The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1863-02-13


'ome epirits, as you have done, be
fore departing"
9t"Pardon me moment, General >
| replied, 'but ne a matter of curl.
osity, will you tell me the counter
sign for that EVENING""
T "Ticonderogs," he answered pres.
emily. h"Good night," o i1su'5'rH
As rule. | give no regard to co.
Incidences do not believe IN signs !;
| despise dreams and omens; but
there are moments when reason, in
spite of itself, gives way to supersti
ton, and such lnoments vere mine,
as l-turued my face toward Warren
ton Springs, and ground my horse
harshly with the spur. Not only
bad my journey correspon1ed with
that oi Brock f imunds in all its es
sentisls of time, route, and object,
but the circumstances had Tailed
not excepting the otherwise insie.
niiicant item q the couDtersign, for
the password of this evening was
|" Crown Point" and that q the
p; evious evening it's associate battle
OF "Ticonderoga." In addition TO
these resemblances, | could not for
get that the Disappearance Of my
friend had pressed upon my mind
lor Days with peculiar and intense
Interest; | had dreamed fitly OF his
return, had talked necessarily of
his virtues, ] had loved him with
the fervor of q brother: nay, had
fel. conviction too subtitle to bo ex
plaine d, too positive to be mistakep,
and on this evening oppressive be
|yond melancholy that with his fate
my life was iu some way 5ouud mp
1t was in vain that puffad vigor
ously at my pipe, and strove to re-
call lighter topics-my mother, per,
haps awake even now, and praying
in the dim watches for her Grant
boy;p my betrothed, who might be
mnrmuriDg my name smid her
dreams; NY msss'companions, roar
ing ct their revel; the grim old Gen.
ersl awaiting my return, with the
blue eyes OF his Madonna ever upon
him; the troops ON the march, rous-
ed up ut my unwelcome summons
but one by one these cheerful themes
faded away, and tho fate of Brock
Eimunds resumed it's place in my
iancios. His face, liko u spectre,
glided befnre me in tho darkness; -
Eis name like ghosily refrain, came
mp to my lips With every hooi beat;
md Gs | halted obedient to chal.
leuge, by the last clustering picket,
m, halo Of" "Crown Point" seemed
to pro :'oke a thousand dismal echoes
of "Ticoc deroga' and Brock Ed
..t ........ .rl .a.
"Have you th.s time, sentryT !
called to the patrol.
Twelve o'clock, midnight" said
the deep voice OF the horse! man van.
ishng in the gloon. .... .t-
For nine miles to come, | should
meet no living soul. The blowing
Of my pony, as spurred him again
admoniahed me that hard travel was
beginning to tell upon him: 90 |
beat the ashes out of my pipc, but,
toned my coat close to the throat,
and chirping cncouragingly, pushed
forward galIantly, though not al,
headlong speed. But the flush and
exultstion of my ride was over; u
strange wierd nervousness had suc
ceeded. The noise OF wild swine in
the brush alarmed me; twice | laid
my hand agitatingly upon my sword
and once halted with drawn pistol
at the shrek OF frightened night.
hawk. Ashamed OF these unmanly
weaknessees, thought to com npose
myself by eingihg cheerful cong.
but my voice WAS 80 hollow and nn.
real, that | shuddersd and ceased -
At last, with loud Woa," aud a
chill, quick culver. stopped in the
middle OF the road, and tet the pers
pisatioh standing like nigh,dcw on
my forehead. .i p. ra|l fI.I s7.H u
| too MAS lost Hs 900 t....
For more than an hour, | had
'ailed to recognz1 passing objects.
However my tremor and terror had
heightened tho miles, | had yet
preserved some apor, ximate csti
mate OF time, and knew that, in the
due course OF t'avel should have
beer at Warrenton Springs. But in
the rash of tears and fancips, in the
gloom and shadow of tho night, in
the certainty that having thrice gone
over the same road, | should follow
1T safely again, ! had missed my
way. In place OF the scrub-maple,
oak, magnolia, and enm that shut
in the by road by which had come
| was now enconpassed by Gwsr
pines and csdars, that revealed the
open sky, but gave even more than
the ordinary lonesomene6s to the
scenery. Sterile, uninhabited, in
termipable. as knew such to be,
there vas additional fear that | h ID
emerged upon a, stretch of Virginia
forest, wherein the traveller might
wander for moths ia dreary circles
| finding neither outlet, guide nor
subsistence. r...t ...
My first impulse was to retrace
\ a, afa,,a hnf un,s A., T.