Lower coast gazette., 1913-08-30
OLD PLANTATION DAYS.
By ARCHIBALD RUTLEDGE.
w. ON LONE PINE RIDGE.

SVdlWdIL IlCS.llGlQ UdIlhs Iu1UlCIIyS ~
had been high enough to defy the
floods of the mighty Santee, wide
enough at the top for a wagon track,
and safe enough to guard a fortune
in the fields behind it. But that was
in the period Of it's perfection; since
then the structure mad been neglect
ed, and year by year the water had
eaten its way into the huge dixie. In
several places the river had broken
through. The fields that it formerly
guarded had long since been aban-
doned. The top and sides Of the
bank had rotted and crumbled in the
rains and the sun until freshets COW
cred the whole stretch, including the
Pine Ridge, although that was al
ways the last to go under.
On the small, sandy hillock at the
point farthest from the mainland,
where the big bank made an angle
to follow the river, there lowered the
Lone Pine that gave the ridge its
name. 1t was the survivor Of a fine
group that with their lacing roots
had once bound together the strategic
bend of the bank; the repeated n
croachments Of the water had swept
the others one by one into the river.
When the tide was not high and the
bank was not too sticky, it was possi-
BILE to walk out to the ridge. It was
a beautiful walk in the spring, when.
blue and white violets carpeted the
sides of the Scared old bank. In
winter we shot wild turkeys that
flew across to the ridge from Laurel
Hill Swamp, a vast, ~impenetrable cy-
press swamp beyond the Santee. Cat
tie often strayed out on the long
bank, for the grass there was green
and tempting. They sometimes went
as far as the river, and occasionally
one would become begged in the mud
flats and lose its life.
1t was after a stray COW that Tom
and Prince went out to the ridge Of
the Lone Pine one bitter January
afternoon. Father and l had gone to
Georgetown to get some seed-rice.
Tom had missed the young brindle
cow from the stable lot. He tracked
her down to the edge Of the rice
field; from there the trail followed
the straight bank. Then he went up
to Princes cabin, and called the ne
gro boy out.
"Prince," he said. "that brindle's
gone over to the ridge. Well have
to get her back before shutdown"
eyes, sah," replied Prince, with a
grin. g" 'spect dat ole lady's gone
| clear to the ribber."
ut would be just like her. There's
a rise to-day; that's why ! want to
get her back. There's thirty feet at
st. Stephens; you know that means
high water for u.s."
Together they started out on the
bank. A fine drizzle was setting in,
and a bitter wind moaned with the
cold; they slipped in the muddy path;
they jI1lpJa across -puddles ct yellow
water. Just before they came to the
| ridge they saw where the cow had
been badly mired in a dep cut; the
muddy freshet water and was creep
ing in where she had ~f1oundered.
At the beginning of the ridge they
separated, and each followed an edge.
Through marshy bottoms filed with
the tart scent of calamus roots;
across Dogs Melted with slippery roots;
through blackberry thickets and
greenbrier tanglesCgood cover for
swamp rabbits, but difficult going for
men,-they forged their way. Tom
flushed several woodcock, and almost
forgot his errand in the delight Of
drawing imaginary sights on those
aristocrats of the shadowy swamp.
Prince, who had an eye for hum
| bier things, started a big brown-tail
| rabbit, that bounded into a heavy
! clump of underbrush. Prince picked
up a gnarled pine limb and softly
| followed his prey. He peered into
| the tangle, and not seeing the rab-
bit, stepped cautiously into the
bushes. Suddenly his foot broke
through a thin covering Of leaves,
and he plunged down into a deep
stump hole. His arms flew out and
| clutched at the air. His whole weight
came down on his leg with a shock.
| There was a snap, then a groan Of
agony, a nd Prince sat back on the
ledge Of the hole, gripping his leg with
both hands in a pitiful attempt to al
lay the deep pain in it-for it was
broken above the knee.
Prince had never before been sick
or injured. His acquaintance with
any kind Of pain raj small indeed;
so now his wrecked body sent a blind,
indignant protest to his hot brain.
20 Mas Tom" he muttered, come
quick!!"
But Tom was half a mile away.
trying to raise a fat woodcock that
he had sighted. He lost several min.
utes in the effort, and came out of
the thicket and to the edge of the
river without having seen again
either the prize woodcock or the miss
ing brindle COW.
II wonder where Prince u.s." he
said to himself. Then he shouted,
prince! o Prince"
The waves Of the river Tapped
against the muddy banks and lisped
through the marsh; the wind
moaned through the bare trees; a
lonely plover called out of the bleak
sky: but Prince did not answer. He
had tried to call once or twice, but
his voice had sounded so high and
strange that it frightened him. When
the sick ~faintness swept over him
he thought that he was dying. AS
he closed his eyes he murmured:
"Good-by, Mas Tom! ! hope you
will find dat cow" But as the shock
gradually wore off the pain increased.
Tom, growing anxious, continued
to call as he broke through the brush
canes along the bank. But the
sweep of the waves and the rising
wind kept his voice from carrying
far. Finally, when he came near
where the Lone Pine stood he heard
a faint moan, then Princes voice:
/ nYY 49, - Hko-f mA-a ~ rt E-tr