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 broad stairs call out, "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you all a toast, our worthy friend and most gracious host, Mr. Cooper!"
Servants passed glasses of punch to the guests and soon all held their glasses raised high.
"I pledge them," cried the man on the stairs, and the toast was drunk with a murmur of cheers.
"Another to our charming hostess!" some one cried, and this also was drunk.
Then Captain Kent clapped his hands for silence. "Ladies and gentlemen of Cooperstown," said he, "three of us here have journeyed from New York City to pay our duty to the fairest maid in all the thirteen states. We have none like her on Manhattan Island. I give you Mistress Betty Cosgrove!"
The three young men raised their glasses, the rest followed their example, and the toast was drunk. Miss Cosgrove blushed the color of the rose she wore.
One of the young men looked down to find a small boy pulling his sleeve. "What is it?" he asked.
"Captain Kent's been writing verses to her too," said James Cooper. "He read them to me in the garden."
"Ho—ho," came the laughing answer. "Good enough." He turned about. "Ladies and gentlemen, my friend Captain Kent is a poet. He has some verses in his pocket written to the adorable Mistress Betty. Shall we hear them?"
"Yes, yes," came a chorus of voices.