M

THE FREIGHT OF THE SCHOONER "DOLPHIN.”

EETING had gone in. Parson Hol-men, counted himself only three days earlier brook was in his seat in the high, ugly their autocrat, claiming by birth, wealth, pulpit, with the sounding-board overhead; and haughty self-assertion the place yielded the singers, in the singing seats in the gal- to him in virtue of these qualities, as that lery, had taken their pitch from Uncle Jeth- of Martin Merivale was thrust upon him in uron's tuning-fork, and were fuguing "And recognition of his own personal character. on the wings of mighty winds came flying And why this terrible insult? why this all abroad;" the first families of Pilgrim stern intimation that the men of Pilgrim Vale were seated in their square pews, each Vale considered the presence of one so latefurnished according to the taste or the means ly their magnate so great a pollution that of its owners; and the little boys, perched they preferred even to lose the privilege of upon the high wooden seats, with no foot-public worship to suffering him to join them stools near enough for their little dangling in it? feet to reach, had begun their two hours' fidget when the door, just closed by black Pompey, the sexton, opened slowly, and Major Cathcart walked up the broad aisle in his usual dignified and deliberate manner. Every head was turned to gaze upon him, every face wore an expression of astonishment and disapproval; the singers, finishing their hymn with hasty quavers of discom- It was 1774, and the Governor of Massafiture, leaned over the front of the gallery chusetts, in right of his commission from and gazed down upon him, and even Parson King George of England, had sent to deHolbrook bent his powdered head sidewise mand the payment of a tax levied upon the to look sternly at the great square pew colony for the support of the foreign solwhere his wealthiest parishioner was uncom-diers, sent over with the avowed purpose fortably seating himself with an attempt at unconscious dignity.

Why? O men of 1876, yours is not the temper of your fathers; but yet you must thrill with admiration of their earnestness of purpose, their mighty trust, their contempt of their own advantage, or safety, or comfort, when a Right full of danger and suffering called them to oppose a tyrannous and encroaching Wrong!

office.

When the news came down to Pilgrim Vale, its men smiled after the slow and solemn fashion of their kind, and said, "The Governor does not know the mind of Pilgrim Vale even yet, it seems."

of holding the mutinous province in subjection. Pilgrim Vale considered this demand A moment of silence fell upon the place of "the man George," argued upon it, prayed that awful, pregnant silence which speaks over it, and finally declined to accede to it, as no words can-and then Martin Meri- but in so mild and temperate a manner that vale, the man whom Pilgrim Vale always the Governor considered the refusal only a sent to General Court when he would go, formal protest, and proceeded to enforce and who led public opinion as he willed in his demand by appointing certain collectors the town where his honorable, steadfast life of the revenue throughout the colony, and had thus far passed, rose in his place, delib- for the town of Pilgrim Vale commissionerately did on his heavy cloak, took his hating Major Reginald Cathcart to this odious in his hand, cast one meaning glance across the aisle into the questioning eyes of Major Cathcart, his old associate and neighbor, and then walked slowly down the aisle. He had not reached the door before Dr. Holcom rose to follow his example, and then Squire Vale, and then the Oldfields, father and son, and finally every man in the congregation who counted himself a person of the least consequence, or able to set an example, until, when black Pompey at last closed the door, and with a joyous grin sat down beside it, the church, so lately filled with the pith and sinew of the stanch old colony town, was empty, save of women, chil- As the door closed, Parson Holbrook rose dren, and Major Reginald Cathcart, whose and prayed long and earnestly for the welashen-gray face had never moved after the fare of his native land, and the safety of first from its stern straightforward gaze, or those whose fathers had been led to these his dark eyes blanched, or his heavy eye- shores, even as the children of Israel were brows unbent from the frown of defiant en-led out of Egypt to find safety and freedom durance which with some men is the only sign of agony.

But the next day a rumor pervaded the town-a rumor of dismay and incredulity, yet deepening hour by hour to certainty. Yes, Major Cathcart had accepted the commission, and announced his intention of carrying out its instructions. That was on the Saturday, and we have seen the result upon the Sunday.

in the land their Lord had promised them, and he closed with a petition for protection And agony it could not fail to be; for against all enemies, both without and withthis man, to-day so openly and deliberately in the foreign foe and those of their own thrust from their midst by his fellow-towns-household who had turned against them,

"Not first, dear. Please come and see me ness owing to her. for a moment. I am all alone."

Without replying, the major obeyed, and passing into the handsome shadowy room, stood beside the bed, where lay a woman whose fair and delicate face bore the patient, almost angelic, look of one who has suffered very long and very cruelly, but whose pains, meekly borne, are consciously drawing to their final close. She was Major Cathcart's wife, and the only being the cold proud man had ever loved, and she was dying.

He stooped and kissed her tenderly, asking, "How have you been this morning, dear ?"

