The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1898-12-15
REMEMBER that multItudes Of

seed-for l picked some to blow away
at one breath for luck. So II must have
been on a June morning, in the year
1S5-, that l went over to play with
the Sherman boys, and thereby met
with a memorable adventure.
Finding the boys at leisure, game Of
T-spy"-or us we had 1t, perhaps by
Inheritance from our English ances-
tors, "hispy"-was presently arranged.
We were counted out" by our favorite
formula, ''Wire, brier, timber lock, six
geese in flock" and It fell to Toms
lot to blind.
Before his loud announcement of the
first ten Of the hundred-which he was
so rapidly counting that there was but
a continuous humble between the tens
Jim, Billy and l scattered in search
of hiding-places. l 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, I tiptoed
up the stairs that led to the hayloft
over the stable. This place afforded a
good outlook to the 'gool," as well as a
good hiding place.
AS l waded through the hay to the
darkest corner, the figure Of a man
started up before me, nearly taking the
breath out of me, so sudden and unex-
pected was the apparition. He seemed
no less startled than l, and when. in
the dim light, I made him out to be a
negro, guessed that he was fugitive
al Iafnra htS hiuInnf t,oHn n
ent, as he whispered, anxiously, Say,
chile is dis yere Mars Album Thorne's
place"
That was the name of my father,
who was a Jealous abolitlonist, 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 GO
ing, my sister ana 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
barn. Only little while before l had
heard neighbor Sherman declare to my
father that 1t was as clearly his duty
TO give up runaway slave as to deliver
a stray horse to Its owner.
SO l answered my interlocutor in
tone as cautious and more alarmed
than his own, mo. no! It's the next
house But thee cant go there now!
Sherman's folks'll see thee! Thee must
lie down an let me cover thee up with
hay, an don't stir till come for thee
after dark. I'm Abraham Thorne's
boy" said. seeing that he hesitated
little.
Thereupon he lay down. saying as he
die so, Use willin' 'nough TO rest, but
TIE powerful hongry, chile"
/ carefully covered him with hay.
hoping there was good chance of his
being safe from further discovery, for
the horses were turned out to grass,
and no one was likely to visit the loft
for hay.
l had barely time to smooth off the
covering before Tom Sherman sang
out, "One hun -derdw and the warning,
zone, two, three, look out for me!''
l slowed myself where he would be
sure to find me before he could stumble
on the hiding place of the negro. Tom
spied the other boys, and / got a safe
run to the ''gool." so that he had no oc-
casion to search the loft. Hence | felt
easy concerning the man for the pres
ent, except that | was at my wits end
for means to relieve his hunger, and
grew so distracted over 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'," l answered, evasively !;
and then a happy thought struck me.
"Only I'm so hungry, blieve I've got
to go home and get something to eat.
! guess l didn't eat as much breakfast
as I'd ought to this morning."
The explanation might pass with
those who had not witnessed my per-
Torrance. but 1t was not needed by my
playmates, for at the suggestion OF
hunger, each became aware of his own
pangs-it being now near 10 o'clock.
''Hurrah for something t'eatv cried
Tom. "Come onw 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
a doughnut for each of us.
made pretense of eating. not with
out an effort refralning from the real
fly. till Jim Sherman began to count
and the rest of us TO scatter to cover.
Then l crept noiselessly up the stairs
IL liiIa.,h tho Il