The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-03-09

ed upon her lips, when the father comes
hastily from that room and bushes her
| with look.
"Show the gentleman to his cham
Der, Mary-that chamber at the head of
the stairs, on the left. On the left, you
mind!"
| Mary takes the light, trembling and
pale. She leads the soldier up the oak
en- stairs. They stand on the lending,
III this wing of the farmhouse, composed
of two rooms, divided by thick walls
from the main body of the mansion. On
one side, the right, is the door of Mary's
chamber; on the other, tho left, the
chamber of the soldier-to him cham
Der OF death.
For a moment, Mary stands there
trembling and confused. Washington
gazes upon that pale girl with look of
surprise. Look She is about to warn
him of his danger, when, see there her
fathers rough face appears above the
head of the stairs.
MARY, show the gentleman into the
chamber on the left. And look We, girl
its late-you'd better go into your
own room and go to sleep"
While the Tory watches them from
the head of the stairs, Washington en-
ters the chamber cn the left, Mary the
chamber on the right.
An hour passes. Still the storm beats
on the roof-still the snow drifts on the
ills. Before the fire, in the dim old
hall of that farmhouse, are seven half
drunken men, with that tall Tory, Jacob
Mannheim, sitting in their midst; the
murderers knife in his hani. For the
| lot had fallen upon him. He is to go up
stairs and stab the sleeping man.
Even this half-drunken murderer is
pale at the thought-how the knife
| t~embles in his hand-trembles against
the pistol barrel. The jeers of his COM
rades rouse him to the work-the light
in one hand, the knife in the other, he
goes up the stairs-he listens! first at
Ihe door of his daughters chamber on
the right, then at the door of the sol
dier's chamber on the left. All is still.
Then he places the light on the floor
he enters the chamber on the left-he is
gone moment-silence there is O
faint groan! He comes forth again,
rushes down the stairs, and stands there
before the fire, with the bloody knife in
his hand.
"Look !" be shrieks, as he scatters
the red drops over his comrades faces,
over the hearth, into the fire. "Look
it is his blooi-the traitor Washington p
His comrades gather round him with
yells of Joy; already, in fancy, they count
the gold which will be paid for this
deed, when 10 that stair door opens,
and there, without wound, without
even the stain of drop of blood, stands
George Washington, asking calmly for
his horse.
"What!" shrieked the Tory Man
helm, "can neither steel nor bullet harm
youg Are you living man3 Is there
no wound about your heart no blood
upon your uniform p
That apparition drives him mad. He
starts forward-he places his hands
tremblingly upon the arms, upon the
breast of Washington! Still no wound
Then he looks at tho bloody knife,
still clutched in his right hand, and
stands there quivering as with a death
spasm.
While Washington looks on in silent
wonder, the door is flung open, the bold
troopers from Valley Forge throng the
room, with the gallant form aud bronzed
visage of Captain Williams in their
midst. At this moment the clock struck
twelve. Then horrid thought crashes
like thunderbolt upon the brail of the
Tory Mannheim. He seizes the light
rlshes up stairs-rushes into the room
of his daughter on the right. Some one
had just risen from the bed, but the
chamber was vacant. Then to wards that
room on the left, with s:eps Of leaden
heavincss. Look how the light 0uivers
in his hand He pauses at the door; he
listens Not sound-a stiffness like
the grave. His blood curdles in his
veins Gathering courage, he pushes
that bed through whose curtains he
struck so blindly moment ago! Again
he pauses-not sound-a stiffness more
terrible than the grave. He tiings aside
the curtains. There, in the full light of
the lamp, her young form but half Gov
cred, bathed in her own blood-there
lay his daughter, Mary!
All, 90 not look upon the face of the
father as he starts silently back, frozen
to stone; but in this pause OF horror
listen to the mystery of this deed
After her father had gone down stairs,
an hour ago, Mary silently stole from
the chamber on tho right. Her soul
shaken by thousand fears, she opened
the door on the left, and beheld Wash
ington sitting by a table on which We're
spread a chart and a Bible. Then,
though her existence was wound up in
the act, she asked him, in a tone of
calm politeness, to take the chamber on
the opposite side. Mary entered the
chamber which he left.
Can you imagine the agony of that
girls soul, as lying on thesbed intended
for the death couch of Washington, she
silently awaited the knife, although the
knife might be clenched in fathers
hand
And now that father, frozen to stone,
stood there, holding the light in one
hand, and still clutching the red knife.
There lay his child, the blood streaming
from that wound in her arm-her eyes
covered with CLASSY film.
Mary |" shrieked the guilty father
for robber and Tory as he was, he was
still father. "Mary!" he called to
he,, but that word was all he could say.
Suddenly, she seemed to wake from
this stupor. She sat up in the bed with
her CLASSY eyes. The strong hand of
death was upon her. As she sat there,
erect and CHASTITY, the room was
thronged with soldiers. Her lover
rushed forward, and called her by name.
No answer. Called again-spoke to her
in the familiar tones of olden times
still no answer. She knew him not.
Yes, il was true-the strong hand of