The National tribune., 1900-05-10

hurry along. then, said 81 It's
nearly time for tattoo"
Say" said the drunken man. straiQhten-
ing himself up with an effort. "Yo' talk
jest like a Yankee. That's the way the
Yankees Np thar ulster to talk ter me. /
tell yo', thar's jest millions of they 'uns.
They'uns s everwhar, and yo' talk Jest
like EN-"
Go along" said ST. giving him shove.
"We'uns haint no time fer fOolin'. Git
back inter camp afo' tattoo, or I'll have ter
arrest yo'."
The man staggered back. and put his
hand on Gid Mackalfs shoulder. to steady
himself. 'He done talks Jest like Yam
kee," said he. He looks like a Yankee.
Thar's. millions o 'em, an you see 'em
everywhar."
just then treacherous flash Of lightning
gave a fitful illumination, showing them
for an instant plainly.
And BY Gawd. yo'uns air Yankees"
gaSped the man as IL staggered into So
briefly by the discovery. Instantly Gid
Maekall threw up the pot: and gave him
staggered and fell on his face in the mud.
I've drowned him" said Gid, as they
hurried on. He's settled"
Il wish YOU had" said ST as they hurried
on. He's likely to make us lot Of trouble.
But they can't git the dogs after us sich
night as this. That's one comfort"
1t was terribly hard going through the
mud and the rain, but they pushed on
with all their strength.
At intervals the flashes Of lightning
would reveal to them that they We're passing
along a road between cultivated fields, and
then there would be great stretch of wood
| land. For hours they had not seen any
one, and the houses. If any, were so far
from the road that not even dog barked
at them. They were becoming completely
worn out in their struggle with the mud
| and the rain, though neither ST nor Shorty
| felt that it could be much past midnight.
| Despite Pete'S resistance, Shorty had taken
| away his load long before, and was now
| almost carrying the boy, as they trudged
| along.
Mister Sariint, do stop an hide" plead.
| ed Gabe BOneset. "Rayly, we'uns cant
go a step furder. Deed, we'uns can't.
We'uns s done clean played out"
Hello, are you still taggin' along?'
the sound OF the voice. q thought you'd
left us long ago. Well, since you've
| come this fur you must go ahead still
further. We can't let you stop here. for
you'd be ketched. sure as little apples,
! and then you'd give us away. We haint
got fur enough away from them fellers
behind. Besides, | think we're comm
| TO a little town. We must git on the other
side O that before We stop. Trudge along,
| now"
Mister, done tell yo' we can't go nary
other step, deed We can't" answered Gabe,
with a groan, as he and Hez started to sit
down by the roadside
Indeed you are, and miles further"
said Shorty. Go ahead, l tell you"
All the answer he got were nainfuI
groans from both Of the exhausted men.
We'll, you will CO." said he, drawing the
ramrod from the gun, and giving each of
them sharp cut across the shoulders
with 1t. Well let you go and be glad Of
it, after awhile, but you shan't stop here.
Mosey on, say. or I'll wear this ramrod
out on you. Novel"
He struck them again so keenly that
they both sprang up with yell, and re-
Sumed their march. This incident waken-
ed them all up, and put new vigor into the
boys. Soon the collection Of houses which
formed the little village Shorty had thought
was near was revealed by flash Of light
ming. ST and Shorty determined 10 take the
risk OF pushing right on through it, rather
than lose time by a wide detour. They
went on, to awaken a great huIlabaloo
by platOOns from all sorts of coverts, and
made the night yUciferOus. Through
all this they could hear the hOof-beats Of a
couple of horses coming across q little
bridge at the farther edge Of the settlement.
More dlSmayed than they had been at any
time during the night, they shrank back
into the shelter of some gnarled locusts in
front OF the country store, and 81 and
Shorty began wondering whether the
caps on their guns had got too wet to fire.
al TIE SouAlu III lllS iloOl-, d UDOT d lew
rods ahead opened, throwing lane OF
light across the road.
Yes, hits Bob and the Doctor" said the
voice of an old man who had come to the
door. and was straining his old eyes to peer
into the darkness up the road. They're
hyah, an yo're all right, Nancy. Doc III
soon bring you round, won't yo', Doe"
Yes" sangUinely answered the doctor,
dismOunting and entering, saddle-bags in
hand. "YO're wuth 20 dead women git,
Nancy. 4 little ipecac IL strighten yo'
out fine as a fiddle. Bob, jest hitch my
hoss under that beech from the rain. I'll
go right back in a few minutes, soon's
git through with Nancy, fob | must take
the 10 o'clock train TO Macon in the mOrnin,'
an hits long ride from hyah to the rail-
road. Le' me see yer tongue, Nancy"
Jest ole Doc. Swanson comm to see
Nancy Wetmore," said the storekeeper,
looking out of the window, directly over
Sis head, and explaining to his wife, still
in bed what was making the dogs bark so.
Nancy. as usual, has got wind on her
stummick in the middle o. the night, and
sent 70 the doctor. If she'd buy a five
cent vial o. essence O. peppermint o me, an
take hit when she feels colicky, she'd save
a powerful big doctors bill, and a lot o
trouble ter her folks. Betwixt Mysteries in
the daytime an cramps at night, Nance
keeps her folks purity well on the jump"
ST watched Bob tie the horse, and go
into the house. and then started forward.
He crossed the bridge, and went on for
nearly a mile, But he was pondering
over what he had heard the doctor say, and
it was depressing him.
Il was in hopes that we might git to that
railroad runnin' east from Macon before
mornin'," he said to Shorty when they
stopped for a few minutes to rest. ''This
is good night to cross it, an we mayn't
have another so favorable. But from
what the doctor said it must be long ways
off, and I'm afraid well break the boys
down if we push 'em much further.
They go to sleep every time We stop, and
have to be walked up. We might as well
look out for place to stop"
This was not so easy as 1t had been.
The creeks were deeper and more rapid
than whence they had come, and their
currents swollen by the rainfall. Nor
were the jungle-covered islands so frequent.
The lightning at last revealed one to
them which seemed promising. But they
had to wade through swift current,
thigh-deep to Harry Joslyn and Sandy
Baker, to reach it. Shorty would not
trust Pete to wade, but put him on his
shoulders. Gid Mackall put his precious
pot over his head, in order to link hands
with Monty to stem the current. and there
was much slipping and stumbling, much
by briers before they finally
reached the ground in the center, which
was yeral inches above the flood, and threw
themselves down by fallen tree, to rest
on the wet ground, under the pouring
for ha dow