Evening journal., 1904-11-26

plantation in the south. The woman
carries under her arm an oblong metal
box long enough to contain an infant,
the man a spade. Not far from the
house is a plot Of ground in which the
bones Of the Ashleys for generations
lie buried. The two go to this spot; the
man digs a grave, the coffin is lowered
and the earth thrown back In due
time a small headstone is erected bear
ing the name Alexander Ashley, aged
eight months and seven days.
Twenty years pass. Leonard Hunt,
a man Of thirty, is in possession Of the
Ashley estate. He is the son Of Camil
la Hunt, nee Ashley, and the planta-
ton passed into his hands, his uncle
Charles Ashley dying childless. Leon
ard Hunt has inherited whatever is
bad in the Ashleys. They are a high
strung race, made domineering by the
possession Of slaves, and in Leonard
this feature is abnormally exaggerat-
ed. He is feared by the planters in
his neighborhood because be will brook
no will but his own and enforce his ar
rogant demands at the mouth Of the
pistol.
One afternoon a rear door of the
Ashley manor opened, and Leonard
Hunt, followed by three others, stepped
out on to the veranda and walked
hastily toward a bit Of ground sur
rounded by trees. There was a hard look
on his face, for he was bent on putting
out of his way the man next behind
him, young Harry Beckwith, who had
come between him and the woman he
would make his wife The men had
met for social enjoyment at Ashley
Manor, and Hunt had deliberately in
suited his guest. The two principals
were going to settle their affair, the
two other men, Gridley and Stone, to
act as seconds. Gridley carried d small
box containing pistols. and as soon as
the ground was reached he and Stone
paced Off the distance. Then the com
batants were placed in position and the
signal given. Beckwith fired into the
branches Of a tree above his antago-
nist's head and received a bullet in his
breast
The party were bending over him,
stanching the blood, when an old negro
woman came out Of the manor house
and made her way hurriedly to the
group. When she saw Beckwith lying
on the ground in a pool Of blood she
began to wiring her hands and wall
"Wha' d. missy make me sw'ar I'd
never tell till he was twenty-one? And
TO think he'd "a been twenty-one mex
month"; heard yo, Mars Hunt; heard
yO' calm him names no gentleman
would bear to hear. And he yo guest!
Wha' all tie Ashleys think to know
one Of 'em killed a guest, and they the
most hospltable men in the s'uthg
whats the matter with you, Liz
zieY growled Hunt Il couldn't help
it that the quarrel arose in my house"
"Yo' killed him because Missy Agnes
loved him, and yo' know It."
"You internal niger, shut upv'
"Yo'll have a hard time shuttin' me
up, Mars Hunt, and now If It is too
late I'm goin' to speak. D. yo' see that
grave over there2 Yo' think little
Alex Ashley lies there? He don't; no
such thing. He lies there"-pointing
to Beckwith Il put the coffin in the
ground myself. / was Missy Ashley's
maid Colonel Ashley got a dlvo'ce
and married again. Missy was afraid
his new wife would get rid of little
Alex to make sure Of the estate To- her
own son. 1 told her 'twasn't any use.
TO little Tommy was sickly and died
soon after. But she would have It. 1
and my man put some stones in a
child's coffin and buried it, givln out
that Alex was daid, while his mother
carried him OF at night and he was
brought up by her uncle, Mars Harvey
Beckwith, as his own SON."
"You lying hagw yelled Hunt. "Have
VOC gore mGd?"
IF yo' want to find out 20 go dig
up the coffin and see."
"There's nothing but dirt there after
so long a burial" said Hunt, terror
stricken lest the woman's story was
true.
missy thought of that, and she had
it put in a metal box"
Meanwhile the two seconds, unmind-
ful OF the woman's talk, had been CON
sulting and, taking up the form from
the ground, had carried it to the house.
The men had been too hot to wait for
surgeon, but now one was sent for and
soon came galloping up on horseback.
After examining the wounded man he
pronounced the chances all against
him. Then came Agnes Barr, passing
Hunt in the hall without raising her
eyes to him, and, going to BeclJwith's
room, she implored him to live for her
sake.
Hunt for awhile ignored the negro's
story. but the two seconds had heard
enough of it to wish TO have it con
firmed or disproved and when Hunt
at last yielded to the pressure of cir
cumstances and opened the grave it
was done in presence of witnesses.
While the party were at the grave
Agnes Barr was with her lover. Old
Lizzie stationed herself at the window
where she could overlook the disin-
terment
They're pullin' it up. Mars Alex"
she said. There 1t comes. Gracious.
how moldy it isl They're rubbin' the
dirt off and feelin' fo' the place where
It's been soldered. Old Solomon's com
info tools, reckon. There he goes
with the hatchet. and chjsel. They're
takin of the Tad. See Mars Hunt
stagger. Nothin' in IL but stones.