Show ahe master of chaos by irving bacheller copyright 1932 by trying Bo choller service CHAPTER VIII continued 12 to avoid a recurrence of the quarrel and the hero worshipers who were now thronging in colin left the room and went to his bod bed above stairs rie ile had bad found new light on the delays in congress A faction hostile to the commander in chief was evident evidently lyp trying to discourage him and force his resignation or create a popular demand for it the young man had a prevision of a long and difficult struggle ahead against two enemies ty a determined ter mined foe and a divided people he went to sleep afflicted with thoughts and regrets as dark as the gloom that covered him the next nest morning at daylight he was on big hi way to new london meanwhile a bit of curious weaving on in the fabric of our history was being lone done lit la cambridge that morning of colins departure lady washington in her working grisette waited tor for Nan nancyan cyin the library the young lady breezed ireczek in as innocently as the soft south wind coming through the open windows and embraced the good woman my dear I 1 was borri worried ed said sirs mrs washington an hour ago I 1 heard of that hat robber on the west road so I 1 sent lent a fast rider to find you thanks you are like a dear moth er to me mrs washington smiled her needles were working rapidly as she said bald my child I 1 have nener neer known a girl so much in need of a mother while you are here I 1 am going to look after you lou ou are a foolish child life Is not all 11 confectionery you must to forget get your beauty and put on plain clothes and go to work or go home tills this Is no place for play nancy smiled she was wont to smile at all the ley icy precepts site she felt a sense of relief when mrs washington arose and bade her go to her tasks josiah stark who had bad been I 1 one me of the most skillful and trusted IT men in the secret service of washington ton was then in the hospital he had received a slight wound in making his return to the army nancy woodbridge had won his heart he had bad told lier her in confidence that he was soon going to canada an imprudence caused wholly by her remarkable influence that night when she went to her room she wrote this letter dear pat I 1 have delivered your letter to colln colin cabot and am here with my brother we have both enlisted ile he Is in the army and I 1 am in the hospital I 1 am as unhappy as I 1 can be and dear friend I 1 must tell you why I 1 was at the beautiful dinner and dance at general headquarters to celebrate the evacuation colln colin took me to dinner and then danced with me I 1 would not tell you of all the sweet things that he whispered in my ear and when shen we went out to look at the stars and cool off a little after our exertions he held me and kissed my lips and said that I 1 was irresistible your idol Is like all the other er men my dear I 1 think that you should try to be as happy a as 9 he Is I 1 wonder it if any man Is worthy of you what are girls like you and me to do shall we become man haters baters and old maids no we will marry but let us not be deceived by the notion that a man can be an angel sly illy dear does this letter give you pain I 1 write it because I 1 thank it better that your heart should ache a little now than be broken later 1 I 1 am sending this to british army h headquarters ead quarters in care of general howe it will be mailed somewhere in canada this Is from your devoted friend nancy A few days later the rugged young josiah stark set out for fort ceroga with nancys letter in one of his saddle bags the girl had praised and flattered battered him tor for no other reason than her need of his help lie ile had traded horses with young israel sapp who had ome down from skenes borough to the army on colins solicitation tation in tile the last autumn ile he had ridden a tireless black gelding which he be bad bought front from sirs mrs bowlby stark needed a tough horse used to mountain travel tile the one ile he owned was worn so he gave sapp a horse and a good sum of 0 money for the gelding one day in northern massachusetts stark dismounted to enter a store for food As had been hla his custom he left the horse standing in front of the store he had always stood without hitching the animal having come to familiar country immediately set out on a lonely road for his old home stark went on afoot following his tracks and hoping to overtake him the horse had spent three years of his life in mrs BoNNI bys stable that night awakened auak ened by his tramping and around the house she arose lighted her lantern arid and went doors where she found the animal she took him to the stable removed the saddle and bags tied him in a stall and gave him food and water in the darkness slie she failed to recognize the horse she brought the bags into the house wondering what could have happened to the absent rider in one of the bags she found nancys letter thinking that it would give a clue to the identity of the horses owner she opened and nd read the letter which nancy had bad written to her friend in cana canada dr she was naturally astonished by LU its contents tor for she remembered vividly the young man to whom I 1 it it related find and for whom she still entertained a feeling of 0 gratitude and