Beadle's Dime Library No. 247 — page 27: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

5) ¢ a ithe — —_—- a — —e {ts crimson field and St, Andrew’s cross, sown with stars. The canoes followed, beaded by Colonel Grey with his white flag, and the general’s boat grounded on the beach by the flag-staff in front of the house, when Peyton sprung on shore followed by his men, and gave the order to “‘fall in” as they landed. When Grey’s party at last reached the beach. they found a silent line of disciplined soldiers, as any One could see despite their rough dress, and Peyton lifted bis hat.with stiff ceremony to Grey, observing: ‘As commandant of Post Lost Cause, sir, I welcome you under the folds of the flag I love and honor, Guard, present arms!” Then the brown-clad men presented arms with the stiff precision of veterans, and Grey touched bis hat in return for the salute, as he answered: ““ As officer of the Volunteer Army of the Union, sir, entitled by act of Congress to wear its uniform on all occasions of ceremony, I thank you for your courtesy, though the flag that Isee yonder is now recognized by no nation on earth,” Peyton smiied—a slight, haughty curl of the lip, as he answered: ‘‘ We may compel its recognition yet, sir, as we did once before. But that has nothing to do with our present purpose, I am informed that you wish to see me, to try and justify your conduct and treat for a surrender, at dis- cretion, of your Yankee forces in the lake,” “‘T came to do no such thing,” retorted the colonel, rather warmly, ‘‘ 1 came to see my old friend, Isaac Beverly Peyton, to speak of private matters, and to see if I cannot rouse in him some of the spirit of old, which led him to place in my care a trust—” ‘* That you betrayed,” interrupted Peyton in a fierce tone, frowning and tugging at his black beard, with flaming eyes. ‘‘ Speak not of that. I had forgivenit. I know you Yan. kees have no souls. “Tis not your fault ye were born so, I suppose. But don’t refer to it, man. My temper is none of the best,” His eyes rolled and flashed, and he seemed to have a hard struggle with himself to keep his passion within the bounds of decency before his men, Julian, who understood nothing of this, looked at his father wonderingly. The colonel was very pale and his face was full of some deep emotion as he came up to Peyton and said in a low tone: ‘* Peyton, for God’s sake, for the sake of the dead and living alike, let us talk this matter over quietly, without so many witnesses, I must speak about it. I came here to doit, I cannot keep silence if I would,” Peyton stared at him in silence and some apparent wonder for a moment, and then said, with a stiff inclination: ‘*¢ Certainly, Colonel Grey; but I warn you that my determination cannot he altered... Be pleased to enter my bouse, and remember that it is mine by the right of my sword, and by no sort of permission from your Yankee Government.” Grey compressed his lips and shrugged his shoulders as he passed on after the haughty Confederate, followed in turn, at a signal, by Julian and the doctor. General Peyton ascended the broad steps of the veranda which ran round the house and called to his son; ‘Captain Peyton, you can dismiss the guard till I call them together again. Let them Stay near the house while you come in,” His son saluted in stiff military fashion, and the general led the way into a large room, where be pointed to chairs and sai*: ** Be seated, gentlemen,” The sun had come out of the clouds since the rain ceased, and now shone into the room, showing, what Julian had not expected to see, a profusion of articles of foreign make, besides the furniture, which appeared to have ‘all come out of ships’ cabins. s Yes,” pursued the general, with a scornful curl of bis lip; “‘ you bave had your revenue cutters around our coast, trying to find this lake, You have had expeditions after expedi- tions, guided by the smoke that nature fur- nishes for a guide, but you are the first people that have ever penetrated here alive, And now Colonel Grey, tell your story, sir,” Thus urged Grey began: ‘‘General Peyton, you said, a little while ago, that you could not bear any reference to past transactions between us two.” Alligator Ike. —— os 27 “Better drop them,” interrupted Peyton; | seclusion, where they and you are no good to “for your own sake, Grey. much to be proud of there.” ‘Nor anything to be ashamed of,” said Grey in an earnest tone. ‘lt is necessary to speak of the past. I came to Florida for that very thing.” Peyton’s lip curled. ‘You did! After you had ruined me! Who was it, I ask you, Mark Grey, before the war, found you, a poor boy, without a penny to bless himself with, advanced you money and lent you his name for credit, till you rose to competence? Who did this, I say?” ** You did,” replied Grey calmly. never yet sought to deny it.” *‘ And who was it,” pursued Peyton, ‘‘ who saved your life twice in the war, and saved you from the prison pen at another time?’ ‘‘Tt was you,” again replied Grey. ‘“ You did far more for me than I bad any right to expect, and when misfortune came on the South, and all men saw the end was coming, you did me an honor that made me proud, in- deed; you trusted me with all the money you had made in blockade-running during the war.” ‘** And you stole every cent and denied hay- ing received it,” interrupted Peyton fiercely. ‘You drove my children to beggary, me to this hole in the swamp, made an outlaw of me to preserve my independence, while you, dur- ing all the years that have elapsed since the war, have been living on my money and grow- ing rich and tat with good cheer. Dare you deny it, hypocrite Yankee, with your grave face and canting airs? By heavens, I only wonder what it is keeps me from killing you now where you stand.” “‘T can tell you, Ike Peyton,” said Grey, ‘““T have calmly. ‘‘I can tell you what keeps you from killing me.” ‘*Well, what?’ asked Peyton, breathing hard. ‘Your honor as a soldier and a man. Be- sides that, you have made a grave mistake. The money you intrusted to me was not stolen, but invested by me for your benefit in bonds of Western cities, where bigh interest was paid, which interest has been reinvested, so that the money now remaining to your credit on my