CHAPTER XI
THE CHOICE OF FAIRFAX
"Ours are no hirelings trained to the fight, With cymbal and clarion, all glittering and bright; No prancing of chargers, no martial display; No war-trump is heard from our silent array. O'er the proud heads of our freemen our star-banner waves; Men, firm as their mountains, and still as their graves."
--_T. Graves._
Although each member of the little party had borne himself well in theface of peril, now each one found himself in the utter exhaustion thatfollows unusual stress of mind or body. It was no longer possible tolighten the tediousness of travel by conversation, and for this reasonthe remainder of the journey seemed long and exceedingly wearisome.Had conditions been other than they were both Peggy and Sally wouldhave noticed the broad morasses which bisected the wide plains theywere now traversing. They would have exclaimed at the acres of reedswhich covered the vast extent of these marshes, and at the wild fowlwhich rose in clouds from them; for already the ducks were flying.They would have discussed how these swamps became dangerous quagmiresat a later season, and how the sandy soil, now so firm and solid underits blanket of snow, would become soft and yielding so that horsescould scarce travel through it.
All these things failed to rouse them from the weariness that heldthem. The over-hanging branches of the leafless trees arched over thehighway, and obscured the light of the westering sun. Further on,the road left the forest and ran by open fields and hedgerows ofcultivated lands. It was not until they had passed through a low lyingplain, and crossed the broad marsh which separated it from the woodedheights of Freehold that it occurred to any of them that they werepassing over the battle-ground of Monmouth. Then, as the high peakedroof of the court-house came into view, Nurse Johnson roused herself.
"Is it not somewhere hereabouts that the Battle of Monmouth wasfought?" she asked. "Methinks I remember 'twas at the seat ofMonmouth County that His Excellency's forces overtook the English."
"Yes." Fairfax looked about him. "The hottest part of the battleoccurred at yon parsonage; although I've heard that there was hardfighting over the entire plain."
"Oh, don't talk of battles," broke in Sally glancing about fearfully."Every bush and tree seems but made to hide an enemy."
"Give me pardon, my dear," spoke Nurse Johnson contritely. "'Tis smallwonder that you wish not to hear of battles after the experience ofthe day. I make no doubt but that all of us will be glad when we arewithin the sheltering walls of a house. Are we almost there, son?"
"Yes, mother. 'Tis just beyond the village a short distance, though Iknow not in which direction the farm lies. I will have to inquire atthe tavern."
The amber light of dusk was tipping the trees when the youth turnedfrom the highway into the wooded road leading to his uncle's dwelling.The farmhouse was gray and weather-beaten, set in a circle of clearedland, and ringed by the forest. There was something about thewell-sweep, the orchard, the gardens, that spoke of neglect anddesolation, and Peggy felt a chill go through her as she noted no stirof life about the place. From the open doors of the barn came nomovement of restless horse, or low of cattle. Not a twitter nor cheepfrom the hen-house broke the quiet that brooded over everything.Though it was still early twilight the wooden shutters were tightlyclosed, and had it not been for the light which streamed through theircrescentic openings the house would have been deemed deserted. Thegirl started nervously as a night-owl hooted suddenly from a near-bythicket.
"I wonder if they are at home?" she mused aloud.
"Why, of course they are, Peggy," answered Sally. "Does thee not seethe light?"
"Yes; but----" began Peggy, and paused expectantly as Fairfax, who hadalighted, knocked loudly upon the door.
It was a full moment before a reply came; then a man's voice demandedsharply:
"What's wanted?"
"'Tis your nephew, Uncle Tom," answered the lad cheerily.
"Nephew, heigh? I haven't any in this part of the country. You can'tput in a take-off like that on Tom Ashley. Clear out! My firelock'sready."
"Well, this is a fine welcome, I must say," cried Nurse Johnsonindignantly. "Write for us to come all the way from Virginia to visityou, and then find a firelock ready for us. I don't think much of suchdoings, Tom Ashley!"
"Why a pox on me!" came in excited accents from behind the closeddoor. "Didst hear that, Mary? That's Hannah Johnson's voice as sure aspreaching. It must be Hannah and her boy."
