Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-08-24


Archard and told her how he had come
by them. She had experienced enough
Of lie Moyne's attentions to her to di-
vine his object. Then st. Clair took
the jewels to lie Moyne, whom he
found with several of his guests, and
told him where he had found them.
LIE Moyne colored and stammered that
stolen them and temporarily hidden
them in st. Glars room.
you liei' said st. Clair. 81 saw you
come to my room and place the box In
my drawer"
LIE Moyne raised his cane and struck
strike back, but the others interfered.
At that time in the south such an
affair must be settled under the code
duello. The accusation against LIE
Moyne could only be wiped out In
blood. He knew that 1t could not be
wiped out at all. There was not one
of his guests but would believe the
word Of st. Clair in preference to his
own.
With the logged spirit that pos
sessed him LIE Moyne proposed that
they should settle the affair at once.
st. Clair was agreeable, and though
the others present advised delay, the
= two principals were too hot for 1t.
Rapiers were the weapons most used,
and there was sufficient space In the
room where they were. The adver-
saries, In shirt and trousers, faced each
other, swords were handed them and
they began to fence.
LIE Moyne, true to the instincts of
his race, was cool. Not even the truth
of the charge could unnerve him. st.
Clair, on the contrary, was so shocked,
so indignant at the base attempt to
put a stigma upon him and rob him of
the girl with whom he had just plight
ed his troth that he fought wild. The
result was that In a few minutes he
received a sword wound In the side
which took him out of the fight.
He was carried to his and a
surgeon sent for, who pronounced him
in danger of his life. OF course, re-
mOval was out of the question.
The first Miss Archard heard Of the
matter was that her lover had been
stabbed by her host and was lying In
his chamber in a critical condition.
She few upstairs and IN another mo-
ment was bending owe him.
why" she moaned, did we come
into this house? 1t is accused"
At the moment an old negro woman
entered and heard the words.
mo. missy" she said, "de house amt
cursed. Hits de people in 1t. DON
worry, honey. 1 had a dream las
night. l dreamed / saw a p'cession
gotn' to a grave takin' a baby coffin.
An l saw 'em buryin' de coffin. Den
when dey all go way I saw de baby
rise out O. de groun', an he was grow
ed to be a fine young man. An he
said, Nanny, my dear ole nanny!
He put his arm around my neck an
said, rs come of age today
Know VIVA de dream meant. Bon
yo' worry, honey. Hits all comm out
right"
The lovers well knew the supersti-
ton of the colored race and thought
nothing of her words. But her predic-
ton that it would all come out right
proved true. 1t was a month before
st. Clair could be moved, and during
this period Miss Archard came every
day to nurse him, though never once
did she deign to notice LIE Moyne. One
day, shortly before the surgeon gave
permission for his removal, the negro
who had told her dream came into the
room in which st. Clair was lying,
Miss Archard sitting beside him. The
old woman locked the door and ap-
preached the bed with her finger on
her lips.
"Is 1t de ff' OBJ August?' she asked.
"Yes, aunty."
"Lis'en! u got a secret I'm gwine to
tell yo'. l promise missy 1 nebber tell
twill dis day, cos dis de day yo', Mars
Julian
"Julian! I'm not Julian. I'm Proc
tor. Something is the matter with
you, aunty. You're gone daft"
Jus yo' wait, honey. Mars Julian.
yo' twenty-one years ole dis berry day.
Reckon l ought to know. I'm yo'
NANNY"
By this time she had caught their
attention.
"Yo' ma, she lib heah, an Mars LIE
Moyne, Mars Tom LIE Moyne's father,
he come in to run de plantation.
Missy 'fraid her baby git poisoned SO
Mars LIE Moyne 'ud own de prop'ty.
Yo', de baby, git sick. Missy t4nk
Mars LIE Moyne poison yo'. So she
p'etend yo' daid. She git a coffin. an
she fill it with stones, an she said to
me: In heah is de proofs dat my boy
Is not in de coffin. Yo1l know all
about him. an on de ff OBJ August,
IS, yo' tell him who he is. Den he
kin claim de plantation his ownself-'
When the old woman finished, the
lovers, whose eyes had been opening
wider with every word. looked at each