THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 \
 
 A LIST OF THE ELSIE BOOKS AND 
 OTHER POPULAR BOOKS 
 
 BY 
 
 MARTHA FINLEY 
 
 "ELSIE DINSMORE. 
 
 ELSIE'S HOLIDAYS AT ROSELANDS. 
 ELSIE'S GIRLHOOD. 
 
 ELSIE'S WOMANHOOD. 
 ELSIE'S MOTHERHOOD. 
 
 ELSIE'S CHILDREN. 
 ELSIE'S WIDOWHOOD. 
 GRANDMOTHER ELSIE. 
 
 ELSIE'S NEW RELATIONS. 
 ELSIE AT NANTUCKET. 
 THE TWO ELSIES. 
 
 ELSIE'S KITH AND KIN. 
 ELSIE'S FRIENDS AT WOODBURN. 
 CHRISTMAS WITH GRANDMA ELSIE. 
 ELSIE AND THE RAYMONDS. 
 ELSIE YACHTING WITH THE RAYMONDS, 
 ELSIE'S VACATION. 
 *ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 ELSIE AT ION. 
 
 ELSIE AT THE WORLD'S FAIR. 
 ELSIE'S JOURNEY ON INLAND WATERS. 
 ELSIE AT HOME. 
 ELSIE ON THE HUDSON. 
 ELSIE IN THE SOUTH. 
 ELSIE'S YOUNG FOLKS. 
 ELSIE'S WINTER TRIP. 
 ELSIE AND HER LOVED ONES. 
 
 MILDRED KEITH. 
 
 MILDRED AT ROSELANDS. 
 MILDRED'S MARRIED LIFE. 
 MILDRED AND ELSIE. 
 MILDRED AT HOME. 
 
 MILDRED'S BOYS AND GIRLS. 
 MILDRED'S NEW DAUGHTER. 
 
 CASELLA. 
 
 SIGNING THE CONTRACT AND WHAT IT COST 
 THE TRAGEDY OF WILD RIVER VALLEY. 
 OUR FRED. 
 
 'AN OLD-FASHIONED BOY. 
 WANTED, A PEDIGREE. 
 
 THE THORN IN THE NEST.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE 
 
 BY 
 
 MARTHA FINLEY 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
 
 COPYRIGHT, 18(6. 
 DODD, MEAD & COMPANY, 
 
 jUi right* rttervta.
 
 PS 
 
 11* 
 
 F 
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 IT was a beautiful evening at Viamede : the 
 sun nearing its setting, shadows sleeping here 
 and there upon the velvety flower-bespangled 
 lawn, and filling the air with their delicious 
 perfume, the waters of the bayou beyond re 
 flecting the roseate hues of the sunset clouds, 
 and the song of some negro oarsmen, in a pass 
 ing boat, coming to the ear in pleasantly mel 
 lowed tones. Tea was over, and the family had 
 all gathered upon the veranda overlooking the 
 bayou. A momentary silence was broken by 
 Rosie's pleasant voice : 
 
 " Mamma, I wish you or grandpa, or the cap 
 tain, would tell the story of Jackson's defence 
 of New Orleans. Now while we are in the 
 neighborhood we would all, I feel sure, find it 
 very interesting. I think you have been going 
 over Lossing's account of it, mamma," she 
 added laughingly, "for I found his 'Pictorial 
 History of the War of 1812' lying on the table 
 in your room, with a mark in at that part." 
 
 55S179
 
 2 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 *' Yes, I had been refreshing my memory in 
 thai way," returned her mother, smiling pleas 
 ant 1 y into the dark eyes gazing so fondly and 
 entreatingly into hers. "And," she added, "I 
 have no objection to granting your request, ex 
 cept that I do not doubt that either your grand 
 father or the captain could do greater justice to 
 the subject than I," glancing inquiringly from 
 one to the other. 
 
 "Captain, I move that you undertake the 
 task," said Mr. Dinsmore. " You are, no doubt,** 
 better prepared to do it justice than I, and I 
 would not have my daughter fatigued with the 
 telling of so long a story." 
 
 "Always so kindly careful of me, my dear 
 father," remarked Mrs. Travilla in a softly 
 spoken aside. 
 
 " I am doubtful of my better preparation for 
 the telling of the story, sir," returned the 
 captain in his pleasant tones, " but if both you 
 and mother are disinclined for the exertion I 
 am willing to undertake the task." 
 
 "Yes, do, captain; do, papa," came in eager 
 tones from several young voices, and lifting 
 baby Ned to one knee, Elsie to the other, while 
 the rest of the young members of the household 
 grouped themselves about him, he began his 
 story after a slight pause to collect his thoughts. 
 
 " You all, I think, have more or less knowledge 
 of the War of 1812-14, which finished the work
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 3 
 
 of separation from the mother country so nearly 
 accomplished by the War of the Revolution. 
 Upon the close of that earlier contest, England, 
 it is true, acknowledged our independence, but 
 evidently retained a hope of finally recovering 
 her control here. 
 
 "All through the intervening years, our sailors 
 on our merchant vessels, and even, in some in 
 stances, those belonging to our navy, were sub 
 jected -to insults and oppression when met on 
 the high seas by the more powerful ones of the 
 English. The conduct of British officers 
 claiming the right to search our vessels for de 
 serters from theirs, and often seizing American 
 born men as such was most gallingly insulting ; 
 the wrongs thus inflicted upon our poor seamen 
 were enough to rouse the anger and indignation 
 of the meekest of men. The clearest proofs of 
 citizenship availed nothing ; they were seized, 
 carried forcibly aboard the British ships, and, 
 if they refused to serve their captors, were 
 brutally flogged again and again. 
 
 " But I will not go into details with which you 
 are all more or less acquainted. We did not 
 lack abundant cause for exasperation, and at 
 length, though ill prepared for the struggle, our 
 government declared war against Great Britain. 
 
 " That war had lasted two years ; both parties 
 were weary of the struggle, and negotiations 
 for peace were being carried on in Europe. In
 
 4 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 fact the treaty had been signed, December 
 24, in the city of Ghent, Belgium, but news 
 did not travel in those days nearly so fast as it 
 does now, and so it happened that the battle 
 of New Orleans was fought two weeks after 
 ward, January 8, 1815, both armies being 
 still in ignorance of the conclusion of peace." 
 
 " What a pity !" exclaimed Grace. 
 
 "And Andrew Jackson was the commanding 
 general?" remarked Walter in a tone between 
 inquiry and assertion. " Was he an American 
 by birth, Brother Levis?" 
 
 " Yes ; his parents were from Ireland, but he 
 was born on the border between North and 
 South Carolina, in 1767; so that he was old 
 enough to remember some of the occurrences of 
 the Revolutionary War; one of them being him 
 self carried to Camden, South Carolina, as a 
 prisoner, and there nearly starved to death and 
 brutally treated by a British officer; cut with a 
 sword because he refused to black his boots 
 for him." 
 
 " Was that so, sir?" queried Walter. " Well, 
 I shouldn't wonder iY the recollection of all that 
 made him more ready to fight them in the next 
 war, particularly at New Orleans, than he would 
 have been otherwise." 
 
 " No doubt," returned the captain. " Jackson 
 was a man of great energy, determination, and 
 persistence. It is said his maxim was, 'till all
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 5 
 
 is done nothing is done.' In May of 1814 he 
 was made a major-general in the regular army 
 and appointed to the command of the Depart 
 ment of the South, the Seventh Military Dis 
 trict, with his headquarters at Mobile, of which 
 the Americans had taken possession as early as 
 April, 1812. 
 
 "Jackson's vigilance was sleepless. The 
 Spanish had possession of Pensacola, and, 
 though professing neutrality, were secretly fa 
 voring the British. Of this Jackson promptly 
 informed our government, but at that time our 
 War Department was strangely apathetic, and 
 his communication was not responded to in any 
 way. 
 
 "But he had trusty spies, both white and 
 dark-skinned, everywhere, who kept him in 
 formed of all that was taking place in the whole 
 region around. He knew that British marines 
 were allowed to land and encamp on shore ; that 
 Edward Nichols, their commander, was a guest 
 of the Spanish governor, and the British flag 
 was unfurled over one of the forts. Also, that 
 Indians were invited to enroll themselves in the 
 service of the British crown, and that Nichols 
 had sent out a general order to his soldiers, and 
 a proclamation to the people of Kentucky and 
 Louisiana, announcing that the land and naval 
 forces at Pensacola were only the van of a far 
 larger number of vessels and troops which
 
 6 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 were intended for the subjugation of Louisiana 
 and especially the city of New Orleans. 
 
 "Jackson arrived in that city on the 2d of 
 December, and prepared to defend it from 
 the British, whom he had driven out of Florida. 
 They had planned to take the lower Mississippi 
 Valley, intending to keep possession of the wes 
 tern bank of the river. They had among them 
 some of the finest of Wellington's troops, who, 
 but a short time before, had been engaged in 
 driving Napoleon out of Europe. 
 
 "In December, 12,000 men under the com 
 mand of Sir Edward Packenham, brother-in-law 
 of Wellington, were landed below New Orleans. 
 They had come from Jamaica across the Gulf of 
 Mexico. Their expedition was a secret one, and 
 they approached New Orleans midway between 
 Mobile Bay and the Mississippi River, entering 
 Lake Borgne and anchoring there. 
 
 "A small American navy, composed of five 
 gunboats, opposed their progress, but was soon 
 dispersed by their superior force of fifty vessels, 
 large and small. Then the British took full pos 
 session of the lake, and landed troops upon a 
 lonely island called the Isle des Pois (or Pea 
 Island) . 
 
 "Some Spaniards, who had formerly lived in 
 New Orleans, told Cochrane of Bayou Bienvenu, 
 at the northwestern extremity of Lake Borgne, 
 by which he could nearly reach the city, the
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 7 
 
 bayou being navigable for large barges to with 
 in a few miles of the Mississippi River. 
 
 "A party was sent to explore it, and found 
 that by following it and a canal they would 
 reach a spot but half a mile from the river and 
 nine miles below the city. 
 
 "They hurried back to Cochrane with a report 
 to that effect, and by the 23d of December half 
 of the army had reached the spot. 
 
 "A few months before September 1st the 
 British sloop of war Sophia, commanded by 
 Captain Lockyer, had sailed from Pensacola 
 witn despatches for Jean Lafitte, inviting him 
 and his band to enter the British service." 
 
 "Lafitte! Who was he, Brother Levis?" 
 queried Walter. 
 
 "A Frenchman," replied the captain, "who, 
 with his elder brother, Pierre, had come to 
 New Orleans some six years before. They 
 were blacksmiths, and for a time worked at their 
 trade; but afterward they engaged in smug 
 gling, and were leaders of a band of corsairs, 
 seizing, it was said, merchantmen of different 
 nations, even some belonging to the people of the 
 United States, and for that they were outlawed, 
 though there was some doubt that they were 
 really guilty. But they carried on a contraband 
 trade with some of the citizens of Louisiana, 
 smuggling their wares into New Orleans 
 through Bayou Teche, or Bayou Lafourche and
 
 8 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 Barataria Lake. That had brought them into 
 trouble with the United States authorities, and 
 the British thought to get the help of the buc 
 caneers in their intended attack upon the city, 
 where Pierre Lafitte was at that time a pris 
 oner. 
 
 " Captain Lockyer carried to Jean a letter 
 from Colonel Nichols offering him a captain's 
 commission in the British Navy and $30,000, 
 and to his followers exemption from punish 
 ment for past deeds, indemnification for a.ny 
 losses, and rewards in money and lands, if tney 
 would go into the service of England's king. 
 
 "Lockyer also brought another paper, in 
 which they were threatened with extermination 
 if they refused the oJffers in the first." 
 
 "Were they frightened and bribed into doing 
 what the British wished, sir?" asked Walter. 
 
 "No," replied the captain; "they seized Cap 
 tain Lockyer and his officers, and threatened 
 to carry them to New Orleans as prisoners of 
 war; but Lafitte persuaded them to give that 
 up, and they released the officers. Lafitte pre 
 tended to treat with them, asking them to come 
 back for his reply in ten days, and they were 
 permitted to depart. 
 
 "After they had gone, he wrote to a member 
 of the legislature telling of the visit of the 
 British officers, what they had said to him and 
 his men, and sending with his letter the papers
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 9 
 
 Captain Lockyer had left with him. He also 
 offered his own and his men's services in defence 
 of the city, on condition that past offences 
 should never be brought up against them. 
 
 "Troops were badly needed in the American 
 army, and Governor Claiborne was inclined to 
 accept Lafitte's offer; but the majority of his 
 officers were opposed to so doing, thinking the 
 papers sent were forgeries, and the story made 
 up to prevent the destruction of the colony of 
 outlaws, against whom an expedition was then 
 fitting out. Lafitte knew of the preparations, 
 but supposed they were for an attack upon the 
 British. They, the members of the expedition, 
 made a sudden descent upon Barataria, captured 
 a large number of Lafitte's men, and carried 
 them and a rich booty to New Orleans. 
 
 "Some of the Baratarians escaped, Jean and 
 Pierre Lafitte among them. They soon collected 
 their men again near the mouth of Bayou La- 
 fourche, and after General Jackson took com 
 mand in New Orleans, again offered their ser 
 vices, which Jackson accepted, sending a part to 
 man the redoubts on the river, and forming of 
 the rest a corps which served the batteries with 
 great skill. 
 
 "In his letter at the time of sending informa 
 tion with regard to the attempt of the British 
 to bribe him to enter their service, Jean Lafitte 
 said: 'Though proscribed in my adopted coun-
 
 10 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 try, I will never miss an occasion of serving her, 
 or of proving that she has never ceased to be 
 dear to me.' " 
 
 "There!" exclaimed Lulu with enthusiasm, 
 "I don't believe he was such a very bad man, 
 after all." 
 
 "Nor do I," her father said with a slight 
 smile : then went on with his story. 
 
 "Early on the 15th of December, Jackson, 
 hearing of the capture of the gunboats, imme 
 diately set to work to fortify the city and make 
 every possible preparation to repulse the expected 
 attack of the enemy. He sent word to General 
 Winchester, in command at Mobile, to be on 
 the alert, and messengers to Generals Thomas 
 and Coffee urging them to hasten with their 
 commands to assist in the defence of the city. 
 
 " Then he appointed, for the 18th, a grand re 
 view of all the troops in front of the Cathedral 
 of St. Louis, in what is now Jackson Square, 
 but at that time was called Place d'Armes. 
 
 "All the people turned out to see the review. 
 The danger was great, the military force with 
 which to meet the foe small and weak, but 
 Jackson made a stirring address, and his aide, 
 Edward Livingston, read a thrilling and eloquent 
 one. 
 
 "They were successful in rousing botb troops 
 and populace to an intense enthusiasm, taking 
 advantage of which, Jackson declared
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 11 
 
 hw and a suspension of the writ of habeas cor 
 pus." 
 
 "What is that, papa?" asked Grace. 
 
 "It is a writ which in ordinary times may be 
 given by a judge to have a prisoner brought 
 before him that he may inquire into the cause 
 of his detention and have him released if unlaw 
 fully detained. It is a most important safe 
 guard to liberty, inherited by us from our Eng 
 lish ancestors." 
 
 " Then what right had Jackson to suspend it, 
 sir?" queried Walter. 
 
 "A right given by the constitution of the 
 United States, in which there is an express pro 
 vision that it may be suspended in cases of re 
 bellion or invasion, should the public safety 
 demand it," replied the captain: then resumed 
 his narrative. 
 
 "After the review, Jean Lafitte again offered 
 his own services and those of his men, urging 
 their acceptance, and they were mustered "into 
 the ranks and appointed to important duty. 
 
 " Jackson showed himself sleeplessly vigilant 
 and wonderfully active, making every possible 
 preparation to meet and repulse every coming 
 foe. 
 
 ^"On the evening of the 23d, the schooner 
 Carolina, one of the two armed American ves 
 sels in the river, moved down and anchored 
 within musket shot of the centre of the British
 
 12 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 camp. Half an hour later she opened a tremen 
 dous fire upon them from her batteries, and ii 
 ten minutes had killed or wounded a hundreo 
 or more men. The British answered with j 
 shower of Congreve rockets and bullets, bu 
 with little or no effect, and in less than half ai 
 hour were driven in confusion from their camp. 
 
 "They had scarcely recovered from that whei 
 they were startled by the sound of musketry ii 
 the direction of their outposts. Some prisoner; 
 whom General Keane had taken told him then 
 were more than 12,000 troops in New Orleans, 
 and he now felt convinced that such was th* 
 fact. He gave Thornton full liberty to do as h( 
 would. 
 
 " Thornton moved forward and was presently 
 met by a column under Jackson. There was 
 some fierce fighting, and at length the British fel 
 sullenly back. About half past nine the fighting 
 was over; but two hours later, when all was be 
 coming quiet in the camp, musket firing was heard 
 in the distance. Some drafted militia, undei 
 General David Morgan, had heard the firing 
 upon the Carolina early in the evening, insisted 
 upon being led against the enemy, and on theii 
 way had met some British pickets at Jumons- 
 ville and exchanged shots with them. Bj 
 that advance against the foe, Jackson had saved 
 New Orleans for the time, and now he set vigor 
 ously to work to prepare for another attack, foi
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 13 
 
 be knew there would be another. Also, that th 
 men who were to make it were fresh from the 
 battlefields of Europe veteran troops not 
 likely to be easily conquered or driven away. 
 He omitted nothing which it was in his power 
 to do for the defence of the city, setting his 
 soldiers to casting up intrenchments along the 
 line of the canal from the river to Cypress 
 Swamp. They were in excellent spirits, and 
 plied their spades with such energy and zeal 
 that by sunset a breastwork three feet high 
 might be seen along the whole line of his army. 
 
 " The American troops were quite hilarious on 
 that Christmas eve, the British soldiers gloomy 
 and disheartened, having lost confidence in their 
 commander, Keane, and finding themselves 
 on wet ground, under a clouded sky, and in a 
 chilly atmosphere; but the sudden arrival of 
 their new commander, Sir Edward Packenham, 
 in whose skill and bravery they had great con 
 fidence, filled them with joy. 
 
 " But while the Americans were at work pre 
 paring for the coming conflict, the foe were not 
 idle; day and night they were busy getting 
 ready a heavy battery with which to attack the 
 Carolina. On the morning of the 27th, they 
 had it finished, began firing hot shot upon her 
 from a howitzer and several twelve and eighteen 
 pounders, and soon succeeded in setting her on 
 fire, so that she blew up.
 
 14 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "It was a tremendous explosion, but fortu 
 nately her crew had abandoned her in time to 
 escape it. The Louisiana, who had come down 
 to her aid, was near sharing her fate, but, by- 
 great exertion on the part of her crew, she was 
 towed out of reach of the enemy's shot, anchored 
 nearly abreast of the American camp, on the 
 other side of the river, and so saved to take a 
 gallant part in the next day's fight. Packenham 
 next ordered his men to move forward and carry 
 the intrenchments of the Americans by storm. 
 They numbered 8000, and toward evening the 
 two columns, commanded respectively by Gen 
 erals Gibbs and Keane, obeyed that order, mov 
 ing forward, driving in the American pickets 
 and outposts, and at twilight they encamped, 
 some of them seeking repose while others began 
 raising batteries near the river. 
 
 "The Americans, however, kept them awake 
 by quick, sharp attacks, which the British called 
 'barbarian warfare.' " 
 
 "Barbarian warfare, indeed!" sniffed 
 Walter. "I wonder if it was half so barbarous 
 as what they employed the Indians to do to our 
 people." 
 
 "Ah, but you must remember that it makes a 
 vast difference who does what, Walter," laughed 
 Rosie. 
 
 "Oh, yes, of course," returned the lad; and 
 Captain Raymond went on with his story.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 15 
 
 "Jackson was busy getting ready to receive 
 the enemy : watching their movements through 
 a telescope, planting heavy guns, blowing up 
 some buildings that would have interfered with 
 the sweep of his artillery, and calling some 
 Louisiana militia from the rear. By the time 
 the British were ready to attack, he had 4000 
 men and twenty pieces of artillery ready to re 
 ceive them. Also the Louisiana was in a posi 
 tion] to use her cannon with effect in giving 
 them a warm reception. 
 
 "As soon as the fog of early morning had 
 passed away, they could be seen approaching in 
 two columns, while a party of skirmishers, sent 
 out by Gibbs, were ordered to turn the left flank 
 of the Americans and attack their rear. 
 
 "Just then a band of rough looking men came 
 down the road from the direction of the city. 
 They were Baratarians, who had run all the way 
 from Fort St. John to take part in the fight, and 
 Jackson was delighted to see them. He put 
 them in charge of the twenty-four pounders and 
 they did excellent service. 
 
 " Next came the crew of the Carolina, under 
 Lieutenants Norris and Crawley, and they were 
 given charge of the howitzer on the right. A 
 galling fire of musketry fell upon the British as 
 they advanced in solid column, then the batteries 
 of the Louisiana and some of Jackson's heavy 
 guns swept their lines with deadly effect, one
 
 16 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 of the shots from the Louisiana killing and 
 wounding fifteen men. The British rocketeers 
 were busy on their side, too, but succeeded in 
 inflicting very little damage upon the Ameri 
 cans. 
 
 " But I must leave the rest of the story for 
 another time, for I see we are about to have com 
 pany," concluded the captain, as a carriage was 
 seen coming swiftly up the driveway. It 
 brought callers who remained until the hour for 
 the retiring of the younger ones among his 
 bearers.
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 THE next evening the Viamede family -were 
 again gathered upon the veranda, and, at the ur 
 gent request of the younger portion, seconded 
 by that of the older ones, the captaih resumed 
 the thread of his narrative. 
 
 "Keane's men, "he said, "could co longer en 
 dure the terrible fire that was so rapidly thinning 
 their ranks, and they were presently ordered to 
 seek shelter in the little canals, where, in mud 
 and water almost waist deep, they leaned for 
 ward, concealing themselves in the rushes which 
 grew on the banks. They were Wellington's 
 veterans, and must have felt humiliated enough 
 to be thus compelled to flee before a few rough 
 backwoodsmen, as they considered Jackson's 
 troops. 
 
 " In the meantime, Gibbs and Rennie were en 
 deavoring to flank the American left, driving 
 in the pickets till they were within a hundred 
 yards of Carroll and his Tennesseeans. Carroll 
 perceived their object and sent Colonel Hender 
 son with 200 Tennesseeans to cut Rennie off from 
 the main body of the enemy by gaining his rear. 
 Henderson went too far, raet a large British 
 
 17
 
 18 ELSIE AT VIANEDE. 
 
 force, and he and five of his men were killed and 
 several wounded. But Gibbs, seeing how hard 
 the fight was going with Keane, ordered Rennie 
 to fall back to his assistance. Rennie reluct 
 antly obeyed, but only to be a witness of Kane's 
 repulse. Packenham, deeply mortified by the 
 unexpected disaster to his veterans, presently 
 ordered his men to fall back, and retired to his 
 headquarters at Villere's." 
 
 "Had he lost many of his men that day, sir?" 
 queried Walter. 
 
 " The British loss in the engagement is said 
 to have been about one hundred and fifty," re 
 plied Captain Raymond ; "that of the Americans 
 nine killed and eight wounded. Packenham 
 called a council of war, at which it was re 
 solved to bring heavy siege guns from the 
 navy and with them make another attempt to 
 conquer the Americans and get possession of 
 the city, which Packenham now began to see to 
 be by no means the easy task he had at first 
 imagined. He perceived that it was difficult, 
 dangerous, and would require all the skill of 
 which he was master; that his movements must 
 be both courageous and persevering if he would 
 save his army from destruction. 
 
 " Jackson, too, was busy with his preparations, 
 extending his line of intrenchments, placing 
 guns, establishing batteries, and appointing 
 those who were to command and work them.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 19 
 
 "A company of young men from the best 
 families, under Captain Ogden, were made Ms 
 body-guard and subject to his orders alone. 
 They were posted in Macarte's garden. 
 
 "Everybody was full of enthusiasm, active 
 and alert. Particularly so were the Tennessee 
 riflemen; they delighted in going on 'hunts,' as 
 they called expeditions to pick off the sentinels 
 of the enemy. So successful were they in this 
 kind of warfare on Jackson's left, very near the 
 swamp, that soon the British dared not post 
 sentinels there. They (the British) threw up a 
 strong redoubt there which Captain You and 
 Lieutenant Crawley constantly battered with 
 heavy shot from their cannon; but the British 
 persevered, and by the end of the month had 
 mounted several heavy guns, with which, on 
 the 31st, they began a vigorous fire upon the 
 Americans. 
 
 " That night the whole of the British army 
 moved forward to within a few hundred yards 
 of the American lines, and in the gloom, began 
 rapid work with spade and pickaxe. They 
 brought up siege guns from the lake, and before 
 dawn had finished three half -moon batteries at 
 nearly equal distances apart, and six hundred 
 yards from the American line. 
 
 "They (the batteries) were made of earth, 
 hogsheads of sugar, and whatever else could be 
 laid hold of that would answer the purpose.
 
 20 ELBIE AT VIAMEDb. 
 
 Upon them they placed thirty pieces of heavy 
 ordnance, manned by picked gunners of the 
 fleet, who had served under Nelson, Colling- 
 wood, and St. Vincent. 
 
 "That morning was the 1st of January, 1815. 
 A thick fog hid the two armies from each other 
 until after eight o'clock. Then a gentle breeze 
 blew it aside, and the British began firing briskly 
 upon the American works, doubtless feeling 
 sure they would presently scatter them to the 
 winds, and that their own army, placed ready 
 in battle array, would then rush forward, over 
 power the Americans, and take the city. 
 
 "Heavier and heavier grew their bombard 
 ment ; the rocketeers sent an incessant shower of 
 fiery missiles into the American lines and upon 
 Jackson's headquarters at Macarte's, more than 
 a hundred balls, shells, and rockets striking the 
 building in the course of ten minutes. He and 
 his staff immediately left the house, and in the 
 meantime he had opened his heavy guns on the 
 assailants. 
 
 "The British were amazed to find heavy ar 
 tillery thundering along 'the whole line, and 
 wondered how and where the Americans had 
 got their guns and gunners. 
 
 " It was a terrible fight. Packenham sent a 
 detachment of infantry to turn the American 
 left, but they were driven back in terror by the 
 Tennesseeans under Coffee. After that, the con-
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 21 
 
 flict was between the batteries alone, and before 
 noon the fire of the British had sensibly abated. 
 Then they abandoned their works and fled 
 helter-skelter to the ditches for safety ; for their 
 demi-lunes were crushed and broken, the hogs 
 heads, of which they were largely composed, 
 having been reduced to splinters and the sugar 
 that had filled them mixed with the earth. 
 Some of their guns were dismounted, others 
 careened so that it was very difficult to work 
 them, while the fire of the Americans was 
 still unceasing. At noon, as I have said, 
 they gave up the contest. That night they 
 crawled back and carried away some of their 
 cannon, dragging them with difficulty over the 
 wet ground, and leaving five of them a spoil 
 to the Americans. 
 
 "They (the British) were deeply chagrined by 
 their repulse, had eaten nothing for sixty hours, 
 nor had any sleep in all that time, so that their 
 New Year's Day was even gloomier than their 
 Christmas had been. 
 
 " The Americans, on the other hand, were full 
 of joy that they had been able to repulse their 
 own and their country's foes ; and their happi 
 ness was increased by the news that they were 
 soon to have a re-enforcement, Brigadier-Gen 
 eral John Adair arriving with the glad tidings 
 that 2000 drafted militia from Kentucky were 
 coming to their assistance. These arrived on the
 
 22 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 4th of the month, and 700 of them were sent 
 to the front under Adair. 
 
 "Packenham had lost some of his confidence in 
 the ability of himself and his troops to conquer 
 the Americans, but hoped to be more successful 
 in a new effort. He decided to try to carry 
 Jackson's lines on both sides of the river. He 
 resolved to rebuild his two batteries near the 
 levee, which had been destroyed by the Ameri 
 cans, mount them well, and employ them in as 
 sailing the American right, while Keane, with 
 his corps, was to advance with fascines to fill 
 the ditches, and scaling ladders with which to 
 mount the embankments. 
 
 "But first 1500 infantry, with some artillery,, 
 were to be sent under cover of night to attack 
 Morgan, whose works were but feebly manned, 
 and, getting possession, enfilade Jackson's line, 
 while the main British army attacked it in 
 front. 
 
 "All the labor of completing these arrange 
 ments was finished on the 7th, and the 
 army, now 10,000 strong, was in fine spirits, 
 no doubt thinking they had an easy task before 
 them. But Jackson saw through their designs, 
 and was busily engaged in making his prepara 
 tions. He had thrown up a redoubt on the 
 edge of the river, and mounted it with cannon so 
 as to enfilade the ditch in front of his line. He 
 had, besides, eight batteries at proper distances
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 23 
 
 from each other, and Patterson's marine battery 
 across the river, mounting nine guns; also the 
 Louisiana near at hand and ready to take any 
 part she could in assisting him. 
 
 " The plain of Chalmette was in front of Jack 
 son's line. His whole force on the New 
 Orleans side of the river was about 5000 ; only 
 2200 of them were at his line ; only 800 of them 
 were regulars, most of them being new recruits 
 commanded by young officers. 
 
 " The British attempted to carry out Packen- 
 ham's plans, but Thornton was delayed in 
 reaching Morgan by the falling of the water in 
 the canal and river, so that the sailors had to drag 
 the boats through the mud in many places, and 
 it was three o'clock in the morning before half 
 his force had crossed. Besides, the powerful 
 current of the Mississippi carried them down 
 stream, and they were landed at least a mile 
 and a half below the point at which they had in 
 tended to disembark, and the roar of the cannon 
 on the plain of Chalmette was heard before 
 all had landed. The British had formed in line 
 and advanced to within 450 yards of the Ameri 
 can intrenchments, and there, under Gibbs and 
 Keane, they stood in the darkness, fog, and 
 chilly air, listening for the boom of Thornton's 
 guns. 
 
 "The time must have seemed long to them, 
 and doubtless they wondered what delayed
 
 24 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 him. But day began to dawn, the red coats of 
 the enemy could be dimly seen by our troops 
 through the fog, and Lieutenant Spotswood, 
 of battery No. 7, opened the battle by sending 
 one of his heavy shots in among them. 
 
 " The fog rolled away, and the British line was 
 seen extending two-thirds of the distance across 
 the plain of Chalmette. A rocket was sent up 
 from each end of the line and it broke into 
 fragments, the men forming into columns by 
 companies. Then Gibbs moved forward toward 
 the wooded swamp, his troops, as they advanced, 
 terribly pelted by the fire of the Americans, 
 the batteries Nos. 6, 7, and 8 pouring shot in 
 cessantly into their line, making lanes through, 
 it. 
 
 " Some sought shelter from the storm behind 
 a projection of the swamp into the plain ; but in 
 vain. Whole platoons were prostrated, but 
 their places were instantly filled by others. 
 
 "The company who were to have brought the 
 fascines and scaling ladders had forgotten them, 
 and that, with the terrible fire of the American 
 batteries, wrought some confusion in the ranks; 
 but they pressed on bravely, cheering each other 
 with loud huzzas, their front covered by blazing 
 rockets. As rank after rank fell under the fire 
 of the Americans, their places were instantly 
 occupied by others, and the column pushed on 
 toward the American batteries on the left and
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 25 
 
 the weaker line defended by the Kentuckians 
 and the Tennesseeans. 
 
 "Those British troops were Wellington's 
 veterans who had fought so bravely in Europe, 
 and now, in spite of the awful slaughter in their 
 ranks, they moved unflinchingly forward, with 
 out pause or recoil, stepping unhesitatingly over 
 their fallen comrades, till they were within two 
 hundred yards of our lines, when General Car 
 roll's voice rang out in clear, clarion tones, 
 'Fire!' and, at the word, the Tennesseeans rose 
 from behind their works, where they had lain 
 concealed, and poured in a deadly fire, each man 
 taking sure aim, and their bullets cutting down 
 scores of the enemy. 
 
 ''Then, as the Tennesseeans fell back, the Ken 
 tuckians stepped quickly into their places and 
 poured in their fire with equally deadly aim; 
 then another rank followed, and still another, so 
 that the fire slackened not for a moment, while 
 at the same time grape and round shot from 
 the batteries went crashing through the British 
 ranks, making awful gaps in them. 
 
 " It was enough to appall the stoutest heart, 
 and their lines began to waver; but their officers 
 encouraged them with the cry, 'Here comes the 
 Forty -fourth with the fascines and the ladders !'" 
 
 "Papa, what are fascines?" asked Grace. 
 
 "Long faggots used for different purposes in 
 engineering," he replied. "It was true they
 
 26 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 were coining with them, Packenham at their 
 head, encouraging his meu by stirring words and 
 deeds ; but presently a bullet struck his bridle 
 arm, and his horse was shot under him. He 
 quickly mounted a pony belonging to his favor 
 ite aid, but another shot disabled his right arm, 
 and, as his pony was being led away to the rear, 
 another passed through his thigh, killed the 
 horse, and he and it fell to the ground together. 
 He was carried to the rear and placed under an 
 oak, where he soon died in the arms of Sir Dun 
 can McDougall, the aid who had resigned the 
 pony to him. 
 
 "Other officers fell, till there were not enough 
 to command. General Keane was shot through 
 the neck, and the wound compelled him to leave 
 the field. General Gibbs was mortally wounded 
 and died the next day. Major Wilkinson, who 
 then took command, fell on the parapet, mor 
 tally wounded; then the British fled in wild 
 confusion." 
 
 "But they had been very brave," remarked 
 Grace. " What a pity it was that they had to 
 fight in such a bad cause. Were there very 
 many of them killed, papa?" 
 
 " Yes, a great many. Of a regiment of brave 
 Highlanders, with twenty -five officers, only nine 
 officers and one hundred and thirty men could be 
 mustered after the terrible fight was over. An 
 other regiment had lost five hundred men.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 27 
 
 "While this fighting had been going on, an 
 other of their divisions of nearly one thousand 
 men, led by Colonel Rennie, attacked an unfin 
 ished redoubt on Jackson's right and succeeded 
 in driving out the Americans there, but could not 
 hold it long, being terribly punished by Hum 
 phreys' batteries and the Seventh Regiment. 
 Yet Rennie succeeded in scaling the parapet of 
 the American redoubt. Beale's New Orleans 
 Rifles poured such a tempest of shot upon the 
 officers and men in the redoubt that nearly every 
 one was killed or wounded. Rennie, who had 
 just shouted, 'Hurrah, boys! the day is ours!' 
 fell mortally wounded. 
 
 "And now this attacking column also fell 
 back, and by hastening to the plantation 
 ditches, sought shelter from the terrible tem 
 pest of shot and shell coming from Jackson's, 
 lines. 
 
 "General Lambert with his troops tried to 
 come to the aid of Packenham, Gibbs, and 
 Keane, but was able only to cover the retreat 
 of their vanquished and flying columns." 
 
 "And the victory was won then, papa?" 
 queried Lulu. 
 
 "Yes, though the battle had lasted but a 
 short time; by half past eight A. M. the mus 
 ketry fire had ceased, though the artillery kept 
 theirs up till two o'clock in the afternoon." 
 
 " Were both Americans and British playing
 
 28 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 their national airs while the fight was going on, 
 sir?" asked Walter. 
 
 "The British had no music but a bugle," re 
 plied the captain, "not even a drum or a 
 trumpet ; but all through the fight, from the time 
 they sent up their first signal rocket, the New 
 Orleans Band was stationed near the spot where 
 the American flag was flying, playing national 
 airs to cheer and animate our soldiers." 
 
 "Were not the British rather more successful 
 in another part of the field, Captain?" asked Eva. 
 
 "Yes," he replied; "in their attack upon the 
 troops on the right bank of the river, they be 
 ing only militia and few in number; also fa 
 tigued and poorly armed. Morgan, their com 
 mander, was compelled to spike his cannon and 
 throw them into the river, his men being driven 
 from their intrenchments. 
 
 "Then Thornton, his assailant, pushed on to 
 Patterson's battery, three hundred yards in the 
 rear, and Patterson, threatened by a flank move 
 ment also, was compelled to spike his guns and 
 flee on board of the Louisiana, his sailors help 
 ing to get her out of the reach of the foe. 
 
 "But Thornton soon heard of the disasters or 
 his comrades on the other side of the river, and 
 received orders to rejoin them. Jackson had 
 sent four hundred men to re-enforce Morgan, 
 but there was now no need of their services. 
 Thornton re-embarked his troops at twilight a
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 29 
 
 the Americans repossessed themselves of their 
 works, and Patterson removed the spikes from 
 his guns, put his battery in better position, and 
 at dawn informed Jackson of what he had done 
 by heavy firing upon the British outposts at 
 Bienvenu's. 
 
 " In that battle of January 8, 1815, the British 
 had lost twenty-six hundred men, seven hundred 
 killed, fourteen hundred wounded, and five 
 hundred made prisoners ; while the Americans 
 had only eight killed and thirteen wounded. 
 Lossing tells us, 'The history of human warfare 
 presents no parallel to this disparity in loss. ' 
 
 "In Thornton's attack, the British loss was a 
 little more than one hundred; the American, one 
 killed and five wounded. On that side of the 
 river the British secured their only trophy of 
 their efforts to capture New Orleans. So Loss- 
 ing tells us, adding, 'It was a small flag, and 
 now [1867], hangs conspicuously among other 
 war trophies in Whitehall, London, with the in 
 scription : * 'Taken at the battle of New Orleans^ 
 January 8, 1815."'" 
 
 "That looks as though our British cousins must 
 esteem it quite a triumph to be able to succeed 
 in taking anything from Uncle Sam," laughed 
 Rosie. 
 
 "Yes," said Walter, "I think they compli 
 ment us by making so much of that one little 
 trophy."
 
 30 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "So do I," said Lulu. "Papa, is that the 
 end of your story?" 
 
 " No, not quite," replied the captain. " After 
 the battle had come to an end, Jackson and his 
 staff passed slowly along his whole line, speak 
 ing words of congratulation and praise to his 
 brave troops, officers and men. Then the band 
 struck up 'Hail Columbia,' and cheer after cheer 
 for the hero went up from every part of the line. 
 The citizens also, who had been anxiously and 
 eagerly watching the battle from a distance, 
 joined in the cheering. Then, after refreshing 
 themselves with some food (doubtless having 
 gone into the battle without waiting to eat 
 their breakfast) , the soldiers set to work to bury 
 the dead of the enemy in front of Jackson's 
 lines, and take care of the wounded. 
 
 " General Lambert sent a flag of truce asking 
 for an armistice in order to bury his dead, and 
 Jackson granted it on condition that the British 
 should not cross to the right bank of the river. 
 
 "The next morning, detachments from both 
 armies were drawn up in front of the American 
 lines, at a distance of three hundred yards, then 
 the dead bodies between that point and the in- 
 trenchments were carried by the Americans 
 upon the very scaling ladders left there by the 
 British, and delivered to them. They were 
 buried on Bienvenu's plantation, and, as Lossing 
 tells us, the graves were still there undisturbed
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE 31 
 
 when he visited the spot in 1861. He says also 
 that it is regarded with superstitious awe by the 
 negroes in the neighborhood. 
 
 " The wounded who had been taken prisoners 
 were carried to the barracks in New Orleans and 
 tenderly cared for by the citizens. Some of 
 the dead British officers were buried that night 
 by torch light in the garden at Villere's; the 
 bodies of others, among whom were Packenham, 
 Rennie, and Gibbs, were sent to their friends in 
 England." 
 
 The captain paused, and Violet said play 
 fully, "I fear we are fatiguing you, my dear; 
 suppose you leave the rest of your story for 
 another time." 
 
 "And that we have some music now," added 
 her mother, a suggestion which was immedi 
 ately adopted, the whole party adjourning to 
 the parlor.
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 
 THE captain opened the piano and glanced 
 smilingly at his young wife. But Violet shook 
 her head playfully. " I think mamma should be 
 the player to-night," she said. " She has scarcely 
 touched the piano for months, and I am really 
 hungry to have her do so." 
 
 "Will you give us some music, mother?" 
 queried the captain, offering to lead her to the 
 instrument. 
 
 "Yes," she returned laughingly. "I could 
 never wilfully allow my daughter to suffer from 
 hunger when in my power to relieve it." 
 
 "Patriotic songs first, please, mamma," en 
 treated Walter, as she took her seat before the 
 instrument. " I do believe we all feel like sing 
 ing 'Hail, Columbia!' and the 'Star-Spangled 
 Banner.' At least I do, I am sure." 
 
 " I presume we are all in a patriotic frame of 
 mind to-night," she returned, giving him a smile 
 of mingled love and pride as she struck a chord 
 or two, then dashed off into "Yankee-doodle- 
 dandy," with variations. 
 
 "Hail Columbia!" and "Star-Spangled Ban 
 ner" followed, old and young uniting together
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 33 
 
 with enthusiasm in singing the patriotic words, 
 but still other voices were unexpectedly heard 
 joining in on the concluding strains: 
 
 " That star-spangled banner, oh, long may it wave 
 O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! " 
 
 " Oh, Cousin Molly and Mr. Embury ! Dick, 
 too ! and Betty !" cried Violet, hurrying ;with 
 outstretched hand toward the doorway into the 
 hall, where the cousins stood in a little group 
 looking smilingly in upon them. " Come in ; I 
 am delighted to see you." 
 
 The invitation was promptly accepted, and 
 for the next few minutes there was a tumult 
 uous exchange of joyous greetings. 
 
 Dr. Percival and his half brother, Robert 
 Johnson, had been spending some months to 
 gether in Europe, their sister Betty visiting 
 friends in Natchez through the winter, and 
 only that morning the three had returned to 
 Magnolia Hall, where Betty had a home with 
 her sister Molly, and the brothers were always 
 welcome guests. 
 
 Presently all were seated and a very animated 
 conversation ensued, the newly arrived having 
 much to tell and many inquiries to make con 
 cerning absent friends and relatives. 
 
 After a little it came out that Betty was en 
 gaged and shortly to be married, provided 
 "Uncle Horace" was satisfied with regard to
 
 34 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 the suitableness of the "match, of which no one 
 acquainted with the reputation, family, and cir 
 cumstances of the favored lover, felt any doubt. 
 
 It was a love match on both sides ; the gentle 
 man, an American, engaged in a lucrative busi 
 ness, of irreproachable character and reputation, 
 pleasing appearance and manners, in fact, all 
 that could reasonably be desired, assured of 
 which, Mr. Dinsmore gave a prompt consent, 
 adding his warm congratulations, which Betty 
 accepted with blushes and smiles. 
 
 "I was not unprepared for this, Betty," he 
 said with a smile, "having received a letter 
 from the gentleman himself, asking for the 
 hand of my niece, Miss Johnson." 
 
 "O Betty, how nice!" cried Rosie with a 
 gleeful laugh, and softly clapping her hands. 
 "When is it to be? I hope before we leave for 
 the North, for I, for one, want to see what a 
 pretty bride you will make, and I dare say Mr. 
 Norris, your favored suitor, feels in as great 
 haste as I." 
 
 " I am quite aware that I have no beauty to 
 boast of, coz," laughed Betty, "but I believe 
 it's a conceded point that a woman always looks 
 her best at such a time, and in bridal attire. 
 However that may be, though, I shall want 
 you all present, so I will hurry my preparations 
 in order that the great event may take place 
 while you are here to have a share in it. By
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 35 
 
 the way, I have laid my plans to have three 
 bridesmaids and several maids of honor, and I 
 have planned that they shall be my three young 
 friends, Cousin Rosie Travilla, Evelyn Leland, 
 and Lucilla Raymond," glancing from one to 
 another as she spoke, then adding, "Now don't 
 decline, any one of you, for I shall be mortally 
 offended if you do." 
 
 "No danger of that, unless compelled by some 
 one of the older folks," laughed Rosie, turning 
 inquiringly toward her mother, while Evelyn 
 colored and smiled, hesitated momentarily, then 
 said in a noncommittal way, "You are very 
 kind, Betty, but I'll have to think about it a 
 little and ask permission." 
 
 Lulu's face grew radiant with delight. "O 
 Betty, how good of you!" she exclaimed. 
 "Papa, may I?" turning a very pleading look 
 upon him and hurrying to his side. 
 
 He took her hand in his, smiling affectionately 
 into the eager, entreating eyes. " I [think you 
 may, daughter," he said kindly, "since Cousin 
 Betty is so good as to include you in the invi 
 tation. I see nothing in the way at present.'* 
 
 " Oh, thank you, sir!" she cried joyously, then 
 turned to listen with eager interest to an ani 
 mated discussion going on among the ladies in 
 regard to the most suitable and tasteful attire 
 for bride and bridesmaids or maids of honor. 
 
 "The bride will, of course, wear white," Vio-
 
 36 ELSIE AT VIANEDE. 
 
 let was saying, "but it would be pretty and in 
 accordance with the fashion for her maids of 
 honor to dress in colors." 
 
