JAMES CREELMAN 7 EAGLE BLOOD ItNiV. OF CAUF. LWRARY. LOS ANGELES "THE &WORD OF BUNKER HILL" (See page EAGLE BLOOD #23 JAMES CREELMAN Author of " the Great Highway" ILLUSTRATED BY ROSE CECIL O'NEILL BT | SN 3$ 3 2 3 BOSTON LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1902, BY LOTHROP PUBLISHING COMPANY. ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLISHED OCTOBER, 1902. Norfoooti J. S. Oushlng & Co. Berwick & Smith Norwood Mans. U.S.A. watt m m 2128892 J" ITTLE were the change of station, loss of I J rf life or crown, But the wreck were past retrieving if the Man fell down." OO his iron mace he lifted, smote with might and main, And the idol, on the pavement tumbling, burst in twain. LOWELL Illustrations The Sword of Bunker Hill" . . Frontispiece Page Marry a rich American" 16 ^Ah ! good evening, my lady ' " . . . . ijcj Leaped from his saddle, and lifting the fallen stars and stripes ..." . . . . . 2 Jo " c Would you be sorry if I should return to England, Helen?'" " c London Bridge is burning down ' ' . 5% % 5fi S & w % :?!- w w :?: ^ : -^ : ^ -j * S S ^ w u Eagle Blood CHAPTER I A BATTALION of stalwart grenadiers swung through Fleet Street in the rain, with squealing fifes and roaring drums, the dripping red ensign flapping in the wind above the moving mass of scarlet and steel and sodden bearskins. A thou- sand faces looked down from a thousand grimy windows and a hoarse murmur of cheering came from under the lines of streaming black umbrellas, crawling and bumping, turtle-like, along the splashed pavements ; for if anything can move the voice of that most British street in the British Empire, it is the sight of the gloriously sharp steel that guards the sacred cause of British commerce throughout the dividend-paying world. Even the fat little hairdresser who shears British manes in Cardinal Wolsey's dishonored palace 12 EAGLE BLOOD and can see from his back windows the Temple Church, where the dead crusaders lie forgotten waved a brave napkin as the mud-spattered sol- diers halted at Temple Bar, faced outward and moved backward to allow the brawling tide of omnibuses and cabs to sweep into their wonted channel, while a jaunty officer swore eloquently at the jeering cabbies as he rode through the jostling vehicles in search of his Exalted High- ness, the Rajah of Jinghool, moving in state with the Heir Apparent toward the shrieking central market-place of Christendom. The thousand faces receded from the windows, and Fleet Street forgot for the moment the red ensign and the shining bayonets. " To put the matter quite plainly, my lord, there is not a shilling left, not a shilling," said Mr. Chadder, dryly, as the fifes ended with a plaintive skirl. " The sale of the South London Boot and Shoe Works to the Americans at a time like this was, to say the least, unfortunate. I did all I could to delay the foreclosure proceed- ings, knowing that you would be ruined, but the EAGLE BLOOD 13 court refused to grant any more time. I need not say to your father's son that I am sorry matters have ended so." The burly solicitor pushed the iron-bound spectacles up on his forehead and glanced under his shaggy white brows at the pale young man who stood looking through a sooty window at the falling rain and the scarlet ranks of grenadiers in Fleet Street. Something in the slim figure, straight, narrow shoulders, and thin, boyish face touched the old man's heart, and his countenance softened. There was silence for a moment. The young Viscount Delaunay drummed idly on the win- dow-pane with his ringers and watched a bewigged barrister floundering in his drenched gown across the roaring thoroughfare below. Then he turned away and sat down beside the solicitor's desk. His slender face was bloodless, and there were dark rings under the haggard blue eyes. " It's hard, I know," said Mr. Chadder, as he twirled an inky quill pen between his sinewy thumb and forefinger, " but, after all " " Yes," cried the young man, in a sudden i 4 EAGLE BLOOD rage, "after all, I'm the first man of my blood in more than eight hundred years without money enough to buy a drink." "As for drink, my lord," said the solicitor, slowly, his face hardening, " I think that the less we say about that, the better. You will remember, sir if I may speak without offence that your distinguished father " " Be kind enough to leave my father's name out of the conversation," said the viscount, as he threw his head back and his cheeks reddened. " You forget yourself, Chadder." " As you will, sir," answered Mr. Chadder, with a sudden deference. " God forbid that I should say anything to wound your feelings." "Oh, come, Chadder, I'm too quick," exclaimed the youth, impulsively. "I'm face to face with beggary. I don't know what I'm saying. I don't know where to turn " the slender throat gulped and the proud, weak mouth trembled. " I can't help it. A man like you can never understand. Good God, Chadder ! what am I to do for a living ? " Mr. Chadder settled his massive shoulders EAGLE BLOOD 15 back in his leather chair and set the spectacles down firmly on his enormous nose. He thrust out his thick under-lip and brought the tips