Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-03-17

lightly away. The dog quivered all over
in his eagerness to follow, but lay obe-
diently on the floor, head to the wind.
II do wonder what it can be-" Rob
repeated. Then she laughed aloud and
added, II wonder why I wonder when
I shall certainly soon find out"
Teddy Barton was always hospitable,
especially with his employer out Of the
way. But those about him the night OF
the party were amazed at the lavishness
with which he set out things to eat and
drink, particularly to drink. One round
Of bottles was not empty before fresh
ones were in their place. There was no
great company Of the revelers, only two
of Teddy's ohums, man or two from
the hoop pole region who were each in
Mr.. Topmark's debt and Enoch Annis
whom Teddy called familiarly Noch.
All these Teddy kept uproariously 60
ing. By midnight, what with his wit
and whisky, they were drunken ripe for
any sort Of adventure-all, that is, save
Annis. He had grown more sober and
saturnine apparently with each glass.
Indeed, he said oontemptuously aside,
"Teddy was blame slow in bringin
things to head" But Teddy answered
only with a wink and an explosive gig
gle, then struck up wildly:
"Cyarve dat possum Cyarve dat possuml
Cyarve an cook dat possum, chilluns
Cyarve him ter de heartl"
Then ingeniously he led the talk to
night ridings and raidings, repeating
vaingloriously tales caught from his
elder brothers Of what he called "pat-
ter rollin" in the slave times and later
with the Kuklux. 1t must have been
fun alive, he said. "Say, now, why not
try jest er little Of it? Niggers a.plenty
scattered all round the country, an good
men and horses jest goin ter waste at
the sto'. All fellers that air game hole
up the right hand, b'Georgel'' Every
body was game. Just wait till he could
get out a few things. The fun should
be had in style-yes, if it broke the
store. Topknotf Hang Topknotl Who
was he anyway? Besides be was SO love
crazy he "wouldn't never know it ef
half the stock was taken, let lone jest
ernough white stuff ap black ter dress
the Kukluxers like they oughter be.
Fact, it'd be the best sort er joke, an
eff the ole man dares ter cheep-why,
tell him ter 60 ter Halifax.
Some half an hour later there was q
grotesque procession down the road and
over the creek. Two and two the men
rode, their horses half covered with
white cloth. The riders had black cloths
over the face and carried stout sticks,
from which other cloths, black and
white, foated and tapped as they moved
along. Teddy, riding in the rear with
Noch, gave low, satisfied whistle.
"Huhl Don't b'leeve the ra-ale Kuklu1
looked any horribler'n US fellers," he
said. "Hey, thar, all er you'll Stop yere
at the creek an git your mouths full er
gravel. Then the devil that owns you
CANT tell by listenin who you air"
When they were again in motion,
Noch rode at the head, and Teddy
brought up the rear. They had changed
face and we're going straight toward
Roscoe. When some one asked confused.
ly where they were bound and who was
to be disciplined, Noch answered, with
an oath, "Oh, We'll show you befo' we
tell you."
Then they rode in silence for ten
minutes or more. Speech was not easy
with those Disgusting pebbles. More
than one of the gang made to spit them
out and discourse with drunken gravity,
but was stopped by the man at his ell
bow. Presently Noch fell back and
spoke with Teddy in hushed under
tone. The conference was brief, and at
the end Teddy said: "No Whence. Re-
member that 'bove all things. We jest
wanter make the witch woman swaller
some er her own stuff, then take her ter
the swamp an leave her. Mayby she'll
find herself; mayby she won't. That's
none er our loo kout. "
"The swamp" Noch echoed. 'It Is
er good place an convenient. Nobody
never thinks nothin out er the common
eff they do see buzzards a-fyin round
over it.
In q little while they began to ride
in Indian file along an overgrown path.
It came out upon the brink Of the spring
before Aunt Phemy's cabin. There was
a little clear space set with grass about
the we'll head, and there they saw what
spurred them to swifter action. Though
the moonshine flooded it, leaping fire
glowed at the waters edge. 1t was new
" kindled and fed with dry thorns. Be-
fore it, with q thorn in the breast, hung
q waxen image slowly wasting in the
heat It had been 30 placed that the
moon shadow Of it fell in the grave
posture, feet to the sunrise, head to the
sunset. Aunt Phemy stood watching
breathlessly the melting away. Now
and again she muttered strange, guttur-
al words and cast fresh thorns upon the
fire.
"It's the full or the moon ternight.
She's workin the dead man conjure
sho's er gun," Teddy said, his teeth
chattering. He would have run away at
once, for all his masking, but Noch's
hand fell over his in grip he dared not
misunderstood.
"It's all the better. We've caught
her in the act" be said in Teddy's ear.
A horse neighed impatiently. Aunt
Phemy looked up, saw the grotesque
mu1nmers, and with one sweep Of her