Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-03-03
= n % 90 ~ 81 = =
VOL. XV.-NO. SO.

| slowly enough, he now brought il to crisis at
once, and boldly proposed himself as the suitor
| " Mabel Sutton. On the very day of his re-
ceiving the letter, Mr. Metcalf made his offer,
and although unconditionally rejected by Ma
! Del her father, to whom the prospect of SO
wealthy son-f-law was particularly agreeable
1 did hot scrpple to give his positive assent, as
! surng the young man that his daughters re-
fusal was but the expression of maiden bashft,l-
ness; that he must make up to her, and then
all would be right II a--4 zG~ ID .--sEa
Metcalf would fain have had a more fayora-
bic answer from the daughter, or at least one
less expressive of aversion; but. as things were
he seemed at once to accommodate himself to
them, and expressed hope that he might DO
able, by Kindness, to secure first her good will,
and ultimately her Affections least so he
told her father; and fixed that very evening
for kind Of fefe, to which all the neighbors
were invited, and which he. desired might be
regarded in the light of betrothing. - .l
Evening came and the courthouse was pre-
pared for the occasion It was rough log
erection SO called from its having been first
used as a sessionshouse thad been premis-
ed to the villagers for a school, but was at
present used as storchouse for MAIZE
The large room was lighted with profusion
Of candles, made from the bees'-wax found by
the hunters in the fallen trees: the floor had
been carefulycleared of the maze-staw, bench
es were placed all around for the ladies'; andin
one corner was a table with a seat behind it,
for the solitary musician, an old fiddler Ma
bel was almost sad: she thought of her discon-
solate lover wandering alone in the neighbor-
ing woods, and felt TO inclination to join the
dance and the festivity. 1t was with difficulty
that she was persuaded even to enter the dane
ing room, and no entreaties could pevail on her
to mingle in the JOYOUS circle ID, -5z - p.
But Benjamin Ilolick was not wondering in
the wood, as Mabel supposed. Old Sutton as
he himself avowed had when lie found that
hone were to be excluded, given him special
invitation to the gathering Ben. however, had
declined to be present, though he resolved to-
be near at hand Busy friends had brought
him word that it WAS to be betrothing feast.
and he immediately determined to see with his
own eyes, whether it could be true that Mabel
had fofsaken and forgotten him! If indeed it
were so, then away for Texas! Uncle Sam was
Just entering on bis first campaign, and fel-
low Ike Ben-he needed no looking glass to
tell him tllis-was not likely to have to- ask
w. IA
fearful of being discovered, he stole round the
house, listening for more than an hour to- the
merry tunes of the fiddler. lie dTSt not verl-'
ture near enough to cast one look Within zAf-
ter while he saw couple of his acauaintarices
leave the place and make for the very spot
where he lay hidden, on their way home He,
concealed himself as well as he could behind
the stem Of hickory tree. and heard one say
to the other, as they passed.: " Well. Mabel
Sutton never danced d step that | saw the,
whole evening"
Nota step, rejoined the other; and, more
over, she positively refused to dance at all, as
soon as she came in. don't believe she II ever
marry him.
Ben heard no more; the rest was lost in the
distance; but, after all, what cared he to hear
more ~ -.-s
Not danced step! repeated Ben Holick,
with cXultation; then she is neither false nor
faithless, and she has not forgotten Ben Holick;
but what boots it ! thou canst not help her,
poor Ben" --f
With these thoughts in his mind, he lifted
the rife, which he had left in thick bush near,
from the ground, and after casting one look at
the brilliant Weighted courthouse, turned and
took the path that led to the nearest ridge Of
the Wasmtah range lie could no longer en-
dure the hamlet--least of all at night, and pre-
lerred sleeping by his watcll-fre
He soon selected spot in rocky hollow,
just where clear spring bubbled out of the
ground; and kindling his fire and wrapping
himself in his bear-skin, with a stone for his
pillow, he lay deep in thought as he gazed up
wards to the stars that seemed to shed friend
Iy light upon him.
An nmwonted silence brooded over the forest
the very frogs croaked in whispers: the light
tread of the opossum, the nightly robber of the
village hcn-roosts, was distinctly heard; further
off-and now Ben raised his head and listened
it was indeed. a wolf howling his evening
song in the hollow below Howl your fill,
beasti!" he cried, only keep out of gun shot
of me- and then Ben sank back on his stony
pillow ." hare special appetite for thy
kind to night-at least for one of yel'
He lay thus on the watch for about half an
honr, striving at the same time to force his
thoughts into their former channel, but in vain;
the howl of the wolf, coming nearer and nearer,
absorbed all his attention; and now, impossible!
but no, it was nearer howl. in answer to the
former, from a raTine behind the spot where
Ben had made his biyouac and where be soon
discovered that the whole pack OF wolves were
assembled.
Ben now reused himself fully, sprang TO his
feet and felt for his rife: the moon shone clear
and bright above the dusky shadows of the dis
tant mountaineering thehunter's spirit kindled
within him, ard banishcd all thoughts of other
things
Now for YOU comrade T he muttered be-
tween his teeth, as seizng his rifle, he took up
bis position behind a fallen tree; Z" only present
yourself in tue open space and You shall lrejoiees
10 Ben Holck's rife ball.
lie lifted his piece on to the tree--polnted
i in what he supposed to be the direction Of
the beasts approach-giYing no heed to the
rack behind him, il being the well-known habit
- H. = l,aa,, the oround fhay have ,aE Ion.