The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-06-10
THE Man IN THE SWAMP
BY JOHN EoGERToN.

Joe crouched in the palmetto scrub.
and his brain worked feverishly as he
laid his plans
He had escaped three hours before
from the turpentine camp. where he
had toiled three months out of life
sentence He had been committed
there for murder. but II was only man.
slaughter. and Joe knew that any
white man who had killed under the
circumstances would have been ac-
quilted 1t was this knowledge that
ranked and made him hate every
body in the camp
Flogged, starved. treated as wild
beast. Joe dreamed Of the day OF his
escape, when he could take revenge
upon the world He hated his keep
ers, the man who had betrayed him;
but most of all. by singular chance.
he hated Bentley. the white convict.
who was serving five years sen.
tence for doing what he had done, and
of whom II was freely said that only
political animosities had got him con-
victed at all
However. Bentley. who was respect
ed as a rich man. the hero of the
camp, the subject Of Difference on the
part Of the Enthusiastically was In
the camp and Joe was outside. That
was the situation Joe had made his
escape during the confusion following
on the outbreak Of the fire. The wood
en- stockade was threatened. the con-
victs were mustered into the yard.
and, under cover of the smoke, Joe
made his getaway.
He had run for three hours through
uneasily and planned. He would make
his way to his home town. or course
he must get some coke. That done. he
would perform his various acts of re-
venge upon diverse persons, and then
well. then the safety of the southern
ports ard the society of his fellow
roustabouts.
Suddenly he raised his head and
listened uneasily. Far down the glade
there rang a faint and musical cry. 1t
was the call Of bloodhound. Joe
knew its significance. and the super
stitious terror which the negro has
Cor this hornd awakened He sprang
to his feet and plunged on through the
thickets.
Once he could make the water Of
the bayou he knew he was safe. He
could throw he hounds of the scent.
The shallow bayou was about two
miles away. With luck he would reach
II before the hounds caught up with
him. The swampy ground would i'm
pede their scent. He struggled along
Once at the bayou. he would swim
out to one Of the islands, lurk there
until the chase had passed. then dou-
IL s!ss On III t1ss.sss s- ski *; rs bay, ssS
! Becksviile. He Knew exactly what he
, would do. He felt the hope Of free.
dom strong In him.
But presently the cry Of the hounds
grew louder-louder still. and the
scent Of the brackish water was only
beginning to fill his nostrils. Madly
now Joe plunged into the scrub. Sud
denly he emerged upon a little creek,
one of the numerous tributaries that
fed the bayou.
A woman was kneeling on the bank.
her back toward him. and occupied in
bailing out boat. AS Joe approached
she started and looked eagerly towa~d
him.; then. seeing the negro. she
sprang to her feet with a little cry.
Where is he?" she asked. Mr..
Bentley"
Joe gaped at her vacantly. Then,
seeing the boat, he made toward It..
The woman's figure barred his path
you can't take it," she cried ITS
for-for-Mr. Bentley"
Joe thrust her aside and made for
the beat The cry of the bloodhounds
grew louder, and suddenly ragged
figure crashed through the glade and,
stumbling, painting, collapsed at the
woman's feet She cried out and
| threw her arms about him.
Suddenly Joe remembered woman
who had loved him. She was a black
woman. but she had meant all to him
that this girl meant to Bentley. And
in flash he recognized the situation.
Bentley had escaped too: the blood
hounds were after him. and 1t was
Bentley, not he, who occupied the
stage at that moment
| AS the man rose. sobbing for breath,
and turned to Joe, the negro, who had
already one foot In the boat, stopped
and indicated that Bentley should en-.
ter. He even assisted the girl in; he
watched her haul Bentley after her
saw them pole off-and then the
hounds burst into the glade and gave
tongue among the palmettos.
Joe turned and pushed into the pal
metto again. His feet stuck in the
soft mud The hounds we're gain
ing on him. He stopped in despair
and at that instant with loud bowls
of triumph, the beasts lcaped from
among the palmetto and raced down
into the mangrove.
One instant Joe saw their 1.-THE
bodies and the forms of the wardens
| plunging through the scrub behind
The next he heard the sound of an
oar dipped into water near him. The
PROV of boat shot through the man
groves. Joe saw Bentley and the girl
They had come back for him.
Jump in. Joe, said Bentley "Dic
you think | was going to save my
skin and not help you. after what you
did for me?"
AS the foremost mound leaped fol
him Ioe scrambled ahna I'd Noisalasa