomfortable and unpainted wooden
- chair, very different from the upholstered, revolving contrivances that we
- find in offices nowadays.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, sir,” said Harry, in answer to the Colonel's question, and still
- standing; “I heard that you wanted a clerk, and I should be very grateful
- if you would let me see if I could fill the place.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “What is your name?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Harry Starlight Avery, if you wish it in full, sir.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Will you be seated, Mr. Avery?” said the Colonel, with his habitual
- kindly courtesy; whereupon John Thomas flourished a bedraggled feather
- brush over a dusty chair—the same one upon which Hazel had sat
- during her recent important interview—and placed it near the
- Colonel's, with all the importance of a drum-major on parade.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I have heard the name of Starlight before,” Colonel Hamilton said
- thoughtfully, “but where I cannot remember.” Then, and as though he had no
- time to devote to mere rumination at that hour of the morning, he asked,
- “Are you a native of New York, Mr. Avery?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, sir; my home is in New London.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Then you are a long ways from it now” (for distances were distances in
- those days); “how does that happen?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I enlisted on a privateer,” Harry answered, coloring slightly.
- </p>
- <p>
- “So that is how,” and the Colonel gave him the benefit of another
- scrutinizing look.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Have you ever had a position in a lawyer's office?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, sir; I am sorry to say I haven't; but it's just the sort of position
- I have always wanted. Of course you would have to tell me just about
- everything at the start, but not more than once, I hope, sir.”
- </p>
- <p>
- This is the right sort of spirit, thought the Colonel, beginning to run
- through some papers on a letter-file, for, as usual, he had a very busy
- day before him.
- </p>
- <p>
- “How long ago did you enlist on the privateer?” making a little memorandum
- of some other matters on a sheet of paper as he spoke.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Nearly two years ago.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “How long were you aboard of her?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Only a month, sir.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And where were you the remainder of the time?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “On the 'Jersey,' sir.”
- </p>
- <p>
- There was no dividing of attention now, and the Colonel laid aside the
- quill pen he had just filled with ink.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Do you mean to say you were a prisoner aboard of her?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, sir.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “For nearly two years?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, sir.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “That is enough for me. Any poor fellow that has braved the horrors of
- that den for even a month ought to have the best sort of a chance. I will
- engage you on the spot, Mr. Avery. If you have been a 'Jersey' prisoner,
- that is enough for me. I am willing to try a 'green hand,' who has had to
- endure that experience.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “You are very kind, Colonel Hamilton,” and Harry's grateful appreciation
- showed plainly in his face.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Could you stay to-day,” asked the Colonel, “and let me set you right to
- work at some copying? I think we can come to a satisfactory arrangement
- about terms when I am not so hurried.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Of course Harry stayed—stayed through one of the busiest and
- happiest days of his life; and not until twilight had long settled down on
- the river did he step aboard of the “Gretchen” and set sail for the old
- Van Vleet Farm.
- </p>
- <p>
- When the wind is right in your favor, and you have little to do but mind
- your helm, you have a fine chance for a quiet think—that is, if you
- are any sort of a sailor; and Harry improved the opportunity and thought
- hard—thought of all that the day's good fortune might mean to him:
- of ability to pay his own way for the first time in his life; of a little
- money to be sent off now and then to the younger brothers in New London,
- and then, in a vague sort of a way, of a home of his own some day.
- Meantime all the while there would be the constant daily companionship
- with Colonel Hamilton himself, who seemed to him (as indeed to many
- another, and in the face, too, of his extreme youthfulness) at once the
- noblest, the kindest, and by far the greatest man he had ever met. What a
- pity, he thought, that he should have sided against Aunt Frances!
- </p>
- <p>
- But of one thing Harry felt sure, which was that he had certainly “taken
- to” Colonel Alexander Hamilton; and there was another thing just as sure
- which he did not know about, and that was that the Colonel had decidedly
- “taken to” Harry.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XVII.—IN THE LITTLE GOLD GALLERY.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0039" id="linkimage-0039"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9146.jpg" alt="9146 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9146.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- HE night for the first Dancing Assembly had come, and old Peter, John
- Thomas's father and the janitor of the Assembly room, had done more work
- in the last week than in all the whole five months between the two seasons
- of social gayety. In an hour now it would be time for the guests to
- arrive, and, arrayed in his best coat and knee-breeches, and with nothing
- further to do, Peter sat on a three-legged stool at one end of the hall,
- surveying his work with evident satisfaction.
- </p>
- <p>
- Presently there was the sound of several pairs of feet on the flight of
- stairs that led up to the Assembly rooms, and Peter, craning his neck,
- tried to make out who it might be without taking the trouble to get up,
- for his old knees were very stiff from the unwonted exertions of the week.
- </p>
- <p>
- Who it might be was quickly determined, for in a flash there stood before
- him what seemed to him a veritable crowd of children, though in point of
- fact there were only the two Marberrys, Hazel, Starlight, and Flutters.
- </p>
- <p>
- “What you chilluns doin' heah? Dis heah ain't no place fur chilluns. You
- better go right 'long home agin, I reckon.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Peter tried to speak gruffly, but they were not in the least intimidated,
- knowing that it was all assumed.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Peter, we have a great favor to ask of you,”' said Hazel, who seemed to
- be the ringleader of the little party.
- </p>
- <p>
- “'Tain't no sort o' use, Miss Hazel; can't 'low it no how;” for Peter knew
- well enough what the favor was; “if I let you chilluns into dat gall'ry,
- you'll keep up such a snickerin' and gigglin', you'll 'sturb the whole
- Assembly. No, Miss Hazel; can't t'ink of it; can't 'low it no how.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Peter,” said Hazel, looking at him very searchingly, “are you going to
- let anybody in there?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Not a soul, Miss Hazel—dat is, not a soul 'ceptin' my John Thomas.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Ah! I thought so,” said Hazel, exultingly; “and it isn't fair, Peter, to
- do for Thomas what you won't do for us. We've come all the way into town
- just to see the dancing, 'cause mother said she was sure there wouldn't be
- any objection to our peeping through the gallery railing.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Did she say dat, sure 'nuff, Miss Hazel?” And Peter put his head on one
- side, and looked at Hazel in a very suspicious manner.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, she did,” said Tilly Marberry, coming to the rescue; “I heard her
- myself; and, Peter, we'll promise not to snicker.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Nor giggle, either,” said Tilly's other self.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Which of you is which?” said Peter, slowly looking at the twins with
- knitted eyebrows.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, Peter, please don't stop to bother 'bout that now,” pleaded Hazel,
- impatient of any digression from the main point; “but you <i>will</i> let
- us in, won't you?” whereupon the other children chimed in with such
- imploring entreaties that the old janitor relented, and, getting on to his
- feet with an evident twinge in his rheumatic knees, felt in his coat-tail
- pocket for the coveted gallery keys. The good deed had its reward then and
- there, in the beaming and grateful faces of the troupe of little beggars.
- </p>
- <p>
- The gallery in question was a sort of balcony, projecting from the wall at
- one end of the hall, midway between floor and ceiling, and to which access
- was had by a steep little spiral stairway. This gallery was intended for
- the musicians only; but between its gilded, bulging front and the part of
- the platform on which they sat was a space where half a dozen children
- might be comfortably accommodated. More than once, when some reception or
- dance was in progress, Hazel, with a few chosen friends in her train, had
- begged her way into this most desirable retreat, and that was why Peter
- knew “what was up” the moment he saw her.
- </p>
- <p>
- When they entered the little gallery, they found John Thomas there before
- them, complacently installed in the most desirable place; but they were
- far too thankful to have gotten in at all to grudge him his privileged
- position.
- </p>
- <p>
- It was a funny sight to see the little company established in a row behind
- the heavy gilded stucco work, which completely concealed them, yet offered
- such convenient little loop-holes and crannies, from which everything
- going on on the floor below could be plainly viewed. To be sure, the
- arrangement of the platform obliged them all to sit tailor fashion—rather
- a constrained position for those unaccustomed to it—but what did it
- matter about one's legs and back when one's eyes were to be feasted with
- lovely ladies and gallant gentlemen and the music they were to dance to
- would be ringing in one's ears.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Doesn't the hall look lovely?” said Hazel, when at last she had adjusted
- her lower extremities as comfortably as circumstances would admit.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Lovely!” answered the Marberrys, each with a sigh of deep appreciation,
- for it had not been an easy thing for them to gain permission to accompany
- Hazel, and this was to be their first introduction to the glories of a
- dancing assembly.
- </p>
- <p>
- “How everything shines!” said Flutters, quite lost in admiration of the
- glittering brass sconces, with their bevelled mirrors and beautiful red
- candles, and wondering greatly how any floor could ever be brought to such
- a high state of polish.
- </p>
- <p>
- “'Course it shines,” said John Thomas. “It ought to shine. My father
- hasn't been reachin' and rubbin', and kneelin' and polishin' fur free
- weeks fur nuffin, I reckon.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Did you help him?” asked Flutters, with admiration.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0040" id="linkimage-0040"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0149.jpg" alt="0149 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0149.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- “No, sah, I did not. I hasn't no time for polishin'. I assists in Colonel
- Hamilton's law office,” and John Thomas proudly drew himself up till his
- woolly head grazed the ridge of the gallery rail above him.
- </p>
- <p>
- “What,” said Starlight', “are you the boy in Colonel Hamilton's office?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I assists Colonel Hamilton,” John Thomas repeated, not being willing to
- bring himself down to Starlight's offensive way of putting things.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I've heard about <i>you</i>!' said Starlight, with a mischievous
- twinkle in his eye.
- </p>
- <p>
- “W'at you heard, I'd like to know!”
- </p>
- <p>
- “John Thomas,” came a voice from below, “don't let me hear anoder word
- from you dis ebenin', else home you go to mammy right smart, I can tell
- you, and de oder chiliuns long wid you too.” Old Peter had shambled out to
- the middle of the floor to take one more satisfactory view of things in
- general, and just in time to hear John Thomas's excited tones. His words
- had the desired effect; the little gallery instantly relapsed into
- absolute silence, the six children fairly holding their breath for fear of
- the threatened banishment. People were beginning to come now. A few
- gentlemen were already on the floor, and the musicians, who had taken
- their places on the gallery platform, were drawing instruments, which
- would look funny enough to-day, from the depths of clumsy green baize
- bags, and beginning to “tune up.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Tell me w'at you heard?” demanded John Thomas of Starlight, as soon as he
- dared to speak again.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, John Thomas, please don't!” begged Milly Marberry, putting her little
- hand most beseechingly on his sleeve; “we've never been to an Assembly
- before. We'd cry our eyes out if your father sent us home.”
- </p>
- <p>
- John Thomas yielded to this entreaty, but sullenly, as though he meant to
- have it out with Starlight some day or other. Any slur upon his character
- was just one thing that that young gentleman was determined not to endure,
- and the sooner Job Starlight and the rest of the world came to that wise
- conclusion, why, so much the better for everybody concerned—at
- least, so thought john Thomas.
- </p>
- <p>
- It was a pity that at the commencement of the Assembly Hazel, Milly, and
- Tilly could not have been in two places at once, for while only an
- occasional couple strolled on to the dancing floor, the dressing-rooms
- were crowded. There would have been a peculiar pleasure for those little
- lovers of finery to see the pretty toilets gradually emerge from the
- concealment of long cloaks and shawls, and to have studied the charming
- vanities of peak-toed, high-heeled little slippers as the protecting
- pattens were shaken off into the hands of maids, upon their knees before
- their “ladies.” But at last the Assembly floor offered more attractions
- than the dressing-room, and a long line of couples, constantly reinforced
- by new arrivals, were promenading in stately fashion around the hall.
- </p>
- <p>
- “There come the Van Vleets,” exclaimed Starlight, as Miss Francesca and
- Miss Heide entered, each on the arm of an escort.
- </p>
- <p>
- “And if there isn't Miss Pauline,” whispered Tilly Marberry; “does <i>she</i>
- dance?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Dance!” said Starlight; “well, I guess you'll think so when you see her.
- She's just as graceful as a fairy.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “She's just as queer as a fairy, too,” remarked Flutters. “I wouldn't care
- to be the one to dance with her; there'd be no telling what she might fly
- off and do next.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “It's very distressing about Miss Pauline,” said Hazel, reprovingly; “and,
- Flutters, you have no occasion to speak like that.” Hazel always seemed to
- be specially successful in mustering large words when she felt called upon
- to administer any reproof to this little servant of hers.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No occasion!” said Flutters, significantly, for the recollection of an
- apple-tree and a crying maiden was not so far removed as to lose any of
- its poignancy.
- </p>
- <p>
- “What do you mean?” questioned Hazel, with a puzzled frown.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, nothing particular,” Flutters said, quickly, seeing what an
- explanation might lead up to, and then he succeeded in changing the
- subject by announcing the arrival of Captain and Mrs. Boniface.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, doesn't mamma look lovely!” and Hazel's happy little face flushed
- with pride.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes; and just look at Josephine!” sighed the Marberrys, simultaneously,
- for those little women were so overcharged with delight as scarce to be
- able either to speak or breathe in quite regular and commonplace fashion.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Ah! <i>she's</i> the girl,” said Starlight, who, whether from honest
- admiration or a spirit of mischief, never lost an opportunity for
- extolling the virtues and attractions of Hazel's older sister.
- </p>
- <p>
- “And she's drawn Harry Avery,” added Hazel, for once in her life adroit
- enough not to betray any annoyance; “I don't believe she minds, either.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, Harry doesn't mind, I know that much. Shouldn't wonder myself if he
- managed to have it come that way.” Starlight evidently spoke from
- knowledge of facts, for, like as not, Cousin Harry had foolishly taken
- that small boy somewhat into his confidence.
- </p>
- <p>
- This “drawing” that Hazel spoke of was a queer custom of the olden days.
- Partners for the evening were chosen by lot; they danced, walked, and
- chatted with no one else, and when the dancing was over partook together
- of such modest refreshment as rusks and tea. This arrangement was most
- advantageous for the young ladies who were not specially attractive, for
- by means of it the fairest and the plainest were treated exactly alike.
- Now, for all this information, and much more beside, as I told you in the
- preface, we are indebted to that delightful first chapter of Mr.
