Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-09-15
CHAPTER w.
THE UNsPoKEN TERROR.

| following day, and whispered to his moth
er the good news, he fastened to tell MS
|, friend, Tom Camp. The young mans heart
warmed toward the white-haired old sol
| der in this hour of his victory. With
sparkling eyes he told Tom of his stormy
| scene with the general, of its curious end
| ing. and the hours he spent in heaven
| beneath the limbs of an old magnolia
Tom listened with rapture. "Ah, didn't
| I tell you If you hung on you'd get her
| by and by? So you bearded the general IN
| his den. did you? I'll bet his eyes blazed
| when he seed you! He's got an awful
| temper when you rile him. You ought TO
| a-seed him one day when our brigade was
| ordered into a charge where three conceal
! ed batteries was cross firm and men was
| fallin' like wheat under the knife. Geemi-
nv. but didn't he cuss He wouldn't take
| the order fust from the orderly, and sent
| to know if the major general meant IT, L
| tell you us felers that was layin there
in the grass listenin' to them bullets sing
| in thought he was the finest cusser that
| ever ripped an oath.
! He reared and he charged, and he cuss-
| ed. and he damned that man for tryin'
| to butcher his men, and he never moved
| till the third order came. That was the
| night ten thousand wounded men lay on
| the field and me in the middle Of EN- with
| a mimic ball in my shoulder. The Yankees
| and our men was all mixed up together,
J and iusts after dark the full moon came
up through the trees and you could see
| as plain as day. / begun to sing the old
hymn, There is a land of pure delight
and you ought to have heard them ten
thousand wounded men sing!
''While we was singin' the general came
| through Iookin' up his men. He seed me
and said
rs that you. Tom Camps?
at looked up at him, and he was crying
| like child, and he went on from man TO
-,-4v, = ae,f fool n
us into that hell-hole. The generals
| rough man If you rub his fur the wrong
| wav but his hearts all right He's all
| gold. tell you"
"wen, I'm in for a tussle with him.
Tom"
"shucks. man! You can beat him with
| one hand tied behind you If you've got
his CHS heart. She's got his fire, and a
gal as purity as she is can just about do
what she pleases in this world
''I hope she can bring him around.
like the general. I'd much rather not hght.
him." go,
where's Flora?" cried Tom, looking
| around in alarm.
1T saw her going toward the spring in
! the edge of the woods there minute
| ago." replied CASTOR.
Tom sprang up and began to hop and
| lump down the path toward the sprlhs
| with incredible rapidity
| Flora was playing in the branch below
| the spring and Tom saw the form OF a
| negro man passing over the opposite hlIl'
| going along the spring path that led In
that direction.
'rWas YOU tallkin with that Niger, Flo
ra?" asked Tom, holding his hand on MS
| side and trying to recover his breath.
ives. I said howdy, when he stopped to
get a drink of water. and he gave me
whistle" she replied with pout OF her
| pretty lips and a frown
Tom seized her by the arm and shook
her Didn't I tell you to run every time
| Won seed a niger unless was with your?
eyes but he wasn't hurtin' me. and you
are!" she cried, bursting into tears.
| ( GIVE a notion to whip you good Tor
thisp Tom stormed
"Don't Tom, she won't do It any more;
will YOU. Flora?" pleaded CASTOR, taking
her in his arms and starting to the house
| with her When they reached the house
Tom was still pale and trembling with ex-
Lord. there's so many triflin' niggers
loahn' round the county now, stealing ana
dom all sorts of devilment, I'm scared to
death about that child. she doh seem
arv more afraid Of 'em than she is OF a
II don't believe anybody would hurt
| Flora Tom-she's such a little angel,
said CASTOR kissing the tears from the
child's face.
| COte-a1nT
| pride eve wished many time lately Ia
gore west with them Yankee fellers that
| took such lixin' to me in the war. They
told me that a poor white man had
chance out there, and that there weren't
a niger in twenty miles OF their nome.
But then I lost my leg; how could L go?
He sat dreaming with open eyes Tor
moment and continued. looking tenderly
at Flora: But, baby. don't you dare go
nigh er niger. or let one get nigh you
no more'n you would rattlesnake!'
81 won't pappy!" she cried with an in
/ credulous smile at his warning Oh danger
! that made Toms heart sick. She was all
low and laughter. full of health and bub-
hing life. She believed with child's SIM
ple faith that all nature was as innocent
as her own heart
Tom smoothed her curls and kissed her
at last, and she slipped her arm around
his neck and squeezed 1t tight
"Ain't she purity and sweet now?" he ex-
claimed.
Tom. you'll spoil her yet" warned Gas
ton as he smiled and took his leave,
throwing a kiss at Flora as he passed
through the little yard gate. Tom had
built a fence close around his house
when Flora was a baby to shut her in
while he was at work.
Two DAYS later about 3 o'clock in the
afternoon, as CASTOR sat in his once
writing letter to his sweetheart, his race
| ARiOW
she was his, as he read and reread her
last glowing words he was startled by
the sudden clang of the courthouse bell.
Al first he did not move, only looking up
from his paper. Sometimes mischievous
bows rang the bell and ran down the steps
before any one could catch them. But the
bell continued it's swift strokes seeming to
grow louder and wilder every moment. He
saw a man rush across the square, and
then the bell of the Methodist. and then
of the Baptist churches Joined their clam
or to the alarm.
He snapped the lid Of his desk, snatched
his hat and ran down the steps.
| AS he reached the street he heard the
long piercing cry of woman's voice,
high, strenuous, quiveringi
"A lost child A lost child!
What a cry! He was never so thrilled
and awed by a human voice. In it was
trembling all the anguish of every moth
er's broken heart transmitted through the
centuries
! At the courthouse door an excited group
had gathered. A man was standing on
the steps gesticulating wildly and telling
the crowd all he knew about II. over the
din he caught the name:
Tom Camps Floral!
He breathed hard, bit his lips and pray
ed instinctively.