There followed the rattle of a chain, the drawing of bolts, then thedoor was flung wide, and the light from a blazing fire in thefireplace threw into strong relief the forms of a man and a womanstanding on the threshold.
"Have in, have in," cried the man genially. "Mary, see to the openingof the stable while I bring the folks in. Ye are as welcome as thespring would be, though ye did give us a great scare. 'Twas a mostunmannerly greeting, but 'twas not meant for ye. The times are suchthat no man dares to open his door to a visitor when dark is coming onwithout he knows who 'tis. This is a surprise. I had writ ye not tocome."
"You had, uncle?" queried Fairfax as they shook hands. Thomas Ashleyhad left the door by this time, and now stood beside the sleigh."When? We did not get it."
"'Tis not to be wondered at considering the state of the country. Isent it the last of January. Still, so long as ye didn't get it I'mglad ye are here. So you brought your sweetheart along, heigh? Whichone is she?"
A ripple of laughter rose to Peggy's lips at the remark. Her spiritshad revived as soon as she understood that their reception was due tocaution rather than to the lack of welcome, and she spoke roguishly asthe farmer assisted her out of the sleigh:
"We did not bring her, friend. Thy nephew hath had to content himselfwith Sally and me because Betty could not come."
"I'll warrant the boy hath not found the consolation irksome,"laughed Mr. Ashley. A twinkle came into his eye as he noted theyouth's blushes and the mischievous glances of the girls. "Well,well," he said, "ye are welcome anyway. Now, Hannah, go right in withthese girls while nevvy helps me with the horses."
"You surely don't keep that barn door open when there are horsesinside, do you, Tom?" Nurse Johnson's disapproval of the lax fasteningof the barn was plainly evident in her tones.
"It won't make any difference, Hannah, whether 'tis fastened or not.If there's horses there somebody gets them anyway. We leave the dooropen to save them the trouble of breaking the bolt."
"Then why do we put the horses there?" queried Fairfax in blankconsternation.
"We don't, nevvy." The farmer chuckled. "If we did we wouldn't havethem long. Wait a minute. There! There's Mary now."
The dwelling was a story and a half house, with a lean-to attached toone end. Just as Farmer Ashley finished speaking the whole front ofthe lean-to swung open in a great door, disclosing an aperture largeenough to admit both horses and sleigh. Mrs. Ashley emerged from thedark interior as the door swung back, and came toward them.
"Well, that is a contrivance," ejaculated Nurse Johnson after she hadgreeted her sister. "Who would think of finding a stable right in thehouse?"
"'Tis the only way we can keep a horse," explained the farmer's wife."'Tis right next the kitchen, so we know the minute anything is wrong,if we have a horse there; which we have not at present. We believethat no one outside the family knows of its use for such purpose, and'tis something to have a hiding-place for animals. But come in! Herewe stand talking, and you must be both cold and hungry. Come, Hannah!And ye also, my dears. I am glad that the supper is belated to-night,for now 'twill be hot, which is well after a long journey."
Thus talking she led them into the house, carefully bolting the doorafter them. A door on one side the chimney gave entrance to thelean-to. Another, on the other side of the room, opened into anotherapartment, but the kitchen itself seemed to be the main living-room.It was large and roomy, and a table drawn up before the hearth wasspread for the evening meal. A great fire of pine boughs blazed inthe deep-throated fireplace fil
ling the room with fragrance andcheerfulness. The maidens ran to it with exclamations of pleasure.
"Oh!" cried Sally with a deep breath. "How pleasant and homey it is. Ifeel as though this afternoon were a dreadful dream, and that naughtcould befall us here. Dost see, Peggy? There is a quilt on the frame.'Twill be a fine chance to teach Captain Johnson the stitches. 'Twillgive him relaxation from military duty."
"He will have small time for relaxation, I fear me," spoke the farmerentering at this moment with Fairfax from the lean-to. "There is to begreat activity in the army this summer, I hear. 'Tis to be hoped thatsomething will be done to help us. The Jerseys have suffered greatlyin the war, and Monmouth County more than the rest of the state puttogether."
"We had a taste of what you are going through this afternoon,"Fairfax informed them quietly. "We were set upon by robbers, and hadit not been for the opportune coming of some state dragoons you wouldnot have had to give us welcome."
