Presently he rose, walked up to the cart, and leaning both his arms on the wheel, looked down on his enemy.
The Frenchman"s murderous little black eyes rolled wildly, but he did not struggle. He had felt in the first instant that he was but an infant in the Elder"s hands.
"Ye poor, miserable, cowardly French,--sinner ye," said the Elder, struggling for an epithet not unbecoming his cloth. "Did you think you was goin" to get me out o" yer way"s easy"s that, "s I dare say ye have better folks than me, before now!"
Ganew muttered something in a tongue the Elder did not understand, but the sound of it kindled his wrath anew.
"Well, call on your Master, if that"s what you"re doin", "s much"s you like. He don"t generally look out for anybody much who"s so big a fool"s you must be, to think you was goin" to leave the minister o" this parish dead in a ditch within stone"s throw o" houses and n.o.body find you out,"
and the Elder sat down again on the boulder. He felt very dizzy and faint; and the blood still trickled steadily from his forehead. Ganew"s face at this moment was horrible. Rage at his own folly, hate of the Elder, and terror which was uncontrollable, all contended on his livid features.
At last he spoke. He begged abjectly to be set free. He offered to leave the town at once and never return if the Elder would only let him go.
"What an" give up all your land ye"ve got such a fine clear t.i.tle to?"
said the Elder, sarcastically. "No; we"ll give ye a t.i.tle there won"t be no disputin" about to a good berth in Mill Creek jail for a spell!"
At this the terror mastered every other emotion in the Frenchman"s face.
What secret reason he had for it all, no one could know but himself; what iniquitous schemes already waiting him in other places, what complications of dangers attendant on his identification and detention. He begged, he besought, in words so wildly imploring, so full of utter unconditional surrender, that there could be no question as to their sincerity. The Elder began, in spite of himself, to pity the wretch; he began also to ask whether after all it would not be the part of policy to let him go. After some minutes he said, "I can"t say I put much confidence in ye yet, Mr.
Ganew; but I"m inclined to think it"s the Lord"s way o" smoothin" things for some o" his children, to let you kind o" slink off," and somehow Elder Kinney fancied he heard little Draxy say, "Oh, sir, let the poor man go."
There was something marvelous in his under-current of consciousness of "little Draxy."
He rose to his feet, picked up the heavy ox-goad, struck the near ox sharply on the side, and walking on a little ahead of the team, said: "I"ll just take ye down a piece, Mr. Ganew, till we"re in sight of Jim Blair"s, before I undo ye. I reckon the presence o" a few folks"ll strengthen your good resolutions." "An" I mistrust I ain"t quite equal to another handlin,"" thought the Elder to himself, as he noted how the sunny road seemed to go up and down under his feet. He was really far more hurt than he knew.
When they were in sight of the house, he stopped the oxen, and leaning again on the wheel, and looking down on Ganew, had one more talk with him, at the end of which he began cautiously to untie the rope. He held the ox-goad, however, firmly grasped in his right hand, and it was not without a little tremor that he loosed the last knots. "Suppose the desperate critter sh"d have a knife," thought the Elder.
He need not have feared. A more crestfallen, subdued, wretched being than Paul Ganew, as he crawled out of that cart, was never seen. He had his own secret terror, and it had conquered him. "It"s more"n me he"s afraid of,"
said the Elder to himself. "This is the Lord"s doin", I reckon. Now, Mr.
Ganew, if you"ll jest walk to the heads o" them oxen I"ll thank ye," said he: "an" "s I feel some tired, I"ll jump into the cart; an" I"ll save ye carryin" the ox-goad," he added, as he climbed slowly in, still holding the murderous weapon in his hand. Nothing could extinguish Seth Kinney"s sense of humor.
"If we meet any folks," he proceeded, "we"ve only to say that I"ve had a bad hurt, and that you"re very kindly takin" me home."
Ganew walked on like a man in a dream. He was nearly paralyzed with terror. They met no human being, and very few words pa.s.sed between them.
When the cart stopped at the Elder"s door, Ganew stood still without turning his head. The Elder went up to him and said, with real kindness of tone,
"Mr. Ganew, I expect you can"t believe it, but I don"t bear ye the least ill-will."
A faint flicker of something like grateful surprise pa.s.sed over the hard face, but no words came.
"I hope the Lord"ll bring ye to himself yet," persisted the good man, "and forgive me for havin" had anything but pity for ye from the first on"t. Ye won"t forget to send me a writing for Bill Sims that the rest of the buckets in the camp belong to me?"
Ganew nodded sullenly and went on, and the Elder walked slowly into the house.
After dark, a package was left at the Elder"s door. It contained the order on Bill Sims, and a letter. Some of the information in the letter proved useful in clearing up the mystery of Ganew"s having known of this tract of land. He had been in Potter"s employ, it seemed, and had had access to his papers. What else the letter told no one ever knew; but the Elder"s face always had a horror-stricken look when the Frenchman"s name was mentioned, and when people sometimes wondered if he would ever be seen again in Clairvend, the emphasis of the Elder"s "Never! ye may rely on that! Never!" had something solemn in it.
