Part 37

As Mink stood looking down he suddenly lifted his head with a quick start, as if a word had been spoken to him from out the silence. Why this gratuity of pity, this surging fellow-feeling, this clamorous instinct to aid? Was a hand held out to him in his hour of need? Nay, he might have known rescue and release, his future might now be fair and free, but for the device of this man who had bestirred himself to thwart the friendly mob. Was not his hope attained, his prayer? Here was a sublimated revenge. His enemy would die at his feet, and yet his hands were clean.

And at this moment he was muttering, “I’ll be bound ef he hed a leetle wild-cat whiskey now ’twould save his life ez respons’ble ez ef ’twar ez legal ez the taxed corn-juice.”

He stood thinking for a moment. There was Marvin’s still at the Craig house, as Alethea had said, two miles away; the man would be dead of exhaustion before help could come thence. But not a quarter of a mile below, on one of the divergent ridges of Thunderhead, was Bylor’s home. Mink started with affright. The old man was a candidate for office. The certainty of arrest awaited him there, whatever his mission. It was a decision swift as an impulse. It meant twenty years’ imprisonment at hard labor, and he realized it as he sprang upon the bare back of his horse.

“I reckon I kin make a break an’ run, or tunnel out, or suthin’,” he said, with his preposterous hopefulness; “leastwise, I can’t leave him thar ter die that-a-way, half drownded and harried ter death by wolves an’ painters an’ buzzards. Ef the darned critter,” he cried out, in a renewal of despair, “would hev jes’ stood up an’ been shot like healthy folks!”

Mink never reached his destination.

It was not held to be a strange nor an unjustifiable action that young Bylor was led to do. He said afterward that that day, as he made his way home in the midst of the clouds that begirt the mountain, he was affrighted to behold again, evolved from their expressionless monotony, the equestrian figure of the mystic herder that rides on Thunderhead. His nerves were shaken, for before that morning he had seen the “harnt,” and at close quarters. He noted the wildly beckoning hand vague in the mist; he heard, or thought he heard, a shrill, insistent hail; he quickened his pace, pursued by the thunderous hoofs of the spectral steed, riding him down, as he feared. He faced about in desperate terror and fired his rifle.

Then he knew what he had done, for the rider lurched from the horse and fell, and the animal dashed past him, running at full speed. It was Mink Lorey whom he found upon the ground,—strong enough only to gasp out his errand; and though Bylor rose instantly to obey his behest and go to succor Gwinnan, Mink was dead before he left.

No great loss, the country-side said, and indeed it was suspected for a time that Gwinnan’s straits had resulted from Mink’s wanton mischief. When the facts became known, one or two reflective souls—recognizing in his deed that universal vital element of better possibilities astir within him insistently militant, enlisting every sterling trait common to humanity—were moved to say that he was not all mink.

No one in the mountains, however, fully appreciated the impulse that had controlled him except Alethea. To her it served as a sacred apotheosis, and she adored his memory for what he might have been, and forgot what he was. Often, when the spring bloomed, or the summer was flushing with the wild roses and the roseate dawns and the red sunset-tides, she hearkened to the mocking-bird’s singing, thrice—thrice the mystic strain, and she was wont to go and search for her lover at their tryst among the crags. And when she would come back, her face so full of peace, her eyes softly luminous, her drawling formula, “Jest been talkin’ with Reuben ’mongst the rocks,” pervaded with tranquil joy, her step-mother and Mrs. Jessup would whisper apart and look askance upon her, and start at any sudden jar or sound, as if it were instinct with her spectre lover’s freakish presence.

And so, patient drudge though she was, they listened to Mrs. Purvine’s eager insistence to have her bide in the cove; and although she went to live with this cheery soul, it was with tears and sighs and sadness to leave the clifty gorges that he haunted.

But she found the mocking-bird singing there, thrice, thrice the mystic strain, amongst the rocky banks of the Scolacutta River. And so she smiled again.

