Year: 1860

'' tuo neAI uay my piauS "eie n"lu'e eo
!, Mrs. b. at my request accompanied me L
b Penthrake, and selected such materials TO
: female apparel as were necessary to MAKE
r the young lady presentable. I paid The
e bill, which was by no means alarming
: owing partly to the fact that the old lady''
: ideas of extravaganza in dress had not ex
: panded to any thing like the present di
e mensions of crinoline, and partly to the
great dearth Of costly dry goods in the
stores of this primitive region. We found
: sufficient, however, for our present pur
5 pose.


! Court day came. The sheriff came also
TO claim the fulfllment of my promise tc
the crowd. 1 indulged hopes that they
might have fogotten it, or perhaps, decided
) to let the boy pass without further concern
Not so, however,a and 1 was compelled to un.
fold my precious secret to the official, and
offer. some suggestions, prompted by the
peculiar state of affairs. These he prom
, ised faithfully to observe; so I gave her
into his charge, and hastened to the court
house.


This was alog structure, used as school


house in the intervals of court, and as a


church on the sabbath. 1t was already


thronged with the denizens of the back


woods, in every variety of costume, from


hides in every state of preparation, to lin


en- and linsey woolsey, and all bearing ri


fles and bowie knives, as if on their way


home from the hunt, they had dropped in


to see what was going on. The Judge, a


noble looking old man, of powerful stature,


bare-footed, and in his shirt sleeves, occu-


pied the only chair in the room, with his


coon-skin cap on the table before him.


And in the presence of this Judge and


this assembly I was to plead for life or


death, the cause of one in whom felt al


ready more than professional or passing in


terest. felt equal to the task. When l


reached home, and told my mother the sto-


ry, she wondered how had the face to do


il; but as l have previously intimated mod


esty is not my besetting sin.


The usual preliminares were passed


through, when murmur of dissatisfaction


arose at the non-appearance of the boy


Every man in the neighborhood of my


nights exploit was present, and Icould see


by the threatening glances directed towards


me, and by hands clutching the rife with


frmer grip, and ominously feeling for the


hilt of the bowie knife, that I was suspect


ed of conniving at his escape. arose.


"May it please the Court wish to un-


dertake the defence of this boy. If the


Court grant my application, he shall be


produced upon call"


The Court assented, and called "Archie
Lake." immediately the sheriff, who had
left the room while 1 was speaking, return
ed with blushing young girl leaning up
on his arm. The assembly was at once
petrifsd with astonishment, then stormy
with wrath at the supposed imposture. 1
arose again.


"This young lady and Archie Lake are
one and the same person. can establish
the identity to your satisfaction" Here I
called upon Mr.. and Mrs. B., the doctor
and the sheriff, whose united testimony
was indisputable. The guilt of Bully Lake
was made apparent in short time. After
a number of witnesses had been examined
as to the completely of the young girl in
the robbery, her connection with Lake and
so on, I requested that she might be allow
ed TO tell her own story, which she did.


"My name is Esther Forrest. Ny IA
ther was wealthy merchant in New York |
city, and Iavished upon me every luxury
with such paternal tenderness as l believe
was never equaled. He sent me to the
best schools; he superintended my educa-
ton in person; he took care that all my
associates should be ennobling and purify
ing. Among the select circle who visited
our house, was young man, cousin of
my mother, who was determined to win
my hand. He was prepossessing in ap-
pearance and manners, yet there was some
thing about him 1 feared and disliked.-
Therefore avoided him as much as posi-
BILE. My father esteemed him highly, and
would have rejoiced to see him united to
me, but would have struck off his own
right hand before it should do an act to
give me pain. So, when complained 10
him that the young man prosecuted me
with his attentions, he took him aside and
told him that notwithstanding his own af-
fection for him, l had none, and could have
none, urging him, strenuously to think no
more of me as an object of special atten-
ton. Still the young man persevered with
an inscriptions boldness worthy of bet
ter cause. Ny father at length forbade
him to remain longer at our house, telling
him that he was still his friend, and that
be might call upon him whenever he need
ed one; that he appreciated the sincerity
of his love for me, and doubted not that it
was the strength of his love which led to
and under existing cireum-
stances, highly improper conduct, adding
that he could not sacrifice his daughters
happiness 10 the dearest friend he had on
EARTH"


The young man departed, and as bis
name was never mentioned in my hearing,
l soon forgot him, and for long time was
perfectly happy. But when l was fifteen
about two years agony father endors-
ed note for merchant, whose name he
never told my mother or me. This mer-
chant failed, dishonesty, and his failure
ruined my father, who, overwhelmed with
died in few days. The
remnant Of the property was barely suffi-
cient to enable my mother to rent a small
cottage in the country. We had hardly