ward, with extended hand. "But how came you to be lagging at such a juncture as this, you truant?'

"O, Edward!" cried Jessy, bursting from an adjoining room, to which she had a few moments before retired, "O, Edward!” repeated the joyful but wayward girl, flying to the open arms of her betrothed, now dashing her hands about her to clear her way among the advancing group, and now shaking her slender finger aloft, in affected menace, as she went, "now, if I don't punish you for this, sir! Back! back! all of you, till I deal with the villain for his conduct."

"Fairly a prisoner, sir; you may as well surrender, Major," gaily observed Warrington, to the laughing young officer, now enclosed on every side by besieging friends.

Aye, aye, Colonel," blithely replied the latter; "but I shall be upon my parole in a moment, I think; when I will pay my respects - I have a glad secret for your ear, Warrington."

"A secret! a secret to be kept from us, at this hour!" exclaimed both of the girls, at once, summoning a storm of affected indignation to their pretty brows.

"Ah! you little tyrannizers!" said the Major, jocosely, "you are wise to make the most of your power now; for your reign is short. I saw the parson falling into the road behind me, about a mile back."

The last intimation seemed to produce an instant effect on the young officer's fair assailants. And releasing him at once, they fled, in maidenly dismay, to their private apartment, to compose and prepare themselves for the happy, though half-dreaded crisis.

"Now, my son, tell us, in a word, what success you have met with at Albany," said Captain Hendee, turning to his son, as the girls disappeared.

Very fair the business is all definitely settled at last."

"Right glad to hear that; but first, I am curious to know with what kind of face that black-hearted imp of mischief, Jake Sherwood, met you, after all that has happened?"

"It was not till after many fruitless efforts, and a long negociation, carried on with him by a go-between of his own kidney, that he could be induced to come from his lurking places, to face me at all. And when he did, it was with the same fawning and cringing, the same dissembling and falsehood, that has marked his whole career."

“And what kind of a treaty did you at length conclude with the arch villain!'

"Better than he had any reason to expect from those who had

both the right and the power on their side: for, after taking from the estate, that part which Jake had counted as his own, by Uncle's will, when I was considered as disposed of, and which, of course, became mine, on establishing my identity as your son - and after deducting also the legacies, which old Sherwood's conscience wrung from him, in favor of you and Alma, together with the sums, which the indefatigable Vanderpool had found evidence of having been embezzled by the old man out of your property even after counting your legacies as so much restitution after deducting all these, there would have been a mere pittance in equity, and nothing, probably, in law, left for the miscreant. And as he had been apprised of this by Vanderpool, whom he could neither intimidate nor corrupt, he chose to throw himself on my mercy, rather than contend with us in law.”

"Well, as skilfully as this web of iniquity was woven, it is all unravelled, then, at last. But what did you finally allow him?”

"A thousand pounds; for, while I despised, I could not but pity the abject wretch. He signed acquittances, received his portion, in money and drafts, and, the same day, as I accidentally learned, started off to join his tory brethren at the south.”

The conversation was here interrupted by the arrival of the parson, who had scarcely been ushered into the house, before yet another guest was announced. This was the amazon widow, who now rode into the yard, attended by Neshobee, each having a brace of her hardy urchins, disposed of behind and before, on the cruppers and necks of the Captain's thus trebly burdened horses, which had been kindly sent for that purpose early in the morning. "Not at the eleventh hour after all," said the woman, as with stately tread she came sweeping into the room, and gave her hand successively to each of the assembled guests, who rose, and with looks of mingled cordiality and respect, advanced to meet her. Well, I am gratified to find I am not too late to witness the ceremony, though another motive mainly prompted my coming."

"Another motive?" said the Captain, "what might that be?" "Gratitude," rejoined the widow feelingly "to offer, in person, the thanks and blessings of the widow and fatherless to these brave and generous young officers, for their undeserved gift of fifty pounds."

"Not undeserved, especially from us, permit me to say, Mrs. Story," replied Major Hendee. "And our only fear was, that it would not even requite you for the losses you sustained on our account on that fearful night, which none of us can ever forget.”

"Not requite me? O, more doubly so," replied the woman, mastering her grateful emotions, and resuming her naturally free and easy manner: "Why, gentlemen, if you would but visit us there now, you would see a new house worth two of the old one; flourishing crops, and a well provisioned and happy family — and all from your bounty."

"Our pittance, if you please," observed the Colonel, "and that too, under the management of one, who, I must say, of all

Women

"Has the least patience with a flatterer, Colonel," interrupted the widow with good-natured bluntness, jumping up and going to the window, as something seemed suddenly to occur to her mind. "Now, I should like to know, if you gentlemen can tell me," she resumed, after gazing out on the lake a moment, "I should like to know the meaning of the great stir I noticed over at the fort, as I came down the road: one would think they were preparing for a battle."

“We heard a firing in the direction of Ticonderoga an hour or two ago, which we could not account for, but have noticed nothing unusual over here, I believe," said Captain Hendee, looking enquiringly at the two officers.

"Ah! your promised secret, Major?" cried Warrington, perceiving a knowing and mysterious smile upon the countenance of the other.

