The weekly ledger., 1857-08-08

MY dear child, you will bring ruin upon
our headslD
Not upon yours, my father; but, to me,
what is ruin novi But | will not be rash,
will go TO my room, and pray and think
think of him who now-now lays cold IN
deathr
She turned and left the room, while the
father still stood looking from his window out
upon the waters, which were lashed with
rising storm, and the trees, which had already
began to writhe beneath the force of the ri
sing gale, like some huge giants wrestling with
some unseen power.
Meanwhile his daughter had gone up to her
room in one of the cheerful gables of the old
fashioned house; and, forgetting to pray in
the mad tumult Of her wronged heart, was
also gazing cut upon the storm, which was
not more wild than the tempest in her breast
From her elevated position she could look
over the tree-trops and the serried clouds, as,
like battling host enshrined to the charge,
amid SulphuronS fame and smoke, they rose
and sped athwart the sky She could see
Hurl Gates eddying wrls tossing the foam
caps, white as drifting snow, in the air-the
breakers tunibng up against the black rocks
as if they would hide their dangers from the
mariners view
With a wild cry of fierce delight the far
girl bounded from the room "I.ife for life
Nathan Hale shall be revenged" she cried.
What was her ridea? Within another room
in that house was the clothing of brother,
who long since had been laid to rest beneath
the sod and to this room she fled, and soon
was arrayed in a suit of such clothing as
Young men generally wear when they 90 or
boating expeditions Without hesitation she
cut from her head the long glossy tresses of
hair and, in very brief period, bore the ap-
pearance of young man of eighteen, not
more than her age. Having made arrange
ments with rapidity which only desperate
resolve could cause, she instantly left the
house. passing down the avenue toward the
Sound, before her fathers eyes he little think
ing that the apparently spruce young water
man, who chose to breast such storm, was
the person of his accomplished daughter
Hurrying down to boat house which
fronted the avenue, she loosened one of those
small light skiffs, which are still the model Of
the pilots of Hur Gate, hosted small sail,
and, in few moments, was out upon those
angry waters, running up on the last of the
hood-tide as freely and boldly as if she had
been in a stout ship, instead of so small and
lra boat. 1t was not a new thing for her
TO be upon the water, being raised so close to
it, and hundreds of times had she been dash
ing over those waves, but never, perhaps, in
such gale as that Yet coolly she steered
her tiny craft, avoiding the dangerous whill-
pools and rocks, and heading towards the
frigate, which, impatient for pilot, had al
ready fired another gun.
Within less than twenty minutes from the
time she started, she had luffed up alongside
of the man-of-war, and having caught the
line cast out to her, and fastened the boat,
had mounted the vessels side, and stood upon
the quarter deck in presence of the command
er.
"Are you pilot?' asked the latter, impa-
tient in tone as well as look.
II am, sirl" was the reply.
"Young for such business. Can you take
us through Hurl Cater
GAS well as my father, who has been pi-
lot here these thirty yearsw was the ready
reply
"Why did he not come out, instead OF
sending boy like you in blow as fresh as
thisi"
Because he was laid up with the rheuma-
tism. sir, and then he knows that / can pilot
YOU through as well as he can Sir Henry
Clinton knows me, sirY"
"Ah, does he-wel, that is all right Can
we bear away yeti"
mo, sir, not for an hour-till the tide runs
ebb."
"That is bad-this gale keeps rising. Is
there anchorage hereabouts"
mo, sir, not within twenty miles above
where your anchors would hod'
'rhen we must go through"
"Yes. sir--aS soon AS the tide comes,
wouldn't risk it yet, for if the current should
catch you on either bow, you'd 20 on the
rocks, surew
"rhat is true, yonng man. Let me know
the earliest moment that we can go through
AYE, aye, sir
And while the English commander turned
off to speak to one of his officers, the Patriot
Pilot calmly went off to the main gangway
and looked over the side as if watching for
the change of tide.
Bu. what was passing in her heart then?
There were between three and four hundred
souls in that fated vessel She had lost the
only loved thing, beside her father, on earth,
when Nathan Hale was hanged that morning
as "a spy. She was not thinking how many
hearts would be broken by her intended act
she was not thinking of the mothers and sis
tiers, and wives in England, who would mourn
the deed-she was only thinking that soon.
very soon, she would join him in the spirit
land, and that dearly would his loss be aveng-
ed. For her own life she cared not-thought
not-uot even did she think of that worship