3 1822 01217 4199 
 
 IHi 
 
 HI 
 
 s 
 
 CHARLES 
 FELT O 
 P I T> 01 
 
 
 1 
 j
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 UNIV ITY OF 
 CALiP "<NIA 
 
 SAN DIEGO
 
 
 
 3 1822 01217 4199 p s
 
 Adelaide in the garden. Frontispiece. 
 He did not recognize me, and I am glad of it." Page
 
 LITTLE BURR 
 
 THE WARWICK OF AMERICA 
 
 A TALE OF THE OLD 
 REVOLUTIONARY DAYS 
 
 BY 
 
 CHARLES FELTON PIDGIN 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 "QUINCY ADAMS SAWYER," 
 "BLENNERHASSETT," "THE 
 CLIMAX," "THE LETTER H," 
 "A NATION'S IDOL," ETC. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS BY 
 
 ISAAC BREWSTER HAZELTON 
 
 BOSTON, THE ROBINSON 
 LUCE COMPANY, 1905
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1905, BY 
 
 THE ROBINSON, LUCE COMPANY, 
 
 BOSTON, MASS., U. S. A. 
 
 ENTERED AT STATIONERS HALL, LONDON 
 FOREIGN COPYRIGHTS SECURED 
 
 RIGHTS OF TRANSLATION, PUBLIC READING, AND DRAMATIZATION 
 RESERVED 
 
 DATE OF PUBLICATION 
 MARCH 18, 1905
 
 THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO 
 
 . J&arg &* ftofonsenti, 
 
 OF THE CITY OF MEXICO 
 
 IN RECOGNITION OF HER AVOWED CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE CAUSE 
 
 WHICH HER FATHER SO WARMLY ESPOUSED 
 
 AND SO WARMLY DEFENDED 
 
 THE REHABILITATION OF AARON BURR 
 
 AS A DESERVED TRIBUTE 
 TO THE MEMORY OF HER DISTINGUISHED FATHER 
 
 HON. JERE CLEMENS 
 
 UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM ALABAMA, 1849-1853.
 
 preface to present 
 
 JN the preface to " Blennerhassett," I said: "For 
 
 a hundred years one of the most remarkable of 
 Americans has borne a weight of obloquy and 
 calumny such as has been heaped upon no other 
 man." 
 
 Since writing the above, I have found so much 
 in print, and in the hundreds of letters received 
 from all parts of the country containing corrobo 
 rative evidence, that I consider my statement so 
 fully fortified that it may now be received as 
 incontestable. 
 
 To put my declaration in more homely, but 
 explicit terms for a hundred years the news 
 paper writers, biographers, and historians have 
 made continual attacks upon the character of 
 Aaron Burr ; a few of the statements were liter 
 ally true, some of them contained a slight admix 
 ture of truth, but the great majority were completely 
 destitute of veracity, fabricated with unworthy 
 motives, and passed from mouth to mouth, from 
 hand to hand, from newspaper to newspaper, from 
 magazine to magazine, from book to book and 
 all because there was no one to defend the mem 
 ory of the dead from unjust aspersions and acri 
 monious attacks. 
 
 It seems strange that after these gentlemen 
 have had, as might be said, the field to themselves 
 for nearly a century it seems strange, indeed,
 
 vi AUTHOR'S PREFACE 
 
 that the enemies of Burr, for they are as much his 
 enemies as were those whose words they repeat, 
 should be so sensitive when a few words of praise 
 are said of Aaron Burr, or when presentations of 
 facts drawn from reliable sources show that the 
 greater part of the stories told about him rest 
 upon no foundation of fact and are not suscep 
 tible of proof. 
 
 They are so devoted to the worship of their 
 idols, they have so idealized them beyond their 
 natural and proper deserts, that they turn upon 
 the iconoclast who would deprive their gods of 
 any of their glory, not with statements of fact 
 and arguments, but with bitter words of personal 
 abuse. 
 
 Since the publication of " Blennerhassett," I 
 have made a large and very interesting collection 
 of such contributions. The greater part of them 
 have appeared in the newspaper press, but many 
 have reached me in the shape of written com 
 munications, some of them anonymous. I look 
 forward with pleasurable anticipation to the day 
 when these ephemeral publications shall become 
 incorporated in my " Life of Aaron Burr," and so 
 become part and parcel of history. Were it not 
 for the prominence and perpetuity that I shall 
 thus be able to confer upon them, they would, like 
 the butterfly, have winged their flight for a day 
 and then been lost to sight forever. 
 
 The relatives and friends of Colonel Burr have 
 imitated his example by remaining silent too long 
 in the face of repeated accusations. This has not 
 been the case with his enemies, or, rather, their
 
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE vii 
 
 successors, for as soon as a few statements of fact 
 were made concerning Thomas Jefferson, Alex 
 ander Hamilton, and their co-partners in the con 
 spiracy which led to Colonel Burr's political and 
 social downfall, the defenders of these men began 
 to call these statements abuse and vilification, 
 apparently unmindful of the fact that others had 
 the same right as themselves to indulge in that 
 same sort of pastime. I have been the object of 
 abuse and vituperation, and some readers have 
 even gone so far as to suggest that measures be 
 taken to prevent my writing such books in the 
 future, they thinking, apparently, that this is a 
 country in which but one opinion can be allowed 
 on certain subjects, and that if any one disagrees 
 with that opinion, he must be either a fool or a 
 knave. 
 
 One correspondent informed me that if I 
 did not cease attacking Alexander Hamilton, 
 his friends had in their possession certain secret 
 memoirs relating to Aaron Burr which would place 
 that gentleman before the public in a worse light 
 than he already occupied. In my reply I earnestly 
 advised them to use every endeavor to secure the 
 publication of these secret memoirs at the earliest 
 possible moment; but I have looked for them in 
 vain. 
 
 For years there has been in one of the school 
 readers an alleged description of the grave of 
 Aaron Burr. From reading it, one would infer 
 that when a so-called traitor is buried in a well- 
 kept cemetery, the grass above his grave dies of 
 its own accord, the leaves fall from the surround-
 
 viii AUTHOR'S PREFACE 
 
 ing trees, and the sun refuses to shine upon that 
 portion of the cemetery. The story was pure 
 invention and never possessed the slightest parti 
 cle of truth. The object of the writer, of the pub 
 lishers of the book, and of the teachers who use it 
 in the schools may be easily understood. 
 
 On a par with the preceding story is one which 
 for years ran the rounds of the press that Aaron 
 Burr lived in poverty during the last years of his 
 life, and died neglected and unattended by friends. 
 A complete refutation of this story was sent to 
 several influential journals, but they refused to 
 publish it. It finally appeared in a newspaper 
 published at his birthplace, but no prominent 
 journals have copied the same. 
 
 A few months ago an article appeared in a 
 metropolitan daily, stating that Colonel Burr, after 
 his duel with General Hamilton, stayed for three 
 weeks at a house in a small town in the State of 
 New Jersey, and that since that time the occu 
 pants of the house had suffered from fires, acci 
 dents, sudden deaths, lingering diseases, and all 
 sorts of troubles, no doubt consequent upon the 
 assumed fact that Colonel Burr had once been an 
 occupant of the house. 
 
 I gathered from correspondence and published 
 works incontestable historical data, which showed 
 that Colonel Burr was never in the house in ques 
 tion, did not stay in the town mentioned for more 
 than twenty minutes, being at that time on his 
 way to the South. I sent my article to a promi 
 nent newspaper, but it was returned by the editor- 
 in-chief, with the written comment: "It will, no
 
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE ix 
 
 doubt, be very interesting to the inhabitants of the 
 town in question." He knew that the matter was 
 one of national interest and importance, yet he 
 was not disposed to print in his paper anything 
 that would redound to the credit of Aaron Burr 
 or tend to free him from the effect of an untrue 
 and unjust statement. 
 
 Following this preface will be found a biograph 
 ical sketch of the late Hon. Jere. Clemens ; also the 
 preface written by him to his novel " The Rivals," 
 which was published in 1859. Previous to that 
 time, Col. Samuel L. Knapp, Matthew L. Davis, 
 and James Parton had written biographies of 
 Colonel Burr, but Senator Clemens was the first 
 author to put into a work of fiction prominent 
 events in the lives of Aaron Burr and Alexander 
 Hamilton. The novel covers that period in the 
 lives of both these men, from their first con 
 nection with the Revolutionary army, up to the 
 day of the fatal meeting on Weehawken Heights. 
 
 There are parts of " Little Burr " which are 
 necessarily founded upon incidents contained in 
 " The Rivals," and selections from the latter, which 
 seemed applicable, have been incorporated, with 
 appropriate changes, in this volume. 
 
 " Blennerhassett " and "The Climax" have 
 been published in the order in which they were 
 written, but not in the sequence in which they 
 should be read when the entire series is complete. 
 " Little Burr " should come first, " Blennerhassett " 
 next, while " The Climax," as its name implies, 
 should be the concluding volume of the trilogy. 
 
 Senator Clemens having given in his novel,
 
 x AUTHOR'S PREFACE 
 
 " The Rivals," a connected story of Colonel Burr's 
 military life, in my opinion, justice required, before 
 writing a work upon similar lines, that it should 
 not be done without the knowledge of his descend 
 ants, if they could be found. After a correspond 
 ence, which for along time seemed destined to be 
 fruitless, I discovered that a married daughter of 
 Senator Clemens was residing in the city of 
 Mexico. 
 
 The following extracts from letters received 
 from her show that the present volume has been 
 prepared with her full knowledge and approval, 
 both from a literary and a financial point of view. 
 
 * * # # 
 
 " You will readily understand that the terrible 
 events of war and his own failing health prevented 
 my father from carrying out his intention of con 
 tinuing the story of Aaron Burr. I am very glad 
 to know that you have undertaken the task of giv 
 ing to the world the true history of the ill-fated 
 man, and I am sure my father would have wished 
 you God-speed, could he have known of your 
 
 intention." 
 
 * # * # 
 
 " I have been intensely interested in your book, 
 " Blennerhassett." It seems to me that you have 
 drawn the character of Aaron Burr with wonderful 
 accuracy, the result, doubtless, of long and patient 
 research. You write as if you loved your subject, 
 and yet you have extenuated none of his faults. 
 This is one of the points which commends it to 
 me and which must be evident to all fair-minded 
 readers."
 
 AUTHOR S PREFACE XI 
 
 " I have long desired to have some of my 
 father's books reprinted, and therefore your pro 
 posal in regard to ' The Rivals ' is very agreeable 
 to me. I am quite ready to accept your proposal, 
 for I know of no one so well qualified as yourself 
 to do the necessary work to render the book 
 acceptable to the public. If you decide upon 
 undertaking the work of extending and revising 
 ' The Rivals,' you may rely upon any assistance 
 I can give you." 
 
 # # # * 
 
 " You have made me a liberal offer, which I 
 shall not hesitate to accept, for, as a gentleman 
 said to me not long ago, it would be a pity for 
 4 The Rivals ' to be entirely lost to the public." 
 
 # * * * 
 
 "Your letter of the 2oth, with memorandum of 
 agreement, has been received. I have read it over 
 carefully and I herewith return it to you with my 
 approval. Providing that my father is given full 
 credit for the authorship of ' The Rivals,' and the 
 pioneer work done by him to clear the memory of 
 Aaron Burr from the stains resting upon it, I am 
 perfectly willing that you should revise, amend, 
 expunge, or add to the literary material contained 
 in the said volume. It seems to me that you are 
 carrying on the work begun by him." 
 
 # * * * 
 
 Until my " Life of Burr " has been published, 
 and the verdict of the American people recorded 
 upon it, no correct estimate can be made as to 
 the effect or non-effect of my work, regard-
 
 xii AUTHOR'S PREFACE 
 
 ing the rehabilitation of Aaron Burr. At the 
 present time, I can only say that I have indubita 
 ble proofs in my possession that the objects and 
 work of the Aaron Burr Legion are to receive 
 recognition and support from the American people 
 as such, if not from those who have assailed me in 
 my work from the outset. My hopes are centered 
 not in the present generation, but in those to come. 
 The leaven of truth will be placed in the educa 
 tional loaf, and the children of the future will 
 find in their literary pabulum not a repetition of 
 distorted stories, but a clear statement of facts, 
 supported by trustworthy evidence, free from the 
 bias of social, political, or religious prejudice. 
 
 C. F. P. 
 
 GRAY CHAMBERS, 
 20 MOUNT VERNON STREET, 
 BOSTON, MASS. 
 AUGUST, 1904.
 
 JERE. CLEMENS, lawyer, soldier, and states 
 man, was born in Huntsville, Ala., Dec. 28, 
 1814. He obtained his education at La Grange 
 College and the University of Alabama, from which 
 latter institution he was graduated in 1833, at 
 the age of nineteen. He then studied law and 
 was admitted to the bar in 1834, when not twenty- 
 one years of age. In 1838 he was appointed 
 United States Marshal for the Northern District 
 of Alabama. He served in the Alabama State 
 Legislature from 1839 to 1841. In 1842 he went 
 to Texas as Lieutenant-Colonel, having raised a 
 company of volunteer riflemen. He again served 
 in the Alabama State Legislature in 1843-44, and 
 was a Presidential elector in the latter year. 
 He was appointed Major of the I3th United 
 States Infantry, March 3, 1847, made Lieutenant- 
 Colonel of the 9th Infantry, July 16, and discharged 
 July 20, 1848. He was then appointed Chief of 
 the Depot of Purchases in Mexico. Why he 
 served but four years in the United States Senate 
 is thus explained : Dixon H. Lewis was elected 
 by the Alabama Legislature to the United States 
 Senate, his term of six years to begin March 4, 
 1847. He resigned on Nov. 25, 1848, and Gov. 
 Reuben Chapman appointed ex-Gov. Benjamin 
 Fitzpatrick to succeed him. When the Legisla 
 ture convened in the fall of 1849, it elected 
 
 xiii
 
 xiv BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 Jere. Clemens to fill out the unexpired term 
 of four years of Mr. Lewis. Mr. Clemens served 
 from Nov. 30, 1849, to and including March 3, 
 1853. Mr. Clemens again served as Presidential 
 elector in 1856. He removed to Memphis, Tenn., 
 and became editor of the Memphis Eagle and 
 Enquirer^ in 1859. He was a member of the 
 secession convention in Alabama, but protested 
 against its action; he subsequently gave way 
 to the popular tide, and accepted the position of 
 Major-General of the Alabama State Troops, to 
 which he was appointed by the governor of the 
 State. In 1863, Senator Clemens, accompanied 
 by his wife, went to Philadelphia, on account of 
 failing eyesight and feeble health. While there 
 he had pneumonia, suffered a relapse, and died 
 in May, 1865, soon after his return to Alabama. 
 Mr. Clemens attained eminence at the bar while 
 still young, and in the Senate took high rank as 
 an able and eloquent debater. He was the author 
 of novels which passed through several editions ; 
 one was entitled " Bernard Lile," published in 
 Philadelphia, 1853 ; " Mustang Grey," published 
 in 1857, and " The Rivals, a Tale of the Times of 
 Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton," published 
 in 1859. He was engaged in the preparation of a 
 history of the Civil War, giving an insight into 
 the character, causes, and conduct of the war in 
 Northern Alabama, but it was left unfinished at 
 his death. 
 
 A friend, in writing of him, says: " He was in 
 many respects a most wonderful, extraordinary 
 man. The vast comprehension of his mind, his
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH XV 
 
 far-seeing statesmanship, his unshaken patriotism, 
 his love of country above party, at the expense 
 of personal preferment, point him out as one 
 among ten thousand, even of the men of our day 
 regarded as great men. Mr. Clay believed him 
 one of the most brilliant intellects that ever 
 adorned the annals of American history; he loved 
 him devotedly and looked upon him as a repre 
 sentative public man of this country. I know this 
 from Mr. Clay personally. His memory will be as 
 enduring as the great principles of American 
 Constitutional liberty."
 
 preface to "C&e 
 
 (Published in 1859) 
 BY THE LATE HON. JERE. CLEMENS 
 
 Author of "Bernard Lile " and "Mustang Grey? 
 
 TN the preparation of this work I did not con 
 fine myself to the life of Aaron Burr as written 
 either by Davis or Parton. Both are unjust to 
 him Parton least so. But even he, while 
 writing with an evident desire to do justice, 
 approaches the subject with a degree of timid 
 hesitation, which proves that he dreaded to 
 encounter the tide of undeserved reprobation 
 which is yet beating against the tomb of the 
 illustrious dead. The work of Matthew L. Davis 
 is a libel upon the man he professed to honor, 
 and whom he called his friend in life. I went 
 beyond these, and collected many old pamphlets 
 and documents relating to Burr and Hamilton, 
 and endeavored to extract from them enough of 
 the truth to enable me to form a just estimate of 
 the characters of both. That estimate once 
 formed, the book was made to correspond with it, 
 the main historical facts alone being preserved, 
 while all the rest is the offspring of imagination. 
 The history of the war proves conclusively 
 that there was no better soldier, no more devoted 
 patriot in the long list of Revolutionary heroes 
 
 xvii
 
 xviii PREFACE TO " THE RIVALS " 
 
 than Aaron Burr; and all contemporary testi 
 mony agrees that no man ever lived of a more 
 genial, hospitable, and kindly nature. Yet this 
 man, unsurpassed as a soldier, unrivalled as a 
 lawyer, pure, upright, and untarnished as a 
 statesman, became, from the force of circum 
 stances, the object of the bitterest calumnies 
 that malice could invent or the blindest preju 
 dice believe. Persecution dogged him to his 
 grave; and although the life of a generation has 
 passed away since then, justice still hesitates to 
 approach the spot where the bones of the patriot 
 soldier repose. Under the garb of fiction, I have 
 endeavored to contribute my mite toward reliev 
 ing his memory from the unjust aspersions which 
 imbittered his life. If I accomplish nothing 
 more than to induce a portion of the rising gene 
 ration to search the records of that life, I shall be 
 amply repaid for the labor it has cost. 
 
 Of Alexander Hamilton I have written noth 
 ing of which I do not believe he was capable, 
 after the fullest examination of his own writings 
 and those of others. That I have entertained 
 strong prejudices against him from boyhood, is 
 true; that those prejudices may have influenced 
 my judgment, is possible; but I tried to discard 
 them, and look at his character in the light of 
 reason alone. The more I studied it, the more I 
 became convinced that the world never presented 
 such a combination of greatness and meanness, of 
 daring courage and of vile malignity, of high 
 aspirings and of low hypocrisy. Shrewd, artful, 
 and unscrupulous, there were no means he would
 
 PREFACE TO " THE RIVALS " xix 
 
 not employ to accomplish his ends no tool too 
 base to be used when its services were needful. 
 Loose in his own morals, even to licentiousness, 
 he criticised those of Thomas Jefferson with a 
 severity no other antagonist ever equaled. Slan 
 der was his favorite weapon, and no one stood in 
 his way who did not feel the venom of his tongue 
 and pen. 
 
 All that part of the work now submitted to 
 the public, which is not history, is based upon 
 these views of the characters of the principal 
 actors, and wherever I have trusted to imagina 
 tion, its flight has been restrained within the 
 boundaries of what I believed each to be capable. 
 
 The causes which led me to write this book, 
 and the objects I have in view, other than those 
 stated, are of no concern to the public. It has 
 been composed, for the most part, in the midst of 
 many and pressing engagements, and the last 
 part of it was not even read over before it was 
 sent to the publishers; but I ask no charity on 
 that account. The critic is at full liberty to 
 exhaust his powers of satire upon it; and so far 
 from being offended at the freedom of his stric 
 tures, I will thank him for pointing out defects 
 which I may thus learn to amend in future. 
 
 It is my purpose to continue the story of 
 Aaron Burr, from the time of his duel with 
 Hamilton to that of his death. The last days of 
 that remarkable man, it seems to me, present a 
 better field for romance than his earlier career. 
 At all events, it is one that is yet untrodden, and 
 therefore possesses an interest in itself which may
 
 XX PREFACE TO " THE RIVALS " 
 
 cause the reader to overlook any deficiency of 
 plot or any faults of style that would otherwise 
 challenge his criticisms. THE AUTHOR. 
 
 The last paragraph of "The Rivals" reads as 
 follows : " Reader, the story of * The Rivals ' is at 
 an end. If it meets with your favor, before long 
 another will follow it, recording the after history 
 of that remarkable man, whose whole life was 
 blackened by calumny and imbittered by perse 
 cution, and around whose grave still linger the 
 harpies whose presence is pollution and whose 
 touch is corruption."
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO PRESENT VOLUME v 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF HON. JERE. CLEMENS .... xiii 
 
 PREFACE TO " THE RIVALS " xvii 
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xxiii 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I AARON AND ABE i 
 
 II RAW RECRUITS 14 
 
 III THROUGH THE WILDS 31 
 
 IV A CRY FOR VENGEANCE . ; 46 
 
 V " MONASTERY BELLS " 60 
 
 VI THE LILIES OF FRANCE 71 
 
 VII LOST HOURS . 79 
 
 VIII IMPREGNABLE QUEBEC 92 
 
 IX A CONFLICT OF AUTHORITY 100 
 
 X A FAIR COMPANION . 105 
 
 XI AN OLD NEW YORK GARDEN 125 
 
 XII A BITTER QUARREL 142 
 
 XIII MARGARET MONCRIEFFE 157 
 
 XIV SYSTEMATIC VILLAINY 169 
 
 XV PRIDE IN THE DUST 187 
 
 XVI THE VICTORY AT PARAMUS 198 
 
 XVII THE MUTINY AT VALLEY FORGE 205 
 
 xxi
 
 xxii CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XVIII "STOP!" 213 
 
 XIX COWBOY AND SKINNER 223 
 
 XX A CHIVALROUS COURTSHIP 233 
 
 XXI THE BLOCKHOUSE 247 
 
 XXII A SECRET MISSION 255 
 
 XXIII "INDEPENDENCE" 278 
 
 XXIV THE YALE BOYS 296 
 
 XXV WITH WIFE AND CHILDREN 305 
 
 XXVI RICHMOND HILL 320 
 
 XXVII THEODOSIA'S LOVERS 329 
 
 XXVIII A THREE-CORNERED FIGHT 336 
 
 XXIX AN AMERICAN WARWICK 353 
 
 XXX A DEATH-BED CONFESSION 361 
 
 XXXI RICHARD OF DENMARK 379 
 
 XXXII THE DEAD ALIVE 390
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 " He did not recognise me, and I am glad of it." 
 
 FRONTISPIECE. 
 
 PAGE 
 " The war has begun," he cried, in a husky voice . n 
 
 Then on they marched ; the old clergyman clasping 
 
 the Bible in his hand . . , . .25 
 
 Sinking upon his knees, holding the weapon high 
 
 above his head, he swore to wreak vengeance . 59 
 
 " Draw your sword, young soldier, and I will bless it 
 
 and your holy mission " . ... .69 
 
 " Come back here, or I'll have you shot for disobedi 
 ence of orders !" . . . . , 101 
 
 " Are you trying to escape from the enemy ? " asked 
 
 Burr . ; . . ..'. .. 16: 
 
 General Washington arose to his feet, rolled up the 
 
 parchment and passed it to Lieut.-Colonel Burr 197 
 
 "Step back into line, sir ! " cried Burr . . .212 
 
 "To-morrow you shall be appointed a sergeant in 
 
 this company of artillery " . . .220 
 
 Jenkins . . . taking a seat, entered into friendly 
 
 chat with his guest . . . . . .271 
 
 The two young girls twined their arms about each 
 
 other and walked towards the river " . . 352
 
 "LITTLE BURR" 
 
 THE WARWICK OF AMERICA 
 
 A Tale of the Old Revolutionary Days 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 AARON AND ABE 
 
 '"PHE sun was setting, as it had done thousands 
 of times before, at the close of a beautiful day 
 in June; the time, 1775; the place, the town of 
 Litchfield, Connecticut. 
 
 The month was the one most fragrant with 
 the perfume of flowers, which scented the balmy 
 breeze; the time, one pregnant with the possibili 
 ties of great events in the life of the nation ; the 
 town, an old one, since hallowed by historical 
 associations. 
 
 The Scriptures fix the allotted life of man at 
 three-score and ten years; by many, perhaps the 
 majority of human beings, it is considered too 
 short, and they yearn for the days of Methuselah. 
 
 Think of the possibilities contained within a 
 single year ! Born amid the snowstorms and 
 tempestuous weather of January, it sturdily with 
 stands their recurrence in February and March; 
 its passes its days of childhood in April and May; 
 June sees it in its youthful prime, when its phys 
 ical beauties are at their height; it arrives at a 
 noble and lusty manhood in July and August; 
 the fruition of its life is shown in September, and
 
 2 LITTLE BURR 
 
 is garnered in October; in November it experi 
 ences a premonition of its ultimate doom, for it 
 loses strength and ambition, and the storms which 
 blow upon it are met with but feeble resistance ; 
 in December it yields to the scythe of old Father 
 Time, who has mowed down the thousands of 
 years before it. Hardly has it expired, before its 
 successor, the new-born year, is warmly welcomed. 
 Seventy of these periods of birth, and growth, and 
 beauty, and fruition, and logical and natural death 
 are allotted to us! How can any one think that 
 the time is short? It is not the number of years 
 that we live, but what we do in those years, which 
 gives us a name and fame here, and will stand to 
 our credit in the hereafter. 
 
 The year 1775 was destined to become the 
 Year of Years; into it were to be crowded so 
 many important events, it is no wonder that many 
 which had preceded it shrank back, ashamed of 
 their own small doings. During that year the 
 fire which had been ignited in the breasts of an 
 indignant people by the oppressions instigated 
 and enforced by an unjust government was to be 
 fanned into a flame which all the wealth of Eng 
 land and the combined strength of its army and 
 navy would be powerless to quench ! 
 
 Such times as these thrill men's souls; they 
 develop the noblest traits the better parts of 
 man ; they lead to great exploits and deeds of dar 
 ing bravery; they develop the latent faith and 
 trust in God, for no civilized nation ever went 
 into a war without invoking the aid of the Divine 
 Power; they bring out the sympathy, sublime
 
 AARON AND ABE 3 
 
 faithfulness, and patient heroism of loving women, 
 who, obliged to wait at home while their fathers, 
 husbands, brothers, and sons are on the battlefield, 
 sit in silence, with hope and prayer in their hearts. 
 It is of such times and of such men and women, 
 that this romance tells. 
 
 None of the houses in old Litchfield were 
 pretentious; all, however, were commodious and 
 comfortable. In the porch of one of them sat a 
 young man and woman, evidently man and wife. 
 Both were young the woman, apparently about 
 twenty-one, the man, a few years her senior. 
 
 The community was rural and nearly every 
 one of the residents was engaged in farming as 
 a means of procuring a livelihood; but Tappan 
 Reeve, who sat in the porch that pleasant summer 
 evening with his wife, Sarah, was not a farmer in 
 the full acceptation of the word. To be sure, he 
 owned a farm, but the seeds were sown, the grass 
 mowed, and the crops gathered by hired help. 
 
 He was, by profession, a lawyer, and plenty of 
 business had come to his hands ; for in those days, 
 although the greater part of the spare time of both 
 men and women was given to the discussion of 
 religious matters, a certain portion was occupied 
 for the settlement of personal disputes. 
 
 Connecticut, by the demands of political and, 
 as it may be termed, religious law, had won the 
 title of "The Land of Steady Habits." These 
 laws were so severe in every particular and were 
 so rigorously enforced, that many good men and 
 women, as well as those who sinned intentionally, 
 came under the ban and were haled before the
 
 4 LITTLE BURR 
 
 judge for examination and sentence. This con 
 dition of affairs supplied many opportunities for 
 the lawyer to offer his professional services. 
 
 Lawyer Reeve had just finished reading 
 aloud from a book. It was a volume of sermons 
 preached by the Rev. Jonathan Edwards in years 
 gone by. Those sermons had a peculiar interest 
 for Sarah Reeve, for they had fallen from the in 
 spired lips of her grandfather. She had read 
 them over and over again, but they seemed to 
 gather new force and power when read by her 
 husband, whose tones were firm and sonorous. 
 
 She could not remember her grandfather, for 
 he had died when she was very young ; so, too, had 
 died both her father and mother the latter, the 
 loveliest, so they all had told her, of her grand 
 father's daughters. In an old chest, upstairs, was 
 a sacred heirloom: it was a brocaded silk dress 
 that her mother had worn. She had determined 
 many times to have it cut over and made to fit 
 herself, but when the deed became imminent it 
 seemed sacrilegious, and was abandoned, tempo 
 rarily, at least. 
 
 " Your grandfather was a great theologian, 
 Sarah," remarked Mr. Reeve. 
 
 " Yes, and they tell me," his wife replied, " that, 
 although grandmother Edwards did not preach, 
 yet she was inspired to even a higher degree than 
 was grandfather. I have also been told that when 
 in this state of religious beatitude, it seemed to her 
 hearers as though she were lifted from earth. I 
 remember when I was last at Stockbridge, that an 
 old lady who had known her said to me, that it
 
 AARON AND ABE 5 
 
 seemed as though the angels from Heaven had 
 laid hands upon her and were striving to take her 
 away with them, but she loved her husband and 
 her family of ten children and resisted their 
 appeals." 
 
 " It has always seemed strange to me," said 
 Mr. Reeve, " that your brother didn't elect to be 
 come a preacher, as had his grandfather and 
 father." 
 
 " He would have," Mrs. Reeve quickly replied, 
 "had not the hand of death taken both our par 
 ents away when we were so young. If they had 
 lived and could have attended to Aaron's educa 
 tion, I have no doubt he would have followed in 
 the holy footsteps of his ancestors; but, you know, 
 grandfather, and father, and mother, all died within 
 the period of a year and a half, and we two little 
 orphan children were sent to live with Uncle 
 Timothy." 
 
 Mr. Reeve laughed, quietly. "Yes, Aaron 
 has told me some of his experiences with Uncle 
 Timothy; I judge he had a hard creed, a hard 
 voice, and a hard hand." 
 
 " I didn't notice it so much," said his wife ; 
 " but you know Aaron is proud and high-spirited. 
 He would have listened patiently to reproof and 
 advice, but it stung him to the quick when he was 
 given a blow. I often feel afraid that it was those 
 blows given by Uncle Timothy which have driven 
 from his heart the love of God and reverence for 
 His teachings that he ought certainly to have 
 inherited." 
 
 Their interchange of thought was suddenly
 
 6 LITTLE BURR 
 
 interrupted and, in fact, brought to an abrupt close, 
 by the appearance at the doorway of the subject 
 of their conversation. The Aaron to whom they 
 had referred was a young man about nineteen 
 years of age, short in stature and slight in build; 
 he was graceful in motion and manner, handsome 
 in face and form. His cheeks were flushed with 
 the hue of health, while his dark eyes were both 
 brilliant and piercing. 
 
 " At your devotions, Sally? " he asked, play 
 fully, as he stepped between them, and then, turn 
 ing, faced his sister and brother-in-law. 
 
 " I'll wager," said she, " that you have not been 
 so well employed." 
 
 "And I'll wager," added his brother-in-law, 
 " that you have not looked at your law books to 
 day. Like Mr. Bellamy, who deemed you incor 
 rigible as a theological student, I am afraid I shall 
 be obliged to come to the same opinion concern 
 ing your law studies." 
 
 "You are both right," said the young man; 
 " I have been reading all day and now feel the 
 need of some physical exercise; but I assure you, 
 upon my honor, that I have not given a minute of 
 the day to either theology or law." 
 
 " If you have not been looking out for the 
 future of your immortal soul, or learning the pro 
 fession which is to supply you with a livelihood in 
 the future, what have you been doing ? " asked his 
 sister, in a somewhat severe tone of voice, while 
 she looked earnestly into her brother's face. 
 
 " I have been studying the science of war," he 
 replied, proudly. As he spoke he drew himself up
 
 AARON AND ABE 7 
 
 to his full stature, and probably, at the moment, 
 imagined himself attired in a soldier's uniform, 
 with either a musket upon his shoulder or a sword 
 in his hand. 
 
 " There are men enough, older than you, to 
 do the fighting when the time comes," remarked 
 his brother-in-law. 
 
 "No man is too young who can shoulder a 
 musket or wield a sword," was the reply. Then 
 the young man added : " I am sure I can do 
 both." 
 
 " Let us hope," said his sister, " that the differ 
 ences between the Colonies and England will be 
 satisfactorily adjusted, and our men and women 
 left free once more, to till the soil, weave and spin, 
 and love and serve God." 
 
 " That will never be," said the young man, bit 
 terly ; " the king and his ministers have gone too 
 far. They have invaded our most sacred rights 
 as men; they have insulted our most cherished 
 feelings of personal liberty; they have been deaf 
 to the advice of their own people and the remon 
 strances of ours; they have dug a deep pit, into 
 which they must ultimately fall. As for myself, I 
 am ready to help put them into it." 
 
 Feeling, doubtless, that if he said more upon 
 the subject he might grieve his sister, whom 
 he dearly loved, he turned quickly, and going 
 through the garden, which was redolent with the 
 perfume of old-time flowers and herbs, soon 
 reached the road and walked in the direction of 
 the most thickly settled part of the town, com 
 monly referred to as the " village."
 
 8 LITTLE BURR 
 
 As he rounded a bend in the road, he came 
 suddenly upon a sturdy, heavily-built country 
 youth, who was seated upon a stone wall, holding 
 in his hand a stout oaken stick, which he waved 
 lazily to and fro. 
 
 Young Aaron's clothes were of fine material, 
 well cut and made, and fitted him to perfection. 
 Those of the country youth were of coarse mate 
 rial, slouchy and baggy in appearance, and had 
 evidently experienced a season, or many seasons, 
 of long and arduous wear. His hair was light 
 and curly. A smile broke over his good-natured 
 face as Aaron approached him, and the look of 
 honest welcome in his bright blue eyes showed 
 that their difference in social station, so far as 
 they were concerned, at least, was no bar to their 
 mutual friendship. 
 
 " Hello, Aaron ! " cried the young countryman, 
 as he leaped from the wall and extended a hand, 
 which was warmly grasped by the other; "I've 
 been wonderin' whether you was goin' down town 
 to-night; thought I'd wait for you awhile, any 
 way." 
 
 " I am glad you did," said Aaron. " I am 
 always glad to see you. You know that, Abe." 
 
 Abe, or Abiel Budlong, for that was his full 
 name, blushed, as a young girl might have done, 
 when he heard these words; but his blush was 
 due to the pleasure which the words gave him, 
 and not to any feeling of bashfulness, as might 
 have been the case with a demure and discreet 
 young maiden. 
 
 To many inhabitants of Litchfield, the strong
 
 AARON AND ABE 
 
 friendship existing between Aaron and Abe 
 seemed somewhat strange, considering the cir 
 cumstances. Aaron sprang from an ancestry 
 noted for its advanced education, high social 
 refinement, and, considering the possessions of 
 others, great wealth. 
 
 Abe was a son of the soil. His parents and 
 grandparents had been farmers and had derived a 
 meagre living from the somewhat reluctant soil. 
 They had possessed no aspirations for greater 
 fame and fortune than fall to the honest farmer, 
 and consequently Abe had inherited no such aspi 
 rations. His life had not tended to make him 
 dissatisfied with his lot or lead him to yearn for a 
 wider and possibly nobler future. In one respect 
 only had he departed from the traditions of the 
 past. His people had been satisfied with the 
 company of the boys and girls, the youth of both 
 sexes, and the men and women of their own 
 station in life; but since Abe had become 
 acquainted with Aaron, he had dropped nearly all 
 of his old country associates and associations, and 
 looked forward, during his day of toil, to the even 
 ing, when he should be able to meet his friend 
 Aaron, and walk and talk with him. 
 
 Like the positive and negative poles of the 
 magnet, these opposite ends were drawn together. 
 The honest nature, smiling face, and ever-willing 
 service of Abe attracted Aaron, while Aaron's 
 gentle manner, choice language, and unvarying 
 courtesy in which there was never any sem 
 blance of the superior talking to an inferior 
 won over and fascinated Abe. If anything was
 
 10 LITTLE BURR 
 
 said against Aaron by any one in the village, Abe 
 became at once a stout defender. 
 
 One evening the loungers about the general 
 store in the village had been talking politics, 
 when a chance remark turned the conversation to 
 the subject of education. One of the loungers 
 said: 
 
 " I s'pose Tappan Reeve's brother-in-law thinks 
 he has the best eddication of anybody in Litch- 
 field, not exceptin' the parson." 
 
 "You've no right," said Abe, "to say what 
 Aaron thinks; you can think what you think 
 yourself, and say it, but you've no business to say 
 what you think any other person thinks and try 
 and make 'em believe you're right. Now, I ain't 
 eddicated, but I've heerd enough to know that 
 eddication is a mighty good thing to have, and 
 'twould be a good deal better if more'n us had 
 more'n we've got." 
 
 The young man to whom these words had 
 been addressed, retorted, somewhat sharply: 
 
 "What do you know about eddication, any 
 way?" 
 
 " I know this," Abe replied, " that larnin', to 
 an eddicated man, is like a rifle in the hands of 
 a good soldier ; both on 'em hit the mark ev'ry 
 time." 
 
 "Are you goin' down to the village, Aaron?" 
 asked Abe, after the two young men had walked 
 along, side by side, a short distance. 
 
 "Not down to the store, if that is what you 
 mean," Aaron replied. " I prefer your company to 
 that of the lazy fellows who lounge about there.
 
 News of the Battle, of Bunker Hill. Aaron and Abe. 
 
 "The war has begun," he cried, in a husky voice. Page n.
 
 AARON AND ABE 11 
 
 We will turn to the left and come back into the 
 main road beyond the store, if you are willing. I 
 have been reading books on the science of war all 
 day long, and I will tell you a few things that I 
 have learned, if you would like to hear them." 
 
 " I s'pose that fightin' has rules, as well as any 
 other business ? " remarked Abe. " From what 
 folks say, an' what we read in the papers, we are 
 likely to have some trouble with the redcoats afore 
 long. If we larn how to fight 'em, it might be of 
 some sarvice to us sooner'n we think." 
 
 " It is for such an exigency that I am getting 
 ready," said Aaron, sententiously. 
 
 They walked on, Aaron talking, and Abe 
 listening with evident interest, until they once 
 more reached the main road beyond the village 
 store. Still they walked on, Aaron intent upon 
 devising plans for the proper attacking of the 
 enemy's breastworks, when their attention was 
 attracted by the sound of hoofs. 
 
 " Somebody must be in a mighty hurry," said 
 Abe. 
 
 Somebody was in a hurry, for the horseman 
 who soon came into sight was covered with dust 
 and the foam was dripping from the mouth of his 
 steed, which had evidently been urged forward at 
 his utmost speed and had now nearly reached the 
 limit of his endurance. The rider drew rein sud 
 denly, as he reached the young men. 
 
 " The war has begun ! " he cried in a husky 
 voice. " There has been a fight near Boston ; our 
 men built a fort on Bunker's Hill and the British 
 came over to take it. They were driven back,
 
 12 LITTLE BURR 
 
 time after time, and thousands of them killed and 
 wounded." 
 
 "And our loss? " cried Aaron, in a sharp, nerv 
 ous tone. 
 
 "We lost pretty heavy, too. Gin'ral Warren 
 was killed, and lots of our best men ; the British 
 called it a drawn battle, but our gin'rals say we 
 got the best of it. I can't stop any longer," he 
 cried, " I'm goin' to git another horse and keep on 
 and spread the news." He put spurs to his horse 
 and was off to the village to carry the tidings to 
 the loungers at the store. 
 
 The two young men walked along for some 
 distance, but neither of them spoke. Finally, 
 Abe said : 
 
 " I guess both on us are thinkin' the same 
 thing and sayin' nothin'." 
 
 "The time for talking is past," said Aaron. 
 "Now is the time for action. There is but one 
 thing to be done, and that must be done. All 
 those who love their country must go to Boston at 
 once and join the patriot forces." 
 
 "I'm with yer!" cried Abe. "What time 
 will you be up to-morrow mornin', Aaron ? " 
 
 " By four o'clock," was the reply. 
 
 " I'll be sure," said Abe. " I'll bring little 
 Jimmy Latham, who knows how to drum. I kin 
 blow the fife some myself." Then he laughed 
 loudly. " I kin see us now," said he ; " Aaron 
 Burr that's you walkin' ahead to enlist re 
 cruits, while Jimmy and I come behind with a 
 drum and fife ter wake up the sleepy folks and tell 
 'em it's time for 'em ter grab their muskets an' 
 powder horns an' go to jine Gin'ral Washin'ton."
 
 AARON AND ABE 13 
 
 The two young men faced each other and 
 clasped hands ; then and there was formed a tie of 
 friendship which was to remain unbroken through 
 the years of peril and privation and suffering that 
 were to follow.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 RAW RECRUITS 
 
 QOCK-A-DOODLE-DOO! The cock-a-doo 
 dle-doo given as a sonorous chant by the 
 bright-plumaged sovereign of the henyard at the 
 rear of the Reeve homestead, was not necessary to 
 awaken Aaron the morning after the receipt of the 
 news of the battle of Bunker's Hill. 
 
 When the first faint streaks of morning light 
 showed themselves in the East, he jumped from 
 his bed, and quickly dressing, seated himself at the 
 table upon which were arranged his collection of 
 law and military books. 
 
 He was as familiar with the heroic deeds of 
 Leonidas, Xerxes, and the great Cyrus, as with 
 the letters of the alphabet. The campaigns of 
 Hannibal, Julius Caesar, and Alexander the Great 
 were no deeper mysteries to him than were the 
 simplest propositions in Euclid. 
 
 So deeply was young Burr immersed in the 
 review of his military studies, that his sister Sarah, 
 after calling him several times in vain, ascended 
 the stairs and opening the door of his room, said, 
 rather sharply : 
 
 "Can't you leave your books long enough, 
 Aaron, to come to breakfast ? " 
 
 " Why certainly, Sally," cried he, springing to 
 his feet and chasing away from her face the slight
 
 RAW RECRUITS 15 
 
 signs of vexation which had showed there, by giv 
 ing her a brotherly embrace and a good-morning 
 kiss. 
 
 " Excuse me, my dear, good sister, but you 
 have heard the great news from Boston ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Sarah ; " Tappan has been talking 
 with some of our neighbors and they told him 
 about the battle." 
 
 " I learned of it last evening, but you were 
 both abed when I got home and I thought the 
 good news would keep until morning." The 
 words, " good news " fell from his lips as he and his 
 sister reached the foot of the stairs and entered 
 the kitchen, where they found Mr. Reeve already 
 seated at the breakfast table. 
 
 " What do you mean by good news ? " asked he. 
 " Do you refer to that bloody affair at Charles- 
 town? I do not call it good news. The result 
 will be to make it so much harder on our part to 
 secure concessions from the Crown, and to pacify 
 the Colonies." 
 
 " There will be no concessions asked for from 
 the Crown," said young Burr, as he seated himself 
 at the table. " Neither will the Colonies allow 
 themselves to be pacified. This is to be war to 
 the bitter end." 
 
 " Yes," said Mr. Reeve, " and God only knows 
 how bitter it will be for all of us friend against 
 friend, brother against brother and for what ? " 
 
 " For what ? " cried Aaron. " For the noblest 
 of all purposes to show that the personal rights 
 of man are a divine gift, and not a begrudged 
 gift from an earthly ruler."
 
 16 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " No doubt you feel what you say, Aaron," said 
 Mr. Reeve, " but we cannot settle the coming con 
 test at the breakfast table, at least not on an 
 empty stomach ; so I will implore the divine bless 
 ing upon our distracted country. We will eat, in 
 order that we may properly perform the duties of 
 the day." 
 
 Sarah had not spoken during the conversation 
 between her husband and brother, but had gazed 
 fixedly at the face of the latter. His cheeks were 
 flushed and there was a light in his always lumi 
 nous eyes different from any she had ever seen 
 there before. What did it portend ? Did he 
 mean to go to the war ? She knew him too well 
 to ask the question directly. No, she would wait. 
 Whatever project he might be considering would 
 surely come to a head by another day, when he 
 would speak of it of his own accord. 
 
 Aaron ate but little. His ear had caught a 
 sound which had escaped the attention of the 
 others, who were more intent upon enjoying their 
 morning meal. Young Burr looked at the clock. 
 It was the hour of four. June is a month in which 
 the grass must be mown and the hay-lofts filled. 
 Mr. Reeve had engaged several farm hands to 
 help him, and this day's work was to close up the 
 season. 
 
 The sounds which had attracted Aaron's atten 
 tion were the piercing notes of a fife and the tap, 
 tap, tap of a drum. Abe Budlong and little Jimmy 
 Latham were on time, to the minute. Aaron 
 sprang to his feet, and saying, " I shall not be home 
 to dinner," ran from the room and sped quickly
 
 RAW RECRUITS 17 
 
 towards the point from which came the martial 
 sounds. 
 
 " ' There shall be wars and rumors of wars,' " said 
 Mr. Reeve. 
 
 " Yes," fell from his wife's lips. Then she 
 added : " And many a home shall lose its first-born 
 and its pride." 
 
 When Aaron reached the road, he found Abe 
 and Jimmy waiting for him, as he had expected. 
 " We're on time," said Abe ; " I had hard work to 
 rout Jimmy out of bed, and besides, I had to stop 
 and help him feed the pigs. Old Job Latham is 
 sound at heart and when I told him what we wanted 
 Jimmy for, he said he might go and drum for us 
 all day if we needed him. So, Sergeant Burr, your 
 army is waitin' for your orders." 
 
 Burr could not help smiling at Abe's gran 
 diloquent reference to the assembled host. " Come 
 along, then," said he, "and make all the noise you 
 can." 
 
 The nucleus of Old Litchfield's war quota 
 marched on over the dusty road. As they ad 
 vanced, the sharp notes of the fife and the roll of 
 the drum caused the doors to be opened, from 
 which eager faces looked out. Windows were 
 thrown up, and women and children surveyed 
 the little company with wondering eyes. At 
 intervals, young Burr called out in a loud tone of 
 voice : 
 
 " The war has begun ! Shoulder your muskets 
 and fight for your native land." 
 
 Burr and his companions soon reached the 
 village smithy. Abraham Starkweather was up
 
 18 LITTLE BURR 
 
 betimes, as were also his son Jonathan and his 
 hired man Solomon Priestly. Abraham had 
 donned his leathern apron ; Jonathan had started 
 the fire in the forge, while Solomon was gathering 
 the pieces of iron which were to be subjected to 
 its intense heat. The anvil had not yet begun to 
 ring with Abraham's sturdy blows and for that 
 reason he heard the sound of the fife and drum 
 and stepped to the door of the smithy, as Burr and 
 his musicians approached it. 
 
 "Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Abraham; his fat, 
 round sides shook, as did also his fat, round 
 cheeks. " Oho ! my boys," he cried, with a tone 
 almost as loud as a bellow from Markham's bull. 
 "So our young soldier is off to the war! Well, it 
 was a good idea, Aaron, to enlist your band first, 
 for sojerin' is poor work without good music. I 
 had my fill of fighting Injuns when I was about 
 your age." 
 
 " Then you're just the man we want now," said 
 young Burr. " We need all the men who know 
 how to fight, not only to help do the fighting, but 
 to show our raw recruits what they should do." 
 
 "You must be joking," said Abraham. He 
 laughed again, but this time not so loudly nor so 
 long. 
 
 " I am not joking, good Mr. Starkweather," 
 said Aaron. " We have borne and forborne ; we 
 have couched requests in polite language, and 
 they have been refused; we have demanded our 
 rights, and we have been laughed at; blood has 
 flowed at Bunker's Hill and the flow will never 
 stop until this country is free to choose its own 
 rulers."
 
 RAW RECRUITS 19 
 
 " Well spoken, lad ! " cried Abraham. " If I 
 were a young man, you would not have to ask me 
 twice to follow you." 
 
 "Well," said his son Jonathan, stepping for 
 ward, " I'm a young man and Aaron won't have to 
 ask me but once. May I go, father?" and the 
 son looked up into the old man's face with an 
 expression full of eager inquiry. - 
 
 A shade fell across the face of Abraham Stark 
 weather. He was a widower; his wife had been 
 dead for three years. He had not married again, 
 nor even thought of it, but had engaged the 
 Widow Whittaker to look after his household. 
 He knew that the widow, in the language of the 
 day, was "settin' her cap for him." Quick as 
 lightning the thought ran through his mind that, 
 if Jonathan went to the war, he would be left at 
 the widow's mercy. As this idea occurred to him, 
 he broke into a loud roar of laughter, which, under 
 the circumstances, was understood neither by 
 Aaron nor by Jonathan. Suddenly the father 
 turned to his son and said: - 
 
 "Yes, Jonathan, you may go to the war; but 
 there is a condition tacked onto it, which is" he 
 stopped, and none of his hearers could divine 
 what his next words were to be. " The condition 
 is," he continued, speaking very slowly, " that I go 
 with you." 
 
 " I knew," cried Burr, " that you were a good 
 man and true." 
 
 Abe Budlong patted little Jimmy Latham on 
 the back and then whispered in his ear: 
 
 "We've two recruits, Jimmy, and it was the 
 fife and drum that did it."
 
 20 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " I suppose, Mr. Starkweather," said Solomon 
 Priestly, " that if you both go to war, I shall have 
 to stay at home and run the smithy." 
 
 Abe Budlong, who, up to this time, had felt 
 that military decorum required that he should 
 keep silent while Sergeant Burr did the talking, 
 could not restrain himself upon hearing these 
 words. "You've a mighty good opinion of yer- 
 self," said he, addressing Solomon, " to think that 
 you can carry on the business alone. I s'pose you'll 
 get the Widder Whittaker to come out and do the 
 poundin', while you hold the tongs, for I don't 
 think you're up to any part of the business but 
 that." 
 
 "That's right!" cried Abraham. "Give it to 
 him, Abe! I never knew why he was named 
 Solomon before, but I see now that it is because 
 he is wiser than his generation." 
 
 " Solomon is only joking," said Burr. " He 
 means to come with us." 
 
 " No I don't ! " was the reply. " I'm not afraid 
 to fight and I'm not afraid to speak my mind. 
 If you want to know it, I'm a king's man and I 
 don't propose to put my neck into a halter by 
 taking up arms against the lawful government of 
 this country." 
 
 " Well, if them's your opinions," cried Abraham 
 Starkweather, "you can not only take up your 
 arms, but you can pack up your duds and find 
 another job as quick as you can. No more of my 
 money shall go into a king's man's pocket. Rake 
 out the fire, Jonathan." 
 
 The young man sprang with alacrity to do as
 
 RAW RECRUITS 21 
 
 he was bidden, and the old man took off his leath 
 ern apron and threw it on the anvil. " Perhaps 
 that'll rot before I get back," he said, "but if it 
 does, I'll tan some Britisher's hide and make 
 another one." Evidently, the war feeling and the 
 bitterness which it engenders were rising fast in 
 the old man's heart. 
 
 " I'll go and get the muskets, Jonathan, while 
 you lock up the smithy. The only way that we 
 can show our neighbors that we mean what we 
 say, is to shoulder our muskets and join Captain 
 Burr's army." 
 
 Five minutes later, the little company, now 
 numbering five, disappeared from sight at a turn 
 in the road. Solomon Priestley watched them 
 while they were visible and then entered the 
 house to tell the Widow Whittaker that he had 
 lost his job and that she, too, would soon find 
 herself out of a place. 
 
 Once more the shrill tones of Abe Budlong's 
 fife cut the air and little Jimmy Latham gave a 
 longer and louder roll upon the drum. The cob 
 bler shop was the next point of attack. Obed Arm- 
 itage, the village shoemaker, came to the door, 
 holding his hand over his eyes to screen them from 
 the light of the sun, the rays of which caused his 
 bald head to shine like a looking-glass. 
 
 "What's up," he cried, "that ye're out makin' 
 sech a caterwaulin' noise so airly in the mornin'? " 
 
 It took Burr but a short time to tell the old 
 story over again. " You must come along, Obed," 
 he said. " We shall want some shoes, and we 
 know that there is not a better man in America to 
 make them than you."
 
 22 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " Ef I didn't know," said the cobbler, "that you 
 wuz a Jersey man, I should think ye came from 
 Ireland, ye're so full of blarney." 
 
 Then Abe spoke: "Well, yer know, Obed, 
 that your mother came from Ireland, and that's the 
 reason yer know good blarney when yer hear it." 
 
 " Are ye both goin' ? " asked Obed, turning to 
 Starkweather and his son. 
 
 " You're right, we are ! " said Jonathan. 
 
 " Well, I'm wid ye ! " cried Obed, and going to 
 a closet he brought out an old musket and powder- 
 horn, and to the music of the fife and drum the 
 rapidly increasing army marched on. But half an 
 hour had passed away and its numbers were 
 already doubled. 
 
 By this time they had reached what was known 
 as the " village," and only a few hundred feet far 
 ther on was the general store. It was too early 
 for the morning loungers to congregate, but the 
 keeper of the store, when he heard the martial 
 strains, stepped to the door to view the oncoming 
 army. 
 
 " Here'll be a job for you, Johnson," said he, 
 turning to the village tailor, who had come to the 
 store to buy some thread and needles. " Young 
 Burr is going to war, and the Litchfield boys will 
 have to have some uniforms." 
 
 " Hello, Johnson ! " cried Abraham Stark 
 weather, as he espied the village tailor. " You're 
 just the man we want. Long marches and hard 
 fighting will soon wear out our clothes and we 
 shall need a tailor more'n a doctor." 
 
 " Where be ye bound ? " asked Johnson, as he 
 advanced and stood next to Abraham.
 
 RAW RECRUITS 23 
 
 "We're going to Boston," was the reply, "to 
 give Gen'ral Washington what little help we can. 
 I've heard you talk war and what you'd do to the 
 Britishers, if you had the chance, Tim Johnson, 
 for the past two years; and now is the time for 
 you to make your words good. If you'll allow me, 
 Captain Burr, I'll go back to Johnson's shop with 
 him, so that he can get his gun. He's said too 
 much to go back on it now." 
 
 " I'm not goin' back on it," said Johnson ; " I 
 know I said that if there was another man in 
 Litchfield that would fight the Britishers, there'd 
 be two of us, and I'll make my word good." 
 
 With a new recruit, the augmented army 
 marched to new conquests. As they neared the 
 parsonage, Abraham said : 
 
 " You'd better let me go in and talk to Parson 
 Morrison; you see, I'm a deacon in his church, 
 and what I say will have more weight with him 
 than if one of you onbelievers went in ; " and he 
 laughed loudly at his own wit. He spoke the 
 truth, however, for he was the only church-going 
 man so far enlisted in the company. 
 
 Parson David Morrison was a man of about fifty, 
 but he looked to be much older. His hair was 
 white and his face deeply furrowed with wrinkles, 
 those unmistakable signs, not, necessarily, of ad 
 vanced years, but of the accumulation of sorrows 
 and troubles, which age a man faster than time 
 alone can do the work. 
 
 " What means this martial array ? " asked Par 
 son Morrison, as Abraham Starkweather strode 
 up to the table at which the clergyman sat writing,
 
 24 LITTLE BURR 
 
 and brought down his musket with a loud thump 
 upon the floor. 
 
 " It means, Parson," cried Abraham, " that the 
 Day of Judgment has come. I don't mean the 
 day when God will judge the world, but the day 
 on which the patriots have decided that we love 
 our country more than we do our king, and we 
 propose to seize the country and throw the king 
 overboard." 
 
 " I have hoped," cried the clergyman, rising to 
 his feet, while the gleam in his eye showed that he 
 was electrified by the defiant words just spoken, 
 " I have hoped," he repeated, " that this day would 
 come and come soon ; no man can serve his God 
 well who is the slave of an earthly monarch. The 
 sinner crushed down by the demands of the Devil 
 is not in so bad a condition as the people of this 
 land ; but we will never submit, cravenly, to the 
 oppression of our British rulers." 
 
 " It does my heart good to hear you talk," cried 
 Abraham. " If you'll come with us, you'll gain for 
 us a dozen recruits before the sun goes down." 
 
 " Come with you ? " cried the parson. " Even as 
 the disciple said to our Lord, say I I will leave 
 all and follow thee." He grasped the Bible, which 
 lay upon the table, with one hand and his hickory 
 cane with the other. "This is my weapon! " said 
 he, holding the Bible aloft. " I shall carry neither 
 gun nor sword; when those weapons have done 
 their work, I will kneel by the dying with this 
 book in my hand, and pray that God may take the 
 souls of all brave men who die for their country to 
 Himself in Heaven." Filled with enthusiasm, the
 
 The Raw Recruits. The Parson leading. 
 
 '- Then on they marched; the old clergyman clasping the Bible in his hand. 
 
 Page 25.
 
 RAW RECRUITS 25 
 
 old parson strode forth from the room, followed by 
 Abraham. 
 
 " He's coming with us," the latter cried, as they 
 reached the road, and the little army gave three 
 loud cheers for the parson militant. Then on 
 they marched ; the old clergyman clasping the 
 Bible tightly in his hand, while the cool morning 
 breeze played gently with the long white hair 
 which hung down over his shoulders. 
 
 " Shall we stop at Seth Calkins's ? " whispered 
 Abe to Aaron. " You know Mary, his wife, has 
 no one to depend upon but him, and then there's 
 little Phoebe, only six years old." 
 
 " We don't say that they must go to war," was 
 Aaron's reply ; " it is for them to say whether they 
 will go." 
 
 As they approached the house, Aaron espied 
 pretty Mrs. Calkins milking a cow. " You stay 
 here, boys," he cried. " I'll go and have a little 
 talk with Mistress Calkins." 
 
 "What sort of a celebration is this, Master 
 Burr ? " was her inquiry, as he approached her. 
 
 "The time for celebration has not yet come, 
 Mistress Calkins. When we whip the British and 
 have driven them from the land, then we will have 
 a celebration such as no country has ever thought 
 of before. When the time comes, we shall ring 
 bells and fire cannons. The flag of our country, 
 which will be the symbol of liberty, will float from 
 every flag-pole, and the day will be one of feasting 
 and rejoicing for centuries to come." 
 
 " You seem to be both a soldier and a prophet," 
 said Mistress Calkins. " I heard about the battle
 
 26 LITTLE BURR 
 
 last night ; Joseph was down to the store when the 
 messenger galloped up. He says he is going, and 
 I have only one regret I wish that I could go 
 with him." 
 
 " How will you manage," asked Aaron, " to get 
 along, if you are left alone with little Phoebe ? " 
 
 " If my husband " and the young wife's face 
 flushed with pride " is brave enough to take his 
 musket and go to fight our foes, I am sure his wife 
 is brave enough to stay at home, where she is free 
 from all danger." 
 
 " Bravely spoken, Mistress Calkins ! " cried 
 Parson Morrison, who had come up, unobserved, 
 behind Aaron, and had overheard her last words. 
 
 " Our old men and our young men shall go 
 forth to fight," said the parson, and for the time 
 he seemed to think that he was in his pulpit, 
 preaching to his congregation. " The old women 
 and the young women shall stay at home. To 
 them is given the sacred and the holy duty to look 
 out for the home, and to keep it, until the father, 
 or the husband, or the son returns as a victor, or is 
 brought home dead upon his shield." 
 
 The clergyman's words, delivered in an impas 
 sioned and loud tone of voice, were heard by the 
 remainder of the company, and impelled by an in 
 terest and curiosity they could not restrain, they 
 came forward and, standing with bared heads, lis 
 tened to him. 
 
 " If this land is to be made free, and I believe it 
 is God's will that it should be," the old man went 
 on, "the battles will be fought not only by the 
 men in the field, but by the women at home.
 
 RAW RECRUITS 27 
 
 They will have to do as much of the hard work as 
 they can, and leave the rest undone. Neither the 
 law nor God expects any one to perform impossi 
 bilities. It will be their sacred duty to look after 
 the old folks and nurse the sick; they will have to 
 make clothing for the use of the army, and pick 
 lint and make bandages to bind up the wounds of 
 those who fall by the way." 
 
 He stopped, clasped his white, withered hands, 
 closed his eyes, and seemed to be engaged in silent 
 prayer. All stood with bowed heads and waited 
 for his next words. 
 
 " Where is your husband, Mistress Calkins ? " 
 he asked. 
 
 "He has gone to old man Latham's, little Jim 
 my's grandfather; you know he is too old to fight, 
 but Joseph says he has a fine musket, which, no 
 doubt, he will sell, and he has gone over to buy it. 
 If you don't meet him, I can tell him which way 
 you have gone, and it will not take him long to 
 catch up with you." 
 
 " It is such mothers as you, Mistress Calkins," 
 cried the preacher, " who give birth to brave sons." 
 
 " I have no sons," said she, " but, good Pastor 
 Morrison, if the worst comes that is, I mean, if 
 Joseph falls if they will let me, I will shoulder his 
 gun and take his place." This brave speech from 
 a heroic woman, who was but a type of the tens 
 of thousands like herself, who lived in the old 
 revolutionary days, was greeted with loud huzzas. 
 
 Aaron Burr did not return home to dinner 
 that day, nor did he sit down to the evening meal. 
 The dishes were washed and put away when he 
 entered the house, travel-stained and weary.
 
 28 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " Where have you been, Aaron ? " asked his 
 sister, as she ran forward and threw her arms about 
 his neck. Then she kissed him impulsively. He 
 loved his sister devotedly, and drawing her head 
 down to his shoulder, he kissed her upon the fore 
 head. 
 
 " I have been busy all day, Sally, drumming up 
 raw recruits for the patriot army." 
 
 " And how have you succeeded ? " asked his 
 brother-in-law, who had entered the room and had 
 overheard his words. 
 
 " Counting Jimmy Latham, who is going as a 
 drummer boy, and myself," said young Burr, " we 
 number twenty-eight." 
 
 " What do you say, Aaron ? " cried his sister. 
 " You going to war ? I will not allow it 1 I will 
 send word at once to Uncle Timothy. Since 
 father and mother died he is our guardian, and 
 has taken the place of both our parents. I know 
 that he will forbid your doing so rash a thing." 
 
 " When our country is in peril, it has claims 
 upon us which are greater than those of father and 
 mother, sister and brother," said Aaron, proudly ; 
 and there was a look in his face which indicated 
 that any command from his guardian would meet 
 with a like response. 
 
 " But what becomes of your law studies ? " asked 
 his brother-in-law, somewhat petulantly. 
 
 " There are plenty left to interpret the old laws, 
 while we go to determine who shall have the right 
 to make the new laws for us," was the reply. " I 
 have eaten nothing since morning," he added, 
 "and have had nothing to drink but a glass of
 
 RAW RECRUITS 29 
 
 milk. I am almost famished. We shall gather at 
 the store to-morrow at six o'clock, and at seven we 
 shall start on our march to Boston." 
 
 There is no cry that appeals so strongly to the 
 good-hearted, good-tempered housewife, as that for 
 food and drink, and it took Sarah Reeve but a 
 short time to place upon the table a liberal supply 
 of both. Aaron was very abstemious as regarded 
 food, but as he had eaten nothing all day, his sister 
 looked on with something like an expression of 
 wonderment at the great increase in his appetite. 
 " You know, Sally," he said, with a laugh, " this 
 may be the last good meal that I shall have for 
 many a day. How I shall miss your cooking when 
 I have to live on stringy beef and butterless bread." 
 He might not have spoken with so much freedom, 
 if it had not been for the fact that his brother-in- 
 law had gone back into the sitting-room, and hav 
 ing snuffed a candle, had sat down to read the 
 report of a law case in which he was greatly inter 
 ested. 
 
 " I cannot keep you from going to war, Aaron," 
 said his sister, smiling through the tears which 
 filled her eyes, " but I give you my word I shall 
 write to Uncle Timothy to-night, and I have no 
 doubt that you will come back to Litchfield a 
 great deal quicker than you will go away." 
 
 Aaron arose, having finished his meal, and 
 turning to his sister, said: 
 
 "Write to him, by all means, Sally; tell him 
 just what I am going to do; tell him that my 
 country needs my services. It shall have them, 
 and, if God wills it, my life. And just say at the
 
 30 LITTLE BURR 
 
 end of your letter, good sister Sally, that if he 
 sends anybody to Boston to bring me back, that I 
 will have him shot down as quickly as I would if 
 he were a Britisher." With these parting words 
 of defiance, he took his candle from the mantel 
 piece, lighted it, and went upstairs to his own 
 room.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THROUGH THE WILDS 
 
 '"PHE march from Litchfield to Cambridge was 
 a long and tedious one. The little band of 
 patriots struggled manfully on, endeavoring to 
 cover as much ground each day as they could, for 
 they knew not when the next blow would be 
 struck by the British. Parson Morrison daily 
 admonished them that their little company, bat 
 tling for truth and right, was more than equal to a 
 hundred hirelings, fighting for their day's pay and 
 a glass of grog. 
 
 Abe Budlong's lips became swollen from their 
 almost constant application to the mouthpiece of 
 the fife, and little Jimmy Latham's arms ached 
 when night came, and he was no longer called 
 upon to mark time for the recruits. When, pos 
 sibly, they stopped over night in some town, after 
 supper Parson Morrison gathered a crowd about 
 him before the village store and painted in vivid 
 colors the duty of every man to throw down the 
 hammer, the saw, the shovel, and the hoe, and, in 
 stead of wielding these implements of honest 
 industry, take his musket or rifle and go forth to 
 fight the common enemy. 
 
 During these patriotic appeals, the old man ap 
 peared to be transfigured ; his voice, naturally 
 strong, seemed to gather additional volume and
 
 32 LITTLE BURR 
 
 resonance. He had been a close and earnest stu 
 dent of the Bible, and the stories of wars, as told 
 therein, came in the words of Holy Writ to his 
 lips. He pictured America as the Promised Land, 
 destined to afford a haven for the unhappy and 
 oppressed of all nations. 
 
 " It is our duty," he cried, "to rescue this fair 
 land from the hands of the King and his ministers, 
 who would enslave us and keep this great country 
 in a state of political debasement and industrial 
 tutelage. The King of England and his ministers 
 look upon the Colonies as if they were an orchard. 
 We, their minions, have prepared the soil, 
 planted the trees, driven away destructive birds 
 and insects and now the fruit of the orchard is 
 ready for picking. 'Now,' say the ministers, 
 'is the time for us to reap the advantage of all 
 this work done by our minions; they have no 
 representation in Parliament and cannot resist. 
 We will tax them. We will tax them so much 
 that, after we have collected our tithes, there will 
 remain only enough to give them an humble liv 
 ing, until it is time to prepare the orchard for 
 another year of plenty.' But I warn you, if you 
 give them their tithes once, you will be forced to 
 pay them forever ! Refuse to pay them ! Resist 
 as long as there is a man to fire a musket or wield 
 a sword ! " 
 
 In some places the parson's oratory fell upon 
 deaf ears, and few recruits were joined to their 
 number; but in other towns the effect of his 
 words was magnetic, and they literally obeyed his 
 command to throw down their tools and grasp 
 their weapons.
 
 THROUGH THE WILDS 33 
 
 When the little army reached Cambridge un 
 der Burr's command, for the position of leader had 
 been assumed by him and retained without objec 
 tion, the number of recruits had swelled from 
 twenty-eight to one hundred and thirty. 
 
 They presented a motley appearance when 
 they entered the camp at Cambridge, and Burr 
 reported their arrival to the commanding general. 
 They were without uniforms ; there was really 
 nothing to distinguish them from a body of private 
 citizens, except the presence of the rifle or musket, 
 bullet pouch, and powder horn. But, although the 
 uniform adds to the martial appearance of soldiers 
 and prevents friend from firing upon friend during 
 the progress of battle, it is, after all, the man be 
 hind the gun, and the spirit which animates him, 
 that wins the battle. 
 
 Burr had not expected to bring trained soldiers 
 with him to join the patriot army, but he had an 
 ticipated that when he arrived at Cambridge he 
 would find soldiers in uniform, either well drilled, 
 or giving all their available time to the study of 
 military tactics. In this he was grievously disap 
 pointed. He found that the entire army was in 
 the same condition as the company which he had 
 brought with him. Burr was a disciplinarian ; his 
 uncle Timothy had taught him that punishment 
 was sure to follow a failure to render exact and 
 prompt obedience; his experience at college had 
 proven to him that education was but a prep 
 aration for the great campaign the battle of 
 life. In this battle of life he felt convinced that 
 to succeed, it was necessary to block out a course
 
 34 LITTLE BURR 
 
 of action and to adhere strictly to it, proceeding 
 systematically against all opponents, as a general 
 would do when attacking an enemy. He felt that 
 the poorly-armed and drilled militia could make 
 but a feeble resistance to King George's regulars 
 in the open field. They could hold their own 
 from behind trees, stone walls, houses, and breast 
 works, but they would be sure to break before the 
 resistless charge of the English veterans. 
 
 With his whole heart bound up in the cause to 
 which he was prepared to give his life, if neces 
 sary, the premonition of defeat and the eventual 
 subjugation of the Colonists by the British threw 
 him into a state of nervous excitement which 
 ended in a fever. While suffering, both mentally 
 and physically, an attack was made upon him from 
 another quarter. His sister Sarah had kept her 
 word and had sent a full account of her brother's 
 doings and contemplated actions to his uncle and 
 guardian, Hon. Timothy Edwards, at Elizabeth- 
 town, New Jersey. The honorable gentleman had 
 lost no time in dispatching two tried and trusty 
 emissaries, duly authorized and empowered to 
 take forcible possession, if necessary, of the body 
 of Aaron Burr and bring it back with them to his 
 guardian's house. 
 
 Remembering that his nephew was more dis 
 posed to listen to entreaties than to obey com 
 mands, on arriving at Cambridge, in accordance 
 with instructions, one of the emissaries was 
 deputed to make a friendly visit to Burr. The 
 messenger presented a letter from the uncle, which 
 Burr read through carefully. There was not a
 
 THROUGH THE WILDS 35 
 
 word of command in it ; the writer entreated his 
 nephew, on account of his youth and slight figure, 
 which was not fitted to stand the hardships of war, 
 to return to him and perfect himself in the law and 
 aid the cause of his country with his voice and pen 
 rather than with his sword. The letter was. 
 couched in such sympathetic language that, for a 
 moment, a feeling of homesickness overcame him 
 and the tears rushed to his eyes. The messenger 
 thought that the letter had done the work and told 
 Burr that they would return home at once. The 
 young man brushed away the tears and said in a 
 firm voice : 
 
 " Tell my uncle and guardian that his kindly 
 letter brought tears to my eyes ; if, when I was a 
 member of his household, he had talked to me as 
 he has written in this letter, I probably never 
 should have left it. But when I did leave it, I did 
 it with the firm resolution never to enter it again. 
 Thank my uncle for his kindness, but say that 
 nothing can induce me to change the resolve 
 which I have made, which is to serve my country 
 in the field as well as I am able." 
 
 The first messenger told his companion the 
 result of his visit. The next day the second mes 
 senger called upon Burr and presented another 
 letter from his uncle. This was written in a far 
 different spirit from the first one. It virtually 
 called Burr a rebellious young rascal who had 
 never obeyed orders until he was obliged to; it 
 informed him that his friends who presented the 
 letters were authorized to bring him back by force, 
 if necessary ; that he, as his guardian, had a right
 
 36 LITTLE BURR 
 
 to resort to extreme measures. The closing para 
 graph of the letter was more pacificatory and 
 showed some comprehension of the feelings of a 
 high-spirited young man. It read as follows: 
 
 " Having left Litchfield in the company of Colonists to 
 ^oin the army, no doubt you will naturally feel an aversion to 
 returning again to that place. To you it will appear like 
 cowardice. I should regard it as only a proper submission to 
 the lawful authority of your guardian. 
 
