THE COUNTERFEITERS; 
 
 STONE HOUSE IN THE PASS; 
 
 BY F. C. HARRINGTON. 
 
 The lawless herd, with fury blind, 
 Have done him cruel wrong; 
 
 The flowers are gone, but still we find, 
 The honey on his tongue. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 O-wl Printer Works, 
 
 ST. JOHNSBUItY EAST, VERMONT, 
 PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS.
 
 AM), WITH DUE KK(JA1ID, IS DEDIOATKD TO THEM.
 
 THAT the writer of the following pages has, in all 
 cases, adhered striclly to the truth, he has not the 
 boldness to claim, but that the tale there related is 
 founded upon facls, a consultation with some of the 
 older residents of the vicinity, will bear him out in 
 the assertion that such is the case. Being an in- 
 habitant of that portion of Canada, for a season, 
 when a youth, and hearing many of the incidents 
 related by his elders as facts, he thinks himself to 
 be warranted in believing them. 
 
 That an anachronism may be detected in making 
 Papineau's Rebellion and the final suppression of 
 the Counterfeiters contemporaneous, is fully admit- 
 ted, but he considers himself authorized in bring- 
 ing two such affairs into closer connection, by the 
 example of many able and well-known writers of 
 ficlion from Scott to Doyle. 
 
 Of the handling of the many and dramatic in- 
 cidents, the reader must be his or her own judge, 
 while the author trusts that a perusal of his story 
 will repay the time spent, and help to pass an hour 
 when small amusement is preferable to none. 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 St. Johnsbury East, Vt., July 4, 1897. 
 
 2034569
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Chapter I. The Face at the Window 5 
 
 II. The Pursuit - 25 
 
 " III. Gathering Scattered Threads 43 
 
 IV. Woman's Curiosity 63 
 
 V. The Pedler and the Lawyer Si 
 
 " VI. Attack on the Patriots _ 101 
 
 " VII. Samuel Pruyter's Wooing 119 
 
 " VIII. An old-time Justice 138 
 
 *' IX. The Process Served 149 
 
 " X. He<5tor in his Element _ 169 
 
 " XI. Merited Promotion 181 
 
 " XII. Bermuda Narrowly Escaped 19^ 
 
 " XIII. Some Disclosures 213 
 
 XIV. An unavailing Effort _ _ 227 
 
 k ' XV. TliL- Labors of a Busv Brain 242 
 
 *' XVI. Further Disclosures _ 260 
 
 XVII. Death Blow to Samuel's Hopes 274 
 
 XVIII. Information Promised 288 
 
 XIX. A Skirmish and an Alarm 304 
 
 XX. Still more Disclosures 321 
 
 " XXI. Another Unavailing Search :5:Hj 
 
 XXII. The Appointment Kept :iM 
 
 XXIII. A Tun- Friend in Adversity 369 
 
 XXIV. The Trial ' _ 392 
 
 " XXV. The Verdi.-.i 414 
 
 XXVI. Another Verdict 4:5r> 
 
 XXVII KXKUXT OMNKS .4^7
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS: 
 
 OR THE 
 
 STONE HOUSE IN THE PASS. 
 
 BY F. C. HARRINGTON. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE FACE AT THE WINDOW. 
 
 N the fifteenth day of May, in the year of 
 Grace 1838, there stood, about five miles 
 south of the then vaguely defined forty- 
 fifth degree of north latitude, in a later 
 year established and demarked by the Webster and 
 Ashburton treaty, a wayside inn or, as at that local- 
 ity and period, such establishments were called, a 
 tavern, half-way up or half-way down a steep hill, 
 the discrepancy being reconciled by the traveller's 
 course, whether south in the former, or north in 
 the latter case, who would note its situation. With 
 the exception of some twenty or thirty acres of rock 
 and stump dotted land on the east or opposite side 
 of the road, this structure was closely ringed with 
 the original forest, approaching so near it as to cast 
 the shadows of its tallest trees, during all portions 
 of the day save, perhaps, two or three hours in the 
 forenoon, upon the building, even in mid-summer. 
 A huge swinging sign-board, dependant from a
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 jturdy post, from which the bark had not been re- 
 moved, (resembling much with its upright timber 
 and horizontal beam, an uncouth gallows on which 
 condign punishment had been done upon the guil- 
 ty offspring of some dauber's brain, ) creaked and 
 groaned in its often swavings to and fro in winter 
 gale or summer breeze. On its northern face was 
 what was probably intended for the likeness of a 
 lion, with head and tail elevated,as, under the cir- 
 cumstances, it was the duty of those useful appen- 
 dages to be : for on the reverse was what a great 
 deal of charity, and some degree of imagination, 
 might guess to be the American Eagle, if upon a 
 closer examination, it did not prove to be a roue- 
 l)iid or crow nest instead. 
 
 The building was of somewhat ancient construc- 
 tion, but apparently in good repair, as were the 
 outbuildings, consisting of a shed adjoining the 
 hoiiM- ami the first ot a couple of commodious 
 1 ">"- It was a two-storied, hip-roofed, white 
 painted structure with an almost uncountable num- 
 ber of windows, glazed with seven-by-nine glass; 
 while four tali, wide mouthed chimnies reared their 
 square forms from near each corner of the roof. 
 gainst the dark 1 ::ckground of the forest like the 
 d watch-towers from the battlements of some an- 
 nt castle, or some gymna.stically inclined table 
 monstrous proportions that had attempted a 
 ummersaultaml alighting on its back, with its legs 
 uppermost, had there remained. A low veranda. 
 >< "neston iu height, extended along the entire
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 length of the house on the side next to the road, 
 supported by six or eight posts from which the paint 
 for three or four feet from the floor had been worn, 
 on the inside bv the heels of loungers, and on the 
 outside by the teeth of horses that had been teth- 
 ered while their masters enjoyed the accommoda- 
 tions of the tavern in the way of eating, drinking 
 or smoking, as their necessities or inclinations led 
 them. In front of the bar-room door, on the north 
 end and near the corner of the house, to which ac- 
 cess was had by the aid of a large, flat granite 
 dourstone, was a moss ornamented watering-trough 
 into which a pure stream of cold water poured, 
 from a spout in the side of a wooden penstock. 
 
 At the time we desire to call the reader's atten- 
 tion to this establishment, one of those nondescript 
 vehicles known as a peddler's cart stood in front 
 of the barn, the thills toward and near the entrance 
 as the horse, a tall, rawboned, grav animal had just 
 been detached and led through the door and stood 
 with drooping head waiting the motions of the 
 bearer of a lantern that the near approach of even- 
 ing rendered necessarv, who was making prepara- 
 tions to render him the care his long day's labor 
 merited. The owner and driver of this itinerant 
 commercial equipage had started at once for the 
 bar-room, carrying his whip, overcoat and a small 
 tin trunk, seemingly content to trust his equine co- 
 laborer to the tender mercies of a tavern hostler : 
 led to this manifest dereliction of duty, either by 
 confidence in the man to whose charge he was
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 S^*~~+^* -s^^X- -N-^-^^^-^W-*-'-^-' 
 
 given, a selfishness that prompted him to take a 
 better care of himself than of his dumb compan- 
 ion, or for some other cause not revealed. There 
 seemed to be company in the room to which he 
 hied himself, for bright lights shone from the win- 
 dows, two on the front side and two on the north 
 end of the building; and as the door was flung 
 open for his admittance, not only a bright column 
 of light shot across the door-yard, bathing the old 
 moss-grown tank in yellow and making the fluid 
 sparkle as u ran. but the sound of several voices 
 could be heard in some animated discussion, in 
 which all seemed to wish, as is usually the case, to 
 take a prominent part at once. 
 
 The entrance of the stranger necessitating the 
 attention of the landlord and the partial removal 
 of the disputants, in order to make room near the 
 fire that the coolness of the evenings yet demand- 
 ed, in a measure silenced the argument for the pres- 
 ent. As is natural on such occasions, the guests 
 already assembled examined minutely the newcom- 
 er, in order to ascertain, if possible, the nature of 
 the addition to their number. They discovered an 
 undersized man, somewhere between forty-five and 
 fifty years of age, apparently a yankee, and in a 
 state of agitation from fright, or some other cause, 
 that produced manifest indications in the increased 
 pallor ,,f his naturally sallow countenance ; an ev- 
 ident trembling of the limbs, and a restlessness of 
 the eyes, patent to the observers. Whatever might 
 have been the cause of his perturbation, they were
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 destined to be disappointed of an explanation, at 
 present for, after passing the several portions of his 
 burden successively to the landlord for safe keep- 
 ing he, after calling for and gulping down a full 
 tumbler of undiluted spirits, took a seat near the 
 fire and dropping his head upon his breast, was 
 soon lost in his own reflections, all unmindful of 
 the landlord's natural inquiry whether he would 
 like supper or not. 
 
 'I am satisfied that this very diversity of nation- 
 ality, arguing a corresponding diversity of interest, 
 is an element of weakness rather than strength," 
 said a tall, red-headed, hatchet- faced -marl, evident- 
 ly a resident of the vicinity, in answer to some re- 
 mark interrupted by the entrance of the peddler. 
 "The English, of course, will remain loyal ; the 
 Irish and Scotch element, from old associations, 
 will remain neutral, and only the French 'habitans' 
 and the yankees, the first on account of their French 
 leader, Fapineau, and the latter for their innate 
 love of liberty, may be induced to take up arms," 
 and the speaker who sat tilted back in one chair, 
 with his feet upon the highest part of another sent 
 a mouthful of tobacco juice into the fire, closing 
 one eye at the same time, as if to make his aim 
 the more accurate. 
 
 All, weel, I dinna ken wha'll be maist likely 
 ta be for king and wha for Fapineau, answered a 
 freckle faced, rawboned man in gray clothes and a 
 Scotch cap, sitting at a table eating a cracker and 
 drinking from a handled mug, some hot mixture
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 *s*^^*s^^s+~~~~+s~*s* ^^*~ "^> 
 
 of whiskev, water and sugar. "Tha canty Irisher 
 loons'll fight tor ta fun o't, and ta Scottishmen, on 
 ta side or t'ither, whether ta e'en be Hieland or 
 Lowland, presbyterian or prelatist or for wha'll 
 gie ta maist siller for ta wage and bountith." 
 
 "Too true, Alick, too true," laughingly remark- 
 ed the- landlord, a hale, stout-built, open-faced man 
 of about fiftv years who, in his shirtsleeves, leant 
 with his elbows on the bar, the most of his body 
 being behind it; "the Yankees fight for honor, the 
 Irish for fun and the Scotch for money, the whole 
 world over." 
 
 "Oh. aye maister Morrison," replied the Scotch- 
 man, with a twinkle in his blue eye; " it's aye ta 
 auld clavering t'at ilka mon fights for what he is 
 maistly in need o', whither it be gude gowd or ta 
 honor. Xae mon's abune ta lo'e o' ta geer ta line 
 his ain pouch whiles." 
 
 "Just so. Alick." replied Morrison, the landlord, 
 "but a man who takes up and fights for the best 
 paying side, while he increases his pile of cash, 
 is most apt to tarnish "the brightness of his honor 
 in the act." 
 
 Mavbie sac. \Yha kens :" said the .Scotchman, 
 addressing himself more assiduously to his frugal 
 repast. 
 
 "I am informed." here remarked the red haired 
 man who, during the foregoing conversation, had 
 -ucceeded by the copiousness of the application and 
 the excellence of his marksmanship, in almost en- 
 tirely extinguishing a particular stick of wood in
 
 Till-: COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 the fireplace : 4i lam informed that there is quite an 
 organization in Canada and there are several com- 
 panies upon this side of the line, going under the 
 name of Hunter's lodges : aggregating a sufficient 
 force, but very much in need of arms. The Pres- 
 ident's proclamation, as a matter of course, will 
 prevent any active partcipation of our citizens in 
 the unfortunate quarrel ; and it is only a matter of 
 time how long the rebels can hold out against the 
 disciplined legions of the young queen," and the 
 village politician drowned out a little flicker of 
 ftame that had gained a slight hold upon the doom- 
 ed brand during his speech, in a more copious 
 flood than had vet been its fate to endure. 
 
 "I hardly think little Mattie's bombastic pronun- 
 cimento will a fleet the actions of those Vermonters 
 who recollect the destruction of the Caroline," re- 
 joined Morrison with an emphasis occasioned bv 
 some little heat : --nor those who have cause to re- 
 member the tender mercies of the red-coated min- 
 ions of oppression who recognize Great Britain as 
 their home. And as for the matter of arms, Mr. 
 Roberts, there will be found a way to provide for 
 all such exigencies as has ever been the case where 
 a d(*vn trodden people are battling for their rights 
 against the tools of a tvranical government, and a 
 hireling soldiery. Their whole course since the 
 time of our own revolution to the present has been 
 an uninterrupted series of abuses to their colonies, 
 wherever their lawless arms have prevailed to sub- 
 jugate a new and defenceless country."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^ - ^ - ^ B XN B XV^^-^X^->-'*'.-~^^ 
 
 \Yhat might have been Mr. Roberts' reply is not 
 recorded for, at this instant, a young man, appar- 
 ently about twenty-five years of age, perhaps an 
 inch less than six feet in height, with a well-knit, 
 muscular frame and handsome features, entered. 
 He was the hostler of the establishment, evidentlv. 
 for he was enveloped in blue overalls and frock*of 
 cotton and bore in his hands a lantern. He ap- 
 proached the peddler who, since his entrance, had 
 maintained a studied silence and was gradually 
 gaining a masterv of his agitation, and tapping him 
 on the shoulder with his fingers, said : 
 
 'Your horse, mister, has cast his near, forward 
 shoe and has cut his opposite ankle ; and the oft", 
 forward axle of your cart is badly sprung and hot," 
 
 "That all comes of your darned rough roads," 
 replied the peddler, arousing himself; ik but 'twould 
 n't a been so if it hadn't been for drivin' so fast. 
 I say. landlord," he continued, turning to Morris- 
 on : "is your kentrv round here haunted?" 
 
 Not that I am aware of," responded Morrison, 
 smiling. ! have never heard of any complaints. 
 before. Whatever spirits are in this vicinity, are 
 behind my bar and in my cellar; except such as 
 my customers carry away, and they are usually so 
 thoroughly enveloped as to be invisible except in 
 their effect on those having them in charge." 
 
 "\Val. you may laugh, but seein's believin' and, 
 if I didn't see a ghost within tu mile of yeur door, 
 yeou may set me deown as a sneak I" exclaimed the 
 peddler, vehementlv.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 13 
 
 "A wniith ; now the glide angels fend us a' frae 
 ta ghaist !" 
 
 "A ghost, stranger?" 
 
 "Yas, a ghost, as true's yeou live," replied the 
 peddler; "jest as I druv inter the patch of woods, 
 back here a piece, I see a woman's face, abeout 
 five foot from the greound, kinder tremblin' like ; 
 without any body or neck or arms. 'Tw.is jest as 
 white's a cloth and looked at me for tu or three sec- 
 onds, and then it disappeared quicker'n scat. Ole 
 sleepy Jim that's my hoss snorted and run like 
 a streak, clean to your door." 
 
 "I should judge by the whip welts on his side," 
 quietly suggested the handsome hostler, "that he 
 had some more encouragement than fright to open 
 his gait a trifle." 
 
 "A woman's face," pondered Morrison, eyeing 
 the peddler's countenance, as if to ascertain whet- 
 her an embryo intoxication had been completed bv 
 the somewhat copious stimulator he had imbibed 
 on his entrance. 
 
 "Yas, a woman's face a darned han'some one, 
 tu without no^hin' ter hold it up. abeout five foot 
 from the greound " 
 
 "No doubt some mental hallucination or optical 
 delusion," pedantically remarked the village politi- 
 cian and philosopher; "superinduced by a too pro- 
 fuse imbibation of distilled spirituous fermentations 
 acting upon a naturally vivid imagination, aided 
 by the approaching nocturnal obscuration, height- 
 ened by the circumjacent foliage, tending to aftecT:
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^^.XX^^^^^N-^X^*^-^^*^^-^-^^^-^^ 
 
 retina of the visual organs and producing morbose 
 action of the parts and disarrangement of their 
 normal functions." 
 
 "Idunnowhat in thunder all them are big words 
 mean," said the peddler; "but what I seen was a 
 ghost ; a woman's face, abeout five foot from the 
 greound. without nothin' to " 
 
 It's nae ta uncannv glamour," broke in the nat- 
 urally superstitious Alick Cameron, who had list- 
 ened with Open mouth and eves to the remarks of 
 Roberts and had only gained sufficient knowledge 
 of what he had been saying to discover that he at- 
 tributed the vision to some defect in the peddler's 
 eyes. "Its nae glamour, but e'en, as I uphaud, 
 ta woesome weather-grews o' danger ayont." 
 
 "I have made the matter of claimed supernatu- 
 ral visitations a subject of some research, and of 
 considerable thought," said the man of words, 
 and have arrived at certain conclusions, of which 
 the following are a few. There are two main parts 
 or portions of the human being, the material and 
 the immaterial ; the material, or the body and its 
 adjuncts, being perceptible or evident to one or 
 more of the senses, and the immaterial, having 
 neither form or consistence, nor, in fad, any attri- 
 bute susceptible of being comprehended by any of 
 the senses ; not even containing a materiality as real 
 as the most volatile gasses; when death which, in 
 
 i broadest sense, is merely a separation of these 
 component parts, comes, the impalpable essence, 
 called spirit, being denuded of its palpable or ma-
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 15 
 
 terial concomitant and returns to Him who gave it, 
 every iota of what may be seen, felt, tasted, smelt 
 or heard is consigned to the earth and, in due course 
 of time, is destroyed ; or, perhaps, not destroyed, 
 but decomposed and changed and mixing with oth- 
 er substances, loses its distinction as a part of hu- 
 manity and, as a matter of course, can never col- 
 lect itself, and become evident to any of the senses ; 
 while the spirit from its peculiarity, being invisible, 
 intangible, inaudible and without taste 'or smell, is 
 not perceptible by any power by which man gains 
 cognizance ot outward existence ; .and, therefore, 
 cannot be known to them by any human faculty, 
 or by any " 
 
 "That's all truer' n gospel, squire; but I seen a 
 ghost jest the same ; a woman's face, abeout five 
 foot from the greound, without nothin' to hold it 
 up, and wavin' like " 
 
 "Did you stop at Colonel Carpenter's as you 
 came along?" asked Morrison who had been listen- 
 ing, with a smile on his jolly face, to the discuss- 
 ion. "A too intimate acquaintance with the Colo- 
 nel's spirits may have raised other and different 
 kinds subsequently." 
 
 "Darn it all, lan'lord, p'raps yeu think I'm boo- 
 zy. Mebbe I be," said the persistent man of no- 
 tions, pretty sharply ; "but then I seen a ghost jest 
 the same ; a woman's face, abeout five foot from 
 the greound, without nothin' " 
 
 A further and more minute description of the 
 apparition that the commercial traveller seemed so
 
 ,6 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 determined to give, and which, no doubt, would 
 have been extremely edifying, not only to his hear- 
 ers, but to the reader, would probably have been 
 made had he not been interrupted by a loud shout 
 from some personage near the building and in its 
 front, crying : 
 
 "Hullo, the house, there ! Hostler wanted." 
 When young children, and some children of a 
 more advanced age, are talking of ghosts and such 
 exciting subjects, especially when it is dark, and 
 am sudden, unexpected sound occurs in their vi- 
 cinitv, they are very apt to mingle the thought and 
 noise, so as to give to even the most trivial occur- 
 rences, for the instant, a supernatural complexion ; 
 consequently the shout and ghost, for the smallest 
 space of time, seemed part and parcel of each oth- 
 er ; and the occupants of the bar-room were more 
 or less startled by it, accordingly as each nature 
 was the more or, less readily affected from natural 
 nervousness, or other cause. Lawyer Roberts, from 
 greater susceptibility, perhaps, notwithstanding his 
 scepticism, showed, tor a short time, evident marks 
 of fright, and in his perturbation, adually allowed 
 his feet to drop from their elevated position to the 
 floor, and the formerly inundated billet of wood 
 to crackle and blaze in company with its fellows. 
 William Howard, the handsome hostler, grasped 
 the lantern that he had deposited on the bar, and, 
 more used to such summonses, passed, undisturbed 
 from the room, to answer the call. 
 
 "Ah, weel, maister Roberts, ye hae threpit o'
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ta ghaist ta peddler hae tauld ye o', as yin t'at can- 
 na be ; but I'se uphaud I hae seen mony a wraith 
 i' ta Hielands," said Alick, washing down his last 
 crumb of cracker with the remains of his now cold 
 whiskev-sling; ''afore I'se came ower ta saut wa- 
 ter. But as I hae seen ta bottom o' ta pint coup, 
 I wul e'en pay ta lawin' and gang my way;" sav- 
 ing which he paid his bill and shouldering his lit- 
 tle bundle, attached to a cane, he started toward 
 the door, but immediately fell back a pace exclaim- 
 ing : l> Odd, but t'are's ta ghaist, sure eneuch !" at 
 the same time pointing with one of his long, bonv 
 fingers, which was far from steady, to the window 
 farthest from the door. 
 
 The startled exclamation drew the attention of 
 the inmates of the room and the indicating finger 
 directed their eyes to the window mentioned ; and 
 there, in certainty, they saw a pale, beautiful wo- 
 man's face, with wavering, unsteady motion, gaz- 
 ing full upon them from the darkness without. It 
 was even as the peddler said, about five feet from 
 the ground, and wholly unsupported by any per- 
 ceptible surroundings. The weird, handsome face 
 remained for an instant and then as suddenly dis- 
 appeared as it had come ; and its effect upon the 
 spectators was as varied as the number composing 
 them. The Scotchman, by right of priority of dis- 
 covery, deserving first mention, showed a kind of 
 startled resignation to the state of affairs, devoid 
 alike of surprise or fear; Morrison's countenance 
 indicated wonder, astonishment and perplexity : on
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 the peddler's face was delineated trepidation min- 
 gled with a strong feeling of triumphant vindica- 
 tion of the fact that he "had seen a ghost jest the 
 same, abeout," etc. : while the last and, in his own 
 estimation, not by any manner of means, the least 
 of the quartette was not only thoroughly frightened, 
 but seemed actually furtively searching for some 
 hiding-place ; thus confuting the hvpothesis that 
 men of brains are seldom cowards. 
 
 This melancholy exhibition of a melancholy pe- 
 culiarity of the self-opinionated lawyer, was most 
 disagreeable to him at the present time and place, 
 for more reasons than one. Like all great talkers, 
 when other subjects of conversation or disputation 
 failed, he was in the habit of discussing the abstract 
 principles of animal courage, and of the power of 
 mind over matter as applied to the control of limbs 
 predisposed to certain weaknesses at the middle 
 joint in cases of danger, and had illustrated hisar- 
 gument by instancing his own case as an elucida- 
 tion of the fact that mind was superior to matter, 
 wherein he claimed that fear was no ingredient of 
 his mentality, being banished by pure force of in- 
 tellect ; or, in other words, had boasted much of 
 his courage, and would fain verify his self-vaunt- 
 ing in the eyes of those to whom he had made the 
 claim. Another cii;cumstance seemed to make the 
 exposure of his failing uncomfortable, and this was 
 the fad that he was a suitor for the hand of the 
 landlord's pretty daughter, Elsie, to whom a por- 
 tion of his evening visits were paid, after the usual
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 19 
 
 exhibit of his erudition to the landlord, his hostler. 
 and such chance customers and visitors as the bar- 
 room happened to contain. 
 
 Courage is not an acquired virtue, any more than 
 a faculty for mathematics, or physical strength. A 
 judicious course of training will increase the pow- 
 er of computation, enlarge the muscles and par- 
 tially banish timidity, provided always that there 
 is some base on which to build ; but there are men, 
 intelligent men, too, who require a slate and pencil 
 for the simplest transactions in arithmetic; puny 
 men whose physical energies are weakness instead : 
 and men who cannot face the slightest danger, if 
 known as such, without actual suffering, physical 
 as well as mental. These men are simplv unfor- 
 tunate, and more objects of pitv than scorn ; but 
 the tirst should shun the subject of figures, the sec- 
 ond never brag of his strength, nor the last boast 
 of his bravery ; for no one elevating himself as a 
 target has the right to find fault if people shoot at 
 him. Courage is an attribute, an inherent quality 
 over which the possessor has no more control than 
 he has over his sighl, or over his stature, which 
 he may not, by taking thought, increase or dimin- 
 ish, and therefore, no more to be praised in a man 
 than his height or shape, nor his deficiency in either 
 worthy of blame ; provided always, as before, that 
 he does not boast of that he has not. 
 
 Something like a smile of contempt curled the 
 lip of Morrison, when he, after the disappearance 
 of the face, perceived the discreditable figure being
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^ ^^ -^-^ *-" -^-^-v_^_^^_ 
 
 cut \->\ his prospective son-in-law which, the latter 
 M/cing, in a great measure banished a portion of 
 the manifestations of perturbation from the face of 
 that individual and constrained him to speak ; but, 
 before he had formed words for the purpose, the 
 door was Hung open and Howard, followed by a 
 stranger, entered the apartment. 
 
 The new-comer was scarcely less than six feet 
 in altitude and, as far as was revealed by a coarse, 
 gray. Canada-cloth overcoat, fashioned WMth a hood 
 of the same material, something like unto the same 
 article now worn by ladies, attached to what is 
 called a waterproof, had an upright, athletic form, 
 indicative of strength and activity. His eyes were 
 black and intelligent, his face comely and mascu- 
 line, bordered by wavy locks of jet black hair and 
 ornamented by a moustache of the same hue and, 
 like his hair, as glossy as well polished ebony. He 
 sent a penetrating glance around the apartment and 
 while he unbultoned and threw back the lapels of 
 his coarse outer garment and. in so doing, disclosed 
 a neatly fitting suit of blue broadcloth, he ordered 
 supper to be prepared at once, as he should con- 
 tinue his journey as soon as his horse had eaten. 
 Morrison thought he detected a glance of intelli- 
 gence between him and Cameron, but it was so 
 faint that he was unprepared to say whether it was 
 intentional or not ; at any rate, Alick made but a 
 slight pause, but passed through the door, with his 
 In'Mdle on his shoulder, continued his march to the 
 northward.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "Quite a dark night, to-night," said the stranger, 
 addressing all present, when the landlord, after con- 
 veying the necessary directions to another portion 
 of the house, had returned. 
 
 "Quite so," remarked Roberts. 
 
 Yas, darnation dark," said the peddler; ''but 
 'cordin' to my reckonin'. themoon'll be up in half- 
 an-hour." 
 
 The stranger ran his eves from one to the other, 
 as they answered, with an unsatisfied countenance 
 until they rested upon Morrison, when a gleam of 
 approval shone from his face, as he said : 
 
 "A very dark night, to-night. How far do you 
 travel ?" 
 
 Till I reach my destination," was the reply. 
 
 These words, that were unnoticed by the lawyer 
 or the peddler save as an ordinary remark between 
 strangers, seemed to be .cabalistic in their effect, 
 for the two men immediately advanced toward each 
 other and, with warm smiles, shook hands like old 
 acquaintances, and were soon engaged in a low 
 conversation that appeared to be of much interest 
 to both, so earnest was it. They both occasionally 
 cast a glance toward the other occupants of the 
 room who. however, each seemed to be occupied 
 in his own business: the lawyer meditating upon 
 his late scare ; ths hostler replenishing the fire, and 
 the peddler asleep ; but a more observant watcher 
 would have discovered that one of the last men- 
 tioned individual's ears was attentively bent toward 
 the colloquists. his halt-closed eyes watching every
 
 THE COUNTERFEITED 
 
 ^^S>*^*~~r+*>~*s*^*-> -x^-*^-*^-^-^-->^> 
 
 motion and his breath abated so as not to prevent 
 any incautious tone from reaching the waiting and 
 news-greedy receptacle so eager to catch it. 
 
 The eavesdropper, for whatever purpose he was 
 acting the disreputable part, gained but little con- 
 solation, however; and soon a small bell, hung on 
 a coiled spring and rung by some invisible mech- 
 anism announced supper, and the stranger, doffing 
 his overcoat and directing that his horse be ready 
 on his return from eating, disappeared, accompa- 
 nied bv Morrison, through a door at the back of the 
 bar. As they passed out the landlord made a mo- 
 tion with his hand towards Lhe bottles on the shelf, 
 but the stranger smilingly shook his head, declin- 
 ing the invitation. 
 
 Do vou know who the gentleman is, Howard ?" 
 asked Roberts. "He and Dan seem to be old ac- 
 quaintance." 
 
 I am sure I don't," replied the hostler; -'as I 
 never saw him before. Perhaps that wouldn't be 
 grange as 1 have been here only since the middle 
 of last month, you know," and he again resumed 
 his lantern and was passing toward the door when 
 the peddler seemed to wake. 
 
 Hello, 'ostler, did yeu see anything of that'are 
 ghost ; a woman's face, abeout five foot from the 
 givound. " 
 
 "Not any ghost," laughingly replied the young 
 man and went out on his mission. 
 
 "Ik- is evidently a Canuck," resumed Roberts, 
 in continuation of his meditations on the subject
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 of the stranger that his inordinate curiosity and 
 inquisitiveness had produced; k 'his gray coat and 
 cappo would indicate that readily enough, and, no 
 doubt, one of Papineau's men, as his blue suit 
 would show. That is what makes he and Dan so 
 intimate on so short an acquaintance, in my mind ; 
 for I have more than suspected Dan Morrison of 
 belonging to the Sons of Liberty, for two months 
 past. He had better keep out of that affair, situa- 
 ted as he is, for they are sure to be conquered even- 
 tually, and it will only have the effect of driving 
 awav his share of the Canadian custom and giving 
 it to the Colonel whose predeliclions are the other 
 way." 
 
 "Yen are right, stranger; they can't stand for a 
 minute afore Queen Vic's sodjers," answered the 
 peddler. "Not for a minute!" he repeated, in a 
 tone calculated to carry conviclion, if to no one 
 else, to himself; but of what he knew or surmised 
 as to the well-dressed Canadian, he chose to make 
 no remark ; but his manner seemed to say that he 
 knew vastly more than he saw fit to tell at the pres- 
 ent sitting ; and the conversation flagged, as Rob- 
 erts resumed his meditations and a moving of chairs 
 in the supper room seemed to have 3 very scyrmif- 
 erous effect on the peddler for, in less than ten sec- 
 conds he was seemingly in a sound sleep. 
 
 In about ten minutes the tall stranger returned, 
 hastily donned his overcoat and hat, paid his bill, 
 lighted a cigar and went to the door, where a sound 
 of horse's shoes upon the gravel seemed to indicate
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^-^-^-^^^ *^^^-s_^_^x-s^-<-^x-* 
 
 that his steed was being led. It was an error, for 
 110 horse was there, and a glance toward the barn 
 showed Howard just leading his animal, a power- 
 ful chestnut gelding, fully sixteen hands high, as 
 gaunt as a greyhound and as full of energy, from 
 the door. 
 
 A darn nice anamile, that of yeur'n," remark- 
 ed the peddler, who seemed to have something of 
 an eye for a horse, and had suddenly awakened, 
 and had come to the door with the rest as he pass- 
 ed around on the opposite side; "a splendiferous 
 animile, stranger," taking a front view. 
 
 "Yes, sir," said the Canadian, justly proud of 
 his steed. "A cross between a thoroughbred En- 
 glish hunter and the Crane branch of the Morgans ; 
 six years old, well broken, gentle and sound as a 
 bullet, in wind and limb " 
 
 Further encomiums were cut short by the furious 
 trampling of a horse that passed, with the speed 
 of an avalanche down the steep hill. The reckless- 
 ly driven steed seemed to shoot like an arrow across 
 the line of light cast by the bar-room windows, by 
 which the surprised observers saw, in addition to 
 horse and rider, and in front of the latter, the wo- 
 man's/ace of the window as, for an instant, it ap- 
 peared and disappeared ; and then a wail of fright 
 and agony a woman's terrified scream arose on 
 the dark obscurity of the night, piercing the ears 
 of the startled auditors as if a knife had been thrust 
 through the tympanum. Then all was silent save 
 the distant hoof-beats of the ftving horse.
 
 THK COUNTERFEITERS. 25 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE PURSUIT. 
 
 LICK CAMERON, to whom the reader 
 had an introduction in the first chapter, 
 was an intelligent, canny Highland Scot, 
 a resident of the Queen's dominions in 
 America, known as Canada, where he had a small 
 farm, a prudent, buxom wife by the name of Nancy 
 with several children of assorted sizes, like the fin- 
 gers of a man's hand, from six-foot muckle Saw- 
 nev, down to the wee bit Nancy, a toddler of four 
 years, in shape and look, as well as name, a min- 
 iaaire of his prolific spouse. The size of his fam- 
 ily, joined with the want of size of his farm com- 
 pelled the industrious Scotchman to labor many 
 times, away from home ; and the summer before, 
 he had assisted Dan Morrison about his having. 
 He had been on a visft, whether of business, profit 
 or pleasure, or for what purpose, is not yet disclos- 
 ed, to the Scottish settlements of Barnet and Rye- 
 gate in Vermont, and when we find him at Morri- 
 son's house in Melas, was returning on foot, owing 
 to the fadl that a sudden rise in the Passumpsic 
 river had carried away a bridge, and the stage was 
 not running for that day. 
 
 He trudged on, down the steep hill, up a steeper 
 one and then down a long decline, at the foot of 
 which flowed the Clyde, thus named from its fan- 
 cied resemblance to his own romantic stream, over 
 the bridge arid up a steep pitch, and he was in a
 
 26 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 village, built upon a plain, across which the unob- 
 structed beams from a just risen moon, some two 
 days by its full, were skimming like wings of swal- 
 lows from fence to fence and roof to roof. He had 
 no sooner gained the village than his attention was 
 attracted by the sound of hoof-beats on the bridge 
 over which he had but just passed followed, in the 
 course of a minute, by the passage of what he con- 
 cluded was the same animal, by him with prodi- 
 gious leaps. The horse had a rider and otherwise 
 bore a burden and a live one, too, if struggling was 
 any indication. While yet watching the fast dis- 
 appearing horseman and his uneasy burden, other 
 hoof-beats were heard from the bridge and, shortly 
 after, the lean, glossy Crane gelding of the Cana- 
 dian hove in sight, covering twenty feet at every 
 bound. Alick recognized the pursuer at once and 
 gave him a shout of encouragement as he passed, 
 designed to assist his speed ;but well intended, as 
 it was, it had a contrary effect, for, as the Canadi- 
 an turned in his saddle and waved his hand, the 
 girth broke, and the whole riding gear, except the 
 bridle slipped over the horse's rump, and the rider 
 lay sprawling in the road. 
 
 Cameron sprang forward to assist the dismount- 
 ed man, but before he could reach him he had got 
 to his feet and with a loud whistle stopped the an- 
 imal in his headlong career, and he was returning. 
 An examination of the parted girth, when they had 
 gained the Colonel's tavern door and a light pro- 
 cured, disclosed the somewhat suspicious fad that
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 2J 
 
 it had been fully three-fourths severed by a knife, 
 and the only wonder was that it had held as long 
 as it had considering the state of the road and the 
 speed he had come. While Colonel Carpenter, 
 who was somewhat lame from having had a stone 
 fall upon his ankle a short time before, while build- 
 ing a well, was in search of another girth, the 
 Canadian said : 
 
 "That was the work of that scoundrel, Heath, 
 Alick. He didn't think I recognized him with his 
 whiskers shaved off, his hair colored, with his van- 
 kee pronunciation and driving a peddler's cart, as 
 the hostler told me. I noticed him feeling around 
 Logan and thought I saw a knife in his hand, but 
 1 didn't think the rascal would go so far as to cut 
 my girth and endanger my life. I hardly think he 
 bears me animosity enough for that, unless he had 
 some other end in view. I strongly suspect he had 
 in calculation to delay my journev for some pur- 
 pose. Did you recognize, Alick, the man who 
 had the woman in his arms and passed you, just 
 ahead of me?" 
 
 "I'se didna ken ta mon, and it be na Sam Pruv- 
 ter, and ta beastie, sure wus na nane ither," replied 
 the Scotch man. 
 
 "And who was the woman !" 
 
 "I'se canna sav 'twur a lassie," said Alick, "I'se 
 e'en sa a bit touilsie atween them ; t'at wus a' " 
 
 "Meet me at the shed, when you arrive," hastily 
 spoke the Canadian, as the Colonel appeared, from 
 the barn w r ith a girth in his hand.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 . -^ -^^~^^^- ^~ 
 
 The saddle was soon repaired and adjusted, the 
 Canadian again mounted and, in an instant, was in 
 pm-Miit of the now distant horseman. 
 
 Methinks ta callant Captain's ower fashious 
 anent ta wanchancy lass, whae'er she be," medita- 
 ted Alick, as he trudged on after the Canadian, at 
 a gait that for a day long would have tired a horse, 
 hut was merely a pleasure to the pedestrian. "He 
 is ower fond o' rampauging, like some bauld auld 
 kneicht errant in ta cause o' some sackless maiden 
 \vi' as mickle lo'e o't, an 'twur his ain mither or 
 sister. An' he cares na moe for ta chestnut naig, 
 honnie Logan, a' 'twur but ta aver o' some puir 
 ladd an' wusna worth a bawbee. But e'en let him 
 gang his ain gait, an' he may live ta longer for 't ; 
 an' he wha dances maun pay ta fiddler, afore a's 
 dune. But what hae we here?" he asked as, when 
 rising a little hill, he saw something glitter in the 
 moon's rays and. when he had picked it up discov- 
 ered it to he a gold bracelet, broken, but otherwise 
 uninjured ; "it's ta lassie's gowd gear, an' I maun 
 gi'e it till ta Captain, for s'uld he hae ta quean, he 
 s'udna hae ta ae unless he has ta ither." 
 
 Saying which and much more that is not record- 
 ed, the sturdy Scotchman deposited the treasure 
 trove in his pocket and resumed his march and, in 
 less than an hours time, was climbing the last hill 
 of his journey, the rising ground approaching the 
 plateau on which stood the village of Steadville, 
 the first within the Queen's dominions, approached 
 from northern Vermont.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Steadville was a well built, wealthy town, con- 
 sisting of finely painted, substantial, and in many 
 instances, quite imposing structures of brick and 
 wood, bordering a single broad street, running di- 
 rectly north and south : and ornamented, on both 
 sides of a road over a mile in length, with thrifty, 
 umbrageous shade trees, except before the three 
 public houses mingled with the private residences 
 of the village. Being situated upon the frontier, 
 and on a main highway between the two countries, 
 a company of cavalry was stationed there to pre- 
 vent the incursion of such sympathizers with the 
 lately inaugurated revolutionary movements as re- 
 sided in the states, and to keep in a proper state of 
 subjection the fast growing feeling of discontent 
 and insubordination manifested by the descendants 
 of the universal yankee nation, who had made the 
 near border of British colonial soil their homes. 
 The patriots naturally chafed under the restraint 
 thus imposed and several of the more hot-headed, 
 despite the espionage of the red coated invaders, 
 had organized and partially equipped a small band 
 of soldiery who, almost nightly, held meetings for 
 the purpose of consultation and drill, as yet, as 
 they supposed, though suspected, undiscovered by 
 their enemies. 
 
 The rebellion in Canada, known to history as 
 Papineau's rebellion, was a failure from no want 
 of patriotic feeling on the part of the Canadians, 
 nor from a deficiency of union between the differ- 
 ent nationalities composing its inhabitants, for fully
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^^^x^^^x^-^^-^^^^^*^^-^-^^^^-^^^^^ 1 - 
 
 three-fourths of the provincials, with the example 
 of the United States before their eyes, yearned for 
 the freedom and free institutions of their neighbor, 
 and were willing to peril life, liberty and means in 
 the cause ; and arms and munitions of war were 
 easily obtainable from their friends and well-wish- 
 ers southward of the imaginary line of forty-five ; 
 but, like many a similar enterprise, met its down- 
 fall from a diversity of religious belief. The lar- 
 ger French element was almost universally catho- 
 lic and the movement originally being commenced 
 by them, the Scotch and Yankee portion of the 
 govermental opposers, while they were as energetic 
 in the cause of freedom from the British yoke of 
 oppression, were jealous in anticipation of the 
 government that a catholic leader and a catholic 
 community would establish. Papineau was a sin- 
 cere friend to his country and, untrammelled, in all 
 probability, would have given the protestant sup- 
 porters of his movement such pledges and guaran- 
 tees as would have satisfied them ; but to this the 
 priests would give no consent, and the result was 
 such as might naturally be expected. 
 
 Knowing full well that the streets were nightly 
 patrolled by details from the before mentioned com- 
 pany and that certain knolls in the fields were also 
 picketted, Cameron seleded the highway for his 
 thoroughfare, and used all the natural caution of 
 his race to avoid the videttes ; at the same time as- 
 suming such a gait and demeanor that should he be 
 discovered he would not seem to be endeavoring to
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 31 
 
 avoid them, he mounted the hill and, for twenty 
 rods, or more, pursued his way without interrupt- 
 ion. This was a state of affairs that he had hardly 
 hoped for, pricked as he was by a conscience that 
 acknowledged the justness of his being detained ; 
 and he began to think that he was destined to es- 
 cape altogether, when he was somewhat rudely un- 
 deceived by a hoarse command, issuing from one 
 of the shade trees bordering the road, accompani- 
 ed by the ominous click of a carbine lock : 
 
 "Halt! Who goes there?" 
 
 "Hout awa', mon !" exclaimed the Scotchman, 
 somewhat surprised, but failing to show it in his 
 voice or gesture. "I dinna ken wha may be gang- 
 in' sin ye bid me haul, but 'tvvur mesel' na mony 
 minutes syne." 
 
 "Who the devil are you?" gruffly demanded the 
 same voice. 
 
 "I'se na deevil, gude mon ; but e'en a puir Scot- 
 tish body, wha yer ain Captain kens ta be ane hon- 
 est lad, ta which ye may ken yer nainsel', an' ye 
 but speer him o't." 
 
 "And what are you out this time of night, for?" 
 still interrogated the voice. '- 
 
 "Wha's na in maun be out," replied the imper- 
 turbable highlander; "an" wha canna win ta his 
 journey's end by light, maun e'en tak' ta neicht 
 for't when he ha'na siller ta pay ta lawin' " 
 
 "Well, advance and give the countersign." 
 
 "Hout, fye, mon," said Alick ; "na lang syne 
 ye bid me haut, an' now ye bid me advance, an'
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^^-S^-^X^^^^^^X^X-^^-^X-^^^N^^-^^-^. 
 
 e'en gi'e ye what I ha'e ne'er kenned. When yer 
 ain mind's na sa crotchit on yer wus, an' ye \vud 
 tnak't manii'est Fse obey wi' plasure." 
 
 Forward march, then, you simple Sawney !" 
 exclaimed the voice, with considerable anger in 
 its tones, while the click of the lock was heard, 
 again, with startling distinctness. 
 
 "An" s'uld I do yer bidding, I'se be compelled 
 to wat mv shanks an' bonnie trews i' ta svke whar 
 ta water's na sa meikle clean's I w r us it, preceese- 
 ly," replied Cameron, who had promptly faced a 
 small quagmire by the roadside, and was covertly 
 grinning at the increasing wrath of the badgered 
 sentinel. 
 
 "Come-straight-to-me, and be d d to you !" 
 
 shouted the dismounted dragoon, determined to be 
 understood by his tormentor who, he was more than 
 half inclined to believe was not so simple as he pre- 
 tended, and was making game of him. 
 
 From this peremptory mandate there seemed to 
 be no appeal and Alick, reluaantly it is true, obey- 
 ed, muttering as he did so : 
 
 "Aewillfu' mon maun ha'e his way, an' ta dee- 
 vil drives." 
 
 \\ ith but few preliminaries the Scotchman was 
 started on his way to headquarters, accompanied 
 by his captor. Now this was a different state of 
 aflairs and one in which Cameron took but little 
 pleasure. He had been on important business and 
 the anticipated delay had made the report of his 
 success or failure already too late ; and this added
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 33 
 
 misfortune, unless soon counteracted, must detain 
 him so long that the meeting' of his friends at the 
 "shed" would be broken up before he could make 
 his appearance. To shorten the period of his de- 
 tention then was at once made the subject of his 
 thoughts, and he hastily ran over, in his mind, sev- 
 eral expedients, among which and not the least 
 prominent was the idea of knocking down his es- 
 cort and taking to his heels and thus escaping ; but 
 this plan was soon rejected when he saw, at least, 
 within ten rods of each other along the street, sim- 
 ilar sentinels to the one that had captured him, and 
 the gauntlet to be run seemed too risky. At last 
 his countenance cleared itself of the frown of in- 
 tense study and drawing a pint flask from his coat 
 pocket, he exclaimed as he drew the cork : 
 
 "Bide a wee, mon, bide a wee," and applying 
 the bottle to his lips, drank, apparently, nearly a 
 half of its contents. 
 
 Scarcely twenty rods were traversed when again 
 he paused with the same remark and the same mo- 
 tions. Now this was a proceeding to which the 
 Englishman naturally objected, not so much that 
 Cameron drank as that himself did not ; and when 
 a third hoarse: "Bide a wee, mon," like the mut- 
 tering thunder premonitive of the shower of moist- 
 ure that only seemed to strike the Scotchman's gul- 
 let, was uttered, and the bottle again elevated, not 
 dissimilar to some baton of authority, and Alick's 
 windpipe began to expand and collapse in regular 
 order, than he snatched the flask from its position.
 
 .| THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 But, alas, the deed was done. If the bottle had 
 contained anything heretofore, it was now empty, 
 and the best of his sucking only resulted in the 
 formation of a partial vacuum by the exhaustion of 
 a portion of the air, now its only contents ; and, 
 though the incense was there, the spirit had depar- 
 ted, and found sepulchre in Cameron's stomach. 
 
 Remarkable as it may appear, the half-mile re- 
 quired to be traversed between the spot where Al- 
 ick had taken his last drink and the tavern now the 
 temporary head-quarters of the troop, was scarcely 
 gone over before the incipient consequences of the 
 Scotchman's generous libations, began to make 
 themselves manifest ; to such a degree, indeed had 
 the liquor suddenly affected him that he was not 
 raised the rive or six steps requisite to placing him 
 on the level of the veranda, without some conside- 
 rable assistance from his conductor, and the latter's 
 steadying hand was required to assist him into a 
 chair in the bar-room of the establishment. The 
 room contained some half-dozen of the officers of 
 the corps, among them Captain Stanfield, to whom 
 the vidette made his report and delivered his pris- 
 oner. The latter task was very- easy, as that indi- 
 vidual was almost immediately in a sound sleep, 
 and hanging uncomfortably over one of the arms, 
 which alone prevented his huge bulk from being 
 precipitated its whole length upon the floor. No 
 doubt the uneasiness of the Scotchman's position 
 was the cause of his loud and discordant snoring, 
 as well as the other incontrovertable signs of heavy
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 35 
 
 drinking that soon followed and drew the attention 
 of the officers present. 
 
 "Here, you," exclaimed Captain Stanfield, as 
 these latter sounds fell upon his ears ; "both of you, 
 take this drunken beast out of here, and let him 
 get rid .of his superabundance of whiskey, that he 
 seems inclined to." 
 
 The only two sentinels at the door entered and, 
 depositing their carbines in a corner, lifted the un- 
 wieldy carcase of the drunken man, to an upright 
 position, by main strength, and, after some efforts, 
 amid the laughs and jeers of the officers, induced 
 the unfortunate Cameron to bear some weight on 
 his feet. This end attained they commenced a 
 very slow, very zig-zag and very unsteadv march 
 to the door way, where, after lowering him to the 
 ground and conducting him to the corner post of 
 the veranda and clasping his arm around it, thev 
 left him, the cool night air seeming to recuperate 
 his energies sufficiently for the purpose, to main- 
 tain his equilibrium with that assistance. The sol- 
 diers seated themselves upon the steps in front of 
 the main door, some twenty feetawav and left poor 
 Cameron to his own unassisted efforts. 
 
 This situation was the one to which the Scotch- 
 man's wit had been bent ; and spurred on by some 
 conversation he had heard while in his simulated 
 sleep in the bar-room, he suddenly darted oft* like a 
 deer at the sound of the hound's bay and with the 
 speed of a quarter-horse, ran up the roacl towards 
 the north. Unfortunately for his keepers, their
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^^*s+~i~*^~~+S l +*~**~*^~~^*-^^~~' " 
 
 carbines were in the bar-room and their pistols in 
 the holsters of their saddles ; and catching the fly- 
 ing Scot on foot was like running a race with the 
 moon, in hopes of winning it. 
 
 Previous to these events, however, the Canadian 
 had pushed the willing Logan to his best pace in 
 pursuit of the flying horseman. Although doubly 
 burdened, the steed of that individual seemed to 
 carry the extra weight with comparative ease ; but 
 not having the natural length of stride belonging to 
 the slimmer Morgan, nor the immense powers of 
 endurance accorded by the cross of the hunter with 
 it, the race had been speedily decided had it not 
 been for the broken girth and the consequent de- 
 lay. As it was when he we have heretofore called 
 the Canadian, crowned the last hill and struck the 
 long level of Steadville street, he could just per- 
 ceive the sparkle of the fire produced by the con- 
 tact of the shoes of the retreating horse, with the 
 hard surface of the McAdamised road, fullv one 
 hundred rods in advance and almost to the tavern, 
 whence Alick Cameron was, not long afterwards, 
 to escape. A word to the noble Logan increased 
 his already speedy gait to one of terrific velocity, 
 while the rider kept his eyes fixed upon the line of 
 sparks, showing the locality of the chase. Intently 
 as he watched, however, the indications suddenly 
 ceased, but to be renewed again as clearing a brick 
 building on the corner, the scintellating line passed 
 rapidly along a road, running out of, and at right 
 angles with, his former conrse, and leadin" directly
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 37 
 
 westward from near the front of the head-quarters 
 of Captain Stanfield's troop. 
 
 The pursuing equestrian was destined soon to 
 discover more hindrances than length of road, to 
 his purpose of overhauling his chase ; for scarcely 
 had he discovered the sudden change of direction 
 adopted by his pursued, than the conventional chal- 
 lenge of the sentinels he was so hurriedly passing, 
 began to fall upon his ears, not as the consecutive 
 utterance of a single man, for, while the "Halt!" 
 of one was being lost by distance and the clatter 
 of his horse's hoofs upon the hard road, the "Who 
 goes " of another, and then the hastily ejaculated 
 "there?" of still another, in as many different tones 
 as three different individuals would naturally use; 
 but so great was his speed, sufficiently connected 
 to constitute a very passable single hail. To this 
 the Canadian paid little attention ; but, prudently, 
 checking his horse, that he might turn the abrupt 
 corner with safety, his idea of a lucky escape was 
 suddenly changed when he perceived, as revealed 
 by the moonlight, a half-dozen red-coated troopers 
 forming a line across the road. He knew full well 
 that a continuation of the pursuit was tantamount 
 to capture, accordingly, by a pressure of the knee, 
 accompanied by a low command to his steed, the 
 intelligent, well trained creature dropped almost 
 upon his haunches, and turned like lightning, on 
 his hind feet as a pivot, and in another instant was 
 in full career up the main street of the village, to 
 the northward.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Tliis time the challenge was sufficiently plainly 
 spoken and in so like a tone that it was evident as 
 coming from one man; but inclination to pause or 
 answer seemed no part of the Canadian's purpose, 
 nor was he surprised when in default of either, a 
 pistol shot was heard followed by the thundering 
 tramp of the troop horses, as they commenced a 
 pursuit that the sudden turning of the tables made 
 expected. A curl of the lip in scorn, when the 
 idea presented itself, that the dragoons should at- 
 tempt a chase of his flyer by the ordinary cavalry 
 horse of the period, showed itself around the Can- 
 adian's mouth, but it was soon changed to a look 
 of astonisnment, when a voice from the tavern ve- 
 randa stopped the pursuers, by a command to that 
 erled. 
 
 The average Englishman, whether cavalryman 
 or not ; soldier or citizen, is not usually of a yield- 
 ing nature ; on the contrary, of that bull-dog per- 
 tinacity of disposition that pauses not when the in- 
 clination is bent upon an object:, however slim the 
 chance of success, unless some ulterior purpose is 
 in view. This thought at once struck the menaced 
 rider and while he slackened his horse's speed, to 
 save his wind, he began to surmise the meaning 
 of the order. That he was recognized by the cav- 
 alry, certain exclamations on their parts rendered 
 certain, and that his capture was paramount, in 
 their minds, was well known to himself, and the 
 sudden relinquishment of a pursuit tending to that 
 end, was as strange as it was unexpected. These
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 39 
 
 fads when added to the presence of the question- 
 able Heath at Morrison's tavern and the incident 
 of the partially severed circingle, augmented by the 
 other signs, small in themselves, but each contrib- 
 ting its part to the general whole, like the last par- 
 cels Lo an overloaded wagon, of themselves not 
 sufficient to do it injury but, when added to an al- 
 ready too cumbersome burden, induced the chron- 
 ically suspicious object of the several incongruities, 
 to anticipate movements menacing greater calami- 
 ties than his own mere capture. 
 
 Unable, without further time than was accorded 
 him by the limited space required to reach his des- 
 tination, to sufficiently systemize his cogitations as 
 to solve the puzzle, the horseman, avoiding the di- 
 rect road to the end of his journey, when he had 
 passed the entire village, as it then existed, he took 
 the right hand road, bearing the same relation to 
 the straight one that the upper, right-hand bar of 
 the printer's capital Y does to the downward stroke, 
 he pursued it some sixty rods, rinding a lower spot 
 in the highway fence, his steed turned and vaulted 
 over into the field, forming the space between the 
 road he had pursued and the one he had avoided, 
 cantered lightly across the yielding sward, leaped 
 into the highway, passed directly across it and the 
 other bounding fence and paused under the wide- 
 spreading branches of a maple close at hand. 
 
 He found himself in a field of level grass-land . 
 containing perhaps eighty acres, without tree, bush, 
 building or other encroachment, save about midway
 
 ' 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 and perhaps thirty rods from the road, what ap- 
 peared to be a square stack of hay, covered by 
 boards, rudely supported by transverse poles lying 
 in the forks of crotched stakes at each of the four 
 corners. The Canadian paused for a moment and 
 sent a searching glance in every direction, up and 
 down the road and across the adjoining fields, when 
 seemingly satisfied of his being alone and un watch- 
 ed, he sent along the night air the well counterfeit- 
 ed howl of the watch-dog. The sharp answering 
 bark of what seemed several other curs was imme- 
 diately heard from various quarters, and evidently 
 in the same field, followed bv the deeper bav of an 
 apparent hound near the hay-stack, or "shed." As 
 if these were preconcerted signals announcing his 
 presence, and the reply, the horseman, after again 
 casting his eyes around, began to move forward, 
 when he was, in a measure, startled bv hearing a 
 slight rustling in the branches and leaves beneath 
 which he was ensconced, and the almost simulta- 
 neous dropping of a light body upon the rump of 
 his horse, and the feeling of something touching 
 either shoulder. 
 
 As much as the matters before related would 
 naturally disquiet anyone their object, the startled 
 sensation was but of a moment's duration, for he 
 seemed to surmise at once the meaning, and an af- 
 fectionate smile, if such an indication of feeling 
 may be traced upon the face of a man, especially 
 of one as expressive as that of the Canadian, took 
 the place of the one of astonishment there before.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "Hello, my Hector, you seem to be on deck," 
 said the Canadian, in a low tone, as he checked, 
 with gentle hand, the evidences of fright on the 
 part of his steed, induced by the sudden landing 
 of the unexpected weight upon him. "-And how 
 are matters to-night, my bov ?" 
 
 "Right, or about right," answered a shrill, pe- 
 culiar voice from over his shoulder, at the same 
 time feeling a light kiss upon his cheek ; "and how 
 are Captain Herbert Lorimer and Logan?" 
 
 "Neither of us the worse for seeing Hector," re- 
 plied the elder brother, in a voice as gentle and 
 loving as ever mother used in her address to her 
 child. "I have ridden him pretty hard to-night 
 and he will need the best of care." 
 
 However much the gallant rebel captain mani- 
 fested afteclion for his little brother, there seemed 
 to be another, unable to express it, save in mute 
 signs, but as lavish of his love in his own manner, 
 as was the one endowed with speech, for, when 
 the intelligent horse heard his name spoken in that 
 peculiar voice, a tremble of joy seemed to pervade 
 his whole frame and, with alow whinny of delight 
 he turned his head in expectation of the caress he 
 met, and by every manifestation possible, save that 
 of words, testified his joyous recognition of the 
 soothing hand, passing so gently and with such a 
 mesmeric touch, around his ears and down his face 
 and nostrils. 
 
 "There, Heclor, you have spoilt Logan for my 
 use, for the present," said Lorimer, in a pleasant
 
 I- 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 tone as he dismounted ; "and you may as well take 
 him here as anywhere. Don't feed him until he is 
 cool. I watered him a mile or two back." 
 
 The figure now occupying the saddle was one 
 deserving more notice than usually falls to the lot 
 of equiries. It was but little over four feet high, 
 and almost the perfection of form, on a miniature 
 scale, save the extreme length of the arms and its 
 slender proportions. Notwithstanding this fact, 
 a close observer of this singular specimen of dwarf-, 
 ed manhood, would perceive the immense strength 
 enveloped in the almost attenuated form ; for every 
 muscle and sinew was as elastic and strong as the 
 most rigid training from infancy could make it, and 
 the long, slim fingers had the grip of a vice. In- 
 deed in many a contest with men of ordinary stat- 
 ure and more than ordinary physical strength, the 
 dwarf, Heclor Lorimer, had never yet, remarkable 
 as it may seem, found his superior, in strength and 
 endurance, and for agility in -leaping, running and 
 other feats of activity, an equal. 
 
 The face was of rare beauty, almost feminine in 
 its loveliness, its gentleness and its power of ex- 
 pressing the passions, of hate or love, of anger or 
 pleasure. He wore his hair, a light chestnut, very 
 long and in curls. His clothing was a suit of the 
 finest of green broadcloth, scrupulously neat, with 
 a cap of the same, and moccassins of Indian tann- 
 ed moose-hide, profusely embroidered. His age, 
 though he appeared much younger, on account of 
 his size, was a little over twenty years.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 43 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 GATHERING SCATTERED THREADS. 
 
 >>HE weaver, when he prepares his web for 
 the loom, selects each thread of warp sin- 
 gly and passes it through its special part 
 of the harness, and between the reeds, be- 
 fore he spools the woof or drives the shuttle. The 
 novelist gathers from such quarters as best supply 
 his needs, the several characters of his tale, assigns 
 to each his particular place in his harness, until the 
 warp of his story is complete, ere he prepares or 
 uses the weft of adventure that is the proper filling 
 of his web of fiction ; and like the weaver, if he is 
 successful, he many times, by aid of treadle, drops 
 the thread he has lately made prominent by use in 
 the figure just completed, below the surface, and 
 raises others to the view of the spectator. In or- 
 der then to be a successful weaver of romance we 
 will drop, for the time being, some characters now 
 fully in harness, and search new dramatis per sonce 
 and bring them up to the place attained by the rest. 
 Some five or six miles to the westward of Stead- 
 ville lies one of the most beautiful lakes in Canada. 
 It is nearly thirty miles in length, and varying from 
 one to five in breadth, bordered nearly its entire 
 length by hills and mountains ; some of them, even 
 at the time of which we write, cleared of the nat- 
 ural forest and clothed in grass to their summits, 
 and others yet covered with heavy growths of tim- 
 ber, consisting, near the base, of Maple, Birch and
 
 II 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Beech, with other and less abundant specimens of 
 hard wood, while further up, tha Spruce and Hem- 
 lock prevailed, but growing gradually smaller as 
 they were situated still higher up, until among the 
 roughly seamed ledges of rock forming the sum- 
 mits, the giant bolls of a lower position, came to 
 be mere stunted bushes and shrubs ; at a distance, 
 resembling the scattering and bristling hair on the 
 head of nearly bald age. The hills and mountains 
 bordering the shores were unsustained by any em- 
 inences at their back ; the country around about 
 being level, or merely rising in gentle undulations 
 of arable soil, just sufficient to relieve the eyes of 
 the weariness usually given to them bv the unvary- 
 ing monotony of a plain, be it in never so high a 
 state of cultivation. 
 
 This peculiarity might well lead the imaginative 
 beholder to see in its formation, so like was it to 
 some cavity or trench dug in a meadow by human 
 labor, and the earth and stones removed from it de- 
 posited upon its edges, evidences that, when time 
 commenced, some giants who lived in those days, 
 had excavated the bed of the lake and heaped the 
 refuse matter upon its shores, there to remain until 
 nature in her providence had clothed the unsightly 
 mass in her universal livery of green, and made 
 beautiful what it could not remove, as the pearl- 
 oyster coats the irritating grains of sand that have 
 gained entrance to its shell, with such layers as oft 
 repeated, erewhile become pearls. 
 
 On the eastern shore of this lake, and some ten
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 45 
 
 miles from its upper or southern end, and almost 
 directly west from Steadville, was one of the rough- 
 est and most uncouth elevations on the banks. Its 
 whole surface rising in some instances to the height 
 of four hundred feet, was broken into ravines, fis- 
 sures and chasms many times from fifty to an hun- 
 dred feet in depth ; sometimes running in one di- 
 rection and sometimes in another ; filled in many 
 instances with fallen trees, thickly growing brush- 
 wood or littered with debris of the mountain and, 
 in one or two places, containing small brooks tum- 
 bling in wild tumult down their rugged sides, some 
 times in frothy cascades and at others foaming over 
 boulders of granite or slabs of slate rock, mingled 
 here in most inextricable confusion. A more wildly 
 picturesque specimen of nature in its ruggedest 
 phase, scarcely ever trod by the foot of the most 
 venturesome, and unpruned of a single feature of 
 its harshest and rudest raggedness, could be found. 
 To compensate for this mad freak of nature in 
 her most insane mood, and to make the contrast 
 more glaring between uncultivated creation and 
 genial cause, under the mellowing hand of man, 
 the entire base of the mountain, except about two 
 miles on the lake shore, was surrounded by smooth, 
 well-tilled fields, without mound or hillock, and 
 carpeted by sward as rich as many lawns. From 
 the lake shore on the north to where the level land 
 again reached it on the south, as before said, was 
 scarcely more than two miles in a straight line, yet 
 to follow the roadway, winding around the base of
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 the mountain, it was fully five miles, for the reason 
 that the mountain was somewhat longer east and 
 west than it was from north to south ; and to com- 
 municate between the two farm houses, one on the 
 lake shore at the north and another at the south, 
 required that amount of travel, except by footmen, 
 sometimes, when they took advantage of a gorge, 
 or rather, two of them, running across the eleva- 
 tion, by which at least half the distance was saved. 
 We have said sometimes, and not without a pur- 
 pose, for but few, even of the sterner sex, but pre- 
 ferred the longer route around, to the shorter cut 
 across, even under a midday sun, and he, whom 
 chance ordained should be on the road at night or 
 even during the compromise between day and night 
 the twilight of our northern clime, would no soon- 
 er think of crossing the mountain, than of taking 
 the still shorter but less feasible route by swimming 
 the two miles of lake intervening. This reluctance 
 extended farther than to the ignorant and supersti- 
 tious, for even the learned of the locality were av- 
 erse, though not, perhaps, equally so, to traverse 
 the dark passage. This repugnance was attributa- 
 ble to the seemingly well founded hypothesis, if the 
 melancholy and somewhat startling truth must be 
 told, that the path was haunted. Many a person 
 scouted this idea, and laughed the silly tale, as they 
 called it, to ridicule; but, nevertheless, when the 
 time came when occasion led them to traverse the 
 debatable ground, business or other circumstances, 
 invariably led these same scoffers to seled the more
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 47 
 
 lengthy road ; though what business could call them 
 so much out of the way, \vas ever a mystery, as 
 there was neither house or other building in the 
 entire distance; but perhaps their business, at that 
 time, was avoiding the ghosts in the pass. 
 
 Some fifteen years previous to the raising of the 
 curtain on this drama and the entrance of our char- 
 acters on the scene, and just as the sun was rising 
 over the highlands to the eastward, a boat, bearing 
 a man, woman and boy, approached the shore of 
 the lake, a few rods to the southward of where the 
 isolated mountain we have endeavored to describe, 
 abuts upon the water and nearly opposite to a fine 
 farm house, the residence of Arthur Leonard, the 
 owner of the allodium. The man was a dark, mo- 
 rose, beetle-browed personage, some thirty-five 
 years of age, fully six feet in height and propor- 
 tioned accordingly. His hair was as black as jet, 
 though, even at that early age, sprinkled here and 
 there with a thread of white, as were his whiskers. 
 The woman slim, pale and dejected looking, but 
 with many indications of beauty, banished by care 
 and anxiety, except the eyes which were yet bright 
 and piercing, almost unnaturally so, betraying to a 
 close observer quasi indications of a predisposition 
 to insanity. The boy was about ten years of age, 
 and with the exception of his light hair and com- 
 plexion and blue eyes, inherited from his mother, 
 and a certain subdued cheerfulness and boyish gai- 
 ety, borrowed from youth, so perfect a resemblance 
 of the man, as to put the question of paternity out
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 of dispute or cavail, were any raised. They were 
 dressed plainly but comfortably, in appropriate 
 clothing, for their apparent rank and the season of 
 summer then closely approaching. 
 
 Carefully mooring his boat the man brought frorn 
 it a small but apparently heavy chest ; the woman 
 several vessels of culinary use, and the boy gather- 
 ed up a rifle, its adjuncts of powder-flask and ball 
 pouch, a small axe and a trace chain. Thus bur- 
 dened the trio, under direction of the man, turned 
 toward the mountain and soon entered the mouth 
 of one of the numerous ravines elsewhere mention- 
 ed. They advanced, however, but a few rods up* 
 its course before they paused and the man, after a 
 hasty survey of the locality, seemed satisfied with 
 its adaptability to his purpose, and after deposit- 
 ing his chest and seeing that his companions had 
 disencumbered themselves of their burdens, set 
 about constructing a temporary shelter, from rocks 
 and fragments of the ledge lying near, close by a 
 spring that there issued from a cavity in the stony 
 soil and drained itself down the gorge ; the wife 
 and son assisting, to the best of their ability in the 
 task. No word was spoken by them, except such 
 as were necessary to the successful prosecution of 
 the undertaking in hand. 
 
 About three o'clock in the afternoon, the shelter 
 
 was completed ; when the man, after partaking of 
 
 .a plain but plenteous meal, prepared by his wife, 
 
 from the contents of the cooking utensils, the first 
 
 that the three somewhat mysterious voyagers had
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 49 
 
 partaken during the day ; made his way to farmer 
 Leonard's house, and finding that individual there, 
 was soon engaged with him in earnest conversation 
 apart from the other members of his family ; which 
 being kept however secret from all others, we will, 
 with the romancer's and his readers' privilege, in 
 all such cases fully accorded, be present, and si- 
 lent listeners. 
 
 The stranger said that his name was William I. 
 Printer; that he was a Welchman, and by profes- 
 sion a miner; that he had been a resident of a mi- 
 ning district to the northward, for some years, and 
 had, the summer before, under directions of his 
 employers, prospected the mountains on the lake 
 shore, in search of minerals ; that having made the 
 eminence near at hand an especial objecit of scru- 
 tiny from its geological resemblance to other eleva- 
 tions that had proved rich in ore, in other localities, 
 he had discovered plain traces of copper, whether 
 sufficiently developed to warrant any great outlay 
 of capital, at the present time, was uncertain ; that 
 a discharge from employment had given him time 
 and opportunity to continue his investigations, and 
 that he would enter into any arrangement that was 
 agreeable to Mr. Leonard for a prosecution of the 
 enterprise, as a purchaser, and alone, for he had 
 sufficient means to do so, or in a partnership, to 
 which he would contribute his labor and skill as 
 against capital, which Leonard might wish to ven- 
 ture in a project he was well assured had no prob- 
 able chance of failure.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^*s~*^^^^~*^^-+^^^~,~*^~r^ "*. 
 
 Whoever is acquainted with a man, not deterred 
 bv religious scruples or hindered bv impecuniosity, 
 be he never so cautious in other transactions of a 
 financial nature who, fully convinced of a prize, 
 whether rightfully or wrongfully so, it matters not, 
 will fail to buy a lottery ticket? And mining, of 
 all lotteries, seems to be the most seductive. The 
 hope, often deferred so long as even to make the 
 heart sick, has many an incentive to increase as the 
 work progresses ; and expectation is more often on 
 the tip-toe in that occupation than in any other that 
 usually employs humanity. The unprejudiced ob- 
 server mav never see the promise of success so pa- 
 tent to the delver for hidden treasure and the pur- 
 suit maybe, to him, eggregious folly, that to the 
 enthusiast has charms more enticing than the wine 
 cup to the drunkard ; the most beautiful in form 
 and feature to the libertine or the brightest crown 
 in the celestial store-house of treasures laid up by 
 those on earth, to the most devout and truly sincere 
 religionist. 
 
 Is it any wonder then, with this view of that pe- 
 culiar frailty of human organization admitted, that 
 a bargain was struck between the hitherto cautious 
 and painstaking Arthur Leonard and the strange 
 adventurer, especially as the latter, during the ne- 
 gotiations, had shown the other several rich speci- 
 mens of ore which, for a wonder, he had adhially 
 obtained from the mountain, though he had only 
 the miner's word as a guarantee of it, questionable, 
 at least, by which an equal share of the labor was
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 to be borne by each, and Leonard was to provide 
 a greater part of the expense, against a lesser por- 
 tion and the skill of his partner ; the evidences of 
 sincerity of each, in the form of duly executed doc- 
 uments of bargain and agreement, to be prepared, 
 on the following day, from the pen of alavvverantl 
 convevancer at Steadville? 
 
 The necessary construction of a dwelling-place 
 for Pruyter and his family followed this consuma- 
 tion of the contract, ere any work was performed 
 in the strict line of the copartnership business and 
 soon the pass, before mentioned, resounded to the 
 noise of hammer and bar and drill, as a commo- 
 dious stone house was being ereded on the high- 
 est, which proved to be nearlv the central part ; 
 at a point where a lesser transverse gorge, extend- 
 ing east and west, intersected with the pass. A 
 few idle spectators, hearing of the great things to 
 be done in the mountain, straved occasionally-, for 
 a few days, to the scene of labor ; but as a general 
 consequence of a secluded locality, sparsely inhab- 
 ited and of the secrecy of their movements, no ex- 
 tended knowledge of the matter was disseminated ; 
 and the work went on with but little interruption, 
 after the first week or two. 
 
 The house finished and occupied, the first trans- 
 actions of the firm of Pruyter & Leonard were to 
 engage a half-do/en laborers, who were emploved 
 in driving a tunnel some eightv to ninetv vards into 
 the face of a cliff bordering the transverse gorge, 
 and sinking a shaft from the surface above, down to
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^^V^- ^ -^^~^->*^_^^-^~^s^-'- 
 
 the- drift. For several yards the indications con- 
 tinned good, but at that point they began to depre- 
 ciate in value, until, at the end of fifty yards, all 
 traces entirely ceased ; nor did the shaft develope 
 any better prospedts. The object of continuing the 
 drift to the extent to which it reached, was the hope 
 of striking another and richer lead, which the san- 
 guine Welchman confidently expected, both from 
 his experience of similar undertakings and that en- 
 thusiastic anticipation inherent in every miner's 
 heart, whether he be a seeker of gold, or the hum- 
 ble delver for less precious metals. 
 
 During the transpiration of these matters, the 
 once well cared for lands of Leonard failed to be 
 farmed with the thrift, economy and neatness of 
 former years. The fences, for the year that these 
 opperations engaged, showed in many places the 
 need of the careful oversight of the farmer; the 
 gates, here and there, were minus a hinge or a fas- 
 tening; the cattle, from want of proper care, did 
 not have the appearance of fatness and sleekness, 
 once their condition, and many a weed and bush 
 sprang up in rank exuberance where they were not 
 known before. This state of affairs was not long 
 in being noticed and commented upon by his neigh- 
 bors and, more especially, by his brother, Carlos 
 Leonard, the owner and dweller on the farm at the 
 north of the mountain. Many an unbrotherly con- 
 versation, consisting of hard words and engender- 
 ing bad feelings between the two, was the result 
 of the brother's remonstrances ; but as useles as he
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 53 
 
 might have known they would be, had he a better 
 knowledge of human nature than his somewhat 
 limited teachings in that branch of metaphysics, 
 had enabled him to acquire. Arthur Leonard's 
 wife, too, a young, handsome, but, withal, a not 
 very strong minded woman, added her dissent to 
 the way matters were progressing, but with equal 
 unsuccess. 
 
 Fortunately or unfortunately, as the reader may 
 ele6t, these bickerings were soon discontinued bv 
 a power beyond their own ; for on a summer day, 
 a little over a year after the operations had com- 
 menced, a premature discharge of a blast put an 
 end to them, and to Arthur Leonard's life, at the 
 same time. For this melancholy occurence, the 
 miner was in no way to blame, save in his first se- 
 duction of the dead man from his legitimate busi- 
 ness ; but a general feeling of repugnance to him, 
 had become manifest, reaching no farther than ver- 
 bal expressions, however, and he, to all appearance 
 continued his occupation, but was, very generally, 
 shunned by the people of the vicinity. His former 
 employes gradually left him and in their places he 
 hired others, strangers, to fill their positions until, 
 at the end of a couple of more years, the force en- 
 gaged in mining operations was made up, with a 
 
 single exception, of new comers. 
 
 In the settlement of Arthur Leonard's estate, that 
 
 followed, Pruyter showed duly executed deeds of 
 the mountain, its tenements, hereditaments, rights 
 
 of mining and occupancy, and properly witnessed
 
 5 i 
 
 THK COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 acquittances of all debts, actions and choses in ac- 
 tion, directly and indirectly from him, and signed 
 1\ Arthur Leonard, of the due execution of which 
 there could be no doubt. While the legal repre- 
 sentatives of the dead man's heirs, the wife and a 
 girl child, at that time some four years of age, by 
 the name of Helen, could not question the genuine- 
 ness and legitimacy of these documents, they were 
 constrained to believe that some undue influence 
 had been used for their procurement ; and hoping 
 that some evidence might be obtained of the facls, 
 refused to fully close the matter in issue for more 
 than three vears. In this interval, as before stated, 
 Pruyter had continued his labors in the mountain, 
 with a new set of hands, with what success none 
 were aware, for but few encroached on his domains 
 and he, his son or the laborers seldom left the scene 
 of their operations. 
 
 In July of the fourth summer from his advent, 
 Pruyter was seen, with all his help, searching the 
 mountain, the surrounding plains and the lake, and 
 it very soon transpired that his wife had suddenly 
 disappeared and they were hunting some trace of 
 her. The investigation met with no success for a 
 fortnight; but at the end of that time a \ery much 
 decayed and mangled female form, at once recog- 
 nized as hers, from the dress, was found in the lake. 
 It was recovered and decently buried, and matters 
 resumed their usual course, excepting, perhaps, 
 the discharge of three of his hands and the employ- 
 ment of two others, both young men and residents
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 of Steadville. Two young men who had ever be- 
 fore shown much aversion to labor, and seemingly 
 onlv induced to their present occupation by the en- 
 ticing novelty of treasure seeking. 
 
 It was at this time that the first rumors of unnat- 
 ural and supernatural sights seen in the mountain, 
 began to float through the surrounding country. 
 These flying reports were traced, in some instances 
 to the miners, themselves, and in others to those 
 who were, apparently, wholly unconnected with 
 them. As elsewhere remarked, they were disbe- 
 lieved by many ; but most disbelievers were con- 
 verted as time went on, for some of the residents 
 of the vicinity soon began to tell marvellous stories 
 of their own experiences in this modern edition of 
 the Hartz mountain ; men who were not superla- 
 tively intellectual, but above a doubt as to their 
 truthfulness and honesty, and totally unconnected 
 with the miners. One had seen a female face, as 
 described in our first chapter; another had beheld 
 a tall, dark woman in white, leaping from rock to 
 rock where, seemingly, no human being could have 
 attained ; still another had encountered a white 
 horse without a head, mounted by a spectre rider, 
 with flaming eyes and breath of fire and smoke, 
 ascending or descending the pass, and even some- 
 times the phantom steed and rider had been seen 
 out upon the level road ; and vet another had wit- 
 nessed weird lights dancing in fantastic evolutions 
 in different parts of the pass, the gorge and on the 
 tops of the precipices, all told with such evidences
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 of sincerity and honesty, that many who had been 
 the most sceptical at first, were soon made firm be- 
 lievers in the fact that the mountain was haunted 
 by spirits of another world, let loose for a season, 
 to torment, with their awful presence, the dwellers 
 of this. 
 
 So wide spread had become the reports of these 
 remarkable sights, that several adventurous persons 
 had visited the spot, from a distance, with the av- 
 owed purpose of exposing the imposition, if any 
 existed, which they were inclined to believe. On 
 visiting the scenes of the supernatural appearances 
 by daylight nothing out of the common course had 
 transpired. Pruvter and his gang were found at 
 work in driving other tunnels or in sinking other 
 shafts, and heaping the debris of their labors in 
 piles for transportation ; and a conversation with 
 them revealed all the fadlsas above recorded, with- 
 out, however, any explanation or attempt at expla- 
 nation of the mysteries. A single nightly call on 
 the ghosts was usually all that was required to sat- 
 isfy the explorers; for on their return, the reticent 
 made their ways toward their homes with nothing 
 to say ; and the more talkative merely made assur- 
 ance doubly sure, by a verification, in all particu- 
 lars, of former rumors. 
 
 About this time, when the ghost stories were in 
 full vogue and much talked of, on account of their 
 novelty, and at about the time the settlement of 
 the estate of Arthur Leonard was to be closed, an- 
 other subject of talk occurred, though not so wide
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 57 
 
 spread as the other, and by the same act changing 
 the subject of conversation and settling the contro- 
 versy in regard to the money. This was the whol- 
 ly unlocked for and totally unexpected marriage of 
 the widow Arthur Leonard with the Welch miner 
 William Pruyter. Had any whisper of an intent- 
 ion tending to that end been heard, previous to its 
 occurrence, not one of the inhabitants of the vicin- 
 ity could have been found to give it a moment's cre- 
 dence. The parties were so completely unfitted for 
 each other, in every particular, and so eminently 
 so, that even the least observing of the neighbors, 
 would have pronounced the union as unnatural, 
 improbable, yes, impossible. But like all nine- 
 day's wonders, when that time of wonder is past, 
 the gossipping ceased and Mr. and Mrs. Pruyter 
 pursued the even tenor of their way, and the farm 
 resumed the former look of thrift ; the fences were 
 mended, the gates repaired and the cattle again 
 became fat and sleek as of yore, and the wife ap- 
 peared to be happy. 
 
 It may not be amiss, at thistimeand in this con- 
 nection, to record the fact that in the year of 1830, 
 or about two years after the marriage of the Welch 
 miner and the widow, that there began to appear 
 in Steadville and in manv of the larger towns of 
 Lower Canada, and the bordering towns and villa- 
 ges of the United States, large quantities of coun- 
 terfeit coin, consisting of what represented them- 
 selves to be American half and quarter of a dollar 
 pieces, and eighths, or what were then known as
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 York-shillings, purporting to be of Spanish coin- 
 age. These spurious pieces were well calculated 
 to deceive, being of true stamp, of accurate color 
 and size ; and not susceptible of detection by one 
 in ten by the ring. By some chemical" means they 
 were deprived of that greasy feeling peculiar to 
 false coin ; and seemed only different from the gen- 
 uine in one quality, that of weight. So good an 
 imitation were they that they had been in circula- 
 tion some weeks before the fad became fully estab- 
 lished that an amount worthy of notice was abroad. 
 When known and spoken of as of importance, the 
 merchant, the shop-keeper and, in fact, all who 
 were doing business of a general character, soon 
 discovered the melancholy fad that more than one 
 half of the pieces of the named denominations in 
 their tills and purses were spurious. 
 
 Soon came newspaper reports of the discovery 
 of the same trouble with the circulating medium, 
 in each their own vicinity; and then the Banknote 
 Reporters took up the hue-and-cry and informed 
 the people how they might detect the imposition.. 
 There also came reports of the trials of several un- 
 fortunate individuals who had been arrested for 
 uttering false coin ; in every case, however, the 
 respondent being cleared by a verdict of acquittal, 
 not a sufficient amount of proof being presented 
 to warrant a conviction, however much an example 
 was demanded by an overreached and defrauded 
 public. Some of our oldest readers may recollect 
 the affair and the amount of feeling on the subject
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 59 
 
 manifested at that time, and the almost panic with 
 which the discovery was made. It was estimated 
 at the time by those who pretended to have some 
 basis on which to found their calculations, that no 
 less than one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, 
 or, at least, what represented that amount, had so 
 quietly, systematically and simultaneously, been 
 put in circulation, that not a single conviction was 
 made of any person having to do with it, whether 
 as manufacturer, agent or utterer ; one of the most 
 stupendous and successful frauds ever perpetrated 
 in any age ; notwithstanding we brag, to-day, that 
 no time ever equalled the present for enterprises 
 of that nature. 
 
 In their subsequent movements the perpetrators 
 of this fraud seemed to conduct themselves -with 
 the deep foresight and accumen that had marked 
 their course throughout ; for the police and detec- 
 tives of an hundred cities and towns, being awak- 
 ened to a sense of their duty, and a generous rival- 
 ry in the pursuit of the criminals, instantly institu- 
 ted ; and no stone was left unturned in the energy 
 of their chase ; but they failed utterly, for the sup- 
 ply ceased as suddenly as it commenced, and not 
 a single new piece made its appearance, nor was 
 any to be found in circulation ; and the universal 
 fear of being suspected as a possessor or passer of 
 counterfeit money was so general, that any and all 
 who had been imposed upon, and had pieces of the 
 kind on hand, immediately destroyed them ; and 
 thus the celebrated irruption of counterfeit coin in
 
 60 T1IE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 1830-1, like the cyclone, destructive while it lasted, 
 determined as quickly as it began. 
 
 During all this excitement, but the farthest and 
 smallest waves of which reached the immediate 
 locality, the dwellers in and around Copper moun- 
 tain, as we shall call it, continued their undeviating 
 course, save that, some two years afterward, young 
 Samuel Pruyter, introduced to the reader, awhile 
 since, now a man of twenty, left his father and his 
 dirty duty of mining for copper and made his way 
 to the cities on the Atlantic sea-board, in search 
 of his fortune, as many a man, young and old has 
 done before and since. 
 
 Something like eighteen months after the depar- 
 ture of young Pruyter, Helen Leonard, a girl now 
 grown to be fourteen years of age, and one of those 
 bewitching little fairies who, even at that early age 
 are apt to set the hearts of older specimens of the 
 other sex to palpitating at the sight of her, was sent 
 to Montreal to finish an education in no way defic- 
 ient for one of her situation as regards privilege 
 and age, and receive such polish and accomplish- 
 ments as are, or were accorded to wealthy and in- 
 telligent pupils in that city. She remained at her 
 school about three years, during which time she 
 advanced in her studies and beauty in about equal 
 proportions. Her form was rounded into the per- 
 fection of womanhood ; her eyes polished with in- 
 tellect, and her face, not only showed the blank 
 regularity of feature and complexion of extreme 
 comeliness in repose, but , the vivacious spirit of
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 6 1 
 
 intelligence and true womanliness in action. In 
 fact, hers was a face and form that would, and did, 
 draw attention upon all occasions, and a second, 
 and a longer and more admiring gaze after the first 
 was withdrawn. 
 
