Middletown transcript., 1868-09-19

sunny sky of life was about to be obscured
by some impending but inde6nable cloud.
Question after question forced itself up
from the depths of her heart, and, in her
vain efforts to comprehend her condition
and emotions, that discovery, which at the
last the female heart never fails to extort
from itself, burst at once upon her confus-
ed senses Is it possible she loved him !.
From her infancy he had been her true,
tried, ever constant friend. When others
had regarded her contemptuously and spo-
ken of her as the child of a savage, had
he not curbed their cruel words and show
ed Il greater tenderness toward her? Had
he not fought in her defence, nursed her
in sickness, and cared for her in health
Had they not roamed the forests together
in search of nuts and berries, skinned
the nci ghboring waters in his bark canoe,
coasted the hills on the winter snow, and
frolicked on the green sward of the forest
shades, in the burning heats of summer? :?
Had they not cracked their nuts and reci-
ted their childish stories through many a
long wintry evening By the old cabins
cheerful fire, and had he not twice rescued
her from impending death by violence, at
the imminent hazard of his own life
All these recollectons, like the rapidly
succeeding images of a revolving panora77
ma, rushed impetuously upon her, until
under their potent influence, her heart
beat like the piAions ofa Gagged bird against
the bars of its prison, her nostrils diiaiea
with the labored expiration, her eyes as
sumod the brlliancy and fire so common
to her race, and her beautiful form stood
proudly erect, whilst her bosom hcavcd
with emotions so painful and acute that
she flew like lightning from their further
contemplation. But Jockson was prepar-
ing for the contest. If he failed, he would
be more than ever the despised and reject
ed vagabond. If victory crowned his
struggle-alas! there was the apprehen-
sion: like a witAering blast it fell upon
her heart, and a sickening phantom to her
bewildered senses. Gathering up the long
dark trcsscs of her luxuriant hair, she dis
appeared from the scene of this heroic tri-
al and was never seen aftarward.
The hour for the decision of the famous
contest had arrived. Everything was in
complete preparation the committees had
placed their runners in position upon the
stone with their flaming torches in their
hands. Two members of the I" Mound
committee had reached the :" Corners" +"
for the purpose of Witnessing, in behalf of
the g Mound " party, the conclusion of
the contest, one member remaining at the
starting stone, whilst a similar disposal OF
the Corners committee was in pro-
gress. Every man, woman and child in
both settlements was breathlessly, painful
ly almost, awaiting the laundering of the
voice which should proclaim the victory.
But few moments more of acute sus-
pense, when the signal to start was given
by the two committeeman at the stone by
the firing of a gun. Swift as grey-hounds
each runner dashed from his post, and
with the celebrity of the wind, approached
the train he sought to fire. Jockson seem
ed ,rather to fly than run, and shouts Of
the widest enthusiasm greeted him in
deafening outbursts from the whole assem-
blage at the Corners" as he leaped a.
long the course.
. Hurrah for Jockson! the victory
ours. hip, hip, hurrah'' beloved the
people. &c She's yours, Jock, my boy,
the gals yours, sure as my name is Dom
inic Friester, if you'll only do it," fairly
yelled the excited landlord, in the hearing
of the whole assemblage. Only once did
Jockson east his eye from the object of his
reaching, and that was, as, like an arrow,
he flew past the house so long barred a
gainst his ingress. A single glance re-
vealed to his keen penetration well
known form perched upon the ridge pole
of the dwelling, and waving in her hands
"A silver VOLTS skin he had once given her
for counterpane, the capture of which,
in regular hand hand fight, had cost
him quart of his best blood and pound
or so of pectoral and popliteal muscle
, His fight now became almost invisible
, The cries and shouts Hurrah for Jock
son Hurrah for Middletown." now be-
, came frantic, as he spran6 to apply his
blazing torclt to the train and then flung
it, wrapped and roaring in fame, a hun.
-dred yards beyond him. The powdery
train spurted out its starry scintillations
, of fire as the burning stream hurried to-
ward the magazine, amid the wilder shouts
of the settlers, until when, within few
lGcb Vi It's uSStlndlloli, IL suuucHlJ ulstp
peared, plunging the whole scene in worse
> than Egyptian darkness. For a secont
S of time only was heard the deafening, de
f spairing cry for fire, torches, and Heaver
: knows what not when, from the yery
: pinnacle of the grand old primitive gian
: of the centuries, with the speed. of tn,
r lightning, shot bolt of fire like a shoot
h ing star or meteor, down to the yery throa
: of the wooded excavation. Immediatel,
: there belcAed forth from its yawning moutl
a volume of fame that illumined the heay
V ems for miles around, accompanied by al
5 explosion which shook, as with an earth
t quake, the solid earth from the Delawar
Il to the Chesapeake. For one moment tn
noisy crowd was staggered and awed int
. profound silence by this heavenly ipterpo
. sition, until a similar explosion, littl
subdued by the intervening distance. re