The news & observer., 1898-01-16
The Whit8 COGkad8.
BY JAMES WORKMAN.
Copyright, 1867, BY the S. 8. Mcclure CO.


S;nce in the opinion Of all reasonable
mon no further attempt is ever likely
- no made to place one of the Stuart
Fomilv ON the throne of Great Britain,
ot Least by force Of arms, / can now,
without prejudice to any one, tell the
story of the strange adventure which
brought me face to face for the first
ond last time with Charles Edward
Stuart, commonly known as the Young
Pretender.
Late in the afternoon Of September
%. 1850, / received the following letter:
Dear Friendly the time this is
placed in your hands | shall be at sea
on my way to Antwerp. 1t is all over.
Under the name Of John Douglas the
prince has been in London for nearly a
week, and nothing has come Of it. There
Is no prospect of rising. Gentlemen OF
quality and influence, however, devoted
to the prince, have no mind to risk their
lives and estates by marching on LOB
don unless supported by a strong body Of
regular troops, believing that exile, or
more probably the scaffold would be the
sure and certain end Of any such rash
undertaking. To speak the plain truth,
am much of that way of thinking my
SELF and, having wife and child, will
not draw my sword until l perceive
some fair prospect of success.
Il write to warn you of that which
concerns you nearly. The other day
the prince came unexpectedly to a party
at Lady Primrose's greatly to the con-
sternation of her ladyship aud of most
of her guests. Indeed, he met with but
q cold reception from any but your be-
trothed, Miss Kate Gordon, and her
cousin, Andrew Macintyre, who were
both present.
Miss Gordon went down on her knee
before them all and kissed his hand 1t
was very bravely done and moved him
greatly, but, indeed, it was scarcely
prudent. Macintyre followed her exam
pie, and / heard him whisper to the
prince that if his royal highness would
deign to honor his poor house with
visit this evening I'VE 22nd) he would
meet with very different kind of well
come. Learning that Miss Gordon
would be present the prince consented.
Now, word in your ear This Macin-
tyre is not to be trusted. / have in
formation from a sure source that he is
a spy in the pay of the government, and
that the man with one eye, the odious
creature, Donald Fraser~esS~n9, follows
him about like a shallow, is, if possible,
more Infamous .sfretch than himself
The HOUSES in a lonely situation,
and / a2sFeonvinced that these scoun-
re concocting some plot to betray
the Prince, and are making use Of Miss
Gordon's grace and beauty and we'll
known devotion to the Jacobite cause
to entice him into a trap. | tried to
give the prince hint of this. but he lis
tened to me coldly, and indeed, of late
he has become notoriously impatient OF
advice from his best and truest friends.
"Ihat Miss Gordon should be made an
accomplice in this villainous scheme
win, / know, be hateful to you, and
doubt not you will do what lies in your
power to prevent it. Yours most faith
fully. MATTHEW FIELDING"
My blood boiled as 1 read this letter.
/ was no friend to the Stuarts, and, in
deed, cared little whether the pretender
was taken or not; but that Kate should
be involved in this infamous plot was in
describably painful to me, and / reso-
Iutely determined that she never should
be IL word or act of mine could pre-
vent It,
Yet it was no very. pleasant task for
me to interfere in the matter, for there
bad already been a sharp quarrel be-
tween Kate and myself with regard to
this Alacintyre and her passionate de-
votion to the cause of the unhappy
Stuarts. She was an orphan, and Mac
intyre being her cousin, had undertaken
to act as her guardian. piece of pre-
sumption which I bitterly resented, for
l had good reason to believe that he
hated me and meant, bR fair means or
foul, TO supplant me in Kate's affections,
snd win her and her small fortune for
himself. But he had been out with the
Highlanders in 45, and the courage he
had then displayed, and his hypocritical
professions Of attachment to the prince,
cast a glamour about him in the eyes of
a young and romantic girl. Nothing |
could say would induce her to put an
end to their friendship, and we had
finally parted with bitter words on both
sides
But Fielding's letter drove my anger
to the winds. Come OF it what would
/ was resolved TO go boldly to Macin-
tyres house, and insist upon her leav-
ing it at once. would escort her to the
lodgings of my aunt, Lady Chester, who
would, / knew, receive her gladly
So / buckled on my sword, procured a
coach and drove quickly to Macintyre's
house, which lay some distance from the
city. Within 200 or 300 yards of the
gate / alighted, and, leaving the coach
hidden in a Jane near the road, walked
forward by myself.
In spite Of my antipathy to Macintyre
I confess there had been moments when
] could scarce believe him capable Of
the infamy of which Fielding had ac-
eused him; but, when in the gathering
dusk reached the gate in high stone
wall which encireled the spacious gar
den, all my doubts vanished at the sight
Of the isolated house, the lighted win
dOws of which We're barely visible
through the thick foliage Of the trees
that surrounded it on all sides. No cry
for help would be heard beyond the
walls. The victim once inside that lone
" building, and sword or bullet might
do its work and none be'the wiser.
Ny heart beat quickly as | passed
through the gate. Such a man as Mac
\ 1ntyre was not unlikely to clutch at any
means Of getting rid of a dangerous
rival, and knew well that / carried my
life in my hands ] thought might
he refused admittance, but the gate
stood wide open, and no one appeared or
challenged me. But that brought mo
little comfort. lit is ever an easy matter
TO enter a trap, 1t is when You seek to
leave it that difficulties begin.
Still ] went doggedly on. thongb. ~.