The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-11
CAPT. MINION'S DAUGHTER.

On the south edge OF, Earlys swamp,
perched on piles. of roughly hewn logs
was Capt MiDion's general store. A
stranger passing through this dreary
country would open wide his eyes. half
pleased, half surprised at the sight Of
business in the wilds OF a swamp. Back
in the black woods seemed mysteries OF
mysteries, something uncanny, something
weird. even when the flood of bright day.
light pierced the enveloping veil of dark
ness. The purifying woods and decaying
leaves that had covered the ground for
! years, soaked in the shallow water, gave
off q faint, nauseating odor. Malaria,
| ague and chills, intrenched in this impure
atmosphere seemed 10 attack the flesh so
boldly that the body shuddered before
the system had been given it's first twiich
or first shiver. Long trunks OF trees,
broken near the roots, lay buried in the
mud and all about were stunted swamp
| bushes in tangled patches.
Here reptiles made their abode, but
occasionally the enlivening notes OF bird
would echo from the dismal depths.
Capt. Minion could not expect patron
age from the jewellers of the swamp.
| Fast OF his shanty the ground rose slight
ly, and extending far away was a dense
| forest, where the live oak, with its long
patriarchal beard, the cypress and the
magnolia grew. A narrow path skirted
this forest, passed the shanty and winding
about, disappeared over q slight ridge
into the land where patches OF cotton were
heed by the lazy, shiftless ''poah whites"
The captain had come to Early's swamp
| only few wears since, from of the river.
lie traded pair of big mules for the store
and settled with his wife and Mollie, their
| daughter. There were but few people
thereabOut that regarded bis anteCedents,
and no inquiry WIS made. 1t was re-
| ported, however, that jim Stevenson. who
| owned asmail cotton patch on the ridge,
| had met deputy sheriff searching for a
| fugitive soon after the captain came TO the
country. As the deputy sheriff had left
the country ewing Jim's wife tor board
the people had little faith in his mission.
| He might have been after the captain
| and he might not have been. Jim Seven
soG thought at tue time that the captain
answered the description OF the fugitive,
! but he had fond eve on the board bill
! which the Whilom officer agreed to pay,
and was content to.aiiUw him 10 tarry as
long Us he saw fit When the contempt
! IDLE Dinion OF the law departed go
abruptly. leaving Jim's wife with sorrow
full recollections OF fried chicken and
boiled dinners, her husband forgot for q
time the object Of the deputy sheria's
visit.
Afterwards he occasionally visited the
~ Tor or al
miles away. The postmaster saw that he
received official looking letters from vlri-
Gus parts of the state.
Mounted on his Iaw-boned mule, Jim
would start Tor home, and after passing
Just beyond the old cottonwood tree that
shaded the postOttice store, would care
fully pull out letter and pore over it as
his jaded mule logged along.
One DAY the urchn son of the postmas-
ter found an opened letter addressed TO
James Stevenson, Esq, ia which a county
sheriff informed an inquirer that he knew
oil no reward offered for a man named
Minion. The mail ceased bringing let
ters for the anxious man, and the raw
bOned mule, with its l2nE ride, failed to
make regular trips 10 the Corriander post
Office
Capt. Minion kept store after the fash
ion of most country merchants. He sell
dom sod goods for cash on delivery, and
the customers were few. Tho hot sun
beat down on the dilapidated store front
during the long summer afternoons, and
the LnoEotCnous buzzing of flies around
lone mOiasses barrel were the liveliest
signs about the place. Occasionally an
old darkey would drop in after lag of
tobacco or corn cob pipe; the CAPTAIN
would slowly hoist himself from his chair
Il
reach bag from the rusty shelf and then
hand it TO his customer The darky
would lean against the case and fan him
self with his broad rim straw hat while
the captain shambled 10 his seat again.
The storekeeper showed no disposition
10 push the business OF his predecessor,
but sat contented, allowing it 10 adjust it.
SELF
On Saturday night when the tree frogs
began 20 sing and the firefiies glittered in
the swamp, the poor Peep about came to
make their purchases. Pickering lamps
were lighted in the store and Mol lie, clad
in a clean calico gown, hustled about, as
sisted by u {. MiniOu, In tying up bum
dies. On this particular night, the captain
stood in the front doorway, with hands
behind his back, and talked over cotton
prospects TO the few planters who sat on
smoking their pipes. Rain was badly
! needed, so they all alleged. but the wise
acres were unable topredict a change in the
weather. OH man Porter squatted
on the edge of the platform, with his knee
doubled under his chin and glanced about
the horizon. Nor was he willing TO risk
his r. putation as weather prophet. He
sagely remarked that even If rain did
come sit wuz lpble to rain too much and
make the weeds grow too high in the
patch" This was we'll received, and the
old man launched off into tales of other
years, when the crops were good, streams
were high and the steamboats, could come
far up into the country Mollie, the cap
tain's daughter, had piled the farmers
bundles on the small counter in the store,
and rs the demand for her services les
sened, she went to the door and, leaning
agaiDsl the sill with her hands behind
her, looked down on the group in front.
She was not interested in their crop
gossip and absent mindedly gazed at the
| sky, occasionally letting her eyes wander
10 the neighboring forests. Mo.lie was
| cOmely girl of swerthy hue and with
bright fire in her eyes. She had become
| lancuid in the low swamp GNuntrv and
! seemed To feel that mere existence was
| all to be sought. Her ideas were common
place as her surroundings had trained
them bnt in thoaa dark owes was sOne-