OCR Text |
Show ) 272 HOEllUCK. • vVIten ~he ·wa. :1,o·ain left with 1\Irs. P:1.lnwr sho walked to and fro, agitated with nn indignant Aenl:lo of in:·ult and outrage. She uttered no ·word of co1nplaint to the n1other and agent of l.1er pcrsecntor. Her spirit was bruised, but it was roused. Still alone, in the power of her cne1nics, she defied them. She " 'onld not bo\v before :1. foe \vho left her uo choice bnt bet·wecn defianee :1.nd dishonor. Night c~une on, but, at Jnlin's request, the room \vas not lighted. She sat do·wn by a \Vindow and looked out at the sky. 1\Irs. Paln1er, seated in a rocking chair at the opposite side of the ch:unber, ben-an :::> to yawn, and finally fell asleep. The night was cle:w nnd still. vVhile Julia gazed at the bright sLar.~, her excitement gradually abated. When her veins yet throbbed \vith pas~ion, the quiet hcav·ens seemed to her i1n:1gination to regard \vith cruel indiiferenco tJ1e \VOes and crin1cs of earth. )Jut as the tide of violeut en1otiou snbsided, higher and sercner sentimeuLs responded n1ore f:tithf'ully to the suLlin1c sense of that eternal quiet. "It is not indiifereucc to \vrono·" sho said to herself, "that we should read in thoseb 's leep-less eyes of IIeaven, but their :fitr-secino- " rntch reo-ards 0 b the end as \\roll as the bco·innin ()' of these dark scenes • ·':"> b In which \\'C grope and . uftcr. Their serene silence is the hontage of nature to the unerrinry Provitlenoe Wltich guides all events on earLh asa in Ileaven. Darkling, but not di:mnycll, I will endeavor to walk by the light that come. from above, and trnst, the couscqncJH~es to IIiJn "Who Ol'dains right and retlresses evil.'' .. While her 1ninc..1 \vas compo~iu fl . b(' 1' itself Ly such ro~ ect1ons, she \Vas startled by the sight of a 1nan's l10ad near the windo1v. "\Vondering, but rather hoping thai' no 1~ n u c K . 273 fearing, she lo:l.n e<l her ih n again. t the pane an <1 looked out into the dark. Hhc cliscovcrocl th:1t the 1nan \\' :lS npon :1. l~t<ltler, an<l as he dr w ne:1r to the window, he 1naclo :1. ,·ign of silence to her. Bho (~i<l not rceognize him, but believing that nil her encmtcs " 'ere ,vi thin the hons , she readily conoltulccl that he ,vas a friend. LiHLcning for the deep breathing of ~Irs. Paln1cr, and being thus assured that she still slept, Julia opened the sa h quietly and hcnrJ h.et n:tmc ,vhi. p red. "1Vhat do yon want?" she wh1s- perc(.1 , 1· n 1·c1)Jy · "Follo'v Inc·' " nn<l the man de. ccn d· e<1l the ladder. Dreading no danger equal to that. wJ.ue l she left behinu, she followed without hestt:l.LtOn. When they were upon the ground, tl~~ m:l.n, who ~v:v:l then ~een to \Year the Confederate un donn, led hm In silence to a elnmp of trees nt some di tanee from the house. There they found another porso~, n~on~tell, ana holdinO' the bridles of two horses. 'lhel~ '\:1. n \VOn1an's s;ddlc on one of them, and, ~s Julw .. ~~on cli ·covered, this was her f.won·t c, A ra b· F ~ r t ·a ss·1 tm 1oher to nlount her conductor got upo,n lll horse an<l the three rode ' away through t h e fi eJ d s. 'T. heyt' 1110Y.CL 1 · cautiously, nnd not a wore1 was spoken un t1l, a Ler l'l( - in ('1' a mile or more, they entered a 'vood. ~'Now :Miss Faidilx," said the ma~ who rclcl\alse·JI~ her, and ' ·whoin she recogni·z e d .a. s. Ltetu tebn anBt axt::en r.. .. ~far lin 'vhile she know his compnnt~n . o o . . ' " \'V e a' rc safe for the presen t · It 18 for yon to • :1 Y where \Ve shall go." . "To n1y L'lther if I can," she rcphc(1. 4 " "vV c hea· r· that' he has b ccn sen t on.t of the cotmt I v,y .. " "Alas it is true, then. L ot n1e bc ro to • my Jllo • ll to tt. lt • ' 1 . She IH now .l ) "\Ve 'vill conduct you to tel.. b.· ·l·ly if ten nu. les f.r o1n hm. c . ·un r° must nde pretty 1 1"'" • |