Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-11-27

uuSy ndIlIlicT VI Tic HicSudiiS, ohu sh
axe Of the .laborer, sent up their crowd
ing noises imaging, upon a small scale
many Of the more stirring attribute
Of the great city, and all Of its lif
Dorchester then had several hundre
inhabitants. The plan Of the plac
lies before us nova regularly laid on
city. Of perfect squares. with its mark
ct place, its hotels, and its churches
its busy wharves, and its little craft o
sloop and schooner, lying at anchor. o
swimming along the clear bosom Of tn
Ashley. 1t had its garrison also, an
not the smallest portion Of its din AM
hustle arose from the fine body Of red
coated and smartly dressed soldier
then occupying the square fort o
tapia work. which to this day stand
upon the hill of Dorchester-just wher,
the river bends in with broad SWEEP
to the village site-in singular stat'
Of durability and preservation.
This fort commanded the river ant
village alike The old bridge Of Dor
chester, which crossed the Ashley at {
little distance above 1t, was also with
in its range. The troops at frequen
periods paraded in the market place
and every art was made use Of duly
to impress upon the people the danger
Of any resistance to power so cap
able to annoy and to punish. This be.
ing the case, it was amusing to per-
ceive how docile, how loyal indeed, an
those inhabitants, who, but few weeks
before were in arms against their pres.
ent rulers who now only wait a con.
venient season to resume the weapons
which policy had persuaded them t.
lay aside.
None Of the villagers were more du.
tiful or devout in their allegiance thar
Richard Humphries-Old Dick, sly
Dick-Holy Dick. as his neighbors ca.
priciously styled him-who kept the
Royal George" then the high tavern o'
the village. The fat, beefy face Of ths
good natured Hanoverian hung In yel-
low before the tavern door, on one o,
the two main roads leading from the
country through the town. The ole
monarch had, in this exposed situa.
tion, undergone repeated trials. At the
commencement Of the Revolution. the
landlord, who, after the proverbia
fashion Of landlords in all countries
really cared not who was king, hat
been compelled by public opinion tc
take down the sign and replace 1t with
another more congenial to the popular
feeling. George. in the mean time
was assigned less coYEpicuous lodgings
in an ancient garnet. The change Of
circumstances restored the venerable
portrait to its place; and under the
eyes of the British garrison, there were
few more thorough going loyalists ir
the village than Richard Humphries
He was a sociable old man. fond Of
drink, who generally filed his owr
glass whenever called upon to replen-
ish that of his customer. His house
was the common thoroughfare OF the
travelling and the idle. The soldier, no,
on duty, found 1t q pleasant lounge;
the Tory. confident in the sympathies
of the landlord, and solicitous OF the
good opinion Of the ruling powers
made 1t his regular resort; and even
the whig, compelled to keep down his
patriotism, in order to keep up his
credit, not unwisely sauntered about
in the same wide hall with the enemy
he feared and hated, but whom it was
no part Of his policy at the present
moment to alarm or irritate. Hum
phries, from these helping circum-
stances, distanced all competition ir
the village. The opposition house was
maintained by a suspected Whig-one
Pryor-who was avoided accordingly
Pryor was a sturdy citizen, who ask
ed no favors: and If he did not avoW
himself in the language Of defiance, al
the same time scorned to take any
steps to conciliate patronage or dc
away with suspicion. He simply cock
ed his hat at the ancient customer
now passing to the other house; thrust
his hands into the pockets OF his
breeches, and, with a manful resigna-
ton, growled, through his teeth as ne
followed the deserter with his eyes
1.-The white livered skunk! He may
go and be id"
This sort of philosophy was agree.
able enough to Hulnphries. who, though
profligate in some respects. was ye'
sufficiently worldly to have close
eye to the accumulation Of his six.
pences. His household was we'll serv'
ed; for though himself a widower, hi:
daughter Bella, buxom, lively, coquet'
tish, but gentle natured creature, prov.
ed no common housekeeper She wa:
but a girl, however. but sixteen. ant
as she had long lacked the restraining
presence of a matron, and possessed
but little dignity herself, the house
had it's attractions for many, in tht
freedoms which the old man either die
not or would not see. and which tht
girl herself was quite too young, TOT
innocent, and perhaps too weak. Otter
to find fault with. Her true protection
however, was in a brother not mucf
older than herself, a fine manly fellow
and-though with the cautious policy o
all around him suppressing his predi
lections for the time-a staunch parti
san of American liberty.
It was on a pleasant afternoon IL
June, that a tall, well made youth
probably twenty-four or twenty-fiv
years Of age. rode up to the door of th'
Royal George" and throwing hi
bride to a servant, entered the hotel
His person had been observed, and hi
appearance duly remarked upon. b!
several persons already assembled II
the hall which he now approached. Th'
new conner, indeed, was not one to pas
unnoticed. His person was symmetr!
itself, and the ease with which h
managed his steed, the unhesitatint
boldness with which he kept on hi
way and gazed around him at perioc
and in a place where all were timid ant
suspicious, could not fail to fix at