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.»Walk in, serjeant, walk in, my good friend,« said old Lundie, heartily, as his inferior, stood in a respectful attitude at the door of a sort of library and bed-room into which he had been ushered; »walk in, and take a seat on that stool.I have sent for you, man, to discuss any thing but rosters and payrolls, this evening.It is now many years since we have been comrades, and ›auld lang syne‹ should count for something, even between a Major and his orderly, a Scot and a Yankee.Sit ye down, man, and just put yourself at your ease.It has been a fine day, serjeant?«»It has indeed, Major Duncan,« returned the other, who, though he complied so far as to take the seat, was much too practised not to understand the degree of respect it was necessary to maintain in his manner; »a very fine day, sir, it has been, and we may look for more of them, at this season.«»I hope so, with all my heart.The crops look well, as it is, man, and you'll be finding that the 55th make almost as good farmers as soldiers.I never saw better potatoes in Scotland, than we are likely to have, in that new patch, of ours.«»They promise a good yield, Major Duncan, and, in that light, a more comfortable winter than the last.«»Life is progressive, serjeant, in its comforts, as well as in its need of them.We grow old, and I begin to think it time to retire and settle in life.I feel that my working days are nearly over.«»The King, God bless him, sir, has much good service, in your honor, yet.«»It may be so, Serjeant Dunham, especially if he should happen to have a spare Lt-Colonelcy left.«»The 55th will be honored the day that commission is given to Duncan of Lundie, sir.«»And Duncan of Lundie will be honored the day he receives it.But, serjeant, if you have never had a Lt-Colonelcy you have had a good wife, and that is the next thing to rank, in making a man happy.«»I have been married, Major Duncan, but it is now a long time since I have had no drawback on the love I bear His Majesty and my duty.«»What, man, not even the love you bear that active, little, round-limbed, rosy-cheeked daughter, that I have seen in the fort, these last few days! Out upon you, serjeant! old fellow as I am, I could almost love that little lassie, myself, and send the Lt-Colonelcy to the devil.«»We all know where Major Duncan's heart is, and that is in Scotland, where a beautiful lady is ready and willing to make him happy, as soon as his own sense of duty shall permit.«»Ay, hope is ever a far off thing, serjeant,« returned the superior, a shade of melancholy passing over his hard Scottish features as he spoke; »and bonny Scotland is a far off country.Well, if we have no heather, and oat-meal in this region, we have venison for the killing it, and salmon as plenty as at Berwick upon Tweed.Is it true, serjeant, that the men complain of having been over-venisoned, and over-pigeoned of late?«»Not for some weeks, Major Duncan, for neither deer nor birds are so plenty at this season as they have been.They begin to throw their remarks about concerning the salmon, but I trust we shall get through the summer without any serious disturbance on the score of food.The Scotch in the battalion do, indeed, talk more than is prudent of their want of oat-meal, grumbling occasionally of our wheaten bread.«»Ah! that is human nature, serjeant, pure unadulterated Scotch human nature.A cake, man, to say the truth is an agreeable morsel, and I often see the time, when I pine for a bite, myself.«»If the feeling gets to be troublesome, Major Duncan – in the men I mean, sir; for I would not think of saying so disrespectful a thing to your honor – but if the men ever pine seriously for their natural food, I would humbly recommend that some oat-meal be imported, or prepared in this country for them, and I think we shall hear no more of it.A very little would answer for a cure, sir.«»You are a wag, serjeant, but hang me if I am sure you are not right.There may be sweeter things in this world, after all, than oat-meal.You have a sweet daughter, Dunham, for one.«»The girl is like her mother, Major Duncan, and will pass inspection,« said the serjeant proudly.»Neither was brought up on any thing better than good American flour.The girl will pass inspection, sir!«»That would she, I'll answer for it.Well, I may as well come to the point at once, man, and bring up my reserve into the front of the battle.Here is Davy Muir, the quarter-master, disposed to make your daughter his wife, and he has just got me to open the matter to you, being fearful of compromitting his own dignity – and I may as well add, that half the youngsters in the fort toast her, and talk of her from morning till night.«»She is much honored, sir,« returned the father, stiffly, »but I trust the gentlemen will find something more worthy of them to talk about, ere long.I hope to see her the wife of an honest man before many weeks, sir.«»Yes, Davy is an honest man, and that is more than can be said for all in the Quarter-Master's department, I'm thinking, serjeant,« returned Lundie, with a slight smile.»Well, then, may I tell the Cupid-stricken youth, that the matter is as good as settled?«»I thank your honor, but Mabel is betrothed to another.«»The devil she is! That will produce a stir in the fort, though I'm not sorry to hear it, either, for to be frank with you, serjeant, I'm no great admirer of unequal matches.«»I think, with your honor, and have no desire to see my daughter an officer's lady.If she can get as high as her mother was before her, it ought to satisfy any reasonable woman.«»And may I ask, serjeant, who is the lucky man that you intend to call son-in-law?«»The Pathfinder, your honor.«»Pathfinder!«»The same, Major Duncan, and in naming him to you, I give you his whole history.No one is better known on this frontier, than my honest, brave, true-hearted friend.«»All that is true enough, but is he, after all, the sort of person to make a girl of twenty happy.«»Why not, your honor; the man is at the head of his calling.There is no other guide, or scout, connected with the army that has half the reputation of Pathfinder, or who deserves to have it, half as well.«»Very true, serjeant, but is the reputation of a scout, exactly the sort of renown to captivate a girl's fancy
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