Bennett, Emerson - Prairie Flower 01

by The Prairie Flower (lit)

  " A beauthiful lady, sir, and her mother as is sick," replied Teddy, turning toward me an eager look.

  I instantly shaded my face with my hand, as if to keep off the heat, and saw I was not recognized.

  " And where is the lady you speak of?"

  " In the wagin, yonder. The ould lady is sick, and they've not a spalpeen of a docthor among 'em, and the young miss is crying like she'd break her heart, poor thing ! For the matter of that, there's two young females, now, that's crying but only one saams to be the daughther. May be it's a docthor you is, now, by your wee look and thinness ? "

  " I was educated to the profession, but have never practiced."

  " Troth, it's no difference ye must go an' sae the lady for it's Heaven iin: ye here, I'm knowing mesilf."

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  " Bui;, T (I was on the point of speak ing his name) but I hav.j no medicine."

  " Divil a- bit difference for that. Ye must be a filler saaing her, if ye's a docthor and can spaak the Latin names they gives, whin physic's short if ounly to comfort the young lady that's dying of grief"

  " Well, well, I will go," I said, finding

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  myself fully in for it, and my curiosity be ing a good deal excited, also, to see the ladv whom all agreed in describing as

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  beautiful.

  " Ah ! that's a good sowl ye is now ! " said the warm, generous-hearted Teddy, who seemed as much interested for the fair stranger, as if she were his own sister. " It's a good sowl ye is, now, to go and sae her ! Faith ! ye puts me in mind of a young masther I once had voice and nil barring that he was a wee bit bether looking nor you is."

  " Indeed ! And what was your mas ter's name ? "

  " Och ! I had a pair of 'em. One was Misther Huntly, a lawyer and the other, Misther Leighton, a docthor. It's the docthor ye puts me in mind of now."

  " Well, what became of them ? "

  " Oh ! sir," cried Teddy, wiping the tears from his eyes, " they got killed, sir. The divilish, murthering, baastly tiefs of Injins killed and ate 'em. Ochone ! ochone ! " and he rung his brands at the bare thought, and sobbed for very grief.

  " Why, you seem to take it to heart as much as if they were related to you."

  " And so would you, an' ye'd a knowed 'em, sir. They was two sich swant youths ! Pertict gintlemen, and jist from college, as I heard 'em say mysilf. Ochone ! but I'd a died for 'em asy, and no questions axed, an' they'd a towld me to."

  " Li'ighton! Leighton!" repeated I, mu singly, 'as if trying to remember where 1 hadf before heard the name. " Leighton ! fresh from college, say you ? Was the one you term doctor, from Boston ? "

  ''Ah, troth was he!" cried Teddy, jumping up in excitement. " Then ye know him, sir, it may be, by your way of Bpakin^r, jist ? "

  " I know enough of him," I answered, now fully determined on putting Teddy's friendship to the test.

  " Arrah ! sir, and what d'ye niaan by- saying the likes of that, now ? "

  " What do I mean ? Why, my meaning is very simple. I know that this fellow you are so fond of lauding, is not a whit better than I am."

  " And I maan ye're a dirthy, spalpeen blaggard docthor or no doclhor jist for spaking in that contimptible manner of the finest gintleman as was iver saan and no exceptions made to your dirthy self, that's not worth the snap of me finger! Whoop ! ye blaggard ! don't be grinning that way at your bethers but jist come out here like a man, ye cowardly tief ! and sac- what I'll taach ye ! Whoop ! "

  Here the Irishman jumped up and crack ed his heels, and made several warlike de monstrations with his fists, much to my amusement and satisfaction. The trappers, too, gathered themselves upon their feet, in anticipation of a fight ; arid as I show ed no disposition to reply to Teddy, Blach George turned his dark visage to me, and said, grufily :

  " Come, young chap, you've got to chaw them words you've jest put travelin, 01 git licked afore you ken say beans."

