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Show :.!5:l IUl'H .\IW HUi:DJ...;. . . . ' nnd orood - \l'f' stnnJ ,,J.{'r: we n~c. he not kill bun, stJll \\ e•l . l':> The conf(•dcracy, if Jt has Its 1 am neither worse nor bC'ttCl. d 1 t 'llll 1 nnd whn.t nrc my ' · ·1 ·li.:;o- nn ww" ' 1 dangers, h~s Its r<'''·~~~ a ;Jat I should hcca the former, ,,}J~n t .Je pro~pC'cts m the ,~-o~ 11•. , ~:.;·mt a consideration. L i\'C 01' d!~, my !alter arc to me, so lll•P , 1 the ·d1'cctionatc language of tlte brother••- here he mloptc< L tl ' . it's nil one to me." cmissary~"livc or dic,""my ~-~~0\~:~l~ unc,xprcssccl, he sent tile And with these tho~1o11 ts, f t\ rrcr As was iucvitnblc, emissnry forwnrd on Ius patli ol" ( .u~~ tilC opinion of Pickett, he took the road Hll''·ar~l :lCC~l'( m,g directly over the ground and, it may be added, lns coml~ed"as'l'hc distnuce was smul1, which he had already trf~vl~' el· .tt to the S[)Ot where H urd is f tl house o tc~e • . however, rom tc ·~ 11 took no lonO' t ime in approachmg awa ited him_; nnd .the. e. o;~e emotions ot'thc felonious watcher. it. 1\feanwh tle, what "etc t t d ·ibe thrm. Lifo nm1 death W c may imagine- I can no CISCI I I t at lenst-)'Ct was l. . oh·e- so tc t wug 1 ' depended upon us ~s I d I osen with the juclgment of one he still irresolute. e ta ~ 1 •e :y spot wlLich, for all others, exper ienced in such matters; ~-~ ' oif putting II iS design in excaffordcd him the b~st op:~: ~~:·lti~g from !tim, his victim was at cution. Approachmg o~ l ' cls on either h;md. The bushes his mercy for a full hun ~e 1 ~~r h is aim was unobstructedaround effectually conce~-~~ellt:~l=not liable to frequent interthe path was not often~ + - tl e ·e was not a breath stirring. rupt ion-the day was at". t t I bled and tliC tremor at his Yet the hand of the ass;ssn:l r:n~ his' band. Nature had not hea_rt was ~ven ~reate~dt ~~~;Jai:; oiie might have made a cnndesJgned bun for a bo e ·ll'l s in doitw a far bcttCJ' ning shopkeeper, and succeeded •. 1~ l </ i'n vendil~g bad wares, business, though not a more mo:.~in:n ;, stand" to a true man. and spurious m_oney~ tl~a~l ~~~~~~ o~der, and painfully, indeed, H is nerves WClC no o I . t ] e Leheld his enemy. was he made conscious of thls deBiec ' abs l better The road N t 'ty could Htve ecn · npl>roach. o oppot un.t 1 1 in waiting, was almost under by the branch, above winch ~e ay I novcmcnt of the travelh im; and for a goo~ tlH'e~ mm~tes,_ t 1e t arancc. HUJ·dis got ler was in a direct I me wtth hts fit st ~ppe 'thi"n its reach, his gun in I'eadm. ess, and w h en tl e ictJm came wt l . v k in a moment oftcrt he rB:ised it to his shoulder. But It san nga ~ I 'rHE JJI·:AH1' FAlLS. 253 'l'he muzzle \·cered to and fi·o, ns a le<lf' in tl1e wind. He could uot bring the sight to rest upon the traveller. Keen was the a.1gnish whicl1 hC' felt when he ln·ougl1t it down to the earth: nnd it w:ts in (h•spcrate resol\·e that he again lifted it. "Tt murst be done," l1e said to himself'- " there is no hope else . .:\(y life or his - shall I hesitate! I must do it-I can not miss /lim now." .Agnin the instrument of death was uplifted in l1is unwilling 11.-wds, nnd this time he rested it upon a limb of the tree, which rose (l ircctly before his person. "I lmve him now. It is but fifty yards. T here he is beside tho poplar ! lin! what is this - where is he-I can not see him-a mist is before my eyes." A mist had indeed, O\·erspread his s ight. llis straining eyes were full of wnter, and he drew back from the tube, and looked over it upou the road. Still, his enemy was there. \Vhy had he not seen him before 1 lie would hnve resumed his aim, but just then he saw the eyes of tho Cllli~sary turned upward u1>on the very spot where he stood. Had he been seen through tho bushes 1 'l'he doubt was a pnlsying one, and he shrunk back in tenor, and listened with a beating heart t hat. shook in his very throat, to l1ear t he steps of the enemy in }Husuit of him up the h ill. But he heard nothing and was emboldened to look again. lie had lost one chance. 'l'he emissary had rounded the branch, and was now upon the other end of the trace and going from him. But his back was now tnrned to the assnssin, and his base spirit deri\·ed strength from this circumstance. llo felt that he could not ha\·e drawn a tJ·igger upon l1is foe, while he looked upon ltis fi1ce. H e now did not doubt of his being able to execute the deed. Ilis arms wer-e rigid-l1e felt th:.1t he was resoh•ed. 'l'J1ere was not the slighte~t quiver in limb o~ jHllsc; autl with t he confidence of assured strength, and a tnccl cour:~ge, he once more lifted the weapon. Never did man take better aim upon his foe. The entire back of the slow moving stranger was toward ltim. 'l'he distance was small, for, in rounding the branch, the trave11er had approached, mthcr than receded from, the point where the murderer lay in wniting. C~utiollsly, but firmly, did he cock the weapon. 'l1 he sligl1t click upon his own ears, was startling, and before he could |
