few days. His stay there was marked by a
fierceblizzard and the royal guest
passed most of his time at Colonel Zane's
fireside. Musing by those roaring
logs perhaps he saw the
radiant star of the Man of Destiny rise to its
magnificent zenith.
One cold, raw night in early spring the Colonel had just returned from one of
his
hunting trips and the tramping of horses mingled with the rough voices of
the negro slaves sounded without. When Colonel Zane entered the house he was
greeted
affectionately by his wife and sister. The latter, at the death of her
aunt in Philadelphia, had come west to live with her brother, and had been
there since late in the
preceding autumn. It was a
welcome sight for the eyes
of a tired and weary
hunter. The tender kiss of his
comely wife, the cries of
the
delighted children, and the crackling of the fire warmed his heart and
made him feel how good it was to be home again after a three days' march in
the woods. Placing his rifle in a corner and throwing aside his wet
huntingcoat, he turned and stood with his back to the bright blaze. Still young and
vigorous, Colonel Zane was a handsome man. Tall, though not heavy, his frame
denoted great strength and
endurance. His face was smooth, his heavy eyebrows
met in a straight line; his eyes were dark and now beamed with a kindly light;
his jaw was square and
massive; his mouth
resolute; in fact, his whole face
was strikingly
expressive of courage and geniality. A great wolf dog had
followed him in and, tired from travel, had stretched himself out before the
fireplace, laying his noble head on the paws he had
extended toward the warm
blaze.
"Well! Well! I am nearly starved and
mighty glad to get back," said the
Colonel, with a smile of
satisfaction at the steaming dishes a negro servant
was bringing from the kitchen.
"We are glad you have returned," answered his wife, whose glowing face
testified to the pleasure she felt. "Supper is ready--Annie, bring in some
cream--yes, indeed, I am happy that you are home. I never have a moment's
peace when you are away, especially when you are accompanied by Lewis Wetzel."
"Our hunt was a failure," said the Colonel, after he had helped himself to a
plate full of roast wild
turkey. "The bears have just come out of their
winter's sleep and are
unusually" target="_blank" title="ad.异常地;非常">
unusually wary at this time. We saw many signs of their
work, tearing
rotten logs to pieces in search of grubs and bees' nests. Wetzel
killed a deer and we baited a likely place where we had discovered many bear
tracks. We stayed up all night in a drizzling rain, hoping to get a shot. I am
tired out. So is Tige. Wetzel did not mind the weather or the ill luck, and
when we ran across some Indian sign he went off on one of his
lonely tramps,
leaving me to come home alone."
"He is such a
reckless man," remarked Mrs. Zane.
"Wetzel is
reckless, or rather,
daring. His
incomparable nerve carries him
safely through many dangers, where an ordinary man would have no show
whatever. Well, Betty, how are you?"
"Quite well," said the
slender, dark-eyed girl who had just taken the seat
opposite the Colonel.
"Bessie, has my sister indulged in any
shocking escapade in my
absence? I
think that last trick of hers, when she gave a
bucket of hard cider to that
poor tame bear, should last her a spell."
"No, for a wonder Elizabeth has been very good. However, I do not
attribute it
to any
unusual change of
temperament" target="_blank" title="n.气质;性格">
temperament; simply the cold, wet weather. I
anticipate a
catastrophe very
shortly if she is kept
indoors much longer."
"I have not had much opportunity to be anything but well behaved. If it rains
a few days more I shall become
desperate. I want to ride my pony, roam the
woods,
paddle my canoe, and enjoy myself," said Elizabeth.
"Well! Well! Betts, I knew it would be dull here for you, but you must not get
discouraged. You know you got here late last fall, and have not had any
pleasant weather yet. It is
perfectlydelightful in May and June. I can take
you to fields of wild white
honeysuckle and May flowers and wild roses. I know
you love the woods, so be patient a little longer."
