Oliver Otis Howard

“ Stephen K. Howard. Three, William, Charles, and John, died when young men. Oliver now resides in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and the place of residence of the other, Darius, is to us unknown. Of the daughters, one was the wife of Mr. Rufus H. Moulton, a master ship-carpenter, who lived for many years in Brooklin, and afterward removed to Massachusetts; the other was the wife of a Mr. Pettingill, in Newburyport. Captain Joshua C. Howard, the second son, married Lydia, the daughter of J 0seph Tyler, Esq., by whom he had two sons, one of whom was drowned when a child. ”

“ Howard counselled her; "can't you get hold of him, and tell him about some of the ways we have out here, and get him used to it, so he won't show just what he thinks of us? Girls can do that sort of thing better than boys, and he'll need some coaching, of course. Just pussy-cat him a little; and then he looks as if he'd take any amount of advice. I don't care, for you and me; but the Everetts won't stand anything of that kind. They've been here ever since the town started, and they think it's the only place in the world."
"’Tis one of the best," said Allie decisively. ”

“ Now she said: "I never saw much of Ruth after her grandmother died, but we stayed civil. It was a very civil family. Old Mrs. Howard never spoke against anybody, nor let anyone be turned away without food. Then it was never 'Trespassers will be prosecuted' in their land, but would people please not come in. Mrs. Howard was never created to run a farm."
"Had they no men to help them?" Margaret asked.
Miss Avery replied: "Things went on until there were no men."
"Until Mr. Wilcox came along," corrected Margaret, anxious that her husband should receive his due. ”

“ Howard.
Oliver, with some difficulty, held his tongue during the walk, and contented himself with working off his superfluous animation, by jumping over every obstacle in his way.
The meeting between the poor mulatto woman and her mistress was as full of joy and surprise as little Oliver had expected; and this is saying a great deal, for where much is expected, there is usually much disappointment; and very sympathetic people are often angry with others, for not being as much astonished, or as much delighted, as they think the occasion requires. ”

“ Then he turned and descended the stairs.
“Jackson has gone on an errand to Mrs. Joyce,” he said. “He left his pistol for you. After what has happened, he thinks, and I think, that you had better be armed. If any man—if any man molests you do not hesitate to use it. I believe you told me once that you were rather a good shot.”
It had been no part of Howard’s intention to spend the night upon the Queen. [183] He had no faith in Forbes’s protestations of fair play, and felt certain that he would hear from that individual very shortly and in unpleasant fashion. ”

“ I ordered, slightly dizzy, "lemme get this straight--"
"Aw, it's too mixed up," growled Bill. "Let's take the gal back where we got her, and bust Ace on the snoot."
"Shut up, Bill," I commanded. "Leave this to me--this here's a matter which requires brains. I gotta get this straight. This girl ain't Bain's brother--I mean, he ain't her sister. Well, they ain't no kin. She's got a formula--whatever that is--and he wants it. Say, was you hidin' at Yut Lao's, instead of him havin' you kidnapped?" ”

“ It's worth it all, to have a chance to look at those."
"I'm glad you like them," said Allie heartily, though she smiled at his "Jove," when she recalled her recent charge to Howard to avoid all slang. "The town must seem queer to you; but the mountains make up for it. Now lean 'way forward, and look out this side. That little brick house is ours; and there's mamma in the door, and Howard just back of her, waiting to give you greeting." ”

“ He blew out his cheeks. "Heavens! how you women do fly round! My head's in a whirl. Point by point, Margaret. Howards End's impossible. I let it to Hamar Bryce on a three years' agreement last March. Don't you remember? Oniton. Well, that is much, much too far away to rely on entirely. You will be able to be down there entertaining a certain amount, but we must have a house within easy reach of Town. Only Ducie Street has huge drawbacks. There's a mews behind."
Margaret could not help laughing. It was the first she had heard of the mews behind Ducie Street. ”

“ Thus it befell that, of the chiefs of the Howards born since the great Mowbray alliance, two had died by the axe and one in the prison from which a fourth had hardly escaped. A fifth had fallen in a lost battle, and only one had died in peace in his own house. ”

