Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-01-30

In some other locality. No longer were
our ears disturbed by unearthly cries;
no longer were strange lights sen at
dead of night. A pail of silence settled
down upon the swamp. and the wind
that muttered among the pines told AN.
other siory-a tale Of cruel wrong and
terrible justice. of u sullen prisoner
Doomed to PERPETUAL solitude within the
gloomy environments ~ this uncanny
swamp.
This was the punishment meiei out TO
sidonie. 90 suffer as she had caused her
gentle. amiable mistress io suffer: to see
no face say. that ~ her dnsky jailcr; to
hear no voic. save his thick accents ~
be- bade her eat and drink.
Not u dissenting word wns rai.si
against thi. rctributiOn. Colonel March
mont, humane and kindly master. had
en,lear,Si himself % lis slaves. hut their
Low. for Portia amounted to a reverence.
Had sidonic fallen into their hands she
would have fare,l far le-- gently. Dur
ing her short r,ign her arrOgano. and
natural cruelty hal sngender~'i n feel.
ing IL intense hatred among th. slaves.
AMI when they learned th. tru. state II
affairs they hal no mercy for her.
"D,~i she oughier BE- tohn limb from
limb declared one.
"Ef wur mars. III fay her alive"
was III. general opinion delivered on the
matter.
As the days went by. and Por,ia hoy.
er~i between life aud death. many were
the angry looks east toward the swamp
and many the mal~lictions call~i down
ON sidonie's heal by her fellow slaves.
The gate to the swamp stood oIrn
now. but no one ave ~. big negro ap-
points,l a. watch sidonl. went In aud
cut. I sometimes s,rOll-i in that dir-c-
tion and looked down into the m-lan.
choly vista II soml-r shade and d-~olai-
bog. wondering how ia. criminal-,hs,
beautiful. int-ns.. tropioal creature.
stripI.,l 10 her stolen tincry. clad Ia the
cuarse.t raim.nt. fe,isrd liz. All ant.
mal-wss EXISTING. What anguish. wha,
despair mus, bc hers! No hop-, NO ray
IL light.
Al such times ! piti-i her. ! rcnem.
b-r.,i her beauty. her gayciy. her grace.
r-call~l her worls u tragic prophecy.
"Rem.mb-r. Prudence. whatever CONES.
that ! lOy.,l him ~ few women love"
Pcor. wr,tch-l. misguided si,lonic. Her
,in bal b-vu that she Lowell too well.
Then. when returned to the sickr,um
anil loOk.-l at my friend. when ] h.ari
'ne moans of pain and witnessed the
struggle for life. all my pi,y for Sidonis
vanished. and every outraged instinct of
my nature cri~i out for revenge upnn
the heartle.s. -oulless. brazsn creature
who hal wrought this havoc and disas-
ter.
now come to an event 50 awful, 20
frightful that even the remembrance.
dimmed A. u IL by the misis Of years.
causes q wave 81 terror 10 roll again
oy.r my lsing. sometimes live u over
in my dr,ams anil wske screaming and
sobbing. and u ! should live 10 b. .
hundred years old ! can never cface
hat terrible scene.
Let ine tell u az calmly ne possible. IL
Was one dull November afternoon. when
= gho-,ly mist was settling down over
tie LANDSCAPE and tine spatisrs of rain
acre beating irr.gularly against the
window pane. that George. sidonie's
jailer. rushed into the library. where
the colonel, Maurice and ! were sitting.
and with trembling voice and shaking
band. implorei his masters forgiveness.
ior sidOnie hal escaIed.
"Escapedr' cried Colonel Marchmont
In n terrible voice. "You black rascal,
what does this ineany'
"Dced. mars" cried the man. rolling
lis eye. in terror. II, mus be de debbil
hisself holp her. Wen lef her 10 come
up fer her .uppah. abe was chained all
right. Allus look de las ting ter 49,
Il she's fastened. Wen ] goes back jus
now. shes gone. de chain broken In two.
"Send for Jake interrupted Colonel
Marchmont imveratively. Come. Man.
rice, we must not lo-e moment Think
~ that creature & &c ~ do further mis-
chief!-
Presently the plantation was as,ir.
Negroes ran hither and thither. the bay
% the bloodbounds was heard. and Jake,
Maurice and the colonel. with . crowd
of Negroes. were hurrying toward the
swamp. intent upon rscapturing the
fugitive.
went To Portia's room 10 see II the
unusual tumul, hal annoyed or alarmed
her. She bal reused from her sleep
and raised her-elf with difficulty on one
slender arm. Her great eyes Questioned
me. and she feebly asked;
"what IL IL. Prudencer
Nothing. dear; do not distress your
srlf. Lie down; lie down."
II heard the dogs baying-l heard
angry voices What 10 ~ Tell me. j
will know"
I hesitated.
Tell me-" shs repeated. and . faint
red spot appeared on either cheek. ~
must know. There is trouble. 10 there
nou A slave has run away-who is itY
could not speak.
"Ah, I know~ she cried. II know-I
feel-it is Sidoniey
Ibowed my head.
"whers ars theyi In the swamp All.
yes. beating the place with dogs and
gunA She will bs taken. shot. perhaps
torn to pieces Oh. my poor Sidouie! ]
have forgiven her. Let her go. Pru.
dence." wildly. "go quickly. can trust
You. Follow them 10 the swamp. Find
Jerinyn and tell him that ]. Portis, beg
him TO let Sidonie go-tell him 10 dis
tresses me. cannot bear L. forgive
her with al my heart" and she fell back
exhausted ON the pillowa
summoned the nurse - quickly ~
possible. and a. Portia still urged and
insisted I should carry her sublime mes
sage to her husband ! set out through
the mist and tho rain to Deed Mans
swamp
CHAPTER XIX.