 " I am well aware that you would be averse to again 
 becoming a member of my household, and, to speak frankly, I 
 am not anxious that you should. I send by one of the mes 
 sengers a bag, containing a goodly sum of gold, which will 
 support you for at least a year in whatever town you choose to 
 take up your residence. 
 
 "I suppose you will continue to apply yourself to the 
 study of law, but I shall never give up the hope that by the 
 blessing of God and through the influence of the prayers of 
 your sister and your other relatives, that you will elect one day 
 to follow in the footsteps of your revered father and grand 
 father." 
 
 It was difficult for Burr to restrain his feelings 
 while reading this letter, but when he read the 
 closing paragraph he regained his composure. 
 
 " Where is the money ? " he asked. 
 
 The second messenger, too, thought the battle 
 was won, and taking the bag of gold from his 
 pocket handed it to Burr. 
 
 " I will keep the money," said the latter, " it is 
 mine. No doubt I shall need it for my own use 
 or to aid those who are less fortunate ; but you 
 can tell my uncle that I will go to see him when 
 the war is over." 
 
 The two messengers consulted together that 
 evening. They visited the general in command 
 and found that as young Burr was only a volun-
 
 THROUGH THE WILDS 37 
 
 teer and had not been regularly enlisted, the gen 
 eral had no right to detain him against his own 
 will or the command of his guardian. At their 
 request this was put into writing and signed by the 
 general. Next morning, armed with this, to them 
 formidable, document, they again called upon 
 Burr. They expressed their determination to take 
 him back to Elizabethtown with them. 
 
 When Burr declared that he had joined the army 
 and would never become a deserter, they showed 
 him the paper signed by the general. Then the 
 fiery young man lost command of himself. Feeble 
 as he was physically, he leaped from the bed and 
 drawing his sword from its scabbard faced his 
 persecutors. 
 
 " If you dare lay a hand upon me," he cried, " I 
 will cut you down as quickly as I would an enemy 1 
 And what is more, if you don't leave this room at 
 once I will call in some of my Litchfield boys. 
 We'll give you a coat of tar and feathers and ride 
 you out of camp on a rail." 
 
 The two emissaries, feeling that their cause 
 was hopeless, left Cambridge and started on their 
 way homeward, endeavoring on the way to conjure 
 up some idea of the reception they would meet 
 with from the young man's guardian when they 
 returned without him, especially when they were 
 obliged to tell him that his nephew had taken 
 possession of the bag of gold. 
 
 Overcome by the state of nervous tension at 
 which he had been kept during the past three days, 
 young Burr took to his bed again and his fever 
 returned with increased vigor. During the fits of
 
 38 LITTLE BURR 
 
 delirium which attacked the sufferer he won many 
 glorious victories at the head of his brave troops, 
 on many hard-fought fields of battle. Abe Bud- 
 long and old Abraham Starkweather took turns 
 watching with him, and when they were exhausted 
 with their vigils or called away to attend to their 
 military duties, Matthias Ogden, a college mate 
 and true friend of Burr, sat at his bedside. 
 
 One morning, Ogden and a number of his 
 friends were in Burr's room, talking about 
 Arnold's proposed expedition to the North to 
 capture Quebec. They spoke in undertones, but 
 their words did not escape Burr, who happened 
 to have a lucid interval just at that moment. 
 Jumping from his bed he astonished them all by 
 crying out : 
 
 "Where is Arnold going? To Quebec, do 
 you say ? This is glorious ! I will go with you. 
 When do you start ? " Despite his earnestness, 
 his friends could not avoid breaking into fits of 
 laughter. 
 
 " Ef yer don't go back ter bed," said Abe Bud- 
 long, " and behave yerself, you'll be more likely 
 ter go ter Heaven than ter Quebec." 
 
 " I will give up my hopes of Heaven," cried 
 Burr, " if I can be one of those who enter the city 
 and help pull down the flag of England." 
 
 To the consternation of his friends he began 
 to dress himself. Their remonstrances availed 
 nothing. "I am well, perfectly well!" he said. 
 " There really has been nothing the matter with 
 me. The lack of discipline in camp, the certainty 
 of defeat if we are forced to meet the British
 
 THROUGH THE WILDS 39 
 
 regulars in the open, and the rust of inaction, are 
 what have overcome me. But now that I see an 
 opportunity to meet the enemy I am as well as 
 ever better than ever. Come, Ogden, let us see 
 General Arnold at once and learn if we cannot 
 be included among the favored ones who are des 
 tined to win this glorious victory." 
 
 The result of the visit to General Arnold was 
 that Burr, Ogden, Abe Budlong, Starkweather 
 and his son, and five other residents of Litchfield 
 obtained permission to go with the expedition. 
 
 A force of twelve hundred men, comparatively 
 well-uniformed and equipped, and fairly well- 
 drilled, owing to Burr's persistent endeavors, set 
 sail from Newburyport full of patriotism and the 
 hope of victory. Three months later, less than 
 half this number reached the Chaudiere. Their 
 uniforms were bedraggled with mud and torn 
 almost into shreds, from their contact with the 
 underbrush in the virgin forest through which 
 they were obliged to force their way; many were 
 hatless, many shoeless, and many more, destitute of 
 both these articles of apparel ; much of their food 
 and ammunition had been left behind on account 
 of the impossibility of transporting it ; much of the 
 necessary supplies of an army had been lost by 
 the overturning of boats in the rock-ribbed rivers ; 
 much more of their ammunition had been wasted 
 in vain attempts to secure wild game for food, for 
 the denizens of the forest had been startled from 
 their nests and lairs by the advancing force and 
 had sought safety in flight. 
 
 Often had Burr suggested to the officer in
 
 40 LITTLE BURR 
 
 command that half a dozen men armed with rifles 
 should be sent ahead of the main column, fully a 
 mile in advance, to look for game and thus secure 
 a supply of food for the main body. He had 
 argued that this small force could also pick out 
 the most desirable route for the army to follow. 
 They could go provided with axes and could 
 blaze the trees in such a way that their course 
 could be easily followed. He offered to lead this 
 party and to secure five volunteers to accompany 
 him. His request was not complied with, and 
 the army, to call it such, reduced to a state of semi- 
 starvation, pushed on with the hope still high in 
 their breasts that, even in their unfavorable condi 
 tion, they could carry by assault the battlemented 
 fortresses of Quebec. 
 
 From his earliest youth young Burr had been 
 most abstemious as regards both food and drink. 
 Despite his small stature and slight frame, he 
 bore the fatigue of the march wonderfully well, 
 being ever at the head of the advancing column. 
 Strong men fell by the wayside from day to day, 
 overcome by exposure or by weakness resulting 
 from the lack of food. 
 
 One of those upon whom these privations 
 bore very hard was old Abraham Starkweather. 
 Had it not been for his vigorous constitution and 
 his daily inurement to the muscle-making duties 
 of the village blacksmith, he would have given up 
 much sooner. One evening, when it was thought 
 that the Chaudiere was not distant more than 
 another day's march, he asked his son Jonathan 
 and young Burr to come and sit down beside his
 
 THROUGH THE WILDS 41 
 
 camp-fire, as he had something to say to them. 
 They complied with his request. The old man 
 began by saying : 
 
 " I don't blame you, Aaron, for trying to make 
 a soldier of me, and I don't blame myself for 
 coming on this expedition. My father's mother 
 used to see sights and have strange visions, and I 
 believe the faculty, whatever it was, has come 
 down to me. I am feeling pretty well to-night, 
 but that don't count against my dream. In it I 
 died, and you buried me here in the wilds. Now 
 don't get frightened, Jonathan; p'raps it'll come 
 out all right. It may not be these woods, after 
 all, but some other woods after we have captured 
 Quebec. 
 
 " I hope it is so, but it is better to be prepared 
 for the worst. Now, both of you may get out of 
 this war all right, and p'raps only one of you will. 
 What I wanted to say was this and I know I am 
 speaking to friends who will do about as near 
 what I say I wish them to do as they can." 
 
 Jonathan took his father's hand in his and 
 looked anxiously into his face ; Burr clasped the 
 old man's other hand and waited patiently for him 
 to go on. 
 
 "About a month before we left Litchfield I 
 made my will. I left all my earthly belongings to 
 Jonathan here, excepting twenty pounds to the 
 Widow Whittaker she's been kind o' good to 
 me when she has not been otherwise but what 
 I am blaming myself for and what makes it hard 
 for me to die is, that I left ten pounds to that 
 young scamp, Solomon Priestly. Now let me tell
 
 42 LITTLE BURR 
 
 you something, Jonathan. That will o' mine is 
 under the anvil. I tipped it over one day to put 
 the will under it, and then tipped it back. I don't 
 believe there's another man in Litchfield that 
 could do it alone and I don't believe there's any 
 two men will try it unless there is some good 
 reason for it. Now what I want you to do, Jona 
 than, if you get back all right, is to tip that anvil 
 over, get that will, and put it into the forge 
 when there's a good hot fire, and I'll forgive you 
 for doing it, and I'll explain, so the law won't 
 hold you accountable for it. Give the widow 
 her twenty pounds, but if you let that Solomon 
 Priestly get hold of a penny of my money, I'll 
 haunt you as long as you live ! " 
 
 Suddenly the old man stopped and scratched 
 his hatless head : 
 
 "No, that won't do at all; I ferget. Now I 
 remember that I put in the will, that if Jonathan 
 died before I did, all that I possessed was to go to 
 little Phcebe Calkins, and by George ! I s'pose 
 that kind o' left out the widow and Solomon. 
 You're a lawyer, Aaron, p'raps you can tell me." 
 
 " Yes," said Burr, " if your son dies before you 
 do, the last provision of your will will hold and 
 the first part of it will be set aside." 
 
 " Then it is all right ! " cried the old man. " If 
 Jonathan and I both peter out, and you get 
 through all right, Aaron, you just find that will 
 and see that Phcebe Calkins gets what I want her 
 to have." 
 
 Dreams are either ghostly phantoms or stern 
 realities. They are the former when they are fol-
 
 THROUGH THE WILDS 43 
 
 lowed by events which bear no resemblance to 
 their foreshadowings. They are the latter when 
 their premonitions are verified. 
 
 The next day brought them to another portage. 
 The few boats which they still had with them were 
 unloaded and then reloaded with the scanty stock 
 of ammunition and other military supplies, and in 
 charge of volunteers were once more floating in 
 the almost unnavigable river. Suddenly, there 
 came a cry of warning from the men on shore and 
 those in the rear boats. The foremost boat, in 
 which young Jonathan Starkweather sat at the 
 bow, had caught upon a rocky ledge in the river 
 and had been swung around by the force of the 
 current. Despite the efforts of Jonathan and his 
 three companions to prevent such a disaster, the 
 boat was overturned and the men and stores 
 thrown into the water. Young Starkweather 
 must have struck upon a sharp ledge and been 
 either stunned or badly cut by the fall. Although 
 his companions looked eagerly for him their 
 search was unavailing. It is probable that some 
 of the stores fell upon him and prevented his body 
 from coming to the surface. 
 
 Old Abraham seemed to lose heart when Burr 
 brought him the sad news. " I didn't tell him last 
 night, Aaron," said the old man, with a quivering 
 voice, "because I hoped against hope that it would 
 not turn out that way ; but in my dream it came 
 to me that my son would die first and that I 
 should follow. Part of the dream has come true, 
 and I figure the other part will be pretty soon." 
 Burr tried to cheer the old man up and said he
 
 44 LITTLE BURR 
 
 would come and sleep beside his camp-fire that 
 night. This pleased Abraham very much. 
 
 " I give him up willingly," said he, as they sat 
 by the burning logs. The weather was very cold 
 and neither of them had partaken of any food since 
 morning there was nothing to eat. Sleep was 
 all that they had to rely upon to give them enough 
 strength for the next day's march. " I give him up 
 willingly," the old man repeated ; " he died for his 
 country, just as much as he would if he had been 
 shot down in battle; but I s'pose there is more 
 honor in being shot down than in being drowned. 
 If I had another son, Aaron, I would give him up, 
 too, if the Lord willed it; but as the case stands 
 now, all there's left of the Starkweather family is 
 this old hulk of mine. Well, don't ferget, Aaron, 
 if I don't live it out, and you do, don't ferget to 
 see that Phoebe Calkins gets what I want her to 
 have. I'm kind o' pleased, after all, and it makes 
 me more willin' to die, to know that I was such a 
 darned poor lawyer that I cut that Solomon 
 Priestly out of his ten pounds when I didn't mean 
 to do it when I made the will." 
 
 Wrapped in their soiled and torn blankets, 
 youth and old age slept side by side through that 
 cold winter's night. Burr awoke first. The fire, 
 not having been replenished during the night, had 
 died out. Burr leaned over, and pulling the folds 
 of the blanket back, looked at the quiet, calm face 
 of his sleeping friend. He started back. Surely, 
 that ashen pallor could betoken but one thing; 
 and yet there was a sweet smile upon the face of 
 the old man. Burr grasped his hand and placed
 
 THROUGH THE WILDS 45 
 
 his finger upon his wrist. There was no pulse. 
 He unbuttoned the faded blue coat, with its tar 
 nished brass buttons, and put his hand upon his 
 friend's heart. It was still. Father and son had 
 given up their lives upon their country's altar, and 
 were reunited. 
 
 The ground was frozen too hard to allow the 
 digging of a grave ; besides, there was no time, 
 for the orders were to move forward as soon as it 
 was light. With the aid of several of the Litch- 
 field boys, the body of the old soldier was covered 
 with snow, and branches and boughs of trees were 
 piled upon it to protect it as long as possible from 
 the attacks of wild beasts. 
 
 At night of that day some of the scouts who 
 had been sent out returned with the welcome tid 
 ings that the Chaudiere was only a few miles away 
 and that they had met messengers from Arnold 
 who said that the general had secured large quan 
 tities of food, and that a day of feasting and rejoic 
 ing would soon come. This announcement was 
 received with feeble cheers by the men. Hope 
 returned, and they forgot for a time the gnawings 
 of hunger, for their minds were filled with thoughts 
 of the feast and victory which were to come.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 A CRY FOR VENGEANCE 
 
 reports brought in by the scouts as to 
 General Arnold's success in obtaining food 
 were verified when the banks of the Chaudiere at 
 last were reached. Where there had been famine, 
 there was now surfeit. Despite the temptation to 
 indulge to excess Burr maintained his abstemious 
 habit and cautioned his companions to partake 
 sparingly until their stomachs became stronger 
 and better able to digest the solid food. This 
 wholesome advice was followed by the majority, 
 but many of the famished soldiers could not con 
 trol their appetites, and acted more like ravenous 
 wolves than human beings; the result was that 
 many who had passed through the Valley of Star 
 vation safely, died from over-indulgence at the very 
 foot of the Hill of Plenty. 
 
 When the supply of wholesome, strengthen 
 ing food sent the red blood once more coursing 
 through their veins, the soldiers turned their atten 
 tion to mending the rents in their tattered cloth 
 ing, cobbling their worn-out shoes, and to making 
 a careful inspection of their arms and ammunition. 
 
 From a purely military point of view they 
 were a pitiable crew in appearance ; but they were 
 men with a purpose. That purpose was the cap 
 ture of the enemy's stronghold, and even if their
 
 A CRY FOR VENGEANCE 47 
 
 physical condition had been worse, it would not 
 have dampened their ardor, however much it 
 might have weakened their efficiency. 
 
 When the troops reached the historic Plains 
 of Abraham, the only feasible means of approach 
 to the beleaguered city, General Arnold called a 
 council of war to settle upon the plan and time of 
 attack. It was finally decided that the idea of 
 capturing the city was hopeless, unless reinforce 
 ments could be secured. 
 
 There was only one place from which assist 
 ance could be obtained in season to be of any 
 value. Gen. Richard Montgomery had captured 
 Montreal, and was quartered there .with his vic 
 torious troops ; but that city was one hundred and 
 twenty miles away. The road to it lay through 
 the enemy's country and was lined with British 
 troops on the lookout for spies and emissaries. 
 The man who undertook the mission must per 
 form it with but faint prospect of success, and 
 must take his life in his hands. The general in 
 command could not detail a man to make the 
 journey it would be too much like sending him 
 to his death. No ; if a courier went, he must be a 
 volunteer and must assume the whole responsi 
 bility. 
 
 Reports of Burr's endurance, courage, and forti 
 tude in the midst of difficulties and privation had 
 reached the ears of General Arnold. Undoubt 
 edly, here was a young man ambitious for military 
 glory. He would send for him, tell him what 
 must be done unless the expedition were to be 
 acknowledged a failure at the outset, and see what 
 he would say.
 
 48 LITTLE BURR 
 
 General Benedict Arnold was a lion in battle. 
 He had shown his courage conspicuously in many 
 engagements. He was one of those generals who 
 lead their men to battle in person, instead of 
 watching their advance from afar. Men capable 
 of positive action are likely to speak positively. 
 Arnold, in his interview with Burr, painted in 
 strong colors the deplorable condition of his little 
 army. All that could save it from a disastrous re 
 treat and the ignominy attending such a course, 
 was the arrival of reinforcements. But how could 
 they be secured? Then, he deftly answered his 
 own question : 
 
 " If General Montgomery were acquainted 
 with the situation he would evacuate Montreal 
 and come to our assistance." 
 
 " I understand, General," said Burr, " you need 
 a messenger to go to Montreal and induce General 
 Montgomery to come to our assistance. I will 
 go!" 
 
 Burr began his preparations immediately. He 
 could not expect to make the journey wearing a 
 uniform which would lead to his instant detention ; 
 yet he must go fully armed, for he was resolved to 
 defend himself to the last extremity if attacked. 
 He finally decided that the guise which would be 
 of most service to him was that of a French priest. 
 
 The coarse, heavy, gown-like garment, held by 
 a girdle about the waist, effectually concealed a 
 brace of pistols and a sword. He discarded his 
 three-cornered hat, pulling the heavy cowl over 
 his head and about his face so that but little more 
 than his eyes were exposed.
 
 A CRY FOR VENGEANCE 49 
 
 In the afternoon of the day fixed upon for his 
 departure, he received verbal instructions from 
 General Arnold, for it was deemed extra hazardous 
 for him to be the bearer of a written communica 
 tion. Shortly before midnight Burr donned his 
 disguise and accompanied by two trusty soldiers, 
 who had been made acquainted with the object of 
 his mission, started on his perilous journey. The 
 soldiers went but a short distance with him. 
 About half a mile from camp, they shook hands 
 with him, wished him a safe and successful trip, 
 and returned to report to the general in command 
 that Burr was on his way. 
 
 The night was dark and the wind bitter but 
 this was the road to glory 1 and Burr trod on, 
 happy at heart and confident of success. He went 
 through long stretches of woods, dark and solemn 
 as the grave. The wind whistled through the tree- 
 tops and seemed to be chanting a requiem for lost 
 souls. To this dispiriting music was added the 
 howling of wolves, and the hand of the solitary 
 traveller more than once sought the hilt of his 
 sword or the butt of a pistol. 
 
 On, on he went, until, turning to look back, he 
 saw the bright sun resting upon the horizon, and 
 knew that the first day of his perilous trip had 
 begun. 
 
 About noon he came in sight of a cottage. 
 On reaching it he halted and asked for some 
 refreshment, which was willingly given him, but 
 pay therefor was refused. No sooner had he 
 offered the money than he realized that he had 
 made a mistake ; it evidently was not the custom
 
 50 LITTLE BURR 
 
 in Canada for even the poorest peasant to accept 
 money for food furnished to a priest. Burr spoke 
 French fluently, and explained to the peasant 
 that the money had not been offered him as pay 
 for the food, but as a gift. 
 
 " I have just come from Quebec," said he," and 
 while there I collected considerable money to be 
 given to those worthy peasants who have suffered 
 from the severity of the winter and are likely to be 
 in dire want before spring comes, unless their 
 necessities are relieved." 
 
 Feeling that he had allayed any suspicion 
 which he might have aroused, he bestowed his 
 blessing on the peasant, his wife, and the family 
 of four children, who gazed at the unusual visitor 
 in open-mouthed astonishment. 
 
 As night again approached, Burr felt that he 
 must find some opportunity for rest and sleep. 
 He had been eighteen hours upon the road, had 
 eaten only once, and had rested not at all. Surely, 
 he thought, there must be some farmhouse within 
 the next hour's walk. The road now led through 
 a thick growth of trees and became narrowed to 
 half its previous width. Burr had progressed less 
 than one hundred feet into the forest when he was 
 startled by a sound which came from behind the 
 trees a short distance ahead of him. He stopped 
 and listened. Suddenly, with a hoarse growl, a 
 huge English mastiff bounded into the road and 
 rushed towards him. Burr prepared to receive 
 him in a friendly manner, but as they neared each 
 other he saw that the brute was angry and must 
 be looked upon as a foe rather than as a friend.
 
 A CRY FOR VENGEANCE 51 
 
 It took but an instant for a quick-witted and active 
 young man like Burr to unfasten his girdle and 
 draw his sword. As the dog sprang towards him, 
 with mouth distended, he gave the savage animal 
 a blow upon the head with the flat side of the 
 weapon, which stunned it for awhile. When it 
 recovered, however, its ugliness had been increased 
 by the blow and it made ready to spring at the 
 throat of its adversary. Burr realized that the 
 situation meant death for either man or dog. He 
 drew one of his pistols and fired ; as he did so, 
 he jumped backward to prevent the body of the 
 dog from falling upon him. The animal lay writh 
 ing and howling with pain. Its power for aggres 
 siveness was gone, but life was not extinct. To 
 end its sufferings, Burr approached and gave it 
 the coup de grace with his sword. 
 
 As he withdrew the blood-stained weapon 
 from the body of the dog, he looked up and met 
 the gaze of a man of small stature, but with a 
 villainous-looking face, who was standing not 
 more than ten feet away. 
 
 " Oh ! " cried the little man, and then he gave 
 a low chuckle ; " so you belong to an order of 
 priests that goes armed with a pistol and sword, 
 do you, my young man? It is the first time I 
 ever met one of your breed." 
 
 " And it will be the last time ! " cried Burr, 
 stepping over the body of the dead dog and 
 advancing towards the man, sword in hand. 
 
 The man jumped nimbly behind a large tree 
 and looked around the side of the trunk at Burr. 
 " What made you kill my dog? " he snarled.
 
 52 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " Why do you let loose such a savage brute in 
 the public highway to molest honest travellers ? " 
 Burr inquired in turn. 
 
 " He is not my dog," said the man. 
 
 " Then you lied a moment ago, when you said 
 he was. To whom did he belong?" 
 
 " To a man who is as big a brute as he was," 
 was the little man's reply. " If you want to know 
 who owned him, ask at the first house you come to 
 after you get through the woods. He belonged to a 
 Frenchman named Boncourt. It is lucky that you 
 are a priest, and particularly lucky that you have 
 a sword and pistols; for if you stop there over 
 night, as you will have to, or else freeze to death 
 on the road, unless your weapons protect you he 
 will cut your throat, take your money, and bury 
 your body under his barn, despite your holy 
 garb." 
 
 " Well," said Burr, " as the dog was not your 
 property, I see no reason for spending any more 
 time with you, and we will part company. As for 
 Monsieur Boncourt, if he attacks me, he will meet 
 the same fate that his dog has." 
 
 As the little man had said, there was a farm 
 house only a few hundred feet beyond the end of 
 the woods. Burr rapped at the door and asked 
 for food and shelter for the night. The door was 
 opened by a ruddy-faced, genial-looking French 
 man, apparently about forty-five years of age, and 
 a hearty welcome was given to the tired traveller. 
 Burr gave his name as Father Franyois. His 
 host said that his name was Achille Boncourt. 
 M. Boncourt then introduced his wife and his
 
 A CRY FOR VENGEANCE 53 
 
 family of six children, the oldest of whom was a 
 dark-haired, dark-eyed boy, about twelve years 
 old. 
 
 Food was placed promptly upon the table, but 
 Burr, as was his custom, partook of but little. 
 His host and hostess pressed him to eat more, 
 and brought from the cupboard many delicacies 
 with which to tempt his appetite. 
 
 " I am afraid," said Burr, " that you may regret 
 the great hospitality which you have shown me, 
 when I relate the story of an unfortunate occur 
 rence which happened at the other end of the 
 wood, yonder. I know you will feel your loss 
 greatly, for a good dog is of great value to a 
 farmer; and I should not have killed him had I 
 not supposed him vicious. I was fearful that he 
 would tear me limb from limb, and was forced to 
 kill him." 
 
 M. Boncourt looked at Father Fra^ois with 
 an expression of astonishment which evidently 
 was not feigned. " My dog? " he cried. " I have 
 no dog. I have had half a dozen, but a neighbor 
 of mine, an Englishman named Ventress, bears 
 me a grudge, and all of them have been poisoned 
 or have mysteriously disappeared. Who told you 
 it was my dog ? " 
 
 Burr described the little man who had attrib 
 uted the ownership of the dog to M. Boncourt. 
 "That man was always a liar!" cried M. Bon 
 court, vehemently. " From your description I 
 know the man. It was Ventress, my neighbor. 
 He said that one of my fences was on his land, 
 and we went to law about it; but the judge
 
 54 LITTLE BURR 
 
 declared that a long strip of land, ten feet wide, 
 which I had always supposed was part of Ven- 
 tress's farm, really belonged to me. I moved my 
 fences and took possession of the land, and since 
 that time this Ventress has been my bitter 
 enemy. The dog was his." 
 
 Turning to his oldest son, Thaddeus, the 
 father asked: "What kind of a dog was Ven- 
 tress's ? " 
 
 "What they call an English mastiff," said 
 Thaddeus, in a low voice, and he turned his bril 
 liant dark eyes towards those of the priest and 
 met the gaze of a pair even more brilliant than 
 his own. 
 
 Burr decided that it was best not to awaken 
 still further the ire of the Frenchman by telling 
 him what Ventress had said about his murdering 
 and robbing travellers. Ventress had lied about 
 the dog; evidently the story about Boncourt was 
 a base fabrication, founded upon his hatred for 
 one who had beaten him at law. 
 
 The front windows of the house were pro 
 tected by shutters and the front door was secured 
 by a strong oaken bar. A pleasant conversation 
 in which M. Boncourt and his wife joined, fol 
 lowed the supper. Finally, Madame Boncourt 
 excused herself with true French politeness and 
 went upstairs, followed by the younger children, 
 leaving Burr alone with his host. Thaddeus 
 went outside to attend to some farm duty. 
 
 In a short time he returned, his face pale and 
 his eyes glittering with more than their usual in 
 tensity. He whispered a few words in his father's
 
 A CRY FOR VENGEANCE 55 
 
 ear ; the latter looked at Burr and was, seemingly, 
 on the point of speaking. 
 
 Thaddeus had said : " The English soldiers are 
 coming ! " 
 
 Suddenly a loud knock was heard at the 
 barred door, followed by the harsh tones of a man's 
 voice. 
 
 " Open the door ! " it cried. " Open the door 
 in the name of the King ! " 
 
 Monsieur Boncourt immediately put the snuffer 
 over the candle, extinguishing it. Then he led the 
 way to a rear room, followed closely by Burr and 
 young Thaddeus. 
 
 " I will go," said Burr. " They are after me." 
 He took M. Boncourt's hand in his and placed it 
 upon the butts of his pistols and the hilt of his 
 sword. 
 
 " You are not a priest, then ? " cried M. Bon- 
 court. " You are disguised ? What for ? " 
 
 l< The American General Arnold," said Burr 
 in a low voice, " is before Quebec ; he is going to 
 capture it. I am on my way to General Mont 
 gomery at Montreal to ask him to come to Gen 
 eral Arnold's assistance. This man Ventress saw 
 me kill the dog, and knowing me to be armed he 
 naturally suspects that I am a spy. I must leave 
 your house at once, for my presence here will get 
 you into trouble. My only safety is in reaching a 
 monastery. Is there one near by ? " 
 
 "About five miles from here," said M. Bon- 
 court. " Thaddeus knows the way. He will lead 
 you there. Go, my son, we hate the British and 
 we are glad to help those who also hate them."
 
 56 
 
 During this hurried conversation the blows 
 upon the door and the loud demands for admit 
 tance had been continued. Ventress, who was 
 one of the party, discovered that a lot of brush 
 wood which had been gathered for fuel was piled 
 up against the side of the house, and a fiendish 
 idea took possession of him. He went to the Cor 
 poral, who, with five soldiers, had come to arrest 
 the spy whom Ventress had sworn he had seen 
 enter the house. The Corporal was enraged at 
 the Frenchman's failure to open the door when 
 he demanded it, and when Ventress suggested 
 that if they set the brushwood on fire it would 
 soon smoke them out, the officer laughed and sent 
 two men to ignite it. 
 
 Young Thaddeus was soon ready for the trip ; 
 accompanied by Burr he left the house, and they 
 started on their way to the monastery. 
 
 Just back of the house was a steep cliff which 
 rendered the approach to it from the rear very 
 difficult ; but M. Boncourt had constructed a secret 
 passage by means of which he or the members of 
 his family could easily and safely reach his farm 
 land, which was some thirty feet lower than the 
 small plateau upon which he had erected his 
 house. 
 
 As soon as M. Boncourt felt sure that Father 
 Fran9ois and his son were beyond the reach of harm , 
 he entered the front room, relighted the candle, 
 and unbarring the front door, stood rubbing his 
 eyes, as though he had just arisen from bed to ad 
 mit his visitors. The Corporal strode into the 
 room followed by Ventress and the soldiers.
 
 A CRY FOR VENGEANCE 57 
 
 "Where is that spy that so-called French 
 priest that you are harboring ? " cried the Corporal. 
 
 " I am harboring no one," cried M. Boncourt. 
 " I have seen no French priest. If you doubt me, 
 you can search the house." 
 
 " You lie 1 " cried Ventress. " I met him at the 
 other end of the wood and he killed my dog. I 
 saw that he was armed with pistols and sword. 
 He was no French priest! He was a spy! I fol 
 lowed him and saw him enter your house, Mon 
 sieur Boncourt. If you say he didn't, you lie ! you 
 lie ! " and the enraged Englishman actually frothed 
 at the mouth. 
 
 Monsieur Boncourt was naturally a peaceable 
 man, but he had suffered much at the hands and 
 by the speech of this man Ventress. His temper 
 got the better of him, and grasping a heavy iron 
 kettle that stood upon the stove, he raised it and 
 brought it down with crushing effect upon the 
 Englishman's head. 
 
 Ventress fell like a log to the floor. The Cor 
 poral drew his sword and advanced towards Bon 
 court. With a leap as sudden as that of a panther, 
 Boncourt sprang upon him, and wresting the 
 sword from his hand, drew back and drove it to 
 the hilt through his body. 
 
 At that moment the flames from the ignited 
 brushwood lighted up the window at the side of 
 the room and a strong smell of smoke filled the 
 apartment. With a cry like that of a maddened 
 bull, Boncourt grasped a large carving knife which 
 lay upon the table and rushing forward, before the 
 astonished soldiers could intercept him, left the
 
 58 LITTLE BURR 
 
 house, and made his way to the pile of burning 
 brush. One of the soldiers followed him, while 
 the remaining four took up the bodies of Ventress 
 and the Corporal and carried them from the room, 
 which both smoke and flames were now invading. 
 
 The soldier who had followed Boncourt reached 
 him just as the Frenchman, wild with frenzy, was 
 preparing to grasp the burning wood with his bare 
 hands and drag it from its proximity to the house. 
 
 The soldier caught him by the collar of his 
 coat, intending to make him a prisoner; Boncourt 
 turned upon him, knife in hand. They clenched 
 and wrestled, the soldier trying to obtain posses 
 sion of the knife and the Frenchman to retain his 
 hold upon it. The flames from the burning brush 
 lighted up the scene, making it as bright as day. 
 
 The soldier, being the stronger man, had, while 
 protecting himself, drawn the Frenchman towards 
 the open space in front of the house, where he 
 counted upon securing the assistance of his com 
 rades. He was obliged to walk backwards. This 
 proved fatal ; for striking his heel against a pro 
 jecting stump he fell. With a yell of triumph the 
 Frenchman jumped upon him and drove the knife 
 through his heart. But his victory was short 
 lived. The four soldiers aimed their muskets at 
 him and fired simultaneously. The old man, 
 with the blood streaming from his wounds, stag 
 gered towards the house, but fell dead just within 
 the doorway. 
 
 When within sight of the long row of buildings 
 which constituted the home of the monks of St. 
 Francis, Thaddeus stopped, and pointing with his
 
 Thaddens Boncoui t with uplifted knife. 
 
 Sinking upon his knees, holding the weapon high above his head, 
 he swore to wreak vengeance. Page 59.
 
 A CRY FOR VENGEANCE 59 
 
 finger, said simply : " There." Burr thanked him 
 for his kind service and offered him a reward 
 which the boy proudly refused. As their hands 
 fell apart, Thaddeus began : " Should your friends 
 inquire " 
 
 " Tell them," said Burr, quickly, " that you 
 saw Monsieur Adolphe Arnot safely to the gate 
 of the monastery." 
 
 When, several hours later, young Thaddeus 
 returned, he discovered that his happy home was 
 no more. All that he found was a mass of charred 
 wood, and among the ruins what he felt were the 
 blackened bones of his father and mother, his two 
 brothers and three sisters. In front of the house 
 he came upon the dead body of the English soldier. 
 
 He withdrew the knife, red with blood, and 
 sinking upon his knees, holding the weapon high 
 above his head, he swore to wreak vengeance from 
 that hour henceforth, as long as he should live, 
 upon every Englishman, and upon those who 
 spoke the English tongue.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 "MONASTERY BELLS" 
 
 OURR knocked at the gate of the monastery 
 and asked for admittance and shelter. He 
 had drawn the cowl closely about his face. The 
 darkness of night was little affected by the dim 
 light thrown by the solitary candle carried by the 
 monk who answered the summons, and his face 
 was effectually concealed from prying eyes as 
 he was led through corridors and passages to 
 the presence of Father Pierre, the Prior of the 
 monastery. 
 
 Before any inquiry was made as to his name, 
 his business, or his destination, whatever the 
 monastery could supply in the way of food and 
 drink was placed before him. After the frugal 
 meal was concluded and the assistants had left the 
 room, the Prior for the first time manifested a 
 desire to learn something more of his guest than 
 that he was a tired and a hungry man. 
 
 " You are very young, sir," he said, in a tone of 
 inquiry, "to have taken Holy Orders." 
 
 Father Fra^ois fixed his eyes upon the Prior, 
 and the latter grew conscious of the piercing 
 light that came from them. What manner of 
 priest was this? Why had not some of the fire 
 in those eyes been dimmed by acts of devotion 
 and penance?
 
 MONASTERY BELLS 61 
 
 "It is a secret I purpose to confide to your 
 keeping, Father Pierre, and I do so the more 
 cheerfully from having been taught long ago, that 
 he who trusts to the honor of a Catholic priest is 
 as safe as if his words were breathed only to the 
 mountain rock." 
 
 " You have been taught aright, my son," re 
 marked Father Pierre. " All human errors, nay, 
 all human crimes, save only that of sacrilege, may 
 find a safe repository in the humblest servant 
 of our Holy Church. Yet I do not understand 
 how this can be of any present interest to you. 
 Your looks belie you greatly if you have sinned 
 so deeply as to doubt of forgiveness." 
 
 " My crime, Father, is not against the divine, 
 but against human law. I am a soldier, not a 
 priest ! " 
 
 As he spoke these words Burr unfastened his 
 girdle, and drawing the folds of his robe aside, 
 disclosed the uniform beneath. In his belt were 
 two pistols, and his sword hung at his side. 
 
 " I am a traitor to the English King," he con 
 tinued, "and a sworn foe to his government! It 
 rests with you to determine how soon I shall be 
 come a victim of its tyranny. If you aid me, I hope 
 to accomplish a great mission ; if you refuse, that 
 mission may be terminated by a halter." 
 
 Father Pierre was a loyal Frenchman, and 
 therefore an hereditary enemy of England; he 
 was a Catholic, and therefore felt bound to wage 
 eternal warfare against the power that had dealt 
 such terrible blows at his Church. He was a man, 
 and the genuine enthusiasm which sparkled in
 
 62 LITTLE BURR 
 
 every feature of Burr's face won its way to his 
 heart, and from that hour the young adventurer 
 had a friend. 
 
 " I will serve you," at length he said, " to the 
 extent of my ability; but to render that service 
 effectual, you must trust me fully. Half con 
 fidences are almost always dangerous, and the 
 parties to them not infrequently find themselves 
 unintentionally playing at cross purposes." 
 
 "Such is my own judgment, Father," was 
 Burr's reply. " If you will give me your attention 
 for half an hour, you shall know all." 
 
 Burr then rapidly recounted the causes which 
 had led to the American Revolution, and described 
 the scene at Lexington, and the battle of Bunker's 
 Hill. In words of fire he related the daring 
 scheme that Arnold had formed of penetrating 
 the wilderness and storming the heights of Quebec 
 at a season of the year when the extreme cold 
 would prevent reinforcements from reaching the 
 garrison. The dangers and miseries over which 
 the American force had thus far triumphed were 
 concisely stated, and he ended by informing his 
 astonished auditor that he was charged with a 
 verbal message to Montgomery, without whose 
 co-operation success was impossible, and all that 
 had been accomplished would be worse than 
 profitless. 
 
 It was a scene worthy of the brush of one of 
 the great Italian masters the venerable priest, 
 his form bent and his locks whitened by the frosts 
 of seventy winters, leaning his elbows upon the 
 table and listening with rapt attention to the boy
 
 MONASTERY BELLS 63 
 
 orator and soldier while he gave vent to a people's 
 wrongs and proclaimed their unalterable purpose 
 to conquer, or perish in the attempt. The varied 
 play of his features gave evidence of the mingled 
 feelings which were struggling within him. The 
 film of age passed from his eyes, and when the 
 narrative ended he struck his hand upon the table 
 with uncanonical energy, and exclaimed: 
 
 "You will conquer, my son! Such men are 
 ever victors! A people animated by the love of 
 liberty and endowed with the courage and energy 
 which you have already exhibited, require little 
 training to become invincible. The Colonies are 
 lost to Britain ! " 
 
 " I rejoice, Father, to hear you speak so hope 
 fully of our cause. To the overwise and the fear 
 ful, it looks dark enough. Do I trespass on 
 forbidden ground by inquiring if you have always 
 been a priest ? " 
 
 " No. In my youth I bore arms in a cause 
 less holy than yours. The wild excitement of 
 battle, the gloom of defeat, and the fierce joy of 
 victory have been experienced in turn ; and none 
 of them are entirely forgotten, though years of 
 penance and prayer have done much to blot out 
 their memory. But it avails not to recur to such 
 things now. By morning I will find a messenger 
 who shall bear your tidings to General Mont 
 gomery." 
 
 " Pardon me, Reverend Sir, I must be that 
 messenger, myself ! " 
 
 "You? Why, if you elude the British scouts, 
 who will be sure to be on the watch to intercept
 
 64 LITTLE BURR 
 
 any communication between the two American 
 commanders, you could not bear the fatigue and 
 exposure that must be undergone, and if you at 
 tempt it your slight frame will wither before half 
 the distance is accomplished." 
 
 "You forget that I have just traversed five 
 times that distance through an unpeopled wilder 
 ness, and may well consider the journey before me 
 as a pleasure trip, in comparison. Remember, 
 too, that my honor as a soldier is involved. I 
 have no right to transfer to another the duty 
 assigned to me. Whether he failed or succeeded, 
 men would call me a coward, if they did not con 
 sider me a traitor. It was not for such a purpose 
 that I sought your convent. Only give me the 
 information you possess of the country, the woods, 
 and the people, and I shall go on my way with a 
 light heart and a grateful memory of your 
 kindness." 
 
 Father Pierre made no immediate answer. He 
 was absorbed in thought. His lips moved, but no 
 sound escaped them. The furrows on his brow 
 deepened and it was evident that his eye took in 
 no object distinctly. His reverie lasted so long 
 that Burr began to be doubtful and impatient. 
 He felt greatly relieved when at last the old man 
 said: 
 
 " I believe you are right at least, I am sure 
 that at your age I should have reasoned as you do. 
 Leave all your preparations to me ; it is past the 
 tenth hour and you must be stirring early. Here 
 is your chamber." So saying, he opened the door 
 of a little room and, pointing to a low couch which
 
 MONASTERY BELLS 65 
 
 was almost its only furniture, bestowed upon the 
 youth his blessing and left him to repose. 
 
 Seating himself at the table from which his 
 guest had arisen, he was for some time engaged in 
 self-communion. Then he touched a small silver 
 bell and said to the servitor who answered it : 
 
 " Tell Raoul that I would speak to him." 
 
 Very soon a man, apparently about forty-five 
 or fifty, but in reality less than thirty, entered the 
 room and bent one knee respectfully to the Prior. 
 Mental and physical suffering, endured since he 
 was a youth, had taken away the springy lightness 
 of his step, but there was no sign of decay in the 
 manly form that accorded well with the bold and 
 determined cast of his features. 
 
 " Rise, Raoul, and be seated. If I remember 
 aright, I have heard you murmur at the treaty 
 which ceded Canada to England." 
 
 "Though I was but a boy, I fought under 
 Montcalm," replied the man, his eyes glowing with 
 the recollection; "and I hope it is no sin to long 
 for a time to come when France shall see such 
 another leader to break the chain that galls us." 
 
 " France will send no leader here, my good 
 Raoul, but the chain may be broken, nevertheless. 
 The English Colonies have revolted. If Canada 
 unites with them, our ultimate triumph is certain." 
 
 "Hope it not, Father. Their raw levies and 
 half armed militia will be swept away like chaff by 
 the British regulars." 
 
 " Your own experience should have taught you 
 better, Raoul, for you have seen these same raw 
 levies save an entire army from utter annihilation."
 
 66 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " So I did, in the woods and among the moun 
 tain glens. In the open field the result would 
 have been widely different. George Washington 
 and his rangers would not have stood ten minutes 
 before the same troops whose flight they that day 
 caused." 
 
 " I doubt it," said Father Pierre, "but let it be 
 granted. What is there now to compel George 
 Washington to risk pitched battles in open field ? 
 The mountains and the woods still offer their 
 protection, and if he is followed there, Braddock's 
 story may be rewritten on a bloodier page." 
 
 " I hope you are nearer to the mark than I am. 
 I know that whatever one strong arm can do to 
 drive the British lions from America, will be gladly 
 tried. Point out the way, good Father, and you 
 will have no cause to murmur at my supineness." 
 
 " There was a young priest who sought our 
 wall for shelter to-night. Did you mark him 
 well?" 
 
 " I saw not his features," Raoul answered, " but 
 only noted his feeble and delicate appearance. It 
 did not seem to me that he could bear much more." 
 
 " Therein you are in error. That boy has just 
 performed a journey that would have taxed your 
 strong frame to the uttermost. He is a soldier, 
 attached to the troops now encamped before 
 Quebec, and bears dispatches to General Mont 
 gomery. He needs a guide, who, to courage and 
 discretion, adds a perfect knowledge of the country. 
 There is not a man in Canada so well fitted for 
 the work as you are, and I have sent for you to 
 request that you will undertake it."
 
 MONASTERY BELLS 67 
 
 " Your Reverence's will is law to me. Gladly 
 will I pilot this young man to Montreal; gladly 
 will I stand by him in the battle's front. I have 
 an old grudge against the banner that floats upon 
 the walls of Quebec and I would give ten years of 
 my life to tear it down." 
 
 " Then leave me, Raoul, and make the neces 
 sary preparations for the journey. You must be 
 on your road before dawn." 
 
 The Frenchman made a low bow of reverential 
 respect and left the aged priest alone. Placing 
 writing materials on the table, he indited letter 
 after letter, until the great convent bell tolled the 
 hour of three. Raoul was then aroused, and pro 
 ceeded to harness two strong ponies to one of the 
 rough wagons of the country, while the Father 
 next awakened his sleeping guest. 
 
 When everything was ready for Burr's depar 
 ture, Father Pierre placed in his hands the packet 
 of letters which he had spent the night in writing. 
 "Here," he said, "are letters to every religious 
 house on your route. If anything should befall 
 you and you need assistance, have no hesitation in 
 going to the nearest one. It will not be needful to 
 repeat all you have recounted to me, although you 
 may do so safely. My letters will insure you a 
 hearty welcome and whatever protection can be 
 given." 
 
 Raoul entered and said that all was ready for 
 their departure. At that moment the sound of a 
 melodious chant fell upon Burr's ears. The music 
 came from a distant part of the monastery, but the 
 night was so still that it was distinctly audible.
 
 68 LITTLE BURR 
 
 The young soldier was easily impressed, and as he 
 listened he bowed his head. 
 
 " Come with me, my son," said Father Pierre. 
 " A thought has occurred to me. I shall do pen 
 ance for not having thought of it before. Be not 
 impatient, Raoul, I am going to ask the blessing 
 of God upon this young man, and pray for the 
 success of his mission." 
 
 Burr followed Father Pierre through passages 
 and corridors and cloisters until the great chapel 
 was reached. There were gathered the monks, 
 some fifty in number; they were still singing; 
 what had seemed but a little brooklet of melody 
 was now a mighty river, and through the frame of 
 the young soldier went a feeling of reverence and 
 even awe. 
 
 When the chant ceased, Father Pierre, taking 
 Burr by the arm, led him forward until they stood 
 before the assembled body of monks. Then 
 Father Pierre spoke : 
 
 " Brethren, we have often thought, and many 
 times we have spoken of the possibility of wrest 
 ing our beloved land from the hands of the de- 
 spoiler and restoring it once more to the domain 
 of its rightful ruler. 
 
 "When Montcalm fell, we lost our greatest 
 leader. We have waited, and hoped, and prayed, 
 that another might arise to take his place. Our 
 prayers have been answered. Here," cried Father 
 Pierre, as he placed his hand upon Burr's shoulder, 
 " is our deliverer ! " 
 
 One of the younger monks, Father Anthony 
 by name, evinced in his face a strong expression
 
 Father Pierre, Major Burr, and the Monks. 
 
 Draw your sword, young soldier, and I will bless it and your holy mission." 
 
 Page 69.
 
 MONASTERY BELLS 69 
 
 of doubt. This did not escape Father Pierre, 
 who said : 
 
 " You are not satisfied, Father Anthony." 
 
 " It will take a soldier, not a priest," was the 
 reply, " to free Canada from the hands of the 
 English." 
 
 " And who said he was a priest? " cried Father 
 Pierre. " There are those who steal the livery of 
 God in which to serve the devil. Why should it 
 not be worn for a better purpose to serve one's 
 native land?" 
 
 " As the Prior spoke, with his own hands he 
 unfastened the girdle from Burr's waist and threw 
 back the woolen robe, disclosing the young soldier, 
 uniformed and armed, to the astonished gaze of 
 the monks. 
 
 Once more Father Pierre lifted his voice: 
 "The Americans have besieged Quebec. They 
 have taken the city of Montreal. This young 
 soldier is on his way to General Montgomery to 
 ask him to come to the aid of General Arnold at 
 Quebec. When Quebec falls, the French will rise 
 and drive their English oppressors from the land. 
 Draw your sword, young soldier, and I will bless 
 it and your holy mission." 
 
 Burr drew the weapon from his scabbard and 
 held it aloft. 
 
 " There is blood upon it ! " cried Father Pierre. 
 
 Burr, in his excitement, had forgotten that the 
 weapon bore signs of his conflict with Ventress's 
 mastiff. Using the French tongue, he spoke: 
 
 " Cest le sang du chien d'un Anglais qrfa dis 
 pute mon passage"
 
 70 LITTLE BURR 
 
 What he had intended to say was plain in his 
 mind and he had said it in French as well as he 
 knew how, but it was misunderstood, and both 
 Father Pierre and the listening monks supposed 
 that the stains upon the sword were caused by the 
 blood of an Englishman and not by that of his 
 dog. 
 
 Burr was not ashamed, Protestant though he 
 was, to bend his knee to receive the benediction 
 of the patriotic priest. Father Pierre placed his 
 hands upon the sword, and then upon the head of 
 the young soldier, breathing a prayer for his safety 
 and the success of his mission. 
 
 As Burr left the chapel in company with the 
 Prior, the monks sang the " Te Deum," and it 
 was some time after Burr and Raoul had pro 
 gressed upon their way before the sound of the 
 monks' voices died away in the distance.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE LILIES OF FRANCE 
 
 "D URR wished to learn something of the temper 
 and character of his guide, whose features he 
 had not yet seen and whose many robes of fur hid 
 even the outlines of his athletic form. A few 
 brief questions led to more general conversation, 
 and Burr was surprised to find that the man who 
 now acted in a capacity scarcely removed from 
 that of a servant, was endowed with an intellect of 
 high order, improved and strengthened by educa 
 tion, to which was added a knowledge of the world 
 far deeper than he himself could claim. He 
 waited impatiently for the appearance of daylight 
 in order to judge how far the countenance of the 
 man would remove or confirm the impression his 
 conversation had made. 
 
 The air was filled with frost, and the rays of the 
 bright stars which penetrated to earth seemed as 
 if frozen by the way and hung like glittering icicles 
 from the arched vault above. Onward through 
 the deep snow sped the tough and wiry horses, and 
 exultingly in the still night air sounded the voice 
 of Raoul Audigier, as he narrated the wild adven 
 tures and told of the battles in which he had borne 
 a part, when the Lilies of France waved over the 
 Province of Canada and along the banks of the 
 Ohio.
 
 72 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " It was in the year '55, before your birth, as I 
 should judge," he said, "when Braddock, at the 
 head of a gallant army, came to drive us from a 
 little fort we had erected at the junction of the 
 Allegheny and the Monongahela. We had early 
 notice of his movements and formed, at leisure, our 
 plans for interrupting his march. It was in the 
 month of July, and the sun came scorchingly down, 
 even through the leafy covert where we lay in 
 ambush. Afar off we saw the scarlet uniforms 
 and bright muskets of the British regulars flash 
 ing in the sunbeams, and over them the Lion 
 Banner floating in stern and haughty defiance. 
 
 " My heart was softer then ; it has become hard 
 after undergoing the hard knocks of more than 
 twenty years, and although they were foes and I 
 was but a boy, I felt a cold sensation creep over 
 me as I watched them moving unconsciously to 
 certain defeat. 
 
 " There were no scouts in front or on the flanks, 
 and to crown the madness of folly of all his disposi 
 tions, Braddock had placed the Virginia Rangers 
 in the rear and assigned the advance to a body 
 of light horse utterly unfit for service in the thick 
 woods and among the mountain glens. We were 
 not over eight hundred and fifty strong, and had 
 gone out mainly for the purpose of delaying the 
 British march. When our commander, De 
 Beaujeu, observed the order in which the British 
 were approaching, he could scarcely credit the 
 evidence of his senses. Very soon two or three 
 of our scouts came up from either flank and made 
 hurried reports. A glad smile lighted up the
 
 THE LILIES OF FRANCE 73 
 
 features of our commander, and turning to an 
 officer who stood near, he said : ' They have given 
 us a victory, Bienville, when I only hoped to give 
 them a check. Reserve your fire until you hear 
 a rifle shot on the right. That army is doomed!' 
 
 " A deep ravine to the right was lined by our 
 Indian allies, and there Bienville hastened, to 
 restrain them until the enemy were completely 
 in the toils. 
 
 " Steadily and in firm order the English veterans 
 came on. Nothing had occurred to arouse their 
 suspicions, and although within thirty yards of us, 
 they did not dream of a lurking foe. The sharp 
 report of a rifle rang through the forest, and the 
 officer who led the advance fell from his horse 
 before its echoes died away. A heavy volley in 
 front and from either flank was poured upon the 
 astonished soldiery, and a yell arose as wild and 
 terrible as if a thousand fiends had broken loose 
 from the regions of the damned." 
 
 When Raoul reached this point of his narrative, 
 the travellers came to a long range of deeply 
 drifted snow, and the mettlesome horses required 
 his undivided attention until possible dangers had 
 been overcome. Burr had read the story of Brad- 
 dock's defeat many times, but the recital of the 
 events of this decisive battle from the lips of a 
 participant was so thrilling that his inherent 
 martial ardor was aroused, and if, at that moment, 
 the snowy waste had been a battlefield, he would 
 have welcomed the change with pleasure. 
 
 Raoul resumed his story : " The advance guard 
 was annihilated by that destructive fire; still
 
 74 LITTLE BURR 
 
 Braddock pressed on at the head of his main body, 
 in the faint hope of closing with us and terminating 
 the contest by the bayonet. In attempting to 
 deploy into line, they were thrown into confusion by 
 the inequalities of the ground. At the same 
 moment a leaden hail was showered upon them 
 from three sides at once and again the wild yell of 
 the Indian warriors shook the forest and rever 
 berated among the mountains. 
 
 " Nobly and bravely did the English soldiers 
 that day maintain the high character they had 
 acquired in many a stern encounter. But what 
 could human courage do against a contending foe 
 whose deadly volleys it was impossible to return ? 
 They were broken at length, rallied, reformed 
 again and again, only to be again and again 
 broken by the messengers of doom that contin 
 ually went forth from our secret coverts. With 
 that lofty disdain for their enemy's tactics which 
 British military officers have always shown when 
 engaged in battle, Braddock had given orders that 
 none of his men should take shelter during the 
 fight. The Provincials, however, who were used 
 to Indian warfare, soon sought shelter. This so 
 enraged Braddock, that riding up to one of them 
 he ordered him to come into the open ground. 
 The Provincial refusing, Braddock cut him down 
 with his sword. The Provincial's brother saw the 
 act, and incensed at the folly and the inhumanity 
 of it, raised his rifle and shot Braddock in the back. 
 Previous to the fall of Braddock, all of his aides, 
 with one exception, had been either killed or 
 wounded. This exception was the one who now
 
 THE LILIES OF FRANCE 75 
 
 leads on your armies against the British George 
 Washington. 
 
 " Up to this time it had been a massacre rather 
 than a battle, but now the rangers came up from 
 the rear and threw themselves between us and the 
 bleeding ranks of the luckless regulars. The face 
 of affairs was instantly changed. They under 
 stood the warfare of the woods as well as we did, 
 and were fettered by no foolish pride in the pos 
 sibility of practicing the tactics of Europe in 
 the wilds of America. Promptly availing them 
 selves of every sheltering object, they returned 
 our fire with fatal effect. De Beaujeu was mortally 
 wounded and our advance so much checked, that 
 the shattered remnant of Braddock's army was 
 enabled to recross the Monongahela. But for 
 Washington and his rangers not one British 
 soldier would have escaped to tell the disastrous 
 tale of that day's battle. As it was, they lost all 
 their baggage, artillery, and munitions, and our 
 Indian warriors carried seven hundred and fifty 
 scalps into Fort Du Quesne as additional trophies 
 of victory." 
 
 " That fight took place some twenty years ago," 
 remarked Burr. " You must have been very young 
 to go to war." 
 
 " As I have told you," said Raoul, " I was but a 
 boy; but when a nation is in peril its boys cannot 
 wait for the slow course of time to make them men. 
 How old are you ? " he asked, abruptly, as he looked 
 into Burr's face. 
 
 " I lack two months of being twenty years of 
 age," was the reply. " I have been studying the
 
 76 LITTLE BURR 
 
 art of war and military tactics for the past two 
 years." 
 
 Raoul mused. " I was but fourteen years of 
 age," said he, in a low voice, " when Montcalm fell 
 and the British captured Quebec. I wish you 
 success," he went on, " and trust that you will 
 achieve it; but I am not over-hopeful. If Mont- 
 calm, the bravest of the brave, with a force twice 
 as large as that which the British brought against 
 him, and with the added advantage of a strongly 
 fortified city, could not prevail, I am not confident 
 that your raw levies of militia can long withstand 
 the determined assaults of the invincible British 
 regulars. If Braddock's wisdom, meaning by 
 wisdom the experience of one's self or that of 
 others, had been equal to his bravery, Canada 
 would have fallen into English hands many years 
 before it did. And your rank?" queried Raoul, 
 as he again looked searchingly into Burr's face. 
 
 " I am an aide-de-camp." 
 
 " If your mission is successful," said Raoul, 
 "you will be promoted." 
 
 " I should prefer," was the reply, " that my 
 advancement should come from service in the 
 field, rather than as a reward for being the bearer 
 of dispatches." 
 
 "Take my advice," said Raoul, "accept what 
 comes to you; make no conditions, and ask no 
 questions." 
 
 Burr had started several times to ask Raoul a 
 question, but for various reasons had postponed 
 it. The time for it seemed now to have come : 
 
 " Shall you not join our army at Montreal and 
 return with us to Quebec ? "
 
 THE LILIES OF FRANCE 77 
 
 " No," was the reply. " I have given you one 
 of my reasons. I am not sanguine of your success 
 and I do not wish Quebec to be the scene of a 
 second defeat of my hopes. Besides, I have a 
 private reason for not leaving this vicinity. My 
 parents were born in France and my grandparents 
 were Corsicans ; there is in my blood a taint of the 
 vendetta. If a man injures me, I can never forgive 
 him until he is dead. I have told you so much, I 
 will tell you the rest, or you may misunderstand 
 and misjudge me. I have good reasons to seek 
 for vengeance." 
 
 Burr listened attentively. Surely, this man of 
 thirty had had an extensive experience during his 
 comparatively short life. Through his mind ran 
 the thought : " To what position shall I have 
 attained when I reach that age ? " 
 
 "As I told you," said Raoul, "I was with my 
 father when Braddock was defeated ; in that battle 
 he met his death. He was shot down before my 
 eyes by a British captain. I did not then know 
 his name, but I remember his insolent face. 
 
 " Ten years later he came to our house to arrest 
 me for alleged treacherous language. I was a man 
 grown, then. I would have gone with him peace 
 ably, but in response to my mother's piteous ap 
 peals for mercy to her son, he used foul and 
 insulting language to her. Grasping a heavy 
 stick of wood that lay beside the stove, I felled 
 him to the floor before he could draw his sword. 
 My mother and I, taking what few things we 
 could, fled immediately to Quebec, where her 
 brother lived. She was overcome by the fatigue
 
 78 LITTLE BURR 
 
 and exposure of the journey and died a few days 
 after our arrival. From that time I lost heart ; I 
 was an orphan and my native land was in the 
 hands of the tyrant. I have waited and bided my 
 time, living, for the most part of it, in convents 
 and monasteries, where I have performed the 
 menial duties of a servitor. 
 
 " I know this Captain Campbell is with the Brit 
 ish army in this vicinity, but I do not know ex 
 actly where. Some day I shall meet him, and 
 when I do, I shall kill him ! I shall then thank 
 God that my father's death and the insult to my 
 mother are both avenged." 
 
 He turned towards Burr and there was a bright 
 light in his eye. " I may be wrong about the 
 result of the coming conflict at Quebec I hope 
 I am. I hope you will be successful. If you are, 
 I shall thank God again, for, of course, if you de 
 feat the British it does not mean that you intend 
 to conquer and hold the country. No ! " and his 
 voice rang out on the cold, clear air, " the fleur-de- 
 lis will once more wave over this fair land, as over 
 sunny France, and King Louis will come into his 
 own again 1 "
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 LOST HOURS 
 
 'T'HE supposedly young priest was conducted 
 from convent to convent by his sagacious 
 guide, receiving at each a warm welcome and 
 lavish hospitality. At Three Rivers they ob 
 served a number of persons gathered about the 
 entrance to a public house, engaged in earnest 
 conversation which, they did not doubt, had refer 
 ence to Arnold's invasion. To attempt to pass 
 without stopping would naturally create suspicion 
 and lead to detention. Raoul drove boldly up to 
 the door and inquired the way to the religious 
 house of the place, of which he pretended to be 
 ignorant. The confident manner of the man and 
 the priestly vestments of Burr united to deceive 
 them, and although a few of the group eyed them 
 suspiciously, they were permitted to proceed un 
 molested. 
 
 "We have had a narrow escape, Monsieur," 
 said the guide, as soon as they were out of earshot. 
 " For five minutes I distinctly felt the pressure of 
 a rope about my neck." 
 
 " Was the danger really so great ? " asked Burr. 
 " I thought from your tone and manner that it was 
 trivial." 
 
 " When you have knocked about the world as 
 long as I have," said Raoul, " you will learn that
 
 80 LITTLE BURR 
 
 half of our success in life depends upon appear 
 ances. I saw in yonder group the man whom I 
 told you above all others I have reason to hate. 
 It has been ten years since we met, and I have 
 changed more than he has, but the quivering of a 
 lip, the flash of an eye, or any other appearance of 
 unusual emotion would have betrayed me, and have 
 subjected us to an examination which we might 
 have found it difficult to pass through." 
 
 " The examination would have been fruitless," 
 said Burr. " I have nothing that would betray 
 me. The letters of Father Pierre are so worded as 
 to remove, rather than to excite suspicion. I have 
 no dispatches or papers of any description." 
 
 " There is, beneath that coarse robe," quietly 
 responded Raoul, " a brace of pistols and a sword. 
 The Catholic clergy are not usually so well pro 
 vided with offensive arms." 
 
 " I am, indeed, armed, as you say, but how did 
 you know it ? " 
 
 " I should have done poor credit to my training 
 if in travelling so far with you I had failed to dis 
 cover the texture of your under garments, pro 
 vided I had deemed it necessary to possess myself 
 of the information. In this case, however, my 
 knowledge was acquired by a simple process. 
 You have been bumped against me at least a 
 hundred times and I could not help feeling your 
 arms. But here we are at the convent gate and 
 here we must remain until to-morrow. In the 
 meantime, I will find out what danger, if any, is 
 ahead of us." 
 
 The possibility of a considerable detention at
 
 LOST HOURS 81 
 
 this place and the certainty that when he did go 
 he would be compelled to leave at an unusual hour 
 and in a clandestine manner, made it necessary, in 
 the opinion of Burr, that the object of his journey 
 should be fully explained to the Superior of the 
 convent, and accordingly he at once solicited a 
 private interview of the Father. 
 
 The evening meal had long ago been con 
 cluded and the convent bells had chimed the hour 
 of nine. Aaron Burr was still in earnest confer 
 ence with the Superior. A gentle tap on the door 
 preceded the appearance of a visitor. He was 
 evidently expected, for the door immediately 
 opened, and the priest, pointing to a chair, in 
 stantly inquired of the newcomer what news he 
 had gathered. 
 
 " The country is aroused and vigilant," briefly 
 responded the man, "and patrols of horse are 
 scouring the roads." 
 
 " For what ? Heard you for what, Julien ? " 
 
 " There is a rumor of a rebel army encamped 
 before Quebec, and it is said that rebel emissaries 
 are travelling in disguise to create disaffection 
 among the people." 
 
 "This is worse," said the monk, "positively 
 much worse than I had expected. You may go, 
 Julien," he continued, after a pause, " and partake 
 of some needful refreshment but first send the 
 guide Raoul hither." 
 
 " We have need of your advice, my son," said 
 the monk, when Audigier appeared in obedience 
 to his summons. " Julien reports that the country 
 people are alarmed and horse patrols are scouring
 
 82 LITTLE BURR 
 
 the roads. You, who are a soldier by profession, 
 will understand what amount of danger is to be 
 anticipated and what are the best means of avoid 
 ing it." 
 
 " I have been a soldier, Father, and remembered 
 so much of my old calling as to go out myself on 
 a scouting expedition this evening. Julien has 
 not reported matters any worse than they really 
 are." 
 
 "So I feared! So I feared! What do you 
 advise ? " 
 
 "It seems to me, Father, that there is but one 
 thing we can safely do, and that is to remain 
 within your walls until the patrols have disap 
 peared. They will not molest us here and I hope 
 and believe they will soon get tired of riding about 
 in such bitter weather as this." 
 
 The monk freely agreed with the guide, but 
 such an arrangement was exceedingly distasteful 
 to Burr, and he protested against it. For every 
 hour lost now, he argued, lessened the chances of 
 a glorious termination to the campaign. It gave 
 the enemy time to recover from its first panic, and 
 what was of more importance, enabled it to add to 
 and strengthen its fortifications. He contended 
 that the patrols were likely to be just as vigorous 
 some days hence as then, and added that he felt 
 bound to make the attempt to proceed, however 
 great the danger. The guide heard him without 
 interruption and then calmly replied : 
 
 "I acknowledge the force of much you have 
 said, Monsieur Burr. I know the importance of 
 speedily reaching Montreal and it is because I do
 
 LOST HOURS 83 
 
 know it that I advise the present delay. To pro 
 ceed now will be to throw yourself into the hands 
 of the enemy not probably, but certainly. We 
 might gain a few hours by starting at night, but 
 the tracks left in the snow would enable them to 
 follow at speed, and commanding, as they could 
 and would, fresh horses at every farmhouse on the 
 road, our escape would be impossible. We must 
 remain, Monsieur, and if your anticipation of the 
 continued vigor of the horsemen should prove 
 correct, we can take advantage of the first snow 
 fall, which will fill up our tracks and lessen the 
 danger by that much, at least. I am persuaded, 
 however, that much more will be gained. The 
 people of the country have no heart for this 
 business, and the British horse, who have nothing 
 more than a vague suspicion to animate them, will 
 soon find in the severity of the weather a sufficient 
 excuse for leaving the road and betaking them 
 selves to comfortable quarters." 
 
 The arguments of the guide were warmly 
 seconded by the priest, and Burr was compelled to 
 submit to an arrangement he could not alter. 
 Having to remain, he did not, as many men would 
 have done, see fit to render it disagreeable to his 
 host by exhibiting his annoyance at the delay. 
 During the forty-six hours of his enforced deten 
 tion he seemed to forget his warlike mission 
 entirely, and directed the conversation into chan 
 nels the most familiar and the most agreeable to 
 his hearers. Upon subjects of philosophy and 
 religion he was at home, and the good fathers were 
 astonished as much by the subtlety of his reason 
 ing as by the extent of and variety of his learning.
 
 84 LITTLE BURR 
 
 At night, Raoul communicated the information 
 he had gathered during the day. On the third 
 evening, after his usual report, he said: 
 
 " The coast is nearly clear, Monsieur, and the 
 clouds betoken a snowstorm before midnight. If 
 you will take a few hours' sleep, I will have every 
 thing ready for a start by the time the storm sets 
 in." 
 
 Burr was so delighted at the prospect of being 
 again in motion that sleep was banished. He had 
 no preparations to make beyond the careful exam 
 ination of his arms. These were secured in a belt 
 beneath his monk's robe, and then he began to 
 pace the floor with a quick and nervous tread. 
 After awhile he seated himself, and taking up a 
 Latin volume, tried to pass away the time in read 
 ing. His efforts to confine his attention to the 
 book were of no avail. The words seemed to run 
 into one another, and he became conscious that, 
 although he had turned over a dozen leaves or 
 more, he could not recall a single expression and 
 was ignorant even of the subject treated of in the 
 book. Replacing it on the table he renewed his 
 walk more rapidly than before. Soon his steps 
 grew slower. The furrows responsibility had made 
 upon his brow disappeared. He had surren 
 dered the reins to fancy, and in the buoyant 
 hopefulness of youth had given form and substance 
 to dreams and to the shadowy events which people 
 the future. 
 
 Burr was but twenty, and he could but dream. 
 It has been so ordered, that all of us, at that age, 
 may dream if we will, and he is a poor, weak fool
 
 LOST HOURS 85 
 
 who cherishes not this good gift that Providence 
 has bestowed. The narrow-minded devotee of 
 Mammon may say, and truly, that the brightest 
 vision never purchased a loaf of bread or clothed 
 a naked foot; but what would King David have 
 said if he had been told to still the sound of 
 grandeur that almost shivered his harp-strings in 
 the Cave of Adullam, when the bright dream of 
 his future greatness and glory flashed upon him ? 
 Or what would old John Milton have answered if 
 he had been told to chase away his visions of 
 Lucifer's rebellion in Heaven descend from his 
 kindred home beyond the stars, and grapple in 
 the mire of earth for sixpence ? 
 
 Dreams, however wild, however extravagant, 
 are the gifts of God Himself, sent in infinite mercy 
 to cheer the darkest hours of the desponding, and 
 in infinite wisdom to stimulate the mind of man 
 to the grandest and loftiest of its exertions. 
 Nothing great, nothing good, was ever yet accom 
 plished by him whose aspirations were bounded 
 by the actual, whose efforts were limited by the 
 probable. 
 
 Aaron Burr was still building castles in the air 
 when Raoul, accompanied by the Father Superior, 
 entered the room to announce that the storm had 
 set in and that the hour for their departure had 
 arrived. 
 
 For the first ten miles or more their progress 
 was slow. The snow, falling in large flakes, shut 
 out all objects at a distance of a few feet from the 
 travellers and rendered the exercise of consider 
 able caution necessary in picking their road. The
 
 86 LITTLE BURR 
 
 dreary night gave little encouragement to conver 
 sation and the silence was broken only by a brief 
 question now and then, and an equally brief reply. 
 No indication of pursuit had been observed and 
 Burr was beginning to flatter himself with the 
 belief that the danger was over, when, some time 
 after crossing a little stream spanned by a covered 
 bridge, his attention was attracted by a lumbering 
 noise behind them. 
 
 " What is that ? " he asked, quickly. 
 
 Raoul turned his head and listened for a 
 moment, and then replied in a voice indicative 
 neither of alarm nor excitement: 
 
 " It is the sound of horses' feet on the bridge. 
 We are being followed, Monsieur." At the same 
 time he plied the lash smartly to the spirited 
 ponies, who dashed off at a greatly accelerated 
 pace. Holding them steadily to their work, Raoul 
 continued: 
 
 " If they have followed us from Three Rivers, 
 they must be skillful riders, or their horses will be 
 blown before they overtake us. Ours are as 
 strong as when we left the convent and will bear 
 up for many miles without flagging." 
 
 " Is it not possible," asked Burr, " that they may 
 be upon some other errand ? " 
 
 " Possible, certainly ; though there are few 
 errands which would draw men from their com 
 fortable beds on such a night as this. It is of little 
 moment, however, whether they seek us, or whether 
 they have other business. We are upon the road 
 under suspicious circumstances; this is a time of 
 general distrust, which is enough to insure our
 
 LOST HOURS 87 
 
 arrest if we are overtaken. May I ask, Monsieur, 
 whether you propose, in that event, to surrender 
 or resist ? " 
 
 " Resist, by all means ! " was the stern reply. 
 "Resist, and to the death! I will not be taken 
 alive." 
 
 " I am delighted to hear you say so. The fact 
 is, I look upon death by a halter as altogether so 
 vulgar and disagreeable, that I am afraid I might 
 have been inclined to oppose your wishes if you 
 had decided otherwise. It is to our advantage to 
 avoid the alternative if it can be done, and as the 
 horses will require my attention, I must request 
 you to turn an occasional glance backward in order 
 that we may get the earliest possible notice of 
 their approach." 
 
 Mile after mile was passed over and still there 
 was no appearance of the pursuing party. Raoul 
 well understood that they might be within a few 
 hundred yards of them nevertheless, and he kept 
 his horses at the fastest pace they could bear with 
 out risk of breaking down. The storm was 
 beginning to abate and the first faint streaks of 
 light dappled the east, when Burr thought he 
 discovered the dim outlines of horsemen in the 
 rear. 
 
 " They are coming," said he. " Had you not 
 better increase our speed ? " 
 
 "No, they will soon overtake us at any rate. 
 It must come to a life or death struggle sooner or 
 later, and we shall gain some advantage by taking 
 it coolly. Can you make out how many there 
 are?" 
 
 " I see but three."
 
 88 LITTLE BURR 
 
 "Three only? There must have been mor 
 when they started some have broken down on 
 the way." 
 
 For two miles farther the horses were kept at 
 the same steady pace. It had grown brighter and 
 the snow was falling less rapidly than it had been. 
 
