The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-02-12

0at young ScdIIef-OrdlnS Is up ter!
Lords sake. Miss Ju. yer mus be
gwine stark starin'. ravin' mad for ter
think er such er thing. Ole Jake ain
gwine no SIGH er fools arran'. Yer
des git some err dem timber young
darkies fur SIGH ez dat"
I'm going to get yOu. Uncle Jake.
and nobody else. Come. now, you
know who's your best friend. Who
brings you cake and chicken-pie, and
lots of tobacco besides? Brother Jim
threatened TO skin me alive il didn't
let his tobacco alone, and it's all for
you, Uncle Jake. you know it is. And
now you won't do the least thing to
oblige mel VERY well: YOU lust wait
and see hox ycull feel Sunday when
you don't get any dinner from the
great house. nor tobacco, either. You'll
wish then you hadn't been so on
trary."
swell. nov, Miss Ju, honey yer
knows ole Jake wudn't confuse yer
muffin ez he could TO fur yer Cor
din ter de circumahcnce of yer mar
n yer par, Use allus ready to resist
yer. But des see ere, chile, how on
reasonable yer is. Yer knows | das-
sent for my life go nigh dat ole liant ed
house dis time err night by lone self.
Deed, chile, druther be gwine down
ter der plantation fur der oberSeer ter
glib me fifty lashss Oh my bare back.
Deed n deed had, Missy"
'Well, who wants you to go by your
lone self? Of course, I'm going with
you. l intend to see for myself what
all this means, and I'm not afraid OF
'hants' and 'sperrits;' don't 6elieUe
there's any such things"
was determined to carry my point
in spite of old Jake's open and my own
secret terrors; and. therefore. assumed
a courage was far from feeling.
Der good Lord hab mussy on dis
deblish chile! Yer gwine ter der bad
place when yer dies. Missy; shores
yer born, yer is; ole Jake done tole yer
SO, n wot's wuss yer gwinc gil dis po'
ole darby der wuss whippin' e eber
got eff yer par fines out yer capers."
He won't find EN- out unless yoT
choose to tell him Now. Uncle Jake,
one word for all. I'm going to follow
Will Mason and see what he's up to.
III you don't go with me and any thing
happens to me; If the hants carry me
off, or Will Mason shoots me. or old
Bouncer stumbles and breaks my neck,
any way, I'll come back and liant you
for the balance of your life"
With uplifted hands and eyes. and a
groan of despair, the old negro gave
way.
1t may seem strange, but all this
time it never occurred to me what
questionable enterprise | had under
taken. Even had | realized its i'm
prOpriety, should not have given it
up, being always determined to carry
out whatever | undertook. good or
bad. But that night taught me les
son l never forgot. 1t was the last
time followed my own sweet will
regardless of consequences.
1t was now one o'clock. Every
thing was Intensely still. The setting
moon cast dim, spectral light between
the bOles of the pine trees. The dis
tant boot of an owl or the faint mel
ancholy call of the whippoorwill alone
broke the silence. In spite of myself
a cold chill ran over me as we drew
near the desolate house. As for Jake,
by the time we reached the gate, he
was physically as well as mentally in
capacitated for going farther. His
eyes rolled, his teeth chartered, and he
shook from head to foot.
As slipped from my saddle, the old
man fell on his knees and implored me
not to 60 on. But it was useless; go
on | must and would. | believe If 1
had known the gruesOme house held
some horrible mystery that TO look on
would strike me dead. j should still
have gone on. An impulse irresistible
as destiny drove me forward.
Light as a shadow. fearing even to
breathe, | crept on 10 the haunted
house. to the room where We had
heard the noise. and peered through
the broken window But | could see
nothing and no sound reached my ear.
Every thing was densely dark and
deadly still when suddenly, loud
clear and shrill, the neigh of a horse
sounded from thicket of shrubs close
by; then within the room, close to the
window, Kissed into my very ear,
fierce oath was uttered. Footsteps
crossed the room. passed through the
entry, and into the yard.
Great God! what an ice-bolt of terror
shot through my veins as now first
fully realized my fearful position;
alone in that evil place at the dead of
night. with no protector but the ter
rified old negro perhaps halfway