- McMasters's History; but although you may not be old enough to care to
- read that chapter for yourself, nor half old enough to be allowed to
- attend a Dancing Assembly, nor fortunate enough to gain entrance to a
- little mid-air gallery, where you could watch all the fine goings on
- unobserved, yet I believe you are quite old enough to understand one thing—and
- that is that the pleasure of those old-time assemblies must have depended
- altogether upon the partner that fell to one's lot. A wretched sort of a
- time, or an indifferent sort of a time, or a very good time indeed—all
- lay within the possibilities of that one little chance. So do you wonder
- very much, or do you blame them very much, if those old-fashioned beaux,
- with their powdered hair, velvet knee breeches, and silver shoe-buckles,
- “sometimes managed things,” as Starlight said? At any rate, Harry Avery
- was supremely happy to have Josephine Boniface fall to his lot, and if he
- hadn't been guilty of “managing things” at all, why, all that remains to
- be said is that he was a very lucky fellow. Miss Pauline formed the only
- exception to this rigidly observed rule, as it was always an understood
- thing that her brother Hans should be her partner, but being, as Starlight
- said, “as graceful as a fairy,” and quite as light on her feet, it often
- happened that some friend of the Van Fleets would beg a dance of Pauline,
- and give the faithful brother a chance for “a turn” with his partner in
- exchange.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, there's Aunt Frances,” exclaimed Starlight, suddenly spying her
- seated in a chair at the farther corner of the room. “Did she come in with
- the Van Vleets?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I think so; and doesn't she look a picture!” said Hazel, fairly
- feasting her eyes upon that much-loved lady. “And her dress, girls! <i>isn't</i>
- it lovely!” and Hazel, in her eagerness, gave Tilly Mar-berry, who sat
- next to her, a good hard hug. “When I am forty or fifty, or whatever age
- Aunt Frances is, I shall wear black velvet and soft old lace about my neck
- just like that. Now I shouldn't wonder”—Hazel spoke slowly, as if
- really giving the matter most thoughtful consideration—“I shouldn't
- wonder if Aunt Frances was as pretty as Josephine when she was a real
- young lady.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I half believe I think she's as pretty now,” answered Starlight,
- notwithstanding his constant championship of Josephine's superior charms.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Who's she talking to, Starlight?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I'm sure I don't know,” said Starlight.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, dat's Major Potter, a lawyer what practices down our way,”
- volunteered John Thomas, “and dere! dere comes <i>my</i> Colonel and Lady
- Hamilton. Isn't she a booty? Where's your Aunt Frances now, Mars
- Starlight?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Just where she was before, John Thomas, the loveliest-looking lady in the
- room. Lady Hamilton <i>is</i> very handsome, though.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Handsome! well, you'd better believe it; and de Colonel! now jus' look at
- him, chilluns. Isn't he just too elegant! He jus' ought to be a king,
- Colonel Hamilton ought ter, and he's dat kind, he wouldn't speak cross to
- de laziest pickaninny in de land.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Then I suppose he never speaks cross to you, John Thomas,” said Hazel,
- significantly.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Dere ain't neber no 'casion, Miss Hazel,” and John Thomas looked as
- though he considered her remark altogether uncalled for.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Ain't dere neber no <i>'casion?</i>” asked Starlight, perfectly imitating
- the darkey dialect. “How 'bout dat mornin' when you upset de trash basket
- in de middle of de office flo'?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Dat mornin' was a 'ception, Mars Starlight, and it seems to me your
- cousin, Mr. Avery, might fin' somethin' better to talk 'bout dan to be
- detailin' de little events of de office.”
- </p>
- <p>
- It was great fun to hear John Thomas go on in this fashion. He had the
- reputation of being the most amusing little darkey in the city, and when
- they were not completely absorbed in watching the dancing, Hazel and
- Starlight managed between them to keep him “going,” to the delighted
- amusement of the Marberrys.
- </p>
- <p>
- Meantime the minute hand of the great white-faced clock at the end of the
- hall was marking quarter to eight in no uncertain characters, and Hazel
- had faithfully promised that at eight o'clock her little party should turn
- their backs on the festivities, no matter how alluring and absorbing they
- might happen to be at that particular moment. But it sometimes happens
- that matters of considerable importance come to pass within the limits of
- fifteen minutes—often, in fact, in much shorter time than that, and
- this was true of the particular fifteen minutes in question.
- </p>
- <p>
- And now, as this is already a pretty long chapter, I propose that we stop
- right where we are, make a new one, and call it——
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XVIII.—MORE OF A RED-COAT THAN EVER.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0041" id="linkimage-0041"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9155.jpg" alt="9155 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9155.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- HILE Hazel and Starlight, Flutters, John Thomas, and the Marberrys were so
- hugely enjoying watching the people down there on the floor of the
- Assembly, it so happened that some of the people were not enjoying
- themselves at all. Indeed, quite the contrary; for not a few were acting
- unkindly, and others were being treated unkindly; and if there is any
- enjoyment for anybody in that sort of a proceeding, one ought to be
- thankful not yet to have discovered it.
- </p>
- <p>
- You know how it came about that Colonel and Mrs. Boniface went to the
- Assembly; it was simply because they felt they ought to. If the old
- friends were truly sorry for having been so unfriendly, would it not be
- ungracious for them to decline this invitation? Would it not look as if
- they themselves were still harboring ill-feeling? And you also know that
- Harry Avery had been consulted in the matter, and that his urgent advice
- had been, “Go, by all means.” So the Colonel and his wife had decided to
- accept quite in the face of all their preferences, and dreading the ordeal
- far more than either was willing to confess to the other. But alas! for
- the decision that cost them such a personal sacrifice, and alas! for the
- hopefulness of Harry's buoyant temperament; for if Colonel and Mrs.
- Boniface ever had reason abundantly to regret any step they had ever
- taken, it was going to this Dancing Assembly; and if ever two proud and
- sensitive hearts were stung to the quick, theirs were that evening. It
- seems that Harry was mistaken in thinking that the invitation had been
- sent because of a general desire to make amends to the Bonifaces. True it
- was that two members of the Assembly Committee had insisted upon their
- being invited, hardly thinking, however, that they would come; but alas!
- in case they did come some other members had resolved to make it very
- uncomfortable for them. Somehow or other nothing seems so completely to
- change a warm human heart into something as cold and hard as a stone as
- what men call a strong party feeling, and party feeling ran very high in
- those days in which our great-grandfathers lived a hundred years ago. That
- is to say, men felt so sure that their own opinions were the only right
- ones that they fairly hated those who did not agree with them.
- </p>
- <p>
- And so it happened that, with cheeks crimsoned from the insults they had
- received, and with blood tingling to their very finger tips Colonel and
- Mrs. Boniface left the room, sending word to Josephine (who had been
- screened from any insult by Harry's chivalrous devotion) to follow them.
- Hazel suddenly missed them from the crowd below, and knew in a flash what
- had happened. Indeed, the color had flushed into her own round cheeks as
- she thought she saw a Mrs. Potter, whose husband was a leading Whig,
- pretend not to see that Mrs. Boniface had made a move toward shaking hands
- with her. But “No,” she thought, “I must be mistaken; no lady would be so
- rude.” So it would seem, little Hazel; but it often happens that things
- are not what they seem in this queer world of ours; and as Hazel's dear
- mother learned to her sorrow, several others who called themselves ladies
- could be just as rude as Mrs. Potter, and some of them yet more rude.
- Fortunately for the Mar-berrys and Starlight and Flutters, the clock was
- just on the stroke of eight when Hazel made her unhappy discovery, for she
- could not have borne to have sat there another moment looking down on that
- brilliant company, many of whom, looking so fine and attractive, were at
- heart so cruel.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Time's up,” said Hazel, starting to creep round to the little door at the
- back of the gallery, and not trusting herself to say more than that for
- fear a trembling voice should betray her suppressed excitement.
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel was the acknowledged commander-in-chief of that little party, and
- difficult as it was to turn abruptly from the fascinating scene, the
- children dropped obediently on to all fours, and followed in her train.
- The Marberrys' carriage was waiting at the door, and Flutters, after
- helping the others in, climbed onto the box beside Jake, the driver. It
- was wonderful the way in which he seemed always to know intuitively the
- “proper thing” to do. He was constantly placed on such an equal footing
- with the other children that it would have been only natural for him to
- have frequently forgotten that, after all, he was only Miss Hazel's little
- servant; but somehow or other he never did forget it; perfectly free in
- his manner, and never in any sense servile, yet always betraying a little
- air of respectful deference that was simply charming. Indeed, body-servant
- or no, all the Bonifaces had grown to actually loving little Flutters, and
- Flutters knew it and was radiantly happy.
- </p>
- <p>
- All the way home Hazel tried to be as merry as before. It would be such a
- pity, she thought unselfishly, to spoil the Marberrys' good time; but she
- did not succeed very well.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Are you tired, Hazel?” asked Milly, as they neared home.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, awfully tired,” and with this admission the tears sprang into her
- eyes; but fortunately it was too dark in the carriage for any one to see
- them. “It's very uncomfortable,” she added, “to sit with your legs curled
- under you so long as we had to there in the gallery.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Do you think so?” exclaimed Tilly; “why, I could have sat there till
- morning, and never known I had a leg, it was all so lovely!”
- </p>
- <p>
- “So lovely!” echoed Milly in a tone of evident regret that it was over.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Here we are,” said Hazel, as Flutters leaped down and opened the door for
- her; “good-night, Milly” (a kiss); “good-night, Tilly” (another kiss);
- “much obliged for the ride.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Much obliged for the lovely time,” the Marberrys called back, for Jake,
- impatient to get home and to bed, had immediately driven on.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, it looks as though your father and mother were home,” Starlight
- exclaimed as they walked up the path.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, they are home, I know that,” said Hazel, excitedly, “and Josephine
- is home, and I know too that they've had a horrid time, and that they'll
- never go to anything in New York again—never; and if there is a
- cowardly set of creatures in the world it's the spiteful old Whigs.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight and Flutters stood aghast, while Hazel flew past them into the
- house, slamming the front door after her, as much as to say that no
- exasperating Whig should ever enter it again, not even if his name was Job
- Avery Starlight.
- </p>
- <p>
- The boys sat down on the step of the porch and conversed in dazed, excited
- whispers as to what it could all mean.
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel flew up the stairs into her mother's room and into her mother's arms
- with one great sob.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0042" id="linkimage-0042"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0159.jpg" alt="0159 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0159.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- “Why, Hazel, my little daughter, what is the matter?” and Mrs. Boniface,
- whom Hazel had found sitting in a low rocker at the window, still in the
- dress she had worn to the ball, drew Hazel's brown head on to her
- shoulder, and soothingly stroked the brown wavy hair; but the tears were
- in her own eyes, and her heart was very heavy.
- </p>
- <p>
- Hazel could not speak at first for crying, but the caressing touch of that
- dear hand was wonderfully calming, and presently she was able to say, “I
- know all about it, mother. I know they treated you shamefully. I saw that
- horrid old Mrs. Potter when she—”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Hazel! Hazel, dear, you must not talk like this.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But it's true, every word of it is true, and tell me” (and Hazel
- straightened herself up and looked through blinding tears into her
- mother's face), “didn't they insult you? didn't they treat you very
- rudely, and didn't you all come home on that account?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, they certainly were not very kind, Hazel, and it seemed best for us
- to come home; but it is not worth caring too much about, you know.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And to think how friendly Mrs. Potter <i>used</i> to be, and how much she
- pretended to think of you, mother,” and Hazel becoming a little less
- excited, thoughtfully turned the little turquoise ring on her finger round
- and round, and shook her head sadly from side to side, as though her faith
- in human nature was forever shaken, as indeed it had reason to be.
- </p>
- <p>
- It was a pretty picture, albeit a rather sad one, the mother and daughter,
- in the graceful costumes of a hundred years ago, sitting there in the low
- studded room, dimly lighted by the little rush-light on the mantel—a
- high narrow mantel, with the glowing embers on the andirons beneath it
- crackling loudly now and then, after the manner of a good fire that is
- slowly dying out. An oblong mirror, hung at a wide angle from the wall,
- surmounted the high mantel, and reflected the little rocker with its
- double load, and the pretty old-fashioned drapery at the window. It was
- not often that that little mirror, nor any other mirror for that matter,
- had the chance to frame a picture for itself full as lovely as ever artist
- dreamed of.
- </p>
- <p>
- But while Hazel and her mother were talking, and Hazel herself was growing
- calmer and Mrs. Boniface's heart lighter with the effort to cheer her,
- some other things were happening in which we have an interest. Captain
- Boniface was striding along the road that led on to the Marberrys, trying
- to walk off the angry feelings that threatened to get the mastery over
- him. There is nothing like a good brisk walk in bracing air to get a
- feverish, excited mind into normal condition, and the Captain knew it; but
- when the force of the angry mood had spent itself, there still was left to
- him a sense of sad hopelessness for which he saw no remedy. To have a
- little family on one's hands and no money to care for them is enough to
- make the bravest heart heavy; but to have reached that point, and at the
- same time to see every chance of ever getting on one's feet again
- absolutely taken away, is enough to break a man's spirit. And matters had
- come to just that pass that evening with Captain Boniface. If the old
- friends had at last shown themselves friendly, he would have felt there
- was a hope of his making his services valuable to some of them, as indeed
- there would have been, for every one acknowledged Captain Boniface to be a
- man of rare ability. But it had now been shown him very plainly that there
- was no use in longer trying to stem the tide of hate and prejudice that
- set so strongly against him, and with the future a hopeless blank, he
- finally turned his face homeward. But the other thing that was happening,
- and in which we too have an interest, was of a cheerier sort, and was
- taking place at the Assembly, which had only fairly gotten under way when
- the Bonifaces left it.
- </p>
- <p>
- That old-fashioned law of a partner for the evening, to be chosen by lot,
- of course applied only to the young folks, and the more staid,
- middle-aged, and elderly people were free to chat with each other, else
- why should they have cared to go to the ball at all?
- </p>
- <p>
- Now it happened that Aunt Frances, who was quite in ignorance of the sad
- experiences of the Bonifaces, was having a most satisfactory conversation
- with a Mrs. Rainsford, a near neighbor, whom she had not seen since her
- flight from home nearly two years before, for Mrs. Rainsford was able to
- answer a great many questions which Aunt Frances had been longing to ask
- about her own home, and the care it was having.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, I should not think the place had been greatly abused,” said Mrs.
- Rainsford, while Aunt Frances sat, an eager listener. “Captain Wadsworth
- moved his men down to the barracks at Fort George a month ago, and since
- then he has been giving the house a thorough overhauling. You know he has
- resigned his commission, and intends to remain in this country.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes; and I know, too, that he intends to remain in my home,” sighed Aunt
- Frances. “I wonder if he would sell it to me, though, for that matter,
- it's as much mine to-day as it ever was. But there's no use to talk about
- that either, for I have saved from the wreck barely money enough to live
- upon.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But, Miss Avery,” said Mrs. Rainsford in a serious whisper, that was
- scarcely audible above the music, “I'll tell you one thing: I do not
- believe Captain Wadsworth <i>will</i> remain in your house very long.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Indeed! why not?” and Aunt Frances's elevated eyebrows betrayed her
- surprise.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, because it is going to be so very uncomfortable for all Loyalists
- here in the city.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I do not quite see what you mean, Mrs. Rainsford.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, of course not, dear,” replied Mrs. Rainsford (seeming to regard Aunt
- Frances in the light of an older daughter, though, in point of fact, there
- was but little difference in their ages.) “No, of course not; your kind
- heart would never dream of such things as are happening on every side. The
- leading Whigs, now that the Revolution has been successful, say that
- they'll make this town too hot to hold a single Tory, and, mark my words,
- they'll do it, too. Perhaps you haven't noticed how the Bonifaces were
- treated tonight; they went home some time ago.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, Mrs. Rainsford, can that be possible?” questioned Aunt Frances,
- looking vainly about the room in search of her friends; “I call that
- cruelty of the most unwarrantable sort.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, it must be very humiliating to say the least; but then they have
- brought it upon themselves, you must remember,” for Mrs. Rainsford was
- herself a most ardent Whig, and thought the Loyalists, whether English or
- American, should be made to pay very dearly for their behavior.
