?K«%8 v^vb^hsbp ««««W8i^*^^^ OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE Mrs. H. G. ROWE '.*'/■*'/**•*. Wrnmm0mf^m<^0 i fr^ m ^ __ - t; It was her fortune that gave grandsire Burton his start in life. Rk TOLD ALES OF THE JHills ar\d SKores of Mair\e, By Mrs. H, G. Rowe. •'Keep who will the city's alleys, Take the sm toth-shorn plain, Give to us the cedar valleys, Rocks and hills of Maine ! In our North-land, wild and woody, Let us still have part ; Hugged nurse and mother sturdy, Hold us to thv heart ! " BANGOR, ME. D. BUGBEE & CO., PUBLISHERS 1892 Copyright 189% . CONTEXTS. Page. I. Pretty Patty Parton. A Tale of the Revolution . 9 Chaps. I. IT. III. IV. V. VI. II. A College Girl. 81 Chaps. I. II. III. III. The Eagle in the Sea-bird's Nest. 125 IV. Church Mice. l-'l Chaps. I. II. III. IV. V. Marjorie's Knight. 197 VI. Stuffing the Thanksgiving Turkey. 223 VII. Tempest in a Teapot. 241 VIII. Betsey. 261 IX. Puck in the Pulpit. ; j-1 X. Sugaring Oef. 341 M12034 TO My Friend, Mrs. Flora E. Haines, THIS BOOK Is Gratefully Dedicated. H. G. R. ILLUSTRATIONS. Between pages ■•It was her fortune that gave grandsire Burton his first start in life." (Frontispiece. ) ••The homely, rough barked pines and spruces were like old. familiar faces to him." - 154— loo ••I have not risked my life for money." - - 218—219 -One must keep mighty still in a birch, ma'am." 250-251 • -A long walk f 'r Rose, such a cold day as this is." 324—325 "Whv didn't he wear an old hat and trousers, as , u» . 344 — 345 anybody else would. PREFACE. An Irish matron, one of the honored foremothers of our Pine Tree State, when asked by a passing traveller what crops she expected to raise upon the sandy, boulder strewn soil of her little sea bordered farm, replied with a good na- tured bravado, that in our own day has attained to the dig- nity of a prophecy : t; Craps is it? Faith ! but I'll be after raisin a Governor or two. wid maybe a Ginral or a Jedge, an a hanfulo' brave byes thrown in f 'r ballast, that'll make these woods an' swamps laugh wid a harvest sich as the ould worrld niver dramed ov . Thims the craps that, wid God's blissin, we'll be afther sindin to the worrld's mill one o' these days Nearly two centuries have slipped away since those words were spokeu, and honest Bridget Sullivan and her six brave boys (who strangely enough fulfilled their mother's prophecy to the letter) have long since returned to their parent dust. But the spirit of that prophecy still lives, and the grand old state, to-day, proudly points to her sons as the noblest prod- uct of her now fertile soil. Unlike many of her later born sisters, the growth of Maine has been like that of her own statelv pines, comparatively slow. Little by little she has enlarged and beautified her borders, step by step she has climbed to wealth, and station, and political importance, until the familiar saying, "As goes Maine, so goes the Union," has come to be accepted as a veritable truth in all political contests. 8 With her feet upon the everlasting rock, and her pine crowned hills lifting their unprofaned heads heavenward, she looks, in the pride of a lusty matronhood, upon the mul- titude of noble sons that she has sent forth to fill the high and honored places of the earth. In the Gubnatorial chair, in the Senate Chamber, at the head of a nation's armies, and as honored guests in the palaces of foreign kiDgs, — wherever clear brains and manly hearts are needed, there the sons of Maine do honor to the sturdy old mother, whose stern discipline nourished their childhood and made them strong to withstand whatever of storm or strain their manhood might be fated to meet. Nor are the clear intellect, the undaunted heart, and the strong right arm of the son of Maine his only heritage. Even as the saxifrage clothes with its delicate beauty the rocky ledges, with scarce a film of earth between its tender rootlets and the stern granite, so in thousands of humble homes, all over our state, bloom the sweet, God beloved virtues of unselfish affection and patient self sacrifice, with oftentimes a poetic strain that seems indigenous to the soil. For, let the Maine man go where he will, be what he may, certain characteristics still cling to him, and rude and rough tho' he may be, a familiar song of one of his own home bards, a tale of the rocks and hills dear to his childhood, even the sight of an autumn-reddened leaf has power to touch a tender spot in his world hardened heart and draw from his lips the oft heard blessing : "God bless the dear old State of Maine !" Prettij pattq parton. CHAPTER I. A sojourn of three possibly four months, in that wild, far away District of Maine, among the Indians and bears, and wildcats, and, what was little better to loyal eyes, those pestilent rebels that General Wadsworth had been ordered to take command of! It was the maddest project that was ever heard of. but just what might have beeu expected from that flighty Dolly Wadsworth, who, after her wilful disre- gard of all family traditions in allying herself to an avowed enemy of the royal cause, was capable, in her great aunt's opinion, of any wild, not to say disgraceful escapade. And Madam Courtland almost decided to put her foot — that daintily satin-slippered foot, of whose aristocratic beauty she was so proud, — down at once, that her ward, Patty Parton, should not accept the invitation of her kins- woman to accompany herself and family to the then half- wild Province where her husband had been assigned a tem- porary command, for the purpose of raising and drilling certain companies of volunteer militia, that were greatly needed by the government at this time. This was in the spring of 1779, and it was well under- stood by all classes, even in the most remote districts, that the four years' war for independence had drawn terribly upon the resources of the country, both North and South, and that patriots all over the land were straining every nerve to help strike the final and decisive blow to English tyranny and usurpation in their beloved land. The year before an English fleet under command of General MacLean had taken possession of the peninsula of 10 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. Maja-bagaduce upon the eastern shore of Penobscot Bay, and built a fort upon the high ground in the center, thus making a military post of no small importance, commanding as it did the whole bay, and able to bring its guns to bear upon any craft, either war ship or merchantman, that ven- tured out of, or into the harbor. It was to raise troops for the destruction of this fortress that General Wads worth had been detailed by the General Court of Massachusetts, and, tempted no less by the novelty of the excursion than by her desire for her husband's companionship, his young wife with her two little children decided to accompany him. "It is but a rough outlook, Mistress Dolly," declared the General, who had not the heart to deny her request, even though his better judgment shrank from exposing her to the inconveniences and possible perils of this expedition into a rude, half-civilized region. "But if you will go, you were wdse to ask your cousin Patty to keep you company." Thus it was at the General's suggestion that Patty came by the invitation that had aroused such a storm of opposi- tion from Madam, who, as the girl's guardian and nearest relative, naturally felt responsible for her conduct and safety. "If Mistress Wads worth is mad enough to undertake such an unheard of venture herself, she has scarcely the right, forsooth, to drag you with her into that howling wil- derness of redskins and rebels." And the old lady fretted, and scolded, and argued, even condescending to tears and entreaties, as she found how Patty's adventurous heart was set upon the expedition that, to her girlish fancy, seemed the most delightful that could be planned. "It is a terrible region," moaned Madam, shaking her powdered head in solemn warning. "The few white people live in log huts, with only the naked earth for floors, and PRETTY PATTY PARTOX. 