National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1870-07-29

us IUe lndn WOulu tto an liliuS "iohS,
but l tell ye, Squire, that L do hate to
have him anywheres near our En-. L
wouldn't a mentioned it, but you didn't
know that Seth Case used to be round
after her afore she went off. DE come
agin only t'other day, and | told him he
might as well hunt after the moon. lie
went off dreadful mad.
1t was only my knowledge of John
Barnard's strong, steady good sense that .
gave any weight even to an emotion so
unaffected and powerful as that under .
which he spoke but | could not help
"A considerable additional feeling of fear,
which increased as | considered the char /
acter Of these Cases.
They were thriftless, half-outlawed
wretches, such as haunt many country
towns n Connecticut rustic :" short
boys living by hunting, fishing and
miscellaneous thefts by land and river,
Seth. the younger and more dangerous.
| remember well as a kind of ogre OF my
boyhood-a ragged, dirty, vlllalnous
youth, always tormenting us, his cleaner
fellows, and notorious for truancy and
boyish wickedness He had grown up
into an evil and dangerous man "A long,
ewes IA weather-beaten face, coarse,
straight hair, round shoulders and down
look. lad in dingy, ill-titting gray gar
ments, he and his brother prowled and
prowled, seemingly all day and all night
/ in wood, on mountain, or IN hidden mea-
dow, on pond or stream, i'll sun or storm.
They were always prowling, yet never
seeming to have found anything ; and it
was, perhaps, instinct more than proof,
or the lack of other explanation, that
charged upon them every theft and name
less mischief. They had been concerned
in divers brawls, moreover, and were as
little spoken to or dealt with as might be.
This food was such an occasion as was
wont TO be their harvest and who could
doubt that they had been out ever since
the waters were up, catching timber and
waifs-that they had espied the fugitive
dwelling, explored it, and pocketed the
money What their treatment OF the
two omen would be seemed more doubt
full for although the brutal, dogged vil
lainy of the men was extreme, so that !,
could hardly be conceived that one o
them should have admired the delicate
beauty of Emily Barnard, both human
nature and that very admiration justified
the trust that the involuntary traveller
would escape ill-usage and be rescued.
We had been half an hour atloat
driving headlong southwark through i'm
penctrable darkness and Il roaring north
! east storm of rain and wind. NJ
= thorough knowledge of the river ha'
been useless and 1t was only fortunat
guessing that kept us in the current
under the double impetus OF the holhn
" flood and of the four strong arms of tn
. brethren.
= I'VE ought to see "A light on Entel
y, bridge" l said.
I Heavens and earth = groaned FL
y phalet. :" the house could never shoot tn
bridge with the water up here y
was looking straight south, wit
y strnining eyes. Before | could answer,
l' black vast mass seemed to spring Il
" within the abyss of the darkness betol
~ me- 1t was the bridge.
Heads down ~ shouted and as ol
:; good fortune would have 1T, we sh,
~ through like lightning, Just touching
."' pier as We swept past. That touch, hoy
" ever, risked our lives, and caused the 10
" of two more by cripping our chase
~, snapped the two starboard oars, Whit
Nv the rustic oarsmen had not unshippe
=: short off at the row-locks, and careen'
~ the crank skitf so that she shipped wat
~ on the other side. But little more N
d our dangerous race would have end
,;r under the brick beams of the old to
No bridge
IL We whirled helplessly through, a
H. surgcd for moment INTO the eddy
bo hind pier.
M Mi'I John. sit still Hand your oar
G,' Elphalet. Lihet, pull ashore ; We I'M
N ~ see the bridge-keeper, and get sol
,sn oars
'S' Sure enough, said John and obj
Is, | ing my reader commands we succeed,
vi vi with considerable difficulty, i'll reachi
*, the shore, and making fast at one side
I,d the high embarked road.
~, ',d As we stepped into the carriage-v
i, ..on the old bridge-keeper came from his d
wi with several lanterns.
'" .a,' Good morning Mr.. Hall, l ~
n,a "Do you know of anybody's gong do
o W., the river in the night 2
n.y. The old man looked up at me i'll :
i'". N". prise, all haggard and worn, his h
.,oi ,i features strangely lit up in the flicker
.i'' NV unsteady CLEAN of his half dozen lg
Wv NV why, Mr. Truax shouldn'
Wv I'' thought of fndin' YOU here How
We. Mr.. Barnard Anybody goin dc
o,'' Nv and somebody along with it, ! rech
onJ 1t walked me, tell ye 1t must j
Nv y. been II house it was ten thous
u,' chances ngin it but IT must have str
,"J vi plump in the middle Of the long arch
a;"t went through it Ms if the rotten old
'n,'o @ bcrs had been twinc string. IL
~ how that breaks goin' to be fixed
hor, hung up those lights three times a'rci
,,o they blow straight out. y
oomo ibid you hear any one scream 2
,,,nr "Ycs, sir. 1t was that woke me.
~. l., | couldn't see nothin' on 'em VIII
~ n,J came ont. They're ten miles off by
.xnn' ",," time and there's the Rapids, too.
III, John Bainer'l groancd.
r r "Thc Burnard's house is gone,
~ Hall and old Mrs. Barnard and Il
,os, H. We're afraid those Cases are aft,
~, and We just broke two oars in the bri
i 4, Can you lend us couple ?"
- The old man would have stOpp,
. "o wonder and question but We very u
ly got the oars, and unccrcmonit
, A.. dashed off To our boat again, sprnn
| the -. ~ n,1 .,,,,,, ,,,,.,, ,.,,., .,,,
ed to p". o'i H. Wv" n.;l1 r,,r;no r;,cr ,o.,o,
n.on .' fnster for here the channel mar
'ro"b conycrging toward the contracted
VI sage called Enfield Rapids.
ridge, ,nn, nS ,ho w. Ilm roar Of The s,rnpglinp
It nm. ,'' s''u"' ,i,roataniug bnek to ia npains
ridge. ',',,o t t," ina ~, ns ,hn wind / Thought O
III railroad bridge below ; the chanc,