The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-02-15


- deseen0ed t. or&n<H wh>re W.
al,enin<d refre&hments st Ehe tsveru
MssnwhiIe violent snowstorn hsd
sef IN. and. travel ksing ebstructsa.
be resolved to await IT'S abatement
That night bowling wind piled the
nuow 60 drifts and rendered progress
doubly dfffscuit.
The NEXT morning the, wind hsd
ceased. and the sun came out, though
without warmth. Marcy struck out
for EIizabethtown, but 8 few miles
distant. reaching the outskirts about
II O'Clock Approaching the Tracy
house, the young man knocked nc the
door. A negro servant answered the
summons. and Marcy asked IF any
one would buy his vegetables. Mar.
cey, seeing a young lady in living
nom. pushed In there and began TO
solicit trade. when the negro went
back to the kitchen Marcy asked II
the girl was Catherine Tracy and be
ing informed that she was made him
self known.
Miss Tracy TIL then had not had any
inforna ton for the general since her
last communication. But the night be-
fore some British officers were stop
ping at her, fathers house, and she
had heard them asking about the roads
and distances to Trenton. From these
Inquiries and other data dropped by
the oficers she Judged that a consider
able force was to be moved from New
York to some point southwark, prob
ably Philadelphia.
Now, II Marcy had returned imme-
diately to General Washington with
| this Information all would have been
well. The region round about Eliza
BEETHOVEN was not occupied either by
the British or Americans. and he would
have had no gantlet to run. His trou
BILE was he found Miss Tracy so attrac-
| tive that he was loath to part with her.
He made an excuse to himself for not
hurrying away that the snow was 80
deep and his coming through II had 80
fatigued him that he needed rest be
fore returning.
Catherine was expecting her father
for dinner, so, leading Marcy. to the
barn, she pointed to the hayioft. to
which he went and secreted himself In
the hay. Returning to the house. she
! r-uvided q meal and took It out to him.
| Unfortunately, though she exercised
| caution to escape the notice OF Dinah.
tho negro servant, Catherine was seen
by her. Dfnah was shocked to see her
young mistress give evidence of hay-
ing q common huckster for a lover.
! She said nothing to Catherine, but in
her heart she was turning over the
prospect OF misalliance.
Tracy came home TO dinner and went
| away again after 1t was finished. Soon
| after his departure Catherine went to
the barn and proposed to Marcy to
take him In her fathers sleigh part
OF the way on bis return journey. He
accepted the offer rather from desire
for ride with the girl who had
charmed him than TO get a lift. De-
scendfng from the loft. he harnessed
/ the horse. Catherine went TO the house
for her wraps. and, returning, Marcy
got down in the bottom of the sleigh
under the robes. that he might not he
seen leaving the premises.
Diilah was not to lie thus fooled Her
mistress going and coming from the
barn. especially carrying platter GOV
| cred with a napkin, was, to say the
/ least, suspicious. She believed the mar
she suspected to be her mistress lover
was In the sleigh, and as Catherine
drove away Dinah went TO the barn to
look for the huckster. Not finding him,
her fears were confirmed, and she be
lieved Catherine had eioped.
1t did not take Dinah long while
TO make up her mind that her master
should be informed OF step which
might turn out to be regretted. 1t was
NO great distance TO Tracy's place of
business, and the old woman went
there as fast as she could go and told
him that his daughter had eloped with
peddler ia Tracy's own sleigh. Tracy
. borrowed sleigh and, taking Bfnah
with him. drove at brea knock pace in
the direction she said the fugittves had
| taken.
Unfortunately for Tracy, he had not
unstrapped the bells from about the
horse. Catherine. unsuspicious Of dan
ger, was not hurrying, and ii was not
long before her father caught sight OF
the sleigh that contained her and Mar
cey. She had thought it prudent that
Marcy should retain his position un.
der the robes until they had attained
some distance from her home, and
when her father saw her she alone
| was visible. Hearing a distant Jingle
OF sieighbells, she turned. and, seeing
a horse and sleigh coming Mt rapid
pace, scattering the snow, she sur
missed that something had gone wrong.
The position OF Marcy was one Of
great danger. for Ii caught it was
quite likely 1t would come out that
! he was an American soldier Cath
crimes position was dificult, because
II she were not convicted OF aiding a
spy she would be accused Of having a
lover unknown to her father or. in.