United States -- History -- Constitutional period, 1789-1809 -- Fiction
So many crowded to vote as Washington would have voted, that it almost
seemed as though his shade might lead the Federalists to victory. But
the dead Washington must cope with the living Jefferson; mild monarchism
and stately rule with a spirit born of time, nursed by Voltaire and
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, grown articulate in the French Revolution, and
now full swing toward majority. When thrown, the Democrat-Republicans
rose from the earth like Antæus. Much of the gentle blood and many of
the prominent men of the county voted for Lewis Rand. Jefferson's
personal following of friends and kinsmen was large; these accepted his
man as a matter of course, while to the plain men of the county Lewis
Rand was more even than the coming man: he was of them; he was a plain
man. The clamour and excitement grew. "Here come the Three-Notched Road
people!" cried a voice. "They all rolled tobacco with Gideon Rand!"
The Three-Notched Road people voted to a man for the son of Gideon Rand,
and were promptly reinforced by a contingent of hot Republicans from the
Ragged Mountains. At ten o'clock Lewis Rand was again well ahead, but at
this hour there was a sharp rally of the Federalists. A cheering from
without announced the arrival of some popular voter, and Colonel
Churchill and his brother, Major Edward, and an array of Federalists
from the Fontenoy district, entered the Court House.
"The Churchills are coming, Oho! Oho!" sang out a wag perched on the
window-sill.
"Not to that tune," roared a Scot from the gallery. "Mon, they're
Tories!"
"Gentlemen, gentlemen! order at the polls!" shouted the sheriff.
"Colonel Churchill, for whom do you vote?"
"I vote, sir," cried the Colonel, "for Mr. Ludwell Cary, for a gentleman
and a patriot, sir, and may the old county never be represented but by
such!"
"Order, order at the polls! Colonel Churchill votes for Mr. Ludwell
Cary! Major Edward Churchill, whom do you vote for?"
"For whom do you suppose, Mr. Sheriff?" said the Major. "For Mr. Ludwell
Cary."
Cary rose from the bench and stepped forward to the edge of the
platform. "Colonel Dick, Major Edward, I thank you both. May I deserve
your confidence and your favour! Fontenoy is as dear to me as
Greenwood."
"By God, you shall win, Ludwell!" cried Colonel Dick. "Here's a regiment
of us to see you through!"
"Rome hasn't fallen yet," added Major Edward. "I don't hear the geese
cackling."
"One's cackling now," smiled Cary, and Mr. Tom Mocket stepped up to the
polls.
"It's not a goose; it's a turkey buzzard!"
"It's not feathered at all," said Fairfax Cary. "It's a mangy jackal to
a mangy lion."
The young man had spoken loudly and contemptuously. Rand, on the
Justice's Bench, and Mocket, in the act of voting, both heard, and both
looked his way. Ludwell Cary knit his brows, and meeting his brother's
eyes, slightly shook his head. Look and gesture said, "Leave abuse
alone, Fair."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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