BETTY'S JOURNEY
Mrs. Seymour, having had the advantage of some weeks to form her plans,
had carefully arranged everything for her own comfort, so far as was
possible, and Betty Wolcott, after the first pang of parting was over,
began to enjoy the novelty of the journey most thoroughly. Except for a
few days spent at Lebanon, Betty had never been from home in her life,
and being, as we have seen, a bit of a philosopher in her own quaint
fashion, after the first day spent in Mrs. Seymour's cheerful society
she found herself much less homesick than she had expected. To begin
with, the coach was, for those times, very comfortable. It was
English-built, and had been provided with capacious pockets in
unexpected places; it amused Betty exceedingly to find that she was
seated over the turkey, ham, cake, and even a goodly pat of butter,
carefully packed in a small stone jar, while another compartment held
several changes of linen, powder, a small mirror, a rouge pot, and some
brushes. Mrs. Seymour had been born and bred in New York, and many of
her people were Tories; therefore she hoped to assist the brother who,
breaking apart from the others, had taken up arms for the colonists.
Caesar, Mrs. Seymour's coachman, was a colored man of middle age, a
slave of her father's, and, having been brought from New York to
Connecticut, knew the route fairly well. They broke the journey first at
a small roadside tavern, where the horses were baited, while Betty and
Mrs. Seymour gladly descended, and warmed themselves well by the kitchen
fire, taking a drink of warm milk, for which the good woman who had
invited them inside refused payment. She was deeply interested when Mrs.
Seymour told her of their errand, and followed them out to the door of
the coach, bringing with her own hands the soapstone which she had
carefully warmed for their feet, and she waved a kindly good-by as they
rode off, delighted at seeing, for the first time in her life, a
"pleasure coach."
The first night was spent by the travelers in Danbury, where they
proceeded to the house of Mrs. Seymour's cousin, Mrs. Beebe, and were
most warmly welcomed. The Beebe household, which consisted of Mrs. Beebe
and seven children (Captain Beebe being with the Connecticut Rangers),
trooped out, one and all, to meet them, to inspect the coach, interview
Caesar, and admire the horses. Billy, the second boy, fraternized with
Betty at once; and after learning all the mysteries of the coach
pockets, helping Caesar to unharness, and superintending the fetching of
an extra large log for the fireplace, he roasted chestnuts in the ashes
as they sat around the chimney-piece, and told Betty thrilling stories
of the attack on Danbury by the British.
"We dragged the feather-beds up to the window," said Billy, "and mother
stuffed a pillow or two in the cracks. My, how the bullets did fly! The
children were all bid to stay in the attic; but as the roof shelves, you
know, it became pretty hot, especially when the fires began, and then
mother did get frightened, more especially when she saw the blaze of the
Woolford house, down the street. Didn't I just wish I was a man, to go
and help father that day! Luckily for us, the wind was in the other
direction; father said that was all that saved us."
"And Divine Providence, my son," said Mrs. Beebe's soft voice, as she
laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Billy's only experience of war was a
sharp one for a few hours. He has been longing ever since to join his
father, but I can only find it in my mother's heart to rejoice that he
is too young to do so. Now, Billy, light the candles; for if our friends
must resume their journey to-morrow, it is full time to retire."
Betty found the little room assigned to her, with Billy's assistance,
but before he left her he pointed out two small holes near the window
frame, where bullets had entered and remained buried in the woodwork;
and as Betty curled herself up in the centre of the great feather-bed,
she thought, with a throb of her girlish heart, that perhaps she, too,
might see some of the terrors of war before she returned to the shelter
of her dear Litchfield home.
The next morning dawned cold and chilly; a few flakes of snow floated
through the air, and Mrs. Beebe urged strongly the wisdom of lying over
for twenty-four hours, lest a storm should come and render the roads
impassable. But Mrs. Seymour, after a consultation with Caesar, decided
that it was best to push on; winter was approaching, and each day made
the journey less feasible. There was a fairly good road between them and
White Plains, and now that she had started she was impatient to reach
the city. Betty, too, was eager to be off, so with many warm thanks,
they again packed the coach and said farewell to the hospitable Beebes,
who had insisted on adding fresh stores of provisions to their hamper;
and Billy's last act of friendliness was to slip into Betty's hand a
package of taffy, of his own manufacture, which he assured her "was not
over-sticky, provided you use care in biting it."
This part of the journey was cold and cheerless enough. The road wound
somewhat, and the settlements were few, even the houses were far apart
from each other; and although the hills were fewer, they heard Caesar
admonish his horses more frequently than usual, and about four o'clock
in the day they came to a full stop. The snow of the morning had turned
into a sort of drizzling rain; and Caesar, dismounting from his seat,
announced to his mistress that one of the horses had cast a shoe.
