USA > Kentucky > Livingston County > Chronicles of a Kentucky settlement > Part 29
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After a few words the parting was over, and at the last moment there were tears in the young " mis-
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sus' " eyes, which Mingo observed, and, as he passed out of the gate, he turned, and, uncovering his head, bowed and waved her a touching adieu.
Instead of returning directly to Salem, Adair went by Colonel Lovell's and spent an hour or more there. After giving the news from Salem, the Squire's, and Mr. Wilson's, he had, of course, to tell the Colonel and his wife of his engagement to Laura, his happi- ness, etc. "I knew it-I knew it, and I'm so glad !" exclaimed Mrs. Lovell ; and for once the quiet little Colonel laughed aloud, and, taking Adair by the hand, said, "I'm glad to know we will be brothers-in-law."
It was several days after Adair's return to town before he saw his friend Benton, who had been absent attending a session of the Court in an adjoining county. Benton had been very successful, and was in "high feather."
During the term of the Court there had been a case of Crim .- Con. in which Benton was engaged ; and his mode and method of conducting the cross-examination of a pert young dandyling, who was the principal wit- ness in the case, were so unique and successful that, not only the spectators, but the grave jurymen and the sol- emu judge, could scarce repress their laughter. After the case was decided-" Blast my hide !" said one old farmer who was present, " ef that young Benton didn't make that chap swar' t' other way about 'fore he know'd it, an jist win his case easier 'an fallin' off er log. Benton 's jist slicker 'an greased lightnin' ; an' it's better 'an a circus ter hear him talk." And that same evening, or rather night, quite a crowd collected in the bar-room of the tavern where Benton stopped, and he "let himself loose," spinning yarns, mimicking
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grave and well-known personages, etc. In fact, the entertainment-for such it might fitly be called-was so diversified, so irresistibly comic or startlingly dra- matic, that it was only when Benton declared that he must go to bed and rest that the crowd dispersed. One jolly old fellow present was heard to say : "Young Benton could jist clim' inter the Legislater, er inter Congress whenever he wanted ter" ; and such seemed to be the impression of the crowd. The next day Ben- ton's fame spread over the town ; and, before the ses- sion of the Court was over, he pocketed several fees, large enough to make him feel that he was on the high road to fortune.
Benton was, consequently, when Adair called, "in capital trim," so he said, " excepting for one thing," which kept "grinding in his gizzard." That "thing " was a letter he had received from Miss Ritchie, in reply to one he had written her of the events which had transpired soon after she left home. Her reply, Benton confessed, was not such as he had expected ; and, after informing Adair of its purport-for he had not the let- ter with him,-he went on to characterize it as "un- sympathetic and evasive," and he added :
"She winds up her letter by saying she will be in no hurry to return home ; that she has no doubt many persons are saying hard things about her ; that she will let them have their talk out ; and that she finds society, where she is, altogether more polished and agreeable than around Salem. And now, Adair, what think you of it all ? And, remember, her letter is in reply to one in which I assured her of my continued and unabated love, confidence, and sympathy ; whereas she sends me no such assurances, but, on the con-
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trary, finds society more agreeable where she is than here."
Adair was now convinced that Miss Ritchie was a heartless flirt, and thought the sooner his friend's eyes were opened to the fact the better.
" Benton," he said, "I am sorry to hear all this, but it is only what I have feared. Before replying directly to your question, I feel it to be my duty to tell you what I have heard, in reference to Miss Ritchie, since I last saw you." He then related substantially- what Holman had told him of his two interviews with Walter Gowan, and in conclusion said : " And now, Benton, to be frank with you, I must say, considering Holman's statements, which I am sure were honestly and correctly made so far as he was concerned, and the letter you have from Miss Ritchie, I can but come to the conclusion that she is unworthy to be your wife."
