Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1908-05-23
CHAPTER I,

toll, until now. wearied szd diseons0-
late, she had crePt. barefoot. ND the
back stairs 20 her roezn. not one mo-
nsnts rest or one kindly vord hAd
been hers
BOlew, IN the ere liviRg room sf
Tins Place. the rea were EreaPed
piaytag cards. Snd the medley 81 tAsir
oathS. their Laughter. the thUnP az
Enuexles on ths bare table. aas the
VunEsnt odor OF pipes, reached Asr
through the floor cracks OEtzs6s the
firsHies tvinkleS Aksvs tbs slow-ruD-
Aing river and along the stamp -S0teed
hillside. Close by. & few pigs dossd
cOn;sntedly IN their rudsly construct
e1 sty.
A servant 20 those scarce ~ for
servants. a mental at tbs beck and CAR
OF ali Tins Place, and lASoTiRg with
the men in the ASl6s. Csip. a girl Of
almost Is. felt her sow rsvsit At Che
hlth. the brutality. the coarse exist
encs Of these whose slave sAs was
AID what q Eroup they wsrel
First. Tim Conpor. the owner and
master Of thks oasis IN she wilderness,
60 miles from the nearest settlement:
his brother, Mike as coarse; their
wives and a half dozen children who
played with the pigs. souesled as eftsn
for food. and were left TO grew up the
same way: and Pierre Lube. ne hired
man, completed the score
There was another transient resi-
dent here. an old Indian named To-
nah. who came with the snow. and
deserted his hut below on the river
bank when spring unlocked that
stream
Two occasional visitors also came
here, both even more Objectionable 20
Chip than Tim and his family. One
was her father. known 70 her 70 De an
outlaw and escaped murderer IN hid
ing: the other q hRf-b7sSd named
Bolduc. but known "a OReKysd Pvte.
n trapper and hunter whose abode was
log cabin on the Fox Hole, ten miles
away. HIS face was horribly SCARED
by a wildcats claws; one eye-socket
was empty: his lips. chin. and protrud-
ing teeth were always tobacco stained.
For three months now. he had made
weShly calls az TINS Place. IN pursuit
OF Chip. His wooinE. as might be ex-
pecSsd. had been persistent leeTing
at h0r with bis one sinister ere. OF
repeated innuendoes and insinuations
OF lasoivtous nature, scarce underwood
by her. with now and then kttemptsd
familiarity. These advances had met
With much the same reception oDcs
accorded him by the wildcat
Both thsss visitors were row With
the group below. That fact was Of no
interest 20 Chip. except IN connection
With more pertinent One-a iOnE con
ference she had observed bstweSn
them that day. Whist WIS about.
she could not guess. and yet eoRe
queer intuition told her that n con
cerned her. Ordinarily. she would
have sought sleep in her bo1-0n-less
bed: now she crouch0d on the floor,
listening.
For an hour the game and It's med
Icy OF sounds continued: then Oessa-
ton. the tramp OF heavily shod feet,
The nght extingudshed. and finally
silence. A few minutes Of this, and
then the sound Of whispered converse,
low yet distinct. reached Chip from
outside Cautiously she erep TO hsI
window.
7 gtf you one hunerd Collars now
for re GAL Pete was saying. an one
hunerd more when you fotch her"
It's three hundred down. TvE told
ye, or we don't do business" was hor
fathers answer. in almost hiss.
A pain like a knife piercing he.
heart came TO Chip.
But s'pose abe run away came IN
Pets's voice
What, 60 miles 10 settlement
You must be a damn fooli~
AN II she no mind me7"
Wal. thrash her then she's yours.
But I no gif 80 much" parleyeC
Pete; 7 gif you onO-fsefty now. an
one hunerd when she come"
You'll give what ] say. aad b
quick about It, or IN take her ont TO
morrow. and youn never see bet
again so fork over"
'And you fotch hsT to-norrsvf-
Yes. told you" And 50 the bar
gain was concluded.
Only q moment mOrs. while Chip So
numb and daEsd. then came the souuC
of footsteps. as the two men separated
and then silence over Tins Place
And yet, what q horror for Chipi
Sold Ike a horse or a pig 20 this wors,
than disgusting haltbreed, and on III,
morrow TO be tSken-no. drAg9ed-ts
the half-brsed's hut by her hated "a
ther.
Hardly conscious Of the real iRten
and object OF this purchase. she ye
understood It dimly. Life hers va
bad enough-it was coarse, unloYod
even filthy. and yet. hard a. II was. I
was q thousand times better thai
slavery with such an owner.
And now. still weak and trembling
from The shock. she raised her hea
cautiously and peeped out OF the wiz
dow. A faint spectral light from tn
rising moon outlined the log Darn, Oh
two log cabins. and pigsty. which, wit
the frame house she was In, comprise
INNS Place Above and beyond wheT
lths forest enclosed the hillside.
xhons brighter, and as Chip lO0sed OF
upon tbs ethereal savered view. ava
20 the right she saw the dark oponin
into the ola tote road. Up this the