The Winslow mail., 1922-12-08
(Continued)
SYNOPSIS

CHAPTER 1.-The time is the late SOS
or early 70s and the scene steamboat
on the MISSISSIPPI river. All the types
Of the period are present and the float
Ing palace is distinguished by merrment,
dancing and gallantry. There are the
customary drinking and gambling also.
Virgil Drace, a young northern man, Is
2n his way south on a mission of revenge.
he meets an eccentric character in the
person of one Liberty Shottle, who is
constantly tempting the goddess of
chance They form a singular compact
CHAPTER II.-Drace gets his mind off
bis mission by entering into deck sports
In which he exhibits an unusual athletic
prowess. Liberty Shottle is again un-.
lucky at cards and attempts a financial
negotiation with Drace. The latter. see
Ing an opportunity to use Shottle, con-
ddes to him that his mission is to find
a certain ex-guerrilla, Stepho la Vitte,
who had murdered Drace's father. 1t is
mis- determination announced to his new
ghum, to hang La Vitte as bigfTl as
Baman. Drace has become enamored
of a mysterious beauty aboard the boat
CHAPTER III.-The steamer reaches
New Orleans. at that time in the some-
what turbulent throes of carpetbag gov
prnment. Shottle becomes possessed of
two tickets for the French ball, great
society event, and proposes that Drace
accompany him to the affair. The young
men attend and Drace Unexpectedly meets
the girl who had fired his heart aboard
the steamer. She is accompanied by one
Boyce, whose proprietary interest indi-
cates that he is her fance. Through
of the girl is Nadine la Nitte and that
her companion of the evening is the man
who is seeking to marry her.
CHAPTER IV.-Drace passes an uneasy
night torn by the suspicion that Nadine
is the daughter of old stepho la Vitte,
now an admitted outlaw. Now, more
than ever is he resolved to find where
the girl lives and to find Stepho. Drace
and Shottle begin search of the city.
In one of their nocturnal plgrima ges
they come upon a mob intent upon hang
ing a poor wretch from the limb of
tree 1t is typical carpetbag execution
and aroused the resentment of an oppos
ing mob of citizens. Drace takes a hand
in the fight which starts and is irstru-
mental in preventing the execution From
a window opposite the scene, he catches
glimpse of one he is sure Is Nadine.
CHAPTER V-The escapade, the fight,
the interference with the execution get
Drace and Shottle into bad standing with
the authorities, but instead of punish
ment are given until the next day to
board a steamer bound north. Returning
to the house where he thought he had
glimpsed the girl, Drace finds the place
abandoned. Through Colonel Josh, an
eInisSary employed at the suggestion of
Shottle, he gets faint clue in the dis
covery that certain Frenchman, a wine
dealer is renorted to be an intimate Of
time before the departure of the steamer
when Drace and Shottle go to call on
the Frenchman. The latter is too. keen
to be inveigled into giving up any infor-
nation. but Shottie, spying around among
the casks and bottles. especially the ar
ticles made up for shipment, makes an
important discovery. So as not to arouse
the suspicious of the FTenchman, he
casually draws Drace away from the
place and onto the steamer. On board
he informs Drace that one of the cases
was addressed to Stepho la Vitte at Far
NUNS Landing. Mississippi. 1t is the next
stop below Bethpage's Landing and Col
onel Bethpage is Liberty Shottle's uncle
CHAPTER vI.-Drace and Shottle are
received with genuine hospitality by
Colonel Bethpage and find the planta'
tion and its environs delightful After
q brief stay and characteristic financial
transaction with the colonel. Shottle goes
away ostensibly on business trip to
Vcksburg, but in reality to seek his
favorite form of amusement. Drace
makes the plantation his headquarters
and from pieces of information gathered
from various sources, becomes Convinced
that La Vitte has a haunt in great
wood of cypress and tangle OF salt
CEDAR a sort of everglades, a marsh with
hundreds of knoll islands rising here and
there among the bayous. shrewd old
negro had told him that the outlaw lived
in house built of periwinkle shells;
Day after day Drace takes a canoe and
goes farther and farther into the moss
hanging wilds. At his feet lies a rope. one
end of it hangman's moose.
They had finished the meal and were
sitting back, smoking, slipping wine,
when Drace noticed a sudden change
in the Generals countenance, tight
ening, a grimness; and turning about,
he saw standing against the wall a
strange figure-a man not tall, but
broad of shoulder, his body soping
m Ci n
sinewy restlessneSS. His mass of hair
was like tangled flax straw, dark and
yet gray Like the bristles of wild
boar, his short mustache stuck out and
his heavy eyebrows looked like great
hairy caterpillars crawling across his
lower forehead. In his dress there was
a wild touch, barbaric aspect. Slowly
he came forward.
'"This is General Bethpage, heh?"
That is my name, yes. What do
you want with me?'
"Whut l want; heh? come to pol
Ogize to think them mule be mine"
We'll, go on away. 1 don't want any
apology from YOU"
"No? You put pistol at me. That
was in Louisiana. This is Mississip'.
An l tell you here you haf turn car
petbagger."
"What! If General Andrew Jack
son should arise out of his grave and
tell me that, do you know what l
would say to him?"
'You would beg hees pardon as you
will mine, heh?"
81 would say to him as I now say to
you: You are an infamous liar"
Drace sprang between them and
seized the man by the wrist; a dirk
fell from his hand.
"Stand back, General" cried Drace.
'rThere is not going to be fight here.
Stand back, Tobe y
The dark-faced man looked Drace in
the eye.