Benton at first listened stoically, but before Adair ended, the truth-the painful truth-seemed slowly to dawn and then to flash upon him, and he flushed and paled by turns. He walked the floor for some moments before he turned and said :
" Adair, it was but right I should know it, and I thank you for telling me Holman's tale. I know Hol- man to be a truthful man, and I do not doubt one word he says. Nor do I see how he or you could put any other construction on the facts than you have done. That Miss Ritchie has misled me, if not deceived me, on some points appears certain ; and, if in a little matter, possibly, probably in more important matters. In a few words, she whom I have loved, and loved ardently, may have trifled with and deceived ine, as the dead man expected her to do ; and, if so, she is unwor-
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thy to be my wife. But," he added with emphasis, " I will act frankly and loyally with her ; will write and tell her of what I have heard from a trustworthy source, but will mention no names-and ask her for an explanation. If she makes one, and it is reasonable and satisfactory, all shall be right with me. If, how- ever, she refuses to make any explanation, or makes a lame and impotent one, I will ask her to release me from my engagement. The disruption, if it must come, must be owing to her fault, not mine."
" I am glad, Benton, to hear you say this. You take, I think, the right view of the matter," replied Adair.
A few moments later the two friends parted. Adair had intended telling Benton of his own good fortune, but he felt that it was not a fitting moment for him to do so; that his own happiness would, by contrast, make Benton's position appear the more painful.
About a week later, Adair, on returning to town one evening, learned that Mr. Brantley had arrived and desired to see him. The two soon met. After an exchange of greetings, Miss Wilmot was, of course, first spoken of. Adair told of his first interview with her ; that she had hesitated about his sending the letters of inquiry as to his, Brantley's, character, about which she had no misgivings ; that she had, however, permitted them to be sent at his, Adair's, solicitation ; and that the answers received had confirmed all he, Brantley, had said of himself, etc.
" And now, Brantley," Adair resumed, "I must congratulate you on your good fortune. Before you left, I had but a slight acquaintance with Miss Emily, but, now that I know her well, I have a very warm
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regard and great respect for her. And, coming as you did among us, you certainly are a fortunate man to have won the heart of such a young lady."
"Ha ! ha !" laughed Brantley ; and, rubbing his soft, well preserved hands together, said : " That was the most brilliant trick ever performed by a showman ! And, to tell you the truth, I can only account for my success in one way : I was downright in earnest, and determined to succeed. And I'm delighted," he went on in his animated way, "to know you think so highly of Miss Emily. By-the-way, I have sent her word that I would be out to see her to-morrow ; and I'm going to try and fix up matters in quick order. I'll tell you all about it when I return."
Then followed an explanation by Adair of the recov- ery of the two gold coins ; which, on being shown to Brantley, he declared were the identical ones stolen from him.
" And now," Adair asked, "what steps do you think of taking in this matter ? Do you intend to pre- fer charges against Rudolph, and have him arrested and tried ? "
"No, sir," Brantley promptly answered. "He has many relatives and friends around here whom I esteem ; and, for their sakes, I would not like to see him sent to the penitentiary. But I don't intend to let him go unpunished. I think I see my way to get my money back, and punish him enough. In my efforts to do this I will violate no law, nor do anything to hurt my own standing with the good people of this town. I should have no objections to telling you of my plans, so far as formed, but I think it best not to do so, for it might embarrass and place you in an unpleasant posi-
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tion, should they miscarry. This much, however, I must say : From what you and others have told me it is evident Rudolph has been very uneasy, fearing that I would return, and, in some way, bring his crime to light. I must, for the present, relieve his mind of any anxiety on this point. I have already met him ; the meeting was unexpected to him, and he was evidently much disconcerted. but I advanced and met him so cordially that he seemed greatly relieved, and soon became quite hearty-for him, -and expressed much pleasure at seeing me back : hoped I intended to remain ; said the town had been dull without me, etc."
" I am glad to know," said Adair, " that you do not intend to prosecute him, for it would be a severe blow to his worthy relatives. He should, however, know that his offense has been discovered ; for it would pos- sibly deter him from other offenses. As to your plans, it is doubtless best that I should not know of them."
" And that note of mine which you hold," said Brantley, "I must n't forget that ! Here 's the money, and a thousand thanks besides ! And that horse of yours, Ben Simon, you have him yet, have you ? Ah, glad to hear it ; he's a good one ! And I've got a good one too-a sorrel mare-and, confiden- tially, she is a trump card ; she-just-can't-be beat -one mile."
