The Savannah morning news., 1902-08-03

shootin' reound this away"
Devil take you! we're not asking
you advice. If yeou are coming daown
from there be mighty quick abeout it,"
screamed Wallace in impatient rage.
'Sence yeou put it tibet way, 1 low
I'll stay hyer"
Then stay, you blamed FOOL
Wallace threw up his arm and fired.
At the same time he swung his horse
round and gave it the spur. The gray
backs followed him through the rank
dogfennel to the shelter of some piles
of cordwood about so yards away.
Mighty nigh got yeou. The amt a
better shot in the caounty than EN-
met" commented Henderson admir-
irgly.
A fusilade from the woodpiles drove
the two men hastily to cover. When
Brad ventured to peer out cautiously
| he exclaimed:
"Hyer comes the Colonel licketty
split. Nav, by gum, hit air a gyurl."
Hills was lookink at her, too, an
indefinable fear Juggling at his heart
Both of the men had forgotten that
they stood exposed within easy range
as they watched the girl from the
window.
"Jes' look at her ride. They all 500
her meow Dad burn, looks like Miss
Julie. The devils air firm al her o
lordy she air killed.
Brad turned to the doctor, but Hills
was tearing down the stairs three
sleeps at time. He flung then into
the street, reckless of the bullets
which drove past him into the soft
wood. If he had been capable of taxi
ing thought he would have felt in
stinctively that he was bullet proof for
the present; but he was conscious only
OF the oVermastering impulsionto reach
and protect the woman he loved.
Whether the graybacks had mistaken
her for Robert Hills escaping in the
darkness, or whether they fired al the
| approaching figure in mere wanton
abandon will never be known; in any
case they were now appalled, at what
they feared they had done. Northern
settlers were not so scarce that the
| law would inquire rigidly concerning
the death of one in these unsettled
| times; but if anything serious had hap
pened to Miss Julia Dascomb, the most
popular young lady in the settlement
| both on her own and on her fathers
account it needed no prophet TO fore
| tell the fate that would fall on them
surely and promptly without the aid
of the law.
When Lem Fisher reached the Das-
comb place it appeared that the Colo
| mel was away at a neighbours place
get the Colonel, while Uncle Ben pour
ed out his story to his young mistress.
| The old negro was a trusted friend of
the family. During the war he had run
| the plantation in the absence of his
master and supported the family by
his labor. Julia and Emmett had been
children on the place at the time, and
bit made her blood boil to think that
Wallace had forgotten the love they
owed the old man. She had believed
in her cousin despite appearances, but
now his degradation was marked
clearly to her eyes.
She did not deceive herself into be-
lieVing that Wallace would spare the
young Northerner. On the contrary
she knew that his vengeance would be
swift and sure, and, with the head
long impatience of the South concern
ing the danger of one she cared for
set out at once, without waiting for
her father, to avert the catastrophe.
Her father and Lem Fisher were a
scant 300 yards behind her when she
reached Richmond. They heard the
sound of firing as they came through
the woods, and urged their horses
recklessly over the rotton corduroy
road. But when they reached the
scene of action the battle had ended
for the present.
Robert Hills was lifting Julia from
thrown, half-stunned but otherwise
urinjured,, when her horse was shot
Under her and, from different direc-
tiCns. Wallace and Henderson were
running forward with a wary eye or
each other Brad had a smoking CUR
in his hand. He had remained at the
window to take a shot at Ford. and
the grayback lay cursing in the road
with a scattering charge of buckshot
in his leg.
After he had ascertained that his
daughter was injured, Colonel Des-
comb turned grimly on his nephew.
well, young man, hope youall are
satisfied with you evenings work
Yeou tried tew bully the old man who
kept yeou alive during the wah; yeou
nearly killed the brave boy who stop
ped YOU Internal ingratitude; and fin
ally YOU graybacks shoot at a young
lady who is you own cousin. l give
| yCuall wahning that unless this de-
Viltry quits right here I'll have eve'y
man of yeOu wiped out. By God, the
whole pack of We ant worth this boy
yeou We're fixin' tew kill 1 lowed it
was the fahty yeou belonged tew
We're tew blame. but meow 1 see yeou
would disgrace any pahty. But they'll
quit deviln' yeou, Doctor Hills, or
they'll quit Twin; 1 give yeou my
word on that. They got tew be de-
cent or go to Kingdom Come"
Colonel Dascomb's likes were as We
henient as his dislikes. He had seen
reason to change his opinion about
Robert Hills, and he did not propose
to go halfway in the matter Hills
had shown himself a man of courage
| and spirit, and there is nothing the
south admires moro. So that when the
young doctor tainted outright in the
road nothing would do but that the
colonel must have him out to the
plantation until his wound healed.
Every day. for few minutes, Miss
Julia Dascomb visited her guests
room to find whether he was being well
| treated. Occasionally Colonel Dascomb
brought a Waverley novel, and read
from it to the wounded man. But
for the most part Hills had to con-
tent himself with the society of his
old colored nurse, who turned the Col
onel out of the room without any
scruples whenever she thought her
patient had talked enough. She was
the autocrat of the sick room, and
/ the young man wished her in Jericho
many times a day. He found himself
counting time by the visits OF his hos
/ tess. He found himself growing skill
ful in devising wants that should keep