Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1899-02-11

remarked, with an odd pang of jealousy
that so unwOrthya person should be the
recipient of a missive from the dainty
hand of Colonel Mansloy's only daugh-
ter.
beats de debbilr' muttered Eras-
tus, finally giving up the hunt through
his clothing and scrutinizing +he ground
as he walked onward, with oside
him, furtively glancing every a.. sec
onds over my shoulder.
'Do you know a darky named Pete
who lives in Black Mans swamp l
asked, with view of diverting his at
tcntiOn from the subject that distressed
him.
Erastus stopped short, with a sort of
gasp, and stared at me.
"Why do yo' ask dat question, Marse
Hank? Yo' knows dat eberbody in de
world knows dat wuthless niggor. He's
"a bad man. Doan' yo' trust him."
81 must say don't fancy his looks
aud manner and might have known
that you are acquainted with him. Why
does he make his home in the swamp"
My companion must have thought l
was pretending ignorance, but all the
same he answered with engaging frank
ness:
His fader was Big Tom, who ruined
away afo' de wah. He war de slave OBJ
Gin'ral Witherspoon and one day killed
his Oberscer. He TUX to dc woods, slew
ed de dogs dey hunted him wild and lib
ed dar till he died.
His wife accompanied him, sup
pose?''
"Yaas, and dar son Pete was bohn dar
and hab libed dar eber since"
"What is there so bad about Pete?"
"Why, l hab heerd it said, " replied
Erastus, lowering his voice to a conf
Dental key, 'dat he ain t none too good
to stole chickens. What yo' t'ink OBJ
dat, Marse Hank?"
"lt is awful, replied, with shud.
der. 81 have my suspicious that he is
degraded enough to indulge in such
wicked doings."
81 doan' say so myself, fur l nebber
hab met him when-dat is
lyon have never met him when?"
"When-dat is, when | sometimes
takes a walk by moonlight, explained
Erastus, with considerable embarrass-
ment.
This was amusing in its way, but l
was eager to question the servant about
the family Cf Colonel Mansley and saw
no way of doing So Evidently he had
not IA grain of doubt that was the real
Henry Bever, who, as the accepted suitOr
of Miss Mansley, could impart informa-
ton to others. The questions which
would have asked, therefore, would have
made me ridiculous in his eyes His
mistress, having reason to believe | was
in hiding somewhere in the neighbor-
hood and knowing my personal danger,
had sent her servant with food and a
letter which, unfortunately, he had lost
on the way.
There were other points, however,
upon which it was safe to question the
African.
"Erastus, what made you leave me so
suddenly last night"
"Yo' knows, Marse Hank. 1t war de
Cry Oh dat bloodhound.
But he was looking for me, not for
you"
II know dat, but l war wild yo'.
Dem critters sometimes get things
mixed, and he might TUX me fur yo'-
se'f and not found it out till he had
chawed me up"
Have you seen anything of the dogs
and men today"
Seed party go by de house, but dey
didn't stop. Dey had dog wild 'em.
Miss Esther seed 'em. too, and she
turned white as def. Den she writ dat
letter and put up de stuff to eat and told
me to try to hunt yo' up. Gorrynation,
l didn't know whar to look fur yo', but
jes' dug ahead till happened to see
yo', and den | nearly swung my arm off
tryin to hurry yo' up.
HAS Colonel Mansley said anything
i'll your hearing about me and the affair
of last night?"
The face of the African became grave,
and he lowered his voice.
Oars somethin goin on atween
him and Miss Esther dat gifts Inc. Dey