Two days later the elated Mr. Brantley sought Mr. Adair and informed him, with much rubbing and pat- ting of his soft, white hands, that all was arranged ; that his marriage would take place soon, but the exact day was not fixed ; that he desired him, Adair, and
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Benton to be the groomsmen ; that Miss Laura How- ard would be one of the bridesmaids, but that the other was not yet certain.
Adair at once, and Benton a little later in the day, cheerfully consented to perform the pleasing duty, etc.
CHAPTER XXIX.
Old Tom Adair and his Son Dan-Dan and Carrie Gilroy-The Old Man and his Daughter-Tom Adair and Elijah Wright -Ben Simon, the Patriotic Jew Peddler-Old Tom and Elijah Meet-James Wilson Killed-Duncan's Return-A Quiet Wedding-A Celebrated Horse Race-Brantley Set- tles with Rudolph-Rudolph Leaves Salem-Brantley's Grand Wedding-Churched for Dancing.
A FEW evenings later, the soft sound of a bugle came from the top of the first hill to the west of Salem ; and " There comes the stage !" was in the minds or on the lips of every one. This coming of the stage was no unimportant event in such a quiet little inland town, for not only did it bring the mail, but there were usually a number of idlers, old and young, who gathered about the door of the Brick Hotel to get a peep at the passengers. By the time the stage swung around in sight from behind the Court House, and the last note of the "stage-horn "-for so the long tin bugle blown by the driver was called-had died away, the usual crowd had gathered, and among them was Joseph Adair, who was expecting the arrival of some friends. When the panting horses, which for the last half mile had been driven at a rapid pace, were reined up, not only was the coach found to be full inside-
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nine passengers,-but there was a well-grown boy seated beside the driver.
The coach had scarcely stopped before the slim, erect, black-haired, black-eyed boy, Daniel Adair, was down and shaking hands with his brother Joseph. And soon a feeble old man, with an abundant suit of white hair, worn in a cue, but whose black eyes seemed undimmed by age, descended from the coach. And that old man was the dashing Tom Adair of old ; and, as he leaned upon the arm of his son Joseph, the crowd around made way for them.
The old man and his two sons were soon seated in the private room of the good Mrs. Gilroy, that the old man might rest awhile before walking on to the home of his son. And the portly Judge, his plump, bright, autumnal wife, and their two fair-haired, beautiful daughters, were introduced to the old man and his youngest son, to whom they each spoke kindly words of welcome. And soon a servant entered, bearing a small tray on which was a tumbler containing a decoc- tion the essential ingredient of which was Jamaica rum ; and the old man tasted the decoction and said it was "just right," and the best he had tasted for many a day ; and it helped him-" braced him up," so he said, so that he talked well and cheerfully ; said that his journey had not fatigued him so much as he ex- pected ; that he was glad to see again his "Joseph son "-for thus he generally called his son Joseph, - and that he was delighted to meet with and know such a kind family.
"And, Dan, my son," the old man added, " if they rear such pretty young ladies around here as these daughters of the Judge, you will soon like Salem."
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Dan smiled and nodded assentingly without appear- ing in the least embarrassed or confused.
"And, Mrs. Gilroy," said Joseph Adair, addressing that lady, " where is my pet, Miss Carrie ? I must see and introduce my father and Dan to her."
Carrie was called and came bounding into the room, not knowing strangers were there, and suddenly stopped ; but presently she came forward, in a timid, blushing sort of way and shook hands with the old man, and gave him the kiss for which he asked.
And Carrie, the little maiden of eleven, with chest- nut locks, eyes of blue, and complexion of almost ala- baster whiteness, held out her little hand to Dan, the black-haired, black-eyed boy of fifteen, who rose from his seat and taking the little hand in his said " How- dy." But soon the boy went on composedly talking to the little maiden about his ride on the stage coach ; how they rattled down the hills, and what a good driver Mr. Nash was. And Carrie wanted to know what he thought of " Old Ned," the big black horse " that was-yes, behind, on that side, you know,"- waving her left hand. And Dan thought old Ned was the best of the lot ; that he pulled the most, and did all of the holding back when going down hill. And by the time the old man was thoroughly rested, and had finished that decoction of Jamaica rum, Dan and Carrie had made a good start to become fast friends.
. Joseph had sent word to his sister that the father and brother, whom she had never seen, had arrived, and would soon be up ; consequently she was prepared and at the door to welcome them.
