Had a bomb been exploded at “White Point,” the excitement could hardly
have been greater than that caused by Bobbie’s announcement that the
marriage would occur that night. Such hurrying and scurrying for the
numberless preparations which Sallie Tom insisted should be made had not
been seen since the war began. Peter Black could hardly saddle the horse,
in such a tremor was he over the great news, and Colonel and Mrs. Tayloe
were gratefully pleased that the marriage should be consummated even in
such an unexpected way.
And now, while Bobbie was riding like mad through the fast-falling snow
and gathering darkness, Dorothy and his mother were deep in the mysteries
of certain old trunks, which, in the beginning of the war had been
brought over from “Grey Cliffs,” and in one of which lay her mother’s
wedding gown and veil.
It was a good five miles to the court-house, near which, fortunately, was
the minister’s heme; and though it was bitterly cold, and the snow cut
like ice in his face, Bobbie knew and felt nothing save the unutterable
happiness that filled his heart. He had made Peter Black stay at home to
help the women folks, and on he rode madly. He stopped only long enough
at the Rev. Dr. Miles’s house to tell the dear old gentleman that his
services would be needed at once, and to get his promise to go over with
all the family to the wedding. “Bundle them up in the sleigh, and take
the whole business over,” he called, as he rode off, scarcely waiting to
take breath. “We can’t have much of a frolic, but you all must be there.”
It took quite a long time to get through at the court-house. The old
clerk was indulging in his one and only dissipation of the year, and
fully an hour was lost in finding him, and one or two others, and
getting the license ready. The Reverend Doctor and his family had already
started when Bobbie passed his way again. He stopped for a moment to find
out, and then decided to make a short cut for home.
The wedding had been fixed for nine o’clock, Sallie Tom declaring it was
“monstrous” to talk of “gettin’ up a weddin’ supper in ten minutes,” and
they had laughingly agreed to the hour she set. From the time Bobbie
left Sallie Tom began bossing the whole affair, and soon everybody in
the house was running at her command. Uncle Lias’s rheumatism was pretty
bad, but she showed him no mercy, and gave the parlors to him to fix up
right. Every stick of wood she knew it was necessary to watch, but this
“was Mars’ Bobbie’s weddin’ night, and they should have as much fire as
they wanted, if they friz for it the rest of their lives,” she thundered
to Uncle Lias, who ventured to remonstrate on her reckless prodigality in
heaping up the logs in the great fire-places in the parlors. Peter Black
was piling the mantels and pictures with beautiful holly and mistletoe;
and between the windows where the ceremony was to take place he had
placed the white silken cushions on which his young master’s father and
mother had knelt when they were married so many years ago. Fortunately,
Anne Carter had come over just after Bobbie left—pretty Anne Carter,
Dorothy’s dear friend and almost sister—and under her fingers the rooms
began to wear the festive look of other days. The great wax candles
sputtered for a moment, and then flared up bravely in the beautiful
old silver candlesticks, and soon the rooms were a flood of warm, rich
light. Anne surveyed them for a moment, then ran up-stairs to report the
progress made to Dorothy. “Sallie Tom is snorting like an old porpoise,”
she declared, sitting down for a moment, and fingering almost reverently
the beautiful old lace veil lying on the bed, and stroking softly the
quaint, old-fashioned wedding gown. “She seems on the eve of spontaneous
combustion, but the dining room is a sight to behold! Where in the name
of reason she has raked up all those good things to eat will ever be one
of the mysteries of life to me. It looks so much like old times,” she
went on, still handling the soft, pretty things composing the bridal
outfit, “that it makes me positively sick to think of the awful change.
You know we’ve been on half rations for months, and how we’re going to
hold out is beyond my ken. Sallie Tom always was an uncanny old animal,
anyhow, and I believe she’s cunjured those things from the man in the
moon; but the very smell has made me disgracefully hungry, and I wish
Bobbie would make haste and come, so we can begin on the supper.” Dorothy
laughed a little, and looked up at the clock. “He ought to be here now,”
she said: “it’s seven, and he’s had plenty of time to get back.” “Perhaps
the Yanks have nabbed him,” suggested Anne, getting up and giving a last
touch to the silk stockings. “Father wrote us, some time ago, he thought
our section would be visited soon, and to look out for the raiders, as
he called them.”
