Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-05-03
THE OVERTON CLAIM.
By MARTHA MoULLoOH WILLIAMS
Copyright. 1894, by American Press AssociA-
toni

ther with the mob found him bound and
helpless, yet sitting as upright and fear
less upon his horse as though for the
chase 1t had all passed like dream,
the sight of him, the mounting behind
one of the leaders, the tramp into the
wilderness, from which she had but just
escaped. Now the hillmen had halted in
front of the house Cleve had chosen for
her prison, had hurried the two within
it and were deep in counsel outside.
I'VE can die, D." Dare echoed, but we
shall die innocent We have never
| harmed, but always helped as far as lay
in our power, these lawlessnnen. What
charge can they bring against us?''
THAT we are Overtons, 3" the old man
said bitterly. "Overtons," he repeated,
1.-THE rightful owners of this which 9TH
er men wish to sell and buy At sun
down as sat in my studykhese fellows
came upon me, demanding that give
up my rights In their phrase, Take it
| or leave it and let men who have money
set the wheels turning They were tired
of waiting and starving if was not. If
1 dared to refuse, 1 must take the con-
sequences. l did refuse, then and for
| CNNI W IL, Gl4OlAS AZ A4AS 4AOAAoSJ A4AAAOSO
so upon the plantation. Gagged and
! bound, l was sat upon my horse and
headed for this place. l know it well,
the lonelest, the widest spot in all the
tract, so wild and lone murder might
be done here hundred times with no
risk of detection. All the way I was
thanking God that you were safely away.
Tell me, my child, how it happens that
you, too, are entrapped?'
Dare told him, keeping back nothing
save the scene in Jincey's cabin. The
moro than midnight darkness of their
prison house hid the old mans face as
he listened, but his hand lay on that of
his grandchild, and amid all her stress
of feeling she noted the surging leap of
his pulse as she told of her peril, her es-
cape
''Oh, for one more day of life to meet
that gentleman he said through his
set teeth. My child, my child, it seems
l let yOu go into the very lions den.
Forgive me, my girl. l have not been
tender and thoughtful of you 1 shall
love you more through our little inch of
time than in all the years Of your life. )"
There is nothing to forgive" Dare
said, laying her check softly against his
hand a culver of lightning played
along the floor and showed her big tears
dropping from the brave old eyes.
Il have not shed a tear before since
Margaret died, " the old man said, with
4 gulp over the name.
You must not cry now. We need all
our spirit, - Dare said, nesting closer.
''kcCpa good heart, grandfather. These
men surely dare not murder US outright,
and help must come before long"
You don't know them as do, daugh
ter, - Major Ovcrton said, with sigh.
They have gone too far to draw back
now. Our lives are the price of their own
safety no less than their prosperity. Ny
wonder is that they have not given US
shorter shrift-indeed that we came
into this room alive.
The hillmen themselves wondered not
little. In truth, there was division
of opinion among their heads
Il tell We, both must die, er We'll
swing for it, - said the man Dare had
recognized Il tell ye, We might "a
knocked me down with feather when
1 seen thct thar gal in ole Jincey's cabin
an she spoke up So Why, this is Mr..
Hensleyr I'd ruther take er years
whippin an ter fetch her rough, but
whut's er man ter do? She knowed me-
1 tell we thar aim no safe way but the
bloody one.
AN l tell you, you fool, said deep
er voice, If harm comes to her, ter so
much as n hair of her head, We'll all
have our trouble fer our pains. The fell
Ter dat got most er de money we're so
anxious he should spend here is plumb
crazy about her. The man dat touches
her is as sure ter swing fer it as de
spendin of n million dollars can make
him. know, fer H, yo' know who,
told me dat was in de game. Eff he don't
git her, most lik' he'll quit de country.
1 say dc thing ter do is keep 'em here,
keep 'cm comfortable, treat 'em lik'
fghtin cocks, but keep EN- close till
they re willin ter agree ter hold their
tongues. "
That be ccnabout always. Man,
yo' don know them Overtons. Bad as
1 hate 'em fer their high headed, high
handed ways, l know they're game,
amt afearcd o. man ner devil and
wouldn't budgc a hair from what they
said wus right fer all dis world, with de
next thrown in. Talk about maxim
termsl Put it ter vote, l say Fix er hat,
somebody. All in favor of maxim a sure
thing o dis job put crossmarks ON their
tickets. Dem ergin it, leave 'em white.
A little time, and 80 men came past
the hat, over which hung their solitary
lantern, each dropping from his hand a
fiuttering slip whose import was life or
death.
MIR. Somebody didn't think whut his
letter WIS ter be used fer when he writ
it, Hensley said, with grim smile, as
the ballots fell in.
Reckon it wouldn't "a bothered him
much if he had, " his opponent remark
ed The teller raised hand, saying la
conically:
I'VE better be fxin. Thar's 20
crosses.
Wen draw lots who's ter do de job.
De rest kin go erway," Hensley said,
speaking thickly in spite of his sense of
necessity. "'Twon't take but two
one erpiece, ye know Inside Major
Overton talked in low tones to Dare.
1T was q miracle, your escape, and to
think you are thus brought back, he
said, breathing hard.
There is fate in it, 1 am sure, " Dare
answered do you know, grandfather,
1 believe Jincey had made the path
found tramping to this place. What mo-
tive could possibly have brought her SO
often over such n weary way?"
Maybe we will know soon. Jincey
was mystery always. We are at the
gate of mysteries. wonder why they
are so slow?''
Dare pressed his hand hard and said
in his ear:
'Hushl Ihear hard breathing. Some
one else is in the room >"
IF it is the scoundrel who lured you