The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1855-12-20
& Sslett Starg.
The Grim son 90 Hans.
BY ). e. DOW, ESQ.

CbHStdhd, NJ thc CiOso oi u Coiu DeceInDerS
day, in the year ls--. sE c~1sa
The person thus addressed, was an iron.
faced farmer, of about the middle size, with
dark eyes peeping underneath pair of shag-
gy eye brows. His cheek was flushed, as
though old age had been coursing like wild
fire througi, his swollen veins, and his Draw
ny hand, as he looked at the clot of fresh
blood that stained it, seemed 70 have been
made for descendant Of Cain. 'iarsl
"There is blood, !" said Brown, for such was
the mans name !; "but II is all off now
bring me my supper" 4rm aras.Hi
The wife-looked him long and anxiouslv
in the face. Horrid visions seemed to be
floating before her eyes, and murder almost
escaped from her compressed lips. H-'' p
"Why, what in the name Of nature ails
the woman ." said Brown, endeavoring by
an iIl-contrved laugh to silence her fears
"lf people go where sheep are slaughtered,
they must expect to get bloody" .las.f
"The blood of sheep has not been on your
hand n said his wife firmly .sThere was a
melancholy looking man on the hill to-day.
He had money and a valuable watch He
offered me piece of gold to direct him to
the next village, and set his watch by our
clock. Have you seen the stranger, John r.
The iron features of the hardened hus-
band now contracted into fearful scowl.
"Woman," said, he "what have to do
with travellers on the hill side Mind your
own affairs" Then changing his tone TO
sort of whine, he said, "Give me my food,
Meg. l am cold and hungry, and cannot joke
with you any longer" ..
"Joke with mel" said the poor wife, with
countenance agonized with horror, "God
grant that it proves joke" 20 =
The supper was now placed upon the Ia
Bile. The farmer ate his food in silence, and
then went to bed. In few minutes lie
was lost in deep, though terrible Sleep
Having seen that every thing was quiet, the
good wife put on her hooded cloak and went
out upon the lawn. 1t was cold and
cheerless evening. The hills seemed turned
into misty shadow, before the wand of an en-
chanter, and the waving tree-tops seemed
like the bosom of the midnight deep. The
bleak wind howled sadly amid the elm trees
by the wayside, and the bark Of the distant
watch dog came echoing up the vale. The
unhappy wife followed the track of her hus-
band about mile, She now was startled
by a deep groan. Scanning narrowly the
hillside, she perceived place where some
persons had apparently struggled together
in snow drift, and beyond lttle distance
she beheld the melancholy stranger whom
she had directed on his course several hours
previous, lying upon the ground, with a
dreadful wound upon his pallid forehead
Browns wife was a strong and resolute wo-
man. She raised the wounded man, and
wiped the blood from his eyes, Finding
that life was not extinct, she bore him upon
her shoulder to her dwelling. Having laid
him down in the passage, she opened the
kitchen door where Brown was sleeping
His thick heavy breathing gave evidence
that the sleep of drunkenness was upon him.
She carried the stranger through the kitch-
en- to little bedroom, where she usually
retired when the abuse Of her brutal COM
panion become insupportable. As the head
Of the wounded man brushed by the face of
Brown, his hand instinctively gripped the
bed-clothes and carried them over his head.
Having staunched the wound-the bleed
ing Of which had been checked by the con-
Qulated blood---the good wife dressed it in
manner approval by medical men, gave her
patient composing draught, and then re-
turned to her seat by The kitchen fire.
Inc afmef now pcBaH W 20 HfufseH-
He moved like wounded snake in his un-
quiet sleep There Is no blood upon my hand, y
said he. @Meg, IL was all joke. Hal ha !!
a good joker AS he said this, conscience felt
tile dreadful gnawing of the worm that never
dies. The fumes of debauch arose like O.
mist upon his brain, and he slept again.
His wife now paid the stranger another vis-
it, and finding every thing working as 1t
should, retired to her desolate couch
Morning came and the sobered farmer arose
from his pillow Of remorse. His face was
hsggard, his eyes blood.shot, and his hair
like that Of faries, seemed changing into that
of sespents.
He said but little and went cut immedi-
ately after breakfast. His wife saw him 60
up the hillside She knew that he had
gone TO bury the body, and she rejoiced to
think that he would labor in vain. Noon,
and night, and raorning came, but no hus-
band approached the farm house. Weeks
rolled on and John Brown was seen no more
on the hill side, OF in the ksmely. dwelling.
His whistle was hushed on the moor, and
the football swoks not the echoes Of the for
est way. @'a :. s2i5sGagn I .essi1l