- </p>
- <p>
- “You ought to have seen your garden this summer, Miss Avery,” continued
- Mrs. Rainsford, reverting to their former subject. “Captain Wadsworth must
- be very fond of flowers. He took the best of care of it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I think I could not have borne to see it, Mrs. Rainsford.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, perhaps not, dear child; and to think that you really have Alexander
- Hamilton to thank for it all. You must hate him. He is here to-night, you
- know, with his young wife. I don't wonder she turned the heads of the
- officers at Morristown. You know she went to visit her aunt while
- Washington had his headquarters there, and Hamilton was his aide-de-camp,
- and fell in—”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Sh—” interrupted Aunt Frances, who saw that Colonel Hamilton was
- not very far off, and might easily overhear what they were saying; and,
- indeed, he was not far off, for the very good reason that, in the company
- of his friend, Major Potter, every step was bringing him nearer.
- </p>
- <p>
- Imagine, if you can, Aunt Frances's surprise when Major Potter, whom she
- knew quite well, paused before her, and bowing low, with old-time grace
- and courtliness, said slowly, “May I take the liberty, Miss Avery, of
- presenting my friend, Colonel Hamilton?”
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0043" id="linkimage-0043"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0163.jpg" alt="0163 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0163.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- Aunt Frances was, of course, greatly confused, though too much of a lady
- to betray it; but Mrs. Rainsford, astonished beyond measure, and not
- always at her ease, was quite glad to slip away from an interview that
- promised to be, to say the least, embarrassing.
- </p>
- <p>
- Colonel Hamilton took the seat she left vacant. “I begged the favor of an
- introduction, Miss Avery, and am very glad to meet you,” he said,
- politely.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I must not doubt your sincerity, Colonel Hamilton,” Aunt Frances replied
- with no little dignity, “but perhaps you do not recognize in me the Miss
- Avery whom you lately defeated in the courts.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “On the contrary,” replied the Colonel with a deferential air, for Aunt
- Frances was by many years his senior, “that is the very reason why I
- wished to meet you. I feel myself to have been the cause—”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Excuse me, Colonel Hamilton, but I desire neither apologies nor
- sympathy.” For with all her sweetness, Aunt Frances was high spirited; she
- thought the Colonel's manner was a little patronizing.
- </p>
- <p>
- But Colonel Hamilton was high spirited too, and was on his feet in a
- moment. “It was not my intention to offer either sympathy or apologies. I
- bid you good-evening, Miss Avery.”
- </p>
- <p>
- But Aunt Frances said quickly, “In that case I should prefer you to
- remain, Colonel Hamilton.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Thank you,” and the Colonel, with no little dignity, resumed his seat,
- while Aunt Frances condescended to add:
- </p>
- <p>
- “I did not mean to be rude, but I wished you to understand my position.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “It was because I wished you to understand mine that I sought this
- interview, Miss Avery; but I see I have need to be very careful as to my
- choice of words.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Aunt Frances smiled, as much as to say, “Quite right, Colonel Hamilton.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I hope you realize,” he said, “that my argument in Captain Wadsworth's
- case was founded on the most sincere convictions;” and the Colonel half
- betrayed the admiration which Aunt Frances somehow inspired in him,
- notwithstanding her high-spiritedness.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I never questioned that, Colonel Hamilton.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “So I felt I had reason to believe, when I found you had urged your nephew
- to make application for the vacancy in my office.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, I told Harry it was hardly necessary to volunteer the fact of our
- relationship,” said Aunt Frances, with unconcealed surprise.
- </p>
- <p>
- “He evidently did not agree with you then, for he had been with me scarce
- twenty-four hours before he told me he was your nephew. I suppose you
- thought, if I knew it, that it might count against him; on the contrary,
- let me assure you it has helped him. It is no light thing, Miss Avery, to
- have done any one an injury, whether from conscientious motives or not;
- and I shall welcome every chance to atone for it that comes within my
- power. I can imagine, in part at least, what it must mean to be banished
- from the home of a life-time under any circumstances, and especially when
- you feel that you have still a perfect right to be there.”
- </p>
- <p>
- This looked a little like sympathy on the Colonel's part, but it was too
- kindly meant to be rejected. They were treading, however, dangerously near
- the region of Aunt Frances's proud sensitiveness, so she changed the
- direction somewhat by asking, “But Harry is able to rise on his own
- merits, is he not, Colonel Hamilton?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Abundantly; that was one thing I desired to tell you. He has unusual
- capacity, and is remarkably efficient. I think his future assured. As for
- me, it is a great satisfaction to know you do not question my sincerity.
- And now, Miss Avery, I will not detain you longer, and will say
- good-evening.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Good-evening, Colonel Hamilton.”
- </p>
- <p>
- And so the Colonel went back to his pretty young wife in the farther
- corner of the room, and Aunt Frances, with a tumult of thoughts in her
- heart, rejoined the Van Vleets, and was glad to find them making ready to
- go down to the clumsy barge, which, manned by two of the farm hands, was
- waiting to carry them home across the moonlit river. How much she had to
- think over; and what had Colonel Hamilton told her but that he would lose
- no chance to atone for what his duty, as he understood it, had compelled
- him to do. But one thing Colonel Hamilton had not told her, but which was
- very true, nevertheless, and that was, that one of the strongest impulses
- toward this same atoning had come to him in the form of a call from a very
- earnest and winsome little maiden one sunny September morning. “Yes, what
- may it not mean?” thought Aunt Frances, and a hope that she had not dared
- to cherish for a long, long time shaped itself once more before her.
- Perhaps it might come about that she should have her home again some day;
- surely it was not impossible, since Colonel Hamilton himself was enlisted
- in her favor. And <i>this</i> was the man whom she thought her worst enemy—whom
- she had said she would go a long way to avoid meeting. Very thankful was
- she now that the Colonel had given her no opportunity to carry out her
- intention. So there is this comfort: if some sorry things happened at the
- Assembly, some other things happened that were not sorry at all.
- </p>
- <p>
- Meanwhile poor Starlight and Flutters sat shivering on the front porch.
- Captain Boniface had come home, but had quietly entered the house at the
- rear, and the children had not heard him.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Really, I think we had better go in now,” said Flutters, as though he had
- brought the same inducement to bear upon Starlight several times before.
- </p>
- <p>
- “You may go if you like,” answered Starlight. “It's different with you,
- you live here; but you don't catch <i>me</i> going in at a door that's
- been slammed in my face, unless the some-one who slammed it comes out and
- gets me.”
- </p>
- <p>
- So Flutters stretched and yawned and shivered a moment longer, and then
- decided to quit the dreary scene.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Now, don't you tell Hazel that I'm out here, Flutters. Promise me.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Not if she asks me?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, not if she asks you fifty times.” Starlight was angry, and not
- without reason, but he did not believe impetuous Hazel would give him
- another thought, and so he looked about to see how he could most
- comfortably pass the night on the porch, for he knew nowhere to go at that
- late hour. Perhaps it <i>was</i> a pity for a fellow to be so proud, but
- he could not help it. He wondered if other people's pride made the blood
- rush so hotly through their veins, and made their hearts thump like trip
- hammers; there was one good thing about it, though: it helped to keep him
- a little warmer out there in the chill November evening.
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters groped his way forlornly to bed, for all the lights were out in
- the house. He longed to knock at Hazel's door and tell her about
- Starlight, and his hand actually doubled itself in a preparatory way as he
- passed her door; but no, it would not do. Starlight would never forgive
- him; besides, he had promised.
- </p>
- <p>
- But fortunately it was not to be an out-all-night experience, after all,
- for Starlight. Hazel's room was directly under the roof of the high,
- pillared porch, and as, just before getting into bed, she leaned out to
- close the blinds, so that the morning sun should not wake such a tired and
- sorrowful little body too early, she saw some dark thing lying under the
- mat on the porch. At first she thought it was the Marberrys' dog, who
- occasionally made them a visit, so she called, “Bruno! Bruno!” in a
- penetrating whisper, but the dark object showed no signs of life. Then she
- said, “Who is it?” and the dark object moved a little and replied
- sullenly, “Who do you suppose?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, Job Starlight, what are you doing out there; you'll catch your death
- of cold.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I know it,” said Starlight, for by this time even his pride had cooled
- down a little, and his teeth were chattering, “and there'll be no one to
- blame for it but yourself, Hazel Boniface.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “What do you mean?” asked Hazel; but as she spoke a conviction of just
- exactly what he meant swept over her. “Haven't you been in since I left
- you on the porch?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, I haven't been in since you slammed the door in my face and said if
- there was a cowardly set of spiteful old creatures in the world it was the
- Whigs.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I did not call <i>you</i> a——” and then Hazel realized that
- it was very foolish, as well as very cold, to stand talking there in that
- way, so she called down, “But wait a minute, and I'll come and let you
- in.” Then she closed the shutters and hurriedly slipped into her wrapper
- and slippers, and in a twinkling the hall lamp was lighted and the hall
- door thrown open; but Starlight was in no hurry to enter—not he; he
- was going to see this thing through in right dignified fashion,
- notwithstanding, now that the prospect looked more cheerful, he could
- himself see a funny side to the proceeding.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I did not mean <i>you</i> were cowardly or spiteful, Starlight,” Hazel
- said again. “I meant all the other Whigs. Do, please, come in.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Then why did you slam the door in this Whig's face, I'd like to know,”
- and Starlight was so gracious as to advance as far as the broad,
- old-fashioned door-sill; “besides, all the other Whigs are not spiteful
- and cowardly. Aunt Frances isn't, and——”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Starlight,” interrupted Hazel, “this is very mean of you. If you knew
- what we'd had to bear to-night you wouldn't blame me for anything. I was
- very angry, I know, but I am very sorry, and now—won't you please
- come in?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Certainly this was as much as the most aggrieved of individuals could
- desire, and Starlight walked in, and dignity and resentment and everything
- else were forgotten as Hazel with tearful eyes told him of the evenings
- experiences. “Yes,” she said at the close of her narration, “I saw Mrs.
- Potter with my own eyes refuse to shake hands with mamma, and if it hadn't
- been time then to come home I do not know what I ever should have done.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight drew a deep sigh, but Hazel had grown a full inch in his
- estimation. It was real plucky in her to have kept her forlorn discovery
- to herself all the way home; he could almost understand now how she had
- slammed the door when she reached it. But what a shame it was that a
- family like the Bonifaces should be so shamefully treated! “Well, it's too
- bad, Hazel, that's all I can say,” he said; “but I suppose we may as well
- go to bed. It must be very late.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, where is Flutters?” asked Hazel, for the first time recalling his
- existence.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Here,” answered a voice from the top of the hall stairway; “I was just
- coming down to see if I could not make Starlight come in.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I don't believe anybody could have <i>made</i> him,” said Hazel; “the
- Starlights must be a very proud family.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “So must the Bonifaces,” answered Starlight, with the shadow of a smile;
- “but, then, I like proud families.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And so do I,” said Hazel.
- </p>
- <p>
- A few moments afterward the little trio separated, and with the thought of
- “Better late than never,” Starlight crept gratefully into the bed of the
- little hall room, whose blankets and coverlid had been carefully folded
- back for him, full five hours before, by Dinah's kind black hands.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XIX—A SAD LITTLE CHAPTER
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0044" id="linkimage-0044"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9169.jpg" alt="9169 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9169.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- OT a bright outlook certainly, but then, you see, it is to be only a
- little chapter.
- </p>
- <p>
- Some people think that children's books ought to be cheery and bright from
- cover to cover, and so they ought—that is, for the very little
- children; but when they have gotten beyond the days of rhymes and jingles
- and colored pictures, and have wit enough and appreciation enough to enjoy
- a chaptered story, then I, for one, think the stories should be true to
- life. To be sure, the charm of such delightful and purely impossible tales
- as “Alice in Wonderland” and “Water Babies” lies in the fact that they do
- not pretend to be true to anything in the world save the
- enchanting-caprice of the people who write them; but when one comes to
- place a story in a real time, and put real people in it, then it is bound
- to be true to the real things.
- </p>
- <p>
- Then one certainly does not need to be, say, more than seven years old to
- get at least an inkling of the truth, that the real things of life are not
- always bright things. But there is no use of dwelling at too great length
- upon these same sorrowful experiences, and so for that reason we are going
- to try to make this a short chapter. And now, to tell you right away what
- the sad thing was, for fear your lively imagination should be conjuring up
- something yet more sad than the reality, though the reality was sad
- enough, since it was nothing more nor less than that, when Captain Hugh
- Boniface woke on the morning after the Assembly, he found that he could
- move neither hand nor foot. The eager mind worked as actively as ever, but
- not a muscle would respond to the great, strong will, and the Captain knew—knew
- beyond all hoping—that he was completely paralyzed, and that in all
- probability, as far as ever rendering any real service to that blessed
- little family of his was concerned, he had better, from that time, be out
- of the world than in it.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is needless to tell you very particularly with what foreboding the
- alarming news spread through the little household, nor how breathlessly
- they all waited for old Dr. Melville's verdict as he came from the
- Captain's room a few hours later. Nor of how, in spite of his encouraging
- words, that bade them be hopeful, they read that in his kind old eyes
- which plainly told them that he felt there was little enough to ground any
- real hope upon.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes,” said Dr. Melville, gravely, as Mrs. Boniface followed him to the
- door, at the close of one of his professional visits, “I feared something
- of this sort might be in store for the Captain. He has been into my office
- several times complaining of certain wretched benumbing feelings that we
- doctors dread to hear acknowledged. But it's not strange, Mrs. Boniface,
- not strange at all; he's been through enough to break down the strongest
- constitution. There was a sight of mischief already done when they brought
- him home from Lexington in '75, and then all these years of worry and
- excitement have not helped matters.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But, doctor,” said Mrs. Boniface, nerving herself to ask the question,
- “do you think he will never be any better?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I doubt if he ever walks again, Mrs. Boniface.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Do you mean, Dr. Melville, that it is your opinion that he never <i>will</i>
- walk again. You must be very frank with me, else I cannot tell how to plan
- for the future.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, then, since you are a brave woman, and I know you mean what you
- say, I will give you my honest opinion, which is this: that your good
- Captain will probably, at least in a degree, regain the use of his hands
- and arms, but never, I fear, of his lower limbs.”
- </p>
- <p>
- It was not easy for Mrs. Boniface to hear her fears put thus plainly into
- words, but it was best, she felt sure, that she should know the worst.
- </p>
- <p>
- Meantime the days dragged wearily along for Captain Boniface, and yet
- brought with them one glorious revelation. Never before had he known quite
- so fully what an all-powerful love there was in his heart for that dear
- wife of his. It was a privilege simply to be able to watch her as she
- moved so quietly about the room, and to listen to the sweet familiar
- voice; and was it not abundant cause for thankfulness that he was still in
- the same world with her, though no longer able to move about in it. But
- what were they going to do? That, of course, was the thought that gave him
- greatest anxiety. The sum of money in the bank had been growing more and
- more slender with every year of diminished income, until now there was
- scarce enough left to tide them over more than another twelve months, and
- then only with the strictest economy. But the good Captain did not have to
- meet this dread question alone, and in the twilight of a November
- afternoon he had talked it all over with his wife, and as the result of
- that long, quiet talk they had decided that Mrs. Boniface should write for
- aid to her father, a clergyman, living alone in a little ivy-grown rectory
- in the South of England. But it was not easy to come to this decision.
- They hesitated to intrude their heavy anxieties upon the good old man,
- whose own income was by no means ample. But there was simply no one else
- to whom they could turn, and they knew he would gladly give them any help
- within his power.