 " They are gaining on us," said Burr, " but very 
 slowly. It will be an hour before they overtake 
 us, even at our present rate of travelling." 
 
 " Do you see more than three now, Mon 
 sieur?" 
 
 " There are no more." 
 
 " Then the chances are all in our favor." So 
 saying, he reined the jaded horses into a slow trot, 
 dropped the buffalo robe from his shoulders, and 
 divested his hands of the thick fur gloves which 
 encased them. 
 
 " Get your arms ready, Monsieur, and use them 
 promptly. Not only our own lives, but the fate 
 of Quebec depends upon getting the first fire." 
 
 A few minutes only elapsed before the pur 
 suers galloped alongside and sternly ordered them 
 to halt. Raoul complied sullenly, inquiring for 
 what purpose peaceful travellers were thus inter 
 rupted on their journey. 
 
 " Ah, Monsieur Audigier ! " answered the leader 
 of the party, "it seems you have forgotten an 
 old acquaintance. You might have remembered 
 Captain Robert Campbell of his Majesty's Tenth 
 Dragoons, and saved yourself the trouble of ask 
 ing for his authority." 
 
 " I remember," said the Frenchman, with knit 
 brow and flashing eye, " that you needlessly shot
 
 LOST HOURS 89 
 
 down my father at my side, and used vile and 
 abusive language to my mother, when I was a 
 helpless prisoner under your charge ; but I do not 
 know that these acts give you authority to arrest 
 me or my companion on the highway. Where 
 are your orders ? " 
 
 " Oh ! " replied Campbell, drawing a pistol 
 from his holster, "'tis seldom that I am unpre 
 pared with a sufficient warrant for the arrest of a 
 traitor and a spy." 
 
 Quick as lightning, Raoul thrust a hand into 
 his bosom an instant later, a loud report shook 
 the morning air, and Capt. Robert Campbell fell, 
 without a groan, to the ground. The ball had 
 reached his heart. Almost at the same time, 
 Burr's pistol was discharged, killing another of 
 the dragoons. The remaining one, seeing how 
 it had fared with his comrades, hastily returned 
 the fire, but ineffectually, and wheeling his horse, 
 betook himself to flight. Two shots were dis 
 charged after him, by one of which his horse was 
 so badly wounded, that at a distance of one hun 
 dred yards it stumbled and fell. 
 
 " That will do," said Raoul, coolly drawing on 
 his gloves. "Before he can procure assistance and 
 put another pack of bloodhounds on our trail, we 
 shall be far beyond the danger of pursuit." It 
 turned out as he predicted, and the remainder of 
 the journey was unvaried by excitement or adven 
 ture. 
 
 As they neared the gates of the city, the flag 
 of the Colonies was seen floating from many build 
 ings. " We shall soon be at home," remarked
 
 90 LITTLE BURR 
 
 Burr, with a smile, turning towards his companion. 
 " I have no home," was the reply. " Even the 
 refuge which Father Pierre has kindly given me 
 for so long, in exchange for meagre service, is now 
 denied me. It will be impossible for me, for some 
 time, at least, to return to the monastery." " Why 
 not join our army," asked Burr, " and stand by my 
 side when we enter Quebec a month hence?" 
 " No," said Raoul, slowly and deliberately, " I have 
 had enough of fighting. When Captain Camp 
 bell fell dead, the old feud between us was ended ; 
 my spirit of Corsican vengeance is satisfied. When 
 we enter the city gates, Raoul Audigier will be 
 come dead to the world. The name has never 
 been coupled with success why should I wear 
 it longer? My father's name was Louis, the same 
 as that of our king ; my mother's name was Des- 
 marais; henceforth I shall be known as Louis 
 Desmarais. My father was a gardener, and I know 
 enough about it to make my livelihood on some 
 estate in this great city." 
 
 Burr saw that his companion's mind was irrev 
 ocably made up, and he said no more. They en 
 tered Montreal, and Burr proceeded at once to the 
 headquarters of General Montgomery to deliver 
 his message. At the door he parted with Louis 
 Desmarais, as both thought, forever. " You will 
 see that the horses are returned to the monastery ? " 
 asked Louis, as he grasped Burr's hand. " I will 
 give the matter my personal attention," was the 
 reply. " If anything happens to them I will see 
 that they are paid for. I was supplied with money 
 for my journey and will retain enough of it to
 
 LOST HOURS 91 
 
 secure Father Pierre against loss." The two men 
 tightened their grip for an instant; then Louis 
 released Burr's hand, and turning, without an 
 other word, vanished into the darkness. 
 
 General Montgomery, charmed with the daring 
 of young Burr, which had made his mission so suc 
 cessful, at once conferred upon him the rank of 
 Captain and assigned him a place on his own 
 staff.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 . 
 
 IMPREGNABLE QUEBEC 
 
 'IPHE moon's rays fell upon the grass-covered 
 Plains of Abraham. It was the night of a 
 past beautiful day in the month of May, 1776. 
 Twenty years before, the same moon had looked 
 down upon the same field, at that time drenched 
 with the blood of mortal foes ; for the French under 
 Montcalm and the English under Wolfe had met 
 there in deadly strife. The close of that day of 
 battle had witnessed the death of the vanquished 
 Montcalm and of the victorious Wolfe. 
 
 Less than six months before, a small band of 
 Americans, rebels against their king, had besieged 
 the city and had attempted to take it by storm. 
 They had been repulsed with terrible loss, their 
 gallant commander, Montgomery, having fallen at 
 the head of his troops. Gen. Benedict Arnold 
 had maintained the siege until a successful issue 
 became hopeless. He had then abandoned it and 
 retreated with his army to Montreal, about one 
 hundred and twenty miles distant. 
 
 What had brought about the enforced retreat 
 of the Americans was the arrival of Gen. Sir Guy 
 Carleton, with reinforcements for the relief of the 
 beleaguered city. Against this force, strongly 
 entrenched, the Americans could not hope to 
 prevail, and that is why the blood-red flag of
 
 IMPREGNABLE QUEBEC 93 
 
 England, emblazoned with the crosses of St. 
 Andrew and St. George, still waved proudly over 
 the citadel of impregnable Quebec. 
 
 On the same night that old England's flag was 
 floating in the breeze at Quebec, the ensigns of 
 the rebellious Colonies floated over its sister city 
 of Montreal. 
 
 The face of the publican who owned the well- 
 known tavern called King George's Arms, was 
 beaming with smiles. He was a typical beef- 
 eating Englishman. His large, round face was 
 flushed with the combined hues of health and that 
 derived from a use of his own stimulants. A 
 tavern-keeper cares more for profit than for glory, 
 and the large attendance at the Arms indicated 
 that his coffers would be well filled before the 
 hour of closing came. 
 
 His patrons were principally, in fact, almost 
 wholly, American soldiers belonging to the victo 
 rious army which had conquered the city and still 
 retained possession of it. The loyal residents of 
 the city, who had formerly frequented the tavern, 
 now absented themselves, for they did not care to 
 be brought into close relations with their captors. 
 
 So far as dress was concerned, the assemblage 
 was a motley one. The most attractive uniform 
 ever devised, that of the old Continentals, was not 
 yet in use, and the costumes varied from ordinary 
 ones of homespun and linsey-woolsey to those of a 
 more military cut and color. 
 
 The old-fashioned clock had just struck the 
 hour of eight. An hour remained for the par 
 taking of good cheer and engaging in convivial
 
 94 LITTLE BURR 
 
 conversation. The company numbered nearly a 
 hundred, but they were divided into small parties 
 of from five to ten, each busily engaged in the 
 discussion of, to it, a most important question. 
 
 Suddenly a voice was heard rising so high 
 above the rest that the general hum of conver 
 sation ceased and all listened to hear the next 
 words of the speaker. 
 
 " I say it," he cried, "and I'm ready to back up 
 my words agin one or two on yer, that Aaron Burr 
 is the bravest soldier that ever trod shoe leather. 
 That's my proposition. If any one on yer kin 
 sarcumvent it, let him come ahead, but before he 
 begins, let's licker." At this general invitation, 
 there was a rush for the bar, and the publican and 
 his two sons were kept busily employed until the 
 almost insatiate thirst of the disputants had been 
 satisfied. Then a tall, heavily-bearded soldier, who 
 belonged to a New York regiment, turned to the 
 first speaker and said : 
 
 " You have stated a proposition, to be sure, but 
 you have said nothing to prove the truth of it. 
 Who is this Burr you are talking about?" 
 
 The first speaker stepped back and eyed his 
 questioner from head to foot. "Guess yerwarn't 
 at Quebec, jedgin' from the way yer talk." 
 
 " No," said the New Yorker,. " I'm a new recruit, 
 and that is why I ask you who this Burr is. I 
 never heard of him." 
 
 " Well, yer've put the question in a polite 
 manner and yer've given good reasons fer yer 
 ignorance, and so I'm inclined ter satisfy yer 
 curiosity." The speaker was Abiel Budlong of 
 Litchfield, Connecticut.
 
 IMPREGNABLE QUEBEC 95 
 
 " Well, yer see," said he, " Aaron Burr and me 
 lived in the same town down in Connecticut. 
 They call it the land of steady habits, so I guess it 
 won't do for any of us to go down there to-night. As 
 soon as Burr and me heerd that there was fightin' 
 goin' on up in Massachusetts, we jest shouldered 
 our muskets and started for Cambridge. When 
 we got there we found everything topsy-turvy. 
 There were full as many gin'rals as there were 
 privates, and yer couldn't tell tother from which, 
 the way they was dressed. Jest when George I 
 mean Gin'ral Washington was gittin' things 
 inter shape, Burr and me heerd that that old dare 
 devil, Arnold, who had driven the British out of 
 Ticonderoga and Crown Pint, was goin' up ter 
 Quebec, and Burr and me jest made up our minds 
 to jine him. 
 
 " The little feller was only a little over nineteen 
 years old, but he was sprier than a cricket and as 
 strong as a lion. I never saw a man git along on 
 so little food as he did. Why, he would make a 
 meal offen nothin' and give what was left to the 
 rest of the boys. We had a mighty hard time 
 of it gittin' through the woods and round the 
 portages, but I won't take up your time with that. 
 Yer don't want to know what we did, but what 
 Burr did. If my story gits dry and begins to affect 
 yer, jest speak up, and we'll licker agin." 
 
 There were general signs of dryness in different 
 parts of the room and once more the publican and 
 his sons ministered to the wants of their thirsty 
 guests. As he paid the score, Abe turned to the 
 company and said :
 
 96 LITTLE BURR 
 
 "Well, I'm about dead broke now. If yer gits 
 dry agin, some other feller'll have ter be banker. 
 That's one good thing about Burr he never 
 drinks." This sally drew a good-natured laugh 
 from the company. " And he don't eat much, 
 nuther. I never seen a man live on so little as he 
 kin, as I said afore. Didn't he play a good joke 
 on me one night ? We hadn't had anything ter 
 eat for nigh onto two days, and I felt as though 
 the two sides of my stummick had grovved together. 
 That night, Burr says to me : ' Come and take 
 supper with me to-night, Abe. I'm goin' to have 
 some soup.' Well, yer bet I didn't refuse. It was 
 the sorriest lookin' mess yer ever laid eyes on. It 
 looked more like muddy water than anything else. 
 It tasted jest about as nice. I asked Burr what it 
 was and he told me he had made it out of a pair of 
 old shoes and part of a surcingle. Well, 'twas 
 better than nothin', and that ain't sayin' much." 
 
 " You didn't do much fighting, then ? " broke 
 in the New Yorker. 
 
 " Oh, I'm comin' ter that," Abe replied. " When 
 we got to the Plains of Abraham we made ready 
 to take the city by storm. Burr had his plans all 
 laid out. He got a detail of forty men and he jest 
 drilled them fellers so they could stand a ladder up 
 on end, run up one side and come down t'other 
 afore the ladder tipped over. I've seen 'em do it 
 lots of times." 
 
 A general expression of doubt arose from the 
 company. " May I be hung for a liar if it wasn't 
 so!" cried Abe. 
 
 A confused murmur of voices prevented, for
 
 IMPREGNABLE QUEBEC 97 
 
 several moments, the continuance of his story. 
 Suddenly, a soldier, who had been talking to the 
 publican, approached Abe, bearing a small coil of 
 rope in his hand, and said : 
 
 " Here, Budlong, go hang yerself." 
 
 " Oh, that's all right ! " cried Abe. " I jest want 
 ter say here that I kin fight as well as talk. If any 
 on yer doubts it, now's the time and place ter 
 settle it." 
 
 " Oh, go on ! " cried the New Yorker. " We 
 don't want to fight with you. We want to know 
 what Burr did." 
 
 " Well," said Abe, resuming his usual method 
 of delivery, "they sot down on Burr's plan of 
 capturin' the city and went at it their own way, 
 and they got licked. Montgomery was killed, 
 Arnold got hit in the leg, and Morgan and his men 
 got a good thrashin'. Burr was right up side of 
 Montgomery when he was struck, and although he 
 was a little feller and the Gin'ral weighted more 
 than two hundred, Little Burr jest took him up on 
 his back and toted him out of reach of the British. 
 
 " But I forgot ter tell yer, that afore the fight 
 had begun at all, Gin'ral Arnold sent Burr from 
 Quebec ter Montreal, ter have Gin'ral Montgomery 
 come and help him. Little Burr got here all right 
 and the Gin'ral was so tickled with him that he 
 made him a Cap'n and put him on his staff. Now, 
 yer all know he's Brigade-Major, and he's jest 
 runnin' this city, which gives Gin'ral Arnold plenty 
 of time ter go visitin' the Montreal big-bugs, and 
 I must own up that some of these Montreal girls 
 are jest as pretty as some of our ornary lookin' 
 ones down in Connecticut."
 
 98 LITTLE BURR 
 
 During this conversation the minute hand of 
 the old clock had made a complete circuit, the hour 
 of nine had been struck, and the minute hand was 
 half upon its way towards the hour of ten. Both 
 the publican and his patrons seemed oblivious to 
 the fact that a stern military rule had been dis 
 obeyed, and that the tavern should have been 
 closed half an hour before. Suddenly the door 
 opened and an officer entered, followed by a file 
 of soldiers. As the eyes of the delinquents fell 
 upon him, there came from their lips, as with one 
 voice, the words " Little Burr! " 
 
 Yes, it was he General Arnold's Brigade- 
 Major and his right-hand man. In appearance he 
 seemed a mere boy, as he stood there, sword in 
 hand, but there was upon his beardless face a look 
 of determination which boded ill for the publican 
 who was looking at the clock's face in dismay. 
 
 " Come here ! " said Major Burr, and the pub 
 lican approached him in a suppliant manner. 
 " You know the rules in regard to taverns ? " asked 
 Burr. The publican bowed, and a faint, "Yes, 
 your Honor," fell from his lips. " Why did you 
 not obey them, then ? " was the next question. 
 " I have, up to to-night, your Honor," the publican 
 went on, " but this was a particular occasion. One 
 of the soldiers here was telling how you carried 
 off the body of General Montgomery after he was 
 killed at Quebec, and how you got by the English 
 soldiers when you came here for reinforcements, 
 and how he thought you would have taken Quebec 
 if they had let you have your own way, and " 
 
 " That will do," cried Major Burr. " Don't let
 
 IMPREGNABLE QUEBEC 99 
 
 this occur again, sir. If it does, I will close up your 
 tavern and send you outside the lines. Arrest 
 that man ! " said Burr, pointing to Budlong. " I 
 have no doubt he is the one who has caused this 
 disobedience of military orders." 
 
 The astonished Abe was taken into custody 
 by two soldiers. The three marched out, the 
 remainder of the guard tramping behind them, 
 while Burr brought up the rear. The other sol 
 diers, who were grouped together at the farther end 
 of the room, were regarding him attentively. As 
 he reached the door, he turned about, and facing 
 them, made a military salute. Then he turned 
 quickly and left the room, while loud cheers burst 
 from those who had been the recipients of this 
 courtesy. 
 
 Ten minutes later they had wended their ways 
 to their respective quarters, and King George's 
 Arms was shrouded in darkness.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 A CONFLICT OF AUTHORITY 
 
 TT was true, as Abe Budlong had said, that 
 
 Brigade-Major Burr was running the town. 
 Gen. Benedict Arnold, although a very fiend in 
 carnate in battle, was exactly the reverse in times 
 of peace. It was then that lie enjoyed good din 
 ners, good wine, and good company, and he was 
 more than willing to have the arduous duties con 
 nected with the garrisoning of the city devolve 
 upon his faithful and energetic Brigade-Major. 
 
 But Little Burr was not satisfied to remain as 
 Arnold's aide and perform subordinate duties. 
 He was fired with a laudable ambition to win glory 
 in the field, and if this glory were to be won he 
 must go where fighting was going on. He stated 
 his intention of leaving the army at Montreal and 
 returning to New York, but his superior officer 
 refused his consent. 
 
 " I command you to remain at your post," said 
 he to Major Burr. 
 
 " You have no right to command me," the latter 
 replied. " I do not belong to the line. I was a 
 volunteer in your expedition to Quebec, and as 
 that expedition was unsuccessful, I am not obliged 
 to remain any longer." 
 
 " But you are my Brigade-Major and I cannot 
 get along without you."
 
 Arnold ordering Burr ashore. 
 
 Come back here, or I'll have you shot for disobedience of orders." 
 Page 101.
 
 A CONFLICT OF AUTHORITY 101 
 
 " There are many others who will be glad to 
 fill my place," Burr replied. " I have obtained a 
 boat and shall leave to-morrow morning with four 
 other volunteers, including my friend Abe Bud- 
 long." 
 
 " We will see about that," cried Arnold, in an 
 angry mood. " I am not used to having my orders 
 disobeyed." 
 
 " And I," replied Burr, " am not used to obey 
 ing orders when they come from one who has no 
 right to command me." 
 
 The next morning, Major Burr, with Abe Bud- 
 long and three others, entered a boat; they were 
 preparing to push off from the shore when General 
 Arnold appeared. Shaking his fist at Burr, he 
 cried : 
 
 " Come back here, or I'll have you shot for dis 
 obedience of orders ! " 
 
 Burr examined the priming of his pistol. " I 
 certainly shall not fire at you, General, unless you 
 fire at me, but the moment you fire, I shall do the 
 same." For an instant these two resolute and in 
 trepid men gazed at each other. Burr broke the 
 silence by saying: "Push off, Abe," and an 
 instant later the boat was ten feet from the 
 shore. 
 
 Again Arnold's anger overmastered him. " I 
 will report your disobedience to the Commander- 
 in-Chief, and when you are sent back to me, we 
 will see who is the master." "It will be plenty of 
 time to settle the question then," was Burr's reply. 
 " The day may come, General, when I may have 
 the right to give you orders. If it does, I will see 
 that you obey them."
 
 102 LITTLE BURR 
 
 Arnold turned upon his heel and walked to 
 wards his quarters, inwardly fuming and chafing, 
 for he knew that he had no right to command 
 Burr to remain with him, and he also knew that a 
 request to have his efficient Brigade-Major sent 
 back to him would not be likely to be complied 
 with by the Commander-in-Chief. 
 
 A short distance down the river a man was 
 seen upon the bank, wildly gesticulating for Burr 
 and his companions to approach the shore. In 
 the olden days, if any one possessed a conveyance 
 of any sort in which there was a spare seat, a pas 
 senger, with or without means, was always wel 
 come. When within hailing distance the man 
 cried out that he was a trader and wished to re 
 turn to Three Rivers ; that he had missed the boat 
 upon which he intended to take passage. There 
 was plenty of room in Burr's boat ; the trader soon 
 became an occupant and the voyage was at once 
 resumed. 
 
 Several hours later they came in sight of a 
 large house, standing near the bank of the river, in 
 front of which was gathered a band of Indians. 
 They were in their war paint and their fierce aspect 
 filled the weak-kneed trader with alarm. Disre 
 garding Burr's authority, he turned to the men 
 who were rowing, and cried : 
 
 " Row over to the other shore and get by those 
 fellows as quickly as you can." 
 
 The men looked towards Burr. A slight smile 
 passed over his face, then he nodded. The boat 
 was turned towards the opposite shore, which was 
 soon neared. Then Burr spoke for the first time 
 since the trader had given his order to the rowers.
 
 A CONFLICT OF AUTHORITY 103 
 
 " Go ashore, sir! " he cried. 
 
 " What do you mean ? " asked the man. " Do 
 you mean to leave me here in the wilderness to be 
 killed by Indians or eaten up by wild beasts ? " 
 
 "No," said Burr, calmly, " but I judge from the 
 order that you gave to my oarsmen that you wish 
 to go ashore, and now it is my wish, nay, it is my 
 command, that you do go, and stay there until I am 
 ready to take you aboard again. I will not desert 
 you, for I do not consider you fit prey for either 
 brave Indians or equally brave wild beasts." 
 
 This speech caused the soldiers to laugh, and 
 the discomfited trader, forced to jump into two 
 feet of water, reached the shore in a bedraggled 
 condition. The boat was again turned and soon 
 reached the little wharf before the house where the 
 Indians had been seen. Drawing his sword, Burr 
 stepped ashore and walked up to the house. The 
 Indians approached him and a conversation 
 ensued, during which Burr ascertained that the 
 savages were friendly. They accompanied him to 
 the little wharf and were introduced to the soldiers. 
 Burr gave them a small keg of rum which formed 
 part of the boat's outfit. He then entered the 
 boat which pulled away and resumed its course 
 down the river. They had not proceeded far, when 
 a shrill cry was heard from behind. All turned 
 their heads and the trader was seen running at full 
 speed along the bank of the river, evidently 
 impressed with the idea that Burr had finally de 
 cided to leave him behind. Burr broke into a loud 
 laugh and directed his men to row to the opposite 
 shore ; when they reached it he said :
 
 104 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " If you come aboard again, who is to be con 
 sidered in command of this boat ? " 
 
 "You are, Major Burr," replied the trader, 
 humbly. 
 
 He soon occupied his former seat and until 
 the boat reached Three Rivers he did not once 
 look at Burr, nor did a single word escape his lips.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 A FAIR COMPANION 
 
 A T the end of the boat journey, horses were pro 
 cured and the little company of five continued 
 its way towards Albany. Arrived there, several 
 days were spent in visiting points of interest in the 
 town, and in the purchase of horses and supplies 
 necessary for the long trip to New York. 
 
 Burr, while in Montreal, had received a letter 
 from his bosom friend, Matthias Ogden, and had 
 inferred from its contents that Ogden would meet 
 him at Albany and accompany him during the 
 remainder of his journey. He was, however, to be 
 deprived of a pleasure upon which he had counted 
 much, for he found a letter from Ogden, in which 
 the latter told him that it would be impossible for 
 him to reach Albany until three weeks later. 
 
 But if Burr was thus to be deprived of a com- 
 pagnon de voyage, in whose society he would have 
 experienced great pleasure, kind Fate had provided 
 another for him. Upon receiving his friend's 
 letter, Burr determined to return immediately to 
 the field of active service. Not only was he 
 desirous of doing so, but his four companions were 
 anxious to join the main army at New York and 
 do what they could to repel the British. 
 
 It happened that at this time Adelaide Clifton 
 was on a visit to her relatives in Albany. The
 
 106 LITTLE BURR 
 
 breaking out of the Revolution had found her 
 there, and the hostile disposition of the Indians 
 had prevented her from attempting to return. 
 Learning that Major Burr, accompanied by some 
 discharged soldiers, was about to leave Albany 
 for New York, she eagerly availed herself of this 
 opportunity for returning to her home. Just eight 
 een years of age, beautiful as Helen when she first 
 listened to the impassioned words of Menelaus, 
 enriched by many accomplishments, and possessed 
 of an intellect to which the term genius most 
 properly applies, it would have been natural enough 
 for the young soldier to have surrendered heart 
 and mind to the lovely being under his charge. 
 That he did not, may be attributed particularly to 
 the absence of that inexplicable sympathy that all 
 of us have felt and none of us are able to describe; 
 and more particularly to the fact that his country 
 had just entered upon a war of uncertain duration 
 and equally uncertain results. The next year, or 
 the next month, according to the chances of battle, 
 might crown him a victor or condemn him to a 
 rebel's doom. At such a time his thoughts were 
 upon battlefields, not bridal raptures; upon iron 
 chains, not silken fetters. The hoarse drum and 
 the piercing fife echoed in his ears ; not the soft 
 lute or the songs of love. The spell of beauty was 
 counteracted by the inspiration of patriotism, and 
 the presence of his fair companion awakened no 
 emotion stronger than friendship. 
 
 The journey was southward and was made as 
 rapidly as possible. Over fairly good roads, when 
 reached, their progress was rapid; but when
 
 A FAIR COMPANION 107 
 
 obliged to follow bridle paths through the forest, 
 they went in Indian file Burr in advance, Miss 
 Clifton next, then Abe Budlong, with the three 
 soldiers bringing up the rear. This order of march 
 had been devised by Burr, for he knew, in case of 
 danger, that he could rely implicitly upon Abe's 
 assistance. On one occasion, the latter had re 
 marked in an undertone to Burr: 
 
 " I say, Aaron, that Miss Clifton is a mighty 
 bright, pretty girl. Cause she lived in New 
 York, I at fust thought she must be a New Yorker, 
 and I kind o' wondered ; but it's all out, now. She 
 told me yesterday, as I was ridin' long side o' her, 
 that she was born in Connecticut, and I told her 
 I was a Connecticut boy myself, and hers to 
 serve." 
 
 Burr selected the most suitable places for camp 
 ing at night. A small shelter-tent had been pur 
 chased by him in Albany when it had been decided 
 that Miss Clifton was to accompany the party, 
 and this protection was devoted exclusively to her 
 use. On stormy days, when progress was rendered 
 inconvenient, and sometimes impossible, Burr and 
 Abe cut down striplings, and building a frame 
 work over the tent, covered it with boughs and 
 leaves, and in this way afforded its fair occupant 
 additional protection from the storm. Burr and 
 his companions would have laughed at the idea 
 of their seeking shelter ; they were to be soldiers 
 in the army of their country and the little privations 
 to which they were subjected during this voyage 
 were probably but trifles compared with those 
 they would be called upon to undergo when in 
 actual service.
 
 108 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " I hope we shall find a pleasant place in which 
 to pitch our camp to-morrow," said Miss Clifton, 
 one afternoon. They were evidently approaching 
 a clearing, for the bridle-path had widened ; and 
 urging her horse forward, she rode side by side 
 with her escort. Not fully comprehending her 
 meaning, Burr replied : 
 
 " I hope we shall have a pleasant day to travel, 
 because it will bring us so much nearer to our 
 destination, to which, no doubt, you look forward 
 as eagerly as I do." 
 
 " Why, Major Burr ! " cried the young girl, as 
 she turned her face with a look of astonishment 
 towards him. " You surely do not mean to travel 
 to-morrow ? " 
 
 " Why not ? " asked Burr, for the meaning of 
 her remark had not yet become apparent to him. 
 
 " What day of the week is this ? " she asked, 
 with an arch look in her face. 
 
 " If my reckoning is correct," was the reply, 
 "it is Saturday." 
 
 "Yes," said the young girl, "and to-morrow 
 will be Sunday. You will pardon me, I know, 
 Major Burr, but I have always been taught that 
 God's temple is in the woods as well as in the city, 
 and that He can be worshiped in the open air, 
 beneath the sun and sky, as well as in a church." 
 
 Burr, quickly perceiving the young girl's mean 
 ing, determined to accede to her implied wish. 
 
 As he anticipated, the widened bridle-path did 
 lead to a clearing, and here it was decided to pitch 
 camp for the night, although they would naturally 
 have gone on for some time longer and then 
 selected the most desirable place.
 
 A FAIR COMPANION 109 
 
 Contrary to his expectations, the three soldiers 
 made no objection to the proposed delay, but one 
 of them suggested, that if Sunday night should 
 have a moon, it might be well for them to push on 
 and make up, to some extent, for the time lost on 
 Sunday. Burr said that he would consider the 
 matter and there it was left. 
 
 The three soldiers certainly did not observe 
 Sunday in the manner which Miss Clifton had 
 contemplated. They were well supplied with rum 
 and tobacco, and a pack of cards, and were evidently 
 disposed to make the day one of rest and relaxation, 
 from their point of view. Abe refused to join the 
 party, despite the numerous requests. He knew 
 that such a course would be looked upon with 
 disfavor by Burr. Besides, Miss Clifton was a 
 Connecticut girl and he wished her to have as high 
 an opinion as possible of the only Connecticut 
 boy in the party. 
 
 About noon, Burr said : " Miss Clifton, I re 
 call your remark of yesterday about God's temple 
 being in the woods. It evidently is not located 
 in this clearing ; perhaps we can find it, if we go 
 far enough." So they set off on foot together. 
 The sun was bright, but its rays were tempered 
 by a cool breeze; this became balmy under the 
 combined influence of the sun's warmth and the 
 perfume of the wild flowers, seen in profusion on 
 every side. 
 
 " How I wish," cried the young girl, " that I 
 could live in an Eden like this for the rest of my 
 life ! I never did like the city, with its narrow 
 streets and houses crowded so closely together.
 
 110 LITTLE BURR 
 
 How pure the air is, and how freely one can 
 breathe! It gives one new ideas and new 
 thoughts, does it not, Major Burr?" 
 
 " You will pardon me, Miss Clifton, if I reply 
 that I have but one thought in my mind. Shall 
 I tell you what it is ? " 
 
 A girl more deeply versed in the ways of the 
 world than was Adelaide Clifton might have 
 thought that his remark was intended to lead the 
 way to a compliment to herself, but Adelaide was 
 an honest, whole-souled girl, and she replied 
 quickly : 
 
 " Certainly, Major Burr. I should like to know 
 your thought, for it must be a great and noble 
 
 one." 
 
 " It is," said he, " from an ideal point of view. 
 I was thinking of the coming conflict between 
 these Colonies and the powerful mother country. 
 What will be the result? Can we successfully 
 meet and defeat the stronger troops and ex 
 perienced generals that she will send against us ? 
 If the war had not opened, but, instead, we were 
 looking forward to it as a possibility within the 
 next five years, I would give all my time to prepar 
 ing my countrymen for the conflict. I would go 
 from colony to colony and urge the establishment 
 of military schools for the education of officers, 
 and make provision for the drilling of the common 
 soldiers. Undrilled, the soldiers are like pickets 
 stuck loosely in the soil; when drilled, they be 
 come the thick hedge, fully capable of repelling 
 assault." As he spoke, his whole frame swelled 
 with the intensity of his feelings, his eyes threw
 
 A FAIR COMPANION 111 
 
 forth a fire which had been latent, and his voice, 
 which before had been pitched in a conversational 
 tone, now became loud and resonant. 
 
 In turn the girl's eyes sparkled with pride. 
 This young soldier was her beau ideal of all men. 
 She had never met one before with such innate 
 power, with such firm resolves, with such determi 
 nation of purpose to win a name and fame on the 
 battlefield. 
 
 Men's patriotism may find strength from other 
 sources than the love of women, but its flow is 
 sustained by their sympathy and encouragement- 
 
 " Major Burr," Miss Clifton cried, " I am a 
 prophetess, and I predict that you will win glory 
 in the coming war ! I may not know you then " 
 as she said this, her voice grew lower, and 
 trembled slightly "so I will anticipate those fair 
 ladies who will praise you one of these days by 
 crowning you as a conqueror to-day ! " 
 
 She began gathering leaves and wild flowers. 
 Burr threw himself at the trunk of a tree and 
 watched her agile motions with interest. He may 
 be pardoned for thinking to himself that she was 
 both beautiful and intellectual, but some fair read 
 er may not pardon him for not having thoughts of 
 a deeper and more permanent nature. 
 
 Soon Miss Clifton ran towards him, bearing in 
 her hands a wreath which she had deftly woven 
 from the leaves and flowers. "Most puissant 
 General," said she, in mock heroic style, " remove 
 your chapeau, that I may place upon your brow 
 this wreath of laurel." 
 
 " Fair lady," said Burr, " I kneel to receive thy
 
 112 LITTLE BURR 
 
 gracious favor," and he sank upon one knee while 
 Miss Clifton placed the wreath upon his head. 
 They went onward, she, admiring the beauties of 
 nature and voicing her pleasure from time to time 
 in enthusiastic language. 
 
 Suddenly the path ended and there arose be 
 fore them a precipitous ascent of broken stone, 
 which fancy might have called a natural staircase. 
 "Shall we go up?" asked Burr. They both 
 looked upward and saw that the steep acclivity 
 terminated in a huge rocky boulder. " Yes," cried 
 Miss Clifton, " the view from the top will surely 
 pay for the trouble of getting up there." They 
 slowly ascended, Burr's arm being occasionally 
 needed to support his fair companion when a longer 
 step than usual became necessary. At last they 
 reached the top and were well repaid for their 
 endeavors. 
 
 The view was a charming one, and Miss Clifton 
 was in raptures. They walked to the edge of the 
 boulder and looked down. The distance in a 
 perpendicular line was about thirty feet, which 
 brought the tops of the trees nearly on a level 
 with the boulder. One of the taller trees over 
 hung the rock and one of its strongest branches 
 reached across the intervening distance and rested 
 upon it. Burr, who had the agility and clear 
 headedness of a gymnast, walked out upon this 
 branch until he reached the trunk of the tree. 
 Miss Clifton fell into a state of pretty dismay and 
 begged him entreatingly to come back from his 
 dangerous position; but he, for the time being, 
 was willful. He might have wished to learn the
 
 A FAIR COMPANION 113 
 
 real extent of her feelings ; at any rate, he reached 
 up his arm and catching at a branch above him, 
 drew himself up, and sat down upon it. 
 
 At that moment a loud shriek fell upon his 
 ear. It came from a woman, and must have been 
 Adelaide's voice. Quick as lightning he dropped 
 from the upper branch and regained his footing 
 upon the one beneath. Then he turned to see 
 what had caused the outcry. He saw what he 
 had not noticed before that the boulder was the 
 end of a rocky ridge. Some fifty feet down was 
 an opening in the rock, undoubtedly a cave. 
 From this cave the head of a bear had emerged, 
 and the animal was moving slowly towards Miss 
 Clifton. Her cry was explained and her immediate 
 danger was obvious. 
 
 What should he do? If he rejoined her, and 
 they attempted to descend the rocky pathway, they 
 would surely be overtaken by the bear. No, there 
 was only one way to secure her safety she must 
 join him on the tree. Then the thought occurred 
 to him that this branch rested upon the boulder 
 and might be strong enough to support the bear, 
 which would surely follow them. He decided 
 quickly that such an exigency must be met when 
 it came. How foolish it had been for him to leave 
 camp without his rifle or pistols! He had not 
 even brought his knife with him, which could have 
 been used as a last resort. He had thought of 
 taking his weapons, but then it had occurred to 
 him that Miss Clifton might consider them inap 
 propriate on such an occasion, and he had antici 
 pated no danger from either human being or wild 
 beast.
 
 114 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " Miss Clifton," he cried, " come out here on 
 the bough. You will be safe then." 
 
 The girl was evidently paralyzed with fear, and 
 stood as though stupefied. The bear had not 
 accelerated its pace, but shambled slowly along. 
 There was not more than a minute to spare. 
 "Adelaide, come!" cried Burr. Her Christian 
 name, spoken by the young soldier, acted like a 
 magnet. With a glad cry she started towards the 
 place where the bough rested upon the boulder. 
 
 "Steady, Adelaide, be the brave girl I know 
 you are." As he said this he extended both his 
 hands, and the young girl, thus encouraged, held 
 out hers, and they were soon in his strong grasp. 
 He walked backward and she forward, until the 
 trunk of the tree was reached. Then, fearing that 
 she might faint from the nervous reaction, he 
 threw his arms about her and held her close to 
 him. 
 
 When the bear saw its intended victim, for, no 
 doubt, he had seen her through the opening of his 
 lair, he bounded forward as fast as he could propel 
 his heavy body, and snarled with rage when he 
 discovered that she had escaped him. He was evi 
 dently an acute animal. He did not intend to give 
 up the pursuit. He could see his victims not 
 more than ten feet from him and there seemed to 
 be a natural pathway leading to them. He walked 
 to the end of the bough which rested on the 
 boulder, and putting out one of his clumsy paws, 
 tested its rigidity. His instinct hardly went so 
 far as to determine the possibility of its sustain 
 ing his weight.
 
 A FAIR COMPANION 115 
 
 Burr reflected that, if he were alone, his escape 
 would be easy ; all that would be necessary to do 
 would be to descend the tree and, upon reaching 
 the ground, run for the camp at his greatest speed. 
 The bear would hardly be likely to make a down 
 ward jump of thirty feet, in order to follow him. 
 But he realized that it would be impossible for his 
 companion to descend the tree without positive 
 danger. He looked upward to see if there was a 
 means of escape in that way. He could easily 
 have ascended the tree to its topmost branch and 
 been out of danger, but how could he manage to 
 so assist Miss Clifton that she could reach a 
 similar position ? 
 
 The bear was wary. It was evidently not en 
 tirely satisfied with the means of passage afforded 
 by the bough of the tree. Perhaps it thought it 
 had plenty of time ; its victims could not escape, 
 and it would look around and see if there was not 
 an easier and more secure way of reaching them. 
 It walked to the edge of the boulder. It was a 
 huge beast, but, as it stood there, to the eyes of its 
 probable victims it seemed twice its natural size, 
 and Miss Clifton, with a cry of fear, covered her 
 face with her hands. 
 
 "Be brave, Adelaide," said Burr; "while there 
 is life there is hope. I propose to eat that bear, 
 instead of being eaten by him, before this affair is 
 over." 
 
 The report of a rifle rang out upon the air. 
 The bear gave a yell, as though in pain. Burr 
 looked and saw a stream of blood coming from its 
 shoulder ; it had been wounded, but not mortally.
 
 116 LITTLE BURR 
 
 The thought came at once to his mind that the 
 shot had been fired by one of his party probably 
 Abe, who, becoming anxious on account of their 
 long absence, had followed them. He was on the 
 point of calling out " Abe 1 " and disclosing their 
 hiding place, but was restrained by an inexplain- 
 able feeling that such a course would be prema 
 ture. It was well that he refrained. Hardly had 
 he come to this conclusion, which it had not taken 
 more than twenty seconds to form, when a second 
 report was heard. This shot was a deadly one, for 
 the bear, with another scream of pain, started in 
 the direction of his cave. He had proceeded but 
 a short distance, however, when he tumbled over, 
 and fell, an inert mass, on the blood-stained rock. 
 Looking to the other side of the trunk of the tree, 
 Burr discovered that an equally strong bough pro 
 jected at the same level. If they could reach it, 
 they would be screened from view. If friends were 
 coming, they could easily disclose themselves ; if 
 enemies, they might escape detection. 
 
 The change in position was safely made and 
 Burr drew down some smaller branches in such a 
 way as to screen them from view. Fortunately, 
 Miss Clifton's riding habit was of dark green cloth, 
 which, under the circumstances, was a great advan 
 tage. Telling her to hold firmly to a small branch, 
 he peered through the leaves to see what was to 
 be the outcome of this strange and unexpected 
 adventure. 
 
 Suddenly voices were heard. They were loud 
 but guttural, and Burr divined at once that those 
 who had fired the shots were Indians. His sur-
 
 A FAIR COMPANION 117 
 
 mise soon proved correct, for two lusty savages, 
 with the smoke still issuing from their rifles, who 
 had been ascending the rocky acclivity, reached 
 the broad boulder and surveyed with grunts of 
 satisfaction their dead prey. Placing their rifles 
 upon the rock, they drew their knives and began 
 to remove the heavy coat of fur from their victim. 
 It was evidently in their minds that it would 
 protect them from the cold during the coming 
 winter. 
 
 The situation, instead of being improved, Burr 
 felt, was growing more serious. His own strength 
 was in no way diminished, but he was afraid that 
 his companion's might give out at any moment, 
 and she might be unable to longer sustain herself 
 in the cramped position which she was obliged to 
 assume. With this thought in his mind he threw 
 one of his arms about her and whispered encourag 
 ing words in her ear. 
 
 " Be brave a little while longer," he said. ** We 
 shall have some of that bear for supper, after all." 
 
 The change in his position brought to his 
 view again the entrance to the cave from which 
 the bear had emerged. What was that ? It was 
 the she-bear, who, missing her companion and who, 
 perhaps, hearing the shots, was coming forth to 
 investigate on her own account. The Indians 
 were upon their knees, busily engaged upon the 
 carcass. Burr knew that they had failed to reload 
 their rifles, and if the she-bear set upon them they 
 had only their knives to defend themselves. His 
 first impulse was one of humanity to cry out 
 and warn the Indians of their danger but self-
 
 118 LITTLE BURR 
 
 preservation is the strongest of all feelings, and 
 Burr checked the shout of warning which he was 
 upon the point of uttering. Glancing through the 
 interstices of his leafy screen, he waited the coming 
 mortal combat, for such he knew it would prove 
 to be. 
 
 He had not long to wait. The she-bear had 
 divined the fact that her mate was dead; she 
 had sniffed blood, and probably bears recognize 
 danger to their own species as readily as does man 
 to his. With long but almost noiseless bounds she 
 covered the short distance between the cave and 
 the rocky boulder, and sprang between the two 
 Indians, who had no intimation of her presence. 
 Bringing a huge paw down upon the head of one, 
 she crushed him to the earth, while the next 
 instant she fastened her teeth in the neck of the 
 other. The onslaught placed both of her victims 
 immediately at her mercy, but she had none. 
 They were unable to use their knives, their only 
 weapons of defence, and in a few moments their 
 dead bodies were stretched across that of their 
 own victim. 
 
 Two deadly dangers had been removed, but a 
 third and terrible one still remained. Their 
 chances of escape were in no way improved, for 
 the infuriated she-bear was an even more formid 
 able adversary than her mate had been. Burr 
 reflected that possibly the Indians might have 
 been friendly, but it was too late now to repine at 
 not having taken steps to ascertain this fact. 
 
 The sun was slowly sinking in the west and its 
 reflected radiance threw a shower of golden rays
 
 A FAIR COMPANION 119 
 
 upon the forest. Turning to Miss Clifton, Burr 
 said: 
 
 " We are safe for the present, at least ; there 
 has been a remarkable occurrence. The two 
 Indians who killed the bear have been killed in 
 turn by the she-bear. Our friends will surely 
 come for us, but there is, of course, a chance that 
 they may take the wrong direction and may not 
 find us for some time. The she-bear will not leave 
 the body of her dead mate for hours, so our retreat 
 in that direction is cut off. We must try to get 
 from this tree to another and then to a third, and 
 endeavor in some way to reach the ground without 
 attracting her attention." 
 
 But this course was destined to become un 
 necessary. As hour after hour sped away, Abe 
 Budlong had become nervous and apprehensive 
 for the safety of his friend Aaron and that pretty 
 girl who was born in Connecticut. 
 
 " I say, boys," said he, " I'm afraid somethin' 
 has happened ter the Major. He didn't take his 
 gun or his pistols with him, and I'm afraid he's 
 got inter trouble. He'd get out all right if he was 
 alone, but with that gal on his hands he'd be kind 
 o' hampered. I think we ought ter go and look 
 him up." 
 
 The men had tired of their card-playing and 
 had slept off the effect of their long and strong 
 potations of rum. They were just in the mood for 
 an adventure of some kind, and grasping their 
 rifles, willingly followed Abe's lead into the forest. 
 They covered the ground quickly, for they were all 
 strong men and used to making their way through
 
 120 LITTLE BURR 
 
 the woods. Before they reached the rocky acclivity 
 Abe's quick eye discovered footprints and other 
 signs that they were on the right track of the 
 parties of whom they were in search. 
 
 " It's all right, boys ! " he cried. " They came 
 this way." 
 
 " Well, I'll wager a shilling," said one of the 
 men, " that they never went up those rocks." 
 
 41 Well, I'll bet they did ! " cried Abe. " They 
 had ter do that or force their way right through 
 the forest, and I don't believe the Major would 
 have tried ter do that, with a gal on his hands. 
 Besides, that gal came from Connecticut, and she 
 just stumped the Major to climb up there and find 
 out what they could see when they got ter the 
 top. Come along, boys, it won't do any harm ter 
 go up, anyway. If we find we're on the wrong 
 scent, we'll come back agin." 
 
 Abe started ahead, followed by his three com 
 panions. When half way up he stopped and 
 emitted a low whistle. " Jerusalem crickets ! " he 
 said in a whisper. " Did ye see that ? " 
 
 The men, who had been intent upon finding 
 the most secure places upon which to put their 
 feet, had been looking downward rather than 
 ahead. As Abe spoke, however, they all looked 
 up and saw the same picture upon which Burr's 
 eyes at the same moment were resting. 
 
 " I wish," said Abe, " that that 'ere b'ar was the 
 hull British army. We'd clean 'em out at one 
 shot, jest as we're goin' ter settle him. Now, boys, 
 we each one of us know best where ter hit a b'ar. 
 When we take out them 'ere bullets, I don't want 
 ter find 'em more'n an inch apart."
 
 A FAIR COMPANION 121 
 
 The men secured steady footing and raised 
 their rifles. The four reports were as one in 
 stantaneous and equally sudden was the death of 
 the she-bear, which fell prostrate upon the dead 
 bodies beneath her. With yells of delight the 
 four men rushed forward, tripping and stumbling, 
 but regaining their footing and dashing forward 
 again, until all of them reached the top of the 
 rocky boulder. 
 
 "Well, by gum!" cried Abe. "If I warn't a 
 member of a religious family and not used ter 
 indulgin' in profane language, I should say there 
 had been a h 1 of a time up here." 
 
 At that moment, a loud and well-known voice 
 cried out: 
 
 "Hello, Abe!" 
 
 As Burr uttered the words, he pushed aside 
 the screen and his face came into full view. Abe 
 started back. What he thought, no one will ever 
 know ; all he said was : 
 
 " Boys, there's the Major ! " Then he added, 
 "But where's the gal?" 
 
 Abe stepped out upon the bough over which 
 Burr and Miss Clifton had made their escape, and 
 extending his hands assisted them in reaching 
 the boulder in safety. 
 
 " It's not a very pleasant sight for a lady," 
 apologized Abe, "but you're a Connecticut gal 
 and I guess you can stand it. I kind o' reckon 
 that the two Indyuns killed the fust b'ar, then the 
 second b'ar killed the two Indyuns, and then a 
 detachment of the Colonial army killed the second 
 b'ar and rescued Major Burr and Miss Clifton."
 
 122 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " You have got it just right, Abe," said Burr. 
 "You could not have described the events any 
 better if you had been an eye-witness, as we have 
 been. But let us get back to camp as soon as 
 possible. There may be other dangers in store 
 for us if we remain here any longer. But, a word 
 of caution, those dead Indians would not have 
 lost their lives if they had not been careless. 
 After bringing down their game they failed to 
 reload their rifles." 
 
 " ' Nuff," said Abe, and he proceeded to reload, 
 his example being followed by his three com 
 panions. 
 
 " If you will supply me with ammunition," said 
 Burr, " I think we will take possession of these 
 two very good rifles, formerly owned by our Indian 
 friends, and load them also." This was soon 
 done. 
 
 " Now," said Burr, " I made a promise to Miss 
 Clifton. I should like to keep it. I promised her 
 a bear steak for supper." 
 
 " She shall have it," cried Abe. " And, boys, 
 we'll have roasted b'ar's feet; there ain't nothin' 
 finer in the way of meat in the world." 
 
 A bright moon lighted up the last part of their 
 homeward trip. The steak was cooked over some 
 hot coals, while the feet were roasted in a hole in 
 the ground in which hot coals had first been 
 placed. Then they were removed, the feet put in 
 and covered with sod. 
 
 After a day of terrible adventure, which might 
 have ended in the death of two of their party, the 
 company became happy, and some of its members 
 even hilarious.
 
 A FAIR COMPANION 123 
 
 At eight o'clock Burr remembered the promise 
 that had been made to the soldiers; camp was 
 struck and the party resumed its journey south 
 ward. 
 
 When they reached West Point, Burr decided 
 that they would make the rest of the journey by 
 water. Miss Clifton had borne up remarkably 
 well with the fatigues of the journey, but during 
 the two days which preceded their arrival at West 
 Point, a heavy rain storm had prevailed and, 
 despite their best endeavors, all the members of 
 the party were thoroughly drenched and, neces 
 sarily, suffered somewhat. The horses were sold 
 and a boat purchased in which to complete the 
 trip. In it their remaining stores were packed 
 away, and on a bright, sunny morning, they pushed 
 off from shore and started on their way down 
 stream. 
 
 Burr and his five companions did not meet 
 with any exciting adventures during their passage 
 down the Hudson. Both days and nights were 
 pleasant. No storms roughened the river, the sur 
 face of which was as smooth as a mill-pond. Some 
 nights were passed in the boat and some on land. 
 They were all anxious to reach New York, and as 
 long as their strength would permit, the oars were 
 plied by sturdy arms. It was only when their 
 tired limbs needed repose, that the boat was 
 allowed to drift slowly along with a watcher at the 
 bow, or was rowed into some little cove, where a 
 big fire was started, the shelter-tent set up, and a 
 camp improvised for a night's stay on land. 
 
 New York was finally reached. Burr's first 
 duty was, of course, to escort Miss Clifton to the
 
 124 LITTLE BURR 
 
 home of her aunt, Mistress von Ketterer, the 
 widow of a Dutch merchant, who had made a for 
 tune and left it to his wife, a comely person, about 
 forty years of age. She lived in an old-fashioned 
 Dutch house, built in the center of a large garden, 
 and was, in face, form, and voice, a Knickerbocker 
 of the old school. He was thanked over and over 
 again by the kind-hearted lady for his attention 
 and courtesy to her niece, and accepted an invita 
 tion, warmly extended by both to call upon them. 
 Soon after his arrival he received another 
 letter from his friend, Col. Matthias Ogden, inform 
 ing him that General Washington was ready to 
 give Major Burr an assignment as aide on his staff 
 and make him a member of his official family.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 AN OLD NEW YORK GARDEN 
 
 TWTADAM von Ketterer was delighted with 
 Adelaide's presence and insisted that she 
 should remain with her permanently. 
 
 " I am very lonesome," said her aunt. " Your 
 uncle Jacob died about five years ago. He was 
 an old man and very infirm, but he retained his 
 intellect to the last, and he was such good company, 
 my dear. I used to read to him and there was 
 hardly a book that he could not tell me something 
 which would have added to its value, if the author 
 had but known of it. He had a college education 
 in Holland before he came to America, and he 
 was always a great reader." 
 
 Adelaide Clifton's father and mother were both 
 dead. She had made her home with a married 
 sister, who lived in Connecticut. Her presence in 
 Montreal had been occasioned by a visit to an 
 other married sister, who was the wife of a British 
 officer. Adelaide would not assent, at once, to 
 her aunt's request ; but after she had been in the 
 old mansion for a week, it seemed more like home 
 to her than any place in which she had ever 
 lived. 
 
 The house had many large rooms, some of 
 them very large, and also many small ones. In 
 one of the larger, Adelaide one day found a secret
 
 126 LITTLE BURR 
 
 panel ; on opening it, she discovered, to her aston 
 ishment, a flight of stairs. With the impetuosity 
 of youth, she ran swiftly up, despite the fact that 
 it was covered with dust and swayed perceptibly 
 beneath her weight. 
 
 Opening a small door at the head of the stairs, 
 she entered and found herself in a large room. 
 From floor to ceiling the walls were covered with 
 shelves, and these shelves were packed closely 
 with books. The only furniture in the room con 
 sisted of a number of comfortable, old-fashioned 
 rocking-chairs and a large mahogany table, beauti 
 fully carved and resting upon four lion's feet. 
 " That must have been Uncle Jacob's library," she 
 said to herself, as she slowly retraced her steps and 
 replaced the panel. 
 
 Her curiosity had been whetted, not satisfied, 
 by her discovery. The next day she said to her 
 aunt: 
 
 " You told me that Uncle Jacob was a great 
 reader. What has become of all his books ? Did 
 you sell them ? " 
 
 " No, child," was Madam von Ketterer's reply, 
 and she looked inquiringly into Adelaide's face, 
 to which a telltale blush quickly mounted. I have 
 had no one to read to me," her aunt continued, 
 " since Jacob died. I have given all my time to 
 the management of my house and my servants. 
 But some day, Adelaide, we will go up there and 
 you shall read to me," she added, demurely. " Any 
 time you wish to go there alone, I shall be pleased 
 to have you, and you can pick out something to 
 read to me when I have the time to listen."
 
 AN OLD NEW YORK GARDEN 127 
 
 Adelaide knew that her aunt had divined her 
 secret, but she said nothing, and taking her hat 
 from its peg, ran out into the old garden, which, 
 although ablaze with the noonday sun, yet had 
 many cool corners which frustrated all the efforts 
 of the heated beams of light to enter them. 
 
 Adelaide took refuge in one of these cool 
 retreats and looked about her. An old New York 
 garden! "It is perfectly lovely!" the girl was 
 forced to say aloud. These words may seem 
 strangely familiar to a reader of the present day, 
 but it must be remembered that the language of 
 admiration changes but little in a century. 
 
 Adelaide was very fond of horseback riding 
 and hardly a morning passed that she did not in 
 dulge in her favorite exercise. Her beautiful face 
 and figure quickly attracted the attention of the 
 gallants of the city and of the young officers of 
 the American army, then stationed there. In 
 quiries soon became rife as to who the young 
 and beautiful stranger might be, and when it was 
 discovered that she was the niece of Madam von 
 Ketterer, the usual devices were adopted to secure 
 an opportunity to visit the old Dutch mansion. 
 
 During Jacob von Ketterer's lifetime he had 
 entertained lavishly and his wife was well known 
 to what may be called the best people of the city. 
 It is not strange, therefore, that within a few weeks 
 after Adelaide's arrival in New York her aunt's 
 house was frequented by many visitors, the greater 
 proportion being young, unmarried gentlemen. 
 
 Major Aaron Burr had accepted the invitation 
 so courteously given him by Adelaide's aunt, and
 
 128 LITTLE BURR 
 
 had called many times to present his compliments 
 to the ladies; and on several occasions he had 
 strolled through the beautiful garden with Adelaide 
 for his companion. In their conversations they 
 often referred to the trip from Montreal to New 
 York, and saw over and over again the terrible 
 conflict which had ended in the death, both of 
 the Indians and their intended victims. 
 
 It is not strange that among the gentlemen 
 who received invitations to visit Madam von 
 Ketterer should have been included the young 
 and handsome Capt. Alexander Hamilton. 
 
 His judgment was taken captive by the bril 
 liancy of Adelaide's conversation, and his West 
 Indian blood was turned to fire by her extraordinary 
 beauty. The acquaintance thus formed was not 
 permitted to languish. Every moment of relaxa 
 tion from his military duties was devoted to her. 
 Day after day he was by her side ; day after day 
 he exerted to the utmost those powers of fascina 
 tion which he had, as yet, found no woman able 
 to resist. 
 
 That she was pleased with his society and 
 flattered by his attentions admitted of no question, 
 and her practised wooer spared no exertion to im 
 prove the favorable position that he had gained. 
 Quietly and artfully, he had extracted from her a 
 knowledge of her tastes and her favorite pursuits, 
 of the books she read, the authors she most 
 admired, the virtues most esteemed, and the vices 
 most abhorred. With the language of a master 
 he touched the chords on which she had un 
 consciously taught him to play. The evident
 
 AN OLD NEW YORK GARDEN 129 
 
 pleasure and the close attention with which she 
 listened, raised flattering hopes in his breast, and 
 ignorant that her heart was another's, he exulted 
 in the conviction that every hour brought him 
 nearer to the accomplishment of his purpose. 
 
 What was his purpose ? Honorable marriage ? 
 Oh, no ! He had learned by diligent inquiry that 
 she was comparatively poor, and destitute of in 
 fluential friends. It did not suit his ambitious 
 schemes to link himself, at such a time, to one who 
 would be a clog upon his advancement ; or, if not 
 an absolute hindrance, at least incapable of push 
 ing him up the ascent he was beginning to climb. 
 Yet, while his ambition controlled his passion so 
 far as to deprive it of all honorable aims, it 
 diminished none of its fiery intensity, but served 
 only to divert it into channels of intended dis 
 honorable gratification. 
 
 Soon Alexander Hamilton impatiently watched 
 for an opportunity to declare the passion that 
 consumed him, and his very soul was burning to 
 hear the blushing avowal of its return, which he 
 doubted not would follow. 
 
 The opportunity he had longed for came at 
 length, under circumstances as favorable as he 
 could desire. The hour was twilight; the time, 
 the dreamy month of May, when the heart is 
 always full and the blood dances gladly through 
 the throbbing veins. The bright moon had just 
 risen above the horizon, bathing spire and cupola 
 in its mellow rays, which mingled harmoniously 
 with the hues of opening bud and blooming 
 flower, and clothed in robes of richer beauty the 
 green turf on which they rested.
 
 130 LITTLE BURR 
 
 Seated beneath a bower of fragrant flowers, 
 Adelaide Clifton was listening with rapt attention 
 to his eloquent words. Turning from the scenes 
 about him, he transported her to the sea-girt isle 
 on which his infant eyes had first opened to the 
 light of day, and the happiest years of his life had 
 been passed in sinless pleasures. He painted for 
 her a picture of a clime where frosts never come, 
 and the year knows no changes, except from the 
 balmy spring to the glorious summer ; where the 
 green tree never sheds its leaves, and the rose that 
 drops from its stem, scorched and withered, at 
 noonday, is replaced before morning by another, 
 sweeter and lovelier, that the dews of night have 
 nourished into life ; where the plumage of the birds 
 that throng the deep woods and feast on the lus 
 cious fruits of the tropics, is variegated as the 
 rainbow, and the rich music of their songs swells 
 like a choral anthem from the spirit land ; where 
 the maiden slumbers by babbling fountains in gar 
 dens of perfume, until the evening shades have 
 relieved the fiery sun, and the moon and the stars 
 invite her forth to dream of the glorious beauties 
 of heaven and to revel in the sensuous delights 
 of earth. 
 
 All the pictures his memory supplied of that 
 luxurious clime were placed before her. Nor did 
 he pause here. He knew the power of sympathy 
 over the female heart and gradually led his willing 
 listener among the varied scenes that had grown 
 familiar to him in his adventurous life. He 
 described the sea when the tempest was unchained, 
 and the strong bark shivered, and the stout mast
 
 AN OLD NEW YORK GARDEN 131 
 
 reeled and cracked at the whirlwind's breath. He 
 told her of nights upon the trackless deep when 
 the heavens were hung with black and not a star 
 looked down upon the inky flood ; of the wild roar 
 of the breakers, as the doomed vessel dashed 
 among their foamy crests ; of the despairing cries 
 of the struggling victims and the delirious joy of 
 the fortunate few whom the waves had mercifully 
 thrown upon the sandy beach. 
 
 The genuine pathos of his narrative was 
 heightened by its evident truthfulness, and its 
 influence was the more marked because he painted 
 nothing that he had not seen, and gave voice to 
 no emotion which he had not felt. A stray moon 
 beam had stolen through the trellised vines and 
 rested on the cheek of Adelaide Clifton. By its 
 light Hamilton saw that she was in tears tears 
 for his sufferings, his perils perhaps of joy at 
 his escape. 
 
 " How little do we know," he went on, without 
 seeming to notice them, "the changes that are 
 before us. Eighteen years had not darkened the 
 down on my lip, when I exchanged the dreamy 
 isle for the boisterous ocean. Other changes also 
 came, and now, at an age when the boy is scarcely 
 merged in the man, the merchant's pen is thrown 
 aside for warrior's arms. Perhaps the next change 
 will be my death on the battlefield. All beyond 
 to-morrow is unknown ; of one thing only can we 
 always be sure. Future joys may glide away, like 
 the cooling waters that rose to the lips of Tantalus, 
 whenever we attempt to taste of them; but the 
 present is ours. Ours, not only in the enjoyment
 
 132 LITTLE BURR 
 
 it offers to-day, but in the memories it sends with 
 us to gladden the coming time. Grief and pain, 
 sickness and wounds, are robbed of their bitterness 
 when there is one blessed hour upon which we 
 can look back and feel that it is beyond the power 
 of Fate to deprive us of the rapture it brought." 
 
 " It may be as you say, Captain Hamilton," she 
 replied, " but what are they to do for whom the 
 past has no raptures whose eyes, turning back 
 upon the vista of years, rest only upon sorrowful 
 reflections ? " 
 
 "To one whose years had really been so 
 saddened, I would say look forward, forward 
 evermore, and conquer the gloom of yesterday by 
 anticipating the brightness of to-morrow. But 
 why do you ask? Such a question can be of no 
 interest to you." 
 
 "More," was the mournful rejoinder, "much 
 more than you perhaps imagine." Then, as if 
 afraid of having disclosed more than she wished 
 to reveal, she added : 
 
 "Just now, you yourself painted the future as 
 unknown and uncertain. What right have I to 
 claim exemption from the common lot ? Why to 
 me, more than others, should the sunshine come 
 unmingled with tears ? " 
 
 " Because you are better, and fairer, and love 
 lier; because the Creator permitted you to stray 
 from your home among the angels, in mercy, not 
 in anger; because you come to chase away the 
 bitterness of earth, not to partake of its sufferings." 
 
 " Captain Hamilton," she replied, " must pardon 
 me for doubting the soundness of an argument
 
 AN OLD NEW YORK GARDEN 133 
 
 which he has found it necessary to clothe in such 
 extravagance of flattery." 
 
 " Flattery ! And yet I do not wonder that you 
 call it such, for I must confess that speaking the 
 truth about you sounds like what the world calls 
 flattery. It would be in the case of others, but 
 not in yours, Adelaide." 
 
 " I think," said she, with a smile, " that a truth 
 ful delineation of me would be much more prosaic. 
 Born in a tropical clime, your language has all the 
 exuberance of the natural beauties of your native 
 land." 
 
 " I know it ! " cried Hamilton, passionately. 
 " I am a child of the burning sun, not of the cold, 
 frigid moon, which is now looking down upon us 
 and which, I fear, chills your heart. Flattery! 
 that was the word you used. You do me an 
 injustice, Adelaide, if you think that my words 
 sprang from so base a source. Does the Persian 
 dream of flattering the sun when he kneels before 
 his fire-crowned altar and in the gorgeous poesy 
 of the East, hymns the praises of his burning idol ? 
 Yet in what Persian breast ever throbbed a wilder 
 idolatry than mine ? From the first moment I 
 beheld you, my soul went out from my keeping. I 
 did not love no, Adelaide I worshipped ! And 
 when I wished to tell you of it when, again and 
 again, the strong impulse was upon me to tell you 
 to listen I paused and hesitated because it seemed 
 to me that language had no words to syllable the 
 intensity of that adoration. Even now," he con 
 tinued, taking her hand in his, " I am tortured by 
 a dark fear that I have but poorly made you
 
 134 LITTLE BURR 
 
 comprehend how entirely every thought, and feel 
 ing, and desire, save one, have been swallowed up. 
 How completely one word of yours will bless ; 
 how hopelessly one other word will blast the 
 morning of my existence!" 
 
 The hand he had seized remained for a moment 
 in his. The fragile form of the lovely girl shrank 
 and shivered like an aspen when the north wind 
 is blowing. A flood of tears came to her relief, 
 and snatching her hand hastily away, she ex 
 claimed, in tones of strong and deep emotion : 
 
 " Forgive me, oh ! forgive me, Captain Hamilton 
 for, as Heaven is my witness, I never dreamed 
 of this. I do not I cannot love you, and if I 
 have done anything to encourage your hopes I 
 have deeply wronged you. Pity me, and forgive 
 me." 
 
 " There is nothing to forgive, Adelaide. I was 
 a slave before I had time to think of encourage 
 ment. Mine is a love that would have blossomed 
 alike under cheering smiles or menacing frowns. 
 It came unbidden ; it will abide with me here, and 
 when the curtain drops upon the stage of life it 
 will travel with me through the countless ages of 
 the world to come. But you are too deeply 
 agitated to listen further now. In a few days I 
 shall see you again. Until then, I will try to bear 
 my disappointment. Good-night, and may the 
 angels send messengers of bliss to people your 
 dreams." 
 
 What were the feelings of the bold and gifted, 
 though eminently bad and dangerous man, as he 
 traversed the streets of the silent city? Stung,
 
 AN OLD NEW YORK GARDEN 135 
 
 wounded, almost maddened by the repulse he had 
 met with, he walked rapidly on, trying to think, 
 yet feeling, that thought was impossible. Arriving 
 at his own quarters, he extinguished the light and 
 threw himself, dressed as he was, upon the bed. 
 
 "At least," he said, when the chaos of his 
 feelings had assumed some degree of order, " at 
 least, I have made no unnecessary or embarrassing 
 disclosures. She thinks my purpose was honor 
 able, and come what may, my character is safe." 
 
 From this villainous consolation he turned to 
 other views of the situation. He ran over in his 
 mind all that had occurred since their first meet 
 ing. He recalled every look, and tone, ane 
 gesture. He remembered the minutest shade that 
 had passed over her expressive countenance. He 
 taxed his ingenuity to find some plausible ground 
 for hoping that perseverance might still be rewarded 
 with success. It was in vain. The earnest truth 
 fulness of her words and manner, her sorrowful 
 agitation, her unconcealed distress, left no room to 
 believe that the avowal of his passion had caused 
 any feeling but that of unmixed pain. 
 
 " How," he inwardly asked, " could I have 
 deceived myself so egregiously? I would have 
 sworn that she was prepared for and expected a 
 declaration. Surely, I have not been such a fool 
 as to imagine a preference where none existed 1 " 
 
 Captain Hamilton, however, was well aware that 
 the most astute and self-possessed human beings 
 are not infrequently enticed into grave errors by 
 that little bewitching demon, Vanity; and there 
 fore he finally realized that he had construed mere
 
 136 LITTLE BURR 
 
 evidences of friendship into manifestations of a 
 warmer regard. The more he reasoned, the more 
 apparent did it become to him that he had been 
 unwittingly hugging a charming delusion to his 
 bosom. In his mortification at the discovery, he 
 passed to the opposite extreme, and bitterly cursed 
 his own stupid blindness. 
 
 Captain Hamilton did himself an injustice; a 
 fact that is chronicled the more readily because it 
 was not a practice to which he was often addicted. 
 Adelaide Clifton had preferred his society to that 
 of the men who were constantly about her, and 
 she had taken no pains to conceal it. A man less 
 under the influence of passion, and therefore more 
 capable of reasoning clearly, might easily have 
 mistaken the character of the preference so un 
 questionably exhibited and have acted upon that 
 impression, without subjecting himself to the sus 
 picion of possessing inordinate vanity. 
 
 The character of Alexander Hamilton was too 
 strong and decided to admit of long indulgence in 
 unavailing reproaches. He did not despair of 
 eventual success, and his thoughts were occupied 
 in endeavoring to devise some means of snatching 
 a triumph from apparent defeat. He was conscious 
 that an immediate renewal of his suit would be 
 useless; but he knew the value of perseverance, 
 and hoped that the opinion she evidently enter 
 tained of his character and acquirements might be 
 improved and strengthened, until love took the 
 place of friendship and, in some unguarded 
 moment, virtue should fall a victim to passion. 
 
 Morning found him tossing upon a pillow that
 
 AN OLD NEW YORK GARDEN 137 
 
 sleep had not visited. At daybreak he went forth, 
 as usual, to attend to his military duties. He had 
 fixed upon no definite plan and resolved for 
 awhile to trust to the chapter of accidents. 
 
 For two days she did not see him. On the 
 third, he purposely called at an hour when he was 
 almost certain of meeting other visitors. He was 
 desirious of avoiding the embarrassment of a tete- 
 a-tete at the first interview after the rejection of 
 his suit, and selected his hour accordingly. 
 
 As he hoped and expected, he found that he 
 was not alone ; but her visitor was the last man 
 on earth he desired to meet in that presence, as 
 he was certainly the one whose rivalry he most 
 dreaded, both in love and in war. Perfectly un 
 conscious of the secret feelings of Hamilton, 
 Major Burr arose to greet him with the usual 
 courtesies on his entrance, and exhibited neither 
 surprise nor curiosity at the embarrassment which 
 he could not help remarking in the other's manner. 
 Adelaide Clifton was a little flurried and excited, 
 but Major Burr gave the conversation a direction 
 that put them both at ease. 
 
 At this time, and, indeed, throughout the 
 Revolutionary War, the duties of General Wash 
 ington, his cares and anxieties, were by no means 
 confined to the army. The affairs of a whole 
 continent were on his shoulders, and every im 
 portant resolution of Congress, upon every con 
 ceivable subject, was more or less influenced by 
 his suggestions. Under such circumstances he 
 was necessarily compelled to impose upon his 
 aides a life of almost incessant labor. But little
 
 138 LITTLE BURR 
 
 leisure was left them to pay visits of courtesy or 
 friendship, and it thus happened that Hamilton 
 had not, heretofore, met Major Burr at the house 
 where Miss Clifton was sojourning; nor had he 
 been previously aware that there was any acquaint 
 ance between them. 
 
 He now learned for the first time that she had 
 travelled from Albany to New York under Burr's 
 protection. Jealousy is a keen sharpener of the 
 vision. Shakespeare tells us that : " Trifles light 
 as air are, to the jealous, confirmations strong as 
 proofs of Holy Writ " and that great master of 
 the human heart might have added that these 
 trifles are not always wrong indices to the truth. 
 Sometimes they must very often they may 
 lead us widely into error; but there are other 
 times when they invest the judgment with the 
 quickness and the certainty of intuition. 
 
 His thoughts once directed in the right channel, 
 Hamilton perceived what Burr himself had never 
 suspected. The cause of Miss Clifton's extra 
 ordinary distress on hearing a declaration of love 
 from his lips was now easily understood. Giving 
 to his rival no higher credit for virtuous self-denial 
 than he was conscious of possessing himself, and 
 believing that the same reasons that prevented 
 him from offering his hand to Adelaide Clifton in 
 lawful marriage would have a similar influence 
 over Major Burr, Hamilton persuaded himself 
 that the lovely girl had become a victim to the 
 arts of a seducer, or, if not already degraded, that 
 her ruin would not long be delayed. The wound 
 inflicted by this persuasion of his rival's triumph
 
 AN OLD NEW YORK GARDEN 139 
 
 carried along with it a balm. It furnished an 
 excuse for relentless hostility. If anything should 
 occur to expose the vindictiveness of his hatred, 
 he had only to point to the murdered innocence 
 of Adelaide Clifton for his justification. 
 
 It was not pleasant to have the keen eye of 
 Burr resting upon him while such thoughts filled 
 his mind ; and pleading urgent military duties as 
 an excuse, he arose to take his departure. Burr 
 took his leave at the same time, and Hamilton 
 noticed, with a pang, that while his own adieus 
 were politely returned, she extended her hand to 
 Burr, saying : 
 
 " You are so infrequent a visitor that I must 
 bid you a more earnest good-bye." 
 
 For nearly the length of a square they walked 
 on together, conversing about the probable move 
 ments of the enemy, Burr expressing the opinion 
 that General Washington would soon be com 
 pelled to evacuate the city. Although concurring 
 secretly in this opinion, Hamilton openly ex 
 pressed his dissent. 
 
 " I do not think so," he replied. " The city is 
 strongly fortified and our men are full of that 
 spirit of patriotism which makes one soldier, so 
 animated, more reliable than a dozen hirelings 
 such as King George has sent against us." 
 