Dorothy turned white to her lips, and caught hold of the chair nearest
to her, while her voice died away in her throat; and Anne, turning, saw
at once the effect of her thoughtless words. “Why, Dorothy,” she cried,
going straight to her and putting her hands on her shoulders, “you didn’t
think I was in earnest—I was joking, of course. You know there’s no
danger way off here, and Bobbie is as safe as I am. For heaven’s sake,
don’t look like that!” Dorothy smiled faintly, and the color came slowly
back to her face. “I don’t know what is the matter, but I have the most
curious feeling that something is going to happen—what—what was that?”
she cried nervously, catching Anne by the arm. “I’m sure I don’t know,”
answered Anne; “but I must say going to get married is having a curious
effect on you; now do hurry and get into the wedding garments,” she went
on, kissing her hurriedly, “while I go and see who’s arrived. I don’t
doubt Bobbie has ‘hollered’ at every house in the neighborhood as he
passed by—now hurry, do,” and Anne ran hastily down-stairs, her heart
beating a little faster than usual at the noises she heard outside. It
was only the Rev. Dr. Miles and family, however, and Colonel and Mrs.
Tayloe, with Dr. Trevillian, were welcoming them in hearty, hospitable
fashion when she reached the door. “Where is Bobbie?” she called out,
almost before speaking; “Didn’t he come with you?” “No; he went on to the
court-house,” answered Mrs. Miles, brushing the snow carefully from her
best silk gown; “and if poor old Mr. Turpin is in his usual Christmas
condition it will take some time to make out what Bobbie wants.” Anne
saw the uneasiness Mrs. Tayloe was trying so hard to conceal, and knew
that to keep everybody from crying everybody must laugh, and she began in
her own inimitable way to start the ball rolling. The Rutherfoords had
gotten over, Bobbie having called to them, they said, also Mrs. Trent and
her daughter; and Colonel Tayloe and the Doctor were besieged by the
women for news of the war. Every household in the county had one or more
members in the army, and every item of the life, with all its hardships
and its every exciting detail, was eagerly sought after.
Dorothy was still up in her room, now fully dressed for the ceremony.
Like a quaint, sweet picture of a day gone by, she stood in her mother’s
wedding gown waiting for Bobbie.
Anne Carter held her off at arm’s length and surveyed her critically,
from the two provoking little curls that wouldn’t lie smooth under
the beautiful veil to the tiny satin slippers that restlessly slipped
out now and then under the gown, and then she kissed her hastily. “I
never knew before exactly how wickedly good-looking you were, Dorothy
Trevillian—it’s a shame to be married with nobody but dear old Dr. Miles
and his family, and old Mrs. Rutherfoord and her maidens three, and pious
Mrs. Trent and that proper daughter of hers, to see you. Not a man
down-stairs except the two fathers. Heigho! what’s that?” In a flash she
was gone, and Dorothy, left standing at the open door, listened.
The parlor doors were thrown wide open, and Sallie Tom rushed wildly in.
“Gord A’mighty!” she cried hoarsely, clutching first at the Colonel and
then at the Doctor, “Gord A’mighty, get out o’ heah, Mars’ Robert, and
tek de Doctor wid you—dey done come. Peter Black seen six of ’em down
de road whar he gone to look fur Mars’ Bobbie; dey on dere way heah—he
heah’d dem talkin’ ’bout how to git heah. For Gord’s sake, hurry up in de
loft, top o’ de garret, and I’ll manage so dey won’t fine you. Dey got
orders to ’rest you all, and mos’ special Mars’ Bobbie, whar got some
papers. Peter Black heah’d ’em say so. Move long, all o’ you, and help
put out dese lights and shet dese rooms up, so dey won’t ketch on to
nothin’ special. You mus’ tell ’em,” she said, turning to Mrs. Tayloe,
who, white as a sheet, was sitting perfectly limp in her chair, “you mus’
tell ’em de parson is a goin’ to tek his Christmas supper wid you, and
dese heah friends, too. Go ’long in de libr’y and shet up dis heah part
de house.”
Every hand was instantly at work, and in a minute or two only the
smoldering fires gave evidence of the rooms having been used. Colonel
Tayloe and the Doctor had exchanged a few hurried words. They mortally
hated to hide in the loft, but it was their only resource. If found, it
would mean new anxiety and disaster to the women. They must take Sallie
Tom’s advice.
It took but a minute to reach the garret, and there through an opening
she thrust them into a side loft and closed the door, drawing a line
filled with old and long-disused garments across it, so that, unless
closely inspected, the door was not apt to be seen.
Down-stairs the utmost confusion reigned supreme. Mrs. Tayloe’s chief
thought was Bobbie, but by a superhuman effort she managed to conquer
herself, and think what was best to be done. The Miles children were
crying, but were ordered by Anne to keep quiet, and if they dared speak
a word the soldiers would eat them alive.
Quickly the dining room was dispossessed of all the wedding
paraphernalia, and only the necessities of a ministerial tea remained.
Dorothy had heard the confusion, and before Anne could reach her the
wedding garments were off, and she, in her usual quiet dress, was
hurriedly putting them back in the trunks. “They will search the entire
house,” she said in answer to Anne’s look of astonishment, “and they must
see nothing that would give them an idea of anything unusual going on.”
