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6
Alice of Old Vincennes
T C yftHH
/
^lice of Old F'mcennes
I
BY
Maurice Thompson
ILLUSTRATIONS BY
F.C.YOHN
TORONTO
WILLIAM BRIGGS
PUBLISHER
"^^2027
R23
174077
i I
Entered at Stationers' Hall, London.
Printed by
Bnonwortta, Munn ft Barber,
Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S. A.
To M. PLACIDE VALCOUR
M. D., Pb. Z)., LL. D.
My Dear Dr. Valcour : You gave me the inspiration which
made this story haunt me until I wrote it. Gaspard Roussillon's
letter, a mildewed relic of the year 1788, which you so kindly
permitted me to copy, as far as it remained legible, was the point
from which my imagination, accompanied by my curiosity, set
out upon a long and delightful quest. You laughed at me when
I became enthusiastic regarding the possible historical importance
of that ancient and, alas ! fragmentary epistle ; but the old saying
about the beatitude of him whose cachinations are latest comes
handy to me just no v, and I must remind you that «• I told you
so." True enough, it was history pure and simple that I had
in mind while enjoying the large hospitality of your gulf-side
home. Gaspard Roussillon's letter then appealed to my greed
for materials which would help along the making of my little
book "The Story of Louisiana." Later, however, as my fre-
quent calls upon you for both documents and suggestions have
Informed you, I fell to strunmung a different guitar. And now
to you I dedicate this historical romance of old Vincennes, as a
very appropriate, however slight, recognition of your scholarly
attainments, your distinguished career in a noble profession, and
your descent from one of the earliest French families (if not the
very earliest) long resident at that strange little post on the
Wabash, now one of the most beautiful cities between the great
river and the ocean.
Following, ^vith ever tantalized expectancy, the broken and
breezy hints in the Roussillon letter, I pursued a will-o'-the-wisp
here, there, yonder, until by slowly arriving increments I gath'
ered up a large amount of valuable facts, which when I came to
compare them with the history of Clark's conquest of the Wa-
bash Valley, fitted amazingly well into certain spaces heretofore
left open in that important yet sadly imperfect record.
You will find that I was not so wrong in suspecting that Emile
Jazon, mentioned in the RoussiUon letter, was a brother of Jean
Jazon and a famous scout in the rime of Boone and Clark. He
was, therefore, a kinsman of yours on the maternal side and I
congratulate you. Another thing may please you, the success
which attended my long and parient research with a view to
cleanng up the connection between Alice RoussiUon's romantic
life, as brokenly sketched in M. RoussiUon's letter, and the cap-
ture of Vincennes by Colonel George Rogers Clark.
Accept, then, this book, which to those who care only for
history wiU seem but an idle romance, while to the lovers of
romance it may look strangely like the mustiest history. In my
mmd, and in yours I hope, it will always be connected with a
breezy summer-house on a headland of die Louisiana gulf coast
the rusthng of palmetto leaves, the fine flash of roses, a tumult
of mocking-bird voices, the soft lilt of creoIe patois, and the end-
less dash and roar of a fragrant sea over which the gulls and
pelicans never ceased their flight, and beside which you smoked
while I dreamed.
7«/^, 1900. ^^''"" Thompson.
Contents
Under the Cherry Tn
A Letter from Alar
n
in
The Rape of the Demijohn
IV
The First Mayor of Vincennes
V
Father Gibault
VI
A Fencing Bout
VII
The Mayor's Party
VIII
The Dilemma of Captain Helm
IX
The Honors of War
X
M. Roussillon Entertains Colonel Hamilton
XI
A Sword and a Horse Pistol
17
34
49
68
86
104
122
143
163
183
!i|'
Contents
XII
Manon Lescant. and a Rapier-Thrust
XIII
A Meeting in the Wilderness
A Prisoner of Love
Virtue in a Locket
XIV
XV
XVI
Father Beret's Old Battle
XVII
A March through Cold Water
A Duel by Moonlight
The Attack
Alice's Flag
XVIII
XIX
XX
XXI
Some Transactions in Scalps
XXII
Clark Advises Alice
XXIII
And So It Ended
203
223
245
263
280
302
320
339
359
380
402
417
203
223
245
263
28o
302
320
339
359
380
402
417
Alice of Old Vincennes
I i i
ALICE OF OLD VINCENNES
CHAPTER I
UNDER THE CHERRY TREE ^-
Up to the days of Indiana's early statehood, probably
as late as 1825, there stood, in what is now the beau-
tiful little city of Vincennes on the Wabash, the decay-
ing remnant of an old and curiously gnarled cherry
tree, known as the Roussillon tree, le cerisier de Mon-
sieur Roussillon, as the French inhabitants called it,
which as long as it lived bore fruit remarkable for
richness of flavor and peculiar dark ruby depth of
color. The exact spot where this noble old seedling
from la belle France flourished, declined, and died can-
not be certainly pointed out; for in the rapid and
happy growth of Vincennes many land-marks once
notable, among them le cerisier de Monsieur Roussillon,
have been destroyed and the spots where they stood,
once familiar to every eye in old Vincennes, are now
lost in the pleasant confusion of the new town.
The security of certain land titles may have largely
depended upon the disappearance of old, fixed objects
here and there. Early records were loosely kept, in-
deed, scarcely kept at all; many were destroyed by
designing land speculators, while those most carefully
preserved often failed to give even a shadowy trace
of the actual bo'^ndaries of the estates held thereby;
Alice of Old Vincennes
:i in
!
SO that the position of a house or tree not infrequently
settled an important question of property rights left
open by a primitive deed. At all events the Roussillon
cherry tree disappeared long ago, nobody living knows
how, and with it also vanished, quite as mysteriously,
all traces of the once important Roussillon estate. Not
a record of the name even can be found, it is said,
in church or county books.
The old, twisted, gum-embossed cherry tree sur-
vived every other distinguishing feature of what was
once the most picturesque and romantic place in Vin-
cennes. Just north of it stood, in the early French
days, a low, rambling cabin surrounded by r'lde ve-
randas overgrown with grapevines. This was the
Roussillon place, the most pretentious home in all the
Wabash country. Its owner was Gaspard Roussillon,
a successful trader with the Indians. He was rich,
for the time and the place, influential to a degree, a
man of some education, who had brought with him to
the wilderness a bundle of books and a taste for read-
ing.
From faded letters and dimly remembered talk of
those who once clung fondly to the legends and tra-
ditions of old Vincennes, it is drawn that the Rous-
sillon cherry tree stood not very far away from the
present site of the Catholic church, on a slight swell
of ground overlooking a wide marshy flat and the sil-
ver current of the Wabash. If the tree grew there,
then there too stood the Roussillon house with its cosy
log rooms, its clay-daubed chimneys and its grape-
vine-mantled verandas, while some distance away and
Under the Cherry Tree
nearer the river the rude fort with its huddled
officers' quarters seemed to fling out over the wild land-
scape, through its squinting and lopsided port-holes,
a gaze of stubborn defiance.
Not far off was the little log church, where one good
Father Beret, or as named by the Indians, who all
loved him. Father Blackrobe, performed the services
of his sacred calling; and scattered all around were
the cabms of traders, soldiers and woodsmen forming
a queer little town, the like of which cannot now be
seen anywhere on the earth.
It is not known just when Vincennes was first
founded; but most historians make the probable date
very early in the eighteenth century, somewhere be-
tween 1710 and 1730. In 1810 the Roussillon cherry
tree was thought by a distinguished botanical letter-
writer to be at least fifty years old, which would make
the date of its planting about 1760. Certainly as
shown by the time-stained family records upon which
this story of ours is based, it was a flourishing and
wide-topped tree in early summer of 1778, its branches
loaded to drooping with luscious fruit. So low did the
dark red chisters hang at one point that a tall young
girl standing on the ground easily reached the best
ones and made her lips purple with. their juice while
she ate them.
That was long ago, measured by what has come to
pass on the gentle swell of rich country from which
Vincennes overlooks the Wabash. The new town
flourishes notably and its appearance marks the latest
limit of progress. Electric cars in its streets, electric
IP '
i
4 Alice of Old Vincennes
lights in its beautiful -es, the roar of railway trains
coming and going in ail directions, bicycles whirling
hither and thither, the most fashionable styles of
equipages, from brougham to pony-phaeton, make the
days of flint-lock guns and buckskin trousers seem
ages down the past; and yet we are looking back
over but a little more than a hundred and twenty years
to see Alice Roussillon standing under the cherry tree
and holding high a tempting cluster of fruit, while a
very short, hump-backed youth looks up with longing
eyes and vainly reaches for it. The tableau is not
merely rustic, it is primitive.
"Jump!" the girl is saying in French, "jump, Jean;
jump high 1"
Yes, that was very long ago, in the days when wo-
men lightly braved what the strongest men would
shrink from now.
Alice Roussillon was tall, lithe, strongly knit, with an
almost perfect figure, judging by what the master
sculptors carved for the form of Venus, and her face
was comely and winning, if not absolutely beautiful;
but the time and the place were vigorously indicated
by her dress, which was of coarse stuff and simply de-
siped. Plainly she was a child of the American
wilderness, a daughter of old Vincennes on the Wa-
bash in the time that tried men's souls.
"Jump, Jean!" she cried, her face laughing with a
show of cheek-dimples, an arching of finely sketched
brows and the twinkling of large blue-gray eyes.
"Jump high and get them !"
While she waved her sun-browned hand holding
Under the Cherry Tree 5
the cherries aloft, the breeze blowing fresh from the
southwest tossed her hair so that some loose strands
shone like rimpled flames.
The sturdy little hunchback did leap with surprising
activity ; but the treacherous brown hand went higher,
so high that the combined altitude of his jump and the
reach of his unnaturally long arms was overcome.
Again and again he sprang vainly into the air com-
ically, like a long-legged, squat-bodicj frog.
"And you brag of your agility and strength, Jean,"
she laughingly remarked; "but you can't take cherries
when they are offered to you. What a clumsy bungler
you are."
"I can climb and get some," he said with a hideously
happy grin, and immediately embraced the bole of the
tree, up which he began scrambling almost as fast as a
squirrel.
When he had mounted high enough to be extending
a hand for a hold on a crotch, Alice grasped his leg
near the foot and pulled him down, despite his clinging
and struggling, until his hands clawed in the soft earth
at the tree's root, while she held his captive leg almost
vertically erect.
It was a show of great strength; but Alice looked
quite unconscious of it, laughing merrily, the dimples
deer>ening in her plump cheeks, her forearm, now
barea to the elbow, gleaming white and shapely while
its muscles rippled on account of the jerking and kick-
ing of Jean.
All the time she was holding the cherries high in
her other hand, shaking them by the twig to which
Alice of Old Vincennes
'
I !
their slender stems attached them, and saying in a
sweetly tantalizing tone :
"What makes you climb downward after cherries,
Jean? What a foolish fellow you are, indeed, trying
to grabble cherries out of the ground, as you do po-
tatoes! I'm sure I didn't suppose that you knew so
little as that."
Her French was colloquial, but quite good, showing
here and there what we often notice in the speech of
tho:e who have been educated in isolated places far
from that babel of polite energies which we call the
world ; something that may be described as a bookish
cast appearing oddly in the midst of phrasing dis-
tinctly rustic and local, — a peculiarity not easy to
transfer from one language to another.
Jean the hunchback was a muscular little deformity
and a wonder of good nature. His head looked un-
naturally large, nestling grotesquely between the points
of his lifted and distorted shoulders, like a shaggy
black animal in the fork of a broken tree. He was
bellicose in his amiable way and never knew just when
to acknowledge defeat. How long he might have kept
up the hopeless struggle with the girl's invincible grip
would be hard to guess. His release was caused by
the approach of a third person, who wore the robe
of a Catholic priest and the countenance of a man who
had lived and suffered a long time without much loss
of physical strength and endurance.
This was Pere Beret, grizzly, short, compact, his
face deeply lined, his mouth decidedly aslant on ac-
count of some lost teeth, and his eyes set deep under
Under the Cherry Tree
lying in a
r cherries,
led, trying
rou do po-
ll knew so
1, showing
speech of
places far
ve call the
a bookish
asing dis-
it easy to
deformity
ooked un-
the points
a shaggy
He was
just when
have kept
icible grip
caused by
I the robe
man who
much loss
npact, his
mt on ac-
eep under
gray, shaggy brows. Looking at him when his features
were in repose a first impression might not have been
favorable ; but seeing him smile or hearing him speak
changed everything. His voice was sweetness itself
and his smile won you on the instant. Something like
a pervading sorrow always seemed to be close behind
his eyes and under his speech; yet he was a genial,
sometimes almost jolly, man, very prone to join in the
lighter amusements of his people.
"Children, children, my children," he called out as
he approached along a little pathway leading up from
the direction of the church, "what are you doing now?
Bah there, Alice, will you pull Jean's leg off?"
At first they did not hear him, they were so nearly
deafened by their own vocal discords.
"Why are you standing on your head with your feet
so high in air, Jean?" he added. "It's not a polite
attitude in the presence of a young lady. Are you a
pig, that you poke your nose in the dirt?"
Alice now turned her bright head and gave Pere
Beret a look of frank welcome, which at the same time
shot a beam of willful self-assertion.
"My daughter, are you trying to help Jean up the
tree feet foremost ?" the priest added, standing where
he had halted just outside of the straggling yard fence.
He had his hands on his hips and was quietly
chuckling at the scene before him, as one who, al-
though old, sympathized with the natural and harmless
sportiveness of young people and would as Hef as not
join in a prank or two.
"You see what I' loing, Father Beret," said Alice.
8
Alice of Old Vincennes
,11
*'I am preventing a great damage to you. You will
maybe lose a good many cherry pies and dumplings if
I let Jean go. He was climbing the tree to pilfer tlie
fruit; so I pulled him down, you understand."
*Ta, tal" exclaimed the good man, shaking his gray
head; "we must reason with the child. Let go his
leg, daughter, I will vouch for him ; eh, Jean ?"
Alice released the hunchback, then laughed gayly
and tossed the cluster of cherries into his hand, where-
upon he began munching them voraciously and talking
at the same time.
"I knew I could get them," he boasted ; "and see, I
have them now." He hopped around, looking like a
species of ill-formed monkey.
Pere Beret came and leaned on the low fence close
to Alice. She was almost as tall as he.
"The sun scorches to-day," he said, beginning to
mop his furrowed face with a red-flowered cotton
handkerchief; "and from the look of the sky yonder,"
pointing southward, "it is going to bring on a storm.
How is Madame Roussillon to-day?"
"She is complaining as she usually does when she
feels extremely well," said Alice ; "that's why I had
to take her place at the oven and bake pies. I got hot
and came out to catch a bit of this breeze. Oh, but
you needn't smile and look greedy, Pere Beret, the pies
are not for your teeth!"
"My daughter, I am not a glutton, I hope; I had
meat not two hours since— some broiled young squir-
rels with cress, sent me by Rene de Renville. He
never forgets his old father."
Under the Cherry Tree 9
"Oh, I never forget you cither, mon phc; I thought
of you to-day every time I spread a crust and filled it
with cherries; and when I took out a pie all brown
and hot, the red juice bubbling out of it so good
smelling and tempting, do you know what I said to
myself?"
"How could I know, my child ?"
"Well, I thought this : 'Not a single bite of that
pie does Father Beret get.* "
"Why so, daughter?"
"Because you said it was bad of me to read novels
and told Mother Roussillon to hide them from me.
I've had any amount of trouble about it."
"Ta, ta! read the good books that I gave you.
They will soon kill the taste for these silly romances."
"I tried," said Alice; "I tried very hard, and it's
no use ; your books are dull and stupidly heavy. What
do I care about something that a queer lot of saints did
hundreds of years ago in times of plague and famine?
Saints must have been poky people, and it is poky peo-
ple who care to read about them, I think. I like read-
ing about brave, heroic men and beautiful women, and
war and love."
Pere Beret looked away with a curious expression
in his face, his eyes half closed.
"And I'll tell you now. Father Beret," Alice went
on after a pause, "no more claret and pies do you get
until I can have my own sort of books back again to
read as I please." She stamped her moccasin-shod
foot with decided energ)'.
The good priest broke into a hearty laugh, and tak-
10
Alice f)f Old Vincennes
ing oflf his caf of grass-straw mechanically scratched
his bald head. He looked at the tall, strong girl before
him for a moment or two, and it would have been hard
for the best physiognomist to decide just how much
of approval and how much of disapproval that look
really signified.
Although, as Father Beret had said, the sun's heat
was violent, causing that gentle soul to pass his
bundled handkerchief with a wiping circular motion
over his bald and bedewed pate, the wind was mo-
mently freshening, while up from behind the trees on
the horizon beyond the river, a cloud was rising blue-
black, tumbled, and grim against the sky.
"Well," said tlie priest, evidently trying hard to ex-
change his laugh for a look of regretful resignation,
"you will have your own way, my child, and "
"Then you will have pies galore and no end of
claret !" she interrupted, at the same time stepping to
the withe-tied and peg-latched gate of the yard and
opening it. "Come in, you dear, good Father, before
the rain shall begin, and sit with me on the gallery"
(the Creole word for veranda) "tui tiic siorm is o^er."
Father Beret seemed not loa-v to enter, albeit he
offered a weak protest against delaying some task he
had in hand. Alice reached forth and pulled him in,
then reclosed the queer little gate and pegged it. She
ca'-er.singly passed her arm through his and looked into
ms weatbf r-stained old face with childlike affection.
There was not a photographer's camera to be had in
those days ; but what if a tourist with one in hand could
have been there to take a snapshot at the priest and
scratched
firl before
been hard
low much
that look
;un's iieat
pass his
ir motion
was mo-
; trees on
ing blue-
rd to ex-
lignation,
J "
) end of
jpping to
^ard and
r, before
gallery"
is o^er."
ilbeit he
: task he
1 him in,
it. She
>ked into
ction.
>e had in
lid could
iest and
§■
1,1,
The gowned priest, the fresh-faced and coarsely-clad girl p. n.
Under the Cherry Tree
II
Ohn
p. II.
1
the maiden as they walked arm in arm to that squat
little veranda ! The picture to-day would be worth its
weight in a first-water diamond. It would include the
cabin, the cherry-tree, a glimpse of the raw,' wild back-
ground and a sharp portrait-group of Pere Beret, Alice,
and Jean the hunchback. To compare it with a photo-
graph of the same spot now would give a perfect im-
pression of the historic atmosphere, color and condi-
tions which cannot be set in words. But we must not
belittle the power of verbal description. What if a
thoroughly trained newspaper reporter had been given
the freedom of old Vincennes on the Wabash during
the first week of June, 1778, and we now had his printed
story ! What a supplement to the photographer's pic-
tures ! Well, we have neither photographs nor graphic
report ; yet there they are before us, the gowned and
straw-capped priest, the fresh-faced, coarsely-clad and
vigorous girl, the grotesque little hunchback, all just
as real as life itself. Each of us can see them, even with
closed eyes. Led by that wonderful guide. Imagina-
tion, we step back a century and more to look over a
scene at once strangely attractive and unspeakably
forlorn.
What was it that drew people away from the old
countries, from the cities, the villages and the vine-
yards of beautiful France, for example, to dwell in the
wilderness, amid wild beasts and wilder savage Indi- •
ans, with a rude cabin for a home and the exposures
and hardships of pioneer life for their daily experience ?
Men like Gaspard Roussillon are of a distinct stamp.
Take him as he was. Born in France, on the banks of
I
Bill
I iiii I
12 Alice of Old Vincennes
the Rhone near Avignon, he came as a youth to Canada
whence he drifted on the tide of adventure this way and
that, until at last he found himself, with a wife, at Post
Vincennes; that lonely picket of religion and trade
which was to become the center of civilizing energy
for the great Northwestern Territory. M. Roussillon
had no children of his own; so his kind heart opened
freely to two fatherless and motherless waifs These
were Alice, now called Alice Roussillon, and the hunch-
back, Jean. The former was twelve years old, wb<n he
adopted her, a child of Protestant parents, while Jean
had been taken, when a mere babe, after his parents
had been killed and scalped by Indians. Madame Rous-
sillon, a professed invalid, whose appetite never failed
and whose motherly kindness expressed itself most
often through strains of monotonous falsetto scolding
was a woman of little education and no refinement I
while her husband clung tenaciously to his love of
books, especially to the romances most in vogue when
he took leave of France.
M. Roussillon had been, in a way, Alice's teacher,
though not greatly inclined to abet Father Beret in his
kindly efforts to make a Catholic of the girl, and most
treacherously disposed toward the good priest in the
matter of his well-meant attempts to prevent her from
reading and re-reading the aforesaid romances. But
for many weeks past Gaspard Roussillon had been ab-
sent from home, looking after his trading schemes with
the Indians; and Pere Beret acting on the suggestion
of the proverb about the absent cat and the playing
mouse, had formed an alliance offensive and defensive
f ti
I to Canada,
lis way and
ife, at Post
and trade,
ing energy
Roussillon
art opened
fs. These
the hunch-
i, who!, he
Awhile Jean
is parents
ime Rous-
ver failed
self most
scolding,
finement ;
; love of
jue when
i teacher,
ret in his
ind most
St in the
fier from
es. But
been ab-
nes with
2^gestion
playing
efensive
Under the Cherry Tree 13
with Madahie Roussillon, in which it was strictly stip-
ulated that all novels and romances were to be forcibly
taken and securely hidden away from Mademoiselle
Ahce; which, to the best of Madame Roussillon's
ability, had accordingly been done.
Now, while the wind strengthened and the softly
booming summer shower came on apace, the heavy
cloud lifting as it advanced and showing under it the
dark gray sheet of the rain, Pere Beret and Alice sat
under the clapboard roof behind the vines of the ve-
randa and discussed, what was generally uppermost in
the priest's mind upon such occasions, the good of
Alice's immortal soul,--a subject not absorbingly inter-
esting to her at any time.
It was a standing grief to the good old priest, this
strange perversity of the girl in the matter of religious
duty, as he saw it. True she had a faithful guardian
in Gaspard Roussillon; but, much as he had done to
aid the church's work in general, for he was always
vigorous and liberal, he could not be looked upon as a
very good Catholic ; and of course his influence was not
eflfective in the right direction. But then Pere Beret
saw no reason why, in due time and with patient work,
aided by Madame Roussillon and notwithstanding
Gaspard's treachery, he might not safely lead Alice,
whom he loved as a dear child, into the arms of the
Holy Church, to serve which faithfully, at all hazards
and in all places, was his highest aim.
"Ah, my child," he was saying, "you are a sweet,
good girl, after all, much better than you make your-
i
H Alice of Old Vincennes '
self out to be. Your duty will control you; you will
do it nobly at last, my child."
"True enough, Father Beret, true enough!" she re-
sponded, laughing, "your perception is most excellent,
which I will prove to you immediately."
She rose while speaking and went into the house.
"I'll return in a minute or two," she called back from
a region which Pere Beret well knew was that of the
pantry ; "don't get impatient and go away !"
Pere Beret laughed softly at the preposterous sug-
gestion that he would even dream of going out in the
rain, which was now roaring heavily on the loose board
roof, and miss a cut of cherry pie— a cherry pie of
Alice's making! And the Roussillon claret, too, was
always excellent. "Ah, child," he thought, "your old
Father is not going away."
She presently returned, bearing on a wooden tray a
ruby-stained pie and a short, stout bottle flanked by
two glasses.
"Of course I'm better than I sometimes appear to
be," she said, almost humbly, but with mischief still in
her voice and eyes, "and I shall get to be very good
when I have grown old. The sweetness of my present
nature is in this pie."
She set the tray on a three-legged stool which she
pushed close to him.
"There now," she said, "let the rain come, you'll be
happy, rain or shine, while the pie and wine last, I'll
be bound."
Pere Beret fell to eating right heartily, meantime
handing Jean a liberal piece of the luscious pie.
les
you; you will
Ugh !" she re-
lost excellent,
the house,
led back from
is that of the
iy!"
)sterous sug-
ig out in the
e loose board
herry pie of
ret, too, was
It, "your old
ooden tray a
i flanked by
;s appear to
chief still in
- very good
my present
1 which she
le, you'll be
ne last, I'll
, meantime
pie.
Under the Cherry Tree " 15
"It is good, my daughttr, very good, indeed," the
priest remarked with his mouth full. "Madame Rous-
sillon has not neglected your culinary education." Alice
filled a glass for him. It was Bordeaux and very fra-
grant. The bouquet reminded him of his sunny boy-
hood in France, of his journey up to Paris and of his
careless, joy-brimmed youth in the gay city. How far
away, how misty, yet how thrillingly sweet it all was!
He sat with half closed eyes awhile, sipping and dream-
ing.
The rain lasted nearly two hours; but the sun was
out again when Pere Beret took leave of his young
friend. They had been having another good-natured
quarrel over the novels, and Madame Roussillon had
come out on the veranda to join in.
"I've hidden every book of them," said Madame, a
stout and swarthy woman whose pearl-white teeth were
her only mark of beauty. Her voice indicated great
stubbornness.
"Good, good, you have done your very duty, Ma-
dame," said Pere Beret, with immense approval in his
charming voice.
"But, Father, you said awhile ago that I should have
my own way about this," Alice spoke up with spirit;
"and on the strength of that remarK of yours I gave
you the pie and wine. You've eaten my pie and swigged
the wine, and now — "
Pere Beret put on his straw cap, adjusting it care-
fully over the shining dome out of which had come so
many thoughts of wisdom, kindness and human sym-
i6
Alice of Old Vincennes
pathy. This done, he gently laid a hand on Alice's
bright crown of hair and said :
"Bless you, my child. I will pray to the Prince of
Peace for you as long as I live, and I will never cease
to beg the Holy Virgin to intercede for you and lead
you to the Holy Church."
He turned and went away ; but when he was no far-
ther than the gate, Alice called out :
"O Father Beret, I forgot to show you something!"
She ran forth to him and added in a low tone:
"You know that Madame Roussillon has hidden all
the novels from me."
She was fumbling to get something out of the loose
front of her dress.
"Well, just take a glance at this, will you?" and she
showed him a little leather bound volume, much
cracked along the hinges of the back.
It was Manon Lescaut, that dreadful romance by the
famous Abbe Prevost.
Pere Beret frowned and went his way shaking his
head; but before he reached his little hut near the
church he was laughing in spite of himself.
"She's not so bad, not so bad," he thought aloud,
"it's only her young, independent spirit taking the bit
for a wild run. In her sweet soul she is as good as she
is pure/'
M
id on Alice's
he Prince of
I never cease
^ou and lead
: was no far-
something !"
tone:
IS hidden all
of the loose
J ?" and she
ume, much
lance by the
shaking his
It near the
ight aloud,
:ing the bit
j^ood as she
CHAPTER II
A LETTER FROM AFAR
Although Father Beret was for many years a mis-
sionary on the Wabash, most of the time at Vincennes,
the fact that no mention of him can be found in the rec-
ords is not stranger than many other things connected
with the old town's history. He was, like nearly all the
men of his calling in that day, a self-effacing and mod-
est hero, apparently quite unaware that he deserved at-
tention. He and Father Gibault, whose name is so
beautifully and nobly connected with the stirring
achievements of Colonel George Rogers Clark, were
close friends and often companions. Probably Father
Gibault himself, whose fame will never fade, would
have been to-day as obscure as Father Beret, but for
the opportunity given him by Clark to fix his name in
the list of heroic patriots who assisted in winning the
great Northwest from the English.
Vincennes, even in the earliest days of its history,
somehow kept up communication and, considering the
circumstances, close relations with New Orleans. It
was much nearer Detroit; but the Louisiana colony
stood next to France in the imagination and longing
of priests, voyageurs, coureurs de hois and reckless
adventurers who had Latin blood in their veins. Father
Beret first came to Vincennes from New Orleans, the
voyage up the Mississippi, Ohio, and Wabash, in a
pirogue, lasting through a whole summer and far into
17
i8
Alice of Old Vincennes
Ml
& I
the autumn. Since his arrival the post had experienced
many vicissitudes, and at the time in which our story
opens the British government claimed right of domin-
ion over the great territory drained by the Wabash,
and, indeed, over a large, indefinitely outlined part of
the North American continent lying above Mexico;
a claim just then being vigorously questioned, flint-
lock in hand, by the Anglo-American colonies.
Of course the handful of French people at Vin-
cennes, so far away from every center of information,
and wholly occupied with their trading, trapping and
missionary work, were late finding out that war existed
between England and her colonies. Nor did it' really
matter much with them, one way or another. They
felt secure in their lonely situation, and so went on
selling, their trl.Kets, weapons, domestic implements,
blankets and intoxicating liquors to the Indians, whom'
they held bound to them with a power never possessed
by any other white dwellers in the wilderness. Father
Beret was probably subordinate to Father Gibault. At
all events the latter appears to have had nominal charge
of Vincennes, and it can scarcely be doubted that he
left Father Beret on the Wabash, while he went to live
and labor for a time at Kaskaskia beyond the plains of '
Illinois.
It is a curious fact that religion and the power of
rum and brandy worked together successfully for a
long time in giving the French posts almost absolute
influence over the wild and savage men by whom
they were always surrounded. The good priests dep-
recated the traffic in liquors and tried hard to control
A Letter from Afar ig
it, but soldiers of fortune and reckless traders were in
the majority, their interests taking precedence of all
spiritual demands and carrying everything along.
What could the brave missionaries do but make the
very best of a perilous situation ?
In those days wine was drunk by almost everybody,
its use at table and as an article of incidental refresh-
ment and social pleasure being practically universal ;
wherefore the steps of reform in the matter of intem-
perance were but rudimentary and in all places beset by
well-nigh insurmountable difficulties. In fact the exi-
gencies of frontier life demanded, perhaps, the very
stimulus which, -vhen over indulged m, caused so much
evil. Malaria loaded the air, and the most efficacious
drugs now at command were then undiscovered or
could not be had. intoxicants were the only popular
specific. Men drank to prevent contracting ague, drank
again, between rigors, to cure it, and yet again to brace
themselves during convalescence.
But if the effect of rum as a beverage had strong
allurement for the white man, it made an absolute slave
of the Indian, who never hesitated for a moment to
undertake any task, no matter how hard, bear any pri-
vation, even the most terrible, or brave any danger,
although it might demand reckless desperation, if in
the end a well filled bottle or jug appeared as his re-
ward.
Of course the traders did not overlook such a source
of power. Alcoholic liquor became their implement
of almost magical work in controlling the lives, labors,
and resources of the Indians. The priests with their
20
Alice of Old Vincennes
Hi
t
captivating story of the Cross had a large influence in
softening savage natures and averting many an awful
danger; but when everything else failed, rum always
came to the rescue of a threatened French post.
We need not wonder, then, when we are told that
Father Beret made no sign of distress or disapproval
upon being informed of the arrival of a boat loaded
with rum, brandy or gin. It was R-ne de Ronville
who brought the news, the same Reiie already men-
tioned as having given the priest a plate of squirrels.
He was sitting on the doorsill of Father Beret's hut,
when the old man reached it after his visit at the
Roussillon home, and held in his hand a letter which
he appeared proud to deliver.
"A batteau and seven men, with a cargo of liquor,
came during the rain," he said, rising and taking off
his curious cap, which, made of an animal's skin, had a
tail jauntily dangling from its crown-tip ; "and here is a
letter for you, Father. The batteau is from New Or-
leans. Eight men started with it ; but one went ashore
to hunt and was killed by an Indian."
Father Beret took the letter without apparent inter-
est and said :
"Thank you, my son, sit down again ; the door-log is
not wetter than the stools inside ; I will sit by you."
The wind had driven a flood of rain into the cabin
through the open door, and water twinkled in puddles
here and there on the floor's puncheons. They sat down
side by side, Father Beret fingering the letter in an ab-
sent-minded way.
es
; influence in
any an awful
rum always
post.
are told that
■ disapproval
boat loaded
de Ronville
Iready men-
of squirrels.
Beret's hut,
visit at the
letter which
iO of liquor,
i taking off
5 skin, had a
nd here is a
m New Or-
ient ashore
arent inter-
door-log is
)y you."
the cabin
in puddles
jy sat down
;r in an ab-
A Letter from Afar
21
"There'll be a jolly time of it to-night," Rene de
Ronville remarked, -a roaring time"
manTed '' ^°" ''' ^'"' ^^ -^" ^^^ P^^- de-
her^ W ■■' '"^" ^^"^ a" been dry
sand Th""" '""'' r '"°"' ='"'' -<= «^ ""-'y as
"Ah, the poor souls!" sighed Father Beret speaking
as one whose thoughts were wandering far awar '
addid '" """ '°" '"''''■ ^«'"-?" Rene
The priest started, turned the soiled square of paper
over m h.s hand, then thrust it inside his robe
It can wait," he said. Then, changing his voice-
he sq„,rrels you gave n,e were excellent, n,yTon
.^rndrKl^rar" °-^'" '--ed, faying
"Oh, I'm glad if I have pleased you. Father Beret
^r you are so kind to n,e always, and to everybody
When I kdled the squirrels I said to myself: 'Th'se at
young, ju.cy and tender. Father Beret must have these'
so I brought them along. " '
The young man rose to go; for he was somehow
read hs letter and would prefer to be left alone with
"■ „^^"' *^ P"^5t pulled him down again.
Stay a while," he said, "I have not had a talk v-ith
you for some time." <■- a taiK ^,itn
Rene looked a trifle uneasy.
22
Alice of Old Vincennes
■if
"You will not drink any to-night, my son," Father
Beret added. "You must not ; do you hear?"
The young man's eyes and mouth at once began to
have a sullen expression; evidently he was not pleased
and felt rebellious; but it was hard for him to resist
Father Beret, whom he loved, as did every soul in the
post. The priest's voice was sweet and gentle, yet
positive to a degree. Rene did not say a word.
"Promise mc that you will not taste liquor this
night," Father Beret went on, grasping the young
man's arm more firmly ; "promise me, my son, promise
me."
Still Rene was silent. The men did not look at each
other, but gazed away across the country beyond the
Wabash to where a glory from the western sun
flamed on the upper rim of a great cloud fragment
creeping along the horizon. Warm as the day had been,
a delicious coolness now began to temper the air ; for
the wind had shifted into the northwest. A meadow-
lark sang dreamingly in the wild grass of the low lands
hard by, over which two or three prairie hawks hov-
ered with wings that beat rapidly.
''Eh hien, I must go," said Rene presently, getting to
his feet nimbly and evading Father Beret's hand which
would have held him.
"Not to the river house, my son?" said the priest
appealingly.
"No, not there ; I have another letter ; one for M'sieu'
Roussillon ; it came by the boat too. I go to give it to
Madame Roussillon."
Rene de Ronville was a dark, weather-stained young
i I I,
A Letter from Afar
23
razor had probably never touched his faee and huihi
above iS I ' i T T'T'''"" ^"^''"S""' ''"'"= fi-'^ely
aoove h, ful -hpped, almost sensual mouth. He looked
" tn-: loTrn" """" ""' '" ""^ "^""^ reekone w h
'" 1 '""' °f '^°''''y sfength and will power
very amusing fellow " ^ •'''"' ^°" ''"°'^' '« ''
Rene brought forth the letter of which he
spoken and held it up before Father BereT'ste
Houfs£;::rrted.tnr7'^"^^^--^'-
-:.HatramnotS^otr^^=^;r:
Monsteur Roussillon is absent, you know," Father
Beret suggested. "But cherry nies arp ;,.=/ .
£ ."hi: r ''^ ^''^" ''- ^' H~n j itappf:^
know that there are some particularly delicious ones in
thepant,^ofMadameRoussillon.MademorelAi
gave me a ju.cy sample; but then I dare say you do no!
"tTr el :r "' ''' ''"'' "^ "- --^ I' would
interfere with your appetite; eh, my son?"
laui'.'"T '''°" ''"'°'" "'^^'"S his head and
'aughmg, and so wth his back to the priest he strode
i
mi
m
if'!
III!
24 Alice of Old Vincennes
away along the wet path leading to the RoussiUon
Father Beret gaeed after him, his face relaxing ,0
letter, but d.d not glance at it, simply holding it tightiv
gnpped m his sinewy right hand. Then hi! oldtel
^tared vacantly, as eyes do when their sight is cl!
back many, many years into the oast Ti,. • •
fr^«, k J / •' "'""""'"epast. 1 he missive was
from beyond the sea-he knew the handwriting-a
waft of the i5owers of Avignon seemed to rise out of it!
as if by the pressure of his grasp.
A stoop-shouldered, burly man went by, leading a
pair of goats, a kid following. He was m king haste
excitedly, keeping the goats at a lively trot.
waifeT^:;^;::.'"^''"''^ ''""-"' ^--"^■-<>
"Ah ah; his minJ is busy with the newly arrived
S : rat "7 °'r ^^'' ^^'"™"'^ '"^ -'"™
V T *°' *' "l"°^.-the poor man."
made'a t. '^'° *' '^""'^ superscription and
made a faltering move, as if to break the seal His
hands trembled violently, his face looked g^ay and
"Come on, you brutes," cried the receding man
jerking the thongs of skin by which he led the g^a"
Father Beret rose and turned into his damp little
hut, where the light was dim on the crucifix hanging
opposite the door against the day-daubed wall. It was
Side, a .helf for table and two or three wooden stools
A Letter from Afar 25
constituting the furniture, while the uneven puncheons
onhe floor wabbled and clattered under the priest's
An unopened letter is always a mysterious thing
We who receive three or four mails every day, scan
each httle paper square with a speculative eye. Most of
us know what sweet uncertainty hangs on the opening
of envelopes whose contents may be almost anything
except something important, and what a vague yet
dehcous thrill comes with the snip of the papefknife;
but If we be m a foreign land and long years absent
from home, then is a letter subtly powerful to move us,
even more before it is opened than after it is read
It had been many years since a letter from home
had come to Father Beret. The last, before the one now
m hand, had made him ill of nostalgia, fairly shaking
his .ron determination never to quit for a moment his
foLT',^r ! "i^ionary. Ever since that day he had
found .t harder to meet the many and stern demands
of a most difficult and exacting duty. Now the mere
touch of the paper in his hand gave him a sense of re-
turmng weakness, dissatisfaction, and longing The
home of his boyhood, the rushing of the Rhone, a seat
m a shady nook of the garden, Madeline, his sister,
prattlmg beside him, and his mother singing some-
where about the house-it all came back and went over
h.m and through him, making his heart sink strangely
while another voice, the sweetest ever heard-but she
was ineffable and her memorv a forhidr1»n f-ng-ra
Father Beret tottered across the forlorn little room
and knelt before the crucifix holding his clasped hands
WmilWi
III
I
fiiji
i
!»■
26 Alice of OJd Vincennes
high, the letter pressed between them. His hps moved
It would be unpardonable desecration to enter the
hamber of Father Berefs sou. and. look upln hi
sacred and secret trouble; nor must we even speculate
ZVa ff'"^"'^"- The good old man writhed and
wrestled before the cross for a long time, until at last
he seemed to receive the calmness and strength he
prayed for so fervently ; then he rose, tore the letter into
P-eces so small that not a word remained whole, and
squeezed them so firmly together that they were com-
pressed mto a tiny, solid ball, which he let fall through
a crack between the floor puncheons. After waiting
twen^ years for that letter, hungry as his heart was
he d,d not even open it when at last it arrived. He
would never know what message it bore. The link
between hm, and the old sweet days was broken for-
thTend ''"'" ^*''' ""''^ ''' '°"''' ''° ^'' ''°'^ '°
,.,^'7'"!,^ '' '"^ '" ■"' '^°°™='y. 'waning against
he .de. Was it a mere coincidence that the Ladow-
ark flew up ,ust then from its grass-tuft, and came to
the roof s comb overhead, where it lit with a light vet
aud.ble stroke of its feet and began fluting its fender
lonesome-sounding strain ? If Father Beret heard it he
w' r !'!r °^ '^~^"'°"; ^^^y hkely he was think-
mg about the cargo of liquor and how he could best
counteract its baleful influence. He looked toward the
nver house," as the inhabitants had named a large
shanty, which stood on a bluff of the Wabash not far
A Letter from Afar 27
from where the road-bridge at present crosses, and saw
men gathering there.
Meantime Rene de Ronville had delivered Madame
Roussillon's letter with due promptness. Of course
such a service demanded pie and claret. What still bet-
ter pleased him, Alice chose to be more amiable than
was usually her custom when he called. They sat to-
gether in the main room of the house where M Rous-
sillon kept his books, his curiosities of Indian manu-
facture collected here and there, and his surplus
firearms, swords, pistols, and knives, ranged not un-
pleasmgly around the walls.
Of course, along with the letter, Rene bore the news
so mteresting to himself, of the boat's tempting cargo
just discharged at the river house. Alice understood
her friend's danger-felt it in the intense enthusiasm
of his voice and manner. She had once seen the men
carousing on a similar occasion when she was but a
child, and the impression then made still remained in
her memory. Instinctively she resolved to hold Rene
by one means or another away from the river house if
possible. So she managed to keep him occupied eating
pie, sipping watered claret and chatting until night
came on and Madame Roussillon brought in a lamp
Then he hurridly snatched his cap from the floor beside
him and got up to go.
"Come and look at my handiwork," Alice quickly
said; "my shelf of pies, I mean." She led him to the
pantry, where a dozen or more of the cherry pates were
ranged in order. "I made every one of them this
morning and baked them ; had them all out of the oven
<ii i
ll'!h:
28 Alice of Old Vincennes
before the rain came up. Don't you think me a wonder
of cleverness and industry? Father Beret was poH e
enough to flatter tne; but yo„-you Just eat what you
want and say nothing! You are not polite, Monsieur
Rene de Ronville." "u»icur
"I've been showing you what I thought of your
good.es," saK. Rene; "eating's better tl,an talking.'^yo"
s>eii. isn t that compliment enough ?"
"A few such would make me another hot day's
work, she replied, laughing. "Pretty talk would be
cheaper and more satisfactory in the long run. Even
the flour m these pates I ground with my own hand in
an Indian mortar. That was hard work too "
By this time Rene had forgotten the river house and
the hquor With softening eyes he gazed at Alice's
rounded cheeks and sheeny hair over which the light
from the curious earthen lamp she bore in her hand
flickered most eflFectively. He loved her madly; but
his fear of her was more powerful than his love She
gave him no opportunity to speak what he felt, having
ever ready a quick, bright change of mood and manner
when she saw him plucking up courage to address her
m a sentimental way. Their relations had long been
somewhat familiar, which was but natural, considering
their youth and the circumstances of their daily life •
but Alice somehow had kept a certain distance open
between them, so that very warm friendship could not
suddenly resolve itself into a troublesome passion on
Rene's part.
We need not attempt to analyze a young girl's feel-
A Letter from Afar
29
.ng and motives in such a case ; what she does and what
she thinks are rnvstenVe »,,.„ * u
in? Th. ;J "y^t'^fes even to her own understand-
>"g. The mfluence most potent in shaping the rudi-
mentary character of Alice Tarleton (called Rousst
™:^ ""ZT ""' '' ' '°"^'^ ^-"erpost coi
generate. Her associations with men and women had
with few exceptions, been unprofitable in an eduL
tional way while her reading in M. Roussillon's lit«e
brary could not have given her any practical know !
edge of manners and life.
She was fond of Rene de Ronville, and it would have
been quite in accordance with the law of o Wy
uman forces indeed almost the inevitable thint fo^
her to love and marry him in the fullness of time but
Books had given her a world of romance wherein she
from those who actually shared her experiences Her
f wh^TheT?"."'^'''-'^^^"'^ P^"-'' --•^ --
of what she had read and imagined than of what she
had seen and heard in the raw little world around her
Her affection for Rene was interfered with by her
large admiration for the heroic, masterful and mag
net. knights who charged through the romances oHhe
Roussnlon collection. For although Rene was ungues!
tionably brave and more than passably handsome, he
bossed shr/' Tu ^I'L""""' "° ^"'"'"S '-- -<i em-
bossed shield-the difference, indeed, was great.
Those who love to contend against the fatal drift of
SonTsn' T^-''"-"- ~-'d find in Alice Tat
ieton, foster daughter of Gaspard Roussillon, a primi-
'il liliT
III! !
„ !i
H|i
ill
30
Alice of Old Vincennes
tive example, an elementary case in point. What could
her book education do but set up stumbling blocks in
the path of happiness ? She was learning to prefer the
ideal to the real. Her soul was developing itself as
best it could for the enjoyment of conditions and things
absolutely foreign to the possibilities of her lot in life.
Perhaps it was the light and heat of imagination,
shining out through Alice's face, which gave her
beauty such a fascinating power. Rene saw it and felt
its electrical stroke send a sweet shiver through his
heart, while he stood before her.
"You are very beautiful to-night, Alice," he presently
said, with a suddenness which took even her alertness
by surprise. A flush rose to his dark face and imme-
diately gave way to a grayish pallor. His heart came
near stopping on the instant, he was so shocked by his
own daring; but he laid a hand on her hair, stroking it
softly.
Just a moment she was at a loss, looking a trifle em-
barrassed, then with a merry laugh she stepped aside
and said:
"That sounds better. Monsieur Rene de Ronville,
much better; you will be as polite as Father Beret after
a little more training."
She slipped past him while speaking and made her
way back again to the main room, whence she called
to him:
"Come here, I've something to show you."
He obeyed, a sheepish trace on his countenance
betraying his scli-consciousness.
When he came near Alice she was taking from its
ill
What could
g blocks in
) prefer the
ig itself as
and things
' lot in life,
nagination,
gave her
' it and felt
hrough his
le presently
;r alertness
and imme-
heart came
:ked by his
stroking it
I trifle em-
pped aside
: Ronville,
Beret after
made her
she called
untenance
J from its
A Letter from Afar 31
buckhorn hook on the wall a rapier, one of a beautiful
pair hanging side by side.
"Papa Roussillon gave me these," she said with great
animation. "He bought them of an Indian who had
kept them a long time; where he came across them he
would not tell ; but look how beautiful I Did you ever
see anything so fine?"
Guard and hilt were of silver; the blade, although
somewhat corroded, still showed the fine wavy lines of
Damascus steel and traces of delicate engraving, while
in the end of the hilt was set a large oval turquoise.
^^ A very queer present to give a girl," said Rene;
what can you do with them ?"
A captivating flash of playfulness came into her face
and she sprang backward, giving the sword a semi-
circular turn with her wrist. The blade sent forth a
keen hiss as it cut the air close, very close to Rene's
nose. He jerked his head and flung up his hand.
She laughed merrily, standing beautifully poised be-
fore him, the rapier's point slightly elevated. Her
short skirt left her feet and ankles free to show their
graceful proportions and the perfect pose in which they
held her supple body.
"You see what I can do with the colechcmarde, eh.
Monsieur Rene de Ronville!" she exclaimed, giving
him a smile which fairly blinded him. "Notice how
very near to your neck I can thrust and yet not touch
It. Now !"
She darted the keen point under his chin and drew
It away so quickly that the stroke was like a glint of
sunlight.
NBiili I
'
M
iiii
32 Alice of Old Vincennes -
"What do you think of that as a nice and accurate
piece of skill ?" accurate
the^ lef^'" '"Tf ''' P"^'' '^^ ''^^' f^^ -^vanced,
the left arm well back, her lissome, finely developed
body leanmg slightly forward. ^
Rene's hands were up before his face in a defensive
position, palms outward. ueiensive
Just then a chorus of men's voices sounded in the
distance. The river house was beginning its carousal
with^a song. Ahce let fall her sword's point and lis-
Rene looked about for his cap.
"I must be going," he said.
rn^uT" T. 'r^^"' '"^'^ °^ '^' ''^^'' "'^de him
pirouette and dodge again with great energy
Don't," he cried, "that's dangerous; you'll put out
my eyes ; I never saw such a girl I"
She laughed at him and kept on whipping the air
dangerously near his eyes, until she had drfven him
backward as far as he could squeeze himself into a
comer of the room.
Madame Roussillon came to the door from the kitch-
en and stood looking in and laughing, with her hands
on her hips. By this time the rapier was making a
criss-cross pattern of flashing lines close to the young
man s head while Alice, in the enjoyment of her exer-
cise, seemed to concentrate all the glowing rays of her
beauty in her face, her eyes dancing merrily.
"Quit, now, Alice," he begged, half in fun and half in
abject fear; "please quit— I surrender?"
She thrust to the wall on either side of him, then
es
and accurate
)ot advanced,
ly developed
1 a defensive
inded in the
its carousal
3int and lis-
• made him
ry.
u'll put out
ing the air
driven him
self into a
1 the kitch-
her hands
making a
the young
her exer-
ays of her
nd half in
A T -tter from Afar 33
springing lightly backward a pace, stood at guard. Her
thick yellow hair had fallen over her neck and should-
lTth?h "^r^^^ "''''' °"' °^ ^^''^' ^'' f^^^ beamed
with a bewitching effect upon her captive
Rene, glad enough to have a cessation of his peril,
stood laughing dryly ; but the singing down at the river
house was swelling louder and he made another move-
ment to go.
"You surrendered, you remember," cried Alice, rc-
newmg tl,e sword-play; "sit down on tlie chair there
and make yourself comfortable. You are not going
down yonder to-night; you are going to stay here and
talk wth me and Mother RoussiUon ; we are lonesome
and you are good company."
tumuf iTf T ^""" '"" '^'^'' *^'^ ""^ => ^"dden
nUvmor fi ' "' "' *^'^"' ^'"5'°^; and pres-
ently more firmg at varying intervals cut the night air
from the direction of the river.
Jean, the hunchback, came in to say that there was a
Z^!"""^' ^" *"" '"'" •"^" """"'"? ^"°'^ the
common as .f m pursuit of a fugitive; but the moon-
hgh^ was so d.m that he could not be sure what it all
Rene picked up his cap and bolted out of the house.
Wm, then
M
• I
I
J:
K-
ir;ii
CHAPTER III
THE RAPE OF THE DEMIJOHN
The row clown at the river house was more noise
than fight, so far as results seemed to indicate. It was
all about a small dame Jeanne of fine brandy, which an
Indian by thename of Long-Hair had seized and run off
with at the height of the carousal. He must have been
soberer than his pursuers, or naturally fleeter; for not
one of them could catch him, or even keep long in sight
of him. Some pistols were emptied while the race was
on, and two or three of the men swore roundly to hav-
ing seen Long-Hair jump sidewise and stagger, as if
one of the shots had taken effect. But, although the
moon was shining, he someway disappeared, they could
not understand just how, far down beside the river
below the fort and the church.
It was not a very uncommon thing for an Indian to
steal what he wanted, and in most cases light punish-
ment followed conviction ; but it was felt to be a capi-
tal offense for an Indian or anybody else to rape a
demijohn of fine brandy, especially one sent as a pres-
ent, by a friend in New Orleans, to Lieutenant Gov-
ernor Abbott, who had until recently been the com-
mandant of the post. Every man at the river house rec-
ognized and resented the enormity of Long-Hair's
crime and each was, for the moment, ready to be his
judge and his executioner. He had broken at once
every rule of frontier etiquette and every bond of
M
sym-
The Rape of the Demijohn 35
pathy. Nor was Long-Hair ignorant of the dancer
true to h.s Indian nature, had concluded that a little
w,cker covered bottle of brandy was well worU he
te . :: f H '°, '".'""' "•" '''"''" ■•" -"''"- o
a great race by slipping out and gettinir rid of hu
weapons and all surplus weight of cb.Ls^ '"
This incident brought the drinking bout at the riv„.
•hat night, and no record of it would be found in theJ
pages, but for the fact that Long-Hair afterward b
n the liquor or to join in chasing the bold thief. He h"
^ned with interest, however, to the story of W
could not refrain from saying that if he had been pres-
ent here would have been a quite different result '
he saiTdi!! 1'°?"" '^''"■^ '■^ S°' '° *at door,"
fte said drawing his heavy flint-lock pistol and goin^
Indeed, so vigorously in earnest was he with the oan-
"s? tTbTK"""^ "'' '''^' "-tentioS"
course,-the ball burying itself in the door-iamb
exctdTh "!^'' '' '' '""^^ P--"' ^- "4 tore
excited than they who witnessed the whole thin^
One of them, a leathery-faced and grizzled old s^
36
Alice of Old Vincennes
leered at him contemptuously and said in queer French,
with a curious accent caught from long use of back-
woods English :
"Listen how the boy brags ! Ye might think, to
hear Rene talk, that he actually amounted to a bifr
pile." "
This personage was known to every soul in Vin-
cennes as Oncle Jazon, and when Oncle Jazon spoke
the whole town felt bound to listen.
"An' how well he shoots, too," he added with an
mtolerable wink ; "aimed at the door and hit the post.
Certainly Long-Hair would have been in great danger!
O yes, he'd 'ave killed Long-Hair at the first shot,
wouldn't he though !"
Oncle Jazon had the air of a large man, but the
stature of a small one ; in fact he was shriveled bodily
to a degree which suggested comparison with a sun-
dried wisp of hickory bark; and when he chuckled, as
he was now doing, his mouth puckered itself until it
looked like a scar on his face. From cap to moccasins
he had every mark significant of a desperate character;
and ye* there was about nim something that instantly
commanded the confidence of rough men,~the look of
self-sufficiency and superior capability always to be
found in connection with immense will power. His
sixty years of exposure, hardship, and danger seemed
to have but toughened his physique and strengthened
his vitality. Out of his small hazel eyes gleamed a
light as keen as ice.
"All right, Oncle Tazon." said Rer«^ lau"-^"*" -^
blowmg the smoke out of his pistol ; " 'twas you all the
eer French,
se of back-
t think, to
d to a big
ul in Vin-
azon spoke
!d with an
it the post.
at danger I
first shot,
n, but the
;led bodily
ith a sun-
uckled, as
jlf until it
moccasins
:haracter ;
: instantly
be look of
lys to be
ver. His
T seemed
ngthened
learned a
i-tttyrr »»»-«J
3u all the
The Rape of the Demijohn 37
same who let Long-Hair trot oflf with the Governor's
brandy, not I. If you could have hit even a door-post
it might have been better."
Oncle Jazon took off his cap and looked down into
it in a way he had when about to say something final.
"Ventrehlcu! I did not shoot at Long-Hair at all,"
he said, speaking slowly, "because the scoundrel was
unarmed. He didn't have on even a knife, and he was
havin' enough to do dodgin' the bullets that the rest
of 'em were plumpin' at 'im without any compliments
from me to bother 'im more."
"Well," Rene replied, turning away with a laugh, "if
I'd been scalped by the Indians, as you have, I don't
think there would be any particular reason why I
should wait for an Indian thief to go and arm himself
before I ac tcti nim as a target."
Oncle Jazon lifted a hand involuntarily and rubbed
his scalpless crown ; then he chuckled with a grotesque
grimace as if the recollection of having his head
skinned were the funniest thing imaginable.
"When you've killed as many of 'em as Oncle Jazon
has," remarked a bystander to Rene, "you'll not be so
hungry for blood, maybe."
"Especially after ye've took fiftv-nine scalps to pay
for yer one," added Oncle Jazon, replacing his cap
over the hairless area of his crown.
The men who had been chasing Long-Hair presently
came straggling back with their stories — each had a
distinct one — of how the fugitive escaped. They were
wild looking fellows, most of them somewhat intoxi-
cated, all profusely liberal with their stock of pictur-
38 Alice of Old Vincennes
4
esque profanity. They represented the roughest ele^
ment of the well-nigh lawless post.
Jm positive that he's wounded," said one. "Jacques
and I shot at him together, so that our pistols
sounded just as if only one had been fired-bangf that
way-and he leaped sideways for all the world like a
bird with a broken leg. I thought he'd fall; but vel
he ran faster'n ever, and all at once he was gone; just
disappeared." •'
"Well, to-morrow we'll get him," said another. "You
and I and Jacques, we'll take up his trail, the thief,
and follow him till we find him. He can't get off so
easy."
Z*! don't know so well about that;" said another;
It s Long-Hair, you must remember, and Long-Hair
IS no common buck that just anybody can find asleep.
You know what Long-Hair is. Nobody's ever got
even with 'im yet. That's so, ain't it ? Just ask Oncle
Jazon, if you don't believe it !"
The next morning Long-Hair was tracked to the
rivers edge. He had been wounded, but whether
seriously or not could only be conjectured. A sprinkle
of blood, here and there quite a dash of it, reddened the
grass and clumps of weeds he had run through, and
ended close to the water into which it looked as if he
had plunged with a view to baffling pursuit. Indeed
pursuit was baffled. No further trace could be found
by which to follow the cunning fugitive. Some of the
men consoled themselves by saying, without believing,
that Long-Hair was probably lying drowned at the
bottom of the river.
Jghest ele-
. "Jacques
ur pistols
bang ! that
)rld like a
1 ; but ve!
:one; just
ler. "You
the thief,
jet off so
another;
Dng-Hair
d asleep,
ever got
sk Oncle
i to the
whether
sprinkle
ened the
gh, and
as if he
Indeed
! found,
e of the
lieving,
at the
The Rape of the Demijohn* 39
"Pas du tout," observed Oncle Jazon, his short pipe
askew far over in the corner of his mouth, "not a bit of
It is that Indian drowned. He's jes' as live as a fat
cat this minute, and as drunk as the devil. He'll get
some o' yer scalps yet after he's guzzled all that
brandy and slep' a week."
It finally transpired that Oncle Jazon was partly
right and partly wrong. Long-Hair was alive, even as
a fat cat, perhaps; but not drunk, for in trying to swim
with the rotund little dame Jeanne under his arm he
lost hold of it and it went to the bottom of the Wabash,
where it may be lying at this moment patiently waiting
for some one to fish it out of its bed deep in the sand
and mud, and break the ancient wax from its neck !
Rene de Ronville, after the chase of Long-Hair had
been given over, went to tell Father Beret what had
happened, and finding the priest's hut empty turned in-
to the path leading to the Roussillon place, which was
at the head of a narrow street laid out in a direction
at right angles to the river's course. He passed two or
three diminutive cabins, all as much alike as bee-hives
Each had its squat /eranda and thatched or clap-
boarded roof held in place by weight-poles ranged in
roughly parallel rows, and each had the face of the wall
under its veranda neatly daubed with a grayish stucco
made of mud and lime. You may see such houses to-
day in some remote parts of the Creole country of
Louisiana.
As Rene passed along he spoke with a gay French
freedom to the dames and lasses who chanced to be vis-
ible. His air would be regarded as violently brigand-
40 ' Alice of Old Vincennes
Uh in our day ; we might even go so far as to think his
whole appearance comical. His jaunty cap with a tail
that wagged as he walked, his short trousers and leg-
gins of buckskin and his loose shirt-Iike tunic, d.^w„
m at the waist wth a broad belt, gave his strong figure
just the dash of wildness suited to the armament with
which ,t was weighted. A heavy gun lay in the hollow
of h.s shoulder under which hung an otter-skin bullet-
pouch with its clear powder-horn and white bone
charger. In his belt were two huge flim-lock pistols
and a long case-knife.
"Bon jour.Ma-m'selle Adrieme," he cheerily called
waving his free hand in greeting to a small, dark lass'
standing on the step of a veranda and indolently swine-
>ng a broom. "Comment aUe=-vous aujourd'huif"
J m Porte trh bien, merci, MoSieu Reni." was the
quick response ; "et vous?"
Oh, I'm as lively as a cricket."
"Going a hunting?"
"No just up here a little way-just on business-
up to Mo sieu Roussillon's for a moment."
"Ves," the girl responded in a tone indicative of
something very like spleen, "yes, undoubtedly, Mo'sieu
de RonviUe; your business there seems quite pressing
of late. I have noticed your industrious application to
that business."
^^ "Ta-ta, little one," he wheedled, lowering his voice;
you mustn't go to making bug-bears out of nothing "
Bug-bears!" she retorted, "you go on about your
business and I'll attend to mine," and she flirted into
the house.
3 think his
with a tail
s and leg-
lic, drawn
Dng figure
nent with
he hollow
:in bullet-
lite bone
:k pistols
ly called,
dark lass
y swing-
hui?"
was the
siness —
itive of
Mo'sieu
)ressing
ation to
i voice ;
thing."
It your
2d into
The Rape of the Demijohn 41
Rene laughed under his breath, standing a moment
as If expectmg her to come out again ; but she did not,
and he resumed his walk singing softly—
"Elle a les joues vermeilles, vermeilles,
Ma belle, ma belle petite."
But ten to one he was not thinking of Madamoiselle
Adnenne Bourcier. His mind, however, must have
been absorbingly occupied; for in the straight, open
way he met Father Beret and did not see him until he
came near bumping against the old man, who stepped
aside with astonishing agility and said—
"Dieu vous benisse, mon His; but what is your great
hurry— where can you be going in such happy haste?"
Rene did not stop to parley with the priest. He
flung some phrase of pleasant greeting back over his
shoulder as he trudged on, his heart beginning a tattoo
agamst his ribs when the Roussillon place came in
sight, and he took hold of his mustache to pull it, as
some men must do in moments of nervousness and
bashfulness. If sounds ever have color, the humming
in his ears was of a rosy hue; if thoughts ever exhale
fragrance, his brain overflowed with the sweets of
violet and heliotrope.
He had in mind what he was going to say when
Alice and he should be alone together. It was a pretty
speech, he thought ; indeed a very thrilling little speech,
by the way it stirred his own nerve-centers as he
conned it over.
U'
42 • Alice of Old Vincennes
Madame Roussillon met him at the door in not a
very good humor.
mall '^"^'"'''"'"'^ ^""^^ ''^'•^?" he ventured to de-
"Alice? no, she's not here; she's never here just
when I want her most. Via le picbois et la grivc-
sec the woodpecker and the robin-eating the cherries
eatmg every one of them, and tliat girl running off
somewhere instead of staying here and picking them,"
she raded in answer to the young man's polite inquiry.
I haven t seen her these four hours, ne Iher her nor
that rascal hunchback, Jean. They're up to some
mischief, I'll be bound !"
Madame Roussillon puffed audibly between phrases •
but she suddenly became very mild when relieved of
her tirade.
^ "Mais entrhr she added in a pleasant tone, "come
in and tell me the news."
Rene's disappointment rushed into his face, but he
managed to laugh it aside.
"Father Beret has just been telling me," said Ma-
dame Roussillon, "that our friend Long-Hair made
some trouble last night. How about it?"
Rene told her what he knew and added that Long-
Hair would probably never be seen again.
"He was shot, no doubt of it," he went on, "and is
now being nibbled by fish and turtles. We tracked
him by his blood to where he jumped into the Wabash
He never came out."
Strangely enough it happened that, at the very time
of this chat between Madame Roussillon and Rene,
V
in not a
ed to de-
here just
I grivc —
cherries,
ining off
g them,"
inquiry.
her nor
to some
phrases ;
ieved of
!, "come
but he
lid Ma-
r made
Long-
*and is
racked
^abash.
y time
Rene,
! :m>
they discovered Long-Halr. badly wounded p. 43.
ij . ■ 4
The Rape of the Demijohn 43
Alice «^s bandaging Long-Hair's wounded leg with
overhung the bank of a narrow and shallow lagoon or
baek mto the country on the farther side of the river
Alice and Jean went nvpi- ■■, , ■
V ^ ^ iancied at a convenient soot somo
distance up the little lagoon, n.ade the boaflast by
dragging its prow high ashore, and were on the^li' t
pond ^hen a deep grunt, not unlike that of a self-
satisfiea p.g attracted them to the willows, where thev
'rrk ^d^-"- '^'^^ — ' --". 'n
His hiding-place was cunningly chosen, save that the
nnrc troubled him, letting him down by slow d g e
and threatenmg to engulf him bodily; and he waf now
glared. H,s face was grimy, his hair matted with mud
Al.ce although brave enough and quite accustomed
to startling experiences, uttered a cry when she saw
those snaky eyes glistening so savagely amid the shad-
ows^ Bu Jean was quick to recognize Long-Hair;
lorgo'tten "" '"" '''°'" '°™' '' "^^ "°' *° "<=
a Zf'^'r *"'" ''""""^ ''™ ^^"^--ywhere," he said in
dress "ItW '° t'"^' "^'"^"""^ "- ^"^i" "^ her
hrT; r ■ ^°"^-"^"-' 'he Indian who stole the
brandy; I know him."
Alice recoiled a pace or two.
V'
44 Alice of Old Vincennes
"Let's go back and tell 'em," Jean added, still whi,-
permg. they want to kill him; Oncle Jazon said so.
Come on I"
He gave her dress a jerk; but she did not move
any farther back; she was looking at the blood oozing
trom a wound in the Indian's leg.
"He is shot, he is hurt, Jean, we must help him "
she presently said, recovering her self-control, yet still
pale. We must get him out of that bad place "
Jean caught Alice's merciful spirit with sympathetic
readmess, and showed immediate willingness to aid
her.
It was a difficult thing to do; but there was a will
and of course a way. They had knives with which
they cut willows to make a standing place on the mud.
While they were doing this they spoke friendly words
to Long-Hair, who understood French a little, and at
last they got hold of his arms, tugged, rested, tugged
agam, and finally managed to help him to a dry place
still under the willows, where he could lie more at ease'
Jean carried water in his cap with which they washed
the wound and the stolid savage face. Then Alice
tore up her cotton apron, in which she had hoped to
bear home a load of lilies, and with the strips bound
the wound very neatly. It took a long time, during
which the Indian remained silent and apparently quite
indifferent.
Long-Hair was a man of superior physique, tall,
straight, with the muscles of a Vulcan ; and while he
lay stretched on the ground half clad and motionless,
he would have been a grand model for an heroic figure
still whis-
Dn said so.
not move
)od oozing
lelp him,"
>1, yet still
ace."
mpathetic
ss to aid
ras a will
th which
the mud.
ly words
e, and at
, tugged
ry place,
; at ease.
washed
m Alice
loped to
s bound
during
ly quite
le, tall,
^hile he
ionless,
: figure
The Rape of the Demijohn 45
in bronze. Yet from every lineament there came .
su;ange repelling influence, like that from a s"ake
merc.ful task; but sne bravely persevered until iLas
betttLT/''' '!! '"" '''''"'°°"' '""<' 'he sun would
be settmg before they could reach home.
depa^' Tt' Tu '"' ' J^^"'" ^"- -d. '-ning to
sin diliS I'm ZT '°:° "^''' '"^ °"-
hunting f^^^^- ^ ™ ''""•'"'ff that they'll be out
Juntmg for us too, if we don't move rfght livel^!
Srpir"^""- —---del
"Thank you," she exclaimed, smiling gratefully
I am so glad you found it." ^'
douMesstv'f "'"' "' '"''' "^^ """^ -^» b™''-'
doubtless by some movement while dragginc Lone
Ha,r out of the mud, and the lid had !prZoZ
exposmg a miniature portrait of Alice, painted when
she was a httle child, probably not two years old It
rlLrt ''I' '"^' '''"'y "right.'a.most su -
rounded with a fluii of golden hair. The neck and
nchly dehcate lace and a string of pearls, gave some-
how a suggestion of patrician daintiness
Long-Hair looked keenly into Alice's eyes, when
46
Alice of Old Vincennes
she stooped to take the locket from his hand, but said
nothing.
She and Jean now hurried away, and, so vigorously
did they paddle the pirogue, that the sky was yet red
in the west when they reached home and duly received
their expected scolding from Madame Roussillon.
Alice scaled Jean's lips as to their adventure; for
she had made up her mind to save Long-Hair if pos-
sible, and she felt sure that the only way to do it would
be to trust no one but Father Beret.
It turned out that Long-Hair's wound was neither
a broken bone nor a cut artery. The flesh of his leg,
midway between the hip and the knee, was pierced;
the bullet had bored a neat hole clean through. Father
Beret took the case in hand, and with no little surgical
skill proceeded to set the big Indian upon his feet
again. The affair had to be cleverly managed. Food,
medicines and clothing were surreptitiously borne
across the river ; a bed of grass was kept fresh under
Loog-Hair's back ; his wound was regularly dressed ;
and finally his weapons— a tomahawk, a knife, a strong
bow and a quiver of arrows— which he had hidden on
the night of his bold theft, were brought to him.
"Now go and sin no more," said good Father Beret ;
but he well knew that his words were mere puffs of
articulate wind in the ear of the grim and silent sav-
age, who limped away with an air of stately dignity
into the wilderness. '
A load fell from Alice's mind when Father Beret
informed her of Long-Hair's recovery and departure.
Day and night the dread lest some of the men should
les
4
hand, but said
, so vigorously
y was yet red
duly received
Roussillon.
Jvcnture ; for
?-Hair if pos-
to do it would
d was neither
sh of his leg,
was pierced;
)ugh. Father
little surgical
ipon his feet
laged. Food,
iously borne
k fresh under
arly dressed;
life, a strong
ad hidden on
to him.
'ather Beret ;
lere puffs of
d silent sav-
itely dignity
"ather Beret
d departure,
men should
The Rape of the Demijohn 47
ncss a vaeue l.aun.,„„ " ''"■ "^"nscious-
that shoT,=,r , '"""(^ncc m her life. To feel
^t^ nSS;:':: ;, ■"- ^-" "-". was a new sen-
pictures, e Ley fv^d" """• "'^.^'-"'^"'"-s were
healtliy natures and c„J i. ^"""8^ ""''
a strange ap;eal. "^ ^""''' "'='• ^°'" -«■
w= shifty bacre; ;':„7:':™"r^''''''"" ^■^="" °f
ways lurking in tlm keot '^ ''"''"^'°" ^'■
girl's memorv tI m , *''*'^'"«'"g l>°'d on the
pres io" TftV f.'^ "'"'■''' ^""""^'y with the im-
pressions eft by the romances she had read in M
Roussillon's mildewed books.
bee^nTn^' -".r' "°' ^ ^"""^ man ; but it would have
been impossible to guess near his ago His fnm, , i
^ce simply ^owed long experiencetnd fm^rraM
tion ?., ! ? ^^^membered with a shuddering sensa-
•on the look he gave her when she took the LZt
subr;wer. "' "^-^ "°"' °^ "^^^ "-^ -'"its
pictZ^h" '"'' "f'' """^'^ °f *^'^ !"<'•■''" heroes,
but al 1, '' """"^ °^ """'y "^^"'y and nobihty ■
t 'x'!';™ ""'.'^ '^''^" -«> ""-a" Pinches of'
biood often ^" '""" " "'^' ''^'"'^ ^^^^g« °f 'he pure
blood often do possess the magnetism of perfect physi-
48
Alice of Old Vincennes
cal development and unfathomable mental strangeness •
but real beauty they never have. Their innate re-
pulsiveness is so great that, like the snake's charm it
may fascinate; yet an indescribable, haunting disgiist
goes with it. And, after all, if Alice had been asked
to toll just how she felt toward the Indian she had
labored so hard to save, she would promptly have said :
"I loathe him as I do a toad!"
Nor would Father Beret, put to the same test, have
made a substantially different confession. His work
to do which his life went as fuel to fire, was training
the souls of Indians for the reception of divine grace •
but experience had not changed his first impression
of savage character. When he traveled in the wilder-
ness he carried the Word and the Cross ; but he was
also armed with a gun and two good pistols, not to
mention a dangerous knife. The rumor prevailed that
Father Beret could drive a nail at sixty yards with
his rifle, and at twenty snuff a candle with either one
of his pistols.
CHAPTER IV
THE FIRST MAYOR OF VINCENNES
Governor Abbott nmhoKi
by his Creole friend in New o"eLs"frr.' '° "'■■"
from Vi„cennf.= sevral month ^ "« had been gone
rived, leaving boen re IlTdf n '" '^' ''^«^="' ""
authorities; Li ," 2^tZ^'t '' '"^ ^""■^''
tie post with its < . amt cabinf / .'"""""= '^^ "t-
house, called Fo'rt Sackv^e f ' *''P''="^"< '"°<^''-
the river in a bli sS '^'0;^,"""'"^ ^'^"-"^ "y
military point of view There ""P'^^^"^" ^'<"" the
two or three pieces of arH-ii \"'^' "° garrison; the
gathered rust Z I^ZT^^^T'^ ''''°''''
stockade, decaying anH I . ^* P"=''"^ °f the
ter free.. anTslmer ^""1 '" ']:'"'°'"" '' -"-
a Picture of decay a^ i^e^^ '" ^" ''"^"'°"^'
huni^rlvedr/l^r '°T' """"^""^ ^"-t -
regular muntip^gZ t^Jr'h'r' "■""'°"' ^^
tribe, each man'a ifw T^ L" iTf "^ °^"
fended titht;' Tiatft^ ^•^^''^^"'' ^^ ^'-
fenced in where the ? Pasturmg ground was
the villagerrbVowstd ^ ^l" ""'' '"^^'^ ^'-^ "^
all. AfewofthethliA- . **" ""' '"elosed at
tew of the thnftter and more important citizens.
