United States -- History -- Constitutional period, 1789-1809 -- Fiction
The younger Cary marched to the polls with his head held high, and voted
loudly for his brother. The latter smiled upon him, and said with
simplicity, "Thank you, Fair!" The Republican candidate looked
attentively at the young man. The spirit and the fire, subdued in the
elder brother, was in the younger as visible as lightning. Rand was
quick at divining men, and now he thought, "This man would make a
tireless enemy."
Following Fairfax Cary came another of the group who had entered with
the Carys. "Mr. Peyton votes for Mr. Ludwell Cary!" cried the sheriff.
The Federalists applauded, the Republicans groaned, the tallymen took
note, and Cary bowed his thanks. "Mr. Peyton, your very humble servant!
Mount Eagle and Greenwood are old comrades-at-arms!"
"I'll kill _your_ vote, Craven Peyton!" came a voice. "I vote, Mr.
Sheriff, for Lewis Rand!"
"Ludwell Cary!" cried another, "and there's a killer killed, Dick
Carr!"
"I'll draw a bead on you, Gentry!" put in a third. "The best shot in the
county, Mr. Sheriff, and that's Lewis Rand!"
"Lewis Rand stands ten ahead!" cried a committee-man; and the sheriff,
"Gentlemen, gentlemen! order at the polls!"
A small, wizened man, middle-aged and elaborately dressed in much
ancient and tarnished finery, came bowing through the crowd. A curled
wig shadowed a narrow face, and lace ruffles fell over long-fingered
hands, yellow as old ivory. The entire figure was fantastic, even a
little grotesque, though after a pleasant fashion. In a mincing voice
and with a strong French accent, M. Achille Pincornet, dancing-master
and performer on the violin, intimated that he wished to vote for Mr.
Ludwell Cary. Lewis Rand glanced sharply up, then made a sign to a
sandy-haired and freckled man who, tally in hand, stood near him.
"I challenge that vote!" cried the man with the tally.
"Mr. Pincornet's vote is challenged!" shouted the sheriff.
"Order, order, gentlemen! Your reason, Mr. Mocket?"
"The gentleman is a Frenchman and not a citizen of the United States! He
is not even a citizen of the French Republic! He is an émigré. He has no
vote. Mark off his name!"
"Sir!" cried the challenged voter, "I am a de Pincornet, cadet of a
house well known in Gascony! If I left France, I left it to find a great
and free country, a country where one gentleman may serve another!"
A roar of laughter, led by Mocket, arose from the younger and lower sort
of Republicans. "But you do serve, Mr. Pincornet! You teach all the
'Well-born' how to dance!"
"Didn't you teach the Carys? They dance beautifully."
"Are brocaded coats still worn in Gascony?"
"_Ne sutor supra crepidam judicaret!_ Caper all you please on a waxed
floor, but leave Virginians to rule!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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