The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1896-07-23

painted.
"Skeered o what?" he asked, without
intermisson of the bent labor.
/ "Some-some soldiers just went down
the road, an they spoke to me sassy
like" She hesitated, and Dave looked
up to see her pretty face scarlet and
her brows bent together in angry lines,
"Weli, what did they all say?' he de
manded, in his accustomed slow drawl,
after waiting in vain for her to proceed.
"They lowed they all was a-comin'
back"
"Who was they, ennyhow?" he asked.
upeasily, his face blanching In antici
patton of the martial visit.
81 dunno. They was five of EN-"
"Come on back to the house, Sue"
and, shoulderng his hoe, he trudged
stolidly on before. Don't you be
skeered," he continued, as they reached
the yard. 81 reckon they won't do
nothin'."
OF the two 1t would have been mani
fest to the most casual observer that he
was the worst "skeered' but he walked
on till they reached the house and Sue
c led out:
"Yonder they come now-all Ave."
Dawes face blanched to a sallow
whiteness, but he pulled her quickly
inside the door.
What you gwine to do?' Sue asked.
nervOusly, keeping near her cousin, but
he apparently did not hear He had
| n had ha1 To
Sues brother who had also offered up
his life on the altar of the cause, leav
ing his weapon to his sister as a means
of defence in just such emergencies as
this.
"What you gwine to do. DaveT' the
girl persisted, coming closer and laying
her hand on his arm. Dave shook sew
eral cartridges into the cylinder of the
rife, and waiting in silence apparently
not aware that Sue had touched him.
Only n few more moments to wait and
then the last act in the commonplace
little tragedy. A loud pounding at the
rickety cabin door, and a derisive inn
perative voice demanded:
eli, in there. open up, or we'll make
splinters of yer OF door, The threat
was garnished by several strong ex-
pletives and accompanied with more
vicious pounding.
? ~fLon for answer went the spiteful
snap of the rifle followed by a surprised
howl of pain. more voluDle profanity
and footsteps in rapid retreat.
Dave went to the window and
through a knot hole in the shutter re-
viewed the situation of the enemy.
through the aperture the rifle again
spoke with decisive, leaden emphasis.
and when the smoke cleared away the
man inside beheld one of the besiegers
lying prone across the freshly hoed
potato rows, while another limped pain
fully in the rear of the retreating trio.
In tl.' short silence that followed the
last shot the arid topography of Honey
path seemed to fash before Dawes Wis
ion, each peculiarity standing out
strong and clear. The fine, white sand
covered everywhere with fat-leaved
prickly pear and cactus that bloomed
perpetually in big butter colored flow
ers; the bright, blazing sky, the heat
that rose and hung heavily over
man and beast, the many insects that
sat out in the furnace-like sun, rattling
shrilly with very joy. Then the dense
shade of the murky shadowed swamp
and the big scaly black scorpions and
dainty multi colored lizards that played
an eternal game of hide and seek
among the rotting rails of the old snake
fence.
The trio had disappeared into the
swamp and i've calmly refilled his
rifle, waiting as though lost in thought.
Presently from the rear of the cabin
came the harsh command:
''You cowardly bushwhacker in there.
come out an fight like a man! If ye
don't, we'll burn We an yer shanty an
the gal with ye."
There was no opening in the rear of
the cabin the, logs were thick and the
chinks were well stopped with clay,
so that Dave could not return leaden
answer to this brutal challenge. He
fingered the rifle nervously and looked
at Sue.
"Oh, Dave, don't open the door," she
pleaded, meeting the earnest look bent
on her face from beneath the brim of
Dawes frouzy slouch hat; Il amt
afeered to burn"
His lips blanched, his knees were
wobbly with fear. but he had not for
gotten the one boast of his poor,
pinched life, uttered so long ago. Toe
purtec yo' honah on happiness, l 'ud
throw away my wuthless life lie
uttered the words again monotonously,
lingering the rife that was held Imply
in his shaking hands.
Poor Sue. there was no answering
laughter in her soul now for those
grotesquely sententious words which
broke in husky monotone on her hear
ing like a last prayer.
In that moment Dave, who had al
ways been coward, who had all his
life long borne meekly the scorn ana
opprobrium attached to the character,
he whom heretofore nothing could