Sam Houston

HARPER'S WEEKLY.

[MARCH 30, 1861.

204

"Angry with me!" he said, turning sharp upon her.

" Yes, angry with you. You would have treated me like a child. But that feeling has gone now. I am not angry now. There is my hand ; the hand of a friend. Let the words that have been spoken between us be as though they had not been spoken. Let us both be free."

" Do you mean it?" he asked.

"Certainly I mean it." As site spoke these words her eyes were tilled with tears in spite of all the efforts she could make to restrain them ; but he was not looking at her, and her efforts had sufficed to prevent any sob front being audible. "With all my heart," he said ; and it was manifest from his tone that he had no thought of her happiness as he spoke. It was true that she had been angry with him—angry, as she had herself declared; but nevertheless, in what she had said and what she had done she had thought more of his happiness than of her own.

Now she was angry once again.

"With all your heart, Captain Broughton ! Well, so be it. If with all your heart, then is the necessity so much the greater. You go to-morrow. Shall we say fare-well now ?" " Patience, I am not going to be lectured."

"Certainly not by me. Shall we say farewell now?" "Yes, if you are determined." " I am determined. Farewell, Captain Broughton. You have all my wishes for your happiness." And she held out her hand to him. " Patience !" he said. And he looked at her with a dark frown, as though he would strive to frighten her into submission. If so, he might have saved himself any such at-tempt.

"Farewell, Captain Broughton. Give me your hand, for I can not stay." He gave her his hand, hardly knowing why he did .so. She lifted it to her lips and kissed it, and then, leaving him, passed from the summer-house down through the wicket-gate, and straight home to the parsonage.

During the whole of that day she said no word to any one of what had occurred. When she was once more at home site went about her household affairs as she had done on that day of his arrival. When she sat down to dinner with her father he observed nothing to make him think that she was unhappy; nor during the evening was there any expression in her face, or any tone in her voice, which excited his attention. On the following morning Captain Broughton called at the parsonage, and the servant-girl brought word to her mistress that he was in the parlor. But she would not see him. "Laws, miss, you ain't a quarreled with your beau?" the poor girl said. " No, not quarreled," site said ; but give hint that." It was a scrap of paper containing a word or two in pencil. " It is better that we should not meet again. God bless you !" And from that day to this, now more than ten years, they never have met. " Papa," she said to her father that afternoon, "dear papa, do not be angry with me. It is all over between me and John Broughton. Dearest, you and I will not be separated." It would be useless here to tell how great was the old man's surprise, and how true his sorrow. As the tale was told to hint no cause was given for anger with any one. Not a word was spoken against the 'suitor, who had on that day returned to London with a full conviction that now at least he was relieved from his engagement. " Patty, my darling child," he said; " may God grant that it be for the best!"

" It is for the best," site answered, stoutly. "For this place I am fit; and I much doubt whether I am fit for any other."

On that day she did not see Miss Le Smyrger; but on the following morning, knowing that Captain Broughton had gone off— having heard the wheels of the carriage as they passed by the parsonage gate

on his way to the station—she walked up to the Combe.

. " He has told you, I suppose ?" said she.

"Yes," said Miss Le Smyrger. "And I will never see him again unless he asks your pardon on his knees. I have told him so. I would not even give him my hand as he went."

" But why so, thou kindest one ? The fault was mine more than his."

"I understand. I have eyes in my head," said the old maid. " I have watched him for the last four or five days. If you could have kept the truth to yourself and bade him keep off from you, he would have been at your feet now, licking the dust from your shoes."

"But, dear friend, I do not want a man to lick dust from my shoes."

"Ah, you area fool. You do not know the value of your own wealth."

" True ; I have been a fool. I was a fool to think that one coming from such a life as he has led could be happy with such as I am. I know

the truth now. I have bought the lesson dearly, but perhaps not too dearly, seeing that it will never be forgotten."

There was but little more said about the matter between our three friends at Oxney Colne. What, indeed, could be said ? Miss be Smyrger for a year or two still expected that her nephew would return and claim his bride ; but he has never done so, nor has there been any correspondence between them.

Patience Woolsworthy had learned her lesson dearly. She bad given her whole heart to the man ; and, though she so bore herself that no one was aware of the violence of the struggle, nevertheless the struggle within her bosom was very violent. She never told herself that she had done wrong; she never regretted her loss; but yet—yet !—the loss was very hard to bear. He also had loved her, but he was not capable of a love which could do much injury to his daily peace.

Her daily peace was gone for many a day to come.

Her father is still living; but there is a curate now in the parish. In conjunction with him and with Miss Le Smyrger she spends her time in the concerns of the parish. In her own eyes she is a confirmed old maid ; and such is my opinion also. The romance of her life was played out in that summer.

Patience never sits now lonely on the hill-side thinking how much she might do for one whom she really loved. But with a large heart she loves many, and, with no romance, she works hard to lighten the burdens of those she loves.

As for Captain Broughton, all the world knows that he did marry that great heiress with whom his name was once before connected, and that he is now a useful member of Parliament, working on committees three or four days a week with a zeal that is indefatigable. Sometimes, not often, as he thinks of Patience Woolsworthy a smile comes across his face,

GENERAL SAM HOUSTON.

THE accompanying portrait of General SAM HOUSTON, Governor of Texas, will be recognized by all who know the old hero. Even those who remember him as he was two years ago, when he wore a heavy mustache, will readily recall the noble brow and the fierce eye.

