The Chainbearer; Or, The Littlepage Manuscripts Read online

  CHAPTER II.

  "A trusty villain, sir; that very oft, When I am dull with care and melancholy, Lightens my humors with his many jests." --_Dromio of Syracuse._

  It will be seen that, while I got a degree, and what is called aneducation, the latter was obtained by studies of a very desultorycharacter. There is no question that learning of all sorts fell offsadly among us during the revolution and the twenty years that succeededit. While colonies, we possessed many excellent instructors who camefrom Europe; but the supply ceased, in a great measure, as soon as thetroubles commenced; nor was it immediately renewed at the peace. I thinkit will be admitted that the gentlemen of the country began to be lesswell educated about the time I was sent to college, than had been thecase for the previous half-century, and that the defect has not yet beenrepaired. What the country may do in the first half of the nineteenthcentury remains to be seen.[2]

  [Footnote 2: The reader will recollect that Mr. Mordaunt Littlepage musthave written his account of himself and his times about the close of thelast, or the beginning of this century. Since that time, education hascertainly advanced among us; sophomores, pursuing branches of learningto-day that were sealed from seniors a few years since. Learning,however, advances in this country on the great American principle ofimparting a little to a great many, instead of teaching a good deal to afew.--EDITOR.]

  My connection with the army aided materially in weaning me from home,though few youths had as many temptations to return to the paternal roofas myself. There were my beloved mother and my grandmother, in the firstplace, both of whom doted on me as on an only son. Then aunt Mary almostequally shared in my affections. But I had two sisters, one of whom wasolder, and the other younger than myself. The eldest, who was calledAnneke, after our dear mother, was even six years my senior, and wasmarried early in the war to a gentleman of the name of Kettletas. Mr.Kettletas was a person of very good estate, and made my sister perfectlyhappy. They had several children, and resided in Dutchess, which was anadditional reason for my mother's choosing that county for her temporaryresidence. I regarded Anneke, or Mrs. Kettletas, much as all youthsregard an elder sister, who is affectionate, feminine and respectable;but little Katrinke, or Kate, was my pet. She again, was four yearsyounger than myself; and as I was just two-and-twenty when the army wasdisbanded, she of course was only eighteen. This dear sister was alittle, jumping, laughing, never-quiet, merry thing, when I had taken myleave of her, in 1781, to join the regiment as an ensign, as handsomeand sweet as a rose-bud, and quite as full of promise. I remember thatold Andries and I used to pass much of our time in camp in conversingabout our several pets; he of his niece, and I of my younger sister. Ofcourse, I never intended to marry, but Kate and I were to live together;she as my housekeeper and companion, and I as her elder brother andprotector. The one great good of life with us all was peace, withindependence; which obtained, no one, in our regiment at least, was solittle of a patriot as to doubt of the future. It was laughable to seewith how much gusto and simplicity the old Chainbearer entered into allthese boyish schemes. His niece was an orphan, it would seem, the onlychild of an only but a half-sister, and was absolutely dependent on himfor the bread she put into her mouth. It is true that this niece faredsomewhat better than such a support would seem to promise, having beenmuch cared for by a female friend of her mother's, who, being reducedherself, kept a school, and had thus bestowed on her ward a far bettereducation than she could ever have got under her uncle's supervision,had the last possessed the riches of the Van Rensselaers, or of the VanCortlandts. As has been substantially stated, old Andries's forte didnot lie in education, and they who do not enjoy the blessings of such acharacter, seldom duly appreciate their advantages. It is with theacquisitions of the mind, as with those of mere deportment and tastes;we are apt to undervalue them all, until made familiarly acquainted withtheir power to elevate and to enlarge. But the niece of Andries had beenparticularly fortunate in falling into the hands she had; Mrs. Strattonhaving the means and the inclination to do all for her, in the way ofinstruction, that was then done for any young woman in New York, as longas she lived. The death of this kind friend occurring, however, in 1783,Andries was obliged to resume the care of his niece, who was now thrownentirely on himself for support. It is true, the girl wished to dosomething for herself, but this neither the pride nor the affection ofthe old chainbearer would listen to.

