The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-08-20

n"cu lOf me To hasten. Al Florence had
received IL summons to return to my father
who thought t. be dangerously i'll;
and so had @ M with all the speed OF
locomotive and steamer. TIL | was once
more in my native England and on the
train which was to bear rme home. As the
train passed through scenes so familiar
hat so long left, many and many reco,
lection of old times arose in connection
with him, whom | could nov consider only
as dying
And led on link by link, my whole past
lte was brought in review before me- and
bore such painful Il contrast To the terrible
present. that my long pcnt up feelings, ere
! WAS aware, had vented themselves in a
flood OF tears. As | moved to take q
handkerchief from my pocket, my eyes
met the steadtast gaze of Il fellow Traveller
who sat In the opposite corner. Mortified
at having attracted attention by such a
display of emotion. ! turned my face
away, and >tealthily wiping my eyes gazcd
out OF the W ndow Curiosity soon prompt
ed me to turn again and see If | was still
, the object of observation | was startled
To find that the stare had not ahated one
. lnt, and was of an intensity and power
which impressed one with an uncomtor,a-
h!e feeling which | was ashamed to con
fe--. | felt as If some Magnetic influence
had been cXert"d over me, which placed a
con~traint upon cv-lv motion. aud held my
e.,s directed 10 those Of the stranger VITA
II power | could not disobev The face
wa, Il singular one in may respects The
skin was sailo" and loJgh with beard of
Il few week gowth. this and the thick
coarse hair being alike OF Il coal black
The eyebrows heavy and very prominent
but forming the base Of a rctrcatng and
very low forehead The nose large and
aqu.lin", the mouth firm set and large.
with gross thick lips But his eyes, thO-e
eve, which had % bruUmbcd me, drew all
attention from the other features To them
selves. They were a. black a. the INK
with which ! now write. The pupil wa, 80
d.iatcl that il seemed 70 have uaUrred the
space allotted to the other c"lorvd parts Of
the eye. and possessed "A brightness and
keenuc>> which never saw cguallcl -
They were still bent on me with that same
piercing aud u>urpinr caz": and this was
continued 80 ION" that 1t became uuendur-
able
Rising from my sea, I crossed over to-
ward whore he was s.tt.n, and meeting
IL cy,, with my own >aid. MAY AK
sir. for what reason / am thus the object
OF such marked attention.
He said uothiu. but starting from lis
scat attempted To TaI-c las hand - il 10
strike. when be was seized bv two -talwart
men who >at one on each side Of him
Vt tlc same time | perceived that the
hand which he -,rovc 10 use was bOuI d to
is fellow by a pair of heavy IRON iett"rs,
and It was unnecessary for any comrr =
hen-ion of his condition. that his l,,rd
should say to me a. he did. in whisper
Let him alone, he j, crazy
/ A. attempted u retire the malnan
mu;t"tcd, Don Won know lie dead
But Il -" vou again started, bat IN a
moment rejecting tha, thee were proba-
bly chance words "i mind disease ! re-
turned Ia INV scat and wa- soon absorbed
ia tie same train oi Thought which had
been tiu- aIrsngciy interrupted On went
the tram l.n@.r- through hills. leaping
over valley. i!ying across the level plains
hiding Ia the wood and again flashing in
u the sunlight. through villages. towns
and cit.c~. through ticld- Of grain, green ii
the summer sunlight: over barren mocrs
peopi-d With Wild iowl, over rapid river OF
Slu rri~n c;,uai--oHward. ever onward. with
a speed which rivaiei the winds hat yet
far too Slow for my anxious thoughts
which Wrr" already far ahead or me 10y
that Lcd>dr, and with him who Law upon
It. Bu, in even time with them few the
racoLe ton Of those Dortentou- words of
the nadman-"I ont you know ?-hc's
dead Eytrythin. outside looked fresh
and full of life; the trees were covered
with a living vcrdure and full of sweet
singing birds; the stream ov-r which We
dashed was stream Of Ii in. water. and
full Of living creatures All nature. AM
mate and Illuminate, was tce,ning with life
and health. Bat ii horrible contrast was
that crushing thought, ''Lr is dead" Vt
last the trees fit 10y more slowly, the fields
grow more defined. there i sudden Jar
Il moment while the cars roll smoothly
along, another jar. 4 jerk, and we stop
Bot meanwhile clouds had overspread the
horizon, the night had come on, and with
ii dismal, drilling shower of rain, and
when we stopped was glad to take shell
ter in carriage and bid the driver to hur-
ry TO my home We had hardly started
when just under a lamp we were detained
n moment, and while we waited head
was thrust up TO the open window, and
felt those same eyes pcering into the cor
ner where | was, and heard that same
voice say: oh here you arc-wcll, we II
see you again. Don't YOU know 2-kr is
deod' With these words he Disappeared
and while was riding home the real anx;-
etN anu ii'ubiP ci NY S!lCitlpll tSptllcu
all rcmembrances Of my unwelcome in
truder
At length my Journey was ended But
it had been accomplished too late That
for which | had hastcd and travelled niaht
and day, without cessation or rest, was de-
MED me. and my fathers eyes had been.
closed in death without one last glance for
me Already he was arrayed in the cere-
ments OF the tomb, and laid out in state to
await burial. They led me to the coffin
and looked on those features, now so Fl
cid. from which had beamed so kindly
M ny light on the path of my youth and
earlier manhood. II g face struck m. w + h
a peculiar disgust such rs has never before
or since attached itself to any corpse.-
I Should attempt to explain the reason.
doubt if ! should be understood The
cause was not fully defined in NV own
mind Possibly ii was the almost super.
natural change which had taken place in
year of ab pnce and long period of
painful sickness. The usual marks Of
death were stamped with n painful. hide
Gus d;stnctness in every line and on every
feature of his face. They were such
marks as we consider n matter of course
with the body Of any one else; but when
exh Ell in the form of ore who has been
dear to Us as life itself, we greet them with
an adherence which is almost unbearab,e
The hair which, at our last parting, had
been only tinsed with gray, had become, in
a course of long tlial and intense physical
suffering almost white The face had been
shaved close, but, from that singular freak
of nature which puts exuberant life into
one part Of mans organization when the
whole is dnad the beard had grown SO as
TO make the f,ce rough with white hair III
ready The cheeks were hollow and pale
the skin drawn 50 tight that it had bro
ken. and displayed the raw flesh on the
cheek bones The eyes were sunken. and
<I, IL IL. ~