 "Yes," assented Rosie, "and I propose blue 
 for Eva, delicate straw or canary color for Lu, 
 who has a complexion just to suit, and pink for 
 me. What do you say, girls?" turning to them 
 where they stood side by side. 
 
 "I like the idea," replied Evelyn, Lulu add 
 ing, "And so do I. Do you approve, papa?" 
 hurrying to his side again. 
 
 "Yes, daughter; if it pleases you and meets 
 the approval of the ladies." 
 
 "You are so good to me, dear papa!" she ex 
 claimed with a look of gratitude and affection. 
 
 But it was growing late, and leaving various 
 matters to be settled in another interview to be 
 held at an early day, the cousins bade good 
 night and departed. 
 
 "Papa, I do think I have just the best and 
 kindest father in the whole world!" exclaimed 
 Lulu, seating herself upon his knee and putting 
 her arm about his neck, her lips to his cheek, 
 when he had come to her room for the usual good 
 night bit of chat. 
 
 "Rather strong, isn't it?" he queried laugh 
 ingly, holding her close and returning her caress 
 with; interest. 
 
 " Not too strong, you dear, dear papa !" she 
 said, hugging him tighter. "Oh, if ever I'm
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 37 
 
 disobedient or ill tempered again I ought to "be 
 severely punished." 
 
 "My dear child," he said gravely, smoothing 
 her hair with caressing hand as he spoke, "do 
 not ever again give your father the pain of pun 
 ishing you. Watch and pray, and try every day 
 to grow into the likeness of the dear Master. 
 It makes me happy that you want to please 
 me, your earthly father, but I would have you 
 care far more about pleasing and honoring 
 Him." 
 
 " I do care about that, papa. Oh, I want very 
 much to have Him pleased with me, but next to 
 that I want to please you, because you are 
 such a good, kind father, and I love you so 
 dearly." 
 
 "Yes, daughter, and I esteem your love one 
 of the great blessings of my life, while you are 
 dearer to me than words can express: one 
 of God's good gifts for which I am truly thank 
 ful. But I must now bid you good-night and 
 leave you to rest, for it is growing late." 
 
 " Yes, sir. But I feel as wide-awake as pos 
 sible I'm so excited thinking about Betty's 
 wedding. So I wish you'd stay just a little 
 bit longer. Can't you, papa?" 
 
 "No, daughter, I must leave you and you 
 must go to bed at once ; try to banish exciting 
 thoughts, and get to sleep." 
 
 " I'll try my very best to obey my own dear
 
 38 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 father," she returned, looking up into his face 
 with eyes full of ardent affection. 
 
 He smiled, held her close for a moment, repeat 
 ing his caresses, saying low and tenderly, " God 
 bless and keep my dear daughter through the 
 silent watches of the'night, and wake her in the 
 morning in health and strength, if it be His 
 will." Then releasing her he left the room. 
 
 She was soon in the land of dreams; the sun 
 was shining when she awoke again. 
 
 The wedding and matters connected with it 
 were the principal topics of discourse at the 
 breakfast table. Betty had expressed an ardent 
 wish to have present at the ceremony all the rel 
 atives from the neighborhood of her old home, 
 saying that she and Molly had already despatched 
 invitations which she hoped would be accepted, 
 and now it was settled that Mr. Dinsmore and 
 Grandma Elsie should write at once, urging all 
 to come to Viamede and remain till the summer 
 heats would make it more prudent to return to 
 a cooler climate. There was talk, too, of an en 
 tertainment to be given there to the bride and 
 groom, of suitable wedding gifts, and also the 
 attire of maids of honor. 
 
 The young girls selected to take part in the 
 ceremony were* particularly interested, excit 
 able Lulu especially so ; she could hardly think 
 of anything else, even in the school-room, and as 
 a consequence recited so badly that her father
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 39 
 
 looked very grave indeed, and when dismissing 
 the others told her she must remain in the 
 school-room studying, until she could recite 
 each lesson very much more creditably to both 
 herself and her teacher. 
 
 "Yes, sir," she said in a low, unwilling tone, 
 casting down her eyes and coloring with morti 
 fication; "but I think the lessons were dread 
 fully hard to-day, papa." 
 
 " No, daughter, it is only that your mind is 
 dwelling upon other things. You must learn to 
 exercise better control over your thoughts and 
 concentrate them always upon the business in 
 hand." 
 
 "But, papa, I'll never be able to learn the 
 lessons before dinner time, and I am hungry now ; 
 are you going to make me fast till I recite per 
 fectly?" 
 
 " No, my child : you may eat when the rest of 
 us do, and finish your tasks afterward. You 
 may have a cracker now if you are hungry." 
 
 " Oh, may I go and get her some, papa?" asked 
 Grace, who had lingered behind the others, full 
 of concern and sympathy for her sister, and 
 was now standing, close at his side. 
 
 "Yes, my darling," he said, smiling upon the 
 little girl, and smoothing her hair with softly 
 caressing hand. 
 
 "Oh, thank you, sir!" and away she ran, to 
 return in a few moments with a plate of crackers,
 
 40 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 when she found Lulu alone, bending over a 
 book, apparently studying with great dili. 
 gence. 
 
 " Oh, thank you, Grace !" she exclaimed ; " you 
 are ever so good. I was so taken up with the 
 talk about the wedding at breakfast time, that 
 I didn't eat nearly so much as usual. Some 
 folks in papa's place would have made me fast 
 till my lessons were learned; but he's such a 
 good, kind father; isn't he?" 
 
 "Yes, indeed!" returned Grace emphatically, 
 setting down the plate as she spoke. "Now 
 I'll run away and let you learn your lesson." 
 
 Lulu did not feel fully prepared for her reci 
 tations when the dinner bell rang, but, having 
 her father's permission, she went to the table 
 with the others. At the conclusion of the meal 
 he inquired in an aside, his tone kind and pleas 
 ant, if she were ready for him. 
 
 "No, sir," she,replied, "not quite." 
 
 " You may take half an hour to digest your 
 dinner, then go back to your tasks," he said. 
 
 "Yes, sir, I will," she answered, taking out 
 the pretty little watch, which was one of his 
 gifts, and noting the time. Then, in company 
 with Rosie, Evelyn, and Grace, she went out 
 upon the lawn and sauntered about under the 
 trees, gathering flowers. 
 
 She was careful to return to the school-room 
 at the appointed hour. Presently her father
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 41 
 
 followed her. "Are those lessons ready, 
 daughter?" he asked in his usual kindly tones. 
 
 "No, sir; not quite," she replied. 
 
 "I am sorry," he said, "as if they were, I 
 would hear them at once and you might make 
 one of the party who are going over to Mag 
 nolia Hall." 
 
 "Papa, I should so like to go along!" she ex 
 claimed, looking up coaxingly into his face. 
 
 "And I would be glad to give you the pleas 
 ure," he said with a slight sigh; "but you know 
 I cannot do that, having already told you your 
 Jessons must be creditably recited before you 
 can be allowed any further recreation." 
 
 "They're so long and hard, papa," grumbled 
 Lulu, looking wofully disappointed. 
 
 "No, my child; with your usual attention you 
 could easily have learned them before the regular 
 school hours were over," he said. "I am not 
 going with the others and will come for your 
 recitation in another hour or perhaps sooner." 
 So saying he turned and left the room. 
 
 " Oh, dear ! I do wish I was old enough not to 
 have lessons to learn," sighed Lulu. But see 
 ing there was no escape, she turned to her tasks 
 again, and when her father came in according 
 to his promise, was able to say she was ready 
 for him and to recite in a creditable manner. 
 He gave the accustomed meed of praise, smil 
 ing kindly on her as he spoke. "There,
 
 42 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 daughter," lie added, "you see what you can 
 do when you give your mind to your work, and 
 I hope that in future you will do so always at 
 the proper time." 
 
 "I hope so, papa; I do really mean to try," 
 she replied, hanging her head and blushing. 
 "Are the ladies and girls all gone?" 
 
 " Yes ; some time ago," he said. " I am sorry 
 I could not let you go with the others, as I 
 have no doubt you would have enjoyed doing 
 so." 
 
 "I hope you didn't stay at-home just to hear 
 my lessons, papa?" she said regretfully. 
 
 "I might possibly have gone could I have 
 taken my eldest daughter with me," he replied, 
 "though there were other matters calling for 
 my attention. However," he added with a 
 smile, " you need not measure my disappoint 
 ment by yours, as I am certain it was not nearly 
 so great." 
 
 At that moment a servant came to the door to 
 tell the captain that a gentleman had called on 
 business, and was in the library waiting to see 
 him. 
 
 "Very well; tell him I will be there pres 
 ently," replied Captain Raymond. Then turn 
 ing to Lulu, "You may amuse yourself as you 
 like for an hour, then prepare your lessons for 
 to-morrow." 
 
 * Yes, sir," she answered, as he left the room,
 
 ELSIE AT VIA1IEDE. 43 
 
 then put on her hat and taking a parasol wan 
 dered out upon the lawn. 
 
 The captain had been giving the young people 
 some lessons in botany, and the girls were vie- 
 ing with each other as to who should gather 
 into her herbarium the largest number of plants 
 and flowers, particularly such as were to be 
 found in that" region, but never, or very rarely, 
 in the more northern one they called their home. 
 Lulu had found, and, from time to time, placed 
 in her herbarium, several which she highly 
 prized for both beauty and rarity, and now she 
 went in quest of others. 
 
 She had scarcely left the house when, much 
 to her surprise, she met her baby brother and 
 his nurse. 
 
 "Why, Neddie dear, I thought you had 
 
 gone " but she paused, fearing to set the 
 
 child to crying for his mother. 
 
 "Marse Ned's sleeping when dey goes, Miss 
 Lu; I spec's dey '11 be back fo' long," said the 
 nurse; and catching him up in her arms she 
 began a romping play with him, her evident 
 object to ward off thoughts of his absent 
 mother. 
 
 Lulu walked *on, spent a half hour or more 
 gathering flowers, then returned to the school 
 room, where she had left her herbarium lying on 
 her desk. But Master Ned, there before her, 
 had pulled it down on the floor, where he sat
 
 44 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 tearing out the plants which she had prepared 
 and placed in it with so much labor and care. 
 
 At that trying sight, Lulu's anger flamed out 
 as it had not in years ; not since the sad time 
 when little Elsie was so nearly sacrificed to 
 her eldest sister's lack of self-control. 
 
 "You "naughty, naughty, naughty boy!" 
 she exclaimed, snatching the herbarium from 
 the floor. "I'd just like to shake you well, and 
 spank you, too. You deserve it richly, for you 
 have no business to be here meddling with my 
 things !" 
 
 At that the [baby boy set up a wail. Then 
 their father's voice was heard from the veranda 
 outside. "Come here to papa, Neddie boy," 
 and the little fellow, who had now scrambled to 
 his feet, hastened to obey. 
 
 Lulu trembled and flushed hotly. "I wish 
 I'd known papa was so near and I'd kept my 
 temper, too," she sighed ruefully to herself, then 
 set to work to repair damages to the best of her 
 ability ; but, as her passion cooled, with thoughts 
 dwelling remorsefully upon her unkind treat 
 ment of her baby brother, also apprehensively 
 on the consequent displeasure of her dearly loved 
 father. She loved little Ned too, and heartily 
 wished she had been more gentle and forbearing 
 toward him. ' 
 
 But her hour of recreation was past, and with 
 Ned's baby prattle to his father, as he sat on his
 
 ELSIE AT YIAMEDE. 45 
 
 knee, coming to her ear through the open win 
 dow, she sat down at her desk, took out her 
 books, and tried to study; but it seemed impos 
 sible to fix her thoughts upon the business in 
 hand, and presently hearing the patter of the 
 little fellow's feet as he ran along the veranda, 
 then out into the garden, she sprang up and 
 followed him. 
 
 "O Neddie dear," she said, catching him in 
 her arms and giving him a hearty kiss, " sister 
 is ever so sorry she was cross to you. Will you 
 forgive her and love her still?" 
 
 "Ess," returned the baby boy with hearty 
 good will, putting his chubby arms about her 
 neck and hugging her tight ; then cooing sweetly, 
 "Ned 'oves oo, Lu." 
 
 "And Lu loves you, Neddie darling," she re 
 turned, kissing him again and again. 
 
 Then setting him down, she sped back to the 
 school-room, took 'up her book, and made an 
 other attempt to study; but without success; 
 laying it aside again almost immediately, she 
 went in search of her father. 
 
 He had left the veranda, but going on into 
 the library, she found him in an easy chair, 
 with a newspaper in his hand which he seemed 
 to be reading with great attention, for he did not 
 turn his head or eyes toward her as she drew 
 near and stood at his side. She waited longingly 
 for a recognition of her vicinity, but he gave
 
 46 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 none, seeming too intent upon his paper to be 
 aware of it ; and he had taught her that she must 
 not rudely interrupt him or any grown person 
 so engaged, but wait patiently till her presence 
 was noted and inquiry made as to what she 
 wished to say. 
 
 The five or ten minutes she stood silently 
 waiting seemed a long time to her impatient 
 temperament. " Oh, would papa never give her 
 an opportunity to speak to him?" At last, 
 however, as he* paused in his reading to turn 
 his paper, she ventured a low breathed, "Papa." 
 
 " Go instantly to your own room, taking your 
 books with you, Lucilla, and don't venture to 
 leave it till you have my permission," he said 
 in stern, cold accents, and without giving her 
 so much as a glance. 
 
 She obeyed in silence. Reaching her own 
 room she again opened her book and tried to 
 study; but found herself so disturbed in mind 
 that it was wellnigh impossible to take in the 
 meaning of the words as she read them over 
 and over. "I can't learn these lessons till I've 
 made it up with papa," she sighed half aloud, 
 and putting down the book opened her writing 
 desk. 
 
 In a few minutes she had written a very 
 humble little note, saying how sorry she was for 
 the indulgence of her passion and her unkindness 
 to her darling little brother; but that she had
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 47 
 
 asked and received his forgiveness; then sought 
 her father to beg him to forgive her too, and 
 tell him she was ready to submit to any punish 
 ment he thought best to inflict. But oh, might 
 it not be something that would be over before 
 the rest of the family should come home from 
 their drive? 
 
 She signed herself "Your penitent little 
 daughter Lulu," folded the note, sealed it up in 
 an envelope, and wrote her father's name on the 
 outside. 
 
 She could hear the prattle of her baby brother 
 coming from the lawn. Her window opened 
 upon an upper veranda, and going out there, she 
 called softly, "Ned, Neddie dear!" 
 
 The little fellow looked up and laughed. 
 "Lu!" he called; then catching sight of the 
 note in her hand, "What oo dot?" he queried. 
 
 "A letter for papa," she replied. "Will you 
 take it to him and ask him to please read 
 it?" 
 
 "Ess; fro it down," he said, holding up both 
 hands to catch it. "Me will tate it to papa." 
 
 It fell on the grass at his feet, he stooped and 
 picked it up, then trotted away with it in his 
 hand. 
 
 Again Lulu took up her book and tried to 
 study, but with no better success than before. 
 "What will papa do and say to me?" she was 
 asking herself. " Oh, I hope he won't keep me
 
 48 ELSIE AT VIAXEVE. 
 
 long in suspense! I don't "believe he will; he 
 never does, and ah, yes, I hear his step." 
 
 She rose hastily, hurried to the door and 
 opened it. He stood on the threshold. 
 "Papa," she said humbly, "I am very, very 
 sorry I was passionate and cross to dear little 
 Ned." 
 
 "As I am," he replied, stepping in, securing 
 the door, then taking her hand, leading her to 
 the side of an easy chair and seating himself 
 therein. " I was deeply grieved to hear my eldest 
 daughter speak in such angry words and pas 
 sionate tones to her baby brother, ft not only 
 gave the dear little fellow pain, but set him a 
 very bad example which I greatly fear he will 
 follow one of these days, so giving me the pain 
 of punishing him and you that of seeing him 
 punished !" 
 
 " Papa, I am the one who ought to be pun 
 ished," she burst out in her vehement way, 
 "and I just hope you will punish me well. 
 "But oh, please don't say I shall not go to 
 Cousin Betty's wedding, or not be one of her 
 bridesmaids or maids of honor." 
 
 He made no reply at first. There was a mo 
 ment's silence, then she exclaimed, " Oh, papa, 
 I just can't bear it! I'd even rather have the 
 severest whipping you could give me." 
 
 "You are a little too old for that now," he 
 said in moved tones, drawing her to a seat upon
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 49 
 
 his knee. " It has always been "to me a hard 
 trial to feel called upon to punish my dear child 
 in that way; a sad task to have to do so in any 
 way ; and if you are a good girl from now on to 
 the time of the wedding, you may accept Betty's 
 kind invitation." 
 
 " Oh, thank you, sir ! thank you very much'in- 
 deed!" she exclaimed. "I don't deserve to be 
 allowed to, but oh, I do fully intend to rule my 
 temper better in future !" 
 
 " I hope so indeed ; but you will not succeed 
 if you try merely in your own strength. Our 
 sufficiency is of God, and to Him alone must 
 we look for strength to resist temptation and be 
 steadfast in fighting the good fight of faith. 
 Try, my dear child, to be always on your guard ! 
 'Watch and pray,' is the Master's command, re 
 peated again and again. 'Take ye heed, watch 
 and pray.' . . . 'Watch ye, therefore.' . . . 
 'And what I say unto you I say unto all, 
 Watch.' . . . 'Watch ye and pray lest ye enter 
 into temptation. ' " 
 
 " Papa, I do really mean to try very hard to 
 rule my own spirit," she said humbly; "I have 
 been trying." 
 
 "Yes, dear child, I have not been blind to 
 your efforts," he returned in tender tones. "I 
 know you have tried, and I believe you will try 
 still harder, and will at length come off con 
 queror. I fear I have not been so patient and for-
 
 50 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 bearing with you to-day as I ought. I think now 
 I should have let you speak when you came to 
 me in the library a while ago. Your father is by 
 no means perfect, and therefore has no right to 
 expect perfection in his children." 
 
 " But I had indulged my temper, papa, and 
 did deserve to be punished for it." 
 
 "Yes, that is true. But it is all forgiven 
 BOW, and your father and his eldest daughter are 
 at peace again," he added, giving her a loving 
 embrace. 
 
 "And that makes me so happy," she said, lift 
 ing her dewy eyes to his. " I am always very 
 far from happy when I know that my dear father 
 is displeased with me." 
 
 "You love him, then?" 
 
 "Oh, yes, yes, indeed! dearly! dearly!" she 
 exclaimed, putting her arms about his neck 
 and laying her cheek to his. 
 
 He held her close for a moment, then 
 saying, "Now I want you to spend an hour 
 over your lessons for to-morrow, after which 
 you and I will have a walk together," he left 
 ier. 
 
 By tea time the family were all at home again, 
 and their talk at the table was almost exclu 
 sively of the preparations for the approaching 
 wedding. 
 
 "Mamma," said Rosie at length, "I for one 
 would dearly like to go to New Orleans and
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 51 
 
 select dress and ornaments for myself; also a 
 present for Betty." 
 
 "I see no objection, if a proper escort can be 
 provided," was the smiling rejoinder. 
 
 "Suppose we make up a party to go there, 
 do the necessary shopping, and visit the battle 
 fields and everything of interest connected with 
 them," suggested Captain Raymond. " We can 
 stay a day or two if necessary, and I think we'll 
 all feel repaid." 
 
 The proposal was received with enthusiasm 
 by the younger portion of the family, and even 
 the older ones had nothing to say against it. 
 Lulu was silent, but sent a very wistful, plead 
 ing look in her father's direction. It was 
 answered with a nod and smile, and her face 
 grew radiant, for she knew that meant that she 
 would be permitted to take the little trip with 
 the others. 
 
 "Dear papa, thank you ever so much," she 
 said, following him into the library as they left 
 the table. 
 
 "For what?" he asked jestingly, laying a 
 hand upon her head and smiling down into the 
 happy, eager face. 
 
 " Giving me permission to go with you and 
 the rest to New Orleans." 
 
 "Ah, did I do that?" he asked, sitting 
 down and drawing her to a seat upon his knee. 
 
 "Not in words, papa, but you looked it," sha
 
 52 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 returned with a pleased laugh, putting her arm 
 about his neck and kissing him with ardent 
 affection. "Didn't you, now?" 
 
 "I don't deny that I did, yet it depends 
 largely upon the good conduct of my eldest 
 daughter,*' he said in a graver tone, smoothing 
 her hair caressingly as he spoke. "I hope she 
 will show herself so sweet tempered and obedient 
 that it may not be necessary to leave her be 
 hind because she is lacking in those good quali 
 ties." 
 
 "Papa," she replied low and feelingly, "I 
 will ask God to help me to be patient and 
 good." 
 
 "And if you ask for Jesus' sake, pleading his 
 gracious promise, 'If ye ask anything in my 
 name, I will do it,' your petition will be 
 granted." 
 
 At that moment the other girls came running 
 in, Rose saying eagerly, "Oh, Brother Levis, 
 we all hope yon will be so kind as to go on with 
 your historical stories of doings and happenings 
 at New Orleans. Please treat us to some of 
 them to-night, and let us have all before we 
 visit their scenes, won't you?" 
 
 "Certainly, Sister Rose," he replied, adding, 
 "It looks very pleasant on the veranda now. 
 Shall we establish ourselves there?" 
 
 "Yes, sir, if you please," she said, dancing 
 away, the others following.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 53 
 
 Presently all were quietly seated, the^-older 
 people almost as eager for the story as were the 
 young, and the captain began. 
 
 " While the armies before New Orleans were 
 burying their dead, others of the British troops 
 were trying to secure for themselves the free 
 navigation of the Mississippi below the city by 
 capturing Fort St. Philip, which is in a direct 
 line some seventy or eighty miles lower down 
 the stream, and was considered by both British 
 and Americans as the key of the State of Louisi 
 ana. 
 
 " The fort was at that time garrisoned by three 
 hundred and sixty-six men under the command 
 of Major Overton of the rifle corps, with the 
 addition of the crew of a gun-boat. Just about 
 the time that the British killed in the battle of 
 New Orleans were being carried by the Ameri 
 cans under Jackson to their comrades for burial, 
 a little squadron of five English vessels appeared 
 before the fort and anchored out of range of its 
 heavy guns, the bomb vessels with their broad 
 sides toward it; and at three o'clock they opened 
 fire on it. Their bombardment went on with 
 scarcely a pause till daybreak of the 18th, when 
 they had sent more than a thousand shells, using 
 for that purpose twenty thousand pounds of 
 powder. They had sent, too, beside the shells, 
 many round and grape shot. 
 
 "During those nine days the Americans were
 
 54 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 in their battery , five of the days without shelter, 
 exposed to cold and rain a part of the time;, 
 but only two of them were killed and seven 
 wounded. 
 
 "On the 18th, the British gave up the at 
 tempt. That same day a general exchange of 
 prisoners took place, and that night the British 
 stole noiselessly away. By morning they had 
 reached Lake Borgne, sixty miles distant from 
 their fleet. 
 
 "They could not have felt very comfortable,. 
 as the wintry winds to which they were ex 
 posed were keen, and the American mounted 
 men under Colonel De la Ronde, following 
 them in their retreat, annoyed them not a 
 little. 
 
 "The British remained at Lake Borgne until 
 the 27th, then boarded their fleet, which lay in 
 the deep water between Ship and Cat Islands. 
 
 " In the meantime Jackson had been guard 
 ing the approach to New Orleans lest they 
 might return and make another effort against it. 
 But on leaving that vicinity they went to Fort 
 Bowyer, at the entrance to Mobile Bay, thirty 
 miles distant from the city of that name, then 
 but a village of less than one thousand inhab 
 itants. The fort is now called Fort Morgan. 
 
 "It was but a weak fortress, without bomb- 
 proofs, and mounting only twenty guns, only 
 two of them larger than twelve pounders, some
 
 ELSIE AT VlAMEDE. 55 
 
 of them less. It was under the command of 
 Major Lawrence. 
 
 " The British besieged it for nearly two days, 
 when Lawrence, a gallant officer, was compelled 
 to surrender to a vastly superior force. 
 
 " It is altogether likely that the British would 
 then have gone on to attack Mobile, had not- 
 news come of the treaty of peace between tL, 
 United States and Great Britain. 
 
 "The news of Jackson's gallant defence of 
 New Orleans caused intense joy all over the 
 Union, while in England it was heard with as 
 tonishment and chagrin." 
 
 "They didn't know before how Americans 
 could fight," said Walter with a look of ex 
 ultation, "and they have never attacked us 
 since." 
 
 "No," said his mother, "and God grant that 
 we and our kinsmen across the sea may ever 
 henceforward live in peace with each other." 
 
 " It seems a great pity that the news of peace 
 had not come in time to prevent that dreadful 
 battle of New Orleans and the after fighting of 
 which you have just been telling us, Captain," 
 remarked Evelyn. 
 
 "Yes," he replied; "and yet, perhaps, it may 
 have been of use in preventing another struggle 
 between the two nations; we have had difficul 
 ties since, but fortunately they have thus far 
 been settled without a resort to arms."
 
 56 ELSIE AT YIANEDE. 
 
 *I suppose there was an exchange of pris 
 oners?" Walter said inquiringly. 
 
 "Yes, though, in regard to some, the Dart 
 moor captives in especial, it was strangely slow." 
 "Dartmoor, papa?" Grace said with inquir 
 ing look and tone. 
 
 " Yes ; Dartmoor is a desolate region in Dev 
 onshire; its prison, built originally for French 
 prisoners of war, had thirty acres of ground 
 enclosed by double walls, within which were 
 seven distinct prisons. 
 
 "At the close of the War of 1812-14 there 
 were about six thousand prisoners there, twenty- 
 five hundred of them impressed American sea 
 men who had refused to fight against their coun 
 try, having been forced into the British Navy 
 and being still there at the beginning of the 
 struggle. Some of the poor fellows, though, had 
 been in Dartmoor Prison ten or eleven years. 
 Think what an intense longing they must have 
 felt for home and their own dear native land! 
 How unbearable the delay to liberate them must 
 have seemed ! They were not even permitted to 
 hear of the treaty of peace till three months after 
 it had been signed. But after hearing of it, they 
 were in daily expectation of being released, and 
 just think how hope deferred must have made 
 their hearts sick. Some of them showed a dis 
 position to attempt an escape, and on the 4th 
 of April they demanded bread, and refused to
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 57 
 
 eat the hard biscuits that were given them in 
 stead. 
 
 "Two evenings later they very reluctantly 
 obeyed orders to retire to their quarters, someiof 
 them showing an inclination to mutiny, passing 
 beyond the limits of their confinement, when, by 
 the orders of Captain Shortland, commander of 
 the prison, they were fired upon ; then the firing 
 was repeated by the soldiers without the shadow 
 of an excuse, as was shown by the impartial re 
 port of a committee of investigation, the result 
 of which was the killing of five men and the 
 wounding of thirty-three." 
 
 " I hope those soldiers were hung for it !" ex 
 claimed Walter, his eyes flashing. 
 
 "No," replied the captain, "the British 
 authorities pronounced it 'justifiable homicide'; 
 which excited the hottest indignation on this 
 side of the ocean ; but now the memory of it has 
 nearly passed away." 
 
 "Now, Brother Levis, if you're not too tired, 
 won't you please go on and tell us all about the 
 taking of New Orleans in the last war?" asked 
 Walter, looking persuasively into the cap 
 tain's face. 
 
 " Certainly, if all wish to hear it," was the 
 pleasant toned reply; and all expressing them 
 selves desirous to do so, he at once began. 
 
 " Ship Island was appointed as the place of 
 rendezvous for both land and naval forces, the
 
 58 jjj8IE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 last named under the command of Captain 
 David G. Farragut, the others led by General 
 Butler. 
 
 " Farragut arrived in the harbor of the island, 
 on the 20th of February, 1862, on his flag-ship, 
 the Hartford, in which he sailed on the 2d, 
 from Hampton Roads, Virginia, but sickness 
 had detained him for a time at Key West. 
 
 " The vessels of which he had been given the 
 command, taken collectively, were styled the 
 Western Gulf Squadron. Farragut had been 
 informed that a fleet of bomb vessels, under 
 Commander David D. Porter, would be attached 
 to his squadron. Porter was the son of Com 
 modore David Porter, who had adopted Farragut 
 when a little fellow and had him educated for 
 the navy. It was he who commanded the Essex 
 in the War of 1812, and Farragut was with 
 him, though then only in his twelfth year." 
 
 "Then he must have been past sixty at the 
 time of the taking of New Orleans," remarked 
 Walter reflectively. 
 
 "He and Porter joined forces at Key West," 
 continued the captain. "Porter's fleet had been 
 prepared at the Navy Yard in Brooklyn, exciting 
 much interest and curiosity. There were twenty- 
 one schooners of from two to three hundred tons 
 each ; they were made very strong and to draw 
 as little water as possible. Each vessel carried 
 two thirty -two pounder rifled cannon, and was
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 5& 
 
 armed besides with mortars of eight and a half 
 tons weight that would throw a fifteen-inch shell 
 which, when filled, weighed two hundred and 
 twelve pounds. 
 
 " Farragut's orders were to proceed up the 
 Mississippi, reducing the forts on its banks, take 
 possession of New Orleans, hoist the American 
 flag there, and hold the place till more troops 
 could be sent him. 
 
 "An expedition was coming down the river 
 from Cairo, and if that had not arrived he was 
 to take advantage of the panic which his seizure 
 of New Orleans would have caused, and push on 
 up the river, destroying the rebel works. His 
 orders from the Secretary of War were, 'Destroy 
 the armed barriers which these deluded people 
 have raised up against the power of the United 
 States Government, and shoot down those who 
 war against the Union; but cultivate with cor 
 diality the first returning reason which is sure 
 to follow your success.' Farragut, having re 
 ceived these orders, at once began carrying 
 them out, with the aid of the plans of the works 
 on the Mississippi which he had been directed to 
 take, particularly of Fort St. Philip, furnished 
 him by General Barnard, who had built it years 
 before. 
 
 "The plan made and carried out was to let 
 Porter's fleet make the attack upon the forts 
 -first, while Farragut, with his larger and stronger
 
 CO ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 vessels, should await the result just outside the 
 range of the rebel guns; then, when Porter had 
 succeeded in silencing them, Farragut was to 
 push on up the river, clearing it of Confederate 
 vessels, and cutting off the supplies of the fort. 
 That accomplished, Butler was to land his 
 troops in the rear of Fort St. Philip and try to 
 carry it by assault. Those two forts, St. Philip 
 and Jackson, were about thirty miles from the 
 mouth of the river, Fort Jackson on the right 
 bank, and Fort St. Philip on the left. 
 
 "Ship Island, the place of rendezvous, is about 
 one hundred miles northeast of the mouth of 
 the Mississippi. In the last war with England, 
 as I have told you, St. Philip had kept the 
 British in check for nine days, though they 
 threw one thousand shells into it. 
 
 " Fort Jackson was a larger fortification, bas- 
 tioned, built of brick, with casemates and glacis, 
 rising twenty-five feet above the water. Some 
 French and British officers, calling upon Farra 
 gut before the attack, having come from among 
 the Confederates, while visiting whom they had 
 seen and examined these forts with their de 
 fences, warned him that to attack them would 
 only result in sure defeat; but the brave old 
 hero replied that he had been sent there to try it 
 on and would do so ; or words to that effect. 
 
 " The forts had one hundred and fifteen guns 
 of various kinds and sizes, mostly smooth-bore
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 61 
 
 thirty-two pounders. Above them lay the Con 
 federate fleet of fifteen vessels, one of them an 
 iron-clad ram, another a large, unfinished float 
 ing battery covered with railroad iron. Two 
 hundred Confederate sharp-shooters kept con 
 stant watch along the river banks, and several 
 fire-rafts were ready to be sent down among the 
 Federal vessels. Both these and the sharp 
 shooters were below the forts. Also there were 
 two iron chains stretched across the river, sup 
 ported upon eight hulks which were anchored 
 abreast. 
 
 " Farragut's naval expedition was the largest 
 that had ever sailed under the United States flag, 
 consisting of six sloops of war, twenty-one mor 
 tar schooners, sixteen gun-boats, and other ves 
 sels, carrying in all two hundred guns. 
 
 "But the vessels were built for the sea and 
 were now to work in a much narrower space 
 a river with a shifting channel and obstructed by 
 shoals. 
 
 " To get the larger vessels over the bar at the 
 southwest pass was a work of time and great 
 labor. They had to be made as light as possible 
 and then dragged through a foot of mud. Two 
 weeks of such labor was required to get the 
 Pensacola over, and the Colorado could not 
 be taken over at all. 
 
 "The mortar vessels were towed up stream 
 and began to take their places. Porter disguised
 
 62 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 them with'mud and the branches of trees, so that 
 they could not be readily distinguished from 
 the river banks, being moored under cover of 
 the woods on the bank just below Fort Jackson. 
 The stratagem was successful; his vessels were 
 moored where he wished to have them, the 
 nearest being two thousand eight hundred and 
 fifty yards from Fort Jackson, and three thou 
 sand six hundred and eighty from Fort St. 
 Philip. 
 
 " On the opposite side of the river, and a little 
 farther from the forts, Porter had his six re 
 maining vessels stationed, screening them also 
 with willows and reeds, and mooring them under 
 cover of the woods to conceal their true char 
 acter. 
 
 "On the 18th of .April, before nine o'clock 
 in the morning, the attack was begun by 
 a .shot from Fort Jackson, then, as soon as Porter 
 was ready, the Owasco opened fire, and the 
 fourteen mortar boats concealed by the woods, 
 also the six in full sight of the forts, began their 
 bombardment. 
 
 "The gun-boats took part in the conflict by 
 iunning up and firing heavy shells when the 
 mortars needed relief. Porter was on the ^Har 
 riet Xane, in a position to see what was the 
 effect of the shells, and direct their aim accord 
 ingly- 
 
 "The fight went on for several days, then
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. S3 
 
 Parragut, deeming there was small prospect of 
 reducing the forts, prepared to carry out another 
 part of his instructions by running past them. 
 He called a council of the captains in the cabin 
 of the Hartford, and it was then and there 
 decided that the attempt should be made. 
 
 "It was an intensely dark night, the wind 
 blowing fiercely 'from the north, but Com 
 mander Bell with the Winona, the Itasca, Ken- 
 nebec, Iroquois, and the Pinola ran up to the 
 boom. The Pinola ran to the hulk under the 
 guns of Fort Jackson, and an effort was made to 
 destroy it with a petard, but failed. The Itasca 
 was lashed to the next hulk, but a rocket sent 
 up from the fort showed her to the foe, who 
 immediately opened a heavy fire upon her. But 
 half an hour of active work with chisels, saws, 
 and sledges parted the boom of chains and 
 logs, and the hulk to which she was attached 
 swung round and grounded her in the mud in 
 shallow water. But the Pinola rescued her. 
 
 "Two hours later an immense fire-raft came 
 roaring down the stream, but, like those sent be 
 fore, it was caught by our men and rendered 
 harmless. They would catch such things with 
 grappling-irons, tow them to the shore, and leave 
 them there to burn out harmlessly. 
 
 " Day after day the bombardment went on, 
 fire-rafts coming down the river every night, 
 but Fort Jackson still held out, though its cit
 
 64 ELSIE AT VIANEDE. 
 
 adel had been set on fire by the shells" from the 
 mortar boats, and all the commissary stores 
 and the clothing of the men destroyed; also the 
 levee had been broken in scores of places by the 
 exploding shells, so that the waters of the 
 river flooded the parade ground and case 
 mates. 
 
 "By sunset on the 23d, Farragut was ready 
 for his forward movement, but Porter, with his 
 mortar boats, was to stay and cover the advance 
 with his fire. Farragut, on board his flag-ship, 
 the Hartford, was to lead the way with it, the 
 Brooklyn, and the Richmond. 
 
 "These vessels formed the first division, and 
 were to keep near the right bank of the river, 
 fighting Fort Jackson, while Captain Theodo- 
 rus Bailey was to keep close to the western bank 
 with his (the second) division, to fight Fort St. 
 Philip. His vessels were the Mississippi, Pen- 
 sacola, Varuna, Oneida, Katahdln, Kineo, 
 Wissahickon, Portsmouth. 
 
 " Captain Bell still commanded the same ves 
 sels which I just mentioned as his, and his ap 
 pointed duty was to attack the Confederate 
 fleet above the forts, to keep the channel of the 
 river, and push right on, paying no attention 
 to the forts themselves. 
 
 "In obedience to these orders, the Itasca ran 
 tip to the boom, and at eleven o'clock showed a 
 night signal that the channel was clear of ob-
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 65 
 
 struction excepting the hulks, which, with care, 
 might be passed safely. 
 
 " A heavy fog, and the settling of the smoke 
 from the steamers upon the waters, made the 
 night a very dark one. No sound came from 
 the forts, yet active preparations were going on 
 in them for the approaching struggle,and their 
 fleet was stationed near them in readiness to 
 assist in the effort to prevent the Union vessels 
 from ascending the river. 
 
 "At one o'clock every one on the Union ships 
 was called to action, but the fleet remained 
 stationary until two, and at half past three Farra- 
 gut's and Bailey's divisions were moving up the 
 river, each on its appointed side, and at the rate 
 of four miles an hour. 
 
 "Then Porter's mortars, still at their moor 
 ings below the forts, opened upon those forts a 
 terrible storm, sending as many as, if not more 
 than, half a dozen shells, with their fiery trails, 
 screaming through the air at the same mo 
 ment. 
 
 " But no sound came from the forts until they 
 discovered Captain Bailey's ship, the Cayuga, 
 just as she had passed the boom, when they 
 brought their heavy guns to bear upon her, and 
 broke the long silence with their roar. 
 
 "When she was close under Fort St. Philip 
 she replied with heavy broadsides of grape and 
 canister as she passed on up the river.
 
 66 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "The other vessels of Bailey's division fol 
 lowed closely after, each imitating the Cayuga's 
 example in delivering a broadside as she passed 
 the forts, which they did almost unharmed, with 
 the exception of the Portsmouth, a sailing ves 
 sel, which lost her tow, on firing her broadside, 
 and drifted down the river. 
 
 " Captain Bell and his division were not quite 
 BO fortunate. Three of his vessels passed the 
 forts, but the Itasca received a storm of shot, 
 one of which pierced her boiler, and she drifted 
 helplessly down the river. The Kcnnebec lost 
 her way among the obstructions and went hack 
 to her moorings below; the Winona, too, re 
 coiled from the storm. 
 
 "In the meantime, Farragut was in the fore 
 rigging of the Hartford, watching with intense 
 interest, through his night glass, the move 
 ments of the vessels under the command of 
 Bailey and Bell, while the vessels he com 
 manded in person were slowly nearing Fort 
 Jackson. He was within a mile and a quarter 
 of it when its heavy guns opened upon him. 
 They were well aimed, and the Hartford was 
 struck several times. 
 
 " Farragut replied with two guns which he 
 had placed upon his forecastle, while at the 
 same time he pushed on directly for the fort. 
 When within a half mile of it he sheered off 
 and gave them heavy broadsides of grape and
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 67 
 
 canister; so heavy that they were driven from 
 all their barbette guns. But the casemate guns 
 were kept in full play, and the fight became a 
 very severe one. 
 
 "The Richmond soon joined in it; the Brook 
 lyn got entangled with some of the hulks that 
 bore up the chain, and so lagged behind. She 
 had just succeeded in freeing herself from them 
 when the Confederate ram Manassas came furi 
 ously down upon her, and when within about 
 ten feet, fired a heavy bolt at her from its trap 
 door, aiming for her smoke stack ; but fortu 
 nately the shot lodged in some sand-bags that 
 protected her steam-drum. 
 
 " The next moment the ram butted into the 
 Brooklyn's starboard gangway ; but she was so 
 effectually protected by chain armor that the 
 Manassas glanced off and disappeared in the 
 darkness. 
 
 "All this time a raking fire from the fort had 
 been pouring upon the Brooklyn, and just as she 
 escaped from the Manassas a large Confederate 
 steamer attacked her. She pushed slowly on in 
 the darkness, after giving the steamer a broad 
 side that set it on fire and speedily destroyed 
 it, and suddenly found herself abreast of Fort St. 
 Philip. 
 
 "She was very close to it, and speedily 
 brought all her guns to bear upon it in a 
 tremendous broadside.
 
 8 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 ""In his report Captain Craven said, *I had 
 the satisfaction of completely silencing that 
 work before I left it, my men in the tops witness 
 ing, in the flashes of the shrapnel, the enemy 
 running like sheep for more comfortable quar 
 ters. ' 
 
 " While the Brooklyn was going through all 
 this, Farragut was having what he called 'a 
 rough time of it. ' While he was battling with 
 the forts, a huge fire-raft, pushed by the Ma- 
 nassas, came suddenly upon him all ablaze, and 
 in trying to avoid it the Hartford got aground, 
 and the incendiary came crashing alongside of 
 her. 
 
 "In telling of it Farragut said, 'In a moment 
 the ship was one blaze all along the port side, 
 half way up the main and mizzen tops. But 
 thanks to the good organization of the fire de 
 partment^ by Lieutenant Thornton, the flames 
 were extinguished, and at the same time we 
 backed off and got clear of the raft. All this 
 time we were pouring shells into the forts and 
 they into us; now and then a rebel steamer 
 would get under our fire and receive our saluta 
 tion of a broadside. ' The fleet had not fairly 
 passed the forts when the Confederate ram and 
 gun-boats hastened to take part in the battle. 
 
 "The scene was now both grand and awful. 
 Just think of two hundred and sixty great guns 
 and twenty mortars constantly firing, and shells
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 69 
 
 exploding in and around the forts; it 'shook 
 land and water like an earthquake,' Lossing 
 tells us, 'and the surface of the river was strewn 
 with dead and helpless fishes.' Major Bell, of 
 Butler's staff, wrote of it, 'Combine all that 
 you have ever heard of thunder, and add to it 
 all you have ever seen of lightning, and you 
 have, perhaps, a conception of the scene. 
 And,' continues our historian, 'all this de 
 structive energy, the blazing fire-rafts and float 
 ing volcanoes sending forth fire and smoke and 
 bolts of death, the thundering forts, and the 
 ponderous rams, were crowded, in the greatest 
 darkness just before dawn, within the space of 
 a narrow river, "too narrow," said Farragut, 
 "for more than two or three vessels to act to 
 advantage. My greatest fear was that we 
 should fire into each other; and Captain Wain- 
 wright and myself were hallooing ourselves 
 hoarse at the men not to fire into our ships." 
 
 "The Cayuga met the flotilla of Confederate 
 Tarns and gun-boats as soon as she passed Fort 
 St. Phillip. For a few minutes there were 
 eighteen Confederate vessels intent upon her 
 destruction." 
 
 "Was the Manassas one of the eighteen, 
 sir?" queried Walter. 
 
 "Yes," replied the captain, "and the float 
 ing battery Louisiana was another. Captain 
 Mitchell was the name of her commander, and
 
 VO ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 he was also commandant of the remaining six 
 teen vessels of that rebel fleet. 
 
 " Captain Bailey could not fight so many at 
 once without some assistance, so used his skill 
 in avoiding the butting of the rams and the 
 efforts to board his vessel. At the same time 
 he was making such good use of his guns that, 
 while saving his own vessels, he compelled three 
 of the Confederate gun-boats to surrender to him 
 before Captain Boggs and Captain Lee, of the 
 Varuna and the Oneida came to his assistance. 
 
 " The Cayuga had then been struck forty-two 
 times and a good deal damaged in spars and rig 
 ging, but, in accordance with Farragut's orders, 
 she moved up the river as leader of the fleet. 
 
 " It was upon the Varuna that the enemy next 
 poured out the vials of his wrath. In his report 
 of the fight Captain Boggs, her commander, said 
 that immediately after passing the forts he 
 found himself 'amid a nest of rebel steamers.' 
 He rushed into their midst, giving each a broad 
 side as he passed. The first of those steamers 
 seemed to be crowded with troops. One of the 
 Varuna's shots exploded her boiler and she 
 drifted ashore. Next a gun-boat and three 
 other vessels were driven ashore in flames, and 
 presently they blew up, one after another. 
 
 "Then the Varuna was furiously attacked by 
 the Governor Moore, commanded by Beverly 
 Kennon, one who had left the United States
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 71 
 
 service for that of the rebels. His vessel raked 
 along the Varuna's port, killing four men and 
 wounding nine. Captain Boggs sent a three- 
 inch shell into her, abaft her armor, and several 
 shots from the after rifled gun, which partially 
 disabled her, and she dropped out of action. 
 
 "In the meantime, another ram struck the 
 Varuna under water with its iron prow, giving 
 her a heavy blow in the port gangway. The 
 Varuna answered with a shot, but it glanced 
 harmlessly from the armored prow of the rebel 
 ram, and it, backing off a shorting distance, 
 shot forward again, gave the Vanma another 
 blow in the same place, and crushed in her side. 
 
