The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-10-12

The look of woe, having accomplished
its purpose, was laid aside, and get
ting his AK, Lazy Bill set out to his
place of work.
/ When the dinner horn sounded, Bill
failed to appear Immediately after
ward, and this being unusual, caused
/ apprehension.
Not appearing still later, his mother
hastened to the place where he had
been sent to work
All that could be seen of him here
was the AK he had been using lazily
sticking in small sapling. She looked
in all directions, but saw nothing of
| him. She ran down to the drift where
Bill usually did his fishing. There
was the long log projecting over the
water on which Lazy Bill always sat
when he first began fishing, on which
| he then nodded awhile, and on which
he usually stretched himself and
slept. Foot prints were on this log.
Lazy Bill had fshed there few days
before, because he had come home car
! rying small turtle. But these tracks
1 NCAC tOO 4ICoAA, uio AOthC4 OCAACFCd,
to have been made then. Without
doubt they had been made that morn
ing.
The mother called aloud, looking up
the dam and down, but there was no
response. All that she saw WAS the
deep, sullen water.
| "Bill's drownded!" she broke out,
crying. The guilty countenance of
| the water confirmed her fears.
. In great anxiety she hurried back
to the quarters" and reported that
| Bill was drowned, mentioning the
fresh tracks she had seen on the log,
and the guilty aspect of the water.
The other negroes had just sat
| down to dinner, but they rose imme-
| diately upon the sad announcement.
The report that Bill was drowned was
| not questioned Several of the ne
| groes said that they had been expect
ing such news for some while. "Jes'
what I dreamed" said others.
The inhabitants of the quarters" a
score or more, hastened at once to the
dam and began searching for the
body. Parties went, some up and
some down the stream, but nothing
was seen of the lifeless form, and re-
turning, the stalwart negroes began
| vigorously to dislodge the drift. This
was good-sized accumulation of the
floating matter of the stream, and
was very dangerous, not only from
the long logs projecting over the
water, ready to precipitate into the
| dam, but more so from the concealed
openings through which one of Bills
careless, thoughtless habits might
suddenly and irretrievably sink.
The tide had wedged the logs to-
| gether with great force, but this was
soon overcome, and large quantities
of debris fioated solemnly off down
the stream. Anxious eyes followed
the dislodging of each log and peered
into the depths of the water, and sol
emn-toned exclamations and female
shrieks every few moments announced
the fancy that the body was found.
| Under the thought of momentarlly
seeing the lifeless, helpless form of
Bill, the hearts of his former enemies
softened toward him. They spoke of
him as little Bill, not as lazy Bill,
They declared that he was not so lazy
as he was thought to be, and each
began trying to shift from his con-
science responsibility for the false
charges brought against Bill, especial
ly the false charge about the liquor.
But a certain fear was gnawing at
the hearts of those negroes with a
keener tooth than remorse.
They all recalled that only yester-
day Bill had foretold his early death
that he had often said he would die
''some NV desc days" They also re-
called, very distinctly, too, that he
had said he would come back and
"ha'nt" them. They had laughed
when he said this; they felt weak at
heart when they thought of it now.
The driver" who so often had made
false accusations against Bill, and
against whom Bill had pledged his
spirit" to take special vengeance, felt
himself so deeply under condemnation
that he took no part in the moving of
| the drift, but stood out on the bank
alone, with q sorrowful, heavy-bur-
dened countenance.
Oats right, driver!" exclaimed the
| grief-stricken mother, noting his woe
full face. IF I'd been as mean to Bill
as you has, I'd look meaner dan YOU
doess You oughtn't help move desc
logs. You oughtn't want eber to see
po' Bill ag'in. But you will, driverl
You'll see him dis berry night"
The drivers" hands fell limp to his
sides, his head dropped and the ashy
hue deepened on his face,
"Yo' niggahs'll all see him fore you
dies!" cried the mother.
A thrill of agony shot through the
dusl<y frames. Not a word was spoken.
The dull, dead sound of the hand
| spikes moving the logs was all that
was heard. Finally the last log of the
drift floated away. All peered solemp-
~ into the clear, deep water, but moth
ing was seen of Bill.
The conclusion now was that the
body had sunk, and that the water of
the dam should be drawn off. Butind
cations of some one fishing had been
seen at point farther up the stream,
and thither it was decided to go next
and continue the search.
At this juncture a negro, whose
name was Dave, and who lived on an
adjoining plantation, appeared at the
scene of trouble, On ordinary week
days Dave was simply laborer on his
masters farm, but on Sundays and oc-