- </p>
- <p>
- “And now, Hugh, there is nothing for us to do but to wait till the answer
- to my letter comes, and do let us try not to worry,” said Mrs. Boniface
- when the long talk was over, and they did try, and they succeeded, and
- right in the face of the heaviest trial they had ever known there was
- peace and even an added sweetness in the Boniface home life. The new
- trouble knit all hearts closer together; they realized more keenly than
- ever before how much it was just to have each other, and they cared far
- less than such a little while ago they would have thought possible for the
- insults of people who, after all, had been friends only in name. But half
- the secret of the bravery of the little household lay in the fact that the
- Captain himself was so brave; but often, of course, his courage was
- strongly tested; seldom more strongly than when little Kate would come
- running to the side of his bed, and he felt himself powerless to lift her
- to a seat beside him or to romp with her as he used to love to do.
- </p>
- <p>
- One afternoon, when he was alone in the room, he heard the patter of her
- little feet on the stairway. He could count each step, for, after the
- necessarily slow fashion of very little walkers, she had need to plant
- both feet on one step before attempting another. But at last the patient
- little climber was where she wanted to be, and said, without stopping to
- think, “Lift me up, papa, please.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Ah! Kate, you always forget papa can't do that,” and the Captain's eyes
- grew misty.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, yes, I did fordet,” Kate answered, with a world of regret in her
- tone; and then she laid her chubby head on her father's arm and tenderly
- stroked the great brown hand as though she loved him more than ever now,
- and for the very reason that he was so helpless.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Kate,” said her father, when he felt sure that he could speak and yet
- keep his voice steady, “you are such a darling, Kate.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Mamma said that a little while ago,” answered her little ladyship calmly,
- “and Josephine said it yesterday twice, and then Hazel said something like
- it too. I <i>dess</i> I was never quite so nice as lately.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I guess you were never quite such a comfort,” smiled the Captain. “But
- then you must not grow too set up about it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Kate did not pay much attention to this last remark; she had decided on a
- little plan, and was putting it into execution. She pushed a chair to the
- side of the bed and mounted, by aid of its round, to its seat; from there
- it was an easy climb to the bed; and then, shoving the chair away with a
- push of her little foot, she turned to her father with a sigh of honest
- satisfaction, such as no mere “lifting up” could possibly have occasioned.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0045" id="linkimage-0045"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0173.jpg" alt="0173 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0173.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- Evidently she had come to stay, the blessed little sunbeam, and
- straightway the Captain began to rack his brain for the story that he knew
- well enough in a moment would be asked for, and for the sort that would be
- likely to keep her attention longest. No one could tell so good a story as
- the Captain, and no one could tell it as well—at least, that was the
- verdict of Starlight and Flutters, of Hazel and the Marberrys, and a few
- other little folk who now and then had the pleasure of hearing him. Little
- Kate was delighted with the fact that she was to be favored with “the
- first story since papa fell ill,” and, I fear, took a little selfish
- delight in the fact that she was the only listener. As for the story, it
- proved a fine one, with some very queer little people in it, who did most
- outlandish things, and Kate sat entranced till it was finished, and then,
- laying her head down on her father's shoulder, “just to think it over,”
- fell fast asleep instead, and did not waken, even when the Captain,
- hearing Josephine's step in the hall, called her in to throw something
- over her. And then, after a while, what with Kate's regular breathing as
- she lay on his helpless arm, and what with the light in the room growing
- dim and yet more dim as the glow faded out of the sunset, the Captain fell
- asleep too, and all was so tranquil and peaceful that it seems almost as
- though we had made a mistake in calling this “A Sad Little Chapter.”
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XX—FLUTTERS COMES TO A DECISION
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0046" id="linkimage-0046"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9175.jpg" alt="9175 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9175.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- LUTTERS had something on his mind, and this in addition to all the cares
- and anxieties of the Bonifaces, which he took upon himself every whit as
- fully as though he actually belonged to the family. But the something in
- question was a little private affair of his own, an affair, however, that
- insisted upon filling most of his waking thoughts, and finally, after
- looking at it in every possible light, he arrived at a decision.
- </p>
- <p>
- When a person has been thinking about a matter and turning it over and
- over in his mind, a decision is a glorious thing to come to. It is such a
- relief, after standing helpless in a perfect maze of doubt and hesitation,
- to find a straight path opening up before you. At any rate, Flutters's
- sensations were quite of that order, as late one afternoon he went to Mrs.
- Boniface and asked if she could spare him to go into town for a few hours.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Certainly, Flutters,” if it is necessary for it was the first time
- Flutters had made a request like that, and she wondered what the little
- fellow was up to.
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters seemed to read her thoughts and answered, “It is necessary, Mrs.
- Boniface, but I would rather not tell you what I want to go for, if you
- are willing to trust me.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Certainly, I'll trust you, Flutters,” was the answer that made his heart
- glad; for it is such a fine thing to be thoroughly trusted, and the haste
- with which he donned his coat and hurried from the house showed that, at
- least in his estimation, the something to be done was as important as
- necessary.
- </p>
- <p>
- Along the frosty road, in the November twilight, the little fellow trudged
- at a brisk pace, now and then breaking into a full run, as though in his
- eagerness he could not brook the delay of sober walking. White, fleecy
- clouds were scudding across the sky, as though making way for the moon
- which shone out whenever they would let her, and whose silvery beams were
- following so closely in the wake of the daylight as to create one earth
- night in which, as in Heaven above, there was to be no darkness at all.
- </p>
- <p>
- But Flutters, like many another preoccupied fellow-mortal, saw naught of
- its beauty, only noting his surroundings sufficiently to take the
- straightest road to his destination.
- </p>
- <p>
- Finally, he brought up at the barracks of Company F at Fort George, which
- company, as you remember, we learned from Mrs. Rainsford, was no longer
- quartered at the Avery homestead.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Is Sergeant Bellows here?” Flutters asked, breathlessly, of one of the
- first men he met.
- </p>
- <p>
- “He be,” answered the man, with provoking slowness, “but I doubt if he'll
- see ye the night, he turned in early with a headache.” Flutters looked
- crestfallen. “You sail for England day after to-morrow, don't you?” >
- </p>
- <p>
- “We do that,” answered the man, “and it's with pleasure we'll be after
- shaking the dust of the place off us.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But I must see Sergeant Bellows before he goes,” said Flutters,
- pathetically. “Do you think he'd mind if I disturbed him just for a
- minute?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Maybe not,” said the man, “the Sergeant's that good-natured. You'll find
- him in bunk No. 6, in the front room above-stairs.”
- </p>
- <p>
- So Flutters climbed the stairs and entered the great cheerless room, with
- its row of uncomfortable-looking bunks lining the wall. A candle was
- burning in a tin candlestick at one end of the room. Flutters went on
- tip-toe and brought it so as to inspect the numbers of the bunks, and make
- no mistake, for he could see that two or three other men had also “turned
- in.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “'Who's there?' asked Sergeant Bellows.”
- </p>
- <p>
- No. 6 was half-way down the room. “Sergeant Bellows,” said Flutters, in a
- penetrating whisper, screening the candle flame with his hand, so that it
- should not shine in the Sergeant's face.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0047" id="linkimage-0047"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0177.jpg" alt="0177 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0177.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- “Who's there?” asked Sergeant Bellows, raising himself on one elbow and
- bewildered at the sight of his unexpected visitor.
- </p>
- <p>
- “It's only me, Flutters, and I hope your headache isn't very bad, 'cause I
- wouldn't have disturbed you for the world, only I almost had to.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, that's all right,” said the Sergeant, kindly, “but it'll take me a
- moment to get my wits to working, although I wasn't rightly asleep either.
- Here, set the candle on the shelf, and run get that stool yonder for
- yourself.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters felt relieved thus to have the Sergeant take in the situation at
- a glance, and realize that he had come with a purpose.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I was coming up to Kings Bridge to-morrow to say good-bye,” the Sergeant
- said, rather sadly, when Flutters had seated himself beside the bed. “How
- are they up there?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, they're not well at all—that is, you know, don't you, about
- the Captain's being paralyzed all over?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, by gracious! paralyzed! Do you mean he can't move hand nor foot?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters sorrowfully shook his head yes, as though words failed him.
- </p>
- <p>
- “You don't mean it,” said the Sergeant, sorrowfully; “but tell me all
- about it,” and then Flutters told him everything about the Bonifaces that
- he thought could by any possibility be of any interest to him, till at
- last he felt justified in introducing his own little matter.
- </p>
- <p>
- “But what I came to see about was this—”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, to be sure,” said the Sergeant. “I had almost forgotten to wonder
- what brought you here.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well,” said Flutters, solemnly, “I have a great favor to ask of you,
- Sergeant.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “You're not giving me much time to do it, then,” said the Sergeant,
- “seeing as every British soldier quits the city day after to-morrow.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “That's the reason I came,” answered Flutters, excitedly, “it's in England
- that I want the favor done.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, what have you to do with England, I'd like to know?” with evident
- astonishment.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, England was my home,” Flutters answered, rather proudly; “don't you
- know I belonged to an English circus?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, so you did; I'd forgotten about that.” And then there was a little
- pause, while the Sergeant waited for further developments, and while
- Flutters was meditating how he had best put his case.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I once heard you say, Sergeant, that your old home was somewhere in
- Cheshire, and that's where my father lives. His name is Wainright.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Then your name is Wainright, too,” said the Sergeant; “Flutters
- Wainright, eh?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, Arthur Wainright's my name. Flutters is a name they gave me in the
- circus, because I used to be so scared when I first began to have a hand
- in the tumbling.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But look here,” said the Sergeant, in rather gruff, soldier-like fashion,
- “if you've a father and he's living, why aren't you living with him 'stead
- of being away over here among strangers? Ye're not a runaway, are ye,
- Flutters?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I am,” said Flutters, scanning the Sergeant's face closely to watch
- the effect of his confession. “I had to do it, Sergeant. I was in the way
- at home. My mother was a colored lady, but she died in India, and then my
- father took me to England and married a white lady, and there were some
- white children and I wasn't wanted. They used to say I was such a queer,
- dark little thing.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Blest if I blame you, then!” said the Sergeant, whose heart was touched;
- “but does your father know you're in good, kind hands. I suppose he cared
- more for you than the rest of 'em did?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes,” said Flutters, “and so I felt I ought to let him know, and I
- thought perhaps if you didn't mind, you'd hunt him up when you get over
- there, and tell him 'bout me, and how happy I am, and that I send my
- love.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But then he might be sending for you to come back. Have you thought of
- that, Flutters?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, I've thought of it, but it isn't likely, Sergeant. He knows I'm not
- wanted there; but anyhow, it seems to me I ought to let him know now that
- I'm so well cared for.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “That's so,” said the Sergeant, pausing a moment to give the matter due
- consideration. “I think you're right about it, and I'll hunt your father
- up just as soon as I can get my furlough and run down to see my relatives
- in Cheshire.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Here's my father's name and address,” said Flutters, taking a slip of
- paper from his pocket, “and when you write to me just direct 'Flutters,'
- care of Captain Boniface. I don't want them to know about me up there. I
- just want them to think of me as an ordinary little darkey, and not above
- any sort of work.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “That's very good of you,” replied Sergeant Bellows, tucking the precious
- little paper under his blue gingham-covered pillow; “not every boy would
- be so considerate as to think of that, but then it's a mighty nice berth
- for you, too. I'd give a good deal myself to live with the Bonifaces.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But you are glad to go home, aren't you?” Flutters asked, with some
- surprise.
- </p>
- <p>
- “No doubt I shall be glad to see old England again, but once I've seen it
- that's all I care for. It's different with most of the men. Some of them
- can hardly speak for joy at the thought, and that makes some of the rest
- of us who haven't any homes to go to very wretched with—well I guess
- you'll have to call it not-any-home-sickness. It's half what is the matter
- with me to-day; and Andy there in the next bunk, who lost a wife and baby
- years ago in England, he'd a sight rather keep his back turned on
- everything that belongs to it. But there's no help for it. A soldier had
- best not have any will of his own, nor any preferences either, if he knows
- what's good for him.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters did not know what reply to make to all this, though feeling very
- sorry for the old Sergeant, and so he began to button his coat together,
- and said: “I guess I'd better go now. I hope I haven't made your headache
- any worse, Sergeant?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Never you fear. It's done me good to talk with you, Flutters. It was more
- of a heartache than a headache, you know. I had one of those blue streaks,
- when a fellow feels he isn't of any use in the world; but if I can carry a
- message from you to your father 'way across the great ocean, I must be of
- a little use still, so I'll turn over and go to sleep as a sensible old
- codger should,” and, suiting the action to the word, Sergeant Bellows
- rather unceremoniously “turned over” and pulled the gray army blanket half
- over his head.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Good-night, then,” said Flutters, rising and taking the candle from the
- shelf.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Good-night,” yawned the Sergeant, as though already half asleep. “I'll be
- up to the Captain's in the morning.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters set the lighted candle back where he had found it, and then made
- his way out as quietly as possible, and the moonbeams and the quiet once
- more had the room to themselves; and, unless thoughts were too active or
- hearts too heavy, there was no reason why Andy and the Sergeant should not
- have dropped off into the soundest of naps, at any rate, until the rest of
- the men should turn in an hour or two later, when there would, no doubt,
- be noise enough to wake the best of sleepers.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XXI—SOME OLD FRIENDS COME TO LIGHT
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0048" id="linkimage-0048"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9182.jpg" alt="9182 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9182.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- T was a comfort to have that matter off his mind, and, whatever might come
- of it, he had done the right thing. Such were Flutters's thoughts, as with
- hands plunged deep in his overcoat pockets, he started for home. To be
- sure, there was no knowing what might happen. What if his father should
- write to Captain Boniface and tell him that he (Flutters) was a naughty
- little runaway, and advise him to have nothing more to do with him? or
- suppose he should direct to have him sent right back to England, what
- would he do? Why, then, he thought he'd simply run away again, only that
- would not be an easy thing to do after having been treated so kindly by
- the Bonifaces. But, as he had himself told the Sergeant, it was not at all
- probable that this would happen; and so, like the logical little
- philosopher he was, he decided to think no more about it, and, if taking
- the advice of the old hymn, he “gave to the <i>winds</i> his fears,” it
- was no time at all before they were blown far behind him. During the half
- hour that he had spent with the Sergeant, a cold northwest blow had set
- in, making it far more comfortable for him to bend his head downward as he
- ran, and not take the wind full in his face. And this same northwest wind
- was playing all sorts of pranks with every pliable thing it could get hold
- of. The bare branches of the trees were swaying and crackling, withered
- leaves were swirling round in eddies and rustling loudly, gates were
- creaking on their rusty hinges, and, just as Flutters had reached a point
- in the road where an old hut stood, the blustering wind caught the only
- shutter remaining at one of its windows, and slammed it to with a bang
- that fairly made him jump. Looking toward the hut that had been deserted
- for years, Flutters saw a faint light shining out through the half of the
- window that was not screened by the closed shutter.
- </p>
- <p>
- “That's queer,” he thought; “who can be living there?” and then, instead
- of running on without giving the matter another thought—as some
- boys, I think, would have done—he walked softly in at the gateway
- that had long lacked a gate, straight up to the window and peeped in; nor
- was it mere curiosity that prompted him to do it either. Flutters knew
- that no one, under ordinary circumstances, would be there; nothing short
- of utter homelessness would make anybody seek shelter in that wretched
- place, and so he felt the matter ought to be investigated, and he was not
- afraid to be the one to do it. And what do you suppose he saw through the
- broken pane? Something that would have made the tears come into almost
- anybody's eyes, but something that made Flutters's heart fairly stand
- still.
