ould glance at the boy. James did not think much of the
poetry. He heard a great deal about tresses, and eyes, and smiles, about
Gods and Goddesses, but nothing about soldiers or Indians. He was
surprised that the Captain should have become so red in the face and
that his eyes should shine so brightly.

"What do you think of it?" asked Captain Kent, when he had finished.

"I don't understand it," said James. Then he added frankly, "I don't
think much of poetry."

"May Heaven grant she does!" exclaimed the Captain. "I think 'tis quite
a fair performance for an humble poet." He folded the verses and put
them away. "Some day you will be doing the same thing, Mr. Cooper."

"No," said the boy. "I'm to go to Yale College at New Haven next year
and learn Greek."

"'Tis better to write verses than learn Greek," objected Kent. He put
his hand on the boy's shoulder. "But there's better yet waiting to be
done, boy. In London men write what they call novels; wonderful stories
of the great world of fashion. There's one called 'Amelia,' by Henry
Fielding, and another named 'Clarissa Harlowe,' by Richardson. Why
should not some one write such tales of our country? Alas, I fancy
because as yet we have so little fashion."

"But we've plenty of hunters and Indians and sailors," said the boy; "I
wish I had a book about what's happened in those great woods back of
Albany."

"Write it, lad, write it," said the Captain. "We've had our soldiers,
you and your friends must be our poets and writers. I envy you. Now let
us be going in to greet the ladies."

The lower floor of Otsego Hall was now filled with people. All the
gentry of the countryside were gathered in the great hall, in the
dining-room, and other apartments that opened into it. Captain Kent and
his boy friend made their way through the crowd, and the Captain bent
over the hand of Mrs. Cooper and congratulated her on having so fine a
son. The boy liked his gallant friend and stayed near him, even when the
Captain finally caught sight of Miss Betty Cosgrove talking with his two
mates in a corner of the hall.

James watched the Captain advance and in his most polished manner bend
over the lady's hand and touch it with his lips. Then the four of them
started to laugh and talk rapidly as though they had a great many things
to tell each other. The boy thought this very tiresome, and was about to
make his way back to the porch and freedom when he heard a man who stood
on the bro