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four corners. As usual, one of the most imposing of these edifices had been
termed, in the language of the day, a house of entertainment for man and
beast. On a rough board suspended from the gallows looking post that had
supported the ancient sign was, however, written in red chalk Elizabeth
Flanagan, her hotel, an ebullition of wit from some of the idle wags of the
corps. The matron, whose name had thus been exalted to an office of such
unexpected dignity, ordinarily discharged the duties of a female sutler,
washerwoman, and, to use the language of Katy Haynes, bitch-doctor to the
troops; she was the widow of a soldier who had been killed in the service, and
who, like herself, was a native of a distant island, that had early tried his
fortune in the colonies of North America. She constantly migrated with the
troops, and it was seldom that they became stationary for two days at a time,
but the little cart of the bustling woman was seen driving into their
encampment, loaded with such articles, as she conceived would make her
presence most welcome. With a celerity that seemed almost supernatural, Betty
took up her ground and commenced her occupation; sometimes the cart itself was
her shop; at others, the soldiers made her a rude shelter of such materials as
offered; but on the present occasion she had seized on a vacant building, and
by dint of stuffing the dirty breeches and half dried linen of the troopers in
the broken windows, to exclude the cold which had now become severe, she
formed what she herself had pronounced to be most iligant lodgings. The men
were quartered in the adjacent barns, and the officers collected in the Hotel
Flanagan, which they facetiously called headquarters. Betty was well known to
every trooper in the corps, could call each by his christian or nick-name, as
best suited her fancy; and, although absolutely intolerable to all whom habit
had not made familiar with her virtues, was a general favorite with these
partizan warriors. Her faults were, a trifling love of liquor, excessive
filthiness, and a total disregard to all the decencies of language; her
virtues, an unbounded love for her adopted country, perfect honesty when
dealing on certain known principles with the soldiery, and great good nature:
added to these, Betty had the merit of being the inventor of that beverage
which is so well known at the present hour, to all the patriots who make a
winter s march between the commercial and political capitals of this great
state, and which is distinguished by the name of cock-tail. Elizabeth
Flanagan was peculiarly well qualified by education and circumstances to
perfect this improvement in liquors, having been literally brought up on its
principal ingredient, and having acquired from her Virginia customers the use
of mint, from its flavour in a julep, to its height of renown in the article
in question. Such, then, was the mistress of the mansion, who, reckless of the
cold northern blasts, showed her blooming face from the door of the building
to welcome the arrival of her favorite, Captain Lawton, and his companion, her
master in matters of surgery.
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Ah! by my hopes of promotion, my gentle Elizabeth, but you are welcome,
cried the trooper, as he threw himself from his saddle; this villanous fresh
water gas from the Canadas, has been whistling among my bones till they ache
with the cold, but the sight of your fiery countenance is as cheering as a
christmas fire.
Now, sure, Captain Jack, you are always full of your complimentaries,
replied the sutler, taking the bridle of her customer; but hurry in for the
life of you, darling; the fences hereabouts are not so strong as in the
Highlands, and there s that within will warm both sowl and body.
So you have been laying the rails under contribution, I see; well, that may
do for the body, said the captain coolly; but I have had a pull at a bottle
of cut glass with a silver stand, and don t think I could relish your whiskey
for a month to come.
If it s silver or goold that your thinking of, it s but little I have,
though I ve a trifling bit of the continental, said Betty with a look of much
meaning, but there s that within that s fit to be put in vessels of
di monds.
What can she mean, Archibald? asked Lawton quickly: the animal looks as if
she meant more than she says.
Tis probably a wandering of the reasoning powers, created by the frequency
of intoxicating draughts, observed the surgeon coolly, as he deliberately
threw his left leg over the pommel of his saddle, and slid down on the right
side of his horse.
Faith, my dear jewel of a doctor, but it was this side I was expecting you;
the whole corps come down on this side but yourself, said Betty, winking at
the trooper; but I ve been feeding the wounded, in your absence, with the fat
of the land.
Barbarous stupidity! cried the panic-stricken physician, to feed men
labouring under the excitement of fever with powerful nutriment; woman, woman,
you are enough to defeat the skill of Hippocrates himself.
Pooh! said Betty with infinite composure, what a botheration you make
about a little whiskey; there was but a gallon betwixt a good two dozen of
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