Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-04-25

scorched his scared and blackened soul
What do you want of me?' he asked
doggedly enough.
I've ben lookin' fer yo long while y
replied Zeb; ''but I'd thought that bime-
by I'd run up ont 70. I've cum to fin
out where Cordia Der
It was a 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 a
single sllvery splinter upon its placid
surface, but the fire threw distorted half
lights across the black waste. The big
trees reached their leafess arms ont
across the troubled men in silent bene-
diction, and the withered vines swung a
pendulous and fretted veil all about.
shifting in the light and building wall
against the outer darkness.
dunno who you are" said Cordia's
abouctor, making a strenuous effort to
apI ear unconcerned
Zeb took off the torn felt hat he wore
and bending his head little pulled the
mated hair away from long scar that
ran across his temple as he replied:
"P'haps yo' don't call to mind the man
20 hit with yer gun up to Lockout
point when he were tryin' tn git his sis
ter what yo'd dun TUX away frum him.
81 amt no coward to crawl in a hole
an hide my head when it thunders."
said the man doggedly. AN | don't
deny that 1 know you. What er you
goin' TO do about it,
Zeb looked at him long time before
he made answer:
Stranger, cud hev killed yo' eff I'd
wanted to, fore yo' ever sot eyes on me.
he'd this yere gun drawed on We long
while fore | cum through the bushes
yander. cum nigh pullin' the trigger,
but l cudn't DO it. 1t warnt cause vo'
hit me ez cared, but cause yo' tux Cor
dia way. But I've looked fer her high
an far fur middlin' long time, an eff I'd
killed yo' | dunno ez I'd ever heard bout
her agin, so didn't shoot. | don't car
tn tax yer life. want to know bout
Cordia."
Zeo 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, 1 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.
III be fair with you, pardner took
your sister, an she's been with me right
along up to couple of weeks ago
took good care of her too, an treated her
as kind as | knowed how, but she hank
cred Tor home all the time, and when we
were at Rolling Fork, coming down
from the upper country, she left me, an
l guess she must have got on the train
goin' down to Vicksburg. hung about
there a while looking for her an then
started down in my skiff"
Yer lyin' now, " said Zeb, looking him
steadily in the eye.
Its the truth, an hope to be burned
up with the lightning eff it isn't" was
the reply
Then how wuz it l didn't see yo' on
the way" asked Zeb suspiciously.
Il was camped in among the willows
Just across the creek frum YOU when YOU
pulled in there, replied the abductor.
IAN course | didn't want to see YOU.
That night rowed across through the
bayou to the Little Sunhower an came
On down it. thinkin' I'd get out ahead of
you
Il allow dunno how man cud be so
emery ~ you've ben" said Zeb. 'Yo tux
a little gal as he'd never dun yo no harm
way frum her hum an tried to make
her ez bad ez yersef An now she's out
dr1fun bout sumwhar in this great
big world, an the Lord only knows what
harms cum to her or where she be-"
I've been sorry for what done often
when saw how she took on about it
AID how she hated me. thought
p'haps she'd cum to like me after a while,
but she didn't and l had to keep away
from the settlement for fear she'd leave
me or give me over to the officers"
Tell me suthin' bout her." said Zeb.
his brother heart yearning to learn of
the child even from the lips of the man
who had done her such grievous wrong
What can l tell you," was the re-
Spouse. '''cept that she's growed taller
and purifier? Shed never talk much,
but when she did it was about the things
she'd read in the Scripters or else. about
you. She talked about you and hen
home most all the time, an when she
was sick an pretty near dying onct /
promised her if she died I'd tell you all |
about it for she said, Eff yo' tell him l |
sed to forgive you. Zeb won't do yo' no
harm
Tibet W jess ike Cordia, softly in
terrupted Zeb. Pore little critteri she !
he'd SIGH tender heart she cudn't bear |
to see rothin' suffer. l member onct |
shot a blIzzard fer fish bait when she |
were long with me. 1t were a long
shot an jess broke its wing 1t cum !
foppin' down inter the bushes an / |
cudn't fin it fer nigh an hour, an Cordia
tux on orful an cried an Uanted tn fla