Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-01-04
MONTPELIER, VERMONT, THURSDAY,

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accidentally become separated from his compan-
ions, and, amid the intricacies of the strange
region they were securing they had sought for
him in vain. As weeks rolled by without any
tidings of the missing ones, there grew, and was
ever after adhered to, a popular belief that the
young Indian was sorcerer, who had bewtch-
the maiden and caused the disappearance OF the
forsaken bridegroom. His story, which was
known to most of the settlers in the neighbor-
hood of the tribe who had adopted hiri, fitted
well with this notion and it was decided that
the dusky founding had been spawn OF tho
devil, left in the forest to become stumbling
block to the people of God. What Silas Green
thought in the matter, did not transrre. A
little more thon year after his daughters dis
appearance, n stranger youth had hSanght a
letter to his house. and. giving it to I&Nt man
in charge, for his master, had Immediately de-
parted. Silas Green sat alone to read this epis-
tie. 1t was q statement, in the briefe$ possible
TERMS of the circumstances of Aliceb death;
and was signed "her kinsman and slayer, John
Wade" When Green left the room, hours af-
terward, the letter lay heap of lights ashes on
the fire beside which he had heen seated and
never, not even to the ear of his dying wife, who
soon after was laid in her grave, did he breathe
asyllable Of its contents. short time after
his wiles death, he sold his Long Island pos
sessions, and returned to New England. At the
time of which now write, Catholic mission
ary, despite the jealous precautions of the gov
ernment, was seeking field for his abors among
the Indians in the northern part of NewYork.
He was accompanied by man of grave yet
mild department, who, though apparently of
no religious order, seemed entirely devoted to
the cause in which the priest was engaged. Few
would have recognised, in themeek, jealous dis
ciple of Father -, the Puritan Wade-yet it
was even he. Bowed down with grief and remorse
for the death of Alice, and the evil design of
which it seemed the punishment, the stern, un-
yielding aspect of his rigid creed awed and re-
PEELED his dropping spirit; and he took refuge
III VIC DuoOul VI thO CuuiC CN' IbtuSE - uilu
his companion had been some short time in a
tolerably large settlement, making observations,
without having yet broached their errand, Wade
in the mean time, having won the hearts of the
people by happy cure of their chief-when
band of the warriors of the place returned from
a successful skirmsh with a neighboring tribe
with whom they had entered into hostilities on
some local dispute, bringing with them several
prisoners, These were doomed to die by savage
mode on the following day and the utmost
cemency which all the efforts Wade ventured
to make could extort from the gratitude of the
tribe, was the release of one, who, though taken
fighting bravely with the vanauit~tt not
properly one of that people. This man was
given to Wade to be his servant or slave, but he
was received and treated by the missionaries us
friend and brother By judicjous manage
mcnt, they succeeded in soothing his wounded
pride, and winning him to some degree of con-
fdence, when they learned that his tribe was
at the South''-that he prolcssed the Christian
faith-and, moreover, could read and write.
Beyond this, and few minor particulars in re-
lation to his residence among the people from
whom he had Just boon taken, he he was perse
veringly tacturn in regard to his history, and
the white men, we'll satisfied with his willing
ness to remain with them, and little curious
about what they deemed unimportant matter,
did not ptess inquiries upon him. But they
soon discovered his religious belief, while it EN-
braced the great leading principles of Christian
ity, was otherwise general and indefinite, and
they Immediately sought to imbue him with
their peculiar tenets, while at the same time
they advanced his education in other respects ;
for they foresaw that, with his favorable mind
and disposition, he might become valuable
auxiliary in their cause. Before, however, their
pupil s education wa. far enough advanced, and
their reliance ON his Christian faith sufficiently
confirmed, for his admission to the rite of bap.
tism, Father - was obliged to return to Can
ada on urgent business. His absence would, Of
necessity, be for many months; and it was ar
ranged between Wade and himself, that the
former should remain IN New York meanwhile
to watch over the few scattered seeds they had
already planted, and to extend the good work
' as far as might lie in his power. Wade's con-
tinued and unremitting efforts for his household
; pupil was at last crowned with complete success
in the matter nearest to bss heart, and his con
vert fully qualified to be formally received into
the church when Father should return.
: But during this time, strange, sad chang
had come by slow degrees upon the Indian
: his step had daily grown feebler, his form mor
: emanciated but he had mover complained, am
Wade, ,who,i common with many persons devo
. ted to the spiritual life, was very unobseryant
the physical frame, had noted the alteration bu
slightly. Now, with something Of the restles.
:, ness of failing health, and, perhaps, with some
thing, too, of the mournful presentiment i
e tends to inspire, the Indian signifed his desr
u to make journey to the "Island of Shells,
'e to look once more, and for the last time, upo
~ the ancient hunting grounds Of his people, an
O. the faces of the few of his tribe who yet ngere
+ about them--for rumor had long before told hir
ie OF the death Of those dearest to him who ba
or dwelt there, and later Of the sad dminution q
a. that once numerous tribe. AT the name of hi
'g own native island, which conveyed, too. tn
1e first intimation of where tho former home {
Id his pupil lay, Wade started but he made
IN objection to the proposal, and soon after decide
ll to accompany the Indian to the border of tn
VI sound. He was desirous to explore the countr
nc through which they would be obliged to pass
ind was willing, perhaps, TO look once mol
'pon the green shore of his forsakon birthplace
u When they had reached the limito Wade's pr,
il ,osed travel, and had pitched their tent in Il