CHAPTER XIII
THE INVASION
Dunwody joined Jamieson below, and the latter now called for hishorse, the two walking together toward the door. They hardly hadreached the gallery when there became audible the sound ofhoof-beats rapidly approaching up the road across the lawn. Aparty of four horsemen appeared, all riding hard.
A party of four horsemen appeared.]
"Who're they?" inquired the doctor. "Didn't see any of them on theroad as I came in."
"They look familiar," commented Dunwody. "That's Jones, and that'sJudge Clayton, down below--why, I just left both of them on theboat the other day! It's Desha and Yates with them, from the otherside of the county. There must be something up."
He advanced to meet the visitors. "Good morning, gentlemen. Lightdown, and come in."
All four got down, shook hands with Dunwody, gave their reins toservants, and joined him on his invitation to enter. Jamieson wasknown to all of them.
"Well, Colonel Dunwody," began the Honorable William Jones, "youdidn't expect to see us so soon, did you? Reckon you'd ought to beall the gladder.
"You live here, my dear Colonel," he continued, looking about him,"in much the same state and seclusion remarked by Mr. Gibbon in hisimmortal work on the _Decline and Fall of Rome_--where he describedthe castles of them ancient days, located back in the mountainousregions. But it ain't no Roman road you've got, out thar."
"I was going to remark," interrupted Judge Clayton, "that ColonelDunwody has anticipated all the modern requirements of hospitalityas well as embodied all those of ancient sort. Thank you, I shalltaste your bourbon, Colonel, with gladness. It is a long ride infrom the river; but, following out our friend's thought, why do youlive away back in here, when all your best plantations are downbelow? We don't see you twice a year, any more."
"Well," said the owner of Tallwoods, "my father might be betterable to answer that question if he were alive. He built this for asummer place, and I use it all the year. I found the place here,and it always seemed too big to move away. We set three meals aday, even back here in the hills, and there's quite a bunch ofleaves we can put on the table. The only drawback is, we don't seemuch company. I'm mighty glad to see you, and I'm going to keepyou here now, until--"
"Until something pops open," remarked the Honorable William, overthe rim of his glass. Dunwody's neighbors nodded also.
Their host looked at them for a moment. "Are you here on anyspecial errand--but of course there must be something of the sort,to bring you two gentlemen so close on my trail."
"We met up with these gentlemen down at the river," began Yates,"and from what they done told us, we thought we'd all better ridein along together, and have a little talk with you. Looks likethere might be trouble in these parts before long."
"What sort of trouble?"
"It's this-a-way," broke in the Honorable William Jones. "Thejedge an' I laid off at Cairo when you-all went on through. Nextday, along comes a steamer from up-river, an' she's full ofnorthern men, headed west; a damned sight more like a fightin' armythan so many settlers. They're goin' out into the purairie countrybeyant, an' _I_ think it's just on the early-bird principle, tohold it ag'inst settlers from this state. They're a lot of thosedamned black abolitionists, that's what they are! What's more,that Lily gal of the jedge's here, she's got away agin--she turnedup missin' at Cairo, too--an' she taken up with this bunch ofYankees, an' is mighty apt to git clar off."
Judge Clayton nodded gravely. "The whole North is stirred up andbound to make trouble. These men seem to have taken the girl inwithout hesitation. They don't intend to stand by any compromise,at least. The question is, what are we going to do about it? Wecan't stand here and see our property taken away by armed invaders,in this way. And yet--"
"It looks," he added slowly, a moment later, "just as ThomasJefferson said long ago, as though this country had the wolf by theear, and could neither hold it nor let it go. For myself--andsetting aside this personal matter, which is at worst only the lossof a worthless girl--I admit I fear that this slavery wolf is goingto mean trouble--big trouble--both for the South and the North,before long."
"Douglas, over there in Illinois, hasn't brought up anything inCongress yet that's stuck," broke in the ever-ready Jones. "OldCaroliny and Mississip'--them's the ones! Their conventions showwhere we're goin' to stand at. We'll let the wolf go, and takeholt in a brand new place, that's exactly what we'll do!"
Dunwody remained silent for a time. Doctor Jamieson took snuff,and looked quietly from one to the other. "You can count me in,gentlemen," said he.
Silence fell as he went on. "If they mean fight, let them havefight. If we let in one army of abolitionists out here, to run offour property, another will follow. As soon as the railroad gets asfar west as the Missouri River, they'll come out in swarms; andthey will take that new country away from us. That's what theywant.
"The South has been swindled all along the line," he exclaimed,rising and smiting a fist into a palm. "We got Texas, yes, but ithad to be by war. We've been juggled out of California, whichought to have been a southern state. We don't want these desertsof Utah and New Mexico, for they won't raise cotton. When we tryto get into Cuba, the North and all the rest of the world protests.We are cut off from growth to the south by Mexico. On the west wehave these Indians located. The whole upper West is air-tightabolitionist by national law. Now, where shall we go? Theseabolitionists are even wedging in west of us. This damnedcompromise line ought to be cut off the map. We ought to have achance to grow!"