obligation she put the letter in another envelope it and mourned it to its place to ID the saddle 1 lins CHAPTER IX the army moves and coloni colonel cabot feels the war tide on the fifth of april culin returned to the big house in cambridge maj gen charles lee was with washington talking loudly as he was wont to do A self made military hero with a title from eon congress gress lee was a tousled shabby looking englishman of high pretension and bad manners ile he had lived tor for a time among the he mot hawks one of whose maidens became ills his wife a matter now forgotten ue he was tall and scrawny with restless eyes and a huge aquiline nose the resounding promises of castoff cast off made with a thumping alst his impassioned review of his own career in portugal and poland his claim thai that it had won the friendship of frederick the great had naturally impressed the slat sim bottsen in congress ile he dealt in their kind of talk they knew that he must be a great man they listened and crowned him with the highest honor in their gift and sent him to washington ills rank gave him some excuse for talking loudly he was sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal there were two people at general headquarters who distrusted this man N IT lee was a tousled shabby looking englishman of high pretension and bad manners they were martha washington and colin cabot who had found it cult to conceal their aversion while colln colin was waiting for the major general to finish his oration the lady washington came and beckoned to him lie ile followed her to the library she had an indignant look that horrid man danl I 1 ile he ought to be catching rats or currying horses the lady began as they sat down the general and I 1 have almost quarreled about him my lord and master smiles and says oh he Is an honest well meaning man and let us hope a good soldier he has a fickle and violent temper but we can bear with that did you find good quarters for us on the way to new york the best the roads will be heavy and bad but you will be comfortable at night you are to ride with me and captain farnsworth with a troop of your cavalry to escort us the general must head the line we shall have a rider to in the escort for that one fine mare of yours nancy will I 1 hope stay at home whither she and her brother have gone with furloughs furroughs she began her knitting with a sober and determined look adding she Is a rich mans daughter and thoroughly spoiled A rag ing doll would be of more use in the hospital she la is an all idler dreaming of love and confectionery ti tl onery she gave her yarn a violent pull often I 1 haie hae thought of that robber on the road he ha said with a smile she looked into the young mans cios and laughed saying the robber was arrested I 1 reek reckon on you know why no stop dont lie ile to me slie she answered with a smile now go on to your work colln colin made his report to the chief who considerately said you are weary with hard riding you shall have the day for rest the young man found his friend amos farnsworth sitting in front of his lodge with lit ills men cleaning arms they shook hands with the drooping took look of a sick dog amos called colln colin aside alas I 1 he exclaimed 1 I aint a beelin awful healthy nis ills voice trembled a little the trouble satan has floored me ne he Is in my hone bone an marrer im mired in sin which my hope Is in the everl everlasting astin arms amos was aldays frank as to ills his spiritual condition but curiously tic he would never quite admit his physical ills to say that he was not feeling awful healthy was goins going far for him colln colin smiled saying baying in tills this case I 1 think that medicine would he boter than prayer ill send you the address of a good physic physician lan the guns were hauled to the ships tents and stores were baked and loaded on heavy wagons guns guna and bayonets were polished the bugles sounded and the army began its march ahead the hills shone with its weapons glistening in the sunlight everywhere in the line the suck of mud the splash of black water the shouts of the sound of iron tires slamming over rocks it was a slow toilsome journey with many halts the roads rough at best thawed by train rain were here and there a mire of mud riding a c ditch coach became a contest of endurance conversation was limited to exclamations A aa the day wore on the young man discovered in the good woman of virginia an unsuspected capacity tor for self expression lie ile wrote to a friend that her opinion of new england was distinctly unfavorable one incident of the journey throws a light on the human quality of the commander in chief lie he was a splendid figure sitting on his white charger at the head of the troops As they were passing through a large town with bands playing in the line and the crowd cheering on either cither side of the way he saw a little girl run out in front of his horse and march along with a small banner trailing from her shoulder the child amused him and he ordered a halt while a man obeying his reque request qt put her on the saddle in front of the general she rode with him to the tavern where the staff had their dinner and the men broke ranks tor for rest and refreshment A trooper rode back with the child to find her parents the arroy army arrived in new