Free The Charleston Chase (Phantom Knights Book 2) by Amalie Vantana Page B

be the eyes and ears that gave the alert
about unknown threats. He never truly involved himself, other than
pledging his support to my father that he would remain both silent
about the Phantoms and prepared should he ever be called upon for
help.
    As I stood among a large crowd who were all facing a
raised stand adjacent to the brick Capitol, there was an excited
air of anticipation. The sun was bright and warming the air, so
that the thick overcoats of winter were not required. It was as if,
after being absent most of last year and earning 1816 the title of
the year without a summer, the sun was ushering in James Monroe’s
new leadership with approval. This day marked the first
inauguration of a president out of doors.
    As Chief Justice John Marshall administered the oath
of office to James, I felt a swell of great pride and a small sense
of sadness. My father would have relished this day. He would have
considered it a triumph, not only for James, but for himself.
    As James placed his hand on the Bible and swore to
preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, I knew that every
person in the crowd was feeling the same awe as me. It was a great
day for our country. After the ravages of war and then a year of
weather that caused even more deaths, we were eager for a new
era.
    James stepped up to give his address smiling at the
crowd. From his dark suit to his powdered wig, he reminded me of
the portraits of the men who stood in that role before him, and I
knew James would serve the nation well, never taking advantage of
the power placed in his hands.
    James had held many offices in the past; Senator
from Virginia, Minister to France, Minister to the United Kingdom,
two time Governor of Virginia, Secretary of State, Secretary of
War, and now the President. He had also fought in the Revolution,
receiving a nearly fatal wound to his shoulder.
    When he said, “During a period fraught with
difficulties and marked by very extraordinary events, the United
States has flourished beyond example. Their citizens individually
have been happy, and the nation prosperous,” people cheered and
clapped, me among them. There was a smile on his lips as he
continued.
    He spoke of commerce; new states admitted to the
union, and that there had been no example of a capital punishment
being inflicted upon anyone for the crime of high treason. Nor had
there been. I do not know what the ruling would have been against
Richard if it had ever been taken to higher courts, but James did
not know everything that Richard had planned to do with Levitas. My
mother had cut Richard’s life short before he could be tried.
    James spoke of agriculture and
of the abundance that our great nation is able to produce ,
a surplus for the wants of our fellow men in other
countries.
    “Such, then, being the highly favored condition of
our country, it is the interest of every citizen to maintain it.
What are the dangers which menace us? If any exist, they ought to
be ascertained and guarded against.”
    I was sure he looked at me when he spoke that. It
was for that exact purpose that the Phantoms were created.
    “Had the people of the United States been educated
in different principles, had they been less intelligent, less
independent, or less virtuous, can it be believed that we should
have maintained the same steady and consistent career or been
blessed with the same success? While, then, the constituent body
retains its present sound and healthful state everything will be
safe. They will choose competent and faithful representatives for
every department. It is only when the people become ignorant and
corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are
incapable of exercising the sovereignty. Usurpation is then an easy
attainment, and a usurper soon found. The people themselves become
the willing instruments of their own debasement and ruin. Let us,
then, look to the great cause, and endeavor to preserve it in full
force. Let us by all wise and