All these matters I explained to my mother. Then I told her fully what had occurred at the village the night previous between Ellen Meriwether and my fiancee. She sat silent.
"In any case," I concluded, "it would suit me better if you and I could leave this place forever, and begin again somewhere else."
She looked out of the little window across our pleasant valley to its edge, where lay the little church of the Society of Friends. Then she turned to me slowly, with a smile upon her face. "Whatever thee says,"
was her answer. "I shall not ask thee to try to mend what cannot be mended. Thee is like thy father," she said. "I shall not try to change thee. Go, then, thy own way. Only hear me, thee cannot mend the unmendable by such a wrongful marriage."
But I went; and under my arm I bore a certain roll of crinkled, hairy parchment.
This was on the morning of Wednesday, in November, the day following the national election in the year 1860. News traveled more slowly then, but we in our valley might expect word from Washington by noon of that day.
If Lincoln won, then the South would secede. Two nations would inevitably be formed, and if necessary, issue would be joined between them as soon as the leaders could formulate their plans for war. This much was generally conceded; and it was conceded also that the South would start in, if war should come, with an army well supplied with munitions of war and led by the ablest men who ever served under the old flag--men such as Lee, Jackson, Early, Smith, Stuart--scores and hundreds trained in arms at West Point or at the Virginia Military Inst.i.tute at Lexington--men who would be loyal to their States and to the South at any cost.
Our State was divided, our valley especially so, peace sentiment there being strong. The entire country was a magazine needing but a spark to cause explosion. It was conceded that by noon we should know whether or not this explosion was to come. Few of us there, whether Unionists or not, had much better than contempt for the uncouth man from the West, Lincoln, that most pathetic figure of our history, later loved by North and South alike as greatest of our great men. We did not know him in our valley. All of us there, Unionists or Secessionists, for peace or for war, dreaded to hear of his election.
Colonel Sheraton met me at the door, his face flushed, his brow frowning. He was all politics. "Have you any news?" he demanded. "Have you heard from Leesburg, Washington?"
"Not as yet," I answered, "but there should be messages from Leesburg within the next few hours." We had no telegraph in our valley at that time.
"I have arranged with the postmaster to let us all know up here, the instant he gets word," said Sheraton. "If that black abolitionist, Lincoln, wins, they"re going to fire one anvil shot in the street, and we can hear it up this valley this far. If the South wins, then two anvils, as fast as they can load. So, Mr. Cowles, if we hear a single shot, it is war--_war_, I tell you!
"But come in," he added hastily. "I keep you waiting. I am glad to see you this morning, sir. From my daughter I learn that you have returned from a somewhat successful journey--that matters seem to mend for you.
We are all pleased to learn it. I offer you my hand, sir. My daughter has advised me of her decision and your own. Your conduct throughout, Mr. Cowles, has been most manly, quite above reproach. I could want no better son to join my family." His words, spoken in ignorance, cut me unbearably.
"Colonel Sheraton," I said to him, "there is but one way for a man to ride, and that is straight. I say to you; my conduct has not been in the least above reproach, and your daughter has not told you all that she ought to have told."
We had entered the great dining room as we talked, and he was drawing me to his great sideboard, with hospitable intent to which at that moment I could not yield. Now, however, we were interrupted.
A door opened at the side of the room, where a narrow stairway ran down from the second floor, and there appeared the short, stocky figure, the iron gray mane, of our friend, Dr. Samuel Bond, physician for two counties thereabout, bachelor, benefactor, man of charity, despite his lancet, his quinine and his calomel.
"Ah, Doctor," began Colonel Sheraton, "here is our young friend back from his travels again. I"m going to tell you now, as I think I may without much risk, that there is every hope the Cowles family will win in this legal tangle which has threatened them lately--win handsomely, too. We shall not lose our neighbors, after all, nor have any strangers breaking in where they don"t belong. Old Virginia, as she was, and forever, gentlemen! Join us, Doctor. You see, Mr. Cowles," he added to me, "Doctor Bond has stopped in as he pa.s.sed by, for a look at my daughter. Miss Grace seems just a trifle indisposed this morning--nothing in the least serious, of course."
We all turned again, as the front door opened. Harry Sheraton entered.
"Come, son," exclaimed his father. "Draw up, draw up with us. Pour us a drink around, son, for the success of our two families. You, Doctor, are glad as I am, that I know."
We stood now where we had slowly advanced toward the sideboard. But Doctor Bond did not seem glad. He paused, looking strangely at me and at our host. "Harry," said he, "suppose you go look in the hall for my saddle-bags--I have left my medicine case."
