Beside the hearth at Pendergasses

Bedford Village introduces new characters, as well as expands on some of those we met in The Forest And The Fort. These people cover the entire spectrum of humankind, and Hervey Allen has the talent to make them come alive by presenting them in more than one dimension. They are complex and interesting.

Garrett Pendergass

Here is an admirable man! The first mention of Garrett Pendergass is in The Forest And The Fort, but then, only through his diaries. He knew Salathiel's parents, and thus takes a special interest in him. The author sums it up best when he writes; "...a hale and hearty, still powerful, and whit-bearded man of seventy"........... "Somehow in himself he did personify the achievement of what so many had come into the wilderness to get: freedom, ease, and abundance." He is Salathiel's surrogate father.

Rose Pendergass

The great matriarch of the Pendergass clan, she is a figure of considerable mystery, preferring to remain apart, in the family's quarters connected to Garrett's Inn. Rose is a guiding light for all of Bedford's women folk. She was the one they turned to when the unruly children of the village became a problem. Her solution? Start a school - - and it worked!

Captain Jack

In Bedford Village, an entire chapter is devoted to the early days of this magnificent character! He is a mythic figure, and his story is entrancing. He is an Anglo-Saxon killer (so is Salathiel, for that matter) - motivated by the years ago slaying of his wife and family.

Ian Rogers writes; "I'm not sure I liked him at all! He was a kind of hate-magnifying glass. I know he had his reasons and all, but still, not an entirely sympathetic figure. Mind you - I'd rather be on his side in a scrap than agin him!"

Whatever your feelings, this healer-turned-slayer is one of the most colorful people around!

Phoebe Davison

Garrett and Rose's granddaughter. "The girl, about sixteen years old, had a laugh like clear water being poured from a silver urn." She is the love of Salathiel's life. There are some real heart rendering moments in their innocent romance, but it's all for not.

Mr. Gladwin

This person is an disciple of Freemasonry from the Grand Lodge at Philadelphia. His mission was to travel to the more distant outposts and recruit the good men in those areas into Blue Lodge Masonry. His role is important in the book, because so much is discussed concerning the Masons, and their vital role in holding the vast wilderness "together". The reader knows that there is a closer bond between the select man of Bedford, and we know why.

BACKto Bedford Village

BACKto Contents