Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-17

and then addressed II.
Who was you. sarr' he asked. you nc
percent young fellowi"
| Whereupon he smacked the empty brain
pan with a spade SO that some Of the teeth
| fell out. The man and the skull grinned a,
each other, then Jesse grew serious and
1 spoke again.
You larf-eh? You larf! Me Gard dun.
| no what you got to larf about! Yous Jeph-
| son-dats you. I,member Jephson. Massa
| Ford. he want Jephson rub out, and send
| him Wild message to ole Jesse. Den ole
Jesse rub you out To kill a niger Is
only to rub out black mark. Dey soon
gone. And some white folk. too. Dey all
berry quiet when dey eat and drink pore
old Jesse's rum and cakes. He, he! Obi
| Man berry great use to Massa Ford"
had sunk a hole five feet deep. Next he
| concealed all trace of the work very care
! fully. He buried the pile of damp earth
| under dead palm leaves and prushwood
| while the hole itself he covered with twigs
and trailed them over long shoots and
| sprays Of the 1uxuriant snake gourd.
Now, having made an end of this busi-
ness, Jesse sought his outer gate and. post
the glare of the risen sun and looked out
with his bright lizard eyes down the tre-
mendous escarpments of the hill beneath
him. An amazing panorama of forest,
ing through the woods, struggling
as 1t were with difficulty through
dense underground and narrow places
full Of cactus and thorns. there, ascend
ed a bridal path flanked by bewil-
derfng tangles of foliage. by volcanic boul-
ders and huge trees. Here and there
through the forest famed like fire the flow
ers of the bos immortelle; at othehr points
all festooned and linked together with twin
ing and climbing parasites, or gray cur
tans of lace-like lichens and wind pines
arose notable forest giants. some cleaning
with blossoms, some bending under wealth
of fruits. And through the mingled leafy
draperies Of green and brown, olive and
gold, under the feathery crown of the bam-
boo, among the little green infiorescence of
the mango, like liquid gems in the sunlight,
did little hummingbirds, with breasts of
emerald and ruby, flash and glitter. Every
step or terrace In the steep activities of the
hills was crowned with cabbage palms or
other lofty trees, and from point to point
the gaunt, bleached limbs of some forest
corpse stared out Neutrality-suspicious., where
the dead thing waited for the next hurri-
cane to bring its bones to earth. Far be-
low glimmered a white beach, and, through
the woods, all silent In the growing heat
there rose a sigh of surf breaking-surf
that even from this elevation could be
seen lying like a band Of silver between the
many tinted sea and the pale shore.
Away on the western side of the hills
extended long and undulating fields of
green vegetation, and in their midst arose
roofs that flashed like liquid silver under
the sunshine There extended the Pelican
sugar estates, and indications Of pros
perity surrounded them; but elsewhere
companion enterprises had clearly been
less fortunate. In other parts of the
island stagnation marked similar con-
Germs; the plantations were deserted the
land was returning to the wilderness; the
works fell Drums. 1--,.-
But Jabez Ford still held the key to
success, if it was possible to Judge by
visible signs. Tobago felt proud Of him
and of the Pelican estates. Wide interest
was taken in the visit of the owners
son. and none doubted but that Ford would
benefit by the circumstance and win a re-
ward worthy of his long and honorable
stewardship.
Only two people understood otherwise
however, and one was JabeZ Ford HIM
self. The overseer had failed to satisfy
Henry Vivian, and he knew it. The ac-
counts were scrupufously rendered; the
staff of coolies from Bombay were happy
and contented; the sugar commanded high
praise and ready sale; but there was a dis
parity between the apparent prosperity
cumstances also much tended to increase
young Vivian's doubt. Ford was an easy
and convincing talker. He had an an
swer for every question. an explanation Of
every difficulty. But the fact remained
Henry Vivian disliked and distrusted him.
and Jabez knew it and did not conceal the
truth from himself. An implicit duel rap
idly developed between them, and the
elder man stood to win It, for he was the
stronger every way; he stood on his own
dunghill,. and, for the present. he had no
intention OF being removed from it. His
private plans demanded another year for
their fulflment. Then, the richer by
sustained and skillful system of pecula-
ton. he proposed to leave Tobago and take
secret place in South America. far be-
yond the reach of all former acquaintance
The sudden and unexpected advent Of
Henry Vivian had taxed this rascaPs in
genuity severely, and the visitors own re-
serve made the matter more difficult, for
Sir Reginalds son investigated everything
without comment and found fault with
nothing. But Ford was a student of hui
man nature and wanted no words to know
that he stood in danger.
Now, as Jesse Hagan looked down from
his mountain-top and waited, there rode
through the deep glen below the overseer.
His plans were already made. 1t needed
only further conference with his ancient
ally to mature them. Jabez himself had
black blood in his veins. His great-grand-
father had been a negro, and he himself
had married creole. This woman shared
the mans lawless life for twenty years;
then death fell upon her. and 1t was to
keep Jumbies from the body that negresses
had sung all night as Daniel described to
Minnie. 7 ---' -
A glimmer Of white caught Jesse's eyes
far below He heard the tramp of horse
and knew that his man was coming. Dan
lei still lay concealed beside the cactus
fence, and now, through the fiat and
thorny leaves of opuntia. he saw JabeZ
Ford ride up. Jesse had disappeared for a
moment into his hut, but now he came
forward with bottle and calabash.
"Marning, massa-rum punch for massa-
what Jesse get ready.
The man drank before answering. Then
he threw the calabash on the ground
II want another sort of brew tomorrow
It's got to be. I'm sorry for the young
devil, for I've no quarrel with him; but
he's too cute. 1t don't do to be too cute
with Jabez Ford.
Him rub out, sar?'
mo choice. Let me come in. I'll tell
you what happened last night. He's
booked"
"Dar's a nice. cool, quiet hole under de
snake-gourd waitin' for Massa Vivian. He'll
be berry comfable dar wild de udder gem
men, .-5
you talk too much. said Ford. Come
in and don't make jokes at your time of
life Think of the devil, your master, and
how precious soon you'll go back to him,
jesse"
"You my massa, sir; Jesse dun want no
udder massa dan Massa Ford. Marse
Debbil, he no pay such good wages as
you"
Ford laughed and dismounted from his
horse. He was big, hard man, roasted
and shriveled somewhat by a life in the
tropics. He always wore white ducks and
a felt hat that sloped well back over the
nape of his neck. His hair was long and
black, his eyes were also black, and his
face hard, clean cut and handsome. But
the narrow slit of his clean-shorn mouth