 | CHAPTER XIX. The free-trader, or, The cruiser of Narragansett Bay |  |
19. CHAPTER XIX.
Margaret looked steadily through her
large dark eyes upon the maiden, as she
replied to her in the decided manner
that she did, and then said impressively,
“I know it, lady! I know thou art
not one of those who desire to add
silver to gold, but dost reverence worth
more than rank or wealth. I have
marked thee in thy daily walk and conversation,
and I know the goodness and
truth that is in thee! I see before thee
happiness and peace!”
“Thanks for these words, for I found
evil from the interpretation of my dream,
Margaret!”
“Said I so? Oh, no! I said the
dream foretold danger, but that thou
shouldst be-delivered from it!”
“Will you tell me what kind of
danger, and from whom?”
“That is not best for you to know,
lady! But I will tell thee that thou
art destined to make some deserving
young man happy. The cage in which
he kept thee as a bird, shows that he
is very poor, and can furnish thee no
house of more value than a cage. But
he will love thee, and the love of his
heart will be to thee instead of riches
that he hath not! But I can tell thee no
more!”
“Tell me my fortune, Margaret, as
thou hast those of other maidens in the
town!”
“That was when the dark spirit was
upon me! in the hours when I walked
in the body as if I was not in it, for I
knew not whither my feet wandered,
nor what my eyes saw, or my lips
spoke! Come to me, then, and I will
tell thee!”
“Nay, but now, Margaret,” persevered
Barbara, “Here is my tea-cup,
and the grounds, as I turn it up, form
themselves into strange shapes. Look
at them, and see what thou canst make
of them!”
“No, no! I cannot now! The
spirit of madness is not upon me now!”
she said sadly; “and Heaven be thanked
that it has passed for a while!”
“But you have just foretold things
for me!”
“No, not foretold, lady! I have but
interpreted thy dream. Thou didst give
me the text, and I gave thee but my
comments. See, first if the future
prove my words, ere thou givest me
credit for wisdom and cunning. I
think they will come to pass; but the
future no mortal knoweth! Dreams are
nearer the opening of the future than
anything else we know of on earth.
All scenery of dreams lies more or less
in the future! One that notes them
well can soon learn to interpret their
language. I have dreamed every night
since my poor boy went! and I have
studied my dreams to know what was
in them revealed touching him; and so
I am skilled in them! It is no more!
Yet I believe what I have said to thee
will take place. Danger and rescue;
love and loveliness! and the end peace
Hark! There is a heavy cannon fired!
The sound is down the bay!”
“My dear father! I hope he is not
in danger!” exclaimed Barbara, looking
from the window.
“No one can tell! There is a
second gun! There must be some
difficulty down the bay! I saw, just
after dark, the schooner of war that
and, doubtless, she has fallen in with
some vessel!”
“And fired upon her! I pray not,
for it may be the Free-Trader, with
my father on board!”
“Hope for the best, maiden! There
are other ships in the bay, no doubt;
And why should the schooner fire into
thy father's vessel?”
“You know the late laws the Parliament
has established, compelling all
merchants to pay heavy duties to the
crown!”
“Yes; it is in all men's mouths!”
“The merchants, with my father at
their head, have called a meeting, binding
themselves to resist the execution of
this law! The Free-Trader, one of my
father's ships, is below, and he has gone
down for the purpose of getting her
into port during the night, so that he
may not be compelled to pay the imposts;
for he thinks, and so do I, that he
owes it to the liberty and rights of the
colonies, now being trampled upon by
the king, in the most lawless and oppressive
mnnner, to resist and evade this
law!”
“He is right! The merchants and
men of the colonies are right! Heaven
will sustain them! Ah, proud George
of Hanover, thou art playing a losing
game with thy kingly cards!” she cried
with the air and the gestures of a prophetess.
“Thou wilt press the weak
till they turn upon thee, and smite the
crown from thy brow, and break thy
sceptre! This people, which thou art
trying to crush, and humble, and oppress,
fearing their might and power,
will become too great, they are freemen!
They know no lords but the
Lord above! There is not a serf
among them! Every man is the owner
of the soil he tills, and with the sweat
of his brow he eats his own bread, yes,
not for lords does he dig and delve, nor
will he be a king's slave! Resist, men
of the New World, the yoke of the Old!
Do ye not know that your destiny is
onward, and that these colonies shall
grow into an Empire that shall give
laws to half the world!”
“There goes a rocket into the sky!”
exclaimed Barbara, who had listened
with surprise to the thrilling words of
Margaret. “I fear some evil will
befal my dear father!”
“Nay, he is safe! A man who so
loves his country and hates oppression,
will not die at a time when brave men
are needed?”
“Can you tell what can be the meaning
of that rocket?”
“It must be to light the water that
they may see! Do not fear for the
good man, your father! Wilt thou go
home now? Perhaps in the town I
may learn for thee what this means.
Ere you came in I beheld a rocket go
up from the sloop-of-war, and glare the
sky wide and far; and for an instant it
was noon day!”
“I did not see it! It must have been
before my father and I left the house!
I am ready to return; but I do not fear
to go alone! Still I would rather have
you accompany me, as you can learn
from some persons in town their supposed
cause for the firing. I trust it is
not owing to the presence of the Free-Trader!”
The maiden left the cabin and waited
a moment outside for Margaret to secure
her door.
“I have not much of value to tempt
a thief's hand, lady, but the least article
which once belonged to my boy, in this
house, is dearer to me than gold!”
