Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Repaid.
Repaid .
COl'YIUUIlT—Alt UIlillTS RI-. SKKVI-. I ) . ]
Circa 17 S 0 . PIIOF . F . AV . DiiiVEir , ALA ., P . AL 45 , P . Z . 742 , Author of " The Noble Soul" " God ' s Flowers" "A Woman ' s Heroism , " " . The Submerged Gily . " " Toujours Fcnlri . r" § 'c , § 'c .
From festive scene , in Lincoln Fields , AVith lightsome step and spirits gay , O ' er the wide plain in darkened ni ght , A young mail sped his lonel y way ;
When , suddenly , before him stand , 'Neath feeble flame of oil lump , Two men whose evil looks proclaimed That they were of the rullian stamp .
The villains then , with tierce assault , The echoes of the night awoke , Bravely the young man plied his sword , 'Twas shattered by a cudgel slroke ; Then hissed one riiliiarr in his ear .
As sinking on the ground he lay , ' •Nat Bolder . I , my brother dear , To T yburn death you did betray . "
'" 1 our cursed evidence ensured Tbe doom he bail , perchance , escaped , 'F rom that sad day , within my heart Thc fellesl passions have awaked ; '
A prisoner , now , within my power , Revenge and haired you shall feel , A fearful death awaits , at last . But when and how , lime will reveal ! "
rearing the watch the rullian pair No longer , now , the time delayed , But iu ( heir arms young Morton raised , And to a filthy den conveyed
Their helpless burden , —all alone , In noisome cellar underground They laid him , and his wounded head With a rough bandage they hail bound .
Awake to consciousness , he saw The honors of his gloomy cell , Heavy his heart , he surely felt lie conld his future fafe foretell :
To [ tierce ( he darkness , candle small A lliek ' ring ray its light affords , Myriads of squealing rats he heard Scampering beneath ( he rotten boards .
Slow passed the hours , darkness ( lieu , Hunger and ( hirst assert their claim , Added to this , distress of mind Euleeblcs more his sinking frame .
Derisive shouts which reach his ear , Prove his rude jailors within call , In vain , bis fierce infuriate cries , Tbey but rebound from prison wall .
Repaid.
Theu a strange calm came o ' ev his mind , He felt that imminent -was death , Despair with leaden weight oppressed , To God he'd y ield his fleeting breath ;
Black darkness spreads her mantle round , Expired waning candle light , Yet in the distance , far remote , Echoing footseps woke the night .
Nearer , still nearer , on they came , Hope once again illumed Iris soul , Eyes , large and bright , 'neath lantern gleam , O ' er the deep gloom assumed control ;
No spoken word the silence broke , Revealed to him the furious face Of his chief captor , who had sworn His vengeance should have time and place .
A quick ' rring impulse through the brain Of the poor prisoner—came the thought , A mystic sign to make , and wait Thc issue , perhaps , with safety fraught ;
To his ainay . e , aud great delight , Answer- intelligent ) was made , A sign responsive , proved to him Succour , unknown , would yield its aid .
Still no word uttered , but a look Of warning , as thc face withdrew , Now , through his veins , inspired by Hope , Flowed Life ' s warm tide with vigour new ;
A respite brief , the door unlocked , Revealed his enemy of old , Enveloped in an ample cloak , A lantern hid 'neath heavy fold .
His linger placed upon his lips , Then , first , his voice the silence broke — Irr whispered tones— " Be dumb , as yet , If life vou value" —thus hc spoke ;
"An awful death had been ordained , A death of torment , and prolonged , To slake the burning hate of him Yon had , of yore , so deeply wronged . "
" Quite unobserved , unknown to you , Careful I ' ve scanned your youthful face ; Its features seemed familiar too , Irr them a dear old friend I trace ;
To watch your anguish I had come , Your doom , decided , to pronounce And bc revenged—my purpose changed—At once to me your namo announce .
"Alorton , I ' m called , " the young man stud , " Renowned my father ' s honoured name , Bereft of him in early youth , Hc left remembrance of his fame ;
Alongsfc many kindly acts he did Unselfishly , he danger braved In peril great , at . his own risk , A young man ' s life hc nobly saved . "
" I was that youth , " the man replied , " Eor mo ( he noble deed was done ; The vow then sworn I will observe ,
And save the life of his dear son ; The mystic tie of Brother-hood Binds us together , ( rue and fast : Aly oath I'll keep , my debt repay ,
And link the present with the past !" "To what hard fate am 1 foredooined ' r—Help me to ' scape it , if you can ; If not , I'll humbly pray to God ,
That 1 may meet it as a man ; " "A sure yet ling ' r-ing death by lire , Tbe house in ilames above your head . Yourself , within its ruins , found ,
When all was o ' er , unenveu lor , dead . Shuddered the youth , instinctively , Yet bravely tried to hide his fear- — " What hope is left?—our time we lose—The peril may bc even near . " " Trust all to me , " thc man replied ,
" I'm cool and steady , though in haste . Implicitly obey my words , No time iu useless questions waste ! " Pointing the way to rotting stairs , Leaving his former prison room ,
Shading the lamp ' neath a mantle fold , They groped their way amid ( he gloom ; At head of stairs , n passage led In the far distance to a door ; Ere they had reached it , Ihey perceived Flames and thick smoke beneath the lloor .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Repaid.