11 the bears march boldly up and peer into the windows as im- pudent as you please. The wolves too, howl the long nights through, so that a body can scarce catch a wink of sleep from sundown to sunrise." Patty laughed lightly. "The bears and wolves will trouble ma little, aunt Mar- garet, for I will coax the General to teach me to handle a musket, as he has taught Dolly. Then, perhaps, I'll go hunting in as great state," she added mischievously, "as did my great, great, great grandmother, who rode in King Hal's train on that wonderful May Day hunt that you have told me about so often." "And wounded the stag with her own fair hands," inter- polated the old lady, thrown off the track for a moment by this shrewd diversion of her lively companion. "The ant- lers of that very stag were preserved in the Courtland family for many generations, as I have heard my honored grand- mother say, who saw them with her own eyes, in her child- hood when on a visit to the old Hall in the year 1690. But," suddenly recollecting herself, "that has nothing to do with the matter now in hand. Pray tell me," and she straightened herself with the air of one who is prepared with a last, unanswerable argument, "what do you expect to wear or to eat in that howling wilderness ? You have not a gown in your wardrobe fit to wear in such a place, for you will be forced to sit upon the bare earth, and live on potatoes roasted in the ashes. Moreover, the branches of the trees will surely ruin ail your head-dresses — not a plume, top knot, or bit of gauze but will be torn to tatters in a week. Neither do I doubt," she added scornfully, "that those pestilent rebels will stand ready to rob you of your silver shoe-buckles and gold necklace as soon as ever 12 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. your foot touches land. The varlets are capable of any meanness if they think they will escape punishment." A hot flush rose to the girl's fair face and an angry light burned in her eyes as she resolutely bent them upon her em- broidery. It was very evident that she was far from sharing the political prejudices of her more aristocratic aunt, and there was an unmistakable note of defiance in her fresh young voice as she replied, with an effort to control herself. '•The honest, hard-working men and women who love their country so well that they can brave poverty, toil, privations, even death itself, for her sake, can afford to look with indifference upon the gewgaws that you so unjustly in- timate would be a temptation to their honesty. They are not of the same type as these foreign hirelings that King George has sent over here, to steal the silver spoons from our tables, and the buckles from our shoes." Madam, in spite of herself, looked rather disconcerted at this reference to the depredations of the foreign soldiery, whose greed for plunder even she could not deny or palliate. But she contented herself with muttering something about the • -usages of war." and prudently turned the conversation by asking, with an air of assumed humility: -May I ven- ture upon the liberty of enquiring, Miss Patty, when you propose to start upon your intended journev ?" The girl smiled shrewdly, for she knew that she had gained her point, and hastened to reply with amiable readiness : "In just two weeks we are to be ready to sail in the 'Molly Stark.' Cousin Dolly is having new coats and breeches of homespun made for the lads, and a gown and petticoat of the same for herself." ••Humph !" grumbled the old lady disconcertedly. "Dolly FRETTY PATTY PABTOH. 13 Wadfiworth may wear what she pleases, for all that /care, but that blue camlet cloak with the scarlet hood, and the puce colored grogram aud cloth petticoat will serve your purpose. I fancy. For my part, I see no sense in making any extra preparations for such a ridiculous flitting." Pattv nodded good naturedly : • -The cloak and gown will serve me very well," she contin- ued, with a kiss upon the old lady's withered cheek and a mischievous laugh in her brown eyes, as she tripped out of the room, humming saucily beneath her breath : "First then, a woman will or won't— depend on't; If she will do it, she will, and there's an end on't." The old lady watched her until the last flutter of her pretty chintz ruffles disappeared through the door, with a smile at once tender and doubtful. ••If I could but know.'" she muttered uneasily to her self, ••if—" The sentence remained unfinished, but that evening, when Mistress Wadsworth dropped in to talk over the final ar- rangements for the proposed journey, the prudent old dame took occasion to ask. in the most matber-of-fcct way in the world : ••Now that I think of it. niece Dorothy, let me inquire if that young man whom I had the honor of meeting at your house on Christmas Eve. Major I fail to recall the name at this moment—" ••Burton?" queried the General's wife, innocently uncon- scious of Patty's suddenly crimsoned cheeks. ••Yes. that was the name. I was reminded of him at this time,"— stopping to leisurely disentangle a knot in her knitting cotton, "because, if I remember rightly, his home was somewhere in these far away parts where you propose to spend your summer." 14 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. The other nodded complacently. "The General's headquarters will be in Major Burton's native town, and for that reason his aid will be invaluable in raising and drilling the troops. Besides — " turning with a gay smile to Patty, — "he is so comely and gal- lant a young man, and so brave a soldier withal, that I pre- dict he will beeome as great a favorite with us as he already is with the General." The unsuspicious little lady had walked straight into the trap that her shrewd kinswoman had set for her unwary feet, and she never for an instant guessed that Patty's flushed face and sudden pettishness were due in the least to her in- cautious communication. She only wondered good-naturedly why the girl spoke so sharply in reply to her voluble conjectures and suggestions in regard to their anticipated journey, or why Madam, after having already {riven her consent, should seem half inclined to recall at this late day. Neither did she hear the hour long lecture at bedtime, to which poor Patty* was forced to listen with closed lips, although every drop of blood in her small body was ting- ling with indignation and shame. "And now I hope." remarked Madam in conclusion, "that I have sufficiently impressed upon you the necessity of great circumspection and maidenly reserve, in the case of this very presuming and forward young man, who will doubtless take advantage of his acquaintanceship with your cousin's husband to force his society upon you. He may even." she added with stinging significance, • 'dare to repeat the insolent familiarity that I witnessed with my own eyes on last Christmas Eve." Poor Patty blushed to the very tips of her dainty ears : "There was no harm or unseemly familiarity," she cried PRETTY PATTY PARTON. 15 angrily, while the hot tears of maidenly pride started to her eyes, "in his claiming his right to a kiss under the mistle- toe, especially as he only ventured to touch my hand with his lips." Slowly and majestically the old lady drew the stiff folds of her green damask bed gown more closely about her as she rose to her feet, and looking down upon the girl's flushed and tearful face, replied with stern dignity: •• Remember, girl, that the touch of rebel lips upon the hand even of a daughter of the loyal house of Courtland is contamination." To this grandiloquent speech Patty ventured no retort, but as the last tap of her aunt's high-heeled shoes died away in the corridor outside, she shook her saucy head de- fiantly, and laughed outright, in spite of the angry tears that yet stained her cheeks. It was so ridiculous, she reasoned. All this fuss about one little, harmless, foolish kiss, claimed and bestowed openly, and with m?rry laugh and jest, in the full blaze of 'the wax lights in her cousin's crowded drawing-room. And if, forsooth, the gallant Major had no grand, titled ances- tors to boast of, but was simply a brave, honest son of New England, it didn't make him one whit less handsome and interesting, let Aunt Courtland say what she would. •A man's man for a' that." she hummed gaily over her curl papers ; and as she took a parting peep into the glass before retiring, she caught herself wondering if that old puce colored grogram couldn't be brightened up a little with knots of flame-colored ribbon and one of her white muslin neck kerchiefs that were so becoming to her fair complex- ion? — One wouldn't want to be quite a fright, even if one was only going to be seen by the bears and Indians. Perhaps though, it was some penitent remembrance of the 16 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. old lady's cautions that prompted the distant greeting which Patty bestowed upon the gallant young officer when, upon their arrival at their destination, he hastened, as in duty bound, to report himself and proffer his services, not only in helping to raise the required troops, but in making the general and his family comfortable in the midst of their new and rude surroundings. And that these were new and rude in more ways than one, even the enthusiastic Mistress Dolly