 Being upon the street one day of the third year 
 of her residence in the city, in crossing she was 
 placed in a perilous position by two swiftly driven 
 carriages, and though naturally of a cool, fearless 
 disposition and having a will of her owh, did she 
 see fit to exercise it, the suddenness of the danger 
 and the almost certainty of her being injured seri- 
 ously, unless speedily assisted, seemed to paralyze 
 her energies, and she merely threw np her hands, 
 in a state of utter helplessness, waiting her doom. 
 A female so young and so beautiful, in such immi- 
 nent peril, rarely in everyday life, and never in 
 novels, needs some daring young knight-errant to 
 rescue her, nor did Helen Leonard at that time. A 
 finely dressed and handsome, black eyed and black 
 haired young man came upon the scene, at just the 
 right time, and at considerable risk to himself res- 
 cued her in a fainting condition. He bore her to 
 IILT boarding place, near at hand, that was pointed 
 out by an acquaintance of the lady ; called on the 
 next day to see if she suffered any inconvenience 
 from her adventure ; the next to ascertain if she was 
 sure, and still the next to inquire if there was no 
 mistake about it, and yet again on the next to ask 
 whether she was, after all any the worse, mentally 
 or physically, for the incident.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Here were certainly the opening scenes of a ro- 
 mance in real life, with all the concomitants of a 
 beautiful young girl and and a handsome, wealthy 
 and enterprising young man; with a romantic in- 
 troduction, unoccupied hearts, time and opportu- 
 nity, and without cruel parents or avaricious guar- 
 dians to interfere, and the young man seemed to be 
 determined to make the most of it; and for the 
 ensuing fortnight the course of true but undeclared 
 love seemed to have a most serene and uninterrup- 
 ted flow, apothegm to the contrary notwithstand- 
 ing. He made her several rare and valuable pres- 
 ents and she embroidered the edges of a cambric 
 handkerchief for him ; when the fond dalliance 
 was abruptly ended by the summous of Helen, to 
 the bedside of her dying mother at Copper moun- 
 tain. She answered the call in haste, without a 
 farewell to her rescuer, or any intimation of where 
 she had gone ; had a long and earnest conversation 
 with her only surviving parent, closed her eyes to 
 her last sleep, and followed her to the gate of earth 
 with its closing of sods, that opens the way to the 
 world in the Beyond.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 63 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 WOMAN'S CURIOSITY. 
 
 AMUEL PRUYTER had returned from 
 i_ his seeking of his fortune, some months 
 
 previous to his step-mother's death, ac- 
 companied bv a stranger. This personage 
 was some forty years of age, tall, slightly stooping 
 in his carriage and was, evidently conversant with 
 good society, as witnessed by his rich, but appro- 
 priate dress, his air of polite ease and gentility of 
 demeanor and his general appearance. He staid 
 only one night at the farm house, when he joined 
 the laborers at the mountain and had since rarely 
 been seen by the neighbors. His time was mostly 
 spent in a small private room of the stone house, 
 engaged, as was given out by the elder Pruyter and 
 his son, in experiment, and some chemical assay- 
 ing and analysis of metals, lately discovered, that 
 he had reason to believe were more valuable than 
 copper, and showed traces of gold. 
 
 Young Pruyter had improved much in appear- 
 ance and manner during his four years of absence, 
 being well dressed and naturally, as some judged, 
 rather well looking than otherwise ; the harsher 
 features of his father mellowed by youth and pol- 
 ish and a countenance that, in repose, might pos- 
 sess many of its inherited "characteristics of mo- 
 roseness, was relieved by an appearance of candor 
 and vivacity when under his control, that could not 
 fail to deceive the less expert physiognomist. But
 
 64 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 smirk and smile however much as he would, it did 
 not obliterate or scarcely diminish the inveterate 
 antipathv of Helen Leonard toward him. The 
 feeling had been shared between father and son, 
 from her earliest years and the closer connection 
 of the ill-sorted marriage had failed to decrease its 
 force. This antagonism had been fully returned, 
 at heart,' bv the step-father, though he had ever 
 endeavored to hide its existence from the watch- 
 fulness of the mother. On the contrary, the son, 
 instead of evincing any repulsion on the part of the 
 maiden, had manifested a strong degree of attrac- 
 tion, that had shown itself in many efforts to in- 
 gratiate himself into her good graces and, in his 
 uncouth way, before her absence, to convince her 
 of his friendship, at least. 
 
 A cool, but polite rejection of all attempts at at- 
 tention or familiarity on the part of the young man 
 by the girl, had kept him at a proper distance, at 
 that time ; but it required but little penetration to 
 perceive that her unappreciated gallant, since his 
 return, was destined to be not so easily avoided as 
 was the less assured boy. An additional incentive 
 to repel his pretentions now actuated the girl since 
 her romantic meeting with Herbert Lorimer, and 
 she conducted herself accordingly ; but the impet- 
 uous Samuel seemed to be one of that kind that 
 could not take a hint* unless accompanied by that 
 pedal demonstration sometimes required and, not- 
 withstanding her manifest intention to cut his ac- 
 quaintance, as far as members of the same family
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 65 
 
 circle may do, continued to force himself upon her 
 presence and attention. 
 
 Matters were in this condition when, about ten 
 days after her mother's death, Helen determined 
 upon making a visit to her cousin, Anable Leon- 
 ard, a daughter of Carlos, who resided, as before 
 mentioned, on the farm next northward, on the lake 
 shore. Having in former years, without regard to 
 ghosts or spirits, in her frequent visits to the same 
 place, taken the shorter route through the mount- 
 ain, the brave girl saw no reason why she should 
 not pursue the same course at present, and accord- 
 ingly, with heart regardless of fear, she bent her 
 footsteps along the well trodden and well remem- 
 bered path by the copper mines. 
 
 As she reached the highest point of the ravine, 
 and was just passing the stone house, she was join- 
 ed by Samuel Pruyter, who from his appearance, 
 had been awaiting her coming. 
 
 "Good afternoon, Miss Helen," he said, with a 
 bow and smile, as he put himself at her side. "1 
 am somewhat surprised to see you threading the 
 mazes of the haunted gorge unattended. Are you 
 not afraid you will -meet some of the phantoms of 
 the place ?" 
 
 "I have never heard that any of the supernatu- 
 ral inhabitants of this glen were inclined to injure 
 anyone," she replied with great coolness; "only 
 deigning to cut some fantastic capers in sight, and 
 then only when darkness shrouds their movements ; 
 nor do I hear that any who are everyday dwellers
 
 66 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 of their domains are disturbed by them ; then why 
 should I, who only visit the scenes of their gam- 
 bols by daylight, and am not likely to hinder them 
 in their usual occupations, fear animosity to me?" 
 
 "And yet," replied the young man, casting a 
 quick glance at her face, as if to read there whether 
 she meant more than she said. "I think that even 
 a sight of such unwelcome appearances must be 
 painful to the feelings of a lady, whether she feels 
 any fear from their efforts or otherwise." 
 
 "I have witnessed many a more startling vision 
 than these are represented to be, by those most in- 
 terested to make them horrible, in the stage tricks 
 of a theatre in Montreal," replied Helen, and she 
 could not avoid a curl of the lip as she said it, that 
 the other was not slow to notice. "They were 
 counterfeit apparitions and you know best whether 
 these are more trustworthy, or whether their fan- 
 tastic feats cover anvthing that is not genuine." 
 
 "I am at a loss to understand your full meaning, 
 Miss Leonard," said Pruyter after a moment, dur- 
 ing which a flush of anger, apprehension and con- 
 scious guilt flashed over his face and then left it 
 paler than usual, which, from the facl of the girl's 
 eyes being bent upon the ground, he was confident 
 she had not seen. "I certainly did not mention 
 the matter only as a subject of ridicule and unwor- 
 thy of a serious thought, but as a preface to a sug- 
 gestion that should you return after night-fall, that 
 other and more serious reasons than the dread of 
 seeing supernatural sights or witnessing the freaks
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 67 
 
 of goblins, should induce you to selecl: the safer 
 route around the mountain instead of this." 
 
 "And what danger dare you threaten me with ?" 
 demanded the young lady, proudly looking him in 
 the face ; "if I see fit to set my foot, at any time, 
 on any spot of my dead father's land that I may 
 choose, whether it be mountain or valley, rock or 
 greensward. I shall hardly fear those, whatever 
 iniquity they may wish ,to hide by it, whose great- 
 est efforts at intimidation have culminated in the 
 puerile bugbears of hobgoblins and spooks, that 
 well may frighten children and fools ; but vastly 
 too ridiculous and absurd to be mentioned, even, 
 to those who have arrived at the age that presup- 
 poses them possessed of that not uncommon com- 
 modity, common sense." 
 
 "The question of proprietorship, I apprehend, 
 was long since settled, as far as this mountain and 
 mines are concerned," replied Pruyter with con- 
 strained passion; "as you are no doubt aware." 
 
 "Yes, indeed !" exclaimed the exasperated girl ; 
 "and how obtained? A name until associated with 
 that of your father, spotless and unblemished, must 
 aye, be saved, to be carried down to a grave, un- 
 tarnished by the contamination of unfair dealing, 
 and " she hesitated. 
 
 "The word were better left unspoken," he said, 
 making no farther effort to control his anger; "but 
 heed my words. A journey around the mountain 
 is much the safer and more comfortable to all than 
 the one across, especially after dark."
 
 68 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "And you threaten again." 
 
 "I do not threaten," replied Pruyter ; "butthere 
 are worse dangers to an unprotected female than 
 the sight of disembodied spirits, " 
 
 "Samuel Pruyter," said Helen, her eyes flashing 
 and her lip trembling with rage ; "my course is 
 northward, and if yours is the same, I will patient- 
 ly wait until you have accomplished so much of it 
 as shall relieve me of your presence," and she qui- 
 etly awaited his movements. 
 
 For a moment he paused and showed indications 
 of continuing the conversation ; but determining 
 otherwise, he, with a muttered curse, turned on his 
 heel, and made his way up the gorge, muttering, 
 as he went, when beyond her hearing : 
 
 "D n. but this she-devil knows too much. 
 
 Who dreamed that she was such a spitfire. I gave 
 her no cause of offence, and yet she treats me like 
 a dog ; and gets up a tremendous show of anger 
 for no other purpose, as I believe, but to get rid of 
 me. But what does she know about the deed and 
 receipt, anything more than what she guesses at? 
 She must be watched, and if she comes back this 
 way but she will not dare ; she puts on a great 
 show of courage, but come to the case in hand, 
 she will avoid the pass, as many do whom I have 
 heard making louder protestations of bravery than 
 she does. I must have a talk with the old man, 
 and if there is danger in her blabbing, some means 
 must be taken to silence her. As my wife she'd 
 keep mum. Yes, that must be the way."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Still continuing his meditations, but no longer 
 to utter his thoughts aloud, the young man gained 
 the stone house and, in a few moments, was clos- 
 eted with his progenitor ; the results of whose con- 
 sultations must be left for further development, as 
 this chapter and the preceding one are merely sy- 
 noptical records of events transpiring before the 
 real story commences, and only intended to bring 
 certain portions of the characters up to the date of 
 the opening of the same. 
 
 Now be it known that Helen Leonard was nei- 
 ther she-devil or spitfire, as the incensed Samuel 
 had rather profanely called her; nor indeed, was 
 she the termagant that the reader might judge her 
 from her manner of disposing of that intrusive in- 
 dividual, as a mischievous smile on her lovely and 
 good natured countenance would seem to indicate, 
 when he left her ; but she had learned many things 
 of late, no't only from her mother, in her last sick- 
 ness, and whispers from neighbors, but from her 
 own observation which was, by no means, deficient 
 in acuteness. It is true she resented the young fel- 
 low's unwarranted intrusion upon her privacy and, 
 for certain reasons of her own, at a later period to 
 be revealed, wished, on this particular occasion to 
 be alone, which may account, in some degree, for 
 the brusqueness of her manner to him. 
 
 For reasons above given the visit, as a visit, has 
 nothing to do with our stoi'y ; and being concluded 
 near sundown, Helen started out on her return. 
 There is enough stubbornness in female humanity
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 in general, and of impatience of constraint in par- 
 ticular on this occasion to explain the reason why 
 the maiden selected the same route for her return 
 that she had adopted in coming, notwithstanding 
 young Pruyter's warning and implied threats, was 
 there no other motive prompting her to her course. 
 Be the inducement what it was she entered the ra- 
 vine just at dark and not without some fluttering 
 of the heart, it is true, made her way up its dark- 
 some course. The frowning and, in some cases, 
 overhanging precipices on either hand shutout the 
 last remains of daylight yet lingering in the west ; 
 the little brook babbling at the side of her path, 
 and the murmur of the swaying branches, swing- 
 ing back and forth in the brisk breeze that sprung 
 up as the sun went down, mingled with the lone- 
 some hoot of some solitary owl, seemed to produce 
 a sort of weird music, far from agreeable ; while 
 the dim outlines of some scathed tree' or storm- 
 bleached crag, just seen in the gathering gloom, 
 added but little to her self-assurance, especially as 
 we consider the questionable reputation of the lo- 
 cality. That the mountain was the abode of any 
 beings other than those of flesh and blood, she did 
 not, for a single moment, believe ; but the sight of 
 any uncommon or unnatural appearance, even if 
 fully. known to be the work of man and harmless, 
 in that solitary and awesome spot, must produce 
 uneasiness if not fright. 
 
 Had the same emotions that filled the breast of 
 Helen Leonard, been as acute before she entered
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 7 1 
 
 the pass, there is no question but what she would 
 have abandoned her undertaking, but since she had 
 made the effort, she was too proud to turn back ; 
 but being as it was, with more trepidation than she 
 bargained for, she pursued her course until, after 
 some fifteen minutes, she neared the site of the 
 stone house. The building was shrouded in dark- 
 ness and the comfort that a light shining from its 
 windows would have given was denied her ; and, 
 with a pulse somewhat accelerated by the circum- 
 stance and surprised at the fact, well aware, as she 
 was, that here the miners partook of their meals 
 and lodged at all times, and her father-in-law and 
 his son also, three-fourths of their time, she pre- 
 pared to hasten homeward. 
 
 As she made this determination, she was arrest- 
 ed by a low humming sound proceeding from the 
 building, and turning to discover its cause, she was 
 gratified by seeing a sharp pencil of light, a single 
 ray, shooting from one of the narrow windows, 
 across her eyesight. A closer inspection revealed 
 the fact that all the windows of the building were 
 closed by shutters upon the inside, and that the sol- 
 tary ray of light was the result of some imperfec- 
 tion in the blind. At the same time this discove- 
 ry was made by the maiden, she also perceived 
 that which had before escaped her notice, an oc- 
 casional spark rising from the chimney, and a per- 
 ceptible odor of burning leather. That all of these 
 matters were wholly unexpected by Helen Leonard 
 it would be useless to claim ; and the same resolve
 
 72 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 that had prompted her to her task so far, induced 
 her to make a closer examination of the premises. 
 With this in view she made a cautious advance to- 
 ward the building, keeping the ray of light ever in 
 view until, after some time, she reached her desti- 
 nation and, horrible to relate, applied her eye to 
 the aperture. 
 
 If a fear of consequences had made her heart 
 flutter with more than its usual violence, the sight 
 now presented amply repaid all the inconvenience. 
 In one corner of the room, and working by a bril- 
 liant, concentrated light, sat the new-comer, en- 
 gaged in engraving; at one end, before a furnace, 
 a man was case-hardening a steel plate ; near the 
 furnace a man was busy in casting small discs of a 
 material resembling gold ; another, by the aid of an 
 immensely powerful press, was stamping them into 
 the semblance of coin ; Samuel Pruyter was exer- 
 cising the craft his absence of four years had been 
 devoted to learning, that of printing bank bills, or 
 rather, counterfeits of them, and his father busily 
 signing them, he being, as it proved, the most ex- 
 pert penman in the provinces up to that day. To 
 sum the whole of the strange sight, as beheld by 
 the startled but not surprised maiden, in few words, 
 she was overlooking the most complete, well-or- 
 ganized and successful gang of counterfeiters, up 
 to the date ever known, even then engaged in the 
 manufacture of those half-eagles, that for many 
 years thereafter were not all discovered and put out 
 of circulation, and the notes of a bank in the state
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 73 
 
 of Massachusetts, that was compelled to close its 
 doors on account of the niceness of the imitation, 
 and the amount put in issue. 
 
 From what has already been said, the reader is, 
 without doubt, aware that some developments of 
 this character would reward the espionage of the 
 maiden and that she was, in a measure, prepared 
 for such a sight ; but there was a sort of fascination 
 in the view, nevertheless, that kept her attention so 
 close that she failed to notice the entrance of a new 
 comer, a hurried whisper between him and Samuel 
 Pruyter, nor the quick passing, of that individual, 
 out at the door. It was with a good deal of sur- 
 prise then, that she felt the weight of a h'eavy hand 
 upon her shoulder, and heard whispered, close to 
 her ear, in tones of suppressed anger, the words : 
 
 "It seems then, Miss Helen Leonard, that very 
 sensible advice even if it did come from so unwor- 
 thy a source as myself, was not taken, and that you 
 are now in possession of a secret none other than 
 yourself could have discovered, without danger to 
 his life." 
 
 "I was well aware," replied the spirited girl, 
 who, when the first sensation of fright was passed, 
 was as cool as ever; "that my surmises were not 
 wholly without foundation ; and if my life, which 
 you vaguely threaten, was the recompense, I would 
 have taken the means I have to satisfy my own 
 mind of the truth or falsehood of my suspicions." 
 
 "And dared you thus beard men, who from the 
 very nature of their occupation and the consequence
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^ s- ^^^> ^^-^>^>-*^^-.-*^^-' 
 
 that must result from an exposure, must be despe- 
 rak-. employ any means to prevent a knowledge of 
 their business transpiring, and alone?" 
 
 'The very fad of my being alone in the under- 
 taking was my surety of safetv, although I counted 
 that but nothing when compared with the gratitude 
 a public must feel to the person who has it in his 
 or her power to expose a fraud so gigantic, and so 
 fraught with injury to the well being of society at 
 large." 
 
 "Do I understand you, then," asked the young 
 man ; "that it is your intention to publish your un- 
 warrantable discovery to the world? If such is 
 vour purp'ose, you may well consider, before you 
 attempt it, that the liberty and, mayhap, the lives 
 of eight individuals, each of whom values those 
 boons as highlv as the rest of Immunity, is imper- 
 illed by that course and that they will preserve, at 
 all costs, what is so dear to them." 
 
 'Such is certainly my intention," replied Helen 
 with a semblance of firmness that she was far from 
 feeling, for the full danger of her situation did not 
 before occur to her, until now, and its force was 
 the more overwhelming on that account; "but I 
 am willing to compromise the matter by giving a 
 sufficient time for you to escape before I make the 
 exposure public." 
 
 It must be evident to all reflective minds that the 
 counterfeiters were men who, in all probability, 
 were not easily moved by any feelings of compas- 
 sion toward a spy, even were it a defenceless girl,
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 and she most beautiful and most innocent, who 
 had discovered their secret which, if exposed, must 
 be the end of a very profitable business, as well as 
 pregnant with danger to themselves as individuals ; 
 nor that thev were inclined to remove the scene of 
 their operations to a remote district, attended, as 
 such migration must be, with loss of time as well 
 as expense. This Samuel Pruyter well knew and 
 appreciated ; and while he would fain shield the 
 maiden from what must be the probable penalty of 
 her knowledge, for the reason that he reallv loved 
 her and would make her his wife, his own safety, 
 and that of his companions, must not be imperill- 
 ed by any remissness upon his part. He, at once, 
 saw that the girl had placed herself in his power, 
 and that his hopes were more liable to be realized 
 than they would be under other circumstances. 
 He rapidly ran these matters over in his mind be- 
 fore he replied and hastily settling upon a course, 
 as a result of his cogitations, said : - 
 
 "Your proposal is certainly worthy of consider- 
 ation and if you will pass your word to keep vour 
 discoveries secret until the day after to-morrow, I 
 will then give you our answer." 
 
 Now Helen thought this was getting out of a bad 
 scrape pretty easily and readily promised, and at- 
 tended by Samuel, soon reached her home. On 
 the following morning, however, when she made 
 an attempt to leave her room, she was a good deal 
 surprised to make the discovery that her door was 
 fastened and that she was a prisoner. Some pretty
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 energetic movements on her part, tending to more 
 noise than was quite agreeable to her keepers, soon 
 brought Samuel and his father to her room. A 
 somewhat stormy altercation was the result of the 
 meeting, but the Pruyters were firm. She might, 
 they told her, have her choice, to marry the young 
 man on the next day or abide the decision of the 
 gang who had unanimously voted, the night before 
 to take her life rather than they should be liable to 
 certain destruction ; and in the meantime to be re- 
 moved to the stone house for confinement, during 
 the twenty-four hours they would allow her for 
 consideration. Thev also informed her that in case 
 she selected the former alternative, she must take 
 and subscribe to the oath imposed upon all mem- 
 bers of the band, and thev would trust to that and 
 the fad that she was a wife of one of them, for 
 surety of her silence. Helen, who was fast becom- 
 ing aware of the consequences of her folly, made 
 no reply, and was soon incarcerated in an upper 
 room of the stone house, to which all the furniture 
 of her own bed chamber had been transported and 
 in which, save the fad that she was a prisoner, she 
 found all the comforts of her home. 
 
 We may well surmise that her sleep, during the 
 intervening night was but little, and that most of 
 her time was spent in meditation, if so gentle a 
 term may be used to express the intense thought 
 that occupied her. The result of her mental wrest- 
 lings may be summed up as follows : firstly : that 
 sin- would not marrv Samuel Pruvter, nor take the
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 77 
 
 oath ; secondly : that she would escape if possible 
 and thirdly, that if her hope of eluding "their vig- 
 ilance should not meet with success, she would a- 
 bide the fate that she anticipated would not result 
 in death, for she was satisfied they would never 
 to go to that extremity. To carry out her first pos- 
 itive conclusion, the negative being contingent on 
 the failure of that, she made a close examination 
 of the door, the window and the walls of her cell 
 but with the success she might have anticipated, 
 from the character of her jailors, and, as a conse- 
 quence, her spirits that hope had hitherto kept up, 
 began to flag and by midnight she was quite des- 
 pondent, when she was aroused from the state into 
 which she had fallen, by a sound at her window. 
 Altogether uncertain of the nature of the disturb- 
 ance, but satisfied that if the gratings were of suffi- 
 cient strength to keep her in, they would have as 
 much efficiency in keeping out any danger, she 
 watched, not without some fear, it is true, what 
 other developments might ensue. 
 
 Scarcely sixty seconds had elapsed before the 
 heavy crossed gratings of iron swung as noiselessly 
 and as easily aside as would a common door, on 
 good hinges, and a wild looking, emaciated face 
 appeared in the aperture. The "woman's face," 
 without surroundings or support, of which she had 
 heard so much, but had never before seen, was be- 
 fore her in all certainty ; and the captive girl was 
 on the point of screaming, when she was arrested 
 in the acl:, by perceiving that the face entered her
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 room, and when within, the stronger light of her 
 lamp disclosed the fact that the terrible visage was 
 no longer without surroundings or support, but at- 
 tended, as faces usually are, by a body and limbs. 
 The latter, as well as the head, being covered by 
 a long, cloak-like garment, to which was attached 
 a hood that was drawn over the head, made of a 
 dark cloth, not black, but what might be termed a 
 twilight color; a very dark gray, so near in hue to 
 the shadows of night as to blend with them and be 
 invisible at a short distance from tbe eye. 
 
 It was certainly a great relief to Helen to discov- 
 er this fad, for what there was of supernatural ap- 
 pearance was removed, and what might frighten, 
 under its former standing, was under its present 
 status, devoid of that power ; but yet, the appear- 
 ance of the singular guest, as a human being, was 
 not entirely without elements of ability to scare, so 
 weird-like and singular were its looks and motions. 
 With no farther introduction than an intimation in 
 a voice scarcely understandable from its foreign 
 intonations, from the wild-looking woman, that she 
 had come to release her, she flung the cloak over 
 her shoulders, leaving herself in a dress, that in the 
 darkness might be mistaken for white, but in the 
 light of the lamp revealed many a spot of dirt and 
 stain of moss, mingled with others ; assisted Helen 
 to and down a ladder, and again closing and fast- 
 ening the swinging grating. As the released pris- 
 oner turned away, she saw the strange woman re- 
 move the ladder and carry it up the gorge.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 79 
 
 We scarcely need follow the flight of Helen on 
 her \vav to Steadville, save to say that, as morning 
 broke she found herself about half-a-mile from the 
 village to which it was her first intention to make 
 her way for an asvlum ; but what had been her un- 
 faltering spirit and courage, heretofore, since the 
 events of the last four-and-twenty hours, had be- 
 come very much shaken ; and the question had re- 
 peatedly come up in her mind, whether, with so 
 much at stake, the counterfeiters would allow her 
 to remain there in safety. Unable to make the de- 
 cision and unwilling to dispossess herself of the 
 weighty secret without further thought upon the 
 matter, she turned off the main road, crossed the 
 river on a farm bridge ; and wearied from want of 
 sleep and long walk ; and fearful of pursuit and 
 capture, she entered an unoccupied barn, where 
 she, while in the acl: of making up her mind as to 
 her best course, fell asleep ; nor did she awake till 
 five o'clock in the evening. 
 
 Still undecided as to her proper course, but spur- 
 red on by an anxiety to put as much distance as she 
 might between herself and her enemies, she con- 
 tinued her flight until nearly dark, when hearing 
 a team approaching, she partially hid herself, and 
 allowed it to pass ; but the driver, one of that class 
 then so plenty, a pedler, seemed to discover her, 
 for he applied the whip to his horse, quite energet- 
 ically, and was soon a long way past her. Con- 
 tinuing her journey, she soon came to a building, 
 evidently a public house, and desirous of rest and
 
 So THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 refreshment, she looked in at the windows ; but- 
 being discovered by the inmates, she hastily turned 
 away and resolved to push on a few miles farther, 
 had gained the highway, when she was caught up 
 bv a man who placed his hand over her mouth and 
 mounting a powerful horse that stood near at hand, 
 started toward Steadville. When they repassed 
 the tavern into which she had looked, she saw, in 
 its front, several persons ; and by a sudden effort, 
 freeing her mouth from the captor's hand, uttered 
 a cry for help. With a curse, Samuel Pruyter, for 
 it was he, replaced his hand, rode a half-mile far- 
 ther, when he paused and binding a handkerchief 
 over her mouth, seemed satisfied that she was eff- 
 ectually silenced. He had not long, however, to 
 make himself sure before he heard the fierce clash 
 of hoofs upon the road, in his rear. Pruyter was 
 easily impressed with the certainty that it was the 
 sound of pursuit, and being a disciple of Falstaff s 
 theory, made haste to speed awav. 
 
 Of the chase that ensued and its results, the rea- 
 der has already been informed in a former chap- 
 ter. Before nine o'clock Helen Leonard was once 
 more in the upper chamber of the Stone House in 
 The Pass, where she must, for the present, remain 
 as a close prisoner. 
 
 And now, at some expense to the interest of our 
 story, perhaps, having got the most of our main 
 characters up to the starting post, we will endea- 
 vor to get them off upon the race we have propos- 
 ed to chronicle in these pages.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 8 1 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE PEDLER AND THE LAWYER. 
 
 (ILLIAM HOWARD, the handsome 
 hostler at Daniel Morrison's way-side 
 tavern, from the fact that he is destin- 
 ed to bear a more prominent part in 
 the incidents of this tale than his humble position 
 might seem to warrant, deserves a somewhat bet- 
 ter description than the few dashes of the pen, in 
 our first chapter, recorded. As there set down, he 
 was tall, well-built, muscular and gifted with more 
 .than a usual share of manly beauty. This latter 
 possession was, by no means, confined strictly to 
 great regularity of features, but was aided in giv- 
 ing comeliness to naturally well marked lineaments 
 bv a certain look of intelligence and spirit that, in 
 a measure, gave the lie to any assumption that his 
 intellect had found its level in his menial occupa- 
 tion. The word menial is used out of regard to 
 preconceived notions of any readers, should such 
 ever peruse these pages, as are residents of a dif- 
 ferent locality than the one occupied by the adven- 
 tures of the actors in this story. 
 
 In Vermont, fifty years ago, and even now, to a 
 more or less degree, according to locality and the 
 peculiar circumstances of imported fashions, the 
 "help", as it was called, of the well-to-do class of 
 husbandmen and citizens engaged in other business 
 was nearly as well considered as any part of their 
 own family, for two or three reasons. It usually
 
 S2 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 consisted of a better class of young men and girls 
 than falls to the lot of householders in cities and 
 large towns, where foreign servants and men of all 
 work are employed and, in many instances, of the 
 younger portions of their neighbor's families and 
 sometimes relatives, who go out to service, many 
 times, to earn that start in life that their own pa- 
 rents who, as residents of a new country, where 
 even the proprietor, himself, puts his hand to the 
 axe-helve and plow, however well off they maybe, 
 are unable to give. The very consideration shown 
 to this class of young men and women by employ- 
 ers, enables them to obtain a better class of assist- 
 ants than they otherwise might ; and the better 
 class of assistants deserve and receive more con- 
 sideration on that account. Eating at the same 
 table, visiting in the same societv and enjovingall 
 the privileges of their emplovers, in the primitive 
 state of society, by employees, was the rule rather 
 than the exception. 
 
 The same appreciation and treatment of good 
 'help" with which they were acquainted, was ac- 
 corded, from habit, to the stranger and rather than 
 be compelled to assume the domineering tone and 
 air to, or suffer inconvenience or disgust for a less 
 worthy class, the employer would discharge any 
 who deserved such treatment and by putting in- 
 ducement to arrogance beyond reach, did not fall 
 into the habit. The reasons above assigned, are 
 those that have warranted the selection of a main 
 a&or in our drama from so lowly a position.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 83 
 
 William Howard was comparatively a stranger 
 in Melas. Something less than a month before the 
 fifteenth day of May, he had alighted from the 
 stage-coach, when it had stopped to water the hor- 
 ses, with no baggage-but a small hand valise. For 
 a week or ten days he had taken short excursions 
 through the surrounding country, ostensibly, in 
 search of employment. The pursuit seemed to 
 prove fruitless for, at the end of that time, he had 
 candidly informed Morrison that he was out of mo- 
 ney and that his quest of an opportunity to labor 
 had resulted in disappointment; and as a conse- 
 quence he would be unable to pay his bill, unless 
 the creditor would allow him to work it out. As 
 this conversation happened at a time when honest 
 Dan's hostler had given notice of his intention to 
 quit, he readily gave the young stranger the place. 
 Dan Morrison had noticed and liked the frank, 
 handsome countenance' of his guest; nor was he 
 disappointed in him for, with a little instruction, 
 added to a willingness to make himself generally 
 useful, soon made the young man a very efficient 
 and trustworthy equerv- 
 
 As soon as the Canadian had left the door in his 
 pursuit of the mysterious abductor, Howard re- 
 paired to the barn, to appearance, and the jolly 
 landlord to some unknown recess of kitchen, pan- 
 try or cellar the, to the outward world, obscure and 
 secret haunts of culinary mysticism, whence issued 
 at stated periods, savory smells, soon after follow- 
 ed Ky luxurious sights and luscious tastes of the deft
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 handiwork of the hidden, ministers of good cheer. 
 When the coast was thus fully cleared, the pedler 
 approached the only remaining inmate of the bar- 
 room and casting a searching glance at the window 
 as if to ascertain whether he -was or was not watch- 
 ed, said : 
 
 \\liv in thunder didn't you meet me down by 
 the bridge, as I requested you to-night? You, of 
 course, knew that it was important that I should 
 see you without fail." 
 
 "1 made up my mind," replied Roberts;- "that 
 a conference would be vastly more agreeable under 
 cover ot shingles, and by the side of a good fire, 
 than in the damp of a night dew. I found no one 
 but the people of the house, and aware that you was 
 unknown to them, thought it better to remain until 
 you arrived." 
 
 "\ es, and run so much more unnecessary risk," 
 exclaimed the pedler, petulantly, but in a subdued 
 tone. "You fellows, that are out of the ring, and 
 ain't liable to discovery at any moment and, as a 
 consequence, run the risk of looking through grates, 
 care but little how much danger we are exposed 
 to, every day of our lives." 
 
 "Pshaw! Heath," replied Roberts. "You are 
 always more scart than hurt. This very sneaking 
 around in bye-places and disguising yourselves, is 
 the surest thing that will set suspicious persons to 
 inquiring your business. John Heath has a right- 
 to come from Steadville and consult lawyer Rob- 
 erts, without driving a pedler's cart, or making a
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. . 85 
 
 very poor pretension to being a yankee, and with 
 less risk of detection ; for where there is nothing 
 hidden, there is nothing to be found out." 
 
 "Yes," replied Heath; "but it is fortunate that 
 I was disguised, or that sharp-eyed rebel Captain 
 would have recognized me at once, and I should- 
 n't have been enabled to cut his circingle and thus 
 prevent his reaching Steadville, before the attack 
 was made." 
 
 "Is the attack to be made to-night?" 
 "At ten o'clock if the moon happens to rise clear 
 enough to allow the dragoons to manoeuvre by it ; 
 and they've got a dead open and shut on the rascals. 
 We have got all the signals, the passwords, &c., 
 and know the exact spot. Captain Stanfield did 
 want to wait until the muskets arrived and use the 
 infantry, but was fearful that the plan of the expe- 
 tion would leak out, and has determined to use the 
 cavalry. It's a sure thing, this time." 
 
 "All right, I hope so," said Roberts "But what 
 did you want of me? The man only said : 'Meet 
 Heath on the bridge, on important business, at 
 eight o'clock, to-night,' and rode on without stop- 
 ping to make any explanation or further remark." 
 "My business is not professional though connec- 
 ted with my profession," replied Heath, casting an 
 uneasy glance around the untenanted apartment ; 
 "and of such a nature that I should prefer to im- 
 part it where we would be less liable to interrupt- 
 ion from chance comers, or accidental or interested 
 and premeditated listeners."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 'The objection is very easily remedied," said 
 Roberts rising and taking in his hand a lamp, "the 
 sitting room is in another part of the house and is 
 unoccupied. Follow me and I will show you to a 
 place where we can be at private as you wish." 
 
 Mankind, and especially that part of it who are 
 engaged in a breach of the laws, from a conscious- 
 ness of guilt, are many times more nice than wise, 
 to use a trite saying, in their calculations. Too 
 great a show of an attempt at cunning and secrecy, 
 is very apt to draw upon the over cautious, suspi- 
 cions that otherwise would remain unstimulated. 
 The dropping of a tone to a whisper, that would 
 otherwise be unheard, without that precaution, at 
 once indicates an evident wish not to be heard and 
 prompts anyone gifted with that characteristic 
 that distinguishing trait of yankeedom an inquis- 
 itive curiosity to attempt an elucidation of an ad- 
 vertised mystery. So it was with the aft of Rob- 
 erts and his friend, as he seemed to be ; for scarcely 
 had they seated themselves in the room, than our 
 handsome friend, the hostler, had his eye first and 
 then his ear afterwards, applied to an accidental 
 aperture in the glass of one of the windows. 
 
 Admitted that this is not a very dignified and 
 romantic action on the part of one the writer has 
 raised from the somewhat lowly occupation of a 
 tavern man of all work to the honored position of 
 dividing the situation of hero in a novel ; but How- 
 ard did not like Roberts for the best of all reasons, 
 that there was an attraction, under the same roof
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 that sheltered him, which the red-headed lawyer 
 wished to appropriate to himself, a proceeding to 
 which the young man most decidedly objected. 
 Again, the listener had discovered that the stranger 
 was acting a part; he having easily penetrated the 
 flimsv pretext of the pedler's idiom, and the vehi- 
 cle itself disclosed the faift, that it was only a part 
 of the disguise by which the owner hoped to whee- 
 dle alKspectators into the belief that his business 
 was legitimate. One of the doors, in his furious 
 drive, had become accidentally unfastened and an 
 examination had revealed the circumstance that the 
 commodities of trade carried bv the pretended itin- 
 erant, were composed of several flat stones, a few 
 bricks and a block or two of wood ; articles that, 
 in that country, would natutallv rind a poor sale, 
 both from a plentitiule-alreadv on hand, a want of 
 novelty in the wares and the absence of variety and 
 attractiveness in the assortment. 
 
 The hostler's reasons, if he had any, tor thus 
 prying into the affairs of a guest of the house must 
 be pardoned by the reader, or left to the young man 
 himself, to excuse or palliate, if he had am wi>h 
 to exonerate himself before the public, in case it 
 became aware of his enading the role of Paul Prv 
 with no present seeming regard for the rights of 
 others. But if success be any palliation in this 
 case, as is accorded in many others, the eavesdrop- 
 ping William might well be forgiven his sceminglv 
 unwarranted behavior, as the conversation he oxer- 
 heard will amplv testifv.
 
 ,S8 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "The old man wished me to see you, to-night," 
 began Heath as soon as he was seated, fortunately 
 for the listener, near the window, and assuming a 
 cautious tone of voice, but yet sufficiently loud to 
 be heard by both his auditors ; "as the Southbridge 
 flimsies are nearly finished and ready for market. 
 He suggests that, as the anniversary of the battle 
 of Bunker's Hill will soon take place in all the cities 
 and villages where he designs to put them in cir- 
 culation, that the banks will be closed, and many 
 strangers around, and much money handled, that 
 the seventeenth of June would be better than the 
 fourth of July for our purpose." 
 
 "The fourth proved a prettv good day for the 
 business when the last queer was shuffled," replied 
 Roberts; "and perhaps a change might be better, 
 as the celebration being local and, of necessity the 
 business the same, I am of opinion that, perhaps, 
 under all the circumstances, the seventeenth would 
 be the best for the present transaction. Has he a 
 large amount struck off?" 
 
 "About thirty thousand," said Heath ; "and the 
 old man insists that the rags be placed in the hands 
 of the shovers before daylight on the morning of 
 the day, and not before ; that before midnight ev- 
 ery bill not passed shall be effectually destroyed, 
 and before if there is any yelping. He is satisfied 
 that fully two-thirds of the issue can be got rid of 
 during the day, and the plate is so good that no 
 discovery will be made before the banks open in 
 the morning."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "Will he be as particular as before?" 
 
 "Fully so," replied Heath. "No writing is to 
 be used, under any circumstances, and all agents 
 and passers are to be disguised from each other, as 
 well as the rest of the world, and no words to be 
 spoken by either. There are to be printed instruc- 
 tions to each ; and there is already an advertise- 
 ment, cautiously worded, but accompanied by a 
 token that can be recognized by all in the swim, 
 by which they are to be notified when and where 
 they can obtain the bills. By this arrangement, if 
 striclly adhered to, no one can blow on another ; 
 the agent can't injure the utterer, nor any one who 
 may be so disposed, hurt any but himself." 
 
 "Well managed ! Well managed !" exclaimed 
 Roberts. "And when shall I be obliged to start?" 
 
 "On Monday of week after next, and without 
 fail, as the whole plan depends upon promptness, 
 energy and secrecy." 
 
 "What did the old man say to my proposal to 
 come and see him, as I suggested ?" asked Roberts. 
 
 "Wouldn't hear to it for an instant," was the re- 
 ply. "He said that there was no need of it, but 
 as a gratification of curiosity ; and that was too 
 poor an excuse where the safety of men's necks 
 depended upon another's fidelity and discretion. 
 He is greatly in need of another hand, and if you 
 choose to take up your residence there, he is will- 
 ing, otherwise not. I was satisfied," he continued, 
 on seeing the other shake his head. "It's a good 
 deal like being in a prison, for no one is allowed
 
 C)o THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 to leave the vicinity, or have communication with 
 any outsiders, while in his employ ; and once en- 
 gaged, they are not very apt to leave. This host- 
 ler here, is a bright, smart fellow. I wonder if he 
 could be engaged. What's his condition?" 
 
 "Broke, strapped," replied Roberts. "Bright 
 and smart enough. He was hunting for a job, got 
 in debt for his board and is now working it out 
 don't know whether he will stay after he has paid 
 up or not. But what is it about the apparition we 
 saw to-night? If I am not mistaken you know 
 more about it than you pretend." 
 
 "There has been just such an appearance at the 
 mountain for several months back, that none of us 
 could account for, and when I first saw it, 1 was 
 satisfied it had followed me from there ; but when 
 the horse went by the house, I recognized both the 
 horse and rider, the first as the old man's son's big 
 bay mare, and the last as the old man's son, him- 
 self, and argued that if Sam I mean the young 
 man, had the ghost in his arms, it was all right." 
 
 The last question of the astute lawyer had been 
 thrown out for the purpose of occupying the pre- 
 tended pedler's attention, on the plan of the wolf- 
 chased traveller, who flung his cloak and blanket 
 to his pursuers, to employ them while deeper plans 
 were being deliberated upon by the person menac- 
 ed. The idea of employing the handsome hostler 
 at Copper Mountain, both from its eftedin remov- 
 ing one that his keen penetration had assured him 
 was becoming a formidable rival to his own hopes
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 91 
 
 of the favor of the landlord's pretty daughter, and 
 the more lasting result, in the utter seclusion from 
 outside associations, hinted at by Heath, in not only 
 parting the young people, but maintaining the sep- 
 aration until such time as his own purposes could 
 be consumated, struck him very favorably. And, 
 during the period occupied by his companion's 
 answer and a minute of silence following, Roberts 
 had time to see the benefits arising from such an 
 arrangement, and to resolve upon furthering it, if 
 possible. 
 
 "I am no believer in supernatural appearances, 
 as you, no doubt are aware, from the remarks I 
 have already made on the subject," he commenced, 
 "though sometimes at a loss to account for what 
 has, upon its face, an appearance somewhat out of 
 the common course. As to young Howard, I am 
 of opinion that he is just the man that you want ; 
 without relatives or friends in the vicinity ; athlet- 
 ic and willing to labor, and above all, in need of 
 money ; and, I say, Heath," he continued, assum- 
 ing a confidential tone; "I have reasons to wish 
 his removal, any efforts to that end, on your part, 
 will be taken as personal favors, and claim my last- 
 ing gratitude. What these reasons are there is no 
 need, at present, of telling, although of sufficient 
 importance to warrant considerable expense on my 
 part. An intimation to this effect to the old man, 
 as you call him, should be an assurance of acqui- 
 escence on his part." 
 
 "The old man, "said Heath; "feels under great
 
 0.2 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 obligations to his friend and co-laborers, and when 
 he is assured that the young man is engaged at your 
 desire, for whatever reason, and that he is a man 
 that can be trusted, he will without the least doubt 
 give him a job. Being a stranger he will take him 
 in, on your recommendation." 
 
 A further conversation, occupying perhaps, ten 
 minutes of time, unimportant because disconnected 
 with our affairs, took place between them, when 
 satisfied that the efforts at privacy might cause sus- 
 picion or question, they returned to the bar-room ; 
 and Roberts who, in accordance with the old max- 
 im of ''business before pleasure," having attended 
 to the first requisite, made haste to enjoy the last, 
 in company of one who certainly could not com- 
 plain of want of constancy and assiduity on the 
 part of her admirer, bv adjourning to the family 
 sitting-room of the tavern, where he was soon en- 
 gaged in his usual style of pedantic and pleonastic 
 discourse, having for its object to dazzle the coun- 
 try maiden to whom it was partially directed, with 
 a sensation and appreciation of his talents and er- 
 udition ; a sort of making love on stilts ; with what 
 success future pages of these veracious chronicles 
 may disclose. 
 
 The bar-room was unoccupied, save by the hos- 
 tler, who was lying upon his back on the closed 
 lid of a bunk or box-like bedstead, his hands un- 
 der his head that was supported by an old overcoat 
 that was folded in the most available shape to make 
 the best substitute for a pillow. The young man
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 93 
 
 was apparently enjoying a nap, preparatory to a 
 night's better organized sleep, if certain sounds, 
 tending to that supposition might be taken as proof. 
 It is not very romantic to have for a hero one who 
 snores very loudly, consequently, to maintain the 
 proprieties, we must say the sounds were not those 
 usually produced from the double-barrelled organ 
 of nocturnal melody of those confirmed in that dis- 
 agreeable habit ; and if not a habit, an unfortunate 
 peculiarity, to say the least ; but simply a length- 
 ening and increasing of the breath from a large and 
 healthy pair of lungs, occasioned by his supinal 
 and uncomfortable position. 
 
 A smile of satisfaction passed over the features 
 of the pseudo pedler when he noticed the evidence 
 of an absence of suspicion or watchfulness, but it 
 quickly vanished when a longer and deeper respi- 
 ration than the others, accompanied by certain 
 stretchings and other manifestations of an intention 
 on the part of the sleeper to exchange his somno- 
 lent state for one of wakefulness, which, from the 
 facl: it was overacted, might well have made him 
 suspicious were it not for the further fact, that he 
 who is deceiving another,' rarely expects deceit on 
 the part of the one he is endeavoring to cheat. 
 
 A question or two as to the well being and well 
 doing of his "animile" introduced the conversation 
 intended to be held between them, when Heath, 
 quite carelessly remarked : 
 
 "Ar' yeou calculatin' tu remain for any great 
 length of time in Mister Morrison's employment?
 
 94 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 I shouldn't reckon that he could pay you enough 
 tu make it any object, when there's plenty of places 
 yeou could make a darn sight better wages an' not 
 have ter work harder'n yeou du here." 
 
 "My object in coming into this country, was to 
 search for labor," replied Howard ; "and I accep- 
 ted the first situation that opened. I should not 
 wish to leave him until he has provided himself 
 with a substitute ; but shall probably remain no 
 longer than until he has done so." 
 
 "Hev yeou got any place in yeour eye? 'Cause 
 if yeou hain't, I think I know of a place where 
 yeou can 'am tew dollars a day an' found," said 
 Heath, closely watching the effect of his words ; 
 "and that's darn good pay for these times. But 
 where du yeou live when yeou're ter hum, if I 
 may be so bold as tu ask ?" 
 
 "I have no place I may call home," replied the 
 young man. "I have had my residence for the last 
 ten years, with my uncle in Landaff, New Hamp- 
 shire ; but he sold his farm, last fall, and I left, 
 in search of my fortune, as you may say. Misfor- 
 tune, however, seems heretofore to have been the 
 result of my hunt thus far; but I live in hope of 
 better times. If you have a place where I may 
 make two dollars a day, as you say, and the busi- 
 ness is respectable, I should be tempted to take up 
 with a situation that seems so advantageous." 
 
 "'Tain't exaftly my business that I was speakin' 
 about," said Heath ; "but a friend of mine told me 
 if I could find a bright, likely young feller, that
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 95 
 
 wasn't afeard of work, that he wanted I should get 
 him. But if you take the job he wants you right 
 straight off, for he's mighty hard up for help, jest 
 now, and can't wait a week." 
 
 "What is the nature of his business?" 
 "Minin', minin' for copper and other metals." 
 "How far are his mines from here?" 
 "Abeout ten miles, I guess," replied Heath, in- 
 wardly congratulating himself on the ease with 
 which the young man wastakingthe bait "Down 
 by Lake 'Magog, jest in the edge of Canada ; work 
 only ten hours a day, and, the cash in your fingers 
 every Saturday night, and no questions asked. 
 What du yeou say? Du yeou call it a trade, hey? 
 Can't du better now, can yeou?" 
 
 "I must talk with Mr. Morrison, first," and the 
 handsome hostler, in his turn, chuckled inwardly, 
 that he was obtaining a situation that suited his 
 views so well ; "and I will give you an answer in 
 the morning, either accepting or rejecting." 
 
 "Du so, du so," said Heath, rubbing his hands. 
 "And I say, hain't yeou got the keys tu the bar? 
 I wouldn't mind payin' the whiskey on our ac- 
 quaintance and wishin' luck to our trade. What 
 du yeou say?" 
 
 They were soon imbibing the contents of a cou- 
 ple of tumblers, or, at least, appearing to do so, 
 but the glass used by Howard was emptied into the 
 slop-basin in such a manner that it was not percei- 
 ved by Heath. The latter individual took from his 
 pocket aud handed to the other a twelve-and-a- half
 
 96 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 cent-piece, which Howard deftly put in his own 
 pocket. As slyly as it was done, however, it did 
 not escape the quick eye of the pedler, and he put 
 his own construction on the act. In his view, it 
 had an encouraging look. The man who would 
 steal a "ninepence" of his employer's money, was 
 just the man he wanted to find. It indicated a con- 
 dition of morals that tallied well with his own and 
 satisfied him that his new employee would not hes- 
 itate to engage in a business of the nature of which 
 the reader is already acquainted ; and he more than 
 ever inwardly congratulated himself on his stroke 
 of good luck. 
 
 The plunderer of many thousands, or the wreck- 
 er of a bank, where the booty is counted by still 
 greater figures, may have the consolation that the 
 public talks of their daring and enterprise with a 
 certain kind of admiration, and their names and 
 deeds printed in display type in the reports of the 
 penny-a-liners ; but the paltry till-tapper, the rob- 
 ber of cents and dimes, from an employer, has no 
 redeeming quality ; and he who is guilty of so con- 
 temptible an a6t, has no cause of fault-finding if 
 those who know it deem him capable of any mean 
 crime, and the change, from such a line of paltry 
 thieving to that of counterfeiting, is in the nature 
 of a promotion. 
 
 An hour passed and Roberts, fully satisfied with 
 the reception he had received, passed out the door 
 on his homeward way. The pretended pedler was 
 lighted to his room, and the house was quiet, save
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 97 
 
 the whispers of two individuals in a corner of the 
 dark dining room, that lasted for some time in a 
 low tone, too low for even the trained ears of the 
 novel writer, but, at last, getting loud enough to be 
 heard by us. 
 
 "It is an opportunity too good to be lost, Elsie," 
 were the first words we were enabled to hear, in 
 the familiar tones of Howard; "and has been the 
 great object for which I have labored. I hate to 
 part with you, dear girl, but fate seems to decree, 
 and I should be the last one to disobey her evident 
 command." 
 
 "Why need you go, William?" was the next to 
 be heard, in a voice that only a pretty woman could 
 own, very sweet and very persuasive in its tones. 
 "The paltry amount of money to be earned, poorly 
 compensates for the danger you incur; nor are you 
 sure of attaining your objecl:. Here you have a 
 home, with friends with whom to associate ; and, 
 perhaps," she continued, playfully, "while you are 
 gone I shall repent of my infidelity to Mr. Roberts 
 and take him back to favor. He is very attentive." 
 "Of that I have but little fear, as well as vou are 
 now acquainted with his character," replied the 
 still suppressed voice of the hostler; "and I have 
 too good an opinion of your constancy, notwith- 
 standing the glaring instance of its breach so late- 
 ly manifested;" and followed other sounds, labial, 
 it is true, and in a certain sense, syllabic, vet of a 
 nature so difficult to be expressed upon paper by 
 any characters now known, that we will not make
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^+*~*s^s-+*^*^*^^^^~*-^-' ^--^^^ 
 
 an attempt at the impossible task ; merely remark- 
 ing that, to the ears of the absent and self-opinion- 
 ated Roberts, thev would have been vastly more 
 disagreeable than to the parties whose lips formed 
 them and to whose conversation they seemed to 
 serve as notes of exclamation, or more properly, 
 of admiration. 
 
 "And yet," continued the girl, when the tongue 
 resumed its part in the colloquy; "from all the 
 circumstances known to you, I must continue to 
 recieve his unwelcome attentions for the present." 
 
 "Do so; do so by all means," urged Howard ; 
 "for although it is not a general rule, it has its ex- 
 ceptions sometimes, that, 'the end justifies the 
 means', and that a little wrong may be done, that 
 a greater good mav come of it." 
 
 "And the benefit must be immense," replied the 
 girl, with a cheerful manner, yet with a vein of 
 seriousness in her tone; "to warrant me in endur- 
 ing his senseless twaddle for an hour every even- 
 ing, and pretend an attention and interestedness I 
 am so far from feeling." 
 
 "Remember that it is in a good cause, Elsie ; 
 and that his pedantry and self-opinion do you no 
 harm, while it seems to be prodigiously pleasant 
 and interesting to himself; and its effusion in your 
 presence, really a safety to him for, if he had no 
 vent for it, he must explode under such a pressure 
 of vain-glorv." 
 
 A slight sound of moving chairs in the family 
 -sitting-room, at this juncture, put a period to their
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 99 
 
 conversation, and they soon separated ; and on the 
 following morning, the handsome hostler bid fare- 
 well to the tavern of honest Dan Morrison and its 
 inmates and accompanying the pedler, he was soon 
 on his wav to his new field of labor, the mines of 
 Copper Mountain. 
 
 Will William Howard ever return to the quiet, 
 home-like life there enjoyed? His undertaking is 
 one of serious menace, and the adventures he must 
 meet in that den of mystery and crime must, to one 
 of his enterprising spirit, be of more than ordina- 
 ry interest, if not danger ; or will he pass the inci- 
 dents and accidents of that association, unscathed, 
 and return to her he loves; or will the assassin's 
 knife or bullet, or the strong arm of violated law 
 mete out a punishment his course would seem to 
 challenge? There is a glorious uncertainty to us 
 mortals, in the locked cabinet of the future, that, 
 not only puzzles but deeply interests the ordinary 
 human being, but adds, after all, a charm to life a 
 certainty would make unbearable. 
 
 It will scarcely be necessary for the writer to re- 
 cord the events of the monotonous journey, nor 
 the introduction of the new "hand" to his employ- 
 ers, or his induction into his new situation ; save 
 that he seemed to give satisfaction, by his appear- 
 ance, to the two Pruyters. He was not initiated 
 into all the mysteries of that situation at once, but 
 sufficient was disclosed to him to satisfy a mind al- 
 ready made suspicious by the overheard colloquy 
 between Roberts and Heath, that there were acls,
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 *^+****r**s^^^**~~^r*^*^+^^~-^s~*<^-^ 
 
 of which did the officials become cognizant, the 
 law would take sharp notice ; but, as he cared but 
 little of what his employers were guiltv, so long 
 as the pay was good and secure and he was safe in 
 his own person, he received his instructions with 
 a proper attention and acquiescence, and took the 
 oath by which all were bound, as they told him, 
 without winking, although, at times, his hair had 
 a feeling as if struggling from a horizontal to a 
 perpendicular position, when he heard some of the 
 hopes of direful penalties, which it contained and 
 were to be endured, did he by thought, word or 
 deed, or by mark or writing, disclose any myste- 
 ries he might hear, see or become cognizant of, in 
 his intercourse with the dwellers, in and around, 
 Copper Mountain. 
 
 These matters being properly attended to, and 
 many a word of advice and caution given by the 
 elder Pruyter, young Howard was dismissed to his 
 labor, that of a miner in one of the leads, several 
 rods back of the stone house in the pass, where, 
 for the present, we must leave him, to hear the 
 strange stories of his companions, of the ghosts, 
 goblins and other supernatural beings of the vicin- 
 ity, and to toil his allotted hours, until such time 
 as more stirring events shall vary the monotony of 
 his occupation, "of which," as Andrew Fairser- 
 vice would sav, "more anon."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ATTACK ON THE PATRIOTS. 
 
 OCTOR HERBERT LORIMER, for to 
 such a peaceful appellation was he enti- 
 tled ere he assumed the more bellipotent 
 one of Captain, found himself, at the age 
 of twenty-five, by the death of both his parents, 
 alone in the world, with the exception of his only 
 brother, Hector, already presented to the reader, 
 of whom his mother had, on her death-bed, given 
 him earnest and particular charge. This would 
 seem scarcely necessary when we take into con- 
 sideration the great affection borne to each other, 
 by the so much dissimilar brothers. His property 
 was large, and the profession of medicine, that he 
 had studied at the instance of a judicious father, 
 while it seemed a useless accomplishment, as far 
 as the procurement of a livelihood was concerned, 
 and the title, like the permanent flexure of certain 
 caudal appendages, more for ornament than use, 
 seemed a prudent investment of a small part of a 
 surplus capital in a business unlikely to be affected 
 by the fluctuations of the money market or, in a 
 time of emergency, to suspend or refuse to discount 
 a sure means of subsistence when other ventures, 
 or investments fail. 
 
 Of a peculiarly ardent and imaginative temper- 
 ament, the young Canadian was a great lover of 
 excitement and adventure ; so much so as to make 
 him, in a slight degree, Quixotic in character, that
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 _^_ ^^^^-^ ~~-^ 
 
 tended to lead him into many situations that a sober 
 second thought would have kept him out of. The 
 rebellion of Papineau seemed a godsend, at this 
 time, as furnishing a safety-valve for his surplus of 
 vitality, both as a preventive of less worthy pur- 
 suits, and to engage an attention a good deal dis- 
 tracted by the sudden disappearance of one he had 
 quickly learned to love, the winsome and adventu- 
 rous Helen Leonard. 
 
 The burning eloquence of the French patriot had 
 found in Dr. Lorimer a ready response ; and the 
 fact that the lost one resided near Steadville, had 
 induced him to request a command at that point, 
 which had as readily been accorded him, by those 
 in authority, who seemed pleased to secure the ser- 
 vices of such a desirable auxiliary to their cause, 
 on his own terms. 
 
 He had, when we first saw him, been "over the 
 line" for the purpose of holding a conference with 
 Papineau, who was in the "States," at that time, 
 and was just returning, when his predominant dis- 
 position to knight-errantrv, coupled with the facl: 
 that he would be pursuing a course towards his in- 
 tended destination, led him into the chase we have 
 recorded. The obstacles in his path, to overcome 
 which must have required time that he could not 
 well spare, very easily induced him to relinquish 
 a pursuit in which he supposed he had no personal 
 interest and a press of other matters on his mind, 
 soon obliterated all thought of that particular aff- 
 air, which, we may well imagine would have not
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 103 
 
 been the case had he been aware of the person of 
 the abducled girl and the subsequent events that 
 his failure to release her were to lead to, both as 
 concerned himself and one very dear to him. 
 
 Having, as we have seen some pages back, sur- 
 rendered the charge of his favorite to the choice- 
 constituted guardian, Lorimer made his way on 
 foot toward the hay-shed mentioned. The moon 
 had gained such an altitude that objects in the field 
 began to be quite distinctly discernable ; and dis- 
 covered, at intervals along his pathway, here and 
 there small patches of low shrubbei-y that, while 
 they appeared spontaneous growth, to a keen ob- 
 server would seem to have rather too regular an 
 appearance, both as to size and situation, to have 
 been placed there by nature. The latter supposi- 
 tion seemed to have a warrant from the facl: that on 
 his approach to each one, in succession, a figure 
 would arise from its shelter as if to dispute his 
 further progress ; but the seeming sentinel would 
 appear satisfied by a few murmured words from the 
 Captain and to drop back, out of sight, as silently 
 as it had appeared. 
 
 Making his way, notwithstanding these inter- 
 ruptions, directly to the shed, he pulled away a 
 portion of the long blades and stems of hay, at 
 one side of the stack and applying his hand to n 
 certain portion of it, a door opened and he stepped 
 into a large and well-lighted room, thus artfullv 
 concealed in the pretended hay-stack The apart- 
 ment contained fullvtwentv individuals, of various
 
 104 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ages and appearance, who had evidently been en- 
 gaged in a somewhat animated conversation, until 
 interrupted by the entrance of Lorimer. They at 
 once dropped the subject of dispute and gathered 
 around the Captain, and each countenance, in its 
 own peculiar way, showed its delight at his com- 
 ing, and so manifestly that he might well be proud 
 of the reception, as coming from hearts that gave 
 him sincere greeting. 
 
 "Welcome, Captain Lorimer !" exclaimed a tall, 
 well looking man, as he grasped the hand of his 
 leader and shook it with fervor; "we have waited 
 as patiently as may be, for your coining, but came 
 verv near to pulling hair on your account. But 
 what news? What news?" 
 
 "Some good, some bad and some indifferent," 
 replied Lorimer. "The muskets and accoutre- 
 ments and one six-pounder, Napoleon gun are on 
 the way and will arrive in less than a week, with 
 thirty good men from Vermont, under Captain 
 Blake to handle the cannon." 
 
 Well, by George, that is good news." 
 
 "The Earl of Gosford has been recalled, and the 
 Earl of Durham appointed Governor General, and 
 is already on his way to Canada, for the purpose 
 of carrying out certain ads of Parliament tending 
 to the extermination and utter annihilation of the 
 rebels of this poor Province. Look out, my boys 
 then, for a volley of Peel's paper bullets, in the 
 shape of Proclamations." 
 
 "And that, I conclude, is your indifferent news,"
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. IC>5 
 
 said the man who had before addressed him ; "for 
 it certainly is so to us who care but little whether 
 Gosford or Durham or the devil has the title that 
 will soon be merely a title; for, God willing, the 
 days of king made governors are growing beauti- 
 fully less, in Canada." 
 
 "But, in this connection, comes my other qual- 
 ity of news," continued Lorimer. "I have in my 
 possession, a written communication, sighed by 
 General Papineau, commanding all organizations 
 of "Sons of Liberty" to disband, at once; or, at 
 least, to discontinue all active operations, for a 
 season. I had a long conference with him upon 
 .the subject, in which he informed me that present 
 efforts must inevitably meet with disaster and de- 
 feat ; that two extra regiments had been ordered 
 forward by the governor, and our only hope was 
 to lie perdu, for a time. I remonstrated and even 
 intimated that I should hesitate to obey the order; 
 but he brought so many arguments and evidences 
 of the correctness of his position that I was, at last, 
 obliged to acknowledge that he was in the right." 
 
 "Your bad news, Captain, has eclipsed and put 
 far out of sight all the rest," responded the other. 
 
 And then commenced an eager dispute among 
 the men, in which arguments, pro and con, were 
 urged with much earnestness and some acrimony ; 
 but after a season the better reason assumed sway, 
 and though the irritated feelings of some were, in 
 a measure, curbed by conviction, they finally ac- 
 cepted the situation, but not without reiterations
 
 106 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 of a determination to visit their disappointment in 
 being compelled to wait, the more heartily upon 
 the heads of those who were the cause of it. 
 
 Almost any matter of lively disputation, where 
 there are as many as a score of debaters, requires 
 some time in the formal settlement of the question ; 
 and where there are so many to talk, it is usually 
 the case that several talk at once and, as a matter 
 of course, the argument is attended with consider- 
 able clamor, notwithstanding each* is aware of the 
 necessitv of caution. When the conclusion was 
 arrived at and the uproar somewhat abated, they 
 became sensible that other noises were rife, and 
 somewhat strange ones also, for the most unearth- 
 ly howling, as of a dozen of insane dogs, with ex- 
 cellent lungs, were joining in mad chorus, fell on 
 their ears. A hasty looking out at the door, dis- 
 closed a tall figure, about mid wav between the road 
 and shed, approaching with a speed that would put 
 to shame one of the most approved thoroughbreds 
 of the turf, ever and anon uttering a most terriffic 
 howl ; and when opposed by the sentinels, one af- 
 ter another, sweeping them from his path as would 
 the cowcatcher of a locomotive, gasping: 
 
 "Yes, bright neicht the neicht, an' he dommed 
 te ye !' : 
 
 The lookers-on quickly discovered the advancing 
 figure to be that of Alick Cameron who, with per- 
 spiring face and streaming locks, burst upon the 
 startled group like a Parrott shell in full career. 
 
 For a full minute the breast of the honest Scot
 
 TIIR COUNTERFEITERS. 107 
 
 heaved, while his lips strove in vain to utter a sin- 
 gle word ; but it came at last : 
 
 "Ye maun flit, lads ae red coat kens tae tryste 
 an' tha'll e'en be down on us, like a duck on a 
 June bug an' be dommed ta 'em !" 
 
 Hasty and startled inquiries soon drew from the 
 panting man that he had heard the whole plan of 
 the attack talked over in the bar-room, where he 
 was a prisoner, and that the orders had already 
 been issued to mount for the expedition. 
 
 Had Captain Lorimer's men who, including the 
 sentinels, amounted to thirty or more in number, 
 been properly armed, and superior orders had not 
 been received to make no aclive movements, that 
 individual would, no doubt, have made arrange- 
 ments to meet the attacking party in a manner dif- 
 ferent from the one adopted ; but, under the pres- 
 ent circumstances, discretion was far the better 
 part of valor, and he at once gave orders for them 
 to fall back to a patch of woods, on the extreme 
 confines of the meadow, and watch the proceed- 
 ings of the royalists. The sentinels were called in 
 and the band of patriots fell quietly back to the 
 point mentioned. 
 
 Before they went, however, Heclor Lorimer, 
 who had joined the party from some unknown 
 quarter, about the time of the uproar caused by the 
 Scotchman's arrival, after borrowing an old over- 
 coat or two, with hats to match, had stuffed them 
 with, hay from their rendezvous, into quite respecl- 
 able images of men. These he placed in the most
 
 108 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 conspicuous positions in the meadow, several rods 
 in advance of the shed ; placed a stick over the 
 shoulder of each, and rejoined his companions. 
 "Well, Hector, bov, what da you propose to do 
 with your effigies?" asked Captain Lorimer, who 
 had watched with some interest his brother's pro- 
 ceedings. "Do you imagine that Captain Stan- 
 field's troop is to be frightened like so many crows, 
 by your scare-crows? We have but a poor opin- 
 ion of his New Brunswick levies, but we can hard- 
 ly rate them so low as soldiers, as that comes to." 
 
 "They are a pack of carrion birds, at best," re- 
 turned Hector in his childish voice, in which was 
 a spice of mischief; "but as my big brother, in his 
 immense wisdom and great military knowledge, 
 has seen fit to withdraw from his first baftle with- 
 out firing a gun, I want to learn these red-coated 
 dragoons that I shall not belie my name, and that 
 an affair with the rear-guard, under General Hec- 
 tor, is a far more serious matter than they antici- 
 pate. They have often wished to meet what they 
 term ragmuffins, and I don't want to balk them of 
 their hopes." 
 
 Saying which, the dwarf, placing his hands on 
 the shoulders of one of the tallest in the party, 
 sprang lightly over his head, as boys do in "leap- 
 frog," without the necessity, however, of the man's 
 being obliged to stoop or "make a back," as it is 
 termed in boy vernacular, and, with a shrill laugh 
 bounded away through the trees, and quickly dis- 
 appeared beneath their shade.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 109 
 
 The anxious watchers waited nearl'y a half-hour 
 before anything transpired to break the monotony 
 of their vigil. At the end of that tims they began 
 to discover several shadowy forms gathering from 
 various directions, apparently engaged in cautious- 
 ly surrounding the hay shed, in which they with- 
 out doubt, imagined their prey was still snugly en- 
 sconced. The troopers seemed to give the bogus 
 sentinels a wide berth, although some half-a-score 
 began to gather in the shadow of a few trees, by 
 the roadside, with the apparent intention of mak- 
 ing a sudden charge upon them. Nor did their 
 actions belie their intent for, when the cordon ar- 
 ound the devoted hay-stack was complete, a sharp 
 word of command was heard, and the attacking 
 party pressed rapidlv forward from every direction, 
 overthrowing the "men of straw," or hay, rather, 
 in their career and gathered, about forty mounted 
 men, around the suspected lair of the rebels. 
 
 A heart}- English hurrah woke the echoes of the 
 night but nothing else. The lonely hay-rick was 
 as lonely as ever ; no sound of any kind answering 
 the shout. A good deal surprised, yet partially 
 prepared for such a result, from the discovery of 
 the fact that the enemy they had already met were 
 but images, the men quickly broke down a portion 
 of the sheltering wall. The nest was there, and 
 warm yet but, alas, the birds were flown ; whith- 
 er, their glances of disappointment and rage failed 
 to discover. A piece of paper, upon which was 
 some writing was to be seen, but in the moonlight
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 ^^^-^^^^ *-~->^ * 
 
 not easily to'be read, was discovered pinned to a 
 post supporting the wall. 
 
 "This way, a light," commanded Captain Stan- 
 field, with an oath, to a man who had just come 
 up with a torch, as he angrily snatched the docu- 
 ment from its place and hastily scanned its char- 
 acters. "By the cross of St. George of England, 
 this is adding insult to injury. Hear what the 
 mongrel ragmuffins have penned for our perusal : 
 
 'MOST VALLIANT AND ASTUTE REDCOATS : 
 
 While we are unable to deny a full knowledge 
 of the hour and purpose of your kind visit, we 
 must plead our want of courtesy in not remaining 
 to give such eminent visitors a proper reception ; 
 one becoming the personages calling. We trust, 
 however, that our remissness in courtesy will be 
 amply atoned for, when we exhibit for your delec- 
 tation some feats of dexterity, agility and skill of 
 the tourney. 
 
 HECTOR LORIMER, Com'dt rearguard." 
 
 Now what the d 1 does he mean by that last, 
 I should be pleased to be informed ? I had sup- 
 posed Captain Lorimer to be too much of a man 
 to enter into such boyishness as this ; although it 
 is of a piece of his undertaking, in trying to face 
 the soldiers of Her Majesty, with such a mongrel 
 pack of ragmuffins and such scum." 
 
 He was informed by one of his subordinates 
 that the writing was not by Captain Lorimer but, 
 evidently, by his apish brother, as he saw fit, in 
 his irreverence to denominate him.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "Well, by my commission, whether by Captain 
 or Captain's ape, I'll learn them not to put such 
 affronts upon me," retorted the incensed leader. 
 "The knowledge of our plans and its betrayal to 
 these rebels, must be laid at the door of that ras- 
 cally Scotchman ; and, sergeant Wilson, you may 
 detail six men, among them, your squad who let 
 the drunken Scot get away, and remain here, as a 
 guard, and be sure you give them duty enough to 
 learn them to be more careful in future." 
 
 With these words Captain Stanfield and the rest 
 of his troopers who, like a certain other officer and 
 men, had marched up the hill, marched down again 
 swearing as did also another army in Flanders. 
 
 The departure of the main force, leaving the 
 seven men who had already experienced more than 
 their usual amount of duty in furnishing videttes 
 and sentinels, left some heart-burnings in its rear. 
 The subordinate, however, knew how to visit his 
 superior's sternness to himself upon the real cul- 
 prits ; and while he allowed the four others to dis- 
 mount and picket their chargers, he compelled the 
 two unfortunates who had been the victims of a 
 misplaced confidence in the inability of the wily 
 Alick's simulated intoxication to play them such a 
 trick, to patrol the vicinity, hither and thither, up 
 and down, across and back again, around the way 
 the sun goes, and again in an opposite direction, 
 in search of an enemy, the officer was well satis- 
 fied was miles away, and no two together. This 
 proceeding, as may well be supposed, caused a
 
 II2 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 superabundance of the Queen's strongest and most 
 emphatic English to be earnestly used by the two 
 unlucky soldiers. 
 
 The little band of patriots, secure in their hiding 
 place, watched the manoeuvres, with a very accu- 
 rate conception of their real meaning and conse- 
 quently had little fear of detection. Captain Lor- 
 imer continued his instructions on the subject of 
 disbanding ; informed them that, for the present, 
 he should remain at the tavern of Dan Morrison, 
 in Melas ; advised a peaceable dispersion to their 
 several places of residence, where, by a late proc- 
 lamation, they would be secure from arrest or dis- 
 turbance ; shook hands with them, one by one and 
 a portion had begun to leave the rendezvous, when 
 their attention was called by certain movements, 
 quite different from those before transpiring, in the 
 moonlighted space before them. These consisted 
 of a rapid charge of one of the troopers toward a 
 low stone wall bordering the meadow, apparently 
 in pursuit of some object that had attracted his at- 
 tention. The charge, seemingly so violent and so 
 courageous, was brought to a somewhat hasty and 
 lame termination, however, by the sudden wheel- 
 ing of the soldier and his slow retreat, while he 
 gazed apprehensively over his shoulder, as if in 
 doubt of the real nature of the thing he had been 
 so anxious to investigate a moment before. 
 
 And well might the ignorant red-coat question 
 his eyesight or his judgement, if not in the secret, 
 when he saw what had every appearance of being
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 113 
 
 a monster baboon, bearing in one of his paws a 
 light pole some dozen feet in length, spring upon 
 the wall, chattering and gibing hideously, while he 
 lashed his tail from side to side like an angry bul- 
 lock. In an instant the horse, on which the soldier 
 sat, instigated by a covert touch of the rowels, as- 
 sumed a somewhat accelerated pace, but seeing his 
 comrades' eyes fixed upon him, much against his 
 will, he checked him partially, in his career. Of 
 this the monster took instant advantage and, by the 
 aid of his pole, and his wonderful proficiency in its 
 use, took prodigious leaps in pursuit. There ap- 
 peared to be quite a dispute in the trooper's mind 
 whether to turn and fight, prompted bvhis fear of 
 ridicule and certain grains of courage that he pos- 
 sessed, or to fly, urged thereto by the many pounds 
 of fear that the sight of the unknown animal in- 
 spired him with, and a yearning wish to escape, 
 unharmed, from the terrible claws that a fear-inci- 
 ted imagination gave the creature, in default of 
 what a better evesight might have proven. 
 
 All such matters of debate were speedily put at 
 rest by. the terriffic speed with which the grinning 
 beast approached ; and despite of ridicule or inti- 
 mation of cowardice, and the last remains of bra- 
 very oozing from his finger' s-ends, the thoroughly 
 frightened and demoralized soldier, with a last look 
 over his shoulder, sunk his rowels deep in the hor- 
 se's side. Too late, too late, miserable man ; for 
 the last bound of the enraged beast landed him, 
 with an eldrich yell, square on the crouper and the
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 terrified soldier heard the fiendish gibber and saw 
 the sharp, white teeth within an inch of his shrink- 
 ing ear; and like the man whose horse, in endea- 
 voring to remove from a tender spot a troublesome 
 fly, caught his foot in the stirrup, resolved, that if 
 he had determined to mount, himself would get oft", 
 which he proceeded to do without hesitancy, and 
 to make most excellent use of the two legs yet re- 
 maining him, to put as much distance as possible, 
 between him arid his tormentor. 
 
 This success, so much more easily obtained than 
 he had any reason to expect, seemed to put the de- 
 vil into the reckless and daring dwarf, and drop- 
 ping to the saddle, he poised his leaping-pole like 
 a lance, uttered a diabolical scream, and charged 
 straight upon the dismounted and wholly unpre- 
 pared soldiers near a fire they had kindled. It was 
 too much for their equanimity and courage, for, 
 although they would have faced any human foe, 
 under like circumstances, the fearful form and face 
 of the approaching figure unsettling all preconcei- 
 ved notions of discipline and pride, and they took 
 incontinently to their heels, leaving arms and hor- 
 ses, a prey to the spoiler. The sergeant, who was 
 a sturdy fellow, and had been several paces from 
 the fire, holding his charger by the bridle, no soon- 
 er perceived the utter route of his command, than 
 he sprang into the saddle, and grasping a holster 
 pistol, aimed fully at the monster, who was now 
 turned toward himself, and pulled the trigger. 
 Hedor, who had seen the ad, as quick as thought
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. I I 5 
 
 dropped along the horse's back and the ball passed 
 harmlessly above him, when he instantly resumed 
 his* perpendicular. This feat had been so quickly 
 performed that, obscured by the smoke of his wea- 
 pon, the sergeant had failed to see it, and knowing 
 his proficiency with that arm, and satisfied of his 
 aim, he was much surprised and a little startled by 
 the want of efiedl produced by his shot. He had 
 no time to grasp the other pistol before the uncouth 
 horseman was upon him, and the pole striking him 
 on the shoulder and his seat, already disturbed by 
 the_ frightened shying of his horse, failed him and 
 he was instantly unhorsed and the steed bounded 
 wildly away after the trooper who as yet remained 
 mounted, and was careering hurriedly, for head- 
 quarters and safety. 
 
 Now sergeant Wilson, as before intimated, was 
 a man of courage and ready, at all times, to do his 
 duty fearlessly; but he was a Nova Scotian, and 
 formerly a farmer ; a good planter of corn and po- 
 tatoes ; an excellent sower of wheat and oats and 
 rye and barley ; a faithful mower, raker, reaper 
 and plowman, and with six months of drill, had 
 become a very passable soldier ; and, from these 
 facts, the latter excepted, in a degree unsophistica- 
 ted, and a very poor naturalist. He had seen pic- 
 tures of baboons and, at one time, a live one. He 
 had also pictured, in his mind's eye, an image of 
 His Satanic Majesty ; but was so little acquainted 
 with either that he was unable, by moonlight, es- 
 pecially, to make a close discrimination between
 
 Il6 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 the two; and when he saw the remarkable figure, 
 so grotesquely mounted, pass him, after having 
 experienced an amount of strength in the dwarfish 
 form that well might seem supernatural, several 
 very dubious thoughts began to crawl through his 
 mind, and he began to experience some uneasy 
 sensations. His abrupt fall and the sudden depar- 
 ture of his four-footed companion, had left him en- 
 tirelv unarmed ; and when he saw the knight of 
 the leaping-pole again in full career upon him, the 
 point of the unusual weapon bearing full upon his 
 stomach, and knowing full well the terrible effect 
 it would produce should it attain its mark ; sorry- 
 are we to record the fact, he turned and fled, too ; 
 a good soldier, the last to leave a field of battle ; 
 but with the disgrace of defeat in his first contest, 
 rankling in his breast. 
 
 The field clear, and this last and most ludicrous 
 sequel of a most ludicrous insurrection, for it nev- 
 er assumed a magnitude entitling it to the name of 
 rebellion, much less of a revolution, being ended, 
 as tragedies usually are, by a farce, the victor be- 
 gan to gather the spoils. These consisted of five 
 horses, with trappings complete, even to holster 
 pistols, and in four instances, with a regulation 
 carbine hung to the saddle. 
 
 In the mean time the band of hidden patriots, 
 who had looked upon the affair with some awe. at 
 first, but a Vast deal of mirth, when Captain Lor- 
 imer had explained to them the secret of his broth- 
 er's disguise, (a suit of sealskin that he himself had
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. I I 7 
 
 purchased for him) as soon as the affair terminated 
 gave the man-monkey three rousing cheers. 
 
 "And now, my friends," said the Captain, turn- 
 ing to them when his anxiety for his brother's safe- 
 ty had been fully allayed by the flight of his last 
 opponent; "once more good-bye, and though we 
 are compelled to now relinquish, for a season, our 
 cherished hopes of freedom for Canada, let not the 
 hope die out, but let every man of our little band 
 eredl, in his own heart an altar, on which let him 
 kindle the tire of patriotism ; let him as jealously 
 guard it, night and day, as does the Astec priest 
 the sacred fire of Montezuma, until such time as, 
 united, they shall make a flame so intense that the 
 whole force of England shall not have power to 
 subdue it. Though cut down now by the frost of 
 disappointment, the seed this year sown shall not 
 be lost, but shall flourish only the more fiercely, 
 when the time comes for it again to spring up, for 
 the reverse it has now met ; and though many years 
 may elapse, yet some of us here present shall see 
 the day when Canada is Free ! And as for that 
 one," he continued in a changed and somewhat 
 fierce tone, as he fixed his eyes upon a dark look- 
 ing young man near him ; "as tor the one who has 
 been so lost to all principles of honor and decency ; 
 who has assumed the role of the American Arn- 
 old, and vilely betrayed us to our enemies, I have 
 no words, save that his own conscience will punish 
 him more severely than could I, and leave him to 
 the contempt his treachery deserves."
 
 US THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 An instant the young man hesitated, then his 
 eyes dropped and he slunk away, followed by the 
 hisses of his former comrades. 
 
 "Hold, Alick!" exclaimed the Captain, seeing 
 the Scotchman, with an ugly knife in his hand, as 
 he stole after the traitor. "The times will not al- 
 low anything of that kind now. Mount one of the 
 horses and ride with us." 
 
 The incensed Scot hesitated a moment, turned, 
 muttering, and as Hector rode up at this instant he 
 sullenly mounted as ordered ; and in a half-hour a 
 lonely vidette on a little travelled road that crossed 
 the line some two miles west of Steadville, saw a 
 cavalcade of three horsemen, each with a led ani- 
 mal, flash past his post like phantom riders, and 
 disappear around a curve in the road. 
 
 Reaching a crossroad a mile farther south, the 
 Scot intimated that he would there leave them, as 
 he had a brother residing at a short distance, and 
 proposed to make that spot his abiding place until 
 the affair should blow over. Lorimer pressed upon 
 him one of the captured horses, but the warv Scot 
 declined the offer on the supposition that the pos- 
 session would be difficult to explain should imper- 
 tinent questions be asked. Dismounting, he gave 
 to Herbert the bracelet he had found, explaining 
 how he came by it, and whistling "Bonnie Doon," 
 disappeared, and the brothers, securing the horses, 
 were soon on their way to honest Dan Morrison's 
 hostelry, where in due season they arrived, without 
 further adventure worthy of record.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 119 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 SAMUEL PRUYTER'S WOOING. 
 S the events last recorded were transpiring 
 in the vicinity of Steadville, some other 
 occurrences were in progress in the Stone 
 House in the Pass, that were destined to 
 affecl, in a material degree, the fates of some of the 
 personages of this drama. As already written, Hel- 
 en Leonard had been again shut up in the room 
 from which she had formerly escaped, in what ap- 
 peared to her keepers, so miraculous a manner; 
 and notwithstanding her extreme fatigue, the spir- 
 ited girl made manual examination of the bars she 
 had seen yield so readily to the hand of her form- 
 er visitant, but, to her great disappointment, they 
 proved as unyielding as the solid wall itself. It is 
 true she could feel a slight jar when she wrenched 
 at them with her full strength, as if they were par- 
 tially loose in their sockets, but otherwise seemed 
 immovable. 
 
 As was before intimated, the prisoner was not a 
 person on whom , superstitious fears had very per- 
 manent hold, albeit she had been reared in the im- 
 mediate vicinity of a place reputed to be haunted 
 by divers description of evil spirits; and had heard 
 the matter discussed almost daily, from her youth 
 to her present age ; and the fact of the existence of 
 disembodied spirits acknowledged by almost all 
 her acquaintance and friends ; yet a constant drop- 
 ping, it is said will wear a stone, and in her long
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ., s^^-v^^x-^>-^>~--^^^^>~~~. . 
 
 solitude and with the events of the last two days 
 fresh in her mind, it was not, at all, strange or re- 
 markable that she should begin to have serious 
 doubts. While she was enabled, as she supposed, 
 to account for all uncommon appearances from ra- 
 tional and natural causes, she felt comparatively 
 easy in her mind ; but when a single question arose, 
 she began to fear ; a natural consequence of her 
 want of decided assurance. Almost exhausted by 
 fatigue, anxiety and apprehension, the poor girl 
 ceased her efforts on the bars and throwing herself 
 into a chair, placed her elbow upon the table, res- 
 ted her chin in the palm of her hand, gazed out, 
 dreamily, at the mysterious window and, though 
 knowing it not, followed with her eyes the flicker- 
 ing and ever shifting shadows of the rough crags 
 and waving branches upon the opposite side of the 
 pass, thrown there by the almost full moon, shin- 
 ing from a cloudless sky ; while in her mind she 
 run over the happenings of the last eight-and-fortv 
 hours, and meditated upon her situation. 
 
 In another room of the same building stood the 
 Printers, father and son. There was a fierce, sul- 
 len light in the eyes of the elder of the two. His 
 brows were gathered down over the sunken orbs 
 beneath, in a black line ; his teeth were set, the 
 lips drawn back like those of a wolf, while he 
 waved his clutched hands menacingly toward his 
 son, as if to enforce some statement he had made. 
 
 "I tell you again," he hissed through his teeth ; 
 "I tell you again, she must die. I will not trust
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 my safety in the hands of so inveterate a foe as she 
 has always proved. I trust not her promise, even 
 if she can be induced to give one. And she knows 
 more than the fact that we are counterfeiters. Her 
 mother told her much before she died. I tell you 
 again, she must die, die !" 
 
 "But as my wife " 
 
 "Not if she was my own child, in truth," inter- 
 rupted the old man. "I trust not to woman, un- 
 der any circumstances. They will gabble their 
 secrets even if they have to do it in their sleep. 
 But one word a glance a significant pointing 
 would be enough to let loose the hounds of the 
 law on our track ; and suspicion but once aroused 
 they would dog us to the death." 
 
 "But the danger of discovery," urged the young 
 man ; "her being missed and sought after. That 
 devil of a Captain Lorimer, who chased me this 
 very night ; and I passed the long-legged Scotch- 
 man, Alick Cameron, and I am sure he must have 
 recognized me if not the girl." 
 
 "Dastard !" almost yelled the old man. "Das- 
 tard, to count the cost, actuated by your craven 
 heart, when our very lives are the price. An ar- 
 rant coward whose paternity I doubt " 
 
 "Hold there, old man !" exclaimed the son, his 
 eyes in a blaze, and the color of his face crimson ; 
 "Hold there ! Father as you are, such words must 
 not be spoken while my life and strength are left. 
 A coward you know I am not ; and when you doubt 
 as you say you do, my being your son, you cast a
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^-*.r*^~*r+^******^^s^~-~*^*' ^ * 
 
 slur upon the departed one, that no other man had 
 done, and lived an hour." 
 
 "Chut, boy," growled the father; "you crow 
 loudly for a bantam. But enough of this. She 
 must die. And you dare not, on your oath, ques- 
 tion the decree of the judges who have so deter- 
 mined ; and to yield gracefully, is your best way." 
 
 These last words seemed to show the young man 
 the folly of opposition and he changed his manner, 
 at once, from menace to supplication. 
 
 "I admit it all, father, but they, when they gave 
 the judgement of death, at my instance, said, that 
 as my wife and a member of the band, she should 
 be spared ; and you made her the same promise, 
 when she was first arrested." 
 
