The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-04-27
CHAPTER XVII.


enough, but after he had Travelled mile
or so he found himself growing faint
and weak He was not only an old man,
but the exciting scenes through which
he had passed in the last few hours, to-
gether with tbe physical pain he had
endured, werequite sufficient to tax his
strength to the utmost. He fought
against the feeling until at length the
rocks and trees seemed to be whirling
round and round and the frozen high
way to DO sliding from under his feet,
and then he dropped to the earth and
gasped:
20 Lawd, doan' let 1t cum Jest yitl
Give de ole man strength 'nuff to reach
dem Yankees, an den yo' kin take him
away, dun can't stop yere, 0 Lawdl
I'ze got to keep trabblin till finds Mars
Custer an tells him dat Miss Sunshine
wants hint
After rest of three or four minutes
he rose up and moved on. He slipped
and staggered as he advanced, but he
shut his teeth hard and would not yield
to the weakness seeking to pull him
down. Two events happened to brace
him up and restore portion of his
strength. He had gone distance Of
about two miles and was just passing
the cabin of a poor white which had
been deserted for the last month when
Mrs. Baxter suddenly appeared, She
had Travelled two miles toward the Yam
kee lines after leaving Rest Haven in
stead of going the other way, but it was
to strike pass leading over the range
into the Shenandoah. She had been
waiting there in hopes to hear from Ike,
who had told her that he would return
for his revenge. Uncle Ben was no
doubt possessed of the Information she
longed for, and though realizing his
| feelings toward her she made bold to
step out and accost him.
"What, yo' yerer' shouted the old
man at the top of his voice as soon as he
set eyes on her. Fo' de Lawd, wom-
an, but If eber git hands on yo' I'll
kill yo' fur shorel"
Had Ike cum when yo' left the
tice his outburst of anger, but at the
same time preserving respectful dis
tance between them.
"Yo' ole catl Yo' ole sho debbill'
he exclaimed as he rushedat her. '.Yo'
am do one who brung all dis trubble
10 Miss Sunshine, an Ri broke ebery
bone in yo'r body!s
She retreated before him and held up
| her hand as caution TO him to listen.
The soldiers and guerrillas had begun
firing on the camp. The distance was
two miles or more, but the morning
wind was blowing from the south, and
the reports Of the muskets came plainly
to their ears. Both realized at once
what WAS going on. Tho woman
laughed as she observed:
likes goin to git 'em fur shore! Ike
will be an oesifer now and ride the best
oritter in the company. Reckon yo'
must "a bin hidin out when Ike got
thar, or yo' wouldn't be yere now. He
was goin to burn yo' un alive. "
The reports of tho guns told Unele
Ben that tho two men in camp had been
| attacked, and that he had not mo-
ment to waste with the woman. All his
strength and resolution had returned,
and without needing her words he start
| ed aH at u sloub paces kone leit SSltaIii
of his mission, and she was determined
to detain him IL possible. Mrs. Baxter
was not only a fearless woman under
all circumstances, but in such crisis
as this she was desperate. II Uncle Ben
brought help, all that had been gained
would be lost, and Ike might be killed
or captured with the rest of the gang.
She stepped aside to let the old slave
pass and then followed at his heels,
threatening, tauntine and commanding
by turns and almost daring to lay hands
on him. Ii she had been armed with
knife or pistol, she would have attacked
him at once. As she was not she con.
timed to follow him in hopes of en-
countering some one on the highway,
If white man, and she cried out tc
him that tho black had dared to raise
his hand against her, Uncle Ben would
be seized, if not shot down in his tracks.
Aggravated and annoyed by the pain
of the blows inflicted by Ike Baxter,
maddened by the woman's words and
ie-r continued presence and rendered