The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-27
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dead now. I wanted to go and they
tried to make me stay"
Hump! Who is your master?" Flow
| tow asked.
Mai. Hilliard-that is. he used to be
major. He's colonel now under old
| Mister Forces. If he had been there,
| nobody wouldnt adhered 10 touch me-"
the negro said. That's how come 1 to
know all this country we'll. l used
| to live at Wake Fores'."
SO" The exclamation was one of
pleasure. Then you may be worth keep
! ing-if you will be a true guide" Flow
tow said. pursuing his lips, then brutality
| This Major-he is your father, too, eh?"
| Il hears em say So" the negro said
looking down. please, sir. take me TO
wait on you. 1 can cook
II may have better use for you,' Flow
tow interrupted. Ride you here beside
me little. If you serve me well you
shall have money and freedom If"
with stern look. you try to trap me
then will cut you, alive, into little teeny
bits"
II don't want money only 10 be free. and
| to learn readin and Writin'," the negro
said. LAS to trappin' you-no niger CART
| do that. You are too smart for even our
| white folks"
So yellow Ned came to be free of Flow
| tows quarters, following the Colonel Ike
| a dog wherever he went, crouching pa
| tiently beside the hearth while Flowtow
| wrote or talked, alert for any service but
| seemingly needless Of all he heard He had
found an old note book and stub pencil.
| The sentry at the door had set him copies
| of letters and figures, These he repro
| duced in a thousand unhear1 of combina-
| tons. The sentries, as they changed. were
much amused by his efforts, and SAID one
| TO another yellow Ned must he craZy-you
simply could not teach him that two and
| two made four, or that a was not g.
1t was mid May, four years from the
month when Col Hilliard had sent the
Hintons away. Old Nat had come back
very soon after the Federal victory. He
claimed, indeed, to have a mystic ious con
nection with those in authority, and swag-
gered among the other fisher folk as to
the vengeance he meant 10 take on the
slave-holding aristocrats, who had former
| ly so oppressed him. A year of riotous Iiv-
ing had wasted the Hilliard money. Luce
and Prude now chose 20 go their own way,
but Swan came with her father because
her mother came perforce.
With the wreck and remnant of their
| sudden wealth old Mai had chartered
trading boat, miserable seow-like affair,
| which was towed up or down stream as &C.
| casion served. Ostensibly it was a suffers
boat. In reality il engaged in all manner
| Of contraband trading. A cotton cargo
once safe under matches meant more profit
than many weeks in camp. Old Nat had
planned to smuggle such cargo aboard
before the Lucy tied up at Wake Forest
Handing He had slipped outside the lines
spying where best to seize it, leaving bis
wife and Swan in charge of the boat.
Soldier villages gossip even more than
ordinary villages. Everything at head
quarters is soon the common property of
the camp. Thus Swan came to know very
soon all the particulars of yellow Ned's
arrival She pandered what she had
heard day, then just at sunset startled
her mother by saying. I'm going over
10 the outpost. Funny I never thought
of it before-but there is my chance TO see
the inside o Wake Forest
There was no protest. Mrs. Hinton
never wasted breath in trying to turn
Swan from her purpose But something
she knew not what, made her kiss her
daughter-once shyly, fearfully, once as
she felt Swan tremble at her touch, out
of the fulness of her mother heart.
Il wish l could take you, too, but that
would spoil everything" Swan said pat
ting her cheek, and almost running away.
She had rumma ged out her old fiddle, and
put on a short frock, much frilled and
spangled which she had worn in the days
of the band. 1t was black, and came low
in the neck, so she threw over her should
ers blue artillerymans cape, disposing
one end SO the scarlet lining would show
At the very last she turned back and
thrust something deep into her bosom,
saying, with a lazy smile. You dom
never know what may come in handy
when you go on 'possum hunt this time
o the year"
As she picked her way through the com
, | pany streets there were halls from every
. hand-cries OF adniira ton, invitations to
, supper. banters for tune, just one-but
. she stayed for none of them. Words she
flung back in plenty; her tongue had
gained in license, in piquancy, and point.
A very young officer, riotously full of
beer ran out and tried to kiss her in the
face of all, but was raped snartly over
the nose with the fiddle bow, and ran back
bowling with pain.
As she came to the outpost the pickets
made a feint of haltng her She stuck
the fiddle under her chin. player three
0iscordant bars, and said; Let me
through-or you'll hear worse than that"
All the camp knew her-she had indeed the
freedom of more than enc army corps.
She was kind in sickness or trouble, a
good comrade in health, square-every
man OF them would have staked his life
on that and straight, for all her freedom,
, both of speech and action. So she won
easily to Col Flowtow's door, She would
have passed the others, but that Flowtow
himself was just coming out with yellow
, Ned as usual. at his heels.
you! What do you do here?" he said
roughly, catching her arm in hard grip.
me! o / just came to find out If you
all were dead" Swan said jauntily. al
, didn't know but Mister Forests critter
company nau Sllppen III anu maze crow s.
meat OF the lot"
"what is that TO you? Women are not
, for fightingl" Flowtow said. still roughly,
Swan laughed, airy. happy laugh.
mo! Women are for kissing" she said.
! I'm kiss you, Col Flowtow-and play
YOU a tune into the bargain--if you'll do
, just one little thing l want"
, 20! Ho. / am to be bribed--in face of
, the articles of war" Flowtow roared
! well, bride me, Swanchen. 1 will hear
what 1t is ahout--afterward."
You shall take the tune firstr' Swan
said, throwing off her cloak and setting
, the fiddle beneath her chin. Before Flow
tow could protest she had struck UP
, Run, Niger RUM looking as she Played
l straight at Flowtow's new servant. With
out a break she gided into another strain,
almost an improvisation, full of swelling
chords and soft wailng minors. She had
played it first upon her wedding night
Morris had snatched the bow from her
! hands, and had dragged her breathlessly
/ away with him TO find a minister