 " But the ram had become entangled, and was 
 drawn around to the side of the Varuna, and 
 Captain Boggs gave her five eighteen shells 
 abaft her armor from his port guns. In telling 
 of it afterward he said, 'This settled her and 
 drove her ashore in flames. ' 
 
 "But his own vessel was sinking; so he ran 
 her into the bank, let go her anchor, and tied 
 her bow up to the trees, but all the time kept his 
 guns at work crippling the Moore. 
 
 "He did not cease firing till the water was over 
 the gun-tracks, but then turned his attention to 
 getting his wounded and the crew out of the 
 vessel. 
 
 "Just then, Captain Lee, commander of the 
 Oneida, came to his assistance. But Boggs
 
 72 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 waved him after the Moore, which was then in 
 flames and presently surrendered to the Oneida. 
 Kennon, her commander, had done a cowardly 
 deed in setting her on fire and fleeing, leaving 
 his wounded to the horrible fate of perishing in 
 the flames. The surrender was, therefore, made 
 by her second officer. 
 
 "That ended the fight on the Mississippi 
 River; it had been a desperate one, but lasted 
 only an hour and a half, though nearly the whole 
 of the rebel fleet was destroyed. The National 
 loss was thirty killed and not more than one, 
 hundred and twenty-five wounded."
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 CAPTAIN RAYMOND paused, seemingly lost 
 in thought. All waited in silence for a mo 
 ment, then Violet, laying a hand on his arm, 
 for she was seated close at his side, said with a 
 loving smile into his eyes: 
 
 "My dear, I fear we have been tiring you." 
 
 " Oh no, not at all !" he replied, coming out 
 of his revery and taking possession of the pretty 
 hand with a quiet air of ownership. 
 
 "I am sure nobody else is," said Walter; "so 
 please go on, sir, won't you? and tell us all 
 about the taking of the forts and the city." 
 
 "I will," replied the captain. "By the way, 
 I want to tell you about a powder boy on board 
 of the Varuna, Oscar Peck, a lad of only thir 
 teen years, who showed coolness and bravery 
 which would have entitled a man to praise. 
 
 "Captain Boggs was very much pleased 
 with him, and in his report to Farragut praised 
 him warmly. He said that seeing the lad pass 
 quickly he asked where he was going in such 
 a hurry. ' To get a passing box, sir, ' replied the 
 lad; 'the other was smashed by a ball.' When 
 the Varuna went down Oscar disappeared. He 
 
 73
 
 '74 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 had been standing by one of the guns and was 
 thrown into the water by the movement of the 
 vessel. But in a few minutes he was seen 
 swimming toward the wreck. Captain Boggs 
 was standing on a part of the ship that was still 
 above water, when the lad climbed up by his 
 side, gave the usual salute, and said, 'All right, 
 sir, I report myself on board.' ' 
 
 "Ah," cried Walter exultantly, "he was a 
 plucky American boy! I'm proud of him." 
 
 "Yes," said the captain, "and the more men 
 and boys we have of a similar spirit the better 
 for our dear land. 
 
 "But to go on with my story. Captain Bailey 
 moved on up the river with his crippled vessel, 
 the Cayuga, leaving the Varuna to continue the 
 fight at the forts. 
 
 "A short distance above Fort St. Philip 
 was the Quarantine Station. Opposite to it 
 was a Confederate battery in charge of several 
 companies of sharp-shooters, commanded by 
 Colonel Szymanski, a Pole. 
 
 "On perceiving the approach of iheCayuga, 
 they tried to flee, but a volley of canister-shot 
 from her guns called a halt, and they were taken 
 prisoners of war. 
 
 " By that time the battle at the forts was over 
 and the remaining twelve ships presently joined 
 the Cayuga. Then the dead were carried ashore 
 and buried."
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 75 
 
 "And where was Butler all this time, sir?" 
 queried Walter. 
 
 " He had been busy preparing for his part of 
 the work while the naval officers were doing 
 theirs," was the reply. "His men were in the 
 transports at the passes and could hear distinctly 
 the booming of the guns and mortars, but the 
 general was at that time on the /Saxon, which 
 was following close in the rear of Bailey's divi 
 sion, until the plunging of shot and shell into 
 the water around her warned Butler that he had 
 gone far enough. He then ordered the Saxon 
 to drop a little astern, an order which was by no 
 means disagreeable to her captain and was 
 promptly obeyed, for he had on board eight 
 hundred barrels of gunpowder; a dangerous 
 cargo, indeed, when exposed to the fiery missiles 
 of the enemy." 
 
 "Wasn't it?" exclaimed Rosie. 
 
 "Where was Porter just then, sir?" asked 
 Walter. 
 
 " He and his mortar fleet were still below the 
 forts," replied the captain, "and just as Butler 
 had ordered his vessel away from that danger 
 ous spot, the rebel monitor Manassas came mov 
 ing down into the midst of his fleet. She had 
 just been terribly pounded by the Mississippi 
 and was a helpless wreck, but that was not per 
 ceived at first, and some of the mortars opened 
 fire upon her, but stopped when they saw what
 
 76 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 was her condition : her hull battered and pierced, 
 her pipes twisted and riddled by shot, smoke 
 pouring from every opening. In a few minutes 
 her only gun went off, flames burst out from 
 stern, trap-door, and bow port, and she went 
 hissing to the bottom of the river. 
 
 "Butler now hurried to his transports and 
 took them to Sable Island, twelve miles in the 
 rear of Fort St. Philip. From there they 
 went in small boats, through the narrow and 
 shallow bayous, piloted by Lieutenant Weitzel. 
 It was a most fatiguing journey, the men some 
 times having to drag their boats through cold, 
 muddy water waist deep. But the brave, patri 
 otic fellows worked on with a will, and by the 
 night of the 27th they were at the Quarantine, 
 ready to begin the assault on Fort St. Philip 
 the next day, when they were landed under 
 cover of the guns of the Mississippi and the 
 Elneo. Butler sent a small force to !:the other 
 side of the river above Fort Jackson, which 
 Porter had been pounding terribly with the 
 shells from his mortars. On the 26th, Porter 
 sent a flag of truce with a demand for the sur 
 render of the fort, saying that Farragut had 
 reached New Orleans and taken possession. 
 
 " Colonel Higginson, the commander of the 
 fort, replied that he had no official report of 
 that surrender, and that until he should receive 
 such he would not sun-render the fort; he
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 77 
 
 could not entertain such a proposition for a 
 moment. 
 
 "On the same day, General Duncan, com 
 mander of the coast defences, but at that time 
 in Fort Jackson, sent out an address to the sol 
 diers, saying, 'The safety of New Orleans and 
 the cause of the Southern Confederacy, our 
 homes, families, and everything dear to man 
 yet depend upon our exertions. We are just 
 as capable of repelling the enemy to-day as 
 we were before the bombardment.' 
 
 " Thus he urged them to fight on. But they 
 did not all agree with the views he expressed. 
 They could see the blackened fragments of ves 
 sels and other property strewing the waters of 
 the river as it flowed swiftly by, and the sight 
 convinced them of the truth of the report which 
 had reached them of the fall of New Orleans. 
 They had heard, too, of the arrival of Butler's 
 troops in the rear of Fort St. Philip. 
 
 "Doubtless they talked it all over among 
 themselves that night, as a large number of 
 them mutined, spiked the guns bearing up the 
 river, and the next day went out and surren 
 dered themselves to Butler's pickets on that side 
 of the river, saying they had been impressed, 
 and would not fight the government any longer. 
 Their loss made the surrender of the fort a ne 
 cessity, and Colonel Higginson accepted the gen 
 erous terms offered him by Porter. He and
 
 78 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 Duncan went on board the Harriet Lane and 
 the terms of surrender were reduced to writing. 
 
 " While that was going on in her cabin, a das 
 tardly deed was done by the Confederate officer 
 Mitchell, who, as I have said, commanded the 
 battery called the Louisiana. It lay above the 
 forts. He had it towed out into the strong cur 
 rent, set on fire and abandoned, leaving the guns 
 all shotted, expecting she would float down and 
 explode among Porter's mortar fleet ; but a good 
 Providence caused the explosion to come before 
 she reached the fleet. It took place when she 
 was abreast of Fort St. Philip, and a sol.dier, 
 one of its garrison, was killed by a flying frag 
 ment. Then she went to the bottom, and the 
 rest of the Confederate steamers surrendered. 
 
 "Porter and his mortar fleet were still below 
 the forts, but Farragut had now thirteen of his 
 Tessels safely above them and was ready to 
 move upon New Orleans. 
 
 "Half an hour after he reached the Quaran 
 tine, he sent Captain Boggs to Butler with 
 despatches. Boggs went in a small boat through 
 shallow bayous in the rear of Fort St. Philip, 
 and, as I have already said, the next day Butler 
 and his troops arrived at the Quarantine in 
 readiness to assault the forts. 
 
 " Fort St. Philip was as perfect when taken 
 by the Union forces as before the fight, and Fort 
 Jackson was injured only in its interior works.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 79 
 
 "The entire loss of the Nationals in all this 
 fighting was 40 killed and 177 wounded. No 
 reliable report was given of the Confederate 
 losses in killed and wounded. The number of 
 prisoners amounted to nearly one thousand. 
 
 " General Lovell, who had command of the 
 Confederate troops at New Orleans, had gone 
 down the river in his steamer Doubloon, and ar 
 rived just as the National fleet was passing the 
 forts. He was near being captured in the ter 
 rible fight that followed, but escaped to the 
 shore and hurried back to New Orleans : as fast 
 as courier horses could carry him. 
 
 " A rumor of the fight and its results had al 
 ready reached the city, and when he confirmed 
 it a scene of wild excitement ensued; soldiers 
 hurried to and fro, women were in the street 
 bareheaded, brandishing pistols, and screaming, 
 'Burn the city! Never mind us! Burn the 
 city!' 
 
 ' ' Merchants fled from their stores, and military 
 officers impressed vehicles to carry cotton to tta 
 levees to be burned. Four millions of dollars in 
 specie was sent out of the city by railway ; for 
 eigners crowded to the consulates to deposit 
 money and other valuables for safety, and 
 Twiggs, the traitor, fled, leaving to the care of 
 a young woman the two swords that had been 
 awarded him for his services in Mexico. 
 
 " Lovell believed that he had not a sufficient
 
 80 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 number of troops to defend the city, and con 
 vinced the city authorities that such was the 
 fact. Then he proceeded to disband the con 
 scripts and to send munitions of war, stores of 
 provisions, and other valuable property to the 
 country by railroad and steamboats. Some of 
 the white troops went to Camp Moore, seventy- 
 eight miles distant, by the railroad, but the 
 negro soldiers refused to go. 
 
 "The next morning Farragut came on up the 
 river, meeting on the way blazing ships filled 
 with cotton floating down the stream. Then 
 presently he discovered the Chalmette batteries 
 on both sides of the river only a few miles be 
 low the city. The river was so full that the 
 waters gave him complete command of those 
 confederate works, and, causing his vessels to 
 move in two lines, he set himself to the task of 
 disabling them. 
 
 " Captain Bailey in the Cayuga was pressing 
 gallantly forward and did not notice the signal 
 to the vessels to move in close order. He was 
 so far ahead of the others that the fire of the 
 enemy was for a time concentrated upon his 
 vessel; for twenty minutes she sustained a 
 heavy cross fire alone. But Farragut hastened 
 forward with the Hartford, and, as he passed 
 the Cayuga, he gave the batteries heavy broad 
 sides of grape, shell and shrapnel; so heavy 
 were they that the first discharge drove the con-
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 81 
 
 federates from their guns. The other vessels of 
 the fleet followed the Hartford's example, and 
 in twenty minutes the batteries were silenced 
 and the men running for their lives. 
 
 " Oh, what a fearful scene our vessels passed 
 through ! The surface of the river was strewn 
 with blazing cotton bales, burning steamers and 
 fire-rafts, all together sending up clouds of 
 dense black smoke. But they were nearing 
 the city, these National vessels, and the news 
 that such was the case had caused another 
 great panic, and, by order of the Governor of 
 Louisiana and General Lovell, the destruction 
 of property went on more rapidly than before. 
 Great quantites of cotton, sugar, and other 
 staple commodities of that region of country, 
 were set on fire, so that for a distance of five 
 miles there seemed to be a continuous sheet of 
 flame accompanied by dense clouds of smoke ; 
 for the people, foolishly believed that the Gov 
 ernment, like themselves, regarded cotton as 
 king, and that it was one of the chief objects for 
 which the National troops were sent there. So 
 they brought it in huge loads to the levee, piled 
 it up there, and burnt not less than fifteen hundred 
 bales, worth about $1,500,000. For the same 
 reason they burned more than a dozen large 
 ships, some of which were loaded with cotton, as 
 well as many magnificent steamboats, unfinished 
 gun-boats, and other vessels, sending them down
 
 82 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 the river wrapped in flames; hoping that in ad 
 dition to destroying the property the Federals 
 were after, they might succeed in setting fire to 
 and destroying their ships and boats. 
 
 "But the vessels of Farragut's squadron all 
 escaped that danger, and in the afternoon, dur 
 ing a fierce thunderstorm, they anchored before 
 the city. 
 
 " Captain Bailey was sent ashore with a flag 
 and a summons from Farragut for the surrender 
 of the city; also a demand that the Confederate 
 flag should be taken down from the public 
 buildings and replaced by the stars and strips. 
 
 "Escorted by sensible citizens he made his 
 way to the City Hall, through a cursing and 
 hissing crowd. Lovell, who was still there, 
 positively refused to surrender, but seeing that 
 he was powerless to defend the city he said so 
 and, advising the mayor not to surrender or 
 allow the flags to be taken down, he withdrew 
 with his troops. 
 
 "The mayor was foolish enough to follow 
 that very foolish advice, and sent to Farragut 
 a silly letter saying that though he and his 
 people could not prevent the occupation of their 
 city by the United States, they would not trans 
 fer their allegiance to that government, which 
 they had already deliberately repudiated. 
 
 " While this was going on troops from the 
 Pensacola had landed and hoisted the United
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 83 
 
 States flag over the Government Mint; but 
 scarcely had they retired from the spot when 
 the flag was torn down by some young men and 
 dragged through the streets in derision." 
 
 "Our flag! the glorious stripes and stars!'* 
 exclaimed Lulu, her eyes flashing; "I hope they 
 didn't escape punishment for such an outrage 
 as that?" 
 
 " One of them, a gambler, William B. Mum- 
 ford by name, afterward paid the penalty for that 
 and other crimes, on the scaffold," replied her 
 father. "A few hours after the pulling down 
 of that flag, General Butler arrived and joined 
 Farragut on the Hartford. On the 29th, 
 Butler reported to the Secretary of War, and, 
 referring to the treatment of the flag, said, 'This 
 outrage will be punished in such a manner as in 
 my judgment will caution both the perpetrators 
 and the abettors of the act, so that they shall 
 fear the stripes, if they do not reverence the 
 stars, of our banner.' 
 
 "Tho secessionists expressed much exulta 
 tion over the treatment of the flag and admira 
 tion of the rebellious deed. 
 
 " Farragut was very patient with the rebels, 
 particularly the silly mayor; in reply to whose 
 abusive letter he spoke of the insults and in 
 dignities to the flag and to his officers, adding. 
 *A11 of which go to show that the fire of this fleet 
 may be drawn upon the city at any moment, and
 
 84 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 in such an event the levee would, in "all proba 
 bility, be cut by the shells and an amount of 
 distress ensue to the innocent population which 
 I have heretofore endeavored to assure you that 
 I desire by all means to avoid. The election 
 therefore is with you; but it becomes me to 
 notify you to remove the women and children, 
 from the city within forty-eight hours, if I have 
 rightly understood your determination.' 
 
 " To this the foolish mayor sent a most absurd 
 reply, saying that Farragut wanted to humble 
 and disgrace the people, and talking nonsense 
 about 'murdering women and children.' It 
 was a decidedly insolent epistle; but the com 
 mander of a French ship of war, that had just 
 come in, was still more impertinent. He wrote 
 to Farragut that his government had sent him 
 to protect the 30,000 of its subjects in New 
 Orleans. And that he should demand sixty 
 days, instead of forty-eight hours as the time to 
 be given for the evacuation of the city, his 
 letter closed with a threat: 'If it is your resolu 
 tion to bombard the city, do it; but I wish to 
 state that you will have to account for the bar 
 barous act to the power which I represent.' 
 
 " Farragut was much perplexed, and troubled 
 with doubts as to what to do, but was soon 
 greatly relieved by the news of the surrender of 
 the forts below, making it almost certain that 
 Butler would soon be there to relieve him of the
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 85 
 
 care of the city, and with that in prospect he 
 was able to quietly await the arrival of the 
 land forces. 
 
 "The people of New Orleans believed it im 
 possible that those forts could be taken, and 
 deemed it safe to indulge in their defiant attitude 
 toward the Federal forces already at their doors ; 
 but this unwelcome news convinced them of 
 the folly and danger of further resistance and 
 defiance of the General Government, and a sort 
 of apology was made to Farragut for the pulling 
 down of the flag from the Mint ; it was said to 
 have been the unauthorized act of the men who 
 performed it. 
 
 "The next day Captain Bell landed with a 
 hundred marines, hauled down the emblems of 
 rebellion on the Mint and Custom House, flung 
 to the breeze the National flag in their places, 
 then locking the Custom House door, carried 
 the key to his' vessel. 
 
 There was a military organization in New 
 Orleans, called the European Brigade, com 
 posed of British, French, and Spanish aliens, 
 whose ostensible purpose was to aid the 
 authorities in protecting the citizens from 
 unruly members-, but now finding their oc 
 cupation almost at an end, its English mem 
 bers voted at their armory that, as they would 
 have no further use for their weapons and accout 
 rements, they should be sent to Beauregard's
 
 86 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 army at Corinth, as 'a slight token of their 
 affection for the Confederate States. ' " 
 
 "I should say that was but a poor sort of 
 neutrality," remarked Rosie. 
 
 "So I think," responded the captain; then 
 went on with his story. 
 
 "Only a few hours after Mumford and his 
 mates had pulled down the flag, Butler arrived, 
 joined Farragut on the Hartford, and presently 
 made to the Secretary of War the report of 
 which I have already spoken. 
 
 "He hurried back to his troops and made ar 
 rangements for their immediate advance up the 
 river. On the first of May he appeared before 
 New Orleans with his transports bearing two 
 thousand men; the general with his wife, his 
 staff, and one thousand four hundred troops, 
 was on the Mississippi, the vessel in which he 
 had sailed from Hampton Roads sixty -five days 
 before. 
 
 "At four o'clock on the afternoon of that day 
 the troops began to land : first, a company of the 
 Thirty-first Massachusetts, presently followed 
 by the rest of the regiment, the Fourth 
 Wisconsin, and Everett's battery of heavy field 
 guns. 
 
 "They formed in procession, acting as an es 
 cort to General Butler and General Williams 
 and his staff, and marched through several 
 streets to the Custom House, their band play-
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 87 
 
 ing the 'Star-Spangled Banner.' They had 
 been given strict directions not to resent any 
 insults that might be offered by the vast crowd 
 gathered in the streets, unless ordered so to 
 do ; if a shot should be fired from any house, 
 they were to halt, arrest the inmates, and 
 destroy the building. 
 
 " Their patience was greatly tried during that 
 short march, the crowd constantly growing 
 greater and more boisterous and pouring out 
 upon them volleys of abusive epithets, both vul 
 gar and profane, applying them to the general 
 as well as his troops." 
 
 "I think anybody but an American would 
 have ordered his soldiers to fire upon them for 
 that," remarked Walter. " Did they do no fight 
 ing at all at the time, sir?" 
 
 "No," replied the captain ; " they were obedi 
 ent to the orders of their superior officers and 
 brave enough to endure the undeserved abuse 
 in silence. 
 
 "At length their destination was reached, 
 Captain Everett posted his cannon around the 
 Custom 'House, quarters there were given to 
 the Massachusetts regiment, and the city was 
 comparatively quiet through the night. 
 
 " General Butler passed the night on board 
 the Mississippi, and at an early hour in the 
 evening sent out a proclamation to the citizens 
 of New Orleans. It was first sent to the office
 
 88 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 of the True Delta to be printed; but the pro 
 prietor flatly refused to use his types in such an 
 act of submission to Federal rule. " 
 
 "I hope he wasn't allowed to do as he pleased 
 about it?" growled Walter. 
 
 "I think hardly," returned the captain with 
 an amused smile. " Some two hours later a file 
 of soldiers were in his office, half a dozen of 
 whom were printers, and in a very short time 
 the proclamation was sent out in printed form. 
 
 "Meanwhile the Federal officers had taken 
 possession of their city quarters. General 
 Butler was at the St. Charles Hotel, and invited 
 the city authorities to a conference with him 
 there. That very foolish mayor, Monroe, told 
 the messenger sent to him that his place of 
 business was at the City Hall. He was an 
 swered by a suggestion that such a reply was 
 not likely to prove satisfying to the command 
 ing general, and then prudently decided to go 
 and wait on General Butler at the St. Charles. 
 
 "Some of his 'friends accompanied him; 
 among them Pierre Soule, who had been a rep 
 resentative to Congress before the war. 
 
 "General Butler and these callers had a talk 
 together in regard to the proper relations exist 
 ing between the General Government and the 
 city of New Orleans, Butler maintaining that 
 the authority of the Government of the United 
 States was and ought to be supreme ; it had a
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 89 
 
 right to demand the allegiance of the people, 
 and that no other authority could be allowed to 
 conflict with it in ruling the city. 
 
 " The mayor, Soule, and his friends, on the 
 contrary, insisted that Louisiana was an inde 
 pendent sovereignty and that to her alone the 
 people owed their allegiance. They asserted 
 that the National troops were invaders, the 
 people doing right in treating them with con 
 tempt and abhorrence, and that they would be 
 fully justified in driving them away if it were 
 in their power to do so. 
 
 " While this hot discussion was going on, a 
 messenger came from General Williams, who 
 had command of the regiment protecting head 
 quarters, saying that he feared he could not con 
 trol the mob which had collected in the street. 
 
 "Butler calmly replied: 'Give my compli 
 ments to General Williams, and tell him if he 
 finds he cannot control the mob, to open upon 
 them with artillery.' 
 
 " At that the mayor and his friends sprang to 
 their feet, exclaiming excitedly, 'Don't do that, 
 General.' Butler asked, 'Why not?' and went 
 on, 'The mob must be controlled. We can't 
 have a disturbance in the street.' 
 
 "At that the mayor stepped out upon the 
 balcony and spoke to the mob, telling them of 
 the general's orders and advising them to dis 
 perse.
 
 90 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 " At that interview General Butler read to his 
 callers the proclamation he was about to issue. 
 Soule told him it would give great offence, and 
 that the people would never submit to its de 
 mands; for they were not conquered and could 
 not be expected to act as a conquered people 
 would. 'Withdraw your troops and leave the 
 city government to manage its own affairs,' he 
 said. 'If the troops remain there will cer 
 tainly be trouble. ' " 
 
 "And Butler, of course, did as he was told," 
 laughed Rosie. 
 
 " Not exactly," returned the captain. " 'I did 
 not expect to hear from Mr. Soule a threat on 
 this occasion,' he said. 'I have long been ac 
 customed to hear threats from Southern gentle 
 men in political conventions, but let me assure 
 the gentlemen present that the time for tactics of 
 that nature has passed, never to return. New 
 Orleans is a conquered city. If not, why are 
 we here? How did we get here? Have you 
 opened your arms and bid us welcome? Are 
 we here by your consent? Would you, or 
 would you not, expel iis if you could? New 
 Orleans has been conquered by the forces of 
 the United States, and by the laws of all na 
 tions lies subject to the will of the conquerors.' ' 
 
 "Some of the New Orleans people, especially 
 the women, behaved very badly, did they not, 
 captain?" asked Evelyn.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 91 
 
 "Yes; though no man was injured by the 
 troops, who behaved in a perfectly orderly man 
 ner; no woman was treated with the slightest 
 disrespect, though the women were very offen 
 sive in their manifestations of contempt of the 
 officers, not omitting even the commanding offi 
 cer himself. They would leave street cars and 
 church pews when a Federal officer entered 
 them; the sidewalks also, going round the 
 gentlemen, turning up their noses and some 
 times uttering abusive words; they wore seces 
 sion colors in their bonnets, sang rebel songs, and 
 turned their backs on passing soldiers, when out 
 on their balconies, and played airs that were 
 used with rebel words; indeed they tried to 
 show in every possible way their contempt 
 and aversion for the Union officers and soldiers. 
 At length a woman of the 'dominant class,' 
 meeting two Union officers on the street, spit 
 in their faces. Then General Butler decided 
 to at once put a stop to such proceedings, and 
 on the oth of May he issued order No. 28, which 
 had the desired effect." 
 
 "What was it, papa? What did he order the 
 people, or the soldiers, to do?" queried Lulu. 
 
 "The amount of the order was that every 
 woman who should behave as that one had, insult 
 or show contempt for any officer or soldier of 
 the United States, should be regarded and held 
 liable to be treated as not of good moral char-
 
 92 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 acter. The mayor made it the subject of 
 another impudent and absurd letter to Gen 
 eral Butler, for which he was arrested, but he 
 was soon released again upon making a humble 
 apology." 
 
 "Did they let him be mayor again, papa?" 
 asked Grace. 
 
 "No; instead General G. F. Sheply of Maine, 
 was appointed Military Governor of New Or 
 leans, and made an excellent one, having 
 the city made cleaner, and in consequence 
 more wholesome, than it had been for years, if 
 ever before. Soon after that William B. Mum- 
 ford was arrested, tried by a military court for 
 treason in having torn down the flag, found 
 guilty, and hanged."
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THEKE was a moment of silence broken by* 
 Lulu with an eager exclamation. " Oh, papa, 
 don't you remember that when we were at 
 Saratoga last summer you promised that some 
 time you would tell us about the fighting in the 
 Revolution near and at Fort Schuyler? and won't 
 you please do so now?" 
 
 "I will if the others wish to hear it," he re 
 plied, and a general eager assent being given, 
 he at once began the story. 
 
 "Fort Schuyler," he said, "at first called Fort 
 Stanwix, in honor of the general of that name,, 
 who directed the work of its erection, stood at 
 the head of boat navigation on the Mohawk, 
 where the village of Rome now is. It cost the 
 British and Colonial Government two hundred 
 and sixty-six thousand four hundred dollars and 
 was a strong post of resistance to attack from 
 the French in Canada, with whom, as you all 
 know, I think, the colonists were often at war, on. 
 their own account or that of the mother country, 
 and a powerful protection to the Indian trade. 
 It commanded the portage between Lake On 
 tario and the Mohawk valley, the theatre o 
 
 93
 
 94 ELSIE AT VIANEDE. 
 
 many stirring events during the War of the 
 Revolution. Indians and Tories kept in terror 
 the people who lived there and were loyal to the 
 cause of their country. There were daylight 
 struggles and stealthy midnight attacks in such 
 numbers that Tryon County came to be spoken 
 of as 'the dark and bloody ground.' 
 
 " Congress perceiving the importance of de 
 fending the northern and western frontiers of 
 New York from incursions by the British and 
 Indians, sent General Schuyler to strengthen 
 old Fort Stanwix, which had been allowed to 
 fall into a state of decay so that it was little 
 more than a ruin, and, if he found it necessary, 
 to erect other fortifications. 
 
 "General Phillip Schuyler was a gentleman 
 of fortune, of military skill, experience, 
 sound judgment, and lofty patriotism. Loss- 
 ing tells us that, 'for causes quite inexpli 
 cable, he was superseded in effect by Gates 
 in March 1777, but reinstated in May, and 
 that no appointment could have been more 
 acceptable to the people of northern New York, 
 who were at that time in a state of great ex 
 citement and alarm.' 
 
 "In recent campaigns against the French and 
 Indians on Lakes Cham plain and George, Gen 
 eral Schuyler had done great service to the 
 colony and the people along the northern fron 
 tier. That of itself was sufficent cause for at-
 
 JEL8IE AT YIAMEDE. 95 
 
 tacliment to him, besides his many virtues, 
 which had endeared him to all who knew him. 
 And in fighting the British he would be -de 
 fending his own home and large landed es 
 tate. 
 
 "In March, 1777, Burgoyne arrived at Que 
 bec, bearing the commission of a lieutenant-gen 
 eral, and by the first of June a force of seven 
 thousand men was collected for him and mus 
 tered at St. John's at the foot of Lake Cham- 
 plai. Also the British Lieutenant-colonel St. 
 Leger, was sent with a force of seven hundred 
 rangers up the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario 
 to Oswego. He was to gather the Indians, 
 make friends with them, and get them to act 
 as his allies; then to sweep the valley of the 
 Mohawk, with the help of Johnson and his 
 Tories, take Fort Schuyler, and afterward join 
 Burgoyne. 
 
 "Colonel Peter Gansevoort was at that time 
 in command of Fort Schuyler. The people of 
 Tryon County, hearing of St. Leger's move 
 ment, and that a descent was to be made upon 
 them by the way of Oswego, were greatly 
 alarmed. In June a man from Canada was ar 
 rested as a spy and from him the Americans 
 learned that a detachment of British, Canadi 
 ans, and Indians was coming against them on 
 their way to join Burgoyne at Albany. " 
 
 " But Burgoyne never got there to Albany
 
 #6 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 nntil he went as a prisoner; did he, sir?" 
 asked Walter. 
 
 "No, my boy, he was defeated and made 
 prisoner while on his way to the city. The 
 battle of Saratoga was a disastrous one to the 
 invaders of our land. 
 
 "The intelligence of which I just spoke aa 
 given by the spy was afterward confirmed by 
 Thomas Spencer, a friendly Oneida half breed 
 sachem, [who was 'sent to Canada as a secret 
 emissary and there became acquainted with the 
 plans of Burgoyne. 
 
 "For a time the loyal people, the Whigs, who 
 were for their native land and not for the English 
 king who had been showing himself a tyrant and 
 oppressor, were almost paralyzed with alarm. 
 Fort Schuyler was still unfinished and the gar 
 rison feeble. But Colonel Gansevoort was hope 
 ful, vigilant, and active. He wrote urgently 
 to General Schuyler for aid, and the general 
 made a like appeal to the Provincial Congress 
 of New York, and the General Congress. But 
 it was too late for them to send him help before 
 the attack would be made. 
 
 " On the 2d of August Brant and Lieutenant 
 Bird began the investment of the fort, and on 
 that very day Gansevoort and his little garrison 
 of seven hundred and fifty men received a re-en 
 forcement of two hundred men under Lieuten 
 ant-colonel Melon, and two bateaux loaded with
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 9T 
 
 provisions and military stores; a most welcome 
 addition to the scant supplies in the fort. 
 
 " The next day Colonel St. Leger arrived with 
 the rest of his troops. The siege was begun on 
 the 4th. The Indians, hiding in the bushes, 
 wounded some of our menjwho were at work on 
 the parapets, and a few bombs_were thrown 
 into the fort. 
 
 " The next day it was the same ; the ^Indians 
 spread themselves about through the woods en 
 circling the fort, and all through the night tried 
 to intimidate the Americans by their hideous 
 yells. 
 
 "On that very day General Herkimer was 
 coming to its aid with more than eight hundred 
 men of the militia of Tryon County. He was 
 near Oriskany, a little village eight miles east 
 ward from the fort ; from there he sent a mes 
 senger to tell Colonel Gansevoort that he was 
 approaching, and asking to be informed of the 
 man's arrival by the firing of three guns in 
 quick succession, knowing that they could be 
 heard at Oriskany. But unfortunately his mes 
 senger did not reach the fort until the next, 
 day, and while Herkimer, who though brave 
 was cautious, decided to halt till he should hear 
 the signal or receive re-enforcements, some of 
 his officers and men were impatient to push 
 on. 
 
 " Herkimer would not consent, and two of his
 
 98 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 colonels, Paris and Cox, called him a coward 
 and a Tory. Herkimer replied calmly, 4 I am 
 placed over you as a father and guardian and 
 shall not lead you into difficulties from which 
 I may not be able to extricate you. ' 
 
 " But'they continued their taunts and demands 
 till he was stung by them into giving the com 
 mand, 'March on!' 
 
 " St. Leger knew of the advance of Herkimer 
 and his troops and sent a division of Johnston's 
 Greens, under Major Watts, Brant with a strong 
 body of Indians, and Colonel Butler with his 
 rangers, to intercept him and prevent his mak 
 ing an attack upon the entrenchments which he 
 had made about Fort Schuyler. 
 
 "Gansevoort noticed the silence in the ene 
 my's camp, and also the movement of his troops 
 down toward the river along the margin of the 
 wood. When the courier came with the mes 
 sage from Herkimer he understood the meaning 
 of it all, and immediately fired the signal guns. 
 
 "Herkimer had said in his message that he 
 intended, on hearing the signals, to cut his 
 way through the camp of the enemy to the 
 fort, and asked that a sortie from it should be 
 made at the same time. 
 
 "As quickly as possible Gansevoort had it 
 made. A detachment of two hundred men, of 
 his own and Wesson's regiments, with an iron 
 three-pounder, were detailed for the duty ; then
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 99 
 
 fifty more were added for the protection of 
 the cannon and to assist in whatever way they 
 could. Colonel Marinus Willett was given the 
 command. 
 
 " It rained heavily while the necessary prepar 
 ations were going on in the fort, but the mo 
 ment it ceased Willett and his men hastened 
 out and attacked the enemy furiously. 
 
 " The advanced guard were driven in, and so 
 sudden and impetuous was the charge that Sir 
 John Johnson had no time to put on his coat. 
 He tried to bring his troops into order, but they 
 were so panic stricken that they fled, and he 
 with them. They crossed the river to St. 
 Leger's camp and the Indians concealed them 
 selves in the deep forest. 
 
 " The Americans took much plunder ; all Sir 
 John's baggage and his papers, as well as those of 
 other officers, giving valuable information to the 
 garrison of Fort Schuyler ; also the British colors, 
 all of which there were five the Americans 
 presently raised upon their flagstaff, beneath 
 their own rude flag fashioned, as I have already 
 told some of you, out of strips of red and white 
 obtained by tearing up men's shirts for the one, 
 and joining bits of scarlet cloth for the other; 
 while a blue cloak belonging to Captain 
 Abraham Swartwout, of Dutchess County, 
 then in the fort, was used to form the ground 
 for the white stars, and the staff upon which
 
 100 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 all these hung was in full view of the enemy. 
 Then the whole garrison mounted the parapets 
 and made the forest ring with three loud 
 cheers. 
 
 " While all this was going on in and around 
 the fort, General Herkimer and his men were 
 coming toward it through the woods. It was a 
 dark, sultry morning. The troops were chiefly 
 militia regiments and marched in an irregular, 
 careless way, neglecting proper precautions. 
 
 "Brant and his Tories took advantage of this 
 carelessness, hid themselves in a ravine which 
 crossed Herkimer's path, and had a thick 
 growth of underwood along its margin, which 
 made it easy for them to conceal themselves, 
 and when all except the rear-guard of the 
 unsuspecting Americans had entered the ravine, 
 where the ground was marshy and crossed by a 
 causeway of earth and logs, Brant gave a signal, 
 immediately followed by a warwhoop, and the 
 savages fell upon our poor men with spear, 
 hatchet, and rifle-ball; as Lossing says, 'like hail 
 from the clouds that hovered over them.' 
 
 "The rear-guard fled and left the others to 
 their fate, yet perhaps suffered more from the 
 pursuing Indians than they would if they had 
 stood their ground, helping their fellows. The 
 attack had been so sudden that there was great 
 confusion in the ranks ; but they presently re 
 -covered and fought like veterans; fought
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 101 
 
 bravely for their lives, and for their coun 
 try." 
 
 "And were many of them killed, sir?" asked 
 Walter. 
 
 "Yes," replied the captain sighing; "the 
 slaughter was dreadful, and the good general 
 was soon among the wounded. A musket ball 
 passed through his horse, killing it and sadly 
 wounding him, shattering his leg just below the 
 knee. He at once ordered the saddle taken 
 from his horse and placed against a large beech 
 tree near by, and there he sat during the rest 
 of the fight, calmly giving his orders while the 
 enemy's bullets whistled around him like sleet, 
 killing and wounding his men on every side." 
 
 "He was no coward after all," exclaimed 
 Walter, his eyes shining. " But did any of our 
 men escape being killed, sir?" 
 
 "After a little they formed themselves into 
 circles," continued the captain, "so meeting the 
 enemy at all points, and their fire became so 
 destructive that the Tories and the Johnson 
 Greens charged with the bayonet, and the pat 
 riots being equally prompt to defend themselves, 
 it became a terrible hand to hand fight. 
 
 "It was at length stopped by the shower that 
 had delayed the sortie from the fort; both par 
 ties seeking shelter under the trees. Then, as 
 soon as the shower was over, Colonel Willett 
 made his sally from the fort, attacking John-
 
 102 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 son's camp, and the battle at Oriskany was re 
 newed. 
 
 " It is said to have been the bloodiest of the 
 war in proportion to the numbers engaged. It 
 is stated that about one-third of the militia fell 
 on the battle ground, and as many more were 
 mortally wounded or carried into captivity. 
 About fifty wounded were carried from the field 
 on litters, General Herkimer among them. He 
 was taken to his own home, where he died ten 
 days afterward." 
 
 " But who gained the victory, papa?" asked 
 Lulu. 
 
 "The Americans, the others having fled; 
 but they were unable to accomplish the object 
 of the expedition the relief of Fort Schuyler. 
 And surrounded as they were by the enemy, the 
 men in the fort could gain no intelligence as to 
 the result of the fight at Oriskany, and St. Leger 
 took advantage of their ignorance to falsely re 
 present the British to have been the victors to 
 the total defeat of the Americans, and announce 
 a victorious advance by Burgoyne. 
 
 "Two American officers, Colonel Billenger 
 and Major Frey, who had been taken prisoners, 
 were forced to write a letter to Colonel Ganse- 
 voort, containing many misrepresentations and 
 advising him to surrender. This Colonel Butler 
 delivered to Ganesvoort and verbally demanded 
 his surrender.
 
 ELSIE AT YIAMEDE. 103 
 
 "Gansevoort refused, saying lie would not 
 answer such a summons verbally made unless 
 by St. Leger himself. 
 
 " The next morning Butler and two other offi 
 cers drew near the fort carrying a white flag, 
 and asked to be admitted as bearers of a mes 
 sage to the commander of the fort. 
 
 " The request was granted, but they were first 
 blindfolded, then conducted to the dining room 
 of the fort, where they were received by Ganse 
 voort, the windows of the room being closed 
 and candles lighted." 
 
 "What was that for, papa?" asked Grace. 
 
 " To prevent them from seeing what was the 
 condition of things within the fort," replied her 
 father. 
 
 " And was Gansevoort alone with them, papa?" 
 
 " No ; he had with him Colonels Willett and 
 Mellen. Butler and his companions were po 
 litely received, and one of them, Major Ancram 
 by name, made a little speech, telling of the 
 humanity of St. Leger's feelings, and his desire 
 to prevent bloodshed ; that he found it difficult 
 to keep the Indians in check, and that the only 
 salvation of the garrison was an immediate sur 
 render of the fort and all its stores. Officers 
 and soldiers would be allowed to keep their bag 
 gage and other private property, and their per 
 sonal safety would be guaranteed. He added 
 that he hoped these honorable terms would be
 
 104 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 immediately accepted, for if not it would not 
 be in St. Leger's power to offer them again." 
 
 " So the Americans of course were afraid to 
 reject them?" sniffed Walter. 
 
 "Hardly," returned the captain with a smile. 
 " But that was not all Ancram said with a view 
 to inducing them to do so. He went on to say 
 that the Indians were eager to march down the 
 country, laying it waste and killing the inhab 
 itants; that Herkimer's relief corps had been 
 totally destroyed, Burgoyne had possession of 
 Albany, and there was no longer any hope for 
 this garrison." 
 
 "What a liar he was, that Ancram!" ex 
 claimed Walter. "Why, Burgoyne had not 
 even got as far as Saratoga then." 
 
 " No," responded the captain, " and the bright 
 and plucky officers of Fort Schuyler, to whom 
 lie was speaking, were not so easily hood 
 winked; they saw through his designs, and 
 were not to be deceived by the falsehoods and 
 misrepresentations of his address. 
 
 "It was Colonel Willett who, with the ap 
 proval of Gansevoort, made answer, speaking, 
 as Lossing says, with 'emphasis,' and looking 
 Ancram full in the face. 
 
 " 'Do I understand you, sir? I think you say 
 that you came from a British colonel, who is 
 commander of the army that invests this fort;
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 105 
 
 and, by your uniform, you appear to be an offi 
 cer in the British service. You have made a 
 long speech on the occasion of your visit, which, 
 stripped of all its superfluities, amounts to this : 
 that you come from a British colonel to the 
 commandant of this garrison, to tell him that, 
 if he does not deliver up the garrison into the 
 hands of your colonel, he will send his Indians 
 to murder our women and children. You will 
 please to reflect, sir, that their blood will be 
 upon your heads, not upon ours. We are 
 doing our duty; this garrison is committed 
 to our care, and we will take care of it. 
 After you get out of it, you may turn round 
 and look at its outside, but never expect to 
 come in again unless you come a prisoner. I 
 consider the message you have brought a degrad 
 ing one for a British officer to send, and by no 
 means reputable for a British officer to carry. 
 For my own part, I declare, before I would 
 consent to deliver this garrison to such a mur 
 dering set as your army, by your own account, 
 consists of, I would suffer my body to be filled 
 with splinters and set on fire, as you know has 
 at times been practiced by such hordes of 
 women and children killers as belong to your 
 army. ' " 
 
 "Good!" said "Walter; "and the other two 
 American officers, I suppose, agreed with him."
 
 106 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "Yes," Captain Raymond replied, "and they 
 all felt satisfied that they would not be so ur 
 gently pressed to surrender at once, and on con 
 ditions so favorable, if their prospects were as 
 dark as their besiegers would have them be 
 lieve-"
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 t{ ST. LEGER made another effort to induce 
 them to do so," continued Captain Raymond. 
 "On the 9th he sent a written demand offer 
 ing about the same terms as before. 
 
 "Gansevoort replied in writing: 'Sir, your 
 letter of this date I have received, in answer to 
 which I say, that it is my determined resolu 
 tion, with the force under my command, to de 
 fend this fort to the last extremity, in behalf of 
 the United States, who have placed me here to 
 defend it against all their enemies.' ' : 
 
 "Did the British give it up then, papa?" 
 asked Grace. 
 
 " No ; they began digging and making prep 
 arations to run a mine under the strongest 
 bastion of the fort, while at the same time they 
 sent out an address to the people of Tryon 
 County, signed by Clause, Johnson, and Butler, 
 urging them to submit to British rule, asserting 
 that they themselves were desirous to have 
 peace, and threatening that in case of refusal all 
 the horrors of Indian cruelty would be visited 
 upon them. Also they called upon the principal 
 
 107
 
 108 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 men of the valley to come up to Fort 
 
 and compel its garrison to surrender, as they 
 
 would be forced to do in the end." 
 
 "Did the men in the fort give up then, 
 papa?" queried Grace. 
 
 "No, no indeed, little daughter!" he replied. 
 "They were brave men, and staunch patriots, 
 and had no intention to surrender so long as they 
 could possibly hold out ; but fearing ammunition 
 might give out, their supply of provisions too, 
 they resolved to send word to General Schuyler, 
 who was then at Stillwater, asking for aid from 
 him in their sore extremity. 
 
 " Of course it would be a hazardous attempt, 
 but Colonel Willett offered to be the messenger, 
 and one stormy night he and Lieutenant Stock- 
 well left the fort at ten o'clock by the sally 
 port, each armed with a spear, and crept along 
 the morass on hands and knees, to the river, 
 which they crossed upon a log. Their way lay 
 through a tangled wood and they soon lost it. 
 The bark of a dog presently warned them that 
 they were near an Indian camp, and fearing to 
 either advance or retreat they stood still there 
 for several hours. 
 
 " But at length the dawn of day showed them 
 where they were, so that they were able to find 
 the right road and pursue their way. They took 
 a zigzag course, now on land, now through the 
 bed of a stream, to foil any attempt on the part
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 109 
 
 of some possible pursuer to gain upon them by 
 the scent of their footsteps. 
 
 "They arrived safely at the German Flats, 
 mounted fleet horses, and sped down the valley 
 to the quarters of General Schuyler. On arriv 
 ing they learned that he had already heard of 
 the defeat of Herkimer, and was preparing to 
 send succor to the besieged in the fort. 
 
 "Meanwhile St. Leger was pressing his siege, 
 and the garrison, hearing nothing of the success 
 ful journey of their messengers, or of aid coming 
 to them from any quarter, many of them began 
 to grow despondent and to hint to their com 
 mander that it might be best to surrender, as 
 their supply of both provisions and ammunition 
 was getting low. 
 