of his fingers together with an impressive professional cough. " I've been thinking of that, sir," he said gravely. " Yes, I've been thinking of it for a long time. I've seen the end coming. But per- haps your lordship might be offended if I ven- tured to speak plainly." The solicitor's keen eyes regarded the white face anxiously. " Your pride " " Oh, cut all that, Chadder. What am I to do to pay my creditors and live ? " " Sell the title." " Sell why you're jesting ! An Englishman can't sell his rank." " It's done every year, my lord," observed Mr. Chadder, with a wintry smile. " Done every year ? Impossible ! Why, what do you mean ? " Mr. Chadder stood up, folded his arms across his mighty chest, and looked the viscount straight in the eyes. The silence was painful. The veins 16 EAGLE BLOOD stood out on his great, wrinkled forehead, and the muscles of his mouth quivered. " Well, Chadder, out with it ! " " Marry a rich American. It's the only way out." " What ? " gasped the youth, leaping to his feet, "the heir to an earldom, with the blood of Godfrey de Bouillon in his veins, sell himself to a pork-packer's daughter for cash ? " The blue eyes flashed angrily, and the slight figure seemed to grow taller. " Chadder, I took you for an honest Englishman, but you're a " the shrill voice shook with passion " you're a damned cad ! " The old man shrank back as if from a blow, and his arms dropped helplessly by his side. For an instant the viscount stood trembling with anger, his lips parted, teeth clenched, and bright blotches of red glowing in his infuriate face. Then he sank meekly to his seat. " Forgive me," he faltered. " I didn't mean it no, really, Chadder, I'm a bally, ungrateful ass Mr. Chadder placed his hand on the young MARRY A RICH AMERICAN. EAGLE BLOOD 17 man's head and leaned over him with a look of deep affection. " Lord Delaunay," he said in a slow, deliberate way, " I would take that insult from no other man. You are twenty-four years old, and, at, your age, a man has ideals and prejudices that seem foolish to one who has had to deal with the hard facts of life, the empty pride of rank, the stern necessities of changing conditions. I may take a sordid view of matters, but we are living in a sordid age. What I have said to you I said as your dead father's friend and as your friend and counsellor, for I am truly your friend." "You are, Chadder, you are" and the blue eyes brimmed with tears; "I'm an infernal " " No," said the solicitor, quietly, " you are the last of a house founded by force, and you inherit the idea that the world owes you a living because the great knight whose crest you wear helped the Conqueror to crush the Saxon nobles and fought with his kinsman in the conquest of Jerusalem. The days of feudal chivalry are gone. Godfrey de Bouillon refused to wear a king's crown in Jerusalem because the Saviour wore a crown of 1 8 EAGLE BLOOD thorns there ; the first Earl of Castlehurst, the founder of your line, struck Louis the Fat in the face for offering him a dukedom as the price of disloyalty to the Conqueror, and was rewarded for his fidelity with an English earldom ; but go out into the streets of London to-day and see what it is that moves the world. A title without money invites pity or ridicule." Mr. Chadder resumed his chair and his pro- fessional manner. He seemed to feel himself master of the situation. " Now what have I proposed to you, sir ? " he continued, as he softly rubbed his palms together and cocked one leg over the other. " Simply that you shall recognize things as they are and not as you think they ought to be. England has seen her best days. The competition of America is driving our manufacturers and merchants to the wall. We are becoming poorer every year, while the Americans are becoming richer. The forced sale of the South London Boot and Shoe Works, which has destroyed your lordship's last source of income, is simply an incident of the American invasion. England offers no opportunities to a EAGLE BLOOD 19 penniless nobleman. His very rank shuts him out of employments in which others may engage. The traditions of his family doom him to silent poverty." " And the alternative is that he must sell him- self to an American squaw," remarked the vis- count, bitterly, "and spend the rest of his life trying to buy back his self-respect." He took a bunch of violets from his button- hole and pressed it daintily to his nostrils, as if to drive away the thought. " But all Americans are not vulgar," argued Mr. Chadder, " and it's as easy to love a rich girl as a poor one." " I hate Americans," said the youth, setting his single eyeglass in position, as though he were surveying the offending race at that moment. "They're loud-voiced, badly dressed, purse- proud, aggressive and oh, Chadder, hang it, I can't stand them ! They're all champagne and diamonds and brag." "The men um ; yes, perhaps some of the men may be like that," said Mr. Chadder, "but we were not speaking of the men." 20 EAGLE BLOOD " And the women are vain and talkative. They tell you all they know, and more too, ten minutes after you've met them." " It's a big subject," sighed the