s off, fair Hulda," the Captain cried,
joyfully, as Hulda had been moved to relieve the poor old woman; "no one
shall assist at these ceremonies of expiation but Van Dorn himself,
whose rights in Mistress Cannon are of priority. She's dropsical, and
hastening to perdition too soon, which I must arrest and let her comfort
me still more. Sweet comforter! Young gentleman, you shall help me."

Levin took hold of Patty Cannon's feet and found that she seemed made of
bone, so tough were her sinews, and Van Dorn easily lifted her broad
shoulders, and so she was laid on a bed in the next room, where the
elegant Captain was seen rubbing her limbs, and even handling a bottle
of leeches, one of which he allowed to crawl over the hand that wore the
diamond, making it look like a ruby melting or in living motion. As this
voracious blood-lover took his fill around the straight ankles of the
hostess, the dainty Captain held her in his arms like an ardent lover.

"Honey," sighed the woman, "my rent is due, and Jake Cannon never waits.
Take Huldy and this yer new recruit, my cousin Levin Cannon, an' drive
'em to the ferry,--an' watch that boy, Van Dorn: I want him broke in!
Give him a pistol and a knife, an' have him cut somebody. Put the
blood-mark on him and he's ours."

"Great woman!" the Captain lisped, prolific of his kisses, "Maria
Theresa! Semiramis! Agrippina! Cleopatra! ever fecund in great ideas and
growing youthful by nightshade, _alto! quedo!_ but I love thee!"

"Am I young a little yit, honey?" asked Patty Cannon. "Oh, don't deceive
me, Van Dorn! Can my eyes look love an' hate, like old times?"

"_Si! quiza!_ More and more, dark angel, entering into black age like
torches in a cave, I see your deep eyes flame; but never do they please
me, Patty, as when they flash on some new wicked idea, like this of
marking the boy for life. Who is he?"

"He's a Cannon, one of the stock that my Delaware man belonged to. His
mother looked down on me fur coming in their family: I have remembered
her."

"You want your young cousin made a felon, then?"

"Yes, honey, I want him scorched, so the devil will know him fur his
own."

The Captain reached down to the lady's feet and pulled off the leech and
held it up against his hollow palm, gorged with the blood of the fair
patient.

"See, Patty! The boy shall drink blood like this, till, drunk with it,
he can hold on no more, and drops into our fate as in this vial."

As he spoke he l