Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-04-02

Wy hSh tuey SOk out the win
dow they beat through the storm
straight for this side track. At th,
same time Mr.. Harkless leaves Bris
GOES, goin' west. IL begins to rain
He cuts across to the railroad to hay,
sure footin' and strikiny for TN.
ueepo for shelter-near place as any
except BriScoe's. where he's. said goot
night already. and prob'ly don't wisl
10 go back, fear of givin' trouble o,
keepfn' 'eIn up. Anybody can under
stand that. He comes along and gets
to where we are precisely at the. time
they do. them comm from town. him
strikin' for it. They run right into
each other. That's what happened
They re-cog niZed him and raised up
on him and let him have it, What they
done ii with l don't know. We took
everything in that line off of 'em.
Prob'ly used railroad iron. and what
they done with him afterward we don't
know. but we will by night They'll
sweat it out of 'em up at Rouen. when
they get EN-,
Il reckon maybe some of us might
help" remarked Mr. Watts refiectiveIy.
IL III.
That's the TALK he shouted. EFF I
amt the first man of this crowd to set
my foot i'm Roowun and first to beat in
that Jail door I'm not town marshal
of Plattville, county of Carlow, state
of Indiana and the Lord have mercy
on our soulsi'
Tom Martin looked at the brow
stain and quickly turned away. Then
he went back slowly to the village.
On the way he passed Warren Smith.
as it so:" asked the lawyer.
Martin answered with n dry throat.
He looked out over the sunlit fields
and swallowed once or twice Yes,
it's so. There's good deal of 1t there
Little more than a 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 gulp-
ed suddenly, then finished-"and act
the fool and take boy that's the best
we had. l 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 colorcd
man, Nenophon, approached at the
same time, leaning on hickory stick
and bent very far over, one hand rest
ing on his hip as il to ease rusty
joint. The negru's age was an incentive
to fable. From his appearance he
might have known the prophets. and no
wore that hoary look of unearthly wis
dom which many decades of super
stitious experience sometimes give to
members of his race. His face, so tor
tured with wrinkles that it might have
been made of innumerable black
threads woven together, was n living
mask OF the mystery of his blood
Harllless had once said that Uncle
Nenophon had visited heaven before
Swcdenborg and hell before Dante. 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 distended i'm
the effort for regular breathing. the
deeply puckcred lips beneath them
were set firmly. He stopped and look
eel ut the faces before him. When he
spoke his voice was gentle. and. though
the trcmulousness of age harpcd on the
vocal strings, il was rigidly controlled
kin some kline gemun.'' he asked.
please { be SO good ez L show de ole
main whuh de wife Caips Is done
shoot Marse Hawkliss?''
Here was where il happened. Uncle
Zen" answered Wiley, leading him for
ward. Here is the stain"
Ncnophon bent over the spot on the
sand, making little odd noises in his
throat. Then he painfully resumed
his fcrmer position. "Dass his blood"
he said in the same gentle, quavering
tone. "Dass my bes' frien' whut Law
m de groun' whay yo' stakd. gelmun.
DasS whuh dey laid i'm, an dass whuh
he lie the old negro continued. "Dey
shot 'im in de fiers. Dey amt shot i'm
heah fondeh dey druggen i'm. but
dis whuh he lie" lie bent over again. ,
then hneit groaningly and placed his
hand On the stain, one would have ,
said, rs man might place his hand
over heart to see if il still beat. He
was motionleSs, with the air of heark-
ening.
"Marse, honey, is you gomez He
raised his voice as If calling. "Is yo'
gone, suh-marseg''
He looked up at the circle about him.
and then, still kneeling, not taking his
hand from the sand, seeming TO wait ;
for sign To listen for a voice, he said:
'Whafo' yo' gelmun think de good
Lawd summon Marse Hawkliss? Kase
he de mos fittes'? You know. dat man
he ketch me in de cole night. wintuh
70 laiS.' stealth is wood You know
whut he done L de ole thief? l'ek an
buif up big fab cen ole Zen shainty.
Say: Hep yo'se'f, an welcome. Reck-
on yon hongry, too, ain you. Memo
phonT TEX an feed me, TEX an tex
keer o me ev' since. All pump de bath
full in de mawn', mex is bed. pull de
weeds out'n de front walk; dass all.
He TEX me in. When All ask i'm aim
he 'fraid keep ole thief he say. Jesse:
'Dass all my fault. Xenophons ought
look You up long go; ought know long
so You be cole desc bald nights Reck-
IN 4 Ia IL