In less than forty-eight hours the whole village knew the story. "The sooner they know the whole on"t the better, and the sooner they"ll be through talkin"," said the Elder, and n.o.body could have accused him of being "close-mouthed" now. He even showed "the little gal"s letter," as the townspeople called it, to anybody who asked to see it. It hurt him to do this, more than he could see reason for, but he felt a strong desire to have the village heart all ready to welcome "little Draxy" and her father when they should come. And the village heart was ready! Hardly a man, woman, or child but knew her name and rejoiced in her good fortune. "Don"t yer remember my tellin" yer that night," said Josiah Bailey to Eben Hill, "that she"d come to the right place for help when she come to Elder Kinney?"
When Draxy took Elder Kinney"s letter out of the post-office, her hands trembled. She walked rapidly away, and opened the letter as soon as she reached a quiet street. The Elder had not made it so clear as he thought he had, in his letter to the "child," which way matters had gone. Draxy feared. Presently she thought, "He says "your father"s land." That must mean that we shall have it." But still she had sad misgivings. She almost decided to read the inclosed letter which was unsealed; she could not have her father disappointed again; but her keen sense of honor restrained her.
Reuben had grown really feeble. There were many days now when he could not work, but sat listlessly on a ledge of rocks near the house, and watched the restless waves with a sense of misery as restless as they. When Draxy reached home this night and found that her father was not in the house, she ran over to the "Black Ledge." There she found him. She sat down by his side, not knowing how to begin. Presently he said: "I wish I loved this water, daughter,--it is very beautiful to look at; but I"m thinkin"
it"s somethin" like human beings; they may be ever so handsome to look on, but if you don"t love "em you don"t, and that"s the end on"t, an" it don"t do ye no sort o" good to be where they are."
"The woods and fields used to do you good, father," said Draxy.
Reuben was astonished. Draxy was not wont to allude to the lost and irrecoverable joys. But he only sighed.
"Read this letter, father dear," said Draxy, hurriedly pushing it into his hand; "I wrote up to a good old minister to find out, and here"s his answer."
Reuben looked bewildered. Draxy"s words did not make themselves clear.
But the first words of Elder Kinney"s letter did. The paper fell from his hands.
"Oh, daughter! daughter! it can"t be true! It can"t!" and Reuben Miller covered his eyes and cried. Draxy did not cry. One of the finest traits in her nature was her instantaneous calmness of exterior under sudden and intense excitement.
"Yes; father, it is true. It must be. I have believed it from the first!
Oh do, do read the letter," said Draxy, and she forced the letter into his hands again.
"No, no, daughter. Read it to me. I can"t see the words," replied Reuben, still weeping. He was utterly unmanned. Then Draxy read the letter aloud slowly, distinctly, calmly. Her voice did not tremble. She accepted it all, absolutely, unconditionally, as she had accepted everything which had ever happened to her. In Draxy"s soul the past never confused the present; her life went on from moment to moment, from step to step as naturally, as clearly, as irrevocably as plants grow and flower, without hinderance, without delay. This it was which had kept her serene, strong: this is true health of nature.
After a time Reuben grew calmer; Draxy"s presence always helped him. They sat on the rocks until twilight fell, and the great red lamp in the light-house was lighted.
"Father, dear," said Draxy, "I think there are light-houses all along our lives, and G.o.d knows when it is time to light the lamps."
Reuben clasped Draxy"s hand tighter, and turned his eyes upon her with a look whose love was almost reverent.
Lights shone until morning from the windows of Captain Melville"s house.
The little family had sat together until long after midnight, discussing this new and wonderful turn in their affairs. Jane and Reuben were bewildered and hardly happy yet; Draxy was alert, enthusiastic, ready as usual; poor Captain Melville and his wife were in sore straits between their joy in the Millers" good fortune, and their pain at the prospect of the breaking up of the family. Their life together had been so beautiful, so harmonious.
"Oh, Draxy," said the Captain, "how shall we ever live without you?"
"Oh! but you will come up there, uncle." said Draxy; "and we shall keep you after we once get you."
Captain Melville shook his head. He could never leave the sea. But full well he knew that the very salt of it would have lost its best savor to him when this sweet, fair girl had gone out from his house.
The "good-nights" were sadly and solemnly said. "Oh!" thought Draxy, "does joy always bring pain in this world?" and she fell asleep with tears on her cheeks.
Reuben sat up until near dawn, writing to Elder Kinney. He felt strangely strong. He was half cured already by the upland air of the fields he had never seen. The next morning Draxy said, "Do you not think, father, I ought to write a note too, to thank the kind minister, or will you tell him how grateful I am?"
"Put a postscript to my letter, daughter. That will be better," said Reuben.
So Draxy wrote at the bottom of the last page:--
"DEAR MR. KINNEY:--I do not know any words to thank you in; and I think you will like it better if I do not try. My father seems almost well already. I am sure it was the Lord that helped you to find out about our land. I hope we can come very soon.
"Your grateful friend,
"DRAXY MILLER."
When the Elder read this second note of Draxy"s, he said aloud, "G.o.d bless her! she"s one o" His chosen ones, that child is," and he fell to wondering how she looked. He found himself picturing her as slight and fair, with blue eyes, and hair of a pale yellow. "I don"t believe she"s more than fourteen at most;" thought he, "she speaks so simple, jest like a child; an" yet, she goes right to the pint, "s straight"s any woman; though I don"t know, come to think on"t, "s ever I knew a woman that could go straight to a pint," reflected the Elder, whose patience was often sorely tried by the wandering and garrulous female tongues in his parish.
The picture of "Little Draxy" grew strangely distinct in his mind; and his heart yearned towards her with a yearning akin to that which years before he had felt over the little silent form of the daughter whose eyes had never looked into his.