The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1901-05-23
1T DON'T like to leave you here
alone, daughter" The head con-

WT DON'T like to leave you here
alone, daughter" The head con-
tractor looked troubled.
Marion swept a defiant shrek from
her violin. "Alone!" she returned,
with the foreman and 60 negroes
working right around me, here on the
ievee, and only two miles from town."
''Looll, dear" Her father beckoned
her into his tiny stateroom. He opened
his trunk and motioned towards a heap
of canvas bags and sealed envelopes.
"Why-ee! Why did you get so much
of the mems pay in silver?"
'"That fool Rodgers brought it over
on horseback. Told him to cash it all
in greenbaclls, but he forgot, as usual.
There's $1,000; the pay for the up-river
gang, as well as this one. Think you
can keep an eye on it for the hour
I'm away? There's really no danger;
the blacks don't know it's here"
"But they know it's always sent you
on Saturday noon"
THAT'S fact. But they would never
try to rob the cabin in broad daylight
They're an irresponsible set, though"
He glanced through the cabin window
at the endless chain of blue-shirted
figures creeping up and down the river
bank with spade and harrow. The
dull rhythm of their chant mingled
with the ripple of the yellow Ohio be-
low. The boathouse seemed to beat
obedient time as it swung on the slow
waves.
"You mean they might kill the fore
man and me to get that money if they
knew it was here? 1t would only give
them about $50 piece. They wouldn't
murder us for that"
"Of course not. But I'd take it all
with me if L could. You never know
what may happen"
Nonsense, papa. Go on to town,
and don't you dare to come back with
out a letter for mel"
''From Manila or New York;"
There's just one town in the world
for me-" hummed Marion.
Manila, then?'
|Of course. Adios, papa!"
She kissed her hand to him as he
rode away. 1t would be lonely here in
this sitting boat, rocking on a brazen
stream, with nothing to see but trees
and sky, red clay embankment and
an army of half-clad negroes, toiling
under the lash of the foreman's voice.
Sometimes she wished that she had
not INDUCED her within to spend the
month with her father at his work:
but the Manila mails are far between,
and she could not sit and look at one
photograph all summer, no latter how
attractive it might be.
The opposite bank lay green and
cool under deep willow shade. I'D
like to row over there, if I could take
the money along" she thought, as she
lifted the trunk lid again and inspected
the contents. But there's such lot
why, Peter, what do you want?"
Peter, the cooks boy, stood at her
elbow. Jim wants know what you'd
iaik for supper" he said, dropping his
eyes before her sharp glance, but not
IN time to hide their covetous CLEAN.
$50 back and tell him I'll send word
presently" She sid the door bolt as
Peter shambled down the deck. 81
am an awful coward, and 1 wish he
hadn't seen this. Here!" She picked
up her violin case and packed the
money into it. eff they should come
they'll never look there!"
Half ashamed of her fears, she went
back to the main cabin and took I'D her
violin again. Unconsciously the music
drifted into slow, tuneless accom-
paniment of the chant without: she
played on and on, smiling dreamilv to
herself; but suddenly the bow fell
from her hands.
The chant of the negroes without
had ceased!
1'Why, they're stopping work! It
isn't near ski" She leaned eagerly
from the window. The men had
dropped their tools and were running
70 the skiff landing, where crowd
had already gathered. Above the mass
of woody heads she saw the forerlan's
white-shirted arms lifted once, twice