solicitor, evi- dently beyond his depth, " and I can't pretend to control your views in such matters ; but a mo- ment's serious reflection ought to convince you, my lord, that a young man in your position has a better chance in America, where titles are venerated yes, worshipped than in England. After all, you would not be the first man of your family whose marriage was based on other con- siderations than affection. It seems to me that wealth is as fair an object as political power. Your great-grandfather married the daughter of his bitterest enemy simply to end a political quarrel." The drums throbbed in Fleet Street and the fifes shrilled piercingly. " Rule Britannia ! Britannia rules the waves ! \ And Britons never shall be slaves." " Listen to that, Chadder," cried the viscount. " Doesn't it make your blood hot again ? " EAGLE BLOOD 21 A roar of voices announced the arrival of the Rajah and the Heir Apparent at Temple Bar. The sound of a trumpet rang splendidly, and the tramp of troops was heard. " Rule Britannia ! Britannia rules the waves ! And Britons never, never, never shall be slaves." " Marriage with a rich American," continued Mr. Chadder, without taking notice of the inter- ruption, " would enrich your own country. You would be, as it were, nationalizing the wealth of your wife. I need not tell you that the income of Battlecragie now that all the timber has been sold is eaten up by the interest charges on the debts of the estate, and the Earl of Castlehurst is in desperate financial straits." " I've heard that my grandfather is having a hard time of it on the old place. He was hard enough on me, God knows ! " "And it may yet be your fortune," said Mr. Chadder, pursuing his theme, " to restore your birthplace to something like its former dignity. It is a mere matter of common sense." The noise in the street swelled to a thunderous 22 EAGLE BLOOD tumult ; the two men moved to the window and looked out. A fog was descending, and they could see the scarlet and steel and the red en- sign disappearing in the mist, while the whining of the fifes came faintly through the dull clamor of the trampling multitude. " I'd join the army if I had the physique," said the viscount, " but my ancestors used up the vi- tality of the family long ago. By God ! Chadder," and his face flushed, "I'll go to America. No, I'll not sell myself to a tradesman's daughter I'll leave my title behind me. If I go, I'll go like a man, and make my way honestly. There must be some drop of the old blood in me. No, I won't be a target for the American newspapers. Why, Chadder! I'll take my mother's name, Dorsay. Hugh Dorsay ! That sounds demo- cratic enough, doesn't it? Hugh Dorsay, plain Englishman." " But, my lord, there might be complications." " Complications ? Complications, Chadder ? What rot ! I'm an orphan, and there's nothing to keep me in London a day longer. My grandfather has cast me out, and my creditors bless them ! EAGLE BLOOD 23 have no idea of my present address ; and you, Chadder, you shall be the keeper of my secret. You shall forward my letters to me under cover. You, Chadder, Chadder, the inscrutable and the ever faithful ! shall keep the curious sup- plied with discreet and careful tales of my wanderings in Europe or Asia or Africa, or any other bally place that occurs to you, in search of health ; and mind you keep the Morning Post well informed, Chadder, for the sake of well, after all, there are a few who will miss me besides my creditors." " It occurs to me that we should consult the Earl of Castlehurst," stammered the solicitor. " It is customary " "Never mind my grandfather," said the vis- count, flourishing his hand gayly. " I'm my own master. Why, Chadder, you're splendid. You've put me on the right track. Don't deny it," the old man was shaking his head, " for I swear to you that I'll do nothing in America to make you ashamed of me. I know I'm hot- headed and full of pride, but I come by it honestly. You know that, Chadder. But that's 24 EAGLE BLOOD all past now, and some day Hugh Dorsay may surprise the man who knew him as Lord De- launay. It's like a play, isn't it? but it's true, Chadder ; I've made up my mind (it may astonish you to know that I've got a mind), and I'll start to-morrow for New York. The steamer train leaves Euston station at noon. I mean every word I say, Chadder. Hang it, old man, be my friend ! say that you'll stand by me." There was a ring of manly sincerity in the voice and a shining enthusiasm in the young face that stormed the prejudices of the worldly- wise veteran, and he took the outstretched hand with quick emotion. "So I will, so I will," he said; "and I'll ad- vance you whatever money may be necessary for the voyage. Ah, it's nothing, my lord, a matter of fifty pounds. I'll send it to your lodgings this afternoon, with a letter or two of introduction." "You're a prince, Chadder, a bally prince!" exclaimed the youth, gratefully; "and now I'm oflf to make my arrangements. I'll see you at Euston station at half-past eleven to-morrow. EAGLE BLOOD 25 Good-by, Chadder. You see I've caught the American get-up-and-go spirit already. Yes, siree, by gosh ! " The heavy door clashed behind him as the viscount went down the stairs humming a tune. Turning up Fleet Street, he made his way to the Strand and walked briskly westward. His brain was in a whirl, and the shuffling, chatter- ing crowds confused him. For the first time in his life he had been suddenly confronted with the pitiless, practical problems of life. The great multitude that moved around him in the D growing fog excited his interest. How did they live, these teeming millions of London ? And why did they suffer in the dirt and noise of the mighty city when they, too, might go to Amer- ica ? New thoughts, new sympathies, arose in him as he realized what it meant to be alone in such a place without money or friends. The grimy buildings seemed so cold and inhospitable. A ragged beggar jostled him, and he put a shilling in the outstretched hand. Then he found himself wondering why he had done it. An hour before he would have thrust the im- 26 EAGLE BLOOD pudent mendicant from him without a second thought. It was a dream, and he would presently wake up and find himself in dear, old, warm-hearted London again. No, it was all true. He had promised Chadder to go to America and begin life over. He would go. At the corner of Trafalgar Square he stopped, undecided where to go. He could see through the mist the monstrous heads of the lions crouching at the foot of Nelson's monument, and the dim figure of Gordon, Bible in hand. The bells of St. Martin's struck the hour, and the sound of the Westminster chimes came shivering up Parliament Street. "I'll go and see old Muhlenberg," he thought. " Dear old tutor. I wonder what he'll say." Ten minutes later he entered a neat brick house near Berkley Square and was shown into a cosey little room whose walls were lined with well-filled bookshelves and hung with portraits of well-known men. Sitting before an open- grate fire, with a torn manuscript on his knees, was Professor Muhlenberg, the most dis- EAGLE BLOOD 27 tinguished scholar of Oxford ; a small man, with snow-white hair, close-cropped side whis- kers, and clear, merry gray eyes. " Why, Hugh ! " cried the professor, rising and grasping the young man's hand ; " I'm so glad to see you, my boy. Not in trouble again, I hope ? Ah, you scamp ! you never come to see me unless you're in a scrape. How is Lord Castlehurst oh, yes, I forgot, your grandfather hasn't forgiven you for that last little affair. And Mademoiselle Ballafanti ? I saw her in the ballet at Covent Garden last week such eyes! such hair! such er ah for shame, sir, when " " I'm through with all that now," said the youth, with a gesture of protest. " Eh ? What ? " exclaimed the professor, with a look of surprise. " I'm going to America," said the viscount. " Why, what new lark is this ? To Amer- ica ha! ha!" and the old man's laughter rang in the little room. " Is mademoiselle to disport her charms on the American stage ? " " Professor, I'm a ruined man. The South 28 EAGLE BLOOD London property has been sold by the cred- itors, and I haven't a penny left. I've decided to go to New York. There's nothing else to do." The venerable face became instantly serious. " But there's South Africa or India." " They're both crowded with adventurers and sharpers. I'd be lost there. I'm going to see what I can do in a white man's country." " Good ! " said the professor. " I like the idea. Really, my boy," and the old scholar paced the room with his hands behind his back, his brows contracted, and his fine, thin mouth drawn down at the corners, "I see no oppor- tunities for an impoverished nobleman in Eng- land. The Americans are driving all before them. The old country has lost the knack of success. The Americans will wear themselves out in time, for they have not yet learned the admirable art of leisure : they work so furiously that they don't know how to play. But, mean- while, England feels the pressure of the unequal competition. Our trade and industry are passing into foreign hands. As the idle aristocracy of EAGLE BLOOD 29 England becomes poorer and poorer, the power of money in society becomes more apparent. Brewers, tradesmen, mere hucksters, have thrust aside the old nobility and, after all, why not ? They have done something. In America your title " " I'm going to drop my title there," said the viscount. " Hang it, professor, I don't propose to be laughed at." The old man's eyes lit with quick humor, and he shook his head. " Americans don't laugh at titles, Hugh," he said. " They are the only people in the world who really revere them. A young man of your rank and ancestry could marry the richest girl in New York or Chicago." " That isn't in my plan," exclaimed the youth. " I will take my mother's name and make my way as a man, without any false pretences." "Bravo!" shouted the professor, and he slapped the viscount's shoulder. " Hugh Dor- say ! I like it. I knew a man named Stubbs " the scholar's face puckered into a smile "a successful ironmonger, who made some repairs 30 EAGLE BLOOD in the buttery at All Souls. When I told him that Stubbs was a contraction of St. Albans, and that he had as much right to the name as the duke