50
Iki
Alice of Old Vincennes
W
a
however, had separate estates of some magnitude, sur-
rounding their residences, kept up with care and, if the
time and place be taken into account, with considerable
show of taste.
Monsieur Gaspard Roussillon was looked upon as
the aristocrat par excellence of Vincennes, notwith-
standing the fact that his name bore no suggestion
of noble or titled ancestry. He was rich and in a
measure educated; moreover the successful man's
patent of leadership, a commanding figure and a suave
manner, came always to his assistance when a crisis
presented itself. He traded shrewdly, much to his own
profit, but invariably with the excellent result that the
man, white or Indian, with whom he did business
felt himself especially favored in the transaction. By
the exercise of firmness, prudence, vast assumption,
florid eloquence and a kindly liberality he had greatly
endeared himself to the people ; so that in the absence
of a military commander he came naturally to be
regarded as the chief of the town, Mo'sieu' le maire.
He returned from his extended trading expedition
about the middle of July, bringing, as was his invari-
able rule, a gift for Alice. This time it was a small,
thin disc of white flint, with a hole in the center
through which a beaded cord of sinew was looped.
The odgt of the disc was beautifully notched and the
whole surface polished so that it shone like glass, while
the beads, made of very small segments of porcupine
quills, were variously dyed, making a curiously gaudy
show of bright colors.
"There now, ma cherie, is something worth fifty
The First Mayor of Vincennes 51
presented the necklace to his foster daughter with
pardonable self-satisfaction. "It is a sacrTd cha™
rfof r" n? f^^" °''' "'»*- -''° ^^ ^^
me that J " '"•"• ^^ ^"'^-""'y '"fo^-^O
Alice kissed M. Roussillon.
uo'lnVn '""°"' f *^"""f"' '" '^' ^"'d. holding it
fingers tZ'X: '''"'"'''' ^'""^ through he
"and I Wlad T "'^^'^-"^ "'"gh, she added ;
rnilT ■! ,. " '° P°''"'^"' ''g'""^' one's enemy
is:i;;r^r'^°^''-^^^''--^ourci:^
mandeH "v Roussillon lightly de-
C^ood friends, but enemies; that's how ,> ic vu
n~ cS;' *^ ^°""^ "- 'Ha:"cat d"th: clI
venturer '^''^ "' '° """'« '>™ «' a
cle'wiife "Th" *" r'' '° '"'""°" M°"*'^"^ Rene
work7drL„ ^'' '"'"''''• "^"o but he could
work Adnenne up .nto a perfect green mist of jeal-
"He would need an accomplice, I should imagine; a
52
Alice of Old Vincennes
young lady of some beauty and a good deal of heart-
lessness."
"Like whom, for example?" and she tossed her
bright head. "Not me, I am sure."
"Poh ! like every pretty maiden in the whole world,
ma petite coquette; they're all alike as peas, cruel as
blue jays and as sweet as apple-blossoms." He stroked
her hair clumsily with his large hand, as a heavy and
roughly fond man is apt to do, adding in an almost
serious tone:
"But my little girl is better than most of them, not
a foolish mischief-maker, I hope."
, Alice was putting her head through the string of
beads and letting the translucent white disc fall into her
bosom.
"It's time to change the subject," she said ; "tell me
what you have seen while away. I wish I could go
far off and see things. Have you ;;een to Detroit,
Quebec, Montreal?"
"Yes, I've been to all, a long, hard journey, but
reasonably profitable. You shall have a goodly dot
when you get married, my child."
"And did you attend any parties and balls?" she
inquired quickly, ignoring his concluding remark.
"Tell me about them. How do the fine ladies dress,
and do they wear their hair high with great big combs ?
Do they have long skirts and "
"Hold up, you double-tongued chatterbox !" he inter-
rupted ; "I can't answer forty questions at once. Yes,
young; but how could I remember how they were
The First Mayor of Vincennes 53
dressed and what their style of coiffure was? I know
my arms." ^ """' ^ ^"'«^' '^^y in
"Yes you must have cut a ravishing figure I" in-
terpolated Madame Roussillon with empfa ^' d "
approval her eyes snapping. "A bull in a , ace shop
How dehghted the ladies must have been !" ^'
Never saw such blushing faces and burning glances
-such fluttering breasts, such "
"Big braggart," Madame Roussillon broke in con
temptuously, "it, a piastre to a sou that you stood
hdrdldl d"""' " r'°^ ^-"^ gentlemen L'
at a waddHn "f ""' ^'^ '°* "^^ P^°'''g'°"^ bulk
at a waddhng ga.t out of the room. "I remember how
you danced even when you were not clumsy as a pig
on ,ce ! she shrieked back over her shoulder. "^^
her I should thmk you could-you mind how we used
swo^drabl;::;^ ^°""^ '^"°"' ^" -- '° *«
»nT' r"r '"°"'" ^"'=" '"^''='^'' '• "I ^""t to know
all about what you saw in the great towns-in the fin^
irs:;^ tie d^ '''^'°°'^<^' '°- '"^^ -^^^--St
mey said— the dresses they wore— how "
"Ctell you will split my ears, child: c,„'t vqu fill
my Pipe and bring it to me with a coal on it/ Then
111 try to tell you what I can," he cried, assuminga
i
i IP
14^
54
Alice of Old Vincennes
humorously resigned air. "Perhaps if I smoke I can
remember everything."
Alice gladly ran to do what he asked. Meantime
Jean was out on the gallery blowing a flute that M.
Roussillon had brought him from Quebec.
The pipe well filled and lighted apparently did have
the effect to steady and encourage M. Roussillon's mem-
ory; or if not his memory, then his imagination, which
was of that fervid and liberal sort common to natives
of the Midi, and which has been exquisitely depicted
by the late Alphonse Daudet in Tartarin and Bom-
pard. He leaned far back in a strong chair, with his
massive legs stretched at full length, and gazed at the
roof-poles while he talked.
He sympathized fully, in his crude way, with Alice's
lively curiosity, and his affection for her made him
anxious to appease her longing after news from the
great outside world. If the sheer truth must come
out, however, he knew precious little about that world,
especially the polite part of it in which thrived those
femininities so dear to the heart of an isolated and
imaginative girl. Still, as he, too, lived in Arcadia,
there was no great effort involved when he undertook
to blow a dreamer's flute.
In the first place he had not been in Quebec or Mon-
treal during his absence from home. Most of the time
he had spent disposing of pelts and furs at Detroit and
in extending his trading relations with other posts ; but
what mattered a trifling war* of facts when his merid-
ional fancy once began to warm up? A smattering
of social knowledge, gained at first hand in his youth-
ties
I smoke I can
;d. Meantime
flute that M.
lec.
ently did have
ssillon's mem-
ination, which
ion to natives
litely depicted
•in and Bom-
hair, with his
I gazed at the
^ with Alice's
er made him
2WS from the
h must come
Lit that world,
thrived those
isolated and
1 in Arcadia,
he undertook
ebec or Mon-
5t of the time
t Detroit and
er posts; but
m his merid-
^ smattering
in his youth-
The First Mayor of Vincennes 55
ent's t;r, Credit"; '"'' '' ''^'^^ -"- Par-
to his aid/a„dSst haT"''"" '"^ ^-"'' ^«
"fe with poetry an^ L' L,f ^^^ ' '."""" ="' "'^
vost, Madame La F^ette 3. fcT'' ^^''°"' ^''-
chief sources of his infnrl! ^^'P''^"^de were the
manners, moraist "gaX^f? ''' "^^ '"'
supposed, stirred the surfacr f ^ '' '"^°' ^' ^^
far-off ocean called city mL ''' "^P'^"^-' -"
ter than to smolce a pipe and tl "5 '"''^' •"■" ^'-
^een and done; andZ ,ess fe,'. "' "''' ''^ '''"^
done the more he had to tell ' '"''"^ ^^^" ^"-l
facfbetS w^lhrr "':' '■■"'"^ ^"^ -"'-ted
recollections whi e he relr/ . °' """"^ '"^Sinary
stantiality to the elL^Hh ." '' "'""'^ ^'-'""■
■•n the crowded anc' S a„f h i- ^ ''"' '"'"™'"«'
Canadian towns "ri "X ^°°'": °' '"^ ^'-^''-
deep and resonant, ^vetfe .oV''^ '"" ^°'^^'
scriptions. * '° ">« improvised de-
Madame Roussillon heard th. 1,
presently came softly bick into ^Tl ^'"'"^ """^
kitchen to listen sZ )T J -^^^ '^°°'' ^"^ the
attitude of ponderouil ::l^^r?^ '''^^ '" ^"
I-'P- She could not su^re 3 her r^ °?" '"'^'"^
tion of her lieue lorH'. , , ""hounded admira-
fierceness a Te Z o^h ' ' '"'^"' '""' '^'°-^ ^
and picturesque yltedh^r"""' " *^"-"y
fire with enjoyment 'f!u' "'""""'^ "«"« '00k
Ts.- • .'•'°y"'™' o* the scenes desrr.b»d
i^h.5 IS the mission of the ooet »„H i^
-« out Of existence. for"a:;tt-—
M-
■ I" ■
J'll
86 Alice of Old Vincennes
tory, and unlovely realities and give in their place a
scene of ideal mobility and charm. The two women
reveled in Gaspard Roussillon's revelaiions. They
saw t!ie brilliant companies, she luxurious airround-
ings, heard the rustle of broc ide and the fine flutter
of laces, the hum of Mveet voices, breather! in the
wafts of costly perfumeries, looked on while the danc-
ers whirled and flickered in the confusion of lights;
and over all and through all poured and vibrated such
ravishing music as only tlie southern imagination could
have conjured up out of nol 'ling.
Alice was absolutely charmed. She sat on a low
v/ooden stool and gazed into Gaspard Roussillon's face
mill dilating eyes in which burned that rich and radi-
ant something we call a passionate soul. She drank in
his flamboyant stream of woids with a thirst which
nothing but experience could ever quench. He felt
her silent applause and the admiring involuntary ab-
sorption that possessed his wife; the conscious-
ness of his elementary magnetism augmented the flow
of his fine descriptions, and he went on and on, until
the arrival of Father Beret put an end to it all.
The priest, hearing of M. Roussillon's return, had
come to inquire about some friends living at Detroit.
He took luncheon with the family, enjoying the down-
right refreshing collation of broiled birds, onions, meal-
cakes and claret, ending with a dish of blackberries
and cream.
M. Roussillon seized the first opportunity to resume
his successful romancing, and , -sently in the midst
;:«"*i
les
their place a
e two women
uions. They
)us j«iirround-
iie fine /lutter
iathef in the
hile the danc-
lon of lights;
vibrated such
pnation could
sat on a low
issillon's face
ich and radi-
She drank in
thirst which
ch. He felt
oluntary ab-
; conscious-
ited the flow
ind on, until
it all.
return, had
IT at Detroit,
g the down-
inions, meal-
blackberries
y to resume
n the midst
The First Mayor of Vincennes
'A
of the meal beg;
57
he
and hale you have always been her Ah .'T
have seen his dear old U i:.. Hol'^Crs °H
ZZfZ Be'r r rthau"-^^' "^^^'"^^
«,, , ^cxci, was what he murmured in
my ear when we were oarfincr u '""nurea m
The way in which M. Roussillon closed his littl.
in front of him, was very effective.
s messages to me. I am very, very thankful
Help me to another drop of wine, pleL."
that Father trTt"!'!^^ ''"'"^^ °' *^ ^''"''«°'' --
ylt that Far ^\ "°^" P°^'"^^'^ ^°' "^^^'y five
"Ah I "J l'""""" ^"^ ''^^"1 ^"d buried.
H,r r -r' ^- 1^°"""'°" continued, pouring the
the her, the dear old man loves you and prays for
,ouh.s voice quavers whenever he speaks of you "
Doubtless he made his old joke to you about'the
'Ill)
ilil'li
' 58 Alice of Old Vincennes
birth-mark on my shoulder," said Father Beret after a
moment of apparently thoughtful silence. "He may
have said something about it in a playful way, eh ?"
"True, true, why yes, he surely mentioned the same,"
assented M. Roussillon, his face assuming an expres-
sion of confused memory; "it was something sly and
humorous, I mind; but it just escapes my recollection.
A right jolly old boy is Father Sebastien; indeed very
amusing at times."
"At times, yes," said Father Beret, who had no
birth-mark on his shoulder, and had never had one
there, or on any other part of his person.
"How strange!" Alice remarked, "I, too, have a
mark on my shoulder— a pink spot, just like a small,
five-petaled flower. We must be of kin to each other,'
Father Beret."
The priest laughed.
"If our marks are alike, that would be some evi-
dence of kinship," he said.
"But what shape is yours. Father?"
"I've never seen it," he responded.
"Never seen it ! Why?"
"Well, it's absolutely invisible,'* and he chuckled
heartily, meantime glancing shrewdly at M. Roussillon
out of the tail of his eye.
"It's on the back part of his shoulder," quickly spoke
up M. Roussillon, "and you know priests never use
looking-glasses. The mark is quite invisible therefore,
so far as Father Beret is concerned !"
"You never told me of your birth-mark before, my
daughter^" said Father Beret, turning to Alice with
)e some evi-
The First Mayor of Vincennes 59
sudden interest. "It may son,e day be good fortune to
"Why so, Father?"
sonage in disguise >" "' '° ''' '""^ «^«« ?«>•-
te^rS"£:1:r^^J-''-eretoftHat
Alice's possession, and he 2 not re^'f "" ""
tioning it in a voice that shuddered. '™'" ■""'"
Rest easy. Father Beret," said Alice- "tt„t •
novel I have found wholly 'distasteVuo u^t "^^
Hrrde:ra^-;tr!ritrTd:r-^°
yo^^n^tdltrrtriT "'^"' 7 ^^"^^-'•
this worid," said Fle^Ber^: "" '"' '^"'"^^ °'
M- Roussillon changed the subierf fnr », t
-^aow dreaded to hL the g^SeffaS intoT:
6o
II
*' : .11 'III!
l" 'M
I'l:
iiiii.
i"i.'
Alice of Old Vincennes
strain of argument he was about to begin. A stray
sheep, no matter how refractory, feels a touch of
lot.-in,^ wWn it hears the shepherd's voice. M. Rous-
siiion uas a Cathohc, but a straying one, who avoided
the confessional and often forgot mass. Still, with all
his reckless independence, and with all his outward
show of large and breezy self-sufficiency, he was not
altogether fr.c ironi the hold that the church had
laid upon him in childhood and youth. Moreover, he
was fond of Father Beret and had done a great deal
for the little church of St. Xavier and the mission it
represented ; but he distinctly desired to be let alone
while he pursued his own course ; and he had promised
the dying woman who gave Alice to him that the child
should be left as she was, a Protestant, without undue
influence to cha.ige her from the fait' of her parei^ts.
This promise he had kept with stubborn persistenr/>
and he meant to keep it as long as he livcV Perhaps
the very fact that his innermost conscience smote him
with vague yet telling blows at times for this departure
from the strict religion of his fathers, may have in-
tensified his resistance of the influence constantly
ex rted upon Alue by Father Beret and Madame Rous-
sillon, to bring her gently but surely to the church.
Per ci,' eness is a ^orce to U reckoned with in all orig-
inal characters.
A few weeks ha i passed after M. Roussillon's re-
turn, when f d bi^-hearted man took it into his head
to celebrate is ccessful trading ventures with a
moonlight dance given without re -rve to all the inhab-
itants of Vincennes. It was certainly a democratic
ler pare.'ts.
The First Mayor of Vincennes 6i
function that he contemplated, and motley to a most
picturesque extent.
Rene de Ronville called upon Alice a day or two
previous to the occasion and duly engaged her as his
parte„a,re; but she insisted upon having the engage!
ment guarded in her behalf by a condition so obvLl
fancful that he accepted it without argument. '
If my wandering knight should arrive during the
dance you promise to stand aside and give plafe to
h.m, she stipulated. "You promise that? You see
I m expectmg ' „, all the time. I dreamed last night
that he came on a great bay horse and, stooping,
whir ed me up behind the saddle, and away we went r
There was a childish, half bantering air in her look;
but her voice sounded earnest and serious, notwith-
standing ,ts delicious timbre of suppressed plavfulness.
You promise me?" she insisted.
"Oh, I promise to slink away into a corner and chew
my thumb, the moment he comes," Ren.' eagerly as-
z:L °iK°"" '"' '""^'"^ ^ ^-' -^-^ -^-w;
for lords and barons and knights are very apt to appear
suddenly in a place like this."
"You may banter and make light if you want to,"
she said, pouting admirably. "I d .,t care. All the
same the laugh will jump to the other c .,ner of your
mouth, see if it doesn't. They say that what a person
dreams about and wishes for and waits for and believes
m, will come true sooner or later."
"If that's so," said Rene, "you'and I will ...f „,,,.
ned ; for I've dreamed it every night of the year,
wished for It, V aited for it and believed in it, and—''
ii!i
hill! I!
vMm
If' ^ .
I''
''hi
fPi*iM,.,i'
! IIH
& Alice of Old Vincennes
It was a madly sudden rush. He made it on an im-
pulse qu.e irresistible, as hypnotized persons are saTd
to do ,n response to the suggestion of the hypnotist
and h|s heart was choking his throat before he could'
enr his speech. Alice interrupted him with a hearty
burst of laughter. ^
declare, she said; "but not new by any means. Little
Adrienne Bourcier could tell you that. She says that
you have vowed to her over and over that you dream
about her, and wish for her, and wait for her pre-
cisely as you have just said to me." '
Rene's brown face flushed to the temples, partly
with anger partly with the shock of mingled surprise
and fear. He was guilty, and the guilt showed in his
eyes and paralyzed his tongue, so that he sat there
before Alice with his under jaw sagging ludicrously.
Don t you rather think, Monsieur Ren6 de Ron-
ville, she presently added in a calmly advisory tone,
that you had better quit trying to say such foolish
things to me, and just be my very good friend? If
you don't, I do, which comes to the same thing. What's
more, I won't be your partenaire at the dance unless
you promise me on your word of honor that you will
dance two dances with Adrienne to every one that you
have with me. Do you promise?"
He dared not oppose her outwardly, although in his
heart resistance amounted to furious revolt and riot.
^ "I promise anything you ask me to," he said re-
si^edly, almost sullenly; "anything for you,"
"Well, I ask nothing whatever on my own account,"
The First Mayor of Vincennes 63
Alice quickly replied; "but I do tell you firmly that
you sha 1 not maltreat little Adrienne Bouce™ nd re
"ne" :„;■"' H ' """• '"^ '°^" ^-' Renlde Ron-
vile, and you have told her that you love her If vou
are a man worthy of respect you will not desert her
Don't you think I am right ?"
Like a singed and crippled moth vainly tiding to
nse once agam to the alluring yet deadly LZ Ren^
de Ronville essayed to break out of his embarrass
mem and resume equal footing with the g^T soTud
deny become his commanding superior; but thleffort
disclosed to him as well as to her that he had £
o nse no more. In his abject defeat he accepted the
the ,nn ^"'""T" """ '°"^ '" f°'"g °" '° discuss
the approaching dance.
manded after a while. "It's a small favor; may I ask
"Yes, but I don't grant it in advance "
whlTr "^"^ '' "'''' ^'' "^^ ^^'^' *h^ ^"ff ^«wn
Which they say was your grandmother's."
No, I won't wear it."
"But why, Alice?"
"None of the other girls have anything like such a
dress; it would not be right for me to put it on and
make them all feel that I had taken the advantage of
them, just because I could; that's why."
"But then none of them is beautiful and educated
hke you," he said; "you'll outshine them anyway "
bave your compliments for poor pretty little
f
[It > .
if ,i
(? I
la f
!i ii
?
64 Alice of Old Vincennes
w>* to hear them. I have agreed to be your
fsZr: '", T' '^"" °' P^P^ Roussinon's, buTi
.s understood between us that Adrienne is your sweet-
heart. I am not, and I'm not going to be, either
So for your sake and Adrienne's. as well a out o^
consKlerafon for the rest of the girls who have no
fine dresses, I am not going to wear the buff brocade
gPwn that belonged to Papa Roussillon's mother long
ago. I shall dress just as the rest do"
wit^h i%'^\!° '^^ *^' ^'"^ '^^ ^""^'"^ ^^"' home
with a troublesome bee in his bonnet. He was not a
bad-hearted fellow. Many a right good yol" ml
before h.m and since, has loved an Adrienne and been
daz^ed by an Alice. A violet is sweet, but a rose is
Ith^t r "T"- '^' "^^ ^°"**"' frontiersman
ought to have been stronger; but he was not, and
what have we to say.'
As for Alice, since having a confidential talk with
wh=TM% t' ''''""^' '^' ^'-^ ^°™« '° realize
what M Roussillon meant when he said: "But my
bttle g,rl ,s better than most of them, not a foolish
m;sch.ef-maker, I hope." She saw through the situ-
ation w.th a quick understanding of what Adrienne
rlfl :' 'i'°"''' ^'"^ P"^« permanently fickle.
The thought of It aroused all her natural honesty and
senous nobleness of character, which lay deep under
the almost hoydenish levity usually observable in her
was, and meager as had been her experience i„ th»
tnmgs which count for most in the sum of a young
The First Mayor of Vincennes 65
girrs existence under fair circumstances, she grasped
intuitively the gist of it all. ^
The dance did not come nff- ;+ u^a 4. u
• J /• • , ^uine on: , it had to be oostnoned
.ndefinuely on account of a grave chang' He
p^mca Irelafons of the Httle post. A dfy or two
before the tme set for that function a rumor ran
Ctt '°"" r .^"-^'--S °* importance ::
about to happen. Father Gibault, at the head of a
mal party, had arrived from Kaskaskia, far away on
the M,ss,ss^ppi, with the news that Frlnce a^d the
Amencan Colonies had made common cause agai^s
the Enghsh m the great war of which the peo^ o
W,ce„„es nether knew the cause nor cared a straw
about the outcome.
M? tTT.°S''' ^*'°" '"^° "^""^ '° *« Roussillon pb.e
to ell M Roussillon that he was wanted at the river
house. Alice met him at the door
gett ng to be a stranger at our house lately. Come in •
what news do you bring? Take off your cap and rest,
your hair, Oncle Jazon."
J^^^r^^^T °''' ^^^'"' '^■'"^'^d ^a"~"^ly and.
bowed to the best of his ability. He not only took off
h.s queer cap, but looked into it with a startled gaze
Ln . 'T'"'' '°"''*'"^ '""""^'y dangerous to
jump out and seize his nose.
_ '^A thousand thanks, Ma'm'selle," he presently said,
wm ye please tell Mo'sieu' Roussillon that I would
wish to see 'im?"
mJnff'' ^""^^ J«^°"; but first be seated, and let
me offer you just a drop of eau de vie; some that Papa
I
■■ 'Si
66
Alice of Old Vincennes
Roussillon brought back with him from Quebec He
Mys It's old and fine." yueoec. We
on^a'mr'j' H ■" ' '"" '''''' "'^" ^«''"^ 'he bottle
on a httle s.and, went to find M. Roussillon. While
he was absent Oncle Jazon improved his opportunity
to the fullest extent. At least three additionri g ass I
of the brandy went the way of the first. He Jinned
at sol . r r """' '"' '^' °"^ "^" ^^^ fitting
at some distance from the bottle and glass gazing in
ctnr'Lr 7-T ^ ""''""'■ "' '°'o '''-'o;
M «:,„ f ^"'''"'*' ^' ''''^' ""d ^™' him to ask
news of great importance to communicate.
Ah, well, Oncle Jazon, we'll have a nip of brandv
together before we go," said the host. ''
Why, yes, jes' one agin' the broilin' weather"
assented Oncle Jazon; "I don't mind jes' onl" '
brandv" Ont' l""' °' """"= '" 2"^"^-= ^--'"'e this
the Sor:^^,^:!^' ""^ ^"'"™' """""^
yuur witn a grand flourish; "and I thought n(
you as soon as I got it. Now, says I to myself fan!
7:LZ\T- "r ^ ^''^" "^ '^^'- '' ''■^' One e
JusTthe fir, /T '": .'' ^°^ '=''='■'« =" *is bottle
just the first of all my friends."
Iido«?"t" "T"^" ^^'<' °"^'e J"^-. "very de-
"Clous. He spoke Frenrh «r,-fV, „ •
, . *^ ^ xrencn with a curious accent
having spent long years with English-speaking fron.'
tiersmen in the Carolinas and Kentucky'so that tZ
lingo had become his own.
As thev walked siHa K.r c.;^^ j .,
'V ^^vic uuvvn me way to the
W
IS
>uebec. He
g the bottle
on. While
opportunity
>nal glasses
^e grinned
; but when
'Vas sitting
gazing in-
i his story
lim to ask
as he had
of brandy
weather,"
e."
e me this
pouring
ought of
If, if any
:'s Oncle
is bottle
The First Mayor of Vincennes 67
st'burn "7 '°°'''' '"'^ '^P'<=^' ^-'^^"'^ of rough,
sun-burned and weather-tanned manhood ; Oncle f a^n
respect, Gaspard Roussillon towering six feet two
w.de shouldered, massive, lumbering, m'uscular agiln;
w, h long curlmg hair and a superb beard. They d.d
not know that they were going down to help dedVa e
the great Northwest to freedom.
lit
i^ery de-
accent,
ig fron-
at their
to the
II-
f
II I
iL.
m
CHAPTER V
FATHER GIBAULT.
Great movements in the affairs of men are like tides
l^.r' r ;''"■ """ "'^^' *« «■"««' and
swell of the general motion. Father Gibault brought
the wave o the American Revolution to Vincennes. He
was a simple missionary; but he was, besides, a man of
great worldly knowledge and personal force. Colonel
George Rogers Clark made Father Gibaulfs acquaint-
endVr d r h ' "'" "' '°" ^"' "^ ^^"»" ™^-
rendered to h.s command, and, quickly discerning the
fine quahfe, of the priest's character, sent him to thi
post o„ the Wabash to win over it's people ^ th
cause of freedom and independence. Nor was the
task assumed a hard one, as Fatl,er Gibault probably
well knew before he undertook it
ovi brr°' *: i"'"^ "'^" °* ^'"^-"-' Presided
should be called brmging all of the inhabitants to
gether m the church for the purpose of considering
the course to be taken under the circumstances mad!
known by Father Gibault. Oncle Jazon constitated
hm,se f an executive committee of one to stir up a
noise for the occasion. ^
It was a great day for Vincennes. The volatile
tempera„,ent of the French frontie^.nen bubhJove
88
<f ,'
Father GibauJt
take part. WithouTlT ^ ""«^^' ^' '^P««^d t°
that Father Sb t anTS '"r "" '"^' ""'" '' ^-
^e. were a„ in .a^r.S?::-" " '"-
together a """1"' 7 '''°''"' '" '^^'"^ ^ P"t
h/did notC oTtnJ "^" ^^^' ^-^ents that
did not remelbi to bffo ""j; '"^V"^^ °" ''"' "^
habit. ""*">' P°''te' as was his
The old priest looked up with a startled face At
the same time he tw^M tu t iiucu lace. At..^,
.ether and clutchedT/hardT:"'' °{'T' '°-
"Yes VP« t^, " ^'^ "Sfht hand.
Father , ,:et stood for som^ m;.,,..- ._ .. , .
then squeezed the oaner f«„l" —;^"- uo u aazed,
tne paper fragments into a tight ball
B
J.<, f
4 J
=i l!l
'lilllllj
i II'!
4
h' 111
11 '. i .■mil
f Nfill
70 Alice of Old Vincennes
just as they were when he took them from under
the floor some time before Rene came in, and put it in
his pocket. A little later he was kneeling, as we have
seen him once before, in silent yet fervent praver his
clasped hands lifted toward the crucifix on the wall.
"Jesus, give me strength to hold on and do my
work," he murmured beseechingly, "and oh, free thy
poor servant from bitter temptation."
Father Gibault had come prepared to use his elo-
quence upon the excitable Creoles, and with consider-
able cunning he addressed a motley audience at the
church, telling th.m that an American force had taken
Kaskaskia and would henceforth hold it ; that France
had joined hands with the Americans against the Brit-
ish and that it was the duty of all Frenchmen to help
uphold the cause of freedom and independence.
, "I come," said he, "directly from Colonel George
Rogers Clark, a noble and brave officer of the Amer-
ican army, who told me the news that I have brought
to you. He sent me here to say to you that if you
will give allegiance to his government you shall be
protected against all enemies and have the full free-
dom of citizens. I think you should do this without
a moment's hesitation, as I and my people at Kas-
kaskia have already done. But perhaps you would
like to have a word from your distinguished fellow-
citizen. Monsieur Gaspard Roussillon. Speak to your
friends, my son, they will be glad to take counsel of
your wisdom."
^There was a stir and a craning of necks. M. Rous-
sillon presently appeared near the little chancel, his
i'^i.^ ::ii
Father Gibault
tion as a matter of course then h . TT' ^''^'-
watch and looked a ' H^'i; t ^'^ "'^ ^'l-
Vincennes who owned a wateh and LTh' ""I: '"
ence M """"' °* ^PP'^"^^ «'ent through the audi-
ence. m. Koussillon strnWprl fV,o u i •
growing purplish above his beard ^' ^'"
of approbation. and'':rotdi^pr:d'°;he:r
name for Franr^ ic o-i^ » , *^^'^'"'^^"- -Ine other
Frenchmen ioveL t^^s I '''''' "''"'' ="' '™^
and he strucic hTu ™ * """^ Frenchman !"
Hand th^r h^M rirrhSh'°\"'^ '^^
his buclcslcin jerkin cZT ^ °™ ''""™ °"
and there was aTmash To„ "T"' "'"' "^^ "^^'-''
of glass fragmenr ' "'' '^ ^ '^''^''^ """^""g
f a great ^oT in 1"^ ^rhr '^^ ^'^-
Lifting the watch to his ear h. I . \ """ ''"'*•
with superb dirtitv T , ^ "^"'^'' * ■"°'"«nt
andspreadingllTLh , °"'^ ^'^^^""^ '"^ ''^''d
"The faithfu iX t" ;.:,m^^ "^r "^ -"'^
and the loyal heart^f f °^ ""' ^"°°d».
„.:,_ „ ^ ' "'^''" °' "« owner still throbs wit), „„...•
Oncle Jazon, who stood in front of the speaker.
72
Alice of Old Vincennes
I -li
pi'
r "'''
r '' i
swung his shapeless cap as high as he could and yelled
hke a savage. Then the crowd went wild for a time
Vtve la France! A has I' Angleterrer Everybody
shouted at the top of his voice.
"What France does we all do," continued M. Rous-
sillon, when the noise subsided. "France has clasped
hands with George Washington and his brave com-
patriots; so do we."
''Vive Zhorah Vasintonr shrieked Oncle Jazon in
a piercing treble, tiptoeing and shaking his cap reck-
lessly under M. Roussillon's nose.
The orator winced and jerked his head back, but
nobody saw it, save perhaps Father Gibault, who
laughed heartily.
Great sayings come suddenly, unannounced and un-
expected. They have the mysterious force of prophetic
accident combined with happy economy of phrasing.
The southern blood in M. Roussillon's veins was effer-
vescing upon his brain ; his tongue had caught the fine
freedom and abandon of inspired oratory. He towered
and glowed; words fell melodiously from his lips- his
gestures were compelling, his visage magnetic. In con-
elusion he said:
"Frenchmen, America is the garden-spot of the
world and will one day rule it, as did Rome of old
Where freedom makes her home, there is the centre of
power!" '
It was in a little log church on the verge of a hum-
mock overlooking a marshy wild meadow. Westward
for two thousand miles stretched the unbroken prairies,
woods, mountains, deserts reaching to the Pacific;
*P^:
Father Gibault
73
ward to he pole and eastward to the thin fringe of
setUements beyond the mountains, all was houSeL
If the reader should go to Vincennes to-day and
walk southward along Second Street to its interscc In
w.th Church Street, the spot then under foot would
be pro ably very near where M. Roussillon st^d
»nt writ rr ''^' ""'^"'^^- ^'"-^ y°"' *e pres-
oM S " V " ""' ^''''"'^ '° ''"°- 'he exact site of
old Sa nt Xaver church. If it could be fixed beyond ;
ori^d- rcr ' '-' - ^-^^^^^^^^ -~
When M. Roussillon ceased speaking the audience
oru,:tnru;:rh' rr= -r- ^^
-n,nly p, dge'^h": CrrrZelTlr
Not one of them hesitated.
tormation of Post Vincennes from a French-En ^licfi
dame Godere, finding out what was about to happen
fdl to work making a flag in imitation of that u3er'
Th^.v fi ^- ■'' "'^^ an exciting task.
thl^d tr: '"""'r'' ^""^ ^^^^ --■^^i. -d the
thread, heavily coated with beeswax s'-'i-ai-e-' -. ,1,
drew it through the cloth. ' "' " " ""'^
"We shall not be in time." said Madame Godere;
m
M.
74 Alice of Old Vincennes
Alice encouraged her wi.h bo.h words and work and
-t He rol?,rX"°" ™" '°"' ^'"" '"^
Ah, he was speaking- to hq- i,^
niiPnf" x> ' 1^ "'^"'S to us, he was very elo-
quent, Kene reohed **P„* , ^ y ciu
« the .ort .or ^HeLw aa.^T J^co^.o: ^t ."^"'-
W.th fly,ng fingers Alice sewed it to the staff
sHe^Xdtt-s\'2Te:rrr;----^
from head to foot ^ ^'°°^ °^" ''^■-
with rlwe'' "nH 'r '"' "''^"'^ "^"""^ "P
witho.aJo.en^s'd^Srwr-'''"-"'"-^
way turned, the sHirg1agX1in?ar;dt^^^
her moccasins twinkling as she ran ' '"''
At the blockhouse, awaiting the moment when the
Father Gibault
symbol of freedom should rise like -, , ^^
a'ed by ,he lively French fan. ^"!°'°"^''ly appreci-
•"- caught .he g'rl'sTp rit " '. u ''"'"^""- ^^e
made haste to bf noisy '""^ ' "'""' """ ""^^
,^«2iMLo:Co:M;Sei;^^^^^^^^^^^ "^ i*-*
mgton's flag!)" shouted Oncle Tazon H ^'^' ^''''-
I'«'e legs through a sort of *! !r ' P"' ^'' "^"y
''mT --'^ ---^rpptr--^ --"^ed
^ An^the men danced around and yelled til, they were
c-in^bed up a ru"; Sdrwa^r: s^ ''"^^ ^^
'he roof, still accompanied by W '^'/PP'^'^'^ ""
staff in a crack of the skh, u ' """^ P'*"'^<^ *e
the colors floatingfr!;'''^' '"' " ''°°^ "'^^^^'y "P-
O'ba'uVrrKlr W^^^^ ^- ^°-*". father
the area. They 1' ^"""^'"^ '" "'^ centre of
whne a bedlamX cITn? ^ "r "^ ^'°'' ^ "--
through her blood like stronl X?" S^ "''* ""'
antiy, and a sweet flush <,i ° 7 ^""''''' "di-
No one of Xh" .i^" '" ^'' ''^''^'■
all that wtld crowd could ever forget
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76
-it!
Alice of Old Vincennes
the picture sketched so boldly at that moment
when, after planting the staff, Alice stepped back a
space and stood strong and beautiful against the soft
blue sky. She glanced down first, then looked up, her
arms folded across her bosom. It was a pose as un-
consciously taken as that of a bird, and the grace of it
went straight to the hearts of those below.
She turned about to descend, and for the first time
saw that Rene had followed her. His face was beam-
ing.
"What a girl you are!" he exclaimed, in a tone of
exultant admiration. "Never was there another like
you I"
Alice walked quickly past him without speaking;
for down in the space where some women were
huddled aside from the crowd, looking on, she had
seen little Adrienne Bourcier. She made haste to
descend. Now that her impulsively chosen enterprise
was completed her boldness deserted her and she
slipped out through a dilapidated postern opposite the
crowd. On her right was the river, while southward
before her lay a great flat plain, beyond which rose
some hillocks covered with forest. The sun blazed
between masses of slowly drifting clouds that trailed
creeping fantastic shadows across the marshy waste.
Alice walked along under cover of the slight land-
swell which then, more plainly marked than it is now,
formed the contour line of hummock upon which the
fort and village stood. A watery swale grown full of
tall aquatic weeds meandered parallel with the bluff,
so to call it, and there was a soft melancholy whisper-
Father Gibault
77
at moment
)ped back a
inst the soft
)ked up, her
pose as un-
; grace of it
le first time
was beam-
1 a tone of
nother Hke
speaking ;
3men were
n, she had
e haste to
enterprise
* and she
pposite the
southward
vhich rose
jun blazed
hat trailed
shy waste,
light land-
it is now,
which the
wn full of
the bluff,
r whisper-
ing of wind among the long blades and stems. She
passed the church and Father Beret's hut and con-
tinued for some distance in the direction of that pretty
knoll upon which the cemetery is at present so taste-
fully kept. She felt shy now, as if to run away and
hide would be a great relief. Indeed, so relaxed were
her nerves that a slight movement in the grass and
cat-tail flags near by startled her painfully, making
her jump like a fawn.
"Little friend not be 'fraid," said a guttural vc'^e
in broken French. "Little friend not make noise."
At a glance she recognized Long-Hair, the Indian,
rising out of the matted marsh growth. It was a
hideous vision of embodied cunning, soullessness and
murderous cruelty.
"Not tell white man you see me?" he grunted in-
terrogatively, stepping close to her. He looked so
wicked that she recoiled and lifted her hands de-
fensively.
She trembled from head to foot, and her voice failed
her; but she made a negative sign and smiled at him,
turning as white as her tanned face could become.
In his left hand he held his bow, while in his right
he half lifted a murderous looking tomahawk.
"What new flag mean?" he demanded, waving the
bow's end toward the fort and bending his head down
close to hers. "Who yonder?"
"The great American Father has taken us under his
protection," she explained. "We are big-knives now."
It ahnost choked her to speak.
I:
M '^i*
I,.
78 Alice of Old Vincennes '
^ "Ugh ! heap damn fools," he said with a dark scowl.
Little friend much damn fool "
He straightened up his tall form and stood leering
at Her for some seconds, then added •
"Little friend get killed, scalped, maybe "
The indescribable nobility of animal largeness svm-
nmry and strength showed in his form fn d attituTe,
but he expression of his countenance wae absolutely
repulsive-cold, hard, beastly. ^
He did not speak again, but turned quickly, and
stooping ,ow disappeared like a great brewnis^ red
erpent ,„ the high grass, which scarcely stirred as
he moved through it. ' / u as.
able to Ahce. She had been accustomed to stirring
scenes and sudden changes of conditions; but this was
the nrst time that she had ever joined actively i„ a
P^iblic movement of importance. Tbr too. Long.
Hairs picturesque and rudely dramati. .appearance
affected her imagination with an indescriubrf^rce
Moreover, the pathetic situation in the love affair be-
tween Rene and Adrienne had taken hold of her con-
science with a disturbing grip. But the shadowy sense
of impending events, of which she could form no idea,
was behind ,t all. She had not heard of Brandywine
thing Ike a waft of their significance had blown
through her mind. A great change was coming into
her idylhc life. She was indistinctly aware of it as
we sometimes are of an approaching storm, while'yet
the sky ,s sweetly blue and serene. When she reached
dark scowl,
tood leering
eness, sym-
tid attitude,
: absolutely
nickiy, and
3wnish red
stirred as
ly memor-
to stirring
It this was
ively in a
30, Long-
ppearance
ble force,
affair be-
■ her con-
5wy sense
1 no idea,
ndywine,
)ut some-
J blown
ling into
of it, as
vhile yet
'■ reached
Father Gibault yg
home the house was full of people to whom M. Rous-
sillon, m the gayest of moods, was dispensing wine
and brandy. ^
"yiveZhorch Vasintonr shouted Oncle Jazon as
soon as he saw her.
And then they all talked at once, saying flattering
thmgs about her. Madame Roussillon tried to scold
as usual; but the lively chattering of the guests
drowned her voice.
"I suppose the American commander will send a
garrison here," some one said to Father Gibault, "and
repair the fort."
"Probably," the priest replied, "in a very few weeks
Meamime we will garrison it ourselves "
"And we will have M. Roussillon for commander"
spoke up Rene de Ronville, who was standing by '
A good suggestion," assented Father Gibault • "let
us organize at oner."
Immediately the word was passed that there would
be a meetmg at the fort that evening for the purpose
of choosing a garrison and a commander. Everybody
went promptly at the hour set. M. Roussillon was
elected Captain by acclamation, with Rene de Ronville
as his Lieutenant. It was observed that Oncle Jazon
had resumed his dignity, and that he looked into his
cap several times without speaking
Meantime certain citizens, who had been in close
relations with Governor Abbott during his stay, quiet-
y slipped out of town, manned a batteau and w.nt up
the river, probably to Ouiatenon first and then to
VM'
;• V
111]'
■Mi
!l I
TMt.
t i
r
80 Alice of Old Vincennes
Detroit. Doubtless they suspected that things mi<At
soon grow too warn for their comfort ^
t^^a. ihic, ar^r asTs rttft
b^khouse was lightly and lovingly called by eve v-
tie Uter'c^nl""' r'""™'" '° ^°« ^^^•'''^'''a and a lit-
tle orLe",",'""'"'' "•='■"• ^ i-'"' "an. but past
the prime of life, arrived at Vincenn<..i »„th ,
mssion from Col. Clark authoring J't IpeT
ft w?b Lt" r" """"r "' " '^^ ^^P"'-"'
" vvaDash. He was welcomed by the villae-erQ
M. Roussillon was absent when aptain Helm and
mand of the fort, but actually enjoying some excellent
grouse shooting with a bell-mouthed o!d fowling pite
the post; and as there was no garrison just then Zu!
Helm took possession, without any formalities '
throulh't'e 7''"'"':,*'' ^°"''^ *"="" '°°'' around
aZeiSr CJ - - -e up this
^rtrk7;;^°r-°-^^^^^^
tain's namSutelt r '''^" '" """^^' '"^ '^''P-
es
things might
>ackville first
and hoisted
-d over the
2d by every-
kia and a lit-
lan, but past
vith a com-
^ to super-
ct as Indian
Department
e villagers,
to them by
ng heartily
Helm and
ly in com-
e excellent
idling piece
deliver up
en visible,
s.
)k around
e up this
nander to
him. "I
-tting my
the Cap-
Father Gibault
tour," said th; younger '"=" ""' ' "^^ °" ^ '-0-8
;o find out where heuSl Ja^a^ S'^^uT;
for appearanc sak-P o«^ * . ^^f^mai cau, just
11 a great piece of humor to sue^est ^nhr,-.* *
whose marked difference fro!! ^ *° ^ '"^^
of hi. parentsVnd hdr r T '"''' ""= ""'^ =°"
lands and slaves but Tt ' ''''*' '°"'''""^ °'
^ Slaves , but, like many another of f h^ ,.00^1
young cavaliers of the Old DoLnTn L h ^
search of o^ ^ dominion, he had come in
try under so gallant a commander.
whStrrE^redT-f ''°"^'' ^^' ---
thouBhtful Jh r ^ *'"'°^'' *"'' naturally of a
thoughtful and studious turn, he had enriched his mind
.1 '&■■»?
I'lT
92
m
imi
i;:
r! •
mm
iliil
Alice of Old Vincennes
far beyond the usual limit among young Americans of
the very best class in that time; and so he appeared
older than he really was: an effect helped out by his
large and powerful form and grave dignity of bearing.
Clark, who found him useful in emergencies, cool, in-
trepid, daring to a fault and possessed of excellent
judgement, sent him with Helm, hoping that he would
offset with his orderly attention to details the somewhat
go-as-you-please disposition of that excellent officer.
Beverley set out in search of the French command-
er's house, impressed with no particular respect for
him or his^ office. Somehow Americans of Anglo-
Saxon blood were slow to recognize any good qualities
whatever in the Latin Creoles of the West and South.
It seemed to them that the Frenchman and the Span-
iard were much too apt to equalize themselves socially
and matrimonially with Indians and negroes. The
very fact that for a century, while Anglo-Americans
had been in constant bloody warfare with savages.
Frenchmen had managed to keep on easy and highly
profitable trading terms with them, tended to confirm
the worst implication. "Eat frogs and save your scalp,"
was a bit of contemptuous frontier humor indicative
of what sober judgement held in reserve on the subject.
Intent upon his formal mission. Lieutenant Beverley
stalked boldly into the inclosure at Roussillon place and
was met on the gallery by Madame Roussillon in one
of her worst moods. She glared at him with her hands
on her hips, her mouth set irritably aslant upward, her
eyebrows gathered into a dark knot over her nose. It
would be hard to imagine a more forbidding counte-
Father Gibault
83
back jean to stand behind her, with his big head lvin<r
elevated, whde he gawped intently up into Beverley's
b^Z '°'"'\^'"'''""" ^="1 'he Lieutenant, lifting his
moS- '"'"' ''°""'"°" ^- "^ '° -e hin, a
Despite Beverley's cleverness in using the French
soft V,, • ^°"' ""' '" ""= '^"^t Gallic. True the
soft V.rg,n,an mtonation marked every word and hil
obeisance was as low as if Madame Roussillon Lh t
a.u.^butthelightFrenchgracewr:hX,^^^^^^^
Rou^itmCer '' "^ ^-^-^^" Madam^e
Be'vSj!"^ ""'"'""'■ ' """^ '°^- M'"""»e '• -id
"Well, he's not at home, Mo'sieu • he's un th» ,•
for a few days. . ne s up the nver
lettll h 'T" !!'?'"'' ""''^-^ •'^^ ^y^brows, and even
let fall her hands from her shelf-like hips.
"i~.rroir:Ce:fhii^^^^^^^^^
« I^'Str'uTulf r^. °^ T" "^'^
within the doof. He paLed L ""°" '"^ ^■''^'
military command, whik a pair If '" ''"^"'' *° '
with a flash. The'cabii^orr/irKr. ^ S:
crepuscular dimness did not seem to K^r his ^Jt!
a
Ul
84 Alice of Old Vincennes
Beyond the girl's figure, a pair of slender swords hung
crossed aslant on the wall opposite the low door
Beverley had seen, in the old world galleries, pictures
in which the shadowy and somewhat uncertain back-
ground thus forced into strongest projection the main
figure, yet without clearly defining it. The rough
frame of the doorway gave just the rustic setting suited
to Alice's costume, the most striking part of which was
a grayish short gown ending just above her fringed
buckskin moccasins. Around her head she had bound
a blue kerchief, a wide corner of which lay over her
crown like a loose cap. Her bright hair hung free upon
her shoulders in tumbled half curls. As a picture the
figure and its entourage might have been artistically
effective; but as Beverley saw it in actual life the first
impression was rather embarrassing. Somehow he
felt almost irresistibly invited to laugh, though he had
never been much given to risibility. The blending, or
rather the juxtaposition, of extremes-a face, a form
immediately witching, and a costume odd to grotes-
query-had made an assault upon his comprehension
at once so sudden and so direct that his dignity came
near being disastrously broken up. A splendidly beau-
tiful child comically clad would have made much the
same half delightful, half displeasing impression.
Beverley could not stare at the girl, and no sooner
had he turned his back upon her than the picture in his
mmd changed like a scene in a kaleidoscope. He now '
saw a tall, finely developed figure and a face delicately
oval, with a low, wide forehead, arched brows a
straight, slightly tip-tilted nbse, a mouth sweet and full
es
swords hung
' door.
Ties, pictures
:ertain back-
ion the main
The rough
etting suited
>f which was
her fringed
e had bound
ay over her
\g free upon
picture, the
artistically
life the first
)mehow he
ugh he had
)lending, or
ice, a form
to grotes-
prehension
gnity came
didly beau-
much the
>sion.
no sooner
ture in his
He now
delicately
brows, a
't and full.
Father Gibault g^
toT t^'' '"' ' -^^""^ ^^•" -^ ^^-e a faultless
throat. His imaguiation, in casting off its first im
pression, was inclined to exaggerate llice' beauj 2
to dwell upon .ts picturesqueness. He smiled as he
walked back to the fort, and even found himself whis!
i
'i''H J.I ,'
•I ' # !'
ji ! , 'Ml' ''i'
JB '
i:
11
CHAPTER VI
A FENCING BOUT
u vincennes, and if he was sorely touched in
to huln °'' """y- ""^ *<' "°' '«' i' be known
to his fellow ofzens. He promptly called upon the
IZpTr:':' """ "■""^ acquaintance with Ueut n
!„^ n^ 7 ^"'"^ "P ^" °''' '^""on in the fort
and mending some breaks in the stockade.
who^Ztr/reXT"" "" '"= '" ^^"=''-"'
ureezy treedom of manner and expansive eoo<l
humor struck him favorably from the beginnl' M
Rouss, Ion's ability to speak English with coSerab^e
a e helped the friendship along, no doubt ; at a 1 events
heir nrst mterv.ew ended with a hearty show of good
si"?; "' " '™^ ""'-'' '"^y ^--e al fin'
Of rest from h.s tradmg excursions among the Indians
They played cards and brewed hot drinks over whTh
pa lg"allT°"r"^^- ''' '^'«' °« -variaX
surpassmg all its predecessors. '
Helm had an eye to business, and turned M Rous-
sillons knowledge of the Indians to valuable a™
of TX """ "'' ''"' P'^--' «>ations with m^st
fcelmg of great security to the people of Vincenles
86
'If
A Fencing Bout
87
Roussillon re-
ely touched in
acquired mili-
let it be known
illed upon the
with Lieuten-
s superintend-
on in the fort
e.
r Frenchman,
pansive good
ginning. M.
considerable
; at all events
how of good
»e almost in-
on's periods
the Indians.
over which
e invariably
d M. Rous-
3le account,
' with most
rhis gave a
Vincennes.
wh.ch,eveni„hutan,i?,K , ^°'' '°<='*' g^^'es
dition. of cx.re„r£ onJeHr"'" '" ''" ''^^— ""
an.. ge„.a, French CS^r '"' '° '"^ ^°'=""«=
Jazon. Who proved ot boTh fa/"""'"''' ""^ °"^'^
agcable; a hard nut to cracl """""« ""'' ""■"""-
absolutely original in flavor Be T"'""^ " ''""«"
evening in his hut-i. '"!., k ! '^ ''^'"='' ''™ °"e
curiously built thinl "i^ ^ nf*" ""= """•^^ "^-a
a .uadrangular .ctr^X): 'J'^' ""'^ - -
^■"h grass. Inside and ou^ U ^, ''' ""'' ''""f'^d
and the floor of drieS'JLt sto'.?' :'" '"'^•
concrete paving. I„ one eld .here ' ' '"" ^'
place grimy with soot, in the oth ""' " '"''''' «^^-
fora window;a wood nbench?h7 T^ ^^^^-''^'^
or three stools were barely vi^l .„ t, f " '"'' '"°
doorway Oncle Jazon sat wh^, ^'°°'"- ^" ""e
'"■ckory into a ramrod fo h^' \' ''"""'' •"«« of
rifle. "^^ *°' h.s long flint-bclc American
^--a'y S--n;:-^^awhi^^^
^ es, 1 do know him well • he'. »
fnend of mine," said Beverlev wifh •'''™ P'"°"al
« surprised him that oTi r ^"'" '■'"^'•«'. for
«^? about Kenton ^Do ^'T '''°""' ''"°- any-
J^on?" °"- °° ^""''now him. Monsieur
O"c.eja.o„ winked conceitedly and sighted alon.
'"W '
88
Alice of Old Vincennes
i(;-' 1)
his rudimentary ramrod to see if it was straight; then
puckering his lips, as if on the point of whistling, made
an affirmative noise quite impossible to spell.
"Well, I'm glad you are aquainted with Kenton,"
said Beverley. "Where did you and he come to-
gether?"
Oncle Jazon chuckled reminiscently and scratched
the skinless, cicatrized spot where his scalp had once
flourished.
"Oh, several places," he answered. "Ye see thet
hair a hangin' there on the wall?" He pointed at a
dry wisp dafngling under a peg in a log barely visible
by the bad light. "Well, thet's my scalp, he ! he ! he !"
He snickered as if the fact were a most enjoyable
joke. ^'Simon Kenton can tell ye about thet little
affair ! The Indians thought I was dead, and they took
my hair; but I wasn't dead; I was just a givin' 'em a
'possum act. When they was gone I got up from where
I was a layin' and trotted off. My head was sore and
ventrebleu! but I was mad, he! he! he!"
All this time he spoke in French, and the English
but poorly paraphrases his odd turns of expression.
His grimaces and grunts cannot even be hinted.
It was a long story, as Beverley, received it, told
scrappily, but with certain rude art. In the end Oncle
Jazon said with unctuous self-satisfaction:
"Accidents will happen. I got my chance at that
damned Indian who skinned my head, and I jes took
a bead on 'im with my old rifle. I can't shoot much,
never could, but I happened to hit 'im square in the
lef eye, what I shot at, and it was a hundred yards.
JS
traight; then
istliiig, made
ill.
th Kenton,"
le come to-
d scratched
Ip had once
Ye see thet
)ointed at a
irely visible
elhe.'he!"
t enjoyable
t thet little
id they took
jivin' 'em a
from where
IS sore and
he English
expression,
linted.
ed it, told
end Oncle
ce at that
I jes took
oot much,
are in the
red yards.
A Fencing Bout
89
Down he tumbles, and I runs to 'im and finds my same
^d scalp a hangin' to his belt. Well, I lifted off his
^Z Tl 71 f"' '"^ ""'^'^ "^'"^ ^'^^ ^he belt, and
hen I had both scalps, he! he! he! You ask Simon
Kenton when ye see 'im. He was along at the same
time and they made 'im run the ga'ntlet and pretty
nigh beat the life out o"im. Ventrebleu.r
Beverley now recollected hearing Kenton tell the
same grim story by a camo-fire in the hills of Ken-
French rendenng, which linked it with the old tales of
adventure that he had read in his boyhood, and it sud-
denly endeared Oncle Jazon to him. The rough old
scrap of a man and the powerful youth chatted to-
gether until sundown, smoking their pipes, each feeling
for what was best in the other, half aware that in the
future they would be tested together in the fire of wild
adventure Every man is more or less a prophet at
certam points in his life. P ^i ai
Twilight and moonlight were blending softly when
Beverley, on his way back to the fort, departing from a
direct course, went along the river's side southward to
have a few moments of reflective strolling within reach
of the water s pleasant murmur and the town's indef-
inite evening stir. Rich sweetness, the gift of early
autumn was on the air blowing softly out of a lilac
west and singing in the willow fringe that hung here
and there over the bank.
On the farther side of the river's wide flow, swollen
endTl rV'r' ^''''''' ^^^ ^ P^^«^"^' 'n one
end of which a dark figure swayed to the strokes of a
m
If
90
Alice of Old Vincennes
WW'
^^B'- '
^H/?'
'
^^^^^^^B
^K,^
i ''(II 1
5 )
^^^■f'.^
'
^^^^H'Ht.
1
^^^^H i
paddle. The slender and shallow little craft was
bobbing on the choppy waves and taking a zig-zag
course among floating logs and masses of lighter drift-
wood while making slow but certain headway toward
the hither bank.
Beverley took a bit of punk and a flint and steel
from his pocket, relit his pipe and stood watching the
Skilful boatman conduct his somewhat dangerous voy-
age diagonally against the rolling current. It was a
shifting, hide-and-seek scene, its features appearing
and disappearing with the action of the waves and the
doubtful light reflected from fading clouds and sky.
Now and again the man stood up in his skittish pi-
rogue, balancing himself with care, to use a short pole
m shoving driftwood out of his way; and more than
once he looked to Beverley as if he had plunged head-
long into the dark water.
The spot, as nearly as it can be fixed, was about two
hundred yards below where the public road-bridee at
present spans the Wabash. The bluff was then far dif-
ferent from what it is now, steeper and higher, with
less silt and sand between it and the water's edge
Indeed, swollen as the current was, a man could stand
on the top of the bank and easily leap into the deep
water. At a point near the middle of the river a great
mass of drift-logs and sand had long ago formed a bar-
rier which split the stream so that one current came
heavily shoreward on the side next the town and
swashed with its muddy foam, making a swirl and eddy
just below where Beverley stood
The pirogue rounded the upper angle of this ob-
B craft was
g a zig-zag
lighter drift-
Iway toward
It and steel
matching the
gerous voy-
. It was a
I appearing
ves and the
Is and sky.
skittish pi-
L short pole
more than
tiged head-
about two
i-bridge at
len far dif-
gher, with
:er's edge.
3uld stand
) the deep
er a great
ned a bar-
rent came
town and
and eddy
' this ol>«
A Fencing Bout gj
struction, not withoM clifficlty to its crew of one, and
planned for by tlie steersman, who now paddled against
he t,de w,.h all his might to keep from being bor^e too
far down stream for a safe landing place
Beverley stood at ease idly and half dreamily looking
on when suddenly something caused a catastrophe
which for a moment he did not comprehend. In fac
^e man m the pirogue came to grief, as a man in a
pirogue IS very apt to do. and fairly somersaulted
Zl^ :T ": ""'"■ ''°*'"S -™- would have
tl^eatened (for the man could swim like an otter) had
not a floatmg. half submerged log thrust up some short
st.fr s umps of boughs, upon the points of which the'
man struck heavily and was not only hurt, but had his
dothes .mpaled securely by one of the ugly spears, so
tha the hung m a helpless position, while the water's
nZ^Z^'lf"' '"'"' " ''""S""^ '^y fo^ help, he
pulled h.msel promptly together, flung off his Lt,
as .f by a smgle motion, and leaped down the bank into
or TT. r' ^ ''''"""" "''°'^ ''"'^'' ^""'ed
could aiTord; he rushed through the water with long
sweeps, makmg a semicircle, rounding against the
current so as to swing down upon the drowning man.
sordid T^u'^'^'T """ " """°' "^ »■"«-»-
pread throughout the town that Father Beret and
Lieutenant Beverley were drowned in the Wabash.
But when a crowd gathered to verify the terrible news
92
U'-.
If'
r
I
r
Alice of Old Vincennes '
heroic nerve and muscle. exlnbition of
"Ventrcblcti! Quel hnmuf,,*" t •
-^„ , , . ^^' nommci exclaimed Oncle Ta-
"ic vvaoasli with Lieutenant Reverlev iinHnr
"Bring them to my house immediately " M Rn„.
s. Ion ordered, as soon as they were re Led 'to .
scousness; and he shook hims'elf, as a birw't '1""
~wr^^xhrhS,--^-^ -'^" ^
strides ^ """ '""^ ^'■•'' ™e'odramatic
In justice to historical accuracy there must be »
nflmg refo™. of what appeared on' the L oT.ht
draldTn '' ,^"'" "'''^"'^ ^°"^^"^o- actual
dragged Father Beret and Lieutenant Beverley one al
ba kThL "' 1"' "="^'- ^""^ "P *e steep L
explaine? r '™'" ' ^"^' '^"'^ ""' «he hero nev
expiamed. When men arrived he was stanHin„ t,
from under h,s arms, and why shouldn't he have th^
benefit of a great implication ' ^
cJrSr' !?"" ''°"''" ""^ '■°="^^= f™™ which, of
course, the ready creole imagination inferred the ex
treme of possible heroic performance.
Brmg them to my hou.,- immediately " and it w,.
accordingly done. was
The procession, headed by M. Roussillon, moved
es
oussillon had
exhibition of
cci Oncle Ja-
come up the
verley under
2r, both men
" M. Rous-
)red to con-
■ wet animal
r him with
elodramatic
must be a
e of things
n actually
rley one at
steep river
hero never
nding be-
dtipping.
>ped them
: have the
which, of
i the ex-
id it was
1, moved
A Fencing Bout
93
"e was out, as well amf .,o„' 1 "''"^- ^"^^^ "^^
affairs of his offico M f """■' ''"'>' "ith the
of what the I tSvemu'. T " '"' '"P"^ °" -»"■"
I' is good to fce,tat on^h:' rJ"'"'"?''"'^^^^^
and no young ^an's hea t rep ,f the r T"'"^ V'
comes to him when a bea utTfu t! I « "' "' '"'""
Naturally enough Alic. ^ " ™"='^ '"' "f^-
eriey while' she w to attenti T ""•^'"' °' ''-
Beret. She had never before '' '"'"^ '°' ^^">-
had she read of one Co ' ?'" ' *"'" '"'^ '■''"' "°'
'he best youth of he^ZZj' ^^ "^ «°"vi,le,
way superior; this wL oo T"'.^' ""' '" ^^'^
referred to t.;e romTnic Jn^/rd' t J ''"'^'^= ""' '
novels she had read hi u ^^^" ""* °f *e
loomed brav^y Tht vi, ^"^ ^* ''^"'' '"" ^^^ ^e
the Cass she had mt a mTrrs'tir''^ ^ '"''' °^
hero of large proportions ' ""questionably a
a sliding ratr s he betm^ :r^
hegan to enjoy the pries -,7 ""^''''"'"^- "«
wordly wisdom crLn ~"™"a«on, with its sly
y w,sdom croppmg up through fervid religious
It *■
hi f
*<
.>1'1
94 Alice of Old Vincennes'
sentiments and quaint humor. Alice mn.t h„ . • .
ested him more tl,an he wa- " -lly a ' 1 "f r ?• """"
followed her, as she came a J^TS^"'^'^"
criticism nf u^^ i ir ' ^"" ^ curious
D vari! ■'"'"•"■^''vage costume and her springy,
est and '"^f '™"^' "'">^'' reminde.l him of the sh^
m nt hr^^M "' ""'' '''^''^•- -" ^« a 'ouch of efine
ment, the subtlest and best, showed in all her wavs H.
a" : SiT ;::r fir ^"""•^ ^ ^'^--'^°"
frn^f , 'raffrant flower, or a bird of oddlv at-
w. I£u Iness and joyous lightness which played on her
nature's changeable surfaro H. , ■ "
a.. b^""": suriacc. He wondered at her in
IntTl ""T'"' "' """'^ '■" *<= "^'«- vein. '
A htt e thmg happened which further opened hi,
eyes and increased the interest that her bTa2 ,nd
ekmentary charm of style aroused in hi Suallv
apace w.th their advancing acquaintanceship^ "''
Father Beret had got well and returned to his h„t
and h,s round of spiritual duties; but Be" rIeTcame to
Roussdlon place every day all the same. For a wond °
Jean.00 Le frienS IZcTwhenXpr:
'ty afiForded. Of course Alice gave him iustthrf J
-diality of hospitable welcomf demld ty'' on«"e
cond.t,o„s. She scarcely knew whether she Lid him
ines
nust have inter-
of; for his eyes
with a curious
id her springy,
liim of the shy-
touch of refine-
I her ways. He
3trangc, showy
d of oddly at-
' to him or to
aware of the
played on her
red at her in-
:ontrolIed ap-
J he began to
rence, behind
fiat she really
:hter vein.
' opened his
beauty and
n gradually,
hip.
i to his hut
"ley came to
3r a wonder
: times held
^as present.
" opportun-
t the frank
by frontier
■ liked him
A Fencing Bout
95
or not; but he had a treasurv .f • .
which he was enriching rw'thhr'r'"" '""
<^aybyclay. Thehungrfcs parTof, '.' '''"^'"^"^^"^
sumptuously banqueted at ht "^'"'^ '''' ''''^^
i-tualga.,,,J,J;;^|^^^^^ Mere intel-
cleverandtantatngZS h'-^"^^^^^^^^^^
a native dignity and an .7 ^' '^ '" ^"''" P^^^^iced
to excel J effect I '""'' '"^^^'^^'^^ ^^ "^-""er
Greek in a new Arcadr ToTl °' "^"^^ ^^'^^
strong, strange, simp ee;en crude" , " "" '''^"^'
ness, yet admirably pur! 'n °'' '° ""'"^^J"
Highest womanly a'sp^^o "s T\"'r'"^' ^'^^
~d the gJat oLt la of 'Z 7'''' ''''
her from wonderland h., , 7 * ^^ ^^me to
'-S woods and ;ij ";^'''^-*-c'eofhouse.
cities, teeming parks of' f-Tu T"™'*'' S°^&«°"^
halls of social sp^rdorthlt""' '"'"'''''''' ^^'°"^.
mans dreams. ' ""='""'' ">« world of wo-
«dt7wi„"atu!:f.f '""' "^^ y^' p°--f"'.
opposite poles of exoe "n T'' "'^''''" f™™ the
"i- practical,; e"^:, ,m -^ education : an antago-
tractior.. What one kin, u ' '"°'' "porous at-
of ; neither 'IXd^r"" ' """^^ '^ ''"' ''^""^ware
^ is a sci;;2: oTer:r f J7 "■
vantage grounds, followed bv harm^!' ^^""S
''-• Culture and refinement 'rr ^''^°^*""■
'ciu cake on airs— it is the
> ,M
96 Alice of Old Vincennes '
deepest, artificial instinct of enlightenment to pose-in
the presence of naturalness ; and there is a certain
style of Ignorance which attitudinizes before the gate
of knowledge. The return to nature has always been
the dream of the conventionalized soul, while the sim-
ple Arcadian is forever longing for the maddening
honey of sophistication.
Innate jealousies stnke together like flint and steel
dashmg oflF sparks by which nearly everything that life
can warm its core withal is kindled and kept burning
What I envy in my friend I store for my best use I
thrust and parry, not to kill, but to learn my adver-
sary's superior feints and guards. And this hint of
sword play leads back to what so greatly surprised and
puzzled Beverley one day when he chanced to be
exammmg the pair of colechemardes on the wall.
He took one down, and handling it with the inde-
scribable facility possible to none save a practical
swordsman, remarked :
"There's a world of fascination in these things • I
like nothing better than a bout at fencing. Does your
father practice the art ?"
'•I have no father, no mother," she quickly said; "but
good Papa Roussillon does like a little exercise with
the colechemarde."
;WelI, I'm glad to hear it, I shall ask to teach him a
trick or two," Beverley responded in the lightest mood.
When will he return from the woods ?"
"I can't tell you ; he's very irregular in such mat-
ters, she said. Then, with a smile half banter and half
challenge, she added; "if you are really dying for
A Fencing Bout
97
some exercise, you shall not have to wait fnr ..■
Win oie'ptf:- ;i''\"°"^'"^' ""■■^■'■'•■"- ^ou
m some sta^e of nrno-mce i i ^ ^ ^°^^ ^^^ir
She b jHe;?s; '^ut'^tS': ^"'' "^•"^-
combined rush of surnri V"^'^'^ overcoming a
emphasis as cUalLT^ !! '""^"' ^"^^^ -"" an
"T ir "'"""& as It was unexpected
Pardon me, Mademoiselle; forgive me I K„ .
you, he exclaimed, earnestly modu1«L 1 ^ °'
smcerest beseechment; "I realiv n^f f """'' '°
impudent, nor—" ^ *'"' "°' "^an to be
Her vivacity cleared with a merry laugh
''we^:iS::;m\rrr ""■" ^'^" '----<'•
lesson." "^'^ ^ ""^^^ """ght you a fencing
From a shelf she drew down a pair of fn.-t ^
-^tmg the hilts, bade him take hisll'°" "' """
W oT. Te'saiT 'f r" "^'^^^ *- 'Hat I
will feel bette a 1 V V'''' """'' "'"' '""
defeat tin^S thro^^'t i '^ °'" ='"'* '"^ ^«"^ °^
.-urp,ayintar-/--;sa^^^^^^^^^^^
m
fi
98 Alice of Old Vincennes
I'^lf r ?T ^^''' '' ''"'' '^^^ °"'y - mischievous
smile-ghnt, direct, daring, irresistible.
"Well " he said, taking one of the foils, "what do
you really mean? Is it a challenge without room for
honorable retreat ?"
"The time for parley is past," she replied, "follow
me to the battle-ground."
She led the way to a pleasant little court in the rear
of the cabms yard, a space between two wings and
a vme-covered trellis, beyond which lay a weU kept
TdT A"' ""^"''^'' ^''^^"- ^''^ «he turned about
and faced.him, poising her foil with a fine grace
Are you ready ?" she inquired.
ev.? vi!l,'^'^ '° ^'"'^ ^ ^"^ ^"*° *he depths of her
eyes with his; but he might as well have attacked the
sun ; so he stood in a confusion of not very well defined
feelings, undecided, hesitating, half expecting that
there would be some laughable turn to end the affair
Are you afraid. Monsieur Beverley?" she de-
manded after a short waiting in silence.
Ke laughed now and whipped the air with his foil
You certainly are not in earnest?" he said interrog-
Se?" '°" '''"' """ ^'^^ ^°" "^"^ '^ *-^"-
"If you think because I'm only a girl you can easily
beat me, try it," she tauntingly replied making a iJl
thrust toward his breast.
Quick as a flash he parried, and then a merry clink-
mg and twinkling of steel blades kept time to their
swift movements. Instantly, by the sure sens, which is
half sight, half feeling-the sense that guides the ex-
A Fencing Bout
3lied, "follow
99
pert fencer's hand and wrisf n , .
had probabl, „ore tuLT^'Zlri^J -^T "^^ ''
his attack was met bv a t,m» ,, '''.^"'' '" '«" seconds
touched him sharply ' "'™'' '" °PP°^"i°" which
JJice sp.„, ,ar bacic. ,owe.d her point and
"Yes, I felt it - 1 i '' ^°'' '^^' 'he button ?"
^nH.-s;oicr4'^::r:;^t"r"^^-„t
chance to redeem myself " Now g,ve me a
waf LTbermertr ^^ '"''' ^'^' '-■
fore. Alice seemed to .iv him" " '''°" ''°"'' ''^ "-
he accepted it with a thrust tZ T '".?• ""'"'"^ '""^
•hat he did not understand Tl '"""«^ ''''PP«="«<'
somehow caught under h^ P"'"' °' ■"» f°" was
her blade see^^rtristrrrhir^at'^r'' ^"^
fingers aching S;hT::„"hteT, '" ^'''' '^'
Of course the thino- ^ *""■ received.
armed befo efbut he.TrL"°?r ^ "^ "''^ ''-■' ''-
mystery to himXethe Iff Tf " ^"^ ''"''' "
had ever seen. ^"■'"' ^"^ any that he
'0 hi.. "Here'KrtrrT" ^"^ ""^-'"^ ''"^ '"'
'ook uZl'^eV^'lT'"^ ''^ ""' -^ 'O-ng to
n
Iff.* *
Hi'!
■fi"' i
Ml..
M.i
I'
llji'l
' .'.
'00 Alice of Old Vincennes
Mau'nme Roussillon and Jean, the hunchback, hear-
ng he racket o, .he foils had con.e out to see and were
Standing agape.
"You ought to be ashamed. AHcc," said the dame in
coldmg approval of what .he had done ; "girls do not
fence with gentlemen."
"This girl does," said Alice.
"And with extreme disaster to this gentleman," said
iZiT ""^ '" ^ *''"' °^ discomfiture and res-
"Ah, Mo'sieu', there's nothing but disaster where
she goes, complained Madame Roussillon, "she is a
destroyer of everything. Only yesterday she dropped
my pmk bowl and broke it, the only one I had."
And just to think," said Beverley, "what would
have been the condition of my heart had we been using
rapiers mstead of leather-buttoned foils! She would
have spitted it through the very center."
"Like enough," replied the dame indifferently "She
wouldn't wince, either,--not she."
foltweT" '"*° *^^ ^°"'^ "^'^^ *^^ ^°"' ^""^ ^'^''^^^^y
ye must try it oi^er again some dny conn," he sa\<h
I find that you can show me a few points. Where'
did you learn to fence so admirably? Is Monsieur
Koussillon your master?"
"Indeed he isn't," she quickly replied, "he is but a
'^^^:gln^ swordsman. My master-but I am not at i
'- e..y to tell ^ ,u who has taught me the little I know."
Vv^ell, whoever he is I should be glad to have les- '
sons irom him."
^fj-fl^P '■I
A Fencing Bout
101
"Bui you'll never get them"
"Why?" «^"^eni.
"Because."
"A woman's ultimatum."
He laughed heartily.
