| Show the 10 astae r bopf chao by irvins irvi ng bacheller copyright 1932 by service CHAPTER VIII continued 12 to avoid a recurrence of the quarrel and the hero worshipers who were now dow thronging in colln colin left the room and went to his bed above stairs lie he had bad found new light on the delays in congress A faction hostile to the commander in chief was evidently trying to discourage him and force his big resignation or create a popular demand for it the young ninn man had a prevision of a long ion and difficult struggle ahead against two enemies a determined ter mined foe and a divided people ne he went to sleep afflicted with thoughts and regrets as dark as the gloom that covered him the next morning at daylight he was on his big way to new london meanwhile a bit of curious weaving on the fabric of our history was being done in cambridge that morning of 10 ians departure lady washington 1 in her working grisette waited tor for nancy in the library the young indy Y breezed in as innocently ns as the soft oft mouth wind coming through the open windows and embraced the good woman my dear I 1 was worried said mrs washington an hour ago I 1 heard of that robber on the west road so I 1 tent sent a fast rider to ind find you thanks you are like a dear mother to me mrs washington smiled her needles were working rapidly as she said laid my child I 1 have never known a girl so much in need of a mother while you are here I 1 am going to look titter after you lou ion are a foolish child life Is not all confectionery you must forget your beauty and put on plain clothes and go to work or go home this Is no place for play nancy smiled she was wont to smile mile at all the ley icy precepts she felt a sense of relief when mrs xa washington arose and bade her so go to her tasks josiah stark who had been one of the most skillful and trusted men in the secret service of washington was then in the hospital ile he had received a slight wound in making his return to the army nancy woodbridge had won his heart lie he had told 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 hers here with my brother we have both enlisted he Is in the army and I 1 am la 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 we went out to look at the stars and cool oft 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 men my dear I 1 think that you should hould try to be as happy as he Is I 1 wonder 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 T no we will marry but let us not be deceived by the notion that a man can be an angel my dear does this letter give you pain I 1 write it because I 1 think it better that your heart should ache a little now than be broken later 1 I am sending this to british army headquarters in care of general howe it will be mailed somewhere in canada this Is from 4 your devoted friend nancy A few days later the rugged young josiah stark set out for fort ticonderoga with nancys letter in one of his saddle bags the girl had praised and flattered him tor for no other reason than her need of his help ne ile had traded horses with young israel sapp who had bad pome come down from skenes borough to the army on colins solicitation in the last autumn ne he had ridden a tireless black gelding which he had bad bought from mrs bowlby stark needed a tough horse us used d to mountain travel the one he be owned was worn so he gave sapp a horse and a good sum of money tor for the gelding one day in northern massachusetts stark dismounted to enter a store for food As had been his custom he be left the horse standing in front of the tore store ne ile 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 Bowl bys bya stable that night might awakened by his tramping and whinnying around the house she irose arose lighted her lantern and went out ont ot of doors where she found the rider lets less 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 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 written to tier her friend in canada she was naturally astonished by bj its it contents for or she remembered vividly the young man to whom it related and for whom she still entertained a feeling of gratitude and obligation she put the letter in another envelope re addressed it and returned it to its place in the saddle ha ba CHAPTER I 1 IX N the army moves and colonel cabot C bot feels the war the on the fifth of april colin r 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 congress lee was a tousled shabby looking englishman of high pretension and bad manners lie ile had lived for a time among the mo to hawks one of whose maidens became ills his wife a matter now forgotten lie he was tall and scrawny with restless eyes and a huge aquiline nose the resounding promises of this european castoff cast off made with a thumping fist alst his impassioned review of his own career lo in portugal and poland his claim that it had won the friendship of frederick the great had naturally impressed the sim bottles in congress ile he dealt in their kind of talk tali they knew that he be must be a great man they listened and crowned him with the highest honor in their gift and sent him to washington nis ills rank gave him some excuse for talking loudly ile fie was sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal there were two people at general headquarters who distrusted this man 1 10 I 1 ai I 1 N ifa N t lee was wa a tousled shabby looking englishman of high pretension and bad manners they were martha washington and colin cabot who had found it difficult to conceal their aversion while colln colin was waiting for the major general to finish his oration tile the lady washington came and beckoned to him he followed her to the library she had an indignant look that horrid danl man I 1 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 la is an honest well meaning man and let us hope a good soldier lie 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 bead the line we shall have a rider in the escort for that 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 la Is a rich mans daughter and thoroughly spoiled A rag doll would be of more use in the hospital she phe Is an idler dreaming of love and confectionery ti onery she gave her yarn a violent pull often I 1 have thought of that robber on