The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-09-02
For the National Era.
LEGEND OF THREE MILLERs
ny ALICE CAREY.
iCoVCLUDEDl

| of fresh water-l am perlshing WIN thIrst anu
have not time to 20 forth-mind that you Keep
the path, for the night is terribly dark-Heayen
shield poor travellers $500,
And the youth arose as HartIy had hidden.
and taking in his hand great stone pitcher.
went out into the night having trst wrapped
himself in a gray wOOllen cloak which. Tor
aught know his ancestors had worn before
him for seven generations. " Now the SAINTS
shield me. = he said thrusting one little delicate
hand from out his cloak. a. it were to feel his
way "A night 30 fall of gloom | remember
not a man mi ght stumble unwittlngly on the
grave of his mother. if 1t lay hereabouts;' and
with his hand dividing the darkness before
him. he walked slowly and almost fearfully in
the direction of the spring.
Meantime the miller, who was neither the
Oldest nor the Youngest, lay on the floor Of the
mill fast asleep-hls black hair falling over
the fresh straw bundle that was his pillow
He would not sleep too long of that be felt as
sured for he had often slept thus before even
with no one to tend the mill but himself and
neither the hummed song of Hartly, nor the
sweeter music of the rain falling on the roof
seemed at all to disturb his rest
As the light Of the lantern fell over him now
and then you might have seen that his pro-
portions were neither very muscular, nor yet
slight but that his frame seemed firmly knit
and that his whole appearance indicated
healthful and vigorous man, and one. too.
though his face was partly concealed by the
rye-straw hat which shaded his ewes who wore
something Of manhood with his beard Ii was
not the growing of the midnight cock away
across the hills nor the sudden showering of
wet leaves in his face, when the gust shook the
red oak bough that hung against the open mill
window, that awOke him suddenly, but the
voices of his comrades calling in his ear
"Wurth 0, Wurtb wake, wakel"
Mercy save us he Exclaimed raising him
self on one elbow. and then upright what is
the matters the mill on fire I"
But gathering from the faces of his fellow
laborers that the danger, if danger there were
was not immediate he rubbed his halle eyes
for moment and began looking wOnderingly
about him as a child might suddenly walked
by a clap of thunder. Still the mill was rum
bling, and the rain pattering on the leaves and
the roof as when he fell asleep and seeing that
all went we'll he questioned the two millers
again as to the cause Of their hurried calling
and his tone and manner expressed neither
fear nor anger but simply an earnest intention
of getting at the bottom of things
Before going further must say that about
a stones throw from the mill on a dreary slope
OF ground, there had once heen burial place,
though the graves had been long neglected
and were fallen to decay. few half-fallen
stones and some ruinous palngs were all that
marked the spot as sacred to the dead Red
and purple thstles grew there plentfully in
summer, and II hedge of dead and living briars
stood where there had once been a fence and
tIa tl,rn
blasted oaks. Altogether, a more desolate and
ghostly place is not to be found out of tn,
land of dreams. Often Ralph had sat ther,
when the red evening shone down from tn,
west, and the white mist creeping up from tn,
valley reached softly from bough to bough o
the blasted trees: often had he sat there-hi
thoughts travelling far across the ashcn Dor
ders of twilight But on the night | write OF
his step was less firm than it would have beer
in open day, and he scarcely lifted his eyes to thu
lonesome ridge, but kept repeating for the com
fort of his heart these lines:
| Argue not
| Against Heavens hand or will, nor bate jot
OF heart or hope but still bear up,
| And steer right onward
| "This" he said, "would seem to be tn
text which Wurth has taken, wherefrom to liv
his life, and yet suspect he knoweth no single
| couplet Of bard ancient or modern"
But to return, and explain why the sloepiA,
man was 50 suddenly awaked, and why RALPH
spoke tremblngly, and Hartly earnestly
The stripping was feeling his way through
the dark, as | have described, when mOvin,
slowly along the lonesome hill, he espicd
light AT first he was tempted to retrace hi
steps, for ghosts, he thought, were about, ant
the marrow in his bones seemed to grow dumb
as if in the atmosphere of the grave; but re
Numbering that Hartly would laugh at hi
fears, and that Wurth would frown, he wen
forward albeit it was with very faint heart
Brighter and brighter the light shonc, a
he thought and though he greatly feared T.
come within its influence, lest it might spiri
him away, no would not return empty handed
When at last, the walled fountain was gained
and he stopped to fill the pitcher, the terribles
fear Of all came over him, lest a mighty ham
should thrust him down, and the waters strangl
him. so, turning away, he ran through the raj
and the dark and breathlessy entered the mil
the bottom of the stone vessel as dry as whe
he went forth
"Oh, Hartly let us fly he cried "lct u
fly; for either the cavern of despair is uncar
ped, 50 that tho wicked light streams earth
ward, else have the ghosts of the unquiet dea
come back, to make night hidcous" Upo
which he told Of the light he had seen, great
magnfying it, and adding that he had hear
, meanings and groanings withal
1t may be that he fancied he did, poor you'll
for fear quickens the sense of fear
, When he had finished the story Hartly ra
to the open window of the mill over whic
, hung the red ash bough, and seeing the lgh
clapped his hands for joy, and forthwith the
both called Wmth TO awake.
So soon as he heard about the light he wer
to the window, shook the last leaves from th
ash bough, and looked earnestly forth.
"A mere will.o' -the-wisp." he said, turnin
away after moment (" How goes the mill
| will take my turn now, for feel refreshe
wonderfully by the hours rest have had
But the two Others would not hear of rest
ming their ordinary avocations So all tire
sat down on u sack of meal, and began tall
ing, and guessing and asseyerating this an
that about the light
at is some fearful omen, at best" sai
Ralph, "and advise that we all flee away"
As he spoke, he raised HIMSELF and locke
stealthily forth.
Hartly laughed aloud, beating quick tim
on the floor with his knuck!es, and Wurt
curled his beard into scornful twist, an
|, remained silent
"Thcn," resumed Ralph, in a tone littl
less tremnlous, they are murderers, who di
grave" repeating in moment as if to hin
, SELF
SO the two brothers and their murdered man
Rode past fair Florence"
And again Hartly laughed and Wurth stroke
his beard
"a mere wllo'-the wisp' said the latter
} Hark ye," said the former, 81 have SOM
: what to say. Both of you are wrong; the
are pirates, who have moored their vessel NJ
far away, and by the faint light bury the
treasure. Have We not all heard of buried po
: Of gold And when was there filter night, {