The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1893-11-16
CHAPTER |.

CHAPTER l. ,." s,sr
THE CRY IN THE NIGHT.
Tho night had grown very dark. Black
clouds were drifting over the moon and
fast blotting out the somber light OF the
cold stars. ~
As l leaned from the carriage and with
straining eyes vainiy sought to pierce
the gloom of the night the soughing OF
the wind through the great pines fore
told the oncoming storm.
A feeling of intense depression seized
me. Why had come! At this moment
wished myself miles away. What q
senseless quest this upon which l had
entered! Suppose were to find my old
friend: would she be glad to gee me?
Was it not an objectionable intrusion to
arrive thus, unheralded. at dead Of night?
Was there. in fact, any greater ir4becile
on earth than l. driving here. near mid
night, over miles of rough country road
in search Of Portia Vane?
Ten years had gone by since Portla
and We're graduated from the Canadian
convent in which we had spent four
happy, uneventful years. During that
time we were as inseparable as any
schoolgirl friends. hadiaolized the beau
tiful, amiable southern girl, whose tales
Of plantation life in all its tropical color
AID Incidence had completely captivated
NE. Born and brought up in rigid
northern atmosphere, the glimpses got
through her conversation and letters OF
Portals home life were visions Of fairy
land. Porti;l was stately, clever and
talented. ! was poor, inferior and plain.
But the loveliest and wealthiest girl in
the convent singled Inc ont as her friend,
and my gratitude and devotion to her
We're 1lnboulnled. &
After our graduation we corresponded
for two years, during which time was
employed in teaching and laying by
money, for intended some day to visit
portia in her southern home. She wrote
me Of her approaching marriage, urging
NE to be one of her bridesmaids, which
pleasure was forced to forego. #
received few letters after her mar
riage, in which she spoke in glowing
terms of her new life. Then heard no
more. We drifted apart, as all school
friends invariably do.
1t is always the unexpected which
happens. Whoever would have fancied
that from his numerous train of rela-
tives my uncle, John Mason, would have
selected me, poor Prudence Mason; as
the heir to his great property? When Z
had finished gasping over the announce
ment his lawyers made me, my first
thought was of Portia, and that I would
seek her at once to tell her the good
news. Perhaps we might travel togeth-
er; perhaps she was poor and needed as
sistance. Possibly there were children
for whom l might do something. Re-
member an obscure plain teacher has
| few trends, and never in all my desolate,
colorless existence had so chung to any
human being as to Portia Vane.
| thought Of her now as the carriage went
jolting through this wilderness over the
uneven roads, occasionally banging
against stump or the root of tree. ]
saw her sweet face and heard again her
gentle voice and remembered all her
gracious and kindly acts.
"Will we soon be there?" asked my
driver.
He was typical specimen Of the
southern ''cracker," and in the monoto-
nous, mellow accents borrowed from the
negroes Grawled out:
Putty soon, ma'am. It ah bout tn
mile. Soons we uns git by Dead Mans
swamp we kin see the lights down yon-
| dah.'
dead Mans swamp" repeated in
voluntarily, hat a horrible-a dis
NAL NAME"
Dismal place, tu," he replied, "thah
| hain't white noh niggah dab go in than
at night. All sorts O Gurus an awful
COINS on than"
"What do you mean?" l asked.
"Waal," he droned, II hardly know
myself what du mean. Thet's it. You
know, ma'am. thet it's the mystery,
thet's what skah2. Now, if ye knows
what's happened, it takes half the scah
off. but if thah only stories an nobody
! willin to find out it's kind O awful.
Anyway, kin tell ye this much-thahs
| lights seen in thah at midnight and ter
! rible sounds heard. An some says, an
they don't hahdly like to whispah the
word, tibet thah's whah the voodoos
| meet"
"The voodoos?" l seid.
Eyes, niggahs, ye know, what do I'M
earthly things-eat dead babies, tab out
folks hearts an play with sahpents" -
"Oh, don't tell me anything more!'
| exclaimed. eve read of them"
"Waal, ma'am, it is somethin disgustin
an awful to think on. I'm allus powah-
full glad when I'm past the place"
A few rods farther the great forest
| broke away little, and in the pallid
| light could discern under the scattered
trees stretches of morass, black, Shiny
and filthy. From the gaunt trees the
long gray moss hung like lifeless figures
dangling and dipping in the sullen sur
face of the stagnant pools. The swamp
seemed interminable, reaching away in
endless gloom under the low hanging
| branches. The moon came out from