Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1852-07-15
31QzCG G1J&.
From the Dollar Newspaper.
The "zgfYeP Chafn.''
j Tale Of West p0int
BY s s. FISHER
CONCLUDED.
i Tale Of Vest Poir

CONCLUDED.
" e viii leave the former pursuing his way
/. with steps sustained by freedom and quicken
! ed by successful love, and follow the heroine
Of the night, Mary BIenham. The excite
! meut which had borne her through the late
. trying scenes now over, she felt a correspond
Ing depression Of spirits. Joy, al her lover S
escape, was almost swallowed up by grief at
their separation, and the bitter uncertainty
j which attended the thought Of their future
meetings while the thought Of her fathers
anger, when he learned Of her part IN the es-
cape Of the prisoner, added 20 that expressed
by him when he had first become witness 10
4 their attachment, gave her mex pressible pain.
Ia this hall-reioiclng, half-regretiuI mood. she
stTolIed CaTelesly on, needless Of the direction
she was pursuing, until she found that she
uac0nsciOusly followed the bend Of the river,
. and that she was now standing within a few
rods of the guard box SO often mentioned.
After gazing at it mechanically for few mo-
meuts, as IT il was some strange phenomenon,
she suddenly recollected that here was secured
the chain hitherto the cause Of so much grief
and anxiety 90 her. \ feeling almost undetln-
ed, yet paItaken OF desire to find something
which might viuLicate Aarion's character
! from the OlIous suspicion cast upon 1t. promp-
ted her 10 20 forward and examine the half
I severed link. As She took a step in further
eEce of this. a Slight sound caused her to stop
and tre,nble, in breathless anxIetv.-It was as
+ if some one were filing iron, and vet so faint
I that. but Cor what she bad heard before, she
would have supposed itfar away. The filing
+ stopped, and then commenced again. SIX
steps brought her IN view Of the spot from
which the voice proceeded, when, to her sur
f prise and terror, she precelved the figure Of
man bending over the chain and evidently at
work upon it. Her first impulse was to fIy.
bat then came the instructive thought-.'she
could wipe all suspicion from hiaTI1n's char
acter." This neryed her, and she resolved
that all should now be explained. She ap-
preached liltie nearer, and then, concealing
herself behind a small bush, waited patiently
T for some sign by which she might recognize
/ the traitor. Thus she remained for a whole
f hour. during which the figure still bent over
the chain. while still was heard the faint
sound of filing. At length the work seemed
to have proceeded sufficiently far. for the work
man ceased his labors, and, raising himself
/ as If to remove the cramp that his long con-
I tiuuance in one posture had given him. INIT
+ tered almost 10 himself, yet still sufficiently
LIQUID and distinct for Mary to catch the
words
BY tomorrow night at eleven, it VIII be
done
/ 1t was Dor Wilson's voice.
Although believing him guilty, and for the
! last hour expecting this disclosure, yet this
sudden confirmation Of all her sHso oicions pro-
duc6d powerful effect upon Mary Bienh2l.
j Her head SWAIN for moment, and. but for
sense of the intricacy OF her position, and the
danger of discovery, she would have fallen;
as ii was, she restrained her feelings by an
almost supernatural effort, and turned her
whole attention to the announcement Of this
fearful plot-a plot that not only threatened
great loss to the country, but one than had al
ready nearly been the means Of the destruc-
ton Of one dearer 20 her lhan life.
Having worked sufficiently long at his ne
J fari0us occupation. Dor Wilson proceeded TO
hide his tools. y OF as may be expected, the
+ file with which he had that day attempted to
ruin Marion On the contrary, he was well
supplied with fine saws, made and tempered
/ for this very purpose; and with ether Ingen-
/ iOus c0nlriEances, which rendered his task
much less formidable than 1t At first appeared.
+ For safe keeping, and as a security against
search Of his person, he concealed all Of his
I implements IL a little hiding-Pace among the
rocks on the bank of the river. Having done
+ this. he shouldered his musket, and began
pacing to and fro, as if his whole soul We're
+ ceute5ed in the correct performance Of his du-
( tv. During ali this time, Mary Blenham
watched him seeuly, waiting eagerly for an
opportunity Of leaving the spot uuperceIved;
/ but at length, Nature could no longer sustain
f her under the toiIsome burdens which had
lhat day been heaped upon her, and finally,
though most reluctantly, she sank down IN
sleep. She was not suffered to rest peace
. fully even In this state. She dTeamed-and
MS She dreamed she seemed to see her father
standing, sword in hand, upon the ramparts
+ of Fort Clinton, ard vainIy endeavoriug 70 pre-
vent the entrance Of a body of the enemy
she sees him driven back-as he retreats,
step by step, still fighting, a soldier Tushes
from the opposite ranks and tries 10 strike
him down-it was Dor Wilson--his sword
flashes high i'm the air. and Is about descend
inr upon the delenceless head of her devoted
parent. when the arm of Marion Harvey
strikes the villain down. Happy moment
:. God bless you, Marion!' involuparily
burst forth from her lips. and then, as II r0us-
ed bv her cvvn voice. she awoke.
The morning sun was shining brightly up
on the river before her, and the birds were
warbling iu the trees overhead. She thought
She had closed her eyes but for moment
and now il was evident shat she had slept
nearly five hours She then remembered the
scene 10 which she had been witness, and
turned TO look for Dor Wilson. He was
gone.