The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-20
THE WAN-DOG,

Nathan c. Konns in the Argonaut
My first knowledge CT the singular be-
sng called "Du Chen, the Man~rog,'
began when we We're on duty IN the
PeChe country, a short time after Gen.
TaylOr's celebrated Run on the Banks
in the vicinity Of Mansfield. The cav
airy had really very little to do except
Ito feed and await orders. AS re-
suit of this idleness many of the officers
and men formed pleasant acqltaintance5
with the hospital planters in whose
nejghborhOOd we were located.
One of the planters whom I found to
be most congenial was Capt. Martas, a
French creole, whose father had come
from Languedoc. He was himself ma
tive-bSrn. He was a man of forty-eight
or fifty years of age, and had two sons
by his first marriage, who We're in the
army of Virginia, and a boy two years
of age by his second wife, who was a
young and beautiful lady. The house
keeper was a mulatto girl, who was in.
every physical development almost a per-
feet being-even her small hands looking
like cOnsummate waXwork. She had been
taught, petted and INDUCED as much,
perhaps, or more than any slave should
have been, especially by Capt. Martas,
who uniformly spoke to her more in the
tone Of 4 father addressing his daughter.
than in that Of a master commanding a
slave. She was always gentle and
Obedienet The family seemed to prize
her very greatly, and the little boy es-
pecially preferred her to his own beauti-
ful mother.
The family was so attractive that I Wis
tied it often; but one evening, on my ar
rival at the house, I found that it's
peace and quiet had been disturbed by
one of those painful occurrences which
so often marred the happiness Of South
err families, and which really consti-
tuted the curse of the peculiar institd-
ton"
The day before, the beautiful and &C
complished wife of Capt Martas had,
for some unexplained reason, got .nto
q frenzy of rage with Celia, the mu-
1attress, and had ordered the overseer
to give her a severe whipping. The
girl had run off into the Black Swamp
during the night, and Capt. Martas, who
impaired this information to me, was
in a state of terrible distress 10y reason
of her absence. He did not seem to I'M
derstand the cause of the trouble, but he
could not justify his slave without con-
demning his wife, whom he seemed to
regard with a most tender and dutiful
devotion. The only emotion which seem
ed to master him was a heart breaking
and hopeless grief. 1 volunteered to
hunt for the runaway, and while asking
for information as 1 thought TO be ne
cessary about the neighboring pianta-
ucns, and Of the almost boundlcss and
impracticable wilderness known as the
Black Swamp, I saw Celia slowly and
quietly coming up the broad walk which
led from the portico to the big gate.
She carried in her hand a branch of the
magnolia tree, from which depended a
splendid blossom of that most glorious
Of all flowers. She bowed slightly as she
came near the portico, and, passing
around the corner of the house, entered
1t by a side door. Mrs Martas was most
pass.onately devoted to the magnolia.
and, from her Explanations of delight
which were soon heard in the hall, we
4 knew that Celia had brought the beauti-
tul flower as a peace Offering to her
mistress, and that 1t had been accented
as such. Very soon the two women came
nearer, and from eur seats on the YER
anda We could hear their conversation. A
terrible weight seemed to have been lift
ed from the heart of Capt. Martas by the
girls return, and by the apparent re-
= newal Of friendly relations between his
2 beautiful wife and his even more beautI-
full slave-a relief which showed itself
in his face and form, but not in his
speech.
.Ycs." said Celia to Mrs. Martas. at
IS al old, wide-spreading tree on the
very edge Of the water, and is gloriou,