The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-12-16

seed-for l picked some to blow away
at one breath for luck. So it must have
been on a June morning, in the year
1856, that 1 went over to play with
the Sherman boys, and thereby met
with a memorable adventure.
Finding the boys at leisure, game OF
"I-spy'-or as we had it, perhaps by
Inheritance from our English ances-
tors, ''hi-spy''-was presently arranged.
We were Counted out" by our favorite
formula, "Wire, brier, timber lock, six
geese In a f1ock," and it fell to Tom s
lot to blind.
Before his loud announcement of the
first ten of the hundred-which he was
so rapidly counting that there was but
q continuous humble between the tens
Jim, Billy and l scattered In search
of hiding places. I was at no loss to
find one, for 1 knew every nook and
corner of the premises; and as neither
of the others went that way, t1ptoed
up the stairs that led to the hayloft
over the stable. This place afforded a
good outlook to the "gool," as we'll as
good hiding-place.
AS l waded through the hay to the
darkest corner, the figure of 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 1, and when, in
the dim light, made him out to be
negro, guessed that he was fugitive
slave before his dialect made it appar-
ent, as he whispered, anxiously, "Say,
chile, is dis yere Mars Album Thorne's
placer
That was the name of my father,
who was a Jealous abolitionist, and
whose house was we'll known by
friends Of the "cause," and suspected
by enemies, to be station of the IN
derground Railroad, concerning whose
dusky passengers, often seen by US be-
tween their mysterious coming and 60
ing, my sister and 1 early learned to
keep our own counsel.
It 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 1 had
heard neighbor Sherman declare to my
father that it was as clearly his duty
to give up a runaway slave as to deliver
stray horse to its owner.
So l answered my interlocutor in a
tone as cautious and more alarmed
than his own, mo, no! It's the next
house. But thee can't 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 a
little.
Thereupon he lay down, saying as he
did so, Use willin' 'nough to rest, but
Use powerful hongry, chile"
1 carefully covered him with hay,
hoping there was a 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, zone hun-derdr' and the warning,
"One, two. three, looIS. ont for mel,
/ 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 l got 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 abstracted 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 happy thought struck me.
'tOnly I'm so hungry, l 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 nv per-
formance, but it 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'eatr' cried
Tom. 'Come onv' and he led the way
to the kitchen door, where an appeal
for relief was promptly responded to
by good, motherly Mrs. Sherman, with
double slice of bread and butter and
doughnut for each of us.
made 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 l crept noiselessly up the stairs
and gave all my lunch to the negro. 1t
made me hungry to see him eat, and L
felt that l was making great sacrifice
for the cause" in which my father was
so earnestly engaged.
81 wish thee'd come to our house in
stead Of here" l whispered to the ne
gro, as he sat up under the tent of hay.
ravenously bolting the bread and but
ter.
''Tell ye what, honey" he answered,
after a struggle to swallow a large
mouthful, from what de folks toT me
where 1 was stayin' yist' day, dis yere
was de place, nigh as l could make out
In de dim o de mawnin'-dis yere was
de place."
''Well, we can't help it now. All thee
can do Is to keep still till night"
Then Jim shouted warning, and 1
heard him coming cautiously up the
stairs before my man was down and
covered up again. But covered he was
before Jim found me, and we rushed
pell-mell for the ''gool."
When the game was ended l went
home, hungry enough, but quite un-
able to enjoy my dinner, for fear of the
discovery of the runaway 1 told my
father of him at the first opportunity,
and he was as anxious as l, as his
countenance showed.
81 wouldn't have neighbor Sherman