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This book must not 
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AFTKl: M. U. W., I'llUTO. 
 
 THE WOODED HILL COUNTRY (page 195) 
 
AN UNKNOWN 
 PATRIOT 
 
 A STOKY OF THE SECRET SERVICE 
 
 BY 
 
 FRANK SAMUEL CHILD 
 
 BOSTON AND NEW YORK 
 HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY 
 
 1899 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1899, BY FRANK SAMUEL CHILD 
 AiL RIGHTS RESERVED 
 
00 
 
 ^ 
 
 TO 
 
 THE MEMORY 
 OF 
 
 ELISHA CHILD 
 
 A MODEST AND HONORED PATRIOT OF 1776 
 
 CAPTAIN TOWN-CLERK DEPUTY 
 
 COMMITTEE-MAN ON WAR 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 I. 
 
 II. 
 
 III. 
 
 IV. 
 
 V. 
 
 VI. 
 
 VII. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 IX. 
 
 X. 
 
 XI. 
 
 XII. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 XV. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 XX. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 XXV. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 XXVII. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Great Wolf of North Carolina 1 
 
 A Devil of a Dream . . . . 13 
 
 To All Friends of American Liberty 23 
 
 Aaron Burr and Dorothy Q . . 42 
 
 Twin Cousins 59 
 
 The President of the Continental 
 
 Congress celebrates his Nuptials . 69 
 The United American Colonies are 
 
 Free and Independent States . 88 
 
 One Life to give for My Country 100 
 Billy the Butcher broils Pork . .116 
 
 Under the Apple Blossoms . . 134 
 
 A Prisoner of War .... 148 
 
 Two Muffled Figures . . . 164 
 
 A Fleet sails up the Sound . . 182 
 
 " The Firebrand " kindles Flames . 195 
 
 Sky a Covering, Earth a Couch . 213 
 
 One Mysterious Passenger . . 228 
 
 A Wrestling Match in the Woods . 241 
 
 The Whaleboat Party . . . 255 
 
 They dine on Turkey in Mid-Sea . 269 
 
 A Wounded Man in the Attic . . 284 
 
 Major Tallmadge and Major Andre . 299 
 
 Desire on the Mount of Vision . 312 
 
 In Three Places at the Same Time . 325 
 
 A Pursuit and a SKiR>nsH . . 340 
 
 At Fort St. George .... 350 
 
 " Have I not served Seven Years ? " 362 
 
 Honored by Washington . . . 379 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Page 
 
 The Wooded Hill Country (page 195) Frontispiece 
 
 Desire ... at her Task 44 
 
 John Hancock 56 
 
 They were married in the Great Parlor . 74 
 
 Desire and Duane 112 
 
 Headquarters of General Silliman . . . 152 
 
 Fairfield Beach 184 
 
 Eunice Dennie Burr 200 
 
 Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge .... 220 
 
 Tryon Hall 262 
 
 Judge Thomas Jones 282 
 
 Governor Jonathan Trumbull .... 374 
 
AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE GREAT WOLF OF NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 Governor Tryon set his heart on livino: 
 in a fine house. "I'll build a palace," he 
 said to himself. " It shall be the most stately 
 and expensive mansion in all the American 
 "wilderness." 
 
 So he wheedled and flattered the people of 
 North Carolina until the Assembly of 1766 
 voted him five thousand pounds sterling that 
 he might begin the edifice. The following 
 year ten thousand pounds was added by his 
 minions and their servants in the legislature, 
 and then the huge proportions of this pro- 
 vincial palace thrust themselves into the vision 
 of his fellow conspirators and the amazed peo- 
 ple of the colony. 
 
 The main part w^as brick, eighty-seven feet 
 front and fifty-nine deep, with wings for 
 offices and servants' quarters, these wings 
 
2 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 being connected with the palace proper by a 
 covered curviform colonnade. The chimney 
 breasts for the council chamber^ dining-hall, 
 drawing-room, and the elaborate cornices 
 were white marble. The great hall had four 
 niches for statuary. The furnishings of the 
 mansion were made on a scale in harmony 
 with the edifice. A handsome court stretched 
 between the palace and its wings on the front, 
 while the rear was finished after the style of 
 the London Mansion House. 
 
 Fifteen thousand pounds sterling was an 
 enormous sum for the tax-payers of North 
 Carolina to put into a house. It was a piece 
 of unparalleled extravagance. New York 
 or Boston never thought of such a thing. 
 Neither did the scattered, impoverished peo- 
 ple of this southern colony. It was all Tryon's 
 doings. This was what he came to America 
 for, — to be the head man of his province, live 
 in prodigal style, and squeeze money out of 
 the colonists as you squeeze juice out of an 
 orange. Did not Providence open up the 
 world for the benefit of the adventurous Eng- 
 lishman ? And had not the colonial govern- 
 ors appointed by king or queen made it a 
 point of honor (or dishonor) to line their 
 pockets and fill their coffers ? 
 
THE GEE AT WOLF OF NORTE CAROLINA 3 
 
 The poor farmers, planters, traders, were 
 taxed, imposed upon, abused, and defrauded 
 until they rose in armed resistance, — those 
 sturdy, weather-beaten Scotch-Irish Presbyte- 
 rians and their like. Tryon enjoyed it. He 
 was a soldier-governor. There was a vein of 
 ferocity in his nature which simply waited 
 upon opportunity. Give the man a chance, 
 and he would show the world how to deal 
 with Indians or rebels. When it came to 
 treatment of the Cherokees, he earned the 
 bloody title which these thwarted enemies 
 gave him, — "The Great Wolf of North Car- 
 olina." They feared and hated Tryon with 
 diabolic intensity. When it came to treat- 
 ment of the disaffected and seditious spirits of 
 his colony, he was at the first wily and seduc- 
 tive. Bearded in his mansion by the people, 
 he was compelled to give up the stamp-master 
 for North Carolina. "We will burn your 
 house, yourself, and your stamp-master to- 
 gether," said the angry multitude. So Tryon 
 yielded, but it rankled in his heart, and he 
 thought out plans of retaliation. " Bear down 
 upon them for the taxes," was his word. 
 "Double and treble your legal fees, your 
 court exactions ! " 
 
 It seemed almost impossible to get justice. 
 
4 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 The man who paid the largest price was the 
 man in whose favor a verdict was declared. 
 These funds, secured by fraud and treachery, 
 were divided among the servants and officers 
 of the crown. Verily, Governor Tryon car- 
 ried things with a high hand, and it gave 
 him a famous reputation. He knew how to 
 manaofe the white man and the red man. Did 
 he not create a wholesome terror in the hearts 
 of all that opposed him ? Had he not suc- 
 ceeded in bending the colony to his will? 
 Was he not doing well for the crown ? There- 
 fore was he called the best, the shrewdest, 
 the most successful among his contemporary 
 rulers of provinces. 
 
 Yes, what a brave and masterful campaign 
 was that which he carried on against the 
 Regulators. These burdened, harried men 
 were driven to some kind of organization. 
 They had submitted to injustice and cruelty 
 until forbearance ceased to be a virtue. 
 Banded together in order to resist further 
 encroachments of the constituted authorities, 
 they made a stand for liberty and justice. 
 Tryon met them at Alamance River on May 
 16th, 1771, and there fought the first battle 
 of the American Revolution. 
 
 The rebels were brave. Their hearts were 
 
THE GREAT WOLF OF NORTH CAROLINA 5 
 
 in the fight. But they lacked discipline and 
 generalship. " Tell the governor we defy 
 him," was the message they sent back when 
 he demanded their surrender. " Battle is 
 what we want." '' The Great Wolf of North 
 Carolina" fell upon the motley, untrained 
 band, tearing them asunder and inflicting 
 grievous wounds. The Regulators had made 
 their stand, and the mighty Tryon scattered 
 them to the four winds, accompanying his 
 victory with such hangings, burnings, and 
 confiscations as pleased his fancy or gratified 
 his sense of fitness. 
 
 The hot breath of discontent and sedition 
 carried across the sea had at length struck 
 his Majesty the King of Great Britain in the 
 face. These fires must be quenched. Was 
 it not meet that a capable and conspicuous 
 man like Tryon should be transferred from 
 the remoteness, the solitude of the southern 
 colony, to the centre of trade and power in 
 the north? There were red men in New York, 
 and they required a master to make them 
 efficient allies of the crown. There were 
 white men that must be held in check, dis- 
 ciplined, or put out of the way. Tryon knew 
 how to do these things. He was well versed 
 in the subterfuges and cruelties of such war- 
 
b AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 fare. He could cheat a man or hang him, 
 burn his house and get him into prison, cut 
 off his ears or confiscate his property, with a 
 speed and sagacity commanding the widest 
 admiration. 
 
 So the king made him governor of New 
 York. Tryon transferred his household gods 
 and the treasure which he had squeezed out 
 of his southern victims to the rising metro- 
 polis of the north. 
 
 He was all grace and suavity when in- 
 ducted into this new place of trust. Having 
 learned several lessons in manag^ement while 
 quarreling with the people of North Carolina, 
 he put them into practice while conducting 
 the affairs of the northern colony, gaining 
 a fair measure of good-will. Many were the 
 flattering words which he spoke to his new 
 subjects. Hospitality, frankness, concern for 
 the general welfare, interest in all the things 
 of the passing day, a generous friendliness, a 
 wonderful tolerance of religious opinions, — 
 these were some of his characteristics, and 
 they gained him popularity. His despotic 
 will did not show itself. While he contin- 
 ued strict as a disciplinarian, he tempered his 
 severity with such reason and discernment that 
 people refused to credit the reports which fol- 
 lowed him from the south. 
 
THE GREAT WOLF OF NORTH CAROLINA 7 
 
 " You know what they call him in North 
 Carolina, don't you?" The speaker was 
 David Hardy, a student in King's College. 
 He was addressing his cousin, Duane Living- 
 stone. 
 
 " I think I have heard. A wolf, is it ? " 
 And he turned inquiringly toward the col- 
 legian. 
 
 " ' The Great Wolf of North Carolina,' " 
 repHed young Hardy. " I doubt not he 
 deserves it. The ^ Sons of Liberty ' say he 
 is a devil." 
 
 " Now, David, you ought not to speak that 
 way about a fine gentleman like Governor 
 Tryon. It'll never do for a parson to think 
 ill of people. You must have more charity and 
 believe less than half you hear, or you will be 
 no fit man to preach the gospel of peace." 
 
 The tone of the speaker was gently satiri- 
 cal. He was three years the senior of his 
 cousin, a traveled man of the world, en- 
 gaged in business, and doing well, so that he 
 might properly talk in this familiar and in- 
 structive way. Furthermore, he was a friend 
 of the governor's. He had known the family 
 in England when, as a schoolboy, he was 
 invited to their home. He had visited them 
 in Newbern after the great mansion was fin- 
 
8 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 ished, and enjoyed the free, generous life 
 which there prevailed. 
 
 " Lies, David, lies," continued the callow 
 merchant. " You must meet his Excellency. 
 Although a born man of affairs burdened with 
 grave responsibilities, I call him the very soul 
 of courtesy, and he knows all about good 
 fellowship. My dear cousin, don't believe 
 the stories you hear. I tell you they are lies. 
 Come with me some time when I call upon the 
 family. They will give you a royal wel- 
 come." 
 
 "Duane," exclaimed the cousin, "I believe 
 you 're an out-and-out Tory. You ought to 
 be ashamed of yourself." 
 
 " Now, David, my boy, don't get excited," 
 cried Mr. Livingstone. " You must learn to 
 curb that high-strung Hardy nature of yours. 
 What's the use of maligning a man and 
 making yourself ridiculous simply because he 
 differs from you in his opinions?" 
 
 The question went unanswered, for a sud- 
 den hght flared up into the sky : the old fire- 
 bell suddenly clanged out its tumultuous 
 noise, shrieking, groaning, muttering, roaring, 
 appealing for help, crying notes of warning, 
 waking all the echoes of the little city, filling 
 hearts with terror and foreboding. 
 
THE GEE AT WOLF OF NORTH CAROLINA 9 
 
 The young men ran down the street in the 
 direction of the fire. The houses poured 
 forth their lively volunteers, adding to the 
 racket and excitement. Men with buckets, 
 ladders, all sorts of convenient apparatus, 
 joined the motley throng. 
 
 " Where 's the fire ? " shouted a score of 
 voices. At length the word was hurled up 
 and down and across the town, " It 's the 
 governor's house. Governor Tryon's house 
 is on fire ! " 
 
 Fort George was at the lower extremity of 
 the island, a rectangular stone-work strength- 
 ened with bastions at its angles, elevated on 
 an artificial mound fourteen feet high, the 
 main gateway fronting on the Bowling Green. 
 It contained barracks for two hundred men, 
 two powder magazines, and the Province 
 House. The counterscarp on the eastern and 
 northern fronts was used as a garden by his 
 Excellency. 
 
 Duane Livingstone and David Hardy 
 reached the spot in time to see flames burst 
 from the upper story windows. They fairly 
 ran against the governor, who had escaped 
 from the burning mansion with his wife, whom 
 he had hurried across to the barracks. Even 
 as they met him, a faint cry from the burning 
 
10 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 structure smote their ears, and a maiden 
 appeared in the window of a second-story 
 room. It was Tryon's daughter, cut off from 
 escape through the ordinary means of exit. 
 The governor was chained to the spot for a 
 second, and a groan of horror sounded above 
 the roar of flames and the din of help. Then 
 he sprang to the rescue of the girl, stood be- 
 neath the chamber window, shouted to her 
 that she must jump for Hfe, reached forth his 
 arms to receive the down-coming burden, and 
 waited a moment in torturing expectancy, 
 braced for the fall against his breast. There 
 was the swift flioht of the frio^htened maiden 
 through the air, the dark form silhouetted 
 against the glare, and father and child were 
 clasped in each other's arms. Then the build- 
 ing became a seething mass of contending, 
 wrathful flames. 
 
 " I wonder how he likes it ? " remarked 
 David Hardy to his cousin, after they had 
 done what little service lay in their power, 
 and they were turning away homeward. 
 
 " Likes what ? " asked Livingstone sharply. 
 
 " Why, likes to be burnt out. It 's an old 
 trick of his, you know, to burn folks' houses 
 about their ears." 
 
 " Now, look here," — it was Livingstone 
 
 J 
 
THE GREAT WOLF OF NORTH CAROLINA 11 
 
 speaking, — "I don't know any such things 
 and I don't believe it, either. People lie about 
 him. He did n't burn the homes of those 
 wild, seditious North Carolinians any more 
 than you did. They were all the time fighting 
 among themselves. He told me so. Tryon 
 is a good governor, a fair man, a splendid 
 soldier. Why can't you be just and reason- 
 able, and give a man his due? " 
 
 " Well, Duane, there is no doubt in my 
 mind that his Excellency Governor Tryon got 
 a part of his due to-night. I saw his face 
 when he heard the cry of his daughter. 
 Great beads of sweat stood on his forehead. 
 The lines of agony looked deep, like the fur- 
 rows of old age. And when the girl sprang 
 into his arms and they stood there together 
 in their first sense of happy safety, I thought 
 of the men and the women who had suf- 
 fered even greater affliction and torment 
 through the commands or the sufferance of 
 this eminent person whom you call your 
 friend. I confess that I felt resigned to any 
 momentary distress that might press him sore 
 to-night." 
 
 " A fine preacher you '11 make, young man, 
 with such a spirit of wickedness in you. I 
 marvel that you dare to think of the minis- 
 try." 
 
12 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 " I wonder how he likes it ! I wonder 
 how he Hkes it ! " David Hardy said it over 
 several times, more to himself than to his 
 cousin. He was revolving it in his mind, 
 when at last he made his way to bed and fell 
 asleep. " I wonder how ' The Great Wolf of 
 North Carolina * likes to be burnt out." 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 A DEVIL OF A DREAM 
 
 There was talk in Fairfield when Master 
 Hardy sent his grandson, David, to King's 
 College, New York. What business had a 
 Puritan New Englander in a Church of Eng- 
 land institution ? Some folks said that the 
 old gentleman was losing his mind. The 
 boy ought to have gone to Yale, where his 
 father and his grandfather went before him. 
 
 But Jeremiah Hardy was as hale and hearty 
 at fourscore as he had been at three ; there 
 were no more signs of losing his mind than 
 of losing his tongue, as many a friend and 
 enemy was prepared to testify. 
 
 The old schoolmaster had taken an interest 
 in the new college, because his good friend, 
 Rector Johnson, served it with such zeal, and 
 Philip Livingstone was one of its stanch 
 helpers. David studied there because his 
 uncle paid all the bills and gave his nephew 
 a home. 
 
 Master Hardy was poor, and when his son 
 
14 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 Jonathan, who was a parson, died, and a little 
 later this son's widow, leaving three orphans 
 to the care of their grandfather, the old gen- 
 tleman felt his straitened circumstances. He 
 could live well enough and hold his own 
 against the world, but it is hard for old age 
 to assume the responsibilities of supporting or 
 training a young family. 
 
 The schoolmaster took up this fresh bur- 
 den uncomplainingly, refusing to accept any 
 help from sons or sons-in-law. He was an 
 independent spirit, asking odds of nobody so 
 long as he enjoyed good health. When, one 
 glorious morning, the life of his wife went 
 out with the tide, the burden seemed doubled 
 and trebled ; yet there was the same brave 
 purpose to do and endure unto the end, lean- 
 ing simply upon the strong arm of the Great 
 Father. 
 
 David was ready for college at thirteen, for 
 his grandfather had spent a great deal of 
 time over the boy. He was to take the place 
 of his dead sire in the ministry, so Jeremiah 
 Hardy poured the strength of his intellectual 
 and moral life into the open vessel of this 
 sensitive nature. But as the grandfather did 
 not have the money to pay the boy's way, 
 and Philip Livingstone did, being glad to do 
 
A DEVIL OF A DREAM 15 
 
 it on condition that David became a member 
 of his family, affairs naturally took this turn. 
 
 It had been arranged for the young student 
 to read his course in divinity with the ven- 
 erable pastor Hobart, but the good man passed 
 away before David returned to Fairfield. 
 Then followed the usual interregnum in the 
 pastorate, a period when all business waits in 
 abeyance upon the choice of a new minister. 
 
 Thaddeus Burr and other citizens were fre- 
 quent visitors in Boston, and they heard high 
 words of praise for the son of the Rev. 
 Andrew Eliot, D. D. He was a tutor in Har- 
 vard College, a young man of rare attain- 
 ments, a gentleman of the best social position, 
 one combining in himself so many graces and 
 virtues that he evidently was admirably fitted 
 to succeed a minister of parts like Mr. Ho- 
 bart. 
 
 On the 7th day of February, 1774, it was 
 voted in society's meeting that Mr. Elijah 
 Abel go to Cambridge and wait upon Mr. 
 Andrew Eliot, Jr., from thence to Fairfield, 
 and the messenger was requested to set out 
 on his journey at once, which thing he did, 
 returninof" in due time with the candidate. 
 The new man brouo^ht with him the intel- 
 lectual spirit of Boston, a thing stimulating 
 
16 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 and satisfactory to the people of the Con- 
 necticut town. 
 
 On the 2d of March the young minister 
 wrote to his father, saying, " The church have 
 this day met. They first sent a committee to 
 confer with me ahout the ordinance of bap- 
 tism, owning the covenant, the mode of 
 administering the Lord's Supper, and of ad- 
 mitting communicants. After the committee 
 had made report, the church proceeded, and 
 by an unanimous vote gave me an invitation 
 to the pastoral of&ce. The parish are to meet 
 next Monday. I am informed there is like to 
 be the same unanimity among them as in the 
 church." 
 
 But herein Mr. Eliot erred. It was many 
 days before the sentiments and opinions of 
 the voters in the ecclesiastical society crystal- 
 lized. The fact that ninety-nine hundredths 
 of a congregation are pleased with a certain 
 candidate is enough to excite the suspicion or 
 antagonism of some possible one hundredth 
 in various queer parishes. 
 
 When the society's meeting was held, there- 
 fore, a fair degree of heat manifested itself 
 during the discussion over Mr. Eliot. Ammi 
 Barlow, a member of the parish, but not a 
 member of the church, was the contentious 
 
A DEVIL OF A DREAM 17 
 
 ^^ one hundredth " part of the congregation in 
 this case, — a very small and meagre minority, 
 yet large enough to show strenuous opposi- 
 tion to the Bostonian. There was no reason 
 for his course, except that he did not like the 
 man. When asked to go into particulars, he 
 hemmed and hawed, simply reiterating his 
 charge that he did n't like him. 
 
 The final meeting was held on the 4th of 
 April. After a free expression of mind on 
 the part of the voters, Mr. Barlow arose and 
 objected to an election on that day. " I move 
 that the meeting adjourn to a more convenient 
 season." There was a murmur of disapproval. 
 Men moved uneasily in their seats, shrugged 
 their shoulders, and protested with numerous 
 shakings of the head. At this point Mr. 
 Hardy arose and addressed the meeting. 
 
 "Mr. Moderator," he said, "this electing a 
 pastor has so absorbed me that I could not 
 rid my mind of it. Last night I went to bed 
 worrying, and for hours I did n't sleep. But 
 finally toward morning I lost myself, and I 
 dreamed a dream, and it was all about this 
 very meeting. If no one objects, I '11 tell 
 the dream." 
 
 Curiosity had been excited, for the school- 
 master was not an ordinary dreamer. Evi- 
 
18 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 dently the society's meeting was to be enter- 
 tained, and things would take a new tack. 
 They all waited upon the dreamer with keen 
 interest. 
 
 " I dreamed/' continued Master Hardy, 
 " that I was being carried away through the 
 air. I went down and down and down, until 
 I knew from the odor of things and the awful 
 heat that I had got into the neighborhood of 
 the infernal regions. The racket was tre- 
 mendous, and all space was filled with big 
 and little devils. A sort of court stretched 
 into the distance, and I saw the Devil him- 
 self seated on a bench, surrounded by a vast 
 multitude of evil spirits, who came and went 
 like birds building nests or crows stealing 
 corn. Pretty soon a bright, lively imp flew 
 down from the upper realm and whispered 
 somethinof in his master's ear. Then Satan 
 rapped on his bench for order, and shouted, 
 ^ Fellows, to-morrow the members of the 
 ecclesiastical society in Fairfield are going to 
 try again to elect that young Andrew Eliot 
 to be their minister. Now I hate that man. 
 He 's an out and out fearless, energetic enemy 
 of mine. He takes every chance he can get 
 to do me an injury. I don't w^ant him in 
 Fairfield. He '11 make it harder than ever 
 
A DEVIL OF A DREAM 19 
 
 for me to keep my hold on the few people in 
 town that belong to me. What shall we do ? ' 
 
 " ' Send some one there to get up a disturb- 
 ance and split the parish/ cried a wise old 
 minion of the Evil One. 
 
 " ' Yes, yes. That 's it/ shouted a thou- 
 sand hoarse and angry voices. 
 
 " ^ I like your suggestion/ answered the 
 Old Boy. ' Here, Beelzebub, you take Dis- 
 cord with you and settle the matter. Don't 
 come back until you have got the whole par- 
 ish at odds and everybody quarreling with 
 everybody else.' 
 
 " So Beelzebub and Discord started for Fair- 
 field. Before they got out of hearing - dis- 
 tance, I saw a fantastic imp fly quickly down 
 to the father of devils and hold a short con- 
 versation with him. Then Satan jumped 
 from his bench, waved his hands wildly, and 
 shouted with a voice that sounded like a 
 dozen hurricanes and a hundred bulls of Ba- 
 shan rolled together : ^ Come back, come 
 back, COME BACK ! ' 
 
 " Beelzebub and Discord turned around and 
 flew down to the place where Satan was stand- 
 ing, and all the wild multitude listened. 
 
 " ' By Jove, fellows, there is n't any use in 
 your going to Fairfield. It 's a waste of time. 
 
20 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 Ammi Barlow will be on hand, and he can 
 do more to stir up strife and make things 
 hot than a dozen of you devils.' There was a 
 harsh, hilarious roar of assent, the very walls 
 of hell seemed to shake with diabolic laughter, 
 and the noise waked me up, and then I 
 found myself sitting upright in my bed." 
 
 The schoolmaster sat down, and Ammi Bar- 
 low sprang to his feet. 
 
 " A devil of a dream is that ! A devil of 
 a dream is that ! " exclaimed the angry oppo- 
 nent of Mr. Eliot. Down the aisle of the 
 meeting-house he strode with rough step, mak- 
 ins: the floor shake and the windows rattle. 
 Slamming the door behind him, Mr. Ammi 
 Barlow disappeared from the scene. 
 
 When order was restored, a vote was taken, 
 and young EHot was elected to fill the vacant 
 pulpit. He was to have an annual salary of 
 one hundred and twenty pounds lawful money, 
 with the use of the lot called Applegate's, and 
 a supplemental sum of three hundred pounds 
 in yearly installments of one hundred pounds 
 for his settlement. 
 
 The result of the election delighted David 
 Hardy. Boston was a hotbed of patriotism, 
 and Andrew Eliot, Jr., was infected. Our 
 young divinity student sniffed trouble ; the 
 
A DEVIL OF A DEE AM 21 
 
 new minister came from the district where 
 conditions promised some interesting denoue- 
 ment any day. David had ideas concerning 
 stamp acts, royal authority, and kindred mat- 
 ters. He thought quite as much on these 
 themes as on the more sober, scholastic ques- 
 tions of free-will and divine sovereignty. 
 
 No sooner was the new minister settled 
 than friendship bound him to young Hardy ; 
 no sooner were they reading the Greek Testa- 
 ment together and plunging into Puritan 
 divinity than they gave themselves with kin- 
 dling enthusiasm to the problems of political 
 history. 
 
 It was a happy life which David Hardy 
 spent, these days. He was a great scholar, 
 and the short weeks passed all too swiftly in 
 the pursuit of knowledge. Every incentive 
 to achievement urged him into these broad 
 fields. The grandfather was a man of books. 
 Since retirement from the sovereignty of the 
 rod, his days had been divided between hard, 
 cheerful work on his farm and earnest, stimu- 
 lating study. Master Hardy made a good 
 atmosphere for the student. 
 
 David also had a twin sister, possessed of 
 wit, intelligence, and learning. She was a 
 restless, dare-devil spirit, otherwise she might 
 
22 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 have been a scholar the equal of her brother ; 
 but ambition in Desire's case concerned David. 
 He was doing well, and must be encouraged in 
 his pursuits. So she made a willing sacrifice 
 of herself in order to advance the interests 
 of this brother. 
 
 Dressed in a blue copperplate gown, with 
 her sister Lois sewing by her side, she spun 
 at the wheel and joined in bright conversation 
 when the new minister and her brother sat 
 over their grave studies. The subject might 
 be a regimental banner with the legend, " An 
 Appeal to Heaven," in golden letters, or the 
 scarlet coat and trousers, with a triangular 
 laced hat, worn by the old soldiers at Louis- 
 burg, or Andrew Eliot's old home in Boston, 
 on Hanover Street (built by Increase Mather 
 in 1677, and sold more than a generation 
 later to Dr. Eliot), or the Ministerial Army, 
 or any theological topic. Desire had her 
 opinions, and was a keen, stanch defender of 
 them. Life in the Hardy family was condu- 
 cive to intellectual vigor. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 TO ALL FRIENDS OF AMERICAN LIBERTY 
 
 " The stories of suffering in Boston are piti- 
 ful. It makes my heart ache.'* David Hardy 
 was reading the Gospel according to St. John 
 in the Greek, and Mr. Eliot was teaching him 
 the art of exegesis. They were sitting in 
 the parson's study, a sombre, dignified room, 
 adorned with black walnut cases filled to 
 overflowing with several hundred volumes. 
 
 " It seems unchristian for me to lino^er 
 here in Fairfield amid all abundance, while 
 so many friends in Boston are reduced to 
 such unhappy extremities." Mr. Eliot in- 
 terrupted the flow of Greek discourse. His 
 mind insistently turned to the events of the 
 day. 
 
 " We '11 help them," exclaimed the divinity 
 student. " You know our townsmen are al- 
 ready talking about it. I was up to Colonel 
 Silliman's last night, and he said that Boston 
 was passing through martyrdom for all New 
 England and the colonies." 
 
24 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 It was hard to stick to Greek^ or theology, 
 or the history o£ Puritanism, when every 
 stage from Boston or New York brought 
 news of agitation and resistance, or the story 
 of fresh indignities on the part of insolent 
 redcoats. The progress made by the young 
 man in Biblical studies did not equal that in 
 the knowledge and philosophy of political 
 happenings. 
 
 The Rev. Andrew Eliot purposed to set 
 David Hardy a good example in respect to 
 abstinence from political excitement. " I do 
 not practice visiting very much unless I am 
 sent for," the new minister wrote to his father 
 in October. " I am better contented when at 
 home, and my best employment is in my 
 study. I shall not meddle much with poli- 
 tics, though they are the chief topic of con- 
 versation among us, and yet I cannot avoid 
 being engaged sometimes." The words were 
 not dry upon the paper before minister and 
 student were caught in the strong current 
 of popular feeling, most ardent and zealous 
 among their fellow citizens, in devices for the 
 succor and heartening of the patriots in 
 Boston. 
 
 One expression of town sentiment was 
 shown by the following letter : — 
 
TO ALL FRIENDS OF AMEBIC AN LIBERTY 25 
 
 Fairfield, November 8, 1774. 
 
 Gentlemen, — The town of Fairfield by 
 donations have collected 750 bushels of grain 
 of various kinds which is ordered to you by 
 Captain Thorpe, bound for Salem, which we 
 wish safe to hand, and hope this little testi- 
 monial of our attachment to the common 
 cause will comfort the hearts of all those 
 worthy patriots in the town of Boston who 
 have so manfully exerted themselves in the 
 cause of liberty, as well as those poor who 
 are suffering under the unjust and cruel oper- 
 ations of the unjust and cruel Port Bill. 
 Persevere in your glorious opposition. We 
 are not insensible of your sufferings, and hope 
 we shall yet consider ourselves bound to 
 afford you such succor and relief as our cir- 
 cumstances and your wants demand. 
 
 We are, with great truth and regard, your 
 most obedient servants. 
 
 Signed by order of the town's committee 
 on donations. 
 
 Jonathan Sturges. 
 
 To be communicated to the committee of 
 Ways and Means in Boston or Overseers of 
 the Poor. 
 
 Boston responded with a fine letter of 
 
26 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 thanks, saying that the testimony which the 
 patriotic inhabitants of the town of Fairfield 
 gave of their attendance to the glorious cause 
 of liberty afforded much comfort as wxU as 
 seasonable rehef to their friends who were 
 sufferino; under the cruel rod of ministerial 
 tyranny and oppression.^ 
 
 It w^as only a month later that a legal meet- 
 ing of the inhabitants of Fairfield was held, 
 to consider the agreement and association en- 
 tered into by the Continental Congress. An 
 enthusiastic approval was voted, gentlemen 
 appointed to cooperate in the work, a county 
 congress favored and representatives named, 
 and a committee of correspondence for the 
 town, consisting of Colonel Gold S. Silliman, 
 Jonathan Sturges, Andrew Rowland, Esq., 
 Mr. Job Bartram, and Thaddeus Burr, Esq., 
 elected. 
 
 This early swinging into line and casting in 
 their lot with the champions of liberty made 
 the people of the town a conspicuous mark for 
 the hatred and malice of the British. But 
 what of it ? They must take their chances 
 with the rest of the revoltins^ colonists. The 
 
 ^ Text of letter is given m An Old New England Town, 
 page 103. This acknowledgment of help was written on the 
 24th of November, 1774. 
 
TO ALL FRIEXDS OF AMEBICAN LIBERTY 27 
 
 sea exposure might tell against them and the 
 beautiful town get herself into difficulties, but 
 these were not the days to sit down and be- 
 grudge one's strength or property. A great 
 stake was at issue. Even the boys and the 
 girls were clear sighted enough to see the 
 trend of things. 
 
 " Oh, Desire," cried Lois Hardy, the eleven- 
 year-old witch in the schoolmaster's family, 
 " I wash I was a man." 
 
 ^^ Don't let grandfather hear you say such 
 a thing," replied Desire, "for it would hurt 
 his feelino^s. He thinks a woman 's the noblest 
 work of God. And well he might, after liv- 
 ing fifty years with such a saint as grand- 
 mother. But, Lois, I wish I was a man too. 
 I never see the militia on training-day that 
 I don't turn green with envy. But, dear me, 
 child, I ought not to talk so to you." 
 
 Desire Hardy had been the housekeeper 
 in her grandfather's family since old Mrs. 
 Hardy's death, and the maternal oversight of 
 Lois was part of her daily task. It required 
 a great deal of grace to keep herself in check, 
 for Desire was a queer girl, evincing many of 
 the startlinof characteristics transmitted from 
 a line of extraordinary ancestors. But when 
 the burden of training Lois was added to that 
 
28 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 of looking after herself. Desire said that, had 
 it not been flying in the face of Providence, 
 she would have given up in despair. 
 
 The year had been one of great strain. 
 Not that the housework was too much for 
 the lithe, active maiden, for she had the help 
 of black Chloe, the slave, who was in every 
 sense of the word a member of the family, 
 devoted to their well-being. It was mental 
 strain that taxed Desire. She wanted to be 
 doing something for her country, but she 
 was a young woman, keeping house for an 
 old gentleman, looking after the clothes of a 
 twin brother, trying to manage a younger sis- 
 ter and keep on good terms with an ancient, 
 domineering, faithful domestic. These were 
 trying circumstances in which to put a high- 
 strung, impetuous girl, who had known little 
 restraint on the part of a mother, and had 
 always been used to her own way in so far 
 as that was possible in a house with Jeremiah 
 Hardy. 
 
 " Lois, it seems to me sometimes that I 
 must die unless I get a chance to fight for 
 our liberty and honor. There 's David study- 
 ing to be a minister, and he can't do any- 
 thing. It would n't make any difference to 
 me if I was a parson, I 'd fight like a tiger if 
 
TO ALL FRIENDS OF AMERICAN LIBERTY 29 
 
 any British soldiers tried to drive me into 
 paying unjust taxes. I glory in the spirit 
 shown by those old Regulators in North 
 Carolina, and I tell Duane so every time I 
 see him. It always vexes him, you know, 
 because he 's such a friend of Governor 
 Tryon, and he says Tryon was in the right. 
 But we know better. Lois, I can handle a 
 musket as well as David or Duane. I made 
 them teach me a long time ago. And I can 
 fence and do all sorts of military tricks. 
 Don't you tell grandfather. How shocked 
 he would be ! But I know, child, that wild 
 times are ahead of us. I expect we shall 
 have to defend ourselves, and I'm getting 
 ready to do my part. Lois, I '11 show you 
 how to shoot, the first day we get a chance." 
 
 The eyes of the little girl shone with ex- 
 citement. 
 
 " Do, please. Desire, I should love to han- 
 dle the old musket and learn how to help 
 you when the British come." For there was 
 no doubt in the mind of these two girls that 
 war must soon involve them in its tragedy. 
 They had listened when Mr. Thaddeus Burr 
 and Mr. Jonathan Sturges told of the straits 
 in which the people of Boston were placed. 
 They had become familiar with scenes of the 
 
30 AZV UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 blockade through the frequent narratives of 
 Mr. Andrew Eliot, repeated over and over 
 again by David. 
 
 So the winter wore away, and everybody 
 lived in a state of suspense and anxiety. 
 Fairfield kept in close touch with the New 
 England capital. Many of her citizens had 
 emiorated from that neio^hborhood or inter- 
 married with Boston families. There were 
 strong ties of blood and friendship binding 
 the two places together. The new minister 
 was a fresh bond of interest and affection. 
 There was also considerable trade carried on 
 between the Massachusetts and the Con- 
 necticut seaport, Fairfield being esteemed by 
 many people, and particularly designated by 
 the Records, as the second seaport in im- 
 portance within the colony. 
 
 Communication with Boston was now un- 
 certain. Thaddeus Burr had been appointed 
 by the Assembly to engage and employ, at 
 public expense, two news-carriers to perform 
 regular stages from Fairfield to Woodstock, 
 passing through Windham and Lebanon in 
 such manner that they were to arrive in 
 Hartford every Saturday. He was one of a 
 committee in the colony to look out for ex- 
 traordinary and important intelligence, but 
 
\ 
 
 TO ALL FRIENDS OF AMERICAN LIBERTY 31 
 
 sucli a service was subject to many diffi- 
 culties, and communication between distant 
 towns grew more and more infrequent and 
 expensive. 
 
 One Saturday morning in the spring of 
 1775 (it was April 22d), at about eight 
 o'clock. Colonel Gold Selleck Silliman and 
 Mr. Jonathan Sturges came over to see Mr. 
 Thaddeus Burr. They were members of the 
 war committee, and met for frequent consul- 
 tation. The three gentlemen stood on the 
 front porch of the great mansion, their earnest 
 speech being noted by various passers-by, so 
 that a little group formed on the corner below 
 Mr. Burr's and waited for developments. On 
 the Green above, there was a semicircle of 
 children formed in front of the stocks, watch- 
 ing a culprit as he submitted to punishment 
 for some slight peccadillo. 
 
 The sharp impact of horses' hoofs upon 
 the half-frozen and slushy ground suddenly 
 diverted the attention of people on the street. 
 Down past Mr. Abel's and Captain Dimond's 
 a swift horseman came, his animal steaming 
 and sweating in the early sunshine, the mes- 
 senger straining every nerve to speed his way 
 through the town. Opposite Mr. Burr's he 
 brought his steed to a sudden halt, and passed 
 
32 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 into the hands of Colonel Silliman a sealed 
 packet. 
 
 The messenger was Trail Bissell, who 
 brought the news of Lexington. 
 
 " Yes," cried he, as Mr. Sturges looked in- 
 quiringly into his face. " The blow has been 
 struck. The redcoats marched from Boston 
 to Lexington and fired upon our militia, kill- 
 ing six men and wounding four others. To 
 arms ! to arms ! " 
 
 Lois and half a dozen children ran down the 
 street ; the little group of men on the corner 
 crossed hurriedly over ; neighbors thrust their 
 heads out of windows or ran along in the 
 path of the messenger. It was not long 
 before the bell of the Prime Ancient Society 
 was ringing, and then men, women, and 
 children flocked into the open, and told the 
 news to one another with bated breath, flash- 
 ing eye, and crimsoned cheek. 
 
 The paper put into the hands of the 
 colonel read as follows : — 
 
 Watertowx, "Wednesday morning 
 near 10 of the clock. 
 
 To all friends of American Liberty, be it 
 known, that this morning before break of 
 day, a brigade consisting of about 1000 or 
 
TO ALL FRIENDS OF AMERICAN LIBERTY 33 
 
 1200 men landed at Phipps's Farm at Cam- 
 bridge and marched to Lexington, where 
 they found a company of our colony militia 
 in arms, upon whom they fired without any 
 provocation and killed six men and wounded 
 four others. By an express from Boston we 
 find another Brigade are now upon the march 
 from Boston, supposed to be about 1000. 
 The bearer, Trail Bissell, is charged to alarm 
 the country quite to Connecticut; and all 
 persons are desired to furnish him with fresh 
 horses as they may be needed. I have spoken 
 with several who have seen the dead and 
 wounded. Pray let the Delegates from this 
 Colony to Connecticut see this, they know 
 Col. Forster, one of the Delegates. 
 
 J. Palmer, 
 One of the Committee. 
 
 A true copy of the original, per order of 
 the Committee of Correspondence of Worces- 
 ter, April, 1775. 
 
 Attested and forwarded bv the Committees 
 of Brookline, Norwich, New London, Lyme, 
 Saybrook, Killings worth, E. Guilford, Guil- 
 ford, Brandford, New Haven. 
 
 To this document, later in the day, the 
 committee added the following : — 
 
34 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 Fairfield, Saturday, April 22 
 at eight o'clock. 
 
 Since the above was written we have re- 
 ceived the following by a second exjDress : — 
 
 Thursday, 3 o'clock, afternoon. 
 
 Sir, — I am this moment informed by an 
 express from Woodstock, taken from the 
 mouth of the Express, then two of the clock 
 afternoon, That the contest between the first 
 Brigade that marched to Concord was still 
 continuing this A. M. at the town of Lexing- 
 ton, to which said Brigade had retreated, that 
 another Brigade had, said to be the second 
 mentioned in this letter of the morning, 
 landed with a quantity of Artillery, at the 
 place where the first did. The Provincials 
 were determined to prevent the two Brigades 
 from joining their strength if possible and 
 remain in great succour. 
 
 N. B. — The Regulars when in Concord 
 burnt the Court House, took two pieces of 
 cannon, which they rendered useless ; and 
 began to take up Concord bridge, on which 
 
 Capt. (who, with many on both sides, 
 
 were soon killed) made an attack upon the 
 King's troops, on which they retreated to 
 Lexington. I am, Eb. AVilliams. 
 
 To Col. Obadiah Johnson, Canterbury. 
 
TO ALL FRIENDS OF AMERICAN LIBERTY 35 
 
 P. S. — M. McFarlane of Plainfield, mer- 
 chant, has just returned from Boston by way 
 of Providence, who conversed with an Ex- 
 press from Lexington, who further informs, 
 that 4000 of our troops had surrounded the 
 first Brigade above mentioned, who were on 
 a hill in Lexington, that the action continued 
 and there were about 50 of our men killed 
 and 150 of the Regulars as near as they could 
 determine, when the Express came away ; it 
 will be expedient for every man to go who 
 is fit and 
 
 To this paper was added these sentences 
 and names : — 
 
 " The above is a true copy as received for 
 express from New Haven and attested by the 
 Committee of Correspondence, from town to 
 town. 
 
 " Attest : Jonathan Sturges, 
 
 Andrew Rowland, 
 Thad. Burr, 
 Job Bartram, 
 
 Committee." 
 
 The entire document was forwarded to 
 New York, where it was received at four 
 o'clock, and immediately sent to Philadelphia, 
 by Isaac Low, chairman of the New York 
 Committee. 
 
36 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 It was a day of tense feeling in the town. 
 Every patriotic soul was fertile in loyal en- 
 deavors to get the train-band into marching 
 order. 
 
 " Oh, Desire, Desire ! " cried Lois Hardy, 
 as she rushed wildly into the schoolmaster's 
 house, " the redcoats have killed a great 
 many of our soldiers, and everybody must 
 go to the war. A man has just come from 
 Boston with the news, and Colonel Silliman 
 is going to call out our militia." 
 
 " Lois Hardy, what do you mean ! " ex- 
 claimed Desire, as she stopped in the midst 
 of her Saturday morning baking and gazed 
 excitedly at the child. "Do you know what 
 you are talking about ? Is it really true ? 
 You run uj) to Mr. Eliot's and see if David 
 is there, and go to the barn and ask your 
 grandfather to come in. Oh, how I wish 
 that I was a man and could start off this very 
 minute and fight all the cruel horde ! " 
 
 Desire passed the baking over to Chloe, 
 donned her old camblet cloak and hood, and, 
 without waiting for Grandfather Hardy or 
 the return of David, walked rapidly up to the 
 Green. 
 
 In an hour the alarm had gone abroad, and 
 the open space in the middle of the town was 
 
TO ALL FRIENDS OF AMERICAN LIBERTY 37 
 
 the scene of feverish activity. People had 
 kept their firearms in very good condition 
 for several months, so that there was little 
 furbishing to be done. But clothes had to 
 be inspected and put into traveling condition, 
 provisions gathered and made portable, — a 
 hundred trivial matters attended to. 
 
 Captain David Dimon was here, there, 
 everywhere, giving orders, consulting with 
 Colonel Silliman and other members of the 
 Committee of Correspondence, holding in 
 check the restless spirits of his lively troops, 
 trying to get things into such shape that they 
 might start on their long march before even- 
 ing. 
 
 The Rev. Andrew Eliot and Thaddeus 
 Burr addressed the people in the meeting- 
 house when there came a slio:ht lull in the 
 excitement. It was impossible for all to get 
 within the walls, but the doors were wide 
 open, and the multitude that surrounded the 
 building caught now and again a sentence. 
 When it came to the prayer, every head was 
 bowed, and, amid a silence which was intense 
 with suppressed emotions, the young minister 
 from Boston prayed for the men who had made 
 their brave stand for liberty at Lexington, 
 and for the great fraternity of patriots in the 
 
38 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 beleaguered city and its neighborhood. Then 
 he stretched forth his hands in benediction 
 above the company of Fairfield soldiers who 
 now went forth to share in the defense of 
 home and honor, the firstfruits of love and 
 sacrifice in behalf of their native land. What 
 a prayer welled up from his patriot soul, 
 mino^linof with the flame of heroic devotion ! 
 
 It was April. The breath of spring kissed 
 the worshipers. Then came sunshine, then 
 shower. Was it not April in every soul ? — 
 the breaking up of deep, long-repressed feel* 
 inofs, the tears of a wild sorrow, the smiles of 
 a glowing faith, a loyal heartening for the 
 struggle ? 
 
 The day was swiftly declining when Cap- 
 tain Dimon drew up his company in martial 
 array, and they awaited the word of march. 
 What clasping of hands, what multitude of 
 kisses, what tender embraces said farewell 
 and farewell ! The shrill notes of the fife 
 smote the air, there was a steady tramp, 
 tramp of feet, great wavings of kerchiefs and 
 hats, cheer upon cheer, a thousand good-by 
 messages flying across the Green, then up 
 and away moved the proud, defiant, hand- 
 somely equipped band. 
 
 Parson Eliot, Grandfather Hardy, Colonel 
 
TO ALL FRIENDS OF AMEBIC AN LIBERTY 39 
 
 Silliman, Mr. Burr, and others followed along 
 beyond Gold's bridge, freighting the air with 
 their good wishes, loath to let the company- 
 pass out of their sight. David Hardy with 
 his two sisters pushed on toward Newfield. 
 
 " I hope we '11 have a chance at 'em," cried 
 Desire, with vehemence. 
 
 " It will come in due time," observed David 
 gravely. " I see before us years of conflict. 
 And our beloved town will not escape the fire 
 and the sword." 
 
 " Oh, David, do you think it ? Will the 
 war really come to Fairfield ? Shall we have 
 to fight here at home, see ships firing on us 
 from the water, meet the foe face to face, in 
 order to defend our rights ? How I wish I 
 miofht shoulder a musket ! " 
 
 " Child, sufficient unto the day is the evil 
 thereof. War is a horrible catastrophe. But 
 we are in the right, and we '11 fight until the 
 day is won and justice is done to these in- 
 sulted and oppressed colonies." 
 
 " I wonder what Duane will say now ! " 
 inquired Desire. " I warrant you he will up- 
 hold Governor Try on." 
 
 " Well, that may be. I think it quite likely. 
 Duane is very self-willed and opinionated. His 
 years in England did him more harm than 
 
40 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 good. He acts so high and mighty sometimes 
 that I have n't any patience left. And yet 
 Duane is a fine fellow. I wish he did n't 
 patronize me quite so much. Perhaps if I 
 did n't wear his old clothes, it might he dif- 
 ferent." 
 
 " Now, David, he is n't so mean as to feel 
 above you because you take his cast-off clothes. 
 He 's too true a gentleman for that. But I 
 do think that England has half spoiled him. 
 Probably his friends there paid him a good 
 deal of attention, for he has a winning way, 
 and is excellent company. I suppose he was 
 a sort of curiosity, a nine days' wonder, being 
 a native of the western wilderness. A great 
 many of those people imagine we are half 
 savages here in America, you know. They 
 can't believe their eyes when they see a gen- 
 tleman who was raised in the colonies." 
 
 "There they go over the hill. They 're 
 getting out of sight," cried Lois, as she fran- 
 tically waved her hands and pointed to the 
 disappearing train-band. The attention of 
 her brother and sister had been relaxed for a 
 moment. 
 
 " God bless them ! " miu^mured Desire, tears 
 filling the eyes, lips quivering. 
 
 " God bless them !" said David reverently, 
 
TO ALL FRIENDS OF AMERICAN LIBERTY 41 
 
 as he shaded his face and peered into the 
 gathering shadows. 
 
 " God bless them ! God bless them ! " It 
 was Lois whose words crept into the stillness 
 of the oncoming twilight, hushing the ad- 
 vance of the trio. A moment they hesitated, 
 and then turned back, making a silent, swift 
 way to the home of the schoolmaster. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 AARON BURR AND DOROTHY Q 
 
 People must eat and drink, get their 
 night's sleep, take care of the farm, spin, 
 weave, knit, mend, look after every day's busi- 
 ness, even when grim War stalks through the 
 land. So the old routine of life continued. 
 
 The first blow spurred the patriots to re- 
 doubled activity in their diverse employments, 
 for if there was much fighting to be done, a 
 tremendous amount of hard work must pre- 
 cede and accompany the struggle. The colo- 
 nies were now cut off from commerce with the 
 mother country ; stern necessity as well as 
 robust pride forced the Americans to restrict 
 their diet to home products, their wearing 
 apparel and a thousand other articles to home 
 manufacture. 
 
 David Hardy was running the farm while 
 studying to be a minister. This spring he 
 ploughed up a great number of acres, and did 
 an immense amount of planting and sowing. 
 Since the age and infirmity of his graiid- 
 
AARON BURR AND DOROTHY Q 43 
 
 father, as well as the nature of David's pro- 
 fession, made it advisable for him to stay at 
 home, he was determined to offset these re- 
 strictions by an unusual diligence in tilling 
 the soil, so that they might have an abundance 
 to contribute in case the colonies needed sup- 
 plies. 
 
 Desire was equally ambitious to do her part. 
 She, with Lois and Chloe, spun and wove, knit 
 and sewed, every hour that could be spared 
 from other labors ; when extra help was re- 
 quired in the field, they turned their hands to 
 whatever task David suggested. The same 
 thino^ was observed amono^ all their neiofhbors. 
 Few hours were idled away in vain gossip. 
 One must work to meet the emergency. 
 When one had something to say, it was 
 mingled with the service in household, shop, 
 or field. And there was a great amount of 
 talking done, for the crisis was uppermost in 
 everybody's mind. 
 
 " Desire," said Lois, one bright, blithe 
 morning, " they 've got company down at 
 Mr. Thaddeus Burr's. I saw the stao^e-coach 
 stop at the house. Two ladies got out, and 
 there was such a number of trunks and boxes ! 
 I wonder who it can be ! " 
 
 " As like as not they 're Boston people," 
 
44 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 answered Desire, as she gave a fresh impulse 
 to the wheel used in her spinning. " You 
 might run down after dinner, Lois, and take 
 that piece of linen wdiich I finished last night 
 for Mrs. Burr. I 'm curious to know if it is 
 somebody from Boston. We may get the news 
 about what 's been going on there lately." 
 
 Lois stitched away faithfully upon the 
 undergarment which she was making. 
 
 " Desire, it w^ould n't do us any good to be 
 rich now, would it, for we have got to wear 
 the things that we make at home, have n't 
 we ? I mean everybody, you know." 
 
 " Lois, if we were rich, I 'd S23end it all for 
 the sake of my country. I don't know what 
 our soldiers will do, unless they starve to death 
 and go naked. Grandfather says he does n't 
 see where the money 's coming from to pay 
 anybody. Even soldiers must be provided 
 for and their families supported." 
 
 "I '11 finish this after dinner. Desire. I 'd 
 like to take the piece of cloth down to Mrs. 
 Burr now." The child turned inquiringly to 
 her sister. 
 
 " Yes, I think it will be proper for you to 
 go now, if you want to. Be sure to see Mrs. 
 Burr and ask if they 've heard from Boston 
 within a few days." 
 
'J. 
 
 s. 
 
 
AARON BUER AND DOROTHY Q 45 
 
 Desire continued at her task, and Lois sped 
 up the street and across the Green. It was 
 twelve o'clock when the child returned. She 
 was out of breath, having come hack as swiftly 
 as her feet would carry her, and she was laden 
 with news. 
 
 " It 's Madam Hancock and Miss Dorothy 
 Quincy that came in the stage. They fled 
 from Boston, you know, and went to the 
 minister's at Lexington in Mrs. Hancock's 
 own coach. Finally, they had to leave there ; 
 they took the stage, and Colonel Hancock got 
 a part of their clothes for them, and then they 
 came on here, and Mrs. Burr thinks they will 
 stay a long time. I saw 'em both, and they 
 kissed me, and said what a sweet, brave girl, 
 for I told them that you and I wanted to go 
 to war ; and they asked all about you, and 
 want you to come and see them." 
 
 The child stopped to take breath, while 
 Grandfather Hardy, with David, entered the 
 kitchen. 
 
 " Why, Lois, what is the matter ?" inquired 
 the old gentleman. " Who are you talking 
 about ? " 
 
 " Madam Hancock has come in the stagfe 
 to-day. She 's going to stay down at Mr. 
 Burr's. She was left all alone in her big 
 
46 AN UNIZNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 house in Boston, and the British insulted her 
 and threatened to burn her house down, so 
 that she had to leave everything and fairly 
 run for dear life. She says you never saw 
 such excitement. Her nephew, Colonel Han- 
 cock, has had a price put on his head. She 
 says there are dreadful goings on in the 
 neighborhood of Boston. And Miss Dorothy 
 Quincy 's there, and she is a very lovely 
 young lady. I am going to see her real 
 often, for she invited me." 
 
 " Well, child," interrupted David, " wdiat 
 did she say they were doing in the neighbor- 
 hood of Boston now?" 
 
 " Oh, our soldiers are there and thousands 
 of other militia, and they 're going to have a 
 fight and drive the British out ; but Mrs. 
 Hancock is afraid they '11 burn down the town 
 first, and she does love her beautiful home. 
 It 's full of everything lovely, Miss Quincy 
 says, and it is such a pity to destroy it. But 
 if that is part of the price to be paid for 
 liberty, Madam Hancock says she '11 pay it 
 gladly." 
 
 It was a most hospitable mansion to which 
 these ladies fled. Mr. and Mrs. Thaddeus 
 Burr were social leaders in the colony, and 
 lavish entertainment was one of their char- 
 
AAROX BUEB AND DOROTHY Q ^1 
 
 acteristics. For years they had gathered 
 under their roof men and women of fame, 
 culture, and standing, many people of social 
 graces and intellectual attractions. John Han- 
 cock was a frequent visitor, one of Mr. Burr's 
 most intimate friends and trusted counselors, 
 and Fairfield seemed to him an ideal retreat 
 for his aunt and her companion. How little 
 did the venerable lady imagine that she had 
 looked upon Boston for the last time, — that 
 these feverish, eventful days in Fairfield were 
 destined to close the record of her life. 
 
 Desire and Lois Hardy paid their respects 
 to these honored guests the day after their 
 arrival. The stately courtesy of the Boston 
 madam had a subtle fascination for her 
 young admirers. There was heart in her 
 grace and affability, so that she won the two 
 girls, and with the months that followed they 
 became fast friends. 
 
 But the good lady had a diverting task in 
 the management of Miss Dorothy Quincy. 
 
 " David, you must see the Boston belle ! " 
 exclaimed Desire, on her return from Mr. 
 Burr's. " She asked if there were many 
 young gentlemen in town, or whether they 
 had all gone to the war." 
 
 " I don't know why Miss Quincy should be 
 
48 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 SO anxious for male society. She ought to 
 be thinkinof of the Hon. John Hancock. 
 Mr. Burr told me they were engaged, and 
 his Aunt Lydia is trying to hurry up the mar- 
 riage, I hear." 
 
 " You must have good ears, David. Why, 
 she has n't been here long enough to show 
 herself to our townspeople, and I don't be- 
 lieve they 've talked about anything but the 
 war ever since they came." 
 
 " Well, Desire, it does n't look well for a 
 young lady engaged to be married to be on 
 the lookout for o^entlemen to flirt with. It is 
 setting a very bad example," answered the 
 virtuous student of divinity. " But then, I '11 
 call upon Miss Quincy, and see that she has 
 some attention from our sex." 
 
 It was perhaps a week later that David and 
 Desire dropped into Mr. Burr's of an evening. 
 