 " But Gansevoort was too brave and hopeful 
 to think of so doing. He told the despondent 
 ones that in case help did not arrive before their 
 supplies were exhausted, they would sally forth 
 in the night and cut their way through the 
 enemy's camp. 
 
 "But relief came in an unexpected manner, 
 that always reminds me of that siege of Samaria 
 by the host of the Syrians, in the days of Elisha 
 the prophet of Israel, and the way the Lord took 
 to deliver them, causing 'the Syrians to hear a 
 noise of chariots and a noise of horses, even the 
 noise of a great host; and they said one to an 
 other, Lo. the King of Israel hath hired against
 
 110 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 us the Kings of the Hittites and the Kings of the 
 Egyptians to come upon us. Wherefore they 
 arose and fled in the twilight, and left their 
 tents and their horses, and there asses, even the 
 camp as it was, and fled for their lives.' For 
 suddenly and mysteriously the British, Indians, 
 and Tories besieging Fort Schuyler did the 
 6ame _ fled, leaving tents, artillery, and camp 
 equipage behind them." 
 
 " Why, papa, how very strange !" exclaimed 
 Lulu, ""were they really frightened in the same 
 way?" 
 
 "Not exactly the same but somewhat like 
 it," replied her father. "General Schuyler, 
 then at the mouth of the Mohawk, had made an 
 appeal to his men for volunteers to go to the re 
 lief of Gansevoort and his men, now besieged 
 by the enemy in Fort Schuyler, and Arnold 
 and his. troops, most of them Massachusetts men, 
 responded with alacrity and, joined by the 
 First New York regiment, they marched at 
 once. 
 
 " Arnold's force was much smaller than that 
 of St. Leger's and he resorted to stratagem as the 
 only means of securing his end. A half idiot, a 
 nephew of General Herkimer, named Hon-Yost 
 Schuyler, a coarse, ignorant fellow, had been 
 taken prisoner along with that Walter Butler 
 who had been arrested while carrying to the 
 people of Tryon County the call for them to
 
 ELSIE AT VIANEDE. Ill 
 
 force the defenders of Fort Schuyler to surren 
 der, tried and condemned as a spy. 
 
 "The same thing had befallen Hon-Yost, but 
 his mother plead for him, and though at first 
 Arnold was inexorable, he at length agreed to 
 release the fellow on condition that he would go 
 to Fort Schuyler and alarm St. Leger with the 
 story that the Americans were coming against' 
 him in force to compel the raising of the siege. 
 
 "Hon-Yost seemed not at all unwilling, 
 readily gave the required promise, and his 
 mother offered to remain as a hostage for his 
 faithful performance of the duty; but Arnold 
 chose Instead Nicholas, the brother of Hon- 
 Yost, as his security. 
 
 "Hon-Yost managed the business with great 
 adroitness. Before leaving he had seven bul 
 lets shot through his coat, which he showed to 
 the British and Indians on arriving at their en 
 campment as proof of "a terrible engagement 
 with the enemy." He was acquainted with 
 many of the Indians, and when he came rushing 
 into the camp almost out of breath with haste 
 and fright, apparently, telling :this story, with 
 the added information that the Americans were 
 coming and he had barely escaped with his life, 
 his hearers were very much alarmed. 
 
 " They asked what were the numbers of the 
 Americans, and in reply he shook his head mys 
 teriously, pointing as he did so to the leaves on
 
 112 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 the trees, as if he would say that they were 
 numberless. 
 
 "The Indians, who had been uneasy and 
 moody ever since the battle of Oriskany, and 
 were at the moment of Hon- Yost's arrival hold 
 ing a pow-wow to plead with the 'Great Spirit* 
 to guide and direct them, at once resolved to 
 flee, and told St. Leger of their decision. 
 
 " He sent for Hon- Yost, questioned him, and 
 was told that Arnold would be there in twenty- 
 four hours with two thousand men. 
 
 " Hon-Yost had come in to the camp alone, 
 he and the Oneida chief having laid their plans 
 before hand, the chief to arrive a little later than 
 the other, so that they would not appear to be 
 in collusion, and just as Hon-Yost finished his 
 story to St. Leger, the chief and two or three 
 straggling Indians of his tribe, who had joined 
 him on his way, came in with the same story of 
 the near approach of a large body of Amer cans. 
 One told St. Leger that Arnold had three 
 thousand men with him ; another that the army 
 of Burgoyne was cut to pieces. They pre 
 tended that a bird had brought them news that 
 the valley below was swarming with warriors. 
 
 " The savages were now thoroughly alarmed, 
 and all the bribes and promises of St. Leger 
 could not induce them to remain any longer; 
 they suspected foul play and would not touch 
 the strong drink he offered, and when, finding
 
 ELSIE A T VI AXED E. 1 1 3 
 
 that they would go, he asked them to take the 
 rear in retreating, they indignantly refused, say 
 ing, 'You mean to sacrifice us. When you 
 marched down you said there would be no fight 
 ing for Indians; we might go down and sinoke 
 our pipes ; numbers of our warriors have been 
 killed, and you mean to sacrifice us also.' 
 
 " The council broke up, the Indians fled, the 
 panic was communicated to the rest of the army, 
 and they fled in terror to their boats on Oneida 
 Lake, the Indians making merry over their flight, 
 hurrying on after them with the warning cry: 
 'They are coming, they are coming!' So 
 alarmed were the Tories and British'troops that 
 they threw away their knapsacks and their arms 
 as they ran. Also the Indians killed or robbed 
 many of them and took their boats, so that St. 
 Leger said, 'they became more formidable than 
 the enemy we had to expect. ' ' 
 
 "And did the Americans chase them that 
 time, sir?" asked Walter. 
 
 "Yes; Gansevoort at once sent word to 
 Arnold 'that the British were retreating, and 
 Arnold sent nine hundred men in pursuit. The 
 next day he himself reached the fort ; but he and 
 his men presently marched back to the main 
 army, then at Still water, leaving Colonel Willett 
 in command of Fort Schuyler. 
 
 " So ended the siege of which Lossing says 
 that 'in its progress were shown the courage,
 
 114 ELSIE A T VIAMEDE. 
 
 skill, and endurance of the Americans every 
 where so remarkable in the revolution.' " 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Walter; "but will you please 
 tell what became of Hon-Yost?" 
 
 "Yes; he went with the British as far as 
 Wood Creek, then managed to desert and at 
 once carried the news of Arnold's approach to 
 Fort Schuyler. He went back to Fort Dayton, 
 afterward fled with his family and fourteen of 
 his Tory friends, and joined Sir John Johnson. 
 When the war was over he returned to the 
 valley, where he died in 1818.' r
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 
 "Now, papa, if you're not too tired won't yon 
 please tell us about the writing of the 'Star- 
 Spangled Banner ' ?" pleaded Lulu, with a smil 
 ing, coaxing look up into her father's face. 
 
 " I am not too tired, and if all wish to hear 
 it, will willingly tell the story to the best of 
 my ability," he replied, taking in his and softly 
 patting the hand she had laid on his knee. 
 
 "I'm sure we will all be glad to hear it, sir," 
 said Walter. " It happened in the War of 1812, 
 didn't it?" 
 
 "Yes. The British had taken Washington, 
 where they had behaved more like vandals than 
 civilized men, burning and destroying both 
 public buildings and private property the 
 Capitol, the President's house, the Arsenal, the 
 library of Congress, and barracks for nearly three 
 thousand troops; besides private property a 
 large ropewalk, some houses on Capitol Hill, and 
 ft tavern ; all of which they burned. The light 
 of the fire was seen at Baltimore, and the news 
 of the capture of Washington caused intense 
 excitement there; particularly because it was 
 known that the British were so much exasper- 
 
 115
 
 116 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 ated attheBaltimoreans on account of its being 
 the place whence had been sent out many swift 
 clipper-built vessels and expert seamen who had 
 struck heavy blows at British commerce on the 
 high seas. 
 
 "Baltimore is on the Patapsco River, ten 
 miles from Chesapeake Bay. The narrow strait 
 connecting harbor and bay is defended by Fort 
 McHenry, which stood there at that time. It 
 was expected that Baltimore would be the next 
 point of attack by the enemy, and there was, 
 of course, great excitement. 
 
 " General Samuel Smith, who had been a rev 
 olutionary officer, at once exerted himself to pre 
 pare both Baltimore and Annapolis for success 
 ful defence. He was a fine officer. You all 
 perhaps remember him as commander at Fort 
 Mifflin when attacked by the British and Hes 
 sians in the Revolutionary War. He had been 
 active in this war also, ever since the appear 
 ance of a British squadron in the Chesapeake, 
 in the spring of the previous year, 1813." 
 
 "And this was in the fall of 1814, was it 
 not, captain?" queried Evelyn. 
 
 " Yes, early in September. In the spring of 
 1813 it was rumored that the British were com 
 ing to attack the city, and several persons were 
 arrested as traitors and spies. Also five thou 
 sand men were quickly in arms ready to defend 
 the city, and companies of militia came pouring
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 117 
 
 in from the country. All this within a few 
 hours. 
 
 "Then General Striker's brigade and other 
 military bodies, to the number of five thousand 
 and with forty pieces of artillery, were reviewed. 
 The marine artillery of Baltimore was one hun 
 dred and sixty in number, commanded by Captain 
 George Stiles, and camposed of masters and 
 master's mates of vessels there. It was a corps 
 celebrated for its gallantry, and was armed with 
 forty-two pounders. 
 
 " Finding the city so well prepared to give 
 them a warm reception the British abandoned 
 their intention to attack it, went to sea, and 
 Baltimore enjoyed a season of repose. But, as 
 I have been telling you, they returned after the 
 capture of Washington, and again the people 
 set to work at preparations for defence. 
 
 " General Smith was made first in command 
 of all the military force intended to insure the 
 safety of the city. But it is with the attack 
 upon Fort McHenry and its repulse that we are 
 concerned. The fort was garrisoned by about 
 a thousand men under the command of Major 
 George Armistead." 
 
 "Regulars, sir?" asked Walter. 
 
 "Some were, others volunteers," replied the 
 captain. " There were, besides, four land bat 
 teries to assist in the work. But I will not go 
 into particulars in regard to them, as I know
 
 118 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 they would be rather uninteresting to the greater 
 part of my listeners. 
 
 "It was on Sunday evening, September 11, 
 that the British were seen in strong force at the 
 mouth of the Patapsco, preparing to land at 
 North Point, fifteen miles from the city by land, 
 twelve by water. Their fleet anchored off that 
 point, two miles from the shore. It was a beauti 
 ful night, a full moon shining in a cloudless sky, 
 and the air balmy. 
 
 " Ross intended to take Baltimore by surprise, 
 and had boasted that he would eat his Sunday 
 dinner there. At two o'clock p in the morning 
 the boats were lowered from his ships, and sea 
 men and land troops went on shore, protected 
 by several gun brigs anchored very near. The 
 men were armed, of course, and each boat had a 
 carronade ready for action. Admiral Cockburn 
 and General Ross were on shore by about seven 
 o'clock with 5000 land troops, 2000 seamen, and 
 2000 marines. 
 
 " Their intention was to march rapidly upon 
 Baltimore and take it by surprise, therefore they 
 carried as little baggage as possible, and only 
 eighty rounds apiece of ammunition. At the 
 same time a frigate was sent to make soundings 
 in the channel leading to Baltimore, as the navy 
 was intended to take part in the attack upon 
 the city."
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 119 
 
 "Oh, wasn't everybody terribly frightened, 
 papa?" asked Grace. 
 
 " There was a good deal of alarm," replied 
 the captain, "and many of the citizens fled, 
 with their valuables, to places in the interior of 
 the country, filling the hotels for nearly a hun 
 dred miles north of the city. 
 
 " I will not at present go into the details of 
 the battle of North Point, which immediately 
 followed, but will tell of what was going on 
 upon the water. 
 
 " The British frigates, schooners, sloops, and 
 bomb-ketches had passed into the Patapsco early 
 in the morning, while Ross was moving from 
 North Point, and anchored off Fort McHenry, 
 but beyond the reach of its guns. The bomb 
 and rocket vessels were so posted as to act upon 
 Fort McHenry and the fortifications on the hill, 
 commanded by Rodgers. The frigates were 
 stationed farther outward, the water being too 
 shallow to allow them to approach within four 
 or five miles of the city, or two and a half of 
 the fort. 
 
 " Besides, the Americans had sunk twenty-four 
 vessels in the narrow channel between Fort 
 McHenry and Lazaretto Point, to prevent the 
 passage of the vessels of the enemy. 
 
 " That night was spent by the British fleet in 
 preparations for the morrow's attack upon the
 
 120 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 fort and the entrenchments on the hill,~and on 
 the morning of the 13th their bomb-vessels 
 opened a heavy fire upon the American works, 
 about seven o'clock, and at a distance of two 
 miles. They kept up a heavy bombardment 
 until three o'clock in the afternoon. 
 
 "Armistead at once opened the batteries of 
 Fort McHenry upon them, but, after keeping up 
 a brisk fire for some time, discovered that his 
 missiles fell short and were harmless. It was a 
 great disappointment to find that he must en 
 dure the tremendous shower of the shells of the 
 enemy without being able to return it in kind, 
 or do anything whatever to check it. But our 
 brave fellows kept at their posts, enduring the 
 storm with great courage and fortitude. 
 
 "At length a bomb-shell dismounted one of 
 the twenty-four pounders, killing Lieutenant 
 Claggett and wounding several of his men. 
 That caused some confusion, which Cochrane 
 perceived, and, hoping to profit by it, he or 
 dered three of his bomb-vessels to move up 
 nearer the fort, thinking to thus increase the 
 effectiveness of his guns. 
 
 "No movement could have been more accept 
 able to Armistead, and he quickly took advan 
 tage of it, ordering a general cannonade and 
 bombardment from every part of the fort, thus 
 punishing the enemy so severely that in less than 
 half an hour he fell back to his old anchorage.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 121 
 
 "One of their rocket vessels was so badly in 
 jured that, to save her from being entirely de 
 stroyed, a number of small boats had to be sent 
 to tow her out of the reach of Armistead's guns. 
 The garrison gave three cheers and ceased fir 
 ing. 
 
 " The British vessels returned to their former 
 stations and again opened fire, keeping up, with 
 very little intermission, a furious bombard 
 ment until past midnight, when it was discov 
 ered that they (the British) had sent a pretty 
 large force up the Patapsco to capture Fort Cov- 
 ington, commanded by Lieutenant Newcomb, 
 of the United States Navy, and the City Bat 
 tery, then attack Fort McHenry in the rear. 
 For this purpose there had been sent one thou 
 sand two hundred and fifty men in barges, with 
 scaling ladders and other implements for storm 
 ing the fort. But providentially their errand 
 was made known to the garrison of Fort 
 McHenry in good season by the throwing up 
 of rockets to examine the shores, and not the 
 fort alone but also two redoubts on the Patapsco 
 immediately opened a heavy fire upon them, 
 and drove them away. 
 
 " So heavy was the firing 'that the houses of 
 Baltimore were shaken to their very founda 
 tions. Lossing tells us that Rodgers's men in 
 Fort Covington worked their guns with effect, 
 but to Webster's continuous cannonade with
 
 122 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 his six gun battery Armistead said he was per 
 suaded the country was much indebted for the 
 final repulse of the enemy. The historian adds 
 that he thinks it not too much to say that Web 
 ster's gallant conduct on that occasion saved 
 both Fort Mcllenry and the city." 
 
 " Were any of the British killed, sir?" asked 
 Walter. 
 
 "Yes, a large number; also two of their 
 vessels were sunk." 
 
 "And did they go on firing at the fort?" 
 
 "They did, until seven o'clock in the morning 
 of the 14ih, then ceased entirely." 
 
 " Oh, papa, you have not told us of the writing 
 of the 'Star-Spangled Banner'!" exclaimed 
 Lulu. "Wasn't it that night it was written?" 
 
 "Yes; by Mr. Francis S. Key, a resident of 
 Georgetown in the District of Columbia, who 
 was at that time a volunteer in the light artil 
 lery commanded by Major Peter. 
 
 "Wljen the British returned to their vessels 
 after the capture of Washington, they carried 
 with them Dr. Beanes, a well known physician 
 of Upper Marlborough. Cockburn carried him 
 away on board the flag-ship of Admiral Coch- 
 rane, in spite of the intercession of his friends. 
 
 " Then Mr. Key was entreated by the friends 
 to go to Cochrane and intercede for the doctor's 
 release. Key consented, obtained permission 
 of the President, and went under a flag of truce
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 123 
 
 in the cartel ship Minden in company with Gen 
 eral Skinner. 
 
 "When they reached the British fleet it 
 was at the mouth of the Potomac, prepar 
 ing to attack Baltimore, and though Cochrane 
 agreed to release Dr. Beanes, he refused to let 
 him or his friends return then. They were 
 placed on board the Sitrprue and courteously 
 treated. The fleet sailed up to the Patapsco, 
 and they were transferred to their own vessel, 
 but with a guard of marines to prevent them 
 from landing and communicating with their 
 friends and countrymen. 
 
 " Their vessel was anchored in sight of Fort 
 McHenry, and from her deck the Americans 
 watched the fight, oh, so anxiously! and though 
 it was, as I have said, over before midnight, 
 those anxious watchers did not know until morn 
 ing how it had ended whether by surrender of 
 the fort, or the abandonment on the part of the 
 enemy of the attempt to take it. It was with 
 very anxious hearts they waited for the com 
 ing of the dawn, but at last, in the dim light, 
 as the day began to break, their eyes were 
 gladdened by the sight, through their glasses 
 directed toward Fort McHenry, of the beauti 
 ful stars and stripes 'still there,' and to their 
 great joy they soon learned that the attack on 
 Baltimore had failed, that Ross was killed, and 
 *he British were returning to their vessels.
 
 124 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "It was while pacing 'the deck during the 
 bombardment, full of anxiety for the result, that 
 Mr. Key composed that song so dear to the 
 American heart, 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' " 
 
 "Oh, let us sing it!" exclaimed Lulu, and 
 with one consent, patriotic enthusiasm swelling 
 in every breast, they did so, the voices of old 
 and young uniting in the soul-stirring words. 
 
 ''* Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, 
 
 What BO proudly we hailed at the twilight's last 
 
 gleaming ? 
 Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the 
 
 perilous fight, 
 
 O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly 
 streaming 
 
 And the rockets' red glare 
 The bombs bursting in air, 
 Gave proof through the night that our flag was still 
 
 there ; 
 
 Oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave 
 O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ? 
 
 3< On that shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep, 
 Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence re 
 poses, 
 
 What is that which the breeze, o'er the lowering steep, 
 As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses? 
 Now it catches the gleam 
 Of the morning's first beam, 
 In full glory reflected, now shines in the stream ; 
 Tis the star-spangled banner ; oh, long may it wave 
 O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave !
 
 ELSIE A T VIAMEDE. 1 25 
 
 * And where are the foes who so vauntingly swore 
 
 That the havoc of war, and the battle's confusion, 
 A home and a country should leave us no more ? 
 Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps 
 pollution ; 
 
 No refuge could save 
 The hireling and slave, 
 
 From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave ; 
 And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave 
 O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ! 
 
 '' Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand 
 
 Between their loved homes and the war's desolation I 
 Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued 
 
 land 
 
 Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a 
 nation 1 
 
 Then conquer we must 
 When our cause it is just, 
 And this be our motto, ' In God is our trust '; 
 And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave 
 O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave I " 
 
 A moment of silence followed the dying away 
 of the last strains, then Captain Raymond re 
 sumed his narrative : 
 
 "The first rough notes of the song were 
 written by Key upon the back of a letter he 
 happened to have in his pocket, and after his 
 arrival in Baltimore he wrote it out in full. 
 The next morning he read it to his uncle, Judge 
 Nicholson, one of the gallant defenders of the 
 fort, asking his opinion of it. The judge was
 
 126 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 delighted with it, took it to the printing office 
 of Captain Benjamin Edes, and directed copies 
 to be struck off in handbill form. That was 
 done, the handbills were distributed, and it 
 was sung first in the street, in front of Edes' 
 office, by James Lawrenson, a lad but twelve 
 years of age. That was on the second day 
 after the bombardment of Fort McHenry. 
 The song was 'set up,' printed, and distributed 
 by another lad seventeen or eighteen years old, 
 named Samuel Sands. It created intense enthu 
 siasm, was sung nightly at the theater, and 
 everywhere in public and private." 
 
 "Papa," asked Lulu, " what became of that 
 very star-spangled banner Mr. Key was looking 
 for when he wrote the song?" 
 
 u I presume it is still in existence," replied 
 her father. " Lossing says it was shown him in 
 Baltimore, during the Civil War, by Christopher 
 Hughes Armistead, the son of the gallant de 
 fender of the fort, and that it had in it eleven 
 holes made by the shot of the British [during 
 the bombardment." 
 
 " Had not the British made very sure before 
 hand of being able to take Baltimore, Captain?" 
 asked Evelyn. 
 
 "Yes; and their intention was to make it 
 the base for future operations. As early as the 
 17th of June a London paper said, 'In the diplo 
 matic circles it is rumored that our naval and
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 127 
 
 military commanders on the American station 
 have no power to conclude any armistice or sus 
 pension of arms. They carry with them certain 
 terms which will be offered to the American 
 government at the point of the bayonet. There 
 is reason to believe that America will be left 
 in a much worse situation, as a naval and com 
 mercial power, than she was at the com 
 mencement of the war." 
 
 " Ah, but they crowed too soon before they 
 were out of the woods," laughed Walter t 
 "They needed the lesson they got at Baltimore, 
 and the one Jackson gave them some months 
 later at New Orleans."
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 "CAPTAIN, I fear we have been imposing 
 sadly upon good nature in asking so much 
 history of you in one evening," remarked 
 Grandma Elsie ; " and you have been extremely 
 kind in complying with the request." 
 
 "It has been a pleasure to me, mother," he re 
 turned. " There is hardly a subject more inter 
 esting to me than the history of my dear native 
 land, and it is my ardent desire to train and 
 teach my children to be earnestly, intelligently 
 patriotic." 
 
 "Including your pupils in the list, I pre 
 sume, sir?" supplemented Rosie, with a saucy 
 smile up into his face. 
 
 " Of course, little sister, and as many others as 
 I can influence," was his pleasant toned re 
 joinder. " But I am happy to believe that there 
 are few Americans who are not ardent lovers of 
 their own country, considering it the best the 
 sun shines upon." 
 
 "As it certainly is, sir!" exclaimed Walter. 
 "I'm more thankful than words 'can express 
 that God gave me my birth in the United 
 States of America." 
 
 138
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 129 
 
 "As I have no doubt we all are, little 
 brother," said Violet. "But to change the sub 
 ject : when shall we take that delightful trip to 
 New Orleans? I suppose the sooner the better, 
 that we may not be too much hurried with the 
 necessary dressmaking?" 
 
 "I think so," said her mother, "for both the 
 reason you have given and because the weather 
 will soon become unpleasantly warm for shop 
 ping in the city." 
 
 "You are going with us, mamma?" queried 
 Rosie. 
 
 " I really have not thought of it, and prob 
 ably it would be more prudent for me to 
 stay quietly where I am, Rosie dear," .she 
 replied. 
 
 " Oh, mamma, we must have you along if you 
 are able to go!" exclaimed Walter. "Please 
 do say that you will." 
 
 "Yes, mamma dear, I think it would do you 
 good," said Violet; and all the young folks 
 joined urgently in the request that she would 
 make one of the party. 
 
 "Perhaps you might, Elsie," her father said 
 in reply to an inquiring look directed to him. 
 "I incline to the opinion that such a change, 
 after your long seclusion here, might, probably 
 would be, of benefit." 
 
 "Possibly, father," she said, "though I had 
 been thinking my staying at home might make
 
 130 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 Vi more comfortable in leaving her little ones 
 for a day or two." 
 
 "I do not care to go, and will gladly take 
 charge of the babies if Vi and the captain 
 will trust me with them," Grandma Rose has 
 tened to say, and was warmly thanked by both 
 parents, and assured that they would have no 
 hesitation in doing so except on the score of 
 giving her too much care and trouble and 
 missing her pleasant companionship on the con 
 templated trip. 
 
 However, after some further discussion of the 
 matter, it was decided that Mr. and Mrs. Dins- 
 more would remain at Viamede in charge of 
 house and little ones during the short absence 
 of the others on the contemplated trip. 
 
 "Papa, dear papa," Lulu said, with tears shin 
 ing in her eyes, and putting her arms lovingly 
 about his neck when he had come into her 
 room to bid her good-night, as his custom was, 
 "you are so good tome, your own bad, quick 
 tempered little daughter! Oh, I do want to be 
 good and make you glad that I belong to you." 
 
 " I am that, my darling, in spite of all your 
 faults," he said, caressing her tenderly. "You 
 are very dear to your father's heart, and I am 
 not without hope that you will one day gain 
 full control of the temper which causes so much 
 pain to both you and me." 
 
 "Oh, 1 do hope I shall, papa, and I want you
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 131 
 
 to punish me every time I indulge it," she said; 
 "but I'm so glad, so thankful to you that you 
 have said I may go with you and the others to 
 morrow. I feel that I don't deserve it in the 
 least, but I do intend to try as hard as possible 
 to rule my own spirit in future." 
 
 "I am glad to hear it, daughter," the captain 
 responded, imprinting a kiss upon her forehead. 
 "But I must leave you now, for it is growing 
 late and you ought to be in bed, that you may 
 be ready to rise betimes in the morning." 
 
 "Yes, sir; but oh, do stay one minute longer; 
 
 I I " she paused, blushing and a trifle 
 
 shame faced. 
 
 ""What is it, daughter?" he asked, smooth 
 ing her hair and cheek caressingly. "Never be 
 afraid to tell your father all that is in your 
 heart." 
 
 "Yes, sir; I don't think I'm really afraid 
 yes, I am a little afraid you might be dis 
 pleased, and I don't want to do anything to vex 
 or trouble my dear, kind father, but if you're 
 willing, papa, I would like to be allowed to 
 choose for myself what I'm to wear to the 
 wedding." 
 
 "Your taste and wishes shall certainly be 
 consulted, daughter," he replied kindly, "yet I 
 am not prepared to promise that you may have 
 in every case exactly what you would prefer; 
 we must take your mamma and Grandma Elsie
 
 132 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 into our counsels in order to make sure of get 
 ting what will be most becoming and appropri 
 ate." 
 
 "Dear me, I would like to be grown up 
 enough to be considered capable of choosing 
 things for myself!" she exclaimed with rueful 
 look and tone. " But oh, don't be grieved and 
 troubled," as her ear caught the sound of a low 
 breathed sigh; "I'm determined I will be good 
 about it. It certainly would be a very great 
 shame if I were anything "else, papa, after all 
 your undeserved goodness to me." 
 
 "I do not like to refuse my dear child any 
 thing she asks," he said, drawing her into a 
 closer embrace, "but I know too much indul 
 gence would not be for her happiness in the end. 
 And since life is short and uncertain with us all, 
 it may be that she will not be long troubled by 
 being subject to her father's control." 
 
 "Oh, papa, please don't talk so!" she ex 
 claimed, sudden tears springing to her eyes. " I 
 can't bear to think of ever losing my own dear, 
 dear father. I hope God may let you live till 
 he is ready to take me too." 
 
 " If he sees best I hope we may long be spared 
 to each other," the captain said, holding her 
 close to his heart. "But now about the matter 
 of which we were speaking. Wise as my dear 
 eldest 'daughter considers herself, her father 
 thinks Grandma Elsie and Mamma Vi, by reason
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 133 
 
 of their snperior age and knowledge, will be 
 better capable of judging what will be most 
 suitable for her to wear as one of the bride's- 
 maids. And as they are very tasteful in their 
 own dress, and her father is ready to go to any 
 reasonable expense that his dear little girl may 
 be suitably and tastefully attired, also entirely 
 willing to allow her to decide for herself where- 
 ever there is a choice between two or more 
 equally suitable articles, do 'you not think, as 
 he does, that she should be ready and willing to 
 take what the ladies and he deem most suitable 
 in other things which she would perhaps prefer 
 to have somewhat different?" 
 
 "Yes, you dear papa," she returned, with a 
 look of ardent affection into his eyes. " I do 
 always find out in the end that you know best; 
 and I'd even rather wear any of the dresses I 
 have now than not have you pleased with me ; 
 for I know I'm never the least bit happy when 
 you are displeased with me." 
 
 "Neither am I," he sighed; "it troubles me 
 more than I can tell when my dear daughter 
 Lulu is disobedient and wilful. But it is high 
 time you were in bed and resting. God our 
 heavenly Father bless my dear child and keep 
 her safely through the silent watches of the 
 night." And, bestowing upon her another ten 
 der embrace, he released her and left the room. 
 
 She was quite ready for bed, and as she laid
 
 134 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 her head on her pillow, "Lulu Raymond," she 
 said to herself, " if you do the least thing to vex 
 or trouble that dear father of yours, no punish 
 ment he could possibly inflict would be equal to 
 your deserts." 
 
 In another minute she was fast asleep, nor 
 did she move again till awakened by some slight 
 sound to find the sun already shining in at her 
 windows. 
 
 Her father had directed her the night before 
 what to wear as most suitable for making the 
 trip to the city and back again, and she now 
 made her toilet in haste, but with the care that 
 he required, and which her own neat taste 
 made desirable. She had just finished when he 
 came in. 
 
 "That is right," he said, with an approving 
 smile, and bending down to give her the usual 
 morning caress; "my little girl looks neat and 
 bright, and I hope is quite well." 
 
 "Yes, papa," she returned, putting her arms 
 round his neck and her lips to his in an ardent 
 kiss; "and are you and all the rest?" 
 
 "All, so far as I know, and all who are to 
 take the little trip with us full of pleasurable 
 excitement. We must now go down to break 
 fast, which is earlier than usual this morning, 
 for we expect the boat in an hour or so." 
 
 He took her hand and led her from the room 
 as he spoke. " The others have nearly all gone
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 135 
 
 down already," he added, "and there is the bell 
 now; so we have no time to lose." 
 
 Lulu was full of pleasurable excitement. 
 " Oh, I'm so glad and so thankful to you, papa, 
 that you will let me go !" she exclaimed, lifting 
 to his eyes sparkling with joyous anticipation ; 
 "for I know I don't deserve it in the very least. 
 But I do intend to be as pleasant tempered and 
 obedient as possible." 
 
 "I don't doubt it, daughter, or expect to 
 have any trouble with you," he said kindly. 
 
 But now they had reached [the dining room 
 door, morning salutations were exchanged as 
 the different members of the family came flock 
 ing in, all quickly took their places at the table, 
 the blessing was asked, and the meal began. 
 
 The talk was almost exclusively of what 
 would probably be seen and done during the 
 trip by those who were to take it, suitable 
 gifts for the bride that was to be, and necessary 
 or desirable shopping for themselves and those 
 remaining at home. 
 
 Lulu, sitting beside her father, asked in a 
 low aside, "Papa, may I buy a handsome pres 
 ent for Cousin Betty? I've had occasion to 
 spend hardly any pocket-money since we have 
 been here; so I think I've enough to get her 
 something handsome." 
 
 " I shall be pleased to have you do so," he re< 
 plied, with a pleasant smile.
 
 136 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "And I may choose it myself?" 
 
 "Yes; but don't you think it would be well 
 to get some assistance from the rest of us in 
 making your choice?" 
 
 "Oh, yes, sir; yes indeed. I really would 
 not want to buy anything you and Grandma 
 Elsie and Mamma Vi thought unsuitable, or 
 that would not be likely to please Cousin 
 Betty." 
 
 "And may I too, papa?" asked Grace, who, 
 seated close to his other side, had overheard 
 the bit of low toned talk. 
 
 "Yes, yes indeed, little daughter," he replied, 
 laying a caressing hand upon her head for an 
 instant. 
 
 An hour later the little party were all on 
 board the boat steaming away in the direction 
 of the Gulf, and the talk was more of the beauti 
 ful country they were passing through than of 
 the history of that portion yet to be visited. 
 Their route grew more interesting to the young 
 people, and indeed to all, as they came upon 
 scenes made memorable by events in the Revolu 
 tionary and Civil Wars and that of 1812-14. 
 
 As they passed up the river, the captain 
 pointed out Forts St. Philip and Jackson, and 
 other localities connected with the doings and 
 happenings of those times, all gazing upon them 
 as scenes to be indelibly impressed upon the 
 memory of every lover of our dear native land.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 137 
 
 The localities about New Orleans connected 
 with the struggle there against British invaders 
 and aggressors, received due attention also, and 
 were regarded with equal interest by the young 
 girls and Walter, to say nothing of the older 
 members of the party. 
 
 Lulu and Grace, not to speak of Rosie and 
 Evelyn, who were allowed more latitude in 
 their selection, or of Walter, who was more 
 than willing to trust to "mamma's taste" rather 
 than his own, readily adopted the opinions of 
 papa, Grandma Elsie, and Mamma Vi. 
 
 On the evening of their second day in the city 
 they went to their hotel, weary enough, to enjoy 
 a few hours of rest. 
 
 "Mamma dear," said Violet, glancing at her 
 mother's face as they entered the lower hall, 
 " you do look so fatigued ; let us step into this 
 parlor and rest a little before going to our 
 rooms." 
 
 "Perhaps it would be as well to do so," 
 replied Mrs. Travilla, following her daughter 
 into the room and sinking wearily into 
 an easy chair which Violet drew forward for 
 her. 
 
 " Oh, dear Grandma Elsie, how tired you do 
 look!" exclaimed Grace; and Walter, speaking 
 at the same instant, said in a tone of deep con 
 cern, "Oh, mamma, how pale you are! You 
 must be ill. I wish Cousin Arthur, or some
 
 138 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 other good doctor, was here to do something to 
 make you feel better. " 
 
 " Mamma, dear mamma, I fear you are really 
 ill!" exclaimed Rosie in a tone of anxiety, while 
 Lulu ran back into the hall in search of her 
 father, who had stepped aside to the clerk's desk 
 to attend to some business matter; for to her 
 he was a tower of strength to be flown to in 
 every need. 
 
 But an elderly lady and gentleman, the only 
 other occupants of the parlor at the moment, 
 hastily rose and drew near the little group, the 
 lady saying in a tone of mingled concern and 
 delight, " It is my Cousin Elsie Mrs. Travilla 
 I am sure ! You know me, dear cousin ? Mil 
 dred Keith Mrs. Dr. Landreth? And this is 
 my husband, the doctor. I think he could do 
 something to relieve you." 
 
 " Cousin Mildred ! Oh, what a joyful surprise ! 
 how glad I am to see you!" exclaimed Mrs. 
 Travilla, the color coming back to her cheek, 
 and the light to her eyes, as she raised herself 
 to a sitting posture and threw her arms about 
 Mildred's neck. 
 
 The two held each other in a long, tender em* 
 brace, hardly conscious for the moment of the 
 presence of the others, who stood looking on in 
 surprise and delight, Captain Raymond and 
 Lulu having joined the group. 
 
 Then mutual introductions and joyous greet-
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 139 
 
 ings followed, questions about absent dear ones 
 were asked and answered, and each party learned 
 that the other was in the city for but a brief so 
 journ, purposing to go thence to Viamede or 
 its near vicinity. 
 
 And in the meanwhile Mrs. Travilla seemed to 
 have forgotten her weariness and exhaustion, 
 and was looking more than ordinarily young and 
 bright. 
 
 Dr. Landreth remarked it with a pleased 
 smile. "I am glad to meet you, Cousin Elsie," 
 he said, "though you seem no longer in need of 
 my services as physician." 
 
 "No indeed, Cousin Charlie," she returned 
 brightly; "you are so excellent a doctor that 
 your very presence especially when accom 
 panied by that of your wife" with a smiling 
 glance at Mildred " does one good like a medi 
 cine." 
 
 " Still, if you will allow it, I will prescribe, 
 were it only to keep my hand in," he said: 
 "an hour's rest on a couch in your own room, 
 to be followed by a good, substantial meal 
 either there or at the table with the rest of us." 
 
 " Exactly the prescription I should give were 
 I your physician, mother," said Captain Ray 
 mond. "May I not assist you to your room?" 
 
 "Yes," she said with a smile. "As I know 
 Dr. Landreth to be an excellent physician I shall 
 follow his advice, confidently expecting to
 
 140 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 profit y so doing. Doctor," turning to him, 
 " we have a pleasant private parlor where we take 
 our meals and enjoy each other's society in the 
 intervals of sight-seeing, shopping, etc. I hope 
 you and Cousin Mildred will join us at meal 
 times, and all times when you find it agreeable, 
 making yourselves perfectly at home. Now 
 good-by for the present. I hope to be able, 
 after an hour's rest, to join you all at the tea- 
 table." 
 
 With evident pleasure her invitation was ac 
 cepted; an hour later she made her appearance 
 in the parlor, much refreshed by rest and sleep ; 
 a tempting meal was partaken of by all, with 
 evident appetite, the remainder of the evening 
 passed in delightful social intercourse, and all 
 retired early that they might be ready for a 
 long day of interesting and, to the children es 
 pecially, captivating shopping; for, as Rosie re 
 marked, " Nothing could be more enjoyable than 
 the business of selecting wedding gifts and 
 pretty things to be worn at the wedding fes 
 tivities." 
 
 She was delighted with her own finery and 
 presents for Betty, selected by herself with her 
 mother's assistance, Violet occasionally giving 
 her opinion or advice, Mrs. Landreth and the 
 gentlemen doing the same when asked. They 
 consisted of handsome jewelry and silver. 
 
 Walter, too, chose, with his mother's help,
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 141 
 
 a *et of gold lined silver spoons for his cousin 
 Betty. Evelyn's gift was a handsome silver pie 
 knife and salt spoons. Lulu, too, and Grace, 
 gave silver, also a pair of beautiful gold brace 
 lets. The captain's own gift was an expensive 
 set of jewelry; Violet's a lovely bridal veil; 
 Grandma Elsie's a beautiful and costly diamond 
 pin, to which she afterward added a check for 
 five thousand dollars. Also Dr. and Mrs. Lan- 
 dreth bought as their gift some very handsome 
 articles of dress and house furnishing. 
 
 The shopping and a little sight-seeing filled 
 tip the time till Saturday, when they returned to 
 Viamede by the same boat that had brought the 
 captain and his party to the city. 
 
 It was a very warm and joyous welcome that 
 awaited them there from Grandpa and Grandma 
 Dinsmore, and little Elsie and Ned Raymond, 
 and none the less joyous was the greeting given 
 to Dr. and Mrs. Landreth by their relatives and 
 old friends, Mr. and Mrs. Dinsmore. 
 
 To each of the four it was a delightful re 
 union, and much of the evening was passed in 
 recalling the events of their intercourse in those 
 early days when Elsie and her cousin Annis 
 were happy children together, these older ones 
 gay, young married folks, the eldest son of each 
 couple but a baby boy, though now each waa 
 the head of a young family of his own. 
 
 These reminiscences were very interesting to
 
 142 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 themselves, Grandma Elsie, and the Keiths, 
 who had been invited to Viamede to take tea 
 with these relatives, and who were to go to the 
 parsonage after a short stay with these others. 
 
 But after a little the young folks grew tired 
 of listening to the talk, and sought out another 
 part of the veranda where they could converse 
 among themselves without disturbing their 
 elders. 
 
 Captain Raymond's eyes followed the move 
 ments of his little girls with a look of fond 
 fatherly pride, not without a shade of anxiety 
 as they noted the weariness in Grace's face, 
 and presently he rose and drew near the little 
 group. 
 
 " Gracie, my darling, do you not want to go 
 to your bed?" he asked. " I think my little girl 
 is looking tired and would be better for a long 
 night's rest." 
 
 " Yes, papa, I am 'most too tired to keep my 
 eyes open," she replied, with a faint smile up 
 into his face. 
 
 " Then come, my pet," he said, bending down 
 and taking her in his arms ; " I will carry you to 
 your room and bid the others good-night for you 
 "when I come down again; you are too tired to 
 wait to do that yourself," and he carried her 
 away. 
 
 Lulu sprang up and ran after them. " Shall I 
 go too, papa?" she asked.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 143 
 
 "If you, too, feel too tired to stay up for 
 prayers," he answered pleasantly; "otherwise 
 I would not have you absent from that ser 
 vice." 
 
 "Yes, sir, I'm not too tired. Good-night, 
 Gracie," she said, and ran back to her mates. 
 
 Their tongues were running on the old theme 
 of the wedding so soon to take place, gifts to 
 the bride, and dresses to be worn by her and her 
 attendants. But all of them were pretty well 
 worn out with the shopping and traveling gone 
 through in the last few days, seeing which their 
 elders thought best to hold the evening service 
 a little earlier than usual, then retired to rest. 
 
 " Papa, please may I ask a few questions now, 
 before you leave me?" Lulu entreated when he 
 came in to bid her good-night. 
 
 "Yes," he replied with an amused look; 
 "that is number one, and how many are to 
 follow?" seating himself and drawing her to his 
 knee. 
 
 "Oh, I don't know exactly, sir; it will de 
 pend somewhat upon the answers, I think," she 
 returned laughingly, putting an arm round his 
 neck and kissing him with ardent affection. 
 
 " Then let me go through the ordeal as soon 
 as possible," he responded, patting her cheek and 
 pressing his lips to hers. 
 
 " I hope it won't be a very dreadful ordeal to 
 you, papa," she said, smiling up into hia eyes.
 
 144 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "Firstly, then, are we to have school as usual 
 between this and the time of the wedding?" 
 
 "Yes," was the prompt, decided reply. 
 
 "Oh, dear!" she said between a sigh and a 
 laugh, "I 'most wish you were one of the 
 fathers that could be coaxed. But oh, please 
 don't begin to look sorry and grave. I'm de 
 termined I will be good about that and every 
 thing; just as good as I know hew to be; and 
 if I'm not I just hope you'll punish me well, only 
 not by refusing to allow me to act as brides^ 
 maid to Cousin Betty." 
 
 "Love to your father and a desire to please 
 him seems to me a far better motive for good 
 behavior than fear of punishment," he said 
 with grave look and tone. 
 
 "Yes, sir; and that is my motive; please be 
 lieve it, my own dear, dear father," she said, 
 lifting dewy eyes to his. 
 
 " Then I have strong hope that my pleasure 
 in the coming festivities will not be spoiled by 
 having a naughty, rebellious little daughter to 
 deal with, or an idle one, either. Now what 
 "else?" 
 
 "Only this, papa: that if you should have 
 letters to write you will let me help you, using 
 my typewriter, you know." 
 
 " Thank you, my dear little helpful daughter. 
 Should I find that I have letters you could an. 
 swer for me in that way, I will call upon you
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 145 
 
 for your offered assistance, as I well know it 
 will be a pleasure to you to render it," he re 
 plied, with a smile and another tender carass. 
 "And I hope you feel no doubt that it is not 
 for lack of love for his dear child that your 
 father refuses the holiday you have asked for." 
 
 "No indeed, papa. I know you love me 
 dearly. It would break my heart to think you 
 didn't." 
 
 "As it would mine to think my little girl did 
 not love me. Now you must go at once to bed. 
 Good-night and pleasant dreams."
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 IT was early morning at Ion, breakfast await 
 ing the return of Mr. Edward Travilla, who 
 had ridden into the village on some business 
 errand, leaving word that he would he back 
 within the hour to partake of the morning meal 
 with his wife. 
 
 Zoe, tastefully attired, was on the veranda, 
 and the twin babies, fresh from their bath, 
 looking, the young mother averred, like little an 
 gels in their dainty white robes, were toddling 
 about there, laughing, cooing, and prattling. 
 They were the idols of her heart. She romped 
 and played with them now, but with frequent 
 pauses to listen for the sound of a horse's hoofs 
 or gaze down the avenue, saying in joyous tones 
 to the babies, "Papa is coming, coming soon; 
 dear, dear papa ! and mamma and his darlings 
 will be so glad to see him. Ah, there he is at 
 last !" she added at length, as a horseman turned 
 in at the great gates and came at a quick canter 
 up the avenue. 
 
 He lifted his hat with a bow and smile to his 
 wife as he drew near; then alighting at the 
 steps, where a servant took the reins and led 
 the horse away, he hastily ascended them, and 
 
 146
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 147 
 
 the next moment was seated with a little one 
 upon each knee. 
 
 "Papa's darlings!" he said, caressing them 
 in turn; "papa's dear pets!" 
 
 "Tell papa we have been wanting him," said 
 Zoe, standing alongside, smoothing Edward's 
 hair with softly caressing hand, and smiling 
 down fondly into the faces of the three ; " tell 
 him he stayed so long we did not know how to 
 wait," 
 
 " I must acknowledge I am a trifle late, my 
 dear," Edward said, smiling up into the pretty, 
 rosy face, "detained by business; but here is 
 my atonement," handing her a telegram which 
 he took from his pocket. 
 
