The Penn's Grove record., 1894-07-13

Is HQullN 4 eENS
"And you will see to it that the
Colonel is despatched"
81 reckon so" was the gloomy an'
swer.
otis we'll. Your hand upon it."
and the fingers OF the two villains
met in ratification Of the wicked com.
pact. r.
No more words were uttered In
this place, for the conspirators at
once departed, ~retraclng their steps
to where they had come from.
Scarcely had their shadows disap'
reared down the moonlit pathway
when the long sprays OF moss were
stealthily separated and a black face
and woolly head protrudcd from the
opening.
The eyes Of the negro rolled and
rlistened in the gloom of the forest,
his thick lips parted and his white
teeth fairly shone in the semi.dark.
ness.
go de lor's sake" calculated the
newcomer, cautiously stepping forth
from his cOncealment.
"Dey's gwine ter kill Massa Car
rolll Dey's gwine ter kill him, Is
dey?: Not il ole Pete knows his-seif,
an his legs kin tote dis black carcase
IN to de house in time! Lor'S, amt
l glad de- possums warn't out to.
night, an l done gin up huntin'l
Cause if dey had been plenty OBJ do
yellow rascals round I'd a-been far
away from here an wouldn't a heard
uutin' OBJ what was gwine on"
Thus expressing himself Peter
plunged into the labyrinth OF moss
and shrubs and hurried toward the
mansion to avert II possible the per.
petration Of the murder which he had
heard so coolly and deliberately
planned.
As was his custom Clayton Carroll,
or as he was known throughout the
ncIghborhood, the Colonel, was seated
in his library at the very hour when
his death was decided upon by his in.
human half brother, on whom he hal
always layished the greatest kindness,
and the miserable Cracker.
Deeply engrossed in the papers
which lay before him on the highly
polished mahogany table, the veneer
able Colonel noted not the time as it
passed until the clock standing in the
hall chimed forth the hour of mid
night. Then, almost drowsily, he
began TO fold up the documents pre-
paratory to consigning them to theu
place in his safe, when be was startled
at the report of a pistplss6ot asthough
the weapon had be& discharged on
the yerandah, and TO see two men
burst in threugh the long open win
DON aud fall upon tine floor, strug-
Cling in a desperate encounter.
For an instant the Colonel was too
much bewildered to grasp the situa-
ton, then he realized that a negro
and a white man were engaged in a
mortal combat at his feet, for as the
two contestants writhed and strug-
gled in each others grasp, he caught
the CLEAN Of a knife a its owner
strovc to plunge it into the side of his
antagonist
Toayoid bloOdshed in his own house,
the planter sprang forward to check
the conflict, but he was restrained by
the familiar voice of old Pete, saying,
with lab0rcd respiration
Don't YOU put you'se'f in de way,
Massa Colonel. Dis yere colOrcd gem
man am able to take keer OBJ any
white trash what is comm roun' dis
plantation wifi big knives in dere
hans an murder in dere hearts.
Dere, you mis'able sinner! Jcs' you
take dat"
Clayton Carroll heard a blow struck,
then his faithful servant ross to his
feet, leaving his antagonist senseiess
upon the floor.
"What docs this mean?" asked the
Colonel, looking about him in aston
ishment.
at means, sah," replied the negro,
assuming as dignitled a demeanor as
his somewhat RULED clothing and Ia.
bored breathing would permit, "it
means, sar, dat you hab nearly been
&c victim of a vile dlspiracy!"
conspiracy ?" exclaimed the
Colonel, catching the others mean.
ing. "What are you talking about?"
"Dis, sab, dat you f-bruddei
Biiah Jessup, whom l specs is lynn
out deere on de lawn wifi a piece oh
lead hldln' away somewheres In his
wicked caIcase, cause l pinted di;
we're plum at him when 1 pulled de
trigger land the planter for tie first
time observed that Pete grasped the
handle of n revolvcrl an dat mis'able
white trash hab made up dere minds
to kill you as quick as dcy could. ]
heerd all about it when l was hunt.
in possums dis yerc very night. an ]
ieS hurried along and I specs ]
didn't git here none too soon."
"Peter! my noble fellow, You have
saved my lite. But still, l a scarcely
believe what you say regarding my
brother"
Den ies' AK dis Teller here. lie
pears to be wakin' up" and Peter
signs of returning conscious.
ness in the yanquished Ephraim he'd
his weapon in readiness to prevent a
second attack or an attempt to cs-
cape,
When the tool of the cruel Abijah
opened his eyes and saw that the
wicked scheme had miScarried. and
he was a prisoner. he began to
plead piteously for mercy, and readily
betrayed the Vaccinations of his en-
The report OF Peters revolver, fol.
lowed by the struggle, aroused the in.
mates of the house, who hastily rob-
Ing themselves, hurried to the library.
The male servants lent Pete their
heartlest assistance to secure the cap.
tive, and then all went out 10 the
lawn, where they found the inhuman
brother lying insensible on the grass.
A close examination revealed the
fact that he was not mortally, or
seriously injured. Pete's bullet
had grazed the skull, and merely
stu1ned his intended victim.
by the Colonel's orders the miser-
able man was conveyed to the house,
where he soon recovered conscious
ness, and finding that his wicked