Litchfield enquirer., 1876-08-10

l.
 him if he were playing General Howe,
 and the saucie wight replied, with much
 boldness, May, am General Washing
 ton. and we have beaten the redcoats!" Then said the officer, with a feigned
 laugh, while my aunt sat speeches. with horror, "Have you taken any prisOners?" E"Yes, roared my brother, right lustilie; s'I have taken one, and he is shut up in 1 the china closet" Whereat he dld with
 main force pull open the door and discnv-
 CT the colonel, though he on his side did
 rts;st, holding on to the panels with his fingers. s9- :t.s..a .7h- 6
 My Aunt was greatly scandalized by
 this event, so that for time she forbade the colonel the house. also had no great liking for him ; but he obtaining
 a private conference with my aunt did
 convince her, of the contrary. and did ask
 my hand in marriage. Sometime after
 this, I. not knowing what had passed be.
 tween them. consented to go with Colonel
 Frothihgham to the Queens ball. which
 General Howe gave at the Province
 House on the 22d of February, my aunt showing herself very anxious that I
 should do so, and having caused at great
 expense new gown to be made for me, far
 finer than any had yet worn, the upper part being of rich damask of bird -of-pa
 adise color, matching Tn tint my hair,
 and worn over blue and white flow
 cred damask petticoat. My shoes were
 blue, with large rosettes carried
 my aunt's white and gold fan. and she
 caused me to wear her own jewels, which
 were her sapphires, the most magnificent in, the colony, and consisted of necklace
 of large single sapphires set round with
 small diamonds with large sapphire pen
 dants, and of two silver shoe-buckles of
 the bigness of my hand, which had been my uncle's, each studded closely with
 sapphires, whereof some were great and
 some small My aunt caused me to wear
 these two buckles in my hair, the one as
 a coronet in the fore and topmost pa4 of
 my head-gear, and the other at the back
 as a comb. l saw none other ladies at
 the ball with jewels so magnificent, As
 we returned, Colonel Frothingham, with
 much condescension, and with the air of
 one who demands that which is already | his, did ask me to be his wife, saying that my singular merit and accomplish
 ments did recommend me to an advanta- geous and honorable match with some gentleman of figure and fortune, and that he doubted not that both my prudence and my heart would counsel me to look favorably upon him. Whereat told him very shortly that I had never had any great liking for him, which thought he had for long time had the wit to per-
 ceive. With that we arrived at my aunts
 house, and though it was late at night,
 my aunt met us at the door and persist
 ed that the Colonel should come in, for the weather had changed, and not
 withstanding the heat of our discussion, we were almost starved with the cold.
 She led us to her own room, where was @
 good fire, blazing upon the hearth, and her three fine silver t8nkards ranged be- fore: then I knew we were to have some | flip, ,and l was right glad, because the cold
 seemed to have gotten into our lungs and I stomachs. and because my aunt's flip was
 better and stronger than that of any one
 else in the colony. She took the little iron
 logger-head from its closet in the chim- | ney and heated it red-hot in the embers then Jack brought the beer, the sugar, and the nutmeg, which my aunt mixed
 properly, filled the tankards, and plunged
 the heated loggerhead within them as
 though 1t were the dasher of a churn. We then did our utmot to drink the flip,
 but the liquor was so exceeding ardent that it brought the tears to my eyes, and I could swallow but small portion. Af- ter that the Colonel did converse in
 somewhat constrained manner with my
 aunt, complimenting her on the beauty
 and costliness of her sapphires, which
 quoth he ''are worthy to be worn by
 duchess. '' ''Then," quoth my aunt, t'must little Serena wed with duke, for
 the sapphires shall be hers, though now I suffer her not to keep them for fear that some mischance befall them. Whereto
 the Colonel consented, saying that it was meet that such treasures should lie in some sure place and my aunt opened the desk that stood beside the chimney and showed him the secret drawer, taking therefrom the chinese box wherein she kept them. The Colonel regarded the drawer with much interest, and then praised my aunt's flip so highly-saying that nowhere on Pudding, Lane, where were the more part of the inns and houses of entertainment, nor at the Green Drag on, or at the White Horse nor even at the Noah's Ark which was the inn he did most effect. was to be found such delecta- ble iquor-thaG my aunt would have up more beer and brewed him another tankard,. which however, the Colonel | would not drink, so that my aunt being ] a prudent woman and averse to having | aught wasted, was constrained to drink 1 it herself. ,, .'rt3 ga 4- .-,. ~A~.N-
 Shortly after, the Colonel took his de- parture, and when bade my aunt good | night, she sat looking at the jewels, with | the loggerhead in her hand, and thought | then that she had drunken overmuch for | she called me Duchess Buckingham, and | said should dress my hair with logger heads all my days. I had scarcely gotten | to bed when fell into deep sleep from the which, however, it seemed to me I | was awakened by a noise in my aunt's | chamber, which was next my own. Think. | ing that perchance she had fallen ill, and | might need my help, made speed to | light candle, and all in my night dress as I was, ran into the hall and into the arms of one who issued from my aunt's chamber | The next instant my light was blown out, wrists but I had seen the face of Colonel ! Arthur Rockingham, and was aware that he held the Chinese box wherein my aunt kept the sapphires. I had been to much af- frighted to cry aloud and now 1t was the Colonel who spake: "Go back into your room and see that you report naught of this matter, or l will inform upon your aunt | and yourself as rebels" Then said I, General Howe is our friend, and he will | not suffer our house to be broken into | and robbed by one of his soldiers, nor | will he believe idle tales concerning my aunt, whom all know to bea staunch loyal list. Lei, not the daughter of Q rebel | speak so confidently" said the Colonel. Your aunt did but few days since pri- vfly receive letter gotten secretly into the town from rebel in armss which let l ter have safely in my pocket. and will produce it if mention Is made of this busi. ness. With this he pushed me rudely in- to my room, and having turned the key upon me departedI 1ta ss55l.,.s "5'"o' i. When morning was come, my aunt hay! ing let me ont told her what had chanct ed 1; whereupon she went at once to the l desk and found the secret drawer open and empty; a letter also which had arri- we'd from my father, and of which she had not hitherto made mention, was missing, but she so feared the aColonel's threat | that she durst not make. complaint ot him to General Howe. It were idle to |