could not deny. The settlement, which is now known as Thomaston, was at that time composed of a few straggling houses, not more than twenty, all told ; while the dense forests on either hand towered dark and dense in savage wildness, as yet almost untouched by the axe of the pioneer. The streams that only a few years later were to furnish the power for many a mill, whose iron teeth made short work of converting these forest monarchs into lumber for the pioneer's use, and left the land clear for his grain fields and orchards, now ran, unvexed by anything less primitive than the dam of the beaver or the trap of the Indian hunter. The farms were none of them entirely cleared, and many of them bore the marks of the axe only upon the two or three acres immediately surrounding the house. The clear- ing in which the house occupied by the Wadsworths stood, was largely a waste of blackened and charred tree trunks and roots, waiting to be piled in heaps for the final burning, with nothing of beauty or promise about them to the care- less eye, but brimming over with fruitful possibilities to one who understood and appreciated the wonderful art by which those patient toilers of other days succeeded in wringing from the untamed soil, wealth, comfort, and all the beautiful and graceful adjuncts attendant upon a true Christian civili- zation. PRETTY PATTY PARTON. 17 Some such thoughts as these flitted through Patty's brain as, on the morning after their arrival, she stood in the low doorway and looked out with thoughtful eyes upon the un- familiar scene before her. The trees, elm, oak and maple, were just bursting into leaf, hanging like a filmy veil of green and crimson between the clear blue of the sweet May sky and her own delighted vision. Swallows darted in and out of the great roomy barn, sweeping down so close to her lace that their sharp wings almost brushed her cheek — a pretty contrast in their saucy fearlessness to the modest brown partridge that peeped shyly out at her from the thicket close by, too intent upon watching her motions to heed the impatient drumming of its mate in the forest beyond. The sweet, clear air was balmy with those thousand in- describable odors that only a May morning in our northern New England produces — the incense that grateful Nature, just released from her icy prison house, smiled up to her deliverer. "Patty?" called Mistress Wadsworth's cheery voice from within. ''Cousin Patty — you idle little thing! don't stand there dreaming all day, but take this canteen and run down to the spring beyond the clearing, and fetch us some fresh water for breakfast." With a willing nod and smile the girl" obeyed, tripping half timidly down the well trodden pathway that led to the spring, whose whereabouts she had discovered the day be- fore, and whose clear, ice cold water was one of the few- luxuries that their new habitation could promise them. The great trees met over her head in a leafy arch, through which the sun shot his gilded arrows, that fell, splintered and broken. upon heaps of last year's leaves, russet and sod- 18 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. den with the scarce melted snow, or nestled in beds of green feathery mosses, where the delicate blossoms of the ane- mone, with here and there a tuft of rosy arbutus, lifted their innocent heads, as if drinking in the full beauty and fragrance of the pure spring day, that seemed to enclose them in a warm, tender embrace. How much prettier they were than any of the garden flowers that her aunt cherished so tenderly, just because the seeds had been imported from her old English home, and how much more delicate and sweet breathed in their modest rusticity. She gathered them by the handsful. inhaling their dewy fragrance with a kind of intoxication that made her, for the time, forgetful of everything but the strange, sweet influ- ences of the place and hour ; and she started, with a half- guilty consciousness of her neglected task, at the sound of a footstep close behind her upon the grassy path. A glance over her shoulder revealed the familiar figure of a tall young man, in homespuu hunting suit and moccasins, who lifted his cap with a courteous gesture, as he bade her a pleasant good morning. ••So you have been pilfering from Mother Bumble-bee's garden !" he said, with a gay nod at the heap of blossoms and trailing evergreen that she had gathered in her apron. "That is what Ma'am Burchard. my old schoolmistress, used to call it. when she saw us youngsters with our hands full of wild flowers. If it was a string of trout, she would scold us for robbing Daddy Fishbank's pork barrel." Patty laughed at the odd conceit, and the ice once broken the two were soon chatting away with the freedom of old friends, as they strolled slowly down to the spring, where, having filled the canteen with the cold, clear water, the gal- lant Major delighted his companion and. it is fair to sup- pose, himself as well, by fashioning a dwarf drinking cup PRETTY PATTY PABTON. 19 from the delicately tinted inner bark of the white birch, from which each in turn gaily drank long life and prosperity to the pretty woodland spring, that certainly never reflected in its clear depths two brighter and happier faces. But. as they turned their half reluctant steps homeward, and emerging from the shadow of the wood, came once more face to face with the unsightly, half-reclaimed landscape that stretched out before them on either hand, a shade of sadness crossed the young man's face, and dropping the gay tone and manner that he had hitherto assumed, he remarked with a bitterness that seemed foreign to his easy tempered nature : -Look at these half-cleared, half-tilled farms, from which the old men and boys can scarcely wring enough to keep the helpless ones at home from actual hunger. No wonder that the whole land is sending up one united cry to Heaven that the end of this dreadful contest may be near. And yet," he added proudly, "not a man. woman or child among us would purchase the peace that they so long for by a cowardly submission to the oppresses of their country. 'Liberty or death' was our watchword in the beginniDg and, after all these long years of unequal strife, not a patriot in the land to-day thinks for an instant of any possible com- promise with tyranny." His handsome face glowed with patriotic pride and fer- vor, and Patty noticed that he tightened his grasp of the canteen as he spoke, as if in imagination his hand was upon the throat of the foe that had brought such poverty and de- vastation to his beloved country. Now, in her heart, the girl fully sympathized with his patriotic sentiments, nor was she at all indifferent to his manly eloquence of word and manner, but, woman like, she found a mischievous pleasure in being on the opposite 20 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. side. So she only replied with an affectation of cool indif- ference : "Ah, yes — without doubt the war has caused a great deal of inconvenience and loss to the country. But you know there is an old saying that those who dance must pay the fiddler, and if the colonies chose to rebel they must ex- pect to take the consequences." The young man glanced reproachfully at her studiedly in- different face. He was evidently both surprised and pained at her apparent callousness to the sufferings and wrongs of her fellow countrymen, and he took no pains to conceal his feelings. "I did not dream," he said reproachfully, "that so near a kinswoman of our gallant General could be other than a sympathizer with the cause for which he is willing to ad- venture all. It is strange," he added frankly, "that, feeling as you do, you should have risked the inconveniences and possible perils of a sojourn in this out-of-the-way region merely to keep your rebel friends company." Patty stole a glance at his disturbed face from under the shadow of her calash, and the mischievous dimples about her rosy mouth would surely have betrayed her had it not been for that convenient screen, as she said coolly : "Oh! as to that, I am naturally adventurous, and I wanted to see for myself what this 'howling wilderness' as Aunt Courtland calls it, was like." "It's but a rough place for fine ladies to prune their plumes in," returned the Major with a touch of sarcastic bitterness. "And if the British commander at Bagaduce should get wind of the General's presence here, why it might" — He checked himself suddenly, vexed at his own i mprudence in suggesting the possibilities of a danger that was not really to be apprehended in a neighborhood where PRETTY PATTY PARTOX. 