816 HISTORY OP What could she do ? Should he be sacrificed to the avarice and cupidity of parents ? No ! " Sooner let earth, sea, air, to chaos fall ; Men, monkeys, lap-dogs, parrots, perish all." She informed him, with alternate sobs and tears, of her pa- rents' resolution. Murphy was thunderstruck ; not a word was spoken for some moments, when, after making a single request that they should meet again at a time and place speci- fied, he hastily departed. As he was rekirning toward the fort, he reflected ; why this unkind prohibition ? At length the thought struck him — it was because he was poor ! Time passed with a heavy step. Murphy endeavored to calm his feelings by continued action, and engaged in nume- rous skirmishes with invariable success ; yet his downcast eyes in the midst of triumph, indicated that something was wrong, Alas, how true the exclamation of the poet : "For mighty hearts are held in slender chains." At last the night of their meeting arrived, and seating himself beneath a spacious oak, he patiently waited to perceive the object of his pursuit. A faint light was glimmering through a window. At length that was extinguished ; moments then seemed hours, as he sat reclining against the oak. He waited half an hour longer, when the window was softly raised, and his '^ady love peeped through, and on recognizing him, beckoned for him to approach. After a serious consultation, they came to the determination of being united by "That silken tie that binds two willing hearts." They agreed to meet at the same place a few days afterward
