The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-03-08

out of a dark place In inc ROAD. doug
ed into a fence corner before ne saw me-
and stood there listening.
"'Who are your said the Son OF Ben
Ali. His voice shook little.
:" That's what the owl said' answered
tho white man. This tickled me so that
7 erunted before i knew II. The white
man laughed, too, and said he was the
Teacher OF the young people at tho big
| house. Gooft, Teacher There was once
a school-house-they called It that. but
| IL was nothing in the world but log
cahin.in the woods over yonder. Every
dav the Teacher would come and pound
and pummel the boys. and every day the
bovs would 70 oft and stone the cows
and hogs. They killed blood cousin OF
mine.
$50 I said 70 myself, gooftl II this
| Teacher is teaching the Little Master TO
| do these things, VIII keep out Oh the
Little Masters way.
"Humphl The Son OF Ben All said to
this Teacher: You ought TO know me.
| You saw me in tho SPECTATORS train,
! and you saw me sold from the block
The Teacher placed his hand on the
| Son 81 Ben AIrs shoulder and replied: L
| came from far away and there the peo-
PIE are thinking about you and praying
FOR you. Bear that In mind-thinking
| about you and praying for you, and
night. Hundreds. thousands, tens OF
thousands-all thinking about you and
praying for you
"Gooft-ooftl This Teacher talked sa
/ the man talks I'm the little house on the
creek road where the people go when the
bell rings--the little house with the high
wooden chimney. where the bell is"
ut Is a church." said Buster John.
"Iumphl 1t may be a church for all
I Iat N nd
heard the man talk 10 the people, and
the Teacher talked Just like him. / don't
/ know what else the Teacher said 10 the
/ Son Of Ben All, nor what the Son OF Ben
| All said so him, but that night after the
! Son OF Ben All had seen the Little Mas
! ter. and when we were on our way back
! 10 the woods we met the Teacher again,
| lie had been To another plantation, and
told the negroes there how the people in
his country were thinking about them
and praying for them.
You go too far from home said the
| Son Of Ben Ali. Many negro where
| you've been tonight will tell what you
have said in hopes of getting d extra
| rasher Of meat
'Ooft-gooftw grunted the White Pig:
| and hog meat at that But the Teacher
| said he would trust them"
The best goodnight 1 can give you
them too much or too far
"OOft-oof! Now you might wonder how
/ could remember such little things. But
! little things have way Of growing, and
| this was one Of the little things that
grew. Humphi II grew like a pumpkin
| vine. one thing followed another like
sheep jumping over a rail on the ground
/ The last sheep 10 go over jumps higher
! than a mans head. SO with these things
am cell Of Fh..-
| they jumped.
when we met the Teacher the grass
WAS green. but II was not long before tie
| winds began 10 blow keen and cold, and
! then the grass shrivelled and the leaves
on the trees began 10 fall. As for me.
| / could lie In the sedge and keep warm,
| or / could make me a bed of leaves on
| the windward side Of the fence and never
| know that the weather was cold. with
the Son OF Ben Ali it was different. Not
! having been born free TO the woods and
| the weather-to the four winds and the
| four seasons-humph-he must have a fire.
! lie must have a fire that could be felt
and not be seen So he dug him a hole I'm
! the ground, a trench, he called it, and I'm
this he made his fire. and he seemed to
/ be very fond Of 1t when the weather was
| damp and cold
| zone night when I was returning from
| heard horses going along the road. I
| knew the horses had riders, for / could
hear no wheels. The fog was heavy and
/ thick, and so / went close 10 the road TO
see and hear what l could. / slipped
through the wet grass and listened. Sud
| denly one Of the riders pulled up his
| horses and cried out:
Look Look on the hill yonderv
IT turned 10 see what IT was and II
,.s.n aatsft.f 10 a
on the clouds above the hill was the
shadow OF a man as big as fodder stack
| and as high as the tallest pine. Even the
horses saw IL and snorted with fear. The
| shadow raised its arms above its head
and them let them drop quickly. / knew
az once that 1t was the shadow OF the
! Son OF Ben All. but even then had a
| quaking fear Suddenly / heard another
| voice call out.
Whoever you are, come and help a
man in trouble
'The Son OF Ben Ali heard Il. too for
/ the cry of the man for help had hardly
died away before the shadow on the
| clouds disappeared as Il II had been wip-
| ed out. / knew that the voice that had
called to the shadow was the voice OF
| the Teacher. the man who had told the
Son OF Ben Ali that thousands and tens
Of thousands were praying for him. And
| ! wondered whether the thousands and
/ the tens OF thousans were praying for the
/ Teacher. now that he seemed 10 be In
trouble
THE Teacher called again. and then
/ heard the voice OF Old Grizzly's son
! George tell the man TO hush or he would
blow his brains out.
But have done nothing 10 YOU. gen
tlemen, said the Teacher. L have not
| harmed YOU i'm the least. What have you
| eoized ma for and where are vol taking
me-?
Hush. you sniveilng wretch" said
| Old Grizzlys son George you've been
| cologuing with the niggers and telling
| them about freedom. You want to raise
an instruction, and you'll have 10 pay
for IT,
after that the Teacher said no more.
/ and the patrol rode on. could see. dark
| as II was. that they had the Teacher rid
| ing behind Old Grizzlys son George. The
! Teacher was tied with a rope. and the
rope was fastened to Old Grizzly's son.
| All this ] saw. and saw guns-Gooft,--
tho things that burn and sting you from
| afar. II was we'll that my eyes were
fitted for the dark. otherwise RE Son OF
| Ben All would have been riddled. But
ran and mot him. and told him OF the
guns. He wanted TO slip among the
horses cut the ropes that bound the
Teacher and carry him out OF hearing
among the bushes. But there were the
guns,
Then the Son Of Ben Al. wanted me "a
run ahead. get into the road. and rush
out at the horses when they came up,
while he cut the ropes from the Teacher
Gooftl But there were the guns We
heard the men talking. and found that
they were going TO take the Teacher to
a crossroads store, called Harmony