THE PERIL AND THE PLUCK OF CAP.
"Who that had seen her form so light
For swiftness only turned,
Would e'er have thought in a thing so slight
Such a fiery spirit burned?"
Very dreary looked the dark and silent passages as they went on toward
Capitola's distant chamber.
When at last they reached it, however, and opened the door, the cheerful
scene within quite reanimated Capitola's spirits. The care of her little
maid had prepared a blazing wood fire that lighted up the whole room
brightly, glowing on the crimson curtains of the bed and the crimson
hangings of the windows opposite and flashing upon the high mirror
between them.
Capitola, having secured her room in every way, stood before her
dressing bureau and began to take off her collar, under sleeves and
other small articles of dress. As she stood there her mirror,
brilliantly lighted up by both lamp and fire, reflected clearly the
opposite bed, with its warm crimson curtains, white coverlet and little
Pitapat flitting from post to post as she tied back the curtains or
smoothed the sheets.
Capitola stood unclasping her bracelets and smiling to herself at the
reflected picture--the comfortable nest in which she was so soon to curl
herself up in sleep. While she was smiling thus she tilted the mirror
downwards a little for her better convenience, and, looking into it
again----
Horror! What did she see reflected there? Under the bed a pair of
glaring eyes watching her from the shadows!
A sick sensation of fainting came over her; but, mastering the weakness,
she tilted the glass a little lower, until it reflected all the floor,
and looked again.
Horror of horrors there were three stalwart ruffians, armed to the
teeth, lurking in ambush under her bed!
The deadly inclination to swoon returned upon her; but with a heroic
effort she controlled her fears and forced herself to look.
Yes, there they were! It was no dream, no illusion, no nightmare--there
they were, three powerful desperadoes armed with bowie knives and
revolvers, the nearest one crouching low and watching her with his
wolfish eyes, that shone like phosphorus in the dark.
What should she do? The danger was extreme, the necessity of immediate
action imminent, the need of perfect self-control absolute! There was
Pitapat flitting about the bed in momentary danger of looking under it!
If she should their lives would not be worth an instant's purchase!
Their throats would be cut before they should utter a second scream! It
was necessary, therefore, to call Pitapat away from the bed, where her
presence was as dangerous as the proximity of a lighted candle to an
open powder barrel!
But how to trust her voice to do this? A single quaver in her tones
would betray her consciousness of their presence to the lurking robbers
and prove instantly fatal!
Happily Capitola's pride in her own courage came to her aid.
"Is it possible," she said to herself, "that after all I am a coward and
have not even nerve and will enough to command the tones of my own
voice? Fie on it! Cowardice is worse than death!"
And summoning all her resolution she spoke up, glibly:
"Patty, come here and unhook my dress."
"Yes, miss, I will just as soon as I get your slippers from unnerneaf of
de bed!"
"I don't want them! Come here this minute and unhook my dress--I can't
breathe! Plague take these country dress-makers--they think the tighter
they screw one up the more fashionable they make one appear! Come, I
say, and set my lungs at liberty."
"Yes, miss, in one minute," said Pitapat; and to Capitola's unspeakable
horror the little maid stooped down and felt along under the side of the
bed, from the head post to the foot post, until she put her hands upon
the slippers and brought them forth! Providentially, the poor little
wretch had not for an instant put her stupid head under the bed, or used
her eyes in the search--that was all that saved them from instant
massacre!
"Here dey is, Caterpillar! I knows how yer foots mus' be as much out of
breaf wid yer tight gaiters as your waist is long of yer tight dress."
"Unhook me!" said Capitola, tilting up the glass lest the child should
see what horrors were reflected there.
The little maid began to obey and Capitola tried to think of some plan
to escape their imminent danger. To obey the natural impulse--to fly
from the room would be instantly fatal--they would be followed and
murdered in the hall before they could possibly give the alarm! And to
whom could she give the alarm when there was not another creature in the
house except Mrs. Condiment?
