He was restless Saturday night. Through the long hours she held herbreath to catch his regular breathing. He did not sleep.
At last the terror of it gripped her. Her hand touched his brow andbrushed the hair back from his forehead.
"What's the matter, John dear?""Restless.""What is it?""Oh, nothing much. Just got to thinking about something and can't sleep.
That's all. Go to sleep now, like a good girl. I'm all right."The little fingers sought his hand and gripped it.
"I'll try."She rose at dawn. He had asked an early breakfast to make a long tripinto the country.
At the table she watched him furtively2. She had asked to go with him andhe told her he couldn't take her. She wondered why. A great fear beganto steal into her soul. It was the first time she had dared to look intothe gulf3. She would never ask his secret. He must tell her of his ownfree will. Her eyes searched his. And he turned away without an answer.
He fought for self-control when he kissed her goodbye. A mad desireswept his heart to take her in his arms, perhaps for the last time.
It would be a confession4 at the moment the blow was about to fall. Hewould betray the lives of his associates. He gripped himself and lefther with a careless smile.
All day she brooded over the odd parting, the constraint6, the silence,the sleepless7 night.
She went to the services of the revival8 and sought solace9 in the songsand prayers of the people. At night the minister preached a sermonthat soothed10 her. A warm glow filled her heart. If God is love as thepreacher said, he must know the secrets of his heart and life. He mustwatch over and bring her lover safely back to her arms.
She reached home at a quarter to ten and went to bed humming an old songCook had taught her. The tired body was ready for sleep. She didnot expect her husband to return that night. He had gone as far asChambersburg. He promised to come on Monday afternoon.
Through the early hours of the fatal night she slept as soundly as achild.
The firing at the Arsenal11 between three and four o'clock waked her. Shesprang to her feet and looked out the window. The street lamps flickeredfitfully in the drizzling12 rain. No one was passing. There were noshouts, no disturbances13.
She wondered about the shots. A crowd of drunken fools were stillhanging around the Galt House bar perhaps. She went back to bed andslept again.
It was eight o'clock before the crash of a volley from the Arsenalenclosure roused her. She leaped to her feet, rushed to the window andstood trembling as volley followed volley in a long rattle14 of rifle andshotgun and pistol.
A neighbor hurried past with a gun in his hand. She asked him what thefighting meant.
"Armed Abolitionists have invaded Virginia," he shouted.
Still it meant nothing to her personally. Her husband was not anAbolitionist. She had known him for more than a year. She had been withhim day and night for six months in the sweet intimacy15 of home and love.
And then the hideous16 truth came crashing on her terror-stricken soul.
Cook had been recognized by a neighbor as he drove Colonel Washington'swagon across the Maryland bridge at dawn. A committee of citizens cameto cross-examine her.
She faced them with blanched17 cheeks.
"My husband, an Abolitionist!" she gasped18.
"He's with those murderers and robbers."She turned on the men like a young tigress.
"You're lying--I tell you!"For an hour they tried to drag from her a confession of his plans. Theyleft at last convinced that she knew nothing, that she suspected nothingof his real life. She had fought them bravely to the last. In her soulof souls she knew the hideous truth. She recalled the strange yearningwith which he had looked at her as he left Sunday morning. She saw thebottom of the gulf at last.
With a cry of anguish19 and despair she sank to the floor in a faint.
She stirred with one thought tearing at her heart. Had they killed orcaptured him? She rose, dressed and joined the crowd that surged throughthe streets. The Rifle Works had been captured, Kagi was dead, the othertwo wounded, one fatally, the other a prisoner. No trace of her husbandhad been found. He had not reentered the town from the Maryland side.
She walked to the bridge and found it guarded by armed citizens. Tearsof joy filled her eyes.
"He can't get back now!" she breathed.
She hurried to her room, fell on her knees and prayed:
"Oh, dear Lord Jesus, I've tried to be a good and faithful wife. My manhas loved me tenderly and truly. Save him, oh, Lord! Don't let him comeback now into this den20 of howling beasts. They'll tear him to pieces.
And I can't endure it. I can't. I can't. Have pity, Lord. I'm just apoor, heart-broken wife!"Through six days of terror and excitement, of surging crowds andmarching soldiers, the shivering figure watched through her window--andsilently prayed. A guard had been set at her house to catch her husbandif he dared to return. She laughed softly.