Elizabeth had been spoiled by her brothers--what girl would not have been by
five great big worshippers?--and any
trivial thing gone wrong with her was a
serious matter to them. They were proud of her, and of her beauty and
accomplishments were never tired of talking. She had the dark hair and eyes so
characteristic of the Zanes; the same oval face and fine features: and added
to this was a certain
softness of
contour and a
sweetness of expression which
made her face bewitching. But, in spite of that demure and
innocent face, she
possessed a
decided will of her own, and one very apt to be asserted; she was
mischievous; inclined to coquettishness, and more terrible than all she had a
fiery
temper which could be aroused with the most
surprising ease.
Colonel Zane was wont to say that his sister's accomplishments were
innumerable. After only a few months on the border she could prepare the flax
and weave a linsey dresscloth with
admirable skill. Sometimes to humor Betty
the Colonel's wife would allow her to get the dinner, and she would do it in a
manner that pleased her brothers, and called forth golden praises from the
cook, old Sam's wife who had beer with the family twenty years. Betty sang in
the little church on Sundays; she organized and taught a Sunday school class;
she often beat Colonel Zane and Major McColloch at their favorite game of
checkers, which they had played together since they were knee high; in fact,
Betty did nearly everything well, from
baking pies to
painting the birch bark
walls of her room. But these things were
insignificant in Colonel Zane's eyes.
If the Colonel were ever
guilty of bragging it was about his sister's ability
in those acquirements demanding a true eye, a fleet foot, a strong arm and a
daring spirit. He had told all the people in the settlement, to many of whom
Betty was unknown, that she could ride like an Indian and shoot with undoubted
skill; that she had a
generous share of the Zanes' fleetness of foot, and that
she would send a canoe over as bad a place as she could find. The boasts of
the Colonel remained as yet unproven, but, be that as it may, Betty had,
notwithstanding her many faults, endeared herself to all. She made sunshine
and happiness everywhere; the old people loved her; the children adored her,
and the broad shouldered, heavy footed young settlers were shy and silent, yet
blissfully happy in her presence.
"Betty, will you fill my pipe?" asked the Colonel, when he had finished his
supper and had pulled his big chair nearer the fire. His oldest child, Noah, a
sturdy lad of six, climbed upon his knee and plied him with questions.
"Did you see any bars and bufflers?" he asked, his eyes large and round.
"No, my lad, not one."
"How long will it be until I am big enough to go?"
"Not for a very long time, Noah."
"But I am not afraid of Betty's bar. He growls at me when I throw sticks at
him, and snaps his teeth. Can I go with you next time?"
"My brother came over from Short Creek to-day. He has been to Fort Pitt,"
interposed Mrs. Zane. As she was
speaking a tap sounded on the door, which,
being opened by Betty, disclosed Captain Boggs his daughter Lydia, and Major
Samuel McColloch, the brother of Mrs. Zane.
"Ah, Colonel! I expected to find you at home to-night. The weather has been
miserable for
hunting and it is not getting any better. The wind is blowing
from the
northwest and a storm is coming," said Captain Boggs, a fine,
soldierly looking man.
"Hello, Captain! How are you? Sam, I have not had the pleasure of
seeing you
for a long time," replied Colonel Zane, as he shook hands with his guests.
Major McColloch was the
eldest of the brothers of that name. As an Indian
killer he ranked next to the intrepid Wetzel; but while Wetzel preferred to
take his chances alone and track the Indians through the untrodden wilds,
McColloch was a leader of
expeditions against the savages. A giant in stature,
massive in build, bronzed and bearded, he looked the
typical frontiersman. His
blue eyes were like those of his sister and his voice had the same pleasant
ring.
"Major McColloch, do you remember me?" asked Betty.
"Indeed I do," he answered, with a smile. "You were a little girl, running
wild, on the Potomac when I last saw you!"
"Do you remember when you used to lift me on your horse and give me lessons in
riding?"
"I remember better than you. How you used to stick on the back of that horse
was a
mystery to me."
"Well, I shall be ready soon to go on with those lessons in riding. I have
heard of your wonderful leap over the hill and I should like to have you tell
me all about it. Of all the stories I have heard since I arrived at Fort
Henry, the one of your ride and leap for life is the most wonderful."
"Yes, Sam, she will
bother you to death about that ride, and will try to give
you lessons in leaping down precipices. I should not be at all surprised to
find her
trying to
duplicate your feat. You know the Indian pony I got from