The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-05-05

Lilo ltuSlltCI tCliVCO TOUgn Tic
woods and sounded flemish as It came
back from the mountain side. | knew
Cap Hawkins well. Lawless as he
was, there was in his composition a
certain wild chivalry peculiar to these
men of the mountains. Brave as q
lion, he had an unbounded admiration
for courage in others; cunning as g
fox, he respected a man who could
Guido him in craftiness. knowing
this, l determined to assume a bold ali
and affect a supreme Indifference to
my fate, whatever that was to be.
SO, Cap, dry up" | began, winking
slyly at him. "Dont brighten the
revenue men; they'll be after you
again"
Again he roarcd as if ho would
split his sides over tho joke. lie was
immensely ticklcd.
"Say your prayers, Cap" | con-
tinucd. "It'll be a long time before
you sec daylight again"
"Whut air we a-drivin' at, Kurncl?'
he asked, seriously, casting his eyes
about him. My shot had missed, but /
kept firing.
Swell, you sec, Hawkins, now that
I've got you in my power Pm going to
put you out of the way for good. You
come along with me to the Cove.
There's a warm hole in the side of the
mountain in which you can spend the
winter, board and lodging free. Come,
brace up, Cap; when you sec how
comfortable it is in there you'll want
to lease the place tor life"
Tho outlaw made no response to my
random talk, nor did he laugh as be-
fore. Something seemed to worry
him, for he fidgctcd about, scratched
his uncombcd head and ran his bony
fingers through his grizzlcd, tangled
beard.
"Look a-hyar Kurncl," said tho
moonshincr, leaning close to me and
boring into me with his black eyes,
''air &c ever been thar?" :
"Thcrc? Where, CapY
"That thar hole we air a-goin' on
about"
"Why, of course, don't l know every
hole and crag in the Cohuttas?"
"Thcn that settles it, Kurncl. l
lowed yc wal jokin'. Waw, Patsy,
waw, Suck, wawp."
He refined in his horses and stopped
the wagon. Taking up an ak he handed
it to some person on the ground, and
said q few words which l did not I'M
dcrstand. tried to raise myself to
look out, but fell back helpless, full Of
sharp, shooting pains. My joints re-
fused to bend, my neck crcakcd when
| tried to turn my head and the strug-
gle of the night came back to me like a
horrible repetition. At the first sound
of the AK Cap Hawkins put his arm
under my back and forced me to sit
upright.
"Cobo air a-cuttin' yer tombstone,
Kurncl, am | lowed yc'd like ter git Il
last look"
To the right of the wagon stood a
giant poplar lifting its shaggy top 800
feet above the road. In its trunk were
three gaping wounds, and a moon
sinner in broad hat and big boots was
cutting 4 fourth, Two other ill-look-
ing men stock near, their guns in their
hands.
"knrncl," continued my guard, ado
We want ter write yer opcrtaph!" The
men laughed nj their chief. "Thcm
other three Rcvics didn't git nary
chance ter write thrirn. Boys, air any
o. yc got Il pcncil!"
Too well | knew the meaning of that
notch from which the sappy chips were
flying. My heart quivcrcd as the ak
ate its way into the soft wood. My
face must have reflected my thought,
for the outlaw, giving me a gentle
| push, sent mo III my back.
clay down, Kurncl, an don't git so
alfred skcercd," he said. "rhat air a
board an lodgin' free" And quot
ing my own words, he fairly made the
wclkin ring with his coarse laughter.
| HSnrnly van lpnt ;nto,l ~ 1..
me, Cap"
"That air jos about it, reckon,
Kurncl. Yc air Gross tho dead line,
an yer cpcrtaph air done been writ.1
Before ] could say moro his three
companions climbed into the wagon
beside me-. Clicking to his horses he
drove on at a trot through the pass,
and as the sun r0sc over the mountain
we entered the precincts cf Slccpy
Cove. 1t must have been 10 O'Clock,
yet into that lonesome spot the sun
was just beginning to pour his rays.
| BY . p. m. he would disappear behind
the Jagged clip that formed the west
ern boundary of the retreat, and tie
long twilight would set in with its
spectral shadows chasing each other i'm
the dark wood. Often had | heard
the country folk talk with batcd breath
of the horrors of Sleepy Cove. Cob
Inns, they said, dwelt in the mountain
caves, coming forth at dusk to frolic
with the fearless moonshiners, and
dancing at midnight upon the slippery
crags. Ghouls, armed with the bones
of murdered men, kept nightly vigil at
the narrow pass, and if any human
being approached from the outside
they gathered around the giant poplar
md beat upon tho bark till the fright
"'aaopeared in the direction
ened man g.. ~ NAN bpt tho
whence he came. NO - ~
m~oonshincrs had ever been known
come from Sleepy Cove alive, conso-
qucntly none ever voluntarily entered
that wild uncanny place.
These thoughts were passing through
my mind when suddenly the g
stopped, and the four men threw them
selves into attitudes of attention, grasp