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higher respect for her than ever before
Improved that she was a woman who
could be as heroic in suffering as a man
was bound to be in action.
When the vessel resumed her voyage
from Bellevue, it came to anchor first at
the fort, then at the town. Dr. Gordon
was anxious to obtain from his cousin,
who was the most reliable authority on
the subject, all the intelligence of his
children received during his absence, and
to determine as quickly as possible what
more could be attempted on their behalf.
To his disquiet, and indeed his distress,
he learned that none had been obtained,
not a word, nor even a sign, since his own
tour. It seemed to him as if the sensible
remark of the Indian hunter at Cape Sable
possessed an almost prophetic signifi
cance: “If the father of the missing chil
dren lias looked for them thus far in vain,
no one else need try.”
His fears that a renewed distress would
soon prey upon the yet feeble health of
his wife was just beginning to be realized,
when a small but graceful little vessel
moved swiftly in from the distant bar. It
was a pilot boat. Besides two white men
aboard, who were evidently sailors, there
was a lady sitting on the scanty after
deck, with a small black servant beside
her, while an elderly Indian leaned against
the mast, and seemed to exchange words
with her. A glance through the spy-glass
informed Dr. Gordon that the lady was
his expected sister, Mrs. Mclntosh ; he,
therefore, waved a signal with his hand
kerchief, and pointed to a temporary
wharf erected by him at a place conveni
ent for landing.
The joy of meeting a dearly beloved
sister was, however, miserably dashed
with the dread of making to her that un
satisfactory report of the missing ones,
which was all that he had to give. Iler
first inquiry, after salutation, was on that
point, of course, and he replied by telling
her the truth, though in as hopeful a light
as he could. She bore the disappoint
ment with all the quietness that might be
expected of a woman strong both in mind
and heart, and ere they reached the house
she was ready to unite with him in trying
to cheer the drooping spirit of her sister
in-law.
“Who are those you have aboard?”
asked he, soon after the first inquiries on
both sides had been disposed of. “ I see
two white men and an Indian.”
“One of the white men is the owner of
the boat, a Scotchman, by name of Dun
bar,” she replied; “the other is a hired
man, who wishes to stop at Tampa. The
Indian is an old neighbor of ours, and a
firm friend of Harold’s.”
H U K KE ’ S WEEKLY.
“What! old Torgah ?” asked Dr. Gor
don.
“ Yes >” she replied; “ but how do you
know anything of him ?”
“Through Harold himself, who took
mo to sec him the last time I made you a
visit,” Dr. Gordon said; “and besides
that, he has so often mentioned his name
since his stay with me, that it has become
quite a household word. I judge from
what he says that old Torgah must boa
shrewd hunter, as well as faithful friend.”
“ There was no keeping him back when
he heard of Harold’s misfortune,” added
Mrs. Mclntosh. “He begged only to be
brought to Tampa, and to be told where
the young folks were last seen, saying
that he had friends among the Uchees
and Yemassees of these parts, who would
help him, and that he himself used to be
familiar with the coast.”
“ I am glad you brought him,” said Dr.
Gordon, “and have no doubt he will be
useful.”
“lie was dreadfully sea-sick on the
voyage,” Mrs. Mclntosh continued, “and
says he will never put his foot on a ves
sel’s deck again ; but that if you will on
ly tell him which way to go he will set
off to-morrow.”
Torgah was immediately relieved from
his weariness of the vessel by being call
ed ashore and assigned quarters in an
outer room of the premises, with the
promise that he should soon have the
opportunity to go, as he desired, in search
of his young friend ; and word was sent
to Somassee to come as soon as possible
in one of the canoes, prepared to go with
a newly-arrived Alabama Indian on ano
ther exploring tour.
There was not the delay of a day, or of
an hour, on any one’s part in the needful
preparations. Even Mrs. Gordon, who
had previously been so feeble, but whose
health and spirits seemed to revive with
the coming of her sister-in-law, and with
the prospect of an immediate effort, de
clared that she was able and ready to
leave the very next day.
It was Wednesday, February 2d, when
these preparations were commenced, and
so vigorously were they pushed forward
in the work necessary aboard, as well as
ashore, that by Friday, Feb. 4th, all was
ready for departure.
_ ♦♦♦ —
Power of Integrity.— Reproaches have
no power to afflict the man of unblemish
ed integrity, or the abandoned profligate.
It is the middle compound character
which is alone miserable; the man who,
without firmness enough to avoid a dis
honorable action, has feeling enou 0 1
be ashamed of it.
Written for Burke’s Weekly.
June.
BY MRS. MARY WARE.
bright June!
wllVl Sweet, rogy-liped June!
W ith gay garlands of flowers,
WE —tresh and so gay;
YArt!ome rest in our bowers,
Thou art welcome for aye.
* Come, beautiful June!
Our hearts are in tune
To welcome thy band,
The sweet minstrel throng;
Oh, gladden our land
With beauty and song!
Thy skies are the brightest,
Thy breezes the lightest,
Thy song bird the sweetest,
And gayest of tune:
And thy roses kre fairest,
0, beautiful June!
Columbiana, Ala,
—_—
Don’t be a Coward.
WOWT tc]l a lie 1 1 won’t
be such a coward !” said a
fine little fellow, when he
had broke a statuette of
*** his father’s in showing it
1° his playmates, and they were
fj| telling him how he could deceive
■ym his father and escape a scolding.
if He was right. Cowards tell lies,
brave little boys tell the truth. So little
Charlie Mann was right and was reward
ed for it, as the following story will show:
A boy whose name was Charlie Mann
happened to smash a large pane of glass
in a druggist’s shop and ran av ay at fiist,
for ho was frightened, but he began to
think: “ What am I running for ? It was
an accident. Why not turn about and
tell the truth ?”
Ho sooner thought than done. Charlie
was a brave boy; he told the whole ti uth
how the ball with which he was play
ing slipped from his fingers, how fright
ened he was, how sorry, too, at the mis
chief done, and how willing to pay if he
had the money.
Charlie had not the money, but he
could work, and to work he went at once,
in the shop where he broke the glass. It
took him a long time to pay for the> barge
pane of plate glass he had shattered ; but
when he had done it, he made himself so
useful to the druggist, by his fidelity and
truthfulness, that he could not hear of
his going away, so Charlie became Ins
clerk. •! T
“ Ah 1 what a lucky day it was wh ,n 1
broke that window!” he onee said.
utfo Charlie,” his mother responded,
« W bata lucky day it was when you were
not afraid to tell the truth.
____ m
are weak, yet they bind
other wood.
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