The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1861-07-20
F1AE EVIL HEART.

On the western shores Of Lake Cham.
plain, during the arst years Of the war Of
the Revolution there dwelt en- aged but
eyil-hsAVte1 woman, zknown smONR the
few settlers Of that region BY the nSmO Of
Hester Madgs. Il was ruin0red that she
had sought the solitude Of the woody
shores to eVade the punishment due her
for the perpetFation Of some heinous but
unknown crime, years before, 10 the city
Of New York. To have attempted to
trace this FumOr to its fOuntain.head would
have been futile; and the men weFS con.
tented to believe Il, after one glance at the
lowering, black. .browDod and scowling Wis
age Of the shrivelled hag,. who seemed to
have no affinity EOe any Of her species aave
for . tall, lean, savage.Iaeed man who
called her .mofher,, or devil, % the hu.
NOR suited him, and who appeared at long
intervals to make brief soiourn at the
lonely log hut in which abe passed the
greater portion Of her existence. Some
times the hunter. strOlllng by accident past
the only door Of ber dwelling, might pause
to stare in wonder at the witchlike shape,
smoking . pipe IN the doorway, and gla-
ring With baleful eyes at the waveless lake,
90 II she envied the water its calm, and
would conjure storm 70 tear It from the
distant and rocky shores. But be would
soon hurry from the spot when the bag
lcaped towards him isrociOusly, hurting
stones and curses after him. Otherwise,
no visits were paid to Hester Madge.
The rumor Of the rapid approach Of
Burgoyne, with an immense force Of red.
coats and redskins, from the Canadaa, was
driving all those whom the British fury
atigmatised as 'rebela;H from the sparsely
settled region Of Lake Champlain; and
while the women and children were bur.
ried TO the safety Of the interior, the men
hastened to Join the American army, that
was then Springing into armed life from
every town and hamlet, to check the in
solent invader.
Hester Madge did not 6y from hermOan
tain home but perched upon projecting
rock that OverlU0ked the borders Of the
lake, screamed her mad deriXiOn at each
fugitive-laden boat a. it glided BY. Save
the loud jecr Of some reckless lakeman, a.
he laughed at her rage, no greeting was
given her but the silence of contempt.
Run, run, ye dogs! and may the red.
skins give all Of ye bloody night.capsr
waa her continual song, until the last boat
had vanished from her sight.
One moonlight and silent night, after
day Of cursing, because no boat had
passed her door, she sat cr0uching over
gloomy fire smOuldering upon her rude
hearth, mnttering:
They're ell gone, and l am queen Of
the lake-queen Of the lake-Queen Of tho
lake. But the redskins will rout them.
They hated me and ] hated them curse
them ALL curse and blight them, every
one
Hours Of this senscleSs jArgon had flown
BY, and the weird stiffness of midnight
had settled upon shore and water, when
as she heaped fresh faggots upon the EN-.
bers, her long absent son threw open the
unbarrcd door and entered, dragging after
him bound and beautiful girl.
lie Was a man whose shaggy and un-
combed locks were already grizsled, but
more by crime than by time; and his
cat like eyes, Ercenish and phmphoric,
cleaned from viSage stamped with every
feature OF vice.
The captive, whose white and tender
arms we're bound with cruel thongs Of
buckskin, so tiglAtly knotted that the small
and delicate hands were purple and SwOl-
len, was . maiden Of some seventeen
years, tall and stately, despite her bonds !;
and with large black eyes flashed Scorn
and defiance npon her unmanly captOr.
Her hair and dress was much superior to
such a. usually belonged to the girls Of
the frontier, and her whole bearing was
that Of refined and brave woman above
ell misfortune.
Dye know her, mother3' were the flrst
words Of the rutiian, whose savage and
semi.civilised garb denoted one Of those
sOulless, mercenary renegades who sided
with the British not from loyalty to the
king, but because the redcoat waS in the
ascendency. Al the first turn Of fortune,
Abner Madge would have changed sides
to Rlay his former companions
Tho hag pluckcd brand from the tire
and held it's fame near the pale. proud
face Of the captive; gAzed intently for .
moment and then slapped the defenceless
cheek with her open palm.
DO I know her + she screamed with .
tiendiSh howl, and tossing al0f( the brand:
DO know . snake from q tishI 1t is
the daughter Of Henry UpsOm, the rich
rebel to the king, and the man who would
hang Hester Madge we're she in the grip
Of the Law. Ha, mink you may curl
your lip at me. but When I tell you that
your father saw me do what my hate made
me do
'Bahv exclaimed Abner, impatiently,
out with It woman. You dirked my step
father because the old man had made up
his mind never to die, and We wanted his
gold. Henry UpsOn saw yOu do It, and
me help. So We fed from the city some
ten years ago, and having heard that the
only witness Of the deed had settled not
many miles from here year ago, we have
laid Ia wait TO put him out Of tie way that
We might 60 back and claim the wealth
that now rusts for want Of an heir. But
I must be on again for few hours, to
gather my band Of Hurons. You zee we
aru the 0dVancs Of BurgOyne's army, !
snd my ten savages, and coming upon old
UpsOn and his family, 10 full fight, we
p0unced upon them.
Tell mo that IL Henry Upson's scalp
hanging at your belt. and | will bless you
shrieked the hag.
4 wish It did, was the savage answer,
as the renegade glanced at the pair CORY
scaIps pinned to his girdIe; but the old
man and his intended sOn-in.law, Harold
Holmes the rebel captain, made their e.
cape after We had leJt them for dead. but
before we could stop to give them bloody
night caps, their party rallied and scatter.
ed ours. But I had secured the girl, and
when flying with her on my horse, ! saw
Epson and Holmes in full pursuit after my
Hurons, while I pursued IN opposite d.
rectiOn hither. Now look 70 the girl, and
the bounty Of these Scalps shall Be yours
tho British pay well GOr rebel ecalpa ]
must sse aileF my braves. for the rebels
cannot keep up the pursuit very long
keep your eyes on her, mother, for with
A. - AL IA hAuunn