The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1853-02-05

endure to enter it. Indeed. as the evening
waxed later, and her fears increased. she
sometimes imagined she saw strange figures,
and faces with cleaning ewes, such as she
had beheld in her dream. moving around the
duSky apartment. Ashamed of these fears,
and knowing her husband when he came,
would chide her for thus exposing herself and
her child to the evening dpws she breathed a
PRAYER to Him who stills the tempest-and
entered the house
Her first care, after placing her infant in
his cradle, was to light candle. and then
more reaSSured. she took her bible. The b.
bic was the talisman of our ancestors, II
guarded them from evil and guided them N
rood. Its page, were direction in every
difficulty. and its promises a resource in eve
ry trial. Rehecca read and PRAYED alternate
iv, mlnglng the idea of Edward, his safety
and return, with every thought and wish
but still he came not She had no means of
ascertaining the lapse of time, except by the
length of candle consumed, or the stars aS
there was no moon: but she conicctured il
must be past midnight. Again and again she
went forth and examined with scarchino
glance around hut nothing could she see ex-
cept the dark forest in the distance and close
around her dwelling the black stumns that
stood like sentinels on guard. while nothino
was heard save the soft murmnr of the water
and at tlmcsa low rustline as the breeze stir
red the leaves Of the chestnut tree.
AT length, as she stood at the corner of
her house, beneath the shade of that tree,
looking earnestly towards the woods. she
thought she perceived something emerge
from their shadow If 1T did it vanished in
stantly. She kept her eyes fixed on the
spot After some time. she again plainly saw
human figure. 1t rose from the ground
looked and pointed towards the house, and
then again disappeared
She recollccted her LIGHT. It could he seen
from the window, and probably had attracted
the notice Of the Savaccs who. she conld no
longer dorht, were annro1rhinr They
had. As she fanr'"d, wavlaid and murdered
her husband They were comino to cantnrr
perhaps murder, her and her child What
should she do.
! She never thought Of attempting to escane
without her child; but in what direction
should she fly, when, perhaps, the Indians
surrounded the house? There was one mo-
ment of terrible agony, when the mancled
form OF her husband seemed before her. and
reason nearly deserted her. She made a
strong effort to recall her WANDERING scnseS
and then with her ewes and claSpcd hands
raised to heaven, she took her resolution
/ With nolSele>s step she entered her dwell
ing, oxtnguiShcd the licht,took her infant in
her arms, and again stole softly forth. creep
ing along in the shadow Of the house. ill she
reached the spot where she had first seen thc
object that alarmed her Here she stood
perfectly still. Her infant Law on her bosom
IN profound sleep. as quiet and seemingly
breathless as as thoueh his Spir. had already
departed She did not wait long before ,hc
same h"nre again rose. looked around and
then sank down as before The moment il
disappeared. Rebecca passed soft and swiftly
as a shadow over the space that separated the
house from the chestnut tree This tree was
an uncommon large one, and there was ser
ara'lon OF the trunk into two branches about
three feet from the ground. where Rrhrcca
thought it possible she might be concealed -
She gained 1t and placed hcr.elfin a ro<ition
which allowed her to watch the door Of her
dwelling.
All was silent for long time-mor than
an hour as she thought-and she hccan 10
doubt the reality of what she had seen i'm
agining she had been deceived and taken :,
stump for human figure and she was about
to descend from the tree. where her situation
was extremely uncomfortable, when suddenly
savage crept by her between the house and
tree. As another and another fol lowed il WAS
with difficulty she suppressed her screams
But she did suppress them, and the only SIGN
she gave of fear was to press her infant closer
to her BOSOM
They reached the door and sound of sur
prise at finding i, open was uttered bv the
first savage, and replied to by the second in
the Indian language. After short consul
tatlon they entered, and Rebecca soon saw a
hight CLEAN, and supposed they had kindled
1t to search for her. Her pulse beat wildly;
but still she hoped to escape 1t was not
probable that tiay would search a. tree SO
near the house; they would rather eupposa
she had fled to distance
Presently era king noise was heard in the
house, the light flashed from the door and
window, the Indians raised their wild veil as
they rushed ut,and danced round with fran
TIC gestures, and Rebecca saw that the house
was Oh fire
Sill the only sign she gave Of fear was, as
she unloosed the handkerchief from her neck
and threw it over her chid's face, to screen
his eyes from the g !are Of light that might a.
wakrn HIM, TO press him closer and closer to
her iIcdit
The house was unfinished there was no