Except for this delusion she gave little indication of the unsettling of her mind. She was placidly happy with her aunt, though the two women were much alone, for Jerry Price presently married Sophy Griff. He became the sole dependence of the miller and his grandchildren, but a measure of Mrs. Purvine’s jaunty prosperity seemed to follow him. Old Griff’s little log cabin took on a more pretentious guise, and there was a slipshod thrift within. Jerry lifted the mill-stones and rebuilt the mill, and the whir began anew as if it had never left off; and the old miller sat without the door, and listened, and grew garrulous and cheerful and dusty with meal and flour, and brightened into some faint reflection of his old imperative self. Tad never reappeared from the moonshiners’ lair, and they still successfully elude the law.

The failure to secure their testimony proved no disaster to Gwinnan, as the chancellor held that a duel is a matter of deliberate and formal arrangement between men who recognize both the nature of the proceeding and the law infringed.

Nevertheless, Gwinnan was not satisfied. He had never regarded the matter as a duel; he had forgotten even the circumstances. Once brought forcibly to his mind, he dissented from the decision of the case, which he had watched more as if from the bench than from the bar. He resigned when reinstated.

The relinquishment of his ambition was very bitter to him. He had infused into it much of the essence of his identity; it had amply promised the end for which he had rejoiced to labor; it had borne a lofty and isolated existence. And yet, as he brooded on his despoiled life, his trained mind, applied to moral discernment, could but perceive at length that it had been sheerly a technical excellence toward which he had bent his energies, a selfish end he had held in view. Without a high ennobling purpose, without a dominate hope to dispense benefit, his unsanctified ambition had only lured with a wish to rise, and despite the heights to which it had attained it had been held to earth by its own inherent weight.

Works of Fiction.

PUBLISHED BY

HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY,

4 PARK ST., BOSTON; 11 E. 17TH ST., NEW YORK.

Thomas Bailey Aldrich.

Story of a Bad Boy. Illustrated. 12mo. $1.50 Marjorie Daw and Other People. 12mo. 1.50 The Same. Riverside Aldine Series. 16mo. 1.00 Prudence Palfrey. 12mo. 1.50 The Queen of Sheba. 12mo. 1.50 The Stillwater Tragedy. 12mo. 1.50

Hans Christian Andersen.

Complete Works. In ten uniform volumes, crown 8vo. A new and cheap Edition, in attractive binding.

The Improvisatore; or, Life in Italy 1.00 The Two Baronesses 1.00 O. T.; or, Life in Denmark 1.00 Only a Fiddler 1.00 In Spain and Portugal 1.00 A Poet’s Bazaar 1.00 Pictures of Travel 1.00 The Story of my Life. With portrait 1.00 Wonder Stories told for Children. Illustrated 1.00 Stories and Tales. Illustrated 1.00 The set 10.00

William Henry Bishop.

Detmold: A Romance. “Little Classic” style. 18mo. 1.25 The House of a Merchant Prince. 12mo. 1.50 Choy Susan, and other Stories. 16mo. 1.25

Björnstjerne Björnson.

Works. _American Edition_, sanctioned by the author, and translated by Professor R. B. Anderson, of the University of Wisconsin.

Synnöve Solbakken 1.00 The Bridal March, and Other Stories 1.00 Captain Mansana, and Other Stories 1.00 Complete Works, seven volumes in three. 12mo. The set 4.50

Alice Cary.

Pictures of Country Life. 12mo. 1.50

John Esten Cooke.

My Lady Pokahontas. 16mo. 1.25

James Fenimore Cooper.

Complete Works. New _Household Edition_, in attractive binding. With Introductions to many of the volumes by Susan Fenimore Cooper, and Illustrations. In thirty-two volumes, 16mo.

