The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1920-01-08
fine afore we 1ef' St. Louee. Ahu

fine afore we 1ef' st. Loueo. AhH
shtw yer de way, missus."
! She rose to her feet rather eagerly,
and stood with one hand resti lg
against the trunk of a small tree. Her
eyes met mine and endeavored a
smile.
II thank you for thinking Of that"
n said gratefully. Il really am
tired, and-and it will be rest just to
be alone. You-you do not mind if
1 go?"
certainly not. There is nothing for
any of us to do but just take things
easy until night"
"And then we are to go on up the
river?"
eyes, unless, of course, something
should occur during the day to change
our plan. Meanwhile Sam and / will
take turns On guard, while you can
remain undisturbed."
l watched the two as they went
down the steep bank together and
Sam helped her over the rail into the
cockpit. The negro left the door open
and returned slowly, clambering up
the bank.
"Cuse me, sah,' he said clumsily,
as he paused before me, rubbing his
head, his eyes wandering below. Did
All hear right Whut yer sed las night,
bout how dat young woman was a
niger, a runaway from Massa Kirby?
Pears like All don't just seem fer ter
git dat right in my head, sah."
"That is the truth, Sam, although
it appears quite as impossible to me
as to yOu. She has the blood of your
race in her veins, and is legally a
slave.'
can now she done b'long ter dis
yere Massa Kirby?"
eyes, he won all the Beaucaire
property, including the slaves, in a
poker game, on the river, the night
Beaucaire died."
"Ah done heerd all bout dat, sab.
An yer nebber know'd dis yere girl
afore ct ALI"
mo, l never even saw her. l
CHANGED to hear the story and went
to the house to warn them, as no one
; else would. I vas too late, and no
other course was left but to help her
escape. That is the whole of it,"
He asked several other questions,
but at last appeared satisfied, and
after that we discussed the guard duty
of the day, both agreeing it would not
be safe for us to permit any possible
pursuit to pass by us up the river un-
seen. Sam professed himself as I'M
wearied by the nights work and will
ing to stand the first watch. I lay
down in the tree shade, and must
have fallen asleep almost Immediately.
I do not know what aroused me, but
I Immediately sat upright, startled
and instantly awake, the first object
confronting me being Sam on the
crest of the opposite ridge, eagerly
reckoning me to join him. The mo-
ment he was assured of my coming,
and without so much as uttering a
word of explanation, he vanished
into the shadow Of the woods.
I crossed the ravine with reckless
haste, clambering up the opposite
bank, and sixty feet beyond suddenly
t came into view of the broad expanse
of water. Scarcely had 1 glimpsed this
rolling food, sparkling under the
suns rays, when my gaze turned up
stream, directed by an excited gesture
of the negro. Less than a mile away,
its rapidly revolving wheel churning
the water into foam in ceaseless battle
against the current, was a steamboat.
A number of moving figures were per
ceptible OF the upper deck. I stared
at the apparition, scarcely compre-
bending the reality of what l beheld.
"Yer bettah stoop down more, sah,'
Sam urged. Ger sum o. dem fellars
might see yer yet. All nebber heerd
nuthin' ner saw no smoke till she
cum a-puffin' round de end O. dat pint,
All cudn't dare go fer yer then, sab,
fer fear dey'd see me, so All JUS
nat'arly lay down yere an watched
her go BY"
(To Be Continued)