Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 28.djvu/147

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I'his. >! course, was i nix Instead of going by the "Big Wal- nut" \ve went in the direction of Upper Marlboro, travelling hard until .sunrise, when we halted in tin- woods until the- following night. when we took up the line of inarch lor Colonel W. W. Bowie's, the Lieutenant's father, arriving there about 4 A. M. where we wen joined by Bruin Bo\vie, then home on furlough. After a short -.U-ep, and refreshments, we were introduced to the Bowies, who re- ceived us in good old Prim i < n-nr-M- style, and gavr us a very de lightful day. At nightfall, having paid our respects to the ladies, and received the Colonel's benediction, v\e sauntered along the path- way leading to our horses, waiting for the Lieutenant and Brune, who had tarried a while in the hall to say good-bye and receive a mother's blessing, to join us. The bright eye that we had just left under the chandelier in the great hall of " Eglington " evidently had impressed the knights.

Looking back at the group in the hall, Randolph said: "How pleasant the day has been spent. I shall always recall our visit to the Bowies with pleasure." This seemed to touch dear old Charlie Vest's poetic center, for he thought a moment, and said: "Yes, their voice like the pleasings of a lute enchanting draw one to them in memory.' O'Bannon was about to supplement what had been said with one of his graceful speeches, when the Lieutenant with Brune, in his intensely-practical way, broke in upon the muses, saying: " Come, boys, let us get to our horses and be oft." Once in the saddle, we drew rein for Hardesty's Store, near Annapolis, where we camped in the woods for a few days, while the Lieutenant and Charlie Vest scouted the Governor's house. Finding His Ex- cellency more closely guarded than had been reported, they returned to camp with a sad heart to tell us of the unfruitful termination of our raid, and that we would return to Virginia on the morrow. That evening, Brune, Bowie and I were dispatched to Young's Store for Richard Belt, who desired to enlist in our command. This increased our party to ten.

At the head of the little band, Lieutenant Bowie took up the line ot march for Virginia, going around Washington, D. C., via Sandy Spring, Montgomery county, Md., quite a little hamlet of about fifty inhabitants. One >torc. owned by Mr. Alban Gilpin, supplied tin good people of that vicinity with the necessities of life. Mr. Gilpin. from long experience in mercantile life, had become skilled in deco- rative art, as wa.s >hown by his tastefully-arranged windows. Fur- belows, flounces and tine clothes were artistically displayed in them.