he was very reserved, told us that he had indeed come from over the
sea, and bore a letter to the Nicholsons, who were old friends of his
family, but of himself he would say no more. And so, when he strode
off, we turned to Captain Hezekiah Brown of the Maid of Perth, who was
a man who delighted to talk. From him we learned that his name was
Gordon, and that there was a mystery about him, as people suspected
him of being one of the young chiefs who had led that famous clan in
the recent rebellion against the King. But this we held not to his
injury, for there were still many lovers of the White Rose in the fair
province of Maryland, and we afterward welcomed him the more heartily
for it. From the advent of the stranger the good fortune of James
Rodolph began to wane; for the rich planter of the border, with his
wild and boisterous manners, was no match for the Scottish cavalier.
It is true that he was penniless, but he was very handsome, of
distinguished manners and address, and when it became known that he
was out in 'forty-five' the mantle of romance that fell around Prince
Charles was shared as well by him, and he became the hero of many a
pair of fair eyes.

"James Rodolph soon saw this, and his hatred grew from day to day, as
his rival became more successful. One day there was a quarrel, and
next morning, upon the smooth, sandy shore of the river, they met and
fought it out. Rodolph was fiery, quick, and fierce; Gordon cool and
steady; until Rodolph, growing weary and desperate, tried a foul and
dangerous stroke, to find his rapier flying through the air, to fall
with a splash into the river.

"'I would not stain my blade by killing you,' said Gordon; and turning
with the other gentlemen who had seen the foul stroke, he walked away,
leaving him there.

"And so it was that Rodolph came back to Cecil with a blot upon his
name, and Gordon married the maid, and became in time the owner of the
Braes, for she was an heiress as well as a great beauty. From that
time has grown the feud which we may some day see the end of. And that
is why the people laughed and Rodolph slunk away. For the old story is
known throughout the shore, and Rodolph proved, in his fight with you,
the bad blood in his veins. It never does to cross the white blood
with the red, for the treachery of the Indian will taint the race for
generations."

Thus it was, by the light of this old tale of thirty years before, I
saw and read the cause and re