The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1858-07-02

days when the blood circulated swiftly
through his youthful limbs, and he could
boast OF health, strength and vigor-scenes
ofstrife and tumult, battle fields and coun-
Gil chambers, of tyranny resisted, and indie
pendence achieved. All these were con-
nected with thoughts of his friend, who had
just passed from earth. What depository
OF relics must an old mans heart be! Not
buried Ho,npeii or 1Ierculaneum present
more subjects of thought than one human
| heart, could we look beueath the lava, rub.
bish and dust with which years and inter
course with the world have covered it. The
crust is often deep and hard to be penctra-
ted, but now and then an opening is made
and we have glance at the depths beneath.
1t was thus now with Father Morris, and
the wise man, had he been there, and look
ell at tho shattered hopes, which, like beau
tlful ruins, were scattered over that life, and
at the stranded wrecks upon the shore,
would have exclaimed anew: "All is vanity
aud vexation Of spirit" But poor Alice
thought only Of losing her story. Seeing
the mood Of her grandfather, she sat down
by his side, and leaned her head upon his
knee. Tho trembling hand was by the
power of habit involuntarily laid upon it
but the touch recalled his wandering
thoughts, and he said:
Il must follow soon, Ally. My old COM
panions-in-arms are almost all dead. My
arlnor is worn and rusty, and must soon
lay it aside; but I will not disturb your
young heart with sad thoughts. Go bring
my pipe, and will tell story of old times,
but it shall be about this same Major SAT-
ford-I can think Of no one else this after
noon."
I'D rather hear about something else,"
thought Alice, but she never thwarted her
grandfatber's wishes.
So lighting his pipe from the cmbers of
the kitchen fire, she returned with her knit
ting work, and resumed her seat:
~ GU see, Ally" said the old man, after
taking few whiffs from his pipe, aud
Knocking the ashes thercfrom, holding it in
his hand moment, and glancing at his
snug little cottage and garden, which rustIed
amid the shrub-bery like birds nest in the
green leaves ofa tree, >"You see, Ally, mat
ters were not always as pleasant and peace
full as now. In the early settlement of Yer
mont, there were stirring times amid these
green hills, and it was not without many
bloody fray and fierce battle that we settled
down SO quietly under sour own vine and
fig tree," as the minister says in his parry.
er.
: "You had to fight the Indians, suppose"
said Ally. ~
"Ten times worse than that, dear child
we had to fight the York tories. 1 cannot
explain it all to you, for its long story,
and would puzzle your little head but TO
make it short, We see, the folks over the uud-
son thought they had claim to the Is
this side, and they sent out to Eng' d. md
obtained, as they said, royal authority to
the claim. Then they sent officers here
with parchment rolls, and papers they called
deeds, and threatened to turn US out of our
homes, and from the lands we had with so
much labor cleared.
"Well, the Green Mountain boys, with
Ethan Allen at their head, determined to
resist, and you know, for you have often
heard me tell, how they fought.
'But speaking Of those times reminds
me of what meant to tell you when be-
gun, that is a sort of love story, iu which
the Major and myself were Interested"
At these words, Alice dropped her knit.
ting work, though it was not in the seam
needle, and looked up with much interest
"ln which you were interested, did you say,
grandpa?"
"Yes, child, when I was young and fool
lsh, and easily taken with pretty face
and the love part would not be worth re-
peating now only as connected with the
courage of the Major"
"Oh, tell the whole, grandpa. don't
like balf Stories"
"Well, we'll, don't interrupt me, and
will proceed. said tho courage of the
old major. 1t requires some courage to
enter battle field, and stand there as a
mark to be shot at by the enemy, and feel
that your body may be food for carrieu
but to. defy the minister in his pulpit, with
all his churchNto'back him, requires more
STILL" s~.a @.sis., ,+ ~: 81 4,
'"l thought it was love story; grand
pat" '-..7 ...S.''', y .'."'' -. !, .,
"Haye patience, child, and I'll come 10
the point at last Well, you zee, our min.
ister was tory, and though he didn't say
soin plain words, I've no doubt but he be.
iieved III the divine ripht Of fkfnrsI At.ar1