He would not return! She had asked God not to let him. She was askinghim now with every breath she breathed. God would not forget her. Hewould answer her prayers. She knew it. God is love.
She had begun to sleep again at night. Her man was safe in the mountainsof Pennsylvania. The Governor of Virginia had set a price on his head.
Men were scouring21 the hills hunting, as they hunt wild beasts, but Godwould save him. She had seen His shining face in prayer and He hadpromised.
And then the blow fell.
Far down the street she caught the roar of a mob. Its cries came faintlyat first and then they grew to fierce oaths and brutal22 shouts.
A man stopped in front of her house and spoke23 to the guard.
"They've got him!""Who?""Cook!""The damned beast, the spy, the traitor24!""Where are they takin' him?""To the jail at Charlestown."She had no time to lose. She must see him. Bareheaded she rushed intothe street and fought her way to his side. His hands were manacled buthis fair head was held erect25 until he saw the white face of his bride.
And then his eyes fell.
Would she, too, turn and curse him?
He asked himself the hideous question once and dared not lift his head.
He felt her coming nearer. The guard halted. His eyes were blurred26. Hecould see nothing.
He only felt two soft arms slip round his neck. His own movedinstinctively to clasp her but the manacles held them. She kissed hislips before the staring crowd and murmured inarticulate sounds of loveand tenderness. She smoothed his blond hair back from his forehead andcrooned over him as a mother over a babe.
"My little wife--my poor little girlie--my baby!" he murmured. "Forgiveme--I tried to save you from this. But I couldn't. Love would have itso. Now you can forget me!"The arms tightened27 about his neck, and gave the answer lips could notframe.
When his trial came she moved to Charlestown to sit by his side in theprison dock, touch his manacled hands and look into his eyes.
The trial moved to its certain end with remorseless certainty. Cook'ssister, the wife of Governor Willard, sat beside her doomed28 brother, andcheered the desolate29 heart of the girl he had married. Governor Willardgave the full weight of his position and his sterling30 manhood to hiswife in her grief.
He had employed the best lawyer in his state to defend Cook--Daniel W.
Vorhees, whose eloquence31 had given him the title of "The Tall Sycamoreof the Wabash."When the great advocate rose, his towering figure commanded a painfulsilence in the crowded court room. The people, who packed every inch ofits space, hated the man who had lived among them for more than a yearas a spy. But he had a wife, he had a sister. And in this solemn hour heshould have his day in court. The crowd listened to Vorhees' speech withrapt attention.
His appeal was not based on the letter of the law. He took broader,higher grounds. He sketched32 the dark days of blood-cursed Kansas. He sawa handsome prodigal33 son, lured34 by the spirit of adventure, drawn35 intoits vortex of blind passions. He pictured the sinister36 figure of thegrim Puritan leader condemned37 to death. He told of the spell this evilmind had thrown over a sensitive boy's soul. He pleaded for mercyand forgiveness, for charity and divine love. He pictured the littleVirginia girl at his side drawn into the tragedy by a deathless love. Hesketched in words that burned into the souls of his hearers the love ofhis sister, a love big and tender and strong, a love that had followedhim in the far frontiers with prayers, a love that encircled him in thedarkness of deeds of violence against the forms of law and order. Hepleaded for her and the distinguished38 Governor of a great state, notbecause of their high position in life but because they had hearts thatcould ache and break.
When he had finished his remarkable39 speech, strong men who hated Cookwere sobbing40. The room was bathed in tears. The stern visaged judge madeno effort to hide his.
The court charged the jury to do impartial41 justice under the laws of thecommonwealth.
There could be but one verdict. It was solemnly given by the foreman andthe judge pronounced the sentence of death.
Two soft arms stole around the doomed man's neck, and then, before thecourt, crowd and God as witnesses, the little wife tenderly cried:
"My lover--my sweetheart--my husband--through evil report andthrough good report, through life, through death, through alleternity--I--love--you!"Again strong men wept and turned from one another to hide the signs oftheir weakness.
The wife walked beside her doomed lover back to the jail. As they wentthrough the narrow passage to his cell, the tall, rough-looking prisonguard who accompanied them brushed close, caught her hand and pressedit.
His eyes met hers in a quick look that said more plainly than words:
"I must see you alone."She waited outside the jail until he reappeared.
