The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1899-02-04

surprised at seeing Dinah. She was In
Tho habit of appearing suddenly on the
one street that then constituted thu
town, and disappearing as mysteriously
as she came
The citizens who claimed to be above
superstition were very sure that Dina
was not herself" meaning thereby not
that she was some else. but that hel
mind was affected. In those days every
one supposed to be out of mental bal
ence was said to be mad; but the word
has, fortunately, become much more
limited In its significance, and now 1t ia
applied only to dogs and people who
lose their tempers.
But the majority of the people in and
ABOUT Sag Harbor were superstitious.
Ike the people Of every other little
town. ard in this respect the world has
not changed much, and they were sure
that Dinah possessed supernatural pow
ers. Had she been white they would
have called her "a witch, and It might
have gone hard with her; but being
black, she was 1o.aed upon as q sort Of
weird pagan priestess, gifted with .
wonderful power of looking into the
future.
She derived no little income from
Telling fortunes; as she knew every one,
and was remarkably shrewd reader OF
human nature, her success as q seeress
was not to be wondered at.
Untilla, so graceful, beautiful, and
consistent, was a favorite with every
one. In the cabins Of the fisherman, a.
well as In the more pretentious dwell
ings OF the rich, she had a home, and
was always received as an honored
guest.
Like Dinah, whom. Of course, she In
no way resenbled. her coming and 60
Ing, though always matter OF interest
was never one of surprise.
SO, now, as they fastened, side by
side, to the town, they had no fear that
their coming would create a sensation.
, There were two places where they
could get information about Lieutenant
Hedges and Valentine Dayton; one, and
the most certain, was Doctor Hedges
house, and the other was Squire Con.
dts. But Dinah did not like Doctor
Hedges; he had sneered at her skill as Q
dispenser Of medicine, and she retorted
oy saying that she never liked to under
take the cure OF case till 1t had
bafled her white brothers. skill.
Squire Condit's was the nearer Of the
two houses, and seeing light burning
there when they had reached the gate,
1t decided them to 60 In.
Before entering the house they heard
Squire Condlt talking in loud, excited
tones, while his daughter Ellen and his
wife tried to soothe him with milder
accents.
Its an outrage, q high-banded out.
ragel" shouted the Squire. Think Of
1t, wife: think of 1t. Ellen; this man
Fox, without any writ or order, but
with the high hand that we should ex-
pect to see only in a pirate, dares to
send his subordlnates ashore, and to
seize the Governors post-rider and
carry. him a prisoner on board their
ship"
But, father" said Ellen, did not Mr..
Frsnauld say that this post-rider was an
impostor. and that he had the authority
TO arrest him?"
Yes, Ellen, he did say so; but the
fellow mistook power for authority.
Martial law has not been declared in
this province, and so no man can be ar
rested without due process of law, and
on q complaint made by one or more
respectable citizens. The post-rider
should have been brought before me
for examination and committed, II sus.
picious, to await further examination.
II her maiestys ships are to be trans
formed into prisons, and her officers .
into lawless tyrants, then the sooner
they get out Of these waters the better
It will"
The knocking OF Untilla at the door
stopped the squire In the midst Of q
spesch that promised to be reasonable
u he continued.
Great was the surprise Of the squire
and his amiable family at seeing IN
tilla and her dusky companion. They
we're always made welcome, but their
presence at this particular time caused
The sturdy host additional uneasiness.
Like all the very old people OF her
race, DinAh was inclined to be garrulous,
but tonight she fully appreciated the
Importance OF coming directly to the
point.
After getting the squire to examine
The room In which they were and the
rooms adjoining, and the outside Of the
house, to make sire that what she was
about to communicate could not be
overheard by ears for which it was not
Intended, she made them gather about |
her, and then told Ralph Denhams
story, or rather, the story Of his extraor- |
During the narrative the squire now |
md then stopped her 10 offer an objec- |
ion or to express ineredulity; and at |
Iuch times Untilla assured him of the |
,orfect accuracy of everything the old |
woman was saying.
7. oalph Denham was as dear to the |
y lire as II he were his own son; and it |
IAN be said that Mrs. Condit and Ellen |
cit towards him as IL no did sustain |
hat relat' on to the family. Naturally |
enough they could hardly credit Dinah's
story, even though Untilla |
ndorsed it.
Fut when Dinah told where Ralph |
hen was. and spoke OF his anxiety to
,cJ IN communication wIm ms oInvrlD, |
IL the squire's doubts vanished.
The widest excitement fills the town,
md extends to the adjoining islands,
aid Squire Condit. raising his hands
nd feeling, as he lot them fad heavily |
y his side, that his exclamation did
lot exactly express what was on his
hind.
It did not take him long to get cooled |
own, and on occasions the squire /
ould be as cool as an iceberg.
Something must DO dono, and that ct |
,nco: lot us 500 what it shall be.
This looked like an invitation for tho |
,thers 10 take part in tho consultation I
Vat Was then going on. but Squire eondit