The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-12-15

 which was ready for burning. Let the freebooser roast" said Tom: "who eares" He nov felt convinced tha, all he had heard and seen was no illusion.
 He was not prone to le, h,s wife in:o his confidence : but as this was an uneasy secre, he willingly shared it with her All her avarice was awakened a, the men, ton ef hidden gold. and she urged her husb nd to comply with the black mans terms. and secure wha, would make them wealthy for llte. Ho~ever Tom might have felt disposed to sell himself to the Devil, he was determined no, to do So to oblige h,s wife; so Ae i,atly refused, ou, of the mere sp,ri, of contradiction. Many and bitter were the quarels they had on the subject bu, the more she talked. the more resoluie was Tom not to be damned to please her
 At length she determined ,o drive the bargain on her own account. and Il she succeeded. to keep all the gain to her selt. Being of the same fearless temper as her husband. she SC, oft for tie old h. dian fort toward the close of a summers day, She was many hours absent When she came back. she was sullen and re- served ln her fephes She spoke some ,h,ng ot ack man. whom she had met abou, twilight hew,ng a, the root of a tall tree. He was sulky. however. and would not come to terms, she was to ge again with props,iatory otenas. but ~ha, II was she torebore to say.
 The mex, evening she set oE again for the swamp, with her apron heavily laden. Tom waited and waited for her. but in vain, midnight came. but she did not make her appearance morning. noon, night returned, ba, still she dld not come. Tom now grew uneasy tor her safety. es specially as he found she had carried otf in het apron the silver teapot and spoons. and every portable article ot value. An othe' night elapsed. another morning came but no wife. In word. she was never heard of more.
 What vas her real fate nobod, knows. m eoRseq qaenee ci so many pretending to know. IL is one ot those facts which have become contoundcd by variety of his- iouans. sane asserted that she lost hei @ay among the tangled mafes al the swamp. ,ud sank 'n,o some pn ot slough, others. more Un. haftible. hinted that she had eieped wl,h the household booty and made oti io some other province while others sa,rltsei iha, the temptei had deeoyed her into i. dismal 4aagmite. on the ,op et whi he, ha, was found klns. In confirmation ot thIs. It was sad a great black man. with an aN on his shoulder. was seen late that very evening coming oa; oi the swamp, cdriying bun de ted in Il Che,S X apron. wl,h an au ot suly usump,a
 ibe most current and probable story. however. observes that Tom Walker grew so anAtous about the late of h,s alic and hs property tha; he ,et out at length to seek them both at the Indian fort, Dur ms long sammefs afternoon he searched aboat the gloomy place. but ne wife Was to be seen. He Aiicd her name repeatedly but she vas nowhere to be heard. The biueFn alone responded ,o his volcc. as il fieH screaming hs or the bullfrog croaked doleil!ly from neigh- boring pool.
 Al length. il Is sad, lust m the brown hour oi twilight. when the owls began to hoo;. and the bats ,o f|lt about. his a,ten- uon was attracted by the clamor of car ron crows lowering abou, a cypress tree. He looked up. and beheld a bundle ted in | check apron, and hanglng m the h H petthed hard by. as If keeping watch upon Il. He ieaped with oy: for he recognized his wite 5 apron. and supposed Il To Con,ain the household yaluib,es
 Let Gs get hold of the property" said he. consolingly 10 himself and we viii endeavor 10 do ~l,hou, the woman
 AS he scrambled ap the tree. the vui- ,ute spread its widc- wings, and sailed otf screaming into the deep shadows of the forest, Tom scifcd the he ked apron. but. ~oeial slgh,, found nothing but heal, and hyes ned ep m it
 such, according 10 this most authentic old story, ~as all thl; was 10 be found of Toa wife. She had probably attempted 10 deal with the black man as she had been | customed 10 deal with her hus- band but though a female st old is gen etaliy considered match ioE the deSll, ye, n ,his instance she appears ,o have had the worst oi Il. She must h ,ve dled game however for | IS sad Tom uouced many prints oi cloven feet deepls stamped about the tree. and found haadials oi haI that oosed IS II they had been plecked fro;a tie coarse black shock oi 1 the woodman Tom knce h.> ~iie's pIowess by cNpeuence lie shrugged hs shoulders as he booked i, ,he signs oi a herce clappere .as.ne tgad. sad he to himself old Sefa.gh mast have had tough tune of Il
 Tom consoied himsc.i iof ,ae loss of his property w.,h the loss o: his wtic for he was q mar oi iof,I,gie. lie esen feli something ise srat.' 4e toward The bla < weodmau. who. nc considered had done hun kin mess He ought, therefore ;o cultivate iar:he, az4aHn;4nee nith h,m, ba. for some t.He sitho4' sGec css the old blackieg> played shy for what ever people may ,hlns, he Is no, always 10 he had for cAl!nZ for he knows ho~ 10 play hss cards when pretty s4re Of hls game,
 A, length, |; $ said, when delay had whe;.ed Toms eagefness D me quick and prepared h.;n ,o agree to anything