- </p>
- <p>
- The only furniture of the room was a three-legged stool on which a bit of
- candle was spluttering, fastened to the stool by the melting of its own
- tallow, and there beside it, on a bundle of straw, lay an old man; and it
- took but one glance from Flutters's astonished eyes to see that the man
- was Bobbin, the old circus drudge. In another second he had pushed the
- door open and was kneeling at his friend's side, and stroking his cold,
- wrinkled hand.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, who is it?” asked Bobbin, in a cracked, weak voice; “I can't rightly
- see, somehow, but it's good to know some one has come.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, it's me, Bobbin, don't you know me?” said Flutters, scarcely able to
- speak with emotion.
- </p>
- <p>
- A bright smile lighted up the old man's face. “Ah! I thought He'd send
- somebody. He did send you, didn't He?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “No, nobody sent me, Bobbin. I was just going by, and I saw the light, and
- I peeped in and then I saw you.”
- </p>
- <p>
- The old man shook his head, as much as to say that he believed that the
- good Father had sent him, nevertheless.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I'm glad you were the one to come,” he said, presently; “there's nobody
- I'd rather have had than you, Flutters. You were always a kind little chap
- to old Bobbin.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters did not say anything—he couldn't. He just pressed the
- wrinkled hand a little harder as it lay in his.
- </p>
- <p>
- “You see, Flutters,” said Bobbin, presently, “I think I am going home
- to-night, and it was kind of lonely not to have somebody to care for me.
- Not that I mind going. I'm not a bit afraid, Flutters. I have done the
- best I could with the poor chance I had, and God will forgive the rest;
- don't you think so, Flutters?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters nodded his head, and then he said in a moment, when he thought he
- could control his voice: “But, Bobbin, I do not believe you are going to
- die. You need food and fire and clothes to warm you, and I am going right
- off to get them for you.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, no, please don't,” pleaded the old man, putting what little strength
- he had into his hold on Flutters's hand. “I don't want food nor anything.
- I just want to go, and it won't be long. Promise me you'll stay till
- morning, Flutters.”
- </p>
- <p>
- There was no gainsaying the entreaty in Bobbin's voice, and so Flutters
- said: “I promise you, Bobbin;” and, with a gratified sigh the old man
- turned on his side and soon fell asleep. After a while, when Flutters
- dared to move a little, he piled the loose straw that lay about him as
- closely as possible over Bobbin, and finally decided to dispense with his
- own warm coat, for the sake of stuffing it in the hole of the little
- paneless window through which the wind was keenly blowing.
- </p>
- <p>
- Then, after another hour of motionless watching, during which Bobbin still
- lay sleeping as quietly as a child, it occurred to Flutters to try and
- make a fire in the blackened fireplace. Some old bits of board were lying
- in one corner of the room, and, piling them on the hearth, he easily
- succeeded in kindling them with a bundle of straw lighted at the candle.
- At first he was afraid that the crackling of the wood would waken the old
- man; but, undisturbed, he slept quietly on as though his mind was
- perfectly at rest, now that Flutters had come to care for him.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I do not believe he is going to die,” thought Flutters, after he had
- again sat motionless for a long time, and then he crept close on hands and
- knees to look into his face, and to listen if he was breathing quite
- regularly; and there, bending over him, what did he see but something that
- made his heart bound for joy, though it was nothing but the corner of a
- little book showing itself above the ragged edge of one of Bobbin's
- pockets. And no wonder he was glad, for he knew in a moment that it was
- his own little Prayer-Book.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0049" id="linkimage-0049"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0185.jpg" alt="0185 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0185.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- At first he thought he ought not to touch it for fear of waking
- </p>
- <p>
- Bobbin, but how could he help it, and so, as gently as possible, he drew
- it out from its hiding-place, and crept back to the candle. I suppose we
- can hardly imagine what the finding of this old friend meant to Flutters.
- There was his own name on the fly-leaf, in his mother's writing, together
- with the date of his birth. Here was the proof, if he ever cared to use
- it, that he had once known a mother's love, and that was a deal more than
- some of the world's waifs could lay claim to, and besides, he loved the
- book for its own sake, for the beautiful words and thoughts that were in
- it. And to think Bobbin had kept it safe for him all these weeks; Flutters
- began to think that perhaps the Lord had sent him to Bobbin after all. And
- so he fell to wondering, as many an older head full often wonders, as to
- how much mere chance has to do with the happenings of this world, and how
- much the careful guiding of a Heavenly Father; but that the Father above
- has a great deal to do therewith is no longer a question in the minds of
- many of us.
- </p>
- <p>
- Meantime it was growing very late, for the clock on the town-hall was on
- the verge of striking twelve, and the moon was high over head. But Bobbin
- still slept on, and Flutters dared not leave him. What would Mrs. Boniface
- think, and how disappointed she would be to find that he was not to be
- trusted; but there was his promise to Bobbin, and he could not go, so he
- did the next best thing, he lay down by his side under the protection of
- the friendly straw and himself fell asleep, while the red-hot embers in
- the fireplace glowed and crackled as though anxious to make the place as
- comfortable as possible.
- </p>
- <p>
- Bobbin did not die that night; he woke with the first ray of sunlight that
- reached the hovel, but he found his faithful little watcher awake before
- him. Flutters thought he looked surprised, and perhaps a little
- disappointed, to find his eyes opening again in this world; at any rate he
- sighed a little wearily as he seemed slowly to realize where he was, then
- he looked up to Flutters's face and said, with a grateful smile, “I knew
- you would keep your promise. I knew you would not leave me.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But you will let me go <i>now</i>, Bobbin, won't you?” said Flutters,
- with a world of entreaty in his voice, and wondering what he would do if
- Bobbin still proved obdurate; “you see I haven't lived so very long with
- the Bonifaces, and they'll think I've run away, and be sorry they ever
- trusted me. I'll make up the fire before I go, and I'll be back soon and
- bring you something to eat and something perhaps to make you more
- comfortable.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes,” said the old man, after what seemed to Flutters a long pause, “I'll
- let you go, but not for long, mind that, Flutters; 'cause now that I can't
- do a thing for myself, I believe the Lord says, 'Flutters, you're to take
- care of old Bobbin till the time comes for me to take him away and care
- for him myself.'”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I believe so, too,” answered Flutters, pushing the thin, gray hair back
- from the old man's forehead, and trying to make him look a little less
- unkempt and neglected, “and never you fear but I'll do it, Bobbin.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Then in a moment Flutters was gone, fairly flying home along the road, and
- when he reached the house not stopping so much as to say good-morning to
- old Dinah, who was opening the kitchen windows, and started back as though
- she had seen a ghost; but straight past her, and straight up to Captain
- Boniface's room. Mrs. Boniface slept on a little cot in the corner of the
- room nearest the door, and Flutters thought, and, as it proved, thought
- rightly, that he could give a gentle knock, and waken her without
- disturbing the Captain.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Who is there?” asked a sweet, low voice, a voice whose every intonation
- Flutters had grown to love.
- </p>
- <p>
- “It's only me—Flutters,” came the ungrammatical whisper, “but I
- wanted you to know that I'm home all right. Nothing happened to me, but I
- came across an old friend of mine, and I had to stop and take care of
- him.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Wait a moment, dear,” Mrs. Boniface answered, not caring in the least
- that it was by no means customary to address little mulatto servant-boys
- in that familiar fashion. Like dear old Janet, in McDonald's beautiful
- story, Mrs. Boniface was “one of <i>God's</i> mothers,” with a mother-love
- broad enough and deep enough to shelter every little creature who, like
- Flutters, needed and longed for the protection of a brooding wing.
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters sat down on the wood-box in the hall and waited, and in a moment
- Mrs. Boniface in her soft, blue wrapper, was seated beside him and he was
- outpouring with breathless eagerness the night's experiences, winding up,
- when all was told, with, “and I promised to go back as soon as ever I
- could.”
- </p>
- <p>
- And Flutters did go back as soon as he could, and Josephine and Hazel went
- with him; and food and clothing, and blankets and towels went too, and a
- dozen other things, such as any one would know would add greatly to the
- comfort of a sick old man who had lain down, as he thought, to die, in an
- empty and wretched dwelling. Later in the day, when some of the nearer
- neighbors had heard Bobbin's sad story, they were anxious, too, to do
- something for him, and before nightfall you would hardly have known the
- poor little shanty. One of them had sent a cot, and Bobbin had been lifted
- on to it; another, two or three chairs, one of which was a comfortable old
- rocker, and a third a table and some necessary cooking utensils. Indeed,
- Bobbin's story, as he narrated it to the little group gathered around him
- that morning after Flutters had found him, was sad enough to touch
- anybody's heart.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I kept on with the troupe,” he told them, “till we got almost to Albany,
- but I was getting weaker almost every day, and I missed Flutters
- dreadfully. I never knew till the boy was gone how much hard work he had
- saved me in one way and another. So at last, and just as I knowed it would
- be, the manager came to me one day and said, 'We ain't got no use for you
- any more, Bobbin. Ye can stay behind when we move on to-night.' An' I just
- looked him the eye an' said: 'All right, sir; but I'm wondering if you'll
- not be left behind when the Lord's own troupe moves on to the many
- mansions.' I knowed I ought not to have spoke like that, but there isn't a
- harder heart in the world than his, and that's the truth.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And what did you do then, Bobbin?” Josephine asked, as she sat beside him
- with tears of indignation standing in her eyes.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why, right away I began to make my way back to Flutters; somehow I knew I
- should find him, only when I crawled into this hut last night after three
- weeks of being on the road, I thought it might not happen in this world.”
- </p>
- <p>
- And so it came about that Bobbin was made perfectly comfortable in the old
- shanty, for in those days there were no well-ordered Homes and Hospitals,
- for sick and homeless people, and Flutters, greatly to his heart's
- delight, was established as attendant-in-chief to his old friend.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XXII—GOOD-BYE SIR GUY
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0050" id="linkimage-0050"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9189.jpg" alt="9189 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9189.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- LEAR and cool dawned the twenty-fifth of November, and, joy to the heart
- of every Whig, before nightfall not a member of the King's army would be
- left on American soil. Never, I ween, had the break of any day in New York
- found so large a number of its inhabitants awake to greet it. Too excited
- to sleep, with the thought of going home, were scores of English soldiers,
- and too excited to sleep, at the thought that they were soon to be rid of
- them, was well-nigh every loyal Whig throughout the length and breadth of
- the city. So, at a remarkably early hour there was an unwonted stir
- everywhere, and it seemed as though the very horses and cattle in their
- stalls must have divined that something remarkable was in the wind. But
- this great day of consummation had not arrived without weeks and months of
- active preparation.
- </p>
- <p>
- Affairs in New York had been sadly mismanaged, and the arrival of Sir Guy
- Carleton, in the spring of 1782, had proved a precious boon, alike to Whig
- and Tory, and during the seventeen months intervening between his arrival
- and the evacuation, of the city, on this same twenty-fifth day of
- November, 1783, Sir Guy had had his hands full. One of the heaviest labors
- he had had to perform was the transporting of twelve thousand Loyalists
- from all parts of the colonies, to Nova Scotia, the Bahamas and Great
- Britain, for New York was not the only place where the offending Tories
- were made to feel, and very pointedly, too, that their room was considered
- vastly better than their company.
- </p>
- <p>
- But finally all was ready, the “Royal Order” to evacuate had arrived some
- two months before, and as soon as possible Sir Guy had named the day for
- departure. Now at last the day itself had come, and there was scarce a
- man, woman or child who had not planned to enter in some way into its
- festivities. But up at the Boniface's there was a strong conflict of
- feeling in one little Tory breast. Hazel was naturally in a “perfect
- state,” as girls say nowadays. It was most improper that she, an indignant
- little Loyalist, should be a witness to all that day's jubilation, and <i>yet</i>
- Starlight and Flutters and the Marberrys were going over to Bowery Lane to
- see the American troops march in from Harlem, and then into the city to
- see the English troops embark from Fort George, and were going to make a
- fine long day of it, and, after all, what good would it do anybody if she
- stayed at home? So it happened that Hazel's love of military bands and
- streamers and all sorts of public demonstration got the better even of her
- Tory principles, and after much urging on the part of the Marberrys (which
- she had felt from the first could be relied upon), she yielded, and Mrs.
- Boniface prepared a luncheon for <i>five</i>, instead of “just for four,”
- as Hazel had that morning directed. But none of the little party setting
- forth looked forward to the day's pleasure with quite so keen a relish as
- Flutters. He still remained quite neutral, not finding it easy, owing to
- his peculiar circumstances, to side either with Whig or Tory. So it did
- not matter much to him who were going or who were coming, the one dominant
- thought in his boyish heart simply being, that he was off for a day's fun,
- of which he had not had a great deal lately. For the last week he had been
- in constant attendance on old Bobbin, and before that there had been such
- very sad hearts in the Boniface household, owing to the Captain's illness.
- But for to-day Josephine had volunteered to care for Bobbin, and Bobbin
- himself had consented to spare Flutters, and so, free in every sense to
- give himself up to whatever enjoyment offered, Flutters was ready for “a
- lark.” And in just this very sort of thing, you boys and girls, who are
- like Flutters, set us older boys and girls an example, for boys and girls
- we are, all of us, in a way, so long as we keep a vestige of naturalness
- about us. Real sorrows may weigh down a child's spirit, and real trials
- beset him, but, give him the chance, even for an hour, to forget the
- sorrow and the trial, and he forgets it; and when God puts just such
- opportunities into all our lives, is it not for this very purpose of
- helping us to forget for a while?
- </p>
- <p>
- Mrs. Boniface watched the five little friends file down the pathway,
- Flutters bringing up the rear with the capacious lunch-basket, and was
- thankful that there were pleasures, even in such unfavorable times, which
- children might enter into; and then, perhaps with thoughts akin to those
- we have been writing, about forgetting trouble, she turned with a bright
- smile to the Captain, and proposed that they should try and have a happy
- day too, unmindful of what was going on down in the city, and thankful for
- the serenity of their home, still left unmolested. And so Dinah was
- directed to prepare a favorite dish of the Captain's, and the Captain's
- favorite books were brought out, and Mrs. Boniface, resolutely putting
- aside every household claim, read aloud for two hours at a sitting, and
- then little Kate came in for a romp and had it, and at one o'clock Dinah
- brought in luncheon for all three on a great japanned tray, and they had a
- very cosey time eating it together. Who would have thought, to have looked
- in upon them, that Evacuation Day was, in point of fact, a very sorry day
- for the Boniface's?