Precaution. The Spy. The Pioneers. The Pilot. Lionel Lincoln. Last of the Mohicans. Red Rover. Homeward Bound. Home as Found. The Pathfinder. Mercedes of Castile. The Deerslayer. The Two Admirals. Wing and Wing. Wyandotté. Afloat and Ashore. The Prairie. Wept of Wish-ton-Wish. The Water Witch. The Bravo. The Heidenmauer. The Headsman. The Monikins. Miles Wallingford. The Red Skins. The Chainbearer. Satanstoe. The Crater. Jack Tier. The Sea Lions. Oak Openings. The Ways of the Hour. (_Each volume sold separately._) Each volume 1.00 The set 32.00 _New Fireside Edition._ With forty-five original Illustrations. In sixteen volumes, 12mo. The set 20.00

(_Sold only in sets._)

Sea Tales. New _Household Edition_, containing Introductions by Susan Fenimore Cooper. Illustrated. First Series. Including—

The Pilot. The Water Witch. Wing and Wing. The Red Rover. The Two Admirals. Second Series. Including— The Sea Lions. Afloat and Ashore. Jack Tier. Miles Wallingford. The Crater. Each set, 5 vols. 16mo. 5.00

Leather-Stocking Tales. New _Household Edition_, containing Introductions by Susan Fenimore Cooper. Illustrated. In five volumes, 16mo.

The Deerslayer. The Pathfinder. The Pioneers. The Prairie. Last of the Mohicans. The set 5.00 Cooper Stories; being Narratives of Adventure selected from his Works. With Illustrations by F. O. C. Darley. In three volumes, 16mo, each 1.00

Charles Egbert Craddock.

In the Tennessee Mountains. 16mo. 1.25 The Prophet of the Great Smoky Mountains. 16mo. 1.25 Down the Ravine. Illustrated. 16mo. 1.00 In the Clouds. 16mo. 1.25

Thomas Frederick Crane.

Italian Popular Tales. Translated from the Italian. With Introduction and a Bibliography. 8vo. 2.50

F. Marion Crawford.

To Leeward. 16mo. 1.25 A Roman Singer. 16mo. 1.25 An American Politician. 16mo. 1.25

Maria S. Cummins.

The Lamplighter. 12mo. 1.50 El Fureidîs. 12mo. 1.50 Mabel Vaughan. 12mo. 1.50

Parke Danforth.

Not in the Prospectus. In “Riverside Paper Series.” 16mo, paper covers .50

Daniel De Foe.

Robinson Crusoe. Illustrated. 16mo. 1.00

P. Deming.

Adirondack Stories. “Little Classic” style. 18mo. .75 Tompkins and other Folks. “Little Classic” style. 18mo. 1.00

Thomas De Quincey.

Romances and Extravaganzas. 12mo. 1.50 Narrative and Miscellaneous Papers. 12mo. 1.50

Charles Dickens.

Complete Works. _Illustrated Library Edition._ With Introductions by E. P. Whipple. Containing Illustrations by Cruikshank, Phiz, Seymour, Leech, Maclise, and others, on steel, to which are added designs of Darley and Gilbert, in all over 550. In twenty-nine volumes, 12mo.

The Pickwick Papers, 2 vols. Nicholas Nickleby, 2 vols. Oliver Twist. Old Curiosity Shop, and Reprinted Pieces, 2 vols. Barnaby Rudge, and Hard Times, 2 vols. Martin Chuzzlewit, 2 vols. Our Mutual Friend, 2 vols. Uncommercial Traveller. A Child’s History of England, and Other Pieces. Christmas Books. Dombey and Son, 2 vols. Pictures from Italy, and American Notes. Bleak House, 2 vols. Little Dorrit, 2 vols. David Copperfield, 2 vols. A Tale of Two Cities. Great Expectations. Edwin Drood, Master Humphrey’s Clock, and Other Pieces. Sketches by Boz. Each volume 1.50 The set. With Dickens Dictionary. 30 vols 45.00 Christmas Carol. Illustrated. 8vo, full gilt 2.50 The Same. 32mo. .75 Christmas Books. Illustrated. 12mo. 2.00

Charlotte Dunning.

A Step Aside. 16mo. 1.25

Edgar Fawcett.

