Page:The Prairie Flower; Or, Adventures In the Far West.djvu/35

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hills of old Now England. I pictured the once cheerful home of my parents, which 1 had forsaken, and which now peradven- ture was cheerful no longer, in consequence of my absence. I fancied I could see my mother move to the door with a slow step and heavy heart, and gaze with maternal affection toward the broad the mighty west, and sigh, and wonder what had become of him who should have been the stay and support of her declining years. I thought, and I grew more sad as I thought, until tears filled my eyes.

Mother! what a world of affection is compressed in that single word! How lit tle do we, in the giddy round of youthful pleasures and folly, heed her wise coun sels! How lightly do we look upon that jealous care with which she guides our Otherwise erring feet, and vratches with feelings which none but a mother can know, the gradual expansion of our youth to the riper years of discretion! We may not think of it then, but it will be recalled to us in after years, when the gloomy grave, or a fearful living separation, has placed her far beyond our reach, and her sweet voice of sympathy and consolation, for the various ill's attendant upon us, Bounds in our ear no more. How deeply then we regret a thousand deeds that we have done contrary to her gentle admoni tions! How we sigh for those days once ON.ii'e, that we may retrieve what we have done amiss, and make her sweet heart glad with happiness. Alas! once gone, they can rarely be renewed and we grow mournfully sad with the bitter reflection.

My mother my dearlj beloved mo therwould I ever behold her again! Shou ] d 1 ever return to my native land, would I find her among the living! If net- -if 'i,','.! Heavens! what a sad, what a p'xurfu! thought! and instantly 1 found my eyes swimming in tears, and my frame trembling with nervous agitation. But I would hope for the best, I wDuld not "bor row trouble; and gradually I became calm.- Then 1 thought of my father of many other dear friends and, lastly, though I strove to avoid it, I thought of Lilian sweet, lost, but ah! dearly loved Lilian. I could see her gentle features, I could hear her plaintive voice soft and silvery
 * s running waters and I sighed, a long,

deep sigh as I thought. Would I evor behold her again? I might, but (my blood ran cold) but wedded to another. "Ay! wedded to another !" I fairly groaueci aloud, with a start that sent the red cur rent of life swiftly through 7ny veins.

1 looked around ioe, and iband it already growing dark. The beautiful scene 1 had so lately witnessed, was now faded from my sight; and the gloomy howl of a dis tant pack of wolves, reminded me that I was now beyond civilization, in the wilder ness of an extensive prairie. I looked downward, and within a hundred yards of me beheld the fire of our first camp on the prairie; and with a hasty step I de scended the eminence and joined my com panions.

"Ah! Frank," said Huntly, as I came up, " I war, beginning to fear something had happened you, and you can easily imagine my feelings. Why did you absent yourself so long?"

"I was on yonder eminence, enraptured with the glories of the sunset scene," I replied, somewhat evasively.

"Ah! was it not a splendid sight?" he rejoined, enthusiastically, with sparkling eyes. " I too beheld it with rapture, and regretted that you were not by to sympa thise with me in my poetical feelings. But come, supper is preparing, and so let us regale ourselves at once, and afterward take our fust sl**ep in this magnificent wild." ' '\/

As I said before, this was our first camp on the prairie. On our way hither we had joined a party of four hunters or trappers, and in consequence our number was now augmented to seven. We had thrown off. the lighter and more costly apparel of the settlements, and were now costumed in the rougher garments worn by the hunters of the Rocky Mountains. This consisted of a frock or hunting-shirt, made of dressed buckskin, and ornamented with long and parti-colored fringes. Our nether garments were of the same material, ornamented in the same manner, and on our feet were moccasins. Round the waist of each was a belt, supporting a brace of pistols and a long knife, the latter in a sheath made of buffalo hide. A strip of leather passing over our right shoulders, suspended our powder horns 1 and bullet