  "What _can_ the gal do?" Andries said to me significantly, one day thathe was recounting all these particulars. "She can't carry chain, thoughI do believe, Morty, the chilt has head enough, and figures enough tosurvey! It would do your heart good to read the account of her l'arnin't'at t'e olt woman used to send me; though she wrote so excellent a hantherself, t'at it commonly took me a week to read one of her letters;that is, from 'Respected Friend' to 'Humble Sarvent,' as you know them'ere t'ings go."

  "Excellent hand! Why, I should think, Andries, the better the hand, theeasier one could read a letter."

  "All a mistake. When a man writes a scrawl himself, it's nat'ral heshoult read scrawls easiest, in his own case. Now, Mrs. Stratton washome-taught, and would be likely to get into ways t'at a plain man mightfind difficult to get along wit'."

  "Do you think, then, of making a surveyor of your niece?" I asked, alittle pointedly.

  "Why, she is hartly strong enough to travel t'rough the woots, and, thecallin' is not suitaple to her sex, t'ough I woult risk her against t'eoldest calculator in t'e province."

  "We call New York a State, now, Captain Andries, you will recollect."

  "Ay, t'at's true, and I peg the State's pardon. Well, t'ere'll bescrambling enough for t'e land, as soon as the war is fairly over, andchainbearing will be a sarviceable callin' once more. Do you know,Morty, they talk of gifin' all of our line a quantity of land, privatesand officers, which will make me a landholter again, the very characterin which I started in life. You will inherit acres enough, and may notcare so much apout owning a few huntret, more or less, but I own theidee is agreeaple enough to me."

  "Do you propose to commence anew as a husbandman?"

  "Not I; the pusiness never agreet wit' me, nor I wit' it. Put a man maysurvey his own lot, I suppose, and no offence to greater scholars. If Iget t'e grant t'ey speak of, I shall set to work and run it out on myown account, and t'en we shall see who understants figures, and whodon't! If other people won't trust me, it is no reason I shoult nottrust myself."

  I knew that his having broken down in the more intellectual part of hiscalling was a sore point with old Andries, and I avoided dwelling onthis part of the subject. In order to divert his mind to other objects,indeed, I began to question him a little more closely than I had everdone before, on the subject of his niece, in consequence of whichexpedient I now learned many things that were new to me.

  The name of the chainbearer's niece was Duss Malbone, or so he alwayspronounced it. In the end I discovered that Duss was a sort of Dutchdiminutive for Ursula. Ursula Malbone had none of the Coejemans blood inher, notwithstanding she was Andries's sister's daughter. It seemed thatold Mrs. Coejemans was twice married, her second husband being thefather of Duss's mother. Bob Malbone, as the chainbearer always calledthe girl's father, was an eastern man of very good family, but was areckless spendthrift, who married Duss the senior, as well as I couldlearn, for her property; all of which, as well as that he had inheritedhimself, was cleverly gotten rid of within the first ten years of theirunion, and a year or two after the girl was born. Both father and motherdied within a few months of each other, and in a very happy moment asregards worldly means, leaving poor little Duss with no one to care forher but her half-uncle, who was then living in the forest in his regularpursuits, and the Mrs. Stratton I have mentioned. There was ahalf-brother, Bob Malbone having married twice, but he was in the army,and had some near female relation to support out of his pay. Between thechainbearer and Mrs. Stratton, with an occasional offering from thebrother, the means of clothing, nourishing and educati
ng the young womanhad been found until she reached her eighteenth year, when the death ofher female protector threw her nearly altogether on the care of heruncle. The brother now did his share, Andries admitted; but it was notmuch that he could do. A captain himself, his scanty pay barely sufficedto meet his own wants.

  I could easily see that old Andries loved Duss better than anything elseor any other person. When he was a little mellow, and that was usuallythe extent of his debaucheries, he would prate about her to me until thetears came into his eyes, and once he actually proposed that I shouldmarry her.

  "You woult just suit each other," the old man added, in a very quaint,but earnest manner, on that memorable occasion; "and as for property, Iknow you care little for money, and will have enough for half-a-tozen. Iswear to you, Captain Littlepage"--for this dialogue took place only afew months before we were disbanded, and after I had obtained acompany--"I swear to you, Captain Littlepage, t'e girl is laughing frommorning till night, and would make one of the merriest companions for anolt soldier that ever promiset to 'honor and obey.' Try her once, lad,and see if I teceive you."