The old man took the daughter in his arms, em- braced and kissed her ; and then, holding her hands in 29
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his, and looking fondly at her, said, " My daughter, you look too pale."
And Dan was kissed and praised by his sister as a " tali and handsome boy." "And, oh," she added, "you, too, have such black eyes ; you all have ; and so had-" " William " was on her lips, but she did not speak the name, because of a little choking sen- sation.
The "chicks," as Joseph called them ! The old man had other grandchildren-those of his son Thomas in Hillsboro,-but these were the only ones he had ever seen ; and he was very proud of them, fondled and played with them, and told them "funny " stories.
One bright morning, a few days after his father's arrival, Joseph said to him : " Father, there is an old man living some nine miles from here who says he once knew you well ; that he was a soldier with you under General Marion ; and, as he is too feeble to come here, I have promised him to drive you down to see him."
As Joseph spoke, the father kept his keen eyes fixed upon him ; and presently the old man rose quickly and said : ""Joseph son, stop ! let me think a moment." Then straightening himself up, and slowly raising his right arm, the hand open and the palm to the front, he, after a short pause, said in a full, clear voice : " In the name of heaven ! is Elijah Wright alive ?"
" Yes, father ; that is the old man's name," Joseph answered.
" And Polly, his wife ? " said the old man, his hand still elevated. "But, ah, I see ! Polly has gone in advance." He had read it, perhaps, in his son's face ; and slowly the uplifted hand descended, and, for a
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moment, the white head was bowed ; but, raising it quickly, he asked, " And whom has Elijah left ? "
" He has with him a widowed daughter and her son, a boy of fifteen ; but the old man has one son-a great preacher," Joseph answered.
"What !" exclaimed the old man, "is Simon Wright, of whom I have often heard, a son of Elijah's ? Ah, I see-I see he is ! Well done ! The seed of such men should not be lost to the world."
" But, father," said Joseph, "did you know that Elijah Wright lived in this county, and thus guessed to whom I referred ? "
" I did not," was the distinct answer. "Nor did I know that he now, or ever had, lived in this State. I have not seen or heard from him since I parted from him and Polly, beyond the mountains, at the close of the Revolution. But, Joseph son, when you first spoke of an old man who once knew me, there came to me the memory of the last time I saw Elijah and Polly ; they stood at the door of their little cabin in the forest, and watched me as I mounted my old war-horse, Ben Simon, and rode away. And well do I remember Polly's parting words to me-' The Lord thy God be with thee in all thy ways.' And, Joseph son, it will greatly warm iny old heart to see once more the face, and hear once more the voice, of Elijah ; for not only was he my comrade and friend, but he once saved me from being taken a prisoner by the enemy, and perhaps thereby saved my life. And of Elijah it might have been said, as truly as of any man I ever knew-' He feared God, but knew no other fear.' And, Joseph son, I hope to see him soon."
" Father, we will go to-day if you wish it-we could
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not have one more pleasant. I will drive ; and another horse named Ben Simon shall pull us."
" What ! another horse named Ben Simon ! How is that ? "
" When I visited you some years ago, I heard you refer to your old war-horse, Ben Simon ; and I after- wards bought a horse that I thought worthy of the name, and gave it to him."
An hour later, Ben Simon was in the same buggy that had been driven to and from the Big Spring Meet- ing-house, and the noble animal never looked sleeker, for Mingo now had charge of him. And in the buggy were some sugar, coffee, and tea, presents for the widow Kent ; some powder and lead, presents for the boy Elijah Kane Kent ; and a bottle of old Jamaica rum, and one of peach brandy, presents-well, these were for the two old soldiers.
