any other place.
Besides, the famous William and Mary College is there. You know many
of our greatest men went there, the Byrds, the Lees and Randolphs, and
Thomas Jefferson, he was a student there. I've heard that he would
like to have a college right here in Charlottesville run according to
a plan of his own. I'll wager if he wants it he'll get it if he lives.
Yes, we'll ride down there and have a fine time."

"That we will fer sure, if we go. Reckon I can fix it. Think we can
see Patrick Henry? I want to see him. They do say he can talk the
birds right out o' the trees."

"You never heard anything like it. He isn't much to look at, but when
he speaks he can make the hair in the back of your neck stand out
straight like the ruff of a cockerel in a fight."

"I hear the fellers talkin'. They'd march right to Joppa if he'd lead
'em."

"Don't believe he's much of a soldier, but he surely is an orator."

Angus rode home whistling.

That evening Mrs. Allison received the following letter in which the
reader may be interested, as was Rodney:

"PRYNDALE, Va., March 28th, 1775.

"DEAR AUNT HARRIET:--I threw away my crutches this morning, and tried
to celebrate by dancing a jig. I'm sure I should have succeeded to my
later sorrow but for Aunt Betty's horrified look, whereupon I sat down
to write you instead.

"Lawrence Enderwood thought Pryndale prosy and I had begun to believe
him when lo, two highwaymen set upon us; a knight errant mounted on a
splendid steed rides to the rescue; Firefly takes fright and runs away
with a helpless maiden hanging by one foot to the stirrup, and both
hands in the mane, expecting every moment to be dashed in pieces and
actually thinking of every wicked thing she ever did; my, but it was
an awful panorama! A snorting steed is heard in pursuit, the knight
errant spurs him on and seizes the bridle of the running horse,
rescues the hapless maiden, who has discovered that she is so wicked
she wants to live, and then, _mirabile dictu!_ the knight errant is
discovered to be no less a personage than one Rodney Allison. Excuse
me, Auntie, if I express the opinion that you've not brought him up
right; he's too shy and actually had to be urged to call on his old
playmate. Seriously, I would have seen him before he fled, had I known
he was there. Aunt Betty didn't tell me. You don't know what a shock
it was to papa and me, the news Rodney brought of the death