The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-02-17

l
II "This is her bonnet. I found II at tt,
, bayou and your tracks BY it. Yor
, drowned her. Coda curses upon you =
II "Maline are you crazy2 What die
you mean? Where did you find that p
'Down at the Bayou, where YOU
drowned my darling, by the double ash
tree and the old mill.vheel. I saw your
tracks there"
: ''I fshed there two days ago, and
waited for the alligator TO rise. I've
never been there since, swear, and I've
: never set eyea on the Child sin.e, I saw
! her standing at your side yesterday. ]
told you what said about her was moth.
ing but idle breath. I didn't mean o
word 1t. was mad because You 70.
fused to go with me and said your duty
was TO the children; but God knows
wouldn't have hurt o hair of the little
ones head for my own life. Tell me,
how came you to 60 to the big ash just
now p
"Black Kountz. the conjurer master,
told me to go there, and that I should
find signs"
TheTexsn gave low whistle.
"Pll 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"
I Maline ehuddered and walked on With
out speaking.
Karlse rode to tho hut of the coniurar.
and, dismounting, .thundered upon the
closed door witt, mis- heavy whip. The
shutting feet of the African were slow to
answer the summons, and when he
opened tho door his vriukled features
exhibited some sign of perturbation,
which the bold, fierce look Of the droyer
and the sight of the pistol and bowie.
knife in his belt might have we'll ex-
cused.
There was nothing suspicious in the
answer he gave to tho 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,
tue Great Man showed him things in his
dreams.
Karlse left him, after keen survey OF
his wretched nut, with his black smoked,
cob-webbed wallp, hung with the skins
and teeth of vermin and reptiles, its rag
paiiet aud greasy old chest and table.
| The bayou was dragged, but without
result.
"The alligator" was the thought tha t
was in the minds of all, though nobody
spoke it. ont of compassion for the BROTH
er and sister. Night set in with gather
ing clouds, lightning and the promise OF
q storm, and the weary party retraced
their steps.
| Karlse alone fingered. Maline had
not told the others her suspicion that he
was Rosie'o murderer, but he knew by
the look she gaye him when she turned
away that che har5ored it still. He
stood by his horses head in deep thought
q moment, then he mounted and rode
back towards the conjurer's cabin. Be-
fore it was in sight he stopped in the
midst of q dense thicket, get down from
his horse and fastened him securely, and
then waited while the twilight deepened
fast into dark night, the clouds obscuripg
the sky, the lightning flashing at inter.
walls, and the rain coming in fitful gusts.
"Now for spying the caup," ne said.
awful cautious ] shall have to be.
That eonjuring rascal is gray old coon.
! shall have TO slip up on him like sneak
in up on an old buck at day-break; and
first thing to be done, off m cat come these
b0ots." Suiting the action to the word.
he pulled of his boots and deposited
them by the tree where his horse was
fastened.
Then he set out for KoIn:z's hut, steer.
ing his course trough the darkness with
the judgment of q trained backswoodman
that almost amounts to instinct. No
CLEAN OF light came from the hut to
guide him. When he had crept eau
tiously close 10 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 aad Granny the African
hastened to stop with rags or cotton and
, plaster over with mud. Hid behind the
NOES hung limbs Of tho ohk, Karlso saw
the negro come to the door, look out,
and mutter to himself.
"Black night; good jolly night-rain
torn, maybe; jolly night"
With q sinister chuckle, he closed the
door and fastened it, rattling che 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 a Sec
ton of the clay several inctes square.
} This plug he gradually drew ois, uaina
the utmost care 20 prevent attracting the
J attention ofthe black doctor. IN this ne
ysas abetsed by the noise Of the wind tha!
} blew iercely at intervals, and made the
limbs of the live-oak crack and sway
!, against the roof of the cabin. The plug
was removed, and still kneeling, Karlss
, applied bis eye to the aperture and saw
the wizard smoking his pipe and mutter.
: ing to himselfbefore the fire. Pressently
he rose, walked to the door, bent down
, and liatened attentively.
:. wind BLOWN. hard-mighty dark
torch can't live minit--white fools gone
! home, gone tc bed-good, jolly night fol
good supper-ugh ''
He chuckled and smacked his lips
then, walking up to tho screech.owl, i:
touched. ;;:s :iiaiiied head, wien, fiuiter
ing its feathers with shivefing motion
the creature uttered itswierd, ghostly cry
whereat the black wizard nodded anc
n laughed bideously, showing his double
7 row of teeth. Then, turning round to
the greasy old cheat, he proceeded K
draw it from its place, and from the par,
the dirt floor ,wheTo it had stood, K
turn up q square board that seemed 70 b:
,, g trap-door; for the cobjarer let himself
down into the hole it had covered, ant
, when he again emerged, scrambiing vi
,, with difficulty Whit seemed steep, ladder
like steps, he had something thrown owe
hia ahnuifiaF That n, a n. ~, ts y. 4 - :.