Wichita eagle., 1889-12-25


plause and enthusiastic praise Of the audience
Elvira kept up brightly. and Ike skunk with
hanging head and quivering knees from the
ring For some moments Elvira refused to
quit the circle, but at last she allowed two
other aspirAnts for eclat to take her place,
and she swaggered proudly from the ring.
Marie turns gloomily away from the door
and closes her ears to the sound Of this mer-
| riment.
Nanny" she says, standing behind Su-
zette, who is lifting live coal of fire from
the hearth to her pipe. The woman has ac-
complished the trick innumerable times be-
fore with infallibis dcxterity, but now her
trembling fingers fad in adroitness, and the
angry coal in3icts a burn on her hard palm.
NANNY" Marie goes on, painting 80 that
she can hardly speak, shave you heard what
Marse johnson said about me and Jakel"
The momentary sufferer of bodily pain ap-
plies the smarting spot to her tongue, and
then rubs it on her gown over her round
knee, with greater snow Of pain than the
incident calls Cor. and obviously to excuse
herself from making a reply to the girls
earnest query.
Nanny" continues Marie. her words al
most inaudible and touching her bowed COM
panion with a gesture of despair, II can't
bear it. Oh, God, want to die!"
"Honey"-but no effort Of Suzette's can
induce the words to come forth which tremble
in her brain. She lowers her turbaned head
almost into her lap
Marie turns from her to the door with q
deep sigh and face void of blood.
"Whar you 'gwineP' asks Suzette quickly.
"Let me alone little while, nanny; I'll
be back soon. feel I'm burning up, soul
and body. Let me 60 out in the night air. I"
She goes out into the fields The clouds are
swirling dark overhead. and dazzling electric
hierogiyphics split their density. On, on she
strides, the turbulence of her mad thoughts
giving springs to her feet. A fine mist is
blown into her fevered face. A low, threat
ening rumbling comes from the clouds, and
the mighty trees ON the mountain are tor
tured to grooming in an upper current of air.
The music in Elvira's cabin dies away into
faint hum. At last she finds herself on the
river bank, and experiences faint sensa-
ton Of surprise to see that she has walked SO
far. In fact, she can't remember when she
crossed the branch, about half way between
the river and her cabin. She does not won
der over 1t long, however The water lash
ing the sandy beach is deep and dark and
seems to have a voice of its own, a solacing
Kind of murmur which seems to promise to
relieve her of her great, weighty heart break
ing burden if she will allow it,
The stream may be the great, limpid, rest
full arm of God extended to embrace her
They should find her floating somewhere on
the morrow, and should know then that they
had made mistake in trying to dispose Of
her as they had. Perhaps the sun would be
shining then over the place she loved so we'll,
for the hurrying clouds, with their vivid
CLEANS of lightning, seemed only to boast OF
their power to storm. The good, kind old
colonel, who had not, she was sure, given the
order for her sacrifice, would be back at Oak
lawn ere her burial, and would look on her
pale face with sadness. She knew he would,
and that the water of sorrow would rise into
his kind eyes, for hs had good heart and
loved her in his way, and had spoken kindly
to her many times.
Mrs. Bckerstaf, away down in Charleston,
should read the news and cry, for the kind
hearted Lady had wept over the death Of
slaves not so much favored as she had been.
And Harry might be at Miss Laura's side
when be heard of it. His manly face should
undergo a change. He, too, would recall
some scenes which were before her minds
eye, and which panied her even more than
the prospect of death. He would want to be
back at the plantation on the day they laid
her in a grave among the other slaves. II he
could be at Caklawn he would lay flowers on
her coffin and look sadly on her face. With
the flowers might be some red roses like tho
he once twined among her raven tresses.
She moved down to the eddying waters
edge and laved her hand in it, A dazzling
fash from the clouds reveals the rugged river
bottom. Mud clogged logs and monster Shiny
powders lie in repose there. Absently she
losses a stone into the whispering, bubble
strewn Hquid-thus would she sink save her
long, unbound hair, which would throw out
its many arms to the streams clutches. She
would lie there among those fnny and creep
ing things; they would crawl over her face
with their tiny feet and crunching hungry
mouths and rest in the orbits of her eyes as
they might in the crevice of stone.
She shNddered, but she knew she should not
know it. She herself would not be there, for
she would be at reSt-rest, sweet rest. But
she would not want them to have trouble in
finding her on the morrow. She had read
how people were traced to their watery
graves by some part of their attire being left
on the shore. She must leave something.
The ribbon III her hair viii suffice. She In
ties 1t from her warm mass of hair, and
makes bow Of it On q bush. She remem-
bers now that she eaSayed to teach Harry to
tie bow once; as this thought warns her
mind. she fingers and draws the bows flying
streamers in and out to make its parts
smooth Then she unlaces her shoes and
tosses them on the shore behind her.
Her features are now passive. She won
ders if the plunge into blackncss Will give her
pain. Something touches her on the shout |
der.
1t is Suzette, with cleaning eyes and heav-
ing bosom.
"No, no, honey" she pants, after her hard
running. NO, at amt right. You tex yo' |
ill Shoes my precious baby, my onlies' ILL |
girl. Yer le'me put um on fur you. No, my |
chile amt gwine to forgit wat de Good Book |
say You mus put yo' trus' in Him en- never |
shrink back He mus try His sheep, but 1t |
all in His name. / know what you Is got in /
yo' mind; but, honey, dat amt de bes' way. |
You mus bear up. De Lawd got His eye on |
you, hind at black cloud up deb, same ez de
moon kivered over. Now, honey, lay yo' |
haid in my lap des lax you usster, !" she went
on persuasively, pulling the stunned girl
down upon the sand ~ done been prayin',
en- now Gawd sen me light ATS right, cry
in gwine do you good. Now lay still; l mus
talk ter de Lawd ergin, kase / kin see you is
gittin' in de reconcile way.
"Lawd, my greet master" then prayed
Suzette, with uplifted eyes and her hand on
Maries tresses. as the girl sobbed in her lap.