The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-02-16
THE LEOPARD'S .SPO1S---
L "A Romance Of the White Mans Burden.
A Stirring Novel.
BY THOMAS Dixon, JR of North Carolina
Book One--Legree's Regime.
"A Romance Of the White Mans Burden.
A Stirring Novel.
By THOMAS Dixon, JR., of North Carolina
Book One--Legree's Regime.
(copyright BY poubleday. FAC & CD

Copyright by d.
This powerful and fascinating story
of the South in reconstruction days
began in the Sunday issue of the
News and Observer of January 26. A
synopsis of the first chapters is print
ed below. To those who desire ii in
full the papers containing the previ-
| Gus instruments will be sent with all
new subscriptions, or copies OF these
issues may be obtained for five cents
each by addressing this office.
| by addressing this office.
SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAP
TIERS.
Little Charlie CASTOR never for
| gets the terrible night when his
mother was stricken with brain
| fever at the news OF his fathers
death in battle.
Tom Camp. an old broken-down
| soldier, is overjoyed to come home to
his wife and little girl in their hum
Bile cabin. The negroes become very
insolent after the war, organizing
into secret societies under the most
corrupt leaders Simon Legree, who
North Carolina LEGISLATURE, and Tim
Shelby, a negro, who expected to reap a
large fortune from his political in
trigues. These so managed the elections
that it seemed an absolute impossibility
TO break the machine, supported as it
was by men high in authority in Wash
ington.
The scenes in Raleigh were most
shameless, under reign of the vile
delegates thus elected.
CHAPTER XII.
/ THE SECOND REIGN OF TERROR.
1t was the bluest Monday the Rev.
John Durham ever remembered in his
ministry. A large drought had parched
the corn into twisted and stunted little
stalks that looked as though they had
been burnt in a prairie fire. The fly had
destroyed the wheat crop and the cotton
was dying in the blistering sun of Au-
gust and blight worse than drought, or
flood. or pestilence, brooded over the
stricken land, fiinging the shadow Of its
Black Death over every home. The tax
Patherer of the new republican form of
government" recently established in
North Carolina now demanded his pound
of flesh.
The Sunday before had been a pecu-
liarly hard one for the preacher. He
had tried by the sheer power of person
al sympathy to lift the despairing peo-
pie out Of their gloom and make strong
their faith in God. In his morning SER
mon he had torn his very heart open and
given them it's red blood to drink. AT
the night service he could hardly rally
from the nerve tension of the morning.
He felt that he had pitiably failed The
whole day seemed failure black and
hopeless.
All day long the sorrowful stories of
ruin and loss of homes were poured into
his ear
The sheriff had advertised for sale for
taxes over two thousand threee hundred
and twenty homes in Campbell county.
The land under such conditions had no
value. 1t was only a formality for the
auctioneer to cry it and knock it down
for the amount of the tax bill.
AS ne arose from bed with the burden
of all this hopeless misery crushing his
soul, sense of utter exhaustion and
loneliness came over him. The lofty
ideals of faith and hope he had tried to
teach seemed hollow words with which
he had humbugged himself and the peo-
pie.
My love, | must go back TO bed and
try to sleep. ! lay awake last night un1
til two o'clock. | can't eat anything, -
he said to his wife as she announced
breakfast.
John, dear don't give up like that"
Cant help it
But you must. Come here is some
thing that viii tone YOU UP. / found
this note under the front door this morn
ing"
What is it?''
"A notice from some Of your admirers
that you must leave this county in for
ty-eight hours or take the consequences. E"
He looked at this anonymous letter,
pulled his moustache and smiled.
Not such failure after all, am I?''
he mussd.
Il thought that would help you" she
laughed
Eyes. can, eat breakfast on the
strength of that.
He spread this letter out beside his
plate, and read and reread it as he ate
while nis eyes flashed With a strange
half humorous light
Really. that's fine, isn't it?" You
sower of sedition and rebellion, hypocrite
and false prophet. The day has come tC
clean this county of treason and traitors
If you dare to urge the people TO further
resistance 10 authority, there will be one
traitor less in this county"
That sounds like the voice of Daniel
come to judgment. don't it,"
Il think Ezra Perkins might know
something about it,"
Il am sure of it,"
Tom Camps daughter was now in hel
sixteenth year and as plump and win
some lassie, her Scotch mother de-
clared. as the Lord ever made. She was
engaged to be married to Hose Norman