The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1859-08-27
TIPTON CEDAR COUNTY; IOWA. AUGUST p, 1859.

or. Our cargo was altogether from Bar
badoes,' and. you may be sure si." he
added, a little proudly, "that every pound
of il was entered. Ny father scorns the
mean ways which nDny of the captains
take Of evading the dutics.''
Q "Bless the boy-can't you understand
Fhe silks am talking Of had live people
in them. l mean the pretty Quakers -
Your father ran some risk there, Abel"
How, sir ?" asked the young sailor
his face crimsoning as he spoke.
Don't you know that penalty has
been laid OF hundred pounds on every
person who brings Quaker to the colo.
MES, and forty shillings an hour on any
one harboring them ?"
Chow long has this been -
go, not long! guess the captain
will get clear of the first--the order no,
having passed when he sailed; but he is
amenable to the second So l advise
you to look out"
/ MIR. Stiilman passed on leaving Abel
in whirl Of confusion at what he had
heard. He knew that his father was a
great sticklcr for obedience to the laws,
but whether he would in his devotion to
them, abandon two helpless girls to the
enmi:y which evidently awaited them be
could not tell
He lad no time to solve the problem ;
for as he turned back to the house, he
met Mary Fisher just going ou: on her
missionary tour to the neighboring town
Before he had time to greet her he
heard footsteps at the gate; and two or
three men approached, one Of whom laid
his large coarse hand upon Mary shoul.
der and said:
oung woman you are my prisoner" 4"
The delicate shoulder shrank from the
rude contact, and the mild eyes almost
flashed. The young sailor gave the man
blow that prostrated him ut once to the
ground.
"Touch her if you dare r said Abel
as the man scrambled up and followed
Mary, who had gone towards the house,
with the mark Of soilcd hand visible
on the otherwise spotless white handker-
chief. "Touch her if you dare Who
are you that come hither to insult wo.
men ?'
The man exhibited his credentials.
I" don't blame you much Mr.. Kemp
thorn" he said quite humbly, "for |
should have done as much myself to de-
fend a woman. l did wrong not TO show
| you this paper first. You see that she
must 60 with inc, and the other one too !"
Abel started back, as if knife had
been thrust at his heart. She, too. 1t
was too bitter, but there was no eyadng
it; aud while one Of the men guarded
Mary, the other accompanied Abel to the
| house to find Hope Clifton.
His heart failed him, when he saw her
sitting so quietly in the shaded room,
reading one of the books such as Mary
had been distributing. There was no
one else in the house. Captain Ken p
thorn and his wife had gone out to ride,
and the men would admit of no delay.
! Hope was startled and frightened and
as the man stretched out his hand to her
shoulder, she forgu. her maidenly re-
serve, and chung closely to Abel, with
pale cheeks. and lips from which the
roses had fed.
"Touch her not she is faintng,"
said Abel. "Nay, do not will be an
swerable, my friend he continued, con.
descending even to plead with the man,
to spare her from such contact.
She di! faint, and it was sometime
, before she revived. When she did so,
the men declared they could lose no more
time, and they suffered their two prison
ers to follow them down to the gate with
out laying hands upon them.
Near the gate, two square topped
chaises were awaiting them. Abel sprang
in after Hope, as soon as he had lifted
her to the seat.
"Stop! Mr., Kempthorn, that will not
do said the man who was to drive
"Get in, sir p answered Abel. al
shall not leave this fainting woman l
will account for it to your employers. -
And placing himself next the man, he
held Hope firmly on the other side, dur
ing the whole ride to Boston
There was trial--a burning of Qua
ker books in the market. place--and then
the two delicate women were put in prs.
on 1t is unnecessary to say that Abel
Kempthorn and his father kept alternate
guard, night and day, at the prison door.
A few interviews had been obtained by
bribing the jalor, and Abel had, in one
Of them, received Hope Clifton's promise
to be his own.
Eleven weeks passed in this way. be-
fore sentence was pronounced upon the
young Quakcrs. Men had talked Of
dreadful things that were to be enacted
Some said that nothing less than a pub
lie execution, on the Common, would pre-
vent further efforts of the English Qua
ke.s to gain ground in the colonies
Abel sometimes heard these whispers
but the heai.. Of the generous young sail
or refused to belize it. Where could
man be found that would lay hands Oh
the two fair young girls, to a....gs them to
such death He had more faith End
trust in human nature, than to credit it;
and if, indeed, human nature might de-
ceive his faith, he felt sure that God
would not permit such an outrage.
In those eleven weeks, the alteration
in Abel's appearance was almost fright
full. Constant vatching--save when re-
lieved by his father, whom he would not
permit to stay long--want of food, and
anxiety, had all wrought their work upon
his strong and youthful frame aud open,
manly countenance. He was thin and
pale as a shadow, and as the time ap
preached for the final sentence, his
health was nearly giving way beneath his
anxiety
The day came. The youth and beauty
Of the prisoners indsputably softened
their judges and the sentence was only
Punishment, instead of more fearful one