Repaid .
COl'YIUUIlT—Alt UIlillTS RI-. SKKVI-. I ) . ]
Circa 17 S 0 . PIIOF . F . AV . DiiiVEir , ALA ., P . AL 45 , P . Z . 742 , Author of " The Noble Soul" " God ' s Flowers" "A Woman ' s Heroism , " " . The Submerged Gily . " " Toujours Fcnlri . r" § 'c , § 'c .
From festive scene , in Lincoln Fields , AVith lightsome step and spirits gay , O ' er the wide plain in darkened ni ght , A young mail sped his lonel y way ;
When , suddenly , before him stand , 'Neath feeble flame of oil lump , Two men whose evil looks proclaimed That they were of the rullian stamp .
The villains then , with tierce assault , The echoes of the night awoke , Bravely the young man plied his sword , 'Twas shattered by a cudgel slroke ; Then hissed one riiliiarr in his ear .
As sinking on the ground he lay , ' •Nat Bolder . I , my brother dear , To T yburn death you did betray . "
'" 1 our cursed evidence ensured Tbe doom he bail , perchance , escaped , 'F rom that sad day , within my heart Thc fellesl passions have awaked ; '
A prisoner , now , within my power , Revenge and haired you shall feel , A fearful death awaits , at last . But when and how , lime will reveal ! "
rearing the watch the rullian pair No longer , now , the time delayed , But iu ( heir arms young Morton raised , And to a filthy den conveyed
Their helpless burden , —all alone , In noisome cellar underground They laid him , and his wounded head With a rough bandage they hail bound .
Awake to consciousness , he saw The honors of his gloomy cell , Heavy his heart , he surely felt lie conld his future fafe foretell :
To [ tierce ( he darkness , candle small A lliek ' ring ray its light affords , Myriads of squealing rats he heard Scampering beneath ( he rotten boards .
Slow passed the hours , darkness ( lieu , Hunger and ( hirst assert their claim , Added to this , distress of mind Euleeblcs more his sinking frame .
Derisive shouts which reach his ear , Prove his rude jailors within call , In vain , bis fierce infuriate cries , Tbey but rebound from prison wall .
Repaid.
Theu a strange calm came o ' ev his mind , He felt that imminent -was death , Despair with leaden weight oppressed , To God he'd y ield his fleeting breath ;
Black darkness spreads her mantle round , Expired waning candle light , Yet in the distance , far remote , Echoing footseps woke the night .
Nearer , still nearer , on they came , Hope once again illumed Iris soul , Eyes , large and bright , 'neath lantern gleam , O ' er the deep gloom assumed control ;
No spoken word the silence broke , Revealed to him the furious face Of his chief captor , who had sworn His vengeance should have time and place .
A quick ' rring impulse through the brain Of the poor prisoner—came the thought , A mystic sign to make , and wait Thc issue , perhaps , with safety fraught ;
To his ainay . e , aud great delight , Answer- intelligent ) was made , A sign responsive , proved to him Succour , unknown , would yield its aid .
Still no word uttered , but a look Of warning , as thc face withdrew , Now , through his veins , inspired by Hope , Flowed Life ' s warm tide with vigour new ;
A respite brief , the door unlocked , Revealed his enemy of old , Enveloped in an ample cloak , A lantern hid 'neath heavy fold .
His linger placed upon his lips , Then , first , his voice the silence broke — Irr whispered tones— " Be dumb , as yet , If life vou value" —thus hc spoke ;
"An awful death had been ordained , A death of torment , and prolonged , To slake the burning hate of him Yon had , of yore , so deeply wronged . "
" Quite unobserved , unknown to you , Careful I ' ve scanned your youthful face ; Its features seemed familiar too , Irr them a dear old friend I trace ;
To watch your anguish I had come , Your doom , decided , to pronounce And bc revenged—my purpose changed—At once to me your namo announce .
"Alorton , I ' m called , " the young man stud , " Renowned my father ' s honoured name , Bereft of him in early youth , Hc left remembrance of his fame ;
Alongsfc many kindly acts he did Unselfishly , he danger braved In peril great , at . his own risk , A young man ' s life hc nobly saved . "
" I was that youth , " the man replied , " Eor mo ( he noble deed was done ; The vow then sworn I will observe ,
And save the life of his dear son ; The mystic tie of Brother-hood Binds us together , ( rue and fast : Aly oath I'll keep , my debt repay ,
And link the present with the past !" "To what hard fate am 1 foredooined ' r—Help me to ' scape it , if you can ; If not , I'll humbly pray to God ,
That 1 may meet it as a man ; " "A sure yet ling ' r-ing death by lire , Tbe house in ilames above your head . Yourself , within its ruins , found ,
When all was o ' er , unenveu lor , dead . Shuddered the youth , instinctively , Yet bravely tried to hide his fear- — " What hope is left?—our time we lose—The peril may bc even near . " " Trust all to me , " thc man replied ,
" I'm cool and steady , though in haste . Implicitly obey my words , No time iu useless questions waste ! " Pointing the way to rotting stairs , Leaving his former prison room ,
Shading the lamp ' neath a mantle fold , They groped their way amid ( he gloom ; At head of stairs , n passage led In the far distance to a door ; Ere they had reached it , Ihey perceived Flames and thick smoke beneath the lloor .