 " They may be hirelings," said Burr, " but they 
 have been hired long enough to have learned the 
 art of war. You know, Hamilton, as well as I do, 
 that our fortifications, though formidable in ap 
 pearance, will melt away, as snow does beneath the 
 sun, when the British fleet brings its guns to bear
 
 140 LITTLE BURR 
 
 upon them ; and you know, as well as I do, that 
 however patriotic the army, unless it has learned 
 to quickly load, and prime, and fire, it will be of 
 little service against the sturdy regulars of the 
 King ; and you also know it is true, that, no matter 
 how brave the heart, the head must understand 
 the art of war before the line of battle can have 
 that steadiness which is required to repel an as 
 sault from trained troops. No, Hamilton," Burr 
 went on, "it is one thing to fight Indians and 
 another thing to meet English veterans on equal 
 terms. General Washington's plan is all wrong. 
 Instead of trying to hold the seacoast and thus be 
 obliged to meet the combined forces of the English 
 army and navy, he should retreat into the interior. 
 This will deprive the enemy of the advantage of 
 their warships and they will have to transport their 
 ammunition and supplies across a country, to them 
 unknown, but with which we are intimately ac 
 quainted. Follow this plan and we can harass 
 them by day and by night, and when an opportune 
 moment comes, fall upon and defeat their main 
 army." 
 
 " Why do you not present your plan of cam 
 paign to the Commander-in-Chief ? " asked Ham 
 ilton, blandly, though he had to struggle hard to 
 suppress the sarcastic tone which naturally would 
 have accompanied the words. 
 
 " I would," said Burr, quietly, " if I had the 
 opportunities for reaching his ear that you have." 
 
 They separated on terms of apparent cordiality 
 Burr to return to headquarters, Hamilton to 
 mature the dark scheme that was just beginning 
 to assume a distinct form in his busy brain.
 
 AN OLD NEW YORK GARDEN 141 
 
 A perfect master of the art of dissimulation, 
 he generally contrived to conceal from the public 
 the terrible passions by which he was often shaken. 
 Few were aware of the malignity habitually 
 cherished by the polished gentleman and the 
 dashing soldier, and none suspected the low in 
 trigues and the vile expedients to which he was 
 capable of resorting to injure an enemy or supplant 
 a rival. 
 
 As Hamilton sat in his room, sipping a glass 
 of wine and smoking a cigar, he soliloquized : 
 
 "As Burr said, I have the ear of the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief and I mean to keep it. By many, 
 I am looked upon as a foreigner and so I am. 
 It takes a long residence to turn British blood 
 into American and I have not had the opportuni 
 ties of my fellow officers in that respect ; but, as 
 Burr said, I can reach Washington's ear and that 
 brings me closer to him than they are and I 
 will keep so close to him that none can get 
 
 nearer." 
 
 He emptied his glass and then refilled it. 
 
 " I am studying my illustrious Chief to good 
 advantage. I have learned that he is vain, proud, 
 and extremely sensitive on questions of morality. 
 I wonder what he would say if he knew that a 
 member of his staff strongly disapproved of his 
 military plans and was uttering seditious language 
 to his brother officers ? And I wonder, too, what 
 he would say if he knew that this imitation Caesar 
 had entered a happy home and had left ruin 
 behind him 1 "
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 A BITTER QUARREL 
 
 'T'HE plan which Hamilton adopted to circulate 
 the scandal which he had invented was 
 effective. Adelaide Clifton was not long kept in 
 ignorance that her name had become a hissing and 
 a reproach. Her delicate nerves were shattered 
 by the shock. Reason tottered on its throne, and 
 the lovely and innocent one soon became a raving 
 maniac. 
 
 Her aunt, Madam von Ketterer, of course 
 knew the cause of her niece's terrible mental con 
 dition and decided to have her removed from the 
 city. Some twenty miles up the Hudson River 
 was a small farm which the von Ketterers had 
 occupied before the old Dutchman's fortunate 
 business investments had enabled him to move to 
 the city and build the large mansion which had 
 been his pride and that of his fellow Hollanders. 
 The farm still belonged to Madam von Ketterer. 
 It was unoccupied and was selected as a place of 
 refuge for the poor demented girl. A trusted 
 servant of Madam von Ketterer, Wilhelmina by 
 name, went with Adelaide. They were accom 
 panied by an old Dutchman named Hans, who 
 could not understand or speak a word of English, 
 but with whom the woman could communicate in 
 their native tongue. The doctor had told Madam
 
 A BITTER QUARREL 143 
 
 von Ketterer that medicine would be of no use in 
 such a malady ; that what Miss Clifton needed, 
 and must have, was absolute quiet and absence 
 from the scenes which would bring to her mind 
 any of the circumstances which had led to her sad 
 condition. 
 
 If Adelaide had been in her usual health and 
 spirits, she would not have asked for a lovelier 
 retreat than the old farmhouse of which she be 
 came an inmate. It was built upon a high knoll, 
 and from its wide veranda a view of the beautiful 
 Hudson might be had, as it flowed majestically by 
 on its journey to the sea. But Adelaide's eyes 
 were not opened to outwardly view the beauties 
 of nature ; they were turned inward and saw only 
 unhappy thoughts and terrible dreams, instead of 
 sky and tree and river. 
 
 In the paroxysms of her delirium, her great 
 love for Aaron Burr found utterance. Sometimes 
 she would imagine he was seated by her side, and 
 for hours she would lavish endearing caresses 
 upon some object that she had mistaken for the 
 idol which madness had no power to drive from 
 her heart. Then, again, when fancy changed the 
 picture and he appeared to her distempered mind 
 cold or unfaithful, agonizing sobs would choke her 
 utterance and scalding tears blister her fading 
 .cheeks. Now she saw him returning victorious 
 from the battlefield, and proud and lofty were the 
 words that welcomed the coming of her glorious 
 hero. Now, she was straying with him beneath 
 the mighty elms where she had played in child 
 hood, recalling all the innocent memories that
 
 144 LITTLE BURR 
 
 made it holy ground to her. At last a sadder 
 vision settled permanently on her mind ; she 
 imagined that he had been struck down in his 
 young manhood she could see the crimson stains 
 upon the white shroud that covered him, and 
 busied herself in washing out the sorrowful tokens. 
 
 At the rear of the house was a grassy mound 
 which in size and appearance closely resembled 
 those often found in country churchyards. When 
 ever she could elude the vigilance of her attend 
 ants, Adelaide flew to it and shed bitter tears upon 
 what she thought was the grave of her beloved 
 one. Wilhelmina was a strong woman, but she 
 found it impossible to drag Adelaide from her 
 vigil with death, and it took the combined strength 
 of Hans and herself to bear the unfortunate girl 
 to her room and put her on her bed. There 
 Adelaide would lie for hours in a state of stupor, 
 her physical strength having been entirely ex 
 hausted by the violence of her emotions. 
 
 Wilhelmina sent a letter, twice a week, to 
 Madam von Ketterer, giving her full particulars 
 of her niece's condition. At the end of' a month, 
 there being no improvement, Madam von Ketterer 
 decided to appeal to Major Burr. She sent for 
 him and he promptly answered the summons. 
 Madam von Ketterer was a practical woman of 
 the most hard-headed Dutch stamp, and in stating 
 the case to Major Burr did not beat about the 
 bush. She told him what had caused her niece's 
 condition. She said that light rumors had first 
 reached Adelaide ; then the story had been gradu 
 ally magnified, until it reached the amplitude of a
 
 A BITTER QUARREL 145 
 
 full-blown scandal ; that in the rumors and stories 
 and scandals, one name had always been connected 
 with that of her niece. 
 
 Burr's hand clutched nervously at the hilt of 
 his sword. Then he sprang to his feet and cried, 
 impetuously: 
 
 "What is his name? I was Miss Clifton's 
 companion and guardian from Albany to this city. 
 She trusted me when we were in danger, and now, 
 when she is in sorrow, I will not prove faithless, 
 but will call this man to account. Madam von 
 Ketterer, I demand his name ! " 
 
 " It is one that you will easily recognize," said 
 Madam von Ketterer, grimly. "The name that 
 has been uniformly associated with that of my niece 
 in this dreadful scandal is that of Major Burr." 
 
 Had Burr been struck in the chest by a rifle 
 ball, his face could not have grown whiter, nor 
 could he have reeled and fallen back into his 
 chair any quicker than he did. What a fool he 
 had been! How unthinking he had been! How 
 unmindful of what was going on about him! 
 Why had he not known of this miserable plot to 
 injure Adelaide and himself, soon after its incep 
 tion? Then the instigator might have been found 
 and justly punished; but at so late a day such a 
 quest would probably prove fruitless. 
 
 It took but an instant for these thoughts to 
 flash through his mind. Then it occurred to him 
 that the stern-visaged old lady who sat regarding 
 him, thought, no doubt, that he was guilty. Once 
 more he started to his feet. 
 
 "Madam von Ketterer," he cried, "this is
 
 146 LITTLE BURR 
 
 horrible ! I had no idea that such a story was in 
 existence, or that my name was coupled with that 
 of your niece, for whom I have always had the 
 greatest respect and with whom no relations except 
 those of a pure and exalted friendship have ever 
 existed. On my honor as a gentleman, this is the 
 truth. I will go to your niece and she will prove 
 the truth of my words." 
 
 Madam von Ketterer was evidently convinced 
 of the truth of the young officer's declaration, for 
 her stern features relaxed and her harsh voice was 
 full of an unsuspected tenderness as she said : 
 
 " Poor girl ! I am afraid she can say nothing 
 that others will believe. Wilhelmina writes me 
 that she is as crazy as ever, although her strength 
 is manifestly slowly giving way. She utters your 
 name continually. Hans and Wilhemina try to 
 keep her in the house, so that she may not be 
 observed or overheard by others, but she often 
 eludes their vigilance. If she meets strangers, 
 after the manner of crazy folk she will tell them 
 her story, and then the scandal will spread farther 
 and farther." 
 
 " I will go to her at once ! " cried Burr. " If, in 
 her trouble, in her despair, she utters my name, 
 surely I am the one to whom she will listen and to 
 whom she may talk in a rational mood." 
 
 Major Burr secured leave of absence and made 
 the journey to the old farmhouse on horseback. 
 The fact that he had asked for permission to be 
 absent from the city for two days soon became 
 known to the other members of Washington's 
 staff ; one of them gave the information to a friend
 
 A BITTER QUARREL 147 
 
 not connected with the army, and that friend, in 
 turn, communicated the news to one not loath to 
 hear it Captain Hamilton. To this informant, 
 Hamilton said : 
 
 " Your friend can find out where Burr intends 
 to go. You can follow up the clue thus given and 
 ascertain whether she is living or dead." 
 
 When alone, he said to himself : " Can it be 
 possible ^.that I ever loved that girl ? I do not 
 think so. I do not believe that a man could really 
 love a woman and then feel as I do now that the 
 most welcome news that I could hear of her would 
 be that she is dead and buried." 
 
 The dead, he knew, do not talk ; but he knew, 
 also, that if the maniac recovered her reason she 
 might divulge certain things which would connect 
 him with the instigation of the scandal. 
 
 Since her departure from the city, Adelaide 
 had not been in so tranquil a frame of mind as on 
 the morning of the day that Major Burr started 
 from New York to visit her. She asked Wilhel- 
 mina, in a most rational manner, if she might go 
 to 'walk in the garden. Wilhelmina consented, 
 and the young girl wandered from one fragrant 
 flower to another, picking a rose here and a slip of 
 green or a leaf there, forming them into a little 
 nosegay, and singing softly to herself, as Ophelia 
 had done when weaving her wreath. 
 
 The sound of a horse's feet was heard clattering 
 on the road. The young girl turned her face and 
 a divine smile lighted up her features when she 
 saw who was approaching. He had no sooner 
 alighted from his horse than she was by his side.
 
 148 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " I am so glad you have come ! " she cried. " I 
 have been waiting so long to see you, but I ex 
 pected you to-day and I have gathered these 
 flowers for you," and she passed him the little 
 nosegay which she had made. 
 
 Burr knew that he must humor her in every 
 way. He thanked her for the gift and then asked 
 her if she would walk with him in the garden. At 
 the farther end of it a rough bench stood beneath 
 the overhanging branches of a large tree. They 
 sat down in the grateful shade, and talked of 
 what? As Burr recalled the conversation, after 
 wards, they had talked of everything excepting 
 that which he had been told was uppermost in her 
 mind. She did not mention his name, but was 
 evidently greatly delighted to see him. Was her 
 reason returning slowly, or had she fully recovered 
 it ? He determined upon a bold method to learn 
 the truth. 
 
 "Just before I came away I had a long talk 
 with your aunt, Madam von Ketterer," he re 
 marked. 
 
 " My aunt ! " cried the girl. " Oh, yes, how is 
 she? I have not heard from her for a long 
 time." 
 
 " She is very well," said Burr, " but too busy 
 with her household duties to come with me, as she 
 had at first intended." 
 
 " I should like to see her very much," said the 
 girl. " Can't I go back with you ? " 
 
 Burr thought to himself was it possible she 
 had forgotten what had taken place and that the 
 part of her brain upon which was impressed the
 
 A BITTER QUARREL 149 
 
 knowledge of the dreadful secret had been burned 
 up by an inward fire? If so, his task would be 
 easier than he had anticipated. 
 
 ;< Your aunt would be very much pleased to 
 have you come back to the city, but for one reason, 
 which I have assured her is a very good one. The 
 British are closely watching it, and no doubt will 
 soon make an attack, both by land and sea. If it 
 should fall into their hands, it would be much 
 better for you and your aunt if you were both out 
 side the city limits. With her knowledge and 
 consent I have come to take you to a place of 
 safety. Will you go with me ? " 
 
 "Why, of course!" cried the girl. "Why 
 should I not ? We made the long trip from 
 Albany to New York together. You were kind to 
 me then and I know you will be so now. I will 
 find Wilhelmina and tell her that I am going." 
 
 " No, I will tell her," said Burr. " I have a 
 message for her from your aunt. Sit here in the 
 shade, and I will be back in a few moments." 
 
 Wilhelmina could hardly believe it when Major 
 Burr told her that, in his opinion, Miss Clifton's 
 reason was slowly returning: that he thought it 
 best for Miss Clifton to leave the farmhouse at 
 once ; that it would be necessary for Wilhelmina 
 to accompany them, and that she must be ready 
 to start within an hour. 
 
 Burr's horse was soon divested of its military 
 saddle, and harnessed into the humble vehicle 
 which was the only mode of conveyance that the 
 farm possessed. Wilhelmina and Adelaide occu 
 pied the back seat; the noble horse recognized
 
 150 LITTLE BURR 
 
 his master's voice and dashed forward at full 
 speed. 
 
 Before her departure, Wilhelmina had given 
 Hans full instructions what he was to do during 
 her absence. Burr so shaped his course as to 
 avoid the city of New York. The pass which he 
 carried enabled him to get through the military 
 lines whenever they were encountered, and in due 
 course of time he handed over his fair charge to 
 his aunt, Keziah Burr, who lived in a quiet little 
 Jersey village some twenty miles beyond Elizabeth 
 town. 
 
 He then made arrangements by which Wilhel 
 mina could return to the farmhouse, while he 
 sought Madam von Ketterer and told her the 
 strange conclusion of his visit. 
 
 " She will recover," Burr said to Madam von 
 Ketterer. " I think she has forgotten nearly all 
 that has taken place in her life, with the exception 
 of a few marked instances. She recalls her trip 
 with me from Albany to New York, but said 
 nothing to indicate that she connected me in any 
 way with her present condition. Of course, under 
 the circumstances, I did not refer to it. But 
 something had to be done. It occurred to me 
 that the best thing to do would be to take her 
 away from the farmhouse before she relapsed into 
 her former condition. I know but little of the 
 peculiarities of dementia, but I have read that a 
 change of scene is of far more value than medi 
 cine. Then, fortunately, I thought of my aunt. 
 Your niece was perfectly willing to accompany 
 me. During the trip, your servant Wilhelmina
 
 A BITTER QUARREL 151 
 
 was her attendant, and she will tell you that your 
 niece could not have been left in a happier home 
 nor in one where she will receive more loving 
 care and attention, unless, Madam, it were in your 
 own house." 
 
 The day following the departure of Adelaide 
 from the farmhouse, Hans had a visitor. To the 
 questions propounded in English, Hans could 
 only answer with a dubious shake of the head and 
 Dutch words, which, translated into English, would 
 have meant, " I don't understand you, sir." The 
 visitor indulged in a number of English expletives, 
 which Hans, fortunately, could not understand. 
 Had he known what they meant, he would have 
 held up his hands in holy horror, for he was a 
 devout member of the Reformed Church. 
 
 The visitor, finding appeals and threats equally 
 ineffective, then resorted to pantomime. In this 
 he was more successful, for he managed to convey 
 to Hans, who was not nearly so obtuse as he 
 appeared to be, his desire to learn the condition 
 or whereabouts of a certain young lady who was 
 crazy. Hamilton himself would have been scan 
 dalized had he witnessed the attempts of his emis 
 sary to convey, in pantomime, ideas which his 
 hearer had to transform into good solid Dutch. 
 
 Hans had not forgotten certain instructions 
 which he had received from Wilhelmina. Grasp 
 ing a shovel he went vigorously to work, as though 
 bent upon digging a large hole in the ground. 
 After awhile he desisted, and pointed to it. Tak 
 ing a log of wood, he placed it in the hole which he 
 had dug ; then he simulated crying, and bowed his
 
 152 LITTLE BURR 
 
 head low, as though in great grief. He looked up 
 into the visitor's face and although his own was 
 a stolid Dutch one, its meaning could not fail to 
 be easily read. The visitor put a silver coin into 
 the old man's hand, mounted his horse, and rode 
 back to New York. 
 
 " I can carry Hamilton no more pleasing news,'' 
 said the man, as he rode on. " He will be glad to 
 learn that she is dead and buried ; and so am I, 
 for dead women, like dead men, tell no tales." 
 
 The offer of a position on the staff of the 
 Commander-in-Chief was not one which could be 
 peremptorily refused; and yet it was not one 
 which Burr, of his own free will, would have 
 sought. He was anxious for service in the field. 
 He had studied the art of war, and was a born 
 disciplinarian. He had recognized the fact that 
 the untrained Colonial militia could never hope to 
 meet the British regulars with any prospect of 
 success, until they had been made into soldiers by 
 proper instruction and rigid drilling. What pros 
 pect had this appointment for him ? It was simply 
 an opportunity to meet General Washington upon 
 familiar terms, to sit at a table and write out the 
 orders of his superior officer, with an occasional 
 opportunity to deliver these same orders to com 
 manders actively engaged in the field. 
 
 Having a natural repugnance to performing 
 such service, and hoping that he would be re 
 lieved from the irksomeness of it at an early 
 day, it is no wonder that his habitual politeness 
 an4 courtesy deserted him, to some extent, and 
 he made no, endeavors to become intimately
 
 A BITTER QUARREL 153 
 
 acquainted with the other members of General 
 Washington's military family. His acquaintance 
 with some of them was very pleasant, but there 
 were others, one, particularly, with whom it seemed 
 impossible to establish even friendly relations. 
 
 Hostilities, though impending, had not actually 
 begun, and young Burr consoled himself with the 
 thought, that, as soon as the war really opened, he 
 would, no doubt, be detailed for service which 
 would give him an opportunity to win renown. 
 With this idea in view, he applied himself closely 
 to his clerical duties, though inwardly rebelling 
 that the hand which yearned to wield a sword was 
 obliged to handle, day after day, an insignificant 
 quill pen. 
 
 He might have continued his clerical duties, 
 though with an unwilling spirit, had not the 
 Commander-in-Chief betrayed, in his intercourse 
 with him, a certain coolness and constraint, which 
 Burr sought in vain to satisfactorily explain to 
 himself. What had he done which had led the 
 General to show by his actions what he evidently 
 did not intend to express in words a lack of 
 confidence in the latest addition to his military 
 family ? 
 
 In Burr, two qualities predominated. He was 
 excessively proud and more than ordinarily am 
 bitious. The daily question that he had to solve 
 in his mind, and the question came up some days 
 more than once, was whether pride should wait 
 upon ambition, or ambition wait upon pride. It 
 seemed to be fated that pride should win and am 
 bition be cast into the background.
 
 154 LITTLE BURR 
 
 Strange as it may appear, it had never occurred 
 to Burr that the cause of the coldness towards him 
 shown by the Commander-in-Chief was connected 
 in any way with the Adelaide Clifton incident. 
 He had asked for two days' leave of absence, but 
 four full days passed before he reported for duty. 
 He explained to the Commander-in-Chief that 
 private business of a most urgent character had 
 detained him longer than he had expected. It 
 had seemed to him at the time that his explanation 
 was not deemed fully satisfactory by the Com 
 mander-in-Chief, but he was too good a soldier and 
 too strict a disciplinarian, himself, to find fault 
 with being held strictly to account in the per 
 formance of his military duties. If the thought 
 had entered his mind that Washington was in any 
 way cognizant of his supposed relations with 
 Adelaide Clifton, and that his reserve was due to 
 such knowledge, the incident which led later to 
 his severing his connection with Washington's 
 official family would have completely banished 
 such an idea from his mind. 
 
 One day the Commander-in-Chief was sitting 
 at his table, reading some private dispatches. 
 Burr had approached him to make some inquiry 
 in regard to an order which he was writing, when, 
 noticing the General's preoccupation, he remained 
 near his chair, waiting for recognition. While 
 standing there, for an instant he became oblivious 
 of his surroundings. His thoughts went back to 
 that tempestuous night on the Plains of Abraham 
 when Montgomery had fallen. To a soldier born, 
 such a night as that was glorious. What a con-
 
 A BITTER QUARREL 155 
 
 trast was this daily contact with work that he 
 loathed ! His eyes were directed towards the 
 paper which the Commander-in-Chief held in his 
 hand, but they saw nothing but the ice-clad path 
 way beneath the walls of Quebec. 
 
 Suddenly the Commander-in-Chief started 
 to his feet, and turning the paper which he was 
 reading face downward, his eyes blazing with 
 anger, said in a loud, sharp voice to Burr: 
 
 " Why are you spying over my shoulder ? So 
 many of our movements have become known, in 
 some way, to the British, that I cannot be too 
 careful." 
 
 "Had his ears served him aright?" was the 
 thought that ran through young Burr's mind with 
 the rapidity of lightning. "Could the General 
 distrust him, and for such a reason ? Did Wash 
 ington really think that he was disclosing secrets 
 to the enemy ? If so, his past coolness was easily 
 explained ; if so, there was but one course which 
 he could follow." 
 
 Turning to the Commander-in-Chief, he said : 
 
 " Your Excellency, I can understand your 
 words in but one way. An equal, I should have 
 no hesitation in calling to account, if he uttered 
 such an implied aspersion upon my honor ; but 
 when your Excellency utters such words, I can 
 only bow submissively and tender my resignation 
 as a member of your staff." Without another 
 word he turned and walked rapidly from the 
 room. 
 
 Washington sank into his chair and sat for a 
 few minutes in silence, his eyes fixed upon the
 
 156 LITTLE BURR 
 
 paper before him. When he looked up, he en 
 countered the gaze of a dozen members of his 
 staff, who had been regarding him attentively. 
 Then the particular one with whom Burr had 
 been unable to establish friendly intercourse 
 nodded approvingly to his associates, and ap 
 proaching the Commander-in-Chief whispered 
 something in his ear. A look of stern determina 
 tion showed itself upon the General's face, and 
 taking up a quill he wrote the following : 
 " To MAJOR AARON BURR : 
 
 " Your verbal resignation as a member of my staff is 
 accepted." 
 
 Then he signed it.
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 MARGARET MONCRIEFFE 
 
 Major Burr received from the hands 
 of one of his former associates the accept 
 ance of his resignation, he was too proud to make 
 any inquiry of the envoy, who had been one of the 
 members of the staff whose company he had 
 enjoyed and sought. The young man looked at 
 Burr as he was reading the paper, and there was 
 an expression in his face which seemed to indicate 
 that he wished to say something. Burr divined 
 this, but prevented the utterance of the words by 
 saying : 
 
 "Thank you. I had expected this. Further 
 discussion of the matter will do no good." 
 
 Thus rebuffed, the aide had returned to head 
 quarters. When questioned as to his reception, 
 he replied that Major Burr refused to talk, and 
 under the circumstances he did not know that he 
 blamed him. His words were repeated and soon 
 reached the ears of the Commander-in-Chiefs 
 particular confidant. The confidant sought out 
 the one who bore the acceptance of his resignation 
 to Burr, and suggested that his comment upon 
 Major Burr's action was improper and showed a 
 want of respect for the Commander-in-Chief. 
 
 " Well," replied the aide, " I am not so proud 
 nor so ambitious as Aaron Burr. My father is
 
 158 LITTLE BURR 
 
 well-to-do and was much opposed to my joining the 
 army. I am here to fight for the liberties of my 
 country, and also, if necessary, for the good name 
 of my friends. If you wish to report anything to 
 General Washington, you may say to him that if 
 you will mind your business I will mind mine. If 
 you insist upon attending to mine, as well as your 
 own, I shall request the Commander-in-Chief to 
 accept another resignation." 
 
 Burr lost no time in writing to Governor Han 
 cock. He told him that he had resigned his 
 position upon General Washington's staff, for he 
 was confident that there would be no opportunity 
 for him to secure the active service in the field 
 which he desired. By return mail he received a 
 letter from Governor Hancock, advising him to 
 apply for a position on the staff of Gen. Israel 
 Putnam, who was in command of New York City. 
 The governor informed him that he had written 
 to General Putnam, endorsing his application. 
 Burr was cordially welcomed by the old hero, who 
 promptly tendered him a position upon his staff 
 and invited him to become an inmate of his home. 
 
 Burr, freed from the irksome toil which his 
 clerical duties had always seemed, now devoted 
 himself to active outdoor work. From early 
 morning until late at night he was busy inspecting 
 the construction of fortifications, drilling troops, 
 conveying orders from his general to subordinates, 
 and in making himself master of every inch of 
 ground comprised within the limits of the city. 
 From the Battery to Harlem River he examined 
 every road, lane, and clump of trees, with an eye to
 
 MARGARET MONCRIEFFE 159 
 
 their possible strategic value in actual warfare. 
 He drew a plan of the city, upon which he marked 
 the location of the different divisions of the troops 
 and their respective numbers, the situation of the 
 fortifications, number of guns, kind and quantity 
 of ammunition, and many other items of value and 
 interest to his superior officer. General Putnam 
 was delighted with his aide-de-camp, and there 
 grew in Burr a love and veneration for his general 
 which lasted throughout his life. 
 
 His home associations were most pleasant. 
 Mrs. Putnam was a Quaker lady, whose kindness 
 of heart and sweetness of face and temper were 
 both soothing and pleasant to the young officer, 
 who had been bereft of both father and mother 
 before he was three years of age. This was, in 
 reality, the only home that he had known which 
 possessed those loving attributes which are sacred 
 in the heart's language. 
 
 Every day, however, young Burr had an hour 
 or two of relaxation. This came after the evening 
 meal, of which he partook with the general and 
 his family. On his first appearance at the table 
 he was introduced to a Miss Moncrieffe. She 
 was, apparently, about eighteen years of age, 
 beautiful in face and figure, well educated, and 
 vivacious in the extreme. She met the young 
 man's sallies with sharp repartee, and the Quaker 
 mother and her two daughters listened, with 
 astonishment, to the quick interchange of thought. 
 Burr learned, the next morning, from General 
 Putnam, that her Christian name was Margaret, 
 that she was the daughter of a major in the British 
 armv, then stationed on Staten Island.
 
 160 LITTLE BURR 
 
 "Why do you not let her go to her father?" 
 asked Burr. 
 
 ' The Commander-in-Chief won't consent to it," 
 was Putnam's reply. " I 'd send her back to-morrow 
 if he'd let me. The fact is, the British look upon 
 us as rebels, and unless they're taught a lesson, 
 when they capture any of our men they'll give 
 them short shrift and hang them as traitors. Now, 
 General Washington proposes to hold all the 
 British that we can capture as hostages, and if 
 they hang any of our men " 
 
 " But you don't mean to say," Burr cried, in 
 astonishment, " That General Washington would 
 hang Miss Moncrieffe as a reprisal ? " 
 
 " It isn't my business to say," replied General 
 Putnam, " what the Commander-in-Chief would do. 
 All I know is, if he told me to hang her, I'd obey 
 him without question. A good soldier never 
 criticises the orders of his superior officer." 
 
 To Burr, the possible fate of this beautiful 
 young girl became invested with new interest, and 
 developed in his nature, with its really feminine 
 heart, a strong feeling of sympathy for her in her 
 uncomfortable, and it might be, dangerous position. 
 
 While seated at his table the next morning after 
 his arrival, an orderly brought him a crumpled 
 note. Burr opened it and read the following : 
 
 " MAJOR BURR : 
 
 " If you cum acrost me anywhere, don't let on that you 
 know me. Good reasons for keepin' quiet. It will all cum 
 out later. 
 
 "ABE BUDLONG." 
 
 Burr dismissed the orderly, saying that there
 
 Burr and Margaret Moncrieff. 
 Are you trying to escape from the enemy ? " asked Burr. Page 161.
 
 MARGARET MONCRIEFFE 161 
 
 was no answer, and then tore the note into in 
 finitesimal pieces. He knew that something was 
 in the wind, for he had absolute reliance upon the 
 sagacity and clear-headedness of Abe Budlong. 
 He had not seen his admirer since their arrival in 
 New York, after leaving Arnold's command, and 
 did not know whether he had gone home or re 
 joined the army ; but he inferred from the letter 
 that Abe was probably on duty somewhere in 
 New York City. 
 
 That very morning an incident occurred, which, 
 instead of explaining Abe Budlong's note, rendered 
 it more mysterious. Burr was galloping towards 
 headquarters, after having made a visit to one of 
 the forts, when he saw Miss Moncrieffe, mounted 
 upon a superb steed, approaching him at a gallop. 
 Some distance behind her, a soldier was urging 
 his horse to the utmost in a vain effort to keep up 
 with her. 
 
 Both Burr and Miss Moncrieffe reined up their 
 horses and exchanged the usual salutations. 
 
 " Are you trying to escape from the enemy ? " 
 asked Burr, looking towards the horseman, who 
 was now within fifty feet of them. 
 
 " Yes and no," the young girl replied. " I like 
 to get away from him, because he almost talks me 
 to death when we ride side by side, and yet I have 
 no desire to dispense entirely with his company, 
 for General Putnam has told me, and he always 
 means what he says, that I cannot go riding unless 
 accompanied by an escort." 
 
 By this time the horseman had reached them, 
 and Burr saw that it was none other than his
 
 102 LITTLE BURR 
 
 friend Budlong. Acting upon the advice con 
 tained in the note, Burr paid no attention to him, 
 but said : 
 
 " I think you do right, Miss Moncrieffe, to 
 follow General Putnam's orders. I am sure that 
 he would not oblige you to do anything that he 
 did not consider for your best interests." 
 
 M He is a darling old gentleman," said Miss 
 Moncrieffe, with her usual impetuosity. Then, 
 with a gay laugh, she cried : " I am sorry that he 
 is married. I feel quite sure that he would pro 
 pose to me, if he were not." 
 
 w I have no doubt of it," said Burr, gallantly, 
 " but you must not forget that there are others 
 who might do the same thing and who are not 
 encumbered, at present, with a family." 
 
 " Oh, I am too young to get married," said 
 Miss Moncrieffe, with a slight toss of her head. 
 " Father says that he is going to marry me off 
 when I am eighteen, and I have four long years to 
 wait before that time comes." 
 
 Burr could hardly realize that the young 
 woman before him was only fourteen years of age, 
 but he was too much of a gentleman to question 
 the truth of her statement or make any further 
 reference to it. 
 
 " Come, Mr. Budlong," cried Miss Moncrieffe, 
 " let us try a gallop to the next corner. If you get 
 there first, I will pay for all the beer that you can 
 drink," and she dashed off at full speed, waving 
 her hand to Burr. 
 
 As Budlong passed Burr, he said in an under 
 tone : "I'm keepin' my eye on her."
 
 MARGARET MONCRIEFFE 163 
 
 It was only natural that two bright young 
 people, thrown daily into each other's society, 
 should become friendly. They had many interests 
 in common. Both were well educated and their 
 conversation was often devoted to the consider 
 ation of the latest literature. One day, Burr found 
 Miss Moncrieffe engaged in painting a bouquet 
 of flowers, in water colors. He was something of 
 a connoisseur, and criticised some points, in detail, 
 regarding the drawing and coloring. When 
 shown conclusively that she was wrong and that 
 the error should be corrected, she pouted, and 
 declared that they suited her best that way. She 
 seemed passionately fond of painting, for every 
 few days Burr found her engaged upon a different 
 picture. In each of these he discovered the same 
 errors in drawing and coloring which he had 
 noticed in the first one ; but Miss Moncrieffe re 
 fused to make changes in them. 
 
 One day, Burr produced a book, and said: 
 "Miss Moncrieffe, so far, my criticisms of your 
 drawing and coloring have been based upon my 
 memory ; but I have brought with me to-day a 
 work on botany, which will, I think, convince you 
 that I am right and that you are wrong. Now, if 
 you will bring out your collection of pictures, we 
 will look them over and compare them with this 
 standard authority." 
 
 To Burr's surprise, Miss Moncrieffe's face grew 
 red, even to her forehead. Thinking that he had 
 offended her by being hypercritical, he apologized, 
 and would have dropped the subject, but Miss 
 Moncrieffe said :
 
 164 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " Pardon my momentary embarrassment, Major 
 Burr, but the fact is, I have given my drawings 
 away to some friends, who declare themselves 
 charmed with them, although I told them that my 
 instructor, Major Burr, said he thought them very 
 poor." 
 
 "You have done me a great injustice, Miss 
 Moncrieffe," said Burr, assuming an air of severity. 
 " I had intended, at the close of the war, to become 
 a teacher of drawing and painting; but, by your 
 remark, you have ruined all my chances of obtain 
 ing pupils." 
 
 A few evenings later, Major Burr, who had 
 been detained beyond the usual supper hour by a 
 necessary inspection of some raw militia, rode to 
 the barracks for his supper ; for he knew that that 
 careful housekeeper, Mrs. Putnam, had long ago 
 cleared away the remnants of the evening meal. 
 While there he met Abe Budlong. 
 
 " I'm glad I've met yer, Major," said Abe. " I've 
 been waitin'fer a chance ter talk ter yer ever since 
 I writ that note, but I knew yer'd trust me till yer 
 heerd what I had ter say." 
 
 Burr assured Abe that he possessed his entire 
 confidence. 
 
 " Well, the fact is, Major," said Abe, " I've 
 bin doin' double duty. I've bin actin' as escort fer 
 that female Britisher that's stoppin' with Gin'ral 
 Putnam, and I've bin actin' the spy at the same 
 time." 
 
 " I hope you have not been spying upon Miss 
 Moncrieffe," remarked Burr, a little sharply. 
 
 "That's jest what I've bin doin', Major, and
 
 MARGARET MONCRIEFFE 165 
 
 when yer hear the hull story I don't think yer'll 
 blame me. Yer see, ev'ry time she goes a-ridin', 
 she allus takes a little portmanteau with her. I 
 thought, at fust, she had somethin' ter eat in it; 
 but as I never saw her eat anything when we was 
 out together, I grew kinder suspicious. I allus 
 went ter the house ter git the bag and fasten it on 
 the saddle afore she cum out ; so one day I made 
 up my mind ter play spy, and I looked in the bag, 
 and all there was in it was a little roll of paper. 
 She got away from me that day by turnin' a corner, 
 and I didn't find her fer nearly ten minutes. I 
 shouldn't have thought so much of that, fer she's 
 young and frisky, but when I looked in the bag 
 afore I took it in the house, I found that little roll 
 of paper was gone." 
 
 Burr was silent. His first inclination had been 
 to reprove his old friend for his curiosity ; but he 
 determined to say nothing until Abe had finished 
 his story. 
 
 "Well, yer see, Major, that same thing has 
 taken place a dozen times. Every time, there 
 hasn't bin anythin' in the bag 'cept a roll of paper ; 
 and every time, it hasn't bin there when she got 
 home." 
 
 " I don't see that that proves anything," Burr 
 remarked. 
 
 " Well, I don't suppose it does on the face of 
 it," said Abe, " but there's two things ter be con 
 sidered. Fust, what was in the papers; and 
 secondly, who did she give them to ? Well, a spy 
 ain't much use less he 'tends ter business clear up 
 to the handle, and I've found out that them papers
 
 166 LITTLE BURR 
 
 was nothin' but picters of bokays, and I've found 
 out, too, that she gives them to a Britisher who's 
 here in New York on parole. Now, there's 
 another pint. What do them British fellers do 
 with them arter they gits them from her? " 
 
 Burr thought for a moment, then he said: 
 "You have done just right, Abe, but don't say a 
 word about it until you hear from me again. I 
 will think the matter over and decide what is best 
 to do next." 
 
 Burr did think the matter over, and the result 
 of his thought was a letter to General Washington, 
 informing him that, in his opinion, Miss Margaret 
 Moncrieffe was engaged in correspondence with 
 the enemy ; that this correspondence was carried 
 on by means of pictures, the peculiar drawing and 
 coloring of which undoubtedly conveyed informa 
 tion to the British ; and he suggested that she be 
 removed from such close proximity to the enemy's 
 lines, and placed where such opportunities could 
 not be had in the future. 
 
 To this letter Burr received no response, but 
 at the expiration of a week an order came from 
 the Commander-in-Chief to have Miss Moncrieffe 
 conveyed to Kingsbridge and turned over to the 
 care of General Mifflin, who was in command of 
 the troops at that post. 
 
 Whether Miss Moncrieffe ever knew or ever 
 suspected that Major Burr was concerned in any 
 way with her removal from General Putnam's 
 household, can only be inferred from a slight inci 
 dent which happened after General Washington 
 decided to send her back to her father. She was
 
 MARGARET MONCRIEFFE 167 
 
 invited to take dinner with the Commander-in- 
 Chief. General Putnam and Major Burr were 
 among the guests. This was the first occasion 
 upon which Burr had met General Washington 
 since his somewhat unceremonious leave-taking. 
 Beyond the usual civilities, no conversation took 
 place between them. 
 
 At dinner, as was the custom, toasts were 
 drunk. General Washington had proposed the 
 health and happiness of Miss Moncrieffe, and she 
 was then called upon to respond. Raising her 
 glass of wine, she said, in a clear, distinct voice, at 
 the same time casting a glance towards Major 
 Burr, who sat regarding her attentively: 
 
 11 To Lord Howe!" 
 
 The guests at the table looked at her with ill- 
 concealed astonishment, but she kept her eyes 
 fixed upon Burr, while a satirical smile played 
 upon her face. General Washington broke the 
 awkward silence by saying : 
 
 " We will drink to Miss Moncrieffe's toast, on 
 this condition that the first time she is called 
 upon to offer a sentiment in the company of Lord 
 Howe, her toast shall be to some officer of our 
 army." 
 
 Still keeping her eyes fixed on Major Burr, 
 Miss Moncrieffe said : " Your Excellency, you have 
 my promise." 
 
 A young officer, who sat next to Burr, nudged 
 him and whispered in his ear : 
 
 " If Miss Moncrieffe proposes that toast, Lord 
 Howe will be apt to keep you in mind, Major." 
 
 Miss Moncrieffe kept her promise. With
 
 168 LITTLE BURR 
 
 much formality she was delivered to the British 
 officer sent to take her in charge, and it so 
 happened that she was conveyed to a British 
 frigate upon which Lord Howe was, at the time, 
 in consultation with the commander. As before, 
 toasts were drunk and sentiments offered. When 
 her turn came, Miss Moncrieffe raised her glass 
 and proposed, " To General Israel Putnam ! " 
 
 Her words were received with gestures of 
 dissent and strong expressions of disapprobation. 
 The tumult she had raised was quelled by the 
 words of Lord Howe, who said: 
 
 " Gentlemen, we will drink the toast proposed 
 by Miss Moncrieffe. She has told me, privately, 
 that General Putnam has been as kind to her as 
 though she were his own daughter, and I consider 
 that her appreciation of that kindness detracts in 
 no way from her known British loyalty ; and now, 
 gentlemen," continued Lord Howe, " allow me to 
 offer a sentiment, which I know will be fully 
 understood and appreciated by all of you." 
 
 He raised his glass, turned towards Miss 
 Moncrieffe, placed his hand upon his heart, and 
 making a courtly bow, said : 
 
 " Gentlemen, I ask you to join me in a deserved 
 tribute to the health, future happiness, and safe 
 
 deliverance from captivity of " Here he 
 
 paused, and every one present supposed that 
 when he resumed he would finish the toast with 
 the name of Miss Moncrieffe ; but the words that 
 he uttered were " the Queen of Flowers ! "
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 SYSTEMATIC VILLAINY 
 
 TN the obscurity of twilight, two men were 
 silently moving along the " Broad Way ", as it 
 was then called, of the city of New York. Early 
 as the hour was, the regulations rendered necessary 
 by the presence of an army expecting an assault, 
 together with the unseasonable severity of the 
 weather, kept the good people of Gotham within 
 doors, and scarcely a sound was heard along the 
 almost deserted street, save the occasional tramp 
 of a patrol of soldiers, or the clatter of a horse's 
 hoofs, as some aide or orderly dashed along with 
 orders for different posts. Our pedestrians walked 
 rapidly on, hardly interchanging a syllable, until 
 they arrived at a tavern of some pretensions, and 
 were ushered into an apartment probably prepared 
 in anticipation of their coming. 
 
 One of them was a tall man of forty or forty- 
 five years of age, rather sparely made, but muscular 
 and wiry. His forehead was broad and massive, 
 eyes dark gray, mouth large, and lips firmly com 
 pressed. There was an air of power about the 
 whole appearance of the man. One felt that he 
 was in the presence of a strong personality with 
 a head to conceive, a will to dare, and a hand to 
 execute whatever his interest or his ambition 
 might prompt. The other was Capt. Alexander 
 Hamilton.
 
 170 LITTLE BURR 
 
 Directing some bottles of wine to be brought, 
 the elder of the two dismissed the obsequious 
 host, and both drew chairs up to the log fire that 
 was burning brightly in the open fireplace, in com 
 fortable contrast to the chilly dampness without. 
 Hamilton was the first to speak. 
 
 "Well, Billings," he inquired, "what news do 
 you bring ? " 
 
 "Bad enough, Captain Hamilton; the girl is 
 dead." 
 
 M Dead 1 " exclaimed Hamilton, starting to his 
 feet and grasping the arm of his companion with 
 convulsive strength. " Dead ! Is this true ? For, 
 mark me, man, it will not be safe for you to trifle 
 with me on such a subject" 
 
 "I have not been in the habit," replied the 
 other, his hand slowly stealing beneath the folds 
 of his vest, as if there was something there to 
 which his grasp was accustomed and which he 
 desired to clutch, more from habit than from a 
 belief that it would be necessary to use it, "I 
 have not been in the habit of calculating very 
 nicely what might be safe or unsafe in my dealings 
 with the world; nor am I much addicted to an 
 swering rude questions while a ruder grasp is on 
 my arm." 
 
 "This is folly I "muttered Hamilton, releasing 
 .his hold. " I mean you no bodily injury. That 
 pistol in your bosom would be poor protection if I 
 did." 
 
 " May be so; and I have certainly no wish to 
 put it to the test, though it has never failed me 
 heretofore, and I have no fears that it will fail me 
 hereafter."
 
 SYSTEMATIC VILLAINY 171 
 
 Hamilton resumed his seat in silence. Large 
 drops of perspiration gathered upon his brow, his 
 lips quivered, and his whole frame was convulsed by 
 terrible emotions. The fierce struggle endured 
 for more than a minute, and his voice was choked 
 and husky, as he asked : 
 
 " Did you say Adelaide Clifton was dead ? The 
 young, the beautiful, the good; gone, gone for 
 ever I" 
 
 "I told you the truth," was the reply; "but it 
 added so little to the sweetness of your temper, that 
 I had no inclination to repeat the story." 
 
 There was another self-struggle. It ended, and 
 Alexander Hamilton was once more master of 
 himself. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Billings ; I have been 
 foolish and intemperate* If you knew all, you 
 would excuse it." 
 
 " Possibly I may not know all of your share in 
 the business, but I know more of my own than it 
 is agreeable to reflect upon on a still night in a 
 lonely place. I know that you invented the 
 calumny, and that I circulated it; and although 
 neither of us could foresee the melancholy result, 
 we are none the less guilty of murder." 
 
 " Calumny ! I tell you, Billings, that, as God is 
 my judge, I believed it at the time. I thought, 
 too, that the story would never reach her ears, for 
 I knew that she was about starting for her home, 
 and I hoped it would die away, except in quarters 
 where we might think proper to keep it alive." 
 
 " Then, Captain Hamilton, you have the advan 
 tage of me, decidedly ; for I never believed a sylla-
 
 172 LITTLE BURR 
 
 ble of it, nor did I ever doubt but that some kind 
 friend would communicate to her all that was said, 
 together with whatever additions were necessary 
 to fill up any little omissions in the pleasing tale. 
 But this is profitless. The question is not what 
 degree of guilt attaches to either of us, but rather, 
 how we are to turn untoward circumstances to the 
 best account. 
 
 " Before we begin the discussion, you must par 
 don the liberty I am about to take in offering you 
 some advice. I am more than double your age, 
 and there are few phases of human character I 
 have not had occasion to study. The first step 
 toward success in life is self-control. Such out 
 breaks as you have been guilty of to-night are 
 disagreeable to your friends and dangerous to 
 yourself. No man will trust his fortunes in the 
 same boat with yours, if they are continually liable 
 to be upset by ill-governed passions. In the path 
 of ambition which you have deliberately chosen, 
 you must command your words, your looks, your 
 actions. You must be able to call a gay smile to 
 your lips when necessary, although the devil is 
 tugging with red-hot pincers at your heartstrings. 
 Avoid self-deception, for of all deceptions it is the 
 least profitable. 
 
 " Look at your acts in the light of their conse 
 quences. Weigh those consequences before the 
 act is irrevocable, and not afterwards. If the end 
 to be attained is of sufficient importance to justify 
 the ruin of a dozen honest names, or the breaking 
 of as many gentle hearts why, ruin or break 
 them ; but do it deliberately, and do not fly into
 
 SYSTEMATIC VILLAINY 173 
 
 a rage with those who may be serviceable, because 
 you are conscious of having been a very naughty 
 boy. Exhibit as much temper as you please, the 
 oftener the better, since it helps to build up a 
 character for frankness; but never exhibit it when 
 you feel it, for ninety-nine times out of a hun 
 dred it will be foolish and imprudent. Genuine 
 feeling is a great drawback, affected feeling a great 
 advantage to a rising man. Follow this advice 
 implicitly, and there is no eminence you may not 
 hope to attain. History furnishes more than one 
 instance in which a successful soldier, with worse 
 prospects than yours, has won the diadem of a 
 king." 
 
 There was much in the cool and villainous 
 counsel of his confederate not altogether unfamiliar 
 to Alexander Hamilton ; the concluding sentence, 
 too, pointed to a result that he was beginning to 
 contemplate as possible, and to cherish with a good 
 deal more pleasure than was becoming in a repub 
 lican soldier. Still, he was irritated by the tone of 
 superior wisdom in which it was delivered; and 
 there was a touch of scorn in his reply, from which 
 he did not seek to divest it. 
 
 " Pray, Mr. Billings, how does it happen that 
 you, who know so well the paths to success, have 
 yet missed them so widely ? " 
 
 " Your question is natural, and the sneer that 
 accompanied it was natural, also; though, let 
 me tell you, it was far from a wise one. It is one 
 of the very indiscretions against which I have 
 been warning you. A revengeful man would re 
 member it to your prejudice, and some day do
 
 174 LITTLE BURR 
 
 you a mischief on account of it. I shall only 
 register it as the second folly of which you have 
 been guilty in the last half hour. And now, to 
 answer your inquiry, I might say that I had failed 
 for the want of your genius, your capacity, or your 
 accomplishments, and your vanity would accept 
 the explanation. I choose to be more candid. 
 
 "In my youth there was no such revolution as 
 this of the Colonies in progress or in contempla 
 tion. The opportunities that you possess were 
 therefore denied to me; and this explanation 
 would be as soothing to my vanity as the other 
 would be to yours. To another than yourself, it 
 is all that I would give ; but as I have just warned 
 you against self-deception, I must not give you 
 occasion to suspect me of belying my own theory. 
 I failed, because my knowledge came after my 
 character was gone. Put the devil himself upon 
 the earth; let it be known that he is the devil> 
 and he could not mislead a child. 
 
 41 At the commencement of my career I was in 
 possession of a fair fortune and a fair character. 
 Both were dissipated in gambling hells and other 
 resorts of vice and immorality. What mattered it, 
 that in the meantime I had acquired an amount 
 of knowledge and of self-control that would have 
 been invaluable a few years earlier? 
 
 " The road to what men call honorable ambi 
 tion was barricaded against the broken-down gam 
 bler and debauchee. Instead of a struggle for 
 power and place, my life became a struggle for 
 bread and when at last I had accumulated wealth, 
 the means by which it was acquired were so ques-
 
 SYSTEMATIC VILLAINY 175 
 
 tionable that I did not care to give occasion for 
 impertinent inquiries by placing my name before 
 the public. I believe it is not necessary to extend 
 my confession any further, unless you are curious 
 to know my history from the time of my leaving 
 Europe." 
 
 " You need not go on," said Hamilton, some 
 what petulantly. " I am not particularly interested 
 in the past. What concerns me most is the 
 future. It is so long since I have seen you, and 
 not knowing the outcome of the affair, I have 
 been in a perpetual state of unrest. There is only 
 one thing that I envy Aaron Burr, and that is, his 
 absolute control of his feelings under all circum 
 stances." 
 
 Billings smiled grimly. " Then you have al 
 ready come to the conclusion, Captain Hamilton, 
 that the control of one's feelings is absolutely es 
 sential in one who is determined to be successful 
 in life ? I am following your fortunes, Captain 
 Hamilton, and mean to serve you faithfully ; but 
 in disposition I am somewhat like a dog ; and if 
 I were to quarrel with you, or you were to throw 
 me over, I should only be following my dog-like 
 nature in becoming an humble servitor of your 
 present rival. It is not uncommon, you know, for 
 a detective who is on the track of a criminal to 
 actually become an admirer of the skill shown by 
 the pursued one in his efforts to escape arrest." 
 
 " I judge from your remarks," said Hamilton, 
 " that you were so much overcome by the con 
 templation of the death of which we " and as he 
 uttered the pronoun he gave it a forcible empha-
 
 176 LITTLE BURR 
 
 sis " have been guilty, that you had given up the 
 quarry in disgust." 
 
 " Most men have been too busy," said Billings, 
 " since our last interview, to waste time in listen 
 ing to stories of private scandal ; yet I have not 
 been altogether idle. I have already whispered a 
 pretty little story of the seduction of Miss Mon- 
 crieffe in a quarter where it will be sure to reach 
 the General. By the way, Captain, do you know 
 I have a shrewd suspicion that we are much 
 nearer the truth this time than we were before ? " 
 
 " Why so ? What have you seen ? " 
 
 " Nothing, myself ; but servants will talk, you 
 know, and both General Putnam's and General 
 Miniin's speak of longer interviews and more 
 tender partings than were to have been expected 
 between the daughter of a British major and a 
 rebel in arms against his King." 
 
 " I do not believe it. Mrs. Putnam would have 
 turned them both out of the house at the first ap 
 pearance of impropriety." 
 
 " Well, I do believe it ; but as it will equally 
 favor our schemes whether he is really guilty or 
 we only make him appear so, it is not worth while 
 to discuss the truth of the case. Besides, I do not 
 want to have my belief in his present guilt dis 
 pelled. After having been actively instrumental 
 in circulating one false story of the kind, it is a 
 comfort to think that I have discovered a true one 
 at last." 
 
 The color faded from the cheek of Hamilton, 
 and his voice trembled, as he replied : 
 
 " Let me beg of you, Mr. Billings, not to refer
 
 SYSTEMATIC VILLAINY 177 
 
 again to Adelaide Clifton. That tragedy has 
 been played out, and I would rather hear no 
 further allusion to it, particularly in your cold and 
 devilish tones. As to Major Burr, I am half in 
 clined to abandon my plans against him and trust 
 to superior energy or superior fortune in the race 
 between us." 
 
 " There is a little question to be settled, Cap 
 tain Hamilton, before taking that resolution, which 
 I should be sorry to think you had entirely over 
 looked." 
 
 "Pray, what is that?" 
 
 " How far you have a right to engage men in 
 schemes for your benefit, and then abandon them 
 to the mercy of enemies they have made on your 
 account." 
 
 " If I remember rightly," said Hamilton, " you 
 had the frankness to inform me that your services 
 were rendered chiefly with a view to your own 
 advancement." 
 
 "Certainly! I am not so fond of tortuous 
 paths as to tread them without the hope of re 
 ward. Still, you must not forget that it was your 
 self who devised the plan for the destruction of a 
 dangerous rival. In the execution of that plan 
 you sought my assistance. When your views 
 were unfolded to me, I concurred in your opinion 
 and have labored faithfully according to your 
 directions. I had no other interest in it than that 
 of binding you to me by such ties, that hereafter 
 you could not decently refuse any reasonable re 
 quest I might make. You showed me a means 
 of accomplishing the object I had at heart, and I
 
 178 LITTLE BURR 
 
 adopted it. If you had shown me any other, it 
 would have been the same. Of my motives, I 
 make no concealment. I have been willing to 
 work for you and take the chance of your paying 
 me hereafter. A part of my work, the most dis 
 agreeable and the most dangerous, too, is done. 
 Your bond to me is uncancelled, and you have no 
 right to lessen my security for its future pay 
 ment." 
 
 "Suppose I admit the force of your reasoning, 
 how will you prove that I jeopardize your interests 
 by refraining from further acts of hostility against 
 Major Burr ? " 
 
 " It needs no proof. The proposition is self- 
 evident. You may remember the fable of the 
 serpent which stung a child and killed it. The 
 father endeavored to destroy the reptile, but only 
 succeeded in striking off a part of its tail. After 
 wards, a reconciliation took place, and the two 
 engaged in friendly conversation. The man 
 pressed the serpent to come out from his hole 
 an invitation his snakeship politely declined. 
 1 Why not come out ? ' asked the man. * Are we not 
 friends ? ' ' Oh yes ! but your dead child and my 
 shortened tail are not ; and we should quarrel on 
 their account.' 
 
 "You are in the condition of the serpent. 
 There is that between you and Aaron Burr which 
 makes a truce impossible, and if you leave your 
 hiding place before you have an opportunity to 
 sting him, you are lost." 
 
 Something, not exactly a sneer, nor yet a 
 smile a compound expression of anger and
 
 SYSTEMATIC VILLAINY 179 
 
 mortification curled the lips of Hamilton and 
 imparted a tone of bitterness to his reply: 
 
 " I presume you do not expect me to thank you 
 for the compliment deducible from your story, and 
 its application. That Major Burr is a true man, 
 I know ; that he is a man of genius, all reports 
 agree ; yet I did not know that you held him in 
 such high esteem, or regarded me as so deficient 
 in like qualities, as to render an open contest be 
 tween us one of certain defeat to me. You will 
 pardon me, I trust, if my vanity prevents me from 
 looking at the picture in the same light that you 
 do. I am loath to believe that I cannot meet him 
 on terms of equality." 
 
 "Six months ago, you might have done so; 
 but within that time events have transpired that 
 put you at perilous disadvantage. What would 
 become of your open rivalry if he should discover 
 and proclaim your agency in bringing about the 
 quarrel between himself and the Commander-in- 
 Chief ? I will not refer to other matters, Captain 
 Hamilton, as they are disagreeable to you. That 
 alone would be sufficient to blast you in the es 
 timation of your comrades and your superiors. 
 What security can you have that he does not 
 make the discovery ? Or, suppose he does not, 
 you will be forever haunted by the fear of detec 
 tion. Your resolutions will be vacillating, and 
 your efforts will be timid. Can you doubt what 
 use a bold and sagacious adversary will make of 
 such advantages? 
 
 " Be assured that if you mean to run out the 
 race of ambition in which you have entered, you
 
 180 LITTLE BURR 
 
 must crush Aaron Burr without his knowing the 
 hand that deals the blow. For you, there is no 
 return ; and hesitation is destruction. The ambi 
 tious aspirant can hope for no forgiveness when 
 his errors are exposed, for the only evidence of 
 amendment that will be received is an abandon 
 ment of the designs he has cherished. You 
 would have, indeed, the alternative of retiring to 
 private life, or of contenting yourself with a 
 subordinate position. When you are no longer 
 in the way, men may overlook your former 
 indiscretions and extend to you the charity of 
 forgetfulness. 
 
 " If you have made up your mind to this course, 
 it is but fair that you should take upon yourself 
 the blame for what has passed and leave me un 
 impeded by any other enmities than those with 
 which you found me. If, on the other hand, 
 you are resolved not to abandon your hopes of 
 power and greatness, there is no alternative except 
 a steady persistence in the plans we have adopted. 
 Major Burr must be kept too busy in repelling 
 new accusations to allow him leisure for minute 
 inquiries into the sources of old ones. In my 
 judgment, this will be easy ; for I repeat, that I 
 believe he is guilty this time, and in his efforts to 
 hide the real crime he will be very likely to over 
 look the false accusation." 
 
 " And I repeat," answered Hamilton, " that I 
 do not and cannot believe him guilty ; though to 
 you, who are a doubter of the existence of virtue, 
 my reasons may appear ridiculous. He is too 
 highly esteemed by General Putnam and too
 
 SYSTEMATIC VILLAINY 181 
 
 warmly loved by his wife, to have committed an 
 act of such flagrant immorality beneath their 
 roof. I cannot be mistaken. He is certainly as 
 innocent as I am. There may have been some 
 love passages between them, for she is a girl well 
 calculated to inspire the utmost madness of pas 
 sion ; but if so, they were of an honorable nature, 
 and both General Putnam and his wife have been 
 apprised of whatever has taken place." 
 
 " Ah ! " exclaimed Billings, in a tone of more 
 surprise than he was wont to exhibit ; "ah 1 I had 
 not thought of that. It is possible," he continued, 
 after a pause, " that you have hit the right nail on 
 the head. Upon reflection, I am inclined to think 
 you have. That foolish girl to whom I gave a 
 guinea for watching Miss Moncrieffe and report 
 ing her acts, has been giving me her inferences and 
 calling them facts; and I, like an idiot, swallowed 
 her story without investigation, because I wanted 
 to believe it. Another such blunder will woefully 
 lessen my self-confidence ; though in this case 
 thank the stars, or the devil, or whatever had a 
 finger in the business the mistake is of no great 
 consequence. He will be quite as anxious to 
 protect the name of his intended wife as he would 
 have been to hide the errors of his victim. Either 
 will give him food for anxious thought ; and the 
 best of it is, that he will be so hampered by pride 
 and delicacy in the one case, or by the conscious 
 ness of guilt in the other, that he will take no 
 notice of the report, unless it is forced upon him 
 so publicly as to be unavoidable. You have the 
 trumps in your own hand, Captain Hamilton, and 
 if you do not win the game, the fault will be yours."
 
 182 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " There is but one view of the case which does 
 not seem to have occurred to you, Mr. Billings, 
 that strikes me as worthy of consideration. Is it 
 not possible that, to win the daughter's hand, he 
 may seek to recommend himself to the father's 
 favor by turning traitor to his country? Such 
 things have happened in times not very remote 
 from ours." 
 
 " No, Captain ; I thought of that and dismissed 
 the idea as altogether improbable. It is possible, 
 to be sure, that a man in love may make an in 
 fernal fool of himself in every conceivable way, and 
 Major Burr would save us a great deal of trouble 
 by proving himself no exception to the rule ; but 
 he will not do so. It is my habit to study atten 
 tively the character and dispositions of those who 
 occupy to me the relations of friend or foe. Major 
 Burr, though properly neither the one nor the 
 other, is in my way, and has not escaped my 
 scrutiny. His heart is in the American cause. 
 He does not adhere to it, as you and I do, because 
 he believes it will triumph in the end. He is bound 
 to it by birth, by kindred, by education, and by 
 association. He comes of the old Puritan stock 
 that first settled the wilderness ; and the bones of 
 his ancestors, for generations back, are moldering 
 beneath this soil. It is my fixed opinion, that if 
 he were suspended over the pit of hell and you 
 were to offer him the alternative of betraying his 
 country or dropping into the burning lake, he 
 would choose the latter. 
 
 " I know you are thinking, that, admitting this 
 to be so, it does not negative your suggestion;
 
 SYSTEMATIC VILLAINY 183 
 
 I 
 
 since it would be easier to take this sudden and 
 desperate resolve than to resist the daily and 
 hourly pleading of the passions, when a beautiful 
 woman is the lure. Allied to a nature like yours, 
 the reasoning is undoubtedly correct. Major Burr 
 is of a different stamp. In him, patriotism is 
 stronger than love ; and if the gifted beauty from 
 whom Socrates took lessons, and of whom Pericles 
 was first the pupil and then the slave, could revisit 
 the earth, the eloquence which captivated the 
 philosopher, and the charms which enraptured 
 the warrior-statesman, would be wasted in the 
 effort to win him to the side of England. I use 
 strong language, for I wish to impress upon you 
 my earnest conviction of the truth of what I utter. 
 We must make our calculations upon winning the 
 game without any assistance from him." 
 
 " You are assuming more than half the argu 
 ment," responded Captain Hamilton. " You are 
 taking it for granted that I intend to play out the 
 game; whereas, I have informed you that I am 
 strongly inclined to throw up my hand and begin 
 afresh." 
 
 " I did not think you serious ; particularly, as 
 I have heard from you no denial of my right to be 
 consulted about a matter which so materially affects 
 my interests." 
 
 " I do deny it, and insist that I alone am the 
 rightful judge of the course it becomes me to 
 take." 
 
 " You are in error, Captain Hamilton, and your 
 position will not bear argument, if I were disposed 
 to argue it. It would do me no good, however,
 
 184 LITTLE BURR 
 
 and afford me no pleasure to convince you against 
 your will. I prefer that your decision should be 
 made according to your own sense of what is due 
 to me and to yourself, only insisting that, as I have 
 no fancy for the game of blind-man's-buff, you will 
 not leave me to grope in the dark, but inform me 
 distinctly what your determination is." 
 
 The perfect coolness of the practised villain, 
 the total absence of every expression of regret, 
 anger, or astonishment, and his studied avoidance 
 of every word that implied a threat, had a meaning 
 for Alexander Hamilton that was perfectly terrible. 
 Until recently he had looked upon James Billings 
 merely as an unscrupulous knave, who might be 
 used when necessary, and bullied or bought into 
 silence when his services were no longer needed. 
 After he was too deeply committed to recede, "he 
 discovered that he was, to a great extent, in the 
 power of a man of vast mental resources, of great 
 wealth -how great no one knew - jwithout a touch 
 of fear, or pity, or remorse; full of ambitious 
 schemes, as yet but dimly disclosed ; prepared to 
 commit any crime that promoted his views, and 
 reckless of any human suffering that might follow 
 his acts. 
 
 Knowing this man as he did, knowing that 
 with him there was no middle ground that he 
 must be either an ally or an enemy ; knowing fur 
 ther, that in less than one hour from the moment 
 of a rupture between them, he would be plotting 
 his destruction as earnestly as he was now schem 
 ing for his advancement, and remembering how 
 much that was black and damning he could reveal,
 
 SYSTEMATIC VILLAINY 185 
 
 Captain Hamilton, bold as he was, felt his heart 
 sink within him, and his good resolutions took to 
 themselves wings and flew away. 
 
 Oh, it is a bitter, bitter draught, when the 
 haughty son of genius finds that by one misstep, 
 one plunge into crime, a thing to which he had 
 ascribed no more than a reptile's consequence has 
 obtained the mastery over his actions, and when- 
 ever his better nature turns in horror from the 
 crimes to which he is urged, there stands a relent 
 less demon, beckoning forward with one hand, 
 while the other points to the abyss of infamy 
 behind. Hamilton's reply was an index to the 
 thoughts that oppressed him: 
 
 " I have no alternative, I suppose, but to yield 
 to your wishes, or to blow out your brains 1 " 
 
 "And the last alternative is one that I trust 
 Captain Hamilton instantly dismissed, since these 
 same brains may be serviceably employed in the 
 promotion of his interests." 
 
 " I did dismiss it. Why, or wherefore, is im 
 material. My resolution is taken to go on as we 
 agreed. As I understand that you have nothing 
 particular to communicate in reference to that 
 matter, it is best to drop the subject." 
 
 "I had no idea when I broached it, that it 
 would lead to so much conversation between us ; 
 still, I do not like to leave anything unfinished, 
 and I confess to some curiosity to know what 
 pleasant vision you were indulging in a short time 
 since in connection with my sudden decease." 
 
 " Mr. Billings, you have spared me the mortifi 
 cation of listening to a threat from you, and I
 
 186 LITTLE BURR 
 
 would willingly have exercised a like forbearance. 
 If anything should sound unpleasant in what I am 
 going to say, remember that your inquiry extracted 
 it. The vision I was indulging in was one that will 
 remain near me hereafter. The day that I resolve 
 to break off our connection will be the last of your 
 life. You have the power to injure me deeply, and 
 whenever I suspect that you are about to use it 
 and I shall suspect it the moment we quarrel I 
 will slay you as certain as there is a God in 
 Heaven!" 
 
 The words were hissed through his closed 
 teeth and the bloodless lips scarcely moved when 
 the sound escaped them. The superhuman self- 
 control of Billings failed him for once, and his eye 
 quailed before the glance of fire that was fixed 
 upon him. It required a strong effort to recover 
 from his confusion, and reply in his usual voice : 
 
 " That is a bond between us I had not thought 
 of. By the Lord, there are few friendships so well 
 cemented as ours! A quarrel is death to both."
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 PRIDE IN THE DUST 
 
 TOURING the summer of 1776, while actively 
 engaged in strengthening the fortifications 
 on Manhattan Island, in anticipation of a com- 
 bined onslaught of the British by both sea and 
 land, Major Burr had many conversations with 
 General Putnam regarding the final plan of the 
 campaign. Burr, although only a little over 
 twenty years of age, had studied the art of war so 
 far as it could be learned from text-books and 
 histories, and had had some practical experience 
 in actual warfare. 
 
 To his mind, the plan of defence adopted by 
 General Washington was a wrong one. He had 
 said as much to Hamilton. He argued in his 
 debates with General Putnam, that the patriots, 
 by clinging to the seaboard, were obliged to con 
 tend with the combined land and sea forces of 
 Great Britain. His plan was for the Continentals 
 to retreat inland and form a base of operations so 
 far from the seacoast that it would not only pre 
 vent the British from utilizing their fleet, but 
 would also oblige them to transport their ammu 
 nition and supplies over rough roads, to a great 
 distance from the shore. Small bands of soldiers 
 could continually harass them and capture the 
 ammunition and provision trains.
 
 188 LITTLE BURR 
 
 But General Putnam put all of Burr's argu 
 ments one side, by saying that he believed in old 
 heads for counsel and young heads for action. 
 He advised Burr to follow the fortunes of war as 
 they came to him, and added that he had no doubt 
 that the young man had a future of great promise 
 before him. Silenced, but not convinced upon 
 this point, Burr took up another line of argument. 
 The hostile British and American forces were 
 facing each other on Long Island. On one side 
 were well-trained and disciplined troops, com 
 manded by brave and well-educated officers; on 
 the other side were men and officers equally as 
 brave, but comparatively untrained in the art of 
 war. 
 
 " It is of no use, General," said Burr, one day. 
 " Our militiamen will never stand up before the 
 British regulars in the open. They will fire one 
 or two volleys and then either retreat in search of 
 some shelter or throw down their arms and fly for 
 dear life." 
 
 " Then you don't think your countrymen are 
 very brave ? " asked General Putnam, grimly. 
 
 " There are no braver men in the world," cried 
 Burr, "than my countrymen, but I do not think 
 that it is an indication of bravery for undisciplined 
 militia to stand up before the pick of the King's 
 troops, and be shot down like dogs. They have 
 been used to fighting from behind stone walls, 
 houses, and breastworks, and it will take some time 
 before they will feel themselves strong enough to 
 meet, unflinchingly, a charge of the enemy." 
 
 " Then you think," said Putnam, " if we have
 
 PRIDE IN THE DUST 189 
 
 a battle on Long Island, that we are likely to be 
 defeated ? " 
 
 " I am sure of it," replied Burr, " unless the 
 enemy should develop an unexpected weakness in 
 the field. Our principal hope lies in the ability of 
 our riflemen to pick off their officers. Often, the 
 best disciplined troops become demoralized when 
 their officers are shot down." 
 
 What Burr had foreseen in his mind's eye 
 actually came to pass. The disastrous battle of 
 Long Island proved conclusively that his estimate 
 of the fighting qualities of the two armies had been 
 a correct one. A retreat was ordered, and although 
 the behavior of the Americans during the battle 
 had not been an edifying one from a military point 
 of view, great ability was shown in the conduct of 
 the retreat, which was successfully accomplished 
 before the enemy became fully aware that it was 
 under way. During this retreat, Major Burr came 
 under the eye of Gen. Alexander McDougall, who 
 that night formed an opinion of the ability of the 
 young soldier which made him ever afterwards a 
 valuable and powerful friend. 
 
 General Washington called a council of war, 
 and the question was earnestly debated, as to 
 whether it would be possible to defend the city 
 against a combined attack by the British land and 
 naval forces. The decision was what Major Burr 
 had foreseen. The result of the council of war 
 was an order from the Commander-in-Chief to 
 evacuate the city. The movement became known 
 to the British, and long before it was completed, 
 the enemy crossed the East River, with the evident
 
 190 LITTLE BURR 
 
 intention of capturing as many of the Americans 
 as possible before they had escaped. 
 
 The scheme of evacuation had been well 
 planned, and, as a whole, well carried out. All of 
 the large bodies of troops, with one exception, 
 successfully avoided contact with the advancing 
 British columns and made their way in safety to 
 Harlem. One large body of men, however, form 
 ing part of General Silliman's brigade and under 
 the command of General Knox, had taken pos 
 session of the earthworks, which was,'in reality, only 
 a mud fort, situated near what is now the corner of 
 Broadway and Grand Street. In the minds of the 
 Americans, this crude fortification made them 
 masters of the situation, and they awaited, without 
 a sign of trepidation, the oncoming of the British. 
 
 Suddenly a voice was heard, demanding ; 
 "Who commands this fort?" The questioner 
 was a young and beardless officer, mounted upon 
 a fine charger and accompanied by two horsemen. 
 General Knox emerged from the centre of a body 
 of subordinate officers, with whom he had been 
 conversing, and replied : 
 
 " I do, and I propose to hold it against the 
 enemy to the last gasp." 
 
 "That would be foolishness," said the young 
 officer, in calm tones. " You have a large number 
 of men, but no water or provisions. The fort is 
 not bomb-proof, and the enemy could destroy it 
 entirely, in an hour, with their ordnance." 
 
 "May I ask your name and rank?" inquired 
 General Knox, in a somewhat supercilious tone, 
 as he regarded the young officer.
 
 PRIDE IN THE DUST 191 
 
 " I am Major Aaron Burr, aide-de-camp to 
 General Israel Putnam," was the reply. " My 
 advice to you is to seek safety in flight. Such 
 a course will not be dishonorable, for you will be 
 far outnumbered, and your successful defence of 
 this rude fortification is hopeless." General Knox 
 and many of his officers still seemed unconvinced, 
 but Major Burr's words had evidently fallen with 
 telling effect upon the ears of the garrison, and 
 they manifested their approval of the advice given 
 by the young aide-de-camp. 
 
