The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1923-03-01
Frorn Mhat he hna haen able .


gather from the General and by talk
ing in seeming idleness to boatmen
and TO men along the River, Drace
confirmed the information snatched by
Shottle from the label on the French
mans wine case-namely. that old
Stepho had haunt somewhere in the
neighborhood. A shrewd old negro had
said that the outlaw lived in the
swamp, In a house built of periwinlSle
shells. On the opposite shore, and
several miles below the Generals
home, there lay great wood of cy-
press and thick tangle of salt cedar
a sort of everglade, marsh with hun
dreds of knoll-islands here and there
rising among the bayous. Here was in
deed an outlaws paradise, for Drace
was told that not nearly all its lanes
and crooked byways of brown water
had been explored Herein he began
his search for old Stepho, day after
day penetrating farther and farther in
to this moss-hanging wild. He did not
confide in General Bethpage, for his
mission was sacred unto himself alone
and by himself alone must it be &C.
c0mplished.
At his feet in the canoe lay a rope
one end of it n hangman's moose, and
he smiled at il, grim and firm of faith.
Sometimes his canoe would stall In the
carpet of scum. But he forced his
way through into narrow and unob-
structed channel. Now he padded
swiftly. In front Of him a great alli-
gator arose and sank, the canoe graz
ing his scaly back With shrek great
birds flew, Tapping low, their long legs
stretched out behind them. Drace was
armed with revolver, but did not
When he ceased for time to paddle,
how still everything was!
The adventurer liked TO feel that no
one had ever been there before. But
now suddenly something caught his
eye. In the green tangle ON low
bank he saw a pole with wires strung
to it, sort of gate. The wires were
covered with vines, trained about them.
brushy tangle? He caught hold of
weed and pulled the canoe up closer,
took hold of the pole and now he
found a lower slat to which the wires
We're also attached. Farther along he
discovered a sort of hinge attached to
snag almost hidden by briers.
''Tll open this gate and see what lies
beyond" he unused, drawing the canoe
back to the other end. He pulled at
the pole, and it yielded. The gate
opened, and through the weeds that
appeared to have been bent by the
passing of boat, he saw a narrow
channel.
1t was easy enough to shove through
the weeds and to enter the new canal.
Soon it broadened, winding about
among the enormous cypress trees.
Now he came upon a widening that
looked like millpond, except that in
the midst of 1t arose an island of tall
cane. 1t was an attractive sight, and
he ceased padding to look. Slowly
he dlifted toward the islands shore.
He took hold of q cane root and pulled
the nose of the canoe hard into the
bank. Then he got out, parting the
stiff and stubborn cane in a shade as
dense as night. But now through this
parting hallway he could see sunlight
beyond, and knew that he was about
to come into an open space. And out
into 1t he looked with a start; for
there, few feet from the edge Of the
fringe of cane, stood a small house
made Of minute shells cemented-peri-
wrinkles. It's roof was of thatch, the
long rushes gathered from the swamp;
cad about the door was cypress vine,
its red blooms dazzling in the sun.
And then Bonded cane BRACE held
was crushed in his hand, for through