"Yes, your point reaches mr- " !,„ -j „.
etnsaeva .ictus .ladiaU^Za as th ,' '"' '^'""
derstand it." ^ P'°"'P' erudition. "I un-
,?!r^'^y '"oked amazed.
iike gruffness. '"'^ """"""""S '° something
- Jean had iZZT^l'Z^'^'"' ^°"'*»
"s not permitted that I reaTth, u l^'" '°°"'- "^'
"<« hide it from me V . '' ^'''' f"" "-ey do
out its dreadX" ling """ '''' '''"' ' »"'' -^^
4t:ote^:HSyttr'\''^^'^ "-^'^ *•-•"-
wind and sun ^ZhL^^^ r'':'T'°^-' -"ere
of absolute health l„T T. """^ ^"^ =«' 'he seal
of .... , "^^""' and took from a n.Vh. ;- ,t. .
- wall a stained and dog-eared';;,!^ 'if:
'1^1
till!
I i
If
t ,
102 Alice of Old Vincennes '
hea'd tofoot"" "' "" 'J^ ^^^' °^" *^ S-' fro-
head to foot comparmg her show of knowledge with
ne s whH wh hT °' '"''"' ™^"^''^' '"" -« -^^
ness, with which she was covered.
''Well," he said, "you are a mystery."
Fn,rr f'V' '"P"^'"^ *at I can read a book!
Frankly I can't understand half of this one. I read i
because-well just because they want n,. to readTbou
i like something lively. What do I care for all that
umnterestiiig religious stuff ?"
v^ ;■ , 1 ""' *'"'' * Sirl-I shouldn't think
you d particularly enjoy his humors."
rt^ only I seem to learn about the world from
. . Sometimes it seems as if it lifted me up high above
all this wild, lonely and tiresome country, so that I
can see far off where things are different and beaut ful
It .s the same with the novels; and they don't permi
me to read them either; but all the same I do."
When Beverley, taking his leave, passed through the
gate at Roussillon place, he met Rene de Ronville goil
in It was a notable coincidence that each young man
i^t something troublesome rise in his throat !s he
looked into the other's eyes.
A week of dreamy autumn weather came on, during
which Beverley managed to be with Alice a great deal
mostly sitting on the koussillon gallery, where the
A Fencing Bout
103
distant muW-co,:: Itll ' Th? "°' '7" °^^^ "'^
were gathering their rLT '"^" °* Vincennes
cob for ,r.4 S: J Xr T '° '^^ '' "^ *"'
wine from the native cralT!, , ^^ ''°'""" """"e
-her fruit of impolT „ef 'r;"^ T'^'^''
and Alice stained their h.Z" ., ^"" RoussiUon
pressing season, and Beveriev'ff 'A"'''^ """"' *«
'•" helping them handle ttefuit ""''' '"''^'''
the overflowing earthen ^s the wHdt '' "°""<'
hornets hummed with an ince sa„r f ' '""'^' "'"'
Jean, the hunchback, gathered li "7 '"°"°'°"^-
oty nuts, walnuts, hazel-TutsTn/ ! ' °^ '''*■
"eed, the whole p;pui of h liwf "7^- ^"-
spurt of industry just before the ImL n/ "■^'^'
and presently wIip« «, laiimg of winter:
P'eted for ti^I'dTeaded "m"'''''''"'"" ""^ •>-" ~m.
^'ed out his 4:£^s^ZTZl ^°""'"°" -
at the river house. After the m", ^^' ^ ^^"' P^'^
experience of all his liTl /, successful trading
"Let's have one mo '"epressibly liberal,
"that's what Le ^ for" '°'""^ ^°°' '™<='" ''^ ^''d.
'k
CHAPTER VII
THE mayor's party
Beverley was so surprised and confused in his mind
by the ease with which he had been mastered at swords
play by a mere girl, that he felt as if just coming out
of a dream. In fact the whole affair seemed unreal,
yet so vivid and impressive in all its main features,
that he could not emerge from it and look it calmly over
from without. His experience with women had not
prepared him for a ready understanding and acceptance
of a girl like Alice. While he was fully aware of her
beauty, freshness, vivacity and grace, this Amazonian
strength of hers, this boldness of spirit, this curious
mixture of frontier crudeness and a certain adumbra-
tion—so to call it— of patrician sensibilities and aspira-
tions, affected him both pleasantly and unpleasantly.
He did not sympathize promptly with her semi-bar-
baric costume; she seemed not gently feminine, as
compared with the girls of Virginia and Maryland.
He resented her muscular development and her inde-
pendent disposition. She was far from coarseness,
however, and, indeed, a trace of subtle refinement, al-
though not conventional, imbued her whole character.
But why was he thinking so critically about her?
Had his selfishness received an incurable shock from
the button of her foil? A healthy young man of the
right sort is apt to be jealous of his physical prowess
—touch him there and he will turn the world over to
104
ill'
•
The Mayor's Party
105
right himself in his own admiration and yours. But to
be beaten on his highest ground of viriHty by a dimple-
faced maiden just leaving her teens could not offer
Beverley any open way to recoupment of damages
He tried to shake her out of his mind, as a bit of
pretty and troublesome rubbish, what time he pursued
his not very exacting military duties. But the more he
shook the tighter she clung, and the oftener he went
to see her.
Helm was a good officer in many respects, and his
patriotism was of the best; but he liked jolly com-
pany, a glass of something strong and a large share of
ease. Detroit lay many miles northeastward across the
wilderness, and the English, he thought, would scarcely
come so far to attack his httle post, especially now
tha most of the Indians in the intervening country had
declared in favor of the Americans. Recently, too, the
weather had been favoring him by changing from wet
to dry so that the upper Wabash and its tributaries
were falling low and would soon be very difficult to
navigate with large batteaux.
Very little was done to repair the stockade and di-
lapidated remnant of a blockhouse. There were no
sufficient barracks, a mere shed in one angle serving
for quarters, and the old cannon could not have been
used to any effect in case of attack. As for the gar-
rison. It was a nominal quantity, made up mostly of
men who preferred hunting and fishing to the merest
pretense of military duty,
Gaspard Roussillon assumed to know everything
about Indian affairs and the condition of the English
If*
.^ f
If 'II
'i- :l
106 Alice of Old Vincennes
a'v^rv'ni' "." """"""^ ^''^'""« '""^O Helm to
a very pleasant sense of security. Beverley was not
to the blockhouse and stockade were treated with dila-
Satl^Xter^"'''''^''^ ^''^"°' <'''"■'«■
Meantime the entertainment to be given by Gaspard
Roussillon occupied everybody's imagination to an un-
usual extent. Rene de Ronville, remembering but not
■ wln^ K .'"t""' ^""^'^ °' "'^ former attempt,
but she flatly refused him, once more reminding him o
his obhgafons to little Adrienne Bourcier. He would
not be convinced.
"You are bound to me," he said, "you promised be-
fore, you know, and the party was but put off I
hold you to it; you are my partenaire, and I am yours,
you can't deny that."
"No you are not my partenaire/' she firmly said;
then added lightly, ''Feu man partenaire, you are dead
and buried as my partner at that dance."
^^ He glowered in silence for a few moments, then
"It is Lieutenant Beverley, I suppose."
^ She gave him a quick contemptuous look, but turned
It mstantly into one of her tantalizing smiles.
"Do you imagine that.?" she demanded.
The Mayor's Party
107
"Ha:ef„":le>""°^ ''•"•--''''' v^i* a hot flush.
?:1S"'"^''^''''"^''"''''--^'-,h.
her face growinVSs. ^ "" '" " """"' ^^^" '-'
There was an awkward silence
ro.editse.n.„Hat.oo.SrLiXS^
inner belroft\dhU„r''M''°'' °" '"<' '''^^'
shake off as that of etr ;• ^"^ '' '° ^"^ 'o
still .r»n ^ ''^''«^'°"' convictions. The
"wLn f JT '°'"™^ ''°*" fr°™ the timel
When shepherds watched their flocks by nilht '",„
oldjudea, passes through the Driest ZL ■
preacher; it echoes in calhedrllchurch ""' *'
'•ng; it gently and mysterion^f' ' ^"""^ ™''-
the distinctive quamv whlh ^r""" '° '"■"'^" "^^
^iivc quanty which is the exnonpnf r»f r-u •
tian civilization. Upon the r..... ^^"'"
dren if m,i, receptive nature of chil-
Father Beret was the humble sp?f pff,^-
t ring aeent of ^noM ■ . . °""^' self-effacing, never-
in a tender siL '=°"™"nity. He preached
h. crrdtdrs:LTtit7;^tir r k"
»ng expression changed to one of abject
If 'V
W'\
io8 Alice of Old Vincennes
self-concern when the priest's name was suddenly
connected with his n,ood. The confessional loomed up
befo e the eyes of his conscience, and his knees smot!
together, spiritually if not physically
food A. ' ^° '° '°"' ^'""^'- S° '° P'^«y ''"d
good Adnenne, and ask her to be your partelaire.
Refresh your conscience with a noble draught of duty
and make that dear little girl overflow with joy. J
Rene de Renville." '
In making over what she said into English, the trans-
ition turns out to be but a sonorous paraphrase. Her
, French was of that mixed creole sort, a blending of iin-
gmstic elegance and patois, impossible to imitate. Like
herself it was beautiful, crude, fascinating, and some-
thing m It mipressed itself as unimpeachable, despite
the broken and incongruous diction. Rene felt his
soul cowenng, even slinking; but he fairly maintained
a^ good face, and went away without saying another
"Ciel.cid. how beautiful she is!" he thought, as he
walked along the narrow street in the dreamy sunshine.
But She IS not for me, not for me."
He shook himself and tried to be cheerful. In fact
he hummed a Creole ditty, something about
"La belle Jeanette, qu' a bris/mon coeur."
Days passed, and at last the time of the great event
arrived. It was a f:osty night, clear, sparkling with
stars, a keen breath cutting down from the northwest
The Mayor's Party
lOc;
t?nam Tev °:' ''"'""' «°"^^'"°"- Alice and Lieu-
outside- the r^„ """"«=• Some fires liad been built
outside, the crowd proving too great for the building's
capacty, as there had to be ample space for the dan ers
Merry groups hovered around the flaming lo^s whT;
tTn' r t "7? '"''' ^-^ ''^ ^™P'^ -<^ -istg
acke; Jl't ' ''"'' '"" '^"^''^<'= " --^ a lively
racket of clash.ng vo.ces and rhythmical feet.
You would have been surprised to find that Oncle
aS:: rrarT;"^*!,'^^^^ "°'"' =-'"«
leaoin^h^.v ^/ ,^ ' ' ''^^'^ "^^SSing. his elbow
She sMe of" ?:,"'':'' ""^ "^'^'"^ "°™ ^^one
Uke the side of a peeled onion and his puckered mouth "
hirefSp^r™""^'"^'^^"--'-"^^^
When the Roussillon party arrived it attracted con
d used attention. Its importance, naturaljof Te"
as mathematicans would say, to the nth power-*
by the gown of Alice. It was resplendent indeed Tn 1^
buff s-r"?"^' ^^" "P°" -"'* '' flashed wh
a buff siken glory. Matrons stared at if maidens
and old let their eyes take full liberty. It was as if a
dmgy log edifice, an apparition of dazzlinjj and awe
■nspiring beauty. Oncle Jazon caught si|h of her"
and snapped his tune short off. Th'e danfers swu^g
■ ft!.
m
i >''p"
1^ ^
XI
'-1
''*' 'J
'pRi
1 10 Alice of Old Vincennes
together and stopped in confusion. But she, fortified
by a woman's strongest bulwark, the sense of resplen-
dency, appeared quite unconscious of herself.
Little Adrienne, hanging in blissful delight upon
Renes strong arm, felt the stir of excitement and
wondered what was the matter, being too short to
see over the heads of those around her
"What is it? what is it?" she cried, tiptoeing and
tuggmg at her companion's sleeve. "Tell me Rene
tell me, I say."
Rene was gazing in dumb admiration into which
^ere swept a powerful anger, like a breath of flame
He recollected how Alice had refused to wear that
dress when he had asked her, and now she had it on
Moreover, there she stood beside Lieutenant Beverley
holdmg his arm, looking up into his face, smiling'
speaking to him.
"I think you might tell me what has happened,"
said Adrienne, pouting and still plucking at his arm. "I
can't see a thing, and you won't tell me."
"Oh it's nothing," he presently answered, rather
'^^l.\ 7^'" ^^ '*°°P^^' ^°^^^^^ his -voice and
added; its Mademoiselle Roussillon all dressed up
like a bride or something. She's got on a buff silk
dress that Mo'sieu' Roussillon's mother had in France."
How beautiful she must look I" cried the girl "I
wish I could see her."
Rene put a hand on each side of her slender waist
and lifted her high, so that her pretty head rose above
the crowding people. Alice chanced to turn her face
that way just then and saw the unconventional per-
The Mayor's Party
% upon a gilliflower °^'"°"- ^' "'"^ " ^o^e beam-
his persona. ^I H T 7 '''='"°-'-"-°n of
hand. ''P"'«"'y- H« bowed and waved a vast
«Oc"e again with sl^^' ^.:;^ ^Z^T' ''
not to dance formed a compac f .'.hr ? ''''° ^"'^
wall, the shorter ones iTlr I , ''"^ '"■°""'' '''e
And what a scene t,!" ""„ ^o' '^"^^ " '"^ "-
garded it as in ;,nv P''""" P''««'« «-
t"-,ue,save stoTheTo'wS" ''''"''' "-
floating and whirling if,™ ^'^^^^ ;'';'='' ^as now
■n-sic. The people out ide Ll ^"''"'' ™'"
awaited their turn to gol whn '^'''^"''^
went forth to chat ,nH ? ^ *" ^"1™' """'be'-
Beverlev 1? ""^ "'"""^ ">^ fi"""-
angeilt^IdTcLTr^r''"^"'''''--- The
'heir song br^Zt^"''"^ "°""' "'^ ''^^«' ='"''
horizon. ■"' "-"^^"^ f'om horizon to
Pea^d'so'lSu,: ""Tf °" P'^^^' ^"' A'- ap-
another.eLrat'L;l'lrf/r' " ^'^
-btl, stimulating lighf pon't t ^r" ""'
nch .n subdued splendor of Le and brn. ^°''"'
^i,^
112
h n
t i
/- ;a
is ^ 't
Alice of Old Vincennes
not unbecoming gleam of barbaric colors shnn. fU
the missK-nanes had founded a centre of assembly t
was the best possible expression in the life soS'ed
at hap-hazard, and so controlled by the coarsestTnl
■ X'ii^renr^^-^ '— ^ ^ --
in her'trw'" '""""^ '^"' ^'^'^'>- ='"<' ^elf-possessed
>n her transforming costume, a woman of full stature
suXrr f r '^ ^"- y^' reservingntrt :
cSc e ttic of. "'" '■" "''^^i^yous smiles so
mooTlf tt ' "'°'' "'"'' '"^""^^- A sudden
irdhttowe/r? "' """"^''^ ^^'"^''^ ^^"""o had
led her to wear the dress, and the mood still illuminated
mg. The underglow m her cheeks deepened and soread
over her perfect throat; her eyes met his a s co^d
sure wh.ch was master, her serenity or her girlish de-
nt2^^'"^ '"'"'"'"^ '^''''"^' •>« there could be
no doubt as to her self-possession- for savi„r,h
The Mayor's Party
iney walked together to fj,« • ,
holding „p her sto r° ' ^ '^^^.''°"^-=. =he daintily
'■on of Madame Ronl^^XX'"' """" ""'=-
'"S a light, strangely sat ,f! "*■"" "™ "'^^P"
When they entered the oot-f "'" °" "'' ''™-
Beverley to escape fun ' '"■' ""' "° "-^^ for
■"ent they arou!ed • b! m""""'""^ of the excite-
■roke the force of 'wha w' M ?""°"'^ ""'""P'-n
extremely embarrasj^' "°"" "^^^ °«--- been
the Wg'mTtolfveHeT' !r"?"^'" ""'™"^ed
and scrambling andtrnilVS it "V": ^'^""^
people admire and love met- i,T "' "^
of my heart." And a^aTn TV ^°'' '° "'^ ""ddle
hand with an all Jud^ .e^turr:! rf ^'''' '''
eyes over the crowd ' "''"'^ ""^ «"'eP' h's
c.ant^::itS:rorev::;:hr h" '"^ ^'''^' °^ '"^
-■-d to its utmost b;ot7a.:l ^" ^^''"-'-
A side remark here Lv h7 l """""■
ers who enjoy the dreTm H . '"'''"' '° '""'^ «ad-
'hey will >lLeJ"2^''[°"r' '"'""^"= "ay
cobwebs, neglected bcLTlrr^'"'^^ ""'' -"
masterpiece of Strad^^«n """""^'^ed, reposes a
-aker. Oncle Ja^ew 1^' T' ^''' «<''"-
viohns. He was a „ T'"^ """"'^'^ about old
"-g himself upon hT/d .^Xr^' "" ^"' ^^
abandon that character;,! I '""^ Passionate
-hen a plum prZ^^ul "" ""^'^ ^"-"
*as a Carlo Bergonz! Ld T'^' ^"^ "''^ «"<"«
I'
#'
■i
, . Iljll,lll
"4 Alice of Old Vincennes
in Vinccnncs as late as ,8.9, and there is a vague tradi
t.on .hat Governor Whitcomb played on it not one
before Ije died. The mark by which it «,«; betl nt^
n^iro::"eiarhir-^"'^^^
a fresh stream of eager dancers poured in. Bevlrley
.ns.s ed upon wrapping Alice in her mantle of unl „ed
d d not TT ""= ''""'''"^ -'"'" breath. Th y
d.d not go the fire, but walked back and fortl
. ^hattmg unt,l their turn to dance should come aZ'
the stalwart and handsome Lieutenant Beverley
mmded Beverley of his socia, duty, wh^eforj ti""
her at a swoop from the midst of a scrambling • ,
ofjnutually hindered young men. """""^ "''''
him. ' "^ '""■"« ■'^'- «g''"y along with
'^''^^' "^^^^ *he big Lieutenant led out la tetite
y ditention sat unappreciated on Adrienne's
nnes
■ is a vague tradi-
1 on it not long
it may be identi-
i the back of its
nd Beverley fol-
e open air while
d in. Beverley
intle of unlined
r breath. They
ack and forth,
Id come again,
Ties with some
» of them had
would be sure
han one pretty
ddy turn with
Beverley,
dely into their
ise. This re-
Tefore seeing
and secured
mbling circle
The Mayor's Party
partners behalf Z iTj T' '" '"'°''^' '" ^-
lost sight of the floating k « " ■"°'"'"' willingly
'-> and .he belu.if fa," vS ''''^ f"'"^ "--
center of attraction for all :yli ""'"' '"'^'"^- "«=
merrimrnt'lThis'ocr v''- '"'""' '"''""y '" '"e
^"'es With i„tonati:::tf t :rrf:r rr °v"
tnan there was loyal to th. i m "^ ^'"^ ''"''"'
wouMassoonhavell ht M ""'^' ""'''■ ^"''
i". hin, any but the l7r ellutl^ '"'" ^^ '''■
noted, however, that their n?"""- ^' '^ '« be
included great freedom' m"""*"^ "^ ^^-'•■'•cnce
astical inlts na ,re Fath T' "°' "P^"^"^ -<='"■•-
".fons around t'aSS Se" ""''''""'' '"^ ^°"-
"0' to hear, what not to ee but fe"'" '^'"°" """'
a good word or a fatherlv. k '""■ ^^""^ "'hen
worth trying on a Wd , "" "'"' '" ''^■■'' ^^^"^^
Oangerously^far f^o„ ^ iZ T"' '° ''' ^'^^^'"«
«>is dance at the river house h ''°" '" °'="^''°" '"'^
f"l priest because of hi ,""' "° '"" '"^ '^"h-
happiness of the vouL n T . '^"P^'''^ *'"' 'he
spiritual guidance ^ '^ "'' "''° '°°'^«'' '° him for
It was some time befnrA p^ i
Alice for a dance, and hflr'r •^°"''' ''^" -™«
ciously to see her ,n,^i , " ^"""ying him atro-
'°« who z'z7:::Tr'r'"'''''"-^'^'
Parisian. He did n g'a ly ll"' *""^" "''^ ^
"^rs; they could .o* afo I . ^ ^ ""^ °' ^'' Part-
i-^ 'hen.- Not that' he aTa^"' ''"' °' "'^ """«
fte at all times stood too much
ii6
Alice of Old Vincennes
«.
I*
I'V ,
'I
If 'f'
common to vigorous and worldly-minded men- but
the contrast between Alice and the other girls pr^sen
was somehow an absolute bar to a democratic freedom
of the sort demanded by the occasion. He met fIS
Beret and passed a few pleasant words with hif "
see -^ the '°"T' '""' ^^- "^ ^°"' ^ -■" glad to
see the pnest sa.d, pointing with a smile to wher^
irrd^'d^ ^-- «'^' ^- Alice, name Zl
pre!emltLt '' "°' "°""' '' ''^^°^^' -<^ -"en he
• hf™ !f ^ ^ possession of Alice he asked her to tell
h.m the story of how she planted it on the fort a
though he had heard it to the last detail from Fatht"
its fo d "' V,T"' '^°- ^''^^ ^'-d together und
>ts folds while she naively sketched the scene for him
even down to her picturesquely disagreeable 1^^
with Long-Hair, mention of whom led up to the story
brandy und'l^'" "'" '"^ ^'°'^" "'""^^-'^ °f
brandy under h.s arm on that memorable night, and
the subsequent services performed for him by pXr
B ret and her after she and Jean had found him!n the
mud beyond the river.
The dancing went on at a furious pace while thev
h °r i: ^he ""7 r ^^'" ^ ^-t" -:;; cS
her but she said she was tired and begged to rest
eti^hrTledl" n'°"'^ "^" '^'^^ *- h
rebuff thrilled him as if it had been the most flattering
pe ted t^l ''^^ """^ ^' *« =-e t-e he sus'
pected that it was all for Beverley
Helm in his most jovial mood was circulating freely
The Mayor's Party
««- with Mada™ God J:;:'rr ^^-^ - => ^^
terous. A quarrel endedTn ' "'"? '"" ^^^^ ^ois-
near one of the fires Mr" ' "?,"'' ""' """"'^^ %'"
seized the combalantr; ? ! °" "''''^'"° '^e s^t
*ey had been ch2 ^it, f^ ''''^'''"^' - «
laughed stomiily and t """" ''^'"'^ '°S«'te,
temper. ^ ""'' ^° ™^'°'ed the equilibrium of
Jt was late when fai^u^^
X^ ^e,an to sur^ra^ul^r o'V"; ^°"'-
elbow was tired and the eml,,, ""''^ J*^™'^
unrecognized Ber^onzTlr ?!" ^'"^^="^'' ^y his
'S crowd rapidiy^rroalr """'/ """«= '"e rdax-
for the dancers, i the ^1^ "'^" *« =P^^e set apart
'here the oil was ruLTnl r^' ™'P™*<">^« '"d
sputtered and winked 12'°^' ^"^ ""^ "^ nicies
"Well." said M. Ro„"S ''" ''"°" ''^"^^•
and Beverley stood insulated '^"1"^ '° ^^''' Alice
Wght in each other" ct^ If. '^^^^^^^^ "^ '"eir great
Beverley looked at his watch it r"°^°''°"'""
three! ^^''^"' " was a quarter to
Alice also looked at tl,. . i.
and enameled on its masslr ' T^ '"" ^"^raved
^^«.' ^"e did not know XtTm^t ^h'""'^^ ^^^^'•
*'ng of the sort in the back o" oclefr ^ """'■
satisfaction. ' ^^^ remem-
thing
bered
M
i
ii8
'0
■r 1'-
1^1
Alice of Old Vincennes
crowd t u"' " P"="'''" ^"^ '" '"« "".'ging
the north Where was the commandant? the courcur
had somethmg important for him
Beverley heard a remark in a startled voice about
Wabash valley. This broke the charm which ^aled
h.m and sent through his nerves the bracing shSat
SheVhir ''" ''-' "^^" ^ "'"' °^ --'"^ ^
Alice saw^the flash in his face
m.'7!T' ''^^''""'" "^''"- ' ""'^t =«e him im-
awatTnd. f""" ""V '" ^^'^'' ■'"'"""'y '""""»"
away and ookmg over the heads of the people- "yon-
der he IS, I must go to him." ^
The courcur dc bois, Adolohe Dnti-BmKi i
was just from the head wats^Uhrwl'^,"^^:'
was speakmg to Helm when Beverley came up M
Roussdlon followed close upon the Lieutenant's'heeU
Ztl " ''V°^°" ^'"" '"^ ---ge amounted 1;
but Helm took the courcur aside, motioning Beverle;
cXnc:"- ^- ^°""'"°" '"^'"''^'' """-•' '" '^'
After all it was but the gossip of savages that Du-
rem le commun.cated ; still the purport was starthlg
m the extreme. Governor Hamilton, so the story ran
had been organizing a large force; he was probably
now on h,s way to the portage of the Wabash wi h a
flotJla of batteaux, some companies of disciplined
soldiers, artmery and a strong body of Indians.
nelm hstened attentively to Dutremble's lively
The Mayor's Party
"Send Mr. Jazon to mc " h. • ,
as if .peaking ,o a servant '° ^- ^"""'"o".
^ lie master Fronnh^,
Captain Helm's righUo "o^.t T""^' "^°^'-ns
-i"' ''is nnpleasani JC^T"!' '"" ^^"Pathizinf
should prove true. ^ P^^<l'can,ent if the news
Oncle Jazon came in , ~-
clamped under Ins a™ .o "7''' '" '""'^ ^"'l «--
ascer^ln'' whaf 'LStr"'^'' ""'^^""""ough ' to
After the eonfcrence r T""""''-''" ^^"'^ <'°'"g-
A'.ce; but he foun Xt s^l^^f ""'•= "-'« 'o foi„
"One hell of a fixte'lM ^r ''°'"^-
'TvXr n^""^ '-,.^s::d'Hefr'°" --'-
-'andC;:™^rv'"'^^°-''°"^''''
Pective gloom. Ho had bet/ m ''"™^'' *« P™s-
Helm-s utterlaeko miS ? : ''"''^'™"''°"'
'^as very little mater" ou7 TT""""' ^™«- '"^re .
officer could have form d ! bn r' "■^' "P^^-^'c
«"= army probably at Hamilton^ "'"'^""^^ «^'""«
criey was yo„„g, enermt IT ' "°"""""^-' "^^ ^ev-
""ng seemed po sibl^ !', , "°?' """ '° '"■'" ^very-
P«"e, activity, dash he ltd :'"='^';" ^'^'"'"ce. disci
of enthusiasm. '' ^ ^'"'" ^^"h in the efficacy
Frenchmen;
to
"Jake good fighters
said;
act as a body." Therfs „! l' "' "" ""^ ^^' '"em
no time to be lost; but
we
I i
>} rift ■--
120
Alice of Old Vincennes
tice^n wonTh" "'t'"*' ^"'"^"^'"' •"« the prac-
n«-c ui It won t be worth a Hamn » u i ..
perfect good nature "I'd Le' 1 """' "'*
these parly-voos. There aiS a do '""l "^"'^^
wc..dn. .eept the H„,L^:l ^r^ f. 'Ti'
a ir'^-Ba'rk f!,"':''''" ''^'™ ■'"^^"'Pted with
at If '"^ ^'*'' ^''"'' '=°""-°> 'he whole population
at all events," said Beverley. t"»<inon
"Yes, and such a population I"
While joining in Captain Helm's laugh at the «
pense of Vincennes, Beverley tool: leave to induL J
mental reservation in favor of Alice. He couW not
bear to class her with the crowd of noisy, thoughtl^
mercunal beings whom he heard still singhfgSy
snatches and calling to one another from di!t"o
d-stance^^ as they strolled homeward in groups and
surrender to the English and Indians drive fn>m his
n..nd her beautiful image, while he lay for the rest of
the night between sleeping and waking on his primi-
es
t deal before
"nest."
but the prac-
replied with
^ou organize
of 'em that
tns. I know
d all that;
nough; but
he strongest
■ are a few
and I have
r Ronville."
•upted with
^position is
population
The Mayor s Party
121
tive bed, alternately hearinor .
phrase and laugh. an'dSiWnlrolZ:': '" T"^
nite plan for defending fi, . formulate some defi-
was full of her She h'd '"' '°"- "'^ "^^^
filled it as with . '"P"'"'' I"^ "^'"re and
youth; his Ja*na,or"ntV^""""^ ^°"^- Hi
taneouslygentlf d°:;, 1 „,-- *-" -d spon-
the magnetic splendor oh! k '"' '""' ^°°'^"^ ^''^
pride (and it wa " nt =. f ) '"'^^ ^"^ y<='' ■" his
regard for h s btthrilhtf " '"*' ""' "'"^^ ^ -"'e
3he was from i^im^Sr/oX'^ '"^"'^'' ""^ ^^
at the ex-
indulge a
could not
oughtless,
iging gay
istance to
oups and
i enforced
from his
ie rest of
lis primi-
I I
'•s
I r
■f'i4 ''S* i',i!l
'I
CHAPTER VIII
THE DILEMMA OF CAPTAIN HELM
It was his pu.;' e : lit iT" '"' "^^ P'^'--
Ouiatenon and p.^ Lnt 1"°.^' f^, f tillage of
could find out wh»tl»r,? ^ ^^''''^* ""«' he
expert courL7 ZEutZr rT"'""" '^°
o«P- Fifty „,„es up the^rve;Th : f"n ^"""^ ^='"-
friendiy Indians, w^il knolT tl L^'' 1," t' ""^
returning from the portage. ' "'''° "'"''"^
The savages informed them that tt,.-
of an English advance in tha^uar er r'' "^ """'
had been as far as the St T u """'^ "* *^'"
a Short distance oTit iSt I'^^r ''''"
or hearing- of anv c„c,^• • seeing a white man
of HamilL So' Z^Z^'TT °" '"^ "««
P<easi..g report. IcrXoimed V^tTe I'd "'
been abie to stir up some sorTof trS, b'e '^ ''' ""'
It was Helm's turn to laugh
"What did I tell you ?" he crif^ ;„ • „
s'apping Beverley on' the s ou d"f ' '" L'ew' T'
well that it was all a t,.- . "*"' ""Shty
What on earth ;ol\HfEShtVt'"^ '" '''
to march an army away o/drhe^,::;-74r
The Dilexnma of Captain Helm ,33
a rotten stockade and a lot of «hKr
Beverley, while he did Z / f '"^ P^rly-voos ?"
h- chief, was not so Xf !'"■''." ~"'*"*^^
bnghter than he had feLed h ^"^' ^°°^"^ ^ "«'«
be- Secretly, and witi ou ll '' T"''' '"" °« 'o
-'f, he was dehghted S'ti'S'^''^"'^ ■'' '» hin,-
Arcadian atmosphere of V^ ' "r' """?• The
mi^ts and dreanfs. No II!""." "°"'^' ''™ ■" ■•'»
Wew its breath, cold or wa™ "^ . ^'' "'^ '^^^''er
snow, the peace in his so" Th. .'^ °^ ''''' '''" "^
seemed to hold all ol iTl ^"^"^ "°'- ^'^ nature
abeyance while he doL LTv "■ '"'' «^^<=- *^aits in
his narrow and ^onoT ' tw;:' ^'"'"^"^ ^'""•■'
dance at the river house a nT™'' ^'"'^ ^e
and diffused sweetness L. '°"''"'' '"'^ ^ »«
w"hava,ue,tin,,Ei'oTS''"''^'''''^'''<'°^
ihe ^i::r::':^^i ''-'': ^"-'-'^ '-
■ns on either hand Th.r f """''-daubed cab-
thatc::cd roofs had a cha Jm w7 "^' ""'^'^ ^°^'
he could see a fire o^ lot on th " ^ '°°^ ""^ °P««d
'•ts >e.low tongues up X sootv' cT" '"."" '*'°°""^
Creole voices murmLd ,:d'^,;„''™"^^-.'''™at. Soft
petty domestic discords W ^' ^^^^led their
%..ngs and mocca^ Z7ZZ T' T ~"''
verandas, or fed the piJTZT " """ '^"»'
cabins. Everybody crie'^^,Ci;"^.r ""''"' '"'
accompanving- the verh»i ' i ""^"^ ''y- alwavs
of the hand "^'"'^ ^'"^ a graceful waie
When he walked earlv in ti,.
early m the mornmg a waft of
h' J
If..,, ij
If" ■■li^'lf
124 Alice of Old Vincennes
Pots and kettles occupied the hearths with glowing
coals heaped around and under. Shaggy dogs whTZ
to them m the front yard.
But it was always a glimpse of Alice that must count
for everythmg in Beverley's reckonings, albeit he would
monT"7' ''""" ■'• ''"'' "^ -™' to Rous
s "on place almost e«ry day, it being a fixed part ot
h.s well ordered habit, and had a talk with her Some
.rnes h D ^ ^^^ • Some-
qwte off her guard, they read together in a novel or
«ertam parts of the odd volume of Montie
This was done more for the sweetness of disobedience
tlian to enjoy the already familiar pages
Now and again they repeated their fencing bout-
but never w.th the result which followed .he fir" '
Beverley soon mastered Alice's tricks and showed her
that after all, masculine muscle is not to be discounted
at 17" T' 'V"" *^ """' "°"<'-^"' — S
hold fer t '""^ '"• ^^' ^'™SSled bravely to
hold her vantage ,,;round once gained so easily, but the
mevitable was not to be avoided. At last, one howling
winter day, he disarmed her by the very rick thai he
had shown him. That ended the play and tley ra„
shivermg into the house.
"Ah,-' she cried, "it isn't fair. You are so much
b.gger than I ; you have so much longer arms ; so much
wr^ ' r' r"- '* *" ~'««' "^^'-^ ■"^^
Vou ought to be ashamed of yourself I" She was rosy
1 i>
The Dilemma of Captain Helm ,25
Deep in her heart ,h^ ^f' '°"'' ^ "^^ 'ay.
-^er Aerhtr ;: ^ ^^e ^^ ^ ~
getting through is guard th7: 'T' "" ^^"^^ --'=
Wng his hearf .0 itsSe ' " '""'"" ^^'^ ^''"'-
overllt^J-f-:;^"/. "! -'"'^''' "-'"^'' ^ar
Then after a pa„X, t"^ ^^ ^^^^^^^^ --es."
a girl." ^ ^* ^"er all a girl must be
™t:'soiat' , face seething in her hear,
'hat of a r«"esf bid "^ ' ' ""'''' ""'^ ""^ '«<«
"You are beautiful and that m^u
hand uncertain." he we„ on XZH T- """ ""
a man there would be no glamour " "^ "'*
cents :if,tf'Tr''^'''''"°*°''-<'°'"
somewhat wrought upon st' ', ^1^ *'' ''^ *"''
words with diffic^yClh u"""^""^ ^'' '^P'"
note of 'eelinJ^ h7' 1^ ''"^'" ^'■°™ ">em a new
her face a^LuStX :::":--«- -°--
v.-s.^" ri; aTdr:irr'r r f "^« --^
-dbenoworsrforLtt:l:Jt;Styo7;
■ookfd TSt il'f ^ ^''^ """"-'^ -ak; she
a simni ' ^>'^'' «''"' the steady gaze of
* """J"*'' -™«t nature shocked by a currenfTuite
n
1>-
h ti
*.i|i.
126
Alice of Old Vincennes
f\
wafg Lr He M ' ^ """ "' "^'""'' '^''ose family
was diffused rr ™^" ''™ '° "'=" >'«
Drehe„r ""agnation, as difficult to com-
You make fun of me," she said, very deliberatelv
aeniy and continued, with a rprtam «;i;
of disappointment gaiherinVin he L" VhTT"
too free with you. Father irett:S me not '0^:
■ny dignity when in your company He toW ml
m.ght misunderstand me. I don't' cat- I shTu Tot
fence with you again." She laughed, b^ ther " s
no joyous freedom in the sound '
"Why, Alice-my dear Miss Roussillon, you do me
he3' "^^ ' *°"^^"'' P-Oo- 'f I've hurt y^u "
he cned, steppmg nearer to her, "and I can never for
— ;irgs^nra-^;-s^
smntl' r r^ ''^'" ""'^""derstood me," she replied,
smdrng bnghtly now, but with just a faint, phifu
touch of regret, or self-blame lingering in her voice
The Dilemma of Captain Hdm ,27
;'Fa|W_Be.eUa.U,ouwo„M. Z. ,,„,,,, ,^^^^^^
"And you shall not believe him " .= • i d
have not misunderstood yol The eh T'"'' "'
'"S- You have treated me Ldl > ^''" "°'^-
friendliness. You have 2 ^ ^ '"'' *'"' ''«""''''
Father Beret or an^ o /ettl" I T- " """^ '"«
have said or done the let thil T "'• ^"^ '^ ^
repudiate it.-I did no. JeaTitM ° """"^ ^°" ^
do..'t you. Miss Roussiir"' ""^ ^°" "^^"^^^ "'^.
'-;rtSL:ti;r~^^^^^^^
leading at the cW, ''/^ .'""■ '''=^" ^'^'-s he was
ner convinced her eve„ m '^''■-'" '"'"'^- "'^"■^"-
"Then we'll taL about ^"^^ ''' *'"°" ^^" ^''ort.
•aughing naturaljnt — '? ^'"'" ^"^ -^•
the hearthside "I w2' ""''/"'^eatrng to a chair by
-'f and your JCyolZ:^'' T ^" ^'°"' ^°--
She seated herseW w th '„" ;o"f ""'"""^•"
and motioned him to take a di^nt 1^"'°" ^'"°'"''
Wlowed in the chimTey,or ' """ '"' ""' ^"''
Beverley drew the stool near Alir. ,. •
charred stick, used as -• nni, ' "''"'• ^'* a
glowing crevices and " r ' ""^ ""'"^""S at the
«■''
128 Alice of Old Vincennes
fl.ng out again .heir natural sunny beams o Tntefes,
aone much ol anythmg since. You see before you
h^ Jnivt? 7' ""'''''"^■'^^'^' yo""R n.an, who
h^d wh ^. '° '''°'"P"^'' '"^ ''^^am of his boy-
hood which was to be a great artist hlce Raphael or
Angelo. Instead of being famous I am but a po^r
Lieutenant in the forces of Virginia."
"You have a mother, father, brothers and sisters'"
he mterrogated. She did not understand his a. h on
to the great art.sts of whom she knew nothing. She
at insTl : °" '" •' 1 "■^'"- '"^ '^-^^ *' P°^^
agamst the chimney jamb and turned her face toward
"Mother, father, and one sister," he said, "no broth-
mLT Tr ' "^' ""'^ eroup. But my sister
and motr , '" ^''"'"°™- ' ^"^ ''«^-- father
and mother are alone in the old house. Sometimes I
add d R r"'*^'" ""' ^"^ '■'^"' » "--'. 'hen
Wit!' M r ''' ''^^'^' y°" '"^^^ "« do all the
r ! M !^°" ^"" ^°" '° S*^^ ■"« a little of your
story Mademoselle, beginning as I did, at the first."
"for T , ^^ ' '"' '"P""" ^'* "="'''"*« frankness,
lor 1 Jon t know where I wac K^r« . !
na*T^^o ^ 1 » — ---n, liui iijy parents
names, nor who I am. You see how different it is
s a big old
mong tree^
t overlooks
river goes
French and
ginning to
of interest,
nd haven't
efore you,
man, who
»f his boy-
'aphael or
Lit a poor
sisters ?"
s allusion
ng. She
the poker
e toward
10 broth-
ly sister
Father
etimes I
nt, then
) all the
of your
e first."
nkness,
sarents'
nt it is
%\
^«iust then studying the fine lines Of
her face p. 139.
■'Hi
The Dilemma of Captain Helm 129
however. There is very Si oh. " "f """"'
Here is all the proof there s 16^1 T " "'~'^-
worth anything." '"^"'^ ''• ^ don t know that it is
Sbe took off her locket and handed it to hi,r.
ment he was interested. "^ '" ^ "'°-
"Tarleton, Tarleton," he reoeaterl tu u
the httle disc of o-nlH . ^^^P^^ted. Then he turned
luc uisc ot gold over and saw the enampl^H a^
.ng on the back,-a crest clearly out ed '™"-
Where did you get this?" he demanded in F„c
I'sh, and with such blunt suddenn-^ th,t 1 ^'
startled. "Where HM .v ™^""-^* ™t she was
"I u ""lere did it come from?"
1 have always had it " ^
to't'^Sy?'"^^-'—- I>o you belong
thirnV" "°' '"°"- ^^^^ «-*n says he
leyTtWM ," ''?;? """ '«^«»'"S." said Bever-
ley, rather to himself than addressinc her W„ i„ i, j
rom the miniature to the crest andUck to"he mt
ature again, then at Alice "I tell vn.. tw
he repeated with emphasTs -l ^ ^ " ''''"'«''"
r u wun empnasis. It is exceedinelv stranap "
and her '%''?^' ''"'*'^ "»<'- their^soft b^™
and her eyes flashed with excitement. '
c.asp"d^n t7lap ""shlf "r "' '■ '^' '■^"''^ --
"IH« cf. T?^* ^ ^^^"^^ *°ward him eafferlv
It IS strange. IVe thought about it a great dealT
*.i
l!"|i
130 Alice of Old Vincennes
thri'"',^"!''""' "''" " "Shf. Alice is a name of
tL f ^"■,?*™«' Tarleton who came over in the
tmie of Yardley. It's a great family. One o^ the
o^des and bes, in Virginia." He looked at hern J
"absolf'l '''^'^ '' ~"'^"'''^'" •'^ ^-^'-taed,
absolutely romantic. And you don't know h„
came by this locketP You /on. kn::";": was y^
father, your mother ?" ''^
"I do not^ know anything."
"And what does Monsieur Roussillon know.''
Just as little."
"But how came he to be taking you and caring for
vou of H ""T "°" ""^ "^ ^°' y^"' -here he got
you of whom he got you.' Surely he knows "
Pan? R T '" """*• ^ *"^ *"^'^« y^«" o'd when
Papa RoussiIlon took me, eight years ago. I had bee"
having a hard life, and but for him I ^ust have dtd
I was a captive among the Indians. He took me and
has cared for me and taught me. He has been very
very good to me. I love him dearly " ^'
whln"l*'°"'l y°"J''"''"^'^ -"ything at all about
when, where, how the Indians got you ?"
"No." She shook her head and seemed to be trying
to recollect something. "No, I just can't remember-
and yet there has always been something like a dream'
m my mmd which I could not quite get hold of. I
know that I am not a Catholic. I vaguely remember
a sweet woman who taught me to pray like this : "Our
father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name "
The Dilemma of Captain Helm 131
sweetness and .ot '^^f^^^^ ^" English with infinite
Shew H .^
where to !'v !, '°""""''' ""'^' ^°'"^'™«. ^ome-
wnere, to a very dear person I promiserl tl,,f t
never „e..r would pra'y any pr^ ha d'
wb !sweef r,"''" '" ""^ P^^'- I don't knov,
ha , Zf' .T "'' '^'^""y- '^ ''^^^•n that I
na „i but lost from my mind "
for som!!''''- '"^"'""^ ™^ *^P"y -"oved. H. sat
tor some minutes looking- at h^/ -.u
She, too, was pensive and' stntwShe T''""-
tered and sang, the great Inl? 7 ^'^ 'P"'"
flames tossing^^sps oTTmoS„ ^I^ T"'' '"^
booming to the wind. *' "'"""'"y ^""
resle'd'Cl'dt:; l""" "°' ^""*-" ^"^ P^-tly
firstwordsml^^btrEiXlTTorir^^^
dreamed of talking i„ ,h.f : ' ^^"^ ^'"'^^^
half -onectionl oV hf d Xr^^^ ^ T ''"""^^'
house, and a soft-voiced hL.t ^ ''"'^^' ""^'^
in that language the v!r "'°™'"' ^''° =""« '° "«=
It mustCf ^ '"''"'' '""^^ '" ">e world."
Al ceT L T 4" ""'"^ "'^' "" ""^ ^«= told by
Of whilt tr LS?" '^" ''°°'''^''' "^'^ f^""^'
Beverlevli II7 ^'^' ""^ ^""'^ impression.
Beverley listened, as one who hears a clever road-
rr? ^^"'^ -^-«ng poem- ^ He^t
cnarmed. H,s .magmat.on welcomed the stoiy and
: M
4
132 Alice of Old Vincennes
not a trace left by which to restore it toT ?
had often heard of such a else n,. ^ '''°'' ' ""
rijrht beforo l,;m .., f ^'" '''^'•^ ^as Alice
fell! oeiorc him, the most beautiful o-iri n,,* 1 , j,
ever seen t<.li;„„ u- .. """'ui girl that he had
his m d it wS^.j,: tTr' ^'^^^ °^ ^"- T°
ton family of V^ni YoLh T' '° '"^ ^"■^-
matter at once £1' "'^"^^ "°'^'"d«^ «
but it wa a ^^deiy^iLr^, °' *"= '"^^'^'°''^ =
;^.;n a,m<,st every^^Hn iZl'!^ r- t
:ihTr:^ i?'r:;^r ftr - '^^ ?'
'^het^'t ' '' ^'' °''^" """^ '" America.
he slid "tl ""T" T' ^°"'' """^' y°"^ ■"'"""y."
fte said. I know by that and by your prayer in vll
hsh, as well as by your locket LI ^"^^^ '" ^"g-
old family." ■ "'^' >'°" ^" °f 3 Sood
Like most Southerners, he had strong faith in
F tzWh! 1 T '■ ™^ ^''«^'^' *« Blairs, the
F'tzhughs, the Hansons, the Randolphs, the Lees the
a whole catalogue of them stretched b... in his mem-
house. He could repeat their legends.
I wish you could tell me more," he went on.
rhtr ^T ' ""^"''"8 ^""'^^ '''^"' yo"r early
childhood, your first impression,,-the house, the wo^
The Dilemma of Captain Helm 133
man who taught you to prav the nU i>', i
Any little thing miriit li..; "''' "'''""">'•
dence." ^"'^'^'^ ^»'"e as evi-
Alice shrugged her shoulders after the Creole fa,!,
::dTa'gS"''5^°^'--''^'''-''-'/o7t;:t
-oug.toheritL'arw:strsrth~^^^^^
over. It was impossible for her to reahVo n= » t
pai and '"'' ''"*°'^- ^or could she feel the
ChadlouteTh^r ^^"""°" -''" -'- •'^^
;Z f/'^' ''^^•^ f'ed to remember more but if.,
Zr ;Lg ''rLV. '"' '-''-' "-^ - ^ "
imng. ifteres no use try ne- Tfe oil i;i
a dream-probably it is onp T ^ I ^^^
xnm.s.ep,ca„^if:m;:;fiirzrta:r;-
to remember. When you told me about your home it
-i^VrrmtHbrit^---^^
eTS "r- "'"" '^^°" - a --i die::'
who had rel 7^' '"'"■'°'''' " ^""^'i^" «°"-an,
Who had received her conversion from an English-
tt;
fi w
134 Alice of Old Vincennes
speaking Protestant missionary si,o „r„ 1 •.
„,"" ' "™ «""' "■" '% .~ .li.a.w.i ,0
"No, I love mystery."
"e l.mi to this mscnnable mai.lcn whose life seemed
SerinTnt:;i;:S^^^^^^^^^^^
.W.n,.,W^^^^
sTo V tI ^^ Frenchman tol,: the ,ame meager
Story. The woman was dying i„ „,e time of a grm
epidemic, which killed most of her trih- <5K
Alice to M. Ronssillon, b.t told ht '^ Z\Z,
her ancestry or previous life. That was all
A wise old man, when .,e finds himself in a blird
break throurf, thlu 1 f '"''"''y endeavored to
seemed t'ht "rat a v, "'''"^ "^ ^""^ ^°---- ^^
- succeed; ^X: ^^f^LTi^^r r
ner and the love was mastering him body and soul
S«eh a confession carries with it into an honest „
The Dilemma of Captain Helm ,35
And now ,.. .u. JS Tu^C ;r!;V''"""^-
moods to whicl, youth -Jl >"' '""' '""-•'"''^•"atic
It was like a sC fa^r "r ""'" '' '"''>'^^'-
well, s,r, you arc good at hiding."
Hiding I what do you mo^n r- . •
"e-ndcd, not in ti. n-,dr,l '''''" ''"'""' "^
andr-itiSrr--^--'-
English and Indians r!, "'""'' '""'"• The
^or^oohng. wtrr;^:::;-^ "-•--'-
HSrwr:;r :ir t ■- => --•
Indians, was on ^ three^Lr '7''"' ™""- -'^
"Where arc alf he ^e;.' Heta " "" '"f "™'-
raged the excited capS "'"^ '"^^^^^^ ^-•^"
"You might go to hell and see " Rpv..i
and they both laughed in Z '^ suggested.
mM
M %' .
I'll
136 • Alice of Old Vincennes
for M. Roussillon in the desperate hope that he eoulrf
IIZTmT''"''- ""' "<= '°^' •- '-d a„? „X
people at :; "hT ^^ ^^'"'"^^- ^""-'^ "^ ^--h
chkf ,h " ' '° ^=" ""^ "'^y *«^e concerned, the
kn w hf>""' '° ""= ""« "-^y had. They wel
ield olt'l' "■"'7'' ""'^ -h"^'' of '"e two nfasrer"
h t heart r^^ ""' "'"' '°' "■^■""'^^'- I"
tneir hearts they were true to France and America •
but France and America could not now protecT then,'
aga.ns Hamilton; therefore it would be like tkide to
-on. ad^cfaStj;, rLTr„ceTL.r:::
army approached. "^"^
"My poor people are not disloyal to vour fla.. »nH
your cause." said good Father Be'ret nermoS; '
Captau, Helm, "but they are powerless. S s
upon us. What would you have us do? Thisrtketv
ort .s not available for defense; the men are"2 ly
all far away on the plains. Isn't it the part of pru^
dence and common sense to make the best of a des-
perate situation? Should we res-st, the British and
the.r savage allies would destroy the town and com
dtlom ?^" '°° '"*"= '° "^'""^ ^'^-'- I" 'his caTe
dtacy promises much more than a hopeless fight
agamst an overwhelming force "
teel""i?l", '""'" ''f'" ^"""-^ °"' ''^'^^^ Ws
r,T fi\. . ' '° ^° " ^'"g'e-handed and alone-
I II fight -em till hell freezes over I"
Fatlier Beret smiled grimly, as if he, too, would
enjoy a hvely skirmish on the ice of Tophet, and said •
The Dilemma of Captain Helm 137
Poo/wXa„7chSe:"%r ^T """'• "^ *^
have seen some ter We thin f "'^ '^"^ °^ """^
ages. Men can dt ghti JTut t' "' ""^"' "^-
Of AHce .-n tn'r :r^^^^^^^^ ''™ '"in.
"Of rnnrco f Indian massacre.
to where /lTa«2rf5?' ^"^ '''"''^^•" ^^ Pointed
WowW awav r ; ,1 ' ^'"'""o" was almost
comedLTrjtrhlT"'''"'''^'''^^^''^"-
w"iTh:i::r„i^™^^^^^^ - "■-
from his brave heart ' "'^"'^ '""''^ '^^™«
imaginable. "^ """«^"'* expression
C:ot;.'"^"'''^'^°™--'<'-''^fo<'He,m
anZt ^r me"rcv '• ^-"r "-^•" ^^^"^ "--'' "P
"That wm norda"' "" '' '"'"P"'^'^'' '''^ P"-'-
"Well, ^hen, what can be don^?" n , .
a suggestion of 11° ^ ° ^"^'y^^'^S, with not
^^ sgcsuon ot your own to offer "
"I know what is best for mv neonlp " ,u i^
« soft,,. stiU smiling. "1^^!^ ^mT
'38 Alice of Old Vincennes
stay inside their houses and take no nart i„ ,,! ;■
^vent. It is the only hone of? f ^ ""'"^'■>
■•nate „,assacre, and thin^i;"'"^ "" '"'"^"™-
The curt phrase, "things worse " w.n, >•.. .
stroke through Beverley's hoZ uZ ,' " '""'^'■
picture upon his visinn pi d '"''' *" ^"'f"'
whiten and h,' ,ip "e"" th 1 T ''"'' "" "'^ '-<=
emotion. ^ themselves to resist a great
with an oa h "thi fort r":?""'" H^'™ "claimed
I am commanding h^rer" ■"""" ^"' ''^'-''^<'-
threatening. He shook hjfis sat S^hfp"" ""^
out really meaning offence ^"■''' ^'"'-
"Where is my garrison, you ask I V^ .„a t
you. It's where v^„ .\ ''^'^- >^es, and I can te
blasted iabbIZ Cnc^'^ ,T" " ^"^ "^ ''^d
and country dam,-, ft, • / ' cnudren, homes
I have in th'; orTw ^a' f^ """ ^'' ''"
"• ^"^^'^ uff, I suppose."
Th. Dilemma of Cap,.i„ „„,„, ,^
Ves, and they'll hand ;,
"•ink. on the sanie basl " ' • 7'i ,'° "''"'"°"' ^o"
wili prove it. But •„ ihe ;Zer; ''"°'" '' ''""^
we must ehoose the safer horr" '""■'" '"'""""^
Saying- this Father Beret ti,r„'„^ u
-y- He was chuek.ing he "rW ^ ,"' "' ""' '"^
the gate. ^ neartily as he passed out of
Alice, whose terrifi"! t ' „T "'^"^ °<^™P'«^1 with
to hin, from the mTdsrof hn r'""""'""" ^PP^'"<=d
cabins and mangled vietims Tl^'^^T' """'"^
""agination painted the scene wl ^^"■*- "'^
P"ed. '•^LlTZTjrr' '-''''"'" «-r.ey re-
your commands G^e , hem"" """'''""eness to obey
cause to grumble." ' ^"'' ^°" "''" have no
— f T^rj' 0?°"'" "'^-^ '"' ™P"'- com-
pound up tooXlrbHrrttt^^'^"^^ ^''"
- u^^ oomecning. f-r*>f/» . . — " " -vmc
nien-
Here
we are with but five
or SIX
140
Alice of Old Vinccnnes '
ill I
J; srjr™""^" '' ""^ -•- "^ 'WO .ore H.U.
"and wiiit Hr:^;t?'"r '"^ ^''"'~'
'-ndred strong, all wdl a::ed" ' "* ^' '"^' ^'■-
-irable firmness, the p S flS^r T """ ""-
*ay to a grayish pallor. "We ^rt ^ .' ^'"'"^
here, or have the honors ofwar "^ ^"^ '" "" "«'"
, Beverley obeyed without a word H. . ,
two guns instead of one-charrit \ " '°="''''
porhi^:sjrne',cir£f.^
ore istt7ar r ^' - - ~ ^en^:
HamiL's advanT gutd '^^ThT'"?'"^ ^^•""^'^ "'
written in installmentf durin.^^ ^"'"''' '"''^""^
•he British is ^HH f.^ J^ "= ^'°w approach of
thus: ' '"" '" "'^ ^^^-^^^^ "Chives, and runs
th«f:7;hL;te.Th:arToJ^H" '""'■ '^'■«""
eral days befor,.h=.n^ V "^ °^ ""eir coming sev-
tainty-^he sDief h. ■ \ f* 'P'" *° ""^ thf cer-
As I had called ^ ^^tS ^1,1'^^^n^
es
wo more half-
>tilla of boats
s on land and
•ort.
spokesman,
at least six
d it to the
cd with ad-
face giving
to die right
!ven loaded
so heavily
P from tlie
le first re-
iskia. He
ent sent it
ptured by
evidently
:>roach of
and runs
y within
ling sev-
the cer-
ver got
•f town,
inces of
The Dilemma of Captain Ildm ,4,
their inteerity I ordcml at the f,rin„ „f
'•very man to appear hm i *> "^ " "'""""
Uusero,. behaved much ' ^T *"" '"'"• ^-'''P''''"
as the army is i„ siirh, m ? ^ '' ^'"'"^'^ '"»«'«.
fend the glriJuJ^] ZTrT'T '' '" •"^■
one men but wha I ijf ^ \ '"'^'•' """ 'wenty-
Wmes (sic) for L res tT' ' '"'"' '"" '" M^-
hundred yards o the vi P J v™^ " ^'"''" "'"'''
i feel; not four rr..r th f ;, J"" '""^' "-ink how
am determined to al. bmve "^X ^'"'^ "PO"; but
I know it is out of mv V^ "."^ °^ ""y eon<lilion.
not one of tirmil tra'wTta. '""'''"'' '"^ '"-"• "»
-ght of the army no br^v I'm" "^f,' "-«» ''efore
a small distance. I must SncMe "*•" "' " ""^ <"
^our humble servant,
Leo'd Helm.
"To Colonel Clark." ^"^^ ^^^P"
having completed this task th^ i .* ,
what a nervous strain R 7 '""" '^°^« ""^^r
and said: "' ^'^"^ '"^"^^ ^« his lieutenant
"Fire a swivel with a blank charge We'll •
these weak-kneed narlv v^o ^ ^^ " S^^^^
iviiccu pariy-voos one more mil f« i i.
Of course not a frno- «of^ r , " *° ^"ty.
cffecf was f" TJ: tr-t f k'" "^ «-<• "' *«
--"..Vf-;^-SS-;n^-
t, Mil i
142
AJice of Old Vincennes
found the.slX?'l"„f :^r?' ^'•^"'^-'"
CHAPTER IX
THE HONORS OF WAR
emergency now «po„ h '"'^' '^'"''''^^' ^"' '"e
him. The facT tit h,^ ^'' ■''''"''^' " ~"^"^^''
allegiance to the 1 '• ' '"^'" " ^o'^™" °='«' of
been Pushed aSelSirXr™^"' ->'" '-e
casion, but he UnJtZ ceZ ""7. ^'^'""^ "^-
left in Vincennes hv r . eonfidential agents
arnva, of HeKgrro:- it^ o^ ' "''""^
the people to^etWa:;:;;'^"/^'''^'- «'•'-'' -"^'l
flagwas,,au.eLown „1r;lS'.";r" l'^ ^'"^''
run up in its olar*^ w ^^^^^^^^ ^ ^hce Roussillon
credit'to i^eiit^x^;:™-- -^nation O''' ^""
part in handing the r off Ivf ? • ""P°«^"« of his '
would Hamilton trofX" W tt' '""' "'''
'-son? The question cJn.^C' ,'^~^^^^^^^
gestion. ' "^e a tragic sug-
M. Roussillon lacked evervthini» ^f i, •
and treachery had no rightf^ p afet h "^ ? '°"'''''
was, however, so in th! "a" it f fi , ""• ^"=
- making mountains ^^^ ZtS
"^ (I
III,,!'
I ' • I
M'^U
744 Alice of Old Vincennes
a°no«frHrL7 r^" "--«"- with
he did like Am;riS„s butl " '^ '^"^"^''"^" -<^
Helm's talk of Si H r'"''"^ *°"S''' '^at
would have been ifa 2 '""'°" "^^' ^^ his own
The fort co„r„r, ;\^:r;^^»^-;"othin,„ore.
Then what? Ah he but tl u°""' ^' ^'" "^"^w.
Resistance wou'ld' inirthlt'Sf' U-^ ^^^""■
He shrujirrouLra^^f^a S^ ^^^^
his back. ^ ^""^ creep up
BeS'af dlk '""^ ''• f """'°" ^'-^ ^-^ '° ^ee Father
oeret and take counse of him • thf^r. u u • , '^^"^^
to dig a great pit under his Ti'tcherfl 1 """"'
buried many bales of fur and a, b '" "'
things. He workeH i.i, ' "°" ^'''"^ble
Meantim Fath ; B fet Tf k"'" ^" '"'«'" '°"^-
.uietl, notifyinrtlll^rn^t' rZnt T
houses until after the fort should sur^nTer vT
"Y^?" -r, r" "^pp^" '"^ -« dTr "'
them " btCn " "'^' "^ <^''"<'«"'" "^ -" to
directions/' '" '""^ '° '"'' « ^O" follow my
Relying implicitly upon him .i,
obeyed in every partkul^r ^^ ^erupulously
He did not think it necessary to call At P„ •..
place, having already given M L -n ^°""""°"
advice he could command "''"'°" *^ ''^^t
Of SrstiS thT'u "■' ''''^' ^''"^ ^^' *^ ^'-
- -V felt the sun s approach, a huge figt.re
The Honors of War .
145
through the ttk uiTlnT- 'f """ '"°'''"^ -'
and rayless huts, it woi.d WeT "' " *°" ^"^"'
lined as he was A ft, , ^^^^' ^^"^^y out-
inspiration „7;;„.t'tdtr""' "^'"^'' '° '^™ «"
was leading h^ as ij bv f" ''°"""™ °' "•'"■ """
Hamilton's linlT' ul ^ ^" "°"'' ''^^'S"' «*ay to
^o' 'He ear 7thf eollt defand^^:' htTT
r Ills breath, emphasizing his neriofl« ;„ * •
whispers with sweeping gestures and r. , T^'"
contortions. So absorbed tn,.n h' '"""'
soh-loquj. tiiat he forgot due mibt °''"°™'"
ran plump into th,. fJ . ^ Precaution and
Without rCt t ;:: eLTi: '"'" ^"^^'^ -'-•
sprang up before hin g™^! Ro"ss.l on's dignity,
a tomahawk and spot ™ 1 7''"°"'^^- «°""shed
g«t*«ral Indian: '^''"'^"' ^"'^ exceedingly
"Wall, surrender!"
modes: Ct^;:'T "° T '''' ^"-"P''^" -* a
Koussii,on^:;:v:hatrc:ir\:isrp^'^"-
a^rorars5^"^'--^^^^^
- Head, r^^^^^^^^^^^ '" """-
p.ex- ;xr:;;ir ^mir - ---om-
verxr J.1 , ^ ""^^ micidle age, was in re
it I
'46 Alice of Old Vincennes '
topr;^~ °^ "'^ ^PP-ch had been ^ade
" Well, sir, who are you ?" he P-riiffl,, ^
M. Roussillon loomed before hfm'^'-"'''"'^'''^'"^
I am Gaspard Roussillon.theMavnr „fv
was the lofty renlv "r ., ^ of Vmcennes,"
officially Z my peoi '""^ '° '""°""'^ '° ^o"
my town is fredv at '^ ^"'' ^"^ '"^^''^ «"'' 'hat
} wn IS treely at your command." Hp fcu „ •
portent as if his statements had been truf " ""■
Humph, that's it, is if Well Mr m
my congratulations, but I shLd 7"' ^°" ''^"^
military command ral acce'tlnrh '""^ ""^
M'hat accoubt can you give meX^A • '""""''•
their numbers and conditLn - ^'"'^" '""''''
M Roussillon winced, inwardly at least und.r u
>I on's very undeferential air and stvle of ^^H T
P'qued him cruelly to be treatd « '"'■ ^'
the slightest claim to respl H. T'? '''"'°"'
-^andrhythmi^leCenc?;^,^-:;:
-^^i"=rrs:r;f„rt-;--
"Oh, thT^i ii: i^ r^r — '''^•
tion, sir," Hamilton gruffly to^p^fr^^Tmrtr
number of American troops at the foj sf" ' "'
to the W ""TTu'- ' ""'' "°' had admittance
to the fort. I m.ght be deceived as to numbers- h«t
they re strong, I believe, Uomie:,r U r
least they make a great hmvT • '' .^'"''""'""'- «t
*i greai snow ana much noise."
The Honors of War
147
"Place thi. fu subalte-n said:
<ion,™on. a=.d he rs no tTl^J'.:;™ '° ->«<
tmting him graciously. '"'''""<' '"""^
"I would suggest to you, Monsieur 1, r
that my official position d;mand !!!'- m T"T
, 'on began; but he was fastened iln h f ''"
who roughly hustled him af and ho L ^"'''''
'y that he co„d scarceir^eln "0, ;: ^° '^"'■
orSsT-a sSit^u'L^" ™ '"'^ »-
»-aptain Farns worth " he cat^ « i
mi'itaiy salute, "you will tale 1;^,"°*'^''"^ "'^
everything ready L ^Z ^ """ ^""^ ™'<'=
of the fort A^ wnimovH f"'' '" '"^ '''''•^^"°"
and Choose a^L^lTnl'^To: ^^t^ ^^^^^^^^^^^
time to lose." "veiy, we have no
fort"afd'mTat?r',7 ''''''' ^^^ ^^^ the
P'ace. There was not " IT" ^'"^ " ^°"-"'on
other during trffew '^ '=°"''' '^^ '° "^^ch
-'howed very ,ttle I T"""'' '' ~'"™''"'^- ^hce
had fortifiS^h %:~"'; '" ""' ^'^P'^"--
agamst the alarms of frontier life;
I
ill
\< n
I. 'I i ! 1
%
(lili
148 Alice of Old Vinccnnes '
but^he understood and perfectly app.ec,V,d the situ-
rer aespair. He was not able to .^e anv ..1^=.,^ 1
hope out of the bla Ecness v', 1, 1, J ( n ^ ^ °'
and into his sot:I. ''"'' ^""^" •''™""'' •^■''^
;;What shall you do?" he repeated.
J ake tlie chances of m^r " .1
g. . uy. Ii w,I) all come out well, no doubt "
1 iK.pe s„, but-but I fear not."
H,s s..ce was gray with trouble. "Helni is deter
niioed to «^ht, and that means " ''"
of t'i'""T' '^\'T"'f'^ with spirit. "I am so glad
of that I „,3h I eould go to help him! If I were a
Bian I d ove .0 fight! I think ifs just delightful
ness ' JL'Blff" '"?''°'- " '= ^^ '"L foolish-
tw^ .1 ''^' "°* '*'"""& l'^'- mood. "What can
two or three men do against an army ?" ''"
■flight and die like mpn " ct,« t- i ,
countenance lighting ur-B^hticT^' "^^ ^-"'^
deattbrjotS-'^Hr ^^^ ^ "°' ^-'
A mm ci^ . '^ ^"^'^^ ^^°^'ed him.
must hurry to the fort. Good bye »' '''" '
herL'Ttr ' r'r'r'" ^""^ "-"^^ '" ^''''^ "«t
" 'ook str him like a sudden a^ .,„,d hinw w.
«tood for a second, his arms at full read, ^i, ! "^ ""'
The Honors of War
149
crilTl-^"''' ^"''' ^ '='""°'' «""ot leave you!" h
cned,h.svo,ce again breaking huskily. "^ ' '"
».stnrLt Itrrn ^^ " " '^■'^ "<"<' °^
and said: ""' '''' ''^PP^^ back a pace
quickly as you clr. '''"'"'" '"^ f"--' -
-.tha'tyorruhintz::"""""^'^-^"^^--
Slie folded her arms and stood boldly erect
"Vou are^^^h^ A„*tt'' ' '7^ '°°' '" '"^ ^^-•
the house to the fort ' """' '"" ^'"^^ f™">
^he'ta'rd'hi:;^tr'r '"' ^ ""'^ -""^ ^f*-
^oj-^ that rbrt i:*:, rthrLi'n^;r ^°
wide, as if to clasn cr.,^, ft,- ""^ ^^^ ^^"^s
Bev.;iey wlstuf oTXht^Vh"?" '^ *^ '°°^^ ""'
■■"to a chair. Jean came to h / '"" '''"PP^"
His queer little fac. , °"' °* "'^ "^^' "O""-
was set w th he tLrr- '^ ?"' "'""''''' ' ''"' "'^ i^"
.erandca„'me:tT~:^°"-''°''-'^-ndan-
ders. "uaenng lift of his distorted shoul-
other inconsequenti °"' ''"^^"°" *° ^"-
quirfd'^'slt '''''' ''°«"'"°" ^° '°'" "« next in-
'iuirea. is he going to fight ?"
I' ''; (,
f( r
in
150 - Alice of Old Vincennes
She shook her head.
"They'll tear down the fort, won't they?"
fine?/M ' ^"P'"'" """ L'^"'^"^"' ='"d get the
fine flag that you set so high on the fort, won'f they.
She lifted her head and gave the cowering hunch-
back such a stare that he shut his eyes and put up a
hand as .f afraid of her. Then she LpulsiveJ to'ok
h.s httle misshapen form in her arms and hugged it
huhng h,n,. Madame Roussillon was lying on a bed in
handllrh'"^ '°°'" '"°'"'"^ ""''^^""y' ^' '"'ervals
handlmg her rosary and repeating a prayer. The whole
town was silent outside. ^ ^ ' -inewnoie
hidlTlf./°"'i''°" ^° ^'' *" P-'^^y «»g down and
h.de t before they come ?" Jean murmured from within
the silken meshes of Alice's hair
beautiful of all things. Eveiy day since it was set up
The men had frequently said in his presence that tl,»
enemy would take it down if they captured the fort
cot^t f l"^ '"^"isitive voice; but it seemed to
come from far oflP; his words were a part of the
strange, wild swirl in her bosom. Beverley's look as
b«ng. He had gone to his death at her command.
How strong and true and brave he was ! In her imagi-
nation she saw the flag above him. saw him di» liVe „
panther at bay, saw the gay rag snatched down and
IS
The Honors of War
sign.
and get the
won't they,
'ing hunch-
id put up a
sively took
hugged it
lim, almost
on a bed in
; intervals
The whole
down and
om within
the most
vas set up
3t the sky.
2 that the
be fort,
eemed to
•t of the
5 look, as
rd of her
ommand.
~r imagi-
lie like a
3wn and
torn to shreds by savage hands. It was the traeedv
of a smgle moment, enacted in a flashlight of a^-
She released Jean so suddenly that he fell to the
er y on thl "T'/"' "'^^ ^^^ ^^^ -^ to B v^
erley on the mght of the dance when they were stand
mg under the flag. ^ ^and-
"yo^ZTjJluf "' ' ""'" "^ "sOtly remarked;
of thal'^she" "T" T" "''^ " "■'«" "'"^'^ danger
ot that, she said in the same spirit
seetf hir,'*!: ''°°' ""' '"""^'"^ ^« J^»". without
seemghim, and repeated the words under her breath
Maim: I '""r"' ''"^ ''• "^"^y ^''-'' have ';
Madame Rouss.llon began to call from the other
room m a loud, complaining voice; but Alice gave no
heed to her querulous demands. i
Ion "'tl'T •'T' '"'^ '"■'^ "^^--^ °f Mama Roussil-
Ion, she presently said to the hunchback "I am
House while I m gone; do you hear?"
hi^, •.*'!: "°' """" '°' '''^ ""^w^n but snatchine a
anXijir;:--"--^^
wit ' /rf "'""'"""'^ «teck, which they knew
would not be long deferred. The two heavily charged
cannon were planted so as to cover the spice „ '^nt
Hfe
II-' ^ -»'
J52 Alice of Old Vinccnnes'
captain, before they overpower us "
Beverley made no response in words; but he was
SToV :l °' ''"''^'' '^^ ^'^ ^"^ °^ ^ ^^-^ with
wh ch to fire the . .nnon. Not far away a little heap
of logs was burning in the fort's area.
The British officer, already mentioned as at the head
of he line advancing diagonally from the river's bank,
halted h,s men at a distance of three hundred yards
from the fort, and seemed to be taking a deliberately
careful survey of what was before him.
"Let 'erp come a little nearer. Lieutenant," said
WeJm, his jaw setting itself like a lion's. .Vhen we
shoot we want to hit."
He stooped and squinted along his gun
"When they get to that weedy spot out yonder," he
added just opposite the little rise m the river bank,
we 11 turn loose on 'em."