 " But how shall we find our way to the main 
 army ? " asked General Knox. " I am not ac 
 quainted with the roads, and, without a suitable 
 guide, the chances are that we shall march into an 
 ambuscade and all of us fall into the hands of the 
 enemy. Better to die fighting gloriously, than 
 perish ignominiously as prisoners of war. In the 
 eyes of the British, you know, Major, American 
 prisoners of war are self-convicted rebels, only fit 
 for the hangman." 
 
 11 General Knox," said Major Burr, " I know 
 every foot of this island, from here to Harlem. 
 As aide to General Putnam, I have ridden over it 
 scores of times. I know every road, lane, and by 
 path. If you commit the charge of your command 
 to my knowledge and vigilance, I will guarantee 
 to lead you safely to the main army." 
 
 This declaration, made in a loud voice, so that 
 it could be heard by the members of the garrison, 
 and spoken in such distinct tones, had a marked 
 effect upon the men. Three cheers were given for 
 Major Burr, and the officers, who, up to this time,
 
 192 LITTLE BURR 
 
 had been unconvinced of the necessity of a retreat, 
 quickly changed their minds. The necessary 
 orders were soon given, and the large column, 
 headed by Burr and his two attendants, moved 
 northward towards the place of safety. 
 
 Several small parties of the enemy were met 
 at various points, but as the Americans far out 
 numbered them, they either took refuge in flight 
 or were shot down in their tracks. True to the 
 promise he had made, Major Burr led the whole 
 command in safety to Harlem, where they joined 
 the main army. 
 
 Strange as it may seem, when the official dis 
 patches, giving an account of the successful 
 retreat from the city, were forwarded to the Con 
 tinental Congress by the Commander-in-Chief, 
 Major Burr's services were not referred to, therein. 
 
 After reading these official dispatches, Maj. 
 Aaron Burr was not in a happy frame of mind. 
 He was young not yet twenty-one very proud, 
 and very ambitious. Like many young men, 
 perhaps he placed in his own mind too high 
 a value on the services which he had rendered 
 during the first retreat from Long Island, and the 
 second from Manhattan Island. But it must be 
 allowed, that if his efforts were not worthy of the 
 commendation which he felt they deserved, they 
 were surely worthy of an honorable mention. 
 From some unexplained cause, they had not 
 received any recognition whatever, and it was the 
 knowledge and contemplation of this fact that had 
 thrown Major Burr into an unhappy state of mind. 
 
 He was aroused from his reflections upon the
 
 PRIDE IN THE DUST 193 
 
 injustice which he thought had been done him, by 
 the entrance of a messenger, who brought him an 
 order to report at once to the Commander-in-Chief. 
 Quite a long distance had to be covered on horse 
 back in order to answer this peremptory summons, 
 and during the ride, Burr's feelings were in a state 
 of tumultuous excitement. One moment, a deep 
 sense of the injustice which he felt he had suffered 
 overcame him and drowned every other feeling. 
 Then, his pride came to his relief and he de 
 clared to himself that whatever happened, how 
 ever he might be treated, he would not mention 
 the fact, and no one should ever know that he felt 
 aggrieved in any way. Next, ambition assumed 
 control of his feelings. With ambition is always 
 connected, to some degree, a regard for policy 
 that is, to secure one's ambition it is often neces 
 sary to conceal one's real feelings, or, in plain 
 language, to play the hypocrite. 
 
 Now, nothing was further from Burr's mind 
 than a desire or an intention to play the hypocrite. 
 He came of a truth-speaking and truth-dealing 
 family, and whatever might be his faults, he could 
 not deliberately act the liar in order to further his 
 ambition. 
 
 Yet he felt, as he rode along, that it would be 
 inadvisable to allow his pride to so overmaster 
 him, that, when he entered the presence of the 
 Commander-in-Chief, either looks or actions should 
 indicate a preconceived or prearranged resentment. 
 No, he would proceed on a different plan. For 
 once, at least, he would humble his pride in the 
 dust. And why should he not? He was but a
 
 194 LITTLE BURR 
 
 major in the army. He had been summoned to 
 the presence of the Commander-in-Chief, a man 
 who had been selected by the combined wisdom 
 and intelligence of the Colonies to lead their 
 armies to victory. He needed the cordial support 
 of every officer and man in the army. Why 
 should he hold aloof? If he had been denied 
 what he considered proper recognition so far, 
 might it not be possible that this lack of just 
 reward would lead to still greater acknowledg 
 ments in the future? 
 
 Somewhat to his surprise, but to his great 
 satisfaction, when Major Burr was ushered into 
 the presence of General Washington, he found 
 him alone. Nothing could be more opportune. 
 Before the General addressed him upon some 
 matter which he presumably had in mind, Burr 
 felt that it was his duty to refer to the unpleasant 
 character of the interview which had terminated 
 his relations with the General's military family. 
 
 " Your Excellency will pardon me, I know," he 
 began, " if I refer to our last official interview, in 
 which, I am sorry to say, my pride led me to say 
 and do what I have since deeply regretted." 
 
 General Washington surveyed the handsome 
 young officer who stood before him, and replied : 
 
 " To a man of honor, the frank acknowledgment 
 of a wrongful act is as creditable as the performance 
 of a brave action. Let us say no more about the 
 matter, Major Burr." 
 
 " As it pleases you, your Excellency," was 
 Burr's rejoinder; "but may I presume to ask a 
 question? " The General bowed.
 
 PRIDE IN THE DUST 195 
 
 " May I inquire if you received from me a letter, 
 written at General Putnam's headquarters, inform 
 ing you, that, in my opinion, Miss Margaret 
 Moncrieffe was engaged in a treasonable corre 
 spondence with the enemy, by means of paintings 
 of flowers, so arranged and colored as to convey 
 intelligence, presumably according to some pre 
 arranged code?" General Washington set his 
 lips tightly together, then he said : 
 
 " I have no recollection of any such letter. If 
 I had seen it, I should certainly have replied to it." 
 
 " May I ask whether your Excellency examines 
 all the letters addressed to you ? " 
 
 "It would be impossible for me to do so," said 
 the General. " A great part of my correspondence 
 is attended to by the same gentleman who had 
 charge of it when you were attached to my staff." 
 
 "I thought so," said Burr. Then he asked: 
 " Did this same gentleman suggest to you the 
 advisability of removing Miss Moncrieffe from 
 General Putnam's house ? " Again General Wash 
 ington pursed his lips, and a slight frown gathered 
 upon his brow. At last he said : 
 
 " I think he did, but I am positive that he did 
 not give as a reason for the change the one you 
 say that you communicated to me in your letter." 
 
 " I thought not," again commented Burr. " If 
 your Excellency will not consider that I am tres 
 passing too much upon your kindness and forbear 
 ance, I have one more question to ask." 
 
 " Proceed," said General Washington, some 
 what sharply. He turned in his seat, and taking 
 up a quill, signed a paper that lay before him.
 
 196 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " To whose negligence," continued Burr, " may 
 I rightfully ascribe the failure to mention my 
 name in the official reports of the battle of Long 
 Island, the retreat from New York, and the final 
 retreat from this place ? " 
 
 "The reports," replied General Washington, 
 "were prepared by the same gentleman whose 
 duty it was to make them out when you were my 
 aide-de-camp." 
 
 " I thought so," said Burr, almost mechanically. 
 "Your Excellency, accept my thanks for your 
 condescension and forbearance during what may 
 have seemed to you a period of useless questioning." 
 
 " If you have received suitable replies to your 
 inquiries," said Washington, " I am greatly pleased 
 to have been able to furnish them. Perhaps, Major 
 Burr, your merits have not so thoroughly escaped 
 recognition as your inquiries seem to imply. 
 There is no officer connected with our army in 
 whose sagacity and judgment I have greater con 
 fidence than in that of Gen. Alexander McDougall. 
 I opine that he is your friend, for he has not only 
 written to me but has spoken to me personally 
 of your meritorious actions." Burr bowed low, as 
 these complimentary words fell from the lips of 
 the Commander-in-Chief. 
 
 " In my dealings with the officers of the army," 
 continued Washington, " I have ever borne in 
 mind that they are not citizens, subject to civil 
 laws, but are wholly governed by the rules and 
 regulations promulgated for the government of 
 the army. If an officer performs his duty as a 
 soldier, I do not deem it within my province to
 
 Major Burr receiving his commission from General Washington. 
 
 General Washington arose to his feet, rolled up the parchment and 
 passed it to Lieutenant-Colonel Burr. Page 197.
 
 PRIDE IN THE DUST 197 
 
 investigate or even consider his actions as a man." 
 Burr's face flushed. 
 
 "Now, Major," continued Washington, "do 
 not consider my remarks as personal in their 
 nature. They are of general application and apply 
 no more to you than to any other officer of the 
 army. To show you my confidence in your ability, 
 discretion, and valor as a soldier, I have signed 
 this paper. It is your commission as lieutenant- 
 colonel in a new regiment of the New York line, 
 just organized by Colonel Malcolm of New York 
 City. I do not believe in the appointment of mere 
 civilians as officers in the army, but Colonel Mal 
 colm has freely given his services and his wealth 
 to form and equip this regiment, and in the opinion 
 of my associates he is fully entitled to the honor 
 conferred upon him. But you can readily infer 
 from what I have said that the command of the 
 regiment will naturally devolve upon the lieuten 
 ant-colonel, and to him will fall whatever military 
 honors that regiment may win in battle." 
 
 General Washington arose to his feet, rolled 
 up the parchment, and passed it to Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Burr, who bowed low as he received it. 
 " Colonel Burr," said he, " I hope the fortunes of 
 war may spare your life and secure to you all the 
 glory which the results of a laudable ambition 
 may bring you."
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE VICTORY AT PARAMUS 
 
 the day that Aaron Burr received his 
 commission from General Washington, he was 
 always called Colonel Burr. In fact, although he 
 was never promoted beyond the grade of lieuten 
 ant-colonel, he uniformly performed the duties of 
 a full colonel, and on some occasions those of a 
 general of brigade. 
 
 When he reached the headquarters of Colonel 
 Malcolm's regiment, he at once paid a visit to his 
 superior officer. Both men were evidently as 
 tonished at the result of their mutual inspection. 
 Colonel Malcolm was dressed like, and looked just 
 what he was a prosperous merchant. Colonel 
 Burr was attired in the garb of a soldier, but he was 
 so youthful in appearance, so slight in stature, and 
 so boyish in his actions, that Colonel Malcolm's 
 heart fell within him. What could General 
 Washington mean by sending this mere stripling 
 to take charge of a regiment of soldiers ? 
 
 But Colonel Malcolm was too much a man of 
 the world to express any disappointment or dis 
 approbation until the young officer's mettle had 
 been tried. A week in camp, during which time 
 he kept his eye upon Colonel Burr, convinced him 
 that he had been fortunate in securing so courte 
 ous a gentleman, so strict a disciplinarian, and so
 
 THE VICTORY AT PARAMUS 199 
 
 competent a soldier, to maintain the credit of his 
 command. The day he left for New York, he said 
 to Burr: 
 
 " I must confess, Colonel Burr, that when I first 
 saw you, I doubted the wisdom of General Wash 
 ington's choice ; but I am convinced, that, although 
 my knowledge of mercantile affairs is, undoubtedly, 
 greater than General Washington's, my knowledge 
 of military matters is insignificant compared with 
 his opinion. I trust that you will consider these 
 remarks, Colonel Burr, as an expression of my 
 implicit confidence and trust in you." 
 
 Left in sole command, Burr had ample oppor 
 tunity to carry out his own ideas. Up to this 
 time, he had simply obeyed the orders of others ; 
 now, he had an opportunity to win renown for 
 himself, but it must depend upon the efficiency 
 and gallantry of the men he commanded. He had 
 a personal interview with each of his subordinate 
 officers and questioned them severely regarding 
 their knowledge of military tactics. A dozen of 
 them he found as deficient in military knowledge 
 as a group of schoolboys would have been. He 
 then decided upon a move which could not fail to 
 subject him to the severest criticism. He called 
 for the resignation of these officers and informed 
 them that they had mistaken their vocations. He 
 told them that they could serve their country best 
 by returning to New York and resuming their 
 positions in the mercantile establishments from 
 which they had come. His action, as he had 
 anticipated, created a storm of excitement. The 
 matter was referred to the general in charge of
 
 200 LITTLE BURR 
 
 the department, who chanced to be General 
 McDougall, and he fully sustained the action 
 of the young colonel. 
 
 The places of the discharged officers were 
 filled with the best material available, and Colonel 
 Burr then began a rigid system of drill and in 
 spection. Nothing escaped his careful and prac 
 tised eye. At the end of three months it was 
 acknowledged on all sides that Malcolm's that 
 is, Burr's regiment was the best drilled one in 
 the department. 
 
 The discharged officers, with one exception, 
 accepted the advice given them and gave up all 
 hopes of military preferment. One young lieuten 
 ant, however, waxed wroth at what he considered 
 most unjust treatment. He wrote an impudent 
 and abusive letter to Colonel Burr, declaring that 
 he was not a gentleman, and challenging him to 
 mortal combat. Colonel Burr promptly accepted 
 the challenge and fixed the time and place for the 
 meeting. On arriving there, he found that the 
 lieutenant had not presented himself ; nor did he 
 do so, although Burr waited an hour for him. 
 
 Colonel Burr then mounted his horse and rode 
 promptly to the residence of the young officer's 
 parents. He was courteously received, and, as it 
 was near the dinner hour, he was invited to partake 
 of the meal. The invitation was accepted and 
 Colonel Burr was the life of the company, which 
 was composed entirely of ladies, with one exception. 
 This exception was the young lieutenant who had 
 sent him the challenge, and who, during the meal, 
 showed plainly that he was not enjoying himself.
 
 THE VICTORY AT PARAMUS 201 
 
 After dinner a short time was spent in general 
 conversation. Colonel Burr then approached the 
 mother of the young man and told her that his 
 military duties required his immediate return to 
 camp, but before going he would like a private 
 conversation with her son. The mother, deeply 
 affected, tried to speak, but her lips could not 
 frame the words. Bursting into tears, she left the 
 room. Colonel Burr paid his adieus to the other 
 ladies of the party and went into the garden. 
 
 He was soon joined by the young lieutenant, 
 whose whitened face and chattering teeth betrayed 
 the fact that he was in a state of mortal terror. 
 The ladies of the party had gathered upon the 
 portico of the house, evidently expecting that some 
 thing terrible was going to happen. They stood 
 with clasped hands and eyes strained to watch the 
 movements of Colonel Burr and his companion. 
 
 "Come with me, sir," said Burr, taking the 
 young man by the arm. He led the way towards 
 a grove of trees, where, after entering, they were 
 screened from the gaze of the company gathered 
 on the portico. 
 
 " Young man," said Colonel Burr, " when you 
 write an insulting letter to a gentleman, and chal 
 lenge him to mortal combat, common decency 
 requires that you should either keep the appoint 
 ment, or if you are prevented from doing so by 
 other more important engagements, you should, 
 at least, send your adversary word, so that he may 
 not lose valuable time in waiting for you." 
 
 Hardly had these words escaped from him, 
 when there was a chorus of shrieks, and the mother
 
 202 LITTLE BURR 
 
 of the young man, accompanied by the other ladies 
 of the party, rushed into the little grove and threw 
 themselves upon their knees, their clasped hands 
 raised towards Colonel Burr in evident supplica 
 tion. The mother cried : 
 
 "Spare my boy! He is the only one left to 
 me. One son has already fallen a victim, and my 
 husband is with his regiment." 
 
 " Oh, spare Eddie, Colonel Burr, for his mother's 
 sake ! " cried the frightened women, in unison. 
 
 To Burr's mind there was both a solemn and a 
 ridiculous side to the scene. "Ladies," he said, 
 " I did not come here with any intention of wreaking 
 vengeance upon a defenceless man. You see," 
 touching the scabbard of his sword, " I am armed, 
 but he is not. You certainly do not suppose that 
 I would murder him." 
 
 The ladies, somewhat relieved, arose to their 
 feet and gathered about the young man. 
 
 " Ladies," continued Colonel Burr, " I have been 
 giving your young friend a little kindly advice. If 
 he accepts it in the spirit in which it is offered, he 
 need fear no injury from me. At the same time, I 
 think he owes me an apology. I will not ask him 
 to speak it in your presence. He can write it and 
 send it to me by a messenger." 
 
 The written apology reached Colonel Burr 
 the following day, but the mother of the young 
 man and her lady friends always believed that it 
 was their prompt interference which saved the 
 young lieutenant's life. 
 
 Now that his regiment was fully equipped and 
 in warlike condition, Colonel Burr yearned for an
 
 THE VICTORY AT PARAMUS 203 . 
 
 opportunity to test the temper of his men. It 
 soon came. Word was sent to him by the general 
 commanding the department, that ex-Governor 
 Tryon, with some twenty-five hundred men, had 
 come into New York State from Connecticut on a 
 marauding expedition. They had confiscated 
 horses, cattle, and provisions, without regard to 
 ownership, and were preparing to return to Con 
 necticut with their plunder. 
 
 Colonel Burr put his regiment in motion and 
 was fast approaching the rear of the retreating 
 column, when word was brought to him that the 
 British were moving in an opposite direction from 
 the one he was taking, and he was ordered to 
 change the course of his command. Although 
 convinced that the information given him was 
 incorrect, he followed General Putnam's sugges 
 tion and obeyed orders until he became assured 
 that his first course was the correct one. He then 
 immediately retraced his steps and by a forced 
 march caught up with the rear guard of Tryon's 
 army. 
 
 Leaving the main body of his men behind, he 
 took a small picked force and moved forward 
 under cover of night to reconnoitre the enemy's 
 picket line. Fully convinced that success depended 
 upon strategy rather than numbers, he told his 
 small force of men to conceal themselves in a grove 
 and to gain as much sleep as possible. By his 
 direction the men had brought with them a 
 quantity of pieces of homespun cloth. Fastening 
 some of this about his boots, so that his steps 
 could not be overheard, Burr advanced cautiously,
 
 204 LITTLE BURR 
 
 alone, to the enemy's picket line. After learning 
 his position he returned to the grove and awakened 
 his men. 
 
 Their boots, like his own, had been encased in 
 pieces of homespun, and their tread was noiseless. 
 Colonel Burr led the party. Suddenly they were 
 challenged by one of the pickets. Burr im 
 mediately shot him dead. Then he called in a 
 loud voice : " Forward ! " and the small squad of 
 men who followed him fired a volley at the pickets, 
 and then, drawing their pistols, rushed forward, 
 their loud cries convincing the enemy that they 
 were attacked by a superior force. Those pickets 
 who were not killed escaped to the main body, 
 carrying their wounded with them. 
 
 Colonel Burr and his gallant little company 
 reached the regiment early in the morning and 
 orders were given for an advance. They found 
 that the enemy, thoroughly frightened had aban 
 doned the greater part of their plunder and had 
 fled precipitately back to Connecticut. 
 
 This event is recorded in history as the Battle 
 of Paramus. It was the first engagement in which 
 Colonel Burr was in sole command, and it was his 
 first victory. Its success was due wholly to his 
 military knowledge and intrepidity.
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 THE MUTINY AT VALLEY FORGE 
 
 /COLONEL MALCOLM'S regiment was the 
 envy of the others in the department. The 
 constant drilling, marching, and counter-marching 
 to which the men had been subjected by their rigid 
 disciplinarian, Colonel Burr, had produced the 
 effect he had desired. New uniforms had been 
 provided by the generosity of their wealthy 
 colonel. Their accoutrements were also new, and 
 being brightly polished, gave the soldiers that 
 spick-and-span appearance so pleasing to the 
 martinet. As they marched, their gun barrels 
 glistened in the sun like silver, and even to the 
 unpractised eye, the steadiness of their demeanor 
 and movements was easily discernible and ap 
 preciated. 
 
 Colonel Burr now felt that he was in command 
 of a regiment of soldiers, and he yearned for an 
 other opportunity to show their prowess and 
 gratify his personal ambition. He made careful 
 inspections, both by day and by night, of the loca 
 tions and numbers of the enemy. Feeling sure 
 that he had discovered a weak point in their line, 
 which, if attacked suddenly, would surely put 
 them to rout, he sent a description of the pro 
 posed movement to the Commander-in-Chief, and 
 requested that he might be allowed to lead the
 
 206 LITTLE BURR 
 
 attack. To this letter no reply was received, and 
 Burr, despite his usual buoyancy of spirit, felt his 
 heart sink within him. Surely, to the best of his 
 ability, he had performed his duty as a soldier. 
 Why was it that some demerit with which he was 
 not acquainted operated to retard his advancement 
 in the field ? 
 
 He had about given up hope that any notice 
 would be taken of his letter, when to his surprise 
 he learned from his superior officer, Gen. Lord 
 Stirling, that the latter had been directed to make 
 an attack upon the enemy with the immediate 
 force under his command. This did not include 
 Colonel Burr's regiment, and he was forced to sit 
 idly by and see his plans carried out by another. 
 
 But he soon found that the plans, as carried 
 out, were not his own. The point selected for 
 attack was not the one which he had chosen. The 
 Americans were repulsed, and it is easy to con 
 ceive that the one individual who was so close to 
 the Commander-in-Chief that he could whisper in 
 his ear at any moment, had no doubt assured his 
 superior officer that if the attack had been led by 
 so young and inexperienced an officer as Colonel 
 Burr, the result would probably have been much 
 more disastrous. 
 
 The British army, under the command of 
 Gen. Sir William Howe, took possession of the 
 city of Philadelphia and for six months retained 
 their hold upon it. At the end of that time, 
 Benjamin Franklin remarked that Philadelphia 
 had captured the British. There is nothing that 
 so enervates an army as taking up winter quarters
 
 THE MUTINY AT VALLEY FORGE 207 
 
 in a large city. The opportunities for daily drill 
 and more valuable field movements are necessarily 
 dispensed with. Instead of practising the arts of 
 war, the officers devote themselves to the arts of 
 peace. They are invited to social functions and 
 become used to high living and equally high drink 
 ing, instead of the soldier's usual simple and health 
 ful fare. The soldiers of the line imitate their 
 officers as far as possible, and when the time comes 
 for movements in the field, the deterioration in 
 rank and file is plainly manifest. 
 
 General Howe having resigned his command, 
 Gen. Sir Henry Clinton was sent out from 
 England to relieve him. As a fitting ending to 
 the long season of the winter's sports, a great car 
 nival was arranged to commemorate the departure 
 of the old commander and to welcome the new. 
 
 Major John Andre was placed in charge of the 
 festivities, and proved himself an able master of 
 ceremonies. He gave to ihzfete an Italian name, 
 calling it "The Mischianza." It opened in the 
 morning with a procession of gaily decorated boats 
 upon the Delaware, the occupants being the chief 
 performers in the coming carnival. Later in the 
 day, upon a spacious lawn, a tournament was 
 arranged in mediaeval style. Brave knights bowed 
 before fair ladies and participated in jousts in 
 honor of their lady-loves, the victor of the tourna 
 ment being crowned with laurel by the Queen of 
 Beauty. A sumptuous dinner and grand ball took 
 up the evening hours, at the close of which there 
 was a great display of fireworks. 
 
 We have looked upon this picture. What a
 
 208 LITTLE BURR 
 
 contrast is the one which is now presented to our 
 view! The ground is covered with snow and the 
 wind is biting cold. Twenty miles above Phila 
 delphia the American army is encamped; more 
 than a third of its number being incapacitated for 
 duty by disease and suffering, due to lack of food, 
 clothing, and proper shelter. 
 
 In rudely-built log houses the patriot army was 
 assembled. Hundreds were shoeless. The cloth 
 ing of thousands was in tatters, offering but slight 
 protection from the inclemency of the constantly 
 recurring storms. 
 
 There is in every man a spark of divinity, and 
 the light of that divine gem is his love for country, 
 home, and those who sit about the fireside. The 
 wintry blasts at Valley Forge froze the hands and 
 feet and limbs of those subjected to their rigor, but 
 they could not quench the patriotic fire that 
 glowed in the hearts of our forefathers. 
 
 Colonel Burr was destined to be again surprised, 
 but this time in a more pleasant manner. At a 
 point upon the Schuylkill River called "The 
 Gulf," the Commander-in-Chief had stationed a 
 body of militiamen, whose duty it was to watch the 
 opposite side of the river and report at the earliest 
 possible moment any advance by the British. 
 These men, who had, so far, only played at being 
 soldiers, did not possess the nerves of steel which 
 are the pride of the "regular" who has passed 
 through his baptism of fire and can face a foe 
 unflinchingly. They had fought the enemy from 
 behind stone walls and trees. To their timid gaze 
 Clinton and his army seemed ever on the move
 
 THE MUTINY AT VALLEY FORGE 209 
 
 towards them, and they sent continual alarms to 
 the Commander-in-Chief, obliging him to prepare 
 for battle, only to find out later that the alarms 
 were groundless. 
 
 Something must be done to change this condi 
 tion of affairs; so Washington wrote to General 
 McDougall, requesting him to supply him with a 
 competent officer to take charge of this important 
 post of observation. General McDougall, in re 
 sponse to the request of the Commander-in- 
 Chief, sent Colonel Burr. He was the bearer of 
 a letter from General McDougall to General 
 Washington, which informed the latter, that, 
 though loath to part with him, he had given 
 him the best-qualified officer in his command for 
 the position which the Commander-in-Chief had 
 described. 
 
 Colonel Burr was immediately detailed to take 
 command at " The Gulf." At his request all 
 officers superior in rank to himself were with 
 drawn. He then entered upon the hard and 
 ungracious task of making reliable soldiers out of 
 unreliable militiamen. As he had done when 
 taking command of Colonel Malcolm's regiment, 
 he first weeded out the manifestly incompetent 
 subordinate officers and sent them to the main 
 army. Daily drills and inspections were ordered 
 and carried forward with incessancy. 
 
 It was only natural that before long a spirit of 
 insubordination should show itself among those 
 who thought the rigid drilling unnecessary. To 
 them, war required only the knowledge of how to 
 fire a gun. It did not seem essential to know also
 
 210 LITTLE BURR 
 
 how to hold it, how to march with it, how to stack 
 it, and how to recover it quickly in case of sudden 
 attack. When forced to retreat, they had thought 
 it sufficient to seek shelter behind stone walls or 
 buildings. It required a nerve which they did not 
 possess to retreat in as good order as though they 
 were on parade. 
 
 Burr had learned from some of his officers that 
 there were signs of discontent, but he was not a 
 man to be turned aside from a fixed purpose by 
 ordinary obstacles. He determined to subject the 
 entire command to the most rigid inspection and 
 drill in which they had as yet participated, and 
 gave orders to that effect. 
 
 He had just signed the last order and had 
 delivered it to an officer, when his orderly informed 
 him that a soldier wished to see him. What was 
 Burr's surprise to find that his visitor was his old 
 friend, Abe Budlong, whom he had not seen since 
 the retreat from New York City. Abe told him 
 that he had been with the army at Valley Forge, 
 but that on learning that Colonel Burr had been 
 assigned to command at "The Gulf," he had 
 secured permission to join his force until camp 
 was broken. Burr looked at some papers upon 
 his table, and said : 
 
 " I have not received word of your transfer to 
 my command." 
 
 " Oh yes, yer have," replied Abe. " If yer'll look 
 over the last list of names sent ter yer, yer'll find 
 that of Caleb Winkle. There's a sartin individual 
 who shall be nameless, who is so close to the 
 Commander-in-Chief that they very often tech
 
 THE MUTINY AT VALLEY FORGE 211 
 
 noses, who, I thought, would be apt ter remember 
 that A. B., Aaron Burr, and A. B., Abe Budlong, 
 come from the same town in old Connecticut. 
 I ain't much on larnin', as yer know, Colonel, but 
 I pride myself on bein' consid'rable on common 
 sense. So I says to myself : * Abe, when yer jine 
 Gin'ral Washington's army, don't call yerself Abe 
 Budlong, but strike out inter a new field as Caleb 
 Winkle.' So I'm Caleb Winkle now and I'm jest 
 as good a feller as Abe Budlong ever was." 
 
 " If you do your duty, Abe, and I know you 
 will, for the honor of old Connecticut, it will make 
 little difference what name you are known by," 
 said Burr. He regarded the papers in his hand. 
 " I see you are in Captain Dugald's company." 
 
 " Yes," replied Abe, " and I couldn't have got 
 in with a meaner set ; but I'm kinder glad of it, 
 for yer sake, for I've come up here ter tell yer 
 what's in the wind. Can I whisper it in yer ear ? 
 I don't care ter speak it loud, for there's a good 
 many chinks in this 'ere buildin' and maybe there's 
 an ear agin one of them." 
 
 When the hour of inspection arrived, Colonel 
 Burr did not, as usual, approach his command 
 from the front. Instead, he suddenly appeared at 
 the right of the line, having come from the rear. 
 With drawn sword in hand, he marched slowly 
 down the line, inspecting each man, compliment 
 ing the soldierly and criticising the unsoldierly. 
 
 When his task was about half completed, a 
 stout militiaman stepped out from the line and 
 cried in a loud voice, as he leveled his musket at 
 Colonel Burr: 
 
 " Now's your time, boys ! Let him have it ! "
 
 212 LITTLE BURR 
 
 With a deft movement of his sword arm, Burr 
 raised his weapon and with a direct blow severed 
 the arm of the mutineer so neatly that the limb 
 hung only by a fragment of his coat. 
 
 " Step back into line, sir ! " cried Burr, in a 
 decided manner. 
 
 The man obeyed, and Colonel Burr moved on 
 to complete the inspection. At the left of the 
 line, he passed to the rear and regained his 
 head-quarters. Upon the table he saw a package 
 securely tied. He lifted it and found that it was 
 very heavy. Opening it, he discovered that it 
 contained about thirty musket balls and a small 
 slip of paper upon which was written, in a hand 
 well known to him : 
 
 " It was mighty hard work, Colonel, drawin" them bullets 
 out of them guns, but I would have worked ten times as hard 
 to keep any harm from comin' to you. I think them bullets 
 look much better where they are than they would in your 
 body. 
 
 " Yours to command, as it pleases you, 
 
 " A. B. or C. W."
 
 The mutiny at Valley Forge. Burr slashing the soldier. 
 "Step back into line sir," cried Burr. Page 212.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 "STOP!" 
 
 TT was the month of June, 1778. Sir Henry 
 Clinton had made up his mind that it was no 
 longer desirable to retain possession of the city 
 of Philadelphia, and his eyes turned yearningly 
 towards New York. Philadelphia was in reality an 
 inland city, not easy of approach by the British 
 fleet; but at New York, England's invincible 
 squadrons would be close at hand and he could 
 rely upon their assistance in case of victory or de 
 feat. So, with his army enervated by six months 
 of idleness and luxury, he started upon his march. 
 But an enemy was in the way. General 
 Washington, with his army enfeebled by six 
 months of cold and privation, stood ready to pre 
 vent a peaceful passage from one great city to the 
 other. On the twenty-eighth of June the two op 
 posing armies came into close proximity at Mon- 
 mouth Court House, in the State of New Jersey. 
 Washington, at Valley Forge, had heard of the 
 contemplated evacuation of Philadelphia by the 
 British, and had sent Gen. Benedict Arnold, 
 who was incapacitated for field service on account 
 of his wounds, to occupy the city as soon as the 
 British left it. This the American officer did ; his 
 advance guard marching in as the rear guard of 
 the British marched out.
 
 214 LITTLE BURR 
 
 When the Royalist soldiers had entered the 
 city six months before, they had been warmly wel 
 comed by the Tories. It is equally true that their 
 departure was viewed with pleasure by their old- 
 time friends, who had witnessed with disgust the 
 scenes of debauchery and wild license which had 
 marked their conduct while in the city. 
 
 Sir Henry Clinton's army crossed the Dela 
 ware, seventeen thousand strong, marching in two 
 divisions; one in command of Lord Cornwallis, 
 and the other led by the Hessian, Knyphausen. 
 General Washington crossed the Delaware, above 
 Trenton, with the American army, and started in 
 pursuit of the enemy. 
 
 General Charles Lee, who had been taken pris 
 oner at Baskingridge, and who, after being held for 
 two years by the British, had just been exchanged, 
 was given command of the American advance. 
 From a declaration of his own abilities, he had 
 been credited by the American people with a much 
 greater knowledge of military matters than he 
 actually possessed; or, if he possessed it, he never 
 used it for the material advantage of the patriot 
 cause. His lack of self-command, amounting 
 almost to traitorous indecision, was never so 
 conspicuously shown as at the battle of Monmouth. 
 
 General Clinton wished to reach New York 
 without a conflict, for he had a large band of camp 
 followers, and his baggage, supply, and ammuni 
 tion train was fully twelve miles in length. Wash 
 ington's instructions to Lee had been general in 
 their nature, but sufficiently explicit. Lee had the 
 assistance of such brave officers as Mad Anthony
 
 STOP 215 
 
 Wayne, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Gen. William 
 Maxwell a soldier of eighteen years' experience. 
 As soon as General Clinton started to move, Lee's 
 instructions were to fall upon his rear, unless he 
 should discover grave reasons for not doing so. 
 In the mind of no one but General Lee was there 
 any reason for delaying the attack ; but he was in 
 command, and his indecision gave the enemy 
 ample time to prepare for battle. 
 
 That grand old soldier, Mad Anthony Wayne, 
 rushed forward with his men and attacked the 
 enemy vigorously. When victory seemed assured, 
 he received an order from General Lee to retreat, 
 the commander saying that he had intended the 
 forward movement only as a feint. To his other 
 generals he gave conflicting orders, and the move 
 ment of the army came to a standstill for want of 
 a guiding hand. 
 
 Wayne's enforced retreat in obedience to orders 
 was interpreted by the British commander as a 
 repulse, and he sent forward a large body of fresh 
 horse and foot to fall upon Wayne's retreating 
 column. At this moment, the practised military 
 eye of the Marquis de Lafayette saw an oppor 
 tunity to flank the British, and he asked permission 
 from General Lee to advance with his command. 
 Lee at first demurred, but the Marquis persisted 
 so energetically, that Lee ordered him to wheel 
 his column to the right and attack Clinton's left. 
 But, at the same time, Lee weakened Wayne's 
 command by taking three regiments from him, 
 ordering them to join Lafayette. 
 
 At this point, Lee was guilty either of inten-
 
 216 LITTLE BURR 
 
 tional treachery or absolute incompetency; for at 
 the very moment when Gen. Charles Scott, who 
 had served under Braddock, and General Maxwell 
 were ready to attack, they were ordered to retreat, 
 and soon after, the Marquis de Lafayette received 
 a similar command. What had promised to be 
 come a brilliant victory was then turned into a 
 wild retreat, ending in a disgraceful rout, for the 
 British pushed on vigorously after the retreating 
 columns. 
 
 Washington was pressing forward to the sup 
 port of Lee when he was met by the fugitives and 
 learned for the first time of the disaster, for Lee 
 had sent him no word of his repulse. When 
 Washington met Lee, face to face, he cried : " My 
 God! General Lee, what are you about? Sir!" 
 he continued, his indignation rising, " I wish to 
 know the reason and whence comes this disorder 
 and confusion." 
 
 Lee replied, sharply: "You know the attack 
 was contrary to my advice and opinion." 
 
 General Washington, his indignation almost 
 preventing the utterance of the words, replied : 
 
 "You should not have undertaken the com 
 mand unless you intended to carry it out." 
 
 Washington then assumed direction, and in 
 ten minutes had rallied the greater part of the 
 retreating troops. Oswald, with two cannon, was 
 directed to take up a position on an eminence, 
 and their effective fire soon checked the advance 
 of the enemy. Gen. Lord Stirling also placed 
 some guns upon an eminence, and the patriots, 
 who, a short time before, had been a disorderly
 
 STOP 217 
 
 mob, were soon lined up in battle array. General 
 Greene took command of the right, and Gen. 
 Lord Stirling of the left. 
 
 The battle now began in earnest. The British, 
 about seven thousand strong, were posted upon a 
 narrow road, flanked upon either side by morasses. 
 The British cavalry attempted to turn the Ameri 
 can left, but were repulsed. The American artillery, 
 under the direction of General Knox, did great 
 execution. For awhile the result seemed doubt 
 ful ; at a critical moment, however, General Wayne 
 came up with a body of fresh troops and gave the 
 victory to the Americans. The British Colonel 
 Monckton, perceiving that the issue of the conflict 
 depended upon driving Wayne back or capturing 
 his force, led his troops to a bayonet charge. So 
 terrible was Wayne's storm of bullets upon them 
 that almost every British officer was slain. Their 
 brave leader was among the killed, falling as he 
 was pressing forward, waving his sword, and shout 
 ing to his men. His veterans then retreated and 
 fell back to the heights occupied by Lee in the 
 morning. 
 
 Throughout the battle the American artillery 
 was served with most disastrous effect upon the 
 enemy. In order to stop the galling fire from the 
 patriot guns, the British sharp-shooters were de 
 ployed to pick off the cannoneers. Many of the 
 gunners fell before their unerring aim. 
 
 The absolute necessity for holding the posi 
 tion where the cannon were placed, had drawn 
 many of the camp followers of the American army 
 to the support of the gunners. They were busily
 
 218 LITTLE BURR 
 
 employed in carrying powder and shot, and 
 showed as much bravery as did the soldiers them 
 selves. 
 
 Suddenly, a stalwart artilleryman, who had 
 finished swabbing out one of the guns, threw up 
 his hands and fell prostrate upon his face. He 
 had been shot through the head, and death was 
 instantaneous. No sooner had he fallen, than a 
 loud cry was heard, and a woman rushed forward 
 and knelt beside him. She cast one pitying, 
 sorrowful look upon him ; she remained by his 
 side for a moment ; then a look of firm determi 
 nation came into her face. She sprang to her feet 
 and rushed forward, took her position beside the 
 cannon where her husband had so lately stood, 
 and cried : 
 
 " I'll take his place. I know what to do as well 
 as he did." 
 
 The cannon was loaded and discharged. Then 
 the patriotic woman proved that her estimate of 
 her own ability was correct, for her work was 
 done expeditiously and satisfactorily. Again, and 
 again, and again, was the gun loaded and dis 
 charged. The woman stood heroically at her post 
 until the retreat of the British showed that victory 
 was with the patriot forces. Then once more the 
 heroine became the woman. She knelt beside the 
 body of her husband, giving vent to the emotion 
 which had been so long suppressed. The ex 
 hausted and begrimed artillerymen gathered about 
 her and stood with bowed heads, sympathetic 
 spectators of her grief. 
 
 News of her heroic action had reached the
 
 STOP 219 
 
 Commander-in-Chief. The day which had opened 
 with such a display of nerveless patriotism on the 
 part of a trusted general, had closed with a picture 
 of sublime heroism by a woman whose name, even, 
 was unknown to him. Washington, left to him 
 self, uninfluenced by those seeking the satisfaction 
 of individual desires, was the personification of 
 justice. This quality, more than his military 
 greatness, had gained him the hearts of the Ameri 
 can people, and it is this quality which will hold 
 their affection and reverence while time shall last. 
 Washington felt that the proper place to acknowl 
 edge so brave a deed was on the field of battle. 
 So, accompanied by many members of his staff, he 
 rode to the spot where the woman still crouched 
 beside the dead body of her husband. The Gen 
 eral alighted from his horse and advanced towards 
 her. 
 
 " What is your name ? " he asked. 
 
 Perhaps she did not hear, for the woman did 
 not look up. One of the soldiers advanced, and 
 saluting the Commander-in-Chief, said : 
 
 " Her name is Moll Pitcher. Her husband 
 was shot down while he was working at that gun ; " 
 and the man pointed to the cannon which had 
 ceased its death-dealing work. 
 
 " Such patriotism and heroism shall not go 
 unrewarded," said Washington. "Shall you go 
 home, now that your husband is dead ? " he asked, 
 again addressing the woman. 
 
 " I have no home," she said. " I followed my 
 husband to the war, and I must remain with the 
 army, for I have no other place to go."
 
 220 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " You may remain with the army," said Wash 
 ington, " but no longer as a camp follower. You 
 have performed the duties of a soldier, and your 
 sex shall not deprive you of the credit due you. 
 To-morrow you shall be appointed a sergeant in 
 this company of artillery." 
 
 The Commander-in-Chief remounted his horse 
 and rode away, followed by his staff and the huzzas 
 of the patriot soldiers who had witnessed the 
 scene. 
 
 Colonel Burr commanded a brigade on the 
 left, under Gen. Lord Stirling. Mounted on 
 horseback, he dashed forward when the word to 
 advance was given, calling on his men to follow 
 him. This they did, giving vent to loud cheers as 
 they rushed onward. Burr discovered a narrow 
 bridge over the morass and determined to cross it 
 with his men and engage the British in a hand- 
 to-hand fight. But he was doomed to disappoint 
 ment. Just before he reached the bridge, an aide- 
 de-camp rode up and gave him an order to " Stop ! " 
 This was an unprecedented military command, and 
 Colonel Burr, naturally, expostulated. 
 
 " Is it the wish of the Commander-in-Chief that 
 I retreat ? " he asked. 
 
 The aide-de-camp said the order was to " stop," 
 and it was peremptory. There was no course left 
 for Burr except to stand still, exposed to the 
 withering fire of the British, who had advanced to 
 the other end of the bridge. His horse was shot 
 from under him. As he arose to his feet a British 
 rifleman ran upon the narrow bridge and took 
 deliberate aim at him; but his rifle was never
 
 General Washington and Moll Pitcher at Monmouth. 
 
 'Tmorrow you shall be appointed a sergeant in this company of artillery." 
 
 Page 220.
 
 STOP 221 
 
 discharged, for he fell dead, pierced by a bullet in 
 his forehead. For a moment he clutched at the 
 railing ; then losing its balance, the dead body fell 
 into the sluggish stream which flowed beneath the 
 bridge. As Burr turned, he saw Abe Budlong 
 standing beside him, with the smoke curling from 
 his rifle. 
 
 " I don't believe, Colonel," said he, " that them 
 British fellers can make a bullet that'll hit yer. 
 Leastwise, they won't if I can fire fust." 
 
 In a short time the left was reinforced by Gen 
 eral Wayne with some fresh troops, and the issue 
 of the battle, which had wavered in the balance, 
 became an assured victory for the Americans. 
 
 The next morning it was found that General 
 Clinton, with his army, had departed silently in 
 the night, and was far on his way to New York, 
 his baggage train having gained a day's start during 
 the battle. The conflict took place on the Sabbath, 
 and the weather was intensely hot. But for the 
 incomprehensible actions of General Lee and the 
 equally incomprehensible order given to Colonel 
 Burr, the defeat of the British, complete as it was, 
 might have been turned into a disastrous rout, and 
 the subsequent course of military events entirely 
 changed. 
 
 Exhausted by a day of arduous duty, and 
 almost prostrated by the burning rays of the sun, 
 under which he had been obliged to remain so 
 long inactive, Colonel Burr threw himself upon 
 the ground and slept soundly until ten o'clock the 
 next morning. When he awoke, he discovered 
 Abe Budlong sitting beside him, calmly smoking
 
 222 LITTLE BURR 
 
 his pipe and regarding him with a look of anxious 
 inquiry. When Burr attempted to regain his feet, 
 he was unable to do so without the assistance of 
 Abe. His limbs had been chilled by their contact 
 with the moist ground and it was with great 
 difficulty that he was able to reach his quarters. 
 Abe accompanied him, and after Burr had eaten, 
 sparingly, they compared notes on the battle. 
 
 " Abe," said Burr, " this is the second time that 
 I owe my life to you, and I shall never forget my 
 double debt of gratitude." 
 
 " Oh, that's all right," cried Abe. " If I hadn't 
 killed the feller, somebody else would, for there 
 was more'n a dozen rifles pinted at him when I sot 
 my eyes on him. Yer see, I had no business to 
 jine your rigiment anyway, but when I heerd that 
 order given to the aide-de-camp, I jest made up my 
 mind to desart my rigiment and jine yours." 
 
 " Did the Commander-in-Chief send that order 
 to me ? " 
 
 " Well," said Abe, slyly, " the one that sent it 
 ain't exactly Commander-in-Chief, not jest yet ; but 
 I kinder reckon he thinks, if he had his desarts, 
 that he'd be Commander-in-Chief, and as Gin'ral 
 Washington wouldn't be jest the kind of dark that 
 would suit him, I rather fancy Washington would 
 lose his job and have to go back to old Virginny 
 and hoe terbaccer for a livinV
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 COWBOY AND SKINNER 
 
 A FTER the battle of Monmouth, Colonel Burr's 
 physical condition, instead of showing signs 
 of improvement, gradually grew worse. The army 
 doctors thought it a wonder, considering his long 
 exposure to the heat, that he had not been sun- 
 struck; but they all agreed that his vitality was 
 reduced to such a low ebb, that further active 
 service, for the time at least, would be impossible. 
 Burr rebelled strongly against their professional 
 decision. It was upon such glorious battlefields 
 as that of Monmouth that he wished to live, and, 
 if necessary, give his life, in defense of the cause 
 which he had espoused. But if he had wished to 
 appeal from the decision of the doctors, his common 
 sense told him that it would be useless ; for in his 
 weakened state he felt that he was unfitted to 
 satisfactorily perform the duties which devolved 
 upon him. In his letter to the Commander-in- 
 Chief, requesting a furlough, he showed plainly 
 that he had become a patriot from no mercenary 
 motive ; in fact, he made it a condition of accept 
 ing a furlough, if one was granted, that he should 
 receive no pay while off duty. General Washing 
 ton's reply was equally explicit and fully as mag 
 nanimous. 
 
 " HEADQUARTERS, FREDERICKSBURG, 
 
 "Oct. 26, 1778. 
 
 " DEAR SIR : I have your favor of the twenty-fourth. You, 
 in my opinion, carry your ideas of delicacy too far, when you
 
 224 LITTLE BURR 
 
 propose to drop your pay while the recovery of your health 
 requires your absence from the service. It is not customary 
 and it would be unjust. You therefore have leave to retire 
 until your health is so far re-established as to enable you to do 
 your duty. Be pleased to give the colonel notice of this, that 
 he may know where to call upon you, should any unforeseen 
 emergency require it. I am, your obedient servant, 
 
 " G. WASHINGTON." 
 
 But Burr could not accept a furlough on this 
 understanding. He had made a condition in ask 
 ing for it which the Commander-in-Chief had not 
 seen fit to accept, and Burr's pride, as well as his 
 patriotism, would not allow him to receive com 
 pensation for services which he had not rendered. 
 Instead of telling his colonel where he could find 
 him, he proceeded at once to Haverstraw and 
 reported for duty. 
 
 Sir Henry Clinton, exasperated by his losses, 
 and believing that a conciliatory policy would only 
 add to the arrogance of the rebels who had arms 
 in their hands, determined, henceforth, to carry on 
 the war upon a system of cruelty and plunder, 
 disgraceful to himself and to the country which 
 he served. Baylor's Dragoons were surprised at 
 night, near Tappan, and indiscriminately slaugh 
 tered. Pulaski's Legion met a similar fate at Egg 
 Harbor. Nor were these barbarities confined to 
 men who had taken up arms in the cause of the 
 Colonies. Peaceful citizens were remorselessly 
 butchered, helpless females were outraged, and 
 little children driven out, houseless, into the 
 winter's storms. No part of the country witnessed 
 more of these horrors than Westchester County, 
 in the State of New York. From the very begin-
 
 COWBOY AND SKINNER 225 
 
 ning of the war, the divisions among its inhabitants 
 had caused it to be overrun, now by Whigs, now 
 by Tories, and now by armed banditti, who served 
 whichever party promised, at the time, the greatest 
 amount of plunder and the greatest license to 
 cruelty. 
 
 It was here that the " Cowboys " and " Skinners," 
 as they were called, held high revel. The Cow 
 boys of the Revolution were Tories, and British 
 sympathizers ; the Skinners were Whigs, profess 
 edly in sympathy with the patriot cause. Neither 
 organization confined predatory operations to its 
 enemies when the defenceless storehouses or fields 
 of their supposed friends supplied opportunities 
 for plunder. 
 
 Scenes of rapine and lawless violence had 
 increased to such a degree toward the close of 
 1 778, that, in the language of an eye witness, " no 
 man went to his bed but under the apprehension 
 of having his house plundered or burned and him 
 self or family massacred before morning." 
 
 The British forces in New York City made 
 frequent incursions into the country, which was at 
 all times overrun by their spies and emissaries. 
 To counteract these evils and punish those who 
 committed the outrages.different American officers 
 had at various times been stationed upon the 
 lines of Westchester; but all had acquired the 
 universal proclivity for plunder and murder, and 
 had, themselves, become no better than marauders. 
 General McDougall, who had taken command of 
 the district of which Westchester County consti 
 tuted a part, resolved that this state of affairs must
 
 226 
 
 come to an end that the plundering parties from 
 New York should be met and driven back that 
 the inhabitants who remained peacefully at home 
 should be protected, and British emissaries arrested 
 and punished. 
 
 With this idea in mind, he sought an officer 
 upon whom he could rely to carry out his energetic 
 purposes. In making his selection, he disregarded 
 the claims of rank, and overlooking several others 
 who imagined they were entitled to a preference, 
 called Colonel Burr from Haverstraw and ap 
 pointed him to the command of the lines from the 
 Hudson to the Sound, a distance of fourteen miles, 
 with headquarters at White Plains. In his order 
 appointing Colonel Burr to the post, General 
 McDougall gave still further proof of his un 
 bounded confidence in the valor, the discretion, 
 the activity, the humanity, and the justice of 
 Colonel Burr. After enumerating many points to 
 which he wished particular attention should be 
 paid, he added, in reference to all doubtful cases : 
 " I authorize you to be sole judge." Thus, at the 
 age of twenty-three, Colonel Burr was vested with 
 almost unlimited power in the command of one of 
 the most important military situations in the 
 country. 
 
 On the day of his arrival at his future head 
 quarters, he found his predecessor preparing to set 
 out on an expedition, the ostensible object of 
 which was to watch the movements of the enemy 
 near New Rochelle. Ill-advised and injudicious 
 as Colonel Burr regarded this enterprise, he did 
 not feel authorized to interfere further than to
 
 COWBOY AND SKINNER 227 
 
 enjoin upon Colonel Littlefield a strict regard for 
 the rights of property and a careful observance of 
 military discipline on the march. The scouting 
 party was gone the entire night, and the next 
 morning, after Colonel Burr had formally assumed 
 the command, he was mortified at seeing them 
 come into the post loaded with plunder. The 
 license of the time and of the place had made 
 robbery so much a matter of course, that there was 
 no attempt at concealment. The stolen articles 
 were openly deposited in a heap to await an equit 
 able distribution among the robbers. 
 
 Very early that morning, something had oc 
 curred to give Colonel Burr a premonition of 
 what he might expect to see when the party 
 returned. It had also given him time in which to 
 decide what course he would follow if the informa 
 tion given proved to be correct. He was always 
 an early riser, but before he left the pallet upon 
 which he had thrown himself an hour after mid 
 night, after devoting the evening to a careful 
 consideration of the peculiar conditions by which 
 he was surrounded, a letter had been brought to 
 him. The handwriting seemed somewhat famil 
 iar, but the name signed to it, Simeon Willetts, 
 was unknown to him. As soon as a hasty toilet 
 was completed, he gave orders that the bearer of 
 the letter should be admitted. 
 
 He ought to have been surprised, but, in reality, 
 was not, when he saw the round, good-natured 
 visage of his old friend, Abe Budlong. The lat 
 ter was not in military uniform, but wore the 
 costume of an ordinary farm laborer.
 
 228 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " Well, Abe," was Burr's salutation, " what are 
 you up to now? Have you come to play the 
 guardian angel ? Is there another mutiny on 
 foot?" 
 
 Disregarding Colonel Burr's inquiries, Abe 
 chuckled. " It's good fer sore eyes, Colonel, ter 
 see yer lookin' so spick an' span. I heerd about 
 yer askin' fer a furlough, and as yer left soon arter, 
 I 'sposed yer got it. Then, one o' the cap'ns told 
 me yer wouldn't take pay fer doin' nothin', and I 
 told him that's jest like Aaron. I wasn't feelin' 
 very well myself, and as there wasn't any pertic'lar 
 fightin' goin' on, I axed fer a month's furlough, 
 and got it. I shan't be squeamish about takin' my 
 pay, either, fer all I git fer a month's sojerin' won't 
 more'n buy the next month's terbaccer. I heerd 
 yer was up here, so I thought I'd come up and 
 make a call." 
 
 " I am glad to see you, Abe," said Burr, " but 
 I thought you brought this letter." 
 
 Abe laughed. " Well, I did. I had ter git up 
 some kind of a trick. The fellers on guard were 
 so darned pertic'lar that they wouldn't let Abe 
 Budlong inside the lines. I've bin stoppin' with 
 a Whig farmer, named Cyrus Willetts. He said 
 he was 'lowed ter go up ter headquarters, so I 
 thought I'd borrer part of his name, and it worked 
 to a T." 
 
 " I can forgive you, Abe, for your subterfuge," 
 said Burr, " but I shall not pardon the sentinel who 
 allowed you to pass. Every man who is permitted 
 to come to headquarters is provided with a pass, 
 signed by me, and a countersign. As you had
 
 COWBOY AND SKINNER 229 
 
 neither, the sentinel was remiss in his duty and 
 shall be reprimanded." 
 
 " Now, don't be too hard on him," said Abe, 
 and he burst into a loud laugh. "When yer 
 know the hull story, it'll be jest like yer ter pro 
 mote him to fust sergeant. Yer see, I didn't show 
 him the letter at all. I sneaked up ter the lines, 
 and as soon as he sot eyes on me, he challenged 
 me. I told him my brother was a Tory and that 
 I was one, too; that Timothy, my brother, had 
 been taken by you fellers and locked up ; that our 
 dad was at the pint of death and I wanted ter go 
 and tell him. So the feller sent fer a guard and 
 they brought me up here ; but when I got ter the 
 guard-house I told the officer I had a letter fer 
 yer that was important, and fer him to hold on ter 
 me tight till you'd read it." 
 
 Burr's face did not relax a muscle during this 
 recital, but when Abe finished, he joined in the 
 laugh in which the companion of his youthful 
 days indulged. 
 
 "But what did you wish to see me for? "he 
 asked. 
 
 "Well, yer see," said Abe, " I found out where 
 that scoutin' party of yourn went ter last night. 
 They didn't go to fight any Tories, but spent 
 their time robbin' an old man, named Gedney. 
 There ain't no doubt but that Gedney is a Tory 
 at heart, but even so, he hain't done no fightin', 
 and they tell me, hain't given any aid to the enemy. 
 I thought perhaps it might be well fer you ter find 
 out jest where they had been, and I thought if yer 
 knew "
 
 230 . LITTLE BURR 
 
 " I am greatly obliged to you, Abe," said Colonel 
 Burr. " Your information will be of great value 
 to me in dealing with the officers and men who 
 have been engaged in this unlawful expedition. 
 I say unlawful, for I gave the commanding officer 
 explicit orders to avoid pillaging. How long is 
 your furlough, Abe ? " 
 
 " I've had a week," was the reply. " I've got 
 three more on my hands and don't know what ter 
 do with 'em. Can't you make me useful 'round 
 here somewhere ? I hate ter loaf, and I hain't got 
 time ter go ter Connecticut and git back agin." 
 
 " I will provide for you," was the reply. " I 
 must go now. By the sounds I hear, I think the 
 robbers must have returned. If you see anything 
 that ought to be done, Abe, do it ; " and with 
 these words, Abe was left to his own devices. 
 
 At sight of the heap of plunder, Colonel Burr's 
 feelings of delicacy towards his predecessor van 
 ished. The whole property brought in was at once 
 seized and placed under a guard of his own selec 
 tion. Then he approached the commander of the 
 expedition. He looked upon this as an oppor 
 tunity to impress the men and the citizens with 
 the full conviction of his unflinching determina 
 tion to protect the defenceless, and restore peace 
 and order to the community. 
 
 " From whom were these articles taken ? " he 
 asked. 
 
 " From the enemy," was the officer's reply. 
 
 " I have information to the contrary," said 
 Colonel Burr. " I regret the necessity, but you 
 and your men must consider yourselves under
 
 COWBOY AND SKINNER 231 
 
 x 
 
 arrest until the exact truth of the matter is arrived 
 at." 
 
 He next sent for a detachment of men and 
 some army wagons. He ordered the robbers to 
 place the articles in the wagons. When this work 
 was completed, the order to march was given and 
 the entire party proceeded to Gedney's house. 
 
 From the lips of the old man, who had not yet 
 recovered from his terror, Colonel Burr learned 
 the full extent of the outrage which had been 
 committed, not only as regarded property, but 
 also upon the defenceless members of the family. 
 He called up several members of the band of pil 
 lagers and they were forced to confess that Ged- 
 ney told the truth. 
 
 The course of action which Colonel Burr had 
 decided upon, he carried out to the letter, never 
 wavering in the exaction of every portion of his 
 contemplated programme. The first scene in this 
 drama of real life was afforded by the spectacle of 
 the robbers and the commanding officer was 
 obliged to do his share restoring to Mr. Gedney 
 all articles and materials which had been taken 
 from him. The robbers were then ordered to pay 
 to him full compensation for such articles as 
 had been lost or damaged. Third, he compelled 
 each man to present Gedney with a sum of money, 
 as compensation for his fright and loss of time. 
 Next, he obliged each of them to ask pardon of the 
 old man and promise good behavior in the future. 
 The next morning the final scene in the drama was 
 enacted. In those days the lash was generally 
 resorted to in all commands to enforce military
 
 232 LITTLE BURR 
 
 discipline, and in accordance with the custom of 
 the time, each of the robbers received ten lashes 
 on his bare back. 
 
 All these actions were taken with the utmost 
 deliberation and exactness, and the effects pro 
 duced by them were magical. Not another house 
 was plundered, not another family was alarmed 
 while Colonel Burr commanded the Westchester 
 lines. The mystery and swiftness of the detec 
 tion, the rigor yet fairness with which the maraud 
 ers were treated, overawed the men whom three 
 campaigns of lawless warfare had corrupted, and 
 restored confidence to the people who had passed 
 their lives in terror. 
 
 Colonel Burr's feelings justify analysis. As a 
 military man, he felt insulted because his orders 
 had been disobeyed ; as a man, he felt indignant 
 that soldiers under his command should have 
 inhumanly treated women and children; as a 
 patriot, he was grieved and sick at heart that men 
 who had sworn to be true to the cause of freedom 
 should have voluntarily descended to a level lower 
 than that of ordinary thieves.
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 A CHIVALROUS COURTSHIP 
 
 /COLONEL AARON BURR, commander of 
 the Westchester lines, laid down his quill. He 
 had just signed a number of military orders and was 
 considering the names of the officers to whom 
 they were to be committed for execution, when 
 his attention was attracted by a sudden exclama 
 tion, which proceeded from the farther end of the 
 room. There sat Abe Budlong, apparently en 
 gaged in furbishing his rifle. 
 
 " What's the matter ? " inquired Burr. " Are 
 you getting ready for a fight with the enemy ? " 
 
 " Well, no," drawled Abe, " not 'zactly. The 
 fact is, I jest laid down that hammer on my thumb 
 and it hurt like mighty. Yer know, Aaron, I've 
 told yer a good many times that I'm not much of 
 a fighter. I b'lieve in moral suasion, and I b'lieve 
 it does more good, in the end, than shootin' and 
 slashin'." 
 
 " Then why did you go into the army, Abe ? " 
 inquired Burr; but he repented the question as 
 soon as he had asked it. 
 
 " Wull, seein' as yer've fergotten, Aaron, I'll 
 tell yer. When I lived in Litchfield, I got ac 
 quainted with a young feller and I grew ter like 
 him fust rate, and I always fancied he took ter
 
 234 LITTLE BURR 
 
 me. Wull, he went ter war and I had ter follow 
 him." 
 
 " Yes, yes, " said Burr ; " it was very thoughtless 
 of me to ask that question. I know why you are 
 here and I shall never ask you that question again. 
 But you always act bravely when you are in 
 battle." 
 
 "Oh, that's nat'ral," was the reply. "Even 
 rats'll fight if they git cornered. Fightin's all 
 right when you come out on top, but it makes a 
 fighter feel kinder down in the mouth when the 
 other side does the crowin'. I can't git the taste 
 of that Quebec affair out o' my mouth. I told the 
 boys then, and I have said it a hundred times 
 since, if they had 'lowed you to use them 'ere 
 ladders, you'd 'ave got inter the city all right, Dick 
 Montgomery would be a-livin' now, and Benedict 
 Arnold would 'ave been the biggest man in 
 America." 
 
 " The march through Maine," said Burr, " was 
 an ill-advised one. If the troops had gone up 
 through Vermont to Montreal, making that a 
 rendezvous, and from there had marched to 
 Quebec, there might have been a different result. 
 But that would have put two ambitious generals 
 side by side in command of the same force, which 
 condition of affairs would probably have been as 
 fatal to success as the efforts of the enemy." 
 
 Abe kept up the polishing of his rifle until it 
 shone like a new shilling. Suddenly he asked : 
 
 " Say, Aaron, what do yer think of Washington 
 as a gin'ral ? " 
 
 " Washington is above criticism," was the reply.
 
 A CHIVALROUS COURTSHIP 235 
 
 " I do not mean to say by that, that some of his 
 actions do not deserve it, but the great mass of the 
 people look to him as their deliverer from British 
 rule. When a permanent government is estab 
 lished, be the ruler a king, or president, or consul, 
 or whatever he may be called, George Washington 
 will be the man." 
 
 " And I say it's all right, too," said Abe. " He's 
 a mighty good stayer. When I was a boy, I used 
 ter do a good deal of fightin' with my fists, and I 
 made it a rule ter jest let the other feller whack 
 away at me as hard as he could, till he got red in 
 the face and kinder winded, and then I used to 
 spunk up and thrash him to his heart's content. 
 I think, if I'd been a gin'ral, I'd 'ave been another 
 George Washington." 
 
 While Abe had been talking, Colonel Burr had 
 written some names upon the military orders 
 which lay before him, and summoning an orderly, 
 directed that they be transmitted at once to the 
 respective officers. 
 
 Abe, having completed the cleaning of his rifle, 
 placed it in a corner of the room, and had his hand 
 upon the latch of the door, when Burr said : 
 
 "Abe, how would you like to make a trip 
 through the enemy's country and run the risk of 
 being hanged as a spy ? " 
 
 " If Colonel Aaron Burr, of the United States of 
 America, thinks it'd be an edifyin' spectacle ter see 
 Abiel Budlong hung by the neck from the branch 
 of a tree, the aforesaid individual is ready ter take 
 his orders and run the necessary risk." 
 
 "Well, the fact is, Abe," said Burr, "that the
 
 236 LITTLE BURR 
 
 duty is a personal, instead of a public one. I am 
 very anxious to get a letter to a lady who lives in 
 Paramus, in New Jersey, and to receive a reply 
 before night." 
 
 In an instant, Abe had taken possession of his 
 rifle, and advancing to the table at which Colonel 
 Burr sat, saluted and stood awaiting orders. 
 
 "Do not take your rifle," said Burr; " that would 
 subject you to suspicion at once. You might 
 carry a pistol, to be used if you find it abso 
 lutely necessary, but you will need wit more than 
 gunpowder to perform this mission successfully. 
 If you start at once and meet with no serious 
 interference, you will probably be able to reach 
 camp again by five o'clock this afternoon." 
 
 Colonel Burr took a letter from beneath the 
 pile of papers. Abe held out his hand to receive 
 it. " Shall I git an answer ? " 
 
 "The answer will be verbal," was the reply, 
 and will consist of one word only. It will be 
 'Yes' or 'No.'" 
 
 "Well, I reckon," said Abe, "if there's a lady 
 in the case, yer won't be very glad ter see me if 
 the answer is 'No.'" 
 
 Colonel Burr smiled. " If the answer were to 
 be ' No,' and a final one, I should hesitate about 
 sending you upon the mission. I should recall 
 the incident of Capt. Miles Standish and John 
 Alden. No, the matter is not quite so far advanced 
 as that, yet ; but it is only fair you should under 
 stand the situation. The letter is to the mother 
 of a lady for whom I entertain feelings of the high 
 est admiration and respect. I wish to visit the
 
 A CHIVALROUS COURTSHIP 237 
 
 lady's daughter, but can only do it at an uncon 
 ventional hour. If the mother is willing that I 
 should come, the answer will be 'Yes;' if she 
 considers it inadvisable, the answer will be ' No.' " 
 
 Burr passed the letter to Abe, who looked at it 
 wonderingly. "There ain't no name on it," he 
 said, finally. 
 
 " I know that," said Burr. " It was omitted 
 advisedly. The letter might fall into the hands of 
 the British, and there are good reasons why I do 
 not wish these ladies thought to be in correspond 
 ence with a rebel leader." 
 
 "All right," said Abe; "if the name isn't too 
 long, I guess I can remember it." 
 
 " The person to whom I wish you to deliver it 
 is Mrs. Anne Stillwell Bartow. Everybody in 
 Paramus knows her, and you will not have to make 
 more than one inquiry in order to ascertain the 
 location of the Hermitage, the name by which her 
 house is known. Pick out a good horse, keep 
 your pistol within easy reach, use that big fund of 
 common sense with which all Connecticut men 
 are endowed by nature, and I shall see you again 
 before the sun sets." 
 
 It was exactly quarter past five when Abe 
 Budlong again stood in the presence of Colonel 
 Burr. The latter looked up inquiringly. 
 
 "Wull,"said Abe, "if that 'ere lady you sent 
 me to turns out ter be yer mother-in-law, I don't 
 think yer'll have no trouble with her. She's a 
 mighty quiet sort of a person and takes things so 
 nat'ral like that I ventured ter ask her if she warn't 
 born in Connecticut."
 
 238 LITTLE BURR 
 
 Burr knew Abe's peculiarities too well to ob 
 ject to the preliminary conversation, although he 
 was anxiously awaiting the monosyllable for which 
 the journey had been undertaken. 
 
 " She read the letter through three times, fer 
 I kept count, and then she asked me to excuse 
 her and she went inter the next room, and I heerd 
 women's voices, and then one of 'em laughed I 
 guessed which one that was and then she come 
 back, and she said * Yes ' jest as quiet as though I'd 
 asked her for the loan of a dozen eggs and prom 
 ised ter bring 'em back the next day." 
 
 Burr sprang to his feet. " There is no time to 
 lose ! " he cried. " Abe, as I told you, that word 
 4 Yes ' settles the matter. I am going to Paramus 
 to-night. I am going to have an interview with 
 Mrs. Bartow's widowed daughter, Mrs. Prevost." 
 
 " I guess that was the one that laughed," said 
 Abe, with a chuckle. 
 
 " No, I think you are wrong. My opinion is 
 that it was Miss Devisne, who is a half sister of 
 Mrs. Prevost. Mrs. Bartow has been twice 
 widowed. Her right name is Devisne, but I 
 thought it best to ask for her by the name of Bar- 
 tow, as that would give the impression to any one 
 whom you might question, that you knew very 
 little about her and had probably come from a 
 long distance to see her." 
 
 " YerVe a long head, Aaron," said Abe, " and 
 yer ought ter be a major-gin'ral before yer git 
 through. But I tell yer, Aaron, it's a mighty long 
 ride down there and back, and I come pretty close, 
 two or three times, ter runnin' inter some squads
 
 A CHIVALROUS COURTSHIP 239 
 
 of Tories, but I made up my mind before I started, 
 that if my boss's heels would save me, I wouldn't 
 do any fightin'. But what can I do fer yer now ? " 
 
 " I am not going the way you did," said Burr. " I 
 have my plans all arranged. I shall not leave 
 camp until after I have inspected the outposts for 
 the night. I shall not reach Paramus before one 
 o'clock in the morning. By Mrs. Devisne's kind 
 permission, I shall remain for an hour. I shall 
 reach camp to-morrow morning in time to inspect 
 the outposts at the usual time." 
 
 " By George Washington ! " cried Abe, " that's 
 what I call makin' a night of it. Jest ter think of 
 only one hour's courtin' and six hours' travelin'. 
 Why, when I used ter go courtin' in Litchfield, it 
 didn't take me no more'n fifteen minutes ter git 
 there, and half an hour ter git home, and I used 
 ter stay from seven t'leven." 
 
 " I want you, Abe, to pick out six good men 
 and six good horses. You will make the seventh 
 and I the eighth of the party. We will start at 
 ten o'clock. I have my plans all made and will 
 give orders as they are needed, from time to time. 
 I shall depend upon you to see that they are 
 carried out to the letter." 
 
 " Yer've hit on jest the right man fer the job," 
 said Abe, as he saluted and departed to carry out 
 his commander's orders. 
 
 That night, at ten o'clock, the little party of 
 eight left camp quietly. About half past eleven 
 they reached a point on the river where it had 
 broadened, forming a little cove. Burr descended 
 from his horse, which was a small, wiry pony, and
 
 240 LITTLE BURR 
 
 taking some leathern thongs from a package which 
 had been fastened to his saddle, told his compan 
 ions to throw the horse and tie his fore and hind 
 legs securely. This being done, a couple of heavy 
 blankets which Burr had brought with him were 
 spread upon a large raft found concealed in the 
 cove. The horse was lifted by the men and placed 
 upon this somewhat luxurious couch. Some long 
 poles were discovered in a small thicket near the 
 river bank, and the ferriage across the river was 
 soon accomplished. 
 
 The prostrate animal was borne to the land, 
 the thongs removed, and after a proper length of 
 time had been given him in which to recover the 
 use of his benumbed muscles, Burr mounted him 
 and rode rapidly in the direction of Paramus, first 
 giving orders to Abe to moor the raft in the 
 shadow. He also advised him and his companions 
 to keep out of sight as much as possible, until they 
 heard the sounds of his horse's hoofs, which would 
 be the signal of his return. 
 
 " That is," said Abe, " s'posin' there's no other 
 feller round ridin' a hoss at this time o' night, 
 which I reckon ain't very likely nor probable." 
 
 Burr's parting words were : " If, when you hear 
 me coming, there is any sign of danger, fire a 
 single shot and then cry ' Halt ! ' as loudly as you 
 can. I shall understand, and will proceed warily 
 after hearing it." 
 
 The men showed no signs of uneasiness until 
 the sound of the hoofs of Colonel Burr's horse 
 died away in the distance. Then one of them 
 said, addressing himself to Abe :
 
 A CHIVALROUS COURTSHIP 241 
 
 " I say, Cap'n, it's mighty cold here. I've got a 
 bottle of rum with me, and if you've no objections, 
 me and the boys'll take a drink." 
 
 "Wull, I've got objections, and decided ones, 
 too," said Abe. " I don't b'lieve a good soldier 
 drinks when on duty, 'specially if the life of his 
 commander may be lost if he gits drunk and don't 
 know what ter do when the time comes." 
 
 The man grumbled a little, but did not take 
 the bottle from his pocket. Half an hour later, he 
 said: 
 
 " I say, Cap'n, 'tis mighty cold. Can't we get 
 some of those branches together and make a fire ? " 
 
 "It might be a good idea," said Abe, "if we 
 wish to attract the attention of the enemy and 
 have them come down on us in a body. As I've 
 got a nice, pretty girl down in Litchfield, Con 
 necticut, whose name is ter be Mrs. Abiel Budlong 
 one of these days, I'd rather go home as a live body 
 than as a dead carcass." 
 