  "That may do well enough, friend Andries, for an _old_ soldier, whereasyou will remember I am but a boy in years----"

  "Ay, in years; but olt as a soldier, Morty--olt as White Plains, or '76;as I know from hafin seen you unter fire."

  "Well, be it so; but it is the man, and not the soldier, who is to dothe marrying, and I am still a very young man."

  "You might do worse, take my word for it, Mortaunt, my dear poy; forDuss is fun itself, and I have often spoken of you to her in a way t'atwill make the courtship as easy as carrying a chain on t'e JarmenFlats."

  I assured my friend Andries that I did not think of a wife yet, and thatmy taste ran for a sentimental and melancholy young woman, rather thanfor a laughing girl. The old chainbearer took this repulsegood-humoredly, though he renewed the attack at least a dozen timesbefore the regiment was disbanded, and we finally separated. I sayfinally separated, though it was in reference to our companionship assoldiers, rather than as to our future lives; for I had determined togive Andries employment myself, should nothing better offer in hisbehalf.

  Nor was I altogether without the means of thus serving a friend, whenthe inclination existed. My grandfather, Herman Mordaunt, had left me,to come into possession at the age of twenty-one, a considerable estatein what is now Washington County, a portion of our territory that liesnortheast from Albany, and at no great distance from the HampshireGrants. This property, of many thousands of acres in extent, had beenpartially settled under leases by himself, previously to my birth, andthose leases having mostly expired, the tenants were remaining at will,waiting for more quiet times to renew their engagements. As yetRavensnest, for so the estate was called, had given the family littlebesides expense and trouble; but the land being good, and theimprovements considerable, it was time to look for some return for allour outlays. This estate was now mine in fee, my father having formallyrelinquished its possession in my favor the day I attained my majority.Adjacent to this estate lay that of Mooseridge, which was the jointproperty of my father and of his friend Major--or as he was styled invirtue of the brevet rank granted at the peace--_Colonel_ Follock.Mooseridge had been originally patented by my grandfather, the firstGeneral Littlepage, and _old_ Colonel Follock, he who had been slain andscalped early in the war; but on the descent of his moiety of thetenantry in common to Dirck Follock, my grandfather conveyed hisinterest to his own son, who ere long must become its owner, agreeablyto the laws of nature. This property had once been surveyed into largelots, but owing to some adverse circumstances, and the approach of thetroubles, it had never been settled or surveyed into farms. All that itsowners ever got for it, therefore, was the privilege of paying the crownits quit-rents; taxes, or reserved payments, of no great amount, it istrue, though far more than the estate had ever yet returned.

  While on the subject of lands and tenements, I may as well finish myopening explanations. My paternal grandfather was by no means as rich asmy father, though the senior, and of so much higher military rank. Hisproperty, or neck, of Satanstoe, nevertheless, was quite valuable; morefor the quality of the land and its position than for its extent. Inaddition to this, he had a few thousand pounds at interest; stocks,banks, and moneyed corporations of all kinds being then nearly unknownamong us. His means were sufficient for his wants, however, and it was ajoyful day when he found himself enabled to take possession of his ownhouse again, in consequence of Sir Guy Carleton's calling in all of hisdetachments from Westchester. The Morrises, distinguished whigs as theywere, did not get back to Morrisania until after the evacuation, whichtook place November 25, 1783; nor did my father return to Lilacsbushuntil after that important event. The very year my grandfather sawSatanstoe, he took the small-pox in camp and died.