"What shall we do?" cried Mrs. Seymour in dismay, preparing to jump
down into the mud and investigate matters.
"Dey's no use at all of madam's gettin' out," said Caesar, holding the
door of the coach,--"no use at all. I'se done got de shoe, 'cause I saw
it a-comin' off, an' here it is. De horse will do well enuf, 'caise I'll
drive wif care; but what I wants to say is that, 'cordin' to my
judgment, we had oughter take a turn to de right, just hyar, which am in
de direction ob Ridgefield, whar I ken fin' a blacksmith's shop, shuh.
Ef madam pleases, it's goin' somewhat out of de direct way to White
Plains, but what wid de weather, which madam can see is obstreperous an'
onsartain, I'm ob de opinion dat Ridgefield am de best stoppin' place
for dis night, anyhow;" and having delivered himself of this
exhortation, Caesar touched his hat respectfully, but with an air of
having settled the question.
"Very well," said Mrs. Seymour, for she knew Caesar and Caesar's ways,
and moreover had much confidence in his ability to take care of her, as
well as of his horses. "Then take the turn to the right, as you propose.
Are you quite sure you are familiar with the road here, Caesar? It will
be dark soon, and I confess I should not like to lose our way."
"Not gwine to lose de road wid dis chile on de box," said Caesar with
fine disdain, as he climbed to his seat and rolled himself up warmly
again, his teeth chattering as he did so. But he said to himself, as the
horses started slowly, "Pray de Lord I ain't mistooken; don't want to
fall into none ob dem old redcoats' han's, Caesar don't, dat's sartain."
Inside the coach, which lumbered on so slowly that it almost seemed to
crawl, Mrs. Seymour and Betty tried to keep up their spirits by an
occasional remark of cheerful character, and Betty suggested that
perhaps some bread and cheese from the Beebe larder would prove
satisfactory to Caesar; but on asking the question Caesar only shook his
head, and responded that he was too busy looking after the horses to
eat; and the long hours dragged on as it grew darker and darker. Betty
rested her head against the door and peered out at the dripping trees,
whose bare limbs stood like skeletons against the leaden sky. Mrs.
Seymour had sunk into a fitful doze by her side. Suddenly the off horse
gave a plunge, the coach tilted far to one side, and then righted
itself as Caesar's loud "Whoa, dar! Steady! steady!" was heard. Then
Betty saw half a dozen shadowy forms surround them, and a voice said
sharply, "Who goes there? Halt!" and a hand was laid roughly on the door
of the coach.
"Pray who are you who detain ladies on a journey?" said Mrs. Seymour,
addressing the man nearest her. "I am in my own coach with a maid on our
way to New York, and one of my horses has cast a shoe."
"Stand aside there," said another voice impatiently, as an officer
dismounted from his horse, and flung the rein to one of the men. "If you
are bound to a city occupied by the British, you must have safe-conduct,
madam, else we are compelled to search and detain you."
For answer, Mrs. Seymour drew out a folded paper, which the officer,
straining his eyes in the fast-fading daylight, read aloud, as
follows:--
"After the expiration of eight days from the date hereof, Mrs. Seymour
and maid have permission to go into the city of New York and to return
again."
"Given at Morristown this second day of December.
"G. WASHINGTON."
"From the commander-in-chief," said the officer, raising his hat, as he
motioned his men to stand back. "Madam, permit me to present myself as
Lieutenant Hillhouse of the Connecticut Rangers, and pray command my
services."
"Oh," gasped Betty, from the other side, "our own troops, thank Heaven!"
"Truly you are a welcome arrival," said Mrs. Seymour, with a
light-hearted laugh. "Betty and I have passed a bad five minutes,
fancying you were Hessians. I am on my way to the city to intercede for
my brother, Captain Seymour's exchange, and, for the once, I do not mind
telling you that my companion is Mistress Betty Wolcott, consigned to my
care by her father, General Wolcott, as her sister, Mrs. Verplanck, lies
ill in New York, and she goes there to see her, but she travels as my
maid."
"I met Lieutenant Hillhouse last summer at my father's house," said
Betty, as the young officer came around to her side of the coach, "and
right glad I am to see you now, sir, instead of the redcoats whom
Caesar, our coachman, has been imagining would start from every bush as
we near White Plains."
"You are not above a mile from a little settlement called Ridgefield,"
answered the officer; "and while there is no tavern there, my men and I
found fairly comfortable quarters to-day. If I may suggest, you should
get there as soon as may be."
"We would be glad to," said Mrs. Seymour ruefully, "but one of my horses
has cast a shoe, hence our slow progress. I am more than glad my servant
has not mistaken the way."
"Madam oughter to know Caesar better," grumbled that worthy from the
box.
"How long will it take you to drive the remaining mile?" said his
mistress soothingly. "We may perhaps have your escort, lieutenant?"
