Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-12-30
REMEMBER chat multitudes o

NNsS tA OAOOtkl dllu lEe
misty globes of %dandelions had gone to
secd-f0r | picked some TO blow away
at Il breath for luck. So 1t must have
been on 81 June morning. in the year.
ls'~. that ] went over to play with
Ike Sherman boys, and thereby met
with II memorable adventure.
Finding the boys at le' snre, a gam, of
"l-sry"-or as We had 1t. perhaps by
Inheritance from our English ances-
tors. "hi-spy"-was presently arranged.
We we're counted out" by our favo,ite
formula. Wire. brier. timber lock. six
geese in IL tiock," and it fell to TOMS
lot 10 blind.
Before his loud announcement of the
first ten of the hundrcd-which lie was
so rapidly counting that there was but
Il continuous humble between the tens
Jim. Billy and I scattered in search
of hf%dlng-placcs. was at no loss TO
find one. for l knew every nook and
corner of the premises: and as neither
of the others went that way, | tiptoed
up the stairs that led to the hayloft
over the stable. This place afforded a
|SOOu OUttUON w tlS SOuIs US MVII as Il
good h~iding-place.
AS ! waded through the hay to the
darkest corner. the figure of a man
started up before me. nearly taking the
breath out of mt, so sudden and unex-
pectcd was the apDarftion. He seemed
no less startled than l., and when. in
the dim light. ! made him OIL to lie a
negro, l guessed that lie was a fugitive
slave before his dialect made IT aplar-
ent, as lie whispered, a%nXiOusly, Say,
chile. is dis we're Mars Album Thornc's
place."
That was the iaine of my father.
who was II Jealous aEo.ition:st. and
friends OF the cause" aud suspected
by enemies. to lie Il station Of the Tn
.dergrOund Railroad, concerning whose
dusky passengers. often seen by us bc-
tween their mysterious coming and 60
ing. my sister and | early learned 10
keep our own counsel.
III struck mo at once that this fugitive
could scarcely have made Il g.e..ter mis-.
take than in coming to the Sherman
barn. Only Il little while before l had.
heard neighhOr Sherman declare TO my
father that it was as clearly his duty
to give up a runaway slave as Il dbl yer
a stray horse TO its owner.
So ! answered my i%nierlocutcr in a
tone as cautious and more alarmed
than his own. NO. no. It's tho next
house. But thee can, go there now!
Sherman's fo.ks'll see thee! Thee must
lie down am let me thee up Will,
hay. AM don't stir till | come for thee
after dark. I'm Abraham Themes
boy" l said. seeing that he liesitatel IL
little.
Tliereupon he lazy down. saying as hc
did so. Use willin' 'mougli TO test. bu.
Use powerful llongry. chile"
carefully covered him with hay.
hoping there was a: good chance of his
being safe from further discovery, for
the horses were turned II TO grass.
and no one was likely to visit the loft
for hay.
had barely time TO smooth off the
covering before Tom Sherman sang
out. zone hun-derd.!' and the warning.
conc, two, three, look out for met
slowed myself where lie would be
sure to find me before he could stumble
OH the hiding-place of the negro. Tom
spiet the other boys, and l got a safe
run to the ''gool,' so that lie had no oc-
casion TO search the loft. Hence l felt
easy concerning the man for the pres
ent, except that l was ut my wits end
for means to relieve his hunger, and
grew so distracted ove the problem
that l attracted the attention of my
companions.
What makes you look so down in the
mouth. Tommy Bill Sherman asked.
"Oh, nothin'," answered, cvasively;
and then a happy thought struck me.
only I'm so hungry. 1 b'lieve I've got
to so home and get something to eat.
guess didn't eat as much breakfast
as Id ought to this morning."
The explanation might pass with
those who had not witnessed my per-
Torrance, but it was not needed by my
playmates, for at the suggestion of
hunger, each became ware of his own
pangs-it being now nea 10 o'clock.
"Hurrah for something t'eat!" cried
Tom. "Comc on" and he led the way
to the Kitchen door, where an appeal
for relief was promptly responded to
by good, motherly Mrs. Sherman, with
a double slice of bread and butter and
q doughnut for each of us.
I made Il pretense of eating, not with
out an effort refraining from the real
ity. till Jim Sherman began to count
and the rest of us to scatter to cover.
Then I crept noiselessly up the stairs
aud gave all my lunch to the negro. 1t
made me hungry to see him eat, and l
felt that / was making a great sacrifice
for the ''cause" in which my father was
so earnestly engaged.
II wish thee'd come to our house In.
stead of here" I whispered to the ne.
gro, us lie sat up under the tent of hay,
ravenously boiling the bread and but.
ter.
Tell ye what. honey" lie answered
after a struggle to swallow a large
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