Water Valley progress., 1903-07-04

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black mammy?"
She sat down and took his hand be-
tween her withered palms. Her thin,
cracked voice rose in a simple song
a song with which she had hushed
him to sleep many a time, before he
had known the world and its bitter
ness and its sorrow. The wild light
died from his eyes and his ! ad
dropped forward.
Come along, sonny. Let nanny
put yer ter bed" And holding to her
hand, like little child, he suffered
her to lead him away.
III.
Lying in the deep shadows of the
cane, in the thickest portion of the
river swamp was a black man.
He was low of stature but strongly
built, and his face was as the face of
a beast. He was hungry and thirsty,
but he dared not venture forth. His
own people would turn from him
with loathing, and wouldset the white
man on his track. And the white
men-his frame shook with nervous
chill. Would night never come, that
he might put miles between himself
and the accursed spot? He buried his
face in his arms and tried to stop
thinking.
What was that? Was she scream
ing still? No; only the weird cry Of
screech-owl in the dark recesses Of
the swamp. But that other sound?
He sat bolt upright and listened!
Far up the river, but reverberating
down his track like the voice Of doom,
came the deep, bell-like mouthing of
a hound. He had not thought of thus.
The cold perspiration stood in great
beads upon his forehead. For mo-
ment he stood paralyzed; then leap
ing through the briars and tangled
cane, he ran. Death-death in its
most horrible form-was close at his
heels, His shoes impeded him-he
kicked them off and ran on.
AS he came to a little stream, he
remembered that the dogs could not
scent him in the flowing water, and
turning he waded down it. The bay
ing Of the great dog was nearer now.
There was 70 more time-he sprang
upon the marshy bank and plunged
again through the tangled swamp.
The blackbifds rose in clouds before
him, the rabbits FASTENED out Of his
path-he did not see them. A rattle
snake -whirred a danger signal just
ahead; he did not hear it.
Ha! What sharp, stinging thrust
was that upon his ankle? A thorn,
perhaps. Death was too near him for
man to stop for trifes, and so he
ran on.
w.
A party of puzzled but determined
men stood at the brink of the little
stream. Night was coming fast. For
an hour they had tried in vain to
strike the lost trail afresh; until now
the tired, baflied dogs stood still at
the edge Of the water.and gazed visit
fully into the thickets beyond.
''It's all right" said one of the
men. "He's in this swamp. So much
we know, and every inch around it is
guarded. Well have him before day.
light comes again."
The others acquiesced but they lin
gered, searching aimlessly about.
Presently the two old men, the white
and the black, came laboring up.
Their limbs had lost their vigor and
the others had left them far behind.
The white man was almost exhausted.
81 am very tired and dry, Silas,'
he said. "Let us 60 to the river and
get drink; the water is purer there"
They waded through stretch of
swamp and came down to the brink
Of the swirling, gliding water. A
little way off strengthening
object lay. They went up to it and
saw the swollen, bloated corpse of the
hunted man. Two tiny punctures on
his ankle showed the manner of his