"I am on my return there, madam; permit me to send my men in advance to
arrange for your comfort, and I will with pleasure ride beside you until
we arrive. Ridgefield lies beyond that turn," raising his whip to direct
Caesar. "If it were not for the growing darkness, you would see the
smoke from the chimney of the house where I am quartered;" and closing
the door of the coach, the officer gave directions to his men, who
marched quickly down the road, as he mounted and pursued his way with
the ladies.
Just beyond the farmhouse which Lieutenant Hillhouse had pointed out as
his temporary quarters stood a low, wooden structure, with a lean-to in
the rear, and there Caesar drew up his tired horses. A rather
cross-looking spinster stood in the door of the house, and as Betty and
Mrs. Seymour alighted she said snappishly:--
"I don't own much room, as I told your men, Mister Lieutenant, but so
long as you're not Hessians I'm willing to open my door for you. It
won't be for long, will it?"
"Oh, no," replied Mrs. Seymour, with her pretty, gracious smile, "we are
simply in need of a night's lodging. I think we have food enough in our
hampers, and if you can give us hot milk I have coffee ready for
making."
"I don't begrudge you nothing," said the woman in a softened tone, as
Betty bade her a pleasant good-day, "but it's a poor place, anyhow,"
gazing up at the bare rafters, "and as I live here all alone I have to
be precious careful of my few things."
"But it so neat and clean," said Betty, pulling a three-legged stool
toward the fire, and surveying the recently scrubbed floor; "we are cold
and weary, and you are very good to take us in."
Evidently the woman was amenable to politeness, for she bustled around
and insisted upon making the coffee, which Caesar produced in due time
from his hamper under the box-seat, and she laid a cloth on the
pine-wood table, and at last, after disappearing for a few minutes into
the darkness of a small inner room, reappeared with three silver spoons
and two forks in her hand, which she laid carefully down beside the
pewter plates on the table with an air of pride as she remarked,
addressing no one in particular:--
"The forks was my grandmother's, and my father fetched the spoons from a
voyage he made on the Spanish main, and he always said they was made of
real Spanish dollars."
Thereupon Mrs. Seymour and Betty fell to admiring the queer-looking
articles (which from their workmanship were really worthy of
admiration), and the spinster relaxed her severe air sufficiently to
accept a cup of the coffee they were drinking. And then Mrs. Seymour
induced her to give consent that Caesar should have a shake-down in a
corner of the kitchen, and although the bed which Betty and the pretty
matron had to share was hard, it was clean, and the pillows soft, and
they slept soundly and well amid their rough surroundings, and, to
confess the truth, enjoyed the novelty of the situation.
Lieutenant Hillhouse aroused them early in the morning by a message; and
as Mrs. Seymour was not ready to receive him, Betty ran out and met him
at the door.
"You look so fresh and bright that I am sure your night spent upon the
roadside has not harmed you," said the officer, bidding her
good-morning. "I am off at once, as I carry an order to General Wolcott
for quartermaster's stores in Litchfield. What shall I say to your
father for you?"
"Oh," cried Betty, rejoiced at this chance to send word of mouth to her
beloved ones, "how truly fortunate! Tell my father we are well and in
good spirits, and hope to reach the neutral ground to-night at
farthest."
"You may easily do that; the storm has passed, as you see, and if my
friend Caesar can urge his horses somewhat, you are not likely to meet
with detentions. One of my men has assisted in shoeing the horse, and if
you can, you should start at once."
The coach and Mrs. Seymour appeared at this moment simultaneously, and
the lieutenant insisted upon seeing the ladies safely started. Betty
seized the opportunity to ask for news of Josiah Huntington, and was
told of his having rendered good service, and that he gained in
popularity daily.
"And Oliver--my brother," said Betty, leaning from the coach as they
were about to move off: "what tidings of him?"
"He has not been with me," replied Hillhouse with some constraint;
"indeed, I think he was to be sent on some special service."
"Give him my best affection," said Betty. "And oh, sir, to my little
sister at home pray deliver my fondest love," and tears were brimming in
Betty's eyes as Caesar flicked his whip at the horses' heads and the
coach started.
The road being somewhat better than that already traveled, the miles
which intervened between Ridgefield and White Plains were more briskly
done, and Caesar had the satisfaction of pulling up his horses in good
condition before the well-known tavern at the latter place in time for
dinner. The somewhat pretentious sign hanging out over the door had been
changed to suit the times and the tempers of the guests, for what had
previously read "The King's Arms, Accommodations for Man and Beast," was
now "The Washington Inn," and beneath it a picture in Continental
uniform of a man whose rubicund countenance required considerable
imagination to transform into a likeness of the commander-in-chief. As
their happened to be a lack of hostlers, it took some time to get the
horses baited, and it was later than Mrs. Seymour could have wished when
Caesar finally made his appearance and informed his mistress that all
was ready for their departure. The weather had been growing colder
steadily, and greatly to their surprise the travelers learned that in
all probability Harlem River was frozen, and grave doubts were expressed
by mine host of the inn whether the ladies could gain their journey's
end without much discomfort and exposure. But Mrs. Seymour and Betty
were both of the opinion that it was inexpedient to linger longer on the
road, so for the fourth time they climbed into the coach, and, muffling
themselves as closely as possible to keep out the cold, pursued their
onward way.