Beverlev ha' arrange his primitive match to suit
his fancy, nd lor probably the twentieth time looked
critically to the powder in the beveled touch-hole of
his olu car..on. He and ' lelm were facing the enemy;
with their backs to the main area of the stockade, when
a well known voice attracted their attention to the rear
"Any room for . ell. o' my siz. in this here
crowded place.?" it de:, anacJ in a cracked but cheerful
tenor. "I'm kind o' outen breath a runnin lo pt here "
They turned about. It was Oncle Jazon with his
long rifle on his shoulder and wearing a very import-
ant air. He spoke in English, using the backwoods
iingo with the ease of long practice.
es
growled the
but he was
a stick with
a little heap
3 at the head
-iver's bank,
id red yards
deliberately
nant," said
vVhen we
onder," he
river bank,
tch to suit
me looked
ch-hole of
he enemy,
ade, when
J the rear.
this here
t cheerful
git here."
with his
r import-
ickwoods M
The Honors of War
153
some fellers wf gunsa t , ° ' °" ""= ""'' '"'
slipped by 'em 111 .„" " '"°'""^' '" ' J^^'
PP u uj, em all an come n the back wa„ -ri, .
plenty of 'em, I ,el| you what I 1^„', T ^^"
but I tuck one chance at a buck In „ °°* '""'^''•
ies- happened to HH ZinitJ"<-''T"'''''"''
of the gantr 'at scal„„r , ^*- "^ """^ °"e
THeU;rreH:ra?rh:rr'r"
washed since he w;>. u „ ^ '''"' "°* ^een
furtive, shif y e " „t /' ^'^""'' ="'°"' -'"«
n>anne;ofananraii«st I ""j' "'■"'^^''' ^^'^^ "■«
"Where's the TesV " th «\''°'" ^ '''' "'P'
quizzically. lollnri^ . ^'"'"■" ''^ "^""""led
Helm so'as ^ "g^a ilT"^; f"" ^^^P'"^ P^'
"V'here'syergafrilo„> r ^'""^ '^"S"'''' «"«•
^^ „ y garnson? Have they all gone to break-
The last question set Helm «ff
swearing iu the most melo^dia^tfc ^^ ^""'"^ ^^
French': ^rrtrmi^r"-^"-'^'-^-'''-^
fellows yonder?'- ^°'"^ '° %" 'hose
Beverley nodded rather gloomily.
and!.tLgt:th'er^f ™".: '"''""' ''' ""^'^ ^'"^k
shootwofh a ceuTh^'r ""•°"«'' "'« g^te, "I can't
Stan' u , ' ^"" S"" ° nervous like ■ b„t l>ti
Stan by ye awhile, i>s' for li.ck i • I ' ''u* I «
hit one of 'em." ""^'" accidentally
When a man h truly brave hims.lf .^erc ••- -..v
"lai touches him likp =.„ «„ui:- ■ " "Othuig
"ke an exhibition of absolutely un-
ii
pi 'i'
I'"' ^
'54 Alice of Old Vincennes
Mea„.i„,e the younS ^ J"'' ""^S'"^ him.
'^ce. and, with lZ!oi^:^ " ^''°"'--" " "^^ °'
the line, now station! ™ '^"''^ ''™=^'f f™"
At a hundred S^'e hatTr t^' '"^ ^'-•<^<'-
alone, waving the white X^f 'Hetn?' '""^^ °"
"W r ^"'•'•^der of this fort "
there's a pan of uT left .'" ""' "^ ^°^*' ""°' ^hi.^
to X'"fe;>et r Onl't " "'='"'' ^^ "^ "-'-^^^
essence of wisdom bt I "^^'^ "^^ '"e very
diplomatic iC^; 2^^rT ''' '^'^ *- '"'
soap." ^^ "^'"''' ""^ °'d fooper called 'teoft
"NottomebyatrnedX/sfTe?'""
wander that I will hear what he Z's J '7 "'^'
own mouth No .,nrf. . ° ^^^ ^''om his
by me." ""derstrapper will be recognized
That ended the conferenrp Ti,.
dently indignant, strode "act to P,7"^ "f'"' '"'■
later Hamilton himself den^andl, thf 7- """^
surrender of the fort and Son '"'^°'""«°-"
les
'cJmiration for
?&ing him.
•wed a flag of
himself from
the stockade,
md came on
lly advanced
ted:
3ared Helm,
h "not while
' said Oncle
5d." While
's arm and
- pretended
IS the very
dy for the
ailed 'feoft
Tianded.
im."
^our com-
from his
ecognized
icer, evi-
an hour
nditional
The Honors of War
155
dier?" '" '"" "^"" »'--<« forth. "We are so.-
forcri'rrve: :t^^:'' "-• ^^ne n,-,
i"g so as to orm a ,1 T'l ' T"'' ^"' "'''"y
Some artillery ararec and f"""" "'^ ^'°^''^<'e.
s"e the gate nTth"! , 7?'""''''*'■^^''y°PP<>-
''<ast of tit batt i; J;?': H T"' f ^"'- °-
a large part of the stoclade """ ^"'^' '<=^^'
^aiif orJiatr; -nrrt""' '''ir ''- '-'■'-■
^•<- W This Httle o^e-ll ^o ^e """' ""' ' ™«'«
he.p"n'ed':n?:;f"' "'^, ^^" ^"'I -'" Beverle/s
ready in positiL '""^'^ "'""^^'''^ '"e g„„s al-
wi^:=L;T„dr:t:d.''^""'°"^^'"-<^-<'er.he
"ATtLt„rf^tr-~r-'"
that or fight, and I don f care a d» ''""V'"''"'- "''''
Hamilton half turned aw tasTd"":
'ey; then facing the fort aglf^l/d °" """ ''^ P""
Very well, sir. haul down your flag"
Helm was dumiounded at\hi^
°f his terms. Indeed the inc L ' ' "' "'""'""^^
As Hamilton spoke e e y nat "»""? '" ''"'°^^-
"-here la banniere d'AlZl ^'"^"^ S:lanced up to
"antly. Someone sfoodLtT",."r'' ""'"
"'llll
/56 Alice of Old Vincennes '
flood. It was a girl i„ short skirts and moccasins :u
a fur hood on her head, her face Ziw i I ' ""'^^
set around with fluffs o Jnd^^,^^^^^^^^^^ 'T ''"^'
Farnsworth was tnn brown-gold hair.
old to let his :;es deceC^^^^^ p '''?' ^"^ ^-
fine sketch with ,>7 T ^ ^ Every detail of the
flashed iJi'o'hrlTsCiTa'^^^^^^^ ^*' ''^^
tarily he took off his' t,' ' ""^" '"^^^"-
Alice had come in by way of the posterr c:.
mounted to the roof unobserved and -^H ^
to the flag- iust pt fh. ^^^^ ^^^'^ way
"<*S^, just at the moment when Rplm «.i ^ .
heart to arrpnf f»,^ • nelm, glad at
asked OncTSolirr °"' °^ ^ '''' ^-'
, 1, 1 . -^ realize that he saw her- hnf th^
had said at the rLlt; ^r "''' "''^* ^"'^
c«,-r visiDJe. He saw that Alice wao
™.l.rs somewhat as in her most mischievous mooT
Wted It high and waved it once, twice thrice d^lT
toward the British hnes, then iied "« JS
mamed n Beverley's eyes forever afterward. The
Enghsh troops, thinking that the flag was taken dow„
lir "^^^"'^'' '^''''^ '"" ^ ""<' — "^
Oncle Jaron intuitively understood just what Alice
li"
The Honors of War
^57
"T/- <», ^"^^^ in an instant
^^ve Zhorzh Vasintonf ViveTr^T •>
-^on. H,„,H for Mice tat^^flrj '^^^''-
it was all over <innry u , "^§^ ^
Beverley with fu honot 77"'^ "'™^^'^ -<J
ci-PPeared at the c^ -.otnr ^'^ •^"^"' ''^
to his mind to be a orison. T *^' "°' i"«
existing conditions £0?^ t T' ''^"^"y ""der
-e o,d warpath Ic^^J^fSJ^^^^^^^
to the days when he anrf Q ""'l^'* him dating back
in Kentucky '"" ^™°" ^^"'°» «ere comrades
postern, as'shrh^dtnce ""C f °"' '"""«" *«
under cover of ,he iZllT ""' ^""^ 'P^"^ ^^""S
ife, bounded he flaXti""; T' "'"^''' '^^--
stockade. She kept on unJ . '°""'^"'^ °* ""e
Posite Father Bern's hut ^' vT'^'^ ^ ^'"' °P-
flag streaming brlvelv M . .' '"' *^" ™' *«
hea«beatingLeTotr:;f "" '" *^ ^-''- "-
'ooXis^hi^r-r r ^^^^ ^-' --^
They Shan not have it.Mhey Shan never have itr
158 Alice of Old Vincennes '
He opened wide his shrewd, kindly eyes- but did
not fairly comprehend her meaning. ^ ' " ^"^
hafr wiLT Tu"^; '"' '""^'■'"^' ''^'f '='>»?• Her
heTlhoi, r"/' """^ '" ^'°™- ™-- ov
her shoulders. Her face beamed triumphantly.
They are taking the fort," she breathlessly added
agam urgmg the flag upon him, "they're gS .n bu;
I got this and ran away with it. hLT^;1 "
hide .t, quick, quick, before they comei" ' **'''
The daring light in her eyes, the witching play of
her dunples, the madcap air intensified by hef atdfude
and the excitement of the violent exercii j'st led
-^ome .Ag co„,po„„ded of all these and mor'S
ct sed hLS 'T ^'""^^'^- I-oluntarily he
ss:-rs,xr-^ar
they may be following me. Hurry, hidfit tU-
He comprehended now, rising from his knees with
a queer srnde broadening on his face. She put the ban
ner mto his hands and gave him a gentle pusL
Hide It, I tell you, hide it, you dear old goose I"
Without speaking he turned the staff over and over
m h.s hand, until the flag was closely wrapped around
.then stooping he lifted a puncheon and with it cov
ered the gay roll from sight.
Alice caught him in her arms and kissed him vigor-
The Honors of War
I5Q
ously on the cheek. Her warn, r
tingle. "^"^ ^^^"^ ^iPs made the spot
"Don't you dare to I^f o«,
flag of George wLhinJo;- '""" "^^^ ■'' ' ^''^ '"e
■He pushed her frntr, u-
hastily crossed llr^u™- "" *"* """''' -^'
"Vou ought to ha " ' seen "r/ "'" ''"^'""^•
them-at the Enghsh ' IT ' "'^'^ *^ ""^ at
"is hat to .e. o'h ; Kat ,' ZltlZ:!"^' T ""^
■n a novel. They'll get th.T^T'u '"''^ *''« *^
Not the banner /ivflved ^V ""' "'^ ''^""^^'
Her enthusiasm give aTolendn '! T'^ '""
heightening its ricL ", cot" "d " T" "'™™<=^'
to its natural girlish evL somehow adding
immaturely beautiful face ^""""^ ^""^ somewhat
anltmrr "atrtl^?""^ ^'°~.
--i,eshe.enton. So^^rdX^^n^S
Thr';lrOn:,?Sr • ^°" -"< ^ave enjoyed it.
-vel. and ^^rj J^l^^^^^^^^ -.tie
didn't see me^and t^", '"'" ^'^ "«»' '''-' '"ey
and h- - ™ ^°"''^'' '^^"e the En^ri;,- „^.J.
. " ""^Z against the thr„. u.-u... .. = ""''^='
to the - ■ -
gate th,. officer calk J
three. When they got close
out;
'Surrender!' and
i6o
Alice of Old Vincennes
Come another step and I'll blow you all tn hJ
second ' I wa« m.-^utt • , •'^ '° "^" >•• a
nn-T, ,7 ^ "'^ '" ''°P^' that they'd come
on , I wanted to see a cannon ball hit that En Jish cZ
mander nght in the face; he looked so arrog „t "
Father Beret shook his head and tried to look dis
approving and solemn. *
m^r^ru7T *' '°" "^'""'°" -^ den nd-
Zd ha !; ' ';'" "T ^"^^ ''"^^ " '^-". and s«p-
over to him Now he wanted to handle it as the best
token of h,s bloodless but important victory.
I d.dn t order the flag down until after I had ac-
rt away wtr;t."^ """ ^ ^°""^ '^"'^ -^^^ '^ and
"Who was the girl ?"
"I do not inform on women," said Helm
Hamilton smiled grimly, with a vexed look in his
eyes then turned to Captain Famsworth and ordered
h.m to bnng up M. Roussillon, who, when he ao-
peared, still had his hands tied tomher
"Tell me the name of the young^woman who carried
away the flag from the fort. You saw her, you know
every soul m this town. Who was it ,ir v-
It was a hard question for M. Roussillon to answer.
Although h.s humiliating captivity had somewhat
cowed h,m, st.Il his love for Alice made it impossible
tor him to give the information demanded by Hamil-
ton. He choked and stammered, but finally managed
The Honors of War
what excited-I-_l^ "^ *"'" "^ '°-I was some-
While this ruri^ e^^
Britain res ov ;r tof !r?^' '"^ "^^ "^ ^reat
victorious soldiers ^' '"^'^ *^^^'"g of the
Hamilton treated Helm »„rf n ,
courtesy. He was a soSer Ifr'^^ "''* -'--
cruel to a degree- but htl £ * ""^^rupulous and
daring behavL of these" r """'' '""''""^ *e
f - him the hest te'^fTurtd:: ^H "'' *™"^
full liberty, on parole of h "''^'^- He gave them
or to aid i: an/wly an en ■■ "'' '° '"^"P' ^»«Pe
were prisoners ' "'"^ 'gainst him while they
.<^ence to such an ttfnT tTt^r ^"^ ~"'^-
.nseparable companions, playing crd'r*"' ''"°''
*e«. telling stories, and even shcoHl 7"""^ '°'^-
-.3 toother, as if they had al^^^^^^^^^^^
-habitantVtosJraXttlr''"^ ''' ^^^^^
they did with anrare! I ! ^'■'^'" ^"'a'"' which
)on who w- ! "^"^ff^^- all save M. R™,,..'!,
g- lugubriously and wearing the air of a
i62 Alice of Old Vincennes '
martyr., His prison was a little log pen in one corner
of the stockade, much open to the weather, its gaping
cracks giving him a dreary view of the frozen land-
scape through which the Wabash flowed in a broad
steel-gray current. Helm, who really liked him, tried
m vain to procure his release; but Hamilton was in-
exorable on account of what he regarded as duplicity
m M. Roussillon's conduct.
"No, I'll let him reflect" he said; "there's nothing
hke a little tyranny to break up a bad case of self-im-
portance. He'll soon find out that he has over-rated
himself !"
Wul .
. . I ? J
CHAPTER X
-t ii- iro'; is:!:' rr ■ °' *"""- ^-^ ="-
Vincennes and we e tw T'"'" ^'"^^'^'' "-"^ «°
selves as lawful IbU ^^f 'g^!™ '°. ^-^^n 'hem-
promptly followed that Ham u ! ^' '""'' ="«' '*
into service as a wnnH ^ '"'''"■"<* ''™ P^^^^d
the erectiol of a new h, T"" '"' '°^-''^"'- ''"""S
the making of so„,e Txt en" '°""' '"^^ ''"^'^^ -^
Nothing Lid h^ve r ''""" °* "'^ ''°*^<'«-
proud yLngFre„;hl„%"°'^''"""^ 'o the
bright'and LyT^^Z^^i^^, c' '" "^^ '° ^^P°«
dered about as if LT^ I ^°'^''^ ^"<^ ^eor-
threatened and forced to T ^ ='^^^' ""^'^ ^'.
bhstered and JZL^ Z Th v" '^"'^ "^^«
it all was that he had In T^' '"""■^^' P»« °f
place and the Bourderlh^^^^ T '""'' ^°"^^'"°"
Adrienne upon hto ""* "'^ ^^^^ "* A"=« «»d
- ^ace with^TeL?Sl,':it„' ^'^ ^^
was calmlv toM h., fi, t^ , Rene's. He
couM choo'sett: ef L^^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^
that stole the flag. "^ "^^^ '^ ^as
"I'll have you shot. sir. tn.m....... ^,-. . .,
prevaricate abouf thio ^u-' '"'""''' ^'^""^"^g i* you
about this thing any longer," said Hamil-
163
I III
m
164 Alice of Old Vincennes
ton with a right deadly strain in his voice. -You
told me that you knew every man, woman and child
take the flag-lymg does not serve your turn. I ^ive
you until this evening to tell me who she is; if you
fail, you die at sunrise to-morrow."
In fact, it may be that Hamilton did not really pur-
pose to carry out this blood-thirsty threat; most prob-
ably he relied upon M. Roussillon's imagination to
tortile him successfully ; but the effect, as time proved,
could not be accurately foreseen.
Captain Farnsworth had energy enough for a dozen
ordinary men. Before he had been in Vincennes
twelve hours he had seen every nook and corner of its
surface. Nor was his activity due altogether to mili-
tary ardor, although he never let pass an opportunity
to serve the best interests of his commander; all the
while his mind was on the strikingly beautiful girl
whose saucy countenance had so dazzled him from the
roof-top of the fort, what time she wrenched away the
rebel flag. -^
"I'll find her, high or low," he thought, "for I never
could fail to recognize that face. She's a trump "
Ti, T?f '" ^^''''' "^*"'" *° ^^^^ ^^^^ the English.
They had held the town and fort before Helm came
and she had not found them troublesome under Ab-
bott. She did not know that M. Roussillon was a pris-
oner, the family taking it for granted that he had gone
away to avoid the English. Nor was she aware that
Hamilton felt so keenly the disappearance of th. fl.c
,VVhat she did know, and it gladdened her greatly was
M. .;oussiJlon Entertains ,65
singing merry sna !hes of ^r , °"' ''°"^^'"°" P'-«
the gate, which stH h" 0",°^;°"^'= ""^ "''^" "'
eriey's force in shu f„ "f T '^ °" ''''=°""* "^ Bev-
«o face With CaSria LtXhr ''"'^'•'^ '^"^^
surprise on her part "''*°"''' *ere was no great
bold^s^^rbrote 0"'°"^'' r^ '"""^'^-- "« =>
spoke in French Z^ T''""" ™''''^ f«^«- He
bad accent: ' '" " "^""""^ tone and with a
seel7ag:i^°r''°'^=''^-°'se„e;Ia.rightg,adto
underL'HisM^or Z T ^"^^ ^^ ^"■•<=X t°
fearingthathew "oing : „?; ^"r' '""" "'"''
"Don't be afraid," heTat^d'; "'°"' '"^ ''='^-
0"s. I never did hurt a ^^Jun;,, ' Trf 'r "f^'''
a- fond of then, when ti^Tyl: nice "' '"" '" '^■='' ^
an !^^^:^:::::::i^zr r-'- —
ferocious. Monsieur V ^°" ''°" ' '"^"^ « bit
He flu hed aTd bit^ T' ""'' °"' 'f^"" ?'««-"
some hastyrttort anH ^' '"I' P™'^"^' '° -^-^P back
She looked sTSt at ''""^"I'/^P'^'y ^^ a moment,
dazded him He ';''"'"/■* '^'^ *at stirred and
a fine young anTmT ^ """ '" ' """'^ ^'y^ "^e
she ha.1 not been ° ! ^ °' * '°« '<> which
and stran«L " "''°"'^''' ''^'"''^^ •>- vaguely
"SupiK.se -that I don-t pass on?" he presently ven-
ft A'*1
'66 Alice of Old Vincrnncs
tured, with just a suspicion of insolence in In's attitude
but laughing until he showed teeth of remarkable
beauty and whiteness "c, .t V remarkable
to have ., IfTTT ■ . f^P"'* "'"' ^ ^'""•'d wish
to have a l.ttle chat with you, Mademoiselle?"
who .v\' ^"" '^'"^ "''" ""^^^ "« '"'^" ■" he world
who thmk themselves handsome, and clever, and bri^
.ant, when in fact they are but conceited simoon""
she remarked, rather indifferently, muring Z Tfln
her fur wrap. "Vou certainly would be a fairly good
h^chmg-post for onr horses if you never moved "
Then she laughed out of the depth of her hood, a pt-
fc«b^ merry laugh, but not in the least flatte i„g^o
it cc .yS™" '""'• ""' '"' '"^ -°™ '"^t
Her superiority struck him with the force of a cap-
2 wlr'''''°"' ""''' *^ "^'" °' -'■-•' he blinke'd
pufheVfopL^"''^"'' ''"' °" '"^ ^^""^ ^'«= -"
"I beg your pardon. Mademoiselle;" his manner
softened as he spoke ; "I beg your pardon ; but I came
fromThe fo^::" '*""' ''' "^^"'"^ "^^ ^°" ^^"^ ^^^
She had been half expecting this; but she was quite
unprepared, and in spite of all she could do showed
embarrassment.
'S'ilt'iiiiili
M. Roussillon Entertains
i nave come to svt thf> a.^ -r
it to „,e, or .en melhe'e S'll!!" ""' """"^ """«
aether. ^ ^"^^^^ ^'^^ * pulled herself to-
J^ou have come tn tu^
'\assu„,ou..atzr;„-::KT'"*^«-.in.
„Vo„^took,dow„,Made„oi.elI^^ -
"indeed I won't." * "' P'^^'^e?"
beameVwlom'a ':; ;;'2.f ^-^ "- f-e, which
He did not k„o„ ho:'o „S ^l" ^"^^"'•'^'
I"^ had l.egun wrong He LT ' ''"' ''" ^^" 'hat
bepnatall. ^' ""'*" '•««^«"ed that he had
are tlhljrwteTr.:'""'"^ ""'' ""g than you
-ions tone' "ir act ' the ,irr"" "''' ■" " ■"'-
"en. and a person of som! °"' °' ^°" to'v"^-
-'" --<y be saved bTtTo^^r:'"^ '''^"-^'
Mademoiselle. You wouldn't vv '""" "°°^'''1«'-.
of a man." °"^^'' ' '*« ^ cause the death
She did not fairly erasn tf,„
yet the change in L !1 ""^P"" °^ ^'' ^°fds,
'"rned from Irench to EnT; "' *^ '''« *« he
-»'. aroused a sudde^ feS Tr'"^ *^ ''^'-
prehension in her brelst t^^ « ''''''' °' ^ark ap-
was of Beveriey-that . "' '^'''"''« 'hou^ht
him. '^ ^^' ^"^ deadly danger threatened
A^
^
K. ^
iMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)
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I.I
IB
111
L25 iu
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12.2
2.0
1.8
1.6
( 50mm
^W
6>}m
*;
y
/^
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i68 Alice of Old Vincennes
"Who IS it?" she frankly demanded.
"It's the Mayor, the big man of your town, Monsieur
Roussillon, I think he calls himself. He's got him-
self mto a tight place. He'll be shot to-morrow morn-
ing if that flag is not produced. Governor Hamilton
has so ordered, and what he orders is done."
"Yuu jest. Monsieur."
"I assure you that I speak the plain truth."
"You will probably catch Monsieur Roussillon be-
fore you shoot him." She tossed her head.
"He is already a prisoner in the fort."
Alice turned pale.
"Monsieur, is this true?" Her voice had lost its
happy tone. "Are you telling me that to "
"You can verify it, Mademoiselle, by calling upon
the commander at the fort. I am sorry that you doubt
my veracity. If you will go with me I will show you
M. Roussillon a tightly bound prisoner."
Jean had crept out of the gate and was standing just
behind Alice with his feet wide apart, his long chin
elevated, his head resting far back between his up-
thrust shoulders, his hands in his pockets, his uncanny
eyes gazing steadily at Farnsworth. He looked like
a deformed frog ready to jump.
Alice unmistakably saw truth in the Captain's coun-
tenance and felt it in his voice. The reality came to
her with unhindered eflfect. M. Roussillon's life de-
pended upon the return of the flag She put her hands
together and for a moment covered her eyes with
them.
"I will go now, Mademoiselle," said Farnsworth;
h\ ! '
M. Roussillon Entertains 169
2eVag'^' ^''^ ""'" ^' '" ^""^' ^'^''^ ^^°"^ '^^"'•"^"ff
He stood looking at her. He was profoundly touched
and felt that to say more would be too brutal even for
his coarse nature; so he simply lifted his hat and went
away.
Jean took hold of Alice's dress as she turned to go
back mto the house.
Jru' ^^ ^°'"^ *° '^^^ ^'^^ ^^S:? Can he find it?
What does he want with it? What did ou do with the
flag, Alice?" he whined, in his peculiar, quavering
voice. "Where is it?"
Her skirt dragged him along as she walked.
"Where did you put it, Alice?"
^ "Father Beret hid it under his floor," she answered
involuntarily, and almost unconsciously. "I shall have
to take it back and give it up."
"No-no-I wouldn't," he quavered, dancing across
the veranda as she quickened her pace and fairly spun
him along. "I wouldn't let 'em have it at all."
^ Alice's mind was working with lightning speed. Her
imagination took strong grip on the situation so briefly
and effectively sketched by Captain Farnsworth. Her
decision formed itself quickly.
"Stay here, Jean. I am joing to the fort. Don't
tell Mama Roussillon a thing. Be a good boy."
She was gone before Jean could say a word. She
meant to face Hamilton at once and be sure what dan-
ger menaced M. Roussillon. Of course, the flag must
be given up if that would save her foster father any
{
' ■ ■■(
r 'J ,
170 Alice of Old Vincennes
pain; ,nd if his life were in question there could not
be too great haste on her part
SSl of Wo V"""'' ""'' ^'" ""'^' -^ Governor
wammon, mto whose presence she was soon led Can-
am Famsworth had preceded her but a mTnute or
wo and was present when she entered themiseraWe
L?°?l,rV^''° '"' "P"" "'^ S^"""". his feet a^d
Alice as soon as she saw M. Roussillon, uttered a
toward hi' h"" '"'"™™' ^"-^ «•"-« "--'f
toward him with open ms. She could not reach
around his great sho.:. .s; but she did her best 2
include the whole bulk.
"Papa! Papa Roussillon!" she chirruped between
the^kisses that she showered upon his weather-beaten
Hamilton and Farnsworth regarded the scene with
curious and surprised interest. M. Roussillon began
speaking rapidly ; but being a Frenchman he could not
get on well with his tongue while his hands were tied
He could shrug his shoulders; that helped him some
I am to be shot, ma petite." he pathetically growled
m his deep bass voice; "shot like a dog at sunrise to-
morrow.
M. Roussillon Entertains 17,
Alice kissed M. Roussillon's rough cheek once mnr
and sprang ,0 her fee. facing Han,1lto„ "°"
You are not such a fiend and brute as to kill Pana
Roussil on," she cried "Wi,., i P^
my poor, good ^apa?" ^'^ '° ^°" "''"' '° '"i-^
flali' W,r' ''' "'' ^°""^ ^'^y that stole the
I1 e llTd Tr'"'""' ™"'"*^'^ contemptuously
as^'ruStreseiTS: ^ '^'' '-' °' '"'--'-
ow'n 7hT ', ""'^- ^ '^°"''^ "°' ^'«=" "hat was my
n"; MolSeur.' """" " "" ™"'- ^°" -^-'and
spZd.'"''"'''^''"''^°"^'''''er's life will be
i'he glanced at M. Roussillon.
forego m,'i'''" f'^ *"' ^'"^ ^ Pa'h^ically futile ef-
erouIhT ^' '^"t^"'"'"' "''°"'' <'° "• I am brave
coward." • ''°" "'"'"' "<" "ave me act the
No onlooker would have even remotely suspected
the fact that M. Roussillon had chanced fo o3 '
whTHamT '"""" "^"""°" -<» Farnswo:th, n
to hurt MP T'-""' ""^ '^""^ "'" "°' '"'^d
posed tn^' r r '" '"^ ^^^"': he merely ,ur-
Posed to humdiate the "big wind-bag l"
Ah no; let me die bravely for honor's sake-I fear
ah far less than dishonor! They ean shooH^e my
.tie one, but they cannot break my proud spirit^' He
tned to strike his breast over his heart. "^ "
Perhaps it would be just as well to let him be
it-- ,
fi , . i ■
172 Alice of Old Vinccnnes
shot," said Hamilton gruffly, and with dry indiffer-
ence. "I don't fancy that he's of much value to the
community at best. He'II^make a good target for a
squad, and we need an example."
"Do you mean it?-you ugly English brute-would
you murder him ?" she stamped her foot.
"Not if 1 get that flag between now and sundown.
Otherwise I shall certainly have him shot. It is all in
your hands. Mademoiselle. You can tell me where
the flag is." Hamilton smiled again with exquisite
cruelty.
Farnsworth stood by gazing upon Alice in open ad-
miration. Her presence had power in it, to which he
was very susceptible.
"You look like a low, dishonorable, soulless tyram "
she said to Hamilton, "and if you get my flag, how shall
1 know that you will keep your promise and let Papa
Roussillon go free ?"
"I am sorry to say that you will have to trust me
unless you'll take Captain Farnsworth for security!
The Captain is a gentleman, I assure you. Will you
stand good for my veracity and sincerity, Captain
Farnsworth ?"
The young man smiled and bowed.
Alice felt the irony; and her perfectly frank nature
preferred to trust rather than distrust the sincerity of
others. She looked at Farnsworth, who smiled encour-
agmgly.
"The flag is under Father Beret's floor," she said
"Under the church floor?"
'No, under the floor of his house."
«i
i
jrute — would
M. Roussillon Entertains
173
"Where is his house?
She gave full directions how to reach it.
wen 1 assure you, not to be very lonir ahonf it r
TcTrlr.\ T "' '°"°''' '"'"^ h'« -ffi-'al dignity
an errand/ He if ^^^^^ ^^ '^^"^ "P- «« -Portant
^ lu. rte must have his attendants."
hermit me to go myself and get it " sairl AI,v «t
can do it auicklv Mo t , ^ "' ^^^^ ^"ce. "I
T-Tn^- ! . ""^ ^' P^^^^^' Monsieur?"
Hamilton looked sharply at her.
"Why, certainly, Mademoiselle ccrtpfnlv r . •
Farnswonh. ,o„ wil. escort the ;;:ntrd^ "
^ it IS not necessary. Monsieur."
the flap- T f , " ^v^ayor, while you go and get
^^-ce set .H, '^;Jz::r^z::^%
as hard as he would, could never reach her 1' 1
swift was her gait. ^'"^^^ ^°
When they arrived at Father Beret's cabin .u
turned and said with imperious severity ! "' ^'^
rn!/e:^^^"^^^"''^^"^^^^-^here;rngetit
Farnsworth obeyed her command.
m
"0!
174 Alice of Old Vincennes
The door was wide open, but Father Beret was not
inside; he had gone to see a sick child in the outskirts
of the village. Alice looked about and hesitated. She
knew the very puncheon that covered the flag; but she
shrank from lifting it. There seemed nothing else to
do however; so, after some trouble with herself, she
knelt upon the floor and turned the heavy slab over
with a great thump. The flag did not appear. She
peeped under the other puncheons. It was not there.
The only thmg visible was a little ball of paper frag-
ments not larger than an egg.
Famswprth heard her utter a low cry of surprise or
dismay, and was on the point of going in when Father
Beret, coming around the corner of the cabin, con-
fronted him. The meeting was so sudden and unex-
pected that both men recoiled slightly, and then, with
a mutual stare, saluted.
"I came with a young hdy to get the flag," said
Farnsworth. "She is inside. I hope there is no serious
intrusion. She says the flag is hidden under your
Father Beret said nothing, but frowning as if much
annoyed, stepped through the doorway to Alice's side
and stooping where she knelt, laid a hand on her
shoulder as she glanced up and recognized him.
"What are you doing, my child ?"
"Oh, Father, where is the flag?" It was all that she
could say. "Where is the flag?"
"Why, isn't it there?"
"No, you see it isn't there ! Where is it?"
M. Roussillon Entertains 175
I^ it gone? Has some one taken it aw.v>"
his ehin sagged. ^ ' '"'^'^^ '"°"°" ^"'l
hlllTn^ """"^ '° ''™ ""'I "f'^d him to I,is feet •
^3rtn-r^-;:j:r-^^'
_ Jhe Governor rubbed his forehead trying to recol-
"He struck me," he presen*-, said with diificuhv
He hit me with his iist Wt .. u . '"""=""y-
"Who?" VVt.^^.e— where is he?"
hiJtl' ^^ ^r* ''"°'-"'^' Roussillon-go after
him, take him, shoot him— nuirk I T i,,. i
I don't know how long he" b en ^'"^"""'''•■
aIa^m-do something-" " ^°"'- ^'^^*e
tot"n:':r:ag: sr '' -^"'^ "^^"'-' ''^^"
and swollen facefteri L~ ^^^ "'^ "^'-'^
^C'^^^^^tz if tr t"^- "•
when he and Hamilton wJr ^ T - " '"°'"'"'
buffet, a swi„gi„7 !",ro"f hi • ""^ ''^^™'«-"
S'"ff si lash of his enormous fist on the
}•'
176 Alice of Old Vincennes
point of the Governor's jaw, and then he walked out of
the fort unchallenged, doubtless on account of his
lordly and masterful air.
"Ziff 1" he exclaimed, shaking himself and lifting his
shoulders, when he had passed beyond hearing of the
sentmel at the gate, ''.ifff I can punch a good stiff
stroke yet. Monsieur le Gouverneur. Ah, ziff 1" and he
blew like a porpoise.
Every effort was promptly made to recapture M
Roussdlon; but his disappearance was absolute; even
he reward offered for his scalp by Hamilton only gave
the Indians great trouble-they could not find the
man.
Such a beginning of his administration of affairs at
Vincennes did not put Hamilton into a good humor.
He was overbearing and irascible at best, and under
the irritation of small but exceedingly unpleasant ex-
periences he made life well-nigh unendurable to those
upon whom his dislike chanced to fall. Beverley
quickly felt that it was going to be very difficult for
him and Hamilton to get along agreeably. With Helm
It was quite different; smoking, drinking, playing
cards, telling good stories-i„ a word, rude and not
unfrequcntly boisterous conviviality drew him and the
commandant together.
Under Captain Farnsworth's immediate supervision
the fort was soon in excellent repair and a large block-
house and comfortable quarters for the men were built
Every day added to the strength of the works and to
the importance of the post as a strategic position for
the advance guard of the British army.
M. Roussillon Entertains 177
Hamilton was ambitious to prove- lii„,s,.|f .
ouslj. valnablo to liis country w , <=o"^mu-
drcan,s a„<l laying, :;"';^,„f'-- Z^' 'ST'"' "^'
soon anxious to ^ain ul , ' '"'''""'' ^"<=
-curelytohiml",:::^ ""■' '° """ ""■"
arms, blankets tri„l 7 ''"^ '" "'"' ='" ' firc-
of rcLls H 'k . t /"" •'"""■"""'°" ^°^ '"^' -'"P''
prisoners- but V "' *'"" "'' P"""'''-' f™"' I'is
young Virginian's blood'^chill n is eart an7^' "
gretted that he had given H»n,n, ■ ' '"*•' "''
not to a.ten,pt to efcl™ "" P""'^' °' '■°"-
w-Hair.'i a iS :h t: T"^ ^^^
rather warilv nof ut • ^ ^"'^ °"' again
KrencbmeTto"! Tee Zt aZT"!^^ '","--
metnorable run for his life ™' •^"'™ ''"" "
ra^T'Th; wortl"'""' T"' '"' "="""' <=''-'^-''le,
in a wood som<^ mil / ^a"«spike. This happened
-•n..ogs:;oTar"r::,rr:o'':"^"r;
P-n present When the deed waT^e^rdMI
, "I
178 Alice of Old Vincennes '
hours passed before they foun.l the officer quite cold
an<l s..ff bestde the sled. His head was crushed to a
Hamilton, now thoroughly exasperated, beiran to
looK upon the French inhabitants o^ Vince'nnefa! aU
hke M Roussdlon and Rene, but waiting for an od
Porrunuy to strike him unawares. He increased I
mdjtao- v.gilance. ordered the town patrolle.l lly a d
n,g^. and torbade public gatherings of the citLns.
while at the same t,me he forced them to furnish him
a large amount of provisions
rihrr. ""'.^ ^""'""^ ^°"'"'' ^'"'^ of Rent's ter-
rible act, tollowed by his successful escape to the
woods and of .he tempting reward offered by Han!i|!
ton for his scalp, she ran to Roussillon place well-nigh
her tro h, . "''' *"~"'«ff«'"ent and comfort in
her troubles; but „, the present case there was not
much that her friend co.ld do to cheer her. VVh , M
Roussdlon and Rene both fugitives, tracked by wHy
savages, a pnce on their heads, while every day added
new dangers to the French inhabitants of Vincennes
fr nd-s I'r'"'; ''°"^^^^' '" ^'^^"^h^" her little
friend s fa.th m a happy outcome. She quoted what
she considered unimpeachable authority to support her
optimistic argument.
"Lieutenant Beverley says that the Americans will
be sure to drive Hamilton out of Vincennes, or cap-
ture him. Probably they are not so very far aw^y
now, and Rene may join them and come back to help
M. Roussillon Hntcrtains ,79
punish these brutal Enchshmcn n„ •.
would, Adrienne? Wou I TiM ^"" ' >°" ^^i»'' '>e
"He's am,o<l, I klw tt •' '"!'""]""'''■"
-ing a little, •'a„d T^i l^: ;"-"-' '-Kht-
He came right back in,. . , ' '''"''•■ "' <^«" •»•
'- sun a^d ir/r:;^^^^^^^^^^^^^
and, oil I " '"^^^ ^* «"'• 'louse, too,
youthjnk the, „^,;s ;:r„j':;£;r"' ^'" ■'■■"• ^o
Hell come nearer killing them " sa.Vl Ar
dently, with her sfrnno- ' "^^'^^ ^onfi-
.he Indian/i^th"' 7"'" "^ =• ^'^^ ^^ ^"
""ch better for ti,:, t?;,,tfh7' '"' '"'" "''
woods than to be in Z u , . "^^""^^ '" "'e
If I were a „,a„ VdoY"! "f Governor Hamilton.
Rene did; Td brik thVh "%''''"' '*°"^^"'°" ="«•
•■•shman that mistrial te'rHd^ °' ^^^^^ ^"^-
'hey annoy me, see tf I d"n'tl" ' ^'" " ' '"'' '^
She was thinking of Cant^;,, t?
been from .hefirstLl^ 1^:™— ' ^^•'° "''d
""Iff more than a oassint L ^^'" '°'"«-
had not made himse^ uT ''TT"''' ^' ^^ he
tuition led her ,0 th^ " f ''^'''' *"" ^"^^'^ «"« in-
-Seirss -:?°' -- -^ -
arfm« TT_ . , ^"'^"^"ce was wonttom^nswr-
'""""*• '"^ *"'"'' ^^^ ^-S'e, impulsive, narrowlnd
' v/^
:'l
V I
V, *
i8o Alice of Old Vincennes
direct in all its movements. She loved, hated, desired,
caressed, repulsed, not for any assignable reason more
solid or more luminous than "because." She adored
Rene and wanted him near her. He was a hero in her
imagination, no matter what he did. Little difference
was it to her whether he hauled logs for the English
or smoked his pipe in idleness by the winter fire— what
could it matter which flag he served under, so that he
was true to her? Or whom he served if she could al-
ways have him coming to see her and calling her his
little pet? He might crush an Irish Corporal's head
every day, if he would but stroke her hair and say:
"My sweet little one."
"Why couldn't he be quiet and do as your man,
Lieutenant Beverley, did?" she cried in a sudden
change of mood, the tears streaming down her cheeks.
'Lieutenant Beverley surrendered and took the con-
sequences. He didn't kill somebody and run off to
be hunted like a bear. No wonder you're happy, Alice ;
I'd be happy, too, if Rene were here and came to spend
half of every day with me. I "
"Why, what a silly girl you are!" Alice exclaimed,
her face reddening prettily. "How foolishly you
prattle ! I'm sure I don't trouble myself about Lieu-
tenant Beverley— what put such absurd nonsense into
your head, Adrienne ?"
"Because, that's what, and you know it's so, too.
You love him just as much as I love Rene, and that's
just all the love in the world, and you needn't deny it,
Alice Roussillon !"
M. Roussillon Entertains i8i
Alice laughed and hugged the wee, brown-faced
m.te of a girl until she almost smothered her
plac to go home. The wind cut icily across the corn-
ed t hedr SH " K "1"^'^'' """"" '"^ -"'- -0 ■
thrn^ If ! ■■'" ^"'^^y' """^"^ '" " *^^P. partly
hrough fear and partly to keep warm, and had goni
two-th,rds of her way when she was brought to an
shaX ''°'; '/ f ^ ""^ °' '^ ■"-• She'creamed
sharply, r 1 Father Beret, who was coming out of a
cabm not tar away, heard and knew- the voL.
Ho-ho my little lady!" cried Adrienne's captor in
a breezy, jocund tone, "you wouldn't run over a fel-
low, would you?" The words were French, but he
vo.ce was that of Captain Farnsworth, who laughed
wh. e he spoke "You Jump like a rabbit, my darU 1
Why, what a hvely little chick of a girl it is I"
Adnenne screamed and struggled recklessly!
Now don t rouse up the town,"coaxed the Captain.
He was just drunk enough to be quite a fool, yet su"
ficently sober to imagine himself the most pr^pe ^ r.
moisell rn '■ "' '°"'' ""'" ^°" -^ " '™ Ma'de-
mo.selle; 111 j„st see you safe home, you know
Z^Z'° '°" ''''''"''■' '""" ""■ now-thafs a'
dee?e't?r' \""'' '° '"" ^P°''^"<^ ^^^^ - '"e
lendv V ^ ^l ''^ '^'™™^ ^'"^'"S heself vio-
from the clasp of a man, he did to perfection what
Indeed ." '7''°'''' '° ^^ "'^ '«^^' ^''^d '« do.
Indeed, cons.denng his age and leaving his vocatioa
.1
f.
If! ,
182 Alice of Old Vincennes
out of, the reckoning, his performance was amazing.
It IS not certain that the blow dealt upon Governor
Hamilton's jaw by M. Roussillon was a stiffer one
than that sent straight from the priest's shoulder right
mto the short ribs of Captain Farnsworth, who there-
upon released a mighty grunt and doubled himself up.
Adrienne recognized her assailant at the first and
used his name freely during the struggle. When
Father Beret appeared she cried out to him—
"Oh, Father— Father Beret! help me! help me!"
When Farnsworth recovered from the breath-ex-
pelling shock of the jab in his side and got himself
once more in a vertical position, both girl and priest
were gone. He looked this way and that, rapidly be-
coming sober, and beginning to wonder how the thing
could have happened so easily. His ribs felt as if they
had been hit with a heavy hammer.
"By Jove!" he muttered all to himself, "the old
prayer-singing heathen ! By Jove !" And with this
very brilliant and relevant observation he rubbed his
sore side and went his way to the fort.
2S
vas amazing,
on Governor
a stiffer one
loulder right
1, who there-
1 himself up.
the first and
:gle. When
lim —
help me!"
e breath-ex-
got himself
1 and priest
, rapidly be-
>w the thing
;lt as if they
!f, "the old
d with this
rubbed his
CHAPTER XI
A SWORD AND A HORSE PISTOL
We hear much about the "davs th^, ,.- a
«ouIs"; but what about the souls of v "^'^ '
same days? Sitting- in ,u vu . '''°"'^" '" ^^^^e
teenth century' ll, ^' ''"^^ ^^^"'^^^^^ -' ^^e nine-
grumble a^trti^s an Th "' "^^^' "^^" '^^^"^ ^^
tion; but if weTad ' .' "''"""' "' ""^ ^^"-^-
experience wTh fh '", '"^' P^"'^^' P^^^°^« ^"^
thr^oughX^t ;i^tro^ht:-r ^-z-^^^^-
there would be good Ground V , ^ ''"'^ ''"'"^>
And if our rnJZ!ZLt\"^^^^^^^^
souls too poignantly, let us tagi^^ TZl^'""
women. No let nc „^f • .^".^ ^"^ ^^rect upon our
give full credi L 1 h '""^*"' "' ''"' '•^'"^^ '^'"^
that terrihl» c» , ^ ''^'"' "P ■" *e center of
TrT^ S^^ ^-'l -«'-hi„g,y help win for
this moment at o^' '!i *' ^'^' ^"P'^^ -^ich at
the mode, t Jard Z h anr'";' "■%*°^"' ^"^
are slow.y but surety tlndj ""°" °' *^ ^^""^
awitf" "'rvrr'""^ ^'''' ^"^ -^ -*
life w». K • , ^ ^"^^ understood tliat her
OiZs^Tl^'^' I' extraordinary eon<^ ions
-e;rin::rrein"thfr^^^^^^^^^^^^
acquaintance; that her accompHshm^ °Je fg ^r
that she nursed splendid dreams of which tLrcouM
X88
1
It'
'I I
I
184 Alice of Old Vincennes
have no proper comprehension, but until now she had
never even dimly realized that she was probably
capable of being something more than a mere Creole
lass, the foster daughter of Gaspard Roussillon, trader
in pelts and furs. Even her most romantic visions had
never taken the form of personal desire, or ambition
m Its most nebulous stage; they had simply pleased
her fresh and natural fancy and served to gild the
hardness and crudeness of her life,— that was all.
Her experiences had been almost too terrible- for
belief, viewed at our distance from them; she had
passed through scenes of incredible horror and suffer-
ing, but her nature had not been chilled, stunted or
hardened. In body and in temper her development
had been sound and beautiful. It wps even thus that
our great-grandmothers triumphed over adversity
hardship, indescribable danger. We cannot say that
the strong, lithe, happy-hearted Alice of old Vincennes
was the only one of her kind. Few of us who have
mherited the faded portraits of our revolutionary for-
bears can doubt that beauty, wit and great lovableness
flourished in the cabins of pioneers all the way from the
Edisto to the Licking, from the Connecticut to the
Wabash.
Beverley's advent could not fail to mean a great
deal in the life of a girl like Alice; a new era, as it
were, would naturally begin for her the moment that
his personal influence touched her imagination; but
it is wel< :ot to measure her too strictly by the stand-
ard of our present taste and the specialized forms of
our social and moral code. She was a true child of the
A Sword and a Horse Pistol 185
"e. at fi„t ca.ei Sl^.if rSinT™ "'''
of W there en a ^ "'-ng her soul as with the wings
and take on forms ,?"' "?""' '^^'" '° ^""^ense
cierfu, sp,l: ™v ir ' v?^^ r *^'^ -°"-
time, sleeping or wakin' ^l . '^' '"* ^" "'^
of the frLen s reTm , "" "'"''^ '^'•'■^'" ^'■"'"'er
drifts and thTsieetl Ter h"""""^ ''''' '"' ^"°"-
*e ineffable S- he iTnL"""" '""' ^"^"^''
syrinx or flute o^ violin thT T '"' '=""^'" ''^
speak. ' "'^ "'"'■''^ "0 tongue can
swtth';r:fr:^lv::r-''^'^'^°^^^^^^
was love that s-ave Z T , ' """'' ^"'^ ™°«'ers. It
and heroic prSlt?'"^':'''"^'''^'^°"^''^"^h
ever wonder And r "" *"''* """^^ '°--
•he Old World bol,t"r'''''""'^"'°^^*°"'-? Let
knights itriadie. T ^ "°""''' ''"'^«' "^ """ed
New Worm we of h '"""Z"' ^""^' ''"' -«= "^ 'he
cups with the ^ino^r;"'"'/^^'' '^' - "rin, our
the memorv ofX w ^ "^ '^'™"°"' ^"^ drink to
humble b„7ld an?:" 1 "f ^-"'"'-"-to the
women like fC oToirC^.^'- ^ ^--'
" ^"<=^ "'''^ "^^'"ff radically influenced by Bev-
II- W\m
i86 Alice of Old Vincenncs
erley, he in turn found a new light suffusing his nature,
and he was r unaware that it came out of her eyes',
her face, her sx.,.les, her voice, her soul. It was the
.^ old, well-known, inexplicable, mutual magnetism,
which from the first has been the same on the highest
mountain-top and in the lowest valley. The queen and
the milkmaid, the king and the hind may come to-
gether only to find the king walking off with the lowly
beauty and her fragrant pail, while away stalks the
lusty rustic, to be lord and master of the queen. Love
is love, and it thrives in all climes, under all condi-
tions. J
There is an inevitable and curious protest that comes
up unbidden br tween lovers; it takes many forms in
accordance with particular circumstances. It is the de-
mand for equality and perfection. Love itself is with-
out degrees— it is perfect— but when shall it see the
perfect object? It does see it, and it does not see it,
in every beloved being. Beverley found his mind
turning, as on a pivot, round and round upon the
thought that Alice might be impossible to him. The
mystery of her life seemed to force her below the line
of his aristocratic vision, so that he could not fairly
consider her, and yet with all his heart he loved her.
Alice, on the other hand, had her bookish- ideal to
reckon with, despite the fact that she daily dashed it
contemptuously down. . She was different from Adri-
enne Bourcier, who bewailed the absence of her un-
tamable lover; she wished that Beverley had not, as
she somehow viewed it, weakly surrendered to Ham-
ilton. His apparently complacent acceptance of idle
A Sword and a Horse Pistol 187
expecing h imtodo ,n h ''''" '" ""^ '""^ "alf
a hero. ° '°"''"""^ "^« wo"'d stamp him
Counter protests of this sort ,™
vigorous to talce a fall out of r ?'""■ ^"ffi-^'^'ly
to worry his temper hi hJhM v1' '"'^ "''"^'^ ^^"^
it is surprisinrfow T ^ "i"""''"""^'"^te. And
being enfangled ' " ''"^'" '"'"^^'f -'"'
t.i'ing7£ Zf:t' ^ -^ -^^^ '^" *« -<^
knowledged it secretTv , . '"' together-.ach ac-
openly. MeantimTbo^ H'Jrh "°' '° ^^""^^ "
'essly dissatisfied as love TnT '^"^ ""'^ "^ ^^='-
them. ""^^ *"'' uncertainty could make
Amid the activities in which H,n,;u
gHged-his dealings with tie TnH ," ''"' '°-
of "constructing fhei^orth/?; '""^ '"' ""^"^
his temper about'thepuHoi:e;fl:%r '" ^T
man in the worM i,. ^' ^^'"^ ^^ery other
■•"to his held that t!" """f '-"»' -<i 't had come
against disa er h Z^Zl l^f '"" ''' P'^'
'- as a badg; of hT ict ! V^' °' "'^ ^^''■
'er; but it magnified itsel a he dwdt' ' '""' "^'-
suopected that Alice 1,=,^ \ '^" "P°" ''• He
questioned Fathtr Bet 'T'" ''''"■ ^e sharply
'hat the good Priest to H,r^ '° ''" """^ <^°"-"ced
fact that the banner T I ' '"''J'" '«^>'°"d the
from under hi floor ' "^^'-ously disappeared
Captain Farnsworth scarcely sympathized with his
>&
<'-<;
t*
h 'if
R'li
\i < -I
i88 Alice of Old Vincennes
chief about the flag, but he was nothing if not anxious
to gam Hamilton's highest c6nfidence. His military
zeal knew no bounds, and he never let pass even the
slightest opportunity to show it. Hence his persistent
search for a clue to the missing banner. He was no
respecter of persons. He frankly suspected both Alice
and Father Beret of lying. He would himself have
lied under the existing circumstances, and he consid-
maiden""' "' '™'""' ""'' ''"''^''^y «^ P^est or
_ "I'll get that flag for you," he said to Hamilton "if
I have to put every man, woman and child in this town
on the rack. It lies, I think, between Miss Roussillon
and the priest, although both insistently deny it I've
thought it over in every way, and I can't see how they
can both be ignorant of where it is, or at least who
Hamilton, since being treated to that wonderful blow
on the jaw, was apt to fall into a spasm of anger when-
ever the name Roussillon was spoken in his hearing
Involuntarily he would put his hand to his cheek, and
grimace reminiscently.
"If it's that girl, make her tell," he savagely com-
manded. "Let's have no trifling about it. If it's the
priest, then make him tell, or tie him up by the thumbs,
tzet that flag, or show some good reason for your
failure. I'm not going to be baffled."
The Captain's adventure with Father Beret came just
in time to make it count against that courageous and
bellicose missionary in more ways than one Fams-
worth did not tdl Hamilton or any other person about
les
if not anxious
His military
pass even the
his persistent
He was no
ed both Alice
himself have
id he consid-
as priest or
Hamilton, "if
in this town
is Roussillon
leny it. I've
iee how they
at least who
iderful blow
mger when-
his hearing.
cheek, and
agely com-
If it's the
the thumbs.
n for your
t came just
igeous and
e. Farns-
rson about
A Sword and a Horse Pistol 189
^^^Z^^'^ '° "™' ^"' "-ed his sore
that he J^JTnZl::' ''"'""^ '°' ''' ^^^^
conlTt SILT ^r"""^ '"^ ''°'y °f Farnsworth-s
of Fa her Be et sL ""^ T"""''"'' ^' "- "-<>
trms'^nauSe:^^^^ >=- infectious
it. a„.wa...%a;a Rot ^rit: G^ '''' "^^
cheek nearlv nff th^ r. - knocked the Governor's
head, and?o: i Be? T"' '"^ '"'' ^°^P°-''«
worth a lesso„!:ttirth:: heT ?''''" ^""'■
If the good woric can onWo on a i L" ■ "°" '°'^'' '
see every Enrfi* c„u' ^. '^ '°"Ser we shall
denly changed fron, smil!:r%htless t ^iZV"'"
gravity, and she added- ^mness to almost fierce
ofl^^trat ™e""t' l^^"'^'" ^~th ever'
mel" ^ '^'"- You ought to see
"But he won't dare touch v^i, " -j a , .
ing at her friend with round f"':" .^•^"enne, look-
knows very well thaTl, ' """"^ ^^"- "»«
himipitlThe hlf , """^^ ^°"'<' '°- '° ^hoot
The Fr.„ T- V"^,^*'^*"' wretch ! I wish he would "
at, sent they we^e helpless and dared not '
w
if '
t f
.J
190 Alice of Old Vincenncs -
say or do anything against the English. Nor was this
feehng confined to the Creoles of Vincennes ; it had
spread to most of the points where trading posts ex-
isted. Hamilton found this out too late to mend some
. of his mistakes ; but he set himself on the alert and
organized scouting bodies of Indians under white of-
ficers to keep him informed as to the American
movements in Kentucky and along the Ohio. One of
these bands brought in as captive Colonel Francis
Vigo, of St. Louis, a Spaniard by birth, an American
by adoption, a patriot to the core, who had large in-
fluence over both Indians and Creoles in the Illinois
country. ■,
Colonel Vigo was not long held a prisoner. Ham-
ilton dared not exasperate the Creoles beyond their en-
durance, for he knew that the savages would closely
sympathize with their friends of long standing, and
this might lead to revolt and coalition against him,—
a very dangerous possibility. Indeed, at least one of
the great Indian chieftains had already frankly in-
formed him that he and his tribe were loyal to the
Americans. Here was a dilemma requiring consum-
mate diplomacy. Hamilton saw it, but he was not
of a diplomatic temper or character. With the In-
dians he used a demoralizing system of bribery, while
toward the whites he was too often gruff, imperious,
repellant. Helm understood the whole situation and
was quick to take advantage of it. His personal rela-
tions with Hamilton were easy and familiar, so that
he did not hesitate to give advice upon all occasions.
Here his jovial disposition helped him.
A Sword and a Horse Pistol igt
Th7T'''! *"!"' '" ^'«^° '''""' '° St. Louis," l,e sai.1
thS " t '""I °' ^°"""""^ '-' ^'--■"i^ V n
Soo ardl ""'' '"™'^'^^ '' >- '■°"'' "'^
and how io:^^tzs^:z:::zz"' '-'-
ment you cannot fail to undcrstan 1 thn, ^.^ '"°'
friends with this ° "j"''^''' ""«yo"d better be
and this o,d XrZX,, t'the'^'r ^^"
in their pocket. J'^ . ^ ^^^^ Frenchmen
an A^eStni ^^.1":' 0^™'- ^"
don, come in a minute, if I could tL; *^"
.•« common sense all the same xLe's no""'? '™"
and no harm to Tbri, • ° ^°°'' '» y°»
thisprisone" Wh Th ""^'^^^""ff- °^ even holding
auu leiiingf mm the whole truth ? rinrt- 1.„
eveiythmg long before Vigo reached here O W I
my best scout, left here tL T "^ ■^^^°"'
and you may Le he got IITJT '°°' P°^^^"'°"'
He never faik But he^ tell Qarw?" '" '""^ °^''^^-
and Vigo can do no moL " '° '''' ^'''"^ ''^ '^'
meager ^i^^TZ^TclT TT'^'-^ ""' "^^
Doubtless this bit of carele.« diplomacv - •' n
ernor's narf a: i u "'piomac> un rne Gov-
mors part d.d have a somewhat soothing effect upon
k*
r- .
■■■ «
•Wi
» ^i\p'
II
'1
;i
>^J
k"'"4
192 Alice of Old Vinccnnes .
a larp class of Frenchmen at Vinrennos; but Farns-
worth qu,ckly neutralize,! it to a serious extent by a
fodisf, act vvh,Ie slightly under the influence of liquor.
He n,ct Father Beret near Roussillon place, and
hm, insolently, demandins information as to the .vhere-
abouts of the missinR flag.
A priest may be good and true-Father Tieret cer-
l^a w"'>7"'' '" 'T' '"^ ^'■•°"«'^^' characteristics
of a worKlly man. This thing of being bullied day
nmhin/f ", """"^ ^"^ ""^ ""^' S™-«'e,l
the Z - T '" T°""^ " '■^^''"=*°^y ''^^'^e from
the priest s heart-the worldly desire to repeat with
^hXrr '°'" ''' "'"'' ~ ^--
"I order you, sir, to produce that rebel flaff." said
Farnsworth. "You will obey forthwith or take the
consequences. I am no longer in the humor to be
trifled with. Do you understand ?"
"I might be forced to obey you, if I could," said the
priest, drawing his robe about him; "but, as T have
often told you, my son, I do not know where the flag is
or who took it. I do not even suspect any person of
taking It. Al that I know ab.ut it is the simple fact
that It is gone."
Father Beret's manner and voice were very mild, but
there must have been a hint of sturdy defiance some-
where in them. At all events Farnsworth was exasper-
ated and fell into a white rage. Perhaps it was the
liquor he had been drinking that made him suddenly
dent i;rate. -^
A Sword and a Horse ]>istol ,93
at n.. Get ..a.«a.o:\^°:rr-'''^^^ *•''""'"«
What IS impossible, mv son i« n« -t,
alone. ^,.. ,,,,,,, ,;^ '« vTl^^^^
"None of your Jesuit Latin or locric to me T
here to artrue h.if fr. . . ^ ^^~~-^ ^^^ "ot
a hurry abovU '"l.^,,™"™-"- ^ct tha. fla^. Be „
"Put ..Pyo. weal r," ""'''""" P"^^'""-
an unarmed prerYou'"' f" "'" "°' ^"-"^
^are.r.ean'L.rUX^^^^^^^^^^^
French rl:;" t^HT"'"''' '"' ^'^^^-•'-««<'
Th. t,. ''^^' yo" Rnnninff fool !"
eye! ;r„:r2r.' [r^r^^^'' "''^^- '^''^- ^--'^
Fa™sworthr:de;rr;;t::;ir"r-^- ^•■^'
of merriment a <rravf,h ? ^ '^''™''' ■■ ''""^' "»'
wrinkHngof^LThets Tre^M^^"?'''^^^^^^^^
<y. "I ni: r'°"tTav'" '' "Sf ^^^^ ^™"^' ^ ^^ «-
me afraid '-H J''" "'' """" '^^' ™''d make
as it ti .f:zi7::T' '"'■-"' - '°-'
."Get the fla. thl rT,^; ^::^J;- ^■--7-
ve lis the heat r.f i; ^arns worth, m whose
choler ''"'' "^^ ^^^^^ by an unreasoning
"I cannot," said Father Beret.
Then take the consequences !"
If '■*■". i
it
h .
;(iii!
194 Alice of Old Vincennes -
Farnsworth lifted his sword, not to thrust, but to
strike with its flat side, and down it flashed with a
noisy whack. Father Beret flung out an arm and
deftly turned the blow aside. It was done so easily
that Farnsworth sprang back glaring and surprised.
"You old fool !" he cried, leveling his weapon for a
direct lunge. "You devilish hypocrite !"
It was then that Father Beret turned deadly pale
and swiftly crossed himself. His face looked as if he
saw something startling just beyond his adversary.
Possibly this sudden change of expression caused
Farnsworth to hesitate for a mere point of time. Then
there was the > swish of a woman's skirts; a light step
pattered on the frozen ground, and Alice sprang be-
tween the men, facing Farnsworth. As she did this
something small and yellow,— the locket at her throat,
—fell and rolled under her feet. Nobody saw it.
In her hand she held an immense horse pistol, Which
she leveled in the Captain's face, its flaring, bugle-
shaped muzzle gaping not a yard from his nose. The
heavy tube was as steady as if in a vise.
"Drop that sword !"
That was all she said ; but her finger was pressing
the trigger, and the flint in the backward slanting ham-
mer was ready to click against the steel. The leaden
slugs were on the point of leaping forth.
"Drop that sword!"
The repetition seemed to close the opportunity for
delay.
Farnsworth was on his guard in a twinkling. He
set his jaw and uttered an ugly oath; then quick as
A Sword and a Horse Pistol ,95
^on than Alice urZZtuTu '''" ' '"' ="^« P^-
P'ay was ready in hTr ";■,, ''f'- '^='™"^ - sword-
-y turn, the ^hi iZ^ r, eTthe H^" T' "-
of her weapon strongly ae-ai„« *? I, ^^'"'^ ''^'■'■«'
ping it, and then the foinf ^'°^' P^^'^ ^'"P"
shoulder. He reeled T u^ , '"'"""fi^ °^ '''= kft
"otfa.l.altho.^^t.rtre^''""™'^''""'^^'^
He Z^iTJtzr T ^-'' ? '°°'^ °" '- '-
by wonderful swift Idal/ """^ "'"' ^''="'eed
^on^ething hke sw et^ftv ^ •°" '"""'^ '''"« '°
hurt and bleeding, his cLt J '"'""' '''^ ^^" ^im
her heart failed tr '^00^ "'""^ ^"'^ P^'^' ■
her hand opened and Jfh ?,, / "^^ '°^"^ h™.
fe« upon th'e J;nYhe:t her '"^ "^^^^ °'^ P'^'<"
"You are hurt, L son "h 1 '™""^ ^"^<=-
you." He oassedT, . *^'""^ ''"^- "'« "le help
-rth, seeinTti tl: a r'" ""''' ""* °' ^--
feet. ^ '"^ *^^P'^'" was unsteady on his
Alice picked up the Canf am 'c ' ^
t.>
^►f
196 Alice of Old Vincennes
half dazed condition, scarcely realized what was going
on nnt,l he found himself on a couch in the Rous!iUof
home, h,s wound (a jagged furrow plowed out
by ugs that the sword's blade had first intercepted)
neatly dressed and bandaged, while Alice and the priest
nli^lir T^T """ '"^'^ '^''"f"' "--trations.
hamdton and Helm were, as usual, playing cards at
Mad "n T'"' '"''" ^ ^"^'^ ^""°»-«d that
GoveZT '"'°'' '"''''"' "" ""'•'^"^^ ^'* 'he
"Bring the girl in," said Hamilton, throwing down
his cards and scowling darkly.
"Now you'd better be wise as a serpent and gentle
as a dove, remarked Helm. "There is something up,
and that gun-shot we heard awhile ago may have a
good deal to do with it. At any rate, you'll find kind-
ness your best card to play with Alice Roussillon just
at the present stage of the game."
Of course they knew nothing of what had happened
to Farnsworth; but they had been discussing the
stramed relations between the garrison and the French
.nhab,tants when the roar of Alice's big-mouthed pis-
tol startled them. Helm was slyly beating about to try
to make Hamilton lose sight of the danger from
Clark s direction. To do this he artfully magnified
the msid.ous work that might be done by the French
and their Indian friends should they be driven to des-
peration by oppressive or exasperating action on the
part of the English.
Hamilton felt the dangerous uncertainty upon which
the situation rested; but, like many another vigor-
A Sword and a Horse Pistol ,97
conducted into hutrlt T"^- ^''^" ^lice was
anger. ItZlJ7T" ^" "''^""^ ^*«"^d "'th
escaped, Cshwhlrn"'" '^' ^'™'^'^ "^ -"
at the niomrt of :ic?o; """" ""^ '"^ -''^' "^^
visIKe^ilir:.'" ' °"^ "'^ "-- of '"■•^
acardWeZ l;tnVr""°" ^'^' ''"''"^
She stood before hTm; n ^^"" °" "'" ^''^ ^^ble.
in furs. She was It u "" ''^''^'''' "'=" "'""d'cd
brilliant for .h"" bu^f '?" 1'°°<' "^ '- -" and
extinguishable is X/ "^'^-"^ -d the in-
thing appealinglypath^tilrrr" '""Z" °^ ^°'"^-
She did not 4ver orte^,J^ 'r^ "' \- ""-th.
promptly and distinctly ' ""'"'"' ^"' 'P°^^
Beret, and I sh7l "^.r.""-' '° "^i" Father
cared for I don't V Jl '" °"' ^°"'^ »nd well
your n,er?." ° "' '°" "'''''' Monsieur, I am at
"SrMrntrr,ey":i:;r-^'''-
stopped hat in hand behLd Alt? w '°°"' "'"'
and evidently excited Tnf tu\^' ^"^ ^"'^"^
trnub.e with F ,^ ^"' ^^ ^^"^ '■^ard of the
door of Hlt7""": ^"' ^^^'"^ Alice enter the
Hamilton s quarters he followed her in, his
198 Alice of Old Vincennes
heart stirred by no slight emotion. He met the Gov-
ernor's glare and parried it with one of equal haughti-
ness. The veins on his forehead swelled and turned
dark. He was in a mood to do whatever desperate act
should suggest itself.
When Hamilton fairly comprehended the message so
graphically presented by Alice, he rose from his seat
by the fire.
"What's this you tell me?" he blurted. "You say
you've shot Captain Farnsworth?"
"Out, Monsieur.'^
He stared a moment, then his features beamed with
hate. ^
"And I'll have you shot for it, Miss, as sure as you
stand there in your silly impudence ogling me so
brazenly !"
He leaned toward her as he spoke and sent with the
words a shock of coarse, passionate energy from which
she recoiled as if expecting^ a blow to follow it.
An irresistible impulse swept Beverley to Alice's
side, and his attitude was that of a protector. Helm
sprang up.
A Lieutenant came in and respectfully, but with evi-
dent over-haste, reported that Captain Farnsworth
had been shot and was at Roussillon place in care of
the surgeon.
"Take this girl into custody. Confine her and put
a strong guard over her."
In giving the order Hamilton jerked his thumb con-
temjptuously toward Alice, and at the same time gave
Beverley a look of supreme defiance and hatred. When
A Sword and a Horse Pistol 199
it " Keen "^ '"""^ "'""' ^'^^ ^ "^^^ had all I want of
■t. Keep your place or I'll make you."
Then to Beverley •
Come with me, Miss, please."
can' wel^Musf wTL:: I A"^^c'f • f ^ "^''^'
i::?iea-Se~ —
addto thewei,Ht Of their owfhriHar^ -e t.me
Al«^e silently followed the officer out of the room
a '^fto irfeTat"^^ ''^-' ''-''- -^« '
the ZTm'uf, *^^P™■"P«^y motioned back by
fromTri a^d fSru~ T "'""^ '■eld hi^
sa^. loudly.. itr^thiTtrdt^^^^^^
hZZ" slid Sr'-Vf^--". Colonel
superior." ^V ^''^' >'°""«^ '^d^ '« your
"You say that to me, sir'"
"It is the best r could possibly sav of you."
I will send you along with the wench if you do not
i' i
200 Alice of Old Vincennes
guard your language. A prisoner on parole has no
license to be a blackguard."
"I return you my parole, sir, I shall no longer regard
It as binding," said Beverley, by a great effort, holding
back a blow; "I will not keep faith with a scoundrel
who does not know how to be decent in the presence
of a young girl. You had better have me arrested
and confined. I will escape at the first opportunity and
bring a force here to reckon with you for your vil-
lainy. And if you dare hurt Alice Roussillon I will
nave you hanged like a dog !"
Hamilton looked at him scornfully, smiling as one
who feels safe in his authority and means to have his
own way with his victim. Naturally he regarded Bev-
erley's words as the merest vaporings of a helpless and
exasperated young man. He saw very clearly that
love was having a hand in the affair, and he chuckled
inwardly, thinking what a fool Beverley was.
"I thought I ordered you to leave this room," he
said with an air and tone of lofty superiority, "and I
certainly mean to be obeyed. Go, sir, and if you at-
tempt ^to escape, or in any way break your parole, I'll
have you shot."
"I have already broken it. From this moment I
shall not regard it. You have heard my statement. I
shall not repeat it Govern yourself accordingly.'*
V/ith these words Beverley turned and strode out
of the house, quite beside himself, his whole frame
quivering.
Hamilton laughed derisively, then looked at Helm
and said;
A Sword and a Horse Pistol 201
b J?nlv ' T' ^°" ' ' ''°"'' ^^■'^'' t° •'"^ ""■'■■nd to you :
affmrs with your ready-made advice. I've given you
and Lieutenant Beverley too much latitude perhaps
"to a b'°":;','°°'/°"'' '°°' ^""P '^^'" e« hiS
talk. He s m a way to need it just now."
X thmk so myself," said Helm, glad to get back
upon fair footing with the irascible Governor 'tJ
Te'hr " trl''' ""-• -^ "^^ "- maJ'
age ftim. Leave him to me."
h.l7'^\ Tl ""'"^ "'^ "" '° ^^^ ^h"' has really
hurt Tnd d "^r"'- «^'^ P^""'""^ "°t "-h
h head. I th nk I understand the whole affair. A
;:^ii;hin::'"^^'"^'^°"^^-"^''"---''the
so^.''!" ^T"' ^''""'''' ''"* *^y *^^^ <l^'ayed for
some toe by an officer who came in to consult with
Hamilton on some pressing Indian affairs. When they
out, bu he d,d not look at them. He was scarcely
aware of them. A little way outside the gate, on going
m. he had picked up Alice's locket and broken cTaTn
wh.ch lie mechanically put into his pocket. It was al
hke a dream to him, and yet he had a clear purpose.
He was gomg away from Vincennes, or at least he
would ry, and woe be to Hamilton on his coming
Back. It was so easy for an excited young mind to
plan great things and to expect success under ap-
parently impossible conditions. Beverley gave Jean
If m
• f
fj
202 Alice of Old Vincennes
a note for Alice ; it was this that took him to Roussillon
place; and no sooner fell the night than he shouldered
a gun furnished him by Madame Godere, and guided
by the woodsman's fine craft, stole away southward,
thmkmg to swim the icy Wabash some miles below]
and then strike across the plains of Illinois to Kas-
kaskia.
It was a desperate undertaking; but in those days
desperate undertakings were rather the rule than the
exception. Moreover, love was the leader and Bev-
erley the blind follower. Nothing could daunt him or
turn him back, until he found an army to lead against
Hamilton. It sdems but a romantic burst of indig-
nation, as we look back at it, hopelessly foolish, with
no possible end but death in the wilderness. Still there
was a method n love's madness, and Beverley, with
his superb physique, his knowledge of the wilderness
and his indomitable self-reliance, was by no means
without his fighting chance for success.
CHAPTER XII
MANON LESCAUT, AND A RAHER-THRUST
tiHaTeltltn""- ^1 "°* """^^^ "'^ Hamilton un-
W ate on the following day, and even then he scouted
Helms suggestion that the young man was possiblv
car^mg out his threat to disregard his parole' '
iust th/m!„ ; t "'"' * '^"ff''- "and he's
just the man to undertake what is impossible Of
course however, he'll get scalped xor his'troub e, aS
that w,ll cost you something, I'm happy to say."
plied "buTrr °' ''"'" r^"^--^'" Hamilton re-
plied , but 1 1! wager you the next toddy that he's not
at the present moment a half-mile from ihis spot. He
may be a fool, I readily grant that he is, but even a
fool .s not gomg to set out alone in this kind of welther
to go to where your rebel friends are probably toastine
he.r shms by a fire of green logs and half' ta" Lg
over yonder on the Mississippi." ^
"Joking aside, you are doubtless right. Beverlev is
ho^-headed, and if he could he'd gef even wTh^^ou
devihsh quick; but he hasn't left Vincennes, I thfnk
Hetati? '''^'"''"''^'y- He had thought Just what
Helm was saymg. Beverley's attentions to Alice had
not escaped his notice.
"Speaking of that girl, ' he remarked after a mo-
203
204 Alice of Old Vincennes
merit's silence, "what am I do to do with her? There's
no place to keep her, and Farnsworth insists that she
wasn't to blame." He chuckled again and added:
"It's true as gospel. He's in love with her, too
Seems to be glad she shot him. Says he's ashamed of
himself for ever suspecting her of anything but being a
genuine angel. Why, he's got as flabby as a rabbit
and mumbles Hke a fool!"
"Same as you or I at his age," sai,{ Helm, taking a
chew of tobacco. ''She is a pretty thing. Beverley
don t know his foot from his shoulder-blade when she's
anywhere near him. Boys are boys. I'm a sort of a
boy myself." \
"If she'd give up that flag I'd let her go," said Ham-
ilton. "I hate like the d..-vil to confine her; it looks
brutal, and makes me feel like a t>rant."
