Erema

our mill-wheel; but in that space and time it had gathered strong and copious volume. The lovely blue of the water (like the inner tint of a glacier) was partly du

pped the narrow comb. There was no canyon, such as are-and some of them known over all the world-both to the north and south of it. The Blue River did not owe its birth to any fierce convulsion, but sparkled on its cheerful way without impending horrors. Standing here as a child, and thinking, from the manner of my father, that strong men never wept nor owned the conquest of emotion, I felt sometimes a fool's contempt for the gushing transport of brave men. For instance, I have seen a miner, or a

n a woman. But since that time I have truly learned that the bravest of men are those who feel

up a rough hotel, or house of call for cattle-drovers, miners, loafers, and so on, he might turn twice the money he could ever make by his thriving saw-mill. But he only used to laugh, and say that nature had made him too honest for that; and he never thought of chargi

was clear that I had no choice but to stay where I was for the present, and be truly thankful to God and man for having the chance of doing so. For the little relics of my affairs-so far as I had any-had taken much time in arrangement, perhaps because it was so hard to find them. I knew nothing, except about my own little common wardrobe, and could give no information about the contents of my fath

er been accustomed to think of money, and felt some little contempt for it-not, indeed, a lofty hatred, but a careless wonder why it seemed to be always th

ny where, much though I had wandered about, according to vague recollections. The duty of paying had never been mine; that impo

nt from the Old one, and that the gold mines in the neighborhood must have made them full of it; and once or twice I asked Uncle Sam; but h

stead of faring forth, as usual, to my beloved river, I was kept in-doors, and even up stairs, by a violent snow-headache. This is a crushing weight of pain, which all new-comers, or almost all, are obliged to endure, sometimes for as much as eight-and-forty hours, when the first great snow of the winter is breeding, as they express it, overhead. But I was more lucky than most people are; for after about twelve hours of almost intolerab

. The light of the west had been faint, and was dead; though often it used to prolong our day by the backward glance of the ocean. With

emselves by the fire-light, there were only two people present. The Sawyer sat stiffly in his chair of state, delaying even the indulgence of his pipe, and having

rs carried on without any check from the Sawyer. For he of all men ever born in a civilized age was the finest host, and a guest beneath his roof was sacred as a lady to a knight. Hence it happened that I was much surprised. Proper conduct almost compelled me to withdr

oncerned about all the tricks of the hearth flame, presenting as he did a most solid face for any light to play upon. To me it seemed to be a weather-beaten face of a bluff a

ey than Frenchman, Spaniard, or German, or any man not to be distinguished, as was the case with some of them. Even now it was clear that the Sawyer had not grudged any tokens of honor, for the tall, square, brazen candlesticks, of Boston make, were on the table, and very little light the

ay to the larder, or return to my room and starve a little longer; for I did not wish to interrupt, and had no idea of listening. B

bout. And you will find it worth your while to tell me all you know of him." Thus spoke t

Yankee tone, while I knew that he was laughing in his sleeve, "Squire, I guess tha

all you enlightened members of the great republic know what is what. It will bring you more than ten years' income of your saw-mill, and farm, and so

ol at that. Squire, make tr

death of a villain-George Castlewood, otherwise the Honorable George Castlewood, otherwise Lord Castlewood: a man who murdered his own father ten years ago this No

e 'coons, and skunks, and other va

ll of rising fury, as I, who had made that noise

stranger: "we need make no bones of it. G

if you please. My household

and we can pay for it. Ten thousand dollars I am authorized to offer for a mere act of duty on your part. We have an extradition treaty. If the man had been alive, we must have had him. But as he

s. "Guess you want something more than that, though, Squire. Is t

ath, produced his child, and obtained his trunks, and drawn his share in the insurance job. Your laws must be queer to let you do such things. In England it would have taken at lea

so much as a Chancery suit. But what is to satisfy me

their identity. Here is their full, particular, and corre

f eavesdropping was wholly lost, in that of my own jeopardy. I must know what was arranged about me; for I felt such a hatred and fear of that stranger that sooner than be surrendered to him I would rush back to my room and jump out of the window, a