Five miles, eight miles, were covered with fair speed, and Betty's
spirits were rising rapidly at the thought that New York and Clarissa
were not far away, when Caesar turned around on his box, and, bringing
his horses to a walk, said in an awestruck whisper,--
"'Fore de Lord, madam, I done suspect de redcoats is comin'; d'ye heah
'em from de woods ober dar?" pointing with trembling hand in the
direction of a sound which rang out on the frosty air at first
indistinctly, and then resolved itself into a song.
"Under the trees in sunny weather,
Just try a cup of ale together.
And if in tempest or in storm,
A couple then, to make you warm,"[1]--
sang a rollicking voice, in fairly good time and tune, as a group of men
came in sight. As they neared the coach, the man in advance trolled out
in an accent which betrayed his Teutonic origin,--
"But if the day be very cold,
Then take a mug of twelve months old!"
[Footnote 1: A topical song then in vogue in New York. (See _Story of
the City of New York_.)]
"Hello, halt there!" came the command, as the singer seized the horse
by the bridle, and another soldier dragged Caesar roughly from his seat;
"who are you, and whence bound?"
"Ask my mistress," gasped Caesar, almost convinced that his last hour
had come, but still having firm faith in Mrs. Seymour. "Dun you know how
to speak to a lady?"
"I have safe-conduct from General Washington to enter New York," said
Mrs. Seymour calmly, extending her hand with the precious paper toward
the first speaker. The man took it, and gazed stupidly at it. Evidently
being German, he could not read it; but having turned it upside down and
gazed at it for some seconds, he gave a drunken leer as he peered inside
the coach.
"What you got in your hamper? blenty cognac, eh? Give us a pottle;
that's better than mugs of ale, eh, poys?" and he laughed uproariously.
"I shall give you nothing," said Mrs. Seymour firmly; "if you cannot
read my safe-conduct yourself, is there not one of your men who can?"
The Hessian was about to make angry reply, when a young fellow,
evidently an Englishman, shoved his way through the men to the coach
door.
"Stop that, Joris," he said, prodding the corporal with his elbow; "give
me the paper; I can read it." But Joris, who evidently had reached the
stage of ugly intoxication, did not choose to give it up, and stood his
ground.
"Ve wants cognac," he shouted, "an' you comes out, lady, an' ve'll find
for ourselves vhat you is," and seizing Mrs. Seymour by the arm he
attempted to drag her from her seat with some violence.
"The pistol, Betty!" cried the plucky little woman as her feet touched
the ground; but as Betty, with equally reckless courage, drew their only
weapon from its hiding-place, the young Englishman rushed at Joris with
an oath, exclaiming,--
"Look out, you fool--here comes the officer's patrol," and there was a
clatter of horses' feet, a swift rush, and a voice demanding in stern
fashion, "Stand back, there! Whose coach is this? What do you mean,
fellow, by handling a lady in that manner?" and Geoffrey Yorke struck
Joris a blow with his sheathed sword which nearly sobered him on the
spot.
Back into the corner of the coach sank Betty, and as she pulled her hood
still farther over her face, she felt as if every drop of blood she
possessed was tingling in her cheeks, as she saw Geoffrey, hat in hand,
dismount and read General Washington's safe-conduct.
"I deeply regret, madam," he said, with stately courtesy to Mrs.
Seymour, "that a corporal's guard should have caused you such annoyance,
and I shall see that the fellow who treated you so roughly be properly
punished. Meantime, if you intend to enter New York you will be obliged
to leave your coach a mile farther on, and cross the river on horseback.
King's Bridge, as you may know, was fired some months ago by the rebels,
and the flatboat used for ferrying has been abandoned on account of the
ice. It will afford me pleasure to do what I can for your comfort and
that of your companion. But it is my duty, unfortunately, to make
passing search of your coach; will you pardon me if I do so?"
As he spoke, Captain Yorke advanced to the door and extended his hand to
assist the occupant of the vehicle to alight, but Betty, ignoring
assistance, attempted to spring past him to the ground. As the willful
maiden did so the topknot of her hood caught in a provoking nail of the
open door and was violently pulled from her head: and as her lovely,
rosy face almost brushed his sleeve, Geoffrey started back with a low
cry,--
"_Betty!_"