the road he said with a smile she looked into the young mans eyes and laughed saying the roh rob her was arrested I 1 reckon you know why no stop dont lie to me 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 ilay day for rest the young man found hit hij friend amos farnsworth sitting nr in front of his lodge with his men cleaning arms they shook hands with the drooping look of a sick dog amos called colln colin aside alas I 1 he exclaimed 1 11 I aint a feelen awful healthy his voice trembled a little bats IN the trouble satan has floored me he Is in my bone an marrer im mired in sin which my hope Is in the arms amos was always frank as to his spiritual condition but curiously he would never quite admit his physical ills to say that he was not feeling awful healthy was going far for him colln colin smiled saying in this case I 1 think that medicine would be better thin than prayer ill send you the address of a good physician the guns were to the tents and stores were packed an loaded on heavy wagon cans and bayonets were polished the bugles sounded and the army began its march ahead the hills shone with Us its weapons gl 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 ove r rocks I 1 it was a slow toll toilsome some journey with many halts the roads rough at best thawed by rain were here and there a mire or of mud riding killing a coach became a contest of endurance con ersa tion was limited to exclamations As the day wore on the young man discovered in the good woman oman of virginia an unsuspected capacity for self expression ue he wrote to a friend that her opinion of new england was distinctly unfavorable one incident of the journey throws a light fight on the human quality of the commander in chief ile he was a splendid figure sitting on his white charger at the head of the troops As they were nere passing through a large town with hinds hands playing in the line anti and the crowd cheering on either side of the way lie he saw a little girl run atit in front of his bis horse and march along with a small banner trailing from her shoulder the child amused him and lie he ordered a halt while a man obeying his request put her on the he saddle in front of tile the general she rode with him to the tavern where the start staff had their dinner and the men broke ranks for rest and refreshment A trooper rode back with the child to t find tier her parents the army arrived in new york on 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 cl clothing othin two thousand of the men in line were without arms tile the first act of general washington was 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 anti and take of battle strong detachments under generals putnam and sullivan were posted on a fortified line in brooklyn from east river to gowans cove 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 business 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 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 en camped near the tea water pump above the city hall put to the task of securing lead they overturned the statue of king george ill III on the battery in which they found a large quantity of the desired metal they took more from the 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 or this task colin was engaged with squads of militia when he was summoned to report to general washington tor 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 pearl street A strong guard of picked men was soon on duty in and around the place captain farnsworth and some of hla 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 colin began his work at headquarters many of the best peo pie on the island came to drink tea with general and mrs washington at this function the young man met a crowd of ladles and gentlemen whose names he could not remember the next day he received a polite letter from the baroness I 1 a de Itle Iti edesel desel mother of a general in the lie british army who lived in the fashionable section or of pearl street inviting him to supper at eight on a near date lie flo showed this to the commander in chief who said 1 I wonder a little at this her son Is an officer in the british army she is a leader of the loyalist women in this city she Is rich re specter anti and influential she has eaten the hie kings salt I 1 think that I 1 would accept the 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 ing ton missed the young man who was wont to go to their room at eight for beer cheese toasted bread and cold meat the general told his wife of the in vi tation good laud land she exclaimed 1 I hope that you advised him not to go no I 1 advised him to go oh you meni mark my word its allot a plot of some kind the great man was only alx amused used by the suspicion of his wife who was often warning him of imagined dangers 1 I happen to know that the baroness Is a sister of mrs woodbridge said lady washington it Is a creditable circumstance and I 1 think that I 1 can see s ee the cunning hand of nancy bancy in all this said ald mrs mra washington tm irbe left the room at that house colin in hla his best uniform had already rung the bell at t the front door of the mansion and been admitted admi admitted tied by the smart eng ene fish butler in livery the baroness de edesel ni a handsome woman about fifty years of age richly gowned sat waiting tor for him in a parlor she received the young man graciously saying 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 in i tation to your home and you add to it the delight of a mystery forgive me it if I 1 hold you in suspense a moment I 1 am sure that it Is one 13 ham 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 1 the baroness exclaimed as she drew a velvet portiere behind which nancy woodbridge had been concealed beauty Ite auty Is the greatest blessing of youth colin answered as he looked at her nancy stood smiling in a gown of blue silk cunningly fashioned to ills display her charms A heavy chain of old wrought got gold hung upon her neck there was enchantment in the look of her lie could not help feeling it the gallant young colonel was in the midst of a curious comedy in which his part was made tor for him at first amazed he knew not quite what to do nancy tripped toward him saying you dear old thing 1 I |
