The Little Red Foot

is heavy, expressionless face, which seemed

rded gabble among servants, checked by sobs,-and I saw officers come a

e-all excepting only Michael

dled along the wall in dusky clusters, a

afferty, come in with Flood,

man, Frank, his butler; Pontioch, his personal waiter; and those two uncanny and st

nal physician, Doctor Daly, very grave; and the servile Wall, schoolmaster to Lady Molly's brood

ill beautiful, having by the hands the two youngest girls and boy, while

gany sparkled everywhere; and so did the naked claymores of the Highlanders on guard w

old Colonel John Butler from his seat at Butlersbury near Caughnawaga, and his dark, graceful son Walter,-he of the melancholy

ier battles: and Guy Johnson, a cousin, and a son-in-law, too, had come from his fi

ny Patroon, very modest; and God knows how many others from far and near, all arrived to h

ood in the noon breeze near the lilacs; and I kissed her hand, and, straightening m

emble. "But yesterday, at this hour, he was living: and, today, in this hour, the heav

e no

you?" she said. "Sir

Billy Alexander, who is Lord Stirling, a man much older than I, but who seemed young enou

ain, "why should death take him at such a ti

ed, looking at me sideways, with a certain curio

beyond the hedge fence, the primeval forest loomed li

ound to break, now. And we women of County Tryon m

new, also, as well as I, in which cause would flash the swords of the landed gentry of County Tryon. And he knew, to

I think; but Billy Alexander, for all his years, was a ch

roubled sweetness I have seen so often in

ing's sword could lay a-rusting when the

rm confidingly, child that she

ain any doubts. And so I count on you, Lord

at the old and tiresome contention. "Lord Stormont is the

arnestly. "What do you care if your titles be disputed by a doddering committee on privileges in the House of Lords?

" quoth Billy Alexander, with

ling, "but Billy Alexander does-par

nd shall wear my title however they dispute it who d

not a Stormont Murray. My name is John Drogue; and if I be truly also Viscount Stormont, it troubles me not

e to me and laid both

your proper caste. God knows the King will have a very instant need of his g

le, and wearisome to me, and I cared absolutely nothing about it, though the landed gentry of Tryon were ever at

second Viscount Stormont died without issue,-which was tru

ks, which is Drogue; and in this natural manner it became my proper name. God knows I found it good enough to eat and sleep with, so that my Lord Stormont's capers in Paris never dist

ur witty Franklin has made ridiculous with a sing

st kinship to the family can truly relish Mr. Franklin's sauce, though it dressed an undoub

ho were advancing slowly toward us across the

panion, Claudia Swift, the toast of the British Army and of all respectable young Tories; and the "Sacha

bled white from New York to Boston, and from that afflicted city to Albany; where, it was whispered, her bright and

enderly, "how pale you seem! God sends us affliction as a precious gift and we must accept i

chose, but that virtue was not lodged within

myself, I could not avoid admitting that I had been very desperate sick o' love, and that even yet, at times--But no matter: others, stricken as deep as I, k

Stirling in that sweet, hesitating way of hers. And to

an axe there with the best o' them until an express from Sir William summoned me to return to a

s terms-he making all arrangements with Major Jelles Fonda through Mr. Lafferty-Sir John, w

parcel at Fonda's

am clear

hy

shall grow Indi

" he persisted in

lue to anybody unless cleared of forest. But of course he knew

sh," said I, "because, God willing,

s it your design

sir? Clear

-in proper pers

s may be,

nd Claudia said: "What! Would you bury your

yself a career in the world some da

ng men and not among the wild beasts of the forest! Why, a young man

utable gaze rema

ether.... To await events.... And master them.... And afterward, each to his vocation and his

ecline, S

hy

ready told

at liberty to pursue your pleasure. Or-you are at least the Laird of Northesk if you are nothing greater.

is slow, cold voice. "And this, with your income, should

one matter to serve Sir William as Brent-Meester, and another to serve Sir John in any capacity whatsoever. And as for the remainder of the family,-Guy Johnson and Colonel Claus-and their intimates the Butlers, I had now had mor

ed of the parcel at Fonda's Bush. For that reason I am clearing it. And so I must beg of you to accept my

shment, and unfeigned horror; Lady Johnson gave me an odd,

s Brent-Meester, only an Indian or a Forest Runner knows the wilderness as do you.

nderstood the Ba

quietly that in time of stress no just ca

d to stop Sir John's mouth. For nobody could question such

rrel as was I in mine. And whatever suspicion of me he migh

e greetings were exchanged in sober voices suitable to the occasion when a con

s of respect and a knot of crape on the basket-hilts of their claymores; and young Walter Butler, still sti

ted on his sword-hilt-the same left hand he had offered to po

me toward me. Her face was serious, but I

ugh, too, to meet on a level the love-sick gaze of any stout young man she had bedevilled; and she wore a most bewitching countenance-shor

d tones, "are you truly de

smilingly, "only a

hy

r man and must feed

on from Sir John in

nough without

ac

, Ma

little angr

ng to beware of her, for she stood now close to

Jack?" she asked sorrowful

not,"

ou into the wilder

ently. "No woman could ever boast of driv

d sapped, perhaps, your

udia? Because I lately-and

tel

id love y

thed. "Do you not lo

" said I, ver

sed you kindly, Ja

maid with man, Sacharissa," said I une

id I cond

-to my u

d, looking up at me, an

ung thing, so wise in stratagems and spoils of Love, and I chose to leave my

ng nor old, but shot them through and through at s

st might lead him by a single step toward Hymen's altar, but only to that cruel arena where all her victims agonized

ch like any Mohawk. No; I go to Fonda's Bush--" I smiled, "-to heal, perhaps, my

afeard of a maid armed only with two match

more frightful than t

onster, Jo

rprise and rend us all," said I in a low voice. "And so I shall reti

me intently. After

ose unstained swords hedge the women of County Tryon from this same red

all women command our swords ...

ac

you, C

A moment she stood so, then, eyes still covered by one hand, ext

leave us

ders

who leave m

s the only thing I was certain about concerning her: she never betrayed a confidence, whatever else she did. And so I

living soul, for she took her other hand from her eyes and looked at m

for the third time, and

ith a slight smile; "you are

ischief glimmering in her eyes: "-A

into the d

another verse for many another inamorata, and his soldier-actors had played more than one