- </p>
- <p>
- Meantime the children gained the Bowery Road, mounted a rail fence in a
- row, like a flock of sparrows, and, with full as much chatter, waited for
- the coming of the troops.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0051" id="linkimage-0051"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0192.jpg" alt="0192 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0192.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- It seemed strange enough to everybody to think that the entire British
- Army, which had been scattered broadcast throughout the vicinity for so
- many years, was now congregated down in the city, and that before many
- hours there would not be a trace of it left. Hazel had certain
- apprehensions that it was going to seem very lonely without them, and when
- a small detachment of English soldiers marched past (the last of a company
- that had been quartered at Kings Bridge) and cheerily called out,
- “Good-bye, Whiggies,” to the children, as they sat on the fence, her heart
- entirely misgave her. Was it really loyal for her to be abroad on a day of
- such rejoicing, and how insulting to be called a “Whiggie,” when she was
- every whit as strong a Tory as the soldiers themselves. But just then the
- inspiring strains of an approaching band reached her, and the misgivings
- took to themselves wings. Nearer and nearer came the music, and soon
- Starlight recognized General Knox in command of two companies of American
- soldiers. They were marching into the city in compliance with a request of
- Sir Guy Carleton's, so as to be on hand in case of any disorder among the
- Whigs while the English were embarking. Now as soon as these American
- troops should have gotten out of the way, the Marberrys had planned a
- little surprise for the rest of the party, which they knew would prove a
- great addition to the day's pleasure. So, just as the children had begun
- to scramble down from the fence, with the intention of getting into the
- city as best they could, up drove old Jake, the Marberrys' coachman, with
- a farm wagon piled high with straw. “Whoa! whoa, da!” called Jake to the
- Rector's old black horse, and then, bowing and smiling, he said,
- importantly, “At your sarvice for Evacuation Day, chilluns.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Of course Hazel and Starlight and Flutters were delighted at this
- undreamed-of luxury, of being driven about all day, from one point of
- interest to another, and before they climbed into the wagon Hazel gave
- vent to her appreciation by giving both Milly and Tilly such a hug as sent
- the color flushing gratefully into the cheeks of those amiable little
- sisters.
- </p>
- <p>
- For once in his life old Jake was in a thoroughly good humor, but it is
- extremely doubtful if anything short of all the pleasurable sensations of
- Evacuation Day could have brought about that delightful state of affairs.
- As for the children they were quite ready to do anything in the world for
- Jake, out of sheer gratitude for his kindly mood, a state of affairs, by
- the way, which should have made that old party feel very much ashamed of
- himself. To think that it should be such an unusual thing for a man to be
- kind, as to make even children open their eyes for wonder.
- </p>
- <p>
- It is impossible fully to describe all the varied enjoyment that that day
- held for the little party, although from the nature of things it was
- hardly to be expected that Hazel was able to get as much pleasure out of
- it as the others. Down into the city they went in the wake of General
- Knox's men, who came to a halt at the Collect, and then passing them, Jake
- took his stand at a point near Fort George, from which the children could
- watch the English soldiers file down into the barges and push off for the
- vessels lying at anchor in the Bay.
- </p>
- <p>
- “There comes Company F,” Starlight at last exclaimed, and in a moment the
- children tumbled out of the wagon, much to old Jake's astonishment, and in
- another moment were crowding round Sergeant Bellows, as he stood waiting
- his turn to step into the boat.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Sergeant had been up to the Boniface's for a more formal leave-taking
- the day before, but the children had promised to be on hand at the moment
- of departure, if they could in any wise manage it, and the Sergeant's face
- showed his delight, when he spied them come bounding toward him.
- </p>
- <p>
- There were tears in Hazel's eyes as the boat veered off from the dock, and
- tears in the Marberrys' eyes out of sympathy for Hazel, but of course the
- boys pretended they saw nothing whatever to feel sorry about. In the
- excitement, however, Flutters called out in a very significant tone,
- “Don't you forget, Sergeant,” and the Sergeant replied in rather a husky
- voice, “Never you fear, my boy!”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Forget what?” questioned Hazel, feeling somehow that a little
- body-servant ought scarcely to have any private matters on hand. And then
- Flutters, realizing how foolish he had been to make public his affairs in
- that fashion, felt constrained to answer, “Oh, nothing,” to Hazel's
- question, which disrespect on his part offended the dignity of his little
- mistress, and caused her to treat him with much coolness for the space of
- the next two minutes, at the end of which, however, she resumed her wonted
- manner, having forgotten by that time any reason for acting otherwise.
- </p>
- <p>
- Company F had come about mid-way in the order of embarking, and as it
- neared one o'clock, the extreme rear guard began to file into the barges,
- while the American troops moved silently forward and took possession of
- the Fort, and then it was that General Knox, with a chosen few, galloped
- back to meet and escort General Washington and Governor Clinton into the
- city. For old Jake's party this in-between time seemed to offer the most
- favorable opportunity for luncheon, and with appetites keenly whetted by
- their long morning in the open air, the children “fell to,” and as soon as
- Jake had tied a bag of oats over black Jennie's head, he took his seat at
- the back of the wagon, and was himself regaled with a much larger portion
- of the Boniface luncheon than he in any wise deserved. If a body chances
- to be very hungry, and at the same time so fortunate as to have the
- wherewithal to satisfy that hunger, it is astonishing how absorbing the
- process of eating may become, and so I doubt if, for a while, the thoughts
- of the little company in the Rector's wagon, rose above the level of the
- biscuits they were enjoying or were otherwise occupied than with the great
- acceptableness of cookies, apple jelly, and some other inviting edibles;
- and yet, only think! this was the 25th of November, 1783. Out there beyond
- them on the broad sunshine of the Bay, the last of the English Army were
- turning their backs upon America, and above them toward Harlem, a large
- company of loyal Americans were joyfully forming into rank and file to
- take public possession of the city so dearly loved, and that had been for
- years under English rule. Yes, American history was making very fast
- during that eventful November noontide, and yet so imperative are the
- demands of poor human nature, that even such a thorough-going little Whig
- as Starlight became for the time being so deeply absorbed in bread and
- cheese as to grow unmindful of exultant Whigs and departing Tories.
- </p>
- <p>
- But after the luncheon was all disposed of, save a few crumbs thrown over
- the wagon side to a stray dog, who had long been beseechingly eying the
- children, their minds at once reverted to matters of general importance,
- and it was decided to drive back to some point on Broadway from which they
- could watch the procession, and Jennie was urged into a clumsy canter by
- way of making up for lost time. As it was they had some difficulty in
- gaining even a fair position on the line of march, and secured that none
- too soon, for the sound of music in the distance was growing more and more
- distinct, and in another second the head of the procession came into view.
- And what a procession it proved! although there was no show of military
- pomp or glory. That was quite impossible, since the greater part of the
- American Army had already been disbanded, and those that were left to
- participate in the day's jubilation owned nothing better than shabby
- uniforms which had seen hard service, and in many cases even these poor
- remnants had need to be supplemented with coats or trousers of most
- unmilitary aspect.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0052" id="linkimage-0052"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0196.jpg" alt="0196 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0196.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- But, notwithstanding all this, it was a grand procession. General
- Washington and Governor Clinton on horseback, followed by their suites,
- were at its head; then came the Lieutenant Governor and the members of the
- Legislature; following them, the officers of the army, and a large body of
- prominent citizens, and lastly the military, whose very shabbiness,
- because of its significance, served but to add to the interest they
- excited.
- </p>
- <p>
- The sun was setting behind the New Jersey hills before the procession was
- truly over, and then, as there was nothing more to be seen, and they were
- thoroughly weary besides, the children assented to Jake's proposition to
- turn Jennie's head homeward. When they neared the vicinity of old Bobbin's
- shanty, Flutters crept to the back of the wagon prepared to drop at the
- right moment.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Where's Flutters going?” asked the Marberrys.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, he has to take care of old Bobbin, now,” Hazel explained with a sigh;
- “but you 'can't imagine how inconvenient it is for me,” for her ladyship
- had taken very kindly to this having a willing little servant at her beck
- and call. Rather too kindly, Mrs. Boniface thought, and she was not sorry
- to have Flutters's time so fully-occupied as to leave none of it at
- Hazel's disposal. Soon after Flutters's departure the little party relaxed
- into silence, talked out and tired out, and as Jake showed some signs, now
- that the excitement of the day was over, of resuming his wonted surliness,
- Starlight and Hazel were not the least sorry when old Jennie, in the
- perfect stillness of the early November twilight, came to a standstill at
- the Boniface gate.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XXIII—FLUTTERS LOSES ONE OF THE OLD FRIENDS
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0053" id="linkimage-0053"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9198.jpg" alt="9198 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9198.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- OSEPPIINE had stood in the doorway of the little cottage half a dozen
- times within the last hour peering anxiously down the road in search of
- Flutters, and now that she discovered him coming cross-cut through the
- meadow near which he had left the wagon, no one could have told how
- relieved she felt.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, Flutters, I'm so glad you've come!” she called softly, as soon as he
- came within speaking distance, and then immediately turned back into the
- room. Flutters followed her on tip-toe, for she had motioned him to come
- in quietly. “What is the matter?” he asked, going close to Bobbin's cot.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, I don t know,” Josephine whispered, with tears of anxious sympathy
- filling her gray eyes; “we had had a lovely talk together, and then he
- asked me to read out of a book, your Prayer-Book, he said it was, and so I
- read ever so many psalms from the Psalter, till suddenly looking up I saw
- that he was in great pain, and when I spoke to him he seemed neither to
- see nor hear me. In a little while the pain passed over, and ever since he
- has lain there so still that I have had to put my ear down very close to
- make sure that he was breathing.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Dear old Bobbin,” said Flutters, stroking the thin gray hair. The
- well-known voice, or perhaps the gentle touch, seemed to rouse him, for he
- slowly opened his eyes and seeing Flutters, smiled.
- </p>
- <p>
- “You'll not try to keep me this time,” he said slowly, looking up at
- Flutters beseechingly, but in a voice too low and weak for even Josephine
- to hear.
- </p>
- <p>
- “He said not to try to keep him this time,” Flutters explained, “but don't
- you think I ought to go right away for a doctor?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Bobbin moved his head entreatingly from side to side, so Josephine said:
- “Well, perhaps not yet, Flutters, he seems so much more comfortable now,”
- whereupon Bobbin looked the thanks he felt. After a while, when he had
- once again mustered strength, he said: “Flutters, the little book.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters, knowing well enough what he meant, took the Prayer-Book which
- had been soon restored to Bobbin after that night when he had first
- joyfully discovered it, and turning to the selections for the twenty-fifth
- day of the month began to read. Josephine drew a chair to the fireplace
- and sat listening, with her hands folded in her lap, while Bobbin never
- took his eyes from Flutters's face, as he sat close beside him so that he
- might hear distinctly.
- </p>
- <p>
- The little hut looked very cheery and cosey, converted as it had been into
- such a comfortable shelter, more comfortable indeed than Bobbin had ever
- known, and at a time, too, when a warm room and a quiet one meant more to
- him than it could have meant at anytime in all his life before. But the
- light in the room was momentarily growing more and more dim, and Flutters
- had to hold the book high in his hand toward the little window in order to
- see at all. Gradually Bobbin's tired eyes closed, and the last words that
- fell on his ears were these: “My soul has longed for Thy salvation and I
- have a good hope because of Thy Word. Mine eyes long sore for Thy Word,
- saying, Oh, when wilt Thou comfort me?” Flutters finished the selection
- and looked up. “Miss Josephine!” was all he found words to say, but both
- of them knew in a moment that in very truth “Evacuation Day” had come for
- Bobbin too, evacuation from all the sorrows of a long, hard life.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I am not sorry,” said Josephine, looking down on the calm face from which
- all the care seemed at once to have vanished.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Nor I,” said Flutters, “but he was such a good friend to me when no one
- else cared,” and then, unable to keep the tears back, he laid his arm on
- Bobbin's bed, and burying his face upon it, cried bitterly.
- </p>
- <p>
- There was something sacred about this deep sense of personal loss that was
- finding vent in Flutters's hot tears, and for a while Josephine hesitated
- to intrude upon it. She moved quietly about the room setting its few
- little articles to rights, and then when there was nothing else to be
- done, and Flutters had gotten himself somewhat in hand, she sat down by
- his side.
- </p>
- <p>
- “What do you know about Bobbin's history, Flutters?” she asked.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Not much,” trying to master the emotion that made it difficult to speak;
- “he never liked to talk about himself, but he told me once he had always
- been sort of alone ever since he could remember, and that he hadn't a
- relative in the world.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Two days afterward, Bobbin was laid away in a corner of the little
- cemetery surrounding St. George's Church, Mr. Marberry having gained the
- consent of the Vestry to have him buried there. Mr. Marberry read the
- service from Flutters's own Prayer-Book, and about the grave of the old
- man whose life had been so lonely, gathered at the last a little company
- of loving friends. It seemed to Flutters as if, with Bobbin's death, the
- chapter of his life that had to do with the wretched circus had been
- forever closed, but, oh, how thankful he was to have been able to make so
- calm and peaceful the last days of the only friend it had ever given him.
- Once again the road-side cottage was dismantled of everything that made it
- homelike, and as the bleak wintry winds whistled round and through it, who
- would have thought that such a little while ago an old man had been
- comfortably housed there, and that it was only now left tenantless,
- because its occupant no longer had need of any earthly shelter.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XXIV—TWO IMPORTANT LETTERS
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0054" id="linkimage-0054"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9201.jpg" alt="9201 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9201.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- VACUATION DAY, with all its excitement, was soon followed by that day well
- nigh as eventful, when on the Fourth of December General Washington took
- final leave of his officers “in the great historic room” at Fraunces
- Tavern, a leavetaking that proved a very touching and trying ordeal both
- for him and for them. Starlight and Flutters, who had contrived to be in
- the forefront of the crowd that looked on, could have told you how plainly
- strong emotion was betrayed on the brave General's face, as he passed out
- from the tavern, and down to the barge that was waiting to convey him to
- Paulus Hook on his way to Congress.
- </p>
- <p>
- But after that day, affairs settled down into much quieter channels than
- they had known for some time—that is, at any rate as far as the
- people with whom we have most to do are concerned. The Van Vleets had
- asked Aunt Frances to make her home with them indefinitely, and though
- still faintly cherishing the hope that she might have her own home back
- again some day, she had accepted their invitation, and opened a little
- school among the farmers' children in the neighborhood. Starlight was one
- of her most promising pupils, and so his visits to Kings Bridge were of
- necessity less frequent than they used to be. In that matter, Cousin Harry
- had a great advantage over him, for having moved to New York in order to
- be near his office, what more natural, and, as Harry would have said,
- “what more delightful,” than to spend all his evenings at the Bonifaces?
- And what a blessing those visits were to them, only they themselves could
- have told you. As soon as he arrived he would first go upstairs and have a
- talk with the Captain, ransacking his mind for everything that could by
- any possibility interest him; then when he had told the little or much
- that he had to tell, or saw that he was tiring him, down he would go to
- the sitting-room, have a romp with Bonny Kate, if she had managed to stay
- up past her bed-time, or possibly a game of some sort with Hazel and
- Flutters, but it generally happened that after a while there was no one
- left to talk to save Josephine, and of course you know better than to
- think that Harry minded that. Josephine had generally some bit of work in
- hand, and could not afford to simply laugh and chat the evening away, with
- her pretty hands lying idle in her lap, as perhaps is the case with your
- older sister, when some friend comes to call. No, indeed! it was necessary
- in those days for her to stitch, and stitch industriously in every
- available moment, if the Boniface needs were to be in any wise met; nor
- did these two young people laugh and chat very much either—the times
- were rather too serious for that; not that they did not have a happy time
- of it, and sometimes were actually merry, but, as a rule, they seemed to
- have something of importance to quietly talk over.
- </p>
- <p>
- Meantime the winter came and went, and spring began to be felt in the air,
- and an occasional early bird note, or a bunch of pussy willow by the
- road-side, bore witness to the fact that it was slowly but surely coming.