 A great hall ran through the centre of 
 the mansion, — favorite sitting-place for the 
 family and their guests. The front and 
 the rear doors were thrown open, so that the 
 breeze played through the spacious room, 
 moonlight falling athwart the eastern en- 
 trance, a distant view of the Sound shimmer- 
 ing through the foliage of the trees in yard 
 and garden, the scent of roses being wafted 
 
AARON BURR AND DOROTHY Q 49 
 
 on the air with an occasional intermixture of 
 salt marsh odors. A monstrous lamp with a 
 monstrous globe emitted a mild Hght in the 
 parlor, which opened into the hall. 
 
 There were two or three groups of people 
 in the long apartment. Near the front door 
 stood Mr. Burr, Colonel Silliman, Mrs. Jona- 
 than Sturges and her husband, with half a 
 dozen others. Several elderly ladies were 
 seated near the entrance to the parlor, knit- 
 ting. But the circle which David and Desire 
 joined was one that had gathered around the 
 open doorway looking upon the sea. 
 
 Mrs. Burr led the latest callers to this 
 group. A gentleman was telling Miss Quincy 
 why he liked to visit Fairfield. 
 
 " You know this is the home of my ances- 
 tors. Why, half the people I meet trace their 
 lineage back to some of these old families. 
 My father was born here, in the Upper Mead- 
 
 ows. 
 
 " Born here, in the Upper Meadows," re- 
 peated Miss Quincy quizzically. " What a 
 strange place to be born in ! " A merry laugh 
 followed. 
 
 " I '11 ride up there and show you the 
 place," said the young man good-naturedly. 
 
 It was at this point that David and Desire 
 
60 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 were added to the company. In the dim 
 light it was almost impossible to distinguish 
 one person from another, but Miss Quincy 
 persisted that it was light enough, and the 
 moon was rising higher every moment. 
 
 "That voice sounds like Aaron Burr!" ex- 
 claimed David, as the speaker ceased. 
 
 " Quite right, Hardy. How are you, these 
 wild times of war ? " Young Burr arose from 
 his chair, greeting David and his sister, whom 
 he had known from childhood. 
 
 " We are busily engaged in entertaining 
 Miss Quincy, at the present," said Desire 
 lightly. 
 
 " What a charming task ! I came down 
 from Litchfield to help you. I was saying to 
 Miss Quincy that nearly everybody I meet 
 comes from this old town, or his father and 
 mother do. I 'm going to show her where 
 my father was born, in the Upper Meadows. 
 You '11 ride with us up to the place, won't 
 you ? We shall be delighted to have your 
 company. And, David, you come along to 
 keep us in the path of sobriety and rectitude. 
 Since I left off studying for the ministry and 
 took to law, I feel the need of some such 
 oversight as David will exercise." 
 
 Aaron Burr was nineteen, a handsome, 
 
AAEON BUBR AND DOROTHY Q 51 
 
 buoyant fellow, gay as a lark, thirsting for 
 adventure, brilliant in speech, and most 
 winning in manners, — the beau ideal of a 
 gentleman. When he went to Bethlehem at 
 seventeen to study theology with old Dr. 
 Bellamy, it was hoped that he might follow 
 in the footsteps of his honored and lamented 
 father, becoming a leader among the parsons 
 and educators of the colonies. 
 
 '' I could n't stand it, David," he explained 
 to young Hardy. " The more Dr. Bellamy 
 reasoned with me, the farther away I got from 
 him and his teachino*. I couldn't be an 
 honest man and preach what he preaches. 
 Then I made up my mind that I was n't good 
 enough to be a parson. After such an Aaron 
 Burr in the ministry as my father, do you 
 think I would tarnish the name and the office 
 by being any the less a good, grand parson ? 
 So I 'm fated to be a lawyer. But we did 
 have great times up there at Bethlehem. 
 The doctor seemed to think I was overmuch 
 fond of the girls, and he was always talking 
 about my being in love. Why, he had a 
 dinner there last winter, and thirty ministers 
 sat at the table, and I furnished the staple 
 for the doctor's jokes all through the feast. 
 Every grain of spirit in me was kindled. 
 
52 AN UNKNOWN PATEIOT 
 
 But I kept my temper like a saint, and let 
 him have his fun." 
 
 " Well, Aaron, I always thought you were 
 a model boy, but don't drink cherry rum 
 when you ride with the girls here, as you say 
 the bucks and belles of Litchfield County do. 
 It 's a bad practice, and might lead to harm." 
 
 " There, I told you I needed your watch- 
 care, David. Go with me to the war. Ogden 
 and I have decided to offer ourselves on the 
 altar of our country. Come with me as my 
 chaplain. I may get into the company of 
 my friend Samuel Spring. He 's a sterling 
 Christian patriot. But there will be room 
 for you, and plenty of hard work to do, I '11 
 warrant." 
 
 It was only a brief visit that Aaron Burr 
 made at his cousin's, but it was long enough 
 to divert Miss Quincy, and make her neglect- 
 ful of her correspondence with the Hon. John 
 Hancock. There were w^alks on the beach and 
 drives back into the hills over long reaches 
 of country. There were interminable talks 
 about people and politics, as well as the sweet 
 trivialities that circulate among susceptible 
 youth, and pass for the wit and gallantry of 
 love-making". 
 
 Desire Hardy was quite as much the object 
 
AAEON BURR AND DOROTHY Q 53 
 
 of Burr's attentions as Miss Dorothy. The 
 two young ladies had become deeply interested 
 in each other. Desire was drawn to Miss 
 Quincy because she was not only a beautiful 
 and fascinating creature, but a belle in society, 
 a much-courted lady, one conversant with the 
 fashion and gossip of the day, the fiancee 
 of John Hancock, the wealthy Boston mer- 
 chant, and now president of the Continental 
 Congress. Acquaintance with her opened to 
 Desire a vast realm of aspiration. 
 
 Dorothy Quincy liked Desire because she 
 found her intensely alive to everything that 
 was going on in the world, — one of the sym- 
 pathetic, quick-witted girls that respond easily 
 and naturally to every chance in life, a com- 
 panion with a dash of originality, a force of 
 invention simply irresistible. Neither man 
 nor w^oman could feel solitary or downhearted 
 in the presence of Desire Hardy. She would 
 adapt herself to rich and poor alike, and was 
 quite as popular with humble folk as with the 
 best-educated and most refined individual in 
 town. 
 
 So the few days that Aaron Burr stayed 
 in Fairfield were among the gayest and hap- 
 piest of the season. The war was on, and 
 news came back from Boston concerning the 
 
54 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 doinjrs of redcoats and minute-men ; but 
 young men and maidens, howsoever patriotic 
 they may be, still remain true to nature and 
 think upon the gentler ways and means of love. 
 
 And Aunt Lydia Hancock was watchful of 
 the young people. While she might be won 
 by the frank homage and rollicking humor 
 of young Burr, and immensely entertained by 
 the fresh charm and ingenuous sprightliness 
 of Desire, yet she exercised a wise, constant 
 surveillance over the company, careful that 
 no harm came to her charge. So one day in 
 late June, the student of law mounted his 
 horse and galloped off to Litchfield. 
 
 " What a free-hearted, merry fellow he is ! " 
 remarked Desire to Miss Quincy. " With his 
 gayety and youthful enthusiasm, there is a 
 spirit of real manliness which makes him in- 
 finitely attractive." 
 
 " Yes, he is a delightful young gentleman," 
 sighed Miss Dorothy. " Do you really think 
 he will go to the war ? " a secret hope that 
 perhaps he might return to Fairfield soon, 
 rising^ unbidden in her heart. 
 
 " Yes, yes ; he '11 go. How could he help 
 it ? I have wished a thousand times that I 
 was a soldier, so that I could go too." The 
 young ladies were sitting on the front porch 
 
AARON BURR AND DOROTHY Q 55 
 
 at Mr. Burr's. It was the day after General 
 Washington had passed through town on his 
 way to Cambridge, June 29th. " They say 
 that our Commander-in-chief is a greater 
 fighter than General Putnam, but he looks 
 to me like a grand gentleman." 
 
 " Gentleman and soldier both, I think. 
 What a noble figure he makes as he rides 
 with his cavalcade of horsemen ! " 
 
 " Ah ! here comes Mr. Burr, and he 's got 
 a packet in his hand. Perhaps it is a letter 
 for you." But Miss Dorothy was not wishing 
 for letters. She had received several from 
 her lover, and they remained unanswered. 
 
 " Did I show you my new stockings which 
 Mr. Hancock sent me from Philadelphia? 
 Come with me upstairs." 
 
 Another moment and they were engaged 
 in looking over the lovely things which Dr. 
 Church had brouo;ht her from the o^reat trade 
 emporium of Pennsylvania. Spread out upon 
 the table was one of John Hancock's letters. 
 
 " Child, read it," said the fair Dorothy, 
 with a spice of mischief in her manner. 
 " Mayhap you '11 wish to know how a great 
 lover expresses himself ; " and she pushed the 
 precise, legible writing into the hand of the 
 curious girl. Desire read as follows : — 
 
66 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 My Dr. Dolly, — I am almost prevail'd 
 on to think that my letters to my Aunt & 
 you are not read, for I cannot obtain a re- 
 ply, I have ask'd a million questions & not 
 an answer to one, I beg'd you to let me know 
 what things my Aunt wanted & you, & many 
 other matters I wanted to know, but not one 
 word in answer. I Really Take it extreme 
 unkind, pray my Dr. use not so much Cere- 
 mony & Reservedness, why can't you use 
 freedom in writing, be not afraid of me, I 
 want long Letters. I am glad the little 
 things I sent you are agreeable. Why did 
 you not write me of the top of the Umbrella. 
 I am so sorry it was spoiled, but I will send 
 you another by my Express wch will go in a 
 few days. How did my Aunt like her gown 
 & do let me know if the Stockings suited her ; 
 she had better send a pattern shoe & stock- 
 ing, I warrant I will suit her. The Inclos'd 
 letter for your Father you will read & seal & 
 forward him, you will observe I mention in it 
 your writing your Sister Katy about a few 
 necessaries for Katy Sewall, what you think 
 Right let her have & Roy James, this only 
 between you & I ; do write your Father I 
 should be glad to hear from him & I Beg, 
 my Dear Dolly you will write me often & long 
 
JOHX HAN'COCK 
 
AAEON BURR AND DOROTHY Q 57 
 
 Letters, I will forgive the past if you will 
 mend in future. Do ask my Aunt to make 
 me up & send me a Watch String, & do you 
 make up another & send me, I wear them 
 out fast. I want some Httle thing of your 
 doing. 
 
 Remember to all Friends with you as if 
 nam'd. I am call'd upon & must obey. 
 
 I have sent you by Doer Church in a paper 
 Box Directed to you, the following things for 
 your acceptance, & which I do insist you 
 wear, if you do not I shall think the Donor is 
 the objection : — 
 
 2 pair white silk 
 4 pr. white thread 
 1 pr. Black Satin 
 1 p. Black Calem Co. . 
 
 1 very pretty light Hat 
 
 1 neat Airy Summer Cloak. (I ask Doer. Church) 
 
 2 caps 
 1 Fann 
 
 I wish these may please you, I shall be 
 gratified if they do, pray write me, I will 
 attend to all your Commands. 
 
 Adieu my Dr. Girl, & believe me to be 
 with great Esteem & Affection, 
 
 Yours without Reserve 
 
 John Haxcock. 
 Remember me to Katy Brackett. 
 
 stockings which 
 I think will fit you 
 shoes, the other 
 Shall be sent when done. 
 
58 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 " They are beautiful," said Desire, drop- 
 ping the letter upon the table and taking the 
 exquisite hosiery into her hands. " And Mrs. 
 Burr herself never wore a lovelier hat. and 
 the fan, — it is like a dream. I think Mr. 
 Hancock will make a very domestic man." 
 
 " Yes," answered Miss Dorothy Quincy, 
 with the slightest suggestion of impatience 
 in her words, " I 've no doubt he '11 prove a 
 thoroughly domestic person." 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 TWIN COUSINS 
 
 Governor Tryon sailed for England on 
 April 7th, 1774, and remained away from 
 his province nearly fifteen months. General 
 Washington passed through New York city 
 on his way to Cambridge the afternoon of 
 June 28th, 1775. That very evening Gov- 
 ernor Tryon returned to his provincial capital 
 and resumed his governmental functions. 
 
 It was an odd coincidence that these two 
 men should appear in town on the same day, 
 and there was much anxiety on the part of 
 many citizens in respect to a possible disturb- 
 ance. 
 
 "I'm not a nervous man, you know," ob- 
 served Duane Livingstone to David Hardy, 
 " but I had a feeling that we might see lively 
 times before midnight." 
 
 The cousins were promenading up and 
 down the Battery, engaged in serious talk, 
 although Duane was not so deeply involved 
 in the conversation that he failed to notice 
 
60 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 every bright face that met them, now and 
 ao^ain doffino^ his hat and making* his most 
 respectful salutation to several gayly dressed 
 ladies that had come out to enjoy the sea 
 breeze and the gossip. 
 
 " How did it turn out ? " inquired David. 
 
 " Oh, General Washington was greeted by 
 our citizens in the daytime and given quite a 
 hearty welcome, and sent on his way east with 
 more or less good wishes; while Governor 
 Tryon was welcomed at night and presented 
 with congratulatory addresses, and the city 
 was jubilant over his coming." 
 
 " A sort of double-faced people, you New 
 Yorkers seem to be," exclaimed the divinity 
 student. 
 
 " That 's a mean thing to say, and it is n't 
 true. There are citizens that side with the 
 mother country, and those that side with the 
 colonies. I suppose the men that wish to 
 fight the British army greeted Washington, 
 and the men that don't were just as glad, if 
 not more so, to see Governor Tryon again." 
 
 ^' Probably you hurried to pay your re- 
 spects to ' The Great Wolf.' " 
 
 David's tone and language expressed dis- 
 approval, although he was too mild a fellow, 
 with too much manliness and generosity, to 
 make hurtful speeches. 
 
TWIN COUSINS 61 
 
 " My dear cousin, you thought you 'd give 
 me a hard thrust then, did n't you ? But 
 bless my soul, it takes a man of a temper 
 very different from yours to ruffle me. Of 
 course I paid him my respects. Why not ? 
 Have n't I known the family for years, and 
 visited them in England and North Carolina, 
 to say nothing about New York ? Why 
 should I treat Governor Tryon otherwise than 
 as a gentleman? " 
 
 " Because he has n't the instincts of a gen- 
 tleman in him, and is as hard, inhuman, and 
 malicious as the Evil One himself." 
 
 David spoke with intensity. He was not 
 one to mince words when thoroughly aroused. 
 He had a good command of forcible speech. 
 In these days of hot political agitation, he 
 had thrown one side his native reserve and 
 subdued manners, taking a firm, bold stand 
 for liberty. 
 
 " That is your opinion, my young Puritan, 
 but if he is any harder or more inhuman than 
 those old fanatics that hung our ancestress, 
 Anne Hardy, or if he has shown half the 
 malice and downright cruelty that a good 
 many of them showed, I T\4sh you 'd en- 
 lighten me. David, the trouble with you is 
 that you 're provincial and narrow-minded. 
 
62 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 You 're like your forbears. I don't sup- 
 pose you can help it. You require change 
 of atmosphere and associations. I thought 
 that four years in King's College would do 
 something for you, and it has ; but you still 
 need the broadenino- influences of a life be- 
 yond the confines of rigid, democratic Con- 
 necticut. We must tahe you across the sea 
 on one of our ships, and give you a chance to 
 see the world and get loose from the leading- 
 strings of your pro^dncialism." 
 
 " Duane, you 're talking arrant nonsense, 
 and you know it. There are people in New 
 York, and a good many of them, too, your 
 own family among them, that feel exactly as 
 I do concerning Try on, the awful injustice of 
 the mother country, and the stern demand 
 for the redress of our wrongs. How a young 
 man of your parts, holding the position you 
 do, and trained as you have been, can have 
 the stomach to talk as you are talking passes 
 my comprehension. The next thing will be 
 your enlistment in the royal army, probably." 
 
 " Why, David, I never knew you to get 
 so excited. You don't seem like yourself. 
 I believe you 're going daft on the subject 
 of armed resistance to our mother country. 
 Let 's change the subject." There was a 
 
TWIN COUSINS 63 
 
 moment's pause to note the proud bearing of 
 an Enoiish man-of-war as she moved around 
 Battery Point and pushed her way into the 
 North River. Then Duane continued, " So 
 Aaron Burr has been in Fairfiekl again, has 
 he ? I met him here in the winter. What a 
 roUicking buck he is 1 and immensely popular 
 with the girls. He has n't given up the law, 
 has he, as he did the preaching ? I have 
 thought that maybe he was unstable. Such 
 gay fellows often are." 
 
 " I don't know whether he has given up 
 the law or not, but I know that he is going 
 to enlist and start for Boston in a few days. 
 I like him, for he 's a patriot, and he's got the 
 courage of a lion. Desire said everything she 
 could to encouraofe him in it." 
 
 " You don't mean to say that he 's been 
 makinof love to Desire ? " Duane was now 
 quick and spirited in manner, while a slight 
 flush was perceptible on his cheek, as he 
 turned keen, sharp eyes toward his cousin. 
 " Burr is good-looking enough, and he has 
 an amorous, taking way with him, but I 
 can't see why the girls find him so seductive 
 and fascinating. How long did he stay in 
 Fairfield? " 
 
 " Only a few days, but he knows how to 
 
64 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 make hay while the sun shines. You ought 
 to have seen him with Miss Dorothy Quincy. 
 She 's visiting Thaddeus Burr's with Mrs. 
 Thomas Hancock. She 's engaged to marry 
 Colonel John Hancock, the nephew, you know, 
 and I think Aunt Lydia, as she calls her, 
 didn't have a comfortable hour while Burr 
 was in town, although she managed so that 
 they were never alone for a moment. Desire, 
 or the minister, Mr. Eliot, an old friend of 
 Miss Quincy's, or some of the Sturgeses, or 
 others were with them all the time. I think 
 Miss Quincy was charmed with Burr, and so 
 is Desire. She says he 's the perfection of 
 a gentleman, and so entertaining. Well, he 
 is Hvely company. You know how the hogs 
 run loose in our streets sometimes. One day 
 we were all down at the Burrs', and Lois was 
 with us, and she had on a clean white dress. 
 Burr was always hectoring and teasing Lois, 
 and she was silly enough to stick to him. 
 One of these tame hogs came waddling along, 
 and Burr said to Lois, ' I '11 give you a sov- 
 ereign, child, if you '11 ride that piece of live 
 pork from here to the Green,' and he pulled 
 a shining sovereign from his pocket. You 
 know he 's got money, and he really is very 
 free with it. Lois never waited a moment. 
 
TWIN COUSINS 66 
 
 She leaped upon the hog's back before 
 Miss Dorothy, or Desire, or any of us had 
 a chance to say a word, and off went the 
 creature with all his might and main. I ex- 
 pected to see the child thrown from his back 
 and trampled under foot; but she laid hold 
 of his ears, and hung on like grim death. 
 The creature squealed and waddled, and wad- 
 dled and squealed, while Lois swayed from 
 one side to the other like a ship heaving after 
 a storm. We ran up the street to save the 
 child from this madcap performance, but 
 Burr was ahead of us ; and when we reached 
 the Green, Lois had slipped from the crea- 
 ture's back and had her sovereign in her 
 hand, while Burr was shaking with laughter, 
 telling what a brave girl she was, and paying 
 all sorts of flattering compliments to her. 
 Lois's dress was a sight to behold, but she 
 had won her money and come out unharmed, 
 and she was off home before we had time 
 to say a word. Burr reveled in the telling 
 of it " — 
 
 " Well, I think such a thing is disgrace- 
 ful," interrupted Mr. Duane Livingstone. 
 " What did grandfather say ? " 
 
 " If he 'd seen her with her besmirched 
 dress, I think he 'd have given the child a 
 
Q6 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 dressing-down not soon to be forgotten, for 
 she is full of capers, and tries our patience 
 almost beyond endurance ; but Lois showed 
 him the sovereign, and told him in her own 
 inimitable way how she had earned it, so that 
 he was made to feel she had done rather a 
 smart thing. He winked at the caper, and 
 solemnly shook his head, and told her she 
 must n't ride any more hogs." 
 
 As the young men continued their w^alk 
 and conversation, it was evident that they 
 excited more than a passing interest. 
 
 " David," exclaimed Duane suddenly, as 
 he noticed how much attention w^as paid 
 them, " I believe we grow to look alike. 
 It never struck me so forcibly before. I 
 declare, now that we happen to be dressed 
 in the same sort of clothes, we appear like 
 twins." And as he spoke, the two young 
 men gazed at each other with lively concern, 
 for it was true that they were as near alike 
 as two peas in a pod. " You 've become 
 a mighty handsome fellow, David." The 
 country cousin smiled. 
 
 " That 's a kind of back-handed way to 
 boast about your own good looks, is n't it? " 
 David's eyes twinkled merrily. 
 
 " Take it as you please," laughed Duane. 
 
TWIN COUSINS 67 
 
 " I don't think I '11 urge you to stay long in 
 town hereafter when you come down to visit 
 us. Folks will get you and me mixed. They 
 won't know ' which from t' other.' Perhaps 
 I 'd better stop sending my clothes to Fair- 
 field. Our dressing alike may complicate 
 matters. You '11 be making love to some one 
 of my girls, and she '11 think it 's I." 
 
 The boys were now in a jestful mood. 
 
 " Duane, if you don't give me your old 
 clothes, I shall have to go stark naked. These 
 are hard times, and the war makes us poorer 
 than ever." 
 
 During all these years when the Living- 
 stones had helped David Hardy, there had 
 never been a thought or feeling of envy or 
 condescension between the cousins. Duane 
 was glad to give, and David quite as glad to 
 receive. Although they were divided by four 
 years, yet they had always cherished a hearty 
 affection for each other. The trend of politi- 
 cal events was the first occasion of serious 
 disagreement. But underneath any expres- 
 sion of present hostility there throbbed a 
 deep, genuine spirit of brotherliness. 
 
 " I 'm of-oiniT back to Fairfield with Sam 
 Smedley," observed David, taking a new tack 
 in the conversation. " Come up and spend a 
 
68 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 few days with us. I 'd like to have you meet 
 Miss Quincy, for she 's very fond of society, 
 and we don't want her to get lonesome. Sam 
 Smedley is a great sailor, and very much of a 
 man, too. You ought to hear him talk about 
 the war. He 's looking for a chance to ship 
 on some privateer. I tell you he is bound to 
 stir up the enemy when he gets a chance." 
 
 " David, your mind is too much on war for 
 a man of peace. I advise you to read more 
 theology and less poHtics. Is Miss Quincy 
 as hot-headed on the subject as you are ? 
 Because if she is, we might come to hard 
 words." And so the conversation ran along 
 in various channels. 
 
 Two days passed, and when Da^^d Hardy 
 had finished the business which brought him 
 to New York, he returned home in the com- 
 pany of young Smedley and his cousin Duane. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE PRESIDENT OF THE CONTINEXTAL CON- 
 GRESS CELEBRATES HIS NUPTIALS 
 
 The summer of 1775 was a season of tense 
 life in Fairfield. The soldiers, patriots, theo- 
 rists, politicians, — representative men of 
 western Connecticut, — held frequent con- 
 clave at the county seat. Early in the sum- 
 mer. Gold Selleck Silliman was appointed 
 colonel of the Fourth Regiment of mihtia. 
 Governor Trumbull had written to General 
 Gage asking for an explanation of the course 
 which he was pursuing in Boston. Thaddeus 
 Burr and Jonathan Sturges took counsel with 
 the governor in respect to the condition of 
 the shore towns and the necessity for their 
 protection. The sea-dogs of the colony were 
 invited to play the watch over the enemy 
 along the Sound, and encouraged to do any 
 handy job of privateering that came in their 
 way. The train-bands drilled on the Green 
 day after day, getting themselves into good 
 trim for the hour of need. 
 
70 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 The male population of the colony in 1775, 
 between the age limits of sixteen and fifty 
 years, subject to military duty, was about 
 twenty-six thousand. Perhaps two thousand 
 of them w^ere disaffected toward the service, 
 sympathizing with the royalists. Fairfield 
 had its Tory element, the Rev. John Sayre, 
 rector of Trinity Church, being one of the 
 most conspicuous figures, around whom ralHed 
 the major part of his parishioners. 
 
 John Adams spoke the truth when he said 
 that Connecticut was doing everything that 
 could be done by her men, both for Boston 
 and New York. All sorts of supplies were 
 prepared and forwarded to the Continental 
 soldiers. A full quota of militia took to the 
 field. Whatever form of assistance was de- 
 manded on any side, Connecticut did even 
 more than her part. The enthusiasm of lib- 
 erty had swept over the colony, nerving her 
 people to the most strenuous action. 
 
 Yet domestic life and the social amenities 
 were not neglected. It was a gay season in 
 Fairfield, despite the fever of war and the 
 hurly-burly of politics, for Miss Dorothy 
 Quincy was a luminary which shone with no 
 uncertain radiance, and she had various satel- 
 lites basking in her light, reflecting something 
 of her own glory. 
 
JOBN HANCOCK'S NUPTIALS 71 
 
 There was hardly a family or dignitary of 
 eminence in the colony that did not take the 
 pains to render proper homage to the fiancee 
 of his Excellency John Hancock, the Presi- 
 dent of the Continental Congress. So it was a 
 round of modest yet lively festivities, amid all 
 the strain and turmoil of the growing conflict. 
 
 " It seems almost wicked for one to have 
 such a good time," remarked Desire to Miss 
 Quincy, one perfect evening in early Sep- 
 tember. "But it is delightful to have you 
 with us these months ; the summer has come 
 and gone with the speed of a bird shooting 
 through the air." 
 
 There had been a rapid succession of 
 walks and drives, little boating parties, even- 
 ing companies, now and then a jaunt to 
 New Haven or some other near-by town, and 
 the thousand trivial gayeties that made up 
 the round of mild dissipation in colonial so- 
 ciety. 
 
 " Now the autumn has come, and soon you 
 will leave Fairfield and return to the fas- 
 cinations of high life." Desire spoke in a 
 sweet, sad, minor tone of regret. 
 
 " But I shall never forget these happy 
 months of freedom," replied Miss Quincy. 
 '^ I have reveled in all the sweets of friend- 
 
72 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 ship, and grown to love this old town and its 
 people with a strange passion." 
 
 " I suppose it will be especially dear to 
 you, too, for the reason that you are married 
 here ? " Desire looked inquisitively into the 
 face of her companion. 
 
 " Yes, I think so, although it is hard to be 
 driven from home when one is preparing for 
 one's wedding. But Mr. Hancock has been 
 very kind and obliging, sending me every- 
 thing in the world that I need, buying silks, 
 satins, laces, linen, and a thousand necessaries 
 with the taste and judgment of the shrewdest 
 woman in the world. And then Mr. and 
 Mrs. Burr have acted like my own kith and 
 kin, putting their whole establishment at my 
 service, entering into the spirit of the occa- 
 sion almost like my own parents." 
 
 The fair Dorothy was immersed in dry 
 goods as she spoke. All the dressmakers in 
 town were at her service, the house of her 
 host being converted into a huge shop filled to 
 the full with these workers and their fabrics. 
 For the wedding was to come off the latter 
 part of the month, and the women w^ere strain- 
 ing every nerve to have the lady decked out 
 according to the latest mode. 
 
 How those last days hastened ! Invitations 
 
JOHN HANCOCK'S NUPTIALS 73 
 
 in the name of Mr. and Mrs. Thaddeus Burr 
 went hither and yon. The mansion was be- 
 comingly adorned after the Boston style. 
 The trousseau was finished, — a most elegant 
 outfit, worthy the lady for whom it was pre- 
 pared and the bridegroom who had taken 
 such an unusual part in selecting it. Then 
 came the twenty-eighth day of September. 
 
 It was a o^ala occasion for the town. War 
 may sound its tocsin, yet people will marry 
 and orive in marriaofe. Men will toil and moil 
 with dumb persistence, and turn on the in- 
 stant with bounding heart and beaming eyes 
 at the bidding of Hymen. The fret, weari- 
 ness, uncertainties of strife, may dog our steps, 
 but no sooner do we catch sight of Love than 
 all else is forgotten and we yield ourselves to 
 its intoxication. Boston may suffer the pangs 
 of starvation and the encroachments of her 
 enemies. New York blow hot and cold be- 
 tween patriot and royalist, the unprotected 
 colonies alono; the coast invite the onslauo;ht 
 of British tars ; nevertheless, it is quite the 
 fitting and timely thing for the President 
 of the Continental ConoTess to turn one side 
 from the stress of public duty, the strain of 
 private care, and take unto himself a wife. 
 She will cheer and comfort him in his need. 
 
74 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 She will brace him for the great struggle 
 which must be wao^ed. She will animate him 
 with fresh spirit and enthusiasm. 
 
 It was a famous company that gathered for 
 the nuptials of this highly favored pair. 
 
 " You ought to have seen them when they 
 arrived from Philadelphia," cried Lois, who 
 noted every detail of the important affair, 
 and counted it as one of the brightest days in 
 her Hfe. " There was Mr. Hancock's great 
 coach in all its fresh, fresh " — she hesitated 
 for the right word — " grandeur, and four 
 beautiful, prancing horses ; and there were 
 some other coaches filled with people ; and 
 there were many men on their gallant steeds, 
 making a fine show in their gay colors. Oh, 
 it was glorious ! " The child was describing 
 the scene to her grandfather. " And I 've 
 seen I don't know how many people that have 
 come down from Boston way; and Governor 
 Trumbull 's here and some men from Hart- 
 ford. Why, the town looks like training- 
 day, and everybody is dressed in such beauti- 
 ful clothes." 
 
 The day was dreamy and poetic, for a soft 
 haze hung above the landscape and sifted the 
 lazy sunshine down gently upon the blithe, 
 brilliant company. 
 
< 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■^ 
 
JOHN HANCOCICS NUPTIALS 75 
 
 They were married in the great parlor of 
 the mansion, and the Rev. Andrew Eliot, Jr., 
 old-time friend of the Quincy and the Han- 
 cock families, performed the simple, brief 
 ceremony. 
 
 " Well, it 's next to being in Boston to 
 have a Boston parson officiate on this occa- 
 sion," observed Mr. Adams. 
 
 " And I warrant you that we shall enjoy a 
 richer feast than any bridal party in Boston 
 for many a month," said Governor Trumbull. 
 
 " Oh, Desire," whisjDered Lois, who had 
 been smuggled into the house by special 
 request of the bride, and placed where she 
 commanded a large sweep of vision over the 
 guests, " did you ever see anything so fine ? 
 There are all the colors of the rainbow. 
 That lady in the corner must have made 
 her gown out of blue sky. Oh, how lovely ! 
 And look at Madam Hancock in her stiff 
 purple satin ! Is n't Mrs. Burr magnificent 
 in velvet and lace ? She seems like a queen. 
 And who is that woman with the wonderful 
 gown of pink, and her head sprinkled with 
 diamond dust, and her breast sparkling with 
 gems ? And oh, Desire, do see what gloves 
 the ladies wear, and the ruffies and scarfs 
 and ribbons and chains and jewelry ! Is n't 
 
76 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 it the brightest, splendidest scene you ever 
 saw? Why, I see sunsets and flowers and 
 the bhie sea and the green meadows and the 
 gray of the clouds and a hundred other 
 colors in the people's clothes. The men are 
 quite as shining and glorious as the ladies, I 
 think. Look at their red and blue and yel- 
 low vests. And how beautiful are their small- 
 clothes ! Oh, the stockings, the buckles, the 
 white ruffles and old lace, the elegant, many- 
 hued coats ! Some of the gentlemen have 
 such big wigs, with such big bows behind, 
 and see, a good many don't wear wigs, but 
 have their hair tied up in a queue, with a big- 
 ger ribbon and " — 
 
 " Lois, Lois," whispered Desire, " folks will 
 hear you, and they '11 think we 've never been 
 anywhere before. You must be quiet." 
 
 " Oh, Desire, it is like heaven, I think. I 
 feel as if I was reading in the book of Reve- 
 lation. And what a regal gentleman Mr. 
 John Hancock is ! How much do you suppose 
 his clothes cost? I'd like to ask Dorothy 
 Quincy." 
 
 " It is n't Miss Dorothy Quincy any more, 
 Lois, remember. She is Mrs. John Han- 
 cock now." 
 
 This whispered conversation was taking 
 
JOHN HANCOCK'S NUPTIALS 77 
 
 place while the congratulations were being said 
 and the company was waiting for the feast. 
 
 " A very pretty show, my dears, is n't it ? " 
 It was Duane Livingstone speaking in sub- 
 dued voice to Lois and Desire ; " but I 've 
 seen many a brighter one." 
 
 This remark was received by the younger 
 of the sisters with incredulity. It did not 
 seem possible to Lois that anything in all the 
 world could be more brilliantly attractive and 
 elegant. Desire listened to the young gentle- 
 man's whispered comment philosophically, and 
 then answered : — 
 
 " I suppose you refer to some social func- 
 tion held by your friend, Governor Tryon, in 
 the Government House ? " 
 
 There was mischief in the answer ; for De- 
 sire had learned to despise the courtly repre- 
 sentative of the crown in New York, although 
 Mrs. Thaddeus Burr had assured her he was 
 a gentleman of good presence and pleasing 
 manners, and had made himself very agreeable 
 when she met him in Hartford at Governor 
 Trumbull's, in Fairfield as her own guest, and 
 in New York when he was host at an evenino: 
 party. 
 
 "David has prejudiced you," said the 
 cousin. 
 
78 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 " Well, there is Mr. Sam Smedley ; let us 
 ask him, since he 's running up and down the 
 Sound and knows about everybody along- 
 shore and in the city." 
 
 The bronzed young sailor named ap- 
 proached the little group. 
 
 " We were saying that Governor Tryon is 
 a fine example of the old English gentle- 
 man. You agree with us, do you not, Mr. 
 Smedley ? " 
 
 Desire spoke with a demureuess and repose 
 infinitely charming, although a telltale flash 
 in her eyes might have warned the observer 
 that smouldering fire lay hid beneath the 
 sweet, calm exterior. 
 
 " Who was saying it ? " The man of the 
 sea spoke with gruffness. " Not you, Miss 
 Desire, I warrant me." 
 
 " Come, come," interrupted David Hardy, 
 as he pushed his way to them. " All the 
 belles and bucks are drinking to the health of 
 the bride. Let 's away and share the jollity." 
 
 " That sounds like a divinity student, 
 does n't it ? " cried Duane. 
 
 " It is n't original with my brother," ob- 
 served Desire. " That 's the way Aaron Burr 
 talks. ' Bucks and belles ' is one of his favor- 
 ite phrases. David has become hilarious on 
 
JOHN HANCOCK'S NUPTIALS 79 
 
 this great occasion, and he has fallen into the 
 form of speech peculiar to a very worldly 
 companion." Desire was brimful of fun and 
 mirth, for here were several young gentlemen 
 waiting upon her, and she could see that 
 others were edging their way in her direction 
 and must inevitably join the group. 
 
 They all moved into the current that had 
 set toward the refreshment tables, and soon 
 the contagious good cheer had raised them to 
 such a pitch of liveliness that they made for 
 the lawn, where they might find ample space 
 for the exercise of their merry hearts and glad 
 voices. 
 
 Lois, meanwhile, flitted from room to room, 
 or from group to group, sipping the sweets of 
 gossip and jovial fellowship, as caprice dic- 
 tated, observing every feature of the kalei- 
 doscopic pageant, talking with the numerous 
 servants that vied in their eager wishes to 
 make all happy, taking the opportunity more 
 than once to dash into the crowd of inter- 
 ested spectators that thronged the street, in 
 order that she might explain something to a 
 mate or friend whom she spied, or distribute 
 S^oodies from the weddino- feast. 
 
 The honorable President of the Continental 
 Congress bore himself with remarkable suavity. 
 
80 AN UNKNOWN PATEIOT 
 
 A very dignified gentleman, punctilious and a 
 stickler for the proprieties, on this red-letter 
 day he unbent and beamed and rejoiced with 
 a luxury of abandon that startled his old 
 friends. And well he might for once give 
 way to such jocund impulses, for he was now 
 wedded to the lady of his choice, and all peril 
 of break or disaster had passed. 
 
 Miss Quincy was a person of such charms 
 that many lovers flitted about her like moths 
 around a lighted candle on a summer's night. 
 This courtly suitor had been not a little an- 
 noyed and vexed by a certain lack of response 
 and lover-like devotion on the part of the Bos- 
 ton belle during his absence in Philadelphia. 
 The sly gossips had intimated that Dorothy Q. 
 was a flirt, and that she did more than pass 
 the time of day with several of these ardent 
 admirers. Now that he was to keep her under 
 his daily care, his fears went to the winds, and 
 his heart beat with a new, riotous joy. 
 
 Yes, he could afford to be happy and cast 
 the stiffness and stateliness of his lofty posi- 
 tion one side for the day. 
 
 "Isn't he delio'htf ul ! " said Lois to her 
 sister. They had greeted the bride and the 
 bridegroom a second time, and both John 
 Hancock and his wife had given the two girls 
 
JOHN HANCOCK'S NUPTIALS 81 
 
 several resounding kisses upon their fresh 
 and lovely lips. 
 
 " Yes, Lois, he 's really an ideal bride- 
 groom, — ideal from our point of view. He 
 does n't save all his sweetness for the bride. 
 They make a regal-looking pair. Why did n't 
 you kiss the bride ? " 
 
 Desire was now teasing her cousin Duane, 
 who stood on her right, while David had 
 moved over to her left, and Lois leaned 
 upon her arm in the front. They made a 
 remarkable group. 
 
 " Colonel, there 's a picture that vies with 
 the beauty of the bride and the grandeur of 
 the bridegroom." 
 
 Mr. Jonathan Sturges was speaking to 
 Colonel Silliman, a listener to Captain Sam- 
 uel Squier, Mr. Job Bartram, and Dr. Allin 
 enor-ao^ed in war talk. 
 
 c5 O 
 
 " Did you ever see such a striking resem- 
 blance ? " 
 
 As Colonel Silliman spoke, the knot of 
 people about him gazed upon the little com- 
 pany to which he pointed. It had often 
 been remarked that Desire and David looked 
 so much alike that it was a matter of clothes 
 alone which enabled people to distinguish 
 them. But when a third person, this New 
 
82 AN- UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 York cousin, with a resemblance quite as 
 striking, was put in line with them, and the 
 handsome group received a sort of finishing 
 touch from the child Lois, whose features 
 were likewise characteristic of the Hardy lin- 
 eage, it was a picture long to be remembered. 
 
 The brother, sisters two, and cousin stood 
 engrossed in bright conversation and gay 
 banter, while person after person noted them, 
 looking with warm heart and kindling eye 
 upon the rare quartette. For the school- 
 master's grandchildren made many friends, 
 doing not a little to enliven and adorn the 
 society in which they moved. 
 
 " They are very interesting young people," 
 observed Mrs. Andrew Eliot the senior. She 
 was speaking with Aunt Lydia Hancock. " I 
 doubt me if we could find in all Boston better- 
 looking or more attractive children and youth." 
 
 " Yes," replied the serene lady, " I have 
 become very fond of the girls. And I know 
 your son thinks highly of David Hardy. Mr. 
 Duane Livingstone is almost a stranger to me, 
 but I hear excellent reports of him. Aaron 
 Burr admired him, and told us how popular the 
 young gallant was in New York. But I have 
 not asked concerning your husband to-day." 
 
 Mrs. Hancock was not the only refugee 
 
JOHN HANCOCK'S NUPTIALS 83 
 
 seeking a home in Fairfield. The wife of the 
 North Church pastor and four of his children 
 had fled to the hospitable town, bringing 
 friends with them. 
 
 " I know I put you under difficulties," Dr. 
 Eliot wrote to his son in April, when Mrs. 
 Eliot was starting for Connecticut by the 
 overland way, and the children had embarked 
 on a ship from Salem, " but you are the only 
 asylum I have." 
 
 The faithful man remained stanchly at his 
 post through the siege of his native city, and 
 many were the kind offices which he per- 
 formed for friend and foe alike. Meanwhile 
 the other members of his family were scat- 
 tered, and communications became infrequent 
 and beset with trouble. 
 
 "Did the coach bring you tidings of Dr. 
 Eliot?" inquired Mrs. Hancock. 
 
 " No, I have received nothing from him 
 these two weeks. But I do not fret. He is 
 in the Lord's keeping, and doing what he 
 deems is his plain duty. He '11 be cared for. 
 I think we all learn to be brave and trustful, 
 these days. It will take a great deal of cour- 
 age and devotion to carry us through the 
 struggle, but I believe that God is with us. 
 Of whom shall we be afraid ?" 
 
84 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 Colonel Abraham Gould bowed deferen- 
 tially to the ladies as he passed, tarrying for 
 a moment to pay his respects. 
 
 " Madam, this is a happy day for you." 
 He addressed Mrs. Hancock. It was reported 
 that she had been exceedingly anxious to see 
 Dorothy Quincy wedded to her nephew. 
 
 " A most happy day, I thank you, sir," 
 replied the lady. " And Fairfield becomes 
 dear to me. Would that every city of refuge 
 for the people of God might be as lovely and 
 hospitable as this town." 
 
 "You honor us, dear madam. We shall 
 not forget your gracious words." 
 
 Mrs. Hancock acknowledged the gentle- 
 man's courtesy. 
 
 " And may I express, esteemed lady," — 
 Colonel Gould was still conversing with Mrs. 
 Eliot, — " our deep sympathy for you in this 
 enforced separation from your eminent and 
 greatly beloved husband. I trust that he 
 keeps his health amid the worry and trial of 
 his arduous duties. And I trust that while 
 you mourn this enforced exile from your 
 home and husband, you do, nevertheless, in 
 some measure receive compensation for it by 
 staying with your son." 
 
 " You are very kind, my dear sir, and the 
 
JOHN HANCOCK'S NUPTIALS 85 
 
 many expressi5ns of good feeling on the part 
 of your people I deeply appreciate. I am 
 comforted by the tender solicitude of my son, 
 and everything is done to mitigate my dis- 
 tress. But, sir, my sufferings are nothing, 
 and I glory in them, if so be there shall come 
 liberty and justice to the colonies." 
 
 '' Madam, such sentiments are noble and 
 inspiring. They enable us to gird our loins 
 for the conflict, assured that we are sustained 
 by those more precious to us than life. I 
 believe that God will give us the victory, 
 although the price must be not only our ser- 
 vice and substance, but a vast amount of dis- 
 tress and much spilt blood." 
 
 A sliofht commotion on the street drew the 
 attention of the guests. Madam Hancock 
 hurried down the front porch into the yard 
 in pursuit of Mr. Thaddeus Burr, and Colonel 
 Gould with Colonel Silliman accompanied her. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, gentlemen. My anxiety 
 may be needless, but I remember that General 
 Gage has put a price upon the head of my 
 nephew, and has made more than one attempt 
 to captivate him. It was only by the good 
 providence of God that we escaped from the 
 enemy while staying with our beloved cou- 
 sins in the parsonage at Lexington. And 
 
86 ^.V UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 methinks some traitor in our midst perchance 
 might conspire to turn our rejoicings to-day 
 into terror and lamentation." 
 
 A report had gone abroad that the British 
 were on the watch for the President of the 
 Continental Congress, and that it had been 
 planned to take him prisoner before the bridal 
 party left town. The commotion on the street 
 was caused by the cantering of a swift messen- 
 ger, who evidently came bearing dispatches of 
 importance. 
 
 No sooner was he dismounted than the 
 festivities suddenly ended. Danger seemed 
 to lurk in the air. Governor Trumbull, Mr. 
 Quincy, John Adams, the gentry of the town, 
 and the startled guests that had gathered 
 from all parts of the colony awaited the rapid 
 approach of Mr. John Hancock, for the com- 
 munication was addressed to him. His wife, 
 in all the splendor of bridal array, tripped 
 lightly down the steps and followed him 
 where he stood amid the throng of excited 
 friends and observers. He broke the seal of 
 the letter, scanned its contents, then with 
 flushed face addressed the company that 
 pressed upon him : — 
 
 " You will pardon me, gentlemen, if I with- 
 draw to my chamber and attend to public 
 
JOHN HANCOCK'S NUPTIALS 87 
 
 affairs of great moment. I will meet the 
 governor and his council and the Fairfield 
 Committee of Correspondence for immediate 
 consultation." 
 
 " Desire, Desire, I think the British are 
 coming^ ! " cried Lois. 
 
 The gentlemen had retired to an upper 
 room in the mansion, where they were soon 
 closeted in counsel with Colonel Hancock. 
 The festive appearance of the town changed 
 to a martial aspect. The wedding guests 
 hurried away, getting into their coaches, or 
 walking to their homes in town, or galloping 
 down the King's Highway to the lower vil- 
 lages, or hastening along the shore toward 
 New Haven. 
 
 When the massive, shining coach of John 
 Hancock drew up in front of the Burr home- 
 stead, the bride and bridegroom entered the 
 capacious structure, the outriders and the 
 postihons took their places, the guard of 
 honor arrayed itself in all mihtary splendor 
 to the front and the rear, while an escort 
 of private citizens and guests brought up the 
 end of the procession. Thus with haste and 
 good wishes, amid anxieties and prayers, the 
 honored gentleman and his beautiful wife 
 started upon the journey. 
 
CHAPTEE VII 
 
 THE UNITED AMERICAN COLONIES ARE FREE 
 AND INDEPENDENT STATES 
 
 After the evacuation of Boston by the 
 British, Washington came back to New York, 
 passing through Fairfield April the 12th. 
 There were greetings on the part of the town 
 Committee of Correspondence and a brief 
 halt at the mansion of Thaddeus Burr, where 
 the Commander-in-chief of the American army 
 took the opportunity to pay his respects to 
 the aunt of the President of the Continental 
 Congress. Both Desire and Lois happened 
 to be present when General Washington ar- 
 rived, while David was one of several young 
 men that escorted him throus^h the town. 
 
 " I have a message for your Excellency 
 which I am instructed to deliver in secret." 
 
 Desire addressed the Commander-in-chief 
 as they stood for one moment apart from the 
 other members of the company. His eye 
 kindled with interest and admiration. Desire 
 shone with a beauty that was the revelation 
 
FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES 89 
 
 of a lively, intelligent spirit, expressive of 
 rare, fine character, interpreting with star- 
 tling facility the moods and dispositions of a 
 generous, intense, high-minded young woman. 
 She was impulsive and fearless, quick to adapt 
 herself to circumstances, a keen wit and a 
 shrewd observer, gifted with all the subtle 
 intuitions pecuHar to her sex, possessed of a 
 certain masculine force and aofofressiveness 
 that often imperiled her own peace and that 
 of her friends. Yet there was an honesty 
 and straightforwardness about her, a loyalty 
 to principle, an enthusiasm for right, which 
 kept her out of mischief and preserved her 
 from many a trial that now and again seemed 
 imminent. 
 
 Washington was an excellent judge of 
 human nature, while swift to respond to the 
 charms of a woman. And he detected in Desire 
 something other than a beautiful face and 
 winning manners. There was a depth of soul 
 and purpose revealed to him, a delicate sense 
 of responsibility, a vital concern in affairs, 
 that commanded instant confidence. She did 
 not wish to draw attention to herself, or profit 
 by any interview with the man who held 
 in his hands the destinies of the American 
 colonies. Washington became aware of that 
 
90 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 fact while she preferred her simple request. 
 Here was a person capable of serving her 
 country, and she had something of impor- 
 tance to pass over to him. 
 
 "With your permission/' — Desire bowed 
 to the host and hostess, — "I am to serve 
 General Washington with a cup of cold water 
 fresh from the well." 
 
 " And with your permission," — the Com- 
 mander-in-chief bowed very graciously to Mr. 
 and Mrs. Burr and the company, — "I will 
 go vrith the young lady and draw the water 
 with my own hands." 
 
 There was a tone of authority in his words. 
 The two passed down the long hall, Desire 
 turning one side to get a silver mug. Then 
 they walked to the well. The bucket was 
 attached to one of the old-fashioned sweeps ; 
 and while the general pulled down the cum- 
 brous instrument so that the water gurgled 
 into its receptacle. Desire bent her head and 
 peered into the darkness, speaking hastily 
 and pointedly to her eager listener, — ending 
 her address by giving him a little packet, which 
 she transferred with the cup into his hands, and 
 which he quickly slipped into his breast. 
 
 It was a warm, enervating April day, one of 
 the sweet precursors of the on-coming sum- 
 
FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES 91 
 
 mer, and the crystal waters were refreshing 
 after the march from New Haven. 
 
 There was a strange sparkle in the eyes of 
 Desire as she accompanied General ^yashing- 
 ton back into the mansion. And it was with 
 matchless grace and gentleness that the great 
 man took her hand in his when he came to 
 say good-by, and, lifting it to his lips, rever- 
 ently craved God's blessing upon her. 
 
 " Was n't it lovely ! " exclaimed Lois, who 
 had been a sharp witness throughout the 
 whole scene. " Why did n't he kiss my fin- 
 gers ? I 'd have been glad to have him kiss 
 my lips, as John Hancock did. Wouldn't 
 you. Desire ? " 
 
 But her sister was absorbed in thought, 
 and there came the fitful play of light and 
 shadow upon her face. 
 
 " Child," said Madam Hancock, " General 
 Washington is a courtly gentleman, but you 
 shall visit me in Boston and meet many a 
 northern man with manners quite as fine. 
 And yet methinks it would sound hyper- 
 critical and vainglorious to speak in these 
 terms among your Fairfield gentry. I find 
 no better, nobler exemplars of Christian 
 courtesy or true manhood than here. The 
 lavish hospitality of these old friends, their 
 
92 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 extreme politeness and beneficent friendship, 
 shall I ever see their match ? " 
 
 " Ah, madam, I grieve that you leave us, 
 for we have learned to love you, and many 
 are the happy hours which Lois and I have 
 spent in your company." 
 
 This was on April the 12th. Three days 
 later, the lady, while engaged in final pre- 
 parations for her return to Boston, was seized 
 with apoplexy and passed away. 
 
 " Oh, Desire," cried Lois, " to think that 
 Madam Hancock must die when she was 
 planning so much for the enjoyment of us all 
 and for the help of the colonies ! " 
 
 For the good lady had possessed an ample 
 fortune, and her affairs having taken a favora- 
 ble turn, she had proposed to furnish some of 
 the sinews of war and share more generously 
 in the protracted conflict. 
 
 Thus there came changes in the life of the 
 Hardy family. At the beginning of the war, 
 the grandfather died, so that heavier respon- 
 sibilities were thrust upon David and Desire. 
 There was the farm to manage and their sup- 
 port to get out of it. There were the slaves, 
 Minto and Chloe, a constant care and cause 
 of vexation, in spite of their services. There 
 was Lois to train and instruct, a most trying 
 
FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES 93 
 
 task, for she was fain to imitate Desire even 
 to the point of fault and folly. 
 
 " I 'm glad we have only two slaves," cried 
 Desire one morning, after a tiff with Chloe, 
 who now felt that, since Grandfather Hardy 
 was dead, the burden of domestic affairs fell 
 upon her. " If we owned as many as Colo- 
 nel Silliman, I should die of vexation and 
 wrath." 
 
 " Why, how many belong to the Silli- 
 mans ? " inquired Lois. 
 
 " Ten or a dozen. And I heard the colo- 
 nel tell Mr. Eliot the other day that if he 
 had stuck to his law business and let farming 
 and slavery alone, he would have been worth 
 a good deal more money. He was advising 
 Mr. Eliot not to buy a manservant. And I 
 agree with him. I don't think we ought to 
 own folks, any way. Negroes have souls the 
 same as other men and women." 
 
 " Let 's free Minto and Chloe," said David 
 quietly. He had been reading Greek while 
 the girls were speaking. 
 
 "David, you could n't drive either of them 
 away. They think they 're the responsible 
 parties here now, and I heard Minto say to 
 Chloe the other night, ' Chile, we 's got to 
 look after 'um ; they 's an awful 'sponsibility. 
 
94 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 but it 's de Lo'd's will.' Feeling like that, 
 do you suppose they 'd leave us?" 
 
 The brother and his sisters were seated at 
 supper one June evening when Sherwood 
 Spalding entered unannounced. He was 
 a Tory friend of the Hardy family, a mem- 
 ber of Trinity Church, and a hot-headed 
 loyalist. 
 
 " What do you suppose your fanatics have 
 done at Hartford ? " he blurted out, not wait- 
 ing for a reply. " They 've resolved that the 
 delegates of Connecticut in the so-called 
 Continental Congress be and are hereby in- 
 structed to propose to that body to declare 
 that the United American Colonies are free 
 and independent States ; absolved from all 
 allegiance to Great Britain. Heavens ! they 
 must have all gone stark mad ! " 
 
 " Have they, have they ? " exclaimed De- 
 sire excitedly. " Hurrah for old Connecti- 
 cut!" and she waved her kerchief above her 
 head as she sprang from the table. 
 
 "Hurrah, hurrah!" echoed Lois, loosening 
 her white apron and unfurling it like a flag. 
 
 The child had a mind of her own, and 
 she was free to assert her independence when 
 Desire ordered her to the doing of this or 
 that task. She was not to be domineered 
 
FBEE AND INDEPENDENT STATES 95 
 
 over by her sister. Nevertheless, Desire was 
 the inspiration and pattern of her Hfe, and 
 Lois adored her. A flame of patriotism had 
 been kindled by the enthusiasm of Desire, 
 and every fresh expression of interest nour- 
 ished it. So when the elder sister gave way 
 to a jubilant hurrah, the younger one followed. 
 
 " You girls don't know what you 're 
 about ! " shouted the visitor angrily. " Why, 
 these cjolonies can no more take care of them- 
 selves than dogs can fly ! " 
 
 " They can't, eh ?" exclaimed David, whose 
 spirit began to show itself. " I 'm thinking 
 that Connecticut has sense and backbone 
 enough to look out for herself, my British 
 friend. Other colonies may not elect their 
 own governors and transact their own affairs, 
 but that 's what we 've done for many a year, 
 and more than that, every one of the thu-teen 
 provinces is capable of doing the same thing." 
 
 " You 're all Radicals here. You don't 
 know on which side your bread is buttered. 
 I teU you it 's idiotic for the colonies to resist 
 the mother country, and the day will come 
 when " — 
 
 " You 'U eat your words and be a mighty 
 sick man," interrupted David. 
 
 It was true that Connecticut had sent on 
 
96 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 the instructions described, and it was only a 
 few days before the Continental Congress 
 issued the Declaration of Independence. 
 Events were following one another in quick 
 succession. Howe had laid Falmouth in 
 ruins, and made every true New Englander 
 feel that the die was cast ; it was now war 
 to the knife. As the eastern colonies were 
 free from immediate peril, they spent their 
 resources in assisting neighbors. 
 
 It proved a fine record which Connecticut 
 was making. At the very beginning of 
 hostilities, she sent several of her sons to take 
 Ticonderoga. Then her troops responded 
 heartily to Washington when he held the 
 British army blockaded in Boston. Governor 
 Trumbull continued active and alert in every 
 emergency, so that men and substance were 
 forthcoming whenever solicited. These things 
 made the Tory citizens of the colony angry 
 and offensive. 
 
 " I suppose you 've been reading Paine's 
 ' Common Sense,' " said Spalding contemptu- 
 ously. 
 
 " Yes," answered Desire, " and I like it. 
 The man knows whereof he speaks. I don't 
 wonder that it has had such an immense cir- 
 culation. Why, thousands upon thousands 
 
FBEE AND INDEPENDENT STATES 97 
 
 of copies have been scattered through the 
 colonies. Perhaps it has influenced the Con- 
 tinental Congress itself." 
 
 " Oh, very likely," continued Spalding, in 
 the same sneering tone. "That and ^ Mc- 
 Fingal ' are great books. You '11 keep them 
 by the side of the Bible, won't you?" 
 
 " They say a Connecticut man wrote ^ Mc- 
 Fingal.' Whoever did it, I am proud of 
 him," exclaimed Desire, with spirit. 
 
