Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-12-29

on the clapboards, and under those
mighty thuds grew up a wide gar
through which the moonlight streamed
between the dangling cleats and van.
ished. The judge, armed with the
stool, stood at bay.
What next?" voice asked.
Get dry brush-these are green logs
well burn this jail"
Hold on" the judge recognized
the horse thief as the speaker. There's
an old party in there! No need tc
singe him!"
"Friend!"
mo, tried him."
The Judge tossed away the stool
He understood now that these men
were neither lynchers or regulators
With a confident, not to say jaunty
step, he emerged from the jail
Your servant, gentlemen!" he said
lifting his hat.
"Git!" said one of the men briefly
and the judge moved nimbly away
"" lhc "OOO0. I1C iidu SoiiSu Atc
shelter when the jail began to glow
redly.
Now to find Solomon and the boy.
and then to put the miles between
himself and Pleasantville with all dill
igence. AS he thought this, almost at
his elbow Mahaffy and Hannibal rose
from behind a fallen log. The Yankee
motioned for silence and pointed west.
Yes" breathed the judge. He noted
that Mahaffy had a heavy pack, and
the boy his long rifle. For mile or
two they moved forward without
speech, the boy in the lead; while
at his heels strode Mahaffy, with the
judge bringing up the rear.
How do you feel, Price," asked
at length, over his shoulder.
Like one come into a fortune!
Those horse thieves gave me a fine
scare, but did me a good turn"
Hannibal kept to the woods by a
kind of instinct, and the two men
yielded themselves to his guidance;
but there was no speech between them.
Mahaffy trod in the boys steps, and
the Judge, putting like an worked
engine, came close upon his heels. In
this way they continued to advance
for an hour or more, then the boy
paused.
60 on" commanded Mahaffy.
do you low the Judge can stand
it?" asked Hannibal.
'"Bless you, lad" painted the judge
He's got to stand it-either that,
or what do you suppose will happen
to US If they start their doss?" said
"Solomon's right-you are sure we
are not going in a circle, Hannibal?"
Yes, I'm sure" said Hannibal. do
you see that star? My Uncle Bob
learned me how 1 was to watch that
star when 1 wanted to keep going
straight"
There was another long interval Of
silence. Bit by bit the sky became over
cast Vague, feecy riffs Of clouds ap-
peared in the heavens. A wind sprang
up, murmuring about them, there came
a distant roll Of thunder, while along
the horizon the lightning rushed in
broken, jagged lines Of fire. In the
east there was a pale flush that show
I'd the black, hurrying clouds the winds
had summoned out Of space.
The booming thunder, first only the
sullen menace of the approaching
storm, rolled nearer and nearer, and
the fierce light came in binding sheets
Of flame. A ceaseless, pauseless mur-
mur sprang up out Of the distance,
and the trees rocked with mighty
crashing of branches, while here and
there a big drop Of rain fell. Then
the murmur swelled into roar as the
low clouds disgorged themselves.
Drenched to the skin on the instant.
the two men and the boy stumbled
forward through the gray wake of the
storm.
What's come of our trail now?"
shouted the judge, but the sound Of
his voice was lost in the rush Of the
hurrying winds and the roar Of the
airy cascades that fell about them.
An hour passed. There was light
under the trees, faint, impalpable,
without visible cause, but they caught
the first sparkle of the rain drops on
leaf and branch; they saw the silvery
rivulets coursing down the mossy
trunks of old trees; last of all through
a narrow rift in the clouds, the sun
showed them it's golden rim, and day
broke in the steaming woods. With
the sun, with a final rush Of the hur-
rying wind, a final torrent, the storm
spent itself, and there was only the
drip from bough and leaf, or pearly
opalescent points Of moisture on the
drenched black trunks of maple and
oak: a sapphire sky, high arched, re-
mote overhead and the June day all
about.
whats come of the trail now?"
cried the judge again. He'll be a
good dog that follows 1t through these
woods!"
They had paused on thickly wooded
We've come eight or ten miles IL
we have come a rod, Price" said Ma
haffy, and l am in favor of lying by
for the day. When it comes dark we
can go on again."
The judge readily acquiesced in this,
and they presently found a dense
thicket which they cautiously entered.
Reaching the center Of the tangled
growth. they beat down the briers
and bushes. or cut them away with
their knives, until they had a little
cleared space where they could build
a fire. Then from the pack which Ma
haffy carried, the rudiments of a
simple but filling meal were produced.
Your parents took no chances when
they named you Solomon" said the
judge approvingly.
(To be continued.)
Sunerstition About Cats-In the