John Neal

“ But now—now, in the time of his tribulation, when all that is dearest to us, our home and country, is about to be laid waste with fire and sword—they that have sworn to stand by George Washington, though Heaven itself rained fire upon their heads (your own words, sir) , are the first to abandon him—withhold their succour, drive off their cattle to the woods, bury their provisions, and refuse the currency of the country; nay, more, the first to quail at sound of cannon, the first to lay their hands upon their own children and say, you shall not fight the battles of your country. ”

“ Every emotion of his heart sent the blood all over his face, as if he had been a bashful young girl, on horseback, in male attire. "Not of knowledge, to to sure," said he—"but I have seen Lucia hold down her face a hundred times, when her mother threw in a word or two of some other language—and though I know nothing of either, yet I am persuaded that all my mother knows of French or Italian has been gathered from the daughters. ”

“ Archibald turned slowly round, and smiled rather bitterly, I thought; and Lucia sat more erect for a while, and then leaned forward, as if to catch every word, and tone, and look.
"For two or three reasons," said Archibald, firmly. "In the first place, I am not twenty-one—not my own man; in the next place, I am to be a parson—a parson! and, finally, I am so weakly a creature, that I might be run away with by my horse, or trampled to death by the foot. Excellent reasons, madam; are they not?"
I could perceive that Mrs. Arnauld looked astonished, and Lucia terrified ”

“ However, the night wore away at last, and never did the morning light break in upon me with such influence; my blood danced in my body: and before I had been out in the wind an hour—a fine frosty air, with a few stars yet visible, and the bluest sky that I ever saw above me, I do believe that I could have gone into battle with less terror than I had heard the proposal to go ten or twelve hours before. ”

“ Arthur, though I attempted to avoid him, immediately told him, and as he did I could perceive the under lip of Archibald violently compressed, and his brow knitting with emotion, but my father did not change countenance.
"And how did he bear it?" said he.
"Like a lion," cried Arthur, striking his hands together; "he only turned upon me and chided me for my bad shot."
"Not so bad a shot, neither," said Archibald, putting his hand to my face; "an inch or two more, and the ball would have done your business. You will have to get a lock shorn on the other side of your head." ”

“ I was reading some time since about the Arabian horses, and when we get to a better place I will show you that there is no such mighty matter in stopping at full speed, or mounting and dismounting at a gallop. But what were you speaking of, brother?"
"Of the most charming creature in the world," said I, feeling every word that I uttered.
"Yes, yes, brother, responded Archibald, stooping on the off side of his mare, and turning the stirrup with his foot; "yes; but I cannot well bear to talk of her now." ”

“ Take care what you are about. That husband is not the gentlest of men, or the most forgiving, nor will he be the more likely to treat you gently for your passionate adoration of his wife because he is the greatest profligate of the country."
"Husband! wife!" said Archibald, impatiently, and stooping from the saddle—"what are you talking about?"
"Mrs. Arnauld," I replied.
He drew a long breath, and reached me his hand, with a smile that went to my heart. ”

“ We! no, how do I know that he was deceived?
"One song," said my brother, Miss Lucia, and we will then leave you."
"A strong temptation!" she said, softly, to me, looking through her abundant dark hair, "shall I?"
"O, certainly!" I answered, "I have on purpose to hear one more of—"
"Why, what is all this?" said her mother, glancing at Archibald, "your countenance is more than commonly serious. Has any thing happened?"
"My brother," said Archibald, "will join the army to-morrow."
"The army; gracious heaven!" said Clara, and then checked herself, while the blood darkened her whole forehead. ”

“ None but an eye-witness can tell, as it ought to be told, the story of individual suffering, protracted for such a time, the tale of individual heroism, continued year after year, under privation, cruelty, insult, and toil, beyond all that the men of Rome or Macedon, under Alexander himself, would have borne, in the spring-tide of their heart's valour. ”

“ Ye are a fettered people fettered too by manacles, that would have fallen from the limbs of your fathers like rain dropped from them, in the indignant heat of their mighty hearts, like the leaden entrenchments of a furnace. ”

“ I replied, unwilling to let the conversation die away so soon—we were just approaching the highest ground in the neighbourhood, from which we would have a view of twenty miles all about us—"I do not like her coquetry."
"What!" said Archibald, abruptly.
"No," I continued; "nor that womanish pedantry and affectation."
"Affectation!" said he, riveting his eyes upon me in astonishment; "what the devil do you mean, John." ”

“ Such is the steadying effect of contemplation; such is to be prepared—and such the strengthening of God's breath, when it blows down from the mountain upon us, before sunrise. It would revive a dead man, I have sometimes thought, when I was galloping away before it, for life and death almost:—but Arthur appeared the same frank, cordial, careless fellow in the morning, that I had always found him. ”

“ Clara walked up to me, as pallid as ever, and the book fell from Lucia s hand.
"Madam," answered my brother, "if you have any apprehension remaining, we certainly shall not; one of us (Lucia moved near to him, and Clara to me, as he continued) one of us will remain."
She shook her head.
"Well, then, both of us will remain," said Archibald, drawing up his chair to the corner, and entering into conversation, as if his thoughts were any where in this world but in that room.
"But why do you not join the army?" said Mrs. Arnauld to him. ”

“ My children—it has been my nature, from my childhood, to speak and write for myself. There are few men upon this earth, in whom it would not be presumption to alter what I have written. And you, my children, are not of their number. ”

