The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1867-08-16

l
: No time was to be losis7-.fter
short consultation, Magnus was hur
, ried, agains the grain, through til,
| glass door to try for an escape by tn,
= garden; while young Mause, as hi
wife and representative; stayed be
hind, stiff with horror, yet strainine
all her powers of body and mind t.
! meet the dreaded visitor.
Mause was one of those girls ovel
put forward by nature and fortune
The youngest of her family, she was
courted and welded first. She wa.
the head of Legs my-lea's household
] over mother and maids and all
:, She was The woman who was chal
lenged by, and who answered the
/ challenge of Cumberland's wild off
Ger. She was the wife left to keep
the house, yindicatc the honor, and
cover the escape of her husband
When the quakinG old mothers and
waiIing sisters shrank in their love
into corners of sight, this girl of sew
enteen came forward. She had not
attained her full growth; her endur-
ance was only for time; her constan.
cy failed after a strugglei bnt Of hen
temper, tried and mat tHed, heroines
are made.
Mause stood in her brave attire in
the middle of the low-roofed, white
walled room, with its secrets, hel
eyes wandering in agony to the glass
door as Captain Bernard's firm step
sounded on the Threshold.
The soldier came in with his cock
ed hat under his arm, bowed so low
that he shook the powder from his
hair, fixed on Mause his falcon blue
eyes, as if he had never beheld her
before, and said, with covered irony,
Your worshipful servant, madam
] Mause responded with throbbing
heart, as if she had never in her lite
set eyes on Cumberland's officer in
his high collar, his stiff cravat, his
keen eyes and curling lips. What
is your pleasure, sirT she asked
courteseying, not to be beat in polite
hypocrisy, SO deep q courtesy that
she concealed for whole three sec
onds the buckles in her high heeled
shoon, keeping her unframed eyes
on the foorclo:h, that she might not
be tempted to look again at tha.
dreadful glass door, before which the
boughs OF the clematis stirred, though
there was not breath of wind astiI
that sultry summer afternoon.
will you do me the favor to tell
me, madam, when you last saw the
Laird of Legs my-lea?' inquired the
Englishman, mincingly patting his
cooked hat.
'Legs-my-lea, left the town on the
Sd of July,' said the girl, whitening
lips, checking off the number with
her third finger on her rosy palm,
and falling into that double language
in which an honest tongue invariably
takes its first stumbling step in de-
ceit.
Madame, the substance Of your
communication is false observed
Captain Bernard, rather pleasantly
than otherwise, dropping his hat,
drawing out his jewelled snuff box,
and refreshing himself with a pinch
of snuff iD the most elegant manner
imaginable.
ing violently, how dare you say SOP
Ijudge by the color of your sleeve,
madam. No honest woman wears
such a sign on her arm,' he replied,
with a sneer; and he snatched up one
OF poor Mause's cambrick ruffles, on
which was foul stain of blood, not
yet dry, from Legs my-lea's sword
cut.
Mause geve loud dismal shrek,
and fell at the Hanoverlan's feet,
praying, mercy mercy" clinging to
his knees, almost dragging him round
with his back to the glass door,
where, as he touch her, she had seen
Legs my lea's intlamed face glaring
through the panes.
But in another instant the glass
was broken with crash, the door
flung open, and Legs my-lea stagger-
ed in.
d am you prisoner, Captain. Get
up Mause, You queen, and do not beg
grace of any loon. Hands off my
wife, sir! 1 surrender
In the doting passion of his honey
moon, Legs -my-lea was half furious
that Mause should abjectly crave
even his life and liberty from another
man. He would prefer to have the
English officers hand clapped on his
shoulder, though that gripe should
lead him to the Tolbooth and the
dark Tower of London with its pur-
pied block in a distance, than that
the white ringed fingers should ruffle
the plumage and blush the bloom
from his darling. Bernard looked
from one to the other with his rapid
glance. He arranged the top of his
hair foppishly; but as he did SO he
exposed to view above the jeering
lip and the thin nostril that quivered
excitedly, frank, open brow. You
are my prisoner, Legs my-lea, said
he plainly, but it may be better for
you if you had fallen into our hands
later in the day, as you assuredly
would unless you had fed forth of
Scotland, when might have had less
power to protect you. Now, all that
1 insist on is, that you lie Sill in your
own house in the town until your
wounds be healed, and afterwards
that you hold yourself bound not to
bear arms against King George for q
year and day, when, as think,
there will be no other prince or stand
ard left in Scotland for you to fight
for. AS for you, madam, and the
soldier smiled on Mause with the
sweetness of brave mans smile
'ou some sunny day to come, either
here in your own house, or in my
house of Bernard's Court, in Eng
land, trust you will take back your
hard words, and grant that there are
honest men and pitiful men, as well
as knaves, and cut -throats, who wear
my uniform
Not on one sunny day alone, but
on days of rain and frost, at home
and abroad, Mause admitted humbly,
and. thanked God on her bended
knees for the husband of her youth
and the father of her bairhs, that in
the ranks she aad condemned the
| wheat grew strong stemmed and full
cared along with tares. In proof of
the statement Scotchmen still tell