Daily Kennebec journal., 1877-02-22

THE SHADOW OF The DOOR.
Continued from yesterday.l

secouu mOntu iOliOWeu tue HrSt without
bringing news from the traveller, it would
not have caused much comment beyond
the remark that he was taking it mighty
easy" He had told Atkins that the limit
of his journey would be town which he
named in the interior of Pennsylvania,
and that he would there communicate its
result.
When four weeks went by, quite lively
expectation showed itself that the fifth
would bring word from Dempton. At the
sixth, the whole neighborhood was conf
dent, and looked blank when the post-bag
produced nothing. Here the part Demp-
ton had played so we'll told powerfully.
Caught badly once in yielding over readily
to suspicion, their minds were slow to
turn that way again. Every squeal of
Dempton's pig, and mooing of his COW,
was an appeal in his favor. The kew of
his house would have burned Atkins fing-
ers had he handled it suspectinglv.
Still, it was generosity, not stupidity, that
was enlisted on his side. All at once the.
idea awoke in almost every mind that
such mystery could not be left to sleep
out its third month, while they waited for
what some of them began to think might
never come. Where people act under
such circumstances they are apt to make
up for lost time by an exaggeration of
vigor Their patience swung over to the
opposite extreme. Their quie,ness be-
Came clamOr. The stir throughout the
community was unparalleled. A demon
stration of some kind was inevitable. A
spark would have kndled it, and very
live coal was suddenly thrown into the in
hammable heap.
The Postmaster had remembered that
the letter mentioned already as having
been by Dempton was in answer to one
of his own addressed to "Sprage Tomp.
kins, ESQ.," in the town to which he told
Atkins he was going. 10 this person At
kins had written, stating the circumstan-
ces of Dempton's departure. and inquiring
abont his movements. The reply dis
claimed all knowledge on the subject, aud
sharply added, that by a slowness which
seemed to the writer exit iaordnary, they
had probably given a crafty criminal who
counted upon it. ample time to escape.
There was large gathering at the store
In expectation OF news, when this letter
arrived; and the moment it was read
aloud, as it was called for. the whole thing
seemed as clear as day. They were made
very mad by such snubbing from a
yankee lawyer" but the deeper feeling
was of Indignation at being the dupes OF
Dempton. In two or three hours time.
the whole community had assembled IN
naSse, and lighted down on Dempton's
place-ransacking it to the very inside Of
an old tin kettle.
The negroes, of course, were there. but
trod gingerly, and hunted in groups.
Even if it were broad daylight, not
"chie" among them was going to catch,
or be caught by. "spJok" unlwares.
They peered, with Nep. nostrils diated and
specially INTENT over the bank beneath
which he snutfed the first suspicion OF this
new excited history. Nep himself, with
II companion or two, ventured into the
house and up stairs. "Whar you gwine,
NepP' said one of them as he led the
way. "Why you 70 up dar furP" But
Nep persisted, with a shake of his head, as
if he had at last made up his mind; and
up they went, relieved to find they were
not alone. Spicer, the storekeeper, Atkins
and another respectable planter were in
earnest conversation over the affair.
"Well, boys" said one of them, "there's
nothing to be seen here; you'd better go
down again" "Yes, mas'r." replied Nep,
but still pro ruding his head through the
doorway, and staring round with peculiar
expression that struck the three observ-
ers. "Why. you fool" said Spicer. ''the
walls aren't going TO jump at you; what
are you looking foP" Nep fairly caught bis
breath as he answered. "I-I-I don't
see it, masr" ''See whatp What do you
expect TO seeo' "Only door. mas'r; l
thought there was a door by arr
"Nep," said Atkins, quietly, "come in
here" Nep obeyed, his skin getting
greyish tinge, and his eyes glanced round
rapidly. A tremendous scuttlipg on the
stairway told what had become of his COM
panions.
"Now, Nep," said Atkins, you've got
| something to tell, and don't be scared
about it. Were you ever in here beforeP"
"Nebber, mas'r. so help me" There
intercepted Atkins, "you needn't take your
oath just yet. Only tell us the truth, and
all you know about it. If you were never
here before. what made you think there
was door here?"
/ could not do justice to Nep's reply
without so large an infusion Of that ire
sistihly comic element which marks the
unsophsticated negro in his most serious
moments-aud the more so on account of
his seriousness-as would hardly agree
| with the tragic interest of the facts in
volved
| Nep's part therein was, of itself. very
trihing-but on what tribes do the gravest
events sometimes depend
| He told straightforward story. helped
occasionally by Atkins cOnsderate ques-
tions, to this effect:
Some months before. about the time of
Elsey's disappearance, Nep had been
caught at nightiall on the opposite side of
the river. He had crossed in his skiff,
and remembered it as the first time he had
been able successfully to stem the current
after the unusual floods which had pre-
vailed. Having to go some distance back
into the country. he was belated on his re-
turn, and struck the river good way
above the spot where he had fastened his
skiff. To reach 1t he had to follow the
curve of the shore opposite The point on
which was Dempton's house. He admit
ted that he did not like being there In the
dark; and, according to his own account.
must have been stumbling along at great
rate among the roots and bushes on the