Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III Young Sophia Sparkle Whispers Scandal And Colonel Burr's Leg Corroborates It. He is gracious, if he be observed: He hath a tear for pity, and a hand Open as day for melting charity: Yet notwithstanding, being incensed, he's flint, As humourous as winter, and as sudden As flaws congealed in the spring of day. —Shakespeare—"King Henry IV." OPHIA!" cried Mistress Sparkle in thunder- ing tones, a few moments after Col. Burr's message had come to Dolly, "Sophia, my dear, leave the room!" Sophia and Sally were holding a quiet chatter in half whispers by the fireplace and this ultimatum from her mother grieved and exasperated the child sorely. "Oh, Ma! Please don't. I know all about him any way, so you needn't send me out." "Know all about whom, child? What are you talking about?" snapped her mother. "About Col. Burr, Ma. It's he that you're going to talk about. That's why you're sending me away." "And may I be permitted to ask," said her mother, all abristle with indignant curiosity which even her anger could not hide. "What is it that you know aboutthis Monster in Human Form. Heavens above! What on earth are we coming to when a child of your age speaks in such familiar terms of so opprobrious a man? Out with it, Sophia ! and no prevarications please. What do you know about him ?" "Only what they say at school, Ma," said Sophia tremblingly, and yet with a certain bravado. Back of all the chagrin caused by the banishment which she now saw was sure to come, there was too, even in her humiliation before her elders, a certain glory in being made a martyr for her championship of the great Aaron Burr. So Sophia tossed her pretty tousled head, felt as she was quite sure Joan of Arc must have felt on the eve of h...