- </p>
- <p>
- It had seemed a long, long winter to Mrs. Boniface. For many weeks she had
- lived the most retired life possible. Few had come to see her, and there
- were but one or two friends left whom she cared to go and see. If it had
- not been for Harry Avery, they would scarce have had any communication
- with the outside world.
- </p>
- <p>
- There had been no further threats made against Captain Boniface. Even the
- most bitter of his enemies would hardly have found it in his heart to
- persecute a man who was so hopelessly paralyzed as never to be able to
- walk again; but there was something very significant in the fact that they
- simply left him alone. None of them in a relenting spirit had called to
- inquire how he was, and if any of the old friends, who had treated him so
- cruelly that night at the Assembly, ever felt ashamed of their behavior,
- they never had the grace to own it. Indeed, it is terrible to think how
- that great mastering passion, which we proudly call patriotism, sometimes
- seems to smother every noble and natural impulse.
- </p>
- <p>
- Soon after the Assembly, in fact that very night, Captain Boniface had
- told his wife of the murders in South Carolina, and it seemed to her then
- as though every spark of sympathy with the colonies and colonial interests
- had that moment died within her. She was by far too noble to let actual
- hatred take its place; but she longed with all her heart for old England,
- where she had been born, and to turn her back on this new country which
- had treated her so harshly. So Mrs. Boniface waited, with no little
- anxiety, for the arrival of the long-looked-for letter, cherishing the
- fervent hope that her father would send for them all to come to him,
- planning thoughtfully all the details of their journey, and yet never once
- daring to put her hope into words. It might happen that, although willing
- enough to help them, he would not propose to do it by having her little
- family sweep down upon him and rob the old rectory of the quiet it had
- known so long, and which must be very grateful to him in his old age. But
- at last the letter came, and Mrs. Boniface straightway carried it off to
- Flutters's room, and closed the door and locked it. Her hands trembled as
- she broke the seal. What were they to do? that was the question that had
- anxiously confronted her for several long, weary months; but always she
- had simply to postpone any attempt to answer it, waiting for this letter;
- and now it was in her hand what would it tell her?
- </p>
- <p>
- It proved to be a long, long letter, and she read it slowly through, word
- by word; then she buried her face in her hands and cried; but sometimes
- people cry for joy and not for sorrow.
- </p>
- <p>
- Late in the afternoon of the same day, Flutters was grooming
- </p>
- <p>
- Gladys in the barn, accompanying the process with a queer, buzzing noise,
- such as I believe is quite common to grooming the world over.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Flutters, where are you?” called Hazel, coming into the barn in search of
- him.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Here with Gladys, Miss Hazel.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “What do you think, Flutters?” and then Hazel climbed up and seated
- herself on the edge of Gladys's trough, before adding:
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0055" id="linkimage-0055"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0205.jpg" alt="0205 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0205.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- “We are going to England to live with grandpa. Mother says he's just the
- dearest old man, and he's sent for us all to come. He lives in a lovely
- rectory in Cheshire.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “You don't mean it, Miss Hazel!” said Flutters, his breath quite taken
- away.
- </p>
- <p>
- “And of course you will go with me, Flutters. Mother says you may.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “It's very kind of you to be willing to take me,” Flutters managed to
- reply, but at the same time realized that he would do almost anything
- rather than go back to England, and to the very same county, too, from
- which he had come; and he leaned down, apparently to brush some straw from
- one of Gladys's legs, but really to hide the tears of bitter
- disappointment that had sprung unbidden into his eyes. Fortunately, the
- ruse succeeded very well, Hazel never dreaming but what he was as
- delighted with the news as she herself.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I can't tell you how glad I am to go, Flutters, although mother says we
- probably never should have gone, if it had not been for father's illness.
- Things are getting so much quieter now that she thinks people would have
- let us alone, and father could, perhaps, have found some way to make a
- living, because, you see, we haven't much money left since the war; but
- you knew that, Flutters?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters sort of half nodded yes, seeing that something was expected of
- him, but he was not paying close attention to what Hazel was saying. How
- could he bear to have them go and leave him alone in America, and whatever
- should he do? were the thoughts that were filling his mind. It seemed as
- though every hair on Gladys's back was bristling with the same sad
- questions, and then the thought came to him that Gladys herself would
- probably be left behind, too, and he laid his hand affectionately on her
- prettily arched neck.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I shall be glad to live in a King's country,” Hazel resumed, after a
- little pause, “and not where everybody's as good as everybody else, and
- where they don't have princes and princesses, and lovely palaces for them
- to live in. But there's one thing I mean to do as soon as ever I reach
- there, and that is, to get presented at Court, and tell King George how
- the prisoners were treated on the 'Jersey,' He ought to know about it, and
- when he does, I just guess those men will get the punishment they
- deserve;” and her cheeks glowed with excitement at the thought of the
- forthcoming interview. “Flutters, do you know anything about the South of
- England—about Cheshire?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, something,” answered Flutters, getting a little better command of
- himself. “In what part of it does your grandfather live?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Feltstone, I think.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Flutters gave a sigh of relief. Feltstone was several miles from Burnham,
- his old home, but it wasn't worth while to think of that; for back to
- England he would not go. To be sure, there was a chance that if Sergeant
- Bellows had found his father that he might be sent for; but he could not
- bear to face that alternative, and would not till he had to. And then,
- wondering if he ever would hear from the Sergeant, he remembered that he
- had half-hoped and half-feared that the “Blue Bird,” which had brought
- Mrs. Boniface's letter, would also bring one for him.
- </p>
- <p>
- As was to be expected, Hazel chatted on with much volubility about the
- numerous arrangements for the coming journey, and how they would all have
- to try to make everything as comfortable as possible for her father. Now
- and then she felt conscious of a lack of enthusiasm on Flutters's part,
- but the thought was only momentary, and her active little mind at once
- travelled off in some new line of delightful anticipation. All Flutters
- had to do was occasionally to answer a question. He thought best not to
- say anything to Hazel about not going with them until he should have
- talked with Mrs. Boniface. Meantime Gladys's grooming was completed, and
- as her pretty mane had been plaited by Hazel, as she talked, into half a
- dozen tight braids, she looked quite as prim and trig as a little old maid
- on a Sunday.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Let's go up to the house, now,” said Hazel; “or, no, I'll tell you, let's
- go up to the Marberrys and tell them.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I can't go, Miss Hazel; your mother said she had something for me to do
- in the house.” Whereupon Hazel pouted a little, thinking it more fitting,
- no doubt, that body-servants should obey their mistresses rather than
- their mistresses' mothers, but at the same time seeing that it was useless
- for her to contend against the force of circumstances, which in those days
- of much to do and few to do it, made Flutters a most useful member of the
- household.
- </p>
- <p>
- “There are the Marberrys, now,” she cried, discovering them coming in at
- the gate in their usual two-abreast fashion.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Flutters,” cried Milly, as they both broke into a little run, “here's a
- letter for you; it came up with our mail by mistake.” Flutters reached for
- it eagerly. >
- </p>
- <p>
- “It's directed just 'Flutters,' care of Captain Boniface,” ventured Tilly;
- “that's queer, isn't it? Haven't you any other name, Flutters?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Not now,” was Flutters's rather remarkable answer, and then he ran back
- to the barn as if he had forgotten something important, but really,
- because, like Mrs. Boniface, he did not want to have any one “round” when
- he read his letter. He chose, too, to take his seat just where Hazel had
- been sitting, before he opened it. Gladys looked on with wide-eyed pony
- astonishment at this unwonted appropriation of her own individual stall,
- but seemed, notwithstanding, to regard the matter good-naturedly.
- </p>
- <p>
- If it were feasible to have schools for ponies, and Gladys had had the
- benefit thereof, and at the same time no better manners than to have
- looked over Flutters's shoulder, this is what she might have read “just as
- easy as anything,” as you children say:
- </p>
- <p>
- The Bunch of Grapes,
- </p>
- <p>
- Burnham, Cheshire, England,
- </p>
- <p>
- February 23d, 1784.
- </p>
- <p>
- My dear Flutters: As perceived by the heading of this letter, I write from
- the inn in your father's village, to which place I made haste to journey
- so soon as I was favored with my furlough. And now, my dear Flutters, I
- have sad news to break to you, and for which you must nerve yourself, like
- the plucky little fellow that you are. Your good father is no longer a
- sojourner in this sad world of ours. He died after a very short illness,
- on the third of last September. I went to see his widow, told her I had
- some knowledge of you, and that if your father had left any message I
- would send it to you. She said she could not remember any, save that he
- used sometimes to say that he would like to know if you were well cared
- for. She does not seem to have as much heart as most women, and blest if I
- blame you much for running off as you did. I think your father left very
- little money, as folks say that your stepmother will have to do something
- to support herself and her children. Wishing I had better news to send
- you, Flutters, and with my dutiful respects to the dear Bonifaces, I close
- this letter—the longest I ever wrote in my life—and I hope
- never again to be obliged to write such another.
- </p>
- <p>
- Yours dutifully,
- </p>
- <p>
- R. A. Bellows.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, Gladys,” cried Flutters, when he had finished reading, and, leaning
- his head against the pony's head, he sobbed aloud. Such a whirl of emotion
- as that letter awoke for Flutters could not be put into words, and in his
- imagination he seemed to see his fathers grave and old Bobbin's side by
- side. The Bonifaces were all he had left now, and they, they were going to
- leave him; but, no, and a new light seemed to flash in on his mind—what
- was there now to hinder his going with them? His stepmother would never
- claim him. Indeed, she need never know he was in England, and so there was
- a bright side to Flutters's sorrow, and after a while he walked quietly
- out from the barn with the Sergeant's letter in his hand, and straight to
- Mrs. Boniface, whom he found in the Captain's room, and then and there he
- told them all his story, and after the telling felt he was even nearer and
- dearer to his new friends than ever he had been before.
- </p>
- <p>
- Only Gladys ever knew how intense had been Flutters's first sorrow on
- reading the Sergeant's letter, but she was such a harum-scarum pony that
- probably the memory of it went out of her head full as quickly as the
- hairs, wet by Flutters's tears, dried on her forehead.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XXV.—A HAPPY DAY FOR AUNT FRANCES.
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0056" id="linkimage-0056"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9209.jpg" alt="9209 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9209.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- OOD news or sorrowful news does not always come to one in the form of a
- carefully worded letter, as with Mrs. Boniface and Flutters, nor when,
- because a letter of some sort is expected, one is in a way prepared for
- it. More often it comes when you are least on the lookout for it, and when
- life is running on uneventfully in worn grooves, as though it must so run
- on forever.
- </p>
- <p>
- And in this same unanticipated fashion some very good news came to Aunt
- Frances.
- </p>
- <p>
- It was just at sunset, and she was out on the river in a little boat with
- Starlight. It had been one of those days that sometimes come in the latter
- part of May as harbingers of summer. The school-room had been close and
- warm, and Aunt Frances had left it with a headache, so that Starlight,
- with a loving thoughtfulness that always went straight to her heart, had
- proposed a row in the cool, early-evening air of the river, and Aunt
- Frances had accepted.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Do not row hard, dear,” she said; “just paddle around leisurely not far
- from the shore. I like it just as well;” and Starlight, who also felt a
- little enervated by the languid day, was glad to take her at her word.
- Indeed, none of the people of this little story were feeling very bright
- and cheery just then. 'Rather heavy-hearted,' would have described them
- all in greater or less degree, and the fact that the Bonifaces were going
- away had much to do therewith. Even Hazel's rosy anticipations of life
- under Old England's glorious monarchy, paled a little, as she realized
- that such dear friends as Aunt Frances, Starlight, and the Marberrys must
- be left behind, as well as everything else familiar to her childhood. It
- had been decided that the Bonifaces should sail in the “Blue Bird,” when
- she returned to England in the middle of June, and the sight of her, as
- she lay at anchor in the harbor, was such a depressing one to Starlight,
- that he contrived, as they rowed about on the river, to keep his back
- turned toward her as much as possible.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Then it is really settled, Starlight, that the Bonifaces are going?” said
- Aunt Frances, looking over toward the ship, and breaking a long pause,
- during which they had both sat thoughtfully silent.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes,” Starlight answered resting on his oars. “I feel awfully sorry for
- them.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But they are not sorry for themselves, are they?” and Aunt Frances
- drawing up her sleeve put her hand over the boat's side that the cool
- water might splash against it. “I imagined that Mrs. Boniface was glad to
- go back to England and to her father, whom she has not seen since she was
- married, twenty-five years ago.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Oh, yes, of course, she is glad on some accounts, but after all they go
- because they must; and, besides, it's hard to go back to the country you
- came from without having made a success of things.
- </p>
- <p>
- “But the war is entirely responsible for all the Captain's troubles—everybody
- knows that well enough, and if any one deserves a pension from the Crown
- he certainly does. He has sacrificed health and friends and property in
- the service of the King.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “That's so,” said Starlight, “and it's a cruel shame that people like the
- Bonifaces shouldn't be treated decently, and that people like us, Aunt
- Frances, shouldn't be allowed to live in the houses that belong to us.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Sh—, Starlight,” said Aunt Frances, “there are some things you know
- that it is better not to talk about any more; it only stirs us up and to
- no purpose;” whereupon Starlight obediently lapsed into silence, and
- nothing more was said till Aunt Frances, discovering a row-boat in the
- middle of the river, coming toward them, exclaimed, “Who's that, I
- wonder!” for boats were not so numerous in those days as to come and go
- without notice. Starlight wondered too, but continued to row about in an
- aimless fashion, till first thing they knew the approaching boat was quite
- close upon them.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Who can it be?” said Aunt Frances, softly, and Starlight had only time to
- reply, “It looks a little like Captain Wadsworth,” and Aunt Frances to see
- that he was right in his conjecture, before the boat came within speaking
- distance, and the Captain, touching his hat, said politely, “Miss Avery, I
- believe.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, Captain Wadsworth;” for although Aunt Frances and the Captain had
- never before exchanged words, their faces were well known to each other.
- “Did you wish to see me?” she added, somewhat coldly.
- </p>
- <p>
- The Captain was too much of a gentleman to show that he noticed her
- chilling manner, and remarked quite casually, “I merely came over to tell
- you that I have decided after all to give up the idea of making my home in
- this country, and that your home is at your disposal.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “What do you mean?” said Aunt Frances, unable to believe that she heard
- aright. As for Starlight, he lost an oar overboard from sheer excitement,
- which the man who was rowing Captain Wadsworth was kind enough to fish out
- for him.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I mean,” said the Captain, “that you are free to enter your own home at
- once; I propose to sail for England very soon and have already vacated
- it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I do not understand you,” for Aunt Frances was more confused than she had
- ever been in her life. “I can pay nothing for it. If you consider that you
- have a right to live in it, you must consider that you also have a right
- to sell it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- The Captain bit his lip, at a loss what to say, and Aunt Frances realized
- that she was acting unkindly and perhaps rudely.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Do you mean,” she asked, “that there is nothing for me to do but simply
- to walk into my old home?” and her face brightened unconsciously as she
- spoke.
