The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-08-21
Our familp STORY.
THE SACRIFICE.

"A renegadel A rebel against his
king a black-hearted traitor! You
dare to tell me that George Winthrop
loves you! Son OF canting, lying Ezra
Winthrop. BY the Eternal, I'll shoot
him on sight il he comes this side ~
While old John Bedell was speaking
he tore and flung away q letter, reach
ed for his long rifle on its pins above
the chimney place, dashed its butt
augrily to the floor, and poured powder
into his palm.
"For heavens mercy, father You
would not You could not The war
is over. 1t would be murder !" cried
Ruth Bedell, sobbing.
Wouldn't II" He poured the pow
der in. YES, by gracious, %quicker'n
I'd kill q rattlesnake ?" He placed the
round bullet on the little square of
creased rag at the muzzle of his rifle.
IA rank traitor-bone and blood of
those who drove out loyal men !'-he
the ramrod into place, looked to the
flint. "Rest there, old Suredeath-
wake up for George Winthrop " and
the fierce old nan replaced rifle and
~powder-horn on their pegs
Bedell's hatred for the foes who had
beaten down King Georges cause and
imposed the alternative Of c~onfiscation
or the oath of allegiance on the van
pushed, was considered %ferocious, even
by his brother Loys lists Of the Niagara
frontier.
"The Squire kind of sees his boys
blood when the sky's red" said they
in explanation. But their inference
erred. Bedell was so much an enthu-
siast that he could almost rejoice be-
cause his three stark IONS had gained
the prize of death in battle. He was
too brave to hate the fighting men he
had so often confronted. But he alb
horred the politicians, especially the
intimate civic enemies on whom he
had poured scorn before the armed
struggle began.
More than any he hated Ezra Win
throp, the lawyer, arch-revolutionist
of their native town, who had never
used II weapon but his tongue. And
now his Ruth, the beloved and only
child he had left to his exiled old age,
throp's son They had been boy and
girl, pretty maiden and bright strip
ling together, without the Squire sus-
pecting-he could not even now, con-
ceive clearly so wild a thing as their
affection! The confession burned in
his heart like veritable fire "a raging
anguish of mingled loathing and love,
He stood now gazing at Ruth, dumhly
his hands clenched, head sometimes
mechanically quivering, anger, hate,
love, grief, tumultuous in his soul.
Ruth glanced up--her father seemed
about to speak-she bowed again,
s~huddering, as though the coming
words might kill. Still there was
motionless, poised, breathing hard
the silence oppressed the girl-each
moment her terror increased-expcc'
tant attention became suffering that
demanded his voice-and still was
silence-save for the dull roar of Mia.
CARA that more and more %pervaded the
air. The torture Of waiting for the
wOrds-a curse against her, she fear.
ed-overwore Ruth's endurance. She
looked up again suddenly, and John
Bedell saw in hers the beloved eyes OF
his dead wife, shrinking with intoler.
able fear. He groaned heavily, flung
up his hands despairingly, and strobe
out toward the river.
How c~raftily smooth the green Mia
CARA sweeps toward the plunge be-
meath that perpetual white cloud above
the Falls From Bedell's clearing be-
low Navy Island he could see the sway
ing and rolling of the mist, ever rush
ing up to expand and overhang. The
terrible stream had a profound fascina-
tion for him with its racing eddies
eating at the shore; it's long weeds,
visible through the clear water, trail
ing close down to the bottom it's mex
orable, eternal, onward pouring. Be-
cause it was so mighty and so threat
ening his stern soul rejoiced grimly in
the awful river. To float, watching
cracks and lodges of it's dat bottom
,oolr 1rif r. r,;,l1x, rru,o,l . fD lorl Iii,
his oars only when white crests of the
rapids yelled for his life to win es-
cape by sheer strength from points so
low down that he sometimes doubted
but the greedy forces had beer tempt
ed too long to stake his life, watch
ing tree tops for a sign that he could
yet q " 1t, was the dreadful pastime
by which Bedell sometimes quelled
passionate promptings to revenge his
exile.
"The Falls is bound to get the Squire
some day." said the banished settlers.
But the Squire's skiff was clean built
as a pickerel, and his old arms iron
strong. Now when he had gone forth
from the beloved child, who seemed to
him so t%raitorous to his love and loyal
ty, he vent instinctively to spend his
passion upon the river.
Ruth Bedell, gazing at the loaded
rife, shuddered. Her filial love SEEM
ed to have died with those threats.
Her fears was deep, but she had not
told all. George Winthrop himself,
having made his way secretly through
the forest from Lake Ontario, had
given her his own letter asking leave
from the Squire to visit his newly
made cabin. From the moment of ar
rival her lover had implored her to fly
with him. But flial love was strong
in Ruth to give hope that her father
would yield to the stronger affection
yet freshened in her heart. Believing
their union might be permitted. she
had pledged herself to escape with her
lover il it were forbidden. Now he
waited by the hickory wood for a sig
nal to conceal himself or como for
ward.
When Ruth saw her father down the
river she stepped to the flagstaff he
had raised before building the cabin
his first duty being to hoist the Union
A TNSTr. pOTH~