The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-05-12
Il H E N EW Err A +.
THE BIBLE LEGEND OF THE WIsSa
HJKON
BY GEORGE LIZARD.

y" 'e nay o me oatile. as the noon day sun came
| SHINING thro' the ihckly clustered leaves. tba,
TWO men met in deadly combat. They g,appled in
mortar conflict near rock that rose like the hnoe
wreck of some primeval world, at least one hun
dFed feet above the dark waters of the Wis
sahikon
mat man with dark brow, and the darker
grey eye' flashing with deadly light-with the
| muscular firm, clad in the blue hnn,ino fr,ct az
inc revolution, is continental named Warner
fi's oro'her was murdered the other night at the
massacre OF Paoli The other man with lono
MACK hair' dropping over his candaverous face. is
clad In The half military costume of the torv ref,
gee- That is the murderer of Paoli. n,mei D,h
ney.
Ihey had met there in the woods by accident.
ana now ihey fought. not with sword or riff. bnt
win long and deadly hunting knives that flash
III the light as they go twisting and tnrning over
inc greenswara. At last the the tory was down
down on The greensward, with the knee of tho
continental npan his breas,-,hat appraised knife
flashing death in his face.
UnaFter- yield" gasped the tory. as the
knee was pressed upon his breast "Spare me
| yield"
= My broher.'' said the patriot soldier. in ,ba,
low tone of deadly hate" Ny brother cried for
quarter at Paoli. and even as he cluns tn vour
knees, you struck that knife TO his heart. Oh I
will give you the quarter of Pauli.
And his hand was raised for the blow. and his
teeth were cenched in deadly hate He paused
Tor a moment. and then pnioned the tnry's arms.
and one rapid stride dragged him to the VERGE of
rock. and held him quverng over the abyss.
" Mercy gasped the tory turning black. and
ashy pale nv turns, as that awful Gulf yawned
below. g Mercy! have a wfe-a child-spare
me-" Tf
Then the continental, with his muscular strength
gathered tor The effort, shook the murderer once
more over The abyss. and then Missed this bitter
sheer through his cenehed teeth
= My brother had wife and two children. The
morning after the night of Paoli, that wiie was
widow-those children were orphans Wouldn't
you like To 90 and beg your life of iha, ydnw
and children 2"
The proposal, made by the continental in the
mere mockery of hate, was taken In serious ear
nest by the terrified tory. He begged to be- ia
Ken to the widow and her orphans, 10 have the
| pitIini privilege of begging his life After mo-
ment's serious thought. the patriot soldier consent
ed. de bound the tory's arms still TIGHTER. and
then led him up the woods. eniet cottage
among the trees, met their view
They entered the cottage. There beside the
desnaie hearth stone. sat The widow and her chill
dren. She sat there, maironly woman of abou,
| thirty years. with face faded by care. a deem
dark eye and long black hair hanging is dishsyel
led flakes abont her shoulders
on one side was dark. haired hoy. of some six
years on The other, little GIRL on year Younger.
with light hair and blue eyes. The Bible-an
old and venerable volume-ay upon that moth
er's knee
And then that pale-fac tory f.ung himself on
his knees, contested that he had butchered her
husband On the night of Paoli. but begged his
life at her hands!
Spare ne, for the sake of nv wis--Mv
chldi''
He had expected that this pi,ifa moan would
touch the widows heart; but not one relen,ino
CLEAN softened her pale face
% he lord shall judge between us!" she said
IN cold. icy that froze the Iaupderers hea,t
" Look! the Bible LAYS open on my knee. will
close that voinme, and then this boy shall omen
II, and place his finger at random upon line and
by thai line, you shall live or dep
This was strange proposal made in full faith
OF wid and dark superstition of the oIden time
For moment the tory kneeng there as lived as
ashes, was wrapi in thought. Then in a fal,er
ing voice. he sgnlied his consent.
Raising her dark eyes to heaven, the mother
prayed The Great Father to drec, the finger of
her s0n. She closed the book-she handed il ,o
thai boy, whose young cheek redeemed with loatb.
ing as he gazed upon his fathers murderer. He
took The Bibe-opened its holy pages at random,
and placed his fingers upon verse.
Then there was silence
Then that continental soldier, who had sworn
to avenee his broiher's death, stood there with
dilating eyes and parted lips
Then the cuIprit kneeIing on the foor, with
face IKE dlscoored clay, felt his heart leap to his
throat
Then. in a clear, bold voice, the widuw read
this line from the Old Testament 81 was sbor,
yet terrible.
Z" TBaD MAN SHALL DTEl"
L0ok The brother springs forward TO PLUNGE
a bnife into the murderer's heart; but the torv
pinioned as he is, clings 10 the Widows knees =
He begs that one more trial may be made by The
little giTl-hat child of Eve years, with golden
hair and laughing eyes.
The widow consents. There is an awful oanse
With smile IN her eye, without knowing what
she does, that girl opens the Blbls as il Isy On
heS mothers knee-she turns her lauobinp face
awsy-she places her finger upon line.
That awful silence grows deeper! The deem.
er drawn breath of the brother, and the broken
gasps Of the murderer alone disturb the stiffness
The widow and the dark.eyed boy are breathless
That little girl, unconscious as she was, cauobt n
feeling Of awe from the eountenances around her
asd stood breathless, her face turned aside. and
her tiny Singers resting on the line Of life or
death.
At last, gathering courage. the rdow bent her
eves In the paoe apd read II ryaa ., liz r. =