Down the River; Or, Buck Bradford and His Tyrants

n Fishley and his wife were still up, waitin

y, as I drove into the yard, and th

ll afraid of m

, as, by the light of the lantern he carried in

but very wet and cold," ans

postmaster, as he took the hand of the

. The captain led the way into the house, and I followed them with the trunk and the mail-bag. Mrs. Fishley bestowed a co

ough you had been in the r

rd," replied the squire, cas

asked the captain. "I exp

to see them off," answered the senator, with a shudder-not at the thought o

erposed Mrs. Fishley. "I think you'd better

hiskey, mixed with hot water," added

ke any," replied the sq

isted Mrs. Fishley. "It'l

night, t

when they're wet through, and shiverin' with cold as you a

ough for one day; and I think at that moment he loathed the thought of drinking it. He compromised the matter, being a polit

s head did not ache half so badly. My work for the night was done; but, before I went into the house, I could not help taking the present which the senator had given me from my pocket and examining it. I had suspected, from the first, that it was a bank bill

serious injury. I unrolled the bills, and was astonished to find there were not less than half a dozen of them. As they had apparently just come from the bank, they stuck togeth

nded to give me all that money. Befuddled and befogged by the whiskey and the cold bath, he must have forgotten that the roll contained forty-six dollars, instead of two or three, which was

ose to keep the money, I might do so with impunity. I had the squire's secret, and he would not dare to insist upon my returning the bills; but this would b

you got t

he steps without my hearing him. I had been intensely absorbed in the contemplation of the bills, and was lost to everything around me. If I had heard any nois

ck?" repeated he, as I did n

little money

did you

n't st

ou did. I only asked

my own account," I replie

continued, either satisfied with my answer, or to

opportunity of settling the old score. I closed the stable door, and went into the house. The family, including the squire, had gone to bed. Ham, with the lantern in his hand, passed thr

ning to gape fearfully, and to lose myself, when the whinings of Bully at the side door disturbed me. My canine friend usually slept in the barn; but he appeared to have been out late, like the rest of us,

han oblige the poor fellow to stay out in the cold all night. I waited a while to see if Ham would not have the grace to admit my friend; but the whining conti

hour. He was sorting the mail, which I had brought up from Riverport, and I concluded that he intended to lie abed late in the morning. I paused a moment at the

out to pass on to the relief of Bully, I saw him hold a letter up to the light, as if to ascertain its contents. I could not entirely make out the direction upon it; but, as he held it up to the lamp, peering in

imself that it contained a valuable enclosure, he broke it open. I confess that I was filled with horror, and, of the two, I was probably more frightened than he was. I saw him take several bank bills from the paper and thrust them into h

etter, and sealing it again. At that instant he lighted a match, and set the letter on fire. I was too late. He took the burning paper in his hand, carried it to the stove, and threw it

EY'S CRIM

e he went to his room. My heart beat as though I had robbed the mail myself. I trembled for Ham. Though he had always been overbearing and tyrannical in his demeanor towards me; though he had taken a mean and cowardly advantage of me that evening; though he was a young man whom I could not li

im, and begged him to retrace his steps. I knew him too well to take such a course n