While she was turning these things over in her mind it occurred to her
that "man's extremity is God's opportunity." Sending up a silent prayer
to heaven for help at need, she suddenly thought of a plan--it was full
of difficulty, uncertainty and peril, affording not one chance in fifty
of success, yet the only possible plan of escape! It was to find some
plausible pretext for leaving the room without exciting suspicion, which
would be fatal. Controlling her tremors, and speaking cheerfully, she
asked:
"Patty, do you know whether there were any of those nice quince tarts
left from dinner?"
"Lor', yes, miss, a heap on 'em! Ole Mis' put 'em away in her cubberd."
"Was there any baked custard left?"
"Lor', yes Miss Caterpillar; dere was nobody but we-dens three, and
think I could eat up all as was left?"
"I don't know but you might! Well, is there any pear sauce?"
"Yes, miss, a big bowl full."
"Well, I wish you'd go down and bring me up a tart, a cup of custard and
a spoonful of pear sauce. Sitting up so late makes me as hungry as a
wolf! Come, Patty, go along!"
"Deed, miss, I'se 'fraid!" whimpered the little maid.
"Afraid of what, you goose?"
"'Fraid of meeting of a ghose in the dark places!"
"Pooh! you can take the light with you! I can stay here in the dark well
enough."
"'Deed, miss, I'se 'fraid!"
"What! with the candle, you blockhead?"
"Lors, miss, de candle wouldn't be no 'tection! I'd see de ghoses all de
plainer wid de candle!"
"What a provoking, stupid dolt! You're a proper maid--afraid to do my
bidding! Afraid of ghosts, forsooth. Well, I suppose I shall have to go
myself--plague on you for an aggravating thing! There--take the candle
and come along!" said Capitola, in a tone of impatience.
Pitapat took up the light and stood ready to accompany her mistress,
Capitola, humming a gay tune, went to the door and unlocked and opened
it.
She wished to withdraw the key, so as to lock it on the other side and
secure the robbers and insure the safety of her own retreat; but to do
this without betraying her purpose and destroying her own life seemed
next to impossible. Still singing gayly she ran over in her mind with
the quickness of lightning every possible means by which she might
withdraw the key silently, or without attracting the attention of the
watchful robbers. It is difficult to say what she would have done, had
not chance instantly favored her.
At the same moment that she unlocked and opened the door and held the
key in her hand fearful of withdrawing it, Pitapat, who was hurrying
after her with the candle, tripped and fell against a chair, with a
great noise, under cover of which Capitola drew forth the key.
Scolding and pushing Pitapat out before her, she closed the door with a
bang. With the quickness of lightning she slipped the key in the
key-hole and turned the lock, covering the whole with loud and angry
railing against poor Pitapat, who silently wondered at this unhappy
change in her mistress's temper, but ascribed it all to hunger,
muttering to herself:
"I'se offen hern tell how people's cross when dere empty! Lors knows ef
I don't fetch up a whole heap o' wittels ebery night for Miss
Caterpillar from dis time forred, so I will--'deed me!"
So they went on through the long passages and empty rooms. Capitola
carefully locking every door behind her until she got down-stairs into
the great hall.
"Now, Miss Caterpillar, ef you wants quint tart, an' pear sass, and
baked cussets, an' all dem, you'll jest has to go an' wake Ole Mis' up,
case dey's in her cubbed an' she's got the keys," said Pitapat.
"Never mind, Patty, you follow me," said Capitola, going to the front
hall door and beginning to unlock it and take down the bars and withdraw
the bolts.
"Lors, miss, what is yer a-doin' of?" asked the little maid, in wonder,
as Capitola opened the door and looked out.
"I am going out a little way and you must go with me!"
"Deed, miss, I'se 'fraid!"
"Very well, then, stay here in the dark until I come back, but don't go
to my room, because you might meet a ghost on the way!"