21 almost everybody was a friend to the cause of freedom and its champions. But Patty's mischievous face had grown suddenly grave, and she cast a keenly inquiring glance at her companion, as she asked pointedly : "Why do you say that? Is General Wadsworth's posi- tion here a dangerous one?" 4 'By no means." was the quick rejoinder. "'I spoke heedlessly, and of a mere possibility that no brave man would trouble himself about for an instant." With this assurance the girl was fain to rest content, and as the house was never without its guard of armed soldiers, while the General's camp was soon filled with the recruits that poured iu from the surrounding country, there seemed little likelihood that, even if the hostile garrison at Baga- duce should hear of their presence, they would not venture into the midst of the enemy's country to risk an actual conflict with them. 22 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. CHAPTER II. And so the long, bright, lazy summer days crept by in a peaceful contentment, such as the town-bred maiden had never in all her life known before. The relief from a hun- dred petty, yet clinging cares and duties, more than compensated the rude accommodations, while her natural love for Nature could now for the first time find free and un- reproved expression, and easy, unconventional Mistress Dolly, even if she did not share her young kinswoman's en- thusiasm for the new and beautiful things about them, listened kindly to her raptures, and never made the least ob- jection to her amusing herself in any way that she preferred, whether by long, solitary rambles in the woodlands and meadows, or by frequent raids upon the scattered farm- houses, whose inmates she studied with the same kindly zeal and interest which she brought to bear upon the wild flowers and ferns that she searched out and brought home with her from her long walks about the country. If Aunt Courtland could only have seen her, as with un- gloved hands and moccasined feet, she explored the wild woodland paths, guided only by the k 'blazed" trees, fishing for trout in the pretty, babbling trout brooks, whose loca- tions and resources she soon came to know as familiarly as the streets of her own native city ; studying the habits of the wild birds and animals, and the scarcely less wild ways of the unkempt country children who, their confidence once secured, were always delighted to be her companions and guides upon any excursion that her fertile fancy prompted PRETTY PATTV PARTON. 23 her to undertake, while in many indirect ways she con- trived to instruct and harmonize them to a degree that sur- prised even herself. It was a work of love and mercy, and never in all her easy, care-free life had the girl tasted such pure, unalloyed enjoyment as she now knew in her gentle ministry among these neglected little people, whose loving devotion more than repaid her for whatever was wearisome or distasteful in her self-elected position as teacher and mentor to these untrained youngsters : "Stand up now, little Jeanne, look me straight in the eye, and let me see if you have learned the task I gave you." Obediently the little maid stiaightened her chubby shoulders, set her bare feet resolutely upon the roughly hewed timbers that formed the tloor of her rude cottage home, and stared with her fearless, Scotch blue eyes into the grave face of her instructress : "Weel, Miss, I'm a' here !" she answered, with the stolid composure of her race. Patty smiled and nodded good naturedly. "Let me see," she said slowly, "there were six words in this lesson, I be- lieve. The first in the list is 'frog,' — spell 'frog,' Jeanne." ' 'What the auld grandmither caa's the monsters that cry boo ! in the meadows, and prays nicht and morn to be pro- tected — fra ?" "Yes, the very same. Now, how do you spell it?" "Frogs did ye ca' 'em? There's nye toads as weel as frogs in these pairts." "Plenty of them, without doubt," returned Miss Patty, rather impatiently, "But we've nothing to do with the toads now, — spell 'frog,' that's a good child." Jeanne wriggled uneasily, twisting the corner of her clean, homespun apron between her plump fingers : — 24 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. "I don't just compreheend the deeferance betwixt the twa,"she said, demurely, and with a sidelong glance at the lady's face. "Will ye nae expleen aboot it, an' mayhap by that time I'll get the leeters fairly straightened oot inside my bow." "You miserable little humbug!" laughed Patty, with a playful pull at the tangled red curls. '•You know your lesson as well as anybody, but you want to worry me into bribing you to say it. Very well, if you'll spell all of the six words without a single mistake I'll give you six of those big blue beads that you think so pretty." Jeanne brightened up instantly. "F-r-o-g," she cried, in her shrill, childish treble, then shut her teeth together with a sharp click, indicating her impatience for the rest. Of course she spelled them all correctly, and Patty pre- sented the beads with as much satisfaction as her pupil evi- dently felt in receiving them. The old Scotch "granmither" — as little Jeanne called her, sitting in the chimney corner, knitting in hand, had listened attentively, and with a quiet smile of amusement upon her wrinkled face, although the scene was by no means a new one to her. In her visits to different households, Patty had learned something of the needs of all, and nothing had seemed sadder to her than the fact that the children were, in many cases, growing up in ignorance, for lack of the schools that the town at that time, was too poor to provide. "With her warm, energetic nature, sympathy and help were sure to go hand in hand, and in spite of her cousin's ridicule, the girl took upon herself the task of teaching these little ones how to read and spell, using the Bible mostly for a text book, as few families had any other book in their possession. PRETTY PATTY PAKTON. 25 It was really wonderful how quick and eager they were to avail themselves of her kindly aid, and now, as the sum- mer was waning, there was not <>ne among her pupils, as she proudly boasted to her friend. Major Burton, who could not read some of the easiest verses through without stum- bling, and spell almost any word in common use. of one or even two syllables. Little Jeanne, the only child of "Scotch Dugald," as his neighbors called him, was the brightest, must forward of all, when she chose to do her best, but that best, as her teacher soon learned, could seldom be brought out without a bribe. ••Aye. but the lassie's douce an' thrifty. like a' her race '." murmured the grandmother approvingly, as the little crirl betook herself to her own private quarters in the loft over- head, probably to find a place of concealment for her newly won treasure. Patty had seated herself by the old dame's side, and was regarding with a look of curious speculation, the hard, wrinkled face, surmounted by the snowy ••curch" — the Scotch matron's distinctive badge, and which in this case was scarce whiter than the smooth bands of hair that it shaded : the still erect, large boned figure, and the dull blue eyes, from which the sight had long since departed, leaving only the blank, unspeculative darkness of a starless night. The towns-people called Granny Dugald a ••witch.'* be- cause she claimed to be possessed of the power of second sight, and Patty, while she laughed at the superstitious idea, could not divest herself of a secret feeling of awe and expectation, as she listened to the often strange and always original and quaint expressions that fell from the old wom- an's lips whenever she designed to make conversation with any of the few chance callers at her son's cottage. 3 26 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. That both herself and son sympathized with the royalists was a well known fact that neither pretended to deny, and this, added to their peculiarities of speech and manner, caused them to be, in a great measure, outlawed by the unitedly patriotic citizens of the hamlet . Several times Patty had ventured to reason with the old woman, in the absence of her sullen browed, son, upon her unpopular political prejudices, always finding her respectful and civil, but set as the hills of her own native land in her own opinions and sympathies. To-day she gave speech for the first time to a thought that had often crossed her mind in regard to the unswerving loyalty of this peculiar family : "I always thought that the Scotch were the greatest lovers of liberty of any nation in the world ; and how happens it that you, a representative Scotchwoman, should be on the side of tyranny and oppression ?" "That a' depends upon what you ca' leeberty," was the sharp reply. "I'm nae friend to sech leeberty as wad thraw aff a' allegiance to principalities an' powers, baith aboon an' above. An' that, I take it, is about a' this hue and cry hereabouts will amount to, gin the rebel leaders win their ain way." Patty, keenly resenting the dame's contemptuous tone and words, drew herself up proudly as she replied, with what she afterward knew w T as imprudent bravado : "We will show the oppressors, before many more months have passed over our heads, what the despised yeoman of New England can do towards dislodging that hornet's nest at Bagaduce and ridding this fair province of her foreign enemies." Grannie laughed satirically . "He laughs best who laughs latest !" she muttered, with PRETTY PATTY PARTON. 