eated Mayall with cold neglect, if not
contempt. The old farmer had seen his intended son-in-law and spent a
few days with him at the fort, and renewed his promise to give him his
daughter in marriage without her consent, and in spite of her most
earnest protest.

And now, reader, put yourself in her place, and meditate awhile, and see
if you would have done as she did.

Nelly was a wild, lovely girl by nature, and had added to her store of
knowledge many of the accomplishments of education. She had pledged her
hand and heart to Mayall, and said she would go with him to some deep,
unknown valley of the wilderness, before she would live with a man she
hated and could not love, and informed Mayall that her father was
determined to have the wedding take place the next Wednesday. She said
she once knew a lady who was separated from her lover, and yielded to
her parents' choice, who lived in perpetual torment, surrounded by a
profusion of wealth. In a few years she pined away, and died
broken-hearted, entered Charon's boat with her first love, and sailed
over the River of Death together, to join their friends on the Elysian
Fields of Paradise, and left her parents and the man of their choice
digging in the mud and dust for gold. But that lady was not Nelly
Gordon. She would sooner seek the wild wood's shade; for, "Better is a
dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith."
"I would yield all due respect to my parents, remain single, and cheer
them in the winter of their declining years; make downy pillows for
their aching heads, and ring their funeral knell; but, oh, misery! when
they attempt to force me to take a partner for life, not worthy the name
of a man, for his property, I shudder at the thought, and my better
judgment compels me to rebel against parental authority. They have gone
thus far without my consent--have even invited the guests; and I assure
you the groom may come, but the bride will be absent."

Mayall's mind was made up at a glance, for he had long known Nelly's
love and fidelity to him, which, he had returned with the kindest
respect, and said to Nelly: "If you dare trust yourself in my care, meet
me at the large gate that leads to the highway as soon as your father
and mother retire to rest, with such articles of clothing as you may
need on your journey, and we will fly to some green valley of the West.
I will see that your horse is in readiness. I have a friend that will
acco