  To own the truth, the peace found us all very poor, as was the case withalmost everybody in the country but a few contractors. It was not thecontractors for the American army that were rich; they fared worse thanmost people; but the few who furnished supplies to the French _did_ getsilver in return for their advances. As for the army, it was disbandedwithout any reward but promises, and payment in a currency thatdepreciated so rapidly that men were glad to spend recklessly theirhard-earned stock, lest it should become perfectly valueless in theirhands. I have heard much in later years of the celebrated Newburghletters, and of the want of patriotism that could lead to their havingbeen written. It may not have been wise, considering the absolute wantof the country, to have contemplated the alternative toward which thoseletters certainly cast an oblique glance, but there was nothing ineither their execution or their drift which was not perfectly naturalfor the circumstances. It was quite right for Washington to act as hedid in that crisis, though it is highly probable that even Washingtonwould have felt and acted differently had he nothing but the keen senseof his neglected services, poverty, and forgetfulness before him in theperspective. As for the young officer who actually wrote the letters, itis probable that justice will never be done to any part of his conduct,but that which is connected with the elegance of his diction. It is verywell for those who do not suffer to prate about patriotism; but acountry is bound to be just, before it can lay a high moral claim tothis exclusive devotedness to the interests of the majority. Fine wordscost but little, and I acknowledge no great respect for those whomanifest their integrity principally in phrases. This is said not in theway of personal apology, for our regiment did not happen to be atNewburgh at the disbandment; if it had, I think my father's influencewould have kept us from joining the malcontents; but at the same time, Ifancy his and my own patriotism would have been much strengthened by theknowledge that there were such places as Satanstoe, Lilacsbush,Mooseridge, and Ravensnest. To return to the account of our property.

  My grandfather Mordaunt, notwithstanding his handsome bequests to me,left the bulk of his estate to my mother. This would have made the restof the family rich, had it not been for the dilapidations produced bythe war. But the houses and stores in town were without tenants whopaid, having been mainly occupied by the enemy; and interest on bondswas hard to collect from those who lived within the British lines.

  In a word, it is not easy to impress on the mind of one who witnessesthe present state of the country, its actual condition in that day. Asan incident that occurred to myself, after I had regularly joined thearmy for duty, will afford a lively picture of the state of things, Iwill relate it, and this the more willingly, as it will be the means ofintroducing to the reader an old friend of the family, and one who wasintimately associated with divers events of my own life. I have spokenof Jaaf, a slave of my father's, and one of about his own time of life.At the time to which I allude, Jaaf was a middle-aged, gray-headednegro, with most of the faults, and with all the peculiar virtues of thebeings of his condition and race. So much reliance had my mother, inparticular, on his fidelity, that she insisted on his accompanying herhusband to the wars, an order that the black most willingly obey
ed; notonly because he loved adventure, but because he especially hated anIndian, and my father's earliest service was against that portion of ourfoes. Although Jaaf acted as a body-servant, he carried a musket, andeven drilled with the men. Luckily, the Littlepage livery was blueturned up with red, and of a very modest character; a circumstance thatalmost put Jaaf in uniform, the fellow obstinately refusing to wear thecolors of any power but that of the family to which he regularlybelonged. In this manner, Jaaf had got to be a queer mixture of theservant and the soldier, sometimes acting in the one capacity, andsometimes in the other, having at the same time not a little of thehusbandman about him; for our slaves did all sorts of work.

  My mother had made it a point that Jaaf should accompany me on alloccasions when I was sent to any distance from my father. She naturallyenough supposed I had the most need of the care of a faithful attendant,and the black had consequently got to be about half transferred to me.He evidently liked this change, both because it was always accompaniedby change of scene and the chances for new adventures, and because itgave him an opportunity of relating many of the events of his youth;events that had got to be worn threadbare, as narratives, with his "olemasser," but which were still fresh with his "young."

  On the occasion to which there is allusion, Jaaf and I were returning tocamp, from an excursion of some length, on which I had been sent by thegeneral of division. This was about the time the continental money madeits final fall to nothing, or next to nothing, it having long stood atabout a hundred dollars for one. I had provided myself with a littlesilver, and very precious it was, and some thirty or forty thousanddollars of "continental," to defray my travelling expenses; but mysilver was expended, and the paper reduced to two or three thousanddollars, when it would require the whole stock of the latter to pay forJaaf's and my own dinner; nor were the inn-keepers very willing to givetheir time and food for it at any price. This vacuum in my purse tookplace when I had still two long days' ride before me, and in a part ofthe country where I had no acquaintances whatever. Supper and rest wereneeded for ourselves, and provender and stabling for our horses.Everything of the sort was cheap enough, to be sure, but absolute wantof means rendered the smallest charge impracticable to persons in oursituation. As for appealing to the patriotism of those who lived by thewayside, it was too late in the war; patriotism being a very evanescentquality of the human heart, and particularly addicted to sneaking, likecompassion, behind some convenient cover, when it is to be maintained atany pecuniary cost. It will do for a capital, in a revolution, or a warfor the first six months, perhaps; but gets to be as worthless ascontinental money itself, by the end of that period. One militia drafthas exhausted the patriotism of thousands of as disinterested heroes asever shouldered muskets.