"Have you ever happened to notice the obvious fact
Governor Hamilton, that Alice Roussillon and Father
Beret are not all the French in Vincennes ?"
"What do you mean ?"
"I mean that I don't for a moment believe that
either the girl or the priest knows a thing about where
that flag is. They are both as truthful and honorable
as people ever get to be. I know them. Somebody
else got that flag from under the priest's floor You
may depend upon that. If Miss Roussillon knew
where it is she'd say so, and then dare you to make
her tell where it's hidden."
"Oh, the whole devilish town is rotten with treason •
that's very clear. There's not a loyal soul in it outside
of my forces."
Manon Lescaut
205
_ JThank you for not includin,, me among the loyal-
"Humph, I spoke of these French people- thev ore
tend to be true; but I beheve they are' lUraitot" '
You ean manage them if you try. A little iollv
kindness goes a long way with 'em / h, r .,
while / held the town." ''"' °° '™"'''«
Hamilton bit his lip and was silent. Helm was ex
'•The lad wants to see the young lady, sir "
seem, tn K ! grotesque expression which
bid™ '° '/.'^''"''f '»'- of hunchbacks and unfledged
birds- he look of an embodied and hideous joke
Well, sir, what will you have?" fh» r„ .
manded. ™ Governor de-
"1 want to see Alice, if you please."
What for.?"
''I want to give her a book to read."
Ah,mdeed. Where is it? Let me see it"
vofre,xsred td "i;' "'^ '°"^ '"'^" ^ -^"
Ha^u.. ic^n::trdiiroSrt l:
"What?"
"Manon Lescaut."
2o6 Alice of Old Vincennes
n
"And what's that?"
"Haven't you ever read it?"
"Read what?"
"This novel — Manon Lcscaut.*
"Never read a novel in my Hfe. Never expect to."
Hamilton laughed freely at Helm's expense, then
turned to Jean and gave him back the book.
It would have been quite military, had he taken the
precaution to examine between the pages for something
hidden there, but he did not.
. "Go, give it to her," he said, "and tell her I send my
compliments, with great admiration of her taste in
literature." He' motioned the soldier to show Jean to
Alice. "It's a beastly French story," he added, ad-
dressing Helm; "immoral enough to make a pirate
blush. That's the sort of girl Mademoiselle Roussillon
is!"
"I don't care what kind of a book she reads," blurted
Helm, "she's a fine, pure, good girl. Everybody likes
her. She's the good angel of this miserable frog-hole
of a town. You'd like her yourself, if you'd straighten
up and quit burning tow in your brain all the time.
You're always so furious about something that you
never have a chance to be just to yourself, or pleasant
to anybody else."
Hamilton turned fiercely on Helm, but a glimpse of
the Captain's broad good-humored face heartily smil-
ing, dispelled his anger. There was no ground upon
which to maintain a quarrel with a person so per-
sistently genial and so absurdly frank. And in fact
Hamilton was not half so bad as his choleric mani-
Manon Lcscaut
207
festations seemed to make him out. Besides IF .
«ne\v just how f-.r ir. • . ^^csuies, Helm
J ist now far to go, just wlien to stop.
^t i had got furious at you evcrv tirr.J,^
overwhelming provocation fo 7'' ^n^''' "?
^ou'd have heen long since hangTd or s^^^^^^^^^^
that I have shown angelic forbearance fV
.ou so^ewha. .ore than a phW^L J^ .?'^"
So you have, so you have," assented Helm "T-
a-er.fi.eXrshy^orXy""^-"'--
But I want some advice at once."
What about?"
"That girl."
•'Turn her loose. That's easy and reputable."
.J^ll have to, I presume; but she ought to be .
"!■! ^°"'" '^'"^ '^" "bout punishment, revenge and
^ mrndton winced, but smiled as one quite sure of
prisoner resltl ^'^'"''' ""^"^^ '^^ ^""nd the
inere was no fireplace, the roof leaked and the oni
sr bT A^ °^,^''^"^'' '° ^^' o^'aTd a* i, r^?
ngou of the ^'"'=.'°*'' ^ham.ingly forlorn peep-
">S out of the wraps in which she was bundled against
! I
208
Alice of Old Vincennes
■f
the cold, her. hair fluffed and rimpled in shining dis-
order around her face.
The guard let Jean in and closed the door, himself
staying outside.
Alice was as glad to see the poor lad as if they had
been parted for a year. She hugged him and kissed
his drawn little face.
"You dear, good Jean!" she murmured, "you did
not forget me."
"I brought you something," he whispered, produc-
ing the book.
Alice snatched it, looked at it, and then at Jean.
"Why, what did you bring this for ? you silly Jean !
I didn't want this. I don't like this book at all. It's
hateful. I despise it. Take it back."
"There's something in it for you, a paper with writ-
ing on it ; Lieutenant Beverley wrote it on there. It's
shut up between the leaves about the middle."
"Sh-s-sh ! not so loud, the guard'll hear you," Alice
breathlessly whispered, her whole manner changing
instantly. She was trembling, and the color had been
whisked from her face, as the flame from a candle in
a sudden draught.
She found the note and read it a dozen times with-
out a pause, her eyes leaping along the lines back and
forth with pathetic eagerness and concentration.
Presently she sat down on the bench and covered her
face with her hands. A tremor first, then a convulsive
sobbing, shook her collapsed form. Jean regarded
her with a drolly sympathetic grimace, elevating his
Manon Lescaut
209
;^^chi„ and ,etti„, his head settle back between his
"Oh, Jean, Jean!" she cried at ksf io„r,-
reaching out her arms; "O Je n t s 2e"' ""'
gone!" '' ' "^ ^^ &o"e, gone,
nkf : Ii«,S*"' '° ''' ^''''^ ^"^ -""ed again
'-eftrairj'h^e^^h:^!?''' '"■'" "'^'"'^ ^^■•-
through blinding tears The ""h "'" '"^ ""'^
to her they bore The Z; ^''" T"'' ^"''^ f^^' but
them until they echoed In ° ^*" '"P'^'^d
tance. ^'^ ™«^"^ d'^ance to dis-
It was written with a hi'f ^f 1 j
"iMewedfly-.eaftll'f^m^hei^ir*^'^"''*''
"Dear Alice:
"I am going away. When you read this thinl. f
he good as S- cat^^hl AL-;Xrt t^^ "T
d:ubTii'7;.^-:Jt-f%iwi„~^^^^^^
his command Cou^e Ll H™''' "'"""'°" ^"''
wait for me. ''°'"^^^' ^hce dear; courage, and
"Faithfully ever,
"Beverley."
She kissed the paper with passionate fervor no„r
ng her tears upon it in April showers bet wl-n "w- 7
sense of a despair which bordered upon des-
1^ i
h •
210
Alice of Old Vincennes
peration. "Gone, gone !" It was all she could think or
say. "Gone, gone."
Jean took the offending novel back home with him,
hidden under his jerkin ; but Beverley's note lay upon
Alice's heart, a sweet comfort and a crushing weight,
when an hour later Hamilton sent for her and she was
taken before him. Her face was stained with tears
and she looked pitifully distressed and disheveled ; yet
despite all this her beauty asserted itself with subtle
force.
Hamilton felt ashamed looking at her, but put on
sternness and ;spoke without apparent sympathy:
"Miss Roussillon, you came near committing a great
crime. As it is, you have done badly enough; but I
wish not to be unreasonably severe. I hope you are
sorry for your act, and feel like doing better here-
after."
She was trembling, but her eyes looked steadily
straight into his. They were eyes of baby innocence,
yet they irradiated a strong womanly spirit just
touched with the old perverse, mischievous light which
she could neither banish nor control. When she did
not make reply, Hamilton continued:
"You may go home now, and I shall expect to have
no more trouble on your account." He made a gesture
indicative of dismissal ; then, as she turned from him,
he added, somewhat raising his voice:
"And further, Miss Roussillon, that flag you took
from here must positively be returned. See that it is
done."
Manon Lescaut 211
curl of his momyZ2"t"' "'" =* ^"'^'^^'■"*''
kindness, don't you ,ht,k?" ^' "^'""^'^ ^"' =>
said'Scta '"■' sl"-' """^ """' '""'^ °"' °f '- life "
tlian hers." * " ^^" more pitiful
bi Jshe'ae^f /t-r'" T '"""'' '"- ^ —^ed
have to be hard withTi ""' ""^'"^^ "l"^" ^
That ,irrs a sar;:~;-':-'=''^«P-tyo„.
"angerous a. twenty me„ mt"^ """"' ^"'l ^^
movements from this on and i ,1"" ' ""'* °" ''^^
a.ai„ r„ transport C^^^ TTV"'''''''
reL'"^'-^- ^^-"-'opht:4H"r;--
4:l^:r;•I■frf:Tr"^--'"^>-
habblin,sig„ified'„rh::;rAr\u?H''''?''
™rpr,sed him presently by saying ' ' "'"""°"
actii,y;:ri^rry:„\rtrr^^^^
"What r,r. °^ ^^^ departure ?"
wnat are you saying, sir?"
Helm jumped to his fppf ««^
"Keep cool, you need t ' ^"^'■^' ''"' "^^'^d-
..as.on. You may want to go yourself soon "
212
Alice of Old Vincennes
ra
tlJ!
Helm burst out laughing, but quickly growing seri-
ous said:
"Has Beverley been such a driveling fool as that?
Are you in earnest?"
"He killed two of my scouts, wounded another, and
crossed the Wabash in their canoe. He is going
straight towards Kaskaskia."
"The idiot! Hurrah for him! If you catch your
hare you may roast him, but catch him first. Gover-
nor!"
"You'll joke out of the other corner of your mouth,
Captain Helm,i if I find out that you gave him aid or
countenance in breaking his parole."
"Aid or countenance! I never saw him after he
walked out of this room. You gave him a devil of a
sight more aid and countenance than I did. What are
you talking about ! Broke his parole ! He did no such
thing. He returned it to you fairly, as you well know.
He told you he was going."
"Well, I've sent twenty of my swiftest Indians after
him to bring him back. I'll let you see him shot. That
ought to please you."
"They'll never get him. Governor. I'll bet high on
him against your twenty scalp-lifters any day. Fitz-
hugh Beverley is the best Indian fighter, Daniel Boone
and Simon Kenton excepted, in the American col-
onies.
>>
On her way home Alice met Father Beret, who
turned and walked beside her. He was so overjoyed at
her release that he could scarcely speak ; but held her
hand and stroked it gently while she told him her
Manon Lescaut
213
stay at home now— stav in fi.« t, "^ ^^
r;Ki I ^ " ^"^ house— It will be hnr
JJo not fear, Father, I will be carpft,! a ,.
so lonesome " "' "^ ^^^^^ ^^
her ever" Of* '° ''' f '' "''^'^'""^ ""^ ground with
ftereyes. Of course she did not find the locket U
omfor "d trp" '": "^^^ l^""^" *is, it would have
Tean h It V u"""'^'^ ^"^ '"'^""^^ to leave it with
Jean but in his haste and excitement he foreot • Jrit
.ng the note distracted his attention; and o tZr;
pu sir?"? °" "" '""' ^"-^ -"- ••-« wh-^
pursuing h.s long and perilous journey
Four of Hamilton's scouts came unon R.v.rley
"vcnty m,es south of Vincennes, but having the ad-
vantage of them h^ uu^a * , ^
s oi rnem, he killed two almost immediately.
214
Alice of Old Vincennes
and after a running fight, the other two attempted es-
cape in a canoe on the Wabash. Here, firing from a
bluff, he wounded a third. Both then plunged head-
foremost into the water, and by keeping below the sur-
face, got away. The adventure gave Beverley new
spirit and self-reliance; he felt that he could accom-
plish anything necessary to his undertaking. In the
captured pirogue he crossed the river, and, to make
his trail hard to find, sent the little craft adrift down
the current.
Then alone, in the dead of winter, he took his bear-
ings and struck across the dreary, houseless plain to-
ward St. Louis.
As soon as Hamilton's discomfited scouts reported to
him, he sent Long-Hair with twenty picked savages,
armed and supplied for continuous and rapid march-
ing, in pursuit of Beverley. There was a large reward
for bringing him in alive, a smaller one for his scalp.
When Alice heard of all this, her buoyant and happy
nature seemed entirely to desert her for a time. She
was proud to find out that Beverley had shown himself
brave and capable; it touched her love of heroism;
but she knew too much about Indian warfare to hope
that he could hold his own against Long-Hair, the
wiliest and boldest of scalp-hunters, and twenty of the
most experienced braves in Hamilton's forces. He
would almost certainly be killed and scalped, or cap-
tured and brought back to be shot or hanged in Vin-
cennes. The thought chilled and curdled her blood.
Both Helm and Father Beret tried to encourage and
iililil,
i I li;. '
Manon Lescaut 215
n„?/'V'!^' '"'""'"^ *°' ^ "'''"^ '" ^ haystack, going
out to find a man in that wilderness," said Helm with
opt>m.st,e cheerfulness; "and besides Beverley is no
easy dose for twenty red niggers to take. IVe seen
h.m tned at worse odds than that, and he got out with
Lr;:^ '°°- ^-^ - ^- ^^- ""-. miss
Little help came to her from attempts of this sort.
She might bnghten „p for a while, but the dark dread,
and the ternble gnawing at her heart, the sinking and
despamng m her soul, could not be cured
What added immeasurably to her distress was the
attention of Farnsworth, whose wound troubled him
but a short time. He seemed to have had a revela-
.on and a change of spirit since the unfortunate ren-
counter and the subsequent nursing at Alice's hands
He was grave, earnest, kindly, evidently striving to
play a gentle and honorable part. She could feel that
he earned a load of regret, that he wanted to pay a
full pnce m good for the evil that he had done- his
sturdy English heart was righting itself nobly, yet she
but halt understood him, until his actions and words
began to betray his love; and then she hated him un-
reasonably. Realizing this, Farnsworth bore himself
more hke a faithful dog than in the manner hitherto
habitual to him. He simply shadowed Alice and would
not be rebuffed.
There can be nothing more painful to a finely sym-
pathetic nature than regret for having done a kind-
I , t
[' I
(, '
i i
2l6
Alice of Old Vincennes
ness. Alice experienced this to the fullest degree.
She had nursed Farnsworth but a little while, yet it
was a while of sweet influence. Her tender woman
nature felt the blessedness of doing good to
her enemy lying helpless in her house and hurt by her
own hand. But now she hated the man, and with all
her soul she wa^ sorry that she had been kind to him ;
for out of her kindness he had drawn the spell of a
love under ,vhich he lived a new life, and all for her.
Yet deep down in her consciousness the pity and the
pathos of the thing hovered gloomily and would not
be driven out. ,
The rain in mid-winter gave every prospect a sad,
cold, sodden gray appearance. The ground was soaked,
little rills ran in the narrow streets, the small streams
became great rivers, the Wabash overflowed its banks
and made a sea of all the lowlands on either side. It
was hard on the poor dwellers in the thatched and
mostly floorless cabins, for the grass roofs gradually
let the water through and puddles formed on the
ground inside. Fuel was distant and had to be hauled
in the pouring rain ; provisions were scarce and hunt-
ing almost impossible. Many people, especially chil-
dren, were taken ill with colds and fever. Alice found
some relief from her trouble in going from cabin to
cabin and waiting upon the sufferers ; but even here
Farnsworth could not be got rid of ; he tollowed her
night and day. Never was a good soldier, for he was
that from head to foot, more lovelorn and love-docile.
The maiden had completely subdued the man.
About this time, deep in a rainy and pitch-black
Manon Lescaut
217
night, Gaspard Roussillon came home. He tapped on
in =,11 .1 , ,",^ '' ''™'"- There was but one person
m all the world that she could think of-it was not M
Roussdlon. Ah, no, she had well-nigh forgotten he^
gigantic foster father. s 5 " ner
doir "''. ^' '"" '''?'"' " '' ^"'P"''' "y '°^«' °P«n 'he
<loor came ma booming half-whisper from without.
Alee, Jean, ,t ,s your Papa Roussillon, my dears. Let
^•it ill*
Alice was at the door in a minute, unbarring it. M
Roussillon entered, armed to the teeth, the water
dribbling from his buckskin clothes.
"Pouf I" he exclaimed, "my throat is like dust." His
thoughts were diving into the stores under the floor.
I am famished. Dear children, dear little ones!
H r/! '° '"" P'P"' '^here is your mama?"
M f "^'l-^'"^*' '" ^'^ arms and Jean clung to his legs
Madame Roussillon, to be sure of no mistake. Ugh tefa
amp with a brand that smoldered on the hearlh and
held It up, then, satisfied as to her husband's identity
set :t on a shelf and flung herself into the aflectionate
group with clumsy abandon, making a great noise.
Oh my dear Gaspard!" she cried as she lunged
forward "Gaspard, Gaspard !" Her voice fairly lifted
the roof; her great weight, hurled with such force
overturned everybody, and all of them tumbled in a
heap, the rotund and solid dame sitting on too.
'Ouf ! not so impetuous, my dear," puffed M. Rous-
sillon, freeing himself from her unpleasant pressure
2l8
Alice of Old Vincennes
and scrambling to his feet. "Really you must have
fared well in my absence, Madame, you are much
heavier." He laughed and lifted her up as if she had
been a child, kissing her resonantly.
His gun had fallen with a great clatter. He took
it from the floor and examined it to see if it had been
injured, then set it in a corner.
"I am afraid we have been making too much noise,"
said Alice, speaking very low. "There is a patrol
guard every night now. If they should hear you "
"Shh!" whispered M. Roussillon, "we will be v^ery
still. Alice, is there something to eat and a drop of
wine handy? I have come many miles; I am tired,
hungry, thirsty, — ziff !"
Alice brought some cold roast venison, a loaf, and
a bottle of claret. These she set before him on a little
table.
"Ah, this is comfort," he said after he had gulped
a full cup. "Have you all been well?"
Then he began to tell where he had been, what he
had seen, and the many things he had done. A French-
man must babble while he eats and drinks. A little
wine makes him eloquent. He talks with his hands,
shoulders, eyes. Madame Roussillon, Alice and Jean,
wrapped in furs, huddled around him to hear. He
was very entertaining, and they forgot the patrol until
a noise startled them. It was the low of a cow. They
laughed and the master of the house softened his
voice.
M. Roussillon had been the guest of a great Indian
chieftain, who was called the "Gate of the Wabash,"
Manon Lescaut 21Q
because he controlled the river. The chief was an old
acquaintance and treated him well.
"But I wanted to see you all," Gaspard said. "I
was afraid something might have happened to you
So I came back just to peep in. T can't stay, of course •
Hamilton would kill me as if I were a wolf. I can
remam but an hour and then slip out of town again
before daylight comes. The rain and darkness are
my friends."
He had seen Simon Kenton, who said he had been
in the neighborhood of Vincennes acting as a scout
and spy for Clark. Presently and quite casually he
added :
"And I saw Lieutenant Beverley, too. I suppose
you know that he has escaped from Hamilton, and—"
Here a big mouthful of venison interfered.
Alice leaned toward him white and breathless, her
heart standing still.
Then the door, which had been left unbarred, was
flung open and, along with a great rush of wind and
rain, the patrol guard, five in number, sprang in.
M. Roussillon reached his gun with one hand, with
the other swung a tremendous blow as he leaped
against the intruders. Madame Roussillon blew out
the light. No cave in the depth of earth was ever
darker than that room. The patrolmen could not see
one another or know what to do; but M. Roussillon
laid about him with the strength of a giant. His blows
sounded as if they smashed bones. Men fell heavily
ttnmping on the floor where he rushed along. Some
one fired a pistol and by its flash they all saw him ;
ii i
i£ •'
iPllii::
!li
I r
I
220 Alice of Old Vincennes
but instantly the darkness closed again, and before
they could get their bearings he was out and gone, his
great hulking form making its way easily over familiar
ground where his would-be captors could have pro-
ceeded but slowly, even with a light to guide them.
There was furious cursing among the patrolmen as
they tumbled about in the room, the unhurt ones
trampling their prostrate companions and striking
wildly at each other in their blindness and confusion.
At last one of them bethought him to open a dark lan-
tern with which the night guards were furnished. Its
flame was fluttering and gave forth a pale red light
that danced weirdly on the floors and walls.
Alice had snatched down one of her rapiers when
the guards first entered. They now saw her facing
them with her slender blade leveled, her back to the
wall, her eyes shining dangerously. Madame Rous-
sillon had fled into the adjoining room. Jean had also
disappeared. The officer, a subaltern, in charge of
the guard, seeing Alice, and not quickly able to make
out that it was a woman thus defying him, crossed
swords with her. There was small space for action ;
moreover the officer being not in the least a swords-
man, played awkwardly, and quick as a flash his point
was down. The rapier entered just below his throat
with a dull chucking stab. He leaped backward, feel-
ing at the same time a pair of arms clasp his legs. It
was Jean, and the Lieutenant, thus unexpectedly
tangled, fell to the floor, breaking but not extinguish-
ing the guard's lantern as he went down. The little
remaining oil spread and flamed up brilliantly, as if
,i 1
ill
Manon Lescaut
221
eager^for co„fla,ratfo„, .pu„eri„, along the uneven
his'han'd i^t' T 'r' ''"•'■ '^<= ■•"="'ver.en.ly set
nis nanci in the midst of the bh7infr ^,-i i • , ,
the flesh with a seethingsr „*"'""'' ''""'^ '°
"Wall I" I. h"P-
rtelll he screamed, -fire, fire I"
there curled „o iTv T" '"°" "^<^ ™°'"' ''"^ '- >ay
an enor"l?pruSe ^' "'^•"■^^^•' '-^■"'^ "^'
as .he startled guards eould mal. ou It r"' r^ 'f'
"1 tne aitair, for there wa<! nc*hi'ti~ '•--' i, ■ , -
but arre^f 4r . . ••"■•.nmii mai he could do
but arrest Ahce and take her to Hamilton. At mad^
h.s heart s.nk. He would have thought little of o™'-
ih
222
Alice of Old Vincennes
ing a file of soldiers to shoot a man under the same
conditions ; but to subject her again to the Governor's
stern cruelty — how could he do it? This time there
would be no hope for her.
Alice stood before him flushed, disheveled, defiant,
sword in hand, beautiful and terrible as an angel. The
black figure, man or devil, had disappeared as strange-
ly as it had come. The sub-Lieutenant was having his
slight wound bandaged. Men were raging and curs-
ing under their breath, rubbing their bruised heads
and limbs. *
"Alice — Mademoiselle Roussillon, I am so sorry
for this," said Captain Farnsworth. "It is painful,
terrible "
He could not go on, but stood before her unmanned.
In the feeble light his face was wan and his hurt shoul-
der, still in bandages, drooped perceptibly.
"I surrender to you," she presently said in French,
extending the hilt of her rapier to him. "I had to
defend myself when attacked by your Lieutenant there.
If an officer finds it necessary to set upon a girl with
his sword, may not the girl guard her life if she can?"
She was short of breath, so that her voice palpitated
with a touching plangency that shook the man's heart.
Farnsworth accepted the sword ; he could do nothing
less. His duty admitted of no doubtful consideration ;
yet he hesitated, feeling around in his mind for a
phrase with which to evade the inevitable.
"It will be safer for you at the fort. Mademoiselle ;
let me take you there."
[ademoiselle ;
CHAPTER XIII
A MEETING IN THE WILDERNESS
ctrn««. . 4.U J. P^^"- -"^ was young- and
strong that meant a ^reat d*.oi . u u ^ , j-^^iig ana
n^-of t- ^ °^^^ ' "^ had taken the de<?-
rid r: °' '"'"" ""'''^^ --^ '--bete
the one thin^r f 1^ Preventmg him from doing
suffering oh mf ^' "°";.''"'^' '° ''°- ^''^' "ean?
uitenng to him, if he could but rescue AIiVp? a a
what were life should he fail to resc e hef ' "he old
old song hummed in his heart, every phrase lit. f'
tmct above the tumult of the storm r u ,]
Hunger, swollen streams. ^a^lT wiStaTtf al'
scalp-hunting savages baffle him? No, thTre is no
barrier that can hinder love He ,airt /l,
over to himself »ft». u- *'* °^er and
to nunself after his rencounter with the four Tn
d.an scouts on the Wabash. He repeaTed i wi.r
heart-beat until u^ c u ■ ■ . "^epeated it with every
S33
B wf*W, I
«
«f<
t
4 i
>*
\S
» *&.!
t
1
'<.
M "^
^wHl
1 '*
m^.
I
P
' :
,.1
'
J, i
w
\ '
t
1 ' '
ii
i I III'
., it
h 1 1
I 1
t / .
224
Alice of Old Vincennes
watchfulness necessary to guard against a meeting
with hostile savages, the tiresome tramping, wading
and swimming, the hunger, the broken and wretched
sleep in frozen and scant wraps, — why detail it all?
There was but one beautiful thing about it — the
beauty of Alice as she seemed to walk beside him and
hover near him in his dreams. He did not know that
Long-Hair and his band were fast on his track; but
the knowledge could not have urged him to greater
haste. He strained every muscle to its utmost, kept
every nerve to ithe highest tension. Yonder towards
the west was help for Alice; that was all he cared for.
But if Long-Hair was pursuing him with relentless
greed for the reward offered by Hamilton, there were
friendly footsteps still nearer behind him ; and one day
at high noon, while he was bending over a little fire,
broiling some liberal cuts of venison, a finger tapped
him on the shoulder. He sprang up and grappled
Oncle Jazon; at the same time, standing near by, he
saw Simon Kenton, his old-time Kentucky friend. The
pungled features of one and the fine, rugged face of
the other swam as in a mist before Beverley's eyes.
Kenton was laughing quietly, his strong, upright form
shaking to the force of his pleasure. He was in the
early prime of a vigorous life, not handsome, but
strikingly attractive by reason of a certain glow in his
face and a kindly flash in his deep-set eyes.
"Well, well, my boy !" he exclaimed, laying his left
hand on Beverley's shoulder, while in the other he held
a long, heavy rifle. "I'm glad to see ye, glad to see
yel"
In the Wilderness
225
'Thought we was Injuns ch?" «^,vi rv t t
"An- ef we had 'a' been vve'.I V . ?"' J'''""-
scalol" Tl,„ • . ^ '"^'=" «''ore o' your
"Anc, u """""""^ °'^ "'°^' '^^^k'-d gleefully
"Yere n,I '' T '' ^°'"''" ''-'-dec! Keln
seerS.r.ar.rH:^S-^^^^^
fron, hin, and gazed at them wi h^rpeal ^'^ r"
presence and voices did not convince l'^ ^' ^'"'^
^otu^^tTtL^^siitr"^^^^^^^
gry^ Cookin. enough for a'r:g£nt.'^' ""' '^ '"-
siSl^^:.™,^"^'"^'^'^'^°"''^^''-w
un . It s not so long: since we were like hmf I,
di^??wS Si'£- - ;f ^^ .e thought he
abein'„istaken jes' ttt ly" " '"°"" °' ^^"^--^
Beverley got his wits together a, h^cf 1
taking in the situation by such de.rl '°"''''
the ti.e unduly slow, but'whlh we^r a t "T !' ''
mentary falterings ^ "^^^^ "^°-
aii'SrhiS" 'tir-"^ -<='^'--<''
^uness Diending with his surprise "Rnw
d-d you get here? Where did you come W" "
He looked from one to the other back and forth with
i-'^
|4 J>>
226
Alice of Old Vjncennes
a wondering smile breaking over his bronzed and de- '
termined face.
"We've been hot on yer trail for thirty hours," said
Kenton. "Roussillon put us on it back yonder. But
what are ye up to? Where are ye goin'?"
"I'm going to Clark at Kaskaskia to bring him yon-
der." He waved his hand eastward. "I am going to
take Vincennes and kill Hamilton."
'*Well, ye're taking a mighty qut «r course, my boy,
if ye ever expect to find Kaskaskia. Ye're already
twenty miles too far south."
"Carryin' hi^ gun on the same shoulder all the time,"
said Oncle Jazon, "has made 'im kind o' swing in a
curve like. 'Tain't good luck no how to carry yer gun
on yer lef shoulder. When you do it meks yer take
a longer step with yer right foot than ye do with yer
lef, an' ye can't walk a straight line to save yer liver.
Ventrebleu! la venaison hride encore! Look at that
dasted meat burnin' agin !"
He jumped back to the fire to turn the scorching
cuts.
Beverley wrung Kenton's hand and looked into his
eyes, as a man does when an old friend comes sud-
denly out of the past, so to say, and brings the fresh-
ness and comfort of a strong, true soul to brace him
in his hour of greatest nee^
"Of all men in the world, Simon Kenton, you were
the least expected ; but how glad I am ! How thank-
ful ! Now I know I shall succeed. We are going to
capture Vincennes, Kenton, are we not? We shall,
In the Wilderness
the scorching
227
shaVt we, Jazon? Nothing, nothing ca^ prevent us,
Kenton heartily returned the oressuro nf fh
man's hand, while Oncio uT , , I ' ^"""^
and said: •'''°" '°°''«<' "P q"i«ically
"We're a tol'ble 'spectable lot to prevent- but th.n
we might git pervented. IVe seed Cl? .
purty consid'ble pervented lots o' 1 ""'","" "'
T , . ^^' vciuea lots o times m mv life "
In speaktng the colloquial dialect of the American
backwoodsmen Onrl^ To,« j • American
among them gave to .,T' TT ''"' °' P'^"'"
0. Pro^nunciar LTt: bVLtS ^anTC™;
ae;:Lnrc'i:f--""f°'^-^-
--....Ua^rirstiirCfLis
the-way nooks of Louisiana. « m out of-
"For my part," said Kenton, "I am with ve old
boy, m anything ye want to do. But now JeVe gS
to tell me everything. I see that vpV» 1, • ^
thing back. What is it ?•■ u , ^ . ^^^P'"«^ '°'"^
at Oncle Jazon "' "^^'"'"^ '''^'^''' ='y'y
heal' Wed t"t '''".' '° ' '"""' '»« ^'"ehow his
then— ° '"' ^'"^ ^" '° -'^^'f- He hesitated"
sai? "'^tT r'°'' *'* <^°^^"'°^ H»"'"to"/' he
fi I toldT "r" '" ''• I f^^' altogether US--
leave Vin. .'^"''"'""^ *^' ^ *°"W «^<^inly
I ?i
. f
228
Alice of Old Vincennes
ye feel justified in breakin' over yer parole in that
high-handed way? Fitz, I know ye too well to be
fooled by ye — you've got somethin' in mind that ye
don't want to tell. Well, then don't tell it. Oncle
Jazon and I will go it blind, won't we, Jazon ?"
"Blind as two moles," said the old man ; "but as for
thet secret," he added, winking both eyes at once, "I
don't know as it's so mighty hard to guess. It's al-
ways safe to 'magine a woman in the case. It's mostly
women 'at sends men a trottin' oflf 'bout nothin', sort o'
crazy like."
Beverley looked guilty and Oncle Jazon continued :
"They's a poo'ty gal at Vincennes, an' I see the
young man a steppin' into her house about fifteen
times a day 'fore I lef the place. Mebbe she's tuck
up wi' one o' them English officer^. Gals is slippery
an' onsartin'."
"Jazon 1" cried Beverley, "stop that instantly, or I'll
wring your old neck." His anger was real and he
meant what he said. He clenched his hands and glow-
ered.
Oncle Jazon, who was still squatting by the little
fire, tumbled over backwards, as if Beverley had kicked
him; and there he lay on the ground with his slender
legs quivering akimbo in the air, while he laughed in
a strained treble that sounded like the whining c^ a
screech-owl.
The old scamp did not know all the facts in Bever-
ley's case, nor did he even suspect what had happened ;
but he was aware of the young man's tender feeling
m,^
In the Wilderness
229
for Alice, and he did shrewdly conjecture that she
was a factor in the problem.
The rude jest at her expense did not seem to t,;<=
Se ?r .*'' ' ''^'^'^'^'"^ >"' °f """"0^ from
Uncle Jazon's point of view.
"Don't set mad at the old man," said Kenton, pluck-
to his old scalped crown. Let him have his f un "
Then lowering his voice almn«t t^ . u- ,
tinued: whisper he con-
"I was in Vincennes for two days 'and nights
spym around. Madame Godere hid me in her house
when there was need of it. I know how it is with y "
Vigo has taken him full particulars as to th fort and
ts garrison and I know that he's determined to ca^
ture the whole thing or die tryin' " ^
strfrSif ."'^ "T ^*^" '"^ "'^ "'-d leap
Strong in his veins at these words
add'L";„t'l :'"' / "" '" ^'""'"'"'" Kenton
aaaed, but I never let ye see me. Ye were a nri,
- aid ;fttlT,.^;l"°V?'-P'^-o give
was a
to let ye have knowledo-e of
me while I
have beenatVastlT-'r "rf"'^ ^"-"did/and Ih^uld
been at Kaskaskia by this time if I hadn't run
kr
ii
i^m\
230
Alice of Old Vincennes
iM
across Jazon, who detained me. He wanted to go with
me, and I waited for him to repair the stock of his old
gun. He tinkered at it 'tween meals and showers
for half a week at the Indian villas:e back yonder before
he got it just to suit him. But I tell ye he's wo'th
waiting for any length of time, and I was glad to let
him have his way."
Kenton, who was still a young man in his early
thirties, respected Beverley's reticence on the subject
uppermost in his mind. Madame Godere had told the
whole story with flamboyant embellishments; Kenton
had seen Alice, *and, inspired with the gossip and a
surreptitious glimpse of her beauty, he felt perfectly
familiar with Beverley's condition. He was himself
a victim of the tender passion to the extent of being
an exile from his Virginia home, which he had left on
account of dangerously wounding a rival. But he was
well touched with the backwoodsman's taste for joke
and banter. He and Oncle Jazon, therefore, knowing
the main feature of Beverley's predicament, enjoyed
making the most of their opportunity in their rude but
perfectly generous and kindly way.
By indirection and impersonal details, as regarded
his feelings toward Alice, Beverley in due time made
his friends understand that his whole ambition was
centered in rescuing her. Nor did the motive fail to
eplist their sympathy to the utmost. If all the world
loves a lover, all men having the best virile instinct
will fight for a lover's cause. Both Kenton and Oncle
Jazon were enthusiastic; they wanted nothing better
than an opportunity to aid in rescuing any girl who had
In the Wilderness
231
peculiady on he";::! "'^'^ ^'°^ ^''"'^'' •"■"
m J'^tf'' °"r ''^""°" ''" ' »°'"' '° P« 'o ye, young
had \a.td t'af " '^ ".^^ i'^^^" --^'-ing'a;d th y
" . , "'^'' " "" "ver, "an- I want ye to answer it
straight as a bullet f 'om yer gun." ,
"Of course, Jazon, go ahead," said Beverley "I
Shan be glad to answer." But his mind war ^v
w.th the gold-haired maiden in HamiltonWison He
scarcely knew what he was saying ^ "'
"Air ye expectin' to marry Alice Roussillon'"
J he three men were at the moment eating the well
broiled venison. Oncle Jazon's puckered lipf and Thin
were dripping with the fragrant grease and i,
which also flowed down his Inewy.X^li e C!'
Overhead m the bare tops of the scrub oaks tha "cov--
aTd'doir :ir'' ' "''"'''' ^'-^ -"^ » -'^^
pected as it was direct and powerful.
a shortTau": "^y ''"'''■" l"!' "'^ -" ^'^^^ after
snort pause, an ye may think 'at I ain't trot nn
business askin' it; but I have. That leetle ll' ! .
o' mme, an' I'm a lookiV after her. an expect '\ ^
rilht b "°l ''°*"'' "^ "°''°^y -ho's not goin' to do
r.gh^_by her. Marryin' is a mighty good thing!
t,.'7^I ''° ^'' """"^ ^'«"" matrimony, ye old raw-
headed bachelor?" demanded Kenton, wh: fSt to-
! ,• ■■,
! il : ':!
232
Alice of Old Vincennes
i. ;.,.L.
pelled to relieve Beverley of the embarrassment of an
answer. ''Ye wouldn't know a wife from a sack o'
mcair
"Now don't git too peart an* fsst, Si Kenton," cried
Oncle Jazon. c^laring truculently at his friend, but at
the same time showing a dry smile that seemed to be
hopelessly entangled in criss-cross wrinkles. "Who told
ye I was a bach 'lor? Not by a big jump. I've been
married mighty nigh on to twenty times in my day.
Mos'ly Injuns, o' course ; but a squaw's a wife w'en ye
marries her, an' I know how it hurts a gal to be dis-
Vinted in sich a* matter. That's w'y I put the ques-
tion I did. I'm not goin' to let no man give sorry to
that little Roussillon gal; an' so yeVe got my say.
Ye seed her raise thet flag on the fort, Lieutenant
Beverley, an' ye seed her take it down an' git away
wi' it. You know 'at she deserves nothin' but the best ;
an* by the Holy Virgin, she*s got to have it, or I'm a
goin* to know several reasons why. Thet*s what made
me put the question straight to ye, young man, an* I
expects a straight answer."
Beverley's face paled; but not with anger. He
grasped one of Oncle Jazon's greasy hands and gave
it such a squeeze that the old fellow grimaced pain-
fully.
"Thank you, Oncle Jazon, thank you !*' he said, with-
a peculiar husky burr in his voice. "Alice will never
suffer if I can help it. Let the subject drop now, my
friend, until we have saved her from the hands of
Hamilton.*' In the power of his emotion he continued
In the Wilderness
233
to grip the old man's hand with increasing severity of
pressure. ^
"Ventrcblcu! let go! Needn't smash a feller's fin-
gers bout it!" sereeehed Onele Jazon. "I can't shoot
finger—'"' "'""' "' '' " "^^^'^ "^ "^ ^^^^^-
Kenton had been peeping under the low-hanging
scrub-oak boughs while Oncle Jazon was speaking
these last words; and now he suddenly interrupted:
The devil! look yonder!" he growled out in start-
ling tone. "Injuns!"
It was a sharp snap of the conversation's thread
and at the same time our three friends realized thai
they had been careless in not keeping a better look-
out. They let fall the meat they had not yet finished
eatmg and seized their guns.
Five or six dark forms were moving toward them
across a little point of the prairie that cut into the wood
a quarter of a mile distant.
"Yander's more of 'em," said Oncle Jazon, as if not
in the least concerned, wagging his head in an opposite
direction from which another squad was approaching.
That he duly appreciated the situation appeared
only m the celerity with which he acted.
Kenton at once assumed command, and his com-
panions felt his perfect fitness. There was no doubt
from the first as to what the Indians meant; but even
If there had been it would have soon vanished; for in
less than three minutes twenty-one savages were
SWlftlv and si'lAtitKr f/^rr»'i«f- -5 -• ' ...
^ i....t,^ lormmg a circie mciusing the spot
where the three white men, who had covere I them-
234
Alice of Old Vincennes
il^iV II
selves as best they could with trees, waited in grim
steadiness for the worst.
Quite beyond gunshot range, but near enough for
Oncle Jazon to recognize Long-Hair as their leader,
the Indians halted and began making signs to one
another all round the line. Evidently they dreaded to
test the marksmanship of such riflemen as they knew
most border men to be. Indeed, Long-Hair had per-
sonal knowledge of what might certainly be expected
from both Kenton and Oncle Jazon; they were terri-
ble when out for fight ; the red warriors from Georgia
to the great lakes had heard of them ; their names
smacked of tragedy. Nor was Beverley without fame
among Long-Hair's followers, who had listened to
the story of his fighting qualities, brought to Vin-
cennes by the two survivors of the scouting party so
cleverly defeated by him.
"The liver-colored cowards," said Kenton, "are
afeared of us in a shootin'-match ; they know that a
lot of 'em would have to die if they should undertake
an open fight with us. It's some sort of a sneakin'
game they are studyin' about just now."
"I'm a gittin' mos' too ole to shoot wo'th a cent,"
said Oncle Jazon, "but I'd give half o' my scalp ef thet
Long-Hair would come clost enough fo' me to git a
bead onto his lef eye. It's tol'ble plain 'at we're gone
goslins this time, I'm thinkin' ; still it'd be mighty sat-
isfyin' if I could plug out a lef eye or two 'fore I go."
Beverley was silent; the words of his companions
were heard by him, but not noticed. Nothing inter-
ested him save the thought of escaping and making
In the Wilderness
235
his way to Clark. To fail meant infinitely more than
death, which he had as small fear as most brave
men, and to succeed meant everything that life could
Otter. So, m the unlimited selfishness of love, he did
not take his companions into account.
The three str ..! ,n a close-set clump of four or five
scrub oaks r. the lr,,hest point of a thinly wooded
knoll that slcne.l dow. in all directions to the prairie.
Their view wa:, wi,!,, but in places obstructed by the
trees.
"Men," said Kenton, after a thoughtful and watch-
ful silence, "the thing looks kind o' squally for us. I
don t see much of a chance to get out of this alive; but
we've got to try."
He showed by the density of his voice and a certain
gray film in his face that he felt the awful gravity of
the^situation; but he was calm and not a muscle quiv-
^^ "They's jes' two chances for us," said Oncle Jazon,
an them s as slim as a broom straw. We've got to
Stan here an' fight it out, or wait till night an' sneak
tnrough atween 'em an' run for it."
"I don't see any hope o' sneakin' through the Hne "
ojeryed Kenton. "It's not goin' to be dark t^-
"Wa-a-1," Oncle Jazon drawled nonchalantly while
he took m a quid of tobacco. "I've been into tighter
squeezes 'an this, many a time, an' I got out, too."
Likely enough," said Kenton, still reflecting while
- .^a...^d aiuund ihe circle of savages.
1 fit the skunks in Ferginny 'fore you's thought of,
236
Alice of Old Vincennes
i i-
Si Kenton, an' down in Car'lina in them hills. If ye
think I'm a goin' to be scalped where they ain't no
scalp, 'ithout tryin' a few dodges, yer a dad dasteder
fool an' I used to think ye was, an' that's makin' a big
compliment to ye."
"Well, we don't have to argy this question, Oncle
Jazon; they're a gittin' ready to run in upon us, and
we've got to fight. I say, Beverley, are ye ready for
fast shqotin'? Have ye got a plenty of bullets?"
"Yes, Roussillon gave me a hundred. Do you
think— ^"
He was interrupted by a yell that leaped from sav-
age mouth to mouth all round the circle, and then the
charge began.
"Steady, now," growled Kenton, "let's not be in a
hurry. Wait till they come nigh enough to hit 'em
before we shoot."
The time was short ; for the Indians came on at al-
most race-horse speed.
Oncle Jazon fired first, the long, keen crack of his
small-bore rifle splitting the air with a suggestion of
vicious energy, and a lithe young warrior, who was
outstrippirg all his fellows, leaped high and fell
paralyzed.
"Can't shoot wo'th a cent," muttered the old man,
deftly beginning to reload his gun the while; "but I
jes' happened to hit that buck. He'll never git my
scalp, thet's sartin an' sure."
Beverley and Kenton each likewise dropped an In-
dian ; but the shots did not even check the rush. Long-
Hair had planned to capture his prey, not kill it. Every
hills. If ye
ley ain't no
ad dasteder
nakin* a big
stion, Oncle
pon us, and
re ready for
bullets r
[. Do you
1 from sav-
.nd then the
not be in a
1 to hit 'em
ne on at al-
:rack of his
iggestion of
r, who was
h and fell
tie old man,
lile; "but I
jver git my
pped an In-
ush. Long-
cill it. Every
' growled Kenton
come nieh enough
In the Wilderness
237
savage had his orders to take the white men alive-
Hamilton s larger reward depended on this.
R.ght on they came, as fast as their nimble legs could
carry them, yelling like demons ; and they reaXd t, e
grove be^re the three white men could' relofdthlir
fnrtK '""■^ "^"""^ '°°^ '=°^^'- behind a tree
and began scrambling forward from bole to bole thus
approachmg rapidly without much exposure
Jazon. He crossed h,mself. Possibly he prayed • but
he was pnming his old gun the next instant
attfmnl? ^7"^ T'"' ""■''"S " ^""'^'^ ''"d ineffectual
by quickly skippmg behind a tree. Beverley's gun
snapped, the flint failing to make fire ; but Oncle Ta^on
bored a little hole through the head of the £"
e~ :::«ir '"- *^ ^-^ -- - -- ^-
A struggle ensued, which for desperate energy has
probably never been surpassed. Like three Zs a
bay, the white men met the shock, and lion-like they
fought m the midst of seventeen stalwart and deter-
mmed savages.
and hold them I 'was Long-Hair's order loudly shouted
m the tongue of his tribe.
knew the significance of such a command from the
kader j „„„y ^^^^ .^^ ^^^^^^,^ ^._^^
ZtT^ .""' '"^°"""^ °* "'^ ^'^" '° Vincennes
and had oflFered a reward for his capture. This being
238
Alice of Old Vincennes
I:
true, death as a, spy would be the certain result if he
were taken back. He might as well die now. As for
Beverley, he thought only of Alice, yonder as he had
left her, a prisoner in Hamilton's hands. Oncle Jazon,
if he thought at all, probably considered nothing" but
present escape, though he prayed audibly to the
Blessed Virgin, even while he lay helpless upon the
ground, pinned down by the weight of an enormous
Indian. He could not move any part of himself, save
his lips, and these mechanically put forth the wheez-
ing supplication.
Beverley and ^enton, being young and powerful,
were not so easily mastered. For a while, indeed, they
appeared to be moie than holding their own. They
time and time again scattered the entire crowd by the
violence of their muscular efforts; and after it had
finally closed in upon them in a solid body they swayed
and swung it back and forth and round and round until
the writhing, savage mass looked as if caught in the
vortex of a whirlwind. But such tremendous exer-
tion could not last long. Eight to one made too great
a difference between the contending parties, and the
only possible conclusion of the struggle soon came.
Seized upon by desperate, clinging, wolf-like assail-
ants, the white men felt their arms, legs and bodies
weighted down and their strength fast going.
Kenton fell next after Oncle Jazon, and was soon
tightly bound with rawhide thongs. He lay on his
back panting and utterly exhausted, while Beverley
still kept up the unequal fight.
Long-Hair sprang in at the last moment to make
In the Wilderness
nt to make
239
doubly certain the securing of his most important cap-
Blverle^frl" h V^'°"5 '"' P°""'"' '""' "-"d
Wm „Z T ""^ ""'^ "^' " B^^=" effort to throw
re h and vigorous clasp, turned himself about to put
?a." t th h » °';'^ """ ''='^''^'' him headlong
S n* the" u"t™°' °'^ '■•^<= "^"^ ^ ™<i <^-tant
mVh knn.l T ^°"' °' ^'' '^" f"^^-"™ «nd well
nigh knockmg him senseless
couJdTe „' t"' "'"''"? "'"^"'^ ^'-"g^-^i but there
his lead the ! ' "' ^ "°" °" '"^ ''-'' <>*
wa?d and ""' '"''""' ^'^^'^"^^^ Beverley face down-
turned hL°""?f °" '"^ ^^°""^- The savages
t^ h?r '."" '°°''^'^ '^"■^'^^O ^l'^" *^y found
greater care than they had shown in securing the
others, while Long-Hair stood by stolidly look "! on
•U^doTf"" '" '"°''" ^°--"" '" his hand!
in tl^tide Th r"''-'- '"" ^*™ ^^™^'^-V - kick
in the side. Then turning a fiendish stare upon Oncle
Jazon he proceeded to deliver against his old, drv riS
< SlecTt °"Lt«' "m"'"''°"^ -'"^ -^"-"^'"^ eU:
i-oecat! Little old greasy woman!" he snarled
X t 1^ r '*""' °* 'he kicks and verbal abu..
T f ? ^°"^-^'''" ^^"^ °^^-^ f" fi^« to be buiU
andl df '° "'^ """ ^™ ='"'' had the bone se
and bandaged, never so much as wincing the while
XL was soon apparent that the Indians purposed to
celebrate their successful enterprise with a feast. They
r
Is I '■'
240 Alice of Old Vincennes
cooked a large amount of buflfalo ste:\k ; the a, each with
his hands full o^ the savory meai, they began to aance
aiound the fires, droning meantime an atrociously re-
pellant chant.
'They're a 'spectin* to hev a leetle bit o' fun outen
us/' muttered Oncle jazon to Beverley, who lay near
him. "I onderstan' wliat fhey're np to, dad dast 'em!
More'n forty years ago, m C a'iin^^ they put me an'
Tim ilipes through the ga'ndei, an' arcer thet, in Kain-
ti-ck, me an' Si Kenton tuck the run. Hi, there, Si !
T'here air ye ?"
"Shui: yer fool mouth," Kenton growled under his
breath. "Ye'll Wave that Injun a kickin' our lights
out of us again."
Oncle Jazon winked at the gray sky and puckered
his mouth so that it looked like a nutgall on an old, dry
leaf.
"What's the diflf'ence?" he demanded. "I'd jest as
soon be kicked now as arter while; it's got to come
anyhow."
Kenton made no response. The thongs v/ere tortur-
ing his arms and legs. Beverley was silent, but con-
sciousness had returned, and with it a sense of de-
spair. All three of the prisoners lay face upward quite
unable to move, knowing full well that a terrible ordeal
awaited them. Oncle Jazon's grim humor could not
be quenched, even by the gallir ^ igony of the thongs
that buried themselves in the . , and the anticipa-
tio -, of torture beside \,hkh. death would seem a
luxury.
In the ^Vilderness
241
'Yap! Long-Hair, how's yer arm?" u^ „ ,
jeeringly. "FeeU pooty good, ha"?" '' ''''"'
so'g:"S^:i\:Lrcf 'v- '-- -^'
mistaking whence ,L ^""""^^ "°''''^' =""''
and ^icu!.t:zz::::-r '° ^^^-'^^'^ ^^^^
walked aw;ylLn' ^::r'r"^;- -°" - Long-Hai.
e.se gits thJ Spin, 'h^ ' : t^' rT^^'^y
devilish lucky Them k.Vt ^'""'>'' ""^^
wasn't they, Ueutena„™>f rLf°' '°"'' J°'*''
he, he!" ^'''""''"^"'- Sounded hke they was. He,
P>etT':' but K ° t'"' '° °"'^ J^^°"'^ --P-atin,
«^e orhiJi^r re^.r;:^rai"^ ''^^^^-
in kind. retrain irom making retort
fool!" • ^ *='" ^'^"^ ^°y fool but a damn
target at which ,> ^''''^'' ^^ ^^^"g^ht himself the
^a «ing that made h^is 4 tStT nTuSr:
And here it was that Oncle Ja^on overreached him-
Iff
If. • ' . ;i
242
Alice of Old Vincennes
ml •
self. He was so delighted at Kenton's luck that he
broke forth giggling and thereby drew against his own
ribs a considerable improvement of Long-Hair's pedal
applications.
"Ventrehleu !" whined the old man, when the Indian
had gone away again. "Holy Mary! Jee-ru-sa-lem I
They's nary bone o' me left 'at's not splintered as fine
as toothpickers ! S'pose yer satisfied now, ain't ye. Si
Kenton? Ef ye ain't I'm shore to satisfy ye the fust
time I git a chance at ye, ye blab-mouthed eejit !"
Before this conversation was ended a rain began to
fall, and it rapidly thickened from a desultory shower
to a roaring doWnpour that effectually quenched not
only the fires around which the savages were dancing,
but the enthusiasm of the dancers as well. During the
rest of the afternoon and all night long the fall was
incessant, accompanied by a cold, panting, wailing
southwest wind.
Beverley lay on the ground, face upward, the raw-
hide strings torturing his limbs, the chill of cold water
r^arching his bones. He could see nothing but the
dim, strange canopy of flying rain, against which the
bare boughs of the scrub oaks were vaguely outlined ;
he could hear nothing but the cry of the wind and the
swash of the water which fell upon him and ran under
him, bubbling and gurgling as if fiendishly exultant.
The night dragged on through its terrible length,
dealing out its indescribable horrors, and at last morn-
ing arrived, with a stingy and uncertain gift of light
slowly increasing until the dripping trees appeared for-
In the Wilderness
243
lornly gray and brown afrpincf .t j
into masses that ,ave but~ a/n "'^ """^ ''^'^'^"^
the hrS Sf '"^ ^"^"■''™' -<< -„ had
eastern horizon Ch T / <='°"<i-':rack on the
a., night ; CLt"^;^:^^ '' 'l ''' '"-
glow yonder above old vZl P*"°°f ^'"""^how of the
only see its refleCLf "' ""'°"S'' "^ =°"'d ,
him come nelr m 'nd ^ "' ^^°""''- ^^^^^'^^ saw
ing scowl on hs face Grn^'" "'* ^ '''''^°"^' ^uir-
passed from mouTh tn ^ T '"" '''=°''''= ^clamations
of it an couTd „ ri ~:' ter^-''^'"^ ""P°«
gone-had escaped Ir „g the n^"; '""I'T ™ '
had completely Obliterated th:t^r:S-^"'' "'^- """
Pici d pSsVhil w'°"- ^°"^-"^'^ -' "«
the country 'naildir!- ''T ^'* °^''^" '° «~«^
few of the ol L "'' """P'"^ ^'"^ '"''"s^lf a
would e* o 'vtisTnTnd I ^":;'^' "" '^"^ -"^^ ''^
f- that he^drt tTSrn^tS:""-
rev^LZf ^''^"'' '~'"' ^'^''gS'^d back with the
Mn,/ f !^' ""^d'ately a consultation was held
S;ide ": = rr-"^ ^" °^ ^-^ --^ "S
thoir exertions and 'f'"""™^"' ^s compensation for
prisoners for r. . t ""'^P'''"" '°=^ °* '"eir own
P soners, for .t had been agreed that Beverley be-
244
Alice of Old Vincennes
loneed exclusively to Long-Hair, who objected to any-
thing which might deprive him of the great i jward
offered by Hamilton for the prisoner if brought to
him alive.
In the end .,. was agreed that Beverley should be
made to run the gauntlet, provided that no deadly
weapons were used upon him during the ordeal.
CHAPTER XIV
A PRISONER OF LOVE
experience awai.ed e The w nT" ,"' "° ''■''"''''
vailed when th. were readv to^f !] "T '"" ^''-
it was not extremely coldt . ^^t forti, and. althongh
ever, throh that ^d '1^2™^^ ' Th-r
waterv ..tr! > "''""''"^ "'<= darkness in the
I know the way better than you do " she s.,V1
Comeon.anddon'tbeafriMfhJr ^°' she said.
IfannotpIayanytSkCt^'^^^^'"^'--
Het„r-/,:f-r:^r^°""''^- ^-^^^
with the bitterne'sof h=?l ■ ""' "^^ ^° «"<="
Hed her -ordrhi:!^ Uhir ^^^/^^^^^ ^^^-
rzitii'rfdt-r"^-"— ^^^^
that rnffinn, , , '"^' '''^ "'°"S'« ''« "as using
5 lef H .'1 "'"^^'""^ ""^^"^ °f "seeping pai
r^ \ ^^ ''' ''■" ""= P^'^°l O" its rounds takw
"pon himself the responsibility of delivering her to
way in the rain andtrC ' "''' "^ ""^^"""''^
245
il ^
246
Alice of Old Vincennes
At every step he was wishing that she would escape
from him. Coarse as his nature was and distorted by
hardening: experiences, it was rooted in good English
honesty and imbued with a chivalric spirit. When,
as happened too often, he fell under the influence of
liquor, the bad in him promptly came uppermost ; but
at all other times his better traits made him a good
fellow to meet, genial, polite, generous, and inclined
to recognize the finer sentiments of manliness. To
march into his commander's presence with Alice as his
prisoner lacked everything of agreeing with his taste ;
yet he had not been willing to give her over into the
hands of the patrbl. If his regard for military obliga-
tion had not been exceptionally strong, even for an
English soldier, he would have given way to the
temptation of taking her to some place of hiding and
safety, instead of brutally subjecting her to Hamilton's
harsh judgment. He anticipated a trying experience
for her on account of this new transgression.
They hastened along until a lantern in the fort shot
a hazy gleam upon them.
"Stop a moment. Mademoiselle," Farnsworth called.
"I say, Miss Roussillon, stop a moment, please."
Alice halted and turned facing him so short and so
suddenly that the rapier in his hand pricked through
her wraps and slightly scratched her arm.
"What do you mean, sir ?" she demanded, thinking
that he had thrust purposely. "Do I deserve this bru-
tality?"
"You mistake me, ^'"iss Roussillon. I cannot be
A Prisoner of Love
brutal to you now. Do not fear nic • I onlv h...
to say." ' °"v "ad a word
''Oh, you deem it very polite and gentle to iab m.
with your sword, do you? If T h.A ^
you would not dare try such a /h '"t ^" "'^ ^'"^^
very well." ^ ^ *'''"^' ^"^ >^°" J<"ow it
had^'t^rVe" ' iT ^"^ '^" ^^^^ ^--^-P-^
was a flash in h , "°' ''' ^^'^ ^^^^' ^ut there
was a flash ,n her voice that startled him with its indi.
nant contempt and resentment. ^"
''What are you saying, Miss Roussillon? I don'f
understand you. When did I ever-when H^H T k
with n.y swordP I never thou Jt oftc^rthi^^^^"
M/a^mrSU'r-^^
She spoke rapidly i„ French; but he caut^ht h.r
very near her h" xl'' ''°'"' ^^^' '""^^^ ''^^ ^"d
the tr?,!r I 1"^"'- "' '"""^^^^ '* '"^'^"'ly while
the truth rushed into his mind
the ;n"t2e::riLj ^'-^ ^-"^ ^^'"' "-^ ^-^-^^^ w''-
I cSdtntT^ ' f "°' '"°*-" -- - --dent-
l ™"'d not do such a thing purposely. Believe me
beheve me Mi.s Roussillon. I did not mean It" '
eyes A aufHt""i'™' ''^'"^ *° '"""^ "^"t into his
eyes. A quality m his voice had checked her hot ane-er
She could only see his dim outlines in t4 du' -1 ™
from the fort's lantern it.. _ ^^^
V retched. ' ''""''' '° ''^ f°"o™ly
Ii
248 Alice of Old Vincennes
"I should like to believe you," she presently said,
"but I cannot. You English are all, all despicable,
mean, vile!"
She was remembering the young officer who had
assaulted her with his sword in the house a while ago.
And (what a strange thing the human brain is!) she
at the same time comforted herself with the further
thought that Beverley would never, never, be guilty
of rudeness to a woman.
"Some time you shall not say that," Farnsworth re-
sponded. "I asked you to stop a moment that I might
beg you to believe how wretchedly sorry I am for what
I am doing. But you cannot understand me now.
Are you really hurt, Miss Roussillon? I assure you
that it was purely accidental."
"My hurt is nothing," she said.
"I am very glad."
"Well, then, shall we go on to the fort?"
"You may go where you please. Mademoiselle."
She turned her back upon him and without an an-
swering word walked straight to the lantern that hung
by the gate of the stockade, where a sentinel tramped
to and fro. A few moments later Captain Farnsworth
presented her to Hamilton, who had been called from
his bed when the news of the trouble at Roussillon
place reached the fort.
"So you've been raising hell again, have you. Miss ?"
he growled, with an ugly frown darkening his face.
"I beg your pardon," said Farnsworth, "Miss Rous-
sillon vvas not to blame for •"
"In your eyes she'd not be to blame, sir, if she
A Prisoner of Love
249
burned up the fort and all of us in it," Hamilton gruffly
interrupted, "Miss, what have you been doing? wTat
sTaTthe ? !"', ""n^" ^""^"°^^^' ^°" '-'' P^--
state the particulars of the trouble that I have just
heard about. And I may as well notify you that I iish
to^hear no special lover's pleading in this girl's be-
Farnsworth's face whitened with anger; he bit his
hp and a shiver ran through his frame; but he had to
conquer the passion. In a few words, blunt and direct
as musket-balls, he told all the circumstances of what
had taken place, making no concealments to favor
Ahce but boldly blaming the officer of the patrol, Lie.
tenant Barlow, for losing his head and attacking a
young girl in her own home.
"I will hear from Barlow," said Hamilton, after
listening attentively to the story. ''But take this girl
and confine her. Show her no favors. I hold you re-
sponsible for her until to-morrow morning. You can
There was no room for discussion. Farnsworth sa-
luted and turned to Alice.
"Come with me," he gently said.
Hamilton looked after them as they went out of his
room, a curious smile playing around his firmly set
lips. -^
"She's the most beautiful vixen that I ever saw "
he thought. "She doesn't look to be a French girl
either-decidedly English." He shrugged his ^hnuU
ders, then laughed dryly. "Farnsworth's as crazy as
can be, the beggar; in love with her so deep that he
250
Alice of Old Vincennes
can't see out. By Jove, she is a beauty! Never saw
such eyes. And plucky to beat the devil. I'll bet my
head Barlow'll be daft about her next !"
Still, notwithstanding the lightness of his inward
comments, Hamilton regarded the incident as rather
serious. He knew that the French inhabitants were
secretly his bitter enemies, yet probably willing, if he
would humor their peculiar social, domestic and com-
mercial prejudices, to refrain from active hostilities,
and even to aid him in furnishing his garrison with a
large amount of needed supplies. The danger just now
was twofold ; his Indian allies were deserting him, and
a flotilla loaded with provisions and ammunition from
Detroit had failed to arrive. He might, if the French
rose against him and were joined by the Indiar.s, have
great difficulty defending the fort. It was clear that
M. Roussillon had more influence with both Creoles
and savages than any other person save Father Beret.
Urgent policy dictated that these two men should
somehow be won over. But to do this it would be
necessary to treat Alice in such a way that her arrest
would aid, instead of operating against the desired
result, — a thing not easy to manage.
Hamilton was not a man of fine scruples, but he
may have been, probably was, better than our
American historians have made him appear. His
besetting weakness, which, as a matter of course, he
regarded as the highest flower of efficiency, was an
uncontrollable temper, a lack of fine human sympathy
and an inability to forgive. In his calmest moments,
v/hen prudence appealed to him, he would resolve to
A Prisoner of Love
251
me diplomatic means; but no sooner was his ooininn
ques..o„ed or his purpose opposed than a„g an7 he
Sn H-rr "T"''-'-' '^''^ SenL CO Sid!
erafon. He returned to his bed that night fully re-
solved upon a pleasant and successful inferview w,h
Alice next morning.
Captain Farnsworth took his fair prisoner strairrhf
way rom Hamilton's presence to a'smal oom fn
nected with a considerable structure in a d i stanza gL
way With r """"^ "^ "°' ^'- ^P^e onte
way. With a huge wooden key he unlocked the door
and stepped aside for her to enter. A dim lamp was
burnmg w.thin, its yellowish light flickering o^erTh
sc nt urn, ure, which consisted of a comfortable be*
a table w.th some books on it, three chairs, a smal
of men s clothmg hangmg here and there. A heap of
du I embers smouldered in the fireplace. Alice did
not Jalter at the threshold, but promptly entered htr
"I hope you can be comfortable," said Farnsworth
ma low tone. "It's the best I can give you."
He held the door a moment, while she stopped, with
her back toward him, in the middle of the room- hen
she heard him close and lock it. The air was almost
oowarm after her exposure to the biting wind and
siVbTriSce' AtT r --r ^--p^ -^
oy me fireplace. At a glance she comprehended
252
Alice of Old Vincennes
that the place was not the one she had formerly occu-
pied as a prisoner, and that it belonged to a man. A
long rifle stood in a corner, a bullet-nouch and powder-
horn hanging on a projecting hickory ramrod; a
heavy fur top-coat lay across one of the chairs.
Alice felt her situation bitterly enough; but she
was not of the stuff that turns to water at the touch of
misfortune. Pioneer women took hardships as a mat-
ter of course, and met calamity with admirable forti-
tude. There was no wringing of hands, no frantic
wailing, no hollow, despairing groan. While life
lasted hope flourished, even in most tragic surround-
ings; and not unfrequently succor came, at the last
verge of destruction, as the fitting reward of uncon-
querable courage. A girl like Alice must be accepted
in the spirit of her time and surroundings. She was
born amid experiences scarcely credible now, and bred
in an area and an atmosphere of incomparable dangers.
Naturally she accepted conditions of terrible import
with a sang froid scarcely possible to a girl of our day.
She did not cry, she did not sink down helpless when
she found herself once more imprisoned with some
uncertain trial before her; but simply knelt and re-
peated the Lord's prayer, then went to bed and slept ;
even dreamed the dream of a maid's first love.
Meantime Farnsworth, who had given Alice his
own apartment, took what rest he could on the cold
ground under a leaky shed hard by. His wound, not
yet altogether healed, was not benefited by the ex-
posure.
In due time next morning Hamilton ordered Alice
A Prisoner of Love 253
brought to his office, and when she appeared he was
smihng with as near an approach to affabihty as his
disposition would permit. He rose and bowed Hke a
courtier.
"I hope you rested well, Mademoiselle," he said in
his best French. He imagined that the use of her
language would be agreeable to begin with.
The moment that Alice saw him wearing that shal-
low veneering of pleasantness on his never prepossess-
mg visage, she felt a mood of perversity come over her.
She, too, smiled, and he mistook her expression for
one of reciprocal amenity. She noticed that her sword
was on his table.
"I am sorry. Monsieur, that I cannot say as much
to you," she glibly responded. "If you lay upon a bed
of needles the whole night through, your rest was
better than you deserved. My own sleep was quite
refreshing, thank you."
Instantly Hamilton's choler rose. He tried to sup-
press it at first; but when he saw Alice actually laugh-
ing, and Farns worth (who had brought her in) bitincr
his lip furiously to keep from adding an uproarious
guffaw, he lost all hold of himself. He unconsciously
picked up the rapier and shook it till its blide swished.
"I might have known better than to expect decency
from a we^ich of your character," he said '1 hoped
to do yov. a favor; but I see that you are not capable
of acccipting kindness politely."
''I am sure, Monsieur, that I have but spoken the
truth plainly ro you. You would not have me do
otherwise, I hope."
254 Alice of Old Vincennes
Her voice, absolutely witching in its softness, fresh-
ness and suavity, helped the assault of her eyes, while
her dimples twinkled and her hair shone. Hamilton
felt his heart move strangely ; but he could not forbear
saying in English :
"If you are so devilish truthful, Miss, you will prob-
ably tell me where the flag is that you stole and hid."
It was always the missing banner that came to mind
when he saw her.
"Indeed I will do nothing of the sort," she promptly
replied. "When you see that flag again you will be
a prisoner and I will wave it high over your head."
She lifted a hand as she spoke and made the mo-
tion of shaking a banner above him. It was exaspera-
tion sweetened almost to delight that took hold of the
sturdy Briton. He liked pluck, especially in a woman ;
all tne more if she was beautiful. Yet the very fact
that he felt her charm falling upon him set him hard
against her, not as Hamilton the man, but as Hamilton
the commander at Vincennes.
"You think to fling yourself upon me as you have
upon Captain Farnsworth," he said, with an insulting
leer and in a tone of prurient innuendo. "I am not sus-
ceptible, my dear." This more for Farnsworth's
benefit than to insult her, albeit he was not in a mood
to care.
"You are a coward and a liar!" she exclaimed, her
face flushing with hot shame. "You stand here," she
quickly added, turning fiercely upon Farnsworth,' "and
quietly listen to such words ! You, too, are a coward
A Prisoner of Love
255
if you do not make him retract ! Oh, you EngHsh are
low brutes I" ^ s c
Hamilton laughed ; but Farnsworth looked dark and
troubled, his glance going back and forth from Alice
to his commander, as if another word would cause
nim to do something terrible.
"I rather think I've heard all that I care to hear from
you. Miss," Hamilton presently said. "Captain Farns-
worth, you will see that the prisoner is confined in the
proper place, which, I suggest to you, is not your
sleeping quarters, sir."
Xolonel Hamilton," said Farnsworth in a husky
voice, '1 slept on the ground under a shed last night
m order that Miss Roussillon might be somewhat com-
fortable."
';Humph! Well, see that you do not do it again.
This girl IS guilty of harboring a spy and resisting a
lawful attempt of my guards to capture him. Con-
fine her in the place prepared for prisoners and sec
that she stays there until I am ready to fix her punish-
ment."
"There is no place fit for a young girl to stay in "
Farnsworth ventured. "She can have no comfort
or^ "
"Take her along, sir; any place is good enough for
her so long as she behaves like a "
"Very well," Farnsworth bluntly interrupted, thus
saving Alice the stroke of a vile comparison. "Come
with me, please, Miss Roussillon."
^-^ r..=.v^ ixcx tovvuru the uoor, then dropped the
arm he had grasped and murmured an apology.
256 Alice of Old Vincennes
She followed, him out, holding her head high No
one looking on would have suspected that a sinking
sensation in her heart made it difficult for her to walk
or that her eyes, shining like stars, were so inwardly
clouded with distress that she saw her way but dimly
It was a relief to Hamilton when Helm a few min-
utes later entered the room with something breezy
to say. ^
"What's up now, if I may ask?" the jolly American
demanded. "What's this I hear about trouble with the
French women ? Have they begun a revolution ?"
"That elephant, ^Gaspard Roussillon, came back into
town last night," said Hamilton sulkily.
"Well, he went out again, didn't he ^"
"Yes, but "
"Stepped on somebody's toe first, eh ?"
"The guard tried to capture him, and that girl of
his wounded Lieutenant Barlow in the neck with a
sword. Roussillon fought like a tiger and the men
swear that the devil himself appeared on the scene to
help the Frenchman out."
"Moral : Be generous in your dealings with French-
men and Frenchwomen and so get the devil on your
side."
"I've got the girl a prisoner, and I swear to you
that I'll have her shot this time if "
"Why not shoot her yourself? You oughtn't to shirk
a dirty job like that and force it upon your men."
Hamilton laughed and elevated his shoulders as if
to shake oflf an annoying load. Just then a young
officer with a white bandage around his neck entered
A Prisoner of Love
257
and saluted. He was a small, soft-haired blue-eved
man of reckless bearing, with marks of dissipati'
^X "° "' ''-'■ "^ -'-^' ---""
fa?:; "firsi:." °"'' "" ^'™ ^-" ™
"How so?"
"I stood the brunt and now Captain Farnsworth
gets the prue." He twisted his mouth in mock ex
press.on of maudlin disappointment. "I'm alwavs
c eated out of the sweets. I never get L^uSt
gallant conduct on the field " ^ s "r
tJ7r^°n' ^' '' ^ '^'"'''- But I say. Lieutenant,
has Roussdlon really escaped, or is he hidden some
where m town? Have you been carefuP"
Oh It's the- Indians. They all swear by these
Frenchmen. You can't get any help from them against
:nf::"x^r.""°"-^"*-"^--^^'-''e-s
;_'Thaf s sensible talk, sir," assented Barlow.
talk n? J ^''"^"'""^ ^"""'°"- "■^°" ""'ght as well
Lr IW" *' ^"""^ ''"^^ °* '^' American
!1?7 1°°"^^ '"""^'" ''"' the whole race I"
a.r"ok:tH;c.'''^''''"^^'-''^^'~-.w'*
"i hey have been tellin
me a cock-and-bull story
concerning the aflFair at the Roussillon cabin," Hamil-
4
258 Alice of Old Vincennes
ton said, changing his manner. "What is this about a
disguised and wonderful man wl, i rushed in and upset
the whole of you. I want no romancing ; give mc the
facts."
Barlow's dissolute countenance became troubled.
^ "The facts," he said, speaking with serious delibera-
tion, "are not clear. It was like a clap of thunder, the
way that ma performed. As you say, he did fling the
whole squad all of a heap, and it was done that
quickly," he snapped his thumb and finger demonstra-
tively with a sharp report; "nobody could under-
stand it." \
Hamilton looked at his subaltern with a smile of un-
limited contempt and said:
"A pretty officer of His Majesty's army, you are,
Lieutenant Barlow ! First a slip of a girl shows her-
self your superior with the sword and wounds you,
then a single man wipes up the floor of a house with
you and your guard, depriving you at the same time
of both vision and memory, so that you cannot even
describe your assailant I"
"He was dressed like a priest," muttered Barlow,
evidently frightened at his commander's scathing com-
ment. "That was all there was to see."
"A priest ! Some of the men say the devil. I won-
^^^ " Hamilton hesitated and looked at the floor.
"This Father Beret, he is too old for such a thin^
isn't he?" ^'
"I have thought of him— it was like him— but he is,
as you say, very old to be so tremendously strong and
active. Why, I tell you that men went from his hands
A Prisoner of Love
259
against the walls and floor as if shot out of a morta.
