| OCR Text |
Show 330 RICHARD TfURDIS. of which curdled my blood to rend. I could scnrcoly propose tl1c qHC'Rtion. "But you will Jw.rdly net npon this-it is too-" I was :.bout to say horriLlc-it wns well I did not. Foster fortunntely finished the sentence for me in a different manner. "Too dangerous you would sny ! It would be to a blunderer. nut we should be off the moment it WrtS oYrr. llnving made use of the torch, we shoulrl only stny long rno11g-h to lake wl1nt \vas ,·nlunblc from the houf:"r, an1l not "·nit until it l1tHl tumblrd 11pon us. llut this m:Jflc1· is not yet n::vly. \Vc have business, scnrccly less profitnble, to be SCf'n to, :mel thrre days more mny p-i,·e usn Jloblc h:111l. Sec to this. Here I am ndvisrd by a sure friend nt 'Vashington, tktt n brgc amount of gov('rnmcnt money is on its wny for fi1C UIJOctaws-it will not be my fnult if tltey get it. Tl1:tt is worth some pains-taking- but-" lie paused and folded up Ids paprrs. The tramp of steeds wns 11earcl phshing through the mire and npproacl1ing the islnnd. 'Vcbber was next heard in co1wersation with the newcomers, whose voices now reached us distinctly. Foster addressed me as he henrcl them in SUI)pressed t011cs and with n graver manner. "That's Eberly's YOicc," he said-" you must look to him, 'VilliamR. Prom this moment do not Jose him from yom sight till yon can report on his conduct decisively. llere is Hailer coming toward us. lie has heard of Eberly's ::tpproach and like your::elf will be on the watch. Let me say to yon tl1at Haller will rC'port of you as narrowly ns he docs of Eberly. lie does not know yon yet, and has no such confideuce in you as I have. I know that you will fear nothing thnt he cnn report i and yet, that my judgment may not suffer in the estimation of our people, I should be bettor pleased if you could outwntciJ your comrade." I made out to say-" Trust me-you have no need of appre-hension. I will do my best at least." . "Enongl,," said he,-" he comes. Poor fellow, llC looks sJCk -unhappy 1" This was said in an under-tone, as if in soliloquy, and tlJc next moment, the person spoken of, emerging from the sh~dc of a bush which stood between himself and me, cnme full Ill my DI<}SPAlR OP '1'111:: WEAK BROTHER. 331 sight. \V11at was my astonislnllcnt and misery to bclwlcl in him , the young man Clifton, introduced to me by Colonel Grnfton, and, :n; I feared, the accepted lover of his daughter. I was rooted to tl:e spot with surprise nnd horror, and could scarcely recover myself in time to meet his npproach. A desperate resoh·e ennbled me to do this, and when he drew nigh, I was introduced to him as "one of us" by Foster. Clifton, or ns I shall continue to call him ]~berly, scarcely gnve me a look. !lis eyes never once met either Foster's or my own. lie was pnle and looked care-worn. 'Vith a hnggard smile, l1e listened to the kind yet hypocritic.al compliments of Foster, but uttered nothing in reply. Other persons now beg:m momentarily to arrive, and by night ou1· number was increased to twenty-five or thirty. !underwent the fraternal hug, with all tbc old villain s, and some five novicintes like myself; and, in a. varied discussion of such topics ns bmglary, horse and negro stealing, forging, mail-robbing nnd various otller similnrly innocent employments, we contrived to pass over tile lJOurs without discord or monotony until tl10 coming on of night put our proprietors in mind of supper. I need not dwell upon :my of the plnns and purposes of crime, in particular, which underwent discussion on that occasion, since none of them will affect very mn. tcrially my own narrative. It is enough for me to aflirm that among these members of the J\Iystic Brot11erhood, c:rime of all sorts and complexions, seemed reduced to a perfect system, nnd the hands wl1ich ministered seemed to move rntl1e1· like tilose of automata than of til inking and resolving men. At supper I sat opposite to Ebcrly-my eye was fixed upon l1im all the while, and my recognition of him, as tho lover of the poor Julia, fully reconciled me to tl1e task I l1acl undertnken, of con· victing him of treason to his associates. His treason to beauty -to innocence-to hospita lity, and confiding friendsl1ipmade my otherwise odious duty a grateful one; and I felt a. lll1llignant sort of pleasure, as l watched my victim, to tl1ink that his punishment lay in my own hands. And yet, while I looked upon him, I felt at moments, my heart sink and sicken within me. I somehow began to doubt lww far he could be guilty-how far he could be guilty with these-how far guilty to her 1 He ate nothing, and looked very pale and wretched. |