And as they rolled gently along the road, the old man said that Ben Simon number two was much like his old war-horse in color-a dark bay, with black mane and tail. When asked how his war-horse came by such a peculiar name, the old man told the follow- ing little story :
" I was a soldier under General Lincoln in Charles- ton during the siege-that was in 1780. After the surrender of the city, I with many more prisoners was thrown into prison. The small-pox broke out in the prison in which I was confined, and I was. soon down with that terrible disease. I was then, with others affected, removed from the prison to a pest- house beyond the enemy's lines. When I recovered sufficiently to travel, I had little difficulty in escaping from the enemy, but to do this I had to swim the
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Cooper River, the water of which was then at a pleas- ant temperature, but in my weak condition the exertion was almost too much for me. However, I managed to get to the opposite shore, and afterwards to drag my- self a short distance along an unused road which ran from the river. Just as I had lain down to rest, I saw a man approaching me. I feared he was some one from the enemy's camp, but I was too exhausted to attempt to escape. The man proved to be a Jew peddler -- at least he passed for such. To me he was a good Samari- tan ; he gave me a slice of bread, a little dried meat, and a sip of wine ; and, after learning who and what I was, he directed me to a small plantation house some miles distant, where I could find food and shelter for the night ; and further informed me where General Marion and his 'ragged squad ' were a few days before. When he was about leaving me, I begged to know his name, and said I hoped the time would come when I could repay his kindness to me ; but he only shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, and said good-humoredly in broken English that I might call him Ben Simon.
" Months afterwards " continued the old man, " when I was serving under General Marion, that same Jew was brought a prisoner into our camp. I at once recog- nized him, and, walking aside with the General, in- formed him of what the Jew had once done for me. The General merely asked me if the prisoner had seen and recognized me, and on my answering ' No,' he told me to keep out of sight for a few minutes. He then approached those who had arrested the Jew, and made some inquiries as to the cause and manner of the arrest. He then turned to the Jew and asked him if he had any remarks to make or explanations to give. The Jew
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only shrugged his shoulders, arched his eyebrows, and said, in substance, that what his captors had said was true, and that he had no explanation to make, except- ing that he was not an enemy of ours. The General at once ordered him to be released, and his pack returned to him. The Jew seemed surprised at hav- ing gotten off so easily, but when I approached him to shake hands, he knew me, and at once exclaimed, ' Ah, me see ! it vos you.' That same Jew was often after- wards in our camp, and the boys used to laugh and assert that, although a genuine Jew, he must be some kin to General Marion ; and really the two men did look much alike-in fact, the resemblance was very striking ; and they certainly were good friends, for the Jew never came into our camp that he had not long private talks with the General, and it was supposed furnished him with much valuable information.
"One day," the old man went on with increasing animation, " that same Jew dashed into our camp, rid- ing a fine horse. He spoke a few hurried words to the General, and the next moment a hundred men were in their saddles, and, under the immediate command of the General, by whose side the Jew rode, were in full gallop. We took a detachment of Tarleton's troopers by surprise. They fired one volley and fled, but that one volley did some sad work, -my horse fell dead, and, as I rose from the ground, I saw the Jew reel in his saddle. I sprang to his side, caught him in my arms as he fell, and as I laid him down he said : 'Tak' mine hoss ; foller dem ; me die 'asy.' And the next moment he was dead. I mounted his horse, and was soon up with the foremost in the chase. It was a glori- ous day for us. We captured several of the enemy,
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and a supply of arms and munitions which we greatly needed ; but we all mourned the loss of that Jew. We buried him with military honors. Just before we laid him in his grave, I discovered and took from around his neck a small gold chain to which was suspended, and worn next the heart, a locket containing an ex- quisite ivory miniature of a beautiful young woman and a child, which I handed to General Marion, who said, ' I will try and find to whom this should be sent.' He, the General, was the last to leave the grave. The Jew's horse fell to me, and I rode him during the remainder of the war; and, when the war was over, and I visited for the last time my old friends, Elijah and Polly Wright, I rode Ben Simon, for I called the horse by the only name I ever knew for the humane and brave Jew peddler."
There is a joy which, in its outward manifestations, has much the appearance of grief. Thus it was when the two old men, Thomas Adair and Elijah Wright, met. They grasped hands, trembled, looked a moment in each other's face, muttered some incoherent words, and their heads rested for some moments on each other's shoulder. There were no distinct expressions of joy at meeting after so long a separation. It was a sort of stupefied amazement that they had met-that the one was the Tom and the other the Elijah who had fought side by side in the Revolution. And then what had they of good and cheering news to tell the one to the other ? Theirs was but a disconnected, broken account of life's varied battles ; how this one had fallen here, and that one there ; how bright mornings had come and hope been buoyant, but how the heavens were soon overcast and dark nights followed. But,
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