 The uneasy man kept quiet for a short time 
 longer. Then he approached Abe : 
 
 " I say, Cap'n, I'm about frozen. Have you any 
 objection to my takin' a run up the river bank 
 and back, just to warm me up ? " 
 
 "Yes, I have," said Abe. "I'm under the 
 orders of my superior officer and you're under 
 mine, and now you jest come back inter the 
 thicket with the rest of us fellers and keep quiet." 
 
 "Well, can't we have a smoke while we're 
 waitin' ? " the man persisted. 
 
 " No, you can't," said Abe. " There's nothin' 
 that shows the presence of a man any quicker
 
 242 LITTLE BURR 
 
 than the smell of terbaccer smoke, and ' the wind 
 which bloweth where it listeth,' as the Good Book 
 says, may take it right into the noses of the 
 enemy." 
 
 It was well that Abe had been so persistently 
 cautious. " Hist ! " he said. Then, in a low 
 whisper, to one of the men : " My ear is keen, 
 and if I ain't deucedly mistaken, there's somebody 
 comin' this way. Now jest lay low and keep your 
 eyes peeled." 
 
 Abe and his men were concealed in a small 
 growth of trees not far from the river bank. They 
 were not more than twenty feet from the raft, 
 which lay in the shadow of a cliff some twenty 
 feet high, along the base of which was a pathway 
 five or six feet wide. The cliff, no doubt, origi 
 nally had reached to the river bank, but heavy 
 storms and spring freshets had worn it away, still 
 leaving the path at its base. The moon was 
 partly obscured by clouds, but there was sufficient 
 light for Abe and his men to see that three human 
 forms were approaching, and the light was bright 
 enough, or, rather, the uniforms were bright enough 
 for them to discern that they were Britishers, 
 wearing the traditional red coat. 
 
 " Let's give 'em a volley," said the uneasy man, 
 in a whisper to Abe. 
 
 " When I say ' Fire ! ' you can do it," was Abe's 
 response. 
 
 The three British soldiers came slowly towards 
 the hiding place of Abe and his men. They were 
 evidently looking for something, and finally one 
 of them cried :
 
 A CHIVALROUS COURTSHIP 243 
 
 " Here it is ! Here is the raft ! That's where 
 he came across ! " 
 
 "But how did he get the horse over?" asked 
 one of the men. 
 
 "Oh, that's easily explained," said the first 
 speaker, who was a lieutenant. " He made the 
 horse swim across while he poled the raft." 
 
 "Well, we'll help him upon the return trip," 
 said the second speaker, with a laugh. 
 
 The moments now seemed like hours to Abe 
 and his men. They were in a state of intense 
 suspense, and even the uneasy man grew quiet 
 from the very force of circumstances. 
 
 "As he is on horseback," said the lieutenant, 
 " we shall hear him long before he gets here and 
 shall have plenty of time to conceal ourselves until 
 I give the word to rush forward and secure him." 
 
 Abe and his men were cramped in their close 
 quarters and envied the Britishers, who strolled 
 leisurely up and down the river bank. Both 
 parties were listening for the sound of the horse's 
 hoofs, and soon it was heard. Abe was on the 
 alert. The sound came nearer. His beloved 
 friend and revered commander could not have 
 been more than two hundred feet away, when Abe 
 discharged his rifle, and in a voice of thunder, 
 cried : 
 
 "Halt!" 
 
 The lieutenant unsheathed his sword with a 
 clatter, while the two soldiers who accompanied 
 him cocked their muskets and awaited they 
 knew not what. The report of Abe's rifle, the 
 tones of his voice, and the sound of the horse's
 
 244 LITTLE BURR 
 
 hoofs had ended simultaneously. The lieutenant 
 then realized that their expected victim must 
 have been accompanied but by how many? 
 If he had brought but one man to watch the raft, 
 the odds were still in their favor, for they num 
 bered three to two. He had not long to wait 'for 
 the denouement. Kind nature brushed away the 
 clouds from the face of the moon, and a flood of 
 silver light fell upon the river, raft, and thicket, 
 disclosing to the astonished gaze of the lieutenant 
 the forms of seven men, wearing the Continental 
 uniform, and the glistening barrels of seven rifles, 
 which shone brightly in the moonlight. 
 
 " Throw down yer arms, or we'll fire ! " cried 
 Abe. " If yer don't, yer'll all be dead men in less 
 than a minute." 
 
 The lieutenant's sword and the soldiers' mus 
 kets were deposited in the pathway. 
 
 "Fall back!" cried Abe, and the Britishers 
 obeyed him. 
 
 " Halt ! " he cried, when there was a distance 
 of ten feet between them and the weapons which 
 they had surrendered. The order was promptly 
 obeyed. 
 
 "Now, Jim Liscomb," said Abe, turning to the 
 uneasy man, " yer've been mighty anxious ter do 
 somethin' that I didn't want yer ter do, ever since 
 we've been here, and now yer jest come out and 
 pick up that sword and them muskets; but bear 
 in mind the fact that each o' them fellers has 
 probably got a pistol, and jest as yer comin' back 
 with 'em, they'll be likely to shoot yer in the back." 
 
 Like all men of his stamp, Jim Liscomb was
 
 A CHIVALROUS COURTSHIP 245 
 
 more of a braggart than a hero. Still, he was not 
 a coward ; but he knew that his companions would 
 consider him one unless he promptly obeyed the 
 order. He picked up the sword and muskets, but 
 he could not refrain from looking over his shoulder 
 as he quickly made his way to the thicket with the 
 trophies of war. 
 
 " Forward, march ! " cried Abe, and the lieuten 
 ant and the two soldiers advanced. The order was 
 obeyed in a twofold manner, for Budlong, followed 
 by his men, met the captive British soldiers half 
 way. 
 
 " What's your name ? " asked Abe. 
 
 " John Sugden ; " said the officer ; " Lieutenant 
 John Sugden of His Majesty's Twenty-first Regi 
 ment of Foot. Whom have I the honor of address 
 ing?" 
 
 " I'm Cap'n Abiel Budlong, at present unat 
 tached, but actin' as aide-de-camp to Colonel Aaron 
 Burr, in command of the Westchester lines. 
 Johnson," he continued, turning to one of his men, 
 " go 'round the edge of the cliff where it's easy to 
 climb up. If yer see Colonel Burr, tell him ter 
 come along. Everything is all right." 
 
 In a short time, Colonel Burr rode into the 
 midst of the party. He looked at the British 
 soldiers and then turned to Abe. 
 
 "Time hung a little heavy on our hands, 
 Colonel," said Abe, " so we bagged a little game 
 while yer was gone. These fellers must 'ave got 
 wind of yer trip in some way and they laid a little 
 trap fer yer, but our trap was bigger'n their'n, and 
 so we've cotched 'em. What shall we do with 
 'em ? "
 
 246 LITTLE BURR 
 
 Burr thought for a moment; then he said: 
 " Better dismiss them on parole. The raft is not 
 big enough to take them and our party, including 
 the horse, across the river." 
 
 " Beggin' your pardon, Colonel," said Abe, " I 
 think we can manage it. He's a poor soldier who 
 won't learn somethin', even from his enemy, and 
 this 'ere lieutenant here by the way, Colonel 
 Burr, allow me ter interduce Lieutenant John 
 Sugden of His Majesty's Twenty-first Regiment 
 of Foot as I was sayin', this 'ere lieutenant here, 
 when he thought nobody heerd, talked out loud 
 and said yer must have swum the hoss acrost the 
 river while yer poled the raft. Now, I kinder 
 think Lieutenant John Sugden and his two soldiers 
 won't take up any more room than the hoss and 
 me did, and if yer'll guarantee ter git 'em acrost 
 the river, I'll take care of Abe Budlong and the 
 hoss." 
 
 At five o'clock the next morning, Colonel Burr, 
 accompanied by Abe Budlong, six Continental 
 soldiers, and three British prisoners, reached the 
 American camp. Colonel Burr, without allow 
 ing a moment for rest, immediately began the 
 morning tour of the outposts, returning to break 
 fast at seven o'clock. By that time the news of 
 the capture of the British soldiers had spread 
 through the camp and even reached the outposts. 
 Not a man, excepting those who had composed 
 his escort, had the slightest suspicion that the 
 trip had been devoted to a chivalrous courtship. 
 All thought that it was a cleverly planned scheme, 
 concocted to capture the three Britishers who 
 were now prisoners in the guardhouse.
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 THE BLOCKHOUSE 
 
 COLONEL BURR was not yet ready for active 
 operations against the enemy. He wished, 
 first, to accustom his men to the restraints of a 
 wholesome discipline, as well as to make his own 
 position perfectly secure in every respect. For 
 this latter purpose, he established a system of 
 sleepless vigilance and organized a corps of 
 patrols and videttes so effective that it was im 
 possible for parties of Cowboys or British troops 
 to move in any direction without his immediate 
 knowledge. In this he was greatly aided by the 
 country people, who, satisfied that they had at last 
 found a protector, repaid him tenfold by freely 
 and promptly communicating every kind of infor 
 mation that might aid his operations. 
 
 To the common soldiers he had now become 
 an idol. His unwearied exertions to procure 
 them shoes, blankets, and other comforts, his 
 tender solicitude for the sick and wounded, the 
 unvarying urbanity of his deportment, and his 
 perfect readiness to endure whatever he required 
 others to undergo, created an enthusiastic love for 
 him as a man, that was only surpassed by un 
 bounded confidence in his military abilities. The 
 very strictness of the discipline he enforced made 
 his other qualities stand out prominently, and
 
 248 LITTLE BURR 
 
 they respected and loved him more, from the fact 
 that they dared not trifle with his orders. Brave 
 men they could find anywhere humane men, 
 though not so abundant, were yet no rarity ; it was 
 the union of courage and humanity, animated by 
 tireless activity, and regulated by the highest 
 intelligence, that seized upon their affections, and 
 in their eyes invested the young officer with the 
 attributes of a demigod. 
 
 In numerous encounters with small parties of 
 the enemy, Colonel Burr had good opportunities 
 for testing the mettle of his men, and he was 
 gratified to observe that they feared no danger 
 and counted no odds when he was their leader. 
 As soon as he was fully satisfied that they could 
 be relied upon in any emergency, he resolved to 
 employ them on a more dangerous service than 
 any in which they had yet been engaged. 
 
 In the lower part of the country, the British 
 had erected a blockhouse as a rallying point for 
 their foraging and plundering parties. This was 
 protected by a strong body of several thousand 
 troops, posted some two or three miles off. To 
 destroy this blockhouse would be to deprive them 
 of a safe and convenient place of retreat, and 
 increase the danger of their forays to such an 
 extent as to make it probable that they would be 
 abandoned altogether. 
 
 Burr had, according to his custom, carefully 
 inspected the work and the grounds about it, and 
 only waited for a dark and rainy night to put into 
 execution the plan which he had formed. It was 
 not long before the weather proved as propitious
 
 THE BLOCKHOUSE 249 
 
 as he could desire, and selecting forty men, 
 properly equipped and instructed, just after night 
 fall he began his march for the scene of action. 
 At two o'clock in the morning he arrived in the 
 vicinity of the blockhouse. Here he divided his 
 force into two parties, the one commanded by a 
 captain to whom his instructions had been pre 
 viously communicated, and the other by himself. 
 
 The garrison was buried in sleep, and the 
 shivering sentinels were more intent upon pro 
 tecting themselves from the bitter blasts of a 
 Northern winter than in looking out for an enemy 
 of whose presence they did not dream. Suddenly 
 the thick darkness was illuminated by flashes of 
 light, and a voice rang out loud and clear upon 
 the night air. It uttered but a single word 
 "Charge!" 
 
 There was a simultaneous rush, short ladders 
 were planted against the blockhouse, showers of 
 hand grenades were thrown through the port 
 holes, and the drowsy garrison started from their 
 slumbers to find themselves surrounded on all 
 sides by fire. The assault had been too sudden 
 and too well planned to admit of effectual resist 
 ance, and the British soldiers, instead of flying to 
 their arms, yelled lustily for quarter, which was 
 at once granted. 
 
 The ruddy hue painted upon the heavens by 
 the burning blockhouse gave early notice at the 
 British camp of the danger of their friends, and a 
 strong body of horse, followed by another of 
 infantry, was dispatched without delay to their 
 assistance. But long before they could reach the
 
 250 LITTLE BURR 
 
 scene, their enterprising foe, with all his prisoners, 
 was safe beyond the reach of pursuit. A heap of 
 burning coals and blackened stones greeted their 
 arrival, but no human being was left to point out 
 the pathway of the destroyer. 
 
 As the thoroughly frightened British soldiers 
 marched from the burning blockhouse into the 
 darkness of the night, they were met with stern 
 commands to " Halt ! " and this warning was 
 promptly complied with. 
 
 If Colonel Burr had brought with him for the 
 capture of the blockhouse his entire force of forty 
 men, the problem of properly securing his prison 
 ers and conveying them to the American head 
 quarters would have been a comparatively easy 
 one ; but the fact was, he had brought only thirteen 
 of his men with him, leaving a reserve of twenty- 
 seven men posted fully a mile from the scene of 
 action. Burr reasoned with himself that if twenty- 
 eight American soldiers had been captured by 
 thirteen Britishers, the Americans being unarmed, 
 while their captors were fully equipped, the odds, 
 after all, would not be so desperate. The propor 
 tion would have been two unarmed men to one 
 with arms. If a conflict had taken place at close 
 quarters, he considered it not improbable that the 
 twenty-eight Americans could have managed to 
 wrest six or seven guns from their opponents, 
 when the conditions would have been reversed, 
 and in all probability the captors would have be 
 come the captives. 
 
 While almost certain that the phlegmatic 
 British soldiers would not attempt a hazardous
 
 THE BLOCKHOUSE 251 
 
 experiment which a body of venturesome patriots 
 would have considered sure of success, he did not 
 feel inclined to begin the march of a mile in utter 
 darkness, through thick forests and across a river 
 which had to be forded, unless some effectual 
 means were first taken to prevent either the 
 escape of the prisoners or a concerted attack by 
 them upon his own men. If there had been moon 
 light, the difficulties of the trip would have been 
 greatly reduced ; but the sky was overcast and 
 there was every indication of the approach of a 
 severe storm. 
 
 The picture was dramatic. The crestfallen 
 prisoners had been drawn up in the form of two 
 sides of a square, fourteen men to a side. Some 
 ten feet back from the ends of the incomplete 
 triangle thus formed, stood the thirteen Con 
 tinental soldiers, with their muskets ready for 
 instant use, should occasion offer. 
 
 Abe Budlong stood like a statue regarding the 
 scene. The glare from the burning timbers of the 
 blockhouse lighted up the picture, the red coats 
 of the captives looking like two blood-red lines 
 converging to a point, while the blue coats of the 
 Continentals took on a brighter hue beneath the 
 reflected light. 
 
 Colonel Burr stood aloof from the party, near 
 a pile of glowing embers, studying the situation. 
 He had formed no definite plan of action. Sud 
 denly, Budlong approached him and saluted. 
 They were beyond earshot of the others, and Abe 
 adopted that friendly conversational manner which 
 he always assumed under such circumstances.
 
 252 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " Say, Colonel," he began, " I know what yer 
 thinkin' about and I've got an idea." 
 
 Burr did not speak, but kept his eyes fixed 
 upon the bright blaze before him. 
 
 " It's none of my business," Abe continued, " to 
 give advice to my superior officer, but I ain't 
 speakin' now to Colonel Burr, commander of the 
 Westchester lines, but to my old friend Aaron." 
 
 These last words aroused Burr from his reverie, 
 and turning to Abe, he asked : 
 
 " What is your plan ? But, before you speak, 
 Abe, remember that these men are prisoners of 
 war and must be treated as such. If they had 
 been Cowboys, I do not think I should have listened 
 to their cries for quarter quite so readily." 
 
 "Oh, I don't mean to hurt 'em," said Abe. 
 " It's a kind of a joke I want to play on 'em, but 
 it'll git us out of our fix. It'll hurt their feelin's 
 and they'll feel pretty sheepish when we git 'em 
 inter camp, but my plan won't hurt a hair o' their 
 heads." 
 
 " Well, what is it ? " asked Burr, dropping the 
 conversational tone and assuming once more the 
 air of command. Abe involuntarily saluted his 
 leader. 
 
 " My idea, Colonel, is ter make those Britishers 
 take off their red coats and we'll chuck 'em inter 
 the fire, as it's too much work for us ter lug 'em 
 back ter camp. Then, make each man take off 
 his galluses and give 'em to one of our men. 
 We shall have no objection to the Britishers put- 
 tin' 'em on agin after we reach camp." 
 
 The full significance of Abe's plan suddenly
 
 THE BLOCKHOUSE 253 
 
 burst upon Colonel Burr, and he broke into a 
 hearty laugh. 
 
 " Order the British soldiers to remove their 
 coats and gallows," he commanded. 
 
 Under Abe's direction the order was carried 
 out and the line of march was soon formed. Some 
 pine fagots were cut and lighted from the blazing 
 embers. Two Continentals went ahead, holding 
 these improvised torches high in the air. Next 
 came four American soldiers, as an advance guard. 
 Behind them marched the twenty-eight captives, 
 arranged in open order, fourteen in each line. On 
 either side marched two Americans, while three 
 Americans composed the rear guard. In the 
 centre of the hollow square thus formed, were 
 Colonel Burr and Abe Budlong, one keeping his 
 eye upon the line of prisoners on the right and the 
 other upon the line of prisoners upon the left. 
 
 The captives were obliged to hold their 
 breeches in position by both hands, and any 
 motion indicating an intention to remove them, 
 caused an immediate warning to be given by the 
 nearest guard. 
 
 Abe's scheme proved entirely successful, and 
 within an hour the reserve guard of twenty-seven 
 men was come up with. Burr's first impulse was 
 to release his prisoners from a position so uncom 
 fortable and ludicrous, but Abe suggested that it 
 was best to push on as they were, for although the 
 guard was much larger, if the prisoners should 
 make an attempt to break away, some of them 
 would surely escape in the darkness. 
 
 The first rays of the morning sun were light-
 
 254 LITTLE BURR 
 
 ing up the tents and log houses which formed the 
 American camp, when this odd procession reached 
 it. The victorious Americans were greeted with 
 cheers by their brother officers and soldiers, and 
 to the credit of the men be it said, no shouts of 
 derision or peals of laughter greeted the unfor 
 tunate captives. 
 
 One of Colonel Burr's instructions to his 
 officers and men had been to treat prisoners of 
 war who had fought fairly and surrendered honor 
 ably, as they would wish to be treated were they 
 in a similar position.
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 A SECRET MISSION 
 
 official military career of Colonel Burr 
 was now drawing to a close. The disease 
 contracted by his exposure on the field of Mon- 
 mouth had terminated in a confirmed and settled 
 malady, under the debilitating effects of which he 
 was rapidly sinking. Heretofore, the regularity 
 and abstemiousness of his habits had been of 
 essential service in enabling him to undergo the 
 hardships he had imposed upon himself; but 
 constant exposure, in spite of all the precautions 
 of prudence, did its work at last. The opening of 
 spring, to which he had looked for his probable 
 restoration to health, brought with it increased 
 debility, and he became painfully conscious that 
 he was no longer able to perform his duties in the 
 manner to which he had been accustomed, and in 
 which he would alone consent to discharge them. 
 On the tenth of March, 1779, with deep regret and 
 after long hesitation, he transmitted his resigna 
 tion to the Commander-in-Chief. 
 
 The reply of General Washington to this com 
 munication shows plainly the high opinion which 
 the Commander-in-Chief had of the military ability 
 of Colonel Burr. 
 
 " MIDDLEBROOK, 3d April, 1779. 
 " SIR : I have to acknowledge your favour of the i oth
 
 256 LITTLE BURR 
 
 ultimo. Perfectly satisfied that no consideration, save a desire 
 to re-establish your health, could induce you to leave the 
 service, I cannot, therefore, withhold my consent. But in 
 giving permission to your retiring from the army, I am not 
 only to regret the loss of a good officer, but the cause which 
 makes his resignation necessary. When it is convenient to 
 transmit the settlement of your public accounts, it will receive 
 my final acceptance. I am, etc., 
 
 " GEORGE WASHINGTON." 
 
 No one ever left the service of his country 
 under circumstances more creditable to him, as an 
 officer and as a man, than did Colonel Burr. He 
 found upon the lines of Westchester a discon 
 tented, disorderly, and demoralized rabble, who 
 hid behind their intrenchments at every appear 
 ance of a British force ; who made no distinction 
 in their marauding expeditions between friend 
 and foe, and plundering indiscriminately the 
 unoffending and the guilty. 
 
 In a short time he converted them into a well- 
 behaved, disciplined, almost invincible corps. 
 Not once did the enemy approach his lines 
 without being met and repulsed ; not one soldier 
 deserted his standard ; not one was made prisoner 
 during the whole period of his command. It was 
 his pride to teach them that a soldier with arms 
 in his hands had no apology for surrendering. 
 
 He found a distracted and bleeding people, 
 shivering at every blast and trembling at any 
 unusual noise, in fearful expectation that the 
 robber and the spoiler had come to take away the 
 little they had left. Hating the Continentals as 
 cordially as they did the Redcoats, since both 
 oppressed them alike, they murdered with equal
 
 A SECRET MISSION 257 
 
 satisfaction the one or the other whenever a safe 
 opportunity occurred. 
 
 He left them secure in their persons and 
 property, sleeping as peacefully within hearing of 
 the enemy's guns as if they were a hundred miles 
 removed, devoted- to the patriot cause and zeal 
 ously exerting themselves to promote it. 
 
 He found the country overrun by British 
 emissaries and spies, who kept the British general 
 in New York continually advised of every move 
 ment of the American forces above, thus enabling 
 him to strike whenever and wherever our troops 
 were least prepared to receive him. These emis 
 saries were detected and punished with such 
 unerring certainty, that in a brief while no reward 
 could induce one of them to venture beyond the 
 British posts. The enemy's sources of informa 
 tion were thus entirely cut off, and they were kept 
 in such total ignorance that they dared not hazard 
 a movement of the least importance. From the 
 lines of Westchester, Colonel Burr repaired to 
 Newburgh, where he remained for some time the 
 honored guest of General McDougall. Oppressed 
 by mental anxiety even more than by physical 
 suffering, he lingered for weeks on the very verge 
 of the grave. At last his temperate habits tri 
 umphed, and the healthy current began to creep 
 slowly back into his shrunken veins. 
 
 In the month of June, the British, in large 
 force, made threatening demonstrations against 
 West Point, and General McDougall, justly 
 alarmed for the safety of the place, sought by 
 every means to open communications with Gen-
 
 258 LITTLE BURR 
 
 eral Washington; but this was a work of no 
 ordinary difficulty, for the British had so posted 
 bodies of Tories on the roads and among the 
 mountain passes, as to render the destruction of 
 any small party or the capture of a single messen 
 ger almost inevitable. 
 
 General McDougall made repeated efforts to 
 send intelligence to the Commander-in-Chief, but 
 all proved abortive. When these facts came to 
 Colonel Burr's knowledge, feeble and emaciated 
 as he was, he volunteered to undertake what so 
 many had failed to accomplish. The general at 
 first remonstrated, but finally yielded to Burr's 
 urgent solicitations, and giving him only verbal 
 instructions, dispatched him on his journey. 
 
 Well armed, and mounted on a good, strong 
 horse, he set out early in the morning on his 
 dangerous mission. One afternoon, towards night 
 fall, when approaching one of the most difficult 
 passes in the mountains, he saw a man emerge 
 from the bushes a few yards in advance of him 
 and turn leisurely up the road, giving, apparently, 
 little heed to the horseman of whose presence he 
 could not fail to be aware. 
 
 The man was dressed in the common garb of 
 the country, and carried no visible weapon of any 
 kind. Those were days when prudent men sel 
 dom went abroad unarmed, but Burr inwardly 
 thought, that if any one were justified in neglect 
 ing that precaution, it was the powerful figure 
 before him. Not more than five feet six inches in 
 height, his shoulders were of Herculean breadth, 
 and over his ample chest the bones were laid in
 
 A SECRET MISSION 259 
 
 thick, curved plates, that would have bidden defi 
 ance to the hug of a Norwegian bear. His thigh 
 was so long as to amount almost to a deformity, and 
 over it was twisted a network of muscles as hard 
 as, and much more elastic than steel. The short 
 space between the knee and the ankle joint was 
 almost entirely filled by the swelling calf, while 
 the broad feet looked like the pedestals of a mighty 
 statue. 
 
 He raised his head when Colonel Burr rode 
 alongside, and exhibited a countenance that would 
 have been singularly pleasing but for the fierce 
 light which flashed from his dark hazel eyes. 
 
 "Good-evening!" he said in a natural, un 
 affected tone. " Do you travel far on this road ? " 
 
 " Perhaps so," was Burr's reply, " and perhaps 
 not." 
 
 " Shy, eh ! Shy and skittish. That looks bad," 
 the man remarked. 
 
 " Why so ? These are not times, nor is this a 
 country in which a man can safely tell his business 
 to every person he may chance to meet on the 
 highway." 
 
 " Well, there is some truth in that ; it was none 
 of my business, anyway," the stranger replied. 
 
 But, although thus disclaiming any interest in 
 the motions of his companion, the sturdy footman 
 kept within grasp of the bridle rein, quickening or 
 slackening his pace to suit the gait of the animal. 
 Burr did not fail to notice, that, move as he would, 
 the relative distance between them was always the 
 same. His quick eye, too, had detected the butt 
 of a heavy pistol beneath the coarse frock-coat
 
 260 LITTLE BURR 
 
 worn by the countryman, and he doubted not that 
 other weapons were concealed beneath the same 
 cover. Believing from these indications that the 
 purpose of his new acquaintance was in no way 
 friendly, he thought it advisable to bring on the 
 struggle at once rather than to allow his adversary 
 the selection of his own time and place. 
 
 " What is that ? " Burr suddenly asked, pointing 
 to a stunted beech tree on the mountain side. 
 
 The man turned his head for a moment, and 
 only for a moment, but it was enough. Burr 
 reined his steed sharply back, and snatching a pistol 
 from his holster, leveled it at the head of his perti 
 nacious companion, at the same time sternly de 
 manding : 
 
 " Who are you, and for what reason are you 
 dogging my steps ? " 
 
 The pistol was double charged ; it was held by 
 a hand never known to tremble in the hour of 
 danger; the least motion of his arm, the scraping 
 even of a foot, and the giant pedestrian would 
 have been launched into eternity. His eye caught 
 that of Burr, as he turned, and his own fierce gaze 
 sank under the overwhelming power of that steady 
 look which no living thing ever encountered un 
 moved. It was not anger that flashed from those 
 large orbs, nor courage, nor determination merely, 
 but all these combined ; and, added to them, was 
 a nameless spell which carried with it an irresisti 
 ble conviction that whatever they threatened was 
 certain to be performed. It was a glance of doom ; 
 there were no chances to be taken, no wavering, 
 no hesitation to be hoped for. The man's whole
 
 A SECRET MISSION 261 
 
 soul was aroused ; all his energies were alive and 
 active. The bold, strong animal quailed in the 
 presence of a master-spirit, and in a tone resem 
 bling the whining growl of a bear, he answered : 
 
 " My name is Alexis Durand." 
 
 "That is little to the purpose," said Burr, 
 sternly. " Answer me truly, or your lease of life 
 will be a short one. Are you not one of Tryon's 
 Tories?" 
 
 " I suppose I have no choice but to own it. I 
 am." 
 
 " That is enough. I can imagine the rest with 
 out your help. Unbutton that coat ! " 
 
 The order was sullenly obeyed, and the open 
 garment revealed a belt containing two pistols and 
 one of the broad hunting-knives of the day. By 
 successive orders, Colonel Burr compelled him to 
 draw out first one pistol, then the other, and finally, 
 the knife, and to drop them at his feet. This 
 done, he ordered him to march forward five paces, 
 counting the steps and following the man as he 
 advanced ; then, he made him lie down on his face 
 until he leaped from his horse and secured the 
 weapons. This done, he again mounted his horse 
 and ordered the Tory to rise. 
 
 "Where is your troop now?" asked Burr. 
 
 " Three miles ahead, in the woods at the back 
 of Jordan's house," was the reply. 
 
 "Who is Jordan?" 
 
 "He is a Tory, and keeps the only public 
 house on the road." 
 
 " That, at least, tallies with my own informa 
 tion ; pray remember, in your answers, that I did
 
 262 LITTLE BURR 
 
 not come here in entire ignorance of anything it 
 concerns me to know. I shall most certainly 
 detect you in any attempt to deceive me, and then 
 your fate is sealed. Will any of your troop be 
 prowling about before dark ? " 
 
 " Not on this side. I was sent to watch here." 
 
 Burr mused a moment, and then said: " Now, 
 Mr. Alexis Durand, I propose to sup this night at 
 Jordan's, and as I do not like solitary meals, I 
 shall take you along for company. As much, 
 however, as I love the society of a single friend, I 
 object decidedly to larger parties, and if any un 
 pleasant intruders should join us, or any other 
 circumstance should occur to mar the festivities 
 of the evening, my dissatisfaction will be instantly 
 manifested fry sending a brace of bullets through 
 your skull. You understand me, I hope. Now, 
 forward, march ! " 
 
 They had proceeded in this way for a little 
 more than half a mile, when they came to a place 
 where a bridle-path led off from the main road 
 through the woods. Here his prisoner indicated 
 a wish to halt, and Burr, reining up, inquired what 
 he wished. 
 
 " I should like to ask you a question, sir, that 
 I hope you will not refuse to answer. I know I 
 am in your power, and you may do as you will ; 
 but I swear by all that is holy, that it shall do you 
 no harm to tell me truly whether or not you are 
 Colonel Aaron Burr." 
 
 " I do not think I should attach much impor 
 tance to your oath if I did not myself feel certain 
 that it can make no difference whether you know
 
 A SECRET MISSION 263 
 
 me or not. I was Colonel Burr, but I have re 
 signed my commission and left the army." 
 
 " Then, for God's sake, go no farther on this 
 road ! " cried the man. 
 
 " Why, you told me just now it was free as far 
 as Jordan's house." 
 
 " So it is ; but your horse would not be in the 
 stable five minutes before it would be known by 
 those who would compass earth and hell to spill 
 your blood." 
 
 "Your care for my blood," answered Burr, 
 coldly, " has wonderfully improved in the last 
 hour. I think it is not very long since you had 
 some such purpose as murder in your own heart." 
 
 " I did not know you then, and I suspected you 
 of being one of McDougall's spies." 
 
 " And now that you know me, I cannot under 
 stand what has produced so marked a change in 
 your praiseworthy intentions. I am not generally 
 held in high esteem by my country's foes." 
 
 "You saved my father's house from being 
 burned ; you set a watch over it to protect my 
 mother from insult, and you fed her starving little 
 ones when you knew us to be friends to King 
 George and enemies to Congress. I am the son 
 of John Durand, of Westchester. Have you for 
 gotten him ? " 
 
 " No, my good fellow, I remember him well. 
 I recall, also, since you have brought it to my mind, 
 that his eldest son was accounted a confirmed 
 robber and murderer; and while I protected your 
 father and mother as an act of justice, and fed your 
 little brothers and sisters as an act of humanity, I
 
 264 LITTLE BURR 
 
 should have taken singular pleasure in hanging 
 you to the first tree that offered." 
 
 " I did not begin it and it is not my fault if 
 there has been a long and bloody account run up 
 between me and those who drove me to take up 
 arms when I was willing to remain in peace with 
 the old folks at home. But there is no time to 
 talk it over now. The sun is going down. Will 
 you trust me and follow me ? Believe me, there 
 is no other escape from death." 
 
 " I will trust you," answered Burr, without the 
 least hesitation. " Lead on. I think you mean 
 well, and if you do not, my hand will be as steady 
 and my aim as certain in one place as another." 
 
 Durand turned into the bridle-path and walked 
 rapidly on until they were entirely out of sight 
 from the highway, and also out of hearing. Here, 
 again, he paused until Burr reached his side. 
 
 " I am taking you," he said, " to the house of a 
 friend of mine, who is, of course, in British pay. 
 There will be no use in telling him anything we 
 can help, and therefore I should like to ask another 
 question or two. Where are you going ? " 
 
 " To General Washington's headquarters," was 
 Burr's reply. 
 
 " So I suspected. Do you bear dispatches ?" 
 
 "No, I have only a verbal message." 
 
 " That is safer and better. Bill Jenkins's cabin 
 is less than a mile from here ; there you can have 
 your horse fed, get your supper, and some sleep. 
 After that, I will myself guide you safe beyond 
 danger. I shall call you Mr. Jones, for although 
 I do not fear any treachery from Bill, it is not
 
 A SECRET MISSION 265 
 
 wise to tempt him too far. Give me back my 
 arms ; an angel from Heaven could not make me 
 hurt you now, and besides averting Bill's suspi 
 cions, it may be necessary to use them in your 
 defence." 
 
 Colonel Burr promptly complied with his 
 request, rightly judging that he had already 
 trusted him too far to hesitate about granting 
 him an additional confidence. Durand replaced 
 the weapons in his belt, and again moved for 
 ward with a quick and nervous step. 
 
 In a short time they reached a clearing on a 
 level part of the mountain, surrounded by a high, 
 strong fence, in which were three or four cabins, 
 irregularly placed and so nearly alike that it was 
 difficult to tell which were designed for the use of 
 man and which were for the cattle and poultry 
 that lowed and cackled within. The owner of the 
 premises, who was engaged in the task of milking 
 a cow, had a villainous look, and the natural repul- 
 siveness of his countenance was increased by an 
 ugly scar, extending from above the left eye across 
 the nose to the right cheek. He put down his 
 milk-pail and walked to the gate, at the summons 
 of Durand, silencing, as he did so, two large wolf 
 hounds, that were growling and barking furiously 
 at the intruders. 
 
 " This, Bill, is my friend, Mr. Jones," said 
 Durand, after shaking hands. " He wants some 
 supper and a night's lodging, and I have brought 
 him here, knowing that you would give him a 
 hearty welcome for my sake." 
 
 " To be sure ! " answered Jenkins, extending
 
 266 LITTLE BURR 
 
 his horny hand to Burr. " I'm glad to see you, sir, 
 and though I haven't much, you're welcome to 
 what's here. Aleck," he continued, "take your 
 friend into the house and build a fire. He looks 
 sick and weakly, and these mountain dews are 
 mighty chilly. I will take care of his horse." 
 
 " Rub him down well, Bill," replied Durand, 
 "for he will have to travel hard in the morning. 
 Take your time. I will get supper for you." 
 
 Jenkins led off the horse, and Durand entered 
 the house, followed by Burr. It was a square, one- 
 story log cabin, covered with boards. Over the 
 joists, for about one-half the length of the room, 
 loose boards were laid, forming a kind of upper 
 room, which was reached by a rough ladder, and 
 was used as a general depository for any and 
 everything that the owner desired to put out of 
 the way. The floor was of earth. Above the 
 fireplace, suspended in racks made of forked sticks, 
 were a long rifle, a British musket, and three or 
 four pistols of different sizes and makes, showing 
 that they were never intended to match, and in 
 dicating pretty plainly that the mode of their 
 acquisition had not been entirely honest. In fact, 
 they had been picked up here and there in the 
 different forays of the present owner, and to some 
 of them tales of murder as well as of robbery were 
 attached. One chair and four or five stools were 
 scattered about. In the centre stood a rude, 
 square table. In one corner was a rough bed; in 
 another a pile of blankets and counterpanes, 
 together with a miscellaneous collection of other 
 bedclothing, which never came there through fair
 
 A SECRET MISSION 267 
 
 traffic. By the door was a shelf for the water-pail, 
 and near the chimney stood a large cupboard 
 made of pine plank, its door fastened by a wooden 
 button. There was no window and no other 
 furniture. 
 
 Durand had brought in a dry board, which he 
 split into pieces over a large stone that did duty 
 as an andiron, and raking the embers together, 
 soon succeeded in blowing them into a flame. 
 While he was thus engaged, Colonel Burr had 
 been noting everything in the house, and he now 
 asked : 
 
 " Does your friend live here alone ? " 
 
 "Not exactly. I am with him a good deal 
 myself ; but if you mean to ask whether he has a 
 family, I answer no. Men like us have no use for 
 women-folks about the house. It is bad enough 
 to be harried and burned out when we are alone, 
 without being maddened by hearing the women 
 screaming and the children crying, besides." 
 
 "True," answered Burr, "and there has been 
 too much of that on both sides in this unhappy 
 war. I have tried to put a stop to it wherever I 
 held command." 
 
 " You did, sir ; and you owe it to that, that you 
 are now safe and sound beneath an outlaw's roof, 
 instead of being bound and bleeding in the hands 
 of men who are dead to the prayers of mercy. 
 You thought you had me in your power, sir; and 
 while we were upon the highway, maybe you did ; 
 but the moment you had passed Jordan's gate, 
 nay, in the very act of getting from your horse, 
 if your eye had turned from me one instant, you
 
 268 LITTLE BURR 
 
 would have been lost. A blow given with half the 
 strength of this arm would crush your ribs like 
 rotten pipe-stems, and it is certain that I should 
 have found some chance to deal that blow. It 
 was your eye, sir, that saved you. I remembered 
 my mother's description, and I knew you by that." 
 
 " I am thankful the trial was spared us," Burr 
 replied, " though I am not so certain that you, an 
 unarmed man, could have made me a prisoner 
 when fully armed and on my guard. We will let 
 that pass, however, for the present, and as I have, 
 perhaps, been trusting you more than prudence 
 dictates, while you have given me no information 
 of your plans and intentions, you will excuse me 
 for questioning you upon some things which it is 
 important for me to know." 
 
 " Ask me nothing, if you please, sir," said 
 Durand, interrupting him. " I know where you 
 want to go and I intend to conduct you there in 
 safety, or die in the attempt ; but I shall be no 
 more a friend to George Washington and his cause 
 when that is done, than I am now. At the same 
 time that I serve you for protecting my mother 
 and her children, I remember that it was against 
 your friends that protection was necessary, and I 
 have no idea of sparing the whole pack because I 
 have found a noble hound among them. Do not 
 ask me anything and do not tell me anything. 
 Draw that chair nearer to the fire ; it is always 
 cold up here at night. I must get about supper." 
 
 The meal and the manner of preparing it was 
 one for which Burr's experience, notwithstanding 
 his military life, furnished no parallel. Taking
 
 A SECRET MISSION 269 
 
 down a small iron kettle which was suspended from 
 a cross-piece in the chimney, Durand filled it with 
 water and hung it immediately over the blazing 
 fire ; then opening the cupboard, he took from it 
 the leg of a goat which had been cooked, but only 
 partially eaten. This he cut into small pieces and 
 put in the pot. To this he added some slices from 
 a side of bacon, two pods of red pepper, an onion 
 cut fine, some hard biscuit broken into pieces, and 
 a handful of Irish potatoes peeled and sliced thin. 
 All were stirred together, having been first plenti 
 fully sprinkled with salt. 
 
 By this time, Jenkins had returned. Produc 
 ing a candle which he lighted, he next drew a stone 
 jug from underneath his bed, and invited his guests 
 to partake of some " real old Jamaica " an in 
 vitation to which Durand did double honor ; and 
 Colonel Burr, fatigued by his ride, swallowed a 
 larger quantity of the potent spirit, according to 
 an after acknowledgment, than he ever did at any 
 other time in his life. 
 
 Durand was the first to rise from the supper 
 table. " You must excuse me, Bill," he said ; " I 
 am going to camp and will not be back until after 
 midnight. Finish your supper, put plenty of wood 
 on the fire, and go to bed. The sooner the better 
 for my friend Jones. Bar the gate and fasten the 
 door ; do not open either for man or devil until I 
 return. Call the dogs into the house. They will 
 help you bravely if you are hard pressed." 
 
 w What if any of our boys should come along ? " 
 inquired Jenkins. " How can I turn them off ?" 
 
 "They will not; but if they should, pretend
 
 270 LITTLE BURR 
 
 not to know them and shoot the first one that 
 crosses the fence. Mark me," he continued, ob 
 serving the astonished stare of his companion, " if 
 Governor Tryon himself knocks at this door to 
 night, his welcome must be a rifle-ball. I will 
 explain to-morrow. Good-night ! " With these 
 words, he stepped from the door and was soon 
 lost among the tall bushes which grew in rank 
 luxuriance along the mountain side. 
 
 What were the sensations of Colonel Burr 
 when thus left alone with the ill-favored man of 
 crime beneath whose roof he was so strangely 
 sheltered? To fear, he was a stranger; but was 
 there no doubt, no mistrust, no anxiety? Not a 
 particle. If there had been any purpose to harm 
 him, he knew that purpose could have been accom 
 plished a hundred times over. For hours he had 
 been in their power. There was no necessity for 
 treacherous scheming to effect either his death 
 or capture. Durand's good faith he could not 
 question, and Jenkins had not given him the 
 slightest cause to harbor suspicion. Thus far he 
 had done precisely what his comrade had told 
 him, and had carried out his orders in such a 
 way as to make it certain that no sinister design 
 influenced him. 
 
 Nothing of this was lost upon Colonel Burr, 
 and after Durand's departure, he took his seat 
 composedly by the fire and began caressing one 
 of the large wolf-hounds that reclined lazily 
 at his feet, while Jenkins was bringing in some 
 additional logs to heap in the chimney. After 
 this, Jenkins placed two strong bars across the
 
 Burr in the outlaw's cabin before the fire. 
 
 Jenkins . . . taking a seat, entered into friendly chat with his guest. 
 
 271.
 
 A SECRET MISSION 271 
 
 door, and taking a seat, entered into friendly chat 
 with his guest upon subjects that offered no chance 
 for party disagreement. At that period of the 
 American Revolution it was not always safe to 
 ask, much less to answer questions, and Jenkins 
 was too well aware of the fact to trouble his visitor 
 with impertinent queries. What he did say was 
 friendly and his manner was wholly unembarrassed. 
 
 The dogs, even, seemed to understand that the 
 stranger was to receive none but kindly treatment, 
 for one of them, when he had finished his bone, 
 laid his huge head upon Colonel Burr's knee and 
 looked wistfully up into his face, as if soliciting a 
 caress. Colonel Burr was passionately fond of a 
 good dog and an excellent judge of his points. 
 The deep chest and sinewy loin of the noble 
 animal supplied him with a subject for conversa 
 tion, until Jenkins arose, and saying it was time 
 they should go to bed, spread blanket upon blanket, 
 and counterpane upon counterpane on the floor, 
 until he had made a pallet as soft as a bed of down, 
 upon which he invited Burr to lie and rest until 
 Durand's return. He then sought his own couch, 
 and the dogs unceremoniously disposed themselves 
 at Burr's feet. 
 
 It was long past midnight when Colonel Burr 
 was aroused by fierce growls from his four-footed 
 sentinels. The same sounds awoke Jenkins, who, 
 springing from his bed, silenced the dogs by a 
 stern whisper, "Hush, Brute! Lie down, Cash!" 
 and walking to the door, placed his head against it 
 to listen. The sound of a horse's hoofs upon the 
 rocky path was heard, and soon afterward Alexis 
 Durand shouted at the gate:
 
 272 LITTLE BURR 
 
 "Open, Bill; it is I!" 
 
 When the door was opened and Durand had 
 entered, Burr discovered that he had added a rifle, 
 together with a bullet-pouch and a powder-horn, 
 to his equipment. His manner, too, was hurried, 
 like that of a man whom some danger threatened 
 and who was impatient to be gone. 
 
 "It is later," he said, " than I hoped it would 
 be, before my return. I had trouble to get away 
 and we may meet with more on the road. Get 
 Mr. Jones's horse, Bill ; we have no time to tarry 
 here!" 
 
 The horse was brought, and after bidding 
 Jenkins a cordial good-bye, the two mounted and 
 rode down the mountain side in a direction nearly 
 at right angles with the road. From the many 
 turnings and zigzags made by his guide, Colonel 
 Burr soon lost all idea of the exact direction in 
 which they were travelling. Now, they were 
 winding among huge masses of white, rugged 
 rocks ; now, the bed of a mountain torrent crossed 
 their way ; now, a deep ravine, black and gloomy, 
 barred their passage ; anon, they were skirting the 
 base of a frowning precipice, and again climbing 
 a steep ascent which rose sharp and sudden before 
 them. Colonel Burr could discover no sign of a 
 path, but his conductor rode on, avoiding or sur 
 mounting obstacles with an unerring certainty 
 that proved his perfect knowledge of every foot of 
 the ground. Toward daylight they descended 
 into the plain, and just as the sun was rising, 
 emerged from a thick wood in full view of a broad 
 and beaten road. Here Durand reined up.
 
 A SECRET MISSION 273 
 
 "You are safe, Colonel Burr beyond the dan 
 ger of meeting with our scouts." 
 
 Burr turned towards his preserver and said in 
 a voice shaken by an emotion which he did not 
 attempt to suppress: 
 
 " Mr. Durand, you have rendered me a great 
 service, and I thank you from my heart. Not, 
 however, for the life you have probably saved, for 
 of that I take little heed; but it concerned my 
 honor that the message I bear should be safely 
 delivered. Is there nothing I can do to repay 
 you?" 
 
 " I was paid in advance. The man who saved 
 my mother from insult has a right to work me in 
 a chain-gang if he chooses." 
 
 "That was an act of common humanity, for 
 which I deserve no particular credit," replied Burr. 
 
 " It was a rare one, sir, in these times ; and 
 when I forget it, I hope the lightning may strike 
 me. We Tories are human beings, although your 
 Whig friends seldom treat us as such. We have 
 had much to make us bloodthirsty, lawless, and 
 revengeful ; and we have, therefore, done much at 
 which good men must shudder; still, we are better 
 than you give us credit for being, and gratitude is 
 not an unknown feeling among us." 
 
 " Of that I have had ample proof," said Burr. 
 " I wish you would let me show my own by pro 
 curing for you a full pardon for all past offences, 
 with permission to remain peacefully at home, or 
 join the American standard, as you may prefer." 
 
 "You speak in kindness, Colonel, and I hope 
 you will not think I meet it rudely in saying that
 
 274 LITTLE BURR 
 
 this good rifle is all the pardon I need. As for 
 joining the American standard, I may think of 
 that when I forget the wrongs I have suffered at 
 American hands." 
 
 " That there has been wrong on both sides, I 
 know," Burr rejoined, " but surely those who are 
 in arms against their own country could not 
 expect to be used very leniently." 
 
 " Your historians, Colonel, will tell one story, 
 and ours another. If you succeed, yours will be 
 believed; if we triumph, you will be the traitors. 
 The judgment of posterity upon our motives will 
 be worth just nothing at all; but if an account of 
 the facts could be written precisely as they are, an 
 impartial jury would say that we have been at 
 least as much sinned against as sinning. 
 
 " Take, for instance, the case of Bill Jenkins, 
 under whose roof you slept last night. At the 
 beginning of these troubles he was just married, 
 and there was not a more quiet, orderly, indus 
 trious young man in the colony of New York. 
 He believed honestly and conscientiously that 
 King George was entitled to his allegiance, and 
 refused to join the Rebellion. This subjected 
 him to insult and after a while to worse. He 
 was dragged from his bed at night, tied to a tree, 
 and lashed like a condemned thief, until the blood 
 ran down to his heels. His young wife looked on 
 the horrible scene till she fainted, and died the 
 next day; her babe, scarce a week old, was found 
 dead in her arms. Do you wonder that from that 
 day Bill Jenkins became a house-burner and a 
 murderer? Do you wonder that he forgot to
 
 A SECRET MISSION 275 
 
 distinguish between those who had wronged him 
 and the party to which they belonged, and inflicted 
 vengeance on all alike ? " 
 
 "No," assented Burr, "but his is an extreme 
 case ; there are very few who have his excuse." 
 
 "Not many, perhaps, who have suffered so 
 much; but all of us have suffered in some way 
 and all of us have more or less to avenge." 
 
 " Your way of stating the case is a strong one, 
 Mr. Durand, when addressed to the ignorant and 
 the unreflecting; but a man of your education and 
 intelligence must understand that this is not a 
 personal quarrel. It is a question of freedom of 
 freedom for the whole land and for our whole 
 posterity. There may be a dozen, or ten dozen, 
 or ten thousand bad men among us, who commit 
 wrongs and outrages upon their fellow-men in the 
 mere wantonness of cruelty; but that does not 
 affect the justice of the cause any more than the 
 bad conduct of a hundred thieves changes the 
 foundations of society. You have no more right 
 to take up arms against your country because a 
 Whig has robbed your house, than you have to 
 become a robber because you have been cheated 
 in trade. 
 
 "You must remember, too, that the things of 
 which you complain were, in a great measure, 
 brought upon yourselves. If you had taken sides 
 in the beginning openly and boldly for your 
 country, you would not have been molested. It is 
 no answer for you to say that you honestly be 
 lieved your country to be in the wrong. It is 
 not a case for reasoning about right and wrong.
 
 276 LITTLE BURR 
 
 If you saw a strong man beating your mother, I 
 do not think you would trouble yourself to inquire 
 what provocation she had given him. So in this 
 case, your country is engaged in an unequal war 
 fare, and whether she is right or whether she is 
 wrong, the arms, hearts, and swords of her sons 
 are her legitimate property. Before the war began 
 it was your privilege to use argument, reason, and 
 persuasion, if you chose, to prevent it from break 
 ing out ; but when it did come, when the blood of 
 your neighbors and friends was poured out like 
 water upon their native fields, patriotism, honor, 
 duty, manliness, all demanded that you should 
 raise your hand on the side of the oppressed." 
 
 "We have no time now to argue the point, 
 Colonel, and we should probably be as far from 
 agreeing at the end of the discussion as we are 
 now. It is not safe for me to linger here. Good 
 bye, and if ever you should meet my mother, tell 
 her that her son obeyed her commands and paid a 
 part of her debt. Tell her, also, that I shall keep 
 on paying it whenever a proper occasion arises." 
 
 " At least," said Colonel Burr, extending a large 
 seal ring as he spoke, " at least, accept this, and 
 promise me that if ever you get into trouble you 
 will not fail to let me know it." 
 
 " Gladly do I accept the ring," replied Durand, 
 "but as for the promise of applying to you in any 
 coming trouble that may overtake me, you must 
 pardon me for not giving it. It will depend upon 
 circumstances, and of those circumstances I must 
 be the judge." 
 
 Colonel Burr extended his hand the sturdy
 
 A SECRET MISSION 277 
 
 outlaw almost crushed it in his iron grasp; then, 
 drawing his sleeve across his eyes, as if to wipe 
 away something misty that had gathered there, he 
 turned his horse into the wood and rode rapidly 
 back towards the Highlands.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 " INDEPENDENCE " 
 
 A FTER the outlaw, who had been his friendly 
 
 guide, had disappeared from sight, Colonel 
 
 Burr turned his horse's head to the southward, 
 
 which direction, he knew, would soonest bring him 
 
 to General Washington's camp. 
 
 The first streaks of morning light were show 
 ing themselves in the eastern horizon. A gray 
 mist lay over hill, and dale, and road, to be burned 
 away in time by the heat of the rising sun. As 
 he rode on, it seemed to Burr as though he had 
 just passed through the " Valley of the Shadow 
 of Death " and was now on his way to a haven of 
 happiness. To add to the illusion, as he spurred 
 his horse onward, bright gleams from the rising 
 sun shone upon grass, and flower, and tree, and he 
 could hear the songs of birds all about him. 
 
 For several hours he rode on without meeting 
 a single human being. To be sure, he saw many 
 human habitations, but they were not near enough 
 to the road over which he was travelling to have 
 his presence attract the attention of any one, nor 
 did he have an opportunity to closely inspect the 
 inhabitants of the houses. 
 
 At about eight o'clock he began to feel hungry. 
 His appetite was soon satisfied, for the thoughtful 
 Durand had supplied him with some meat and
 
 INDEPENDENCE 279 
 
 bread. Then Burr thought that a drink of cool 
 spring water would be refreshing. There were no 
 signs, however, of any such natural beverage, and 
 he spurred on his horse, hoping that he would soon 
 reach a village where his wants could be satisfied. 
 
 Suddenly he came upon a young countryman 
 at work in a field. He had a rake in his hand and 
 was evidently gathering up the aftermath, for the 
 grass had been cut quite closely. Reining in his 
 horse, Burr asked : 
 
 " Can I get a drink of water in this vicinity ? " 
 
 " Guess there ain't none much nearer than the 
 river," was the reply. " There's plenty in that, if 
 the Britishers haven't stole it. They've taken 
 'most everything else." 
 
 " Are there any of them near here ? " asked 
 Burr. 
 
 " Wull, not jest this minute. A squad of them 
 cum up to our place yesterday afnoon and levied 
 on all the hay we had and stole the only hog we 
 had left. Dad had gone to the village with the 
 hoss, an' our cow was so far off in the field that 
 the Britishers didn't take the trouble to go after 
 her. There ain't much use scrapin' up this 'ere 
 hay, but it's all we've got left and we hain't got 
 any money to buy any more." 
 
 Burr counted out twenty dollars in Continental 
 money and passed it to the young fellow. " Take 
 that," he said ; " I would give you more, but I may 
 need what I have left before I reach the end of my 
 journey." 
 
 " The young man drew back. " I wasn't a-beg- 
 gin' when I told you that story," he said.
 
 280 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " I know that," was Burr's reply, " but we are 
 on the same side and it is my duty to help my 
 friends to the best of my ability. I can spare it, 
 and you have the best right to it, for you need it 
 more than I. Besides, you can do me a great 
 service worth more to me than the money I have 
 given you. I think I can trust you." 
 
 " Wull, I rayther think you can. I don't be 
 lieve you love the Britishers any more than I do. 
 What can I do for yer? " 
 
 " The truth of the matter is," said Burr, " I am 
 on my way to General Washington's camp, and 
 wish to reach there at the earliest possible moment. 
 I am fairly well acquainted with this country. I 
 know that I have to cross a river. Now, where can 
 I find a ferry, or the best fording place ? " 
 
 The young fellow scratched his head. " Wull, 
 the best fordin' place is up to Johnson's," he said, 
 pointing in the direction from which Burr had 
 come, " but I guess you've found out that it warn't 
 safe to cross there. The next ferry is Williamson's, 
 but I heerd yesterday that the Britishers had 
 killed the old man and carried off his boat. The 
 next chance you'll have is at Townsend's Furnace, 
 but whether you'll find anybody there is more'n 
 I can tell." 
 
 " How far is it to Townsend's Furnace ? " asked 
 Burr. 
 
 " It's a good eighteen mile," was the reply, " and 
 jest the toughest road you ever struck. It's as 
 hard as forty mile on a straight road. You seem 
 to have got a good hoss, but you'll have to be care 
 ful of him jest the same."
 
 INDEPENDENCE 281 
 
 Thanking the young man for the valuable in 
 formation which he had obtained, Burr started off 
 at a gallop. The horse, like himself, seemed 
 happily affected by the brightness of the morning 
 and the fact that their long journey was nearly at 
 an end. 
 
 A glance at the deserted ferry landing at Wil 
 liamson's showed Burr that the young country 
 man's story was true. His horse now began to 
 show signs of fatigue and to betray an inclination 
 to walk slowly. But there are times when the 
 physical comfort of beasts is of minor importance 
 when compared with great ends to be secured, and 
 Burr felt that at whatever cost to himself or the 
 animal which bore him, Washington's camp must 
 be reached before nightfall. 
 
 The ferry at Townsend's Furnace, like that at 
 Williamson's, had no boat in fact, for that 
 reason it was not a ferry. There was only one 
 thing to be done ; the river must be forded, and he 
 forced his horse into the swiftly flowing current. 
 
 Refreshed somewhat by the cold water of the 
 river, the horse struck out valiantly for the other 
 side, but Burr soon saw that the animal's strength 
 was failing, and throwing himself into the river, 
 he swam towards the farther shore, encouraging 
 the horse to follow him. Both succeeded in reach 
 ing the bank of the river, but the ascent was pre 
 cipitous and the weakened animal stumbled and 
 fell, with difficulty regaining his feet. The village 
 was a mile from the ferry landing. Would the 
 horse be able to carry him there, or should he be 
 obliged to walk ?
 
 282 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " Well done, Caesar ! " he cried, patting the 
 faithful animal on the neck ; " you shall have a 
 chance to rest and to get some breakfast by the 
 roadside." 
 
 An hour later, Colonel Burr, mounted upon 
 Caesar, rode into the little square in the village of 
 Townsend's Furnace, upon which fronted the 
 foundry, the village store, the schoolhouse, and 
 the church. It was well that he had reached a 
 haven of refuge, for just as he prepared to rein up, 
 his horse again stumbled and fell, nearly throwing 
 his rider over his head. It took but a short time 
 to learn that the modern Caesar, like his illustrious 
 predecessor, had fallen to rise no more. Burr was 
 in a dilemma. He must proceed at once; but had 
 he enough money with him to buy another horse? 
 
 News travels quickly, even in a country village, 
 and a short time only elapsed before some thirty 
 residents, young and old, and of both sexes, were 
 gathered about the dead animal, hazarding guesses 
 as to the cause of his death. 
 
 " Friends," said Burr, " I have been unfortunate 
 in losing my horse. He has borne me nobly and 
 has died as gloriously for his country as if he had 
 been a man and had fallen upon the field of battle. 
 I am the bearer of dispatches to General Wash 
 ington and it is absolutely necessary that I should 
 proceed on my journey at once. Who will sell 
 me a horse ? " 
 
 There was a dead silence for at least a minute, 
 during which time Burr glanced inquiringly at the 
 upturned faces before him. Finally a man spoke. 
 
 " Well, I guess," said he, " any one of us would
 
 INDEPENDENCE 283 
 
 be willing to accommodate yer if we had a boss 
 ter sell, but the fact is, the Britishers made a foray 
 a few days ago and carried off every boss in the 
 place. They would 'ave taken Independence, too, 
 but he knocked 'em galley west and kicked up so 
 permiscus-like that they let him alone ; but he's 
 the only four-footed critter in Townsend's Furnace 
 that can be hitched to a cart or carry a man on his 
 back." 
 
 "What is this Independence?" asked Burr. 
 
 " Why," said the man, " it's a mule, and the 
 doggondest, ugliest critter that ever walked on four 
 legs. The fact of it is, when any one tries to ride 
 him, he don't walk on four legs, but stands on two 
 most of the time." 
 
 At this description of the performances which 
 had been witnessed by every inhabitant of the 
 village, those present indulged in a hearty laugh. 
 
 " Who owns this mule, and will he sell him ? " 
 was Burr's next query. 
 
 An old man, wearing a suit of brown homespun 
 and a three-cornered hat, spoke up : 
 
 " I own the mule, or I have for the past two 
 years, and he's been the cuss of my life. He's 
 kicked over three hencoops, broken down two pig 
 pens, and there ain't a day goes by that I don't 
 have to mend a fence. Counting timber and labor, 
 that mule has cost me more'n a thousand dollars. 
 I've tried to give him away, but nobody would 
 have him. If you want to buy him, you can have 
 him at your own price ; but you do it at your own 
 risk, and if he kills you, I call upon my neighbors 
 here to bear witness that I warned you agin him."
 
 284 LITTLE BURR 
 
 A price was fixed upon and paid over, and four 
 of the men went in search of the animal in order 
 to deliver him to the purchaser. With a stout 
 rope about his neck, with kicks and cuffs, the 
 mule " Independence " was led into the presence 
 of Colonel Burr. 
 
 " Here he is," said his former owner, " and me 
 and the town will be glad to git rid of him." 
 
 Independence submitted quietly to having the 
 necessary preparations made for the trip. He 
 undoubtedly thought that he would not display 
 his powers so early in the game. They could be 
 more effectually shown after his new owner was 
 seated. 
 
 Burr jumped upon the animal's back, grasped 
 the reins, and in a kindly manner signified his 
 desire that the mule should move on. But Inde 
 pendence was so used to being urged forward by 
 stronger and harsher means, that he paid no atten 
 tion to the milder request. Burr repeated his 
 command in a louder tone, but the mule was 
 obdurate. The onlookers began to snicker. 
 They evidently expected when the mule did start 
 forward, that his rider would go over his head. 
 Burr next prodded the beast vigorously with his 
 spurs. This was a new sensation to the animal, 
 and forgetting his determination to remain quiet, 
 he gave a leap forward; then realizing that by 
 doing so he had compromised himself, he started 
 at a brisk run, but not in the direction that his 
 rider intended that he should take. 
 
 The village of Townsend's Furnace was more 
 than a mile from the river. It would have been
 
 INDEPENDENCE 285 
 
 built on the bank of the river but for the fact that 
 the coal required for the foundry was that distance 
 from the stream, and of course the most economi 
 cal plan was to locate the foundry in the closest 
 proximity possible to the coal field. The village 
 road lay at the foot of the hill, which it was neces 
 sary to ascend in order to reach the mine. 
 Against the side of this hill a framework of wood 
 had been erected in the form of a right-angled 
 triangle turned upside down, the hypothenuse 
 being supplied by the side of the hill. The coal 
 was brought from the mine in wheelbarrows, 
 wheeled on to this wooden framework, and 
 dumped through a large opening which had been 
 cut for the purpose. The ascent of the hill was 
 precipitous, being at an angle of forty-five degrees 
 with the roadway. 
 
 Up this steep incline went Independence, lift 
 ing his heels high in the air, with the evident 
 intention of unseating his rider. In this he was 
 unsuccessful, and when the mule reached the top 
 of the hill he found to his astonishment that his 
 burden was still upon him. 
 
 Whether or not a mule thinks, may be an open 
 question, but all who are acquainted with the spe 
 cies will acknowledge that the devices he adopts 
 to rid himself of a rider indicate the possession of 
 a brain as great as that of a senator. Like War 
 saw's last champion, Independence surveyed the 
 hill beneath him and saw the crowd of laughing 
 villagers enjoying his discomfiture. When a mule 
 has conceived an idea, he is not slow to act. 
 Independence conceived one and he proceeded
 
 286 LITTLE BURR 
 
 at once to act upon it. Down the hill he went 
 at a furious pace towards the wooden framework. 
 Did he stop when he reached it? No, on he went, 
 until he came to the opening through which the 
 coal was dumped. Did he stop or sheer to one 
 side then ? Not at all. Down through the hole he 
 went, with his rider upon his back. When the 
 mule's feet struck the coal, it began to roll beneath 
 him, and down went mule and rider to the bottom 
 of the pile, both man and animal covered from 
 head to foot with coal dust. 
 
 But Independence had met his match and he 
 knew it. He had exhausted his ingenuity, but 
 his rider was still upon his back. Again he felt 
 the prodding of those terrible spurs. There was 
 evidently no way to avoid a repetition of that 
 horrible sensation but to become tractable and 
 move forward down the road, just as a well- 
 intentioned horse would have done. Amid the 
 cheers of the villagers, Colonel Burr rode away 
 from Townsend's Furnace upon the back of the 
 now docile mule and was soon lost to sight. 
 
 It needed little use of voice or spurs to urge 
 Independence forward after they were beyond 
 the confines of the village. His busy brain may 
 have been hatching up some scheme to end in the 
 unseating of his rider, but he thought it impolitic 
 to betray his intentions just at that time. Colonel 
 Burr could have wished for no fleeter-footed steed 
 for the first three miles of their journey. Then 
 something happened which led the rider to bring 
 the mule to a full stop. This he did by a pull 
 upon the bridle, that threw the animal upon his 
 haunches.
 
 INDEPENDENCE 287 
 
 Upon the steps of a small cottage built quite 
 close to the road, from which it was separated 
 only by a small garden, was a little girl about 
 three years of age, crying bitterly. 
 
 " What is the matter, little girl ? " asked Burr. 
 
 The child looked up. Her eyes were red with 
 weeping, and when she attempted to speak, her 
 voice was choked with sobs. Burr did not think 
 it prudent to alight from the mule, or he would 
 have taken the little one in his arms, caressed 
 her, and learned the cause of her sorrow; so he 
 repeated the question. This time he got an 
 answer. 
 
 " They've took mamma away," sobbed the 
 child. 
 
 Burr knew it was useless to ask for any long 
 explanation, so he said, simply : " Which way did 
 they take her ? " 
 
 The child pointed in the direction in which 
 Burr was going. 
 
 " I will find your mother for you and bring her 
 back to you, dear," were his words, as he once 
 more drove the spurs into the mule's sides. 
 
 Independence could not resist this admoni 
 tion, and jumped forward. On they went at full 
 speed for at least a mile, when Burr thought he 
 heard a woman's screams. Drawing one of his 
 pistols, he examined the priming to see that the 
 weapon was in condition for immediate use. A 
 moment later they reached a bridle-path running 
 through the woods. A sudden turn in the path 
 showed him, not more than two hundred feet 
 ahead, two redcoats mounted upon powerful
 
 288 LITTLE BURR 
 
 horses, which they were urging forward at full 
 speed. Behind one of the soldiers sat a woman. 
 It was evidently she who had uttered the screams 
 which had reached Burr's ears, and she was un 
 doubtedly the mother of the little girl who was 
 bemoaning her loss. 
 
 The woman saw Burr. He made a signal, by 
 lifting his hand and bringing it down, to indicate 
 that she should throw herself prone upon the back 
 of the horse. She understood it and at once com 
 plied. Now was Burr's opportunity. He was a 
 good shot, and taking careful aim, fired; the 
 British trooper, shot through the heart, reeled, 
 and fell from his horse. Drawing his other pistol, 
 Burr held it in readiness in case he should be at 
 tacked by the other trooper. The soldier turned 
 and saw Burr and his extended pistol at the same 
 moment. Next, his eye fell upon the body of his 
 dead companion. He was not made of strong 
 stuff, for instead of trying to avenge his com 
 panion, he spurred his horse on vigorously and 
 was soon lost to sight beyond another turn in the 
 road. 
 
 The woman was brave and self-reliant. As 
 soon as her abductor fell from the horse, she 
 managed to reach the saddle, grasp the bridle, and 
 bring the steed to a standstill. When Burr, 
 mounted upon Independence, reached her, they 
 surveyed each other with mutual astonishment 
 she, because her rescuer presented, after all, a 
 rather grotesque appearance, mounted upon the 
 back of the mule ; he, because of the courage and 
 spirit shown by the woman. He dismounted and 
 assisted her to alight.
 
 INDEPENDENCE 289 
 
 " Are you injured ? " he asked. 
 
 " No," was the reply, " but I am faint and weak." 
 
 Her actions did not belie her words, for she 
 would have fallen to the ground if Burr had not 
 supported her. 
 
 " How did you come to follow me ? " she asked. 
 " Or did you simply come upon us by chance ? " 
 
 " It was no chance," Burr replied. " Your 
 little daughter was sitting upon the steps of your 
 home, crying, because her mother had been taken 
 away. I told her I would find you and bring you 
 back to her. I have found you, but I hardly see 
 how I can fulfil the rest of my promise, for I am 
 obliged to proceed upon my journey at once. 
 When I reached Townsend's Furnace, my horse 
 fell dead beneath me, and the only means of con 
 veyance I could procure was this mule, which, I 
 must say, has acted nobly. To him you owe your 
 deliverance." 
 
 " Not to him, but to you," said the woman, and 
 a flush rose to her pale cheeks, in which there still 
 remained traces of former beauty. For a moment 
 the thought came to Burr that he must have met 
 her before, but he at once dismissed it. How 
 could this be possible ? She was the wife of a 
 Pennsylvania farmer, and he had never before 
 been in that locality. 
 
 Whatever the woman may have thought, found 
 no expression either in voice or manner. " You 
 rode the mule here ; perhaps I can ride him back," 
 she ventured to say. 
 
 Burr shook his head. " I am afraid not," he 
 said. " He is not a reliable animal and has only
 
 290 LITTLE BURR 
 
 been urged forward by a liberal application of 
 sharp-pointed spurs ; but, after all," he continued, 
 " it seems to be the only way. You are too weak 
 to walk, and I must go forward at once." 
 
 " I will try to ride the mule," said the woman. 
 She approached the animal, and putting her arm 
 about his neck, began caressing him and speaking 
 to him in a low, pleasant voice. The mule was 
 as much astonished at this as he had been at the 
 use of the spurs, and turned his large, expressive 
 eyes towards her. Burr thought of Shakespeare's 
 " Midsummer Night's Dream," as he looked upon 
 the scene before him. Here was Titania, sure 
 enough, but the animal was a real one, instead 
 of being an ass's head upon a human body. 
 
 " He seems mild and tractable now," said the 
 woman. " I think he will carry me home safely ; 
 at any rate, I must try it. How can I ever thank 
 you ? " she cried. " But you do not know my 
 story. Shall I tell it to you ? " 
 
 " It is not necessary," said Burr. " I have just 
 come from the Westchester lines in York State, 
 where such deeds of violence used to be of daily 
 occurrence. Happily for all concerned, things 
 have changed there for the better." 
 
 " Yes, I have heard," said the woman, " that 
 after Colonel Aaron Burr was placed in com 
 mand " 
 
 " Yes," broke in Burr, " no doubt he rendered 
 efficient service, but, after all, he could have done 
 little without the help of his soldiers and that of 
 the people." 
 
 He assisted the woman in mounting upon the
 
 INDEPENDENCE 291 
 
 back of the apparently docile mule, and placed the 
 reins in her hands. Then he mounted the horse 
 which had belonged to the dead trooper. They 
 wished each other a safe and speedy trip, and pro 
 ceeded on their respective ways. 
 
 Before nightfall, Colonel Burr reached General 
 Washington's camp and delivered to him the verbal 
 message which had been entrusted to him by 
 General McDougall. 
 
 The woman reached home safely and was 
 welcomed not only by her child, but by her hus 
 band, who had returned during her absence. To 
 him she told the story of her abduction and 
 rescue ; but neither Burr, seated in a tent at head 
 quarters, talking about military operations in the 
 coming campaign, nor the woman, by the fireside 
 from which she had been so ruthlessly taken, 
 telling over again the story of her rescue to her 
 husband and clasping her child to her bosom 
 neither the man nor the woman, who had met so 
 strangely and parted so suddenly, had a thought in 
 their minds that they had ever met before. 
 
 When Major Burr, in 1776, accompanied Ade 
 laide Clifton to New Jersey, he left her in the care 
 of a maiden aunt, named Keturah Burr. Miss 
 Burr was not wealthy, but she owned a farm, from 
 which she derived a comfortable livelihood. She 
 welcomed the young girl gladly, for the life she 
 led was somewhat lonely, the only other occupant 
 of the great farmhouse being her hired man. His 
 name was Daniel Prentiss, and he was about 
 twenty-five years of age. 
 
 Daniel was a generous, honest-hearted young
 
 292 LITTLE BURR 
 
 fellow. He had never seen so beautiful or so 
 intelligent a woman before, and it is not strange 
 that he fell in love with Adelaide and wished to 
 make her his wife. He proposed and was quietly 
 but firmly rejected. When Adelaide told Miss 
 Burr what had occurred, to her surprise the old 
 lady became very indignant and told the girl that 
 in no way could she so well provide for her future 
 as by becoming the wife of so good and true- 
 hearted a young man as Daniel Prentiss. But 
 Adelaide was obdurate and Daniel gave her up as 
 lost to him forever. 
 
 But the hand of fate, or rather circumstance, 
 sometimes accomplishes wonders. Miss Burr fell 
 sick ; Adelaide was unremitting in her attentions 
 by day and night. The invalid received her min 
 istrations without any demonstration of thankful 
 ness. She might have relented before the end 
 came, but several days before her death she fell 
 into a comatose state and remained in that condi 
 tion while life lasted. 
 
 When Miss Burr's will was read by the village 
 lawyer, it was found that she had left all she 
 possessed to Daniel Prentiss, making no provision 
 whatever for the young girl who had been com 
 mitted to her charge. Adelaide did not know 
 where to go, but go she must. She was in her 
 room on the evening of the day when the funeral 
 had taken place, packing up a few articles she 
 was to take with her she knew not where 
 when there came a timid knock at her door. 
 
