The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1857-09-24
the rock. and held him quivering over the

black and ashy, by turns, as that awfu
gulf yawned below. mercy! I have
: wife, child! spare me!''
Then the continental, with bis musteret
strength gathered for the effort, shook th'
murderer once more over the abyss. ant
then hissed this bitter sneer between BIZ
teeth:
"My brother had wife and two chill
dren. The morning after the night o
the Paol, that wife was a widow-thost
children orphans! Wouldn't you ike te
/ go and beg your life Of that widow and
her children?"
The proposal made by the continental
in the mere mockery of hate, was taken
in serious earnest. by the horror stricken
tory. He begged to be taken to the wild
ow and her children, to have the painful
privilege of begging for his life. After
a moment of serious thought, the patri-
otic soldier consented. He bound the to-
rvs arms yet tighter, placed him on the
rock again, and then led him up on the
woods. A quiet cottage embosomed a.
mong the trees, broke on their eyes.
They entered that cottage. There be-
side the desolate hearthstone, sat the
widow and her children. She sat there, a
matronly woman of about thirty years,
with face faded by care. a deep dark
eye. and long black hair hanging in dis
hevelled state about her shoulders.
On one side was dark haired boy, of
some six years; on the other, little girl
one year younger, with light hair and
blue eyes. The Bible-an old and ven
Grated volume--lay open on the mothers
knee.
And then the pale-faced tory flung
himself on his knees, confessed that he
had butchered her husband on the night
of Paoli, and begged his life at her
|hands?"
"spare me for the sake of my wife my
child!''
He had expected that this pitiful moan
would touch the widows heart; but not
one relenting CLEAN softened her pale
face.
"The Lord shall Judge between us!''
she said, in cold, icy tone that froze the
murderer's heart. "Look! the Bible lays
open in her lap; will close that volume,
and then this boy shall open it, and place
his finger at random upon line, and by
that line you shall live or die!"
This was strange proposal made in
good faith of wild and dark supersti-
ton of the olden time. For a moment,
the tory, pale as ashes, was wrapt in
thought. Then in faltering voice he
signi6ed his consent.
Raising her dark eyes to heaven, the
mother prayed the Great Father to direct
the finger of her son. She closed the
book-she handed it to that boy whose
young cheek Redeemed with loathing as
he gazed upon his fathers murderer
He took the Bible, opened its holy pages
at random, and placed his finger upon a
verse.
Then there was silence. The CONT
mental soldier, who had sworn to avenge
his brothers. death stood there with dila-
ting eyes and parted lips. The culprit
kneeling on the floor. with a face like dis
colored clay, felt his heart leap to his
throat
Then, in clear, bold voice, the widow
read this line from the Old Testa ament.-l
1t was short, yet terrible!
.THAT MAN SHALL DEP
Look! the brother springs forward to
plunge knife into the murderer's heart;
but the tory, pinioned as he is, clings to
the widows knees. He begs that one
more trial may be made by the little girl,
that child of FIVE years old with golden
hair and laughing eyes.
The widow consents. There is an
awful pause. With smile in her eye,
without knowing what she does, the little
girl opens the Bible as it lays on her
mothers knee, she turns her laughing
face away and places her finger upon
line.
That awful silence grows deeper. The.
deep drawn breath OF the brother and
the broken gasps of the murderer, alone
disturb the stiffness. The widow and
dark eyed boy are breathless. The little
girl, unconscious as she was, caught a
feeling of awe from the countenances a.
round her, and stood breathless, her face
turned aside. and her tiny finger resting
on that line of life or death.
At last gathering courage, the widow
bent her eyes to the page, and read. 1t
was line from the New Testament:
"LovE YOUR ENEMIES
All, that moment was sublime. Oh,
awful book of God, in whose dread pa
ges we see Moses talking face to face to
Jehovah, or Jesus waiting by Samari as