The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-01-11

CHAPTER ".
THE WALRUS AND THE CARPEN-
TER.
The Briscoe buckb ratified along
the elastic country-road. the roans set
ting sharp pace as they turned east
ward on the pike toward home and
supper.
They'll make the eight miles in
three-quarters of an hour" said the
judge, proudly. He pointed ahead with
his whip. Just beyond that bend we
pass through Six-C Cross Roads
Miss Sherwood leaned forward eager
ly. can we see Mr.. Wimby's' house
from here?"
mo. it's on the other side, nearer
town; we pass it later. It's the only
respecta ble-looking house in this town
ship" They reached the turn of the
road. and the judge touched up his
colts to a sharper gait. mo need of
dalying," he observed quietly. 1T al
ways makes me a little sick just TO see
the place I'd hate to have a break
down here"
They came in sight of a squalid set
tlement, built raggedly about a black
smiths shop and a saloon. Half-a-
dozen shanties clustered near the
forge, a few roofs scattered through
the shiftlessly cultivated fields, four or
five barns propped by fence-rails, some
sheds with gaping apertures through
which the light glanced from side to
side, a squad of thin, razor back"
hogs-now and then worried by gaunt
hounds-and some abused-looking
hens, cropping about disconsolately in
the mire, broken-topped buggy with
a twisted wheel settling into the mud
of the middle of the road (there was
always abundant mud, here, in the
dryest summer), a lowering face sheer
ing from broken NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Roads was. forbidding and forlorn
enough by day. The thought of what
might issue from il by night was I'M
pleasant, and the legends of the Cross
Roads, together with an unshapen
threat, easily fancied in the atmos-
phere of the place, made Miss Sher-
wood SILVER as though a cold draught
had crossed her.
at is so sinister" she exclaimed
"And so unspeakably mean! This is
where they live, the people who hate
him, is it The 'White-Caps' ?"
They are just a lot of rowdies," re-
piled Briscoe. You have your rough
corners in big cities, and / expect there
are mighty few parts of any country
that don't have their tough neighbor-
hoods, only Six CROSSROADS happens
TO be worse than most. They choose to
call themselves 'White-Caps,' but
g Ngf 20 -,
themselves. Usually White-Caps are a
vigilance committee going after ras-
calities the law doesn't reach, or won't
reach, but these fellows are not that
kind. They got together to wipe out
their grudges-and sometimes they
didn't need any grudge and let loose
their deviltrles just for pure orneri-
ness; setting hay-stacks afire and such
like; or. where a farmer had offended
them, they would put on their silly
toggery and take him out at midnight
and whip him and plumber his house
and chase the horses and cattle into
his corn, maybe. They say the women
went with them on their raids"
And he was the first to try to stop
them ?'
well, you see our folks are pretty
long-suffering," Briscoe replied, apollo
getically. WED sort of got used to the
meanness of the Cross Roads. 1t took
a stranger to stir things up-and he
did. He sent eight of 'em to the peni-
tertiary, some for twenty years"
AS they passed the saloon man
stepped into the doorway and looked
at them. He was coatless and clad in
garments worn to the color of dust;
his bare head was curiously malform-
ed. higher on one side than on the
other, and though the blackboard pass
ed rapidly, and at a distance, this
singular lopsidedness was plainly WISH
bic to the occupants, lending an ugly
significance to his meagre, yellow face
He was tall, lean, hard, powerfully
built. He eyed the strangers with af-
fected languor, and then, when they
had gone by, broke into sudden, loud
laughter.
That was Bob Skillet, the worst of
the lot" said the Judge. "Harkless sent
his son and one brother to prison, and
II nearly broke his heart that he
couldn't swear to Bob"
When they were beyond the village
and in the open road again, Miss
sherwood took deep breath. 81 think
breathe more freely" she said. That
was hideous laugh he sent after us.
l had heard of places like this before
and don't think l care to see MANY
OF them. As l understand it, Six-Cross-
Roads is entirely vicious, isn't it; and
bears the same relation to the country
that the slums do to city?"
That's about it. They make their
own whisky l presume; and they have
their own fights amongst themselves.
hut they settle 'em themselves. too.
and keep their own counsel and hush
II up. LiGe Willetts, Minnie's friend--I
guess she's told you about Lige well.
Lige Willets will go anywhere when
he's following a covey, though mostly
the boys leave this part of the country
alone when they're hunting; but Lige
got into thicket back of the forge
one morning. and he came on crowd
OF buZzards quarrelling over a heap
on the ground and he got out in a
hurry He said he was sure il was a
dog; but he ran almost all the way TO
Plattville"
Father" exclaimed his daughter.
leaning from the back seat. Don't tell
such stories to Helen; she'll think
were horrible, and you'll brighten her.
too"
well. it isn't exactly a Iadv's
story" said the judge. He glanced at
his guests face and chuckled. 1T guess
we won't brighten her much" he went
on. Young lady, don't believe you'd
be afraid of many things, would you
lou cont look like it, Besides the
CROSSROADS isn't Plattville. and the
White-Caps have been too scared to
do anything much, except try to get
even with the Herald for the last
two years; ever since it went for them.
They're laying for Harkless partly for
revenge and partly because they
darent do anything until he's out of
the way"
The girl eava q lon, ,,.,. ,,..4L 49,.