The national Republican., 1861-01-07

on him. He is to 60 up and stab that sleeping
man.
Even this half drunken murderer turns pale
al the thought; how the knife trembles in his
guilty hand trembles against the pistol barrel |;
the jeors of his comrades arouse him to the
work; the light is in one hand, the knife in the
other, be goes up stairs he listens, first at the
door Of his daughters room on the right, ana
then at the door of the soldier on the left. All
is still. Then he places the light on the foor;
he enters the chamber on the left he is gone
moment. Silence there is a faint groan. He
comes forth again, rushes down the stairs, and
stands before the FIRE with the bloody knife in
his hand.
"Look " he shrieks, as he scatters the red
drops over his comrades, and over the hearth,
into the fire. "Look; it is the blood Of the
traitor, Washington
His comrades gather around him with yells
of Joy already, in fancy, they count the gold
which will be theirs for this deed when 10 the
stair door opens, and there, without wound,
stands George Washington, asking calmly for
his horse
"Whatl" shrieked the Tory, Mannheim, can
neither steel nor bullets harm you? Are you
living man? Is there no wound in your uni.
form?"
The apparitiou drives him mad.
He starts forward he places his hand trem.
blingly upon the arms and breast of Washing
ton. He then looks at the bloody knife, still
clasped in his right hand, and stands there quiv.
erng, as with death spasm.
While Washington looks on in silent wonder,
the door is thrown open the bold troopers from
Valley Forge throng the room, with the gallant
and bronzed vsage of Capt. Williams in their
midst.
At this moment the old clock in the room
struck twelve.
Then buried thought crashed through the
brain ofthe Tory, Mannheim. He seizes the light,
rushes to the room of his daughter on the right.
Some one had Just risen from the bed-the
chamber was vacant-then toward the chamber
on the left, with step of leaden heaviness. Lo!
now the knife quivers in his hand. He pauses
at the door-he listens. His blood curdles in
his veins. Gathering courage, he pushes open
the door. Toward the bed, through whose cur.
tains he struck so blindly momentago. Again
he pauses-not a sound, stiffness more terrible
than the grave. He filings aside the curtains.
There, in the full light Of the lamp, her form
but half covered, bathed in her own blood-there
lay his daughter Mary.
And do not look upon the face of her father,
as he starts silently back, frozen to stone; but
in his pause of horror, listen to the mystery Of
the deed.
After the father had gone down stairs an hour
ago, Mary silently stole from the chamber on
the right, her soul shaken by thousand fears.
She opened the door on the left, and beheld
Washington sitting at the table. Then, though
her existence was in the act, she asked him,
in q tone of calm politeness, to enter the room
on the right. Mary entered the chamber on the
left.
Can you imagine the agony of that girls soul
as, lying on the bed intended as the death couch
of Washington, he silently awaited the knife,
although that knife might be cenched in a
fathers hand
And now that father, frozen to stone, stood
there, holding the light in one hand the other
still clenching the red knife.
There lay his child, the blood streaming from
that wound in her arm, her eyes covered with a
CLASSY film.
MARY q" shrieked the guilty father-for, rob
Der and Tory as he was, he called to her, bu
that was all he could say.
Suddenly she seemed to wake from that stu
por. She sat up in the bed with, CLASSY eyes
The strong hand of death was on her. As sht
sat there, erect and CLASSY, the room wa
thronged with soldiers. Her lover rushed for
ward, and called her by name. No answer
Called again-spoke to her in that familiar voic,
of olden time still no answer. She knew hin
not.
Yes, it WAS true-the strong hand of deatl
was upon her.
Has he escaped?" she said, with husk,
voice.
ayes l" shrieked the father. olive, Mary
only live, and tomorrow will Join the CAM
at Valley Forge"
Then that girl-the hero woman-dying al
she was, not so much from the wound in he
arm as from the agony which had broken he
last chord Of life, spread forth her arms as i
she beheld form floating above the bed
beckoning her away.
Motherl" she whispered, while ther
grouped the soldiers-there, with speeches
agony on his brow, stood the lover-there, hid
ing his face with one hand while the othe
grasped the light, crouched the father-th
light flashing over ther dark bed, with the form
in its centre. Mother thank God For viii
my life have saved him -
Look even as starting on that bloody coucl
there, she speaks that hafformed word, he
arms stiffen, her eyes wide open, set in death
glare in her fathers face.
She is dead. From the room her spirit ha
gone.
That alfformed word still quivering on tn
white lips Of the heroic woman-that uttered i
husky whisper choked by the death-rattl
that word was-W AsHINGToY.
BOOT AND SHOE MANUFACTORY