Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1861-01-03

| While listening 10 the story OF lhe wiz
man | am half afraid, bat now, as the Joyous
laughter rings out | am ashamed of my fears,
and skipping forth / sit down on green ridge
which cuts the door yard diagonaily and where
am told, there was once fence. Did the
| rose.bnshes and Hlacs and flags that are in the
! garden ever grow here 1 think-no, it must
| have been a long while agoif indeed the fence
were ever here for [ can't conceive the posi-
! bty Of such change, and then l fall to ar
ranging my string of brier buds into letters
/ that will spell some name, now my own, and
now that of some one | love. A dull strip
of cloud from which the hues of pink and red
and gold have lately faded out. hangs low IN
the west; below is long reach OF whitening
woods-the gray sprays of the beech cllngIng
thicky still, and the gorgeous naples shooting
! up here and there like sparks of fire among the
darkly magnificent oaks and slvery coIumned
sycamores-th gray and murmurouS twilight
gives way to darker shadows and deeper
F.! hush.
hear, far away, the beating of quick hoof-
strokes on the pavement the horseman,
| think to myself, is Just coming down the hill
through the thick woods beyond the bridge.
| listen close, and presently hollow rumh-
/ ling sound indicates that | was right and
now | hear the strokes more fantIy-he Is
! climbing the hill that slopes directly away
/ from me bat now again hear dlstnctly--he
] has almost reached the hollow below me--the
/ hollow that in the summer is starry with dan
delions and now is full Of brown netteS and
withered weedS-he will presently have passed
where can he be going aud what is his er-
rand | will rise up and watch. Tue cloud
passes fSOm the face OF the moon and the light
! streams full and broad on the horSeman--he
tightcns his rein aod looks eagerly toward the
house know him. the long red cnrs,
streaming down his neck, and the straw hat,
are not be mstaken-it is Oliver liilihouSe,
the miller, whom my grandfather who lives in
| the steeprool house, has employed three years
longer than can remember He calls to
me, and aughngIy hound forward, with en-
! exclamation of delight, and put my arms about
/ the slender neck Of his horse, that is champing
! the bit and paving the pavement, and say,
" Why do you not come in n
! He smile, bat there is something Omiuous
/ in his smiles, as he hands NE folded paper,
saving Give this 10 your mother;' and.
I gathering up his reinS, he rides hurriedy for
ward In a moment | am in the house, for
nv crraud Here mother is paper which
Oliver HihouSe gave me for you tie rhand
trembIes as she receives il, aud waiting tImidiy
near, | watching her as she reads; the tears
come, and without speaking word she hands
it TO my father
! That Night there came upon my soul the
shadow OF an awful fear; SOrrowtul moanS and
plants disturbed my dreams that have never
since been wholly forget. How cold and
spectral-like the moonlight streaned across my
pillow; how dismal the chirping OF the cricket
in the hearth; aud how more than dismal the
winds among the naked boughs that creaked
against nv windows For the first time in my
life could not sleep, aud | Ionged for the
light of the morning. At last it came, ,whiten
inr up the East, and the stars faded away and
there came a flush of csimson aud pur |; fire,
which was presently pushed aside by ihe gold
en- disk Of the sun Daylight without, but
within there was thick darkness still.
| kept close about my mother, for in her
nreseuce felt shelter and protection that
! found no where else.
BE a good girl till come back" she said,
STOPPING and kissing my forehead; mother
is going away to day, your poor grandfather
is very sick"
Let me go too" l said, clinging close to
her hand. We were soon ready; little Harry
pointed his lips and reached out his hands, and
nv father, gave him his pocket-knfe to play
with; and the wind blowing the yellow cnrS
over his eyes and forehead, he stood on the
porch looking eagerly while my mother turned
70 see him again and again We had before
US walk Of perhaps two mes-northwardiy
along the turnnke nearly mile, next, strk-
ing into graSs-grown road that crossed II, III
an easternly direction nearly another mile, and
then turning northwardy again. narrow
lane. bordered on each s.Ge by old and decay
. iur cherry trees, led US to the house, ancient
fashioned, with high steep gables, narrow wih-
dows. aud low, heavy chimneys of stone. In
the rear was an old mill, with plank slopins
from the doorsill to the ground by way OF
step and square open window in the gable,
through which, with ropes and pulleys, the
grain was drawn up. .....
This mill was an especial object of terror to
! me. and 1t was only when my aunt Carry led
me by the hand, and the ch:erinl smile OF
Oliver HiIIhouSe lighted up the dnsky interior
that / could he persuaded to enter 1t. In
truth it was q lonesome sort OF place, With
dark lofts aud curious binns and ladders lead
ing from place to place; and there were cats
creeping steal.hily along the beams in wait for
mice or swallows if, as sometimes happened,
the clay nest should be looSened from the ratter
and the whole tumble ruinonSy down. | used
to wonder that aunt Garry was not afraid in
,he old place, with its enternal rumble, and its
great dusty wheel moving slowly round and
round. beneath the steady tread OF the two
sober horses that never gained hairs breadth
for their pains; but on the contrary, she SCENE
ed to like the mill, and never failed TO snow.
me through all its iutricacies, on my visits
! have unraveIed the mystery now, or rather'
] from the recolIections still retanhaye apPre-