The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-01-11
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Arson ElsT PURE

ing limb, with its edges fastened to the
ground, forming meager shelter tent
to keep off the certain dew or the posi-
bic rain; before this was a fire and man
was standing over it watching the con-
tents of an iron pot in which some savory
stew Of rabbit or squirrel was boiling.
As the fire leaped up and threw warm
glow over the scene zeb's pulse beat fast
and then seemed to stop beating alto
gether, for by the light he saw the face
of the man. And it was the same he had
seen behind the bar of the saloon on
Lookout point. It was the deep lined.
brutal face of the man who had robbed
him of Cordia. and who had struck him
down when he had sought her rescue.
Zeb drew his muslet to his shoulder and
looked down along its rusty barrel, where
ON the light played redly, and across the
sight at the end to point on the breast
of the man beneath which be knew the
heart beat.
A long time he held the gun there--so
long and so steadily that he and it seemed
like part of the still woods The night
had not voice except the far off boot
of a screech owl that called mournfully
from the forest on the far bank to its lost
mate The man at the fire, unconscious
of the swift death that waited but the
message of a finger touch, did not move
One minute! two minutesl- almost three
then the long barrel dropped lower and
zeb Posey, letting it fall till he grasped
the barrel in his hand, broke through the
network of interlacing vines and stallxed
into the circle of the rosy flame.
The man at the fire looked up and
caught the blaze of the riverman's eyes,
and he shrank back as though the fire
had put out one Of its red fingers and
scorched his scared and blackened soul
What do you want of meg' he asked
doggedly enough.
AI've ben lookin' fer 20 a long while."
replied zeb: shut I'd thought that bi1ne-
by I'd run up ont 20. I've cum to fin
out where Cordia be!''
It was dramatic picture. wherein
these two men were the central figures,
in the moments when Zeb was waiting
to hear the fate Of Cordia The Yazoo
flowed past the camp. wide and black.
1t was too early for the moon to shed
single silvery splinter upon its placid
surface, but the fire threw distorted half
lights across the black waste. The big
trees reached their leaHess arms out
across the troubled men in silent bene-
diction, and the withered vines swung a
penduIous and fretted veil all about,
shutting in the light and building a wall
against the outer darkness
Il dunno who you are" said Cordia's
abductor, making a strenuous effort to
appear unconcerned
Zeb took off the torn felt hat he wore
and bending his head a little pulled the
matted hair away from long scar that
ran across his temple as he reslied:
"P'haps yo don't call to mind the man
yo' hit with yer gun up to Looarouk
point when he were tryin' tn git his sis
ter what yo'd dun tux away frum himY'
Il amt no coward to crawl in a hole
an hide my head when it thunders,"
said the man doggedly. "An' don't
deny that | know you. What 'er you
goin' to do about it?'
zeb looked at him long time before
he made answer:
Stranger, cud liev killed yo' eff I'd
wanted to, fore yo' ever sot eyes on me-
| he'd this yere gun drawed on ye a long
while fore cum through the bushes
yander. cum nigh pullin the trigger,
but cudn't do it. 1t warn't cause yo'
hit me ez cared, but cause 20 TUX Cor
dia way. But I've looked fer her high
an far fur middlin' long time, an eft I'd
killed yo' dunno ez I'd ever heard bout
her agin. SO didn't shoot. don't car
tn tex yer life. | want to know bout
Cordia."
Zeb spoke very slowly and hesitating-
ly, as though there was upon his heart
such load that he feared to unburden
it all at once lest it break. But when he
said i want to know bout Cordia,"
there were tears in his eyes, and a sob
that welled up broke his utterance and
shook the thin frame even as a strong
wind bends and makes tremulous the
slender sapling on the storm chastised
hillside His anguish seemed to touch
even the rough man before him, for he
made answer more gently than was his
wont:
"Ill be fair with you, pardner took
your sister, an she's been with me right
along up to couple of weeks ago. 1
took good care of her too, an treated her
as kind as knowed how. but she hank
cred for home all the time, and when we
We're at Rolling Fork coming down
from the upper country. she left me, an
guess she must have got on the train
goin' down to Vicksburg. hung about
there while looking for her an then
started down in my skiff."
Yer lynn now" said Zeb, looking him
steadily in the eye,
Its the truth, an hope to be burned
up with the lightning Ell it isn't was
the reply.
Then how wuz it didp't see yo on
the wayY" asked Zeb suspiciously.
Il was camped in among the willows
just across the creek frum you when YOU
pulled in there, /" replied the abductory
tan course | didn't want to see YOU.
That night | rowed across through the
bayou to the Little Sunfower an came
on down it. thinkin' I'd get out ahead Of
you."
allow dunno how man cud be so
emery ez you've ben, said Zeb. "Yo TUX
little gal as he'd never dun 20 no harm