The spy said he would not, and they left him. The half mile was soon passed, though it turned out to be a mile and a half, and at length Mary's companion looked back, as they rode single file with Mary in the rear, and said softly: "There's the road," pointing at its broad, pale line with his six-shooter. As they entered it and turned to the left, Mary, with Alice again in her arms, moved somewhat ahead of her companion, her indifferent horsemanship having compelled him to drop back to avoid a prickly bush. His horse was just quickening his pace to regain the lost position, when a man sprang up from the ground on the farther side of the highway, snatched a carbine from the earth and cried, "Halt!" The dark recumbent forms of six or eight others could be seen, enveloped in their blankets, lying about a few red coals. Mary turned a frightened look backward and met the eyes of her companion. "Move a little faster," said he, in a low, clear voice. As she promptly did so she heard him answer the challenge, as his horse trotted softly after hers. "Don't stop us, my friend; we're taking a sick child to the docter." "Halt, you hound!" the cry rang out; and as Mary glanced back three or four men were just leaping into the road. But she saw also her companion, his face suffused with an earnestness that was almost an agony, rise in his stirrups with the stoop of his shoulders all gone, and wildly cry: "Go!" She smote the horse and flew. Alice woke and screamed. "Hush, my darling," said the mother, laying on the withe; "mamma's here. Hush, darling, mamma's here. Don't be frightened, darling baby. O God, spare my child!" and away she sped. The report of a carbine rang out and went rolling away in a thousand echoes through the wood. Two others followed in sharp succession, and there went close by Mary's ear the waspish whine of a minie-ball. At the same moment she recognized, once, twice, — thrice, — just at her back where the hoofs of her companion's horse were clattering — the tart rejoinders of his navy six. "Go!" he cried again. "Lay low! lay low! cover the child!" But his words were needless. With head bowed forward and form crouched over the crying, clinging child, with slackened rein and fluttering dress, and sun-bonnet and loosened hair blown back upon her shoulders, with lips compressed and silent prayers, Mary was riding for life and liberty and her husband's bedside. "Go on! Go on!" cried the voice behind; "they're saddling up! Go! go! We're goin' to make it! We're goin' to make it! Go-o-o!" And they made it! : SECTION III. STRESS Stress is the location of the strongest portion of a given degree of Force upon a certain part of the sound or syllable. A shifting of this location changes the sense of the phrase. To illustrate if, in answering a direct question, the word "no" be given with the main Force on the first part of that monosyllable, it is a simple negative answer; now place the strongest Force on the last part of the word and the impression of determination or impatience is given; place it upon the first and last parts and it becomes irony or sarcasm; with the strength applied to the middle of the word it becomes pathetic or mournful; give the same Force throughout and it means a call; and finally, if the Force be applied tremulously, the utterance shows feebleness or agitation. It is evident that each change of the location of Force adds a new significance to the word "no." These illustrations prove our proposition; and accepting it as a fact, we must know exactly the significance of each Stress and be guided by that knowledge in our study of expression. Broadly speaking, Stress belongs to the Mental Nature, but its varieties and kinds represent all three of the natures of man. There are six Stresses, (1) Radical, (2) Final, (3) Compound, (4) Median, (5) Thorough, and (6) Intermittent. Their relation to the Triune Nature is shown as follows: The Radical is that Stress in which the Force is applied strongest on the first part of the sound, syllable, or word, as shown in the following cuts : Radical --Expulsive ---Explosive It is heard in the tick of a clock, the tap of a drum, the clapping of hands, the report of a gun, and in animated conversation. It is the ordinary Stress which conveys the meaning of the language, while each of the other Stresses conveys some special emotion or gives vitality to specially emphatic words; it therefore belongs to the Mental division of Man's Triune Nature. It is given with the Expulsive and Explosive Forms, and is used to express narration, joy, patriotism, courage, hate, anger, or dread, according to the Quality of voice in which it is given. The Radical Stress gives clearness and brilliancy to vocal utterance; it gives a clean-cut edge to words, makes them penetrate space and fall with precision and force upon the ear of the audience. It is the most commonly used of the Stresses, and by its definiteness and clearness in impressing the ear it adds great charm to conversation and to public speech. Illustrative Selection. NOTE. In reading the following selection the students should make clean-cut, definite strokes of voice at the beginning of the accented syllables throughout. As Radical is the Stress most frequently used, it should be practiced assiduously. HAMLET'S ADVICE TO THE PLAYERS WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue : but if you mouth it, as many of our players do, I had as lief the town-crier spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus, but use all gently; for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I may say, whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness. O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb-shows and noise: I would have such a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termagant; it out-Herods Herod pray you, avoid it. Be not too tame neither, but let your own discretion be your tutor: suit the action to the word, the word to the action; with this special observance, that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature for any thing so overdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure. Now this overdone or come tardy off, though it make the unskilful laugh, cannot but make the judicious grieve; the censure of the which one must in your allowance o'erweigh a whole theatre of others. O, there be players that I have seen play, and heard others praise, and that highly, not to speak it profanely, that, neither having the accent of Christians nor the gait of Christian, pagan, nor man, have so strutted and bellowed that I have thought some of nature's journeymen had made men and not made them well, they imitated humanity so abominably. 2. Final Stress. The Final is that Stress in which the Force is applied more strongly to the last part of the sound, syllable, or word, as indicated by the following cuts: Final --Expulsive --Explosive It is heard in a sneeze, a hiccough, in the premonitory growl and angry snap of a dog, in the scoff of disgust, or in the determined tones of a resolute, self-willed person. It is one of the pivotal Stresses, and represents about equally the Mental and Emotive Natures of Man, when the thought has a very determined, self-assertive, or insistent motive impelling its utterance. It is given only with the Expulsive and Explosive Forms of Voice, as shown in the above cuts, and is used to express determination, defiance, peevishness, snarling, fright, revenge, amazement, or terror according to the Quality in which it is given. Illustrative Selection. NOTE. In the following selection certain words, a few of which we have underscored, show great determination and firm resolve. Such words should be read with the Final Stress, which gives an expression of firmness and insistency. HENRY V TO HIS TROOPS WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead. In peace there's nothing so becomes a man As modest stillness and humility: But when the blast of war blows in our ears, |