The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1868-10-03
SATURDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 8. 1868

: u " AV4/ ~ Il 4vA " 1OAN LIN
cd at the sudden consciousness that tho woman
had breathed her last.
A hectic flush mantled Mag's pale cheek,
and the hot tears dropped from between her
fingers, as buryiug her face in her hands, she
wondered why sccnc.so dreadful should have
passed before her. While thus speculating the
door darkened, and, looking up, she beheld a
man, with a sallow face, shocky head of hair,
andlong beard, bending under the weight Of
the hind-quarter of deer, around whom clung
with demonstrations of pleasure the three chill
dren, crying-"D p
Mag at once comprohcnded the relation of
the man to the deceased, and, as embarrassing
as was her situation, she at once looked him in
the face, and, with the tears still upon her
checks, told him she feared his wife was dead
The man, with stolid look, gazcd in the direc-
tion of the corpse, and then throwing his bur
den on the table, and placing his rife in a
corner Of the room, sat down upon low block,
resting his elbows on his knees, and his face
upon his hands, gazed unmeaningly into va
cancy. Mag, in the meantime, passed quietly
into the open air, and, gathering strength,
walked rapidly as she could toward tho river.
AS Rodney reached the ascent Of the s:avine,
he met Mag-hcr eyes still betraying that she
had been weeping-in fact, the agitation of
her whole face was painful.
"What has harmed thce?" the young man
inquired with unaffected earnestncss
Suffering and misery" replied the stricken
girl, almost ready to sink to the earth-"such
a scenc-so dreadful p'
"And she covered her face with her hands,
as if to shut out from her memory the thugs
she had witnessed.
Rodney half supported her as she descended
to the river side, using at the same time the
most persuasive language in his power, to re-
cover her spirits, and to learn the cause of her
distress. \ few broken sentences from Mag
gave Rodney an idea of what she had seen !;
he silently directed the skiff toward the Ariel,
and restored the poor girl to her parents.
Morgan had been most anxiously Waiting the
appearance of Ben, and was somewhat out Of
hunor at his absence {: in the excitement he,
lin
thought nothing Of her sudden disappearance
into the hold of the boat with her mother; al
ready had he given orders to unlooscn the
"fat," when Rodney mentioned to him the
particulars Of the trip ashore. Morgan, in
stanCly countermanding his order, went him
self below, aud soon returning he Jumped in-
to the skiff, and bidding Rodney to follow,
they were soon across the river, and as they
were landing, the squattcr presented himself
81 am glad, strangers, yu've cun'd across, f"
said he, saluting Morgan and Rodney, perhaps
you'll help poor man in trouble?"
"Most certainly, we viii" answered Morgan,
"we have left the boat for that purpose"
"God Almighty bless you FORT" said the
poor fellow with evident emotion, "and mabe
it was your darter that closed her eyes ?" he
continued, looking at Morgan.
~ presume it was" said the father, affected
to think of the sorrowful task imposed upon
his child
"Wcll, she's done now," said the man sor-
rowfully, 'and must have Christians bu-
rial"
Morgan comprchended the duty imposed
upon him at once, and explaining to Rodney
what humanity required, he gave some gene
raj directions, and sent him back to tho fiat
The squattcr in the meantime, talked rs one
walking in his sleep, and seemed at times al
most idiotic, and finally sat down and gazcd
steadily into vacancy, apparently without feel
;"g liz; c: CT :..2.sAt ...2:s!A.t
GLOW long was your wife sick 2" asked
Morgan, endeayoring to rouse the man into
some consciousne s.
"Ever since spring." he said, unmovcdly
"What allied hcr?" pcrscvcrcd Morgan.
"Jist agec-shc shuck powerful every day
she tried yarbs, and went down 10 Limcstun
for doctors stuf-bnt she died"
"What brought on the aguc ?" inquired
Morgan for the purpose of keeping up con-
vcrsation.
erich land, and no pine knots to warm BY"
said the man, musingly.
Rodney returned with some rough planks,
torn from places that made them not positive
ly necessary to the fiat, and with saw and
hammer, and assisted by Morgan, they we're
carried after tho suuattor nc bo loJ t1,o r,,,, . .