27 a queer mixture of triumph and sadness in her tones. "It may be, my bonnie leddy, that these same hornets, as ye ca' them, are God-sent, like them that drave oot the armies o' the alians abune the face o' Israel of old." A few days later Patty was reminded of her indiscreet boast by overhearing part of a conversation between the General and Major Burton, in reference to Scotch Dugald, and a threat that he was reported to have made, that ''The English garrison at Bagaduce had trusty eyes and ears in every part of the Province." "He is a sulky clown." remarked the General, with care less contempt. "Too stupid to carry out the mischief that his malice prompts him to devise." The other shook his head doubtfully. "He is deeper than you think, and so avaricious that he would sell his soul for a five-pound note. He must be watched, and not allowed to leave the neighborhood while the troops are here, or he might give the enemy a hint that would bring them down upon us unawares at any time." Although the General politely assented to this proposition of his inferior officer, Patty knew by the expression of his face that he thought the danger a very slight one, and scarcely worth the attention of men absorbed in matters of such great importance to the country at large. For herself, the Major's warning rang in her ears for days afterwards, and made her keenly apprehensive of some approaching calamity whenever the ill-favored Scotchman crossed her path. Despite her fears Patty would not discontinue her lessons to little Jeanne, while in reply to Grannie's cautiously worded inquiries, she took care to give such information as would be sure to mislead and mystify the crafty old dame. In fact she knew little herself of the General's plans 28 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. beyond the present day. They might return to Boston in a week, or it might be months before his work would be finished and the troops ready to be despatched to their destination in the regular army. The old woman smiled grimly at the girl's unwonted caution, and after a time ceased to make any inquiries whatever upon the subject of her friends' movements ; but Patty fancied that her manner toward her had somehow softened, and that she was less intolerant and bitter of speech than she had been before. Once she took upon herself to counsel her to return to her home before the approaching winter should have rendered the journey a difficult as well as dangerous one. ■•Ye'll be safer an snugger in yer ain chimney neuk, when the wintry winds begin to blow, and the snow drifts higher nor the uppermost panes in this bleak wild region." But Patty only laughed, half indignant at the idea of run- ning away and leaving her friends to face the discomforts of the season alone. "If my kinswoman and her boys can bear the cold and the solitude," she said, "I think it would ill become me to com- plain." And so the summer faded into autumn, the days grew shorter, and the evenings by the blazing fire in the great stone fire-place of the Wadsworth kitchen had come to be, by far, the brightest, cheeriest part of the day. Then, his military duties laid aside, the General could indulge in a romp with the boys, or a social chat with the ladies of his family, who, with their reading and sewing, found plenty to occupy and interest them inside the rude walls of their temporary home. Almost every evening, too, lame Jake, an old fiddler in the neighborhood, was summoned to furnish music for the PRETTY PATTY PARTON. 29 impromptu dances, gotten up by Mistress Dolly and her gay girl cousin, to which all the young officers were, of course, bidden, with the half score or more of buxom damsels living in the vicinity, who were only too glad to do their part in the entertainment of their country's gallant defenders. If Major Burton danced oftener with Patty than with anybody else, and if that young lady, in her comments upon the different gallants, had a good word for every one except liim. Mistress Dolly was sharp enough to let the fact pass unnoticed, although she did indulge in a little private merriment at the thought of Aunt Courtland's un- availing rage and disgust when she should learn that this one ewe lamb of her flock of nieces had gone over to the rebel side, like all the rest. It is possible that the little lady was a bit malicious in this matter, for it was not easy to forget the elder matron's fierce opposition to her own mar- riage, and ever since that event her contemptuous neglect of her gallant husband — a slight that the loyal wife was not likely to overlook or forgive. If Patty should choose to wed a rebel officer, there was nothing that her aunt could do, let her scold and fume as she might. The girl's own fortune was ample, and she was of an age to have legal control of it so that she was really as inde- pendent as a young lady of her day could or should be. So reasoned Mrs. Dolly : and if the gallant Major re- ceived a particularly cordial welcome from her whenever he ventured to call, it was nobody's business, especially as he was such a favorite and friend of her husband, and con- sidered by him one of the bravest and most efficient officers in that section, — which last fact she, as the wife of his su- perior officer, was in duty bound to give full importance to. As the winter approached, so General Wadsworth's 30 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. labors also approached completion. The troops had all been ordered into winter quarters, only a small body guard remaining, while he hastened his preparations to return to Boston. Perhaps it was the prospect of being so soon rid of their unwelcome presence that made Scotch Dugald show himself so remarkably friendly, as a present of venison or fish every now and then was evidently intended to prove, while little Jeanne, in her eagerness to continue her lessons, wil- lingly braved the cold and snow every other day to repeat her lessons at Miss Patty's knee, always receiving as re- ward for a perfect lesson, a cake or some other little delicacy that she was not likely to taste in her own poor home. One morning the little maid came as usual, but her usually bright face was overclouded, and the blue eyes were downcast and swollen with weeping. Patty, while she gently united the warm hood that her own hands had fashioned for the motherless child, asked tenderly : "What is the trouble with my Jeanne this morn- ing? Are you cold, or did Grannie scold because the breakfast parritch was not to her taste?" Jeanne smiled faintly and a blush overspread her small face, but she was a truthful little soul, and would not have told a lie to save her life, so she replied with evident embar- rassment : "It was somethin' that Grannie an' the daddy said, that I was no to hear, and she flyted at me when she kenned I'd listened." Patty tried hard to keep a grave face, but the doleful tone and air of the detected eavesdropper were too much for her gravity, and she laughed aloud. '•No doubt you deserved the 'fly tin', as you call it, and I don't doubt that Grannie gave yow full measure. She's not PRETTY PATTY PARTOX. 