USA > Indiana > Monroe County > The new purchase : or, seven and a half years in the Far West > Part 49
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To Clarence, that resolution was nothing : he had resigned ; and, for weeks past, had been preparing, as all the town knew, to leave the Purchase! The attack, on him now, was to have the existing contract annulled; which would deprive him, it was sup- posed, of the residue of his salary ; cripple his resources ; blacken his character; and render his probable story of events less im- pressive! But Bloduplex overlooked Mr. Clarence's old crony, Robert Carlton, Esq,: and he saw not then and there "a chiel takin notes !"
Beside, for ever to prevent any evil surmises in regard to Pro- fessor Clarence, our Board (and at the instance of Mr. Carlton), not only unanimously voted the full and entire acquittal of Clar- ence, but each and every one of them did personally and individ- ually over and above the official signatures, add his own name to my friend's honourable and laudatory dismissal! Ay, and this man, after all that ingenuity and malice (and of practised cun- ning), could invent, and colour, and say of him, in a speech of two summer days !- and after making no defence, nor an appeal to passion or prejudice, was acquitted !- and, not only acquitted, but thanked and praised !- and by his very Judges !! "What do you think of that, Master Ford?"
Harwood now stood alone: and Polyphemus having "a sorter" devoured one victim, took additional steps to eat the other. Sev- eral of our Board had, indeed, agreed with me in thinking and saying that "Doctor Bloduplex had behaved badly and even shamefully ;" yet I warned Harwood that the New Board in the Fall, who "knew not Joseph and his brethren," would go, not ac- cording to justice and truth, but according to their ideas of interest and policy: because, too, some Trustees had told me that
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"they feared to dismiss Bloduplex, lest his influence might injure Woodville !- that after such a quarrel, it would be difficult to obtain immediately another President-and that the College must not be destitute of such, Mr. Clarence, the maker of the Institu- tion, being gone too !"
It was now, Bloduplex, Lord Bishop of the parish church, sum- moned Harwood before his little ecclesiastical star-chamber, and had him excommunicated, for calling his Reverence a Liar: in- tending said excommunication to act like an interdict on a king- dom, and prejudice his antagonist's cause before the New Board of Trustees to meet in the Fall! At this ecclesiastical Inquisition, Bloduplex himself sat as chief Inquisitor !- he made the charges ! -he excluded the defensive testimony and all pleas of mitigation -all entreaties to carry the whole at once to a higher court-he directed the officials-pronounced the sentence-inflicted the torture !
As Nero to the primitive Christians, so did Bloduplex to Har- wood-he dressed him in a wild beast's skin, and then hissed dogs on him! Ay, he was cruelly hunted like a brute! And after in vain spending his hard earned dollars in seeking redress, he in an excusable moment of bitter indignation left at last that, upon the whole, Best of Religious Denominations! But let that Harwood, if he yet live, know there is One Bold enough to raise a voice. against the vile Injustice of the Past-one that knows-and says Harwood was always badly, and sometimes basely and wickedly used! And let him know, too, that under better aus- pices, and but for some mere accidents, the Immense Majority of the Denomination he has left would have done him justice on his Cruel and Unrelenting Foe ! * * *
Reader ! here falls the curtain! And we stand before it, not to announce a new Drama-but our Farewell :- We bid you adieu in the next and-last chapter.
CHAPTER LXVI.
"Nay then farewell ! I have touch'd the highest point of all my greatness : And from that full meridian of my glory I haste now to my setting: I shall fall
Like a bright exhalation in the evening, And no man see me more."
ABOUT the middle of October, a small Christian chapel was, one night, filled to overflowing; and deeply impressive was the sadness and solemn hush of the congregation. They were listening to the farewell address of Charles Clarence! while the voice of the wind moaning in the dying woods around, came upon our hearing in fitful gusts like passionate gushings of lamentation for the fading away of their glories! Our injured and persecuted friend concluded thus :-
EXTRACT
But I must cease, and that with no expectation that I shall ever more preach to you ; or you ever again listen to me. This is sufficiently solemn and mournful; yet other things exist here to deepen now my sorrows. For some years this has been my home-nay, why conceal it? I had once cherished the hope it was to be my home for years to come! It was in my heart to live and die with you! I came to be a Western Man-but God forbade it. I have shared your prosperity and adversity; and in your hopes and fears, your joys and griefs. We have interchanged visits of mutual good-will; we have worshipped in the same temples ; we have solaced each other in afflictions! We have met at the same house of feasting,-alas! oftener at the same house of mourning! Yes !- my children lie together, in their little graves, amidst the graves of your children-that moaning wind is stirring now the leaves over them !- dust of mine is mingling with yours ! *
* * Can these and other ties be so unexpectedly sundered without pain ?- without emotion? But the hour is come-we part! Come, fellow citizens and Christian friends, let us mutually forgive one another. If I have aught against the
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misled I have forgiven it; if any have aught against me, I pray such forgive me! Kindly do I thank many for past kindness, and more especially for the healing of their balm-like sympathy : and now let us say, not in indifference, much less in anger, but in manly, hearty good-will-Farewell !"
