The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-12-16
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TCabE orMSnd Steele
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CHAPTER X.
some REFERENCES TO THE PAST WHICH IT Is
NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND.
Colonel Graham was very weak
man, and at best very angry one,
though it would not do for him to
show it.
He played sick and he cursed-to him
seh-the doctor who had turned his
mean pretense into frightful reality.
He was in no amiable mood when
Othello came in on tip-toe, and, in re-
sponse to his masters demand to know
who was making that noise out there,
sIaaae<uswer:
vIt's MY granny, sab.
MAY the devil fly away with the black
hag! Why he hasn't done so before is
( q mystery. What does she want2" The
Colonel pushed himself higher up on
the pillows and glared at the black man,
as ifready to slay him if he did not at
once give satisfactory answer TO the
question.
-She wants foh to see yeh, said
Othello, his tremulous voice indicating
Yes, en- I'ze got to- see ye. No use
tryin' to keep me out Eff yer sick,
I've got YARDS to cure ye; SO In comes
-en 'ow does yeh do, me lod?"
The door was opened and closed with
. sudden bang, and Dinah stood in the
middle of the floor, bowling in way
that to any other man than that sitting
bolt upright on the great "four-poster
bed would have been extremely ludi.
crous
Il am sick, woman, and want to be
alone, said Colonel Graham, but even
Othefio noticed that he did not speaB
with the peremptory voice that usually
distinguished him.
$50 We does" The old woman turned
to her grandson, and enforcing her com.
mand by extending her lean, black arm
In the direction Of the door, she con.
finued: Git out, 'Thello; me en- yel
mas'r wants to be lone. Don't ye &c
foh to stan dar GRIMM wid yer moui
open, but 90 out. Tell i'm to go out to
once" ....
Dinah turned to the bed, and the
colonel. falling back on his pillows with
q sigh OF mingled wrath and pain, said:
Leave me alone for little while,
Othello." ~
Amazed at his grandmother audac-
ity, Othello went out, but he did not 60
out OF hearing. His curiosity was
aroused, and he made up his mind to
learn, If possible, the secret Of the old
woman's s power. So far it had been his
firm belief that there was not in all the
world being who would dare to oppose
the wishes Of his fierce master. 80.
Dinah had not been in town for some
days, and though she had heard Of the
departure of the Wanderer, she as yet
did not know that Capt. Denham had
left on that ship.
L have offered you gold to leave me
alone and to keep your cursed tongue
quiet" said the colonel. Now, what
do you want7" E..
Before replying to this the old woman
drew back the bed curtain, 80 that she
might get better view Of his face,
and then, coming SO nearthat she could
look into his cold, glittering gray eyes,
said in voice that was not whisper.
but which sounded far away and
II want to keep on leadin' of bettah
life, en- I can't 60 fob to do it W en- yel
roun'." r.
q L6SN6 iu6 dlOuc, IL oOOu NC
away" The colonel threw pillow
under mis- shoulder, SO that he could rest
ON his elbow, and returned the wom-
ans look without fin ching. Suddenly,
as il he had decided on different tactics
from those he would pursue if he con-
tinued acting In accordance with his
feelings, he said:
sit down, Dinah, and let us have
- = II la IN
the old times. You must excuse me,
but / have been sick in mind and body
for some time.
"Td rather stan up" replied Dinah,
and she placed both hands on the top oi
her long staff, and, resting her chin
thereon, she still watched him.
After pause, she continued:
) -Ye'z sick in min en- body, en- nc
wondah. Wy ye'z alive arter all de
min en- body sickness ye'z had yarse]
en- made odders fob to hab is de mos
'sprisin' ting Ize ever heard on, or
Tze been libbin' now nigh onto fou-ab
score en- ten
Never mind that" interrupted the
Colonel. restraining with a terrible ef-
fort his tendency to anger. Let us
talk about yourself and what you have
Dc6u OOluS ldpO = 5dW SOu. ACt
me see, it must be one and-twenty years
ago?"
-Jes' dat time. I couldn't fohgit it
en- you couldn't fohgit it. We was bofe
in Bermooda den, en- I was the slave oi
de Gov-nah.. Does yer reminder who
that Gov.nah war?"
The hag cooked her head to one side,
and leaned forward on the staff for an
answer.
Colonel Graham shot glance at the
door and saw it was closed, then he
threw back the curtain still further and
looked over the room before he said:
THE Governor Of Bermuda, at that
time, WAS my brother"
En- dey called i'm Colonel Ora am,
too?"
You know they did, Dinah."
EN- if he'd libbed den dat Gov-nah'd
been Lo'd Paliton2"
What of il? 2"
But dat Gov'nah didn't lib. Kaze
w'y2 Doan't you know, sah?"
"He died." replied the Colonel, with
another impatient glance about the
room. -......
.-En wy did e de9"
It is so difficult to reproduce with &C
euracy the strange dialect of this wom-
an, that for the present we shall diseon-
tinue 1t, and give summary Of the
facts developed by her shrewd ques-
tions and her ready and frequently gro
tesquely humorous answers.
Twenty-one years before the date Of
our story, Colonel-the Right Honor
able Ralph Denham Graham, the eldest
son of Lord Paliton of AYR and Cumber.
Iend-waS the Governor General Of the