The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-11-07

first with a strength of passion which
she might by a little tact have made
firm and lasting Affection; but she
had taken no pains to please him.
made no efforts to retain his admira-
ton, so that she had no right to COM
plain when time and possession
robbed her of even this semblsuce of
/ devotion, and she understood herself
as held something better than his
dog, little dearer than his horse"
And of Antony Vaughan no word or
token came. The lands and home
which had been his fathers for 500
years, were sold to strangers; and
Eleanor's heart lost it's last hope
that of seeing him again. Time,
which cares for none of these things,
went on as il there Were no break
ing hearts, no ruined lives, and change
and chance made and marred the hap
piness Of millions whom he swept be-
fore him to their long home. / had
only been spectator in this little
drama, and had simply watched it
in that calm, complaisant way in
which we do watch sorrows that in
no way affect us. But, strangely
enough, the lust act of it was played
out in my presence and / was COM
PEELED by circumstances and SYM
pathy to become one of the dramatis
personae. And thus 1t happened.
I was up among the mountains of
the Colorado river in Texas, and our
party, charmed by the exquisite seem
cry and strange and beautiful fora,
wandered out of the proper trail.
Sunset found us far from any human
habitation, except little log-cabn
in the crevice of the hills half a mile
below us. We supposed it to be the
home of some freed negro, and des-
cended to seek temporary rest and
refreshment, purposing, as soon as the
moon arose. to continue our way to
the little village, not over ten miles
distant. The door was opened to
receive us before we reached It,
and the splendid looking fellow lean
ing on his gun within its shadow
was Antony Vaughan. knew him at
once; every change was only nm add
ed grace; he was ten times hand
somer than when saw him last,
laughing and hallooing, head and
shoulders higher than any squire who
rode to cover in all the glens and
glades of Snowdon. He gave us
broiled venison, strong coffee and hot
hoe-cakes, and welcome which added
no little zest to his hospitable provi-
sion. After supper, when couple of
pipes had soothed and quieted our
noisy mirth, l Intentionally called
him by his name. He dropped his
pipe in amazement, and looked the
question he could not ask. Then I
told him who I was. and spoke of the
dear old town among the Westmore-
land mountains. When bearded
men weep, they need the ministry Of
angels; no human sympathy can
reach such sorrow, and so / was silent
until he had conquered his emotion.
He asked of every ones welfare he
fore he mentioned Eleanor, and then
his voice was cold and Indifferent;
but his eyes contradicted his tongue,
and his tongue bclied his heart. I
told him of all her cold, empty, neg
lected life, her faded beauty and her
listless, unhappy ways. And after a
moments silence, during which he lit
ernlly trembled with feeling, he mat-
tered: only just! A life for life!
Only just! And yet, poor thing!"
And then he rose hastily, and calling
his dogs-of which at least q dozen
were lying nround-he left the hut,
ostensibly to look after our horses.
During the next year we spent
much time together, and l soon felt
for him an affection passing the love
of woman He was indeed the idol
of large section of country, and the
leader in all hunting and Indian ey-
rrdi.ions; for to these 1shmaelites of
the frontier his very name had be-
come n terror. Far as the eye could
reach the land was all his own; i'm
mense herds of cattle and cavallards
of horses roamed over the hills; and
the rich bottom lands yielded him fab
ulous harvests of corn and cotton.
"IIow did you make all this wealth,
Vaughan" 1 asked him, one day.
81 didn't make dime of it, Jack.
Fortune brings in some boats that are
not steered, and she found mine drift
ing about and took charge of it, that's
ALL"
Then there was a pause. We were
both thinking of Eleanor's mistake.
He was the first to speak.
II am going tomorrow to hunt up
the trail of some thieving Comanches
who have run off 20 of my best mares:
like enough l may never come back
again. If / am missing more than two
days, hunt me up, old fellow, and
bury me like a Christian"
He spoke half in jest and half in
earnest; but an unaccountable pre-
sentiment of evil seized me, and
urged him to let me go with him.
This he positively declined, saying
that 81 was not up to Indian yet, and
would only increase the danger"
So early next morning he went over
the hills, accompa led by couple of
fine hounds, and carrying his rifle,