31 one to stint in the way of admonition," she added, merrily to herself. ; -But come now, we'll see if the lesson is well learned this time " It was well learned, uncommonly so, but when, at the close the gratified teacher presented her little pupil with a big, rosy-cheeked apple, the child refused to take it, and res- olutely turning away her face, began hastily to array her- self in cloak and hood, as if anxious to escape farther im- portunity, and get away as soon as possible. ••Why Jeanne," urged Patty, bewildered and really hurt by such unaccountable behavior on the part of her favorite. "Why won't you take the apple? Are you angry with me?" Suddenly the child turned and flung herself sobbing into her friend's arms, where she clung, weeping as if her heart would break : ••It's no that ! it's no that at all !" she cried between her sobs. "But. oh! Miss Patty, I'm no to take lessons of ye ony mair, and I'm no to coom an see you again, either." Patty was astonished and indignant. "Why, what can be the reason?" she asked. "I'm no to tell that," replied the child, sadly. Then dis- engaging herself from her friend's clasp she drew a little package from her pocket which she put into her hand with the mournfully spoken words : '•Guide bye, an gude luck to ye, Miss Patty! I'll pray for ye ilka nicht, on my bare banes, that God'll keep't ye in safety an honor." The next moment she was gone, and Patty watched through blinding tears the sturdy little figure as it toiled up the ion?, snow covered ascent, not once looking back, but pausing now and then to draw her hand across her eyes as 32 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. if to clear them from the tears that she had not yet succeeded in checking. With a sigh the girl turned from the window, and then for the first time remembering the package which she still held in her hand she hastened to open it. There they were. — all the little hoarded trinkets that she had, from time to time, bestowed upon her little friend : a string of bright beads, small knots of gay ribbon, a little embroidered silk work bag. and last of all, a bit of soiled paper, tear blotted and stained, upon which the child had managed to print with her unpracticed hand, the farewell that she could not speak : ••i lov u but i Cant Kep the Things." Poor little lass ! And Patty broke down and cried like a child. •'It's some of that cross old grandmother's work, I know. She is too proud to let the child take favors that she lias no means of repaying." Her cousin smiled significantly. ••It's more likely that she has taken otfence at something that you have taught the child. Perhaps she'd rather have her learn to sing 'God save the King.' than 'Yankee Doodle,' that I heard you teaching her the other day." Patty laughed through her tears. •'The little midget sang it with a relish, too." she said. "And not long ago she confided to me that in her opinion General Washington was 'a gude man, for a'." '•Grannie was wiser than I thought," laughed Mrs. Wads- worth. But for many a day Patty looked longingly for the little red-cloaked figure, that now never, by any chance, passed by the cottage, or sent so much as a word of loving remem- brance to the teacher that she had seemed to love so well. \ PRETTY PATTY PARTO N. 33 CHAPTER III. "Only three days more, Miss Patty, and we part— per- haps forever." They were standing apart — Major Burton and Patty — near one of the low, uncurtained windows of the wide, roughly finished kitchen. As he spoke the girl glanced un- consciously at the bare, unattractive room, only lighted by the blazing logs in the great, rude, stone fire-place, at one corner of which sat the General sleepily smoking his evening pipe, while from the adjoining room came the faint, sweet echoes of his young wife's voice singing her boys to sleep in their low trundle-bed. It was comfortable, but oh, so plain and homely this scene of pioneer home life ! and Patty could not help contrasting it with her aunt's stately drawing- room, with its richly carved and upholstered furniture, its tall mirrors, reflecting back the lights of the wax candles in their gilded sconces — the ease, the richness and beauty, so different from the rude bareness of this home in the wilder- ness, that, for the first time, she actually felt a sudden pang of homesickness. "Yes," she said slowly, and conveniently ignoring the last part of his remark, "we shall start for home in three days, now, I expect. And I, for one, shall be thankful to o-et back to civilized life once more . " "Is this plain, free country life so very distasteful to you. then ?" Patty felt the tone of tender reproach underlying the words, but with the waywardness of her sex and age, she 34 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. pretended not to notice it, and with a careless toss of her dainty head that sent the firelight shimmering brightly through her curls, she returned indifferently : "Oh, I only came here for a summer's outing ; and now, that I have had it, I shall be only too glad to be at home again." Perhaps the young man was too much absorbed in his own bright dreams of a possible future to heed these little coquetries of his fair companion, for he went on, in his grave, level tones, that gradually warmed into enthusiasm, as he looked thoughtfully out on the darkening landscape that lay stern, hard, and to the careless eye, unpromising, amidst the dusky shadows : "It is rough and rude here, to be sure, but think of the plenty, the beauty and the wealth that are locked up in these uncleared forests, these swiftly running streams with their splendid mill power, and the lumber that years of la- bor will scarcely exhaust. Why, even the stone here might be turned into gold by the man who had the courage and enterprise to undertake the work of quarrying it " Patty smiled rather coldly — he should not mistrust that she shared in the smallest degree in his enthusiasm. ••No doubt the place has marvelous capabilities, if one cares to spend the best years of his life in toiling and plan- ning to develop them. For my part," she added, with a little air of contempt that she was far from feeling, k 'I have little of the pioneer spirit in my make-up. I like my wheat already made into good, sweet bread, and my lumber in the shape of comfortable houses and furniture. Other people may toil to raise and grind the grain, and fell the trees, or even slice up the rock?, if they like, but /should prefer to sit at home and enjoy the fruits of their labors so long as I have no special reasons for doing differently.'''' PRETTY PATCT PARTON*. 35 She stole a look from under her softly drooping lids at her companion, but his eyes were downcast, and there was a stern look about those tell-tale lips that she was at no loss to guess the meaning of. How stupid the man was ! Couldn't he understand the hint conveyed in that last sentence, instead of taking to himself the rebuff that she had by no means intended in her foolish talk? Oh, the great, dull fellow ! Didn't he know that a woman's words are meant, on special occasions, to be read back- wards ? and Patty turned away her face to hide the vexed tears, as he said sadly and with the directness characteristic of the man : "Then our parting is indeed a final one, as I had feared. This is my home, the spot where all my ambitions and hopes are centered, and where, God willing — if I live to see Peace once more bless our land — I shall kindle my own hearth fire, and devote my life to the development and im- provement of the place that I have fixed upon as the home of myself and my descendants for all the years to come." Patty was silent, and he went on in a lower and more softened tone : "I have no right to be disappointed, and yet I am, cruelly, bitterly disappointed, in the downfall of those foolish hopes that your unsuspecting friendliness had kindled in my heart. You are right, tor to a lady born and bred, as you are, this rough life would, no doubt be uner. durable, and I can only plead my great love for you as an excuse for fancying such a thing possible. Forgive my presumption, and, as a token that we part friends, give me as a keepsake something— just a knot of ribbon" — and he glanced pleadingly at the rose- colored breast-knot that nestled in the folds of delicately wrought muslin that modestly veiled the snowy neck and bosom of its wearer. 