LX^ -an,.t and ™ost astot-ndin, thi^.Tr;
-i lit convcrs, was not to his likino-
Hamilton sent for Father .. it. ^'
with hi„, hnt the o.d!::iToo J :: 2;to'^^
worse than foohshness to accuse him of the exoloit
-er wh.ch the entire garrison was wondering pTm
worth sat by during the interview. He looked the Z."
pr.est curiously and critically over from he'd t" f°
zr-n^s -d' "°' '"™"-'- 'Hersrunis
punch m the side received from that energetic riirht
arm now lying so flabbily across the old rZwlL^
hisTea:: H?'ft ^"''' ^"' "=''''- ^-' ' "-5'took
"W, ; ? " ""■"''' '° F='™^worth and said:
What do you think of this affair? I have cross
Be e^ ItThT T"'^ P""' °^ ''^^"- I 'hink old
"I'm sure it's puzzling, indeed."
abr"o^"r ''' !" !^'"'Shm silence for a while, then
abruptly changed the subject.
tenJnf fit'l ^'^'t ' "''' ^°" ''"^ ^^"^^ '"'•^ °>« Lieu-
some g.me. We need fresh venison, and, by George!
Im not gomg to depend upon these French tmitors
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26o Alice of Old Vincennes
any longer. I have set my foot down ; they've got to
do better or take the consequences." He paused for
a breath, then added : "That girl has done too much
to escape severest punishment. The garrison will be
demoralized if this thing goes on without an example
of authority rigidly enforced. I am resolved that there
shall be a startling and effective public display of my
power to punish. She shot you ; you seem to be glad of
it, but it was a grave offence. She has stabbed Bar-
low ; that is another serious crime ; but worst of all
she aided a spy and resisted arrest. She must be
punished."
Farnsworth knew Hamilton's nature, and he now
saw that Alice was in dreadful danger of death or
something even worse. Whenever his chief talked of
discipline and the need of maintaining his authority,
there was little hope of softening his decisions. More-
over, the provocation to apply extreme measures really
seemed sufficient, regarded from a military point of
view, and Captain Farnsworth was himself, under
ordinary circumstances, a disciplinarian of the strictest
class. The fascination, however, by which Alice held
him overbore every other influence, and his devotion
to her loosened every other tie and obligation to a most
dangerous extent. No sooner had he left headquar-
ters and given Barlow his instructions touching the
hunting expedition, than his mind began to wander
amid visions and schemes by no means consistent with
his military obligations. In order to reflect undis-
turbed he went forth into the dreary, lane-like streets
A Prisoner of Love 261
of Vincennes and walked aimlessly here and there
until he met Father Beret.
Farnsworth saluted the old man, and was passing
him by when seeing a sword in his hand, half hidden
m the folds of his worn and faded cassock, he turned
and addressed him.
"Why are you armed this morning, Father?" he
demanded very pleasantly. "Who is to suffer now ?"
"I am not on the war-path, my son," replied the
priest. "It is but a rapier that I am going to clean of
rust spots that are gathering on its blade."
"Is it yours. Father? Let me see it." He held out
his hand.
"No, not mine."
Father Beret seemed not to notice Farnsworth's de-
sire to handle the weapon, and the young man, instead
of repeating his words, reached farther, nearly grasp-
ing the scabbard. "
''I cannot let you take it, my son," said Father Beret.
You have its mate, that should satisfy you."
"No, Colonel Hamilton took it," Farnsworth quickly
replied. "H I could I would gladly return it to its
owner. I am not a thief. Father, and I am ashamed of
—of— what I did when I was drunk."
The priest looked sharply into Farnsworth's eyes and
read there something that reassured him. His long
experience had rendered him adept at taking a man's
value at a glance. He slightly lifted his face and said :
Ah but the poor little girl ! why do you persecute
her? She really does not deserve it. She is a noble
.-■■, ,lv-
t r ;1
I-"" !»■<'
,'i *•!
r
I'ti' •*
262 Alice of Old Vincennes
child. Give her back to her home and her people. Do
not soil and spoil her sweet life."
It was the sing song: voice used by Father Beret in
his sermons and prayers; but something went with it
mdescribably touching. Farnsworth felt a lump rise
m his throat and his eyes were ready to show tears.
"Father," he said, with difficulty making his words
distmct, "I would not harm Miss Roussillon to save
my own life, and I would do anything—" he paused
slightly, then added with passionate force ; "I would
do anything, no matter what, to save her from th-
terrible thing that now threatens her."
Father Beret's countenance changed curiously as he
gazed at the young man and said :
"If you really mean what yoa say, you can easily
save her, my son."
"Father, by all that is holy, I mean just what I say."
"Swear not at all, my son, but give me yor uid."
The two men stood with a tight grip betWLc. tiiem
and exchanged a long, steady, searching gaze.
A drizzling rain had begun to fall again, with a raw
wind creeping from the west.
"Come with me to my house, my son," Father Beret
presently added ; and together they went, the priest
covering Alice's sword from the rain with the folds of
his cassock.
If ^'
ler people. Do
CHAPTER XV
VIRTUE IN A LOCKET
Long-Hair stood not upon ceremnnv in /.««
to Beverley the i„fon.atL t^ Ha "J ITh!
gauntlet, which, otherwise stated, meant that the n!
■ng each other about six feet apart, and that the
pnsoner would be expected to run down the length o
the space between, thus affording the warriors an op-
LureT't ^r?,'"'''" '"" ''''"^"' "^y "'«^ fiendish
natures to beat h,m cruelly d.iring his flight. This
sort of thmg was to the Indians, indeed, an exquisite
amusement as fascinating to them as the theater is to
oTIlTf 'r ' '^'°P''- ''° ^°°"'^ ^'^ " -Sreed up-
thln an h' ""''''"''"'"" should again be undertaken
than all the younger men began to scurry around get-
a droll cruelty strange to se .. and they further ex-
pressed their lively expectations by playful yet curi-
ously solemn antics. '
The preparations were simple and quickly made.
Each man armed himself with a stick three feet long
and about three-quarters of an inch in diameter
fak LT"'".' T'' '"' '^^ ''°"e'>» °f -™b-
Bev^rirTf ^"^^ "' ''°™- ^°"e-n^'r unbound
Beverley and stripped his clothes from his body down
the wa.st. Then the lines formed, the Indians in
each row standmg about as far apart as the width of
263
264 Alice of Old Vincennes
the space in which the prisoner was to run. This
arrangement gave them free use of their sticks and
plenty of room for full swing of their lithe bodies.
In removing Beverley's clothes Long-Hair found
Alice's locket hanging over the young man's heart. He
tore it rudely oflf and grunted, glaring viciously, first
at It, then at Beverley. He seemed to be mightily
wrought upon.
"White man damn thief," he growled deep in his
throat; "stole from little girl I"
He put the locket in his pouch and resumed his
stupidly indifferent expression.
When everything was ready for the delightful enter-
tainment to begin, Long-Hair waved his tomahawk
three times over Beverley's head, and pointing down
between the waiting lines said :
"Ugh, run!"
But Beverley did not budge. He was standing erect,
with his arms, deeply creased where the thongs had
sunk, folded across his breast. A rush of thoughts and
feelings had taken tumultuous possession of him and
he could not move or decide what to do. A mad desire
to escape arose in his heart the moment that he saw
Long-Hair take the locket. It was as if Alice had
cried to him and bidden him make a dash for liberty
"Ugh, run r
The order was accompanied with a push of such
violence from Long-Hair*s left elbow that Beverley
plunged and fell, for his limbs, after their long and
painful confinement in the raw-hide bonds, were stiff
and almojt useless. Long-Hair in no gentle voice bade
cd deep in his
i resumed his
Virtue in a Locket 265
'>;■" g«t up. The shock of falling seemed to awaken
h.s dormant forces; a su.lden resolve leaped into his
bram. He saw that the Indians had put aside their
bows and guns, most of which were leaning against
k„l!r r T '""^ ""'' ^°""^^- What if he could
Knock Long-Ha.r down and run away? This might
possibly be easy, considering the Indian's broken am,.
His heart jumped at the possibility. But the shrewd
savage was alert and saw the thought come into his
"You try git 'way, kill dead I" he snarled, lifting
h.s tomahawk ready for a stroke. "Brains out, damn !"
Beverley glanced down the waiting and eager lines.
Swiftly he speculated, wondering what would be his
did not take his own condition into aerount
"Ugh, run I"
Again the elbow of Long-Hair's hurt arm pushed
him toward the expectam rows of Indians, who flour-
ished their clubs and uttered impatient grunts.
1 mped stiffly at first, his legs but slowly and imper-
fectly regaming their strength and suppleness from the
action. Just before reaching the lines, however, he
stopped short. Long-Hair, who was close behind him,
took hold of his shoulder and led him back to the
starting place. The big Indian's arm must have given
him pain when he thus used it, but he did not wince.
Fool-kill dead!" he repeated two or three times,
holding his tomahawk on high with threatening mo-
tions and frequent repetitions of his one echo from
It,
[I
I'< '
fi ,.
266 Alice of Old Vincennes
the profanity of civilization. He was beginning to
draw his mouth down at the corners, and his eyes were
narrowed to mere slits.
Beverley understood now that he could not longer
put off the trial. He must choose between certain
death and the torture of the gauntlet, as frontiersmen
named this savage ordeal. An old man might have
preferred the stroke of the hatchet to such an infliction
as the clubs must afford, considering that, even after
all the agony, his captivity and suffering would be
only a little nearer its end. Youth, however, has faith
in the turn of fohune's wheel, and faith in itself, no
matter how dark the prospect. Hope blows her horn
just over the horizon, and the strain bids the young
heart take courage and beat strong. Moreover, men
were men, who led the van in those days on the outmost
lines of our march to the summit of the world. Bever-
ley was not more a hero than any other young, brave,
unconquerable patriot of the frontier army. His situ-
ation simply tried him a trifle harder than was com-
mon. But it must be remembered that he had Love
with him, and where Love is there can be no cowardice,
no surrender.
Long-Hair once again pushed him and said .
"Ugh, run!"
Beverley made a direct dash for the narrow lane
between the braced and watchful lines. Every warrior
lifted his club; every copper face gleamed stolidly, a
mask behind which burned a strangely atrocious spirit.
The two savages standing at the end nearest Beverley
struck at him the instant he reached them, but they
Virtue in a Locket 267
Z?n'!h ''""^^^'"T'"- -hen he checked himself
be ween them and, leaping this way and that swuntr
This done, Beverley turned to run away but his
breath was already short and his strength rlpidjgo-
whtn"f "5; ''^° *^' " '''' ''^^'^' '^»P«d before him
flourlh.l ^°"' '"' " ''^ ^'^P^ =•"" once mor"
save to nsit """l"'"'' ''° ^'™»"«'«= -^ "-'-'
save to insist upon bemg brained outright, which jus
SaTr W ."H°r" '" """"'"^^'^ consideLi;ns. Long
Ha,r kicked h,s victim heavily, uttering laconic curses
-de, and led him back again t'o the sLtt^g!
A genuine sense of humor seems almost entirely
laughs, which IS very seldom, the cause of his merri-
Tmr'^h" ': ""^"""^ ^^p^"-"y "-> -1
hurting them so that one lay half stunned, while the
o«ier spun away from his fist with a smashed nose
all the rest of the Indians grunted and laughed
ucously m high delight. They shook their cfubs!
danced pointed at their discomfited fellows and twisted
heir painted faces into knotted wrinkles, their eyes
Sbi? ""' '""'=" ^''P""-" °* ^'-1* ind
268
Alice of Old Vincennes
W
14 '
if .:,
> .
"Ugh, damn, run I" said Long-Hair, this time adding
a hard kick to the elbow-shove he gave Beverley.
The young man, who had borne all he could, now
turned upon him furiously and struck straight from
the shoulder, setting the whole weight of his body into
the blow. Long-Hair stepped out of the way and
quick as a flash brought the flat side of his tomahawk
with great force against Beverley's head. This gave
the amusement a sudden and disappointing end, for
the prisoner fell limp and senseless to the ground.
No more running the gauntlet for him that day. In-
deed it required protracted application of the best In-
dian skill to revive him so that he could fairly be called
a living man. There had been no dangerous con-
cussion, however, and on the following morning camp
was broken.
Beverley, sore, haggard, forlornly disheveled, had
his arms bound again and was made to march apace
with his nimble enemies, who set out swiftly eastward,
their disappointment at having their sport cut short,
although bitter enough, not in the least indicated by
any facial expression or spiteful act.
Was it really a strange thing, or was it not, that
Beverley's mind now busied itself unceasingly with the
thought that Long-Hair had Alice's picture in his
pouch? One might find room for discussion of a
cerebral problem like this; but our history cannot be
delayed with analyses and speculations; it must run
its direct course unhindered to the end. Suffice it to
record that, while tramping at Long-Hair's side and
growing more and more desirous of seeing the picture
Virtue in a Locket
269
again, Beverley began trying to converse with his taci-
turn captor. He had a considerable smattering of
several Indian dialects, which he turned upon Long-
Hair to the best of his ability, but apparently without
effect. Nevertheless he babbled at intervals, always
upon the same subject and always endeavoring to
mfluence that huge, stolid, heartless savage in the di-
rection of letting him see again the child face of the
miniature.
A stone, one of our travel-scarred and mysterious
western granite bowlders brought from the far north
by the ancient ice, would show as much sympathy as
did the face of Long-Hair. Once in a while he gave
Beverley a soulless glance and said "damn" with utter
indifference. Nothing, however, could quench or even
m the slightest sense allay the lover's desire. He talked
of Alice and the locket with constantly increasing volu-
bility, saying over and over phrases of endearment in
a half-delirious way, not aware that fever was fer-
menting his blood and heating w 3 brain. Probably he
would have been very ill but for the tremendous
physical exercise forced upon him. The exertion kept
him m a profuse perspiration and his robust consti-
tution cast off the malarial poison. Meantime he used
every word and phrase, every grunt and gesture of
Indian dialect that he could recall, in the iterated and
reiterated attempt to make Long-Hair understand
what he wanted.
When night came on again the band camped under
some trees beside a swollen stream. There was^ no
rain falling, but almost the entire countrv lay under
11
t
hi-
270 Alice of Old Vincennes
a flood of water. Fires of logs were soon burning
brightly on the comparatively dry bluff chosen by the
Indians. The weather was chill, but not cold. Long-
Hair took great pains, however, to dry Beverley's
clothes and see that he had warm wraps and plenty
to eat. Hamilton's large reward would not be forth-
coming should the prisoner die. Beverley was good
property, well worth careful attention. To be sure his
scalp, in the worst event, would command a sufficient
honorarium, but not the greatest. Beverley thought of
all this while the big Indian was wrapping him snugly
in skins and blankets for the night, and there was no
comfort in it, save that possibly if he were returned to
Hamilton he might see Alice again before he died.
A fitful wind cried dolefully in the leafless treetops,
the stream hard by gave forth a rushing sound, and
far away some wolves howled like lost souls. Worn
out, sore fron. head to foot, Beverley, deep buried in
the blankets and skins, soon fell into a profound sleep.
The fires slowly crumbled and faded ; no sentinel was
posted, for the Indians did not fear an attack, there
being no enemies that they knew of nearer than Kas-
kaskia. The camp slumbered as one man.
At about the mid-hour of the night Long-Hair gently
awoke his prisoner by drawing a hand across his face,
then whispered in his ear:
"Damn, still!"
Beverley tried to rise, uttering a sleepy ejaculation
under his breath.
"No talk," hissed Long-Hair. "Still !"
There was something in his voice that not only
Virtue in a Locket 271
swept the last iilm of sleep out of Beverley's brain hut
made it perfectly dear to him that a viry .Wtan
b. of craftiness was being performed; just X •
nature was, however, he could not surmisi. One thi"^
was obv,ous, Long-Hair did not wish the oZr
ITr "^ r, °' "^ ""^"^ "«= -» """'-r Deftly
he s,pped the blankets from around Beverley and
cut the thongs at his ankles. ^'
"Still I" he whispered. "Come 'long "
SCO e aTT """ °"* '""'"' ""•" from nearly a
voud, xt; ne IT" '"'°" '""^-«-' '"''-d •>
-Pim"r=::-%:-tS£
crawhng monster. It was a painful prices! for h
arms were still fast bound at the wrts Xlhl raJ
2 S" think ^'r r """ '° """•' «« shiver;
of th wind ! ,"•"" ""«■" ''"PP™- The voice
strelm ^ ^ ""^ 'he noisy bubbling of the
Stream near by were cheprfni o«^ u •
him now 9n u "^ cheenng sounds to
rahuLn T u''" ' '"'^^ ^^^^°^ °^ hope do
tor a human soul on the verge of despair! Already he
was p anninp- or frvi««- ♦« i -f^'reaay ne
could km W U ^ ■? "^ " "'""* ^^y ''y "hich he
""'" ''"' Long-Hair when thpv choulH r---i-
distance from the sleeping cam"p ' " ""''
But how could the thing be done? A man with his
?;t .i,-
SI, ,p
SKc f
\::>
^^^E t 9
272
Alice of Old Vincennes
hands tied, though they are in front of him, is in no
excellent condition to cope with a free and stalwart
savage armed to the teeth. Still Beverley's spirits rose
with every rod of distance that was added to their slow
progress.
Their course was nearly parallel with that of the
stream, but slightly converging toward it, and after
they had gone about a furlong they reached the bank.
Here Long-Hair stopped and, without a word, cut
the thongs from Beverley's wrists. This was astound-
ing ; the young mj^ could scarcely realize it, nor was
he ready to act.
"Swim water," Long-Hair said in a guttural mur-
mur barely audible. "Swim, damn !"
Again it was necessary for Beverley's mind to act
swiftly and with prudence. The camp was yet within
hailing distance. A false move now would bring the
whole pack howling to the rescue. Something told
him to do as Long-Hair ordered, so with scarcely a
perceptible hesitation he scrambled down the bushy
bank and slipped into the water, followed by Long-
Hair, who seized him by one arm when he began to
swim, and struck out with him into the boiling and
tumbling current.
Beverley had always thought himself a master
swimmer, but Long-Hair showed him his mistake.
The giant Indian, with but one hand free to use, fairly
rushed through that deadly cold and turbulent water,
bearing his prisoner with him despite the wounded arm,
as easily as if towing him at the stern of a pirogue.
True, his course was down stream for a considerable
ittural mur-
Virtue in a Locket 273
distance, but even when presently he struck out boldly
for the other bank, breasting a current in which few
sw,m™ers could have lived, much less made headway
he st,II swung forward rapidly, splitting the waves
lie could help m the progress. It was a long, cold
struggle, and when at last they touched the sloping low
bank on the other side, Long-Hair had fairly to lift
h.s chilled and exhausted prison., to the top
ruhl T'''.'" •" ^™"''^' ^'^' "S to pound and
dlC"^^^""''"^^""'"''^- "''''' -^""'
tomlatl^„^.?lr '' "^''' ''^'■''' "-""'"^ *«^
It was a strange, bewildering experience out of
which the young man could not see in any direction
far enough to give him a hint upon which to act. In a
few mmutes Long-Hair jerked him to his feet and said :
LrO.
It was just light enough to see that the order had
a tomahawk to enforce it withal. Long-Hair indi-
cated the direction and drove Beverley onward as fast
as he could.
"Try run 'way, kill, damn !" he kept repeating, while
with his left hand on the young man's shoulder he
guided him from behind dexterously through the wood
for some distance. Then he stopped and grunted, add-
ing his favorite expletive, which he used with not the
least knowledge of its meaning. To him the syllable
damn was but a mouthful of forcible wind
They had just emerged from a thicket into an open
t'.a
f-j
M
l»!
I, ■
274
Alice of Old Vincennes
space, where the ground was comparatively dry. Over-
head the stars were shining in great clusters of silver
and gold against a dark, cavernous looking sky, here
and there overrun with careering black clouds. Bev-
erley shivered, not so much with cold as on account
of the stress of excitement which amounted to nerv-
ous rigor. Long-Hair faced him and leaned toward
him, until his breathing was audible and his massive
features were dimly outlined. A dragon of the dark-
est age could not have been more repulsive.
"Ugh, friend, damn!"
Beverley started' when these words were followed
by a sentence in an Indian dialect somewhat familiar
to him, a dialect in which he had tried to talk with
Long-Hair during the day's march. The sentence,
literally translated, was:
"Long-Hair is friendly now."
A blow in the face could not have been so sur-
prising. Beverley not only started, but recoiled as if
from a sudden and deadly apparition. The step be-
tween supreme exhilaration and utter collapse is now
and then infinitesimal. There are times, moreover, when
an expression on the face of Hope makes her look
like the twm sister of Despair. The moment falling
just after Long-Hair spoke was a century condensed
in a breath.
"Long-Hair is friendly now; will white man be
friendly?"
Beverley heard, but the speech seemed to come out
01 vastness and hollow distance ; he could not realize
it fairly. He felt as if in a dream, far off somewhere
Virtue in a Locket
lite man be
275
'" 'oneliness, with a hV slia.lnw,, t
him. He heard the ch 1 t T T ^'^'"^ ^^°'<'
about, and beyond LontL? '" ""^ ""^''^'^ ^"""'l
"Ugh. not 'understand"" ,:r" "="' °'^'''"' '-«•
•nanded in his broken Enghsh "'" '""^""^ "-
Is the white man friendly now'" L on„ u ■ u
repeated in his own tongue with . , , .^-"^'^ ""en
of manner and voice. ^ *'" '"^'^'wce
"Yes, friendly."
4r\Ll:;:: ^•'-""^ ■: => «- of perfunctory
waver. Bu he was he '"""''' "'^ '''^'' -^""^d '°
Long-Hair for M ^""'"^ *° comprehend that
was^des^o;s of mak,„TT"!,r°" "' "'' -"•
The thought w^sSerLg'"^"''''""' """^^ "'™-
ciness, again speaking h Indian
inl::S,trr'''^^''^--ashtLitg,eam
eh'^'"' "'" ^°"^ '° ''='^« "«■' ^rf for his squaw-
voZ'V: wlstrr '^^ "'"'°"' "--""^ his own
were numb and tr^^r" ''' ""=''^' ""' '''^ ^ands
cPenithecournotrS^,,,^:-;,^';^<^'<^
even^ the star-hght was Shut o. £^0^1^.:::
if.
h^ .
r-s
. * •
I
276 Alice of Old Vincennes
"Little girl saved Long-Hair's life. Long-Hair save
white warrior for little girl."
A dignity which was almost noble accompanied
these simple sentences. Long-Hair stood proudly
erect, like a colossal dark statue in the dimness.
The great truth dawned upon Beverley that here
was . characteristic act. He knew that an Indian
rarely failed to repay a kindness or an injury, stroke
for stroke, when opportunity offered. Long-Hair was
a typical Indian. That is to say, a type of inhumanity
raised to the last power ; but under his hideous atrocity
of nature lay the indestructible sense of gratitude so
fixed and perfect that it did its work almost automat-
icallv.
It must be said, and it may or may not be to the
white man's shame, that Beverley did not respond with
absolute promptness and sincerity to Long-Hair's
generosity. He had suffered terribly at the hands of
this savage. His arms and legs were raw from the
biting of the thongs ; his body ached from the effect
of blows and kicks laid upon him while bound and
helpless. Perhaps he was not a very emotional man.
At all events there was no sudden recognition of the
favor he was receiving. And this pleased Long-Hair,
for the taste of the American Indian delights in im-
mobility of countenance and reserve of feeling under
great strain.
"Wait here a little while," Lon^ x'lair presently said,
and without lingering for reply, turned away and dis-
appeared in the wood. Bev^erley was free to run if he
wished to, and the thought did surge across his mind ;
Virtue in a Locket
neart a calm voice sccmpri f« k .
Hair's Indian senteice "w , , ''"''""^ ^"S"
< senrci.ce— Wait here a little whilp "
pouclies and powder-hornt „ ? '="' ''""'='■
near ,y before he a^orWief^HL^^^^^^^^^^^
he had swum thn ^^i i • ,y- This meant that
fall; oncrove ;,2 th"" "^ "'"'" """' "'^"t-
once back to 1,71 ^"" '"'' '"^'=°"'«™ents ,•
AII this witla bri '""■■ ''^"" "''^ '^«™^'<=y'
kindnessrhim " ""'' ""' '° "^''^ ^''^ ^^ "er
bored. ^ ^' ^'^ ^^^"^^ absently, being
Delay could not be thought of T nno- w •
plained briefly that he thou/ht r7 j^^"^-^^'" ^^-
Kaskaskia He hJ ^ ^^'^^^ "^"'^ ^° *«
'vid. He had come across the str^m in ^u
- His w,,, ,Hen leave L to sl^^yrl^se :'"«:
had a meager amount of parched com and buffalo mSt
III!
"1
■4- -,L
b i
278 Alice of Old Vincennes
in his pouch, which would stay hunger until they could
kill some game. Now they must go.
The resilience of a youthful and powerful physique
offers many a problem to the biologist. Vital force
seems to find some mysterious reservoir of nourish-
ment hidden away in the nerve-centers. Beverley set
out upon that seemingly impossible undertaking with
renewed energy. It could not have been the ounce of
parched corn and bit of jerked venison from which he
drew so much strength ; but on the other hand, could
it have been the miniature of Alice, which he felt press-
ing over his heart' once more, that afforded a subtle
stimulus to both mind and body? They flung miles
behind them before day-dawn, Long-Hair leading,
Beverley pressing close at his heels. Most of the way
led over flat prairies covered with water, and they
therefore left no track by which they could be fol-
lowed.
Late in the forenoon Long-Hair killed a deer at
the edge of a wood. Here they made a fire and cooked
a supply which would last them for a day or two, and
then on they went again. But we cannot follow them
step by step. When Long-Hair at last took leave of
Beverley, the occasion had no ceremony. It was an
abrupt, unemotional parting. The stalwart Indian sim-
ply said in his own dialect, pointing westward :
"Go that way two days. You will find your friends."
Then, without another look or word, he turned about
and stalked eastward at a marvelously rapid gait.
In his mind he had a good tale to tell his war-
rior companions when he should find them again:
Virtue in a Locket
279
li.m a long, long chase, only to lose him at last under
that he came upon Lieutenant Barlow, who in nursnit
inZ:- "'' T' '" "^"'"^^ '»""■ '- ^™™ hi cI'.
Pamons, was beating around quite bewildered in a
watery solitude. Long-Hair promptly murS' h
poor fellow and scalped him with as little compuncticn
scheme m h.s head, a very audacious and outrageous
scheme by which he purposed to recoup, to so^ x-
tent the damages sustained by letting Beverley go
enJd ' hT' ""''" ^' '"'"'""^ "is somewhat disheart-
ened and demoraIi^ed band he showed them the sib
hind t^T 7«' .''''"' "^'"^ ^ '°"^ "^hase and a bloody
Sd ^ • "^"'^ "''^"^''' ''^"^^^^' =">'' were
Pr u
I'
CHAPTER XVI
FATHER beret's OLD BATTLE
The room in which Alice was now imprisoned
formed part of the upper story of a building erected by
Hamilton in one of the four angles of the stockade
It had no windows and but two oblong port-holes made
to accommodate a small swivel, which stood darkly
scowling near the middle of the floor. From one of
these apertures Alice could see the straggling roofs
and fences of the dreary little town, while from the
other a long reach of watery prairie, almost a lake, lay
under view with the rolling, muddy Wabash gleaming
beyond. There seemed to be no activity of garrison or
townspeople. Few sounds broke the silence of which
the cheerless prison room seemed to be the center.
Alice felt all her courage and cheerfulness leaving
her. She was alone in the midst of enemies. No
father or mother, no friend-a young girl at the mercy
of soldiers, who could not be expected to regard her
with any sympathy beyond that which is accompanied
with repulsive leers and hints. Day after day her
loneliness and helplessness became more agonizing
Farnsworth, it is true, did all he could to relieve the
strain of her situation ; but Hamilton had an eye upon
what passed and soon interfered. He administered a
bitter reprimand, under which his subordinate writhed
in speechless anger and resentment.
"Finally, Captain Farnsworth," he said in conclu-
280
Father Beret's Old Battle 281
sion, "you will distinctly understand that tliis girl is
my prisoner, not yours; that I. not you. will direct
how s^,e ,s to be held and treated, and that hereafter I
V 1 suflfer no mterference on your part. I hope you
fully understand me sir -ind win
accordingly." ' "^'" ^°^'™ >'°''"«"
Smarting or rather smothering, under the outrage-
ous msult of these remarks, Farnsworth at first deter-
mmc to fling his resignation at the Governor's t
I is n r, V^'' '""^"'^ '"'"^ --^d -o^t to
"s n.ood. But a soldier's training is apt to call a halt
before the worst befalls in such a case.' Moreover, in
live present temptation, Farnsworth had a special ch ck
and h,„d,ance. He had had a conference with Father
Beret, n w „ch the good priest had played the part
o w,sdom m slippers, and of gentleness more dove-
hke than he dove's. A very subtle impression, illumi-
nated w.th the "hope that withers hope," had come
ot that mterview; and now Farnsworth felt its re-
stramt He therefore saluted Hamilton formally and
walked away. '
cZfT-^""''" "''''"" '°'^ *°'- A"'^'-^« '^''nnot
charactenze .t more nicely than to call it paternal,-
was h.s jusffication for a certain mild sort of corrup-
.on ms.nuated by him into the heart of Farnsworth!
for r' y"^ P""t, but his craft was always used
for a good end. Unquestionably Jesuitic was his mode
of crcumventrng the young man's military scruples by
tot?d^ Z ' """ °' '"'' "^='«'- -* -hich'to san
toward what appeared to be the sho;- of delight. He
^aw at a glance that Farnsworth's lo,e for Alice was
282 Alice of Old Vincennes
a consuming passion in a very ardent yet decidedly
weak heart. Here was the worldly lever with which
Father Beret hoped to raze Alice's prison and free her
from the terrible doom with which she was threatened.
The first interview was at Father Beret's cabin, to
which, as will be remembered, the priest and Farns-
worth went after their meeting in the street. It actu-
ally came to nothing, save an indirect understanding
but half suggested by Father Beret and never openly
sanctioned by Captain Farnsworth. The talk was in-
sinuating on the part of the former, while the latter
slipped evasively frob every proposition, as if not able
to consider it on account of a curious obtuseness of
perception. Still, when they separated they shook
hands and exchanged a searching look perfectly satis-
factory to both.
The memory of that interview with the priest was in
Farnsworth's mind when, boiling with rage, he left
Hamilton's presence and went forth into the chill Feb-
ruary air. He passed out through the postern and along
the sodden and queachy edge of the prairie, involun-
tarily making his way to Father Beret's cabin. His
indignation was so great that he trembled from head
to foot at every step. The door of the place was open
and Father Beret was eating a frugal meal of scones
and sour wine (of his own make, he said), which he
hospitably begged to share with his visitor. A fire
smouldered on the hearth, and a flat stone showed,
by the grease smoking over its hot surface, where the
cakes had been baked.
"Come in, my son," said the priest, "and try the fare
Father Beret's Old Battle 283
of a poor old man. It is plain, very plain, but good."
He smacked his lips sincerely and fingered another
scone. "Take some, take some."
Farnsworth was not tempted. The acid bouquet
of the wii;. filled the room with a smack of vinegar,
and the smoke from rank scorching fat and wheat meal
did not suggest an agreeable feast.
"Well, well, if you are not hungry, my son, sit down
on the stool there and tell me the news."
Farnsworth took the low seat without a word, let-
ting his eyes wander over the walls. Alice's rapier
the mate to that now worn by Hamilton, hung in its'
curiously engraved scabbard near one comer. The
sight of It inflamed Farnsworth.
"It's an outrage," he broke forth. "Governor Ham-
ilton sent a man to Roussillon place with orders to
bring him the scabbard of Miss Roussillon's sword
and he now wears the beautiful weapon as if he had
come by it honestly. Damn him !"
"My dear, dear son, you must not soil your lips with
such language!" Father Beret let fall the half of a
well bitten cake and held up both hands.
"I beg your pardon, Father; I know I ought to be
more careful in your presence; but-but-the beastly
hellish scoundrel "
"Bah! doucement, mon fils, doucement." The old
man shook his head and his finger while speaking.
Easy, my son, easy. You would be a fine target for
bullets were your words to reach Hamilton's ears
Yon are not permitted to revile your commander "
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284 Alice of Old Vincennes
"Yes, I know ; but how can a man restrain himself
mder .4uch abominable condu )ns?"
Father Beret shrewdly guessed that Hamilton had
been giving the Captain fresh reason for bitter resent-
ment Moreover, he was sure that the moving cause
had been Alice. So, in order to draw out what he
wished to hear, he said very gently :
"How is the little prisoner getting along?"
Farnsworth ground his teeth and swore; but Father
Beret appeared not to hear; he bit deep into a scone,
took a liberal sip of the muddy red wine and added :
"Has she a comfortable place? Do you think Gov-
ernor Hamilton would let me visit her?"
"It is horrible !" Farnsworth blurted. "She's penned
up as if she. were a dangerous beast, the poor girl.
And that damned scoundrel "
"Son, son!"
"Oh, it's no use to try, I can't help it, Father. The
whelp "
"We can converse more safely and intelligently if
we avoid profanity, and undue emotion, my son. Now,
if you will quit swearing, I will, and if you w.U bp
calm, so will I."
Farnsworth felt the sly irony of this absurdly vica-
rious proposition. Father Beret smiled with a kindly
twinkle -, his deep-set eyes.
"We^, ■ v:<i doi't use profane language. Father,
there's no i^'in- how mtich you think in expletives.
What is y<>ni opinion of a man who tumbles a poor,
defenseless girl into prison and then refuses to kt her
Father Beret's Old Battle 285
atiri"^""^"^^ ^"-''"^--P- yourself
"Tr,,P o« . ' ^ ^^^^ "°^ surmise."
my life. Miss Roussml ! \ '" ^ '"'' ^"^ *"
and I love her £0°",=. '^ ^"^ ''^ ^''°°""S "''-
than you can g^/e 1.'^' °"' '^'*"' ' ^""^ "-^
"Surely you do, my son, surely you do • but m r
for you will not let me give you pain Ah ^
have to carry all «en/loads ^u "bais' ar^ br"','
however, very broad, my son " ' '''°'"''
hel'v^:^ """ '^'^ '^^'"^'' "-^^ Father, devilish
welLSnTaS aTt" T^ °''' ''' ''^-''^
v-crth and said: " ^''"''^ ^'"^"'^^ -« F-"-
"Sometimes, sometimes, my son a ram,.
must break the way for a snirif-.n. ^ ""^P°"
„_ . . .^ ""^ " spiritual one. But we nripeu
^re^^have much physical strength; our deTenTn"
".bwL'his'sMe '"'"'"'!;'" ''^™^"°"'' '"'-"P'ed,
was the solidest thtt °^"""'>■ ^ "'ow; but yours
Father Bern? '"' ^'"^"^ "^ '"o"^" f-™e.
It ■- f.'
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286 Alice of Old Vincennes
The twain began to laugh. There is nothing like a
reminiscence to stir up fresh mutual sympathy.
"If your intercostals were somewhat sore for a time,
on account of a contact with priestly knuckles, doubt-
less there soon set in a corresponding uneasiness in
the region of your conscience. Such shocks are often
vigorously alterative and tonic— eh, my son?"
"You jolted me sober. Father, and then I was
ashamed of myself. But where does all your tremen-
dous strength lie? You don't look strong."
While speaking! Farnsworth leaned near Father
Beret and grasped his arm. The young man started,
for his fingers, instead of closing around a flabby,
shrunken old man's limb, spread themselves upon a
huge, knotted mass of iron muscles. With a quick
movement Father Beret shook off Farnsworth's hand,
and said :
"I am no Samson, my son. Non sum qualis eram."
Then, as if dismissing a light subject for a graver
one, he sighed and added ; "I suppose there is nothing
that can be done for little Alice."
He called the tall, strong girl "little Alice," and so
she seemed to him. He could not, without direct ef-
fort, think of her as a magnificently maturing woman.
She had always been his spoiled pet child, perversely
set against the Holy Church, but dear to him never-
theless.
"I came to you to ask that very question, Father,"
said Farnsworth.
"And what do I know? Surely, my son, you see
son, you see
Father Berefs Old Battle 287
"Father Beret." Farnsworth huskily interrupted "is
ti^ere a place that you know of anywhere in which
Miss Roussillon could be hidden, if__"
"My dear son."
"But, Father, I mean it."
"Mean what? Pardon an old man's slow under-
standing. What are you talking about, my son ?"
Father Beret glanced furtively about, then quickly
stepped through the doorway, walked entirely around
the house and came in again before Farnsworth could
respond. Once more seated on his stool he added
interrogatively:
Sid™ ^°" *'"'' ^°" ^^"^ something moving out-
"No."
"You were saying something when I went out.
i'ardon my mterruption."
Farnsworth gave the priest a searching and not
wholly confiding look.
"You did not interrupt me, Father Beret. I was
not speaking. Why are you so watchful? Are you
afraid of eavesdroppers?"
"You were speaking recklessly. Your words were
incendiary: ardentia verba. My son, you were sug-
gesting a dangerous thing. Your life would scarcely
satisfy the law were you convicted of insinuating such
treason. What if one of your prowling guards had
overheard you? Your neck and mine might feel the
288
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Alice of Old Vincennes
V^
halter. Quod avertat dominus." He crossed himself
and in a solemn voice added in English:
"May the Lord forbid! Ah, my son, we priests
protect those we love."
"And I, who am not fit to tie a priest's shoe, do like-
wise. Father, I love Alice Roussillon."
"Love is a holy thing, my son. Amare divinum est
et humanum."
"Father Beret, can you help me?"
"Spiritually speaking, my son?"
"I mean, can you hide Mademoiselle Roussillon in
some safe place, i£ I take her out of the prison yonder?
That's just what I mean. Can you do it?"
"Your question is a remarkable one. Have you
thought upon it from all directions, my son? Think
of your position, your duty as an officer."
A shrewd polemical expression beamed from Father
. Beret's eyes, and a very expert physiogomist might
have suspected duplicity from certain lines about the
old man's mouth.
"I simply know that I cannot stand by and see Alice
— Mademoiselle Roussillon, forced to suffer treat-
ment too beastly for an Indian thief. That's the only
direction there is for me to look at it from, and you
can understand my feelings if you will; you know
that very well. Father Beret. When a man loves a
girl, he loves her; that's the whole thing."
The quiet, inscrutable half-smile flickered once
more on Father Beret's face; but he sat silent some
time with a sinewy forefinger lying alongside his nose=
When at last he spoke it was in a tone of voice indica-
on, we priests
s shoe, do Ulce-
re divinum est
Father Beret's Old Battle 289
tive of small interest in what he was saying His
words^rambled to their goal with the effecl of haS^
hZ!lT'" "''f/J" ""■' "^'Shborhood in which a
human bemg would be as hard to find as the flag that
you and Governor Hamilton have so diligently and
unsuccess ully been in quest of for the pasf month or
two. Really my son, this is a mysterious little town »
Farnsworth's eyes widened and a flush rose in his
■warthy cheeks.
"Damn the flag!" he exclaimed. "Let it lie hidden
forever; what do I care.^ I tell you, Father Beret, that
Hamilt " '^ '" ^^'""^ ^^"S- Gov;rno
Ham,Iton means to put some terrible punishment on
her. He has a devil's vindictiveness. He showed it
to me clearly awhile ago."
"You showed something of the same sort to me, once
upon a time, my son."
in '3"' I "^'fj ^f "■ ^''''- ^"^ I ^°' ^ '°^d of slugs
m my shoulder for it from that brave girl's pistol
She saved your hfe. Now I ask you to help me save
hers^,- or, ,f not her life, what is infinitely more, her
"Her honor!" cried Father Beret, leaping to his feet
so suddenly and with such energy that the «bi„ shook
worth r WH ?°/ "'^''' '° ^°" "^' C^P''"" Fams-
worth? What do you mean?"
The old man was transformed. His face was terri-
ble to see, with its narrow, burning eves deep under the
«.aggy brows, its dark veins writhing snakeUke on
the temples and forehead, the projected mouth and
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290 Alice of Old Vincennes
chin, the hard lines of the jaws, the iron-gray gleam
from all the features— he looked like an aged tiger
stiffened for a spring.
Farnsworth was made of right soldierly stuff; but
he telt a distinct shiver flit along his back. His past
life had not lacked thrilling adventures and strangely
varied experiences with desperate men. Usually he
met sudden emergencies rather calmly, sometimes with
phlegmatic indifference, This passionate outburst on
the priest's part, however, surprised him and awed
him, while it stirred his heart with a profound sym-
pathy unlike anything he had ever felt before.
Father Beret mastered himself in a moment, and
passing his hand over his face, as if to brush away the
excitement, sat down again on his stool. He appeared
to collapse inwardly.
"You must excuse the weakness of an old man, my
Son," he said, in a voice hoarse and shaking. "But
tell me what is going to be done with Alice. Your
words — what you said— I did not understand."
He rubbed his forehead slowly, as one who has
difficulty in trying to collect his thoughts.
"I- do not know what Governor Hamilton means to
do. Father Beret. It will be something devilish, how-
ever,— something that must not happen," said Farns-
worth.
Then he recounted all that Hamilton had done and
said. He described the dreary and comfortless room
in which Alice was confined, the miserable fare given
her, and how she would be exposed to the leers and
low remarks of the soldiers. She had already suffered
Father Beret's Old Battle 291
these things, and now that she could no longer have
any protection, what was to become of her' He did
not attempt to overstate the case; but presented it
with a blunt sincerity which made a powerfully real-
istic impression.
Father Beret, like most men of strong feeling who
have been subjected to long years of trial, hardship,
multitudinous dangers and all sorts of temptation
and who have learned the lessons of self-control'
had an iron will, and also an abiding distrust of
weak men. He saw Farnsworth's sincerity ; but
he had no faith in his constancy, although satisfied
hat while resentment of Hamilton's imperiousness
lasted, he would doubtless remain firm in his pur-
Zl i!° ''", j"''!; J-^' *'* ^'"^ °'^' «^ '" - ^hort
time It would, and then what? The old man studied
his companion with eyes that slowly resumed
^enialUv T°' of smouldering and almost timid
geniality. H.s priestly experience with desperate men
was demanding of him a proper regard for tha sub-
moTt ^JT T ^'"* """^ ^° °f'- ^"-"passed
most difficult ends. fo^scu
He listened in silence to Farnsworth's story. When
■t came to an end he began to offer some but half rele"
vant suggestions in the form of indirect cross-ques-
hons by means of which he gradually drew out a
mmwe description of Alice's prison, the best way to
reach it, the nature of its door-fastenings, where the
key was kept, and everything, indeed, likely to be
helpful to one contemplating a jail delivery. Fams-
worth was inwardly delighted. He felt Father
11 -^1 !•
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mv
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§ II riiii
292 Alice of Old Vincennes
Beret's cunning approach to the central object and his
crafty method of gathering details.
The shades of evening thickened in the stuffy cabin
room while the conversation went on. Father Beret
presently lifted a puncheon in one comer of the floor
and got out a large bottle, which bore a mildewed and
faded French label, and with it a small iron cup.
There was just light enough left to show a brownish
sparkle when, after popping out the cork, he poured
a draught in the fresh cup and in his own.
"We may think more clearly, my son, if we taste this
old liquor. I haVe kept it a long while to offer upon
a proper occasion. The occasion is here."
A ravishing bouquet quickly imbued the air. It was
itself an intoxication.
'The Brothers of St. Martin distilled this liquor,"
Father Beret added, handing the cup to Farnsworth,
"not for common social drinking, my son, but for times
when a man needs extraordinary stimulation. It is
said to be surpassingly good, because St. Martin blessed
the vine."
The doughty Captain felt a sudden and imperious
thirst seize his throat. The liquor flooded his veins
before his lips touched the cup. He had been abstain-
ing lately ; now his besetting appetite rushed upon him.
At one gulp he took in the fiery yet smooth and cap-
tivating draught. Nor did he notice that Father
Beret, instead of joining him in the potation, merely
lifted his cup and set it down again, smacking his lips
iwith gusto.
object and his
he air. It was
Father Beret's Old Battle 293
cup and said • ^ ^"'^ Farnsworth's
J' 11L.1 acre as well asm sunny France? O,,,- ^k; ^
J"st,fies any in,propriety of tfm/and pte; " ' "
You are right, Father. I drink to our object Yes
I say, to our object " ""jcct. nes,
fomcr-K^ y ^ ''''°^'^ ^'^ sentences into unin-
the n'-' ""'T ""'«'"""' '' f'' '"directum," muttered
Sleep we„,l;t; Ah ittrArSeAr~
old Father will try-will try!" ' ^'"'' ^°"
He fumbled along the wall in the dark until he found
e rap.er, which he took down; then he w nt out Ld
h r 7ZT' """"""'^^^ ■'"'de the door, while
arose and ghded away shadow-like toward the fort
over wh,ch the night hung black, chill and JL^J
SI ■ ''■','
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294 Alice of Old Vincennes
silent. The moon was still some hours high, but
smothered by the clouds ; a fog slowly drifted from
the river.
Meantime Hamilton and Helm had spent a part of
the afternoon and evening, as usual, at cards. Helm
broke off the game and went to his quarters rather
early for him, leaving the Governor alone and in a
bad temper, because Farnsworth, when he had sent
for him, could not be found. Three times his orderly
returned in as many hours with the same report ; the
Captain had not been seen or heard of. Naturally this
sudden and complete disappearance, immediately
after the reprimand, suggested to Hamilton an un-
pleasant possibility. What if Farnsworth had deserted
him? Down deep in his he?-'; he was conscious that
the young man had good cause for almost any desper-
ate action. To lose Captain Farnsworth, however,
would be just now a calamity. The Indians were drift-
ing over rapidly to the side of the Americans, and
every day showed that the French could not long be
kept quiet.
Hamilton sat for some time after Helm's departure,
thinking over what he now feared was a foolish mis-
take. Presently he buckled on Alice's rapier, which
he had lately been wearing as his own, and went out
into the main area of the stockade. A sentinel was
tramping to and fro at the gate, where a hazy lantern
shone. The night was breathless and silent. Ham-
ilton approached the soldier on duty, and asked him if
he had seen Captain Farnsworth, and receiving a nega-
eiviRg a nega-
#
Father Beret's Old Battle 295
"e had picked uphCatda H 1°' ^°""^' "^^^
in that direction at firtr , '"" """^' ^'" ^^^
wasburninloiltfe hT7^ "'"""' '° ''""^ ^"o
• nized whc ! °he1ilh ' '"' ''T' ^ ''^ P'"^^^ ''^ ^ecog-
pected thircjt f Si"" "'r'^"'^ -^■
he felt sure of if <;„ "'"'7"'' "'^^ 'here. Indeed
as othe than 1\ °"f °" ''^ ~"'<' "°' regard Alice
Canadian French Jifr/n7 """"^ '='''"^"' °f
at the posts eastward to Quebec
~ hTr ' h?Zl^°"?"^"*^^'^ -<• ^-^-n
'amp hangS 'beside h°" ""' "' ''"'"'' <*""
l,»,v 1 > ^ ^' °° a part of the swivel Her
296 Alice of Old Vincennes
"Mignorine, aliens voir si la rose,
Que ce matin avoit desclose
Sa robe de pourpe au soleil,"
when Hamilton, after stealthily mounting the rough
stairway which led to her door, peeped in through a
space between the slabs and felt a stroke of disappoint-
ment, seeing at a glance that Farnsworth was not
there. He gazed for some time, not without a sens?
of villainy, while she continued her sweetly monoton-
ous reading. If his heart had been as hard as the iron
swivel-balls that lay beside Alice, he must still have
felt a thrill of something like tender sympathy. She
now showed no trace of the vivacious sauciness which
had heretofore always marked her feature? when she
was in his presence. A dainty gentleness, touched
with melancholy, gave to her face an appealing look
all the more powerful on account of its unconscious
simplicity of expression.
The man felt an impulse pure and noble, which
would have borne him back down the ladder and away
from the building, had not a stronger one set boldly
in the opposite direction. There was a short struggle
with the seared remnant of his better nature, and then
he tried to open the door; but it was locked.
Alice heard the slight noise and breaking off her
reading turned to look. Hamilton made another effort
to enter before he recollected that the wooden key, or
notched lever, that controlled the cumbrous wooden
lock, hung on a peg beside the door. He felt for it
along the wall, and soon laid his hand on it. Then
again he peeped through to see Alice, who was now
Father Beret's Old Battle 297
standing upright near the swivel. She had thrown
ier hair back from her face and neck; the lamp's flick-
cnng hght seemed suddenly to have magnified her
^^ture and enhanced her beauty. Her book lay on
the tumoled wraps at her feet, and in either hand she
grasped a swivel-shot.
Hamilton's combative disposition came to the aid of
his baser passion when he saw once more a defiant
flash from his prisoner's face. It was easy for him
to be fascinated by opposition. Helm nad profited by
this trait as much as others had suffered by it; but, in
the case of Alice, Hamilton's mingled resentment and
admiration were but a powerful irritant to the coarsest
and most dangerous side of his nature.
After some fumbling and delay he fitted the key with
a steady hand and moved the wooden bolt creaking
and jolting from its slot. Then flinging the clumsy
door wide open, he stepped in.
Alice started when she recognized the midnight in-
truder, and a second deeper look into his countenance
made her brave heart recoil, while with a sinking
sensation her breath almost stopped. It was but a
momentary weakness, however, followed by vigorous
reaction.
"What are you here for, sir?" she demanded. "What
do you want ?"
"I am neither a burglar nor a murderer. Mademoi-
selle," he responded, lifting his hat and bowing, with
a smile not in the least reassuring.
"You look like both. Stop where you are 1"
5Q8
Alice of Old Vincennes
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"Not so loud, my dear Miss Roussillon; I am not
deaf. And besides the garrison needs to sleep."
"Stop, sir ; not another step."
She poised herself, leaning slightly backward, and
held the iron ball in her right hand ready to throw it
at him.
He halted, still smiling villainously.
"Mademoiselle, I assure you that your excitement
is quite unnecessary. I am not here to harm you."
"You cannot harm me, you cowardly wretch !"
"Humph! Pride goes before a fall, wench," he
retorted, taking a half-step backward. Then a thought
arose in his mind which added a new shade to the re-
pellent darkness of his countenance.
"Miss Roussillon," he said in English and with a
changed voice, which seemed to grow harder, each
word deliberately emphasized, "I have come to break
some bad news to you."
"You would scarcely bring me good news, sir, and
I am not curious to hear the bad."
He was silent for a little while, gazing at her with
the sort of admiration from which a true woman draws
away appalled. He saw how she loathed him, saw
how impossible it was for him to get a line nearer to
her by any turn of force or fortune. Brave, high-
headed, strong as a young leopard, pure and sweet as
a rose, she stood before him fearless, even aggressive,
showing him by every line of her face and form that
she felt her infinite superiority and meant to maintain
it. Her whole personal expression told him he was
defeated; therefore he quickly seized upon a sugges-
Father Berets Old Battle 299
tion caught from a transaction with Lon^ H=,- u
had returned a few hour, F.»f I ^°"S:-Hair, who
Beverley. ^^^°" ^""^ '"^ P""uit of
"It pains me, I assure you M;«« R«„. n
He paused, feeling with a dPv.Tc c.*- c •
point of his statempnf J satisfaction the
Th. "'V ^° ^^'^"'^ ^° the girl's heart
speakmg b„t Hamilton heard no sound. ' '
tenal W!e%'::j;t^^^ TT ' ''"' "'^"" ^--
-^fhaS^^^^^^^^^^
Alice's voice came to her now. She drew in a auiv-
ering breath of relief. ^
agll r" '' " '''""'' '^^°" ''^'^^ ■"■" => prisoner
"A part of him, Miss Roussillon. Enough to be
qu..e sure that there is one traitor who wilftr^uble
h.s kmg no more. Mr. Long-Hair brought in th S
tenant's scalp." ^"
her face blanched and she stood as if frozen by the
II- .
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ty'm
If Pi
^!i!. ■ i:^
In •*■ i :
'1:
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tiiii liii! i
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300
Alice of Old Vincennes
shock. The shifty moon-glimmer and the yellow glow
of the lamp showed Hamilton to what an extent his
devilish cruelty hurt her, and somehow it chilled him
as if by reflection; but he could not forego another
thrust.
"He deserved hanging, and would have got it had
he been brought to me alive. So after all, you should
be satisfied. He escaped my vengeance and Long-
Hair got his pay. You see I am the chief sufferer."
These words, however, fell without effect upon the
girl's ears, in \yhich was booming the awful, storm-
like roar of her excitement. She did not see her
persecutor standing there; her vision, unhindered by
walls and distance, went straight away to a place in
the wilderness, where all mangled and disfigured Bev-
erley lay dead. A low cry broke from her lips ; she
dropped the heavy swivel-balls ; and then, like a bird,
swiftly, with a rustling swoop, she went past Hamilton
and down the stair.
For perhaps a full minute the man stood there mo-
tionless, stupefied, amazed; and when at length he
recovered himself, it was with difficulty that he fol-
lowed her. Everything seemed to hinder him. When
he reached the open air, however, he quickly regained
his activity of both mind and body, and looked in all
directions. The clouds were breaking into parallel
masses with streaks of sky between. The moon hang-
ing aslant against the blue peeped forth just in time
to show him a flying figure which, even while he
looked, reached the postern, opened it and slipped
through.
iiiiii
innes
1 the yellow glow
lat an extent his
ow it chilled him
t forego another
have got it had
IT all, you should
lance and Long-
:hief sufferer."
t effect upon the
be awful, storm-
did not see her
1, unhindered by
ay to a place in
1 disfigured Bev-
im her lips; she
then, like a bird,
it past Hamilton
Father Beret's Old Battle 301
the latter He Jl. '^'"^'''^""y and alone, he chose
stood there mo-
;n at length he
ilty that he fol-
der him. When
quickly regained
nd looked in all
ng into parallel
rhe moon hang-
rth just in time
, even while he
it and slipped
i
lilHil''
'I
t '
ll'lili
iil.l'iii
CHAPTER XVII.
A MARCH THROUGH COLD WATER
On the fifth day of February, 1779, Colonel George
Rogers Clark led an army across the Kaskaskia River
and camped. This was the first step in his march
towards the Wabash. An army! Do not smile. Fewer
than two hundred men, it is true, answered the roll-
call, when Father Gibault lifted the Cross and blessed
them; but every *name told off by the company ser-
geants belonged to a hero, and every voice making re-
sponse struck a full note in the chorus of freedom's
morning song.
It was an army, small indeed, but yet an army; even
though so rudely equipped that, could we now see it
before us, we might wonder of what use it could possi-
bly be in a military way.
We should nevertheless hardly expect that a hun-
dred and seventy of our best men, even if furnished
with the latest and most deadly engines of destruction
could do what those pioneers cheerfully undertook
and gloriously accomplished in the savage wilderness
which was to be the great central area of the United
States of America.
We look back with a shiver of awe at the three hun-
dred Spartans for whom Simonides composed his
matchless epitaph. They wrought and died gloriously ;
that was Greek. The one hundred and seventy men,'
808
'■ATER
Colonel George
^askaskia River
) in his march
ot smile. Fewer
jwered the roll-
"oss and blessed
2 company ser-
oice making re-
is of freedom's
an army; even
we now see it
; it could possi-
ct that a hun-
m if furnished
of destruction,
lly undertook
ige wilderness
of the United
the three hun-
composed his
ed gloriously ;
seventy men,
A March Through Cold Water 303
who, led by the backwoodsman Onri-
of an empire's area for fr edom S [h ' "'""""'''
and lived g,orio„s,y ; that was I ^^7^7"^
bear ,n mi„d this distinction by wh ^our i V™
-parates itself from that of ofd dm Ou7hr "
has always been of lifp_„„ 1 heroism
and lived to see the ffe7 '"°^^ ''^^^ ^""q^ered
all sorts of wa s and t v ""'"'''' ^' ""'' ^""Sht
successful war a trillh ! ''"' '° ""J^y- ^^^r
cans," said a wut; Sm: "^r -J"^'^ ^"'-'-
■"cky, or possessed nf !, ?' ^"'""' enormously
■•" the nature of stupendous ccde^' sTch"":""
ment may appear critically sound J om a G^r'
of view; but it leaves out th. !, '"= P°'"'
hood could enrl.tro K ^ ^" ^^^^ "^au-
^tcapac,tyofh,smen. He had genius; that is.
the
II,'
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•'if 1 1
304
Alice of Old Vincennes
he possessed the secret of extracting from himself and
from his followers the last refinement of devotion to
purpose. There was a certainty, from first to last,
that effort would not flag at any point short of the top-
most possible strain.
The great star of America was no more than a nebu-
lous splendor on the horizon in 1779. It was a new
world forming by the law of youth. The men who
bore the burdens of its exacting life were mostly stal-
wart striplings who, before the down of adolescence
fairly sprouted on their chins, could swing the ax,
drive a plow, clpse with a bear or kill an Indian. Clark
was not yet tv/enty-seven when he made his famous
campaign. A tall, brawny youth, whose frontier ex-
perience had enriched a native character of the best
quality, he marched on foot at the head of his little
column, and was first to test every, opposing danger.
Was there a stream to wade or swim ? Clark enthusi-
astically shouted, "Come on !" and in he plunged. Was
there a lack of food? "I'm not hungry," he cried.
"Help yourselves, men !" Had some poor soldier lost
his blanket? "Mine is in my way," said Clark. "Take
it, I'm glad to get rid of it!" His men loved him,
and would die rather than fall short of his expecta-
tions.
The march before them lay over a magnificent plain,
mostly prairie, rich as the delta of the Nile, but ex-
tremely difficult to traverse. The distance, as the
route led, was about a hundred and seventy miles. On
account of an open and rainy winter all the basins and
flat lands were inundated, often presenting leagues of
» I
A March Through Cold Water 305
water ranging in depth from a few inches to three or
four feet Cold winds blew, sometimes with spits of
snow and dashes of sleet, while thin ice formed on the
ponds and sluggish streams. By day progress meant
wadmg ankle-deep, knee-deep, breast-deep, with an
occas,onal spurt of swimming. By night the brave
fellows had to sleep, if sleep they could, on the cold
ground m soaked clothing under water-heavy blankets.
They flung the leagues behind them, however, cheer-
fully sfmulating one another by joke and challenge,
defymg all the bitterness of weather, all the bitings
of hunger, all the toil, danger and deprivation of a
trackless and houseless wilderness, looking only east-
ward followmg their youthful and intrepid com-
mander to one of the most valuable victories gained by
Amencan soldiers during the War of the Revolution.
Colonel Clark understood perfectly the strategic im-
portance of Vincennes as a post commanding the Wa-
bash, and as a base of communication with the many
Indian tnbes north of the Ohio and east of the Mis-
s.ss,pp,. Francis Vigo (may his name never fade I) had
brought him a comprehensive and accurate report of
Hamilton s strength and the condition of the fort and
garrison This information confirmed his belief that
Jt would be possible not only to capture Vii.c.nnes, but
Detroit as well.
Just seven days after the march began, the little
army encamped for a night's rest at the edge of a wood •
and here, just after nightfall, when the fires wer^
burning merrily and the smell of broiling buffalo steaks
burdened the damp air, a wizzened old man suddenly
f m
i
I III
i mm
ft
fi'fip
306 Alice of Old Vincennes
appeared, how or from where nobody had observed.
He was dirty and in every way disreputable in ap-
pearance, looking like an animated mummy, bear-
ing a long rifle on his shoulder, and walking with the
somewhat halting activity of a very old, yet vivacious
and energetic simian. Of course it was Oncle Jazon,
"On -le Jazon sui generis/' as Father Beret had dubbed
him.
"Well, here I am !" he cried, approaching the fire by
which Colonel Clark and some of his officers were
cooking supper, "but ye can't guess in a mile o' who
I am to save yer livers and lights."
He danced a few stiff steps, which made the water
gush out of his tattered moccasins, then doffed his non-
descript cap and nodded his scalpless head in saluta-
tion to the commander.
Clark looked inquiringly at him, while the old fellow
grimaced and rubbed his shrunken chin.
"I smelt yer fat a fryin' somepin like a mile away,
an' It set my in'ards to grumblin' for a snack; so I jes'
thought I'd drap in on ye an' chaw wittles wi' ye."
"Your looks are decidedly against you," remarked
the Colonel with a dry smile. He had recognized
Oncle Jazon after a little sharp scrutiny. "I suppose,
however, t!:r.t we can let you gnaw the bones after
we've got off the meat."
"Thank 'ee, thank 'ee, plenty good. A feller 'at's as
hongry as I am kin go through a bone like a feesh
through water."
Clark laughed and said:
the old fellow
A March Through Cold Water 307
"I don't see any teeth that you have worth mention-
•ng, but your gums may be unusually sharp "
Ya-a-s 'bout as sharp as yer wit, Colonel Clark,
do ye? Take ernother squint at me, an' see'f ye kin
member a good lookin' man i"
bJIZ '''"" Tr*""" "'' ='PP^«^^"'^e of an old scan,p
by the name of Jazon that formerly loafed around with
a worthless gun on his shoulder, and used to run from
every Indian he saw down yonder in Kentucky." Clark
held out his hand and added cordially
"How are you, Jazon, my old friend, and where
upon earth have you come from?"
Oncle Jazon pounced upon the hand and gripped it
-r^^^^e— rtin^rn^trr^:
r mv birrl- ■■''' "°' ' '"°*'"' "°«'' f'-^™ -"th
backer ^ "^ ' '"™'P-' ^''"'^ g°' ^on-e to^
Oncle Jazon's story, when presently he told it in
.T w th 'rt'"^'^- '" '"' '-'' p'- "--Va"
from the Indians; and the news from Beverley al-
ough bad enough, left room for hope. FronfeLen
ways regarded the chances better than even, so Zl
1T:\T'"'- O--^'^ >-. furthermore, had
mu.. to tell about the situation at Vincennes, the true
feehng of the French inhabitants, the lukew rm
i
, I
l> 1
I
per
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) lilil
308
Alice of Old Vincennes
friendship of the larger part of the Indians for Hamil-
ton, and, indeed, everything that Clark wished to know
regarding the possibilities of success in his arduous
undertaking. The old man's advent cheered the whole
camp. He soon found acquaintances and friends
among the French volunteers from Kaskaskia, with
whom -he exchanged Creole gestures and chatter with
a vivacity apparently inexhaustible. He and Kenton
had, with wise judgement, separated on escaping from
the Indian camp, Kenton striking out for Kentucky,
while Oncle Jazon went towards Kaskaskia.
The information that Beverley would be shot as soon
as he was returned to Hamilton, caused Colonel Clark
serious worry of mind. Not only the fact that Bever-
ley, who had been a charming friend and a most gal-
lant officer, was now in such imminent danger, but the
impression (given by Oncle Jazon's account) that he
had broken his parole, was deeply painful to the brave
and scrupulously honorable commander. Still, friend-
ship rose above regret, and Clark resolved to push his
little column forward all the more rapidly, hoping to
arrive in time to prevent the impending executipn.
Next morning the march was resumed at the break
of dawn ; but a swollen stream caused some hours of
delay, during which Beverley himself arrived from
the rear, a haggard and weirdly unkempt apparition.
He had been for three days following hard on the
army's track, which he came to far westward. Oncle
Jazpn saw him first in the distance, and his old but
educated eyes made no mistake.
hi
A March Through C 'd Water 309
"Ent ItVmt '°""'T ''^"^'^^'" "^ -'^■-■"eci.
*-A it dm c 1 m a squaw !
Nor did he parley further on the subject- but set
off at a r,okety trot to meet and assist the fagged /nd
excited young man. "fesea and
Clark had given Oncle Jazon his flask, which con
offe ed to Beverley, who wisely took but a swallow
Oncle Jazon was so elated that he waved his caoTn -
a1t:s:rr'°-'^^-'"---e„ch';;;^d:
As^fotlf T''' r'"''' """ °' A"<=^ «">^ the flag.
As for Beverley, the sentiment braced him and ,lf„
beWed name hrimmed his heart with swels' '"'
the talTT T"' ''"■" " *^^ ^-"^ »• He hugged
the gaunt Lieutenant with genuine fervor of L
whfle Oncle Jazon ran around them making a serfs'
of grotesque capers. The whole command'^ he r^Tg
Onde Jazon's patriotic words, set up a wild shou nf
on the spur of a general impression that Beverley cam!
ton s army in the east.
hsfavonte Lieutenant had not broken his parole- but
heoC '°""f — "d-ed himself,' declarig
Iton of his intention to go away with the Lice "f
SedTel-f *r^ ''"" '"' -^'^ commaV C Jl
laughed heartily when this explanation brought out
^'i.r
I'i
F I'- (
''l . »||I
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^^K ' 9
^^^^^Br^j«j^?^|^HHB
i i;
'1 'f'l
310
Alice of Old Vincennes
Beverley's tender interest in Alice ; but he sympathized
cordially; for he himself knew what love is.
Although Beverley was half starved and still suffer-
ing from the kicks and blows given him by Long-Hair
and his warriors, his exhausting run on the trail of
Clark aad his band had not worked him serious harm.
All of the officers and men did their utmost to serve
him. He was feasted without stint and furnished with
everything that the scant supply of clothing on the
pack horses could afford for his comfort. He promptly
asked for an assignment to duty in his company and
took his place yith such high enthusiasm that his com-
panions regarded him with admiring wonder. None
of them save Clark and Oncle Jazon suspected that
love for a fair-haired girl yonder in Vincennes was
the secret of his amazing zeal and intrepidity.
In one respect Clark's expedition was sadly lacking
in its equipment for the march. It had absolutely
no means of transporting adequate supplies. The
pack-horses were not able to carry more than a little
extra ammunition, a few articles of clothing, some
simple cooking utensils and such tools as were needed
in improvising rafts and canoes. Consequently, al-
though buffalo and deer were sometimes plentiful, they
furnished no lasting supply of meat, because it could
not be transported ; and as the army neared Vincennes
wild animals became scarce, so that the men began to
suffer from hunger when within but a few days of
their journey's end.
Clark made almost superhuman efforts in urging for-
ward his chilled, water-soaked, foot-sore command;
A March Through Cold Water 3,1
and when hunger added its torture to the already dis-
hearte„,„g eonditions, his courage and energy seem d
to burn stronger and brighter. Beverley Z 7Zyt
nss.de ready to undertake any tasi- acecp a„';
nsk, h,s ardor made his face glow, and he seemed to
thnve upon hardships. The two men were a Tour e
of msp,rat.on-their followers could not flag a„d heTi
tate whde under the influence of their example
Toward the end of the long march a decided fall of
omperature added ice to the water through which our
dauntless patriots waded and swam for miles The
w.n sh,fted northwesterly, taking on a searehii cS
Each gust, mdeed, seemed to shoot wintry s^inters
■nto the very marrow of the men's bones. The weaker
just at the t me when a final spurt of unflinching power
was needed. True, they struggled heroically riu
^ture was nearing the inexorable limit of endu ance
W hout food, which there was no prospect of gett"„g
collapse was sure to come. "' gerang.
Standing nearly waist-deep in freezing water and
bohng out upon the muddy, sea-like flc^d 4" t
ow so afnoJtlT . '""'''^ ""'' '''"■ 'P^^'-S
cers'or In? ""'"■' "' ""' °'-- " "^ ol
fairwilhT'"'' ^'T"'"" ^'^'^'^y- *-' -« -re to
ta.1, w.th Vmcennes almost in sight of us ?" ■
Wo, sir, ,t is not possible." was fh- firm rei>lv
;«othing mus, nothing can stop us." LooTat thai
Id I He sets the heroic example."
brave
tf0H
I; h
I'"'' ;%l!ilf'
312
Alice of Old Vincennes
Beverley pointed, as he spoke, at a boy but fourteen
years old, who was using his drum as a float to bear
him up while he courageously swam beside the men.
Clark's clouded face cleared once more. "You are
right," he said, "come on ! we must win or die."
"Sergeant Dcwit," he added, turning to an enor-
mously tap and athletic man near by, "take that little
drummer and his drum on your shoulder and lead the
way. And, sergeant, make him pound that drum like
the devil beating tan-bark!"
The huge man caught the spirit of his commander's
order. In a twinkling he had the boy astride of his
neck with the kettle-drum resting on his head, and
then the rattling music began. Clark followed, point-
ing onward with his sword. The half frozen and tot-
tering soldiers sent up a shout that went back to where
Captain Bowman was bringing up the rear under or-
ders to shoot every man that straggled or shrank from
duty.
Now came a time when not a mouthful of food was
left. A whole day they floundered m, starving, grow-
ing fainter at every step, the temperature falling, the
ice thickening. They camped on high land; and next
morning they heard Hamilton's distant sunrise gun
boom ov- ' : water.
"One half-ration for the men," said Clark, looking
disconsolately in the direction whence the sound had
come. "Just five mouthfuls apiece, even, and I'll have
Hamilton and his fort within forty-eight hours."
"We will have tiic provlsioiis, Colonel, or I will die
A March Through Cold Water 313
trying to get them," Beverley responded. "Depend
upon me."
They had constructed some canoes in which to trans-
port the weakest of the men.
"I will take a dugout and some picked fellows. Wc
will pull to the wood yonder, and there we shall find
some kind of game which has been forced to shelter
from the high water."
It was a cheerful view of a forlorn hope. Clark
grasped the hand extended by Beverley and they looked
encouragement into each other's eyes.
Oncle Jazon volunteered to go in the pirogue. He
was ready for anything, everything.
"I can't shoot wo'th a cent," he whined, as they took
their places in the cranky pirogue ; "but I might jes'
happen to kill a squir'l a tnephant or somepin
'nother."
"Very well," shouted Clark in a loud, cheerful
voice, when they had paddled away to a considerable
distance, "bring the meat to the woods on the hill yon-
der," pointing to a distant island-like ridge far be-
yond the creeping flood. "We'll be there readv to
eat it!"
He said this for the ears of his men. They heard
and answered with a straggling but determined chorus
of approval. They crossed the rolling current of the
Wabash by a tedious process of ferrying, and at last
found themselves once more wading in back-water up
to their armpits, breaking ice an inch thick as they
went. It was the closing struggle to reach the high
wooded lands. Many of them fell exhausted ; but their
ill ^- '^
314 Alice of Old Vincennes
stronger comrades lifted them, holding their heads
above water, and dragged them on.
Clark, always leading, always inspiring, was first
to set foot on dry land. He shouted triumphantly,
waved his sword, and then fell to helping the men out
of the freezing flood. This accomplished, he ordered
fires built; but there was not a soldier of them all whose
hands could clasp an ax-handle, so weak and numbed
with cold were they. He was not to be baffled, how-
ever. If fire could not be had, exercise must serve its
purpose. Hastily pouring some powder into his hand
he dampened it and blacked his face. "Victory, men,
victory!" be shouted, taking off his hat and beginning
to leap and dance. "Come on ! We'll have a war dance
and then a feast, as soon as the meat arrives that I
have sent for. Dance! you brave lads, dance! Vic-
tory! victory!"
The strong men, understanding their Colonel's pur-
pose, took hold of the delicate ones ; and the leaping,
the capering, the tumult of voices and the stamping
of slushy moccasins with which they assaulted that
stately forest must have frightened every wild thing
thereabout into a deadly rigor. Clark's irrepressible
energy and optimism worked a veritable charm upon
his faithful but almost dying companions in arms.
Their trust in him made them feel sure that food would
soon be forthcoming. The thought afforded a stim-
ulus more potent than wine; it drove them into an
ecstasy of frantic motion and shouting which soon
warmed them thoroughly.
It is said that fortune favors the brave. The larger
ding their heads
ve. The larger
A March Through Cold Water 315
meaning of the sentence may be given thus: God
^ards those who deserve His protection. History
tells us that just when Clark halted his command al-
most m s,ght of Vincennes-just when hunger was
about to prevent the victory so close to his grasp^a
TLtf' ''°"'' ^T^^' '" ""^ ''^""'='' °f ^ buffalo
captured from some Indians. The scouts were Lieu-
tenant Beverley and Oncle Jazon. And with the meat
they brought Indian kettles in which to cook it
With consummate forethought Clark arranged to'
prevent h.s men doing themselves injury by Lting
their food or eating it half-cooked. Broth was first made
and served hot; then small bits of well broiled steak
were doled out, until by degrees the fine effect of
nourishment set in, and all the command felt the fresh
courage of healthy reaction.