A Hopeless Case. “Little Classic” style. 18mo. 1.25 A Gentleman of Leisure. “Little Classic” style. 18mo. 1.00 An Ambitious Woman. 12mo. 1.50

Fénelon.

Adventures of Telemachus. 12mo. 2.25

Mrs. James A. Field.

High-Lights. 16mo. 1.25

Harford Flemming.

A Carpet Knight. 16mo. 1.25

Baron de la Motte Fouqué.

Undine, Sintram and his Companions, etc. 32mo. .75 Undine and other Tales. Illustrated. 16mo. 1.00

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Wilhelm Meister. Translated by Thomas Carlyle. Portrait of Goethe. In two volumes. 12mo. 3.00 The Tale and Favorite Poems. 32mo. .75

Oliver Goldsmith.

Vicar of Wakefield. _Handy-Volume Edition._ 32mo, gilt top 1.00 The Same. “Riverside Classics.” Illustrated. 16mo. 1.00

Jeanie T. Gould (Mrs. Lincoln).

Marjorie’s Quest. Illustrated. 12mo. 1.50

Thomas Chandler Haliburton.

The Clockmaker; or, The Sayings and Doings of Samuel Slick of Slickville. Illustrated. 16mo. 1.00

A. S. Hardy.

But Yet a Woman. 16mo. 1.25 The Wind of Destiny. 16mo. 1.25

Miriam Coles Harris.

Rutledge. The Sutherlands. Frank Warrington. St. Philips. Richard Vandermarck. A Perfect Adonis. Missy. Happy-Go-Lucky. Phœbe. Each volume, 16mo. 1.25 Louie’s Last Term at St. Mary’s. 16mo. 1.00

Bret Harte.

The Luck of Roaring Camp, and Other Sketches. 16mo. 1.50 The Luck of Roaring Camp, and Other Stories. Riverside Aldine Series. 16mo. 1.00 Mrs. Skaggs’s Husbands, and Other Sketches. 16mo. 1.50 Tales of the Argonauts, and Other Stories. 16mo. 1.50 Thankful Blossom. “Little Classic” style. 18mo. 1.25 Two Men of Sandy Bar. A Play. 18mo. 1.00 The Story of a Mine. 18mo. 1.00 Drift from Two Shores. 18mo. 1.25 Twins of Table Mountain, etc. 18mo. 1.25 Works. Rearranged, with an Introduction and a Portrait. In five volumes, crown 8vo. Poetical Works, and the drama, “Two Men of Sandy Bar,” with an Introduction and Portrait. The Luck of Roaring Camp, and Other Stories. Tales of the Argonauts and Eastern Sketches. Gabriel Conroy. Stories and Condensed Novels. Each volume 2.00 The set 10.00 Flip, and Found at Blazing Star. 18mo. 1.00 In the Carquinez Woods. 18mo. 1.00 On the Frontier. “Little Classic” style. 18mo. 1.00 By Shore and Sedge. “Little Classic style.” 18mo. 1.00 Maruja. A Novel. “Little Classic” style. 18mo. 1.00 Snow-Bound at Eagle’s. “Little Classic” style. 18mo. 1.00 The Queen of the Pirate Isle. A Story for Children. Colored Illustrations by Kate Greenaway. 4to. 1.50

Wilhelm Hauff.

Arabian Days Entertainments. Illustrated. 12mo. 1.50

Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Works. _New Riverside Edition._ With an original etching in each volume, and a new Portrait. With bibliographical notes by George P. Lathrop. Complete in twelve volumes, crown 8vo.