 " Perhaps David is the writer, and his 
 modesty restrains him from confessing." 
 
 The guest was evidently anxious to abate 
 the acrimony of the discussion and get inta 
 the good graces of his hearers, now that he 
 had delivered himself of the news and his 
 choler. 
 
 " Sherwood, have you heard the latest 
 definition of a Tory ? " David put the ques- 
 tion, and challenged by a glance the young 
 fellow. 
 
 " I don't care what the definition is. These 
 colonies belong to Great Britain, and she is 
 ready to do the fair thing by them. If it 
 had n't been for a few hot-heads like Samuel 
 Adams, our difficulties would have been ami- 
 cably settled." 
 
 "A Tory," continued David mischievously, 
 
98 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 '' is a thing whose head is in England and 
 whose body is in America ; its neck ought to 
 be stretched." * 
 
 " And I suppose that you would like to be 
 a committee of one to stretch it, hey ? Try 
 it, David. Try it." 
 
 " Well, you boys can settle matters to suit 
 yourselves," said Desire. " Lois and I must 
 do our stint of spinning to-night." 
 
 So while the young men exercised their 
 gifts in a spirited match of word-sparring, the 
 sisters worked, listened, reflected, until Lois, 
 tired of the confinement, ran out in the twi- 
 lio^ht for a breath of fresh air. 
 
 " Have you heard the news about the De- 
 fence?" exclaimed the child, as she came 
 hastening into the house. 
 
 The Defence was the new brig which the 
 General Assembly had ordered to be con- 
 structed in January, 1776, Benjamin Hunting- 
 ton, of Norwich, and Captain Seth Harding 
 being the commissioners to look after the mat- 
 ter. She had a keel of eighty feet, a beam of 
 twenty-seven, a depth of hold of twelve, her 
 burden being two hundred and sixty tons. 
 The vessel having been finished in May, and 
 manned, had sailed for the neighborhood of 
 Boston harbor. Captain Harding was in com- 
 
FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES 99 
 
 mand, and two Bartrams and Sam Smedley 
 were lieutenants. 
 
 " Mrs. Smedley has heard from her hus- 
 band, and she says that while the brig was 
 cruising near the entrance of the harbor, they 
 had a fight, and took two transports, both 
 armed. Nine men were wounded on the 
 Defence, but they '11 all get well, and I don't 
 know how many soldiers were taken prisoners ; 
 and the very day after this fight, the Defence 
 caught another transport with a lot of red- 
 coats, and they 're all prisoners, too. Is n't 
 it glorious ? " 
 
 Sherwood Spalding slipped quietly away to 
 learn if the story was true, while the Hardy 
 family joined in fresh jubilations. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 ONE LIFE TO GIVE FOR MY COUNTRY 
 
 Mr. Duane Hardy Livingstone assumed 
 an unenviable position. His family were 
 ardent patriots, but the impression went 
 abroad that the young man was either on the 
 fence, or an out and out Tory. 
 
 Try on was now attending to military affairs, 
 and the subtlety, vindictiveness, and downright 
 cruelty which had won him the name given 
 by the Cherokees were forcibly illustrated. 
 
 The Great Wolf of North Carolina turned 
 his eyes on Connecticut. The war game 
 which he was playing in New York not 
 only required some diversion, but Connecticut 
 seemed to him in need of chastisement. She 
 had given a helping hand to New York pa- 
 triots on numerous occasions, and she was 
 doing more to harass the British and prolong 
 the struggle than any other colony, with one 
 exception. In the afflluence of her support 
 and encouragement, she had sent a great por- 
 tion of her sons into other States, so that her 
 
ONE LIFE TO GIVE FOR MY COUNTRY 101 
 
 own shores and towns were meagrely equipped 
 for defense, while the amount of supplies 
 which she had furnished was almost beyond 
 credit. 
 
 " I hate those Connecticut Yankees ! " ob- 
 served General Tryon one day, in a frank 
 talk with Duane Livingstone. " I '11 teach 
 them a lesson that they '11 not soon forget." 
 
 The young man moved nervously and held 
 his peace. 
 
 " They 're the meanest, slyest lot of rebels 
 in all the provinces. And they are so sleek 
 and cunning in their pious talk about rights 
 and freedom that I am aching for a chance to 
 flay them." 
 
 Still the general's auditor made no reply. 
 
 " It seems to me, Livingstone, that it 's 
 time for you to be doing something for your 
 king and country. You 're a little too much 
 on the fence, my boy. Come, join my staff 
 and bravely show your colors." 
 
 " Well, general, you 'd hardly expect me 
 to look with favor upon any incursions into 
 Connecticut, would you? All my mother's 
 family are Yankees, and I have hosts of 
 friends among the gentry of the colony." 
 
 " Gentry be damned ! " exclaimed Tryon 
 hotly. '' They 're a blasted horde of unre- 
 pentant renegades." 
 
102 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 " Did n't you enjoy their hospitality more 
 than once ? Have n't you met several of our 
 Fairfield people and found them among the 
 most genial and refined in the colonies? " 
 
 " Man, what do I care about their being 
 genial or hospitable ? They 're in arms 
 against their lawful sovereign, and they ought 
 to be humbled and whipped into subjection. 
 I 've been a-watching 'em many a month. 
 Think of the bold miscreants coming down 
 here and smashing Rivington's presses and 
 carrying things with such a high hand in this 
 city ! And there is n't a move made in all 
 this section on the part of the rebels that the 
 Connecticut men are not in the forefront 
 of it. They tell me that almost half of 
 Washington's army comes from the cursed 
 colony." 
 
 It was not long after this outburst in the 
 presence of Duane Livingstone that a warn- 
 ing word was passed all along the shore 
 towns. It reached the ears of the governor, 
 who, in his generosity and eagerness to 
 help Washington, had well-nigh stripped 
 Connecticut of her troops. So there was 
 renewed activity in every village, the train- 
 bands multiplied, and the Green once more 
 became a scene of incessant military drill. 
 
ONE LIFE TO GIVE FOR MY COUNTRY 103 
 
 In Fairfield a coast guard was voted and 
 set nightly in the following manner : Four 
 to patrol from Saugatuck River to Cable's 
 Mill, four to patrol from said Mill to Sasco 
 River, four from Sasco River to Mill River, 
 four from Mill River to Pine Creek, six to 
 patrol from Pine Creek to Ash Creek, so 
 called, and in the town streets, and four at 
 Strathfield. They were to be paid three shilr 
 lings for their services. It gave the people a 
 slight sense of security, and enabled many a 
 family to sleep at least half the night. 
 
 The times were hard, indeed. Smallpox 
 raged in the neighborhood, so that pest- 
 houses had been erected and filled with vic- 
 tims of the contagion. Then the poor, 
 anxious citizens that escaped the pest were 
 subjected to inoculation and forced to retire 
 from the village, living their allotted period 
 in isolation, Thaddeus Burr among them, 
 for no distinctions were made in these mat- 
 ters. In addition to decimated ranks and 
 prevailing disease, there was the incessant 
 strain of providing the necessaries of life for 
 the inhabitants of the town and the soldiers 
 doing service abroad. The taxes were heavy, 
 the currency poor. Luxuries had been given 
 over, and the necessaries often followed. To 
 
104 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 cap the climax of distress, this message con- 
 cerning the fell purpose of General Tryon 
 was widely circulated. 
 
 General Washington had been in great 
 need of accurate information all these months 
 in regard to the movements of the British, 
 but the Secret Service was a branch of patri- 
 otic sacrifice that did not appeal to many men. 
 It was not so much the perils connected with 
 it that held volunteers aloof, as an indefinable 
 sense of disgrace. 
 
 Connecticut was foremost in this order of 
 merit and achievement. Nathan Hale had 
 been in Fairfield on various occasions, so 
 that he was known to several of the citizens. 
 Only a few days after the Declaration of 
 Independence, Desire met him at Colonel Silli- 
 man's. A little later, he was engaged in his 
 memorable services on Long Island. And 
 then one day came the story of his tragic 
 end. 
 
 It was late September, in the twilight of the 
 22d, that Duane Livingstone galloped up to 
 the Hardy homestead and shouted for Minto 
 to come and take his horse. David, Desire, 
 and Lois ran hastily into the dooryard when 
 they heard his voice, for they were sure that 
 he brought news. Every traveler these days 
 
ONE LIFE TO GIVE FOR MY COUNTRY 105 
 
 was a newsbearer, and the stay-at-homes took 
 possession of him the instant that he ap- 
 peared. 
 
 " What is it, Duane ? " called out David. 
 " No bad news, I hope." 
 
 " The royal army holds New York ; the 
 Continental forces have withdrawn ; General 
 Tryon had an enthusiastic reception when he 
 returned to his headquarters ; and last night 
 a good part of the city was burned to ashes." 
 
 " What did you say ? " cried Desire. " You 
 don't mean that all the city is destroyed. 
 Where is Aunt Esther ? Did your house 
 burn ? " and the voice of Desire betrayed her 
 agitation. 
 
 " Yes, the old mansion is gone. We have 
 another house into which we can move, but 
 the family thought it best to leave the city 
 until things are more quiet than at present; 
 and what place shall we fly to if not Fairfield? " 
 
 " Yes, come and welcome. There is room 
 for you all," said David, with genuine hearti- 
 ness. 
 
 " Oh, it 's mother and the servants that we 
 feel more particular about. The rest of us 
 can take care of ourselves. We '11 be here, 
 there, everywhere, — only it 's pleasant, you 
 know, to establish headquarters and feel that, 
 
106 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 when other resources fail^ there is one place 
 to fall back on." 
 
 They were now walking into the house and 
 paying Duane those slight attentions which 
 a weary traveler loves. But while the prepa- 
 rations for supper went on, the conversation 
 continued without break. 
 
 " How did the city get on fire ? " asked 
 Lois. 
 
 Duane hesitated before making a reply. 
 
 " Well, Try on and the loyalists say that it 
 was set on fire by the rebels." 
 
 " Duane," interrupted David, " don't talk 
 about rebels to us." 
 
 " Oh, well, no offense intended," the cou- 
 sin answered. " I don't believe the report. 
 I think it was accident that started the fire. 
 And then we had no conveniences to stop it 
 when once it had made headway. Why, 
 everything was out of order, — buckets, lad- 
 ders, and the whole paraphernalia of the fire 
 companies. We could do nothing with the 
 flames. They seemed bound to eat up the 
 whole town." 
 
 " Probably Tryon himself set the city on 
 fire. Like Nero, he wished to see a great 
 conflagration, and then it was easy enough to 
 lay it to the slaves, or the Whigs, or the cut- 
 
ONE LIFE TO GIVE FOR MY COUNTRY 107 
 
 throats that are always hanging around in 
 times of trouble." 
 
 " Now, David, you 've no right to say such 
 a thing. It 's absurd and unjust." 
 
 " Is there much suffering ?" inquired De- 
 sire, whose cheeks were flushed with the glow 
 of excitement. 
 
 " Not as much as there will be later, you 
 know. The weather has been fine ; the suf- 
 fering will come after the frost and the storms 
 begin their work. But it was pitiful to see 
 the awful destruction of property, and hear 
 the cries of the woe-begone women and chil- 
 dren." 
 
 "Oh, war is a terrible thing ! " exclaimed 
 Desire. " The horror of it deepens every 
 day." 
 
 " You 'd think so, if you had seen what I 
 saw this morning," said Duane, with quiver- 
 ing lip and whitened face. 
 
 " What was it, Duane ? Tell us about it." 
 
 It was Lois speaking, with the intense, mor- 
 bid curiosity of childhood. 
 
 The cousin had now seated himself at the 
 supper-table, and the sisters were doing all in 
 their powder to make him comfortable, even 
 Chloe flying around with unusual swiftness 
 in her zeal and concern. 
 
108 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 " I think you know Captain Nathan Hale, 
 don't you?" Duane spoke with measured 
 tone, like one striving to repress the emotion 
 that threatened to overpower him. 
 
 " Yes, he was here only a few weeks ago 
 to see Colonel Silliman. We 've met him 
 half a dozen times in the past few years. A 
 splendid fellow he is, too, a clear-headed, 
 pure-hearted, high-spirited patriot. Why, 
 when he left his school and went into the 
 service, he gathered all his pupils together, 
 and talked with them about the necessity of 
 standing up for the defense of their liberties ; 
 then he prayed like a very saint, I 've been 
 told, and having said good-by, threw himself, 
 heart and soul, into the fight." 
 
 It was Desire that spoke. Duane lifted a 
 hand to his brow and wiped away several drops 
 of sweat that had appeared. Doubtless his 
 fast ride had heated him overmuch, or was it 
 the sign of anguish ? 
 
 " Captain Hale was a spy." 
 
 Again Duane struggled to master himself. 
 There was a stillness like death in the room. 
 Desire, David, Lois, Chloe, and Minto stood 
 motionless in their places, watchful of every 
 change in his expression, alert to catch each 
 word of the narrative. 
 
ONE LIFE TO GIVE FOB MY COUNTRY 109 
 
 " They made him a prisoner, two or three 
 days ago. He had compromising papers upon 
 him, and confessed that he was a spy." 
 
 Desire laid hold of the table to balance 
 herself, for a kind of faintness began to creep 
 through her limbs, while every bit of color 
 left her lips and cheeks. 
 
 " What did they do with him ? " cried Lois, 
 with shrill, pathetic voice. 
 
 There was another pause, long and solemn. 
 
 " They hanged him this morning," said 
 Duane huskily. 
 
 As he uttered the words. Desire swayed over 
 against the table, then slipped unconscious to 
 the floor. In the excitement, both the young 
 men forgot their own emotion. It was an 
 unheard-of thing for Desire to faint. Chloe 
 wrung her hands, screaming with terror, " Oh, 
 the poor chile is dead ! " Minto was paralyzed 
 at the sight, and stirred not a muscle. Duane 
 bade him bring water, while David bent over 
 his sister, lifted her from the floor, put her 
 upon the kitchen settle, and began to chafe 
 her hands. She came to herself in a moment, 
 but there was an expression of tense pain, a 
 look of horror, that remained. 
 
 " No," said Duane, when further ques- 
 tioned, " they did n't give him any trial. He 
 
110 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 wasn't even allowed to see a minister. I 
 was told that they destroyed the very letters 
 which he had written to his mother and sis- 
 ter." Again the beads of sweat appeared 
 upon the face of the narrator. " It was by 
 the merest chance that I was present at his 
 death. I was on my way to see a man about 
 some private business." 
 
 " Did n't the redcoats let him say anything 
 or send any messages to his friends ? " This 
 was David's inquiry. 
 
 "He said," responded the newsbearer, 'I 
 only regret that I have but one life to give 
 for my country.' " 
 
 The sentiment came like a life elixir to 
 Desire. The flush returned to her face and 
 the sparkle to her eye. 
 
 " It was a noble sacrifice," she said. 
 ^^ Men will honor him for it ; his name shall 
 long be remembered. I glory in such conse- 
 cration and faithfulness. Would to God ten 
 thousand young men in the American colo- 
 nies stood ready to imitate his example, if 
 needful!" 
 
 " Perhaps there are many that do," quietly 
 observed David. 
 
 The family had now recovered from the 
 first shock of this startling tragedy, and they 
 
ONE LIFE TO GIVE FOR MY COUNTRY 111 
 
 were gathered before the great fire on the 
 kitchen hearth, engaged in earnest talk, which 
 lasted long into the night. 
 
 Two or three days passed, and the Hardy 
 home was filled with the New York kindred. 
 
 Meanwhile, Desire grew serious and thought- 
 ful, a change noted by all her friends, proba- 
 bly the result of war, anxiety, and hard work. 
 
 But if this woman patriot felt the strain of 
 life, and appeared careworn and aged, none the 
 less did changes mark the common experience 
 of the people in the colony. Every piece of 
 pewter in Connecticut was run into bullets. 
 They were trying to make salt down at Horse- 
 neck. The old copper mines at Simsbury 
 had been transformed into a prison. Tories 
 from one and another colony, Benjamin 
 FrankHn's son, the royal governor of New 
 Jersey, among them, were sent for safe keep- 
 ing into loyal Connecticut. Home manufac- 
 ture of every description multiplied. Long 
 Island was subject to frequent maraudings, 
 and finally the people of Fairfield frowned 
 upon the sale of stuff taken in such case from 
 their neiofhbors across the Sound. The De- 
 fence with a small fleet of vessels, little and 
 big, did lively work upon the shipping of 
 Great Britain that ventured within reach. 
 
112 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 The towns held meeting after meethig in 
 order to devise fresh means of enlistment or 
 enlargement for the army, voting to pay the 
 soldiers from out the town treasury, take care 
 of their families, and do a generous part in 
 clothing everybody concerned. Through all 
 the months of these ceaseless activities, there 
 ran an undercurrent of fearful expectancy, 
 the eye of General Tryon being still fixed 
 upon Connecticut. 
 
 The Livingstones had returned to New 
 York, and Duane was a bird of passage ply- 
 ing back and forth between city and country. 
 
 His was an anomalous case. He seemed to 
 continue friendly with both parties in the 
 conflict, although not especially at home with 
 either. He was not committed to the royal- 
 ists, yet he was seen among them as " a hail 
 fellow well met." He went now and again 
 on some private business into the Continental 
 army. It was known that at least on two oc- 
 casions in the second winter of the conflict, he 
 had had interviews with General Washington. 
 
 It was said by several acquaintances that 
 Duane manifested a remarkable zeal for 
 trade, and that the reason why he refused to 
 commit himself might be found in the fact 
 that he was making money. The standing 
 
< 
 
 Q 
 
 < 
 
 
ONE LIFE TO GIVE FOB MY COUNTRY 113 
 
 and patriotism of his family kept him in 
 touch mth the Americans, while his old-time 
 friendship with Tryon enabled him to move 
 freely among the royaUsts. 
 
 Desire was the only person beyond his im- 
 mediate family that placed absolute confidence 
 in the young man. Duane was known as a 
 fellow of mettle, so that his peculiar posi- 
 tion did not subject him to the accusation 
 of cowardice. He had so much native bon- 
 homie and good humor in his make-up that 
 it was possible for him to steer a safe course 
 through the political breakers which encom- 
 passed him, if anybody could do such a feat. 
 Nevertheless, there were not a few people 
 among the Americans and the British that 
 looked with suspicion or disapproval upon 
 him. 
 
 " I suppose that I must keep my own coun- 
 sel and hold my peace," observed Duane to 
 his Cousin Desire. 
 
 It was on the 24th of April, in the year 
 1777. The two were standinof- under the 
 trees back of the Hardy cottage. No one 
 observed them but old Chloe, and this dis- 
 creet soul was as close-mouthed as one could 
 wish. A few minutes later, when the shades 
 of evening thickened. Desire was alone. 
 
114 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 " David," said the girl, as she entered the 
 house in search of her brother, " I want you 
 to ride with me to Colonel Gould's and Gen- 
 eral Silliman's." 
 
 In the December session of the General 
 Assembly, 1776, the militia of Connecticut 
 had been divided into six brigades, David 
 Wooster and Jabez Huntington being made 
 major-generals, and Colonel Silliman one of 
 the six brigadier-generals. To the latter was 
 given the special task of looking after the 
 shore towns and protecting them against any 
 incursions of the enemy. 
 
 " David, you are to give this slip of paper 
 to Colonel Gould while I am talking to Mrs. 
 Gould and the children." 
 
 The brother and sister were on the horse, 
 Desire riding behind upon the pillion. David 
 assented. 
 
 " And this other scrap you are to hand 
 to General Silliman. I shall enjoy a little 
 chat with his wife, and perhaps we may leave 
 you in the room together. You are to say 
 that he may depend upon it." 
 
 In both cases the directions given by De- 
 sire were followed, and within two hours the 
 young people were home again. 
 
 That night the coast guard paced a watch 
 
ONE LIFE TO GIVE FOR MY COUNTRY 115 
 
 of tireless vigilance, but nothing out of the 
 usual order occurred. The Sound was almost 
 devoid of sails when the morning dawned. 
 Peace seemed to brood in the calm waters 
 and the welcome sunshine. But there were 
 many anxious eyes gazing in the direction 
 of New York, miles and miles up and down 
 the shores. 
 
 It was early in the afternoon that a fleet 
 of twenty-six British vessels was observed 
 making a proud way east. David had spent 
 the morning patrolling the shore as far down 
 as Norwalk, and he it was who first dis- 
 covered the approach of the foe. The instant 
 that the fleet hove in sight, and he was able 
 to note the number of vessels, David wheeled 
 about and made for General Silliman's head- 
 quarters, ten miles distant. Tryon might 
 strike Norwalk, Fairfield, or New Haven, or 
 he might lay waste all these shore towns. 
 They were not only exposed to the enemy, 
 but they were helpless and at his mercy. 
 The best that could be done was to arouse 
 the country and face the hostile force with 
 such opposition and embarrassment as the 
 militia were able to give, trusting the issue 
 with God. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 BILLY THE BUTCHER BROILS PORK 
 
 To the surprise of the coast guard and the 
 few straggling militia-men on the lookout, 
 the enemy made for Compo Beach, on the 
 eastern side of the Saugatuck River, not far 
 from its mouth. Could it be that they had 
 chosen this point as a favorable starting-place 
 for some widespread work of devastation ? 
 
 There were some two thousand redcoats, 
 thoroughly equipped for their nefarious mis- 
 sion. They landed a little before sunset, 
 formed in marching order, and pushed six or 
 seven miles back into the country before they 
 halted. 
 
 Months earlier, David Hardy had yielded 
 to the martial spirit of Desire and his own 
 patriotic instincts, and enlisted in the militia. 
 He was not able to leave Connecticut and 
 wage war in neighboring colonies, as many 
 of his friends and neighbors were doing, 
 (In 1775, the Department of the North had 
 twenty-eight hundred men in the field, and 
 
BILLY THE BUTCHER BROILS PORK 117 
 
 twenty-five hundred of them were Connecti- 
 cut troops ; and when Washington lingered 
 in the neighborhood of New York, more 
 than half his army of seventeen thousand 
 men came from David's native colony.) Yet 
 he was glad to bear arms in behalf of coast 
 defense, although the profession which he 
 had chosen was one of peace, and a minister 
 with a musket in the ranks was an excep- 
 tion, not the rule. Washington had offered 
 to make David Hardy a chaplain, as he did 
 the poet Joel Barlow, David's friend, at a 
 later period in the war; but it seemed best 
 for him to stay at home and render his ser- 
 vice in other forms. 
 
 He was not cut out for a soldier. David 
 was brave and strong, he was imbued with 
 the most exalted sentiments of patriotism ; 
 but he was absent-minded and given to ab- 
 sorbing meditation. On more than one occa- 
 sion he had tried the soul of Desire almost 
 beyond endurance. With the best purposes, 
 and moved by a genuine enthusiasm for lib- 
 erty and self-government, he might be sud- 
 denly diverted to some abstruse problem in 
 philosophy or theology, and for the time 
 become utterly oblivious to an imperative 
 duty. He was not born for action so much 
 
118 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 as for study and contemplation. And yet 
 one could not find a more companionable fel- 
 low so long as he was jogged into conscious- 
 ness of his surroundings and the task set him 
 to achieve. 
 
 " I 'm always afraid that David will get to 
 wrestling with free-will, or divine sovereignty, 
 or some other awful question, and forget to 
 keep his eyes open, or drop his musket, or let 
 slip some great opportunity," observed Desire 
 on several occasions. This was a congenital 
 defect, and during childhood it had occasioned 
 many a chastisement. There was a period, 
 when at college, that his friends hoped this 
 peculiarity might be eradicated, but since his 
 study with Mr. Eliot and years of independ- 
 ence on the farm, the habit had asserted 
 itself with old-time force. When Desire 
 wished to make sure that an errand was done, 
 or a service rendered according to orders, she 
 either accompanied her brother, or devised 
 some extraordinary means of reminder. 
 
 " Now, David, keep clear of theology and 
 Hebrew roots. Do, please, get them out of 
 your mind. You must hold yourself screwed 
 up ta the fighting-point so long as the red- 
 coats harass our shores." 
 
 Desire spoke with a tremor in her voice. 
 
BILLY THE BUTCHER BROILS PORE 119 
 
 She was fearful lest he mig^ht become in- 
 volved in trouble or fail to obey orders. He 
 had notified General Silliman concerning the 
 approach of the foe, and he was now going 
 back among: the hills to summon the militia 
 and arouse the people. 
 
 All night long he ranged the country, 
 galloping from farm to farm and village to 
 village, sending on the words of warning or 
 command, taking his full part in gathering 
 the train-bands for the coming fray, carrying 
 his message to General Wooster, and reach- 
 ino^ at last New Haven and General Benedict 
 Arnold. 
 
 When the morning dawned, western Con- 
 necticut was alarmed, and hundreds of the 
 "Minute-men" w^ere moving toward Danbury. 
 
 It was a night of anxiety and widespread 
 alarm. But toward the sunrising. Desire, 
 who had been active through the dark in at- 
 tending to a score of trivial errands, ordered 
 out Minto and the old horse, and hastened 
 after General Silliman, to tell him that she 
 had reason for thinking Danbury was to be 
 the first objective point ; and as this seemed 
 probable because of the large amount of mili- 
 tary stores gathered there, the word was given 
 to make that neighborhood a rendezvous for 
 the militia. 
 
120 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 It rained in the afternoon, so that General 
 SilHmau was not able to marshal his troops 
 with rapidity, and when evening came, Tryon 
 and his forces had entered Danbury. The 
 destruction of the three thousand barrels of 
 pork, sixteen hundred tents, a thousand barrels 
 of flour, two thousand bushels of grain (more 
 or less), and numerous other articles, like wdne, 
 rice, army carriages, rum, did not take a long 
 time ; and as that was the ostensible object of 
 the foray, it was natural to expect that the 
 enemy would withdraw. But Tryon had 
 something else in mind. For months, he had 
 harbored a grudge against the patriotic citi- 
 zens of Connecticut. No small part of the 
 harassment formerly inflicted upon him was 
 owing to the assistance given Washington 
 and the rebels by Governor Trumbull and 
 his militia. Here came the first chance to 
 deal a rouo^h and cruel blow. 
 
 When David reached the outskirts of Dan- 
 bury, the noise of reveling was borne broad- 
 cast on the night air. 
 
 " It was hideous," he explained to Desire 
 on Sunday morning. His sister had crossed 
 the country with Minto on the old farm horse, 
 and found David in his soldier gear, mud- 
 bespattered and weather-stained like some 
 
BILLY THE BUTCHER BROILS PORK 121 
 
 veteran in the service. They were following 
 the British, who had left Danburj and made 
 toward Ridgefield. 
 
 " I knew Tryon would never rest satisfied 
 with the destruction of military stores. For 
 months, he has been intent on burning the 
 shore towns. And no sooner did he finish 
 the supplies than his drunken crew began to 
 insult the women, abuse the children, and 
 breathe out threatenings against the village. 
 I never heard such stories of goings-on be- 
 fore. And toward mornino^ the wretches 
 began to fire the houses and stores." 
 
 The brother and sister were standino^ on 
 one of the hills to the west of the place. 
 The signs and sounds of war came to them 
 from every side. 
 
 " But, David," interrupted Desire, " you 
 will have to go on with the militia, won't 
 you?" 
 
 " Yes, yes, we 're going in pursuit of them. 
 But, Desire, I 've been a-thinking this morn- 
 ing how to reconcile God's sovereignty over 
 these brutes with their free-will acts. It 
 never struck me with greater force than to- 
 day. I " — 
 
 " Oh, David, don't get to thinking about it 
 at all. You must go ahead and fight the 
 
122 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 miscreants. It makes my heart bleed to see 
 it. Go, David, go in the strength of the 
 Lord. I'm running down into Danbury, or 
 what 's left of it, to see if there is anything 
 that I can do, and by and by Minto and I 
 Avill ride home." 
 
 As Desire spoke, she sought to brush ofP 
 some of the dirt from the clothes of her 
 brother, then, giving him a hearty kiss and a 
 " God bless you," sent him forward with scores 
 of scattered men, who hurried without regard 
 to order in the direction of the retreating 
 enemy. 
 
 Desire reached home late in the evening, 
 a tragic figure. She had stayed in Danbury 
 Ion Of enouofh to mark the horrors of such a 
 scourge as had swej)t over the village. Meet- 
 ing some acquaintances made homeless on that 
 day, she persuaded them to go with her and 
 accept a temporary shelter. Sympathizing 
 with them in their misery, she sought by 
 every encouraging word to sustain their droop- 
 ing spirits ; but it was hard work, and the 
 stern realities of war pressed upon them. 
 
 It was eveninof when Desire and her com- 
 panions reached Fairfield, the evening of the 
 blackest day in her remembrance. For well- 
 nigh all the male inhabitants had gone in 
 
BILLY THE BUTCHER BROILS PORK 123 
 
 pursuit of Try on and his horde, so that the 
 place was absolutely Avithout defense ; and 
 should the invaders swoop down suddenly 
 upon it, there was nothing to do but fold 
 one's hands and gaze upon whatever work of 
 ruin they might choose to do. 
 
 Few people in that part of the land laid 
 their, heads on a pillow Sunday night, for the 
 next move was uncertain, and it was felt that 
 however brave and ready the Connecticut 
 militia might be, they did not have the num- 
 bers or the equipment to cope successfully 
 with the much larger forces of the enemy. 
 
 It was a night of extraordinary strain for 
 Desire. She felt that she ought to be with 
 David, and yet duty seemed to indicate that 
 her place was at home. How she longed for 
 news ! What wild fears tortured her 1 
 
 " I 'm sure they must have done hard fight- 
 ino^ this afternoon." Desire was talking^ with 
 Lois and Chloe. " I heard the roar of mus- 
 ketry and cannon before we left Danbury. 
 Oh, will the day never come ? " And then 
 she turned to the spinning-wheel, so that her 
 mind might be diverted. 
 
 At midnight, a messenger came into town 
 saying that there had been a battle at Ridge- 
 field. Tryon was reported to have changed 
 
124 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 liis course of retreat, made for this village 
 built on ridges overlooking the Sound, and 
 there turned upon the militia. 
 
 Toward morning, David appeared. He had 
 been dispatched on business to Holland Hill, 
 and General Silliman gave him permission to 
 stop a few moments in Fairfield and describe 
 the condition of affairs. 
 
 '- Oh, tell us, David, all about the fight. 
 Did you kill anybody ? " 
 
 It was Lois that made the inquiry, with 
 both hope and fear in her voice. It seemed 
 an awful thing to shoot a person, even if he 
 was an enemy of one's country; then again 
 she reasoned that every wretch who ravaged 
 the coast, preying upon the colonists, ought to 
 be shot dead in his tracks. The child was 
 tossed to and fro between conflicting emo- 
 tions. 
 
 " Yes, Lois," replied the brother, who might 
 now be aptly termed a cross between a di- 
 vinity student and a soldier, " I killed my 
 man." 
 
 David and his hearers shuddered. It was 
 not the kind of answer anticipated. Desire 
 had no doubt respecting his ability to carry 
 messages and attend to various details of pre- 
 paration and management. She had even 
 
BILLY THE BUTCHER BROILS PORK 125 
 
 dared hope that he might hit two or three 
 redcoats in the legs or arms^ so that they 
 would be unfit for fiQ^htinof-. David was a 
 capital shot. But she had not dreamed of 
 his taking human life. It did not look well 
 for a minister of the gospel of peace to kill 
 a man. Was not David the same as a min- 
 ister ? He had read and studied several years 
 with Mr. Eliot. When the war ended and 
 affairs settled down to normal conditions, he 
 would take a church. 
 
 "Why, David Hardy!" exclaimed the 
 startled child. 
 
 " The Lo'd hah mercy on us. You 's sure, 
 Massa David ? " And Chloe. gazed awe- 
 stricken upon him. 
 
 David was a distressing object to behold. 
 His clothes were not only soiled and disar- 
 ranged, but were torn and blood-stained. He 
 had lost the wig which he usually wore — one 
 of Duane's handsome extravagances, — and 
 his military hat. The young man had black 
 circles around his sunken eyes, his face being 
 unshaven and drawn with deep lines of pain. 
 He was well-nigh fagged out, having taken no 
 sleep for three nights, and half starved, since 
 a scarcity of provisions prevailed, and there 
 had been scant time to search for food. 
 
126 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 " I could n't help it/' said David, with hol- 
 low voice and deprecating manner. " Likely as 
 not, the fellow's face will haunt me to the day 
 of my death." As he spoke, David uncon- 
 sciously put his hand over his eyes, as if he 
 wished to shut out some hideous vision that 
 persisted in rising before him. 
 
 "You were doing your duty, weren't you, 
 David?" Love and trust were in the words 
 which Desire uttered. 
 
 " Yes, yes. IE I had n't killed him, he 'd 
 have killed me." 
 
 There was an instant revulsion of feeling. 
 Any pity or regret that might have been de- 
 tected a moment before disappeared. There 
 was a sudden flaming of passion in the faces 
 of his hearers. Desire flung her arms about 
 her brother and clung to him, as she gave 
 way to her emotion. Lois sobbed hysterically, 
 crying, " I wish you 'd killed them all, the 
 devils ! " 
 
 " Bless de Lo'd ! you 's safe an' soun', chile. 
 Bless de Lo'd, bless de Lo'd ! " And Chloe 
 wiped her eyes, clapping her hands in joy and 
 thanksgiving. " Come, honey, you 's hungry. 
 Sit right down and old mammy '11 feed ye." 
 
 Breaking the thread of conversation, Chloe 
 pushed David into a chair before the kitchen 
 
BILLY THE BUTCHER BROILS PORE 127 
 
 table, and set before bim a very feast of good 
 tbino^s. 
 
 It was only a few moments tbat be stayed, 
 long enougb to satisfy tbe cravings of bunger 
 and give a brief account of tbe state of tbings 
 in Ridgefield ; tben be was off for tbe scene 
 of conflict. 
 
 It was late tbe following afternoon tbat tbe 
 sisters bad gone to tbe bouse of Mrs. Gould, 
 to inquire if furtber report bad come. Tbis 
 lady witb ber cbildren was waiting anxiously 
 for tbe return of some soldier or messenger 
 wbo migbt ease tbeir minds and gladden tbem 
 witb good news. 
 
 " David saw us a few moments last nigbt," 
 said Desire. ^^He brougbt a message from 
 General Silliman. Ob, Mrs. Gould, war is 
 borrible. Wben will it be over ! " 
 
 " Tbere was a man tried to sboot David," 
 interrupted Lois, " and David killed bim." 
 
 " Did be ? did be ? " Tbe cbildren were all 
 talking at once in tbeir excitement. 
 
 But wbat is tbat down tbe street, printed 
 aofainst tbe evenina* borizon ? A cavalcade of 
 soldiers, surely. And some one leads tbe mid- 
 dle borse, and tbe rider seems strangely stiff 
 and unresponsive. Is it a wounded man tbat 
 tbey bave set bolt uprigbt, and are bis comrades 
 
128 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 riding close by his side in order that they 
 may aid or support him? His sword dangles 
 carelessly in its place, and the crimson sash is 
 bound in orderly way across the breast. He 
 has returned from the fight, and he looks 
 neither to the right nor left. It w^as love that 
 first distinguished the martial figure. 
 
 " My husband, my husband ! " cried Mrs. 
 Gould. But as the little company approached, 
 it grew evident that not all was right. The 
 "watchful spouse observed no lifting of the 
 hand in salutation. A rigid posture and a 
 blindness to surroundings foretold some dire 
 calamity. 
 
 The friends veiled their faces in the pre- 
 sence of awful tragedy. Colonel Gould had 
 given his life for the love of country. This 
 last march from the hills over west to the 
 stately home of his illustrious ancestors had 
 been a dead march. Stark and cold, astride 
 the horse gayly caparisoned, this noble gentle- 
 man and grand patriot, having fought his 
 fight and finished his course, left to family 
 and successors the inspiration of an honored, 
 lofty character, and the treasures of many 
 good works well done. 
 
 It was late the next day before David 
 returned, grimy and aged with war. 
 
BILLY THE BUTCHER BROILS FORK 129 
 
 " We did the best we could/' said the 
 young soldier. " We drove them to their 
 boats. If the country had n't risen in arms, 
 they 'd have swept over us like a tornado, and 
 destroyed everything they could lay their 
 hands on. I 'm thinking they did n't find it 
 the easy task that they expected. And we '11 
 make it hotter for them another time." 
 
 " You had a real battle, did you, David, 
 and men were wounded or dead in the streets 
 and fields?" Lois was eagerly watching 
 every change of expression in her brother's 
 face. 
 
 " Yes, child, but the noise and confusion 
 was so great, and there was such a lack of 
 discipline among our troops, that I found it 
 hard to keep track of the fight. The regu- 
 lars had all the advantage, and they moved 
 like a piece of clockwork, although the amount 
 of rum they drank at Danbury w^as enough to 
 paralyze a host of common men. General 
 Wooster fell, you know. I think a good 
 many of our men were dazed. It was the 
 first time they had ever seen war in earnest, 
 and it was difficult to hold them tog-ether and 
 make them obey orders. I heard General 
 Wooster try to rally them, shouting, ' Come 
 on, my boys, never mind such random shots.' 
 
130 AN UNKNOWN PATEIOT 
 
 It was while he was in the van, urging the 
 troops forward, that he was wounded, and 
 they say he will die. And there was Colonel 
 Gould in the thickest of the fight rallying 
 his men, and he fell " — 
 
 " Yes," cried Lois, " we saw them when 
 they brought his body home on his horse ; 
 and poor Mrs. Gould is heartbroken, and the 
 children wailed so you could hear them down 
 the street." 
 
 " God pity them ! " said David fervently. 
 
 " What did Colonel Dimon do ? " inquired 
 Desire. 
 
 He had seen lively service, having been on 
 Montgomery's staff in the expedition to Can- 
 ada in 1775. 
 
 " Oh, he had command of the barricades 
 in Eidgefield, and fought like a tiger. He 's 
 a great soldier. He chased the redcoats to 
 Compo, and picked off many a straggler. 
 And General Arnold was a hero. But I 
 never saw a man go hither and thither like 
 General Silliman. He seemed to keep the 
 whole thinof in mind all the time. He must 
 be half dead for want of sleep and rest." 
 
 " They 've gone over to Long Island, have 
 they ? " inquired Desu'e. 
 
 " Yes, I think the fight is over, although 
 
BILLY THE BUTCHER BROILS PORK 131 
 
 they may try it again. We must be ready for 
 them, however, but in my opinion they '11 go 
 back to New York." 
 
 " If they don't ? " Desire looked eagerly 
 at David. 
 
 " General Silliman thinks the next place 
 to suffer will be Fairfield. But we 're go- 
 ing to ask the governor for soldiers to help 
 us. You see Governor Trumbull is such an 
 obliging man that he sends all our troops to 
 Washington, and so leaves us almost unpro- 
 tected. That 's what they 're all saying about 
 him. It seems to me that Connecticut is 
 doing more than her share of the work. I 
 don't complain. I 'm glad to have her do 
 all in her power, but it is n't right to hand 
 us over to the tender mercies of Billy the 
 Butcher ! " 
 
 " Good name for old Tryon, is n't it ? " 
 exclaimed Lois. " He was in his element 
 when handling pork at Danbury, was n't he ? 
 — Billy the Butcher ! " 
 
 " It was the Sons of Liberty in New York 
 that gave him the name," answered David. 
 " Does n't it fit him to a ^ .^ The Sons of 
 Liberty have made it lively for Tryon ever 
 since he came north. I was talking with 
 Mr. Jonathan Sturges, secretary for the order 
 
132 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 in Connecticut, you know ; he says, we owe 
 this secret organization a great debt of grati- 
 tude for their splendid services. Colonel 
 Lamb, who was wounded at Compo, is one of 
 their most active members. They 're going 
 to bring him to Fairfield for some of you girls 
 to nurse. It 's only a few days ago that he 
 sent his wife and family away from Stratford 
 back into the hills of Litchfield " — 
 
 " Well, David," interrupted Lois, " I 'd be 
 a Son of Liberty if I was a man, and I 've no 
 doubt Colonel Lamb and the New York 
 patriots are doing their best, but I 'm proud 
 of Connecticut. It 's the greatest colony in 
 the world," she continued, in her childish 
 enthusiasm. " How I would like to be gov- 
 ernor some day ! " 
 
 " You '11 have to rest satisfied with being 
 a governor's wife," said David, as he patted 
 his young sister on the head, and bent his 
 weather-beaten face down to kiss her. 
 
 " It must have been an awful sight, as you 
 followed along the path of the enemy's re- 
 treat," observed Desire. 
 
 "It was, it was," answered her brother. 
 " Broken fences, burning buildings, castaway 
 garments, patches of blood, here and there 
 a broken musket or some other weapon, dead 
 
BILLY THE BUTCHER BROILS PORK 133 
 
 horses and demolished wagons, waste supphes, 
 or half -stripped corpses, — it makes one heart- 
 sick." 
 
 " But it 's the price of liberty, David," the 
 older sister continued, with solemn voice, 
 " and in spite of these horrors, the hand of 
 the Lord is in it." 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 UNDER THE APPLE BLOSSOMS 
 
 " Well, young man, you had a safe return 
 from Connecticut, I see." General Tryon 
 was speaking to Duane Livingstone, as they 
 stood on the Battery facing each other. 
 
 " I don't know what you mean, your Ex- 
 cellency." An expression of surprise and 
 annoyance crossed the speaker's countenance. 
 
 " I mean, sir, that I saw you both at Dan- 
 bury and Ridgefield. If I may judge from 
 the character of your actions, you have at 
 last declared on which side the fence you 
 stand ; and " — with an oath — " if I do my 
 duty, you will be placed under arrest as my 
 prisoner this very day." 
 
 " You are evidently laboring under a mis- 
 apprehension. General Tryon. I have not 
 been absent from New York any day the past 
 two weeks, a statement which I can prove by 
 any number of witnesses you may desire." 
 
 " Then you must have a double," said the 
 governor harshly. 
 
UNDER THE APPLE BLOSSOMS 135 
 
 " Well, I have a cousin in Fairfield who 
 does bear a resemblance to me. It is possible 
 that he was the man you saw. I have not 
 heard from the colony since your return." 
 
 The choler of Governor Tryon abated, his 
 voice assuming a more friendly tone. 
 
 " Well, my man, it behooves you to keep 
 yourself in good company, or I may have 
 something of a serious nature to say to you 
 one of these days." 
 
 The general was still somewhat crusty, and 
 they parted on terms not especially cordial. 
 
 General Tryon ivas mistaken. Duane Liv- 
 ingstone had been in New York when the 
 stores at Danbury were destroyed ; but it 
 was not later than two hours after this in- 
 terview that the young man succeeded in 
 leaving the city and galloping away toward 
 Fairfield. 
 
 " People seem to be a good deal excited 
 along the shore," said Duane. 
 
 It was early in May, nature all alive with 
 the impulse of spring, and the day fragrant 
 with the first apple blossoms. 
 
 " Had you seen what we saw, it would n't 
 surprise you to find our folks restless and 
 suspicious." 
 
 It was Desire that answered, and they 
 
136 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 were walking under the trees in the orchard. 
 All unconscious to herself, she was now and 
 again reaching up to some low - hanging 
 bough, breaking off beautiful clusters, half 
 buds, half blossoms, weaving them into her 
 hair, or thrusting them into her belt, or press- 
 ing them against her bosom, an act significant 
 of sweetest, subtlest witchery. 
 
 " Desire," said the cousin, with look and 
 tone of the most ardent lover^ " you are very 
 beautiful." 
 
 " And is that the way you flatter your- 
 self ? " She spoke in a light, provoking way. 
 " For you know very well that everybody says 
 you and David and I look near enough alike 
 to be triplets." 
 
 " Desire, you 're no more like me than 
 white is like black." 
 
 " I know it," she answered. " How deceit- 
 ful looks are ! What was it the Lord said 
 to Samuel when he admired Eliab and was 
 going to anoint him king ? ' Look not on 
 his countenance . . . for the Lord seeth not 
 as man seeth; for man looketh on the out- 
 ward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the 
 heart.' " 
 
 " You 're a great Bible scholar, almost as 
 wise as my mother, Desire. You ought to 
 
UNDER THE APPLE BLOSSOMS 137 
 
 follow lip her teaching and see what you can 
 make of me. Heavens ! how I wish this war 
 was ended. It blocks everything. Why, I 
 never come to Fairfield that it does n't take 
 all the planning and manoeuvring I can com- 
 pass. I run such a gauntlet of sharp eyes 
 that one might think I was the Foul Fiend 
 himself let loose for a short vacation under 
 the watch-care of every man, woman, and 
 child between here and my native city." 
 
 The young man was evidently appealing to 
 the sympathy of his hearer. 
 
 " Well, I think you run too great risks. 
 It is n't wise or necessary for you to come 
 so often. Something dreadful will happen. 
 Then Aunt Esther will say that your blood 
 is upon our heads. I know she considers it 
 foolish for you to go back and forth every 
 week or two." 
 
 " Now I think that 's very unkind." Duane 
 spoke with feeling. " Is n't my coming to 
 Fairfield the only happiness that is left me 
 these days? You know that nearly every- 
 body in New York regards me with indiffer- 
 ence or suspicion. Why, General Try on him- 
 self accused me of being at Danbury and 
 Ridgefield ; said that he saw me there, and 
 was now glad to know on which side the fence 
 
138 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 I was. That 's pleasant, is n't it ? Of course 
 it was David he saw. Confound this family 
 resemblance ! I suppose I shall hang for it 
 one of these days, unless the war ends soon." 
 
 " Oh, Duane, Duane, don't speak like 
 that ! " Desire placed her hands upon his 
 shoulder, and looked seriously, beseechingly 
 into his face. " I don't like to have you run 
 unnecessary risks. There are enough perils 
 for us all without courting needless ones." 
 
 ^' Desire, I care nothing for perils, so long 
 as you give me the assurance of your love." 
 
 " Duane, this is not a time to talk about 
 love, unless it is love of country. Did n't I 
 tell you what one of our Connecticut parsons 
 said to the maidens in his congregation ? 
 ^ Have nothing to do with a man that will 
 not take up arms in defense of Hberty ! ' 
 Many a young woman has sent her lover into 
 the war. I beheve in the greatness of our 
 opportunity, the grandeur of our destiny. 
 When I hear the patriots talk that come to 
 Mr. Burr's or Mr. Sturges's or General Silli- 
 man's, when I see Washington (I 've seen 
 him twice, you know), and Mr. Adams (he 's 
 stopped here several times), and Colonel Han- 
 cock, and Benjamin Franklin (he 's stayed 
 here overnight too), and all the brave, noble 
 
UNDER THE APPLE BLOSSOMS 139 
 
 men that visit our town, and hear them dis- 
 course with eloquence, and tell about the 
 deeds of courao-e and the wonderful sacrifices 
 of our men, I am all aflame with a passion 
 for liberty. Can I think of aught else ? 
 Why can't I go to war and do something 
 worth naming for the success of our arms ? " 
 
 Clad in her simple gown of homespun linen, 
 decked with fresh apple blossoms, her face 
 illumined with the glory of a real consecra- 
 tion to the cause of American independence, 
 who could withstand such enthusiasm? 
 
 There was a moment's pause. 
 
 "Have you heard from Aaron Burr late- 
 ly?" Duane regarded his companion with 
 close scrutiny. 
 
 " Yes, I 've seen him since you were here, 
 and I 've had a letter since the attack upon 
 Danbury. I grow proud of him every time 
 I am told how he bears himself. Why 
 shouldn't we be glad that he shows such 
 spirit ? Is n't he our cousin ? — is it second 
 or third remove ? Well, what difference does 
 it make ? I wish there were a thousand more 
 like him. And he does write the gayest, 
 brightest letters that you ever read. General 
 Silliman does n't know yet that it was Aaron 
 Burr who saved him and his battalion from 
 
140 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 being taken prisoners when the enemy gained 
 possession of New York. All the rest of the 
 army had retreated, but General Silliman was 
 holding his post. The redcoats had landed 
 between him and the other divisions, and he 
 was cut off from communication with the 
 Continentals. Burr saw the danger, galloped 
 over to General Silliman, and told him to save 
 himself and his men, but General Silliman 
 said he had been ordered to hold that post 
 until he was commanded to withdraw. Then 
 Burr galloped behind one of the hills, and 
 soon returned with an improvised order for 
 him to move on the instant, and he did. It 
 was a bold, reckless thing for Aaron to do, 
 but he can do that kind of a thing when 
 other people would fail. When General Silli- 
 man wrote to his wife from the camp four 
 miles below King's Bridge, I remember that 
 he said his way was hedged up, but the Lord 
 opened it. So you see it was Aaron Burr 
 that the Lord used to open the way." 
 
 " Very interesting," said Duane, when De- 
 sire finished her story. " I wish you were as 
 loyal to all your cousins as you are to Aaron 
 Burr. He 's very good in his way. I rather 
 like him, but he makes love to every girl that 
 he meets in all his campaigning. I hear of 
 
UNDER THE APPLE BLOSSOMS 141 
 
 it from a dozen sources. I suppose he finds 
 it diverting and restful after such prodigious 
 valor in the field." 
 
 " You ought not to speak in that way, and 
 you know it. I suppose he does admire the 
 ladies. That 's nothing against him. You 
 do, don't you?" 
 
 The exalted look on Desire's face had given 
 place to one of annoyance. She was ready 
 to jest with her cousin and entertain him, 
 but her heart was in the great struggle for 
 freedom. Circumstances had favored Desire 
 with a large acquaintance among the patriots 
 of Connecticut and some of the other colonies. 
 It was not alone that men like the Adamses 
 and TrumbuUs and Hancock and Quincy 
 stayed long enough in town to impart their 
 own zeal and faith to the people that they 
 met, but it was quite as much because a notable 
 galaxy of young heroes shed more or less of 
 their radiance in the neighborhood, inspiring 
 their associates to lofty sentiments and actions. 
 
 When Nathan Hale set forth on his peril- 
 ous adventure as a spy, it was whispered that 
 he came to Fairfield with a letter introducing 
 him to the Committee of Safety, requesting 
 them to furnish him with a whaleboat pro- 
 perly equipped and any other necessary help. 
 
142 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 and see that he was carried to whatever point 
 he desired. Rumor said that the letter was 
 written by Washington. 
 
 The young man had met Desire and David 
 when he was teaching school at Wethersfield. 
 When the struggle began, it was known to 
 them that he gladly cast in his fortunes with 
 the colonies. He left Fairfield in September, 
 after a memorable interview with the brother 
 and sister. His manliness, nobility, utter self- 
 abnegation, and the frank gratitude that he 
 was permitted to die, if need be, for his native 
 land, made ineffaceable impression upon the 
 young people of the Hardy family. 
 
 Then Aaron Burr had not been without 
 his influence upon them. He was one hard 
 to resist when once his powers were exerted 
 on behalf of any cherished plan or interest, 
 and he was quite as ardent and intense in his 
 patriotism as in his love-making. The pre- 
 sence of such a man in a community is suffi- 
 cient explanation of any extraordinary spirit. 
 
 Among the friends of Nathan Hale was a 
 college contemporary named Benjamin Tall- 
 madge. The two had been correspondents 
 since college days, and Tallmadge was eager 
 to throw himself into the conflict. He likewise 
 was a frequent guest in town, known to David 
 
UNDER THE APPLE BLOSSOMS 143 
 
 and Desire, finding in them congenial helpers 
 in numerous schemes of patriotic service. 
 
 " Captain Tallmadge has been to see us 
 since your last visit/' continued Desire. " He 
 grows more interesting as he gets deeper into 
 public affairs. His accounts of the service 
 are the most fascinating narratives I ever 
 heard in my life. He was telling me about 
 the tumble he got last October when General 
 Washington removed his army up to White 
 Plains. He was on horseback, crossing the 
 Bronx, when Mr. Trumbull — the chaplain, 
 you know, you 've met him at General Silli- 
 man's — sprang up behind him with such 
 force that he and his accoutrements, with the 
 chaplain himself, were all carried pellmell 
 into the river. In the scrabble to reach the 
 other side of the river, they were delayed, so 
 that the Hessians came up and thought they 
 had caught a prisoner or two ; but at that very 
 moment our troops swooped down that way, 
 and poured such a destructive fire upon the 
 Hessian column that it wavered, and Captain 
 Tallmadge had the chance to make for Gen- 
 eral Washington's headquarters, where he 
 informed him about the situation of our sol- 
 diers on Chadderton's Hill, — a very narrow 
 escape, and I don't know how many he has 
 
144 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 had. General Washino^ton seems to like him. 
 The captain 's been spending the winter at 
 Wethersfield with his Second Regiment of 
 Light Dragoons, training and breaking horses 
 for the coming campaign." 
 
 " Well, Desire, you are well informed on 
 the fight. I suppose you correspond with all 
 the young gallants that visit you and David 
 so long as they stay in the army ? " There 
 was a shading of vexation in the tone of the 
 inquirer. 
 
 " I suppose you think it 's very bold and 
 unmaiden-like for me to write a letter to Aaron 
 Burr, or Captain Tallmadge, or Colonel Di- 
 mon. Well, Duane, I '11 relieve your mind. 
 I let David do the writing, and I dictate. Is 
 that proper ? " Desire looked amiably at her 
 cousin. 
 
 " Oh, I suppose, so long as David does 
 your letter- writing and puts his own name to 
 it, nobody can find any fault. But, Desire, 
 you must remember now that grandfather is 
 gone, and you are the woman of the home- 
 stead, that it is n't wise or safe to go against 
 the proprieties. Your good name is too pre- 
 cious, and there is no telling what advantage 
 might be taken of any mistake or careless- 
 
 ness." 
 
UNDER THE APPLE BLOSSOMS 145 
 
 Desire looked troubled. It was not plea- 
 sant to be lectured by her cousin. She felt 
 that it was undeserved, and yet her pro- 
 tests were unspoken ; for she feared that 
 Duane might possibly have an inkling of cer- 
 tain risks which she had run in the discharge 
 of what she esteemed her duty. There was 
 a shadow of mystery clinging to the home of 
 the Hardy family these days which one and 
 another neighbor had secretly observed. 
 
 The brother and sister had manifested 
 trivial eccentricities, and a certain freedom 
 was given them by public opinion and suf- 
 ferance. David was good, his neighbors 
 remarked, but he was not a safe dependence. 
 In scholarship and moral integrity, in kind- 
 ness, hard work, and lofty purpose, he set a 
 worthy pattern ; but he was not always practi- 
 cal, and he had a way of losing himself that 
 proved embarrassing to everybody concerned. 
 All the time that Desire and her cousin were 
 talking under the trees in the orchard, David 
 had stood by the barn door, his hand grasp- 
 ing the horse's bridle, his head bent forward 
 in severe and exactinQr- thouo;ht. It was evi- 
 dent that some grave problem vexed him. 
 
 Minto, the old slave, was a faithful soul, 
 but he lacked the brains to manage a farm. 
 
146 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 So long as David directed liim and stayed in 
 his company, Minto did well ; but when left 
 to himself, there was a ludicrous failure. 
 Chloe, to be sure, was always ready with her 
 ad\dce5 and able to help in field or garden ; 
 still, it was poor service, and since the school- 
 master had gone, it seemed harder than ever 
 to make ends meet. 
 
 Desire was brave and trustful all the time, 
 schooling herself to see the bright side of 
 things, yet it grew plainer every day that 
 affairs must take a favorable turn, or the 
 Hardy family would come face to face with 
 poverty. 
 
 " Desire, Desire ! " It was Lois calling in 
 the distance, as she ran in from the street. 
 She was bringing news, and her face betrayed 
 pride and exultation. 
 
 " Desire, Mrs. Smedley 's had a letter from 
 her husband ; he 's a captain now, and he 's 
 taken I don't know how many prizes. One 
 had three thousand barrels of provisions." 
 
 The cousins hastened toward the house, as 
 the child shouted the good news. 
 
