The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1903-03-05
CONTINUED


nail and, selling it, put it on. Then
took the smiths apron, rolled up my
sleeves. smeared my arms with cinders
and looked into n bit Of broken mirror
resting against the wooden wall to OBJ
serve the effect. | was disappointed to
see that my face belied my calling.
"Your razorw l exclaimed to the
blacksmith.
He went through door leading from
the shop to his dwelling and returned
| with razor soap and hot water In
| five minutes l had shorn my beard,
leaving a dark stubble; then, selling n
| handful of coke, rubbed out every re-
| fined lineament. Taking another look
at myself, / was pleased to see that my
! own mother would not know me. Seiz-
| ing the handle of the bellows, | began
| to blow vigorously.
"Weel, weel." laughed the black
smith, ''ye max better lo'kin smith
| than geentlemon."
"Play your own part WELL" replied,
| land l have something nice for you at
/ the end OF the performance"
1t was fully Is minutes after we
| reached the hamlet before there were
| any signs of the guerrillas, and then
three or four rode into the town and
| asked for our party. Had they seen
us? Which way had we gone? and 9TH
er questions, which the few people they
met responded to with grunt or a
shake of the head. | put my head out
to see and, recognizing one of them,
drew back and began to blow my bel
lows as If my life depended on it. And
| it did. Presently one Of the outlaws
| rode up to the shop.
Hello, thar" he shouted.
WAL" / replied, still blowing and
keeping my face turned from him.
"Seen a man, two women, a boy an
a Niger go through the town.
"Hain't seen no one"
"Sho'"
"Sho' nuff."
He rode off, but l knew the storm
had not yet blown over. ! went on
working the bellows, and it was well
did so, for presently more of the band
rode into town, and one of the horses
| having lost shoe, it's rider dismounted
in front of the shop and told me to put
tit on.
This was something had not count
ed on. l knew no more about horse
shoeing than about knitting, but | put
| bold face on the matter and went to
work.
what the - yo' doin?' yelled the
man. "Air yo' goin ter put that shoe
| on with nary trimmin?"
Don't yo' spose | know my bust
| nessy l cried. bristling. 81 was only
fittin it,
With that I seized knife and began
| to cut. But | was too excited to pare
the hoof even If | had been an expert,
and in another moment the man yelled
again, "Ef yo cut that critters hoof
| off, I'll brain yo'"'
Here, Sandy" cried to the black
smith within, ZONE shoe this mans
| critter. He thinks he knows more'n |
do about shoein.'
The blacksmith finished the job
| while l, pretending to be greatly irri-
| tatcd, was glad to escape into his
dwelling house. Going to Il front win
dow and dropping a curtain so that
could look into the road without, being
seen, l took view of the situation.
The guerrillas were scattered about the
town, some riding around the houses
hunting for us, others sitting on their
horses, questioning the inhabitants as
to our whereabouts. Captain Rngold
was in command. a negro boy was
playing "hopscotch" on the sidewalk
The captain called to him:
"Yo boy thar, didn't yo' see anybody
go this way awhile ago?"
1.-TWO women an boy bout big s
meT
Eyes"
"An white man an a colored man"
Eyes. Which way did they go?"
"Dey's gwine right long dar." And
he pointed to path leading across the
road westward.
Here, you" cried the captain to two
men who were watering their horses
ut wooden trough in front Of the
shop, "strike out on that path"
The men darted away, leaving the
captain alone in the road. A little old
woman came out Of a house opposite
and began to guy him in n cracked
voice, poking fun Mt him for not being
able 70 catch party of women. She
talked so Familiarity with him that l
began to suspect she knew him.
trembled for fear she would betray us.
"You uns amt wokh n pcrsimmon,"
she said. with them critters legs I'M
der yer, yer orter ketch wimmen folks
easy"
We'll catch 'em easy enough. They've
gone along thar" pointing to the path
his men were just dashing into.
9Th didn't go that Away"
''fhey didn't? Which way did they
goT
"D' yer s'pose | give facs TO moth
in?"
cold chill ran down my back. She
was going to tell for pay.
What do yo' want!'
Gimme 'nuff TO a calker dress, an