St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1870-08-05

How L watched the tree t. see, by the
motions he made in loading, his posi-
ton. And how careful he was, Will
all my watching could only detect o&C
little uncertain movement of the branche.
but that was enongh. | fired, and the
music of the groan that followed the shot
made me tremble all over with 10Y lie
was hurt badly, l knew, for he made til,
branches shake with his motions of pain,
and when | fired again he dropped from
the middle of the tree to one of the lower
branches, and the lower part of his body
came in sight, though his face was st,Il
concealed. lie was in citizens dress
''lou need not shoot again." said he,
Il am Int in the breast and stomach. and
shall soon be cold mutton"
These words were spoken slowly, with
much effort, while | was loading my
piece. This made no impression upon
me. | wanted to see him as stiff as my
poor Ii tie Tommy. | could not afford
to take his word that he was mortaIlv
wounded.
/ | lcvcled my rifle again. and was
about to draw the trigger, when the
bushwhacker suddenly dropped to the
ground; with ii great etfprt he held the
rifle he had used. in the air, with the
butt end up. 1t was u singular piece,
with the stock almost covered with fam
tastic device, of sheet brass How well
| knew it. How we'll knew now the
man who held it,
''Brotkcr,'' he said, 'don't shoot
again. y brothers blood Is already on
oar soul and on mine 1t is sd busi-
ness. God is my witness that | did not
know you till the last shot Was fired and
you rose up"
knew he spoke the truth. Wild un-
governabc and traitor. | knew nv
brother Charles would not have killed
his little brother ii cold blood. | don't
know exactly how | felt when | heard
my brothers words. know | changed
Instantly and permanently. There was
a sudden darkcping, INSIDE and outside
and all around; there was an Instant
confusion of ideas and associations which
has never wholly sub>idcd. There wae
4 sudden rebellion i'll my heart, wild
asking why all these thing should hap
pen 10 me, 30 much in 80 little time, that
no time cou!l wipe out,-and then Il
wish that could weep. without the
power. Deep, indeed, Is the sorrow
that dries tcar->prn@s up; there Is dan
ger in such griel-dangcr to the body
and the soul
\ few moments found me kur,ljnr n
INV brothers side. Di,,ipation and paS.
sion had CHANGED him much since | saw
him. seven years Lcfure; but he was
It'll my brother, and il he had killed my
Youngest brother had killed him. and
there was extreme misery all round. lie
WAS bleeding prutu-cly and suffering.
much.
WAS it," he said, family, our
youngest brother ,"
l Bowed my head.
Il knew it, said he, '.when | rec
ognizcd you; because YOU were 80 bent
on killing me. Are you hurt much -
Not much."
Put your mu-kct to nv head BROTH
er. and blow it oft. The pain OF nv
wounds is great the PAIN IN my heart
Is more than | can bear"
There wa, little plety, as piety goc-, in
my nature, out the most wicked wretch
never secs the approach of death, with
out thinking OF The somclhln. that comes
hereafter. No one was lc : til than to
rive reil-i IL advice, vet | asked my Iv-
H. hroiner ii he beloved in hell, III
heaven, in mercy or salvation, or in any
thing.
There IS no mercy tor ne, said lie.
''Spme of tEcm say there Is mercy tor
all, / answered.
$50 they do, hrothcr," he replied
''ralsc my head Il little, | am bleeding
hike Il pr am splitting Hood II shall
soon know all about it. Perhaps thrr"
Is mercy Tor us all; perhaps ii we had
been always taught so, these things would
not have been is they are. Oar parents
never taught Us so. They always spoke
OF prcdestinatiun-of the elect: of he'll
for the many; Ut heaven for the few IA
vorites. The Lord knows hctter-~bet-
ter"
lle stopped speaking he turned palcr;
he was dying fast. But perhaps he wa,
right after all; perhaps the Lord dro
know better what was best than he oil
the doctors OF divinity. At all events
was glad TO hear him say 50, in thesc
times, when the Lord is hardly though
smart enough to mln@Ie IN earthly al
tairs--hardly up to the standard of ,h'
steam engine and the patent clothe
wrlnger.
Five minutes after this my cldpS