"You shall have it now the rest of the company will know it soon," replied the Major, approaching his superior and whispering in his ear.

"God bless you for the news!" exclaimed the Colonel, with a look of joyful surprise. "But where did you meet him?”

"At Bennington, where he arrived but three days ago amidst the roar of guns and the shouts of a rejoicing people. I persuaded him to come on with me, as he did, to Skenesboro'; when he took the water, while I came by land, having first despatched a runner to notify the garrisons at the two posts of his approach." "Heaven be praised!" rejoined Warrington, "and let the Green Mountains rejoice!"

66

They will, soon; for yonder he comes, by Jove!" exclaimed the Major, eagerly pointing out upon the lake.

At that instant the house shook and trembled to the reverberating roar of a twenty-four pounder, belching forth a cloud of fire and smoke from the gray walls of the opposite fortress.

The surprised and startled company instantly rushed into the yard. A light sail boat had just made her appearance on the

lake from the south, and, with bellying canvass, was now scudding rapidly before the freshening breeze, with her course evidently set for the fort. As she neared, a tall, erect, military figure appeared conspicuously standing on the forecastle, with folded arms, gazing steadily forward towards the works, around whose ramparts were seen the long rows of the expectant officers and soldiers of the garrison; while, at momentary intervals, came the welcoming peal of the deep-mouthed gun. At length the sails of the vessel were furled, and she swept round and lay to, directly abreast of the fort; which, the next instant, was suddenly enveloped in a springing cloud of smoke, while the tall forest around nodded to the united roar of a dozen cannon, among the broken echoes of which, as they rolled from shore to shore and died away among the far responding mountains, was heard the noisy salute of drums, and the reiterated cheers of the soldiery, once more making the welkin ring with the name of "Ethan Allen!"

After a brief interval of silence, the same little craft was seen, with hoisted sails, emerging from the lifting clouds of smoke, and making her way directly across the lake towards the cottage. And in ten minutes more the hero of the Green Mountains, unexpectedly returned from a long and painful captivity, was received, and ushered into the house amidst the warm and unfeigned congratulations of the rejoicing party.

"Well, Colonel Allen,” said Captain Hendee, scanning the thin and worn person of the other, as they all became seated in the room, "they have rather worsted you in your captivity, I perceive: you are now hardly the staunch and iron-bound fellow you was three years ago, when eight or ten armed hirelings came here to seize you as a York outlaw, but were fairly cowed out of the attempt till they supposed you asleep, and a little worse off than that too, perhaps."

“Aha! my old friend, do you remember that foolish scrape?" replied Allen. "No, no, Captain, not the man I was then," he added, glancing over the huge raw bones of his shrunken frame with a melancholy smile; "no, the British could never forgive me for taking old Ti; so with characteristic magnanimity to a fallen foe, they took their revenge by battering, hewing, hacking, and starving the old body, till there is scarcely enough left of it to furnish a habitable tenement for the soul, which remains as whole and sound as ever; for that, thank God, they could neither kill nor bribe."

"Bribe! bribe! did they realy try to do that?" exclaimed the

young officers, laughing at the thought of an attempt to buy up Ethan Allen.

"To be sure, did the infernal fools!" said Allen, "and that more than once; though the last, and perhaps the best offer I ever had to induce me to damn myself, that is, to become one of them, was made me by a high dignitary of the crown, who, in behalf of his prince, as he said, offered me nearly half the lands in Vermont, if I would enter his service against my countrymen! the Christless knave! It was well for him that I was handcuffed, at the time."

"And what answer did you give him?" asked Warrington, curiously.

"Answer?" replied Allen, smoothing his dark brows, which had become fierce and stormy at the remembered insult, "what answer? why, I told the royal ape to go and tell his master, that he reminded me, in his offer to give me lands in America, of a certain other prince, mentioned in Scripture, who took the Saviour up into a high mountain, and showing him all the kingdoms of the world, offered to give him the whole of them, if he would fall down and worship him, - when the fact was, the poor devil had not a single foot of land on earth to give!"

The subject was here dropped by common consent; when, after a brief pause, Major Hendee turned a significant look upon his father, who seemed readily to understand what was now expected of him, and he accordingly observed,

"I suppose you have been apprised, Colonel Allen, of the happy occasion, upon which, after all our troubles, we have been permitted to assemble?"

"I have, sir," gallantly answered the other, "and I felt, that my peculiar notions, relative to the certainty of the earthly rewards of bravery and virtue, were strikingly confirmed, when I learned, that my two friends here were about to draw such rich prizes in the lottery of life."

"Ah! Colonel Allen," exclaimed Jessy archly, "you, too, caught playing the flatterer? I had thought well enough of you to believe you an exception to the generality of men, in that respect. But I'll expose you, my brave Colonel! What did you say and predict, at the time you captured Ticonderoga, respecting the intimacy which you were then accidentally led to suspect existed between your then Lieutenant Selden and Colonel Reed's daughter?"

"Why the deuce is to pay !" cried Allen, taken rather aback by his fair antagonist "there has been treason here, somewhere. I recollect something about my misgivings in the matter. But I