 " David, David ! " she called, in shrill ac- 
 cents. " Do you hear ? What are you stand- 
 ing there with that horse for, when I 've got 
 something exciting to tell you ? Mr. Smedley 
 
UNDER THE APPLE BLOSSOMS 147 
 
 is a captain, and he 's taken the Snow Swift, 
 the Anna, and the bark Lydia with ten guns, 
 and the Grog (is n't that a good name for a 
 ship that carries rum between here and the 
 West Indies?). Mrs. Smedley 's wild with 
 
 joy." 
 
 "'^ Glad to hear it, glad to hear it," an- 
 swered David, as he dropped the bridle and 
 ran toward the house, having been awakened 
 from his state of absent-mindedness. " Why, 
 there 's Duane. Where did you come from, 
 my gallant ? What is the latest word from 
 New York?" 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 A PRISONER OF WAR 
 
 " I AM very anxious to obtain a true ac- 
 count of what is passing in New York." This 
 was the summer of 1778, and General Wash- 
 ington was talking to one of his aids, the 
 Continental army being encamped at White 
 Plains. " I wish you could fix upon some 
 officer at Danbury in whose discretion your 
 correspondent would be willing to confide/' 
 continued the general. " It would be better 
 for the correspondent to reside in New York, 
 and mix with and put on the airs of a Tory, 
 to cover his real character and avoid suspi- 
 cion. 
 
 " I think that a satisfactory arrangement 
 can be made, sir," was the reply of Major 
 Tallmadge. 
 
 A few days later, the young officer was a 
 guest at the house of Mr. Jonathan Sturges 
 in Fairfield. 
 
 The Secret Service in war has a curious 
 fascination for the daring soul, although it 
 
A PBISONER OF WAR 149 
 
 involves the spy in many personal trials. But 
 a proud man does not like to engage in work 
 that subjects him to the hazard of common 
 infamy. His good name is too precious. 
 However honorable may be one's motives and 
 methods, a stigma often attaches to this par- 
 ticular form of conflict. Major Tallmadge 
 therefore found it an exacting task to get 
 reliable and ef&cient men w^ho would take 
 these awful risks. 
 
 At this time, there was no more convenient 
 point alongshore for making secret incur- 
 sions into Long Island, a hotbed of Tory 
 sentiment and machination, than Fairfield. 
 The whaleboat was a favorite means of action 
 in these frequent and lively adventures. This 
 popular craft was thirty feet in length or 
 thereabouts, narrow, and made short at both 
 ends, with arrangements for a crew of eight 
 or more oarsmen. Well handled, it became 
 very useful on many occasions. 
 
 When Captain Hale left for Huntington 
 in September, 1776, on his fatal mission, 
 it was a whaleboat that bore him across the 
 Sound. When Captain Abraham Parsons 
 attacked the fortified church at Brookhaven, 
 held by a little company of rampant Tories, 
 in August, 1777, he collected something like 
 
150 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 one hundred and fifty men in Fairfield, pro- 
 vided them with muskets and a brass six- 
 pounder, and carried them over to Long 
 Island in a sloop and six whaleboats. Major 
 Tallmadge was pleased to avail himself of the 
 whaleboat service repeatedly during the inter- 
 mittent weeks or days that he stayed in the 
 neighborhood of Fairfield, watching the course 
 of events and enterino^ into secret communica- 
 tions with the enemy. 
 
 " I keep one or more boats continually 
 employed in crossing the Sound on this busi- 
 ness," he remarked to Washington, when 
 reporting on the success of these mysterious 
 enterprises. 
 
 Sometimes the brilliant young officer stayed 
 on Greenfield Hill, where the wide, unob- 
 structed view enabled him to use his glass and 
 resort to signals. No important blow had been 
 given the enemy for several months, so that 
 there seemed an especial need of such infor- 
 mation as might open the way for some de- 
 cisive movement on the part of the patriots. 
 
 Tryon continued to prophesy evil against 
 the shore towns, observing to Livingstone 
 that his work of chastisement had simply 
 begun. He was biding his time, and when 
 the hour struck, he proposed to inflict even 
 
A PRISONER OF WAR 151 
 
 severer blows upon the helpless, unprotected 
 Connecticut villages. On the last Sunday of 
 August, 1778, a great fleet passed Fairfield, — 
 the day that Lafayette was a guest of Tliad- 
 deus Burr. In writing to a friend in Phila- 
 delphia, requesting him to send two bottles 
 of Maredaunt's Anti-Scorbetic Drops by the 
 first post, Mr. Burr refers to passing events. 
 
 "The latest accounts we have from Rhode 
 Island are Friday evening last, by the Mar- 
 quis De La Fayette, aid-de-camp, who arrived 
 at my house on Sunday evening on the way 
 to General Washington. He informed me 
 that the determination there was to hold the 
 ground we had got, that General Hancock 
 had gone to Boston to make provision for 
 marching the French troops from there to 
 Rhode Island, that the Marquis was to set 
 out for Boston on Friday to take the com- 
 mand of the troops, that it was agreed that 
 all the French fleet which were in a condition 
 to put to sea were immediately to return to 
 Rhode Island, that General Sullivan had im- 
 prudently given out in general orders some 
 reflections upon the French nation and Count 
 D'Estaing, o£ wdiich I suppose even you wdll 
 hear. I am much concerned for our army 
 and the Island and wish to hear that they 
 
152 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 were safely off ; otlierways I am afraid many 
 of them will be made prisoners. . . . Last 
 Sabbath at noon passed us a fleet of war a 
 hundred sail, with a fine wind, which, I think, 
 must arrive at Rhode Island before the French 
 fleet ; should that be the case I fear the con- 
 sequences. But God hath done great things 
 for us. I hope for the best. We are often 
 disappointed when our expectations seem well 
 founded." 
 
 It was this coming and going of the fleets 
 and the frequent appearance of men-of-war 
 that excited the people alongshore. 
 
 On the 2d of January, the town had voted 
 to approve the Articles of Confederation and 
 Perpetual Union agreed upon by the Conti- 
 nental Congress, and expressed the desire 
 that the Assembly of the State authorize their 
 delegates to ratify the same in Congress on 
 behalf of Connecticut. 
 
 As Fairfield was the headquarters of Gen- 
 eral Silliman, who had charge of the state 
 militia for the defense of the coast, as it was 
 the centre of what military activity existed in 
 that part of the country, as the large part of 
 the whaleboat service radiated from this port, 
 as the leaders of opinion, the chief conspira- 
 tors in rebellion (using the language of the 
 

 
 
A PEISONER OF WAE 153 
 
 Tories) held frequent conclave in town, Fair- 
 field became the particular object of General 
 Tryon's venom. 
 
 The first thing to do was to spirit Gen- 
 eral Silliman away. A few renegade Tories 
 volunteered to make him prisoner, among 
 them a former employee of the general, a 
 man familiar with his habits and domestic 
 arran Clements. 
 
 The Tories of the section, and, for that 
 matter, of the State, became intensely bit- 
 ter against the patriots. The Rev. John 
 Sayre, rector of Trinity Church, and other 
 men of his parish, had refused to sign the 
 articles prescribed by Congress, so that strong 
 feelings had been excited. On one occasion, 
 the house of the rector had been surrounded 
 wdth more than two hundred armed men, 
 indignant that his sympathies went with the 
 British, and that the strength of his influence 
 was boldly given to the party of oppression. 
 It was the condition of his wife on that wild 
 day that had restrained his neighbors from 
 taking strong measures of rebuke. Later, 
 Mr. Sayre w^as banished to New Britain, being 
 allowed to return after seven months' absence, 
 and remain w^ithin specified limits, under con- 
 ditions of territorial imprisonment. 
 
154 ^l.V UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 Other Tory families in town were like- 
 wise ostracized, or subjected to various hard 
 ordeals. It was a matter of necessity. Nu- 
 merous individuals had secretly joined the 
 Redding Association, a fraternity of royalists 
 pledged to work for the triumph of British 
 arms. These men were all enemies in a town 
 that was aglow with enthusiasm in behalf of 
 liberty, and they were plotting against their 
 neighbors and holding communications with 
 General Howe or General Tyron. 
 
 For months, the Church of England service 
 was suspended. When, on Mr. Sayre's re- 
 turn, a handful of peojDle met in their comely 
 house of worship each Sunday morning, it 
 was simply to hear the Scripture lessons with 
 a brief homily, and join in the saying of the 
 Psalter and the singing of familiar hymns; 
 for the liturgy was omitted, since it contained 
 prayers for the king. These people did not 
 venture to mutilate their petitions by any 
 omission of his Majesty's name. 
 
 Every movement of a Tory citizen and his 
 family was watched with eagle eye, yet the 
 schemes and doings of the patriots were dis- 
 closed by cunning Tory neighbors. There 
 were times when wrath and indignation 
 waxed so hot against these un23opular ad- 
 
A PRISONEB OF WAR 155 
 
 herents of the king that H£e itself hung in 
 the balance, while tar and feathers became a 
 hated popular mode of punishment. 
 
 Sherwood Spalding continued his attentions 
 at the Hardy homestead. He was in a strait 
 betwixt two, his love of Desire and his love 
 for the royal cause. A friendly, ambitious 
 fellow, he was devoting a part of his time to 
 an attempted intimacy with David and his sis- 
 ter, and many other hours to secret relations 
 with the British oppressor. 
 
 Desire had spent pleasant hours in his 
 company, for he was bright, merry, ingen- 
 ious, bringing the latest gossip with him, 
 always inventing some fresh plan of enter- 
 tainment. But he was simply their friend, a 
 man they liked, one that contributed to their 
 enjoyment. Desire had told him more than 
 once that they must remain on this footing 
 of neighborly association. 
 
 As the struggle between the colonies and 
 the mother country went on, a change was 
 noted in the young man. He grew rest- 
 less, moody, suspicious, observing both David 
 and Desire with a scrutiny that annoyed the 
 latter. She became convinced that he was 
 an active agent of the royalists, although the 
 evidences were scant and vague. 
 
156 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 Yet Desire would not break with him. 
 She parried his questions when he pried into 
 the affairs of the patriots ; she gave him now 
 and ao'ain some home-thrust in the heat of 
 pohtical talk ; she wormed all sorts of insinua- 
 tions or warnings out of him ; she so managed 
 to lead him on, or drive him into a corner, 
 that he was repeatedly obliged to take back 
 his words in confusion, involving himself in 
 telltale contradictions. It was a bold game 
 that Sherwood Spalding was playing, and 
 Desire was the only person that unraveled its 
 cunning, all unknown to the young man him- 
 self ; on her part it was intuition rather than 
 evidence. The game which Desire Hardy 
 was playing proved to be even bolder and 
 more perilous, although she played it with 
 marvelous wit and delicacy. 
 
 " General Silliman is a great man among 
 us," Spalding said sneeringly, in conversa- 
 tion with Desire. " Some day it will be said, 
 ' How are the mighty fallen.' " 
 
 "Has he ever hurt you?" inquired Desire, 
 with assumed indifference. 
 
 " Well, if he has n't done me an injury, 
 he 's abused a good many folks that are true 
 to the kino-." 
 
 " He was conscientious in it, my friend," 
 
A PRISONEB OF WAR 157 
 
 explained Desire, in a quiet, modest way. 
 " There is no better, nobler anan in the State 
 than General Silliman, a most rare exemplar 
 of Christian humility." 
 
 " He 's as proud as Lucifer in his ridicu- 
 lous authority, and I shall be glad to see him 
 taken down. Don't talk to me about his 
 humility." 
 
 The young man reddened with the remem- 
 brance of some fancied slight or severity on 
 the part of the general in command of the 
 local troops. 
 
 " Oh, your anticipations are altogether 
 groundless. I suspect, Mr. Spalding, some 
 little miff has engendered ill-feeling on your 
 part. I 'd like to know how General Silli- 
 man could be touched these days by the 
 enemy ; " and Desire smiled in a most pro- 
 voking way. 
 
 " You think there are not enough good 
 subjects of the king familiar with this neigh- 
 borhood to slip up to his house some night 
 and take him prisoner, eh ? " said Spalding, 
 with rancor. Then the color left his face as 
 he continued, in a low, constrained tone, " But 
 then, of course that 's impossible, for he 's al- 
 ways on the lookout. I suppose he has a score 
 of men on guard to warn him of danger." 
 
158 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 It Tvas Saturday evening, the last day of 
 April, 1779, when this conv ersation occurred, 
 and no sooner was Sherwood Spalding gone 
 than Desire prepared to ride to Holland Hill. 
 Saturday night was holy, for the Sabbath 
 began at sunset, but war minimizes such dis- 
 tinctions, and gives liberties to the most strict 
 sects. 
 
 Minto brought the horse to the door, 
 David mounted. Desire sprang up behind, 
 and away they sped into the shadows of the 
 night. 
 
 General Silliman was at home, for the mor- 
 row was communion Sunday, and he was the 
 senior deacon in the church. The holy bread 
 had been prepared that day, and the ancient 
 silver cups and tankards polished for the 
 service. 
 
 " It is very kind of you, Desire. I thank 
 you for the warning." The general had 
 received her message, and was now revolving 
 it in his mind. " Perhaps the coast guard 
 ought to be increased, and it may be wise for 
 me to keep a sharper watch over my premises. 
 But the hour is late to-night. On the mor- 
 row, I will speak of it to the brethren. After 
 all, your fears may be groundless." 
 
 '' Sir, I believe that you are in peril. I 
 
A PBISONER OF WAR 159 
 
 have reason to tliink that General CHnton 
 would be pleased to have you for his pris- 
 oner." She spoke with great earnestness. 
 
 There followed two or three moments of 
 whispered consultation, then the young peo- 
 ple returned to the village. 
 
 It was moonlight, quiet and lovely, sugges- 
 tive of peace. Yet the inmates of the Hardy 
 homestead did not rest. They were haunted 
 with strange visions. Desire peered into the 
 ghostliness of the night many times ; twice 
 she called David, saying that she heard guns, 
 that loud voices came floatino" down to her 
 from the hills to the east. A few minutes 
 before two in the morning, the sounds of a 
 galloping horse smote their ears. David ran 
 out upon the street to intercept the rider, 
 then hurriedly returned to get his musket 
 and tell his sister that the attack which was 
 feared had been made. General Silliman was 
 now a prisoner, and the few members of the 
 train-band in town were called to go in pursuit. 
 
 But it availed nothing, for the deed was 
 done, and the captors away with their pris- 
 oner, before any alarm could be given. 
 
 Desire hastened with Minto through the 
 gloom to Holland Hill, that she might com- 
 fort the terrified household. 
 
160 AN UNKNOWN PATBIOT 
 
 " We were all asleep," said Mrs. Silliman, 
 in telling the story of his capture. " William 
 had been sick Avith chills and fever all day, 
 so that he had not lifted his head from the 
 bed. Suddenly I heard an awf id banging at 
 the door. They were hurling rocks against 
 it, trying to break it in. My husband awoke 
 and sprang for his muskets, running with 
 them to the front window. He thrust one 
 musket through the window-pane and tried 
 to fire it, but there was only a flash in the 
 pan. Then there was a dash for the window 
 by the assailants, the sash and glass were 
 broken into fragments, and the men were in 
 our room wrestling with Mr. Silliman. He 
 saw that it was vain to resist them, and tried 
 to hush their wild, discordant cries and im- 
 precations, saying that his wife was present 
 in bed, appealing to their instincts as gentle- 
 men. At length, they consented to go into 
 the adjoining room while he dressed and 
 made his hasty preparations to go with them 
 as their prisoner. While waiting for him, 
 they fell upon William, and compelled him 
 to rise in his weakness and become their 
 prisoner. They also took what pieces of sil- 
 ver and small objects of interest they could 
 find. By this time, my husband was ready. 
 
A PRISONER OF WAR 161 
 
 and they hastened with him and William 
 down toward the shore." 
 
 She was a brave and trustful woman, this 
 narrator of the incident, althouo;h her ag^ita- 
 
 ^ O CD 
 
 tion was still manifest, and the horror of the 
 hour lingered upon her. 
 
 "Then they came by boat, and they will 
 carry General Silliman across the Sound," 
 exclaimed Desire. 
 
 " Yes," was the reply ; " I fear that our 
 alarm was too late for any rescue. There 
 were eight of the captors, and their haste 
 makes me feel that they must have put off 
 from some ship nigh the harbor, or mayhap 
 they used a whaleboat and are bound for 
 the Lono' Island shore." 
 
 With the dawn of the morning, the news 
 of General Silliman's captivity spread broad- 
 cast. 
 
 It was an excited cono["reo;;ation to which 
 the Rev. x\ndrew Eliot preached on that 1st 
 day of May, 1779. The church silver, over 
 which the general had thrown a loose piece 
 of cloth when the enemy entered his bedroom, 
 had been saved from their sacrilegious hands 
 and brouo^ht down to the meeting'-house for 
 the service. Never did it seem more precious 
 or beautiful than on that sad, solemn day. 
 
162 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 Deacon Silliman was a prisoner, and could not 
 wait upon his sacred office in the sanctuary, 
 yet every touch of the hp to the chahce 
 passed from communicant to communicant 
 was a reminder not only of the sacrifice on 
 Calvary, but of the later sacrifices made in 
 the name of liberty and righteousness by 
 God-fearing men like their absent friend and 
 leader. 
 
 It was an incident ominous with meaning 
 to all the shore towns. For nearly five years, 
 the citizens in the southwestern part of Con- 
 necticut had looked to General Silliman for 
 protection. He had given himself heart and 
 soul to the task, preferring to take the hum- 
 bler role of a state militia-man, serving under 
 Governor Trumbull, than the more conspicu- 
 ous position of an officer in the Continental 
 army. 
 
 Peculiar dangers beset his native colony. 
 Its wide exposure to maritime depredations 
 and its voluntary poverty in respect to trained 
 and tried soldiers (the great majority serving 
 in other States) proved very alluring to the 
 enemy. But General Silliman had don^ ex- 
 cellent service, being vigilant, energetic, work- 
 ful, and a good disciplinarian ; winning the 
 esteem and confidence of his men, keeping 
 
A PBISONER OF WAR 163 
 
 in close touch with every forward movement, 
 contributing not a Httle to the success of 
 various campaigns in contiguous territory. 
 
 It was felt on the day of his capture that 
 affairs were approaching a crisis for Connecti- 
 cut. The news carried sorrow and dread 
 anticipation all through the State. A fresh 
 appeal was speedily sent to the governor for 
 adequate patrol both on sea and land. Every 
 preparation for incursions of the British was 
 made that circumstances permitted. But 
 when all had been done, Connecticut remained 
 at the mercy of an invader. 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 TWO MUFFLED FIGURES 
 
 It was a singular position in which Desire 
 Hardy was placed. Had it not been that she 
 was a young woman of remarkable force, her 
 situation would have proved extremely em- 
 barrassing. 
 
 People made great allowances for her. She 
 was motherless, and the innumerable restraints 
 which maternal care imposes had been lacking 
 since childhood. She did much as she pleased. 
 The gentle counsels and loving confidences 
 that bind mother and daughter together, help- 
 ing to refine and shape the child life, were 
 almost unknown to Desire. 
 
 When the grandfather left the home and 
 his control was withdrawn, it threw this young 
 woman back completely upon her own re- 
 sources. For while David was a man of ster- 
 ling integrity, good judgment, and rare worth, 
 he was not the man to hold authority over a 
 sister like Desire. She was the real master ; 
 he did her bidding with a cordial acquiescence 
 
TWO MUFFLED FIGURES 165 
 
 and fidelity that made their home h£e thor- 
 oughly peaceful, if it did not result in large 
 crops from the farm or an abounding pros- 
 perity. 
 
 It Avas a happy relationship which existed 
 between the brother and his twin sister. David 
 was never asked a second time to do any ser- 
 vice for Desire (that is to say, in case he 
 heard the request), for her expressed wish was 
 enough to send him to the ends of the earth. 
 He had such faith in her goodness, discern- 
 ment, affection, that he did not question her 
 wishes unless it was clear to him that unwit- 
 tingly she misinterpreted facts. 
 
 He had observed that she made frequent 
 use of her pen. Writing letters was not a 
 common thing among the majority of people. 
 It was a luxury. Postage burdened a* poor 
 man, and there was little occasion for cor- 
 respondence. " It costs four shillings to write 
 you in Boston," said Mr. Eliot to his brother. 
 
 Nevertheless, David was the cordial ally of 
 Desire in this extraordinary piece of extrava- 
 gance, writing freely to Duane Livingstone 
 and Aaron Burr, receiving in exchange let- 
 ters brimful of news and merrymakings. 
 
 It did not surprise him that Major Tall- 
 madge came often to the house ; that when- 
 
166 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 ever he stopped in Fairfield, a part of the 
 brilHant of&cer's time was devoted to Desire 
 and himself. They discovered in him a most 
 genial humor ; he came freighted with all the 
 patriotic ardor and hopefulness of the day. 
 It was delightful. So when Tallmadge asked 
 the privilege of writing to him with an inclos- 
 ure for his sister, David was pleased. 
 
 Sometimes, the major would simply say, 
 " Tell your sister to read such and such a 
 verse in Scripture," or "Tell Miss Desire that 
 it is late for the arbutus," or " Tell her it is 
 sweet to die for one's country." Such sen- 
 tences seemed very matter of fact ; there was a 
 quaintness and humor about these messages 
 that amused David. At other times, the let- 
 ter would consist of an inclosure for Desire, 
 David straitly passing it over to his sister. 
 But the great part of the correspondence on 
 Major Tallmadge' s part was directly with 
 David himself, generally concluding with a 
 request to hand the letter to Miss Desire, that 
 she mig-ht also read its contents. 
 
 After General Silliman was captured, Sher- 
 wood Spalding left town. A week later, David 
 and Desire received from him a request for 
 news. He was staying over at Judge Jones's, 
 on Long Island, 
 
TWO MUFFLED FIGURES 167 
 
 There had never been a thought of impro- 
 priety in the mind of either brother or sister 
 concerning this writing. The history of the 
 letters would be interesting, if it was recalled. 
 Many were the adventures connected with 
 their going and coming. Some of the mis- 
 sives were carried by public post. Others 
 came by the hands of private messengers. A 
 few reached their destination by unnoted 
 agents. Possibly an Indian was the inter- 
 mediary, for there were four descendants of 
 the savage tribes left in Fairfield at the 
 period of the Revolution, or some witch ally 
 may have served as mail carrier, according to 
 the fancy of Lois. 
 
 One thing David observed which puzzled 
 him. Desire always assumed care of the let- 
 ters and, as he supposed, preserved them ; but 
 one day, when a long one had come from 
 Duane Livingstone, after the brother and sis- 
 ter had read its contents, David saw Desire 
 tear it into shreds and burn it on the kitchen 
 hearth. He pondered the matter. Letters 
 were precious. One Hked to read them to 
 friends. If one did not read them to friends, 
 it was pleasant to keep them and reread them 
 on some later day. 
 
 "Do you burn all your letters?" inq^uired 
 
168 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 David, ill a troubled way, as Desire hurried 
 into the httle front room where he was work- 
 ing away at Puritan theology. 
 
 The color forsook her cheeks, and there was 
 the slightest tremor in her voice as she replied : 
 
 " Yes, David. If the British took the 
 town, do you think I 'd like to have them 
 running through our little correspondence?" 
 
 " Why, I never thought of that. Desire. 
 But you were always wiser than I. You do 
 quite right, I am sure." 
 
 " Yes, David, quite right ; although it 's 
 nobody's business what we do with our let- 
 ters, and we won't talk about it, will we ? " 
 
 She was bending over David, arranging his 
 wig, which had been twisted to one side. 
 
 " It 's a strange life we 're living, Desire, 
 is n't it ? " He leaned back in his chair as 
 her arm fell across his shoulder. 
 
 " David, these are strange times. I am 
 strange to myseK. I never dreamed that one 
 could love his country as I have learned to 
 love this our native land. David, it some- 
 times seems to me that I must shoulder a 
 musket and fight for our rights. Do you 
 think it is unmaidenly ? Would it be wrong 
 for me to play a man's part in the conflict, if 
 that were possible? It 's well enough to talk 
 
TWO MUFFLED FIGURES 169 
 
 about drinking liberty tea and denying one's 
 self imported luxuries. There is some satis- 
 faction in spinning, weaving, sewing, and 
 knittinof so that our soldiers shall be clothed. 
 And I 'm glad to toil on the farm, if need 
 be, and help plant and reap and do anything 
 that will feed our men and fit them for ser- 
 vice. But, David, I have actually thought 
 that I would like to go to war and take my 
 part in ending this awful conflict." 
 
 " No, Desire," exclaimed the brother, her 
 spirit of enthusiasm quickening him, " I 'm 
 the one to go to war. I '11 go to-morrow, if 
 you say the word." 
 
 David paced the floor in his earnestness. 
 
 " Oh, that I might give myself ! " Desire 
 exclaimed. " No, David, you cannot go. We 
 should starve. Some one must stay at home 
 to guard the shore. And, David," — she 
 looked into his face with sweet deprecation 
 and whimsical dissent, — "you are not made 
 for a soldier. You live too much in the hio^her 
 regions. You get lost too often in the realms 
 of pure spirit. It takes a good part of my 
 time, brother, to keep you in order and hold 
 you down to earth." 
 
 Even as she was addressing the young man, 
 she observed that his mind began to wander. 
 
170 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 There was a telltale, absorbed expression 
 stealins: into his face. As Desire ceased 
 speaking, there was deep silence in the room. 
 She gazed upon him with the kindly indul- 
 gence, the pathetic solicitude, that a mother 
 sometimes bestows upon a dreamy, heedless 
 child. 
 
 " What 's that you say ? What? What?" 
 
 David was slipping back to consciousness 
 of the present, and getting a fresh hold upon 
 the thread of discourse. He had been absent 
 only a moment, but it was a graphic proof of 
 the sane conclusion reached by his sister. 
 
 " Poor child," continued the brother, as he 
 came into full possession of himself again ; " I 
 fear that your training has been wasted on 
 me. No, Desire, it looks as if I should do no 
 one any credit. I believe I 'm queer. It 's 
 an awful thing to have a witch for an ances- 
 tor, is n't it ? " David laughed skeptically, 
 and printed a kiss on his sister's forehead. 
 
 " I suppose we 're both queer, and of the 
 two, I 'm the queerer. But, David, how can 
 we help it ? I don't see why a woman can't 
 be a patriot and do as much for her country 
 as a man. One's country belongs to the 
 women as much as to the men, does n't it ? 
 I 've heard how the ladies of Philadelphia 
 
TWO MUFFLED FIGURES 171 
 
 have raised such a great sum of money for 
 the soldiers ; how a woman in Maine ran 
 twenty miles to carry her husband his powder 
 horn which he had forgotten (she ought to 
 have hit him over the head with it when she 
 caught up with him) ; how Emily Geiger ate 
 the note she carried to Sumter when she was 
 taken prisoner ; how Nancy Hart put on the 
 uniform of an officer and made the other 
 women dress in soldier clothes, so that the 
 redcoats, when they saw them, withdrew be- 
 cause the fort was well manned ; how the 
 women of Groton put on men's clothes, and 
 defended the bridge, and took the Tory mes- 
 senger prisoner, and sent him to Colonel Pres- 
 cott. I 've heard about these and a hundred 
 other daring deeds of women patriots. Why 
 can't I do something that will count in the 
 struggle ? David, I 've a mind to borrow 
 some of your clothes and try my hand at 
 service." 
 
 Her listener was ag-ain wanderino- in his 
 mind. Something which she had said awak- 
 ened old associations ; he was thinking of 
 certain grave metaphysical questions that 
 had puzzled him three years ago. Perhaps 
 it was well that he lost the last words of his 
 sister, for they would have given him pain 
 and anxiety. 
 
172 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 It was a real home, the abode of love and 
 trust, where these young people lived. They 
 attracted to them the best society in town, 
 the wit and wisdom, the youth and gayety, 
 the adventure and enthusiasm, of their little 
 world. One was certain to find the brightest 
 company at the Hardy homestead. The law- 
 yer, the soldier, and the traveler resorted 
 thither to tell their tale and bask in the sun- 
 shine of Desire's charms. The parson, the 
 doctor, the school-teacher, the town clerk, 
 the young collegian, and the old controver- 
 sialist frequented the house, ostensibly to 
 talk with David and sharpen their faculties 
 by some lively speech upon the questions of 
 past, present, or future. 
 
 Every patriotic soul was made welcome, and 
 there was sure to be a second, a third, an oft- 
 repeated coming. For it must be noted that 
 a rare and delectable freedom prevailed in this 
 house presided over by a young student and 
 his fair, brilliant sister, — a freedom, in truth, 
 that never transo^ressed the bounds of de- 
 corum, yet a freedom that was expansive and 
 vitalizing. 
 
 The lively, magical patriotism of Desire 
 drew every officer and many of the rank and 
 file in the train-band to her charmed circle. 
 
TWO MUFFLED FIGURES 173 
 
 One mio'ht have tliouo;ht the homestead was 
 a recruiting' station, observing there such 
 numbers of men belonging to the soldiery ; 
 or perhaps the headquarters of the town mili- 
 tia. It was a veritable centre of martial news 
 and movements. One was certain to meet 
 some comrade in arms, or learn some facts 
 concerning the war, whenever he dropped in 
 to greet the young people. Yet the visitor 
 never detected any lack of maidenliness in 
 Desire, and never left her presence without 
 paying homage to her subtle, gracious fasci- 
 nations. 
 
 Did an of&cer wish to instill courage into 
 the soul of some country lout, he led him 
 within the realm of Desire's bewitchment. 
 It did not require many minutes for her to 
 inspire him with warm and manly devotion to 
 country. 
 
 Every wounded man transported to Fair- 
 field was cheered and strengthened by her 
 tender offices. They had brought Colonel 
 Lamb from Compo after the raid on Danbury. 
 He was seriously injured while in pursuit of 
 the foe, and Captain Deming took him to his 
 own house. Here Desire waited u^^on him 
 like an angel of mercy. When Colonel 
 Dimon, another victim of the Danbury fight, 
 
174 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 sufPered throug-li the summer of 1777, Desire 
 was the same faithful, delicate minister of 
 comfort. There was nothing demanded for 
 the sake of a sick or wounded soldier that 
 she hesitated to do. The men learned to 
 look to her and David with a trust and affec- 
 tion that was its own sweet reward. 
 
 Yet Desire felt that she was doino^ little or 
 nothing for liberty. Albeit her heart was 
 given to the great cause of civil rights and 
 national independence. She had no heart left 
 to give to Sherwood Spalding, Aaron Burr, 
 Duane Livingstone, or any other man living, 
 so lono^ as the conflict waofed. 
 
 Major Tallmadge succeeded in getting the 
 New York correspondent that General Wash- 
 ington wanted. Neither the Commander-in- 
 chief of the American army nor his shrewd 
 and efficient field officer Tallmadge knew who 
 this secret, invaluable agent was, the corre- 
 spondence being conducted in a way that made 
 it next to impossible for the secret to leak out. 
 Major Tallmadge found a person he could 
 trust implicitly. This person simply agreed to 
 be a medium of communication, and arrange 
 with other trusty individuals to keep him in- 
 formed concerning the situation in New York. 
 The secret intelligence was generally com- 
 
TWO MUFFLED FIGURES 175 
 
 municated by way of Long Island. It often 
 came into the hands of Major TaUmadge at 
 Fairfield, or was forwarded to him in cipher. 
 
 One lowery night in June, a whaleboat, with 
 its crew of sixteen oarsmen and two closely 
 muffled passengers, shoved off from Black 
 Rock and shot into the misty gloom. Hunt- 
 ington was the objective point. Not half a 
 dozen words were spoken in crossing the 
 water, for the men had received their instruc- 
 tions. They were as familiar with tides and 
 winds, fogs and points of land, sunken reefs 
 and similar thino^s, as with their own door- 
 yards. 
 
 They reached the appointed rendezvous in 
 good time, the two mufEed figures stepped on 
 shore and disappeared in the darkness, while 
 the crew, having drawn the boat into a thick 
 wood that ran down close to the shore, and 
 having done everything to conceal their where- 
 abouts and make themselves comfortable for 
 the night, stretched out under the inverted 
 craft and fell asleep. They were to remain 
 hidden until the next night, when at two 
 o'clock in the morning the orders were to 
 have the boat in readiness to receive the 
 secret passengers and return to the Connecti- 
 cut shore. 
 
176 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 It was a dreary, perilous tramp through 
 the deep wilds of the forest which the two 
 unknown began, but they pushed eagerly 
 forward, in order to get into hiding before 
 the break of day. There were no words 
 wasted between them. Occasionally, they 
 rested a moment to make sure that they 
 were on the right track. They seemed rea- 
 sonably familiar with the course, and the 
 slight obstacles that presented themselves 
 were quickly surmounted. 
 
 The first gray of the morning, with the 
 cheerful twitter and sweet melody of the 
 birds, found them sheltered in a tiny hut of 
 logs and bark, completely embowered amid a 
 small growth of hemlock. Here they rested, 
 and it was not five minutes before one of 
 them had thrown himself down upon a fra- 
 grant bed of fresh-cut boughs and dropped 
 asleep. The other waited until certain that 
 all was unobserved, then stole softly forth 
 into the dim light of the forest, walked to a 
 piece of rock projecting from the sharp de- 
 scent, bent down above a mossy bed that 
 covered a portion of the rough surface, pressed 
 the hand into the damp, soft lichens, and 
 drew forth a letter. Thrusting it into the 
 bosom, this figure hurried back to the well- 
 
TWO MUFFLED FIGURES 111 
 
 hidden rustic bower, and soon there were 
 two people wrapped in profound slumber, 
 buried in the friendly interior of a vast 
 forest. 
 
 No signs of human life appeared during 
 the day. The woods resounded with the 
 merry pipings of gay bird songsters and the 
 busy animal creation. The bower itself now 
 and again swayed to the jump and scuffle of 
 some frolicsome members of brute society. 
 
 It was evening before the sleepers bestirred 
 themselves, and even then they waited until 
 the thick darkness brooded above them, and 
 it was impossible to see a human form ten 
 feet distant. 
 
 The pines and the hemlocks were moaning 
 their unrest and forebodings when the muffled 
 travelers stepped forth into the grim night. 
 Silently they started to retrace their hasty 
 path. Hour after hour they threaded a weary, 
 toilsome, anxious way through the tangled 
 thickets and overgrown trees. They w^ere 
 making steady progress, and the hope of their 
 journey's end began to render their steps elas- 
 tic and their tread more hurried. 
 
 On a sudden a hand came out of the niofht 
 and seized hold of the foremost footman. 
 There was an onset and a resistance so swift 
 
178 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 that the second traveler fairly stumbled over 
 the two. No word escaped. It was a wres- 
 thng match in the dark and silence ; then 
 through some strange witchery of hand or 
 spirit, the conflict was between the assailant 
 and the second of the assaulted party, while 
 the swift leader first seized had become lost 
 in the heavy shadows. 
 
 The fight lasted only a moment or two, 
 when the man w^ho had the temerity to stop 
 these two travelers was flung heavily to the 
 ground, now at the mercy of his foe. There 
 was the ominous sound of gasping breath 
 and gurglings in the throat ; the vanquished 
 man grew limp and nerveless ; for a second 
 his victor peered down into the face of the 
 prostrate enemy ; then, seeming to reconsider 
 or think better of his purpose, the traveler 
 sprang away from his unconscious victim and 
 plunged into the darkness. 
 
 The whaleboat was in good trim ; the men 
 waited with sharp ears and keen eyes. It 
 was two o'clock, and no sign of a return ; 
 half past two, and the first notes of the on- 
 coming day broke the hush of night ; three 
 o'clock, and the eastern horizon showed pen- 
 cilings of dim gray, when, hist ! there was 
 the crackling of twigs, the hurried noise of 
 
TWO MUFFLED FIGUEES 179 
 
 a swift approach : a solitary person pushed 
 through the gloom and sprang into the boat. 
 Every man was in his place, the oars were 
 lifted, and at the motion of the unknown 
 they stood out to sea ; then, at the motion 
 of the muffled figure, they rested upon their 
 oars and strained their ears to catch any sound 
 of man. 
 
 Full twenty minutes tardily passed, every 
 nerve still stretched to interpret the various 
 sounds that multiplied upon the land. At 
 length a faint bird note, like the whippoor- 
 will, drew from the throat of the mysterious 
 passenger a strong, shrill response that hasted 
 landward ; the oarsmen pulled for the shore, 
 a form looming up in the distance ; then the 
 belated comrade ran down to the little beach, 
 tumbled into the waiting craft, and again 
 they fled into waning obscurity, steering for 
 the hospitable shores of Connecticut. 
 
 A few days later, it was reported in town 
 that Duane Livingstone and Sherwood Spal- 
 ding, both guests in the house of Judge Jones 
 on Long Island, had come to blows over some 
 personal matters, and Spalding had been 
 seriously injured. 
 
 Sherwood wrote a letter to David Hardy 
 the following month, and it befuddled him, 
 
180 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 for it was tlie most curious medley of inco- 
 herent ravings imaginable. 
 
 " What can the fellow mean ? " said David 
 to his sister. ' As you value life, quit this 
 wicked business.' " He was reading detached 
 sentences and discussino- them with Desire. 
 " Quit what business ? Does he think that I 
 am to be frightened out of standing up for 
 human rights ? " And David looked every 
 inch a man, as he spoke. '^ ' I know it was 
 you. I recognized your walk, and dark as it 
 was, I saw the outlines of your features.' " 
 David was readino- another sentence from the 
 mysterious letter. " Why, the fellow has 
 gone stark mad. If it 's true that Duane 
 and he had a set-to, it 's affected his brain." 
 Desire was spinning, and made no comments. 
 " ' The best thing for you to do is to make 
 your peace with the king.'" He laughed 
 boisterously in reading the sentence. " What 
 do you think of that, Desire? Make my 
 peace with the king ! And we know all the 
 time that God intends to see these colonies 
 free and independent States. They are free 
 and independent to-day." 
 
 David halted a moment to take breath, 
 then continued : " ^ I give you this final warn- 
 ing. You '11 soon be without house and home. 
 
TWO MUFFLED FIGUBES 181 
 
 and the clemency of your sovereign will have 
 reached its limits.' " David stared at the 
 paper, trying to solve the riddle. 
 
 " I think he must know somethino: about 
 the movements of General Clinton," finally 
 observed Desire. " Give me the letter, and 
 I '11 see what can be made of it." But his 
 sister did not throw any light upon the sub- 
 ject, and at last they consigned the mysterious 
 epistle to the flames. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 A FLEET SAILS UP THE SOUND 
 
 General Tryon was very busy these June 
 days. Everything had been put into prime 
 order, and a fleet was prepared to sail up the 
 Sound with a good complement of well-trained 
 troops. 
 
 The secret agent who served the patriots in 
 New York, being thoroughly posted, had sent 
 his warning to Washington ; but the expedi- 
 tion which was on the eve of starting might 
 be desiofned for one or another of the Con- 
 necticut towns. It was impossible to fore- 
 stall the measure or extent of the intended 
 depredations. 
 
 Word concerning the incursion had been 
 passed all along the shore. Greenwich, Stam- 
 ford, Norwalk, Fairfield, New Haven, New 
 London, knew that something was in the air. 
 But it was little that any of these towns could 
 do by way of further preparation. The great 
 portion of the male population was serving 
 the popular cause beyond the borders of the 
 
A FLEET SAILS UP THE SOUND 183 
 
 State. The handful of local militia trained at 
 every opportunity, and gathered such martial 
 resources as they were able to command. 
 Washington was over in the valley of the 
 Hudson with all available men, checking any 
 advance the enemy might attempt to the north. 
 
 Governor Trumbull had received appeal 
 after appeal from various ports of the State 
 asking help and protection, but his hands 
 were almost empty of resources, so he was 
 fain to strengthen his people with brave and 
 hopeful words alone. Did the foe turn the 
 tide of battle into Connecticut, as some prophe- 
 sied, the Continental army would come to the 
 rescue of this State, which had been so lavish 
 of her men and means ; but for the present, 
 the men left to till the fields and gather in 
 train-bands would have to do whatever was 
 achieved by way of defense or resistance. 
 
 The towns alongshore were prosperous and 
 attractive centres of trade and activity. They 
 contained many pleasant homes and cultured 
 people. 
 
 New Haven was the seat of the second col- 
 lege in New England. 
 
 People living in these places came into fre- 
 quent contact with the wide world, for their 
 ships sped to the uttermost parts of the earth. 
 
184 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 and brought to them the fruits of every far- 
 away civilization. 
 
 Connecticut was famous for her numerous 
 sea captains, men of large experience and con- 
 siderable wealth, who built their substantial 
 homes on some outlook over the sea and settled 
 down to the calm enjoyment of life's late 
 afternoon. 
 
 There were many scholars and men of 
 affairs among her citizens, descendants of an 
 unmixed, honorable English ancestry, the bone 
 and sinew of an intellectual aristocracy des- 
 tined to exert controlling influence in the 
 great nation that was rising into being. 
 
 Fairfield in 1779 was outstripped in num- 
 bers by several neighbors, yet it had attained 
 fair prominence as a business town, there being 
 forty-eight shops and stores within its limits, 
 a large amount of shipping connected with its 
 harbor at Black Rock, and interminable legal 
 activity in the county court house. All west- 
 ern Connecticut gravitated to Fairfield as the 
 countv seat, the centre of refined and culti- 
 vated society, the local source of important 
 movements, the headquarters of military life 
 in the section, the tow^n which represented the 
 wealth, energy, enthusiasm, and leadership of 
 a vigorous and intelligent patriotism. 
 
'■J 
 < 
 
A FLEET SAILS UP THE SOUND 185 
 
 One hundred and forty years had passed 
 since Roo;:er Ludlow fathered the settlement. 
 Five generations of men had made the place 
 their home and given their worth to its de- 
 velopment. Lying contiguous to the Sound 
 and stretching back into the adjacent hills^ 
 laid out in large squares intersected by rec- 
 tangular streets, shaded by regal oaks and 
 elms left standing when the place was cleared 
 or planted later by industrious hands, there 
 was an air of repose and comfort about it, a 
 brooding spirit of intelligence, hospitality, 
 cheerful ease, sweet content, and good taste, 
 that won every heart and made all feel at 
 home. There was a freedom and an amplitude 
 to the characteristic life of the town, a high 
 mood of conservative friendliness and rational 
 enjoyment, almost unique. People were ex- 
 tremely social, and this sociability was tem- 
 pered with all the refinement, the gracious 
 courtesy, and the fine moral sensitiveness of 
 the Puritan gentry at their best. 
 
 For many years, the men of mark in the 
 colonies had been attracted to the aristocratic, 
 beautiful country town. It made no preten- 
 sions to opulence or greatness. It was ob- 
 scure. Yet people learned to love Fairfield, 
 and to find in its varied landscapes, agreeable 
 
186 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 prosperity, genial citizens, and high-spirited 
 Hfe that which won their interest and loyalty. 
 The Adamses, the Warrens, Otis, Paine, 
 Quincy, Gerry, Roger Sherman, Oliver Wol- 
 cott, Benjamin FrankHn, Thomas Jefferson, 
 Lyman Hall (he studied medicine here, and 
 married for his first wife Mary Burr), General 
 Putnam, Silas Deane, President Burr, La- 
 fayette, John Jay, Livingstone, and Schuyler, 
 — well-nigh all the statesmen of the country, 
 and many a commanding officer in the army, 
 carried pleasant reminiscences of Fairfield 
 with them, having shared at some time or other 
 its generous fellowship. 
 
 The Connecticut parsons and statesmen, or 
 poets like Barlow and Humphrey, or schol- 
 ars like Johnson, Edwards, Dwight, Clap, 
 delighted in the congenial atmosphere of the 
 town and frequented its open homes. New- 
 field was awaking to the importance of its 
 harbor, and the signs of alert enterprise ap- 
 peared on the surface of its life, yet her 
 homage to Fairfield continued unquestioned. 
 
 The Meeting-house Green was a scene of 
 countless notable gatherings, the place for 
 trainings, the centre for the distribution of 
 justice, a trysting-place for friends and lovers, 
 a spot made sacred by the tread of our grand- 
 
A FLEET SAILS UP THE SOUND 187 
 
 est men, the very elect of the western world. 
 With what veneration the people of sentiment 
 and imagination regarded the few ancient 
 trees that still graced the open acres in the 
 middle of the village ! The court house stood 
 near the centre ; in front of it, and to the 
 right across the road, was the plain, substantial 
 meeting-house of the Prime Ancient Society, 
 with its many windows, and its slender, grace- 
 ful spire piercing the sky. Along the edges 
 of the square, fringing the road that bounded 
 the interior plat of green, were placed a few 
 houses, — the home of the late Rev. Noah 
 Hobart, the town ordinary, and that public 
 necessity, the jail. 
 
 While there was no display or lavish ex- 
 penditure in public edifice or private dwelling, 
 there appeared to the observer many evi- 
 dences of quiet wealth or generous compe- 
 tence. Good order, thorough w^orkmanship, 
 and an excellent condition of things were in 
 constant evidence. People took pains with 
 their property. Thrift was a word often sug- 
 gested. One felt instinctively that, although 
 war raged in the land, the spirit of industry 
 still prevailed, and these people were doing 
 their best to brave the situation and carry 
 their heavy burdens. 
 
188 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 On the night of July 3d, David was dis- 
 turbed by a pebble tossed against his bed- 
 room window. Desire heard it and responded 
 on the instant. David quickly dressed him- 
 self, and hastened to admit the midnight 
 visitor, Desire following him to the door. For 
 half an hour the three held their whispered 
 consultation, and then the visitor departed. 
 
 " David," said his sister, ^^ why did he run 
 such a risk in coming to us? I do not see 
 that anything can be done, and now he must 
 return to Huntington, and, mayhap, fall into 
 the clutches of the enemy." 
 
 " He has done what seemed to him for the 
 best. His judgment may be at fault, but I 
 shall never doubt his integrity or patriotism 
 hereafter." 
 
 There was a long silence, and then Lois 
 crept into the room, the three sitting down 
 in dumb consternation ; for the midnight 
 caller had come to tell them that Tryon 
 was on the wing, and that the British were 
 arranging to celebrate the Fourth of July 
 (the day on which America had declared her 
 independence) by swooping down upon the 
 Connecticut towns and making the long- 
 threatened raid. 
 
 There was nothing to do but watch and 
 
A FLEET SAILS UP THE SOUXD 189 
 
 wait. It was still possible that Fairfield might 
 escape " The Firebrand." (This was the new 
 title that Desire had given General Tryon 
 since his descent upon Danbury.) New Lon- 
 don was an important shore town, the depot 
 of small war supplies. New Haven was large 
 and flourishing, widely famed for its share in 
 resistino- the king^'s measures. It must be 
 that the enemy had them in view. 
 
 The Rev. Andrew Eliot preached to an 
 anxious congregation on Sunday, July 4th, 
 1779. The coast guard did not report any 
 foe in sight, but it was known that Tryon 
 was moving up the Sound. 
 
 Mr. Eliot spoke patriotic words to the 
 assembled people, prayed with the fervor of 
 an old-time prophet for the success of the 
 American arms, and besought the mercy of 
 God upon the distressed worshipers. 
 
 " It is awful to think that we are facing 
 destruction and nothing can be done to avert 
 it ! " exclaimed Desire, as she walked out of 
 the meetinof-house with Mrs. Thaddeus Burr. 
 " Does it not appear to you that Governor 
 Trumbull might help us in our extremity ? " 
 
 " My child, the governor has strained every 
 nerve, for he has been the fast and sustaining 
 friend of General Washington. Did he have 
 
190 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 the power, this coast would be lined with 
 men-of-war for our defense ; but his hands are 
 tied, and we must not ask him to do the im- 
 possible." 
 
 Mrs. Burr spoke with an air of conviction 
 and authority. Her husband was a member 
 of Governor Trumbull's Council of Safety. 
 
 " If they land off our shore, what shall you 
 do? " asked Desire. 
 
 " I shall remain in my home and try to pro- 
 tect it." 
 
 But this was a bold and perilous thing to 
 do, and Desire was hoping that things would 
 not come to that pass. 
 
 " I hear the neighbors saying that it will 
 be better for us to go back into the hills, and 
 Duane advises it, if worst comes to worst." 
 
 They were standing on the Green, the sky 
 clear, the air balmy and fragrant, nature 
 adorned with all the luxury of summer beauty. 
 It was the beginning of wheat harvest, a 
 season of extraordinary labor and festivity. 
 Never in the memory of the oldest inhabitant 
 had there been such a season of plenty. 
 
 The afternoon service was conducted under 
 the same tense feeling. Every ear was listen- 
 ing for some news of the fleet ; and when the 
 people dispersed, it was to hasten down to the 
 
A FLEET SAILS UP THE SOUND 191 
 
 shore or away to the hills, in order that they 
 might scan the open waters of the sea. 
 
 It was night when General Try on, joined 
 by Sir George Collier, the commodore at 
 Huntington, sailed past Fairfield with his two 
 men-of-war and forty-eight row-galleys, ten- 
 ders, and transports. 
 
 Monday was another day of uncertainty 
 and foreboding, and the night was spent in 
 viofils. Then word came that New Haven 
 was given to the flames by " The Firebrand." 
 
 Tuesday the townspeople began to pack up 
 their valuables and such stuff as was easily 
 transportable. The night was sleepless and 
 feverish. 
 
 Wednesday the beach was lined with rest- 
 less walkers, eyes ever turned toward the east. 
 
 It was four o'clock in the morning when 
 the British fleet hove in sio-ht. A sino;le shot 
 fired by an American cannon announced their 
 advent. Then the fog settled down upon the 
 scene, and there was faint hope of escape or 
 relief. 
 
 The fort at Grover's Hill was garrisoned 
 by twenty-three men under command of Lieu- 
 tenant Jarvis, while the small band of militia 
 under Colonel Whiting gathered on the Green 
 and awaited the onset of the foe. 
 
192 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 The foo' lifted, and the fleet moved in to- 
 ward Kenzie's Point. Tryon sent on shore 
 copies of the following address : — 
 
 To THE Inhabitants of Connecticut, — 
 The ungenerous and wanton insurrection 
 against the sovereignty of Great Britain, into 
 which this colony has been deluded, by the 
 artifice of desperate and designing men, for 
 private purposes, might well justify in you 
 every fear which conscious guilt could form 
 respecting the intentions of the present arma- 
 ment. 
 
 Your towns, your property, and yourselves 
 lie still within the grasp of that power whose 
 forbearance you have ungenerously construed 
 into fear, but whose lenity has persisted in 
 its mild and noble efforts, even though branded 
 with the most unworthy imputation. 
 
 The existence of a single habitation on 
 your defenseless coast ought to be a constant 
 reproof to your ingratitude. Can the strength 
 of your whole province cope with the force 
 which might at any time be poured through 
 every district in your country ? You are con- 
 scious it cannot. Why, then, will you persist 
 in a ruinous and ill-judged resistance ? 
 
 We had hoped that you would recover from 
 
A FLEET SAILS UP THE SOUND 193 
 
 the frenzy which has distracted this unhappy 
 country, and we believe the day to be now 
 come when the greater part of this continent 
 begin to blush at their delusion. You who 
 lie so much in our power afford the most 
 striking monument of our mercy, and there- 
 fore ought to set the first example of return- 
 ing to allegiance. 
 
 Reflect upon what gratitude requires of 
 you. If that is insufficient to move you, at- 
 tend to your own interests. We offer you a 
 refuge against the distress which you univer- 
 sally acknowledge broods with increasing and 
 intolerable weight over all your country. 
 
 Leaving you to consult with each other 
 upon this invitation, we do declare that who- 
 soever shall be found and remain in peace at 
 his usual place of residence shall be shielded 
 from any insult, either to his person or his 
 property, excepting such as bear offices, either 
 civil or military, under your present usurped 
 government, of whom it will be further re- 
 quired that they shall give proofs of their 
 penitence and voluntary submission, and they 
 shall then j)artake the like immunity. 
 
 Those whose folly and obstinacy may slight 
 this favorable warning must take notice that 
 they are not to expect a continuance of that 
 
194 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 lenity which their inveteracy would now ren- 
 der blamable. 
 
 Given on board his Majesty's ship Camilla, 
 in the Sound, 4th July, 1779. 
 
 George Collier. 
 
 William Tryon. 
 
 A copy of this document was placed in the 
 hands of Colonel Whiting, who returned his 
 answer by the Rev. Mr. Sayre under a flag of 
 truce : — 
 
 Fairfield, July 7tli, 1779. 
 
 Sir, — Connecticut having nobly dared to 
 oppose the usurpations of an unjust and op- 
 pressive nation (as flames have preceded the 
 answer to your flag), we hope they wdll still 
 continue, as far as in their power, to protect 
 persecuted and oppressed innocence. 
 
 Sam. Whiting, Colonel. 
 Sir George Collier and Governor Tryon. 
 
 Per Mr. Sayre in flag. 
 
 David Hardy was with the militia on the 
 Green, and one of the addresses came into his 
 possession. He smiled grimly at the proffers 
 of mercy, and settled himself to the stern task 
 of resistance. 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 " THE FIREBRAND " KINDLES FLAMES 
 
 Every horse and cart in town had been 
 busy all day Wednesday, and through the 
 night, carrying household stuff away to con- 
 cealment in the woods. Desire and Lois, 
 with the help of Minto and Chloe, packed up 
 the Hnen, the wearing apparel, the books, the 
 family heirlooms and valuables, and sent 
 them up to General Silliman's on Holland 
 Hill, where they were stored in one of his 
 slave cabins. The whole town seemed on the 
 move, a general deportation to the wooded 
 hill country, amid gravest fears and sorriest 
 anticipations. 
 
 " Desire, it 's like a hundred funerals," 
 said Lois, as she wiped the rebellious tears 
 from her wild eyes. " I feel as if my heart 
 would break. Do you think they '11 set our 
 house on fire and leave us all homeless and 
 unsheltered ? " 
 
 "Child, that is what ^ The Firebrand' 
 comes here to do. He '11 punish the people 
 
196 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 of Connecticut so that tliey will cry for 
 mercy, I suppose he thinks. We are to be 
 made an example, and when other States see 
 how we are humbled and distressed, they will 
 all prostrate themselves at the feet of the 
 enemy and sue for peace." 
 
 " You don't believe that we or anybody 
 else will ever sue for peace, do you, Desire?" 
 
 There was a flash of the eye and a curl of 
 the lip that revealed what the elder sister 
 believed as she answered Lois : — 
 
 " Sue for peace ? Never, so long as there 
 is left an acre on which we can fight our foe, 
 and a man or a woman to handle a musket ! " 
 
 It was evident that Desire Hardy was one 
 to fill the breach or discharge the ofiice, when 
 the sterner sex failed. 
 
 " But oh. Desire, I cannot bear to leave 
 the dear place. It 's the only home we have 
 ever known, and every room and nook and 
 cranny, every piece of furniture and old keep- 
 sake, is a reminder of happy, happy hours. 
 It 's cruel, it 's wicked, to drive unarmed, 
 helpless people into want and beggary ! " 
 
 " Lois, say it not again. It is holding out 
 against the decrees of God. I know how you 
 love the old place, and that your heart bleeds, 
 but have you not been told a hundred times 
 
 A 
 
THE FIREBRAND KINDLES FLAMES 197 
 
 that it is part of the price which we must pay 
 for liberty? Others have suffered and will 
 suffer. Are we better than they, that we 
 ought to escape ? It cuts me to the quick as 
 I hear the scattered shots, the muffled uproar, 
 and see that our town will be swept with the 
 scourge of fire and we left desolate, but I 
 glory in the spirit of our heroes ; I say, on to 
 the end of the strife ; liberty or death ! But 
 here comes David." 
 
 The young man entered in great haste. 
 " Colonel Whiting bids me cross the country 
 and take the news of the enemy's landing 
 and inform General Washino-ton of our condi- 
 tion. I must ride the old horse. Come with 
 me to the hills. It is not safe for you to stay. 
 It 's a ribald, godless soldiery that 's coming 
 up Beach Lane." David was making prepara- 
 tions for his ride while talkino^ to his sisters. 
 
