Part 23 (1/2)

”One moment,” interposed the Judge, blandly, with a view to check the unpleasant reminiscences. ”Did I not hear you actually praise one of those Yankees?--in fact, a.s.sert that he was a very fine fellow?”

”Yes, yes; I had forgotten him. A Yankee captain; ordered the blue-coats to the right-about when he found there was only a sick man and a girl there; and more than that, so long as those scavengers were ash.o.r.e and parading around Beaufort he kept men stationed at my gates for safeguard duty. A fine fellow, for a Yankee. I can only account for it by the fact that he was a West Point graduate, and was thus thrown, to a certain extent, into the society and under the influences of our own men. Kenneth, Col. McVeigh, had known Monroe there--his name was Monroe--Captain John Monroe--at Beaufort his own men called him Captain Jack.”

”Just as she was stepping on s.h.i.+p board: 'Your name I'd like to know?'

And with a smile she answered him, 'My name is Jack Monroe!'”

sang a fresh voice outside the window, and then the curtain was pushed aside and Evilena's brown head appeared.

”I really could not help that, Mr. Loring,” she said, laughingly. ”The temptation was too great. Did you never whistle 'Jack Monroe' when you were a boy?”

”No, I can't say I ever did,” he replied, testily.

”It's intensely interesting,” she continued, seating herself on the window sill and regarding him with smiling interest, made bold by the presence of her champion, the Judge. ”Aunt Sajane taught it to me, an old, old sailor song. It's all about her sweetheart, Jack, not Aunt Sajane's sweetheart, but the girl's. Her wealthy relatives separate them by banis.h.i.+ng him to the wars somewhere, and she dressed up in boy's clothes to follow him.

”'She went unto a tailor And dressed in men's array, And thence unto a sailor And paid her fare away.'”

recited Evilena, with uplifted finger punctuating the sentences.

”Wasn't she brave? Well, she found him, and they were married. There are seven verses of it.”

”I--I should think that quite enough,” he remarked, dropping his head forward and looking at her from under the overhanging brows. ”Do you mean to sing them all to me?”

”Perhaps, some day,” she promised, showing all her teeth and dropping the curtain.

”So now this couple's married, Despite their bitter foe, And she's back again in England With her darling, Jack Monroe.”

The two visitors laughed outright as this information was wafted to them from the veranda, the old song growing more faint as the singer circled the house in search of Gertrude.

”A true daughter of the South, Dr. Delaven,” said the Judge, with a tender cadence betraying how close to his heart was his pride in all Southern excellence--”child and woman in one, sir--a charming combination.”

”Right you are, Judge, in that; may their numbers never be less.”

Evilena had found Gertrude and at once confessed her daring.

”Don't know how I ever did have courage to pop my head in there. Aunt Sajane--but he talked of Jack Monroe just as I pa.s.sed the window, and I pretended I thought he meant the old song (I do wonder if he ever--ever sang or whistled?) Then I told him what it was all about, and promised to sing it to him some day, and I know by the sort of smile he had that he wanted to order me out of the room as he used to when I was little.”

”Lena, Lena!” and Gertrude shook her head admonis.h.i.+ngly at the girl, though she smiled at the recital.

”Oh, you are an angel, Gertrude; so you never have temptations to do things for pure mischief. But I wish you'd tell me who this Jack Monroe is.”

”A Federal officer who was of service to us when Beaufort was taken.”

”A _Yankee_!”--and her horror was absolute. ”Well, I should not think you'd accept service from such a person.”

”Honey!” said Aunt Sajane, in mild chiding.

”We had no choice,” said Gertrude, quietly; ”afterwards we learned he and Kenneth had been friends at West Point; so he was really a gentleman.”

”And in the _Yankee Army_?” queried the irrepressible. ”Good-bye, Jack Monroe, I shan't sing you again.”

”You might be faithful to one verse for Gertrude's sake,” ventured Aunt Sajane.