The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1874-05-07
Jhc Cirenit aiaer
A TALE OF THE HEROIC AGE.
BY EDWARD EGGLEsToN,
dat}toT Of" TIE HooSier School .Kds
ter End of The World" etc.
from the Christian Union.
CHAPTER XXVI.
CHAPTER NXVI.
ENGAGEMENT.

ward Salt Fork, weighing considera-
tions of right and wrong, of duty and
disinclination. in the balance. He is
not an epic hero, for epic heroes acts
straightiorwardly, they either know
by intuition just what is right, or they
are like Milton's Satan. unencumber-
ed with sense Of duty. But Morton
was neither infalliblc nor a devil. A
man of sensitive conscience caunot,
even by accident, break wcman's
heart without compunctiou.
When Goodwin approached Salt
Fork he was met by Burchard, now
sheriff of the county, and warned that
he would be attacked. Burchara
begged him to turn back. Morton
might have scoffed at the cowardice
and time-serving Of the sheriff. il he
had not been under such obligations
to him. and had not been touched by
this new evidence of his friendship.
But Goodwin had never turael back
from peril i'll his life.
81 have right to preach at Salt
Fork, Burchard,' he said, "and | will
do it or die"
Even in the struggle at Salt Fork
Morton could not get rid of his love
affair. He was touched To find lying
ON the desk in the school-house a lit
tie unsigned billet in Ann Eilza'S
hand writing, utterlng warning SIM
liar to that Just given by Burchard.
1t was with some tremor that ne
looked round, in the dim Ii lit OF two
candies, upon the turbulen, faces be-
tween him and the door. HIS PRAYER
and singing were a little falt. But
when once he began to preach. his
combative courage returned, and his
ringing voice rose above AL the shut
fling sounds of disorder. The inter-
ruptions. however, soon became SO dis
rlnct that he dared not any longer g-
more them. Then he paused in his
discourse and looked al the rioters
steadily.
'Iou think you WI scare me. 1t
is my business to rebuke sin. | tell
von that YOU are a $ of ungollv ruff
fans and law breakers. ! tell your
neighbors here that they are mser-
able towards. They let Iawless men
tramplc on them. | say, shame on
them. They ought to organize and
arrest you II il cost their lives.
Here a click was heard as Of some
one cooking horse pistol. Morton
turned pale but something IL his
warm Irish blood impelled him TO
proceed. sl called you ruiiians awhile
ago" he SAID, hussily. Now tell
you that you are cut ihroats. II you
kill me here tonight ! viii show your
neighburs tha il 5 better to die like
a man than TO live like coward -
The law will vet be i'll force, whether
YOU kill me or not. There are some
of you that would belong to Micajah
Harp's gang Of robbers ii You dared.
But YOU are afraid; and So you only
give information and help to hose
who are no worse, only little Drawer
than YOU are.
Goodwin had let his impctuous
temper carry him too far. He now
saw that his denuneia'ion bad degen-
Grated into taunt, and tins taunt had
prov 'ked his enemies beyond measure.
He had been foolhardy; for what
good could it do for him to throw
away his life in row? There was
murder IL tie eyes Of the ruiiians.-
Half dozen pistols were cooked III
quick succession and he caught the
glitter of knives. A hasty consulta-
ton was taking place III the back
part of the room, and the few Meth
odsts near him huddled together like
sheep. If he intended to save his life
there was no time to spare. he adj
dress and presence of mind Tor which
he had been noted in boyhood did not
fail him now. 1t would not DO to seem
to quail. Without lowering hi fierce
" indignant tone, he rajs Il his right
hand and demanded that honest citl-
zens should rally to his suppor! and
put down the riot. His descending
hand knocked one of the Two candies
from the pulpit in the most acciden-
tai way in the world. Starting back
suddenly, he managed 10 upset and
extinguish the other just at the in
stant when the infuriate1 roughs We're
making combined rush upon him.
The room was thus made totally dark.
Morton plunged into the on-coming
crowd. Twice he was seized and in
terrogated, but he changed his voice
and avoided detection. When at last
the crowd gave up the search and be
gan to leave the house, he drlited
with them into the outer darkness and
rain. Once upon Dolly he was safe
from any pursuit.
When the swift-footed mare had
put him beyond danger, Morton was
in better spirits than any time since
the elders solemn talk On the preced-
ing Saturday. He had the exhilara
tion of sense Of danger and a sense
of triumph. So bold a speech, and 50
mastery an escape as he had made
could not but demoralize men like the
Salk Forkers. He laughed little
at himself for talking about dying and
then running away, but he inly deter
mined to take the earliest opportunity
to urge upon Burchard the duty of a
total suppression of these lawless
gangs. He would himself head a par
ty against them if necessary.
This cheerful mood gradually sub
sided into depression as his mind re-
verted to the note in Ann Elias
writing. How thoughtful i'll her to
send it, How delicate she was in not
signing it. How forgivins must her
temper be. What a stupid wretch
he was not to attract her affection,
and now what peryerse soul he was
to break her devoted heart!
This was the light in which Morton
saw the situation. A more suspicious
man might have reasoned that Ann
Eliza probably knew no more ofGood-
wins peril at Salt Fork than was
known in all the neighboring coun-
try. and that her note was a gratuit-
Gus thrus,ing of herself on his atten,
tion. A suspicious person would have
| raas,na1 that her deIcacy in moi