He approached her boldly and spoke as if he were delivering a casualmessage.
"Keep your courage, young woman. And don't you be surprised at anythingI'm going to say to you. There's people lookin' at us now. I'm justtellin' you a message your husband's told me--you understand.""Yes--yes--go on--I understand," she answered quickly.
"I'm from Kansas. I'm a friend of John Cook's. I come all the way hereto help him. I joined these guards to get to him. I'm goin' to get himout of here if I can.""Thank God--thank God," she murmured.
"Keep a stiff upper lip and get your hand on some money to follow us.""I will."Another guard approached.
"Leave me now. My name's Charles Lenhart. Don't try to talk to me again.
Just watch and wait."She nodded, brushed the tears from her eyes and left quickly.
He was on the job without delay. Cook and Edwin Coppoc, condemned to dieon the same day, occupied the same room in jail. They borrowed a knifefrom Lenhart as soon as he came on duty and "forgot" to return it. Withthis knife they worked at night for a week cutting a hole through thebrick wall. Under their clothes in a corner they concealed42 the fragmentsof bricks.
When the opening had been completed, they cut teeth in the knife bladeand made a small saw strong and keen enough to eat through a link intheir shackles43.
On the night fixed44, Lenhart was on guard waiting in breathless suspensefor the men to drop the few feet into the prison yard. A brick wallfifteen feet high could he scaled from his shoulders and the last man upcould give him a lift.
Through the long, chill hours he paced his beat on the wall and waitedto hear the crunching45 of the bodies slipping through the walls.
What had happened?
Something had gone wrong in the impulsive46 mind of the blue-eyedadventurer inside. The hole was open, the saw in his hand to cut themanacles, when he suddenly stopped.
"What's the matter?" Coppoc asked.
"We can't do this to-night.""For God's sake, why?""My sister's in town with Governor Willard to tell me goodbye. Theywill put the blame of this on them. My sister might be imprisoned47. TheGovernor would be in bad. I've caused them trouble enough--God knows--""When are they going?""To-morrow. We'll wait until to-morrow night--after they've gone.""But Lenhart may not be on guard.""That's so," Cook agreed. "Coppoc, you can go alone. You'd better doit.""No.""You'd better.""I'm not made out of that sort of goods," the boy answered.
"You've got a good old Quaker mother out in Springdale praying for you.
It's your chance--go--I can't tonight."Nothing could induce Coppoc to desert his comrade and leave him tocertain death when his escape should be known.
They replaced the bricks, covered the debris48 and waited until thefollowing night.
At eleven o'clock they cut the manacles and Coppoc crawled out first. Hehad barely touched the ground when Cook followed. They glanced aboutthe yard and it was deserted49. They strained their eyes to make out thefigure of the guard who passed the brick wall. He was not in sight. Itwas a good omen5. Lenhart had no doubt foreseen their escape and droppedto the street outside.
They saw that the timbers of the gallows50 on which they were to die hadnot all been fastened.
They secured two pieces of scantling and reached the top of the wall.
Suddenly the dark figure of a guard moved toward them. Cook called thesignal to Lenhart. But a loyal son of Virginia stood sentinel thatnight. The answer was a rifle shot. They started to leap and caught theflash of a bayonet below.
They walked back into the jail and surrendered to Captain Avis, theirfriendly keeper.
The little wife waited and watched in vain.
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收听单词发音
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1
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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furtively
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| adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地 | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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constraint
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| n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物 | |
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sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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revival
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| n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振 | |
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solace
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| n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和 | |
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soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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arsenal
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| n.兵工厂，军械库 | |
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drizzling
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| 下蒙蒙细雨，下毛毛雨( drizzle的现在分词 ) | |
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disturbances
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| n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍 | |
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rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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15
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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blanched
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| v.使变白( blanch的过去式 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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scouring
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| 擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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sterling
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| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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sketched
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| v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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prodigal
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| adj.浪费的，挥霍的，放荡的 | |
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lured
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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38
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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40
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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41
impartial
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| adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的 | |
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42
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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43
shackles
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| 手铐( shackle的名词复数 )； 脚镣； 束缚； 羁绊 | |
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44
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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45
crunching
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| v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄 | |
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46
impulsive
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| adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的 | |
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47
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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49
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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50
gallows
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| n.绞刑架，绞台 | |
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