  "Jaap," I asked of my companion, as we drew near to the hamlet where Iintended to pass the night, and the comforts of a warm supper on a sharpfrosty evening, began to haunt my imagination--"Jaap, how much money mayyou have about you?"[3]

  [Footnote 3: This man is indiscriminately called Yaf, or Yop--York Dutchbeing far from severe.]

  "I, Masser Mordaunt!--Golly! but dat a berry droll question, sah!"

  "I ask, because my own stock is reduced to just one York shilling, whichgoes by the name of only a ninepence in this part of the world."

  "Dat berry little, to tell 'e truit', sah, for two gentleum, and twolarge, hungry hosses. Berry little, indeed, sah! I wish he war' more."

  "Yet, I have not a copper more. I gave one thousand two hundred dollarsfor the dinner and baiting and oats, at noon."

  "Yes, sah--but dat conternental, sah, I supposes--no great t'ing, a'terall."

  "It's a great thing in sound, Jaap, but not much when it comes to theteeth, as you perceive. Nevertheless, we must eat and drink, and ournags must eat, too--I suppose _they_ may _drink_, without paying."

  "Yes, sah--dat true 'nough, yah--yah--yah"--how easily that negrolaughed!--"But 'e cider wonnerful good in dis part of 'e country, youngmasser; just needer sweet nor sour--den he strong as 'e jackass."

  "Well, Jaap, how are we to get any of this good cider, of which youspeak?"

  "You t'ink, sah, dis part of 'e country been talk too much lately 'boutPatty Rism and 'e country, sah?"

  "I am afraid Patty has been overdone here, as well as in most othercounties."

  I may observe here, that Jaap always imagined the beautiful creature hehad heard so much extolled and commended for her comeliness and virtue,was a certain young woman of this name, with whom all Congress wasunaccountably in love at the same time.

  "Well, den, sah, dere no hope but our wits. Let me be masser to-night,and you mind ole Jaap, if he want good supper. Jest ride ahead, MasserMordaunt, and give he order like General Littlepage son, and leave itall to old Jaap."

  As there was not much to choose, I did ride on, and soon ceased to hearthe hoofs of the negro's horse at my heels. I reached the inn an hourere Jaap appeared, and was actually seated at a capital supper before herode up, as one belonging only to himself. Jaap had taken off theLittlepage emblems, and had altogether a most independent air. His horsewas stabled alongside of mine, and I soon found that he himself was atwork on the remnants of my supper, as they retreated toward the kitchen.

  A traveller of my appearance was accommodated with the best parlor, as amatter of course; and having appeased my appetite, I sat down to readsome documents that were connected with the duty I was on. No one couldhave imagined that I had only a York shilling, which is a Pennsylvania"levy," or a Connecticut "ninepence," in my purse; for my air was thatof one who could pay for all he wanted, the certainty that, in the longrun, my host could not be a loser, giving me a proper degree ofconfidence. I had just got through with the documents, and was thinkinghow I should employ the hour or two that remained until it would be timeto go to bed, when I heard Jaap tuning his fiddle in the bar-room. Likemost negroes, the fellow had an ear for music, and had been indulged inhis taste, until he played as well as half the country fiddlers thatwere to be met.

  The sound of a fiddle in a small hamlet, of a cool October evening, wascertain of its result. In half an hour the smiling landlady came toinvite me to join the company, with the grateful information I shouldnot want for a partner, the prettiest girl in the place having come inlate, and being still unprovided for. On entering the bar-room, I wasreceived with plenty of awkward bows and courtesies, but with muchsimple and well-meaning hospitality. Jaap's own salutations were veryelaborate, and altogether of a character to prevent the suspicion of ourever having met before.

