The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-11-20
CHAPTER XXI.
STERN CuASE.

a STRAIGHT road lay before us
kA to DecherG, a few miles dis
* VA tant. The place was Of too
great Importance for the guer-
rillas to dare enter, and If we could
reach 1t before they could catch us we
should be safe.
"How much Is your horse worth% !
asked the blacksmith.
"a matter O. saXty dollars"
eff you kill him by hard driving, I'll
give you n hundred, and If you get us
to Decherd before the outlaws can
catch us III make 1t n hundred more"
"Weel, moo. l don't want to be hard
on a mon fiyin for his life and wimmen
folk too. I'll do the best I can and ask
no money"
With that he belabored the poor
horses tanks with the stump of his
whip and sent him galloping onward.
There were no springs to the wagon,
but we valued II lives too we'll to
draw rein at rut or stone. At one part
of the road feared that if we did not
check our pace we would break q
wheel and be left with no means to
get on save Il legs. 1 cautioned the
driver to slacken his pace; but, hearing
or fancying he heard the Gathering of
horses hoofs behind. without n word
from me he applied the lash. Now we
bounded into the air and now we were
tossed together like dice In n box.
Git oop, We critter!' cried the black
smith, mingllng Scotch and Tennessee.
Don't We know ye're graggin bonny
Ip11ipG nvin fnI, fhoir HuncoD AID
down came the butt Of the whip. 1t
vas narrowing to see a horse forced to
give his life to ave ours, hut our stu
alton was too critical to warrant any
slackening of speed. Jack, who of all
our force was usually most frightened
at danger ahead and would fight 1t
most vigorously when face to face with
1t, for once acted In reverse at seeing
the poor brute making leaps that were
killing him.
stop beating that horse, you BRUTE"
she cried, cor I'll beat you'll" And she
sprang forward to seize the whip. l
caught her In my arms. She looked ND
n my face and burst into tears.
Whether 1t was wholly sympathy or
overstrained nerves | did not know;
probably both. AT any rate, I protect.
ed her from the joltihg by keeping her
In my arms, while she hid her face so
that she could not see the suffering
horse.
"Jack," said Buck, you're nothIn
but n baby"
shut up. 70 little niggerp she cried.
l ccald not repress O smile at the re.
fort Cn0fnO yyhfnh InaI. .a.I.11 ~
absurdity Of 1t all and broke into a
laugh. while the tears continued to run
down her cheeks.
Wont yo' let me support yo' against
the Joltlng?" asked Captain Beaumont
rGefully,
"Yo'T" DO yo' suppose I'd let yo'
touch Inc? Yo' shot my b.st friend"
DO yo' dislike me TO- shooiing-a
robber?" asked her admirer sadly.
II hate yo'."
Beaumont settled down I'm a corner of
the wagon in dependency. After
awhile Jack slid down beside him.
whereupon he suddenly lighted up and
tool as much Interest In our fight as
any N OF the party.
we were a wild looking load to the
few people who passed us. Whenever
we saw n farm wagon coming or going
we would shout 10 It's driver to get out
OF the way. They must have supposed
our horse to be a runaway. for ever,
n quickly turned aside. There are
pictures of that ride which I can see
today, so wildly were they stamped
on my memory. An old man with hi
hands on the hAnale OF hia nlow oanen.