Page:Seventy-six, or, Love and battle (IA seventysixlove00nealrich).pdf/11

 hands to his forehead and buried them slowly in his rich brown hair, as if astonished at the sound of his own voice.

Nor were we less so. My cousin Arthur and I exchanged two or three glances, and the fire streamed from his black eyes as he ran up to Archibald, and seized him by both his hands, and shook them for a whole minute, as if he would shake them off, trying two or three times, but in vain, to speak, and at last turning away, and wiping his eyes, without uttering a word.

"Archibald," said my father, rising majestically and coming forward to meet him," it is hard to abide the upbraiding of a child, our own child, our youngest born—"

Archibald's head drooped, and the red heat went all over it, like the light of a furnace.

"Yet it is harder," continued my father, to bear that of our own heart (laying both his hands, emphatically, upon his left breast, as he spoke). What would you have me do?"

It was a whole minute before Archibald replied, and his chin worked up and down all the while of his preparation, and a mortal lividness overspread his face, while his long dark eyelashes gave an animated sadness and shadow to his beautiful eyes; and when he did reply, it was by lifting his head slowly to our father's, planting his foot, and compressing his folded arms upon his chest, as if to keep down a rebellion there.

"Shall I speak the truth?" said he.

"Assuredly," answered my father, while Arthur pressed up to me, and whispered, "What possesses the creature?" Is that Archibald, the weak, peevish boy." I shook my head; I knew not what to think of it.

"Well, then," continued Archibald, in a voice which was just audible, "you ask me what I would have you do? I answer thus. Sell all that you have. Give all that you have to your country. Shoulder your knapsack. Put another upon John (he always called me John); and another upon me. Let each of us take his course through the country, and collect as many as we can of the stout yeomanry; and then go before George Washington, and tell him to be of good cheer, for, come what will, we, at least, will abide with him to the death."

My father shook his head, but embraced Archibald and kissed his white forehead a dozen times at least before he answered.

"I am proud of your spirit, Archy," said he; "but I cannot say much for your wisdom. What! in the darkest time of our trial, when the bravest of all the land are hiding themselves in dismay, shall I be the first to let out my whole blood, at once, in desperation?"

"Yes—Yes! now is the time!—father—now! even now!" cried Archibald, pressing upon him. One such example would electrify the country. What! would you stand by, and see our little army beaten man by man, and wait for a miraculous interposition of Heaven for their relief? No, my father, give but the signal—here are four of us already, and, before to-morrow night, I will put my head upon the issue, that I carry forth more with me on the way to Washington's camp, Do this, and, before the winter is gone, he will have turned upon his enemy, and beaten him back into his hiding places. What say you? shall we buckle on our blankets?"

As he said this, he took down an old rifle that lay athwart the smoked panel work, over the fire-place, and leant upon it with a face all on fire; but my father put out his spirit immediately, with a smile, as he said—

"No, my boy, Washington would hardly thank me for an army of such striplings."

Archibald bit his lip.

"Three of us," said he, "are stout men—you, and John, and Arthur, and—"

"Arthur may do as he pleases," said my father; "and as for John, from this moment he hath my consent to shoulder his musket."

"And join the army," shouted Archibald, leaping from the floor. "O, do let me go with him. I—I—I am not very strong, but I can—"

"No, Archibald, I cannot part with you. Your constitution is too delicate."

"The best way to harden it, father," said he.

"Your temper too unsocial and passionate—"

"The best way to cure that—"

"Silence! I will not hear another word upon the subject. John may depart whenever he pleases, and, if Arthur will go, he may have his choice of the horses, and I will furnish both, as well as monty can do it, with equipments; but as for you, I will not part with you. They are strong, handsome fellows, and will work their way through the battle, I'll warrant them; but as for you, the first thing that I should hear of you would be, that you had been run away with by your own horse, or trodden to death in the onset. No, you shall be a minister, Archibald, a minister of the gospel."

Archibald looked at him a moment, as if—I hardly dare to say what, for he was the most affectionate creature in the world, and till that hour I had never heard him speak a loud word in the presence of my father. He had always sat apart by himself, musing all the day long over some history or drawing. But it did appear to me that, all at once, his soul felt new strength, and that, before the sound of my father's voice had died away, declaring that he should be a minister of the gospel, he had determined to be torn in pieces first by wild horses; but he bowed his head reverentially to my father (who left us for a while), and went into the darkest corner of the room, where he stood for a whole hour without opening his lips.

"Well, Jonathan," said my father, returning—"what say you, when will you go?"

I felt my heart stop—partly with shame, and partly with fear, till he repeated the question, and I saw Archibald's eyes flashing, impatiently, for my answer. "Whenever you please, sir," said I—though I would have given the world to be out of the affair.

"To-morrow, then," said Arthur, rubbing his hands. "The sorrel mare for me—Hobson's choice for you—and the next morning at daylight, hourra for the camp!"

I have determined not to disguise one feeling of my heart, nor one thought of fear, my children; for I would have you know me thoroughly and, therefore, I must own to you that I wondered at the enthusiasm of Arthur, and would have given my right hand that the proposition had not been made; but I was ashamed to appear less of a man than Arthur, who was a whole year younger, and, therefore, I answered stoutly, "To-morrow be it then."

My father embraced me, and there was a look of encouragement in the face of my brother, that made me run up to him, when he caught my hand