New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-03-24

ana clOSeu the uOUF Vi tuc Min thch iVohtbE
over his shoulder at the lime burner and his
son. he babe, rather than advised, them to retire
to rest.
For myself, cannot Sleep" said he; al
have matters that it concerns me to mediate
upon will watch the fire, as used to do in
the old time
"And call the devil out Of the furnace to keep
Won company, suppose" muttered Bartram.
who had been making intimate acquaintance
with the black bottle aforementioned. But
watch if YOU like, spd call as many devils as
YOU like! For my part, shall be all the better
for snooze. Come. Joe"
Az the boy followed his father into the hut, he
looked back at the wayfarer. and tears came
into his eyes, for his tender spirit had an intni-
zion Of the bleak and terrible Loneliness in which
this man had enveloped himself.
When they were gone, Ethan Brand sat listen |
ing to the cracking Of the kindled wood, |
and looking at the spirits Of fire that issued |
through the chinks Of the door. These tri- |
fies, however, once so familiar, had but
the slightest hold Of his attention, while deep
within his mind be was reviewing the gradual
but marvellous change that had been wrought
upon him by the search to which he had devoted
himself He remembered how the night dew
had fallen upon him how the dark forest had
whispered to him; how the stars had cleaned
upon him, a simple and loving man, watching
his fire in the years gone by, and even muslng
as it burned. He remembered with what ten
derness, with what love and sympathy for man.
kind, and what pity for human guilt and woe,
| he had first begun to contemplate those ideas
which afterwards became the inspiration Of his
| life: with what reverence he had then looked
into the heart of man, viewing it as temple
originally divine, and, however desecrated, still
to be held sacred by brother; with what aw-
full fear he had deprecated his pursuit, and
prayed that the objectionable Sin might never
h., lad "a i'm Thpna in
tellectual development, which, in its progress,
disturbed the counterpoise between his mind and
heart The idea that possessed his life had op
Grated as a means of education it had raised
him from the level Of an unlettered laborer to
stand on starlight eminence, whittier the phi
losophers of the earth, laden with the lore Of
universities, might vainly strive to Chamber af
ter him So much for the intellect But where
was the heart? That, indeed, had withered,
had contracted, had hardener, had persisted! 1t
had ceased to partake of the universal throb.
lie had lost hold Of the magnetic chain of hu-
mainly He was no longer a brother man, open
ling the chambers or the dungeons of our COM
| mon nature by the key of holy sympathy, which
gave him right to share in all its secrets: he
was now cold observer, looking on mankind as
, the subject of his experiment, and, at length
T converting man and woman to be his puppets
r and pulling the wires that moved them to such
: degrees of crime as were demanded for his study
, Thus Ethan Brand became iend. He be.
t gan to be so from the moment that his mora
e nature had ceased to keep the pace Of improve
e ment with his intellect. And now, as his high
J. est effort, and inevitable development--as tn
bright and gorgeous flower, and rich, deliciou
e fruit Of his LIES labor-he had Unpardonabl
U Sin! =.
"what more have I to SEEK What more t
:. achieve ~ said Ethan Brand to himself. ON
e task is done, and well done!"
i, Starting from the log with certain alacrit
in his gait, and ascending the hillock of cart
e that was raised against the stone circumferenc
of the lime kiln, he thus reached the top OF tn
d structure. 1t was space Of perhaps ten fee
is across, from edge to edge, presenting view {
a the upper surface of the immense mass Of bro
d ken marble with which the kiln was heaped
J. All these innumerable blocks and fragments {
|, marble were red-hot and wildly on fire, send
% ing up great spouts Of blue flame, which quiz
i cred aloft and danced madly, as within mag
ic circle, and sank and rose again, with continu
RS and multtudinous activity. As the lonely ma
a. bent forward over his terrible body OF fire. Il
IN blasting heat smote up against his person vii
hit a breath that, it might be supposed, would ha
v, scorched and shrivelled him up in a moment.
It. Ethan Brand stood erect, and raised his arr
n on high The blue flames played upon his fat
a and impaired the wild and CHASTITY light viii
M alone could have suited his expression: it W
as that Of fiend on the verge of plunging into
lis gulf of intensest torment.
ii so, Mother Earth cried he, "who art
IS more my mother, and into whose bosom tt
n. frame shall never be resolved o, mankin
d. whose brotherhood I have cast off and trampl
r. thy great heart beneath my feet o, stars
W. heaven, that shone on me of old, as if to lg
K me onward and upward Farewell all, and 70
NJ ever! Come, deadly element Of FIRE, hencefor
lie my familiar friend! Embrace me as do thee
i'm That night the sound of fearful peal
L 81 -
ID | lime burner and his little SON. dim shapes
TX horror and anguish haunted their dreams, a
,p- seemed still present in the rude howell VIII
&c. they opened their eyes to the daylight.
nv s'Up boy, upr' cried the lime burner, sta
ing about him ''Thank Heaven, the night
in gone at last and rather than pass anott
at such, would watch my lime kiln, wide avail
Up for a twelvemonth. This Ethan Brand, vi
,ed his humbug of an objectionable Sin, has do
y a me no such mighty favor in taking my place
He issued from the hut, followed by lit
ian Joe, who kept fast hold of his fathers han
The early sunshine was already pouring
M gold upon the mountain tops, and though
IVY valleys were still in shadow, they smiled che
BILE fully in the promise of the bright day that '
my Fastening onward. The village, complete
I'M shut in by hills, which swelled away gen
about it, looked as if it had rested peacefully
ny, the hollow Of the great hand OF Proyiden
Each dwelling was distinctly visible; the lii
led, spires of the two churches pointed upward, 6
his caught fore glimmering Of brightness from
laid sun-glt skies upon their weather-co
OBJ tavern was astir, and the figure of the
own smoke -dred stage agent, cigar in mouth,
log, seen beneath the stoop. Old Graylock
way gloriied with golden cloud upon his he
be Scattered likewise upon the breasts Of the 8
e so rounding mountains there were heaps OF no
this mists, in fantastic shapes, some of them
own down into the valley, others high up tow
ges- the SUBMITS, and still others of the same fan
al of mist and clouds, lowering in the gold r,
y OF ance of the upper atmosphere. Stepping +
II 1t one to another of the clouds that rested on
cad hills and thence to the loftier brotherhood
that sailed in the air, it seemed almost as if mo
card man might thus ascend into the heavenly
arl- gions. Earth was so mingled with sky tha
the was day dream to look at it.
and To supply that charm of the familiar
her homely which nature so readily adopts I'M
cur, scene like this, the stage coach was raft
cha down the mountain road and the driver sou
rcer cd his horn, while echo caught up the notes
ut intertwined them into a rich and varied
Il as elaborate harmony of which the original
ance former could lay claim to little share. The
mo- hills played a concert among themselves,
re- contributing n strain of airy sweetness.
trst Little Joe's face frightened at once
"Dear father" cried he, skipping cheeri
was and fro, " that strange man is gone, and the
ig OF and the mountains all seem glad OF 1t