Twice-Told Tales. Mosses from an Old Manse. The House of the Seven Gables, and The Snow-Image. The Wonder-Book, Tanglewood Tales, and Grandfather’s Chair. The Scarlet Letter, and The Blithedale Romance. The Marble Faun. Our Old Home, and English Note-Books. 2 vols. American Note-Books. French and Italian Note-Books. The Dolliver Romance, Fanshawe, Septimius Felton, and, in an Appendix, the Ancestral Footstep. Tales, Sketches, and Other Papers. With Biographical Sketch by G. P. Lathrop, and Indexes. Each volume 2.00 The set 24.00 New _“Little Classic” Edition_. Each volume contains Vignette Illustration. In twenty-five volumes, 18mo. Each volume 1.00 The set 25.00 New _Wayside Edition_. With Portrait, twenty-three etchings, and Notes by George P. Lathrop. In twenty-four volumes, 12mo, gilt top 36.00 New _Fireside Edition_. In six volumes, 12mo. 10.00 A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys. _Holiday Edition._ With Illustrations by F. S. Church. 4to. 2.50 Twice-Told Tales. _School Edition._ 18mo. 1.00 The Scarlet Letter. _Holiday Edition._ Illustrated by Mary Hallock Foote. 8vo, full gilt 3.00 _Popular Edition._ 12mo. 1.00 True Stories from History and Biography. 12mo. 1.25 The Wonder-Book. 12mo. 1.25 Tanglewood Tales. 12mo. 1.25 The Snow-Image. Illustrated in colors. Small 4to. .75 Grandfather’s Chair. _Popular Edition._ 16mo, paper covers .15 Tales of the White Hills, and Legends of New England. 32mo. .75 Legends of Province House, and A Virtuoso’s Collection 32mo. .75 True Stories from New England History. 16mo, boards .45

Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Elsie Venner. A Romance of Destiny. Crown 8vo. 2.00 The Guardian Angel. Crown 8vo. 2.00 The Story of Iris. 32mo. .75 My Hunt after the Captain. 32mo. .40 A Mortal Antipathy. Crown 8vo. 1.50

Augustus Hoppin.

Recollections of Auton House. Illustrated. Small 4to. 1.25 A Fashionable Sufferer. Illustrated. 12mo. 1.50 Two Compton Boys. Illustrated. Small 4to. 1.50

Blanche Willis Howard

One Summer. A Novel. _Holiday Edition._ 12mo. 1.50 New _Popular Edition_. Illustrated by Hoppin. 12mo. 1.25

William Dean Howells.

Their Wedding Journey. Illustrated. 12mo. 1.50 The Same. Illustrated. Paper covers. 16mo. .50 The Same. “Little Classic” style. 18mo. 1.25 A Chance Acquaintance. Illustrated. 12mo. 1.50 The Same. Illustrated. Paper covers. 16mo. .50 The Same. “Little Classic” style. 18mo. 1.25 A Foregone Conclusion. 12mo. 1.50 The Lady of the Aroostook. 12mo. 1.50 The Undiscovered Country. 12mo. 1.50 Suburban Sketches. 12mo. 1.50 A Day’s Pleasure, etc. 32mo. .75

Thomas Hughes.

Tom Brown’s School-Days at Rugby. _Illustrated Edition._ 16mo. 1.00 Tom Brown at Oxford. 16mo. 1.25

Henry James, Jr.

A Passionate Pilgrim, and Other Tales. 12mo. 2.00 Roderick Hudson. 12mo. 2.00 The American. 12mo. 2.00 Watch and Ward. “Little Classic” style. 18mo. 1.25 The Europeans. 12mo. 1.50 Confidence. 12mo. 1.50 The Portrait of a Lady. 12mo. 2.00

Anna Jameson.

Studies and Stories. New Edition. 16mo, gilt top 1.25 Diary of an Ennuyée. New Edition. 16mo, gilt top 1.25

Douglas Jerrold.

Mrs. Caudle’s Curtain Lectures. Illustrated. 16mo. 1.00

Sarah Orne Jewett.

Deephaven. 16mo. 1.25 Old Friends and New. 18mo. 1.25 Country By-Ways. 18mo. 1.25 The Mate of the Daylight. 18mo. 1.25 A Country Doctor. 16mo. 1.25 A Marsh Island. 16mo. 1.25 A White Heron and Other Stories. 18mo. 1.25

Rossiter Johnson.