The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-09-19

MS breast INTO ner nanu.
"Will you 60 with me to the War
Office" she said to her escort, "and
wait there until / have seen Mr.. Trum-
bull? Then when we get to my fathers
house my father will make for you hot
punch, I'll warrant. Yes, know, the
punch will be all ready, because Mr..
Rudd, our minister, is in the kitchen
this evening with father, and they al
ways take warm one when they are
together"
The snow, as they passed to the high
way, began to fall so thickly that even
the light of the lantern was dimmed, but
at this Mistress Prudence laughed, and
the comrade who was acting as her es-
cOrt thought her an extremely fearless
girl, and wonderfully handsome withal.
The walk to the War Office was a short
one. Within ten minutes they were ut
the door.
"Halt!" said the sentinel, and he was
so mufiled up that it was the tone rather
than the articulation that checked
Mistress Prudence, who would other
wise have opened the door and gone in
unannOunced.
"Oh, no. 1t is you, is it, mistress?
and what do you here on such night as
this?" the sentinel said, after peering in
to the maiden's face.
81 would see Mr.. Trumbull; truly 1
desire Overmuch to speak to him. Will
you admit me?''
The sentinel tapped at the door. 1t
was opened. A ruddy glow burst with
in, and by it two dispatch-bearers could
be seen sitting on the countcr-for be-
fore the war the Office was country
shop-driving their spurs into the wood
work as their legs dangled a foot or
mole from the floor. 1.-THE marks of the
spurs of these and other messengers are
to be seen in the woodwork even to this
day.1 Mistress Prudence and her escort
passed into this room. The dispatch
bearers, who were evidently in the midst
of some rollicking story, and were plain
ly feeling the merrier for the mulled CT
der they had taken, eyed the female
figure curiously at first; but when she
threw her cloak and hood off, and they
saw the large gray eyes, now seeming
very dark by the freight, and that her
features were exceedingly fair and her
manner gracious, they thought for GER
tain that they were in the presence of
one of the Governors daughters, and
became ut once greatly courteous. One
took her cloak and shook the snow from
it, then put it before the fire. The other
opened the door to the room in the rear
where he knew the Governor was pass
ing an hour with the Count dc ROcham-
beau. Thus unannOunced Mistress Pru-
dence came into the Governors pres
ence. He sat at his Oaken desk, but
seemed for the moment to be more Oc-
cupied over certain discussion that he
was having with ROchambeau than his
papers. The French nObleman stood
easily before the fireplace, the flames
from the burning log furnishing the gilt
scabbard. The Governor arose and the
Count bowed. Both were exceedingly
tall, and Mistress Prudence seemed by
contrast wofully small, but not less fear
less than the men she confronted.
"Why, Mistress Prudence, what has
brought you here? Do you come from
your worthy father, the Esguire?'
"Ahcm!' this in the slightest and
yet most suggestive of tones from the
Count.
"Par,lOn me,'' said the Governor.
I" Let me, beg, present Mistress Prl-
dence Strong to the Count de ROcham-
beau. A worthy daughter of an exceed
ingly worthy father, sir.''
"Truly, that would almost 60 without
the saying of it, your Excellency." And
the Count with much grace took Mis-
tress Pr,ldence's brown but shapely
hand and bent over it. did not have
the pleasure of leading the maid at the
reel i'm the tavern dining-roOm?" he
asked.
"Indeed you did, sir" replied Mis-
tress Prudence, curtseying, "But, Mr..
Trumbull, will you tell me what Mr..
Duplan, the tall French soldier, has
done, and what is to be his punish
ment?"
The Governor, who had taken advan-
tage of the cOllOquy between the maid
and the Count to draw on his outer gar
ment of plain brown homespun-for the
room was sultry and he had re-
moved it-turned with look of sur
prise.
81 know nothing of any French SOL
der, Mistress Prudence, and prithee
why should you visit me on such
night as this for such matterp" he
said.
"Because he is a good man and brave
soldier, and because he has done nothing
to merit punishment.
sBut why does Mistress Prudence
become his intercessor, Ell? Count,
perhaps you know something of this.
What does the maid mean, for l
see she is greatly exercised, and
know her to be not disturbed at tri-
fies.''
The Count de ROchambeau was very
grave. He looked at the maid strangely,
but not suspiciously. At length he said:
" He is deserter; there is much Of
about him; but of all the mys-
teries there is none SO very strange as
this that has now come to my ears.
Tell me-" and he took the girls hand,
{" what reason is there that you should
thus intercede?"
81 can not tell that now, SIR" replied
the mistress little demurely, "but it
is a good one."
Here the Count de ROchambeau
looked very grave, but the Governor at
once said: aid plight my honor, sire,
the girl tells the truth. Tell me, Mis-
froSS py,,danoo hoxv cama vOY, IN EnOv