The North-Carolina standard., 1845-09-17
MISCELLANEOUS.
THE QUAKER's DAUGHTER,
STORY OF OLD SALEM.

blot on the historic page of New England and
the lifted veil discloses fury of religious intoler-
Iance, and violence of persecution, which darkIy
stains Inc character of those who, in other re-
lspects, merit our highest encomiums
1t was during The height of the popular fury in
New England against the QuakeTs, that the oc-
icurrences which am about to relate took place
Before small, unpainted house in Salem, on
beautiful summer evening, sat an old man and u
fair girl, his daughter. Their faces illy conceal
ed the anxiety of their hearts, and listener mig hi
easily kave seen that their fearful forebodinos
were not unfounded.
/ Verify" said the old man, after pause in
the conversation, during which he had appeared
TO be engaged in inward prayer, "verily the
hand of persecution is heavy upon US. Surely it
was this place that caused my own wife, Rebecca
to 60 down to the grave, ere yet the grasshopper
had brcome burden as it has to me. And now,
! poor William, what will become of him? Twice
has he suffered the cruel sentence of an unrght-
eous law for visiting you my daughter. pray
God that he may not have the temerty to return"
"Amen," with blanchcd cheeks and fearful
eyes, CALCULATED the maiden Her anxious aui.
tude, her clasped hands-alI told a tale of deep
affection. To William Horsey had her youth
ful faith been plighted, while she yet was in her
native England and the extent of his affection
may be imagined, when it is remembered that
twice. as the reader has already been informed,
had ne been publicly whipped for venturing
within the precincts of that town from which he
had been banished. The penalty of the third Of
fence was death, and yet in spite of the danger, he
dared week after week to visit her whom he low
ed; and her afectonate remonstEances only serv-
ed to heighten his passion for one who, in her
love for another, though not of herself.
Long and anxious did father and daug hter con-
verse about their future prospects They could
not suppose that. known as were they to be Qua
kers they should long remain unmolesled but
there was in the breast of each carefully nour-
ished hope that their perfectly harmless and qui-
ct life might, at least, avert for time the storm
which they felt to be gathering. .--..-.
But these hopes were vain. AS the two arose
to retreat to their dwelling from the night air and
dew, their attention was arrested by loud voices
and the tread of heavy fet Shortly party of
rough, illavored men stopped at the door of their
humble house, and freely entering and seating
themselves within, began to pass the usual rough
ijests which the presence of unprotected beauty
will always excite in the minds of The brutal and
unfeeling.
The visit filled the beautiful Quakcress. with
undisguised alarm she, wholly unprotected, for
her father appeared supplied by the before un-
heard of Liberties with his property and said not
a word; but by the occasional flash of his eye
at some new outrage it was easy to see that IN
! his younger days, a much smaller injury would
have called forth something besides angry looks
The object of thrir coming was soon made
manifest. "The town can't allow you, old fe1-
ler," said the leader of the gang. "to cumber this
ground any longer. So stir up your stumps and
be of. If you're here at six O'clock tomorrow
morning, by the whisktrs of the Virgin, you
shan't have a roof to cover YOU"
' l obey," said the old man meekiy.
But for this little sparrow" continued the
rufap, "If she can fancy me, she shall go
home and live with me. What say you my
dear?"
The girl replied by an indignant gesture.
"Ah [ know which way the wind lies I've
seen that Horsley around here before now; but
bark We, you know his fate as well as do if he
ventures into these parts again So warn him.
for I'm on the look out.
The distress and alarm depicted on the girls
countenance was SO evident, that the fellow stop
ped, and, after reiterating his injunclons TO the
old man. the bind took welcome leave
The Lords will be DONE" said the Quaker
after short pause, " let us obey those who have
the power"
A short time was consumed in making prepar-
atons for their departure, but ere their arrange
ments could be completed, the old man was stricken
down with burning fever. The unusual excite
ment had been too much for him, and hastcned
disease. the symptoms of which he had felt for
two or three days.
For some minutes after the truth broke upon
the mind of the daughter, she remained supplied,
not knowing whittier to return. All their Qua
ker friends (and they had no others) had desert
ed the place. Her lover she knew would fly to
her assistance, if he could but be made acquainted
with her situation but bis presence would only in.
crease her anxiety and in any case, she knew not
where to seek him. s
But her strong mind soon discovered the only
course inPher almost helpless situation. The
house. she was aware, would be sacked in the
morning, and if she was discovered, nothing |
could save her from public disgrace. Food and
medicine, too, must be obtained for her father,
and her only way to get it was to leave him, re-
turning at night
To little ruined out-house at some distance
from their dwelling, she carried bed, and hav-
ing rendered the place as comfortable as possible,
she assisted the old man thither and having care
fully nursed him until morning, she early left
him. not without fearful forebodings Nor were
her fears entirely grnundless. In the morning
the house was ransacked and stripped of every
valuable. But the hovel from its mean appear-
ance was not visited and in the ensuing night,
having during the day wandered twenty miles
for food and medicine, she dared not in
quire for it nearer, she returned to her father;
dangerously i'll he appeared to be sleep
ing quietly. .5e 81
For more than week the devoted maiden thus
watched by night the sick bed of her father and she
had already begun to look forward to the time when
he should rise from IT, and seek with her and one
other whose name she was too modest to breathe,
far off spot in the wilderness where they might