Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-10-07
Misfellaag.
THE CHILD OF DESTINY.

ANDRE, THE NIGHT BEFORE THE EXECUTION
1t was a chill September night, in tht
wear 1880. The sky was lined with ridge:
of leaden-colored clouds, piled in stiff hori
zontal folds at the west, relieved here and
there by nearer strata of others ragged
and vapory, which occasionally discharged
themselves in mist, or gusts of wind
When these had passed over, the declining
sun, sinking behind the moveless clouds,
occasionally cleaned out in sudden flashes,
darting long spears of light over the drear
autumn landscape, then sank behind the
next mass of vapor, again to flash forth,
and again to disappear, as if in bis down
ward course he stepped the bars of huge
ladder, one by one, till at length, giving
one last giant glow, his red disk was slow
Iy lost behind the hills. This flash had
passed over the deeply tinged autumn
leaves till they shone like mighty baldric
rich in thousand hues. The gray rock
of the mountain, with its sober evergreens,
caught the beam; the far off river rolled
in molten gold; the cottage window was
all ablaze; the village spire held in trans
fixed like glory; and last, the towering
pine saw it glide upward like spirit, and
loose itself in the unknown space. Was it
significant of a closing destiny?
The wind rose ftfully as the sun went
down, hurting the stricken leaves shower
ing in the air, and tossing the dry branch
es aloft like wrestling monsters. The
gray twilight, so dreary in the declining
year, descended pitilessly upon the earth,
casting chill upon all hearts, and wis
pering of the sad dirges which life teaches
them to utter. In low stone house not
far from the village church, in the town
of Tappan, on the Hudson, a young man
walked back and forth with slow, meas
ured tread, and his hands clasped behind
him. His face was deathly pale, but com
posed and his lip, beautiful as an Apollo's,
though compressed, had not lost its soft, al
most voluptuous curve.
Once he moved in his way, he leaned
his forehead against the wall, and then me-
cllanically drew forth, n pencil, and wrote
his name thereon;* but it was evident he
was unaware of what he had done, for he
moved on as before, and, although the
last Fays of the sun came in at the low
window and shone full upon him-that
sun which be would never more behold in
his goings forlh-he gave it no heed; for
under that full brow were thoughts stretch
ing into eternities far beyond the reach of
las beams, and beneath that hushed bosom
we're emotions, compared with which the
soundings Of suns and worlds were but as
the wavering of feather poised in the
summer air. At length child appeared
and placed light upon the table, and stop
ing, looked up with such strange wondering
pity, that he reached out his hand and
drew her to his side. She did not repel
him, but gently put her arms around his
neck so tenderly, snd pressed her young
cheek to his; he sat down, and became
sensible once more to the external world.
The gust wind swept by, the measured foot
fall of the seatinels at the angles and in the
loug hall of the house, and the dying notes
of the bugle from the army encamping near
by, came to the senses like some boding
but underlined pageant Of which the young
man was part, and the child, the angel
of pity, comforting what she could not
save. She did not speak nor weep, but
only laid her silken curls upon his should
er, and her cheek to his; and when he at
length placed her upon the floor, she sigh
ed heavily, moved very softly to the door,
sighed again, and closed it SO gently that
he hardly knew she was gone.
For the first time his bosom heaved,
and sigh more like groan escaped him,
and then the tears gushed to his eyes. As
he reached for his handkerchief, a parcel fell
to the floor; he picked it up, and now rec
objected that this had been put into his
hand by his man Anderson, John Ander
son, as he stepped into the boat on that
disastrous night, now so painfully recalled.
He remembered the almost frantic vehe-
mence with which the man had begged TO
accompany him, the mysterious warnings
he had fron time to time given him; and,
more tLan all, he remembered the untir
ing devotion, the affecting fidelity, and al
most superhuman courage he had more
than once exhibited in his duty to him.
Then came the memory of those wrestlings
in prayer ia which this strange being ex-
hibited felvor and enthusiasm which had
often filled him with awe.
AS these things fitted through his
miad, he unfolded crumpled and soiled
slip of paper, on which was written:
aDo not entel upon these bold schemes; ;
str pped of their coverings, treason is the
word, death the penalty"
He remembered wh,n this had been
put into his hand, the colorless face of Ander-
son, the terrible brightness of his eye, which
had a light cleaning from within-lighted
backward in the depths of the soul, and
cleaning like the light hidden in ancient
caverns which the sunlight pales. He
recalled the hunied words of the man at
parting, "CaIl yourself by my name; for
Gods sake do not use your own" a request
he had so often, so strongly made before.
Then there was larger parcel, which he
opened and read with an interest at such a
time most singular; at first with look of
incredulity which curIed the fine contour of
his lips; but gradually, as he went on, his
brow flushed, his eye beamed, and he ex-
claimed aloud, "Folly, superstition, what
ever it may be, bless God even for this,
that relieves the naked, barren horror of
such a death!'
Again he passed the floor, and again he
had recourse to the MS. "Yes," he NUT
tered, 81 must die-so young, SO full Of
life. Oh, my God! bless thee for even
this!" and he crushed the paper in his