The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1903-11-19
Copyright. 1902, by J. B. Lippincott Company
CHAPTER XIV.
A JOURNEY.

A JOURNEY.
Ayear had passed, and had brought
to Jane much sadness, for her
fathers death had occurred in the
spring.
Her stepmother, worn out by nurs-
ing Mr.. Ellery through his long i'll
ness Il by the later cares of the
estate, had broken down, and was
only just recovering from a fever
when word came that Edward had
been severely wounded in a skirmish
with Eafayette's army in Virginia
and was lying, it was feared, at the
point of death in Portsmouth. 1t wa
Bessemer who wrote, and he urged
that Jane and her stepmother set out
at once for the young soldiers bed
side. 1t was impossible for Mrs.
Ellery to go, but Jane prepared i'm
mediately for the journey, upon which
her aunt determined to
her.
Soon after they entered Virginia
they learned that the British forces
had abandoned Portsmouth and pro
ceeded to Yorktown; hence it was
towards the latter place they directed
thelr courses; but, carried out of their
correct route, they found themselves
in the midst of Gen. Lafayette's
army. This might have been some
what embarrassing had not a colonel
OF n of the Continental regiments
proved a cousin of Mrs. Ellery's and
vouched for that lady's loyalty and
Miss Ellery's discretion. 1t was well
towards the afternoon before they.
could set out again upon their jour
ney. Dusk had fallen when they
reached the town where they were to
stop for the night, and with the dusk
had come a heavy rain.
The inn at which they took refuge
was a ramshackle affair. Mrs. Ellery
vent carly to bed, and after an hour
Jane followed her aunt's example,
though her vigorous youth rebelled
against the too early bedtime and she
lay awake, half worrying about her
brother, half wondering what recep-
ton they would meet with in York
town, when there was an entrance
into the room back of hers, against
whose partition wall her bed was
placed.
There were three voices audible.
One she recognized as the inn
Keepers; the other two were unfa-
miliar and more cultured. She gather
cd that they belonged to a couple of
British officers who had stopped at
the inn for supper. They spoke of
the heavy storm without, and ordered
their host to have a fire built that
they might dry their drenched gar
ments. Soon she heard him laying
it, and presently it began to crackle
and a
When the fire was we'll started the
host went out. Finally, supper was
brought in and there was a merry
clatter of dishes. The officers babe
h servant who brought it leave
them, and then one of them COM
menced to fret about the heat from
the fire. AS a result, they moved the
table up close to the partition wall,
as far away from the fireplace as
they could get 1t. This brought it
just on the other side of James bed.
They began to talk in low tones,
but the girl, after the first p%leasur.
able interest in their entrance had
died away, occupied her thoughts
with other matters and 500 dozed.
1t was the name of Bessemer which
startled her from her light slumber,
and ~involuntarily her ears were on
the alert. Then followed some quick,
low words which gave her an inkling
of what was in the wind. A night
attack upon Lafayette's army!
What was she doing-lying there
listening-spying? Had she fallen so
low as that? Was it not her duty
to make some movement which
should betray her presence to those
men; should apprise them that they
were being overheard? Yes, clearly,
it was her duty. She, an Ellery, had
been bred to know that. Yet she
maize no movement. They began to
boast to each other, always in their
subdued voices. that the humiliation