The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-03-15
Continued from last Sunday.)
CHAPTER IX.-Continued.

Sweetest Susan shuddered. Drusilla
cried, We'll, sum" Buster John pull
ed up a big bunch of grass and threw
it away from him. his face was red
with anger or excitement.
''Humph! Hang him to limb!'
grunted the White Pig. 'Ooft! There
was bridge quarter of mile ahead.
1t was long and narrow and loW-Just
wide enough for a wagon and not high
er from the shallow creek than man S
head. Over this bridge the men had
to go, and the Son of Ben Ali wanted
me To run ahead, get on the further
end of the bridge, charge the horses
when they reached the middle, and
then Jump off and get under the bridge
before the men could make their guns
talk. 1t was not to my taste. LII / had
had to choose between charging the
horses on that bridge and a mess of
ripe persimmons humph-I think |
would have taken a few of the persim-
mons. But what could / do? Gooft!
The Son of Ben Ali had his mind made
up.
so / ran ahead, jumped over low
place in the fence, and reached the
bridge before the horses did, / heard
them come on the other end of the
bridge, and / tried TO get my bristles
up, -gooft-ooft-they wouldn't
stay up. As the men came across i
went to meet them, and when they
came within few steps of me | charg-
ed at them, making as much noise as
/ could, crying:
sGoofti-oofti Gooftl'
1T was all so sudden that the horses
were terribly frightened. There were
five of them. One reared and / ran
under his forelegs. Another SHE'D too
far to one side, and went crashing
through the railing into the creek. One.
of the horses kicked me and-goofti II
that made me mad. For the first time
by bristles rose. / rushed at them
with open mouth Another crashed
through the railing and went over. All
this time / could see the Son of Ben Ali
at the heels of the horse that was car
rying the teacher and old Grizzly's son.
s.But the horse was scared nearly To
death. His rider couldn't manage him.
He was wild. Before the Son of Ben
Ali could cut the rope the scared horse
had whir1ed and rushed off the bridge,
and / went after him. The Son of Ben
Ali disappeared, and went over the
fence and rested in the bushes. Pre-
sently the Son of Ben Ali came creep
ing to where / was. He was wet with
sweat and trembling all over.
Neither the men nor the horses
were hurt. Gooft! they came together
and sat on their horses within a few
steps of where we lay. One said it was
man seven feet high. Another said it
was q wild varmint as big as a lion.
Still another said it was Satan. Gooft--
ooft! The teacher said it was a warn
ing. Ooft! The hand of the Lord is
in it, he said.
:" 1T will be hard race, little Grunt-
era hard race! 1t is three miles to
the big house, and from there eight
miles to Harmony. 1T is to be a hard
race, little Grunter-a hard race. But
it must be run So said the Son of Ben
Ali.
Am / to go, Son of Ben Alp / said.
As far as you may and as fast as
you can, little Grunter'
ssGoofti You have never seen the Son
of Ben Ali throw stone, and You
have never seen him rum We got in
the big road where the ground was
firm. Gooftl ] began to gallop, but
heard the Son of Ben Ali right ait
my heels. I began to run and--gooft-
ooftt-I heard him closer at my heels.
The faster / went the faster the Son
of Ben Ali went I was pretty swift
runner, and am TO this day, but that
night I could never get more than
twenty steps away from the Son of
Ben All. Gooft! he was running to save
life and I was running for fun. Once
we passed stray traveller stray
negro. He called out: What are you
trying to do brother?' Ooft! and the
Son of Ben Ali called back: Trying
TO catch little Grunter, brother' Gooft
and the stranger cried: j wish you
mighty well, my brotheri'
"Gooft-ooft! Tt was warm race
and long one. We were not going as
fast at the end as we were at the be-
ginning. Oofti but we were going. And
we went till we came to the horse lot,
and then / stopped / spoke to the
Son of Ben Ali, and said that we were
now as close to the hog pen as i hoped
ever to be, and SO he cried out as he
ran: Goodnight. little Grunteri /
heard him go to the stable where the
Black Stallion, the Son of Abdallah,
is kept. Then heard the door thrown
open, and the Son of Abdallah came out
with a scream and a snort, and that
is all / know. The rest the Black Stall
lion can tell you.
"Ooft- gooft! That is all. Say moth
ing to no one-l'H sleep here a little.
and when the sun gets lower I'll slip
away to the swamp"
Eve are very much obliged to you,
said Sweetest Susan.
eHumph Hurnph- nmph!"
grunted the White Pig. Nicely said
nicely said! I'm ogerpaid."
CHAPTER X.
THE BLACK SWALLOWS STORY. i
The children were anxious to hear
the rest of the story at once, but they
were compelled to wait. The White
Pig had told all he knew, and Aaron
was on the other side Of the plantation.
So Buster John and Sweetest Susan
amused themselves by wondering
whether tie Teacher was hanged or