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

hugglng the little bonnet 10 her breast )
but when she heard the gallop of horse,
she stopped still and met her Texas lover
with the stern, white face of the accuser.
"This is her bonnet. I found it at the
bayou and your tracks by it, You
drowned her. Gods curses upon you"
"Mallne, are you crazyY What do
you meant Where did you find that?"
"Down at the bayou, where you
drowned my darling, by the double ash
tree and the old mill-wheel. saw your
tracks there"
"I fished there two days ago, and
waited for the alligator to rise. I've
never been there since, l swear, and Eve
never set eyes on the child since / saw
her standing at your side yesterday. l
told YOU what I said about her was moth
ing but idle breath. didn't mean a
word of it. was mad because you re-
fused to 20 with me and said your duty
was to the children; but God knows l
wouldn't have hurt hair of the little
ones head for my own life. Tell me,
how came you to 80 to the big ash just
now3"
"Black Kountz, the conjurer-master,
tod me to go there, and that l should
find signs"
The Texan gave low whistle.
"Ill speak to that old rascal myself"
he said, and then I'll ride back to where
/ left the searching party, and bring
them to drag the bayou where the bon
net was found"
Maline shuddered and walked on with
out speaking.
Karlse rode to the hut Of the conjurer,
and, dismounting, Numbered upon the
closed door with his heavy whip. The
shufling feet of the African were slow TO
answer the sdmmons, and when he
opened the door his wrinkled features
exhibited some sign of perturbation,
which the bold, fierce look of the drover
and the sight of the pisto' and bowie
knife in his belt might have we'll e1-
cused.
There was nothing suspicious in the
answers he gave to the keen cross-ques-
tioning Of the Texan. He said, in his
broken gutteral, that he had seen in his
dream the bonnet lying by the ash tree
| the Great Man showed him things in his
dreams.
Karlse left him, after keen survey Of
his wretched hut, with his black-smoked,
cob-webbed walls, hung with the skins
and teeth of vermin and reptiles, its rag
pallet and greasy old chest and table.
The bayou was dragged, but without
result.
''The alligator" was the thought that
was in the minds of all, though nobody
spoke it, out of compassion for the broth
er and sister. Night set in with gather
ing clouds, lightning and the promise of
a storm, and the weary party retEaced
their steps.
Karlse alone fingered. Maline had
not told the others her suspicion that he
was Rosie's murderer, but he knew by
the look she gave him when she turned
away that she harbored it still. He
stood by his horses head in deep thought
a moment, then he mounted and iode
back towards the conjurer's cabin. Be-
fore it was in sight, he stopped in the
midst of dense thicket, got down from
his horse and fastened him securely, and
then waited while the twilight deepened
fast into dark night, the clouds obscuring
the sky, the lightning flashing at inter.
walls, and the rain coming in fitful gusts.
"Now for spying the camp" he said.
"Awful cautious l shall have to be.
That conjuring rascal is gray old coon.
shall have to slip up on him like sneak
in I'D on an old buck at day-break; and
first thing to be done, off must come these
boots" Suiting the action to the word.
he pulled off his boots and deposited
them by the tree where his horse was
fastened.
Then he set out for Kountz's hut, steer
ing his course through the darkness with
the judgment of trained backwoodsman
that almost amounts to instinct No
CLEAN of light came from the hut to
guide him. When he had crept eau
tiously close to it, and gone stealthily
around it, he saw that there was no crack
through which could be seen the light of
the FIRE that was sure to be burning in
side. Winter or summer the fire was
never suffered to die out on the Africans
hearth; but except the smoke from the
low chimney, no sign of it was to be
seen outside the windowless hut, whose
smallest crack and Granny the African
hastened to stop with rags or cotton and
plaster over with mud. Hid behind the
moss-hung limbs of the oak, Karlse saw
the negro come to the door, look out,
and muttsr to himself.
"Black night; good, jolly night-rain
torn, maybe; jolly night"
With sinister chuckle, he closed the
door and fastened it, rattling the heavy
chain in which the paddock was hooked.
Karlse crept around to the rear of the
cabin, and taking out his knife, knelt
down and began to cut into the clay that
was chinked between the logs of the wall,
and was now somewhat softened by the
recent rain. Noiselessly, cautiously he
worked until he had cut through sec
ten of the clay several inches square.
This plug he gradually drew out, using
the utmost care to prevent attracting the
attention of the black doctor. In this be
was abetted by the noise of the wind that
blew fercely at intervals, and made the
limbs of the live-oak creak and sway
against the roof of the cabin. The plug
was removed, and still kneeling, Karlse
applied his eye to the aperture and saw
the wizard smoking his pipe and mutter-
ing to himself before the fire. Presently
he rose, walked to the door, bent down
and listened attentively.
"Wind blowin' hard-mighty dark
torch can't live minit-white fools gone
home, gone to bed-good. jolly night for
good supper-ughP'
He chucklcd and smacked his lips
then, walking up to the screecl-owl, he
touched its muf1ed head, when, hutter-
ing its feathers with shivering motion,
the creature uttered its weird, ghostly cry,
whereat the black wizard nodded and
laughed hideously, showing his double
row of teeth. Then, turning round to
the greasy old chest, he proceeded to
draw it from its place, and from the part
of the dirt floor where it had stood, to
turn up square board that seemed to be
trap.door; for the conjuror let himself
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