"As well as usual. But you, Reginald? how has it been with you? I knew by your step upon the stair that you were suffering, and your face tells the story. Oh, my darling husband, they have insulted you, as we feared. Is not it so ?"

"Yes, Hepzibah, they have insulted me, and so cruelly that I will no longer live among them. I have resolved that we will go to the northern provinces. We have good friends at Halifax, good and loyal to

grandmamma. This one was covered in green moreen, and had stood in Mrs. Cathcart's own bedroom, although that dear lady had not been able to occupy it for many a day. A short time after the decision with regard to his daughter, Major Cathcart had removed this chair to his own study, and both he and Dolly had occupied themselves over it for many hours, until at the last the girl deftly sewed a wrapper of tow-cloth over all, and said to her father, who stood watching the operation,

"Hope no longer. He says two or three | in the lumber-loft, sometimes carefully premonths are as much as we may look for, and served in cover of white dimity or gay oldeven that brief respite depends upon quiet fashioned chintz in the chamber of the and her accustomed comforts. She must on no account be removed even from the room where she now lies. But this people about us will not wait two or three months before they carry out in act the treason they already talk, and I, as the avowed friend of the king, and ready and willing to execute his will in this rebellious province, will very probably fall one of their first victims; or if not personally, I shall surely suffer in property, and be stripped of land and house and even personal belongings. Were your mother able, we should all migrate at once to the still loyal northern provinces; but as it is, you shall go alone, carrying such valuables as we can collect, and remain with your uncle in Halifax until- Perhaps God's goodness is without limit—perhaps I may bring her with me."

"Must I leave my mother?" cried Dolly, in dismay. "What matter for our possessions, compared with the comfort of her last hours! And how can she spare me? and, oh! how could I spare her?"

"Girl, there are perils in a time of anarchy and war of which you know naught -perils for a young and comely woman of which I may not speak. Your mother will be cared for, since it will be the one duty of my life to care for her, and it will be removing a weight from my mind to know that you are safe and shielded from the possibilities of evil. Say no more: it is decided."

say

Dolly, stout-hearted as she was, dared no more, for the girl of a century ago was trained to obedience as the first duty of her sex, and to silence and respect for the authority of man as the next; nor was Dolly's father a man to soften the stern and unquestioned rule every head of a household felt bound to exercise in every particular. So the preparations for the young girl's departure went quietly and silently forward, and the schooner Dolphin, a small coasting craft partly owned by Major Cathcart, received a cargo so various in its character that neither master, mate, nor the attentive loungers who inspected the process of loading could positively determine her destination.

Not until the very last days before the Dolphin's sailing did any one outside the major's own family surmise that his daughter was to be a passenger, and so rapidly, even secretly, was her luggage carried aboard that very few persons saw it at all. Among the rest was one article singular enough as part of a young lady's outfit, especially so healthy, active, and blithe a girl as Dorothea Cathcart: it was one of those large, square, stuffed easy-chairs still to be found in old country-houses, sometimes dishonored

"There, father, it will stand in the cabin, and I shall say that it is covered lest any but my dear mother should use it, and I am taking it to her invalid sister in Halifax, whom I am about to visit."

"I doubt not your shrewd wit will suggest many a quip and turn," replied the major, with a grim smile; "but take care that you do not pass the bounds of truth and discretion."

"I will take heed, father. The barrels are all ready, are they not?"

"Yes, and shipped. Here is the bill of lading;" and Major Cathcart took from his pocket-book and handed to his daughter a slip of paper worded thus:

"Shipped by the Grace of GOD, in good order and well conditioned, by Reginald Cathcart, in and upon the good Schooner called the Dolphin, whereof is Master under GOD for this present voyage William Peters, and now riding at anchor in the Harbour of Pilgrim Vale, and by GOD's Grace bound for Halifax, to say, Twenty barrells and boxes of sundries on Acct. and Risque of the Shipper, and consigned to Cathcart and in the Margent, and are to be delivered in the like Kingsbury, Halifax. Being marked and numbered as good Order and well Conditioned at the aforesaid Port of Halifax (the Dangers of the Seas only excepted) unto said Cathcart and Kingsbury or to their Assigns, per cw., English Curryancy, with Primage and Averhe or they paying Freight for the said Goods, Sixpence age accustomed. In witness whereof the Master or Purser of the said Schooner hath affirmed to two Bills of Lading, all of this Tenor and Date, one of which

two bills being accomplished, the other to stand void. "And so GOD send the good Schooner to her destined Port in safety. AMEN.

"Dated in Pilgrim Vale, October the 15th, 1774. "WILLIAM PETERS."

