Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-07-21
CHAPTER XIII.

AS was stated in a previous chapter,
Captain Wyle's company, along with
| others, had been returned TO the valley
| and placed under the orders Of General
lmboden. 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 must 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
absence to visit his wife. Both times
he had met her secretly.
The spirit which animated this hum
bic twain Will surprise only those who
have never encountered the poor
| whites of the south. Nine out of ten
of the bloody and long continued feuds
| We read of in southern communities
begin among the poor and ignorant.
| The cause is generally of trifling char
acter. The poor white" may be hum
bled 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
| a niger" When he found that cor
| porals and sergeants were looked up to
and respected, there came a queer feel
ing i'll 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 OF
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 man and as the representative Of a
section of the republic, had few friends
in the south. He was supposed to be
hostile to al 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 asserted. 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. If
Kenton had not stood between him and
military glory, he would still have felt
a bitterness toward him as man born
in the north. Uncle Ben's cautious ap-
preach to the house On this night had
reference only to Mrs. Baxter There
was another man stealing through tine
darkness and making a noiseless ap-
proach at the same ti:ne-Ike Baxter.
Neither Uncle Ben nor Marian Percy
caught sight CT 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. He 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 firearm and loaded himself
with the 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
ted. In less than minute he had re-
lated what he saw outside, and she had
told him of Uncle Ben taking the gun.
'Whar's he un bound fur?' queried
Ike.
Dunno, but sunthin's happened sum-
whar! Yo' must foller himv'
HAS that Yankee bin yere?'
.'No, but the gals hearn news, fur
shore! Reckon he un may be lyin out
around yere sumwhar. and the nigger's
takin out stuff to him! Git right arter
he un, Ike, and if yo' find the Yankee
go'n tell Captain Wyle and hev him
cum with his critter company
III do better'n that!' grimly 1e-
piled the man as he stepped out into
the night. . 1t find that Yankee around
yere, I'll pat bullet 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 shadowy form through the
darkness. There seemed nothing more
certain than that he would follow on
and uncover the hiding place of the fu-
gitives. For nearly three-quarters of q
mile the slave messenger had but one
idea-to return to Steve Brayton as fast
as possible. He was hurrying along
. when a.sudden thought flashed through