The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-08-01
HIS
OPPORTUNITY
By ANDREW C. EWING


Guided to go south. . had a romantic
idea of plantation life and thought
u should like TO be one OF the southern
fire eaters of that period.
| found the planters more peaeeable
! than / had expected, at least the best
of them, though, when they did fight
they fought to kill. Those who had
come of good stock, fathers of fami'
\ lies, had no bloodthirstiness whatever.
But there were number Of ugly men
in the south, who always went about
armed and of whom every one was
more or less afraid.
Notwithstanding that shooting was
rare | found when l got where it ex-
4 listed that | didn't like it so well as I
had thought I would. Indeed, no one
1 took me for shooter. / was small
and youthful looking. The long limb
ed sons of the south did not seem to
consider me of much Importance. The
| only person who fancied me was the
4 planters daughter a girl about my
| own age. She had number of adj
mlrers among those gentlemen, but
she said they didn't know anything
except about horses, and that wouldn't
suit her at all j could write verses
to her, and, having fine tenor voice
! and she guitar, | could sing .loyc
4 songs TO her accompaniment.
/ Her father. Randolph Hunter had
| no idea that love affair was in
| progress between me and his daughter
until 1t had gone so far that it was
scarcely controllable Then when he
1 found it out he said to me;
"Pemt me to remark, sub. that yo'
attentions to my dawter must stop at
once II eve catch yo' commitment
/ ing with her in any way whateve' !
shall give yo' fifty lashes, the same as
l would give one of my se'vants.
Hea' is check fo' yo' salary. sub.
made out to the end Of the yea"
According to my ideas before COM
ing to the country, | should have
thrown the check In his face and shot
him dead Instead, put the check in
my pocket. babe him good morning
and took my departure. But ! did
not--I could not-leaye the country
where dwelt my love. secured POI
sition as tutor In the home Of another
planter. who had no daughter Of a
marrIageable age
One day soon after this heard that
Mr.. Hunter had had a difficulty with
a slave dealer. The trader had offer
cd to buy a slave husband without his
wife Hunter had replied that he new
err parted families. The trader after
this information offered him special
~ high price for the man. whereupon
Mr. Hunter broke his cane over the
mans head Neither of them was
armed. and the affair at the time went
no further. though a feeling seemed to
exist that there would be and very soon. /
Before going south | had bought a
revolver, expecting TO have many fra |
cases with IT Though the southern |
ers seemed 10 consider me too deli |
eate-perhaps Insignificant better ex-
presses tito have any trouble with.
didn't think 1t prudent to part with
my weapon I carried 1t at my hip 1
under my coat, where it would not be
seen, as the southerners did. One day 1
/ had occasion for its use, but not as
/ had intended.
Taking an afternoon horseback ride.
| suddenly heard shots. that seemed to
come from a point just ahead OF me
and around a turn in the road. My \
first inclination was to turn about to
escape stray bullets, but this was so
little in keeping with my previous
chivalrous deas that ! kept on and,
turning the bend, saw Mr.. Hunter and
another man, both on horseback,
pumping lead at each other from re-
volvers,
But they were too far apart to do
much damage. Mr. Hunter was near
est to me. A moment after l came in
sight OF him he threw his revolver in
the road. / inferred he had emptied
1t. A moment later his opponent drew
a second weapon and rode forward.
Squirting my horse beside Mr.. Hun
ter. handed him my revolver. The
matter being one of life and death 20
him. he paid no attention TO me, but
cutched my pistol. His opponent. who
had now come very near, fred a shot
at him and missed him. Hunter re-
turned it with no better effect. Then
the two pistols exploded at once. Hun
ters opponent fell off his horse In the
road and died in few minutes. Hun
ter's left arm was shattered.
For few moments the conditions
were singular. man lay dead in the
road His slayer contemplated him
momentarily then turned and looked
at me.
"well. sub, he said, 81 suppose 1 am
Indebted to yo' fo' my life"
Il am pleased to have saved it for
your family" l replied
He turned again TO his enemy.
"Who was heI" 1 asked.
"A niger trader. sub"
When we parted Mr.. Hunter asked
me to call upon him during the even
ing l met my love on the veranda.
and she jumped for me- throwing her
arms around my neck. l found her
father within, his arm in n sling. ,
II presume, suh," he said. that If
yo' hadn't handed me that weapon
should not be here to fo'bid yo'r mar
rage with my dawter Thereto I'm
,onSida'1 oitt Of tba oona