 She opened it and saw Daniel Prentiss. He 
 asked her, in his quiet, undemonstrative way, if she
 
 INDEPENDENCE 293 
 
 would come downstairs to the sitting-room for a 
 few moments, as he wished to speak to her. Her 
 first inclination was to refuse, for she thought he 
 intended to repeat his proposal; but after a 
 moment's hesitation she consented to come. 
 
 Daniel told her that he did not wish to say 
 anything reflecting upon the action of the one 
 who had been buried that day, but he thought, 
 and he was going to say what he thought, that 
 Miss Burr's will was very unjust in that it made 
 no provision for her support. 
 
 " I have no right to her money," he went on. 
 " I was only her hired man. I engaged to work 
 for certain wages and my board. I got my pay 
 and my living and that was all I was entitled to. 
 I must speak plainly, Miss Clifton, so you will 
 understand my position. I know Miss Burr was 
 angry because you would not marry me. She 
 told me so. To show her resentment at your 
 action, she has given me everything and left you 
 penniless. I will not accept a fortune for this 
 farm and her money would be a fortune to one in 
 my position to which I feel I have no right. I 
 shall leave the village to-morrow to make my 
 living elsewhere; but before I go I shall deed the 
 farm and give up the property to you. You need 
 it ; I do not. I am young. I can work and make 
 my way in the world without it." 
 
 "You must not gol" cried Adelaide. "You 
 must stay, and I will go." 
 
 " No," said Daniel, " my mind is made up. I 
 will not remain, and I shall insist upon giving 
 everything to you."
 
 294 LITTLE BURR 
 
 "Will nothing induce you to remain?" asked 
 Adelaide. Her cheek flushed and her lip quivered 
 as she asked the question. 
 
 "Only one thing would induce me to stay," 
 said Daniel. " If I stay, it must be because you 
 wish it." 
 
 Then it was that Adelaide Clifton faced the 
 second great problem of her life, and she solved 
 it by asking Daniel Prentiss to stay and saying 
 that she would stay with him. 
 
 Miss Burr had been outspoken during her life 
 time in her comments upon Adelaide's refusal to 
 accept Daniel Prentiss as her husband; the sub 
 ject had formed a choice bit of gossip for the 
 villagers, and a few months after their marriage, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Prentiss decided to sell the 
 farm in Jersey and remove to Pennsylvania. 
 Daniel purchased a fine farm, located a couple of 
 miles from the thriving village known as Town- 
 send's Furnace. A little daughter had been born 
 to them, who had been named Maria, after Daniel's 
 mother. He wished to go to war, but he could 
 not leave his wife and infant child alone, for his 
 hand was needed to supply the means of subsist 
 ence for the little family. 
 
 Several days before Colonel Burr's arrival at 
 Townsend's Furnace, a drunken British soldier 
 had entered the Prentiss house while Daniel was 
 at work in a field not far away. The soldier had 
 insulted Mrs. Prentiss. Her screams quickly 
 brought her husband to the house, and he gave 
 the ruffian a sound thrashing, who, smarting with 
 rage at his deserved punishment, resolved to
 
 INDEPENDENCE 295 
 
 inflict a still greater injury upon man and wife. 
 With the aid of another British soldier, he ab 
 ducted Mrs. Prentiss, and would have succeeded in 
 his attempt to carry her off, had it not been for the 
 opportune arrival of Colonel Burr, who in turn 
 would have been powerless to effect the young 
 woman's rescue from her captors, had it not been 
 for the great assistance rendered, involuntarily, 
 by the mule, Independence.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THE YALE BOYS 
 
 HP HE news of Col. Aaron Burr's arrival at head 
 quarters with a message of importance from 
 General McDougall was soon noised throughout 
 the American camp, and the adventurous young 
 officer received the congratulations and commen 
 dations of superiors, equals, and inferiors in rank. 
 
 The night of his arrival he retired to rest early, 
 for he was, in fact, nearly prostrated by the journey; 
 not so much on account of the physical privations 
 endured, as from the state of mental suspense in 
 which he had been kept during the long trip, and 
 the exciting adventures which had befallen him. 
 He was both surprised and pleased to receive an 
 early call the next morning from his old friend 
 and companion in arms, Abiel Budlong. 
 
 "Wull, it does one's heart good ter see yer, 
 Aaron," said Abe; "but heavens an' airth! how 
 yer have shrunk. Yer warn't none too big afore, 
 but there don't seem ter be as much of yer as 
 there was when I fust knew yer. I tell yer, Aaron, 
 yer don't eat enough. I told yer so when we lived 
 in Litchfield, and I tell yer so now, agin." 
 
 " It is not the eating," Burr replied, pleasantly ; 
 " if I should eat any more than I do, my condition 
 would be even worse. Since the battle of Mon-
 
 THE YALE BOYS 297 
 
 mouth, when I remained under the hot sun all day 
 long, and then, thoroughly exhausted, slept all 
 night upon my back on the moist ground, my 
 general health has been very poor, although my 
 nerve force was not weakened by the exposure; 
 but that, too, has at last given way, and I realize 
 the fact that I must go home, take medical advice 
 and a long rest, or well, it is a little too early to 
 talk of that now. I suppose you know that I have 
 resigned my position in the army." 
 
 "Yes, I heerd on't," said Abe, "and I was 
 mighty sorry, too, when the news came; but, 
 seem' as how yer feel, I can't blame yer. Wull, 
 I've got some news fer yer. My time is up to-day, 
 and to-morrow I git an honorable discharge. I'm 
 goin' back to Connecticut ter see how things are 
 gittin' on in old Litchfield. Yer ain't fit ter travel 
 alone and I think my sarvices will come in handy." 
 
 " They always have done so," said Burr, "and I 
 know of no one whose company on the return 
 journey I should more thoroughly enjoy." 
 
 " That's very complimentary of yer, Aaron," 
 said Abe, " but you always had the knack of savin' 
 the right thing at the right time. It comes nat'ral 
 ter yer. When are yer goin' back ? " 
 
 " To-morrow or next day," was the reply. " I 
 came only to oblige General McDougall, for it 
 was imperative that the Commander-in-Chief 
 should know what was going on in New York." 
 
 "Wull, I guess," said Abe, "the United States 
 of America has been obliged, too, and ought ter 
 give yer special thanks fer doin' what so many 
 have tried ter do and couldn't."
 
 298 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " No matter about the thanks, Abe," Burr said ; 
 " few of us in this world get our just deserts, either 
 for good or bad actions ; but if we know in our 
 hearts that we have done our best, the satisfaction 
 that comes from that knowledge is worth more 
 than official votes of thanks." 
 
 The day but one, following, Colonel Burr to 
 still retain by courtesy the title which he had so 
 long and ably borne officially accompanied by 
 Abiel Budlong, started on the homeward journey. 
 More than once his strength gave out, and stops 
 of several day's duration were made, in order that 
 he might recuperate to some extent. He had 
 intended to go to Litchfield with Abe, but when 
 they reached New Haven, he declared that he 
 could proceed no farther. Besides, he could 
 secure better medical advice and attention at New 
 Haven than in a small country town. 
 
 For a fortnight after their arrival, Abe insisted 
 upon remaining with his old friend, devoting every 
 moment, when not asleep, to his care. By this 
 time, Burr had regained his customary mental 
 activity, but was still in a weak physical condition. 
 
 " Rest, and time in which to take it," said he 
 one day to Abe, " are all that I require now. I 
 am on the mending hand, and although I am 
 pleased to have you with me, you can do me no 
 real good by remaining." 
 
 So the farewell words were spoken, and Abe 
 started for Litchfield, leaving Burr in the care of 
 the aged landlady with whom he boarded. But 
 he was not to be allowed an opportunity for uninter 
 rupted rest. Early one morning, while still in bed,
 
 THE YALE BOYS 299 
 
 he heard loud voices down stairs, but, although he 
 listened intently, he could not hear what was being 
 said. He was soon to be enlightened, for there 
 came a loud knock at the door, and almost imme 
 diately, Mark Updyke, the landlady's only son, 
 burst into the room, his face betraying great 
 excitement. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " cried Burr, rising to a 
 sitting posture on the bed. 
 
 " Wull, I guess our time's come ! " cried Mark. 
 "Yer see, I went out to Farmer Stebbin's this 
 morning to see if I could buy some hay, and when 
 I was there a feller cum ridin' up to the farm. I 
 don't know what his name is, and he said as how 
 Tryon, with a lot of sojers, was comin' ter New 
 Haven to take what he wanted and burn the rest 
 of it up. So I guess we shall git more than we 
 bargained for afore we git through." 
 
 Burr sprang from the bed. " Shut the door, 
 Mark," he said, " and help me to dress. Not those," 
 he cried, as Mark essayed to pass him the clothing 
 which he had worn daily. "In the closet there, 
 you will find my uniform. As you know, Mark, 
 I am no longer a colonel in the army, but when 
 danger threatens the city, as you say it does, I am 
 a soldier until that danger is past. Can you get 
 me a horse, Mark ? " he asked, as he buckled on 
 his sword. 
 
 " Yer can have mine," said Mark. " It's down 
 to the door, all saddled and bridled, and there ain't 
 a stronger bit of hoss flesh in the county, if I do 
 say it." 
 
 Five minutes later, Colonel Burr reached the
 
 300 LITTLE BURR 
 
 headquarters of the little body of militia to which 
 the defence of the city was entrusted. Nearly 
 all the members of the company were there, but 
 Captain Peters was in a state of great trepidation. 
 
 "Are your men all ready?" cried Burr, turn 
 ing to the captain. 
 
 " Wull, most of em' are here," said Peters, " but 
 I guess it won't do no good. We hain't got no 
 breastworks, nor no fort, nor no trenches, and 
 'twon't be much use to try to keep Tryon back. 
 We might as well let him have his own way. Per 
 haps, after all, he'll only rob us, and won't burn 
 the city, for that wouldn't do him any good." 
 
 " As you do not live here in New Haven, Cap 
 tain Peters," said Burr, " you are not likely to lose 
 any of your worldly possessions ; but those men 
 and women who do live here have a great deal at 
 stake, and something should be done to protect 
 their property, and perhaps their lives. I don't 
 think, however, it will be of any use for you to 
 lead your men against the enemy, Captain Peters, 
 if you are in that frame of mind. I do not share 
 your gloomy forebodings, for I think we can drive 
 the enemy away. I am willing to lead if your men 
 will follow. Now, boys ! " he cried, " how many of 
 you will come with me ? " 
 
 Out of about fifty men present, less than a 
 dozen signified their willingness to follow Burr. 
 To them he gave directions to at once return to 
 the city and collect every available article that 
 could be used in forming a strong barricade. 
 
 " Do not put what you collect in position," he 
 said, " until I come. I have an idea as to which
 
 THE YALE BOYS 301 
 
 is the best way to construct the breastworks. I 
 am going to drum up some more recruits and will 
 join you in a short time." 
 
 Without deigning another word to Captain 
 Peters or the men of his command who had de 
 clined to accompany him, Burr turned his horse 
 and galloped off. Where was he going ? He knew, 
 but the others did not. He knew where the 
 young blood of the city was congregated, where 
 the fire and patriotism burned brightest, and where 
 he was most likely to find strong hearts, and will 
 ing hands to grasp muskets and follow him to the 
 field of battle. On he sped, driving his spurs into 
 the sides of the sturdy steed which bore him, until 
 the campus of Yale College was in sight. The 
 students were just assembled for the duties of the 
 day, and Burr realized that he had arrived at a 
 most opportune time. It took but a few moments 
 to convey the intelligence of the coming danger, 
 which had been previously unknown, to the presi 
 dent and faculty. The college bells were at once 
 rung vigorously, and in a short time all the students 
 were gathered in groups upon the campus. 
 
 " Young men," cried Burr, " your beautiful city 
 is threatened with dire disaster. That merciless 
 robber, Tryon, is on his way here to loot the town 
 and then burn it. We must fight for our property, 
 or our lives will be of little value after we have 
 lost our honor. We cannot depend upon the 
 militia, for their captain and the majority of the 
 men think that resistance is useless. If you, too, 
 think so, our fate is sealed. If you think other 
 wise, there is yet hope. If you are willing to
 
 302 LITTLE BURR 
 
 follow me, I will lead you and do my best to save 
 the city." 
 
 Round after round of ringing cheers came from 
 the throats of the young students. A loud voice 
 cried : 
 
 " Lead on, Colonel Burr, and we will follow ! " 
 
 The cry was taken up and repeated by hundreds 
 of voices. 
 
 " It is well 1 " cried Burr. " I was sure that 
 Young America would not refuse to do its duty. 
 I will give you fifteen minutes in which to arm 
 yourselves. We must proceed at once to the field 
 of action, or it may be too late." 
 
 The half score of militiamen had worked vigor 
 ously and had enlisted the services of hundreds 
 of citizens, who rendered willing assistance ; when 
 Burr arrived, riding at the head of his army of 
 Yale Boys, enough hogsheads, barrels, and timber 
 had been collected to have built a fort of respect 
 able dimensions. Under Burr's able and energetic 
 directions, a line of breastworks was drawn up 
 across the road by which Tryon would undoubt 
 edly endeavor to enter the city. These breast 
 works had been so constructed, that, although 
 the brave young students were sheltered from 
 the sight of the enemy, loopholes had been left, 
 through which they could see and fire upon the 
 advancing foe. 
 
 Then came the most trying and terrible part of 
 a battle the moments, and often hours of sus 
 pense which usually precede actual hostilities; 
 but instead of unnerving the young students, this 
 only fired their determination to make as vigorous 
 a resistance as possible.
 
 THE YALE BOYS 303 
 
 About nine o'clock, sounds reached their ex 
 pectant ears which heralded the approach of 
 the invaders. They soon came in sight, and the 
 advance guard was evidently astonished at the 
 appearance of the formidable fort, for such it 
 seemed to them, which had been erected. An 
 order to halt was apparently given, for the British 
 ers stopped, evidently with a purpose in view of 
 making a reconnaissance. This might have been 
 an easy matter in an open field, but it was more 
 difficult of accomplishment when it was impossi 
 ble to see from one street what was going on in 
 another. Besides, Colonel Burr had sent the 
 trusty militiamen, who had been joined by some 
 stout-hearted citizens, to patrol all the streets in 
 the immediate vicinity, with instructions to fire on 
 scouting parties as soon as they were seen. 
 
 General Tryon, who was brave only when his 
 force far outnumbered his opponents and when 
 there was a prospect of securing valuable plunder, 
 hesitated in making an attack upon breastworks 
 of unknown strength, behind which lurked a force 
 of defenders of unknown numbers. He quickly 
 exemplified the truth of the old adage, that discre 
 tion is the better part of valor, by ordering a 
 retreat, and the delighted citizens of New Haven 
 went to their beds that night well knowing that 
 it was to Colonel Burr that the rescue of the city 
 from destruction was due, and on that night num 
 berless prayers went up to Heaven from honest 
 hearts, imploring the Giver of All Good to send 
 health and strength to the brave young officer who 
 had saved their homes.
 
 304 LITTLE BURR 
 
 As for the brave young officer, he returned to 
 his lodgings and threw himself upon his bed, 
 utterly prostrated. Mrs. Updyke, however, was a 
 capable nurse and skilled in the use of those 
 remedies which prolonged the lives of our fore 
 fathers before modern compounds made from min 
 erals and coal-tar products took their place. Her 
 constant care and the untiring attention of her son 
 Mark, who acted as an intermediary by which the 
 citizens of New Haven expressed their gratitude 
 to their preserver, soon brought Burr back to a 
 state of apparent health. From this time on, his 
 progress towards complete recovery was rapid. 
 
 The war was surely drawing to a close. It was 
 plain to him, that, even with recovered health, 
 there was no opportunity for him in future military 
 operations. During the continuance of a war, 
 many branches of business are sure to languish ; 
 when the conflict ends, they revive, and with 
 proper encouragement soon flourish again. Burr's 
 thoughts went back to the day when he had left 
 Litchfield to join the army at Cambridge the 
 time when he was studying law, with the intention 
 of becoming a member of the bar. He would re 
 sume his studies, he thought ; when the time came 
 to practice, what then ? There came to him the 
 same thoughts that usually fill the minds of young 
 men standing on the threshold of active life ; he 
 would marry, have a home such as he had often 
 pictured to himself, and, perhaps, children to bear 
 his name. It was the way of life and why should 
 he not follow it, as countless thousands had done 
 before ?
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 WITH WIFE AND CHILDREN 
 
 ALTHOUGH he had given all the spare time 
 
 at his disposal to his legal studies, Burr knew 
 that he was not sufficiently prepared to stand the 
 examination which would be required before he 
 could be admitted to the bar. 
 
 A great opportunity had been created for the 
 Whig lawyers, by the passage of acts in the various 
 States, disfranchising the Tory lawyers and pre 
 venting them from practicing in the courts. Now 
 was the time for the patriot lawyers to step into 
 the places thus made vacant, for there were num 
 berless disputes to be settled, relating principally 
 to land and house tenure. 
 
 Burr knew that he could not successfully com 
 plete his studies at New Haven, but he had no 
 desire to return to Litchfield and place himself 
 again under the tuition of his brother-in-law, so he 
 wrote to William Patterson, one of the most promi 
 nent lawyers in the States, asking permission to 
 enter his office as a student and assistant. He 
 was gladly welcomed by Judge Patterson, and a 
 course of study was blocked out for the young 
 aspirant for legal honors. 
 
 Burr soon found that if he followed the curric 
 ulum suggested by his patron, it would be many 
 years before he could present himself for examina-
 
 306 LITTLE BURR 
 
 tion. The Judge, as a lawyer, belonged to the 
 old school, that believed in going back to first 
 principles to the early Greek and Roman law 
 omitting nothing that any country could furnish 
 in the way of information. 
 
 It is not strange that, several months after 
 beginning study with Judge Patterson, we find 
 Burr transferred to the office of Judge Thomas 
 Smith. The change offered two material advan 
 tages ; one was, that Judge Smith was willing to 
 teach him the practice of law, without taking 
 time to go into its origin and historical evolution ; 
 the second advantage, and a very important one, 
 came from the fact, that Burr, by the change, 
 was brought into close proximity to Paramus, 
 where dwelt the woman who had been the Hero 
 to his Leander. By this nearness to Mrs. Prevost, 
 who was the object of his most exalted affection, 
 both love and ambition were satisfied. 
 
 When satisfied in his own mind that he was 
 fully prepared to undergo any examination to 
 which he might be subjected, he decided to re 
 move to the State of New York and take up his 
 residence in Albany. No sooner was he domiciled 
 than he presented his application for admission 
 to the New York bar. This was promptly re 
 jected on the ground that he had not studied for 
 three consecutive years, as required by law. To 
 the average young man such a reply would have 
 been a rebuff apparently impossible to overcome, 
 but Burr was fertile in ideas and adept in argu 
 ment. He prepared an appeal which he presented 
 to the judges ; in it he took the ground that his
 
 WITH WIFE AND CHILDREN 307 
 
 failure to carry on his studies consecutively had 
 been caused by the fact that he was serving in the 
 army of his country. He argued that the length 
 of time devoted to study was not the true criterion 
 for regulating admission to the bar, and claimed 
 that if a student could successfully pass the pre 
 scribed examination, the evident intent of the law 
 was secured. 
 
 His appeal received respectful consideration, 
 and, somewhat to his own astonishment, was 
 favorably acted upon, and he was notified to pre 
 sent himself for examination. Naturally, the ex 
 aminers felt justified in making that examination 
 much more severe and rigorous than usual, for the 
 reason that the circumstances were peculiar in 
 their nature. As the inquiries related principally 
 to the practice of law and not to its history, Burr 
 was fully prepared for the trying ordeal, trium 
 phantly passed it, and was at once licensed as an 
 attorney. 
 
 The first case that was placed in his hands 
 ended in a verdict in favor of his client ; so did the 
 second, third, fourth, and fifth, and it was soon 
 noised about, that if a man wished to be on the 
 winning side, he should engage Colonel Burr as 
 his attorney. Success in any line of professional 
 work brings with it financial remuneration. 
 
 Reverend Aaron Burr had left his only son, 
 Aaron, quite a large patrimony ; but during the 
 war it had disappeared, for its possessor could 
 never refuse a plea for charity or for financial aid 
 from his brother officers and soldiers. He had 
 spent but little, comparatively, upon himself, but
 
 308 LITTLE BURR 
 
 the equipping of Colonel Malcolm's regiment, 
 which was in reality his own command, had made 
 a deep inroad upon his fortune, while his sickness 
 had made such heavy drains upon it, that when 
 he left New Haven he had but little beyond his 
 clear brain and willing hands to fall back upon. 
 
 Now came the most eventful journey of his life 
 the most eventful one to most men. He had 
 prepared a home in Albany for the life-mate who 
 was to enjoy it with him. When he arrived at 
 Paramus he lost no time in informing the Rev. 
 Dr. Bogart that the village church would be 
 needed at an early day for a very important cere 
 mony, and that his services would be required. 
 That time came and went, and a few days later, 
 Col. Aaron Burr and his wife, Mrs. Theodosia 
 Burr, started upon their long journey to Albany. 
 Not then, as now, did a train of Pullman cars, 
 provided with every device for comfort and safety, 
 roll out from a commodious station ; nor did a 
 river palace leave a New York City pier and steam 
 up the Hudson. The journey then was made 
 partly by water and partly by land. The open 
 boat, the ferry-boat, sometimes a canoe, even, was 
 utilized for river transportation. On land, the 
 saddle-horse, the stage-coach, and the open wagon 
 divested the journey of any monotony in its 
 progress. 
 
 The marriage of Col. Aaron Burr, at the age 
 of twenty-six, to the widow, Theodosia Prevost, 
 who was ten years his senior, attracted much 
 attention and comment. The astonishment 
 of his friends and of society in general was
 
 WITH WIFE AND CHILDREN 309 
 
 greatly increased when it was learned that Mrs. 
 Prevost was the mother of two little boys, Frederic 
 and Bartow. Gossips and the curious were not 
 long in ascertaining the real facts. They learned 
 that Miss Theodosia Bartow was American born ; 
 that her first husband, Jean Marc Prevost, a 
 brother of Gen. Augustine Prevost, was born in 
 Switzerland, had entered the British army, and 
 died on the Island of Jamaica in the year 1779, 
 three years before her marriage to Colonel Burr. 
 There could be no fault found with the record, 
 but still it did not explain the why and wherefore 
 of the apparently ill-assorted marriage. 
 
 It was no doubt true, as his friends thought, 
 that Colonel Burr could have married some young 
 and beautiful woman, connected with one of the 
 most influential families, whose position and 
 money would have been of great service to him 
 in the battle of life. But Burr had read the works 
 of Mary Wollstonecraft, and had formed his own 
 idea of true womanhood. He had been a student, 
 also, of the writings of Lord Chesterfield, and 
 perhaps one of his letters to his godson, Philip 
 Stanhope, had strongly influenced him in making 
 his selection. When a young man becomes a 
 votary or disciple of some new teacher of philoso 
 phy or religion, he is apt to believe all the 
 doctrines of his teacher, rather than to accept 
 some and reject others. Burr's choice of a wife 
 may have been largely influenced by his belief in 
 the truth of Number 134 of Lord Chesterfield's 
 celebrated letters, which reads as follows : 
 
 " Bad company is much more easily defined
 
 310 LITTLE BURR 
 
 than good, for what is bad must strike everybody 
 at first sight; folly, knavery, and profligacy can 
 never be mistaken for wit, honour, and decency. 
 In good company there are several gradations 
 from good to the best. Merely good is rather 
 free from objection than deserving of praise. Aim 
 at the best. But what is the best ? I take it to 
 be those societys of men, or women, or a mixture 
 of both, where great politeness, good breeding, 
 and decency, though, perhaps, not always virtue, 
 prevail. 
 
 "Women of fashion and character (I do not 
 mean absolutely unblemished) are a necessary 
 ingredient in the composition of good company. 
 The attentions which they require, and which are 
 always paid them by well-bred men, keep up 
 politeness and give a habit of good breeding; 
 whereas, men, when they live together and without 
 the lenity of women, in company are apt to grow 
 careless, negligent, and rough among one another. 
 
 " In company every woman is every man's 
 superior and must be addressed with respect, nay 
 more, with flattery, and you need not fear making 
 it too strong. Such flattery is not mean on your 
 part, nor pernicious to them, for it can never give 
 them a greater opinion of their beauty or their 
 sense than they had before. Therefore, make 
 the dose strong; it will be greedily swallowed. 
 
 " Women stamp the fashionable or unfashion 
 able character of all young men at their first 
 appearance in the world; bribe them, then, with 
 minute attentions, good breeding, and flattery, 
 to make them give their vote and interest in your
 
 WITH WIFE AND CHILDREN 311 
 
 favor. I have often known their proclamation 
 give a value and currency to base coin enough, 
 and consequently will add a lustre to the truest 
 sterling. Women, though otherwise called sensi 
 ble, have all of them more or less weaknesses, 
 singularitys, whims, and humours, especially 
 vanity ; study attentively all these failings, gratify 
 them as far as you can, nay, flatter them, and 
 sacrifice your own little humours to them. 
 
 " Young men are too apt to show dislike, not 
 to say an aversion and contempt, for ugly and 
 old women, which is both unpolite and injudicious, 
 for there is a respectful civility due to the whole 
 sex; besides, the ugly and the old talk the most, 
 having the least to do themselves ; are jealous of 
 being despised and never forgive it ; and I could 
 suppose cases in which you would desire their 
 friendship, or, at least, their neutrality. Let it be a 
 rule with you never to show that contempt which 
 very often you will have, and with reason, for any 
 human creature, for it will never be forgiven; an 
 injury is sooner pardoned than an insult." 
 
 Theodosia Prevost was not a beautiful woman; 
 in fact, she possessed few, if any, of those physical 
 attributes which, as a rule, are so attractive to 
 young men. Burr, of course, had not been insen 
 sible to the physical charms of those young 
 women into whose society he had been thrown in 
 his college days and during his military life. He 
 was young, handsome, and brave, and no doubt 
 had inspired the grande passion in the hearts of 
 many of his female acquaintances. 
 
 The situation in which young men are thus
 
 312 LITTLE BURR 
 
 placed is as if one were led into a garden full of 
 beautiful flowers and told to make choice of a 
 single blossom. On every hand he sees luxuriant 
 roses, and, unthinking, he would naturally choose 
 from these and look no farther ; but one more dis 
 criminating would examine every flower-bed, and 
 perhaps pass by the seductive rose and choose, in 
 stead, a sweetly perfumed pink, a modest violet, or 
 a fragile lily. 
 
 Theodosia Prevost's beauties were those of the 
 mind rather than of the body. She was intelligent 
 and sympathetic ; she could read and write French 
 and other foreign languages, and was conversant 
 with the best literature of the day. She was a 
 widow with two fatherless children, and needed a 
 friend and a counsellor as much as a lover and 
 a husband. 
 
 Burr was young and ambitious ; he was poor, 
 but determined to win riches; he desired to be 
 come a leader in the profession which he had 
 chosen, and to do this, constant study and close 
 application to his professional duties would be 
 absolutely necessary. He realized that if he 
 married a votary of fashion, he would be drawn 
 into the whirl of society, the demands of which are 
 inexorable. If he married in this wise, his am 
 bition would have to divide time with vanity and 
 frivolity. He wished for a helpmate and a haven 
 of rest in the evening, where he could recuperate 
 after the strong mental application of the day. He 
 felt that he had chosen wisely, and who, looking 
 at all the circumstances of the case, can say, ad 
 visedly, that he had not ? No one should wonder,
 
 WITH WIFE AND CHILDREN 313 
 
 then, at his remark to his newly wedded wife when 
 they left the little church at Paramus. Turning 
 to her, he said, no doubt with a vivid recollection 
 in his mind of the military victory which he had 
 secured there years before : 
 
 " I have always been fortunate at Paramus." 
 
 The newly made couple reached Albany and 
 settled down in their home life. The first full day 
 of it was ushered in with sounds of infantile prattle 
 and childish glee. The old rooms resounded with 
 the happy cries of the two little boys, triply fortu 
 nate in thus finding mother, home, and father, for 
 Burr's heart was large and he did not wait to learn 
 to love his wife's children, but loved them at once 
 and treated them from the first day of his marriage 
 as though they were his own. 
 
 Within a year the happiness of that little home 
 reached its climax in the birth of little Theodosia, 
 who was destined to become so prominent a figure 
 in the life and times of her native land. 
 
 To the ambitious man, the field of action always 
 appears circumscribed, and he is ever looking for 
 a wider opportunity for development. The city of 
 New York was the Mecca of all the great lawyers 
 in the State, and Burr soon turned his eager eyes 
 in that direction. He wrote to a friend to secure 
 a house for him, and when little Theodosia was 
 about a year old, the family took up its residence 
 in a house in Maiden Lane, at a rental of two 
 hundred pounds per annum. The friend thought 
 fully provided that the rent should not begin until 
 the British evacuated the city. 
 
 Burr's ambitious dreams now seemed likely to
 
 314 LITTLE BURR 
 
 be fulfilled to the uttermost. The widest field for 
 legal development in the country was open to him ; 
 he had a wife and three beautiful children, upon 
 whom he bestowed a wealth of affection; but 
 the greatest happiness is seldom, if ever secured 
 without the admixture of some alloy. In Burr's 
 case, this consisted in his frequent and enforced 
 absences from home. 
 
 Albany was the capital of the State, and many 
 cases which had their inception in New York 
 City were finally decided at Albany. The journey 
 from one city to the other was a long and tedious 
 one, and it had to be made very often. The little 
 household looked forward with feelings of appre 
 hension to each rumor of a visit to Albany. During 
 his absence there was a natural presence of fear 
 that something might happen to him on his travels, 
 and his return home was awaited with great anxiety 
 by all. The progress of the mails was, necessarily, 
 as slow as that of the traveller, and but little com 
 fort could be secured from letters so long in tran 
 sit, for no idea could be formed of the present 
 condition of the writer. 
 
 Upon one occasion, while Burr was absent from 
 home, engaged in legal business at Albany, little 
 Theodosia fell sick. Then it was, that in the 
 agony of the situation, Mrs. Burr wrote a letter to 
 her husband which shows unmistakably her 
 motherly devotion and the great love which she 
 felt for the father of her little girl. No true mother 
 can read it without sympathizing with every 
 thought that it contains. 
 
 " How unfortunate, my dearest Aaron, is our present sep 
 aration. I never shall have resolution to consent to another.
 
 WITH WIFE AND CHILDREN 315 
 
 We must not be guided by others. We are certainly formed 
 of different materials ; and our undertakings must coincide 
 with them. 
 
 " A few hours after I wrote you by Colonel Lewis, our sweet 
 infant was taken ill, very ill. My mind and spirits have been 
 on the rack from that moment to this. When she sleeps, I 
 watch anxiously ; when she wakes, anxious fears accompany 
 every motion. I talked of my love towards her, but I knew 
 it not till put to this unhappy test. I know not whether to 
 give her medicine or withhold it ; doubt and terror are the 
 only sensations of which I am sensible. She has slept better 
 last night, and appears more lively this morning, than since 
 her illness. This has induced me to postpone an express to 
 you, which I have had in readiness since yesterday. If this 
 meets you, I need not dwell upon my wish. 
 
 " I will only put an injunction on your riding so fast, or in 
 the heat, or dew. Remember your presence is to support, to 
 console your Theo, perhaps to rejoice with her at the restora 
 tion of our much-loved child. Let us encourage this hope ; 
 encourage it, at least, till you see me, which I flatter myself will 
 be before this can reach you. Some kind spirit will whisper 
 to my Aaron how much his tender attention is wanted to 
 support his Theo ; how much his love is necessary, to give her 
 that fortitude, that resolution, which nature has denied her but 
 through his medium. Adieu. 
 
 " THEODOSIA." 
 
 Fortunately, little Theodosia recovered; at 
 which a feeling of intense happiness pervaded the 
 entire household. The little girl was fortunate in 
 having two brothers to guard her infant footsteps, 
 and the love which Frederic Prevost formed for 
 her bore fruit in after years in the guise of a most 
 exquisite brotherly affection. If he had been a 
 child of her own father, Frederic Prevost could 
 not have proved a truer or more devoted brother. 
 
 As the professional opportunities at Albany 
 had appeared circumscribed to the ambitious 
 desires of Burr, when compared with the greater
 
 316 LITTLE BURR 
 
 ones to be found in the city of New York, so the 
 little house in Maiden Lane came to look circum 
 scribed and unpretentious when compared with 
 the mansions occupied by some of his brother 
 lawyers, who were not more successful in their 
 practice nor favored with greater financial returns 
 for their labors than himself. 
 
 The journeys to and from Albany being made 
 largely on horseback, Burr had ample opportunity 
 for viewing the estates, which, even at that early 
 day, were found upon both banks of the Hudson. 
 At a village called Johnson's, Burr was greatly 
 impressed with the desirability of the location and 
 the natural beauty of its surroundings. Upon 
 his return home, he began to extol the attractions 
 of this romantic spot, and it needed no hint from 
 him to apprise his wife that his mind was being 
 gradually fixed upon it as a desirable location for 
 their future home. 
 
 Perhaps Mrs. Burr had seen enough of country 
 life and preferred that of the city; but whatever 
 may have been her reason, she quickly expressed 
 her disapprobation of the proposed removal. 
 The subject had been the topic of conversation 
 upon several occasions ; but one evening, after the 
 children were in bed, Burr mentioned it again, 
 and Mrs. Burr divined from his manner that he 
 was determined to have the matter definitely 
 settled before the conversation ended. 
 
 " I cannot help referring again," he began, 
 " to that piece of land at Johnson's, that I have 
 spoken about several times. Oh, Theo ! there is 
 the most delightful grove so darkened with
 
 WITH WIFE AND CHILDREN 317 
 
 weeping willows, that at noonday a susceptible 
 fancy like yours would mistake it for a bewitching 
 moonlight evening. These sympathizing willows, 
 too, exclude even the prying eyes of curiosity. 
 There, no rude noise interrupts the softest 
 whisper. There, no harsher sound is heard than 
 the mild cooings of the gentle dove, the gay 
 thrasher's animated warbles, and the soft mur 
 murs of the passing brook. Really, Theo, it is 
 charming ! " 
 
 Mrs. Burr's reply to this adulatory description 
 was simple, but concise: "You know, Aaron, I 
 never did like weeping willows. Mother had a 
 picture of a graveyard full of them, and I never 
 looked upon it when I was a young girl without 
 thinking of death and gravestones." 
 
 Burr went on, apparently not noticing his 
 wife's comment : "From this amiable bower you 
 ascend a gentle declivity, by a winding path, to a 
 cluster of lofty oaks and locusts. Here nature 
 assumes a more august appearance. The gentle 
 brook which murmured soft below, here becomes 
 a cataract. Here you behold the stately Mohawk 
 rolling majestically in sight of the lofty Appala 
 chians. Here the mind assumes a nobler tone, 
 and is occupied by sublimer thoughts. What 
 there, was tenderness, here swells to rapture. It 
 is truly charming ! " 
 
 " I am sorry the river is so near," said Mrs. 
 Burr, quietly. "When the children were out of 
 sight, I should always be fearful that they would 
 fall into it and be drowned." 
 
 Again Burr proceeded with his description, 
 apparently unmindful of his wife's remark :
 
 318 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " The windings of this enchanting brook form a 
 lovely island, variegated by the sportive hand of 
 nature. This shall be yours. We will plant it 
 with jessamines and woodbine, and call it Cyprus. 
 It seems formed for the residence of the Loves and 
 Graces, and is, therefore, yours by the best of titles. 
 It is, indeed, most charming! " 
 
 The maternal instinct was again predominant 
 in Mrs. Burr. " I shall have but little time," said 
 she, "to impersonate one of the Graces in a sylvan 
 arbor, with the care of a large house upon my 
 hands, not forgetting the duty which I owe to our 
 three little children." 
 
 Again Burr proceeded with his somewhat 
 grandiloquent description without answering his 
 wife's objections : 
 
 " In many things I am indeed unhappy in pos 
 sessing a singularity of taste ; particularly unhappy 
 when that taste differs in anything from yours. 
 But we cannot control necessity, though we often 
 persuade ourselves that certain things are our 
 choice, when, in truth, we have been unavoidably 
 impelled to them. In the instance I am going to 
 relate, I shall not examine whether I have been 
 governed by mere fancy, or by motives of expe 
 diency, or by caprice ; you will probably say the 
 latter." 
 
 Mrs. Burr clasped her hands nervously, dropped 
 her eyelids, and bit her lip. He had decided, then ; 
 it was evident that he intended to leave Maiden 
 Lane and move to Fort Johnson. 
 
 Burr saw her mental condition, but went on : 
 " My dear Theo, arm yourself with all your forti-
 
 WITH WIFE AND CHILDREN 319 
 
 tude. I know you have much of it, and I hope 
 that upon this occasion you will not fail to exer 
 cise it. I abhor preface and preamble, and don't 
 know why I have now used it so freely. But 
 I am well aware that what I have related needs 
 much apology from me, and will need much to 
 you. If I am the unwilling, the unfortunate in 
 strument of depriving you of any part of your 
 promised gayety or pleasure, I hope you are too 
 generous to aggravate the misfortune by upbraid 
 ing me with it. Be assured I hope the assurance 
 is needless that whatever diminishes your happi 
 ness equally impairs mine. In short, then for I 
 grow tedious both to you and myself ; and to pro 
 crastinate the relation of disagreeable events only 
 gives them poignancy in short, then, my dear 
 Theo, the beauty of this same Fort Johnson, the 
 fertility of the soil, the commodiousness and 
 elegance of the buildings, the great value of the 
 mills, and the very inconsiderable price which was 
 asked for the whole, have not induced me to pur 
 chase it, and probably never will." 
 
 The next instant he was on his knees at his 
 wife's feet and had taken both of her hands in his. 
 Looking up into her anxious, troubled face, with 
 a smile upon his own, he said : 
 
 " I am confident of meeting your forgiveness, 
 Theo."
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 RICHMOND HILL 
 
 TN the olden days the slight eminence which 
 afterwards became known as Richmond Hill 
 was, in reality, a hill, and a sand-hill at that. This 
 sand ridge stretched nearly across the Island of 
 Manhattan from west to east, ending near the 
 Minetta Water, which, despite its pretty name, 
 was, in fact, but a swamp pond, the adjoining 
 land being commonly known as the Lispenard 
 Meadows. 
 
 According to the old chroniclers, the location, 
 in its natural state, was one of great beauty. Look 
 ing in either direction from the summit of the hill, 
 an enticing prospect met the eye to the west, 
 the onward moving waters of the Hudson ; to the 
 south and north, woods, and glens, and dells ; while 
 to the east could be seen the shallow pond with 
 the pretty name Minetta Water. 
 
 A few years after General Wolfe broke the 
 power of the French in the new world by defeat 
 ing Montcalm and making Quebec an English 
 stronghold, Abraham Mortier, Esq., Commis 
 sary to His Majesty's forces, purchased the estate 
 and built thereon a dwelling, which, according to 
 the taste of the period, was " vastly fine." In the 
 words of a more recent writer, " Mr. Commissary 
 Mortier's house was a wooden building of massive
 
 RICHMOND HILL 
 
 architecture, with a lofty portico supported by 
 Ionic columns, the front walls decorated with pi 
 lasters of the same order, and its whole appearance 
 distinguished by a Palladian character of rich, 
 though sober ornament. In other words, it was 
 one of those Grecian temples built of two-inch pine 
 planks, the like of which may still be seen on the 
 Long Island shore of the Narrows to the as 
 tonishment and confusion of the intelligent for 
 eigner for the first time coming up the bay." 
 
 When General Washington, at the head of the 
 American army, arrived in New York in 1776, he 
 chose the mansion known as Richmond Hill as 
 his headquarters, and here they were located when 
 Aaron Burr became a member of his official family. 
 As the young subaltern looked about the spacious 
 grounds, it was but natural that his eyes should 
 rest upon the imposing mansion, and, perhaps, just 
 as natural that he should say to himself, " some 
 day I will become the owner of that house." 
 
 Oftentimes, the day dreams of young men and 
 of young women are not realized, but sometimes 
 they do become true. It seems to have been 
 marked out by the hand of destiny that Aaron 
 Burr, on the occasion of his first arrival in New 
 York, should become an inmate of Richmond 
 Hill, and that the day which marked the climax 
 of his political and social supremacy was to be 
 passed in that same house. 
 
 It matters little who occupied Richmond 
 Hill from the time Washington was driven from 
 the city by the victorious British, until John 
 Adams, Vice-President of the United States, took
 
 LITTLE BURR 
 
 up his residence there. Then it became the home 
 of generous hospitality and important social func 
 tions. 
 
 Aaron Burr's palatial home has been described, 
 but it is not yet time for him to enter it. He still 
 lives in Maiden Lane, but time has added eight 
 years to his age, and the infant Theodosia is a 
 precocious young miss of seven summers. 
 
 The legal path which Burr had chosen to fol 
 low broadened into a wide and easily travelled road. 
 As a recognition of his marked ability in that line 
 he had been made Attorney-General and a seat 
 upon the bench had been offered him. Why did 
 he not accept it ? The law had been a generous 
 mistress. Why was it that he forsook her and 
 became a devotee of the god of politics ? 
 
 A student of war and an ambitious aspirant for 
 the honors which fall to those who are victorious, 
 perhaps it is but natural that he should think the 
 court-room too circumscribed an arena for the 
 display of his fighting qualities. The halls of 
 legislation offered a wider field, and to them he be 
 took himself. In politics, as in war, he was victori 
 ous. In his first political tournament he unhorsed 
 his adversary, Gen. Philip Schuyler, and wrested 
 from him the title to a seat in the Senate of the 
 United States. From that day, Alexander Ham 
 ilton, who was the son-in-law of General Schuyler, 
 became the implacable foe of Aaron Burr. Up to 
 that time, if not implacable, he had at least been 
 inventive, secretive, and persistent in his opposi 
 tion. 
 
 Thus far, all had gone well with Aaron Burr.
 
 RICHMOND HILL 323 
 
 Successful as lawyer and politician, he had a 
 loving wife, a happy home, and a beautiful and 
 intelligent daughter. Probably no young man in 
 America at that time had before him more allur 
 ing prospects. 
 
 In the old Grecian Mythology, a goddess is 
 mentioned whose duty it was to watch those who 
 were successful, and when they had nearly reached 
 the summit of their ambition, to use her various 
 arts and devices to bring about their downfall. 
 Certain it is, that at this time a most terrible mis 
 fortune was experienced by Aaron Burr. His 
 wife, who had never been very strong physically, 
 began to show signs of an insidious disease, which 
 the physicians soon pronounced to be incurable. 
 Burr, who had filled out but half of his senatorial 
 term, wished to resign his office, return to New 
 York, and remain by her bedside. But his wife 
 would not listen to such a proposition, and the 
 earnest entreaties of both husband and daughter 
 failed to secure her consent. 
 
 She died when her daughter Theodosia was 
 but eleven years of age, and Burr was left to face 
 the future without her loving heart, her wise coun 
 cil, and her helping hand. Besides this, the sole 
 charge of his young daughter devolved upon him, 
 and it was with a feeling of great relief and satis 
 faction that he reached the end of his senatorial 
 term, and could once more return to his home, 
 left barren by the loss of his beloved wife. 
 
 But a new hope now sprang up in his heart and 
 he was urged on by a new incentive and a noble 
 one. The mother was dead, but the daughter lived.
 
 324 LITTLE BURR 
 
 He had peculiar, in fact, original ideas as to how a 
 young woman should be educated, and they had 
 been carried out with his wife's knowledge and 
 consent. Now, he had become sole arbiter of his 
 daughter's physical, mental, moral, and religious 
 development, and he set himself to the task with a 
 vigilance and a consecrated purpose such as had 
 never before animated a father. 
 
 He did not wish that she should be beautiful 
 in person only. He wished her to be beautiful in 
 thought, in action, in learning, and in the expres 
 sion of what she knew. But of what use would it 
 be to raise a beautiful flower in a secluded garden, 
 where no one could see the great result of his 
 peculiar system of cultivation ? No, she should 
 be transplanted to a home worthy of her beauty 
 and attainments ; and thus it was, that in 1797, 
 when Theodosia Burr was but fourteen years 
 of age, she became the virtual mistress of Rich 
 mond Hill, which had been purchased by her 
 father. 
 
 The mansion was elegantly furnished, for Burr 
 had plenty of money at his command. A great 
 library was rilled with the most valuable books. 
 He entertained sumptuously. Not only the lead 
 ing Americans of the time, but many visitors 
 from foreign lands became the recipients of his 
 unbounded hospitality. 
 
 His wife's children, the Prevost boys, were his 
 children as well, and participated without stint in 
 the bounty of the great mansion. That his 
 daughter, Theodosia, who had been deprived of a 
 mother's love and care, might not suffer from the
 
 RICHMOND HILL 325 
 
 lack of female society, another young woman 
 became a member of the household. This was 
 Natalie de L'Age. She was a companion for 
 Theodosia, her intimate friend and confidant. 
 Being of French extraction and adept in the 
 use of the French language, Theodosia had an 
 opportunity to obtain an intimate and correct 
 knowledge of what was considered the polite 
 speech of the day. 
 
 Time wore on, as is its wont, and Theodosia's 
 seventeenth birthday was near at hand. Natalie 
 was two years older, and presuming upon that 
 fact, prevailed upon Colonel Burr to give her 
 complete charge of the preparations for the fes 
 tivities which were to honor the event. 
 
 One morning the two young ladies were 
 discussing the arrangements for the coming 
 anniversary. " I think," said Theodosia, " that, 
 being the mistress of the house, and it being my 
 birthday which is to be made the occasion of a 
 celebration, I ought to have something to say 
 about the manner in which the guests are to be 
 entertained. Why, Natalie, my father and you 
 have actually combined to force me to abdicate 
 my position as mistress of Richmond Hill, and I 
 have not so much to do with its conduct as old 
 Peggy in the kitchen." 
 
 " Only tempora " began Natalie ; then finding 
 the long English word too perplexing, she relapsed 
 into a mixture of English and French. " Only 
 pour un moment^ ma petite? she cried. "After 
 the fete is over, I will abdicate and you can be 
 la reine once more. Mais le minis tre d'affaires
 
 326 LITTLE BURR 
 
 domestiques has put me in charge of this grande 
 maison? 
 
 Theodosia glanced at Natalie, and her face 
 indicated her intention to administer some words 
 of reproof. Natalie saw the change in her com 
 panion's expression and ejaculated : 
 
 " Why, what's the matter, Theo ? What un 
 pardonable sin have I committed ? " 
 
 " It is not a sin, but a misdemeanor," was the 
 grave reply. "You are my instructor in the 
 French language. What would you say, if, while 
 pretending to talk French, I interlarded my con 
 versation with English phrases and idioms ? " 
 
 Natalie bit her lip, pouted, then looked out of 
 an adjacent window. Suddenly she sprang from 
 her chair, threw her arms about Theodosia's neck, 
 kissed her, and exclaimed : 
 
 "You are right, Theo! You always are. I 
 will never do so again. What a magnificent time 
 we shall have. No daughter of a king ever had 
 more suitors at her feet than you will have that 
 evening." 
 
 "Nonsense!" said Theodosia. "You know, 
 Natalie, that I do not care for lovers. My duty 
 is to fill the place made vacant by my mother's 
 death and do all I that can to contribute to the 
 happiness of my father." 
 
 " I know that," rejoined Natalie ; " he is worthy 
 of all the love and devotion that you can show 
 him. I love him, too. I have no father or mother 
 perhaps that is why. You are not jealous, 
 Theo?" 
 
 " I love those who love my father," was the 
 reply.
 
 RICHMOND HILL 327 
 
 " I will go farther than that," cried Natalie, 
 impetuously. " I hate those who do not like him, 
 and who are not good and kind to him. I wish I 
 could choose the guests in addition to the selec 
 tion of the flowers and decorations." 
 
 " I am curious to know whom you would 
 invite," Theodosia remarked. 
 
 " I cannot name them all at once," said Natalie. 
 " Of course, one of them would be that handsome 
 young Mr. Alston from South Carolina. No, 
 you needn't blush, Theo, it is not at all necessary. 
 Then I should not forget that very nice young 
 man who writes such pretty things, that I love to 
 read so much Washington Washington Irv 
 ing. What a grand name that is, and how grandly 
 Mrs. Washington Irving would sound." 
 
 "You have selected two of the guests," said 
 Theodosia, " it is my turn to choose the next two. 
 You may add to your list, Natalie, Count Jerome 
 de Joliette, and, as you told me, it is not necessary 
 for you to blush at the simple mention of his 
 name ; but if you do, I know that your cheeks will 
 become redder than ever when I tell you that my 
 second choice is Maj. Thomas Sumter." 
 
 It must not be inferred that Miss Theodosia 
 Burr, who, at the age of fourteen, was proficient in 
 mathematics, an advanced student in philosophy, 
 had a good knowledge of Latin, could read Virgil 
 and Horace in the original, speak, write, and read 
 French with fluency, who was skilled in the 
 housewifely arts of the period, and who had 
 mastered all the intricacies of polite social 
 decorum, would have of her own accord engaged
 
 328 LITTLE BURR 
 
 in what may appear to some to be a trivial conver 
 sation ; but a king is often obliged to talk with a 
 commoner on his own level, as is the lord of the 
 manor with the peasant who tills the soil of his 
 estate and pays the rent which contributes towards 
 supporting his master in affluence. So it was, that 
 Natalie, whose perceptive powers only reached 
 the superficial and whose thoughts were but little 
 deeper than her perception, often forced Theo- 
 dosia to indulge in conversations, the time for 
 which could have been better employed by one 
 having such a practical and educated mind. 
 
 As personal beauty, however, is seen to the 
 greatest advantage when in close contact with a 
 homely foil, which enhances its charms, so the 
 abandon of Natalie's manner and the unrestraint 
 which marked her conversation only served to 
 show more plainly to the looker-on the charm of 
 Theodosia's always ladylike demeanor and the 
 extent and completeness of her education. All 
 who were brought in contact with her, uniformly 
 acknowledged that she was by far the best in 
 formed woman of her time in America.
 
 CHAPTER XXVi; t ,. 
 THEODOSIA'S LOVERS , 
 
 '"PHE birthday /<?/* was over, 'f he anniversary 
 of Theodosia's natal day had been celebrated 
 in a manner commensurate with her father's re 
 puted wealth, his commanding position at the bar, 
 and his acknowledged high social standing. 
 
 To Theodosia and Natalie, the evening had 
 been one of unmixed pleasure. They had been 
 the recipients of innumerable compliments, cour 
 tesies, and civilities, and to cap all, opportunities 
 had been secured by two young men to whisper 
 words of love in Theodosia's ear, while Natalie had 
 been equally favored. 
 
 Joseph Alston, a young and handsome South 
 Carolinian, and the owner of an extensive rice 
 plantation cultivated by hundreds of slaves, who 
 were also his property, had declared his love for 
 Theodosia and had asked her to become his wife. 
 One such conquest would have entirely satisfied 
 any ambition she might have had in that direction, 
 but Cupid was not content with this single in 
 stance of adoration. Theodosia was destined to 
 listen, before the evening was over, to words so 
 suggestive of admiration and of even stronger 
 feeling, that she had no doubt that Washington 
 Irving, the young author, would have sued for her 
 hand if he had thought there was the slightest 
 chance of success.
 
 330 LITTLE BURR 
 
 Attached to the French Embassy at Washing 
 ton was the young Count Jerome de Joliette. 
 Handsome in face and figure, and adept in com 
 pliment and even flattery, he was a young man 
 well calculated to win the attention, affection, and 
 love of an impressionable young woman like 
 Natalie de L'Age. Their conversation was carried 
 on in French, and it mus't be confessed that there 
 is no tongue in which the words of love sound 
 sweeter. The word " amour'" is so expressive that 
 it is no wonder it is often chosen by ardent suitors 
 instead of its rather cold and unsympathetic Eng 
 lish equivalent. Compare the two phrases, " Vive 
 F amour! " and " Long live love ! " and the English 
 expression, whether we consider it strengthened or 
 weakened by its alliteration, it must be confessed, 
 cannot approach in vocal force its Gallic counter 
 part. 
 
 Certain it was, that Natalie's heart beat faster 
 and the rose color mounted to her cheeks, when 
 the gallant Frenchman protested his love for her, 
 offered to make her a countess, and to take her 
 back to sunny France with him at once. Like the 
 lover who won the Lady of Lyons, he expatiated 
 upon the size of his estate, the magnificence of his 
 chateau, and the beauty of its surroundings. 
 
 " Paris is the heaven of the world ! " he cried, 
 imbuing his language with characteristic French 
 conceit, "and la Comtesse de Joliette will be its 
 shining star ! " 
 
 But there was another young man in the com 
 pany, American born, who had long been a resident 
 of Paris. Like Joseph Alston, he was a South
 
 THEODOSIA'S LOVERS 331 
 
 Carolinian, but he possessed neither rice planta 
 tions nor slaves, being, in fact, an attache of the 
 American Embassy at the capital of France. 
 Young and ambitious, he had high hopes of 
 ultimately winning great distinction in the 
 diplomatic service of his country. To do this 
 successfully, he must marry, and entertain his 
 diplomatic associates and those members of the 
 French government with whom he was brought 
 into official contact. 
 
 When a man secures as his companion for life a 
 woman who satisfies both his heart and mind, he 
 has a right to consider himself happy indeed. 
 Maj. Thomas Sumter thought that Paris would be 
 a heaven upon earth if he could install Natalie de 
 L'Age as the head of his household. His heart 
 was satisfied with her beauty and her somewhat 
 wayward but loving disposition. His mind ex 
 perienced gratification at the thought, that, being 
 of French extraction and speaking the language 
 fluently, she would be of great service to him, both 
 in his official duties and in his business intercourse 
 with the French government and other embassies. 
 
 It is, perhaps, needless to say, that both young 
 ladies pleaded for delay before committing them 
 selves by decisive answers. Natalie took refuge 
 behind her contract, or rather, agreement, with 
 Colonel Burr, to remain with Theodosia for an in 
 definite period. She could say nothing until she 
 had spoken to one who, she declared, treated her 
 like a daughter. 
 
 Miss Theodosia reminded Mr. Alston that Aris 
 totle had expressed the opinion, that a man should
 
 332 LITTLE BURR 
 
 not marry until he was thirty-six. " But his 
 advice can hardly apply in this instance, Miss 
 Burr," was his reply. " If we should follow it, when 
 I am thirty-six you would be thirty-one ; and even 
 Aristotle could not have meant that a young lady 
 should remain single until she was thirty-one. 
 Only one condition of affairs could possibly lead 
 me to agree with Aristotle." 
 
 " And what may that be ? " Theodosia asked. 
 
 " I am twenty-two," was the reply. " If you 
 were but three years of age, I would be willing to 
 follow his advice, but even then I should consider 
 that many happy years of life had been lost in 
 deference to the dictum of a philosopher who wrote 
 for his time and people and not for ours." 
 
 The next morning, both young ladies expressed 
 to Colonel Burr their desire for a private inter 
 view. They had intended, at first, to see him 
 singly; but Natalie prevailed upon Theodosia to 
 consent to her accompanying her, and they faced 
 the man whom they both looked upon as father, 
 with an air approaching that of two criminals 
 brought before a judge for sentence. 
 
 Probably Burr surmised the object of their 
 visit, and by a series of leading questions, deftly 
 formed and cleverly put, was soon in possession of 
 a full knowledge of the situation. He immediately 
 put them at their ease by expressing his pleasure 
 at the confidence they had shown in him by ask 
 ing his advice. 
 
 " Come, let us reason together," he said, quot 
 ing, probably unconsciously, the words of the 
 Prophet Isaiah. " You will pardon me, ladies, if
 
 THEODOSIA'S LOVERS 333 
 
 in what I am going to say I look at the matter 
 from a legal, or, perhaps, more properly speaking, 
 a judicial point of view." He changed his position 
 so that their faces were in profile instead of being 
 exactly opposite his own. Then he resumed: 
 
 " I see before me several pictures, each of which 
 I will describe. The first of these is of a great 
 plantation in a Southern State. It covers thou 
 sands of acres and the labor of the toilers upon its 
 soil brings in a great revenue to its owner. He is 
 young, handsome, talented, full of ambition, and 
 destined to hold high positions in the government 
 of his own State and, perhaps, in that of the coun 
 try. His social standing is secure, and to his wife 
 he will bring its advantages and that of sufficient 
 wealth to sustain it, and they would descend to his 
 children." There was silence for several minutes, 
 and then Burr went on : 
 
 " I see a comfortably but not luxuriously fur 
 nished apartment, in which a man sits at a table, 
 engaged in writing. I look over his shoulder and 
 learn that he is an author. His income is not 
 derived from the labor of others, but from the 
 creations of his own brain, written down by his own 
 hand. But the market for such wares is not so 
 sure, nor the pay so adequate, as for the products 
 of the soil. These last, every one must have, for 
 they are the necessaries of life; but books are 
 luxuries, and one may live without them. A 
 young woman enters the room and takes a seat 
 beside him. With a face glowing with enthusiasm 
 and a voice ringing with passion, he reads to her 
 the words which he has written. She listens
 
 334 LITTLE BURR 
 
 intently, and when he closes, expresses her delight 
 and her belief that his book will make him famous. 
 Surely no man in the world so greatly needs the 
 love, attention, and appreciation of a wife as he 
 who aims to instruct, to amuse, or to guide his 
 fellow-men." 
 
 Turning to his daughter, he said : " From per 
 sonal experience, what I have related I know to 
 be true. Your mother, Theodosia, was the best 
 woman and the finest lady I have ever known." 
 
 Again he shifted the position of his chair so 
 that his gaze was fixed, not upon the faces of those 
 whom he regarded as daughters, but upon the 
 window opposite, through which the morning sun 
 came dancing in upon the highly polished floor of 
 the great library where they sat. 
 
 " I see another picture," he went on. " The 
 scene is not in America, but in a far-off land. One 
 of the most beautiful mansions in that country 
 belongs to a young count, who is now travelling 
 in the United States to study our institutions and 
 people. He has another object in view, which, I 
 infer, is to transplant to his native land a young 
 lady, known for her beauty, wit, and social accom 
 plishments, and to make her the mistress of his 
 chateau. As his wife, she will have the entree to 
 the best society in France, and when she accom 
 panies him to Paris he knows that his American 
 wife will grace its salons and make him an object 
 of envy. Surely no picture of a brighter future 
 could be presented to the eyes of a prospective 
 bride. 
 
 " But there is another picture that must be
 
 THEODOSIA'S LOVERS 335 
 
 considered at the same time. A young American, 
 as handsome and more ambitious than his rival, 
 because he must make his fortune instead of inher 
 iting it, also sues for the hand of the woman who 
 may be a countess if she wishes. The young 
 American may yet become an ambassador, but 
 that, of course, is problematical. Even if he does, 
 he will probably never own a chateau like that of 
 his rival, the count, nor have an equal revenue. 
 Of his love and devotion there can be no question, 
 and perhaps the young lady whom he wishes to 
 make his wife may prefer to end her days in the 
 land where both were born, rather than in a foreign 
 country." 
 
 Once more Burr became silent. The young 
 girls arose, each passed an arm about the other's 
 waist; they walked to the window and looked out 
 upon the grounds, whose natural beauties were 
 glorified by the sunlight, and saw, still farther on, 
 the river, which glittered beneath it. Thinking 
 the same thoughts and influenced by the same 
 feelings, they turned to Burr. It was Natalie who 
 spoke : 
 
 " But you have not expressed any opinion as to 
 which proposals you think we should accept." 
 
 " Nor do I intend to," was Burr's reply. " If 
 anything unhappy should occur as the result of 
 either of the marriages, I do not wish to be con 
 sidered responsible in any way. You must follow 
 the dictates of your own hearts. I have painted 
 some pictures for you to gaze upon. You young 
 ladies must decide in which of these pictures you 
 are to be represented in the future."
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 A THREE-CORNERED FIGHT 
 
 '"pHEODOSIA accepted the rich planter and 
 Natalie the poor attache. Burr neither ap 
 proved nor disapproved when his daughters an 
 nounced their choices to him ; his only stipulation 
 was that the weddings should not occur for a year. 
 In no other way did he interfere with the marriage 
 negotiations or their consummation. 
 
 Mr. Alston was somewhat impatient at this 
 restraint, but her father's wish was law to her, and 
 Theodosia was inflexible. Major Sumter was 
 pleased, rather than otherwise, at the delay, for 
 it gave him an opportunity to return to France 
 and make suitable preparations for the reception 
 of his bride. 
 
 The years of anticipation move with leaden 
 wings ; those of realization flit by as do the butter 
 fly or the humming-bird. The eventful day came 
 at last, however, and the proud father gave his 
 daughters a grand wedding at Richmond Hill. 
 Yes, he was proud, but yet sorrowful. Since the 
 death of his wife, Theodosia had been the mistress 
 of his mansion; Natalie had been her beloved 
 companion ; and in the society of these bright 
 young women he had found that delightful home 
 recreation, so pleasing and restful to the busy 
 man at the close of each day of great mental or
 
 A THREE-CORNERED FIGHT 337 
 
 physical activity. Now, all was to be changed ; 
 the loving daughter was to leave him alone to go 
 South to her new home, while her companion was 
 to cross the sea, and her beautiful face and cheer 
 ful voice would, perhaps, never be seen or heard 
 again by father or daughter. 
 
 When a young man loses the woman whom he 
 has chosen as his companion and helpmate for 
 life, he is but following the promptings of nature 
 when he looks about him to find another, to take, 
 if not to fill the place of the lost one. When an 
 elderly man is called upon to mourn the loss of 
 one with whom the better part of his life has been 
 passed in comfort and happiness, he may still look 
 forward to another union ; for to such, a wifeless 
 home is the saddest of all sad places. The prob 
 lem that faces the man of middle age, thus bereft 
 of his consort, is much greater than that which 
 confronts the younger or the older man. In the 
 opinion of his relatives and friends, if not in his 
 own, he is too old to marry a woman much younger 
 than himself ; while from his own point of view, 
 he is too young to marry one who is much older 
 than himself. Besides, the man who has thus half 
 tasted the joys of a happy married life is fearful of 
 making a mistake which may not only render the 
 remainder of his life unhappy by inevitable daily 
 comparisons, but may even efface from his 
 memory, either partially or wholly, the remem 
 brance of happy days gone by. These thoughts 
 passed through Burr's mind as he thought of the 
 perhaps, joyless years to come, bereft as he was of 
 wife and child.
 
 338 LITTLE BURR 
 
 The discarded suitors were gentlemen, and met 
 their fates as such. The poet, who had been 
 attracted by Theodosia's education, wit and beauty, 
 testified his to-be-lifelong friendship by means of 
 a poem, which conveyed to the recipient a full 
 comprehension of the honest devotion which had 
 filled his heart, but which he now, as in duty 
 bound, put aside forever, substituting therefor 
 only the lightly binding ties which unite those 
 who may think of each other often, but seldom 
 meet. 
 
 Count Je*rome de Joliette was more practical. 
 " I am a very rich man," he said to Major Sumter, 
 " and you are a very happy one, or ought to be." 
 Then, with true French gallantry, he added: 
 " I see now that it was too much to expect that 
 kind Fortune would give to me not only birth 
 and wealth, but also the lovely woman whom you 
 are to lead to the altar to-morrow. I will be honest 
 with you, Major, and confess that I envy you. If 
 Natalie had loved me, instead of you, I should 
 have been the happiest of men; but I am still 
 happy when I think that the care of her future has 
 fallen to one for whom I entertain feelings of the 
 highest respect and regard. Now that you have 
 heard my confession, Major, I am sure that you 
 will not object to your future bride receiving from 
 me a little gift which I have purchased as a bridal 
 present for her, for money is really of so little value 
 to me that the spending of it is not a virtue only 
 a necessity." 
 
 The little gift to which the count referred 
 was a beautiful necklace of diamonds and rubies,
 
 A THREE-CORNERED FIGHT 339 
 
 one fully as valuable as he would have bestowed 
 upon her had she become the Countess de Joliette. 
 
 The election to choose the third President of 
 the United States was close at hand. Mrs. Alston 
 and Mrs. Sumter, with their husbands' consent, 
 decided to remain at Richmond Hill until the 
 issue of the contest was known. 
 
 Washington had served two terms of four 
 years each, and it was but natural that the friends 
 of President John Adams should consider it his 
 due to be rewarded with a like tenure of office. 
 It was known to many, however, that in his 
 cabinet were two forces, represented by two 
 strong men, each striving for the mastery. Alex 
 ander Hamilton was the acknowledged chief of the 
 Federalist or monarchical party, while Thomas 
 Jefferson represented the Republican idea, which 
 was a direct antithesis to that entertained by the 
 advocates of a strong central government. 
 
 Burr had in many ways testified his sympathy 
 with the common people rather than with the aris 
 tocratic landowners or capitalists. He had seen, 
 as had many others, that while Hamilton's scheme 
 of funding the national debt established con 
 siderable national credit, it had, at the same time, 
 taken from the pockets of the common people, 
 including among these the officers and soldiers 
 who had fought the battles of the Revolution, at 
 least sixty millions of dollars, which had passed 
 into the hands of the landowners and the moneyed 
 class. The funding scheme was a great evil. It 
 made the poor, poorer and the rich, richer. At 
 the same time, it supplied Hamilton and his party
 
 340 LITTLE BURR 
 
 with that powerful sinew of war, without which 
 no great political contest can be carried on suc 
 cessfully money. Those who obtained this great 
 financial benefit naturally became his supporters. 
 
 It was with the dominant political power and 
 their moneyed allies that Burr decided to wage 
 war. During his military career he had been a 
 strict disciplinarian. He had developed remark 
 able powers as an organizer, and he decided to 
 employ these powers in the coming political 
 campaign. He was to be the general-in-chief, of 
 course, but he called to his aid hundreds of the 
 young men of the city, who believed in him and 
 were willing to carry out his orders implicitly. 
 Among these, William P. Van Ness was the one 
 to whom Burr first confided his plan of campaign. 
 He sent for him and they had a long conference 
 one morning in the great library. 
 
 " Van Ness," Burr began, " if we are to win a 
 victory, it must be secured by the adoption of new 
 tactics which cannot be imitated by our political 
 opponents, at least in this contest. I have sent 
 for you in order that I may make known my 
 proposed plan of operation. It it commends itself 
 to you, we will choose a third to whom to confide 
 it ; to this number we will add a fourth, and so on, 
 until our political staff is complete. Then we 
 will begin active work, but we will not disclose 
 our plan of warfare to our opponents. When 
 they comprehend what we have done, it will be 
 the proper time to inform them how we have 
 done it." 
 
 Burr then spread out upon the library table a
 
 A THREE-CORNERED FIGHT 341 
 
 large map of the city of New York which had 
 been cut up into districts, the boundaries of which 
 were indicated by various colored lines. 
 
 " My plan," said Burr, " is to have a tried and 
 trusty man in charge of each of these districts. It 
 will be his duty to make a list of every voter in his 
 district, and to ascertain, by some means or other, 
 his political affiliations. These lists, when com 
 pleted, must be sent to me, and we will then decide 
 to what extent we shall be justified in calling 
 upon our friends for personal or financial support. 
 Some, who have little money, will be glad to serve 
 us with voice and pen ; while many, who have 
 riches and the natural indolence which accom 
 panies them, will be glad to escape from further 
 service by supplying us with funds." 
 
 This was the general plan, which was soon 
 perfected in its minor details, and Van Ness and 
 the other members of the political staff chosen by 
 Burr began the work, the fruition of which was to 
 have so great an influence upon the future of the 
 country. 
 
 Burr now instituted a new phase of general 
 ship. He felt that he could rely upon the rank 
 and file of his political army, and also upon his 
 company and regimental commanders; but now 
 the generals of divisions were to be chosen, and 
 Burr felt that in this he would not be able to 
 command, but would be obliged to entreat. His 
 idea was to have the ticket of the Republican 
 party in the State of New York composed of its 
 best known and most reliable men. 
 
 His first visit was to Gov. George Clinton, who
 
 342 LITTLE BURR 
 
 was an opponent of Thomas Jefferson. The 
 sturdy old man made a determined fight ; he at 
 first refused point blank to have his name con 
 nected in any way with that of Jefferson. But 
 Burr was a profound reader of the minds of men 
 and born to control their destinies. The old 
 governor finally decided to head the ticket, but 
 upon the condition that he should not be called 
 upon to say a single word in support of Thomas 
 Jefferson, the Republican candidate for President. 
 " I will keep my mouth shut," he said; " I will say 
 nothing ; I will do nothing." 
 
 Burr was satisfied with this, and proceeded to 
 complete his ticket, which bore many other dis 
 tinguished names, those of Gen. Horatio Gates 
 and Brockholst Livingston being among them. 
 By his political generalship, Burr secured for his 
 ticket not only the names of the strongest men in 
 the State, but also settled some long existing feuds 
 between rival families. 
 
 The contest was over! At the close of the 
 memorable political battle of three days' duration, 
 it was found, to the surprise of all, both Federal 
 ists and Republicans, that the State of New York, 
 which, up to that time, had been the stronghold of 
 Alexander Hamilton, the Federalist leader, had 
 changed its political complexion, being carried by 
 the Republicans by a majority of nearly five hun 
 dred. The news came in slowly from the other 
 States, for the means of communication were 
 primitive and tedious. 
 
 Hamilton had planned to defeat John Adams 
 by detaching one of his supporters, who would
 
 A THREE-CORNERED FIGHT 343 
 
 cast a vote for Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, thus 
 making him President and degrading Adams to 
 the second place. He had evidently counted on 
 a very close contest, since the value of one elect 
 oral vote was to be paramount. The result sus 
 tained his theory, but, strange to relate, the tie 
 vote was not between Adams and Pinckney, but 
 between Jefferson and Burr, who each had a clear 
 majority of seven votes over Adams, who had the 
 next highest number. It then became apparent 
 that, according to the Constitution, the election 
 would be thrown into the House of Representa 
 tives and the battle would have to be waged all 
 over again. It was the last struggle of the domi 
 nant party. If the Republicans won, it would be 
 a death blow to the Federalists. 
 
 Hamilton saw that his party still held the bal 
 ance of power. How should it be used ? He had 
 a hearty contempt for the common people and 
 had expressed his feelings in this respect on many 
 occasions. The people did not trust him, nor he 
 them. To defeat their will would be a pastime 
 for him. How could this be done in the easiest 
 possible way? He thought of a scheme. He 
 wrote to Governor Jay, suggesting that the old 
 Legislature of the State of New York, which was 
 Federalist, should be called together and Federal 
 ist electors chosen by them who could be certified 
 by the governor instead of those elected by the 
 people at the polls. Governor Jay was an honor 
 able man and declined to take part in such a des 
 picable manoeuvre. 
 
 Defeated in this nefarious project, Hamilton
 
 344 LITTLE BURR 
 
 turned his attention to the opening of the contest 
 in the House of Representatives. He decided 
 that of two evils he would choose the lesser that 
 is, the lesser in his opinion. He hated both Jef 
 ferson and Burr, but naturally he hated Burr more 
 than he did Jefferson. Besides, from his knowl 
 edge of Jefferson, he felt sure that the Federalists 
 could make better terms with him than they could 
 with Burr, the enemy of Federalism and the life 
 long opponent of its chieftain. 
 