Dorothy was herself now, quiet and brave, and ready for whatever might
await her. The last thing had hardly been put away, the room straightened
and the lights lowered, before they heard the muffled sound of horses’
hoofs upon the snow outside, and soon a thunderous knock at the door.
Through the blinds they had seen several horsemen, one of whom seemed to
be giving directions to the others.
Dorothy slipped down the stairs, and for a moment looked into the
library. “Please do not look so frightened,” she called to the others,
“Sallie Tom and I will manage.” Then she went on to the door. A furious
gust of wind blew wildly around the corner of the house, and a voice
outside called out: “There is no use in resisting, you might as well open
at once.” Dorothy pushed Sallie Tom aside, and threw open the door. Two
officers stood without with pistols in hand, and as the light fell full
upon the slight, girlish figure standing in the doorway, they drew back,
as if startled themselves. For a moment no one spoke, then the taller of
the two stepped forward and lifted his cap. “I am sorry to trouble you,”
he said courteously, putting his pistol in his belt as he spoke, “but
I understand General H.’s scout, Robert F. Taylor, is here, and we are
under orders to search the house, and produce him, if possible, and also
any other soldiers who may be found here.”
Sallie Tom gave a most vicious snort, and Dorothy laid her hands upon
her. “You are at perfect liberty to search the house, gentlemen,” she
said quietly, trying hard to control her voice, as she motioned them
to enter that she might close the door, “but I am afraid you will have
your trouble for nothing, you are just a little too late; the gentleman
you are looking for did take his Christmas dinner with us, but that was
five hours ago; he left immediately afterwards.” She looked up almost
provokingly into their faces, and the least bit of a smile quivered on
her lips, as the officers exchanged glances.
It was impossible that this slip of a girl, this beautiful thing, could
be fooling them. They must search the house anyhow—could they be allowed
at once?
“Certainly,” she answered promptly, “Sallie Tom will show you every inch
of it.” “It is terribly cold,” she continued, seeing them rub their hands
together, “won’t you let the rest of the men come in also? they can at
least get warm while waiting.”
“Oh, they don’t mind,” one of them smilingly rejoined, “they are
accustomed to waiting, and cold, too, and besides I would not care to
fill your whole house.”
“I hardly think half a dozen men would do that,” she answered gravely.
“I suppose you would like to begin your search at once, however,” she
continued as she threw open the parlor door. “You can walk in and examine
at your leisure. You will pardon my leaving you, we have friends to tea.
Sallie Tom will show you every inch of space in the house.” She bowed to
them courteously and left.
The two men looked at each other blankly for a moment, and then the
younger one began to laugh at the expression on the other man’s face.
“This beats my time,” he said softly to the one in command—a lieutenant,
evidently, from his uniform. They lowered their voices so that Sallie
Tom couldn’t hear. “I’ll bet an even hundred that fellow’s about here
somewhere, and that girl’s determined to save him. She’s the coolest
thing I’ve struck since I entered the service, and by long odds the
prettiest. Did you notice her eyes?” “Hush,” said the other, “that old
woman’s a regular hawk, she’s pretending not to notice. Come, we must
search the house thoroughly, though it’s a nasty piece of business. I
wish that girl hadn’t been so polite.” The two men began to walk around
the room, looking more at the many old and elegant things it contained,
than with any expectation of finding a clue here to the hiding place
of any rebels that might be in the house. Their looks and bearing gave
evidence that they were gentlemen, who, while they disliked their
invasion of private property, were determined to obey to the letter the
orders they had undertaken to fill. These orders were to capture the
daring scout of General H⸺ and bring him to where their company was
camping temporarily, some five miles below “White Point.”
A scouting party of some six or seven men, under their young lieutenant,
had volunteered to make this capture, if possible, having heard that
young Taylor, as they thought the name was, would no doubt spend his
Christmas at home. They knew very well the importance attached to this
holiday by the Southern people, and what a time for home-coming it
was, and were confident of springing a trap and catching their unwary
victim in it. So confident of success had they been, that they would
take only some six or seven in their party, and now to be met in this
coolly prepared-for manner, and by such a demoralizing pretty girl, was
upsetting to their soldierly dignity and calculations. They moved slowly
round the room for a minute or two, talking in an undertone. Sallie Tom,
snorting in a suppressed kind of way, was walking about moving chairs
and sofas, shaking out curtains, and opening the doors of cabinets full
of bric-a-brac, but still not a word did she utter. How on earth was she
going to keep Bobbie away, and give him the signal of danger, was what
she was turning over her mind. Her cabin was a good distance from the
house. If she could only get there without exciting suspicion, or if
Peter Black had already gotten there with Dorothy’s message, all might
yet be well. She lifted herself up straight and changed her tactics—that
is, she ceased to snort; she would do the amiable act. It was Christmas
night; perhaps she could make the whole crowd drunk; and, if so, the
Colonel and Doctor could slip off with Bobbie.