Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1884-01-26

from the dreaded voice by hiding IN !
dark corners; but the voice tauntingly |
called M forth.
"'Finally, in despair, weentered the
parlor, and there the end came. Forth
from the solid wall strobe q gigantic
naked negro. His hesh was scored Is
though with . whip. Blood marked the
trail a be walked He stalked toward
os. With an e1ultant grin he glared
fercely at us. Then he slowly stretched
out his hand, AZ though to grasp my
wife's yellow hair. An overpowering
base and cowardly terror seized me.
Ny only fear was that the black spectre
would grasp me instead OF my wife.
She chung to me with twining aims,
~murmnring, protect me! Save me I"
Basely I thrust her from me toward the
outstretched hand OF the gigantic black.
She looked ut MI lovingly, not reproach-
fully, and with a kind, foegiving smile on
her face, fell dead at my feet. With
ineffable scorn the negro pointed his
horny index finger at me and said, "a
\ cowardl The first Of his race," and dis
appeared with . crash that always
awakened me-"
The x-Confederate ceased talking
for An instant while he lit q fresh cigar,
and then he said: "That is Johnson's
vision. It never varies a particle, and
he sees it if he drinks 30 much as one
sg3ass Of whisky. OF course you all un-
derstand that there is not any ground
for the vision. It is, from beginning to
/ end, an alcoholic phantasm.
"Then there was Wallace" and the
narrator smiled at his memories ellis
wash queer case of physical recollec-
ton OF . fight and drunken hiding.
Wallace got drunk in town q am talking
Of Northern Alabama), and while drunk
/ got into trouble. Being hard pressed,
he drew his pistol and killed his oppo-
nent, who Was q worthless creature.
The dead mans friends, also worthless
creatures, gathered in an excited crowd.
Wallace, partly sobered, realized his
danger, and resolved to get out of town
npoesible. His horse stood in the shed.
Wallace kept the crowd off by pistol
shooting, that may have been q little
indiscriminate, until he was mounted.
By this time some of the dead mans
friends were also mounted. Wallace fed
and was hotly pursued. His plantation
was some eight miles the other side Of
the river. The pursuing horsemen cut
him off from the bridge by riding up g
1 d street. Seeing this he turned his
horse and rode down the river bank a.
full gallop. It was quite dark by this
time. After riding about a mile down
the river bank he spurred his horse into
the stream. His horse carried hin
across safely and clambered up the op
posite bank.
"Wallace rode into the heavy fores
at the full gallop. He remembered NJ
more Of that nights experience. TIL,
next morning he awoke in a darkenet
room. He was lying on a rough, dirt,
floor. Staggering to his feet he fel
around his unknown quarters until b,
found q hole in the floor. A ladder ha<
been thrust through this opening ant
projected q couple of feet above tn
floor. he descended the ladder an,
found himself in q basement, one side O
which opened on a gulch. It was al
abandoned still house. He saw tn
tracks made by his horse, but the hors
was gone. he did not know where b
was. 1t was ten o'clock before he foun
. road he knew. and noon before b
reached home. His horse returne
home during the previous night. Eve
after, when Wallace got drunk in tina
town, he would wake up the next morn
ing in the dark attic Of the deserted stl
house. He always turned his hors
loose and had to walk home. When b
; left the country and the old association
! were broken, he quit riding around {
midnight to hide in dirty attics."
1t was growing late. Our party bad
i, one another good night and wandere
off to bed. FARNK WnKEsoN.