The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1897-12-29

birds were singing buttercups and
a daisies were in bloom. and the
misty globes OF dandeIions had gone TO
Beed-for | picked some to blow away
At one breath for luck. So II must have
been on a June morning. in the year
1856, that went over to play with
the Sherman boys. and thereby met
with a memorable adventure.
Finding the boys at leisure, a game OF
"I-spy"-Or as we had It. perhaps by
Inheritance from our English ances-
tors, "hl-spy"-was presently arranged.
We were counted out" by our favorite
formula. "Wlre. brier. timber lock. six
geese In nock." and 1t fell to Toms
lot to blind.
Before his loud announcement Of the
drst ten OF the hundred-which he was
so rapidly counting that there was but
continuous humble between the tens
Jim. Billy and l scattered in search
Of hiding places. | was at no loss to
fnd one. for knew every nook and
corner Of the premises; and as neither
Of the others went that way. tptOed
up the stairs that led to the hayloft
over the stable. This place afforded
good outlook to the 'gool," as well as a
good hiding place.
As | waded through the hay to the
darkest corner. the figure Of man
started up before me, nearly taking the
breath out OF me, so sudden and unex-
pected was the apparitlon. He seemed
no less startled than /. and when. in
! the dim light made him out to be a
negro guessed that he was fugitive
, slave before his dialect made 1t appar-
ent, as he whispered. anxiously, Say.
chile, is dis yere Mars Album Thorne's
place?"
That was the name of my father,
! who was Jealous ab0litlonist, and
whose house was well known by
friends OF the cause" and suspected
: by enemies, to be station of the I'M
: derground Railroad, concerning whose
dusky passengers, often seen by us be-
tween their mysterious coming and 60
ing. my sister and early learned to
: keep our own counsel.
1t struck me at once that this fugitive
could scarcely have made greater mis-
take than In coming to the Sherman
i barn. Only little while before l had
,. heard nelghbor Sherman declare to my
Q father that 1t was as clearly his duty
IS TO give up runaway slave as to deliver
5 q stray horse to Its owner.
/. SO answered my interlocutor in q
h tone as cautious and more alarmed
than his own. mo, no! It's the mex
house. But thee can't go there now
Sherman's folks'll see thee! Thee mus
l. lie down an let me cover thee up will
l. hay, an don't stir till come for the
after dark. I'm Abraham Thorne'
- boy" said, seeing that he hesltated {
" little.
- Thgeupon he lay down. saying as h
u did SO, Use wiliin' 'nough to rest, bu
Use powerful hongry, chile"
/ carefully covered him with hay
hoping there was good chance of hi
being safe from further discovery, 70
Z the horses were turned out to grass
r and no one was likely to visit the loi
- for hay.
had barely time to smooth off til
covering before Tom Sherman san
out, Zone hun-derdr' and the warning
ay Zone. two, three, look out for met
yet slowed myself where he would /
1t. sure to find me before he could stumb
ay on the hiding-place of the negro. To
70. spied the other boys, and l got a sal
no run to the ''gool," so that he had no o
lie casion to search the loft. Hence l fe
easy concerning the man for the pre-
az. ent, except that was at my wits Ell
eat for means to relieve his hunger. al
rch grew SO distracted over the probe
that / attracted the attention Of N
est companions.
IT, what makes you look so down In Il
mouth, TommyT' Bill Sherman aske
all "Oh, nothin'," answered, eyasivel
and then a happy thought struck m
"Only I'm SO hungry, l b'lieve I've 6
. to go home and get something to eG
- l guess didn't eat as much breakfa
III as I'd ought to this morning"
The explanation might pass wi
those who had not witnessed my pr
Torrance, but 1t was not needed by n
ne playmates, for Mt the suggestion
Of hunger, each became aware OF his Ov
M pangs-it being now near 10 o'clock
ALT "Hurrah for something t'eat!' cri
ad, Tom. "Come onr' and he led the wi
I'm, to the kitchen door. where an appe
for relief was promptly responded
q by good, motherly Mrs. Sherman, wi
81 double slice OF bread and butter a
!. doughnut for each Of us.
= made pretense of eating. not wi
out an effort refraining from the re
ity. till Jim Sherman began to cou
and tho rest OF as to scatter to GOV
Then ! crept noiselessly up the sta
and gave all my lunch to the negro.
made me hungry to see hlm eat. an,
4 felt that was making great sacrif
Ia for the "cause" in which my father "
so earnestly engaged.
IL wish thee'd come to our house
"a, stead of here" whispered to the
gro, as he sat up under the tent of HI
Cal. ravenously boiling the bread and b
ter.
Cal. Tell We what. honey" he answer
= after struggle to swallow lal
- mouthful, from what de folks toll
where was stayin' yist'day, dis y
"a was de place, nigh as could make
In de dim O de mawnin'-dis we're v
de place"
"Well. we can't help 1t now. All Il
I in can do is to keep still till night"
rant Then Jim shouted warning, and
rge, heard him coming cautiously up
S1' stairs before my man was down ;
covered up again. But covered he '
before Jim found me, and We rus
tara pellmell for the ''gcol."