36 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. But Patty was angry now, as well as hurt, and in this mood it was rather pleasant than otherwise to be able to ad- minister a snub to the man who seemed so stupidly deter- mined to misjudge and underrate her : "I crave your pardon, Major Burton !" and she drew her- self up with an air as unapproachable and haughty as Aunt Courtland's own. "I only give keepsakes to very, very dear friends, and a mere summer acquaintance can scarcely claim" — She stopped in well simulated embarrassment, which her companion actually supposed to proceed from her reluctance to pain him ; but which wounded him to the very quick, as she had intended. ' ; Forgive me," he said, with a courtesy as cold, and a man- ner as proud as her own, "for the offence — if offence you choose to call it — the asking for so simple a token of kindly remembrance as a knot of ribbon, a paltry toy, that no lady need feel that she is compromising herself by bestowing upon an honest friend, however humble he may be. But such talk as this is worse than idle, and I will only ask you to do me the favor to forget, as I shall try to do, all that has ever passed between us, and to say good night kindly at least, so long as it is our last." He stretched out his hand, and after a moment's hesita- tion Patty laid hers within its clasp. She tried to speak, but for the life of her she could not find words to express the feelings that were struggling for utterance : while her heart beat so wildly that she fancied her companion must hear its painful throbbing. Must they part like this, after all the pleasant, congenial companionship that had made their last few months like a dream of heaven to the girl's secret soul? 97 PRETTY PATTY PARTON. Ju»t for a few pettish, wilful words, spoken in idle bravado, wonld this man-crnel because of the very manli- ness that she so loved him for-turn away from her forever, without an effort to induce her to retraet the words already so bitterly repented of? Shyly, half involuntarily, her fin- cers toyed with the coveted ribbon, secretly hoping that the request for it might be repeated, and its bestowal lead to a full and free understanding between them. But nothing was farther from the young man's mind at that moment, than to provoke another rebutf, and thereby add to the pain that already seemed greater than he could bear with patience. That Patty's reply had been prompted by a spirit o. .irlish pique and pettishness, had never once entered h.s mind. His love for her had been as honest and outspoken as himself, and he was far too proud to press a suit that had, as he understood it. been so harshly and haughtily rejected Her companionship with himself had been merely a part of the "outing" of which she had distinctly said that she was "-lad it was over"-and that was all. He was no whining sentimentalist, to sit down in weak discouragement and eat 5 out his own heart in unavailing regrets fur that which might not be. There was good yeomanly work before him, duties to h.s God, his countrv, and himself, and as he went out from the cottage that night, it was with an aching, but courageous heart, that even then, beat high at the thought of what the future mi»ht have in store for him, when, by the might of his own strong, right arm, he should have carved out a place for himself among the honored freemen of his own native State. When Mistress Dolly came into the kitchen half an hour later, she glanced with some surprise at the solitary figure 38 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. by the window, and then at her husband silently dozing over his pipe in the warm chimney corner. "Where is the Major?" she asked, with a suddenness that made Patty start and color brightly beneath the friendly shadows. The General removed his pipe from his mouth, and yawned sleepily : "The Major? Oh ! — yes, he left half an hour ago. He wished me to say good-bye to you, for him, as he is to start early to-morrow morning to join his regiment." The little lady looked annoyed and rather mortified. "He might have waited, and bidden me good-bye in per- son," she said shortly. "After all the kindnesses that I have shown him I think he might have offered me that courtesy." ••He had so many last things to attend to," interrupted Patty, with an eagerness to exculpate the young man from the charge of discourtesy, that made her cousin smile sig- nificantly to herself. "And his start was rather — unexpected, too, I think." "Very likely it was !" mused the puzzled matron, half amused and half angry at her cousin's air of innocent un- consciousness that was strangely out of keeping with her flushed face and tear-swollen eyes. "Have you refused him?" she asked, that night, as the two sat together in cousinly conversation in Patty's room. Patty blushed, and then laughed to hide her embarrass- ment : "No — he gave me no chance to," she returned, frankly. "He wants somebody," she added, with pretended hu- mility, "who will help, not hinder him in his high aspira- tions for the future grandeur of himself and his native town. / am altogether too frivolous and fond of my own comfort to suit his tastes." PRETTY PATTY PARTON. 39 "You're a little fool !" bluntly retorted the disappointed matron. And Patty responded with exasperating coolaess : "That is just what he thinks." It was a wild, fierce night, and as Patty lay, warm and snug, between the soft homespun blankets and listened to the strange, wierd voice of the wind as it howled, wailed or sobbed in alternate rage and pain, her mind went back over all those long, bright summer and autumn days, now passed away beyond recall, leaving only a hoard of bitter-sweet memories, precious, and yet — how her heart ached at the thought of their vanished joys and hopes. In a week or two she would be at home again, sur- rounded by every luxury to which she had all her life been accustomed, but to which she now thought of returning with something so like repugnance that she was surprised at herself. Was it the free, bracing air of these wild northern hills, where the spirit of freedom seemed native to the soil, that made the easy, pleasure seeking life of the city seem tame and commonplace in comparison ? In her heart she knew, — let her lips speak the weak plat- itudes of an ease loving woman — that she was capable of a self sacrifice as great, a courage as true as any pioneer wife and mother of them all. And her tears fell fast in the darkness as she recalled with bitter mortification the stern, scarcely repressed scorn upon the face of that brave man whose approval would have been far more precious to her than the applause of the whole world beside. Perhaps, though, even now he might think better of it and defer his departure for a few hours, and then they might, probably -would meet again, and — The wail of the wind without grew fainter : the slow footfalls of the guard on duty outside the cottage fell muf- 40 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. fled and indistinct upon her scarce listening ear ; even the sleepy moan of little Jack in the room adjoining, and his mother's soothing tones as she hushed him to sleep died away in a softly confused murmur, and Patty slept, — as sweetly and unsuspicious of approaching danger as in her own cosy chamber at home. Midnight brooded silently over all within and without the peaceful cottage, and the sentinel, glad to be relieved from his lonesome watch, halted for an instant before the kitchen door where, his tall form relieved against the dimly glowing background, stood his fellow, who just aroused from sleep had appeared in response to his comrade's summons, to take his turn in what really seemed, in that lonely, peaceful place, an unnecessary and uncalled for military ceremony. Suddenly, from the impenetrable darkness beyond, rang out the sharp report of a rifle, and the surprised sentry, with a frightened outcry sprang for the open door, but not in time to close it against the crowd of red coated soldiers who, with loud cries of savage triumph, rushed into the kitchen, and finding the door of the Geueral's room barred, began throwing themselves against it, with oaths and threats in a vain endeavor to break it down and reach the helpless inmates they knew were sheltered behind it. Aroused by the firing and the wild yells of the soldiery, Patty sprang up in bed, and with clasped hands and eyes vainly trying to penetrate the fearful darkness, listened in silent terror to the uproar that was every moment increas- ing — the firing of guns, the fierce shouts of the men and the ominous crash of broken glass, as the window of the General's room was shattered by a volley from the muskets of the assailants. Quickly she realized the full meaning of it all, and knew that, betrayed by some false friend or secret enemy, the PKETTY PATTY PAKTOK. 