Strange enough such speech sounds to-day,--speech demanding growthfor a part of a country, denying it for the whole, speech ignoringthe nationalist tendency so soon to overwhelm all bounds, allcreeds in the making of a mighty America that should be a home forall the nations. But as the gray-headed old doctor went on he onlyvoiced what was the earnest conviction of many of the ablest men ofhis time, both of the South and the North.
"The South has been robbed. We paid our share of the cost of thislast war, in blood and in money! We paid for our share in the newterritory won for the Union! And now they deny us any share of it!A little band of ranters, of fanatics, undertake to tell a greatcountry what it shall do, what it shall think,--no matter even ifthat is against our own interests and against our traditions!Gentlemen, it's invasion, that's what it is, and that's my answer,so far as my honest conscience and all my wisdom go. It's war!What's the next thing to do? Judge, we can take back yourgirl--the legal right to do that is clean. But we all know thatthat may be only a beginning."
"To me, sir," ventured Judge Clayton, "the legal side of this isvery clear, leaving aside our right to recover my property. Theyare trying to shove their fanatical beliefs down our throats withrifle barrels. We never used to stand that sort of thing downhere. I don't think we will begin it now!"
The Honorable William Jones helped himself to whisky, altogetherforgetting his principle of taking but one drink a day. "If themdamned abolitionists would only stay at home, we could afford tosit quiet an' let 'em howl; but when they come into our dooryardan' begin to howl, it's time somethin' ought to be did. I 'lowwe'll have to fight."
"We will fight," said Dunwody slowly and gravely. A faint pictureof the possible future was passing before his mind.
"What boat are these men using?" asked Doctor Jamieson, turning toyoung Desha.
"Little old scow named the _Helen Bell_. She can't steam up-streama hundred miles a week. She ties up every night. We can easycatch her, up above St. Genevieve, if we ride fast."
"That looks feasible to me," remarked Judge Clayton, and the othersnodded their approval.
Judge Clayton dropped into a seat, as he replaced his glass on thenearest table. "By the way, Colonel Dunwody," said he, "there wassomething right strange happened on the Vernon, coming down theOhio, and I thought maybe you could help us figure it out. Therewas another disappearance--that extraordinarily beautiful younglady who was ther
e--you remember her? No one knew what became ofher. When I heard about that Lily girl's escape, I sent my menwith the two bucks on down home, with instructions for a littletraining, so they would not try the underground again right soon.But now--"
"Now about that Lily girl," interrupted the Honorable William Jones,who had once more forgotten his temperance resolutions,--"But hello,Colonel, what's this, wha-a-at's this?"
He picked up and exposed to view a small object which he saw lyingon the hall floor. It was a small pin of shell and silver, such asladies sometimes used for fastening the hair.
"Somehow, I got the idea you was a bachelor man," went on theHonorable William cheerfully. "Thought you lived here all alone insolitary splenjure; never looked at a woman in your whole life inthe whole memory of man. But, looky-here, now, what's this?"
Dunwody, suddenly confused, could only wonder whether his faceshowed what he really felt. His guest continued his investigation.
"An' looky-there on the table!" pointing, where some servantapparently had placed, yet another article of ladies' apparel,dropped by accident, a dainty glove of make such as no servant ofthat country ever saw, much less used. "Come now," blithely wenton the gentleman from Belmont. "Things is lookin' mightysuspicious, mighty suspicious. Why didn't you tell us when you-allwas married?"
A sudden start might have drawn attention to Judge Clayton, but hecontrolled himself. And if a slight smile assailed his lips, atleast he was able to suppress it. Nothing, however, could suppressthe curiosity of the able student of Roman history. "I'll justtake a little prowl around," said he.
He was rewarded in his search. A little hair-pin lay at the firststep of the stair. He fell upon it with uproarious glee.
"Trail's gittin' hot," said he. "I reckon I'll go on up."
"No!" cried Dunwody suddenly, and sprang to the foot of the stair."Please!--that is,--" he hesitated. "If you will kindly wait amoment, I will have the servants put your room in order for youbefore you go up."
"Oho!" cried the Honorable William. "Don't want us to find out asingle thing! House o' mystery, ah, ha! Doctor here, too! Tellus, anybody died here to-day?"
Doctor Jamieson answered by quietly stepping to the side ofDunwody. Judge Clayton, without comment, joined them, and thethree edged in between the exhilarated gentleman and the stairwaywhich he sought to ascend.
"I was just saying, gentlemen," remarked Judge Clayton quietly,"that I was sure it would give us all much pleasure to take astroll around these beautiful grounds with Colonel Dunwody."
He looked Dunwody calmly in the eye, and the latter knew he had afriend. He knew perfectly well that Judge Clayton did not for aninstant suppose that these articles ever had belonged to anyservant. On the contrary; it was possible he remembered where andin whose possession he had seen them before. But nothing more wassaid about the beautiful young lady of the _Mount Vernon_.
"You have a beautiful place here, Colonel Dunwody, beautiful!" saidClayton carelessly, casting an arm over the other's shoulders andleading the way to the front door. "It reminds me of our oldfamily home back in Virginia. Come, gentlemen; let us have a morecareful look at so well-chosen a locality. It is improved--improved,gentlemen, as well as it originally was chosen. But look at thosehills!"