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- THE PARTING. 23
| | his heart. His affections struggled powerfully with his pride. The .
' picture of his disgrace —of the scorn with which his parent’ and
' sisters would receive the Indian wife and half Indian child, present-
} ed itself before him, and he had not the moral courage to risk’ the
degradation which her companionship would bring upon him. ‘These
Conflicting thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, and
when his wife stopped at the door, and, looking anxiously in his fice, _
beckoned him to fullow, he said, sharply, for his conscience was ill at
ease : ‘
sh “* Malaeska, Igo alone; you and the boy must remain with your
people’? . .
His words had a withering effect on the poor Indian, Her form
drooped, and she raised her eyes with a look so mingled with: hu-
miliation and reproach, that the hunter’s heart thrilled painfully in
his bosom. . Slowly, and as if her soul'and strength were paralyzed,
2) she crept to her husband’s feet, and sinking to her knees, held up
the babe. Sn .
‘* Malaeska’s breast will die, and the boy will have no one to feed
him,’? she said, 0) a
That beautiful child— that young mother kneeling in her humili-
ation — those large dark eyes, dim with the intensity of her solici-
¢ i> tude, and that voice so full of tender entreaty —the husband’s
heart could not withstand them. His bosom heaved, tears gathered
in his’ eyes, and raising the Indian and ‘her child to his bosom, he
kissed them both again and again, mo Nate oh
—** Malaeska,’? he said, folding her close to his: heart, ‘* Malaeska,
I must go now; but when seven suns have passed, I will come ‘uzain 5
or, if the tribe still seek my life, take the child and ‘come to the sct-
tlement. ‘I shall be there.’’ -
The Indian woman bowed-her head in humble submission.
;
\ ‘*'The white man is good. Malaeska will come,’’ she said.
I One more embrace, and the poor Indian wife was alone’ with her
wep, child. a 7 a a :
_ Poor Martha Fellows arose early, and waited with nervous impa-
ticnce for the appearance of her lover; but'the morning passed, the —
hour of noon drew near, and he came not. The heart of the maiden
grew heavy, and when:her futher came in to dine, her eyes were red.
with weeping, and a cloud of mingled’ sorrow and petulance dark-
‘ened her handsome face. - She longed to question’ her father about
Jones, but he had twice replenished his brown carthern bowl with |
pudding and milk, before she could gather courage to speak.
: ‘Have you-seen €3thur Jones this morning? ”’ she at length |
questioned in a low, timid voice. ’ oe .
The answer she receivel, was quite sufficient punishment for all
her coquettish folly of the previous night. Jones had left the settle-
*
ment— left it in anger with her, without a word of explanation —
i without even saying farewell. It really was hard. . The little co-
quette had the heart-ache terribly, till he frightened it away by tell.
\