“ The Indian stood as motionless as a statue, and finally the Irishman drew a deep sigh.
"I wonder whether the bullet has reached him yet?"
"Reached him!" laughed Howard. "I saw it clip off a piece of rock fully forty feet from him."
"Worrah, worrah! but I've ate so much dinner I can't howld the gun stiddy."
"I saw it vibrate——"
"Look out! he's going to shoot again!" called Elwood, as he and Howard dropped on their faces. "Get down, Tim, or he'll hit you. He's a better marksman than you are." ”

“ They stood and looked at each other. Howard's cuffs, collar, and shirt, alien in their elegance, showed through the dusk, and a glint of light shot out from the jewel of his necktie, as the light from the house caught it at the right angle. As they gazed in silence at each other, Howard divined something of the hard, bitter feeling that came into Grant's heart, as he stood there, ragged, ankle-deep in muck, his sleeves rolled up, a shapeless old straw hat on his head. ”

“ Whatever her forebodings, Conan did not share them. The Cimmerian sat down near her, his back against a pillar, his sword across his knees. His eyes gleamed like a panther's in the dusk.
"Sleep, girl," said he. "My slumber is light as a wolf's. Nothing can enter this hall without awaking me."
Olivia did not reply. From her bed of leaves she watched the immobile figure, indistinct in the soft darkness. How strange, to move in fellowship with a barbarian, to be cared for and protected by one of a race, tales of which had frightened her as a child! He came of a people bloody, grim and ferocious. ”

“ Howard in fact gave him little chance, plying him with questions as to Forbes’s probable course of action. After he had gone, Howard talked with Guantanamo until late in the night.
The next morning the man came again. “Can you foight, sor?” he demanded.
“Fighting is my trade, Joyce. Why?”
“Well, sor, the captain’s going to marry the young lady at four o’clock the day, unless somebody stops him. And the only way to stop him is to foight him. It’s a big man an’ a bad man he is, sor. ”

“ She did not care about rights, but if men came into Howards End, it should be over her body.
"Come, this is an odd beginning," said her husband.
The doctor came forward now, and whispered two words to Mr. Wilcox—the scandal was out. Sincerely horrified, Henry stood gazing at the earth.
"I cannot help it," said Margaret. "Do wait. It's not my fault. Please all four of you to go away now."
Now the flyman was whispering to Crane.
"We are relying on you to help us, Mrs. Wilcox," said the young doctor. "Could you go in and persuade your sister to come out?" ”

“ Maybe he'll get over his scare after a while. Better keep a guard in the cabin all the time. The swamp niggers may try to get him as they got Ridge Jackson. Better scour the roads around the town, Esau; there may be some of them hiding in the woods."
"I will. I reckon you'll want to be gettin' up to the house, now, and seein' your folks."
"Yes. And I want to swap these toys for a couple of .44s. Then I'm going to ride out and tell the country people to come into Grimesville. If it's to be an uprising, we don't know when it will commence." ”

“ When we could talk in ordinary tones, the girl said:
"Damme, but Gower is in a rare rage! He will have to find the temple by himself now, since your pistol ball scattered Dick Comrel's brains. The swine! He'd be better putting the width of the Seven Seas between himself and me! Roger O'Farrel will pay him out for the way he has treated me, I wager you, even if I fail in my vengeance."
"Vengeance for what?" I asked curiously.
"For disrespect. He sought to treat me as a woman, not as a buccaneer comrade. ”

“ Howard roused himself.
"Where are we now?" he asked.
"Oh," cried Honora, "we haven't passed Hydeville. Howard, who is Trixton
Brent?"
"What about him?" demanded her husband.
"Nothing—except that he is one of Lily's friends, and she said she knew —I should like him. I wish you would be more interested in people. Who is he?"
"One of the best-known operators in the market," Howard answered, and his air implied that a lack of knowledge of Mr. Brent was ignorance indeed; "a daring gambler. He cornered cotton once, and raked in over a million. He's a sport, too." ”

“ Our goose is cooked plumb to hell!"
"Lift me onto my hoss," moaned George. "I cain't walk, but I can still shoot." He tried to rise up, and fell back cussing and groaning.
"You got to help us!" said the gal desperately, turning to me. "You done laid out our four best fightin' men, and you owes it to us. It's yore duty! Anyway, you says Dick Blanton's yore enemy--well, he's Jake Barlow's nephew, and he come back here to help 'em clean out us Warrens. He's over to Jake's cabin right now. My brother Bill snuck over and spied on 'em, and he says every fightin' man of the clan is gatherin' there. ”

