The National tribune., 1899-08-10

80 ny IL Ut a.
His mouutaineer intellect. prone TO spells"
and charms" saw in il at once an instru-
ment Of mortal witchcrait. With paling
iats, he tagan edging toward his gun.
Busy as 81 had been, ne mad kept CON-
stantly in mind the possibility Of Gabe's
attempting some mischief. and did not let
himself lose sight of the rebels gun. He
quickly rose. and with few strides placed
himself between Gabe and his gun.
W here are you goin'?" he said sternly.
I'm a-gwine away" replied the man, In
terror-stricken accents. I'm a-gwine
away monty Quick. don't want 10 stay
here no longer"
Indeed you're not goin' away. You'll
stay right with US. and help us take care o
your comrades"
Gabe. '1'm .gwine right away. I'm
skeered O. yo'uns. Yo'uns Ia no doctor,
nor no soljer. Yo'uns is a conjure-m man,
and Yankee connre-man, too-wust
kind. Yo'uns We bin putin spells on
them men. and yo'uns II put spell on me.
away. Le'me go. quick"
81 caught the man roughly by the shoul-
der with his left hand, and raised his right
threateningly. 1t still had the bottle in it,
- ou're not goin' a step. except with u.s."
he said. go back there. and tend to your
business as told you, or I'll break you In
| two"
The sight OF the dreadful bottle pointed
at MIN completely unnerved the rebel. He
fell on his knees.
! 20. Mister Yank-Mister Conjure-manl
don't put no spell on me. Pray to God.
donU had one on me wunst, when was
little, and liked to've died from hit.
haint no real rebel. wuz conscripted into
the army, or j wouldn't be foutin' yo'uns.
l won't fout no more, if yo'uns II not put q
spell on me. Deed won't swar to God
And he raised his right hand in testi-
mony.
Put a spell on you? Conjure you?
| What dumbed nonSensep calculated 81,
and then his eye caught the rebels fastened
on the bottle in his hand, and gleam of
the meaning entered his mind. He had no
conception of the dread the mountaineers
have of being 'conjured." but he saw that
something about the bottle was operating
errifically on the rebels mind ard took
advantage of it. He was in too much Of a
hurry TO inquire critically what ii was, but
said:
well. I won't do nothin' to you, SO lorg's
you're good. but mind that you're mighty
good. and do Just as ! say or I'll fix you.
lit up. now and take hold o. your pardner's
feet, and help me lift him on the litter
Then you take hold O. the front handles
Monty, throw your gun-slil over your
shoulder. and take hold O. the rear handles.
The two o you carry this man back. All.
throw your gun-sliI g over your shoulder,
put your arm under this mans, and helI
him along. I'll help tlis man"
| They slowly made their way back toward
the mill. AS they came on tie crest OF the
last rise. Trey saw Shorty and the rest
Eagerly watchil G for them. Shorty ard
the others ran forward ard helped Il en-
bring the men in. Shorty was particu-
larly helpful to the man he had shot He
almost carried him in to tie mill, handling
him as tenderly as if a child, fixed a COM
Portable place for him on the floor with his
own blankets, and took the last grains Of
his coffee to make him cup. This done,
he said:
Pm goin' out into the country to try and
find some chickens to make some broth for
you men. Come along. Harry Joslyn, Gid
Mackali and little Pete"
The country roundabout was discour-
lagirgly poor, and had been thoroughly
foraged over. But Shorty had scent for
lcabins that were hidden away from the
lcommon roads, and so escaped the vista
Itions Of ordinary foragers. These were
always miserably poor, but generally had
a half-doZen chickens runni 6 about, and
small store of cornmeal and sidemeat.
Ordinarily he would have passed one of
these in scorn, because to take any of their
little store would starve the brood of un-
kempt children that always abounded.
But now, they were his hope. He had been
playing poker recently with his usual sue
cess, ard as the bets were in Confederate
money, he had accumulated quite a wad OF
promises to PAY in gold. six months after
| the ratification of a Treaty of Peace between
the Confederate States ard the United
States" He would make some mount
aineer family supremely happy by giving
! them more money than they had ever seen
in their lives, in exchange for their stock
| Of meal, chickens ard sidemeat. They
would know where to get more, and so the
| transaction would be a pleasant one all
around.
| In the meanwhile, little Pete had visions
Of killing big game in the mountain woods.
| The interminable forest suggested to him
dreams of bear deer. buffalo, elk, and all
the animals he had read about 1t would
be a great thing to bring down an elk OF q
deer with his Sprir gfeld rife, and then be
escorted back to camp in triumph, with the
other boys carrying his game. He kept
lcircling through the woods, in sight or
hearing of the others, expecting every
minute to come upon some animal that
would fill his youthful sanguine hopes.
! Shorty at last found a poor little cabin
such as he had been looking for. 1t was
hidden away in a little cove, and had never
been visited by the men of either army. It
| had the usual occupants-a weak-eyed,
ague-smitten man, who was so physically
worthless that even the rebel conscripters
rejected him; tall, gaunt woman. with
vicious shrilineSs in her voice and pipe in
| her mouth; half score of NANCY yellow
dogs, and an equal number of wild, long
haired. staring children. They had a
| little "jag" of meal in a bag. a piece Of side
meat and a half-dozen chickens. The man
mad that morning shot an opossum, lean
| from its Winter fasting. Shorty rejected
this contemptuously.
"Ive bin mighty hungry in my time,"
said he, "but never got quite so low down
as to eat anything with tail like rat.
That'd turn my stummick [ was
| famishin'."
The man looked on Shorty's display Of
wealth with lack-luSter eyes, but his wife
was fascinated, and quickly closed up q
deal which conveyed to Shorty all the food
| that they had. Just as Shorty had COM
p'eted payment, there came a shot from
| little Pete's rifle, and the next instant that
youth appeared at the edge of the corn
patch extending up hill from the cabin, hat
less, and yelling at the top of his voice.
| shorty and the others picked up their guns
and took position behind the trees.
| What's the matter, Pete?" asked Shorty,
as the boy came up, breathlesS from his
| long run. Rebels out there?"
| No" gasped Pete. Il was hunting out
there for a deer, or a elk, or a bear, when
suddenly come acroSt the queereSt kind Of
an animal 1t looked more like Il hog than
ANYTHING else, yet it wasn't hog. for it was
Ithinner'n a cat. 1t had long white tuSks,
| loneer'n your hand, that curled up from its
mouth little eyes that flashed fire, and
great long bristles on his back, that stood
Straight up shot at it and missed it, and
| then it run straight at me. | made for the
| fence as hard as | could, but it outrun me
,,,oS n N every hmm Inst