"Robbers!" exclaimed the farmer and his wife simultaneously. "Why didyou not tell us sooner? Was any one hurt?"
"No," answered the youth. "Of course we were upset, which is smallcause for wonderment."
"Tell us about it, nevvy," began Thomas Ashley eagerly, but his wifeinterposed:
"Now, father, if no one hath received a hurt let's eat before thesupper gets cold. A good story will keep better than hot victuals. Weshall have the night to talk in. 'Tis a long journey from Virginia,and belike they are hungry. But first, Hannah, tell us who these youngfriends are."
"Mercy on me, Mary," gasped Nurse Johnson, drawing the girls forward."I clear forgot my manners. This is Mistress Margaret Owen, who wentback with me to Williamsburgh when I was here last year. I have writyou anent her visit, as I make no doubt you remember. And this isher friend, Mistress Sarah Evans. She hath been ailing of late, andmethought the change would be of benefit. We call them Peggy andSally."
"You are both welcome," said the hostess warmly, "though I would thetimes were not so troublous. What with the pine robbers, thefreebooters and the Tories we are in daily dread of attack."
"A plague take the rascals," cried Mr. Ashley excitedly. "No man'slife, liberty, or property is safe these days. We are set upon in thefields, and upon the highways. Our dwellings are sacked and burned,and we are thankful if life is left. I tell ye," he cried bringingdown his fist upon the table with so much vim that the dishes rattled,"I tell ye New Jersey hath stood the brunt of the war. She hath been,and is now, the battle-field of the new nation. Things have come tosuch a pass that some way, somehow, relief must be had from theseinternal enemies."
"But hath nothing been done to rid the state of them?" asked theyouth.
"Done? Everything hath been done, nevvy. We have not only furnishedour quota of men to the main army, but also formed companies ofmilitia, both cavalry and infantry, to fight these pests. TheLegislature is endeavoring to establish a strict patrol of the coastand the highways. In addition, we men who are too old for constantservice have formed an association to retaliate upon our greatestenemies, the Tories, and to go out as necessity demands. Why, think ofit! Up there in New York City are many of our friends and neighborsformed into a corps called The Associated Loyalists, under theleadership of our former governor, William Franklin. An unworthy sonof a great father! At his command this corps harasses the state atwill. Knowing the country 'tis easy for it to slip in where thegreatest harm can be done, and out it goes before we know 'tis here.Staten Island and Sandy Hook are handy refuges for such raiders. Wemight handle the robbers, could we be rid of these incursions. Wehoped for peace after Yorktown, but the depredations are now worsethan ever. Something must be done, for New Jersey's very existence isthreatened."
"There seems to be a need of men," remarked the young man musingly."When am I to report for duty, Uncle Tom?"
Mr. Ashley turned toward him quickly.
"There is need of men," he said. "Your commission was to be with theregular army, if you wanted it so. Colonel Elias Dayton, who nowcommands the Jersey Brigade at Chatham, wants every man to reportfor duty this month. But----"
"But what, Uncle Tom?" asked Fairfax as the farmer paused abruptly.
"But I wish ye'd stay in Monmouth, nevvy. We need every man we can getto help us defend our homes. We have sent and sent to the main armyuntil we are almost stripped of fighting men. General Washington mayhave to go against the English this summer, and then again he may haveto lie inactive. It all depends upon the instructions which Englandwill give to the new general who is to supersede Clinton. Of course,with a campaign there would be more chance for glory with the regularline. Such distinction as that must appeal to a lad of parts; but,boy, New Jersey needs you. Why, Washington depends on us for flour,and how can we raise the grain when we are shot down as we plow thefields? A man can do service, and great service, right here in themilitia. There won't be much glory, nevvy, but there will be plenty ofaction. In Freehold there is a company now of twenty-five twelvemonthboys that needs a captain. The Legislature will gladly give you thecommission. Now, nevvy, the choice is with you. What will you do?"
The youth let his head fall upon his breast in thought. The supperhad long since been finished, and the other members of the group satinterested listeners to the conversation between uncle and nephew.Peggy looked at the young fellow wonderingly. A captain's commissionin the regular army was to be desired. She remembered how John Draytonhad had to serve for years to obtain one. Such an office gave a rankthat no militia could offer. Could any youth deliberately cast asidethe distinction? A glance at Fairfax gave no clue to his mentalattitude. It seemed a long time that he sat there meditating, butpresently he looked up and met the questioning gaze of Thomas Ashleywith a smile.
