The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-12-07


folds and open jaws were horribly life
like.
"Why you no eat de pap carry down
to you ?" demanded the negro in his gut.
teral utterance; "nice zap, wild good
hog-grease in it; and l carry down light
for you, and MI. You guine to eat now ?
Come"
He took a teacup from the shelf and
tried to force spoonful of the soft mess
it contained into the child's mouth.
"Eat; it'll be de bess for you. Well,
you won't, and dat's dc eend of it. Neb-
ber'll fatten, sure. Ef dat been 'possum
1 cotch now, an put in barrel an feed
dat way, he done fatten pound or two in
dis time; but white chile too 'tubborn.
He won't eat; get poorer, tiddy fatter.
Well, eff dey won't eat, dey'll have to be
eat all de sooner-dat's all. Dis ones in
pretty good order. Lemme see agin."
With his great, black claws he felt of
the child's legs and arms, pinching her
so hard that an involuntary exclamation
of pain escaped her lips.
dHush !" he hissed, with a horrible
grimace. "Hab snake round your neck
in no time"
Once more he shuffled to the door,
stopped and listened. Then, muttering
"Yas, vas; good night for good supper"
he proceeded to throw more pine-knots
on the fire, and to hang over it pot he
had filled with water. Then he took a
large knife from the shelf and began to
sharpen it. Every now and then he
turned to glare at the chill, who followed
his movements with stupid stare in her
dilated eyes like that of q bird or squir-
rel charmed by snake. He tried the
edge of the knife, and seemed satisfied
that it was sharp; then, thrusting it in
his bosom, he took up the snake, wound
it around his neck, and struck up chant
and shuffling step, with which he moved
in circle before the child with his eyes
fixed upon her, and drawing gradually
nearer until he paused and stretched out
one hand, while with the other he drew
out the knife from bis breast.
The poor victim sat like charmed
bird or lamb beneath the butcher, her
wide eyes fastened on that terrible face,
now full of the carniverous ferocity and
eagerness of the beast that scents blood.
But before the blow descended, the mur-
derer was startled from his anticipated
feast by a heavy crash upon the door
from the axe that Karsle had caught
sight of on the ground in a CLEAN OF
lig ghtning. Another heavy blow and the
door was burst open and the Texan
leaped in and darted for the conjuror,
who, with his back braced against the
wall, stood at bay, the big knife brand
ished in his hand, dull, desperate glare
in his reptile eye. He sprange at Karlse
rs the latter advanced upon him, and
made a lunge at his breast; but the
Texan caught the knife by dexterous
movement, and twisting it from the
blacks clutch sent it whirling to the
other end of the hut. The next instant
the cannibal felt the cold muzzle of a re-
volver at his head, and he dropped on
his knees gibbering for mercy.
With his teeth clenched and breathing
hard with disgust and indignation, Karlse
drew a stout halter from his pocket and
tied the wretch securely, fastening bis
feet and hands together. When this was
done, he turned to the child, who sat
where she had been placed rigid and
moyeless as corpse. He took her in
his arms and kissed her.
care you hurt anywhere, Rosie9-are
you scared out OF your wits, poor little
one9 You are safe now; you shall &c
home to Jules and Maline."
A long shiver passed over the child
she clasped her deliverer's neck convul-
sively, then burst out crying and sobbing
"Thank Godp exclaimed the Texan,
for he knew those tears had saved the
reason, perhaps the life of the child.
When he had seen her sitting with
dilated eyes and ghastly face, he believed
that terror had paralyzed her senses into
hopeless idiocy. Still, as yet she had
not spoken. He soothed her rs tenderly
as Maline could have done.
'The black man," she whispered al
last, as she lay upon his shoulder. "He
had knife; he sharpened it to kill me. +"
SHE'LL never harm you now, Rosie
You see where he lies tied on the floor
He'll never have chance to lay finger
upon you or any other child-the black
inhuman devil l''
"And the snake-the dreadful snake "
sobbed the child.
"It was dead; it couldn't bite you
See."
He picked up the voodoo symbol from
the floor, and threw its great coils on the
blazing wood Goals.
"You want me to take you home now,
little Rosie? They'll be SO glad to see
you; they hunted for you everywhere
II heard them," whispered the child
II heard them once calling my name: II
was Maline's voice, and 1 wanted ia
answer, but he said if I did the snake
would jump at me and bite me, and then
he put ME in that black hole in the
ground"
Don't think of it any more. Come
let me carry you home to Maline, before
she cries her eyes out. Then I'll come
and attend to that lump of African devil.
try here, and give him part Of his
deserts"
He stopped and carefully examined
the knots that secured the cord around
the wrists and ankles of the conjuror,
and then, carrying Rosie in his arms, he
made his way with some little difficulty
to the thicket where his horse was tied
and mounted, placing the child before
him. A rising moon, nearly full, had
now begun to struggle with the clouds
and shed faint light on the path along
which Karles' wiry mustang went, with
his steady. regular gallop, that soon
brought them to Rosie's home.
Maline was walking the little porch,
unable to be still, or to listen to the we'll
meant consolation of some of the neigh
bors inside, who had come back from
their vain search for the lost child, and
stopped with Jules and Maline to COM
fort them by their company.
She stopped short as Karlse rode up
in the dim light she did not see his bur
den.
"You have no news, 1 know" she
began, then checked herself with cry as
Karles laid her sister in her arms.
"It is Rusie-warm and living. Never