 " We will run over to Mrs. Burr's. She 
 has entertained General Tryon in her home, 
 and she thinks he will treat her with courtesy. 
 If needs be, we can slip away to General Silli- 
 man's later. I 'm all the time thinkinof" that 
 mayhap there will be something that I can 
 do. I hate to run like a whipped dog," said 
 Desire proudly. 
 
 " Good-by, sisters. God keep you. I '11 be 
 
198 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 back as soon as the old liorse can return. 
 And I 'm hoping to bring Major Tallmadge." 
 
 Away sped the messenger, while the sisters 
 hurried to the house of Mrs. Thaddeus Burr, 
 the two slaves running to Holland Hill, where 
 they might keep an eye on the household 
 stuff that was hidden from the enemy. 
 
 The march, march, of apj^roaching hosts 
 sounded above the din and confusion of 
 many voices, the lowing of cattle driven 
 toward the back country, the shrill cries of 
 frightened children, and the babel of all sorts 
 of noises made by the mixed companies of 
 people, as they withdrew from the town and 
 searched for secure retreat above or beyond 
 the cross currents of hideous warfare. Then 
 followed the crack, crack, of the muskets, the 
 booming of cannon from Grover's Hill, the 
 shouts of defiance sent from the hoarse 
 throats of the militia on the Green, the sound 
 of a charge, wild cries, thick utterance of a 
 single piece of ordnance aimed at the enemy, 
 sudden uproar of hundreds upon hundreds of 
 quick shots, the murderous clash and jangle 
 of assault : the British were in possession of 
 the Green, the patriot defenders of the town, 
 overwhelmed in numbers, driven into retreat 
 and dispersed in many directions. 
 
THE FIREBRAND KINDLES FLAMES 199 
 
 " There was only a handful of them," said 
 Mrs. Burr to Desire. " And I hear that 
 General Tryon commanded three thousand 
 troops. What could be done to resist such a 
 force ? " 
 
 " Well, our men made their stand even 
 •when they knew that defeat was inevitable. 
 They are brave fellows, and they shall be 
 honored for their daring," exclaimed Desire. 
 
 The riot of war was surging around them 
 as they spoke. Several neighbors, unable to 
 flee to the country, had taken refuge at the 
 mansion, and they made a distressed com- 
 pany. Still Mrs. Burr held out hopes of 
 security. 
 
 "I have met several of the officers," she 
 observed repeatedly, " and they are gentle- 
 men. I cannot think they will be rude to 
 us. 
 
 " Here they come," cried Lois, as a dozen, 
 men sprang into the front door and pounded 
 the floor with the butt end of their muskets, 
 shouting for Mr. Burr. 
 
 " Here, you damned rebel, where is your 
 husband ? " One of the ruffians was accost- 
 ing Mrs. Burr, who drew herself up with dig- 
 nity and stared him out of countenance. 
 
 " Ah, my sweet, what pretty buckles you 
 
200 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 wear ! " The fellow stooped down before 
 Desire and tore the silver ornaments from 
 her shoes, while another redcoat seized the 
 elegant jewels from the foot-gear of Mrs. 
 Burr. 
 
 " Fine curtains, boys ! " exclaimed a jestful 
 son of the English aristocracy, as he reached 
 up to the heavy damask drapings of the par- 
 lor windows and wrenched them from their 
 fastenings. " Make me think of home," and 
 he jauntily threw one over his shoulder and 
 tossed a second to his nearest comrade. 
 
 " Give up your firearms, old woman,'* 
 shouted the leader of the band. 
 
 Mrs. Burr was in the prime of life, a person 
 of regal manners and presence, refined and 
 gracious, with high forehead, shapely features, 
 lustrous eyes, and sensitive mouth, a sweet and 
 beautiful embodiment of the highest type of 
 womanhood. She had never been addressed 
 with other terms than those of deference, 
 respect, or affection. But it was Desire that 
 interrupted the boisterous demand : — 
 
 " Tell me where the arms are kept, and I 
 will get them for these creatures." 
 
 There was a dangerous light lurking in the 
 eyes of the speaker. Nothing of fear was seen, 
 rather a challenge or a curse. The intruders 
 
*^ 
 
 EUNICE DEXXIE BURR 
 
THE FIBEBRAND KINDLES FLAMES 201 
 
 did not stay to bandy words with the lady or 
 any of her attendants ; they scattered through 
 the house, breaking china, overturning fur- 
 niture, ransacking drawers, steaHng small 
 objects of value, making their way, at the 
 last, to kitchen, storeroom, and cellar, where 
 they helped themselves to food and drink, 
 and feasted for an hour. 
 
 When one set of despoilers left the pre- 
 mises another followed, so that there was no 
 respite for Mrs. Burr. It was past midday 
 when there occurred a brief diversion. 
 
 " I believe it is General Tryon himself that 
 is coming," exclaimed Desire, as she surveyed 
 the scene from one of the front windows, 
 and saw the showily dressed, pompous gentle- 
 man tramp across the yard and enter the 
 house. 
 
 Mrs. Burr and Desire both hastened into 
 the hall below. 
 
 " I have the honor to address Mrs. Burr," 
 he said, bowing with studied politeness. 
 
 " This is not such an occasion, your Excel- 
 lency, as when you were pleased to accept our 
 poor hospitality a few years ago." The lady 
 bowed, speaking with agitation which she 
 labored hard to control. 
 
 " No one regrets the cruel exigencies of 
 
202 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 war more deeply than I, madam. I must 
 request you to hand over to me whatever 
 papers and documents you may have within 
 your house." Underneath the exterior of 
 formal courtesy there was a strong current of 
 vindictive feeling. 
 
 " The house contains no papers, either 
 public or private, save those which concern my 
 husband's estate." Mrs. Burr had regained 
 her self-possession, and answered with an air 
 that was queenly. 
 
 " The very papers that we want, madam. 
 We want them, and we want the estate, too, 
 and we shall have them both, I trow." There 
 was a note of exultation in his speech. " I 
 infer that you have not read the address 
 which was scattered through your town be- 
 fore the troops landed and were subjected to 
 the indignity of resistance on the part of 
 your militia? " 
 
 " / have read it, sir, and I have likewise 
 heard the reply which Colonel Whiting sent 
 you." 
 
 Desire had descended to the last stair when 
 she injected herself into the conversation. 
 Her entire person expressed scorn, wrath, re- 
 pulsion. As Try on turned to the speaker, he 
 uttered an exclamation of astonishment, and 
 stepped back a pace. 
 
THE FIREBRAND KINDLES FLAMES 203 
 
 " And who are you, I pray, that dare beard 
 me in such terms ? By the eternal heavens, 
 methinks it is the counterfeit presentment of 
 Duane Livingstone ! " The man passed his 
 hands over his eyes, as if to make sure that 
 vision was not obscured. 
 
 Desire remained speechless. 
 
 " I will find the papers for you, sir," ex- 
 claimed Mrs. Burr. " They are all arranged 
 in this secretary." She advanced into the 
 adjoining room, followed slowly by Try on, 
 who still gazed upon the young lady in the 
 hall. 
 
 When they emerged, Desire had withdrawn 
 upstairs. General Tryon took his papers 
 and carried them hastily over to the court 
 house. 
 
 An hour later, a fourth set of half drunken 
 brutes entered the Burr homestead. 
 
 " Come, come," said the foremost of the 
 band, " show us what you 've got worth tak- 
 ing, and hand it over without further parley." 
 They were standing near the door in the rear 
 of the hall. " Do I not see a watch with its 
 furnishments upon your person ? " and the 
 fiend grasped Mrs. Burr by the wrist. 
 
 " You villain, loose your hold upon my 
 arm ! " cried the lady. But he struggled 
 
204 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 with her, threw her down upon the floor, and 
 tore the very clothes from her bosom. 
 
 " Wretch, let go ! let go ! " shrieked Desire, 
 as she seized the brass-handled poker standing 
 by the hearth, and swung it above his head 
 Avith such force that he sprang one side with a 
 curse, and started to pursue her up the stairs, 
 while Mrs. Burr escaped into the back yard. 
 
 At this moment an officer appeared, and 
 sent the fellow with his companions away 
 from the place. 
 
 Late in the day, General Tryon called again 
 with Captain Chapman, a Tory citizen of 
 Stratford, who had cast in his fortunes with 
 the enemies of his native land. 
 
 " I had supposed, sir, that it was an army 
 of men, and not a horde of wild beasts, which 
 had taken possession of our town. I have 
 been subjected to the grossest indignities, 
 your creatures attempting to take the very 
 clothes from my person, and rifling me of the 
 ornaments which I use as articles of dress." 
 
 There was the flush of rio;hteous anfrer 
 upon the face of the speaker, as she stood 
 forth the bold accuser of Trvon. 
 
 " These are hard and grievous days," ob- 
 served Captain Chapman sympathetically. 
 " We deplore these stern circumstances." 
 
THE FIBEBBAND KINDLES FLAMES 205 
 
 " You must carry with you a brave heart, 
 Mr. Chapman, to have the audacity to enter 
 my house at this time, when you recall the 
 many courtesies we have extended to you in 
 years past." 
 
 *^ Madam, madam, forbear your unkind 
 speeches. I am here not to gloat over your 
 misfortune, but to render any service in my 
 power." 
 
 " See that I am treated with the respect and 
 consideration due my sex and station ! See 
 that my home is preserved from further spolia- 
 tion, and that the few people who have fled to 
 my protection are saved from the abuses that 
 have already been heaped upon me ! " 
 
 The lady was addressing General Tryon, 
 who winced under the just charges which 
 she brouo'ht ag'ainst his men. 
 
 " Madam, you shall have sentries placed 
 before your door." 
 
 The order was immediately given, and the 
 watch placed over the premises. 
 
 The night was one of indescribable horror. 
 The Hessians had been let loose for plunder. 
 They surged up and down the streets like an 
 angry tide, making the darkness hideous with 
 their mongrel speech, rough oaths, and brutal 
 tricks. 
 
206 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 The slave of a citizen living on the main 
 street fired a shot from an upper window and 
 killed a British soldier. His comrades rushed 
 into the house, seized the colored patriot, car- 
 ried him out to the Green, soaked a blanket 
 in rum, wrapped it securely about the victim, 
 and then set fire to the poor wretch. While 
 he writhed in the flames consuming his clothes 
 and scarring his flesh, the redcoats gazed upon 
 the scene with savage zest. Everything which 
 the people left in their homes that might 
 please the cupidity of the raiders was taken. 
 The few women who ventured to stay in town 
 in order to save their property were most 
 shamefully maltreated, being comj)elled to 
 fight like tigers in numerous cases for the 
 defense of virtue itself. Occasional shots 
 were heard all through the night. Liquor 
 flowed in rivers, so that a large proportion of 
 the soldiery became grossly intoxicated before 
 the morning. When a house had been suffi- 
 ciently plundered, and there was nothing left 
 to feed their rapacity, the enemy applied the 
 torch, beginning this latter part of their work 
 an hour before sunset at the house of Mr. 
 Isaac Jennings. By nine o'clock, half a dozen 
 buildings in different parts of the town were 
 ablaze. 
 
THE FIREBRAND KINDLES FLAMES 207 
 
 " The Firebrand " had taken up his head- 
 quarters in the home of a Tory family on the 
 Green. Here he was beset by the faithful 
 wives and mothers that remained in town, and 
 appeal after appeal made to stop the firing of 
 homes. Mr. Sayre lent his supplications to 
 those of his neighbors. 
 
 " No," Try on cried, with an oath, " you are 
 a pack of rebels, and deserve to be hanged, 
 drawn, and quartered. Don't talk to me of 
 mercy. Have n't you fought the king like 
 devils ? Did n't you fire upon my men after 
 I had offered you peace and clemency ? Are 
 there not a score of killed or wounded among 
 our troops ? Is not this place a vile den of 
 arch traitors, engaged in helHsh conspiracy ? 
 I '11 put a firebrand in every house, store, 
 shop, barn, shed, and building that curses the 
 ground of Fairfield. Don't try to parley with 
 me lono^er." 
 
 And then the edict went forth that every- 
 thing was to be destroyed, so that by mid- 
 night the heavens were one vast, seething 
 maelstrom of flames. 
 
 The horror of the scene was intensified by 
 a frightful thunderstorm, which broke above 
 the town in the night. It had gathered from 
 the four quarters of the heavens, and massed 
 
208 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 its forces for a riotous onset. The rain fell 
 in deluges, the thick blackness being pierced 
 by such vivid flashes of lightning that one's 
 eyes were blinded ; the crash and roar of the 
 thunder drowned all notes of misery and ex- 
 cess that filled the air ; and yet the awful 
 work of destruction went on. House after 
 house was given to the flames. When oppo- 
 sition was encountered, little mercy was shown. 
 The slave of Mr. Lewis was bayoneted while 
 trying to save his master's property. Mr. 
 Solomon Sturges, an esteemed citizen, was 
 stabbed repeatedly. Several bodies were cast 
 into the cauldron of fire. 
 
 Toward morning. Captain Chapman and 
 General Tryon called again upon Mrs. Burr. 
 It had been a night of awful strain and agony 
 for the people housed in the stately mansion. 
 From the windows on every side they saw the 
 dwellings and property of friends vanish in 
 the furious conflagration. The lurid glare 
 made the night like day. The shriek of some 
 person in distress, or the groans of the dy- 
 ing, fell many times upon their ears. The 
 hour before sunrise Mrs. Burr, was summoned 
 below to meet her callers. 
 
 "I beg pardon for this early intrusion,'' 
 said General Tryon, " but my work will be 
 
THE FIREBRAND KINDLES FLAMES 209 
 
 finished soon, and we shall reembark. I do 
 not like to burn churches and meeting-houses. 
 I have therefore ordered that they be left 
 uninjured. And I have promised to save the 
 homes of Mr. Say re and Mr. Eliot." 
 
 The speaker paused, evidently awaiting 
 some word of gratitude from the lady he was 
 addressing. 
 
 " It is kind of you to spare our houses of 
 public worship, your Excellency," answered 
 Mrs. Burr, in strained and wearied tones. " I 
 thank you." 
 
 " With your permission I will seat myself 
 at this desk and write a protection for your 
 home." 
 
 He moved across the room with condescen- 
 sion and sat down. 
 
 " May I ask for pen, ink, and paper ? " 
 . There was silence in the room, broken by 
 the scratch of the quill, and the ominous rise 
 and swell of the conflagration raging through- 
 out the town. 
 
 " Madam, it irks me to observe your dis- 
 tress. But I have served you to the extent 
 of my authority." 
 
 There was a pause, interrupted by an hys- 
 terical laugh. General Tryon lifted his eyes 
 and beheld Desire standing in the doorway. 
 
210 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 Captain Chapman bowed deferentially to tlie 
 newcomer. 
 
 "Madam, may I inquire the name of the 
 person that honors you with her company ? " 
 There was a shadow upon his face, and his 
 tone of inquiry was rude. " I trace a star- 
 tling resemblance to a gentleman of my ac- 
 quaintance in New York. I have reason to 
 suspect his loyalty to our sovereign, and I 
 swear that I saw him on the hills of Danbury 
 two years ago fighting with the rebels. It is 
 not possible " — he hesitated a moment, gave 
 an unpleasant look toward the individual 
 standing in the shadows, and then continued 
 — "that Mr. Duane Livingstone is a magician, 
 and has the power to transform himself into 
 the semblance of one of the gentler sex ? " 
 
 " It is Miss Desire Hardy," suddenly ex- 
 plained Captain Chapman, " the daughter of 
 the old schoolmaster. I will vouch for her 
 identity." 
 
 " I thank you for the protection which is 
 granted me," said Mrs. Burr, with sudden 
 spirit, evidently wishing to divert attention 
 from Desire. " I trust that it will avail, sir." 
 
 General Tryon had risen from his chair, 
 when one of his subalterns entered the house, 
 crossed the room, and whispered in his ear. 
 
THE FIBEBEAND KINDLES FLAMES 211 
 
 " I bid you good-day, madam, and hope 
 that the time will soon come when we shall 
 again meet in amity as loyal subjects of his 
 gracious Majesty our king." 
 
 Without tarrying to receive her devoirs, the 
 three men hastily withdrew from the apart- 
 ment. 
 
 Intelligence had come to Tryon that all 
 western Connecticut was rising in arms. It 
 was expedient for him to end his task and set 
 sail for Huntington. Firing the remaining 
 buildings in the early light of the day, the 
 word was at length passed for the troops to 
 make their way to the shore, the sentries 
 placed to guard the home of Mrs. Burr being 
 withdrawn. No sooner were they gone than 
 roving bands of stragglers appeared. 
 
 " I have a protection from General Tryon," 
 exclaimed the lady, when these ruffians dashed 
 into the house and began their final work of 
 demolition. 
 
 " Tryon be damned ! " they shouted. And 
 as Mrs. Burr was in the act of showinof the 
 brief writing to them, they snatched it from 
 her hands, tore it into fragments, and con- 
 tinued their desperate conduct. As Mrs. 
 Burr had stayed in her home with the hope 
 that she might save it, and as General Tryon 
 
212 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 had at last pledged her that the torch should 
 not be applied, Httle or nothing had been 
 removed except what the British miscreants 
 had stolen. Now the creatures in possession 
 had full swing, and were altogether heedless 
 of orders or consequences. They seized the 
 lady's pocket-book, taking it forcibly from 
 her person ; they rifled her of the gold but- 
 tons used to fasten her garments, and threat- 
 ened in foulest language hfe itself. In the 
 extremity of their terror and anguish, the 
 women all fled to the meadows at the rear of 
 the mansion, and no sooner were they hidden 
 from the sight of the ravishers than smoke 
 was seen to issue from the windows. A few 
 moments later, the entire house was wrapped 
 in flames. 
 
 There, in the welcome seclusion of the 
 marsh grasses, the friends gave way to tears, 
 while their moans were caught up by the 
 breezes pushing in from the sea, and made to 
 blend with the wild, doleful notes of the rag- 
 ing fire-storm, and the hoarse, fiendish clamor 
 of the departing Hessians and refugees. 
 
CHAPTEK XV 
 
 SKY A COVERI^^G, EARTH A COUCH 
 
 David Hardy returned from his forced 
 ride across country in the forenoon of Thurs- 
 day, the 8th of July. He had seen Gen- 
 eral Washington, and Major Tallmadge was 
 dispatched with a body of light infantry to 
 aid the militia in driving Tryon and his army 
 from the Connecticut shores. 
 
 As the enemy withdrew, the little fort on 
 Grover's Hill, which had never ceased to 
 throw its shot into the ranks of the British 
 through the night and morning, still con- 
 tinued to harass them. A company of red- 
 coats had been sent over to Black Rock to 
 dislodge the patriots, but without success. 
 
 Erected in 1776 to protect the town and 
 harbor against the petty incursions of Long 
 Island Tories, supplied with cannon from the 
 furnaces of Salisbury, this battery, with its 
 barracks and defenses, had become a pet with 
 the people, and on numerous occasions re- 
 sisted the assaults of the enemy j)rowling in 
 
214 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 these waters. While the fort, during the 
 burning of Fairfield, availed naught in the 
 preservation of property, still it was a factor 
 in the heartening of the people, and from this 
 point of vantage and others the Americans, 
 who had responded to the summons of Colonel 
 Whiting and his subordinates, poured in their 
 vexatious fire, so that the retreat, while con- 
 ducted with military precision, was subject to 
 severe distress. But the wounded were taken 
 along by their comrades, and a fair-sized com- 
 pany of fresh refugees joined the fleet. 
 
 The course pursued by Mr. Sayre, having 
 alienated the entire community, forced him to 
 leave Fairfield. 
 
 " It was in the midst of hostilities, while 
 the flames were raging and the bullets flying," 
 observed Mr. Eliot to David on his return to 
 the scene of desolation, " that Mr. Sayre came 
 out with a flag of truce. We had gone back 
 into the hills and the woods skirting the town. 
 What was Tryon's proclamation to us ? And 
 was not that a strange hour and occasion to 
 speak with us concerning clemency? We 
 sent back a very spirited reply. And we 
 were justly indignant that Mr. Sayre should 
 have consented to bear such a message to us. 
 Dire threats were made against him, and I 
 
SKY A COVERING, EARTH A COUCH 215 
 
 hear this morning that he and all his family 
 have retired on shipboard, although I was 
 told that Tryon said, ' You may go on board 
 the ships, sir, but I cannot promise you any 
 assistance.' " 
 
 David had ridden to Holland Hill, and he 
 had met the minister as he moved rapidly 
 among the friends that he was comforting. 
 
 " AYhere shall I find Desire ? " said her 
 brother, who was, looking in various direc- 
 tions, with the hope of distinguishing her 
 among the people. 
 
 " Why, Desire stayed with Mrs. Burr, and 
 so did Lois. I tried to o^et them to come back 
 here to the Heights, but Mrs. Burr believed 
 that she might save her home, and the girls 
 chose to remain." 
 
 " And was the Burr mansion left un- 
 touched ? " continued David anxiously. 
 
 " I cannot say. The sky has been so ob- 
 scured with thick clouds of smoke that it was 
 impossible to measure the ravages of the 
 enemy. But I will return with you, and we 
 will find the children. Poor Mrs. Silliman 
 did not venture to stay in her house, so she 
 put the horses to their big wagon and started 
 for Trumbull, when the first booming of 
 cannon announced the landing of the enemy/ 
 
216 ^iV^ UNKNOWN PATBIOT 
 
 but the general's house is filled with his 
 friends. Captain Bartram is there, sadly 
 wounded. My wife and three children and 
 several of our neighbors came with me. What 
 a night we have lived ! First we saw the 
 flames issuing from some dwelling back of 
 the meeting-house, then I recognized Sheriff 
 Abel's place, and then it was a barn in the 
 western part of the town, and a little later 
 several of the shops along, the main street. 
 By midnight, it seemed as if half the village 
 was on fire, and it boiled and seethed like 
 an immense cauldron, the crackling and hiss- 
 ing of the flames sounding in our ears at 
 Holland Hill." The two men were now has- 
 tening toward the desolated place. 
 
 " Did not the train-band attack the enemy ? 
 Couldn't our men do anything to stop the 
 depredations of the savages ? " 
 
 " No, David ; we were only a few men, and 
 they were a host. To be sure, our soldiers 
 have been watching through the day and the 
 night, picking off a redcoat now and then, 
 and doing whatever was possible to annoy 
 and disconcert them ; but the enemy have had 
 their own way, and we 've been almost help- 
 less in their hands." 
 
 As they were talking, the fresh winds from 
 
SKY A COVERING, EARTH A COUCH 217 
 
 the north came with their cool breath and 
 brushed some portions of the thick, brooding 
 blackness away from the landscape beneath 
 them. What a sight it was that unfolded to 
 their view ! 
 
 " Mr. Eliot, methinks they have obliter- 
 ated the town," said David, with emotion. 
 " Colonel Gould's house ought to be there," 
 — he pointed to a mass of charred ruins near 
 the creek that ran in from the sea, — " the 
 Green ought to be over there," pointing to 
 the southwest ; " but there is n't a distinguish- 
 able object visible. Everything is gone. Not 
 even a barn remains to guide the eye." The 
 young man stopped again to master his feel- 
 ings. " Oh, is n't it pitiful — pitiful ! " 
 
 " And I believe the meetings-house has sfone 
 too," suddenly exclaimed Mr. Eliot. " Gen- 
 eral Tryon promised Mr. Sayre that both the 
 sanctuaries should be preserved. Is it possi- 
 ble that he is such a miscreant that not even 
 a place of prayer is sacred to him?" 
 
 The sense of loss was overwhelming to the 
 minister. He had put confidence in the 
 pledge of the British officer, and believed 
 that God's house would be respected. As his 
 eyes swept the eastern portion of the town 
 and Green, it struck him again with awful 
 
218 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 force that the cruelties of war are beyond 
 human language to depict. 
 
 Nearing the village, they were joined by 
 small bands of people who had been hovering 
 nigh in hopes that the enemy would soon 
 drop their work and put to sea ; so it was a 
 considerable company that hurried by the 
 smoking heap where formerly stood the Gould 
 homestead and made for the Green. On every 
 side it was the blackest desolation. Charred 
 timbers lifted their repulsive forms into the 
 air ; great chimneys stood forth smoke-marked 
 and solitary ; withered, leafless trees kept sen- 
 tinel along the streets ; gaping cellars, smoul- 
 dering masses of wood, blighted gardens and 
 fields, scorched door-yards, stretched in the 
 distance as far as the eve could reach ; and 
 beyond were wreaths, eddies, clouds of smoke, 
 and the gathering whirlwinds of ashes, sweep- 
 ing now one way and now another. The 
 enemy had landed in two parts of the town, 
 coming together as they completed their work, 
 so that the entire village was devastated. 
 
 " Mrs. Redfield saved her house," said one 
 of the boys that David met, as he came to 
 the Green. "Mrs. Nichols put her fire out 
 with her dye-tub, and General Tryon stayed in 
 the Bulkleys' house, and there are two other 
 
SKY A COVERING, EABTH A COUCH 219 
 
 houses on the Green, and Mrs. Rowland drove 
 the Hessians away from hers, but everything 
 else is burned." 
 
 The people were now trooping in from many 
 directions. The sound of firing ceased, for 
 the British had embarked and gone across 
 to Huntington. Major Tallmadge and his 
 infantry arrived, and their tents were filling 
 a part of the Green, the commanding officer 
 making his headquarters in the convenient 
 mansion that had been used by Tryon ; there 
 "was the subdued tumult of horses, wagons, 
 hurrying feet, crying children, anxious par- 
 ents, hungry men and women, heart-broken 
 home-lovers, sick, wounded, and distressed 
 people who knew not where to lay their heads, 
 or from whence would come the food to keep 
 them from starvation. 
 
 " Oh, David, David, have you come at 
 last ? " cried Lois, as her brother picked his 
 way through ruins and reached one of the 
 sheds on the Burr place standing near the 
 marshes. " It has been the awfulest night 
 of a lifetime. We 've been robbed, beaten, 
 insulted, and driven into the fields, and we 're 
 almost dead. Mrs. Burr and Desire are there 
 in the hut trying to do something for the 
 sufferers brought to us. You never saw such 
 
220 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 savages in all your life. There was nothing 
 too wicked for them to stoop to do. Why, 
 they took the rings off Mrs. Burr's fingers, 
 and stole my beautiful brooch that Aaron 
 Burr sent to me and they burned one of our 
 soldiers alive, and they stabbed several slaves 
 with their bayonets so that they died; and, 
 oh, what didn't they do that was inhuman 
 and devilish ! " 
 
 " Why, child," said David, " I 'm thankful 
 to see you alive again. I told you not to stay 
 in the town, but to go to General Silliman's. 
 They 're a pack of fiends. I knew it, for I 
 saw them at Danbury and Ridgefield." 
 
 And then David met Desire and Mrs. Burr, 
 and the story of their agony was told. 
 
 Later in the day, Major Tallmadge called. 
 So unexpected had been the firing of the 
 Burr house that its mistress, having saved 
 nothing from it, found herself in extreme 
 need. The clothes, torn and soiled, which 
 she wore, and a few pieces of old furniture 
 that had been cast into one of the sheds, 
 constituted the capital on which she was to 
 begin her new housekeeping. 
 
 " I can offer you this bench, Major Tall- 
 madge," said the lady, as he lingered at her 
 door and entered into conversation. 
 

 V 
 
 y 
 
 / 
 
 / 
 
 '/'/ 
 
 /^ 
 
 \ 
 
 -< 
 
 -J 
 
 \ 
 
 
 \. 
 
 COLONEL BENJAMIN TALLMADGE 
 
SKY A COVERING, EARTH A COUCH 221 
 
 The gentleman was a tall, robust, manly 
 young soldier, with delightful suavity of man- 
 ner and a most genial flow of spirits. 
 
 " Mayhap he would prefer this tub/' said 
 Desire, whose sense of humor was keen, even 
 in the midst of poverty and distress. 
 
 " You honor me," replied the brilliant, 
 popular officer. " Let those who better de- 
 serve it enjoy the luxury of a bench or a tub. 
 I will stand, ladies." 
 
 The cloud was already lifting from the 
 countenance of Desire. The safe return of 
 her brother, and the sense of security which 
 comes with the knowledge that the worst has 
 been suffered and there can be no repetition 
 of the woeful experience, served to cheer and 
 sustain her. Sleep had not visited them for 
 several nights, so that eyes were heavy and 
 deep furrows appeared on many a face. The 
 bitterness of loss and insult remained keen. 
 The nervous strain through which they had 
 passed showed itself in tense speech and ex- 
 cited action. 
 
 But Desire was not one to give way to 
 trouble. In fact, the dark, tragic hours served 
 to bring into exquisite relief certain beautiful 
 traits of character. Now was the time to rise 
 above the prevailing sorrow and wretchedness, 
 
222 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 manifesting to friends one's superiority to 
 circumstances. She was so fagged that her 
 limbs rebelled when she moved from place to 
 place in her attendance upon the sick and 
 aged, yet she resolved that it should not be 
 observed. She was hungry, and provisions 
 were so scarce that it was an open question 
 whether they would have anything to eat that 
 night, yet she showed no signs of hunger. 
 On the contrary, their common need made her 
 inventive of expedients. 
 
 " David," she said, " I wish you would go 
 over to what remains of our place and see if 
 they burned the corn which we left standing 
 in the field back of the barn. If you will 
 find our hidden treasures, we can sup like 
 princes. Be careful and don't tread on any 
 household stuff, for I threw a lot of bedding 
 and furniture among the thrifty stalks. If 
 it is n't all consumed, we shall have to de- 
 pend upon it for comfort these many days." • 
 
 David and Lois went over to the cornfield. 
 It was one of the things left intact by the 
 despoilers. While they were searching for 
 provisions, Minto and Chloe appeared on the 
 scene. 
 
 " De Lo'd be praised," exclaimed the faith- 
 ful old colored woman. " Here 's Mas'r Da- 
 
SKY A COVERING, EARTH A COUCH 223 
 
 vid an' Mis' Lois. Oh, cliillun, we 's been 
 "worried to death 'bout you. An' what 's cum 
 obMis' D'sire?" 
 
 " De Lo'd hab mehcy on us/' cried Minto. 
 " I 's been awfully 'minded o' de day ob judg- 
 ment. Whar' is Mis' D'sire, Mas'r David ? " 
 
 " Oh, she 's safe and sound down at Mrs. 
 Burr's. But we 're almost starved to death. 
 We have n't had much to eat for an age. 
 Come, now, turn to and search the field, and 
 look out you don't smash anything that you 
 find underfoot. We 've stored our house- 
 hold goods here, you remember." 
 
 " Shall I go fo' de cow ? She 's back in 
 de wood-lot, sah," said Minto. 
 
 " Why, yes, that 's the very thing," ex- 
 claimed Lois. " How good a cup of nice, 
 fresh milk would taste ! " 
 
 So Minto retraced his steps into the woods, 
 David dug j)otatoes, while Lois and Chloe, 
 picking a careful way amid the lush greenery 
 of the field, searched for a pot of butter, a 
 piece of dried beef, and some odds and ends 
 of Indian bread and douo:hnuts that had been 
 recklessly tossed into a big brass kettle. The 
 simple fare was a godsend. They hastened 
 down the street with it, and came to the hut 
 on the Burr place with all the exultant pride 
 
224 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 of a hunter who returns home laden with the 
 riches of abundant game. 
 
 " Now we are to feast/' shouted David, 
 when he was within the hearing of his sister. 
 
 Despite smoking ruins, worn bodies, loss of 
 worldly gear, sound of dismal grief, or awful 
 reaction of mind, there was a cheerful party 
 moving about the hut. 
 
 Chloe washed the soil from the potatoes; 
 David and Major Tallmadge made the fire 
 where the roots were to be roasted and the 
 kettle boiled; Lois borrowed the sword of the 
 officer, and, unbeknown to him, sliced off 
 strips of dark crimson beef ; Desire told where 
 she had concealed some of her precious linen 
 (such as had not been carried to Holland 
 Hill), so that a spotless, beautiful cloth was 
 spread ; salt and pepper were found ; Minto 
 arrived with his pail of fresh milk ; and then 
 all were ready for the feast. 
 
 They seated themselves in the back yard, 
 where the grass was unscorched and a noble 
 elm sheltered them. The sun was going 
 down behind the low hill in the west. The 
 sky had partially cleared, and the salt winds, 
 speeding to them over the marshes, drove 
 away the odors of burning homes, barns, and 
 produce. The hum and tumult of voices 
 
SKY A COVEBING, EARTH A COUCH 225 
 
 fell upon their ears with not ungrateful ca- 
 dence, while the sweet calm of a beautiful 
 midsummer twilight settled down upon the 
 strangle scene. Never did the lordliest fare 
 taste better to the most favored diner-out 
 than did stale Indian bread, chipped beef, hot 
 roast potatoes, golden butter well salted, fat 
 old-fashioned doughnuts crisp and light, with 
 tin cups brimful of milk, taste to these home- 
 less, thirsty, distraught people. 
 
 '' How good it seems to take a few mouth- 
 f uls that are not embittered by the insults of 
 inhuman foes," said Mrs. Burr, who was pre- 
 siding over the feast with all the fine grace 
 and dignity that had marked her when she 
 entertained the great and good of the land 
 in her now desecrated mansion. 
 
 " Let us think of our mercies," replied 
 David. "We can live on potatoes all sum- 
 mer. It 's a flourishing field that we own. 
 And the cow remains. It 's a wonder that 
 the miscreants did n't kill every piece of stock 
 in the neighborhood. And Desire has saved 
 all her linen. We can make it up into frocks 
 and dresses. And the sheep-shearing will 
 give us all the wool we need ; and we can 
 camp out under the trees that passed through 
 the fire unscathed, or burrow in the ground 
 
226 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 until we make some log huts and begin where 
 our forefathers did a hundred and fifty years 
 ago." 
 
 " I think it '11 be fun to live out of doors all 
 summer/' interrupted Lois. ^^ It 's so delight- 
 fully simple and primitive ! " 
 
 The conversation flowed along, their spirits 
 soothed and strengthened. 
 
 But it was a night of tears, bitterness, and 
 pain to the great mass of the people. As 
 they came back to the village with the few 
 articles which they had carried with them 
 into their retreat, it was to find their homes 
 annihilated. And it was women and chil- 
 dren that necessarily bore the brunt of the dis- 
 tress, for the men were away in their country's 
 service. 
 
 The majority of the people stretched them- 
 selves upon the ground near the ashes, still 
 hot and smouldering, and there, roofless and 
 supperless, gave way to sleep. 
 
 Major Tallmadge, Mrs. Burr, Desire, and 
 David talked into the night ; then the hostess 
 withdrew to her hut, the commanding officer 
 to his headquarters in the Bulkley house, 
 while the Hardy young people spread their 
 bedding along the edges of their cornfield, 
 thinking it wise to look after the httle 
 
SKY A COVEBING, EARTH A COUCH 227 
 
 property which was left them, since the fire 
 had attracted to the town various suspicious 
 characters, and there had been losses at the 
 hands of other than British vandals and 
 robbers. 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 ONE MYSTERIOUS PASSENGER 
 
 Toward morning, David was aroused by 
 stealthy footsteps near him. He listened in- 
 tently, crept in the direction of the open 
 land, and peered through the gloom. Soon 
 the form of a man loomed in the distance ; 
 then, by the dim light against which the 
 visitor stood as he appeared along the hori- 
 zon, David recognized the motions of Duane 
 Livingstone. The two young men were soon 
 clasped in each other's embrace. They tried 
 to be quiet in their communications, but the 
 sharp ears of Desire detected them. It was 
 only a moment before she was by their side, 
 taking part in their suppressed conversation. 
 
 " Duane, Duane, you ought not to have 
 done this thing, and you know it ! " whispered 
 the girl, with every evidence of agitation in 
 her voice. " Why will you run such risks ? 
 I cannot for the life of me see how you stole 
 into the village. Every road and spot is 
 picketed, and Major Tallmadge is taking the 
 
ONE MYSTERIOUS PASSEXGER 229 
 
 greatest pains to preserve order and keep us 
 free of intruders." 
 
 " Why, Desire, do you suppose I could stay 
 on Lono^ Island when I saw the smoke of 
 Fairfield filling* the heavens ? I knew what 
 it meant. I told you it was coming. AYhy 
 did n't you flee ? " 
 
 "It's like a Hardy to flee in face of 
 danger, is n't it ? " 
 
 One might feel the flash of Desire's eyes, 
 even if he could not see it. 
 
 " But what good was there in your stay- 
 ing? You could do nothing. The place 
 was consigned to the flames weeks ago. 
 Judge Jones has told General Tryon many 
 times that more than half the inhabitants of 
 the town were Tories, but he never believed 
 it. He 's been determined to destroy Fair- 
 field ever since the burnino^ of Colonel Delan- 
 cey's house in Westchester. That incident 
 seemed to inflame him as a red flag does a 
 wild bull." 
 
 " Duane, you had no business to come here 
 to-night. I wish you would go away. You '11 
 surely be seen in the morning. We have n't 
 a corner where we can hide you. Major 
 Tallmado:e's infantrv and hundreds of the 
 militia are here, or in the neighborhood. Oh, 
 
230 AN UNKNOWN PATEIOT 
 
 Duane, I wish you had n't come ! It adds to 
 our worry and perplexity." 
 
 The cousin was deeply moved by this out- 
 burst of feeling. He bent over Desire, and 
 whispered something that David did not hear. 
 
 "Oh !" groaned Desire, and then, lifting her 
 head suddenly, she peered into the encircling 
 gloom to observe if any listener was visible. 
 
 " David/' continued Duane, " you must 
 hide me through the day. I can't return 
 to Huntington to-night. It is too late. I '11 
 promise to get away some time within the 
 next twenty hours." 
 
 There followed a long consultation within 
 the curious solitude of the cornfield. It was 
 necessary to awaken Minto, Chloe, and Lois, 
 and tell them of Duane's presence, so that 
 some of them might stand guard for the rest 
 of the night, while David or Desire held fur- 
 ther talk with their troublesome visitor. For 
 the young man was not a welcome comer at 
 this particular time. 
 
 The impression had gone abroad that 
 Duane Livingstone was at heart a Tory, 
 although his family continued stanch patriots. 
 The feelino^ ao^ainst Tories in Connecticut 
 had grown strong since the capture of Gen- 
 eral Silliman by a band of men who were 
 
ONE MYSTERIOUS PASSENGER 231 
 
 known to come from this very section of the 
 country. The recent raids along the shore 
 had now fanned the flame of hatred to a 
 sort of frenzy. AYhile Duane Livingstone 
 was well known and popular in town, having 
 been treated with justice and courtesy, when 
 a guest, throughout the early years of the 
 struggle, yet now it was the height of folly 
 for him or any other person bearing his repu- 
 tation to appear in these borders. 
 
 It was nothinof less than madness which 
 had driven him to face such a risk. 
 
 While they were fixing some sort of a 
 hidino; in the middle of the cornfield, Desire 
 led David aside, and told him that he must 
 carry a message to Major Tallmadge. 
 
 " Why, you don't mean to tell him that 
 Duane is here," exclaimed David, with terror 
 in his voice. 
 
 Desire shuddered, reaching forth a trem- 
 bling hand to her brother. 
 
 " Hush, David, hush ! How your words 
 startled me ! You don't know what you are 
 saying." 
 
 " Why, of course not," cried the brother 
 eagerly, — " of course not. What was I 
 thinking about?" There was a note of re- 
 gret and deprecation in his voice. " What 
 an absurd question ! " . 
 
232 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 " You must liand this little packet to Major 
 Tallmadge at once. Put it into his hands 
 yourself, and say that a friend gave it to you 
 for him." 
 
 David was off on his errand in a moment, 
 the packet being duly delivered without ques- 
 tion on the part of giver or taker ; fifteen 
 minutes found the messenger back again in 
 the cornfield, sharing the wait and the watch 
 with the other members of the family. 
 
 On this Friday, it seemed that every return- 
 ing man, woman, and child came to the Hardy 
 place in order to condole with the young 
 folks, or get their sympathy, or ask their 
 advice, or borrow a little food. It required 
 the five of them to hold people beyond the 
 pale of the inviting field. It was one of the 
 few pieces of grain or other growing stuff 
 near the town that had escaped devastation. 
 While the ears of corn were not ripe enough 
 to be good eating, yet one must not be criti- 
 cal when confronted by hunger ; and in case 
 this resource failed, they could draw upon the 
 adjoining patch of potatoes. 
 
 A score of times some hasty friend, taking 
 it for granted that he was welcome to help 
 himself, plunged unbidden and unobserved 
 into the field, and when on the verge of 
 
ONE MYSTERIOUS PASSENGER 233 
 
 stumblino- over Duane's sheltered nook, was 
 discovered, diverted by some of the family, 
 and finally drawn away from the place and 
 made to stay in the open. The stress and 
 anxiety of the hours was not less severe than 
 on the days of the raid itself. It was only 
 the swift, subtle ingenuity of the sisters which 
 enabled them to get through Friday without 
 the tragedy of Duane's capture. 
 
 The town was filled with people. The citi- 
 zens and their families returned, and wdth 
 them came every Tom, Dick, and Harry of 
 the surrounding country ; and with Tom, Dick, 
 and Harry, womankind and children intent 
 on witnessino* the awful destruction which had 
 swept over the place like a scourge. Then 
 the militia continued to gather in larger force, 
 and there on the Green stood the white tents 
 of Major Tallmadge's troops, the men them- 
 selves busy furbishing up their arms, putting 
 things into proper trim, serving as guard 
 throuo;hout the town, movino^ hither and 
 thither with an air of expectancy and deter- 
 mination that suggested mysterious events. 
 
 Before night settled down upon the throngs 
 of people, it was whispered about that " The 
 Firebrand" had simply withdrawn to Hunt- 
 ington to get his men into condition for 
 
234 AN UNKNOWN PATEIOT 
 
 another foray. New Haven and Fairfield had 
 served to whet his appetite. He was now like 
 a savage brute that had tasted blood, so 
 that every cruel instinct in him was aroused 
 and tigerish. He must gorge himself with 
 inhumanity, suffering, and desolation. Some 
 thought that New London must be the next 
 point of attack, and a messenger had been 
 sent to warn the people of their peril. Others 
 believed that one of the nearer towns was 
 destined to receive the blow. 
 
 Little sheds and huts began to appear in 
 different parts of the village, the citizens 
 taking odds and ends of boards, half charred 
 bits of timber, the branches of trees, sticks, 
 and stones convenient to their hands, and 
 working them into these rude temporary 
 shelters. By night, quite a large number of 
 families had provided themselves with some 
 covering. Into these strange abodes they 
 brouo^ht the little stuff that had been saved 
 from the flames ; on the bare ground within 
 them, or by their side, blankets were spread 
 and rough couches fixed, where they were 
 glad to throw their weary bodies with the 
 setting of the sun, and sleep a dreamless or a 
 feverish sleep, as the case might be. 
 
 The Hardy family watched the descent of 
 
ONE MYSTERIOUS PASSENGER 235 
 
 the sun with painful solicitude. It had been 
 the longest day within memory, — a day of 
 infinite finesse and difficulty. 
 
 '' Thank God for the on-coming darkness/' 
 cried Desire, when the shadows thickened. 
 " We must give him a good supper." She 
 was talking with Chloe. 
 
 With all their keeping guard over the corn- 
 field, they had been able to bring together 
 enough stuff to make a cabin, and into this 
 playhouse of a dwelling they had put a part 
 of their domestic possessions. The kettle 
 was boilinQr- over the fire at the rear of the 
 cabin, an odor of fresh vegetables and frying 
 chicken diffusing itself upon the calm even- 
 ing air. 
 
 " See that the corncakes are kept hot," 
 continued Desire, " and when everything is 
 ready, I '11 take them in this pan over into 
 the corn." 
 
 It was delicious fare on which Duane Liv- 
 ingstone feasted that Friday night, July 9th, 
 1779. David, Lois, and Minto continued 
 their watch, Chloe prepared more corncake 
 and chicken in her open-air kitchen, while 
 Desire carried her pan of food, covered with 
 her homespun apron, into the thicket, and 
 there, amid shadows, served the young man, 
 
236 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 with an air of mixed cheeriness and distress 
 that gave sweetest reHsh to every mouthful 
 of food. 
 
 " You 've brought me a perfect banquet/' 
 whispered Duane, as he smelt the chicken, 
 felt the crisp hoecake, and bit into the lus- 
 cious, butter-smeared vegetables. " And what 
 are these mellow, fraofrant little thinofs in the 
 bottom of the pan ? Desire, methinks they 
 are berries." He put one into his mouth and 
 let the grateful juice season a fresh bite of 
 the chicken. " You dear child, you 're my 
 providence. Are the berries red like your 
 lips ? " He tried to look through the gloom 
 into her face. 
 
 " Now, Duane, we must get you away from 
 this place as soon as your feast is ended. I 
 never spent a more wretched day in my 
 life." 
 
 " And I 've made you wretched. Forgive 
 me. Desire. There, that piece of chicken 
 didn't taste half as good as the first." 
 
 He hesitated in his eating, and waited for 
 the girl to continue. 
 
 " Oh, do eat your feast and get what plea- 
 sure you can out of it, Duane, and don't mind 
 any hard or disagreeable words I may let fall. 
 These are hard times, and we 're not always 
 
ONE MYSTEBIOUS PASSENGER 237 
 
 responsible for what we say. I want to see 
 you safely landed on the other side, cousin, 
 and " — 
 
 " Don't cousin me, Desire Hardy. If I 'm 
 nothing more than a cousin to you, the jig 's 
 ended. I don't care what becomes of me. 
 I '11 go and deliver myself up to your great 
 friend. Major Tallmadge. They tell me he 's 
 a most dashing fellow, quite the peer of 
 Aaron Burr in his good looks and many 
 graces." 
 
 " Duane, you must hush. Somebody '11 
 hear us. It 's been almost impossible to keep 
 folks out of the cornfield by day, when we 
 could see them, and now it is night, any num- 
 ber of men might steal in here and surprise 
 us, and work their will upon you." She 
 trembled with fear as she spoke. 
 
 " Well, Desire, I '11 go ; I 'm sorry that 
 I 've worried you. But how could I keep 
 away at this time ? " 
 
 The first exhilaration of his feast had passed. 
 Appetite was now sated, and he must think 
 upon the perils that beset him. 
 
 "Everything has been arranged for your 
 trip across the Sound," said his companion 
 eagerly. " But you '11 have to submit to one 
 condition that will humble your pride, I sup- 
 
238 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 pose. You '11 do it for my sake, won't you, 
 Duane ? " 
 
 There was tender appeal in her voice. 
 
 " Desire, I 'd do anything for your sake, — 
 anything reasonable that did not reflect upon 
 honor, and that you could never ask of one. 
 What is it ? " 
 
 She whispered the condition, and he drew 
 back with repugnance. 
 
 " Child, child, why do you ask such a 
 thing ? " he said, with startling vehemence. 
 " I am ashamed to think of it. It is humili- 
 ating. I can't do it." 
 
 " Duane, there is nothing mean or dis- 
 graceful about the condition I propose. It 
 will enable us to get you away without trouble. 
 You must do as I say." 
 
 He was silent for a moment. 
 
 " Desire, kiss me. I '11 accept the condi- 
 tion." 
 
 There was a playful seriousness in the 
 answer, and the compact was sealed. 
 
 " Good-by," she said, when their interview 
 came to an end. " David will bring the 
 things to you. Remember, you are not to 
 speak a word except in an emergency. No 
 conversation ! The whaleboat will be at Pine 
 Cre'ek, and will leave you at the point men- 
 
ONE MYSTERIOUS PASSENGER 239 
 
 tioned near Huntington, and " — Duane 
 stood close by her side and held her hand 
 for a moment, as she whispered ; then, as she 
 drew it away and turned into the greater dark- 
 ness, she continued, with a spice of mischief, 
 " It was only a cousinly kiss, you know," and 
 disappeared. 
 
 , It might have been an hour later that 
 Desire Hardy and her brother were seen pass- 
 inof dow^n the main street toward Pine Creek. 
 They met various acquaintances, but did not 
 stop to do more than answer some question 
 or say a brief good-evening. They were evi- 
 dently in considerable haste, for their inter- 
 view with the pickets was the quickest possible. 
 By ten o'clock, they reached the short stretch 
 of beach on the west side of Pine Creek. The 
 lady stayed within the shelter of the trees, 
 while the gentleman picked a careful way 
 to the edge of the water, softly imitating 
 the notes of a whippoorwill. In response, a 
 dusky craft pushed along to the spot. Then 
 the gentleman returned to the bit of wood ; 
 there was a delay of two or three minutes ; 
 the man appeared a second time, wrapped in a 
 long military cape, and, springing into the 
 boat, he was off to sea. 
 
 Immediately, Desire returned to the village. 
 
240 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 although, had a close observer been on the 
 watch, he might have imagined that the 
 Desire Hardy who came back seemed perhaps 
 an inch shorter than the one who had left 
 the homestead earlier in the evening. 
 
 " Now we must pray all night that there be 
 no mishaps on the water, and that our cousin 
 gets safely to the house of Judge Jones in 
 good time to-morrow." 
 
 The Hardy family spent another restless 
 ten hours waiting for the coming of the 
 whaleboat with the word that the mysterious 
 passenger had been left without adventure or 
 accident on the Long Island shore. 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 A WRESTLING IVIATCH IN THE WOODS 
 
 Major Tallmadge had received secret in- 
 telligence that Tryon was to make Norwalk 
 the next objective point in his destruction of 
 the shore towns, so that the company of light 
 infantry and a great portion of the state 
 militia marched from Fairfield to the relief of 
 the imperiled neighbor. Billy the Butcher 
 crossed over to the fair village on Sunday 
 afternoon, the 11th. It had been expected 
 that a company of loyalists would rally to 
 their support and join with the redcoats in 
 their devastations. There were numerous 
 Tories holding constant communication with 
 the enemies of their country, serving the Brit- 
 ish marauders faithfully in this petty, malig- 
 nant harassment of the patriots. 
 
 It was about nine o'clock in the evening 
 when the enemy landed, and they lay upon 
 their arms all night. In the morning, they 
 made their way into the town, although Cap- 
 tain Betts and his company of Continentals 
 
242 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 tried to check their advance. The militia was 
 gathering, and Major Talhnadge was on the 
 march^ so that Tryon dared not delay his 
 work. No sooner had his minions entered the 
 village than the torch was applied. This was 
 not warfare : it was vandalism and wanton 
 cruelty to the defenseless. But Tryon took 
 his place on Grumman's Hill, overlooking the 
 town, and there, seated comfortably in his 
 chair, surveyed the hideous work. 
 
 Nearly everybody fled from the village, for 
 people had learned that " The Firebrand " 
 did not spare even women and children from 
 insult and terror. As the troops of Major 
 Tallmadge and the state miHtia were delayed, 
 the setting fire to the buildings and shipping 
 was not a long task. The first blaze ap- 
 peared about daylight, and by the middle of 
 the forenoon the conflagration was in full 
 blast. 
 
 "I'd like to burn the house of every traitor 
 in the land, and teach them that the penalty 
 of rebellion is no light matter." 
 
 Tryon addressed his refugee friend Sher- 
 wood Spalding, who was standing by his 
 side. 
 
 " But there are many brave and loyal men 
 who suffer with these people, your Excel- 
 
A WRESTLING MATCH IN THE WOODS 243 
 
 lency. And the homes of the Tories are 
 dear to them." 
 
 " I know it. They are involved in this 
 common disaster, and I am sorry for it, but 
 there is no help that I can suggest. Spalding, 
 what do you think of Livingstone ? You 
 have met him, have you not, at the house of 
 Judge Jones ? " 
 
 " I think, sir," and Spalding's eyes flamed 
 with resentment and hatred, " that he is a 
 dano^erous man to have within the lines. His 
 family are rank rebels. He may think that he 
 can do business, amass a fortune, and keep on 
 the fence all through the fight, but I doubt 
 it. I believe that fellow ought to be watched. 
 In fact, your Excellency, I 've done a little 
 watching of him myself ; his movements are 
 suspicious." 
 
 General Tryon was a man of quick insight 
 and varied experience. The very intensity 
 of feeling shown by Spalding suggested to 
 his listener that some personal grudge was 
 involved, so that the young man's testimony 
 defeated the purpose which he had in view. 
 
 Spalding wished to get rid of Duane Liv- 
 ingstone. He would have been glad to see 
 him in prison, or to hear of his sudden dis- 
 appearance through the exigencies of war. 
 
244 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 But General Tryon bad a liking for him ; 
 and while he was angry because Duane did 
 not come out like a man on the side of the 
 king and identify himself whole-heartedly 
 with the royal interests, yet be continued to 
 look upon him with favor, and secretly to 
 regard him with real affection. He had 
 known him as child, youth, man ; through 
 all these years, the happy flow of good spirits, 
 the gay, bright wit, and the frank, lovable 
 nature of the young gentleman had been to 
 General Tryon a source of real delight. 
 
 On two or three occasions, he had become 
 suspicious that Duane sympathized with the 
 rebels. But that was natural, under the cir- 
 cumstances. His family were ardent friends 
 of the Continental leaders, several of them 
 fighting in the ranks of the provincials; but 
 Tryon had an idea that, w^hile Duane was 
 a man of courage and spirit, he did not screw 
 himself up to the point where he would fight 
 ao^ainst his own kith and kin. Meanwhile, 
 there was no doubt that the young fellow had 
 a natural aptitude for trade, and was making 
 money with the keenest sort of enjoyment. 
 
 " Why, Spalding, you speak as if you har- 
 bored some personal rancor. Is there a lady 
 in the case ? " The or-overnor scrutinized his 
 companion with sharp eyes. 
 
A WRESTLING MATCH IN THE WOODS 245 
 
 " Well, sir/' answered Spalding, blushing 
 under the keen observation of the questioner, 
 " he has a cousin in Fairfield whom he vexes 
 with his attentions. She looks near enoup^h 
 like him to be his twin sister, but who wants 
 to marry a second self ? I think he affects 
 a regard for her simply to annoy other men, 
 and hold them at a distance and torture them, 
 if possible." 
 
 " At least, that is the way the thing stands 
 in your case," said the general maliciously, 
 as he took his eves off the young^ man's face 
 and swept with his glance the fascinating 
 scene stretchino; beneath him. 
 
 The conversation was interrupted at this 
 point by the approach of an aid, who in- 
 formed Governor Try on that the militia and 
 a small company of Continentals from Fair- 
 field were drawino- nio^h. So the commanding; 
 officer thouof-ht it best to bestir himself and 
 finish the work. 
 
 He had been playing Nero in a petty, fool- 
 ish way, although the parallelism fell short 
 of the fiddlers and a few other notable ac- 
 companiments. But Tryon took a peculiar 
 deliofht in the service which he was now 
 renderinof the kino^. He had these stiff- 
 necked, crafty Yankees on the hip, and he 
 
246 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 was doing with them much as he pleased. 
 How he reveled in their distress and anger ! 
 how he gloated over their losses and suffer- 
 ings ! how he cursed them for their meanness 
 and obduracy, their swaggering independence 
 and ingenious opposition ! 
 
 " Did n't I say that I 'd make the damned 
 rebels squirm ? " 
 
 This was the remark which sounded in 
 Spalding's ears, as the general left his \dew 
 point on Grumman's Hill and sent word for 
 his men to return to their boats. 
 
 It was while Norwalk was burning, the 
 royal troops getting ready to embark, and the 
 patriots encircling the foe, that David Hardy 
 ran across Sherwood Sjialding. The two 
 young men stood face to face. David's first 
 impulse was to shoot the refugee ; then he 
 held back, remembering old times and former 
 ties. They had played together since child- 
 hood, attending the same school, rowing in 
 the same boat, swimming through the same 
 surf, fishing in the same brook, — good friends 
 until the war divided them. No, David could 
 not shoot him. 
 
 Spalding was equally embarrassed. He had 
 always loved David ; he loved David's sister 
 even better. You might as well ask a son 
 
A WRESTLING MATCH IN THE WOODS 247 
 
 to shoot his mother. So they stared at each 
 other for a moment in the greatest dismay. 
 
