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Show I I I 258 HTCII AIW JI UIW IS. css while these events were But, to return to my own prodgrtl t stunned Ly the mmdcr ·n b · 1 mbcrc · 13 • pn!'lsing. It WI e ron le ] .. almost incnpa1lc of thought of my friend, I was for t Lr.cc ( ~.}st. t" r c with Colouel GraftOtL, or actiou. I lingered durmg t 1; I _n LhallPY family ministered whose own kindness and tlutt t lll:he; did I~ot hope to Stlly. unremittingly to the sorrows w u~- ~ of act iou The stunning After that time, I felt tho ne~c.s:L [low •were .now over, :md 1 sensations occasioned by the 111s k k b t 10 and to t un · began to looT a ou n ' :.1 ' homeward, burdened with the cruel 1 set f~rward .on m[h~~~'' how to relate. Nothitlg but a penstory, wluch ~ dHl no .·:~ of '\Villinm Carrington had been left knife and plam _gol_d ~~e7.s ThC'y had st ripped him of CY:ry· l.mtou~IJetl by h,Js I of nn~Js and money. The knife was ~~~ a thing m tile sh.tpe o . b bl too insi"'H ifi eant for appropnavest- pocket, and w:fs l)l:o :l ly L , E~nmcline-wns upon a I . "' one g'l\'en mn ) . I tion; t Je nno - Ll 1 tl eir notice, or was too tig Jt little finger, :md proba y csc;tc( I ·' th JPC back-snd tokens for in stant removal. ~~hcsc n· ,01;e ~\ ~ th~y h~d taken in their of whtit I cou ld not bnng. . IS n~~i ssold tLc llext day in tLe fligllt from the hovel, and ptob ·yd t no . as when "\Villi am · :J[" c was prescn e 0 1 ' ' ' Choctaw natiOn. . m , . . l fr m all restraint, lie nntnrally fell, and he felt hnnsclf f\eC( 1 ~. fton's where he had been made his way back to Co obn~ ta I )Ja(i indeed, lost nothing, well provided for the night c t·c. l\I ~ 1;1oncy was untoucllcd but that wlJich I could notre}; ace. I . 1 YI had about my person in my saddle-bags, and event w.t 'I\' uc II },·a· cl concealed it in a f d · 1 ·b d It 1s trnc • had been le t un IS ut c . the " h ad not even offered a.t rt. secret }JOcket of my cent, ~nt )L· l too completely occup ied search. The fli ght of Cnrnngton LlC I. I they fotmd upon . d tl lnrge sum w lie l their mmds at first, an IC , f II swercd their e:x }Jcda- ]Jis person had subsequently t?o u ! aln , . t]Jat til C)' should · · t t Ill tl1e1r lUll)', lions to rm~dcr II •mpo• an , Pcrha JS, too, they may h:l\·c rc: waste tunc m cxammmg me. . . [f. . both . \Y}Jntcvcr nw.} gardcd 'Villiam as tho l)ur~e-be~CI o~ was certainly no loser have been the cause of tlJCJr ncol.ect, ' t .And )'Ct how . I . I I I d at fll"St set on . of anything With w uc .l. m ~ . late ! how could I relate d readful was the loss wllleh I had to Ie [' . I . lover any one < • ·} 1 king 101' lei ' it 1 how nnmc to the poor gn ' oo 1 1 . that she looked for of the cruel words which must tcac l lCr NA:\ i ~LE:->.o:; 'I'Eil!WB:-;, 200 him in vain 1 'l' his was my continunl thottgll t as I travc11ed l10m rwnrd. I lind 110 other. J t hau11tcd me with a continual qucst ioni ug, aud the difliculty of spccclJ seemed to iJJCrcase with the delay to answer it, aud, Lcfore I hnd answered it, I reached lwme. The Yery first person I encountered was J ohn Hurdis. I npproachcd him unawares. lle was walking from me, and toward the house. I 11:~d dismissed from my bosom all feeling of hosti lity; for, since the murder of "\ril!iam, it seemed to me that a ll my old l1 atcs and prejudices were feeble. 'l'hcy were Hll swnllowed up :md forgotten iu t l1at grentcr sonow. So com} Jlctcly had tl1is bC'come the case thnt, tboug!J , at leaving him but n week beforr, I should l1ave on ly spoken to him in curses, I now !'poke to !Jim in kindness. 1\fy speccl1 seemed to confound him , no less tll:tn l1is cond uct, on l1enring it, confound ed me. As 1 have said, l1c was wnlking froll! me iu t l1e ro~td lencliug up to tl1e m·enne. He l1acl nenrly rcnchcd tl1c entrance, nud wns so completely absorbed in his own tl1oughts, that the hend of my l10rse provoked uone of l1is attention . I called to llim, nnd I am sure that my voice could not have been made more st udiously un oflCndiug. "\Veil, John, l10w arc you- l1ow arc all 1" "John-John!" l10 exclaimed, turning round, and staring nt me witl1 a fac~ full of unspeakable :1gitnt.ion. " '\VIJO's tl1at 1 what do you mean 1 wl1at do you want witl1 me 1 l1a !" "'Vhy, what's the matter with you, J olm 1" I cried; "what frig htens you 1-don't yon know me ?" "Know you 1 yes, ycs-I know yon;" nnd l1is face and movements both indicated a stroug disposition on his pmt to fly from me, but tiJ:H his trem bling liJ11Ls refused to assist him. "'Vhy do you shrink from me 1'' I asked, thinking that all his ngitation arose from our previous qunrrel, and the fC'ar that I wns seeking some opportunity of' pcrson. '. ll colli sion with him. ""\Vhy do you shrink from me, J olm llm·dis 1 I mn not nng-ry with yon now; I do not seck to lwrm you. Be yourself, brother, for God's sake, nnd tell me how the old folks are : how's mother1" Ire saw me alight from my hot~se, which I did at tllis moment, and approach him, without being able to give me any answer. |
