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

alert. The man who was looking our
way moved toward us as directly as II
he saw us. though the negro and !, by
common impulse. crawled quickly be-
hind the trunks of two pear-trees few
feet apart
On he came unerrlngly, until he was
right between us, and l made out dis
tlnctly the tall, muscular form and red
bearded face of our neighbor Sherman.
l expected to see him pounce upon the
crouch'ng figure of my companion like
tiger on his prey, and wondered II
sudden attack In the rear by 12-year-
old boy could be of any avail.
He turned neither to the right nor to
the left as he passed between us, nor
paused as he whispered with sharp dis
F, tinctness, go back to my barn and lay
low till tell yer
! A few PAGES beyond US he turned
about and passed between us again, re-
peating the whispered Injunction, and
going back to the house, took post there.
loudly enjoinlng vigilance upon the
others.
The negro crawled away In range of
his tree. on his hands and knees. as
stealthlly as a cat, and | followed as
nearly as could In like manner, till we
gained the cover Of a fence. looking
back from which we saw the light shin
ing from successive windows as the
searching party moved from room to
room, while the figures of the beslegers
were dissolved and blotted out In the
| gloom.
We made our way back to the Sher-
man place with cautious haste, now
startled by ground-nesting bird burst
ing up from the grass before us, now
making wide detours to avoid some din
object, which proved to be a harmless
COW or stump, till at last we reached
the left and lay down upon the hay
with a welcome sense OF security In
the place which had lately deemed Sc
dangerous.
covered natural breathing, my com
panion explained In whispers the mys
terry Of neighbor Sherman's behavior.
"'Long In the AFTERNOON was layln
klvered In de fodder a-wishin might,
hard for night an suffin' for to eat
an | heard somebody come a-trom
pllng up de stairs, an he begin pokin
de fodder, an me des nat'aly shakin
, wild fear, ontwel fust knowed he HOY
, de fodder clean offn me. A mons on
big. ferce-lookin' man he was, wild
red baird-same man he was that cam
to we-uns ober yander,' an he boiler a
me, What you dom here? You's
runaway Niger. OATS what you lsv
when l try for to speak. he say
Don you tell me muffin. l don wal
! to hear word out N yo' head. 70
. had anything to eat since you be
q yere? an toll him how you done fotc
/ ME little speck, in de mawnln', an b
: went an f0tch me heap o whittlei
an he tor me TO lay still under de fot
@ der ontwel de dark come on an den G
I yere no mo-, cause he amt gwlne Il
Q to have no runaway niggers roun' h
d place. Deem he klver me In de fodde
: an dat de las seen him ontwil /
d come on we-uns obcr yander. Oh, he
mighty curious man, dat he Is"
ri quite agreed In his opinion of neigl
=. Dor Sherman, since he was acting In |
70 unexpected manner.
y We lay quietly for an hour before v
Y, heard a cautious step ascending Il
Is stairs, and then nelghbor Sherman
guarded voice, IF there's anyboC
IN here, they can go over to Thorne's MOI
ie The coast Is clear"
I'd With that he went downstairs, al
III we presently followed, and went ov
to our house, where all was quiet aft
e, she futile search.
h. On the following night my father cs
rled the fugitive to the next stati
d northward. and we saw no more Of hi