 Zoe read it aloud. It was an invitation to a 
 wedding (whose it did not say) , at Viamede to 
 take place in three weeks from that day. 
 
 " Why, who on earth can be going to be mar 
 ried?" she exclaimed in surprise. "Rosie? 
 Evelyn? Lulu? Every one of them is too 
 young." Then with a look into Edward's 
 laughing eyes, "Now you needn't laugh, Ned. 
 I know and acknowledge that Rosie is a little 
 older than I was when we married, but we would 
 Hot have made such haste except under those 
 peculiar circumstances." 
 
 "Quite true, my dear," he responded. "But 
 I suppose you will hardly think it necessary to 
 decline the invitation on that account?"
 
 148 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 " Oh, no indeed," was the quick, laughing re 
 joinder. " I am altogether in favor of accept 
 ing shall begin my preparations at once. 
 But there's the breakfast bell." 
 
 When they had fairly begun their meal the 
 subject was renewed, Edward remarking, "My 
 dear, you will want a new dress. If you like 
 we will drive into the city this morning, make 
 necessary purchases, and at once set Alma or 
 some other dressmaker at work." 
 
 " Oh, thank you, dear Ned," she returned, her 
 eyes shining with pleasure; "no woman ever 
 had a more generous husband than mine. But 
 there are so many ways for your money to go, 
 and I have several that would be, with remodel 
 ling and retrimming, tasteful, handsome, and 
 becoming as any new one." 
 
 " But you must have a new one, my love," 
 Edward replied decidedly. " I can easily afford 
 it, and it is a great pleasure to me to see my 
 little wife well and becomingly dressed." 
 
 "A very nice speech, my dear husband," re 
 turned Zoe laughingly, " and really I have not the 
 heart to refuse you the pleasure of seeing your 
 wife arrayed in finery just suited to your taste. 
 So I am very glad you are willing to go with me 
 and assist in the selection. Shall we take the 
 babies along?" 
 
 K To help with the shopping? I doubt if we 
 would find them of much assistance,"
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 149 
 
 "They are good little things though, and 
 vrould not be any hindrance," returned the 
 young mother laughingly. " But the trip might 
 interfere with their morning nap, so if you 
 think best we will leave the darlings at 
 home." 
 
 " I really think they would have a more com 
 fortable time," Edward said; "we also. Hark! 
 there's the telephone. Excuse me a moment, 
 my dear." 
 
 " Certainly, my love, but as I may possibly 
 be the one wanted, I'll go along; by your 
 leave," she added laughingly, running after him 
 as he left the room. 
 
 The call proved to be from Mrs. Elsie Leland. 
 A telegram from Viamede had reached them 
 also, and they would be at Ion in the course of 
 an hour to talk over necessary arrangements 
 for the journey, if, as they supposed, Edward and 
 Zoe would like to take it in company with them. 
 They too were invited, of course? 
 
 "Yes," Edward answered; "mamma would 
 qertainly not neglect her eldest son at such a 
 time. Come over as soon as you like, prepared 
 to drive into the city with us to make necessary 
 purchases before setting the dressmakers at 
 work upon suitable adornments for the ladies of 
 our party." 
 
 "Nothing to be bought for the gentlemen, 
 I suppose?" was Elsie's response, accompanied
 
 150 ELSIE AT VIAHEDE. 
 
 by a low, sweet laugh. " Will be happy to ac 
 cept your invitation. Good-by till then." 
 
 "Now let us go back and finish our break 
 fast," said Zoe. "If the Lelands are to be here 
 in half an hour we have no time to spare." 
 
 They were turning away when the bell rang 
 again. 
 
 It was Ella Conly who called this time. The 
 same invitation for herself and brothers had just 
 been received. They knew that Ned and Zoe 
 must of course have shared the summons to 
 Viamede, and, if convenient, they would call at 
 Ion after tea that evening to talk over plans and 
 preparations. 
 
 They were cordially urged to do so. Then 
 Edward called to his Uncle Horace at the Oaks, 
 his Aunt Rose at the Laurels, and Aunt Lora 
 Howard at Pinegrove, and learned to his satis 
 faction that all had received, and would accept 
 the same invitation. But they had not yet 
 settled upon their plans in regard to needed 
 preparations and the time of setting out upon 
 their journey. 
 
 Edward suggested that it might be satisfac 
 tory for all to meet at Ion that evening and 
 talk the matter over, an invitation which was 
 promptly accepted by all. 
 
 "Now let us finish our breakfast," Edward 
 eaid, leading the way back to the table. 
 
 "Yes," said Zoe, "for I am sure that I for one
 
 ELSIE AT VTAMEDE. 151 
 
 have no time to waste if I'm to be ready to 
 start for the city in an hour." 
 
 She was ready, however, when, in less than an 
 hour, the Fairview carriage drove up bringing 
 the Lelands. Elsie declined an invitation to 
 alight. " "We have none too much time now," 
 she said, "for shopping cannot always be done 
 in haste, and we are not making a very early 
 start. Just get in here with us, you two, will 
 you not? There is plenty of room, and we can 
 talk over matters and settle plans as we drive." 
 
 "A very good idea, and we are much 
 obliged," returned Edward, handing Zoe in 
 and taking a seat by her side. 
 
 "Who is to be married, Elsie?" asked Zoe. 
 "Surely it could not be mamma herself?" she 
 added, with a light laugh. " I feel quite sure 
 she would not accept the best and greatest man 
 upon earth." 
 
 "And I feel as sure of that as you do," said 
 Mrs. Leland. "She thinks of my father not as 
 lost to her but waiting for her to rejoin him in 
 the better land. I have been trying to think 
 who the coming bride is to be, and suppose it is 
 Betty Johnson." 
 
 " But it may be that the groom and not the 
 bride belongs to our family," remarked Lester. 
 "Who more likely than Dick Percival?" 
 
 "Why, yes, to be sure!" exclaimed Edward. 
 "It is about time Dick nad a wife. And
 
 152 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 mother would of course be interested and ready 
 to do anything in her power to make it pleasant 
 for him and her." 
 
 " Well, I should really like to know something 
 more about it before choosing gifts for her," 
 remarked Zoe. 
 
 "I too," said Elsie. 
 
 "Then suppose we let that wait for another 
 day, and content ourselves with purchasing 
 what is needed for the adorning of you two 
 ladies," suggested Edward; and that was what, 
 after a little further consultation, was decided 
 upon. 
 
 The city was reached in safety, and some 
 hours later they returned, as Zoe said, "Laden 
 with lovely things for their own adorn 
 ment." 
 
 The babies were on the veranda waiting, 
 watching eagerly for papa and mamma, who, 
 their nurse kept telling them, would soon be 
 seen coming up the avenue. When they did 
 appear, alighting from the Fairview carriage, 
 they were recognized with a glad cry, and Zoe, 
 forgetting her weariness, ran to the little ones, 
 embraced first one and then the other, put 
 a toy in the hand of each, spent another minute 
 or two caressing them, then hurried to her 
 own apartments to dress for tea and the family 
 gathering expected in the evening. 
 
 Elsie and her husband had driven home, but
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE, 153 
 
 would return for the informal assembly of the 
 members of the connection. 
 
 The guests came early, Ella Conley and her 
 brothers from Roselands being the first. Ella 
 was in high glee. She had long felt an ardent 
 desire to visit Viamede, and now hailed with 
 delight the opportunity to do so. The circum 
 stances of both brothers had greatly improved; 
 they were disposed to be very generous to the 
 only sister remaining at home with them, and 
 had told her she must have a new, handsome 
 dress for the wedding, and everything else she 
 needed to fit her out well for the journey and 
 a sojourn of some weeks at Viamede. 
 
 Zoe felt flattered by being consulted in regard 
 to necessary or desirable purchases, and greatly 
 enjoyed exhibiting her own, and> describing 
 Elsie's, of that day. 
 
 Then the other families, or delegates from 
 them, arrived in rapid succession, and a merry 
 sociable interview ensued. All were quite re 
 solved, should nothing interfere, to accept the 
 invitation to Viamede, but some of them could 
 not yet decide upon the exact time when they 
 would be prepared to leave their homes for that 
 distant point, and for an absence of several 
 weeks. But the Ion, Oaks, Fairview, and Rose- 
 lands people would all go in two weeks in com 
 pany. 
 
 It was still early, when wheels were heard
 
 154 ELSIE AT VIANEDE. 
 
 approaching from the direction of the village, 
 a hack turned in at the gate, drove rapidly up 
 the avenue, halted at the veranda steps, and an 
 old gentleman alighted. 
 
 " Cousin Ronald !" exclaimed Elsie Leland, 
 Edward, and Zoe in a breath, and they and the 
 others gathered about him with words of cordial 
 greeting and welcome. 
 
 "You have given us a most pleasant surprise, 
 Cousin Ronald," Edward said when the old 
 gentleman was comfortably seated in an easy 
 chair. "You have not been to tea?" 
 
 "Yes, laddie, I took that in the village 
 yonder where I alighted frae the cars. But the 
 auld folks seem to be missing here," glancing 
 about in search of them as he spoke. "I dinna 
 see your honored grandsire, his wife, or my 
 sweet Cousin Elsie, your mither. The bairns 
 Rosie and Walter, too, are not here ; what's be 
 come o' them a', laddie? They 're no ill, I hope?" 
 
 "They were quite well at last accounts, sir," 
 replied Edward. " They have spent the winter 
 and early spring at Viamede, and will not re 
 turn for some weeks yet." 
 
 " Ah ha ! urn h'm ! ah ha !" murmured the old 
 gentleman reflectively. "It's no the best o* 
 news to me an auld mon who has been wearyin' 
 for a sight o' your mother's sweet face." 
 
 "Don't say that, cousin, for we are going 
 there ourselves, and shall be glad indeed to
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 155 
 
 take you with us. I know of no one who 
 would be a more welcome guest to my mother." 
 
 "Have a care, sir, that ye dinna tempt an 
 auld mon too far," laughed Cousin Ronald. 
 
 " Oh, but you must go with us, sir," said Zoe. 
 " What would mamma say if we failed to bring 
 you? Besides, we want your company even if 
 mamma would not be displeased were you not 
 -\vith us." 
 
 "Ah ha! um h'm! ah ha! Weel, my bonny 
 leddy, I can no refuse an invitation that holds 
 out so great a prospect of enjoyment." 
 
 "No, you must not think of refusing, Cousin 
 Ronald!" exclaimed Edward and his sister 
 Elsie, speaking simultaneously. 
 
 "Indeed no," said Mr. Horace Dinsmore; 
 "we can assure you of a hearty welcome, and 
 my sister, as Zoe says, would be by no means 
 pleased should we fail to take you along with 
 us. But since the first division of our company 
 does not start for two weeks, there will be 
 abundance of time to hear from her on the 
 subject." 
 
 " Certainly there will, uncle," responded Ed 
 ward. "I shall write to mamma to-night. 
 Several of us have heard from her to-day 
 by telegraph, Cousin Ronald, and we think 
 we shall surely have letters soon." 
 
 Then followed the story of the telegrams 
 received that day, and the guesses and surmises
 
 156 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 as to whose wedding they were invited to 
 attend. 
 
 Mr. Lilburn was evidently much interested 
 and more than willing to yield to their persua 
 sions to accompany them to Viamede. 
 "Well, friends and cousins," he said, "there 
 is scarce anything I can think of at this mo 
 ment that would delight me more than to gang 
 with you to see them at that lovely spot an 
 earthly paradise, as it may well be called. I 
 am somewhat fatigued the now, but rest for a 
 few days the days that must come and go 
 afore you start will no doubt supply the needed 
 strength for the new journey ; and the wedding 
 festivities to follow will not come amiss even to 
 a man of my ain venerable age." 
 
 "No, indeed!" exclaimed Zoe, "I should 
 think not. Surely people of any age may enjoy 
 gay and festive scenes and doings. It has al 
 ways been a source of regret to me that Ed 
 ward's and my nuptials were graced by none of 
 them." 
 
 "Possibly there may be better luck for you 
 next time, my dear," remarked Edward laugh 
 ingly- 
 
 "Indeedl want no next time," she returned 
 with spirit. "I've no intention of trying a 
 second husband lest I might do worse than I 
 did in taking you. " 
 
 "It strikes me there might be a possibility
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 157 
 
 of doing very much worse, my dear niece," re 
 marked Mr. Horace Dinsmore pleasantly. 
 
 "As it does me," responded Zoe, with a 
 proudly affectionate look into her young hus 
 band's eyes. 
 
 "I am glad to hear it," was his answering 
 remark, given with a smiling, affectionate 
 glance into the bright, sweet face. 
 
 For the next two weeks Zoe and the other 
 ladies of the connection were very delightfully 
 busy with their preparations for the wed 
 ding. 
 
 Letters had come telling that Betty was, as 
 had been conjectured, the prospective bride; 
 also who was to be the groom, where the cere 
 mony was to take place, the bridal feast to be 
 partaken of, with other interesting particulars. 
 The dresses of bride, bridesmaids, and maids 
 of honor were not described, as they would be 
 seen by all the relatives at, if not before, the 
 wedding. 
 
 The journey to New Orleans was made by 
 rail ; from there they took a steamboat for Ber 
 wick Bay, preferring to make the rest of the 
 journey by water. The party consisted of the 
 Dinsmores, Lelands, Travillas, Conleys, and 
 their Aunt Adelaide, Mrs. Allison of Philadel 
 phia, who had come on from her home shortly 
 before to join these relatives in their trip to 
 Louisiana; for she too had been urgently invited
 
 158 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 to attend the wedding; and last but not least 
 was Mr. Ronald Lilburn. 
 
 They were a cheerful set, the younger ones 
 quite gay and mirthful. There were a few other 
 passengers, among whom was a lady clad in deep 
 mourning widow's weeds who kept her face 
 carefully concealed by her thick crape veil 
 and sat apart, seeming to studiously avoid all 
 contact with her fellow voyagers; observing 
 which they refrained from making advances 
 toward acquaintanceship. But now and then 
 Dr. Conley turned an observing eye upon her. 
 There was a droop about her figure that struck 
 him as an indication of illness or exhaustion 
 from some other cause. 
 
 At length he rose, and stepping to her side, 
 said in a low sympathizing tone, "I fear you are 
 ill, madam. I am a physician, and if I can do 
 anything for you my services are at your com 
 mand." 
 
 She made an inarticulate reply, in tones 
 quivering with emotion, staggered to her feet 
 as she spoke, made one step forward and would 
 have fallen had he not caught her with his 
 arm. 
 
 Her head dropped upon his shoulder, and in 
 stantly the other members of his party gathered 
 about them with hurried, excited exclamations. 
 "What is the matter?" "Is she ill?" "Do 
 you know her, Art? She has fainted, has she
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 159 
 
 not?" The last exclamation and query came 
 from the lips of Mrs. Elsie Leland. 
 
 "Yes; she is quite unconscious," was Ar 
 thur's low toned reply "and this thick, heavy 
 veil is smothering her." 
 
 The next instant he had succeeded in disen 
 tangling it. With a quick movement he threw 
 it back, lifted the seemingly lifeless form, laid 
 it on a settee with the head low, laid his finger 
 on her pulse for an instant, then began com 
 pressing the ribs and allowing them to expand 
 again. 
 
 "I will have to loosen her clothing," he said, 
 leaning over her to do so; then for the first time 
 catching sight of her face, he started back with 
 a low, pained exclamation: "My sister Vir 
 ginia! is it possible!" 
 
 "Virginia!" exclaimed Adelaide and Cal- 
 houn in a breath; for both were standing near; 
 "can it be?" The others exchanged glances 
 of astonishment; then Ella asked in low, terri 
 fied tones, "O Art, is she is she dead? Poor, 
 poor Virgie!" 
 
 "No; it is only a~faint," he answered, go 
 ing on with his efforts to restore consciousness, 
 in which he was presently successful. 
 
 Virginia's eyes opened, looked up into his 
 with evident recognition, then closed, while 
 tears stole down her cheeks. He leant over her 
 in brotherly solicitude.
 
 160 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "Virgie, my poor, dear sister," he said in 
 tones tremulous with emotion, "you are with rel 
 atives and friends who will gladly do anything 
 and everything in their power for your comfort 
 and happiness. I think you are not well " 
 
 She seemed to be making an effort to speak, and, 
 leaving his sentence unfinished, he bent down 
 over her with his ear almost touching her lips. 
 
 "Starving," was the whispered word that 
 came in reply, and he started back aghast, his 
 features working with emotion. 
 
 "Can it be possible!" was his half suppressed 
 exclamation. 
 
 "What is it?" asked Calhoun; "what does 
 she say?" 
 
 "She is faint and ill with hunger," returned 
 his brother in a moved tone. "Get me a glass 
 of hot milk as quickly as you can, Cal," and 
 Calhoun hurried away in quest of it. 
 
 In a very few minutes he was back again 
 with a large tumbler of rich, sweet milk, 
 which Virginia drank with avidity. Some more 
 substantial food was then given her, and after 
 a little she was able to exchange greetings 
 with the other relatives on board and to give 
 some account of herself. 
 
 "Henry Neuville is dead, and I set out on my 
 journey to beg a home with Isa as soon as I 
 had seen him laid decently away," she said. 
 "I have no means at all unfortunate creature
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 161 
 
 that I am but perhaps I can make myself use 
 ful enough to earn my bread." 
 
 "And your brothers will be both able and 
 willing to clothe you," said the doctor, Cal- 
 houn adding, "certainly; and to give you a 
 home, too, should Isa and her husband find it 
 inconvenient to do so." 
 
 At that tears coursed down Virginia's cheeks. 
 
 "You are good, kind brothers," she said; 
 "far better to me than I deserve. But living 
 with a man of the stamp of Henry Neuville 
 has taught me how to appreciate true gentle 
 men." 
 
 "O Virgie, did he die as he had lived?" 
 asked her cousin Elsie. 
 
 "I saw no sign of repentance or re forma 
 tion, "returned Virginia; "he died of drink and 
 with curses on his tongue. I can't mourn his 
 loss; how could I? but I'm the most unfor 
 tunate woman the poorest in the whole connec 
 tion. I wasn't brought up to support myself 
 either, and can't do it." 
 
 "Perhaps you may learn how," said Zoe en 
 couragingly. "There are many avenues to self- 
 support now open to women, you know." 
 
 A look of disgust and annoyance was Vir 
 ginia's only response to that. 
 
 A few moments of silence ensued, broken only 
 by the prattle of the little ones, then there was 
 a sudden sound as of some heavy body plun
 
 162 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 ging into the water, and a shrill cry: "Man 
 overboard!" 
 
 A great commotion instantly followed, the 
 captain giving his orders to lower a boat and 
 go in search of the man, and at the same time 
 Blowing the movements of the steamer. 
 
 Our party were much interested and excited, 
 most of them full of concern for the drowning 
 one, who seemed to have strangely disappeared, 
 for not a trace of him could be seen as the boat 
 was rowed hither and thither; and at length, 
 resigning all hope of finding even the lifeless 
 body, the men returned to the larger vessel to 
 report their failure. 
 
 The ladies were in tears, and as the captain 
 drew near, Zoe asked [in tones tremulous with 
 emotion, "Is there no hope at all of saving the 
 poor fellow, captain?" 
 
 "I'm afraid he's gone to the bottom, ma'am, 
 though it's odd he couldn't keep up for the few 
 minutes it took to launch the boat; but I sup 
 pose the wheel must have struck him. By the 
 way," he added, as if struck by a sudden 
 thought, "I don't know yet who it was. I 
 must have the crew mustered on deck and see 
 who is missing." 
 
 He proceeded to do so at once, when to the 
 surprise of all it was discovered that no one 
 was missing. 
 
 "A stowaway, evidently!" growled the cap-
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 163 
 
 tain, "and he's got his deserts; though I 
 wouldn't have let him drown if I could have 
 helped it." 
 
 At that instant a light broke upon Edward 
 Travilla and Dr. Conley,'and both'turned hastily 
 toward their guest, Mr. Ronald Lilburn. 
 
 He was sitting near, quietly listening to the 
 talk, his features expressing grave concern, yet 
 they could perceive a sparkle of fun in his eye. 
 
 Edward stepped to his side, and, bending 
 down over him, spoke in an undertone close to 
 his ear. "I think you could tell us something 
 of the man, Cousin Ronald." 
 
 "I, laddie? What would I ken o' the folk i' 
 this part o' the world?" queried the old gentle 
 man, raising his eyebrows in mock surprise. 
 
 "Ah, sir, who is to say he belonged to this 
 part of the world?" laughed Edward. "I must 
 own that I strongly suspect he was a country 
 man of yours; a Scotchman, at least." 
 
 Then going to the side of his wife he said a 
 word or two in an undertone that chased away 
 her tears, while she sent a laughing glance in 
 Cousin Ronald's direction. 
 
 But they were drawing near their journey's 
 end, and presently everything else seemed to be 
 forgotten in gazing upon the ever changing 
 beauties of the landscape as they threaded their 
 way through lake and lakelet, past swamp, for 
 est, plain, and plantation. They gazed with de-
 
 164 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 light npon the cool, shady dells carpeted with a 
 rich growth of flowers, miles upon miles of 
 smoothly shaven lawns, velvety green and 
 shaded by magnificent oaks and magnolias, 
 lordly villas peering through groves of orange 
 trees, tall white sugarhouses, and the long rows 
 of cabins of the laborers, forming all together a 
 panorama of surpassing loveliness. 
 
 "Oh, it is an earthly paradise, is it not, Ned?" 
 cried Zoe, clasping her hands in an ecstacy of 
 delight. 
 
 "Very, very beautiful," he responded, his 
 eyes shining with pleasure. "But you know 
 this is not, like yours, my first sight of it; I 
 spent a very happy winter here in the days 
 when my dear and honored father was with 
 us." 
 
 "And I," said his sister Elsie, softly sighing 
 at the thought that that loved parent had left 
 them to return no more. "It will not seem 
 the same without him; yet with so many dear 
 ones left especially our dear, dear mother our 
 visit can hardly be otherwise than most enjoy 
 able. Ah, Ned, is not that our own orange 
 orchard just coming into view?" 
 
 "It is, my dear sister; we will be there in 
 a very few minutes now." 
 
 "At home and with mamma!" she ex 
 claimed in joyous tones; then called to her little 
 sons, "Come here, Ned and Eric. We are al-
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 165 
 
 most at dear grandmamma's house, and she 
 will soon have you in her arms." 
 
 At that the little fellows came running to 
 her with a joyous shout, for they dearly loved 
 their Grandma Elsie, and to their infant minds 
 the time of separation from her had seemed 
 very long. 
 
 To their Aunt Adelaide, the Conleys Arthur 
 excepted and the young Dinsmores the scenes 
 were equally new, and called forth from one 
 and all demonstrations of admiration and de 
 light. Very soon the boat reached and rounded 
 to at the landing,. where were gathered all the 
 members of the Viamede, Magnolia Hall, and 
 parsonage families to meet and welcome these 
 dear ones from their own old homes farther to 
 the north. 
 
 It was an altogether joyous meeting, Cousin 
 Ronald and Virginia, as well as the rest, receiv 
 ing most kind and cordial greeting, though the 
 latter was an entirely unexpected guest. 
 
 Isadore took her sister in her arms, kissed 
 and wept over her as a near and dear one who 
 had gone through great trials during the years 
 of their separation. 
 
 "What a long, long while it is since we 
 parted, and what sore trials you have gone 
 through in the meantime, Virgie!" she sighed. 
 "Ah, I hope the future may have better things in 
 store for you." ,
 
 166 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "I should say it ought indeed, considering all 
 I've had to suffer in the past," returned Vir 
 ginia. "I've come to beg a home with you, Isa, 
 as you might have had to of me if I had been 
 the lucky one in the matter of drawing a prize 
 in the matrimonial lottery." 
 ' "I will try to do the very best I can for you, 
 Virgie," was Isadore's pleasant toned reply, 
 though it was not with unmingled satisfaction 
 that she saw opening before her the prospect of 
 receiving this selfish, indolent sister into her 
 peaceful, well regulated household as a per 
 manent addition to it. 
 
 Zoe was in ecstasies over the beauties of Via- 
 mede the large, palatial mansion, the beauti 
 ful grounds, the lovely scenery. 
 
 "Oh, mamma," she exclaimed, pausing on the 
 veranda to take a general survey, "it is just too 
 lovely for anything ! It really exceeds my ex 
 pectations, though they were raised very high 
 by all I have heard of the beauties of Viamede. 
 I wonder you can ever resign yourself to leaving 
 it for a longer time than the hot season, when it 
 is not so healthy as your more northern home." 
 
 "Yes, I sometimes wonder at myself," Elsie 
 said with a smile; "and yet both Ion and the 
 Oaks are very dear to me so many happy years 
 of my life have been passed in them. Ah, no, I 
 could not give up those dear homes entirely 
 any more than I could this."
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 167 
 
 "Ah, you are a most fortunate woman, cousin 
 mine," remarked Mr. Lilburn, standing by, 
 "and worthy of it all; no one more so." 
 
 "Ah, Cousin Ronald, you, like all the rest of 
 my friends, are only too ready to pass my im 
 perfections by and see only virtues; some of 
 them altogether imaginary, I fear," she re 
 turned with a smile. "I cannot tell you how 
 glad I am to see you here again, and I hope you 
 may so greatly enjoy your sojourn among us that 
 you will be pleased to repeat your visit when, 
 ever opportunity offers." 
 
 "Ah, many thanks, cousin, but have a care 
 lest you should be in danger of seeing me here 
 oftener than will be found agreeable," was his 
 laughing reply. 
 
 At that Elsie only shook her head with a play 
 ful smile, then turned to baby Lilly, who was 
 reaching out her little arms to grandma, cry 
 ing, "Take! take, gamma!" 
 
 "No, no, mother dear," Edward said, coming 
 up to them and taking his little daughter from 
 the nurse's arms, "I can't have you wearying 
 yourself with her." Then to the child, "Papa 
 is going to carry you [upstairs, little pet. Dear 
 grandma has been sick and is not strong enough 
 to carry you about. The friends and relatives 
 will all be here for some time, mother?" turning 
 to her again. 
 
 "Yes," she replied ; "they will all stay to tea."
 
 168 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "And Zoe and I will join you and them 
 again in a few minutes," he said, moving on 
 through the hall, in the direction of the stairway. 
 
 All scattered to their rooms then, but reas 
 sembled on the veranda some few minutes be 
 fore the call to the tea-table. It was a large, 
 merry, informal tea-party, Grandma Elsie hav 
 ing been most hospitably urgent that everyone 
 should stay, partake with her and the others 
 who had been making Viamede their home for 
 months past, and spend the evening. 
 
 The approaching wedding and matters con 
 nected with it were naturally the principal 
 themes of discourse, and Betty was good-hu- 
 moredly rallied on the conquest she had made and 
 the pleasant prospect of having a home of her 
 own with at least one loyal subject. Zoe insisted 
 on a description of the trousseau, especially the 
 wedding dress. 
 
 "Drive over to Magnolia Hall day after to 
 morrow and you shall see everything for your 
 self, Zoe," Betty said, laughing and blushing; 
 "at least all but the gifts which have not yet 
 come in." 
 
 "Thank you; I think I'll accept that invita 
 tion," returned Zoe. "But I suppose there is 
 something to be seen here?" 
 
 "Yes; the dresses of the bridesmaids and 
 maids of honor," said Rosie; "and we who are 
 to wear them think them quite beautiful. Don't
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 169 
 
 we, girls?" turning toward Evelyn and Lulu, 
 who answered with an emphatic, "Yes, in 
 deed!" 
 
 "Suppose you come and take a look at them, 
 Zoe," proposed Rosie, as they left the table, 
 and Zoe promptly accepted the invitation, 
 Betty, Elsie Leland, Ella, and Virginia, and 
 the Dinsmore cousins going along. 
 
 "Oh, they are lovely!" was the united excla 
 mation at sight of the dresses, Zoe adding, "I 
 can't say which is handsomest." 
 
 "That's just how it is with me," laughed 
 Betty; "but I own to thinking the bride's dress 
 a trifle handsomer than any of these." 
 
 "Ah, yes; but just think how we may out 
 shine you when our turns come to wear a wed 
 ding dress," saic 1 rlosie. "I mean to have one 
 that shall be a inarvel of beauty and taste. 
 Don't you, Eva and Lu?" 
 
 "I very much doubt whether I shall ever 
 have any," replied Evelyn, with her grave, 
 sweet smile. 
 
 "If you don't it will be your own fault, I am 
 sure," said Rosie. "And it will be just the 
 same with Lu." 
 
 "I'm not going to get married ever!" cried 
 Lulu emphatically. "I wouldn't leave my 
 father for ail the rest of the men in all the 
 world." 
 
 "Ah, your father is glad to hear it," said a
 
 170 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 voice close at her side, while a hand was laid 
 affectionately on her shoulder. "But nay dear 
 eldest daughter is still quite too young to be 
 even thinking of such things." 
 
 "Then I won't think of them if I can help it, 
 papa dear," she said, lifting loving, smiling eyes 
 to his face, "for indeed I do want to obey even 
 your slightest wish." 
 
 "I don't doubt it, daughter," he returned, 
 pressing affectionately the hand she had slipped 
 into his. 
 
 "Now, Elsie," said Zoe, addressing Mrs. Le- 
 land, "let us show our wedding finery. You, 
 Ella Conley, I suppose won't care to open your 
 trunks, as they are to be carried over to the 
 Parsonage." 
 
 "They have already gone,'" 1 said Isadore, she 
 also having joined the party of inspection, 
 "but the finery can be shown there just as 
 well." 
 
 "Yes, it can wait," returned Ella, "and will 
 perhaps be all the more appreciated for not be 
 ing seen along with so many other beauties." 
 
 "I am the only one who has no finery to ex 
 hibit," remarked Virginia i an ill used tone. 
 But they were already on the way to Mrs. Le- 
 land's room and no one seemed to hear or heed 
 the complaint, everybody being too much 
 engrossed with the business in hand to take 
 notice of her ill-humor.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAXEDE. 171 
 
 But it was Saturday evening and the Parson 
 age and Magnolia Hall people returned to their 
 homes at an early hour, taking their guests with 
 them. 
 
 "Now, daughter," Captain Raymond said, 
 turning to Lulu as the last carriage disappeared 
 from sight, "go at once to your own room and 
 prepare for bed." 
 
 "Yes, sir; and must I say good-night now 
 to you?" she asked in a low tone, close at his 
 ear. 
 
 "No," he returned, with a smile, "I will be 
 with you presently for a few minutes." 
 
 She looked her thanks, and hastened to obey. 
 
 "I am quite ready for bed, papa," she said 
 when he came into her room. "Please mayn't 
 I sit on your knee for five or ten minutes?" 
 
 "That is just what I want you to do," he 
 said, taking possession of an easy chair and 
 drawing her to the coveted place. "I must have 
 a little talk with my dear eldest daughter," he 
 continued, smoothing her hair and cheek caress 
 ingly. 
 
 "What about, papa dear?" she asked, nest 
 ling closer in his arms. "I haven't been misbe 
 having, have I? You are not displeased with 
 me, are you?" 
 
 "No, dear child; only afraid that you may 
 be caring too much about dress and finery, and 
 that perhaps I am not altogether blameless in re-
 
 172 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 gard to that that I may not have guarded my 
 dear little girl against it as I should." 
 
 "I am afraid that perhaps I do care too much 
 about it, papa dear," she sighed, hanging her 
 head, while blushes "lyed her cheek; "but I'm 
 sure it is all my own fault, not yours at all; so 
 please don't feel badly about it." 
 
 He took up her Bible, opened it, and read, 
 "Whose adorning, let it not be that outward 
 adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing 
 of gold, or of putting on of apparel ; but let it 
 be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is 
 not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and 
 quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of 
 great price. For after this manner in the old 
 time the holy women also, who trusted in God, 
 adorned themselves." 
 
 "Papa, is it wrong to wear nice, pretty 
 clothes, and to enjoy having them?" she asked, 
 as he closed the book and laid it aside. "Is 
 that what is meant in those verses?" 
 
 "I think not," he said; "if I understood it in 
 that way I should feel it wrong to allow a daugh 
 ter of mine to wear them. I think it means 
 that you are not to care too much about such 
 adornment, but more, much more, for that other 
 and greater adornment, even the hidden man of 
 the heart, the ornament of a meek and quiet 
 spirit, remembering that in the sight of God it 
 is of great price, worth infinitely more than
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 1Y3 
 
 any ornament of gold, the richest jewels, or the 
 finest attire. Cultivate that with all dili 
 gence, my own darling child, if you desire to 
 please and honor your heavenly Father and make 
 yourself even dearer than you now are to your 
 earthly one, and lovelier in his eyes." 
 
 "Oh, I do, papa ! I do want to please and honor 
 God, and you too; I want to be just a joy and 
 blessing and comfort to you, my own dear, 
 dear father! I don't think you have any idea 
 how very, very dearly I love you, papa," put 
 ting her arms about his neck and kissing him 
 over and over again. "Gracie and I think 
 indeed we feel quite sure that no other children 
 ever had such a dear, good, kind father as ours. 
 And I know Max thinks the same." 
 
 "Well, daughter, I delight in having you and 
 all my children think so, however mistaken you 
 maybe," he said, with a pleased smile, holding 
 her close and returning her caresses; "and it 
 certainly is the earnest desire of my heart to be 
 the best, kindest, and dearest of fathers to the 
 darling children God has given me." 
 
 "As I am sure you are, dear papa," she said. 
 *'I never have any doubt of it at all, even when 
 you punish me. And, papa," she added, with 
 an effort, "if you think finery bad for me, I am 
 willing to be dressed just as plainly as you 
 think best." 
 
 "That is my own dear little girl," he re-
 
 174 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 turned, with a gratified look; "but I have not 
 been dressing you better more richly, gayly, or 
 tastefully than seems to me right and proper; 
 also, I think quite as much sin may be committed 
 by being proud of plainness in dress as proud of 
 wearing finery. What I am aiming at is to 
 have my little daughter look upon dress as a sec 
 ondary matter, and feel far more anxious to be 
 one who is pleasing in the sight of her heavenly 
 Father than one admired and envied by some 
 earthly creature as the possessor of wealth, and 
 fine or costly raiment. In short, I want you to 
 feel that the style and richness of your attire is 
 a matter of little consequence, while to live in 
 the light of God's countenance, pleasing and 
 honoring him and growing in holiness and con 
 formity to his will, is to be desired and striven 
 for beyond everything else." 
 
 "Yes, papa," she said softly, "I will ask God 
 to help me to do so; and you will pray for me 
 too, won't you?" 
 
 "Indeed I will, my darling; we will kneel 
 down and ask him now; ask for help to keep from 
 indulging in worldly mindedness and vanity, 
 and that our earnest desire and effort may ever 
 be to serve and honor and glorify him in all our 
 words and ways." 
 
 "My own dear father," she said, when they 
 had risen from their knees, "I am sure that if 
 J don't grow up a good Christian the fault will
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 175 
 
 not be yours." Then, glancing at the bed 
 where Grace lay in a profound sleep, "I am so 
 glad and thankful that I am not feeble like poor, 
 dear Gracie, because if I had to go to bed and 
 to sleep so early as she almost always does, I'd 
 miss these nice talks from you. But, fortunately, 
 she doesn't need so much help to be good as I do, 
 Ah, papa, I've given you a great deal more 
 trouble to train me up right than she ever has, 
 or will." 
 
 "My darling," he said, "if you only grow up 
 to be a noble, useful Christian woman, such as 
 I hope one day to see you, I shall feel more than 
 repaid for all the anxiety, care, and trouble of 
 your training."
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 " GUESTS and entertainers, old and young, went 
 to church the next morning, riding, driving, or 
 walking, as best suited the inclination of each. 
 In the afternoon there was the usual gather 
 ing of the house servants and field hands on the 
 lawn, near the veranda, where the family and 
 guests were seated, and Mr. Dinsmore, Dr. 
 Landreth, and Captain Raymond each gave them 
 a little talk suited to their capacities, and the 
 sacredness of the day, and their needs as members 
 of the fallen race of man. 
 
 The captain, standing before them with an 
 open Bible in his hand, said, "My friends, I 
 want to talk with you a little, about some of the 
 words spoken by the Apostle Paul when he was 
 taking leave of the elders of the Church at 
 Ephesus. He told them that he had been testi 
 fying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, 
 repentance toward God and faith toward our 
 Lord Jesus Christ. Now, what is meant by re 
 pentance toward God? It is a feeling of true 
 sorrow for our sins against him (and everything 
 wrong we have done, or thought, or felt was a 
 ein against God). And what is it to have faith, 
 
 176
 
 EL8IE AT VIAMEDE. Ill 
 
 toward our Lord Jesus Christ? To believe in 
 him as one abundantly able and willing to save 
 us to save us from sin, from the love of it, 
 and the punishment due to us for it. We are 
 all sinners ; we have all come short o j the glory 
 of God, neglecting many things thai we ought 
 to have done, and doing very many tl ings that 
 we ought not to have done. We are all born 
 with a sinful nature, and God only can change 
 it, so^that we will hate sin and love holiness ; he 
 only can give us tru faith in his dear Son the 
 Lord Christ. 
 
 " 'By grace are ye saved through faith; and 
 that not of yourselve? it is the gift of God.' 
 We are saved by grace; it is only of God's 
 undeserved goodness, not because we have done 
 or can do anything pleasing in his sight. Paul 
 speaks in this same chapter of the Gospel of the 
 grace of God. Gospel means good news, and 
 what could be better news than that? that God 
 offers us salvation of his free, unmerited grace? 
 What an offer that is! salvation as his free, un 
 deserved gift, without money, and without price. 
 His offer is, 'Come unto me and be ye saved all 
 ye ends of the earth. ' No one is left out ; this 
 wonderful offer is to each one of us, and to every 
 other inhabitant of this world, so that if any 
 one fails to be saved, the fault will be all his 
 own. For God has said, 'I have no pleasure in 
 the death of him that dieth: wherefore turn
 
 178 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 yourselves and live ye.' And oh, how plain he 
 has made it that he does love us and would 
 have us live ! 'For God so loved the world that 
 he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever 
 believeth -a him should not perish, but have 
 everlastin life. ' " 
 
 The ser dee was not a long one, and when it 
 was over the captain repaired to the school 
 room with Lulu and Grace to hear them recite 
 their Bible verses and catechism. 
 
 When that duty had beer attended to, "Now, 
 daughters," he said, "if you have anything 
 to say, or questions suita le to the sacredness 
 of the day to ask, I am r ady to listen and re 
 ply to the best of my ability ; but even a child 
 may ask a question that a grown person cannot 
 answer," he added with a smile. 
 
 "Indeed, papa," said Grace, putting an arm 
 round his neck and laying her cheek lovingly to 
 his, "I think you do know 'most everything; 
 and I'm oh ! so glad God gave you to me for 
 my own father." 
 
 "I know you are, Grac ; .e, I'm sure of it; but 
 you can't be gladder than I am that he is my 
 father, too," said Lulu, lifting to his eyes full of 
 filial love and reverence. 
 
 "Nor than I am that these two little girls are 
 my very own," responded the captain, holding 
 both in a close embrace. "But no\v for the 
 questions."
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "I have one to ask, papa," said Lulu. "It is, 
 what does the Bible mean by growing in grace?'* 
 
 " Growing in likeness to Jesus and in conform 
 ity to his will; having more and more of the 
 love and fear of God in our hearts ; more faith 
 and patience, and more love to our fellow-crea 
 tures ; for the more we love the Master, the more 
 will we love those whom he died to redeem." 
 
 "And the more we love him, the more we will 
 try to be like him?" Lulu said in a tone of min 
 gled assertion and inquiry. 
 
 "Yes, my child; and it is the dearest wish of 
 my heart that I may see my children thus grow 
 ing in grace, and in likeness to the dear Mas 
 ter." 
 
 "Papa, I want to," said Grace softly; "oh, I 
 want to, very much !" 
 
 "Then ask God to help you, my darling, re 
 membering that he is the hearer and answerer 
 of prayer." 
 
 " And you will ask him for both of us, won't 
 you, papa?" 
 
 "I will, I do, my darling; there is never a 
 day when I do not pray earnestly for each one 
 of my dear children, that God will make them 
 his own true followers and keep them in every 
 time of trial and temptation, taking them safely 
 to heaven at last. Life in this world is exceed 
 ingly short compared with the eternal existence 
 which awaits us all in another that life of in.'
 
 180 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 finite joy and blessedness at God's right hand, 
 or of everlasting, untold misery, unending, in 
 conceivable anguish, in the blackness of dark 
 ness, shut out forever from his presence," he 
 added in moved tones. "God in his infinite 
 goodness and mercy grant that the first and not 
 the last may be the portion of each one of my 
 beloved children !" 
 
 "Oh, papa," said Grace softly, "how can any 
 one help loving the dear Saviour who died that 
 we might go to heaven and not to that other 
 awful place !" 
 
 "Oh," said Lulu, "I do want to love him 
 more and serve him better! When I think of 
 his wonderful goodness and love to us poor 
 sinners, I'm just as ashamed as I can be that I 
 don't love him at all as I ought, and am so often 
 ill-tempered and selfish and bad. Papa, I do 
 really think it is kind and good in you to pun 
 ish me when I deserve it, and need it to make 
 me a better girl. " 
 
 "And I shall be very glad indeed if you never 
 again make it necessaiy for me to do so," he 
 responded. 
 
 "I do hope I won't," she returned. "Papa, 
 I'm very much afraid I'll be thinking and talk 
 ing to-day about the wedding and what every 
 body is going to wear at it, and I know I won't 
 be in half so much danger of doing so if I keep 
 close to you; so mayn't I?"
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 181 
 
 "Yes, daughter; I am always glad to have 
 you near me," he said kindly; "and it pleases 
 me that you are desirous to avoid temptation to 
 do wrong." 
 
 " And you are just as willing to let me keep 
 near you, papa?" Grace said inquiringly, and 
 with a wistful, pleading look up into his face. 
 
 " Certainly, my dear little daughter. I love 
 you not a whit less than I do your sister," he 
 said, drawing her into a closer embrace. " How 
 ever, you may both stay here reading your Bi 
 bles and Sunday school books for a half hour 
 longer. Then I will come for you and you may 
 spend the rest of the day as close to your father's 
 side as you choose." With that he left them. 
 
 " Such a dear, good father as ours is !" ex 
 claimed Lulu, gazing after him with loving, ad 
 miring eyes. 
 
 "Yes, indeed! I am sure there couldn't be a 
 better or dearer one. Oh, I do love him so !" 
 said Grace, turning over the leaves of her Bible. 
 "Let's read verse about, Lu." 
 
 "I'm agreed; and let it be the Book of 
 Esther. I do think that is such a lovely story." 
 
 "So it is; and so is Ruth, and that's shorter. 
 I don't believe we'll have time to read all of 
 Esther before papa comes for us." 
 
 "Maybe not," assented Lulu; "so we will 
 read Ruth." 
 
 They had finished the story and were talking
 
 182 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 it over together when their father came. It 
 "was then nearly tea time. 
 
 Sacred music filled up most of the evening, 
 and all the young girls and boys retired early to 
 bed that they might be ready for the pleasures 
 and employments of the coming day. The older 
 people sat somewhat longer upon the veranda, 
 conversing upon topics suited to the sacredness 
 of the day. They were Christians, and loved to 
 speak of the Master and the things concerning 
 his kingdom. 
 
 "Then they that feared the Lord spake often 
 one to another: and the Lord hearkened and 
 heard it, and a book of remembrance was written 
 before him for them that feared the Lord and 
 that thought upon his name. And they shall be 
 mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when 
 I make up my jewels; and I will spare them as 
 a man spareth his own son that serveth him." 
 
 As usual, Lulu was up early the next morning, 
 and joined her father in a walk under the trees 
 along the bank of the bayou. 
 
 " Well, daughter, has the rest of the Sabbath 
 made you ready for work in the school-room 
 again?" he asked, smiling down affectionately 
 into her face, rosy, bright, and happy with health 
 and gay spirits. 
 
 "Yes, papa, I feel more like it than I did on 
 Saturday," she answered, lifting to his spark 
 ling eyes, full of affection.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAXEDE. 183 
 
 "I rejoice to hear it," he said; "for it is by 
 no means a pleasant task to me when I have to 
 compel a pupil whether one of my own chil- 
 ren or the child of someone else against his 
 or her inclination; though I enjoy teaching 
 when all are happy and interested." 
 
 " As we all ought to be when we have such a 
 good, kind, wise teacher, dear papa," she re 
 turned. "It will be difficult, very difficult, I'm 
 afraid, to give my mind to lessons when we are 
 all so much taken up with the preparations for the 
 wedding, but I'm determined to try my very 
 best to do so to please my dearest, kindest, 
 best of fathers," lifting his hand to her 
 lips. 
 