 It was the old man's turn to wince now, for Sam- 
 nel had told the truth, antl even he, chief as he 
 was, dare not run counter, openly, to the decision 
 there made ; accordingly, while he seemed to ac- 
 quiesce, his thoughts were busy with plans of re- 
 moving the prisoner, Helen Leonard who, as the 
 reader must know, was the subject of consultation, 
 in the most secret, the most expeditious and the 
 most certain manner, from his way. 
 
 "Go, then, foolish boy," he said, in an altered 
 tone; "go and again receive her refusal you are 
 sure to get it for she would meet death with a rel- 
 ish before she would wed with you, knowing what 
 she does." 
 
 "Her late fruitless effort to escape, with the full 
 knowledge that she is completely in the power of
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. I 23 
 
 men who, her own good sense must assure her are 
 desperate, will influence her decision in my favor. 
 The utter hopelessness of any mercy at our hands, 
 must be plain to her now ; nor is she unaware of 
 the deep affection that I have for her, and sincere 
 love, with nothing to influence in a contrary direc- 
 tion, is sure to beget love, sooner or later, in the 
 bosom of the loved." 
 
 "A very plausible argument," sneered old Pruy- 
 ter, "when you forget the contempt she has ever 
 manifested for yourself; and that her love love ! 
 the cant of sickly sentimental boys and girls is, 
 already possessed by another ; and he the beau- 
 ideal of a romantic girl whose notions are the re- 
 sult of novel reading and the early instructions of 
 a weak brained mother." 
 
 "There is no evidence of heraffedlion being en- 
 listed tor Dr. Lorimer, except his letter," argued 
 the young man uneasily; "and that merely inti- 
 mates an anxiety to see her again, and blames her 
 for having given no information of her intended 
 departure from Montreal, or the place to which she 
 was going; and surely, if she loved him she would 
 not have left without giving him some idea of her 
 destination." 
 
 "Well, have your own wav. One might as. well 
 attempt to reason with a maniac, as with a fool 
 who imagines himself in love." 
 
 As soon as the young man departed, on his far 
 from hopeless mission, the old man resumed his 
 restless tramp across the floor of his room, where
 
 124 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 he was left alone ; his determined mind active in 
 cogitations on the subject his son's arguments had 
 instituted; nor did he observe a "woman's face at 
 the window," watching his every motion with its 
 searching eves. For nearly an hour his nervous 
 tramp continued, ever and anon accompanied by 
 low mutterings and fierce gestures, that witnessed 
 the depth and determination of his mental debate. 
 At the end of that time he was interrupted by the 
 entrance of a middle aged woman, the wife of one 
 of the band, who served as cook for the inhabitants 
 of the Stone House in the Pass. She was a short, 
 thick-set Irish woman, whose countenance bore on 
 it the indellible marks of a life of debaucherv and 
 crime, mingled with a cunning leer in her bleared 
 eyes that was, to say the least, uncomfortable to 
 behold. She bore in her hands a small salver, on 
 which might be seen several coarse viands, clum- 
 sily and untidilv arranged, among which steamed 
 a mug of muddy tea, with its accompaniments of 
 milk and sugar. 
 
 "The young lady's supper, hey, Maggie?" said 
 old Pruyter, as she entered, looking hastily over 
 the collection ; "quite a sumptuous repast, girl ; 
 but you have no water. The young lady may be 
 thirsty, after her ride. You may set down the tray 
 and procure some." 
 
 Scarcely had the woman left the room, than the 
 old man took from his pocket a small vial of dark 
 brown liquid and emptied a portion of its contents 
 into the vessel containing the beverage previously
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 125 
 
 prepared. The woman soon returned with a gob- 
 let of w r ater, and taking up the salver, went on her 
 way to the room of the prisoner ; while the old 
 villain chuckled quietly at his dark deed, nor yet 
 saw the "woman's face at the window," that now 
 turned hastily away. 
 
 Although endowed, as we have seen, with a 
 greater share of courage than usually falls to the 
 lot of feminine nature, it is not to be supposed the 
 adventures Helen Leonard had so lately experien- 
 ced, would have a tendency to increase that quality 
 to a sufficient degree to withstand without some 
 trepidation and uneasiness, their e fleet. As before 
 intimated she had become fully aware of the ex- 
 treme peril into which her natural curiosity had 
 plunged her ; nor could she contemplate, without 
 serious misgivings, the dangers so^losely surroun- 
 ding her. That the secret in her possession was 
 a deadly one, she easily perceived, when she ac- 
 knowledged, as she was forced to do, the position 
 in which she had, by her acl, placed the Pruyters 
 and their coadjutors, steeped in crime, as they were 
 and utterly desperate in their endeavor to shield 
 themselves from exposure and consequent punish- 
 ment for their misdoings; nor had she the charity 
 to suppose that they would be induced to leniency 
 by any recognition of family associations or affec- 
 tion, when their own liberty, if not lives were in 
 the scale. These considerations, added to the be- 
 lief in the supernatural appearances and manifest- 
 ations that were being forced upon her credulity,
 
 126 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 much against her better reason, had plunged her 
 into the flood of painful and uneasy meditation in 
 which we left her, hardly an, hour ago. 
 
 While these bitter fancies were submerging her 
 mind, and, for the time, shut out all exterior mat- 
 ters, her thoughts most naturally turned to one for 
 whom she had, unknown to herself until now, in 
 her emergency, experienced a feeling so entirely 
 new to her, that she was at a loss to give it a name, 
 much less acknowledge that it was love; yet she 
 bitterly repented of leaving him so abruptly as she 
 had, without any intimation of her destination ; 
 that her woman's wit might easily have accomp- 
 lished, had she then felt as she now did ; nor did 
 she fail fretfully to blame him for not being present 
 to aid her in this her hour of dire necessity. Un- 
 reasonable as ttns must appear, before we censure 
 her, let us consider her need and the natural feeling 
 of dependence in one she loves that has ever been 
 implanted in the breast of woman. A few mo- 
 ments of self consultation, however, banished the 
 unjust thought from her mind ; and, whether she 
 was prompted by memory'or by some outward in- 
 fluence, &s we are sometimes in our dreams, her 
 thoughts recurred to the mystical female who had 
 been her deliverer on the former occasion. While 
 yet she was asking if she would again come to her 
 aid, her eyes becoming sensible to exterior affairs, 
 saw under a tree, but a few rods from her window, 
 the same sad face, evidently gazing upon her, with 
 her wild and unnatural eves.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 12 7 
 
 Helen sprang hastily to her feet and approach- 
 ing the window, near which she sat, would have 
 made some signals for the strange being to come to 
 her but, to her surprise, the face had- disappeared. 
 Uncertain whether after all the apparition was not 
 the eftedl of imagination, she sadly returned to her 
 seat, whence she was soon drawn by the sound of 
 a gentle knock upon the only cloor entering her 
 room. Supposing it to be the supper that had been 
 intimated by Mr. Samuel Pruyter, would soon be 
 sent to her, and of which she stood so greatly in 
 need, from her long fast, she quickly shot the bolt 
 and admitted the young man, himself. His ap- 
 pearance had the same effecl: upon the young lady 
 that a dash of ice-water in the face of one afflicted 
 with coma would have done ; and she was restored 
 at once to her full spirit and courage by the sight 
 of the person to whom, of all others, she attribu- 
 ted her present position ; and there was a spice of 
 the old asperity in her tones as she said, even be- 
 fore his naturally glib tongue could anticipate her: 
 "To what unfortunate circumstance am I in- 
 debted for the presence of Mr. Samuel Pruyter in 
 mv sleeping apartment, at this late hour?" 
 
 "To no disrespect for your person, I must assure 
 you," replied the young man, taken somewhat a- 
 back by this peremptory challenge. "To no dis- 
 respect, and for no purpose contrary to the inten- 
 tions of any man of honor, " 
 
 "Man of honor!" she retorted. "Do you, you, 
 a counterfeiter and utterer of base coin, expect to
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^-v-^-^-- ^-^ ~^~^+^~r^ *-^>-+-^^ 
 
 palm any of your ungenuine honor upon one who 
 knows you so well, in anticipation that she will re- 
 ceive it as otherwise than spurious and give you 
 credit for the debt of decency you owe." 
 
 "I assure you, Miss Leonard," replied the young 
 man, who was fast recovering his usual assurance, 
 "that whatever be the nature of the commodities 
 in which I deal, my respedt and affection for you 
 are true and genuine, and that it is only your cru- 
 elty and unappreciation that gives them, to your 
 ears, their false ring or, to your eyes, their illegit- 
 imate complexion." 
 
 "Your respect and affection, as you see fit to 
 denominate your feelings, have certainly a strange 
 way of manifesting themselves ; first, in shutting 
 me in this dismal, prison-like room, and, second, 
 when by some good angel I am delivered, you fol- 
 low me, like the hound in scent of a hare, and hav- 
 ing caught, bear me back, despite my most earnest 
 remonstrances and struggles to a hopeless and help- 
 less captivity." 
 
 "To neither a hopeless or helpless bondage," 
 exclaimed the young man, earnestly, dropping on 
 his knees; "in place of iron bars, I offer you the 
 protection of my arms ; instead of four walls of 
 stone I give you my heart for a home, and only the 
 silken strings of love where now are bolts or locks. 
 Helen, dear Helen," he went on, passionately, as 
 he attempted to sieze her hand, but failed; "for 
 many, many years I have loved you better than my 
 tongue is able to tell ; ever since I have reached
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 129 
 
 the age of manhood your face has been the bright 
 star of my existence, the loadstone that has drawn 
 my heart irresistably to your side, notwithstanding 
 your sneers and your cruelty. I rnay be unworthy, 
 aye, criminal, but remember I was born and bred 
 among those whose occupation was the same, and 
 I was led from my earliest youth in the path that 
 1 am treading, with none to chide or inform me of 
 my error, until age had learned me the sad truth. 
 For you, Helen, dear Helen, I will forsake a course 
 so full of sin and danger; but vouchsafe me your 
 love and I will leave this place, this country all 
 my former and present pursuits shall be abandon- 
 ed and I will live a good and true man. Do not, 
 I beg of you, turn away your head. Give me but 
 one smile, one look that I can torture into a con- 
 sent that I may hope and I shall be indeed happy." 
 This appeal, though supremely ridiculous to the 
 heart of his auditor, had the effecT: of convincing 
 her of his sincerity, and shot through her mind an 
 idea that had never been there before; and while 
 she would not give the encouragement he pleaded 
 for, she resolved to temporize, and in furtherance 
 of that plan, just as he was about to resume, she 
 bade him rise from his position, in a voice so much 
 changed from the one she had used, that he sprang 
 from his knees to his feet, with hope in its bright- 
 est colors dancing on his features. 
 
 "Should I acquiesce in your proposal," began 
 Helen, for the purpose of checking her admirer in 
 some transports in which he was indulging; "not
 
 130 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 that I would admit that I have any such present 
 expectation, what would be the situation of your 
 intended bride? Should I beat liberty, or be com- 
 pelled to spend the last days of my maidenhood in 
 this dungeon, as I must call it?" 
 
 'Why, you see you perceive " he hesitated 
 and stammered ; you see, ahem ! Knowing what 
 you do, it would be exceedingly unsafe to set you 
 at liberty until the ceremony is performed ; and as 
 a consequence, the earliest day possible, would be 
 the most advisable." 
 
 "Then you propose to keep your intended bride 
 a close prisoner," and her lip began to curl again ; 
 "so that you may not loose her, either bv flight, 
 ' or by the efforts of some more favored rival, who 
 may succeed better than yourself, although he has 
 not the benefit of the judgement of a band of out- 
 laws to put an innocent girl to death, to back him 
 in his wooing." 
 
 Now this was, to the suitor, like the abrading 
 of an already badly chafed surface, and he replied 
 somewhat roughly : 
 
 "Whatever rival I may have had, ere this time 
 is on his way to a felon's cell. A certain Dr. Lor- 
 imer, now God save the mark Captain Lorimer 
 of the Steadville 'Sons of Liberty' was, to-night, 
 attacked by Captain Stanfield's troopers and, with- 
 out doubt, is a prisoner." 
 
 "And what know you of Dr. Lorimer's connec- 
 tion with me?" asked Helen, whose turn it now 
 was to be surprised at the other's words.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "A letter from him to you," confessed Pruyter, 
 blushing, if the suffusion of blood caused by shame 
 may be so called ; "fell into the hands of one of 
 our men, and he showed it to me. The letter con- 
 tained sufficient information on which to found a 
 judgement." 
 
 "You admit, then, that you have become so low 
 and despicable in your acts as to have pried into 
 an intercepted letter, even if you, yourself, was not 
 the person that diverted it from its intended course. 
 Surely you bring many recommendations to the 
 respect and love of your intended." 
 
 "You know the alternative," fiercely exclaimed 
 the young man, driven to the highest pitch of rage 
 by the girl's sarcasm, and throwing oft' the garb of 
 sincerity and respect, which after all was the true 
 covering, and determined that if affection would 
 not accomplish his end, that terror should ; "by 
 which your life may be saved." 
 
 "A quick change in your style of wooing," said 
 the girl, almost smiling, notwithstanding her fears ; 
 "you seem quite versatile, in your talents in that 
 line. Nothing but a vast amount of experience 
 could have enabled you to adopt so many ways, 
 and all of them so successful, for," and her voice 
 became low and sad and tearful, (she was a good 
 actress, for one so young and untrained). "I am 
 too young and too fearful to die. This is a mat- 
 ter of great importance to me, and one demanding 
 a longer consideration than I have yet had time to 
 devote to it ; therefore you must give me sufficient
 
 132 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 time to make up my mind. In the meantime, al- 
 though I may bid you hope, I must assure you that 
 
 for the present, the indignities I have experienced 
 are too fresh to be readily condoned. Time may 
 enable me to appreciate your affection, and perhaps 
 
 I say, perhaps I may return it." 
 
 The change was so sudden, so unlocked for, that 
 the young man was astonished ; and it took sever- 
 al minutes for him to recover from his surprise. 
 When he had done so, the young lady was in a 
 fair way to experience some manifestations of his 
 joyousness, had she not quietly repulsed him. Sat- 
 
 ' isfied with the glimpse of bliss, although as through 
 a glass, darkly, he was per force, compelled to be 
 pleased, for at that moment, Maggie entered with 
 the supper tray and he left the room. 1 
 
 For a single instant Helen Leonard looked into 
 the face of the new-comer, hoping there to find 
 some expression on which she might found a hope 
 of her assistance; but Maggie had. not on, at that 
 particular moment, her amiable look, and the girl, 
 seeing nothing to her but disappointment, dispair- 
 ed, and bid her leave, which she did. 
 
 How many a page has been written ; how mam 
 in stances brought forward to illustrate the fact, and 
 even, how manv sermons have been thundered 
 from the pulpit, to show how many great things 
 have hinged upon the most trifling; how great a 
 matter a little fire kindleth ; how a look, a motion, 
 a single word, cast, made or spoken, in the most 
 idle manner have decided the fate of individuals,
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 of states and of nations. And so, in this case. 
 Had Maggie been a trifle better natured, at the 
 time; had Helen Leonard been .a less expert phys- 
 iognomist, the denouement of this tale had been 
 different,, for, no doubt, while Helen talked with 
 her, hoping to induce her to aid her, she would, 
 tortured as she was, at that instant, with hunger 
 and thirst, have devoured her supper, and with it, 
 the beverage in whose depths was certain death, 
 but fate, or Maggie's unsvmpathizing face, saved 
 her life, on that occasion ; for no sooner were the 
 echoes of the closing door silent, than the young 
 lady, who had already prepared the deadly draught 
 and held it in her hand, heard a slight sound at 
 her window. 
 
 Startled as she was by the interruption, Helen 
 sat down the untested tea, and turning, saw the 
 same mysterious face ; saw the grating swing eas- 
 ily back, the sash rise and the woman step into her 
 chamber. Even before the surprised girl could 
 make a remark, the woman raised the mug, emp- 
 tied the contents from the window, replaced the 
 cup, turned, passed out, closed the window, the 
 heavy grating, and disappeared. 
 
 The truly celebrated Mr. Lillyvick, collector of 
 water rates, could have scarcely been more aston- 
 ished, when Newman Noggs abstracted from his 
 very grasp, almost, his glass of punch, on the oc- 
 casion of the Kenwig's party, than was Miss Hel- 
 en, when the beverage on which she had almost 
 set her lips, was so abruptly seized and emptied,
 
 accompanied, as it was by the- silent apparition. 
 Tnis remarkable circumstance was a new topic of 
 meditation, and even when she had bolted her .door 
 and consigned herself to her bed, some remains 
 of her busy thoughts occupied her upon an affair 
 so startling. Nor did.the part that she had played 
 in the peculiar courtship of Mr. Samuel Pruyter, 
 sit so easily on her conscience as she would gladly 
 have had it. But we have already trespassed too 
 long on the forbidden ground of a maiden's bed- 
 chamber and will forego even the novelist's prerog- 
 ative, and leave her to the sleep and dreams that 
 innocence and conscious rectitude ever beget. 
 
 If ignorance is almost invariably attended by 
 superstition, crime is as surely, if not more so, the 
 never separated companion of the supernatural and 
 miraculous. The petty thief ever sees in the un- 
 known the dreaded lineaments of the bailiff; the 
 counterfeiter feels his spurious money heavily pul- 
 ing him down, and the murderer imagines he sees 
 in every bush and tree and rock a likeness of his 
 victim, come again to denounce his slayer. To 
 such an extent do these fancies sometimes go, that 
 rather than endure the torments of conscience, and 
 superstitious tear, men of blood have been known 
 to give themselves up to the officers of justice, con- 
 fusing their crime, as a relief to the terrors engen- 
 dered by their belief in the fact that disembodied 
 spirits are allowed to walk the earth again. 
 
 Under this view of the case, we may well be- 
 lieve that the old man Pruyter, knowing as he did
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 the superior jefficacy of the potion he had admipis- 
 tered, when he heard no remark from the busy 
 Maggie, after an early visit to .the prisoner's cham- 
 ber, and even saw the relics of the supper, and 
 .discovered by ocular proof that not ordy the tea- 
 mug, but the water-goblet was empty, attributed 
 the maiden's escape from death .to some supernat- 
 ural cause. To make assurance doubly sure, to use 
 a v.ery trite expression, he inquired of the unwhole- 
 some woman as to her chargeand received her re- 
 port, couched in these words : 
 
 "Sure an' the leddy is in the best av spirits, bad 
 luck til her, an' bloomin' like a rose, jist, when it 
 first peeps out i' the mornin 1 , an' tuk her breakfast 
 wid niver so much as by yer lave, ma'am, swate 
 bad luck til her agin, an' may she mate wid some 
 fall that'll larn her to be more civil til her aquals, 
 an' bring down her pride a bit;" which somewhat 
 garrulous and spiteful remarks were, no doubt, in- 
 stigated by some slight or sarcasm put upon her by 
 the wayward Helen. 
 
 How the young lady could have swallowed 
 dose of poison sufficient to have killed two strong 
 men, and be "in the best o' spirits" ten hours after- 
 wards, was surely much to believe, on rational 
 grounds, and in default of other reason he gave the 
 spirits more credit than perhaps tlu-v deserved, in 
 the matter, as do many of the believers of to-day, 
 who ascribe to the same "airy nothings" an agc-ncv 
 in all matters they cannot understand, a doubled 
 load, from the faA, that he who thus believes, is
 
 136 THE COUXTERFEITERS. 
 
 usually remarkably deficient in the capacity to un- 
 derstand even some very plain matters. 
 
 Inauspicious tidings, like misfortunes, of which 
 they often form a part, are gregarious; seldom, if 
 ever, as the old proverb says in regard to the latter, 
 coming singly ; and the news of recent occurrences 
 in which the old man Pruyter was deeply interest- 
 ed, reaching his ears were a good illustration of the 
 correctness of the proposition ; for, on the heels of 
 the information that his intended victim had mar- 
 velously escaped the fate that he had meted out to 
 her, came the intelligence, from his son, of the 
 partial, or implied success of his suit with the fair 
 prisoner ; closely followed by the unwelcome re- 
 port from an emissary that had been detached, for 
 the time being, to worm into the confidence, and 
 betray the patriotic band, of which Captain Lori- 
 mer was the leader. This latter information was, 
 most disagreeably spiced with the relation of the 
 utter rout of the attacking force by a single man, 
 and a small one, at that, accompanied by the loss 
 of several valuable horses, equipments, arms, etc., 
 and a vast amount of prestige, most valuable of all, 
 like him of the story who went for wool and came 
 back shorn. 
 
 To add still farther to the old villain's chagrin, 
 and multiply the vexation already burning so fierce- 
 ly, about two o'clock in the afternoon of the same 
 day, came a written message, by the hands of a 
 youth, worded as follows : 
 
 "The hounds are out. A doe in chase. D "
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 There would not appear to ordinary mortals, but 
 little on which to found a very great amount of in- 
 telligence, in this very laconic, but evidenty, quite 
 important communication, from the facl: of it being 
 forwarded by special messenger ; but the old man 
 seemed to understand its full meaning, for several 
 of the men, in whom he had the most confidence, 
 were, at once, put in emplov, in making some ex- 
 traordinary, mysterious and hurried preparations, 
 in which Pruyter, himself, took both monitorial 
 and manual participation, of which the sequel will 
 more fully speak. 
 
 "There, d n them, they can come soon as they 
 please," he ejaculated, as he wiped the perspiration 
 from his forehead, after attaining his own room, 
 and throwing himself into a chair. "No doubt 
 some of that Lorimer's work, for who else would 
 care a tinker's curse for the confounded girl ; but, 
 as an outlaw he may be shot down on sight, and 
 he may run against a bullet, some day, if not, and 
 poison and the whole military authority of Canada 
 are harmless to them, we will try what virtue can 
 be found in cold steel."
 
 138 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 AX OLD TIME JUSTICE. 
 
 !>HE brothers Lorimer found but little diffi- 
 culty in arousing the hostler Howard from 
 his bar-room bunk, although the night was 
 well along when thev arrived at their des- 
 tination. He hardly needed a word of caution not 
 to arouse any about the house. By his advice and 
 with his assistance, the captured troop horses were 
 divested of their trappings, and the saddles, bridles, 
 holsters, pistols and carbines, together with the 
 various pharaphinalia, were secreted carefully, in 
 a hay-mow, and the animals, after due care, con- 
 signed to a back pasture, at some distance from 
 the house and from any traveled road, where plenty 
 of grass and water were to be found, and they were 
 not liable to be discovered, even by those bent up- 
 on a pretty thorough search. Hector, having com- 
 plained of fatigue, was exempted from a participa- 
 tion in this latter duty and had been sleeping for a 
 couple of hours before all these various precautions 
 were taken. 
 
 The first streaks of coming day were painting 
 the eastern horizon when the Captain and How- 
 ard entered the bar-room and drew near the relics 
 of a fire upon the hearth. The curiosity of the 
 hostler was for some time on the qui rive, which 
 the former, until now, had failed to gratify. Lor- 
 imer had perceived this and, at once proceeded to 
 enlighten him upon the subject, to which Howard
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 139 
 
 gave the meed of hearty laughter, as the story was 
 ended. Howard then informed his guest of his 
 intention to proceed, with Heath, to the copper 
 mines, having engaged himself the previous even- 
 ing, to labor at that place. 
 
 "And is that scoundrel of a Heath here yet?" 
 asked the Captain ; "and still I might have known 
 without asking, for he had put up his team for the 
 night. He played me a rascally trick, and I am 
 more than two-thirds of a mind to horsewhip him 
 for it." 
 
 "Unless I am greatly mistaken he is deserving 
 of all that your generosity would accord him," re- 
 joined Howard; "but scoundrels, as well as bet- 
 ter men, ofttimes fail of getting their full dues and 
 he is one of the kind who will worm out of trou- 
 ble, I opine, if he has sufficient notice of its com- 
 ing, and his legs hold good." 
 
 Some further conversation was held, during the 
 last of which Captain Lorimer happening to think 
 of the bracelet, given him bv the Scotchman took 
 it from his pocket and examining it, an exclama- 
 tion of surprise was evidence that he recognized it 
 as the one he had presented to Helen Leonard. If 
 there could have been any similarity of the work- 
 manship with some other to make its identity ques- 
 tionable, the remarkable circumstance of the initi- 
 als inscribed thereon being similar, "H. L. to H. 
 L.", would have made the fact indisputable. For 
 several minutes he sat in a profound re very ; then 
 made some farther inquries of Howard, whence
 
 140 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 aros.' some planning, which finally resulted in the 
 substitution of a quantity of hay in the pretended 
 pcdlcr's cart, for what it before contained, upon 
 which Hector Lori mer took his place, with certain 
 instructions, the fulfillment of which', to the dare- 
 devil courage and love of adventure of that dimin- 
 utive gentleman, offered a fill of his desire, for by 
 that device he was carried inside the lines of the 
 counterfeiters; a usually difficult task to accomp- 
 lish otherwise, so closely was every avenue guard- 
 ed. Lorimer then retired, with directions not to 
 be called up, or his .name mentioned, until after 
 the departure of Heath in the morning. This, as 
 we have seen, was duly accomplished without the 
 knowledge of the pedler that his load had under- 
 gone any material change, or how near he came to 
 receiving a well-deserved castigation from the in- 
 censed Captain ; for when that individual had so 
 large a fradion of a mind to do a good deed, he 
 was seldom wanting the remainder, when the ob- 
 ject of his benevolent intentions was sufficiently 
 near to receive the benefit. 
 
 In accordance with an over-night plan, honest 
 Dan was, during the forenoon of the day, dispatch- 
 ed to Steadville for the purpose of procuring the 
 needful papers and a baliff to serve them ; it being 
 the purpose of rescuing the person, if under undue 
 restraint, to which circumstances seemed to point, 
 of Helen Leonard, and place her in such a position 
 as her own wishes should didate, when her liber- 
 ty had been legally effected.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 141 
 
 It was with some degree of misgiving that our 
 landlord trusted himself on the polar side of that 
 mystic circle numbered "forty-five" ; but with a 
 leg at a side of a stout chestnut mare, in whose in- 
 telligence, speed and endurance he had the greatest 
 confidence, he rode up, about ten o'clock, in the 
 forenoon, to the door of worthy Justice D's office, 
 and after a minute of reconnoissance, dismounted, 
 threw the loop of his bridle loosely over a post, 
 and entered the magisterial presence. In a corner 
 of the room, behind a desk, stood a little, dried-up, 
 wrinkled man, with spectacles on nose, engaged 
 in writing; while, at a side of the apartment and 
 in an arm-chair, softly cushioned and covered with 
 leather, sat a good specimen of Smollett's Justice 
 Frogmore, as he is delineated in the "Expedition 
 of Humphrey Clinker." He was tall and extreme- 
 ly corpulent, with heavy double chin, protuberant 
 abdomen, stout legs and a red face, of which the 
 nose, as the centre of the surface, seemed also the 
 spot on which the greatest amount of color centred, 
 for it seemed to blush a scarlet at its own promin- 
 ence. That he was one of Her Majesty's Justices 
 of the Peace was as plain to the most casual ob- 
 server, when he looked in his face and beheld the 
 important expression there painted, as though the 
 letters J. P. had been emblazoned as liberally on 
 furniture and hangings, as was the immortal "Ns" 
 on that of the slightly conceited Napoleon. 
 
 "I have come, 'Squire D., to obtain a warrant 
 for the apprehenison of a lady," commenced Dan ;
 
 142 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "and as the occasion is somewhat imperative, I 
 would wish the neccessary papers prepared as soon 
 as possible." 
 
 "Yes, sir, certainly, sir," answered the Justice. 
 "Here Jenkins, this way. A lady, sir? And pray 
 
 of what has the lady been guilty, Mr. ah, Mr ?" 
 
 "Morrison is my name. Daniel Morrison of " 
 "Oh, aye, Morrissey of Hatley, A fine town, 
 that of Hatley, a very fine town, sir," said the jus- 
 tice, with such an airas would have imposed upon 
 anyone not so conversant with the world as was 
 landlord Dan. The clerk approaching at this in- 
 stant, he continued : "This is my scribe, sir. An 
 
 accurate scribe, sir; somewhat advanced " 
 
 "Shall we proceed to business now, 'squire?" 
 asked Dan, who was growing impatient. 
 
 "Yes, sir, certainly sir," replied the magistrate, 
 motioning the clerk to a seat at his own table. "A 
 young lady I think you said, Mr., ah ! Norrisville. 
 What, sir, is the nature of your complaint against 
 the young ladv?" 
 
 "No complaint against the young lady," replied 
 Daniel ; "she is detained against her will, unjustly 
 and illegally a prisoner, and we wish to take her 
 from that constraint and set her at liberty, by due 
 legal process." 
 
 "Ah! False imprisonment, Mr., ah ! Horace. 
 Take notice, Jenkins; a precept for false impris- 
 onment, against who, Mr., ah ! ?" 
 
 "If I might be allowed," interrupted Dan ; "the 
 necessary paper should be a Habeas Corpus."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 143 
 
 "Yes, sir, certainly, sir, said the justice; k 'and 
 we are fortunate, very fortunate, sir, firstly in that 
 writ's having been restored, by proclamation, this 
 morning and in my being one of the Judges of the 
 Court, Mr., ah ! Morristown. Against whom shall 
 the document run, Mr., ah ! ?" 
 
 "Against William and Samuel Pruyter, miners, 
 of this township, at or near Copper mountain, as 
 it has of late been called." 
 
 "The messrs Pruyter ! Why sir, bless my stars," 
 exclaimed the justice, springing upright in his 
 chair, with strong marks of trepidation in his face 
 and actions. "Why, Mr., ah ! Horatio, the mes- 
 srs Pruyter are my townsmen, sir, and heavy men, 
 very heavy men ; and utterly incapable of doing 
 any act requiring legal redress, Mr" 
 
 "Nevertheless they are the men against whom 
 the process should run," rejoined Dan, not a little 
 surprised to see the magistrate hesitate, especially 
 when it was well known that no man in Canada 
 was more fond of doing legal business. 
 
 "Impossible, sir! Utterly impossible, Mr., ah! 
 
 Molson," rather hoarsely reiterated D . "And 
 
 what young lady, sir, do you claim they have de- 
 tained against her will, Mr., ah ! ?" 
 
 "Miss Helen Leonard, " 
 
 "Miss Helen Leonard, Mr., ah! Nottingham? 
 Why, sir, Miss Leonard is the elderly gentleman, 
 Mr Pruyter's ward, and by our laws, he has a per- 
 fect right, as her guardian, to detain her if he con- 
 siders proper, at any time, Mr ."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS 
 
 "I apprehend that the fact can be better tried, 
 and determined when both parties are properly ar- 
 rayed in open court, than at present," a trifle hast- 
 ily exclaimed Morrison, who began to be slightly 
 nettled at the other's manner of proceeding. k 'All 
 that I now demand is the issuance of the proper 
 precept to bring such a state of affairs into effect, 
 and that at once." 
 
 "The petition cannot be granted, Mr. ah ! Mor- 
 rill, "sputtered the magistrate, whose complaisance 
 had undergone quite a change since the conversa- 
 tion commenced; "it would be wrong, wrong, 
 indeed, to put a man or men of the messrs Prtiy- 
 ter's respectability and standing to the trouble and 
 expense of a suit of so triffing a nature, Mr. ah ! " 
 
 "Call it Twelve-men-Morris, and have it done 
 with," said Dan, who was getting disgusted ; "you 
 have called me every other name possible, none 
 of which are right, and " 
 
 "I beg pardon, Mr. ah ! Montebank, it was quite 
 a mistake, quite a mistake, sir, it was certainly not 
 my intention to offend." 
 
 "Nor to issue the warrant, I see," more quietly 
 rejoined honest Dan, giving the magistrate up. as 
 incorrigible; "but I saw 'squire Shepard, driving 
 into his yard just now, and shall apply to him, at 
 once ;" saying which Morrison replaced the hat he 
 had removed at entering, and was turning toward 
 the door, when he was arrested by the voice of the 
 magistrate. 
 
 Now, Morrrison had not the remotest intention
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 145 
 
 of employing Esquire Shepard, for the reason that 
 he was well known to that worthy, who being a 
 violent tory, and better acquainted with his (Dan's) 
 operations in furnishing men and arms to the reb- 
 els, as he called them, during the late difficulties, 
 than he would like to have ventilated while he re- 
 mained in his present position ; but he was satis- 
 fied the paunchy justice would issue the warrant, 
 rather than should his rival in office, whom he so 
 much hated, when he made up his mind that Dan 
 would not be put off. Nor were his calculations 
 in fault, for the magistrate said : 
 
 "Wait a moment, if you please, Mr. ah ! Mont- 
 gomery. My scribe, sir, may make out the pre- 
 cept and I will return after having given my gard- 
 ener some instructions, and sign it. I have a fine 
 garden, sir, a very fine garden. Would you be 
 pleased, sir, to take a look at it?" but seeing that 
 Morrison seemed about to accept the invitation, he 
 continued ; "but you will be needed to give dates, 
 names and circumstances to my scribe," and bow- 
 ing, he waddled out. 
 
 Morrison was something at a loss to understand 
 the very contradictory words and behavior of the 
 worthy J. P., but seeing the nimble pen of the 
 clerk making rapid progress with the desired pa- 
 per, he was satisfied, and more so, when, after fif- 
 teen or twenty minutes D returned and affixed 
 
 his official sign-manual to the finished document ; 
 not, it is true, without some very manifest signs of 
 disquiet and reluctance. This exhibition, joined
 
 146 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 with the magistrate's former hesitancy, began to 
 create some suspicions in the mind of the tavern- 
 keeper, but they assumed no particular shape, un- 
 informed, as he was, of the relations existing be- 
 tween the men. 
 
 His errand done, as far as the procurement of 
 the neccessary precept was concerned, Dan was in 
 as great a dialema as ever, for, from what he had 
 
 noticed in Justice D 's behavior, he dared not 
 
 trust to that individual's hands for delivery to the 
 proper official for service ; and, under all circum- 
 stances, he was not over anxious to meet any bai- 
 liff", holding Her Majesty's commission, preferring 
 much to give to that class of gentry as wide a berth 
 as was consistent with his well known ideas of ci- 
 vility. While he stood at a window of the magis- 
 trate's office, not without being nearly hidden by 
 the curtains, however, from the prying gaze of out- 
 siders, endeavoring to devise some way of getting 
 the document into the proper channel of being le- 
 gally and promptly executed, he perceived a young 
 man, mounted on a sorry steed, stealing out from 
 the magistrate's barn-yard and, with many glances 
 over his shoulder, take the road towards the lake. 
 Had Morrison been less intent upon his knotty 
 problem, the youth's manrevres would have called 
 his more particular attention ; but as it was, the 
 adion, though seen was not noticed. 
 
 Belabor his brains as he might, they seemed for 
 once to fail him, and he would have been compel- 
 led, either to trust to the old man, D , or have
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 147 
 
 boldly sought a bailiff, and trusted to luck for an 
 escape, should the functionary have any designs 
 upon his liberty, had he not, at that instant, have 
 discovered Mr. Rogers, one of the most efficient 
 of that much abused class of individuals, and yet 
 a good, all around fellow, making his wav up the 
 street, on the side-walk, on the opposite side ; and 
 an idea struck the puzzled man. In furtherance 
 of this thought, he passed quickly out, mounted 
 his mare, and riding boldly toward the officer, his 
 paper in his hand. Rogers recognized him at once, 
 and showed his surprise plainly. 
 
 "Here is a writ, Mr. Rogers, that I am desirous 
 should be served immediately," said Morrison, rid- 
 ing to within a few paces of the surprised officer, 
 with the hand containing the document extended ; 
 when, either frightened by the flutter of the paper 
 so near her ear, or more likely, prompted to her 
 act by a private touch of the spur, the animal vio- 
 lently shied and, in his haste to grasp the rein, the 
 writ was dropped, and fluttered to the ground, at 
 the other's feet. 
 
 "Ah, Dan, Dan," laughed the official, when he 
 saw and readily understood the trick ; "luckily the 
 military have taken cognizance of your case, and 
 I have been obliged to give up my papers, or we 
 would have one race for it before you should get 
 away from me ; but as it is have no fear of me, for 
 the duty gone I have no desire to molest you. A 
 sharp look over your right shoulder is always best 
 for men in your situation, more especially when
 
 148 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 they are visiting in a foreign country ! I will serve 
 vour papers this afternoon." 
 
 Prompted by the hint given by the good natured 
 officer, Morrison cast a quick glance in the direct- 
 ion indicated and saw, some forty rods away, a de- 
 tachment of Captain Stanfield's troop approaching 
 at a round pace. With a fervent: "Thank you, 
 George," Dan shook the mare's rein, and she sped 
 away, over the flinty but smooth and level road, 
 leading homeward, at a pace that soon distanced 
 all pursuit and finally landed him at his own door. 
 
 With a good deal of humor Dan rehearsed to 
 Captain Lorimer his experience in procuring the 
 Habeas Corpus, and the device by which he had 
 been enabled to place it in the hands of the bailiff'. 
 Herbert Lorimer enjoyed the relation hugely, but 
 soon retired to his room to make arrangements for 
 his journey ; for despite the danger, he was deter- 
 mined to be present when the official visit to the 
 Stone House in the Pass, that was fast attaining a 
 considerable interest in his mind, was made.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 149 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE PROCESS SERVED. 
 
 )HE Province of Canada, at the time of the 
 transpiration of the incidents recorded in 
 these pages and, as there has been no ma- 
 terial change, consequently since, occupied 
 a very anomalous position, for several reasons. Be- 
 ing originally settled by the French and for nearly 
 if not quite a century, a French colony, governed 
 by 'French laws, the inhabitants were but illy pre- 
 pared to the change that its conquest by the arms 
 of Great Britain, under command of the lamented 
 Wolfe, brought about. Contrary to the custom of 
 that arrogant and self-conceited nation, the govern- 
 ment, in the treaty by which that part of its con- 
 quered territory was ceded by France, took some 
 notice of the fuel, and magnanimously permitted 
 the common law of the ceding power to remain as 
 the code by which those suddenly alienated citizens 
 were to be ruled. It was, no doubt, a very good 
 stroke of policy, in England, to make this conces- 
 sion, for so bitter and long continued had been the 
 several wars between the two nations, that had the 
 French inhabitants, their rancor still not fully ap- 
 peased, been not only deprived of their nationality 
 but of their laws, also, they would have left the 
 territory and sought homes in more congenial lo- 
 calities, where they would be better governed, ac- 
 cording to their opinions and wishes. 
 
 The French lex non scripta, thus, by solemn
 
 I c;o THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 treaty made the law of the land, the lex scripta, 
 under no such bargain, was the English statutes, 
 which, like the By-Laws of the ''Temperance Un- 
 ion", engrafted upon the Constitution of the "Ba- 
 chanalian League," at once, as may be supposed, 
 created such an incongruity of legal practice and 
 confusion of jurisdiction, a farce, but turned the 
 comedy into a tragedy in many cases. 
 
 Lying upon the borders of, and its most densely 
 populated districts only separated by an imaginary 
 line from, a country that had once been in a simil- 
 ar state of vassalage to a foreign power, as that 
 under which they as yet winced: and who had 
 thrown off the galling and ignominious yoke by an 
 exertion of its young strength ; and still further 
 prompted to the feeling by many of its own citi- 
 zens who had been residents, and had enjoyed all 
 the benefits of a free government, with whiclrthe 
 most friendly and reciprocal feelings and interests 
 were maintained ; it is not surprising that Canada 
 should wish to be equally free from the same rigid 
 task-master, as they deemed it. This hoping for 
 a change, this wishing to follow the example of 
 their prosperous neighbor, had finally broken out 
 in a very weak and illy sustained insurrection. 
 
 And here England seemed to institute a more 
 incongruous and inconsistent course of proceeding, 
 than ever had that, sometimes, capricious power 
 hitherto adopted. At the same time she was put- 
 ting down the uprising with stern hand, and con- 
 signing the leaders to banishment to Van Dieman's
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. I tj I 
 
 Land and Bermuda, her own ministers were deba- 
 ting the propriety of allowing the uneasy colony 
 to go whither it would. This same debate has, of 
 late years, culminated in the disarming of the forts 
 and strongholds in the Provinces and a notice that 
 they were at liberty to take their own course, and 
 go, or stay, as they thought best. What then does 
 Canada do? Why simply as did the Frenchman, 
 who had his surplus cash deposited in a bank that 
 he suddenly conceived to be unsound. He asked 
 for his money, and when it was about to be given 
 him, made the somewhat paradoxical remark: "If 
 you have got him, I don't want him : but if you 
 no have got him, I mus' have him !" 
 
 And Canada is eminently a country of contrasts 
 withal ; of great virtue and greater vice ; of opu- 
 lence and poverty ; of learning and ignorance ; of 
 benevolence and a most miserly parsimony; of en- 
 ergy and supineness ; of great plannings and small 
 executions; of clamorous cackling and insignifri- 
 cant eggs ; of great cry and little wool. By the 
 side of the great, broad gauge Grand Trunk Rail- 
 way line crawls the Frenchman's meagre horse and 
 uncouth dray or springless cart; rocking in the 
 waves of her palatial steamers, rides the mean dug- 
 out ; close in the shadow of her monster, cloud- 
 reaching cathedral, sits the rag-picker's vermin in- 
 fested hut ; moored to the piers of the wide-world 
 known Victoria Bridge, costing millions, swings 
 the muck freighted, rotten barge with its ragged 
 crew ; within sound of the bells of its haughtiest
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 churches lurks the thief, the burglar, the counter- 
 feiter and the murderer, and within gunshot dis- 
 tance of her best schools, the proportion of those 
 who can neither read nor write, to those who have 
 acquired that power is remarkably great. 
 
 Not but other countries show the same strange 
 medley of opposites, but in a less degree, even 
 when older and more densely populated and, per- 
 haps, to far less extremes than that comparatively 
 new territory. Not new in the years of its occu- 
 pancy, but primitive in knowledge, and backward 
 in science, when the mass is considered ; not new 
 in age, but, at the same time, not old in the ways 
 of the world and left far behind other nations and 
 other countries in the march of progress and ad- 
 vancement ; not all over of a brightness, but like 
 that appearance of the new moon, in which its 
 greater surface is almost too dark to be seen, with 
 a very narrow rim of brighter hue, that the igno- 
 rant term "the new moon in the old moon's arms." 
 
 Notwithstanding the apparent ill-nature prompt- 
 ing the foregoing remarks, we assure the reader 
 they may not be attributed to any ebullition of 
 spleen, or any personal pique that the writer may 
 have conceived against an otherwise desirable coun- 
 try ; for, where the inhabitants are unfortunate in 
 resped to the facts adduced, they are fully reim- 
 nursed by a face of territory not exceeded in beau- 
 ty, fertility and picturesqueness by any land upon 
 which the sun shines. These attractions are, it is 
 true, somewhat deteriorated bv the severity of their
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 1 53 
 
 winters; while their summers, not subject to the 
 sweltering heat of more southern climes, are bless- 
 ed by that medium, temperate climate so much bet- 
 ter adapted to the health and consequent longivity 
 of man. While the soil is deep and fruitful and 
 the surface of the land agreeably diversified by hills 
 and dales, and the eyes are delightexl with a variety 
 of scenery unequalled in any portion of the world. 
 Long and wide levels bordered by high and some- 
 times ragged mountains, like pictures framed in 
 the rusHc style now-a-days much affected ; mag- 
 nificent rivers, like ribbons of silver sheen stretch- 
 ed across the plains ; ponds and lakes with fringe 
 of umbrageous shade, like diamonds in emerald 
 settings, and cascades of immense height, like 
 showers of gems and pearls, leaping from heaven 
 to earth, all contributing to an association of beau- 
 ties rarely equalled, and never surpassed upon the 
 continent of America. 
 
 Though a much more level country than are the 
 states of the Union, on which it closely borders, 
 the transition from a mountanous surface to one of 
 plain, is not so abrupt as to be disagreeable to the 
 eyes of the lover of fine scenery ; in fa6t the more 
 southern townships, especially where they join the 
 New England states have, in many instances, a di- 
 versity of hill and valley, mountain and plain sup- 
 erior in picluresqueness to a territory where either 
 predominates to the detriment of the other. 
 
 The road in passing from the higher level, on 
 which was situated Steadville, to the bottom-lands
 
 I CJ4 THE COUNTERFEITERS. . 
 
 bordering the lake shore, descended quite a decliv- 
 ity, so precipitous that it declined the more direct 
 course and assumed one diagonal to it, thus ren- 
 dering the way less steep and consequently more 
 easy of access. This declivity was wooded from 
 its foot up the hill, and for a few rods along the 
 level of the uplands. Except where the road ran 
 and the hand of man had shorn it of its roughest 
 features, this patch of woodland partook much of 
 the nature of surface exhibited by Copper mount- 
 ain that it faced ; abounding in ravine and gully, 
 rock and ledge, promiscuously heaped in savage 
 confusion, covered in many places by the decaying 
 trunks of fallen trees, and its surface generally, 
 thickly grown up to underwood and bushes. Any- 
 where, except in instances, where the giant trees 
 intervened, from the road a magnificent panorama 
 of the lake, its sometimes level, sometimes mount- 
 anous shores ; the many small islands dotting its 
 glassy surface, like the backs of sea-green monsters 
 sleeping in their native element, with but the spine 
 exposed to the upper air, could be had ; while from 
 the top of the hill, an observer might command 
 several miles of the there almost level and direcl: 
 road approaching the village. 
 
 Between the hours of four and five, in the after- 
 noon of the day recorded in the last chapter, and 
 in a position as regards the road spoken of, where 
 he might see and not be seen, just at the foot of a 
 towering ledge of slate reck, might have been seen 
 Captain or rather, now that his military occupation
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 155 
 
 was gone, Doctor Herbert Lorimer, seated on the 
 fallen boll of a magnificent hemlock, whose inter- 
 laced and soil filled roots interposed between him- 
 self and the highway. Just opposite the upturned 
 tree a small fire was burning, or rather, smoking ; 
 for, although the weather was warm, too warm to 
 need any artificial heat, those pests of our eastern 
 woods, the musical but bill-presenting mosquitoes 
 were plenty, and only to be kept at an agreeable 
 distance by a u smudge", as it is called. The sol- 
 itary watcher was facing the west, and from his 
 position enjoyed a perfect view of the earth and 
 sky in that direction. The sun, like some huge 
 locomotive with glaring head-light, was bowling 
 along the tramway of the sky and fast nearing the 
 station known as "Sundown"; a place often spoken 
 of as having a "local habitation and a name", but 
 as hardly placed as the end of the rainbow where 
 is to be found the pot of money of many a youth- 
 ful aspiration. Across the quiet waters of the in- 
 land sea was a golden pathway, coming from the 
 farther shore, direclly toward the observer's eyes, 
 as it always does. A little to the right of his line 
 of vision was the uncouth outline of the Copper 
 Mountain, resembling some monster "owl's head" 
 placed upon a lawn to add beauty by its very gro- 
 tesqueness and incongruity, to an otherwise unva- 
 ried scene; over its summit a hazy, motionless 
 cloud of smoke and, at its base, the two or three 
 pretty, white farm-houses, with their accompani- 
 ments of barns and other outbuildings, and the land
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 laid orT in squares by the fences, almost as regu- 
 larly as are the divisions of a chess-hoard, on 
 which, in place of kings, queens, bishops and their 
 companions, were cattle, sheep and horses. 
 
 While the Doctor was enjoying this view, his 
 attention was called to the road by the clatter of a 
 horse's feet and he sqon saw his former companion- 
 in-arms, the traitorous "Son of Liberty," riding a 
 perfectly white horse, slowly up the steep road. 
 For an instant Lorimer had thoughts of hailing the 
 fellow and there, without witnesses, settling their 
 little unpleasantness, by giving him a thorough 
 drubbing, but a sober second thought told him bet- 
 ter; and he commenced to surmise his errand. 
 Before the matter was settled in his mind, a new 
 cause of guessing was produced by the same per- 
 son returning at a much increased pace, and now 
 carrying in his hand, which he occasionally waved 
 as if signalling some watcher, a white handker- 
 chief. This was beyond Herbert's finding out, at 
 the moment, but he was inclined to guess much , 
 when, soon after, Bailiff Rogers, followed by two 
 attendants, made his appearance, coming down the 
 hill at a brisk pace. 
 
 Lorimer cast a quick glance at the approaching 
 party, and then stepping into the roadway unhesi- 
 tatingly faced them. With considerable surprise, 
 the three legal men drew their reins, and Rogers 
 exclaimed : 
 
 "Captain Lorimer, if I am not mistaken in the 
 build of the man, though I . : have never seen him
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 157 
 
 but once or twice before. My loss in ocular pleas- 
 ure, however, has been more than compensated 
 for by my gain in auricular enjoyment, for I haye 
 heard his merits and dements discussed at every 
 bar and fireside in Steadville County for the last 
 two months or more." 
 
 "Captain Lorimer no longer," replied Herbert, 
 laughing, when he saw the smile with which the 
 address of the other was accompanied, "s^ince the 
 company of which I was the chief was disbanded 
 and now plain Herbert Lorimer, or if you like it 
 better, Doclor, though as much destitute of pa- 
 tients as I am, in my military capacity, of men." 
 
 "I have heard something of this," answered the 
 good natured bailiff; "and am much pleased, for, 
 until this morning, I had warrants in my possess- 
 ion against several of the insurrectionists, among 
 which figured your name by both titles, with ord- 
 ers to arrest you on either, as might be the most 
 agreeable to yourself." 
 
 "Believe me, that before ten o'clock last night, 
 I should have resisted such an effort in both capaci- 
 ties ; as a captain for fear of banishment ; as a doc- 
 tor surmising that the somewhat confined character 
 of my future residence would interfere with such 
 exercise as I think necessary in a sanitary point of 
 view." 
 
 "And to a wish for for a proper antidote to the 
 effects of a sedentary life am I to attribute your 
 presence, at this time, in this somewhat dangerous 
 and romantic situation ?"
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "If I am rightly informed/' replied Lorimer, the 
 tone of banter he had, until now used, changing 
 to one of earnestness; "you are proceeding upon 
 a mission in which I am deeply interested. If such 
 is the case I must beg of you to tarry a few min- 
 utes, as I am in momentary expectation of the ar- 
 rival of a sort of spy that has been in the. enemy's 
 camp since morning, and is to meet me here about 
 this hour, by appointment. My brother, Hector 
 perhaps you have heard of him has instructions 
 to make a careful examination of the surroundings 
 and let me know " 
 
 The speaker was interrupted at this point in his 
 discourse by a smart blow on his shoulder, which, 
 so suspicious is human nature, under certain cir- 
 cumstances, he construed as the tap of an officer's 
 hand, and he turned hastily, clapping his hand on 
 a concealed pistol, only, however, to perceive his 
 dwarfish brother, grinning at his back, where he 
 had alighted, after dropping from the heavy foliage 
 of a tree, beneath which they stood, upon Herbert's 
 shoulder and thence to the ground. 
 
 "Let him know !" exclaimed the childish voice ; 
 "yes, and unless his wits are sharper than is his 
 hearing, it will take pounding enough to thrash a 
 bushel of oats, to force into that overgrown head 
 of his an amount of knowledge sufficient to supply 
 his daily necessities." 
 
 "Why, Hedtor, how came you among the bran- 
 ches of that tree, so opportunely? I have watched 
 for your coming for over an hour."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 159 
 
 k 'I came into the tree the same as the squirrel 
 got his dinner, climbed for it. Coming up at the 
 moment that I saw a couple of young men holding 
 a kind of mutual admiration meeting, like a dog 
 and cat that some superior power had deprived of 
 teeth and claws, attributing their forbearance to 
 good nature, when want of weapons was the real 
 virtue ; and noticing that one of the parties was 
 one of those who had acquired the disagreeable 
 habit of grabbing a fellow that has been up to anv 
 mischief, I took to the tree as a sort of stronghold 
 against any efforts of that nature." 
 
 " 'A guilty conscience needs no accuser', is an 
 old saying and a true one," laughed his brother. 
 "But how came it that I did not see you coming 
 across the flat, when I watched so closely that a 
 rabbit could scarcely have escaped my notice?" 
 
 "And do you imagine that because your great, 
 hulking carcase could no more pass from Copper 
 Mountain to this place, without being seen, than 
 could a load of hay, that an individual of medium 
 size, like mvself, must therefore be in plain sight? 
 And there were certain watchful eyes at the outlet 
 of the passes of Copper Mountain, as well as a 
 perambulating Canadian rebel, mounted like Death 
 on a pale horse, who would have been glad to make 
 my acquaintance. I am not so near the build of 
 mankind in general, to be found skulking around 
 their haunts, without some questions asked, did 
 they get near enough to me to hook me with an 
 interrogation point."
 
 l6o THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ''Well, what luck in the commission 1 gave you 
 to execute, this morning?" asked the big brother, 
 when the laugh of the party had ceased. 
 
 "Luck to escape with a well pounded carcase, 
 in that old thunder-trap of a pedler's cart, and a 
 bruised shin, climbing down the rocks, because I 
 could not get away by the usual route, on account 
 of the sentinels posted at those points that prevent 
 travel on that line." 
 
 "What is that you say, youngster?" asked Rog- 
 ers. "Have they posted sentinels on the roads?" 
 
 "Not such a mighty sight younger than yourself, 
 either, master Catchpole," retorted He&or, who 
 could not be more easily offended than by being 
 considered, or mentioned as being a boy, which his 
 size led many strangers to believe to be the case. 
 "Yes, sentinels, well armed and on the alert, like 
 a trained terrier at a rat-hole, and not quite so dull 
 as was Alick Cameron once, when he bade the 
 Captain, there, to say 'Liberty', or he could not 
 pass. Why the old Stone House in the Pass is a 
 regular garison." 
 
 "What other discoveries did you make?" asked 
 Herbert, who was getting anxious to proceed on 
 the quest. "Did you see anything of Miss Helen 
 Leonard in the house?" 
 
 Not having an opportunity of entering the dom- 
 icile, I had not the pleasure ; but, while partaking 
 a slight mid-day repast in the shape of cold water 
 (I forgot to carry my dinner with me), I saw the 
 young lady looking out from a grated window, in
 
 THK COUNTERFEITERS. 164 
 
 the gable end, and afterwards trying the strength 
 of the bars to ascertain, no doubt, whether charms 
 of beauty would have as much effect on cold iron, 
 as :hcy manifestly have had on the heart of my big 
 brother, there, or he would not be rantum-scooting 
 around such an infernal hole as old Pruyter's den 
 in the mountain, yonder, in hopes of taking hi.s 
 lady love away from a more favored rival, the fair 
 and seductive Samuel." 
 
 A quick flush overspread the manly features of 
 the doctor as he turned to Rogers, and said : 
 
 "The fa6t of the young la.ly :)eing there and in 
 an illegal confinement being established, nothing 
 further need delay your duty. That my feelings 
 are considerably enlisted in this cause, you may 
 have discovered from the chatter of this saucy bov, 
 and, if not contrary to the law, and against your 
 inclinations, I would be pleased to accompany you 
 on your mission, merely as a looker-on." 
 
 bailiff* n.Klding a cheerful assent to the pro- 
 . and the indispensable Logan being led from 
 ills concealment, the party now set forward, Hector 
 left, lor certain reasons, to mount a horse, 
 L-cl to hit; present position for his use, and return 
 to the hospitable doors of Dan .Morrison, wh./v [je 
 might compensate himself for his long fast by re- 
 galing himself upon the excellent cookery of that 
 vet famous, hostelry. 
 
 The world's locomotive, with the glaring head- 
 light that poets and penny-a-liners have long since 
 named "The Glorious orb of Day," was already
 
 ,6.7 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 entering the station last on its road, that of the be- 
 fore mentioned Sundown, as the cavalcade entered 
 the mouth of the pass leading to the stone house. 
 No sooner had their horses' hoofs struck the flinty 
 pathway than the melancholy hoot of an owl rang 
 from a position among the crags almost immedi- 
 ately overhead. It being somewhat early for that 
 solemn bird, and something about it not exactly 
 natural, the cheat was at once detected, but care- 
 less of all warnings and notices of approach, the 
 doctor and Rogers merely exchanged glances and 
 smiles of meaning and rode on into the fast gath- 
 ering gloom of the ravine. At several points on 
 their route the same oivL or, perhaps, a relative or 
 companion of the first, gave warning note of every 
 step they made. 
 
 "There," remarked Rogers as another hoot fell 
 on his ear; "that is the sixth owl I have heard in 
 thrice as many rods and they say this is no verv 
 great place for owls either, especially before dark." 
 
 "They certainly do seem to be overdoing the 
 hooting business," rejoined Lorimer ; "but it is ev- 
 idently a signal to announce our coming for, just 
 before you arrived at my waiting-place, I saw a 
 scout who was apparently on the watch for your 
 arrival. How they knew of it is quite a mystery, 
 even if such is the case, if not, there is something 
 suspicious in so close an espionage as they seem 
 to have instituted." 
 
 The lights, now rendered necessary within doors 
 by the coming of night and the shadowy position
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 163 
 
 in which the building sat, were plainly discerna- 
 ble from its windows, and riding up to the door, 
 they dismounted and leaving their animals in the 
 charge of one of the attendants, approached and 
 loudly knocked upon the portal, beyond which 
 could be heard the hum of conversation mingled 
 with an occasional laugh. If the outside of the 
 building had shown unusual alertness and knowl- 
 edge of the intruders presence, the interior, if the 
 countenances of the inmates could be taken for in- 
 dications, exhibited surprise far from unreal. The 
 elder Pruyter, who had admitted them, had appa- 
 rently been engaged in the perusal of a book, for 
 a well bound volume was turned with its printing 
 downward on a sort of sideboard. Atone end of 
 the apartment, near a small table, on which were 
 many chemicals, sat the "gentlemanly stranger," 
 busily engaged in testing certain minerals close at 
 hand : at a large lightstand were four young men, 
 playing a game of euchre, a play with cards then 
 but recently introduced in that vicinity, and near 
 one side sat William Howard and Samuel Pruyter, 
 deeply intent upon a match at checkers. In the 
 otherwise unoccupied space was spread a long ta- 
 ble with the paraphernalia of supper, around which 
 hovered the slatternly Irish woman, Maggie O'- 
 Brien, adding the last touches to its completion. 
 
 Had Helen Leonard entered with the newcom- 
 ers, she would undoubtedly have shown more sur- 
 prise than did any of the others, for it was into this 
 same room that she had taken that fatal look on the
 
 l6l THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 night ever to be remembered in her lite. But the 
 forge-fire, the printing press and the huge mach- 
 ines for stamping coin, with all their accompani- 
 ments were gone. The monster engines, weighing 
 several tons so ponderous that the power of many- 
 horses would have been required to transport them, 
 had disappeared if, indeed they had ever been there 
 at all. The strong shutters to the windows, bound 
 and clamped with many an endwise and transverse 
 iron bar, were there, it is true, but flung widely 
 open as if they had never been closed to conceal 
 from sight deeds as dark as those she thought she 
 then had witnessed. 
 
 Of course, when Lorimer and his companions 
 entered, the party present all turned to view the 
 intruders, and surprise was plainly marked on ev- 
 ery feature; especially did the face of the old man 
 exhibit that sensation when he courteously enough 
 addressed them. 
 
 "Good evening, gentlemen. Will you please to 
 walk in? We a/2 somewhat cluttered here, but 
 yuu will find seats." 
 
 "I am here on a painful errand, Mr. Pru . 
 said Bailiff Rogers, bowing his thanks as he ac- 
 cepted the other's hospitality. "We execu; 
 the law have many such, and I must crave your 
 pardon on the score of duty." 
 
 "And what may be the nature of your commis- 
 sion?" asked the old man blandly. Whatever it 
 may be, rest assured you will meet with no 
 ance on the part of me or mine."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 165 
 
 "I have a warrant," he replied, rising, at the 
 same time and producing the document, "com- 
 manding me to take the body of one Helen Leon- 
 ard whom, it is claimed, is held bv you in illegal 
 imprisonment and against her will." 
 
 "What, my ward, Miss Leonard?" exclaimed 
 Pruyter, with an unimpeachable start of surprise. 
 "Assuredly there must be some mistake here, Mr. 
 Bailiff. Some due constraint, it is true, I have ex- 
 ercised, for a few days past, for the late and unex- 
 pected death of her almost idolized mother, my 
 much mourned wife, some little time back, had 
 temporarily disturbed her reason ; so much so as 
 to induce her to stray away from her home. But 
 that being past, I, this morning, consented to her 
 often repeated request to be sent back to school in 
 Montreal ; and about daylight one of my men took 
 her in a boat to the outlet of the lake, where she 
 would take the stage for the city. The man has 
 not yet returned, in fa6t it is hardly time, but I an- 
 ticipate no trouble, for the day has been fine and 
 the lake as smooth as a mirror." 
 
 At this moment a rough looking Frenchman en- 
 tered the apartment, bearing upon his shoulder a 
 pair of oars that had evidently lately been in the 
 water, for they were hardly yet dry ; also carrying 
 on his arm a coarse coat. 
 
 "Ah, Peter, just in time," said the old man, as 
 he turned to the newcomer; "and what luck have 
 you had to-day? All right, hey?" 
 
 "I haf vera good luck," replied the boatman;
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Mam'selle take de vat you call him stage, all 
 right. I haf seen her in de stage, all right ; hut 
 I haf got vera much fatigue." 
 
 "No doubt, no doubt, Peter, but Maggie has got 
 something in the cupboard that will rest you, if I 
 am not mistaken ;" then turning to the bailiff', he 
 continued : "You see that there must be some mis- 
 take and your warrant inoperative." 
 
 'Certainly, certainly, Mr. Pruyter," replied the 
 bailiff, refolding the paper, as if disposed to leave. 
 "I am sorry to have troubled you, and allow me to 
 
 bid vou a " 
 
 "Allow me to suggest." here broke in Lorimer, 
 "that vour duty is to make a search of this dwell- 
 ing. You are so commanded in the precept, if 1 
 mistake not." 
 
 "That is true, doctor, if you insist." 
 "I do not insist. I only suggest as a friend." 
 In spite of the thorough schooling that the feat- 
 ures of the old man had undergone during a long 
 course of crime and duplicity, he could not forbear 
 a glance of anger at the fine face of the speaker, 
 whom he had at once recognized and had, as he 
 imagined, cause to fear; but, as that individual's 
 eyes sought his own face, the glance instantly van- 
 ished and a look of mild reproach assumed its 
 place, as he somewhat hastily exclaimed : 
 "Do you doubt my word, Mr. Bailiff"?" 
 "Not in the least, sir, not in the least; but as I 
 am commanded so I must do." 
 
 Very well. Shall I accompany you?"
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 167 
 
 It" vou please." 
 
 The old man took a lamp and followed by the 
 officer, Lorimer and the other attendant, they en- 
 tered every apartment iYi the building except one, 
 which, when Herbert perceived was the one look- 
 ing out from the grated window in the gable ; the 
 one in which his brother had told him the lady was, 
 he said : 
 
 "There appears to be one room yon have failed 
 to open to our inspection, the one at our left." 
 "That is my lumber room, Mr. excuse me 
 "Doctor Lorimer, Mr. Printer, " interrupted the 
 bai lift' hastily. 
 
 "As I was about to say, Dr. Lorimer. that is 
 my lumber room and if yon have any desire to ex- 
 amine my pieces of broken furniture, refuse min- 
 ing tools and other traps, you are most welcome so 
 to do ;" and he, flung open the door. 
 
 Herbert Lorimer was thunderstruck. lie would 
 trust his life on Hector's truthfulness and wager 
 his very existence on his intelligence; but despite 
 all the room was as the old man had said, partially 
 tilled with broken furniture, several handlcless 
 picks, a dozen or more fractured drills and crow- 
 bars, several boards and pieces of joice, all covered 
 with the dust of months if not of years. No bed 
 or bed clothing, no usable chairs, table or sink was 
 there and the searchers turned away, not satisfied, 
 but compelled to be content. Another glance of 
 bitter hatred, mingled with a smile of triumph, 
 overshot the lowering face of the old man as they
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 descended the stairs, directed at the doctor, but it 
 was unseen by that individual, so deeply were his 
 senses wrapped in his own painful meditations. 
 
 Gaining the main apartment Mr. Pruyter civilly 
 asked them to tarry to supper, an invitation which 
 they as civilly declined ; and again apologizing for 
 the trouble they had been obliged to put them to, 
 and bidding them a general "Good Night," the 
 disappointed officer and his more disappointed as- 
 sociate were soon mounted and riding down the 
 glen, but unaccompanied, as was their ascent, by 
 the hooting of the owlish serenaders. 
 
 During Lorimer's solitary ride toward Morrison's 
 tavern, after parting with Rogers and his assistants, 
 he was the prey of many and of various emotions. 
 That Hector had deceived him or had himselfbeen 
 deceived in the matter, he did not believe, and that 
 Helen Leonard had been in the room in the gable, 
 with the grated window, he did believe. How, 
 then, about the accumulation of old furniture, etc. 
 and the dust of time, so plentifully spread upon its 
 contents, so lately occupied by the maiden? He 
 did not pinch himself, as others are said to have 
 done, to ascertain if he was awake, but taking it 
 for granted that he did not dream, he continued to 
 meditate without arriving at any conclusion, but 
 that he would investigate the matter to its bottom, 
 until the cheerful lights of Dan Morrison's house 
 of entertainment for man and beast, but not for in- 
 sects, as some hotels are, came upon his gratified 
 eyes, through the shades of night.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 169 
 
 ^^^-^^-^-^-^-^-^V^-s--- *_, *~-s^-X^~^-v. <^>^~^-**^^-*^^^^^~^^ 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 HECTOR IN HIS ELEMENT. 
 
 ,APTAIN STANFIELD was decidedly a 
 proud man. He was proud of his posi- 
 tion, proud of his command, proud of his 
 authority, proud of his cause, and proud 
 of his knowledge as a military man. This was no 
 peculiarity of his own, when mentioned in connec- 
 tion with others of the officers of the British army 
 in Canada. But there was one fate that had apper- 
 tained to him that had not fallen to the lot of his 
 brother comrades-in-arms ; and this was that he, 
 alone of the aforesaid army had suffered a defeat. 
 Not in person, nor to his whole troop had come the 
 disaster. This knowledge alone was a hitter ex- 
 perience to him, the more so when he considered 
 the insignifficance of his conquering adversary, as 
 was that of the man that was kicked, though not 
 badly injured, and mourned the more sincerely be- 
 cause he had been struck by the foot of a mule ; 
 whereas he could have endured his hurt with much 
 more equanimity could he have been prostrated in 
 the same manner by a good horse. 
 
 The doughty Captain might, perhaps, have en- 
 dured all this were nothing added ; but there were 
 plenty of his associates in Steadville who, when 
 the story had leaked out, took occasion to rally him 
 upon the subject. Now ridicule is the worst kind 
 of assault a proud man can experience, and while 
 he chafed and fumed under their generally good
 
 THE COI'NTEKFKITKUS. 
 
 nature;! sarcasm, when the hulies of his acquaint- 
 ance named his company the "Ourang Outang 
 Fencibles," it wr.s the last drop to the overflow of 
 his surplus bile and he swore in his heart a terrible 
 revenge. Learning very readily that not only the 
 vanquisher of his squad of troopers, but that Cap- 
 tain Lorimer and Dan Morrison, against both of 
 whom he held warrants, were residing together but 
 a few miles across the line, with that contempt for 
 neutral rights that the Englrsh have many times 
 manifested, he resolved upon a brilliant coup-de- 
 main ; no less than to send a squad of troopers on 
 some night, capture the obnoxious trio an 1, at the 
 same time, if possible, retake his lost horses.. 
 
 The Ensign of Captain Stanfield's company was 
 a voting sprig of nobility, a younger brother : an 
 insufferable popinjay and conceited coxcomb, but, 
 naturally brave and intelligent when his overween- 
 ing vanity gave him time for those qualities. To 
 this young officer, scarcely twenty-two years of age, 
 and six picked dragoons Captain Stantield entrust- 
 ed the execution of this plan. Nor did he allow 
 his subaltern to depart on his mission without full 
 and repeated instructions as to his behavior going, 
 there and returning, together with many a caution 
 about disturbing any others than the parties to be 
 apprehended. The fourth night from the one of 
 the disaster was fixed upon for the effort, as the 
 moon would not rise until about the time of their 
 arrival at their destination. 
 
 Now this grand ruse de guerre would, without
 
 THE COUNTKRFKITKRS. 
 
 doubt have met with all the success the worthy 
 captain's most sanguine expectations could antici- 
 pate were the parties who were most interested in 
 its accomplishment uninformed or made no resist- 
 ance. But, alas, "The best laid plans of mice and 
 men oft' gang agley ;" for about four o'clock in the 
 afternoon of the day preceding the eventful night, 
 a letter signed "A Friend," and detailing the whole 
 plot, was handed to honest Dan. After a length- 
 ened discussion between Morrison and IIec~lor Lor- 
 imer the doctor being absent to which the vola- 
 tile Elsie was invited, they made certain prepara- 
 tions, the nature of which will be the more fully 
 disclosed in the sequel, and the quiet tavern by the 
 roadside assumed its usual silence. 
 
 About half past nine o'clock on that night, law- 
 yer Roberts, after having regaled the customers of 
 the house and the quiet Elsie with the result of his 
 studies during the day, and himself with the girl's 
 more than usually appreciative smiles, and finally 
 as a clincher, with an encouraging drink of Dan's 
 brandy, left the house on his return to his home. 
 
 His meditations were extremely pleasant for he 
 had several causes of self congratulation. Two or 
 three rustics had gaped with wonder at his erudi- 
 tion, during the evening; the Captain, of whom 
 he was beginning to get jealous, was away for an 
 indeffinite period ; the time for his Boston trip was 
 fast approaching; Elsie had smiled bewitchingly, 
 and the brandy was exhilarating. Either of these, 
 singly, were enough to make him happy, but when
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 thev were all combined, the conglomeration pro- 
 duced such an extatic state of enjoyment that his 
 feelings found vent in song. Several echoes, how- 
 ever, that came to his ears were slightly startling, 
 and his notes suddenly ceased, when, as his own 
 noise died awav he became conscious that other 
 sounds were being made, and he soon discovered 
 that several horsemen were nearing him. 
 
 As heretofore intimated in these veracious chron- 
 icles, the pedantic lawyer was a timid man, conse- 
 quently when he made the discovery that others 
 were abroad as well as himself, and of whose in- 
 tentions, peaceful or otherwise, he was not aware, 
 a debate arose in his mind whether or not to screen 
 himself among the bushes through which he, at 
 the time, happened to be passing. Pride and Cu- 
 riosity undertook the negative, while Caution and 
 Timidity as stubbornly maintained the other side 
 of the question. Before Reason, the deciding of- 
 ficer of this debating club had rendered judgement 
 in the case, all prudential motives were done away 
 by the arrival of seven well mounted men who en- 
 tirely blocked up the passage. 
 
 ''Where away, my night-walking son of song 
 and nocturnal disciple of the muses?" exclaimed a 
 voice issuing from the mouth of the leading horse- 
 man and evidently addressed to the puzzled way- 
 farer at the roadside. 
 
 The riders were dressed in citizen's clothes, but 
 certain trappings of their animals, the military or- 
 der in which the men followed their leader, and
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 173 
 
 the peculiar deference which they all paid to that 
 individual and his motions, that even the gloom of 
 the night could not wholly conceal, gave Roberts 
 to understand that they were not exactly what they 
 pretended to be. Being naturally a quick observ- 
 er, he made a very good guess as to their identity 
 and purpose. All these matters he had taken in, 
 and his conclusion arrived at, before he answered 
 the somewhat bombastic challenge. 
 
 "I am a peaceful citizen of the state, taking an 
 evening walk for exercise and recreation." 
 
 "And may I inquire whether there is a certain 
 inn, hotel, tavern or house of entertainment in the 
 vicinity of your rambles, kept or presided over by 
 one Daniel or Dan Morrison ?" asked the voice. 
 "If my information a few miles back was correct, 
 we must be near it at the present moment." 
 
 "There is a Public House owned and managed 
 by the person you have named but a few rods back," 
 replied Roberts who, so similar was the stranger's 
 style of speech to his own, was a little inclined to 
 imagine that he was being victimized by a mimic ; 
 but seeing that such must be impossible, he con- 
 tinued : "It is a very reputable hostelry and the 
 landlord quite popular with this vicinage." 
 
 "May I further inquire whether the proprietor 
 of the institution in question is at present at his 
 post of duty ?" 
 
 "He was there but a few moments since." 
 
 "Has he boarding, residing or lodging with him 
 now, or has he lately had in any other capacity, a
 
 174 '''HE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 certain Dr. Herbert Lorimer and his brother, an 
 undersized stripling?" 
 
 The opportunity of dealing the absent physician 
 an effective blow was too inviting to be resisted, 
 prompted as he was by the green-eyed monster, 
 and he replied : 
 
 "Doctor Lorimer is now in Canada, on his way, 
 if he has not already arrived there, to Montreal. 
 He, for some reason best known to himself, is in 
 disguise ; having the simulated appearance of a 
 quite corpulent old gentleman, wearing a drab col- 
 ored coat, a white hat and a pair of green specta- 
 cles. He would very readily be recognized by a 
 shrewd observer by these peculiarities of dress and 
 his self-conceited swagger." 
 
 An expression of satisfaction, hidden by the 
 gloom passed over the Ensign's countenance at the 
 intelligence, but he gave no audible voice to it, as 
 he asked : 
 
 "And Hector, the dwarfish. brother?" 
 
 "He was in the apartment denominated the bar- 
 room, in such establishments, when I left." 
 
 "Good night, then, and many thanks for your 
 courteous information," now said the subaltern, as 
 he rode forward, followed by his men. 
 
 "Good evening and good luck, Ensign Mellen," 
 replied Roberts, who had recognized the man. 
 
 The person named looked hastily back over his 
 shoulder, in surprise, when thus addressed ; but 
 the- night shadow already had hidden the speaker's 
 form from view ; and uttering an exclamation of
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 175 
 
 impatience, the officer rode on, and soon descried 
 the lights of the building he sought. As he neared 
 his destination his quick eye took in all the surroun- 
 dings, the house, the barns, the sign, the watering 
 trough and near it the body of an old cart, lean- 
 ing against the fence. All was quiet and peaceful 
 around the old tavern, and even the solitary lamp 
 in the bar-room shed an apparently harmless light 
 through the quiescent windows; nor was there a 
 sign of a living creature around the establishment. 
 Riding to the verandah, the officer dismounted, 
 passed the bridle of his steed to one of his men, 
 with an order that they remain in their present po- 
 sition until further orders, and entered the unfast- 
 ened door. 
 
 Not a person was in the room, save a rather more 
 than medinm sized young damsel, apparently some 
 nineteen or twenty years of age, who was industri- 
 ously sewing. She had a pleasing face, a healthy 
 complexion, except a few not unbecoming freckles, 
 a splendid head of auburn hair, eyes that were ha- 
 zel, deep and full of latent fire, while in the nose 
 and mouth there were deposits of fun and mischief 
 that only required some draft of opportunity to dis- 
 burse to a liberal amount. She looked up, when 
 the young man entered, and her lip slightly curled 
 when she had taken note of his appearance. 
 
 "Most resplendent Hebe, without the original's 
 awkwardness, and fair dispenser of neclarian jui- 
 ces," began the young, would-be exquisite, imag- 
 ning that he was addressing some well-looking but
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 .x-^-^^-^ -~^- -^- ~ >- 
 
 unsophisticated rustic ; "I bow, in all reverence, to 
 your multiplicity of charms." 
 
 "Take off your hat and duck your head, then," 
 replied Elsie ; "that is the style I was instructed to 
 assume, when I attended school ; that is, all but the 
 hat part." 
 
 "Upon my soul, an emerald wit," said the young 
 man, a little disconcerted at the ready reply. "1 
 am in quest of Mr. Daniel Morrison, who is your 
 father, I presume." 
 
 "You will have a darkling hunt, then, for he is 
 in search of a strayed cow," replied the girl ; "but 
 what is your business with him ? May not I do as 
 well? I often serve customers in his absence." 
 
 "Impossible that those fair hands should be con- 
 taminated by contact with aught so vile. I would 
 have some brandy, if he has any that is good." 
 
 "No contamination I assure you. I once hem- 
 med, for him, a dandy's pocket handkerchief. He 
 had not touched it himself, however, only to bring 
 it, securely wrapped in paper, from the store," and 
 Elsie deftly placed a decanter, a bowl of sugar and 
 a tumbler on the bar in front of the officer. 
 
 "Upon my honor, young lady, I am inclined to 
 think you are laughing at me," exclaimed the be- 
 wildered coxcomb, gazing in unaffected surprise 
 into the smiling face before him. 
 
 "Not at all, sir," retorted Elsie ; "your fulsome- 
 adulations are too disgusting to produce mirth and 
 much less any exhibition of it." 
 
 The Ensign was thunderstruck. In all his life
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 he had never met a live yankee girl before, and 
 there was in this specimen something he could not 
 understand. With the self-satisfied smirk that had 
 all along been on his features now entirely gone, he 
 addressed himself to the business in hand. Being 
 denied the opportunity of playing the fool, he had 
 time to exercise his better qualities, and he said : 
 
 "I had desired a larger quantity; but let that 
 pass. Have you boarding here a voting man by the 
 name of Hector Lorimer ? He is a friend of mine, 
 and I should be pleased to see him, if possible." 
 
 "Yes, sir, he is with us now." 
 
 "Is he in?" 
 
 "Yes, in his bed." 
 
 "In what room, if you please?" asked Meller.. 
 
 "In his bedroom." Elsie had not entirely re- 
 covered her good temper. 
 
 "And in what number may that be?" 
 
 "Only one. He sleeps in only one bed and one 
 room at a time, since with us." 
 
 "On which side of the house is his chamber?" 
 
 "On the inside." Elsie was vexed yet. 
 
 "Upon my honor, you must excuse me," ejacu- 
 lated the Ensign, whose breath had nearly beer 
 taken away by the prompt answers of the younfK 
 lady ; "but your wit seems not only mistimed but 
 misplaced. I have often heard it said that a civil 
 question deserves a civil answer." 
 
 "Excuse me" retorted the girl ; "a civil answer 
 to a civil question depends very much upon cir- 
 cumstances. The thief who asks me where I keep
 
 178 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 my jewels, can hardly expert an answer couched 
 in the civilist of terms ; nor does a British officer, 
 on the free soil of the United States, enquring for 
 persons whom he would apprehend, and transport 
 to a foreign prison, there to be confined until such 
 time as a prejudiced judge and a packed jury see 
 fit to sentence them to death or transportation, par- 
 ticularly deserve very courteous treatment, especi- 
 ally when he comes with a lie on his lips." 
 
 What answer the balked subaltern would have 
 given to this spirited harangue is not recorded, for 
 whatever he would have answered was prevented 
 or drowned by a most unusual hubbub and clamor 
 among his waiting men. 
 
 "'Old on, there." "Vot the devil are ye 'bout, 
 there?" "'Ello, quit, will ye?" "'Ow cussed 'ot." 
 "I say, stop it," in as many different %-oices as there 
 were different expressions, came welling in at the 
 half-closed window ; some in anger, some in pain 
 and some in a laughable mixture of both. 
 
 Ensign Mellen sprang to the door, which he flung 
 widely open and beheld his squad in most inextri- 
 cable confusion, their horses bounding hither and 
 yon, spurning the control of the riders, and show- 
 ing plain indications of bolting and making a pre- 
 cipitate retreat on their own hook. 
 
 "What does this mean, boys?" sternly queried 
 the officer, as he sprang among them and seized 
 his own charger by the bridle rein. "This is hut 
 poor discipline in regular English troopers. Fall 
 into line at once, and silence, every man. Corporal
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 179 
 
 Smith advance and report!" And he mounted his 
 horse and faced them. 
 
 With muh ado the uneasy horses were brought 
 into line and at the young officer's order the corpo- 
 ral pricked his unwtiing animal forward, gave the 
 salute as well as he could when both hands were 
 required for governing his four-footed companion. 
 "Somebody 'as been a-throwin' 'ot water honto 
 us, an' the 'orses, an' the hanimals is restless, sir." 
 "Hot water ! And where from ?" he demanded. 
 "We don't know, sir. It come all of a suddent, 
 like, an' from someveres in the dark." 
 
 At this moment was heard the heavy tramp of 
 disciplined soldiery advancing down the road, and 
 then came the short, soldierly command : 
 
 "Halt! Front! Ready! Aim !" and then came 
 the ominous, clicking sound of many cocking 
 muskets. 
 
 "Squad, left into line, Wheel!" exclaimed the 
 Ensign, and there was a metalic ring in his voice 
 far different from the aflecled, lisping tones he us- 
 ually used, that told whoever opposed him that he 
 was the wrong man with whom to trifle when bat- 
 tle was imminent. The men were somewhat un- 
 easy, but there was no disposition to retreat. They 
 would have sat in their saddles and been shot down 
 without a murmur. But they knew, as well as did 
 their chief that they were in an unauthorized pos- 
 ition ; that they were not in their line of duty and 
 that no honor was to be gained in dying in such 
 a cause and in such an undertaking.
 
 I So THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Notwithstanding all this, all they thought was to 
 obey orders, and obey them literally. Thus they 
 awaited some movement of the other party, when, 
 directly upon the rumps of the already smarting 
 horses, descended a hissing flood of scalding wa- 
 ter. Equine nature could not endure this second 
 baptism ; and despite the utmost efforts of the men, 
 with snorts of pain, the blistered suffering madden- 
 ed animals broke away from all constraint and ran 
 franticly down the hill. 
 
 Then came from the darkness Dan Morrison, 
 with the beetle he had used to simulate the march- 
 ing men and the woodsaw, with which he had re- 
 sembled the cocking of muskets, and from behind 
 the cart body appeared Hector Lorimer, leaving 
 his small garden engine, with which the shower of 
 hot water had been so bountifully supplied. 
 
 Hearty laughter from the two originators and 
 executors of this stratagem, pealed down the dark- 
 some road after the discomfitted troopers, then a 
 shrill, treble voice fell on their ears, singing the re- 
 frain of that once popular song, slightly altered to 
 suit the occasion : 
 
 "Vouv'e got too far from Canada, 
 Run, bovs run !" 
 
 To say that Ensign Mellen wa.s "hopping mad" 
 would be putting it mildly; but language fails to 
 adequately expi e the feelings of the really excel- 
 lent Captain Stanfield, as he witnessed the return 
 of a second squad of his troop, defeated, as he sur- 
 mised, rightly, by the same insignificant toe.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. l8l 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 MERITED PROMOTION. 
 
 URING the week following the visit of 
 Roberts and his companions to the Stone 
 House in the Pass, that failed to accomp- 
 lish the end intended, our handsome friend 
 whilom hostler, by a strict attention to his duty and 
 a willingness to make himself useful, had been giv- 
 en in charge of one of the numerous shafts. Be- 
 ing strictly temperate in his appetites, and never 
 becoming influenced by liquor, he was employed 
 in charging and discharging the blasts that were 
 required to loosen the else unyielding rock, and by 
 his trustworthiness and care enabled the men en- 
 gaged with him not only to accomplish more, but 
 to pursue their labors with greater coniidence and 
 safety. than had been the case formerly, when less 
 reliable men handled that touchv and uncertain ser- 
 vant, gunpowder. 
 
 He had not been initiated into the real secrets of 
 the establishment, and necessarily had taken his 
 meals and lodged at the farmhouse where those of 
 the workmen who were in the same situation made 
 their home. On the night when Lorimer made the 
 above mentioned visit, he was, in a measure, sur- 
 prised to be invited to take supper and pass the ev- 
 ening in the stone house ; nor had all the transact- 
 ions of the afternoon and evening passed without 
 his notice. He was indeed astounded when upon 
 entering the house he made no discoveries of tools
 
 1 82 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 or machinery for the purpose he supposed he knew 
 was carried on there. Like the rest he turned as 
 the bailiff entered, but recognizing the doctor, he 
 so arranged himself as regards the light, that that 
 individual failed to see, or at least to distinguish 
 him ; a thing he would have been liable to do, un- 
 der other circumstances. The evening passed, he 
 returned to his usual abiding place ; nor was he 
 again admitted within the mysterious precincts. 
 