"The greatest need seems to be right here," he said. "I think I'd liketo help clear out the Tories, and to get a whack at those pinerobbers. I have a reckoning to settle with them on my own account.This field will suit me all right."
"Good for you, nevvy," cried his uncle in a shout. "I thought you'd doit. You are a lad after my own heart. Still, it is only fair that youshould know that your task will be fraught with danger. The Toriessingle out for vengeance any man who fights with unction against them.Let him proceed with too much ardor and he becomes a marked man."
"That is true in any part of the country, uncle, as well as in NewJersey," was the lad's rejoinder. "I am ready for whatever goes withthe work."
But at this there came a cry from his mother:
"Tom Ashley, what are you getting my boy into?"
"Nothing that my own boys have not endured, Hannah. One fell in thegreat battle on yonder plain near the court-house, and lies now inFreehold burying-ground. The other, Charley, made the same choice asyour boy, and is down at Tom's River helping to defend old Monmouth."
"But oh----" she began when Fairfax interrupted her:
"It's all right, mother. It means no more danger than I'd have toencounter with the regular army, or than I have already faced in themilitia at home."
"It may be," she answered, but her eyes were troubled. "It may be."
"It waxes late," exclaimed Mrs. Ashley glancing at Sally whose eyelidswere drooping in spite of herself. "These girls, at least, are readyfor bed; and to bed they must go."
And without heeding their protests the good woman hurried them up to alittle room under the eaves, nor would she depart until they weretucked warmly in the great feather-bed. Sally's drowsiness left her assoon as she found herself alone with Peggy.
"Peggy," she whispered, snuggling close to her friend, "what does theethink of it all?"
"'Tis like the Carolinas and Virginia were," returned Peggy soberly."Oh, Sally! is it not awful that men should so hunt and hound eachother? The poor people of the states have stood so much that 'tismarvelous that any are left for resistance. Nurse Johnson whispered tome that she should not feel easy until we were back in Philadelphia."
"Would that we were," said Sally earnestly. "Peggy!"
"Yes, Sally."
"I was
afraid this afternoon when the robbers attacked us. What if Iwere to be fearful all the time?"
"We must not be, Sally," spoke Peggy quickly. "'Twould wherrit thesekind friends if we were to show fear. They will take excellent care ofus, and take us home soon, I make no doubt."
"Isn't thee ever afraid, Peggy?"
"Why, yes; of course," answered Peggy. "Every one is, I think. Butmother told me once never to anticipate trouble, and so I try not tothink about what might happen. We must be bright and cheerful whateveroccurs. It should be easy for thee, Sally. Thee is always happy in thehospital."
"That is because I have something to do," responded Sally sagely. "Ifone is so busy that one has no time to think one can't be afraid."
"I make no doubt then thee will soon have plenty to occupy thee whenFairfax joins his company, Sally."
Sally laughed as Peggy had intended she should.
"I like Fairfax," she said with emphasis. "But didst notice, Peggy? Hespoke not once to either of us after we entered the house. Truly, hisdiffidence doth envelop him like a mantle; yet, when those robberswere giving us chase, he had no difficulty in telling us just what todo. Indeed, he was then as much at ease in speaking to us as thyfather or Robert would have been."
"Then he was doing 'man's duty,'" laughed Peggy. "'Tis marvelous howan emergency doth make him shed his shyness."
"I like him," repeated Sally. "In very truth, Peggy Owen, doth theenot consider him the very nicest lad that we know?"
"And yet," observed Peggy meditatively, addressing the darkness,"methinks there was a girl, not a hundred miles from this very bed,who told me that she agreed with my Cousin Harriet that Cliffordexcelled all other youths."
"I am going to sleep," announced Sally, turning over hastily. "Doesthee not think it time? We had a wearisome journey."
Peggy giggled appreciatively.
"That was a well directed shot," she remarked, "since it hath reducedthe ranks to silence."
Peggy Owen and Liberty Page 13
