The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1902-02-08

Il u.
Come, mother. Our friends, it seems. are
more suspicious of us than our enemies. y
And courtesying in her most stately man.
ner Dorothy retired, leaving the Major to
prosecute his search at his leisure.
Years before, when the Colonists lived
in deadly peril of Indian forays, Carroll
had contrived a secret chamber in one of
the chimneys of the old house, more how
ever, as place of deposit for valuables
than hiding place for human being.
The sayages We're too prone to apply the
torch to make such a chamber one of safe
ty. Part of the brick wall of the chimney
had been removed, rude floor put across
the chimney and the back wall of the
clothes press built against the opening,
with sliding panel that moved up and
down to admit of access More than.once
in the early days the valuables of the fam
lily had been hidden there, but it had been
unusued for SO many years that its exis-
tence had been almost forgotten. 1t was
in this secret place that Dorothy had be-
slowed her lover.
Charlton, waxing more and more angry
as his quest proved unsuccessful, came at
last to Dorothy's door,
"Sir, " she cried Indignantly, chow dare
you
4 dare anything, madam, in the name
of my king. | am convinced that the
rebel spy, Arthur Arundel, is concealed
somewhere in this house. Unless he is
produced, | shall deem it my duty to take
those whom | strongly suspect of harbor
ing him into custody, as themselves dis
loyal and deserving of punishment In
the meantime, my men will remain here
through the night to protect the family of
my worthy friend, Carroll, of course. .
And the Major smiled with sarcastic en-
phasis.
tHow-T-hate-you r enunciated
Dorothy, deliberately, fixing her blazing
eyes upon him.
''You do me too great honor, Mistress
Dorothy, returned the Major, bowing,
with his hand upon his heart. ''Ah, what
have we here p as his eyes fell upon the
wine and the biscuit Dorothy had pro-
cured for Arthur. "Ah-h, a lunch in my
lady's boudoir at midnight. Where, then,
is the guest?'' So saying he strobe about
the room, looking behind furniture, throw
ing open the doors of closets and clothes
presses and thrusting his sword savagely
into their recesses.
pray, Major, spare my wardrobe.
Faith, there nothing rebel about it. 1t
was paid for in good British gold, quoth
Dorothy
The Major glared. "Be SO good, mad /
am, as to assign quarters for my men, and
order refreshment for them He searched
the room again with his eyes and struck
the walls here and there with his sword
ssDid not hear of a secret chamber at
Carroll Place p he murmured, as Dorothy
left the ROOM
She led the way to a large room on the
first floor, used as common parlor in
summer There was another and smaller
room off it, in which was fireplace
This room was Immediately under the
clothes-press.
'sThese rooms are at your disposal.
What further orders do you desire to give9''
The Major walked into the small room,
and kicked out the board that closed the
fireplace.
GA fire, here" he said
Dorothy's face blanched
"The-the chimney is filled up. There
has not been fire here for years. .
He looked at her sharply.
Nevertheless, fire p he said. Ad-
vancing, he thrust his scabbard up the fue.
Some loose bits of brick and mortar ratified
down. Dorothy had regained her com
posure aud bore his glance unfinchingly.
~ protest tbs shame to put you to so
much inconvenience, quoth the Major,
''but | have fancy to occupy your cham
Der tonight. May suggest your company
will comfort Madam Carroll, in her hus-
bands absence? My orderly will stand
sentinel at the door, and you may sleep in
perfect security. Allow me to bid you
good night and pleasant dreams. We
shall soon have glorious fire here. He
looked significantly at Dorothy.
The girl $ superb courage served her
well. Disdaining alike his good night and
his proffer to lead her from the apartment,
she walked quietly to her mother room.
There her composure utterly gave way.
She could do nothing for Arthur. To at
tempt to aid him was to invite his capture.
She knew, only too well, the short shrift
of the spy. IF die he must, it might as
well be in his hiding place as on the gallows.
With Charlton as foe, there was not one
chance in thousand that he could escape
almost instant execution. Her agony of
mind was fearful, nor dared she tell her
mother, already Frustrated with excitement
and fatigue. So the long, sleepless hours
went by, while the Major, cursing the fire
that refused to ''draw, but filled the
apartment with biting smoke, retired to
Dorothy's room and searched again more
carefully. He even opened the door of
the press and sounded the wall. Fortu-
nately he struck place where the bricks
had not been removed, and at last, baffled
and bitterly disappointed in his expected
revenge he gave up the search and rejoined
his men, where he drank glass after glass
of spirits. 1t was wild night in Carroll
Place, for the Virginian gentry kept we'll
stocked cellars.
In the morning, after thorough search
of the quarters, the British rode away and
Dorothy hastened to her lover relief
She found him unconscious, but alive.
Fortunately there had been little draft,
owing to the thickness of the floor of the
hiding place, and it was more fatigue, loss
of blood and want of food that had affected
Arthur than the smoke which Dorothy
had feared might suffocate him. He was
nursed back to health and strength in Dor
thy's own room, with the aid of faithful
slave, while the information he risked his
life to obtain was dispatched to the Con-
tinental camp by trusty messenger.
And of course they ''were married and
lived happy ever afterward. =
The Yellow river is styled the ''Sorrow
of China During the last century it
has changed its course % times, and now
flows into the sea through a mouth 600
miles distant from that of 100 years ago.
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