"I ain't no gin'ral, nor corp'ral, nor nothin'," re-
marked Oncle Jazon to Colonel Clark, "but 'f I's you
I d h ist up every dad dinged ole flag in the rig'ment,
w en I got ready to ?how myself to 'em, an' I'd make
em think, over yander at the fort, 'at I had 'bout
nmety thousan' men. Hit 'd skeer that sandy faced
Gov nor over there till he'd think his back-bone was a
comin out'n 'im by the roots."
Clark laughed, but his face showed that the old man's
suggestion struck him forcibly and seriously.
"We'll see about that presently, Oncle Jazon. Wait
till we reach the hill yonder, from which the whole
town can observe our manoeuvres, then we'll trv it
maybe." ^ '
^
h
^^WPi?"
1 1 III
m
316 Alice of Old Vinccnncs
Once more the men were lined up, the roll-call gone
through with satisfactorily, and the question put :
"Are we ready for another plunge through the mud
and water?"
The answer came in the affirmative, with a unanimity
not to be mistaken. The weakest heart of them all
beat to the time of the charge step. Again Clark and
Beverley clasped hands and took the lead.
When they reached the next high ground they
gazed in silence across a slushy prairie plot to where,
on a slight elevation, old Vincennes and Fort Sackville
lay in full view.
Beverley stood apart. A rush of sensations aflfected
him so that he shook like one whose strength is gone.
His vision was blurred. Fort and town swimmii% in
a mist were silent and still. Save the British flag
twinkling above Hamilton's headquarters, nothing in-
dicated that the place was not deserted. And Alice?
With the sweet name's echo Beverley's heart bounded
high, then sank fluttering at the recollection that she
was either yonder at the mercy of Hamilton, or already
the victim of an unspeakable cruelty. Was it weakness
for him to lift his clasped hands heavenward and send
up a voiceless prayer ?
While he stood thus Oncle Jazon came softly to his
side and touched his arm. Beverley started.
"The nex' thing'll be to shoot the everlastin' gizzards
outen 'em, won't it?" the old man inquired. "I'm jes'
a eetchin' to git 9 grip onto that Gov'nor. Ef I don't
scelp 'em I'm a squaw."
Beverley drew a deep breath and came promptly
A March Through Cold Water 317
back from his dream. It was now Oncle Jazon's turn
to assume a reflective, reminiscent mood. He looked
about lum with an expression of vague half tenderness
on his shriveled features.
"I's jes' a thinkin' how time do run past a feller "
he presently remarked. "Twenty-seven years a^o \
camped right here wi' my wife-ninth one, ef I 'mem-
ber correctHes' fresh married to 'r; sort o' honey-
moon. Twus warm an' sunshiny an' nice. She wus
a poorty squaw, n/ghty poorty, an' I wus as happy as
a tomtit on a sugar-trough. We b'iled sap yander on '
them nobs under the maplqs. It wus glor'us. Had
some sever.; .ives 'fore an' lots of 'm sence; but she
wus sweet., .r 'm all. Strange how a feller 'mem-
bers sich things an' feels sort o' lonesome like»"
The old man's mouth drooped at the corners and he
hitched up his buckskin trousers with a ludicrous sug-
gestion of pathos in every line of his attitude Un-
consciously he sidled closer to Beverley, remotely feel-
ing that he was giving the young man very effective
sympathy, well knowing that Alice was the sweet bur-
den of his thoughts. It was thus Oncle Jazon honestly
tried to fortify his friend against what probably lay in
store for him.
But Beverley failed to catch the old man's crude
comfort thus flun^ at him. The analogy was not ap-
parent. Oncle Jazon probably felt that his kindness
had been ineffectual, for he changed his tone and
added :
"But I s'pose a young feller like ye can't onder-
stan w'at it is to love a 'oman an' 'en hev 'er quit ye
'If, m
^^'
■|:T
l!"
!l» i i
m
ill Kb 11
mm
318 Alice of Old Vincennes
for 'nother feller, an' him a buck Injin. Wall, wall,
wall, that's the ,way it do go ! Of all the livin' things'
upon top ( this yere globe, the mos' onsartin', crinkety-
crankety an' slippery thing is a young 'oman 'at knows
she's poorty an' 'at every other man in the known
world is blind stavin' crazy in love wi' 'er, same as you
are.^ She'll drop ye like a hot tater 'fore ye know it,
an' 'en look at ye jes' pine blank like she never knowed
ye afore in her life. It's so. Lieutenant, shore's ye'r
born. I know, for I've tried the odd number of 'em,
an' they're all jes' the same."
, By this time Beverley's ears were deaf to Oncle Ja-
zon's querulous, vvjhining voice, and his thoughts once
more followed his wistful gaze across the watery plain
to where the low roofs of the creole town appeared
dimly wavering in the twilight of eventide, which was
fast fading into night. The scene seemed unsubstan-
tial; he felt a strange lethargy possessing his soul;
he could not realize the situation. In trying to imag-
ine Alice, she eluded him, so that a sort of cloudy
void fell across his vision with the effect of baffling and
benumbing it. He made vain efforts to recall her
voice, things that she had said to him, her face, her
smiles ; all he could do was to evoke an elusive, tanta-
lizing, ghostly something which made him shiver in-
wardly with a haunting fear that it meant the worst,
whatever the worst might be. Where was she? Could
she be dead, and this the shadowy message of her fate ?
Darkness fell, and a thin fog began to drift in wan
streaks above the water. Not a sound, save the sup-
pressed stir of the camp, broke the wide, dreary
nes
1. Wall, wall,
le livin' things
irtin', crinkety-
man 'at knows
in the known
r, same as you
re ye know it,
never knowed
t, shore's ye'r
umber of 'em,
F to Oncle Ja-
'houghts once
t watery plain
)wn appeared
le, which was
td unsubstan-
ing his soul;
^ing to imag-
)rt of cloudy
•f baffling and
to recall her
her face, her
ilusive, tanta-
im shiver in-
nt the worst,
she ? Could
i of her- fate ?
drift in wan
ave the sup-
ade, dreary
A March Through Cold Water 319
silence. Oncle Jazon babbled until satisfied that Bever-
ley was unappreciative, or at least unresponsive.
,h, M i° '°"'" terbacker," he remarked, and
shamb ed away in search of it among his friends.
A httle later Clark approached hastily and said:
I --ave been looking for you. The march has begun
l, * /
1 1 ll'l
I ''
■ CHAPTER XVIII
A DUEL BY MOONLIGHT
When Hamilton, after running some distance, saw
that he was gaining upon AHce and would soon over-
take her, it added tresh energy to his limbs. He had
quickly realized the foolishness of what he had done
in visiting the room of his prisoner at so late an hour
in the night. What would his officers and men thmk ?
To let Alice escape would be extremely embarrassing,
and to be seen chasing her would give good ground for
ridicule on the pa'rt of his entire command. Therefore
his first thought, after passing through the postern and
realizing fully what sort of predicamcnj threatened
him, was to recapture her and return her to the prison
room in the block-house without attracting attention.
This now promised to be an easier task than he had at
first feared; for in the moonligi , which on account
of the dispersing clouds, was fast growing stronger, he
saw her seem to falter and weaken. Certainly her
flight was checked and took an eccentric turn, as if
some obstruction had barred her way. He rushed on,
not seeing that, as Alice swerved, a man intervened.
Indeed he was within a few strides of laying his hand
on her when he saw her make the strange movement.
It was as if, springing suddenly aside, she had become
two persons instead of one. But instantly the figures
coincided again, and in becoming taller faced about and
confronted him.
320
A Duel by Moonlight
321
Hamilton stopped short in his tracks. The dark
figure was about five paces from him. It was not Alice
and a sword dashed dimly but unmistakably in a ray
of the moon. The motion visible was that of an expert
swordsman placing himself firmly on his legs, with his
weapon at guard.
Alice saw the man in her path just in time to avoid
runnmg against him. Lightly as a flying bird, when it
whisks Itself in a short semicircle past a tree pr a
bough, she sprang aside and swung around to the rear
of him, where she could continue her course toward
the town. But in passing she recognized him. It was
Father Beret, and how grim he looked ! The discovery
was made in the twinkling of an eye, and its effect was
instantaneous, not only checking the force of her
flight, but stopping her and turning her about to gaze
before she had gone five paces farther.
Hamilton's nerve held, startled as he was, when he
realized that an armed man stood before him. Natur-
ally he fell into the error of thinking that he had been
running after this fellow all the way from the little
gate, where, he supposed, Alice had somehow given
him the slip. It was a mere flash of brain-light, so to
call It, struck out by the surprise of this curious dis-
covery. He felt his bellicose temper leap up furiously
at being balked in a way so unexpected and withal so
mevpLcable. Of course he did not stand there reason-
ing It all out. The rush of impressions came, and at
the same time he acted with promptness. Changing
the rapier, which he held in his right hand, over into his
left, he drew a small pistol from the breast of his coat
., it
* I. i
'^i <■■'*
1- • J
fi
^ I
lilh
II- ,'
^^^A
'S^^^
1.
5'i f ^
:-h
i
322
Alice of Old Vincennes
and fired. The report was sharp and loud; but it
caused no uneasiness or inquiry in the fort, owing to
the fact that Indians invariably emptied their guns
when coming into the town.
Hamilton's aim, although hasty, was not bad. The
bullet from his weapon cut through Father Buret's
clothes between his left arm and his body, slightly
creasing the flesh on a rib. Peyond him it struck
heavily and audibly. Alice fell limp and motionless
to the soft wet ground, where cold puddles of water
were splintered over with ice. She lay pitifully
crumpled, one arm outstretched in the moonlight.
Father Beret heard the bullet hit her, and turned in
time to see her stagger backward with a hand con-
vulsively pressed over her 1 ^art. Her face, slightly up-
turned as she reeled, gave the moon a pallid target for
its strengthening rays. Sweet, beautiful, its rigid
features flashed for a second and then half turned away
from the light and went down.
Father Beret uttered a short, thin cry and moved as
if to go to the fallen girl, but just then he saw Hamil-
ton's sword pass over again into his right hand, and
knew that there was no time for anything but death or
fight. The good priest did not shirk what might have
made the readiest of soldiers nervous. Hamilton was
known to be a great swordsman and proud of the dis-
tinction. Father Beret had seen him fence with Farns-
worth in remarkable form, touching him at will, and in
ministering to the men in the fort he had heard them
talk of the Governor's incomparable skill.
A priest is, in perhaps all cases but the last out of
I
»
A Duel by Moonlight 323
a thousand, a man of peace, not to be forced into a
fight ; but the exceptional one out of the ten hundred
It IS well not to stir up if you are looking for an easy
victim. Hamilton was in the habit of considering
every antagonist immediately conquerable. His dom-
ineenng spirit could not, when opposed, reckon with
any possibility of disaster. As he sprang toward
Father Beret there was a mutual recognition and, we
speak guardedly, something that sounded exactly like
an exchange of furious execrations. As for Father
Beret's words, they may have been a mere priestly
formula of objurgation.
The moon was accommodating. With a beautiful
white splendor it entered a space of cloudless sky,
where it seemed to slip along the dusky blue surface
among the stars, far over in the west.
"It's you, is it ?" Hamilton exclaimed between teeth
that almost crushed one another. "You prowlin r hypo-
crite of hell !"
Father Beret said something. It was not compli-
mentary, and it sounded sulphurous, if not profane
Remember, however, that a priest can scarcely hope
to be better than Peter, and Peter did actually make
the Simon pure remark when hard pressed. At all
events Father Beret said something with vigorous
emphasis, and met Hamilton half way.
Both men, stimulated to the finger-tips by a draught
of imperious passion, fairly plunged to the inevitable
conflict. Ah, if Alice could have seen her beautiful
weapons cross, if she could have heard the fine, far-
reaching clink, clink, clink, while sparks leaped forth
324
Alice of Old Vincennes
W
I 'III
iii
ml
m
dazzling even in the moonlight ; if she could have noted
the admirable, nay, the amazing, play, as the men,
regaining coolness to some extent, gathered their forces
and fell cautiously to the deadly work, it would have
been enough to change the cold shimmer of her face
to a flash of warm delight. For she would have under-
stood every feint, longe, parry, and seen at a glance
how Father Beret set the pace and led the race at the
beginning. She would have imdcrstood; for Father
Beret had taught her all she knew about the art of
fencing.
Hamilton quickly felt, and with a sense of its
strangeness, the priest's masterly command of his
weapon. The surprise called up all his caution and
cleverness. Before he could adjust himself to such
an unexpected condition he came near being spitted
outright by a pretty pass under his guard. The nar-
row escape, while it put him on his best mettle,
sent a wave of superstition through his brain. He
recalled what Barlow had jocularly said about the do-
ings of the devil-priest or priest-devil at Roussillon
place on that night when the patrol guard attempted to
take Gaspard Roussillon. Was this, indeed, Father
Beret, that gentle old man, now before him, or was it
an avenging demon from the shades ?
The thought flitted electrically across his mind, while
he deftly parried, feinted, longed, giving his dark an-
tagonist all he could do to meet the play. Priest or
devil, he thought, he cared not which, he would reach
its vitals presently. Yet there lingered with him a
haunting half-fear, or tenuous awe, which may have
i
A Duel by Moonlight 325
aided, rather than hindered his excellent swordsman-
ship.
Under foot it was slushy with mud, water and ice,
the consistency varying from a somewhat solid crust
to puddles that half inundated Hamilton's boots and
quite overflowed Father Beret's moccasins. An
execrable field for the little matter in hand. They
gradually shifted position. Now it was the Gover-
nor, then the priest, who had advantage as to the light.
For some time Father Beret seemed quite the shiftier
and surer fighter, but (was it his age telling on him?)
he lost perceptibly in suppleness. Still Hamilton failed
to touch him. There was a baffling something in the
old man's escape now and again from what ought to
have been an inevitable stroke. Was it luck? It
seemed to Hamilton more than that— a sort of un-
canny evasion. Or was it supreme mastery, the last
and subtlest reach of the fencer's craft?
Youth forced age slowly backward in the struggle,
which at times took on spurts so furious that the
slender blades, becoming mere glints of acirular steel,
split the moonlight back and forth, up and down, so
that their meetings, following one another in a well-
nigh continuous stroke, sent a jarring noise through
the air. Father Beret lost inch by inch, until the fight-
ing was almost over the body of Alice ; and now for
the first time Hamilton became aware of that motion-
less something with the white, luminous face in profile
-o*4..w. ^xxv, giuuuuj but he dia not id even that un-
settle his fencing gaze, which followed the sunken
and dusky eyes of his adversary. A perspiration sud-
!\; -Mi 'A 7.
326 Alice of Old Vincennes
denly flooded his body, however, and began to drip
across his face. His arm was tiring. A doubt crept
like a chill into his heart. Then tlie priest appeared
to add a cubit to his stature and waver strangely in
the soft light. Behind him, low against the sky, a
wide winged owl shot noiselessly across just above the
prairie.
The soul of a true priest is double: it is the soul
of a saint and the soul of a worldly man. What is
most beautiful in this duality is the supreme courage
with which the saintly spirit attacks the worldly and
so often heroically masters it. In the beginning of
the fight Father Beret let a passion of the earthly body
take him by storm. It was well for Governor Henry
Hamilton that the priest was so wrought upon as to un-
settle his nerves, otherwise there would have been an
evil heart impaled midway of Father Beret's rapier.
A little later the saintly spirit began to assert itself,
feebly indeed, but surely. Then it was that Father
Beret seemed to be losing agility for a while as he
backstepped away from Hamilton's increasing energy
of assault. In his heart the priest was saying: "I
will not murder him. I must not do that. He de-
serves death, but vengeance is not mine. I will dis-
arm him." Step by step he retreated, playing erratic-
ally to make an opening for a trick he meant to use.
It was singularly loose play, a sort of wavering,
shifty, incomprehensible show of carelessness, that
caused Hamilton to entertain a doubt, which was really
a fear, as to what was going to happen ; for, notwith-
standing all this neglect of due precaution on the
A Duel by Moonlight 327
priest's part, to touch him seemed impossible, miracu-
lously so, and every plan of attack dissolved into futil-
ity m the most maddening way.
"Priest devil or ghost I" raged Hamilton, with a
iroth gathering around his mouth; "I'll kill you,
He made a longe, when his jHversary left an open-
ing which appeared absolutel. beyo.i,' defence. It was
a quick dextrous, vicious t;,r;r.t. ', he blade leaped
toward Father Berefs heart w.^h . *winkle like light-
ning. °
At that moment, although warily alert and hopeful
that his opportunity was at hand, Father Beret came
near losing his life; for as he side-stepped and easily
parried Hamilton's thrust, which he had invited, think-
ing to entangle his blade and disarm him, he caught
his foot in Alice's skirt and stumbled, nearly falling
across her. It would have been easy for Hamilton to
run him through, had he instantly followed up the
advantage. But the moonlight on Alice's face struck
his eyes, and by that indirect ray of vision which is
often strangely effective, he recognized her lying
there It was a disconcerting thing for him, but he
rallied instantly and sprang aside, taking a new posi-
tion just in time to face Father Beret again. A chill
crept up his back. The horror which he could not
shake off enraged him beyond measure. Gathering
fresh energy, he renewed the assault with desperate
steadiness, the hifyh^st vv^'^v^^- -' -.u-_,i,-.-i . ,.
. —_„_>.!. i^i^^u^i, ^i ausOiUiCiV molteii
fury. -"
Father Beret felt the dangerous access of power in
A
I 't
w
, 1
328
Alice of Old Vincennes
t I
I tj
8
fS I'M
his antagonist's arm, and knew that a crisis had ar-
rived. He could not be careless now. Here was a
swordsman of the best school calling upon him for all
the skill and strength and cunning that he could com-
mand. Again the saintly element was near being
thrown aside by the worldly in the old man's breast.
, Alice lying there seemed mutely demanding that he
avenge her. A riotous something in his blood
clamored for a quick and certain act in this drama
by moonlight — a tragic close by a stroke of terrible yet
perfectly fitting justice.
There was but the space of a breath for the conflict
in the priest's h'eart, yet during that little time he rea-
soned the case and quoted scripture to himself. .
"Domine, percutimus in gladio?" rang through his
mind. "Lord, shall we smite with the sword ?"
Hamilton seemed to make answer to this with a
dazzling display of skill. The rapiers sang a strange
song above the sleeping girl, a lullaby with coruscations
of death in every keen note.
Father Beret was thinking of Alice. His brain,
playing double, calculated with lightning swiftness the
chances and movements of that whirlwind rush of
fight, while at the saiTiC time it swept through a retro-
spect of all the years' since Alice came into his life.
How he had watched her grow and bloom ; how he had
taught her, trained her mind and soul and body to high
things, loved her with a fatherly passion unbounded,
guarded her from the coarse and lawless influences of
her surrounding??. Like the tolling of an infinitely
melancholy bell, all this went through his breast and
A Duel by Moonlight
329
brain, and, blending with a furious current of what-
ever passions were deadly dangerous in his nature
swept as a storm bearing its awful force into his sword-
arm.
The Englishman was a lion, the priest a gladiator.
The stars aloft in the vague, dark, yet sp^mdid,
a^nphitheater were the audience. It was a question.
Would the thumbs go down or up? Life and death
held the chances even ; but it was at the will of Heaven
not of the stars. ''Hoc habet" must follow t.e stroke
ordered from beyond the astral clusters and the dusky
blue. -^
Hamilton pressed, nay rushed, the fight with a
weight and at a pace which could not last. But
Father Beret withstood him so firmly that he made
no farther headway; he even lost some ground a mo-
ment later.
"You damned Jesuit hypocrite !" he snarled ; "you
lowest of a vile brotherhood of liars !"
Then he rushed again, making a magnificent show
of strength, quickness and accuracy. .The sparks
hissed and crackled from the rasping and ringing
blades.
Father Beret was, in truth, a Jesuit, and as such a
zealot ; but he was not a liar or a hvpocrite. Being
human, he resented an insult. The saintly spirit in
, him was strong, yet not strong enough to breast the
indignation which now dashed against it. For a mo-
ment it went down.
"Liar and scoundrel yourself!" he retorted, hoarsely .
330
Alice of Old Vincennes
forcing the words out of his throat. "Spawn of a
beastly breed!"
Hamilton saw and felt a change pass over the
spirit of the old priest's movements. Instantly the
sword leaping against his own seemed endowed with
subtle cunning and malignant treachery. Before this
it had been difficult enough to meet the fine play and
hold fairly even; now he was startled and confused;
but he rose to the emergency with admirable will
power and cleverness.
"Murderer of a poor orphan girl!" Father Beret
added with a hot concentrated accent; "death is too
good for you." *
Hamilton felt nearer his grave than ever before in
all his wild experience, for somehow doom, shadowy
and formless, like the atmosphere of an awful dream,
enmisted those words ; but he was no weakling to quit
at the height of desperate conflict. He was strong,
expert, and game to the middle of his heart.
"I'll add a traitor Jesuit to my list of dead," he
panted forth, rising yet again to the extremest tension
of his power.
As he did this Father Beret settled himself as you
have seen am' ;hty horse do in the home stretch of a
race. Both men knew that the moment had arrived for
the final act in their impromptu play. It was short, a
duel condensed and crowded into fifteen seconds of
time, and it was rapid beyond the power of words to
describe. A bystander, had there been one, could not
have seen what was finally done or how it was done.
Father Beret's sword seemed to be revolving — it was
tines
"Spawn of a
pass over the
Instantly the
d endowed with
ry. Before this
tie fine play and
1 and confused;
admirable will
" Father Beret
:; "death is too
I ever before in
doom, shadowy
in awful dream,
veakling to quit
He was strong,
eart.
5t of dead," he
:tremest tension
himself as you
me stretch of a
had arrived for
It was short, a
een seconds of
^er of words to
I one, could not
►w it was done=
solving — it was
A Duel by Moonlight
331
a halo in fro„t ,, Hamilton for a mere point of time
qmck mo ,on as .f about to leap backward. A wrench
and a sn.p, as of something violently jerked iZ\
f^st^ng were followed by a semiirclar flight of
Hamdtons rapier over Father Berefs head to stick "n
he ground ten feet behind him. The duel was fve"
.hrtetint" '""" ^'™^^'^ "^^ ^^^'^^^ '-Ian'
With his wrist strained and his fingers almost
broken Hamilton stumbled forward and would Iv
.mpaled himself had not Father Beret turned the po"
of his weapon aside as he lowered it.
"Surrender, or die!"
ihl^'juu '"'"^' °''^" ^°'" ^ P"^»' to "-ake, but
beh nd it H "° '"'^'^'''"S "^ -"-"y - the p;wer
clearl „t,!.7;"'! """^"^ ''"^^ « P°^P°-e, but he
clearly understood what was demanded of him
add Sr''\°"' ^'" '"" ^°" *™"^'''" F^*er Beret
added seeing him move his lips as if to shout for help.
The level rapier now reinforced the words. Hami^
ton let the breath go noiselessly from his mouth and
waved his hand in token of enforced submission.
Well what do you want me to do?" he demanded
after a short pause. "You seem to have me at your
mercy. What are your terms ?"
"Give me your word as a British officer that you
'' ,1
332
Alice of Old Vincennes
will never again try to harm any person, not an open,
armed enemy, in this town,"
Hamilton's gorge rose perversely. He erected him-
self with lofty reserve and folded his arms. The dig-
nity of a Lieutenant Governor leaped into him and
took control. Father Beret correctly interpreted what
he saw.
"My people have borne much," he said, "and the
killing of that poor child there will be awfully avenged
if I but say the word. Besides, I can turn every Indian
in this wilderness against you in a single day. You are
indeed at my mercy, and I will be merciful if you will
satisfy my dem'and."
He was trembling with emotion while he spoke and
the desire to kill the man before him was making a
frightful struggle with his priestly conscience; but
conscience had the upper hand. Hamilton stood gazing
fixedly, pale as a ghost, his thoughts becoming more
and more clear and logical. He was in a bad sittiation.
Every word that Father Beret had spoken was true
and went home with force. There was no time for
parley or subterfuge ; the sword looked as if, eager to
find his heart. It could not be held back another mo-
ment. But the wan, cold face of the girl had more
power than the rapier's hungry point. It made an ab-
ject coward of him.
"I am willing to give you my word," he presently
said. "And let me tell you," he went on more rapidly,
"I did not shoot at her. She was behind you."
"Your word as a British officer?"
i
n, not an open,
A Duel by Moonlight 333
Hamilton again stiffened and hesitated, but onh for
the briefest space, then said :
"Yes, my word as a British officer."
Father Beret waved his hand with impatience.
"Go, then, back to your place in the fort and dis-
turb my people no more. The soul of this poor little
girl will haunt you forever. Go !"
Hamilton stood a little while gazing at the face of
Alice with the horrible wistfulness of remorse. What
would he not have given to rub his eyes and find it all
a dream ?
He turned away; a cloud scudded across the moon •
here and yonder in the dim town cocks crowed with a
lonesome, desultory effect.
Father Beret plucked up the rapier that he had
wrenched from Hamilton's hand. It suggested some-
thing.
"Hold!" he called out, "give me the scabbard of
this sword."
Hamilton, who was striding vigorously in the direc-
tion of the fort, turned about as the priest hastened
to him.
"Give me the scabbard of this rapier; I want it
Take it off."
The command was not gently voiced. A hoarse,
half-whisper winged every word with an imperious
threat.
Hamilton obeyed. His hands were not firm ; his
fingers fumbled nervously; but he hurried, arid Father
Beret soon had the rapier sheathed and secured at
his belt beside its mate.
334 Alice of Old Vincennes
A good and true priest is a burden-bearer His
motto is: Alter altcrius onera portate; bear vc one
another's burdens. His soul is enriched with die ci^st-
off sorrows of those v horn he reheves Father Beret
scarcely felt the weight of Alice's body when he lifted
it from the ground, so heavy wa? ;he pressure of his
grief. All that her death meant, not on^ to him, but
to every person who knew her, came into bis heart as
the place of refuge consecrated for the inuwelliijo- of
pain. H. hfted her and bore her as far toward Rous-
sillon place as he could ^ but his strength fell short just
in front cf the little Bourcier cottage, and half dead
be staggered across the veranda to the door, where
he sank exhausted.
After a breathing spell he knocked. The household,
fast asleep, did not hear ; but he persisted until the
door was opened to him and his burden.
Captain Farnsworth unclosed his bloodshot eyes, at
about eight o'clock in the morning, quite confused as to
his place and surroundings. He looked about drowsily
with a sheepish half-knowledge of having been very
drunk. A purring in his head and a dull ache re-
minded him of an abused stomach. He yawned and
stretched himself, then sat up, running a hand through
his tousled hair. Father Beret was on his knees before
the cross, still as a statue, his clasped hands e :f-nded
upward.
Famsworth's 1-c lighted with recog..-ti-;, and he
smiled rather bitte \;^ He recalled everyr -r- and felt
ashamed, humiliated, self-debased. He hac . i;traged
A Duel by Moonlight
335
even a priest's hospitality with his brutish anoetite
and he hated himself for ,> n- . ^PP^^'^e,
The pnest turned a collapsed and bloodless gray
face upon h,n,, smiled in a tired, perfunctory waT
crossed himself absently and said: ^'
"You have rested well, my son. Hard as the bed is
you have done it a compliment in the way of s eel ''
o^uToSg:"!^'^'^ ""<^^'^'^"'' ^°^ - ^- *e ro^-
"You are too generous. Father, and I can't appreci-
ate ,t. I know what I deserve, and you know i^ too
Tell me what a brute and fool I am; it will do ^e
good. Punch me a solid jolt in the ribs, lik the one
you gave me not long ago "
the'Sesf '"LetT "V""'"' "'^''"" '»'«"''" -'^
stone." ° '" "'"'°'" ^'" =^^' «"= fi«t
He had gone to the hearth and was taking from the
embers an earthen saucer, or shallow bowl in whch
some fragrant broth simmered and steamed.
^/"^n who has slept as long as you have, my son
usually has .a somewhat delicate appetite. Now here'
■s a soup not especially satisfying to the taste of a
gourmet hke yourself, but possessing the soothing
qua uy that is good for one just arousfd from an Z
tuum, et frequentes tms infirmitatcs (on account of
. i II
i
'4 '.»'•
336 Alice of Old Vincennes
thy stomach, and thine often infirmities). This soup
will go to the right spot."
While. speaking he brought the hot bowl to Farns-
worth and set it on the bedcover before him, then
fetched a big horn spoon.
The fragrance of pungent roots and herbs, blent
with a savory waft of buffalo meat, greeted the Cap-
tain's sense, and the anticipation itself cheered his
aching throat. It made him feel greedy and in a
hurry. The first spoonful, a trifle bitter, was not so
pleasant at the beginning, but a moment after he
swallowed it a hot prickling set in and seemed to dart
through him from extremity to extremity.
Slowly, as he ate, the taste grew more agreeable, and
all the eflfects of his debauch disappeared. It was like
magic ; his blood warmed and glowed, as if touched
with mysterious fire.
"What is this in this soup. Father Beret, that makes
it so searching and refreshing?" he demanded, when
the bowl was empty.
Father Beret shook his head and smiled drolly.
"That I cannot divulge, my son, owing to a promise
I had to make to the aged Indian who gave me the
secret. It is the elixer of the Miamis. Only their con-
secrated medicine men hold the recipe. The stimula-
tion is but temporary."
Just then someone knocked on the door. Father
Beret opened it to one of Hamilton's aides.
"Your pardon. Father, but hearing Captain Farns-
worth's voice I made bold to knock."
"What is it, Bobby?" Farnswcrth called out.
ies). This soup
A Duel by Moonlight
337
'Tg-othing only the Governor has been having you
loolced for m every nook and corner of the fori and
town. You'd better report at once, or he-., be h v ng
us drag the river for your body." ^ '
"All right. Lieutenant, go back and keep mum
hat s a dear boy. and I'll shuffle into Colonel HamH-'
ton s august presence before many minutes."
Jr^:': ''"''-' '"' ^^' "'^ -^ whistling a
at It ^ "" '"' '° ^'' ^''"' ^ ''«^^™. with usury
at forty per cent in advance," said Farnsworth dryly
shruggmg his shoulders with undissembled dread of
Hamdton. wrath. But the anticipation was not reaf
izea. ihe Governor received Farnsworth stifflv
ZTfoTl'' ' r '"" ^"^^"'^^ ^ suppressed de-
sire to avoid explanations on the Captain's part and
a reprm,and on his own. In fact, Hamilton was ho^
ng that somethmg would turn up to shield him from
Jemed the H '^ '"f ' '"•'"'''" ^''^-'"-' which
seemed the darker the more he thought of it. He
had a slow, numb conscience, lying deep where it was
hard to reach, and when a qualm somehow entered it
he endured m secret what most men would have cast
off or confessed. He was haunted, if not with re-
morse, at least by a dread of something most disagree-
able m connection with what he had done. Alice's
white face had impressed itself indelibly on his mem-
ory, so that it met his inner vision at every turn He
was afraid to cony ;.-.e with Farnsworth lest she st.n„,d
come up for discussion; consequently their interview
was curt and formal.
Ill
I,' t '^
,4
ri. .
7 !
338
Alice of Old Vincennes
It was soon di ~^i Ted that Alice had escaped
from the stock-vk, some show of search was
made for her by Hamilton's order, but Farnsworth
looked to it that the order was not carried out. He
thought he saw at once that his chief knew where
she was. The mystery / .-d and pained
the young man, and caused him to fear all sorts
of evil ; but there was a chance that Alice had found
a safe retreat and he knew that nothing but ill
could befall her if she were discovered and brought
back to the fort. Therefore his search for her became
his own secret and for his own heart's ease. And
doubtless he would have found her; for even handi-
capped and distorted love like his is lynx-eyed and
sure on the track of its object ; but a great event iuier-
vened and swept away his opportunity.
Hamilton's uneasiness, which was that of a strong,
misguided nature trying to justify itself amid a con-
fusion of unmanageable doubts and misgivings, now
vented itself in a resumption of the repairs he had
been making at --rtaj^ point in the tort. These he
completed just in time for the coming of Clark.
ii
li
CHAPTER XIX.
THE ATTACK
4;r rt^: rr irr r-^"^'-
quarters, were in the habit Tfi "^™'"°"^ head-
en.ering the town or tt ' fo t ""o! T ^" "^'"^^
of their approach, but in order "h °,u' '' ' ''«"="
their charges prdim 2v 7 , '' ""''' ^^^P°°» oi
-tt.,,out%orlTe/^HtT'"' *^'" ''=^°-
«hot, therefore, or even I v.>^ ^ "^ expedition. A
of the village was 1 °"'^: ^''"^ °" '^e outskirts
daily and "^.,7 " jenc" H^ '""""'' '" '"^
for -me r.afon,'Grver:rH ° '^ ^"'""- ^''"'
when, iust af.; ni^ tT^suT "'"'T
nTandr' ^'n-^^ ^™- '"^ -^at ^'^^'^''
■ne and 1 m vvith two oth^r ,^ffi^
midst oia^'A, . r.f , 7 °^^^^^ ^^^^ i" the
a crane •: t^'a^; f^rtpSf ^ '""^' '^"^-^ -
of hot apple-jack toddy '' ""^ ' '""'' P^"™-
"% Jove 1" exclaimed Farnsworth i, , ,.
not in the o-=m„ farnsworth, who, a thou,rh
,. " '"^ game, was amusing himself with i^ i •
you jump hke a fine u^^ , ^, ^'^^ ^°°^'"S on ;
a bullet hit you." ^ ^ "™'' ^"""^d ^ heard
"You may all jump while you can" r^, i, ^
He^ "That's Clark, and your'tLr;horH5j
of
A he
-umes.
spoke he arose from his
839
seat at the card
340
Alice of Old Vinccnnes
■? . " '
>^-^
ii:;.
table and went to look after the toddy, which, as an
expert, he had under supervision.
Hamilton frowned. The mention of Clark was dis-
turbing. Ever since the strange disappearance of
Lieutenant Barlow he had nursed the fear that possibly
Clark's scouts had captured him and that the Ameri-
can fo-ces might be much nearer than Kaskaskia. Be-
sides, his nerves were unruly, as they had been ever
since the encounter with Father Beret ; and his vision
persisted in turning back upon the accusing cold face
of Alice, lying in the moonlight. One little detail of
that scene almost maddened him at times ; it was a
sheeny, crinkjed wisp of warm looking hair looped
across the cheek in which he had often seen a saucy
dimple dance when Alice spoke or smiled. He was
bad enough, but not wholly bad, and the thought of
having darkened those merry eyes and stilled those
sweet dimples tore through him with a cold, rasping
pang.
"Just as soon as this toddy is properly mixed and
tempered," said Helm, with a magnetic jocosity beam-
ing from his genial face, "I'm going to propose a toast
to the banner of Alice Roussillon, which a whole garri-
son of British braves has been unable to take I"
"If you do I'll blow a hole through you as big as
the south door of hell," said Hamilton, in a voice fairly
shaken to a husky quaver with rage. "You may do a
great many insulting things ; but not that."
Helm was in a half stooping attitude with a ladle
in one hand, a cup in the other. He had met Hamil-
ton's glowering look with a peculiarly innocent smile,
ly, which, as an
The Attack ' 3.,
for a rattUnc ,, ''; ^^ ^^^ "ot speak, however,
lor a ratthng volley of musket and rifle shots hit th^
butll ^'"'^^ ^°'''"="' and they will take your fort-
Oh, the devil" said Hamilton, forcibly resumL
a calm countenance, "it is only a squad of drunken n
d.ans connng in. We'll forego excitement ; therl^ „o
battle on hand, gentlemen."
hZ" ^'"^T "''"'' '"' G°^«">°'- Hamilton"
Helm responded, "but I should imagine that I ou^it
:carnr ""' 1-r ^™^ ''"' ^'-"- "on
"tSstatfack""" " '''''" ""^^"^^ ^^™--*-
Another volley, this time nearer and more concen-
trated, convmced Hamilton that he wa., indeed at the
opemng of a fight. Even while he was givng some
n7:/thf ";:*:'= °^''''' ^ ™^" wasloun'd d a
one of the port-holes. Then came a series of yells
thatT .t^ ' T'^ "' ^^'"P^'^'^'"= F--" shouting
hat ran throughout the town. The patrol guard!
^me straggling i„, breathless with excifement.X
s..vre .„ havmg seen a thousand men marching across
the water-covered meadows. ^
i I
I
p; (
4
i!
Iji!
342
Alice of Old Vincennes
Hamilton was brave. The approach of danger
stirred him Hke a trumpet-strain. His fighting blood
rose to full tide, and he gave his orders with the steadi-
ness and commanding force of a born soldier. The
officers hastened to their respective positions. On all
sides sounds indicative of rapid preparations for the
fight mingled into a confused strain of military energy.
Men marched to their places; cannon were wheeled
into position, and soon enough the firing began in good
earnest.
Late in the afternoon a rumor of Clark's approach
had gone abroad through the village ; but not a French
lip breathed it to a friend of the British. The Creoles
were loyal to the cause of freedom ; moreover, they cor-
dially hated Hamilton, and their hearts beat high at
the prospect of a change in masters at the fort. Every
cabin had its hidden gun and supply of ammunition,
despite the order to disarm issued by Hamilton. There
was a hustlinf :o bring these forth, which was accom-
panied with a guarded yet irrepressible chattering, de-
lightfully French and infinitely volatile.
"Tiens! je vais f rotter mon fusil. J'ai vu un singe!"
said Jaques Bourcier to his daughter, the pretty Ad-
rienne, who was coming out of the room in which
Alice lay.
"I saw a monkey just now ; I must rub up my gun !"
He could not be solemn ; not he. The thought of an
opportunity to get even with Hamilton was like wine
in his blood.
If you had seen those hardy and sinewy French-
men gliding in the dusk of evening from cottage to
The Attack
343
cottage, passing the word that the Americans had ar-
med, saying airy things and pinching one another as
they met and hurried on, you would have thought
somethmg very amusing and wholly jocund was in
preparf.tion for the people of Vincennes
There was a current belief in the town that Gaspard
Roussdlon never missed a good thing and always some-
how got the lion's share. He went out with the ebb
to return on the flood. Nobody was surprised, there-
iore, when he suddenly appeared in the midst of his
fnends, armed to the teeth and emotionally wariike to
suit the occasion. Of course he took charge of every-
tody and everything. You could have heard him
Whisper a bowshot away.
"Taisonsr he hissed, whenever he met an acquaint-
ance. We will surprise the fort and scalp the whole
garrison. Aux amies! les Americains vicnnent d'ar-
nver!'
At his own house he knocked and called in vain He
shook the doo: violently; for he was thinking of the
stores under the floor, of the grimy bottles, of the fra-
grant Bordeaux-ah, his throat, how it throbbed ! But
where was Madame Roussillon? Where was Alice?
;7ean! Jean!" he cried, forgetting all precaution,
come here, you scamp, and let me in this minute !"
A profoundly impressive silence gave him to under-
stand that his home was deserted.
"Chiff ! frightened and gone to stay with Madame
Gcdere, I suppose-and I so thirsty ! Bah ! hum, hum,
apres le vm la bataille, !:Hf!"
He kicked in the door and groped his way to the
1 i
Ei.Si
344
Alice of Old Vincennes
liquors. While he hastily swigged and smacked he
heard the firing begin with a crackling, desultory vol-
ley. He laughed jovially, there in the dark, between
draughts and deep sighs of enjoyment.
"£# moi aussi," he murmured, like the vast murmur
of the sea, "I want to be in that dance I Pardonnes,
messieurs. Moi, je veux danser, s'il vous plait."
And when he had filled himself he plunged out and
rushed away, wrought up to the extreme fighting pitch
of temper. Diahle! if he could but come across that
Lieutenant Barlow, how he would smash him and man-
gle him ! In magnifying his prowess with the lens of
imagination he swelled and puffed as he lumbered
along. ' •
The firing sounded as if it were between the fort
and the river; but presently when one of Hamilton's
cannon spoke, M. Roussillon saw the yellow spike of
flame from its muzzle leap directly toward the church,
and he thought it best to make a wide detour to avoid
going between the firing lines. Once or twice he heard
the whine of a stray bullet high overhead. Before he
had gone very far he met a man hurrying toward the
fort. It was Captain Francis Maisonville, one of Ham-
ilton's chief scouts, who had been out on a reconnois-
sance and, cut off from his party by some of Clark's
forces, was trying to make his way to the main gate
of the stockade.
M. Roussillon knew Maisonville as a somewhat des-
perate character, a leader of Indian forays and a trader
in human scalps. Surely the fellow was legitimate
prey.
The Attack 345
''Ziff! diahle de gredin!" he snarled, and leaping
upon him choked him to the ground. Ve vats vous
scalper immediatement !"
Clark's plan of approach showed masteily strategy
Lieutenant Bailey, with fourteen regulars, made a
show of attack on the east, while Major Bowman led
a company through the town, on a line near where
Mam street in Vincennes is now located, to a point
north of the stockade. Charleville, a brave creole.
who was at the head of some daring fellows, by a
brilliant dash got position under cover of a natural
terrace at the edge of the prairie, opposite the fort's
southwestern angle. Lieutenant Beverley, in whom
the commander placed highest confidence, was sent to
look for a supply of ammunition, and to gather up all
the Frenchmen in the town who wished to join in the
attack. Oncle Jazon and ten other available men went
with him.
They all made a great noise when they felt that the
place was completely invested. Nor can we deny, much
as we would like to, the strong desire for vengeance
which raised those shouting voices and nerved
those steady hearts to do or die in an undertaking
which certainly had a desperate look. Patriotism of
the purest strain those men had, and that alone would
have. borne them up; but the recollection of smoulder-
ing cabin homes in Kentucky, of women and children
murdered and scalped, of men brave and true burned
at the stake, and of ^W th*^ ;r.ri«o^^;i>oM .
Indian warfare incited and rewarded by the com-
mander of the fort yonder, added to patriotism tl. -
Wi''
iiill'
I ii
f 11
346 Alice of Old Vincennes
terrible urge of that dark passion which clamors for
blood to quench the fire of wrath. Not a few of those
wet, half-frozen, emaciated soldiers of freedom had
experienced the soul rending shock of returning
from a day's hunting in the forest ^o find home in ashes
and loved ones brutally murdered and scalped, or
dragged away to unspeakable outrage under circum-
stances too harrowing for description, the bare thought
of which turns our blood cold, even at this distan^'ce.
Now the opportunity had arrived for a stroke of re-
taliation. The thought was tremendously stimulating.
Beverley, with the aid of Oncle Jazon, was able to
lead his little company as far as the church before the
enemy saw him. ^Here a volley from the nearest angle
of the stockade had to be answered, and pretty soon
a cannon began to play upon the position.
"We kin do better some'rs else," was Oncle Jazon's
laconic remark flung back over his shoulder, as he
moved briskly away from the spot just swept by a
six-pounder. "Come this yer way. Lieutenant. I hyer
some o' the fellers a talkin' loud jes' beyant Legrace's
place. They ain't no sort o' sense a tryin' to hit any-
thing a shootin' in the dark nohow."
When they reached the thick of the town there was
a strange stir in the dusky streets. Men were slipping
from house to house, arming themselves and joining
their neighbors. Clark had sent an order earlier
in the evening forbidding any street demonstration by
the inhabitants; but he might as well have ordered the
Wind not to blow or the river to stand still. Oncle
Jazon knew every man whose outlines he could see or
The Attack
347
whose voice he heard. He called each one by name :
"Here, Roger, fall in !— Come Louis, Alphonse, Vic-
tor, Octave— venes ici, here's the American army,
come with me!" His rapid French phrases leaped
forth as if shot from a pistol, and his shrill voice, fa-
miliar to every ear in Vincennes, drew the Creole
militiamen to him, and soon Beverley's company had
doubled its numbers, while at the same time its en-
thusiasm and ability to make a noise had increased in
a far greater proportion. In accordance with an order
from Clark they now took position near the northeast
corner of the stockade and began firing, although in
the darkness there was but little opportunity for marks-
manship.
Oncle Jazon had found citizens Legrace and Bos-
seron, and through them Clark's men were supplied
with ammunition, of which they stood greatly in need,
their powder having got wet during their long, watery
march. By nine o'clock the fort was completely sur-
rounded, and from every direction the riflemen and
musketeers were pouring in volley after volley. Bev-
erley with his men took the cover of a fence and some
houses sixty yards from the stockade. Here to their
surprise they found themselves below the line of Ham-
ilton's cannon, which, being planted on the seconc'
floor of the fort, conk! not be sufficiently depressed to
bear upon them. A well directed musket fire, however,
fell from the loophv>I?.s of the blockhouses, the bullets
rattling- merrilv aeainst thp inv^r hfA^\nA yxrU\ch th-
attacking forces iay.
Beverley was thinking cf Alice during every mo-
'.X *
,!"|l
:'/''
348 Alice of Old Vincennes
ment of all this stir and tumult. He feared that she
might st.Il be a prisoner in the fort exposed to the very
bullets that his men were discharging at every crack
and cranny of those loosely constructed buildings.
Should he ever see her again? Would she care for
hmi? What would be the end of all this terrible sus-
pense.? Those remote forebodings of evils, formless,
shadowy, meflfable, which have harried the lover's
heart smce time began, crowded all pleasant anticipa-
tions out of his mind.
Clark, in passing hurriedly fro;.i company to com-
pany around the line, stopped for a little while when
he found Beverley.
"Have you pleoty of ammunition?" was his first in-
qtnry.
"A mighty sight more'n we kin see to shoot with "
spoke up Oncle Jazon. "It's a right smart o' dad burn
foolishness to be wastin' it on nothin'; seems like to
me at we'd better set the dasted fort afire an' smoke
the skunks out !"
"Speak when you are spoken to, my man," said the
Colonel a trifle hotly, and trying by a sharp scrutiny
to make him out in the gloom where he crouched
"Ventrehleu! I'm not askin' you, Colonel Clark
nor no other man, when I shill speak. I talks when-
ever I gits ready, an' I shoots jes' the same way. So
ye d better go on 'bout yer business like a white man !
Close up yer own whopper jawed mouth, ef ye want
anything shet up !"
wno! IS mat you, Jazon? You're so little I didn't
know you I Certainly, talk ypur whole damned under
The Attack
349
jaw oif, for all I care," Clark replied, assuming a jocose
tone. Then turning again to Beverley; "Keep up
the firing and the noise; the fort will be ours in the
• morning."
"What's the use of waiting till morning?" Bever-
ley demanded with impatience. "We can tear that
stockade to pieces with our hands in half an hour."
"I don't think so, Lieutenant. It is better to play
for the sure thing. Keep up the racket, and be ready
for em if they rush out. We must not fail to capture
the hair-buyer General."
He passed on, with something cheerful to say when-
ever he found a squad of his devoted men. He knew
how to humor and manage those independent and un-
disciphned yet heroically brave fellows. What to see
and hear, what to turn aside as a joke, what to insist
upon with inflexible mastery, he knew by the fine in-
stantaneous sense of genius. There were manv men
of Oncle Jazon's cast, true as steel, but refractory as
flmt, who could not be dominated by any person, no
matter of what stamp or office. To them an order was
an insult; but a suggestion pleased and captured them.
Strange as it may seem, theirs was the conquering
spirit of America— the spirit which has survived every
turn of progress and built up the great body of our
independence.
Beverley submitted to Clark's plan with what pa-
tience he could, and all night long fired shot for shot
..1... .„.. ^,._^.. ,,,iciiicu III ais squaa. It was a fatiguing
performance, with apparently little result beyond forc-
mg the garrison now and again to close the embrasures,
ll'l
p'
350 Alice of Old Vincennes
• 4
thus periodically silencing the cannon. Toward the
close of the night a relaxation showed itself in the
shouting and firing all round the line. Beverley's
men, especially the Creoles, held out bravely in the
matter of noise; but even they flagged at length, their
volatility simmering down to desultory bubbling and
half sleepy chattering and chaffing.
Beverley leaned upon a rude fence, and for a time
neglected to reload his hot rifle. Of course he was
thinking of Alice,~he really could not think in any
other direction; but it gave him a shock and a start
when he presently heard her name mentioned by a
little Frenchman near him on the left.
"There'll nevei- be another such a girl in Post Vin-
cennes as Alice Roussillon," the fellow said in the soft
Creole patois, "and to think of her being shot like a
dog!"
"And by a man who calls himself a Governor, too I"
said another. "Ah, as for myself, I'm in favor of
burning him alive when we capture him. That's me !"
"Et moi aussi," chimed in a third voice. "That poor
girl must be avenged. The man who shot her must
die. Holy Virgin, but if Gaspard Roussillon were
only here !"
"But he is here ; I saw him just after dark. He was
in great fighting temper, that terrible man. Ouf! but
I should not like to be Colonel Hamilton and fall in
the way of that Gaspard Roussillon !"
"Morbleu! I should say not. You may leave me
out of a chance like that! I shouldn't mind seeing
Gaspard handle the Governor, though. Ah, that would
The Attack
351
be too good I He'd pay .' ; . up for shooting Mademoi-
selle Alice."
Beverley could scarcely hold himself erect by the
fence; the smoky, foggy landscape swam round him
heavy and strange. He uttered a groan, which brought
Oncle Jazon to his side in a hurry.
"Qu' aves-vous? What's the matter?" the old man
demanded with quick sympathy. "Hev they hit ye?
Lieutenant, air ye hurt much ?"
Beverley did not hear the old man's words, did not
feel his kindly touch.
"Alice! Alice!" he murmured, "dead, dead!"
"Ya-as," drawled Oncle Jazon, "I hearn about it
soon as I got inter town. It's a sorry thing, a mighty
sorry thing. But mebby I won't do a little somepin'
to that "
Beverley straightened himself and lifted his gun,
forgetting that he had not reloaded it since firing last.
He leveled it at the fort and touched the trigger. Sim-
ultaneously with his movement an embrasure opened
and a cannon flashed, its roar flanked on either side
by a crackling of British muskets. Some bullets struck
the fence and flung splinters into Oncle Jazon's face.
A cannon ball knocked a ridge pole from the roof of a
house hard by, and sent it whirling through the air.
"Ventrehleu!—et apres? What the devil next?
Better knock a feller's eyes out!" the old man cried.
"I ain't a doin* nothin' to ye !"
He capered around rubbing his leathery .face after
the manner of a. scalded monkey. Beverley was struck
in the breast by a flattened and spenc bsU that glanced
I nil I
352 Alice of Old Vincennes .
from a fence-picket. The shock caused him lo stagger
and drop his gun ; but he quickly picked it up and
turned to his companion.
"Are you hurt, Oncle Jazon?" he inquired. "Are
you hurt ?'
"Not a bit— Jes' skeert mos* into a duck fit. Thought
a cannon bail had knocked my whole dang face down
my throat I Nothin' but a handful o' splinters in my
poorty count'nance, makin' my head feel like a porc'-
pine. But I sort o' thou^^t I heard somepin' give you
"Something did hit me/' said Beverley, laying a
hand on his breast, "but I don't think it was a bullet.
They seem to be getting our range at last. Tell the
men to keep v/ell under cover. They must not expose
themselves .intil we are ready to charge."
The shi^ck hid brought him back to his duty as a
leader of his ihtle company, and wifh the funeral bell
of all his life's happiness tolling in his agonized heart
he turned afresh to directing the fire upon the block-
house.
About this time a runner came from Clark with an
order to cease firing and let a returning party of Brit-
ish scouts under Captain Lamothe re-enter the fort
unharmed. A strange order it seemed to both officers
and men ; but it was implicitly obeyed. Clark's genius
here made another fine strategic flash. He knew that
unless he let the scouts go back into the stockade they
would escape by running away, and might possibly or-
ganize an army of Indians with which to succor Ham-
ilton. But if they were permitted to go inside they
i,.vr.
The Attack
353
iquirtd. "Are
could be captured with the rest of the garrison; hence
his order.
A few minutes passed in dead silence ; then Captain
Lamothe and his party marched close by where Bev-
erley's .' quad was lying concealed. It was a difficult
task to restrain the Creoles, for some of them hated
Lamothe. Oncle Jazon squirmed like lake while
tliey filed past all unaware that an enc ..y lurked so
«ear. When they reached the fort, ladders were put
down for them and they began to clamber over the
wall crowding and pushing one another in wild haste.
Oncle Jazoii could hold in no longer.
"Ya ! ya ! ya !" he yelled. 'Took out ! the ladder is
a fallm' wi' ye !"
Then all the lurking crowd shouted as one man, and
sure enough, down came a ladder-men and all in a
crashmg heap.
"Silence! silence!" Beverley commanded; but he
could not check the wild jeering and laughing, while
the bruised and frightened scouts hastily erected their
adder again, fairly tumbling over one another in their
haste to ascend, and so cleared the wall, falling into the
stockade to join the garrison.
"Ventrebleur shrieked Oncle Jazon. "They've
gone to bed ; but we'll wake 'em up at the crack o' day
an give 'em a breakfas' o' hot lead !"
Now the fighting was resumed with redoubled spirit
and noise, and when morning came, affording suffi-
cient light to bring out the "bead sights" on the Ken-
tucky rifles, the matchless marksmen in Clark's band
forced the British to close the embrasures and entirely
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354 . Alice of Old Vincennes
cease trying to use their cannon; but the fight with
small arms went merrily on until the middle of the'
forenoon.
Meantime Gaspard Roussillon had tied Francis
Maisonville's hands fast and hard with the strap of
his bullet-pouch.
"Now, I'll scalp you," he said in a rumbling tone
terrible to hear. And with his words out came his
huntmg knife from its sheath.
"O have mercy, my dear Monsieur Roussillon!"
cried the panting captive; "have mercy!"
"Mercy! yes, like your Colonel's, that's what you'll
get. You stand by that forban, that scelerat, that
bandit, and help him. Oh, yes, you'll get mercy ! Yes
the same mercy that he showed to my poor little Alice !
Your scalp, Monsieur, if you please! A small matter-
it won't hurt much !"
"But, for the sake of old friendship, Gaspard, for
the sake '*
"ZiffI poor little Alice!"
"But I swear to you that I "
"Tout de meme, Monsieur, je vais vous scalper
maintenant."
In fact he had taken off a part of Maisonville's scalp,
when a party of soldiers, among whom was Maison-
ville's brother, a brave fellow and loyal to the Ameri-
can cause, were attracted by his cries and came to his
rescue.
M. Roussillon struggled savagely, insisting upon
completing his cruel performance; but he was at last
overpowered, partly by brute force and partly by the
' vous scalper
The Attack 355
pleading of Maisonville's brother, and made to de-
sist The big man wept with rage when he saw the
bleedmg prisoner protected. "Ehbienl I'll keep what
I ve got, he roared, "and I'll take the rest of it next
He shook the tuft of hair at Maisonville and glared
like a mad bull.
Two or three other members of Lamothe's band
were captured about the same time by some of the
French m.htiamen; and Clark, when on his round
cheering and directing his forces, discovered that these
prisoners were being used as shields. Some young
Creoles, gay with drink and the stimulating effect of
fight, had bound the poor fellows and were firing from
behind them! Of course the commander promptly
put an end to this cruelty, but they considered it ex-
qu^ite fun while it lasted. It was in broad daylight,
and they knew that the English in the fort could see
What they were doing.
"It's shameful to treat prisoners in this way," said
Uark. I will not permit it. Shoot the next man that
offers to do such a thing!"
One of the creole youths, a handsome, swarthy
Adorns m buckskin, tossed his shapely head with a
debonair smile and said :
"To be sure, mon Colonel /hut what have they been
doing to us? We have amused them all winter; it's
but fair that they should give us a little fun now."
Clark shrugged his broad shoulders and passed on.
He unucfstood perfectly what the people of Vincennes
had suffered under Hamilton's brutal administration.
'■? y
p <
I 5f
356 Alice of Old Vincennes
At nine o'clock an order was passed to cease firing,
and a flag of truce was seen going from Clark's head-
quarters to the fort. It was a peremptory demand for
unconditional surrender. Hamilton refused, and
fighting was fiercely resumed from behind rude breast-
works meantime erected. Every loop-hole and open-
ing of whatever sort was the focus into which the
unerring backwoods rifles sent their deadly bullets.
Men began to fall in the fort, and every moment Ham-
ilton expected an assault in force on all sides of the
stockade. This, if successful, would mean inevitable
massacre. Clark had warned him of the terrible con-
sequences of holding out until the worst should come.
"For," said he in his note to the Governor, "if I am
obliged to storm, you may depend upon such treat-
ment as is justly due to a murderer."
Historians have wondered why Hamilton became so
excited and acted so strangely after re^ mg the
note. The phrase, "justly due to a murd<^.. -.. , ' is the
key to the mystery. When he read it his herrt sank
and a terrible fear seized him. "Justly due to a mur-
derer!" ah, that calm, white, beautiful girlish face,
dead in the moonlight, with the wisp of shining hair
across it ! "Such treatment as is justly due to a mur-
derer!" Cold drops of sweat broke out on his fore-
head and a shiver went through his body.
During the truce Clark's weary yet still enthusi-
astic besiegers enjoyed a good breakfast prepared for
them by the loyal dames of Vincennes. Little Ad-
rienne Bourcier was one of the handmaidens of the
occasion. She brought to Beverley's squad a basket^
The Attack
357
almost as large as herself, heaped high with roasted
duck and warm wheaten bread, while another girl bore
two huge jugs of coffee, fragrant and steaming hot.
The men cheered them lustily and complimented them
without reserve, so that before their service was over
their faces were glowing with delight.
And yet Adriennc's heart was uneasy, and full of
longing to hear something of Rene de Ronville. Surely
some one of her friends must know something about
him. Ah, there was Oncle Jazon I Doubtless he could
tell her all that she wanted to know. She lingered,
after the food was distributed, and shyly inquired.
"Hain't seed the scamp," said Oncle Jazon, only he
used the patois most familiar to the girl's ear. "Killed
an' scelped long ago, I reckon."
His mouth was so full that he spoke mumblingly
and with utmost difficulty. Nor did he glance at Ad-
rienne, whose face took c.i as great pallor as her brown
complexion could show.
Beverley ate but little of the food. He sat apart
on a piece of timber that projected from the rough
breastwork and gave himself over to infinite misery of
spirit, which was trebled when he took Alice's locket
from his bosom, only to discover that the bullet which
struck him had almost entirely destroyed the face of
the miniature.
He gripped the dinted and twisted case and gazed
at it with the stare of a blind man. His heart almost
ceased to beat and his breath had the rustling sound
we hear when a strong man dies of a sudden wound.
Somehow the defacement of the portrait was taken by
358 Alice of Old Vincennes
his soul as the final touch of fate, signifying that Alice
was forever and completely obliterated from his life.
He felt a blur pass over his mind. He tried in vain
to recall the face and form so dear to him ; he tried to
imagine her voice; but the whole universe was a vast
hollow silence. For a long while he was cold, staring,
rigid ; then the inevitable collapse came, and he wept
as only a strong man can who is hurt to death, yet can-
not die.
Adrienne approached him, thinking to speak to him
about Rene ; but he did not notice her, and she went
her way, leaving beside him a liberal supply of food.
mes
fying that Alice
d from his life,
le tried in vain
lim ; he tried to
erse was a vast
IS cold, staring,
e, and he wept
death, yet can-
o speak to him
, and she went
)ply of food.
CHAPTER XX
Alice's flag
Governor Hamilton received the note sent him by
Colonel Clark and replied to it with curt dignity; but
his heart was quaking. As a soldier he was true to
the military tradition, and nothing could have induced
him to surrender his command with dishonor.
"Lieutenant-Governor Hamilton," he wrote to
Clark, "begs leave to acquaint Colonel Clark that he
and his garrison are not disposed to be awed into any
action urworthy of British subjects."
"Very brave words," said Helm, when Hamilton
read the note to him, "but you'll sing a milder tune be-
fore many minutes, or you and your whole garrison
will perish in a bloody heap. Listen to those wild yells I
Clark has enough men to eat you all up for breakfast.
You'd better be reasonable and prudent. It's not
bravery to court massacre."
Hamilton turned away without a word and sent the
message; but Helm saw that he was excited, and could
be still further wrought up.
"You are playing into the hands of your bitterest
enemies, the frog-eaters," he went on. "These Creoles,
over whom you've held a hot poker all winter, are
crazy to be turned loose upon you ; and you know that
they've got good cause to feel like giving you the
extreme penalty. They'll give it to you without a
flinch if they get the chance. You've done enough."
359
S ,Sh
360 Alice of Old Vincennes
Hamilton whirled about and glared ferociously.
"Helm, what do you mean ?" he demanded in a voice
as hollow as it was full of desperate passion.
The genial Captain laughed, as if he had heard a
good joke.
"You won't catch any fish if you swear, and you look
blasphemous," he said with the lightness of humor
characteristic of him at all times. "You'd better say
a prayer or two. Just reflect a moment upon the awful
sins you have committed and "
A crash of coalescing volleys from every direction
broke off his levity. Clark was sending his response
to Hamilton's lofty note. The guns of freedom rang
out a prophecy of triumph, and the hissing bullets
clucked sharply as they entered the solid logs of the
walls or whisked through an aperture and bowled over
a man. The British musketeers returned the fire as
best they could, with a courage and a stubborn cool-
ness which Helm openly admired, although he could
not hide his satisfaction whenever one of them was
disabled.
"Lamothe and his men are refusing to obey orders,"
said Farnsworth a little later, hastily approaching
Hamilton, his face flushed and a gleam of hot anger
in his eyes. "They're in a nasty mood ; I can do noth-
ing with them ; they have not fired a shot."
"Mutiny?" Hamilton demanded.
"Not just that. They say they do not wish to fire
on their kinsmen and friends. They are all French,
you know, and they see their cousins, brothers, uncles
b *
nnes
i ferociously.
landed in a voice
ission.
he had heard a
tar, and you look
tness of humor
iTou'd better say
: upon the awful
every direction
ng his response
f freedom rang
hissing bullets
)lid logs of the
nd bowled over
ned the fire as
stubborn cool-
lough he could
e of them was
D obey orders,"
y approaching
1 of hot anger
I can do noth-
)t."
ot wish to fire
re all French,
rothers, uncles
Alice's Flag
361
and old acquaintances out there in Clark's rabble. I
can do nothing with them."
"Shoot the scoundrels, then I"
"It will be a toss up which of us will come out on
top if we try that. Besides, if we begin a fight inside,
the Americans will make short work of us."
"Well, what in hell are we to do, then?"
"Oh, fight, that's all," said Farnsworth apathetically
turning to a small loop-hole and leveling a field glass
through it. "We might make a rush from the gates
and stampede them," he presently added. Then he
uttered an exclamation of great surprise.
"There's Lieutenant Beverley out there," he ex-
claimed.
"You're mistaken, you're excited," Hamilton half
sneeringly remarked, yet not without a shade of un-
easiness in his expression. "You forget, sir."
"Look for yourself, it's easily settled," and Farns-
worth proffered the glass. "He's there, to a certainty,
sir."
"I saw Beverley an hour ago," said Helm. "I knew
all the time that he'd be on hand."
It was a white lie. Captain Helm was as much sur-
prised as his captors at what he heard ; but he could
not resist the temptation to be annoying.
Hamilton looked as Farnsworth directed, and sure
enough, there was the young Virginian Lieutenant,
standing on a barricade, his hat off, cheering his men
with a superb show of zeal. Not a hair of his head
was missing, so far as the glass could be relied upon
to show.
362 Alice of Old Vincennes
if 3
If
4 1 « ^ ?
Oncle Jazon's quick old eyes saw the gleam of the
telescope tube in the loop-hole.
"I never co.rid shoot much," he muttered, and then
a little bullet sped with absolute accuracy from his
disreputable looking rifle and shattered the object-lens,
just as Hamilton moved to withdraw the glass, utter-
ing an ejaculation of intense excitement.
"Such devils of marksmen!" said he, and his face
was haggard. 'That infernal Indian lied."
"I could have told you all the time that the scalp
Long-Hair brought to you was not Beverley's," said
Helm indifferently. "I recognized Lieutenant Bar-
low's hair as soon as I saw it."
This was another piece of off-hand romance. Helm
did not dream that he was accidentally sketching a
horrible truth.
"Barlow's!" exclaimed Farnsworth.
"Yes, Barlow's, no mistake "
Two more men reeled from a port-hole, the blood
spinning far out of their wounds. Indeed, through
every aperture in the walls the bullets were now hum-
ming like mad hornets.
"Close that port-hole!" stormed Hamilton; then
turning to Farnsworth he added: "We cannot en-
dure this long. Shut up every place large enough for
a bullet to get through. Go all around, give strict
orders to all. See that the men do not foolishly expose
themselves. Those ruffians out there have located
every crack."
His glimpse of Beverley and the sinister remark oi
Helm had completely unmanned him before his men
Alice's Flag
363
fell. Now it rushed upon him that if he would escape
the wrath of the maddened Creoles and the vengeance
of Alice's lover, he must quickly throw himself upon
the mercy of Clark. It was his only hope. He chafed
mwardly, but bore himself with stern coolness. He
presently sought Farnsworth, pulled him aside and
suggested that something must be done to prevent an
assault and a massacre. The sounds outside seemed
to forebode a gathering for a desperate rush, and in
his heart he felt all the terrors of awful anticipation.
"We are completely at their mercy, that is plain,"
he said, shrugging his shoulders and gazing at the
wounded men writhing in their agony. "What do you
suggest?" ^
Captain Farnsworth was a shrewd officer. He recol-
lected that Philip Dejean, justice of Detroit, was on
his way down the Wabash from that post, and prob-
ably near at hand, with a flotilla of men and supplies.
Why not ask for a few days of truce? It could do no
harm, and if agreed to, might be their salvation. Ham-
ilton jumped at the though., and forthwith drew up
a note which he sent out with a white flag. Never be-
fore in all his military career had he been so comforted
by a sudden cessation of fighting. His soul would
grovel in spite of him. Alice's cold face now had
Beverley's beside it in his field of inner vision-a
double assurance of impending doom, it seemed to
him.
There was short delay in the arrival of Colon**!
Clark's reply, hastily scrawled on a bit of soiled paper.
3^ Alice of Old Vincennes
<i
Fl
1^
I'
J"
The request for a truce was flatly refused ; but the note
closed thus:
"If Mr. Hamilton is Desirous of a Conferance with
Col. Clark he will meet him at the Church with Captn.
Helms."
The spelling was not very good, and there was a
redundancy of capital letters; yet Hamilton under-
stood it all ; and it was very difficult for him to conceal
his haste to attend the proposed conference. But he
was afraid to go to the church— the thought chilled
him. He could not face Father Beret, who would
probably be there. And what if there should be evi-
dences of the iFuneral ?— what if?— he shuddered and
tried to break away from the vision in his tortured
brain.
He sent a proposition to Clark to meet him on the
esplanade before the main gate of the fort ; but Clark
declined, insisting upon the church. And thither he
at last consented to go. It was an immense brace to
his spirit to have Helm beside him during that walk,
which, although but eighty yards in extent, seemed to
him a matter of leagues. On the way he had to pass
near the new position taken up by Beverley and his
men. It was a fine test of nerve, when the Lieuten-
ant's eyes met those of the Governor. Neither man
permitted the slightest change of countenance to be-
tray his feelings. In fact, Beverley's face was as rigid
as marble ; he could not have changed it.
But with Oncle Jazon it was a different affair. He
had no digiiity to preserve, no fine military bearing to
sustain, no terrible tug of conscience, no paralyzing
Alice's Flag
ed ; but the note
365
grip o despair on his heart. When he saw Hamilton
going by. bearing himself so superbly, it aflfected the
French volatility in his nature to such an extent that
Ills tongue could not be controlled.
*'ya t'en, bete, forban, meurtrier! Skin out fom
here! beast, robber, murderer!" he cried, in his keen
screech-owl voice. 'I'll git thet scelp o' your'n afore
sundown, see 'f I don't! Ye onery gal-killer an' ha'r
buyer 1
The blood in Hamilton's veins caught no warmth
from these remarks ; but he held his head high and
passed stolidly on, as if he did not hear a word. Helm
turned the tail of an eye upon Oncle Jazon and gave
him a droll, quizzical wink of approval. In response
the old man with grotesque solemnity drew his buck-
horn handled knife, licked its blade and returned it
to Its sheath,~a bit of pantomime well understood and
keenly enjoyed by the onlcoking Creoles.
"Putois! coquinl" they jeered, ''goujat! poltronl"
Beverley heard the taunting racket, but did not
realize it, which was well enough, for he could not
have restrained the bitter effervescence. He stood like
a statue, gazing fixedly at the now receding figure,
the lofty, cold-faced man in whom centered his hate
of hates. Clark had requested him to be present at
the conference in the church ; but he declined, feeling
that he could not meet Hamilton and restrain him-
self. Now he regretted his refusal, half wishing that
—no, he could not assassinate an enemy under a white
flag. In his heart he prayed that there would be no
surrender, that Hamilton would reject every offer
:¥ , .
366 Alice of Old Vincennes
To storm the fort and revel in butchering its garrison
seemed the only desirable thing left for him in life.
Father Beret was, indeed, present at the church, as
Hamilton had dreaded ; and the two duelists gave each
other a rapier-like eye-thrust. Neither spoke, how-
ever, and Clark immediately demanded a settlement
of the matter in hand. He was brusque and imperi-
ous to a degree, apparently rather anxious to repel
every peaceful advance.
It was a laconic interview, crisp as autumn ice and
bitter as gallberries. Colonel Clark had no respect
whatever for Hamilton, to whom he had applied the
imperishable ad^'ective "hair-buyer General." On the
other hand Governor Hamilton, who felt keenly the
disgrace of having to equalize himself officially and
discuss terms of surrender with a rough backwoods-
man, could not conceal his contempt of Clark.
The five men cf history, Hamilton, Helm, Hay,
Clark and Bowman, were not distinguished diplomats.
They went at their work rather after the hammer-and-
tongs fashion. Clark bluntly demanded unconditional
surrender. Hamilton refused. They argued the mat-
ter. Helm put in his oar, trying to soften the situa-
tion, as was his custom on all occasions, and received
from Clark a stinging reprimand, with the reminder
that he was nothing but a prisoner on parole, and had
no voice at all in settling the terms of surrender.
"I release him, sir," said Hamilton. "He is no
longer a prisoner. I am quite willing to have Captain
Helm, join freely in our conference."
"And I refuse to permit his acceptance of your
Alice's Flagf
367
favor," responded Clark. "Captain Helm, you will
return with Mr. Hamilton to the fort and remain his
captive until I free you by force. Meantime hold your
tongue."
Father Beret, suave looking and quiet, occupied
himself at the little altar, apparently altogether indif-
ferent to what was being said; but he lost not a word
of the talk.
"Qui habet aures audiendi, audiat," he inwardly re-
peated, smiling blandly. "Gaudete in ilia die, et ex-
ultater
Hamilton rose to go; deep lines of worry creased
his face; but when the party had passed outside, he
suddenly turned upon Clark and said:
"Why do you demand impossible terms of me?"
"I will tell you, sir," was the stern answer, in a tone
in which there was no mercy or compromise.
I would rather have you refuse. I desire
nothing so much as an excuse to wreak full
and bloody vengeance on every man in that fort who
has engaged in the business of employing savages to
scalp brave, patriotic men and defenseless women and
children. The cries of the widows and the fatherless
on our frontiers require the blood of the Indian parti-
sans at my hands. If you choose to risk the massacre
of your garrison to save those despicable red-handed
partisans, have your pleasure. What you have done
you know better than I do. I have a duty to perform.
You may be able to soften its nature. I may take it
into my head to send for some of our bereaved women
p
h*
*, ;
3'*
368 Alice of Old Vincennes
to witness my terrible work and see that it is well done,
if you insist upon the worst."
Major Hay, who was Hamilton's Indian agent, now
with some difficulty clearing his throat, spoke up.
"Pray, sir," said he, "who is it that you call Indian
partisans ?"
"Sir," replied Clark, seeing that his words had gone
solidly home, "I take Major Hay to be one of the
principals."
This seemed to strike Hay with deadly force. Clark's
report says that he was "pale and trembling, scarcely
able to stand," and that "Hamilton blushed, and, I
observed, was much affected at his behavior." Doubt-
less, if the doughty American commander had known
more about the Governor's feelings just then, he would
have added that an awful fear, even greater than the
Indian agent's, did more than anything else to congest
the veins in his face.
The parties separated without reaching an agree-
ment ; but the end had come. The terror in Hamil-
ton's soul was doubled by a wild scene enacted under
the walls of his fort ; a scene which, having no proper
place in this story, strong as its historical interest un-
questionably is, must be but outlined. A party of
Indians returning from a scalping expedition in Ken-
tucky and along the Ohio, was captured on the out-
skirts of the town by some of Clark's men, who pro-
ceeded to kill and scalp them within full view of the
beleaguered garrison, after which their mangled bodies
were flung into the river.