 But how could he best deceive the people as 
 to his intentions? It would not do for him to 
 openly espouse Jefferson, but his allies could do 
 this without compromising him. Again, he must 
 do all that he could to undermine Burr and turn 
 the current of public feeling against him. This 
 could not be done by simply supporting Jefferson. 
 No, he must call upon his allies again ; but this 
 time upon an entirely different class. He had 
 recourse to the campaign followers of political 
 armies those who serve, not for love of principle, 
 but for love of lucre. How could he best place 
 Burr before the public in a false position ? Mani 
 festly, by having his allies insinuate that Burr was 
 disposed to bargain with the Federalists in order 
 to secure his election to the Presidency. 
 
 One morning, while the balloting was still 
 going on in the House of Representatives, Mr. 
 Alston requested the privilege of an interview with 
 his father-in-law, Colonel Burr. " You know," said 
 he, when they were seated in the library, " that 
 although I have taken no part in the present polit 
 ical contest, I am naturally interested in the
 
 A THREE-CORNERED FIGHT 345 
 
 outcome. No doubt your party adherents bring 
 to you the gossip of the political world. The 
 question which I am going to ask you is not sug 
 gested for political reasons, but for personal ones." 
 
 "Go on," said Colonel Burr; "speak your 
 mind freely, Joseph, and I promise to answer you 
 with equal freedom and candor." 
 
 " I am," said Mr. Alston, " a fortunate man in 
 being the husband of your daughter. I feel that 
 I am to be still more fortunate in bearing so 
 close a relationship to the third President of the 
 United States." 
 
 " Not so ! " cried Burr, starting to his feet. 
 1 You are wrong, Joseph ! That will never be ! 
 Excuse me," he added, " but why should you form 
 such an opinion ? " 
 
 "Because," replied Mr. Alston, "and I am 
 going to speak frankly, for you told me to be 
 cause I hear upon every side that you are engaged 
 in negotiations with the Federalists in order to 
 secure their political support and to defeat Mr. 
 Jefferson." 
 
 Colonel Burr smiled. " ' They say ' has killed 
 many a rising man, Joseph, but I do not mean to 
 be killed, politically, by such unfounded gossip." 
 Rising, he went to a cabinet and took a letter 
 therefrom, which he handed to his son-in-law. " It 
 was written the middle of last December to Gen 
 eral Smith, the leader of the Republican party in 
 the House of Representatives. I assure you that 
 it is a copy of the letter sent to him, verbatim et 
 literatim? 
 
 Mr. Alston opened the sheet of foolscap and 
 read the following:
 
 346 LITTLE BURR 
 
 "NEW YORK, Dec. 16, 1800. 
 "DEAR SIR: 
 
 " It is highly improbable that I shall have an equal num 
 ber of votes with Mr. Jefferson ; but if such should be the re 
 sult, every man who knows me ought to know that I would 
 utterly disclaim all competition. Be assured that the Federal 
 party can entertain no wish for such an exchange. As to my 
 friends, they would dishonor my views and insult my feelings 
 by a suspicion that I would submit to be instrumental in 
 counteracting the wishes and expectations of the people of the 
 United States. And I now constitute you my proxy to declare 
 these sentiments if the occasion should require. 
 
 "A. BURR. 
 " GEN. SAMUEL SMITH." 
 
 Alston sprang to his feet and grasped Colonel 
 Burr's hand. " You could have shown me noth 
 ing," he cried, " to give me greater pleasure than 
 this letter. Your daughter Theodosia is the per 
 sonification of honor in thought, and word, and 
 deed, and I am proud to learn that this admirable 
 quality has been inherited from a noble father." 
 As he uttered these words, overcome by the 
 strength of his emotions, he threw his arms about 
 Colonel Burr's neck and dropped his head upon 
 his shoulder. 
 
 Burr gently detached himself from the embrace, 
 still clasping his son-in-law's hands. He looked 
 him in the face and said, slowly and deliberately : 
 
 " You are right, Joseph. It would have been 
 a grievous sin in me to bring dishonor upon the 
 name of my beloved daughter and upon the head 
 of an affectionate son, for so I regard you now and 
 shall always so consider you." Then, in turn, he 
 threw his arms about the young man's neck, and 
 they stood thus for a moment, heart to heart. 
 
 The close of the contest came. On the thirty-
 
 A THREE-CORNERED FIGHT 347 
 
 sixth ballot Thomas Jefferson was chosen Presi 
 dent and Aaron Burr Vice-President. The first 
 to congratulate Burr upon his elevation to the 
 second position in the government of the Ameri 
 can people was his trusted lieutenant, Van Ness. 
 After the congratulations were over, Van Ness 
 said, with an air of intensity, which was his dis 
 tinguishing characteristic : 
 
 "You might have been President yourself, 
 Colonel." 
 
 " How so ? " was the inquiry. 
 
 " Well, one way of doing it," Van Ness replied, 
 " would have been to follow the same tactics that 
 Hamilton did, or tried to, between Adams and 
 Pinckney. His military renown, we all know, was 
 derived from his close proximity to Washington. 
 We must confess that he is a good lawyer, but we 
 who understand the business know that he is a 
 mighty poor politician. You could easily have de 
 tached one vote from Jefferson and have secured 
 the first place." 
 
 " But I didn't," was Burr's reply, " and I had 
 good reasons for not doing so." 
 
 " Well, I have learned," said Van Ness, " not to 
 argue with you, and it is equally futile, I suppose, 
 to dwell upon what you might have done. But 
 see what Jefferson has done ! I have it -on the 
 best authority that the electoral vote from Georgia 
 was not properly certified to, and the tellers knew 
 it when they passed it to Jefferson. They sup 
 posed that he would announce the informality to 
 the Senate, but instead of doing so, he declared 
 the vote as being regularly and properly cast for
 
 348 LITTLE BURR 
 
 himself, and it was this that made the tie between 
 you." 
 
 " I attach no importance to that," was Burr's 
 reply. "It was an informality, to be sure, but the 
 intention of the electors was obvious. They did 
 not mean to vote for me for President, and to have 
 secured the office by such an informality would 
 have been as discreditable to me as Jefferson's 
 action is to him." 
 
 " But that is not all ! " cried Van Ness. " You 
 would have been elected if you had used the 
 slightest exertion to secure the place." 
 
 " I know it," said Burr, " but I didn't I had 
 good reasons for not doing so. I talked it all 
 over with Joseph, and we both agreed that the 
 course I took was the right one." 
 
 " Bayard says that you could have been elected 
 easily," Van Ness replied. 
 
 "He ought to know," was Burr's evasive 
 comment. 
 
 " He does know," said Van Ness. " He knows 
 that Jefferson has forsaken his ultra-Republican 
 principles so far as to promise that he will not 
 oppose the building of a navy, nor do anything to 
 shake the public credit. He has also agreed to 
 keep Latimer in as collector at Philadelphia, and 
 McLane at Wilmington. This, of course, was 
 done to satisfy Bayard and some of the other 
 Federalists. Just what further price Jefferson 
 paid in order to buy his election, I do not, at 
 present, know; but I prophesy that he will become 
 an ardent advocate of civil service reform on true 
 British principles, and that it will be as hard to
 
 A THREE-CORNERED FIGHT 349 
 
 get a Federalist out of office as it is to make a pig 
 go the way you want him to." 
 
 "Your simile is forcible, if not exactly genteel," 
 commented Burr, with a laugh. 
 
 Van Ness crossed the room, and taking a book 
 from one of the shelves, opened it and turned the 
 leaves over rapidly. 
 
 " Are you looking for a precedent ? " asked 
 Burr. " I fear you will find none. The case is 
 singularly anomalous in its nature." 
 
 "No," replied Van Ness, "I was not looking 
 for a precedent, but for a quotation from Shakes 
 peare, which I wish to read to one who might 
 have been President if he had followed the great 
 poet's advice." 
 
 Burr approached his friend. " I am anxious to 
 learn," said he, "what Shakespeare said that is 
 applicable to me." 
 
 "Here it is!" cried Van Ness;" and he read 
 with a strenuous voice : 
 
 " There is a tide in the affairs of men, 
 Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune ; 
 Omitted, all the voyage of their life 
 Is bound in shallows and in miseries." 
 
 " I will acknowledge," said Burr, " that the first 
 lines of the quotation may be applicable in some 
 degree to me, but I sincerely hope that the con 
 cluding lines do not presage my future." 
 
 "And so do I, with all my heart!" cried Van 
 Ness, as he grasped Burr's hand; "but Julius 
 Caesar met his political and physical defeat at 
 the hands of a presumed friend. I pray to God, 
 my dear Burr, that such may not be your fate."
 
 350 LITTLE BURR 
 
 Withdrawing his hand quickly from that of 
 Colonel Burr, he left the room without another 
 word. 
 
 The day was fast approaching when the two 
 young brides must leave Richmond Hill, that 
 meant home and father, and go to those new 
 homes provided for them by their husbands. Only 
 a few days more would elapse before Theodosia 
 and Natalie would be called upon to part, perhaps 
 forever. It was about an hour after breakfast, and 
 the young wives were seated in one of the pleasant- 
 est rooms in the great mansion, the windows of 
 which looked out upon the finely kept grounds 
 and the broad expanse of river beyond. Theodosia 
 was reading a book, while Natalie intermittently 
 embroidered a sampler or looked out of the win 
 dow. Turning to Theodosia, Natalie said : 
 
 " What are you reading ? " 
 
 "English history," was the reply; "a story of 
 the contest between the Houses of York and 
 Lancaster, which has been called the * War of the 
 Roses.'" 
 
 "I hate history!" cried Natalie, "but I love 
 roses. Come, Theo, put away your book and we 
 will walk down to the river. I can see no good in 
 reading about what dead men have done. I am 
 more interested in what live men are going to do." 
 
 Theodosia's reply was characteristic: "Nations, 
 like men, Natalie, learn by experience. The 
 common people gain their experience from the 
 events which occur in the lives of the people 
 about them, while statesmen and diplomats study 
 the history of nations, that they may know how to 
 govern their own actions."
 
 A THREE-CORNERED FIGHT 351 
 
 "But," said Natalie, with a laugh, "you are to 
 be neither a statesman nor a diplomat. You are 
 to be a good little housewife, the same as I am. 
 Why should you bother your little head with 
 what kings, and queens, and princes did hundreds 
 of years ago? Will it enable you to look after 
 your husband's house any better, or contribute to 
 his comfort, when he comes home tired from a 
 hard day's work?" 
 
 " It may do the latter," said Theodosia, calmly. 
 " I look forward to passing the evenings with 
 Joseph as I have done so many years with father. 
 In reading books which contain the products of 
 the minds, yes, the souls of great men and women, 
 one becomes inspired. Pardon me, Natalie, but 
 you resemble those people who say they do not 
 like certain kinds of food because they have never 
 tasted them. Now you have never read history, 
 but you say you do not like it. Now listen." 
 
 " In her father's house," said Natalie, in a tone 
 of banter, " Queen Theodosia's will is law." 
 
 Theodosia then read the life story of Richard, 
 Earl of Warwick. Natalie listened attentively, 
 and when the reader closed the book, said : 
 
 " Well, Theodosia, that is really very interest 
 ing. That Earl of Warwick was a brave, noble 
 man, but I don't think much of that King Edward 
 the Fourth. I hope, if there are to be any more 
 kings of England named Edward, that they will 
 be more honorable men." Natalie paused for a 
 moment, as if thinking ; then she went on : "And 
 do you know, Theodosia, I have been thinking, 
 since you have been reading, that Jefferson may
 
 352 LITTLE BURR 
 
 turn out to be another Edward the Fourth and 
 will treat father in the same way that the king of 
 England did the noble Earl of Warwick. He 
 placed Edward upon the throne, and father has 
 put Jefferson in the Presidential chair. The 
 President knows that father is stronger, politically, 
 than he is, and a man always hates a dangerous 
 rival. I am not a prophet, Theo, but you may 
 tell me some day whether what I am now saying 
 comes true or not. 
 
 " Now, Queen Theodosia, you must obey me. 
 I have been your faithful servitor, and now you 
 must pay heed to my wishes ; " and the two young 
 girls, for they were both young in years and in 
 heart, twined their arms about each other and 
 walked towards the river upon whose bosom 
 floated the ships, which in a few days were to 
 carry one to the East and the other to the South.
 
 Theodosia and Nalalie at Richmond Hill. 
 
 The two young girls . . . twined their arms about each other and 
 walked towards the river. Page 352.
 
 "NEW YORK, April 2, 1804. 
 " MY DEAR NATALIE : 
 
 " TT seems an age since I received your last lov 
 ing letter. I intended to write to you before 
 leaving Charleston for this place, but failed to 
 carry out my good resolution. My only excuse is, 
 that while there, the demands of society, of which 
 my husband is a prominent member, the multipli 
 city of household duties, and the accumulation of 
 motherly cares consequent upon the temporary 
 illness of my only son, took every spare moment 
 that I had at my disposal. In fact, in order to 
 properly perform the duties which fell to me, I 
 was often obliged to trench upon hours which 
 should have been devoted to recreation or rest. 
 
 " Oh, Natalie, you should see my boy my little 
 Aaron. Of course, you know that I named him 
 after his grandfather Aaron Burr Alston. I 
 knew of no prouder or more honorable name to 
 give him, and I trust that he will live, and if pos 
 sible, add new honors to it. 
 
 " When he was first able to speak, the word 
 ' grandfather ' was too cumbersome for his infant 
 lips, and he transformed it into * Gamp.' Father 
 was so pleased with his new title, that he, in turn,
 
 54 LITTLE BURR 
 
 applied a perversion, or rather, an extension of it, 
 to his grandson, calling him either ' Gampillo,' fol 
 lowing the Italian form, or ' Gampillus,' according 
 to the Latin. 
 
 " No one who is not a mother can know the 
 joys which fill her heart when she looks upon her 
 offspring. I remember that mother used to tell 
 me how she alternated between hope and fear when 
 I was sick, and how she prayed that I might 
 recover, for home would have been so lonely with 
 out me. I can now understand her feelings. If 
 my boy should die, much as I love my husband 
 and my father, the ties of maternity would draw 
 me irresistibly towards him and I should pray 
 that God would take me to him as soon as possible. 
 
 " Thanks to the mercy of Divine Providence, 
 we are all well. Joseph was obliged to remain in 
 Charleston to attend to business matters, but will 
 join me here within a month. Father is well and 
 is deeply immersed in legal business and politics. 
 I am afraid, indeed, that he is now devoting more 
 time to politics than to law. But, as the story 
 tellers say, thereby hangs a tale which I must tell 
 you before you can thoroughly understand the 
 situation of affairs. 
 
 " Father has offered himself as a candidate for 
 the position of governor of New York, and the 
 election will take place in a few days. If elected, 
 he will, naturally, resign his office as Vice-Presi 
 dent and take up his residence in Albany, where 
 I was born. I love Richmond Hill, but I think 
 we should all be fully as happy if we were farther 
 removed from this caldron of bitter and often 
 vindictive political strife.
 
 AN AMERICAN WARWICK 355 
 
 " Do you remember that morning when I read 
 to you about the War of the Roses, particularly 
 the story of Richard, Earl of Warwick ? Do you 
 recall what you said when I had finished reading ? 
 How you prophesied I am sure that was the 
 word you used that Thomas Jefferson would 
 treat father in the same manner that Edward IV. 
 did the Earl of Warwick ? I well remember the 
 fact, that you asked me to let you know in case 
 your words became true. 
 
 " Natalie, you were a prophet, although I am 
 sure you did not know it at the time, for your pre 
 diction has been verified and in what seems to me 
 a most remarkable manner. 
 
 " You know that I detest two-faced men and 
 women those persons who say one thing to your 
 face and say it otherwise behind your back. 
 President Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton are 
 both, to outward appearances, on the best possible 
 terms of social intimacy with father; but Joseph 
 has told me what he knows himself and what he 
 has learned from outside sources, and I feel con 
 vinced that both these honorable gentlemen are 
 working in an underhand manner to defeat father's 
 future political aspirations. 
 
 " I have been unable to determine from what I 
 have learned, whether the President and the leader 
 of the Federalists are acting in accord with a 
 mutual understanding, or whether the concert of 
 action is simply a coincidence, each pursuing his 
 own course independent of the other and unknown 
 to him. Be this as it may, the result will be the 
 same father's defeat as regards the governorship,
 
 356 LITTLE BURR 
 
 and the prevention of any further rise in national 
 politics. 
 
 " I look upon the whole affair as a conspiracy to 
 kill, politically, a dangerous rival on the one hand 
 and an expected rival on the other. I should not 
 blame General Hamilton so much for working 
 against father, if he would proceed in an open 
 manner above board, as the people say; but 
 Joseph says he carries on his campaign against 
 father in the most secret manner. He writes con 
 fidential letters to friends, and often to opponents, 
 in which he abuses father unmercifully. Joseph 
 says he accuses him of all the crimes in the cal 
 endar. He has one comparison which he rarely 
 omits from his letters. To his mind, father closely 
 resembles the Roman conspirator, Catiline, and 
 General Hamilton either thinks honestly or gives 
 his correspondents to understand, that father is 
 another Catiline, conspiring to overthrow the 
 government of the United States and become its 
 military dictator. In some of his letters he calls 
 father an embryo Caesar. Now this would all be 
 very laughable were it not for the possible result 
 should his assertions be believed and control the 
 political action of those who credit them on such 
 slight and wholly unsupported evidence. 
 
 " There can be no excuse, however, for the course 
 which the President has taken no palliation of 
 the insult which he has offered to one who was 
 chosen to the next highest position in the govern 
 ment of the nation. He has stooped so low as to 
 engage the services of an alien Englishman, named 
 James Cheetham, to carry on his warfare against
 
 AN AMERICAN WARWICK 357 
 
 father. The price paid for such service is not 
 known, but will probably be adjusted by the giv 
 ing of official advertising, and political appoint 
 ment to Cheetham's friends. 
 
 "James Cheetham is the proprietor of a news 
 paper. He is a Republican, but belongs to the 
 Clintonian rather than to the Jeffersonian wing 
 of the party. It is by this very fact that the 
 essence of the conspiracy shows itself. To depose 
 father from his position as Vice-President, it will 
 be necessary to have a strong man to put forward 
 in his stead. Joseph tells me that that strong 
 man will be George Clinton, the very man who, 
 four years ago, refused to do anything to secure 
 Jefferson's election and who agreed only after long 
 solicitation and earnest entreaties from father, to 
 head the Republican electoral ticket. 
 
 " I hardly know how to express my opinion of 
 the man, Cheetham. He had been tried twice for 
 libel, been adjudged guilty each time, and sen 
 tenced to pay a fine. Joseph says, that if father 
 would sue him for libel, he would be enjoined 
 from publishing any more untruthful statements 
 about father. But he says it would be of no use 
 to advise such a course of action, for he knows 
 father looks upon Cheetham with such sublime 
 contempt, that he would not, of his own accord, 
 notice his attacks. 
 
 " Let me tell you one more thing that he has said. 
 He makes the direct charge, that when the ballot 
 ing for President was going on in the House of 
 Representatives in 1801, father sent an emissary 
 to Washington to secure the votes of the Federal-
 
 358 LITTLE BURR 
 
 ists and defeat Jefferson. You know, Natalie, this 
 could not be true, for during all the time that the 
 balloting was going on, father was with us at 
 Richmond Hill, and he could have had no callers 
 from Washington or been engaged in any such 
 negotiations, for he gave up nearly all of his time 
 to us, both preceding and following the day of 
 our marriages. 
 
 " Cheetham has written nine letters, as he calls 
 them, that have been printed in pamphlet form, in 
 which he presents this charge. He says that he 
 was informed by two gentlemen of great respecta 
 bility, who heard it from another well-known gen 
 tleman, that father had been engaged in such 
 negotiations. In one of his letters he says, that a 
 Mr. David Ogden rode, in company with father, 
 in a stage coach for a long distance, and that they 
 were undoubtedly engaged in arranging a course 
 of action for Mr. Ogden to follow when he reached 
 Washington. This Cheetham went so far as to 
 forge the signature of a stage driver to a statement, 
 in which he declared that he drove the coach in 
 which father and Mr. Ogden rode ; but this state 
 ment was proven to be a falsehood by the tes 
 timony of an honorable political opponent. It 
 turned out that the Mr. Ogden referred to was 
 General Hamilton's law partner, but he was too 
 much of a gentleman to become a party to such a 
 base calumny, and he denied publicly that he was 
 in the stage coach with father, or that he had any 
 conversation with him on political matters. De 
 spite Mr. Ogden's statement, however, this man 
 Cheetham repeats this charge, and others of a like
 
 AN AMERICAN WARWICK 359 
 
 nature, against father in every issue of his paper, 
 and will probably keep on doing so up to the day 
 of the election. I am afraid that this is not all. I 
 fear that he has under way some deep, dark plot 
 against father, which will not become known until 
 too late. 
 
 "So you see, my dear Natalie, your words 
 have come true. Richard, Earl of Warwick, 
 placed Edward IV. upon the throne; but when he 
 was seated there and entrenched in power, he 
 looked upon the man who had made him, as a 
 possible rival, and both feared and hated him. He 
 went deliberately to work to deprive the man who 
 had made him a king, of his offices, his wealth, his 
 power, and eventually brought him to his death. 
 
 " So, too, Thomas Jefferson, President of the 
 United States, looks upon Aaron Burr, the man 
 who made him President, as a possible rival. He 
 both hates and fears him, and means to accomplish 
 his political downfall even as King Edward did 
 that of the Earl of Warwick. I know that you 
 must be weary, by this time, from reading this 
 long story, and I will refrain from further inflic 
 tion. As to the result of the election, I both hope 
 and fear. In a few days it will be known, and I 
 will write to you again. 
 
 " Father sends his love to daughter Natalie and 
 to her husband. H e is greatly pleased to learn that 
 Thomas has shown the possession of so much 
 talent as a diplomat and that a republic which is 
 apt to be ungrateful has not been unmindful of it, 
 but has rewarded him with promotion. To father's 
 expressions of affection I add those of Joseph,
 
 360 LITTLE BURR 
 
 Gampillo, and myself. If the post-office charges 
 you at the usual letter rates for the great amount 
 of love thus enclosed, the expense to you will be 
 great indeed; but I know that you will pay it 
 gladly for the sake of 
 
 " Your loving 
 
 " THEODOSIA."
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 A DEATH-BED CONFESSION 
 
 A BOUT the middle of April, less than a fort 
 night after Theodosia wrote the letter to 
 Natalie, she received a letter from her husband, 
 informing her that little Aaron was sick. Mr. 
 Alston stated that his condition was not danger 
 ous and no serious results were anticipated, but 
 that he felt it was his duty, as a father, to tell 
 her, as a mother leaving it to the dictates of her 
 own heart as to whether she should return home 
 immediately or await further advices from him. 
 
 Theodosia lost no time in making prepara 
 tions for her homeward journey. This was per 
 formed overland and took considerable time. 
 Upon her arrival in Charleston, she found, to her 
 delight, that her son had completely recovered 
 his health. It was too late to regret the step 
 which she had taken, but she wished she were 
 again with her father during the political contest, 
 which was now at its height. 
 
 She received several letters from him, written 
 in a jocular manner, which conveyed no real 
 information as to the probable result of the great 
 political battle. At length came a letter from 
 him, dated April 25, which contained these sig 
 nificant words : 
 
 " The election is lost by a great majority ; so 
 much the better?
 
 362 LITTLE BURR 
 
 "So much the better!" Theodosia repeated 
 these words over and over again. Did her father 
 really think so ? Did he actually mean what he 
 had written ? With all her heart she hoped that 
 he did. For if so, he would now give up further 
 attempts to secure political advancement, and de 
 vote all his time and attention to his profession. 
 The letter did not contain a single disparaging 
 word concerning his political opponents, nor did 
 it refer in any way to the devices to which they 
 had resorted in order to compass his defeat. 
 
 At the beginning of the Revolution, Madam 
 von Ketterer had been in very comfortable cir 
 cumstances from a financial point of view. Dur 
 ing the war, however, much of her property had 
 been destroyed by either Cowboys or Skinners, 
 and some of her money had been lost in unprofit 
 able adventures. In the early part of the year 
 1804, she became so reduced in circumstances, 
 that in order to retain possession of the old 
 Dutch mansion she was obliged to devise some 
 means of adding to her scanty income. She 
 finally decided to take boarders. 
 
 The city had increased very fast in population, 
 and, incidentally, in manufactures and trade. 
 Many of the young men, attracted to the city by 
 the prospect of lucrative employment, had been 
 used to comfortable homes, and Madam von 
 Ketterer's commodious house, with its beautiful 
 garden, was soon filled with a well-satisfied body 
 of clerks, bookkeepers, and artificers. The old 
 lady was a fine housekeeper and insisted upon 
 doing the greater part of the household work;
 
 A DEATH-BED CONFESSION 363 
 
 but her duties finally became so exacting that 
 she was obliged to have a hired man, and at times 
 a young girl to assist her. 
 
 Among her boarders was a gentleman who did 
 not appear to have any regular employment. He 
 was apparently about seventy years of age and 
 had given the name of James Billings. He 
 seemed to be not only weak physically, but to be 
 suffering from some mental trouble, and kept his 
 room nearly all the time, rarely going out of it, 
 except after nightfall. 
 
 Mr. Billings spent much of his time in reading 
 and writing. One day, Madam von Ketterer told 
 him that her husband had owned a large library, 
 and she asked him if he did not wish to read some 
 of the books. He gladly accepted the offer, and 
 she showed him the way to the room formerly 
 used by her husband as a library, and in which 
 everything had remained undisturbed since his 
 death. 
 
 One day, Mr. Billings, while looking at a book, 
 discovered a letter addressed to Miss Adelaide 
 Clifton in a handwriting which he recognized. 
 The sight of it brought back the memory of events 
 which he gladly would have banished from his 
 mind forever. So great was his curiosity, how 
 ever, that he decided to read the letter. On opening 
 it, he found that it was dated a few days previous 
 to the time when he, at the instigation of Colonel 
 Hamilton, had begun the circulation of scandalous 
 stories regarding her. 
 
 He pondered for awhile before he carried out 
 his intention of reading the letter. As he held it
 
 364 LITTLE BURR 
 
 in his hand, he looked upon it as a coming justifi 
 cation of the course which he had followed years 
 before. It would, undoubtedly, show the intimate 
 relations which existed between Burr and the 
 young girl. 
 
 The old man, who had lived long enough to 
 repent the follies not only of his youth, but also 
 those of his middle age, held the letter in his 
 hand, overjoyed at its possession. He read the 
 letter, and to his astonishment found that it was 
 couched in the most formal and polite manner. 
 It stated that official duties which could not be 
 postponed would prevent the writer from accept 
 ing the invitation to form one of a party at her 
 aunt's house on a certain evening. He thanked 
 her for her courtesy in extending the invitation, 
 and expressed his gratification that her aunt had 
 proposed to add such an unknown individual as 
 himself to the galaxy of notable men and women 
 who would doubtless be present on that occasion. 
 Then followed the short but well-known signature, 
 "A. Burr." 
 
 The perusal of this letter, the paper of which 
 was discolored with age and the ink faded, did not 
 supply James Billings with the self-justification 
 which he had anticipated. Instead, he found in 
 it reasons for more severe self-condemnation 
 than he believed he could ever experience. He 
 tried to find some consolation in thinking that the 
 letter, after all, might not indicate the actual rela 
 tions which existed between the then Major Burr 
 and Miss Clifton. He said to himself that the 
 young man was too shrewd to write a letter which
 
 A DEATH-BED CONFESSION 365 
 
 might incriminate either of them if it fell into the 
 hands of a third person. But this self-supplied ex 
 planation was not satisfactory, and as he sat in his 
 room alone, the thought came home to him that 
 the course that he had taken, resulting in the 
 young girl's death, was even worse than a cold 
 blooded murder would have been. If he had 
 killed her at once, her sufferings would have been 
 ended at once ; but the plan which he had followed 
 of secretly traducing her good name, had made 
 her a maniac, had shattered the fond hopes of her 
 relatives and friends, and after a long period of 
 mental torture, had brought her a tardy release. 
 
 He became moody and restless, finally falling 
 into a state of melancholy which eventually broke 
 down both his physical and mental strength. 
 He was forced to take to his bed and send for a 
 doctor. But the latter told Madam von Ketterer 
 that nothing could be done for him, as he was 
 an old man, with his constitution shattered, and 
 he could live but a short time longer. 
 
 Madam von Ketterer tried to prevail upon her 
 boarder to take some of her home-made decoctions 
 of herbs which she had prepared, but Mr. Billings 
 shook his head and declined them with thanks. 
 The old lady was still hopeful that when spring 
 came, her patient, for so she considered him, the 
 doctor having given him up, would improve, and 
 that summer would put him on his feet again. 
 But her earnest hopes and fervent prayers were 
 not answered, and the middle of June found him 
 so weak, that even she gave up hope, and sug 
 gested that a clergyman should be summoned.
 
 366 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " It would be of no use to send for a clergy 
 man," said Mr. Billings ; " I am afraid he can do 
 me no good. Whatever my sins may have been, 
 I expect to be punished therefor and I prefer it 
 to be that way ; but if I do not feel better within 
 a day or two, I shall ask you to send for a lawyer. 
 There are some matters which must be attended 
 to before I die." 
 
 The morning of the sixteenth of June gave no 
 indication of the tempestuous manner in which 
 the day was to close. The blue dome above was 
 specked with only a few clouds and the sun was 
 shining brightly. 
 
 Madam von Ketterer had a visitor early that 
 morning in the person of her only niece, Mrs. 
 Daniel Prentiss, who had come to spend the day 
 with her aunt. She had never ceased to love the 
 old garden, and as soon as possible after her 
 arrival, put on her sunbonnet and said she was 
 going out to look at the flowers. 
 
 " Cut some and make a nosegay, Adelaide, for 
 one of my boarders is sick and perhaps he will 
 enjoy looking at them and they smell so sweet, 
 too," said her aunt, as she followed Adelaide to the 
 door. 
 
 Mrs. Prentiss made quite a large bouquet by 
 the time she reached the hedge which separated the 
 garden from the roadway. She looked down 
 the road, but no one was in sight. Then she 
 glanced in the opposite direction a man on 
 horseback was approaching. 
 
 Her first inclination was to turn away but 
 why should she ? So she maintained her position,
 
 A DEATH-BED CONFESSION 367 
 
 looking, however, in a direction opposite to that 
 from which the horseman was coming. To her 
 surprise, he drew rein when opposite to her and 
 addressed her: 
 
 " Excuse me, Madam, but am I right in sup 
 posing this to be the former residence of one 
 Madam von Ketterer ? " 
 
 Adelaide looked up. When she saw who the 
 questioner was, she could not avoid taking a step 
 backward, while an exclamation fell from her lips. 
 
 " Pardon me, Madam," the gentleman went on, 
 raising his chapeau and making a graceful bow, 
 "for startling you. I should have preceded my 
 inquiry by some indication of my presence." 
 
 " You are very excusable, sir," said Adelaide, 
 with apparent composure, although she knew that 
 her cheeks were flushed ; " I was preoccupied with 
 my own thoughts." 
 
 " I trust they were pleasant ones," said the 
 gentleman. Then he added, gallantly, " Had I 
 the making of the laws, I would have only those 
 passed which render the people happy. But did 
 you hear my question, or was your mind too busy 
 with pleasant fancies ? If so, I will repeat it." 
 
 " Oh, no ! " cried Adelaide; " I heard what you 
 said. Madam von Ketterer lives here now." 
 
 " I am greatly pleased to hear it. Many years 
 ago I was often a guest in this house, and I retain 
 pleasant memories of the uniform courtesy with 
 which I was received here. I am on my way to 
 Court in New Jersey, or I would stop this morn 
 ing and present my compliments. I shall do so at 
 a day not far distant. I thank you, Madam, for 
 your civility."
 
 368 LITTLE BURR 
 
 The gentleman replaced his ckapeau, and his 
 restive steed, which had chafed at the delay, sprang 
 forward and went galloping down the road with 
 his rider, who sat firmly and gracefully in the 
 saddle. 
 
 Adelaide's thoughts were evidently again pre 
 occupied, for she stood for several moments in a 
 state of abstraction. As she retraced her steps 
 through the garden paths, she said to herself: 
 
 " He is just as handsome and noble as ever. 
 But I must have changed greatly. He did not 
 recognize me, and I am glad of it. He did not 
 know me when he rescued me from the clutches 
 of the British soldiers, so many, many years ago. 
 I shall not be here when he calls, so I will say 
 nothing about this meeting to my aunt." 
 
 When Adelaide entered the house, with the 
 bouquet in her hand, her aunt exclaimed : " Why, 
 child, your face is as red as a beet ! You should 
 not have stayed out in the hot sun so long. Now, 
 if you will carry those flowers up to Mr. Billings, 
 it will help me very much, for I have a great deal 
 to do to-day." 
 
 " Tell me, instead, what I can do down here to 
 help you," said Adelaide. " I am not acquainted 
 with your boarder, you know. Perhaps, if he is 
 so sick, he will not like to have a stranger come 
 into his room." 
 
 " I think you are right," said her aunt. " Give 
 me the flowers. While I am gone, you can begin 
 washing those dishes." 
 
 Adelaide had intended to return home late 
 that afternoon. She was used to the care of a
 
 A DEATH-BED CONFESSION 369 
 
 horse, and had come alone from her home in Jer 
 sey, which was about a three hours' ride. But 
 early in the afternoon the sky became overcast 
 and there was every indication of an approaching 
 storm. When four o'clock, the hour of her 
 intended departure, arrived, it was so dark that it 
 seemed as if night had set in. An hour later, the 
 storm burst upon them. The rain came down in 
 torrents, while the vivid flashes of lightning and 
 the constantly recurring peals of thunder showed 
 that nature was in a most discordant mood. 
 
 James Billings being too weak to rise from his 
 bed, Madam von Ketterer had given him a stout 
 oaken staff with which to pound upon the floor in 
 case he needed her assistance. He had used the 
 staff many times, but there had been no response. 
 Then it occurred to him, that, in a combat with 
 nature, he was at a disadvantage, so he waited until 
 there was a lull in the storm, when he redoubled 
 his blows upon the wooden floor. In a few 
 moments Madam von Ketterer entered the] room. 
 
 " There is a terrible storm," she said, as she 
 came in. You are not afraid ? " 
 
 " Oh, no," said Billings ; " I have met and 
 weathered too many storms in my life to be fright 
 ened by this. You know," said he, and a faint 
 smile lighted up his face, " this is the only storm 
 that never cleared up." He was silent for a mo 
 ment, then he spoke again : 
 
 " I am loath to ask you to perform such a ser 
 vice at such a time, but the fact is, I am very weak 
 and I feel as though I could not last much longer. 
 I must see a lawyer before I die. Is there any 
 wav in which you can send for one ? "
 
 370 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " Oh, yes," cried Madam von Ketterer ; " my 
 hired man has not gone home yet." 
 
 " Does he know where Col. Aaron Burr lives ? " 
 Billings inquired. 
 
 " Everybody in New York knows where he 
 lives," was the reply. " I will send for him at 
 once," and the old lady bustled out of the room. 
 
 The storm did not abate in violence during 
 the next hour. The sick man lay motionless, with 
 his eyes closed, unmindful of the warfare of the 
 elements. 
 
 The hired man returned, and Madam von 
 Ketterer went at once to the sick man's room. 
 " I am sorry," said she, " but Colonel Burr is away 
 from home and is not expected to return until late 
 this evening. Owing to the storm, they say, he 
 may not come back before to-morrow morning. 
 Colonel Burr's valet told my hired man he had 
 better go for Judge Van Ness, which he did, and 
 the Judge is downstairs, ready to come up if you 
 are willing to see him." 
 
 The sick man nodded, and a few moments 
 later, Judge Van Ness was seated by his bedside. 
 At the request of the Judge, writing materials were 
 brought and placed upon the table, and in response 
 to another request, a second candle was supplied. 
 
 The dying man and the lawyer were left alone. 
 " I am very weak," said Billings, "but I have much 
 to say which must be said. There is some brandy 
 in that little cupboard near the mantel." After 
 partaking of it, his spirits seemed revived. "Are 
 you a friend of Col. Aaron Burr?" and the 
 sick man looked intently into the face of the 
 lawyer.
 
 A DEATH-BED CONFESSION 371 
 
 " I think I am not wrong in saying that I am 
 one of his most intimate friends, and one in whom 
 he reposes entire confidence," was the reply. 
 
 " I am very glad to hear it. I had hoped that 
 he would come, for it is about him that I wish to 
 speak ; but if you are his friend and true to him, 
 it may do as well. I have a confession to make 
 a death-bed confession, they call it. I wish you to 
 write down what I say. When that is done, I will 
 make oath as to its truth. After I am dead, show 
 it to Colonel Burr, and I may rest quietly in my 
 grave." 
 
 The confession was a long one, and during its 
 recital Billings was obliged many times to have 
 recourse to the stimulant which Judge Van Ness 
 had found in the cupboard. 
 
 " I am known as James Billings," he began. 
 " That is not the name that I bore when a child, 
 nor during my early manhood, but it makes little 
 difference what my name was then. I have been 
 known as James Billings for so many years and 
 by so many people that it will suffice. 
 
 "Many years ago I became acquainted with 
 Colonel, now Gen. Alexander Hamilton. It was 
 just before the outbreak of the Revolution, when 
 he was a young man at college. I had my own 
 reasons, and they were good ones, for becoming 
 acquainted with him and for doing all that I could 
 to secure his advancement; but when I entered 
 his service, it did not occur to me that I should 
 ever be called upon to perform such duties as 
 have fallen to my lot. 
 
 " Colonel Hamilton and Major Burr were pay-
 
 372 LITTLE BURR 
 
 ing attentions at the same time to a young woman. 
 I did not blame either of them, for she was beau 
 tiful and talented. She did not love Hamilton 
 and rejected his suit. Hamilton thought that she 
 loved Burr. He was of a jealous and revengeful 
 disposition, and determined to have vengeance 
 both upon his rival and the woman who had 
 refused his love. Then it was that I became his 
 tool, his minion, his servant, his hireling, to per 
 form unworthy and despicable deeds. I began 
 that way and I finished in that way only a short 
 time ago. At Colonel Hamilton's suggestion, I 
 circulated stories traducing the good name of this 
 young woman, and coupled her name with that of 
 Major Burr. It was easy to start the story, but it 
 was impossible to stop it or to prevent its growth 
 as it passed from one to another. The maiden, 
 overcome with grief and shame, went mad, and 
 died a maniac. The story, in some form or other, 
 reached the ears of General Washington, the 
 Commander-in-Chief, and from that moment he 
 began to distrust Major Burr. 
 
 " Burr left Washington's staff and became an 
 aide-de-camp to General Putnam. His adverse 
 fate still followed him. Margaret Moncrieffe was 
 an inmate of General Putnam's home. Here 
 was found fresh material for scandal, and I was 
 not slow in giving it circulation. I know that 
 Major Burr wrote a letter to General Washington, 
 informing him, that, in his opinion, Margaret 
 Moncrieffe was a British spy and was holding 
 secret communication with the enemy. But 
 General Washington never replied to it because
 
 A DEATH-BED CONFESSION 373 
 
 it never reached him. I paid liberally for its 
 destruction. 
 
 " Some time after, Major Burr wrote to Wash 
 ington that he had discovered a weak point in the 
 enemy's line on Long Island, and that if they 
 were attacked he felt sure that a victory could be 
 gained. I am on my death-bed and I will keep 
 back nothing. I became a traitor and took 
 measures to have information conveyed to Lord 
 Howe, which put him on the defensive. Hamilton 
 prevailed upon Washington not to place Major 
 Burr in charge of the expedition, arguing that he 
 was too young to have so important a command. 
 Lord Stirling made the attack, but was repulsed 
 with great loss. This gave Hamilton a good 
 opportunity to decry the military ability of Major 
 Burr. 
 
 "At the battle of Monmouth, Colonel Burr 
 had advanced gallantly at the head of his troops 
 and was upon the point of crossing a small bridge 
 and engaging the enemy hand-to-hand, when 
 Hamilton prevailed upon Washington to order a 
 retreat. But the order sent to Burr was not to 
 retreat, but to STOP ! You know the result of 
 that order, and it is not necessary for me to dwell 
 upon the events which followed. 
 
 "Colonel Burr's appointment to the charge of 
 the Westchester lines removed him beyond Ham 
 ilton's direct influence, but the latter felt that in 
 this command there was little glory to be gained. 
 
 "After the war, both Burr and Hamilton be 
 came lawyers and were once more rivals. Next, 
 they both engaged in politics and again were
 
 374 LITTLE BURR 
 
 rivals bitterer foes than they had ever been. 
 Burr defeated Gen. Philip Schuyler, Hamilton's 
 father-in-law and from that day Hamilton was full 
 of implacable hatred for his adversary. He knew 
 that he could not successfully meet his rival 
 in an open contest, so he resorted to underhand 
 methods in order to undermine him and prevent 
 his further political advancement. He wrote con 
 fidential letters to both friends and foes, declar 
 ing Burr to be lacking in integrity and morality. 
 He called him the Catiline of America, and 
 endeavored to create in the minds of all a 
 feeling that Aaron Burr was a conspirator whose 
 aims were selfish and whose only desire was 
 personal aggrandizement, at whatever cost to the 
 liberties of his country. During Washington's 
 administration, while Hamilton was Secretary of 
 the Treasury, Senator Burr was denied access to 
 State papers which previously had been freely 
 consulted. Then came those dark days for Ham 
 ilton, when, in order not to disclose his unlawful 
 financial dealings with James Reynolds, he was 
 forced to confess his criminal intimacy with the 
 wife of his partner. 
 
 " But Hamilton, like Burr, was not a man to be 
 permanently cast down by temporary adversity. 
 The prospect of a war with France brought him 
 again to the front. As second to Washington in 
 command, but virtually at the head of the army, he 
 successfully opposed President Adams's desire to 
 appoint Colonel Burr a brigadier-general, even, 
 as years before, he had induced President Wash 
 ington to refuse to appoint Burr ambassador to
 
 A DEATH-BED CONFESSION 375 
 
 France, when thrice requested to do so by votes 
 of the Senate. 
 
 " Although Hamilton felt that Burr even as 
 the Greeks tell us that the goddess Nemesis cast 
 down those who, in the opinion of Jupiter, had 
 been too successful in life should be dragged 
 down from his high estate, despite all his efforts, 
 he could not prevent his rival from being chosen 
 Vice-President of the United States. With this 
 contest you are, doubtless, as familiar as I am, 
 and it will not be necessary for me to recount 
 the part taken by Alexander Hamilton therein. 
 
 " But perhaps you do not know that since Burr's 
 elevation to the second place in the United States, 
 a conspiracy has existed against him ; that Presi 
 dent Jefferson has formed an alliance with Clinton, 
 who is to be the next Vice-President; that James 
 Cheetham, the tool of Clinton, or of any one who 
 will pay him for his services, has worked for years 
 and is working still to prevent the further political 
 success of Colonel Burr. He owes his defeat in 
 the recent State election to the combined efforts 
 of Jefferson, Clinton, Cheetham and Hamilton. 
 Though not in personal accord, not of the same 
 political belief, they have had a common purpose 
 in view the complete defeat of Colonel Burr's 
 political hopes for the future." Billings stopped, 
 apparently exhausted. 
 
 " But why have you done this ? " was the ques 
 tion that came involuntarily from Judge Van 
 Ness. 
 
 " My purpose has been to confess my actions, 
 not my motives," was the reply. " For the former,
 
 376 
 
 LITTLE BURR 
 
 I feel myself accountable to man, and that is the 
 reason why I have made this confession. For the 
 latter, I shall be called upon to account to God, 
 and to Him alone." 
 
 " Is this all ? " asked Judge Van Ness. 
 
 Billings nodded. 
 
 "It will be necessary to sign it in the presence 
 of two witnesses," the Judge added. 
 
 " Will not Madam von Ketterer do for one ? " 
 asked Billings. " She has a hired man. Perhaps 
 he will come as the second." 
 
 The Judge left the room, but returned soon, 
 accompanied by Madam von Ketterer. " I am 
 sorry, Mr. Billings," she began, " but my hired 
 man has gone home. My niece, Mrs. Prentiss, 
 was going home, but the storm prevented. She 
 will come if you are willing." 
 
 The sick man looked up inquiringly. Judge 
 Van Ness nodded, and Madam von Ketterer went 
 in search of her niece. 
 
 When the document had been signed and duly 
 witnessed, as Billings lay back upon the pillows, 
 his eye caught sight of the face of the second wit 
 ness. He beckoned to Madam von Ketterer, who 
 approached him and bent down to hear what he 
 might say. 
 
 " Who is she ? " he asked in a hoarse whisper. 
 
 "My niece, Mrs. Daniel Prentiss," was the 
 reply. 
 
 " Did she ever live in New York with you ? " 
 was the next inquiry. 
 
 " Why, yes," answered Madam von Ketterer. 
 " She was here at the opening of the Revolution,
 
 A DEATH-BED CONFESSION 377 
 
 when this house used to be the resort of the gen 
 erals and officers of the American army. 
 
 " What was her maiden name? " cried Billings, 
 evidently in a state of great excitement. 
 
 " Why what is the matter ? " exclamed Madam 
 von Ketterer. " Did you ever see her before ? I 
 don't believe that you ever came to my house 
 while she was here." 
 
 " But her name ? " cried Billings, almost fiercely, 
 raising himself upon his elbow and gazing intently 
 at Adelaide, who, engaged in conversation with 
 Judge Van Ness, was not aware that she was the 
 object of his scrutiny. 
 
 " Why, her name was Adelaide Clifton," said 
 Madam von Ketterer, in an agitated tone, partak 
 ing, insensibly, of her questioner's excitement. 
 
 Billings now became unmindful of the presence 
 of his landlady and uttered the name of the law 
 yer in a loud voice, which astonished his hearers. 
 " Tell them to leave the room ! " he cried ; " I 
 wish to speak to you alone." 
 
 Judge Van Ness escorted the ladies to the 
 door. As he closed it behind them, he advanced 
 quickly to the bedside of the dying man. 
 
 " Did you see her ? " cried Billings. " Did you 
 hear what her name was ? What name did she 
 sign on the paper ? " 
 
 " Mrs. Daniel Prentiss," was the reply. 
 
 " Of course," said Billings ; " she is alive and 
 married, and wrote her husband's name ; but before 
 she was married, her name was Adelaide Clifton. 
 Did she tell you that?" 
 
 " I did not ask her," said Judge Van Ness ; "it 
 was not necessary."
 
 378 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " Yes, it was ! " cried Billings, " very important 
 and very necessary ! What will you say what 
 will you do, when I tell you for it is God's truth 
 - the woman with whom Hamilton and Burr 
 were both in love the woman who rejected 
 Hamilton, and whom Hamilton and I always sup 
 posed died a raving maniac was named Ade 
 laide Clifton and was the niece of Madam von 
 Ketterer ? Leave me now. I can die happy, now 
 that I know she is living. The crime of caus 
 ing her death has been the sin which has weighed 
 heaviest upon my soul. Now that that is removed, 
 I care but little. Take that paper to Colonel Burr. 
 Show it to him as soon as you can. It is all the 
 amend that I can make. Tell him that, personally, 
 I bore him no ill-will, but for good reasons of my 
 own I became the slave of Alexander Hamilton. 
 Go ! go ! I wish to be alone when I die." 
 
 " But do you not wish to see General Hamilton 
 before your last hour comes? "Judge Van Ness 
 ventured to inquire. 
 
 Billings thought for a moment, then he said : 
 " Yes, find him if you can, and send him to me at 
 once. I cannot live long, but," and he laughed 
 sardonically, " I have some news to tell him. Oh, 
 yes, have him come, by all means." 
 
 After Judge Van Ness had left the room, Bil 
 lings sat upright in bed. It seemed as though all 
 his physical strength, for the time being, had 
 been restored to him. 
 
 " Yes, I should like to see General Hamilton. I 
 have much to tell him, but he shall never know 
 that she still lives ! He shall never know that 
 Adelaide Clifton is not dead ! "
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 RICHARD OF DENMARK 
 
 QHORTLY after the departure of Judge Van 
 Ness, the storm visibly abated ; the showers of 
 rain came down but intermittently, and the wind 
 blew only in fitful gusts. But old Boreas had no 
 intention of giving up the contest ; he was only 
 taking time for recuperation, and shortly after 
 midnight the storm burst forth again with re 
 doubled vigor. 
 
 The door of the sick man's room was opened 
 and Gen. Alexander Hamilton entered. He had 
 knocked twice upon the door which had been 
 pointed out to him by Madam von Ketterer, but 
 the noise of the elements had prevented his 
 summons being heard. One of the candles had 
 been removed from the table and the other had 
 been so placed that its light would not fall upon 
 the face of the invalid, which was, consequently, 
 in shadow, and unrecognizable even at a short 
 distance. General Hamilton removed his surtout 
 and placed it, together with his cane and hat, upon 
 a chair. Then he approached the bedside of the 
 sick man. 
 
 " Good-evening, sir," he said. " A messenger 
 came to my house with the intelligence, that a 
 gentleman at the point of death imperatively 
 needed my professional services. Although I had
 
 380 LITTLE BURR 
 
 a large company of guests at my house, detained 
 over night by the severity of the storm, and 
 although I should have much preferred the com 
 fort and seclusion of my own library to a journey 
 hither in my carriage, I felt it my duty as a lawyer 
 to respond to a professional call, no matter what 
 personal inconvenience it might cause." 
 
 "Give me that bottle of brandy on the table ! " 
 The words came from within the gloom, and at 
 the sound of them, General Hamilton started. 
 That voice seemed familiar! With the brandy 
 bottle in one hand and the candle in the other, he 
 approached the bedside. The sick man snatched 
 the bottle from his hand and took a quick gulp. 
 Then he put it under his pillow. 
 
 Hamilton had seen the face of the dying man. 
 In sharp tones, he said : " Is it you, Billings, who 
 has sent for me? How dared you drag me from 
 my comfortable fireside on such a tempestuous 
 night?" 
 
 " Is it too much to ask you to pay me one visit 
 when I am on my death-bed ? When I was in the 
 prime of manhood yes, even since I have become 
 old and infirm I have responded promptly to your 
 beck and call. Is it asking too much to have you 
 come once at my bidding? " 
 
 "Well, what is it?" asked Hamilton. "Do 
 you wish to make your will ? " 
 
 "My will?" Billings repeated the words sar 
 castically. " Did I not tell you the last time I had 
 the extreme pleasure of calling upon you at your 
 office, that through bad investments and the per 
 fidy of a trusted friend, I had lost nearly all my
 
 RICHARD OF DENMARK 381 
 
 money ? Did I not ask you then to redeem the 
 many promises which you had made me in the 
 past, that should I ever come to want, or need 
 your assistance, you would gladly furnish it? 
 But how have you repaid me for my lifelong ser 
 vices for the lies which I have told for the 
 injuries which I have done to others ; yes, for all 
 the crimes, including murder, which I have com 
 mitted in your interest and at your bidding?" 
 
 " Speak lower ! " said Hamilton, gritting his 
 teeth. " Do you wish everybody to hear your 
 nonsensical ravings ? " 
 
 " They may appear nonsensical to others," said 
 Billings, " but not to you, for you know they are 
 true. I repeat, how did you repay me for what I 
 have done for you ? You told me to leave your 
 office and never to come into it again that you 
 had done with me that you were through with 
 me ! Yes, those were the very words you used ! 
 That was the way in which you repaid me 1 " 
 
 The sick man was greatly exhausted by the 
 intensity of his feelings and the vehement manner 
 in which he had expressed them. He again had 
 recourse to the fiery stimulant, and in a few mo 
 ments it gave him sufficient strength to proceed 
 with the conversation: 
 
 " No, I did not want to see you about making 
 my will. I have little to leave. What money I 
 had, I placed in my landlady's hands. It will take 
 that and the sale of my effects to secure money 
 enough to pay for my funeral expenses. I am 
 sorry," and he laughed sardonically, " that I have 
 not enough left to make you a bequest, to pay you 
 for the kind services that you have rendered me."
 
 382 LITTLE BURR 
 
 At that moment the old clock on the stairway 
 chimed, and then struck the hour of twelve. 
 
 " It is midnight," said Hamilton; " I am used 
 to staying up to even a later hour, but my coach 
 man, who is drenched with rain, is, no doubt, desir 
 ous of returning home to the Grange as soon as 
 possible. May I inquire for what reason you 
 have desired my presence here tonight ? " 
 
 " You will not be sorry that you came," said 
 Billings. " No doubt you have wondered why I 
 should render you such service as I have, with 
 only promises for pay, which promises have been 
 proven to have no commercial value. I presume 
 you have often thought that Billings was not my 
 real name." 
 
 " Such men as you," replied Hamilton, " often 
 bear a number of names during their lifetime. I 
 have always regarded you as a man with a past. 
 If you changed your name, it must have been from 
 the fear of punishment and not from the hope of 
 obtaining any reward thereby. You are probably 
 guilty of some crime, and wished to conceal your 
 identity. A lawyer often meets with instances of 
 the kind." 
 
 " If you had known what my crime was," said 
 Billings, "and had also known that by denounc 
 ing me, you could deliver me into the clutches of 
 the law, you could have had a secure hold upon 
 me and could have asked me yes, commanded 
 me to do your bidding; but have you not often 
 wondered why I have carried out your every wish, 
 when you had no such hold upon me and had no 
 right to demand such service ? "
 
 RICHARD OF DENMARK 383 
 
 Hamilton did not reply. 
 
 " I do not blame you for not answering my ques 
 tion," said Billings. " I have watched you since 
 you were a boy, and all through your life you have 
 been willing to accept the services of others if 
 they would advance your personal interests. Why 
 should you give any thought as to their motives 
 when the service was freely offered and cost you 
 nothing ? " 
 
 Hamilton seemed to have heard but a portion 
 of Billings's last speech, for when he concluded, he 
 asked with a look of astonishment : 
 
 "You have watched me since I was a boy? " 
 
 " Yes," said Billings, " even before you left the 
 Island of Nevis. I followed you to St. Croix, and 
 then to the United States." 
 
 Hamilton started to his feet. " You lie ! " he 
 cried. " You never knew me you never met 
 me until after I was in the army ! I well remem 
 ber the first day that I saw you." 
 
 " No doubt you do," was Billings's reply. " I, 
 also, well remember the first day I saw you. Sit 
 down, General Hamilton, and listen to my little 
 story. I know you will be greatly interested in 
 it." 
 
 Once more the sick man had recourse to the 
 stimulant upon which he depended for strength. 
 " In the first place," he began, " my Christian 
 name is not James, but Richard. What my sur 
 name is, you will discover before I have finished 
 my story. Like yourself, I am foreign born. I 
 am a native of the kingdom of Denmark, and my 
 father was a wealthy man. My mother died when
 
 384 LITTLE BURR 
 
 I was quite young, and as I was the only child, at 
 my father's death I inherited all his property. I 
 drank, I gambled, and in many other ways dis 
 posed quickly of a large part of my fortune. Then 
 I determined to reform, and in order to make 
 that reform effectual, as I thought, I married a 
 young and beautiful Frenchwoman. 
 
 "She wished me to leave Denmark and my old 
 associates, and go with her to her native country. 
 This I did, but I soon found that Frenchmen and 
 Frenchwomen are as fond of a gay life as are the 
 natives of Denmark, and I began again my life 
 of dissipation. But this was not all. My nerves 
 unstrung and my temper soured by continual de 
 bauches and by heavy losses at the gaming table, 
 I vented my displeasure upon one whom I thought 
 would bear it uncomplainingly my wife. But 
 the women of France have more spirit than the 
 men. She was indignant, as she had a right to 
 be, at my treatment of her, and as I continued it, 
 she did something for which I never blamed her 
 she left my bed and board and fled from the coun 
 try I knew not where. 
 
 " For several years, I experienced a feeling of 
 relief at her absence. Then I was seized with an 
 uncontrollable impulse to search for her, find her, 
 confess my faults, and promise to be a good hus 
 band in the future. By chance, I discovered the 
 port from which she had sailed, and learned that 
 she had gone to America. What little money I 
 had, I took with me and secured passage upon a 
 ship bound for that country. The vessel was cap 
 tured by pirates, and with one exception, all of the
 
 RICHARD OF DENMARK 385 
 
 passengers and crew were made to walk the plank. 
 That exception was myself. I wished to live, and 
 I agreed to become one of the pirate crew if the 
 captain would spare my life. I was still young 
 and strong, and my prayer was granted. In a con 
 flict with an armed merchantman, not long after, 
 the pirate captain and his first mate were killed 
 and it became necessary to choose another leader. 
 Whatever I have to do, as you well know, I do with 
 my whole heart and soul ; and the powers of en 
 durance and the bravery which I had shown dur 
 ing the fight with the merchantman had attracted 
 the attention of the crew. I was chosen their 
 captain, and for three years my ship became a 
 scourge of the seas. 
 
 " Chancing to stop at one of the smaller of the 
 West India Islands for water and supplies, I went 
 ashore, for three years had passed since I had 
 walked upon dry land. They say fortune favors 
 the brave, but I think it is just as apt to favor the 
 wicked. On that island I met no, I saw, for 
 we did not meet the woman who had been my 
 wife. I made inquiries and soon ascertained that 
 she was married to a Scotch planter and had a 
 son. Did I say married ? Well, not legally mar 
 ried, for she had never been divorced from me. 
 This illegitimate son of my wife bore the name 
 of his father the Scotch planter." 
 
 Hamilton had listened to the first part of the 
 sick man's story in an apathetic manner; but 
 now he seemed greatly interested and fixed his 
 keen gaze upon Billings for as yet he knew 
 him by no other name.
 
 386 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " I told my mate of the discovery I had made 
 and that I must quit the ship and remain upon 
 the island. He explained the matter to the crew 
 and the affair was amicably arranged, I receiving 
 my share of the profits. These I proceeded at 
 once to invest in London, in the name of James 
 Billings and it is from them that I have derived 
 the means of subsistence since that time. I de 
 termined to remain upon the island, watch my 
 wife, and wait for the time to come when I could 
 wreak upon her the vengeance which I had de 
 termined she should suffer. But I was balked in 
 this. She died before I could carry out my plans, 
 and shortly after, the son left the island and went 
 to St. Croix, where I followed him." 
 
 At this juncture, Hamilton began to see the 
 point of the story. In a fit of indignation he de 
 clared that Billings's story was all an invention 
 and had no foundation in fact. 
 
 " Not at all," said Billings. " I followed him to 
 the United States and watched his career. I 
 determined that I would accomplish my revenge 
 in another way. I would help him in every effort 
 to secure the object of his ambition, provided that 
 he would, some day, help me. I was a man with 
 a past, and with a very discreditable one. I wished 
 to become once more an honorable man and to 
 die honored and respected. I did all that he 
 wished me to do to further his ambition, and when 
 he had reached the pinnacle of fame, I expected 
 that he would reward me for my faithful service. 
 But no he turned upon me and refused to have 
 anything more to do with me."
 
 RICHARD OF DENMARK 387 
 
 "Who are you?" cried Hamilton, his voice 
 choked with passion. 
 
 " I am known to you," said the man, " as James 
 Billings. My right name is Richard Lavine. I 
 was the lawful husband of Rachel Faucette, who 
 was your mother. Need I say more? " 
 
 "Nol" cried Hamilton; "you have said too 
 much already ! The messenger told me that you 
 could not live much longer, and I shall remain 
 with you until the end comes. The story which 
 you have told me must never be known by any 
 one else." 
 
 " Oh, I have been discreet," said Lavine. " I 
 do not wish to have the relationship which exists 
 between us known to the world. There is nothing 
 creditable in it to either you or me. I have more 
 I could tell you, but I will leave you to find it out 
 for yourself. But you are too late to prevent the 
 story of our intimacy, from the opening of the 
 Revolution to the present time, from becoming 
 known. I knew that my death was near, and I 
 decided to make my peace with the world and 
 with God ; so I sent for Col. Aaron Burr to take 
 down my death-bed confession." 
 
 "And does he know?" cried Hamilton, grasp 
 ing the man by his shoulders and lifting him to a 
 sitting posture and looking fiercely into his face. 
 
 It was with a feeble voice that the man replied : 
 "No. He was away from home, but his friend, 
 Judge Van Ness, came, and he has my statement, 
 signed by me and witnessed by two reliable 
 witnesses. One of the witnesses you know, but 
 you shall never know whom the other one was. 
 But you would give your life to know ! "
 
 388 LITTLE BURR 
 
 " Tell me I " cried Hamilton, his rage over 
 mastering whatever sense of decency or kindness 
 he may have possessed ; " tell me who it is ! " 
 
 But it was too late. The dying man had tried 
 to lift the bottle of brandy to his lips, but it had 
 fallen from his palsied fingers and the liquor 
 drenched the bed-clothing and filled the room 
 with its fumes. Richard of Denmark was deadl 
 
 Hamilton stood transfixed. The situation was 
 a novel one to him. Throughout his life he had 
 secretly traduced the characters and impugned 
 the motives of his military, legal, and political 
 opponents. Here before him lay a man who in 
 the last throes of life had betrayed him by 
 divulging those secrets which he had supposed 
 would never be known to any but himself and his 
 minions. This was an exigency which must be 
 met but how? 
 
 He decided quickly that the quiet and seclu 
 sion of his comfortable library at the Grange 
 would be a more suitable place in which to 
 consider the matter, than where he was, so he 
 donned his surtout and turned to leave the room. 
 
 As he placed his hand upon the latch of the 
 door, the thought came to him that he would 
 make sure that the man was dead. He ap 
 proached the bed. The storm had abated but 
 little. A heavy gust of wind struck the house. 
 Some of it found its way into the room through 
 the loosely-fitting window-sash and struck the 
 candle flame, causing an unusual glare to fall 
 upon the face of the Dane. Hamilton started 
 back. What a horrible sight! There could be
 
 RICHARD OF DENMARK 389 
 
 no doubt of his death. His lower jaw had fallen ; 
 his eyes were wide open and looked at Hamilton 
 with a glassy stare. 
 
 Hamilton went quickly to the door and again 
 placed his finger upon the latch. No ! He could 
 not leave the room with those eyes still fixed 
 upon him. He knew they were the eyes of a 
 dead man, but they affected him as they had 
 never done when the man was alive. Going to 
 the table, he extinguished the candle. He looked 
 towards the bed, but the eyes still glared at him. 
 He ran from the room and slammed the door 
 behind him.
 
 CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 THE DEAD ALIVE 
 
 IJAMILTON descended the stairs and found 
 Madam von Ketterer in the sitting-room. A 
 single candle, burning upon the great mahogany 
 table, sent a faint gleam of light through the large 
 apartment. 
 
 " Mr. Billings is dead," said he, as he entered 
 the room. 
 
 Madam von Ketterer arose. "I have had 
 many deaths in my family," she said, " and I know 
 how to render those services which precede the 
 final arrangements for his burial. I will go at 
 once." 
 
 " Pardon me," said General Hamilton, " but 
 Mr. Billings told me before his death, he made 
 his will." 
 
 " I do not know what the document was," said 
 Madam von Ketterer. " I sent my hired man for 
 Col. Aaron Burr, but as he was not at home, he 
 went, at the suggestion of Colonel Burr's valet, to 
 the residence of Judge Van Ness, who came here 
 and made out a document, which was witnessed by 
 my niece and myself." 
 
 "Ah!" cried Hamilton, "by your niece and 
 yourself? " Then he thought how easily he had 
 found out what Billings seemed so anxious to 
 keep from him the name of the second witness
 
 THE DEAD ALIVE 391 
 
 to the document. " As your niece witnessed the 
 document, I presume she is living with you, or 
 resides not far from here." 
 
 " Oh," said Madam von Ketterer, " she doesn't 
 live with me. She lives in New Jersey, but she 
 came to see me to-day and was prevented from 
 going home on account of the severe storm. She 
 has gone to her room for a few moments. Would 
 you like to see her ? " 
 
 " As a friend of Mr. Billings, I should wish," 
 said General Hamilton, " to know that his will was 
 properly made out and attested by competent wit 
 nesses. Your evident willingness to allow me to 
 see your niece inspires me to proffer a request that 
 I may meet her." 
 
 While Madam von Ketterer was absent from 
 the room, General Hamilton laughed to himself : 
 " Billings must have been out of his head when he 
 made that statement. Why should I be willing to 
 give my life, as he declared I would be, to learn 
 the name of Madam von Ketterer's niece, who is 
 probably the wife of some New Jersey farmer? I 
 have often heard that men lose their heads that 
 their minds wander just before death. Probably, 
 after all, the majority of what Billings told me is 
 only a fabrication, and the document signed by 
 him was only his will." 
 
 Madam von Ketterer entered the room accom 
 panied by her niece, Mrs. Prentiss, whom she 
 introduced. 
 
 " I am delighted to meet Mrs. Prentiss, and am 
 sorry that unkind fate has not allowed me that 
 pleasure before."
 
 392 LITTLE BURR 
 
 Mrs. Prentiss looked at the speaker fixedly. 
 Then she said in a calm, even tone of voice: "I 
 think General Hamilton's memory is at fault. 
 Surely you have not forgotten that evening you 
 passed with me in the garden when I was 
 Adelaide Clifton?" 
 
 Had the floor sunk beneath his feet ? Had a 
 bolt of lightning struck the house? Why was it 
 that his knees gave way beneath him that it 
 seemed as though he must fall prone upon the 
 floor? Then to his mind the whole story came. 
 Billings had told the truth. Van Ness knew all and 
 tomorrow his old enemy, Aaron Burr, would know 
 it, too ! The woman who stood before him proba 
 bly knew it also I He was transfixed, he could not 
 utter a word. Grasping his hat and cane, without 
 saying a word of farewell or vouchsafing any ex 
 planation of his strange conduct, he left the house. 
 
 As he entered his carriage, which stood before 
 the door, he cried, harshly: "Drive at once to 
 the Grange and be quick about it, too!" The 
 coachman, nothing loath, whipped up his horses 
 and started northward. The drive was a long and 
 tedious one, and the lonely occupant of the carriage 
 had plenty of time for thought and reflection. 
 
 There could be no doubt of it. Billings he 
 still thought of him as Billings, for he could not 
 bring himself so quickly to regard him as the law 
 ful husband of his mother had told the truth. 
 They were both dead now and might become 
 reunited. He had loved his mother devotedly. 
 Would the husband tell the wife how her son had 
 requited him for a lifetime of service ? He had
 
 THE DEAD ALIVE 393 
 
 not done for this man what he had promised to 
 do. When he made the promises, he had intended 
 to fulfil them; but circumstances had changed. 
 He had lost his power in political life and his ex 
 penditures were far beyond his income. Why had 
 not the man asked for his pay sooner ? He could 
 have given him a government office or have 
 placed him in a position where he might have 
 made money. No, the man had lost his oppor 
 tunity, and he had lost his. The man had chosen 
 his own way of cancelling the debt. He had 
 exacted not only the principal, but an exorbitant 
 interest. There was one consolation, however. 
 The world would never know that James Billings 
 was, in reality, Richard Lavine, and the lawful 
 husband of his mother. 
 
 But the world would soon know what would 
 injure him more. Billings had made a death-bed 
 confession. In it he had told of his doings since 
 he had become his pliant tool, and the publication 
 of the confession would be fatal to his hopes for 
 the future. Judge Van Ness was Aaron Burr's 
 most intimate friend. He had taken down the 
 confession, and every word that it contained was, 
 undoubtedly, fresh in his mind. Even if he did 
 not show the document to Burr, he would be sure 
 to tell him what it contained. 
 
 Then his thoughts took a new channel. What 
 would Burr do when he learned the truth when 
 he knew that from the day of their earliest 
 acquaintance he had been his secret enemy and 
 had used every means within his power to defeat 
 his plans and frustrate his ambition ? Would he
 
 394 LITTLE BURR 
 
 pass over the affair lightly, as he had done qpon 
 one occasion before, accepting an apology and a 
 promise to refrain from such a course in the 
 future as ample reparation? 
 
 No ! He could not do this. If he did, it would 
 be because he looked upon him with contempt, 
 and he would not bear that. No ! Burr would 
 challenge him, and he would be obliged to accept. 
 How could he refuse? During the war he had 
 acted as a second in a duel, and he himself had 
 challenged James Munroe. Not only that, but his 
 eldest son, Philip, had fallen a victim to the code 
 on the ground at Weehawken. No ! He felt sure 
 that Burr would challenge him, but upon what 
 ground ? 
 
 When the cartel came, he might find some 
 loophole for escape. He would handle the chal 
 lenge as he would the brief of an opposing 
 counsel. He would interpose a demurrer, and 
 file objections; perhaps he would deny the alle 
 gation, trusting to the honor of his opponent not 
 to make the confession public. Yes 1 he would 
 avail himself of every possible pretext before he 
 would imperil his life upon the so-called field of 
 honor. 
 
 But if all his plans failed and he was forced to 
 meet Burr, he felt that in such an event he was a 
 doomed man. How could he look upon the face 
 of the man whom he had traduced and vilified for 
 so many years, and then have sufficient nerve to 
 aim his weapon to end that life ? No ! If forced 
 to fight, he would not fire upon his opponent. 
 But what reason could he give for not doing so ?
 
 THE DEAD ALIVE 395 
 
 Ah 1 he had struck the solution of the problem 
 at last. He no longer believed in the code duello. 
 What more natural than for him to declare, that 
 having lost his son through the barbarous practice, 
 he now realized the enormity of it, and if forced 
 to fight, in deference to public opinion, he would 
 not die with the blood of his opponent upon his 
 hands. Ah ! that was a capital idea. He would 
 have plenty of time to put it into the most effect 
 ive shape before the fatal day came. 
 
 " If I die, it will be as a martyr, and not as a 
 murderer." He spoke these words aloud. He 
 knew that no one could hear, for the rain pattered 
 loudly upon the top of the carriage, while the 
 angry winds howled around it. 
 
 The carriage stopped. An instant later, the 
 door was opened, and the coachman exclaimed: 
 "We're home at last, General, and glad I am 
 of it" 
 
 General Alexander Hamilton, the master of 
 the lordly mansion which he had named "The 
 Grange," in honor of his noble ancestors those 
 of Scotland, not those of Denmark passed 
 through the doorway, through which, in turn, in 
 less than a month, his body was to be carried to 
 its last resting-placing beneath the shadow of Old 
 Trinity. 
 
 The student of history knows how this came 
 to pass. He knows that Richard Neville, Earl of 
 Warwick, the champion of the House of York, 
 whose badge of honor was the White Rose, placed 
 Edward IV. upon the throne of England. He 
 knows what requital was given that champion
 
 396 LITTLE BURR 
 
 for his years of toil and his unexampled acts of 
 bravery. 
 
 He knows that upon the field of Weehawken, 
 the man who been known as Aaron Burr who 
 had been colonel, legislator, senator, and vice- 
 president whose favor had been courted by men, 
 and whose face, and form, and courtly manners 
 had been admired and loved by women he 
 knows that this man met there his political and 
 social death. It was this man who had placed 
 Thomas Jefferson not upon a throne, but upon 
 a still higher eminence in the office of Presi 
 dent of the United States of America. 
 
 The student of history does not know, but he 
 will learn, when the real facts of the case are 
 presented to him, as they will be, that the political 
 and social repudiation of Aaron Burr, which was, 
 in reality, a living death, was the result of a con 
 spiracy conceived in the most malignant spirit 
 and carried out in the most infamous manner. 
 The fate of the Warwick of England death on 
 the battlefield was, indeed, a happy one, com 
 pared with the unmerited political and social 
 ostracism, which became the lot of Aaron Burr, 
 the Warwick of America. 
 
 THE END.
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 AA 000251907