The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-10-02
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no stopped for a parley. Ho had
heard Of the War Woman before.
We've had nothing to eat since yes
terday You'll give US something's
! know you will.
you've already stolen everything
We had, replied Nancy. We haven't
a grunter left"
There's a gobblor, Mt any rate" re-
piled the tory, as he lifted his gun
and fred. The turkey fell over and
with one or two eonvulsiye kicks was
dead.
''Now you clean and cook him for
us, " he added, as he threw the dead
bird at her feet
Nancy was thoroughly angry now,
and a bright red spot appeared on
each cheek. She hesitated a moment,
aud was about to refuse, but a new
thought came, and without a word she
took the gobbler and began 10 clean
it,
"Sukey," she said to her little girl,
twelve years old, II want some water.
You go down to the spring and get me
some. Blow once at the conch, she
added in a low voice Sukey nodded
her head understandingly, and soon
returned. She replied to the ques-
tion in her mothers eyes by a vigor-
Gus nod, and the "War Woman" soon
had the turkey ready for her visitors.
She arranged the table and prepared
to wait upou the men herself.
Haven't you anything to drink"
asked the leader, soon after the din
ner began.
eyes" replied Nancy, as she has
tened to bring a jug from the cellar.
"This wdr woman isn't so bad,
said one of the men while she was
gone. 81 have seen lots of worse
wings than she." Perhaps if he could
have noted the expression on her face
when she left the room he might not
have been quite so compliment, for
Nancy had forgotten neither her name
nor nature. But the feast was on,
and Nancy and Sukey we're kept busy
by the tories, who soon became hilari-
ous. Sukey could not understand it.
What had wrought the change in her
mother? She never had seen her so
quiet before when tories were about.
81 want some water, said one of
the men thickly. "Gimme some
water"
81 shall have to send for it," re-
piled Nancy. There was a CLEAN in
her eyes now. The very moment for
which she had been planning had
come. "Sukey, you take the bucket
and go down to the spring. Blow
twice." she whispered in her little
daughters ear, as she left the room.
elbow twice." thought Sukey, on
her way to the spring. "Why, that
means to call pap in. I wonder what
marin can want of him, with those
kings men in the house. He'll get
into trouble.
But Sukey had been trained to obey
and before she returned, two clear
calls from the cogch shell had sounded
over the swamp. The thirsty me n
eagerly drank of the water and then
resumed their feasting, for turkey was
not to be had every day.
"Pass round the jug, old woman, .
called one of the men. Nancy Hart
was not an old woman, but she did
not heed the insult. Sukey was more
and moro troubled, and was quite GER
tain that her father would not ap.
prove. What was it her mother was
doing now? Gently she was pulling
several pieces Of pine climbing from
between the logs of which the cabin
was built. She could look through
into the yard now. Her mother must
be crazy.
But Nancy had method in hel
madness. The tories had leaned theil
guns against the wall when they So
down. Nancy was near them now
aud, without attracting the attention
of the men, she slipped one of the
guns through the hole she had made
in the wall, and listcded to hear it fall