"Oh, Miss, I daren't stay here--indeed I daren't!"
"Then you'll have to come along with me, and so no more about it," said
Capitola, sharply, as she passed out from the door. The poor little maid
followed, bemoaning the fate that bound her to so capricious a mistress.
Capitola drew the key from the hall door and locked it on the outside.
Then clasping her hands and raising her eyes to heaven, she fervently
ejaculated:
"Thank God--oh, thank God that we are safe!"
"Lors, miss, was we in danger?"
"We are not now at any rate, Pitapat! Come along!" said Capitola,
hurrying across the lawn toward the open fields.
"Oh, my goodness, miss, where is yer-a-goin' of? Don't less us run so
fur from home dis lonesome, wicked, onlawful hour o' de night!"
whimpered the distressed little darkey, fearing that her mistress was
certainly crazed.
"Now, then, what are you afraid of?" asked Capitola, seeing her hold
back.
"Lors, miss, you knows--eberybody knows--Brack Dunnel!"
"Patty, come close--listen to me--don't scream--Black Donald and his men
are up there at the house--in my chamber, under the bed," whispered
Capitola.
Pitapat could not scream, for though her mouth was wide open, her breath
was quite gone. Shivering with fear, she kept close to her mistress's
heels as Capitola scampered over the fields.
A run of a quarter of a mile brought them to the edge of the woods,
where in its little garden stood the overseer's house.
Capitola opened the gate, hurried through the little front yard and
rapped loudly at the door.
This startled the house dog into furious barking and brought old Mr.
Ezy, with his night-capped head, to the window to see what was the
matter.
"It is I--Capitola, Mr. Ezy--Black Donald and his men are lurking up at
the house," said our young heroine, commencing in an eager and hurried
voice, and giving the overseer an account of the manner in which she had
discovered the presence of the robbers, and left the room without
alarming them.
The old man heard with many cries of astonishment, ejaculations of
prayer, and exclamations of thanksgiving. And all the while his head was
bobbing in and out of the window, as he pulled on his pantaloons or
buttoned his coat.
"And oh!" he said, at last, as he opened the door to Capitola, "how
providential that Mr. Herbert Greyson is arrove!"
"Herbert Greyson! Herbert Greyson arrived! Where is he, then?" exclaimed
Capitola, in surprise and joy.
"Yes, sartain! Mr. Herbert arrove about an hour ago, and thinking you
all abed and asleep at the Hall, he just stopped in with us all night!
I'll go and see--I doubt if he's gone to bed yet," said Mr. Ezy,
withdrawing into the house.
"Oh, thank heaven! thank heaven!" exclaimed Capitola, just as the door
opened and Herbert sprang forward to greet her with a--
"Dear Capitola! I am so glad to come to see you!"
"Dear Herbert, just fancy you have said that a hundred times over and
that I have replied to the same words a hundred times--for we haven't a
moment to spare," said Capitola, shaking his hands, and then, in an
eager, vehement manner, recounting her discovery and escape from the
robbers whom she had locked up in the house.
"Go, now," she said, in conclusion, "and help Mr. Ezy to rouse up and
arm the farm hands and come immediately to the house! I am in agony lest
my prolonged absence should excite the robbers' suspicion of my ruse,
and that they should break out and perhaps murder poor Mrs. Condiment.
Her situation is awful, if she did but know it! For the love of mercy,
hasten!"
Not an instant more of time was lost. Mr. Ezy and Herbert Greyson,
accompanied by Capitola and Patty, hurried at once to the negro
quarters, roused up and armed the men with whatever was at hand, and,
enjoining them to be as stealthy as cats in their approach, set out
swiftly for the Hall, where they soon arrived.
"Take off all your shoes and walk lightly in your stocking feet--do not
speak--do not breathe--follow me as silent as death," said Herbert
Greyson, as he softly unlocked the front door and entered the house.