The young man turned, but for no reason apparently, stopped at the door, and presently joined us again.
"May I ask for Miss Grace this morning, Doctor," I began, politely.
"Yes," interjected Colonel Sheraton. "How"s the girl? She ought to be with us this minute--a moment like this, you know."
Doctor Bond looked at us still gravely. He turned from me to Colonel Sheraton, and again to Harry Sheraton. "Harry," said he, sternly.
"Didn"t you hear me? Get out!"
We three were left alone. "Jack, I must see you a moment alone," said Doctor Bond to me.
"What"s up," demanded Colonel Sheraton. "What"s the mystery? It seems to me I"m interested in everything proper here. What"s wrong, Doctor? Is my girl sick?"
"Yes," said the physician.
"What"s wrong?"
"She needs aid," said the old wire-hair slowly.
"Can you not give it, then? Isn"t that your business?"
"No, sir. It belongs to another profession," said Doctor. Bond, dryly, taking snuff and brushing his nose with his immense red kerchief.
Colonel Sheraton looked at him for the s.p.a.ce of a full minute, but got no further word. "d.a.m.n your soul, sir!" he thundered, "explain yourself, or I"ll make you wish you had. What do you mean?" He turned fiercely upon me.
"By G.o.d, sir, there"s only one meaning that I can guess. You, sir, what"s wrong? _Are you to blame_?"
I faced him fairly now. "I am so accused by her," I answered slowly.
"What! _What_!" He stood as though frozen.
"I shall not lie about it. It is not necessary for me to accuse a girl of falsehood. I only say, let us have this wedding, and have it soon. I so agreed with Miss Grace last night."
The old man sprang at me like a maddened tiger now, his eyes glaring about the room for a weapon. He saw it--a long knife with ivory handle and inlaid blade, lying on the ledge where I myself had placed it when I last was there. Doctor Bond sprang between him and the knife. I also caught Colonel Sheraton and held him fast.
"Wait," I said. "Wait! Let us have it all understood plainly. Then let us take it up in any way you Sheratons prefer."
"Stop, I say," cried the stern-faced doctor--as honest a man, I think, as ever drew the breath of life. He hurled his sinewy form against Colonel Sheraton again as I released him. "That boy is lying to us both, I tell you. I say he"s not to blame, and I know it. I _know_ it, I say.
I"m her physician. Listen, you, Sheraton--you shall not harm a man who has lied like this, like a gentleman, to _save_ you and your girl."
"d.a.m.n you both," sobbed the struggling man. "Let me go! Let me alone!
Didn"t I _hear_ him--didn"t you hear him _admit_ it?" He broke free and stood panting in the center of the room, we between him and the weapon.
"Harry!" he called out sharply. The door burst open.
"A gun--my pistol--get me something, boy! Arm yourself--we"ll kill these--"
"Harry," I called out to him in turn. "Do nothing of the sort! You"ll have me to handle in this. Some things I"ll endure, but not all things always--I swear I"ll stand this no longer, from all of you or any of you. Listen to me. Listen I say--it is as Doctor Bond says."
So now they did listen, silently.
"I am guiltless of any harm or wish of harm to any woman of this family," I went on. "Search your own hearts. Put blame where it belongs.
But don"t think you can crowd me, or force me to do what I do not freely offer."
"It is true," said Doctor Bond. "I tell you, what he says could not by any possibility be anything else but true. He"s just back home. _He has been gone all summer._"
Colonel Sheraton felt about him for a chair and sank down, his gray face dropped in his hands. He was a proud man, and one of courage. It irked him sore that revenge must wait.
"Now," said I, "I have something to add to the record. I hoped that a part of my story could be hid forever, except for Miss Grace and me alone. I have not been blameless. For that reason, I was willing, freely--not through force--to do what I could in the way of punishment to myself and salvation for her. But now as this thing comes up, I can no longer shield her, or myself, or any of you. We"ll have to go to the bottom now."
I flung out on the table the roll which I had brought with me to show that morning to Grace Sheraton--the ragged hide, holding writings placed there by my hand and that of another.
"This," I said, "must be shown to you all. Colonel Sheraton, I have been very gravely at fault. I was alone for some months in the wilderness with another woman. I loved her very much. I forgot your daughter at that time, because I found I loved her less. Through force of circ.u.mstances I lived with this other woman very closely for some months. We foresaw no immediate release. I loved her, and she loved me--the only time I knew what love really meant, I admit it. We made this contract of marriage between us. It was never enforced. We never were married, because that contract was never signed by us both. Here it is. Examine it."