New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-06-28

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I prospect Of passing the night on the wet leaves
'sIcontinued my ride until darkness forbade my
going further. and was about constructing q
rude bed Of wet limbs and leaves, when discoy-
cred light gimmering through the hanging
branches, and Immediately started on foot to
find its location. After wadipg through numer-
Gus mud holes, and struggling over briars and
rotten logs for distance of twenty rods or
more, tearing my clothes badly, and barking
my shins in manner that the marks are yet
remaining evidences Of my haste and intre-
pldity, reached low log hut, through the
chinks Of which ( discovered woman appa-
rently engaged in frying meat at blazing fire
made on the ground at one end Of the howell
s. without waiting for ceremony or etiquette
thinking the delugfhg rain and my own sad
plight sufficient excuse for the lack of either
or both. raped upon the door and entered the
room at the same moment.
Ihe woman spraBg TO her feet as il attacked
| hy ravenous wolf, gazed upon me moment
with her small, piercing black eyes, and ex-
claimed,
who are you, sir, and where are You
from -
politely bowed to the woman, told her Of nv
misfortunes, and begged permission to tarry
wltn her during the night, wisely adding, as I
thought then, Although have been very un-
fortunate In losing my hat and tearing nv
clothes, have MT lost my purse, and shall be
willing and happy to generously compensate
you for such accommodations as you may be
enabled to furnish me-
The woman's ferceness suddenly changed to
sort Of cringing servility, mock politeness,
under the veil of which could easily be seen the
willy craftiness Of the half breed Indian.
Informing her of the whereabouts Of my borse
she insisted upon going with me and assisting in
getting the beast under the only shelter the
place afforded-an old shed made of hemIock
limbs, covered with bark
After feeding the jaded beast with a good sup
ply of potatoes and corn, we returned to the
house, and the woman soon placed before me a
warm supper of fried venison and corn bread
found her very unwilling talker, and much
more disposed to peer at me through her long,
black eye-lashes than to answer the many ques-
tions that could not refrain from asking
" Do you live here alone, inquired
bled to procure it -
" Hunters sometimes pass this way, and all
ways remember Molly Radford with quarter
Of the best they have"
l here accidentally noticed the sleeve of a
black coat hanging over the edge Of shelf sus-
pended from the beams overhead
=" Are you married lady - asked.
ssNo''
{" widow, perhaps s. suggested.
ssNo," was again the laconic reply: but no.
ticing moment after the word was spoken that
/ was looking at the coat-sleeve she observed,
= There Is man living about in the woods who
calls himself my husband, but he used to beat
me so when drunk, that in a moment Of desper-
alton turned upon my prosecutor, and drove
him from the house. We have never lived to-
gether since. He little thought that the fraiI,
tlmld girl of eighteen, who was once so fright
ened at his cruel oaths, would in ten short years
be master of the same language and mistress of
her own house,
As she finished the sentence, her eyes flashed
sparks Of fire, and l could liken her unto no
thing but a half.starved she-wolf, or an infuri-
ated panther at bay. My flesh involuntarily
crawled on my bones as l felt her burning
glance penetrating every vein IN my body.
&c ou are not afraid to live alone, are You -
Iasked, not knowing what / said, but feeling
the necessity of saying something to keep me
from choking to death.
Afraid Y she exclaimed, her eyes growing
blacker, and more wild and fierce in their ex.
preston. Molly Radford knows no fear.
Policy sometimes prompts me to hospitality,
and sometimes pity, but never fear
81 tried to express my firm belief that she
was right in having these feelings, and that if
women as class know their strength. they
would not submit to the many wrongs heaped
upon them by society but the power of the
woman's eyes upon me were such that the words
gtrlpL tfy,,fIn
bigger fool made of myself
f,tirues dnriTo no NJ haq..o1 ~
ratiTe when ta NJ "
already noticed tbat +bara h,,t 10,
in the bause ara b,,t t%eae WA was ous one room M
would banr mn eonnla Of sbaats rint fs sue
the door IN the rTInna I'd -o,,lJ toni
comfortable couch far mo 80, tj,a ann,. NJ
being short1v aona I rat;rod ,r;th +ho a,,oa4a ,'
ton Of falling ;mmeiataiy ~ b,it ti,
old woman's le boast HAT sha was Yas,ar prt .n nf
nrofan a1 ~ saae sne wa: ni''sseI VI
bnrnnr hanE s,,ob = .. net
sleen N's y ' S''si- NOV eo'iA' A0'
Il had iaid in this m.prsr st,ont two bonrs
when the door 1raS slaEiv nnanaJ ond ~ noat III
broad shonlered rufIioniy- -iaotin SaiIow gith
a., 5arl, 1n,,tor ~ ,Saio"' ~. WIN
and nrosaaJn to t ta ots'g,e leJ sne aao
in vbisnareJ t9pas ''''''tie"
es NFollv ;s aIi r;aht,,
The woman slowly raised herself II, in bod
when iscnrorod ~ ta,se t 1t 80 an asu,
that her dress had not bean on ron,v.d sn gI ,ab'stn
nlied w. '''i''
ssJobn, Won hall never, toncb tb;s mani Has
n eenteman who has not co,oa hove ~ baoar,s
n settler bnt has bnan Jr,on bora h1 ~. storl,
and olthnugh carrot qall Inn by 1an,e an,
spra that hove I-ro,T IN, =, }or,a,. 80 an.