The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-10-14

"
cottonwood, and then pine, and then
more expresses in endless rank before me,
MY horse had to push his way more than
once through an encroaching wild vino that
barred the road with its rough tendris
but we made fair progress, until the angry
growl of dog, issuing from thicket OF
wax-trees on the right, made Saladin snort
and rear. In the suddenness of the motion.
and deeply immersed as | was in mental
computation of the cost of so many thou,
sand sleepcrs of live oak, and SO much
Pennsylvania bar iron, l vas nearly un-
horsed and as regaincd the mastery over
my frightened stecd, called out impa-
tienty Who's thereY Confound you,
call off your dog, whoever you are "
No reply was returned, but the dogs
wrathful growl sunk into mourful whim-
pering sound, and the animal came crawl
ing through the brushwood, wagging his
tail, and looking up at me in q beseeching
sort of way. No very formidable Cerberus
after all; common terrier of the black and
tan breed so usual i'll old England, gray
with age. like dogs, and l softencd my
tone as said: "Well poor old fellow, how
did you como here by yourself, eh2" The
dog whined, and tried to jump as high as
the hand | held out to him, aud then gave
suppressed bark, and bounced into the
brushwood again, where now saw some
thing white, like a wagon-tilt, among the
myrtles, On drawing nearer, saw that the
white object was small sail-cloth tent, and
bcyond it were two more of these frail struc-
lures, and o country cart stood near, while
a gaunt mule was tethered and grazing in
little clearing near the camp. But, although
there were heaps of dead wood, and pile
of burned brands that denoted an extinct
fire, and though harness, and tools, and
little household matters were strewed over
the moss and turf, no sign of human life
could discern. The dog, now quite hushed,
was looking at me wistfully from few
yards Off where he stood on 4 hillock. ]
rode up, and there, at my horses very feet,
sat, unmoved, and apparently unconscious,
q solitary female form. Dressed i'll a COM
mon gown of cotton print such as emil
grants wear, this girl was bending forward
so that her head rested on her knees, and
her face was quite hidden between her
hands. Her figure was slender and graceful
| in the extreme and her disordercd hair was
raven black, and strcamed over her hands
as she crouched beneath the hillock. A
runaway slave was my first thought. But
no; there were no signs of African blood in
the flow of her hair or the color of the one
pretty wrist which was visible. | was on
the point of speaking, when my horse
ncigtled, and the girl looked up with start,
and could see her face-a pretty face, more
than pretty, it was downright beautiful,
with rose~5i3om aud pure white, and the
dark sastrous eyes and well-sbaped mouth.
But the bright eyes were dimmed and heavy
with weeping, aud there was something al
most wild in the confused glance she gave
me. UG@ came she there? Surely said
|, taking of my hat, in compliance with the
Americ&G custom, whcn addressing fe.
male, even of far inferior rank" surely,
you ar2 nat here alone" The girl looked
douhttuEfv at ine, then wrung her hands,
and 6GIst into fresh fit of weeping, that
it was pliafu( TO witness. dismounted,
and witk the bride over my arm, APP
preached her, and asked if could help her,
or be US'agui in any way.
Perhaps" I suggested, "your friends |
have left you here, and been detained at IA
distance and their delay has alarmed you.
lfso'--
Hers size interrupted me by stretching
out one hand in the direction of the three |
tents, sad sobbing out the Words Dead, |
all dead"
Good Hcavens! ! exclaimed, "what |
has happened? Perhaps | may yet be of
service Speak to me; tell me what msior-
tune has ac>urred. You may trust me, my |
poor girl, far am stranger in the land,
like yourself, and from the old country, |
too" For had perceived that the desert |
ed girl was Irish, one of the units in that
immense emigration which has been called |
the Celtic Exodus. Bitterly a, she wept
few words of kindness, spoken in that saw
age wilderness, so far away from the old |
nome atd alt i&s scenes, produced their Ct .
feet and Ellen Neale-that was her name .
told me her short story.
She had come to America, being an or
phIn, wi3t aR only surviving relative Un-
Gle Cassidy, aHd his wife aud children, and |
for a time they had done well. John Cas-
sidy had been blacksmith, sober, we'll
cohdGcted 1ian, and the family had thrivcn
fairly, until, in an evil hour, the offer of
great wages tad alured its chief into the
Sotth. Cassidy had been to Charleston,
and toColumbia, and TO Savannah, and was,
in company with another family from Ire
land, making his way back to the Northwest
when death stopped him and his upon the
road. Cnder those tents lay the dead
bodies 0f the smith, his wife and little ones
and these of their kindred, the Roukes. In
an G.ere were nine corpses. Cholera, reared
and festered like q snake amid the pes
tileUt vegetation of the reeking swamp,
where the unlucky camp had been pitched.
Choieva had in twenty-four hours slain old
and young, and left but one weak maiden
alive to mourn for the departed. Such in
stances are but too common. In the deep
forest, or on the boundless prairie, many
narueless mound covers the grave Of Il
whole household, cut off at once by priva-
tions, or sickness, or the arrows of the saw
age. 7 had heard Of such misfortunes be.
fore, but never had they been so brought
home to ME. As stood holding the rein
of my fdgety horse, and looked at the utter
desolatlon of that poor weeping mourner,
there among the wierd semi
tropic trees, from which the silvery Span
isil moss Grocped like Il shroud, thought
| had never before witnessed scene so sad
or SO strang. 1t was long before Ellen be-
came composed; but when | suggested
that the day was waning, that The town
was long way Off and THAT she must of
necessity repair to Augusta under my es-
cort, sho broke into the long wailing cry
of hopeless sorrow peculiar to the women
of her country. The dog pressed close to
her, and whimpered and licked her hands.
At last, bethought me of suggesting that
unless we FASTENED to the town, proper
respect could not be paid TO the lifeless
remains Of her dear kinsfolk, whose burial
must be speedy. Then she rose submis-
sively, and hastily tying up her hair, wrap
ped her shawl around her, aud said she was
ready Some little difficulty now arose.
could not make my entry into gossipping,