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

upon the horrible reptile, whose scaly
folds and open jaws were horribly life
like.
"Why you no eat de pap carry down
to youf" demanded the negro in his gut.
teral utterance; "nice zap, wild good
hog-grease in it; and I carry down light
for you, and all. You guinc to eat now ?
Come"
He took a teacup from the shelf and
tried to force u 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 de eend of it. Neb-
ber'll fatten, sure. Ef dat been 'possum
I 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, dcy'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.
"Hush !" he Kissed, with u horrible
grimace. "Hab snake round your neck
in no time"
Once more he shuflnd to the door,
stopped and listened. Then, muttering
"Yas, yas; 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 chilli, who followed
his movements with stupid stare in her
diIated eyes like that of bird or a 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 a chant
and a shufling 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 his 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 MUIR
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 gleam of
lightning. 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
as 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-
yolver 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 stout halter from his pocket and
tied the wretch securely, fastening his
feet and hands together. When this was
done, he turned to the child, who sat
where she had been placed rigid and
movcless as corpse. He took her In
his arms and kissed her.
care you hurt anywhere, Rosie ?-are
you scared out OF your wits, poor little
one? You are safe now; you shall go
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 aad ghastly face, he believed
that terror had psralyzed 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 at
last, as she lay upon his shoulder. "He
had knife; he sharpened it to kill me" )"
"He'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 p
"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"
81 heard them," whispered the child
81 heard them once calling my name. II
was Maline's voice, and l wanted ia
answer, but he said if l 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 coEjuror,
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 he 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, l know" she
began, then checked herself with cry as
Karles laid her sister in her arms.