The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-10-29


ny and pointing. "For heavens sake,
look, Baptiste"
The fingers had closed upon the knife,
the knife was already high in the air,
when, with a shrek, Baptiste cleared
the room at bound, and before the
knife could fall the little Frenchman's
boot had caught the uplifted wrist and
sent the knife flying to the wall.
Then there was a great rushing
sound as Of wind through the forest,
and the lights went out. When I
awoke, l found myself lying with my
head on Graeme's knees and Baptste
sprinkling snow on my face. AS I
looked up Graeme leaned over, and,
smiling down into my eyes, he said:
Good boy! 1t was q great fight, and
We put it up we'll" And then he whis-
pered, 81 owe you my life, my boy"
His words thrilled my heart through
and through, for I loved him as only
men can love men, but only answer
ed:
81 could not keep them back"
"It was we'll DONE" he said, and I
felt proud.
I confess I was thankful to be so
we'll out of it, for Graeme got of with
a bone in his wrist broken and with
a couple Of ribs cracked, but had it not
been for the open barrel Of whisky
which kept them occupied for time,
Offering too good chance to be lost,
and for the timely arrival Of Nelson,
neither of US had ever seen the light
again.
We found Craig sound asleep upon
his couch. His CONSERVATION on wax
ing to see US torn, bruised and bloody
was laughable, but he FASTENED to find
US warm water and bandages, and we
soon felt comfortable.
Baptste was radiant with pride and
delight over the fight and lowered
about Graeme and me, giving vent to
his feelings in admiring French and
English expletives. But Abe was dis
gusted because Of the failure ct Sla-
wins, for when Nelson looked in he saw
Slavin's French Canadian wife in
charge, with her baby on her lap, and
he came back to Shaw and said, Come
away; we can't touch this" and Shaw,
after looking in, agreed that nothing
could be done. A baby held the fort.
AS Craig listened to the account Of
the fight he tried hard not to approve,
but he could not keep the CLEAN out Of
his eyes, and as I pictured Graeme
dashing back the crowd thronging the
barricade till he was brought down by
the chair Craig laughed gently and put
his hand on Graeme's knee, and as 1
went on to describe my agony while
Idaho's fingers were gradually nearing
the knife his face grew pale and his
eyes grew wide with horror.
"Baptiste here did the business" I
said, and the little Frenchman nodded
complacently and said:
Oats me for sure''
"By the way, how is your foot?" ask
ed Graeme
Hes fuss rate. OATS what you call
-one bite of-of-dat leel bees. Hes
dere; you put your finger dere, he's not
dere. What you call him"
"Fleav' suggested.
"Ouir' cried Baptiste. "Dat's one
bite Of flea"
81 was thankful 1 was under the
barrels" I replied, smiling.
"Oui! OATS max me yer mad. l
jump and swear mos awful bad. OATS
pardon me, M'sieu Craig, heh"
But Craig only smiled at him rather
sadly.
at was awfully risky" he said to
Graeme, "and it was hardly worth it.
They'll get more whisky, and anyway
the league is gone"
"Well," said Graeme, with q sigh Of
satisfaction, cit is not quite such 4
one sided affair as 1t was"
And we could say nothing in reply,
for we could hear Nixon snoring in the
next room, and no one had heard Of
Billy, and there were others Of the
league that we knew were even now
down at Slavin's. 1t was thought best
that all should remain in Mr.. Craig's
shack, not knowing what might hap
pen, and so we lay where we could,
and we needed none to sing us to
sleep.
When awoke, stiff and sore, it was
to find breakfast ready and old man
Nelson in charge. AS we were seated
Craig came in, and I saw that he was
not the man Of the night before. His
courage had come back; his face was
quiet and his eye clear. He was his
own man again.
"Geordie has been out all night but
has failed to find Billy" he announced
quietly.
We did not talk much. Graeme and
I worried with our broken bones, and
the others suffered from general
morning depression. But after break
fast, as the men were beginning to
move, Craig took down his Bible, and,
saying, "Wait q few minutes, men"
he read slowly, in his beautiful, clear
voice, that psalm for all fighters,
"God is our refuge and strength,
and so on to the noble words:
''The Lord Of Hosts is with US;
The God Of Jacob IS our refuge"
How the mighty words pulled us to-
gether, lifted US till we grew ashamed
Of our ignoble rage and Of our ignoble
depression!
And then Craig prayed in simple,
straightgoing words. There was ac-
acknowledgement Of failure, but I knew
he was thinking chiefly Of himself;