books, amounts to five times the sum you placed in my hands. I ask your word only for what that sum was.” Peyton had been watching him like a cat at a mouse-hole, with his eyes gleaming, and now he said eagerly and doubtingly: ‘You acknowledge that you owe me this money before witnesses?” ‘fT acknowledge it, and I leave it to yon to say what the sum was,” ‘*It was seventy thousand dollars in gold, proceeds of three cargoes of cotton in which I had an interest,” said Peyton rapidly. ‘ The money was buried, and I intrusted you with the secret, the only man that knew it besides myself. WhenI went to look for it after the surrender it had been stolen, and you were in command of the district im which it was hidden. I went to you in the midst of your staff and taxed you with the theft. You pretended not to know me or anything about it, and I cursed and defied you there and made my escape, de- spite all your orderlies and bullies. Is that true, Mark Grey?’ ‘Partly true,” was the reply. “* How partly true?” asked Peyton, angrily. ‘** Did you not deny possession of it?” “I did, and for a good reason. In those days that property was liable to confiscation, if I owned having it in my possession. My staff officers were all around me, and any one of them would have reported me at once had I acknowledged it to be your :noney, You would have lost it, and the Government have claimed it. Had you come to me alone, I could have given it fo you then; buco your temper drove you to rushing into my bead-quarters like a maniac, and [ had to deny everything to save you and your children. That money now awaits your order, Isaac Beverly Peyton, swelled to the sum of three hundred and fifty thousand dollars in cash, but on one condition.” Peyton had listened im mute amazement, and now he asked, hesitatingly: “ And what is the condition?” ‘That you cease this miserable masquerade of fidelity to the Lost Cause,” said Grey, with a caustic. smile, ‘‘let these poor fellows go to their own affairs, instead of binding them with nonsensical oaths, and that you let your two children come out and see the real world as it is, insteaa of burying them here in this morbid You have not | any one in the world, even yourselves, There, I’ve spoken my mind at last, Peyton, and you can do as you please. You can shoot me and Julian here, make your cousin Mary a widow; kill your old friend Doctor Wil- liams, and hug your idea to your breast; but when it’s all over, you may say to yourself, three hundred and fifty th: usand dollars can’t be got every day. I may as well haul down the flag that has become a relic of the past and wake up to the fact that the world moves. There, Ike, do what you like about it. I’m through.” And the colonel quietly picked up a cigar from a heap on the table, lighting itin the most matter-of-fact manner possible, and observing: **Confounded poor tobacco you grow down here,” Then he threw himself into a large arm-chair and looked out of the window, while the face of the outlawed general was a study of various expressions for nearly a minute, at the end of which time he said, huskily: ‘‘Grey, are you in earnest in all this?” Grey looked up with a smile as he replied: ‘‘T can’t pay it back to you here, in gold, for I don’t carry such sums about me; but if you will designate a place where you wisb it paid, you shall have the money as soon as | can get to a post-office or telegraph station.” Peyton hesitated, walked up and down the room, looked out of the window, and finally said, in a low tone of voice; ‘*There’s only one place. It must be out of the United States. I have forfeited a right to live there. My retreat is known.” ‘To none but us, and we will not betray it,” answered Grey, quickly. “If that is vour only ground for uneasiness, dismiss it. You can sail out of here and return to the United States as free as air. No one wants to hurt you,” Peyton shook his head, ‘“There’s that cursed inquisitive light-house man, who could not be silenced. I was a fool not to kill bim when I had the chance,” ‘He shall not say a word. Heis on board . the Water Lily now, and you can secure bis si- lence by means that never fail in my Siate. Pay bim to keep his mouth shut.” “ By Heavens!” muttered the giant, passing his band over his brow, the clouds clearing away like magic as he looked at Grey; * it seems to be a dream, after all. Shall I do it?” ‘Of course you’)] do it,” said Julian Grey, coming to bis father’s help, ‘‘for if you don't you will make your children very unhappy.” CHAPTER XXXI, CONCLUSION. THE general turned on him with the old stare of Alligator Ike, that used to petrify him so thoroughly when he was fresh in Florida, ‘* What are you talking about, young man?” he said sternly. ‘‘ What do you know of my children?’ *“*T know one of them pretty well,” returned young Grey dryly. ‘‘ He put a bullet through my shoulder without any provocation; but. we’ve made that up, long ago; at least I have. How is it, Captain Ned?” Ned Peyton colored, glanced at his father, hesitated, and said in a low tone: ‘*T had to domy duty and obey the general’s orders, Mr. Grey. A soldier has no animosity against an honorable enemy. I am sorry I wounded you, but I had to do it.” The elder Peyton started as his son spoke, and glanced quickly at Colonel Grey, The fal- sity of bis teachings had never struck him so forcibly as when they were unconsciously illus- trated by a son, who worshiped him and be- lieved every word he said. ‘Tm sorry Ned shot you,” he said hastily to Julian, “ but you see it was necessary for us to preserve our incognito strictly.” ‘*But there’s no further need of it now, is there?” interrupted Colonel Grey. ‘‘ You can live where you please and so can these people.” “T think,” said Peyton reluctantly, ‘* that you are right. I may have to haul down—” His voice failed bim as he looked out of the window, up at the folds of the flag that he bad learned to love so well, and Ned, with the quick sympathy of youth, came to his side and whispered to bim: ‘Never mind the rest of us, father. We're willing to die with you, if need be.” ‘“No, no,” answered bis father huskily, “ it won’t do, boy. It won’tdo, I’ve kept it all these years, but it must go at last. Boy, the flog must. “= Eomichoo Cc SiG a