  " What have'l said ? " 1 replied, find ing the matter becoming serious, and pro tending to exculpate myself. '' I merely intimated that Mr. Leighton was no better than myself; and what more could I say, when of course I think myself as good as anybody ? "

  " Yes, it's all very well, boy, for you to talk," returned Black George ; " but heyar's what knows a insult from a bea ver, I reckons ; and ef you don't chaw them words in less nor two minutes, and own up you aint no equal to him you've spoke aginst, I'll ram some fodder down your gullet you won't swoller easy el 1 don't, I hope I may be dogged for a dirty skunk all my life ! " and he ended by shaking his fist rather nearer my face than was agreeable.

  " Yes, and now be takin thim bark ! " roared Teddy, making preparations to spring upon me, " or I'll turn ye inside out, and shake ye as I used me masther's carpet-bag, that's dead and gone not the bag, but the masther, ye blaggard ye 1 "

  1 now found, that to restore myself to the good graces of iny friends, I should

  ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST.

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  be obliged to own myself a falsifier, or make myself known. As I had fully tested their friendship for my absent self, I chose the latter.

  " fJentlemcn," I rejoined, mildly, " I tau prove everything I have said ; and even you will acknowledge it, when I tell you who I am. You behold before you, not the calumniator of Francis Leighton, but Francis Leighton himself, your old friend."

  Had a bomb suddenly fallen and burst at their feet, it could not have caused more surprise and wonder with Teddy and Black George than did this simple declaration.

  At first they both took a step or two back, and then springing forward, each caught me by an arm, and, drawing me jose to the tire, peered eagerly into my face. One full, penetrating glance ufficed.

  " Him, by ! " cried Black George.

  " Howly Mary ! " shouted Teddy, throw- his arms around my neck, and weep- like a child. Then taking another Ion" 1

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  look into my face, he sprang away, and shouting, " Be howly St. Patrick ! it's him it's him ! me young masther's alive ! " he danced and capered around me. with all the wild gestures of joyful in sanity sometimes weeping, and sometimes laughing, and occasionally catching hold of me, as if to assure himself of my iden tity, and that it was no vision, no halluci nation of the brain.

  Black George, meantime, pressed my hand warmly, and said, in a voice slightly tremulous with emotion :

  " Boy, I never reckoned seein you agin. Thought you'd gone under I'll be dog gone ef I did'nt ! You fit well I'll be dqifsjed ef vou didn't ! But whar d'ye float

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  to, and whnr's your partner ? "

  ftome half an hour was now spent in questions and answers, during which I learned that Fiery Ned and Rash Will had both been killed at Bitter Cottonwood ; that Daring Tom had been severely wounded, and shortly after left for the States ; that Carson had escaped, and was at the present time acting as guide to Fremont ; that Teddy had been on a trap ping adventure with Black George and two or three others ; that, having recently made a fcrip to St. Louis, they wer«i now

  on their way to the mountains ; and thai neither myself nor Huntlyhad been hoard from since that eventful night in conse quence of Avhich they had supposed us killed or made prisoners. In turn I gave them a brief outline of my own adven tures, up to the loss of my friend, at which both expressed deep sympathy, and Teddy wept freely.

  "Spaking of Misther Huntly," said Teddy at length, " puts me in mind that you havn't yit saan the sick woman, your honor."

  " True, Teddy I had forgot. Lead the way ! "

  At the word, we quitted the trappers, and set forward to the larger encampment, where I found some six or eight heavy covered wagons, arranged in a circle. In the center of the area stood a group of men, conversing in low tones, and glancing occasionally at one of the vehicles, around which several women were collected, the faces of all, as far as I could see, expressive of deep sympathy and sorrow. Close to the wagon, in which on a rude bed the in valid was Ivinv were t
wo younij females,

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  apparently of the better class, one of whom, clasping the thin hand of the sick person, particularly arrested my attention, by her display of violent grief. The other ap peared to be weeping also ; but the faces of both were from me, so that I could only conjecture.

  Taking the lead, Teddy forced his way through the crowd, and lightly touching the shoulder of the one who held the in valid's hand, said, in a gentle tone :

  " Here's a doctor, marm."

