The times., 1897-03-21

Then the light suddenly shone out again.
The Arab glanced at the two stars that
revolye around the north star, and judged
it was not more than O'Clock. What
could the Little Master want at this early
hour?
No need to ask that question, for Little
Crochet had a great deal of business on
hand. In the first place, while Mr.. Sim
nous hounds were hunting Aaron, Timo-
leon, the black stallion, had escaped from
his stable and he created a great uprcar
on the place. When the n egro who usually
fed and groomed him went into the lot
to catch the horse he found that the
catcher is sometime scaupht, for Timoleon,
made furious by his freedom from the
confinement of the halter and the four
walls of the stable, seized the negro by
the shoulder and came near inflicting
fatal injury. Nothing saved the unfortu-
nate negro but the fact that Randall, who
Glanced to he walking about the lot, made
a rretense of attacking the horse with q
wagon whip. Timoleon dropped the negro
and made furious rush at Randall: but
Randall was in reach OF the fence, and
so made his escape, While the wounded
negro took advantage of the oIrortunity
to stagger, stumble and crawl to a place
Of safety. This done, he lay as one dead.
He was carried to his cabin and inessen-
ger was sent, hot foot, for the doctor,
who lived in the neiehborhood not far
away.
Little Crotchett witnessed Il part of the
scene, and, oh, he was angry. 1t was out
ragcous, wicked, horrible, that horse
should be 50 cruel He sat on the Gray
Pony and shook his fist inpotcnuy at
the Black stallion.
''Oh, if / had you where l could put the
lash Oh you, I'd make you pay for this,
you mean, cruel creature!"
Singular to say, Timoleon whinnied when
he heard the Little Master $ voice and came
gaIoping to the fence where the Gray
Pony stood, and put his head over the top
rail.
"Blest ef / don't b'lieve he know you,
honey, said Randall.
This somewhat Modified Little Crotchett
but he was still angry. why are you 50
mean and cruel? o, I'll make somebody
lash you well for thiS,''
The Black Stallion whinned again in his
fricndliest way. "IS anybody ever see de
beat er dat?'' exclaimed Randall
Nothing could be done, and SO the Black
Stallion roamed about the lot at viii, an'l
that night when the mules came in from
the field they had to be fed and housed un-
der the GIN house shelter. The White-Haired
Master was away from home on business,
but the ewholeplantatioa knewthat he priced
Timoleon above all the other horses on the
place, and so neither Turin nor Randall
would take harsh measures To recapture the
horse. They were careful enough, however,
to have the high fence strengthened where
they found it weak.
This is one of the reasons why Little
Crochet wanted To see Aaron. But there
was also another reason. The lad wanted
to introduce the runaway to a new friend OF
his Mr.. Richard Hudspeth, his tutor, who
had been employed6o come AL the wa from
Massachusetts to take charge of the lad's
education, which was already fairfor hisage.
In fact, what Little Crochett knew about
books was astonishing, when it is remem-
bered that he never went to school. He had
been taught to read and write and cipher
by his mother, AID this opened the door Of
ms fathers library, which was as large as
it was well selected.
Mir Hudspeth had been recommended by
an old friend, who had served two years in
Congress with sir. Abercronibie, and there
was no trouble in coming to an agreement
for Mr.. Hudspeth had reasons of his own
for desiring to visit the South. He te-
Ionged TO the Anti-Slavery Society, and
was an aggressive AtolitlouiSt. He was
a fair-skinned young man, with silk-likc
yellow beard. active in his movements,
and had a voice singuarly sweet and
well Inodulated. He talked with great
nicety OF ex preston, and had a certain
daintiness of manner which, in so far as
it suggested fcminnity, was calculated To
give the casual observer wrong idea of
Mr. Hudspeths disposition and tempera-
ment.
He had been fnstalledas Little Crotchett's s
tutor for more than week. The lad did not
like linn at first His preCiscness seemed
to smack too much of method anddiscipline
the terror of childhood and youth. And
there was a queer infection to his sen
tences, and lis pronunciation had strange
and unfamiliar twang. But these things
, soon became familiar to the lad, as Mir.
Hudspeth. little by little, won his atten-
tion and commanded his interest The
Teacher tfor he was emphatically Teach
er in the best sense, and not a Tutor in
any sense), saw at the beginning that the
dull routine Of the text books would be dis
astrous here, both to health and spirits.
And so he fell back on his own experience
and became himself the mouthpiece of ali
good books he had ever read and Of all
great thoughts thathad ever planteduhem-
selves in his mind. And he entered with
real enthusiasminuo all OF Little CroTchett S
thoughts and drew him out until the sCul
of the lad wouldhav been no more clearly
defined had every detail been painted on
canvass and hung on the wall before the
Teachers eyes.
1t was this Teacher that Little Crotch
EFT wanted Aaron to see, fact which,
taken bylJself, was sufficient evidence that
the lad had grown fond of Mr.. Iludspeth.
Little Crotchett was very cunning about
il, too. He invited the teacher to come TO
his room after tea, and, when Mr.. Hudspcth
came, the lad lying upon his bed, put the
question plumply:
"Do YOU want to see my runaway
Your runaway? l don't understand
you''
"Don't you know what runaway is?
why, of course you do. A runaway
negro
''Ah, fugitive slave. Yes; have seen
a few
but you've never seen my runaway at
all. He isn't q negro. He's an Arab. I'll
let you see him if yon promise never to
tell. It's a great secret. I'm so small,
and-and so crippled, you know, nobody
would ever think had a runaway"
Never fear me- DO you keep him in q
pI hos ri tn