The Rangers

d is on t

and gui

er to be

er to be

, and his heart so deeply smitten with the consciousness of having justly forfeited his own life by taking the life of another, that he could not divest himself of the belief that all men would seek to slay him, no one principle has been found to be more deeply implanted in the human breast than the desire to see the wilful shedding of blood atoned for by the blood of the perpetrator. So strong, so active, and so imp

e minions of British authority. The whole town was soon in commotion. No loud noise or clamor of voices, it is true, was heard proclaiming the deed on the midnight air; but the rapid footfalls of men hurrying along the streets, the hastily exchanged inquiry, the eager, suppressed tones of those conve

were listening, with many a demonstration of horror and indignation, to the accou

, a fluent, energetic young man, closed his recital of the atrocities he ha

he confusion, I think, except Dr. Jones, of Buckingham, who was driven into the felon's hole with other prisoners; and it may be well

se rifle we shall nee

self up stairs unnoticed, in the same way, beckoned us to follow him, as we did, into the court-room, where, at his suggestion, we stripped off the sheets of a bed, in one of those corner sleeping cuddies, made a rope, and by it let ourselves down through a window to the ground in the rear of the

, as the hunter came striding up to the s

f the other, as with one hand he struck his rattling bullet-pouch and huge powder-horn,

exclaimed Fletcher, now

must act. And first of all, this tale of murder and outrage must instantly be thrown upon the four winds of heaven, and carried into every town in this part of the settlement. Who wi

their readiness to start off

one stall-"there are my two horses-take them. Let one of their riders go north, the other south; and spare no horse-flesh of mine in an emergency like this; but ride and rally, till you have sent the bloody tale to every hous

igh exultation at the decisive victory they supposed they had achieved over their despised opponents, yet neither their own vain boastings, nor the deeply-quaffed wines of their host, could long keep up their spirits. Conscience soon began to be busy among them; and their hearts waxed faint and fearful at the thought of what they had done. They instinctively

; but it was a disquietude of quite a different character from that which was experienced by the troubled wre

an interval of painful suspense, which was terminated by the return of the tory leaders to the house, she stole softly out of her chamber to the head of the stairs, and there listened with mingled emotions of horror and disgust to the boastful recital of their sanguinary deeds, as given by the heartless Gale and others, to her father and Judge Sabin, who had remained in the house, but who, she perceived with sorrow, were warm approvers of all that had been done. But, as revolting to her gentle nature as was

uests, her refusal was made and maintained with such mild firmness, that none could be offended, none feel inclined to charge her with obstinacy or perverseness. She was at this time the mistress of her father's household, her exemplary and intellectual mother having several years before deceased, and her elder and only sister, the year previous, married one of the leading loyalists of Guilford. And it had been mainly through the influence of this sister and her husband, that she had been induced, the preceding fall, to take the step which was destined to cause her years of sorrow and perplexity-that of engaging herself in marriage to Peters. She had found few or no opportunities of studying this man's character, having known him only as a parlor acquaintance, of easy manners and considerable intelligence. And although she saw nothing particularly objectionable in him, and although she knew that, in point of wealth and family distinction, he was considered what is termed a desirable match, yet she had entered into the engagement with many misgivings, and in compliance rather with the wishes of her friends above named, seconded by the urgent request of her father, than in accordance with the dictates of her

must die by the hand of one who should have been the first to thank and reward him? Ay, and die, too, without receiving from me, or mine, one word of acknowledgemen

n she suddenly paused, and, after a moment of apparent irresolution, stepped to the wall, and gave two or three pulls at the wire

m," said Miss Haviland, "ask out my father, and

Esquire Haviland, with a slightly disturbed

re you sick to-night, that yo

kind led me to send for you, but my wish to m

inquiring look at his daughter, but rem

about which you seem to have been so misinformed, I suggested that a personal acknowledgment, with offer

was assorting with the rebels in their treasonable plots, I did not fe

to-night, has been dangerously wounded, and, in this condition, thrust into prison. And, as we have now an opportunity of testifying our sense of his services, it is my e

g up and prying into the doings of our authorities, with which a woman has no concern, I should have been spared this exhibition of folly. Why, the wretched f

curred to me that the authorities themselves may be called to account for firing upon these unarmed men;

ng and desperate fellows and condemn our authorities, are you? What assurance! You will hardly

him the acknowledgments which our character and

"for I consider the fellow's conduct tonight has wholly absolved me from m

e, "and I am sorry for your decision; for, if those whose place it more properly is to

ou

, fa

, to-

nother day ma

Why, who is to att

h courtesy enough to attend me, I s

with an expression of scornful defiance-"we will see if you do, madam!" he repeated, closing the

t mistaken, proceeded, with a calm, determined air, to a table on one side of the room, on which stood the materials for writing; and here, taking pen and paper, she seated herself, and addressed a brief note to Woodburn, delicately expressing her sense o

mon the chamber-maid, she presumed her father had so managed that the call would not be answered; besides

he distinctly heard the person cautiously ascending. Not being of a timid cast, she quickly removed the thick, heavy curtains of the window in her room next and very near the one under which the unknown intruder was mounting the ladder, and, throwing up the sash, p

e supplying her room with fuel, previous to his ejection from the house, to which she was

ied Bart; "so that makes us even, and

l events, you should be able to give a good reason for your appea

id? Well, I can get down, and off, before he can get here

call Esquire Brush; but

, and will, if you'll keep shut

rpose th

-day, and which I darsent name then, fear he'd have that thrown down, like my 'tother duds, and break it-only that-and if you'll say nothing

I may wish to speak with

oor, opening from the passage we have named. Scarcely a minute had elapsed before she again heard his footsteps stealing back by her door to the window, through which he had so noiselessly entered; when, once more raising the sash of her own, she found him

our say so," he said, in a low

urt House to-night?" hes

urn, "without more token for knowing what you'

the cause of his hesitation; "I am no enemy of those who

that river scrape? Yes, liv

nded and prisoners i

ul true

ll letter to him to-nig

ad of it, twice over," replied Bart, reach

asked Sabrey, with an air of

ad to find there's one among the court folks that feels decent about this bloody bu

y hope that Mr. Woodburn

matter. It was well meant for the heart, and the fellow wan't at all t

however, gave way to one of embarrassment. "Why, I heard-have written, indeed, under th

expressions. But, as he ran his keen gray eyes over her hesitating and slightly confused countenance, he soon seemed to read the secret cause of her sudden change of purpose, arising from that curious and beautiful trait in woman's heart, which, by some gush of awakened sympathy, o

g to misunderstand the other, while he pocketed

iss Haviland; "no

ed Bart, hastening his descent, and the next instant d

f, after the disappearance of her strange visitor. "If what I expressed, w

reach her from without. And it was not long before she became well convinced that her apprehensions were not groundless. Some extraordinary movement was evidently going on in the village. The low hum of suppressed voices, mingled with various sounds of busy preparation, came up, on the dense night air, from almost every direction around her. Here, was heard the small hammer, the grating file, with the occasional clicking of the firelock, undergoing repairs by the use of the instruments just named. There, could be distinguished the pecking of flints, the rattling of ramrods, and the regularly repeated rapping of bullet-moulds to disengage the freshly-cast balls. In other places could be perceived the nasty movements of men about the stables, evidently engaged in leading out and saddling horses, and making other preparations for mounting; and then followed the sou