 Some three or four days after this affair, he was 
 engaged with others in settling the shaft, in which 
 he labored, to a lower level and in furtherance of 
 this design had put a larger and deeper hole than 
 usual, expiring' great results from its discharge. 
 There were two or three drifts running from the 
 main shaft with angles and obstructions sufficient, 
 when the fact is known that powder has its effects 
 upward, to present secure retreats for himself and 
 the men when the blast was fired. The entrance 
 to this particular part of the mine was some forty 
 teet above, ami access was gained by means of a 
 tub to which was attached a chain, passing around 
 a windlass on the level ground at the surface. This 
 elevator was used, when not occupied by ascend- 
 ing or descending human freight, in transferring 
 the ore to the mouth of the mine. 
 
 When Howard charged the blast, he had taken 
 care that the man managing the hoisting apparatus 
 should iv warned of his intention, especially as he 
 was operating diredtly under it. The powder put 
 m. the fuse carefully adjusted, the powdered brick
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 183 
 
 tamped deftly down and all in. readiness he applied 
 the match and hastily retired to his shelter. As he 
 attained his retreat he happened to glance upward 
 and, to his horror, he saw the tub scarcely twenty 
 feet above the hissing slow-match ; and worse than 
 all, he saw the heads of two persons, over the edge, 
 and one of them, his employer. In that position, 
 when the terrible charge of pent up destruction was 
 discharged, it was not only an instant and terrible 
 death, but almost annihilation, for their bodies 
 would be blown into thousands of pieces. The im- 
 periled men had apparently just discovered their 
 danger and were making desperate but unavailing 
 efforts to signal the man at the windlass, to again 
 hoist them out of the way of the explosion. For 
 a single instant Howard stood motionless with the 
 whole horror of the situation full upon him. He 
 saw the terrified faces of the. doomed men looking 
 down as fascinated at their fate ; he heard. the hiss- 
 ing of the burning fuse: a whole lifetime Bashed 
 through his mind, and he already saw himself, not 
 an intended taker of life, yet a homicide. 
 
 He murmured one name the name of one he 
 loved glanced at the smoking match, and with a 
 bound like the ricochett of a shell, he alighted di- 
 rectly over the death burdened cavity and with ner- 
 vous but lightning like fingers, lie seized the fuse, 
 now burned to within a single half-inch of the rock 
 and twisted off the strands of the tarred twine, and 
 the men were saved. They knew it too, and knew 
 who had saved them, for at the same instant that
 
 184 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 the fire was smothered, they landed close beside the 
 brave fellow who stood, pale and gfddy, it is true, 
 but smiling, on the field he had won over death, at 
 a cost of more courage and hardihood than is re- 
 quired in a lifetime of pitched battles. 
 
 The reckless and forgetful man who had so near- 
 ly caused a fatal disaster had, at last, noticed the 
 signal and the uncouth car was already beginning 
 to ascend. Pruyter spoke not a word, nor did his 
 companion; nor did the hero, William Howard. 
 The car crept slowly up and was finally drawn out 
 of the watcher's sight. He attached a piece of 
 fuse to the short remaining piece, fired it, retired, 
 and then came the deafening detonation. The sol- 
 id rock was heaved up in huge masses and hund- 
 reds of detached fragments were hurled fiercely up 
 the shaft, and the astonished man at the mouth saw 
 many thrown even out upon the ground, as has 
 been said, forty feet above the spot whence they 
 came. Had it not been for the handsome hostler's 
 devoted courage, one villain, at least, would have 
 met his deserts. 
 
 That night, when it was time to quit his labor, 
 Howard, while making his way homeward, was 
 accosted by Pruyter, who was seated upon a huge 
 block of ore near which he would pass. 
 
 "Young man, you to-day have saved my life. 
 In making you this tender I make it not in payment 
 of the debt I owe you, nor as any recompence or 
 acknowledgement of the more than human courage 
 displayed by you in the a6l, but more as a pledge
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 185 
 
 that William Pruyter is ever ready to reward zeal 
 and merit in liis service;" and he held out a bank 
 note for Five Hundred dollars. 
 
 Howard, casting a hasty glance at the bill, said : 
 "As much as I need and desire money, Mr. Pruy- 
 ter, I cannot accept it for performing an acl that 
 was plainly my duty. My own hand had brought 
 the danger upon you, unwittingly, it is true, and in 
 tearing off the fuse I not only did a duty that plain- 
 ly devolved upon me, but saved myself the horrors 
 of memory that must have ever been mine, had I 
 ensured my own safety at the expense of both of 
 your lives." 
 
 "Yet I insist upon your receiving the money," 
 continued the old man, still extending the note, in 
 his hand. "I often make presc'nts to my men. not 
 only for deeds of humanity or care for my interests, 
 but for an extra amount of diligence in their labor. 
 As I said before, it is not intended as a vemunera- 
 tion for the danger you incurred in saving our lives, 
 but as a slight testimonial of my appreciation of 
 your bravery and manliness in the act." 
 
 U I don't object so much, Mr. Pruyter, to receiv- 
 ing a present, as to the amount of it, and 
 
 "Why, young man Mr. Howard, I believe is 
 your name " 
 
 'Yes, sir, William Howard," he replied. 
 
 "Well, as I was saying, Mr. Howard, I have 
 been prospered in my undertakings and without in- 
 tending any ostentation, I must say that this note, 
 large as it may seem, I can as well present to you
 
 1 86 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 as could many a man, the same number of cents ; 
 and I shall scarcely miss it in rnv abundance," and 
 notwithstanding the old man's assurance to the 
 contrary, there were many indications of pride pic- 
 tured on his usually repulsive features as he spoke. 
 
 "To impart a secret, Mr. Pruyter," said How- 
 ard, "and one that can scarcely interest a man of 
 your years, I must inform you that I am a poor man 
 else 1 had not been laboring here with my hands. 
 I have very liberal wages, it is true, but it seems a 
 long time, when looked forward to, when I have 
 acquired sufficient to enable me to settle down in 
 life as I could wish. To receive your gratuity, for 
 in no other light can I consider it, while it advan- 
 ces that much desired consumation, it would place 
 me under a load of obligation that I should be ex- 
 tremely loth to encumber myself with, at this age. 
 If I could make a compromise with you and render 
 you some service, or impart some secret, that you 
 should consider as worth the money, I should have 
 no objection to receiving the bill in payment." 
 
 "And what service, pray, young man," asked 
 the old man, "can you render, deserving a better 
 price than the one you have given to me this dav? 
 What more valuable treasure can a man have than 
 his life, when he loves it? Without that all other 
 treasures become useless and valueless to him ; and 
 what secret can you impart to me, a comparative 
 stranger, that would be of any avail? No, no. Mr. 
 Howard, you have amply earned a larger sum, and 
 I would have you accept this as earnest."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 187 
 
 "I have several secrets, nevertheless, Mr. Pruy- 
 ter," answered Howard, intently watching his col- 
 oquist's face as he spoke ; "several secrets of great 
 importance to you, in your business " 
 
 "In my business, sir?" asked Pruyter, darting a 
 keen glance from under his heavy, overhanging 
 brows at the young man and clasping spasmodical- 
 ly, at the same time, the rustling bank note in his 
 hand. "What know you of my business, other 
 than that of mining, sir?" when noticing that, in 
 his haste, he had made a blunder, a thing the well 
 trained and cool headed villain was seldom guilty 
 of, he more quietly resumed : "Hardlv, hardly, Mr. 
 Howard. I have been educated, since childhood, 
 not only theoretically but practically, in mineralo- 
 gy, chemistry and geology ; and pride myself on 
 being as near perfect in them all as frail man can 
 be made to be, with what light the world to-day 
 possesses on those somewhat abstruse sciences." 
 
 "I have reference, sir," replied Howard, boldly, 
 'to your other branch of business " 
 
 "Sir!" 
 
 "To your other branch of business, Mr. Pruyter, 
 that being once suspected by an observant man, his 
 suspicions would be assured, not only by the oath 
 that all are required to take who labor here, which 
 would seem needless were the pursuits here strictly 
 legitimate, but by the mysteries of that house and 
 the stringent rules and regulations requiring no one 
 to leave the premises, under any circumstances, 
 whatever, either with permission or without."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 William Howard was on dangerous ground. He 
 was treading where many a treacherous trap and 
 pitfall were around his feet ; where a certain knowl- 
 edge was, if not death, very unsafe ; and he read 
 it in the eyes of his employer as well as in every 
 motion of his features. But William Howard was 
 a man who did not avoid such paths for such rea- 
 sons, and he continued in his course as he resumed, 
 
 "I have no desire to make anything of my knowl- 
 edge, rather to further your efforts and make more 
 successful a business that is already thriving, and 
 receive in exchange an equitable compensation for 
 my secret." 
 
 "And what what, sir is the business-that you 
 have, in your great wisdom, attributed tome?" 
 and the old villain fairly choked in his wrath and 
 apprehension. 
 
 "The business of counterfeiting, sir." 
 
 For at least a minute Pruyter made no reply and 
 such an expression flashed over his features as the 
 devil might be proud of. Then his face resumed a 
 harsh, cold, menacing look as he asked : 
 
 "Do you know, William Howard, that a knowl- 
 edge of .the secret you have just imparted is dan- 
 gerous ; that we are reckless men, and value our 
 lives and liberties and our business secrets as high- 
 ly as can any ; that our lives and liberties are alrea- 
 dy forfeit, and that to preserve them by the putting 
 to death of one who has the power of exposing 
 us, we make the penalty no greater? A man is 
 hung as high on a gallows for murdering one mar;
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 189 
 
 as though his hands were imbrued in the blood of 
 thousands, and the penalty is equal in both cases; 
 a single death." 
 
 "Of all this I am fully aware," replied Howard, 
 not a muscle moving; "and had I feared the con- 
 sequences, I would scarcely have revealed my in- 
 formation to vou, but have fled with the secret. 
 Listen, for a moment. I am by trade and experi- 
 ence an expert steel and copper-plate printer, and 
 have printed thousands of bank notes genuine 
 ones and in my avocation have discovered a pro- 
 cess of cleaning the plate of its superfluous ink, in 
 such a manner that a comparatively poor engraving 
 gives a better impression, and a good one is much 
 improved ; the lines rendered smoother and clear- 
 er and better defined. For this secret mv emplov- 
 ers would not pav me mv price and it is known but 
 to myself." 
 
 "Is this true?" inquired old Pruvter, interested, 
 at once in the young man's disclosure. 
 
 "As is the gospel, Mr. Pruvter. I still further 
 know a comparatively costless ingredient to add to 
 antimonv, zinc and lead, that not onlv improves 
 the ring but does away with the greasy feeling of 
 the metal for counterfeit silver and is cquallv as ef- 
 ficacious in amalgam for gold coin." 
 
 "Can this be so?" 
 
 "You have but to try it to convince vourself be- 
 yond dispute," replied Howard, who saw his ad- 
 vantage. "But more than all, Mr. Pruvter. I can 
 make a red ink that will strike through the paper
 
 10.0 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 and show distinctly on the other side. This ink, 
 I know will be of immense value to you, as- 1 find 
 you have failed to discover any such process, upon 
 examination of your bills." 
 
 "If this is all as you state it, young man," said 
 Pruyter, fully convinced, "I will admit you have 
 arts worth far more to me than the amount I have 
 offered. Here, take this, and when I am in poss- 
 ession of the others, vou shall be recompensed in 
 such a manner that you shall admit that William 
 Pruyter is a man who is willing to pay and amply 
 pav for all favors bestowed upon him. The three 
 secrets I will allow are the very ones I have sought 
 most faithfully for and have yet failed to procure 
 them. And, young man, I beg your pardon for 
 my hasty words, just now." 
 
 "I appreciate your feelings, Mr. Pruyter, and 
 require no apologies," said Howard, taking the 
 banknote and depositing it in his pocketbook, -'and 
 trust that you will consider this money well earned. 
 At what time will you be ready to receive the in- 
 structions and where?" 
 
 "To-morrow evening, at the house," answered 
 Pruyter; "and, in the meantime, you will be re- 
 lieved from your services in the mines. Your wa- 
 ges will be raised from this time and a room will 
 be prepared for your use in this building. Many 
 of the stridest rules in your communications with 
 outsiders will be removed ; for, being one of us, 
 our safety becomes yours, and self-preservation will 
 pit nipt you to maintain our secret as vour own."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "Of course, sir, 1 shall take every means to pre- 
 serve the organization from exposure, for money is 
 my object, honestly obtained, if possible, but at any 
 rate, money," replied Howard. -'I shall not fail 
 to meet you at the time appointed ; and please ac- 
 cept my thanks for your many kindnesses." 
 
 Strange that a man of William Howard's ability 
 and penetration should fail to see through the mask 
 of hypocrisy that had been, so plainly, before his 
 eyes, in so many of the moods of its possessor, and 
 so long; but, alas! love is, if not blind, very blind- 
 ing, not only to the merits or demerits of its ob- 
 ject, but to all others especially when the commu- 
 nications with them are ever so far, but in any way 
 connected with the attainment of that object. To 
 tell the truth the affection that young Howard had 
 conceived for the sprightly and quick-witted Elsie 
 Morrison was, tho' of short .duration, sincere and 
 unaffected, and prompted him to acts that perhaps 
 he otherwise would not have been guilty of. But 
 to obtain an amount of property sufficient to war- 
 rant a matrimonial union with her, seemed to be 
 his main objedt ; though, as we have seen, in his 
 conversation with Pruyter, he was unwilling to at- 
 tain it as a gratuity, showing, at least some manly 
 feelings left in the bosom of another man, fast go- 
 ing to the bad. 
 
 Some of these feelings no doubt passed through 
 the young man's mind after he had parted from his 
 employer, and made his way down the road lead- 
 ing to the farm-house, for he muttered uneasily and
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 manv an expression of pain and apprehension ran 
 over his handsome and expressive features. And 
 well might he exhibit those indications, for he was 
 taking an important step, a step from comparative 
 honesty and innocence to a life of crime, with all 
 its concomitants of fear of detection and punish- 
 ment, and certainty of self-abasement, self-degra- 
 dation and the prickings of a remorseful and accu- 
 sing conscience ; purchasing short blisses at the 
 expense of long woes to succeed. 
 
 Crossing the little bridge a few rods from where 
 the ravine debouched into the plain, and pausing 
 at its farther extremity, to gaze for a few moments 
 into the now shrunken stream, making its way over 
 the shining pebbles forming its bed, he muttered a 
 few more words, in a tone too low for even the ear 
 of a novelist to catch, the cloud on his brow slowly 
 passed away and left the full sunshine of his mas- 
 culine beauty unshadowed. 
 
 Bounding lightly over a fence by the roadside, 
 instead of approaching the house, he made his way 
 across the meadow, nearly parallel with the lake- 
 shore, toward a clump of bushes some quarter-of- 
 a-mile away, whistling as he went, until the shad- 
 ows hid his form, when he turned sharply to the 
 left and approached the highway, that there passed, 
 being at a point beyond the house. 
 
 But a few moments elapsed before his ears were 
 saluted by the sound of an approaching carriage. 
 He hastily ensconced himself behind a thicket of 
 underbrush, whence he very quicklv, however.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 10.3 
 
 again emerged, when he recognized, in the occu- 
 pants of the approachiug vehicle persons he was, 
 no doubt, expecting. In the light, open buggy, 
 drawn by Dan Morrison's best horse, sat I lector 
 Lorimer, somewhat unsteady in his seat, from the 
 fact that his feet barely touched the floor, holding 
 the reins with all the pomposity of a trained coach- 
 man, and seated at his side one the waiting man 
 would rather see than any one, the laughing Elsie 
 Morrison ; she for whose sake he was about to take 
 the important and decisive step. 
 
 It was the pleasurable task of but an instant to 
 assist her from the carriage, and an equally speedy 
 one to clasp her in his arms and, notwithstanding 
 the presence of a grinning and mischievous witness 
 to plant a kiss on the lips that were so temptingly 
 upturned to meet it. 
 
 Having seen so much of the meeting, the dis- 
 creet dwarf, turning his team, rode away, taking 
 several turns up and down the road, partly to grad- 
 ually dry oft* the horse, partly to keep a watch that 
 the meeting of the lovers should not be interrupted 
 without due notice given, and partly to allow that 
 meeting to go on without his own presence ; but 
 he failed not, when passing and rcpassing, as he 
 several times did, the place where they were stand- 
 ing, to catch a glimpse of the happy pair, out of 
 the corners of his eyes and pass mental judgement 
 on what he observed. 
 
 And a pleasant hour they passed. She told him 
 all the news; curled her lip when he rallied her
 
 1 94 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 about lawyer Roberts; related with animation the 
 incidents of the coming and going of the gallant 
 British Ensign and his squad, at the same time, 
 blushing when she told him how she had told him 
 one or more lies and measured wit with the mart- 
 ial English fop. Howard told her all it was best 
 to tell of his present situation ; how he liked his 
 place, besides much talk that we have no business 
 to hear or to know of, that always passes between 
 lovers who have met after a more or less lengthy 
 term of parting. 
 
 They had several occasions to plead for a few 
 more moments when the wary He<5tor informed 
 them that it was time to go. But when that impor- 
 tant and arbitrary individual threatened to go awav 
 and leave her 'to frog it home alone," as he saw 
 fit to phrase it. unless she came at once, they were 
 constrained to part, with many an assurance, pro- 
 testation and token of affection that have, so many 
 times, been recorded in novels that the same words 
 repeated here would seem to be superfluous, and 
 we leave them to the imagination of the reader. 
 
 They parted, to meet when, where and under 
 what circumstances as fate shall decree, and will 
 be related in future pages of these chronicles. 
 
 She waved her handkerchief, and having noth- 
 ing else to do, cried ; Hedor grinned, and Howard 
 kissed his hand to her as she went out of sight and 
 turned awav to his home.
 
 THE COUNTEUFEITKRS. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 BERMUDA NARROWLY ESCAPED. 
 
 S hereinbefore set clown Captain Stanfield 
 was very angry upon the return of his sec- 
 ond party, from whose efforts lie had ex- 
 pected so much, and realizedso little, be- 
 ing repusled even more ridiculously than the first, 
 yet despite his chagrin, he was compelled to laugh 
 as the narrative of that untoward campaign went 
 on, at the ingenuity of the device practiced by the 
 enemy to drive them oft' and defeat their intended 
 aim. Bitter as the cup was, there was to be detec- 
 ted one of much more agreeable flavor, when he 
 was told that his most important enemy was, as it 
 were, almost in his pow r er. Possessing a very ac- 
 curate description of his disguise, by the means of 
 which he would be able to trace him to his most 
 secret haunt, especially- as he was within the limit 
 of his jurisdiction. 
 
 His duty to arrest so prominent a leader of the 
 rebels, and he would take all honorable means of 
 securing his person for that reason. But the events 
 of the last few days had added to his public duty a 
 still more energetic prompter to make the caption. 
 His general hatred to all rebels as the basis of his 
 act was topped by a superstructure of individual 
 spleen against one he supposed as the planner of 
 his reverses, and he resolved that not an available 
 >tnnc should be left unturned in his efforts to get 
 Captain Lorimer into his hands.
 
 10.6 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 In accordance with this resolution he, on the fol- 
 lowing morning, dispatched, by the first mail, the 
 following letter, addressed to his Colonel, who -was 
 at that time in command at Montreal : 
 
 "Sm : Please arrest an elderly gentleman, ap- 
 parently some sixty years of age, about six feet in 
 height and very corpulent. He wears a drab coat, 
 white hat and green spectacles. He is a danger- 
 ous rebel, in disguise. I pledge you my word of 
 honor to be there with sufficient proofs of his guilt, 
 when his trial shall come off. Further particulars 
 by next mail. I am, dear sir, 
 
 Your most obedient servant, 
 E. STANFIELD, Capt, Stcadville, Can" 
 
 Returning from the postoffice, which he reached 
 just in time to ensure his letter's prompt departure 
 and in which service he had dispensed with the aid 
 of an orderly that he might make sure of its going 
 at once, he was accosted by a young merchant of 
 the place. Merril by name, and one of his intimate 
 friends, although accused of a slight leaning tow- 
 ard the other side of the question, with : 
 
 'Good morning. Cap., the fa me of your numer- 
 ous exploits is fast gaining you an enviable reputa- 
 tion. Your last night's affair, over in Uncle Sam's 
 dominions, notwithstanding your .so well-known 
 modesty would have prevented transpiring, is be- 
 coming public and the ladies have resolved to pre- 
 sent your company with a stand of colors, in com- 
 memoration of the event,-and Mrs. Walling just 
 purchased a yard-and-half of red cambric, at my
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 197 
 
 place, together with a broomstick ; and a few mo- 
 ments since I saw her oldest boy cutting out that 
 superb engraving of a baboon, on the bill-board, 
 over yonder, of the caravan that is coming next 
 week, to paste upon it." 
 
 "By the eternal, Orton," exclaimed the captain, 
 laughing in spite of himself; '"if you don't stop 
 your railery I will arrest you as a rebel and shut 
 you up where you will have something to think of 
 better than your continued flings and jibes at me 
 and my men." 
 
 "If you attempt it, Captain," laughingly rejoin- 
 ed the other, "I will set my wife after your troopers 
 with a teapot full of hot water, and little Jane with 
 a mopstick for a lance, and put them all to the 
 right-about face." 
 
 "Those are both too old tricks to be successful a 
 second time, I assure you." 
 
 "I will sing them a song, then," retorted Merril, 
 "that goes something like this: "You've got too 
 far from Canada, Run, boys, run !' and then I am 
 sure to conquer." 
 
 "Confound it, Ort., can't you let up on a fellow 
 for a single minute?" asked the badgered captain. 
 "Wait a day or two and I will show you that one 
 of the parties has got too far into Canada, and 'run, 
 boys, run' wont help him out of his scrape." 
 
 "What," asked the hectoring Merril ; "have the 
 bold yankees made up a party of one to invade the 
 Queen's dominion, in retaliation for your incursion 
 into theirs? Call out your Fencibles. Captain, and
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^^-^s-^~^^^^-*~^s-*~,-^^~^^^^ 
 
 let them retreat, next time, toward Vermont and, 
 perhaps in that way yon can coax the daring inva- 
 der home again." 
 
 A muttered anathema from the captain's lips not- 
 withstanding the smile on his face ended the con- 
 ference for that time. 
 
 While these events were in progress, Captain 
 Lorimer, all unconscious that he had been betrayed, 
 and secure in his disguise, was searching in every 
 corner of Montreal for tidings of Miss Helen Leon- 
 ard. In this search he was assisted by a well-tried 
 friend who had had the good fortune to escape the 
 suspicions of the eager hunters for rebels and in- 
 surrectionists. Though confident, as has been said, 
 in his disguise, the doctor had, like a goo ,1 soldier, 
 kept open a line of retreat, firstly, bv keeping in 
 waiting on the river a faithful waterman, with his 
 boat, and on the opposite shore, a fast horse, ready 
 saddled and bridled, except at feeding time, in a 
 place where he could be reached without discovery, 
 lie had also, secreted about his person, all the ma- 
 terials of chemicals and saws then known, for use 
 in freeing himself from prison, should he be so un- 
 fortunate as to be in need of them. 
 
 The search, thorough as it had been, had as yet 
 proved unavailing and he had begun to despair of 
 success. During all this time no suspicious eye 
 seemed to have been placed upon him, until one 
 evening some three or four days after his arrival, 
 when sitting in a saloon in the lower part of the 
 city, a couple of soldiers entered the taproom and
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 _- -*^-s_^v^-. ^^ . ^ . 
 
 seemed to hesitate when they saw him. They con- 
 ferred together for a few moments, looking occa- 
 sionally athim, passed up to the liar, called for and 
 drank some whiskey and left. Lorimer was. at 
 first, convinced that he was known, but his suspi- 
 cions wore off at length. He was too careful how- 
 ever to remain in so public a place under the cir- 
 cumstances and after paying his bill left the house. 
 
 The next morning Captain Lorimcr, having al- 
 most entirely forgotten the incident of the evening 
 before, left his friend's dwelling and proceeding to 
 the bank of the river in order to ascertain if his 
 waterman was on duty, found him at his post. A 
 signal heretofore agreed upon passed between the 
 two, and Lorimer took his course up town intend- 
 ing to continue the search. He had gained the 
 lower end of Great St. James street, when he sud- 
 denly found himself surrounded by a squad of sol- 
 diers who, at once, marched him oiV to jail. 
 
 Now prisoners, Lorimer well knew, scarcoiv, if 
 ever, make any attempt at escape immediately on 
 their incarceration and jailors in general know the 
 same to be a fa 61. With this understanding on their 
 part or, perhaps, in the hurry of the moment, his 
 captors neglected to search him, and on his own, 
 he made up his mind to make his eftbrt at once. To 
 this end, when the turnkey visited him, bringing 
 his mid-day meal was the time fixed for his under- 
 taking. A close examination of his cell disclosed 
 a narrow, grated, unassailable window, some ten 
 feet from the floor. The walls were impregnable.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 being formed of huge blocks and slabs of granite, 
 the floor and roof of the same. The door was 
 made of hard- wood planking, thickly clamped with 
 iron and studded with large, rivetted bolts. An 
 ordinarily made but massive lock was on the door, 
 the bolt setting into a slot in the masonry. In ad- 
 dition to this fastening there was a thick iron bar 
 swinging from a staple on the outside, with a slot, 
 for the purpose of passing over another staple on 
 the opposite side of the door, into which, at night, 
 a strong padlock was inserted, the other lock being 
 considered sufHcient security during the day. His 
 mind was made up in a moment and, about time 
 the turnkey might be expected, he took from his 
 neck-cloth a heavy steel spring, coiled into a small 
 compass. Shortly the doors of the cells nearer the 
 top of the stairs were heard to open, one after the 
 other, and the hoarse voice of the jailor heard, as 
 he addressed some expletive to the inmates. At 
 length the key was inserted in the lock of his own 
 cell door and the ponderous mass swung creaking 
 back upon its hinges. With the remark of "Here, 
 
 you d d rebel, is your dinner, and you'd better 
 
 eat it soon or you'll lose it," was retiring when the 
 prisoner spoke : 
 
 "You just called me a rebel, sir turnkey : is that 
 the charge against me?" 
 
 "In course 'tis. D d like ye didn't know 
 
 what ye'd been at !" at the same time going out. 
 
 Lorimer hastened to that spot for the purpose of 
 asking some other question, apparently, but the
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 man paid no attention to him and swung the door 
 to its place. As he did so, Herbert, with a sleight 
 of hand that would have done credit to a conjurer, 
 slipped the spring into the socket into which the 
 bolt sprang. The door slammed to and the man, 
 in turning the key quickly, threw the bolt against 
 the spring and that recoiling returned the bolt and 
 at the same time snapped the key from his lingers. 
 Muttering a curse at the smartness of the lock, the 
 jailor, imagining the bolt in place, withdrew the 
 key but, with his habitual precaution, pressed for- 
 cibly against the door and finding it unyielding, 
 went on his rounds. Lorimer anticipating some 
 such movement had planted himself firmly against 
 the solid portal, on the inside, and thus had held 
 it in its place. 
 
 No sooner had the captain discovered that his 
 ruse had fairly succeeded and that the door was not 
 bolted, than a "lightning change of costume" that 
 well might shame the best professor of the art, took 
 place. The drab coat and the superabundance of 
 paunch disappeared ; the white hat, green glasses 
 and wrinkles on his face dropped away ; the white 
 hair changed to red ; the light complexion deep- 
 ened to brown, and there he sioxl with straw hat, 
 and blue and white over-shirt like a carter's frock, 
 enclosing his upper man. He also held a whip in 
 in his hand and in his teeth a black stub of a pipe, 
 which he lighted and was soon purling at vigor- 
 ously. Hastily making a bun 11.: of his drab coal, 
 which being made up with the wrong side outward.
 
 THE COrNTERFEITERS. 
 ^.^ - -^ ~^^- 
 
 resembled something clone up in a towel. Lorimer 
 passed through the door, closing it carefully and 
 firmly behind him, went a few feet in an opposite 
 direction from the one taken by the jailor, turned 
 when he heard that worthy advancing, and boldlv 
 met him face-to-face. 
 
 'Hello, who the devil have we got here?" ex- 
 claimed that functionary, a good deal surprised at 
 the sight of a stranger, in that place. 
 
 "I say, yeou Mister, aie yeou the boss of this'ere 
 old trap? 'Cause is you be I've got an arrant fer 
 yeou," responded the vankee carter. 
 
 Xot by a d d sight I ain't," answered the 
 
 man ; "and what's more I don't want to be." 
 
 Wai, yeou needn't be so darned putchiky about 
 it, anyhow. Nobody's agoin' to hurt yeou." 
 
 "How the .devil did you come here, I should like 
 to know, and what for?" 
 
 "That'are feller, down tu the door, said as how 
 as the boss was up some o' these'ere darned stairs, 
 and sent me up to find him. Du yeou know where 
 I ken find the pesky critter?" 
 
 "He's gone to dinner, and that cussed Irishman 
 has played a trick on you." 
 
 "Has, hey ? Darn his pidler, I'll give him a bat 
 over the mug fer that, darned if I don't." 
 
 "Well, come on and get out of this. I want to 
 get my own dinner," said the man, surlilv. 
 
 I say yeou. Mister," began the pretended yan- 
 ki-ea* they approached the outer door. "Yeou jest 
 ketch holt of my bundle fer half-a-mimite. while T
 
 THE COUNTKUFEITKRS. 
 
 wallop that'ere pesky varmint, will yeou? I'll clu 
 it in three gift's, by mighty !" 
 
 But the trick playing Irishman had prudently re- 
 tired or, at least, was not there when they arrived 
 and the hungry turnkey let the incensed yankee 
 out and, with a smothered curse, slammed the big 
 door after him and went to his dinner. 
 
 In less than ten minutes from that time, a man, 
 much different in appearance from the one who had 
 stationed him there, appeared to the waiting water- 
 man and giving the signal, exclaimed : 
 
 "I sav, veou, Mister, can yeou give a feller of 
 my size a set acrost this'ere plaguey river for forty - 
 tu cents in cash, money deown and no hagglin'?" 
 "That is eight cents less than our usual price," 
 replied the waterman, answering the signal ; "but 
 I will set you across for that sum, pay in advance," 
 and by a dexterous motion of his oars, he swung 
 the stern of his boat to the shore. It was a neatly 
 modelled and painted skiff', built more for speed 
 than for capacity to carry freight, and presented on 
 the stern the name of "Swallow." 
 
 "Yeou 'pear tu be most everlastin' particular," 
 replied the pretended yankee carter, wiping his 
 nose on his sleeve. "My uncle Hezekiah, (meb- 
 be yeou know him, and then ag'in, mebbe yeou 
 don't,) used tu say that 'a good paymaster always 
 paid when the work was done ;' but never mind ; 
 here's the spondulicks," and he handed him two 
 bright golden sovereigns, for which the waterman 
 thanked him. "Now go ahead with veour ark."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 .^> ,-s^-v-~x-^ ~~^^-^-*~~~^^^^. 
 
 "And now, Walbridge, we have talked enough 
 for these listening fools and time is valuable," said 
 Lorimer, in a lower tone; "give way and don't 
 let your boat's acls belie her name. 
 
 "Have you been discovered?" 
 
 "Discovered ! Ten minutes from the time I saw 
 you this morning I was arrested ; ten minutes later 
 1 was in Montreal jail, and ten minutes ago I had 
 the good fortune to escape." 
 
 "How on earth did they come to know you ?" 
 
 "That is more than I can tell. But give way ; 
 it cannot be many minutes now before my absence 
 will be discovered, and then the chase will begin. 
 Thank God !" he exclaimed as he darted a search- 
 ing glance over his shoulder, "it will be a 'stern 
 chase', and they are always long ones, if there is 
 any truth in the old adage." 
 
 Nor did the clean little boat disgrace the bird 
 whence came its name. Across the sunlit and rip- 
 pleless river she sped, like her namesake in play ; 
 skimming close to the clear water, with the speed 
 of light, under the impetus of the strong-armed 
 and expert oarsman ; seemingly occupying neither 
 element, but passing through a space between the 
 two and occasionally, not hastily or nervously drop- 
 ping i ( ts wings into the lower fluid to emerge in an 
 instant again into the upper, and flash in the sun- 
 light, like sheets of burnished silver as they pa-sc ! 
 forward again to dip in the mirror-like surface, 
 and leave neither ripple or eddy at either place of 
 entrance or emergence.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 The river was passed and yet no sign of pursuit ; 
 the profane and grumbling turnkey had on that day 
 something better than usual for dinner, or, it took 
 longer to supply his wants than was its wont, and 
 the vacant cell had not, as yet been visited by him 
 or the prisoner's absence noted. 
 
 What more exhilarating sensation can be imag- 
 ined than that experienced by a healthful, strong 
 man when he feels the breathing of a sound, clean 
 limbed thoroughbred between his knees? With 
 glossy coat, deep chest, arched neck fringed with 
 a light mane and terminated bv a clean head, pos- 
 sessing brilliant eyes, far apart, pointed ears, close 
 together, nostrils in which you m.iy thrust your fist 
 and firm but obedient mouth; with long, fiat arms 
 and short joints below ; hairless fetlocks and round 
 hoofs, well arched and high, he seems the very em- 
 bodiment of strength, speed and endurance. He 
 is full of fire, but gentle under his master's hand, 
 as a lamb ; anxious to be going, but easily restrain- 
 ed; restless in spirit, but quiet in body; the most 
 useful and faithful of man's servants, but the serv- 
 ant that is most often abused and maltreated. 
 
 And then, when on the road, what better suretv 
 for a man's life or liberty? what ampler warrant of 
 his freedom ? An old tie or a rock of an hundred 
 pounds weight will stop the best, brass mounted lo- 
 comotive in'its career; a small tree across the road 
 will make it impassable to the finest coach with its 
 six matched horses and but a slight obstruction will 
 check the progress of a lighter vehicle, but the
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 ^^. ~~*. ~- ' 
 
 thoiotighbred, with uniform and powerful stridt 
 and graceful, jarless gather, will scarcely heed the 
 tie or the rock, bound lightly over the small tree, 
 and spurn the slight obstruction* with his strong 
 hoofs. And when danger is behind and safety be- 
 fore, a dungeon in the rear and liberty ahead, ea- 
 ger officers following and a clear track to pursue, 
 there is assurance in a good horse ; his strong but 
 easv motion stiffens the back of his rider, gives his 
 digestive organs a new impetus, brightens his eye 
 and puts finer springs in his joints ; it opens scen- 
 ery the grovelling and often earth-burrowing cars 
 do not command ; scenery the curtains of the fine 
 coach obscures, and scenery that the dust, fol- 
 lowing the lighter vehicle hides from the sight ; 
 scenery of mountain and hill and plain, of river 
 and lake and pond, of sky and earth and air, that 
 well may make a new man of the traveller and add 
 vears to the span of human life. 
 
 And then the ride across the open country, a\vav 
 over roads of loam and roads of flint, over firm 
 sward and quaking bog, over fence and hummuck, 
 over bridge and causeway ; away, up the long in- 
 cline and down the slowly falling hill and across 
 the dead level ; away by cottage and mansion, by 
 woodland and meadow, by pond shore and river 
 bank, by fenced and open land; away, by where 
 the plowman follows his lagging team and the hot 
 mower swings his hissing scythe, by where the 
 romping school children are just released from their 
 thrall, and the moody pedestrian slowly paces the
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 dusty road, bv man and beast toiling 1 or feeding or 
 sleeping or at play ; away, like wind or a rocket, 
 like the flash of a swallow or the hiss of a bullet, 
 like the cars, without their racket and jar and cin- 
 ders and smoke, like the tornado without its blus- 
 ter and noise and wrecks and prostrated forests and 
 buildings; like the lightning without its glare and 
 zig-zag and scathing and menace ; away with but 
 one thud of the steel clad hoofs on the bridge, one 
 noiseless beat on the loam, one crash among the 
 flints ; away with but one splash of the clock-like 
 playing feet in the bog, one throb on the sward, one 
 tick on the highest rail of the fence ; away from 
 danger to safety, from dungeon to liberty, from fol- 
 lowing officers to the clean course in advance. 
 
 Arid such a ride was that of Captain Lorimer, 
 when he had bestrode his friend's gallant gray and 
 took his way southward. And freedom seemed 
 close before, but a vindictive enemy had scattered 
 broadcast, his description, to all the frontier posts, 
 with orders to arrest him, should he appear. Not- 
 withstanding the success that had attended him so 
 far on his road, he relaxed not in vigilance. 
 
 Although Lorimer had husbanded his steed's 
 strength and wind as much as was compatible with 
 a speedy journev, as night approached he perceiv- 
 ed the necessity of halting, both to rest and feed 
 himself, as well as his faithful companion. To that 
 end he began to search for some hotel or wavside 
 tavern and was soon gratified by the sight of a vil- 
 lage and on passing at a much reduced rate of speed
 
 208 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 its single street, his eyes fell upon a swinging sign- 
 board, intimating that his end was gained. Riding 
 to the porch he gave his animal into charge of a 
 waiting hostler, with many an exhortation to good 
 care and good feeding, and passed within the wide 
 open door, beyond which was quite a gathering of 
 men in red and gray coats. 
 
 To Lorimer's surprise, we had almost said dis- 
 may, he recognized, immediately on his entrance, 
 in the Lieutenant in charge, a former intimate and 
 friendly school-fellow in Montreal, who was, even 
 then engaged in reading a printed description of 
 himself. The officer gave a start of surprise when 
 his eves fell upon the newcomer, and quickly ad- 
 vancing, at the same time crushing the paper in his 
 hand and thrusting it into his breast pocket, he ex- 
 tended his other hand to Lorimer, saving: 
 
 "Why, friend Herbert, how are you? I little 
 thought of meeting you in this out-of-the-way spot 
 and," he continued as he took a glance at the oth- 
 er's costume, "in such a rig as vou have adopted." 
 
 "I say yeou, Mister, ef yeou are a-trvin' tu plav 
 any ov veur tricks onto a countryman, yeou may 
 find eut yeou're barkin' up the wrong tree, as mv 
 uncle Hezekiah was apt tu say when tu hum," re- 
 joined Lorimer, nevertheless taking the young offi- 
 cer's extended hand. 
 
 Xo, but truly, are you not Herbert Lorimer.-" 
 asked the lieutenant, much surprised. 
 
 "Ef E-z-e-k-i-e-l spells Hubbut, and S-m-i-t-h 
 spells that'ere t'other name, then I'm him," replied
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 209 
 
 the impurturbable Lorimer, looking squarely and 
 boldly in the other's face. "Neovv as yeou've got 
 the advantage of me, p'raps yeou'll tell me what 
 yeour own name might be, neow r ." 
 
 "I am Lieutenant of this squad of men, and my 
 name is Eugene Watson," replied that individual. 
 "And hain't yeou got no other business than tu 
 make fun of strangers? Abeout how much du ye 
 get fer sich a job? Ef yeou're in want ov hands 
 tu help yeou, I might hire eout." 
 
 "Strange," said the officer, in a sort of aside-; 
 "the height and form are very much like, and he 
 used to be a good mimic, too. Well, perhaps I 
 am mistaken, after all." 
 
 "Ef I understood yeou right, Mr. What's-yeour 
 -name, what did yeou say? I'm a leetle deef, in 
 one ear, and kinder hard ov hearin' in t'other." 
 
 "I say that you are Captain Herbert Lorimer, 
 and my prisoner," replied the lieutenant, resolved 
 to solve his doubts, even if compelled to use harsh 
 measures to accomplish it. 
 
 "All right, Mister Leftenant," answered Lorimer 
 "Ef I be I be, I swow ; but I'm darned ef I knew 
 it till neow. Ef I be yeour pris'ner, p'raps yeou'll 
 order supper fer, by jinks, I'm aHired hungry, and 
 a leetle nipper ov sutthin' tu take wouldn't come 
 amiss, as uncle Hezekiah used tu say." 
 
 The inflexible coolness of the man rather stag- 
 gered the officer and he knew not what to think. 
 After a few moments of cogitation, a bright idea 
 occurred to him. He determined to try a stratagem
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 of which he had read, and in furtherance of it he 
 turned to some of his men and commenced conver- 
 sation with them, gradually making his way tow- 
 ard a distant part of the room. This took some 
 twenty minutes to accomplish ; and in the mean- 
 time Lorimer had taken up a paper, and engaged 
 himself in its perusal. No sooner had the officer 
 perceived this, and that the suspected party seemed 
 deeply engrossed in some article therein, when he 
 loudly exclaimed, at the same time watching the 
 stranger critically : 
 
 "Do6tor, Doctor Lorimer, this way a moment." 
 
 Had not Herbert been most strictly on his guard 
 this ruse would have succeeded; but, as it was not 
 a muscle in his face moved, nor did he even look 
 up from his reading. 
 
 "I beg your pardon, Mr. Smith," now said the 
 lieutenant, approaching the disguised man ; "I rea- 
 lly thought you was an old acquaintance of mine, 
 but am now convinced that you are not." 
 
 "Sho! yeou, Is that'are so? Why, I knowed 
 I wasn't all the time. Then I ain't yeour pris'ner, 
 arter all, hey, and ain't a-goin' tu git my supper 
 and a nipper free gratis and fer nothin', as my un- 
 cle Hezekiah used tu say?" 
 
 "As far as the nipper is concerned, Mr. Smith, 
 I am most willing to pay for one apiece, all round," 
 replied the officer, laughing; "but I am afraid you 
 will have to sup at your own expense." 
 
 "Wai, neow, that's noble. I don't care ef I du," 
 and he made his way to the bar. "I dunno's you'll
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 - - - ^. . ^^ - , 
 
 believe it, but I sartainly thought yeou was a-mak- 
 in' fun of me jest 'cause I was a countryman, like. 
 Here's luck, Leftenant, and darn me ef yeou ain't 
 a trump, yas I'll be sniggered intu fits ef veou ain't 
 the right bower o' trumps, anyhcow." 
 
 "I am certainly obliged to you for your good o- 
 pinion, Mr. Smith," returned the now thoroughly 
 convinced officer, as he put down his glass; "and 
 am very much chagrinned that I made such an un- 
 fortunate mistake." 
 
 "Yeou needn't grin nothin' abeout it, Mister 
 I mean Leftenant," replied Lorimer; "and I don't 
 mind neow ef I treat tu. I say, darn the expense 
 when yeou meet a friend, as my uncle Hezckiah 
 used tu say. I say, yeou, Mister landlord, set on 
 some more of yeour kill-devil, will yeou?" 
 
 The second edition thus disposed of, the soldiers 
 who had been included in the invitation, voted the 
 yankee a right good fellow, and soon after followed 
 their leader from the house. Lorimer procured his 
 supper, paid his bill and the reader may believe 
 that when an hour had passed, and he was again 
 mounted upon his gallant gray, now fully recruit- 
 ed from his afternoon's task, quite a burden had 
 been lifted from his mind. 
 
 Had Lieutenant Watson been himself a yankee, 
 or by association or use, better conversant with the 
 provincial dialecl, he had scarcely been so easily 
 d-eceived by the Captain's somewhat crude and the- 
 atrical assumption of the character. But success 
 being the criterion, he was satisfied.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 And now away again, through gathering gloom 
 and fast settling night ; under the stars as they came 
 out one by one from their background the Blue Be- 
 yond, like the lamps of a great city with a very 
 agile lamplighter, kindling them fast and faster, 
 till the whole vast territory of the sky was speck- 
 led with the many twinkling lights ; under the cor- 
 ner-clipped moon, as if a portion of its periphery 
 had been rubbed out, but leaving the rest as bright, 
 nay, it seemed brighter than before ; a slower lo- 
 comotive with a more numerous train and a less 
 brilliant headlight, on the tramway of the sky, go- 
 ing from, instead of coming to, the last station on 
 the line, "Sundown;" away again from danger to 
 safety, from a dungeon to liberty, and from follow- 
 ing officers to the clear track in advance. 
 
 The daylight had scarcely really settled itself in 
 the east, and began to throw out streamer signals 
 to the opposite quarter, when Dr. Lorimer crossed 
 the mystic line and he was in a land of liberty, once 
 fought and bled for, and thirty years later assured 
 and cemented by the blood of thousands uselessly 
 shed ; and where he could enjoy freedom, without 
 fighting or bleeding for it. And now, for the first 
 time since his escape, so hurriedly had the events 
 crowded upon him, did the results of his fruitless 
 search come to his mind, and he resolved to insti- 
 tute a more thorough examination of the matter, 
 and nearer home. 
 
 There is an old saying, Do6lor, that you had bet- 
 ter heed. It is : "Let sleeping-dogs lie !"
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 2 13 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 SOME DISCLOSURES. 
 
 CARCELY an hour had elapsed, after the 
 departure of Lorimer, the bailiff and his 
 assistants from the Stone House in the 
 Pass, before Helen Leonard was again in 
 her room ; the one looking out of the grated win- 
 dow in the gable. Where she remained during the 
 visit of the officers will be hereafter disclosed. The 
 room, from being the repository of lumber, broken 
 furniture and dust, became as before, tidv and in- 
 habitable, provided always, the occupant was not 
 a prisoner and did not catch occasional glimpses 
 of the crossed bars of iron interposing between 
 herself and freedom. 
 
 Helen had no means of knowing why she had 
 been so suddenly removed and as suddenly return- 
 ed nor did she dream how near had been liberation 
 accomplished by one who, in her great strait would 
 have been most welcome to her aching eyes. But 
 had she known the whole, it would have availed 
 her nothing save the consolation she would natur- 
 rallv derive from the facl that, instead of being, as 
 she supposed, friendless and unsought, an inde- 
 fatigable friend was in search of her, who would 
 leave no effort untried but she should again taste the 
 delights of being free in body and free of fear for 
 her personal safety. This consolation would have 
 been a great stay and support to her already flag- 
 ging spirits, and given her courage for the future.
 
 214 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 On the following day she received another visit 
 from her importunate and deceived suitor, but, un- 
 der the plea of indisposition, a plea that is often 
 used in our day to the same end, she excused her- 
 self from any conversation with him on the subject 
 so near his heart. 
 
 Nearly a week now glided over her head, with- 
 out any incident worthy of note when, on an even- 
 ing at the end of that time she was again startled, 
 as she sat looking forth from the grated window, 
 the sash being raised, by the sound of some hard 
 substance striking one of the bars and rebounding 
 falling to the ground. It seemed to have been a 
 pebble wrapped in something, evidently paper ; 
 and manv an idea she formed of its nature. That 
 it was thrown or tossed there by someone and that 
 one a person who could avail him or herself of no 
 other way of communication was evident ; and she 
 finally arrived at the conclusion that it was a letter 
 intended for her. and that he who would have de- 
 livered it only failed in so doing, by the interven- 
 tion of the bar. Even while these thoughts were 
 in her mind, and she was gazing down where, in 
 the twilight, she could just discern the white pa- 
 per, if paper it was, from the surrounding earth, 
 she was almost maddened by seeing one of the gang 
 pick it up, untie a string and unfold what was evi- 
 dently a letter which, after a slight examination, he 
 carried into the house. 
 
 Slight as was the foundation on which to erect 
 her superstructure, and small as the incident was.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 2 It; 
 
 to her appreciative mind there was cause for hope 
 to her in it. At this instant the thought occurred 
 to her to look for the person who. had made the at- 
 tempt and she thought she saw, under the bushes, 
 whence had come help before, a diminutive figure 
 waving his hand. So great "had become the gloom 
 by this time that she was uncertain, but confident 
 that she was correct and that it must be a friend, 
 she w r aved her handkerchief in return. Her hand 
 was not withdrawn from between the bars, when 
 she heard the crack of a rifle, followed almost im- 
 mediately by a shrill scream from beneath the tree 
 and this again by the voice of Samuel Pruyter, as 
 he muttered a hoarse oath just below her. 
 
 The intelligent girl, of course, read all this mys- 
 tery as readily as does the reader, though perhaps, 
 not so easily as to who had been the mark at which 
 young Pruyter had made his shot. She soon after 
 saw three men approaching the tree, bearing a lan- 
 tern, but soon discovered that they were at fault, 
 for they failed to make any discoveries, and soon 
 returned empty-handed. 
 
 The night being without a cloud and quite warm 
 for the season, the girl remained at the window, 
 absorbed in thought, not only of the incidents that 
 had just transpired but of many other matters. 
 Finally her meditations led her back to Montreal 
 and, as a consequence, to the "one who had crossed 
 her life-path there. Though no word of love had 
 been spoken, the speaking eyes of Herbert Lori- 
 mer had told tales his lips had, as yet, refused to
 
 2i(i THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 utter; and though, when she had returned to her 
 mother's bedside, her heart was but little interested 
 til-' seocls of that sweetest yet saddest passion of the 
 human heart had been planted, and meditation and 
 trouble had fostered them to a speedy growth. 
 
 Of him, then, who had prompted that affection 
 that now bloomed so lavishly, did she meditate and 
 wish, oh, how earnestly, that he might learn of her 
 imprisonment and come to her rescue. Naturally 
 romantic in her feelings notwithstanding her good 
 supply of common sense, she pictured him daring 
 much in her behalf and she fondly hoped, succeed- 
 ing. Little did she know how near to her wishes 
 the obje6t of her hopes was acting ; for of his be- 
 ing in Steadville, of his pursuing her captor on that 
 night of his effort to release her, of the dangers he 
 had passed in following the false track made by 
 her faithless guardian and of his even now plan- 
 ning to her good, she knew nothing. Being igno- 
 rant of these facls and very anxious for assistance, 
 she came at last to feel hurt that he had not made 
 inquries for her and had not undertaken her cause. 
 
 While these thoughts, natural as they were to a 
 person in her situation, were dancing through her 
 mind, her attention was attracted by a light click- 
 ing sound, low but distinct, apparently in the wall 
 beneath her. Thrusting her head as far as possible 
 through an aperture in the grating she just discern- 
 ed what appeared to be a baboon or large ape, ma- 
 king his way up the surface of stones. Frightened 
 at first but, after a second thought, assured that the
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 317 
 
 same obstruction that kept her in would keep him 
 out, she stepped a pace from the window, and a- 
 waited events. Not long, however, for soon a hu- 
 man face and one that she recognized as that of the 
 brother of him who had heen so prominent in her 
 mind and whom she had once seen in Montreal, 
 though carried and backed now, by an ape's body, 
 made its appearance, above the sill, and reaching 
 upward one of its paws, clung to the grating. 
 
 "Why, how in mercy's name, Hector Lorimer, 
 did you contrive to get here?" exclaimed Helen, in 
 an excited but still low and guarded tone, as the 
 welcome sight met her vision. 
 
 "By hook and by crook, the same way the old 
 woman got the apples that she was unable to climb 
 for," answered the dwarf, at the same time point- 
 ing to two sharp pointed and finely tempered steel 
 hooks, not dissimilar to those now used bv tele- 
 graph repairers in ascending the poles on which 
 the wires are hung and so arranged as to take and 
 retain hold upon the smallest inequality of a rock, 
 buckled firmly to the insidesof his wrists. "I have 
 a couple more fastened to my ankles, Miss Helen, 
 and I could climb the rainbow with them, if ever 
 I could get to where the end of it rests upon the 
 earth." 
 
 "Was it not yon that was fired on, just now?" 
 asked the girl, smiling. 
 
 "I suppose so," replied Hector, twisting his fea- 
 tures into a comical grin, one practiced upon for 
 masquerade purposes, when his costume was the
 
 2lS THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 same that he now wore; ''but have no means of 
 knowing, for I heard no bullet or other indication 
 of the gun's being pointed at me. But as there 
 didn't seem to be any one around likely to be made 
 a target of, perhaps they chose a small one, rather 
 than they should have none." 
 
 "But I heard a scream immediately upon the 
 discharge of the gun," said Helen. 
 
 "Why yes," replied Hector ; "that was me. A 
 poor marksman needs encouragement and I yelled 
 to comfort him with the idea that he had made for 
 once in his life a respectable shot." 
 
 "And how has your health been since I saw you 
 in the city?" asked Miss Leonard. 
 
 Now look here, Miss Helen," asked Hector, 
 saucily winking at the person addressed; "what 
 is the use of beating around the bush and gallivant- 
 ing away 'round Robin Hood's barn, (where the 
 d deuce that is I don't know) before you come to. 
 the question you are so anxious to ask that you can 
 hardly keep your lips from framing it? Now what 
 you want to inquire about is not little Hector, but 
 that overgrown mass of humanity, my big brother 
 Herbert, the Captain." 
 
 Now I assure you " hesitatingly began the 
 
 girl, while blushes overspread her face and neck, 
 at the home thrust of the mischievous bov. 
 
 "Now don't, Miss Helen, tell a fib, for there is 
 an awful fate in store for such as pervert the truth. 
 Now, really, wouldn't you like to know who sent 
 me here, and for what ?"
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 219 
 
 What answer the girl would have made we know 
 not for, just then a hasty footstep was heard near 
 her door, and immediately afterwards a knock, the 
 latch was raised, and Samuel Pruyter entered rath- 
 er hurriedly, in facl without awaiting permission. 
 
 Helen was startled, not so much at his unwar- 
 ranted intrusion as in fear that the dwarf would be 
 discovered. A quick glance at the window, how- 
 ever, relieved her of that apprehension for, quick 
 as had been the entrance of young Pruyter, a triffle 
 quicker had been the disappearance of the dwarfs 
 head ; and to cover the noise that he must inevitably 
 make in his descent was now the purpose of the 
 voung lady, as she rather tartly said : 
 
 "Is this the respect, sir, due to me in my posi- 
 tion, either as a lady or a prisoner, that my sleep- 
 ing appartment is entered as freely and with as lit- 
 tle notice or ceremony as is a common bar-room ? 
 A very respectful suitor you have exhibited your- 
 self, who should, by courtesy and kind attention, 
 win affection, instead of brusqueness and incivility 
 in the common affairs of life." 
 
 The maiden spoke boldly, for the last ten min- 
 utes had made her bold. The very presence of 
 Hector Lorimer argued, in her mind, that his old- 
 er brother was not far distant. The words of the 
 dwarf had seemed to indicate that much ; and, in 
 that proximity she was brave. We have seen a wo- 
 man weighing two hundred pounds, with strength 
 to match it, much scared, but reconciled and as- 
 sured upon the approach of her husband, of one
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^-^^^-s-*^~>-+^- -^-^^-^-~~~s^-^-^- 
 
 hundred and twenty pounds whom she could "han- 
 dle," to use a yankeeism, as easily as she could a 
 child of ten years of age. So much encouragement 
 is there in the nearness of one that is loved ; for if 
 she had not felt the full force of his protecting in- 
 fluence she would not have loved him. And fur- 
 ther, Helen Leonard not only felt that she was safe 
 in body when her friend was watching over her, 
 but she had been disappointed in not hearing from 
 him, and her present visitor was the first person on 
 whom she could vent the effects of her failure of 
 expectation and, woman like, pardon me, fair rea- 
 der, if any such I may have, she meted out upon 
 him the full benefit of her vexation. 
 
 "You must excuse the abruptness and seeming 
 impoliteness of my entrance, Miss Leonard," said 
 the young man, with something like a quaver in 
 his voice; "but my father has interdicted my vis- 
 its to you and I have taken advantage of his tempo- 
 rary absence to make you a call. Did you know 
 the happiness that seeing vou imparts, or the mise- 
 ry your absence gives me, you would surely forgive 
 a disobedience to my parent that is solely prompted 
 by my great love for yourself." 
 
 "And did you take advantage of his temporary 
 absence to make a target of a human being as, if 
 I am not mistaken, you did, some half-hour ago?" 
 
 "You are greatly deceived, Miss Helen," replied 
 the young man, without a trip or stammer of his 
 ready tongue, for he was as proficient and glib a 
 liar as was his father, although there was not the
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 amount of plausibility in his prevarications that 
 characterized those of the more finished villain. 
 "The shot I fired was at a huge monkev or baboon 
 that has been around the mountain here, since last 
 evening and has repeatedly been seen by the men. 
 Such an animal escaped from the menagerie that 
 visited Steadville on the dav before vesterday and 
 this, of course, is the same one." 
 
 "You frighten me, Mr. Pruvter," exclaimed the 
 girl who, in her newfound confidence, was inclin- 
 ed to humor the man in his mendacity. "I shall 
 scarcely sleep a wink after what you tell me." 
 
 "Oh, there is no danger. He is probably fatallv 
 wounded, for I heard him yell, and the men that 
 I sent out to examine the ground, found large quan- 
 tities of blood, but the monster had probably sec- 
 reted himself among the rocks, where but a short 
 time can elapse before he must perish from loss of 
 blood. I am verv proud to announce to vou, that 
 it has been my good fortune to destroy an animal 
 which, doubtless, would have been a cause of un- 
 easiness to one for whom I feel such an amount of 
 afte&ion, that no danger would be too great for me 
 to endure to ensure her peace." 
 
 The unblushing effrontery and utter disregard 
 for truth of this unscriptural Ananias, was so dis- 
 gusting to the finer sensibilities of the maiden that 
 it was with an effort she restrained herself from 
 taunting him with it, a course she would most cer- 
 tainlv have pursued, had her circumstances been 
 different. Nor did she fail to despise herself for
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 s^^^^~^s-~~**~*-^~>->~>-- -^-^x^-x^-. 
 
 adopting a similar style of conduct, in a less deg- 
 ree, perhaps, but quite as reprehensible, when the 
 higher law is considered ; for she was acting a lie, 
 in the smiles and tacit encouragement she awarded 
 him in his character of a suitor and in impliedly ac- 
 cepting the addresses of one for whom she enter- 
 tained a most supreme contempt. Yet she acted 
 on that maxim that has been the cause of much 
 evil in this our erring world, that the end justifies 
 the means ; that a little evil might be done that a 
 great good may come. Fear, and certainly had she 
 great cause of fear, will prompt many an adt that 
 otherwise would never be performed ; a dread of 
 the consequences will often force a man, if not to 
 utter an absolute falsehood, at least to cover and 
 conceal the truth, then why should a weak girl be 
 blamed, or blame herself, if she takes means, that 
 the rigid letter of the law, under another state of 
 affairs, would pronounce within its ban, to escape 
 the result of her not fully considered act ? 
 
 While these thoughts were passing through the 
 maiden's mind, the object of them sat with a self- 
 satisfied smile upon his face, and arrogating to him- 
 self the idea that his conferee was fully 'struck with 
 his act of heroism and self devotion to her safety 
 and peace of mind ; and that its consequences must 
 be an increase of her affections. 
 
 "I am certainly gratified for your kind consider- 
 ation of my pleasure, Mr. Pruyter," replied Miss 
 Leonard, and she was yet acting her lie, notwith- 
 standing the compunctions of conscience attending
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 223 
 
 it, "and can but feel that, not only my personal 
 safety, but quiet are assured by your heroic a&.." 
 
 "No thanks are due," said Pruyter, throwing a 
 quick glance in the speaker's face, for he thought 
 he detected the least bit of sarcasm in her words, 
 if not in her voice. "To do you any favor, at any 
 price, ever has, and ever shall be my study ; for 
 how can I ever repay you for your kindness in re- 
 ceiving my visits and of listening to my suit," and 
 during this speech he was gradually approaching 
 his chair to hers. 
 
 She had complacency enough to allow him to 
 think she was interested in him, but to endure any 
 caress or familiarity from him she could not ; and 
 to escape any such that his actions and looks prog- 
 nosticated, she endeavored to change the subject 
 by saying : 
 
 "In my situation, Mr. Pruyter, I have failed to 
 hear any news of the outer world, which to me, en- 
 dowed as I am, in a very great degree, with that 
 natural charadtistic of woman, curiosity, proves to 
 be one of my greatest deprivations. Your oppor- 
 tunities of seeing and conversing with people from 
 abroad must have enabled you to accumulate quite 
 a store of gossip of things that have occurred since 
 my imprisonment." 
 
 Now this remark, while it served the purpose for 
 which it had been introduced, at the same time, 
 gave Pruyter the very opportunity he wished. In 
 fa c\ his visit had been made on purpose, almost, to 
 tell her the news, and he replied :
 
 224 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 'In our secluded residence we hear but little of 
 the transadions out of our vicinity, and certainly 
 nothing occurs to me at present of sufficient inter- 
 est to be worth relating. Of course you care but 
 little for politics, and they appear to absorb the at- 
 tention of the public at present." 
 
 ''Politics?" 
 
 "Yes," he replied. "The questions agitating 
 the country, that have culminated in a useless and 
 unadvised rebellion." 
 
 "Ah ! Mr. Pruyter," she exclaimed, a sudden in- 
 terest animating her expressive features ; "surely 
 nothing could interest me more. I am so pleased. 
 Can you give me any intelligence of the progress 
 of the movement?" 
 
 "The insurrection has been entirely put down ; 
 the last organized band of rebels has thrown down 
 its arms and dispersed to their homes, and to-dav 
 not a solitary insurgent is in arms against the gov- 
 ernment, and Her Majesty's troops are only enga- 
 ged in apprehending, trying and punishing the lea- 
 ders. The rank and file, with very few exceptions, 
 are pardoned by proclamation, conditioned upon 
 their good behavior in the future." 
 
 "And the leaders, you were about to say ?" 
 
 and surely she was now interestd, for Herbert Lor- 
 imer had been made a Captain while she knew 
 him in Montreal, but had not been assigned to any 
 particular post, until about the time she had left, 
 to return to her home. Naturally she would feel 
 more interest in leaders than in the rank and file.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 225 
 
 "Papineau and others, with praiseworthy dis- 
 cretion, are refugees in the United States; while 
 Du Chillou and Lorimer " and he paused for a 
 scarcely perceptible time on the name while an ex- 
 pression of exultation was on his face as he did so, 
 "and one or two others have been arrested, tried 
 and banished to Bermuda, with the further decree 
 of death, if they are found within the Canadas, in 
 the period during which their sentence of banish- 
 ment extends." 
 
 A deathlike palor overspread the maiden's coun- 
 tenance, chasing slowly away her naturally high 
 color, and she swayed in her chair for a moment 
 or two, when the glorious conviction that he was 
 a liar flashed across her memory, and she gathered 
 resolution to ask : 
 
 "What, Herbert Lorimer, of Montreal?" 
 
 "Both Herbert and his impish brother, Heclx>r, 
 are included in the sentence. They both departed 
 three days since in a man-of-war, from Quebec, 
 under a guard detailed from Col. Melville's regi- 
 ment. But you are not well, Miss Helen. Allow 
 me to procure you a glass of water." 
 
 "Do so, if you please," assented the girl, glad 
 to be relieved of his presence for a season, on any 
 reasonable terms. 
 
 He passed out, but soon returned ; and he was 
 surprised at her so sudden recovery from what had 
 appeared to be the premonitions of a serious faint- 
 ing fit, but he wisely m ule no remark upon the 
 circumstance, and soon after, at her request, took
 
 226 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 his departure, and did not again return that even- 
 ing. He was better satisfied with his visit than he 
 would have been had he known what thoughts oc- 
 cupied the girl after his exit. 
 
 \Vhilea few uncomfortable doubts yet remained, 
 Helen felt now to bless the young man's dominant 
 propensity, that but an hour before she had so rep- 
 rehended ; for knowing that he lied in part, as to 
 Hector Lorimer, she consoled herself with the old 
 adage, false in part, false in all, (some, perhaps, 
 would have written the apothegm in latin, but the 
 learned will understand it in its English dress, and 
 the ignorant would fail to recognize its Roman,) 
 that if he had falsified in regard to one, which her 
 recent interview with the person in question, had 
 assured her was a facl, and not being of the mind 
 of the uxorious husband who would believe the 
 word of his wife before he would the evidence of 
 his own defective eyes, he might just as likely pre- 
 varicate in the other, when he had an end in view. 
 So confident had she soon become of this state of 
 the case, that Pruyter had been gone but a few mo- 
 ments when she laughed lightly at he former fears. 
 Subdued as was the audible manifestation of her 
 happiness, it was heard and echoed by a sigh at 
 her window.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 227 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 AN UNAVAILING EFFORT. 
 
 t N the same evening, and at about the same 
 hour in which Miss Helen Leonard re- 
 ceived company to an extent far exceeding 
 her usual habit in her then present situa- 
 tion, and only some fifty rods distant, might have 
 been seen, did the deep gloom of the night and the 
 overhanging crags allow, Dodlor Herbert Lorimer 
 impatiently waiting the return of his trusty scout, 
 whom he had sent to deliver a letter to the prison- 
 er, and in which that usually adroit individual had 
 failed, as recorded in the last chapter. 
 
 Immediately upon his unsuccessful search, and 
 its attendant accidents and incidents, he had, in 
 company with his brother, made a visit of espion- 
 age to the precincls of Copper Mountain, for the 
 purpose of ascertaining whether the plausible old 
 man had indeed sent him upon what the vulgar are 
 apt to term a "wild goose chase," as had been, 
 most strenuously insisted upon by his brother, or 
 whether the fault had been in himself, in not dis- 
 covering where she was residing in the city. 
 
 They had gained his present position by the de- 
 vious and somewhat difficult road used by Heclor, 
 on a former occasion and, as they hoped and to all 
 appearance, was the case, undiscovered by the 
 alert watchers that a reconnoisance for the purpose 
 on the part of the dwarf, were found yet posted at 
 the ordinary avenues of approach, on the evening
 
 228 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 previous. While the younger brother, after assu- 
 ming his masquerade dress, had departed for the 
 stone house to endeavor to procure a sight of the 
 fair prisoner, if indeed she was there, the older 
 employed his time in constructing a shelter, where 
 if necessity called, they might pass the night com- 
 fortably. The place seleded for this temporary 
 abode was at the head of one of the numerous ra- 
 vines lining the mountain, a lesser gully ; one of 
 the cross wrinkles in the face of the world, one of 
 Nature's children, whose age as written down, in 
 the Family Record of Creation, might well war- 
 rant all the creases that Time, in his rapid flight, 
 has left. Though not so deep or so long as many 
 others, the precipitous nature of its sides, that like 
 some men, stood up so straight that they bent a 
 little back ; and the facl that the position could be 
 only approached from one direction, seemed to in- 
 dicate the wisdom of the choice thev had made for 
 the purpose for which they occupied it. 
 
 The impetuous and, in rare instances, choleric 
 Captain-Doctor had, of late, been a considerably 
 soured by his disappointments and ill luck, and he 
 had been betrayed into that which had never before 
 taken place, the saying of some pretty sharp things 
 to Hector ; but that anomalv of humanity, with his 
 great affedion for his u big brother," as he usually 
 called him, had sense enough to consider that in- 
 dividual's feelings and attribute his words to their 
 proper cause and no disruption of the bond of love 
 that had for a lifetime bound them, had occurred ;
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 229 
 
 ye: til -J mischievous Hector could not forbear an oc- 
 casional shot in return, good natured but sarcastic. 
 The scout of the voung man had resulted in dis- 
 covering the maiden in her old room, but as there 
 was considerable movement in and around the es- 
 tablishment, he was prevented from making his 
 presence known, which facts he had duly reported 
 to Herbert. The latter, during the following day, 
 had written the note, and when the shades of eve- 
 ning had sufficiently closed in to make the attempt 
 for its delivery advisable, had again sent his broth- 
 er forward for that purpose, and as before written, 
 was impatiently awaiting his return. 
 
 Unfortunately for the projects of both, the sim- 
 ulated ape's first appearance had been detected and 
 efforts made to trace him to his hiding place; but 
 his actions had not been so closely watched but he 
 had accomplished another portion of his errand, 
 the delivery of a short note from Herbert Lorimer 
 to William H nvard, politely requesting him to see 
 the writer at his earliest convenience, at the place 
 of his present stav. 
 
 Among the thousand-ami- one subjects of reflec- 
 tion that were tumbling through the doctor's mind 
 while thus alone, another, and like some unbidden 
 guest at a gathering, where the seats are already 
 filled, came stealing in which, when he perceived, 
 he was surprise/;! had not before appeared. This 
 was the fact of the strictness with which all ap- 
 proaches to the stone house were so jealously guar- 
 ded. If the proceedings were all legitimate, why
 
 230 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 all this vigilance? The mere fact that Helen was 
 a prisoner there could not account for it, especially 
 when all who sought her release had been so easi- 
 ly and quietly disposed of by the old man's plaus- 
 sible lies. Some other reason must be assigned, 
 and he was at a loss to supply it. Immediately be- 
 hind this intruder came another asking why, unless 
 the story at the same time told of her temporary 
 aberation of mind was true, was she kept a prison- 
 er at all? and still another newcomer to the gath- 
 ering came with the question, what reason had the 
 villain for deceiving him as well as the bailiffs, as 
 he evidently had, by his false statement of her de- 
 parture for Montreal? 
 
 So plentiful and pertinacious had become the 
 inquiries of these uninvited guests to the gathering 
 in his brain that the legitimate occupants were all 
 entirely driverf out and the new arrivals held undis- 
 puted svvav there. Although he had no ready an- 
 swer for anv they made him uneasy and more than 
 ever resolved to penetrate the mystery, at the same 
 time he pursued his other project, the rescue of the 
 maiden if, as he thought, he had reason to believe 
 the old man had perpetrated a falsehood, or she 
 had, as that person admitted, recovered her equi- 
 librium of mind. 
 
 All these thoughts were driven away, making 
 place for anxiety for his brother's safety when he 
 heard the sudden discharge of the rifle, the only 
 sound that had reached him in his seclusion ; and 
 had not his brother strictly enjoined to the contrary
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 he would have made his way to the scene of the 
 firing to resolve his doubts. It was therefore with 
 a good deal of uneasiness that l\e waited fullv an 
 hour before he was satisfied bv the arrival of that 
 person wholly uninjured, at his waiting place. An 
 inquiry as to the cause and result of the shot,' was 
 answered in the dwarfs own quaint manner, to 
 which was added his report of his transactions dur- 
 ing his last absence, in the following terms : 
 
 "After that gentle and discreet youth, Samuel, 
 had sent me his compliments in the shape of a rifle 
 ball, and I had acknowledged their receipt, bv a 
 regular Mohawk yell, and some of his understrap- 
 pers were hunting for my remains, no doubt for the 
 purpose of securing my hide to stuff' and 'keep as 
 a curiosity, I sidled away down the road, crossed 
 to a clump of bushes on the other side, and soon 
 made my way to the shelter of the building. The 
 coast being clear, I shinned up the wall and was 
 soon in conversation with the divinity." 
 
 "And it was her, then? How did she look and 
 acl? Was she low spirited and pale, or, in spite 
 of their abuse, has she retained her spirits and col- 
 or?" asked the impetuous young man, and his 
 speaking countenance told how anxiously he wait- 
 ed the brother's reply. 
 
 Yes. Blooming and rationally. No. Xot 
 much. Mostly. In a degree," replied Heclor, en- 
 deavoring to give as many answers as he had re- 
 ceived questions. "But she was scarcely so ani- 
 mated while conversing with me as she was but a
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^_^s^-^X-^^- *~^ -^^^-^-*^-*~r^~~^^ 
 
 short time afterwards, when Samuel entered her 
 room, very much like an old acquaintance, without 
 rap or hesitation, as any privileged person would." 
 
 "And did you tell-her ?" 
 
 'Nothing," answered the mischievous and tan- 
 talizihg dwarf. "She didn't take the pains to ask : 
 and our conversation was very short." 
 
 "What had the villain to say to her?" 
 
 "I tarried but a moment," said Hedlor, "as the 
 straps soon began to hurt my wrists and ankles, so 
 I crept as quietly as possible to the ground. I saw 
 Howard, as I made off, and delivered your note ; 
 but he seemed to receive it as if it had been a note 
 alreadv protested and there were no funds to meet 
 it; but hush, there is someone coming." 
 
 They were quickly hidden but immediately em- 
 erged when they discovered that the comer was the 
 expected William Howard, who advanced, saying : 
 "I have come at your request, Captain Lorimer. 
 In what can I assist you ? By the tenor of your 
 short letter it would seem that you expected, or de- 
 sired my assistance in some matter." 
 
 "Partly, William, partly," responded Lorimer. 
 much surprised at the coolness of the other, so 
 different was it from his manner at their last meet- 
 ing. "I say partly, for that is not the whole of my 
 intention in requesting you to meet me here. For 
 old friendship's sake " 
 
 "You must consider, Captain Lorimer, that im- 
 position is different from what it was, when I last 
 met you," interrupted the young man with a vast
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 amount of dignity in his tone and manner; "that 
 I am now employed by a different party, and that 
 his interests are my interests and the aid which you 
 acknowledge you wish at my hands, if I am right 
 in my opinion, must inevitably conflict with them, 
 and is therefore against my inclination to render." 
 
 "I ask no help that may not honorably be giyen, 
 Mr. Howard," said Lorimer, slightly afflicted with 
 the same feeling that seemed to actuate the other ; 
 "nor did I expedite employ you in an undertaking 
 that would militate against your employer's con- 
 cerns. You was present when I paid a former and 
 more open visit to Mr. Pruyterand, of course, must 
 have become aware of my object, not only at that 
 time, but at present, in coming here." 
 
 "I am aware of your object, Captain, and 
 
 "One moment, Mr. Howard, if you please," in- 
 terrupted Lorimer. "The lady is one I formerly 
 met in Montreal, and formed for her a deep and 
 sincere affection. It is but natural that I should be 
 much interested in her welfare, especially when I 
 am convinced that she is detained against her wish- 
 es, and take all honorable means of rescuing her 
 from the duress. You, yourself, were a certain 
 lady with whom I am slightly acquainted, in the 
 same situation, would exert your every nerve in 
 her behalf, I am convinced, and for this reason I 
 expected your aid." 
 
 "No doubt I should, Captain Lorimer, but cir- 
 cumstances alter cases, it is said. If Mr. Pruyter 
 sees fit, as the young lady's guardian to restrain
 
 234 TIIE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 her, in some measure, for some good reason of his 
 mm, which it is not my province to question, it is 
 plainly my duty to humor his fancies rather than 
 those of an almost entire stranger. As I said be- 
 fore, my employer's interests are mine and I shall 
 not inquire whether they tally with my feelings or 
 not. I certainly do not blame you for wishing to 
 free the young lady from her restraint ; but, under 
 present circumstances, I cannot help you." 
 
 "I am surprised, Mr. Howard " 
 
 "Excuse me, Captain," interrupted the ex-host- 
 ler. "I shall feel it my duty, considering the con- 
 fidence you have reposed in me, to keep the facts 
 of this meeting and your presence here, a secret, 
 for a sufficient time to allow you to reach your home 
 and I shall surely do so ; but after that time my du- 
 ty to my employer plainly points out that I should 
 tell him that an enemy has surreptitiously entered 
 on his demesnes, and that his buildings are not free 
 from an unlawful espionage;" saying which Wil- 
 liam Howard turned on his heel and left. 
 
 \Vhe-w." whistled Hector, who, for the last 
 few minutes had been gazing with wide open eyes 
 and mouth upon the speaker, and a comical look 
 of wonder gradually overspreading his features. 
 "Well, they say that some men can't bear prosper- 
 ity; but I hardly think that Mr. William Howard 
 has any weakness on that point. I wonder if this 
 saw-horse hostler sleeps in a refrigerator, or spends 
 his leisure hours in an ice-house. Some such op- 
 peration he must go through with to make him so
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 235 
 
 refreshingly cool. A northwest wind in mid-win- 
 ter is nothing in comparison to him to-night." 
 
 "I am certainly astonished at his manner, for I 
 had expecled something more genial and respon- 
 sive, from past experience." 
 
 "And what do you propose doing now?" asked 
 Hector. "-There will be a dozen of this mongrel 
 crew down on us in less than an hour, without any 
 doubt and we shall have to retreat, anyway. As I 
 am rather small and you are rather large, hadn't 
 we better make tracks'now? It will save time." 
 
 "Could our remaining here be of any earthly 
 use," replied the elder brother, after a moment's 
 consideration, "I would see them all sunk first. As 
 it is we will go back to where our horses are, and 
 while you remain in hiding, I will ride into this 
 viper's nest and in person and by word of mouth, 
 demand the release of the lady." 
 
 "Well devised, most astute Ajax. They will, 
 of course, deliver her to you the instant your wishes 
 are made known, with apologies for not having 
 done so before." 
 
 "I hardly expecl: they will pay much attention 
 to my demands," replied Herbert; "but they will 
 understand that I am determined to pursue them 
 until my object is attained." 
 
 "Yes, and watch her the closer and guard her 
 the more vigilantly when they know your purpose." 
 
 "Well, we shall see," remarked Herbert a trifle 
 impatiently, as he strode away in the direction of 
 the path by which they had gained admittance to
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 the ravine, near and beyond which their animals 
 were securely tethered. 
 
 In less than an hour from that time Captain Lor- 
 imer rode up the rugged path leading to the stone 
 house, regaled in his course by the usual, but, on 
 this occasion, less numerous but more distinct hoot- 
 ings of the counterfeit owls. Springing lightly to 
 the ground near the door, and flinging the loop of 
 his bridle over a post, he boldlv advanced to the 
 opened door in which the elder Pruyter stood, ap- 
 parently awaiting his coming. 
 
 "Good evening. Doctor Lorimer," said the pol- 
 ished old villain, extending his hand in a friendly 
 manner. "You ride late." 
 
 "My business is of a nature that knows neither 
 late nor early hours," rejoined Lorimer, somewhat 
 brusquely, ignoring the hand. 
 
 "And what may that be, if with me?" demand- 
 ed Pruyter, blandly, though there was a slight sar- 
 casm in his tones. "In anything in which my poor 
 services can warrantably be rendered, they are at 
 your command. Will you come in?" 
 
 "Without circumlocution or evasion, Mr. Pruy- 
 ter," exclaimed Lorimer, not accepting the invita- 
 tion. "I have come for the same purpose that 
 called me here on a former occasion, the uncondi- 
 tional release of Miss Helen Leonard; or at least, 
 an undisturbed and un watched interview with her." 
 
 "And by what authority do you make your mod- 
 est demand, Doftor Lorimer?" asked the old man, 
 with a slight, but gentlemanly sneer.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 237 
 
 "By that authority delegated to all feeling men, 
 when innocence suffers," replied Herbert prompt- 
 ly ; "and by the still further warrant of my affec- 
 tion for her, that gives a better authority than that 
 of a self-constituted guardian." 
 
 "You are unjustifiably seyere in your remarks, 
 sir," rejoined Pruyter ; "and I must question your 
 right, so long as might is against you. Candidly, 
 the maiden's health at present, will not warrant an 
 interview, much less a removal, and by my author- 
 ity as her legal guardian, made so, not only by be- 
 ing the former husband of her dead mother, but by 
 decree of court, that you in your impetuosity and 
 unreasonableness term self-constituted, I am com- 
 pelled to refuse both your requests." 
 
 "You have deceived me before, Mr. Pruyter, 
 and may be deceiving me in this," heatedly said 
 the young man, for he was fast losing his temper. 
 
 "Deceived you, sir? In what, pray:" 
 
 "You told me she had gone to Montreal, and i 
 know that she is within the walls of this building, 
 at this very moment." 
 
 "Is it not possible that you are mistaken, Dr. 
 Lorimer?" inquired the old man, quietly. "Did 
 I not say started for Montreal ?" 
 
 "Perhaps so, but in what lies the difference?" 
 
 "The question whether I deceived you or not," 
 replied he, plausibly. "That she did not go to 
 Montreal, I willingly admit, but that she started, I 
 claim. After riding a few miles in the stage, her 
 malady of mind, that we all supposed fully cured.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 attacked her with more violence than before, and 
 she was at once returned to this place ; since which 
 time she has been slowly recuperating, under the 
 best of care. Any undue excitement may again 
 unbalance her reason and make her permanently 
 insane, which we all most devoutly pray may not 
 occur." 
 
 "Are you telling me the truth, Mr. Pruyter?" 
 asked the bewildered Lorimer, in spite of himself 
 influenced by this well-told lie. 
 
 "Why should you doubt my word, sir?" 
 
 "I know not why, unless it be a conviction for 
 which I cannot account," replied Lorimer, then re- 
 membering Hector's report, his doubts were more 
 fully revived and he continued : "I must, in just- 
 ice to my own feelings, see the young lady ; at how- 
 great a distance I care not, but that I see her is all 
 sufficient." 
 
 "It would not be best." 
 
 "As a physician I could pass as good if not a 
 better judgement upon her condition, than many 
 doctors who have not had my opportunities of study 
 and observation," almost pleaded the Captain, so 
 much were his feelings enlisted. 
 
 "It would not be best," repeated Pruyter. 
 
 At this instant a small piece of paper fluttered 
 down through the darkness, and fell at Herbert's 
 feet. It could not have come from Helen's window 
 for that wa^ at the end of the house, and the door 
 at which the foregoing colloquy had taken place, 
 was at one side and nearer the opposite end. The
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 239 
 
 man saw it at the same time, and with a quick mo- 
 tion attempted to sieze it but it being nearer to the 
 doctor he caught it first and, by the light from the 
 lamp shining through the doorway distinctly read : 
 
 "What he tells you is false, but you cannot aid 
 me. HELEN." 
 
 Crushing the missive in his hand before the oth- 
 er had discovered a word, Lo rimer turned to his 
 opponent and with some fierceness in his manner, 
 said : 
 
 "I much misdoubt you, old man, and I demand 
 an instant interview with Miss Leonard." 
 
 'And !_ refuse," answered Pruyter, politely but 
 firmly. 
 
 'Then, by the^Living Lord, I will force my way 
 to her in spite of your refusal !" and the impulsive 
 voung man drew a pistol from his breast, and ad- 
 vanced across the threshhold. 
 
 "I entreat you to pause, Doctor Lorimer," and 
 now there was a full blown sneer upon the old vil- 
 lain's face and in his voice as he spoke ; and quiet- 
 ly stepping aside, he disclosed to the astonished 
 eves of the enraged young man four stout men 
 blocking the wav with levelled muskets, their dark 
 muzzles staring him in the face. Noting the Cap- 
 tain's involuntary hesitation, Pruyter continued : 
 "I entreat you to pause, for to advance is certain 
 death. These men have my orders, and thev will 
 .obey them to the letter. They are to shoot you to 
 death if you make anv violent attempt to pass them 
 or to offer any injury to anv person present. Look
 
 2 4 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 at them well, Doctor Lorimer. Do they look as if 
 they would flinch in obeying me; me whose bread 
 they eat and whose money pays them most liberal- 
 ly for their services? Think not I fear the conse- 
 quences, Captain Lorimer, for I know you by that 
 title. By the late proclamation of Governor Dur- 
 ham, while it pardoned the rank and file of the late 
 insurrection, its leaders are made outlaws, and he 
 who shoots them down on sight on Canadian soil, 
 would be praised rather than blamed. And furth- 
 er, Doctor Lorimer, we might well capture you 
 and secure the reward for your apprehension, that 
 is offered by the government ; but if vou choose to 
 retire, well and good ; we seek no quarrel with 
 vou. If you do with us, the consequences be on 
 your own head." 
 
 It was well, perhaps, for Herbert Lorimer, that 
 old Pruyter made so long a speech for, while he 
 was a man who seldom counted the odds against 
 him in a fight, he was not so foolhardy as to plunge 
 into certain death when his blood was cool enough 
 to permit him to reason. In his first blind rage, he 
 might have made the attack and met its inevitable 
 sequel, but while the old man talked, he had time 
 for a second thought and saw that an immolation 
 of himself would in no way further his purpose. 
 Accordingly, although his blood boiled and a deep 
 suffusion rushed to his face, he made a virtue of 
 his necessity and gave over his attempt with all the 
 grace he could muster under the circumstances. 
 
 "I acknowledge myself beaten, Mr. Pruvter, and
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 241 
 
 as y.m s.iy might is' on your sLl^, at this time; but 
 heed my words. [ do not relinquish my purpose. 
 If reasonable demands and the civil laws of Cana- 
 da arc neither of avail, I II Vv the virtue of hard 
 '. -. If Miss Leonard is n<.t released, and that 
 
 .1 will come with force enough to make my 
 demands good !" 
 
 While saving this he had reluctantly mounted 
 his hor-e. and n<>\\ sat glowe-iiv; fiercely down in 
 the old in:m's face. 
 
 "The demands of to-nighi. Doctor Lorimer," 
 rejoined Prmter. as | >!i( -!v as c^er, "have been 
 far from reasonable. ')' th~ civil laws due notice 
 shall be takv-n and due 'aid ; but if it be 
 
 really \ ith a strong force, 
 
 an intimation toll . ill be made to Captain 
 
 Stanrield wh.-. w \\ouldbe most hap- 
 
 py t pos< -ii iit his regulars in my fort, espe- 
 
 cially w!u i -nc so much desired as 
 
 your owri . i;s a visit." 
 
 Maddened and beaten at every point, Captain 
 Lorimer spoke not another word, but putting spurs 
 to his horse, he galloped recklesslv away. 
 
