The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-07-14
Annie Fairfax.
A Story of the Revolution.

A MONG the beautiful hills that over
IA shadow the upper waters of the
James River, in Virginia, there might have
been seen dozen years ago, a stately
mansion of brick, with white stone fac
ines, and surrounded with spacious and
beautiful grounds. This was known to all
the country round as the Peyton House.
If you should journey thither to-day, you
would see nothing save charred and crumb-
ling walls, and gardens torn and covered
with weeds-terible traces of the march
of desolation over this beautiful country.
For the red tide of war, bearing with it fire
and ruin, surging back and forth over this
fair home, receded at last, leaving it the
wreck that you now behold. In 1885
scion ofthe old English nobility dwelt here,
and bravely upheld the proud prestige of
it's inheritance.
HIS name was Sir Thomas Fairfax
Years before, young, gay, wealthy and
handsome, he had left his ancestral home
in England to seek new one in this vir-
gin land. Then fair English bride was
with him. Now, at the time of my story,
she had lain in her grave many years.
Her only child, sweet Annie Fairfax, grown
to womanhood, had taken the task of
experimenting the household with its
great retinue of servants. Sir Thomas,
worn out by much drinking and dissipa-
tion, was an old man before his time.
Gray, wrinkled, gouty, ill-tempered,
devoted to the bottle and his king, hating
the colonial army as he did cold water, and
never wearied of cursing George Washing
ton. That was Sir Thomas Fairfax.
Fair, sunny-eyed, with rose pink cheeks,
graceful as a lilly, as good as she was love-
ly, and as sensible as she was graceful,
praying for Washington and his army as
devoutly as her father cursed them; that
was Annie Fairfax.
This Fairfax household might seem to
be rather unequally divided against itself,
since on one side was the baronet, with the
help of most savage temper, and unlimit-
ed profanity while on the other there was
only this gentle maiden of scarce twenty
years, loving, gentle, tender-hearted. But
Annie Fairfax, though gentle, was strong,
and thoroughly fearless, and her father
knew that neither in word or deed would
she ever finch from upholding her princi-
pies, when any need called upon her; when
the only result of speaking her sentiments
would be to open the flood-gates of his
profanity, she shrewdly kept silence.
On the morning when our story opens,
Annie Fairfax, sat before small writing
table in the large and handsomely adorned
library of Fairfax House.
Suddenly tread was heard in the cor
ridor without, and her father entered. In
his hand he carried letter. Greeting his
daughter in a gruf way, which yet was as
kindly way as he was capable OF, he went
to her side, and placed the letter in her
hand, only remarking:
"This was given me this morning,
Mistress Annie"
The girl knew what it was before she
looked at it, her blood turned chill and
cold about her heart, but she opened the
folds of the paper mechanically, and read
the letter in the same way, while her father
stood beside the table, his eyes fixed
steadily upon her face. Her numbing
pulses told her beforehand the contents Of
the letter, and yet she read it through
three times without raising her eyes from
the page. Perhaps she was schooling her
face, meanwhile, to express nothing of the
feelings that swelled within her. If so,
she was certainly successful, for her father,
looking down upon her with keen eyes
and bent brow, could not divine the
thoughts that passed within her. At last
he grew impatient.
"Well, Mistress Annie Fairfax" said
he sharply, "has lost thy tongue of sud
den? IT'S pretty old father waiting thus
for thee to pass, think, when thou keepest
words"
" What do you wish me to say, father
she said, without raising her eyes.
"Say?" replied the old man, "why,
what thou wilt. Do De Courcy's words,
please thee? What answer hast thou to
his suit p
The girl looked up. Sam to reply to
this, father?" she asked
"Thou must reply through me, girl"
said the old man, "and thou would'st do
well to reply quickly, for De Courcy is no
idle carpet knight whose only task is to sue
for fair lady's smiles. He has returned
to his home on leave for but few weeks
only, and in that time, Mistress Annie, it
is his win to WOO, win, and wed his bride.