  The next moment I found myself the cynosure of many eyes, while the one ad dressed, turning short round, gave one glance, and uttering a fearful scream, sank to the earth in a swoon. What this meant I was at a loss to comprehend ; for her features had been in the shade of the same light which revealed mine to her.

  " Nervous excitement," I said to my self; "joy at beholding a physician at hand ; " and springing forward, I bent down to raise her.

  Already had my arms encircled her

  slender form already was I on the point

  of lifting her from the earth when the

  I light of a torch flashed full on her pai

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  sountenance. One look ! one sudden itart ! one exclamation of agonized wonder ! and I remained fixed, with eyes half start ing from their sockets speechless mo tionless seemingly transformed to stone my arms encircling merciful Heaven ! the lovely form of Lilian Huntly !

  CHAPTER XXVII.

  INDESCRIBABLE FEELINGS QUESTIONS FOR

  THE METAPHYSICIAN DIGRESSION PAIN FUL AFFLICTIONS OF MY FRIEND'S FAMILY

  WESTERN FEVER CAUSES INDUCING

  EMIGRATION AN IMAGINARY CITY A

  MYSTERIOUS LADY AND DAUGHTER, ETC.

  THERE are feelings that cannot be de scribed. There are emotions too deep for utterance. There are times when the mind has power to paralize the body. When racking thought forces us to live an age in a minute. When we see and know all that is going on around us, an'd yet seem to be separate from the world to exist in a world of ideality a spiritual state. When our whole life, like a map, seems laid before us, and we behold at a single glance, in a second of time, what has taken us years to enact. When, leaping over the past and the present, we seem to pierce the great vail of the future, and behold our destiny.

  May not this be a foretaste of death ? May we not so see, and feel, and know, when the spirit shall have become sepa rated from its frail tenement of mortality ?

  I have said there are such feelings and emotions ; but they can only result from the most powerful causes. Neither do they effect all in the same manner. While a few experience the sensations just de scribed, to others the same or similar causes may be productive of death, insanity, or the death-like swoon of utler forgetfulness.

  Of the former class, was I of the lat ter, Lilian. The same emotions which forced her to unconsciousness paralized tny physical powers, and forced me to a consciousness beyond the natural.

  Bending over her my eyes seemingly glazed, and fixed upon her sweet face, now pale and death-like I remained spell bound all my animal faculties suspended.

  I heard a trampling of feet, as several per sons hurried to our assistance. I heard voices expressive of alarm and dismay and, above all, the voice of the invalid calling Lilian by name. I was conscious of being removed of seeing the idol of my heart raised and borne away also. 1 felt my limbs chafed by half a dozen hands, and water dashed in my face. I saw thua, felt thus, comprehended all and yet my mind was wandering far away to other scenes.

  Have we power to think of more than one thing at the same time ? I contend that we have or else that thought, swift beyond comparison, sets before us differ ent scenes, with such rapidity, that we seem to behold two at once sometimes half-a- dozen and yet, each perhaps, as opposite and distant as the north and south poles.

  While I comprehended what was going on around me, my mind flew back to youth to the time when I first felt a passion foe Lilian and traced every event of my. life up to the present moment. Even tioe dream wherein I had seen her bowvjfi down by poverty, and finally murdered ly my supposed rival was not overlooked ; and it now recurred to me as a vision of prophecy. Something fearful had hap pened, and I had been warned of it in uiy sleep.

  How is it that in our sleep events are made known to us, that really are, or are about taking place ? Can it be that the spirit then roams at will, in all the freedom of disembodiment, and returns freighted with intelligence to communicate to the physical senses ? Let the philospher and metaphysician answer ! Enough for me the effect, without at present seeking the cause.

  And here, to keep my narrative straight before the render, let me digress one mo ment, to place him in possession of facts which I gleanod afterward partly from Lilian partly from her companions of th journey.