 ^^ Sherwood, I never thought to see you 
 taking part in such a cruel thing as this ! " 
 exclaimed David. " You 're a traitor to your 
 native land, and I — I — ought to shoot 
 you ! " he continued, with hesitation. 
 
 " David, I Ve given you two or three warn- 
 ings," replied Spalding. '' The king is sure 
 to win. I suppose I ought to make you a 
 prisoner now, and drag you down to the fleet, 
 and hand you over to General Try on, but I 
 hate to do it." He shifted from one foot to 
 the other and leaned upon his musket. "I'm 
 sorry you 've lost your home, and that it is 
 necessary to chastise you rebels in this rough 
 way ; but, David, keep out of mischief, and 
 don't run over to Long Island any more, 
 unless you come to join the royal cause and 
 cast in your lot with us." 
 
 Spalding was talking rapidly. It was ne- 
 cessary for him to run for the fleet. If he 
 was left on the Connecticut shore, the chances 
 were that life would be of short or uncertain 
 tenure. 
 
 " Spalding," said David hurriedly, but with 
 conviction, " I must take you prisoner." He 
 made a sudden spring for him. 
 
248 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 " By Jove, David," cried Sherwood, " if 
 there 's any prisoner to be taken, I '11 take 
 you with me down to the boats." 
 
 Suiting action to their words, the young 
 men clinched with each other, wrestled vigor- 
 ously, and rolled over upon the ground down 
 into the underbrush, tearing their clothes, 
 scratching their faces, scattering their arms 
 and ammunition, continuing their set-to for 
 several minutes. 
 
 David had the easier task. It was simply 
 necessary for him to hold Spalding under 
 some restraint until help came or the fleet 
 sailed away, and the young refugee was his 
 assured prisoner. In order to secure David, 
 however, Spalding must drag him near 
 enough to the shore to make some of the 
 redcoats answer a call for help. He soon 
 discovered that this was a thing impossible 
 for him to do. So when, in the scuffle, Da- 
 vid's hold upon him was slightly relaxed, he 
 made a sudden dash for Hberty, and, having 
 shaken himself loose from his adversary, took 
 to his heels with all the speed of an Indian 
 runner, leaving musket and furnishings, with 
 more or less of his uniform, behind him. 
 
 " Well, perhaps it 's as well that he es- 
 caped," soliloquized David, as he rose from 
 
A WRESTLING MATCH IN THE WOODS 249 
 
 the ground, gathered up his arms and am- 
 munition, and took possession of his foe's 
 belono'ino^s. ^^It would have been an un- 
 pleasant business to hand him over to the 
 authorities. Perhaps Desire likes him, and 
 would have felt sorry. I don't wish to be 
 mean, even to a refugee like Sherwood." 
 
 Coming out from the woods on top of a 
 hill, David saw the enemy in retreat. The 
 thick clouds of smoke that hovered above the 
 town concealed the extent of the conflao^ra- 
 tion, but there were only a few buildings that 
 escaped destruction. The losses were almost 
 as large as they had been in Fairfield ; the 
 insult, cruelty, and wickedness fully equal. 
 Flames leaped through the blackness occa- 
 sionally, seeming to David like red tongues 
 reaching into space that they might torture 
 the air itself. The roar and din beneath 
 reminded him of Milton's pictures of the in- 
 fernal regions. This was making hell on 
 earth, and what other terms better describe 
 the hideous riot and agony of warfare ? 
 
 The patriots gave the invaders not a little 
 annoyance, although the skirmishing did not 
 rise to the dignity of a drawn battle. Gen- 
 eral Parsons arrived with his Continentals, so 
 that a force of a thousand men hung upon 
 
250 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 the skirts o£ the enemy. More than twenty 
 British soldiers were killed, more than a hun- 
 dred wounded. 
 
 But the fight was soon over, and David 
 returned home. Drawing near the familiar 
 place of Mr. Ripley, at Green Farms, he 
 found the minister's house gone, his sanc- 
 tuary a heap of ruins, and the whole neigh- 
 borhood desolated. Entering again into the 
 streets of Fairfield, he was met by eager 
 questioners, anxious to know the fate of 
 friends, or to inquire about the latest deeds 
 of " Billy the Butcher." 
 
 " Desire," said he, sitting down beside the 
 door of their cabin, wiping the sweat and 
 dust from his grimy face, "it is sickening. 
 God never intended that I should be a sol- 
 dier. I 've not the stomach for it." 
 
 Then he told the story of Norwalk, ending 
 with the meeting of Spalding and his escape. 
 The tears streamed down the faces of his 
 listeners as they heard his narrative. When 
 would the wild work end? 
 
 " I suppose it is Stamford next," said 
 David, " although the enemy were afraid of 
 us, and hastened to their boats when we gath- 
 ered in force." 
 
 " Sherwood Spalding tried to take you 
 
A WBESTLING MATCH IN THE WOODS 251 
 
 prisoner, did he, or make a turncoat and a 
 redcoat o£ you ? " It was Lois speaking in 
 the midst of her tears. " I 'd like to tell him 
 what I thought about it," she continued. 
 " He would n't dare to talk to me that way 
 many minutes." 
 
 " Well, he did n't have a great while to 
 talk with me," replied David, smihng, as he 
 called to mind the scene when they grappled 
 with each other and rolled over and over 
 upon the ground. 
 
 " The wretches ! Did you hear what 
 ^ Billy the Butcher ' said to poor Mrs. Beers, 
 with her babe in arms ? ' You 've got a 
 pretty child ; is it yours ? ' 
 
 " ' Yes,' she said. 
 
 " ' Are you willing it should be cut up 
 and made a pie of ? They say the Congress 
 eat such pies, and they are very good.' And 
 Mrs. Beers ran away from him with all her 
 mio-ht. The brute ! How I wish we had 
 him here in this cabin ! " 
 
 " Why, child," said David wearily, " what 
 would you do with the man ? " 
 
 " I 'd do as Jael did with Sisera. I 'd drive 
 a peg through his forehead and nail him to 
 the ground." Lois looked it, so savage and 
 vindictive was her aspect. 
 
252 AN UNKNOWN PATBIOT 
 
 " You ought to have heard what the hell- 
 hounds (that 's what Burr calls them) said 
 when they set the meeting-house on fire ! 
 The sacrilegious wretches." 
 
 " What was it ? " asked Lois. 
 
 " ' Now, God Almighty, come and defend 
 your own house,' they shouted ; then a dozen 
 of them applied the torch, and danced about 
 the sanctuary like a band of savages. 
 
 " I used to think that the Cherokees of 
 North Carolina gave Try on the very name 
 that suited him," observed Desire. "^The 
 Great Wolf ' is wonderfully expressive. And 
 I thought the Sons of Liberty hit the nail 
 on the head when they dubbed him ' Billy 
 the Butcher.' But we folks in Connecticut 
 must hold to the name that comports mth 
 his character as we see it. Don't you think 
 ' The Firebrand ' is best of all, David ? " 
 
 " The very name ! The very name ! " 
 shouted Lois. "Wolf! Butcher! Firebrand!" 
 
 " Why, Desire, we Yankees are ingenious. 
 Yes, that 's a happy title." 
 
 David smiled at the conceit. But he was 
 too tired and worried to enter into the humor 
 of the girls' bright sayings. 
 
 The prospects before them were poor. 
 There was nothing but a mean, rude hut for 
 
A WRESTLING MATCH IN THE WOODS 253 
 
 shelter ; their food supply was running low, a 
 good portion of their crops ruined ; David's 
 hands were tied so that he could not ven- 
 ture into the world and try to earn a living 
 for the family ; Connecticut was now hard 
 pressed, and many people had grown dis- 
 heartened ; the currency had depreciated to 
 such an extent that it was not worth much 
 more than the paper on which its good 
 promises were printed ; and the Tories were 
 harassing the patriots by day and by night, 
 gloating over the turn of events, and pro- 
 phesying direst things to incorrigible rebels. 
 
 Only a few days previous to the recent 
 descent of Tryon on the coast, a county con- 
 vention had been held in Fairfield to discuss 
 the currency question ; while on July 1st, the 
 town had appointed John Morehouse, Jr., 
 and Nathaniel Seeley to provide clothing for 
 the town soldiers in the Continental service, 
 — to such straits had the men been reduced 
 by war. 
 
 The selectmen had been requested to order 
 ten men in addition to the former guards to 
 look after the protection of the town. Thad- 
 deus Burr, Jonathan Sturges, and Samuel 
 Squire were chosen a committee to see the 
 governor and the Council of Safety, and 
 
254 AN UNKNOWN PATBIOT 
 
 request that some vessel or vessels of force 
 guard the coast against the further designs 
 of the enemy during the summer season. 
 
 These were days of deep gloom. Governor 
 Trumbull still braved the trials of his posi- 
 tion, infusing his own spirit of hopefulness 
 and confidence into wavering hearts. Gen- 
 eral Washington felt the need of diverting 
 the enemy from further depredations upon 
 the unprotected coast of Connecticut. 
 
 It was like the sun breaking through some 
 rift in the clouds and lighting up once more 
 the storm-bound landscape when news came 
 that, on the morning of the 16th, "Mad" 
 Anthony Wayne had assaulted Stony Point, 
 killing fifty of the garrison, and taking pris- 
 oner almost ten times as many. General 
 Tryon had remained at Huntington, prepar- 
 ing for another move alongshore, and the 
 burning of other helpless towns ; but the 
 lively work of Wayne, and intimations of 
 similar attacks in the neighborhood of New 
 York, forced him to a speedy return, so that 
 Connecticut was given a respite from The 
 Great Wolf Billy the Butcher Firebrand 
 Tryon. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE WHALEBOAT PARTY 
 
 The first weeks which followed the burning 
 of Fairfield were filled with ceaseless activity. 
 The guard was now increased to fifty men 
 in the Prime Ancient Society, twenty-five 
 at Green's Farms, and fifteen at Strathfield, 
 although there was little probability that the 
 foe would make a second raid on the town 
 during the present summer. People set to 
 work with all the energy at their command 
 to make themselves temporary shelters, shops, 
 stores, and barns. Religious services were 
 held at private houses. The few days when 
 citizens were able to think of little else than 
 the stern necessities of life soon passed, and 
 the sufferers recovered from their stunned 
 and strickened state. 
 
 On the 20th of July, they held a special 
 town meeting, when it was voted " that J. 
 Lewis, Thaddeus Burr, George Burr, Samuel 
 Wakeman, Jonathan Sturges (e^ al.) be a com- 
 mittee to put about subscriptions to raise 
 
256 yiN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 money as a reward for any person or persons 
 that shall captivate and take prisoner General 
 William Tryon, who commanded the British 
 troops when they burnt the town, and that 
 said committee issue a proclamation offering 
 such reward as shall be subscribed for that 
 purpose." Then it was voted that Mr. Andrew 
 Rowland, Jonathan Sturges, and Thaddeus 
 Burr draw up a narrative of the proceedings 
 of Governor Tryon in the destruction of the 
 town, and also point out his treatment of 
 the inhabitants that tarried in the town, and 
 the instances where he violated his own pro- 
 clamation. 
 
 This proclamation which Tryon scattered 
 in his visits to the shore towns excited the 
 ridicule of its citizens. 
 
 " Talk about ' frenzy,' " exclaimed David, 
 " why, it is simply our enthusiasm for Hb- 
 erty. 
 
 " Yes, and see what he says about our be- 
 ing a monument of his mercy ! It 's a good 
 deal more like beino^ a monument to his bar- 
 barity, I think," cried Desire. " Was n't it a 
 grand reply which Colonel Whiting sent to 
 old ' Great Wolf Billy the Butcher Firebrand 
 Tryon ' ? " interrupted Lois excitedly. 
 
 " Yes," answered Desire; "and Major Tall- 
 
THE WHALEBOAT PARTY 257 
 
 mado^e has written us what General Washinof- 
 ton said : * It is truly ridiculous, and must 
 tend to incense rather than intimidate/ he 
 said. But the general admired Colonel Whit- 
 ing's reply: ^It is laconic, but to the pur- 
 pose/ I like to repeat it." 
 
 And then she took the words, of the mes- 
 sage, which had been memorized by many of 
 the patriots, and said them over for the hun- 
 dredth time : " ^ Sir, Connecticut having nobly 
 dared to oppose the usurpations of an unjust 
 and oppressive nation (as flames have pre- 
 ceded the answer to your flag), we hope they 
 will still continue, as far as in their power, to 
 protect persecuted and oppressed innocence.' " 
 
 On Friday, the 30th, Parson Eliot met his 
 people on the Green in front of the ruined 
 sanctuary, and conducted a preparatory lec- 
 ture. It was a pathetic scene. The listeners 
 seated themselves on the down-trodden turf 
 in a compact body, hearing his words with 
 eager ears and loving hearts, for he was com- 
 forting them in their affliction and thrilling 
 them with his appeals. "Not a house for my 
 shelter," said he in the address, " two thirds 
 of my personal estate plundered and con- 
 sumed, a wife and three small children depend- 
 ent on me for their maintenance. . . I feel 
 
258 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 myself in a state of uncertainty as to many 
 of the necessities of life." Their eyes were 
 filled with tears, for his poverty and losses 
 were simply like to their own. Yet he loyally, 
 trustingly continued, " I am ready to undergo 
 any difficulties in the work of the ministry 
 for your sakes." The elms did not even yield 
 them a shade on that sorrowful occasion, for 
 the leaves were sere and crisp with the blight 
 of fire. Nevertheless, they were glad to meet 
 in peace even amid scarred trees, scorched 
 grass, and fitful ash-heaps. And when on 
 Sunday morning, August the 1st, the people 
 gathered at the house of Justin Hobart, one 
 of the four in the centre of the town which 
 weathered the fire-storm, their hearts w^ent 
 forth in gratitude. Pastor Eliot had recov- 
 ered from the illness induced by the worry 
 and strain of the conflagration, friends had 
 rallied to their help and sent them needed 
 supplies, prophets of light and hope spake 
 often to them concerning victory and inde- 
 pendence. 
 
 On August the 31st, the citizens voted to 
 build a new town house on the same spot 
 of ground where the late schoolhouse had 
 stood near the old structure. This was one 
 of the early manifestations of public spirit, — 
 
THE WHALEBOAT PARTY 259 
 
 an assuring forerunner of later and larger 
 work. 
 
 All through the war, the Sound had been 
 filled with British and American craft prey- 
 ing upon each other and the shore people, so 
 that the unwary farmer or tradesman was 
 never safe. 
 
 Connecticut privateersmen busied them- 
 selves in these skirmishes. Still, the annoy- 
 ance visited upon the patriots by Tory raiders 
 did not lessen. So on the 5th of September, 
 Major Tallmadge (who had been honored 
 with a separate command) undertook an expe- 
 dition against the enemy at Lloyd's Neck, 
 where there was a strong fortified post and 
 five hundred troops. The patriots embarked 
 from Shippan Point, near Stamford, in the 
 evening, landing on the Long Island shore 
 about ten. The attack was sudden and un- 
 expected, nearly the whole party of refugee 
 marauders and freebooters encamped behind 
 the fort being captured, their boats destroyed, 
 and huts razed to the ground, Major Tall- 
 madge returning without the loss of a man. 
 
 " It was a real ' Sword of the Lord and 
 Gideon ' adventure," said David to the young 
 hero. 
 
 They were taking counsel together within 
 
260 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 the Hardy cabin ; for the brilliant favorite of 
 Washington had hastened over to Fairfield to 
 look after some further details of the Secret 
 Service. 
 
 " Thank you for a good opinion of the 
 enterprise/' was Major Tallmadge's reply. 
 " There 's another task that might be done 
 on Long Island, which I think would result 
 to our advantage." 
 
 " You pique our curiosity, sir/' exclaimed 
 Desire. 
 
 " We need General Silliman. He is a vigi- 
 lant, conscientious officer, familiar with this 
 coast, and held in great esteem by the people. 
 But we have no man of equal position and 
 importance to offer the British in exchange." 
 
 There was that suggested by the manner 
 of Major Tallmadge which proved quite as 
 siofnificant as words. David did not see the 
 drift of his thought, but Desire, gifted with 
 all the fine intuitions of a woman, was quick 
 to respond. 
 
 " I hear," she observed, " that Judge Jones 
 keeps open house at ' Tryon Hall.' " 
 
 " I believe you are well informed upon that 
 point," said Major Tallmadge, as he lifted his 
 eyebrows and shot a look of keen intelligence 
 into the face of the charming woman by his 
 side. 
 
THE WHALEBOAT PARTY 261 
 
 Days passed, with all the pressure of harvest 
 and the vexations of petty depredation along 
 the coast. Every night there were boats of 
 all sorts shoving off from Black Rock, New- 
 field, Stratford, Pine Creek, Corapo, ShijDpan 
 Point, and a score of other places, which 
 made for the Long Island shore ; sometimes, 
 they met a Tory foe in the middle of the 
 Sound and had a water fight, and again they 
 came to blows on land. Often, they fell upon 
 the marauders or their allies when the com- 
 ing was swift and unexpected, so that the 
 work was done in briefest time, and the pa- 
 triots sailed away on the sea before any alarm 
 had sounded. 
 
 It was therefore not an extraordinary event 
 when Captain Hawley and his chosen band of 
 helpers, one night in November, crossed over 
 from Newfield harbor to Stony Brook, disap- 
 pearing in the darkness of the woods. 
 
 " We marched the rest of the night, and 
 then lay hid in the bushes through the day," 
 said David, in telling his story to Desire and 
 Lois. " It was Saturday evening when we 
 reached Jones's place, and* I was so surprised 
 to see his elegant and commodious mansion. 
 Duane has never told us that the judge 
 lives in such handsome style and entertains 
 
262 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 with such lavish hospitality. Why, the win- 
 dows were all ablaze with light, and there 
 were as many as fifteen or twenty of them in 
 the front, I should think. He calls the place 
 ' Tryon Hall/ you know, because he is a great 
 friend of the governor's ; and it was at Tryon's 
 house in New York that Duane met Judge 
 Jones and his family so many times, and 
 began his friendship with the justice. Well, 
 when we arrived, it was evident that some- 
 thing out of the ordinary kind was going on. 
 We heard music, and then the patter of many 
 feet, and the noise of many voices." 
 
 " ^ Boys, it 's a party we 've come to ! ' whis- 
 pered Captain Hawley. ' I hope you 're all 
 dressed for the occasion.' 
 
 " ' Yes, yes,' answered back the men, in 
 stealthy, sepulchral tones. ' We 're in full 
 dress.' 
 
 " Then we surrounded the house, and some 
 of the men climbed in at the upper windows 
 and helped themselves to what stuff they 
 could lay their hands on, and others went in 
 by the back way and told the servants to 
 keep still and they would n't get hurt, while 
 some of us knocked at the front door and 
 invited Judge Jones to accompany us on our 
 return to Fairfield. He did n't seem to hke 
 

 < 
 
 
THE WHALEBOAT PARTY 263 
 
 it, and there was considerable excitement in 
 the house. I wish some o£ our men had n't 
 been so greedy, but they told Captain Haw- 
 ley, after they crossed, that they would n't 
 budge an inch, or do a thing to help, unless 
 he gave them the privilege of taking any little 
 keepsakes they might have a fancy for, and 
 so they helped themselves to whatever they 
 liked, while Judge Jones was preparing for 
 his march. And who do you think was there 
 at the house? Why, if you will believe 
 it, Duane Livingstone and Sherwood Spal- 
 ding. Captain Hawley saw them. Sherwood 
 disappeared. I suppose he 's in mortal terror 
 of his life, for he knows how people feel about 
 him here in Fairfield. But Duane faced the 
 company, and was left undisturbed. I felt 
 real sorry for Judge Jones. He seems like 
 a fine, courtly gentleman, except that his 
 Toryism is rampant. After we started on 
 our tramp over the island, Duane joined me. 
 He had managed to say, in the confusion, 
 that I must lag behind and give him a chance. 
 So he told me what little news there was, how 
 hard he finds it now to get back and forth 
 between city and country, and then he gave 
 me a letter for you. Here it is." 
 
 The speaker handed a small, well-folded 
 
264 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 packet to his sister, who received it with an 
 assumed matter of fact air. 
 
 " I think Duane looks worn and troubled. 
 He did n't seem natural and happy, as he 
 usually does. I wish he 'd get off the fence 
 and throw in his fortunes with the patriot 
 army. That 's the one thing that puzzles 
 me about him. I used to think he was the 
 bravest, frankest kind of a fellow. And I 
 can't help beHeving it now. But how shall 
 I reconcile his course with any standard of 
 true manliness ? " David spoke with genuine 
 sorrow. 
 
 " Never mind about Duane," said Desire 
 hurriedly. " Tell me how you reached home." 
 
 " Well, we traveled over little hills, through 
 morasses, and by rough fields in the thickest 
 forests. We hastened with all our might, 
 for there are troops encamped in the neigh- 
 borhood of Fort Neck, and we expected an 
 alarm would be given and pursuit made. 
 When it grew light, w^e were compelled to 
 conceal ourselves and wait anxiously for the 
 next night. Then we pressed on again, hav- 
 ing only stale biscuit and poor cheese to eat, 
 rending our clothes among the briers, cutting 
 into the flesh, as you see " (David pointed to 
 the interlaced red lines that disfigured his 
 
THE WHALEBOAT PARTY 265 
 
 countenance well-nigli beyond recognition), 
 " losing our hats and some of the spoil that 
 the men had taken with them, reaching the 
 shore after an awful night of toil and anx- 
 iety. But we had no serious annoyances 
 from the enemy. Two or three times we ran 
 against stray Tories, and once we thought to 
 have a brush with some of the refugees that 
 have donned the British uniform ; but at last 
 we came to our whaleboat, and thankful 
 enouo^h we were to find ourselves once more 
 upon the water scudding over to our harbor. 
 Judo^e Jones acted sullen and ag^o^rieved. I 
 suppose the falling into ditches, and climbing 
 over hedges and fences, and the eating poor, 
 scant fare, and having one's clothes half torn 
 from the back by briers and bushes, does n't 
 tend to make one cheerful, but he might at 
 least have borne his trouble with his usual 
 dignity." 
 
 " Oh, well, David, dignity will generally go 
 to the winds when it comes to scrambling 
 through a strange rough country on dark 
 nights." 
 
 " We took him up to Mrs. Silliman's after 
 we landed," continued the narrator. "As 
 General Silliman was in captivity on Long 
 Island, and Judge Jones had met him many 
 
266 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 times and they had become quite friendly, it 
 seemed the thing to do, and then Mrs. Silli- 
 man had invited us, for she thought it would 
 give her a chance to ask about her husband. 
 As we entered, Mrs. Silliman said to our 
 prisoner : — 
 
 " ' The fortunes of war have brought you 
 here under disagreeable circumstances.' 
 
 " ' Did they plunder when they took your 
 husband?' he replied. 
 
 " ' Not much,' said Mrs. Silliman ; although 
 you remember. Desire, that they did take 
 whatever silver they could find, and anything 
 else that was valuable to them and easily 
 transported. 
 
 " ' Well, madam,' answered Judge Jones, 
 ' they have plundered my house. I don't 
 believe they have left my wife with a second 
 sheet.' 
 
 " ' I am very sorry to hear it,' said Mrs. 
 Silliman, ' and I hope it is not as bad as you 
 fear. But I have prepared some refreshment 
 for you, sir, and I shall be pleased to have 
 you sit with us at our table.' Judge Jones 
 thanked her and accepted the hospitality, 
 although not with very good grace, and there 
 I left him. But you know that he is not to 
 stay here in Fairfield. They fear the Tories. 
 
THE WHALEBOAT PARTY 267 
 
 They are thick as bees in Newtown, and they 
 use the harbor at Newfield as their special 
 point of departure for parts unknown. Our 
 neighbors have petitioned the governor and 
 council to do something to stop the thieving 
 and confiscating that goes on right under the 
 noses of the people. I think they '11 send 
 our prisoner or prisoners (for we took a young 
 man with Judge Jones) to Middletown, where 
 he '11 be out of the way and hard for the 
 Tories to reach." 
 
 Desire had been fingering the small packet 
 which David had discovered while fumbling 
 in his pockets. She had taken it from him 
 during their conversation, while in his absorp- 
 tion, having failed to note the fact, he con- 
 tinued to examine his clothes, seeming to have 
 a faint impression that something was in some 
 hiding-place and ought to be forthcoming. 
 
 " Don't bother yourself, David," said De- 
 sire at last, with a faint gleam of fun. " I 've 
 found it. I suppose you 're looking after 
 this ? " She held up the article before her 
 brother's face. 
 
 " Why, yes. Desire, where in the world did 
 you get it? I put it here, or somewhere 
 else." 
 
 As he made the remark, he laid his hand 
 
268 AN UNKNOWN PATBIOT 
 
 first upon an inner vest pocket and then on 
 the leg of his right boot. 
 
 ^' You gave it to me, Mr. Dreamer/' said 
 his sister laughingly. " David, some day 
 you '11 forget your name. We '11 have to 
 label you ; but, dear soul, you must be tired 
 and hungry. Here comes Chloe to tell you 
 that she 's made some hot cakes and any 
 number of nice things for you." 
 
 So while the young man was satisfying the 
 cravings of a half -famished stomach, his sister, 
 having withdrawn to her room, was decipher- 
 ing the curious hieroglyphics in her letter. 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THEY DINE OX TURKEY IX MID-SEA 
 
 It was a rude cabin in which the Hardy 
 family lived through the autumn and winter 
 of '79 and '80. A sum of money had been 
 collected in the county of Hartford, according 
 to the recommendation of Governor Trumbull, 
 for the relief of sufferers in New Haven, Fair- 
 field, and Nor walk, and a portion of it had 
 been passed over to Jonathan Sturges for dis- 
 tribution ; but David and Desire declined the 
 proffered help. The season was the severest 
 that had ever visited the country. Long Island 
 Sound being frozen over so that men walked 
 or drove from one shore to the other. In 
 spite of the cold weather, there were numer- 
 ous expeditions across this frozen sea, and the 
 distress was well-nio;h unmitig-ated. 
 
 In March, Captain Peter Thorpe was per- 
 mitted by the governor to procure and export 
 to the eastward (the ice having broken up 
 and the cold being modified) twenty-five bar- 
 rels of pork, thirty of flour, five hundred 
 
270 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 bushels of corn, two hundred o£ rye, and a 
 thousand pounds of flax, to be exchanged for 
 boards, glass, and other necessaries, so that a 
 few of the citizens of the town mio^ht rebuild 
 their houses or shops under the authority of 
 the selectmen, and in accordance with the 
 proper regulations of the naval office. 
 
 All trade had been at a standstill for years, 
 and it was with the greatest difficulty that 
 one bouo-ht the commonest articles used in 
 building. Some of this stuff which Captain 
 Thorpe was to get had been engaged by David 
 Hardy. Terrible suffering through the winter 
 months had forced him to accept the aid 
 offered by Duane. The wind and the snow had 
 played havoc with their cabin. There were 
 days when they ate frozen food. Crowded 
 into their hut, and crouching over the sput- 
 tering fire, they lived amid clouds of smoke, 
 which filled the low spaces and gave them 
 aching eyes and sore throats ; but they were 
 not worse off than their neighbors, so that in 
 the fellowship of pain they encouraged each 
 other, and bore up bravely for the sake of 
 native land. 
 
 Cold might hold them in its vice-like grip, 
 storms might rage and bury the hut in snow 
 (then they were passably warm), poverty might 
 
THEY DINE ON TURKEY IN MID-SEA 271 
 
 stint them to the coarsest, commonest fare ; 
 nevertheless hope was swelling within the 
 breast. France had finally come to their 
 rescue in a generous way. Assurance was 
 now made doubly sure that the patriots must 
 win the day. 
 
 " I know it 's hard," said Desire, as Lois 
 complained of her frost-bitten ears and David 
 referred to a frozen nose, " but we '11 have a 
 better shelter next winter, and we shall soon 
 see the dawning of a true liberty day." 
 
 The faith and courage of this young woman 
 helped to sustain many a worn, depressed soul. 
 No soldier in the conflict showed a nobler 
 spirit of self-denial, or a grander purpose to 
 fiorht the issue to its victorious end. 
 
 The Hardy family might be living in close 
 quarters, subjected to unwonted deprivation, 
 yet their cabin was the centre of attraction 
 for the young patriots of the shore, and De- 
 sire continued to inflame these visitors with a 
 fresh and beautiful enthusiasm, for the cause 
 of human freedom. The Continental army 
 and its needs, the state of the local militia, 
 the stirring writings of Paine, the speeches in 
 the American Congress, the turn of events in 
 the south or north, — everything pertaining 
 to the great struggle was on her tongue's 
 
272 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 end. She had familiarized herself with the 
 condition of the currency ; she talked with 
 intellio^ence concernino^ the difficulties con- 
 nected with short enlistments, scant clothing, 
 raw troops, disaffected officers and privates. 
 In her serious, w^se reflection, she had can- 
 vassed every question suggested by the dis- 
 eourao^ements of the hour. 
 
 " I 'm ashamed of my countrymen that 
 suffer under an attack of the cannon fever 
 and skulk away home," she observed to Major 
 Tallmadge, who made bitter complaints over 
 the frequency of desertions ; " but w^e must 
 remember that the majority of our soldiers 
 knew little or nothing about service. They 've 
 been brought up to the plough. The shock of 
 warfare unnerves them, and they have yet to 
 learn that mastery of self which enables one 
 to resist the first onset of such a foe." 
 
 So Desire souo^ht to relieve the burden of 
 chagrin and disappointment manifested by 
 some of the patriot officers, and to excite a 
 larger confidence in poor, weak humanity. 
 
 She was still the tireless comforter in 
 homes where sickness and sorrow came, show- 
 ing infinite tact in her treatment of different 
 individuals, adapting herself to their moods 
 and conditions with delicate sympathy, bring- 
 ing cheer and gladness with her presence. 
 
THEY DINE ON TURKEY IN MID-SEA 273 
 
 This robust patriotism often suggested some- 
 thing of a masculine nature in her constitu- 
 tion. She had a forceful, startling way of 
 expressing an opinion on public affairs. In 
 her championship of independence and ur- 
 gency to drive the British from the land, she 
 was charged with unsexing herself, defying 
 the rigid conventionalities of good society. 
 There was a strength of mind, a loftiness of 
 purpose, a conception of duty, a superiority to 
 circumstances about her that reminded close 
 observers of some ancient hero and martyr. 
 
 And yet Desire had all the fine sensibilities, 
 the subtle graces, peculiar to the highest tyjDe 
 of womanhood. It was simply that in her 
 absorbing devotion to country she had passed 
 for the time being beyond the recognition of 
 sex. A patriot was a patriot, whatever might 
 be the cut of the g^arment or the cast of the 
 mind. She was sweet and gentle in the 
 home, her heart yearned over the little circle 
 grouped about her ; but she felt a call to 
 take some part in the enfranchisement of her 
 country. If she was not permitted to shoulder 
 a musket and march to meet the foe, she 
 might kindle a flame of patriotism, or fan it 
 into a little conflagration, among the people 
 that touched her life. 
 
274 AN UNKNOWN PATBIOT 
 
 Perchance, while rendering this service to 
 the progress of liberty, there might come the 
 opportunity to do some better work, and give 
 life itself if need be. That was her spirit 
 and vocation these days, and she represented 
 a class of patriots that served to infuse fresh 
 zeal and determination into thousands of 
 hearts when the tide seemed to turn against 
 the new States, and a few men would fain 
 have entered into compromise with the op- 
 pressor. 
 
 The exchange of General Silliman and 
 Judge Jones having been arranged, the latter 
 was brought to Fairfield ; but in the passing 
 of papers, David was sent as a messenger to 
 Lebanon, and his sister accompanied him. 
 They traveled on horseback. Although they 
 knew the governor, this was the first time that 
 his Excellency had entertained them in his 
 home. 
 
 The house was a comely two-storied wooden 
 structure, double doors admitting the visit- 
 ors to a hall running through the centre. It 
 was set low on the ground, the big chimney 
 towering above it, — a square, roomy, simple 
 dwelling, having the appearance of comfort 
 and prosperity. The war office was near, a 
 low, hipped-roofed structure, with attic, three 
 
THEY DINE ON TUBKEY IN MID-SEA 275 
 
 windows, and a door in front, one window in 
 each end, a great chimney, and an old well- 
 sweep standing guard on the left. 
 
 Governor Trumbull was seventy years old 
 at this time, a small, finely featured man, an- 
 tique in his dress, formal and dignified in 
 manners, didactic and methodical, a lover of 
 business and action, absorbed in public af- 
 fairs, devoted to his country with a passion 
 that was electric and masterful. 
 
 " I have considered the matter," said he to 
 David, when his message — both spoken and 
 written — had been delivered. " I have re- 
 ferred it to my council, and we are ready to 
 do all in our power to expedite affairs." 
 
 As he spoke, the elaborate wig upon his 
 head shook itself loose from the powder freely 
 scattered over it. He wore fine ruffles on his 
 wrists and in his bosom, a thick, high neck- 
 cloth supported his chin, while his wide- 
 skirted coat was buttoned nearly to the top, 
 now and then a space being left open through 
 which the spotless linen under-trimming ap- 
 peared. A benign, firm mouth, keen eyes, 
 high forehead, prominent nose, and spiritual 
 countenance impressed one with the extraor- 
 dinary character of the man. 
 
 " Methinks I have often heard our friend. 
 
276 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 Mr. Thaddeus Burr, speak o£ Desire Hardy. 
 Even the members of our Council of Safety 
 must turn one side on occasion and confide 
 to each other the homely gossip of town or 
 domestic circle." AYhile speaking, the good 
 man smiled paternally upon his lovely guest. 
 " But it is not often, child " (no wonder that 
 the governor addressed Desire with this famil- 
 iar term, for she appeared as fresh and girl- 
 ish in his presence as a maiden in her teens), 
 "that I hear a gentleman speak with such 
 loving praises concerning our patriotic girls. 
 Mr. Burr tells me you are the stanchest 
 defender of the true political faith in all the 
 country round." 
 
 " I fear, your Excellency, that my friend 
 speaks with overmuch kindness. He is a very 
 gallant gentleman, the soul of honor and 
 courtesy. Mayhap in the natural warmth 
 of his heart he puts too high a value upon 
 the poor services that I may render our be- 
 loved country." 
 
 " Thou art a modest-spoken maiden," con- 
 tinued the governor, "but I have heard other 
 wise observers give their testimony. I thank 
 God for such loyal souls among our women. 
 They are to us a mighty stay and support, 
 the solace and inspiration of our life." Deep 
 
THEY DINE ON TURKEY IN MID-SEA 277 
 
 emotion was manifest on the part of the 
 speaker, for a goodly report had come to 
 Governor Trumbull. The names of David 
 and Desire were both familiar to him. He 
 knew that on many occasions they had served 
 their country with rare fidelity. And now 
 he stood before them like some patriarch 
 bestowing a blessing upon the souls that had 
 proved worthy of his love. " Virtue ought 
 to be the object of all government," he con- 
 tinued reverently. " It is such a government 
 that we are foundinof in America. The men 
 and women who oive themselves to the task 
 will command the gratitude of all coming 
 generations. My friends, remember that the 
 business of religion must be our daily con- 
 cern. The people who love righteousness 
 and exalt God are the people who ought to 
 do the most and the best for the freedom of 
 the individual and the glory of a nation." 
 
 These lofty sentiments gave the travelers 
 something to think about on their return 
 to Fairfield. There was much pleasant con- 
 verse before the horse was brousfht to the 
 front door on the foUowino- mornino", and 
 the young folks became deeply interested in 
 the company that gathered in the hospitable 
 dwelling of this noble friend of liberty ; but 
 
278 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 time was precious, and they tarried no longer 
 than circumstances dictated. 
 
 "I met you at one wedding festival in 
 Fairfield/' said Governor Trumbull to Desire, 
 as the brother and sister bade their host fare- 
 well ; " and if God spares my life, I shall 
 hoj3e to meet you on another such occasion." 
 
 The grave and beautiful courtesy of the 
 old gentleman touched the heart of the young 
 woman. The lio-ht of an ardent faith in the 
 coming greatness of her country illumined 
 the face of Desire. 
 
 " May God speed the day when this land 
 shall be freed from the oppressor, and a mil- 
 lion happy homes adorn the fair landscape," 
 was the lady's reply. 
 
 " Amen," said Governor Trumbull. " May 
 God bless you, and make one of those happy 
 homes your own." 
 
 And so the travelers hastened from Leba- 
 non to Fairfield, enriched by the good man's 
 benediction. 
 
 The governor and his council demanded 
 the following parole of Judge Jones : — 
 
 "I, Thomas Jones, of Long Island, do 
 acknowledge myself a prisoner of war to 
 the United States of America, and do on my 
 sacred honor engage and promise to say nor 
 
THEY BINE ON TURKEY IN MID-SEA 279 
 
 do nothing contrary to the interests and in- 
 dependence of the said United States, and I 
 promise to go from Fairfield to Lebanon, in 
 the State of Connecticut, to Governor Trum- 
 bull and wait his further orders." 
 
 Thaddeus Burr was a witness to the paper. 
 
 When the time came to exchancre General 
 Silliman and Judge Jones, the general set off 
 from Long Island with his escort of redcoats, 
 while the judge sailed from the Connecticut 
 shore with his escort of patriots. The boats 
 met in the middle of the Sound, and it was 
 the hour for dinner. 
 
 They hailed each other. 
 
 " Is General Silliman in that boat ? " 
 shouted the leader of the patriots. 
 
 " Yes," was the answer. " Is Judge Jones 
 in your boat ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 The two craft came to close quarters, and 
 the prisoners arose and saluted ; then fol- 
 lowed hand to hand greetings and a moment 
 of excitement and confusion. 
 
 " Mrs. Silliman has sent a turkey for you to 
 feast upon, general," said one patriot sailor. 
 
 " And will Judge Jones stay wdth me for 
 an hour and join in the feast ? " 
 
 The happy commander of state militia was 
 
280 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 speaking to the justice o£ the Supreme Court 
 of New York. 
 
 " You honor me/' was the cordial reply. 
 " It gives me great pleasure to celebrate this 
 event by dining with my esteemed friend." 
 
 And soon the two gentlemen, with David 
 Hardy and Sherwood Spalding, were doing 
 credit to the fare which the foresight and 
 kindness of Mrs. Silliman had provided. 
 
 The conversation turned on Governor 
 Tryon, and Judge Jones waxed eloquent in 
 his eulogy. 
 
 " He is governor no longer," remarked the 
 judge. " Bitter foes have sought his re- 
 moval, and now that Robertson succeeds him, 
 affairs will run less smoothly than when 
 General Try on was at the head." 
 
 " It may be that we are unduly prejudiced 
 against him," rephed General Silliman, " but 
 to the people of Connecticut he seems any- 
 thing but an exemplary man. His course in 
 our State has been marked with great un- 
 kindness and barbarity." 
 
 " Simply the hard necessity of warfare ! " 
 exclaimed Judge Jones, with warmth. ''Tryon 
 is an honest, worthy, true-born Englishman, 
 whose word is as sacred and binding as his 
 obligation. He is beloved, esteemed, and 
 
THEY DINE ON TURKEY IN MID-SEA 281 
 
 almost adored by the people of New York. 
 Why, sir, when he was governor, he heard all 
 complaints with the utmost patience, his ears 
 were always open as well to the rich as the 
 poor, he was easy of access, kind, charitable, 
 humane, and benevolent, a gentleman of ac- 
 tivity, but sincere and honorable." 
 
 David's eyes glittered threateningly during 
 the speech, while General Silliman smiled with 
 an air of generous indulgence. 
 
 Doubtless Judge Jones had seen the best 
 side of The Great Wolf. So far as the eulo- 
 gist knew, he had never appeared in his role 
 of Billy the Butcher ; and Judge Jones 
 doubtless felt that as a Firebrand, Tryon was 
 simply doing his duty in Connecticut. 
 
 " Why, sir," continued this brave apologist 
 of the royal governor, " he despised, ab- 
 horred, abominated all kinds of peculation, 
 and never did a mean act while in office. I 
 consider him a valiant soldier, a man of strict 
 integrity, and a good Christian." 
 
 As Judge Jones was now the guest of 
 General Silliman and the patriots were jubi- 
 lant over his return to Fairfield and his post 
 of duty, there was nothing for them to do 
 but listen with incredulity or astonishment to 
 such praise of the British officer. 
 
282 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 " Well, sir/' answered General Silliman, 
 " I perceive that our views on Governor Tryon 
 do not coincide. But I think we agree that 
 this day is a happy one for both of us. I 
 have not seen my little son Benjamin, who 
 was born after I had been taken to Long 
 Island. And I know that my faithful spouse 
 is awaiting my return with full heart." 
 
 " And I, sir," exclaimed the judge, " shall 
 receive a royal welcome from my family and 
 friends, .and once more shall find myself in 
 the current of public events, although held 
 in check by force of circumstances. Yes, it 
 is a day of gladness for both of us. Yet 
 methinks that clouds shut out a great part 
 of the light, and the storm shows no sign of 
 passing." He turned toward David, abruptly 
 changing the subject of conversation. " Your 
 likeness to your cousin, sir, is remarkable. I 
 think it would be impossible for me to tell 
 you apart." 
 
 " It is often observed," replied David 
 gravely, " sometimes I fear to our mutual 
 embarrassment." 
 
 " And there is a sister, if I mistake not," 
 continued the judge. " Did I not see her 
 with Mrs. Silliman in Fairfield ? " 
 
 " My twin sister," said David courteously. 
 
JUDGE THOMAS JONES 
 
THEY DINE ON TURKEY IN MIDSEA 283 
 
 " A very decorous, lovely young woman," 
 continued the judge. " What a strange coin- 
 cidence that you three people should be such 
 imaofes of one another." 
 
 " I think it would be hard to find a young 
 lady and gentleman more unlike in nature 
 than Miss Desire Hardy and Mr. Duane Liv- 
 ingstone," interrupted Spalding. " The lady 
 is the briofhtest and noblest of her sex." 
 
 There was a moment's break in the conver- 
 sation : Judo^e Jones had entertained Duane 
 Livingstone and Sherwood Spalding many 
 times at Tryon Hall, and had observed that 
 the best of feeling did not exist between them. 
 
 '^ I 've got your musket and a few other 
 things which you dropped in the woods on 
 the edge of Nor walk," whispered David to 
 the Fairfield Tory and refugee. 
 
 Spalding moved uneasily in his seat, and 
 the color mounted his face. 
 
 " Keep them for me, my friend," was the 
 reply, made in undertone. " Some day I '11 
 go over and get the stuff." 
 
 There was a significant nod of the head, 
 and an air of provoking confidence on the 
 part of the speaker. 
 
 " Yes, you '11 find them ready for you when 
 you come; " and David's manner was that of 
 warnino' or challeno^e. 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 A WOUNDED MAN IN THE ATTIC 
 
 The summer was another season of depres- 
 sion. Little occurred to strengthen the faith 
 of the patriots, and there were weeks which 
 never discovered a single rift in the war 
 clouds. Men deserted shamelessly from the 
 American army, and others entered into 
 secret correspondence with the enemy, sim- 
 ply biding the time for their defection. 
 
 There was a great deal of public wrangling 
 and private jealousy among the patriots, so 
 that one did not feel sure of his man, and 
 often the true hearts found themselves in 
 gravest perplexity, for they did not know 
 whom to trust. But there were many stanch 
 souls that never wavered in their assurance of 
 success. 
 
 " In a series of marvelous occurrences dur- 
 ing the present war," Governor Trumbull 
 had said to Desire and David, " he must be 
 blind who doth not see the divine ordering 
 thereof." 
 
A WOUNDED MAN IN THE ATTIC 285 
 
 " Yes, your Excellency," had been tKe 
 answer of the young woman, " God is mani- 
 fest in this conflict not less than in the wars 
 of ancient Israel." 
 
 General Silliman was now in command of 
 the shore forces again, and the early events 
 of the conflict seemed on the verge of a repe- 
 tition in Connecticut. The jails and prisons 
 were filled with Tories from other States. 
 Every bay and harbor on the coast was the 
 scene of frequent incursions and excursions. 
 The inadequate protection of the shore towns 
 was a constant invitation to " The Fire- 
 brand " to repeat his cruelty and barbarism. 
 
 Nevertheless, there was a small circle of 
 enthusiasts in Fairfield that waxed stronger 
 and stronger in courage, and they held unin- 
 terrupted communication with the patriot 
 leaders. 
 
 Aaron Burr, now a man high in public 
 esteem and fertile in resources, sent an occa- 
 sional missive into the Hardy household, 
 relating his adventures, breathing forth love, 
 patriotism, ambition, spurring on the little 
 company of kindred spirits to fresh effort and 
 devotion. One day, when they were in the 
 midst of buildino^ their modest cotta2"e, the 
 stuff having come to them through Captain 
 
286 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 Thorpe, Burr appeared on the scene in all 
 the radiancy of his fashionable clothes, gay 
 manners, and high spirit. He was only five 
 feet and six inches in height, but there was 
 that in his person which made one forget or 
 ignore his small stature. Slender, symmetri- 
 cal, well poised, with fair transparent com- 
 plexion and a commanding aspect, forehead 
 prominent, nose rectilinear, betraying haughti- 
 ness, eyes dark hazel, glowing \ai\\ ardor and 
 scintillating with tremulous sensibility, lips 
 thin and flexible, voice manly and melodious, 
 speaking with great animation and frank- 
 ness, all devotion to the ladies, gazing at 
 them with a sort of rapture, using the most 
 captivating gestures, and talking with a natu- 
 ral and insinuating eloquence, — he was a 
 young man to win instant attention in any 
 company, and cause great flutterings of heart 
 whenever thrown into the society of the gen- 
 tler sex. 
 
 Burr's visit to Fairfield was during this 
 period of depression ; and his unfailing flow 
 of humor, his dashing, riotous spirit of ad- 
 venture and hopefulness, did much to dispel 
 any gloom that chanced among the Hardy 
 patriots. He was aided in this delightful 
 task by Major Tallmadge, who still made fre- 
 
A WOUNDED MAN IN THE ATTIC 287 
 
 quent visits to the town, and held closely in 
 hand the agents engaged in secret service for 
 Washington. 
 
 Tallmadge was quite the contrast of Burr 
 in respect to size, looks, and manners. Yet in 
 personal charm, soldierly mien, and gayety of 
 disposition, one noted a marked resemblance. 
 The home that entertained two such guests 
 was bound to grow bright with the cheeriest 
 fellowship, and any life caught in the current 
 of their youthful exuberance and bonhomie 
 must needs shine with peculiar brightness. . 
 
 " Ah, David," said Burr, " you made a mis- 
 take in not joining the Continental army. We 
 young bucks saw lively times, and I hear that 
 you have been wasting your martial energies 
 in petty warfare along the Connecticut coast." 
 
 " Why did n't you stick to your regiment, 
 then ? " inquired David, with some degree of 
 asperity. 
 
 Burr, having left the army, was now living 
 at his ease. 
 
 " Oh," was the ready answer, " illness 
 forced me out of the ranks. I was obliged 
 to preserve my health." It had been cur- 
 rently reported that the proud young officer 
 did not like some of his superiors. 
 
 " And pray, sir, is not David fighting as 
 
288 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 truly for his country when engaged in pro- 
 tecting our homes and serving loyally in the 
 state militia ? " It was Desire that put the 
 question to Colonel Burr. 
 
 '' My charming cousin," exclaimed the gal- 
 lant officer, " I wish a thousand times that I 
 had such a brace of sisters to protect. My 
 patriotism would multiply a hundredfold." 
 He smiled in his subtle witchery. 
 
 " It is a noble service which many of the 
 train-bands have performed under the lead of 
 their captain-general, our great war governor, 
 Trumbull," said Major Tallmadge. " Con- 
 necticut has distino-uished herself most hon- 
 orably. Washington leans upon his good 
 brother ' Jonathan.' The virtues of such a 
 patriot, forwarded by the noble support of 
 kindred spirits in this commonwealth, have 
 been an unfailing resource and encourage- 
 ment to the Commander-in-chief." 
 
 " I know it, I know it," interrupted Colo- 
 nel Burr, with enthusiasm. " I am proud of 
 such men as poor David here, who wants to 
 preach the gospel of peace, and yet boldly 
 takes up arms and fights the devil with a 
 matter of fact instrument like a musket. 
 David, you 've done your duty. You ought 
 to have stayed on your native heath and 
 
A WOUNDED MAN IN THE ATTIC 289 
 
 met the aggressor when he came to despoil 
 this fair land. By Jove, my boy, I 'm going 
 to speak a good word for you when the war 
 is ended, and see if we cannot put you where 
 your shining qualities are credited for their 
 full value." 
 
 There was a frank, generous expression in 
 the speaker's face that won instant confidence. 
 But David smiled in an absent, deprecating 
 way, seeming to feel the kind intentions of the 
 speaker at the same time that his mind wan- 
 dered to other and more eno^aofino' themes. 
 
 " We '11 set up David as a teacher of philo- 
 sophy or some other profound subject by 
 and by," said Major Tallmadge. " He has 
 been a faithful, courageous member of the 
 train-band, but war is not in his line. It is 
 only the exigency of the situation that makes 
 it bearable for him. Let us pray that the 
 day of peace shall speedily dawn upon us." 
 
 " It is true," observed Desire, with a color 
 of sadness in her words, '' David is a man 
 of peace. His heart is with his books. And 
 I am often made wretched because I have 
 to send him into the strife. Not that he is 
 unwilling, or lacks the zeal of ser^dce. Far 
 from it. You know, gentlemen, that a more 
 unflinching, a more devoted patriot is hard 
 
290 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 to find." Desire paused a moment in her 
 praises. " But his tastes and aptitudes do not 
 run to fighting. He sometimes gets absorbed 
 in less tangible things." Desire had a whim- 
 sical expression upon her face. " He forgets 
 himself and works away bravely upon some 
 metaphysical contention, and unless somebody 
 keeps watch over him, the enemy, methinks, 
 might bag him as the hunter does his game." 
 
 They all laughed, David looking indul- 
 gently upon his sister, only half heeding the 
 words which she had spoken, his mind wan- 
 dering upon the political aspects of public 
 affairs, shaping the course of events in case the 
 war ended and the people were brought face to 
 face with the questions of a new government. 
 
 In the midst of this conversation, one sum- 
 mer evening, as the shades had thickened 
 into darkness, Chloe entered the room and 
 motioned for her mistress to come out. Ex- 
 cusing herself for a moment. Desire followed 
 the slave. 
 
 " What is it ? " asked the young woman, 
 with eagerness. 
 
 " Minto here say dat Mas'r Livingstone be 
 mighty sick in de ba'n." 
 
 Desire waited not for any further words 
 of explanation. She ran through the night 
 
A WOUNDED MAN IN THE ATTIC 291 
 
 toward the rough shed which had served as 
 a shelter to their stock and a granary for 
 their corn and grain. It was at best a poor, 
 mean makeshift of a place, crowded with pro- 
 duce and implements, hastily constructed, and 
 very insecure. Here she found Mr. Duane 
 Livingstone, lying weak, bruised, wounded, 
 and unconscious upon the hay. 
 
 " What does this mean," cried Desire, as 
 she tried to pierce through the blackness and 
 distinguish objects before her. 
 
 " Mas'r Livingstone, he stagger into de 
 ba'n like a drunken man, and call me and say 
 tell my missis, an' den he fall down in a heap, 
 he do." And that was all the information to 
 be elicited from Minto. 
 
 The first thing was to bring the young man 
 back to consciousness and learn what ailed 
 him. Desire's experience among the sick and 
 wounded soldiers had taught her how to deal 
 with ordinary cases. So she dispatched Chloe 
 to the unfinished house for the simple reme- 
 dies which they kept in stock, and soon the 
 efforts of the mistress with her two faithful 
 helpers were rewarded by signs of returning 
 Hfe. 
 
 David and Lois had been left to entertain 
 their visitors, although the sudden exit of De- 
 
292 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 sire proved disturbing to the other members 
 of the party. When a few minutes passed 
 and the young lady did not return, Aaron 
 Burr declared that he must now go over to 
 his cousin's, where he was to spend the night. 
 Mr. Thaddeus Burr had built a humble, tidy 
 cottage as a temporary resting-place. There 
 he continued to exercise such hospitality as 
 his curtailed income and narrow circumstances 
 permitted. It was not the old-time, affluent 
 open house to a constant train of passing 
 friends and grateful dependents, but it was 
 the same genial spirit and gracious courtesy, 
 extended freely to whomsoever might happen 
 along the way, and choose to submit unto the 
 plain fare and meagre quarters. 
 
 Major Tallmadge remained. When at 
 length Deshe reentered the room, it was to 
 excuse herself for the night, on the plea that 
 her presence was needed elsewhere. As Major 
 Tallmadge bade them good-by, perceiving 
 that it would be aor-reeable for him to with- 
 draw, she accompanied him to the door, hand- 
 ing into his keeping a bit of carefully folded 
 paper. 
 
 No sooner were the visitors gone than all 
 was commotion in the house. 
 
 " Duane lies helpless in the barn/' said 
 
A WOUNDED MAN IN THE ATTIC 293 
 
 Desire excitedly. " He must be brought here 
 and hidden while we nurse him back to life. 
 We shall be forced to let Dr. Allen into the 
 secret, for I fear that some bones are broken, 
 and his injuries very severe." 
 
 It was decided to carry him to the attic, 
 as that place offered the best facilities for 
 concealment. So the room was hastily pre- 
 pared, and in the uncertain yet friendly dark- 
 ness, Minto, Chloe, and David bore their 
 unexpected visitor to this primitive resting- 
 place. Here the doctor examined him and 
 applied the remedies which his case demanded, 
 announcins: that the o^entleman was elected 
 to a siege that must extend through weeks. 
 
 Duane Livingstone, so well known in Fair- 
 field, had been observed with the keenest 
 interest. The fact that his family took sides 
 with the patriots prejudiced his Connecticut 
 friends in the young man's favor, and it had 
 been a long time before the people of Fair- 
 field could believe that this handsome, gallant 
 scion of a worthy stock was casting in his lot 
 with the oppressors of the land. But when 
 once this impression went abroad, Living- 
 stone's friends along the main steeled their 
 hearts against him. So he had been a pro- 
 scribed character many months, although it 
 
294 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 was impossible to bring specific cliarges of 
 Toryism against him. The most that could 
 be said in his condemnation was that Tryon 
 still reckoned him as a friend, and was known 
 to see him frequently, and the associations of 
 the young man were chiefly among the Tories 
 of New York and Long Island. 
 
 After the burning, Desire and David had 
 earnestly besought him to make no further 
 attempts to visit them. His life was menaced, 
 and they feared that in his secret coming 
 their own friends and neighbors might be- 
 come the instruments of death or injury to 
 him. Had he appeared at their door when 
 Colonel Burr and Major Tallmadge were their 
 guests, these men would have been in duty 
 bound to put him under arrest ; had they 
 seen him bruised and wounded, his face and 
 clothes smeared with blood, his condition 
 would have rendered an investigation neces- 
 sary, and proved exceedingly embarrassing to 
 all concerned. 
 
 Duane acted contrary to the wishes and 
 commands of his cousins. He had again 
 crossed the Sound and attempted to steal 
 unobserved into town, but the coast guard 
 was still on duty, and he was unfortunate 
 enough to run across one of them. Duane 
 
A WOUNDED MAN IN THE ATTIC 295 
 
 had landed at Pine Creek, the boat which 
 brought him having turned about and shoved 
 off to sea. He was picking his careful way 
 through the swamp and the woods when the 
 guard challenged him. In his efforts to get 
 away undetected he had slipped and fallen, so 
 that the sentinel was upon him in a second. 
 A rough, wild scuffle had ensued, in which 
 Duane was worsted, having his musket 
 wrenched from him, his ribs broken, his face 
 badly disfigured, and his whole system thor- 
 oughly shaken up. By a tremendous, final 
 effort he had torn himself away from his assail- 
 ant, and actually escaped in the dark, drag- 
 ging himself stealthily, with great pain and 
 loss of blood, to the family homestead. This 
 was the pHght in which Desire found him as 
 he lay unconscious upon the fresh hay. 
 
