The Portland daily press., 1900-03-09

Besides, III shoot the hrst man who
behaves suspiciously. / am prepared to
do that Before she closed the kitchen
door she said, chserily: Good night,
Chloe. Good night, Pompey'
''The next morning Aunt Anna staid In
the kitchen a good deal. The plantation
hands were at work, and Pompey had
ridden to Bayou Sara village for the
mail. Suddenly she turned to Chloe:
Haven't you something to say to me,
ChloeT Chloe dropped into a chair, her
apron over her face.
"''Fo de Lord, Miss Anna, 10 de
Lord
"'Are you going to kill me. Chloer
"'Not me. Miss Anna, Gawd knows,
but Pompey's that set TO bring It on
"'He tried to last night somehow; will
he try tonightr Chloe stood against the
door and sobbed in a whisper:
'They'se goin to come mp to de front
do an az TO yo', an IL yo' come out
they'll shoot 20, an IL 20 don't, then
they'll set fire to the house. They means
TO shoot victorine an Miss Lizzie an Miss
Carrie. Her lips turned white as she
spoke the names Of the children.
When, tonightr
"Tomorro' night
"'What are they waiting forr
"'Cause 20 sent Henry Nose over to
Resale TO sell de mule. an dey wants him
wild dem
Tomorrow night repeated Aunt An
ma, and she went III. stairs and told Vic
torine.
They'd better Kill me when they're
KILN the whites Said victorine. I'm
none of them
"'Chloe says they watch us, so we
can't inform anybody, said Aunt Anna.
If either of us made a move they would
shoot us on the spot. We haven't re-
liable pistol in the house Aunt Anna
looked out OF the window. What time
does the moon rise. VictorineY
"'Tep o'clock last night, ma'am; IL
o'clock tonight
"T1l start at TO- said Aunt Anna,
and take the lower road to Ellison's.
Chloe will help me- That night Chloe
harnessed Aunt Annals horse.
"'Pompey's drunk asleep wild some
whisky he got In town. He don know
wedder Ize here or there she explained.
Aunt Anna rode the dark ten miles and
hitched her horse near the Ellison. house.
When the door was opened, Aunt Anna,
standing on the steps disguised in an old
dress Of Chloe's and wearing a draggled
sunbonnet, told Mr.. Ellison's butler,
whom she mistrusted, that Lucinda Cot
toms sister wanted to see him. Lucinda
was a well known beggar.
at don know yo'. but we knows Luz
cindy too well. De las time she come
here she was drunk. Yo' kin pack, 20
po' trash Aunt Anna dropped her head
and murmured, 'Lucindy's dead
IT, - Ia kdu uafA
the darby, afraid to take too much re-
sponsibility When Mr.. Ellison came and
saw her raise her head, he suddenly
reached back and shut the hall door.
They stood in the dark and talked in
whispers. Aunt Anna would not have
the plot disturbed.
eff you'll get five men into my house
secretly, wen meet them she said. To
morrow I'll get Pompey out OF the way
by going to drive at noon, and at the
same hour Chloe will take the dinner for
the hands to the ginhouse. Slip in then,
and Victorine will hide you. Walk; you
can't risk lettering horses about
"Mr. Ellison looked at my valiant aunt.
They may precipitate their plans. How
can you trust yourself to drive with Pom
pey tomorrow
"Lend me a pistol replied Aunt
Anna. He got her one, and she put 1t In
her pocket They won't change their
plans. They're afraid to face me In the
light. Good night He called aloud:
"'Good night, Mary Cotton and shut
the door. By l o'clock Aunt Annals
horse was in his stall.
1.-The next morning while she took her
drive behind Pompey, carrying Mr.. Eli
sons pistol in her muff, Victorine receiv-
ed a party of gentlemen, who Industrious
ly fell TO work drilling holes In and about
Aunt Annals front door. Henry Nose re-
turned from Resale during the afternoon.
At 10 o'clock he stood before Pompey' g
door. Pompey came out. Immediately
every house in the quarters opened a sly
door, and figures moved between the mar
row lane of houses toward the driveway.
The plantation house was lighted as usu-
al, its shutters drawn, its hall lamp
swung above the transom. A faint glow
flowed from an upper room, where the
children slept. Seated inside, Aunt Anna
was saying, Il shouldn't wonder II the
fools waited until after moonrise.'
"'At that instant young Ellison gave q
signal from the hall. Everybody went out
there and stood around the door. Each
put an eye TO one hole, pistol to anoth-
er, Aunt Anna, too.
when Pompey stepped on to the piaz-
"a, he got Ave shots and fell back on the
others, who began to yell and push down
the steps. Henry Nose was sent sprawl
ing with ball in his leg. The frightened
darkies believed they had been struck by
the wrath OF heaven and ran, leaving
their leaders, one dead, the other disa-
bled, on the porch None Of them ever
knew that Aunt Anna had assistance
from outside They regarded her and
Victorine as terrible pair. Aunt Anna
managed the plantation until she was 80,
then she began to get rich and lazy, and
she hired an overseer."
The young man took up his glass and
smiled at the large woman.-New York
Commercial Advertiser.