The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-11-22

acter from which TO draw consola ton
for bereaved heart, but Dave con-
trived to find and eXpatiate upon this
little. He turned hither and thither
through the Bible, pretending to read.
but really quoting from memory, as
far as his memory would serve, eXtenu-
ating passages of Scripture; and where
his memory would not serve, then i'm
browsing consoling passages that
sounded like Scripture.
The route to the upper drift led up
the bluff and past the point where Bill
had been at work in the morning.
When this point was reached all
stopped. Into the shade of an i'm
mense clump of grapevines, which
during many years had spread and
twined and intertwined on the top of
a group of low, numerous-branched
sapIings, Dave stepped, while the 9TH
ers gathered sorrowfully about him to
survey for few minutes the spot of
earth where Bill was known to have
been last at work. and which his de-
mise had now endowed with tender
interest.
There he had felled a little tree, and
there was its WOOD just as he lao cut
and piled it-rot very large quantity,
but enough TO be a credit for Bill. And
there, sticking in small sap,ing. was
mis- ak, just as Re had left I wien the
idea of going a-fshing had suddenly
struck him in the nc ming ALG EtIe
and there on several other sup1ings
were the hacks he had made in the en-
deavor to ascertain which would afford
the easiest chcpping.
At these sad but true memorials IS,
the hearts of all softened still more
toward Bill, and all agreed sorrowful-
ly that if he had been better treated
he would no doubt now be living and
not be lying down there in that aw-
full dam-dead.
"Bills blood's on all yo' niggahs
who's mistreated him!" cried the
mother, in grief and anger. "Nous
cuffed him! You's lied on him an
had him whipped when he hadn done
nothin' wrong! Yo' knows yo' has!
Bills blood's on all yo' niggahs!"
"All yo' niggahs who's mistreated
Bill and lied on him. fall down on yo'
knees an beg mussy Nv Gle Lawd!'
shouted the preacher.
All the negroes but the mother fell
upon their knees. the "driver" present
ing a picture of great contrition. His
head was thrown back, his hands
were clenched before his face, and his
whole look and manner Indicated the
deepest remorse.
Dave now launched forth in an i'm
passioned eNhortation to the weep
ing penitents before him.
This had continued a few moments,
when the driver" with loud.
shrek heard above all the noise,
swayed backward and became as rigid
as statue.
The preacher ran to him,
Whats de mattah, driyer?"
The noise ceased.
seed-Bin" he gasped, ''jes-
above yo - head - clothed - in
-like-an-ang
"Lawd save u.s." the negroes cried
in one voice.
In terror they looked toward the
point indicated.
Good Lawd save us!' they i'm
plcred in agony.
True enough, just above the preach
er's head stood Billion the grape
Whispering out in open-eyed and
open-mouthed wonder. But Bill was
not clothed in white like an angel;
the driver" was mistaken in this.
Bill was wearing the same little dirty
cotton shirt he was wearing when he.
left home in the morning, and the
same ragged. patched pantaloons with
their one suspender, and the same It,
tie old hat. full of holes and with past
of the brim torn away.
\ sudden dumbness seemed to sct2c
upon the negroes.
Pill apparently was the only one
able to speak.
what you-uns all doin' down thar?"
he asked. Whats de mattah wild yo'
fool niggahs""
Each negro turned and looked at
another
They were still upon their knees,
with the look of terror still upon
their faces, when the master sud-
denly appeared upon the scene.
In an unintelligible jargon of
stutterings and stammerings, Dave
endeavored to explain to the master
what had taken place and why the
other negroes were all down upon