 " I suppose," said Colonel Burr on the fol- 
 lowing morning, when he called to say fare- 
 well to his cousins, "that you hear occa- 
 sionally from that elegant gentleman, Mr. 
 Duane Li\dngstone. What a pity that he 
 did n't have backbone enough to stand by 
 his country." 
 
 " Well, now, Aaron," replied David, " you 
 must n't be uncharitable. Remember there 's 
 another side to the question. Duane Hved 
 
296 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 in England a good many years, and may have 
 imbibed considerable English spirit, although, 
 mind you, I 'm not upholding him. I simply 
 point out that extenuating fact." 
 
 " Ah, David," said Burr, with great good 
 humor, " when I go astray, I want you to sit 
 on the bench and judge me. I think you "d 
 find something to say in behalf of the Devil 
 , himself, if his Satanic Majesty was on trial. 
 You 're a good boy, David. Heaven was 
 made for people like you. When you get 
 there, keep me in mind, and press my suit 
 with the Great Judge." 
 
 There was jest and earnest in the words 
 of the speaker. It was hard to say which 
 predominated. 
 
 "I have never met the gentleman," re- 
 marked Major Tallmadge, who had likewise 
 called to say his last words before returning 
 to Washington's headquarters. " I hear no- 
 thing against him save that he is a stickler 
 for neutrality, and a neutrality that can stand 
 the test of Tryon's favor has too much Brit- 
 ish color to suit me. I can't help but suspect 
 it. I am told that Mr. Livinofstone makes 
 hay while the sun shines, and is really amass- 
 ing a good fortune. Well, confusion to our 
 enemies and sweets to the sweet ! " — a senti- 
 
A WOUNDED MAN IN THE ATTIC 297 
 
 ment which met the approval of the gentle- 
 men, and occasioned no dissent on the part 
 of Desire and Lois. 
 
 " I should be extremely sorry to hear that 
 Livingstone had ventured into Connecticut/' 
 said Colonel Burr. " Some tanner mia;ht 2;et 
 hold of him and tan his hide. If you ever 
 write to him, David, tell him to fight shy of 
 the shore patriots." 
 
 One might have suspected from the tone 
 that Burr had some special purpose in giving 
 such a warnino". There was noted in the face 
 of Desire a fleeting expression of annoyance 
 or confusion. 
 
 " Oh, the man is shrewd enough to keep 
 himself away from the clutches of these high- 
 strung, stifP-necked Yankees," exclaimed Tall- 
 madge. " And he may not be so far gone in 
 his Toryism as some of his old acquaintances 
 try to make us think. He may be making 
 money in order to defray the expenses of 
 rebellion against the king." 
 
 The major laughed heartily at his happy 
 conceit. 
 
 The conversation moved smoothly along, 
 while Mr. Duane Livingstone was lying help- 
 less and battered upon a rough cot in the 
 attic. It required all the self-command and 
 
298 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 assurance of the cousins to conceal the anxiety 
 that was preying upon their minds. 
 
 When Colonel Burr departed, it was with a 
 consciousness that, whatever power he exerted 
 over the gentler sex, it had been used in vain 
 with Desire Hardy, — not that she was defi- 
 cient in sensibility, or averse to the attentions 
 of men : she impressed him as a young wo- 
 man whose soul was absorbed in the struggle 
 waging through the land, as one so conse- 
 crated to the cause of liberty that any lesser 
 passion was held in abject slavery to it. 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 MAJOR TALLMADGE AND MAJOR AJNDRB 
 
 There followed days and weeks of tender 
 nursing. Work on the house was delayed be- 
 cause the sick man could not bear the racket 
 of saw and hammer ; it was easy enough 
 to find plausible excuses in this time of 
 harvest and constant skirmishing with the 
 enemy. 
 
 Through the unfinished roof the sunshine 
 and the fresh air entered the attic. The 
 loosely matched boards of the floors and the 
 thin, unplastered walls gave the patient every 
 opportunity to hear what was said and done 
 in the little home. This condition of thin of s 
 did not prove a source of annoyance ; on the 
 contrary, it became a means of entertainment 
 and diversion. The cousins could not say to 
 the numerous visitors who frequented their 
 home, "Hush," "Do be quiet," "Don't speak 
 above a whisper," for that would have re- 
 quired explanation ; so they let conversation 
 take its natural course, and the fortunate 
 
300 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 or unfortunate eavesdropper above gleaned 
 whatever satisfaction his peculiar situation 
 afforded. 
 
 There were times when he heard that which 
 amused ; then again some friend or neighbor 
 said things that made his ears tingle, giving 
 him food for serious reflection. 
 
 Duane Livingstone himself was a not un- 
 common topic of conversation ; and if ever a 
 man received a careful and exhaustive analysis 
 of his character, and was subjected to the 
 frankest, most critical examination in respect 
 to motives, actions, and prospects, that man 
 was the prisoner of circumstances in the attic. 
 He might blush with shame when they called 
 him traitor, or give way to nervous tremors 
 when some one suggested that he be tarred 
 and feathered ; but Desire's wise speeches, 
 her brave and beautiful defense of him, the 
 passion of personal loyalty into which she was 
 betrayed on two or three important occasions, 
 more than offset any trivial discomfort caused 
 by a candid expression of the visitor's opinion 
 concernino^ Duane Living-stone. 
 
 David, Lois, Minto, and Chloe had their 
 share in winning the young man back to 
 health, but Desire was head nurse, and she 
 ruled with perverse tyranny. It seemed to be 
 
MAJOR TALLMADGE AND MAJOR ANDRE 301 
 
 her purpose, when Duane began to mend 
 and was comfortable, to pass the care of him 
 over to the other members of the family, the 
 excuse being that more important duties de- 
 manded her attention. The patient fretted 
 because she neglected him, but it availed no- 
 thin jr. 
 
 When once the household had settled down 
 to the routine of his sick room, Duane was 
 anticipating many quiet, happy hours with 
 Desire. Had she not shown real, deep affec- 
 tion for him? Did he not detect tell-tale 
 evidences of an attachment that was more 
 than cousin love? So he blessed the fate 
 which drove him into this despoiled town and 
 handed him over to the watch-care of these 
 tender-hearted patriots. 
 
 And yet h^ dream seemed likely to prove 
 naught but a castle in Spain. Desire was 
 occupied with other things. People were 
 coming every hour of the day to ask her help 
 or counsel. Every soldier in town appeared 
 to think that he was not thoroughly prepared 
 for duty until he had talked with this young 
 woman and cauo^ht somethinof of her ardor 
 and devotion. There were hours when Duane 
 was feverish with jealousy ; then his sober 
 second thought showed the absurdity of it. 
 
302 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 The more men the merrier, and the less likeli- 
 hood that she cared particularly for any of 
 them. 
 
 The thing which chiefly vexed the invalid 
 was Desire's perverse effort to keep some third 
 person in the room whenever she sat with him. 
 Duane would devise a score of errands on 
 which to send the intruder, but Desire herself 
 was the one who invariably chose to discharge 
 these trivial offices. When, by chance, they 
 two were left together, the conversation was 
 sure to run in certain political or warlike chan- 
 nels, so that there was never the opportunity 
 for words of endearment or heart confidence. 
 
 The shrewd and specific way in which De- 
 sire inquired into the haunts and associations 
 of her cousin would have suggested to an 
 observer that she had some deep purpose in 
 view. In these weeks, she learned everything 
 about his habits of life, the characteristic 
 phrases he used among his associates, the 
 nature and condition of his business, his rela- 
 tions with the men through whom he was 
 working in the amassing of his fortune, the 
 names and peculiarities of many prominent 
 or obscure Tories on Long Island and New 
 York, the places where he stopped in his trips 
 to and fro between New York and Hunting- 
 
MAJOR TALLMADGE AND MAJOR ANDRE 303 
 
 ton, how he carried his money, what he paid 
 for things, a hundred kindred matters. Was 
 her interest so great in the young man that 
 she must devote all her time with him to these 
 careful inquiries ? Was it because he was 
 Duane Livingstone that she delighted to pry 
 into the innumerable details of dress, conduct, 
 manners, business, comrades, and experiences ? 
 
 Duane had ventured down into the chamber 
 below the attic on several occasions ; he was 
 beginning to chafe over his limits and talk 
 about making a break for liberty, although 
 the doctor said it would be weeks before he 
 was fit to leave the place. 
 
 On one evening in early October, he was 
 sitting with David. Desire and Lois were 
 spinning, sewing, knitting, or doing some of 
 the many household tasks which fell to their 
 lot. There was a knock at the door, and the 
 voice of Major Tallmadge fell upon their ears. 
 A moment, and greetings were exchanged ; 
 then the young officer was heard to throw 
 himself into a chair before the blazing fire. 
 
 " You are weary," cried Desire, startled 
 by the worn and painful expression upon his 
 face. " Chloe, make a glass of flip for the 
 gentleman." 
 
 Major Tallmadge was not himself. He 
 
304 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 gazed at the fire, then he looked upon the sis- 
 ters. The old bright, merry spirit was gone. 
 There were lines of sorrow and trouble written 
 into cheek and forehead. The atmosphere 
 of depression and suffering which he brought 
 with him diffused itself through the room. 
 
 " I fear me that you bring us doleful news," 
 said Desire, interpreting the mood of her 
 visitor. 
 
 " My God ! " exclaimed the man, in a voice 
 hoarse with anguish, " how cruel and diabolic 
 a thino^ is war ! " 
 
 " Pray relieve our anxiety, sir." 
 
 " Have you not heard that Major Andre 
 of the British army was arrested as a spy ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, we have known it these several 
 days, and the awful treachery of Benedict 
 Arnold, a Connecticut man, I am ashamed to 
 confess." 
 
 " Andre was hanged on the 2d of Oc- 
 tober." 
 
 The silence was unbroken save by the 
 crackling of the wood on the hearth and a 
 sudden, heavy fall in the room above. 
 
 "What is that?" exclaimed Major Tall- 
 madge. Springing to his feet, he looked in- 
 quiringly toward Desire. 
 
 " Something has toppled over," answered 
 
MAJOR TALLMADGE AND MAJOR ANDRE 305 
 
 the young woman huskily. She arose from 
 her seat, as though she would prevent any in- 
 terference or investigation on the part of her 
 guest. " David is in his room. Perhaps he 
 has stumbled in the dark. Excuse me for a 
 moment; I will see." 
 
 She took a fresh candle from the kitchen 
 and climbed the stairs with slow step. Duane 
 had fainted. David was using all his art and 
 skill to bring the young man back to life. 
 Desire ventured to stay long enough to see 
 that her cousin was regaining consciousness, 
 then she returned to the room below, remark- 
 ing that David begged to be excused; he 
 would see Major Tallmadge in the morning. 
 
 " You were with Major Andre," said De- 
 sire, with assumed calmness, as she took up 
 the thread of conversation. 
 
 '^ Yes, I had been skirmishing with the 
 enemy and capturing cowboys, and on the 
 evening of September 23d, I returned to 
 the reofiment near Northcastle. After I had 
 disposed of my detachment, I was informed 
 that a prisoner had been brought in that day 
 by the name of Anderson. Three men had 
 fallen in with him on his way to New York ; 
 and finding in his boots suspicious papers, 
 they brought the man to Lieutenant-Colonel 
 
306 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 Jameson, who soon sent him on to Arnold at 
 West Point." 
 
 " What did Lieutenant-Colonel Jameson do 
 that for ? " inquired Desire excitedly. 
 
 She had regained her self-possession, and 
 was now following the narrative of the speaker 
 with the closest attention. 
 
 " I have n't been able to find out/' was 
 the reply of Major Tallmadge, " but I did not 
 fail to state the glaring inconsistency of this 
 conduct in a perfectly friendly manner, of 
 course, to the ranking officer of the day, and 
 I finally obtained his reluctant consent to 
 have the prisoner brought back to our head- 
 quarters." 
 
 The interest taken by the auditors in Major 
 Tallmadge's story was painful. He was not 
 aware that Minto and Chloe stood at the 
 kitchen door with drawn faces and staring 
 eyes, or that David Hardy and Duane Liv- 
 ingstone were seated in the room above him, 
 listening with bated breath. 
 
 " As soon as I saw Anderson, and espe- 
 cially after I saw him walk (as he did almost 
 constantly) across the floor, I became im- 
 pressed with the belief that he had been bred 
 to arms. It was deemed best to remove the 
 prisoner to Salem, and I was to escort him. 
 
MAJOR TALLMADGE AND MAJOR ANDRE 307 
 
 I was constantly in the room with him, and he 
 soon became very conversable and extremely 
 interestino^." 
 
 Major Tallmadge stopped to wipe the sweat 
 from his face. The room had grown warm, 
 or his emotions had given him a fever. 
 
 " It was very manifest that his agitation 
 and anxiety were great. After dinner, on 
 the 24th, perhaps by three o'clock, he asked 
 to be favored with a pen, ink, and paper, 
 which I readily granted, and he wrote a letter 
 to General Washington. In this letter he 
 disclosed his true character to be Major Andre, 
 adjutant-general to the British army. When 
 I received and read the letter (for he handed 
 it to me as soon as he had written it), my 
 distress was extreme, and my emotions wholly 
 indescribable." 
 
 Again there was a pause in the narrative, 
 unbroken by his hearers. 
 
 " Lieutenant-Colonel Jameson's letter, tell- 
 ing of Andre's capture, had gone to Arnold, 
 and he escaped to the Vulture on the morn- 
 ing of the 25th. I took Major Andre under 
 a strong escort of cavalry to West Point, and 
 the next day we went down the Hudson to 
 Haverstraw and on to headquarters. A court 
 of fourteen o^eneral officers was ordered to sit 
 
308 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 and hear the ease. On the 29th, General 
 Greene, the president of the court, reported 
 to the Commander-in-chief that they had come 
 to the conclusion that Major Andre ought to 
 be considered as a spy from the enemy ; that 
 agreeably to the law and usages of nations, in 
 their opinion he ought to suffer death. The 
 next day, General Washington approved the 
 finding, and ordered that the execution should 
 take place at five o'clock in the afternoon on 
 October the 1st." 
 
 The narrator lingered for breath. Desire 
 and Lois did not take their eyes from his face. 
 
 " A vast concourse of people assembled to 
 witness the solemn scene, but the execution 
 was postponed in consequence of a flag having 
 arrived from the enemy ; but no satisfactory 
 proposition was received, and the next day 
 was named for the execution." 
 
 There was another pause, longer than the 
 previous ones. Major Tallmadge was en- 
 deavoring to control his feehngs. 
 
 " He was in truth a most elegant and ac- 
 complished gentleman. It may sound strange 
 in your ears when I repeat it, ladies ; but I 
 say it, with God as my witness, that for the 
 few days of intimate intercourse I had with 
 him, which was from the time of his being 
 
MAJOR TALLMADGE AND MAJOR ANDRE 309 
 
 brought back to our headquarters to the day 
 of his execution, I became so deeply attached 
 to Major Andre that I can remember no 
 instance where my affections were so fully 
 absorbed in any man." Tears filled the eyes 
 of Major Tallmadge, while his voice trembled. 
 
 " After he was informed of his sentence, he 
 wrote a touching and finished letter to Wash- 
 ington, requesting that the mode of death 
 might be adapted to the feelings of a man of 
 honor, but his request could not be granted. 
 I walked with him to the place of execution, 
 and never discovered any evidence of fear. 
 When he came in sight of the gibbet," — 
 Major Tallmadge again stopped, and, lifting 
 his hand to his eyes, seemed trying to shut 
 out the awful vision, — " he appeared to be 
 startled, and inquired with some emotion 
 whether he was not to be shot. Beino^ in- 
 formed that the mode first appointed for his 
 death could not be consistently altered, he 
 exclaimed, ' How hard is my fate ! ' but 
 immediately added, ' It will soon be over.' 
 Brave, ingenuous soul ! I then shook hands 
 with him under the gallows and retired." 
 
 Was Major Tallmadge morbid and dis- 
 traught that he told this tragic incident to 
 Desire and Lois Hardy ? Was the horror of 
 
310 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 it a burden that lie must share with these 
 lofty patriotic spirits ? 
 
 " When I saw him swinging under the gib- 
 bet/' he continued, with husky voice and 
 quivering lips, " it seemed for a time as if I 
 could not support it. Oh, the agony of that 
 moment ! The spectators were overwhelmed. 
 There was not a hardened or indifferent one 
 in all the multitude. May I never look upon 
 the like again ! May God preserve from such 
 a fate any great soul know^n to me ! " The 
 soldier groaned in bitterness and horror. 
 
 A spasm of sharp pain darted across the 
 face of Desire, while Lois we2)t in terror and 
 sympathy. A moment passed, wdien Major 
 Tallmadge leaned his aching head upon his 
 hand. Then he seemed to shake himself free 
 of the gloom, the hideous memory, the awful 
 sorrow of the occasion. The telling of it had 
 relieved bim. A new light came into his face, 
 and he gazed questioningly at Desire Hardy. 
 
 " It is like a nightmare," she observed. 
 " It takes one back to our friend, Nathan 
 Hale. I thank God that in the necessities of 
 this terrible circumstance Major Andre was 
 well treated, and all possible done to mitigate 
 his sufferino\" 
 
 " They did n't treat Captain Hale that way, 
 
MAJOR TALLMADGE AND MAJOR ANDRE 311 
 
 did they?" cried Lois, grateful for an oppor- 
 tunity to say something in order to relieve 
 the tension of her mind. " I remember how 
 the infuriated English officers cried, ' Swing 
 the rebel up ! Swing the rebel up ! ' It makes 
 my blood boil with indignation. I feel like 
 saying all the imprecatory psalms." 
 
 " And yet," observed Desire, with quiet 
 manner and measured words, " a patriot would 
 even die for one's country on the gibbet, if 
 needs be." 
 
 There was a deathlike stillness in the room, 
 Major Tallmadge being the first to break it. 
 
 " I ask no friend of mine to run the risk of 
 an ignominious death like that of the lowest 
 criminal in order to aid me in any campaign. 
 It is brave beyond words, but I dare not pre- 
 fer such a request." There was an air of 
 warninof- and determination about him that 
 went further than anything he might say. 
 
 " Major Tallmadge, I bethink me that our 
 blessed Lord died the most shameful and 
 iniquitous of all deaths. Shall we refuse to 
 follow in his footsteps when it is the will of 
 Heaven ? " 
 
 " I perceive," said the soldier, with awe and 
 reverence, " that the spirit of the martyrs is 
 abroad in our beloved land. America shall 
 be free ! " 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 DESIRE ON THE MOUNT OF VISION 
 
 The ethics of the Secret Service was often 
 discussed in the Hardy family, for there was 
 diversity of opinion on the subject. Colonel 
 Burr had observed in one of his serious moods 
 that all was fair in war. When it came to a 
 question of advantage over the enemies of 
 one's country, the patriot might resort to 
 whatever ruse or deceit he pleased. 
 
 David had combated this position, saying 
 that while ambuscades and strategy were 
 legitimate, anything that reflected upon per- 
 sonal honor was unpardonable. A man might 
 go into the enemy's camp as Captain Hale 
 did, and get all the information possible. 
 That was taking great risks, but it involved 
 nothing that was inherently against con- 
 science ; but when a man, professedly the 
 friend of a people, was ail the time plotting 
 against them, making his associations one 
 means of foul betrayal, David contended that 
 his course ought to put him beyond the pale 
 of respectable society. 
 
DESIRE ON THE MOUNT OF VISION 313 
 
 It was hard to draw the line. 
 
 " I cannot see how an honorable man such 
 as I take Major Andre to have been could 
 have entered into negotiations with a traitor 
 like Benedict Arnold," observed David on the 
 morning that followed the visit of Major 
 Tallmadge. 
 
 " Well, David, I think your sense of honor 
 is too keen. Major Andre believed that he 
 was in the right, and that the rebels (as they 
 call us) ought to be subdued and brought 
 back in allegiance to the king. He was con- 
 summating a bargain by which a supposed 
 misguided American was to be won over to 
 the side of his rightful sovereign, put in a 
 position where he would help speedily to 
 bring all of us to our senses, and hasten on 
 the war to its end. I don't see that Major 
 Andre is to be blamed. The renegade Arnold 
 was the man of base mind and conduct." 
 
 Desire spoke with clear and definite convic- 
 tion. Long months had she reflected upon 
 the various phases of experience suggested by 
 the example of Nathan Hale and other men 
 engaged in the like service. 
 
 " Well, it is very perplexing to me," an- 
 swered the brother. " I don't think I would 
 ever hesitate to penetrate into the enemy's 
 
314 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 camp, get all the information possible, do 
 what I was able to do in order to bring con- 
 fusion upon them j but when it comes to deal- 
 ing with traitors, or betraying the confidence 
 of friends, I declare myself to be unequivo- 
 cally ojDposed to it." 
 
 "I think that is Duane's opinion too," said 
 Desire. " I have heard him say many times 
 that while a man undoubtedly will be able to 
 learn more or less concernino^ the state of 
 things in an enemy's camp by sim23ly keep- 
 ing his ears open and his mouth shut, yet he 
 has no right to betray friendship, or resort 
 to other dishonorable means." 
 
 " I suppose the difficulty will lie in the 
 ideas of different individuals. One man would 
 esteem one thing honorable, and another 
 would stamp it on the instant as dishonorable. 
 Conscience is a curious faculty, and I would 
 sooner rely upon the judgment of the aver- 
 age child than on that of the majority of 
 men, when it comes to the matter of deceit 
 or evasion." 
 
 " David," replied his sister, " I 've been 
 studying the wars of Israel. God will make 
 the wrath of man to praise Him. The Old 
 Testament worthies adopted measures that 
 seem harsh and cruel ; but don't you find the 
 
DESIRE ON THE MOUNT OF VISION 315 
 
 same thing all through life ? Is n't sickness 
 or accident sometimes a dreadful thing? 
 We '11 try to find out what is right, and then 
 do it ; but it seems to me that there are times 
 when the right means the doing of things 
 that are an awful strain upon body and soul, 
 reason and affection." 
 
 The three or four days that passed after 
 the story of Andre was told by Major Tall- 
 madge fostered a spirit of unrest in the Hardy 
 household. David was more absent-minded 
 than ever, revolving over and over his tragic 
 case, and searching history for any parallel 
 incident, consulting philosophy and litera- 
 ture for problems in casuistry, growing more 
 troubled and perplexed the further he pushed 
 his investigations. 
 
 Duane was not as well ; his wounds and 
 bruises began to annoy him again ; he was 
 nervous and fretful. So bold and careless 
 had he become that on several occasions neigh- 
 bors had had their suspicions aroused, and put 
 embarrassing questions to Chloe and Minto. 
 
 But the greatest change was observable in 
 Desire. Her mind dwelt on Hale and Andre. 
 She spoke with enthusiasm concerning their 
 willingness to serve the cause they loved, 
 even when they knew that possible disgrace 
 
316 AN UNKNOWN PATBIOT 
 
 and contumely might become their lot. In 
 her talks with Diiane, a line of conduct had 
 been distinctly indicated and agreed to. They 
 were one in their views as to the rights and 
 the wrongs of secret service. The man en- 
 gaged in such a perilous undertaking might 
 proceed with pure heart and clean conscience 
 unto certain well-defined limits. Passing said 
 line, he involved himself in moral obliquity. 
 
 All the inmates in the home noted the 
 change in Desire. The first thought was that 
 perchance the shadow of Andre's death was 
 upon her, for a strange, inexplicable serious- 
 ness marked every mood and action. Later, 
 a certain grand, exalted manner manifested 
 itself, so that, all unconscious to Desire, a 
 barrier was separating her from the other 
 members of the household. 
 
 She had many things to say concerning 
 love of country, and they were said in a way 
 to thrill one's heart. She pictured that which 
 in her imagination she conceived this land 
 must become with the help of time and favor- 
 ins" circumstances. The names of ancient 
 heroes were upon her lips, and she recited 
 their achievements with natural eloquence. 
 When neighbors spoke upon the darkness 
 which enshrouded the country after the treach- 
 
BESIBE ON THE MOUNT OF VISION 317 
 
 ery of Arnold, she cheered them with her 
 noble faith, and infused a new spirit of confi- 
 dence and sacrifice into their circle. Meeting 
 with the men who had put everything into 
 the struggle, and whose hopes of life centred 
 in the independence of the States, she en- 
 couraged them with beautiful prophecies of 
 speedy peace, returning prosperity, and sub- 
 lime achievement, in which all the nations of 
 the world must ultimately rejoice. Her mood 
 was not so much one of patriotic fervor as 
 that of moral grandeur and seer-like inspira- 
 tion. 
 
 " I 'se afraid to touch her," whispered 
 Chloe to Duane. " She be livin' wid de 
 angels in de clouds." 
 
 " David," said his cousin, with deep con- 
 cern, "methinks Desire has climbed some 
 mount of vision. I am distressed to think 
 what might happen to her in case the patriots 
 suffer defeat." 
 
 " Duane, have no fears on that score." The 
 suggestion had aroused David from his grow- 
 ing absorption in the purely speculative. 
 " America will have her freedom ; and De- 
 sire — why, she 's heart and soul in the 
 struggle, a better patriot than two thirds the 
 men in the field, a clear-visioned spirit that 
 
318 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 gains more by intuition and foresight than nine 
 tenths of men ever get by study and experi- 
 ence. Duane, she ought to have been a man. 
 She 'd have made her mark in this conflict. 
 She 's got the intelligence and acumen of the 
 best scholar in politics you can find ; she 's 
 sound on every question of state ; she 's a 
 natural leader and inspirer of men ; she 's 
 ready to give life itself for the sake of coun- 
 try. A thousand times I Ve wished she was 
 a man so that she might serve the cause to 
 best advantao^e." 
 
 There was a glow of unstinted love and ap- 
 preciation in the countenance of the speaker. 
 It was the sweet, spontaneous tribute of a 
 brother to one dearer to him than life itself. 
 
 " I 've never regretted that I was a man, 
 Duane/' he continued, " but how I have 
 wished that Desire could have had my chances! 
 There 's Tallmadge and Burr and Hamilton 
 and half a dozen other bright young men 
 that would have been distanced by her long 
 ago ; and here the child stays tied down by 
 narrow circumstances and her sex. It 's one 
 of the inscrutable things of this most puzzling 
 and inexplicable world." 
 
 " Ah, David," answered his cousin, with in- 
 finite yearnings and outreachings betraying 
 
DESIRE ON THE MOUNT OF VISION 319 
 
 themselves to any ears save dull ones like Da- 
 vid's, " I thank God that Desire is what she 
 is. She 's doing well enough. By and by the 
 good Lord will open the way for her, and 
 she '11 do greater things. But to my mind, 
 young man, the woman who makes a home, 
 and brings under her sway the needy world, 
 is a person doing quite as much for men as 
 some gay coxcomb of an Aaron Burr." 
 
 David looked with wide-extended eyes into 
 the face of his cousin. Why did the invalid 
 show such heat and passion ? 
 
 The faithfulness of Desire in the home was 
 like the service of sunshine and shower, — 
 one took it in the course of nature and made 
 no comments. 
 
 But this extraordinary, vitalizing patriotism 
 was something to be remarked and exalted. 
 It transformed the woman into a kind of god- 
 dess. David loyally elevated his sister to this 
 unique pedestal. He had ceased to think of 
 her as one submitting to the common homage 
 of love, or yielding to any witchery of men. 
 
 " Duane," said his cousin severely, " De- 
 sire has long ago risen above the ordinary 
 passions of a woman's heart. I suppose she 
 does love her family, but her passion is the 
 passion of a patriot." His frame swelled with 
 
320 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 pride, as he uttered the words. " I believe 
 she'd like to die for America; and now we 
 are speaking upon the subjeetj that must be 
 the matter with her, these days since Tall- 
 madge was here. Did you ever see such 
 faith ? Why, Duane, you must have a heart 
 of stone not to be won by it and join the 
 patriots in their struggle. I 'm glad to have 
 you with us, and you know how much we all 
 love you; but it passes my understanding 
 that you can see the suffering inflicted upon 
 these colonies, and come into contact with such 
 a glorious lover of country as Desire, and not 
 be moved to cast in your lot with us." 
 
 Duane made no answer, and David left the 
 room. 
 
 There was an atmosphere of suppressed ex- 
 citement in the home the ensuing day. The 
 face of Desire glowed with a light that seemed 
 preternatural. Her voice was low and sweet, 
 but every word which she spoke was sur- 
 charged with feeling. Little opportunity was 
 given for conversation, since every member of 
 the household was intent upon some necessary 
 task. Even the invalid was allowed to help, 
 in order to pass away the time, although his 
 face expressed dissent and wretchedness. The 
 unwonted activity was a prelude to succeeding 
 
DESIRE ON THE MOUNT OF VISION 321 
 
 days of quiet, for it had been decided that 
 Lois and Chloe were to take charge of Duane 
 and the home, while the other members of 
 the family made a brief excursion into the 
 country. It was not an unusual thing for the 
 young folks to go to Hartford, New Haven, 
 or Waterbury. They had friends in all these 
 towns. And when one went away during 
 troublous times, it was not expected that his 
 business or pleasure would be noised abroad 
 through the neighborhood ; so the young 
 travelers quietly took their leave. 
 
 Never did Washington feel greater need 
 for secret intelligence in respect to the con- 
 dition and purposes of the enemy. If it m 
 always darkest before day, there might have 
 been assurance in the heart of many a patriot 
 that the day was at hand, for public affairs 
 and private inclinations foreboded dire evil. 
 The Commander-in-chief was alive to the sit- 
 uation, and every nerve was strained to meet 
 the threatened disintegration. 
 
 In his management of the Secret Service, 
 Major Tallmadge had resorted to a variety of 
 means and ao;ents. He met some of the men 
 engaged in this perilous business and gave 
 them personal orders. There were other indi- 
 viduals unknown to him, who did their work 
 
322 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 as they chose, and made their reports in 
 writing or through some confidential go- 
 between. 
 
 A large portion of the intelligence received 
 by the way of Fairfield came from a patriot 
 whose identity was hidden beyond the possi- 
 bility of disclosure. Major Tallmadge did 
 not wish to know the individual. It was 
 enough for him and for Washington that a 
 mutual friend vouched for the absolute fidelity 
 of the person, and that the revelations com- 
 ing through this channel had always proved 
 correct and valuable. 
 
 One thing in connection with this particu- 
 lar agent had been mentioned ; namely, that 
 the letters or documents generally passed 
 through several hands in their transmission 
 from New York to Fairfield ; it was in con- 
 nection with the bringing of these missives 
 that a whaleboat had been kept for the ser- 
 vice of Major Tallmadge in Black Rock har- 
 bor. The city agent was supposed to be a 
 gentleman who did not find it possible to 
 leave home, and was therefore forced to rely 
 upon confederates. The letters were generally 
 in cipher, although invisible ink was used a 
 part of the time, so that when Governor 
 Tryon blundered into the finding of two or 
 
DESIRE ON THE MOUNT OF VISION 323 
 
 three precious letters, he was none the wiser, 
 never discovering the key to the smooth-read- 
 ing epistles that provoked his curiosity. 
 
 Occasionally, these letters passed as commu- 
 nications between lovers. A cursory glance 
 over them led one to infer that he had 
 stumbled upon some clandestine love corre- 
 spondence. Great was the amusement of the 
 Commander-in-chief and those admitted to 
 his confidence when these ardent, beautifully 
 phrased epistles were read. The person who 
 devised them must have been not only shrewd 
 and highly imaginative, but one thoroughly 
 versed in affairs of the heart. There was a 
 ring and air of genuine love-making in them 
 that often startled Washington. Could that 
 sort of thing be simulated so tenderly, natu- 
 rally, in order to carry secret intelligence to 
 the patriots ? Certain words and letters in 
 certain relations conveyed the news which was 
 designed for the help of the American army ; 
 but in construing this deftly concealed mes- 
 sage, many a time did the chief and his assist- 
 ants pause to note the delicate sentiment, the 
 noble spirit, manifest on the surface of the 
 writing. 
 
 " The ladies are our stanchest soldiers," 
 said Major Tallmadge to Washington, after 
 
324 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 reading one of these interesting epistles. 
 " They not only have to fight the battle at 
 home, but they must nerve their husbands, 
 sons, and lovers to fight in the field abroad." 
 " We are great debtors to the fair sex," 
 answered the general. " Their patriotism is 
 indeed our stay and inspiration." 
 
CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 IN THREE PLACES AT THE SAME TIME 
 
 The • achievements of the women during 
 the struggle for American independence is 
 a theme for some future historian. When a 
 Georgia giantess was put in charge of the fort 
 which sheltered all the women and children 
 of her neighborhood, during the absence of 
 the patriots engaged in a distant skirmish, 
 the redcoats arranged for an assault, think- 
 ing to find the fort an easy conquest. This 
 woman donned the uniform of an officer, bade 
 the other women clothe themselves in male 
 attire, distributed them in conspicuous places 
 along the works, put the cannon into action, 
 and when the enemy approached opened fire. 
 Then the royal troops, discovering that the 
 fort was garrisoned, withdrew. This giantess 
 represented the indomitable courage and fidel- 
 ity of her sex. 
 
 Desire Hardy gloried in the devotion to 
 liberty observed among her compatriots, and 
 every incident of war shared by womankind 
 
326 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 was a fresh incentive. What zeal and pa- 
 tience, what energy and shrewdness, what con- 
 secration and sacrifice, marked their course ! 
 Working in the fields, melting pewter into 
 bullets, feeding and clothing the men, play- 
 ing the part of messengers, carrying a mus- 
 ket when necessary, taking care of the sick, 
 editing and printing newspapers, arresting an 
 army, as did Mrs. Murray, in New York, 
 working as Daughters of Liberty to teach 
 and defend the great principles at stake, 
 denying themselves all luxuries and many 
 necessaries of life with sweet composure, — 
 the record is matchless. " Our ambition is 
 kindled by the fame of ancient heroines," 
 said one of these great souls to Desire. 
 " We should at least equal them, and some- 
 times surpass them, in our love for the pub- 
 lic good." Miriam, Deborah, Esther, Judith, 
 the mother of the Maccabees, were all famil- 
 iar to the thought of Desire Hardy. 
 
 She read about the siege of Fort Henry, 
 Virginia, in 1777, when savages assailed the 
 little company of patriots. The powder being 
 suddenly exhausted, Elizabeth Zane arose in 
 her streno'th and ran the twelve rods to the 
 powder house and brought back into the fort 
 a keg of the precious stufP, thus saving the 
 
IN THREE PLACES AT THE SAME TIME 327 
 
 garrison. She talked about Catherine Green, 
 of Rhode Island, who gave up her beautiful 
 home for a hospital when smallpox scourged 
 the army in that State ; the ladies of Phila- 
 delphia, who ministered with unstinted gen- 
 erosity to the suffering patriots during the 
 campaigns in New Jersey and Pennsylvania ; 
 the maiden who carried a message across 
 country, and when arrested and put in the 
 guard-house, swallowed the precious paper ; 
 Dame Batherick taking her redcoat prisoners 
 at Lexington ; Esther Gaston shaming some 
 runaway men, saying, " Give us your guns, 
 then, and we will stand in your places." 
 
 Desire was familiar with these incidents 
 and hundreds of others. They all served as 
 fuel added to the volcanic fire of her pas- 
 sionate nature. When she said good-by to 
 Duane and Lois, they were hushed into the 
 most quiet and commonplace words of fare- 
 well. It is true that they were puzzled 
 respecting her absence. Desire said that she 
 had work to do which called her away from 
 home. They must trust her and bide the 
 time of a return. There was a loftiness of 
 mien, a concentration and consecration of pur- 
 pose evident, a greatness of soul that brooked 
 no restraint. It was the culmination of that 
 
328 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 masterful enthusiasm which had done so much 
 to inspire people and shape the course of 
 events in her narrow sphere. 
 
 It was four o'clock of a bright, gorgeous 
 October afternoon that a gentleman dis- 
 mounted before the door of Tryon Hall, the 
 home of Judge Jones on Long Island. This 
 was the fortunate, or unfortunate, hour when 
 the judge and his lady had been accustomed 
 to enjoy their outdoor airing. 
 
 "Ah, Mas'r Livingstone, it be you, is it?" 
 observed the slave that hastened to hold the 
 bridle of the young man's horse while he dis- 
 mounted and made known his errand. " De 
 jedge and lady am a-walkin' in de woods." 
 
 " Ah," said the gentleman, " I shall not 
 see them, then, for I must hasten on to meet 
 a comrade with whom I am traveling. Any 
 letters or packets, Sambo ? " 
 
 " Yes, sah," was the reply, " I 'se got a lot 
 ob 'em." 
 
 " Bring them to me. Sambo, and there 's a 
 piece of silver for your pains. I '11 look after 
 my charger," continued the gentleman, with 
 a peculiar twinkle in his eyes. 
 
 The letters and packets were speedily de- 
 livered and tucked away in various pockets, 
 some every-day remarks made concerning the 
 
IN THREE PLACES AT THE SAME TIME 329 
 
 day and the family, and away sped the gentle- 
 man on his journey to New York. 
 
 " Give your master and mistress my com- 
 pliments, and say that I hope to pass this way 
 again before a month is gone," was the part- 
 ing word. 
 
 " Seems like he be in an awful hurry," 
 grumbled Sambo, who was fond of Mr. Duane 
 Livingstone. " If de gem'man go to New 
 Yo'k, he might trabel wid Mas'r Spaldin'. 
 I heard 'im say he be goin' to de city too." 
 
 But the gentleman evidently had more con- 
 genial company in view than Mr. Sherwood 
 Spalding, judging from the pleased expres- 
 sion on his face as he departed from the pre- 
 cincts of Tryon Hall. 
 
 On the same evening, two or three hours 
 later, Lois Hardy and Duane Livingstone 
 might have been seen taking a walk over 
 Round HiU. 
 
 " I 've been shut up in this place about 
 as long as a human being can stand it," ob- 
 served the young man to his cousin, when the 
 shades of evening fell. " Lois, let 's take a 
 walk. I '11 put on that suit I gave David 
 last summer. He 's been wearing it lately, 
 and if anybody asks questions, you say 
 David has returned for the night and must 
 
330 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 go away again iu the morning. That 's easy 
 enough to do. You see I 'm dying for fresh 
 air and exercise." 
 
 Both Lois and Duane had their absent 
 ones in mind. The harmless diversion of an 
 evening walk might help to lessen anxiety, 
 although it was contrary to the orders of 
 Desire for the young man to leave the prem- 
 ises, or show himself to a person beyond their 
 home circle. But the temptation was great, 
 and the objections or perils seemed trivial. 
 
 It was a calm, delicious air, odors of wild 
 grapes diffusing themselves over the hillside. 
 Never did life seem more precious or beauti- 
 ful. The tonic of October weather imparted 
 something of healthful impulse to the young 
 man. The sense of freedom made his pulse 
 beat faster. Then he grew vexed to think 
 that he had remained in Fairfield while 
 Desire mayhap was needing his protection or 
 restraint. And while they were walking along 
 the crest of the hill, whom should they hear 
 through the grateful, deepening night but 
 Major Tallmadge. 
 
 " Now," said Lois, " we must return straight 
 home. He '11 be wanting to see David and De- 
 sire, and you '11 have to stay in the barn until 
 I send Chloe to bring you into the house." 
 
IN THREE PLACES AT THE SAME TIME 331 
 
 " Where 's David ? " asked the major, 
 when Lois admitted him to the unfinished 
 dwelKng, " and your sister ? " 
 
 " They are visiting, and I don't know when 
 they '11 return," was the reply. 
 
 " Ah," said the caller reflectively. He 
 sat for a few moments talking with Lois, 
 evidently keeping up another distinct train 
 of thought, not making himself especially 
 agreeable. He seemed anxious and dis- 
 turbed. 
 
 " And you don't know when they '11 be 
 home ? " he repeated, quite as much to him- 
 self as to his companion. 
 
 " No," she said. " Desire was on her high 
 horse when she went away. She acted like 
 one transported to the third heaven, if you 
 know what that means. I should think from 
 her manner that she expected to be offered 
 up as a voluntary sacrifice. And I am quite 
 sure that she 'd like it. Such talk as we have 
 had in the house these last days since you 
 were here I never heard in all my life. 
 Desire ought to have been a general or a 
 statesman. She 's got patriotism and faith 
 enough for a whole State." 
 
 Major Tallmadge looked more anxious and 
 harassed as Lois continued. 
 
332 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 " I must go/' he said, with puzzling con- 
 straint in his manner. 
 
 On that same night, the servant in charge 
 of the Livingstone dwelHng in New York (a 
 domicile rented since the great fire, and in- 
 habited chiefly by Duane and the several 
 slaves) admitted a young gentleman and his 
 attendant. 
 
 " How glad I is to see you/' said the do- 
 mestic. " You 's bin away de longes' time/' 
 and he hastened to usher him into the house 
 and follow him to his room. " We 's 'pared 
 to gib you a hot supper, mas'r," the ser- 
 vant continued. "You mus' be done gone 
 sta'ved." 
 
 " No, Jock," said the gentleman quietly, 
 ^' I 'm tired and sleepy, and I must keep still 
 all day to-morrow. You must n't tell any- 
 body that I 'm here. My business is private, 
 and I shall stay in my room most of the time 
 and cannot be disturbed. I 've picked up a 
 man in my travels," — the speaker pointed 
 to Minto, — " he '11 wait on me. Take him 
 with you now, and send me any letters or 
 packets that have been waiting." 
 
 No extra lights appeared in the Living- 
 stone headquarters that night, and had the 
 house not been closely watched by observers. 
 
IN THBEE PLACES AT THE SAME TIME 333 
 
 one would naturally have concluded that the 
 occupants of it still remained away. 
 
 But Sherwood Spalding, with his confed- 
 erates, had exercised surveillance over the 
 place for many days. The Tory refugee 
 from Fairfield was moved not so much by 
 jealousy as distrust. While it was evident to 
 him that Duane Livingstone transacted con- 
 siderable business and amassed no mean sums 
 of money, yet he believed that the young man 
 had been accustomed to take a surreptitious 
 part in the war, and that such a service was 
 in fact the chief object held in view. 
 
 There were times when he thought that 
 the prosperous fellow was a secret ally of 
 Tryon, keeping ostensibly on the fence in 
 order that he might serve the royal cause to 
 better advantage ; but he finally reached the 
 conclusion that Duane was really an enemy of 
 the king, and ought to be suppressed. Sher- 
 wood Spalding took it upon himself to ferret 
 out the secret life of the unsuspecting young 
 merchant, and bring him to that punishment 
 which he was convinced Livingstone deserved. 
 
 During the weeks that his victim lay on 
 the sick bed in the home of the Hardys, this 
 watch had availed nothing. The house was 
 untenanted save for the colored care-takers. 
 
334 jln unknown patriot 
 
 But now, at last, virtue had its reward. 
 Sherwood had seen the young man enter the 
 place. He proposed to face him down, accuse 
 him of his duplicity, then hand him over to 
 the proper authorities. 
 
 A little before nine o'clock that night, 
 Spalding crossed over the street and rapped 
 sharply upon the door. No attention was 
 paid to the caller. He repeated his loud 
 summons. Still it was unanswered. A third 
 time he plied the knocker. At length, the 
 ancient serving-man raised a window on the 
 third floor, asking what was wanted. 
 
 " Come down and open the door, you black 
 devil," answered the caller angrily. 
 
 " Fo'ks gone away," croaked Jock. 
 
 " You lie ! " shouted Mr. Sherwood Spal- 
 ding. The head of the servant slowly disap- 
 peared, and the window was put down. 
 
 The insistent caller waited a brief time, 
 expecting that Jock would descend and un- 
 fasten the door, but no sounds of footsteps 
 greeted his listening ears. Becoming impa- 
 tient, he pounded upon the door, making the 
 knocker resound through the house, shaking 
 the very front of the establishment in his 
 wrathful vehemence. But there came no 
 response to all this rudeness and commotion. 
 
IN THREE PLACES AT THE SAME TIME 335 
 
 " I '11 face him, if I have to climb in a win- 
 dow or break a door down," was the passion- 
 ate exclamation of Spalding, as he withdrew 
 from the scene and called his associates to a 
 hasty council of war. 
 
 '' I know he 's there, for I saw him enter ; 
 he 's afraid to meet me," said the valiant 
 refugee. 
 
 " Send for an of&cer and half a dozen men 
 and surround the house," counseled one. 
 
 " Batter down a door and rush in upon 
 him before he slips away," said another ad- 
 viser. 
 
 " Make an entrance through a window 
 quietly, feel your way to his room, and there 
 have it out with him. We '11 be on the 
 watch to see that he does not have a chance 
 to escape." 
 
 " That 's a good idea," answered Spalding, 
 after a moment's deliberation. " I know his 
 room. There 's an easy way of entrance to 
 it from a trellis. I 'm in for it, boys. One 
 of you watch in the front, and the other 
 follow me to the rear of the house." And 
 so the council broke up, and the men pro- 
 ceeded to action. 
 
 Sherwood Spalding would hardly have ven- 
 tured upon these summary measures except 
 
836 AN UNKNOWN PATBIOT 
 
 that he was positive as to the complicity of 
 Duane Livingstone in certain schemes detri- 
 mental to the royal cause ; he felt assured 
 that the evidences which he possessed would 
 be sufficient justification of his course when 
 the matter was brouo^ht to the notice of Gen- 
 eral Tryon or other officers in the British 
 army. 
 
 His men were placed according to the plan, 
 and Spalding climbed the trellis, which reached 
 to the second floor on the rear of the house. 
 It was a hall window which he tried. Through 
 some carelessness of the servant, it had been 
 left unfastened, so that he entered without 
 difficulty. The darkness and silence within 
 suggested a mistake on his part. Could it 
 be possible that his eyes had deceived him, 
 and that it was two servants he saw enter the 
 place ? Yet he was ready to swear that, 
 through the dim light of the evening, he 
 detected a white man, Duane Livingstone. 
 There could be no doubt that he was in 
 hiding. Spalding now had the man where 
 he could lay hands on him, and drag him to 
 justice. 
 
 Groping stealthily across the hall, he stood 
 before the door leadino^ into his victim's room. 
 He lifted the latch ; the door yielded to his 
 
IN THREE PLACES AT THE SAME TIME 337 
 
 touch. A candle flickered in its socket on 
 the table. The fire on the hearth was dying, 
 so that it did Httle to drive away the gloom 
 of the place. 
 
 Standing by the door, which he had closed, 
 Spalding cast his eyes over the room in search 
 of the gentleman whom he sought. For a 
 moment, it appeared that the intruder was 
 the only occupant of the chamber ; but as he 
 peered more intently through the dim light 
 of the apartment, an old settle against the 
 wall took shape before him, and — he started 
 nervously as he made the discovery — there 
 was a cloaked form lying stretched upon it. 
 
 The two must have seen each other on the 
 same instant, for as Spalding spoke, the figure 
 reclining upon the settle sprang into the mid- 
 dle of the room. 
 
 " Livino*stone, I 've come to settle accounts 
 with you. Don't think you can escape me. 
 I Ve been on the watch for weeks, and my 
 men are on hand to do king's service. And 
 there 's no use in making any fuss about the 
 thing. I know you are a sly dog, and have 
 pulled the wool over everybody's eyes, but 
 we 've got you this time, and you might as 
 well throw up your hands and give in." 
 
 It was quite a long speech which the Tory 
 
338 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 refugee made, and Mr. Duane Livingstone 
 seemed deeply impressed by it, for he stood 
 like a statue during its hasty recital. Mr. 
 Spalding advanced near to the middle of 
 the room as he concluded his address, and 
 standing face to face with the cloaked indi- 
 vidual so lately resting on the settle, he did 
 not observe how another person had silently 
 opened the door, stepping close behind him. 
 Mr. Duane Livingstone (if this be he) made 
 no reply to his enemy's speech, but simply 
 lifted his arm, and motioned as though he 
 would fell him to the floor. How it was that 
 such an airy, distant gesture (for the gentle- 
 men were still two or three feet apart) could 
 produce a result so marked and effective was 
 never explained to Mr. Spalding, but it suffices 
 to say that as the arm was swayed back and 
 forth in one swift movement, by some magic 
 this hound after human game dropped speech- 
 less and unconscious upon the floor. 
 
 " Hand him over to Jock, Minto," was the 
 order given by this strange antagonist. " We 
 must be soon going." 
 
 " Mas'r Livingstone," exclaimed Jock, 
 when the silenced housebreaker was given 
 into his keeping, " what shall I do wid 
 him ? " 
 
IN THREE PLACES AT THE SAME TIME 339 
 
 "Let him go/' said Minto, speaking for 
 the master, who was making hurried prepara- 
 tions for departure. 
 
 In five minutes, Mr. Sherwood Spalding 
 was left in possession of the Livingstone 
 house, while the gentleman he had faced and 
 threatened, having eluded the watchers, was 
 gone on a journey. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 A PURSUIT AND A SKIRMISH 
 
 It was the night after the incident related 
 in the preceding chapter that three gentlemen 
 might have been observed in the neighbor- 
 hood of Smith's Manor, at a point where the 
 land projected into the South Bay. They 
 did not appear altogether at home, and their 
 movements would have been regarded as sus- 
 picious, had any Tory followed their track. 
 They were evidently taking bearings, — spy- 
 ing out the land, — making themselves famil- 
 iar with the situation. 
 
 The most easterly point was a triangular 
 inclosure of several acres, at two angles of 
 which was a strong barricade house, and at 
 the third a fort, with deep ditch and waU en- 
 circled by an abatis of sharpened pickets, pro- 
 jecting at an angle of forty-five degrees. The 
 fort and house were connected by a strong 
 stockade, high, every post being sharpened, 
 transverse rails bolted together holding the 
 pickets and making a strong defense. 
 
A PURSUIT AND A SKIRMISH 341 
 
 This fort, recently completed, was the de- 
 pository of stores, dry goods, groceries, and 
 arms. It presented a formidable appearance, 
 being of peculiar importance for the reason 
 that all Suffolk County could be easily sup- 
 plied with provisions and the munitions of 
 war from its resources. 
 
 Major Tallmadge had known that Fort St. 
 George was an objectionable point in that 
 part of the Long Island landscape, and as it 
 drew near its completion, he proposed to 
 General Washington that he be permitted 
 to go over and demolish the works ; but in- 
 formation was vague and inaccurate, so that 
 the Commander-in-chief did not feel he was 
 warranted in giving his consent to the under- 
 taking. 
 
 The three strange visitors haunting the 
 neighborhood were in quest of that definite 
 knowledge which would serve the purposes of 
 Major Tallmadge. By various means they 
 procured a correct draft of the fort, made out 
 an exact schedule of all the supplies, learned 
 the size of the garrison, and also found that 
 there was a large quantity of hay and forage 
 collected by the enemy at Corum. A night 
 and day were consumed in gathering these 
 details. The following night, the mysterious 
 
342 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 trio, aided by well-paid agents among tlie 
 farmers along the shore, hastened on their 
 way to the rendezvous near Huntington. 
 
 They were drawing near the end of a most 
 perilous and important expedition, one that 
 had been surrounded with peculiar difficulties, 
 and that could have been achieved only by 
 consummate craftiness and intrepidity. It 
 was so nigh the victorious finale that vigi- 
 lance had been relaxed, and they ventured to 
 exchange congratulations. 
 
 " How thankful we shall be, once safely em- 
 barked, speeding our way across the Sound/' 
 whispered the foremost traveler. 
 
 "Had we not been in the Lord's keep- 
 ing, we should long ago have fallen a prey 
 to the enemy," answered the second of the 
 company. 
 
 "De Lo'd be praised foh his mehcy," mut- 
 tered the hindmost man. Then a hush fell 
 upon them, as they forged ahead through 
 swamp and forest, open field and bush-be- 
 sprinkled pasture. 
 
 The night was keen and crisp, frost sting- 
 ing the face and nipping the fingers, so that 
 the trio were glad to step lightly, swiftly, 
 impelled by quickened beat of the pulse re- 
 sponding to the subtle tonic of the air. 
 
A PURSUIT AND A SKIRMISH 343 
 
 " What shall we do in case the boat fails 
 us?" 
 
 ^^ The boat will be on hand/' was the em- 
 phatic reply. 
 
 " It cannot be more than a mile or two 
 farther/' whispered the first speaker. 
 
 ^' A mile, praise de Lo'd/' croaked the rear 
 guard. 
 
 " We 're coming to that marsh studded with 
 underbrush. How I hate to pass through it. 
 I feel as if every tuft of grass or old log was 
 a stealthy Tory lying prone so that I might 
 trip over him and fall into his treacherous 
 embrace." 
 
 '' Hush! " said the hindmost traveler, whose 
 ears seemed preter naturally keen. They had 
 entered the swamp, and there came floating 
 to them faint, far-away sounds like the ad- 
 vance of a small troop through snapping, 
 spiteful brush. 
 
 " We must turn back and skirt this ugly 
 lot and make for the woods in the rear," said 
 the leader of the party. 
 
 Like Indian warriors they crouched and 
 crawled along their path, reaching at length 
 the black shelter of the trees. Their pro- 
 gress would have been undetected except that 
 they ran afoul of a dog, whose bark rang out 
 
344 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 discordantly in tlie night. It did not take a 
 moment to pound the brute into the silence 
 of death, but the incident drew the atten- 
 tion of their pursuers in that direction, and 
 indicated that the game had finally been 
 tracked. 
 
 It was a wild chase. The wearied trio at 
 last separated in the fierce, frantic effort to 
 elude their hunters and reach the point of 
 embarkation. In a few moments, the woods 
 and the country round seemed alive with 
 troopers flying many ways. 
 
 The fugitives were familiar with the ground 
 over which they ran, and they were spurred 
 to superhuman exertions by the assurance 
 that when they reached the goal assistance 
 was awaiting them, and a fair chance of 
 escape would be open. 
 
 Sherwood Spalding had been very busy 
 since his adventure in the Livingstone house. 
 The fact that his victim had slipped through 
 his fingers and fled the city was, to his mind, 
 the final incriminating circumstance. That 
 Mr. Duane Livingstone was not vindictive 
 and refrained from inflicting severe bodily 
 injury upon him went for nothing. 
 
 No sooner had the Tory refugee returned 
 to consciousness, and been allowed to with- 
 
A PURSUIT AND A SKIBMISH 345 
 
 draw peaceably from the house which he had 
 entered like a thief in the night, than he re- 
 ported to the general and demanded that men 
 be sent in pursuit of Livingstone. After a 
 day's delay, the order had been given, and 
 a dozen redcoats went beating up and down 
 the north shore of Long Island. Sherwood 
 Spalding accompanied the band, and was the 
 informing spirit of the adventure. The first 
 trace of the fugitives was gained from one of 
 the soldiers of the garrison at Fort St. George ; 
 but his information was so meagre and un- 
 satisfactory that it did little except to confirm 
 Spalding in his opinion that Livingstone must 
 be somewhere along the shore opposite Stam- 
 ford, Norwalk, or Fairfield, watching for a 
 boat to take him across to the Connecticut 
 side. 
 
 It was not until the tell-tale barkino^ of the 
 dog in the woods that Spalding and his troop- 
 ers had any reward for all their pains. In the 
 dim light of the stars they observed one or 
 two shadowy forms shifting hither and thither 
 amid the trees. It was not long before the 
 pursuit waxed hot. 
 
 Off the shore faintly outlined against the 
 eastern horizon, a large whaleboat was lying, 
 every man in his place, alert and watchful, 
 
346 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 eyes turned toward Long Island, ears open to 
 all sounds landward and seaward. 
 
 " What is that ? " whispered the captain 
 eagerly — excitedly. 
 
 " The report of a musket, sir/' answered 
 one of the crew. 
 
 " And there is a second and a third/' ex- 
 claimed several husky voices. 
 
 " And I hear loud shouting/' said another 
 speaker. 
 
 " There 's trouble on shore, my men/' cried 
 the captain. " A part of us must land and 
 be ready to help." 
 
