, 1874-07-26
CAIN.

There was blood on the hand, not visible to
tho eye; to the sight it sa7 Only brown hnnd,
tunuol BIZ tho SUM- rather a:i.u and delicate for
the hand OF miner yot there wa3 blood upon
it. The soul coald 500 It, evcu il the eyes could
not,
There va. blood, too, On the brow. True, the
light OF the sua revealed it not. On]T o smooth
forehead, with nigh temples, md full swell to
the brain; rather echola1lJ; rathor intellectual
than otherwise; rather m unusual face in its
refinement for rough mining life yet thcra
was broad stain Of blood Upon it.
nonR1D, ;s..... i STAIN.
No water could wash it away. True, tho ekin
was fair and white. save slight yellowi=h tinCc
como OF days upon tho desert, end o faint line
where the hat pressed; set, with the vision OF
come erbtlo inner sensa, ono SAW tho hldeous
NEAR Of blood there; saw it in tho glare Of the
noonday~su saw it in tho deepeet darkness Of
he black midnight.
I first met him ut Camp Date Creek, Arizona,
where nas awaiting orders to proceed to my
own posi- Rather pleasant face, only reserved
and still. aat and talked awhile with him,
pleased to find one who Was Intelligent and who
could converse we'll
The hot aun Of tho June morning y'as pour
ing it's heat down upon me as I sat, until
thought I must seek the shade Of the tent.
Then, felt it como oye1 mo (once bcforo fels
it when I set by man who was aftarward hang
ed for murde1) felt lt,-no. chill. not shiver
nv hands vera warn. end my pulse full and
strong; no, not chill. certainly not chill. but
A COLD, WoRDLEss HORROR.
Ono stands near preciplco. He is In no bod
ily peril; yet. q terror c1eeps aud creepa, from
the heart along tue branching course OF lho
blood-vesses, out to the tips Of the starting hatr
He is in no bodily peril Why does ho etand ap-
bodily horror7 Because the physical beina
shrinks from the contiguity OF this yawniag
possibility Of destruction Through every nerve
it cries: "Flee! hee! Tarry notl Death
haunteth the brinkl Flee, lest madness seize
thee, lest tho abyss CHARM tboc, reach out to
thee. aud thou cast thyeeif DOWN.
is the sou1-horror that sciZe5 ono, wien in the
presence OF crest crime, like this. oay il q
moro subtitle sense Is it that the soal shrln:u,
starts back, shouts to ltsef an alarm, lest mai
death that it feeIs beside it know uot I
only nsk.
ia. in tho hot sun, and the
CHILL HORROR CREPT AND CEEPT OVER NE.
crimson. stain on the prow-tLo b1ood~Bmear !;
saw it, though the faco was bont to the ground +;
saw it, though tic hat-rin1 WAS pulled down,
cove.ing all, even to the eyes, that "a1e cast
downward and never l1ftcd to meet mine.
When. where, how 1 knew not II might
hayo boen on the high seas, in the city siuln, In
the lone bosom Of the desert, known OF no eye
eaye the unstecplns cye OF God; put
THE Brand OF CAIN WAS THERE.
Myvoice was not changed; eud not move ;
Yet he knew that the chill had como to me: }le
kney thas my oyea that moment wero opened !;
he knew, know to tho deepest depths CT his
shrinking soul, that I sav the crimson, the
blood.
Then the eyes, the ca1efuly-yeilcd eyes, lifted
to r,ino-only an instant lifted, With horror, 3
hunted despair Like tie lock Of the damned.
Tho first slayer so looked whom tho burning eye
Of God made him faco that terrible question:
"Cainl Whare is thy brotherS"
sat one day in tho shade Of the hosplta!
tent Ono OF the patients inside-an odd ktad
of a man who had . queer fancy Tor reading
aloud passages Of Scripture--was turning the
leaves OF his Bible, and reading. sat partly
at the green fringe OF trailing vines creeping and
tviuing along tho jagged, rocky edgo OF the
canon which ran-a huge chaaua-thtough Inc
mesa below the camp.
/ sat, idly gazing, when ho came slowly walk;
inc by. and then stopped moment, and stood
looking toward the brown mountains beyond
ONLY. be seemed not to Bea the mountains; the
eyes seemed to be looking, with that peculiar re-
Prospective gaze, somewhere, at something, III
time long past.
shadow OF the tent, silently watching his face
The voice Of the sick man within. reading ID LIE
odd, fancjful way, picking here aud there a sen
tance fell on the silence: noe Breaking IT
rather, in the contrast Of the low tonos, lntensl
And tho Lord eald unto Cain, Where il
TuE VOICE or TIT BROTHERS FLOOD
cr;cth unto me from the ground And now II
tbou cursed from the cart, a fugitive and q
IL o1+ rt,1rrh hn int 4naA
Lord set d mark upon Cain, lest any tlndins him
should kill him."
be still stood with the vacant eyes fixed upol
tie brown, desolnte mountains. at nfas ho cit
not seem to hear the voice OF the reader. 11gt
tho yacar. look died nway from the eyes ~
turned and listened. The unconscious volc'
within. with atrGnga Dctnnaclty. gE I'LL ieau
~, Tho yolce OF thy brothers blcot
crieth unto ma from tho ground. AZ
now art thou cursed frcnl the GARTH ...,s :
fugitive nnd . Tagacona sna!t tood os' IL I'LL
earth" -
As the voice slowly read, 4 look Of sarprise, @
iacredulitv, came to the facc-a looa as o. on'
waking from dream. Then the eyes. that Al
ways in the presence OF nnothsr were cas; 49,. aon m
lifted balls turnod yellow tho brow grew hs!t
with tho blood that swcllsa and stagnated IN tn'
block veins, filed almost to BURSTING
could not move. st!ll s2s III toe ha'a>'e
the tent, and watched h!.1.
Tim ii7il face turned to meet the eEle5i IN
slim. sun-burucd hauds Elovly Alsco 70 III
heayens-lifted ns the ha3ds OF one cnaaea
Thn sees the hanging mountains falling uoot
him. A look OF horror came AID se:tled doWs
upon the brow. It was not fear; tho iook :;' ~
to- hopeless for fear. Il vas not c'.spa;Ii ~
look Was toe Still, TOO quiet Tor despair Il We
horror
COLD, WORTHLESS, STONY uoEEoc-
rhe dar.nci look 20, vEo lio III TIE cee2cs
deuths Of hell, and trow, aa 20 Eor:1l CO i1:o''
| ment, eroaning, hopeless, ',hey look so'
with n srnal1 party OF Travellers who r;erc abou
to %,Ist start By tho old military zaaa WHICH
the way 81 Hickenbcrg across to the u1oath 9
tho Rio Salado, where i joins tho fs:!a, teto'
Maricops Wells. He h24 By acclder:: met tae!1