The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-11-29
Copyright. 1910. by Emerson Housh
EMERSON HOUGH

 She noticed that his face now seem ed pale. The bones of the cheeks stood out more now. He showed more gravity Freed of his red fighting flush, the flame of passion gone out of his eyes, he seemed more lignifed. more of a man than had hitherto been apparent TO her.
 ssNo, nor' cried out Jeanne. ssEet was no neegaire child; not at all, nev- err! I know those ncegaire voice. It was voice white, madame, monsieur Apparently it wept. Perhaps it had hunger"
 A sort of grim uncoyering of his teeth was Dunwody.s smile. He made no comment. His face was winter than before
 "whose child was it?" demanded Josephine. "Hers?''
 ssNo."
 "Yours?"
 "No.""
 ooh, well. I suppose 1t was some servants, though the overseer. Jeanne says, lives across the fields there. And there would not be any negroes living here in the house in any casef'
 .'No.'
 ssWas it-was it-yours '"
 s'I have no child. There will never be any for me in the worId-except- under''- But now the flush came back into his face Confused. he turned md gently laid down the faded silks across a chair back He shook his head end walked out of the room
 Dunwody joined JaInieson below, and the latter now called for his horse, the two walking together toward the door.A They hardly had reached the gallery when there became audible the sound of hoof beats rapidly approach ing up the road across the lawn. A party of four horsemen appeared, all riding hard.
 F "They look familiar" said Dunwody That's Jones, and that's Judge Clay lon, down below-why. just left both Df them on the boat the other dayi It's Desha and Yates with them, from tie other side of the county. There must be something up.'
 All four got down. shook hands with -Dunwody, gave their relns to servants and joined him on his invitation to en- .er Jamieson was known to all of ihem.
 .sWeIl. Colonel Dunwody.D began the Hon. William Jones, s'you didn't ex- pect to see us so soon, did you? Reck- on you'd ought to be all the glad der.
 .You live here. my dear colone1,'' he continued. looking about him. ''in much The same state and seclusion remarked by Mir. Gfbbon in his immortal work Dn the decline and fall of Rome-where he described the castles of them an- cient days. located back in the noun tafnous regions. But it atn't no Roman road you've got out thar"
 .'I was going to remark" interrupt ed Judge Clayton, 'that Colonel Dun7 wody has anticipated all the modern requirements of hospitality as we'll as embodied all those of ancient sort. Thank you, I shall taste your bour- bon. colonel, with gladness. It is a long ride in from the river"
 Their host looked at them for mo- meDt. Are you here on any special errand2 But. of course there must be something of the sort to bring you two gentlemen so close on my trail.''
 We met up with these gentlemen down at the river," began Yates. ''and from what they done told us, we together, and have a little talk with you. Looks like there might be trou- ble in these parts before long,"
 What sort of troubIe?"
 'tIt's this a-way,'' broke in the Hon. William Jones. ''The jedge an I laid off at Cairo when you all went on through. Next day, along comes steamer from up river, an she's full of northern men, headed west-more like a fghtin7 army than so many set- tiers. They're goin' out into the prai- rie country beyant an I think it's just on the early bird principle to hold it ag'inst settlers from this state. They're a lot of those black abolition ists, that's what they are! Whats more, that Lily gal of the jedge's here. she's got away agin-she turned up missfn' at Cairo, too-an' she is taken up with this bunch of Yankees an is mighty apt to git ciar off"
 Judge Clayton nodded gravely. t,The whole north is stirred up and bound to make trouble. These men seemed to have taken the girl in with out hesitation. They don't intend to stand by any compromise. at least. The question is, what are we going to do about it? We can't stand here and see our property taken away by armed invaders in this way"
 Dunwody remained silent for time. Dr. Jamieson took snuff and looked quietly from one to the other. You can count me in, gentlemen" said he.
 Silence fell as he went on. eff they mean fight, let them have fight. If we let in one army of abolitionists out here to run off our property, an- other will follow.
 ssThe south has been swindled all along the line," he exclaimed, rising and smiting fist into a palm. ssWe got Texas, yes. but it had to be by war. We've been juggled out of Cali fornia, which ought to have been a southern state. We are cut off from