 When he had joined Hector, in his place of con- 
 cealment, and lia v his importunate inqui- 
 ries had re " his mission, with di- 
 vers exclan;;, ' re more emphatic than 
 polite, he receive : >n, that remark so 
 often made bv officious friends who have proven 
 the truth of their ; ci s vil or misfortune : 
 I told von so!'-
 
 THK COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE LABORS OF A BUSY BRAIN. 
 
 ;HE persistent Captain Lorimer, departed, 
 defeated in ail his plans, the old man Pruy- 
 ter retired to his room. To his really able 
 mind, subtle and strong by nature strength- 
 ened and trained by education and by his inter- 
 course with mankind in all of its phases, it was 
 becoming plain that his race was nearly run, unless 
 some strong measures were adopted to rid himself 
 of the dangers menacing him. That the impetu- 
 ous and energetic Doctor Lorimer would tamely 
 sit down under his defeat of the night, he was well 
 assured was one of the impossibilities. Had he no 
 other incentive than revenge for his failure, Pruy- 
 ter well knew his efforts would not cease ; but 
 prompted by that strongest of all passions, love, 
 he was aware no defeat, no repulse, while his life 
 lasted would make him hesitate a single moment 
 in his career. The simple arrest arid banishment 
 of that person would be but gaining time, and but 
 short at that, for to his genius the bolts and bars 
 of Bermuda would be as naught, and ere a month 
 or weeks, perhaps, he would be again his tormen- 
 ting incubus. 
 
 And then the espionage to which his domicile 
 was surely destined must, sooner or later, reveal 
 the greater crimes there perpetrated, and with such 
 a weapon in the hands of an untiring enemy, his 
 destruction was certain. It would not do to release
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 243 
 
 the girl to his care, for he had no confidence in any 
 pledge of secrecy which she might give and while 
 she lived the sword of Democles would be swung 
 above his head by a weakness to which a single 
 hair would be a chain cable in comparison ; that 
 less than a breath would bring crushing down up- 
 on him. 
 
 The girl, to, fully aware of his ^depths of sin, 
 and only waiting her liberty to bring the officers 
 of justice down upon him. She had always hated 
 him and some disclosures, made by her mother to 
 her, on her death bed, of the nature of which, he 
 was not informed but of the tenor of which he had 
 -formed an opinion, had added much to that feeling 
 of aversion, and he was not safe for one single in- 
 stant with her alive or, at least, capable of cohe- 
 rent speech. Once she had escaped, how, he did 
 not know, but had attributed it to the carelessness 
 of some one in leaving her door unfastened, and 
 of which she had taken advantage. Of the swing- 
 ing grating he knew nothing. As the wife of his 
 son, Samuel, and bound by the fearful oath of the 
 gang, he had no confidence in her. Her death was 
 iiis only salvation, and that must be accomplished 
 at all haz/ards. 
 
 To assure himself in his charge of her, on the 
 morrow there was to sit in the stone house, a com- 
 mission of lunacy, that with well trained witness- 
 es, a corrupted physician and a justice, body and 
 soul his, the verdict was foregone ; but this only 
 put oft", for a little season, the fall of the suspended
 
 blade. A i i:l-i be, with 
 
 , c rt L '<' ini; to toil him 
 
 at every turn ; an u dope to always 
 
 conquer him a* e;i>ilv as he did an h.ur ago. 
 
 Death to the innocent girl seemed his only hope. 
 And how to hide it: He would trust to luck for 
 that. Once before had he artfully substituted one 
 for another and no discovery had been the result. 
 But he had tried once to poison her, and she had, 
 apparently, unsuspiciously imbibed the beverage 
 containing the deadly draught, and it seemed to 
 have no perceptible effect upon her. Perhaps the 
 drug had lost its strength, become exchanged, may- 
 be. He had thought of that, too; had examined 
 what remained and had closely questioned Maggie 
 as to whether the prisoner had drinked the tea. 
 Both examinations had proved satisfactory. 
 
 The decree of death passed upon the girl bv the 
 gang, when under the sudden smart of discovery, 
 and instant fear of exposure was no warrant for the 
 execution of the judgement. Her death would be 
 simply murder, under win circumstances it 
 
 was d< > ; : .-,' hoped, no 
 
 other woi ... do it by 
 
 his o\\ M by fate 
 
 uld he 
 ..eat law 
 
 f "at; his own. 
 
 was just- 
 - ilvt-d upon: a 
 t" which his iears hail fed him.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Cjuld hs do it at once? No, he must wait un- 
 til the flurry, the excitement, the novelty of her 
 being kept a prisoner should die away, as all nine 
 days wonder do die away ; wait until the affair was 
 forgotten, save as a memory; and in the meantime 
 watch, and wait, and tremble. 
 
 And how as to Lorimer? He must die, too ! 
 When he had coolly decided upon one murder, an- 
 other came more easily. If he was to be detected 
 and hung, they could not hang him a second time 
 for a second homicide. But in this case there was 
 a difficulty. While the girl could be removed and 
 no questions asked, for none would miss her, he 
 could not be an hour absent beyond his allotted 
 time without inquiries being made. He would 
 have left word, no doubt, where he was going, he 
 would be traced to the stone house, and not away. 
 He could conceal the body that would be easy 
 but how account for its absence? With tracks go- 
 ing to, and none from a place, and man being with- 
 out wings, he must be somewhere there vet. But 
 stop, the busy brain has solved the problem. 
 
 Some people have a faculty of disposing of mo- 
 mentous matters with easy facility. Kings have 
 sentenced victims to death by a beck, and pardon- 
 ed others with a nod ; then why should not this 
 one-headed, but more than an hundred-handed, 
 Briareus dispose of two such simple objects as Hel- 
 en and Herbert. Lorimer, with but a resolve? He 
 had done so, but his hands were not fully cleaned 
 when they were out of them.
 
 346 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 William Howard was a problem not so easily 
 solved. While the two nnlucky one's fate had been 
 so readily fixed, his was not so easily managed ; 
 while they were a menace he was merely an en- 
 cumbrance ; while they threatened, he bothered. 
 It is true that an eve that never yet failed had been 
 foiled for once ; for with the keenest glances that 
 eve had scanned the face and form of the new man 
 and watched his slightest motion since he had been 
 at Copper Mountain, with an intentness that was 
 worthy of better success. While the commonality 
 of the other laborers were uneducated and unintel- 
 ligent, though in some instances possessing a rare 
 cunning, a sort of low shrewdness, quite essential 
 to their position, Howard appeared both talented 
 and learned, above his status; with no indications 
 of being a lover of drink, that brings many a man 
 of brightness to association with the vile. 
 
 He had said that his determination was to obtain 
 money, to get a competence that would enable him 
 to marry and to settle down ; but it seemed that 
 one of his abilities might attain his end at a lighter 
 cost. The old man had been suspicious from the 
 first, and had, in Howard's absence, examined his 
 valise, his cast oft' clothing, and even his everyday 
 suit, by first ensuring his sleep by a very mild opi- 
 ate and by stealing into his room and searching his 
 pockets. This was in no way different from his 
 course with all, for he was determined his domicile 
 should harbor no traitor for want of the strictest 
 vigilance. He had gone farther. On a recent visit
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 247 
 
 made by Howard to Steadville, where he had been 
 summoned as a witness, he was carefully watched, 
 but no sign had been discovered of any disposition 
 or intent to betray him. He had noticed, too, the 
 receipt of Lorimer's letter by the dwarfs hands, 
 and had followed and was an ear-witness of the 
 meeting of his man and Lorimer and, of course, 
 understood that he was, to the last, faithful ; for in 
 that secluded glen far, as he might suppose, from 
 all espionage, he would have spoken his mind free- 
 ly, if ever. And the schemer was satisfied. 
 
 As Pruyter arrived at this conclusion he thought 
 of a certain letter in his possession, arid taking it 
 from his pocket, he read it again. It was plainly 
 written, but with pencil, on a sheet of letter pa- 
 per and was much creased by having been tied to 
 the pebble and the old man spread it on his knee, 
 and smoothed it with his hand. He had been pa- 
 cing the room for the last hour, but now he seated 
 himself with his back to a window and after adjus- 
 ting his eye-glasses and moving the lamp a little 
 nearer, read as follows : 
 
 ''DEAR Miss HELEN : 
 
 I use a term that is perhaps unwarranted, 
 but my love must be my excuse. When you left 
 Montreal so suddenly, I used every effort to learn 
 your whereabouts, and finally ascertained that you 
 resided near Steadville. I was assigned to a com- 
 mand at that place, whence I wrote but received 
 no answer. Bv a mere accident I have discovered 
 your present place of residence, if it is a residence.
 
 248 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 I have also been informed both by word of mouth 
 and my own suspicions that you are held against 
 your wishes. If this be so I would know it and, 
 believe me. if untiring energy prompted by most 
 ardent afieclion, can accomplish your release, you 
 shall be free. If any undue restraint is exercised, 
 arid you would break it, you can apply to William 
 Howard who is my friend, and I am satisfied will 
 take all proper means of informing me of your de- 
 sires, and of assisting vou to escape. You mav put 
 full trust in him. I send this by Hector w f ho, from 
 his agility and fearlessness, is well adapted to the 
 task and I pray you, Helen, to send an answer bv 
 him, stating fully your wishes and though the hea- 
 vens fall, I will come to your aid. Should you fail 
 to communicate with Heclor, vou can give a line 
 to Howard, who will forward it to me ; and I beg 
 of you to trust as implicitly in one who, though 
 almost a stranger and has never told his love, as 
 you would in one who has always be^n a friend ; 
 for he only waits an opportunity to throw himself 
 at your feet, and offering to assume that relation, 
 yes, and a dearer one for life. 
 
 Ever and faithfully yours, 
 
 HERBERT. 
 
 Having perused this epistle, the old man again 
 deposited it in his pocket, removed his glasses, rose 
 to his feet and, for the first time making his medi- 
 tations audible, for he seldom babbled much, and 
 was but rarely given to soliloquies, said : 
 
 "William Howard is his friend, so he savs. and
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 249 
 
 she mav put implicit confidence in him. He will 
 assist her to escape, will he? How you must have 
 been disappointed, Air. Doctor, Captain Lorimer, 
 when he repudiated the debt of friendship. And 
 you love her, do .you ? Well, perhaps there may 
 be something in love after all. It, at least, has suf- 
 ficient power to make fools of otherwise sensible 
 men, and none more so than you, my dear sir, my 
 very dear sir," and a diabolical grin danced over 
 his features as he spoke. 
 
 Howard had been Lorimer' s friend, no doubt, 
 but his new relations had changed the old. Was 
 not this manifest from the young man's reply to his 
 request. But hold ! Did not Howard know that 
 lie was followed and frame his speech accordingly ? 
 Impossible. He neither hesitated, looked around 
 or changed a muscle in his face on his way there; 
 nor stammered or winked to his friend when the 
 conversation was held. Yes, Howard was true to 
 his trust, but vet he was suspicious. May not the 
 cause of this have been his naturally overstrained 
 caution? -Maybe; but he could not divest himself 
 of the feeling of uneasiness in his presence. He 
 had a constant foreboding of evil, and as he had 
 already obtained all that the young man had to com- 
 municate, what further use had he for him, would 
 it not be better to let. him go? He could a fiord to 
 recompense him amply, not only for the heroic acl 
 of saving his life and for the really very useful se- 
 crets he had imparted, but the loss of his situation, 
 and then the presentiment of misfortune that, turn
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 these matters as lu w.rjiJ, he c.)uid n.)i riJ himself 
 of, would gradually wear out, or depart. 
 
 Presentiment I Tnere is something' in the feel- 
 ing thus denominated, more than is usually ac- 
 knowledged. Have you never felt, when you have 
 received a letter, at its first touch upon your fingers 
 that it contains unwelcome news? Have you nev- 
 er experienced the sensation, when entering an as- 
 sembly, that you are in presence of an enemy, even 
 before you see him? Have you never waited im- 
 patiently the arrival of bad tidings that you know 
 will, and does come? A good soldier, a corpoaal 
 in our company in the late rebellion, often told the 
 writer that he would be the first man in the com- 
 mand that would be killed, was the first to be hit 
 by rebel bullets, on the fatal i6th day of April, 
 1862, at Lee's Mills, and though he lived for three 
 days, during which time, twelve others, subsequent- 
 ly struck, had died, passed away, the first killed. 
 as he had always claimed, though not the first to 
 die. On another occasion, another good soldier, 
 when forming for a desperate charge, sa-id that he 
 should never come back alive. Hi did not. The 
 first regular volley verified his presencim^a;. 
 
 It is true there are many forebodings of evil that 
 are never realized. .O." these we remember noth- 
 ing; but there are scores of cases where they are 
 followed by injury : and these we have cause never 
 to forget. Is it not possible that all are warned, in 
 a plainer or more questionable manner, of danger 
 that awaits us in the highway of life ; that >ome
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 spirit, maybe of some friend on the other shore, 
 whispers to our innermost sensibility, some sense 
 more acute and appreciative than the five awarded 
 to the body, when misfortune threatens? It would 
 be no deadly sin so to believe. Man's life, next to 
 his soul, is hivS dearest treasure, with many the most 
 prized, and is it strange, then, that so long as some 
 have undeniably possessed the power of foretelling 
 events, that all should have, more or less, of the 
 same ability, where so much is at stake? As the 
 subject is much deeper than our metaphysical re- 
 searches have extended, we will leave it to more 
 able pens, beg pardon for the lengthy digression, 
 and resume the thread of our storv. 
 
 However kindly the old man felt, if anv such 
 emotion had ever entered his breast, for the voung 
 man that had saved his life at the risk of his own, 
 his nature was one to pav for such a favor in mon- 
 ey, and the account balanced, he would feel little 
 compunction in sacrificing him to the great law of 
 nature. Reallv in self-preservation, would it not 
 be allowable for him to use the one to destroy the 
 other, like the western prairie-man, who was men- 
 aced in the rear by a bloodhound and in front by 
 a panther, and quietly stepping aside had left the 
 two animals to vent their choler upon each other, 
 while he took advantage of the combat that resul- 
 ted, to secure his own retreat. This simile, deal- 
 reader, is not original, being taken from one of those 
 orange hued specimens of modern literature, price 
 ten cents, remarkable for having an alliterative title.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 one hundred pages, great originality of plot, and 
 desirable denouements, called "The Ranting Red- 
 skin ; or The Cannibals of the Canebrake : a Tale 
 of Terrible Troubles on the Texan Trail." 
 
 To accomplish this seemed, after some further 
 consideration, feasible. He must foster the cold- 
 ness already existing, and by some well-concocted 
 and plausible tale, nourish its growth into animos- 
 itv. Both the voung men, he was satisfied, were 
 brave and had a sufficient amount of the so called 
 chivalry in their compositions to warrant him in 
 believing that an open quarrel would result in such 
 a meeting as would rid him of both. Should one 
 or the other be killed, of course that one was dis- 
 posed of and the remaining one compelled to seek 
 safety in flight. Even should neither fall, the laws 
 of the country were so stringent against duelling, 
 that they would both be obliged to fly or suffer a 
 long imprisonment, which they would be under the 
 necessity of doing. This plan was, without doubt, 
 somewhat far-fetched, but he thought he knew en- 
 ough of the dispositions of his bloodhound and 
 panther to be assured of his purpose. 
 
 The devil is ever an indulgent father to his many 
 children, for a season and, as the old scoundrel's 
 time had not yet come, and he was so good a child. 
 his satanic majesty had ready to his hand the very 
 inducement to a quarrel, of all others, that would 
 suit the end to be attained. A certain Captain 
 Blake, a young man from the southern part of Ver- 
 mont, who had been put in charge of the cannon
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 and men who were to reinforce Lorimer's compa- 
 ny as related by that individual to his companions 
 on the night of Captain Stanfield's attack on the 
 haystack, having learned of the disbanding of the 
 patriots, had dismissed his own men, and, for a 
 season, had remained at Col. Carpenter's hotel, for 
 the purpose of watching the ebb and flow of events. 
 He had become acquainted with Miss Hetty, the 
 Colonel's daughter, and so vigorous had been his 
 falling in love and subsequent courtship, that they 
 were soon to be married. In the last Steadville 
 Journal an intimation of the facl had been given, 
 in the usual ambiguous terms of certain papers, in 
 such cases. Pruyter turned to his copy of that 
 sheet, lying on the table, and read : 
 
 "Ox DIT. We are informed by that ancient 
 gossip, Dame Rumor, that there is a wedding on 
 the tapis, between a certain gallant captain, ambi- 
 tious to have had the name of being one of the lib- 
 erators of Canada ; but whom the recent Procla- 
 mation of Gov. Durham, unfortunately left with- 
 out any men to help him, and a daughter of one of 
 our most popular landlords, an hour's drive south 
 of the line. May his new command be less moved 
 by proclamations than the last, and his success in 
 the matrimonial, be more to his wishes, than in the 
 military line." 
 
 Pruyter had really thought, at first, from its ten- 
 or, that this paragraph had reference to the parties 
 under his own consideration, but in an interview he 
 had held with Heath that day he \\ as undeceived ;
 
 yet he was determined to put his original construct- 
 ion upon it. for the purpose he had in contempla- 
 tion. Taking the paper, therefore, in his hand he, 
 after pouring down a large glass of brandy, went 
 into the common room. 
 
 It was already late, but several of the men were 
 still there, among whom was Howard just finish- 
 ing a game of chess with the ; gentlemanly stran- 
 ger." 
 
 "Ah, boys," exclaimed the old man, in a cheer- 
 ful tone and with an oily smile that but little indi- 
 cated the severe mental struggle he had undergone 
 for the last two or three hours ; "it seems that our 
 bellicose visitor has not disturbed your sports by 
 his threats. That should ever be the way. Let 
 the trouble of an hour remain with its time, and 
 pleasure resume its sway the next." 
 
 "I doubt much that the troublesome caller will 
 be satisfied with his defeat," said the "gentleman- 
 ly stranger." "I thought I saw that in his eye that 
 boded no good." 
 
 "Pshaw !" replied Pruyter ; "he is a creature of 
 but little stability or tenacity of purpose. For a 
 season a dodtor, for another a captain, and now a 
 knight-errant. His fury will soon blow over, for 
 shortly, I am informed by this paper, he will have 
 more agreeable occupation." 
 
 "In what, prav ?" 
 
 "He is about to be married." 
 
 -Married? To whom?" asked Howard. 
 
 "To honest Dan Morrison's daughter, the "
 
 'What, sir, whom did you sav ?" excitedly ex- 
 claimed Howard, starting to hiv feet with a vehe- 
 mence that upset the board anj sent the chess-men 
 riving across the floor. 
 
 "\Vhv, mv dear sir," ejaculated Pruvtcr, recoil- 
 ing with an exceedingly well simulated surprise, 
 on his features and in his tones; "why, sir, von 
 startle me with your violence." 
 
 "I crave yonr pardon, Mr. Pruyter," responded 
 the young man, more quietly, lor he had, at once, 
 seen the impropriety of his conduct. "I meant 
 nothing. It was only mv usual manner." 
 
 'Then your usual manner, my dear sir," said 
 the old man blandly, "is very uncomfortable to a 
 person who is at all nervous, and unused to it." 
 
 "True, Mr. Pruvter ; but you mentioned a name 
 quite familiar, and one in which I feel considerable 
 interest," remarked Howard, his manner very ma- 
 terially changed, though there was still an eager 
 look in his eyes; "and was uncertain whether or 
 not I had understood you correctly." 
 
 "I said," replied Pruvter, "that Captain Lorimer 
 was about to be married to Miss Eliza Morrison, a 
 daughter of Daniel Morrison of-Melas, as " 
 
 But Dan Morrison has but one daughter of a 
 marriageble age, and her name is Elsie," replied 
 Howard, and any one of his hearers might have 
 noticed the effort it cost him to use the moderate 
 words in which he spoke; "ar i I am assured. i>v 
 a personal knowledge of botn parties, that there 
 must be some unaccountable misconception."
 
 2-6 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "Here is a portion of my authority, my clear sir," 
 responded Pruyter, pointing out the paragraph. 
 
 The young man hastily seized the paper and read 
 the article noted with avidity, and without a word 
 handed it back to Mr. Pruyter, and there was an 
 expression on his lace that was in every way satis- 
 factory to the keen watcher of his countenance. 
 To ensure, however, the fiercer burning of the fire 
 (^ hate that his words had kindled, the arch sche- 
 mer with even, polite tones, continued : 
 
 "On my trip to Steadville, to-day, I chanced to 
 meet a gentleman well acquainted with the parties, 
 and he told me that the bans had already been pub- 
 lished, and that a certain pettifogger, Roberts, by 
 name, had nearly fainted when he heard it." 
 
 The old man had learned his lesson well, from 
 what he had heard and from a careful perusal of 
 the letters he had found in the voting man's cloth- 
 ing and, despite his best efforts, he could not sup- 
 press a slight exultation in his eyes, when he saw 
 the effect his words were having on the subject of 
 his machinations; in the flashing of the eves, the 
 heightening of the color in the handsome face, in 
 the trembling of the lip, the furtive clenching of 
 the hands and the unwanted temper he showed in 
 every motion of his fully nerve-strung body. His 
 victim had been in that condition for moulding to 
 his wishes as is the heated iron to the hammer of 
 the blacksmith, and he now only required a few 
 dashes of ridicule, like cold water on the iron, to 
 confirm him in the shape he had made him ; and
 
 THE COUXTEKFE1TEUS. 
 
 *~r**s~**^^*^*-^r*^*^^~*^^-^-*^^ -v, 
 
 he proceeded, at once, to apply the proper amount 
 to accomplish that end. 
 
 The gentleman informed me," he said, in fur- 
 therance of this end, yet smiling pleasantly, "that 
 lawyer Roberts was not the only one who had been 
 displaced by this Canadian Adonis. \Yho it was, 
 he did not say, but intimated that 
 
 'Beware, old man, beware !" interrupted How- 
 ard at this instant. "Beware how vou drive an 
 already maddened man into frenzy. There is a 
 point at which forbearance ceases to be a virtue." 
 
 "Why, really, my young friend," answerd Pruv- 
 ter as blandly and as politely as before ; "I am sat- 
 isfied that you are indeed interested in this matter, 
 more than I had conceived. But there, why would 
 you vent your spite on me, who know so little and 
 care less for the love episodes of any man's life? 
 .Supposing that you all would feel an interest in the 
 movements of a personage who had made such vi- 
 olent threats against us so lately, I merely gave you 
 the news as a consequence, and hardly dreamed, 
 be assured, that in so doing, I was hurting the feel- 
 ings of any one." 
 
 "Then, if this be true, and I see no reason why 
 I should doubt it," said Howard, in tones in which 
 concentrated hate were painfully prominent, and a 
 steellv, deadly light flashed from his eyes, as he 
 brought his clenched hand down upon the table, 
 with such force as to tare the skin of his knuckles. 
 "God give me sufficient control of my temper, that 
 I shall not kill him on si<Hit !"
 
 2 -S THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Indeed, indeed. Mr. Howard," exclaimed the 
 hypocritical villain, recoiling with well-feigned as- 
 tonishment ; "you are in a 1 earful state of excite- 
 ment ; and Hear me much that I have committed a 
 grave error in giving this information." 
 
 After Howard's burst of passion he said no more 
 hut hesitating for a moment, with his head bowed 
 on his breast, as if in deep thought, he brusquely 
 crowded his hat farther down on his head, gave an 
 impatient gesture when anyone addressed him and 
 rushed out into the night. 
 
 Several remarks were made by those he had left 
 so suddenly, some laughingly, some with greater 
 feeling, all carelessly, and then the matter was dis- 
 missed from their minds. After more than an hour 
 of absence, Howard returned, his feelings appa- 
 rently very much calmer than when he had gone 
 out. But though the fierce light had left his eyes 
 and the high color had faded somewhat, there was 
 a fixed determination about his mouth, that boded 
 no good to the author of his passion. 
 
 During that hour Pouter had returned to his a- 
 partment, more than satisfied with the results of 
 his diplomacy. For twenty or more minutes, he 
 paced the floor restlessly to and fro. and then he 
 dismissed the subject from his mind. He then went 
 to a strong box in a corner, undid the complicated 
 lock and taking out several papers, returned, and 
 seated himself near a window. Fora half-hour he 
 examined the documents and meditated upon their 
 contents, muttered once in awhile in so low a tone
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 that he could not be heard ; at some times mani- 
 festing in his countenance evidences of pleasure, 
 at others of dissatisfaction. Having, apparently, 
 examined them sufficiently for his purpose, he did 
 them up again, bound a piece of tape around them, 
 and dropping his head upon his crossed arms, with 
 a sigh of relief, was soon asleep. His iron consti- 
 tution and seldom flagging energies, had succum- 
 bed at last to fatigue and need of rest ; and though 
 his body rested, it seemed his busy brain was still 
 at work, for occasionally a frown shut down over 
 his brows and his lips worked as if he communed 
 with himself, notwithstanding he slept. 
 
 No sooner had this state of affairs become appa- 
 rent, than a hand crept slowlv and quietly through 
 the slightlv opened window, grasped the bundle 
 of papers, removed them noiselessly ; and in a few 
 moments as slowlv and quietly returned, and put 
 back as noiselessly the same, or another bundle, to 
 every appearance the same as the one abstracted. 
 
 For upwards of an hour the old man slumbered, 
 and then awoke with a start and a quick glance at 
 the clock on the mantle, whose united hands stood 
 at twelve. Hastily sei/ing the packet at hand, he 
 placed it in the strong box, carefully locked down 
 the cover, put the kev securelv in his pocket, and 
 with an occasional yawn and stretch, nndresM-d. 
 blew out his light and went to bed. 
 
 While the old man sleeps we will trace the ad- 
 ventures of some of our characters that were sim- 
 ultaneously transpiring around him.
 
 200 THE COUNTERFEITERS 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 FURTHER DISCLOSURES. 
 
 [OW delicate and full of sensibility the or- 
 ganization of woman ; how finely are her 
 nerves attuned ; how sensative the brain 
 to outward influence. There are certain 
 masculine natures among them who partake not of 
 their kind, and are scarcely less easily wrought up- 
 on by exterior circumstances, than are the beings 
 of whose temperaments they seem to be a portion. 
 They are wrongly denominated the "weaker ves- 
 sel," unless actual physical and mental force are 
 alone considered ; and too often the latter is no dis- 
 tinguishing trait of the part of humanity arrogat- 
 ing to themselves the title of the stronger sex. 
 
 \\'e are penning no woman's rights lecture, nor 
 are we an advocate of that doctrine, pernicious and 
 ill-advised as we consider it; still, in many cases, 
 do we claim that woman is the superior, stronger, 
 if you will. Her love is stronger, her affection for 
 her offspring universally more forceful, and her 
 sensjbility to sorrow or joy more acute than is that 
 of man. She labors more hours in the twenty-four 
 than her stronger partner, and can endure, when 
 needs must, an amount of pain and fatigue, that 
 would overwhelm many a coarser organization. 
 And how much more sensitive to surrrounding in- 
 fluences. Have you never heard the remark some- 
 times sneeringly made : "There will be a storm, 
 soon, there are so many women out, to-dav. And
 
 THE COUXTEIIFKITKKS. 
 
 how true the saying, however tauntingly spoken. 
 There is a state of the atmosphere, before every 
 storm, that has an effect upon mercury, and on the 
 finer senses of woman. What causes the quick- 
 silver in the barometrical tube to fall, has a like 
 effect upon the spirits of woman ; and a ride or a 
 walk or a call on a neighbor is the result. As the 
 air becomes heavier the storm-cloud passes awav, 
 and the sun again shines out, the equilibrium in the 
 tube and woman is again restored and she no lon- 
 ger feels that inclination, begot of uneasiness to go 
 abroad. 
 
 Many other circumstances might be instanced, 
 but the above is sufficient to illustrate our theory. 
 Though quick to feel the blow that cause the more 
 tender nerves to flutter, as the more delicate string 
 of the violin is first to respond to the friction of 
 the bow, like them they are, frailer and less capa- 
 ble of sustaining, without injury, the discordant 
 jars of a coarser friction with the world. Nerves 
 so finely attuned are the first to be overstrained, for 
 the tension to produce a right tone is greater than 
 to the larger and lower, and thence comes hysteria 
 sometimes followed by coma. 
 
 To some such state of nervous irritability had 
 Helen Leonard arrived when Samuel Pruvter had 
 retired, and her hysterical laugh had been answer- 
 ed by the sobbing respiration. Many circumstan- 
 ces had conspired to bring about this condition of 
 affairs. The excitement attending her discovery, 
 and the threats following it : the exhaustion and
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^-S^^X-^ ~--*~ ^^-^ - ^ 
 
 fatigue consequent upon her attempted escape and 
 its consequences; the constant tear of personal vi- 
 olence under which she had labored ; the constraint 
 that she had been compelled to put upon herself, 
 in receiving the addresses of one for whom she 
 held an unconquerable aversion, and more than all 
 the apparent frustration of the efforts of her friends, 
 whence arose the ''hope deferred that maketh the 
 heart sick," had all contributed to counterbalance 
 the natural strength of mind and innate courage, 
 that were some of her characteristics. 
 
 Under these conditions, then, it is little to be 
 wondered at that a sound of the nature of the one 
 that had been heard, should have driven the rem- 
 aining blood from her cheek, and made her reel, 
 for a moment, in her chair. The disagreable feel- 
 ing, however, soon passed away, when, in the in- 
 truder, she recognized the mysterious woman who 
 had, on a former occasion, proved herself so good 
 a friend. She was already within the room, and 
 engaged in pulling after her the short ladder by the 
 aid of which she had gained the window. This 
 accomplished, she silently closed the grating, and 
 turning to the table, sat herself down in a chair, 
 facing the astonished girl. 
 
 Assisted by the light, now shining full upon her 
 features, Helen was enabled to get a far better idea 
 of the appearance of her strange visitant than she 
 before had. As thus revealed, she seemed a wo- 
 man some fifty years of age, with features that had 
 evidently once possessed manv lines of bcautv, but
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 age and care had left many marks there, crossing 
 out the other arid less enduring indices. Her hair 
 was almost as white as snow, at least so much of 
 it as was visible, her form attenuated, and the hand 
 she had placed wearily on her forehead, whether 
 to hide her features or to support her head, Helen 
 knew not, was thin and white, with tapering fin- 
 gers that were tipped by long and neglected nails. 
 She was dressed as when she had first seen her ; 
 and as she thus sat, with her restless, sad blue eves 
 fixed intently upon the maiden's, she presented the 
 appearance of one who had seen better and happi- 
 er days and who had been broken, if not in heart, 
 at least in body and mind, by sorrow. 
 
 For several minutes thev thus sat, neither speak- 
 ing, while a dull sensation of doubt and fear was 
 creeping over the maiden's frame. Why, she could 
 not tell, only that there was something so strange, 
 so outre, so different from her preconceived ideas 
 of womankind in the mysterious being before her. 
 And with the sensation came the impression that, 
 in some unaccountable way, this woman's fate was 
 in some manner, connec~ted with her own. She 
 felt not that there were any ties of kinship or pre- 
 vious bond of affection, but it seemed that destiny 
 
 had woven in the warp of her own life the woof 
 of that of her mysterious guest: that the fates had 
 so mingled the streams of their existences that they 
 
 were destined to commingle hereafter. Chimerical 
 and out of the common course as this seemed to 
 
 be, it was in vain that the musing girl endeavored
 
 21 _| THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 to banish the thought from her mind, try, as she 
 would. Without doubt the strange woman read 
 something ot" these thoughts in the face of her com- 
 panion, when she said : 
 
 "It were better that all such serious thoughts as 
 those you entertain should be expelled by youth 
 and beauty ; for care ages faster than years, and 
 deep meditation bleaches the cheek more than ill- 
 health and wasting vitality." 
 
 "And how, pray," asked Helen, clasping her 
 hands, "can I avoid such cares and meditations, 
 when I am situated as I am, a prey to fear and anx- 
 iety, a prisoner where I should be a mistress, and 
 controlled where I should command?" 
 
 "By remembering that every cloud, however 
 dark the side presented to us, has a silver lining," 
 replied the woman, without removing her hand, 
 and in a voice slighty tremulous, but free from the 
 foreign accent she had before used; "by remem- 
 bering that however black the pall night may cast 
 over a sleeping world, that day soon comes ; that, 
 though the oppressor thrives for a season, his fall 
 is the greater and the more^certain when it comes." 
 
 I have I do remember all this; but still am I 
 a prisoner ; and why cannot you who have power 
 to release me, set me at liberty? It is but a dull 
 life here at the best," said Helen, and tears that she 
 would not have let her enemies see, filled her eyes. 
 You alone seem to have the secret of my prison- 
 house, and a simple ad, the same you once before 
 did, might set me free."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "The time has not vet come, Helen," replied 
 the strange woman, while a sympathetical tear 
 dropped to the table on which her elbow rested ; 
 ''the time is not yet. Should von escape from this 
 room, you could not get undiscovered away from 
 the mountain, nor would your keepers fail to find 
 vou again, before you had reached safety." 
 
 And who are you, madam, who are so cruel, 
 and vet have been so kind? You seem mv only 
 friend, and I am, alas, so much in need of them." 
 
 "My name or station would add no jot of happi- 
 ness or peace to you," replied the woman ; "but I 
 am your friend, your friend, and not the only one 
 by many, and would help and protect vou at the 
 cost of my life. The time has not yet come, I say, 
 for vou to be set at liberty. But ere long," and 
 now there was a dreamy look in the blue eves and 
 she spoke something in a language Helen could not 
 understand, but she -soon resumed in English : "ere 
 long the measure of time will be full, pressed down 
 and running over, but not yet, not yet." 
 
 "But liberty is so sweet, madam," said Helen, 
 and her voice was full of entreaty ; "so sweet to one 
 so young as I am ; and I hate to sit hour after hour, 
 day after day and week after week, gazing on these 
 rough stone walls, or through those grates, upon 
 the blank precipice beyond, and know that I am 
 a prisoner." 
 
 The woman started slightly when she heard the 
 sound of Helen's voice, for she seemed to have 
 forgotten her presence.
 
 266 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "You asked me, a few moments since, who I 
 was," she said. "I am one who knows every av- 
 enue in this sink of iniquitv ; everv height and 
 depth of their crimes; every length and breadth of 
 their infamy. I know their plans and their tricks 
 to guard their secret from the outer w r orld ; their 
 puerile attempts to frighten away inquiry and their 
 expedients by which to baffle the eye of the law. 
 But the time of exposure is not yet. Time travels 
 fast, very fast, but not yet, not yet," and she seemed 
 lapsing again into forgetfulness of the present. 
 
 Do you know the secret of the supernatural 
 appearances?" asked Helen, interested, notwith- 
 standing her sorrows; "and can you explain what 
 has so long been a mystery to all?" 
 
 "Supernatural !" exclaimed the woman, con- 
 temptuously. "The}- arc no more supernatural 
 than are the other works of this man. Yes, and I 
 loved him once, this William Pruyter; would have 
 followed him, uncomplaining, to the ends of the 
 earth, farther, to death, I would have followed him. 
 I did follow him here, and ah, how basely he rec- 
 ompensed my devotion." There was a baleful glit- 
 ter in her eyes now that fairly frightened Helen, 
 which the woman perceiving, she changed her tone 
 "but I hate him now. The headless horse is but 
 a white animal owned and kept on the premises, 
 whose neck and head are covered by a dark blan- 
 ket, not perceivable in the night; its rider anyone 
 who wishes, wearing a mask, in the mouth" and 
 eyes of which is lighted punk, which, when blown
 
 THE COUNTKUKK 
 
 emits fire or smoke. The unsupported face is mv 
 own, and I sometimes dance in white, when the 
 tit is on, across cliffs and precipices, to the tops of 
 which I alone know the paths. The lights are 
 simply lanterns on poles in the hands of men, and 
 swung to and fro." 
 
 'And how has it been possible to keep such 
 simple expedients from exposure so long?" 
 
 "They are exhibited only to the ignorant and su- 
 perstitious, or to men in their pay, either all the 
 time or for the occasion. Though simple and ap- 
 parently childish, the means have accomplished 
 the end, and their secret is yet safe. Do you rec- 
 ogni/e me," she suddenly asked, leaning forward 
 clasping Helen's wrist in her nervous hand; "do 
 you recognize me as your friend :" 
 
 So quick was the motion, so changed the tone, 
 and so incisive her gaze that Helen could only fal- 
 ter in reply : 
 "I do."' 
 
 And will follow my counsel:" 
 "If proper." 
 
 "Unreservedly. Without question, without hes- 
 itation .-" 
 
 How can " 
 
 ;IIark you ! Death stares you in the face." c- 
 hementlv exclaimed the Grange being. "Dc.t'h 
 stalks around you untrammelled, a terrible, a hor- 
 rible death, and I, alone, c;m save you. and I alone, 
 but not yet. Already have I snatched from your 
 imconscio.us lips the poiM.ned cup, tilled and fixed
 
 268 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 for you, Will you promise to obey me in every 
 part and particular as I have demanded ?" 
 
 'Yes, yes," replied Helen, sorely frightened by 
 the woman's manner, and dropping her eyes, that 
 could no longer meet the fiery orbs bent on them. 
 
 "Listen, then," said the woman in a gentler tone 
 and releasing her clutch upon the maiden's wrist. 
 "To-morrow morning Dr. Martin, of Steadville, 
 will examine vou to ascertain the soundness of your 
 mind. Meet him politely, rationally. Give him 
 no reason to complain of your acts, no cause, by 
 unavailing reproaches or useless complaints to, in 
 any way. question your sanity." 
 
 "My sanity?" 
 
 "Your sanity," repeated the woman ; "for to- 
 morrow, at ten o'clock, a commission of lunacy 
 will sit on your case." 
 
 "On my case?" 
 
 "On your case," she replied somewhat impa- 
 tiently ; "to decide whether you are insane or not. 
 Such they claim to be its object; but the judge- 
 ment is already made, though not rendered. A ver- 
 dict brought in that you are mad, does not make it 
 so. Conduct yourself, on the occasion, as would 
 any other sensible woman. This will not change 
 the result in the least, but it is best so. Afterwards 
 meet the proposals of the old villain's son with the 
 scorn it merits. Make no efforts to escape. Keep 
 your door continually bolted, and in less than one 
 week you shall be free." 
 
 "Oh, thanks, thanks !" exclaimed Helen.
 
 THE COUNTEHFEITEKS. 369 
 
 "Hark!" cautioned the woman, hastening to the 
 grating and listening intently for several minutes, 
 when returning to the table, she said : "Write the 
 words I shall dictate, 'What he tells you is false ; 
 but von cannot aid me.' Now sign it." 
 
 Helen did as requested. The woman took the 
 short note in her hand, hastily opened the grating, 
 readjusted the ladder, passed out and closing the 
 bars of the window, disappeared. 
 
 The tired, worn out, bewildered girl sat some 
 half-an-hour vainly striving to unravel the knotted 
 skein of her thoughts; but every effort seemed to 
 perplex her the more. At last, wearied still more 
 bv her exertions, she dismissed, well as she might, 
 the entire subject from her mind, threw herself on 
 her couch and in a few moments was in a sound 
 sleep, knowing nothing of the events that were in 
 progress about her, in which her fate had so great 
 a stake. 
 
 The strange woman, after concealing her ladder 
 in some overhanging bushes, but a few feet from 
 the house, soon after from the end of a fishing pole 
 that stood against the building near at hand, flut- 
 tered down the missive procured from Helen, which 
 we have seen reached its destination. The dense 
 darkness and the attention of the disputants being 
 lullv engaged, enabled her to accomplish this with- 
 out detection ; when making off through the night 
 she was hidden bv its shades. 
 
 She must have watched the issue of the dispute, 
 for not long alter the disappearance of Lorimer,
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^s^> **-* ~^-^-^-- s^>^-^^. 
 
 down the road, she might again have been seen, 
 creeping warily from her place of concealment to- 
 ward the window from which the light of a solita- 
 ry lamp was seen shining. All the time Pruyter 
 was engaged in his deep cogitations she kept watch 
 and ward at his window ; watching with untiring 
 intentness every movement of body or features, 
 and reading, as it seemed from her intelligent face 
 and some words she occasionally muttered, as from 
 an open book, everv thought that teemed through 
 his working brain. 
 
 She caught everv word of the letter and of the 
 newspaper paragraph, which seemed to make plain 
 his thoughts, as do good engravings illustrate the 
 text of a book. When he went to the main room, 
 she quickly shifted her position to where she could 
 command by sight and hearing every word and mo- 
 tion of the parties thus overlooked, and when Wil- 
 liam Howard passed out of the door and hastened 
 into the darkness, she followed, anil when several 
 rods from the house, ->he touched him lightly upon 
 the shoulder. The young man turned with an ex- 
 clamation of anger on his lips, naturallv supposing 
 the interruption came from some one of his late 
 companions who had followed him. With some 
 surprise he saw that it was a woman, and one that 
 he had never before seen. If he was surprised 
 when he saw a woman, how much more was he 
 astonished when she addressed him as she did. 
 
 "Whither away, so hastily, Mr. William How- 
 ard ? It seems a strange road for you to travel."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Chafed as Howard was bv what he had already 
 passed, his first impulse was to return some impa- 
 tient answer; but, as his was not a nature to speak 
 harshlv to a woman under whatever circumstances 
 he was called to address her, he hesitated. His 
 interlocutor, seeing his hesitancy, continued : 
 
 "It Mr. Howard can spare a few minutes of his 
 valuable time to listen to the babble of a woman, 
 he may hear something worth his while." 
 
 What do you mean, woman?" asked the young 
 man, surprised at her manner and words. 
 
 "I mean what I have said," she replied, haugh- 
 tily ; ''I have something to say to you that may be 
 of importance. If, however, from any cause, you 
 are adverse to giving me a half-hour of your atten- 
 tion, the matter is easily left unsaid." 
 
 "If you have aught to say to me," said Howard, 
 i>e assured I will willingly listen; but your sud- 
 en appearance, in a style unusual to the suround- 
 ings, caused astonishment, and I only hesitated to 
 frame appropriate words in which to answer." 
 
 "Follow me, then, where we may be sure of no 
 interruption or eavesdropping !" 
 
 Saying which she led him a short distance from 
 the pathway, until they arrived at a fallen tree, on 
 which he, at her invitation, took a seat, and was 
 soon listening to her relation, with more interest 
 than he had conceived would be the result of this 
 strange meeting. After some ten minutes, he be- 
 gan to make ejaculations of surprise, and at the 
 end of over half-an-hour, when she finished, said:
 
 THE COrXTEKFEITERS. 
 
 "Woman, woman, is this true? or are you but 
 weaving a fiction to please my ear for a space ?" 
 
 "What is William Howard," she asked, rising 
 hastily to her feet with a proud gesture ; "-or what 
 am I that I should meet him at midnight in such a 
 dismal try sting place as this, to pour idle tales into 
 his ear, that he may pass an agreeable thirty min- 
 utes? My days of sickly sentimentality are long 
 passed. Mr. Howard : and had they not, I would 
 scarcely make a selection of a former hostler and 
 present counterfeiter, on which to expend it." 
 
 "I beg your pardon, madam," exclaimed the 
 abashed and almost dumfounded voung man. ! 
 meant not to question your veracity or intentions ; 
 but the nature of the tale was sufficient to make 
 me doubt the accuracy of my hearing." 
 
 "Have you resided so long in this den of thieves," 
 she rejoined, with towering form and flashing eves, 
 that reminded her hearer of Scott's conception of 
 Meg Meriles, the gypsy, "to be surprised at any 
 tale of villainy that may be told you?" 
 
 'I beg of you to remember, madam," replied 
 Howard testily ; "that I am a member of the com- 
 munity to which you are so lavish of your oppro- 
 brious epithets, and that any appellation, scornful 
 or otherwise, must be shared by myself." 
 
 And the more shame to you," she said, "that 
 such is the case. A voung man of vour capacity 
 and Mr. Howard, I must give you the credit for 
 it and natural nobleness of character, methinks, 
 might find better associates than this herd of vile,
 
 THE COrXTKIlKKITEKS. 
 
 ignorant, crime-stained men, and a higher calling 
 than that of manufacturing counterfeit coin and 
 spurious bank-notes !" Saving which the strange 
 being turned her head and proudly marched away, 
 leaving her auditor in a maze of astonishment, not 
 unmixed with a certain amount of chagrin. 
 
 Well, on -my word," thought Howard as he. 
 after a few moments, turned and slowlv pursued 
 his way toward the stone house, ''whether my mvs- 
 terious visitant is of flesh and blood, or one of the 
 numerous disembodied spirits of this haunted lo- 
 calitv, she has a tongue of her own and has a bit- 
 ter wav of using it. But this tale of hers. It must 
 be true, yet it is hard to believe." 
 
 At this stage of his meditations the young man 
 neared the house, and was again greeted with the 
 sight of the strange woman flitting across the path 
 just ahead of him. Where she went, he had no 
 power of ascertaining and gave it no farther heed, 
 for other events of more importance to him, were 
 transpiring within the compass of his vision. 
 
 For another half-hour, or nearly, he remained 
 without, and then entered the building, and find- 
 ing no one stirring, soon after made his way to his 
 room, the door of which, for the first time of his 
 occupancv, he securely bolted, and to his couch, 
 with the burden of manv adventures and of the 
 added responsibilities of the night upon his mind, 
 of which to think or dream or forget which he 
 almost hoped he could, but not quite as the case 
 or his conscience might dictate-.
 
 'I'llE COr\TKKFKITKKS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 A DEATH 1!!.O\V TO sAMt'KI.'s HOPES. 
 
 |T was one of the last days of Mav. The stiri 
 had risen clear, but from a bed hung with red 
 curtains of clouds which, after thev had lost 
 their brilliant hues, growing darker and more 
 dark until they finally shut out from the earth the 
 rays that, but a short time before, gave such prom- 
 ise of a brilliant dav. About eight o'clock one of 
 those intensely disagreeable rains commenced fall- 
 ing, not like an honest summer shower, wetting a 
 person through w r ith a flurry and a laugh ; but ac- 
 companied by a cold east wind and dense fog, as 
 if the equinoctial storm had, after mature deliber- 
 ation become dissatisfied with its efforts at the time 
 allotted to it, and had returned to try it over again ; 
 a mistv, uncomfortable storm that insinuates itself 
 into every fibre of your clothing, under your hat 
 and down your neck, soaking every pore of your 
 skin like an insiduous but very cold perspiration. 
 
 The Stone House in the Pass was shrouded in 
 the mist, so densely that the human eye was unable 
 to pierce its folds for more than twenty feet in anv 
 direction. Compact masses of vapor .rolled down 
 the precipices and filled the ravines, while the con- 
 stant dripping of the clouds oozed through it like 
 water through a fine sieve. 
 
 Soon after the storm began, Dr. Martin, as had 
 been foretold, arrived and was, soon afterward in- 
 troduced to Miss Leonard. She received him with
 
 THE COUNTERFEIT EKS. 
 
 due courtesy, answered all the questions he asked 
 in a perfectly rational and ladv-like manner. He 
 was a young man, scarcely thirty years old, quite 
 pompous and dogmatical, and betrayed some other 
 indications of being an empiric ; but seemed to be 
 struck with the young lady's appearance, and after 
 a season began to manifest by his words and act- 
 ions, a considerable admiration of her person. La- 
 dies, it is said, are not usually adverse to homage 
 of this nature, but there was something so leering 
 and sensual in the countenance of tbe physician, 
 that Helen was at once disgusted. However much 
 hN appearance and acts disturbed her, she remem- 
 bered her last night's visitor's injunction and treat- 
 ed him with politeness ; but it was as cool and as 
 unimpassioned as snow. 
 
 Having no excuse for remaining after his exam- 
 ination had ended, the enamored doctor soon after 
 left, and Helen, though filled with anxiety for the 
 result of the trial, felt a very decided relief from 
 his absence. 
 
 A few minutes before ten o'clock Justice D 
 
 rode up to the door in a carriage, accompanied by 
 a brisk little fellow, some forty-rive or fifty years 
 of age, with bald crown, and wearing spectacles. 
 It was a stroke of good policy in the worthy mag- 
 i-Irate to have engaged a companion in his jour- 
 ney for. from hi.s well known propensity to forget 
 names, he would never have found his proper des- 
 tination, no doubt when endeavoring to recolect 
 Copper Mountain, would, in his search for the right
 
 2J-6 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 road, have inquired the way to copper-toed boots, 
 or any equally as ridiculous a substitute. 
 
 Did you never notice, reader, that a man who 
 lisps, is continually using words that bother in that 
 particular, when others could be substituted equal- 
 ly as well ? Did you ever know a stutterer that was 
 not continually talking, or a person that could not 
 remember dates, always giving you the day of the 
 week, month and year of any circumstance, or he 
 who could not call to mind a name, everlastingly 
 making bolts and pecks at it, like a hen at a kernel 
 of grain firmly frozen in the ice, and with about 
 the same amount of success? Such has been our 
 humble experience, and such was that one of Her 
 Majesty's Justices of the Peace here introduced. 
 
 His companion was Lawyer Stevens of Stead- 
 ville, a bustling, energetic man of some practice, 
 though not of a higher class, for it was whispered 
 that he did not always conduct his cases according 
 to the strict letter of legal practice or with the exact 
 rules of equity. His motto seemed to be to make 
 his business pay, and if rumor told the truth he had 
 succeeded in doing so. 
 
 We wili not follow the trial throughout, for this 
 scene is only interposed for the purpose of intro- 
 ducing the two new characters and of noting two 
 events having their effect on the sequel. 
 
 Dr. Martin testified "without reserve that, in his 
 professional opinion, the lady was evidently insane 
 and a fit subject for hospital treatment. William 
 Printer made oath that Miss Leonard had been in
 
 THK COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 such condition since her mother's death, that he 
 was compelled to put some constraint upon her; 
 that she had once escaped and had wandered away 
 in the night, causing much anxiety and trouble to 
 get her back and other circumstances, more or less 
 true. Maggie O'Brien and several of the men de- 
 clared the same and, finally, William Howard, af- 
 ter an aside conversation with lawyer Stevens of 
 quite short duration, at the conclusion of which, 
 the voung man folded and placed something in his 
 pocket, assured the commission that he had noted 
 many indications of aberation of mind in the lady, 
 plainly tending toward lunacy. 
 
 Helen listened to this with some degree of sur- 
 prise, but adhering to her promise to her mysteri- 
 ous friend, she maintained the same placid exterior 
 and lady-like suavity and gentleness of demeanor 
 that had characterized her conduct throughout the 
 whole of the trying ordeal. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to say that a verdict was 
 arrived at in accordance with the facls elicited, or 
 thet Helen Leonard was adjudged a lunatic, and 
 unable, from her condition, to take proper care of 
 herself, or of her property ; or that William Pruv- 
 ter was constituted her guardian and trustee of the 
 small remains of patrimony left from her father's 
 estate, with full powers of custody until such time 
 as a regular court should pronounce her cured of 
 
 her malady. Justice D honorably paid to each 
 
 of the witnesses his or her proper lee, which done 
 each of the strangers \\vre invited to Pruvter's
 
 THE COUNTERFEITER:' 
 
 room, returning with satisfied countenances, and 
 before noon the house was clear of its legal and 
 other visitors. 
 
 While all this was being transacted, Samuel 
 Pruyter sat, with a very unsatisfied expression of 
 face, refusing to take anv part on either side, but 
 noting with assiduous attention all that transpired. 
 The commission adjourned, Helen was returned to 
 her apartment and left to her solitary reflections, 
 now, alas, more bitter than ever before, increasing 
 in bitterness as the clouds more closely enveloped 
 her ; not the clouds that were as vet weeping, as 
 if in sorrow for her sorrows ; not the clouds a just 
 heaven had sent to veil such a deed of villany from 
 sight, but the clouds of misery, of anguish and al- 
 most of despair, that gathered over her devoted 
 head ; clouds of complication and perplexitv, fear- 
 fully damaging to the new found courage and re- 
 aroused confidence that late events had given her. 
 
 Something like two hours had passed after the 
 departure of the legal gentlemen, when Miss Leon- 
 ard was aroused from the fit of musing into which 
 she had fallen by a gentle rap upon the outside of 
 her door. Hastily brushing away such evidences 
 of sorrow as yet remained, she drew the bolt and 
 opening the door, admitted Samuel Pruyter. He 
 saw the look of surprise manifested by the maiden, 
 and hurriedly exclaimed : 
 
 "I beg your pardon for this intrusion, Miss Hel- 
 en, but I could not stay away under the circum- 
 stances. I can but appreciate the sadness that must
 
 THE COUXTEUFEITEUS. 
 
 be the result of to-dav's transactions, and I would 
 gladly afford you all the consolation in my power." 
 "What consolation is it in the power of man to 
 afford in this hour of misery?" asked the girl, and 
 there was nothing in her tones of the old, piquant 
 manner; her situation had tamed her. "A young 
 and inexperienced girl, perhaps, in the thought- 
 lessness and yjyacity of girlhood has, prompted by 
 her not unnatural curiosity, become the possessor 
 of a secret, and now all the power of her enemies, 
 assisted by purchased legal and medical authority, 
 is exerted for her destruction. No effort is left un- 
 made to ensure her silence, nor villany spared to 
 prevent her from speaking. I have been immured 
 here in this grated, barred and bolted prison for 
 two whole weeks, a terrible death suspended over 
 my unfortunate head, denied all intercourse with 
 any of my kind, and finally, adjudged a mad wo- 
 man, that my enemies may have a legitimate right 
 to constrain me, a legal right to abridge my liberty 
 and deprive me of what little means of subsistence 
 my unfortunate circumstances have left." 
 
 This was spoken in such low and pitiful tones, 
 so unlike the usual manner of the speaker, and so 
 different from what he had, from his previous 
 knowledge of her character, been led to expect, 
 that the young man was utterly at a loss for any re- 
 ply. Seeing this the maiden, with clasped hands 
 and dewy eyes, in which her agony was, oh, how 
 plainly written, resumed : 
 
 "The laws of the land, I am sure, cannot be so
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 _^^^^-^-s_* --^v^-^^"-' -*-> 
 
 espotic as to warrant this usage. Can there be 
 any penalty for knowing too much of the transac- 
 tions of the world recognized by the courts of Can- 
 ada? This seems my only crime and, ah, I think 
 the punishment is not commensurate with the off- 
 ence. Our common mother, it is true, was pun- 
 ished by ejection from Eden for the same error, but 
 a just God had made, by especial law, its commis- 
 sion a sin against Himself, nor did He pronounce 
 it an offence against any of the human family." 
 
 "But how could I help you?" queried Pruvter. 
 "In that court I was powerless to aid." 
 
 "Powerless !" she exclaimed. "Had their pur- 
 pose been to murder me, would you have been 
 powerless? Had their design been to put out my 
 eyes, as I have read, that in olden times was done, 
 would you have been powerless? Week, inexpe- 
 rienced, with as little knowledge of the world and 
 its ways as I possess, and a woman, too, I would 
 never have allowed tl>e meanest of the human fam- 
 ily, much less, one of my unfortunate sex to be so 
 treated. No, my voice, feeble as it is, would have 
 been raised to its utmost limit in remonstrance, and 
 though it would scarcely have been noticed by the 
 suborned court, I would have felt that, at least, I 
 had done my duty to my fellow beings." 
 
 "But to have remonstrated then and there would 
 have been as useless as to blow my breath against 
 a hurricane," answered the yo.ung man. "Time 
 and again, before the commission was convened, 'I 
 used my utmost influence with my father, to stay
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 the proceedings. I might as well h;ive tried to 
 tu.'n t'.u sun hack in his course, or, Joshua like, 
 have caused it to stand still while I rescued you 
 from their hands. You little know mv father, Miss 
 Leonard, when you dream any influence save that 
 of death can hinder him from pursuing a course of 
 conduct that he may have marked out for himself." 
 "And you, craven like," and there was a trans- 
 eient Hash of the old defiant manner when she said 
 it, but it soon died out ; "allowed that father to 
 pursue a course of villain, merely because he had 
 elected s-) to do, without lifting voice or hand in 
 behalf of one for whom you profess so much affec- 
 tion? Dark and dismal as my fate is, and must be, 
 it would have been a great consolation to know I 
 had one friend that dared to make an effort in mv 
 behalf, that one who professed so much had remon- 
 strated, however vainly, against the great wrong 
 they were doing. But it matters not by what means 
 they terminate a life that has already more burdens 
 than it can wjll bjar. One short month ago there 
 was n:>t a cloud in the horizon of my happiness; 
 to-day the gloom within successfully rivals that all 
 around us ; then I was as cheerful as any bird, with 
 only one cause of mourning, the death of mv poor, 
 abused mother; now existence has become a duty 
 rather than a pleasure, living a task rather than a 
 joy, and death a state to be hoped for." 
 
 "But, Helen," said the young man, thinking that 
 no better opportunity would present itself to press 
 his suit, and moving nearer her for the purpose,
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ''had vou consented to marry me as I proposed, 
 all this might have been done away, and you now 
 free as the an we breathe." 
 
 "And would my consent," the maiden asked, 
 waving him away with an air that told him plainly 
 that she was fullv in earnest, "would niv consent 
 to your proposal have kept the poisoned cup from 
 my lips? A cup prepared by your father's own 
 hand, on the night that I partly promised to con- 
 sider upon your suit." 
 
 ''The poisoned cup !" he gasped. 
 
 "And would you unite yourself for life to a ma- 
 niac ; to one adjudged, in open court, a lunatic," 
 she continued, yet holding her hand in the same 
 position, as if still keeping him at a distance, "and 
 propagate a race of mad men and women, to suff- 
 er my tortures over and over again?" 
 
 "But I do not believe that you are insane." 
 
 "I am either mad, or I am not," she resumed. 
 'If mad I am unfit to be mated with the lowest of 
 God's creatures ; unfit, as they decided, to breathe 
 the free air, or to enjoy the privileges of common 
 humanity. If not mad, then your father, who is 
 my guardian, a physician tolerated in good society, 
 a platoon of ignorant counterfeiters, and the vaun- 
 ted William Howard, have deliberately perjured 
 themselves before high heaven. One of Her Maj- 
 esty's magistrates and a lawyer, sworn to do justice 
 by all men, without fear or favor, have aided and 
 abetted in as foul a conspiracy against a poor, un- 
 protected girl, as was ever witnessed on earth, and
 
 THE COUNTKKFKITKKS. 
 
 you, you who love me so well, if your tale is not 
 as false as many an one you have told, sat by, and 
 spoke never a word, expended not one breath in 
 the cause of love and of innocence." 
 
 "I tell you again, Miss Leonard, -" he began. 
 
 "And I tell you," she interrupted, with that hand 
 as before, an insurmountable barrier between them, 
 moving as he moved, but flinching never. "I tell 
 you that a dog that loves his master, seeing him in 
 the postion I then occupied, would have bayed de- 
 fiance at his persecutors. No, Samuel Pruyter, 
 however much I may have yielded to a counterfei- 
 ter, I have not a moment's consideration to bestow 
 upon the suit of one who would not raise his voice 
 in my behalf, of one who cannot boast a dumb an- 
 imal's fidelity to his affection, and only copy that 
 other questionable quality that prompts him to lick 
 the hand that smites him, though, perhaps, with a 
 sullen countenance." 
 
 "Is it possible that this is the once gentle Helen 
 Leonard that I have known so long, vet fail to rec- 
 ognize now?" he asked. 
 
 "The most timid animal will turn at bay, when 
 hardly pressed, and why should not I?" and what 
 of girlhood she once possessed was merged now in 
 the maltreated woman ; and spite of the tears that 
 were not yet dry or. her cheeks, her eyes flashed, 
 as she went on : "And why should not I, I ask, 
 who am a maniac, a maniac? Oh, heaven," she 
 exclaimed, looking fervently upward, "heaven, in 
 mercy grant that I may not go mad indeed. Is it
 
 284 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 not enough that every other species of indignity, 
 insult and injustice should be supplimented by this ; 
 that when all other means of injury are exhausted, 
 that I should be compelled to undergo this last and 
 greatest of all, the persistent, unwelcome address- 
 es of one whom I utterly loathe ?" 
 
 "Helen Leonard," here interposed Pruyter, mad- 
 dened bv her words ; "beware how you stir up the 
 d,evil that is in me ! Beware how you repudiate 
 the protection I have held, like a shield over you, 
 and drive me to be your enemy when I would fain 
 be your friend. Ever since you have been a pris- 
 oner here I have shielded you against those who 
 have sought your life. Ever since that fatal night 
 when you possessed yourself of our secret, that it 
 is pronounced in our community death to learn, I 
 have watched over your safety from within and 
 without. That my love for you was not the growth 
 of an hour you well know. Childhood witnessed 
 its incipient existence and growing years unfolded 
 growing affection. Time and time again you have 
 repulsed me, and still I have loved. It has grown 
 with my growth and strengthened with my strength. 
 I did not place you in your present position ; nor 
 did I take advantage of that position to further my 
 suit, only for your own benefit ; ar.d I should have 
 made the same proposals had you never known our 
 jealously guarded secret." 
 
 It was well, perhaps, in delaying a fate that was 
 even now stooping over her, as the vulture stoops 
 over the lamb in whose flesh his talons are about to
 
 TILE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 be clenched, that the young man's speech was so 
 lengthy. She had been gradually working herself 
 up to a pitcli of fren/v, by a rehearsal of her inju- 
 ries, and when he dared to threaten her, she was 
 preparing to make some reply that would, indeed, 
 have awakened the devil in him ; but as he contin- 
 ued, she had time to think, and before he had con- 
 cluded she had seen the danger to which her course 
 was leading her, and as his words moderated, as he 
 went on, her temper cooled and she finally brought 
 herself to the condition she had, at the commence- 
 ment established herself in, and replied in a man- 
 ner and voice corresponding with it, though still 
 without yielding: 
 
 "Heaven knows, Mr. Pruvter, that I would make 
 none mv enemv who is now mv friend, for I have 
 none to spare, were they as numerous as the sands 
 on the lake shore." 
 
 "And do you doubt the sincerity of mv friend- 
 ship, Helen?" he asked. "It is true I made no ver- 
 bal ' remonstrance to the proceedings of to-day's 
 court, knowing how useless it must be; while it, 
 at the same tinu, would put it out of my power to 
 have assisted you in the future, which it is my in- 
 tention to do." 
 
 What ?" she asked, bending towards him with 
 
 entreaty in her eves. "Would you really aid me? 
 
 Would you set me free of this duress? You have 
 
 the power, I know, and if there is any sincerity in 
 
 your protestations, vou will exert it." 
 
 "I have not the power," he replied: "at leas!.
 
 286 T11K COl'NTKKKKI 
 
 not to the extent to which you would claim it goes, 
 for I. as well as yourself, am watched. But give 
 me your word, Helen, I will trust vou, that once 
 pledged and despite all efforts that may be made to 
 prevent, I will place you beyond these walls. No 
 constraint shall be put upon vou, save that which 
 your promise exerts, and a proper degree of espi- 
 onage that caution would suggest to prevent an un- 
 guarded betrayal of our secret." 
 
 "Free in body but trammelled in soul," Helen 
 slowly said, as she fell into a fit of musing, from 
 which the young man hesitated to arouse her, sat- 
 isfied as he was, that the inducements he had held 
 out were worthy of consideration. And, indeed, 
 whether worthy or not, they received it. Was she 
 not justified in making such a promise, even when 
 she did not intend keeping it? Would not there 
 be many a pitying angel's tear ready to fall, ;i'id 
 blot out the record of the falsehood ? But she had 
 the guaranty of the strange woman that within one 
 week she should he free. Had she the power to 
 make that guaranty good? And if so. might not 
 the poison be again presented and no one there to 
 snatch it away ? Might not her mysterious visita'nt 
 be discovered by the argus eyes thai watched over 
 the Stone House in the Pass, and her efforts made 
 unavailing? These thoughts flashed through her 
 mind, and then came the rccolledion of Herbert 
 Lorimer, and all the questions were answered, in 
 a breath. She would not so demean herself, and. 
 raising her head, she resumed :
 
 
 
 "Tills is all of no avail. Mr. Pruyter. I cannot 
 make such a promise, for I should make it hut to 
 break it. As von surmised, on a former occasion, 
 my heart is not mine to bestow, and my hand shall 
 never be separated from it when given to man." 
 
 "Is this your unalterable decision, Helen?" said 
 Pruyter, and an expression of real pain passed over 
 his features and his voice perceptibly trembled as 
 he spoke. "Will not a lifetime of devotion touch 
 your obdurate heart? Were it not for my great 
 love I would not so plead, and God knows that if 
 in all else I am false, in my attention for you I am 
 sincere and true. Think well, Helen, before you 
 fully answer. It is in your hands to make me a 
 man or a Hend. I have promised you that if you 
 will accept my hand, that I will forsake all my evil 
 courses, and live an upright, honorable life, wholly 
 devoted to yon, but if you will not, my downfall 
 must lie at your door. Do with me as you will." 
 
 "While I sincerely pity you, Mr. Pruyter," she" 
 said, with much feeling in her voice and looks, yet 
 with a gentle firmness that would brook no refusal, 
 or argument; "I must make the same answer. I 
 cannot marry you. I must not !" 
 
 And this is the end?" 
 
 And this is the end !" 
 
 "Then God forgive you and me," lie said half- 
 monrnfullv, hair-threateningly, and without anoth- 
 er word, he left the room.
 
 2 88 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^-^~.~*^_~~ -^-~~~ '~~-^- ^ 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 INFORMATION PROMISED. 
 
 |>O a man of Herbert Lorimer's high-strung 
 disposition, the foil that he had sustained 
 from the arch-schemer, Printer, in an un- 
 dertaking he had so much at heart was in- 
 deed humiliating ; more so than to one of less tine 
 sensibilities. He attributed much of his adversa- 
 ry's success to the unfortunate situation into which 
 his espousal of the lost cause, to borrow a modern 
 expression, had thrown him, and he registered an 
 internal oath that he would make all honorable ef- 
 forts to change the state of affairs. But, in the 
 mean time, what could he do for her, for whom 
 his very want of success was increasing a love that 
 was even before, of such strength as to cause him 
 more uneasiness than had fallen to his lot. 
 
 What reckless or foolhardy enterprise his cha- 
 grin and affedlion, a somewhat incongruous mixt- 
 ure, would have led him to undertake, can scarcely 
 be guessed at, for he was ripe for any exploit how- 
 ever quixotic or unreasonable, and some strange 
 conceits were beginning to dance through his brain 
 as his horse dashed recklessly- down the rough road, 
 when his career was checked by the voice of a wo- 
 man pronouncing his name. Surprised at an oc- 
 currence so strange, he drew his rein and obedient 
 Logan paused so suddenly that he was but just op- 
 posite the speaker when his headlong speed was 
 changed to a walk, and then to a halt.
 
 TIIK COUNTERFEITERS'. 
 
 "Who speaks that name within the bounds of 
 this detestable demesne?" he asked, as through the 
 glo>>m he just discovered a shadowy form not fully 
 concealed by the roadside. 
 
 One who has a fe\v words to sav to a disap- 
 pointed man," the voice replied ; "one who though 
 a mysterious personage, takes no advantage of the 
 fact to plav the part of goblin or spirit in this their 
 favorite tramping g round ; nor of her knowledge 
 of the past, present or future, to pretend to powers 
 of second sight or fortune-telling ; but, as I said, to 
 sav a few words to Herbert Lorimer." 
 
 "And what to Herbert Lorimer?" he asked, as 
 he dismounted and stood before her: ''for to the 
 appellation disappointed I own up, though it is a 
 good deal humiliating to make the confession." 
 
 "I have this to say to you," replied the woman, 
 that any efforts on your part, though laudable and 
 fully to be expected from one of your enterprising 
 character, having for their purpose the present as- 
 sistance of Helen Leonard, are worse than useless. 
 When you know William Pruvter as well as I do, 
 you will have learned that he is always armed, at 
 all points, and for every nature of attack, and that 
 a knowledge of any efforts being made or contem- 
 plated, but puts him the more surely on his guard, 
 lie is of that disposition, like the Mohawk Indian, 
 who would brain his prisoner before it should be 
 delivered up to any man. Your fruitless underta- 
 kings but increase her danger, while it is impossi- 
 ble any result but that of to-night, is attained."
 
 21)0 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 She paused a moment, but as Lorimer made no 
 remark, she continued : 
 
 "One is watching over her with an eye that 
 never tires in its vigil ; one who will suffer death, 
 herself, ere she will allow one hair of the head of 
 Arthur Leonard's only child be displaced. Not a 
 movement of William Pruyter is allowed to pass 
 unnoted, and a construction put upon it that never 
 fails to be correct. Wait patientlv for one week, 
 and she you love and who loves vou,' shall be free." 
 But the time is not yet." 
 
 "I will not wait; will not relax one iota " 
 
 "Don't interrupt a lady, Mr. Lorimer," she in- 
 terposed in a gayer tone than she had before used. 
 "I promise that if you will leave the matter in my 
 hands, ere seven davs from the present, she shall 
 be in your arms ; for she is longing to rest there ; 
 but if you interfere, vou may close the avenue my 
 patience has opened, and you may lose her forever. 
 But the time is not yet." 
 
 "And how may I be assured that you are able to 
 accomplish all you promise?" asked Lorimer, gaz- 
 ing abstractedly down the gorge. '"How am I to 
 know but you are an emissary of this same old vil- 
 lain, and take this means to prevent the efforts, he 
 must be convinced 1 shall not cease to make, save 
 with my life, or she is free." 
 
 He turned for an answer, but he, except his good 
 horse, was alone. Her retreating feet had made 
 no sound. It seemed she had finished her errand. 
 and her task was done. He hastilv searched the
 
 K COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 bushes near which he stood, quickly mounted and 
 rode back and forth up and down the road, but she 
 had disappeared as effectually as a pebble dropped 
 in the lake, but she had left no ripple behind her, 
 > show where last she was seen. 
 
 The mysterious words of this mysterious female, 
 whom the reader may readily recognize had at least 
 two beneficial effects; for they not only changed 
 the current of the doctor's thoughts, from a fierce 
 brooding over his repulse, to those of wonder, dis- 
 trust and perplexity, but saved Logan and his mate 
 on which Hector was mounted, from a hard, long 
 gallop that otherwise they must have had, for when 
 a man is maddened, the same that lashes his own 
 feelings into frenzy is apt to communicate itself to 
 all connected with him, while more complex and 
 less harrassing, meditations are not usually so pre- 
 monitive of a desire toflv from them by the speed 
 of his conveyance. Though wrapped in his own 
 bitter cogitations, Herbert found time to relate the 
 adventures of the night to his brother and receive, 
 as before recorded, the left-handed consolation thai 
 diminutive gentleman saw fit to give. 
 
 Conscious as Herbert Lori mer was of the disad- 
 vantage under which he labored, while he endea- 
 vored to operate on Canadian soil, immediately af- 
 ter his arrival at the temporary home he had made 
 with Dan Morrison, he set about a project he had, 
 for the last day or two contemplated; that was, to 
 procure his pardon for, or compromise the penalty 
 of his crime in taking up arms against Her most
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Gracious Majesty, by paying such an amount of 
 fine as the new Governor General should impose. 
 He had taken the precaution, before lie entered in- 
 to his undertaking, to make over his property to a 
 friend, in trust, in anticipation ofany untoward re- 
 sult of the rebellion, and to guard against any se- 
 questration or confiscation of his estate which the 
 powers that were, in Canada, might take upon 
 themselves to pass upon him, should an opportunity 
 offer, under other circumstances. 
 
 The next day as well as the one following it was 
 storm v ; a cold rain ceaselessly falling, accompani- 
 ed by an east wind, one of the most uncomfortable 
 quarters from which a wind may come; for while 
 a northern or western gale is often colder, we are, 
 in a measure, prepared for it. The earth was sod- 
 den and manv a rill was making its way over the 
 sward to mingle its waters with the swollen brook 
 or rushing river. There was out little travel, but 
 the horses of the few who were compelled to brave 
 the storm, either by necessary business, or to gain 
 the home the rain had overtaken them, in their at- 
 tempt to reach, and who halted at the favorite 
 tavern, looked forlorn and dissatisfied and shook 
 their heads to any pause that kept them longer ex- 
 posed to the pelting of the pitiless storm. The 
 riders or drivers of the despondent animals would 
 stop only long enough to attempt, by certain addi- 
 tions they made to the moisture to restore the lost 
 evuilibrium of too much wet on the outside, when 
 they were so dry within. The old sign, when it
 
 swung to the south, or toward the king of birds in- 
 scribed thereon, would give an unearthly creak, as 
 it" endeavoring to mimic the unmusical croak of 
 that much vaunted fowl, and when it returned, 
 grated a more discordant note, fairlv mocking the 
 abject whine of the king of beasts, toward which 
 it waved ; and as rovaltv thus complained, com- 
 monalitv, out of respect, held its peace. 
 
 Two days of storm and discomfort, but on the 
 morning of the third the sun rose from his eastern 
 home with a broad grin on his round face, and all 
 nature smiled in unison. The birds that had been 
 confined to their leafy shelters, now came out with 
 a hop and a song, all the more blithe and musical 
 for the many hours they had been compelled to be 
 silent. Several red squirrels could be seen chasing 
 each other up the trees, or along the top rail of the 
 fence; the crows, flapping their black wings, in 
 flight across the fields, hoarsely cawed their delight 
 at the change, and the barn pigeons strutted and 
 cooed around the yard or waved their dreamy wings 
 as they rose for an instant, to alight again, close at 
 hand. The rills, not vet entirely dry, sparkled in 
 the sun's rays, like silver chains drawn through the 
 grass, and, though the brooks and rivers were as 
 high, perhaps higher than the day before, they had 
 not that dark, turbid appearance as when they re- 
 flected only dark, lowering, vapor-ladened clouds. 
 The old sign had ceased to swing, or its bearings 
 had worn smooth ; the eagle seemed to perch high- 
 er, and the lion to elevate still more, his head and
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^^~--V^_^^--~ -S^~^^^-N_^_^_^- 
 
 tail as. rampant, he gazed down and around, as if 
 in search of the bird he so heartily detested whose 
 complainings he had so often heard for the last two 
 days ; and nature, with washed face, was cleaner 
 and greener for the much needed ablution. While 
 Mav had passed away in tears and sighs, June had 
 come in with a laugh ; perhaps the coy maiden was 
 offended and wept in her anger, as other maidens 
 do, because the romping fellow that followed her 
 in the catalogue of the year, slighted her love or, 
 at least, did not'show a proper state of melancholy 
 as its effect. 
 
 On the afternoon of the later described day, Dan 
 Morrison and his daughter, Elsie, with the broth- 
 ers, Lorimer, were seated on the long verandah of 
 the house. Dan was cleaning his rifle, Elsie en- 
 gaged in some light needle work, (perhaps some 
 other dandv had sought her services) ; Herbert was 
 smoking one of Dan's best cigars, warranted Ha- 
 vana filled, and Hector was teasing a great, good- 
 natured hound belonging to Morrison. 
 
 "I say, Herbert," said Heclor, when he had suc- 
 ceeded, at last, in making the canine believe that 
 he was assailed by at least a score of hornets, and 
 had taken flight in consequence; "why don't you 
 write a book ? You might relate your own expe- 
 rience for the last fortnight and, under some flam- 
 ing title, like 'The Last Trick ; or Old Printer's 
 Right Bower ; A Tale of the Pursuit of Knowl- 
 edge Under Difficulties ;' or, The Broken Bracelet ; 
 or Love in a Quanderv !' it would have an immense
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 sale. There is many a novel written with far less 
 plot than is comprehended in your late adventures, 
 around old Pruvter's shebang. " 
 
 "And I might interpolate an introduced story." 
 laughingly retorted Herbert, in the same strain ; 
 "entitled, An Ape upon Horseback; or, Chivalry 
 Run Mad." 
 
 "With the denouement that the ape was success- 
 ful, while the hero of the main romance was most 
 essentially and most confoundedly beaten," retort- 
 ed the mischievous dwarf. 
 
 "Beaten for the nonce, but conqueror in the se- 
 quel," said Lorimer. "You would not have your 
 hero always successful, would you? There would 
 be but little interest in a tale where uniform pros- 
 perity, in all his undertakings, attended the main 
 character, and unvarying defeat accompanied the 
 villain of the narrative. Variety is the spice of real 
 life, they say, and surely the fictitious life depicted 
 bv a romancer's pen, should not be wanting in so 
 essential a condiment." 
 
 "I conclude, then, that the adventures of the last 
 chapter are not yet enacted, but," said Hector, and 
 he cast a sly glance st the pre-engaged Elsie as he 
 continued; "as I am something of a bungler in 
 books, I will leave my side of the question to be 
 more ably handled by Esquire Roberts who, I see, 
 is making his way towards us, after having for two 
 days, followed the example of the sun, and with- 
 held the light of his benigh countenance from us. 
 Seven-by-nine," he qualified, in a lower tone, but
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS 
 
 ^s~*s-^-*^^-r^- ~^-^-^^^^^^^-~^^~ 
 
 not so low that Elsie did not hear it, and laughed, 
 much to the disarrangement of the demure face she 
 had drawn on, when she caught a glimpse of the 
 approaching pedestrian. 
 
 "Just in time, Esquire Roberts," said Herbert, 
 shoving the chair on which his feet had rested, to- 
 ward the new arrival ; "just in time to decide up- 
 on a knotty point in taste." 
 
 "And what may the question be ?" asked the law- 
 yer, after he had saluted the other members of the 
 party and ejected somewhere near a gill of tobacco 
 juice from his mouth, closing one eye as he did so. 
 
 "Whether the hero of a romance should meet 
 other than success in his adventures, or should oc- 
 casionally encounter defeat in order to give variety 
 to the relation." 
 
 "Originality," responded the lawyer, throwing 
 himself back in his chair, with an air that plainlv 
 said : "You could not have left the decision of that 
 question toan abler judge ;" "originality is the first 
 end to be attained, not only in style but in plot. 
 Marryatt carried his pursuit of originality so far that 
 in the 'King's Own,' he killed the hero just at the 
 time he had overcome all obstacles and had joined 
 his chosen. Scott, on the contrary, invariably gives 
 us pleasant denouements, except, perhaps, in his 
 poorest effort, 'bt. Ronan's Well,' and 'The Bride 
 of Lammermoor,' but seeks his characters from 
 among the known adventurers of his own wild 
 clime ; hence his originality. Other and lesser 
 lights varv as the mood takes them ; but general! v
 
 THE COrXTEHFEITERS. 
 
 telling about the same story, embellished by about 
 the sain* incidents, and full of hackneyed phrases 
 and trite sayings, with about the same finale, until 
 a single new idea ; an original simile, or novel plan 
 has become so scarce that a reader needs nod, like 
 a mandarin before a tea shop, if he has enough 
 civility to make a bow to every old acquaintance 
 he meets when reading the novels of to-day." 
 
 Having arrived at a period in his discourse where 
 he might pause long enough to count about a doz- 
 en, he again freed his tongue of that which impe- 
 ded its motion, as back-water does, sometimes, a 
 water motor, and opened the eye that he had closed 
 during the process, was about to continue, when 
 he was reminded by Hector that he had not vet an- 
 swered the question propounded. 
 
 "Just what I was coming at, sir," he said, in a 
 tone that he meant to be haughty, but failed in get- 
 ting farther than spiteful. '"The incidents and ac- 
 cidents of everv-day life, be they ever so favorable 
 in the main, are varied by the fluctuations of for- 
 tuitous circumstances, and an acurate delineation 
 of character, a true narrator of events, must needs, 
 to make his story life-like, copy life, although he 
 may. as many do. adopt the other plan and, at the 
 same time that he selects an uninteresting charact- 
 er, relate only such parts of his adventures as he 
 knows will please the reader. As a matter of taste 
 1 am, perhaps, less able to judge than Miss Elsie. 
 The female mind is apter at nice distinctions than 
 is the male. It is more the creature of impulse;
 
 2CJ.S THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 and impnlse, as scientists have held, results from 
 the attentions." 
 
 Thus appealed to and understanding the words 
 of her admirer full as little as he did, himself, El- 
 sie, looking up from her work, simply said : 
 
 "If you ask inv opinion, I must say that if a story 
 has a good come out to it, I care not what adven- 
 tures the hero undergoes, provided they are of suf- 
 ficient interest to keep my hair standing continual- 
 ly on end, during its perusal." 
 
 The back-water was again disturbing the free 
 workings of the machinery of his word-fa <5torv, or 
 Roberts would have made some remark, agreeing, 
 of course, with the ladv's ideas, as it was, He6tor 
 said : 
 
 "Give me a beautiful heroine, full of softness and 
 simplicity country bred preferred two rivals for 
 her hand, the one, say, a Captain, the other, per- 
 haps a miner, with a fierce parent that has a trump 
 for every trick in the game of life depicted, and a 
 right bower for the last. Give to the rivals a fail- 
 field and no favor, and let the lady take her pick. 
 At the end let them all hug, kiss and shake hands, 
 and hate each other forever afterwards." 
 
 While Roberts was preparing some answer to 
 this remark, the point of which he failed to see, a 
 boy, some fourteen or fifteen years of age, rode up 
 to the verandah, and addressing Herbert, said : 
 
 "You're Mister Dodor Lorimer, ain't ye? Ef 
 ye are, there's a letter fur ye." 
 
 Lorimer took the missive, which had become
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 somewhat dilapidated in the hands of the slovenly 
 messenger, and hastily tearing it open, he read its 
 rather lengthy contents. 
 
 "Where did you get this?" he asked of the boy, 
 at the same time handing the letter to Morrison, 
 who began its perusal. "Who gave it to you?" 
 
 "I've been up to Steadville, and jest as I was a 
 comin' away, that are Bill Howard that uset to be 
 hostler here, gin it to me," said the boy. "He was 
 mighty partic'lar that I should put it right intu 
 yer own hand, 'cause he said 'twas 'portant." 
 
 "Well, here's a quarter for your services," said 
 Lorimer, giving him the money, then turning to 
 Morrison who was reading the letter, he watched 
 his face with some degree of anxiety. 
 
 The latter individual, after finishing the perusal 
 turned back and again traced the lines through. 
 They were as follows : 
 
 "FRIEND LORIMER: 
 
 Of course you were surprised at the very 
 cool reception I gave you, on the last occasion of 
 our meeting. The fac ; t is, that soon after I started 
 in compliance with the urgent request, contained 
 in your note, I discovered that I was followed and 
 without disclosing my discovery, was enabled to 
 ascertain that my employer, himself, was the gen- 
 tleman who was dogging my footsteps. He is too 
 old a head to be pnt ofl" his scent, and I was oblig- 
 ed to pursue the course I did, in order to retain my 
 place. I am, as ever, ready to assist my friends, 
 whether of long or short continuance. I have taken
 
 300 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 some pains since that night to ascertain the condi- 
 tion of the lady, and find that I have much to tell 
 you. If you will meet me, the day after to-mor- 
 row evening, at dusk, bv the little bridge, where 
 the road from the mines reaches the Hat, I can tell 
 you much that will be of interest, and that you 
 should know. The old man is more than Argus- 
 eyed, and I have taken advantage of being at Stead- 
 ville to write and dispatch this. Come alone, for 
 any company would surely be detected. Give mv 
 respecls to Dan and Miss Elsie. 
 
 Respectfully your friend, 
 
 WILLIAM HOWARD. 
 
 Steadville, June i, 1838." 
 
 "And what do you propose to do, in the case.'" 
 asked Dan, laying the letter on his knee while he 
 primed his rifle that, during the foregoing conver- 
 sation, he had finished cleaning and had loaded. 
 
 "To go, of course," answered Lorimer; "if for 
 nothing more, to apologize for the hard thoughts I 
 have harbored against him for the last three days." 
 
 "But may not our friend of the many wiles; he 
 who always holds the right bower for the last trick, 
 as Heclor suggests, get some inkling of it through 
 some of his many means of gaining intelligence, 
 and be near at hand to make your arrest certain?" 
 
 "I think not," replied Herbert. "Our friend, 
 the writer, seems to have had some such idea in 
 view when he wrote from Steadville. Yes, I shall 
 go, and at the time appointed, if the whole British 
 army awaits my coming!"
 
 THE C-OUNTHKFKITEK.S. 
 
 -~ r**, ^-> ~^~**~*^^^^*>^^^-*-^. 
 
 'With the assurance you have from the myste- 
 rious party, would it not be best to await the arri- 
 val of certain documents from headquarters; and 
 then all such plans would piove abortive?" 
 