 "A father who would far rather be obeyed 
 from love than fear," he said, with a tender, 
 loving look down into her face. 
 
 " Yes, I know you would, papa, and my love 
 for you is, oh ! ever so much stronger than my 
 fear; though I own I am afraid of your displeas 
 ure and punishments, for I know you can 
 punish severely when you think it your duty 
 and for my good ; but I respect and love you 
 too a great deal more than I would or could if 
 you indulged me in bad behavior." 
 
 "I don't doubt it," he said; "and I, as I have 
 often told you, punish you when I deem it 
 Heedful, because I know you will be the happier 
 in the end for being compelled to try to con-
 
 184 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 quer your faults ; happier than you ever could be 
 if allowed to indulge them." 
 
 "Yes, papa, I know that is so; I am never 
 at all happy when indulging wrong tempers and 
 feelings," she acknowledged, with another lov 
 ing look up into his face. 
 
 At that moment they were joined by Evelyn 
 and Rosie. 
 
 " Brother Le vis," said Rosie, "you surely are 
 not going to be so unreasonable and tyrannical 
 as to require lessons of us to-day?" 
 
 "I'm afraid I am, little sister," he replied, 
 with a smile, "and I hope you are not going to 
 be so naughty and rebellious as to require any 
 kind of discipline?" 
 
 "I don't know," she said, with a pretended 
 pout; "I feel no inclination at all toward les 
 sons, but a very strong one in favor of a ride 
 or drive over to Magnolia Hall." 
 
 " Which can be gratified when study and rec 
 itations have been duly attended to," returned 
 the captain ; " and if in need of an escort you 
 may call upon me for that service." 
 
 "Oh, a thousand thanks! that will do very 
 well indeed!" she exclaimed in a tone of re 
 lief and pleasure. 
 
 "And all the good and industrious little girls 
 may go along," added the captain, with a smil 
 ing look into Lulu's eagerly inquiring face. 
 
 "Thank you, papa; thank you very much!'*
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 185 
 
 she exclaimed joyously. "I do want to go, and 
 intend to be as industrious as possible, and as 
 good and obedient, so that you can take me. 
 And you'll take Gracie too if she wants to go, 
 won't you?" 
 
 "Certainly," he said; "Gracie deserves all 
 the indulgences and pleasures I can give her.'* 
 
 "You are very kind indeed, Captain, to spend 
 so much of your time in teaching us to-day; for 
 I feel very sure you would enjoy going to Mag 
 nolia Hall with the other gentlemen and the 
 ladies this morning," remarked Evelyn, with a 
 grateful, affectionate look up into his face. 
 
 " Thank you, my dear," he replied. " It would 
 "be pleasant to me to go, but it is also a pleasure 
 to help my own children, and other appreciative 
 pupils, to climb the hill of science." 
 
 Just then Grace and little Elsie came run 
 ning to meet them, and the next minute the 
 breakfast bell summoned them all to the house. 
 
 After breakfast followed family worship, 
 school, play -time, then dinner, and, late in the 
 afternoon, the pleasant drive through the woods 
 to Magnolia Hall. It was only for a call, how 
 ever, and at tea-time the Viamede family and 
 all their guests gathered about the table there. 
 
 From then until the wedding day the young 
 folks were in a state of pleasurable excitement, 
 though the captain kept his pupils steadily at 
 their work, and they found it not impossible to
 
 186 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 fix their minds upon their studies for a por 
 tion of each day. The other relatives invited 
 had arrived, and in a few days the marriage 
 was to take place. 
 
 It was Saturday morning. Scarcely two hours 
 had been spent in the school-room when the cap 
 tain dismissed his pupils, telling them, with his 
 pleasant smile, that they had done very well in 
 deed, and would be allowed a holiday until the 
 wedding festivities were over, an announce 
 ment no one was sorry to hear, although he had 
 made the lessons interesting and enjoyable to 
 them as ever since undertaking the work of 
 teaching them. All returned warm thanks, and 
 Rosie, Evelyn, and Walter hastened from the 
 room, which Captain Raymond had already left ; 
 but his two little girls lingered there a while 
 longer, putting their desks in perfect order. 
 
 "Gracie," said Lulu, "how much money have 
 you left?" 
 
 "Not a single cent," was the reply in a rather 
 rueful tone; "and I suppose yours is all gone 
 too?" 
 
 "Yes; every cent of it. I feel as poor as a- 
 church mouse." 
 
 " But we are not wanting to buy anything 
 just now, and papa will be giving us some 
 pocket-money again pretty soon," returned 
 Grace in a determinedly cheerful tone. 
 
 " Yes, so he will ! Oh, what a dear, good,
 
 ELSIE A T VIAMEDE. 1 8 7 
 
 kind father he is ! I really don't believe there 
 are very many girls of our ages that get so 
 much pocket-money every week. And papa 
 gave us so much extra money too, to use in 
 buying our gifts for Cousin Betty." 
 
 " Oh, yes, and now I think of it, I don't be 
 lieve we ought to expect any more pocket- 
 money for a good while. Do you, Lu ?" 
 
 "No, I don't; for this wedding's costing a 
 good deal to papa as well as other folks ; and 
 the journey home will cost ever so much, besides 
 all that papa paid to bring us here. Then, too, 
 he's going to see Max again after we get home, 
 and will maybe take one or both of us along if 
 we're good.'* 
 
 "Oh, do you think so?" exclaimed Grace. 
 "Oh, I'd love to see Maxie! but if only one of 
 us can go it ought to be you, because you're 
 the oldest, and so well that it wouldn't give 
 papa half so much trouble to take care of you 
 as of me." 
 
 "I'm just sure papa doesn't think it any 
 trouble to take care of you, Gracie," returned 
 Lulu in her quick, earnest way. "And you 
 are a better girl than I, therefore more deserv 
 ing of such indulgences." 
 
 "That's a mistake of yours, Lu," said Grace; 
 "you've been good as gold ever since we came 
 to Viamede as well as before and helped papa 
 with your typewriter, while I haven't done
 
 188 ELBDn AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 anything but wait on him a little, and try to 
 learn my lessons well, and amuse the little ones 
 sometimes." 
 
 Lulu's face had grown very red while Grace 
 was speaking, and she hung her head in a shame 
 faced, remorseful way. 
 
 "No, Gracie," she said in alow, mortified 
 tone, "I haven't been half so good as you think; 
 I displeased papa very much that day when you 
 all went to Magnolia Hall, and I had to stay at 
 home and learn my lessons over. I was very 
 angry and cross with dear little Ned because 
 he meddled with my herbarium, which I had 
 carelessly left lying out on my desk. If papa 
 had punished me very severely it would have 
 been no more than I deserved, but all he did 
 was to send me to my room for a while till I 
 told him how sorry I was and asked forgiveness 
 of him, and Neddie, too." 
 
 Grace looked surprised. "No, I never heard 
 a word of it before," she said; "but I'm sure 
 you did all you could when you asked 
 forgiveness of both of them papa and 
 Keddie." 
 
 The little girls had no idea that their father 
 was within hearing, yet such was the case, and 
 their little talk pleased him greatly. 
 
 "The darlings!" he said to himself, "they 
 shall not be long penniless, for their father thinks 
 them very worthy to be trusted with pocket-
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 189 
 
 money. Two more unselfish children I am 
 sure it would be hard to find." 
 
 With that he rose and went to the library, to 
 which they presently followed him, asking 
 if there were anything he wanted them to 
 do. 
 
 " Why, it is your play-time, daughters," he 
 returned, with a loving smile into the bright 
 young faces. 
 
 " But we'd like to do something to help you, 
 dear papa," Grace said, laying her small, white 
 hand on his arm, and looking lovingly up into 
 his face. 
 
 "Yes, indeed we would, papa," said Lulu, 
 standing on his other side, and putting her arm 
 round his neck. " Please, if you have letters 
 to answer, mayn't I write them for you on my 
 typewriter?" 
 
 " Does my dear eldest daughter deem that a 
 privilege?" he asked, smiling down into her be 
 seeching eyes, while he put one arm round her, 
 the other about Grace's waist, and drew both in 
 between his knees, kissing first one and then the 
 other. 
 
 "Indeed I do, papa," Lulu answered in an 
 earnest tone; " it's very sweet to me to feel that 
 I am of even a little use to my dear, dear father, 
 who does so much for me, taking so much trou 
 ble to teach me, and gives me so many, many 
 nice things to eat, to wear, to read,^and to amuse
 
 190 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 myself with so many that it would take quite 
 a long while to count them all up." 
 
 "Ah, that reminds me," he said, taking out 
 his pocket-book, " I shouldn't wonder if my little 
 girls had about emptied their purses in buying 
 gifts for the bride that is to be, and so forth. 
 Get them out and let me see what can be done 
 toward replenishing them." 
 
 He noted with pleasure that as he spoke each 
 young face grew very bright. 
 
 "We've left them upstairs, papa," said Lulu, 
 "and though you're ever so kind," hugging and 
 kissing him again, "we don't want to take any 
 more now when you have to spend so very 
 much on the wedding, and to take us all home 
 to Woodburn." 
 
 "No, indeed we don't, you dear, dear papa,'* 
 chimed in Grace, nestling closer to him and pat 
 ting his cheek lovingly. 
 
 "My precious darlings!" he said, holding 
 them close, "your father can spare it without 
 denying himself or anybody else anything at all 
 needful; and he feels very sure that he could 
 not get more enjoyment out of it in any other 
 way. So get your purses and bring them here 
 to me," he concluded, releasing them from his 
 embrace. 
 
 They ran joyfully to do his bidding, and on 
 their return each found a little pile of money 
 waiting for her two clean, fresh one dollar
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 191 
 
 bills, two silver half dollars, four quarters, and 
 ten dimes; all looking as if just issued from 
 the mint. 
 
 "Oh! oh! oh!" they cried, "how much! and 
 all so bright and new!" Lulu adding, "Papa, 
 are you quite, quite sure you can really spare all 
 this without being embarrassed?" 
 
 "Yes, quite sure," he returned, regarding 
 her with a twinkle of fun in his eyes ; " I really 
 think I should not be greatly embarrassed if 
 called upon for twice as much." 
 
 At that Lulu drew a long breath of relief, 
 while Grace threw her arms about his neck, say 
 ing, " You dear, dear papa ! I don't believe any 
 other children ever had such a good, kind father 
 as ours." 
 
 ""Well, now, I really hope there are a great 
 many other fathers quite as good and kind as 
 yours," he said, with a smile, pinching the 
 round, rosy cheek, kissing the ruby lips, and 
 fondly stroking the soft, shining curls of her 
 pretty head. 
 
 "I hope so," said Lulu, "but I'm just sure 
 there's not another one I could love so, so 
 dearly as ours. I do think God was very good 
 to me in making me yours, papa. Your very 
 own little daughter." 
 
 "And me too," said Grace. 
 
 "Yes; good to me as well as to you," re 
 sponded the captain, "for my darlings seem to
 
 192 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 me the dearest, most lovable children in the 
 world. Well, Lulu daughter, you may help 
 me with your machine for a half hour, if you 
 wish." 
 
 " Oh, yes, papa ; yes, indeed ! I'll be glad to !" 
 she exclaimed, hastening to uncover it, put in 
 the paper, and seat herself before it, while her 
 father took up a letter, glanced over the con 
 tents, then began his dictation. 
 
 It was a business note and had no interest 
 for Grace, who presently wandered out upon the 
 Teranda with her well filled purse in her hand. 
 
 Grandma Elsie sat there alone, reading. 
 "What a bright, happy face, my little Gracie," 
 she said, glancing up from her book as the child 
 drew near. "Has some special good come to 
 you, dear?" 
 
 " Yes, ma'am ; see !" exclaimed the little girl, 
 displaying her well filled purse ; " it was empty, 
 and my dear papa has just filled it. You see, 
 Grandma Elsie," drawing near and lowering her 
 voice, " I was wanting to buy a few things for 
 good-by presents to some of the poor old colored 
 folks, but I'd spent every cent of my money and 
 thought I'd have to give it up ; and I'm oh, so 
 glad that I won't have to now. And Oh, Grand 
 ma Elsie, you and mamma will help me to 
 think what will be best to get for them, won't 
 you?" 
 
 "I will be very glad to do anything I can to
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 193 
 
 belp you, dear child," replied Grandma Elsie 
 in her low, sweet tones, and softly stroking the 
 golden curls as the little girl stood close at her 
 side. "Suppose you get a pencil and paper 
 from the school-room and make out a list of 
 those to whom you wish to give, and opposite to 
 each name the gift that seems most suitable." 
 
 Grace's reply was a joyful assent, and she 
 hurried away in search of the required articles. 
 
 She was not gone more than a very few min 
 utes, but on her return found that her Mamma 
 Vi, Rosie, and Evelyn had joined Grandma Elsie 
 on the veranda, had been told by her what was 
 the business in hand, and were desirous to have 
 a share in it. 
 
 They had a pleasant time over their lists, 
 each making out one for herself, while Lulu fin 
 ished the work she had undertaken for her 
 father. They decided to write to the city for 
 what was wanted, and that anyone else who 
 wished could send at the same time ; so that mat 
 ter was satisfactorily disposed of. 
 
 " Oh !" exclaimed Grace, struck by a sudden 
 thought, " suppose I run to the library and tell 
 papa and Lu about it, and get him to tell her 
 what to say, and let her write on the typewriter 
 for the things?" 
 
 Everyone thought it an excellent idea, and 
 Grace immediately carried it out. 
 
 "I quite approve," her father said, when she 
 had told her story and made her request.
 
 194 ELSIE AT V1AMEDE. 
 
 "I too," said Lulu, "and I'll join you if papa 
 will help me to decide what to buy. I'll write 
 the letter too, if he will tell me what to say." 
 
 "I am entirely willing to do both, daughter," 
 he said. " Let us set to work at once, as it will 
 soon be dinner-time, and I want to take my 
 little girls out for a drive this afternoon." 
 
 " Oh, thank you, papa, thank you very much !" 
 they cried in joyous tones. 
 
 "Is anybody else going, papa?" asked Lulu. 
 
 "Your Grandma Elsie, Mamma Vi, and our 
 little ones, in our carriage ; as many more as 
 may wish to go either in other carriages or on 
 horseback. Perhaps you would prefer to ride 
 your pony?" 
 
 "No, sir; not if you are to be in the carriage 
 I may ride in." 
 
 "Ah, you are very fond of being with your 
 father," he said, with a pleased smile. 
 
 "Yes, sir; yes, indeed! just as close as I can 
 get," stroking and patting his cheek, then pres 
 sing her lips to it in an ardent kiss, 
 
 "And it's exactly the same with me, you dear, 
 darling papa !" exclaimed Grace, putting an arm 
 round his neck. "And it's exactly the same 
 with every one of your children from bigMaxie 
 down to baby Ned." 
 
 "I believe it is, and it makes me very happy 
 to think so," he replied. "But now, my dears. 
 we must to work on our list of articles."
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 IT was a large party that set out from Via 
 mede shortly after leaving the dinner-table. 
 Most of the young people among them Chester, 
 Frank, Maud, and Sydney Dinsmore, Evelyn 
 Leland, Rosie and Walter Travilla preferred 
 riding. 
 
 These, having swifter steeds, presently dis 
 tanced the rest of the riders, as well as those 
 who were driving, and in passing a plantation, 
 which was the home of Nettie Vance, an old 
 school-mate of the Viamede young folks at the 
 time, several years before, of their attendance 
 at Oakdale Academy, they were joined by her 
 and a young man whom she introduced as her 
 brother, both well mounted and looking merry 
 and happy. 
 
 "Bob and I were just starting out for a ride," 
 ehe said, "and consider ourselves fortunate in 
 meeting with such good company. May I take 
 my place alongside of you, Miss Leland? I have 
 a bit of news to tell which I think will interest 
 you and Miss Travilla. It is that Signer Foresti, 
 who, as you will doubtless remember, was a 
 teacher of music anything but an agreeable 
 
 195
 
 196 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE, 
 
 one, by the way at Oakdale Academy when we 
 were there together, is quite ill, partly from an 
 accident, partly from drink, and extremely poor. 
 I must say I hardly pity him very much for that 
 last, but I do feel sorry for his wife and chil 
 dren." 
 
 " I too," said Evelyn. " I wish it were in my 
 power to relieve them, but my purse is about 
 empty just at present. However, I will report 
 the matter at Viamede, and I am sure the kind 
 friends there will see that something is done 
 toward supplying their pressing needs." 
 
 "Yes," returned Nettie, "I have heard a 
 great deal of the kindness and benevolence of 
 Mrs. Travilla and her father; of Captain Ray 
 mond's also; though I for one could hardly 
 blame him if he utterly refused to give any 
 assistance to a man who had abused his daughter 
 as Foresti did Lulu." 
 
 "Nor I," said Evelyn; "yet I feel almost 
 certain that he will assist Foresti. He would 
 not let the wife and children suffer for the man's 
 ill deeds, nor indeed the man himself, unless I 
 am greatly mistaken ; for the captain is a truly 
 Christian gentleman." 
 
 "Indeed he is," said Rosie, "and very benev 
 olent; exceedingly kind to the poor; to any 
 one who is in distress of any kind. I am very 
 proud of that brother-in-law of mine, Nettie, 
 and don't care who knows it."
 
 ELSIE AT VIANEDE. 197 
 
 "I do not wonder at that," returned Nettie. 
 u I certainly should be if he were mine; it is 
 very plain from the way in which Lulu and 
 Gracie look at him that they are both fond and 
 proud of their father." 
 
 "Nor do I wonder at it," said Robert Vance, 
 joining in the conversation. "Nettie pointed 
 him out to me at church last Sunday, and I re 
 marked then that he was as fine looking a man 
 as ever I saw ; tall, straight, handsome in feature, 
 and of most noble countenance." 
 
 "Thank you," Rosie said, with a smile and a 
 bow. "I think him all that, and as noble in 
 character as in looks. It is my opinion that my 
 sister^Violet drew a prize in the matrimonial 
 lottery; and the captain also, for Vi is in every 
 way worthy of him." 
 
 "Surely," returned the young man, "one 
 glance at her is sufficient to assure one of that." 
 
 Rosie and Evelyn then asked where the 
 Forestis were to be found, and what were their 
 most pressing needs, and having learned those 
 particulars, promised that someone from Via- 
 mede would call to see and relieve them, Rosie 
 adding, with a smile, "We, as you probably 
 know, are busy with preparations for a wedding 
 in the family, yet I have no doubt some one or 
 more among us could find time to attend to this 
 call for help." 
 
 "Yes," said Walter, who had been quietly
 
 198 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 listening to" the talk, "mamma will be sure to 
 find time for such an act of kindness; she 
 always does." 
 
 "I am sure of it," responded Nettie heartily, 
 "from her sweet looks and all I have heard of 
 her. And so your cousin, Miss Johnson, is 
 going to be married?" she added, looking at 
 Rosie. "We received our invitations yester 
 day, and are busy with our preparations. It 
 must be delightful to have such a thing coming 
 off in the family; particularly to be the bride; 
 for I hear it is to be quite a grand affair and the 
 match an excellent one." 
 
 "Yes," returned Rosie, "we are all much 
 pleased with what we have heard of the gentle 
 man, and I hope they are going to be very happy 
 together. " 
 
 "I hope so, indeed," responded Nettie. "I 
 am but slightly acquainted with Miss Johnson, 
 but have always liked her looks." 
 
 It was near tea-time when the Viamede party 
 reached home again; the ladies and little girls 
 had barely time to dress for the evening before 
 the summons to the table. 
 
 It was while all where seated about it that 
 Rosie and Evelyn told of the news learned from 
 Nettie Vance in regard to Signor Foresti and 
 his family. 
 
 "Ah, poor things! we must do something for 
 them," Grandma Elsie said, when the story was
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 199 
 
 finished. " Papa, shall we stop there to-morrow 
 on our way to or from church? It would be a 
 work of mercy suited to the day, I v think. Do 
 not you?" 
 
 "Yes," replied Mr. Dinsmore; "and it might 
 be well to carry a basket of provisions with us." 
 
 Lulu had listened in silence while the others 
 were talking, and all through the evening she 
 had but little to say, seeming much of the time 
 lost in thought, though usually she was quite 
 talkative, unless, as occasionally happened, 
 checked by a slight reminder from her father 
 that it would be more becoming in a child of 
 her age to show herself a quiet listener to 
 older people. 
 
 The captain noticed her abstraction, but, 
 guessing at the cause, said nothing about it till 
 they were alone together in her bedroom; then, 
 drawing her to his knee, "My little girl has 
 been unusually silent this evening," he said. 
 "Is anything wrong with her?" 
 
 She drew a long sigh. " I have been trying 
 to decide a question of duty, papa," she said, 
 " and, please I'd like you to tell me what to do." 
 
 "In regard to what, daughter?" 
 
 " Giving a part of my money the money you 
 put into my purse this morning to to the For- 
 estis." 
 
 " I think it would be right and kind for you 
 to do so Do not vou?"
 
 200 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "Yes, sir; and I will do it," she said with 
 sudden determination. "It will be returning 
 good for evil, as the Bible bids us; won't it, 
 papa?" 
 
 "Yes; and I think will help you to forgive 
 the man for his ill treatment of my dear little 
 daughter," drawing her closer and kissing her 
 fondly. 
 
 "Yes, sir; even the resolve hae made me feel 
 more kindly toward him. How much ought I 
 to give, papa? I hardly think I'll have very 
 much left after I've paid for the presents I've 
 sent for, for the servants here." 
 
 "No, not a very great deal, I presume; but 
 you are not likely to need much before there will 
 be more pocket-money coming to you." 
 
 "Oh, no, sir, I'll not, of course, because my 
 dear, dear father provides everything I need to 
 eat or wear, and pays my travelling expenses 
 too, so that I'm not really obliged to spend any 
 thing on myself," she said, putting an arm 
 about his neck and laying her cheek lovingly 
 to his. "Papa, do you think a dollar will be 
 enough for me to give the Forestis?" 
 
 " You may decide that question for yourself, 
 my darling," he said, patting her cheek and 
 stroking her hair; "I leave it entirely to you to 
 give much, little, or nothing, as conscience and 
 inclination dictate." 
 
 "Thank you, papa; you are very kind to say
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 201 
 
 that; but please tell me if you think a dollar 
 will be enough for me?" 
 
 "Yes, I do," was his reply, and Lulu looked 
 satisfied and relieved. 
 
 "I'm glad, papa," she said, "for I really do 
 not know that I shall have more than that left 
 after paying for the presents for the servants; 
 and of course I can't give more than I have." 
 
 " Quite true," he returned, with a slight smile. 
 u I would have you make it a rule never to go 
 into debt for your own gratification or for any 
 other object. 'Out of debt, out of danger,' is 
 an old and wise saying. Now, daughter, it is 
 time to say good-night ; but first let me remind 
 you that to-morrow is the Lord's day, and to be 
 kept holy. Try not to think of the exciting 
 events expected in the coming week, but to spend 
 the time in the worship of God and the study 
 of his word, that you may grow in grace and 
 conformity to his will, thus becoming 'meet for 
 the inheritance of the saints in light,' and ready, 
 when he shall call you away from earth, to dwell 
 forever with him in that holy, happy land where 
 sin and sorrow are unknown. We will kneel 
 down together now for a moment and ask him to 
 help us both to do so, 'running with patience 
 the race set before us, ever looking unto Jesus 
 the author and finisher of our faith. ' ' 
 
 Sunday was passed by the Viamede family in 
 the usual quiet way, most of its hours filled up
 
 202 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 with divine service in the sanctuary or at home, 
 and all retired to rest at an early hour, to rise 
 the next morning in renewed health and 
 strength, the children rejoicing in their holi 
 day and the near approach of the wedding 
 festivities. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Dinsraore had the day before, 
 on their way to church, called upon the Italian 
 music teacher, taking with them delicacies for 
 the sick man, and other articles of food for the 
 rest of the family; some money also, in which 
 was included Lulu's dollar; and finding the 
 services of a physician were needed, had en 
 gaged to send one. 
 
 Dr. Dick Percival undertook the errand, 
 made a professional call, and on his return re 
 ported the man quite ill, but likely to recover 
 with good and competent nursing. He went 
 over again on Monday morning, but called first 
 at Viamede to report to his uncle Dinsmore and 
 the captain. 
 
 Lulu was present at the interview and heard 
 with interest all that Cousin Dick had to tell 
 about the signer and his family. 
 
 "There are three children," said Dick "for 
 lorn looking little creatures, with apparently no 
 playthings except a few broken bits of china, 
 and for doll babies, some corn cobs wrapped 
 in rags." 
 
 "Oh, papa," exclaimed little Elsie, seated
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 203 
 
 Upon her father's knee, "mayn't I send dem 
 gome of my dollies?" 
 
 "Yes, if you want to do so, "he replied, smil 
 ing 'upon her, and smoothing her curls caress 
 ingly with his hand. 
 
 "And I will hunt up some playthings for 
 them too, if I may, papa," said Lulu. 
 
 " Certainly," he said ; " you may do so at once, 
 and we three and Gracie will drive over there in 
 the carriage, which I will order immediately; 
 that is, if Cousin Dick does not object to our 
 company?" 
 
 " Not by any means, Captain ; I shall be de 
 lighted to have it," said Dr. Percival. "And 
 will you drive over with me, Art?" turning to 
 Dr. Conley. 
 
 " With pleasure, Dick," was the reply, and in 
 a short time all were on their way, the children 
 well laden with toys and sweets for the little 
 Forestis. 
 
 Violet had been invited to accompany her 
 husband, but. declined because of some prepara 
 tions still to be made for the wedding. Little 
 Ned, however, had no such excuse, and gladly 
 made one of the merry little party in his father's 
 carriage. 
 
 Dr. Percival, having other patients needing 
 his attention, said he intended to make but a 
 short call upon the Italian, and the captain did 
 not think it worth while for his children to
 
 204 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 alight; but from the carriage they witnessed 
 with delight the pleasure conferred upon the 
 little Forestis by their gifts. 
 
 Captain Raymond left them for a few mo 
 ments while he went in to see the sick man, to 
 whom he spoke with the utmost kindness, con 
 doling with him on his sufferings, and inquiring 
 if they were very great. 
 
 "De bains ish ver bad, sare," replied the 
 man, with a heavy sigh. Then, with an earnest 
 look into the captain's face, his own flushing 
 hotly, " You, sare, ish de fader off Mees Lu Ray 
 mond?" he said inquiringly. 
 
 "I am, sir," replied the captain with some 
 sternness of look and tone. 
 
 " Mees Lu, she bees one goot leetle girl for 
 send me that monish yesterday," continued 
 Foresti ; " dot make me ver sorry I haf so leetle 
 batience mit her dat time she sthrike me mit de 
 music book." 
 
 "Yes," said Captain Raymond, "and I trust 
 that when you are again able to teach you will 
 try to be more patient and forbearing with your 
 pupils. It will be better for both you and 
 them." 
 
 " Yes, sare, I vill try dat blan ; but mine ba 
 tience bees sorely dried mit de mishtakes off 
 dose careless bupils I haf to teach." 
 
 "I dare say that is true," said the captain, 
 " but one who finds it impossible to have patience
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 20* 
 
 with pupils, should try some other way of mak 
 ing a livelihood than by teaching." 
 
 In another minute or two the captain left not 
 waiting for the doctors, who were, as he knew, 
 going in another direction re-entered his? 
 carriage, and started on the return trip to 
 Viamede. 
 
 "Papa," asked Lulu, "can't we take a little 
 different route going home?" 
 
 "Yes," he replied in an indulgent tone, and 
 gave the necessary directions to the driver. 
 
 It was a pleasant, shady road into which they 
 presently turned, and the children chatted and 
 laughed right merrily, receiving no rebuke from 
 their father and fearing none. 
 
 They had not gone far on that road when 
 they espied two horsemen approaching from the 
 opposite direction. 
 
 "Oh," cried little Elsie, "here come Cousia 
 Ronald and Uncle Horace." 
 
 "An unexpected meeting, Captain," Mr.Dins- 
 more remarked, with a bow and smile as they 
 drew near. 
 
 "But none the less pleasant," returned Cap 
 tain Raymond* 
 
 "Very true, sir," said Mr. Lilburn, bowing 
 and smiling in his turn. 
 
 "For the captain and you young folks, no 
 doubt, but a trifle less delightful for us who 
 have the load to carry," seemed to come from
 
 206 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 the mouth of one of the horses as he tossed his 
 head to shake off a fly. 
 
 "True enough, Selim. You doubtless envy 
 me with only this gentleman to carry ; and I pity 
 you from the bottom of my heart ; only that it 
 must be good fun to hear those little folks chat 
 ting and laughing," was the answering remark 
 apparently made by the horse ridden by Mr. Lil- 
 burn, speaking as they passed the captain's car 
 riage. 
 
 Lulu and Grace clapped their hands, laughing 
 merrily, while baby Ned exclaimed, with a look 
 of astonishment, "Me didn't fink horsey could 
 talk like udder folks!" 
 
 "Oh, yes! but why did they never do it 
 before?" cried little Elsie. "Papa, did you 
 know they could talk?" 
 
 " I never heard them do so before, daugh 
 ter," the captain said, with an amused smile 
 down into the earnest, surprised little face, 
 "and I suspect that it is only when Cousin 
 Konald is about that they can."
 
 [CHAPTER XII. 
 
 RIDES, drives, sports of various kinds, and 
 preparations for the wedding, made the time pass 
 very rapidly and pleasantly to the young folks 
 at Viamede, Magnolia Hall, and the Parsonage, 
 until at length all was in readiness for the ex 
 pected festivities. 
 
 The ceremony was to be performed at the 
 church, the Rev. Cyril Keith officiating, and 
 to be immediately succeeded by a wedding 
 breakfast on the lawn at Magnolia Hall. That 
 was to be about noon, so did not interfere with 
 the usual morning meal and family devotions at 
 Viamede. 
 
 When these had been attended to, the ladies 
 and young girls scattered to their rooms to dress 
 for the important occasion. 
 
 It had been arranged that Grace Raymond and 
 Rose Lacy were to act as flower girls, dressed in 
 white tarlatan, and white hats trimmed with 
 white ribbon, and each carrying a basket filled 
 with white roses, white japonicas, and smilax. 
 Rose Travilla, Evelyn Leland, and Lulu Ray 
 mond, dressed as had been planned at the first, 
 were to act as bridesmaids, while Lora Howard, 
 
 307
 
 208 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 Maud and Sydney Dinsmore, were to be maids 
 of honor, dressed in white, and carrying bou 
 quets of white flowers. 
 
 Betty's own dress was a rich white silk, 
 trimmed with elegant and costly lace the gift 
 of her brother-in-law, Mr. Embury and a tulle 
 veil, fastened to her head with a wreath of orange 
 blossoms. Her bouquet was of bride roses and 
 smilax. The Dinsmore and Howard cousins 
 were to act as ushers and groomsmen. 
 
 All this had been satisfactorily arranged, and 
 rehearsals gone through with several times at 
 Magnolia Hall and Viamede, that each one might 
 be perfect in his or her part; otherwise timid 
 little Gracie could not have been induced to 
 undertake her share in the ceremony. 
 
 When she and Lulu were dressed for the oc 
 casion they went in search of their father to ask 
 his opinion of their appearance and attire. He 
 scanned each daintily attired, graceful little fig 
 ure with a look of proud, fond affection, clasped 
 them in his arms and kissed them tenderly. 
 
 " My darlings look very sweet in their father's 
 eyes," he said; "but do not be too proud of your 
 appearance, for fathers are apt to see their own 
 children through rose-colored glasses; and it 
 is not very likely that you will attract particular 
 attention among so many attendants upon the 
 bride, who will doubtless be gazed upon more 
 admiringly and critically than anyone else."
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 209 
 
 "I'm ever so glad of that, papa," Gracie said, 
 with a sigh of relief; "because I dou't like to 
 be viewed with a critic's eye," she concluded 
 with a merry, though slightly disturbed little 
 laugh. 
 
 "Well, dear child, just try to forget yourself , 
 and I have no doubt everything will go right," 
 he said, drawing both her and Lulu closer into 
 his arms for a little more petting and caress 
 ing. 
 
 That was interrupted by the entrance of 
 their mamma Vi, coming upon the same errand 
 that had brought them. 
 
 "Will I do, my dear?" she asked, with a 
 bright, winsome smile. 
 
 "Ah, my Violet, my sweet and beautiful 
 flower," he returned, regarding her with ardently 
 admiring eyes, " I fear you will outshine the 
 bride. You look very like one yourself, except 
 a most becoming air of maturity; scarcely older 
 and certainly not less beautiful than when you 
 gave yourself to me." 
 
 "And accepted you in return; deeds which I 
 have never yet for a moment regretted," she said, 
 with a coquettish smile up into his face ; for he 
 had put his little girls gently aside and risen to 
 take a critical survey of his young and beautiful 
 wife. 
 
 "And never shall if in my power to prevent 
 It, my love, my darling," he said low and ten-
 
 210 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 derly, laying a hand upon her shoulder, and 
 bending down to press a fond kiss upon her lips. 
 
 They were in the library, whither the cap 
 tain had gone, after arraying himself for the 
 wedding festival, to wait for the ladies and 
 damsels who were to go under his care. 
 
 "Ah, Brother Levis, I have caught you in the 
 very act," laughed Rosie, dancing into the room, 
 already in bridesmaid's attire, and looking but 
 little less attractive than Violet herself. 
 
 " Ah ! and what of that, little sister?" he asked. 
 " Who has a better right than her husband to 
 bestow caresses upon a beautiful and attractive 
 woman?" 
 
 " Captain Raymond, being my teacher, has an 
 undoubted right to question me in the school 
 room," laughed Rosie, with an arch look up 
 into his face, "but I don't know that he has 
 here and now. Now please let me have your 
 candid opinion of my dress and appearance," 
 
 "You will do very well, little sister; there is 
 no fault to be found with your appearance, so 
 far as I can see," he answered in a non-committal 
 tone, and with a mischievous twinkle of fun in 
 his eye. 
 
 At that Rosie pretended to pout. " You keep 
 all your compliments for Vi," she said. " But 
 ah, here comes Eva, and I wonder if you can 
 afford one to her. She is certainly worthy of it. " 
 
 Evelyn did indeed look sweet and fair in a
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 211 
 
 becoming white chip hat and her pretty dress of 
 pale blue silk trimmed with lovely lace. 
 
 Rosie's own dress was a delicate pink ; Lulu's 
 canary color; all of the same material. 
 
 "That she is, in my opinion," returned the 
 captain, bestowing a fatherly caress upon the 
 young orphan girl, then offering the same to 
 Rosie. 
 
 " Well, now, you are a nice brother my big, 
 big brother, you remember," she laughed, "so I 
 won't repulse you; help yourself and let us have 
 it over." 
 
 Just at that moment her mother came in, 
 dressed for the wedding in a beautiful pearl- 
 colored silk and point lace, a knot of white roses 
 at her throat and in her belt, her lovely and 
 abundant golden brown hair simply and taste 
 fully arranged. 
 
 "Mamma!" exclaimed Violet, "you are the 
 most beautiful and tastefully attired one among 
 us!" 
 
 "In the partial eyes of my daughter Violet," 
 was the smiling rejoinder. "But to me her 
 youthful beauty far exceeds her mother's fading 
 charms.". 
 
 " I incline to the opinion that the fading is 
 perceptible to no eyes but your own, mother," 
 remarked the captain gallantly. 
 
 "I also," said Violet; "a rieher, riper bloom 
 is all that I can see."
 
 212 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 " Or that anybody else can," added Walter, 
 who, ready dressed for the wedding, had entered 
 the room just in time to catch Violet's first ex 
 clamation. 
 
 Then the other members of the family and 
 the guests came flocking in, the carriages were 
 announced as waiting for their living freight, 
 and presently all were seated in them and on 
 their way to the church, which they found 
 crowded with invited guests and other spec 
 tators. 
 
 The ceremony was short, but impressive. 
 Bride, bridesmaids, flower girls, and maids of 
 honor were all looking their best, and behaved 
 admirably; groom, groomsmen, and[ushers also, 
 among whom were a brother and an intimate 
 friend of the bridegroom, the young cousins 
 Arthur and Walter Howard, Chester and Frank 
 Dinsmore, and little Walter Travilla. 
 
 Old Mr. Dinsmore, the uncle and guardian of 
 the bride, gave her away, and was the first to 
 salute, and call her by her new name on the com 
 pletion of the ceremony, the first to congratulate 
 the groom, and wish them a great deal of happi 
 ness. 
 
 Other affectionate greetings and best wishes 
 followed in quick succession ; then the carriages 
 were re-entered, and all drove to Magnolia Hall 
 to partake of the wedding breakfast. 
 
 The place was looking its very loveliest: the
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 213 
 
 grass on the lawn like a velvet carpet of emerald 
 green, spangled with many flowers of varied 
 hues, which filled the air with delicious per 
 fume, and there, scattered about underneath 
 the magnolia, orange, and other beautiful shade 
 trees, were many small tables resplendent with 
 the finest napery, shining [silver, cut glass, and 
 delicate china, and loaded with delicate and de 
 licious viands. 
 
 Presently every table was surrounded by a 
 merry group quite disposed to do justice to the 
 tempting fare, and the air filled with the pleas 
 ant hum of happy voices and low, gleeful 
 laughter. 
 
 The bride and groom, with their attendants, 
 were seated about two tables not many feet 
 apart, while the older members of the Viamede 
 family and Cousin Ronald occupied another, 
 quite near to both; and Mr. Embury and his 
 Molly, with the Parsonage family, Virginia and 
 the older Embury children, filled a third, not 
 far from either of the others, when presently 
 Nero, a, great big Newfoundland dog belonging 
 to Mr. Embury, showed himself at his master's 
 side, looking up wistfully into his face. 
 
 "Pm hungry, good master," were the words 
 that seemed to come from his lips, " and surely 
 your faithful dog might have a taste of this 
 feast.*' 
 
 At that some of the guests looked startled and
 
 214 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 astounded, too much surprised to speak, but Mr. 
 Embury, who was not ignorant of Cousin Ron 
 ald's talents, though a little startled at first, 
 recovered his wits instantly, and replying, " Cer 
 tainly, certainly, Nero; that's only fair," handed 
 the dog a generous bit of chicken, and bade him 
 carry it to a distance and eat it. An order 
 which was promptly obeyed. 
 
 "Ah ha, ah ha, um h'm! that's a bright and 
 capable dog, Mr. Embury," remarked Cousin 
 Ronald, elevating his eyebrows in mock sur 
 prise. "What would you take for him, sir?" 
 
 "He is not for sale, Mr. Lilburn," was Mr. 
 Embury's grave rejoinder. "You must surely 
 see for yourself, sir, that he is no ordinary dog, 
 but an uncommonly valuable animal. There 
 are not many of his race who can speak so 
 plainly." 
 
 "Ah ha, ah ha, umh'm! that is very true, 
 sir. I don't wonder you are not inclined to 
 part with him, for it is no easy matter to find a 
 dog that can speak such good English, nor for 
 that matter any other language." 
 
 "No, sir, they are scarce indeed," said Mr. 
 Embury, " and I had no idea Nero was one of 
 them until he spoke just now." 
 
 "Ah, I'm afraid the power of speech will be 
 lost by him as suddenly as it was found," 
 remarked Mrs. Embury with a low, gleeful 
 laugh."
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 215 
 
 * There must certainly be a ventriloquist 
 among us, "remarked the groom, with a search 
 ing look at Cousin Ronald. 
 
 "Ah, do you really think so, sir?" inquired 
 Mr. Lilburn gravely, " and would you do me 
 the favor to point him out?" 
 
 "Well, sir, I cannot say that I am absolutely 
 certain, but strongly incline to the opinion that 
 he sits in the chair occupied by yourself." 
 
 " Indeed, sir, I didna think I filled the place 
 so ill that room could be found in it for another 
 mon!" exclaimed Mr. Lilburn, again raising 
 his eyebrows like one astonished, then sending 
 a downward glance over his own portly person, 
 and assuming so comical an expression of coun 
 tenance that no one could see it without smiling 
 or laughing outright. 
 
 So fully was he absorbing the attention of 
 all that no one noticed the return of Nero until 
 words were again heard apparently issuing 
 from his lips. 
 
 "That was a nice morsel, master, but not 
 enough to satisfy the appetite of a dog of my 
 size; so another bit, sir, if you please." 
 
 " Yes, sir, you shall have it, since you ask so 
 politely," returned Mr. Embury, handing him 
 another and larger piece of the chicken, "but 
 carry it off where there will be no danger of 
 contact with wedding finery." 
 
 Nero obeyed, and as he trotted away, a voice
 
 2 1 6 ELSIE A T VIAMEDE. 
 
 that seemed to come from behind Mr. Embury, 
 said whiningly: 
 
 "I'm hungry too, sir, and surely a human 
 creature should be treated at least as well as a 
 dog." 
 
 At that Mr. Embury turned suddenly round 
 as if to see the speaker, nearly everyone else 
 doing likewise, but no beggar was in 
 sight. 
 
 "Well, sir," he said, "I cannot give to an in 
 visible suppliant; show yourself if you want 
 anything." 
 
 " Sir," replied the voice, now seeming to come 
 from a clump of bushes near at hand, "I'm not 
 used to begging, and don't want to be seen. 
 Can you not send a servant here with a plateful 
 of your most toothsome viands?" 
 
 "Quite a modest request, sir," returned Mr. 
 Embury, laughing. "But I think you will 
 have to wait till the servants have more leisure ; 
 at present they are all fully occupied in wait 
 ing upon my guests." 
 
 "But then you'll let him have something to 
 eat, won't you, papa?" pleaded little Mary 
 Embury. "You never do turn anybody away 
 hungry." 
 
 "Certainly not, little daughter; if he could 
 be found he should be fed." 
 
 "But shan't I drive him out, sir?" queried a 
 servant man; "wedoan' want no beggahs 'bout
 
 ELSIE A T VIAMEDE. 2 1 7 
 
 yar Dey mout help deirselfs to some o' de 
 silvah when nobody aint lookin V 
 
 "Well, Bill, you might drive him out; he's 
 perhaps a tramp watching his opportunity to 
 help himself." 
 
 Bill, well pleased with the errand, set down 
 with alacrity the dish he carried, and hurried 
 toward the clump of bushes that apparently con 
 cealed the tramp. " Ki, you ole tief you !" he 
 cried, "git long out ob dis; nobody doan' want 
 yo' hyar! I'se break yo' skull fo' yo' ef ye doan 
 be gone putty quick !" 
 
 He pulled apart the bushes as he spoke, but 
 instantly started back in astonishment and terror 
 as he perceived that no one was concealed 
 there. 
 
 " Whar dat fellah dun gone?" he exclaimed. 
 " Dis chile doan' see nobody dar nohow 'tall !" 
 
 "Ha, ha! you don't look in the right place," 
 cried the same voice that had begged for food 
 a moment before, the speaker seeming to be 
 directly behind him; and Bill wheeled about 
 with unusual alacrity with the intention of seiz 
 ing his tormentor, but turned almost white with 
 terror on perceiving that no one was there. 
 
 " Wha wha wha dat raskil done gone?" he 
 exclaimed, "t'ot he right dar, an' he aint no- 
 whar 'bout." 
 
 "Nevermind, Bill; it seems he has saved you 
 the trouble of driving him off," said Mr. Em-
 
 218 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 bury, " and you may come back to your duties. 
 More coffee is wanted here." 
 
 Bill obeyed, but on bis return witb tbe coffee 
 kept glancing apprebensively in the direction of 
 the bushes. 
 
 "I wonder where the man did go!" ex 
 claimed little Mary presently. "I've been 
 watching, and don't know how he could get 
 away without being seen." 
 
 "Beggars are sometimes very quick at hid 
 ing, little lassie," remarked Mr. Lilburn. 
 
 "Ha, ha! so they are!" cried the voice of the 
 beggar, sounding as though he stood just be 
 hind her chair. 
 
 " Oh !" she exclaimed, with a start and a back 
 ward glance. "Why, where is he? I don't see 
 him at all." 
 
 "Don't be frightened, daughter," Mr. Em 
 bury said in an encouraging tone. 
 
 "No, bit lassie, he's not dangerous," re 
 marked Mr. Lilburn, with a reassuring 
 smile. 
 
 " Oh, do you know him, sir?" she asked, look 
 ing up inquiringly into his face. 
 
 "I didna see him," replied the old gentleman 
 laughingly, "but judging by his voice I think I 
 know who he is a quiet, inoffensive country 
 men o' me ain." 
 
 "Ah, yes, a rather intimate acquaintance of 
 yours, sir, is he not?" queried Norton, with a
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 219 
 
 searching look into the face of the old gentle 
 man and a half mocking smile. 
 
