The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-04-24
A YANKEE IN GRAY
By CHARLES B. LEWIS (M. QUAD.
Copyright, 1894, by American Press Associa-
tionl
(coNTINUED.1
CHAPTER XXIII,

AS was stdteu III previous CUapUeT,
Captain Wyle's company, along with
others, had been returned. to the valley
and placed under the orders Of General
Imboden. Ike Baxter and the others
captured at Kernstown had rejoined the
company when exchanged. Ike felt
more than ever that Royal Kenton was
an enemy he mnst get rid of, and Cap
tain Wyle encouraged this feeling in
various ways, though never openly and
directly committing himself. On two
occasions Ike had been granted leave Of
abeence to visit his wife. Both times
he had met her secretly.
The spirit which animated this hum
BILE twain will surprise orly those who
have never encountered the poor
whites" of the south. Nine out Of ten
of the bloody and long continued fsuds
we read of in southern communities
begin among the poor and ignorant
The cause is generally of trifiing char
acter. The "poor white" may be hum
bied by the law, but outside of the
courtroom he hates with an intensity
hard to realize He is persistent, cum
ming, merciless. Ike Baxter had never
had an ambition In his life up to the
hour he enlisted. He could barely read
and write, was naturally lazy and in
different and felt no pride in anything
except the fact that he was "better than
Niger" When he found that cor
porals and sergeants were looked up to
and respected there came queer feel
ing in his heart He could not credit
1t at first, but Captain Wyle aided him
in his mental struggle. The day came
when Ike had an ambition and burn
ing desire. 1t was to be corporal or
sergeant. In his wild dreams of glory
he did not stop there. He determined
to go higher and become lieutenant or
captain. AS soon as he was given to
understand that Royal Kenton stood in
his way it was but natural with one Of
his nature to determine to remove the
obstacle by any means possible.
Before the war the . Yankee" both
as a man and as the representative of
section of the republic, had few friends
in the south. He was supposed to be
hostile to all southern institutions. "
The more ignorant the southerner the
more heartily he hated and despised the
citizen of the north. He believed what
the fire eating politicians pretended to
believe and often assorted. The John
Brown raid upon slavery in Virginia
and the events in BLEEDING Kansas
served to intensity the sectional hate of
the poor whites" Thus it was that
Ike Baxter, picking up his crumbs of
history and his bits of information on
current events at the doors Of the livery
stable or around the stove of the bar
room, was something of local cham
pion in the matter OF Yankee hating. II
Kenton had not stood between him and
military glory, ho would still have felt
a bitterness toward him as man born
in the north. Uncle Ben's cuutious ap-
proach to the house en- this night mad
reference only to Mrs. Baxter. There
was another man stealing through the
darkness and making a noiseless ap-
proach ct the came time Ike Baxter.
Neither Uncle Ben nor Marian Percy
caught a sight of him, but he noticed
their every movement and Drew his own
conclusions. The gun which the old
man had been told to secure was in his
room in the little house. lie had de-
parted from Rest Haven without being
seen or his absence noted by the wom-
an, but his return aroused her, and her
sharp eyes were upon him as he carried
away the hrearm and loaded himself
with tho bundles Marian had prepared
and brought to the door. She was dress
ing to follow him as he disappeared
down the highway, having dim sus-
picion of the state Of affairs, when Ike
knocked at her window and was admit
f6d tn, laos bn, "A l,a IN
lated what he saw outside, and she had
told him of Uncle Ben taking the gun.
Whar's he un bound furf" queried
Ike.
Dunno, but sunthin's happened sum-
wharf Ya' must toller himl''
Has that Yankee bin yere2"
''No, but the gals hearn news, fur
shorel Reckon he nm may be lyin cut
around yere sumwhar, and the nigger's
takin out stuff to him Git right arter
he un, Ike, and if yo' find the Yankee
gon tell Captain Wyle and heg him
cum with his critter company"
"I'll do better IA that!" grimly ie-
piled the man as he stepped ont into
the night "If find that Yankee around
yere, I'll put bnllet into him fust and
tell Captain Wyle next!'
Uncle Ben had only few hundred
yards the start, and the man on his
trail soon lessened the distance until he
could hear the old mans footsteps and
make out a shadowy form through the
darkness. There seemed nothing more
certain than that he would follow on
and uncover the hiding place of the fu-
gitiyes. For nearly three-q quarters of a
mile the slave messenger had but one
idea-to return to Steve Brayton as fast
es possible. He was hurrying along
when sudden thought flashed through
his brain, and he instinetiyeiy stepped
aside and halted to listen.
How do / know but what dat wom-
an dun heard me git dc gnn an is fol-
lerin me?" he whispered to himself.
"She'd do it! She's powerful wicked,
she am. An mebbe some mo of dem
gorillas am waitin long yere to grab me
an Civ me anodder whippini"
He was listening as we'll a. Whisper
ing, and after minute he heard the
Sounds Of footsteps coming down the
road. He drew back into the deeper
shadow of the high bank, dropped his
bundlas; and taking firm grip of his