Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-06-19

:. one crime IOI. WHICH sneaftu cOutu duOIu nu
mercy. That crime, in its indistinct black
ness, seemed to overshadow him. The lime
burners own sins rose up within him, and
made bis memory riotous with throng OF
evil shapes that asserted their kindred with
the master of sin, whatever it might be, which
it was within the scope of mans corrupted
nature to conceive and cherish. They were
all of one family; they went to and fro be
tween his breast and Etban's Brands, and
carried dark greetings from one to the other.
Then BertraE1.femembered the stories which
had grown Evolutionary in reference to this
strange man, who had come upon him like
the shadow of night, and was making him
self at home in his old place, after SO long
absence that the dead people, dead and buried
for years, would have had more right to be
at home in any familiar spot than he. Ethan
Brand, it was said, had conversed with Satan
himself in the lurid blaze of this very kiln.
The legend had been matter of mirth here
tOfore, but looked grimly now. According
to this tale, before Ethan bad departed on his
search he had been accustomed to invoke a
fiend from the hot furnace of the lime kiln,
night after night, in order to confer with him
about the objectionable Sin; the man and the
fiend each laboring to frame the image of
some mode of guilt which could neither be
atoned for nor forgiven. And with the first
CLEAN of light upon the mountain top, the
fend crept in at the iron door. there to abide
the intensest element of fire, until again sum-
moned forth to share in the dreadful task of
extending mans possible guilt beyond the
scope of Heavens else infinite mercy.
While the l;me-burner was struggling with
the horrors of these thoughts, Ethan Brand
rose from the log and flung open the door of
the kiln. The action was in such accordance
with the idea in Bertram's mind that he al
most expected to see the evil one issue forth
red hot from the raging furnace.
IL hnII nI fraf fOfIc
attempt to laugh. for he was ashamed of his
fears, although they over-mastered him.
Don't, for mercy's sake, bring out your devil
now"
Man ~ sternly replied Ethan Brand, ''what
need have of the devil? / have left him far
behind me on my track. 1t is with such half
way sinners as you that he busies himself.
Fear not because open the door. l do but
act by old custom, and am going to trim
your fire like lime-burner. was once"
He stirred the vast Goals, thrust in more
wood, and bent forward to gaze into the hOl-
low prison-house of fire, regardless of the
fierce glow that REDEEMED upon his face. The
lime-burner sat watching him. and half sus-
pected his strange guest of a purpose, if not
to evoke fend at least to plunge bodily
into the flames, and thus vanish from the
sight of man. Ethan Brand, however, drew
quietly back, and closed the door of the
kiln.
Il have looked" said he, lin many hui
man heart that was seven times hotter with
sinful passion than your furnace is with fire.
But | found not there what | sought No,
not the objectionable Sin! -
What is the objectionable SIM" asked
the limeburner and then he shrank further
from his companion, trembling lest his ques-
ton should be answered.
eth sin that grew within my own breast"
replied Ethan Brand, standing erect, with
pride that distinguishes all enthusiasts of his
stamp: ga sin that grew no where else The
sin of an intellect that triumphed over the
sense of brotherhood with man and reverence
for God, and sacrificed everything to its own
mighty claims! The only sin that deserves
recOmpense of immortal agony Freely, were
it to dc again, would | incur the guilt. I'm
shrinking | accept the retribution.
''The mans head is turned" muttered the
limeburner to himself ''He may be sinner
like the rest of us, nothing more likely, but
I'll be sworn he's mailman too"
Nevertheless, he felt very uncomfortable at
his situation, alone with Ethan Brand on the
wild mountain side, and was right glad to
hear the rough murmur of tongues, and foot
steps of what seemed IA pretty numerous party,
stumbling over the stones and rustling through
the under-bush. Soon appeared the whole
lazy regiment that was wont to invest the vii
lage tavern, compromising three four in
dividuals who had drank flip beside the bar
room fire through all the winters, and smoked
their pipes beneath the stoOp through all the
summers, since Ethan Brands departure.
Laughing boisterOusly, and mingling all their
voices together in unceremoniOus talk, they
now burst into the moonshine and narrow
streaks of fire light that illuminated the open
space before the lime-kiln. Bertram set the
door ajar again, flooding the spot with light
that the whole company might get fair view
of Ethan Brand, and he of them.
There, among other old acquain:ances, was
a once ubiquitous man. now almost extinct,
but whom we were formerly sure to encounter
at the hotel of every thriving village through
out the country. 1t was the stage agent
The present specimen of the genus was
wilted and smoke-dried man. wrinkled and red
nOsed, in a smartly-cut brow bob-tailed coat
with brass buttons, who, for length of time
unknown, and kept his desk and corner in the
bar-roOm, and was still putting what seemed
TO be the same cigar that he had lighted
twenty years ago. He had great fame as
dry joker, though, perhaps, less on account OF
any intrinsic humor. than from a certain
flavor of brandy toddy and tobacco smoke
which impregnated all his ideas and expires
siOns, well as his person.
Another w, II r, nembercd, though strange
ly altered face was that of Lawyer Giles,
as people still called him in cOurtesy-an
elderly ragamufin, in his soilcd shirt sleeves
and tow-linen trousers. The poor fellow had
been attorney in what he called his better
days-a sharp practitioner, and in great
vogue among the village litigants; but flip.
and sling, and toddy, and cocktails mbibed
at all hours-morning, noon and night-had
caused him to slide from intellectual to vari-
Gus kinds and degrees of bodily labor, till at
last, to adopt his own phrase, he slid into a
soap vat. In other words, Giles was now a
soap-boiler in small way. He had come to
be but the fragment of II human being-a
part of one foot having been chopped OFF by
AN axe, and an entire hand torn away by the
devilish grip of steam engine. Yet, though
the corporal hand was gone, spiritual mem
Der remained; for stretching forth the stump,
Giles steadfastly averred that he felt an invis-
ible thumb and finger with as vivid a sensa-
ton rs before the real one was amputated. A
manned and miserable wretch be was; b1t
one, nevertheless whom the world could not
trample, and had no right to scorn, either in
this or any previous stage of his msfOrtunes,
since he had still kept up the courage and
spirit of a man, asked nothing in charity, and
with his one hand, and that the left one.
fought in stern battle against want and hostile
circumstances.
Among the throng, too, came another per-
sonage who with certain points of similarity
TO Lawyer Giles, had many more of difference
Ii was the village doctor, man of some fifty
years. whom, at an earlier period OF life, we
| ehould have introduced as paying a profes-
sional visit TO Ethan Brand, during the latter
supposed insanity. He was now purpled-
visaged rude and brutal, yet halEgentlemanly
| figure, with something wild, ruined and des-
perate in his talk, and in all the details of his
| gesture and manners. Brandy possessed this
man like an evil spirit, and made him as
! n wild beast and as miserable as a lost soul:
| but there was supposed 10 be in him such
native gifts of healing, beyond any which
medical science could impart, that society
| caught hold OF him and would not let me sink
| out of its reach. SO, swaying TO and tro on
his horse, and grumbling thick accents at the
bedside. he visited all the sick chambers fol-
miles about among the mountain towns, and