“ He loved her ardently, truly, but he loved her like a man. And as he never warmed but on one theme—till the cry for independence rang like a trumpet throughout the mountains—and that was, whenever the character of her father, the man of war, was named, I have had no better opportunity of seeing his nature than you yourselves have had, till within a few years of his death. ”

“ Let it be in the depth of winter, if it may be, when the labour of the year is over, and the heart is rejoicing in its home; and when you are alone: not that I would frown upon the traveller, or blight the warm hospitality of your nature, by reproof; but there are some things, and some places, where the thought of the stranger is intrusion,—the touch and hearing of the unknown man little better than profanation. If you love each other, you will not go abroad for consolation ”

“ John may depart whenever he pleases, and, if Arthur will go, he may have his choice of the horses, and I will furnish both, as well as monty can do it, with equipments; but as for you, I will not part with you. They are strong, handsome fellows, and will work their way through the battle, I'll warrant them; but as for you, the first thing that I should hear of you would be, that you had been run away with by your own horse, or trodden to death in the onset. No, you shall be a minister, Archibald, a minister of the gospel. ”

“ You have, most of you, a pleasant and graceful way of expressing yourselves on paper—and there is one among you, you know which I mean, the operations of whose mind are as vivid, and instantaneous, and beautiful, as flashes of coloured light—but there is not one among you, not one, that has yet learnt to talk on paper. ”

“ I heard something fall, and turning to where he stood, saw that the book which he had been holding had fallen from his hand, but he did not appear to observe it.
"No!" continued my father, "we must be ready to begin the next campaign with spirit, or the devil will be to pay—one bold, manly effort, and we shall down with our invader to the dust—to-morrow, I will throw open my barn, and stable, and corn-houses, and let the first foraging party that will, empty them all—and set fire to the ruins. ”

“ I knew not what to think of it.
"Well, then," continued Archibald, in a voice which was just audible, "you ask me what I would have you do? I answer thus. Sell all that you have. Give all that you have to your country. Shoulder your knapsack. Put another upon John (he always called me John) ; and another upon me. Let each of us take his course through the country, and collect as many as we can of the stout yeomanry; and then go before George Washington, and tell him to be of good cheer, for, come what will, we, at least, will abide with him to the death." ”

“ Arnauld; but it soon wore off, and we joined, pleasantly, in conversation.
"I heard your voice, I believe," said Archibald, looking at Lucia, "as we approached."
"Mine!" she answered, with surprise, a—laughing, I suppose?"
"No—singing—your favourite air."
"O no: that was Clara's"
Archibald and I exchanged a look with each other, and smiled. Here had been one of those delusions, at which men may laugh if they will, but which are strangely mortifying to them, after all. ”

“ My notion was, from my own experience in such matters and the sternness of his countenance, and the terror and shame in her, that he was going to beat her, and I began to cry lustily ; but they gave no heed to my bawling, and I never stopped, even to get my breath, till I had seen the beautiful calico gown torn into five hundred pieces, and burnt in the fire my another clad anew, in a dark brown cotton of her own weaving, and my father sitting by her, with his arn round her waist, and her head leaning upon his shoulder, full of affection and duty. ”

“ Arthur arose to go.
"No, my lad," said my father, "you will take a bed with me to-night, and to-morrow go round to your acquaintances, with Arthur and Archy they shall both go with you, and bid them good-bye. I will take care to represent the matter rightly to your uncle. It is really time that we did something. I am ashamed of myself. Our cause must perish if all abandon it as I have done. No, I will mount and ride to-morrow through all the neighbourhood, and never rest till I have stirred up some of our substantial men—for they are the most backward after all ”

“ Every body will swear that you are not afraid of the devil, and forget who told him so—nay, fight to prove it for, such is man's nature, enlist him to report a doubtful affair, and it is ten to one that he exaggerates in proportion as he is distrusted, until at last he is willing to spill his blood in proof of it. ”

“ It was then that I saw his object—two only of the squadron could follow him—and there was Archibald on the other side, shouting with all his might, as if succour were at hand: "Come on, boys, come on!" The troopers reined up, and loaded their pistols—and I, desperate with apprehension, rode round to join my brother, designing to pass by the dead man and make prize of his sword, and his pistols too, if possible, for about a hundred yards from where he lay his horse had tumbled, and was yet struggling in his furniture ”

“ My father alluded to the confederacy that had just been entered into, by all the substantial men of the country, some in shame, some in terror, and some from downright honesty and virtue, not to purchase or consume any article whatever, supplied by the mother country to the colonies and tea was one of the enumerated articles. ”

“ My mother turned pale, I remember, but continued for a moment or two to defend the visit and tea-drinking stoutly, but my father was immoveable.
"Woman!" said he, putting his large hand kindly, but authoritatively, upon her shoulder. "while you are my wife, not one cup of tea shall pass your lips, unless the confederacy be abandoned. ”

“ Have you made up your minds never to return, never to lay down your arms—never! never! till—ha! what's all this—by heaven, it cannot be (catching Arthur by the arm, and turning him partly round, for he was stooping as if to tighten the girth of his horse, but had remained there rather too long a time for the impatient temper of Archibald) —tears! tears upon the face of Arthur Rodman.
"Yes," cried Arthur, "and tears had well nigh been upon your face, too, my lad."
Archibald shook his head, and smiled.
"Oh! you may smile—anybody can smile ”

“ Another good effect is, that the man himself, at last, begins to believe that other people know him better than he knows himself, and he really becomes what they say he is—not afraid of the devil!"
At last we breakfasted together, my dear mother at my right hand. A mournful, but manly and noble sorrow was in the countenance of my father ”