Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1823-1847, 1845-02-20
BY GEO. II. BEAMAN



garment Tor both her father and his guo.,
Hunt wen, iu,o hi. own Lutte bed room. an,
came out dry and comfortable SILL Shaw
did not spposr Hannah seated herself o
The table, broke the corn bread and poutcd
out a cup Of tea Hun, took the cup set 4
down un'a-cd and leaning his elbow or
the table, wanod ior his companion &c
come in A. LIST he started mp aud went tt
the door n horse was standing near. wht
saddle 90 and his birdie dragging along
the wet grass II was lis own horse tn,
old man started on, in the rain, caugh, the
horse and led him towards the stable, uhot,
he expected 10 find Shaw. All was still
IN the log sable the door was open, but
no living thing stirred within. Hunt shout
I'd aloud, again and again he went into
I the |. qusc for lantern, md searched every
whore .fpr his friend Hannah followed
I him in silenee, the tears rolling down her
PALE face, and oppressed with an onxlo,y
such as never had filled her breast before.
It was all IN vain, no voice answered the
anxious shouts Of David Hunt Once he
, had heard something like the quick tramp
Of a horse down in the woods the sound
lasted but nnInstnn,, and both fa'her AMI
daughter went into the house flied with
trouble and CONSERVATION
The whirlwind wen, by; the min ceas.
cd, and the wind died moaning among the
torn foliage; the moon came on, once more
smiling Ike the face OF an unconscious
cbllJ, over the Wild scene below Il looked
calmly upon the Garth, torn and ragged and
narrowed up as j, had been by the Storm
on the shattered lrces-the heritage broken
and soiled, and hcnpcd together in ridges
on the place 1t had beaulfcd when tho sun
went down Like Christian soul. cnpcr
10 ding n mantle OF charity over the ruin
which SIN has made, that peareful moon
wove veil Of misty silver mid the devas.
ta'lons which. but ior 1t, would have been
drrnry indeed
But there WINS one object lving in the
cnrl.rond deep in the forest, which the pure
moonbcams but rendered morr horrible
II was human form, flung like slaugh.
tered animal across The trunk Of an oak.
which Hun, had seen uprooicd but an hour
before. The lax limbs were cniancl led IN
n bough which was b. Oxen bent and crush.
ed by their weight; the face was turned
upwards, white cold and ghustly, among
n mass Of leaves, matted Together by the
dark stream which isickolcd heavily down
from the body upon them -
There was none oflhose pleasant sounds
OF dropping water which would have fol
lowed common storm in the forest for the
wind had swept the min away as i, fell, and
I,,.L IL. H.,
Bat tia, small current of blood ran
slowly down the drcnchcd hunting frock,
which hung around the body, through tho
crushed leaves to the earth drop by drop
fell upon the swce, air with n sluggish md
horrid monotony, Till ,hr moonbeams smiled
upon tie scene MS they had smiled upon the
blossomlng turf the night before
The smolhered football Of horse, sniff
ting hi, way through the mud, gave nno,h-
or sluggish sound to the still night II
grew slower and more laborious n, the ia.
dcd horse drew near, md stopped altogether
some races from the uproo,cd oak a man,
whose thin face looked sharp and haggnrd
IN the moonbeams dismoun,ed and struck
fierce unsteady blow with stick he had
gathered up from the wnyside, which sen,
the poor animal tearing down the road
The branches ofthe fallen oak crat@icd I'M.
der him as he rushed through it, The
body slid down litie and the horse plcnr.
, e., with the clanklng STRIPS mud loose
bride deep into the forest. When this
sound had entirely died away, the horssmqn
crsp, towards the oak softly, as If he was a
frnId Of arousng the body though his eit.
,cIing eyes were fixed on the dark trees
beyond, not on the gloomy object nsclt
The man stopped down MS he drew near
the tree, crouched i0wer and lower I'LL his
knees surk in the ground, and CROPPED a.
bon, in the mud heritage, as If in search Of
something HIS hand touched the blade Of
n knife, hafburied in the earth he grnsped
X BY the point, sprung to his feet with a
! sharp breath. and holding II before him,
/ clenche eagerly with both hands, laugh
el horrible choking laugh as The blade
shook IN the moonlight
You will bear no evidence against me
1 now, old friend he said, in voice tina,
/ fell upon the mir so strange and hoarse that
/ he started and looked over his shoulder ns
| if another man had spoken his thoughts
/ All was s,ll, bu, the murderer had been
frightened by M. own voice, and SUNK n.
way with his face still turned back toward
the body though he had never once look
ed upon it
Another horse WAS tied in n hollow,
scarcely twenty PAGES down the ro1d 'hro
an the hurricane, and with the lightning
firing his eyes he stood without winclng /;
bu, now thai he saw h'' master oGmIng
heavily toward him he began to paR the
mud with his hoof and gave a fam, neigh.
The man pared his lips, and tried 10 check
this manifestation Of JOY, but the words dicd