The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-17

"A H., a
west. some little handful of determined pa
triots had bested thrice their number of the
King partlsans, and that without a leader
bigger than county colonel Lord Raw
don, in command OF Lord Cornwallis's van,
had come as far as Waxhaw creek, but,
being unsupported, had withdrawn TO Hang
ing Rock. Our Mr.. Rutherford was on his
way to the forks of Yadkin to engage the
Tories gathering under Colonel b yam. AS
yet II seemed We had no force of any conse-
quence TO take the field against CORVALLIS,
army marching from l Virsina aV With new
appointed general at its head.
On the whole 1t was the Kings cause that
prospered. and the rising wave of invasion
bade fair TO inundate the land. So thought
my kindly gossip, and. having naught to
gain or lose in the great war, rather
having naught TO lose and everything TO
gain, whichever way these worldly cards
might run, he was a fair impartial witness.
AS you may well suppose, this news
awoke in me the lust of battle, and must
chafe the more for having il. And while
my. visitor talked on and l listening
with the outward ear my brain was busy
putting two and two together. How came
1T that the British outpost still remained
at Queensborough with my Lord Rawdon
Withdrawn and the patriot home guard
well down upon his rear? Some urgent rea-
| remembered what Darius had told me of
its captains waiting for some messenger
from the south
l scored this matter with question mark.
should be alone. And when the priest had
told me all the news at large we came
again TO speak of Margery.
II go and come through all this border
land, he said when / had asked him how
and why he came to Appleby Hundred,
but it was mam'selle's message brought
me here. She is my one eve lamb in all
this region. and would journey far to see
her."
1 wondered pointedly at this, for in that
day the west was fiercely Protestant and
the border land.
But Mistress Margery is not Catholic"
said 1.
His look forgave the protest in the words.
Indeed she is. my son. Has she not told
you?"
Now, truly she had not told me so in any
measured word or phrase, and yet might
have guessed 1T, since she had often spoken
lovingly of this same Father Matthew.
And yet it was incredible to me.
But howl do not understand how that
can be- stammered. Surely she told me
she was of Huguenot blood on the mother s
side. and that is"
The miSsionaryS smile was lenient still,
Not all who wander from the Catholic
fold are lost forever, Captain Ireton. The
mother of this demoiselle lived all her life
Protestant, 1 think, but when she came
to die she sent for me. And that is how
her child was sent to France and grew up
convent bred. Monsieur Stair gave his
promise at the mothers deathbed. and
though he liked ii not, he kept it,.
AHA, l see And for this single lamb
Of your scant fold You brave the terrors
of our hereto backwoods? 1t does you
credit, Father Matthew. The war fills all
horizons now, mayhap, but l have seen
the time in Mecklenburg when your cas-
sock would have been challenge to the
mob"
His smile was quite devoid of bitterness.
1.-The time has not yet passed., he said,
gently, II have been six weeks on the way
from Maryland hither, hiding in the forest
by day and faring on at night. Indeed, I
was in hiding on neighboring plantation
when our demoiselles messenger found me. :"
This put me keen upon remembering what
had gone before: how he had said at first
that she had sent for him. / thought it
strange, knowing how perilous the time and
place must be for such as he. But not until
he rose and, bidding me good day. left me
to myself did so much as guess the thing
his coming meant. When had guessed it:
when L put this to that-her telling me Sir
Francis had proposed for her, and this her
\ sending for the priest-the madness of my
love for her was naught compared to
that anger which seized and racked me.
l know not how the hours of this black
day were made to come and go. grinding
me to dust and ashes in their passage, yet
leaving me alive and keen to suffer at the
end
A thousand times that day 1 lived in tor
ment through the scene in which the priest
had doubtless come to play, his part of
joiner The stage for ii would be the great
room fronting south, the room my father
used to call our castle hall. For guests
thought there would be space enough and
some to spare, for, as you know, our Neck
lenburg was patriot to the core. But as to
this, the bridegrooms troopers might fill
out the tale, and in my heated fancy 1
could see them grouped beneath the candle
scenes with belts and baldrics fresh pipe
clayed and shakos DOTTED and sabretaches
well in front. "A man full grown-a SOL
der she had said: and trooper guests
were fitting in such case.
From serving in a Catholic land 1 knew
the customs of the mother church. So 1
could see the priest in cassock. alb and
stole as he would stand before some make
shift altar lit with candies. Ard as he
stands they come to kneel before him; my
winsome Margery in all her royal beauty.
child to love and yet an empress peerless
in her womans realm, and at her SIDE with
his knee touching hers. this man who was
a devil.
What wonder if I cursed and choked and
of what all this should mean for my poor,
wounded Richard-and later on for Margery
herself-possessed me? In which of these
hot fever gusts of rage the thought of in
reference came l know not. But that it
came at length-a thought and plan full
grown at BIRTH do know.
The pointing of the plan was desperate
and simple. 1t was neither more nor less
than this: 1 knew the house and every
turn and passage in it, and when the hour
should strike | said / should go down and
moment find seize a weapon and fling
myself upon this bridegroom as he should
kneel before the altar.
With strength to bend him back and
strike one blow | saw not why ii might not
win And as for strength. / have learned
this in war: that the rage be hot enough
twill nerve a dying man to hack and hew
and stab as with the strength of ten.
Although it was most terribly overiong
in coming the end of that black day did
come at last, and with il Darius 20 fetch
my supper and the candles. You may be
sure I questioned him, and If you know the
blacks you'll smile and say / had my labor
fer my pains-the which / had. His place
was at the quarters, and of what went on
within the house he knew no more than l.
But this he told me, that company surely
was expected and that some air of mystery
was abroad.
Wherf he was gone | ate soldiers por-
ton knowing of old how i'll thing il is to
take an empty stomach into battle. For
the same cause / drank a second cup of
wire-'twas old madeira of my fathers
laying Inland would have drunk a third
but that the bottle would not yield it.
1t was fully dark when / had finished
and thinking ever on my plan. would strive
afresh to weld its weakest link. This was
the hazard of the weapon getting. With
full-bloo health and strength might have
gone barehanded. but as il was i feared
to take the chance So with a candle /
went approving in the deep drawers OF the
old oaken clothes press and in the escritoire
which once had been my mothers and
found no weapon bigger than hairpin
IL was no great disappointment for I
had looked before with daylight in the
and when the search was done the hazard
seemed the less. So could rush upon him
unawares and put my knee against his
back I thought the Lord of Battles would
give me strength 10 break his neck across IT,
At that l capped the candles. and taxi
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