41 General's undefended state had been reported to the British Commander at Bagaduce who had sent a detachment, that under cover of the darkness had managed to make its way up from the shore undiscovered and had taken them by sur- prise with little or no risk to themselves from the small handful of men yet remaining as an honorary guard to their commander. With the remembrance of her friends' peril, the girl for- got for the time her own terror, and hastily throwing on her clothing she felt her way to the door separating the two rooms, and with her hand upon the lock called anxiously to know if the inmates were unhurt. There was no reply, but at that instant the window of her own room was •shivered into a thousand pieces, a bullet whizzed above her head and buried itself in the opposite wall, while by the blinding flash she saw the forms of sev- eral soldiers leaping into her room through the broken win- dow. Breathless with terror, she retreated into the farthest cor- ner, still grasping in her trembling hand the key that she had unconsciously drawn from the lock at the instant that the window fell in, and which, as it proved, had been her friend's safeguard, as the intruders finding this door also locked, quickly withdrew, — too intent upon securing their desired prisoner to notice the frightened girl who again crept to the door and listened intently. She knew by the sounds within, that the General desper- ate as his situation was, was bravely defending himself with his pistols, and now and then a low spoken word of encour- agement to his frightened wife, showed that he was yet un- harmed in spite of the murderous lire of the enemy, who in the darkness were obliged to Are at random, not being able to distinguish him from the shadows about him. 4 42 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. Suddenly she heard him utter a low cry of pain and con- sternation ; — then, all at once, the firing ceased, the kitchen door gave way with a crash, and a wild shout of triumph went up from the victorious foe telling its own story to the sinking heart of the listener, — a story that was the next in- stant confirmed by her cousin, who called out hurriedly : "Unlock the door, Patty ! The General is wounded, and I want your help." Without an instant's hesitation the girl obeyed, but as she crossed the threshold her brain reeled, and a terrible faintness almost overpowered her at the frightful scene of confusion that met her eyes. In the middle of the room stood the General, half dressed, pale as death, yet with a look of calm courage in his eyes that, but for the shattered arm hanging helpless at his side, proved that the enemy's victory would not have been a bloodless one on their side. A crowd of rude-voiced men in the hated scarlet uniform filled the rooms with coarse jests and laughter, while many with uplifted torches surveyed with unconcealed triumph the devastation about them, or stared curiously at the distressed family into which they had brought all this suffering and desolation. The captain, a gentlemanly looking young man, having posted sentries at the door and windows to guard against any possible attempt at rescue, now approached his prisoner and courteously expressed his regret that he should have been wounded in the melee, even proffering his help to the ladies in bandaging and dressing the disabled arm. As Patty, trembling in every limb yet outwardly com- posed and intent only upon making the General as com- fortable as possible, passed by the shattered door of the kitchen, she glanced fearfully for an instant into the crowded PRETTY PATTY PARTON. 43 room and saw a face — pale, stem, with blood stains upon the white forehead, that hinted at a desperate resistance against superior numbers before its owner had submitted to the indignity of yeilding himself a prisoner to his country's foes. Only a few hours before that face had glanced so brightly with love and hope, and she felt as if her heart would break as she noted the pinioned arms and saw the rude soldier who had him in charge make a contemptuous rejoinder to some question that she could not hear. At that instant he looked up and their eyes met. A deep flush passed over his face, then he tried to smile encouragingly, but the effort was a failure, and scarce con- scious of what she was doing, the girl made a step toward him with what intent she could not herself have explained, but drawn by that mysterious sympathy with, and longing to comfort the object of her affections that enables woman to brave such dangers and hardships, only to stand by the side of him she loves and share his sufferings even if she can- not alleviate them. "Be quick, there, Miss !" The captain spoke impatiently, for every moment was of importance, and although common humanity had forced him to accede to the request of Mrs. "Wads worth to delay until she could bind up her husband's wound, he knew that their situation was a perilous one, and that in a neighbor- hood so sincerely loyal to him, the news of the General's capture might, at any moment, bring down a party of armed volunteers to the rescue. The arm was made as comfortable as possible, the last tearful farewells were spoken, and the British troops rode off into the storm and darkness with their prisoners, leaving the stunned and learned household in the midst of a desola- 44 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. lion and uncertainty more terrible for the time than any- thing that they had ever imagined in their darkest dream of possible peril. : ^t; PRETTY PATTT PARTON. 45 CHAPTER IV. Three long weeks passed before the anxious hearts in that lonely lodge by the Penobscot were gladdened by the visit of a British officer with a Hag of truce, bearing a let- ter to Mistress Wadsworth from her husband, and a permit from the commander of the fort allowing the ladies to pay a visit to the prisoners if they wished to do so. The offer was gratefully accepted, and willingly braving the inconveniences and discomforts of a journey by winter in that wild, little travelled country, the two ladies with the little boys set ofi under the escort of the officer, only too thankful to leave the scene of their dreadful experiences, even in exchange for a temporary sojourn among enemies who, however courteous as men, were nevertheless obliged to do their stern duty as soldiers under all circumstances. '•I have written to the Governor of Massachusetts." the General told his wife, when their first tearful yet glad meet- ing was over. And she sat beside him in the bare, yet by no means comfortless room that he shared with his fellow pris- oner, Major Burton, "and I think that he will have no dif- ficulty in managing an exchange for me before long. With this arm," — and he glanced at the still painful and helpless limb, — "I need home care and comforts, although the sur- geon here is skillful, and General Campbell sees that I have the best care that can be given me under the circumstances." His wife glanced at the bare, hard cot. the rudely fash- ioned stools that served for seats, and the unchinked log walls through which the piercing wintry wind crept in 46 RE-TOLD TALES OF THE HILLS AND SHORES OF MAINE. through a hundred crevices, making one shiver in spite of the roaring fire in the great stone fire-place, and the hot tears rushed to her eyes as she cried indignantly : "It is barbarous to put a wounded man into such a bare, comfortless place ! Xot a chair or even a decent bed to rest your tired bones on, — I declare it's almost as bad as the iron cage that that cruel old French king used to put people into." The husband laughed good humoredly. "For a prisoner I am really very comfortably placed. My fare and lodging are as good as the officers themselves have, with some tri- fling exceptions ; and now with you my good Dolly, and the boys and Patty for company I shall be as good as whole by the time that the two weeks allowed you here are passed." Patty had looked up and smiled somewhat absently at the sound of her own name, and now she came hastily forward and joined the family group with a warm color in her cheeks and a light in her eyes that had not been seen there for many a day. The Major, who had been talking with her, still kept his position near the fire into which he was gazing, with a face so gravely impenetrable that his friend who had long before guessed his secret, tried in vain to find a reflection of his own glad satisfaction there. Hurt, wounded as he had been by the girl's brusqueness at their last interview, he could not repress a thrill of joy at the sight of her fair young face once more, and even while he mentally styled himself a ''presuming fool" to nourish such an absurd fancy, he could not be blind to the womanly solicitude so closely approaching tenderness with which she expressed her sorrow at his unfortunate position, and shyly yet with evident sincerity, announced her deter- mination to try to influence his captors in his favor so far as PRETTY PATTY PARTON. 47 to permit her to procure some of the little comforts and lux- uries of home life, which would make their captivity so much more endurable. Perhaps after all, he had been too hasty in his judgment of her,— and for many succeeding days he watched with feverish anxiety every change of her expressive face, and listened to every word that fell from her lips, longing to find something wherewith to nourish the sweet, faint hope that was already fluttering in his secret heart. Although allowed daily intercourse with the prisoners, the ladies were carefully watched,— a