The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-22

stain and quickly turned away; then
he went back slowly to the village. On
the way he passed Warrent Smith.
rs it so?" asked the lawyer.
Martin answered with a dry throat.
He looked out dimly over the sunlit
fields, and swallowed once or twice.
Yes, it's so. There's a good deal of it
there. Little more than boy he was"
The old fellow passed his seamy hand
over his eyes without concealment.
Peter amt very bright, sometimes,
it seems to me-" he added, brokenly;
overlook Bodeffer and Fisbee and me
and all of us old husks, and-and-"
he gulped suddenly, then finished-"and
act the fool and take a boy that's the
best we had. 1 wish the Almighty
would take Peter off the gate he amt
fit fer it."
When the attorney reached the spot
where the crowd was thickest, way was
made for him. The old colored man,
Xenophon, approached at the same
leaning on a hickory stick and bent
very far over, one hand resting on his
hip as if to ease a rusty joint. The ne
gro's age was incentive to fable; from
his appearance he might have known
the prophets and he wore that hoary
look of unearthly wisdom many de-
cades of superstitious experience some
times give to members of his race. His
lace, tortured WITH WrlnKleS JndC IL
might have been made of innumerable
black threads woven together. was a
living mask of the mystery of his
blood. Harkless had once said that
Uncle Xenophon had visited heaven be-
fore Swedenborg and hell before Dan
ties. To-day, as he slowly limped over
the ties, his eyes were bright and dry
under the solemn lids, and, though his
heavy nostrils were unusually distend-
cd in he off Gov. low !. fY,sr
the deeply puckered lips beneath them
were set firmly.
He stopped and looked at the faces
before him. When he spoke his voice
was gentle, and though the tremulous-
ness of age harped on the vocal strings,
it was rigidly controlled. kin some
kline gelmun," he asked, please THE
so good ex t. show de ole man whuh
de W'ite-Caips is done shoot Marse
Hawkliss?"
Here was where it happened, Uncle
Zen,' answered Wiley, leading him for
ward. Here is the STAIN"
Aenophon bent over the spot on the
sand, making little odd noises in his
throat. Then he painfully resumed his
former position. "Dass his blood he
said, in the same gentle quavering
tone. "Dass my bes frien whut lay
on de groun whuh yo stand, gelmun."
There was pause, and no one spoke.
'Dass whuh day laid i'm an dass
whuh he lie the old negro continued.
''Dey shot i'm in de fiers. Dey ain
shot i'm heah-yondeh dey druggen
i'm, but dis whuh he lie" He bent over
again, then knelt, groaningly, and
placed his hand on the stain, one would
have said, as a man might place his
hand over heart to see if it still beat.
He was motionless. with the air of
hearkening.
''Marse, honey, is you gomez" He
raised his voice as if calling, "Is you
gone, suh?-Marse
He looked up at the circle about him.
and, still kneeling, not taking his hand
from the sand. seeming to wait for a
sign, to listen for a voice, he said:
''Whafo' you gelmun think de good
Lawd summon Marse Hawkliss? Kaze
he de mos fittes'? You know dat man
he ketch me in de cole night, wintuh
70 lais, stealin' is wood. You know
whut he done tide ole thief? TEX an
bull up big fab cen ole Zen shainty;
say, Hep yo'sef an welcome. Reck-
on you hongry, too. ain you, Keno
phon?' TEX an feed me- TEX an TEX
keer O. me eV' since. All pump de
bath full in de mawin'; mex is bed
pull de weeds out'n of de front walk
dass all. He TEX me in. When All ask
i'm ain he fraid keep ole thief he say,
jesse: Dass all my fault, Xenophon;
ought look you up long go; ought
know long go you be cole desc bald
nights. Reckon Aim de thievenest
one us two, Xeonophon, keepin all dis
wood stock UP when you got none he
say, jesse. TEX me in say he lahk a
thief. Pay me sala'y. Feed me. Dass
de main whut de Caips gone shot lais
night" He raised his head sharply,
and the mystery in his gloomy eyes
intensified as they opened wide and
stared at the sky, unseeingly.
Use bawn wild a cawl." he exclaim-
ed, loudly. His twisted frame was
braced to an extreme tension Use
bawn wild a cawl! De blood anssuh!"
1T wasn't the Cross Roads, Uncle
Xenophon." said Warren Smith. laying
his hand on the old mans shoulder.
Xenophon rose to his feet He
stretched a long, bony arm straight to
the west, where the Cross Roads lay:
stood rigid and silent, like seer; then
spoke:
DE men whut shot Marse Hawkliss
lies yondeh. hidin FUN de light o. day.
An him"-He swerved his whole rigid
body till the arm pointed northwest
he lies yOndeh. You won't find him
heah Dey fought i'm cen de fiels an
dey druggen i'm heah. Dis whuh dey
lay i'm down. lse bawn wild a cawi!"
There We're ordinations from the
listeners, for Xenophon spoke as one
having authority. Suddenly he turned
and pointed his outstretched hand full
= 20 NHHHa