“ She sat up, her gaze fixed on the rail, over which, to her amazement, a dripping figure clambered. Her dark eyes opened wide, her red lips parted in an O of surprize. The intruder was a stranger to her. Water ran in rivulets from his great shoulders and down his heavy arms. His single garment—a pair of bright crimson silk breeks—was soaking wet, as was his broad gold-buckled girdle and the sheathed sword it supported. As he stood at the rail, the rising sun etched him like a great bronze statue. ”

“ She's due into Chawed Ear on the evenin' stage, and the whole town turns out to welcome her. The mayor aims to make a speech if he's sober enough, and they've got up a band to play."
"Damn foolishness!" snorted Joshua. "I don't take no stock in eddication."
"I dunno," says I. That was before I got educated. "They's times when I wisht I could read and write. We ain't never had no school on Bear Creek."
"What would you read outside of the labels onto whiskey bottles?" snorted old Joshua.
"Funny how a purty face changes a man's viewp'int," remarked Bill. ”

“ At last, in sheer pity, I got up and opened the door from the inside. Howard came unsteadily over the threshold, and half blundered against me. His face was deadly pale; a bright greenish shade lay close about his bloodshot eyes; his grey lips shook. With difficulty he staggered to the chair opposite me and sat down. I shut the door and resumed my seat and cigar.
"Enjoy yourself?" I asked.
He was not very steady on his feet, but fairly clear in his brain.
"Yes. But it's no good—can't stand it," he murmured, pressing his hand hard upon his head and across his eyes. ”

“ Hugh arose hastily. “Come on, Howard, if you want to ride into town with me,” he called. It was plain he was anxious to escape from listening to one of Marjorie’s catechisms.
“Righto, Dad,” answered the boy. “Try to improve your disposition, Sis,” he called back over his shoulder. “I’m going to get a swell roadster, and you may want to ride with me.”
“Howard,” Hugh began, as soon as they were seated in the car, and headed for town, “how is it that you and Elinor can’t be together half an hour without quarreling?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Howard sulked. “She always starts things.” ”

“ Howard met him with changed tactics. Jackson’s trained eye had read the signs, and he had counselled the officer wisely. “Rush him,” he had said. “Rush him. He’s all in. Don’t give him time to get his second wind. Rush him.”
[172] And Howard obeyed, drawing on some fount of nervous energy for a fury of attack almost as violent as Forbes’s had been. The fighting rage was on him at last, and bubbled over in words.
“So you’ll persecute a helpless woman, will you,” he jeered, as he handed a jolt on the captain’s cheek. “How do you like to face a man? Oh! never mind that eye; you’ve got one left. ”

“ But the restraint was so irksome that he was all too willing a listener to the persuasions of his companion.
"I noticed there was quite a high range of hills just back of us," added Elwood. "Let's take a look at them."
"Is it prudent?" and Howard only repeated audibly the question that his conscience had just asked him.
"Prudent? Of course it is, if we only take good care of ourselves."
"Shall we awake Tim before we go?"
"No; he will sleep until to-morrow morning."
"We must leave Terror to watch him then, for it wouldn't do for him to lie alone and asleep." ”

“ Thomas Howard, brother to the Earl of Carlisle, was one of them; there was not a braver, nor a more genteel man in England; and though he was of a modest demeanour, and his manners appeared gentle and pacific, no person was more spirited nor more passionate. Lady Shrewsbury, inconsiderately returning the first ogles of the invincible Jermyn, did not at all make herself more agreeable to Howard; that, however, she paid little attention to; yet, as she designed to keep fair with him, she consented to accept an entertainment which he had often proposed, and which she durst no longer refuse. ”

“ Hammond,” she cried, her lips trembling, “you can’t desert us now! What will Howard do? Your cleverness, your knowledge means so much to my boy!”
“There, there, Mrs. Benton! Sit down and calm yourself!” He pulled a chair forward and forced her into it. Then, still standing, he went on: “When I came here this morning to see your husband, I hadn’t an idea of this estrangement between you—my business concerned Howard. ”