 " I think I may have heard the voice before, 
 sir," Mr. Lilburn replied with unmoved counte 
 nance. " It is not unusual for beggars to accost 
 one who is by no means o' the same class as them 
 selves. In fact, as ony body can see, it would 
 be useless to ask alms o' those no richer than 
 themselves." 
 
 "Ah, true enough, sir!" was the reply. 
 
 Meanwhile, many mirthful glances had been 
 exchanged by those particularly the young 
 folks acquainted with the secret of Cousin 
 Ronald's peculiar talent, and the guests at more 
 distant tables were looking on with a good deal 
 of curiosity. Bill was presently questioned as 
 he passed them on his way to and from the 
 kitchen. " What was it you saw yonder in that 
 bush, Bill?" 
 
 "Nothin' 'tall, sah." 
 
 "But you seemed frightened; you looked 
 scared." 
 
 "Dat's de reason, sah ; somebody talkin' an' 
 nobody dare." 
 
 "Why, how was that, Bill?" queried another 
 voice. 
 
 "Dunno, sah; maybe witches roun'; 'spect 
 dat de splanation ob de mattah." 
 
 " Oh, of course," laughed the gentleman ; " but 
 one hardly expects such company at a wedding."
 
 220 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 Questions were put to Mr. and Mrs. Embury 
 and others as the guests drew together again 
 upon the conclusion of the meal, but no satis 
 factory answers were elicited. 
 
 A reception occupied some hours after that, 
 then all returned to their homes, to meet again 
 at Viamede in the evening, where a beautiful 
 and bountiful entertainment awaited them. 
 
 The next evening a smaller party was given 
 at the Parsonage, and on the following after 
 noon the bride and groom took their departure 
 for a little trip northward, expecting to settle 
 down in their own home upon their return.
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 IT was only the next day after the departure of 
 Betty and her husband that a letter was received 
 by Mrs. Cyril Keith, informing her of the death, 
 of her aunt Delaford, leaving the bulk of her 
 large fortune to her, and a fat legacy to each 
 of the Conley brothers Calhoun, Arthur, Wal 
 ter, and Ralph and the sisters Virginia and 
 Ella. 
 
 Isadore was well satisfied with the provisions 
 of the will, as were the others also, with the ex 
 ception of Virginia, who frowned and grumbled 
 audibly that she herself might have been made 
 to share equally with Isadore, who had a good 
 home and husband already, therefore really 
 needed less than herself, "lone and lorn, and 
 poor as a church mouse." 
 
 "But you have no children, Virgie," said her 
 cousin Elsie, in whose presence the remark was 
 made, "no one to support but yourself; and the 
 interest of this money will be sufficient for your 
 comfortable maintenance." 
 
 "Possibly, if I had a home, as Isa has; but 
 not without," returned Virginia in a pettish 
 tone, while her eyes flashed angrily. 
 am
 
 222 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 Elsie bore patiently with the rebuff, and said 
 no more at that time, but considered the matter 
 earnestly, carefully, and prayerfully, in the 
 privacy of her own room, then had a talk about 
 it with her father, without whose approval she 
 seldom took a step of any great importance. 
 
 Finding him alone on the veranda, "Papa,** 
 she said, taking a seat by his side, " I want a 
 few minutes' chat with you before we are joined 
 by anyone else. You heard Virginia's com 
 plaint of yesterday that she had no home of 
 her own. I have been thinking it over, also of 
 the fact that Dick and Bob are in the same con 
 dition, and it has occurred to me that I might 
 invite them to take possession here while we 
 are absent at our more northern home, giving 
 employment to the servants, keeping the house 
 in repair, and the grounds in order; that is, 
 merely overseeing the work and looking to me 
 for the means necessary to cover the expense, 
 I to retain my present satisfactory overseer, and 
 pay his wages out of the returns from the crops; 
 also those of the laborers." 
 
 " You mean that you would simply give a home 
 here to your cousins?" returned Mr. Dinsmore 
 interrogatively. 
 
 "Yes, sir; a home without expense except, 
 perhaps, some small increase of the wages of the 
 servants in consideration of the additional 
 work made for them, and a share of the fruits,
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 223 
 
 vegetables, fowls, and so forth, raised upon the 
 plantation." 
 
 "A share? meaning all they might want to 
 use? the 'and so forth' I suppose, meaning milk, 
 cream, butter, and eggs?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "I should call it a very generous offer, and I 
 have no objection to bring it forward, seeing 
 that you are well able to afford it, if it is your 
 pleasure so to do." 
 
 "I am glad my project meets with your ap 
 proval," she said, with a smile, "for otherwise, 
 as I think you know, papa, it would never be 
 carried out. Ah, how thankful I should be, 
 and I hope I am, that I have been given the 
 financial ability to do such kindness to others !" 
 
 "Yes," he said, with an affectionate smile into 
 the soft brown eyes looking into his ; " I know 
 of no one who enjoys doing kindness more than 
 my dear eldest daughter. 
 
 " What a delightful winter and early spring 
 we have had here," he continued after a pause; 
 "but it is now growing so warm that I think 
 we must soon be moving northward." 
 
 "Yes, sir; when the last arrivals have had a 
 week or more of the enjoyment to be found in 
 this lovely region of country." 
 
 "Yes; they are enjoying it," he said, with a 
 pleased smile ; " the younger ones especially, the 
 children of your brother and sister not less than
 
 224 ELSIE AT VIANEDE. 
 
 the otters. And by the way, daughter, I think 
 you will be doing no little kindness to your 
 cousins Cyril and Isadore by giving Virginia 
 a home here." 
 
 " Yes, I think their home life will be more 
 peaceful," she said in assent. "Poor Virgie 
 seems to be not of the happiest or most con 
 tented disposition." 
 
 "No, she never was," said Mr. Dinsmore; "a 
 discontented, fretful, complaining creature she 
 has always been since I have known her, and 
 she was a very little child when our acquaint 
 ance began." 
 
 In the course of that day Elsie's plans were 
 made known to the Keiths, Virginia, and 
 her cousins Dick Percival and his half-brother 
 Bob Johnson, joyfully accepted by the two 
 gentlemen, and half ungraciously by Virginia, 
 who said complainingly, that "Viamede was a 
 pretty enough place, to be sure, but would be 
 dreadfully lonesome for her when the boys were 
 away." 
 
 " Then you can amuse yourself with a book 
 from the library, a ride or drive, as the horses 
 and carriages will be left here for your use and 
 that of Dick and Bob," Elsie answered pleas 
 antly, while Isadore, blushing vividly for her 
 sister, exclaimed, " O Virgie, you could not have 
 a lovelier, sweeter home, and I think Cousin 
 Elsie is wonderfully kind to offer it I"
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMKDE. 225. 
 
 "Of course, I'm greatly obliged to her," 
 Virginia said, coloring slightly as though a trifle 
 ashamed of her want of appreciation of the kind 
 offer "and I'll not damage anything, so thak 
 the house will be none the worse for my occu 
 pancy, but possibly a little better." 
 
 "Yes, perhaps it may," Elsie said pleasantly, 
 "though the servants usually left in charge are 
 careful about airing it and keeping everything 
 neat and clean. I really think you will have no 
 trouble with your housekeeping, Virgie." 
 
 " That seems a pleasant prospect, for I never 
 liked housekeeping," returned Virginia, "and 
 I really am much obliged to you, Cousin 
 Elsie." 
 
 "You are very welcome, and I hope will be 
 happy here," was the kindly reply. 
 
 Another fortnight of constant intercourse 
 between the three places Viamede, Magnolia 
 Hall, and the Parsonage of rides, drives, 
 walks, sailing or rowing about on the lagoon,, 
 and every other pleasure and entertainment that 
 could be devised, then the party began'to break 
 up, those from the north returning to their 
 homes, most of them by rail, as the speediest 
 and the most convenient mode of travel. How 
 ever, Mr. and Mrs. Dinsmore, Evelyn, Grandma 
 Elsie and her youngest two, Cousin Ronald and 
 the Woodburn family, returned together by sea, 
 making use of the captain's yacht, which he had
 
 226 ELSIE AT VIAMEDK 
 
 ordered to be sent to him in season for the trip 
 by the Gulf and ocean. 
 
 There was no urgent need of haste, and the 
 captain did not deny that he was conscious of 
 a longing to be, for a time, again in command 
 of a vessel sailing over the briny deep ; besides, 
 it would be less fatiguing for the little ones, to 
 say nothing of their elders. 
 
 The little girls were full of delight at the pros 
 pect of both the voyage and the return to their 
 lovely homes, yet could not leave beautiful Via- 
 mede without deep regret. 
 
 It was the last evening but one of their stay; 
 all were gathered upon the veranda looking out 
 upon the lagoon sparkling in the moonlight, and 
 the velvety flower-bespangled lawn, with its 
 many grand and beautiful old trees. The little 
 ones had already gone to their nests, but Evelyn, 
 Lulu, and Grace were sitting with the older peo 
 ple, Grace on her father's knee, the other two 
 together close at hand. 
 
 There had been some cheerful chat, followed 
 by a silence of several minutes. It was broken 
 by a slight scuffling sound, as of a negro's foot 
 step, in the rear of Elsie's chair, then a voice 
 said in mournful accents, " Scuse de in'truption, 
 missus, but dis chile want to 'spress to you uns 
 dat we uns ail a'most heart-broke t'inkin' how 
 you's gwine 'way an' p'r'arps won't be comin*
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. ^27 
 
 heah no mo* till de ol'est ob us done g^ne for- 
 eber out dis wicked worl'." 
 ' Before the sentence was completed every eye 
 had turned in the direction of the sounds ; but 
 nothing was to be seen of the speaker. 
 
 "Oh, that was you, Cousin Ronald," laughed 
 Rosie, recovering from the momentary start 
 given her by the seemingly mysterious disap 
 pearance of the speaker. 
 
 "Ah, Rosie, my bonnie lassie, how can you 
 treat your auld kinsman so ill as to suspect him 
 of murdering the king's English in that style?" 
 queried the old gentleman in hurt, indignant 
 tones. 
 
 "Because, my poor abused cousin, I am utterly 
 unable to account in any other way for the 
 phenomenon of an invisible speaker so close at 
 hand." 
 
 Cousin Ronald made no reply, for at that in 
 stant there came a sound of bitter sobbing, ap 
 parently from behind a tree a few feet from the 
 veranda's edge, then a wailing cry, " Oh, Miss 
 Elsie, Massa Dinsmore, and de res' ob you dar, 
 doan' go for to leab dis po' chile! She cayn't 
 stan' it nohow 'tall ! her ole heart like to break ! 
 Doan' go way, massa an' missus; stay hyah wid 
 de niggahs dat lubs you so !" 
 
 " Oh, Cousin Ronald, don't !" Elsie said in half 
 tremulous tones. " It seems too real, and almost
 
 228 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 breaks my heart ; for I am greatly attached to 
 many of these poor old men and women." 
 
 " Then I think they will not distress you with 
 any more complaints and entreaties to-night, 
 sweet cousin," returned the old gentleman in 
 pleasant, though half regretful tones.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE next day the servants were gathered on 
 the lawn and presented with the parting gifts 
 procured for them by the ladies and little girls, 
 which they received with many thanks and dem 
 onstrations of delight. But the following morn 
 ing, when the time of parting had really come, 
 there were some tears shed by the old retainers, 
 yet they were greatly cheered by the assurances 
 of their loved mistress, her father, and Captain 
 Raymond, that in all probability it would not 
 be very long before the family would be there 
 again for a season. 
 
 The feelings of the departing ones were of 
 a mingled character regret at leaving lovely 
 Viamede, and joy in the prospect of soon being 
 again in their own sweet homes farther north. 
 
 The weather was delightful, light fleecy 
 clouds tempering the heat of the sun ; the fields 
 and plantations clothed in the richest verdure of 
 spring ; the air filled with the perfume of flowers 
 and vocal with the songs of birds ; then on reach 
 ing Bayou Teche they found their own yacht, 
 the Dolphin, awaiting them- 
 
 The young folks of ^he party greeted her
 
 230 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 with a clapping of hands and many another 
 demonstration of delight, and soon all were on 
 board, and she was steaming out through the 
 bay, into the Gulf beyond, her passengers, from 
 Grandpa Dinsmore down to baby Ned, grouped 
 together on deck underneath an awning. 
 
 "We are in the Gulf now, aren't we, sir?" 
 asked Walter at length, addressing the captain. 
 
 "Yes, my boy," was the pleasant toned reply; 
 "and are there any places along its coast that 
 you or any of the others would particularly like 
 to see?" 
 
 " Oh, yes, sir; yes, indeed !" exclaimed Walter 
 with enthusiasm. " I for one would like greatly 
 to see Mobile Bay with its fort. Morgan is the 
 name?" 
 
 "Yes; Fort Morgan is at the extremity of 
 Mobile Point, where Fort Bowyer stood in the 
 War of 1812-14. You remember what hap 
 pened there at that time?" 
 
 "It was attacked by the British, wasn't it, 
 sir?" 
 
 "Yes; in September, 1814, by a British 
 squadron of two brigs and two sloops of war, 
 aided by a land^f orce of one hundred and thirty 
 marines and six hundred Indians, led by Cap 
 tain Woodbine, who had been trying to drill 
 them at Pensacola. 
 
 " Ylorida did not belong to us at that time ; 
 the Spaniards had made a settlement at Pensa-
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 231 
 
 cola in 1696, were still there at the time of our 
 last war with England, and favored the British, 
 who there, as well as in other parts of Florida, 
 organized expeditions against the United States, 
 the Spanish governor, though professing neu 
 trality, evidently siding with and giving them 
 aid and comfort." 
 
 "And when then did we get possession of 
 Florida, sir?" asked Walter. 
 
 "In July of 1821," answered the captain. 
 
 "Didn't Jackson capture Pensacola at one 
 time during that war with England, Captain?" 
 asked Evelyn. 
 
 " Yes ; in the attack about which Walter was 
 just asking, before Lafitte forwarded to New 
 Orleans those documents showing how the 
 British were trying to get him into their service, 
 Jackson had perceived that the Spaniards were, 
 as I have said, secretly siding with the British, 
 and now, with the positive proof furnished by 
 those papers before him, he squarely accused 
 Manrequez, the Spanish governor at Pensacola, 
 of bad faith. 
 
 ' " Then followed a spicy correspondence, which 
 Jackson closed by writing to the governor, 'In 
 future I beg you to withhold your insulting 
 charges against my government for one more 
 inclined to listen to slander than I am; nor con 
 sider me any more a diplomatic character unless 
 so proclaimed from the mouth of my cannon. '
 
 232 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "Then he set to work to raise troops, and in a 
 very short time had two thousand sturdy young 
 Tennesseeans ready for the field. 
 
 "But before these reached Mobile, hostilities 
 had begun. Jackson himself went there early in 
 August, and on his arrival perceived that an at 
 tempt would be made by the British to seize it 
 as soon as their talked of great expedition should 
 be ready to move. 
 
 " Fort Bowyer was but a small and weak forti 
 fication ; had no bomb-proofs, and but twenty 
 guns, only two of them larger than twelve 
 pounders, some still smaller in size. 
 
 "Yet small and weak as was the fort, it was 
 the chief defence of Mobile; so Jackson threw 
 into it a hundred and thirty of his Second Regu 
 lar Infantry, under Major William Lawrence, 
 who was as gallant an officer as any in the 
 service. 
 
 "Lawrence at once made every preparation in 
 his power to resist the expected attack. But 
 before he could complete his work, on the morn 
 ing of the 12th of September, the British Lieu 
 tenant-colonel Nichols appeared on the penin 
 sula back of the fort, with, as I have said, his 
 marines and Indians, the latter under the com 
 mand of Captain Woodbine, who had been 
 drilling them at Pensacola. 
 
 "Later in the evening of the same day the 
 four British vessels of which I spoke appeared
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 231 
 
 rn sight, and anchored within six miles of Mo 
 bile Point. They were a part of a squadron of 
 nine vessels in Pensacola Bay, under the com 
 mand of Captain Percy. 
 
 "Our little garrison slept upon their arms 
 that night. The next morning Nichols caused 
 a howitzer to be dragged to a sheltered point 
 within seven hundred yards of the fort, and 
 threw some shells and solid shot from it, but 
 without doing much damage." 
 
 "And our fellows fired back at him, of 
 course?" exclaimed Walter excitedly. 
 
 "Yes, but their fire was equally harmless; 
 but later in the day Lawrence's guns quickly 
 dispersed some of Percy's men who were at 
 tempting to cast up intrenchments, and in the 
 same way several light boats, whose men were 
 engaged in sounding the channel nearest the fort. 
 
 " The next day was occupied in very much 
 the same way, but on the third the garrison 
 perceived that an assault was to be made from 
 both land and water. At two o'clock the vessels 
 were seen approaching, and Lawrence called a 
 council of officers. 
 
 " All were determined to resist to the last, and 
 if finally compelled to surrender, to do so only 
 on condition that officers and privates should 
 retain their arms and private property, be 
 treated as prisoners of war, and protected from 
 the savages.
 
 234 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "The words adopted as the signal for the day- 
 were, 'don't give up the fort.' 
 
 "At half past four the battle began, the four 
 vessels opening fire simultaneously, and pouring 
 broadside after broadside upon the fort, which 
 returned a fearful fire from its circular battery. 
 
 " While this was going on in front, Captain 
 Woodbine was assailing our men in the rear, 
 from behind his sand-dune, with a howitzer 
 and a twelve-pounder. 
 
 "So the battle raged for an hour; then the 
 flag of the Hermes was shot away, and Law 
 rence stopped firing to learn if she had sur 
 rendered ; but the Caron fired another broadside, 
 and the fight went on with renewed vigor. 
 Soon a shot cut the cable of the Hermes, and 
 she floated away with the current, her head 
 toward the fort, and her decks swept of men 
 and everything by a raking fire from the 
 fort. 
 
 " Then the fort's flag-staff was shot away and 
 her ensign fell, but the British, instead of fol 
 lowing Lawrence's humane example, redoubled 
 their fire. At the same time, Woodbine, sup 
 posing that the fort had surrendered, hastened 
 toward it with his Indians, but they were driven 
 back by a storm of grape-shot, and almost im 
 mediately the flag was seen again floating over 
 the fort at the end of the staff to which Major 
 Lawrence had nailed it."
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 235 
 
 "And was that the end of the fight, papa?" 
 asked Lulu. 
 
 "Very nearly, if not quite," he replied. 
 "Two of the attacking vessels presently with 
 drew, leaving the helpless Hermes behind ; she 
 finally grounded upon a sand-bank, when Percy 
 fired and abandoned her. Near midnight her 
 magazine exploded." 
 
 "I should think that was a great victory; was 
 it not, Brother Levis?" queried Walter. 
 
 "I think it was," the captain said. "The 
 result was very mortifying to the British. It 
 was entirely unexpected, and Percy had said 
 that he would allow the garrison only twenty 
 minutes to capitulate. It is not surprising that 
 he expected to take the weak little fort, with its 
 feeble garrison of one hundred and thirty, when 
 he brought against it over thirteen hundred men 
 and ninety -two pieces of artillery. 
 
 " The Americans lost only eight men, one-half 
 of whom were killed. The assailants lost two 
 hundred and thirty -two, one hundred and sixty- 
 two of them killed. 
 
 " One result of that fight was that the Indians 
 lost faith in the invincibility of the British, 
 and many of them deserted, and sought safety 
 from the anger of Jackson by concealing them 
 selves in the interior of their broad country." 
 
 "Papa," said Grace earnestly, "did not God 
 help our cause because we were in the right?"
 
 836 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "No doubt of it, daughter," replied the cap 
 tain ; " ours was a righteous cause, a resistance 
 to intolerable oppression and wrong, as our poor 
 sailors felt it to be when a British man-of-war 
 would stop our merchantmen on the high seas 
 and force into their service any man whom 
 they choose to say was an Englishman. 
 
 "But I need not enlarge upon that subject to 
 my present audience, as I am convinced that you 
 all know of and appreciate that bitter wrong. 
 
 "To resume. The Americans were highly 
 gratified with the result of the conflict at Fort 
 Bowyer, and their zeal was greatly quickened for 
 volunteering for the defence of New Orleans, 
 whose citizens testified their appreciation of 
 Major Lawrence's achievement by resolving to 
 present him with an elegant sword in the name 
 of their city." 
 
 " Was there not a second attack by the Brit 
 ish upon Fort Bowyer, Captain?" asked Eve 
 lyn. 
 
 "Yes; after their defeat at New Orleans. 
 That, you will remember, was on the 8th of Jan 
 uary, 1815. They reached their fleet, lying in 
 the deep water between Ship and Cat Islands, 
 on the 29th of that month, Fort Bowyer on the 
 9th of February, and besieged it for nearly 
 two days, when Major Lawrence found himself 
 compelled to surrender to a superior force. 
 That left Mobile at the mercy of the foe, but
 
 ELSIE A T VIAMEDE. 237 
 
 just then came the news of peace, concluded at 
 Ghent nearly two months before." 
 
 "But wasn't there some fighting done there 
 or at Mobile in the Civil War, sir?" asked 
 Walter. 
 
 "Yes; on August 5, 1864, the government 
 forces under Farragut attacked the Confederate 
 defences there, consisting principally of the two 
 forts, Morgan on the eastern side of the bay, 
 and Gaines on the western, about th^ee miles 
 apart. 
 
 " A line of piles and a double one of torpe 
 does stretched nearly across from Fort Gaines 
 to Fort Morgan, leaving only a narrow channel 
 between that fort and the point of termination. 
 It was through that channel, indicated by a red 
 buoy, that blockade runners passed in and out, 
 and inside of these defences lay the Confeder 
 ate ironclad Tennessee, and three wooden gun 
 boats. It was early in the morning of that 
 August day that Farragut's signal was given 
 for the advance of his seven sloops of war. 
 The firing was heavy and destructive on both 
 sides. But I will not go into particulars at 
 this time, only saying that the result was in 
 favor of the Federals ; but the victory cost many 
 lives of Federals 335 men, of whom 113 were 
 drowned in the Tecumseh the leading moni 
 tor, which had struck a torpedo and gone down 
 and 52 killed by shot, while the Confederate loss
 
 238 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 was 10 killed, 16 wounded, and 280 prisoners, be* 
 sides the loss in the forts, which is unknown." 
 Just at this point a passing vessel attracted 
 the attention of the captain and his listeners, 
 and the conversation was not renewed until after 
 dinner.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 IT was Mrs. Travilla, or Grandma Elsie, as 
 Lulu and Grace called her, who that afternoon 
 started the captain upon the historical sketches 
 so greatly enjoyed by the younger part of the 
 company, to say nothing of the older ones. 
 
 " We will pass near enough to Forts Gaines 
 and Morgan to get a view of them the outside 
 at least will we not, Captain?" she asked, with 
 a smile. 
 
 "Yes, mother," he replied. "Pensacola also, 
 whither, as I have said, the British went after 
 their fruitless attack upon Fort Bowyer now 
 Fort Morgan then occupied by the Spaniards 
 under Manrequez, and where they were publicly 
 received as friends and allies. 
 
 "All that, and the revelations of Jean Lafitte 
 concerning their attempt to engage him and his 
 outlaws to help them in their contemplated at 
 tack upon New Orleans, kindled the hottest in 
 dignation in the minds of Jackson and the peo 
 ple of the Southwest. The general issued a 
 proclamation in retort for one sent out by the 
 British officer Nichols shortly before, in which 
 he had made inflammatory appeals to the French, 
 
 239
 
 240 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 who were prejudiced against the Americans, 
 and the Kentuckians, who were discontented be 
 cause of a seeming neglect by their government 
 a state of things largely owing to the arts of 
 ambitious politicians. 
 
 "Nichols had also sent out Indian runners to 
 excite their fellows against the Americans, and 
 in that way he gathered nearly a thousand Creeks 
 and Seminoles at Pensacola, where they were 
 supplied with abundance of arms and ammuni 
 tion. 
 
 " Jackson, in his proclamation told of all this 
 the conduct of the British, and the perfidy of 
 the Spaniards and called upon the people of 
 Louisiana to 'arouse for the defence of their 
 threatened country.' 5: 
 
 "And did they do it, sir?" queried Walter. 
 
 " Yes ; they were thoroughly roused and much 
 excited by the threatening aspect of affairs, and 
 at once set vigorously to work to prepare for de 
 termined resistance to the threatened invasion 
 of their country and their homes. 
 
 * Jackson was impatient to march on Pen- 
 eacola and break up that rendezvous of the en 
 emies of the United States, but it was slow 
 work to get his troops together, and November 
 had come before he had his forces ready for the 
 attack. 
 
 "At last, however, he had four thousand men 
 gathered at Fort Montgomery, due north from
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 241 
 
 Pensacola, and on the 3d of the month they 
 marched for that place, some Mississippi dra 
 goons leading the way. 
 
 " On the evening of the 6th, Jackson, with his 
 whole army, encamped within two miles of their 
 destination. Major Pierre was sent to the Span 
 ish governor with a flag of truce, and a mes 
 sage from his general saying that he had not 
 come to injure the town, or make war upon a 
 neutral power, but to deprive the enemies of 
 the republic of a place of refuge. Pierre was 
 also told to demand the surrender of the forts. 
 
 " The British, however, were in possession of 
 Fort St. Michael, over which their's and the 
 Spanish flags had been waving together until 
 the day before, and as soon as the American 
 flag of truce was seen approaching, it was fired 
 upon from the fort by a twelve-pounder. 
 
 "Pierre returned to Jackson and reported 
 these facts; then Jackson sent to the gover 
 nor a Spaniard whom he had captured on the 
 way, demanding an explanation. 
 
 " The governor asserted that he knew nothing 
 of the outrage, and promised that another flag 
 should be respected. 
 
 "At midnight Pierre, sent again by Jackson, 
 called once more upon the governor with a pro 
 posal that American garrisons should be allowed 
 to take possession of the forts until Manrequez 
 could man them with a sufficient number of Span-
 
 242 ELSIE AT VIAXEDE. 
 
 ish troops to enable him to maintain the neutral 
 ity of his government against violations of it by 
 the British, who had taken possession of the for 
 tresses, it seemed, in spite of the Spanish gover 
 nor's protests, the American troops to be with 
 drawn as' soon as the additional Spanish ones 
 arrived. 
 
 " The governor rejected the propositions and 
 before dawn three thousand of the Americans 
 were marching upon Pensacola. They passed 
 along the beach, but the sand was so deep that 
 they could not drag their cannon through it. 
 Then the centre of their column charged gal 
 lantly into the town, but on reaching the 
 principal street they were met by a shower of 
 musketry from the gardens and houses, while 
 a two-gun battery opened upon them with balls 
 and grape-shot. 
 
 "But Captain Laval and his company charged 
 and captured the battery, when the governor 
 quickly showed himself with a flag, and prom 
 ised to comply with any terms offered if Jack 
 son would spare the town." 
 
 "I hope Jackson wasn't too good to him," 
 laughed Rosie. 
 
 "The surrender of all the forts was what 
 Jackson demanded and received," replied the 
 captain. "But one, six miles away, called Fort 
 Barancas, and commanding the harbor, in w y hich 
 the British vessels lay, was still in the hands of
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 243 
 
 the enemy. Jackson determined to march sud 
 denly upon it the next morning, seize it, turn 
 its guns on the British vessels, and capture 
 or injure them before they could escape. 
 
 "But before morning the British squadron 
 had gone, carrying with it Colonel Nichols, 
 Captain Woodbine, the Spanish commandant of 
 the fort, and about four hundred men, besides a 
 considerable number of Indians ; and before leav 
 ing they had blown up the fort. 
 
 "Jackson suspected that they had gone to 
 make another attack upon Fort Bowyer and the 
 town of Mobile, so hurried away in that direc 
 tion, leaving Manrequez angry and indignant 
 at this treatment of himself by the British, and 
 the Indians filled with the idea that it would be 
 very imprudent for them to again defy the wrath 
 of Andrew Jackson ; much dejected and alarmed, 
 they scattered themselves through the forests. 
 
 "As for Jackson, when he reached Mobile, 
 on the llth of November, he received messages 
 urging him to hasten to the defence of New Or 
 leans. 
 
 "He left that place on the 21st, reached it on 
 the 2d of December but of what he accom 
 plished there I have already told you." 
 
 "Yes, papa," said Lulu; "I'll never forget 
 that interesting story. But do tell me, will we 
 pass near enough to Mobile to see those forts?" 
 
 "Yes," he said; then turning to Grandma
 
 344 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 Elsie, asked, "Mother, would you like to stop 
 and visit the forts?" 
 
 " I am willing if the rest wish it," she replied ; 
 "but otherwise would prefer to press on toward 
 home, my Ion home, which, now that we have 
 left Viamede fairly behind, I begin to long to 
 see again." 
 
 " That being the case I am sure no one of us 
 will wish to stop," returned the captain gal 
 lantly, a sentiment at once re-echoed by Mr. 
 Dinsmore and all present. 
 
 " We are nearing there now, are we not, my 
 dear?" asked Violet. 
 
 "Yes; we are moving rapidly, and if all goes 
 well may expect to see the forts early this even 
 ing." 
 
 There was an exclamation of pleasure from 
 ^several of the young people; then Lulu asked, 
 " Papa, are there not some other historical places 
 we shall have to pass while we are in the Gulf 
 or after we reach the ocean?" 
 
 " Quite a number, daughter, but we will not 
 delay our voyage in order to visit them at this 
 time." 
 
 "Perhaps some other day, then?" she re 
 turned inquiringly, smiling up into his face as 
 she spoke. 
 
 "Very possibly," he returned, smoothing her 
 hair with caressing hand; for she was, as usual, 
 close at his side.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 245 
 
 A pause in the talk was at length broken by 
 a remark from Cousin Ronald. 
 
 " You had some great men among your Union 
 officers, Captain, in both army and navy, in the 
 days of that terrible Civil "War." 
 
 "We had indeed, sir," was the hearty re 
 sponse; "a number of them in both arms of the 
 service, and none more worthy of respect and 
 admiration than Farragut, who did such splen 
 did service at both New Orleans and Mobile 
 Bay, to say nothing of other places. The city 
 of Mobile could not be captured as New Or 
 leans had been, by reason of shoal water and ob 
 structions in the channel, but the passage of 
 blockade runners, carrying supplies to the Con 
 federacy, was stopped, which was the main ob 
 ject of the expedition." 
 
 "Yes, he did good service to his country," 
 returned Mr. Lilburn, "although, if I mistake 
 not, he was a Southerner." 
 
 "He was born in Tennessee," replied Captain 
 Raymond. " In the winter of 1860-61 he was on 
 waiting orders at Norfolk, Virginia, where he 
 watched with intense interest the movements of 
 the Southern States, and especially the effort to 
 carry Virginia out of the Union into the Con 
 federacy; and when that was accomplished he 
 remarked that 'the State had been dragooned 
 out of the Union.' 
 
 "He talked very freely on the subject, and
 
 246 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 was told that a person with such sentiments as 
 his 'could not live in Norfolk.' 'Well, then, 'he 
 replied, 'I can live somewhere else,' and that 
 very evening left the place, with his wife and 
 son. That was the 18th of April, 1861. He 
 went first to Baltimore, but afterward took a 
 cottage at Hastings-on-the-Hudson. 
 
 "The next December he was summoned to 
 Washington, and on the 2d of February sailed 
 from Hampton Roads for New Orleans." 
 
 "Where he certainly did splendid service to 
 his country," remarked Mr. Lilburn. "I hope 
 she appreciated it." 
 
 "I think she did," returned the captain; "he 
 received many marks of the people's appreci 
 ation, among them a purse of $50,000, which 
 was presented him for the purchase of a home 
 in New York City." 
 
 "Did he live to see the end of the war, sir?" 
 asked Walter. 
 
 " Yes ; he was on the James River with Gen 
 eral Gordon when Richmond was taken, and on 
 hearing the news the two rode there post-haste, 
 reaching the city a little ahead of President Lin 
 coln. A few days after that the naval and 
 military officers at Norfolk, with some of the 
 citizens who had remained true to the Union, 
 gave him a public reception. 
 
 " Farragut was one of the speakers, and in tha 
 course of his remarks said: 'This meeting re-
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 247 
 
 calls to me the most momentous events of my 
 life, when I listened in this place till the small 
 hours of the morning, and returned home with 
 the feeling that Virginia was safe and firm in 
 her place in the Union. Our Union members 
 of the convention were elected by an over 
 whelming majority, and we believed that every 
 thing was right. Judge, then, of our astonish 
 ment in finding, a few days later, that the State 
 had been voted out by a miserable minority, for 
 want of firmness and resolution on the part of 
 those whom we trusted to represent us there, 
 and that Virginia had been dragooned out of 
 the Union. I was told by a brother officer that 
 the State had seceded, and that I must either 
 resign and turn traitor to the government which 
 had supported me from childhood, or I must 
 leave this place. 
 
 " 'Thank God, I was not long in making my 
 decision. I have spent half my life in revolu 
 tionary countries, and I know the horrors of civil 
 war; and I told the people what I had seen and 
 what they would experience. They laughed at 
 me, and called me "granny," and "croaker"; 
 and I said, " I cannot live here, and will seek 
 some other place where I can live." I suppose 
 they said I left my country for my country's 
 grood, and I thank God I did.' " 
 
 "A countryman to be proud of," remarked 
 Mr. Lilburn.
 
 248 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 " Oh, I wish I could have seen him !" exclaimed 
 Grace. "Papa, wasn't he a Christian man?" 
 
 "I think so, daughter," replied the captain. 
 "He is said to have had a strong religious 
 nature and a firm reliance upon Providence, 
 believing in God's constant guidance." 
 
 "Do you remember," said Grandma Elsie, 
 "those lines of Oliver Wendell Holmes' written 
 in honor of Admiral Farragut, and read at a 
 iinner given him, in which this passage occurs? 
 
 " Fast, fast are lessening in the light 
 
 The names of high renown, 
 Van Tromp's proud besom pales from sight, 
 Old Beribow's half hull down. 
 
 *' Scarce one tall frigate walks the sea, 
 
 Or skirts the safer shores, 
 Of all that bore to victory 
 Our stout old commodores. 
 
 " Hull, Bainbridge, Porter where are they? 
 
 The answering billows roll, 
 Still bright in memory's sunset ray, 
 God rest each gallant soul! 
 
 " A brighter name must dim their light, 
 
 With more than noontide ray: 
 The Viking of the river fight, 
 The Conqueror of the bay. 
 
 " I give the name that fits him best- 
 Ay, better than his own 
 The Sea-King of the sovereign West, 
 Who made his mast a throne.'"
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 249 
 
 "A fine poem indeed, and with a subject 
 Worthy of all its praise," remarked Cousin Ron 
 ald, as Mrs. Travilla ceased. " No wonder you 
 are proud of him, cousins, for he was, as I said 
 a moment since, one to be proud of; I should be 
 proud indeed of him were he a countryman of 
 mine." 
 
 "As each one of us his countrymen and 
 women certainly is," said Mr. Dinsmore. 
 
 There was a silence of a few moments, pres 
 ently broken by the captain. 
 
 "Yes," he said, "I think there are few, if 
 any, of his countrymen, who are not proud of 
 our grand naval hero, Farragut; and there were 
 others among our naval heroes of that day, 
 almost, if not quite, as worthy of our affection 
 ate admiration. Captain, afterward Admiral, 
 Bailey, for instance, who was second in com 
 mand at the taking -f New Orleans, leading, in 
 the Cvyuga, the right column of the fleet of 
 government vessels in the passage of Forts St. 
 Philip and Jackson, the capture of the Chal- 
 mette batteries and the city. 
 
 "As you probably remember, he passed up 
 ahead of the fleet, through the fire of the forts, 
 the Confederate vessels, the rams, fire-rafts, 
 blazing cotton bales, and dense clouds of smoke, 
 meeting the attacks of all unaided. 
 
 " Also it was he who was sent by Farragut in 
 company with only one other man, Lieutenant
 
 250 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 George H. Perkins, to demand the surrender of 
 the city, the taking down of the Confederate 
 flag, and the hoisting in its stead of the Stars 
 and Stripes. 
 
 "It certainly required no small amount of 
 courage to pass through those city streets sur 
 rounded by a hooting, yelling, cursing crowd, 
 threatening them with drawn pistols and other 
 weapons. 
 
 "And who can fail to admire the words of 
 Bailey, in his official report of the victory: 'It 
 was a contest of iron hearts in wooden ships 
 against iron-clads with iron beaks and the 
 iron hearts won?' 
 
 "And not less admirable was his modest be 
 havior at a dinner given him at the Astor House, 
 when called upon to reply to the toast of 'The 
 Navy.'" 
 
 "Ah, what was that, si T V" asked Mr. Lil- 
 burn, pricking up his ears. 
 
 "I was reading an account of it only the 
 other day," pursued Captain Raymond. "The 
 old hero straightened himself up, and began, 
 'Mr. President and gentlemen hem thank ye.' 
 Then made a long pause, glancing up and down 
 the table. 'Well, I suppose you want to hear 
 about that New Orleans affair?' he continued. 
 At that there were cries of 'Yes! yes!' and a 
 great stamping of feet. So Bailey went on;
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 251 
 
 'Well, d'ye see, this was the way of it. We were 
 lying down the river below the forts, and Farra- 
 gut, he he signalled us to go in and take 'em. 
 Being as we were already hove short, it didn't 
 take much time to get under way, so that wasn't 
 so much of a job as ye seem to think. And 
 then the engineers, they ran the ships, so all we 
 had to do was to blaze away when we got up to 
 the forts, and take 'em, according to orders. 
 That's just all there was about it. ' And he sat 
 down amid thunders of applause." 
 
 " Ah ha, um h'm, ah ha ! a nice, modest fellow 
 he must have been," remarked Cousin Ronald, 
 nodding reflectively, over his cane. 
 
 The call to tea interrupted the conversation, 
 but on leaving the table all gathered upon the 
 deck again to watch the sunset, the rising of 
 the moon, and for the forts, Morgan and Gaines, 
 which they were now rapidly nearing, and upon 
 which all gazed with interest as the captain 
 pointed them out and the vessel steamed slowly 
 past. 
 
 "Ah, what a terrible thing is war!" sighed 
 Grandma Elsie. "God forbid that this dear 
 land should ever again be visited with that 
 fearful scourge !" 
 
 "Ah, I can say amen to that !" Mrs. Dinsmore 
 exclaimed, low and tremulously, thinking of 
 the dear young brothers who had fallen victims
 
 252 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 in that unnatural strife. " We cannot be thank 
 ful enough for the peace and prosperity that 
 now bless our native land." 
 
 "No; and may it ever continue," added her 
 husband. "Her growth and prosperity since 
 that fearful struggle ended have been something 
 wonderful. " 
 
 A few moments of silence followed, the vessel 
 moving swiftly on her way, and a gentle breeze 
 fanning the cheeks of her passengers as they 
 sat there placidly gazing out over the moon 
 lit waters, then the quiet was suddenly broken 
 in upon by a loud guffaw, followed by a drunken 
 shout. 
 
 "Aint I fooled ye nice, now? Ye didn't 
 know I was aboard, capting, nor any o' the rest 
 o' ye. Ye didn't guess ye'd got a free passen 
 ger aboard 'sides that old Scotch feller a-settin' 
 yander a-looking like he feels hisself as good 
 's any o' the rest, ef he don't pay nothin' fer his 
 trip." 
 
 Everyone started and turned in the direction 
 of the sounds. 
 
 " A stowaway !" exclaimed Captain Raymond. 
 "The voice seems to come from the hold. Ex 
 cuse me, ladies and gentlemen ; I must see to his 
 case, and that we are secured from the danger of 
 a visit from him, as he is evidently a drunken 
 wretch," and with the words he hastened away 
 in the direction of the sounds.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 25$ 
 
 "Ha, ha! I hear ye, capting!" shouted tht 
 voice; "but drunken wretch or not, I wouldn't 
 harm a hair o' any o' yer heads. All I'm a-want- 
 in' is a free passage up furder north, where I 
 come from." 
 
 "Oh, mamma, I'm so frightened! so 'frai<l 
 the bad man will hurt my dear papa," cried 
 little Elsie, clinging to her mother, while tears 
 filled her sweet blue eyes. 
 
 " No, papa will whip de naughty mans," said 
 Ned, shaking his baby fist in the direction of 
 the sounds. 
 
 "Ah ha, ah ha, um h'm! little laddie; I 
 have no doubt your papa is bigger and stronger 
 than the naughty mans," said Cousin Ron 
 ald, "and if he catches the good-for-nothing 
 scamp, can whip him within an inch of his 
 life." 
 
 At that Walter burst into a laugh. " Now, 
 Cousin Ronald," he said, "I'd not be a bit sur 
 prised to learn that you are well acquainted with 
 that scamp. However, I'll run after Brother 
 Levis to see the fun, if there is any, but I'm 
 sure nobody need be one bit afraid," and with 
 that away he ran. 
 
 "Ah, Cousin Ronald," began Violet, laugh 
 ing, the others joining in with her, and all en 
 tirely occupied in looking at the old gentleman, 
 whose face, however, could be but indistinctly 
 seen, as he had so placed himself that the moon-
 
 254 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 light did not fall fully upon it, "confess 
 that " 
 
 But she got no further. A shout of drunken 
 laughter from the other side of the vessel again 
 startled them. 
 
 " Ha, ha ! the capting's gone in the wrong di 
 rection to catch this customer. But he needn't 
 to hunt me up. I'm a real harmless kind o* 
 ehap, an' wouldn't hurt a hair o' any o' your 
 heads." 
 
 Again every head was turned in the direction 
 of the sounds, but seeing no one they all burst 
 into gleeful laughter, in which'the captain'pres- 
 ently joined, having returned from his bootless 
 search, fully convinced that it need be carried 
 no farther.
 
 CHAPTER XVL 
 
 IT was a bright, sweet May morning. He* 
 veille sounded at the Naval Academy at Annapo- 
 Jis, and with the first tap of the drum Max woke 
 and sprang from his bed. He glanced from the 
 window as he hurried on his clothes, and a low 
 exclamation of surprise and delight burst from 
 his lips. 
 
 "What now,- Raymond?" queried Hunt, who 
 was dressing with equal expedition. 
 
 " The Dolphin! the Dolphin!" cried Max, 
 in a joyful, exultant tone. " She lies at anchor 
 down yonder, and I haven't a doubt that I shall 
 see my father and all the rest presently." 
 
 " Possible? What a fortunate fellow you are, 
 Raymond," returned Hunt, hurrying to the 
 window to take a hasty peep. * Sure enough ! 
 and what a beauty she is, that Dolphin ! and 
 the captain will be here presently getting you 
 leave to spend the day on board ; and it being 
 Saturday, and he and the commandant old 
 friends, there'll be no trouble in managing it. 
 Accept my most hearty congratulations, old 
 fellow." 
 
 a Thank you," said Max, vainly trying to supC 
 
 255
 
 156 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 press Ms excitement, for his affectionate, boy 
 ish heart was bounding with joy at the thought 
 of presently seeing all his loved ones ; most of 
 all, the father who was to him the personifica 
 tion of all that was good, honorable, brave, 
 noble, and true; the father to whom, he knew 
 beyond a doubt, he himself was an object of 
 strong parental affection and pride. 
 
 "And it's fortunate for you that I'm the fel 
 low to set the room to rights on this memorable 
 occasion," continued Hunt. "I say, Raymond, 
 I think you must have been born under a lucky 
 star." 
 
 "Ah, yes, old fellow," laughed Max, "I 
 rather suspect that's what's the matter. But 
 bark! what's that?" as approaching footsteps 
 were heard in the hall without. 
 
 A rap quickly followed. Max flew to the 
 door and threw it open, to find a messenger there 
 from the commandant requiring his presence 
 immediately in the grounds below. 
 
 Little doubting what awaited him, Max 
 obeyed the summons with joyful alacrity, run 
 ning down one flight of stairs after another till 
 the lowest hall was reached, then out into the 
 grounds, sending an eagerly inquiring look 
 from side to side. 
 
 Ah, yes, in the shade of a tree, yonder, a few 
 yards from the door-way, stood the command 
 ant in earnest conversation with another gen-
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 25T 
 
 tleman, not in uniform, but of decidedly sol 
 dierly bearing. Max recognized the face and 
 form on the instant, and flew to meet him. 
 
 Both gentlemen turned at the sound of the 
 approaching footsteps. 
 
 Max hastily saluted his superior officer, say 
 ing half breathlessly, "I am here, sir." 
 
 "So I see, Raymond," was the smiling re 
 joinder, "and for the present I resign you to 
 this gentleman's care," turning toward the 
 captain. 
 
 Max's hand was instantly clasped in that of 
 his father, who held it fast and, bending down, 
 kissed his son with ardent affection, saying, 
 with emotion, and in low, earnest tones, " My 
 boy, my dear, dear boy !" 
 
 " Papa, papa !" cried Max, his voice, too, trem 
 bling with feeling and excitement, "I never 
 was gladder in my life !" 
 