 Here the speaker happening to look into the face 
 of the lawyer, saw something there that brought 
 his sentence to a somewhat abrupt per iod. There 
 was an expression of eager curiosity, of malicious 
 cunning, not unmixed with apprehension. At a 
 loss to account for these manifestations, Dan paus- 
 ed, not so much from fear of the consequences of 
 a further disclosure of their purpose, as from an 
 ever present caution that nun are ape, in troublous 
 times, to acquire. At that mstant, a partridge 
 swept by, and apparently alighted in a tiee, but a 
 few paces from the house. This was fortunate for 
 Morrison, who was hunting for some excuse to get 
 Lorimer away from the lawyer, and he took prompt 
 advantage of the circumstance, to request his com- 
 pany while he took a shot at the bird. Hector 
 would have accompanied them, but his ready wit 
 discovered that they wished to be alone, and he 
 tarried to prevent Roberts from going too. 
 
 In furtherance of this object he endeavored to 
 enter into a conversation with the lawyer, but that 
 individual answered in monosvlables, for since the 
 departure of the two men, his wits seemed to be 
 woolgathering. Frustrated in this undertaking, the 
 young man commenced a flirtation with Elsie, in 
 which many a shre\\d saying was bandied back 
 and forth between thim. This artilice had a more
 
 302 
 
 'I I IK CDI'NTKHFEITKHS. 
 
 depressing effect on the lawyer than had even the 
 foil he had met with in not being able to learn fur- 
 ther of the contents of the letter, for his was a na- 
 ture so jealous that he could not abide the caresses 
 of a dog even, when bestowed upon the object of 
 his selfish affections. To counteract any influence 
 that the dwarf might have upon his lady-love, he 
 began to gather his wandering thoughts and to ad- 
 dress her, but with scant consolation. 
 
 In the meantime, Morrison and his companion 
 had gained the shelter of the trees, and Dan. turn- 
 ing to the other, asked : 
 
 'What, in the devil's name, is that red-headed 
 Paul Prv's interest in your affairs, that makes him 
 watch vour every word and action as closely as a 
 cat would those of a mouse.'" 
 
 "Nothing more than his usual intrusive curiosi- 
 ty, I apprehend," replied Lorimer; '"or, perhaps, 
 the mention of Howard's name, by the boy, set him 
 to thinking; for, do you know that he is jealous 
 of our handsome friend, and naturally would be 
 anxious to know all his movements?" 
 
 "Jealous!" responded Morrison, with an impa- 
 tient gesture. "I should like to know by what 
 authority. It comes of the freak of that imp of an 
 Elsie, in tolerating him. I told her what would 
 come of it, but she wanted the fun, she said." 
 
 "But about this meeting with Howard," said 
 Lorimer. "I had made up my mind to be guided 
 by the mysterious woman's advice, and await the 
 seven days hoping that, in the interval my pardon
 
 THK COUNTKRFEITEKS. 
 
 would arrive ; but Howard would not write unless 
 there was something of importance to communi- 
 cate. He says, YOU see, that it should be known 
 to me. I wish he had appointed some place for 
 the meeting, a little farther from the stone house: 
 but I can hitch Logan in the clump of bushes just 
 this side, and tbe\ must be fast runners who can 
 overtake me before I can reach him and mount." 
 
 That is all vei \ true." replied Morrison : ."but. 
 after all. I fear the old schemer. Anv intimation 
 that vim are again prowling around his lair, \\iil 
 set the old villain to hatching means for vour dis- 
 comiiture. IK thc'wav. Doctor, 1 think I have the 
 solution of the riddle, whv he- \\atches the gill so 
 Zealously. Arthur Le mard died possessed of quite 
 a property, and by some hocus-pocus, it has come 
 into his hands and, no doubt, he is suspicious that 
 her husband, should she lind one not in his inter- 
 ests, might investigate his title too closely." 
 
 "Wight, Dan, right!" exclaimed Lorimer ; "I 
 have studied on the subject not a little but have not 
 arrived at half so plausible a reason." 
 
 Just then Morrison caught sight of the bird and 
 bv a well directed shot brought it down. Taking 
 the plump carcase in his hand, Dan, accompanied 
 bv Lorimer, made his \\av to the house, vshere he 
 was soon engaged in serving several travelers \\lio 
 had just arrived, with such articles of food, drink 
 or fumigation as each demanded, at the same time, 
 hearing and imparting such items of news, as thev 
 or he had tell.
 
 I HK COr.NTKKFKl I i:i:s. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 A SKIRMISH AND AN AI \K.V. 
 
 hIE cautious Scotchman, Alick Cameron, 
 continued ostensibly to make his brother's 
 house his home. Whether the recent proc- 
 lamation included himself or not, he had 
 not fully made up his mind, and where there was a 
 doubt, he was resolved to make sure and remained 
 on the safer side of the boundary." Before Captain 
 Lorimer had made his appearance on the scene, 
 Alick had been the prime mover in the opposition 
 to government at Steadville, and since had taken a 
 prominent part in recruiting, and encouraging the 
 organization to acts of insurrection. According to 
 the strict reading of the document on which his fate 
 hung, he was pardoned, for he had held no com- 
 mission ; but he had no great confidence in the 
 military power, and knew full well that if they de- 
 sired to punish him, there would be some way pro- 
 vided to evade the true intent of the amnesty, and 
 warp its meaniug to their ends. 
 
 We have said ostensibly for, notwithstanding his 
 apparent use of his pretended abode, many a dark 
 night he might have been seen, had we been there 
 to see, as the author of "John Gilpin's Ride," de- 
 sired, when any move riding was done, cautiously 
 making his way to or from the little home, where 
 Nancy and the bairns resided yet. He had been 
 so successful in these perigrinations that he had not 
 only escaped discovery, but had got the crops into
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 305 
 
 the ground of his little farm, and his bjys had re- 
 ceived munv a compliment for their industry, in 
 seeing so well to their homestead while their father 
 was away. The canny Nancy, when questioned 
 too closelv upon the subject, attributed the greater 
 part to the efforts of the "Pawky brownies wha'd 
 ta'en ta pleugli an' spade when ta ill-fa'ard land- 
 louper. Alick had ta'en mae ta trvsting wie ne'er 
 do weels, t'an his ain wife an' bairns." 
 
 On the evening of the day in which transpired 
 the occurrences recorded in the last chapter, Alick 
 was making his \vav bv the uncertain light of a 
 new moon (for the full m:>on that gave us radience 
 by which some of the events at the beginning of 
 this tale were performed, having done its duty, had 
 been dismissed like an old servant that had outlast- 
 ed his usefulness, and a new one engaged,) over 
 the dangerous soil, in more senses than one, near 
 the precincts of Copper Mountain. He knew no- 
 thing of the events that had taken place in that lo- 
 cality, during the last two weeks and, of course, 
 felt no fear from that source; but Alick was chron- 
 icallv su>picious, and kept his eves well about him, 
 on all occasions, in order to be prepared for any 
 emergency that might arise. 
 
 Some writer, (we forget who) has said that sus- 
 picion is an inherent quality of the human mind : 
 that all mankind are possessed, in a more or less 
 degree with it, sometimes dormant, but ever there ; 
 lulled sometimes by a word, and as easily prompt- 
 ed to full action. He claims that it is as ncces^arv
 
 306 THE COI'XTKKFEITKKS. 
 
 a property as any other ; that there is so much de- 
 ceit and chicanery in the world that nature needs 
 an antidote : that such an amount of hidden malice 
 requires a counterpoise. Being not merely an ac- 
 tion of the mind, it serves the place of instinct in 
 the brute creation, as that same something for which 
 we are unable to account, that closes the eye when 
 any extraneous injury threatens it, long before the 
 mind has had time to discover the menace, and de- 
 vise a prevention. i'he hand, without the aid of 
 will, clasps involuntarily, anything suddenly touch- 
 ing the palm ; suspicion grasps the full extent of 
 danger and provides for the safety of the man. be- 
 lore the brain has time to telegraph to the will the 
 needed directions. 
 
 Some men are more suspicious than others, their 
 environment, perhaps, has something to do with 
 it, and Alick Cameron was one who possessed a 
 large quantity. To this last may be attributed the 
 reason why he, when his mind was intent upon 
 other matters, discovered that his footsteps were 
 being dogged. Now, the honestest man in all the 
 world dislikes to be watched, for it argues suspi- 
 cion on the part of the watcher and is apt to beget 
 suspicion in his own mind of the watcher's designs 
 for he mistrusts some ulterior objed against his 
 peace, purse or person.' as the case and circumstaa- 
 may suggest. Cameron did not claim to be the 
 honestest man, by many degrees, in even the small 
 world of Canada, yet he was as much adverse to 
 anyeapionage on his own p?rs>n. as though he w.i^
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 307 
 
 more upright than he claimed ; and made arrange- 
 ments, at once, to discover the intentions of his 
 pursuer, for he scorned to flv from one adversary. 
 An opportunity soon presented itself of putting 
 his purpose in execution, for passing a small clump 
 of bushes, bordering his path that, tor an instant, 
 obscured him from the other's view, he dropped 
 upon his hands and knees and working his vvav 
 nack over his own track, to its utmost border, he 
 calmly awaited the result. In a few moments the 
 spy, or whatever he was, gained the shelter of the 
 same hru&hwpod and, with .all the caution, of one 
 of the characters of the orange hued literature, af- 
 oresaid, ensconced himself within arm's length of 
 Cameron and began to peer out, hoping to discov- 
 er the whereabouts of that gentleman. 
 
 The discovery came sooner and in a less agreea- 
 ble manner than he had anticipated, for Cameron, 
 recognizing his former comrade-in-arms, the dark 
 complexioned young man who was suspected of 
 having betrayed the organization to the Philistines, 
 in the persons of the English soldiery, and, as the 
 reader will probably recollect, having a consequent 
 grudge against him, reached out his long, bony 
 aim and fingers and grasped the young scoundrel's 
 throat with a grip that the pinch of a blacksmith's 
 common vice was nothing in comparison. 
 
 "Ah ! weel met, weel met, vounker," said Al- 
 ick exultinglv. "1 ha'e been wussing to put mae 
 twa een on ve these twal davs or rno'e. Weel met, 
 weel met, vounker !"
 
 THE COrNTKKFEITEK! 
 
 >-^-N^~ '-^- ^^-V-~*^-*--~~~~'- 
 
 The fellow made some ineffectual attempts to 
 reply, but the vice-like grasp on hia throat shut oft* 
 words as well as breath. He, however, struggled 
 manfullv to free himself, after a while releasing an 
 arm, he drew a pistol and pointing it fully at the 
 other's head, pulled the trigger. The wily Scot 
 saw his intentions just in time to knock the wea- 
 pon to one side and saved his life by the act. 
 
 "It mak's but sma' deeference whether ve trv to 
 t;ik' my life by shot or rape," he coolly remarked : 
 ^an' as ye ha'e tried baith ta and an' ta tither, ye 
 ha'e aimed yer fate, \vhilk is ta be gi'en ta maist 
 awesome flogging ye e'er tholed. But ve s'all ha'e 
 gripple for gripple. an' de'il tak' ta heindmaist. as 
 he wull if I ha'e my way." 
 
 And the Scotchman proceeded, without waiting, 
 to administer the promised and deserved castiga- 
 tion, in a stvle that would not have done dishonor 
 to a Heenap or a Savers, in their best days. Hi* 
 opponent was a pluckv fellow, nevertheless, and 
 did his best to uirn the tide of battle in his favor : 
 but he lacked the endurance, the length of arm. 
 and the untaught science of the hardy Scot: and. 
 after about ten minutes, was about crving "quits." 
 when he perceived three or four dark figures mak- 
 ing rapid wav towards them. These, the well- 
 thumped man knew to be reinforcements to him- 
 self, called bv the report of his pistol, and nvi.L> a 
 most vigorous attack upon his adversary, hoping 
 to keep him in play until their arrival : but Alick 
 had espied the approaching figures as s n as he.
 
 THE COUNTEUFEITERS. 309 
 
 and aware that he must make the most of his time, 
 gathered all his unexpended energies into some 
 half-dozen terrific blows, planted them, one after 
 the other, in such spots as seemed the most sus- 
 ceptible, winding up with a left-hander under the 
 ear, that finished the fight long before the new-ar- 
 rivals had reached the scene. 
 
 Ta rapscallions ha'e need ta mak-' lang tracks, 
 an t'ev hu;> ta o'ertak' Alick Cameron," remarked 
 that worthy as he stood, for an instant, looking on 
 his prostrate enemy, a trifle dubiously, not fully 
 decided whether or iv>t his last blow had not been 
 harder struck than he intended, but, as he began 
 to show signs of life, becoming much relieved in 
 mind ; "an' as t'ev seem ta he coming, I'll e'en be 
 ganging, for ta rampaging dolts might pay me in 
 my ain coin, with mo'e interest t'an is my right.'' 
 Saying which he turned and hurried away at a 
 gait that, tired as the new-comers were, it was use- 
 less to undertake to equal. 
 
 The man who had felt so often and so sensibly 
 the weight of Cameron's bony fist, presented a most 
 woeful appearance. Bath eves were discolored, 
 his nose was twice its natural size, and his mouth 
 fearfully awry ; which latter, no -doubt, was the 
 cause of the much perverted narrative he gave of 
 the affair (something like the Cuban bulletins of 
 to-day). He insisted that he had been set upon by 
 six men ; that he had wounded one and four of them 
 after beating him senseless, had carried the hurt 
 man awav. while the other staid to finish the- foul
 
 THE COl NTEKFEH EK.S. 
 
 deed by his outright murder ; hut that their sudden 
 appearance had defeated his attempt. 
 
 "Who were the men? Did you recognize any 
 of them?" asked one of the party. 
 
 "The one that just left is that burly Scotchman, 
 Cameron," replied the suffering man-; "and one 
 of the others was that Lorimer that came here, af- 
 ter the girl, three days ago." 
 
 "And did you recognize either of the others?" 
 asked the one that had before spoken, prefacing his 
 question with a muttered imprecation, that had 
 more venom than strength. 
 
 "Neither, unless one was Dan Morrison, who 
 had a black cloth over his face." 
 
 "Well, back, bovs, back ! The old man must 
 know of this at once." exclaimed Sam Pruvter, for 
 it was he. "A couple of you assist Tom, and the 
 others go with me." 
 
 No beleaguered garrison whose outpost had been 
 fiercely attacked, ever presented more alarm and 
 perturbation than did the Stone House in the Pass 
 and its inhabitants, when the story was there told 
 by the battered man, especially when another par- 
 agraph was added to the tale he had to tell, devis- 
 ed while on his painful way to his haven of refuge, 
 which was, that the parties were fully armed, and 
 were headed, and apparently making their way di- 
 rectly toward the mouth of the pass. The doors 
 were firmly barred and bolted, the heavy shutters 
 closed and secured ; a hidden door, fixed in the 
 wall and opening into a room v recess hewn out of
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 31 I 
 
 the solid rock against which the rear of the build- 
 ing stood, was opened and the huge machines of 
 their trade, mounted on powerful trucks or castors, 
 were heaved, bv means of ropes and pulleys, into 
 the cavern, the door closed, leaving no indication 
 of its existence, and arms and ammunition, which 
 plentifully abounded in the house, distributed to the 
 men, in little more time than it takes to record it. 
 
 These matters arranged, with that expedition and 
 precision; with that haste without hurrv, that tells 
 the men well drilled in the practice; and a couple 
 of the gang dispatched, one to each of the outlets 
 of the pass, for the purpose of giving timely notice 
 of the arrival of any hostile partv, the beleaguered 
 garrison awaited the onset that was not destined to 
 come so soon. 
 
 As time passed and it became still more evident 
 that the superior courage and address of their sen- 
 tinel had so frightened the assailants that no attack 
 would be made that night, the constrained silence 
 that had prevailed until now, began to slowlv pass 
 awav and the gang showed more ease than before, 
 by an occasional remark, with once in a while a 
 jeer at the bravery of those who would assail a 
 single man, but dared not place themselves where 
 hard knocks were .sure to be returned, and with 
 ample usury. 
 
 William Pruyter and his promising heir, inheri- 
 tor of character as well as property, were seated 
 in the father's room. They had sat on opposite 
 sides of the narrow table, each with his chin in his
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 hand and his elbow resting on the board, gazing 
 at each other with lowered brows. It was evident 
 that no great amount of paternal or h'lial affection 
 was lost by either and that there \\as something 
 recent that had widened still more the breach that 
 had heretofore existed ; still there was an evident 
 disposition on the part of both to tolerate the opin- 
 ions of the other, in furtherance of the common 
 cause to which they were bound and to adt in con- 
 cert for the preservation and success of the organi- 
 zation of which thev were the head. 
 
 "What think you now of the old dotard's plan?" 
 asked the father, with a sneer. "You see to what 
 pass of disturbance and disquiet we are brought 
 by not carrying out those selfsame plans, though 
 the emenations of an old dotard's brain." 
 
 "You know, father," replied the younger, de- 
 preciatingly, "that I applied that epithet to you in 
 a burst of violent passion, and that it was not in- 
 tended you should hear it." 
 
 "Would a blow given in a burst of violent pas- 
 sion he less painful in its effects than another, and 
 should that blow come from a son's hand, would it 
 be the less a pain than had it come from the hand 
 of a stranger or at his back?" 
 
 "Assuredly not, and I beg your pardon for the 
 thoughtless speech," said Sam. "I can do no more 
 to restore peace between us. But what is to be 
 done now? This infernal Canuck will never let 
 up until he is satisfied that the girl is no longer in 
 the house or under our control."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 313 
 
 "Carry out the same plans that I before propos- 
 ed, and called out the most filial expression," re- 
 plied the old man, not yet fully appeased. "Cir- 
 culate bv our agents and our own tongues, reports 
 that the girl has been sent to a private mad-house 
 near Baltimore, and then quietly put her out of the 
 way. The lips that would set the hounds of the 
 law howling down upon us sunk fathoms deep in 
 the old shaft from which the water drove us, last 
 summer, well ballasted with masses of ore, would 
 never again cause the uneasiness and constant fear 
 of the last two weeks." 
 
 "But how account for her not returning?" asked 
 the young man who fairly shivered and turned pale 
 when he noticed the coolness with which a deed so 
 terrible, and against one he sincerely loved, was 
 talked of. 
 
 Idiot!" hoarsely exclaimed the senior. "Let- 
 ters received in the course of six months or a year, 
 duly dated and postmarked at Baltimore, announ- 
 cing her death, either by accident, suicide or oth- 
 erwise, would be amply sufficient to close all dis- 
 paraging mouths, were they opened as wide as is 
 Echo chasm. A physician's certificate might be 
 attached, arid also a bill for funeral expenses sent. 
 I have arranged, in mv life, several as deep plans 
 as this to success." 
 
 "Can the men be trusted with such a secret? 
 Though true in all other respects, where a murder 
 is concerned the temptation might be too great for 
 their fidelity," said Samuel, who was gradualh
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^^^^r^ *^-^-X^W~~-N ^ -" 
 
 bringing his mind, so tractable is human nature, to 
 discuss the matter in issue, with less repugnance. 
 
 "None of the men need be trusted," responded 
 the elder villain. "Our own four hands are suffi- 
 cient to do the deed ; to pretend the removal, and 
 all that is required." 
 
 "I can never bring my mind to strike the fatal 
 blow," exclaimed the younger, again shivering, 
 "though I know she will never be mine, and that 
 if she should make her escape, that our liberties 
 would not be worth an hour's purchase, and that 
 she would flv, at once, to his arms. I cannot im- 
 brue my hands in her blood. His I could shed with 
 a relish." and an expression that the old man might 
 have been satisfied with, passed over his dark fea- 
 tures; "and if our plan works I will show you that 
 I am a true son of a remorseless sire." 
 
 I do not ask it," said the old man; "but bear 
 your part manfully in the events yet to transpire, 
 and mv own hand shall do the deed. You will find 
 no faltering or trembling here,'' and he extended a 
 muscular hand and arm. that seemed might grasp 
 and wield a dagger without flinching. 
 
 "To-morrow morning," continued the father, 
 perceiving that the son did not make any response. 
 "to-morrow morning you will go up to Steadville. 
 having some ostensible business hold, you will 
 purchase a few bundles of groceries; buying them 
 at different stores and casually remark that Helen 
 Leonard has lately manifested worse symptoms of 
 her maladv. and that she has been removed to an
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 asylum near Baltimore. You had better inform 
 
 Justice D , Dr. Martin and lawyer Stevens the 
 
 same. They will soon circulate the report. A few 
 days of commiseration among the old women will 
 follow, and then the affair will be forgotten. See 
 Heath and tell him that I must see him immediate- 
 ly. The packages of Southbridge flimsies are all 
 properly made up and he must be here to transport 
 them to Roberts, tor on Monday he must start for 
 Boston with them." 
 
 And how succeeds the amalgam for the sover- 
 eigns?" asked Samuel, very glad of some excuse 
 to change the subject. 
 
 'As well as we might hope," responded Prin- 
 ter; "the composition revealed to Us by Howard, 
 has all the eflect he claimed for it. Wilson says 
 the coin will have all the qualities of gold ; the, ring, 
 general appearance, almost the weight and the ab- 
 sence of the slippery feeling, and capacity to take 
 a good impression. Ah ! with these in the hands 
 of the utterers we may retire from our precarious 
 occupation and somewhere in the 'States,' we may 
 enjoy the fruits of our labor, under our own vine 
 and fig tree, where there are none to molest or 
 make us afraid." The devil, himself, it is said, 
 sometimes quotes passages from Holy Writ. 
 
 The buoyant expression of hope, manifested by 
 the old man, seemed to have a depressing effect on 
 the son. What to him were the joys of quiet and 
 safety : the luxuries that wealth would purchase : 
 the ease and comfort its possession would give.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^^-s^-^^^-.^ ^X^-^-~*-N^~^-V^-V 
 
 while the one he loved was in the arms of another, 
 or those of D^ath ; a far more somber hut fully as 
 faithful a bridegroom. To give Samuel Pruyter 
 all the credit that was his due, if he had a single 
 redeeming qualitv. it was his love for Helen Leon- 
 ard. There was much selfishness in it, it is true ; 
 but what love, even that of a mother for her child, 
 has not some of that ingredient in its composition ? 
 For years he had watched the developement of her 
 charms, as age increased her beautv, and he had 
 learned to love her, perhaps with not so pure an 
 aftedion as many would have clone, yet with a pas- 
 sion that was all absorbing in its intensitv. Re- 
 pulse, scorn, her hatred even, had failed to decrease 
 its steady burning, and while she only refused a 
 reciprocation, her heart unoccupied by another, he 
 would have perilled his life in the defence of hers ; 
 but when he was assured that another occupied the 
 place he had chosen ; that another pessessed her 
 her heart and she must never be his. he was of too 
 selfish, too jealous a nature to endure the thought 
 with any feeling short of agonv. 
 
 Love, pure, heart-felt love does not change to 
 hate, however much people may so claim ; but the 
 human heart may contain both, at the same time, 
 and for the same object. A board painted white 
 may be covered with black, so thoroughly that no 
 particle of the original color may be detected, but 
 the white is still there and it will show itself, when 
 some attrition removes the outer covering. So it 
 is with Idve and hate : the latter may be completely
 
 THE COUNTKUFEITERS. 317 
 
 hide the former that even the person feeling it may 
 not realize its existence, yet, when some rough jar 
 comes, the love shows itself through the darker, 
 denser passion, and the one experiencing it will 
 find, too late, that love is not annihilated or chang- 
 ed, but merely covered, for the nonce, by a more 
 violent though no less intense emotion. 
 
 In much the same state as described above, was 
 the heart of Samuel Pruvter. lie would fain have 
 the maiden for his wife, but this impossible, would 
 rather see her dead than another's. He would not, 
 as he ha.l said, plunge with his own hand, thedag- 
 ger to her heart; nor did he wish any violent fa- 
 tality should befall her, were there other hope, but 
 none presenting itself, rather than Herbert Lorimer 
 should possess her, especially when his safety from 
 a felon's cell or hangman's cord was in her power, 
 he would aid in her destruction. 
 
 Will not the increased danger of counterfeiting 
 the queen's currencv more than counterbalance the 
 gain?' inquired Samuel, with an effort throwing 
 off the thoughts thronging upon him. ki lt is true 
 it gives us a new field in which to operate; and 
 and that some who have winked at our doings, in 
 regard to that of a foreign nation, would not tole- 
 rate an infringement on their own circulating me- 
 dium for a single instant." 
 
 k 'As Justice D somewhat facetiously said," 
 
 replied the old man with the nearest approach to a 
 smile he ever came ; ' 'The printing of handbills, 
 though in shape of bank notes of another countrv.
 
 E COl'XTEKKEITEKS. 
 
 or stamping of brass or pewter medals with the 
 eagle theron, are not actionable, so long as they are 
 made no improper use of in Canada ; but when the 
 Queen's bank note is forged, or her blessed image 
 stamped on pure gold, it is premonition of death.' " 
 
 "Then why do you run the risk?" 
 
 "A good general would rather risk his army in 
 a pitched battle than in a dozen skirmishes. One 
 such strike as we contemplate will accomplish the 
 end we desire better than would a dozen such pal- 
 try affairs as we have pursued, heretofore. I would 
 rather run the risk of my neck for a hundred thou- 
 sand pounds, than of imprisonment of ten years 
 each, for five or ten thousand at a time, and that to 
 be divided among so many." 
 
 "But I do not understand that we run any risks 
 of such imprisonment on this side of the line." 
 
 I would not be line-bound, for who knows but 
 something may occur that will compel us to seek 
 safety abroad. By a bold dash I am in hopes of 
 becoming wealthy, and escape before the game is 
 discovered. I have bargained the Leonard farm 
 and this property at a good price : and some fine 
 morning, not long hence, my many admirers and 
 friends will find me absent ; all this machinery sunk 
 in the lake, and no trace of either of the going or 
 former occupation of William Pruyter be left, save 
 the broken picks, blunted drills ami bent crowbars 
 of our not very prolific mines." 
 
 "And why not do this immediately," asked Sam 
 eagerly ; "before you are compelled to do the dark
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 319 
 
 deed. Take her with us until so far she will be 
 unable to make information against us of avail, or 
 to the end of the journey, where all hopes of ever 
 again seeing that Lorimer, gone, she may reward 
 inv love and crown my wishes." 
 
 "Never!" replied Pruyter. "I never yet put my 
 hand to the plow and looked back. To put half- 
 a-million in sovereigns in circulation has been my 
 life long study, and though I wade instep deep in 
 human blood, I will not abate one iota in my firm 
 determination. It will take nearly a year to finish 
 it, but for the vear to come, as in years back, my 
 whole energies shall be bent to that object, to which 
 all my other projects have been but preparatory. 
 The time would have been longer, had it not been 
 for Howard's secret, and how am I recompensing 
 him for it," he said almost regretfully. 
 
 There was considerable exultation in his voice ; 
 and it was really a plan worthy of a genius such as 
 his. It was feasible, too; for as yet there had not 
 been a'dollar in money of pretended English mint- 
 age offered in the Provinces, and but a compara- 
 tively small quantity of Yankee currency. Those 
 who had ever been safe, protected as they were by 
 
 stich stringent laws, would not be so suspicious as 
 their southern neighbors, who were offered nearly 
 every day some spurious representative of money ; 
 and to foist upon them a large amount of so dan- 
 gerous a counterfeit would be comparatively easy. 
 "The object to be attained is a great one," said 
 
 Sam. who. notwithstanding his conflict of feeling.
 
 3 20 
 
 TIIK COUNTKRFEI' 
 
 could but admire a genius that could master a plan 
 of the magnitude of that spoken of. 
 
 'Yes, yes," responded Pruyter, musingly, hut 
 recovering himself from the effects of the present- 
 iment that had, of late, several times come over 
 him. "But it is now nearly twelve o'clock. Go 
 to vour bed and rest for the task of to-morrow, and 
 of to- morrow night !" he added significantly. 
 
 Saying which he closed the door behind his son 
 and soon after was sleeping as soundly and gently 
 as if no deeds of blood or villauv were meditated. 
 
 During the greater share of this conversation, 
 the mysterious woman had been restlessly hovering 
 about the window of the room, striving to catch 
 words of the indistinct murmuring she heard com- 
 ing from the occupants; but the expectation of at- 
 tack had caused the impervious shutter to be dosed 
 and the colloquy had been carried on in so low a 
 tone that only once in a long while detached words 
 came to her listening ear, not sufficient to give her 
 the least inkling of the subject of debate, so earn- 
 estly carried on by them. 
 
 Had she been as successful as was usually her 
 lot in eaves-dropping and spying, the dark record 
 of William Printer's foulest crime had never been 
 written. How sad a fate had been spared to one 
 in whom she felt so deep an interest. How easily 
 she could have averted the destiny their midnight 
 plotting prepared for poor Helen Leonard, and how 
 readily have warded oft" the descending blow. 
 
 Verily Life hangs by a brittle thread !
 
 THE COUNTKUFEITERS. 321 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 STILL MORE DISCLOSURES. 
 
 ;HE following day was as bright and cloud- 
 less as its predecessor, and the indefatiga- 
 ble Samuel Pruyter was succeeding most 
 encouragingly with the spreading of his 
 report. Everything went according to his wishes, 
 until about four o'clock, in the afternoon, when he 
 stood in the door of Orton Merrill's store, conver- 
 sing with the proprietor, he saw a lad riding one, 
 and leading four other, troop horses, each accout- 
 red in full panoply of housings and arms. They 
 soon reached the hotel steps, when several troopers 
 there congregated, gave three lusty cheers. Turn- 
 ing to Merrill, who was one of those shrewd char- 
 acters that seems to know everything, he inquired 
 the meaning of what he witnessed. 
 
 Why, haven't you heard?" asked that individ- 
 ual, surprised. "This morning's mail brought the 
 news that Governor Durham had pardoned Capt. 
 Lorimer, on condition that he would return all the 
 troop horses and accoutrements that he captured, 
 some fortnight ago; deliver his sword, in person, 
 to Captain Stanfield, and mulcted in a fine of one 
 thousand pounds; a mere flea bite to Lorimer, ex- 
 cept the delivering of the sword. The intelligence 
 was immediately sent to him, and he came, in less 
 than an hour-and-a-half, a draft on a banker in the 
 city for the amount mentioned given ; here are the 
 horses and this evening at eight o'clock, has been
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 >- *^^-^%^ V ^^^>^-.^'>^^^**^*^^^. 
 
 fixed upon for the ceremony of delivering up his 
 sword. I am glad the matter is so easily settled, 
 for Lorimer is a devilish good fellow, and was an 
 old friend of mine, in Montreal." 
 
 Sam stopped to hear no more. - This news was 
 a bitter potion, and with a muttered imprecation, 
 he mounted his horse and set out on his return to 
 Copper Mountain, no more qualms of conscience 
 troubling him in regard to the deed of darkness he 
 had determined to commit. 
 
 On that same evening Helen Leonard sat in her 
 prison cell, vainly looking and hoping for the arri- 
 val of one who seemed now her only friend. She 
 was more than usually melancholy on that evening 
 and traces of tears might have been seen upon her 
 eyelids and cheeks. Although utterly ignorant of 
 all that had transpired relative to her, was it not 
 possible that some guardian angel was hovering 
 near, hoping to avert the fate now coming, coming 
 and close at hand ? \ ,'as there not some foreboding 
 of an evil, she knew not what, casting its ominous 
 shadow over her spirit? 
 
 Nine o'clock struck and amid its echoes she no- 
 I'ced the light sound below her window, the usual 
 precursor of the arrival of the longexpecled guest. 
 Xor was she disappointed, for in a few minutes, 
 the strange woman stepped into the room. Having 
 adjusted the grating, she seated herself near Helen, 
 without a word. 
 
 "Oh ! I am glad you have come," said the girl, 
 fervently. "It is so lonely here, that it seems as
 
 THE COUNTEKKEITEKS. 323 
 
 if I should go crazy indeed, unless my eyes could 
 rest on some human face, that was friendly in its 
 expression." 
 
 'Have you really, then, waited with hope for 
 the coming of one of whom you know so little? I 
 had thought that the time when I should be hoped 
 for, had long passed." 
 
 "Yes, ves, mysterious woman," earnestly res- 
 ponded Helen. ki l have waited and hoped, until 
 waiting has become burdensome, and hope was 
 merging in despair; for in you is my only expect- 
 ation of ever escaping." 
 
 "Mysterious woman no longer, Helen Leonard," 
 answered the stranger; '-for to-night I shall reveal 
 to you my history. I feel that I shall never have a 
 better, if ever another opportunity to do so; for 
 events are fast culminating." 
 
 ik l hope you will do so, madam," exclaimed the 
 girl. "I have wanted so much to hear it. for I 
 have all along felt that your destiny and mine were 
 in some mysterious way intermingled." 
 
 "I am," said the woman, fixing her restless eyes 
 upon those of the maiden, as if she would read in 
 them the effect of her words on the gentle auditor. 
 "I am the wife of William Printer and the mother 
 of his son, Samuel. Interrupt me not," she said 
 as the girl made an exclamation of surprise, and 
 was about to speak ; ''interrupt me not, for I wish 
 to keep my mind steadily upon my purpose, and 
 any intervention would but confuse it. Yes, I am 
 the woman reported to have been drowned in the
 
 THE COI'NTEKFEITEUS. 
 
 lake, and whose body, they say, lies in Steadville 
 cemeterv with a large, white tombstone reiterating 
 the lie that my recreant husband, long years ago, 
 fabricated and promulgated, over my grave. 
 
 It is unnecessary that I should speak of my 
 birth and parentage, and it is enough to say that I 
 am a Swede, and that mv progenitors were respec- 
 table and well-to-do in the world. In England, 
 where I had gone to finish my English education, 
 I met William Pruvter. That is not his real name, 
 but will serve as well as another for the purpose of 
 
 my storv. He was a second son of Lord . a 
 
 Welsh nobleman of wealth and influence. 1 met 
 him, I say, and like any other school girl, fell in 
 love with the first goud looking man who had paid 
 me the least attention. Mv studies were neglected 
 and I was in a pitiful state. He soon saw mv con- 
 dition, and on the strength of mv love, attempted 
 my ruin. 
 
 "I was young and inexperienced in the wavs of 
 the world, but had innate modesty and firmness 
 enough to resist all 'is advances. Every scheme of 
 a brain prolific in expedients was practiced on me 
 in vain, until, in an evil hour, I consented to marry 
 him, in answer to the proposal he had made, to 
 >>-ain by fair means what he had failed to do by foul. 
 We were married privately but legally, and I have 
 ever preserved, nearest my heart the certificate and 
 an attested copy of the register on which the rec- 
 ord was made. 
 
 Soon after the wedding. I made the discovery
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 that though well educated and accomplished in all 
 that pertains to a gentleman, he was reckless and 
 dissipated; having for his most intimate associates 
 those to whom his remains of decency would not 
 allow him to introduce his voung wife. His par- 
 ents, who were aware of his dissolute and disrep- 
 utable courses had, some time before, forbidden all 
 social intercourse with them, and he lived upon an 
 allowance, ample in all respects, to sustain him in 
 respectability, paid by his father. In vain I endea- 
 vored to win him by mv caresses from his pursuits 
 but, after a few months, he was as reckless as ever. 
 The news of his marriage, though well guarded, 
 soon reached his father's ears, and he utterly dis- 
 owned him, stopping his allowance and throwing 
 him upon his own resources. 
 
 "This action but plunged my young husband 
 deeper and deeper in vice. He soon began to neg- 
 lect me, accusing me of being the cause of his 
 downfall. Tears, entreaties, caresses were all alike 
 of no avail. Mv brother had found me out in my 
 misery, and occasionally visited me, and from his 
 purse provided for my wants that were fast coming 
 upon me. One evening my brother had spent an 
 hour with me, and was just leaving when my hus- 
 band, contrary to his custom, returned so early as 
 to meet him. They were strangers, and Pruvter's 
 jealousy was. at once, aroused. He flew to mv 
 room, accused me of infidelity, and finally, mad- 
 man as he was, struck me a heavy blow, prostrat- 
 ing me in a fainting fit of hours in duration.
 
 THE COrNTERFEITEKS. 
 
 When I recovered I told all the circumstances 
 of my brother's finding and aiding me. Prompt to 
 take offence, instead of being molified and express- 
 ing regret for his acts, he poured forth a torrent of 
 invective, forbid mv ever seeing him again, cursing 
 me in my weakness. From that time forward, my 
 life was one of misery and want and abuse. He 
 hesitated not to strike me on several occasions, but 
 I bore his reproache in silence and received his 
 blows as given by the hand of a husband. His ca- 
 reer was rapidly downward ; starvation and cold 
 crept nearer and more near, and what remained of 
 my once abundant supply of clothing was sold, 
 pawned or worn to the verge of indecency ; Pruy- 
 ter grew more attached to his associates, and fre- 
 quently came home intoxicated. 
 
 "About two years after our marriage, Samuel 
 was born. This was no bar to his excesses, no 
 band to draw him nearer to his wife. One night 
 he came in, flushed with liquor, but with conster- 
 nation in his face. He said that he had been de- 
 tecfted in forging his father's signature, and that his 
 only safety was in flight, and in three hours from 
 that time we were on board a vessel, its prow poin- 
 ted westward, and no trace left by which we could 
 be followed. We landed at Quebec, after a voyage 
 in which the natural hardship of ocean navigation 
 wa much increased by the care required by my in- 
 fant boy, and the repeated abuse he heaped on me. 
 
 "The new \\orld proved an El Dorado to Wil- 
 liam Printer. He very soon obtained employment
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 327 
 
 in the mines of the Upper Provinces, a situation 
 for which his education admirably adapted him, 
 for his paternal estate contained several very valu- 
 able ones, and he had been taught with an especial 
 reference to their better development. From an 
 employe he soon rose to the position of overseer 
 and director, and his wealth increased rapidly. 
 \Yith financial success came better treatment, and 
 for a few years he forbore his bitter taunts and blows 
 and 1 fondly hoped that as years passed, he would 
 forget the old trouble and we should be happv and 
 respectable in the world. 
 
 4k My expectations were soon to be blasted, how- 
 ever, for a scheme of great magnitude had been all 
 this time seething in his brain, and his dilligence 
 and plans were all to its furtherance. This was no 
 less than to acquire a large fortune by a single eff- 
 ort, return to his native land and, in the security 
 afforded him by his wealth, wait patiently the death 
 of his elder brother, the heir of the estate, and be- 
 come, as he expected, Lord , and the richest 
 
 man in Wales. This brother is of poor health and 
 unmarried, and a portion of the plan appeared to 
 be feasible. However his father hated him, he had 
 not the power of diverting the title, for the large 
 original estate, with its valuable mines, is entailed 
 and only the accumulated personal property devis- 
 able out of the direct line. 
 
 ''I have given you merely a synopsis of the story 
 of our lives and fortunes up to this point, as a mi- 
 nute relation of it could have no interest to you,
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 save as a tale with which you are not concerned, 
 and presenting the same matters of interest that any 
 other would, the parties to which were but friends 
 or acquaintance. For several weeks Pruyter was 
 preoccupied and spe-U most of his nights in a kind 
 of laboritory that he had finished oft', in a part of 
 the house in which we resided. One morning af- 
 ter a night thus spent, he came to his breakfast with 
 a highly satisfied countenance, and exclaimed sev- 
 eral times, during the meal : 'Eureka!'" Guided 
 by previous experience, 1 ventured no inquiries as 
 to the cause of his exultation, waiting such time as 
 he saw fit to fix for disclosing it. 
 
 By coming to this place, which occurred about 
 three weeks after that event, we severed all the ties 
 that had bound us to our older residence, never re- 
 turning, nor even hearing, directly or indirectly, 
 of it. Your father, Helen, joined Pruvter in his 
 mining operations at first, and would, eventually, 
 had he lived, I think, been induced to connect him- 
 self with the other branch of business, in which 
 he soon after engaged, that of counterfeiting. You 
 can congratulate yourself, Helen Leonard, in the 
 assurance that your kind father was never, in word, 
 thought or deed, concerned in that crime. I say 
 kind because once, he parried from my head a blow 
 struck at it by Pruyter, that, had it not been turned 
 aside, must have caused my death. Mr. Pruyter 
 was infuriated, but your father was firm, threaten- 
 ing to make his treatment to me public, if he ever 
 knew of bis striking me a blow, or laving his hand
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 329 
 
 on me in anger. The stake that my husband was 
 playing for was too great to lose, and he promised 
 never to raise his hand to me; and kept his word, 
 while vour father lived. 
 
 "Unfortunately for us both, Arthur Leonard was 
 accidentally killed ; and to secure the property that 
 lie needed in his transactions, I think but do not 
 know that he forged deeds, receipts and other pa- 
 pers, when he was really indebted to your father's 
 estate to quite .an amount. I once accused him of 
 the deed, and remonstrated against his cheating the 
 widow and orphan of their rights. I was angry, 
 and threatened to expose him. He said I was in- 
 sane ; taunted me of my father's insanity and said 
 that I was just as bad. And soon after was enac- 
 ted the same farce that he has revived in your case, 
 and I was adjudged a maniac, and for over a year, 
 was confined in this very room. I have sometimes 
 thought that during a part of that period I was out 
 of my head. Periods have been since, when I have 
 had strange vagaries. Perhaps I am mad, now." 
 and as she thus spoke, the same far-away look set- 
 tled in her eyes but, with a strong effort, she recov- 
 ered herself, and continued : 
 
 4 *This grating was put in while I was a tenant 
 of this room, for I had escaped several times, and 
 believe me I watched the workman with searching 
 eyes. One end of each of the cross-bars is made 
 in the form of a hook, the other entering the stone 
 only about an inch. When he had finished his job 
 and left, and before the mortar or cement in which
 
 HIE COUXTERKK1TERS. 
 
 ^^^*^*^-^*~*-~+*^**^^**^^^^~^~**' 
 
 the bars were set, was hilly dry, I began to work 
 on them, and after a week of patient labor, I was 
 enabled to draw out the bars from the side into 
 which they were the least inserted, and the whole 
 grating swung on the hooks as readily as would an 
 ordinary door. No one ever discovered my secret 
 and, many a night, when the fit was on, 1 have 
 danced on the cliffs or watched him in his iniquity, 
 returning before I was detected. 
 
 "Some few months after this I was removed to 
 an asylum in Montreal, whence 1 escaped, about a 
 month ago. No report was sent to Pruvter of mv 
 being gone, and therefore he does not suspect me. 
 I came directly to this place ; entered his room, 
 during his absence and securing a sum of money 
 good money I prevailed upon your uncle, Carlos, 
 to board me, and there have been ever since, visit- 
 ing the pass almost nightly and by watching, have 
 kept fully informed of all the movements, objects 
 and intentions of all who reside or visit here. On 
 hearing, on my return, of the pretended death of 
 his wife, and that William Pruvter had, long ago, 
 married your mother, I paid her a visit. At first 
 she thought that I was a spirit, and in my anger, 
 I would not undeceive her, but told her all the in- 
 iquity of her husband, cursed and left her." 
 
 "Yes, yes," exclaimed Helen ; "she told me of 
 the visit of his first wife's ghost; of his iniquitous 
 business ; of her suspicions that my father had been 
 wronged by the machinations of William and Sam- 
 uel Pruvter, of a large portion of his estate, and
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 that she believed your appearance was a judgement 
 upon her for marrying Mr. Pruyter. Alas ! poor 
 mother, it was finally the cause of her death." 
 
 "So I was led to believe, Helen," continued 
 Mrs. Pruyter : ''and I have blamed myself, manv 
 times for my agency in it. When she died I re- 
 pented of my anger, and in consideration of the 
 kindness of your father and the fadl that I had, in 
 part, deprived you of a mother, I registered a sol- 
 emn vow to be both to you. I soon had an oppor- 
 tunity of fulfilling the oath for, on the night when 
 you discovered their jealously guarded secret, I was 
 close at hand, heard all, and when, after a season, 
 you was brought here, released you. I soon saw 
 that they were fully determined to retain possess- 
 ion of your person, and therefore, have let you re- 
 main until such a time as I can make your escape 
 certain and effectual. But not yet, not yet." 
 
 "Oh, why not to-night?" pleaded Helen. "I 
 can go with you to my uncle, and he will protect 
 me against all who may come to do me an injury. 
 I would " 
 
 "Hush ! Hush !" cautioned the woman, as a 
 sound from outside the door was borne to her ears. 
 She listened for a moment, then, with a motion as 
 quick as thought, dashed out the light, and hasten- 
 ed to the window. Helen followed her, a hurried 
 whisper took place, and then she passed out, the 
 grating was closed, and once more the lonely ten- 
 ant of the prison cell was alone. She listened for 
 a few moments, applying her ear to the panel, but
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 the sound, \\ hatever it was. or whatever produced 
 it, was not repeated, and she quietly went to bed. 
 and soon after, a gentle, regular breathing told that 
 all sorrows and anxieties were, for the present, 
 banished, and that "tired nature's sweet restorer." 
 was in full possession of all her faculties, and that 
 no premonition of the fearful awakening shadowed 
 her quiet, peaceful slumber. 
 
 Why is it if, as many believe, as we believe, that 
 guardian angels, the spirits of our departed friends, 
 are allowed to hover around our bed during sleep, 
 to protect and watch us, that they are not permit- 
 ted to make their warnings sufficiently manifest, 
 that we may know the danger that their etherial 
 powers cannot ward off ? There may be an unea- 
 sv dread of some coming evil, but knowing not the 
 source or direction of its advent, we are helpless 
 as babes to avert it. Perhaps it is best that such 
 should be the case, for in knowing the time and the 
 coming of the one, we should suffer many deaths. 
 We should count the days, hours, minutes, seconds 
 intervening between life and death ; between this 
 and the world To Be ; and take no heed of living, 
 while we do live, and die in every remembrance 
 of the near coming dissolution. Instead of being 
 a world of joy, with ils lesser amount of sorrows, 
 it would be but a charnel house, each individual a 
 sorrowful mourner, with a skull on his shoulders, 
 walking down to a grave, on a fixed and certain 
 day. unavoidable, inevitable. 
 
 For two hours the sleeper continued to slumber.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 333 
 
 and nothing came to awake her. At that time the 
 bolt moved noiselessly back, a slot in the panel be- 
 hind it, and a strong steel instrument, being the 
 means, the door swung silently on its hinges, and 
 two shadowy, stealthy, quick-moving forms glided 
 in and ranged themselves at the slumberer's side. 
 A dagger, just visible in the semi-obscurity of the 
 room, rose and fell, each thrust reaching a vital 
 part, each stab opening a sure egress for the soul. 
 It was a fearful visitation, and its only response was 
 a hollow groan, a wavering gasp, and again that 
 room was as silent as before. 
 
 The murderers then wrapped the bed, with all 
 its clothes of sheets, pillows and coverings, around 
 the lifeless form, that no telltale blood drops might 
 escape ; passed a cord, previously prepared, many 
 times around the package thus made up for eterni- 
 ty ; raised it in their arms and bore it through the 
 door, down the stairs and out into the night. Then 
 up a dark, hollow gorge they bore the ghastly bur- 
 den, until they stood upon the edge of a no longer 
 used shaft, fully forty feet in depth and more than 
 two-thirds filled with water, dark as the deed they 
 had committed, reflecting neither moon or star 
 from its baleful surface, and hiding itself behind 
 craggy projections, as if ashamed to show itself to 
 the light. 
 
 There they put the body down ; felt out several 
 large pieces of ore and attaching them strongly to 
 the cord already fastened to the enveloped form and 
 then rolled it into the dark abyss. A sullen, often
 
 THE COUNTERFE1TEKS. 
 
 echoed splash was the only sound coming up from 
 the grave, a few bubbles rising, messengers from 
 the dead to the living, messages they were at no 
 loss to read, were all that was heard or seen. The 
 shorter of the two assassins then removed a frock, 
 that had enveloped his entire form, wrapped it a- 
 round the no longer gleaming dagger and another 
 piece of ore, cast it into the pit, and then they fled 
 down the gorge, their moccassined feet making no 
 sound ; but the bubbles yet rising before their eyes 
 as while life lasted they would rise, recurrent mes- 
 sages of condemnation from the dead to the living, 
 messages that needed no interpreter to read. 
 
 When thev had reached the old man's room and 
 a light had been obtained, they were thunderstruck 
 at the faces into which each other gazed. They 
 were like dead men's faces, only that the muscles 
 worked convulsively and the eyes cowered before 
 the eyes that met them. They trembled in horror, 
 but with a caution that was not to be surprised, 
 they made minute examination of their clothing, 
 hands, faces, to see if any drop of detective blood 
 was there. Finding none, they carefully searched 
 the door-stone, the floor, the stairs, the upper floor, 
 and that of the bed-chamber, and the bed itself; 
 but that blood, however anxious to reach the ground 
 that it might cry out for vengeance against its shed- 
 cLrs, could not make its way, in so short a time, 
 through so many folds of cloth, of feathers, and of 
 cloth again, and not a drop was to be found ; all 
 had been absorbed by the covering.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 335 
 
 A few minor arrangements were soon made in 
 the room, the door closed, the bolt shot to its place, 
 the slot deftly filled with putty, already colored to 
 the same hue as that of the wood, and they went, 
 each reluctantly to his own apartment, in search of 
 the sleep that was not to come, at least for several 
 hours, for, as they closed their eyes, the bubbles 
 again began to rise, expand and burst, each one as 
 it appeared, opening an aperture in the dark, hid- 
 ing waters, through which they could see, though 
 thicklv envelopeed, the tair, young face, all pale 
 and deathlike, but with eyes watching the ascent 
 of the messages from the dead to the living, the 
 messages of vengeance so easilv read. 
 
 But somnolent at last, as much from excitement 
 and dread as from want of sleep, they sunk away 
 to slumber, but many times, ere morning dawned, 
 to enact again the same tragedy, in every and all 
 its most minute particular, to the last, from its be- 
 ginning; from the stealthy listening at her cham- 
 ber door, for an hour, even to the final search for 
 blood-marks; from the first fall of the life-seeking 
 blade, to the last splash in the murkv waters of 
 the mine ; from the hollow groan and wavering 
 gasp, to the hnrried, terror-prompted flight, down 
 the glen ; and through the whole, the rising bub- 
 bles brought messages from the dead to the living, 
 messages of retribution, not one word of which 
 their straining, aching eyes failed to read.
 
 336 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^x-^-VS^-t^ ~*s~~~+^~**~~>-*~J~>~>-*~' 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 ANOTHER UNAVAILING SEARCH. 
 
 N the next morning, the morning of June 
 3rd, 1838, the sun arose with no interve- 
 ning vapor, but with a very reel face, as 
 if the night before had been spent by. him 
 in dissipation, and that he had something of an in- 
 clination to be cross because compelled to rise so 
 early. The night had been sweltering hot, and in 
 different parts of the sky were several white, pillar- 
 like clouds, with ragged f edges, resembling large 
 bundles of fleeces of wool loosely bound together, 
 while in the west a dark mass of dense vapor, on 
 which was drawn a not very brilliant rainbow, like 
 a black pall, interwoven with gaudy colors, was 
 creeping with ominous speed up the blue field of 
 the sky. 
 
 Not a breath of air was stirring; the zephvrs, 
 being their own meters, were yet sleeping, and 
 the very earth was panting with heat. As the day 
 advanced, several flashes and distant peals of grum- 
 bling thunder began to be seen and heard, like the 
 picket firing before the real action commences, 
 growing louder and clearer as they advanced, until 
 the black cloud, in the west, had spread over the 
 entire sky, and then the real action began. The 
 muttering thunder grew menacing in tone and re- 
 sembled in its prolonged reach from west to east, 
 and its reverberating finale, some game at tenpins, 
 played by Titans, across the firmament, where
 
 THE COUNTEnKKlTEKh. 337 
 
 worlds are bowled, and ten-strikes plenty. The 
 lightning, in its zig-zag leaps between the clouds, 
 might lead one with vivid imagination to picture a 
 huge sewing machine with red-hot needle, a me- 
 teor shuttle and Haming thread, stitching together 
 the ragged edges of the black vapors, into a mon- 
 ster pall with which to envelope the world. The 
 winds that had slept so long seemed now intent on 
 making up for lost time and whipped the. till now. 
 la/v air with the tops and branches of the trees, 
 castigating one of their assistants for the very re- 
 missness of which thev were themselves guiltv. 
 a course often pursued bv masters wearing the hu- 
 man form. And then down came the rain, not in 
 drops, but in streams, making the parched earth 
 laiilv smoke with the concussion, when it struck. 
 The waters of the lake, ridged into waves, bv the 
 wind, were again beaten back to a troubled, toss- 
 ing level bv the waters from above the earth join- 
 ing with the waters of the earth. 
 
 In the midst of one of the most terrific bursts of 
 the tempest, at a time when the narrow road from 
 the house to the meadow below ran full, but not 
 deep, with the accumulated waters of the pass, 
 when the lightning seemed to be leaping back and 
 forth across the narrow gorge and the thunder ap- 
 peared to be actually rocking the solid crags, as 
 easily as a mother would rock her child's cradle, 
 a rather verdant appearing vouth. mounted upon 
 a shambling descendant of Rosinante. very wet. 
 verv scared, and verv anxious, rode up to the stone-
 
 THE COUNTEKFEITEKS. 
 
 house, and delivered a letter to William Pruyter, 
 who stood in the door as if awaiting the coming of 
 the young messenger. 
 
 Although the waiting man was paler than was 
 his wont, and there was a tremor in his frame that 
 his copious libations of brandy had failed to pre- 
 vent, a more deadly pallor, and a very perceptible 
 trembling assailed him when he recognized the ri- 
 der and the handwriting of the subscription. Had 
 his crime found him out so soon ? Had the mes- 
 senger bubbles been seen and read bv other eyes 
 than his own ? It could not be, yet he was scarcely 
 able, from excitement, to break the seal. Judge, 
 then, the relief he experienced, when he read the 
 letter, laconic as was the other, by the same hand, 
 but of far greater import, though as easily under- 
 stood. It read as follows : 
 
 "The hounds arfe out ! A golden stag in view. 
 
 So elated was the man bv a relief from his pre- 
 sent fears that he hailed the tidings that, at another 
 time, would have blanched his cheek, as the best 
 of news. The letter informed him that, at last, a 
 formal complaint for counterfeiting had been en- 
 tered against him ; that the warrants were already 
 in the officer's hands, and that in an hour or two. 
 at farthest, they would be down upon him. 
 
 Against this charge he was fully armed. Years of 
 study had enabled him, effectually, at an hour's no- 
 tice, to arrange his house, that the most prving and 
 energetic of bailiffs would be at fault. A part of
 
 THK COUNTKKKK1TEKS. 339 
 
 this plan was revealed when, on a former occasion 
 danger was coming up the pass ; and he proceeded 
 at once, to make such other preparations as were 
 necessary under the circumstances. He had all of 
 his men who were usually employed in the house, 
 change their dress, donning the coarser or mining 
 d /esses of the actual miners: compelled each to de- 
 liver up what bogus mougv he might have by him 
 and be prepared, immediately upon the breaking 
 of the shower, to repair to the / mines, with pick, 
 bar and shovel, and to be actually engaged in using 
 them. Samuel and himself were to be in differ- 
 ent shafts, superintending the laborers, while the 
 "gentlemanly stranger" woidd remain within doors 
 employed in making some chemical and analytical 
 experiments with ores. 
 
 "I am woefully at a loss to imagine who could 
 have made the complaint," said the old man, Pruv- 
 ter, when all these arrangements had been made, 
 and himself, his son and the "gentlemanly strang- 
 er" were met in his room. "I certainly have no 
 suspicions of anv of our hands, for none of them 
 have been for sufficient time from under espionage 
 to enable them to do it, either by word of mouth, 
 or by writing ; nor is there anyone that I wouldn't 
 trust without watching, so long as there is no re- 
 ward offered for treachery." 
 
 "Is it not possible that this Captain Lorimer, as 
 he calls himself, has done it in revenge?" inquired 
 the "gentlemanly stranger," in a very gentlemanly 
 manner. He certainly made threats enough when 

 
 HE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 here, to warrant any person of ordinary credulity, 
 in believing that he intended to do so." 
 
 No doubt he would have done it before this, if 
 he had but known the fact," replied Pruyter; "but 
 being, as I am absolutely certain, in blissful igno- 
 rance of the secret, he had no secret to disclose." 
 
 Did not his impish brother I think you told 
 me that he who enacted the part of the baboon was 
 his brother not pry into a knowledge of the fa6t, 
 and impart it to his employ er ?" asked the "gentle- 
 manly stranger", with that deference and respect 
 he was so apt to accord to his superior. 
 
 "No, for Tom had him under his eve, everv in- 
 stant, from the. time he set foot in our precindts, till 
 he and his loftv brother went avvav, like whipped 
 dogs," answered Pruyter. 
 
 "I think all surmisings are unnecessary, at pres- 
 ent," suggested Sam, speaking for the first time; 
 "for, if the information is given bv one in the se- 
 cret, the bailiff will march, at once, to the private 
 door and open our hidden treasures to the view of 
 the world ; and then the game is up. But if the 
 complaint has been made by one who merely sus- 
 pects, our secret is as safe as ever. Time will very 
 soon decide the question in debate." 
 
 This suggestion, simple as it was, and the first 
 that should have presented itself to their minds, to 
 use a more common than elegant expression, struck 
 the auditors all of a heap. The idea that the secret 
 room was, or might be, other than a secret, never 
 seemed to have occurred to them before. This
 
 THK COUNTKKKK1TEKS. 341 
 
 treasure vault unlocked, their whole career would 
 he published broadcast to the world. They would 
 be arrested ; after a season paraded before an un- 
 svmpathizing public, and then to serve a term in 
 penetentiary ; worse, the dies found that were al- 
 readv prepared for the forthcoming sovereigns, and 
 a short shrift and a stout rope loomed painfully ap- 
 parent in the near future. 
 
 The "gentlemanly stranger" showed the greatest 
 perturbation, in a gentlemanlv wav, of course, the 
 elder Pruvter, hardened as he was in crime, and 
 drilled to all surprises, grew suddenly pale and 
 tremulous, two states into which he had never fal- 
 len until that day. Samuel, who really possessed 
 more brute courage than had fallen to the share of 
 both the others, manifested in his countenance, a 
 dogged determination to abide the issue, whatever 
 it might be; an example which his father soon fol- 
 lowed and later, and more reservedly, the other of 
 the trio. With a grasp of their hands they finally 
 repeated certain portions of their fearful oath, and 
 promised each to stand by the other, let what would 
 betide; this reservedly, too, on the part of the last, 
 but not boisterously. 
 
 While this conversation was being held the sum- 
 mer storm had gradually receded ; the lightnings 
 Hashing more faintly ; the thunder no longer threat- 
 ening, but muttering complaints from behind the 
 hills, and the sun came out vigorously, and to all 
 appearance much refreshed from the copious ablu- 
 tion he had in sympathy enjoyed. When this was
 
 'II IK COI'XTKKFKITKKS. 
 
 observed, the men hastily repaired to the several 
 stations assigned them and, in ten minutes, were 
 apparently intently engaged in that very innocent, 
 though not always profitable employment, espe- 
 cially in the South Eastern Townships of Canada, 
 mining for copper ore. 
 
 They were not long in suspense for, within .an 
 hour, Bailiff Rogers, at the head of half-a-dozen 
 stout fellows, rode up to the door of the stone house 
 and inquired for Mr. Pruyter. That individual 
 was soon called, and certainly exhibited much sur- 
 prise ; but soon seemed to regain his wonted com- 
 posure, when he said : 
 
 "Well, friend Rogers, you are getting to be quite 
 a neighbor, and quite neighborly in your calls. I 
 had supposed that a man of your age, with a wife 
 and several little ones at home would not be hunt- 
 ing so persistently a young girl who is already be- 
 spoken by another." 
 
 "I am not in pursuit of calico, to-day, Mr. Pruy- 
 ter, but on more serious busines," replied Rogers, 
 laughing; "although I am well satisfied the pres- 
 ent charge is fully as frivolous as the other, though, 
 as I said, far more serious." 
 
 "You startle me, Mr. Bailiff," said the old man, 
 the grin on his face instantly subsiding. "Pray of 
 what enormity have I been guilty, now, that so 
 many valliant men are required to accompany you 
 in the discharge of your duty r" 
 
 "You and your whole crew of workmen are ac- 
 cused of counterfeiting, Mr. Pruvter."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS, 343 
 
 "Of counterfeiting, in a small way, the original 
 deluge, you mean, I suppose," and the cunning old 
 scoundrel laughed so naturally that ninety-nine in 
 every hundred hearers would have voted it genuine. 
 If that is the charge, I shall certainly plead guilty 
 and throw myself upon the mercy of the court, in 
 hopes of mitigation of sentence." 
 
 "You misunderstand, Mr. Pruvter, said Rogers, 
 still smiling. "You are complained of for count- 
 erfeiting gold and silver coin and bank-notes. ' I 
 do not see that copper is mentioned." 
 
 "Are you really in earnest?" asked E'ruvter, in 
 well-arleded eagerness. "No, I see you are not, 
 by your laughing. How very foolish in me to sup- 
 pose that any such ridiculous and unfounded com- 
 plaint could have been made against me." 
 
 "Nevertheless true," responded Roberts ; "I am 
 commanded to arrest the whole party, and make a 
 thorough search of their persons and of your dom- 
 icile; and if things look suspicious, to cause you 
 to procure good bail or be committed, otherwise, 
 
 as suggested by Justice D . who is associated 
 
 with Justice Shepard in the issuance of the war- 
 rant, to take each the personal recognizance of the 
 prisoners, notify them when to appear for trial and 
 with a very strong probability of the cases never 
 being brought to an issue, let vou all remain where 
 you are, to pursue the even tenor of your several 
 ways, unmolested until court-day. Would you like 
 to see the warrant/Mr. Pruvter?" 
 
 "Bv no means, bv no means, Mr. Bailiff'," said
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ,^_^^-^^-^ ._*~S-~^'^-~^*-~^^-S 
 
 the old man carelessly, though watching the other's 
 features with an intensity that was apalling ; ''your 
 word is sufficient. The men shall be called, at 
 once, and i will, myself, assist you in making the 
 search. Sir," he said, addressing the gentleman- 
 ly stranger," aforesaid, "will you be so kind as to 
 notify all the men that it is my wish that they re- 
 pair immediately to this place. This wa\ . Mr. 
 Rogers. Where will you begin?" 
 
 "I am not particular," replied the bailiff, care- 
 lessly ; "perhaps the chambers fi: - st, then down 
 along. This is a mere formality, I am inclined to 
 believe, Mr. Pruvter; "but as their worshipful J. 
 P's command, so, I suppose, I must do." 
 
 Had some "Old Man of the Sea," more persist- 
 ent than was he of the romancing sailor, been sud- 
 denly ousted from his position on his shoulders, 
 or some heavy-hoofed nightmare galloped away 
 from its self-sought situation on his breast, Pruvter 
 could not have been more relieved, than he was, 
 when his keen watchfulness had discerned that the 
 bailiff's carelessness was not simulated, and he 
 passed the secret door in the wall, without so much 
 as a glance in its direction. He soon really felt the 
 cheerfulness and alacrity he had before pretended, 
 and chaperoned his unwelcome guests over the 
 building with a degree of satisfaction and feeling 
 of safety he had not before experienced. 
 
 "This, my lumber-room," he said, opening the 
 door of the apartment lately occupied by Helen 
 Leonard, "was fitted up for my ward, when she
 
 THE COUN'l EKKKIl KRS. 345 
 
 returned from her attempted visit to Montreal, at 
 the time of your last call, and she has remained 
 here since, until her departure for Baltimore. She 
 is truly an unfortunate girl, Mr. Rogers ; but we 
 are in hopes of her speedv recovery. These are 
 the rooms of a portion of my laborers. This the 
 sleeping apartment of niv son, and this of my as- 
 sayer," he remarked as he in turn threw open the 
 doors of the rooms he mentioned. 
 
 A strict search failed to make any discoveries, 
 and the bailitV returned to the lower floor, where 
 he examined the main room, the kitchen, the old 
 man's apartment, the closets and trunks, with like 
 want of success. 
 
 "Your home, here, Mr. Printer, is quite a cas- 
 tle for strength," remarked Rogers, pointing to the 
 heavy shutters and strong fastenings. "It would 
 take a strong siege to make an entrance, were all 
 these bolts and bars in place." 
 
 "Men having our unfounded reputations as pos- 
 sessors of wealth, living in such an out-of-the-way 
 place, especially in such unquiet tunes as we have- 
 had for the last year, must needs have strong fast- 
 enings to ensure an undisturbed night's rest. An 
 effort to test their efficiency seems to have been con- 
 templated, a night or two since, and one of our 
 men was roughly handled, but the attackers seem- 
 ed to think better of their undertaking, for we did 
 not hear anything more of it." 
 
 ''Indeed !" said Rogers, and then asked : ''You 
 have a cellar, have vou not. under the house?"
 
 346 THE COUNTERFEITER; 
 
 .^^x-^x^^-'-^^-'-v-' ^~-^- -^-^^^^^^x^^^-^ -~- 
 
 "A small, rough hole, blasted from the rock ; or 
 rather, two of them, as I should say for, besides 
 the legitimate cellar, our powder-room is under one 
 corner of the building. This trap leads to the first, 
 by means of a ladder ; the entrance to the maga- 
 zine is from the outside," 
 
 "Rather a risky place to store so dangerous an 
 article as powder, I should imagine," said Rogers, 
 "But, as your men have arrived, I will omit exam- 
 ining the underground apartments while I attend 
 to them r so they may return to their work." 
 
 When informed of the purpose of the bailiff, the 
 men were either feignedly or really surprised, but 
 underwent the ordeal with many a laugh and joke. 
 Nothing rewarded the search, and the fully satis- 
 fied officer proceeded to arrest, and as soon dis- 
 charge the members of the community, in rotation, 
 agreeable to the instructions he had received, and 
 was preparing to leave, when he was invited into 
 Pruyter's room by that individual. 
 
 "I have some very nice brandy, here. Rogers. 
 and as the labor of searching the house has been 
 somewhat onerous, perhaps you would be inclined 
 to take a glass," remarked the old man, blandly. 
 "I am in the habit of partaking of spirituous liqu- 
 ors, moderately, especially just before eating or af- 
 ter fatiguing labor." 
 
 George Rogers was a fine fellow, and it was a 
 great pity he would drink ; but it was not to excess, 
 though he dearly loved a glass of good brandy, on 
 all proper occasions; and deeming this as one, he
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 347 
 
 turned out and swallowed a very liberal quantity 
 of the really excellent liquor. 
 
 "A good article, that," he said, as he set down 
 the empty glass. 
 
 "Pretty good, I call it," said Pruvter. "Try an- 
 other tumbler. I will warrant it not to hurt you ; 
 if it was injurious, I should have been dead, long 
 ago. What-a ridiculous affair, Rogers, this of to- 
 day ; if indeed we may rind a laughable side to it. 
 I am really more inclined to think that the charge 
 was made in a revengeful spirit, instead of being 
 by any person who believed it was true." 
 
 "I have been of that opinion all along, Mr. Prin- 
 ter, for we have known you so long and so thor- 
 oughly, as a citizen of our town, and have never 
 
 before dreamed of such a thing. Justice D 
 
 was of the same opinion, and expressed it pretty 
 freely, when he gave me the papers; but Shepard 
 said the complaint was made, and they could do no 
 less than order the arrests made." 
 
 "Certainly, certainly, Rogers; that was plain- 
 ly your duty, and you have executed it in a gentle- 
 manly manner, especially when the task was put 
 upon you by one who would take another glass, 
 Mr. Rogers who would vent some spite, either on 
 you or me, by so needless and uncalled for prose- 
 cution." 
 
 "Oh, it is no- game on me, tor my fees are the 
 same as if you were mid-leg deep in the 'queer,' 
 Mr. Printer ; and certainly, the labor is much less 
 than to commit the whole party to Saybrook jail."
 
 THE COUXTERFKITEKS. 
 
 Rogers would not take the hint, however point- 
 edly thrust at him, and Pruyter was finally obliged 
 to come more fully to the point ; therefore, after 
 mending his dram, as the saying is, he said : 
 
 "It is quite natural, Mr. Rogers, that the victim 
 of so witless a practical joke as the one attempted, 
 would like to be informed as to who was its author, 
 and if it is no breach of official etiquette or duty, 
 1 would be pleased to be told to whom I am indebt- 
 ed for the kindness." 
 
 "I should certainly esteem it a pleasure, as well 
 as a duty to inform you," replied Rogers, "did I 
 know, myself. No affidavits were produced, or 
 names mentioned as informers, while I was in the 
 office. Indeed I did not think of that part of the 
 matter, at all, so much surprised was I at the na- 
 ture of the charge. When I return I will make all 
 proper inquiries, and if the magnates think proper 
 to answer my questions, I will let you know the re- 
 sult. But it is time that 1 was on the way. My 
 men, not so agreeably employed as I have been, 
 may be getting impatient to start." 
 
 "Well, really, Mr. Rogers, I have been very re- 
 miss," exclaimed Pruyter, as if suddenly recollect- 
 ing his breach of hospitality. Have them in, all 
 of them, immediately. The business concluded, 
 there can be no harm in their taking some refresh- 
 ments of this kind." 
 
 "No, Mr. Pruyter," said Rogers, smiling; "pla- 
 cing such liquor as this before a bailiff's assistants 
 would be assuredly like placing pearls before swine.
 
 THE COUNTEUFKITKKS. 349 
 
 They would not appreciate its quality, and they can 
 wait until we arrive at the village, when they will 
 be sure to make up for their abstemiousness, for 
 the present, by filling- up with Tim's whiskev, and 
 deem it nectar." 
 
 "As you will, as you will, Mr, Bailiff, but take 
 a stirrup-cup as a parting. Won't hey? Well, 
 good-day, good-dav, and many thanks for the con- 
 sideration vou have shown us in the discharge of a 
 very disagreeable duty." 
 
 And away down the pass rode his "Old Man of 
 the Sea," astride of his nightmare, in guise of bai- 
 liff Rogers and his roan gelding. The relief was 
 certainly great, and the old man of the mountain 
 realized it, but only for a short season ; for with 
 recollection came another fear, the ever recurring 
 fear that must last, in his lonely hours, through all 
 his life ; a fear to which he was never to be a stran- 
 ger ; forgotten, perhaps, during some great present 
 excitement of mind, but ever coming back, when 
 memorv came. 
 
 It is often the case in the transactions of time, 
 that a great sorrow is often temporarily shadowed 
 by a less, as the moon shadows the sun. The pres- 
 ent evil gains its prominence from its nearness, the 
 the recent date of its occurrence, and by its thus 
 gained prominence, shuts out from the mind an- 
 other evil that may be far more corroding in its na- 
 ture, when having its full sway. So had the dan- 
 ger of detection in the lesser crime, for the time 
 being, kept away the apprehension of a discovery
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^x-^^^. ^^-^^~ -s^^-^x-^^x^^x-- 
 
 of the greater, while the officers of the law were 
 present, prepared to bring to punishment io:' coun- 
 terfeiting, but when ! hat minister of human justice 
 had departed, he was in presence of one of divine 
 justice, who was equally prepared to punish him, 
 eventually for murder, 
 
 There is something peculiarly terrible to the 
 homicide. There are other crimes, though not so 
 many now as formerly, the penalty of which is 
 death ; death by the bullet, or by the more igno- 
 minious halter; yet he who has forfeited his 1 life for 
 either of them, feels not that tenor of detection, 
 that is experienced bv him who has taken a human 
 life, intentionally. His sleep is not so disturbed ; 
 his dreams so terrifying, or his conscience so much 
 harrowed by guilt as is that of the premeditated 
 slaver. True, the near approach of the grim mon- 
 ster, into whose maw we are all, sooner or later, 
 drawn, has its peculiar horrors ; but there is a vast 
 difference in the two, when that dread hour comes. 
 The fear of meeting an offended God, has perhaps, 
 some effect, but the rule holds good with the infi- 
 del as well as a believer in the tenets ot Christian- 
 ity, the same with heathen and moslem, with the 
 pagan Modoc and the sexton of a Christian church. 
 And William Pruyter, hardened as he was, felt 
 all of this. To be convicted of coining English 
 sovereigns was death. To kill Helen Leonard was 
 death ; but he had rather face a judge and jury 
 ten times for the former crime, than once for the 
 latter, the penalty being the same.
 
 THE COrNTEIU-KITKKS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE APPOINTMENT KEPT. 
 
 X the same day of the second and equally 
 unsuccessful visit of Bailiff Rogers to the 
 Stone House in the Pass, Herbert Lo ri- 
 mer was pacing back and forth on the ve- 
 randah of Dan Morrison's tavern, smoking a cigar, 
 and enjoying a view of revivified nature and the 
 smell of the spring flowers and the resinous odors 
 disseminated by the young balsam and pine trees, 
 near at hand. The shower had not been so severe 
 where he was as it had been at Copper Mountain ; 
 yet it had been sufficiently hard to wash the roads 
 in many places and fill the banks of the rivulets in 
 some cases to overflowing. The air was cool and 
 in its life giving qualities a freshness and exhiler- 
 ation in its effects, that it had not possessed for 
 many a long day ; and the promenader inhaled long 
 draughts with a relish that gave new color to his 
 face and a more rapid flow to his blood. 
 
 His pride as a military man had undergone some 
 reaction, as it was, no doubt, intended should be 
 the case, by the Governor General, in the judgment 
 that he should publicly surrender his sword to his 
 adversary, Captain Stanfield. To give the latter 
 named official due credit, he was of too generous 
 a nature, a compliment we wish we could, with 
 truth accord to other officers in Her Majesty's Pro- 
 vincial Army, to exult over a fallen foe, and had 
 divested the ceremony of many of its objectionable
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 features, bv his manly courteousness and urbanity. 
 Lorimer had noted the full force of this kindness, 
 that had blunted the point of the disgrace, as he. in 
 pride, deemed it; and the two officers, formerly 
 enemies, parted, after a sumptuous supper, at the 
 expense of Stanneld, with many a protestation of 
 friendship and esteem ; although the royal captain 
 shook his finger with a playful menace at Hector, 
 who was one of the guests, telling him that he had 
 an account to settle with him for scalding the hair 
 from his horses' rumps. 
 
 Hector made some reply in his own peculiar vein 
 that set the assembled guests in a roar of laughter, 
 so ready are people to be merry over a good sup- 
 per, especially when the feast is one given to cele- 
 brate the reconciliation of old feuds, and the for- 
 mation of new ties of friendship and peace. 
 
 He had heard too of the results of the session 
 of the commission of Lunacv, in Miss Leonard's 
 case and also of her departure, as reported, for the 
 private asylum, in Maryland ; and had he been in- 
 formed in season, would have pursued the public 
 conveyance supposed to contain her, and by a per- 
 sonal interview, have solved the manv doubts that 
 were crowding his mind. But fortunatelv for the 
 plans of the arch schemer, William Pruyter, the 
 natural speed of the vehicle would have carried her 
 to where she would meet the cars, and she would 
 be far beyond his present reach before he could get 
 under wav. He had, therefore, determined to re- 
 main a few days, meet Howard as requested by that
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 individual and learn what it was he should know ; 
 and then, fully informed of all the circumstances, 
 set out for Baltimore and answer, bv occular dem- 
 onstration, all his misgivings that, do what he 
 would, he could not otherwise banish. 
 
 In connection with his formed intention of meet- 
 ing Howard, he bethought himself of the letter, 
 and upon examination, to his surprise, discovered 
 that it was gone. His memory did not inform him 
 of the circumstance of its falling from Dan's knee 
 to the floor. Upon asking that person, he seemed 
 to have a faint recollection of the affair, but not 
 sufficiently clear to enable him to account for its 
 loss. On inquiring of Hector, that astute voung 
 gentleman well remembered that he saw it lying 
 upon the floor after their departure for the purpose 
 of hunting the partridge, and that Roberts picked 
 it up with a careless remark that Dan had dropped 
 the letter and, for fear that it would be blown away, 
 he would take it, and return it to him, on the first 
 opportunity. 
 
 A somewhat impatient exclamation at the petti- 
 fogger's intrusive and inquisitive disposition was 
 cut short bv the appearance, at the front entrance 
 of the house, of Miss Elsie Morrison, who with a 
 cheerful greeting, seated herself just out of his line 
 of march, and engaged herself in sewing. 
 
 "The shower seems to have had as reviving and 
 improving effect upon vou as upon nature in gene- 
 ral," said Lorimer, pausing in his promenade and 
 throwing away the stump' of his cigar : "for you
 
 TIIE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 come out paricularly smiling and radiant after it 
 has ceased." 
 
 "I got a little wet," responded the girl, with a 
 smile, " and being compelled to change my cloth- 
 ing, perhaps the attendant ablution has caused the 
 improvement you seem, contrary to my notice, to 
 have discovered." 
 
 'The sun, if we may judge from what we see." 
 replied Lorimer, "never admires his own bright- 
 risss, or the stars their own beauty ; vet we poor 
 mortals can but admire both in our humble wav." 
 
 'If I am not mistaken," responded the girl, in 
 the same bantering vein assumed bv her colloquist, 
 "the sun is a most ardent ftirter with us, and the 
 stars arrant coquettes, after their fashion, for they 
 invariably don their brightest garbs, and twinkle 
 down upon us quite archly, well knowing that if 
 we admire, our admiration must be shown from a 
 distance." 
 
 "But, nevertheless, admire as sincerely," replied 
 Lorimer. "As I am to see a bright, particular star 
 of your heaven, this evening, perhaps vou have 
 some message for him that I may be intrusted with 
 for delivery. He, at least, admires not from an 
 insurmountable distance." 
 
 And what message should I have to send to any 
 man. Captain Lorimer?" asked Elsie, tossing her 
 head. "This is not leap-year, I believe, and I 
 shall hardly take it upon myself to open a corres- 
 pondence with any of your sex, until one of those 
 anomalous epochs arrives."
 
 THE COUNTEKFKITKRS. 355 
 
 "What? Not with your father's ci devant hos- 
 tler, the handsome William Howard?" asked Lor- 
 imer, with a little mischief in his manner. "lie 
 will surely feel neglected unles he receives some 
 token from the star of his devotion." 
 
 "Are you indeed to meet Mr. Howard, this ev- 
 ening?" asked the girl with blushing eagerness. 
 "Not that I care particularly on mv own account, 
 but father may have some word to send to him and 
 I will tell him that he has an opportunity to send 
 to him direct. I will return in a few minutes," say- 
 ing which she tripped away ; not to sec her father, 
 by any means, but to write a note of her own, and 
 send it under pretence of being a message delega- 
 ted to her by that convenient individual. 
 
 Lorimer resumed his walk, the sadder in his 
 own separation from the one of his adoration than 
 he had before been, ere he had witnessed the glad- 
 ness of her who could communicate with a loved 
 one, under circumstances that were denied to him. 
 Love is selfish, say whatever you please about it, 
 and never more so than when deprived of privil- 
 iges that it sees others enjoy. It may sacrifice life 
 for its dearest object, in rare cases, and suffer the 
 torments of the damned when unrequited ; yet en- 
 vv the more fortunate individual who is loved in 
 return, and no wall of separation isbetween them. 
 Its own case looks darker in contrast to the bright- 
 ness of that of the more favored ones ; and in their 
 enjoyment of happiness, finds but self-torture and 
 miserv for itself.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Saddened as the young Canadian was, by the 
 many embarrasments and disappointments that had 
 .seemed to meet him on every hand, wherein the 
 progress of his love was concerned, he was a libe- 
 ral possessor of that sustaining quality called Hope 
 the light of many a dark place, the anchor with 
 good holding ground, that keeps the vessel of Des- 
 tinv from drifting full upon the rocks of Despair 
 and trusted in anticipation of success, that many a 
 less disappointed man, or of less sanguine temper- 
 ament would have considered of too week a sus- 
 taining power, on which to base any very good 
 grounds of expectations. He had been a favorite 
 of fortune, faithfullv served bv that proverbially 
 fickle attendant, Luck, in a greater share of his un- 
 dertakings; and had vet an almost unbounded con- 
 fidence in the chance that had, almost invariably, 
 proved propitious and good-natured in his pursuits. 
 Nor did he now seem to have cause of foreboding, 
 when viewed from his own stand-point, confident 
 in the belief that, though the course of true love 
 never yet run smoothly, it generally settled, at last 
 into an evenly gliding stream, until it merged in 
 the ocean of matrimony ; where, as a natural con- 
 sequence, it was liable to the frettings and foam- 
 ings of that inevitably restless state. 
 
 According to her promise, the voting ladv soon 
 appeared, putting in his hand a nicelv folded and 
 superscribed billet, though wanting in one of the 
 essentials of a novelist's love-letters, a delicate per- 
 fume ; which Lorimer gallantly took and promised
 
 THE OOUKTKRFPCIT1ERS. 357 
 
 to faithfullv deliver. At the same instant Hector 
 came around the corner of the building, mounted 
 upon the Doctor's usual travelling companion, the 
 intelligent Logan, shining in his new coat, polish- 
 ed by many a rub of currycomb and brush, in the 
 accustomed hands of the handsome hostler's suc- 
 cessor, and full as manv supplementary touches 
 from the hands of the more than particular Hector. 
 Quicklv vaulting into the saddle, the captain waved 
 an adieu to the landlord's pretty daughter : to the 
 landlord, himself, who had just made his appear- 
 ance, and to Hector, who with his head, like that 
 of some sage ape, upon one shoulder, was admir- 
 ing the fine condition and graceful action of the 
 horse as he trotted away, with arched neck, watch- 
 ful eve, expanded nostril, and ears alternately laid 
 back or thrust forward, and lofty, springing step, 
 that denoted that adtion was rather his pleasure 
 than a pain ; and carrying his rider as proudly as 
 ever did a mother her first-born. 
 
 And Herbert Lorimer rode away with that exhil- 
 aration of spirits a man often feels with a matchless 
 horse under him. a cloudless sky above him and a 
 heart free from guile within him ; with love his 
 guiding-star, hope his anchor, and pleasant expec- 
 tations his bosom lading. Did he know to what 
 haven fate would drive him, to what harbor his 
 own voluntary act was carrying him ? No ! Fore- 
 boding was crouched in no part of his mind ; pre- 
 sentiment casting no shadow across his brain, nor 
 anticipation of the fate, in the guise of friendship.
 
 358 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 waiting for him at his destination, weighing down 
 his spirits. The grave, yawning in his path, cast 
 no shadow before ; the dagger, already grasped by 
 a murderer's hand, threw no sparkle of warning in 
 advance, as does the baleful light of the adder's 
 eves gleaming premonition of the blow he would 
 strike his intended victim. 
 
 Four hours later a farmer of the neighborhood, 
 rode into Steadville, with reeking horse and pale, 
 scared face, bringing the intelligence that he had 
 seen Captain Lorimer, murdered and lying, with 
 face upturned to the young moon, on the pebbles 
 of the brook bed, apparently thrown there by the 
 assassin, below a bridge near where the road turn- 
 ed oft" and entered the pass of Copper Mountain. 
 He said he was riding leisurely along towards his 
 home, just at dark, and had been passed by Captain 
 Lorimer ; that he soon passed a little coppice, by 
 the roadside where the horse was tethered to a sap- 
 ling, and that he was, at the instant, surprised by 
 a pistol shot. He rode rapidly forward in the di- 
 rection whence came the sound, and at the bridge, 
 had made the discovery. Astounded by so foul a 
 eleed, he had made no particular examination of 
 the surroundings, but had hastened, at his utmost 
 speed, to inform the authorities, thinking it the 
 proper course to pursue. 
 
 Scarcely had the breathless, shuddering man fin- 
 ished his story, than two or three officers and sev- 
 eral spectators were mounted and on their way to 
 the scene of the murder. Thev soon arrived, and
 
 THK COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 lighting the lanterns they had brought to enable 
 them to see better, the new moon having already 
 crept so far behind the mountain as to give but lit- 
 tle light when, upon examination of the bed of the 
 somewhat swollen but fast subsiding stream, -they 
 found no body there. On the pebbles were many 
 splashes of blood, and the outlines, as if made by 
 a human form, were plainly discernable in the sand 
 and near them the deeply indented imprints of feet. 
 They seemed to have been made by two different 
 persons, for some of the tracks were larger than the 
 others, and from a different fashioned boot. The 
 officers took accurate measurements of the foot- 
 prints and in doing so, discovered a small, steel- 
 barrelled pistol, partially hidden in the sand, upon 
 which were engraved the initials "H. L." It had 
 evidently been very lately discharged. Upon the 
 bridge planks were smears of blood, some of them 
 partly brushed away, as if some body had been 
 drawn over them. On the railing was the print of 
 a man's bloody hand, not made of the blood of the 
 murdered man, apparently, but by a hand, itself 
 wounded. 
 