york on I 1 the fourteenth of april much of the baggage and all sick and footsore men had been shipped by boat from points along the shore road the force had been weakened by detachments sent to canada the stores were low and there was great need of tents and clothing two thousand of the men in III line were without arms the first act of general washington w was as a requisition on new york connecticut and new jersey for thirteen thousand five hundred militia they came pouring in by the thousand strong patriotic men of little training and no experience in the bloody give and take of battle strong detachments under generals putnam and sullivan were posted on a forti fortified fled line in brooklyn from east aher to gowans cowans coe behind a range of wooded hills A line of defense was established from new rochelle to east westchester in these positions the training of raw recruits began A little above its busl business ness section york island was then a place of fruitful fields and gardens with many white houses on either side of the rough road going north colin notes in his diary that he entered a billiard room one evening and saw two colonels playing in their socks one of whom was wai often saying d n my eyes the incoming host had given to the thriving island town an atmosphere of wild rusticity colonel cabets regiment was encamped near the tea water pump above the city hall put to the task of securing lead they overturned the statue of king george III on the battery in which they found a large quantity of the desired metal they took more from the roots roofs of many profane friends of the king new york being a hotbed of loyall sm shouting officers were in every open space busy with the training there was little time for this task colln colin was engaged with squads of militia when he was summoned to report to general washington for special duty there had been secret advice of a loyalist plot to kidnap the commander in chief for a time the sturdy young man was put to work at general headquarters then at ISO pearl street A strong guard of picked men was soon on duty in and around the place captain farnsworth and some of his best troopers surrounded the chief when he traveled such briefly was the posture of things on and around york island before the british arrived the day after colln colin began his work at headquarters many of the best people on the island came to drink tea with general and mrs washington at this function the young man met a arod crowd of ladles and gentlemen whose names he could not remember the next day he received a polite letter from the baroness de mother of a general in the british army who lived in the fashionable section of pearl street inciting him to supper at eight on a near leae date lie showed tills this to tile the commander in chief who said 1 I wonder a little at tills this her son Is an officer in the british army she Is a leader of the loyalist women in this city she Is rich respected and influential she has eaten the lings salt I 1 think that I 1 would accept tile invitation they know that you are close to me and what their purpose may be we can only imagine she may have something to say that will interest us the night of the supper mrs washington missed tile the young man dian who was wout wont to go to their room at el ellit eight lit for beer cheese toasted awad bread and cold meat the general told his wife of the invitation vi good bood landl she exclaimed 1 I hope that you advised him not to go no I 1 him to go oh you metal men I 1 mark my word its a plot of some soine kind the great man was only amused by the suspicion of his wire wife who was often warning him of imagined dan gers 1 I happen to know that the baroness Is a sister of mrs woodbridge sa said d bridy washington it if Is a creditable circenis cir circumstance cunis it ance 11 anil I 1 think that I 1 can sec the cunning ning hand of nancy in all this said bald mrs lira washington mrs as ithe left the room at that house colln colin la in his bis best uniform had already rung the bell at the front door of the Bl edesel mansion and been admitted by the smart english butler in livery the baroness Earo nesa de Rl edesel a handsome woman about fifty years of age richly go gowned Nned sat waiting for him in a parlor she recoiled the young man graciously saying baying you are kind to come to our little supper party there will be three of us and one whom I 1 think you will be surprised and pleased to meet again you are generous said colln colin with a smile you honor me with an invitation vi to your home and you add to it the delight of a mystery forgive me it if I 1 hold you in suspense it a moment I 1 am sure that it la Is one whom you will be glad to see A vision of pat came to him had she somehow got to new york my curiosity Is so piqued that more delay would be cruel he said what a blessing Is youth I 1 the baroness exclaimed as she drew a velvet portiere behind which nancy woodbridge had bad been concealed beauty Is the greatest blessing of youth colin answered as he looked at her nancy stood smiling in a gown 0 of f blue silk cunningly fashioned to display her charms A heavy chain of old wrought gold hung upon her neck there was enchantment in the look of her ile he could not help fee feeling I 1 it the gallant young colonel was in the |