Probably no man in this country has led so adventurous a life as Sam Houston. Born, sixty--eight years ago, in Rockbridge County, Virginia, he lost his father when very young, and removed with his mother to the confines of the forest in Tennessee. Here he grew up as best he could, associating much with Indians and imbibing a fondness for their rude mode of life. As he reached manhood he tried to earn a living as a school-master, and then as a clerk in a country store. But neither pursuit pleased his fancy, and in 1813, when General Jackson called for volunteers

to fight the Creeks, Sam Houston responded to the call. He won credit during the campaign ; when it ended, he had risen to the rank of lieutenant. But as there was no more fighting to be done then, he laid down the sword, studied law at Nashville, and soon rose to be a prominent lawyer and politician. In 1823, he went to Congress from his district in Tennessee ; in 1827, he was elected Governor. In 1829, a fit of restlessness seized him. He resigned his post as Governor ; tried life a while in Arkansas, where the frauds practiced by the Government Agents upon the Indians disgusted him ; went to Washington, to endeavor to have his red friends righted, and found himself involved in no end of lawsuits with the rogues whom he sought to expose ; became a good deal disgusted with every thing and every body, and finally migrated to Texas.

Texas was then about to be admitted as a State of the Mexican Union. It was in a miserable condition. Its people comprised among them the worst vagabonds and scoundrels in the world.

When a man was so infamous and hopeless that he could not ship on board a whaler, he went to Texas. There was no money in the country, no trade, no industry, very little judicious agriculture. The whole State was overrun by wild bands of Indians, Comanches, Apaches, etc., who regarded the white man as an invader and robber, and shot him whenever they could. This was the condition of Texas when the people met, adopted a Constitution, and asked admission to the Mexican Confederacy—the American Sam Houston being elected as their first Governor.

Santa Anna refused, Texas declared its independence, and war was begun. The Texans organized a militia, and elected General Austin Commander-in-Chief. Austin soon gave way to Houston, and after a brief campaign he met Santa Anna at San Jacinto, in April, 1836, and totally routed him. The Mexican President was taken prisoner, and in the agony of defeat was forced to acknowledge the independence of Texas.

For eight years, during which General Houston was twice President, Texas was an independent nation. But its independence was intolerable. There was still no money, no credit, no commerce, no industry, no peace, no safety in the country. There was no means to pay the interest on the bonds issued by the Texan Government for the war of independence. Wars with the Indians never came to an end. Foreign nations treated the new State with contempt. Desperadoes only sought it as a home. These miseries becoming at length too grievous to be borne, the leading men of Texas, with General Houston at their head, sought admission to the Union, and after a long struggle carried their point. The last act of President Tyler's career as President was to sign an Act admitting Texas to the Union. This Act bound the United States to pay the Texan debt—some $10,000,000 ; to keep the Indians in check, at a cost of some $2,500,000 annually ; and to take the further measures which brought on the Mexican war. In return, Texas agreed to enter the Union as an independent State, with the reservation, however—which was not suspected at the time—that she would secede when she pleased.

In the year 1844, when Texas was admitted, General Houston was chosen to the United States Senate. He held his seat in that body some fifteen years, and was always a useful member, not given to long speeches, and scrupulously tender of his colleagues' feelings.

Two years ago he was elected Governor of Texas. He fills the post still ; and, if the newspaper reports are to be credited, he is by no means the facile tool of the disunionist Convention which seems to have been expected.. An irrepressible conflict between him and the secessionists seems to be impending; if it comes on, we may rely upon it Governor Houston will give a good account of himself.

Governor Houston is a man of very simple habits and genial manners. He eats no flesh and drinks no wine. His ordinary dinner is a plate of oranges or other fruit, and a glass of milk. One of his many peculiarities, which used to form the subject of conversation at Washington, was his habit of whittling. When he took his seat in the Senate, a page always appeared bearing a fagot of small pine sticks, which he laid respectfully beside the hero of San Jacinto. One of these the Senator soon seized, and began unconsciously to whittle. If the debate was dull the Senatorial knife traveled slowly, and exquisite little images were carved out of the stick to serve as mementoes to lady friends. If, on the contrary, the debate waxed warm, the knife worked nervously and quickly, and stick after stick fell in their shavings around the desk, until the whole fagot disappeared. Very few Senators were so personally popular at Washington as Senator Houston.

THE BIGGEST GUN IN THE
WORLD.

We publish on page 205 an accurate drawing of the great Fifteen-inch Gun at Fort Monroe, Virginia; and also a picture, from a recent sketch, showing the experiments which are being made with a view to test it. It is proper that we should say that the small drawing is from the lithograph which is published in MAJOR BARNARD's " Notes on Sea-Coast Defense," published by Mr. D. Van Nostrand of this city.

This gun was cast at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by Knapp, Rudd, & Co., under the directions of Captain T. J. Rodman, of the Ordnance Corps. Its dimensions are as follows

Total length                                  190 inches.

Length of calibre of bore              156   "

Length oft ellipsoidal chamber    9   "

Total length of' bore                    165   "

Maximum exterior diameter        43 "

(Cont. Next Page)

GENERAL SAM HOUSTON, GOVERNOR OF TEXAS.—[PHOTOGRAPHED BY BRADY.]