 While the officers were making these examina- 
 tions, most of the spectators had spread themselves 
 over the adjoining fields and roads, searching for 
 those who had borne the corpse away, argueing 
 upon the hypothesis that the murderers had been 
 frightened, for the time, from their bloody work, 
 by the arrival of the farmer, but on his departure, 
 had returned to finish their task by a hiding of the
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 bodv, perhaps by casting it into the lake. No dis- 
 coveries, however, rewarded their search, except 
 that of the restless Logan, who was flouncing and 
 pawing in his enforced inactivity, probablv fright- 
 ened- bv some transaction of the evening. 
 
 The news of the murder spread like a wild-fire 
 throughout the country-side. Some version of it 
 was in everv person's mouth ; some very near the 
 truth, as far as discovered, but far the greater num- 
 ber as wild and exaggerated as they well could be. 
 The inhabitants of the vicinitv of Steadville had 
 been a quiet, law abiding communitv, as far as was 
 known, save the exception of the last few months, 
 during which, as has been recorded, some fruitless 
 efforts at a revolution had been made ; and such a 
 tale of horror, of deeds transacted in their imme- 
 diate vicinitv, and the victim, one whom the late 
 events had brought into prominence, stirred the 
 depths of society more than would the narration 
 of deeds infinitelv worse have disturbed the inhab- 
 itants of cities or sections where such crimes were 
 not so rare. As a result, scores, on the following 
 morning repaired to the scene of the assassination, 
 each intent upon seeing, if possible, the spot where 
 it was done and learn, by the use of their own 
 eves and ears, the minutest details of the tragedy. 
 
 Such a concourse of people, as a matter of course 
 impeded very much the judicial investigation be- 
 ing made, and a special police force had to be or- 
 gani/ed to prevent the spectators from pressing too 
 closely upon the officials, while discharging their
 
 THE COUNTEUFKITEKS. 361 
 
 dutv. But few new discoveries were made, and 
 none of any importance save as connecting links 
 of the chain of circumstantial evidence, that was 
 being forged, except the finding in the grass, some 
 two rods from the bridge, of a bloody dirk-knife, 
 the instrument, no doubt, bv which the fatal blow 
 was given. No marks, save those of blood, were 
 found on the weapon, and no one recognized it, 
 until after several minutes, when Dan Morrison, 
 who had just ridden up, saw it, and with pallid 
 cheek and quivering lip, pronounced it to have been 
 the property of William Howard. 
 
 This was the first intimation of any kind, that 
 had been given, pointing in any way to the guilty 
 party ; but now all was as plaints day. Roberts, 
 who had been one of the first upon the ground and 
 in virtue of his profession, took a prominent part 
 in the investigation, produced the lost letter. This 
 was all that was required to fix the guilt, and steps 
 were taken, at once, for the arrest for murder, of 
 William Howard. 
 
 A disorderly rabble followed the officers to the 
 stone house, where thev found Howard, with val- 
 ise in hand, just leaving the building, as if con- 
 templating flight. Bailiff Rogers put his hand on 
 his shoulder and informed him that he was his 
 prisoner. 
 
 ki Of what am I accused, sir?" asked the voung 
 man, turning slightlv pale and, at the same time, 
 easing his valise to the ground and putting his hair 
 back from his forehead, on which stood drops of
 
 362 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 perspiration, his left hand remaining in]his pocket. 
 il l am unaware of having committed any crime 
 making mvself amenable to the laws." 
 
 "For the murder of Herbert Lori mar, otherwise 
 known as Captain, or Doctor Lorimer," answered 
 Rogers; "and 1 would advise you to make no re- 
 marks that may be construed into any confession 
 of your guilt, for while the evidence seems to point 
 plainly to you as the guilty party, you are entitled 
 to the benefit of all doubts which may arise, and 
 anything like an admission, would surely be used 
 against you in your trial, when it comes." 
 
 During these remarks of the worthy officer, the 
 handsome face of Howard underwent such a vari- 
 ety of changes that it would have required an acute 
 physiognomist to read from them the thoughts sur- 
 ging through his mind, which gave themselves ex- 
 pression so evidently, upon the working lineaments 
 of his countenance. Flustered before, the extremes 
 of white and red, the ebb and flow of blood in his 
 veins, alternately went over his face, accompanied 
 by such a look of surprise, consternation and agony 
 that the humane Rogers could but pity the unfor- 
 tunate young man. To the gaping spectators these 
 indications, added to such other proofs as had been 
 elicited, were proof positive of his guilt, and mur- 
 murs soon began to be heard, in several parts of 
 the group, showing an inclination to lynch him 
 upon the spot. H oward observed this and hoarse- 
 ly s;iid, addressing Rogers : 
 
 I beg of you to remove me from this danger.
 
 THE COUNTEKFEITEKS. 363 
 
 That I am innocent of this fearful crime laid to mv 
 charge, I insist, and mv strange, perhaps guilty, ap- 
 pearance is wholly attributable to other thoughts 
 than those of mv guilt." 
 
 At this request he was removed to a room in the 
 stone house, where he underwent a search. His 
 valise revealed nothing, but his person had upon 
 it fearful evidences of guilt. The right cuff of his 
 coatsleeve had plainly developed blood-marks upon 
 it, and the wristband of the same hand, was more 
 plainly marked. But still more damning proofs 
 were vet to be adduced. When compelled to show 
 his left hand it was found to be swarthed in several 
 thicknesses of cloth, which being removed, and 
 the hand examined by Dr. Martin, who was pres- 
 ent, was pronounced by that individual to have 
 been wounded by a pistol bullet. Nor was this all. 
 In one of the outside pockets of his coat was found 
 the letter of Elsie Morrison, the one sent by Cap- 
 tain Lorimer to the prisoner. This bearing on its 
 outside the writing: "By the politeness of Doctor 
 Lorimer," seemed adding further and more conclu- 
 sive evidence of the truthfulness of the charge. 
 
 tk l know not, gentlemen, what importance may 
 attach to mv injured hand which, begging the doc- 
 tor's pardon, was, instead of a bullet wound, hurt 
 last night, by accident," said Howard, who had, 
 in a great measure, regained his composure, tho' 
 yet slightly pale; k 'an accident somewhat remark- 
 able and difficult, at the present, to be explained. 
 The blood-marks on the sleeves of mv coat and
 
 364 I HE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 shirt may, of course, be prima fj.de evidence of 
 guilt, were not their presence accounted for by the 
 wounded hand, and the fact that I besmeared them 
 in dressing the wound. Miss Morrison's letter, (I 
 recognize the writing) which I shall beg the priv- 
 iledge of reading before it is entirely removed, I 
 am certainly at a loss to account for, as this is the 
 first time I have seen it." 
 
 ''Poor fellow," thought the humane bailiff; '"he 
 little suspects the finding the bloodstained knife, al- 
 ready recognized as his, or the production of the 
 letter appointing the meeting at which Captain Lor- 
 imer lost his life." It was time enough to inform 
 him of these facts when his trial co.nes. He will 
 have full enough to make him miserable, without 
 a knowledge of those circumstances. But there 
 was still another duty to perform, a disagreeable 
 duty, but nevertheless imperative, and he said : 
 
 I shall be obliged to make some further invest- 
 igations, Mr. Howard. We have discovered foot- 
 prints near the scene of the murder, and I shall be 
 compelled to measure your boots, for the purpose 
 of ascertaining if the two correspond. Should thev 
 not, you will have the full benefit." 
 
 "Of course, of course, Mr. Bailiff," responded 
 Howard, seating himself and raising one of his feet 
 to the other's inspection. *'Far be it from me to 
 balk any efforts you may make to find the real mur- 
 derer of Captain Lorimer." 
 
 \ ou will have to pull one of them -off, the right 
 one. if you please." said Rogers; and. in the
 
 THK COUNTERFEITERS. 365 
 
 meantime, let me ask, if these are the same boots 
 that you have lately worn ?" 
 
 "Unfortunately they are the only pair I possess, 
 in the world," replied Howard, with a faint smile 
 on his lips as he said it. *'My finances, until late- 
 ly, have not been in a condition that I might in- 
 dulge in more," and he handed the one that he had 
 withdrawn from his foot to Rogers. 
 
 The measurement was taken, and it was found 
 to correspond, in length and heighth of heel, with 
 the smaller track, but the print in the sand was 
 slightly broader than was Howard's boot, a fact 
 that could easily be accounted for when it- was ta- 
 ken into consideration that where a heavy weight 
 is borne, the foot and consequently its covering, is 
 apt to spread. The young man read, in the down- 
 cast and sorrowful face of the officer the result of 
 his measurement, and again that guilt telling pallor 
 spread over his countenance. 
 
 A sudden anu somewhat peremptorv rapping was 
 now heard upon the door, beyond which the spec- 
 tators had been fastened, accompanied by loud calls 
 that the prisoner should be brought out to them. 
 Rogers was on tire in a moment. His eyes flashed 
 menacingly, and he grasped a pistol with a motion 
 of the hand that said shoot as plainly as could his 
 lips have formed the words. He sprang to a grated 
 window, close at hand, thrust up the sash with a 
 jerk and shouted in a voice that drowned the noise 
 upon the door, as well as the hoarse shouts of the 
 excited multitude he addressed :
 
 366 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "Back, back, every one of you ! What, would 
 you all become murderers because one man is sus- 
 pected of the crime? Will you burden your souls 
 with a deed, the deepest and darkest recorded in 
 the decalogue, because you guess that another has 
 been guilty of the same? Back, I say, and the first 
 man who attempts to put a hand on my prisoner, 
 dies as sure as he now lives. Dies, I tell vou, if I 
 dangle the next moment, a corpse, from the near- 
 est tree !" 
 
 This speech had its effect on a greater share of 
 the crowd, but there seemed to be several, on the 
 outskirts, who were yet determined to put their 
 threat in execution, and one. of them, a dark com- 
 plexioned young man, whom Rogers, at once rec- 
 ognized, said : 
 
 "But we're agoing to have him, Mr. Rogers. 
 The proof is strong enough to hang a dozen men.'' 
 
 Be careful, then, Tom Finch, that vour neck 
 is not one of the first to be stretched," shouted the 
 enraged bailifi'. ! know vou, sir, and I know you 
 to be the most graceless scoundrel that treads the 
 soil of Canada." Then turning to old Pruyter, 
 who had been an eye-witness of all that had trans- 
 pired inside the house, he continued, addressing 
 that individual: "It seems, Mr. Pruyter, that it is 
 your people, and yours alone, who are making this 
 disturbance and inciting these men. by their clam- 
 ors, to an act that their own better nature revolts at. 
 See to it that they are quiet, and that at once, and 
 that they draw off, and make no further attempts
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 367 
 
 to create a disturbance, or you may cause me to be- 
 lieve that there is something beneath all this, when 
 his fellow workmen, by whom he has been loved 
 and been respected, are hounding him for killing 
 your greatest enemy. See to it, I say, William 
 Pruvter," he -said, dropping his voice to a signiffi- 
 cant kev, "else I must conclude that you, as their 
 chief, have more to say in these men's words, than 
 does your dirtiest and most subservient tool, Tom 
 Finch, when his mouth is open the widest and he 
 shouts 'hang him' the loudest." 
 
 Had a twenty-pound Parrott shell, with the fuse 
 nine-tenths burned, landed at his feet, at that insrt> 
 ant, the hoarv old villain to whom these words had 
 been addressed, could not have shown more con- 
 sternation or perturbation. An ever present, and 
 jealously guarded secret, in his mind at all times, 
 he was quick to take alarm, and his countenance 
 showed it. He did not hesitate to do as he was 
 commanded ; and stepping to the window, from 
 which Rogers passed to give him an opportunity, 
 he called one of his men to him, and addressed a 
 few words in his ear. The result was immediate. 
 The miners and other workmen, separated them- 
 selves from the crowd of spectators, at once, as if 
 in obedience to a signal made by Pruyter, and, as 
 they were joined by the man to whom he whisper- 
 ed, they hastily made oft', up the pass. 
 
 "It is well, Mr. Pruyter," said Rogers, seeing it 
 done. .And now, Mr. Howard, if you have any 
 arrangements to make, before voti leave, you now
 
 368 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 have liberty to do so. Of course vou will make 
 no undue remonstrance against my putting 1 these 
 on," he said, producing and snapping on his wrists 
 a pair of handcuffs : "or of having one of mv men 
 attend you, should you wish to leave this room?" 
 
 Not in the least. Mr. Bailiff,'' responded the 
 prisoner, gazing at the irons in a sort of dream v. 
 abstracted manner, as if he hardly realized what 
 they were. "You are very kind, and only do your 
 duty. I have no arrangements to make, save, if 
 you will allow me the privilege of the reading of 
 Miss Morrison's letter." And there was such an 
 expression of mute and uncomplaining agonv on 
 his features, when he made the request, that more 
 than one heart among his hearers, beat the faster 
 when thev witnessed it. 
 
 This done, Rogers flung wide open the portal, 
 and advanced, followed bv Howard and his assi.st- 
 antx. directly through the crowd gathered around 
 it. who respectfully iell back out of his path as he 
 strode along. Gaining their horses, the officers 
 mounted Howard upon one, and though followed 
 as far as Steadville, by a portion of the mob, where 
 ;i vehicle was obtained for the prisoner, without 
 any interferance in word or deed. 
 
 At Steadville a regular complaint was made: a 
 legal warrant issued and the prisoner lawfully ar- 
 rested, and before the sun had gained his western 
 bed, was safely committed to Saybrook gaol, there 
 to answer, in due course of time, to the charge ot 
 willful and premeditated murder.
 
 TMK COUNTEKHUTKKS. ^9 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 A TRUE FRIEND IX ADVERSITY. 
 
 P to this period in our semi-veracious nar- 
 rative, events have so crowded upon each 
 other, in their rush upon the stage of our 
 drama that, many times, thev have been 
 roughly jostled together, with little regard to the 
 order of their presentation to the reader's eve ; but 
 now we have a short breathing spell. A fortnight 
 will pass before any farther of the main incidents 
 tending to the catastrophe, will transpire ; and only 
 some of the minor threads of the filling will be re- 
 quired to be taken up and carried along to the 
 linished web. A lifetime of adventures may some- 
 times transpire in the space of a single month ; and 
 such has been the fate of the characters of our tale. 
 In other times and under other circumstances, the 
 same individuals might have lived to the common 
 allotted age of man, without having witnessed one 
 half of the tribulations and trials to which they 
 have been subjected, during twenty davs. 
 
 During the fortnight mentioned, of course, much 
 had been said, published, surmised and guessed at 
 in regard to the murder of Herbert Lorimer by 
 William Howard. The populace, in general, of 
 the vicinage were growing prejudiced against the 
 accused. The confidence placed in his murderer, 
 by the victim ; his causeless jealousy ; his threat, 
 and all the various circumstances known to the 
 reader, but supposed to be utterlv unknown, save
 
 370 I Hi COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 to a few others, began to be bandied from mouth 
 to mouth, commented upon, inferences drawn and 
 conclusions arrived at, in almost every case, preju- 
 dicial to the prisoner. It would not have taken a 
 very shrewd detective to trace these results up to 
 their cause, the inveterate hatred of the Pruyters. 
 The talking public knew no reason why the occu- 
 pants of the Stone House in the Pass should be in- 
 terested in the fate of the accused, and failed to give 
 them the credit their dne. 
 
 On the contrary, the keepers and attendants of 
 the jail in which young Howard was confined, as 
 well as the better class of citizens of Savbrook, 
 were particularly friendly to him, and as a natural 
 consequence, all the freedom consonant with a due 
 regard to his sate keeping was given him ; his cell 
 was well, nay, comfortably furnished, and his ta- 
 ble was really not inferior to many of the boards of 
 the aristocracy. This latter circumstance might 
 be ascribed, in some measure, to the great interest 
 taken by certain young ladies, wealthy and respec- 
 table, but romantic, in the sad, handsome face of 
 the prisoner. To esteem him had become fashion- 
 able; to be fashionable was to be popular; to be 
 popular was to be admired ; to be admired was to 
 become a pet; and thus had William Howard be- 
 come the pet of the few, and the bugbear of the 
 many. It would be within bounds to say that he 
 was visited by hundreds during that fortnight, and 
 each visitor left some token of his or her admira- 
 tion in the shape of tood, drink, flowers, finer bed
 
 THE COUNTEUFEITERS. 371 
 
 clothing, and even jewelry of various kinds ; and, 
 above all, they left him good wishes and as cheer- 
 ful a state of mind as a man in his condition might 
 reasonably enjoy. 
 
 Nor were the ladies of Saybrook and its vicinity 
 the only ones who came with sympathy and en- 
 couragement to the prison cell of the accused mur- 
 derer, for, on the fourth day of his incarceration, 
 the turnkey' admitted a lady, as she seemed, close- 
 lv veiled and draped in a long cloak. When this 
 person entered, she seemed to bring some peculiar 
 state of atmosphere, or some other eledtric cause, 
 for the prisoner, who was seated at a small table, 
 engaged in reading a letter, and who rose with all 
 the grace that his heavilv manacled limbs would 
 admit of to welcome some stranger, as he suppos- 
 ed it was, started as with some galvanic shock, and 
 his face paled and his lips trembled from some un- 
 known cause. The lady appeared fully as much 
 agitated as did he, for she staggered to a seat and 
 sunk into it, as if her limbs refused to support her. 
 
 "Oh, William, William !" she exclaimed hastily 
 throwing aside her veil and revealing the agitated, 
 tear-stained countenance of Elsie Morrison ; "to 
 see you thus is terrible. I have schooled myself to 
 meet you differently, but those irons cast a chill 
 over my spirits that I cannot resist." 
 
 For an instant Howard seemed as if about to 
 spring to her, and an eager, loving, expectant look 
 went over his face, and then by an effort he paused ; 
 his trembling lip grew firm and haughty; the love
 
 I UK COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 light in his eves became stern and cold ; the exten- 
 ded hands dropped to his sides, and his voice was 
 low and steady, as he said : 
 
 "Whv have you come here, Elsie? Is there not 
 enough of agonv in the contemplation of a deed 
 my love for you has led me on to do, without the 
 presence of the cause? Even now, when vour be- 
 loved lineaments became exposed to my view, the 
 wayward heart that was was, did I say? is, is, 
 and ever will be, your own, went out to meet you 
 as of old. But as the bride of another, murderer, 
 as I am accused of being, I am yet too good to tres- 
 pass on another's rights. Or have you come to de- 
 mand, at my hands, your husband? Ha, ha ! he 
 is beyond your reach, and mine, now," and the 
 strong man sank back in his seat and covered his 
 face with his ironed hands. 
 
 She arose now, tearless and strong for, when he 
 was tremulous and weak, her true woman's nature 
 triumphed over woman's infirmity she rose now, 
 and approaching him, placed her white hand gent- 
 ly upon his shoulder, for she conceived that he was 
 not himself in mind. 
 
 "William Howard, I came not to reproach, but 
 to cheer ; not to add one shade of a shadow to vour 
 sorrows, but, by every possible means, to drive a- 
 wav care and add what beams of sunshine I may, 
 where now all is darkness; not to put the slightest 
 stumbling-block in your path, but by the hand of 
 affection to smooth your way to the last. I cio not 
 ask you whether or not you did thi deed. I would
 
 THK COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 373 
 
 not know, until such time as a jury of your coun- 
 try shall decide. My place, William, is at your 
 side. If ever needed there, when more than now, 
 when more than when danger thickens around 
 your pathway? When others stand aloof, and look 
 with suspicious eyes, then true affection should 
 cling the closer. I have made up my mind to this, 
 and unless you actually repulse me, and deny me 
 admittance to your presence, at your skie I shall re- 
 main. Yes, William Howard, I have come here 
 to claim my husband at your hands," and there was 
 a proud, almost defiant expression of countenance 
 and bearing, mingled with her blushes, as she said 
 it. "I have come to claim my husband, nor will 
 I be denied. It is not the dead husband I claim, 
 but the living; not the murdered, but the murder- 
 er, if vou will. You are promised to me, before 
 heaven, and I demand the pledge." 
 
 During the first part of her speaking, Howard 
 had remained with his forehead clasped by his 
 hand, but as she progressed, he raised his head and 
 looked her in the face. Intently, fixedly he gazed 
 as if to read the very heart of the speaker. 
 
 "But I am a murderer a murderer. Do you 
 realize the full force of the word?" he asked, after 
 a few moments. "My own acts have released you 
 from your promise. Are you demented? Has my 
 great crime destroyed your reason ? Consider, I 
 pray vou, where your course would lead." 
 
 "I have considered; nor am I insane," she an- 
 swered proudly. * k Yes, yes. I appreciate the lull
 
 374 THIi COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 force of the word, and were your hands still red 
 with homicidal blood, I would keep my promise. 
 When I made it there was no condition attached 
 to it ; there is none to-day. All men have their 
 sins; none are perfect." 
 
 "Yet all men are not homicides," he said. 
 
 "Nor all women faithful," she responded. 
 
 "But report said that you were to marry Herbert 
 Lorimer," said Howard, a portion of his coldness 
 returning, and again bending his eyes fully upon 
 her honest features. 
 
 "To marry Herbert Lorimer?" she asked, sur- 
 prised. "What has put so wild, so unreasonable 
 an idea into your head? Ah, that explains what 
 was so blind to me before," she continued in a mu- 
 sing manner. "I heard at Steadville, as I passed 
 through, that some said that jealousy was the cause 
 of the crime. I attributed the surmise to the ex- 
 aggeration that ever attends the excitement conse- 
 quent upon anv startling crime being committed, 
 and gave it no farther attention." 
 
 "There is a portion of my authority," Howard 
 said, presenting her the Journal's article, that he 
 had cut out and preserved; "the rest, of course, 
 is useless if that is untrue." 
 
 "Really, how ridiculous!" she exclaimed, smil- 
 ing almost. "That paragraph has reference to the 
 contemplated marriage of Captain Blake and Het- 
 ty Carpenter. I said contemplated ; it was, then, 
 but now finished, for it was to have taken place at 
 ten o'clock, this morning, and probably did."
 
 THE COUNTKKFKITKK*. 375 
 
 "Is this true, Elsie Morrison?" he asked, and a 
 flood of thought seemed to surge through his brain, 
 like molten lead, scorching its way, and leaving a 
 seared, withered track, as ,fire on the prairie des- 
 troys all before it, but the bare soil, and leaves that 
 in its wake, smoking and desolate. 
 
 "You have never had occasion, William How- 
 ard," she replied, earnestly, "to doubt mv word, 
 heretofore, and whv should you now ? As a man 
 and companion, I certainly respected Doctor Lor- 
 imer; but as anything more I have never thought, 
 nor he of me, I am assured ; for his heart is alrea- 
 dy in the charge of Miss Leonard, of whom I have 
 heard so much. You know but little of me, Wil- 
 liam, when you doubt mv constancy. Would I so 
 far forget the place that stern conventionality ac- 
 cords to the female, as to propose a marriage to an- 
 other, were my feelings, in the least, interested in 
 him, or anyone?" 
 
 "No, no, Elsie," he exclaimed, clasping her in 
 his arms, and imprinting a kiss upon her waiting 
 lips; "and 1 beg your pardon for a moment's in- 
 credulity,. But do you mean that vou will marry 
 me, me an accused criminal, accused of a crime, 
 the most horrible known to human and divine law ': 
 Would you put your hand, so pure, in one stained 
 a crimson red with the blood of a human being, 
 slain by itself? Can it be that you will forsake all 
 that may make life endurable, and join your fate to 
 one whose days are already almost numbered, and 
 whose destinv it may be to find an ignominious
 
 376 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 death upon the scaffold. Indeed, indeed," he con- 
 tinued, as she hid her face on his breast; "so much 
 happiness is more than I deserve." 
 
 "But no more than you shall enjoy," replied the 
 heroic girl, lifting her face from his bosom, and 
 disclosing, in the act, a countenance on which was 
 painted in most glowing colors the jov she experi- 
 enced. Then again resuming her half-sad tone, 
 she continued : "Our union may not be without its 
 sorrows, but I shall be content. Thev tell me there 
 is much needed to be done for vour defence, when 
 your trial comes, that one in your situation cannot 
 do, and I can work when I have so gojd a cause. 
 Hut give me a right, as your wife, and no effort 
 shall be spared to procure all the evidence that can 
 be got, to prove vour innocence." 
 
 "I fear me that such efforts will be of no avail," 
 remarked Howard, thoughtfully. "There is a web 
 of circumstantial evidence wrapped around me that 
 it seems in vain to attempt to penetrate. This ad- 
 ded to the prejudice existing among the public, can 
 have but one result my conviction." 
 
 "Have you employed a lawyer, yet?'' asked El- 
 sie. "Mv father opposed the course I had deter- 
 mined upon, for two days, but on the third he took 
 me bv the hand and told me he honored mv cour- 
 age, and that I should not be balked. He brought 
 me as far as Steadville when I came, but was com- 
 pelled to return. He told me to tell you that no 
 expense should be spared, and that your friends 
 would stand bv vou to the last. He said that the
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 377 
 
 best counsel in the States and Canada, should be 
 employed and paid, if you would name your choice 
 of men. He did not feel half as engaged until he 
 heard the reports that were rife at Steadville, and 
 traced them, as he thought, to the malignity of the 
 Pi uyters : and then he swore roundly vou know 
 he does swear, once in a while, William," and the 
 old smile came back, in a measure "swore that 
 justice should be done for vou, if the devil you 
 needn't laugh; 1 was only telling you what he said 
 stood in the gap." 
 
 Thank God, honest Dan Morrison is a friend !" 
 exclaimed Howard. 4> He is a host in himself and 
 1 value his friendship more highly than you can 
 imagine. As for paving my counsel, I have al- 
 ready written to two men who will, without doubt, 
 act for me, and I have a plenty of money now, to 
 pay all bills; but I am just as thankful for his good 
 wishes as I should have been for his good deeds." 
 
 "And have you no other friends," she asked ; 
 none I mean, where vou came from, who would 
 assist vou in this emergency !" 
 
 "I have many and sincere, yes. influential and 
 wealthy friends there ; but I have hesitatecj about 
 applying to them. Would it not be better to die, 
 if die I must, without their knowledge? It can 
 make but little difference to them, the mode of my 
 passing away ; and their memory of me as guilt- 
 less, would be better than the remembrance that I 
 died upon a scaflold, a public malefactor." 
 
 "But you cannot insure their ignorance of your
 
 378 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 fate," said Elsie; "for accounts of the crime are 
 published far and near, and they cannot fail of get- 
 ting to their ears, sooner or later." 
 
 "True, true," replied Howard, musingly. "You 
 are right, Elsie, and perhaps the tale from my own 
 pen would be less repulsive than would it, coming 
 from any other. Yes, I will write to them. But 
 can you tell me whether they have found the the 
 body, yet?" 
 
 "I am informed, not," she said. "Hector, who 
 has been perfectly wild with grief since the occur- 
 rence, has been with the searching party. He re- 
 turned this moming, just as we came away, and 
 seemed very much changed in his demeanor. His 
 anguish seems to have settled into a quieter grief. 
 He made some threats against you, at first, but has 
 made none lately. He told me that the body was 
 not found, nor the other man of whom they were 
 in search. 
 
 "The other man?" 
 
 "They say you was not alone in the act," said 
 Elsie "You see that I can talk of this matter per- 
 fectly coolly, and because I have an abiding faith 
 in your innocence " 
 
 "Mv innocence, child, you must be beside your- 
 self." 
 
 "And am I not?" she asked, nestling closer to 
 him as they sat side-bv-side ; "or, beside one who 
 is soon to be a part of myself? They say you was 
 accompanied by another man, larger than yourself, 
 or. at least, with larger feet, for two sets of tracks
 
 THE COUNTKHKKri KKS. 379 
 
 were found, one set apparently bv your feet, and 
 another set from a size or two larger hoots and of 
 a coarser make. They say that there is no doubt, 
 but the body was carried away and thrown in the 
 lake, as the footprints were traced to the shore, and 
 there seems to have been an imprint of a man's 
 body in the sand ; though many claim the print to 
 have been made by a boat. Mr. Rogers is of the 
 latter opinion aud while some are dragging the wa- 
 ters, he has searched the entire length of the lake, 
 fora boat that would make such a mark." 
 
 "What are the Pruyters a most villanous pair 
 of vultures, I must sav what are the Pruvters do- 
 ing all this time?" 
 
 "Hec\or did not say, only that the old man was 
 present and taking a part," replied Elsie. "Sam- 
 uel was not there, he said, being detained, by his 
 business at the mines. But my time must be near- 
 ly out, and I have not made myself very useful as 
 yet," and she hastened to put the little, rough cell 
 in order, in a manner that only the hands of loving 
 woman could do. "I shall come again to-morrow," 
 she said, "and maybe bring the minister. Oh, you 
 needn't remonstrate," she continued, archly, and 
 shaking her ringer at him ; "there is no hope for 
 you. I have got you where vou cannot get a way, 
 and unless you surrender, I will bring an officer, 
 and sue vou for breach of promise, if they have 
 any laws on this side of the line for the benefit of 
 poor forsaken damsels." 
 
 "Mv heart savs ves, but mv fears sav nay "
 
 380 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 But my heart says aye and amen, and I have no 
 fears," she interrupted; "so there is a clear ma- 
 jority. But if you are really anxious for a small 
 delay, I don't know but I will give you twenty-four 
 hours longer, but that is the utmost stretch of my 
 complaisance." 
 
 "Well, if I must, I must," he replied, smiling, 
 notwithstanding his awful situation. "If there is 
 no escape from my destiny, I might as well acqui- 
 esce with as good grace as I can muster." 
 
 "Altogether the wisest course, Mr. Howard," 
 she said, when hearing the heavy, re-echoing steps 
 of the turnkey coming toward the door of the cell, 
 she hastily rose and continued : "The jailor is at 
 hand. Keep up the courage a bridegroom should 
 ever feel on the eve of his nuptials. God be with 
 you," and she bent and kissed him on his cheek, as 
 purely as an angel might kiss, and though a tear 
 fell on the same spot, it did not wash the labial seal 
 away, but imprinted it the deeper; and with a 
 smile on her good, honest face, she bade him "A-u 
 revoir" and passed through the door, held ajar 
 by the good Matured turnkey. 
 
 Had a lone, stray sunbeam that had forced itself 
 through grate and bar, and smoky glass, into the 
 prisoner's cell, been suddenly ejected at the door- 
 way, it could not have left the rock-bound apart- 
 ment more gloomy, cold and cheerless than did the 
 departure of the sunshiny face of Elsie Morrison. 
 Though seemingly volatile and effervescent, if such 
 terms may be applied to a woman's mind, she was
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 381 
 
 as true at heart as steel ; though occasionally flashy 
 and vivacious she, like the planet Venus, the most 
 brilliant, to earthly eyes, of all the heavenly bodies 
 of -night, was steadfast and faithful to the loved one, 
 as is her prototype, the morning or evening star to 
 the earth. What course she would have taken had 
 she believed him guilty, we know not, nor did she; 
 but while she was assured, in her own mind, of his 
 innocence, though slander, reproach and insult be 
 heaped upon him, she would not forsake him; and 
 to make what efforts she felt was necessary should 
 be made by herself, in his behalf, the more eftec~t- 
 ive, she resolved to place herself in a position that, 
 while it gave her a right and a duty to perform, the 
 tongue of slander should have no opportunity to 
 sully her good name, one of her priceless treasures, 
 in no other way could she accord him that assist- 
 ance, that her great love prompted her to give, and 
 at the same time leave her reputation spotless, es- 
 pecially as the great crime and Howard's impris- 
 onment for it had brought them in such prominence 
 that her minutest act would be noted and commen- 
 ted upon. Having determined upon a course, she 
 adopted it fearlessly, and the result was her visit to 
 the jail, as recorded. 
 
 It was quite fashionable some years ago, and we 
 are sorry to say that it has not changed so much a^ 
 fashions generally do, for some ape the old style, 
 to-day, to cast slurs upon the constancy and stead- 
 fastness of woman ; to give them little credit for 
 the real faithfulness that is their due. or damn them
 
 382 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 with faint praise, for deeds their own dull brains 
 cannot appreciate. The sphere of her usefulness 
 may be small, it i true, and the field upon which 
 her eftbrts are expended limited, in comparison. to 
 that of many men, vet has it not been said, in sub- 
 stance, if ye are faithful in small things, ye shall 
 be made rulers over many? While man with ques- 
 tionable motives revolutionizes nations, women 
 combats the insiduous workings of disease, at the 
 bedsides of the poor, ill and forsaken ; while man 
 builds cities, woman polishes his rough work with 
 gentleness and love, and while man erects prisons, 
 woman smooths the path of the inmates, with ad- 
 vice and care. 
 
 The next day Elsie appeared as soon as the time 
 arrived for the admission of visitors, unaccompa- 
 nied, however, by th^ minister, giving fora reason 
 that the reverend gentleman was to be absent, un- 
 til night, but would certainly take pleasure in call- 
 ing upon Mr. Howard, the following morning, 
 according to his request. 
 
 "But I didn't ask him to come," said Howard. 
 You don't suppose that the man who is to be hung 
 will invite the hangman to make his appearance, 
 without fail, do you?" 
 
 But I did," said Elsie, laughing, and that is 
 jrst the same. I used vour name, tor I thought it 
 would look better for the expectant bridegroom to 
 summon the officiating clergyman, than the bride 
 elett should ask his presence." 
 
 I see that my case is hopeless." smilingly said
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 383 
 
 Howard; "so have your own way. The sooner 
 a bad job is over with the better, and then it is oft" 
 vour mind." 
 
 "Look here, Mr. William," retorted Elsie, with 
 mock seriousness in her tone ; "I have done all the 
 courting; popped the question, and spoken to the 
 minister, and now, if you hang back a single ins- 
 tant more, I'll kick the whole thing over, go down 
 to Boston, where Mr. Roberts has gone, and mar- 
 rv him. He will not require more than one ask- 
 ing. He will jump at the first." 
 
 "Seriously, though, my dear Elsie," said How- 
 ard ; "a union in marriage with YOU, would be mv 
 greatest happiness; not even seeing these bolts and 
 bars all removed, and mysejf a free man, would 
 bring half the jov ; yet it is for vou 1 think; for 
 vour future I hesitate." 
 
 "Say no more then, sir," exclaimed Elsie. "I 
 am amply able to take care of myself, and judge 
 the best what are my best interests, and thev are to 
 man v vou .to-morrow morning. In the meantime 
 is there anything I can do for you? Your room 
 
 must be put in order, for the Hon. Mrs. P , 
 
 and Mrs. Judge } , are to visit you, to-day. 
 
 No love making to them, if you please, for I am 
 easily excited to jealousy, and am a perfect tiger, 
 while in that condition. I am informed that seve- 
 ral younger ladies are calculating to call. With so 
 much company, I would suggest a larger suite of 
 apartments, and furniture of a better description, 
 too, and larger and more sightly windows."
 
 384 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 And thus she rattled on, from one subject to an- 
 other, as the bird hops from bough to bough, or the 
 bee from flower to flower, drawing from each, the 
 sweets, if not of consolation in his great trouble, 
 at least oblivion for the present from a recollection 
 of his situation. And for this end it was intended. 
 With a woman's quick wit, she had seen that he 
 brooded too much upon his crime, if he was guilty, 
 which, poor girl, she did not yet believe. They 
 say that to believe is happiness. In this case, dis- 
 belief was bliss. 
 
 With the morrow came Dan Morrison, Hector 
 Lorimer, Alick Cameron and, last, but not least, 
 the Rev. Theron Spencer, a Protestant clergyman 
 oi Saybrook, the person having power to join on 
 earth, the bodies whose souls had been united by 
 a Higher Power, whose delegate he was. In Mor- 
 rison and Cameron there was but little change, as 
 their guileless faces were the same as ever, save a 
 melancholv that sat there, not like the whining de- 
 jection of a suffering boy, but with an enobling 
 grace that told that the heart was touched by some 
 great sorrow. Hector's face was pale and worn 
 with care, and the frolicsome gaietv of his usual 
 manner entirely gone. 
 
 Howard greeted them all with a cordiality that 
 was far from affected, although he was a compara- 
 tive stranger to two of them ; but misfortune had 
 brought them together, to use its mildest term, and 
 so important had been the events of the last fort- 
 night, in which the\ had been connected, that the
 
 THE COUNTEKKKl'l KRS. 
 
 *~***^*-+^^~**~r*~r^-+*l~^S*~~^**+S~+*~**~-^. 
 
 time of their progress had seemed so long that the) 
 appeared to each other in the light of old acquain- 
 tance. Morrison essayed a few consoling remarks, 
 but entirely broke down in the attempt, the tears 
 that had rilled his honest eyes overflowing upon his 
 brown face, the fountains of sympathy inundating 
 their banks. 
 
 "Keep a good heart, and a stiff" upper lip, my 
 boy," he exclaimed, with a choking in his throat; 
 "and you will find that my wayward girl, here, is 
 not the only friend you have. These confounded 
 Pruyters have made more friends than enemies for 
 you by the course they have taken. Had they been 
 amicable t don't know as I should have come at 
 all. I tried my best to dissuade Elsie from her ro- 
 mantic notion, but I might as well have attempted 
 to turn Clvde River upstream, or make a decent 
 man of old Pruyter, as to change her mad notion." 
 
 "And God bless her for her waywardness !" ex- 
 claimed Howard, fervently. "If it be my fate to 
 die, it shall be with her name on my lips, mv last 
 look into her honest eves, and blessing the name 
 of woman, as God's most perfect gift to man." 
 
 The jailor .and his assistants were called ; How- 
 ard's irons, for the time, removed, and the ceremo- 
 ny went on. To all there, except those the most 
 interested in the rite, it seemed a wedding on the 
 brink of an open grave, or a nuptial union where 
 Death was one of the nearest spectators; and as 
 the solemn words were pronounced that made the 
 two one in life and death, the constrained breathing;
 
 THE COirNTERFBITBRS 
 
 of all, even to the circumstance hardened officials, 
 came more freely, but there was a contented, re- 
 lieved expression on Howard's face, even when 
 again the fetters were clasped around his shrinking 
 wrists and ankles, and his eyes were bent upon the 
 countenance of his wife, whose eves answered back 
 the loving look with a smile of deep affection and 
 encouragement. 
 
 Morrison and his daughter, accompanied bv the 
 clergvman, the jail keeper and his assistants, after 
 a request that, for the present, the marriage should 
 be kept a secret, suggested bv Howard, soon left 
 the cell, and the newly made husband, the canny 
 Scotchman and voung Lorimer held a long confer- 
 ence, from which the writer was shut out with as 
 much care as were the others. And whether this 
 consultation, or the marriage, or both combined, 
 had the effect or not. certain it is, that from that 
 time, a portion of the settled melancholv of the ac- 
 cused man seemed to pass away, as a cloud from 
 before the sun or darkness before the coming of the 
 morning. Indeed, though in his solitarv moments, 
 the same almost hopeless gloc m frhiciuied his pale. 
 handsome face, in the presence of his wife and her 
 cheering prattle and endearments, manv a smile 
 usurped the place of the former expression ; sad. 
 it is true, but nevertheless a smile. 
 
 On the third day from the wedding a brisk, port- 
 ly, youngish man arrived on the stage, and giving 
 his business at the door, as of counsel for William 
 Howard, was admitted to that person's cell, where.
 
 THK COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 3*7 
 
 in less than fifteen minutes, he was joined by a 
 florid faced, large man, with sandy hair, consequen- 
 tial manner, and long side-whiskers. The first- 
 comer introduced himself by a name that has now 
 become celebrated in the judicial field and a mem- 
 ber of the bar, in New York city. His companion 
 he presented as a lawyer, then the most famous in 
 Canada, a resident of Montreal. Howard bowed 
 low and giving Elsie a good natured dismissal, for 
 a season, they proceeded at once with another con- 
 ference. It lasted fully three hours, when the two 
 legal gentlemen retired, pausing but a moment in 
 the street, in earnest conversation, then parted, the 
 New York lawyer to take the stage soon to leave, 
 and the other to call upon the Prosecuting Attorn- 
 ey of Saybrook county, to arrange the time of the 
 trial. There was a perplexed, inscrutable express- 
 ion on the florid countenance of the Canadian at- 
 torney when his business was done, that would have 
 given Howard some uneasiness, had it met his eve. 
 but fortunately it did not. 
 
 Late in the evening of the same day the prison- 
 er, who was alone, received n somewhat porten- 
 tious looking document in form of a letter, which, 
 when he had broken the seal, he found to be a quite 
 pompous communication from his Canadian attor- 
 ney, informing Mr. Howard that the trial would 
 take place on the third day of the coming session 
 of the court, which would commence in one week. 
 He further told the prisoner that while he was pro- 
 fessionally and honorably bound to keep all of the
 
 388 THE COUNTEKFEn RK r . 
 
 communications he had received from his client a 
 profound secret, yet it was his desire to be released 
 from any farther employment as his counsel, for he 
 could not, as one of Her Gracious Majesty's At- 
 torneys of the Queen's Bench, endorse or counte- 
 nance the plan of defence adopted, as wanting in 
 respect for the constituted authority of her Majes- 
 ty s Court of Queen's Bench, aforesaid, and alto- 
 gether extrajudicial and ur.precedented in all annals 
 of jurisprudence. He was pained, he said, to dif- 
 fer in opinion with the eminent attorney from New 
 York, and while he accorded to that gentleman the 
 good judgement that his high position as a barris- 
 ter seemed to warrant him in assuming, he must 
 sav that the course proposed was far from a safe 
 one, and he questioned its availability in a Canadi- 
 an court of law. Much more was set down before 
 the signature was reached ; but the foregoing was 
 the substance of the whole matter. 
 
 "Well, let him go," muttered Howard, refolding 
 and depositing in his pocket-book, the verbose 
 missive ; "there are others who are not so squeam- 
 ish as this John Bull, who will take my money and 
 see me through the trial." 
 
 There happened to be a young lawyer, a vankee 
 that had been settled a week or two in Savbrook, 
 who was intelligent and well-read and withal, but 
 little bothered by that sometimes troublesome at- 
 tribute called conscience, especially in his legal 
 practice, nevertheless as honest as the circumstan- 
 ces would admit : but one who was ever faithful to
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 389 
 
 his client, let what would intervene. This young 
 man was summoned to the cell, a consultation had, 
 his retaining fee paid quite a liberal one, by the 
 way ; and he was let into the plan of the proposed 
 line of defence. The well pleased expression of 
 his countenance, accompanied, as it was, in his re- 
 turn to his office, bv many a muttered exclamation 
 of "Good!" ''Glorious !" and other indications of 
 approval, seemed to imply that he, instead of hav- 
 ing those conscientious scruples so largely possess- 
 ed by his Montreal brother in the profession, was, 
 not only in full approval of the plan, but that his 
 judgement coincided with the originators, and pro- 
 nounced it not only available, but highlv praise- 
 worthy, and reflecting great credit on them. 
 
 While these matters were in progress, Bailiff 
 Rogers and associates were in busy search of the 
 lost or hidden bodv of the murdered man, without, 
 however, any success attending his efforts. For 
 the first few davs, and while the examination was 
 being carried on near his premises, William Pruv- 
 ter was almost constantly present, assisting by his 
 advice and counsel, the officials. Rogers, who 
 had taken some unaccountable miff at the old man, 
 unless his ever manifested inclination to prejudice 
 the minds of all with whom he was brought into 
 contact against young Howard, could be a cause ; 
 but little relished the assistance; and on one dav. 
 when the old scoundrel had been more than usually 
 insinuating in his hints and inuendoes. he turned 
 upon him and said :
 
 390 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "I am afraid, Mr. Pruvter, that you are running 
 this thing a little into the ground overdoing it. as 
 I may say. I have watched your own actions, as 
 well as those of some of your well known under- 
 strappers, and am satisfied that you are not taking 
 your present course without some reason. I speak 
 of all that is done as your actions, for it is perfect- 
 ly well known they would not dare to act without 
 your full consent and request. A few of the bet- 
 ter part of community are beginning to see it in 
 that light. Now my advice to you, is that you im- 
 mediately discontinue your present line of conduct, 
 retire to your own house, where you can, without 
 doubt, employ yourself to a much better advantage 
 or, at least, be attending to your own business and 
 letting that of other people alone, and permit the 
 young man to work out his own salvation, if such 
 is possible. There is no doubt, in my mind, that 
 the poor fellow is guiltv, spurred on to his crime 
 by his supreme love for landlord Morrison's prettv 
 daughter, whom, he was satisfied, was being led 
 away by a villain, and that he will swing for it, 
 but, by the infernal, he shall not be hounded down 
 to his fate by such as you." 
 
 The old man, Pruvter, was an adept at schem- 
 ing, and usually knew about how far to carry a plan 
 for its best success, but he had so long associated 
 himself with those having such dull and impene- 
 trable intellects, and had been compelled to iterate 
 and reiterate so many times what he would have 
 them understand, that in an encounter with one of
 
 THE COrNTEKKKITERS. 39! 
 
 Bailiff Rogers' keen intelligence, he was apt, as 
 that person had said, to overdo the thing. The, 
 by no means, gentle reminder of the fact, that he 
 had just received, therefore struck him with some 
 surprise, and he now saw that, in his blind eager- 
 ness to secure a conviction of the accused by pre- 
 moulding the minds of the populace, he had made 
 his desire perfedtlv plain to the astute bailiff, who 
 was not a man to let such things go on without re- 
 buke. How much the officer knew or suspected, 
 the old man was at a loss to discover; but that he 
 was supposed to have some ulterior motive in his 
 plans, he was assured by the outspoken officer's 
 words and his actions. 
 
 Having committed an error ot this kind, one he 
 had but seldom committed before, and led to it by 
 the very fact, Pruyter made all haste to correct it, 
 and with it, its effects. He did not at once, cease 
 all his insinuations, or those of his agents, but they 
 very gradually began to diminish, and finally died 
 entirelv awav, and the miners of Copper Mountain 
 soon began to mind their own busines and let oth- 
 er people's alone and, without doubt, were more 
 happy in so doing. 
 
 But search as he would, by self, by deputy or bv 
 proxy, the indefatigable bailiff was in no measure 
 rewarded for his labor, bv the discovery of anv 
 further proofs than those already recorded.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE TKIAI.. 
 
 A\V is an enigma, its practice a conundrum 
 extremely problemetical in its solution. Its 
 written text is as fruitful in different con- 
 * strudtions as infidels, sceptics and free-thin- 
 kers have made the Holy Scriptures ; and to eluci- 
 date and expound its obscure mysticisms, an army 
 of lawyers, judges, sheriffs and hangers on, are re- 
 quired. Xor do its exponents always strive to make 
 its meaning clear; on the contrary, seem, many 
 times, to add bv the vapor arising from their breath 
 a greater densitv to the amount of impenetrable fog 
 surrounding it. The glorious uncertainty of law, 
 has become proverbial, and the many decisions bv 
 learned jurists, heaps piled on heaps, like clouds 
 on mist, but render the strict letter the more ob- 
 scure and unreadable bv common eves, those not 
 trained in translating mysticisms, or assisted bv the 
 eye-glasses of what is termed a judicial education. 
 The abstruse science of jurisprudence, in the hands 
 uf those who, from ignorance, prejudice or design, 
 warp its already crooked meaning to their own end 
 becomes, like the Egyptian mummy, in its many 
 swathings and bandages, excessively hard to get 
 at, and very useless when disclosed, save as a relic 
 of a former age. and a curiosity, in its way. to the 
 antiquarian. 
 
 And the trial by jury. Long years ago. certain 
 personages, ignorant but well meaning, by some
 
 THE OOl'NTERFFITERS. 
 
 success had obtained control over a king, and to 
 show their authority more than to gain any right 
 that would benefit them, procured a document, by 
 the high sounding name of Magna Charta, from 
 the aforesaid king, guaranteeing to them and their 
 descendents, forever, the right of the Habeas Cor- 
 pus and the privilege of a trial by a jury of their 
 peers, when accused of crime of any kind, or their 
 property was meddled with, either by process of 
 law or by the strong arm. Like the child that cried 
 for a hot poker and got it and cried the louder 
 to have it taken away ; so the trial by jury to many 
 an honest man has become something worse than 
 a heated iron. Selected, as jurvmen usually are, 
 from the ignorant, prejudiced and uncaring popu- 
 lace, no jury can be impaneled who has not among 
 its numbers, some influenced, unfavorably biased, 
 or mulishly obstinate man, who will never consent 
 to an impartial verdict, and many times brings the 
 other eleven to his views, harrassed as thev are by 
 long hours of confined, toilsome sitting in one po- 
 sition, where thev have been bored by technical 
 terms, law latin, droning and rascality, and then 
 confined without food, drink or sleep, in a room 
 with comfortless seats, where they are forced tore- 
 main hours, sometimes days and nights, until thev 
 have come to a conclusion in which they have, nor 
 can have, any earthly interest. 
 
 When a crime of more than usual enormity has 
 been committed in a community, the minutite of 
 circumstances: its cause and its results, the likely
 
 394 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 reason for the deed ; the former and present char- 
 acter of the criminal are discussed in every place 
 of meeting and in the public prints, to such an ex- 
 tent that none but the most ignorant or heedless but 
 become acquainted with all the details, and form 
 opinions, either of the guilt or innocence of the 
 accused, and thus, do they tell the truth when in- 
 quired of, are excluded from sitting, or, if they lie, 
 take their seats as perjured men, to hear and deter- 
 mine of the guilt or innocence of the prisoner at 
 the bar. The effect is, to put in our jury boxes n 
 class of uninformed men, who are from that verv 
 circumstance, unfit to serve as arbitrators between 
 an outraged public and the cause. To make a bold 
 statement, and one, of course, to which manv will 
 take umbrage, while they can but admit its truth, 
 we venture to say that on nine-tenths of the juries 
 impanelled in our courts, there is at least one man 
 who, for one thousand dollars, in cash, will, while 
 he does not exactly say the prisoner is innocent, 
 were the testimony as plain and incontrovertable as 
 Holy Writ, would never consent to a verdict of 
 guilty being rendered. 
 
 The foregoing remarks are not prompted bv anv 
 real or fancied wrongs that the writer has suffered 
 at the hands of juries or jurors, but from a careful 
 and close watch of the institution, through some 
 years, from a stand-point of unprejudiced and un- 
 biased desire to ascertain its workings in all its va- 
 rious phases. The retnedv we do not pretend to 
 offer, vet it seems that men, educated to the law.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 395 
 
 who bv superior erudition and probity, have been 
 elevated to seats upon the judicial bench are better 
 able to arrive at a righteous decision than are men 
 who care but little, and know still less, of the law ; 
 and from their very positions, oftentimes wealthy, 
 and with reputations to maintain, are beyond the 
 reach of bribes, and from familiarity with lawyers 
 and courts, less liable to be swayed by common re- 
 port, personal appearance or the remarks of coun- 
 sel, who strain every nerve to influence the passions 
 of the twelve ordinary tryers of our suits. Very 
 true occasionally a corrupt judge through political, 
 pecuniary or other reprehensible means has plant- 
 ed himself on the bench and, at bis hands, justice 
 may not always be done; but in such cases, he is 
 soon brought to the bar of Public Opinion, a far 
 more inexorable tribunal, and arraigned, tried and 
 convicted. This may happen, we say, and if it 
 does, the instances are so very rare in comparison 
 with those of prejudiced and bribed jurymen, that 
 it seems but one flake of snow among the multi- 
 tudes forming a Canadian snowstorm. 
 
 The court-room of Savbrook was filled to over- 
 flowing on the day of the trial. The recency of 
 the murder; the near proximity of its scene, with 
 the interest felt either, for or against, the alleged 
 murderer, increased, as it was, bv the somewhat 
 romantic episode of the marriage in the jail, the 
 truth of which had leaked out within a day or two, 
 gave to the coming event a flavor of novelty that 
 was particularly attractive to the masses. At one
 
 396 THE CCH'XTERFEITERS. 
 
 end of the large hall, in their proper places, sat 
 the chief judge and his associates, one of them the 
 
 rather forgetful Justice D , with gowns and 
 
 wigs, as is conventional ; within the railing were 
 nearly the entire bar of Savbrook county, equally 
 clad in flowing robes, among them the Prosecuting 
 Attorney with an air that seemed to say : "Gent- 
 lemen, don't hurrv ; there won't be any fun until I 
 speak;" at his left hand, but at the same table, sat 
 lawyer Stevens of Steadville, who had been en- 
 gaged, on account of the magnitude of the issue, 
 to assist that official. In the dock stood William 
 Howard, at once the cause and effect of the whole 
 transaction, with the irons removed from his wrists 
 only, and within easy whispering distance of his 
 only counsel, young Mr. Felton. his New York, 
 as well as Montreal attorney having, seemingly de- 
 serted him in his d:iv of greatest neJ, an I failed 
 to connect. 
 
 Just without the railing of the dock sat the pris- 
 oner's young wife and a companion, whom she had 
 induced to attend her during the trial, both closely 
 veiled. A large number of officers were in atten- 
 dance, among whom was deputy bailiff Heath, an 
 old acquaintance, the whole under charge of Bai- 
 liff Rogers, who, with restless eyes, took in the 
 whole court-room at a glance. Among the spect- 
 ators might have been discovered several intelligent 
 looking and well dressed strangers, as well as more 
 familiar faces. In a somewhat obscure corner sat 
 Alick Cameron, who was vet a little dubious as to
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 what reception he might meet, were he to make 
 himself very prominent. In different parts of the 
 room might have been recognized the various in- 
 habitants of the Stone House in the Pass, except- 
 ing the two Pruyters and the "gentlemanly strang- 
 er." In one of the seats sat a Canadian carter, 
 with whip and hood complete, in whispered con- 
 versation with Maggie O'Brien ; nor was the clergy 
 unrepresented, for, near the bar sat the Rev. Mr. 
 Spencer, and just back of him, a cathoic priest. 
 
 The Judge having intimated that the court was 
 ready to proceed, the prosecuting attorney arose 
 and suggested that the indictment be read and the 
 respondent's plea entered. This the clerk proceed- 
 ed to do, to which the prisoner pleaded "Not Guil- 
 ty !" in a tone that was far from tremulous or agi- 
 tated. The firmness of the response was noticed 
 by all, and various constructions put upon it, as the 
 feelings of the hearers were favorable to, or against 
 the prisoner. 
 
 By direction of the chief judge, the clerk now 
 proceeded to draw one of the regular panels of ju- 
 rymen attendant upon the stated term, to which 
 the Queen, by Her representative, made no objec- 
 tion, except to one person who was a well known 
 opponent of capital punishment, from principle, 
 and to which, contrary to all precedents, all annals 
 of criminal proceedure, in Canada or elsewhere, 
 the accused, by his counsel, made no demur. The 
 prosecuting attorney looked surprised, lawyer Ste- 
 vens thunderstruck, the judge and both associates
 
 398 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 incredulous, and the spectators variously. What 
 could it mean ? The respondent and his attorney 
 looked unshaken, the latter smiling serenely. 
 
 Recovering from his surprise the Queen's attor- 
 ney proceeded to read again the indictment, and to 
 make remarks upon what he expected to prove, the 
 enormity of the crime ; the supposed motive, and 
 such other matters as happened to occur to him at 
 the time. Especially did he debate and enlarge, 
 with an eloquence peculiarly his own, upon the 
 many virtues of the murdered man, who, though 
 for a time, in arms against his country, yet pardon- 
 ed by His Excellency, the Governor General ; and 
 came down with forensic thumps on the table, as 
 he spoke of the actions of the homicide ; of his 
 enticing his victim from a quiet home to meet his 
 death, under the guise of friendship and the im- 
 parting of information of one dear to his heart. 
 There was not a wet eye in the court when he had 
 concluded, much to his surprise. 
 
 To this pleonastic harrangue, solicitor Felton 
 quietlv replied : 
 
 "That he did not understand his eminent broth- 
 er to state whether he was prepared to produce evi- 
 dence of any corpse, murdered or otherwise, being 
 found ;" and suggested "the propriety of at first 
 showing that a murder had been committed, before 
 attempting to prove who had done it. He was 
 young in the law," he said, "in which his oppon- 
 ent had grown old ; but he had never yet heard or 
 read of a conviction for murder, unless somebody
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 399 
 
 could first be proven to have been feloniously clone 
 to death." 
 
 This suggestion, coming as it did from one for 
 whom the older lawyers had but little respect, was 
 considerable stunning in its effect, for the prosecu- 
 ting attorney hesitated, stammered a few minutes, 
 and then sat down ; but Stevens arose quickly, sav- 
 ing that "the attorney on the other side would soon 
 find out that they had a witness, in the person of 
 farmer Plowhaft, who had seen the victim dead and 
 hurled into the stream ; and that, although the as- 
 sassin had cunningly hidden him since, it would 
 not avail him." Felton merely turned his face to 
 the judge, who said : 
 
 "Go on with the case, gentlemen." 
 A long array of names was now read over by 
 Stevens, with an intimation that those whose names 
 were called would step forward and take the oath. 
 And they came ; the residents of the stone house, 
 by various appellations, Tom Finch, Maggie O'- 
 Brien, Farmer Plowhaft, two or three officers, sev- 
 ral spectators, who had examined the place of the 
 tragedy, Dr. Martin, poor Dan Morrison, who had 
 the looks of one caught in bad company, and some 
 others. To the names of Charles Roberts, Hector 
 Lorimer and Elsie Morrison, no answers came, ex- 
 cept to the latter, as the former possessor rose from 
 her seat. Two or three of the pretended miners 
 were first put upon the stand, and testified to the 
 threat made by Howard, when speaking of Captain 
 Ixnimer and his contemplated marriage, in which
 
 .J.OO THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 they represented him as using the words: "God 
 forgive me, for I shall kill him !" To the question 
 asked, in cross-examination, by attorney Felton, 
 the only one, by the way, he propounded to them, 
 if they were certain that those were the exact words 
 used, they replied that they were. 
 
 Maggie O'Brien, the next witness to take the - 
 stand, was interrupted in her testimony by Felton, 
 who requested that all the witnesses should be de- 
 tained, as he might have occasion to use them later. 
 To this Judge Flemming assented, and gave direc- 
 tions accordingly, and the witness was allowed to 
 proceed. Her evidence was the same, word for 
 word, as that of her predecessors, and she gave the 
 same answer to the same qnestion of Mr. Felton, 
 and considering her task finished, was about to step 
 down, when that gentleman arrested her in the act 
 by asking : 
 
 "You area resident of Steadville, and have, for 
 some vears, labored for Mr. Pruyter, at his res- 
 idence at Copper Mountain, have you not?" 
 
 "Oi have, ver honor, fer better nor tin vear last 
 Candlemass, and a more jinteel '' 
 
 Xo doubt, no doubt, Mrs. O'Brien," interrup- 
 ted Felton. "You are well acquainted with the 
 prisoner at the bar?" 
 
 With the which, sor?" asked Maggie, vacantlv. 
 
 With Mr. Willia.n Howard, the gentleman in 
 the railing, there," pointing to the accused. 
 
 "Indade Oi am, sor, an' a more bludthustv 
 
 Bail fellow, no doubt," saiu Felton. quietly and
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 40! 
 
 then changing his tone, he asked suddenly, "Who 
 told you he was blood-thirsty?" 
 
 "Why, me master, av coorse, Mr. Prator, sor." 
 "So I supposed. Please keep your seat, Mr. 
 Stevens, I am not through with the witness," he 
 remarked to that gentleman, who was rising with 
 a remonstrance on his lips. "You are a married 
 woman, Mrs. O'Brien, I am told. Have you any 
 children ?" 
 
 "Xiver a wun, sor, barin' me sister's bye." 
 "Him you have adopted, and he works for Mr. 
 Pruyter?" carelessly remarked Felton. "Where 
 was you on the night of the murder ?" and the ques- 
 tion came like a flash of lightning. 
 
 "At me home, sor, av coorse, where ivory dacint 
 married woman shud be," replied Maggie slightly, 
 but only slightly, confused by the rapidity and un- 
 expectedness of the question. 
 
 "Who gave you the knife that you placed on the 
 table in Howard's room, with the point upward, 
 near the match safe?" 
 
 "Oi Oi, sor, " 
 
 "W'ho gave you the knife, I say?" 
 
 "Me me master, Mr. Prator, sor." 
 
 k l insist, your honor," exclaimed Stevens, rising. 
 
 "I in.sist " 
 
 "And I insist. Mr. Stevens, that you sit down 
 and hold your tongue and vour temper, until I am 
 done," ejaculated Felton, then turning he shot an- 
 other interrogation at the witness. "Did your mas- 
 ter tell von how to arrange the knife?"
 
 402 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 But certain signals had been seen by the woman, 
 coming from the priest before mentioned, and she 
 answered : 
 
 "He tould me nothing, sor. The knife ye spake 
 av, happened to be lyin' on the table, sor." 
 
 "And who put the two chairs immediately in 
 front of it?" shot out the young lawyer ; "on which 
 you stood to arrange the curtain of Mr. Howard's 
 window?" 
 
 "I did that, mesel'." 
 
 "And you told Mr. Howard that his lamp was 
 in his room. Did you carry it there?" 
 
 "Yis, yer " 
 
 "What for?" 
 
 "Why, Mr. Prator tould me to." 
 
 "Did you ever do so before?" 
 
 "No, " 
 
 "Why did you then?" 
 
 "As Oi tould you " 
 
 "Now, Maggie," said Felton, in a slow, mean- 
 ing tone, to which the quick, incisive one he had 
 before used was strange in contrast. "You are 
 sworn to tell the truth, and you have kissed the 
 book, and called your God to witness that you will 
 do so. Now was not the whole thing a scheme of 
 William Pruvter's, to be carried out by you?" 
 
 For a moment the woman hesitated and cast her 
 eyes appealingly toward the priest; but she got no 
 consolation there, for Felton's eyes were upon him, 
 and he knew it. Then she turned, irresolutely, to 
 the Judge, and finding no mercv there, she fell on
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 403 
 
 her knees, and with uplifted hands and streaming 
 eves, exclaimed in remorseful accents: 
 
 "It was, it was, yer honor, an' may God an' the 
 Virgin forgive me the falsehood !" 
 
 "That is all. You mav go down," said Felton, 
 smiling serenely. 
 
 The next offered was the letter, appointing the 
 meeting, and Giles Wilson and Dan Morrison were 
 called to testify in regard to its sending and receipt. 
 The farmer boy swore that the letter was delivered 
 to him by Howard, and that he put it in the hands 
 of Captain Lorimer, or of a person claiming to be 
 him. Felton asked him if a gentleman to whom 
 he pointed was present. The answer was "yes." 
 
 "When Mr. Howard gave it to you, in front of 
 Dr. Martin's office in Steadville?" asked Felton. 
 
 "Yes, sir," and the farm boy stepped down. 
 
 Dan Morrison came reluctantly to the stand, and 
 testified to the receipt, contents and hand-writing 
 of the letter. The missive, he said, was in Wil- 
 liam Howard's chirography. 
 
 A knife was now produced by the Queen's attor- 
 ney, which, when the prisoner saw it, drove the 
 blood from his face and lips, and his chin visibly 
 trembled. This was a surprise, against which no 
 amount of mental training could forearm him. 
 
 "Do you recognize this knife, Mr. Morrison?" 
 asked the attorney. 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied Dan, faintly. 
 
 "As whose?" 
 
 "It formerly belonged to the prisoner. I have
 
 44 
 
 THE COl'NTEKFEITEHS. 
 
 seen it in his possession, occasionally, some time 
 since, and he may have " 
 
 \\'as you present when it was found?" 
 
 Morrison went on and told the story as it was, 
 much against his wishes, as we may believe, and 
 was dismissed by the prosecution, for the present, 
 as they said. 
 
 Other witnesses were called and gave their evi- 
 dence as to the marks of blood on the bridge tim- 
 bers, the print of the bloody hand on the railing, 
 the finding and measuring of the tracks, and the 
 impress of the body in the sand. They also swore 
 to the discoverv of the discharged pistol ; the knife 
 and the abandoned horse. Of none of these Fel- 
 ton asked any questions. 
 
 Farmer Piowhaft was now introduced with some 
 ostentation on the part of Stevens, and made oath 
 to the finding of the bodv, his giving notice to the 
 authorities, and of his failure to find the corpse, as 
 it had lain, on his return from Steadville. 
 
 "The man was dead when you saw him ;" asked 
 Felton, turning to the man, after he had passed a 
 feu words with the prisoner, who had regained 
 his composure. 
 
 Yee.s, sur," replied the witness. 
 
 k 'Will you swear, on your oath before God and 
 man, that he was dead?" asked Felton, solemnly. 
 
 \V'y. I doan't know es I ken ecksactly swear cs 
 how es he war right played eout, es yeou may sav. 
 Noa, I shouldn't want ter swear, right eout es he 
 war dead, 'cause mehbe he warn't. veou know."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "But you have sworn that such was the fact," as- 
 serted Felton, very quietly. 
 
 "Wai, noa, not ecksactly swore to ut, es yeou 
 may say; that is, I didn't take my bible oath, es 
 how he war right dead, on'v opinioned he war, es 
 yeou may say." 
 
 "That is all, Mr. Plowhaft," remarked Felton, 
 as a smile ran over the faces of part of the spec"t- 
 ors, and even Judge Flemming. 
 
 "Wai, neow see ahere, mister lawyer," began 
 the witness," 
 
 "That is all, Mr. Plowhaft. You may go down." 
 
 The huge jaws once more opened with : "Wai, 
 
 as you may say, mister " but he was compelled 
 
 to retire. 
 
 Dr. Martin being called, and still absent, and the 
 day far advanced, the court adjourned until the fol- 
 lowing morning. The witnesses were all notified 
 to be present then, as in all probability they would 
 be needed at the time. During the recess some 
 things happened, in connection with this story that 
 shall be disclosed in the sequel. 
 
 Upon the going in of the judges, pretty much 
 the same faces might have been discovered, with 
 here and there a new one. Reports of the first 
 day's proceedings had gone abroad, and a greater 
 interest had been, as a consequence, the result. 
 1 Inward showed marked indications of a sleepless 
 night, while his attorney was more content, and 
 smiled more serenely than before. The lawyers, 
 on the other side, were not quite so confident, but
 
 _jX>6 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 \vere yet satisfied that a convi&ion wa& reasonably 
 certain, under the circumstances. 
 
 Dr. Martin was sworn and proceeded to testify, 
 that he had made a critical examination of the hand 
 mark on the railing of the bridge ; that it was made 
 by the left hand, and that the blood evidently came 
 from some wound in the hand itself.- No doubt, 
 he continued, the murdered man had discharged 
 his pistol, wounding: his assassin, and in throwing 
 the bodv from the bridge, the same hand had been 
 placed on the railing, leaving the marks spoken of. 
 He also testified that he had made an examination 
 of the hand of the prisoner, and the wound there, 
 assuredly made by a- pistot bullet,- corresponded ex- 
 actly with the impress on the hand rail. He was*, 
 he said, Mr. Pruyter's family physician. 
 
 For several mirwtes after the conclusion of his 
 examination-in-ebief, Felton sat and gazed intently 
 into the face of the witness, and without speaking. 
 For a short time the doctor endured this without 
 perceptible emotion* bat at the emd of that time be- 
 gan to show signs of wavering and perturbation. 
 This increased, for a season, and finally he turned 
 away his eyes. With some confusion. 
 
 "Y0(i are Mr. Pruyter's family physician, you 
 -.1 \ . doctor/' said Felton verv quietly ; "and you 
 are. of course, a regular practioner ; have a diplo- 
 ma as Doctor of Medicine, no doubt?" 
 
 Yes. sir/ 1 he replied, evidently on his guard. 
 
 "A graduate of some medical college I presume. 
 dn ; tor?"
 
 TMTE COUNTERFEITERS, 407 
 
 "Of two r sir. Of the Medical college of Edin- 
 burgh, and of the medical department of a German 
 University," responded Martin, proudly. 
 
 "And a good physiologist and anatomist?" 
 
 "I could hardly claim to he a good physician or 
 surgeon, uuiess I was well acquainted with the 
 phvs.iolo.gv and anatomy of the human frame," an- 
 swered the follower of Esculapious. "I may say 
 that those are subjects on wkieh I prkle myself." 
 
 "And would have no trouble, of course, in lor 
 eating the zvgomaticus major?" 
 
 Without the least hesitation, sir," said Martin, 
 exhibiting, contrary to his assertion, a state of un- 
 certainty' not to be expected. It is the larger bone 
 of the ankle in the human species, and of all such 
 animals as are constructed on the same model." 
 
 "I am sorry to disagree with so great a scholar 
 in anatomy," very serenely remarked Felton. "Ac- 
 cording to my reading, the zygomaticus major is 
 a muscle in the cheek, and I find it. in some instan- 
 ces, very much developed. You are, of coarse, as 
 familiar with the os hyoides, doctor?" 
 
 "Perfectly, perfectly, sir," responded Martin, a 
 dark blush overspreading his face, and his tongue 
 far from doing its dutv readily. "It is the large 
 muscle passing transversely across the shoulder, by 
 which the arm is moved upward and backward." 
 "Again, my dear sir," remarked Felton, bland- 
 ly, yet scarcely able to keep from laughing, and 
 following the example of several medical men who 
 were present. "Again mv books disagree with
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 yours, for mine describes the os hyoides as being 
 the only bone in the tongue, comprising the great 
 and small cornuas ; being somewhat flexible, more 
 so in some than in others." 
 
 The Queen's counsel remonstrated, Mr. Stevens 
 bounded up and down like a rubber ball, insisting: 
 but Felton kept his seat, smiling very serenely, un- 
 til the hubbub ceased, when he continued : 
 
 "You are conversant with gunshot wounds, no 
 doubt?" 
 
 'I claim to be," said the doctor, falling back on 
 his first plan of simply answering the cross-exami- 
 ner's questions, from which he had been seduced 
 bv Felton's suavity. 
 
 And as you say have examined the wound in 
 the prisoner's hand, critically and professional U?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "And pronounce it a gunshot wound?" 
 
 "Decidedly, sir." 
 
 "Did the missile pass through the hand or did it 
 merely penetrate among the muscles and bones?" 
 
 Merely penetra'ed." was the reply. 
 
 And you removed the bullet when you examin- 
 ed and dressed the injury, at the time of which 
 you speak ?" 
 
 Why. no." said the badgered witness, as the 
 crimson flush again mounted to his temples and 
 cheeks, which he vainly attempted to hide by an 
 ostentatious use of his handkerchief. "The bullet. 
 after striking, probably rebounded, and cleared it- 
 stlf of the hurt, and was lost."
 
 THE CCH'N'TEKFEITERS. 409 
 
 'In your experience of gunshot wounds, doctor, 
 do you usually rind that leaden balls after penetra- 
 ting human flesh are apt to rebound, as you call it?" 
 
 The charlatan was shrewd enough to see that he 
 was caught, and he blushed, stammered, perspired 
 and used his handkerchief, vigorously, but Felton 
 gave him no respite. 
 
 "I am told," he said, that you gave a letter to 
 the prisoner, to be forwarded by a boy, to Captain 
 Herbert Lorimer, on the first day of this present 
 month. Is my information correct?" 
 
 'No, sir," replied the witness, reviving in some 
 measure. "I have no recollection of any such 
 transaction." 
 
 Not in presence of Mr. Staples?" 
 
 No, sir!" decidedly. 
 
 Bailiff Rogers now came forward, and as he 
 stepped up the two stairs approaching the witness 
 stand, he cast such a comical look of entreaty on 
 Felton that that person was compelled to relax his 
 features into something like a smile. 
 
 The bailiff, in a straight forward, business way, 
 told his story. He had made the most searching 
 examination of the scene of the tragedy and its sur- 
 roundings, he said, that the circumstances would 
 admit of. He had made up his mind that the vic- 
 tim had met his slaver upon the bridge; that few, 
 if any, words had passed before the fatal blow was 
 struck; that the stricken man staggered against the 
 hand-rail, drew a pistol and discharged it at the 
 other, wounding him in the left hand ; that a slight
 
 410 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 struggle then ensued, as evidenced by some marks 
 in the blood on the planking, and that the murder- 
 ed man was finally forced from the bridge, while 
 still clinging to the dress of his assailant, and that 
 the latter had been obliged to place his wounded 
 hand upon the rail, to preserve his own balance ; 
 that the coming of Farmer Plowhafthad frighten- 
 ed the murderer awav, and that he had hidden near 
 at hand, until the intruder had gone, when he, with 
 the assistance of another person, had borne the 
 corpse to the lake shore, whence it had been car- 
 ried, in a boat. He rehearsed his search for the 
 boat and the other man, that had resulted in disap- 
 pointment, and had finally arrived at the conclu- 
 sion that the body had been transported to another 
 part of the lake, had been attached to a large stone 
 and sunk ; that the boat had been burned or other- 
 wise destroyed, as no such vessel could be found. 
 He related the discovery of the knife and its recog- 
 nition bv Morrison ; the finding of the pistol, and 
 olher matters hereinbefore recorded. The witness 
 then told of his going to the stone house ; of discov- 
 ing the prisoner in the act of leaving; of his guilty 
 looks and actions; of rinding of the letter of Miss 
 Morrison, now Mrs. Howard, he was informed ; 
 of his denial of any knowledge of possessing it; 
 of Dr. Martin's examination of the hand, and of 
 the measuring of H -ward's boot, and of his refu- 
 sal to give any account of how he had received the 
 injury t > his hand. It was also drawn from the 
 haili:!'. by Mr. Gay lord, of the presence of blood
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 41 I 
 
 upon the cuff and wristband of his coat and shirt. 
 He produced the pistol, the letter and the meas- 
 urement of the tracks. 
 
 "And now, Mr. Rogers," said Felton, in a man- 
 ner totally different from the one he had used in 
 questioning the other witnesses, and one that plain- 
 ly showed that his only desire was to arrive at the 
 whole truth ; "you say the respondent exhibited 
 signs of guilt, when arrested. Would not you or 
 I, each of us innocent of the crime, and having 
 marks of blood on our clothing, have manifested 
 the same surprise and consternation, that you not- 
 iced in the prisoner?" 
 
 "I am satisfied that we should, sir," he replied, 
 honestly; "and perhaps more than did he." 
 
 "And did you notice that the track vou measur- 
 ed was of a boot that had been 'tapped,' to use the 
 cobbler's vernacular ; that -is, half-soled ?" 
 
 "Being reminded of the fact, such certainlv was 
 the case, though it had slipped mv mind till now." 
 
 "Is that the boot you measured, as belonging to 
 William Howard ?" asked Felton, handing to the 
 witness a well-worn specimen of foot-gear. 
 
 "It is," replied Rogers. "I recognize it by the 
 peculiarity of the patch on the side its peculiar 
 shape, I mean." 
 
 'Has that boot ever been tapped?" 
 
 Xo. There are no indications of it." 
 
 "And you sav that the print in the sand was a 
 trirle broader than the boot in your hand?" 
 
 "I so found it."
 
 412 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 'And now, Mr. Bailiff, did that hoot make ei- 
 ther of the tracks that you discovered in the sand, 
 near where the supposed murdered man had lain, 
 either on the foot of this respondent or of any other 
 man on earth ?" 
 
 "No. It is impossible. It could not!" replied 
 the witness, who was fast learning much in his own 
 line of business, and was manly enough to admit 
 it, even to non-professionals. 
 
 "Mr. Rogers," continued Felton ; "have you 
 noticed, in your search, and while otherwise enga- 
 ged about this matter, that Mr. William Pruyter 
 has shown much interest, and ?" 
 
 "I remonstrate, your honor!" exclaimed Mr. 
 Gay lord. 
 
 "I insist, your honor," ejaculated Stevens. 
 
 "Well, let it pass," said Felton. "I see that the 
 bird is wounded badly enough to make him flutter. 
 In regard to the letter found upon the prisoner, 
 Mr. Rogers. In what condition and in what part 
 of his dress was it discovered?" 
 
 "Unsealed, but in good condition, and being in 
 the outside, left-hand skirt pocket of his coat." 
 
 "Any blood marks on it?" 
 
 "None." 
 
 "And now, if the stab was given almost imme- 
 diately upon the arrival of the victim, as is your 
 opinion, and the short time that must have elapsed 
 from his passing Farmer Plowhaft, and of hearing 
 the pistol shot, surely indicates, would the assailed 
 man have had time to deliver, and the assailant an
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 413 
 
 opportunity to break open and peruse the letter, in 
 the interval ?" 
 
 "Certainly not," said Rogers, his eyes enlarging. 
 
 "And after the perusal of such evidences of un- 
 dying love and constancy as are here recorded, 
 would the hypothesis that jealousy was the prompt- 
 ing cause of the crime be admissible, especially 
 when the missive was brought by the very person 
 of whom, they say, he was jealous?" 
 
 "Certainly not," repeated Rogers, his eves still 
 larger than before. 
 
 "And would a man naturally deposit such an e- 
 pistle in the loose skirt pocket of his coat or if he 
 did not read it at the time, but afterwards, as, of 
 course, they will claim, how could he put it there 
 without having left some marks with the hand with 
 which it must have been deposited the wounded 
 and bloody left hand?" 
 
 This closed the testimony on the part of the pros- 
 ecution, for the present; and when it was suggest- 
 ed to Mr. Felton that he now should produce his 
 witnesses for the defence, the court, the lawyers, 
 the spectators and the officers were dumfounded by 
 the remark of the prisoner's- counsel, that he had 
 none to offer. Nor did he make any answer to the 
 bombastic harrangues ofMessrs. Gaylord & Co. 
 
 The charge of the judge was clear and explicit, 
 with no leaning to either side, another anamoly in 
 the case, and the jury soon after withdrew to their 
 room for deliberation.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE VERDICT. 
 
 lUDGE FLEMMING having intimated that 
 no further business of the court would be 
 transacted on that day, they waited patiently 
 the expected return of the jury. But they 
 came not as hour after hour floated into the past. 
 At six o'clock, Judge Flemming remarked that as 
 there was no immediate prospect of agreement, he 
 would adjourn the court until to-morrow morning. 
 The prisoner, who had shown strong indications 
 of restlessness and concern, was remanded to jail 
 and the spectators slowly left the court room, ar- 
 guing, in many cases, on the trial and its probable 
 result, in many admiring the keenness of the young 
 lawyer, and inquiries as to who he was. A verdict 
 of acquittal could hardly be hoped for, even by the 
 respondent's most sanguine friends, save his young- 
 wife, whose confidence had never vet failed, and 
 would not until the fatal word was spoken. 
 
 The morning came, and with it almost the same 
 spectators. The rumor had gone forth that the 
 jury had agreed, and there was every prospecl that 
 the verdicl would soon be rendered. A very per- 
 ceptible increase of the constabulary force might 
 have been noticed, and they occupied all parts of 
 the court room, mixing promiscuously with the in- 
 creased audience. 
 
 "You are a very constant attendant on our sess- 
 ions, father," said Rogers', who happened to be
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 seated near the catholic priest. "Giving us more 
 of your presence than gentlemen of vour cloth are 
 apt to devote to secular matters." 
 
 ''Homo sum ; hutnani nihil a me alietinm />- 
 to," responded he of cowl and cassock. 
 
 "Just so," said Rogers; "though what the devil 
 you mean by that jargon is more than I know." 
 
 The conversation was interrupted by the opening 
 of the jury-room door, and immediately after, the 
 filing in of the twelve men whose fiat was life or 
 death. Their names were severally called, and 
 responded to ; the clerk asked them if they were 
 agreed, they all bowed. 
 
 Who shall speak for you?" asked the clerk* 
 
 "Our Foreman," they all replied. 
 
 "Stand up, gentlemen, and vou, the prisoner, 
 also. And now, Mr. Foreman, is William How- 
 ard, the prisoner at the bar, arraigned and tried 
 for the murder of Herbert Lorimer, Guilty or Not 
 Guilty f" 
 
 "Gun. " 
 
 "HoLn!" echoed a voice through the room, as 
 firm and sonorous as the tones of a steel bell, ar- 
 ousing all within the walls from a trance of wrapt 
 attention to the words of the foreman of the jury, 
 and cutting the word in two a.s deftly as Fate ever 
 severed the mvstic thread of human existence. All 
 turned their eves toward the prisoner, who had 
 spoken, and who now stood, with one hand exten- 
 ded, as if calling attention, and the fire of brilliant 
 intelligence and genius mantling his animated and
 
 416 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 handsome features. His position was as graceful 
 and dignified as would have been that of a God of 
 mythology, who has descended from Olympus with 
 the destinies of nations in his grasp, and all felt the 
 change. Before, he was the abject criminal, beg- 
 ging his life at the hands of his fellow mortals, 
 now he was Nemesis, the personification of the an- 
 ger of the Gods. Then he was an accused mur- 
 derer, now a denouncer of murderers. 
 
 "I know not," he began, ' whether the fateful 
 word was fully spoken and, in fact, it makes but a 
 slight difference to me. I have had the curiosity 
 to know whether or not an innocent man might be 
 convicted of crime. The question is now fullv an- 
 swered. That boasted Palladium of protection to 
 the innocent has proved to be a shield of gause " 
 
 "I object, most decidedly object, vour honor!" 
 exclaimed Gaylord. 
 
 "I insist, sir, I insist," said Stevens. 
 
 Felton smiled serenely. 
 
 "I believe, your honor," said the prisoner, turn- 
 ing to the bench, "that by your laws, an accused 
 person may be heard in his own behalf, as well as 
 by attorney." 
 
 "It is extrajudicial, but you may proceed." 
 
 "As I wasaboutto say," continued Howard, "I 
 care but little whether the verdict was fully pro- 
 nounced or not. By that form you declare Will- 
 iam Howard guilty of murder. This would in no 
 way aftect me, for I am not William Howard ! I 
 am," andjie seemed more majestic, when uttering
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 417 
 
 the words in tones that all heard ; "my name and 
 residence is Gilbert Hays, of New York." 
 
 At the mention of this then well known name, 
 there was a hush in that assembly, so profound that 
 the falling of a feather from the wing of a moult- 
 ing bird might have been heard. Soon there was 
 a shuffling of feet, and nearly a dozen of the spec- 
 tators began to edge toward the entrance ; among 
 them the priest and the carter; but four stalwart 
 fellows armed with policemen's staves stood there. 
 They then glanced at the other doors and windows, 
 but at each were stationed two as burley and well 
 armed men, and they doggedly took their seats. A 
 smile of utter contempt spread over the handsome 
 face of the prisoner, as he saw this demonstration 
 of the caged culprits. 
 
 "I am a son of him long known as 'Old Hays, 
 the Thief Catcher,' also of New York. Is this the 
 truth, Mr. Felton ?" 
 
 "True as Gospel ! You are my old schoolmate, 
 Gil Havs," replied Felton, smiling serenely. 
 
 "For four years I have been engaged, especial- 
 ly," the speaker resumed; "in the duty of ferret- 
 ting out the authors of all the base money that has 
 been thrown into circulation, and whose cunning 
 has baffled the utmost skill of the best American 
 and English detectives, imported for the purpose, 
 and stimulated by great wages and promises of al- 
 most any reward. I was employed for this task four 
 years ago last January, by the combined interests 
 of all the banks of New England and New York.
 
 41 S THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Am I correcl in my statement, Hon. Timothy Gil- 
 fillan, chairman of the Association for Mutual Pro- 
 tection, of the banks of New York, New Jersey 
 and Pennsylvania ?" 
 
 The shorter of two strangers, sitting close at the 
 front of the railing, arose and bowed to the judge. 
 
 "And Mr. James Starkweather, holding a simi- 
 lar position in the like association for the banks of 
 New England ?" 
 
 The taller of them arose and bowed, also. 
 
 "For the first two years I was engaged in per- 
 fecting myself in the art of printing bank notes, 
 and in the study of, and experiments in chemistry, 
 for which purpose 1 have travelled in many foreign 
 countries. I, after great labor and expense, dis- 
 covered a metal which was all needful in counter- 
 feit coin, improving its weight, ring and general 
 appearance. I also discovered the secret of making 
 ordinary printing ink strike through paper, and a 
 way of cleaning plates, when printing bank notes. 
 These secrets I have already sold for Five Thous- 
 and dollars, and you will pardon me if for puplic 
 policy's sake, I retain them from that public. Dur- 
 ing the next two years and three months I visited 
 almost every city and town in the United States 
 and Canada, patiently following every possible and 
 impossible clue; burrowing in the vilest sinks and 
 slums of cities; following'lone travellers to out-of- 
 the-way places on mountains arid in ravines ; visi- 
 ting sugar orchards and charcoal-burners' camps, 
 in as mam different disguises as aie months in a
 
 THE COUXTEKFKITERS. 419 
 
 year. But their tracks were too well covered. I 
 followed one clue to New Orleans, another to Vera 
 Cruz, in Mexico; but in vain, for no trace of them 
 could be obtained. 
 
