The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-09-23

f.,cs o.. "a l.bit2 We had not been there
W. 1e,.-t hurry tbst way, by al means. As We
went, va iLq1l1ed Oh peopie moS' hKeiy 70 nave
seen hin.
.sYe, 1T vas police officer who spoke
So, re Vzs in that groggery there, took q
dr,rk CT brandy, and reeted while. he seemed
v.ry tired, and walked slow and feebly. 1t is
no. fifteen minutes since he left-went that
way"
OF =e started again, made almost certain
noE that We were on the right track. viii
20 with you," said the policeman, catching
sJme OF COR excitement We went now still
faster. We would catch him, for there was q
long, steep bill 70 be surmounted ere he could
reach his gcsl-a steep hill that would sadly
try lie weary feet and wasting breath. On
through the keen wind, our feet crunching the
crisp snow-on-for somehow, though we
~ Ike not Of il, each felt that it was for life
and deaih matters that We hurried. Save by
az, the streets we're deserted. The lamp-light
hickered upon the snow-not a form to be seen.
Yes, yUnder, on the hill, moves a shadow, grow
lug slowly longer from yon Tampa shadow of
b bent form, YEARLY plodding along. Yes, it
must be him. Hasten
Nay, rather go slower, and do not let him
see you the excitement may be dangerous, and
be may escape US, too"
True, policeman, your experience is of use
10 Us two trembling, unstrung ones, dreadipg
some calamity that we dare not define in our
thoughts, even. Let us follow slowly, warily,
yon poor forlorn one, with heavy feet heavily
tOi.ing up the hill. See, now he is at the top,
and pauses, turns. I" Into this doorway. Let
him rot see you" He pauses-tsrns-wha
means he? See, he waves his right arm in the
l.. = Al
esst, waves in a slow and solemn manner, a.
we wave an eternal farewell to our dear ones,
our loved ones. Oh, how portentousy waved
that arm oh, how fearfully did that waved arm
agree with oar excited thoughts oh, how ter
ribly, afterwards, did that waved arm enter
isto my dreams, gloomly making sir-circles
about me, till sleep became q burden
And now he moves on over the hill, and we,
siehirg a long sigh of relief, follow after. Not
far has be to go now; an hundred yards fur
Their, and be will reach the place of his old mis-.
cry. Let as hasten We know not what his des
pair may bring about deeds are quick as
thought, ofen-not often needs death second
bidding. Follow, oh follow And We rush on
with desperate speed, with wild thoughts that
choke us, eli us with creeping dread. We are
ere at the top of the hill, and yonder is the old
house, 80 battered-his house-his goal-will
associations? Alas we have not long to wait
for the answer. Where is he? In the door.
way OF the house sits silent, motionless form
form bent over, with head resting upon knees.
Even now, while We pause moment the head
is raised, and the hand, and We fancy we note
a shudder run through the frame; and again,
in the lamp light, the head falls heavily upon
the knees, and the hand drops upon the snow
heavily, not replacing the fallen hat which ex-
poses those gray hairs to the bitter night. Hur-
ry-there is need of us. He has need of us.
But perhaps perhaps his hour of Feed is
past. Hurry! We are here The lamp sheds
its light upon him. A-welll One does one
thing, another some other thing; but What
DO do? Great God what do do? A slip |
Of paper has fallen from the relaxed haDd-a |
narrow slip Of paper / have seen many, very
maRy, like it; God preserve me from seeing |
another az | saw that Nothing do l, save |
clutch mp that slip of psper, and bear it 10 the |
hight; knew it-many such had / sold but, |
OBJ, why was it-wby, oh Thou Inscrutable |
One, was it, that OF all the numbers it is posi-
Bile to com bine, from one 10 enty-fve-of |
all the possible relations in which mans inge
nuity has devised TO place seventy-6ve num-
eers-why. oh why was it. that from that ticket |
there flashed out those three numbers, those
fatal numbsrs-numbers which, God help me,
l knew too well-rumbers SEVENTEEN, NINE
TEEN, Sixty THREE. ] turned with scared
brain there was no need to cry out, to summon
quick aid with voices whose tremor must ap
pai-no need for US there, at all. / knew it,
and silently they pointed il ont 10 me, showing
me where bad fallen the shadow of the black
wing OF the IH-postiai.
IL nattered not TO me that next day the Jury
OF inquest doubted what verdict they should
render; that 1t was questionable to them
whether they should pronounce for death from
exposure. CT death from exhaustion, or death
from excitement, OF death from liquor, or death
from visitation Of God" 1t mattertd net to
me Lat the doctors talked learnedy of the eff.
fects OF so and 20 upon a constitution in such
and such conditions that they recited in tech.
meal formula the various conclusions which
might be arrived at in regard to this death,
based upon such diagnosis as they had been
enabled by the autopsy TO make. 1t mattered
not to me that shuddering children, peeping
about, aud standing on tiptoe; that women, |
gossipiDg the while, and relating stories of him
that lay there, should discuss how he died
should argue and quarrel, being worsted, in |
defer &c OF this CT that mode of extinpuishment
which they thought had come upon him. All |
these ihirgs mattered not al all to me, for. in
my heart Of hearts, knew full we'll that the true
verdict should be
did OF THE LorrERYln