 "I am very glad for you, Max," said the 
 commandant, in kindly sympathizing tones. 
 " And Raymond, let me assure you that the lad 
 is worthy of every indulgence that could be 
 afforded him; a more industrious or oetter be 
 haved cadet I have never had under my care. 
 Hoping to see you again in the course of the 
 day, I bid you good-morning. You also, Max," , 
 and with a bow and smile he left father and son 
 alone together. 
 
 "So good a report of his eldest son makes
 
 258 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 your father a very happy man, Max," the cap 
 tain said, pressing the hand he held, and gazing 
 into the rosy, boyish face with eyes brimful 
 of fatherly love and pride. 
 
 "Thank you for saying it, papa," returned 
 Max, flushing with joy; "but with such a 
 father I ought to be a better and brighter boy 
 than I am. But I do try, papa, and I mean 
 always to try to honor you by being and doing 
 all I know you would wish." 
 
 "I haven't a doubt of it, my son," the cap 
 tain said, again affectionately pressing the lad's 
 hand, then letting it go; "but now I must re 
 turn to the Dolphin, taking my eldest son with 
 me if he wishes me to do so." 
 
 "Yes, indeed, papa!" cried the boy, ready to 
 dance with delight; "but may I go back to my 
 room for a moment first? I'm afraid that in my 
 hurry to obey the summons of the commandant, 
 I haven't left everything quite in ship shape." 
 
 "Yes, go, son," replied his father; "and if 
 your morning devotions have not been attended 
 to, do not neglect them any longer. I will wait 
 for you here under the trees. By the way, I 
 am to hear your recitations for this morning, so 
 you may bring the needed books with you." 
 
 "Yes, sir," returned Max, and hurried away, 
 his father looking after him with proudly beam 
 ing eyes till the lithe, graceful young figure 
 disappeared within the door-way, then taking a
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 259 
 
 morning paper from his pocket, he seated him 
 self on a bench beneath a tree to await the lad's 
 return. 
 
 He had not long to wait ; in a few minutes 
 Max was again at his side, and the two were 
 wending their way toward the row-boat that 
 was to take them to the Dolphin, anchored some 
 distance out in the stream. 
 
 All was so still and quiet in and about the 
 vessel that morning that her passengers slept 
 later than usual, but Lulu, as generally hap 
 pened, was one of the earliest risers, and had 
 not been up long before she hastened to the 
 deck to exchange the accustomed morning 
 greeting with her father. But, to her surprise 
 and disappointment, a hasty glance about the 
 deck showed her that he was not there. 
 
 "Why, what is the matter?" she said to her 
 self. "I'm afraid papa must be sick, for I do 
 not know what else would keep him in his state 
 room till this time of day. But," with another 
 sweeping glance from side to side, "we're 
 certainly anchored; and where? Why, it looks 
 like yes, it is Annapolis!" hearing the splash 
 of oars and catching sight of a row-boat with 
 several persons in it, " for there's papa, and Max 
 with him. Oh, oh, oh, how glad I am !" and 
 with the words she ran to the side of the vessel 
 and the next minute was in Max's arms. 
 
 It was a very hearty embrace on the part of
 
 *0 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 both, their father standing by and watching 
 them with shining eyes. 
 
 " O Maxie, how you have grown !" exclaimed 
 Lulu, gently withdrawing herself from his em 
 brace and scanning him with keen scrutiny 
 from head to foot ; " you look every inch a naval 
 cadet." 
 
 "Do I?" he queried laughingly. "Thank 
 you, for I consider it a decided compliment. 
 And you too have changed ; you are taller, and 
 look more than ever like papa." 
 
 **O Max, you could not say anything that 
 "Would please me better than that," she ex 
 claimed, flushing with pleasure ; " and I can re 
 turn the compliment with interest. I think you 
 will look exactly like our dear father when you 
 are his age," turning toward the captain, and 
 lifting her eyes to his full of ardent filial affec 
 tion ; for he was standing there regarding both 
 with fatherly tenderness, and pride in their 
 youthful comeliness of form and feature. 
 
 "My dear, dear children !" he said, bending 
 down to give Lulu the usual morning caress, 
 "your mutual love makes me very happy. May 
 it never be less than it is now !" 
 
 At that moment Violet, Grace, and the two 
 little ones joined them, and more hearty, loving 
 embraces followed, all, except Violet, being as 
 much taken by surprise at the sight of Max as 
 Lulu had been.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 261 
 
 Grace almost cried with joy as Max caught 
 her in his arms and hugged her close, kissing 
 her sweet lips again and again. 
 
 "I doubt," he said laughingly, as he let her 
 go, " if there is another fellow at the Academy 
 who has such sisters as mine, or such a young, 
 pretty mamma, or darling baby brother and sis 
 ter," kissing each in turn; "and," looking up 
 into his father's face, a telltale moisture gath 
 ering in his eyes, "I'm perfectly certain there's 
 not one can show a father to be so proud 
 of." 
 
 "Ah, my dear boy, Love is blind to defects 
 and very keen-sighted as regards good and ad 
 mirable qualities in those she favors," was the 
 Captain's answering remark. 
 
 " "What a surprise you have given us, papa !" 
 exclaimed Lulu; "me at least, for I hadn't the 
 least idea we were coming here." 
 
 "No, but some of the rest of us knew," said 
 Violet, with a merry little laugh ; " your father 
 told me of his intentions last night as a secret, 
 however, for he wanted to give you and Gracie 
 a pleasant surprise." 
 
 "And It was certainly a pleasant one to me," 
 said'Max. "Papa, thank you ever so much." 
 
 " Did you get leave for him to stay all day, 
 papa?" asked Lulu in a tone that seemed to 
 say she hoped so with all her heart. 
 
 "He will be with us through the day, except
 
 262 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 during the two hours of drill, which we will 
 all go to see; also all day to-morrow," was the 
 captain's reply to that, and it seemed to give 
 pleasure to all who heard it : all the passengers on 
 board, for by that time the others had come up 
 to the deck, and one after another gave Max a 
 pleased and hearty greeting the older people 
 as one they had expected to see, th younger 
 with joyful surprise. They gathered about him, 
 some of them Walter in especial with many 
 questions in regard to the daily routine of life 
 at the Academy, all of which Max answered 
 readily and to the best of his ability. 
 
 "Haven't you lessons to say to-day?" queried 
 Walter. 
 
 "Yes, but I'm to recite them to papa," Max 
 replied, with a pleased, smiling glance into 
 his father's face. 
 
 "You may well look pleased, Max, for he's 
 an excellent teacher, as all his Viamede pupils 
 can testify," remarked Rosie demurely. 
 
 " Oh, yes, I remember now that he has been 
 teaching you all while you were down there," 
 said Max. " Well, I never saw a better teacher, 
 though perhaps, being his son and very fond of 
 him, it's possible I may be a partial judge." 
 
 "Quite possible, my boy," laughed his father, 
 "and I think no one of my pupils is disposed 
 to view me with a critic's eye." 
 
 " You need not say the reet of it, papa," said
 
 ELSIE AT VIAJIEDE. 263 
 
 Lain, "for I'm sure you haven't any imperfec 
 tions to be passed by." 
 
 "Quite right, Lu," laughed Violet. 
 
 But at that moment came the call to break 
 fast, a summons everyone was ready to obey 
 with alacrity. They had a pleasant, social 
 time about the table; the fare was excellent, 
 appetites were of the best, and everyone was 
 in fine spirits and high good-humor. 
 
 Max was called upon to answer so many 
 questions with regard to life at the Naval Acad 
 emy, and his replies were listened to with so 
 much deference, that the captain began to fear his 
 boy might become insufferably conceited. Dis 
 turbed by that fear, he watched him so closely 
 and with so grave an air that at length Max 
 noticed it, and was much disturbed with the fear 
 that he had unwittingly done or said something 
 to hurt or displease his dearly loved father. 
 
 He took the first opportunity following the 
 captain about the vessel, after breakfast and 
 family prayers were over, till they found them 
 selves alone together for a moment to inquire, 
 in a tone of much concern, if it were so. 
 
 " No, my son, not at all," was the kindly reply, 
 "but I felt a little anxious lest my boy should be 
 spoiled and made conceited by being applied to 
 by older people for so much information." 
 
 " I hope not, papa ; I know very well it was 
 only because I've been living there and they 
 
 S
 
 264 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 haven't ; and that every one of them knows far 
 more than I do about many another thing." 
 
 "Quite true, my son," the captain said, 
 with a smile, adding, "and now you may get 
 out your books and look over those lessons, as 
 I shall soon be ready to hear them." 
 
 "Yes, sir; it will be really a great treat to 
 recite to my old tutor once more," returned the 
 lad, with a look of relief and pleasure. " I am 
 very glad indeed that he is not displeased with 
 me as I feared." 
 
 "Very far from it, my dear boy," was the 
 captain's kindly rejoinder; " the account given 
 me to-day by the commandant, of your conduct 
 and attention to your studies, was most gratify 
 ing to my pride in my eldest son." 
 
 Those words, and also the warm praise be 
 stowed upon his recitations when they had been 
 heard, filled the boy's heart with happiness. 
 His father returned to the Academy with him at 
 the hour for drill, but the others witnessed it 
 from the deck of the Dolphin. At its conclusion, 
 Captain Raymond and his son returned to the 
 yacht, Max having permission to remain there 
 until near ten o'clock on Sunday night. 
 
 A trip up the river had been planned for the 
 afternoon, and anchor was weighed and the 
 yacht started as soon as her commander and his 
 son had come aboard. 
 
 All were seated upon the deck under an awn-
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 263 
 
 ing, "greatly enjoying a delicious breeze, the 
 dancing and sparkling of the water, and the dis 
 tant view of the shore arrayed in the lovely 
 verdure of spring. 
 
 Mrs. Dinsmore, Mrs. Travilla, and Mrs. 
 Raymond sat together, busy with fancy work 
 and chatting cheerily, while the younger ones 
 had their drawing materials or books except 
 Grace, who was dressing a doll for little Elsie. 
 Few -of them, however, were accomplishing a 
 great deal, there being so small necessity for the 
 employment and so many things to withdraw 
 their attention from it. 
 
 Max speedily made his way to Mrs. Travilla'8 
 side. She looked up from her work, and greeted 
 him with her sweet smile. "It is quite delight 
 ful to have you among us again, my dear boy," 
 she said, taking his hand and pressing it affec 
 tionately in hers. 
 
 "Thank you, dear Grandma Elsie," he re 
 turned, his eyes sparkling; " it is a great pleasure 
 to hear you say so, though I don't know how 
 to believe that you can enjoy it half so much as 
 I do." 
 
 "I am glad to hear that you do, laddie," she 
 said brightly. "Now suppose we have a bit of 
 chat together. Take that camp chair by youl 
 grandmother's side and tell her how you enjoy 
 that artillery exercise you have just been going 
 through."
 
 266 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "Thank you, ma'am," said Max laughingly, 
 as he took the seat indicated. " It's really de 
 lightful to be treated as a relative by so dear 
 and sweet a lady, but you do look so young that 
 it seems almost ridiculous for a great fellow like 
 me to call you grandma." 
 
 " Does it? Why, your father calls me mother, 
 and to be so related to him surely must make 
 me your grandmother." 
 
 " But you are not really old enough to be his 
 mother, and I am his oldest child." 
 
 "And begin to feel yourself something of 
 a man, since you are not called Max, but Mr. 
 Raymond at the Academy yonder?" she re 
 turned in a playfully interrogative tone. 
 
 Max seemed to consider a moment, then smil 
 ing, but blushing vividly, " I'm afraid I must 
 plead guilty to that charge, Grandma Elsie," he 
 said with some hesitation. 
 
 "What is that, Max?" asked his father, 
 drawing near just in time to catch the last 
 words. 
 
 " That I begin to feel that as if I'm a at 
 least almost a man, sir," answered the lad, 
 Btammering and coloring with mortification. 
 
 " Ah, that's not so very bad, my boy," laughed 
 his father. " I believe that at your age I was 
 more certain of being one than you are really 
 feeling rather more fully convinced of my wis 
 dom and consequence than I am now.**
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 267 
 
 "Were you indeed, papa? then there is hope 
 for me," returned the lad, with a pleased look. 
 " I was really afraid you would think me abomi 
 nably conceited." 
 
 " No, dear boy, none of us think you that," said 
 Mrs. Travilla, again smiling sweetly upon him. 
 " But you have not yet answered my query as to 
 how you enjoyed the artillery exercise we have 
 just seen you go through." 
 
 " Oh, I like it !" returned Max, his eyes spark 
 ling. "And I don't think I shall ever regret 
 my choice of a profession if I succeed in passing, 
 and become as good an officer as my father has 
 been," looking up into the captain's face with 
 a smile full of affection and proud appreciation. 
 
 " Now I fear my boy is talking of something 
 that he knows very little about," said the cap 
 tain, a twinkle of fun in his eye. "Who told 
 you, Max, that your father had been a good 
 officer?" 
 
 "My commandant, sir, who knows all about 
 it, or at least thinks he does." 
 
 At that instant there was a sound like the 
 splashing of oars on the farther side of the 
 vessel, and a boyish voice called out, "Ahoy 
 there, Raymond! A message from the com 
 mandant !" 
 
 "Oh, 1 hope it isn't to call you back, Maxie!" 
 exclaimed Lulu, springing up and following 
 Max and her father as they hastened to that side
 
 268 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 of the vessel, expecting to see a row-boat there 
 with a messenger from the Academy. 
 
 But no boat of that kind was in sight. Could 
 it have pass 3d around the vessel? Max hurried 
 to the other side to make sure,^but no boat was 
 there. 
 
 "Oh!" he exclaimed, with a merry laugh, "it 
 was Mr. Lilburn," and he turned a smiling, 
 amused face toward the old gentleman, who had 
 followed, and now stood close at his side. 
 
 "Eh, laddie! what was Mr. Lilburn?" quer 
 ied the accused. "That I'm no down there 
 in a boat is surely evident to all who can see 
 me standing here. Are ye no ashamed to so 
 falsely accuse an auld friend who wad never do 
 harm to you or yours?" 
 
 Then a voice seemed to come from a distant 
 part of the vessel. "Ah, sir, ye ken that ye're 
 known to be up to such tricks. All only to 
 make fun for your friends, though, not to cause 
 fright or harm to anyone unless it might be a 
 gambler or some other rascal." 
 
 "Hear that, now, cousin!" cried Mr. Lilburn. 
 " Somebody seems ready to do justice to the 
 auld man our fine young cadet here is so ready 
 to suspect and accuse. " 
 
 By this time all the other passengers had 
 joined them, everybody but the very little ones 
 understood the joke, and it was received with 
 merry peals of laughter.
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 269 
 
 To Max the afternoon and evening seemed to 
 pass very quickly, so delightful was it to be once 
 more surrounded by his dear ones, not the least 
 pleasant part being a half hour spent alone with 
 his father after the others had retired ; he had 
 so many little confidences that he would not 
 willingly have shared with anyone else, and. 
 they were heard with so much evident interest, 
 such hearty sympathy, and replied to with such 
 good and kindly advice. Max was even more 
 firmly convinced than ever before that such an 
 other dear, kind, and lovable father as his was- 
 nowhere to be found. 
 
 And, by the way, the captain was almost 
 equally sure that no other man had a son quite 
 so bright, handsome, intelligent, noble, indus 
 trious, and in every way worthy to be the pride 
 of his father's heart, as this dear lad who was 
 his own. 
 
 "God, even the God of his fathers, keep my 
 dear boy in every hour of trial and temptation, 
 and help him to walk steadily in the strait and 
 narrow way that leads to everlasting life," he 
 said with emotion when bidding his son good 
 night. "Keep close to the dear Master, my son, 
 ever striving to serve and honor him in all your 
 words and ways, and all will be well with you 
 at the last."
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE captain, Max, and Lulu were all three 
 early on deck the next morning as lovely a 
 May morning as ever was seen. The sun had 
 but just showed his face above the horizon when 
 Lulu mounted the companion-way to the deck, 
 but she found her father and brother already 
 there, sitting side by side, both looking very 
 happy and content. 
 
 "Good-morning, papa and Max," she said, 
 hurrying toward them. 
 
 The salutation was returned by both in cheery, 
 pleasant tones. 
 
 "I thought I'd be the very first on deck; 
 but here you both are before me," she added as 
 she gained her father's side. 
 
 "But pleased to have you join us," he said, 
 drawing her to a seat upon his knee. "A sweet 
 Sabbath morning, is it not? And how did my 
 little girl sleep?" 
 
 "As well as possible, thank you, papa. It is 
 much cooler here than at Viamede now, and a 
 delightful breeze came in at the window. But 
 I almost always sleep well, and that is something 
 to be thankful for, isn't it?" 
 I
 
 ELSIE AT VTAMEDE. 271 
 
 "It is, indeed," he responded. "May my dear 
 eldest daughter never be kept awake by the re 
 proaches of a guilty conscience, cares and anx 
 ieties, or physical distress; though that last I 
 can hardly hope she will escape always until she 
 reaches that blessed land where 'the inhabitant 
 shall not say, I am sick.' ' 
 
 "Yes, sir," she said, "I ought to be very 
 thankful that I am so healthy; I hope I am; 
 but any kind of physical pain I have ever been 
 tried with is far easier for me to bear than the 
 reproaches of a guilty conscience. I can never 
 forget how hard they were to endure after I had 
 hurt dear little Elsie so because I was in a 
 passion." 
 
 "I can't bear to think of that time," said 
 Max; "so let us talk of something else. The 
 view here is lovely, is it not, papa?" 
 
 "Oh," cried Lu in surprise, ";we are at 
 anchor again in the river at Annapolis, aren't 
 we, papa?" 
 
 "Yes; I brought you all back here in the 
 night, to spend the Sabbath. I think we will 
 go into the city to church this morning, and 
 have some religious exercises on the vessel this 
 afternoon and evening." 
 
 "Oh, I like that plan, papa," said Max, "es 
 pecially the afternoon part, for I am really hun 
 gry for one of those interesting Bible lessons 
 with you for my teacher."
 
 272 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "Yes, Maxie, I pity you that you can't share 
 them with Gracie and me every Sunday," said 
 Lulu. "Papa, won't you give us Max and 
 Gracie and me a private Bible lesson all to our 
 selves after the service for the grown / folks, 
 sailors and all, has been held, just as you used 
 to do when we were all at home at "Woodburn?" 
 
 "Quite willingly, if my children wish it; in 
 deed, it is what I had contemplated doing," re 
 plied the captain; "for we cannot better em 
 ploy the hours of the holy Sabbath than in the 
 study of God's Word, which he has given us to 
 be a 'lamp to our feet and a light to our path* 
 that we may journey safely to that happy land 
 where sin and sorrow are unknown. 
 
 "Never forget, my children, that we are but 
 etrangers and pilgrims upon this earth, only 
 passing through it on our way to an eternal home 
 of either everlasting blessedness or never ending 
 woe a home where all is holiness, joy, peace, 
 and love, or to that other world of unending 
 remorse and anguish, 'the blackness of dark 
 ness forever.' " 
 
 "It is very difficult to keep that always in 
 mind, papa," said Max. "I hope you will often 
 ask God to help us me especially to re 
 member it constantly, and live, not for time, 
 but for eternity." 
 
 "I do, my dear boy; there is never a day 
 when I do not ask my heavenly Father to guard
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 273 
 
 and guide each one of my dear children and give 
 them a home with him at last. But we must all 
 strive to enter in at the strait gate, remember 
 ing the warning of Jesus, 'Strait is the gate, 
 and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto 
 life, and few there be that find it.' " 
 
 Violet joined them at that moment, then the 
 rest of the party, one after another. Then 
 came the call to breakfast ; and soon after leav 
 ing the table, and the holding of the regular 
 morning service on the vessel, nearly everyone 
 went ashore and to church. 
 
 At the close of the exercises there, they re 
 turned to the Dolphin, dined, a little later as 
 sembled under the awning on the deck, and being 
 presently joined by the greater part of the crew, 
 another short service, consisting of the reading 
 of the Scriptures, with explanatory remarks,, 
 prayer, and the singing of hymns, followed. 
 
 After that, the captain took his three older 
 children aside and gave them, as in the dear old 
 times at Woodburn, a Bible lesson, in which they 
 were free to ask of him as many questions as 
 they would. 
 
 "Papa," said Grace, "I was reading in 
 Isaiah this morning this verse, 'Therefore, thus 
 saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion for 
 a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious, 
 corner-stone, a sure foundation.' Does it mean 
 the dear Lord Jesus, papa?"
 
 274 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "Yes, d. ughtei ; in both the Old and New 
 Testaments Chrisl Jesus is called a Foundation. 
 The founda ion of a, building is the part that sup 
 ports all the rest ; and that Jesus is to all his 
 Church, his people. He is the foundation of all 
 the comforts, hopes, happiness of the Christian ; 
 the foundation of the covenant God has made 
 with his Church ; the foundation of all the sweet 
 and precious promises of God's Word; a sure 
 foundation on which his people may securely 
 rest, knowing that he will never deceive, fail, or 
 forsake anyone who trusts in him. He is the 
 only Saviour, the head of the Church, the only 
 Mediator between God and man. 
 
 " We are not to look too much to our feelings, 
 doings, prayers, or even our faith, but on the 
 finished work of Christ. We can have assur 
 ance of hope, but must attain to it by resting 
 upon God's word of promise, remembering that 
 it is Christ's righteousness which God accepts, 
 not ours, so imperfect, so unworthy of men 
 tion. 
 
 "In that way only can we have peace and 
 safety, for our own righteousness is but as filthy 
 rags, exceedingly offensive in the sight of God, 
 who is 'of purer eyes than to behold sin, and can 
 not look upon iniquity,' so utterly abhorrent is it 
 to his holy nature. 
 
 "The Bible tells us, 'He that believeth on the 
 Son hath everlasting life ; he that believeth not
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 275 
 
 the Son shall not see life ; but the wrath of God 
 abideth on him.' " 
 
 "Papa," said Grace, low and feelingly, 
 "those are dreadful w<~ds, 'the wrath'of God 
 abideth on him.' " 
 
 "They are indeed, "he said. "Theone great 
 question is, 'Do you believe on the Son of God?' 
 There in Egypt, when God sent those plagues 
 upon Pharaoh and his people, it was not the 
 feelings of the Israelites that saved them, but 
 the blood on the door-posts, symbolizing the 
 blood of Christ, which would in future ages be 
 offered to satisfy the demands of God's broken 
 law ; and it was when he saw that blood that the 
 angel passed over, harming them not. 
 
 "The Jscape-goat too, was a type of Christ 
 bearing the sins of the people away into the 
 wilderness; if our sins are laid on Jesus they 
 will come no more into remembrance before our 
 righteous Judge, but covered with the beautiful 
 robe of his righteousness, God will treat us as 
 if it were our very own. Ah, my beloved chil 
 dren, it is the dearest wish of your father's 
 heart that each one of you may have that right 
 eousness put upon you!" 
 
 A slight pause ; then Grace said in low, clear, 
 and joyous tones, "Papa, I think we have. I 
 feel that I do love Jesus and trust in him, and 
 so do Max and Lulu, I believe." 
 
 "I do," said Max with feeling. "I know I
 
 276 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 am very, very far from perfect, but I do desire 
 above everything else to be a follower of Jesus, 
 and known as such ; to live near him, and honor 
 him in all my words a: d ways." 
 
 "My boy, nothing could have made me hap 
 pier than that confession from your lips," his 
 father said with emotion. "And it is no less a 
 joy of heart to me to know that my dear little 
 Grace is a follower of Jesus." He drew her 
 nearer as he spoke, then turned loving, ques 
 tioning eyes upon Lulu. 
 
 "Papa," she said in tremulous tones, "I I 
 feel that I am not worthy to be called one of 
 Jesus' disciples, but I do love him, and long to 
 grow in likeness to him. I do ask him very, 
 very often to take away all the evil that is in 
 me, and make me just what he would have me 
 to be." 
 
 "And he will hear your prayer, he will grant 
 your petition," her father replied in moved 
 tones. "Oh, my dear children, your father's 
 heart is full of thankfulness that he has reason 
 to hope and believe that you are all true followers 
 of the blessed Master, and that we may all live 
 and love together, not in this world only, but 
 also in the next." 
 
 To Max that delightful day and evening 
 seemed very short. He was surprised when his 
 father, glancing at his watch, said, "It is half 
 past nine, my son. Say good-night and good'
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 277 
 
 by to your friends here, for we must go back 
 to the Academy. It need not be a very sad 
 parting," he added, with a smile, "as you may 
 expect to see some, if not all, of us next month, 
 at the time of the commencement exercises." 
 
 "Thank'you, papa; that is good news," said 
 the lad, his countenance brightening very much, 
 "for it is the greatest treat to a fellow to see 
 home folks once in a while." 
 
 "I know that, my boy. I haven't forgotten 
 the feelings of a cadet, which are pretty much 
 like those of other lads." 
 
 The farewells were quickly spoken, father 
 and son entered the waiting row-boat, and in a 
 few minutes were at the Academy. 
 
 Captain Raymond bade his son good-by at the 
 door, reminding him in cheerful tones that *he 
 might hope to see him, and perhaps the entire 
 Woodburn family, again in a few weeks. 
 
 With that pleasant prospect in view, Max 
 went to his room in excellent spirits. He found 
 Hunt already there. 
 
 "Hello, Max! glad to see you back again," 
 he exclaimed in a tone of hearty good-will. 
 "'Had a royal time of it, I suppose?" 
 
 "Delightful!" cried Max gayly; "and the 
 best of it is that my father holds out the pros 
 pect of another visit from our whole family at 
 the time of the June commencement, which 
 you know is not so very far off."
 
 278 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 1 '"Well, I must say you're a lucky dog, Ray 
 mond," returned Hunt. "I wish I had the 
 same prospect of seeing my folks ; but they're 
 too far off, and money's too scarce." 
 
 Violet was alone on deck when her husband 
 returned to the yacht, the others having retired 
 to the cabin or their state-rooms. 
 
 "Waiting for me, love?" he asked, as he 
 stepped to her side and passed an arm round her 
 waist. 
 
 "Yes," she said; "the air is so pleasant here, 
 and I thought it would be really delightful for 
 us two to have the deck entirely to ourselves 
 for a while." 
 
 "Nothing could be pleasanter to me, dear 
 est," he said, giving her his arm and beginning 
 a leisurely promenade. 
 
 "And you have left Max at the Academy 
 again?" she said interrogatively. "How 
 manly he grows, the dear fellow ! and so hand 
 some; he's a son to be proud of, Levis." 
 
 "So his father thinks," returned the captain, 
 with a low, happy little laugh. "My dear boy 
 is one of God's good gifts to me." 
 
 "And how evidently he admires and loves his 
 father as he well may, I think. He grows more 
 and more like you in looks, too, Levis. I can 
 imagine that at his age you were just what he 
 is now." 
 
 "No, my dear; if I am not much mistaken
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 279 
 
 he is both a handsomer and a better lad than 
 his father was at the same age." 
 
 "Doubtless not half so conceited and vain as 
 his father was then or is now," she returned, 
 with her low, sweet silvery laugh. "There 
 must have been a vast improvement, however, 
 before I had the happiness of making his ac 
 quaintance." 
 
 "Max's?" he queried with mock gravity. 
 
 "The acquaintance of Max's father, sir," 
 she replied demurely. "I have known the cap 
 tain now for five years, and can truly say I have 
 never seen him show such vanity and conceit as 
 you are pleased to charge him with, or at least to 
 say were once among his attributes ; and I will 
 not have him slandered, even by you." 
 
 "Very well, then, let us change the subject of 
 discourse." 
 
 "Agreed. How soon do we leave Annapolis 
 to pursue our homeward way?" 
 
 "A little after midnight, if that plan suits 
 my wife's wishes." 
 
 "Entirely. But you are not going to remain 
 on deck till then?" 
 
 "Probably. I feel no inclination for sleep at 
 present, and the air outside here is, as you re 
 marked a moment since, delightful." 
 
 "Especially when enjoyed in such good com 
 pany, I presume?" 
 
 "Yes, that makes a vast difference, of course,
 
 280 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 yet I can hardly ask you to stay very long with 
 me; cannot have the cruelty to rob my heart's 
 best treasure my young and lovely wife of 
 her beauty sleep." 
 
 "What a gallant speech!" she laughed; "it 
 surely deserves the reward of at least another 
 half hour of her delectable society. Ah, my 
 best and dearest of husbands," she added in a 
 more serious tone, "there is nothing else in the 
 world I so keenly enjoy as these rare times when 
 I can have you all to myself." 
 
 "Yet I cannot believe they are ever more en 
 joyable to you than to me, my love," he re- 
 ttfrned; "sweet as your society was to me in the 
 days of our courtship, it is, I think, even sweeter 
 now. And I hope mine is not less enjoyable to 
 you." 
 
 "Indeed, no," she said earnestly; "you seem 
 to grow dearer and more lovable every day that 
 we live together ; a blessing far, far beyond my 
 deserts. Oh, I can never cease to marvel that I 
 have won so great a prize in the matrimonial 
 lottery." 
 
 "It is wondrous strange," he returned, with a 
 happy laugh, "that a young, beautiful girl, be 
 longing to one of the very best families in the 
 land, and who might have had her pick and choice 
 among its most desirable matches, should have 
 been able to secure a middle-aged widower with 
 three children. You may well wonder at so
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDK 281 
 
 great good fortune falling to your lot, lady 
 mine," with a strong emphasis ^upon that last 
 word. 
 
 "Ah, my husband, you could hardly bestow 
 upon me a sweeter name than that," she said 
 softly, and with a bright, winsome look up into 
 his face. "It is so sweet to belong to you, and 
 to have you belong to me. And then our dar 
 ling children are such treasures." 
 
 "Yes; our two dear babies." 
 
 "Ah, yes; but I meant to include the others 
 also ; for I surely may claim now that even Lulu 
 loves me, not as a mother exactly, but as a dear 
 older sister." 
 
 "Yes, I am certain of it, dearest," he said 
 intones expressing heart-felt happiness; "she 
 shows it in many ways, and however many and 
 serious her faults may be, hypocrisy and de 
 ceit are not among them." 
 
 "No, indeed ! I never knew anyone more per 
 fectly free from those faults so perfectly open 
 and candid. I am sure that if her life were in 
 peril she would not be deceitful or untrue in 
 order to save it." 
 
 "Thank you, my love," he said with emotion. 
 "I share that belief, and it has been a great con 
 solation to me when sorely distressed by her 
 very serious faults. " 
 
 "But she is overcoming those under her 
 father's wise and affectionate training."
 
 282 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "I think she is," he said; "she is certainly 
 struggling hard against them, though the train 
 ing you speak of, has, I fear, been far from 
 faultless." 
 
 "Ah, you have not so much confidence in her 
 father's wisdom as I have," returned Violet, 
 with a smile and a look up into his face which 
 expressed a world of loving appreciation. 
 
 The conversation then turned upon other 
 themes not unsuited to the sacredness of the 
 day ; they seated themselves and sang a hymn 
 or two together, then Violet went below and 
 sought her berth, to be followed an hour later 
 by her husband.
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 THE next morning the Dolphin's passengers, 
 on awaking, found her speeding on her home 
 ward way. No one regretted it, for all were 
 full of joy at the thought of seeing home again, 
 delightful as had been their sojourn at lovely 
 Viamede and on the vessel. 
 
 It was still early in the day when they reached 
 their wharf, but carriages from Ion, Fairview, 
 and Woodburn were in waiting, conveyances 
 for the luggage also, and in a very short time 
 they had left the city behind, and were whirl 
 ing rapidly over the familiar road toward the 
 loved homes they had left some months before 
 a happy company, the younger ones full of mirth 
 and gayety. 
 
 The grounds belonging to each estate were 
 looking their loveliest, and the returning trav 
 elers were greeted with the warmest of wel 
 comes. Zoe and Edward had reached Ion some 
 days in advance of the others, and seen to it that 
 everything there was in perfect order, while at 
 Woodburn such matters had received careful 
 attention from Christine and Alma. 
 
 "Welcome home, my love," the captain said 
 
 383
 
 284 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 to his wife as the carriage turned in at the 
 great gates. "And you too, my darlings,'* 
 addressing his children. "Is it almost as lovely 
 here as at Viamede?" 
 
 "Oh, yes ; yes, indeed, papa !" they responded, 
 baby Ned adding, "Oh, me so blad to det home 
 adain." 
 
 Then a joyous bark was heard, and Prince, 
 Max's dog, came bounding to meet them. 
 
 "Ga, dere our big doggie Prince!" cried Ned r 
 with a joyous laugh, and clapping his chubby 
 hands. "Maxie'dere too, papa?" 
 
 "No, Neddie boy; we have left Brother 
 Maxie behind at Annapolis," answered his 
 father; then as the carriage came to a stand 
 still, he threw open the door, exclaiming, "Home 
 at last!" sprang to the ground, and proceeded 
 to hand out wife and children. 
 
 "Yes," said Violet, who, as well as the 
 children, had been gazing with delight upon 
 the grounds from the carriage window, "and 
 I for one am as glad as I was to see Viamede on 
 our arrival there. How very lovely everything 
 is looking! Ah, Christine and Alma," as the 
 two came hurrying out to greet the returned 
 travellers, "I hope you are well? What good 
 care you have taken of everything in our ab- 
 oence." 
 
 "Thanks, Mrs. Raymond; it is very kind in 
 you to notice it ; and we are delighted to see
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 285 
 
 you all at home again," the two women re 
 turned, smiling with pleasure over the arrival 
 and Violet's appreciative words, to which the 
 captain added his hearty commendation, and 
 the children glad, warm greetings. 
 
 Prince's actions, in the meantime, told the 
 same story of his feelings; he was fawning 
 upon one and another, capering about and wag 
 ging his tail with many a joyous bark that 
 seemed to say, "I am very glad, very happy to 
 see you all here again," and receiving much 
 loving stroking and patting in return. 
 
 The servants, too, came crowding about, with 
 smiling faces and exclamations of joy and thank 
 fulness. "Bress de Lawd yous all *afe home 
 agin!" "We'spow'ful glad to see you, cap'n, 
 Miss Wi'let, an' all ob de chillens!" 
 
 "Dis chile 'specs yo's pow'ful hungry, Miss 
 Wi'let an' de res' ; but de dinnah's 'mos' ready 
 fo' to dish up, " remarked the cook. 
 
 "Oh, we are not starving, by any means, Aunt 
 Judy," returned Violet. "We had an excel 
 lent and abundant breakfast on board the Dol 
 phin, and it is hardly the regular dinner hour 
 yet." 
 
 "And oh, papa, mayn't we run about every 
 where and look at everything?" asked Lulu 
 and Grace half breathlessly. 
 
 "Certainly, daughters," he replied, smiling 
 affectionately into the eager upturned faces,
 
 286 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "though as dinner is so nearly ready, I think it 
 might be well to first take off your hats and 
 make yourselves neat for the table ; then keep 
 within doors until after the meal." 
 
 "Oh, yes, sir," cried Lulu, "and there is no 
 place we want to see more than our own rooms. 
 So come, Gracie, let's hurry up there. Hark ! 
 there's my Polly screaming 'Lu! Lu!' She 
 seems to know I've got home. Who can have 
 told her? And where's your kitten?" 
 
 "Here," returned Gracie; "don't you see 
 I've got her in my arms? and I do believe she's 
 glad to see me. Oh, you pretty pet! I often 
 wanted to see you while I was away." 
 
 They were hurrying up the stairs while they 
 talked, and presently reached their own little 
 sitting room. "Oh!" they cried in a breath, 
 "how sweet and lovely it does look!" Then 
 they made a hasty circuit of Lulu's bedroom 
 and the little tower room opening into it, ex 
 claiming again and again at the beauty of the 
 furnishings, as though they had never seen them 
 before, and the extreme neatness which attested 
 the good housekeeping of Christine. 
 
 Last of all they entered Grace's bedroom, to 
 find its appearance quite as inviting as that of 
 the others. 
 
 "How sweet it does look, Lu!" exclaimed 
 Grace. "Oh, I do think we have just the sweet-
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 287 
 
 est home, as well as the dearest, kindest father in 
 the whole world!" 
 
 "Of course we have," returned Lulu. "I'd a 
 thousand times rather be his child than any 
 king's daughter." 
 
 "Would you, indeed, my dear child?" asked 
 a familiar voice close behind her, while a kind 
 hand was laid upon each shoulder. "Well, my 
 darlings, contentment is better than wealth, 
 and most assuredly your father would not ex 
 change you for any king's daughters,"or the 
 children of any other man." 
 
 As he spoke he bent down to press a fatherly 
 kiss upon Lulu's lips, then putting an arm round 
 Grace, caressed her in like manner. 
 
 "Now make yourselves neat for the dinner- 
 table, daughters," he said, "and after the meal,, 
 if you wish you may spend the whole afternoon 
 in going over the house and grounds." 
 
 "Oh, thank you, papa," they exclaimed, look 
 ing full of delight. 
 
 "Lu! Lu!" called Polly from the sitting 
 room, " what you 'bout? Polly wants a cracker. " 
 
 "O Polly, I beg your pardon; but you have 
 been so quiet ever since I came in that I really 
 forgot all about you," laughed Lulu, running 
 toward the cage, followed by her father and 
 Grace. "So you want a cracker, do you?" 
 
 "You shall have it, Polly," the captain said,
 
 288 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 opening the door of a small cupboard where 
 things of that sort were wont to be kept. ' ' Yes, 
 here is a paper of them," taking one out and 
 handing it to the parrot, who promptly took it 
 in one claw, and, standing on the other foot, be 
 gan biting off bits and disposing of them with 
 a comically serious air and evident ^enjoyment. 
 
 Just then the little ones came running in, eager 
 to see Polly and hear her talk. But she was 
 too much absorbed with her cracker to vouch 
 safe them a single-word. 
 
 "Is mamma ready for dinner, Elsie?" the 
 captain asked presently. 
 
 "Yes, sir," answered Violet's own voice 
 from the doorway; "and there is the bell." 
 
 "Then we will [go down at once," said the 
 captain, picking up Elsie and Ned, and follow 
 ing his wife down the stairs, Lulu and Grace 
 bringing up the rear. 
 
 The diningroom looked very attractive as 
 they entered it; there was perfect 'neatness 
 and order, vases of freshly cut flowers stood 
 here and' there, delighting the senses with their 
 beauty and fragrance, and forming a lovely dec 
 oration for the table, which presented a most in 
 viting appearance thus ornamented and set out 
 with delicate china, snowy damask, and glitter 
 ing cut glass and silver ware. 
 
 Everyone regarded it with evident satisfac 
 tion, Violet saying gayly, "After all, my dear,
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 289 
 
 can any lovelier or better place be found than 
 this our own sweet home?" 
 
 "There is no dearer spot on earth to me, my 
 love," he answered, with a smile that spoke 
 fond affection, and delight in her appreciation 
 of his efforts for her happiness and enjoy 
 ment. 
 
 "I think no place on earth could be more 
 beautiful than Viamede," remarked Lulu; "but 
 this is more charming because it is our very 
 own." 
 
 "Yes," chimed in Grace, "papa's and 
 mamma's and ours. It is ever so good in you, 
 papa, to let us own it too." 
 
 "Ah?" he returned laughingly, "but that 
 is because I own you, you know." 
 
 He had lifted baby Ned to his high chair, and 
 now all seated themselves and the blessing was 
 asked. 
 
 They were a lively, happy little dinner-party, 
 the children allowed a share in the conversa 
 tion. 
 
 "Papa," asked Grace at length, "are we to 
 begin lessons to-morrow?" 
 
 "No," he replied, "I will give you two days 
 to run about and see everything here, at Ion, 
 Fairview, the Oaks, and so forth. Then you 
 must settle down to work and be very good and 
 industrious if you want to be of the Annapolis 
 party in June."
 
 290 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 
 
 "Oh, that will be so delightful, papa, and we 
 do intend to be as good and industrious as pos 
 sible!" she exclaimed, Lulu adding, "lam sure 
 I do, and if I should deserve punishment, papa," 
 she went on in an undertone hardly audible to 
 anyone but him, for as usual she was seated 
 close at his right hand, "please do make it some 
 thing else than being left at home." 
 
 "I have little fear of being compelled to pun 
 ish you in that way or any other, daughter," 
 he replied, giving her a loving look. 
 
 "Thank you, dear papa; it is so kind in you 
 to say that; and Gracieandldo just love to be 
 long to you," raising her voice a little, "Don't 
 we, Gracie?" 
 
 "I do, I'm sure," returned Grace, with a lov 
 ing smile up into her father's face. 
 
 "Well, what shall we do this afternoon?" 
 queried Violet. "I for one feel inclined to go 
 all over the house and grounds, to look at every 
 dear, familiar spot." 
 
 "Well, my dear, then that is what we will 
 do," responded her husband; "and the children 
 may go with us or refrain, as they please," with 
 a smiling glance from Lulu to Grace, which both 
 answered with an eagerly expressed desire to 
 accompany him and Violet; Grace adding, 
 "But I do want to see Elf and Fairy more than 
 anything else." 
 
 "Well, dear child," said her father, "they
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 291 
 
 are disporting themselves out yonder in the mea 
 dow, and you may run out to look at and pet 
 them as soon as we leave the table, if you 
 wish." 
 
 "Oh, thank you, papa, that is just what I'd 
 like to do!" she replied. 
 
 "And I think all the rest of us will be glad 
 to go with you," said Violet. 
 
 Ned, however, presently began to nod, and 
 had to be carried away to his crib before the 
 others were quite ready to leave the table. 
 
 "I think Elsie, too, looks as if she would en 
 joy a nap more than anything else," remarked 
 the captain, with a kind look at his youngest 
 daughter, who seemed to be very nearly nodding 
 over her plate. 
 
 "Oh, no, papa!" she said straightening up 
 and opening her eyes very wide ; "please, I want 
 to see the ponies first." 
 
 "Very well, so you shall, and the nap can 
 come afterward," he returned in an indulgent 
 tone. 
 
 "Then, as we are all done eating, shall we 
 not go at once, my dear?" asked Violet. 
 
 "I think it would be well to do so," he re 
 turned. "Put on your hats, children, and we 
 will go." 
 
 Elf and Fairy seemed glad to see their young 
 mistresses, who stroked, patted, and fed them 
 with bits of sugar. The next thing was to ex-
 
 292 ELSIE AT VIANEDK 
 
 plore every nook and corner of the grounds, 
 which to them all looked lovelier than ever. 
 
 Then they returned to the house, little Elsie 
 willingly submitted to being laid in her crib, 
 for she was very sleepy, and the captain, Violet, 
 Lulu, and Grace went over the whole house, 
 finding it in beautiful order, and saying to each 
 other that it seemed a sweeter home than ever. 
 
 By that time there were callers from Ion, the 
 Oaks, Koselands, and the Laurels, those from 
 Ion bringing the news that Grandma Elsie in 
 vited all to a family reunion to be held at her 
 home on the afternoon and evening of the next 
 day. An invitation that every member of the 
 Woodburn family was glad to accept. 
 
 "Ah, Brother Levis," said Rosie coaxingly, 
 "you surely will not be so unkind as to require 
 lessons of us to-morrow?" 
 
 "No, little sister, to-morrow and the next day 
 may be given up to amusement ; but after that 
 I shall hope and expect to have some very in 
 dustrious pupils." 
 
 "As you certainly shall," she replied, with a 
 grave, emphatic nod; "I am glad of the prom 
 ised holiday; duly grateful for it, too, as I 
 presume all your scholars are." 
 
 "Yes, yes, indeed we are, sir!" was the hearty 
 response from Evelyn and Walter, Lulu and 
 Grace adding, "And so are we, papa." 
 
 The callers left early, declining an invitation
 
 ELSIE AT VIAMEDE. 293 
 
 to stay to tea ; the family partook of their even 
 ing meal; Grace and the little ones, wearied 
 with their journey, the excitement of the home 
 coming, and seeing so much company, went 
 early to bed ; an errand took the captain into 
 the village for a short season, and Violet and 
 Lulu were left for an hour or more to each other's 
 society. 
 
 They were on the veranda together, pacing 
 slowly back and forth, each with an arm about 
 the other's waist. 
 
 "Oh, Mamma Vi, isn't it just delightful to be 
 at home again?" exclaimed Lulu. 
 
 "Yes, indeed! when the home is 8^3h an one 
 as ours, and with such a man as your father at 
 the head of affairs," returned Violet. "Lu 
 dear, I'm so glad that you and all his children 
 love him as you do, though really I do not see 
 how any one of you could help it." 
 
 "Nor do I, Mamma Vi ; and I'm very glad that 
 you love him so too; that makes me love you 
 even better than I could if you didn't appreciate 
 him so highly. But we can't love him sp dearly 
 without loving one another; can we?" 
 
 "No, certainly not; I am very fond of all 
 five of his children as well as of their father," 
 Violet replied, with her low, sweet laugh.
 
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