himself, what do you think he said ? f I don't want it,' said he, ' because the Stubbses amount to somethink ' ha ! ha ! " The little man shook with merriment. " I don't see the point," said the viscount, coldly. " The point," said the professor, bluntly, " is that the men of your family have been relying on the deeds of their ancestors. They have enjoyed life in a way, but each generation has been weaker than the preceding one necessi- tatis inventa sunt antiquiora quam voluptis, I hope you haven't forgotten your Latin, Hugh, and if you go to New York in the right spirit you can make any name you choose to bear a name that stands for something accomplished in the present." " That's my idea exactly." " It's a good one. Remember Carlyle's jest about a naked peer addressing a naked House of Lords you see the whole system is pre- EAGLE BLOOD 31 posterous when you strip it of wealth. Go to America, my boy, and God prosper you ! I have a few friends there, and I can give you letters that may open the way for you. Let me see " The old scholar threw his head back and closed his eyes. " Oh, yes, there's David Irkins, proprietor of the New York Mail, an extraordinary man, sort of international proletarian, who cables messages to reigning sovereigns on all sorts of popular questions, and offers to print their answers in his newspaper. He never gets a reply, except from some little prince in the Balkans, but he keeps right on bombarding the thrones of Eng- land, Germany, Russia, and Austria, and prints every message he sends with a grand flourish. Shrewd fellow, Irkins, and knows the weaknesses of the masses works himself into a moral rage and weeps in public over the grave of human liberty whenever the opposition party is successful at the polls. He was my pupil for a year. Irkins would make a place for you in his office." 32 EAGLE BLOOD " But he mustn't know my real name," said the viscount. " He must know me only as Hugh Dorsay." " Then there's William Remington, the mill- ionnaire banker," continued the professor. "A coarse, harsh man, whose word is law to some of the greatest syndicates in America. His son was educated at Oxford, and the father sent me a draft for two hundred pounds and a letter of thanks when the boy returned home with a degree. I sent the draft back. I believe that Mr. Remington would do something for you. " And now, Hugh," the professor placed his hands on the young man's shoulders " are you sure you are in earnest ? Are you quite cer- tain that you won't change your mind when you see Mademoiselle Ballafanti's pretty face again ? Have you thought of what it means to leave your native country and go among strangers, to com- pete with men who know how to work, and will make no allowances for your pride and your lack of experience ? " " I've thought it all over," said the viscount, gravely. " God help me ! I'll do my best ; but " EAGLE BLOOD 33 and his eyes flashed " I'd go, even if I knew I should never come back." " Then I'll write the letters now." Seating himself at a table, the professor wrote two notes of introduction and handed them to his visitor. " There is one thing you must never forget in America," said the scholar, stroking his chin thoughtfully and looking into the pink and violet flames that flickered in the grate. " Be orthodox. Don't undertake to reform the country. When- ever you are consumed by a desire to remodel the manners and customs of the United States, sit down and remember the important fact that there are seventy million Americans and only one Hugh Dorsay. That will save you a lot of trouble, my boy. When you meet an American whose refor- mation becomes a source of serious anxiety to you, why then you must " "Yes." " Marry her." " Oh, pshaw ! " " But don't fall in love with the first beautiful face you see. You may find a still more beautiful 34 EAGLE BLOOD one with a fortune to match it. At your age, who knows what the future holds ? It isn't necessary to be sordid or vulpine, Hugh, but if kind Heaven leads a well-born young Englishman straight to the feet of a rich American girl, why should he not fulfil his destiny and make an English- woman of her ? In other words, my boy, don't be a fool." "I'll think of it," said the viscount, as he rose to go. " Upon my word, I've heard more matri- monial advice to-day than I bargained for. I don't know why it is that every time an unmarried Englishman proposes to go to America, he is solemnly lectured on the subject of matrimony." " You don't ? ha ! ha ! " cried the professor ; " then you haven't seen many American girls. The danger is, not that you'll marry an American, but that you'll marry the first one you meet." " Not I. Why, professor, they are simply skilful flirts, but there, we've talked enough ; and now good-by, dear old friend. I'll write to you and tell how I'm getting on. I may make a mess of it, but I'll do nothing to make you ashamed of me." EAGLE BLOOD 35 " Of course you won't, Hugh," said the pro- fessor, heartily. " Your blood and breeding ought to keep you honest, even if you had no innate qualities of your own. Remember that character counts for more than anything else. Integer vit