The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-12-22

**9Sa89a* *
here" she cried. ''Did you hear 'en
come in las night?"
No, Mrs. Holdredge had heari
nothing Of them.
"I do b'leeve they must ha' stayed
tn Ezry's, after ALL" said Mrs. Boone
"I'll run right over n see. You SCI
down an be eatin', Mis- Holdredge
afore the vittles git cold. I'll be righ
back"
But inquiry at Mr.. Porter's failet
TO elicit any information regarding tht
whereabouts of the missing girls.
'Hain't seen 'em sence about ten
minnits after you an Mis- Holdredgt
lef' las night" said Samanthy. "Mus
be they took it intu their heads to &c
to Stevenses', though what should
possess 'em to 60 there at that time o
night, I can't see. You run right back
home, Mis- Boone, an I'll go over tt
Stevenses' an see'f they're there
So Mrs. Boone returned, with dis
NAL forebodings, while SamanthJ
started out on q search for the runa
ways.
"Fust it's hosses they're a-huntin
an then it's gals" said Samanthy.
with shiver, as she looked toward
the barn and thought of the dead mar
lying inside. "Them words O. the
elders las night was awful comfortin'
He don't think I was tn blame, an
bein' an elder, it seems ef he ought tn
know, ef anybody" IS, -.
The dew had fallen heavily, and Sa-
manthy thought it advisable to &c
around by the main road rather than
by the 'cross-lot path through the
bushes. As she came to the forks
where she was to turn she looked
down the bill, and away at the foot Of
it she saw two females.
"Marsy on. us!'' she exclaimed.
"Can that be them? It looks like 'em,
fer sartin.. What on airth d "a took
'em that way? I'll wait till they come
up" .-..... ..".'..:
She sat down on log and waited.
"Fer the lands sake, girls, where
hev ye benz" she shouted, as soon as
they were within hearing distance.
Hunting horse-thieves," answered
Mamie, who,. though tired, was in the
best of spirits. Everybody else had
gone into that business, and we thought
we'd see what we could do at it" !
''Wall, I hope ye've found 'em," said
Samathy. . ..
1--WE have" answefed Mamie.
''Thst is, we know where they are, and
the men have gone after them, and we
expect they'lkget them. Oh, Samanthy,
I've seen Dick, and if we hadn't got
there just as we did they'd have hung
him. They had him strung up over a
limb when we got in sight" III.
20 Lordl You scare mel" cried Sa-
manthy. -
"Wall, it's fact, isn't it, Rhoda?"
said Mamie. ......
Rhoda corroborated her statement.
Then Mamie went on to tell what I
have already told the reader.
tThe hand o. the Lord is in it, }"
said Samanthy, solemnly. "Praise His
holy name" .
Rhoda wondered if Samanthy wasn't
going to 'get the power"
About nine o'clock Mrs. Boone
looked out and startled Mrs. Hold
redge with the announcement that
HSonootbu'd oof ,aro - Sd.
'I was almost sure they'd been stole,
'long with the hosses," she said, and
begun to cry. And the returning wan
derers found her in tears.
Again their story had to be told, to
q running accompaniment Of 80
Lords" and "For the lan's sake!"
and who'd "a thought it?" from
Mrs. Boone and Mrs. Holdredge.
"See here" said Samanthy. "Not
a word O. this mus git to the singin'-
teacher. Eff it does he'll be i'tin'
out afore the men git back"
! It was agreed that not word of what
had been done should be told to any
one.
This compact having been enforced
by repeated cautions on her part,
Samanthy went back home.
"Where was they?" asked Mrs.
Porter.
"I jest got to the forks O. the road
when I see 'em a-comin'," was Sa-
manthy's reply. cts curtis how gals
will act, skylarkin' round nights,
when they orter be abed. Eff they was
my gals I'd larn 'em suthin' they'd be
likely to remember SPELL"
Wayne was listening for her answer
to Mrs. Porter's question.
There! I wonder if you can make
ANYTHING ont ~ that2n aaid Sa1nanthy