Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-06-19
CHAPTER VII.

That morning the negroes on Col
liasbrooke's plantation, being the first
TO rise, came first into possession of
the grewsome news. Many of them had
assembled on the steps of the veranda
In the rear of the mansion and were
speaking Of the awful details in low
tones.
"Ef de do lay hans on im," opined
Ephraim. the antiquated and disabled
carriage driver of the colonel's father,
"Marse Ratcliff couldn't tex i'm mile
to'ds de Jail house, TO some gang err
white trash 'ud string i'm up ter n
limb"
Now you er talkin', Eph,' agreed
Melvina, the portly head cook. as she
stood in the door washing half dozen
dismembered chickens in tub of wa
ter. He won't stan no mo- show dan a
stump-tail bull in fly time"
whats all this about?" The voice
came from the upper floor of the We.
randa, where the colonel stood in dress
ing-gown and slippers, his round, rubi-
cund face aglow from his morning
bath.
Half dozen negroes essayed TO ex-
plain, but the result was noisy con-
fusion of tones and words. The colone,
stamped his foot and swore furiously
This left Ephraim with the floor; he
was too deaf to hear his masters COM
mand for silence. The colonel heard
the story from his lips.
I'm my swamp, eh?" he exclaimed.
when the carriage driver had finished,
"a pretty come off, The next thing we
hear all the cutthroats in Georgia will
be hiding in my corn house and gin, and
you lazy scamps will stand by and al
low it,"
With this parting shot into the black.
upturned faces, the colonel retreated
into his room to finish dressing and 10
tell his guests the news. In few min
utes Hardy and Wrinkle came down for
their early morning promenade on the
front veranda and they were promptly
followed by the ladies.
Il hope they will chase i'm out near
us" observed the captain, as he helped
himself 10 one of the colonel's apple
toddies, which James was passing
round in punch-bowl. AS long as
have lived in this section have never
been present at lynching bee"
AS he finished speaking he found
himself under the cold stare of Mrs.
Lancaster's mild blue eyes.
II should think, Capt. Winkle," she
remarked, that you would have more
consideration for a human lifeat stake
than to look upon the matter as provid-
ing you with new form of amuse-
ment."
This young man smiled indulgently
as he put down his glass and dain,ily
touched his lips and waxed mustache
with his handkerchief.
MY dear Mrs. Lancaster" he cried,
you ladies are such delicious bundles
of Inconsistency; you would not, in
your hearts, have these bloodthirsty
fiends run at large. but as soon as one
is about to suffer for his crime you fill
his cell with flowers. Now, this swamp
rat has killed helpless old woman aud
the people are rising TO see that justice
is done. He ought to be hung, aud that
promptly"
The colonel was listening to this col
loquy as he stirred the apples up in
the teddy with an old-fashioned silver
ladle.
OF course" he remarked, lynch law
is deplorable thing. 1t is fundamen-
tally wrong, because mistakes have
now and then happened; but how on
earth are you going TO stop 1t? Why,
Mrs. Lancaster, those chaps-Syd Hart,
Thad Williams and their ilk-would
burn me out of house and home If ut
tered protest in this matter"
But, papa"-Evelyn stood holding
to Mrs. Lancaster's hand, and as she
spoke her voice trembled-"but, papa,
you must do something-you really
must. The man has not been proved
guilty; he may be absolutely innocent"
All, there you go!" laughed the
colonel as he touched her chin playful
~. You think your old father ought
to run the world. Why, am absolutely
helpless. If teiegraphed the governor
to order out the state militia. they