 "On the 24th day of April, last, nearly worn out 
 with fatigue and desperation, I happened to be in 
 a store on Hanover street, in Boston ; and there 
 saw a man purchasing large quantities of antimony 
 in bars. I marked the man, dogged him to his ho- 
 tel and found the name on the register. It was a 
 false one, and I had wellnigh lost the clue, for the 
 boxes containing the metal were addressed to the 
 assumed name at Providence, R. I. ; but, by mere 
 chance I saw him, at the depot, changing the di- 
 rection to 'John Heath, Melas, Vt.' I went on the 
 same train that carried the material, I was sure was 
 destined to be made into base coin. When 1 arriv- 
 ed at the end of the railroad, for a bonus of One 
 Hundred dollars, I obtained charge of the team in 
 which the antimony was transported. At Melas I 
 again encountered Mr. John Heath, your deputy 
 bailiff, your honor, standing yonder," and he poin- 
 ted him out. 
 
 Heath cast an uneasy glance over his shoulder, 
 but seeing an officer at his elbow, he sunk to a seat, 
 covering his face with his hands, a confessed and 
 detected criminal. 
 
 "I delivered the freight to Mr. Heath," resumed 
 the detective, for such the reader'already recogni- 
 zes him to be; "and shadowed him to the Copper 
 Mountain. Finding that stronghold too securely
 
 420 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 watched and guarded, I went back, a few miles be- 
 yond Melas, took the stage and landed at Daniel 
 Morrison's, apparently out of iruney, and for sev- 
 eral days made various attempts to get within spy- 
 ing distance of the counterfeiters. Foiled in this, 
 I let mvself to Mr. Morrison, as his hostler and re- 
 mained a short time in that capacity, and there I 
 met and loved the faithful woman, who has since 
 become my wife, even when she knew me only as 
 the poor, but honest hostler and miner, but accus- 
 ed of the terrible crime of murder, your honor." 
 
 And young Havs gazed for a minute, with a look 
 of affection on his wife, -.and resumed : 
 
 "Soon after this I discovered this same Heath in 
 the very thin guise of a vankee peddler, and over- 
 heard a conversation between him and a certain 
 lawyer Roberts, in which the latter, who was jeal- 
 ous of me, got me the situation I aimed at; and 
 he little thought, when he paid for the liquor used 
 to bind the bargain, and I put the counterfeit coin 
 in my pocket and not the till, that instead of steal- 
 ing my employer's money, as the twinkle of his eye 
 told me he supposed I had done, I was only piling 
 up evidence of his connection with the forgers and 
 counterfeiters I was hunting down." 
 
 A deep groan from the utterly prostrated Heath. 
 here interrupted the speaker, but he continued : 
 
 "In that conversation, lawyer Roberts, it w.is 
 arranged, should go to Boston with the Southbridge 
 Batik counterfeit. He went anu, though too late 
 to prevent the issue of the bills, my letter reached
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 the chief of Police in season to ensure the capture 
 of the lawyer, with sufficient bad money upon his 
 person to warrant his detention, together witli sev- 
 eral of his agents. 
 
 "Safely within the lines of the Stone House in 
 the Pass, I had an opportunity of pursuing my in- 
 vestigations ; but not to the extent to which I could 
 wish, and I was constantly on the lookout for some 
 plan by which I could get into the manager's con- 
 fidence, for, for some time, I was compelled to la- 
 bor in the mines. At last an opportunity ottered, 
 and by doing William Pruyter a valuable service, 
 he not only gave me money, but a chance to pro- 
 pose the sale of my skill, before referred to. 1 suc- 
 ceeded in my aim, and was admitted to the sant- 
 um sanctorum of the counterfeiters. Judge of my 
 surprise, when, in the guise of the -gentlemanly 
 stranger,' I had heard spoken of, I discovered an 
 old acquaintance ; or rather, one whom I had shad- 
 owed and brought to justice some years before, at 
 the age of fifteen, when I first began my present 
 career, the most expert engraver, counterfeiter, 
 burglar, thief and bad man generally that ever ex- 
 isted, Jim Thompson, of whom yon, no doubt, ere 
 this have heard. I was fearful that he would rec- 
 ognize me, but he did not, and I was safe. 
 
 The old rascal, like the rat he is, seeing that 
 the ship of Copper Mountain was about to sink, 
 deserted it some time since. I detected his absence 
 in ample season, and sent word to New York, and 
 my. father met him at the train, captured him and
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^^, ^^r*^-^-^*-, ^x-s^-*-*-^->-^_^^^, 
 
 he awaits my coming to receive another term in 
 Sing Sing State's Prison, meanwhile meditating on 
 the liability to change of all sublunary affairs, with- 
 in the classic walls of the 'Tombs.' " 
 
 At this point thj speaker was disturbed by an ef- 
 fort on the part of lawyer Stevens and justice D 
 
 to leave the room, but the guardians at the portal 
 were inexorable, and they were obliged to return, 
 with many protestations and threats. At the fail- 
 ing of his brother, Mr. Felton smiled serenely. 
 
 "Soon after my initiation to the highest degree 
 of counterfeiting, I began to investigate the case of 
 Miss Helen Leonard. I soon discovered that all 
 the papers purporting to having been given by Ar- 
 thur Leonard, her father, to William Pruyter were 
 forgeries. That, instead of having sold and rec- 
 eived pay for the property, the whole yet belonged 
 to Mr. Leonard's heirs and the old man, Pruvter, 
 was also indebted to a large amount to them. This 
 for a season, seemed to be the reason of his close 
 custody of the young lady, and I thought that mat- 
 ter easily arranged, but when, sometime afterward 
 I learned that Pruyter had attempted to poison her, 
 I began to think there was more in it, and I con- 
 tinued my investigation. I soon found that Miss 
 Leonard had, in a freak of girlish curiosity, dis- 
 covered the secret of the stone house, and that he 
 was afraid she would disclose it, and he intended 
 to prevent it by close watch and ward. This soon 
 led to the more horrible crime " 
 
 The speaker's next few words were drowned by
 
 THE COtTNTEKFEITERS. 423 
 
 the sharp report of a pistol in the hand of the cath- 
 olic priest. The aim was good, but Bailiff" Rog- 
 ers, sat near him, and saw the- action just quick 
 enough to divert the deadly tube from its position, 
 but not so much but that the bullet slightly abrad- 
 ed the skin on one of Hays' ears. The room was 
 in an uproar in an instant. Women screamed and 
 men turned pale, but Rogers calmed the tumult in 
 a moment, by snapping a set of handcuffs on the 
 offender's wrists. Young Hays quietly applied his 
 handkerchief to the injured part, where a small 
 drop of blood had oozed to the surface, as he would 
 have applied it the bite of a gnat that had stung 
 him, and with no other emotion than the insect 
 would have produced, continued : 
 
 "About this time I first learned that Justice D 
 was one of the gang." 
 
 "Me, sir, me, Mr. How-hard?" wheezed the 
 surprised magistrate, rising to his feet. 
 
 "I heard that Mr. Herbert Lorimer was about to 
 make a search, on a Hebeas Corpus writ for Miss 
 Leonard, when the chief of the gang received a 
 letter, warning him of the contemplated affair, by 
 
 the hands of Justice D 's man. Mr. Pruyter 
 
 forced the poor girl, fora time, into the magazine 
 or powder-room, where she was compelled to re- 
 main in darkness, until the search was finished and 
 the officers gone." 
 
 "A letter from me, Mr. Ah, Mr. ?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied Hays; "I have it here, with 
 another .subsequently written, warning him that a
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 complaint was entered against him lor counterfeit- 
 ing; and they are wrapped around a few dollars 
 in counterfeit money that you paid me as witness 
 fees. You were carrying coals to Newcastle, sir." 
 
 The magistrate was squelched, and looking over 
 his shoulder, he saw an officer at his elbow. 
 
 "Your honor, your honor,*' exclaimed Stevens; 
 -'cannot this wholesale slander be stopped?" 
 
 "I also have here a ten dollar note, a counterfeit, 
 paid to me by this same Stevens, who has been so 
 anxious to see me convicted of murder, and is so 
 anxious to stop mv tongue now, which he gave me 
 to testify that Helen Leonard was insane. I agreed, 
 only stipulating that I should not be sworn. I did 
 as he hired me to do for, poor girl, I could do her 
 no harm, and would be forging chains for another 
 of William Pruyter's crew of counterfeiters. I 
 
 could do her no harm, as I said, for Justice D 
 
 had promised Pruyter she should be pronounced 
 a lunatic, whatever might be the testimony, and 
 in my hearing, too." 
 
 Lawyer Stevens found an officer at his elbow too 
 and was not obliged to look over his shoulder to 
 see him ; and attorney Felton smiled serenely. He 
 didn't like Stevens. 
 
 By this time there was an intense state of excite- 
 ment in the court room. Taken as much by sur- 
 prise as they would have been had a bomb lighted 
 suddenly in their midst, the unprecedented pro- 
 ceedings instituted had involved them in a maze of 
 surprise and consternation, and all but those in the
 
 THE COUN'TEKFEITERS. 
 
 plot, had remained, for a season, in a measure, 
 stunned by the rapidly evolving denunciations and 
 exposu-es that, like the quickly shifting scenes in 
 a diorama, were so unexpectedly thrust upon their 
 startled view. They had heard the whole, vet ap- 
 peared scarcely to comprehend the full extent of 
 the mighty interests involved in the speaker's har- 
 rangue. Not one in that assemblage had dreamed 
 of the depth of villany that had been, for years, 
 festering in their midst. They had heard and read 
 of such things as occurring far oft', but now, crime 
 and rascality were rampant near their own doors ; 
 and above all, those who had stood high in society, 
 perched on the seeming pedestal of rectitude, were 
 hurled, one after the other, into the dust. Men in 
 whom they had ever put the firmest trust, as men 
 of probity and honor, were now having their masks 
 of hypocricv torn off. and, ail their naked deformi- 
 ty of sin and depravity fully exposed to the public 
 view, as removing the gilding from some daily 
 used utensil, shows the rusty, corrugated iron be- 
 neath. 
 
 As name after name was pronounced, in that 
 fearful roll-call of judgement, each man began to 
 suspect his neighbor, even his brother, and they 
 gazed horrorstruck, in each other's faces, as it is 
 said they did, when the plague was rioting over the 
 land, long ago, watching and fearing the appear- 
 ing of the plague-spot there; the death-mark im- 
 presset; iv the searing finger of the fell disease, 
 expecting, each moment, nearer and more familiar
 
 426 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 names would be declaimed by the Nemesis. The 
 voice of the young man, though rather lower than 
 the usual tones of men in his position, filled every 
 hair's breadth of the room, and vibrated painful Iv 
 on the ears of every person present; not from its 
 loudness, for it was not loud ; nor from its harsh- 
 ness, for it was smooth and mellow and unimpass- 
 ionedasthe voice of the most silvery spoken pulpit 
 orator, but because every word was a winged ar- 
 row, tipped with fire, the still voice of the light- 
 ning that kills ere the hoarse thunder is heard, 
 
 For a short space, prompted bv his desire for 
 propriety, his wish to preserve the dignity of the 
 law, the majestic influence of its execution. Judge 
 Flemming mentallv remonstrated against the inno- 
 vation. But he was really an honest man, sensible 
 too and, above all things else, desired that crime 
 of all kinds should be exposed and punished, and 
 seeming to gather some inkling of what was com- 
 ing, he resolved to let events take their course with- 
 out hindrance or obstruction from himself. And 
 he admired the courage and pertinacity of the man. 
 who had dared and had accomplished so much. 
 There was romance in it too, that stirred his not 
 yet fully stagnated blood, and his cheek glowed, 
 and his eye glistened with admiration, as the tale 
 went on. A few whispered words in his ear, bv 
 Bailiff Rogers, on their going from the hotel to the 
 court-house, that morning, had partially prepared 
 the worthy chief-justice for some of the events to 
 transpire, but scarcely for the full height and depth
 
 THE COrVTEKFKITERS. 427 
 
 of iniquity thai were opening before him. In this 
 case he thought the end justified the means, and, 
 though the dignity of wig and gown was sorely 
 tarnished bv the course pursued, the great cause 
 of justice was being forwarded, though not in the 
 manner he would have exactly chosen, could he 
 have managed, was content, as; before said, to. let 
 matters take their own unimpeded course. 
 
 Bailiff Rogers had, late on the night before, been 
 taken into the confidence of the plotters, and had 
 made all his arrangements for the denottement with 
 so much dispatch and secrecy that, when the court 
 went in, in the morning, his extra force of special 
 and regular police had been organized, received 
 their instructions and were on hand, without dis- 
 covery or suspicion, even on the part of the doom* 
 ed wretches who were to be the victims of the plot. 
 And no greater admirer of the young detective and 
 his attorney, could have been found than Rogers. 
 He admired the pluck that would allow its posses- 
 sorto endure obloquy and shame, risk liberty, life, 
 friendship and love, in the cause he had determined 
 to carry out to its fullest extent. In no other place, 
 and at no other time than the court-room, and dur- 
 ing his trial for murder, that would call so many 
 together, could have been selected, when a trap 
 could have been set in which everv one of the crim- 
 inals would be caught ; and though no mean de- 
 tective himself, considering his experience and op- 
 portunities, he looked with quite an awe on those 
 younger in vears, but far older in genius than was
 
 428 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 himself, in his own line, the first principles or al- 
 phabet of which he had yet to learn. And he had 
 entered into the scheme with his full soul, content 
 to play a minor part where, from from his position 
 and his really good abilities, and above all, his 
 sterling honesty entitled him to take the first. 
 
 Noon had come and was slowly passing, yet not 
 a soul wished to move, save those whose names 
 had been called, or those who must know that their 
 turn had not yet, but surely must, come ; so deep- 
 ly were all intent on hearing the whole story told. 
 
 "For proof of manv of the matters I am about 
 to relate," continued the low, incisive voice "I had 
 intended to appeal to lips now, alas, stiff in death ; 
 and shrouded in the cold, dark waters of an aban- 
 doned mine in Copper Mountain. I had had in- 
 timations of the plotting of the great crime that 
 deprived her of her life, but fate had decreed that I 
 should not avert the sacrifice. At a meeting of the 
 gang the sentence of death had been pronounced- 
 against Helen Leonard ; but as Samuel Pruyter was 
 begging for delay, that he might make her his wife, 
 in my multiplicity of other duties, I had supposed 
 the death-blow would be longer delayed, watching 
 not the destroyer as closely as I should, had mv 
 mind been relieved of more pressing studies. 
 
 "A woman had been occasionally making her ap- 
 pearance in and about the ravine; and had been 
 discovered only by myself. She proved to be the 
 firht wife of William Printer, who had been con- 
 fined in a mad-house, and had lately escaped. She
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 429 
 
 was evidently a maniac, for her extreme cunning 
 could not be otherwise accounted for. She had 
 constituted herself Miss Leonard's especial guard- 
 ian, and promised to protect her at all hazards. It 
 seems that the heirs and administrators of Arthur 
 Leonard's estate were making some pretty close 
 questionings into the accounts of Pruyter, and, by 
 a bold plan he checkmated the whole matter, by 
 procuring a judgement of lunacy against her, from 
 
 the hands of this same immaculate Justice D , 
 
 confining her, and afterwards proving her death, 
 by taking her away, and, your honor, I know I am 
 telling you an almost incredible story, by stealing 
 from the Steadville cemetery the corpse of Justice 
 
 D 's daughter, who had lately died, fitting to it 
 
 the clothes of Mrs. Pruyter, disfiguring her face, 
 casting her into the lake and. after a season, find- 
 ing her and burying her as the departed form of the 
 poor, demented, much abused wife of the great 
 rascal. Do you want proof of this? Go to the 
 fifth grave, in the third row from the path, on the 
 left side, and there you will find an empty coffin. 
 Is this true, John O'Brien?" 
 
 A gray haired Irishman arose in the seats, bow- 
 ed and said : "Yis, yer honor, an' God forgive me." 
 
 A low groan was heard from the magistrate men- 
 tioned, and indistinct murmurs were heard in every 
 part of the room. There was a fierce storm of in- 
 dignation rapidly rising. 
 
 "He married Arthur Leonard's widow, and all 
 questionings ceased, but Helen was thus deprived
 
 430 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 of her patrimony and become a pensioner on her 
 guardian's bounty. Mrs. Pniyter h:iJ been in the 
 habit of visiting Miss Leonard in her room, having 
 in some unaccountable manner, discovered a way 
 of opening the window, unknown to any but her- 
 self. On the night of the murder, your honor, for 
 it is of a murder I have come to speak, she spent 
 some time with her and, at a late hour, a sound 
 was heard, near the door, startling the inmates. 
 Hours after, William Pruyter entered the room, ac- 
 companied by his son, and plunged a dagger to 
 the heart of the sleeper. They then carried her 
 body to the deserted mine, affixed weights and sunk 
 it many feet deep. And thus William Pruyter be- 
 came the murderer of his wife, and Samuel Pruv- 
 ter an accomplice in the slaughter of his mother. 
 Is this so, Maggie O'Brien ?" 
 
 "The Blissed Virgin intercade for me, vis," re- 
 plied that now fully repentant woman. "Indade, 
 Oi seen thim rowl the poor leddy into the black 
 wathers av the ould mine." 
 
 "Helen Leonard escaped," resumed the inexor- 
 able voice, "for, at the last moment, Mrs. Pruvter 
 had forced her from the room, and taken her place. 
 Reaching Steadville, Miss Leonard, made formal 
 complaint to Justice Shepard, against William and 
 Samuel Pruyter, myself and others as counterfeit- 
 ers, but the law was easily hoodwinked, for Ju^ice 
 
 D sent a man, post haste, with the news, and 
 
 when my friend, Mr. Rogers, made his appearance, 
 matters were ready. Is this so, Helen Leonard :"
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 And the veiled companion of the young detect - 
 tive's wife arose, threw back her veil, exhibiting 
 the features of the lady named, and bowed grace- 
 fully to Judge Flemming. 
 
 The reader may well imagine the profoundness 
 of the sensation that was produced by these ast- 
 ounding revellations. As before, the assemblage 
 rubbed their eyes and looked around in bewilder- 
 ment, as if not fully assured of their identity, or 
 that they were really awake. Again the murmurs 
 began to be heard and once a threat was to be distin- 
 guished above the other sounds; and had William 
 Pruyter been present and recognized, there would 
 without doubt, have been enacted a deed for which 
 the participants would, for many years thereafter, 
 have shuddered. As it was, several threatening 
 glances were cast toward the men who hadalreadv 
 been arrested, but not removed from the room, as 
 if they were seeking some object on which to ex- 
 pend their pent up indignation. Seeing this, as 
 well as the troubled expression of the Judge's face, 
 and anxious that no such demonstration should be 
 made, young Havs, slightly changing the subject, 
 continued, the incipient tumult instantly subsiding 
 when his voice was. heard, and the most profound 
 silence reigning, while he spoke : 
 
 "The modus opperanditf hiding all evidence of 
 their main business is as follows: The floor of the 
 main room of the Stone House in the Pass is con- 
 structed of maple planks, three inches in thickness, 
 laid upon sleepers, resting almost their full length,
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 ^s-^'^-r*^ ~ w ^x-^-^-^^~-^^^-'->. 
 
 upon the solid rock of the foundation. This plank- 
 ing is covered with ordinary spruce boards, and 
 makes a substructure capable of sustaining almost 
 any weight without being crushed. Immediately 
 back of this room perhaps," he said, turning to 
 the judge; "your clerk had better take down my 
 words, that anv further expeditions of friend Rog- 
 ers mav meet with better success than did the two 
 preceding his last afford him. Immediately back 
 of this room, or on the west side, is what to all 
 appearance, is a blank wall, plastered but not pa- 
 pered. By measuring accurately from the right- 
 hand corner of the room, when you face the west, 
 a distance of three feet, one and one-half inches, 
 and exacllv two feet and six inches from the floor, 
 there may be found, at the junction, what seems to 
 be a small pebble in the mortar. By pressing on 
 this with the thumb, a small portion of the wall, 
 some foot away, will open, disclosing an iron plate. 
 At one corner of this plate is a smallish hole, into 
 which, by inserting a small but stiff' wire a knit- 
 ting needle will do the plate can be removed, on 
 a hinge, and you will there find a keyhole. By in- 
 serting this key," and he handed one to the Judge, 
 "anil turning toward the right hand, once, and 
 then forcing it in, nearly its entire length, turning 
 it twice in a contrary direction, a large door will 
 open and disclose a large, artificial cavern." 
 
 "I have it all written down. Mr. Havs." said the 
 clerk, perceiving that the speaker paused. 
 
 "Within this chamber," resumed Hays, "may
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 433 
 
 be found two large coining presses, a powerful die 
 sinking machine, a copperplate printing press and 
 a portable forge, all upon small but broad trucks, 
 on which they are moved to and from the work- 
 room. You will also find upon examination, sev- 
 eral plates for bank bills already completed, several 
 in process of manufacture; at least a peck of dies 
 of American eighths, quarters, halves and dollars, 
 and of half eagles. You will also find several dies 
 of different dates all complete, of English sover- 
 eigns, from 1824 to 1831 ; also large quantities of 
 bill-paper, ink-rollers, &c. ; and about a ton in 
 weight of an amalgam in bars, resembling gold. 
 In one corner you will find several kegs, containing 
 sovereigns already coined from this mixture. This 
 is the beginning of an immense scheme that, in one 
 vear's time would have flooded the entire civilized 
 world with a half million of a dangerous counter- 
 feit, representing over two millions of dollars, and 
 then all evidence would have been sunk in the lake, 
 the Stone House in the Pass abandoned, and none 
 would have been the wiser." 
 
 "If this is all true, Mr. Hays," said the Judge; 
 'and I certainlv have no reason to, nor do I doubt 
 your- word, you have earned a reward that will 
 make you a wealthy man." 
 
 "And for the reward offered bv your government, 
 as well as those by different associations on out side 
 of the line," said Havs, "1 have labored, but not so 
 eagerlv as I have for the public good, and for a re- 
 putation that I believe was no mean one, before I
 
 434 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 entered into thisenterprize, great as it has proved. 
 I have received a portion of my compensation, al- 
 readv, your honor, in advance, in the prompt and 
 hearty support and encouragement of my many 
 and faithful friends, the uniform leniency and con- 
 sideration of yourself and assistants, and," he said, 
 casting a proud and loving look upon his wife, 
 the greatest of all rewards, a faithful woman ; but 
 yet I am an accused murderer, with shackles upon 
 my limbs, arraigned for trial for my existence, be- 
 fore your honor." 
 
 "You mav remove the irons from the prisoner, 
 for the present, Mr. Rogers," said the Judge, good 
 naluredly taking the hint ; "but you may leave one 
 of your deputies in charge of him. A precaution, 
 Mr. Hays, that my duty compels me to adopt, un- 
 der the circumstances." 
 
 "And to which I have no reason or wish to ob- 
 ject, your honor," remarked Hays, while the irons 
 were being unlocked, which done, he arose to his 
 feet and continued : k *A line of sworn sentinels, 
 soul and body the property of the Fruyters, guard- 
 ed every avenue of approach to the building, and 
 certain signals were agreed on, by which notice of 
 any approaching stranger was conveyed to the oc- 
 cupants of the house, when means would be inst- 
 antly taken to remove every vestige of the business 
 from sight. These, with such agents as Deputy 
 Heath and Tom Finch patrolling the neighborhood, 
 
 of Justice D , who would learn if any legal 
 
 proceedings were to be instituted, and send instant
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 435 
 
 warning; of lawyer Stevens, incessantly prying 
 into everybody's affairs ; of our learned Dr. Mar- 
 tin, having an office over Justice Shepard's room, 
 with a hole for a stovepipe at which he might lis- 
 ten, and a cunning of which the devil might be 
 proud, to back and manage the whole, they con- 
 sidered themselves safe from disturbance ; and ser- 
 ved by men who were not only sworn but watched 
 in every a<St and movement, at Lome and abroad, 
 and the ostensible business of mining, seemed good 
 precaution against betraval or suspicion. 
 
 "But, your honor, prompted by successes in an 
 unlimited and long continued career of crime, in 
 an evil hour for him, the avaricious cravings of a 
 depraved nature would rob a poor girl of her right- 
 ful inheritance, and in revenge, she discovered the 
 desperately guarded secret of their iniquity, and, 
 though passing throligh dangers and alarms but few 
 would endure and live, and only saved at last by the 
 self-sacrifice of a noble, though insane woman who 
 took her place receiving the assassin's dagger in her 
 breast that was intended for that of her charge, she 
 vet lives to witness the downfall of all who were 
 her enemies before." 
 
 At this period the court was adjourned for din- 
 ner, and to the surprise of many anxious ones, de- 
 parted and reassembled without demonstrations of 
 disorder.
 
 436 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 ANOTHER VERDICT. 
 
 ND now, your honor," continued the de- 
 te&ive, when the room had quieted down, 
 "having givei. to Bailiff' Rogers the names 
 of the minor villains in our drama, it only 
 remains for me to recount the incidents of one 
 other transaction, and that is the murder of Captain 
 Herbert Lorimer. 
 
 "Soon after selling to William Pruyter the sec- 
 rets of the trade, 1 began to perceive that he was 
 afraid of me. For a time, I feared that, in some 
 way, my identity and business had been discovered ; 
 that perhaps Thompson had recogni/ed me, at last, 
 and put the old schemer on his guard ; but I soon 
 became satisfied that such was not the case ; and 
 that having got all he could, or was likely to, from 
 me, he wished to get rid of me, chosing rather to 
 trust other styles of men. To turn me away with- 
 out cause, he dared not, fearing exposure, and to 
 cut my throat, he did not wish, since I had saved 
 his life. Lorimer was a thorn in his side, and the 
 idea entered his mind to dispose of us both by the 
 same act. In furtherance of this he trumped up 
 a story with which I was well acquainted, in re- 
 gard to the contemplated marriage of Capt. Blake 
 and Miss Carpenter, and applied it to Capt. Lori- 
 mer and Elsie Morrison, now my wife. I had seen 
 Miss Morrison, that very evening, and knew that 
 S!K- was as ever true as steel.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "Knowing that old Pruyter expected some such 
 thing, when he commenced his operations, and be- 
 ing something of an actor, I simulated great anger 
 and said something that has been tortured into a 
 threat. I did this, first, to give me time to think ; 
 secondly, to disarm the old man of suspicions that 
 would have been aroused had I shown an indiffer- 
 ence to his tale, little knowing to what bloody re- 
 sults my course was leading. Finding that my an- 
 ger had been expended in words instead of actions, 
 Pruvter wrote the letter, produced here, in court, 
 counterfeiting my writing and forging my name. 
 In proof I have here the original draft of the letter 
 in his own hand writing, and with it a sheet, on 
 which he practiced my chirography. The draft, 
 von will see, is erased and interlined, and, as fin- 
 ished, was copied as in the produced letter;" then 
 turning suddenly toward the priest who had shot at 
 him, he quickly exclaimed : "Dare you deny the 
 truth of this, William Pruyter?" 
 
 The priest started as if struck bv a bullet, and at 
 the same time Rogers pulled the cowl from his 
 head and exposed the marked feature* of the King 
 of the Counterfeiters. 
 
 He seemed to be in a sort of stupor, as evidenc- 
 ed by his face and actions, for in answer to the de- 
 tective's question he muttered only some inarticu- 
 late words, and again sunk his head on his breast, 
 as it had been before. 
 
 "I say, dare you deny this, William Pruyter, or 
 William, Baron of Meredith, as is vour name and
 
 438 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 title since the death, without issue, of your elder 
 brother, the former baron, five weeks ago, as re- 
 corded in yesterday's Montreal Gazette?" 
 
 Still there was no reply, and Hays resumed : 
 
 "He then sent me, on some trivial errand, to 
 Steadville, soon followed, gave the letter to Doctor 
 Martin, with a request that he would get me to 
 hand it to the bov, giving as an excuse, that he had 
 only his slippers on his feet, and did not wish to 
 get them wet. Is this true, Esquire Shepard ?" 
 
 The worthy Justice arose and bowed. 
 
 "Justice Shepard happened to overhear the con- 
 versation, showing that sound will sometimes pass 
 down as well as up, and that the vehicle of words 
 may serve the cause of justice as well as of rascal- 
 ity. Passing the doctor's office, a few moments 
 later, at Mr. Pruyter's request, the letter was trans- 
 ferred by my hand, from that of Dr. Martin, to the 
 boy, Wilson, according to programme. Is all this 
 true, Mr. Staples, as I have related it?" 
 
 Mr. Staples arose and bowed. 
 
 "And thus, your honor," said Hays, "was the 
 letter appointing the fatal meeting written and for- 
 warded to its destination, with very much the ap- 
 pearance that I sent as well as wrote it. The next 
 plan was to induce me to meet Captain Lorimer at 
 the bridge, trusting that the enmity we were sup- 
 posed to bear each other would lead to a collision, 
 in which, if death to one or the other did not fol- 
 low, a rencounter would result, that must drive us 
 to fly from the officers, and thus he would get rid
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 439 
 
 of one or both. To draw me into the snare, Wil- 
 liam Pruyter informed me that Lorimer had insis- 
 ted upon a marriage in Canada, and that he and 
 his newly made wife would return that way from 
 where the ceremony was performed. Though I 
 was well aware that they wanted me to kill him, I 
 little supposed they were determined to butcher 
 him at that time and place. But contrary to their 
 expectations, I was not so plastic in their hands as 
 they had been led to hope, and they were obliged 
 to fall back on the plan they bad adopted, in case 
 I failed to take the job from them, which was for 
 Samuel Pruyter, who is nearly my size and shape, 
 to put on a suit of my clothes and meet him, and, 
 in short, murder him, hoping that I should be con- 
 victed of the crime, from the letter and such other 
 like threads of the net that their devilish ingenuity 
 had so skillfully woven around me, thus ridding 
 themselves, by one stroke of the dagger, of both. 
 "Unfortunately, for them, Captain Lorimer was 
 a man who did not choose to die, without showing 
 a proper resentment against his assassin, and, tho' 
 wounded unto death, weak and bewildered by the 
 scoundrelly and unexpected attack, he drew a pis- 
 tol and put a bullet through the hand of his assail- 
 ant. Here was a bad state of affairs, and mv hand 
 must be wounded, in some way, to make assurance 
 doubly sure. But the infernal cunning of the arch- 
 schemer here came in play. My lamp was carried 
 to my room, a knife, half open and lying upon its 
 back, thus bringing the point of the blade directly
 
 440 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 upward, was placed on my table close to the match 
 safe, and a couple of chairs so located that groping 
 in the darkness, with hand extended, I could not 
 fail to stumble and, in my efforts to save myself a 
 fall, to bring my hand upon the knife. In case this 
 desperate finesse did not succeed, I was to be at- 
 tacked in mv sleep, mv hand wounded, and the 
 very accommodating Dr. Martin was to swear the 
 hurt was made by a pistol ball, and the plot would 
 be complete. This last part of the programme was 
 not necessary, for I threw my hand directly on the 
 well sharpened point of the blade, and I received 
 the wound mentioned bv Bailiff' Rogers. Dare 
 you deny what I have stated, Samuel Pruyter r" he 
 suddenly asked, turning and facing the carter. 
 
 Young Pruyter had known all along that his dis- 
 guise was penetrated, and this question, sudden as 
 it was, and wholly unexpected by those not in the 
 secret, in no way startled him, but he made no re- 
 ply. 
 
 "Please examine his left hand, Mr. Officer; the 
 one he has kept in his bosom, and you will find the 
 marks of a bullet that did not rebound." 
 
 To this examination Pruyter made some resist- 
 ance, but he was at last forced to show his hand, 
 yet thickly swathed in bandages. The officer did 
 not undo it, and Hays continued : 
 
 "I heard of the murder the same evening, and 
 discovering that the suit of clothes and a dirk knife 
 well known to be mine, were missing, I saw how 
 deeply I was enmeshed, and resolved that mv time
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 441 
 
 at Copper Mountain being limited, I had best make 
 mv escape, and on the outside of a jail, better bring 
 these things to light ; but Rogers was too quick 
 for me. There were several papers in Pruvter's 
 strong box that it was necessary I should have, in 
 order to make the chain of evidence 1 had procured 
 against the gang complete, and I was compelled to 
 wait until the old villain left, in the morning, be- 
 fore I was able to enter his room and secure them. 
 This I had just accomplished, and was in hope to 
 reach Steadville before 1 was arrested, and there, 
 make mv business and discoveries, and mv immu- 
 nity from arrest known, when Mr. Rogers came up 
 and arrested me. Of the note from Miss Morrison, 
 as she then was, I know nothing, but am satisfied 
 that it was placed in mv pocket bv Samuel Pruvter. 
 I said that I wished to find out the secret of all the 
 machinations, better on the outside of a jail, but it 
 was not to be, and as the matter was pressed bv the 
 Pruvters, I concluded to let them have their own 
 way anil try me; and, in the meantime, obtain 
 someone, if possible, to trace certain clues for me^ 
 and, vour honor, Mrs. Elsie Hays, assisted bv mv 
 friend, Dick Felton, with a genius for a detective's 
 vocation of which anyone might be proud, follow- 
 ed the villains step by step until the whole matter 
 could be read as from an open book." 
 
 At these remarks of her husband, Elsie blushed, 
 and Felton, as usual, said nothing, but smiled se- 
 renely. 
 
 "And the body, Mr. Hays. What became of
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 the murdered man's body?" asked Judge Flem- 
 ming, whose curiosity had got the better of his 
 sense of self-importance and strenuousness to pre- 
 serve the dignity of trials at law. 
 
 "Aiick Cameron, an honest Scotchman, your 
 honor," replied the detective, "but unfortunately 
 concerned in the late uprising, being in a manner, 
 outlawed, was in the habit of making surreptitious 
 visits to his family, and, on the night in question, 
 with his eldest son, was making Viis way to Uncle 
 Sam's dominions, when, in crossing the bridge, he 
 saw his old captain apparently murdered and lying 
 with a ghastly wound in his breast, in the water, 
 or partially so, and upon examination, finding that 
 Lorimer's heart yet beat, the two men, after bind- 
 ing up his wound to the best of their abilitv and 
 means, carried him to their boat and transported 
 him to his brother's house. Not having heard of 
 the captain's pardon, Cameron was at a loss what 
 to do, when, on the third day, he found Hector 
 Lorimer, the captain's brother, and told him the 
 circumstances and was advised not to disclose his 
 then present situation until they had had commu- 
 nication with me r and to hide the boat. Have I 
 told the truth so far, Alick? If Mr. Rogers will 
 measure Mr. Cameron's boot, he will probably find 
 it will fit his pattern of the larger track ; the lesser 
 one was that of his son." 
 
 Cameron arose, bowed and swinging one of his 
 feet to the back of the seat in front of him, exhib- 
 ited a boot that, if numbered at all, must have
 
 THE COUNTERFEITER*. 443 
 
 reached the de'iPs do/en or maur," as he himself, 
 would' have expressed it. 
 
 Notwithstanding the solemnity of the occasion, 
 and the great interest they all felt in the remarkable 
 tale, many a smile might have been seen on the fa- 
 ces of the spectators, as this episode transpired. 
 
 "For four days," continued the speaker, "the 
 scalebeam, balancing life and death, remained at 
 its horizontal, and the skillful doctor, having him 
 in charge, began to have hopes that his life would 
 be spared ; nor were his hopes destined to be dis^ 
 appointed, for, on the fifth day, he began slowly to 
 recuperate, and at the end of ten days his conva- 
 lesence was sure and rapid. Much against my will 
 he has insisted on being present, on this occasion, 
 that I might appeal to him for proof of my asser- 
 tions, as I now do. Am I truthful in all this, Her- 
 bert Lorimer?" 
 
 And a tall form that until now had been almost 
 hidden by a pillar and the shade it cast, now threw 
 back the high coat collar that had mostly covered 
 his face, and disclosed the wan, emaciated, but 
 easily recognized features of the supposed murder- 
 ed man. yet in life. 
 
 "I am too weak to rise, your honor," he said ; 
 "but with my voice I say, Aye and Amen !" 
 
 "My task is now finished, your honor," said the 
 detective ; "and be assured I little thought, when 
 I entered that stone house over there on the lake, 
 to expose and bring to justice a nest of counter- 
 feiters, that I was placing myself within a den of
 
 444 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 murderers, robbers, thieves and forgers, where ev- 
 ery crime known to the law has become an 'every- 
 day affair, or perhaps I would have taken a calm, 
 serious second thought, before I undertook it. And 
 now, having said what I have to say why sentence 
 of death should not be passed upon me, I leave 
 myself in the hands of your honor, and the twelve 
 gentlemen who have so patiently sat and heard my 
 ill-told story, so long." 
 
 Judge Flemming aroused himself, and looking 
 around, seemed to have just realized what he had 
 long ago forgotten, that he was the judge who was 
 trying the prisoner at the bar. He rubbed his face, 
 blew his nose, stammered, hesitated and finally, as 
 if much relieved from the dilemma, turned to the 
 clerk and said : 
 
 "You may take the verdidt, Mr. Clerk." 
 
 The jury consulted for a moment, for they had 
 but just awakened to their own situation, and then 
 rising, the foreman said : 
 
 "We find the prisoner NOT GUILTY, as in man- 
 ner and form the indictment hath charged." 
 
 "This is your verdict, Mr. Foreman " he bow- 
 ed "and yours, gentlemen of the jury?" They 
 all acquiesced. 
 
 "The prisoner is discharged," said the judge, 
 and seeing that the prisoners denounced by the de- 
 tective had all been removed, and that the specta- 
 tors were in a state of incipient explosion, he con- 
 tinued : "and the court is adjourned until to-mor- 
 row morning, at the usual hour."
 
 THE COUNTERFEITED. 445 
 
 It was extremely fortunate for the self-corn pais- 
 ance of Judge Fteinming and the dignity of his 
 court, lhat he made the addenda he did, far no 
 sooner had he said it, than a cheer arose, such as 
 those walls, he assured, never before nor since have 
 resounded to. 
 
 "Your honor." said Hays, when the noise had 
 partially subsided, "my business calls me to the 
 city of New York, at once, and I offer Messrs Gil- 
 fillan, Stark weather and Herbert Lorimer, as sure- 
 tics in any amount you may please to name for my 
 appearance to prosecute all those against whom I 
 have preferred charges, when the time of their tri- 
 al shall arrive." . 
 
 "I hardly think it necessary to require bail, Mr. 
 Hays. "said the judge, smiling. "I apprehend the 
 reward of the English Government, for detecting 
 counterfeiters of Her Majesty's currency, will be 
 sufficient to bring you forward." 
 
 "Well, Dick Felton," remarked Hays, "as you 
 will have no further occasion to study Canadian law 
 and practice, and our business, for the present, is 
 finished, in the Queen's Dominions, we have only 
 to take up our line of march for our homes." 
 
 Saving which he took his wife under his arm, 
 and Felton, smiling serenely, performing the same 
 service for Miss Leonard, they left the courthouse. 
 
 But they were destined not to escape so easily, 
 for as they came out upon the brick walk, leading 
 from the Court House door to the street, the exci- 
 ted assemblage began to gather around them, and
 
 ' HE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Chamberlain's house coach happening to stand at 
 the curb, they opened the door, and while several 
 of the ringleaders waited upon the detective, his 
 lawver and the two ladies inside, others detached 
 the horses and, amid cheers that made the goodly 
 town of Saybrook ring again, and even reach the 
 ears of the prisoners through the thick walls of the 
 goal, adding but little to their happiness, commen- 
 ced a sort of triumphal procession toward the ho- 
 tel, drawing the coach and its surprised inmates 
 with them. They had proceeded but about half- 
 way, when a childish voice, on the outskirts of the 
 crowd, that had now increased fourfold, was heard 
 at the full compass of its power, exclaiming: 
 
 "Hulloa, there! Where is Gil Hays? I want 
 to find Gil Hays," and presently Hector Lorimer 
 came bounding from shoulder to shoulder of the 
 massed men, sometimes slipping from his some- 
 what precarious footing, but recovering again with 
 surprising agility ; knocking hats and caps over the 
 eyes of the owners, and making rapid headway, 
 still crying for -'Gil Hays," until he had gained a 
 thinner space in the mass, in the immediate vicin- 
 ity of the slowly moving coach, where he paused, 
 standing a foot upon each, on the shoulders of two 
 men, who had paused in astonishment, at the un- 
 usual burden that had, so suddenly fell upon them. 
 
 "There he is sonny, right there, in the coach," 
 said a good natured little man close by. 
 
 "Sonny ! you pea-soup eating Canuck," yelled 
 Hector, dropping lightly upon the ground, and, in
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 447 
 
 a rage at the slight that was put upon him. "I'll 
 show you about this 'sonny' matter," and he seized 
 the affrighted little man by the ankles, and with a 
 strength at all times remarkable, but now nearly 
 doubled by his anger, he raised him bodily, and 
 giving a might v heave, pitched him headforemost, 
 endlong, over the heads of nearest, and into the 
 thickest of the crowd. Then mounting to the dri- 
 ver's seat with the agility of a monkey, he seized 
 the long whip that the driver had left in the socket 
 and with all the sangfroid of a veteran coachman, 
 snapped it over the heads of his human team, and 
 once in a while touching up, with a deft fleck of 
 the silk snapper, the calves of some youngster in 
 the crowd who, uttering a loud yell, rubbed vigor- 
 onslv that part of the human anatomy visited, and 
 soon made, with his companions in misfortune, a 
 circle around the carriage, of which the length of 
 the dwarfs arm, the whipstock and lash was a tri- 
 fle less than its radius. 
 
 These incidents added not a little to the general 
 hilarity and good humor of the whole proceeding, 
 and the populace, among which might have been 
 distinguished many of the better citizens of the 
 place, though perfectly civil, were uproarous and 
 mirthful, to an excess. The proceedings within 
 the court-room had rapidly spread through the town 
 and almost all the inhabitants had become aware 
 that the celebrated young police detective of New 
 York was in their midst; the errand that brought 
 him, and the almost marvellous success with which
 
 448 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 his efforts were crowned ; and were ready to do 
 homage to the genius that had accomplished it all, 
 even when possessed by an alien. 
 
 The lionizing of foreigners is not a peculiarity 
 of yankeedom, alone, although yankees have car- 
 ried it to an almost disgusting excess in many inst- 
 ances. In proof of this recall the reception of Mc- 
 readv, the celebrated English tragedian ; of the 
 Prince of Wales ; of Jenny Lind ; of Charles Dick- 
 ens, and scores of others who might be mentioned, 
 where adulation was carried to insipidity ; lioniz- 
 ing to a pass which would seem to indicate that 
 animals with longer ears were plenty, and toady- 
 ism to such an extent that the recipients, themselves 
 blushed for the aclors, who little dreamed that they 
 were conceived to be less than sovereigns by those 
 to whom thev bowed the sycophantic knee. 
 
 A proper respect for great and good men, wheth- 
 er they be of foreign birth or not, at all times, is 
 worthv of praise, nor is a due manifestation or ex- 
 hibition of it reprehensible ; even under a more 
 than usual state of enthusiasm, as from the gaining 
 of an unexpected victory by some general, or the 
 accomplishment of some worthy and meritorious 
 work, by which the world is benefitted and its in- 
 habitants made better, when men would, by shouts 
 and other extravagant acts, show their due appre- 
 ciation of the genius that brought about the end 
 with which they are so much pleased ; fora hearty 
 hurrah is one of the best safety-valves known to 
 human nature, especially when followed and cl< sed
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 449 
 
 by that most unhnman squall, an exclamation point 
 of more than common vim, called a ^'tiger." Un- 
 der such circumstances a man may be allowed to 
 play the fool, but when he makes a fool of himself, 
 in cool blood, he will usually find his work half- 
 done before commenced. 
 
 When the coach and its cortege had reached the 
 hotel door, the inmates were politely handed out by 
 some of the men who had accompanied them, Hec- 
 tor assisted from his elevated perch by some, whom 
 his feat of strength had made his admirers and the 
 whole party entered into the domains of landlord 
 Chamberlain. Here the parlor was soon filled ; 
 Mr. Hays, his wife, Dick Felton and Miss Leonard 
 were introduced to some of the most respecled town 
 and county people, there assembled ; and the same 
 service was performed with Captain Lorimer, who 
 soon after arrived, escorted by his faithful esquire, 
 Alick Cameron, and others who had taken part in 
 the trial. Gilbert and Mrs. Hays received the com- 
 pliments of the guests, modestly, and Mr. Felton 
 smiled serenely to hear his friend praised for his 
 great courage and ability. 
 
 The reception was scarcely over when those who 
 had remained on the outside, some to return coach 
 and horses to their driver; others to tell new-com- 
 ers the story, now on every tongue, and in every 
 ear, and explain the cause of the somewhat noisy 
 demonstration, and others to hear and see what 
 more there was to be heard and seen, began to ut- 
 ter some vociferous and energetic calls for Hays to
 
 45 
 
 THK COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 appear. That individual would fain spare himself 
 the exertion and earnestly conjured Felton to take 
 his place. To this Dick, who was troubled but 
 little by the quality of modesty, and who was wil- 
 ling to assist his old friend and school-mate in any 
 thing reasonable, where his temper was not liable 
 to be disturbed, gracefully acquiesced, and ascend- 
 ing the stairs, made his appearance on the upper 
 veranda, and raising his hand for silence, said : 
 '^GENTLEMEN OF SAYBROOK : As my friend, 
 Mr. Hays, is very much fatigued with the toils and 
 excitements of the last few days, and unable, him- 
 self to appear, I have, at his request, taken upon 
 myself the agreeable task of answering your up- 
 roarous, but very kind calls for him. I am not an 
 eminent man myself being but a new-fledged limb 
 of the law, from the emporium of the American 
 Union, and only acquire such celebrity as I have 
 lately arrived at, from my association with a person 
 the most eminent in his peculiar and dangerous vo- 
 cation of any man living, not excepting his father, 
 the famous 'Thief Catcher,' of many a rogue's ro- 
 mance. Like the moon I shine with a borrowed 
 light, and am willing to fully accord to the true lu- 
 minary whatever brilliance 1 may reflect. I came 
 among you, about one month ago, at Mr. Havs' 
 request, to study, for a season, the laws of your 
 Piovince, and to make myself acquainted with the 
 practice of your courts of law, for mv employer is 
 one of the men who foresees and foreguards every 
 emergency, and is seldom taken by surprise. He
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 451 
 
 little dreamed, however, as he told me, that he 
 would require my services to defend him in an ac- 
 cusation of the magnitude of the one through that 
 which he has just passed ; but foreseeing the need 
 of a true and tried friend, in some such capacity as 
 the one I have so unworthily filled for the last two 
 days, he deemed it best I should pursue the course 
 I have. 
 
 "And allow rne, gentlemen, to return to you Mr. 
 Havs' most sincere thanks for your kindness, cour- 
 tesy and encouragement, before, during and since 
 his trial ; to the judge, jury, officers and all con- 
 cerned in your court, for the latitude that has been 
 accorded him in his defence : their uniformly mag- 
 nanimous and lenient conduct to the unknown, sus- 
 pecled, and accused murderer, who endured all 
 this that your vicinity might be purged of the deep- 
 est laid, most successful and. but for him, the most 
 dangerous plottings of villanv, crime and moral 
 turpitude known, not excepting the transactions of 
 Murrel and his gang, the bandits and pirates of the 
 Mississippi valley. 
 
 "I must not close what I have to say, without 
 informing you that Mr. Heclor Lorimer, Captain 
 Lorimer's younger and, gentlemen, smaller broth- 
 er, has just returned from a search of the hence- 
 forth famous Stone House in the Pass, and its vi- 
 cinity, undertaken in the absence of the occupants 
 who were attending Mr. Hays' trial, and that they 
 have been enabled, after much labor, to find the 
 mutilated body of the poor and much abused Mrs.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Pruvter, in the old mine and, after a coroner's in- 
 quest upon it, have consigned her remains to a 
 Christian burial. And now, with repeated thanks, 
 allow me, as the representative of Mr. Gil Hays, 
 and his worthy wife to bid you a kind adieu." 
 
 The latter part of this short speech was unfortu- 
 nate, inasmuch as it fanned into a flame the already 
 smouldering indignation of his hearers against the 
 author of the woman's death ; and scarcely had the 
 tumultuous and often repeated cheers that greeted 
 the young lawyer's remarks, subsided, than a voice 
 was heard from the midst of the crowd shouting : 
 
 "To the Jail !" 
 
 For a moment the concourse of people, now fast 
 merging into a mob, hesitated, then the shout was 
 again heard, and now with answering cries, all to 
 the same fell purpose. In vain the more orderly, 
 and law-abiding members of the gathering, strove 
 to stem the current, by remonstrances and other- 
 wise ; but the human freshet, for a space, surged 
 and eddied, and then broke loose with the more 
 violence from the very opposition it had encounter- 
 ed, and rushed toward the jail. 
 
 BailirT Rogers had foreseen something of this 
 kind and had not only placed his whole force of 
 regular and special officers within the walls, and 
 armed them well, but had requested and received 
 of the Major in charge of the troops in quarters in 
 the place, a companv of regulars, and they were 
 now drawn up in line, in two ranks, with muskets 
 with fixed bavonets and charged with ball, on all
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 453 
 
 sides of the building except the rear, where a high, 
 strong fence seemed ample protection. 
 
 The mob came hastily forward, but seeing the 
 preparations that had been made for their recept- 
 ion, paused ; but several of the more turbulent en- 
 deavored to cheer them on to the work mapped out. 
 The mob advanced again, but grim and silent the 
 red wall stood, with chevaux defrise of glistening 
 steel, with eyes to the front, and not a muscle mov- 
 ing. A few stones and fragments of bricks were 
 thrown among them, and one poor fellow was 
 stricken down, but they were British regulars, and 
 still not a muscle moved, save, perhaps, a slightly 
 more strained grasp of the musket. For this the 
 rioters were unprepared and, unprovoked by any 
 demonstrations of any kind by the soldiery, and 
 rightly arguing that men who would endure all of 
 this without an effort at retaliation, when under 
 orders so to do, would be dangerous antagonists in 
 a rencounter, and though a few more shouts and 
 threats might have been heard from the ringlead- 
 ers, and a few more harmless missiles were hurled, 
 several men on the outskirts, the less eager, and, 
 many of them mere spectators, began to detach 
 themselves from the crowd and move away. Then 
 a few others wisely followed their example, and 
 this giving excuse to the rest, what at first promis- 
 ed to be a serious matter, gradually dissolved and 
 oozed away, the result of a little foresight and de- 
 termination that might well be patterned after, by 
 some of our own marshals and sheriffs.
 
 454 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 Bailiff' Rogers having won this bloodless vi<ftory 
 soon repaired to the hotel, where he had been in- 
 vited to partake of an extempore supper, got up in 
 landlord Chamberlain's best style, when the great 
 brevity of his notice was taken into consideration, 
 We need not rehearse the bill-of-fare, as it matters 
 very little what composed it. At any rate jollity 
 and good feeling were not the scarcest ingredients 
 of the confection, nor were other spirits than those 
 usually called choice ones wanting, to give zest to 
 the viands and a boost to the hilarity of the guests, 
 for, dear reader, Neal Dow or crusading bands 
 \veje, then unknown, especially in that part of the 
 American continent over which Victoria reigned. 
 
 His honor, Judge Flemming presided, and when 
 unwigged and ungowned and he felt not the judi- 
 cial bench beneath him, he could unbend, and join 
 in and enjoy sublunary affairs, such as may be cat- 
 ajogued under the names of good food and good 
 drink. Slightly John Bullish, if we may use the 
 word, he was not forward to accord any excellence 
 to Young America, unless that figurative personage 
 deserved it; but there was something that so well 
 agreed with his feelings, not only as a. man, but as 
 a judge and executor of the law* in the late career 
 of young Hays, something so self-sacrificing and 
 brave in the course he pursued, that he gave him 
 almost as rnuch credit for his daring deeds, as he 
 would, had the hero of the hour been a British- 
 born subjecl. 
 
 Full many impromptu toasts were drank ; many
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 4^5 
 
 sentiments of commendation were expressed, and 
 many speeches made, some long, some short, some 
 prosy and some witty and very much to the point. 
 Bailiff Rogers and Captain Lorimer received their 
 share of the compliments quietly and with reserve, 
 young Hays his, with modesty and thanks, Felton 
 those falling to him with a serene smile, and the 
 ladies, before they left the table, theirs with blush- 
 es and beaming looks toward those of their choice. 
 The supper extended to a late hour, and when the 
 guests took their leave, each shook the detedtive by 
 the hand and thanked him, in the name of Canada, 
 of Justice and of Right, for the service he had per- 
 formed, until Hays began to get tired of praise ; 
 but knowing full well that those who awarded it, 
 were sincere, he endured it to the end, with a smile 
 of the utmost good nature, that kept the guests self- 
 satisfied, though far from it himself. 
 
 It had been arranged that Mrs. Havs should re- 
 main at her father's house, in Melas, while her hus- 
 band went to New York and returned, and that 
 Miss Leonard should be her guest. Herbert Lori- 
 mer, for a season, determined on stopping at Stead- 
 ville, and his brother, Hector, for certain reasons 
 of his own, remained at Saybrook. 
 
 These arrangements having been made, Morri- 
 son took the two ladies in his own carriage, and 
 the two gentlemen who were to continue their jour- 
 ney occupied seats in the coach, and passed on, in 
 their way to the city, where, after a fatiguing ride, 
 in due course of time, thev safelv arrived.
 
 4-6 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 The authorities, who had only waited the arri- 
 val of Hays, a principal witness, soon brought the 
 "gentlemanly stranger," alias Jim Thompson, to 
 trial and, though, by some quirk of the law, he 
 escaped conviction for his crime in Canada, there 
 was evidence sufficient of other misdoings, and 
 those, too, within the jurisdiction of the court, they 
 were enabled to give him a term at Sing-Sing, of 
 ten years duration, where, we may take this occas- 
 ion to relate, as this is his last appearance, he re- 
 mained nearly six of the allotted ten, when he was 
 released from one confinement, to exchange it for 
 another, from the prison cell to the four walls of the 
 grave, and brought before that Great Judge, whose 
 verdict is righteous while his mercv is infinite and 
 who has jurisdiction over a universe. 
 
 Young Havs, after the conviction of Thompson, 
 repaired to Boston, where he appeared against his 
 old rival, Roberts and contributed his share toward 
 the sentence of that self-conceited individual, and 
 in sending him to that institution at Charlestown, 
 where he, for long years, occupied a single room, 
 and where he had ample time and opportunity, to 
 study new and startling ideas by which he might 
 dazzle the senses of his hearers with evidences of 
 his errudition. Hays and his companion, Felton, 
 returned to New York, whence the former was, in 
 a few days, called again to the scene of his form- 
 er exploit, on Canadian soil.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 457 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 EXEUNT OMNES. 
 
 rIE farmer may thresh his year's crop of 
 grain, the mechanic build his engine, the 
 doctor cure his patient, the lawyer try his 
 cause, the clergyman preach his sermon, 
 and the general fight his battle, yet the farmer must 
 cleanse his threshing floor, the mechanic pack his 
 rods and oil his bearings, the doctor, by advice and 
 medicine, ensure the patient's further and complete 
 convalescence, the lawyer figure up his costs, the 
 clergyman pronounce his benediction and the gen- 
 eral bury his dead and succor his wounded. So 
 too, the novelist, although he may have told his 
 story, developed his plot and arrived at his catas- 
 trophe, yet he must do all, and more than the rest, 
 for he must not only cleanse his floor, put the last 
 touches to his machine, see that his former patient 
 is all right, figure 'his costs, pronounce his adieus, 
 and burv his dead, but he must depict the after fate 
 of all with whom he had to do; follow them into 
 the retirement of private life, and by invading that 
 sanctuary, enable his reader to know the eftecl the 
 incidents of his narrative have had upon their fu- 
 ture lives and actions, and in fact, spread out the 
 last chapter of his book to a state of marvellous 
 thinness, that his reader may be satisfied that he 
 has done his duty and his whole duty, by all the 
 characters to whom he has been introduced, allaved 
 the storm his pen has stirred up. and brought peace
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 nd quietude out of the conflict his brain has con- 
 jured for their delectation. 
 
 While young Hays, the detective, was thus doing 
 his duty for those whom his sagacity and daring 
 had detected and followed into the hands of outra- 
 ged justice, in the persons of the "gentlemanly 
 stranger," and the pedantic Roberts, the remaining 
 victims of his excusable treachery were meditating 
 in different moods, as their state of mind prompted, 
 on the fate in store for them, within the four walls 
 of Saybrook jail. Justice D and lawyer Ste- 
 vens had soon procured bail, but the rest, either too 
 poor to be able to secure those who would other- 
 wise become their bondsmen, or whose crimes were 
 of too deep a dye to warrant the authorities in re- 
 leasing them from duress for a money considera- 
 tion, were waiting, with such patience as they had, 
 the hour when they would be arraigned. 
 
 There was a marked change in the deportment 
 of the citizens, male and female, of Saybrook, in 
 their behavior to the present prisoners, from that 
 which they had shown to the former one on a for- 
 mer occasion, as recorded. Then it was the fash- 
 ion to pet and fete, encourage and enhearten, bv 
 their presence and their means, the lone waiter for 
 justice ; but fashions had changed, as suddenly as 
 the cut of a coat, or the shape of a hat changes, 
 now-a-days; and where before they gave bread, 
 they now would hurl a stone, for there was nothing 
 so romantic in murdering a wife and mother as in 
 killing a rival in the affections of a loved one.
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 The stupor, whether real or simulated, into 
 which the elder Pruyter had fallen, during the ex- 
 posure of his schemes and crimes, and after his at- 
 tempt to silence at once and forever the tongue, in 
 whose denunciation was death, after his incar- 
 ceration, began slowly to drift awav, and before 
 midnight he was again the cool, calculating, sche- 
 ming, plausible villain he was before. This recu- 
 peration, be it understood, was not witnessed bv 
 any who had him in charge, for it was his plan to 
 seem incapable of any concentrated exertion to es- 
 cape, for, by so seeming, he anticipated less watch- 
 fulness on the part of his keepers. A chemist un- 
 excelled by any one, the man was not unprepared 
 with materials for tampering with the iron bars of 
 his windows, prepared and kept on hand, for just 
 such an emergency as the present, which his pre- 
 carious and dangerous mode of life had taught him 
 was essential. By his consumate cunning he had 
 been enabled to retain the vessel containing the 
 preparation, during his being searched upon com- 
 mitment, and his first acl, after he was left alone, 
 in his cell, was to find some secure hiding place 
 for it, until such time as circumstances and oppor- 
 tunity would admit of its use. This he succeeded 
 in doing by digging out a small portion of mortar 
 in the interstices of two large stones in the floor, 
 near the window, and after concealing the vial in 
 the cavitv thus made, filling it with the substance 
 substracted, re-wet and carefully packed around it. 
 and dusted to hide its newness.
 
 460 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 The prisoner lost no time in examining the gra- 
 ting of the window, and the outside of the jail, as 
 far as he was able with the limited vision he could 
 obtain from the casement. While engaged in this 
 endeavor, he was, in a measure, surprised to dis- 
 cover the diminutive form of Hector Lorimer in 
 the street, and ga/ing at him with an intentness 
 that seemed to read his very thoughts, in his face. 
 This apparition struck the old man with a chill he 
 was unable, for SOITI.J rnoments, to rid himself of; 
 but finallv bringing the whole strength of his mind 
 to bear upon the subjed ; he attributed the presence 
 of the young man, with whom he was but slightly 
 acquainted, and made the mistake that many oth- 
 ers did, that of estimating the capacity and deter- 
 mination of the dwarf from his size and appear- 
 ance, to a childish curiosity on his part that would 
 soon be satisfied and lead its possessor away. In 
 the midst of these cogitations a shrill laugh, some- 
 what elfish in its tones, smote his ear, through the 
 window he had hastily left. 
 
 Nearly an hour elapsed before he again ventured 
 to look ont, expecting, of course, that the street 
 was then; fully deserted, when he again beheld the 
 grinning features of his tormenter, so great had the 
 darkness then become, apparently plastered against 
 the wall at his back. As quick as possible, Pruy- 
 ter dodged back his head, but not so quickly but 
 Hector caught sight of him, and again that devil- 
 ish laugh rang on his ears. Surprised at the coin- 
 cidence, as lie deemed it, that had brought the boy
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. j|6l 
 
 again to his window, at the same time that lie had 
 himself looked out, the old man seated himself, 
 and patiently waited a later hour to commence his 
 operations. He had, during his progress to the jail, 
 got an opportunity of delivering to a friend in the 
 crowd, a note he had been able to write, during his 
 pretended stupor, in which he requested that a Meet 
 horse should be in readiness at a spot named, in 
 case he should need it; and so confident was he of 
 success, that he was sure the animal was in waiting. 
 This friend, who by some rare luck, had not hap- 
 pened to have any intercourse with his superior, 
 during Hays' presence at Copper Mountain, and 
 had thus escaped the detection that surely would 
 have been his fate had such taken place, being com- 
 paratively well-to-do in the world and, withal, a 
 subservient friend, had procured the horse; but the 
 poor animal was destined to stand long before his 
 services were required. 
 
 \Vhen another hour had elapsed, Pruvter crept 
 stealthily to the window, and little by little raising 
 his head, peered out, and there was yet the lace, 
 plastered to the wall, and again he heard the taun- 
 ting laugh. The old villain knew all now. The 
 young Lorimer had located his cell, and aware of 
 his deep cunning, was watching him that he should 
 not escape. Wakeful, keen, relentless, there the 
 Cerberus stood, a far stronger barrier than walls of 
 granite or grates of iron, to his egress. Acid might 
 weaker, the strength of the iron, and constant drop- 
 ping of energy and perseverance might wear away
 
 462 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 the stone, but of what earthly use were these when 
 pasted against that wall were the apish features, as 
 they seemed, in the darkness, impish, ever watch- 
 ful of his slightest movement. The night was 
 nearly passed when he again looked out, but there 
 stood the self-imposed sentinel between him and 
 liberty, the increasing light of coming day bring- 
 ing out in stronger and stronger relief, the face that 
 had, all the long night, without scarcely winking, 
 with its earnest eyes, watched the narrow slit of 
 window opening upon his cell- A morning sneer 
 greeted his looking forth, and as the sun began to 
 rise and a sleeping town to tumble into the street, 
 the dwarf turned away and taking his course tow- 
 ard the hotel, disappeared. 
 
 The reflections of William Pruvter, or, to give 
 him his true name, William, Baron of Meredith, 
 were gloomy and fearful during the hours of that, 
 to him, long day. Would Heclor Lorimer come 
 again when the night came, to cut oft* all hope of 
 escape? The startling intelligence that he had mur- 
 dered his own wife, coming close on the heels of 
 the news that his brother was dead, furnished him 
 with bitter food for contemplation. Once free of 
 granite walls and environing bars, his escape was 
 certain, provided always, that he could gain two 
 hours the start of pursuers, he knew would be on 
 his track. With all the cunning of the superior 
 animal, man, he combined the instinctive craftiness 
 of the fox, and once away, he had no fears of recap- 
 ture. Would the imp, Hedtor Lorimer, come, to
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 463 
 
 prevent the consumation of his well-matured plan ? 
 With a large amount of genuine money secreted 
 where it would take but one moment to secure it, 
 in the Stone House in the Pass, he could, in some 
 foreign land, remain unknown and untrammelled, 
 by fears of jails or justice, and enjoy the fruits of 
 his knavery while life lasted. 
 
 He cared not for kith or kin. His son might 
 work out his own safety, if he was able. His pres- 
 ence would be but a clog to his flight, a leaden 
 weight to his feet, and a chance of discovery when 
 far away and in security. A blooded horse would 
 carry him, in that precious two hours, to his trea- 
 ure ; that secured, and one hundred and twenty 
 minutes would place him beyond the strictest ken 
 of the best scented officer. To use his chemicals 
 by daylight he dared not, for he was liable, at any- 
 time, to interruption, and the odor arising from de- 
 composing iron, without an hour's previous fumi- 
 gation, would betray him at once. The door, the 
 walls were firm and could not be broached ; and 
 even were he in the corridors of the prison, he was 
 not free. No, the window was his only hope, and 
 the night his only salvation. Would Heclor Lor- 
 imer be present to defeat his plans? 
 
 He could not work under those watchful eyes. 
 They would take in his purpose at once, and known 
 to him, it would be known to the prison officials, 
 and his last hope, the straw which he, a drowning 
 man drowning in despair had grasped, would 
 be gone. Without that face pasted upon the wall,
 
 464 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 with its keen, remorseless, watchful eyes fixed on 
 him, and that taunting laugh ringing in his ears, 
 the hope, the straw of safety, would become a huge 
 beam on the current of fate, more, an ark of secu- 
 rity. And again the darkly meditating old man, 
 despite his better judgement, found himself asking 
 himself: Would Hedtor Lorimer be there? 
 
 And he was now Baron Meredith, a peer of En- 
 gland. Why could he not have been satisfied with 
 the large fortune he had already amassed, when 
 Helen Leonard made her discovery, and taking her 
 advice, have fted, at a time when he was compar- 
 atively innocent of crimes that would have been 
 noticed bv the Canadian, or, at least, the English 
 authorities, while he was vastly wealthy, and a no- 
 ble. The messenger bubbles had not then arisen, 
 bringing messages from the dead to th: living; no 
 Queen's face had been, by him, imaged on the spu- 
 rious metal; nor would he have been there, to be 
 spied upon bv one, whom his presentiment had 
 truly told him, he had reason to tear. But all such 
 thoughts were useless now. Here he was and from 
 here he must escape. Would Hector Lorimer. his 
 incubus, come to-night to thwart his hope? 
 
 And soon he began to ask that question more of- 
 ten. When eating or drinking, or \ralking his nar- 
 row cell ; alone or in company, he found himself 
 constantly asking himself that question, again and 
 again. Would Hector Lorimer come to-night? 
 And over and over again, the last thing before he 
 closed his eyes in that afternoon sleep and the llrst
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 on opening, just as the shades of evening began to 
 fall, was the question : Would Hector Lorimer be 
 there to-night? 
 
 Night answered the question, for scarcely had 
 the iron-clamped doors been closed, than he saw 
 him there. And as the darkness increased the face 
 flattened more and still more, and then it seemed 
 pasted to the wall, its wakeful, watchful, relentless 
 eyes noting his every motion at the window, and 
 that fiendish laugh greeted his every appearance at 
 the grated aperture, however cautiously he made 
 it. The least breath of that corroding effluvium 
 would be borne to his nostrils, did he dare apply 
 the chemicals. All night long, till coming day lift- 
 ed the face into relief, and the rising sun awoke the 
 town to life, he staid, with his eyes, remorseless, 
 pitiless, intent, watching his slightest movement, 
 and then he laughed and turned away. 
 
 And night again, and every night answered his 
 question, again and again. He<5tor Lorimer was 
 there, ever there, always there, from evening until 
 morning, when he laughed and turned away. And 
 .soon that flattened face pasted to the wall, began 
 to mingle with the messenger bubbles, and some- 
 times they issued from the face, and bubbled up 
 before his window, bringing (.heir messages from 
 the dead to the living; messages of condemnation, 
 of coming judgement, that required no linguist to 
 translate, no scribe to read. 
 
 At last, one night, in the beginning of the fourth 
 week of the prisoner's incarceration, Heclor came
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 a little later than usual, and when the darkness had 
 fathered, the face seemed pasted on the wall a tri- 
 fle lower down than before; and near midnight it 
 appeared to peel gradually off' from the upper part 
 and slowly roll down the wall. Hector Lorimei 
 had had no sleep that day. He had been to Stead- 
 ville to attend the wedding of his brother Herbert 
 with Helen Leonard. They had awaited the re- 
 turn of young Hays, whom they wished to have 
 present with his wife, for to them they were under 
 the deepest obligation for the happiness of the mo- 
 ment, and that in store for them ; and this was why 
 the watcher was later than was his wont, and why- 
 he slept at his post. 
 
 The old man saw and marked this, and express- 
 ed his satisfaction with a growl such as would have 
 issued from the throat of some flesh- eating brute, 
 that had his prey secure in his grasp. He applied 
 the acids, and with his hand thrust through the gra- 
 ting, fanned the pungent odor back into the cell, 
 that no part might reach the olfactory nerves of the 
 sleeper and arouse him to a consciousness of what 
 was being done. Two hours thus passed, when. 
 producing a small saw, the prisoner silently separa- 
 ted the weakened bars, carefully concealing one in 
 his rocket. He then produced a thin, but strong. 
 rope of silk, attached one end to the stump of one 
 of the bars yet imbedded in the solid masonry of 
 the window sill, and quietly let himself down to 
 the ground. Crouching, an instant, in the shadow, 
 he grasped his concealed bar and rising, he sprang
 
 THE COUNTER FEITEKS. 467 
 
 upon the unconscious s lumberer, with his weapon 
 raised and murder in his heart. Sudden and awful 
 as was the awakening, the dwarf was in full pos- 
 session of all his senses, and by the aid of his mar- 
 vellous agility, he saw the danger and avoided it. 
 The iron bludgeon came down with a crash, throw- 
 ing out a shower of sparks, on theexacl spot where 
 his head had, but a short moment before, been un- 
 consciously lying. 
 
 With a bound, and a yell that drowned the dis- 
 appointed curse of his assailant, He6tor springing 
 to his feet, shouted : 
 
 "Stop Thief! Stop Thief! A prisoner escap- 
 ed !" and sped away with the speed of a rocket, in 
 the direction of the hotel, the prisoner having dis- 
 appeared, like the image in a distempered dream, 
 in the surrounding gloom. 
 
 Fruvter found his horse in waiting, little dream- 
 ing, in his anxiety for the road, to what base pur- 
 pose his noble powers of speed and endurance were 
 to be put The bridle was over his neck, but the 
 loop encircling a post, and with another growl of 
 satisfaction the fugitive sprang to the saddle, and 
 giving the nobler beast of the two a sharp stroke 
 of the palm of his hand, rode fiercely out into the 
 darkness. And then away, like an arrow from a 
 well-strung bow, into the murky gloom, on that 
 steeple-chase, with its goal, wealth, and the prize 
 to be won, safety; carrying weight, a fearful load 
 of crime and seared conscience, to drag down the 
 noble animal's great courage. Pruvterwasa good
 
 468 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 horseman, though slightly out of practice, but the 
 cradle-like motion of the swift stride made his seat 
 secure ; and when he dropped his hand upon the 
 holsters at his saddle-bow and found therein two 
 long, rifle barrelled pistols, loaded and primed with 
 care, a sort of exultation filled his brain, a giddy 
 hope of ultimate escape. 
 
 On, on, with the tireless stride, and the fire flash- 
 ing from his steel-clad hoofs, and with his shapely 
 head and long neck thrown out upon a level, the 
 noble steed bore his weight of villany and crime 
 through the night with a speed that seemed to set 
 all pursuit at defiance ; and as mile after mile of the 
 darksome road rolled back of -him, the heart and 
 hope of the fugitive were higher and higher, in 
 proportion as the distance increased. On, on, up 
 and down the long rolls of land, like a gallant ship 
 breasting, surmounting, and then going down the 
 giant swells of the ocean, or like a steamer, for no\v 
 the nostrils and flanks of the racer began to throw 
 ofl', in the chill of the night air, volumes of vapor, 
 as does the funnel of the sea-going steam vessel, 
 but pausing or hesitating not in the long, quickly 
 gathered stride or flashing hoofs. 
 
 At last he crowned a hill, the highest in the road 
 between Saybrook and the Stone House in the Pass, 
 thence a land-mark, a guide-stone, telling him that 
 half his journey was done. Here he drew rein to 
 listen. The faithful animaf stood, with drooping 
 head and trembling tail and jarring through all his 
 frame, with every throb of his resolute heart. Not
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 469 
 
 a sound broke the stillness of the night save the 
 sobbing of his steed and the distant croakings of a 
 community of frogs in a marsh far away to his left 
 bordering the river. There was not a single pul- 
 sation of pity made by the obdurate heart, not one 
 throb of commiseration in that elated pulse, for the 
 agony of the peerless companion of his flight ; but 
 well knowing that in his lasting to the end of the 
 race, depended his safety, the rider, as he proceed- 
 ed, after his short pause, did so at slower pace. 
 
 Ten minutes elapsed, and then came the jeering 
 laugh that had become so familiar to his ears, shrill 
 as the whistle of the northwest wind in wintertime 
 as penetrating, that sneering cachination drowned 
 the sobbing of his steed, drowned the croaking of 
 the frogs, and mingling with the measured beat of 
 a coming horse's feet; it broke upon his ears, like 
 the relentness knell of death, the crying of some 
 fiend for his soul. And then, with a fierce clatter, 
 a veil of exultation and a still more taunting laugh, 
 came HetStor Lorimer, mounted on the back of the 
 matchless Logan. 
 
 With a deep drawn curse the now panting fugi- 
 tive urged his tired animal to a quicker pace, and 
 away went pursuer and pursued, like two erratic 
 meteors, one chasing the other chased, through the 
 proverbially darkest hour that precedes the coming 
 of the day. Closer and more close crept the out- 
 stretched head of Logan to the streaming tail in his 
 front; closer and still more close, and the black 
 muzzle lapped the flank, the saddle, the shoulder,
 
 4 ;o 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 the throatlatch, and then they were running neck- 
 and-neck, head-and-head in that fearful night race. 
 For only an instant, and then, with a mighty eff- 
 ort, Logan cleared himself of his competitor and 
 forged ahead, gaining yard by yard, until his ad- 
 vance counted fully an hundred, and then he halt- 
 ed and faced him. But the fugitive had not been 
 idle. Gathering the bridle-rein in his left hand, 
 his right stole to the holster, drew from it a shining 
 pistol, and with such aim as the dark shadows ad- 
 mitted of, he pulled the trigger, and the matchless 
 Logan, uttering a cry of agony, almost human in 
 its tones, fell headlong upon the earth, shot through 
 the brain, and stone dead when he struck ; and 
 Pruyter swept by like a whirlwind. 
 
 Thankful that the bullet intended for himself had 
 reached another target, Hector, in an ecstasy of rage 
 and impatience waited the coming of about a doz- 
 en horsemen, who, in about fifteen minutes, that 
 seemed as many "hours, came galloping up. He 
 quickly mounted behind one of them, and by ges- 
 ture and voice urged them to a still greater speed. 
 The morning had now begun to break, the eastern 
 heavens lighting up slowly, at first, but faster as 
 the day grew, and then they struck the level of the 
 lake shore. Only two miles away rose the rugged 
 head of Copper Mountain, and just entering the 
 ragged shadows, was seen the fugitive. With a 
 cheer the men urged their jaded horses to a swifter 
 gait ; and just as the full light of day spread from 
 horizon to horizon, they entered the narrow gorge
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 471 
 
 leading to the stone house, up which they had seen 
 the escaping man ride. But a few rods were pass- 
 ed when, in the confined road, they found the dy- 
 ing form of the noble animal that had sacrificed a 
 valuable life to save that less than valueless of the 
 crime steeped old man of the mountain. With an- 
 other cheer the horsemen clambered up the rough 
 pathway, certain now of their prev, for from that 
 isolated headland, horseless and boatless, he must 
 fall into their hands, sooner or later. 
 
 In a few minutes they reached the level in front 
 of the house, just as a dark cloud began to gather 
 in the west and shoot upwards toward the zenith, 
 and they were saluted with : 
 
 "Halt! Stop where you are, every man! He 
 who approaches a single step receives the contents 
 of this musket." 
 
 And in looking up the startled men, who had in- 
 voluntarily obeyed the peremptory mandate, saw 
 the old man, wayworn and haggard, standing at a 
 grated window the grated window in the gable 
 end of the building with a musket at his cheek, 
 aiming directly into their midst, and with his fin- 
 ger on the lock. 
 
 "I am here," he resumed, seeing that they had 
 paused, and bringing his weapon slowly to his side, 
 "here in my castle, where you cannot come. The 
 heavy shutters are closed and barred ; the door is 
 locked and bolted, and are impervious to your as- 
 saults. At my side are five loaded and primed 
 muskets, with a death in each."
 
 472 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "Notwithstanding all, Mr. Pruyter," exclaimed 
 Rogers who stood in front; "notwithstanding all 
 this, I say, our duty is to apprehend you, and we 
 shall do so at whatever cost." 
 
 "Reflect for a single moment, Mr. Rogers," said 
 the old man ; "my life is already forfeit to justice, 
 and the death of more or less of your number, at 
 mv hands, can make no difference with me. You 
 must be aware that I am a desperate man, and bv 
 vour own inspection, you must also be aware that 
 no effort of yours can reach me ; nor shall I allow 
 you to send for assistance, for he who advances or 
 retreats, a single step, unless in the latter case, all 
 shall go together, is a mark for mv aim an aim 
 that has seldom been known to fail." 
 
 "It is the fate of all, Mr. Pruvter," said Rogers, 
 "sooner or later to die, either by violence or natu- 
 rally, in his bed ; and in no more glorious cause, 
 can a man lav down his life than in bringing to jus- 
 tice a man in your depth in crime." 
 
 And still the dark, now black cloud gathered in 
 all the sky every other cloud, leaving all but its own 
 track clear and blue in the just risen sun and swept, 
 as if for a purpose, across thd firmament and low- 
 ered over the peaks of Copper Mountain. 
 
 "Recriminations are useless now, sir Bailiff" 
 said the old man, watching with an eagle eye, the 
 every movement of his adversaries, "as matters of 
 past time. Whether guilty or not guilty of the 
 crimes laid to mv charge, is not now the question. 
 To escape is my aim, otherwise death, and with it
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 473 
 
 revenge for past injuries. Hark, you, sir Bailiff, 
 and you, the men in his train ; within these walls 
 are moneys enough genuine moneys to make 
 you all rich. Give me but two hours one hour 
 ten minutes start, and it is yours to divide, as 
 you see fit." 
 
 "No, a thousand times, no !" exclaimed the ex- 
 asperated Rogers. "Were the four walls of your 
 stone house full of coined gold, its cellars crammed 
 with diamonds, and the very stories of which it is 
 built, precious, the whole would be no temptation, 
 when put in the balance with honor." 
 
 "And who but yourselves," asked Pruyter, "are 
 ever to know howl escaped? Far from this spot, 
 mv wretched remnant of life would be spent where 
 whether 1 lived or died, would make no earthly 
 difference to you. Reflect for a moment, gentle- 
 men, wealth and ease, or the cold grave, with a 
 bullet through your heart, for you cannot escape me 
 now. You have the choice. Which shall it be?" 
 and he brought his musket to his shoulder, and in 
 the deathly silence that followed, could be heard 
 ominous clicking of the lock, as the hammer was 
 drawn back. 
 
 And still the black cloud gathered and lowered. 
 A black cloud, almost circular and not over a mile 
 in diameter, with smooth edges, creeping down 
 over the peaks it already began to touch, like the 
 black cap, years ago used to cover the eyes of the 
 doomed man, that he might not see the death reach- 
 ing for him in form of axe or rope.
 
 474 
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 "I need no moment for reflection." responded 
 Rogers. "My answer shall he the same, ever the 
 same. You may shoot me if you will, but that 
 shot will be your last. My men are eager, now to 
 commence the assault, how much more eager will 
 they be when I am murdered by your hand, com- 
 paratively safe as they must be, knowing that your 
 aim is only at me." 
 
 "But an assault would be useless, sir Bailiff." 
 said the old man, surprised at the coolness of his 
 adversary, and lowering his gun slightly at the same 
 time. "You must know that, vourself." 
 
 "I do not know it, old man ; and I do know that 
 when attacked from all sides, though some may die, 
 others must gain a foothold, and vou must be rout- 
 ed out at last." 
 
 "Ha! ha!" laughed the villain, and he really 
 seemed to enjoy the joke, for the moment, then 
 lashing himself into a rage, with a hand upraised 
 toward the threatening cloud, he shouted, in tones 
 that sent a thrill to the hearts of all his hearers ; 
 "No, no, I defy all the powers of earth, of hell, 
 and of heaven, to oust me from my present castle 
 of refuge. Yes, yes," he exclaimed, as if not sat- 
 isfied with the profanity of his former adjuration ; 
 "I bid defiance to man, the devil, and to the Al- 
 mighty, himself!" 
 
 As if in answer to this blasphemous challenge. 
 a sudden tongue of flame leapt from the center of 
 the overhanging cloud ; a trisedion of blue, yellow 
 and crimson fire, lighting up the whole mass of
 
 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 475 
 
 vapor to a dull leaden color, and revealing the en- 
 shrouded peaks in a dim, lambent light, like the 
 flames of consuming phosphorus, and glowing on 
 the uncovered crags like the flash of sunlight in 
 water heaved into waves and lathed bv the tempest 
 and then down, link by link, like the unfolding of 
 a chain, white heated ; down across its scathed path 
 way on the cloud ; thrusting its forked tongue hith- 
 er and thither, as if to lap up the cooling drops, 
 gathered from the mist ; downward, back and forth, 
 by the uplifted heads of rocks and precipices, av- 
 oiding the time and storm scathed trees that stood 
 on the beetling cliffs ; dodging the projecting points 
 of ore burdened stone that jutted out from the pre- 
 cipice and down behind the house at last, relieving 
 the aching eves of the beholders, as with an awe, 
 fearful to experience, they looked on. And follow- 
 ing it so closely that it seemed to be a part, as it 
 was, of the same, came the live thunder, booming 
 loud and short, like a minute-gun of hedven, and 
 filling the rock framed vallev with a crash of noise 
 and echoes that nearly prostrated them. 
 
 And then came an explosion, not loud, but with 
 a heaving, lifting sound, as when a successful rock 
 blast is made ; an explosion that made the solid 
 mountain tremble and rock to its base; an earthly 
 effort to rival the thunders of heaven. The light- 
 ning had fired the powder in the magazine in the 
 cellar under the stone house. A broad, yawning 
 fissure in the solid walls of the building opened, 
 and through it they could see the fountain of flame,
 
 4/6 THE COUNTERFEITERS. 
 
 flecked with beam and board and rafter, rising in 
 its center, like the pent up flames of a volcano in 
 eruption, forcing themselves into the outer world. 
 And outlined in minute relief, against the back- 
 ground of uprising fire, could be seen, as plainly 
 as would be that of a figure of ebony on a field of 
 purest white, the form of the old man. He stood 
 with his back toward them, with hands upraised, 
 sole inside spectator of the fearful exhibition, as 
 was Croly's Ethiopian slave, sole spectator of the 
 burning of the ampitheatre at Rome. 
 
 And then came a louder, a fiercer, a more up- 
 heaving and lifting explosion, and then the whole 
 house, each stone and stick, from cellar to ridge- 
 pole ; no two pieces joined by the hands of man, 
 together, and many rocks and beams and planks, 
 blown into thousands of fragments, mixed and con- 
 fused, surrounded, interlaced and followed by fire, 
 went up, and up, whirling, crashing, jostling, un- 
 til many .portions were buried in the cloud, and 
 then back to earth, not in u single body, not eyen 
 in masses, but detached, 'as if the spirit of the explo- 
 sion was jealous that no two parts of the building 
 should ever again join ; that no stone of the den 
 of thieves and criminals should ever be found, one 
 upon another; blackened, hissing, crashing, they 
 came to the earth ; and where the Stone House in 
 the Pass once stood, there only remained a dark, 
 powder blackened, fire seared chasm, surrounded 
 by equally blackened and seared debris. 
 
 The force of the explosion had destroyed the
 
 THE COUNTEKFEITERS. 477 
 
 secret door, but left the private room intact, and 
 here thev saw all that Hays had described. Wheth- 
 er any more than the old man, William Pruvter, 
 were destroyed, was never known, for the search, 
 afterward made, for some remains of the old man, 
 neither his body or that of any other, or even por- 
 tions were found, and one of his beliefs was veri- 
 fied, for if not soul and body both, the latter had 
 the appearance of being annihilated. 
 
 But a short time the awestruck spectators of the 
 terrific finale remained near the spot, ere long" ben- 
 ding their steps toward their homes, in after years 
 to tell their children the fearful fate of the King of 
 the Counterfeiters, and shudder again over the aw- 
 ful experience that that July morning in 1838, had 
 brought to them. 
 
 And, in the meantime, the black cloud, either 
 rent by the sharp peaks, of Copper Mountain or by 
 the power of the explosion, or by both combined, 
 spread its wings, like the eagle,, and sailed away, 
 with no drop of rain to follow it, and having given 
 forth but a single flash of lightning, one reverber- 
 ating peal of thunder; but, in that flash doing the 
 will of Him who forged the thunderbolt, in the 
 utter destruction, and breaking up of that harbor 
 of The Counterfeiters," and blotting out of exist- 
 ence, forever, ''The Stone House in the Pass." 
 
 THF KND.
 
 A 000034127