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In the morning his house was tenantless ;- Clarence had gone very early away with his family-and Woodville with its pleasures and pains was to him as all other dreams of this life-past !
Soon after, the fragments of my shattered fortunes being col- lected, we, too, were ready to bid adieu to our home :- home ! did I say? Yes ; had we not graves there? Alas! we had them else- where too !- * * *
It was a rainy morning; but, notwithstanding, our little wagon and horses were at the door. All had been arranged and prepared for this morning, and all farewells, 'as we thought, had been spoken; and why should rain delay those that had endured so many storms? Emily Glenville was to go and share our fortunes -but Aunt Kitty-poor Aunt Kitty was to stay; for we were wandering forth we knew not whither, and she in her old age must remain till we found a resting-place. Home we expected to find no more-(nor have we ever)-and we had then the desolate hearts of pilgrims-as now and often since!
Farewell !- dearest Aunt Kitty !- ah break not our hearts by that convulsive sobbing !- Farewell ! * * -and then we were all in our wagon-but just as we moved, a well-known, a rough, yet softened voice in a tone of melancholy reproach sounded at our side :
"Bust my rifle! Mr. Carltin, you ain't a puttin off without bidden me and Domore good bye !? "
"My honest old friends! no, never !- but I could not find you yesterday when we went round bidding all the citizens good bye-"
"Well, we was out arter deer, for, says I to Domore, Domore says I, lets git a leg or two for Mrs. Carltin afore they goes- and we've fetch'd 'em along in this here bag-if you kin find room for 'em in this here waggin."
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"Thank you, my kind friends, with all our very hearts! I do wish we could make you some return-we should be so glad to be remembered when we are away-"
"Bust my rifle-if I ever forgit you-and Domore wont nither-"
"No, indeed, Mr. Carltin-and if you chance to come our way like, Domore's cabin will be open as in old times-"
"Yes !- Mr. Carltin-and me and Domore and you'll have some more shots with the rifle-good bye. Mr. Carltin-God bless you-good bye !" 1
"Good bye, my friends !- I have no home now-but cabin or brick house, wherever you find us-I say to you and all other frank-hearted honest woodsmen, as the old General said to you- 'you will never find the string pulled in!'"
Here I started my horses; and then the last we ever heard of Woodville was something very like :- "Poor Carltin !- God bless him-poor feller !- he's most powerful sorry-and don't like to go back to the big-bugs!" And then through the uproar of the in- creasing storm came the voice of the two hunters united in a loud, cordial, solemn, last Farewell !
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Many years after this, on the pinnacle of the Great Cove Mountain of the Alleghanies, and leaning against a tree, stood a solitary traveller, who, after contemplating for some minutes the setting sun, thus broke forth into a soliloquy :
"Yes! O Sun! thou art unchanged !- melting away to a rest amid the same gorgeous clouds, piled on those distant mountains ! I remember thee rising in the brilliancy of that Spring morning ! Here Clarence stood and looked towards the Elysium of that Far West-and she was in his thoughts! There is the rock where Brown, and Wilmar, and Smith rested a moment !- Sad remem- brances-bitter emotions! O! Sun! as glorious thou as even those sumptuous curtains of woven cloud around thy pavilion as matchless !- I am changed-alas ! how changed !
"Far West !- that name has power to heave the bosom with sighs-but it can call up no more forever the illusions of the dreamy days! I know what is in thee, land of the setting Sun!
"A world of shadows is coming over yon vallies-darker ones
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are on my soul! That Spring Morning! The comrades of that day-where? The scenes !- the sufferings !- the disappoint- ments !- in that far away forest land! Graves of my dead !- why need I care to weep, where there are none to mock. * * *
"World of Spirits !- around and near me! No dreams-no shadows there! Sun, farewell !- thy last rays are falling across those graves in that leaf-covered resting place! But they shall fall, to rise and set no more! Home !- I have none now :- but there is a home!
"Awake! from this dreamy life! True, perfect, uninterrupted happiness is neither in the far East, nor in the far West :- it is in God, in Christ, in Heaven !"
Reader, dear reader! the lesson in that soliloquy is for thee! Ponder it; live according to it; and thou wilt never have read this book in vain !
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LIBRARY
NINE
23 OF TORONTO UNIVERSITY 1988
F 532 M7H34 1916 C.1 ROBA
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