The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-11-16

.r.s1pTrotn IN my race IKE a ufTTr ",
rain, unit, we came to cleared space.
then a great spread of tobacco fields.
overlapping silver white in the moon
light, and hamlet Of negro cabins. and
then Major Robert Beverly's house.
standing q mass of shadow except for
one moonlit wall, for all the family
were gone to the governors ball.
Then as / live that white cat of
Margery Keys led me in that mad
chase around Beverly's house, and
when I came to the north side of it
saw a candle CLEAN in a window
and heard a baby's wall, and knew
twas where his infant daughter was
tended, and as we swept past out
thrust a black head from the window.
and q screech as savage as any wild
cats rent the peace of the night, and
I believe that the child's black nurse
took us, no doubt, for the devil him
self Then all the dogs howled and
bayed, though not one approached US,
and a great bat came tanning past.
like winged shadow, and again /
heard the owls boot, and ever before
us. like a white arrow, fed that white
cat, and my horse followed in spite of
me.
Then-verily speak the truth. though
it may well be questioned-did that
white cat lead us straight to the tomb
which Major Beverly had made upon
his plantation at the death of his first
wife and in which she lay, and twas
on a rising above the creek, and then
the cat, with a wall which was like
r
was away in straight line toward
the silver CLEAN of the creek. though
every one knows well how cats hate
water, and had disappeared. But
though to this l will not swear,
thought l saw white CLEAN aloft
and heard wall of a cat skyward
along with the owl boots.
And then my horse stood and trem-
bIed in such wise that I thought he
would fall under me, and 1 dismount-
ed and stroked his head and tried as
best 1 could to soothe him. and we
were all the time before the tomb,
which was a large one. Then of a
sudden it came to me that here was
the hiding place for the powder and
shot, for what safer hiding place can
there be than the tomb of the first
wife, when the second hath reigned
but a short time, and is fair. and hath
but just given her lord that little
darling whose cries of appealing help
lessness L could hear even there? So
l gave the tomb door a pull, knowing
that ] should not by so doing disturb
the slumbers of the poor lady within.
q nd decided fhat
be easy enough to force it, and mount
ed and rode back as best / might to
the road.
And when | came to the little dwell
ing of Margery Key thought struck
me, and 1 rode close. though my horse
as il with some strange
fright of something which l could not
see. I bent in my saddle and looked
in the door, but naught could / see.
Then 1 dismounted and tied my horse
to a tree near by and entered the house
and looked about the sorry place as
well as / could in the pale sift OF I
and-the old woman was not (
there. But one room there was, with /!
q poor pallet i'll a corner and a chest
against the wall and a stool and !
Of sticks and a great scattering of
ashes, but no one there, and also, if I 4
may be believed, no broom.
All this / tell for what it may be
worth to the credulity of them who
lear; the facts be such as 1 have said.
But whether believing it myself or not,
yet knowing that that white cat,
hough it had been Margery Key In
such guise or her familiar imp on his
way to join her at some revel whittier
the had ridden her broom, had done
ne good service, and, seeing the pite
JUS smallness of the pile of sticks on
he hearth and rejecting upon the dis
reSsful bend of the old souls back,
whether she had sold herself to Satan
II not, 1 fingered a minute to break
The two white faces