Dolly rapidly ran her eye over the familiar form, for part of her busy life had been to play the occasional part of confidential clerk in her father's business, and she smiled as she returned it to him, saying,

"Barrels and boxes of sundries? Well, and so they are. China and books and household gear are sundries, no doubt, although I dare say your partners think it is mackerel or "

"It does not concern the other owners of the schooner, since I ship my freight at my own charge and purely as a private venture,”

The above is a literal copy of a bill of lading given in Boston shortly before the Revolution.

interrupted Major Cathcart, hastily. "But be careful, Dolly, that you say not a word either here or upon your voyage as to the nature of these same sundries, for William Peters is a fanatic as bitter as the worst, and if he got wind of the matter here, nothing would be more likely than that he should persuade Merivale and the rest to throw off the mask at once, and confiscate my goods to the republic they talk of founding. Even at sea you must be careful, for this man is quite capable even in the harbor of Halifax | of giving the order to 'bout ship, and bring you and the easy-chair and the barrels of sundries all back to Pilgrim Vale. It is a large errand for so young a woman as you, Dolly, and you will need to be wily as the serpent, though innocent as the dove."

"I think I can do it, father," said Dolly, quietly; and as the major looked in his daughter's face, he thought she could.

you; for I've seen you handle a boat round the harbor here and up on the fishing ground often enough to know that you're worth having aboard, even if you- But look here; there's the gal. She's got to have the aftercabin, and her meals are to be separate, and no one knows all the fine airs she'll put on. Maybe you couldn't stand it, and I don't know as I can. The little she-Tory!"

But John Belknap did not seem in the least disturbed even at this prospect, and no other objections coming up, the bargain was soon concluded, the young man's name set down upon the schooner's books as mate, vice Thomas Wilson, discharged, and he at once entered upon his duties. One of the first of them was to receive and place the last articles of Miss Dolly's luggage, including the arm-chair, which he was about to have stowed in the hold, when the young lady herself came off, attended by her father. At sight of the first mate standing beside the open hatchway, reeving a line around the chair, Miss Dolly showed signs of some embarrassment, whether arising from the sudden appearance of her old friend and school-fellow, or from his em

The morning that the Dolphin was to sail, Captain Peters found that Thomas Wilson, his first mate, had fallen down the steep ladder leading from his house to the shore, sprained an ankle and broken a wrist, and was obviously unfit for a voyage. As he grimly meditated over this reverse, he en-ployment, no one can say. countered a flushed and breathless young "Oh, John-but the chair is for my cabman, who thus accosted him: in. And are you helping Captain Peters get ready?" stammered she; and the mate, hardly less disturbed, replied, in much the same style,

"Splendid weather, captain. I've a mind to make the cruise with you up to Halifax." "Cabin's all engaged and paid for, John Belknap," replied the skipper, gruffly. "That old Tory Cathcart is sending his daughter up there to bring down troops upon us, or something of that color, I'll warrant. I wonder the owners don't see through it and refuse; but he's paid for the cabin and both state-rooms, so that madam should not be spied upon, I suppose."

"Oh, never mind; I'll go as clerk, or purser, or steward, or even as a foremast hand. I can hand-reef and steer with any man, you know, and hard work, or hard fare either, don't frighten me."

The skipper looked meditatively at the young man, and turned the quid in his cheek, then carelessly asked,

"Did you know that fool Wilson has tumbled down the cliff steps and disabled himself, at least for this voyage ?"

"Your first mate? Hullo, skipper! Is that what you mean? Will you give me the berth ?"

"Certainly, Dolly- of course, Mistress Cathcart; it will be as you direct, surely; and-yes, of course; I am mate of the Dolphin, you know."

"You mate of the Dolphin? Since when, John Belknap?" asked Dolly's father, severely.

"To-day, Sir. I was looking for a voyage, and wanting to go upon my own business to Halifax; and as Wilson is disabled, I took the place," replied Belknap, a little more coherently, and meeting as best he might the piercing regard fixed upon him by the major from beneath his shaggy gray eyebrows. At last the veteran slowly spoke:

"You have a right to your own business, as you say, John Belknap, and I have known you boy and man for an honest, honorable, and true-hearted fellow, until this foul breath of treason swept through the land, tainting you among the rest with its poison. But, for all that, I give this girl into your "Hold hard, lad! What are you squeez- charge, to guard her with all respect and ing my old flipper for, and what's your rage modest courtesy to her journey's end, refor Halifax just now? Is the English lass membering that her lonely and unprotected that was here last year up there, or have state should be her best defense from even you quarreled with your uncle, oran idle word or look. Will you accept the "Never mind why I want to get to Hali-charge, and give me your hand upon it, fax," replied the young man, rapidly, seizing upon this version of his eagerness to ship in the Dolphin. "But saying I do, will you give me Wilson's place ?"

"Why, yes, Belknap, and be glad to get

John?"

"Indeed I will, Major Cathcart, and you may demand account of her when I return as strictly as you will. I shall not be ashamed to give it."

As the young man spoke he held out his | vived, gathered itself together, and came hand. The elder grasped it heartily, and for swooping down from out the angry sunset a moment the two gazed steadily into each as if determined to punish those who had other's eyes. Then John turned to resume failed to respect its power and guard against his duties, asking, its attacks.