  It will be remembered, that in the open ing of this story, I mentioned my own father, and the father of my friend, as be ing wealthy merchants in the city of Bos ton. Shortly after our departure it migbi be on that very night of my singular drears news of the failure of three large house*

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  m New York, gave Huntly the astounding information that he was not worth a thou sand dollars beyond his obligations. I am not going to describe his feelings, nor those of his family, on finding themselves thus suddenly plunged from a state of un limited wealth to one of comparative pov erty. The effect upon the elder Huntly, was to ruin him in his own estimation for life ; and it soon became apparent to his friends, that he would not long survive the shock. All his energy, his ambition, went with his property ; and a cloud of melan choly and grief settled over his once bright and joyous countenance. Several warm hearted friends, among whom was my father, came forward and offered to assist him but all to no avail. He refused as sistance declaring it the chastening hand of God, to prepare him to depart to his long home. Oppression of spirits brought on physical debility, and the winds of the succeeding autumn sung a dirge over his grave.

  A father and husband dead a brother and son away, perhaps dead also made the home of Lilian and her mother a house of mourning indeed ; and what they suf fered for the next two years, I must leave to the imaginations of those who have felt a similar visitation of the hand of Provi dence.

  After paying the debts of the estate, a remnant of property remained, to which a few friends, on pretence they owed the de ceased for this favor or that, generously added more ; so that, although compara tively poor, they were in a measure above want. They left their fine mansion, to re side in a small but pleasant house, owned by my father, but for which he would re ceive no rent. Here they remained for eighteen months, laboring under a weight df affliction which those only can know who have lost friends by death,, been sud denly reduced from affluence to poverty, and seen the cold, stinging look of scorn and contempt upon the lips of those heart less beings who were wont to play the fawning sycophant, and utter words of flattery and deceit as worthless as them selves.

  During the. winter of 1841-42, much was aid concerning Oregon ; and, as general ly happens with every new place to which

  public attention becomes particularly di rected, there were not lacking exaggerated accounts, which set it forth as the real El Dorado of the world. Whether these owed their origin to the prolific brains of certain romantic editors,- or to the more designing ones of speculators, or to both combined, (the most probable) matters not ; but the effect was to set on foot a tide of emigra tion, which, had it continued to the pres ent time, without check, \ould have made Oregon a populous country.

  Among those who had caught this "western fever," as it is frequently not inappropriately termed, were a few wealthy farmers in the vicinity of Boston, with one family of whom Mrs. Huntly had an inti mate acquaintance. Being on a visit there in the winter, she soon learned, much to her surprise, that they were already make ing preparations to start, on the opening of spring, for this great El Dorado this Ultima Tltule of western emigration. Sev eral of
their acquaintances were going to join them, and, above all, an eccentric lady of wealth and refinement, who, with her beautiful daughter, had for the past year been the lioness and belle of tlit aristocratic and fashionable circles of Bos ton. Of this lady who was known as Madame Mortimer, as also her daughter, who had received the subriquet of Belle Eva, the latter being her Christian name Mrs. Huntly had more than once heard ; and it was with no little surprise, as may readily be imagined, she now learned of her determination to venture upon such a long, tedious, and dangerous journey ; and she mentally said, "When such a person age resolves to leave all the allurements of civilization, there must be something worth going for;" and this, probably, proved one of the strongest arguments to induce her to make one of the party herself. In addition to this, her country friends were enthusiastic on the subject of Oregon, of which they had received the most glowing, and of course exaggerated accounts, and were eager in urging her to join them. Oregon City a name which sounded well to the ear, was to be their destination. Of this they already had maps, whereon the beautiful streets and squares looked very enticing. Here each and all were to make their fortune ; and in the visionary

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  jf the moment, they, overlooked 1 the sober fact, that Oregon City then ex isted on the map only, drawn up by some speculator, and that its handsome streets ' and squar- s were simply imaginary loea- ' tions in an utter wilderness.

  But why prolong why enter into de- ' tail of the hundred little causes which. ! combined, decided Mrs. Huntly (a lady: vho-e main faults were an enthusiastic love of new projects, an overweening con fidence in her own judgment, and a wilful adherence to her own decisions, right or ' in joining this ill-timed expedi-