Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-04-20

the morass from which we had just escaped
As he disappeared, 1 turned on the Quaker
with the determination of settling few
small matters, and abruptly asked:
lis that man what he seems-a negro?
"Yea, and thee has seen as devoted pa
triot as the colonies knsw,' he answered.
"AsIor his race, tits anomalous. His parents
blood was almost white, but he bred back
ward, as men sometimes do, and is blacker
than the average negro. And he has talent
for go-between. He can mimic so that the
evil one might take him for a double. Did
he not fool thee? All! Nick" he contin-
ued, apostrophizing the absent man, can
were it not for thy color thy name would be
great in the field, though not so great as is
thy big heart!"
"Would had known it!' answered 81
would have atoned for the black thoughts 1
had of him. And Ilasv, friend Ames," con-
tinued, Il have faHsied you other than you
are. Had l known what I now know,
'twould have saved deal of trouble But,
first, I owe you my life for what you did for
me, as, had you not sighted the redcoats and
acted, 1 would"
"We're quits, friend, we're quits, did thee
but know it, he interrupted. LET us not
stand here; we have Turtle bay ahead and
no bed nearer. The way Is long and roagh,
seeing we are debarred the highway. Thee
be well armed; give pistol, for
Quaker have not so much bodkin."
Being no Quaker, then spare me your
thees and thous,'' said l, thrusting pistol
into his hands.
"But 1 am a Quaker, IN truth, friends'' he
answered.
q ga Quaker, and fight"
'I am follower of one Elias Hicks, who
takes wider path than the orthodox. But
the blood isnot thick in me, though 1 am of
the Quaker stock. fall into the style when
in need of concealment, and carry it out
fairly well-eh, friend?" O
Faith said I,5'I take it you're on
broader path than Hicks e'er tcod. That
blow would have read you out of meeting
were you a true broad-brim. And how did
you cozen the party at the Cavern ?" asked,
as we stepped out.
"By sending most of them to the north
after thee" he answered "To the rest l
Quilted the father of lies, and ended by get
ting them into fair state of drunkenness,
and after, as an old man, pleaded fatigue
and went to bed. l am in bed now, friend,
to them
Though he still chung to the Quaker style
of speaking, he had laid aside the voice and
actions of the old man he had represented,
making strange combination with his long,
white hair, broad brimmcd hat, youthful
tones, and sprightly behavior. Through all
his words there undercurrent of dry
humor, which seemed to take account of
the deep danger we were in, or the, to me,
absolute darkness of the future.
Nor was this due to bravado or wonderful
courage Though he lacked none of the lat
teri, but, as he afterward told me, to the
fact that with the failure to get help from
Stryker-a help he had accounted as certain
he had given over hoping, and took a des-
perately calm view of the next day or two,
surely believing that by then all would be
over. Yet withal he in no wise abated his
vigilance, though he considered the hand of
death was near him, and when, finally,
there opened up bare chance for our es-
cape from the island, he said it was as
though he had come back from the grave.
Ay, and so did /. It was as though suf-
locating hand placed over my mouth had
been suddenly withdrawn.
On the start he told me little of himself
| Though had thought to find him communi-
cative), and had To drag from him that he
had left brother at Turtle bay, whom he
was now journeying to rejoin. The youth
was but year or two younger than himself,
and fairly helpless, having been stricken by
the Almighty with dumbness from birth,
though not with its usual accompanying
curse-deafness. From helping the great
cause in some way both brothers were under
ban, and my companions life was forfeit
IL he was taken.
Now as black as seemed my chances, left
| the weight of the old adage of life and hope
being akin, and was by no means over
joyed in knowing that we might be handi-