- </p>
- <p>
- “That is exactly what I mean, Miss Avery.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “You are very kind, Captain Wadsworth. You can hardly wonder, I am sure,
- that I cannot find words in which to thank you.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why should you thank me?” the Colonel replied half mischievously. “You
- have felt all along that the place rightfully belonged to you.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “But you had the law on your side, so what did it matter how I thought or
- felt?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “It mattered a great deal, Miss Avery; so much that, law on my side or no,
- I confess to you that I have not felt very comfortable in your home,
- particularly since I moved my men out, and have had the place to myself.
- Indeed, I've never really felt at home in the country, and half regret
- having resigned my commission.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “You can imagine that all this is a great surprise to me,” said Aunt
- Frances, never looking handsomer in her life, “though I acknowledge having
- cherished just a faint little hope lately that it might come about some
- day.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Why lately, if I may ask, Miss Avery?”.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Because,” said Aunt Frances, blushing a little, “Colonel Hamilton told me
- at the Assembly that he was sorry to have been the means of depriving me
- of my home, and that he would endeavor to make any reparation within his
- power. Will you think me rude in asking if he has in any way influenced
- your decision?”
- </p>
- <p>
- “Colonel Hamilton? No, not in the least; but I believe the arguments of a
- certain little woman, who came to me several months ago, have had much to
- do with it.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I know who it was,” exclaimed Starlight, eagerly, unable to keep silent
- another moment; “I believe it was Hazel Boniface.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “And I believe you are her friend, 'Starlight,'” said the Captain, having
- made up his mind to that fact much earlier in the conversation.
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight said “Yes, sir,” with a beaming look which plainly declared that
- he was proud to have that honor.
- </p>
- <p>
- All this while Peter, the Captain's man, had sat an interested listener,
- enjoying everything with much the same relish perhaps as you or I would
- enjoy the happy ending of a rather harrowing play, only this was by so
- much the better, because it was real and not “make believe.” To keep the
- boats from drifting apart, Peter kept a firm hand upon the rail of
- Starlight's boat, and Starlight's upon his. Indeed, I think there was a
- tacit understanding between them that on no account were those two boats
- to be allowed to diverge a hair's-breadth until this whole delightful
- matter should be unalterably settled.
- </p>
- <p>
- Of course Starlight's remark about Hazel had been another surprise to Aunt
- Frances, and when Captain Wadsworth went on to tell her all about Hazel's
- call in the warm September weather of the preceding autumn, and how deep a
- hold her childish earnestness had taken upon him, it seemed to Aunt
- Frances as though she could not wait to give her successful little
- champion such a hug as she had never had in her life before.
- </p>
- <p>
- “She went to see Colonel Hamilton too,” said Starlight in the pause that
- followed Captain Wadsworth's narration.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Then perhaps that partly accounts for Colonel Hamilton's kind feeling,”
- said Aunt Frances slowly, as a new light seemed to shine in upon the whole
- transaction.
- </p>
- <p>
- “I think it highly probable, Miss Avery. The old prophecy that a little
- child shall lead them is more often fulfilled, even in this world, I
- think, than most of us have any idea of.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Meantime the current of the river had carried the boats close into shore,
- and Aunt Frances, with the charm of manner that was always natural to her,
- asked the Captain to come up to the house, and he came up, and accepted
- the Van Vleets' cordial invitation to stay to supper, and not until the
- moon was high over the river did he call to Peter to row him back to New
- York; and if the Colonel's body had grown as light as his heart, old
- Peter's load would have been scarce heavier than a feather.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br />
- </p>
- <hr />
- <p>
- <a name="link2HCH0026" id="link2HCH0026"> </a>
- </p>
- <div style="height: 4em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
- <h2>
- CHAPTER XXVI—THE “BLUE BIRD” WEIGHS ANCHOR
- </h2>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0057" id="linkimage-0057"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="figleft" style="width:20%;">
- <img src="images/9214.jpg" alt="9214 " width="100%" /><br /><a
- href="images/9214.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </div>
- <p>
- O, Starlight, I'm sorry, but I do not see how you can possibly be of the
- least use in the world.”
- </p>
- <p>
- Captain Lewis tried to speak kindly, but, big boy or no, real tears stood
- in Starlights eyes. “Why, do you feel as badly as that, Starlight?”
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight gave a nod which meant that he did feel just as badly as that,
- and at the same time succeeded in choking down what he feared might have
- proved an audible little sob.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Well, then, let me see,” and the Captain leaned forward on his rude desk
- and thought a moment. They were in the cabin of the “Blue Bird,” whither
- Starlight had rowed over that morning, with such a favor to ask of the
- “Blue Bird's” Captain as he never yet had asked of anybody.
- </p>
- <p>
- “And yet you <i>could</i> do little odds and ends for me now, couldn't
- you?” continued the Captain, after what seemed to Starlight a never-ending
- pause.
- </p>
- <p>
- “Yes, sir,” he answered frankly, brushing away his tears with his sleeve
- in awkward boy fashion; “I'm sure I could save you ever so many steps. You
- know I wouldn't think of going unless I really felt I could work my
- passage.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “You are a proud little fellow, Job, but, then, I like your spirit, and if
- you won't take the voyage as a cabin passenger at my invitation, why,
- then, you shall go as you propose. Of course your Aunt has given her
- consent.”
- </p>
- <p>
- “I have not asked her yet, sir. I thought it would be half the battle to
- have your permission first.”
- </p>
- <p>
- The Captain laughed heartily over Starlight's diplomacy, and then they
- talked on for a quarter of an hour longer, arranging the details of the
- journey that was to be, if only Aunt Frances could be persuaded to give
- her consent—a pretty big if, by the way. At the end of that time
- Starlight, remembering that the Captain must have many things to attend
- to, said good-afternoon, shaking his rough sailor hand with a world of
- gratitude in his happy face. Then he clambered nimbly down the “Blue
- Bird's” ladder, and jumping into his boat, rowed off toward New York and
- toward home, for, scarcely able to believe their senses, Aunt Frances and
- Starlight were back in the old house, with everything so nearly restored
- to what it had been before that those two years in the Van Vleet homestead
- already seemed half a dream.
- </p>
- <p>
- And now the 15th of June had dawned, and as the “Blue Bird” was to sail
- that afternoon, everything was in readiness for the departure of the
- Bonifaces, and everything was in readiness for something else, too, which
- was nothing more nor less than a wedding at Aunt Frances's. And who do you
- suppose were going to be married? Who, to be sure, but Josephine and
- Harry, and Josephine was to stay in America, and her home was to be right
- there in the old house with Aunt Frances. Strange, wasn't it, that she
- should be willing to stay behind, when all the family were going away
- across the ocean to live in England? But that is one of the things that is
- often happening in this queer world of ours, and the beauty of it is that
- it is all right and beautiful, and just as the good Father Himself would
- have it. And so Josephine was married at noon in Aunt Frances's parlor,
- and even her father was there, for it had been arranged that the ceremony
- should be performed when the Bonifaces were on their way to the “Blue
- Bird,” and when it would be an easy matter simply to carry the Captain in
- and lift him on to the broad lounge in the sitting-room.
- </p>
- <p>
- There was something sad in the fact that, so strong was party feeling
- everywhere, that it had been difficult to find in the neighborhood the
- four men needed to accomplish the moving of Captain Boniface into the city
- and then out to the ship; four men, that is, who did not feel that they
- had some sort of grudge against the English officer. But Jake, the
- Marberrys' man, had at last pressed into the service three others of his
- race, who bore Captain Boniface no ill-will. It was touching to see with
- what tender care the four strong fellows lifted their helpless burden, for
- although the Captain had recovered, as Dr. Melville said he would, partial
- use of his arms and hands, he was still powerless to take a single step.
- </p>
- <p>
- Mr. Marberry naturally officiated at the wedding, and the twins, of
- course, were there, smiling and sweet, though possibly a little
- self-conscious, in their new white dresses, with soft silk sashes, tied in
- two exactly similar bows in the middle of their straight little backs. And
- the Van Vleets were there, and Miss Pauline, who looked rather mystified
- at the whole proceeding, and Captain Wadsworth besides, and Colonel and
- Mrs. Hamilton, the two latter of whom were invited because of Harry's
- position in the Colonel's office.
- </p>
- <p>
- It was doubtless a real satisfaction to Captain Wadsworth and Colonel
- Hamilton to be present, though, when you come to think of it, it was
- rather a remarkable state of things.
- </p>
- <p>
- Here they were attending a wedding in the very house that they had
- lawfully succeeded in wresting from Miss Avery, and here she was
- permanently established in her own home again, with the Captain out of it,
- and of his own accord too. It was strange indeed how it had all come
- about, and stranger still to think that a little girl of ten, mustering up
- sufficient courage to call upon two strange gentlemen several months
- before, had had much to do with bringing about this delightful change in
- affairs; but, as we all hear so often that we do not half take in the
- blessed truth of it, “God's ways are not as our ways,” and the trifles, as
- we think them, are likely to prove anything but trifles.
- </p>
- <p>
- It was more than a delight to Harry to have Colonel Hamilton present at
- his wedding, for although his employer was his senior by only a few years,
- Harry looked up to him with an admiring veneration amounting almost to
- worship. There was something about Alexander Hamilton that inspired this
- sort of devotion, an air, some have said, of serious, half-sad
- thoughtfulness, as though the cruel and unnecessary sacrifice of his life,
- which he felt in honor bound to make in 1804, cast long shadows of
- presentiment before it.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0058" id="linkimage-0058"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0217.jpg" alt="0217 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0217.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- When the ceremony was over, and Hazel had been the first to press the
- lovingest sort of a kiss on Josephine's lips, all the rest gathered around
- to congratulate the young couple, trying for the moment to forget the
- sorrowful parting so soon to follow. Then when they had eaten, or
- pretended to eat, some of the good things Aunt Frances had prepared in
- honor of the occasion, it was time to go down to the barge that was
- waiting at Fort George to carry the “Blue Bird's” passengers. Josephine's
- good-byes were all said at the house. She could not bear to have any
- strangers near when she took that long farewell of her father and mother,
- and Hazel and Bonny Kate, and then, going up to the room that Aunt Frances
- had fitted up for her, and burying her face in the pillows of the sofa, it
- seemed to her as though her heart would break. Sad enough for a bride, you
- think—so different from all the joyous cheer that ought to belong to
- a wedding; and yet many happy days were in store for Josephine, many happy
- years in the old homestead, never so homelike and attractive as since Aunt
- Frances had regained possession of it. There was quite a little company of
- them walking down to the barge, so much of a company, indeed, that some
- boys, who noticed them, wondered “what was up,” and having nothing better
- to do, followed in their train. Captain Boniface, of course, was driven
- down, and so was Mrs. Boniface and Kate; but Hazel preferred to walk, and
- with a “teary” little Marberry on either arm made her way along with the
- rest. There was but one bright spot on the otherwise dark horizon of those
- little Marberrys, and that was that Hazel's pony, Gladys, had taken up her
- abode in the Rector's stable, and was to be theirs from that day forth;
- and they took a sort of gloomy comfort in determining that as soon as they
- had said goodbye to Hazel herself they would go straight home and into
- Gladys's stall, and ease their heavy little hearts by doing what they
- could for the welfare of Hazel's pony. There was no doubt about it, the
- Marberrys were the most devoted of friends; but there was one thing that
- puzzled Hazel: Starlight was not as downcast as the occasion seemed to
- demand. On the contrary, he seemed more cheerful than for many days, and
- the nearer came the hour for the departure, why the more light-hearted. It
- was most inexplicable. Could it be, she thought, that she had been
- mistaken in him all these years, and that, after all, he was a boy with no
- more feeling than “other boys”?
- </p>
- <p>
- It seems that Aunt Frances had finally given her consent to Starlight's
- scheme to make the round trip on the “Blue Bird,” and see the Bonifaces
- safely landed on British soil, not, however, you may be sure, until she
- had talked the plan well over with Captain Lewis; but it had all been kept
- a carefully guarded secret from Hazel, and even Flutters did not know of
- it. At Fort George final leave was taken of Milly and Tilly, Aunt Frances
- and the Van Vleets; but we will not say very much about that. There are
- quite too many good-byes in the world for most of us as it is, and yet,
- where were the happy meetings were it not for these same good-byes?
- </p>
- <p>
- Harry Avery and Starlight went over in the barge to the vessel, and as
- Starlight earlier in the day had stealthily stowed away his baggage,
- consisting in greater part of an old violin, there was nothing to betray
- that he had any thought other than to return in the barge with Harry when
- the time came.
- </p>
- <p>
- It was not an easy thing to get Captain Boniface aboard of the “Blue
- Bird,” but finally it was safely accomplished to the great relief of
- everybody, including even Bonny Kate, who had been very much afraid the
- men would let him fall.
- </p>
- <p>
- But no one watched the proceeding with greater evident anxiety than
- Flutters, for Flutters had given himself over mind and body to the
- Captain, anticipating his every wish, and trying to be both hands and feet
- to him; and Hazel had been sufficiently gracious to resume without
- demurring the brushing of her own clothes and sundry other little duties
- which had of late been performed for her by Flutters.
- </p>
- <p>
- As for Flutters, now that his father was dead, it mattered not to him
- where home might be, if it were only with the Bonifaces; but he thought he
- should like some day, when they could spare him from the Rectory over
- there in Cheshire, to run down to Burnham, and without letting them know
- who he was, perhaps have a chat with those little white children of his
- father's, that were babies when he left England, if he should happen to
- find them playing in the garden of the house where he used to live.
- </p>
- <p>
- It was a beautiful early-summer day, that 15th of June, and the bay lay
- sparkling like silver in the sunshine. The “Blue Bird” was booked to sail
- at three o'clock, and at the exact moment the sailors began pulling hand
- over hand with their “Yo, heave O,” and the “Blue Bird's” anchor was
- weighed.
- </p>
- <p>
- Harry Avery had kissed Mrs. Boniface good-bye, and once again promised,
- with a tremble in his voice, “to take the best care of Josephine,” and now
- he was climbing down the ship's side, and the rowers of the barge, bending
- to their oars, were simply waiting to “give way,” till he should have
- stepped aboard.
- </p>
- <p>
- Starlight, with hands in his trousers' pockets, stood on the “Blue Bird's”
- deck, apparently unconcerned. Flutters, wondering what the fellow could be
- thinking of, with an excited gesture gave him a shove in the direction of
- the barge, while Hazel, with a strong accent on every word, cried,
- “Another minute, Job Starlight, and you'll be left.”
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0059" id="linkimage-0059"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0219.jpg" alt="0219 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0219.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <p>
- “It can't be helped, Hazel; I'm left now,” Starlight answered, and indeed
- truthfully, for the barge was already yards away; then, seeing how real
- was Hazel's anxiety over what she deemed a most distressing accident, he
- hastened to announce, his face wreathed in smiles, “But it's all right,
- Hazel; I am going to see you safe to England, and Aunt Frances is in the
- secret.” Hazel, as weak as a kitten with delight and astonishment, leaned
- against the ship's rail, and could not find voice to speak for two whole
- minutes; while Captain Lewis looked on, rubbing his palms complacently
- together, and thinking what a grand thing it was to have had a hand in a
- surprise like that.
- </p>
- <p>
- <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0060" id="linkimage-0060"> </a>
- </p>
- <div class="fig" style="width:50%;">
- <img src="images/0221.jpg" alt="0221 " width="100%" /><br />
- </div>
- <h5>
- <a href="images/0221.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
- </h5>
- <div style="height: 6em;">
- <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
- </div>
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-<pre>
-
-
-
-
-
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