Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-10-14

lZHefa1n0usMoNe
VAUGHAN a. Uz!!!;|!E.! Al |. ks:
.The evening befo', 1t was, and II
gone to Fayetteville to get my Christ
mas fixin's; there was right much rair
and some snow falling" Mr.. Yancy's
guiding light was clearly accuracy
JUST ut shutdown I hooked up tha
blind mule of mine to the cart ant
started TO- home. AS got shut OF the
town the stage come In and ! seen one
passenger, a woman. Now that mule
is slow, Mr.. John; I'm free to say there
are faster mules, but q set OF harness
never went acrost the back of q slower
critter than that one of mine" Yancy
who thus far had addressed himself
to Mr. Crenshaw, now turned to Bla
|den THAT mule, sir, sees good
with his right eye. but it's got a gait
like 1t was looking TO- the left-hand
side of the road and wondering what
in thunderation had got into it that it
was acrost the way; mules are gifted
with some sense, but mighty little judg'
ment."
Never mind the mule, Bob" said
Crenshaw.
''If can't make the gentleman be-
lieve in the everlasting slowness of
that mule OF mine, my story amt worth
hill of beans" said Yancy.
THE extraordinary s1owness of the
mule is accepted without question,
Mr.. Yancy," said Bladen.
I'm obliged to you," replied Yancy,
and for a brief moment he appeared
to commune with himself. then he con-
tinued. "A mile out of town I heard
some one sloshing through the rain
after me; it was dark by that time and
couldn't see who it was, so pulled up
and waited, and then made out
it was woman. She spoke when she
was alongside the cart and says. Can
you drive me on to the Barony? and
it came to me it was the same woman
I'd seen leave the stage. When got
down to help her into the cart saw
she was toting a child in her arms"
What did the woman look like,
Bob?" said Crenshaw.
"She want exactly old and she
want young by no manner OF means;
/ remember saying to myself. that
child amt yo's, whose ever 1t is. Well,
sir. l was willing enough to talk, but
she want, she hardly spoke until we
came to the red gate, when she says,
Stop, if you please, I'll walk the rest
of the way Mind you, she'd known
without word from me we were at
the Barony She gave me a dollar,
and the last I seen of her she was
hurrying through the rain toting the
child in her arms"
Mr.. Crenshaw took up the narrative
"The niggers say the old general al
most had a fit when he saw her. Aunt
Alsidia let her into the house; Ireck
on If Joe had been alive she wouldn't
have got inside that door, spit, OF the
night"
"Well?" said Bladen.
when morning come she was gone,
but the child done stayed behind; we
always reckoned the lady walked back
to Fayetteville sometime befo' day and
took the stage I've heard Aunt
Alsidia tell as how the old general
said that morning, pale and shaking
like, You'll find boy asleep in the
red room; he's to be fed and cared TO
but keep him out Of my sight. His
name is Hannibal Wayne Hazard
That is all the general ever said on
the matter. He never would see the
boy, never asked after him even, and
the boy lived in the back of the house,
with the niggers to look after him.
Now, sir, YOU know as much as we
know. which is just next door to
nothing
The old general was borne across
what had once been the west lawn to
his resting-place in the neglected acre
where the dead and gone Of his race
lay. and the record of the family was
complete, as far as any man knew.
Crenshaw watched the grave take
shape with q melancholy for which he
found no words, yet if words could
have come from the mist Of ideas in
which his mind CROPPED vaguely ne
would have said that for themselves
the deeds of the Quintards had been
given the touch of finality. and that
whether for good or for evil, the con
sequences. like the ripple which rises
from the surface of placid waters
when stone is dropped. still survived
somewhere in the world.
The curious ard the idle drlfted
back to the great house; then the
memory Of their own affairs. not ur-
gent. generally speaking, but still OF
some casual interest. took them down
the disused carriage-way to the red
gate ard so off into the heat OF the
summer day Crenshaw's wagon.
driven by Crenshaw's man. vanished
in cloud of gray dust with the two
old slaves. Aunt Alsidia and Uncle
Ben. who were being taken to the
Crenshaw place to be cared for pend
ing he settlement of the Qu1ntard
estate. Bladen parted from CrenshaW
with expressions of pleasure at hav-
ing he'd the opportunity of making his
acquaintance. and further delivered
himself of the civil wish that they
might soon meet again. Then Cren-
shaw. assisted by Bob Yancy, pro-
ceeded to secure the great house
against intrusion.
II make it pint TO always stay and
see the plumb finish Of thing" ex-
planned Yancy. '"Otherwise you're