Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1903-09-04
TARLET0N'S F0ILED OATH.

Nu II summer ulbIIINE Nl ltNI NllSlTtSS !
As she stood on the threshold of her home, /
and shading her eyes with slim fingers, ,
she gazed intently toward Newborn way.
I'm the dusk Of the great hall behind Mis- |
troSs Ashe showed crowd of dark /
frightened faces; the slaves had crowded /
to the mansion at the first report of the +
coming OF the British foe. Except for .
those slaves. Mistress Ashe and her sis /
ter were alone. The sister was that Mis- /
trcss Wiley Jones, stories OF whose |
charm of manner still bloom perennial in |
North Carolina history and song. Mis- |
trcss Jones was now ON "A visit from her |
own home In Virginia.
The column Of dust rapidly approached.
the sound of marching feet might almost
have been heard
Mistress Ashe turned to one of the
slaves: Go quickly" she commanded.
" Request my sister to come hither with
all haste to tell me what cheer she Of
fered this Tarleton, whom | fear brings
now on us mis- host
The slave had scarce disappeared when
Mistress Jones, just learning of the
dreaded approach Of the enemy, was has
tening to her sister.
Is it indeed Tarleton?" cried Mistress
Jones " Is 1t indeed that Dragging col
onel? ! must tell you. sister that this
same Tarleton bears me grudge-''
Heaven forbid exclaimed Mistress
Ashe for Tarleton's wrath was to be
dreaded
When the English under CORVALLIS
marched from Wilmington to Virginia"
pursued Mistress Jones. exctedly;
while they tarried up on the Roanoke
a party of officers were quartered upon
us. Among them was this Tarleton. on
the night on which they were to leave
us this braggart grew very bold In mis-
talk of us of the rebellion as he called
us. Roundly he abused our noble friend.
Gen. George Washington, more rudely
sun our dear friend and the Generals
knsman. Col. William Washington. He
spoke Of him as that ilDterate fellow -
" WHAT cried Mistress Ashe
" True. And moreover" quoth Mis-
tress Jones, he said, near this much
Wanted fcllow-this win Washington
can scarce write his own name"
An quoth Mistress Ashe Indignantly
Then ere pausing for prudent
/ thought. ] cried. But. Col Tarleton,
/ you ought To- know better than that for
Won bear on your person proof that he
well knows how to make his mark,
My sister, cried Mistress Ashe,
& dared you So allude to that sabre stroke
( ia the hand which the gallant Washing
I ton did give this TJrleton at Cowpens?"
-" had cause to regret the swiftne>s Of
/ my tongue declared Mistress Jones,
for he straightway put his mark of de-
/ vastation on sundry parts of my prop
I erty.'
Stay" cried Mistress Asne with
startled gesture of remembrance. " Hast
thou heard of the three-fold oath that
this Tarleton has registered, repeating it
till its braggart echoes resound from sea-
board to untouched forests"
Tell me in all haste" urged Mistress
Jones, Tor they are now almost at ear
. shot"
He has sworn that he will plant the
. old flag of England on every house in our
| land, ii not on the turret, then. forsooth.
/ on the ashes of every building. lie hath
sworn that he will carry our noble lead
I ers. the Washingtons. in chains to Eng
| land. lie nath sworn that he will qUam
a stirrup cup. a luck drink to these hor-
rid accomplishments. from the Asne
punch bowl"
Heaven defend us" calculated Mis-
tress Jones
on the instant the two beautiful sisters
| presented an undaunted front to the foes
Gen. Leslie was in command and right
I glad were the two sisters that the hot
headed Tarleton was accompanied by a
superior officer. Right graciously did
Gen. Leslie request what he might have
demanded from the defenseless women
food and drink from his men and his Off
GERS.
The shining mahogany was soon set
out with ample store The Saracen' 5
head peerng from the heraldic device
on every glittering piece of silver seemed
to desire now to exchange its noble mot
10, Non sibi sed alienis, to a ringing
for others"
But the Saracen heads kept all To their
inviolable silence. Mistress Ashe also
held her lips silent through all Tarleton' :
| braggart abuse of the forces of her count
trymen, while her heart beat with anX-
iety lest he take this occasion to demand
a brew in the Ashe punch-bowl.
Minded of the thrust in the parrying of
wits that Mistress Jones had dealt him
on the Roanoke. he was fain now to re-
rnpl nj h~sasr doc lnaf
Mistress Jones would now be at his
mercy, fearing, as she surely would fear.
to bring by any bit of her tongue 5
sharpness his anger upon her sister
Here too Mistress Jones," he cried
loudly, find friends of those ungainly
woodsmen, the Washingtons. Would l
could see these wonders of the western
world, these"
All, Col. Tareton," rang out Mistress
Ashes clear tones. had you but looked
behind you at Cowpens, when you fed
50 unceremoniously, you could have had
| that pleas sure"
on the instant Tarleton grasped his
sword hilt. Bitterly did Mistress Ashe
repent on the instant of a piece of
repartee. since become a line in our his
tory.
What would have been the instant re-
suit of Tarleton's wrath none could tell,
for at that moment Gen. Leslie, hitherto
detained without, entered.
Quickly he inquired the cause of Mis-
tress Ashes agitation; quickly on learn
ing the cause he rebuked the colonel;
Say what you please, Mistress Col.
Tarleton knows better than to insult a
lady in my presence"
The colonel, greatly chagrined at this
rebulle in the face of his subalterns. laid
a plan for speedy revenge.
lie well knew that Mistress Ashe would
be daring enough to refuse from himself
4 demand for draught from the famous
brew, to be tasted only at Ashe house
but he fancied that she could not now re-
fuse request from his general. since that
courtly gentleman had so readily taken
ler part against himself,
With no hint of his oath, Tarleton led
the talk to the noted Ashe punch bowl
stories of that bowl, antique i'm England
ere the Mayhower's keel had cut the
ocean plying westward. He told how in
America it had grown thrice precious ia
its owners, for that almost every Ameri-
can leader of the Revolution had slipped
celebrating draughts from its generous
crystal depths. He told how about this
very board there gathered around thai
bowl, when chance and change of wal
permitted, five officers of the reVolu-
tionary army, all of one name and blood
} Gen. John Ashe, his son. Capt. Samuel
. Ashe, Col. John Baptista Ashe, Samuel
Ashe. later to be the first governor OF
North Carolina chosen by the people, and
Cincnnatus Ashe, n captain of marines
and besides these five officers there was
another private, being too young to give