If the British commander needed further wine of
ines
t it is well done,
lian agent, now,
t, spoke up.
you call Indian
i^ords had gone
be one of the
'force. Clark's
bling, scarcely
lushed, and, I
vior." Doubt-
er had known
then, he would
eater than the
2lse to congest
:ng an agree-
-or in Hamil-
snacted under
ing no proper
il interest un-
A party of
lition in Ken-
I on the out-
len, who pro-
1 view of the
angled bodies
ther wine of
Alice's Flag
369
dread to fill his cup withal, it was furnished by an
ostentatious marshaling of the American forces for a
general assault. His spirit broke completely, so that
It looked like a godsend to him when Clark finally
offered terms of honorable surrender, the consumma-
tion of which was to be postponed until the following
morning. He accepted promptly, appending to the arti-
cles of capitulation the following reasons for his action :
Ihe remoteness from succor; the state and quantity
of provisions, etc.; unanimity of officers and men in
Its expediency; the honorable terms allowed; and,
lastly, the confidence in a generous enemy."
Confidence in a generous enemy ! Abject fear of the
vengeance just wreaked upon his savage emissaries
would have been the true statement. Beverley read
the paper when Clark sent for him; but he could not
join in the extravagant delight of his fellow officers
and their brave men. What did all this victory mean
to him ? Hamilton to be treated as an honorable pris-
oner of war, permitted to strut forth from the fort
with his sword at his side, his head up-the scalp-
buyer, the murderer of Alice! What was patriotism to
the crushed heart of a lover? Even if his vision had
been able to pierce the future and realize the splendor
of Anglo-Saxon civilization which was to follow that
httle triumph at Vincennes, what pleasure could it
have afforded him ? Alice, Alice, only Alice ; no other
thought had influence, save the recurring surge of de-
sire for vengeance upon her murderer.
: that night Beverley slept, and so forgot his
many hours ; even dreamed a pleasant dream
despair
370
Alice of Old Vincennes
•**
L' ''\
1. ,t.
of home, where his childhood was spent, of the stately
old house on the breezy hill-top overlooking a sunny
plantation, with a little river lapsing and shimmering
through it. His mother's dear arms were around him,
her loving breath stirred his hair; and his stalwart,
gray-headed father sat on the veranda comfortably
smoking his pipe, while away in the wide fields the
r^groes sang at the plow and the hoe. Sweeter and
sweeter grew the scene, softer the air, tenderer the
blending sounds of the water-murmur, leaf-rustle,
bird-song, and slave-song, until hand in hand he wan-
dered with Alice in greening groves, where the air
was trembling v^ith the ecstacy of spring.
A young officer awoke him with an order from
Clark to go on duty at once with Captains Worthing-
ton and Williams, who, under Colonel Clark himself,
were to take possession of the fort. Mechanically he
obeyed. The sun was far up, shining between clouds
of a leaden, watery hue, by the time everything was
ready for the important ceremony. Beside the main
gate of the stockade two companies of patriots under
Bowman and McCarty were drawn up as guard:,, while
the British garrison filed out and was taken in charge.
This bit of formality ended. Governor Hamilton, at-
tended by some of his officers, went back into the fort
and the gate was closed.
Clark now gave orders that preparations be made
for hauling down the British flag and hoisting the
young banner of liberty in it:, place, when everything
should be ready for a salute of thirteen guns from the
captured battery.
Alice's Flag ,yj
that't' V°""'' ^"" "'' ^"""^- P'^'"'^ it showed
anythmg, however; for Clark was now all stemnesl
and formal-ty; ,t would be dangerous to take any lib-
^r;Hr;rk:'""'-^-"-"''">^-acco
Hamilton and Farnsworth, the latter d.Vhtlv
bounded in the left arn,, which was bntged stood
together somewhat apart from their fellow offiers
whde prehminary steps for celebrating theiT de-
feat and capture were in progress. They looked for-
^.:z!Li!"'' ^-"^^ ^- — ^ -"^^
of "JutLtion' Th "' ""'" ""^ ''^^'""■■"S => ->
Of jubdat.on. The rumor of what was going to be
souTiilheT' 'T """"^ '° -«*.««" -ry
the cannon They shouted, in a scattering way at
tl«t seemed beyond all comparison with the popufation
wlrlr'T"; ."''""'°" ''^^^'' "' ''"d trembled in-
n^e'^s '^' ''' -'"' ^•^"""^ •'"- - --^
One leonine voice roared distinctly, high above the
no e. It was a sound familiar to all the creoles.-that
bellowmg shout of Gaspard Roussillon's. He was
roammg around the stockade, having been turned back
^ the guard when he tried to pass through the main
372 Alice of Old Vincennes
f'mi
5-*. !
f^
"They shut me out !" he belloved furiously. "I am
Gaspard Roussillon, and they shu - out, me ! Ziifl
me void! je vats entrer immediatement, mot!"
He attracted but little attention, however ; the peo-
ple and the soldiery were all too excited by the
special interest of the occasion, and too busy with
making a racket of their own, for any individual, even
the great Roussillon, to gain their eyes or ears. He
in turn scarcely heard the tumult they made, so self-
centered were his burning thoughts and feelings. A
great occasion- in Vincennes and he, Gaspard Roussil-
lon, not recognized as one of the large factors in it I
Ah, no, never ! And he strode along the wall of the
stockade, turning the corners and heavily shambling
over the, inequalities till he reached the postern. It
was not fastened, some one having passed through
just before him.
"Ziff!" he ejaculated, stepping into the area and
shaking himself ^iter the manner of a dusty mastiff.
"Cest moi! Gaspard Roussillon!" His massive under
jaw was set like that of a vise, yet it quivered with
rage, a rage which was more fiery condensation of self-
approval than anger.
Outside the shouting, singing and huzzahs gath-
ered strength and volume, until the sound became a
hoarse roar. Clark was uneasy; he had overheard
much of a threatening character during the siege. The
Creoles were, he knew, justly exasperated, and even
his own men had been showing a spirit which might
easily be fanned into a dangerous flame of vengeance.
He was very anxious to have the formalities of taking
Alice's Flag vj2
possession of the fort over with, so that he could the
better control his forces. Sending for Beverley he
assigned h™ to the duty of hauhng down the British
of no doubtful sort, which under different circum-
stances would have made the Lieutenant's heart glow
As .t was, he proceeded without any sense of pride or
fJeasure, moving as a mere machine in performing
an act significant beyond any other done west of the
mounta.„s, in the great struggle for American inde-
pendence and the control of American territory.
talfrl" T" " '""' '''' '"" "-^ ^-' °f 'he
tell flag-pole, his arms folded on his breast, his chin
shghtly drawn in, his brows contracted, gazing steadily
a Beverley while he was untying the halyard, which
had been wound around the pole's base about three
feet above the ground. The American troops in the
fort were disposed so as to form three sides of a hol-
ow square, facing inward. Oncle Jazon, serving as
he ornamental extreme of one line, was conspicuous
for his outlandish garb and unmilitary bearing. The
.lence ms.de the stockade offered a strong Contrast
to the tremendous roar of voices outside. Clark made
a signal, and at the tap of a drum, Beveriey shook
the ropes loose and began to lower the British colors.
Slowly the br,ght emblem of earth's mightiest nation
crept down m token of the fact that a handful of back-
woodsmen had V .n an empire by a splendid stroke of
luting handed .t to Colonel Clark. Hamilton's breast
heaved and his iron jaws tightened their pressure
374 Alice of Old Vincennes '
'^ the lines of his cheeks were deep f„„ows of
tolt"; ^'"'- ''^° '""' J"'' ^" »<J"'«ed. quietly
took a place at one side near the wall. There was a
fine, warn, benignant smile on his old face veThis
aneavyload. Hamilton was aware when he entered
and .nstant the scene of their conflict cam Hit
memory with awful vividness, and he saw Alice Ivin^
o« stretched, stark and cold, the shining strand of ha"f
fluttenng across her pallid cheek Ho, i, .
shadowed him. P*'"" <*«^- Her ghost over-
Just then Aere was a bird-like movement, a winc-
t ""ah :"' ' ""■" "^^ "'"^-^ ^^""^ --""'e
coL T """ '""""^ "PO" "• Hamilton re-
to wtr r '.' ''=''*' """ '«""e his hands, as f
to ward ofl? a deadly blow, and then a gaC fla^
was flung out over his head. He saw before hfm t^f
girl he had shot ; but her beautif,,! f,..
nnw „™ .' ""'"^"^ "dutiful face was not waxen
now, nor was .t cold or lifeless. The rich red blood
was strong under the browned, yet delicate skin "^
eyes were bright and brave, the cherry lips, sUghtly
apar, gave a glimpse of pearl white Lth, and the
d,mples, those roguish dimples,-twinkled weeW
Colonel Clark looked on in amazement, andt
sp.^ of hm,self, in admiration. He did n^t under-
stand, the sudden incident, bewildered him; but his
vinle nature was instantly and wholly charmed. Some-
of hfs W °* ""'"^ '*°°'' *' *^"'^^'«' '*°^<'^
Alice stood finnly, a statue of triumph, her right
ennes
deep furrows of
admitted, quietly
all. There was a
old face, yet his
ighted down with
when he entered,
lict came into his
i saw Alice lying
ng strand of hair
Her ghost over-
vement, a wing-
iviftly across the
. Hamilton re-
liis hands, as if
len a gay flag
before him the
was not waxen
rich red blood
ilicate skin, the
ry lips, slightly
teeth, and the
inkled sweetly,
ement, and in
iid not under-
■ him; but his
larmed. Some-
nderest chords
iph, her right
:iid&
\ »^1.
M
■{i
'W
j^H'l
fl
wKf*
p
;iflHB|
i. ' '
1
Alice stood firmly, a statue of triumph, holding the flag
P.37S.
Alice's Flag 375
arm outstretched, holding the flag high above Hamil-
ton's head; and close by her side the little hunchback
Jean was posed in his most characteristic attitude,
gazmg at the banner which he himself had stolen and
kept hidden for Alice's sake, and because he loved it
There was a dead silence for some moments, during
which Hamilton's face showed that he was ready to
collapse; then the keen voice of Oncle Tazon broke
forth :
"Vive Zhorzh Vasinton! Vive la banniere d' Alice
Roussillon!"
He sprang to the middle of the area and flung his
old cap high in air, with a shrill war-whoop.
"H'ist it I h'ist it ! hissca la banniere de Mademoi-
selle Alice Roussillon! Voila, que c'est glorieuse, cette
banniere la!" Wist It I h'ist it!"
He was dancing with a rickety liveliness, his goatish
legs and shriveled body giving him the look of an
emaciated satyr.
Clark had been told by some of his creole officers
the story of how Alice raised the flag when Helm took
the fort, and how she snatched it from Hamilton's
hand, as it were, and would not give it up when he
demanded it. The whole situation pretty soon began
to explain itself, as he saw what Alice was doing.
Then he heard her say to Hamilton, while she slowly
swayed the rippling flag back and forth :
"I said, as you will remember. Monsieur le Gouv-
erneur, that when you next should see this flag, I
should wave it over your head. Well, look, I am wav-
ing itl Vive la republique! Vive George Washing-
■i i
41
^11
Ir
w
4"-i
/", ^ '1.1 .
376 Alice of Old Vincennes
The poor little hunchback Jean took off his cap and
to«cd .t ,n rhythmical emphasis, keeping time to her
• And now from behind the hollow square came a
mighty voice:
Al.cc a thrill of romantic energy. The men in the
ranks and the officers in front of them felt a v.ave of
jrres,st.ble sympathy sweep through their hearts.
Her picturesque beauty, her fine temper, the fitness of
the mcdent to the occasion, had an instantaneous
power which moved all men alike.
"Raise her flag I Run up the young lady's flag!"
some one shouted, and then every voice seemed to
echo the words. Clark was a young man of noble
type ,n whose veins throbbed the warm chivalrous
blood of the cavaliers. A waft of the suddenly pre-
vailing influence bore him also quite oflF his feet. He
turned to Beverley and .said :
"Do it ! It will have a great effect. Ti i„ a ., ,od
Idea; get the young lady's flag and her permission to
run It up."
Hefore he finished speaking, indeed at the first
t'b. ■ ' c saw that Beverley, like Hamilton, was white
as c .1(1 .-rian; and at the same time it came to his
mt'c-r., tnat his ; jung friend had confided to him
nnes
msieur le Gouv
: off his cap and
)ing time to her
square came a
ne void, tnes-
h caught from
he men in the
felt a \/ave of
their hearts.
r, the fitness of
instantaneous
? lady's flag!"
'ice seemed to
man of noble
rm chivalrous
suddenly pre-
■ his feet. He
It is a ^-jod
permission to
at the first
on, was white
; came to his
uued to him,
Alice s Flagf 2T7
during the awful march througli the prairie wilder-
ness, a love-story about this very Alice Roussillon In
the worry and stress of the subsequent struggle he
had forgotten the tender basis upon which Beverley
had rested his excuse for leaving Vincennes. Now
It all reappeared in justification of what was going on
It touched the romantic core of his southern nature.
"I say, Lieutenant Beverley," he repeated, "beg the
young lady's permission to use her flag upon this glon-
ous occasion ; or shall I do it for you ?"
There were no miracles in those brave da} 3, and the
stram of life with its terrible realities braced all men
and women to meet sudden explosions of surprise,
whether of good or bad effect, with admirable equi-
poise; but Beverley's trial, it must be admitted, was
extraordinary; still he braced himself quickly and his
whole expression changed when Clark moved to go
to Alice. For he realized now that it was, indeed,
Alice in flesh and blood, standing there, the center
of admiration, filling the air with her fine magnetism
and crowning a great triumph with her beauty. He
gave her a glad, flashing smile, as if he had just dis-
covered her, and walked straight to her, his hands ex-
tended. She was not looking toward him ; but she saw
him and turned to face him. Hers was the advantage ;
for she had known, for some hours, of his presence in
Vincennes, and had prepared herself to meet him cour-
ageously and with maidenly reserve.
There is no safety, however, where Love lurks.
Neither Beverley nor Alice was as much agitated as
%'
\t >-^
1 a
378 Alice of Old Vincennes
filiating and sZoZZ ^ ^'^''"'^ °^ '>'>-
comprehend No ™! "T'''""' "^ <^^" ^^''^
ing as it were in l^Z, u ° ^°""^ ^°P^'' ^"""d-
happiness ;: e ^rj "fa twTf ^"<'r«P-"e
an unexpected, u^Sfor Te Se!: T" °'''"
dead. To them there was no un t" theT t
able expanse of their love T.ZT '""""'
'•ng, all that thev hid Xed ol *"°™'"' "' ""''-
transfused and poured forth T'"""' °* '°™ ^"^
love's sake .a^Ju/ '~^ ^'°"""S^ "Nation for
Father rf '^°''' ^^'"^ ^" ^-^^ri^rs broke
inhS^s arw^ht' "^ Z" ^'* ^ ^'-^« «-
pen. Afe ,et The L T^ T'" '"P'^' '^'^ h^P-
Beverley clfnt h f '' "^'"""""'^ f^^'' -"-
and with a~r,X;";<; "f '^-.^^ S-t, glad smile,
Jean snatched u7.hrfall' h, "'"f '^'^'^ ""'^•
onel Clark with 7 t "" ^"'' "" '° Col-
fast and hell d h '"'""*'' '^'^^ '* "'»» ™de
ines
le remembered,
ere looking on.
fJignity to sus-
pressure of hu-
' we can fully
■ people, stand-
l incomparable
'h to the other
on from the
Lve the illimit-
nent of meet-
t of love was
? libation for
iers broke.
strange fire
pen, did hap-
s feet, when
'■> glad smile,
etched arms.
ran to Col-
t was made
>gh the rude
bed the gay
ashed from
and outside
ms boomed
rteen,--the
Territory,
^ng Amer-
Vincennes
Alice's Flag
379
never to come down again, and when it reached its
place at the top of the staff, Beverley and Alice stood
side by side looking at it, while the sun broke through
the clouds and flashed on its shining folds, and love
unabashed glorified the two strong young faces.
CHAPTER XXI
SOME TRANSACTIONS IN SCALPS
History would be a very orderlv off •
dry-as-dust historians have' thetlv and 7 K ,"'
t.„. won,d he .o„,ht ahs.d, roj^l^t
tioT'' T 1T^'" ''°'y °' °'<' V'""""« a mere fic-
fon, we should hesitate to bring i„ the exolosion nf
Which althonH de.ightfu, enough Z f^X
end„rah,e'""B^ """^ T "^'"''"--'"ent quite un-
fact" in ti^tnr n".""''^ ''"''^^ '° "'^ "'^W-shed
After the thunderous crash c-mp n -..^ .
tence. Which embraced both thero;.:S:rC
380
LPS
fair, could the
and doubtless
ry turn if the
• Fortunately
Jence, and the
els are shock-
■ory is loaded
if used in fic-
ntic and im-
-s a mere fic-
splosion of a
en confusion
•n from our
' a situation
blessed min-
nt quite un-
; established
5sness there
six-pound
1 struck the
say, scatter-
mong them
Tientary si-
lin the fort
Some Transactions in Scalps 381
and the wild crowd outside. Then the rush and noise
were mdescnbable. Even Clark gave way to exci"
ment, losmg command of himself and, of course, of his
men. There was a stampede toward the main gate by
one wmg of the troops in the hollow square. They
literally ran over. Beverley and Alice, flinging them
apart and jostling them hither and yonde'r withou"
C ark and Beverley got hold of themselves and sang
out their peremptory orders with excellent effect. It
was hke oil on raging water; the men obeyed in a
stragglmg way, getting back into ranks as best they
tll'Tf""'' f^"'"*^'^ ^"^^^ J^^°"' "^f I didn't
think the ole world had busted into a million pieces!"
He was jumping up and down not three feet from
Beverley s toes, waving his cap excitedly
"But wasn't I skeerti Ya,ya,ya! Vive la banniere
d Alice Roussillon! Vive Zhorzh Vasintonr
Hearing Alice's name caused Beverley to look
around. Where was she.P In the distance he saw
Father Beret hurrying to the spot where some of the
men burnt and wounded by the explosion were being
stripped and cared for. Hamilton still stood like a
statue. He appeared to be the only cool person in the
;'Where is Alice ?~Miss Roussillon-where did
Miss Roussillon go?" Beverley exclaimed, staring
around like a lost man. "Where is she?"
"D'know," said Oncle Jazon, resuming his habitual
expression of droll dignity, ''she shot apast me jes' as
JiFl
'
382 Alice of Old Vincennes -
thet thing busted loose, an' she went like er hummin'
bird, skitchl-jes' thet way-an' I didn't see 'r no
more. 'Cause I was skeert mighty nigh inter seven
fits; 'spect that 'splosion blowed her clean away!
Ventrebleu! never was so plum outen breath an' dead
crazy weak o' bein' afeard !"
"Lieutenant Beverley," roared Clark in his most
commanding tone, "go to the gate and settle things
there. That mob outside is trying to break in I"
The order was instantly obeyed, but Beverley had
relapsed. Once more his soul groped in darkness,
while the whole of his life seemed unreal, a wavering,
misty, hollow 'dream. And yet his military duty was'
all real enough. He knew just what to do when he
reached the gate.
"Back there at once!" he commanded, not loudly,
but with intense force, "back there !" This to the in-
ward surging wedge of excited outsiders. Then to
the guard.
"Shoot the first man who crosses the line !"
''Ziff! me void! moi! Gaspard Roussillon. Laisses-
mot passer, messieurs.'*
A great body hurled itself frantically past Beverley
and the guard, going out through the gateway against
the wall of the crowd, bearing everything before it and
shouting :
"Back, fools ! you'll all be killed— the powder is on
fire! Zifflrun!"
Wild as a March hare, he bristled with terror and
foamed at the mouth. He stampeded the entire mass.
There was a wild howl; a rush in the other direction
didn't see V no
J powder is on
Some Transactions in Scalps 383
followed, and soon enough the esplanade and all the
space back to the barricades and beyond were quite
deserted.
Alice was not aware that a serious accident had
happened. Naturally she thought the great, rattling,
crashing roise of the explosion a mere part of the
spectacular show. When the rush followed, separating
her and Beverley, it was a great relief to her in some
way ; for a sudden recognition of the boldness of her
action in the little scene just ended, came over her and
bewildered her. An impulse sent her running away
from the spov where, it seemed to her, she had invited
public derision. The terrible noises all around her
were, she now fancied, but the jeering and hooting of
rude men who had seen her unmaidenly forwardness.
With a burning face she flew to the postern and
slipped out, once more taking the course which had
become so familiar to her feet. She did not slacken
her speed until she reached the Bourcier cabin,
where she had made her home since the night when
Hamilton's pistol ball struck her. The little domicile
was quite empty of its household, but Alice entered
and flung herself into a chair, where she sat quivering
and breathless when Adrienne, also much excited,
came in, preceded by a stream of patois that sparkled
continuously.
"The fort is blown up!" she cried, gesticulating in
every direction at once, her petite figure comically
dilated with the importance of her statement. "A
hundred men are killed, and the powder is on fire»"
She pounced into Alice's arms, still talking as fast
1/
ti
iU
I
384 Alice of Old Vincennes
as her tong^ue could vibrate, changing from subject to
subject without rhyme or reason, her prattle making
Its way by skips and shies until what was really upper-
most m her sweet little heart disclosed itself
"And, O Alice ! Rene has not come vet »"
She plunged her dusky face between Alice's cheek
and shoulder; Alice hugged her sympathetically and
'^ut Rene will come, I know he will, dear."
Oh, but do you know it? is it true? who told
ru;himr"^'^^^"^^^-^-^^^^^-"-
miled bnlhantly through the tears that were still
sparkhng on her long black lashes.
dnil T""'' T" '^^' ^ ^"^ ^^"^^ ^^°"^ him, and I
donj W where he is; but-~but they always come
"You say that because your man~because Lieuten-
ant Beverley has returned. It is always so. You have
everything to make you happy, while I— I—"
Again her eyes spilled their shower, and she hid her
facem her hands which Alice tried in vain to remove
Don't cry, Adrienne. You didn't see me crying-"
No, of course not; you didn't have a thing to cry
about. Lieutehant Beverley told you just where he was
gomg and just what "
"But think, Adrienne, only think of the awful story
they told-that he was killed, that Governor Hamilton
had paid Long-Hair for killing him and bringing back
Some Transactions in Scalps 385
his^scalp-oh dear, just think! And I thought it was
"Well, I'd be willing to think and believe anything
in the world, if Rene would come back," said Adrienne
her face, now uncovered, showing pitiful lines of suf-
fering "O Alice, Alice, and he never, never will
come I
Alice exhausted every device to cheer, encourage
and comfort her. Adrienne had been so good to her
when she lay recovering from the shock of Hamilton's
pistol bullet, which, although it came near killing her
made no serious wound-only a bruise, in fact. It was'
one of those fortunate accidents, or providentially or-
dered mterferences, which once in a while save a life
The stone disc worn by Alice chanced to lie exactly in
the missile's way, and while it was not broken, the ball
already somewhat checked by passing through several
folds of Father Beret's garments, flattened itself upon
It with a shock which somehow struck Alice senseless
Here again, history in the form of an ancient family
document (a letter written in 1821 by Alice herself)
gives us the curious brace of incidents, to wit, the
breaking of the miniature on Beverley's breast by a
Bntish musket-ball, and the stopping of Hamilton's
bullet over Alice's heart by the Indian charm-stone.
"Which shows the goodness of God," the letter goes
on, "and also seems to sustain the Indian legend con-
cerning the stone, that whoever might wear it could
not be killed. Unquestionable (sic) Mr. Hamilton's
shot, which was aimed at poor, dear old Father Beret
would have pierced my heart, but for that charm-stone!
.
386 Alice of Old Vincennes
As for my locket, it did not, as some have reported
save Fitzhugh's life when the musket-ball was stopped.
The ball was so spent that the blow was only hard
enough to spoil temporary (sic) the face of the mini-
ature, which was afterwards restored fairly well by
an artist in Paris. When it did actually save Fitz-
nugh's life was out on the Illinois plain. The savage,
Long-Hair, peace to his memory, worked the miracle of
restoring to me " Here a fold in the paper has de-
stroyed a line of the writing.
^ The letter is a sacred family paper, and there is not
justification for going farther into its faded and, in
some parts, aliiiost obliterated writing. But so much
may pass into these pages as a pleasant authentication
of what otherwise might be altogether too sweet a
double nut for the critic's teeth to crack.
While Adrienne and Alice were still discussing the
probability of Rene de Ronville's return, M. Roussil-
lon carne to the door. He was in search of Madame,
his wife, whom he had not yet seen.
He gathered the two girls in his mighty arms,
tousling them -with rough tenderness. AHce returned
his affectionate embrace and told him where to find
Madame Roussillon, who was with Dame Godere,
probably at her house.
"Nobody killed," he said, in answer to Alice's in-
quiry about the catastrophe at the fort. "Some of
'em hurt and burnt a little. Great big scare about
nearly nothing. Ziff! my children, you should have
seen me quiet things. I put out my hands, this way—
Some Transactions in Scalps 387
comme ca-poufi It was all over. The people went
home."
His gestures indicated that he had borne back an
army with open hands. Then he chucked Adrienne
under the chin with his finger and added in his softest
voice :
"I saw somebody's lover the other day, over yonder
m the Indian village. He spoke to me about some-
oody—eh, ma petite, que voules-vous dire?"
"Oh, Papa Roussillon ! we were just talking about
Rene!" cried Alice. "Have you seen him?"
"I saw you, you little minx, jumping into a man's
arms right under the eyes of a whole garrison ! Bah I
I could not believe it was my little Alice !"
He let go a grand gufTaw, which seemed to shake the
cabin's walls. Alice blushed cherry red. Adrienne
too bashful to inquire about Rene, was trembling with
anxiety. The truth was not in Gaspard Roussillon,
just then; or if it was it stayed in him, for he had not
seen Rene de Ronville. It was his generous desire to
please and to appear opulent of knowledge and sym-
pathy that made him speak. He knew what would
please Adrienne, so why not give her at least a delic-
ious foretaste? Surely, when a thing was so cheap, one
need not be so parsimonious as to withhold a mere
anticipation. He was off before the girls could press
him into details, for indeed he had none.
"There now, what did I tell you?" cried Alice, when
the big man was gone. "I told you Rene would come.
They always come back !"
Father Beret came in a little later. As soon as he
.
388 Alice of Old Vincennes
saw Alice he frowned and began to shake his head;
but she onb. laughed, and imitating his hypoeritical
scowl yet fringing it with a twinkle of merry lines
and dimples, pointed a taper finger at him and ex-
claimed :
"You bad, bad, man ! why did you pretend to me
that Lieutenant Beverley was dead? What sinister
ecclesiastical motive prompted you to describe how
I-ong-Hair scalped him ? Ah, Father "
The priest laid a broad hand over her saucy rno^.ith
Something or other seems to have excited you
mightily, ma iille, you are a trifle impulsively inclined
to-day."
"Yes, Father Beret;' yes I know, and I am ashamed.
My heart shrinks when I think of what I did; but I
was so glad, such a grand joy came ail over me when
I saw him, so strong and brave and beautiful, coming
toward me, smiling that warm, glad smile and holding
out his arms-ah, when I saw all that-when I knew
for sure that he was not dead-I, why, Father-I just
had to, I couldn't help it !"
Father Beret laughed in spite of himself, but quick-
ly managed to resume his severe countenance.
"Ta! ta!" he exclaimed, "it was a bold thing for a
little girl to do."
"So it was, so it was. But it was also a bold thing
for him to do-to come back after he was dead and
scalped and look so handsome and grand! I'm
ashamed and sorry. Father; but—but, I'm afraid I
might do it again if— well, I don't care if I did— so
there, now !"
Some Transactions in Scalps 389
"But what in the world are you talking about ^"
interposed Adrienne. Evidently they were discussing
InTllTvf"^ "'"" °' "'^'^^^ ^^^ ^"^- -thing
and that did not suit her feminine curiosity. .'Te^l
37',,, P""'^'^ ^^^^^' ^^'^^'^ sleeve. "Tell me, I
It is probable that Father Beret would have pre-
tended to betray Alice's source of mingled delight and
embarrassment, had not the rest of the Bourcier house-
hold returned in time to break up the conversation. A
little later Alice gave Adrienne a vividly dramatic ac-
count of the whole scene.
J^J^^jnon Dieu!" exclaimed the petite brunette, after
she had heard the exciting story. 'That was just like
you, Alice. You always do superb things. You were
born to do them. You shoot Captain Farnsworth, you
wound Lieutenant Barlow, you climb onto the fort and
set up your flag-you take it down again and run away
with it-you get shot and you do not die-you kiss
your lover right before a whole garrison! Bon Dieui
If I could but do all those things !" She clasped her
tiny hands before her and added rather dejectedly
"But I couldn't, I couldn't. I couldn't kiss a man in
that way!"
Late in the evening news came to Roussillon place
where Gaspard Roussillon was once more happy in the
midst of his little family, that the Indian Long-Hair
had just been brought to the fort, and would be shot
on the following day. A scouting party captured him
as he approached the town, bearing at his belt the fresh
scalp of a white man. He would have been killed
390 Alice of Old Vincennes .
forthwith, but Clark, who wished to avoid a repetition
of the savage vengeance meted out to the Indians on
the previous day, had given strict orders that all oris-
oners should be brought into the fort, where they were
to have a fair trial by court martial.
Both Helm and Beverley were at Roussillon place
the former sipping wine and chatting with Gaspard'
vthe latter, of course, hovering around Alice, after the
manner of a hungry bee around a particularly sweet
and deliciously refractory flower. It was raining slow-
ly, the fine drops coming straight down through the
cold, still February air; but the two young people
found It pleasant enough for them on the veranda
where they walked back and forth, making fair ex-
change of the exciting experiences which had befallen
them durmg their long separation. Between the lines
of these mutual recitals sweet, fresh echoes of the old
old story went from heart to heart, an amoebaean love-
bout like that of spring birds calling tenderly back
and forth in the blooming Maytime woods.
Both Captain Helm and M. Roussillon were de-
hghted to hear of Long-Hair's capture and certain
fate, but neither of them regarded the news as of suf-
ficient importance to need much comment. They did
not think of telling Beverley and Alice. Jean, how-
ever, lying awake in his little bed, overheard the con-
versation, which he repeated to Alice next morning
with great circumstantiality.
Having the quick insight bred of frontier experi-
ence, Alice instantly caught the terrible significance of
the dilemma in which she and Beverley would be placed
Some Transactions in Scalps 3Q1
by Long-Hair's situation. Moreover, something in
finll T 'T,'""' '"''"'"'^' P°^" demanding the
final, the absolute human sympathy and gratitude
No matter what deeds Long-Hair had comnftted thai
were ev.l beyond forgiveness, he had done for her the
'•wrif^tTa.IV r,a2,.^"-" '*■-«'"=
But her nature eould not hesitate. To feel the de-
mand of an exigency was to act. She snatched a wrap
rom ,ts peg on the wall and ran as fast as she couW
to the fort People who met her flying along won-
dered starmg after her, what could be urging her "o
that she saw nobody, checked herself for notlfng ran
splashmg through the puddles in the street, S
Sh Id' ''] '' '"""'"' ^"-"^ '^'"^ °''i-"
which she dared not turn her eyes
of'^''i!'"r T'' '"''"''' " '"" ^°'^" """°^t power
of flight. If she would be of any assistance to Long-
Hair, who even then stood bound to a stake in the fort's
area, while a platoon of riflemen, those unerring shots
fr^ Kentucky and Virginia, were ready to make a
target of him at a range of but twenty yards
Beverley, greatly handicapped by the fact that the
fresh scalp of a white man hung at Long-Hair's belt
had exhausted every possible argument to avert «;
mitigate the sentence promptly spoken by the court
martial of which Colonel Clark was the ruling spirit
He had succeeded barely to the extent of turning the
mode of execution from tomahawking to shooting
ft . -J '
i
a iif
t i
392 Alice of Old Vincennes
All the officers in the fort approved killing the prisoner
and It was difficult for Colonel Clark to prevent the
men from making outrageous assaults upon him so
exasperated were they at sight of the scalp
Oncle Jazon proved to be one of the most refractory
among those who demanded tomahawking and scalping
as the only treatment due Long-Hair. The repulsive
savage stood up before them stolid, resolute, defiant,
proudly flaunting the badge which testified to his hor-
rible efficiency as an emissary of Hamilton's. It had
been left in his belt by Clark's order, as the best justi-
fication of his doom.
^ "L' me hack [is damned head," Oncle Jazon pleaded.
1 jes hankers to chop a hole inter it. An' besides I
want 'is scelp to hang up.wi' mine an' that'n o' the
Injun what scelped me. He kicked me in the ribs, the
stinkin' varmint."
Beverley pleaded eloquently and well, but even the
genial TVTajor Helm laughed at his sentiment of grati-
tude to a savage who at best but relented at the last
moment, for Alice's sake, and concluded not to sell
him to Hamilton. It is due to the British commander
to record here that he most positively and with what
appeared to be high sincerity, denied the charge of hav-
ing ofl^ered rewards for the taking of human scalps.
He declared that his purposes and practices were hu-
mane, and that while he did use the Indians as mili-
tary allies, his orders to them were that they must
forego cruel modes of warfare and refrain from savage
outrage upon prisoners. Certainly the weight of con-
temporary testimony seems overwhelmingly against
mes
ng the prisoner,
to prevent the
5 upon him, so
scalp.
most refractory
ng and scalping
The repulsive
isolute, defiant,
fied to his hor-
ilton's. It had
the best justi-
Jazon pleaded.
An' besides I
* that'n o' the
in the ribs, the
. but even the
tnent of grati-
ed at the last
2d not to sell
ih commander
nd with what
;harge of hav-
luman scalps,
ices were hu-
iians as mili-
at they must
1 from savage
eight of con-
ngly against
Some Transactions in Scalps 393
him, but we enter his denial. Long-Hair himself,
however, taunted him with accusations of unfaithful-
ness in carrying out some very inhuman contracts,
and to add a terrible sting, volunteered the statement
that poor Barlow's scalp had served his turn in the
place of Beverley's.
With conditions so hideous to contend against, Bev-
erley, of course, had no possible means of succoring
the condemned savage.
"Him a kickin' yer ribs clean inter ye, an' a makin'
ye run the ga'ntlet, an' here ye air a tryin' to save 'is
life !" whined Oncle Jazon. " W'y man, I thought ye
hed some senterments! Dast 'is Injin liver, I kin feel
them kicks what he guv me till yit. Ventrebleu! que
diable voule^-vous?"
Clark simply pushed Beverley's pleadings aside as
not worth a moment's consideration. He easily felt
the fine bit of gratitude at the bottom of it all ; but
there was too much in the other side of the balance ;
justice, the discipline and confidence of his little army,
and the claim of the women and children on the fron-
tier demanded firmness in dealing with a case like
Long-Hair's.
"No, no," he said to Beverley, "I would do any-
thing in the world for you, Fitz, except to swerve an
inch from duty to my country and the defenceless peo-
ple down yonder in Kentucky. I can't do it. There's
no use to press the matter further. The die is cast.
That brute's got to be killed, and killed dead. Look at
him— look at that scalp! I'd have him killed if I
dropped dead for it the next instant."
.
394 Alice of Old Vincennes
Beverley shuddered. The argument was horribly
convmcng, and yet, somehow, the desire to save Lon^
£^ ^ h r::rc° r™ v '- ^--^
stMncrof , nerseit. Captain Farnsworth
Seri;T;r tt^ ■"" ■■" '"^ ^°" -■'° --<''
ine that w! . "'^' ''""'^"'' ''°"''««ss feei-
ng hat h.s position as a British prisoner gave him no
nght to speak, especially when every lip around him
ers and Indian partisans," with whom he was proml
nently counted by the speakers. "^
As Clark had said, the die was cast. Long-Hair
bound to a stike, the scalp still dangling at hl"de
grimly faced his executioners, who were eager to fire
He appeared to be proud of the fact *h,t !,»
to be killed. ^ "'^^ «^°™«^
fiZr "'t'^/ 'f '"^ °* *"'■"'" Helm remarked to
Beverley, "he's the grandest specimen of the animal
whit.'^ Vr^; "^^'"•"'^"»" that I ever saw, red.
Those muscles are perfectly marvelous."
He saved my life, and I must stand here and see
him murdered," the young man replied with intense
bitterness. It was all that he could think, all tha he
Clark hnnself, not willing to cast responsibility upon
a subordmate, made ready to give the fatal order
Turmng to Long-Hair first, he demanded of him as
well as he could m the Indian dialect of which he had
innes
2nt was horribly
ire to save Long-
mind. He could
ini as if he were
lin Farnsworth,
fort who leaned
t, doubtless feel-
ler gave him no
lip around him
nous scalp-buy-
he was promi-
t. Long-Hair,
ing at his side,
e eager to fire,
t he was going
n remarked to
of the animal
-ver saw, red,
!y and limbs!
here and see
with intense
k, all that he
ected, almost
isibility upon
fatal order.
-d of him as
i^hich he had
Some Transactions in Scalps 395
a smattering, what he had to say at his last moment.
The Indian straightened his already upright form,
and, by a strong bulging of his muscles, snapped the
thongs that bound him. Evidently he had not tried
thus to free himself; it was rather a spasmodic ex-
pression of savage dignity and pride. One arm and
both his legs still were partially confined by the bonds,
but his right hand he lifted, with a gesture of immense
self-satisfaction, and pointed at Hamilton.
"Indian brave ; white man coward," he said, scowl-
ing scornfully. "Long-Hair tell truth; white man
lie, damn !"
Hamilton's countenance did not change its calm,
cold expression. Long-Hair gazed at him fixedly for
a long moment, his eyes flashing most concentrated
hate and contempt. Then he tore the scalp from his
belt and flung it with great force straight toward the
captive Governor's face. It fell short, but the look
that went with it did not, and Hamilton recoiled.
At that moment Alice arrived. Her coming was
just in time to interrupt Clark, who had turned to the
waiting platoon with the order of death on his lips.
She made no noise, save the fluttering of her skirts,
and her loud and rapid panting on account of her
long, hard run. She sprang before Long-Hair and
faced the platoon.
"You cannot, you shall not kill this man !" she cried
in a voice loaded with excitement. "Put away those
guns I"
Woman never looked more thrillingly beautiful to
man than she did just then to all those rough, stern
I
1
P .
1
30 Alice of Old Vincennes
backwoodsmen During her flight her hair had fallen
down, and .t gl™„,ered like soft sunlight around her
tace. Somsthing compelling flashed out of her eves
an expression between a triumphant smile and a ray'
of irres.st.ble bcscechment. It took Colonel Clark's
breath when he turned and saw her standing there and
heard her words. ^ '
"This man saved Lieutenant Beverley's life " she
presently added, getting better control of her 'voice
and send.„g into it a thrilling timbre; "you shall not
narm h.m — ^you must not do it!"
Beverley was astounded when he saw her, the thine-
was so unexpected, so daring, and done with such high
.mpenous force; still it was but a realization of what he
had imagined she would be upon occasion. He stood
ga2.ng at her, as did all the rest, while she faced
Clark and the platoon of riflemen. To hear his own
name pass her quivering lips, i„ that tone and in that
connect.on, seemed to him a consecration
"Would you be more savage than your Indian pris-
oner? she went on, "less grateful than he for a life
saved? I d.d him a small, a very small, service once,
and .n memory of that he saved Lieutenant Beverley's
hfe, because-because-" she faltered for a single
breath, then added clearly and with magnetic sweetness
- because Lieutenant Beverley loved me, and because
I loved h.m. This Indian Long-Hair showed a gra«!
tude that could overcome his strongest passion. You
white men should be ashamed to fall below his stand-
Her words went home. It was as if the beauty of her
ill
mes
hair had fallen
ight around her
>ut of her eyes,
mile and a ray
Colonel Clark's
ding there, and
ley's life," she
1 of her voice,
"you shall not
her, the thing
vith such high,
ion of what he
on. He stood
lile she faced
hear his own
le and in that
1.
r Indian pris-
he for a life
service once,
nt Beverley's
for a single
tic sweetness
and because
wed a grati-
ission. You
w his stand-
eauty of her
Some Transactions in Scalps 397
face, the magnetism of her lissome and symmetrical
form, the sweet fire of her eyes and the passionate ap-
peal of her voice gave what she said a new and
irresistible force of truth. When she spoke of Bever-
ley s love for her, and declared her love for him, there
was not a manly heart in all the garrison that did not
suddenly beat quicker and feel a strange, sweet waft of
tenderness. A mother, somewhere, a wife, a daughter
a sister, a sweetheart, called through that voice of ab-
solute womanhood.
"Beverley, what can I do?" muttered Clark, his
bronze face as pale as it could possibly become.
Do!" thundered Beverley, "do! you cannot murder
^at man. Hamilton is the man you should shoot!
He offered large rewards, he inflamed the passions
and fed the love of rum and the cupidity of poor wild
men like the one standing yonder. Yet you take him '
prisoner and treat him with distinguished considera-
tion. Hamilton offered a large sum for me taken alive
a smaller one for my scalp. Long-Hair saved me!
You let Hamilton stand yonder in perfect safety while
you shoot the Indian. Shame on you. Colonel Clark!
shame on you, if you do it."
Alice stood looking at the stalwart commander while
Beverley was pouring forth his torrent of scathing
reference to Hamilton, and she quickly saw^that Clark
was moved. The mtfment was ripe for the finishing
stroke. They say it is genius that avails itself of
opportunity. Beverley knew the fight was won when
he saw what followed. Alice suddenly left Long-Hair
and ran to Colonel Clark, who felt her warm, strong
4
■'-if
1 1*1
i if
398 Alice of Old Vincennes
arms loop round him for a single point of time never
to be eflfaced from his memory; then he saw her kneel-
ing at his feet, her hands upstretched, her face a glori-
ous prayer, while she pleaded the Indian's cause and
won it.
Doubtless, while we all rather feel that Clark was
veak to be thus swayed by a girl, we cannot quite
blame him. Alice's flag was over him; he had heard
her history from Beverley's cunning lips ; he actually
believed that Hamilton was the real culprit, and be-
sides he felt not a little nauseated with executing
Indians. A good excuse to have an end of it all did
not go begging.
But Long-Hair was barely gone over the horizon
from the fort, as free and as villainous a savage as ever
trod the earth, when a discovery made by Oncle Jazon
caused Clark to hate himself for what he had done.
The old scout picked up the scalp, which Long-
Hair had flung at Hamilton, and examined it with odi-
ous curiosity. He had lingered on the spot with no
other purpose than to get possession of that ghastly
relic. Since losing his own scalp the subject of crown-
locks had grown upon his mind until its fascination
was irresistible. He studied the hair of every person
he saw, a^ a physiognomist studies faces. He held
the gruesome thing up before him, scrutinizing it with
the expression of a connoisseur who has discovered,
on a grimy canvas, the signature of an old master.
"Sac* bleuT he presently broke forth. "Well I'll
be Look'ee yer, George Clark! Come yer an'
les
of time never
saw her kneel-
T face a glori-
n's cause and
lat Clark was
cannot quite
he had heard
i; he actually
Iprit, and be-
ith executing
1 of it all did
• the horizon
avage as ever
Oncle Jazon
had done,
ivhich Long-
d it with odi-
3pot with no
that ghastly
Jct of crown-
s fascination
2very person
s. He held
izing it with
discovered,
master.
"Well I'll
>me yer an*
Some Transactions in Scalps 399
look. YeVe been sold ag'in. Take a squint, ef ye
please 1" ^
Colonel Clark, with his hands crossed behind him,
his face thoughtfuly contracted, was walking slowly to
and fro a little way off. He turned about when Oncle
Jazon spoke.
"What now, Jazon?"
"A mighty heap right now, that's what; come yer
an Jet me show ye. Yer a fine sort o' eejit, now ain't
ye .
The two men walked toward each other and met
Oncle Jazon held up the scalp with one hand, pointing
at It with the index finger of the other.
he J"'' ^^'^ '""^^^ ''°"'' °^'" ^^"^ ^^ Ronville's
"And who is he?"
"Who's he? Ye may well ax thet. He wuz a
l^renchman. He wuz a fine young feller o' this town.
He killed a Corp'ral o' Hamilton's an' tuck ter the
woods a month or two ago. Hamilton offered a lot
o money for 'im or 'is scalp, an' Long-Hair went in fer
gittin It. Now ye knows the whole racket. An'
ye lets that Injun go. An' thet same Injun he mighty
nigh kicked my ribs inter my stomach!"
Oncle Jazon's feelings were visible and audible; but
Clark could not resent the contempt of the old man's
looks and words. He felt that he deserved far more
than he was receiving. Nor was Oncle Jazon wrong.
Rene de Ronville never came back to little Adrienne
Bourcier, although, being kept entirely ignorant of her
lover's fate, she waited and dreamed and hoped
J 'ft.
I.
f
400 Alice of Old Vincennes
throughout more than two years, after which there is
no further record of her life.
Clark, Beverley and Oncle Jazon consulted together
and agreed among themselves that they would hold
profoundly secret the story of the scalp. To have
made it public would have exasperated the Creoles and
set them violently against Clark, a thing heavy with
disaster for all his future plans. As it was, the re-
lease of Long-Hair caused a great deal of dissatisfac-
tion and mutinous talk. Even Beverley now felt that
the execution ordered by the commander ought to have
been sternly carried out.
A day or two later, however, the whole dark affair
was closed forever by a bit of confidence on the
part of Oncle Jazon when Beverley dropped into his
hut one evening to have a smoke with him.
The rain was over, the sky shone like one vast lumi-
nary, with a nearly full moon and a thousand stars
reinforcing it. Up from the south poured one ox those
balmy, accidental wind floods, sometimes due in Febru-
ary on the Wabash, full of tropical dream-hints, yet
edged with a winter chill that smacks of treachery.
Oncle Jazon was unusually talkative ; he may have had
a deep draught of liquor; at all events Beverley had
little room for a word.
"Well, bein' as it's twixt us, as is bosom frien's,"
the old fellow presently said, "I'll jes' show ye somepin
poorty."
He pricked the wick of a lamp and took down his
bunch of scalps.
nes
which there is
suited together
ey would hold
alp. To have
the Creoles and
ng heavy with
it was, the re-
of dissatisfac-
' now felt that
• ought to have
Die dark affair
dence on the
)pped into his
him.
one vast lumi-
housand stars
d one ox those
due in Febru-
;am-hints, yet
of treachery,
may have had
Beverley had
Some Transactirns in Scalps 401
"I hev been a addin' one more to keep company o'
mme an' the tothers."
He separated the latest acquisition from the rest of
the wisp and added, with a heinous chuckle:
"This'n 's Long-Hair's !"
And so it was. Beverley knocked the ashes from
nis pipe and rose to go.
"W'en they kicks yer Oncle Jazon's ribs,'' the old
man added, "they'd jes' as well lay down an' give up,
for he s goin' to salervate 'em."
Then, after Beverley had passed out of the cabin,
Uncle Jazon chirruped after him :
"Mebbe ye'd better not tell leetle Alice. The pore
leetle gal hev hed worry 'nough."
som frien's,"
w ye somepin
)ok down his
•x't
il
^^^^■FiTT^^T?
■j
^^H-
■^'MW
I^B'^
jjflB
^hi^
iP
:
CHAPTER XXII ^
CLARK ADVISES ALICE
A few days after the surrender of Hamilton, a large
boat, the Willing, arrived from Kaskaskia. It was well
manned and heavily armed. Clark fitted it out before
beginning his march and expected it to be of great
assistance to him in the reduction of the fort, but the
high waters and the floating driftwood delayed its
progress, so that its disappointed crew saw Alice's flag
floating bright and high when their eyes first looked
upon the difll little town from far down the swollen
river. There was much rejoicing, however, when
they came ashore and were enthusiastically greeted by
the garrison and populace. A courier whom they
picked up on the Ohio came with them. He bore dis-
patches from Governor Henry of Virginia to Clark
and a letter for Beverley from his father. With them
appeared also Simon Kenton, greatly to the delight
of Oncle Jazon, who had worried much about his
friend since their latest fredaine—zs he called it—
with the Indians. Meantime an expedition under Cap-
tain Helm had been sent up the river with the purpose
of capturing a British flotilla from Detroit.
Gaspard Roussillon, immediately after Clark's vic-
tory, thought he saw a good opening favorable to
festivity at the river house, for which he soon began
to make some of his most ostentatious preparations.
Fate, however, as usual in his case, interfered. Fate
403
Clark Advises Alice
iiamilton, a large
skia. It was well
ted it out before
t to be of great
the fort, but the
'ood delayed its
saw Alice's flag
syes first looked
)wn the swollen
however, when
cally greeted by
ier whom they
1. He bore dis-
rginia to Clark
ler. With them
to the delight
nuch about his
he called it —
tion under Cap-
^ith the purpose
•etroit.
:er Clark's vic-
g favorable to
he soon began
s preparations.
terfered. Fate
403
seemed to like pulling the big Frenchman's ear now and
agam, as if to remind him of the fact-which he was
apt to forget-that he lacked somewhat of omnipo-
tence. *^
"Ziff! Je vats donner un banquet a tout le monde,
mot! he cried, husthng and bustling hither and
thither.
A scout from up the river announced the approach
of Phihp Dejean with his flotilla richly laden, and
what little interest may have been gathering in the
direction of M. Roussillon's festal proposition van-
ished like the flame of a lamp in a puflf of wind when
this news reached Colonel Clark and became known in
the town.
Beverley and Alice sat together in the main room
of the Roussillon cabin-you could scarcely find them
separated during those happy days-and Alice was
singing to the soft tinkle of a guitar, a Creole ditty
with a merry smack in its scarcely intelligible non-
sense. She knew nothing about music beyond what
M. Roussillon, a jack of all trades, had been able to
teach her,— a few. simple chords to accompany her
songs, picked up at hap-hazard. But her voice, like
her face and form, irradiated witchery. It was sweet
firm, deep, with something haunting in it-the tone
of a hermit thrush, marvelously pure and clear, car-
ried through a gay strain like the mocking-bird's Of
course Beverley thought it divine; and when a mes-
sage came from Colonel Clark bidding him report
for duty at once, he felt an impulse toward mutiny
of the rankest sort. He did not dream that a military
I
404 Alice of Old Vincennes
expedition could be on hand ; but upon reaching head-
quarters, the first thing he heard was :
"'Report to Captain Helm. You are to go with him
up the river and intercept a British force. Move lively,
Helm is waiting for you, probably."
There was no time for explanations. Evidently
Clark expected neither questions nor delay. Beverley's
love of adventure and his patriotic desire to serve his
country came to his aid vigorously enough ; still, with
Alice's love-song ringing in his heart, there was a cord
pulling him back from duty to the sweetest of all life's
joys.
Helm was already at the landing, where a little fleet
of boats was being prepared. A thousand things had
to be done in short order. All hands were stimulated
to highest exertion with the thought of another fight.
Swivels were mounted in boats, ammunition and pro-
visions stored abundantly, flags hoisted and oars
dipped. Never was an expedition of so great import-
ance more swiftly organized and set in motion, nor did
one ever have a more prosperous voyage or completer
triumph. Philip Dejean, Justice of Detroit, with his
men, boats and lich cargo, was captured easily, with
not a shot fired, nor a drop of blood spilled in doing it.
If Alice could have known all this before it hap-
pened, she would probably have saved herself from the
mortification of a rebuke administered very kindly, but
not the less thoroughly, by Colonel Clark.
The rumor came to her— a brilliant Creole rumor,
d'oly inflated — ^that an overwhelming British force was
descending the river, and that Beverley with a few
)n reaching head-
Clark Advises Alice 405
men, not sufficient to base the expedition on a respect-
able forlorn hope, would be sent to meet them Her
nature, as was its wont, flared into high indignation.
What right had Colonel Clark to send her lover away
to be killed just at the time when he was all the whole
world to her? Nothing could be more outrageous,
bhe would not suffer it to be done ; not she !
Colonel Clark greeted her pleasantly, when she came
somewhat abruptly to him, where he was directing a
squad of men at work making some repairs in the
picketing of the fort. He did not observe her excite-
ment until she began to speak, and then it was notice-
able only, and not very strongly, in her tone. She for-
got to speak English, and her French was Greek to him.
"I am glad to see you. Mademoiselle," he said
rather inconsequently, lifting his hat and bowing with
rough grace, while extended his right hand cor-
dially. "You ha. c- something to say tome? Come
with me to my office."
She barely touched his fingers.
"Yes, I have something to say to you. I can tell it
here," she said, speaking English now with softest
Creole accent. "I wanted— I came to-" It was not
so easy as she had imagined it would be to utter what
she had in mind. Clark's steadfast, inscrutable eyes,
kmdly yet not altogether sympathetic, met her own
and beat them down. Her voice failed.
He offered her his arm and gravely said :
lome
'We will go to my office. I see that you have
important communication to make. There are too
many ears here."
4o6
Alice of Old Vincennes
Of a sudden she felt like running home. Somehow
the situation broke upon her with a most embarrassing
effect. She did not take Clark's arm, and she began
to tremble. He appeared unconscious of this, and
probably was, for his mind had a fine tangle of great
schemes in it just then; but he turned toward his
office, and bidding her follow him, walked away in that
direction.
She was helpless. Not the slightest trace of her
usual brilliant self-assertion was at her command.
Saving the squad of men sawing and hacking, digging
and hammering, the fort appeared as deserted as her
mind. She^ stood gazing after Clark. He did not look
back, but strode right on. If she would speak with
him, she must follow. It was a surprise to her, for
heretofore she had always had her own way, even if
she found it necessary to use force. And where was
Beverley? Where was the garrison? Colonel Clark
did not seem to be at all concerned about the approach
of the British — and yet those repairs — ^perhaps he was
making ready for a desperate resistance ! She did not
move until he reached the door of his office where he
stopped and stepped aside, as if to let her pass in first ;
he even lifted his hat, then looked a trifle surprised
when he saw that she was not near him, frowned slight-
ly, changed the frown to a smile and said, lifting his
voice so that she felt a certain imperative meaning in
it:
"Did I walk too fast for you ? I beg your pardon,
Mademoiselle."
'•fT«i'
mnes .
home. Somehow
lost embarrassing
n, and she began
ous of this, and
le tangle of great
irned toward his
Iked away in that
test trace of her
t her command,
hacking, digging
5 deserted as her
He did not look
^ould speak with
prise to her, for
wn way, even if
And where was
? Colonel Clark
out the approach
-perhaps he was
ce ! She did not
3 office where he
her pass in first ;
I trifle surprised
, frowned slight-
said, lifting his
itive meaning in
eg your pardon, I
Clark Advises Alice
407
He stood waiting for her, as a father waits for a
lagging, wilful child.
"Come, please," he added, "if you have something
to say to me; my time just now is precious-I have a
great deal to do."
She was not of a nature to retreat under fire, and
yet the panic in her breast came very near mastering
her will. Clark saw a look in her face which made
nim speak again :
"I assure you. Mademoiselle, that you need not feel
embarrassed. You can rely upon me to "
She made a gesture that interrupted him ; at the
same time she almost ran toward him, gathering in
breath, as one does who is about to force out a des-
perately resisting and riotous thought. The strong
grave man looked at her with a full senst
of her fascination, and at the same time he felt a
vague wish to get away from her, as if she were about
to cast unwelcome responsibility upon him.
"Where is Lieutenant Beverley?" she' demanded,
now close to Clark, face to face, and gazing straigh
into his eyes. "I want to see him." Her tone sug-
gested intensest excitement. She was trembling vis-
Clark's face changed its expression. He suddenly
recalled to mind Alice's rapturous public greeting of
Beverley on the day of the surrender. He was a
cavalier, and it did not agree with his sense of high
propriety for girls to kiss their lovers out in the open
air before a gazing army. True enough, he himself
had been hoodwinked by Alice's beauty and boldness in
i \
408 Alice of Old Vincennes
ii 1
M T
the matter of Long-Hair. He confessed this to himself
mentally, which may have strengthened his present dis-
approval of her personal inquiry about Beverley. At
all events he thought she ought not to be coming into
the stockade on such an errand.
"Lieutenant Beverley is absent acting under my or-
ders," he said, with perfect respectfulness, yet in a
tone suggesting military finality. He meant to set an
indefinite yet effective rebuke in his words.
"Absent?" she echoed. "Gone ? You sent him away
to be killed ! You had no right— you—"
"Miss Roussillon," said Clark, becoming almost
stern, "you^had better go home and stay there; young
girls oughtn't to run around hunting men in places like
this."
His blunt severity of speech was accompanied by a
slight frown and a gesture of impatience.
Alice's face blazed red to the roots of her sunny
hair; the color ebbed, giving place to a pallor like
death. She began to tremble, and her lips quivered
pitifully, but she braced herself and tried to force back
the choking sensation in her throat.
"You must not misconstrue my words," Clark quick-
ly added; "I simply mean that men will not rightly
understand you. They will form impressions very
harmful to you. Even Lieutenant Beverley might not
see you in the right light."
"What— what do you mean?" she gasped, shrinking
from him, a burning spot reappearing under the
dimpled skin of each cheek.
"Pray, Miss, do not get excited. There is nothing
rhere is nothing
Clark Advises Alice 409
to make you cry." He saw tears shining in her eyes.
Beverley is not in the sHghtest danger. All will be
well, and he'll come back in a few days. The expedi-
tion will be but a pleasure trip. Now you go home.
Lieutenant Beverley is amply able to take care of him-
self. And let me tell you, if you expect a good man to
have great confidence in you, stay home and let him
hunt you up instead of you hunting him. A man likes
that better."
It would be impossible to describe Alice's feelings
as they just then rose like a whirling storm in her "
heart. Sb. was humiliated, she was indignant, she was
abash. -;he wanted to break forth with a tempest
of denial, self-vindication, resentment; she wanted to
cry with her face hidden in her hands. What she did
was to stand helplessly gazing at Clark, with two or
three bright tears on either cheek, her hands clenched,
her eyes flashing. She was going to say some wild
thing; but she did not; her voice lodged fast in her
throat. She moved her lips, unable to make a sound
Two of Clark's officers relieved the situation by
coming up to get orders about some matter of town
government, and Alice scarcely knew how she made
her way home. Every vein in her body was humming
hke a bee when she entered the house and flung her-
self into a chair.
She heard Madame Roussillon and Father Beret
chatting in the kitchen, whence came a fragrance of
broiling buffalo steak besprinkled with garlic It
was Father Beret's favorite dish, wherefore his tongue
ran freely— almost as freely as that of his hostess,
410 Alice of Old Vincennes ^
and when he heard Alice come in, he called gayly t6
her through the kitchen door :
'Come here, ma Mle, and lend us old folks your
appetite; nous avons une tranche a la Bordelaise!"
"I am not hungry," she managed to say, "yon can
eat it without me."
The old man's quick ears caught the quaver of trou-
ble in her voice, much as she tried to hide it. A mo-
ment later he was standing beside her with his hand
on her head.
"What is the matter now, little one?" he tenderly
demanded. "Tell your old Father."
She began to cry, laying her face in her crossed
arms, the tears gushing, her whole frame aquiver, and
heaving great sobs. She seemed to shrink like a
trodden flower. It touched Father Beret deeply.
He suspected that Beverley's departure might be the
cause of her trouble; but when presently she told him
what had taken place in the fort, he shook his head
gravely and frowned.
"Colonel Clark was right, my daughter," he said
after a short silence, "and it is time for you to ponder
well upon the significance of his words. You can't
always be a wilful, headstrong little girl, running
everywhere and doing just as you please. You have
grown to be a woman in stature— you must be one in
fact. You know I told you at first to \z careful how
you acted with-
»
<m
"Father, dear old Father!" she cried, springing from
her seat and throwing her arms around his neck. "Have
I
ennes -
he called gayly tb
us old folks your
la Bordelaise!"
to say, "you can
tie quaver of trou-
hide it. A mo-
ler with his hand
)ne?" he lenderly
:e in her crossed
•ame aquiver, and
to shrink like a
Beret deeply,
ture might be the
ntly she told him
2 shook his head
ughter," he said
or you to ponder
Drds. You can't
le girl, running
[ease. You have
1 must be one in
3 '.c careful how
!, springing from
1 his neck. "Have
Clark Advises Alice 411
I appeared forward and unwomanly ? Tell me, Father,
tell me I I did not mean to do anything " '
"Quietly, my child, don't give way to excitement."
He gently put her from him and crossed himself— a
habit of his when suddenly perplexed-then added:
You hf.ve done no evil; but there are proprieties
which a young woman must not overstep. You are
impulsive, too impulsive; and it will not do to let a
young man see that you— that you "
"Father, I understand," she interrupted, and her
face grew very pale.
Madame Roussillon came to the door, flushed with
stooping over the fire, and announced that the steak
was ready.
"Bring the wine, Alice," she added, "a bottle of Bor-
deaux."
She stood for a breath or two, her red hands on her
hips, looking first at Father Beret, then at Alice.
"Quarreling again about the romances?" she in-
quired. "She's been at it again ?-she's found 'em
again ?"
^^ "Yes," said Father Beret, with a queer, dry smile,
more romance. Yes, she's been at it again! Now
fetch the Bordeaux, little one."
The following days were cycles of torture to Alice.
She groveled in the shadow of a great dread. It
seemed to her that Beverley could not love her, could
not help looking upon her as a poor, wild, foolish girl,
unworthy of consideration. She magnified her faults
and crudities, she paraded before her inner vision her
recent improprieties, as they had been disclosed to her
412 Alice of Old Vincennes
lii.
! 1^
until she saw herself a sort of monstrosity at which all
mankind \vas gazing with disgust. Life seemed dry
and shriveled, a mere jaundiced shadow, while her
love for Beverley took on a new growth, luxuriant, all-
embracing, uncontrollable. The ferment of spirit go-
ing on in her breast was the inevitable process of self-
recognition which follows the terrible unfolding of the
passion-flower, in a nature almost absolutely simple
and unsophisticated.
Vincennes held its breath while waiting for news
from Helm's expedition. Every day had its nimble,
yet wholly imaginary account of what had happened,
skipping fropi mouth to mouth, and from cabin to
cabin. The French folk ran hither and thither in the
persistent rain, industriously improv ag the dramatic
interest of each groundless report. Alice's disturbed
imagination reveled in the kaleidoscopic terrors con-
jured up by these swift changes of the form and color
of the stories "from the frrnt," all of them more or
less tragic. To-day the party is reported as having
been surprised and massacred to a man — to-morrow
there has been a great fight, many Icilled, the result in
doubt — next day the British are defeated, and so on.
The volatile spirit of the Creoles fairly surpassed itself
in ringing the changes on stirring rumors.
Alice scarcely left the house during tha whole period
of excitement and suspense. Like a wounded bird,
she withdrew herself from the light and noisy chatter
of her friends, seeking only solitude and crepuscular
nooks in which to suffer silently. Jean brought her
every picturesque bit of the ghastly gossip, thus heap-
mes
sity at which all
.ife seemed dry
dov/, while her
1, luxuriant, all-
it of spirit go-
process of self-
mfolding of the
solutely simple
liting for news
had its nimble,
had happened,
from cabin to
i thither in the
g the dramatic
lice's disturbed
ic terrors con-
form and color
them more or
rted as having
m — to-morrow
d, the result in
:ed, and so on.
iurpassed itself
ors.
e whole period
wounded bird,
i noisy chatter
id crepuscular
n brought her
sip, thus heap-
Clark Advises Alice
413
ing coals on the fire of her torture. But she did not
grow pale and thin. Not a dimple fled from cheek or
chin, not a ray of saucy sweetness vanished from her
eyes. Her riant health was unalterable. Indeed, the
only change in her was a sudden ripening and mellow-
ing of her beauty, by which its colors, its lines, its
subtle undercurrents of expression were spiritualized,
as if by some powerful clarifying process.
Tremendous is the effect of a soul surprised by
passion and brought hard up against an opposing force
which dashes it back upon itself with a flare and ex-
plosion of self-revealment. Nor shall we ever be able
to foretell just how small a circumstance, just how
slight an exigency, will suffice to bring on the great
change. Tlie shifting of a smile to the gloom of a
frown, the snap of a string on the lute of our imagina-
tion, just at the point when a rich melody is culminat-
ing; the waving of a hand, a vanishing face—any
eclipse of tender, joyous expectation— dashes a name-
less sense of despair into the soul. And a young girl's
soul— who shall uncover its sacred depths of sensitive-
ness, or analyze its capacity for suffering under such
a stroke ?
On the fifth day of March, back came the victorious
Helm, having surrounded and captured seven boats,
richly loaded with provisions and goods, and Dejean's
whole force. Then again the little Creole town went
wild with rejoicing. Alice heard the news and the
noise ; but somehow there was no response in her heart.
She dreaded to meet Beverley ; indeed, she did not ex-
pect him to come to her. Why should he?
ii'
1^ '
^^
p
V ■
ttl..
414 Alice of Old Vincennes
M. Roussillon, who had volunteered to accompany
Helm, arrived in a mood of unlimited proportions, so
far as expressing self-admiration and abounding de-
light was concerned. You would have been sure that
he had done the whole deed single-handed, and brought
the flotilla and captives to town on his back. But
Oncle Jazon for once held his tongue, being too dis-
gusted for words at not hav-ng been permitted to fire
a single shot. What was the use of going to fight and
simply meeting and escorting down the river a lot of
non-combatants ?
There is something inscrutably delightful about a
girl's way of thinking one thing and doing another.
Perversity, thy name is maidenhood ; and maidenhood,
thy name is delicious inconsequence! When Alice
heard that Beverley had come back, safe, victorious,
to be greeted as one of the heroes of an important ad-
venture, she immediately ran to her room frightened
and full of vague, shadowy dread, to hide from him,
yet feeling sure that he would not come! Moreover,'
she busied herself with the preposterous task of put-
ting on her most attractive gown— the buflf brocade
which she wore that evening at the river house— how
long age it seemed !— when Beverley thought her the
queenliest beauty in the world. And she was putting
it on so as to look her prettiest while hiding from him !
It is a toss-up where happiness will make its nest.
The palace, the hut, the great lady's garden, the wild
lass's bower,— skip here, alight there,— the secret of it
may never be told. And love and beauty find lodg-
ment, by the same inexplicable route, in the same ex-
Clark Advises Alice 415
tremes of circumstances. The wind bloweth where it
listeth, finding many a matchless flower and many a
ravishing fragrance in the wildest nooks of the world.
No sooner did Beverley land at the little wharf than,
rushing to his quarters, he made a hasty exchange
of water-soaked apparel for something more comforta-
ble, and then bolted in the direction of Roussillon place.
Now Alice knew by the beating of her heart that he
was coming. In spite of all she could do, trying to
hold on hard and fast to her doubt and gloom, a tide
of rich sweetness began to course through her heart
and break in splendid expectation from her eyes, as
they looked through the little imglazed window toward
the fort. Nor had she long to wait. He came up the
narrow wet street, striding like a tall actor in the
height of a melodrama, his powerful figure erect as an
Indian's, and his face glowing with the joy of a genu-
ine, impatient lover, who is proud of himself because
of the image he bears in his heart.
When Alice flung wide the door (which was before
Beverley could cross the veranda), she had quite for-
gotten how she had gowned and bedecked herself; and
so, without a trace of self-consciousness, she flashed
upon him a full-blown flower— to his eyes the loveliest
that ever opened under heaven.
Gaspard Roussillon, still overflowing with the im-
portance of his part in the capture of Dejean, came
pufiing homeward just in time to see a man at the
door holding Alice a-tiptoe in his arms.
"Ziffr he cried, as he pushed open the little front
gate of the yard, "en voila asses, vogue la gaVere!"
h- f ;
416 Alice of Old \^incennes
The two forms disappeared within the house, as if
moved by his roaring voice.
The letter to Beverley from his father was some-
what disturbing. It bore the tidings of his mother's
failing health. This made it easier for the young
Lieutenant to accept from Clark the assignment to
duty with a party detailed for the purpose of escorting
Hamilton, Farnsworth and several other British offi-
cers to Williamsburg, Virginia. It also gave him a
most powerful assistance in persuading Alice to marry
him at once, so as to go with him on what proved to be
a delightful weeding journey through the great wilder-
ness to the Old Dominion. Spring's verdure burst
abroad on the sunny hills as they slowly went their
way ; the mating birds sang in every blooming brake
and grove by which they passed, and in their joyous
hearts they heard the bubbling of love's eternal foun-
tain.
I- !«*
E.. -« i^irr
i£^.
CHAPTER XXIII
AND SO IT ENDED
Our Story must end here, because at this point its
current flows away forever from old Vincennes; and
it was only of the post on the Wabash that we set out
to make a record. What befell Alice and Beverley
after they went to Virginia we could go on to tell ; but
that would he another story. Suffice it to say, they
lived happily ever after, or at least somewhat beyond
three score and ten, and left behind them a good name
and numerous descendants.
How Alice found out her family in Virginia, we are
. not informed ; but after a lapse of some years from the
date of her marriage, there appears in one of her let-
ters a reference to an estate inherited from her Tarle-
ton ancestors, and her name appears in old records
signed in full, Alice Tarleton Beverley. A descendant
of hers still treasures the locket, with its broken minia-
ture and battered crest, which won Beverley's life from
Long-Hair, the savage. Beside it, as carefully
guarded, is the Indian charm-stone that stopped Ham-
ilton's bullet over Alice's heart. The rapiers have
somehow disappeared, and there is a tradition in the
Tarleton family that they were given by Alice to Gas-
pard Roussillon, who, after Madame Roussillon's
death in 1790, went to New Orleans, where he stayed
a year or two before embarking for France, whither
417
If I 'U'
? 'i
418 Alice of Old Vincennes
he took with him the beautiful pair of colechemardes^
and Jean the hunchback.
Oncle Jazoii Tved in Vincennes many years after the
war was over; but he died at Natchez, Mississippi,
when ninety-three years old. He said, with almost
his last breath, that he couldn't shoot very well, even
in his best days; but that he had, upon various' occa-
sions, "jes' kind o* happened to hit a Injun in the lef
eye." They used to tell a story, as late as General
Harrison's stay in Vincennes, about how )ncle Jazon
buried his collection of scalps, with great funeral so-
lemnity, as his part of the celebration of peace and in-
dependence about the year 1784.
Good old Father Beret died suddenly soon after
Alice's marriage and departure for Virginia. He was
found lying face downward on the floor of his cabin.
Near him, on a smooth part of a puncheon, were the
mildewed fragments of a letter, which he had been
arranging, as if to read its contents. Doubtless it was
the same letter brought to him by Rene de Ronville, as
recorded in an early chapter of our story. The frag-
ments were gathered up and buried with him. His
dust lies under the present Church of St. Xavier,— the
dust of as noble a man and as true a priest as ever
sacrificed himself for the good of humanity.
In after years Simon Kenton visited Beverley and
Alice in their Virginia home. To his dying day he
was fond of describing their happy and hospitable
welcome and the luxuries to which they introduced
him. They lived in a stately white mansion on a hill
overlooking a vast tobacco plantation, where hundreds
And So It Ended
419
of negro slaves worked and sang by day and frolicked
by night. Their oldest child was named Fitzhugh
Gaspard. Kenton died in 1836.
There remains but one little fact worth recording
before we close the book. In the year iCoo, on the
fourth of July, a certain leading French family of Vin-
cennes held a patriotic reunion, during which a little
old flag was produced and ts story told. Some one
happily proposed that it be se.-t to Mrs. Alice Tarle-
ton Beverley with a \e.Us of . :planation, and in pro-
found recognition of the -iorious circumstances which
made it the true flag of the great Northwest.
And so it happened that Alice's little banner went
to Virginia and is still preserved in an old mansion
not very far from Monticello; but it seems likely that
the Wabash Valley will soon again possess the precious
relic. The marriage engagement of Miss Alice Bev-
erley to a young Indiana officer, distinguished for his
patriotism and military ardor, has been announced
at the old Beverley homestead on the hill, and the high
contracting parties have planned that the wedding
ceremony shall take place under the famous little flag,
on the anniversary of Clark's capture of Post Vin-
cennes. When the bride shall be brought to her new
home on the banks of the Wabash, the flag will come
with her; but Oncle Jazon will not be on hand with
his falsetto shout : "Vive la bannihe d' Alice Roussil-
lon! Vive Zhorsh Vasinton!"
THE END.