efore a tender-hearted lady like
that. To Mr. Rice, particularly, she expatiated upon the coarseness of
certain people, and the refined sensitiveness of others; and Sam was
much inclined to agree with her, so far as her remarks applied to her
friend, who was not yet recovered sufficiently to be visible. Indeed,
Mrs. Page was not visible for so many days, that Sam's soul began to
long for her with a mighty longing. At length, she made her appearance,
considerably paler and thinner than was her wont; but doubly interesting
and lovely to the eyes of so partial an observer as Sam, who would
willingly have sheltered her weakness in his strong, manly arms. Sam,
naturally enough, would never have hinted at the event which had so
distressed her; but she relieved him of all embarrassment on that
subject, by saying to him almost at once:

"Mr. Rice, I am told they have not buried the man they hung, so
shockingly, the other day. They certainly will not leave him _there_?"
she added, with a shudder.

"I don't know--I suppose," stammered Sam, "it is their way, with them
fellows."

"But you will not allow it? You _cannot_ allow it!"--excitedly.

"I couldn't prevent them," said Sam, quite humbly.

"Mr. Rice," and her voice was at once a command and an entreaty, "you
_can_ and _must_ prevent it. You are not afraid? I will go with
you--this very night--and will help you. Don't say you will not; for I
cannot sleep until it is done. I have not slept for a week."

She looked so white and so wild, as she uttered this confession, that
Sam would have been the wretch he was not, to refuse her. So he said:

"Don't you fret. I'll bury him, if it troubles you so. But you needn't
go along. You couldn't; it's too far, and you're too weak,"--seeing how
she trembled.

"I am not weak--only nervous. I prefer to go along. But we must be
secret, I suppose? Oh!"--with a start that was indeed "nervous."

"Yes, we must be secret," said Sam; and he looked as if he did not half
like the business, but would not refuse.

"You are a good man, Mr. Rice, and I thank you." And with that, Mrs.
Dolly Page caught up one of his hands, and kissing it hastily, began to
cry, as she walked quickly away.

"Don't cry, and don't go until I have promised to do whatever you ask,
if it will make you well again," Sam said, following her to the door.

"Then call for me to take a walk with you to-night. The moon is full,
but no one will observe us. They would not thin