The St. Johns herald., 1899-01-28
r REMEMBER that multitudes of

birds were singing, DuttercupS ana 4 daisies were in bloom. and the misty globes of dandelions had gone to seed-for I picked some to blow away at one breath for luck. So it must have been on a June morning, in the year IS5-, that I went over to play with the Sherman boys, and thereby met with 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 fiock," and 1t fell to Tom S lot to blind.
 l Before his loud announcement of the 1 first ten of the hundred-which he was so rapidly counting that there was but l B continuous humble between the tens Jim, Billy and I scattered in search of hiding places. l was at no loss to find one for I 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 good outlook to the ''gool," as well as good hiding-place.
 As 1 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, I guessed that he was a fugitive slave before his dialect made 1t appar- 1nt, 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 abolitiOnist, and whose house was we'll known by friends of the cause" and suspected by enemies, to be a station of the Un- derground Railroad, concerning whose dusky passengers, often seen by us be- tween their mysterious coming and go- ing, my sister and I 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 had heard neighbor Sherman declare to my father that it was as clearly his duty to give up a runaway slave as to deliver a stray horse to it's owner.
 So 1 answered my interlocutor in a tone as cautious and more alarmed than his own, "No. no! It's the next house. But thee can't go there now Sherman's folks'll see thee! Thee must He down an let me cover thee up with hay, an don't stir till I come for thee after dark. I'm Abraham ThOrne's boy" I said, seeing that he hesitated a little.
 Thereupon he lay down, saying as he did so, "I'se willin' 'nough to rest, but I'se powerful hongry, chile"
 I carefully covered him with hay hoping there was a good chance of his being safe from further discovery, fol the horses were turned out to grass and no one was likely to visit the loft for hay.
 I had barely time to smooth off the covering before Tom Sherman sang out, "One hun-derdr' and the warning "One, two, three, look out for me!'
 I 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 fell 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 I attracted the attention of my companions.
 "What makes you look so down in the mouth, Tommy Bill Sherman asked
 "Oh, nothin'," I answered, evasively and then a happy thought struck me "Only I'm so hungry, b'lleve I've go to go home and get something to eat l guess I didn't eat as much breakfast as I'd ought to this morning."
 The explanation might pass witf those who had not witnessed my per formance, but it was not needed by my playmates. for at the suggestion oi hunger, each became aware of his OWL pangs-it being now near 10 o'clock.
 "Hurrah for something t'eatr' cried Tom. Come on!' and he led the way to the kitchen door, where an appea for relief was promptly responded tC by good, motherly Mrs. Sherman, witI double slice of bread and butter and doughnut for each of us.
 1 made & pretense of eating, not with out an effort refraining from the real ity. till Jim Sherman began to coun, and the rest of us to scatter to cover Then l crept noiSelessly up the stairs and gave all my lunch to the negro. Ii made mo hungry to see him eat, and felt that l was making a great sacrifice for the cause" in which my father was so earnestly engaged.
 'I wish thee'd come to our house in stead of here," I 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 struggle to swallow a large mouthfut. from what de folks tol me where I was stayin' yistday. dis yere was de place, nigh as I 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