St. Mary's beacon., 1853-05-12
bic to the: NOTICE. .

s1s " .iN' : ~ VICE.. II
ms I'D. commissioners rs =,
aforementioned the efscI So. sp-
He had not yet drawn the bow from itg
case, but now did so, and struck it
shrieking across the strings, forced all
the while to keep its legs kicking high in
the air to avoid the trap-like fangs that
were only a few inches below. In an
instant the yells ceased, and the negro
went on, drawing forth the most wild,
hysterical, and grating sounds from his
friendly violin.
1t was singular to observe, however,
that this barbarous noise had no other
effect upon the creatures than to astonish
them. Even wolves can not be charmed
by bad music. When the first surprise
was over they renewed their attack.
Presently great gaunt head, Lit by two
eyes like globes of green fire, was thrust
up through the roof!
Who's dar 20 shrieked the negro,
mad with horror. An instinct saved him.
Just as there seemed no thread of fate to
hold him from being dragged down and
made the prey of these ravenous brutes,
he once more smote his bow upon the
fiddle, and began playing with desperate
energy Yankee Doodle" The loud,
animating, inspiring notes, caused instan-
taneous silence amcng the hungry rout
below. Orpheus piping to the brutes,
was no unmeaning fable. Dick won a
Kindred Triumph. iIViisla zastonishment
he saw the result of his music. Around
him was the most attentive audience that
ever listened to his fiddling. But when
ever there was the slightest pause the
wolves sprang forward and commenced
their howl again. Thus the black was
forced to labor away, flinging his feet into
the air, redoubling his vigor, and filling
the whole clearing with this extraordina-
ry harmony. A feeling of professional
pride gradually stole over him in spite of
| his alarm. Now and then a thought of
the wedding, of the warm lights, of the
sweetened whiskey, of the whirling
dance, of the homage and admiration of
the colored people, came regretful into
his mind; but he knew that he was safe so
long as he continued to play; so on he
, went, from Yankee Doodle to Hail Co.
lumbia, searching his memory for every
lively strain, to charm away the ferocity of
the strange auditors that crouched around.
But pleasure, and pride, as well as pa
tience, come to an end. It was a cold
night; Dick had walked far and tasted
long his arms were weary of their ex-
ercise he began to feel benumbed, hun
grv and exhausted. Nothing, however,
could be done but play on, for at every
pause those fearful growls began again.
There was no contenting that shaggy
group of connoisseTSS fsssss.sJ ftis s..:,J,,i aksAaz
sat- with lge. and grain, If re-
ears, through severai sodfsRe gwndssr
night that Dick had ever known. The
moon went down low in the sky. A
deeper shadow crept from under the
arches of the forest. The stars seemed
more pale, the forms of the trees more
bare and gaunt, and the troop Of wolves
to multiply instead Of diminishing.
At last, however, the negroes at the
wedding feast became alarmed. They
knew that of all the colored people Dick
was the very minute-hand of punctuali-
ty; when he failed, it was invariably be-
cause something or somebody had failed
him. Now therefore that he was hours
beyond his time, a serious accident must
have occurred. They were all as much
concerned by this fear as by the dread Of
losing the pleasurable excitement Of q