The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-17
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Our Daily Short Stories
THE BLACK SLOWER.
BY w. A. CURTIS.
Copyright. 1901. by Authors syndicate.y

tered the disdain of the specialists,
great in some one line. Miss Mary had
never been invited to enter Charles
den, but, bearing in mind that the
time was near when he would keep
nothing from her. and besides, being
just dying to see him, she resolved to
boldly march in. But she entertained
few misgivings as she paused before
the door, closed enough to shut off all
view of what was within, but open
enough to permit the egress of voices,
and in the moment of pausing there
came to her the high pitched voice of
the professor
What an interesting knobkerry. 1t
must be quite old"
Yes, it came from Africa in 1890. My
Observation-Disclosures brought it
with him when he came from the Blight
of Benin"
you mean the old Black Slower, of
course"
Yes, the Black Slower"
Did she hear Alright? 1.-THE Black
Slower" A blow had been struck the
girl and she was numbed and dazed by
it and deprived of all power to feel
it, after the manner of great blows.
But the numbness would pass and she
would begin to ache and sting and
suner in a moment and she must get
away before that happened and she
should scream. Down stairs she flew,
out of the house, home to her aunt's.
saying over to herself: THE Black
Slower, the Black Slower"
This was why her betrothed would
tell her nothing about the founder of
the family fortune. This was why the
name of Samuel Slower never passed
his lips when she questioned him, and
this was why he always changed the
subject when she became insistent in
her inquiries. Samuel Slower came from
Africa in 1880 and he was called the
Black Slower. A negro, a half caste,
perhaps, since he commanded a vessel,
but still negro. And Charles Slower
was colored man. Oh! oh. oh! heav-
ems, what she had escaped! Marriage
with a colored man, the ostracism of
her friends, Punishment from her fam
lily. Why. the whole south would have
pointed the finger of scorn at her.
The villain, Charles Slower! The
scoundrel, black in character, descend
ant of one black by name and black IN
skin. He had hidden this from her and
would have married her, the bastard,
she, a Southern girl. There were
Northern girls a-plenty who would
have thought little of marrying this
sang melee. Why must he be contented
only with a Southern girl? She made
packet of all the presents he had
given her and sent them to him, and
then she wept, and it wasn't from rage
and hatred toward the descendant of
the Black Slower
In less than Is minutes there was a
scurry of steps at the door and her
fance burst in.
What does this mean? What does
this mean?" cried Charles, advancing
toward her.
Stand back! Don't you dare touch
me" she shrieked, you descendant of
Black Slower"
That's it, is it? You have found il
out. 1 tried to keep the fact from
you. 1t has been the skeleton in our
closet; still, that was a long time ago,
time washes out many stains. Some
of our friends have known it and
thought little or nothing of it, 1 had
hoped that If any one might forgive
this thing, it would a Southern girl
"A Southern girl! A Southern girl!
She forgive it, Oh, how intolerable
this is. Leave the house, sir, before I
strike you"
Miss Mary was not surprised when
the maid brought her Charles card the
the next day. Should she see him? A
bitter regret that she had been born
n
Northerner might have felt able to
overlook this little invisible strain of
black blood, not to be detected in APP
pearance or character. Charles was so
handsome and so noble, noble in every
thing except his treatment of her. She
would see him once more.
II came to show you that your fam
lily >harbors a dark secret exactly like
that of mine. 1t may be cowardly to
do it, perhaps, but / can't resist MAX
ing one attempt to win you back, to
show you that If there is a skeleton in
our closet, there is one in yours and
we can agree to house them both in
one closet. / fell to pulling over a chest
of the Black Stover's papers after leav-
ing you last night, and to my COM
pfete establishment found a document
showing the Radnors had the same
kind of a skeleton that we had"
Mary blanched, but her heart leap
ed, nevertheless. Was there a negro
in the Radnor family as we'll as in the
Slower family? On, joy, then she
could marry Charles, live in the North
and keep the secret forever inviolate.
But her transports were dashed by the
thought of what it would mean to her
father. her family, if this stain upon
their line existed and it's existence be-
came known.
"Show me the proofs, SIR and she
unfolded the ancient yellow document
which Charles handed her. 1t was a
bill of sale from Capt. Samuel Slower
of 300 negroes to Capt. Conan Radnor,
dated Baltimore. the negroes being 300
Guinea blacks whom Capt. Radnor
was to transfer to a vessel of his own
and carry to Charleston to sell there.
1.-The Black Slower was a SLAYER, and
that was why they called him Black
Stover?" cried the girl.
THAT states the case"
He wasn't a nigger?"
"Nigger! He was a yellow-haired
Yankee, as fair as any Swede. What
did you think hei was?"
"Oh-e-e-e-e-e. l thought he was a
Niger" and Miss Mary Radnor vio-
lently precipitated herself into her
lovers arms and deluged his Shout
la,n.