Silently and stealthily they passed through the middle hall, up the
broad staircase, and through the long, narrow passages and steep stairs
that led to Capitola's remote chamber.
There at the door they paused awhile to listen.
All was still within.
Herbert Greyson unlocked the door, withdrew the key, and opened it and
entered the room, followed by all the men. He had scarcely time to close
the door and lock it on the inside, and withdraw the key, before the
robbers, finding themselves surprised, burst out from their hiding place
and made a rush for the passage; but their means of escape had been
already cut off by the forethought of Herbert Greyson.
A sharp conflict ensued.
Upon first being summoned to surrender the robbers responded by a
hail-storm of bullets from their revolvers, followed instantly by a
charge of bowie knives. This was met by an avalanche of blows from
pick-axes, pokers, pitchforks, sledge-hammers, spades and rakes, beneath
which the miscreants were quickly beaten down and overwhelmed.
They were then set upon and bound with strong ropes brought for the
purpose by Mr. Ezy.
When they were thus secured, hand and foot, Capitola, who had been a
spectator of the whole scene, and exposed as much as any other to the
rattle of the bullets, now approached and looked at the vanquished.
Black Donald certainly was not one of the party, who were no other than
our old acquaintances--Hal, Steve and Dick--of the band!
Each burglar was conveyed to a separate apartment and a strong guard set
over him.
Then Herbert Greyson, who had received a flesh wound in his left arm,
returned to the scene of the conflict to look after the wounded. Several
of the negroes had received gun-shot wounds of more or less importance.
These were speedily attended to. Mrs. Condiment, who had slept securely
through all the fight, was now awakened by Capitola, and cautiously
informed of what had taken place and assured that all danger was now
over.
The worthy woman, as soon as she recovered from the consternation into
which the news had plunged her, at once set about succoring the wounded.
Cots and mattresses were made up in one of the empty rooms and bandages
and balsams prepared.
And not until all who had been hurt were made comfortable, did Herbert
Greyson throw himself upon horseback, and ride off to the county seat to
summon the authorities, and to inform Major Warfield of what had
happened.
No one thought of retiring to bed at Hurricane Hall that night.
Mrs. Condiment, Capitola and Patty sat watching by the bedsides of the
wounded.
Bill Ezy and the men who had escaped injury mounted guard over the
prisoners.
Thus they all remained until sunrise, when the Major, attended by the
Deputy Sheriff and half a dozen constables, arrived. The night ride of
several miles had not sufficed to modify the fury into which Old
Hurricane had been thrown by the news Herbert Greyson had aroused him
from sleep to communicate. He reached Hurricane Hall in a state of
excitement that his factotum Wool characterized as "boiling." But "in
the very torrent, tempest and whirlwind of his passion" he remembered
that to rail at the vanquished, wounded and bound was unmanly, and so he
did not trust himself to see or speak to the prisoners.
They were placed in a wagon and under a strong escort of constables were
conveyed by the Deputy Sheriff to the county seat, where they were
securely lodged in jail.
But Old Hurricane's emotions of one sort or another were a treat to see!
He bemoaned the sufferings of his poor wounded men; he raved at the
danger to which his "women-kind" had been exposed, and he exulted in the
heroism of Capitola, catching her up in his arms and crying out:
"Oh, my dear Cap! My heroine! My queen! And it was you against whom I
was plotting treason--ninny that I was! You that have saved my house
from pillage and my people from slaughter! Oh, Cap, what a jewel you
are--my dear!"
To all of which Capitola, extricating her curly head from his embrace,
cried only:
"Bother!"
Utterly refusing to be made a lioness of, and firmly rejecting the grand
triumph.
The next day Major Warfield went up to the county seat to attend the
examination of the three burglars, whom he had the satisfaction of
seeing fully committed to prison to await their trial at the next term
of the Criminal Court, which would not sit until October; consequently
the prisoners had the prospect of remaining in jail some months, which
Old Hurricane declared to be "some satisfaction."