 A moment passed, and twelve sturdy pa- 
 triots, fully armed, stood behind a rock pro- 
 jecting down upon the beach. A short dis- 
 tance in the rear, great frowning trees towered 
 above them. 
 
 " There comes a man along the sand," 
 whispered one of the boat's crew. 
 
 " And there come two more in the edge of 
 the woods." 
 
 " And, by heavens ! there 's a dozen troop- 
 ers in pursuit. Now we are in for it. Keep 
 cool, boys ! " muttered the captain. " Don't 
 fire till I give the word." 
 
 The next two or three minutes of intense 
 anxiety dragged themselves like hours. The 
 
A PURSUIT AND A SKIRMISH 347 
 
 lone man on the beacli was racing for dear 
 life, and two were in wild pursuit, making 
 evident gain. 
 
 " When those hounds get within shooting 
 distance, pick 'em off/' said the captain to 
 two sharpshooters standing on his right. 
 " The rest of us will attend to the horde 
 comino^ out of the woods." 
 
 Another moment, and the clash of arms, 
 reverberation of muskets, shouts, cries, groans, 
 imprecations filled the air with the awful din 
 of conflict. A moment later, and the two 
 forces were grappling with each other in a 
 hand to hand encounter, and all was confusion 
 worse confounded ; for in the uncertain light 
 and sudden duel of men, it was difficult to 
 dis tin Ornish friend from foe. 
 
 The struggle waged fiercely for a few sec- 
 onds, one and another man being flung aside 
 dead or wounded. Then above the din and 
 turmoil of the fight the voice of Spalding 
 rano^ out strong^ and clear : — 
 
 " I have you now, my man " — blows and 
 metallic impact of steel upon steel. " You 're 
 fencing, are you, how's that?" — and the 
 stroke of a sabre resounded far and wide. 
 " I have you at my mercy, Livingstone " — 
 and there was a shot, a fall, a groan, a sudden 
 
348 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 awful curse, hoarse and vengeful, wlien Mr. 
 Sherwood Spalding, who had been doing such 
 valiant work upon his bold yet unaggressive 
 antagonist, felt the butt end of a musket 
 touch his head, and on the instant sank be- 
 neath the crack of doom. The man who 
 wielded the blow which felled Mr. Spalding, 
 did not stop to investigate the issue of his 
 work ; but while in the very act of striking 
 hissed in his ears, " Dat no Mas'r Livingstone, 
 traitor, dat my " — and the last words were 
 running hoarsely, anguishfully through the 
 Tory's mind, as he reeled and tumbled in a 
 heap on the ground. 
 
 Minto dropped his musket, and, clasping in 
 his arms the limp form that Spalding's assault 
 had stretched low, ran like a deer for the boat, 
 followed quickly by the companion under 
 whose lead he had made a part of that me- 
 morable niofht march across the island. The 
 fight did not continue, since the prime mover 
 in the pursuit — Mr. Sherwood Spalding — 
 was sleeping the deep sleep from which there 
 is no waking, sharing his long rest with several 
 comrades of the night. The cessation of 
 hostihties came by swift mutual consent, for 
 while the remaining redcoats were blundering 
 through the darkness in search of the foe. 
 
A PURSUIT AND A SKIRMISH 349 
 
 often mistaking one another for rebels, deal- 
 ing their righteous judgments upon unoffend- 
 ing brethren, the patriots had retreated to 
 the whaleboat on the plaintive cry of a whip- 
 poorwill twice repeated, and were already 
 cutting the waters of the Sound in their swift 
 course to the Connecticut shore. 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 AT FORT ST. GEORGE 
 
 It was on the morning of November 24:th 
 that Major Tallmadge called at the Hardy 
 place to report upon the expedition against 
 Fort St. George. Desire was reclining on a 
 spacious settle drawn up in front of the 
 hearth in the little parlor, now converted into 
 a sick chamber. For more than a week she 
 had been permitted to see her friends, and 
 the doctor said that she mended rapidly. 
 
 " I hear your boats arrived off Fairfield 
 beach at one o'clock this morning," said De- 
 sire cheerily. " I am waiting impatiently to 
 hear the story of your adventure." 
 
 ^^ Our adventure," remarked Major Tall- 
 madge, with enthusiasm. " Yours not less 
 than mine." 
 
 He seated himself near the settle, while 
 David, Lois, Minto, and Chloe assumed posi- 
 tions in various parts of the room where 
 they might watch his face and hear the nar- 
 rative to the best advantage. 
 
AT FORT ST. GEORGE 351 
 
 " Well, you know that the draft o£ the 
 fortification and the schedule of munitions, 
 supplies, and forces sent by the unknown 
 patriot " — the of&cer smiled with charming 
 naivete — "satisfied Washington that my plan 
 was feasible ; so that permission was given 
 me, and I brought my detachment of two 
 companies of dismounted dragoons here to 
 Fairfield, and on four o'clock of the 21st we 
 embarked, arriving at ^ Old Man's ' on Long 
 Island about nine in the evening. By ten, 
 we started across, and a pouring rain set in, 
 so that we were obliged to go back to our 
 boats, which we had placed in ambush, and 
 there wait until the next night." 
 
 " That was too bad," exclaimed the invalid. 
 
 " Almost as bad as hiding in the heart of 
 the forest one dismal night last month," inter- 
 rupted David significantly. 
 
 " We marched over to Port St. George the 
 second night, and arrived at four in the morn- 
 ing," continued the narrator, with a conta- 
 gious enthusiasm. " Just at break of day, I 
 put my detachment in motion, having con- 
 cealed two small detachments of men at dif- 
 ferent positions from the fort, where they 
 were to remain until the enemy opened fire 
 on my column. The pioneers who preceded 
 
352 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 me had reached within forty yards of the 
 stockade before they were discovered. 
 
 " ' Who comes there ? ' cried their sentinel, 
 and fired. Before the smoke cleared from 
 his gun, my sergeant had reached him with 
 his bayonet and laid him low. This was the 
 signal for all my men to move forward ; and 
 how they did vie with one another to enter 
 the fort ! So resolute were they that a break 
 was soon made in the stockade, where the 
 rear platoon halted to prevent the prisoners 
 from escaping. I led the column directly 
 through the grand parade against the main 
 fort, which we carried with the bayonet in 
 less than ten minutes, not a musket being 
 loaded. At the same instant that I entered 
 on one side of the fort, the of&cers command- 
 ing the two smaller detachments mounted the 
 ramparts on the other side, and the watch- 
 word, ' Washington and glory,' was repeated 
 from the three points of the fort at the same 
 time." 
 
 " Bless de Lo'd, bless de Lo'd ! ' Washing- 
 ton and glory ! ' " interrupted Minto, in his 
 irrepressible excitement. 
 
 " ' Washington and glory ! ' " shouted Lois 
 and Chloe. The mist of tears filled their 
 eager eyes. 
 
AT FORT ST. GEORGE 353 
 
 " Grand watchword ! " cried Desire, as the 
 color mounted her pale cheeks and she raised 
 herself from her pillows in emphasis of her 
 deep feeling. "But we break the story/' she 
 continued. " Pray go on." 
 
 " We were elated with victory, and made 
 our way to the centre of the fort ; then a 
 volley of musketry was discharged at us from 
 the windows of a large house. We re- 
 turned the fire, and then found it necessary 
 to enter the place, break down the strong 
 barricades, and drive the enemy from room 
 to room. These men had fired upon us after 
 the fort had been taken and the colors struck. 
 According to the usages of war, their lives 
 were forfeited, but I ordered the slaughter 
 to cease. It was an extraordinary victory. 
 We did not lose a man, and only one of 
 our soldiers was badly wounded, and I have 
 brought him back to Fairfield, where he will 
 be committed to the loving care of your faith- 
 ful nurses." 
 
 " Alas ! " exclaimed Desire regretfully, 
 " that I must forego the sweet pleasure of 
 looking after your wounded patriot ; but Lois 
 will do her part." 
 
 " Ah, my friend," replied the officer, weav- 
 ing infinite praise, sympathy, admiration, into 
 
354 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 the words with which he addressed the invalid, 
 " you have served far beyond the measure 
 of common soldiering and simple devotion 
 to liberty. You have won a well-merited re- 
 pose." 
 
 " We are waiting for the rest of the story/' 
 said Desire quietly. 
 
 " When we secured our prisoners, it was 
 discovered that some of the redcoats were get- 
 ting the shipping under way. Their boats 
 were loaded with stores, so we brought the 
 guns of the fort to bear upon them, and they 
 obeyed orders ; then we had to destroy the 
 immense quantity of stuff that was accumu- 
 lating. Shipping, provisions, munitions of 
 war, all sorts of dry goods, were committed 
 to the flames. A few valuable articles were 
 placed on the shoulders of the prisoners, who 
 were pinioned two and two together, and thus 
 carried across the island to our boats. The 
 work of capturing and destroying the fort 
 was finished at eight in the morning, and we 
 put about to recross. I took with me a dozen 
 men to burn the magazine at Corum, having 
 mounted horses which we captured at the 
 fort. It was three hours later that we re- 
 joined our comrades, having achieved our 
 purpose, burning everything at the magazine. 
 
AT FOBT ST. GEORGE 355 
 
 and riding sixteen miles through the enemy's 
 country on this little diversion. Arriving at 
 the appointed rendezvous, we found every- 
 thing in good order, and having rested awhile, 
 we resumed the march and reached our boats 
 at four o'clock ; and here we are back to 
 Fairfield by midnight, bringing my men in 
 fine condition, escorting as prisoners of war 
 one lieutenant-colonel, the commandant, one 
 lieutenant, a surgeon, fifty rank and file, with 
 a host of others in the garrison." 
 
 " ^ Washington and glory ! ' say I," ex- 
 claimed David jubilantly. 
 
 " Hallelujah, hallelujah ! Bless de Lo'd ! " 
 cried Chloe, with genuine religious fervor. 
 " De God ob battles am wid us, a pillar o' 
 cloud by day, and by night de glorious pillar 
 o' fire." 
 
 "And now that I have told my story," 
 observed Major Tallmadge, " I am wishing 
 to hear a good report on your part," turning 
 toward Desire with keen, questioning glance. 
 " In fact, your report should have come first, 
 but such impatience as you manifested was 
 not to be gainsaid. Please tell me what the 
 surgeon-general says concerning Miss Desire 
 Hardy." 
 
 " Oh, my patient is doing finely," inter- 
 
356 AN UNKNOWN PATBIOT 
 
 rupted Lois, in the most matter of fact way. 
 " The dislocated shoulder and the broken 
 arm are getting into prime condition. It's 
 only the bullet wound that bothers us, and 
 the doctor says that will heal in good time. 
 I suppose it will be some weeks before Desire 
 can lord it over us in the old-time way and go 
 adventuring up and down the country like 
 some love-lorn lassie gone daft; but she's 
 coming along. No fears for that child. I 
 can't find out what she's been trying to do. 
 I've tried to make her confess to masquer- 
 ading like some of our bold female patriots at 
 Groton, but she only smiles and keeps still. 
 Perhaps you know, Major Tallmadge?" and 
 Lois waited for some reply. 
 
 " Well," she continued, " you 're as close- 
 mouthed as she. Never mind. I '11 find out 
 some time. I'm not one to have the wool 
 pulled over my eyes every day." 
 
 Desire seemed to grow restless and looked 
 pained. 
 
 " Dear soul ! " exclaimed Lois, flinging her- 
 self down by the settle, and touching with 
 ever so tender a touch the prostrate sister, 
 " don't mind what I say. You may have all 
 the secrets you please, and I '11 never pry into 
 one of them. You 're the sweetest, noblest 
 
 \ 
 
AT FOET ST. GEORGE 357 
 
 girl in all the world, and you shall go and 
 get all your limbs broken and your body 
 riddled with bullets, and I'll not say one 
 word about it until you say I may, so long as 
 you get well and grow to be your own dear 
 self ag-ain." 
 
 As Lois spoke, the tears ran down her 
 cheeks, and she kissed Desire over and over 
 again, while Major Tallmadge sat silently in 
 his chair, albeit strangely agitated and dis- 
 tressed. 
 
 '' I thank you," answered Desire, when she 
 finally broke the stillness. She was now 
 speaking to the major. " I grow strong and 
 happy each day. I see the beginning of the 
 end. Mark well my words." The prophetic 
 fire transfigured her countenance. " It may 
 be that another year shall roll round before 
 the clouds break, but the conflict is drawing 
 nigh its end. Great Britain will come to 
 terms of honorable peace, and America shall 
 be free j " and then in tones of wondrous 
 sweetness, with rich pathetic power, she re- 
 peated four stanzas of " The American Pa- 
 triot's Prayer : " — 
 
 " * Parent of all, omnipotent 
 
 In heaven and earth below, 
 Through all creation's bounds unspent, 
 Whose streams of goodness flow, 
 
358 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 " ' Teach me to know from whence I rose, 
 And unto what designed ; 
 No private aims let me propose, 
 Since linked with human kind. 
 
 " * But chief to hear my country's voice, 
 May all my thoughts incline ; 
 'T is reason's law, 't is virtue's choice, 
 'T is nature's call and Thine. 
 
 " * Me from fair Freedom's sacred cause 
 Let nothiug e'er divide ; 
 Grandeur, nor gold, nor vain applause, 
 Nor friendship false, misguide.' " 
 
 " Noble sentiments," said Major Tallmadge, 
 " and never repeated by lips more worthy." 
 
 " Well," observed Lois, " if the struggle is 
 near the end, we 've made our record here in 
 Connecticut. Poor General Putnam, he 's 
 gone, but for a time he was a tower of 
 strength ; and General Wooster, he gave his 
 life for his native land; and what a roster 
 of soldiers we 've furnished General Washing- 
 ton, beside taking care of our own State." 
 
 " I am glad that Colonel Humphrey made 
 use of our slaves," remarked Desire. " I 
 shall always think of Minto with unbounded 
 gratitude." 
 
 The servants had left the room at the con- 
 clusion of Major Tallmadge's narrative. 
 
 " The loyalty and courage of our colored 
 
AT FORT ST. GEORGE 359 
 
 people has been one of the beautiful incidents 
 of war.'* 
 
 " Yes, I 've heard General Washington re- 
 mark upon it," said the major. 
 
 " And we must n't forget the poets that 
 have sung Hberty into the hearts of our peo- 
 ple," continued Lois. " Joel Barlow, John 
 Trumbull, David Humphrey, and Timothy 
 Dwight, — why, such men do more to fire the 
 souls of patriots than all the loud-mouthed 
 speakers in the land ! " 
 
 " You are loyal to your native heath, Lois," 
 observed Desire, with pride. 
 
 " And so are you," interjected the sister. 
 
 " True. Connecticut compares most favor- 
 ably with other States both in the number and 
 the quality of the men she has - furnished in 
 this great liberty fight. Massachusetts may 
 claim precedence, but Connecticut certainly 
 comes next. I call Governor Trumbull the 
 backbone of help and sympathy for General 
 Washington. Our generals have been his 
 right-hand men. Our statesmen have given 
 wisdom, nerve, stability to the councils of 
 Congress. Silas Deane may poke fun at his 
 co-worker, Roger Sherman, but they both are 
 great men in their way, bent on doing their 
 duty, and we have others like them." 
 
360 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 " Ah," cried David, who did not wish to 
 seem indifferent to the honor of his State, 
 " it 's our ideas that have done the work. 
 We 're a remarkably ingenious and thought- 
 ful people. We are self-made above many- 
 others. Our ancestors have insisted upon 
 education for the citizen. We have been 
 great lovers of liberty since the time that 
 Samuel Hooker set his seal upon the court of 
 the colony. We 've got the best government 
 among the States. It 's a genuine democracy, 
 and we can give a model to Congress itself 
 when it comes to the pinch." 
 
 " Well," remarked Major Tallmadge, ready 
 to share this State eulogy with his friends, 
 " Connecticut has been most generous and 
 willing in her contribution of supplies; and 
 another feather in her cap is seen when I 
 point to the great number of ships and boats 
 of all descriptions which she has given to 
 fight the country's battles and prey upon the 
 enemy's commerce, — nearly 180, carrying 
 almost 1400 guns, with more than 6000 
 marines; and she has paid great sums in 
 taxes, — a splendid showing." 
 
 Desire was happy in this laudation of Con- 
 necticut. 
 
 " I would not have you forget," she said, 
 
AT FORT ST. GEORGE 361 
 
 " that much of the spiritual force which has 
 diffused itself through the conflict came from 
 this State ; then consider the energy, the 
 good sense, the sterling virtue, the magnifi- 
 cent faith manifested by our goodly company 
 of patriots. Governor Trumbull is a typical 
 man of the State, a man of fine and noble 
 spirit, given to the affairs of this world and 
 the next, combining the two in such way that 
 he brings things to the issue of a grand and 
 blessed harmony." 
 
 " Very true," interrupted Lois ; ^^ but it 's 
 as well that our mutual admiration society 
 holds a secret session. All the same," she 
 continued, with spirit, "this panegyric on 
 Connecticut is deserved. I 'm glad / was 
 born in the famous little colony." 
 
 But this jubilation over victory and glowing 
 exhibit of patriotism was too great a tax upon 
 the strength of the invalid. Major Tallmadge 
 withdrew amid the liveliest congratulations, 
 and the household settled down to such a 
 level of peace as seemed possible during these 
 piping times of war. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 "have I NOT SERVED SEVEN YEARS?" 
 
 The news of Cornwallis's surrender traveled 
 to Fairfield on the wings of the wind, and the 
 lads wished to celebrate the auspicious event. 
 Since the old town was burned, poverty had 
 prevailed to such an extent that little or no- 
 thing had been spared for such unnecessary 
 pleasures as a village festival or jubilee ; and 
 it might truthfully be remarked that the oc- 
 casions for any such rejoicing had been few 
 and far between. 
 
 But the surrender of Cornwallis meant that 
 the war could not survive for long. The pro- 
 phecy of Desire was coming true. The begin- 
 ning of the end was now an acknowledged 
 fact. 
 
 When the boys discussed among themselves 
 the particular form to be g^ven to their cele- 
 bration, they came over to consult Desire and 
 Lois Hardy. 
 
 "They're as good as boys any day," was 
 the generous praise awarded them by their 
 
''HAVE I NOT SERVED SEVEN YEARS?'' 363 
 
 common admirers and devotees, the sprightly, 
 high-spirited lads of the village. " Why, 
 they can ride and row, shoot a musket and 
 run a race, hoe corn or mend a harness, like 
 any man in town ; and they 're as lively as 
 crickets," continued the youngsters. 
 
 " Well, I suppose," said Desire, who was 
 now her old self, " that you want a bonfire, 
 although it is n't but two years since we saw 
 the biggest, grandest, saddest one that it will 
 ever be our lot to look upon." 
 
 " Yes, yes," replied the boys, " we must 
 have a bonfire." 
 
 " Well, you can find enough charred sticks 
 and timbers to supply you with all necessary 
 fuel," continued Desire. " All you '11 have 
 to do is to set the stuff well agoing, and it 
 will burn with the fury of '79, methinks." 
 
 " But you must do something more than 
 make a vast conflagration of old ruins," ob- 
 served Lois, with enthusiasm. " What would 
 you say to an effigy of old Tryon, — ' Great 
 Wolf Billy the Butcher Firebrand Tryon' ?" 
 
 " That 's what we 're after. Good ! good ! " 
 shouted the boys. " And you '11 help us make 
 it ? " The remark was addressed to Lois. 
 
 " Oh, yes," answered this popular maiden. 
 " I 'm always ready to serve my country 5 " 
 
 I 
 
364 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 and the roguish expression in her eyes said 
 that she was not the less prepared to serve 
 companionable lads like the committee in 
 consultation. 
 
 So it happened on an Indian summer's 
 night in November, 1781, that the volatile 
 and patriotic youth of Fairfield raised a 
 rickety, fantastic gibbet on the Green (per- 
 mission having been granted by the select- 
 men), and decorated it with a well-stuffed, 
 wondrously bedizened j&gure of the despised 
 and hated monster who had subjected so 
 many patriots to his cruelties. 
 
 The bonfire illumined the Green, and gave 
 a weird, ghostly appearance to the extrava- 
 gant performances of the boys. The towns- 
 people, old as well as young, naturally grav- 
 itated to the scene. The British might still 
 be in possession of New York, and Long 
 Island flourish with Tory sentiment and spirit, 
 nevertheless independence was in the air. A 
 few months, and the redcoats must depart 
 for good. The gray light on the eastern 
 horizon forecast the full-orbed day of peace. 
 So the staid, serious people of this New Eng- 
 land town could afford to thrust dignity one 
 side for a night and join the frolic of the 
 rising generation. 
 
"have I NOT SERVED SEVEN YEARS?'' 365 
 
 A new court house had been reared near 
 the middle of the Green, and three or four 
 small dwellings on the edge of the open, 
 added to the four left standing after the 
 burning, gave an appearance of recovery that 
 was not altogether dispelled by the gaunt 
 black chimneys which towered above the ruins 
 that framed the public common. A broad 
 fringe of men and women moved along the 
 edges of the familiar place, stopping now and 
 then to peer into the ashes of the meeting- 
 house, or comment upon the great losses which 
 hampered them in work. 
 
 " They have swung the old wretch aloft," 
 said Lois to David, as they stood in front 
 of the Bulkley house. " How I wish it was 
 really the man himself brought out of these 
 headquarters ! " She pointed over her shoulder 
 to the dwelling that had sheltered Tryon 
 when he was destroying the town. 
 
 " Snarl and bite now, you Great Wolf," 
 shouted one of the boys. 
 
 " Looking for another butchering job, 
 Billy?" mockingly asked a second youngster, 
 as the effigy twisted itself around and faced 
 the north. 
 
 " How do you like that ? " exclaimed a 
 third tormentor, as a rotten egg struck the 
 
366 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 figure square in the face and trickled down 
 upon the gorgeous waistcoat. 
 
 " I wonder what we '11 do with the Tories 
 when peace is declared," questioned a by- 
 stander at the elbow of David. 
 
 " Do with 'em/' replied a voice in the dark, 
 " hang 'em, dang 'em ! " was the laconic 
 reply. " Swing the devils over a gibbet like 
 that ! " and the shadowy speaker pointed to 
 the effigy. 
 
 " Hang 'em, dang 'em ! " shouted one of 
 the riotous youths. The words were caught 
 up by little knots of revelers until the refrain 
 ranof out with scandalous distinctness all over 
 the Green, seeming to disturb the very ashes 
 of the sanctuary by their profane vindictive- 
 ness. " Hang 'em, dang 'em ! " 
 
 Little cross-currents of November air took 
 the words and tossed them above the din 
 and roar of the frolic. Ghostly presences 
 seemed to flit about through the shades of 
 night, bandving these awful words with each 
 other. 
 
 " Try on ! Try on ! you Firebrand," ex- 
 claimed a small boy, punning upon the sol- 
 dier's name. " Try on that ! " and the small 
 boy threw a dab of tar against the effigy, 
 observing gleefully that it went straight for 
 
"have I NOT SERVED SEVEN YEARS?'' 367 
 
 the middle of his waistcoat, where it stuck 
 and spread. 
 
 ^^ That's the thing! That's the thing! 
 Try on a coat of tar and feathers 1 " sug- 
 gested one of the train-band. And soon the 
 dangling object was besmeared from head 
 to foot with tar, and a plentiful supply of 
 feathers was laboriously scattered over every 
 inch of the repugnant, offensive effigy, while 
 shouts of laughter, cries of " Hang 'em, dang 
 'em ! " and loud, reverberating huzzas, filled 
 the welkin. 
 
 " Now toast him ! " exclaimed a husky 
 voice in the distance. " Give him a taste of 
 fire." 
 
 " Yes," was the ready answer, " send him 
 home, down among the devils ! " 
 
 "Fry him," shouted another man. 
 
 The excitement reached its height. Tryon's 
 effigy had been taunted and humbled to 
 heart's content. Rotten eggs dripped their 
 vileness, tar and feathers coated the fig- 
 ure with their grotesque transmogrification. 
 The bonfire burned low, so that it could easily 
 be moved. It did not take many minutes to 
 carry the burning pieces of wood to a place 
 beneath the gibbet, and then heap high the 
 pile with fresh fuel. A brief delay, and the 
 
368 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 mass was burning with redoubled fury ; while 
 amid the frenzied exultations of the boys 
 and the resounding laughter of their elders, 
 the tar and feathers, the stuffed boots and 
 martial hat, the gay waistcoat and highly 
 scented material which constituted the ficti- 
 tious person of General " Great Wolf Billy 
 the Butcher Firebrand " Try on was ignomini- 
 ously reduced to ashes. 
 
 "Mis' D'sire," whispered Minto, who ap- 
 proached at this stage of the festivities, 
 " Mas'r Duane at de house. He wish to see 
 you. 
 
 For more than a year Mr. Livingstone 
 had avoided Fairfield, and this was his first 
 appearance since he bade Desire Hardy 
 good-by, a few days after she was brought 
 home a wounded, shattered woman. 
 
 "Desire," exclaimed the young man, 
 "you 've got my message about Yorktown?" 
 This was his greeting. 
 
 " Yes, Duane," was the answer. " You 
 see the town boys are celebrating the glorious 
 event." 
 
 " You know what it means, child ? " Liv- 
 ingstone spoke under strong emotion. 
 
 " It is the beginning of the end. America 
 is free. Great Britain will make terms of 
 
"HAVE I NOT SERVED SEVEN YEARS?'' 369 
 
 peace with us and acknowledge our inde- 
 pendence." The speaker was aglow with pas- 
 sion. 
 
 " Yes, Desire, it means all that." How 
 sweet and tender in its manliness was his 
 voice. What depth of pure feeling did his 
 glad, eager, luminous eyes reveal ! " And 
 does it not mean another thing for you and 
 me ? " 
 
 It was a questioning intense, painful in 
 its seriousness, bringing Desire down from 
 her lofty pedestal of patriotic enthusiasm face 
 to face with an imperious spirit and life's des- 
 tiny. The woman paled under the ardent 
 gaze of her lover. There was a sudden heav- 
 ing of the breast, a pathetic sob smote the ear. 
 
 " Desire, Desire," continued he, with warn- 
 ing notes of fear, if not despair, sounding 
 through his words, " have I not served these 
 seven years ! Do you love your country so 
 that no love is left for me ? " He was watch- 
 ing the play of emotion in her countenance. 
 
 A sudden pang of jealousy pierced his 
 heart. It could not be that she really cared 
 for that Tory refugee, Spalding, felled like 
 an ox by the mighty arm of Minto. 
 
 Was it Aaron Burr? He had written 
 her numerous gay, lively, charming letters, 
 
370 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 and often seen her in his visits to cousin 
 Thaddeus. But then Burr was a flirt, mak- 
 ing love to every woman, and they aU knew 
 it. Desire could not be such a fool as to give 
 her heart to that fickle gallant. And Burr 
 loved a widow, upon whom he was lavishing 
 his attentions. Had he not studied law with 
 Judge Patterson, and then mth Thomas 
 Smith ? Was he not expecting to be admitted 
 to the bar soon, in order (so it was reported) 
 that he might repair his wasted fortunes, gain 
 a good income, and then marry Mrs. Pre- 
 vost ? It could n't be that Aaron Burr had 
 won the love of a sensible woman like Desire 
 Hardy. 
 
 But there were other gentlemen that 
 haunted the Hardy homestead, and chief 
 among them was Colonel Tallmadge. Living- 
 stone had never met the man, but he knew 
 that he was the sort of a soldier and patriot 
 to command the homage of most women. 
 And Tallmadge had been a frequent visitor 
 and a not infrequent correspondent. 
 
 As these thoughts ran through his mind, 
 Desire remained silent, and her expression 
 gradually assumed that of a person surprised, 
 shocked, by the suddenness of some startling 
 announcement. 
 
"HAVE I NOT SERVED SEVEN YEARS?'' 371 
 
 " Is it Colonel Tallmadge ? " murmured 
 Livingstone, putting his thought into speech, 
 and talking to himself more than to the 
 woman by his side. 
 
 There was a slight flash, a swift lifting of 
 the head in anger, the kindling of a proud 
 spirit. 
 
 " My cousin " (spoken with great dignity), 
 ^^you are hasty in your addresses." By a 
 strong effort she mastered herself, continu- 
 ing with gentle reserve, '^ The news of 
 Yorktown is still fresh. We have not had 
 time to think upon it in all its bearings. 
 Other days will follow, and — and " — she 
 stumbled and hesitated — " there will be time 
 to think everything over." 
 
 There was the faintest intimation of a smile 
 upon her lips, and her eyes certainly beamed 
 with friendliness. 
 
 " Forgive me. Desire, for all my boyish 
 rashness and folly. We '11 sit down and 
 visit," for they had stood thus far through 
 the interview. " And I 'm your cousin to- 
 night, if nothing more, so give me a kiss," a 
 request which was granted on the instant, and 
 an incident which appeared by no means to 
 be devoid of interest to either party. 
 
 " I 've heard from Tryon recently," ob- 
 
372 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 served Livingstone, in a matter of fact way. 
 " He inquired for you and David." 
 
 " We 've burned him here to-night/' re- 
 pHed Desire genially. " The boys have had 
 great fun. You did n't catch the refrain 
 that 's been sounding and resounding through 
 the town the last hour, did you ? It 's a 
 solemn warning to you, Duane." She was 
 laughing merrily at her jest. 
 
 " Some new song of Barlow's or Trum- 
 bull's ? " 
 
 " Oh, no ; simply a concise, significant 
 phrase. When Tryon was hanging on his 
 gibbet, somebody asked what was to be done 
 with the Tories in our midst, and some pro- 
 fane bystander sang out, 'Hang 'em, dang 
 'em ! ' and all the boys and perhaps a portion 
 of the grown-ups have been singing it ever 
 since. You '11 have to look out for your- 
 self." 
 
 " Desire, what do you say to taking Lois 
 and David and going with me to Boston for a 
 week or two ? Now that Mrs. Hancock has 
 invited you so many times and everything is 
 quiet here in the north, and I 've some busi- 
 ness in that section, why not make the jour- 
 ney with me ? I 'm only stopping here for a 
 day or two, and then I 'm off." 
 
''HAVE I NOT SEEVEB SEVEN YEABS?'' 373 
 
 John Hancock was the first governor of 
 the State of Massachusetts. His spouse had 
 not forgotten the happy days in Fairfield and 
 the friendship of Desire Hardy. A pleasant 
 correspondence had extended through the 
 years, with varied and occasional renewings of 
 personal intercourse when the Boston beauty 
 revisited the scene of her nuptials. At the 
 time news of Desire's injuries had reached the 
 ears of the Hancocks, a most urgent request 
 had been sent her to come and stay with 
 them when able to make the journey. This 
 was the first opportunity to gratify the wish. 
 
 It was a merry company that joined Mr. 
 Duane Livingstone at Lebanon three days 
 after the celebration on Fairfield Green. 
 
 Governor Trumbull and his council had 
 issued a proclamation urging their fellow 
 citizens not to raise a single cent the price of 
 provisions during the passage of the French 
 troops through the State on their march to 
 Boston. The injunction had been obeyed, 
 the people dealing generously with their for- 
 eign allies, so that a feeling of marked cor- 
 diality prevailed. The young folks noted it, 
 and entered into the spirit of the times. 
 
 Was there not good reason for rejoi- 
 cings ? The fair prospects for peace filled 
 
374 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 every patriotic heart with grand hopes. It 
 was not alone that war must cease, — all the 
 cruel butchery and woeful desolation, — but 
 from the ashes of conflagrations, from the 
 blood which encrimsoned many a field, there 
 must spring a new State and a people sancti- 
 fied to the championship of eternal liberty 
 and righteousness. Governor Trumbull had 
 issued his proclamation for a Thanksgiving, in 
 which he spoke of the promising and happy 
 turn of public affairs, the singular interposi- 
 tions of Providence, and the perfect union and 
 
 understandino^ existing^ between the Ameri- 
 ca o 
 
 cans and their allies. All these things quick- 
 ened the hearts of the people, wooing them 
 into extraordinary merry-makings, wondrously 
 mitigating their distresses, inducing an at- 
 mosphere of cheerfulness which contrasted 
 boldly with the sorrow and depression of 
 seven years. 
 
 The gorgeous foliage of autumn had 
 withered and fallen, there were no flowers to 
 brighten field or forest, the landscape was 
 taking unto itself the barren, hostile aspect 
 of winter ; yet it was the gayest, happiest 
 journey of life for these travelers. 
 
 They stretched it over four days, the length 
 of a stage trip. They lingered in every town 
 
GOVERNOR JONATHAN TRUMBULL 
 
''HAVE I NOT SERVED SEVEN YEARS?'' 375 
 
 where there was any excuse for delay. As 
 the quartette ambled along together on their 
 horses, the war and matters of state were dis- 
 cussed. Desire was reciting the part which 
 Connecticut had taken in the conflict, going 
 over the various episodes in the British at- 
 tempts to annoy and humiliate the citizens 
 of the little State, reviewing the incursions 
 at Horseneck, North Stamford, Stonington, 
 Darien, New London, and other places, eulo- 
 gizing the Yankee soldiers and sailors, nour- 
 ishing her New England pride with every 
 memorable deed and service which she was 
 able to recall. 
 
 But there were hours when David and Lois 
 dropped behind or cantered on ahead. Those 
 were the sweetest hours of the day. 
 
 Duane had learned his lesson. Desire was 
 longing to be wooed and won in the good 
 old-fashioned way. He had been too swift, 
 eager, inconsequent, on the evening of the 
 Yorktown celebration. All these years, when 
 he was serving with the thought of Desire 
 supreme in his soul, she had been absorbed 
 in the struggle for freedom. Sex love re- 
 mained in absolute abeyance. Men were 
 fellow patriots with this martyr-spirited, ex- 
 traordinary woman. She lived in the achieve- 
 
376 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 ments of the statesmen and soldiers fighting 
 the country's battles and shaping the nation s 
 destiny. That work had now assumed such 
 character that one mio^ht abide in the reason- 
 able assurance that the end was victory for 
 those exalted ideals which swayed the mind 
 of the unselfish^ liberty-loving comrade. 
 
 And now a man who had been true to her 
 through long years, loving with a passion so 
 pure and noble that no sacrifice became too 
 great for him, — sacrifice itself being lost or 
 glorified in devotion, — this man was come to 
 awaken in her the responsive passion. She 
 was to be made conscious of her woman's na- 
 ture. It was a change — a wrench from the 
 life which had completely absorbed her to 
 another which made the same insistent de- 
 mands, or greater. 
 
 Duane Livingstone, now reading her like 
 the open pages of a book, set himself to the 
 happy task of enkindling a flame as subtly 
 strong, as intense, spiritual, and consuming, 
 as that which mastered and purified his own 
 heart. 
 
 There were memorable days in Boston. 
 The governor's lady might have the guest to 
 herself some little portion of the time, but 
 Desire was unresistingly monopolized by Mr. 
 
''HAVE I NOT SERVED SEVEN YEARS r' 377 
 
 Livingstone. When the fair Dorothy observed 
 this trend of true love, the way of courtship 
 was made a path of roses. 
 
 " They were tragic days which drove us 
 away from Boston," said Mrs. Hancock, 
 " but it was a generous and delightful hospi- 
 tality extended to us by Mr. and Mrs. Burr. 
 What a summer of gayety and hapj)iness, in 
 spite of war and adversity ! " 
 
 " Were they not sweet hours of hope, brave, 
 gladsome hours of friendship, that we spent 
 together ? " observed Desire. 
 
 " Child," was the reply, " perhaps it was 
 the atmosphere of love in which we lived." 
 She gave the hand of Desire a gentle pressure, 
 and smiled like one living over again the 
 sweet, beautiful days of budding passion. 
 " Was it not a kind and lovely thing to do, 
 — the mothering of an exile and the giving 
 her a wedding ? " They were recalling past 
 days. " Child, let us have a wedding here in 
 Boston, and you shall be the bride." 
 
 There was a long, long silence ; many 
 thoughts of home, childhood, and mother ; a 
 swift panorama of years ; at length a quiet, 
 gentle, confiding assent. 
 
 So the Rev. Andrew Eliot came with Mr. 
 and Mrs. Thaddeus Burr, that they might 
 
378 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 share the joyous event. It was not a case of 
 exile from home and the awful straits of war^ 
 as when John Hancock married Dorothy Q. ; 
 nevertheless, it was the bridegroom on both 
 occasions who gathered the silks, the laces, 
 the white hats, the gay stockings, the pretty 
 shoes, the exquisite fabrics and shining baubles 
 which graced the lady of his heart. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 HONORED BY WASHINGTON 
 
 " The President will pass this way in Octo- 
 ber, and he has expressed a wish to meet 
 ' D. H.' " It was Colonel Tallmadge speak- 
 ing to David Hardy in the humble home 
 which had been reared the year following the 
 burning: of Fairfield. . 
 
 " I think the meeting can be arranged, 
 colonel," was the reply ; " but tell me what the 
 general knows concerning ' D. H.' " There 
 was a note of curiosity in the question. 
 
 " Well, David," said the speaker, with a 
 humorous twinkle in his eyes, " one or two of 
 those love letters which passed through our 
 hands were signed, unwittingly I suppose, by 
 the writer of them, not the full name, simply 
 the initials ^ D. H.' It is almost ten years 
 since they were written, and General Wash- 
 ington has kept them all. He may wish to 
 give these unique epistles back to the writer 
 of them." 
 
 David was bewildered. 
 
380 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 " I '11 arrange the meeting, colonel, but I 
 don't seem to remember about the love let- 
 ters," and the gentleman gazed abstractedly 
 at his caller. 
 
 " A great deal has happened since those 
 days/' continued Colonel Tallmadge cheerily. 
 
 " Yes, to you and Desire and Lois and 
 Duane and the country, but nothing extraor- 
 dinary to me. Here I sit and study, or go 
 out on the farm and work, and it 's day in 
 and day out. I 'm fairly happy, colonel, how- 
 ever," a smile illumining his face. " What a 
 fund of interesting reminiscence you must 
 have to draw on for the pleasure of your 
 friends ! " 
 
 " David, you flatter me. I expect to be- 
 come a garrulous old man, for I love to recall 
 the days of yore. So much has been said 
 about Washington's lack of deep feeling or 
 his command of the emotions, that I must tell 
 you how he said good-by to us when the army 
 was disbanded and he left for Mount Vernon. 
 We were at Fraunces' tavern, you know. We 
 had taken some slight refreshment, when the 
 general filled his glass, and, turning to his 
 officers, said, ' With a heart full of love and 
 gratitude I now take leave of you. I most 
 devoutly wish that your latter days may be as 
 
HONORED BY WASHINGTON 381 
 
 prosperous and happy as your former ones 
 have been glorious and honorable.' " 
 
 "Fine! fine!" interrupted David Hardy, 
 kindling with his old-time enthusiasm. " I 'd 
 like to have been a witness to the scene." 
 
 "After the officers had taken a glass of 
 wine," continued Colonel Tallmadge, now 
 aglow with interest in his own narrative, 
 " General Washington said (and I remember 
 it as though it was only yesterday), ^I can- 
 not come to each of you, but shall be obliged 
 if each of you will come and take me by 
 the hand.' Greneral Knox was nearest to 
 him. He turned to the Commander-in-chief, 
 who, suffused with tears, was incapable of 
 utterance, but grasped his hand, when they 
 embraced each other in silence." 
 
 At this point, the reminiscent mood over- 
 whelmed the narrator with its sacred memo- 
 ries. A moment elapsed before he went on 
 with the story. 
 
 '' In the same affectionate manner, every 
 officer in the room marched up to, kissed, and 
 parted with his General-in-chief . Such a scene 
 of weeping I had never before witnessed, and 
 I hope I may never be called upon to witness 
 again," — the speaker's breast heaved with 
 emotion, the eyes of David filled. " It 
 
882 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 seemed as if every heart was ready to burst 
 from its wonted abode. Not a word was ut- 
 tered to break the solemn silence that pre- 
 vailed, or to interrupt the tenderness of the 
 hour. 
 
 "David, we were parting with the man 
 who had conducted us through a long and 
 bloody war, and under whose conduct the 
 glory and independence of our country had 
 been achieved. The thought that we might 
 not see his face again in this world seemed 
 to me utterly insupportable ; but the time of 
 separation had come, and, waving his hand 
 to his grieving children around him, he left 
 the room, and, passing through a corps of 
 light infantry who were paraded to receive 
 him, he walked silently on to Whitehall, 
 where a barge was in waiting. David, it was 
 a heartrending scene. A few days, and we 
 were all scattered, returning to our several 
 abodes, beginning anew the vocations in life 
 which had been laid one side while fighting 
 for human rights." 
 
 " Oh, colonel, I can well believe that the 
 heart of the old soldier was bleeding; and 
 Colonel Humphrey has told me how General 
 Washington returned to Mount Vernon, and 
 how true and good he has been to all the 
 
HONORED BY WASHINGTON 383 
 
 brave, great souls that fought his battles. 
 God bless him ! And now we are to be 
 honored with his presence." 
 
 " Yes/' continued Colonel Tallmadge, " and 
 I am sure that he has it in his heart to utter 
 what will prove more precious than jewels 
 unto ' D. H./ for many times have I heard 
 him say that when the opportunity came and 
 it consorted with wisdom, he wished to meet 
 my unknown patriot and render in person his 
 thanks for many remarkable services." 
 
 The speaker gazed inquiringly at David ; 
 but the far-away look had crept into his eyes, 
 so that he seemed like one wandering in 
 dreamland or lost in deep reverie. 
 
 " David/' said this friend, raising his voice 
 and speaking with such emphasis that the 
 man was brought back to himself, " you 've 
 never been free and square with me on this 
 matter, — not that you have done anything 
 inconsistent with honor. Don't think I mean 
 that, my man ; but you have hidden away the 
 facts and experiences clustering about your 
 service for Washington and the cause of lib- 
 erty with such modesty that not a soul knows 
 our indebtedness to you." 
 
 David shifted uneasily in his chair, glanced 
 out of the window and into the fire, then 
 
384 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 turned slowly to his friend and remained 
 silent. 
 
 " Why not question Desire ? She knows 
 all about it, and can tell what she pleases ; 
 and methinks, colonel, that you came to her 
 five times where you came to me once." 
 
 " David, you 're the most subtle, reticent 
 fellow, I believe, in all the world. Don't try 
 to shift the responsibility for your noble ser- 
 vices to the shoulders of your sister. She 's 
 done enough to put us under obligations with- 
 out assuming the credit and glory belonging 
 to you ; and mind, comrade, I 'm not prying 
 into your affairs. It 's your right to bury 
 these secrets with you when you die-; but I 
 would like to see people render you some part 
 of the praise which is your due." 
 
 The health of David Hardy had not been 
 good since the close of the war. Service and 
 exposure had crippled him, albeit he never 
 referred to his sacrifices or sought any pay 
 for his defense of the country. He was lead- 
 ing a bachelor life, under the foster care of 
 old Minto and Chloe, too feeble and dif&dent 
 to take up the work of preaching, growing 
 more and more indifferent to the world, be- 
 coming wholly centred in his favorite studies 
 and pursuits. 
 
HONORED BY WASHINGTON 385 
 
 Public sentiment and the lively imagination 
 of friends surrounded the recluse with the 
 glamour of romance. It was whispered that 
 he had been the confidant of Washington, 
 one of his secret right-hand men, a quiet, 
 tireless, sagacious agent, engaged in impor- 
 tant matters of war and peace. The boys of 
 the town looked upon David with reverence, 
 repeating over and over to one another 
 wonderful stories of hairbreadth escapes and 
 unparalleled achievements, giving him credit 
 for all sorts of good deeds and daring ex- 
 ploits. It was impossible to say how these 
 tales became current, but many people knew 
 that his sister Desire never denied their truth, 
 and on more than one occasion had vouched 
 for their historic accuracy. 
 
 Colonel Tallmadge had become familiar 
 with these reports, and sometimes took pains 
 to express his appreciation of the services 
 rendered by David Hardy. Any revelation 
 of private correspondence or secret service 
 was unbecoming in him, but the impression 
 prevailed that he might say not a little to 
 enlighten people concerning the part which 
 David had taken when he visited Long Island 
 and New York as a spy. 
 
 Colonel Tallmadge, however, remained in 
 
386 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 the dark, so far as the work done for Wash- 
 ington by the Hardy family was concerned. 
 He had reached the conclusion that David 
 was the one who had incurred the great risks 
 and established a network of secret intelli- 
 gence among his allies in the enemy's ranks, 
 Desire being the helper through whom the 
 brother had chosen to work. She had encour- 
 aged Colonel Tallmadge in this view of the 
 matter ; so when he told David that Washing- 
 ton was coming, and that the general wished 
 to meet " D. H.," the colonel was puzzled by 
 the vague, non-committal manner of his friend. 
 
 It was an important and extraordinary 
 service which the unknown patriot had ren- 
 dered the cause of American Independence. 
 For years, this individual had transmitted to 
 Washington exact information concerning 
 almost every movement in the north planned 
 by the enemy. The details of supplies, forti- 
 fications, number of troops, army life, and 
 organization were passed through this trust- 
 worthy and invaluable channel of communi- 
 cation. 
 
 To employ agents in such a work, to sift 
 and substantiate their reports, to organize 
 and conduct a system of espionage, involved 
 a large expenditure of money as well as a 
 
HONORED BY WASHINGTON 387 
 
 large investment of wit, insight, courage, per- 
 sonal force, and mastery. Colonel Tallmadge 
 received from the Commander-in-chief small 
 sums of money to carry on this work, but 
 not one penny of it had ever been paid to an 
 unknown patriot. The generous and splendid 
 service done by this nameless person was 
 counted simply as the meet offering put by a 
 loyal spirit upon the altar of his country. 
 
 No account of perils, escapes, injuries, sor- 
 rows, or losses ever reached the ears of Wash- 
 ington. Not only was curiosity piqued, but 
 a deep feeling of gratitude possessed the 
 heart of the great soldier. He had treasured 
 the curious love letters coming to him through 
 the hands of Colonel Tallmadge, ultimately 
 believing that, while veritable means of com- 
 municating important intelligence to him, they 
 were also genuine expressions of a romantic 
 passion existing between an unknown patriot 
 and the unnamed object of his exalted, im- 
 perious love. 
 
 It was the evening: of October the 16th 
 that President Washinfyton reached Fairfield 
 on his journey through New England. He 
 dined and lodged at " The Sign of the Sun," 
 the tavern kept by Mr. Penfield, a popular 
 host. 
 
388 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 This was his first visit since the conflagra- 
 tion of ten years ago, and Tryon's scourge 
 was manifest on every side. Washington 
 took note of it. " The destructive evidences 
 of British cruelty are yet visible in Norwalk 
 and Fairfield," he wrote in his journal, " as 
 there are the chimneys of many burnt houses 
 standing in them yet." 
 
 The old army officers, the members of the 
 Committee of Safety and Correspondence liv- 
 ing, the men who had served in civil or mili- 
 tary capacity during the period when the 
 independence of the colonies was achieved, 
 paid their respects to the great man ; and 
 then it was observed that he slipped away 
 from the company gathered to do him honor. 
 
 Accompanied by Minto, Washington 
 crossed the Green and was piloted to the 
 Hardy homestead. 
 
 " His Excellency de President," said the 
 faithful slave, as he ushered him into the 
 plain little parlor, now adorned with a goodly 
 portion of David's library. 
 
 Washington's face was an interesting study 
 at the moment. Surprise, inquiry, pleasure, 
 confusion and gratitude, recognition and 
 perplexity, struggled for control. The candles 
 flickered in their stands. The flames leaped 
 
HONORED BY WASHINGTON 389 
 
 High on the hearth and adorned the place 
 with a ruddy glow. Shadows in their play 
 shifted about the room. The Commander-in- 
 chief was mystified. 
 
 " You are welcome, honored sir/' said David, 
 as he extended his hand. 
 
 " We are old acquaintances, I observe/' 
 was the courteous reply. 
 
 " Allow me to present my sister/' continued 
 David, " Mrs. Duane Livingstone, of New 
 York, and her husband, my cousin." 
 
 " Friends whom I esteem," answered Wash- 
 ington, greeting them with marked cordiality, 
 albeit amazement still the dominant expres- 
 sion upon his countenance. 
 
 There ensued a few moments of embarrass- 
 ment. This was not the meeting^ that Wash- 
 ington had anticipated. David was like a 
 man awaking from uneasy sleep, groping for 
 his bearings; Desire, nervous and hesitant, 
 moved by some deej), inexplicable emotion; 
 Duane, sphinx-like. 
 
 Now that Washington saw David Hardy, 
 he recalled his face and the numerous occa- 
 sions when he had met him, but there was 
 not manifest in his countenance that peculiar 
 intelliofence which the Commander-in-chief had 
 pictured to himself ; yet the initials " D. H." 
 
390 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 fitted the man, and Colonel Tallmadge had 
 arranged this meeting. It was not apparent 
 why Mr. and Mrs. Livingstone were present, 
 although the fact of their intimate relation- 
 ship was perhaps sufficient explanation. 
 Washington had planned to meet the un- 
 known patriot in strict privacy; but if the 
 brave man desired his sister and her hus- 
 band to be present, no objections could be 
 offered. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Livingstone were people that 
 General Washington had known these several 
 years. Could he forget the charming maiden 
 who drew the cooling draught of water 
 from a well in the rear of Thaddeus Burr's 
 mansion when he was passing through Fair- 
 field on his return from Boston ? When he 
 had first 'greeted her as a married woman, the 
 memory of that humble incident was revived. 
 Desire and Duane had been associated with 
 the people who gave shape to the new repub- 
 lic, so that the times were many when they 
 met in a social or public way the man whom 
 all delighted to honor. 
 
 Washington had prepared himself to face 
 a stranger. He was in the presence of three 
 old friends. 
 
 The welcome having been extended, the 
 
HONORED BY WASHINGTON 391 
 
 first embarrassment disappeared, and they 
 were soon launched in conversation. 
 
 At length AYashington unfolded a packet 
 o£ letters. He did it with infinite tender- 
 ness, and the silence was broken only by the 
 rustling of paper and the crackling of fire 
 on the hearth. The yellow sheets showed evi- 
 dences of rough usage, however gently Wash- 
 ington might handle them this night and 
 spread the precious fragments before him. 
 
 They were various shapes and sizes, torn, 
 defaced, discolored, wrinkled, creased, or 
 faded. Some of them carried an address. 
 Several were simply marked, " My Love." 
 All except two went free of any signature. 
 The tell-tale initials, " D. H.," had been writ- 
 ten twice. 
 
 " These letters," said Washington, who 
 now arose and stood in regal manliness be- 
 fore them, " I prize above any gems which 
 gold can purchase. They have had a pe- 
 culiar value for me, since they are part and 
 parcel of the victories won by American pa- 
 triots over British oppressors ; but they have 
 served the end for which they came into my 
 possession. I have long wished to return 
 them unto their rightful owner, for I believe 
 that the intellio'ence desio^ned for me was 
 
392 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 hidden in messages of love sent by ' D. H.' 
 to the woman of his heart. The ingenious 
 cipher used to convey secret news to me did 
 not deceive in respect to the genuine charac- 
 ter of the sentiments appearing on the surface 
 of these epistles. To me they have been the 
 most wonderful and pathetic expressions of 
 an affection that I believe the sacredest^ hap- 
 piest in life." 
 
 The face of the great soldier was trans- 
 figured. His listeners stood before him in 
 the subdued glow of the light, reflecting his 
 own nobihty of spirit and glory of aspect. 
 
 "I return these letters to ^D. H./ the 
 writer of them." As he spoke, they were 
 pressed into the unwilling hands of David. 
 " And I render my heartfelt gratitude to the 
 unknown patriot, imploring the blessing of 
 heaven upon him and those he loves." 
 
 It was one of the supreme moments of a 
 lifetime. 
 
 " These letters," replied David, choking 
 with the emotions welling up from his heart, 
 " I writ not," and he pushed them gravely, 
 insistently, back into the hands of the startled 
 Washington. " There was, there is, a nobler 
 * D. H.' than David Hardy." He was speak- 
 ing brokenly, joy, wonder, pride, striving for 
 
HONORED BY WASHINGTON 393 
 
 the mastery. " Methinks they belong to my 
 sister, Desire Hardy Livingstone." 
 
 The great soldier seemed more deeply per- 
 plexed than ever. He glanced from brother 
 to sister like one dazed ; then, in response to 
 the suggestion of David, he thrust them into 
 the hands of Desire, a strange light suffusing 
 his face. 
 
 "My words of gratitude and benediction 
 have already been uttered in your hearing, 
 honored and beloved madam," — he paused in 
 the very stress of inexpressible admiration, — 
 " but how feeble and inadequate they sound. 
 A glorious work has been achieved by your 
 sacrifices." 
 
 Words seemed to fail him, and Desire broke 
 silence. 
 
 " Did not your Excellency wish to give 
 these letters into the keeping of the writer ? " 
 She put the question in tender, pathetic way, 
 catching the subdued enthusiasm manifest 
 by Washington. " I did not write them." 
 Again the stillness of night, a moment of 
 intense suspense. " There was, there is, a 
 nobler ^D. H.' " — borrowing her brother's 
 language — " than Desire Hardy." And once 
 more the tattered letters were given back to 
 Washington. ^' There is another ' D. H.' 
 
394 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 who well deserves all praise and reverence for 
 his superlative love of country and a seven 
 years' matchless fidelity, sacrifice, and perils 
 on land and sea in behalf of liberty, albeit 
 they were years of secret service, and the secret 
 must remain locked forever in our breasts." 
 
 Washington turned to David. David gazed 
 upon Livingstone. A great light was break- 
 ing ; and Desire, in wordless, passionate, ex- 
 alted homage, bowed unto her husband. 
 
 The general did not speak. He crossed 
 the room to Duane Hardy Livingstone, gently 
 deposited the letters in his keeping, then by 
 a clasp of the hands and by unuttered prayers 
 sealed in a covenant of love and secrecy his 
 relations with an Unknown Patriot. 
 
 Late on the October night, far into the 
 morning, that little room was like a Bethel. 
 The fire on the hearth played fantastic pranks, 
 adorning the place with exquisite tracery, 
 flinging beautiful images against the walls, 
 casting its golden glamour over each object 
 touched by its magic pencilings. Two sons 
 of Liberty and a daughter of the Revolution 
 lingered long and lovingly amid the impalpa- 
 ble, beneficent shadows that filled the spaces 
 with their indefinable glory. A bundle of 
 
HONORED BY WASHINGTON 395 
 
 letters passed from one hand to another, and 
 many a kiss was printed upon the ragged, 
 glowing sheets. There was the murmur of 
 low, sweet voices woven into dearest, sacredest 
 reminiscence. They were living in the trans- 
 figuring atmosphere of a threefold love, — 
 the love of true heart for true heart, the love 
 of a patriot for his country, and the love of 
 man for God. 
 
 Washington and his company left " The 
 Sign of the Sun "at an early hour, having 
 arranged to breakfast at Stratford. When 
 they passed the Green, the soldier, wrapped 
 in profound meditation, was observed to lead 
 the way by a small, plain cottage. His men 
 respectfully followed. The gray of the morn 
 had been pushed one side by innumerable 
 shafts of roseate light. The humble home- 
 stead resting beneath the shelter of old trees, 
 now clad in all the rainbow hues of autumn, 
 never appeared more lovely and peaceful. As 
 Washington came abreast the place, he rever- 
 ently uncovered, as one might pass in homage 
 before some monarch of earth. No word was 
 spoken. Simply the impact of the horses' feet 
 upon the hard ground resounded through the 
 crisp air. 
 
396 AN UNKNOWN PATRIOT 
 
 There were unspoken words echoing 
 throuofh the soul of the Great Man ; and 
 when, in the ardor of his gratitude, these 
 voiceless syllables formed upon his moving 
 lips, the winds caught them and whispered to 
 one another, " Ten thousand benisons upon 
 the Unknown Patriot of our Land." 
 
ELECTROTYPED AND PRINTED 
 BY H. O. HOUGHTON AND CO. 
 
 CAMBRIDGE, MASS., U. S. A.