“Margaret,” said Barbara, as they
walked side by side in the path that led
she would take this, it being better seen
in the night; “you have alluded this
evening often to your son! Will you
forgive me if I ask you to tell me how it
was you lost him! It may relieve
your heart to talk about him; for in
almost everything you say you name
him. Speak freely and relieve your
heart. You have never told me how
he was taken from you!”
“Few have been told, maiden;
for to speak of him has roused my
madness. Few have dared to ask me!
But you speak gently, and seem to
sympathise with me. I will try and
talk to thee of him; for I know if he had
grown up to manhood he would have
loved thee as I love thee! Oh, he was
very beautiful, my darling boy! I can
recollect his dark hazel eyes, sparkling
with affection, and his sweet but noble
smiles! Then his hair was the riches
brown and fell about his neck in ringlets,
which in the sunshine were as rich
as gold!”
“How old was he then?” asked
Barbara, as she picked her way along
the winding path.
“He was sixteen then, for I am telling
thee how he looked the last time I
saw him. Dost thou not remember
him?”
“I never saw him, Margaret!”
“But I think he saw thee one day,
not long ere he was stolen from me;
and therefore thou must have seen him!
Dost thou recollect meeting one day on
the pictured rock, just after you came
home from Boston, where you were
at school, a lad who was fishing, you
having a basket of pebbles and shells on
your arm!”
“Yes, indeed I recollect him!” exclaimed
Barbara, with cheeks that she
felt were warm with her heart's emo
tions; and she felt glad that the darkness
hid her blushes of pleased surprise;
for well did she recollect the handsome
youth, and to this day had loved to
think of him. Often had she wondered
who he was, and why she never met
him again; for she visited that part of
the shore often for weeks afterwards,
with the secret hope of meeting him, or
seeing him, not knowing that he had
two days after that first interview been
torn from his home. But he had carried
away in his heart the indelible
memorial of her sweet face and pleasant
voice; and as we have seen she loved
to remember him. Their interview
had lasted but for a few moments, but
it was a delightful one to him. She
came upon him while fishing from the
rock, all unexpectedly walking along
with her head down, looking for shells
and colored pebbles. But he had seen
her coming along, and watched her with
surprise and delight, for he thought he
had never seen any one so beautiful.
He let her approach till the rock interrupted
her advance, when she looked
up and beheld his fair eyes bent admiringly
upon her. With a start and
exclamation between alarm and maidenly
modesty, she stepped back,
while her cheeks glowed like roses, and
said with pretty embarrassment,
“I did not see you before!”
“Do not run away,” he said smiling;
“I have several beautiful shells
and pebbles hid here in the rock, that I
have picked up at different times. I
see you like such things, and will give
give them to you!”
And without waiting for a reply he
dropped his line, and springing to his
feet went to a hollow in the rock, from
which he took his two hands-full of
handsome shells and stones, and ran and
threw them into her basket!
“How beautiful they are!” exclaimed
Barbara, her heart quite won
by his politeness, his handsome face,
and his disposition to oblige her; and
no person could have made her a
present that would have been the half so
acceptable to her. “But you should
not do so! You have robbed yourself:
and—”
“I don't want them! I don't care
about them!” he said warmly.
“I don't know that I ought to keep
them, but you have mixed them up so
with mine, I don't know how to separate
them again!”
“I hope you won't try! Keep them!
and if you like any more of them I will
search the beach for them; for I know
better than you where to find the prettiest!”
“You are so kind; but I shan't take
any more; and I don't like to take
these; but that I may make it equal
with you, take that! It is not much;
but my father has always told me never
to receive a gift without returning it by
another. So keep it!”
“If you will give it as a gift,” answered
the youth, hesitating, and looking
deep admiration into her lovely eyes.
“I will take it; but I can't receive it as
a pay for the shells!”
“If you will take it, you may have it
as a gift,” answered the young girl,
blushing; and she placed in his hand a
little brooch of small value.
He took it, and with a gallant air
placed it in his bosom, saying,
“I shall keep it to remember you
by!”
“But I don't know you,” she answered,
as she gazed on the neat but
humble attire of the youth, which marked
his position to be beneath her own;
“I don't know who you are!”
“My name is —”
Before he completed the sentence
she had darted away from him up the
path-way, and upon looking around he
saw that she had taken alarm at a
pirogue containing a white man and an
Indian, that silently came paddling by,
and was close upon them before it was
discovered. Although she was but
fourteen, the little maid had too keen a
sense of propriety to be seen by such
men, holding, as it were, a confidential
conversation with the handsome young
fisherman, and thus she took to flight.
“We have scared the pretty bird,
Martin,” said the man laughing, as he
paddled his boat past.
“She was gathering shells on the
beach, and I only gave her some I collected,”
he answered, deeply confused.
The boat passed on its way and disappeared,
and the maiden also was out
of sight. He would have gone to overtake
her and talk more with her, and
ask her her name; but recollecting how
she had fled from the place, he feared
he should offend her. So he sat down
upon the rock again, and resumed his
fishing lines; but he caught no more
fish that day, for his thoughts were absent
and upon the beautiful maiden,
whose presence seemed more
like a vision than a reality. When he
returned home he related to his mother
the adventure, and begged her to learn
who she was. This she promised, to
please him; but the next day he was
forcibly taken off by a press-gang.
| CHAPTER XIX. The free-trader, or, The cruiser of Narragansett Bay | |