  The dancing continued for more than two hours, with spirit, when thetime admonished the village maidens of the necessity of retiring. Seeingan indication of the approaching separation, Jaap held out his hat tome, in a respectful manner, when I magnificently dropped my shillinginto it, in a way to attract attention, and passed it around among themales of the party. One other gave a shilling, two clubbed andactually produced a quarter, several threw in sixpences, orfourpence-half-pennies, and coppers made up the balance. By way ofclimax, the landlady, who was good-looking and loved dancing, publiclyannounced that the fiddler and his horse should go scot-free, until heleft the place. By these ingenious means of Jaap's, I found in my pursenext morning seven-and-sixpence in silver, in addition to my ownshilling, besides coppers enough to keep a negro in cider for a week.

  I have often laughed over Jaap's management, though I would not permithim to repeat it. Passing the house of a man of better condition thancommon, I presented myself to its owner, though an entire stranger tohim, and told him my story. Without asking any other confirmation thanmy word, this gentleman lent me five silver dollars, which answered allmy present purposes, and which, I trust, it is scarcely necessary tosay, were duly repaid.

  It was a happy hour to me when I found myself a titular major, butvirtually a freeman, and at liberty to go where I pleased. The war hadoffered so little of variety or adventure, since the capture ofCornwallis and the pendency of the negotiations for peace, that I beganto tire
of the army; and now that the country had triumphed, was readyenough to quit it. The family, that is to say, my grandmother, mother,aunt Mary and my youngest sister, took possession of Satanstoe in timeto enjoy some of its delicious fruits in the autumn of 1782; and earlyin the following season, after the treaty was signed, but while theBritish still remained in town, my mother was enabled to return toLilacsbush. As consequences of these early movements, my father andmyself, when we joined the two families, found things in a better statethan might otherwise have been the case. The Neck was planted, and hadenjoyed the advantage of a spring's husbandry, while the grounds ofLilacsbush had been renovated and brought in good condition by thematured and practised taste of my admirable mother. And she _was_admirable, in all the relations of life! A lady in feeling and habits,whatever she touched or controlled imbibed a portion of her delicacy andsentiment. Even the inanimate things around her betrayed this feature oftheir connection with one of her sex's best qualities. I remember thatColonel Dirk Follock remarked to me one day that we had been examiningthe offices together, something that was very applicable to this traitin my mother's character, while it was perfectly just.

  "No one can see Mrs. Littlepage's kitchen, even," he said, "alt'ough shenever seems to enter it, without perceiving"--or "perceifing," as hepronounced the word--"that it is governed by a lady. There are plenty ofkitchens that are as clean, and as large, and as well furnished, but itis not common to see a kitchen that gives the same ideas of good tastein the table and about the household."

  If this was true as to the more homely parts of the habitation, how muchtruer was it when the distinction was carried into the superiorapartments! There, one saw my mother in person, and surrounded by thoseappliances which denote refinement, without, however, any of thatelaborate luxury of which we read in older countries. In America we hadmuch fine china, and a good deal of massive plate, regulardinner-services excepted, previously to the revolution, and my motherhad inherited more than was usual of both; but the country knew littleof that degree of domestic indulgence which is fast creeping in amongus, by means of its enormously increased commerce.

  Although the fortunes of the country had undergone so much waste duringseven years of internal warfare, the elasticity of a young and vigorousnation soon began to repair the evil. It is true that trade did notfully revive, nor its connecting interests receive their great impulse,until after the adoption of the Constitution, which brought the Statesunder a set of common custom-house regulations; nevertheless, one yearbrought about a manifest and most beneficent change. There was now somesecurity in making shipments, and the country immediately felt theconsequences. The year 1784 was a sort of breathing-time for the nation,though long ere it was past, the bone and sinew of the republic began tomake themselves apparent and felt. Then it was that, as a people, thiscommunity first learned the immense advantage it had obtained bycontrolling its own interests, and by treating them as secondary tothose of no other part of the world. This was the great gain of all ourlabors.