The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-25
GABRIEL TOLLlVER
Cop yrIght, 1908, by Joel Chandler Harris.
CHAPTER XII.
The Union League oreanlses.

The Union League Organizes
 Gabriel waited until all sounds had died away, and then, with brief good night to Tasma rid, he opened the closet door, slipped out, and was soon on his way home. But before he was out of the dark grove. some one went fitting by him-in fact, he thought he saw two figures dim1y outlined In the darkness; yet he was not sure-and presently he thought he heard moel5ing laugh, which sounded very much as if it had issued from the lips of Nan Darlington. But ho was not sure that he heard the laugh, and how, he asked himself. could he im- agine that it was Nan Dorrington's, even if he had heard it? He told himself con fidentially that he was a drivellng idiot.
 As GabrieI went along he soon forgot his momentary impressions as to the two figures in the dark and the laugh that had seemed to come floating back to him. The suave and well modulated voice of MT. Hotchxiss ran in his ears. Boylike, he never paused to consider the motives or the ulterior purpose of the speaker. Gabriel knew of course that there was no intention on the part of the whites to re- enslave the negroes; he knew that there was not even a desire to do so. He knew too, that there were many incendiary hints in the address-hints that were H. luminated and emphasized more by the infections of the speakers voice than by the words in which they were conveyed. In spite of the fact that he resented these hints as keenly as possible, he could see the plausiblity of the speakers argu- ment in so far as it appealed to the child ish fears and doubts and uneasiness of the negroes If any could be depended on, he thought to promote a spirit of in- cendiarism among the negroes such an address would be that thing.
 If Gabriel had attended some of the later meetings of the league. he would have discovered that the address he had heard was a milk and water affair com pared with some of the harangues that were made to the negroes in the old school house.
 .s All that Gabriel had heard was duly re- ported to Meriwether Clopton, and to MT. Sanders, and in a very short time all the whites in the community became aware of the fact that the negroes were taking lessons in race hatred and incendiarism, and as a natural result Hotchkiss became a marked man. His comings and goings were all noted so much so that he soon found it convenient as well as comforta- ble to make his headquarters in the coun- try, at the home of Judge Mahon Butts whose Union principles had carried him Into the republican party. The judge lived mile and a half from the corporation line, and MT. Hotchkiss' explanation for moving there was that the exercise to be found in walking back and forth was necessary to his health.
 Uncle Plato was very much surprised the next day to be called into the house where MT. Sanders was sitting with Mer- iwether Clopton and Miss Sarah in order that they might shake hands with him.
 "I want to shake your hand, Plato" said his old master. I've always thought a great deal of you, but I think more of you today than ever before.''
 And you must shake hands with me, Plato" remarked Sarah Clopton.
 Well, sence shakin' hans is comin' more into fashion these days, I reckon you'll have to shake, wi me-" declared MT. Sanders.
 "I declar ter gracious I dunner whed- der you all is maxim fun CT me or not, exclaimed Uncle Plato. But sumpn sholy must "a happened, kaze des now when I wuz downtown MT. Alfred called me in his sto' an low, Plato, when you wanter buy anything, des come right in, money or no money, kaz yo credit des ez good in here ez de best man in town I dunner what come over everybody He went away laughing.
 e Nevertheless Uncle Plato was more se- riously affected by the schemes of MT Hotchkiss than any other inhabitant in Shady Dale. He had been a leader in the Rev. .Jeremiah's church. and up to the day of the organization of the Union League, had yielded an influence among the negroes second only to that of the Rev. Jeremiah himself. But now all was changed. He soon found that he would have to resign his deaconship, for those whom he had regarded as his spiritual brethren were now his enemies-at any rate they were no longer his friends.
 Uncle Plato and his wife felt very keen were placed by the increasing prejudice of the rest of the negroes. They were both sociable in their natures, but now they were practically cut off from all as- sociation from those who had been their very good friends. It was a real sacrifice they had to make. On the other hand, who shall say that their firmness in this matter was not the means of preventing at least in Shady Dale, many of the mis- fortunes that fell to the lot of the ne- groes elsewhere? There can hardly be a doubt that their attitude, firm and yet modest, had a restraining influence on some of the more reckless negroes, who, under the earnest, but dangerous teach ings of Hotchkiss and his fellow workers, would otherwise have been led into ex- cesses which would have called for bloody reprisals.