Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1855-05-23
miscellaneous.
THE MECHANIC HERO OF BRisDYWlSe.

|
der the shaGe of stout chestnut tree
Ii was qniet cottage, nes,lias away there
IN une c"rner "f the forest road dear
home IN the wilderness. with sl"piu.
roof walls dark grey stone and case
meI,t hidden Among vines aud flowers
On one side, amid an interval of the
forest trees was Seen the rough outline ni
biacksmltl''s shop. There was smal
garden IN front. with brown gravelled
walk and beds Of wild flowers
iiere at the time of the Revolution
dwelt stout blacksmith. his ,oun. wife
aud her babe What cared that black
smith. working away there in that sl,a,iowv
nook of the forest for war; What feared
he for the peril of the time, 50 long as his
strong arm. ringing that hammer on the
anvil. might gain bread for his wife and
child
All. he cared little fnr war he took little
note of the panic that shook the valley.
when some few mornings before the bat.
tie of Brandyw while shoeing the horse
"f Tory Refugee. he overheard plot
Tor the surprise and capture of Washing
| ton The American leader was to be
iured into the fuilS of the Tories his per
son once In the British camp the English
General might send the :. 1,auor Wash
ingt"n " home to be tried in London.
Now our blacksmith working away
there, IL. that dim nook of the forest with
out caring for battle or war had still a
sneaking Kindness for this Mister Wash
Ington. whose name rung on tue lips of |
men So one night bddi"g h yo-ng
wife hasty good bye, aud kiss h the
babe that reposed Oh her bosom. Smiling
as it slept, he hurried away tn the Aetner
lean camp, aud told his story to Was; :
| lngton.
| 1t was morning ere he came back 1t
was in the dimuess of the autumhal morn
ing. that the blacksmith was plodding his
| way along the forest road S ,me few pa
ces ahead there was an aged oak standing
| out into the road-a grim old vetran of
| the forest. that had stood the shoen of
three hundred years Right beyond that
oak was the blackSmith's home
| With this thunght warming his heart.
! he hurried on He hurried on, thinking
of the calm young face and mild blue
eyes of that wife who. the night bef,re
had stood III ;he cottage donr. waving him
out of sight with a beckoued good bye
thinking of the babe. that lay smiling rs
| it slept on her bosom he hurried ou-he
turne the bend of the wood he looked
upon his home
Ah what a sight was there
| Where, the night before he had left
| n peaceful cottage. smiling under u green
chestnut tree in the light of the setting
sun. now was only heap of black and
smoking embers, aud q burnt and blasted
| treel
This was his home
| Aud there stood the blacksmith gazing
upon that wreck of his hearth stone -
here he stood with folded arms and moody
/ brow but In a moment smile broke over
/ his face
He saw it all In the night his home
had taken fire aud been burued tn cin-
ders But his wife and child had escaped
For that he thanked God
| Witt. the toll of his stout arm plying
there on the anvil he wouid build a tairer
home for his wife aud child fresh hnwerS
should bloom over tie garden walks, aud
more lovely vines trail along the c,se
uenu.
With this resolve kindling over his face
the blacksmith stood there. with cheer
full light beaming from his large gray eves.
when-a hand was laid upon his shoulder
lie turned and behed the face of a neigh
bor
1t was a neghbor's face, bit there was
an awful agony stamping those plain tea
tureS. there WIS an awful agony flashing
from those dilating cyes-there was Il
dark aud terrible MYSTERY speaking from
those thin lips. that moved and moved.
aud made no sound
For moment that farmer tried to speak
the horrors that couvulsed his features
At last. forcing the blacksmith along
the brown gravelled walk. now srrewn with
cinders. he pointed tt the smoking embers
There. there -amid that heap of black
aud smoking ruins, the black smith heheld
a dark mass ef flesh and blackened b,ues
:" Your Ittier shriekcd the far ner. as
his agony found words. The British
they came In the nj sht. they"--and ther,
he spoke that outrage. which the lip quiv-
ers TO think on which the heart grows
palsied to tell-that outrage too foul tu
name" Your wife" he shrieked. pnint-
ing to the hideous thing amid the smoking
ruins. the British they murdered your
wife, they flung her dead body in the
hames-they dashed your child agains,
the hearth stone !"
This was the farmers story.
And there. as the light of the brelkine
day fell around the spot. there stood the
husband, the father gazing upon that mass
) of burned flesh and blackeneJ bones-aA
that tces once hfS irtfe
Do you ask me for the words that trem
bled from bis white lips 2 Do you ask ms
for the fire that bIazed in his eye2
: cannot tell you But can tell yor
that there was vow going up u Heaven
from that blacksmitll's heart; that there
was cienched hand upraised, in the Ii
of the breaking day
| Yes. yes, as the first gleam of the au
tumnal dawn broke around the spot as til,
first long gleam of sunlight streamed ovel
the peeled skull Of that fair young wife
: she was that last uight-there was a vow
! going up to Heaven the vow of a maddeL
ed heart aud auguisl ed brain.
e How was that vow keptl Go there I,